User:NikoSilver

NikoSilver is a Greek, so if you notice him being absent during almost half of the evenings, you will know what to assume!

NikoSilver is currently working his ass off in real life and has decided that it is about time his long RealLifeBreak in favor of WP was interrupted. He will make frequent brief RealLifeBreaks, but you won't see him as much as you may be used to. (Yeah, he knows you're better off!)

Me and Mac

I like languages and people me. I like all kinds of them; Slavic-rooted ones, Turkic-rooted ones, Latin-based, Albanian, hell, I even like English. I like them especially when and if they live and are spoken in my country. I know there are some Slavic-speakers in Greece: a couple of hundreds of thousands. I know that most of them speak a form closer to the modern Macedonian language (the Slavic one); the rest speak a form closer to Bulgarian. Regardless, I know that their extreme majority identifies as Greek on the national level; the rest few call themselves Macedonians, and Bulgarians, Pomaks, even Turks. Helsinki estimates the ones that identify as Macedonians are 10 to 30 thousand; the Greek sources say zero.

Nevertheless, I'd like this language to flourish in Greece. I'd like it spoken, I'd like it taught, I'd like its speakers proud of their origin, I'd like it expand south to Crete. I do respect the self identification of these people, and I also respect how they call their language, and for those across the border, their country. Some Greeks can be the strongest supporters for the speakers and for the language, and they can be the best medium for them. Don't ever think that this means I would ever allow preposterous nationalistic claims escalate; from whichever side those may be.

I also respect the Greeks of the north who call their dialect Macedonian, their province Macedonia, and themselves Macedonians. I can even disambiguate those and call them Macedonian Greeks, despite the fact that some of them may consider this an offensive pleonasm. I'm no fool, I know there are many more Macedonians around, and I respect the fact that they identify as such.

So, I'm asking: Why does nobody else wish to disambiguate? Am I such a jerk or should it not be that hard?

•NikoSilver•

elΜητρική γλώσσα αυτού του χρήστη είναι η ελληνική.

ke-3Ὁ χρήστης οὗτος δύναται συνεισφέρειν μετ' ἀνωτέρας γνώσεως τῆς Κοινῆς Ἑλληνικῆς.

en-4This user can contribute with a near-native level of English.

it-3Questo utente può contribuire con un livello avanzato di italiano.

fr-2Cet utilisateur peut contribuer avec un niveau intermédiaire en français.

This user comes from Greece and is a Greek Orthodox.

NMK VMK UMK This user would support a solution of the Naming Issue for FYROM in the form of: New Macedonia, Vardar Macedonia or Upper Macedonia (and wouldn't give a damn about what Greek extremists say for "no Macedonia in the title").

BBAThis user has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.

This user is an advocate of democracy.

This user supports the European Union and the Euro currency.

This user enjoys motor yachting and is a PADI certified scuba diver.

This user is a tavli player, who likes his frappé black, but hasn't smoked yet since May 5th, 2008.

10,000+This user has made more than 10,000 contributions to Wikipedia.

Mess with ME?

Don't even think about it...

Favorite motto:

Γηράσκω αεί Διδασκόμενος
"Girasko Aei Didaskomenos"
"I Always Learn as I Age"
(Solon)

Signature shop

Visit my store to see how many cool signatures I have given as a gift!

Who knows... maybe I'll be in the mood to create one for you too...

Places visited

Aegean Sea (probably all of it)
Ionian Sea (that too)
i.e. probably all 14,880Km or ~8,000Nm of the Greek coast.
This journey is the most fascinating experience I've ever had.
I strongly suggest it. Missing it is almost a sin.

I've also been to:

Serbia and Montenegro	New Macedonia (shortly)	People's Republic of China
Monaco	Seychelles	Kenya
Singapore	Mauritius	United Kingdom
Italy	South Korea	Netherlands
Albania	Turkey	Madagascar
Germany	Thailand	France
Bulgaria	South Africa	Maldives
Romania	Austria	Switzerland
Vatican City	United States	Morocco

Projects

• Nationality quiz
• Disputed regions - Summary style

| class="col-break " |

External sites

• Useful study for future fathers

Contributions

Check Edit count for NikoSilver.

I have particularily contributed to the following articles:

Articles

N Macedonia (terminology)

Macedonians (Greek)

Names of the Greeks

English words of Greek origin

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Accession of FYROM to EU

Xenophon Zolotas

Macedonia (region)

Philhellenism

Atlas Mountains

Grouper

Nikos Kavvadias

N Greek surnames

Pontic Greek Genocide

N Ferretti Group

Malakas (occasionally) :-)

N Bouzoukia

N Macedonia naming dispute

N-DYK Psyttaleia

ITN Greek legislative election, 2007

N-ITN Panhellenic Socialist Movement leadership election, 2007

| class="col-break " |

Lists

N List of countries by Coast/Area ratio

R List of countries by length of coastline

Templates

N Template:Macedonia intro

N Template:Historical Macedonia

N Template:Geographical Macedonia

N Template:Political Macedonia

N Template:Macedonia confusing

N Template:Historical Macedonia 2

N Template:Geographical Macedonia 2

N Template:Political Macedonia 2

N Template:Macedonia historical borders

N: New Article or Major Contribution - R:Large Scale Rewrite - : Featured article

Humor

To nationalists: Órse!

The following are some of my favorite quotes here in wikipedia.
I think that your point gets across better if you have a good sense of humor!

