Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2011 August 25

= August 25 =

Requesting editors to review AfD
Articles for deletion/Texas Disposal Systems Landfill v. Waste Management Holding (2nd nomination)

High Rock, North Carolina deletion
several weeks ago I wrote a short article about a place near my home the village of "High Rock" in Davidson County, North Carolina. When I went to look at the article, I found it had been deleted for "G3-Vandalism", and that the subject has been frozen by an an administrator.


 * I don't understand what is happening here.

Is my article considered vandalism, or was the article vandalized and removed?

I am new at this Wikipedia stuff, I am confused as to what is going on here.

Have I broken some rule or has someone else bolixed this up?

Can someone explain what happened? 00:55, 25 August 2011 (UTC)00:55, 25 August 2011 (UTC)00:55, 25 August 2011 (UTC)00:55, 25 August 2011 (UTC)~ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.7.74.74 (talk)


 * There has never been a page at High Rock, North Carolina. 14 August 2011 your IP address created a page at Talk:High Rock, North Carolina. It was deleted as "G8: Talk page of a deleted or non-existent page" What is the precise name or url of the page where you see "G3-Vandalism"? If you were logged in when you created an article then what is the username? PrimeHunter (talk) 01:36, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

On dead links in articles
Hi. I found some dead links in an article I made before. The article in particular is the Central Readiness Force. Thing is I can't find any as of now since the Central Readiness Force website has updated with no sign of retrieving the old articles. Do I remove the dead links and just stop there. Thank you for any replies. Ominae (talk) 05:51, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Don't delete the links if they were being used as references. Instead you can tag them with dead link.  You may be able to find an old version using archiving services like Wayback Machine or Internet Archive.  -- Jayron  32  05:53, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * See WP:LINKROT. ---— Gadget850 (Ed)  talk 12:09, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the advise. Right now they can't crawl through them to get the old version. Dammit. Ominae (talk) 22:15, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

Taking information from other wikipedia pages
I'm new to Wikipedia and I have a problem regarding creating articles.

I created an article on a subspecies of birds with the information I have. In the Wikipedia article about the relevant bird species, under the section subspecies, there are more information about the subspecies that I didn't include in the subspecies article. So can I include those information in the article I created on the subspecies with the relevant citations? Or is it wrong to do so because I don't know if the information is correct or not? Or do I have to ask and request the person who included those information to the species article to include it in the subspecies article too?

Thank you!Gregorvitch (talk) 07:09, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Please read WP:SPLIT, and WP:MERGE and come back if you have any questions. Ryan Vesey  Review me!  07:55, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

Thank you. But my question is can I take relevant information from a Wikipedia article to be included in another article? (with the relevant citations)Gregorvitch (talk) 12:09, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Yes, you can. To make sure credit goes where it is due (to the authors, not just Wikipedia itself), familiarize yourself with WP:Copying within Wikipedia.  And also see WP:Content forking. &mdash;Akrabbimtalk 12:26, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

Thank you for making it clear to me.Gregorvitch (talk) 05:29, 26 August 2011 (UTC)

Using EndNote or other bibliography programmes to add citations
In my work as a medical researcher I use EndNote to add citations to texts. I have searched for quick ways to enter citations in a wikipedia text, but cannot find it. I did find citation templates, but filling these manually, still seems an awfull lot of work. Is there a way in which I can use EndNote or another bibliography programme for adding citations? Welmoed (talk) 08:41, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I don't know about using external programs for creating citations but you might want to take a look at WP:PMID, WP:ISBN, WP:ISSN and WP:DOI. They describe methods for using the various identification codes in citations. Roger (talk) 09:05, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

Thanks. From WP:PMID I found a link to Biblio.php, the biblography programme used for wiki's. It has a section 'Integration with EndNote'. I haven't quite worked that out yet, but hopefully I'll manage. Welmoed (talk) 09:34, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * There's an even easier way. Type, where XXXXXX is the PMID of the article you want to cite.  Shortly after you click save, a bot automatically fills out the citation, and you get a fully formatted reference complete with title, author, etc and even a link to pubmed.   works similarly. Adrian J. Hunter(talk•contribs) 10:03, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I use Zotero, which will export a citation using one of the cite templates. ---— Gadget850 (Ed)  talk 12:08, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

Notable parents
Some school entries (see [This section] or [this search]) are including lists of "Notable parents". These seem superfluous, but I'm not sure which policy might cover them. "Promotional", "Notability is not inherited", "Undue" - none of these seem quite right. Or am I alone in thinking these sections should be removed? Arjayay (talk) 10:13, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Sounds like an appropriate topic for Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Schools. - David Biddulph (talk) 10:23, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Yeah – this is sort of covered by the first bullet point of WikiProject_Schools/Article_guidelines, "School articles should specifically not include ... Any mention (including lists) of non-executive teachers, pupils, administrative staff, school secretaries, etc." You could suggest that the guideline be updated to cover this at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject_Schools.  You're not alone in thinking these sections are out-of-place.  Adrian J. Hunter(talk•contribs) 10:39, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks - have requested this at WikiProject_Schools as suggested. Arjayay (talk) 10:59, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

