Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2017 April 26

= April 26 =

INJUSTICE
It is with my deepest regrets that I inform you that I am highly displeased with the way the articles about Muslim or Islam are written. They are mainly centred on the bad tings or the misinterpreted things they did and less about the good and contributing stuff. I hope the mattered is looked into as this is not just the concern of one person but millions out there afraid to speak up. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 49.207.157.21 (talk) 11:01, 26 April 2017 (UTC)


 * Can you direct us to one of the articles you feel has problems? Can you identify the problems with that article?  -- Jayron 32 11:12, 26 April 2017 (UTC)


 * Also, if you feel there is a problem with an article, you can always fix it yourself, although to edit some articles you might need to create an account. Also, don't forget that Wikipedia is a collection of previously published information. If you want to add something to an article, it should be taken from a reliable source. --Viennese Waltz 11:55, 26 April 2017 (UTC)


 * I suspect that they are talking about articles about ISIS, etc., which really can't avoid "saying bad things about (some people who claim to be) Muslims". Instead, I suggest adding or expanding articles about positive Muslim contributions.  There's the Red Crescent, zakat, etc. StuRat (talk) 15:12, 26 April 2017 (UTC)
 * What you "suspect" the OP to be talking about is not really here or there, especially as there must be dozens of articles on Islam-related topics. Unless and until the OP comes back with a response to Jayron's question, I advise you not to put words into his/her mouth. --Viennese Waltz 15:36, 26 April 2017 (UTC)

I invite the questioner (and anyone else for that matter) to read WP:POLE. --Dweller (talk) Become old fashioned! 15:29, 26 April 2017 (UTC)
 * That article is very optimistic. An alternative is WP:Systemic_bias
 * ApLundell (talk) 16:13, 26 April 2017 (UTC)
 * Perhaps the India-based OP will return here and give some specifics. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 17:06, 26 April 2017 (UTC)


 * The OP should take this to the appropriate project or article talk pages. It is not a request for references. μηδείς (talk) 18:33, 27 April 2017 (UTC)

vehicle “acquisition sale”
I have here a flyer announcing an "acquisition sale” where I could pay $19 and take over the payments on a car. The envelope's return address is “Dept. of Vehicle Notification” (with the seal of the U.S.Treasury surrounded by the legend “Department of Notification / 1982” in a Collegiate-style font), suggesting to me that the offer is intended for punters who won't ask awkward questions.  So, what's the racket?  Interest gouging? —Tamfang (talk) 19:26, 26 April 2017 (UTC)


 * As there are zero other ghits on “Dept. of Vehicle Notification”, it is unlikely to be a government responsibility to sell on repo vehicles and it would surely be a state matter rather than federal, I can only assume that this is a simple scam, based on a fraudulent identity for starters.
 * There are plenty of businesses near me who will pay me a year's free insurance etc. if I would like to "take over the payments on a car" - they're just called garages. I'm not sure what even the supposed advantage to the mark is here? Take on a lease, presumably at the original payment rate, and get a second-hand car? Andy Dingley (talk) 20:16, 26 April 2017 (UTC)


 * Yes, these "payments" are likely far more than the car is worth, or there may not really be a car for sale, and they just want your bank info to drain your account (they will claim they need it to set up the payment plan). StuRat (talk) 20:18, 26 April 2017 (UTC)


 * Yes, or a standard advance-fee fraud scam: once they get a bite, they keep telling the mark that there's just some minor issue that's come up and if they could just send over some more money for processing fees and whatnot we'll get that car to you lickety-split, we promise. --47.138.161.183 (talk) 20:45, 26 April 2017 (UTC)


 * The host of the event is a local Nissan dealer, so I'm willing to assume that the whole thing is technically legal and the cars exist. —Tamfang (talk) 04:09, 27 April 2017 (UTC)


 * Yes, and they evidently are demonstrating the ethics by which used car dealers are widely known. StuRat (talk) 21:47, 28 April 2017 (UTC)


 * Also, if you're feeling civic-minded, if this was sent through the U.S. mail, you can report it to the USPS. The Department of the Treasury might be interested as well in people fraudulently using their logo. --47.138.161.183 (talk) 20:47, 26 April 2017 (UTC)
 * Does it count as fraud if it's used essentially for decoration, not in an attempt to pass as the Treasury? —Tamfang (talk) 04:09, 27 April 2017 (UTC)

(Chicago Tribune, 1997) describes a similar advertisement, but the "acquisition fee" has dropped from $37 to $19 (maybe because I'm in a smaller town??). —Tamfang (talk) 04:14, 27 April 2017 (UTC)

Notability and Conflict-Of-Interest Questions
I work for a fourth generation, family-owned retail chain of building supply stores, headquartered in Texas. We have 86 stores in five states and have been in business 90 years. I would like to submit content on our company for a Wikipedia page and have read all the guidelines for doing so.

How do I determine if our company is notable enough to be considered for inclusion into Wikipedia? We are listed on ranking indices of important companies in our field, but I'm not sure if those lists are notable enough or if the various independent published articles about our company would be considered important enough for consideration as well.

To do this correctly requires a lot of work (as it should) so I was hoping to get some direction from you before starting on this journey.

Thank you! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.90.240.98 (talk) 20:08, 26 April 2017 (UTC)


 * 86 stores certainly sounds like it passes the notability req. However, you have to be careful to avoid making the article sound like an ad.  So, don't include terms like "the best" in it.


 * BTW, we may already have the article, under a slightly different name. What is the name you are using for the chain ?  StuRat (talk) 20:14, 26 April 2017 (UTC)

Thank you! I'll be very careful to avoid anything that seems self-promoting. (I was going to approach it as an historical article and had printed out another chain in our industry's Wikipedia page to use as a guide as far as acceptable language, etc.) We operate our retail chain under the name McCoy's Building Supply (headquartered in San Marcos, Texas). Our company is McCoy Corporation. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.90.240.98 (talk) 20:54, 26 April 2017 (UTC)
 * You are strongly discouraged from editing articles relating to an organization with which you are connected. Also, if your employer is compensating or offering to compensate you for editing Wikipedia on their behalf, you must disclose this. Read this FAQ page. If you have further questions, ask here or see Help:Contents. (Questions about editing Wikipedia belong on the Help desk, but I don't blame you for not being able to find it in our labyrinth of back corridors.) --47.138.161.183 (talk) 20:55, 26 April 2017 (UTC)

I do know that you have to be especially careful to remain neutral when editing articles relating to an organization you're connected to. I hope using a more detached, historical approach will help! I'll disclose my COI on the draft article. (I'll be sure to use the Help:Contents link for questions when writing. Very helpful!)  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.90.240.98 (talk) 21:17, 26 April 2017 (UTC)


 * The only current Wikipedia article I find is for McCoy Building, which seems to be unrelated. StuRat (talk) 21:45, 26 April 2017 (UTC)

Thank you for researching. I also looked around and was surprised to find a Wikipedia article related to our company's founder, Emmett McCoy, which was the McCoy College of Business article (Texas State University). But otherwise, nothing related to our Building Supply chain. I appreciate your and the other editor's help on this! (I think I'll re-read the tips and guidelines one more time and work on submitting a draft article. Fingers crossed!)  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.90.240.98 (talk) 21:53, 26 April 2017 (UTC)
 * I did find McCoys.com which appears to be this company, but I cannot find hardly any independent writing about the company. Is there any extensive, independent writing about the company we can use to help fill out an encyclopedia article?  -- Jayron 32 10:52, 27 April 2017 (UTC)