• To an unfriendly racial slur. (check the userpage)
• Etymology or Etoimology? (the latter in Greek means "quick response")
• Edit Summary (1) German decimals...
• Edit Summary (2) Inheritors vs Offsprings...
• Edit Summary (3) Wow! What a crowd!...
• Check the lettercase! of Rainbow Party vs Rainbow party (now a dab page, still funny)...
• Who's reasonable?... ...which lead to this. self sarcasm #1
• Edit Summary (4), plus Trolling... self-sarcasm #2
• I see dead people... which lead to lipogram which lead to Univocalic
• One of my favorite vandalisms... by someone else, ofcourse.
• Edit Summary (5) (The editor claims to be a MacSlav-Canadian)
• The Creeper self-sarcasm #3
• New diseases Genocide can be devastating for your health!
• Grouper vandal revert
• On Duja's adminship
• On my block-virginity and on Fran's sewing of block-virginity
• On Fut.Perf.'s proposal for admin nomination!
• POV-pusher self-sarcasm #4
• Edit Summary (6) Barbarians everywhere! Even inside the Epsilon Team!!
• When you oppose an early FAC, at least do it with style.
• LUV should be practiced, not written.
• Who said the ArbCom is not the right place?
• On Alison's picture
• Eating cats???
• Edit Summary (7): Body hair in the wrong places...
• W.E.S.U.C.K.B.A.D. which led to the perfect dab
• A bunch of Koo-koo edit-summaries for my user-page and talk-page can be found in the special sub-page:
  Former User Curiously Koo-kooed And Self-identifies Supermodel.
• Also check my notorious sockpuppet: User:Hellenic Republic

Uploaded Images

File:Athens 2004 Main Olympic Stadium.jpg Athens 2004 Main Olympic Stadium
File:Rio Antirio Bridge by sunset.jpg Under the Rio-Antirio bridge by sunset	Double lightning in Glyfada-Athens. A very seldomly captured phenomenon.	Crossing the isthmus of Corinth.
Athens 2004 Olympics Closing ceremony	Delos House of Dionysus floor mosaic	Edessa waterfalls.
Panoramic view of the Djemaa el Fna square in Morocco, Marrakesh by sunset. Koutoubia Mosque appears on the extreme left. The souks are in the alleys behind the square.
Panoramic view of typical Berber village (Morocco - High Atlas Mountains)
Panoramic view of the artificial lake of Lala Takerkoust near Barrage Cavagnac, with the hydroelectric dam (extreme right).
Hydra port, boater's view.
The natural port of Gaios, created by the islet Pontikonisi (center) resembles a fjord. Panoramic view of both entrances: Islet and monastery of Panagia to the North (left) and main settlement to the center and South (right).
Ferretti 68'.		Epinephelus aeneus (dead).
Oinousses main settlement.	Muslim floating village in Phi Phi.	Boy, does the tide scrub in Phi Phi, or what!
Architecture of Florence and the Ponte Vecchio.

Awards (thank you):

NikoSilver is awarded the Barnstar of Diligence for his efforts to present a neutral point of view in a controversial area. --Latinus 16:02, 5 March 2006 (UTC)	NikoSilver is awarded this The Working Man's Barnstar for his efforts to present reliable sources in a controversial area--Hectorian 16:29, 5 March 2006 (UTC)	NikoSilver is awarded this Barnstar for his particularly fine article List of countries by Coast/Area ratio. --Latinus 15:04, 29 March 2006 (UTC)	NikoSilver is awarded this Barnstar for his particularly fine article List of countries by Coast/Area ratio. --Asteraki 12:19, 30 March 2006 (UTC)	FocalPoint would like to award me, NikoSilver, the Órse Award for "my creativity" (lol), but he was afraid not to stretch my sense of humor too much. I accept with pride. NikoSilver 23:21, 28 September 2007 (UTC)
NikoSilver is awarded this Working Man's Barnstar for his amazing signature shop! --   Avg    10:01, 29 May 2006 (UTC)	For doing such an excellent job on Macedonia (terminology) getting it to featurable status, I award you this Barnstar of National Merit. smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) 06:51, 13 July 2006 (UTC)	For the painstaking and heroic work done to bring Macedonia (terminology) to a FA, I, Aldux, award this barnstar of Diligence to NikoSilver.	NikoSilver is awarded this huge lot of barnstars for how he improved my signature by characters and sexiness in his amazing signature shop! •Sean•gorter•(Talk) 13:50, 7 October 2006 (UTC))	For your tireless contributions in Wikipedia, I, Odysses , award you the Tireless Contributor Barnstar. Keep up the good work!

The Random Acts of Kindness Barnstar I award NikoSilver this Barnstar for his awesome work at providing everyone who asks with an awesome signature - this kind of dedication and friendliness is unsurpassed.  Killfest2  11:05, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

		The Random Acts of Kindness Barnstar
		I award you this Barnstar, for creating me such a great (and professional) signature Ryan Postlethwaite 18:00, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

What could be a better gift for NikoSilver for his great work on Macedonian terminology than ...

... a Macedonian grouper?

"Ἡ σφύραινα δ'ἐστὶ τίς;" —
"κέστραν μὲν ὕμμες ὡττικοὶ κικλήσκετε."
Strattis, Fragm., 'Μακεδώνες'

		The Barnstar of WPGreece
		For your help with WP:GREECE, your great often Aristophanic humor, your interest in Greece-related articles, your FA contributions concerning Macedonia, your courage to firmly stand by your beliefs, and your exciting Nationality quiz I award you with pleasure this barnstar of national pride, waiting again for to see you back more active, vivid, and humorous.--Yannismarou 10:31, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Notes