User warning template for inappropriate profane personal opinion on an article talk page
Is there a user warning template for inappropriate and profane posts of personal opinion on the article subject at an article talk page? I looked at WP:UTN but didn't seem to find anything completely appropriate in this case. Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 10:55, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * uw-chat1 through uw-chat4?  User warning templates don't generally mention profanity per WP:NOTCENSORED, and posts that are about the article subject (as opposed to the article) are inappropriate per WP:TPG whether they're profane or not.  Remember to assume good faith though, as talk page misuse is a common newbie mistake. Adrian J. Hunter(talk•contribs) 11:22, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Uw-defamatory4im or Uw-defamatory4im|article should do the trick if the opinion concerns the subject of a BLP. --Elen of the Roads (talk) 11:24, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * The edit in question is this one. Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 11:27, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Meh. For a one-off edit that's not connected to an account, I'd just slap down a uw-vand3 or something.  No point trying to explain the finer points of wikiquette to this fellow. Adrian J. Hunter(talk•contribs) 11:32, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * I've reverted the edit. I normally don't bother with warnings for edits made more than an hour ago when it's the only edit made from an IP.  The probability the warning will be seen by the person who made the edit seems too low.  Adrian J. Hunter(talk•contribs) 11:37, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * uw-vand3ed the IP. Thanks Adrian. Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 11:37, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * And since this was done over 3 hours ago there probably isn't even a reason to give a warning. The person  probably is gone and won't receive the message anyway.  GB fan please review my editing 11:39, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

Disable automatically watching a page only for specific pages
If in your preferences you have ticked 'Add pages I edit to my watchlist', is it possible to disable that feature only for specific pages (for example I would like to disable it for Sandbox only)? Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 11:16, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * No, but you can easily remove the page from your watchlist. - David Biddulph (talk) 11:21, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Ok, I simply thought there might be a more automated method than that. Anyway thanks David. Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 11:42, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * 'Add pages I edit to my watchlist' means that 'Watch this page' is checked by default when you edit. You can manually remove the checkmark before you save. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:12, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks. I didn't think of the 'Watch this page' checkbox. Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 14:14, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * On a side note, you might find this script useful user:js/watchlist.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 18:45, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks, Fughettaboutit. Cool script. The "sort rows by even namespace number" is also awesome. Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 18:58, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Great, glad you like it. I have way (way, way) too many pages on my watchlist despite having this easy removal tool.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 19:11, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

Preventing the protection & deletion logs from showing on a watchlist
Is there any way of preventing protection and deletion log entries like the example two below from appearing in my watchlist? Thanks! Reaper Eternal (talk) 14:27, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure there is. If the page is on your watchlist, all changes to it (including protection and deletion, as well as edits) get reported.  -- Jayron  32  14:30, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * AFAIK, there has never been a push to make that an option. Whenever a page is protected, moved, or deleted, that is a significant event in a page's history, and thus gets that extra flag and link to Special:Log on your watchlist. Zzyzx11 (talk) 03:44, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

Song Lyrics missing?
I was just looking at Joy Division's song Ceremony...and noticed the lyrics were missing. Is that deliberate? Are there legal issues with putting them up there? It seems weird to have them absent. thanks, Jay (Redacted) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.179.93.25 (talk) 15:55, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Yes, it's deliberate. Copyrighted lyrics aren't compatible with Wikipedia's free text licence standards, so we can't use them. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 16:00, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Note: redacted email/personal information  Я ehevkor ✉  16:01, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * See WP:LYRICS. ---— Gadget850 (Ed)  talk 23:21, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

Pictures
I would like to down load many pictures on this website. So does many of my friends. Have you an e-mail address we can post our pictures? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.12.121.205 (talk) 16:22, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * If you want to upload an image from your computer for use in an article, you must determine the proper license of the image (or whether it is in the public domain). If you know the image is public domain or copyrighted but under a suitable free-license, upload it to the Wikimedia Commons instead of here, so that all projects have access to the image (sign up). If you are unsure of the licensing status, see the file upload wizard for more information. Please also read Wikipedia's image use policy.
 * If you want to add an image that has already been uploaded to Wikipedia or Wikimedia Commons, add  to the area of the article where you want the image to appear – replacing   with the actual file name of the image, and   with a short description of the image. See our picture tutorial for more information. I hope this helps.  TN X Man  16:24, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * If you want to add an image that has already been uploaded to Wikipedia or Wikimedia Commons, add  to the area of the article where you want the image to appear – replacing   with the actual file name of the image, and   with a short description of the image. See our picture tutorial for more information. I hope this helps.  TN X Man  16:24, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

Simple watched pages list?
I think I might be missing something on the topic of "watched pages." Is there no way to just get a simple list of pages that I'm watching rather than pages I'm watching that have been edited recently? Watching pages for edits is all well and good, but there are other reasons why one might want to "watch" a page (for example, I might want to add it because I found an interesting reference, or I want to remind myself to make an edit).

It would be nice if the "watched pages" page was a bit more descriptive and interactive:

1. a simple list at the top that contains all the pages being watched 2. a simple button next to each page for dropping said page from the watched list

All other features of the watched pages list (the edits list) would stay the same.

Do these features already exist? If so, can you point me to the instructions? If not, where can I find a feature request page to add this to the queue?

Thanks for the help

— Preceding unsigned comment added by BosDruid (talk • contribs) 17:19, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Yes, go to your watchlist then click, either "View and edit watchlist", or "edit raw watchlist". I would suggest "View and edit watchlist".  Ryan Vesey  Review me!  17:39, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * With over 5,000 pages in my watchlist, this would not be so simple.
 * User:js/watchlist will add features to your watchlist, such as delete.
 * ---— Gadget850 (Ed)  talk 23:20, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

abdomen pain
I am a 44 yr old female,w/hystorectomy 3yrs ago. Im having pain two inches to the right,and directly level to belly button and with a swelling inside and a pain scaled to me at (between 1-10) at a nine easily id like to kmow what "possible" things this could be,and how important i should take it as far as seeking help cause right now ive no insurance and cant afford any massive new debt. I understsnd these suggrstions are only that but id appreciate any ideas. Thank you for your time and help. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.194.113.159 (talk) 21:13, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * We cannot offer medical advice on Wikipedia. Please try This website and search for a Nurse's hotline.  If anything, you can call your local hospital and ask them.  Ryan Vesey  Review me!  21:15, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Rx warning.png We cannot offer medical advice. Please see the medical disclaimer, and contact an appropriate medical professional. The Blade of the Northern Lights ( 話して下さい ) 21:25, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * As the others say, we cannot give medical advice here. However, I think it is safe to say that if we could give medical advice it would likely involve seeing a doctor immediately as you may be playing with your life. (I have no medical qualifications whatsoever, but I recently had reason to research roughly this topic on the internet.) Hans Adler 21:53, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

does it violate wiki rules?
A certain wiki user (who is banned at english wiki already, but still present at other language versions) established a thread at a certain forum in which he urges people to support him in his wiki contributions. For example, to revert reverts of his actions, so that they'd stay. In fact, he even made a point that this way, the reverters of his actions will fall victims to 3 reverts rule. Which is all tag-teaming. He also gives links to people and even prepares for them texts they're supposed to post. May I add, he appeals also to people who do not usually use wiki or even do not speak the language of the article in question. I'd say it'd clearly against the spirit of wiki, but I'm not sure if it's against the exact letter of the rules, is it sock puppetry, because he does actually engage other people to do it. Sort of like mindless drones or zombies, but still. I've just asked him to stop that, and he claims he's not inciting anyone to break the rules. Could you please confirm that it is against the rules? Thank you, حرسون (talk) 23:08, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Wikipedia languages can have different rules. See Canvassing for the English Wikipedia guideline. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:28, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Exactly matches WP:SOCK bullet-point #4 (see also the WP:MEAT subsection), and use of WP:SPI/WP:TAGTEAM for WP:GAME. DMacks (talk) 23:30, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * As per Dmacks's reply, even if User (I mean the user which is banned at en.wp) does not break any rules explicitly, nor incites others to break any rules, (s)he does wrong simply by luring his/her opposition into breaking WP rules. That is forbidden by the "Don't disrupt WP to make a WP:POINT" policy. No need to argue if it's a WP:GAME crime. It is already a serious offense, and more clearly defined in POINT that in GAME.
 * I have read something about forum shopping somewhere, but can't point a finger to it ATM. But it does include outside forums, and isn't allowed either.
 * And of course, if users incited to re-revert don't disclose their connection to User, then it's meat-pupperty (again as per DMacks's reply). If they do, they must not cross the 3RR line, as per WP:3RR, counting their and User 's edits as one user's edits. - ¡Ouch! (hurt me / more pain) 08:46, 26 August 2011 (UTC)


 * The key thing here is "who is banned at english wiki already, but still present at other language versions" - so the answer is "We have no idea if it's against the rules (because they vary from Wikipedia to wikipedia) and even if it is, there is nothing at all we can do about it. --Cameron Scott (talk) 08:52, 26 August 2011 (UTC)

No Edit this Article showing on a Wikipedia article.
Dear Wikipedia:

No "edit this page" showed on an article about New York City. I wanted to correct an error in that article. I requested that a new password be sent to me but it never got in my inbox.

What do I do?

Many thanks--Sincerely 207.237.27.98 (talk) 23:14, 25 August 2011 (UTC)Ms. Billie M. Spaight
 * New York City is semi-protected so only autoconfirmed editors, editors who have made at least 10 edits and have been editing for 4 days, can change it. In order to make the change you can request it on the talk page using .  If you would like to make some changes yourself, feel free to create an account.  (Assuming you can't gain control of your old one, if you had one, it would be best to start again.)  Ryan Vesey  Review me!  23:17, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * You can click the "View source" tab for instructions to post a correction. Password mails are sometimes placed in spam folders by your mail software or ISP. If you are unable to retrieve a working password from a mail then you have to create a new account. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:24, 25 August 2011 (UTC)