User talk:Smerus/Archive 3

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Courtesy

You talked about courtesy and removed the work of your fellow editors. Please think about it. If I find it unchanged on return from hospital I will seek arbitration clarification. We just thought and hoped the infobox wars were over, quoting an arb "Fascinating. If the so-called "Great Infobox War" is over one way or the other, perhaps we will never see this back at Arbcom, something I rejoice in.". --Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:36, 27 August 2015 (UTC)

  • Any editing I did in this matter was accompanied by explanation in the talk section of the articles concerned. More than can be said for some of the changes I reverted. Furthermore, I have opened a debate on the changes made in the appropriate forum(s), rather than undertaking a campaign by stealth. I am perfectly happy to abide by the outcomes of the discussion(s), and I would not dream of taking any comments by editors, personal or otherwise, to arbitration. I should think also that you know me well enough to realize that I don't think much of threats ("If I find it unchanged...I will..."). If I may say, you seem to have picked up some nasty habits of other editors.--Smerus (talk) 19:43, 27 August 2015 (UTC)
  • Perhaps you did not intend it as such, but it certainly gives the impression of "If you don't do what I want I'll drag you before ArbCom". Nikkimaria (talk) 00:56, 28 August 2015 (UTC)
  • Can you provide a better wording, please. I haven't dragged anyone to any noticeboard, and do not plan to do that. I would like to clarify, and I confess to be disappointed to have been reverted like a vandal, two weeks and more after an edit that had been not questioned before and after, and not I alone. After more than three months, an edit is certainly no "bold edit". --Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:08, 28 August 2015 (UTC)

Could you imagine to do a GA review of Preise, Jerusalem, den Herrn, BWV 119, - psalm-based? I asked others before and get nervous, would be best on DYK on Monday. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:29, 29 August 2015 (UTC)

Gerda I will look - am busy today and tomorrow (off to Kyiv Monday) but will try.--Smerus (talk) 09:02, 29 August 2015 (UTC)
Don't then, rather respond to the opera discussion. I am working on the next, BWV 77, and will try one more for the Sunday after, before I will be off, forced to take care of health, on Monday. Thanks for offering. Please fix, and have a good trip, --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:57, 29 August 2015 (UTC)
Thank you for the pleasure of a speedy good review, --Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:48, 30 August 2015 (UTC)

Your basic mistake

Hi Smerus. You're a clever guy but I think you've failed to spot the true nature of the All New Wikipedia. It's a social networking site, not an encyclopaedia. Stop kicking against the pricks and bothering people with facts. It's not what you know, it's who you know.

Anyhow, back to work. Cheers. --Folantin (talk) 12:54, 1 September 2015 (UTC)

Sigh.......--Smerus (talk) 12:56, 1 September 2015 (UTC)

File:Siegfried - Heinrich Gudehus.jpg

While it might be public domain, that isn't proven, and the poor documentation makes it very difficult. The documentation alone would be a problem at FAC. Given, so far as I can tell, Heinrich Gudehus isn't a particularly important Siegfried, the many, many other examples on the Library of Congress and Gallica websites are likely better choices. I believe http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8425670w.r=siegfried+wagner.langEN is a good choice? One might also enjoy http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8425779z.r=siegfried+wagner.langEN http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b52502745k.r=siegfried+wagner.langEN http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b84558653.r=siegfried+wagner.langEN or http://www.loc.gov/resource/ggbain.33012/ - or, for another take, the Paris Opera set designs might be nice http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b52502772g.r=siegfried+wagner.langEN http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b52502766v.r=siegfried+wagner.langEN http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b55008305t.r=siegfried+wagner.langEN http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b550079657.r=siegfried+wagner.langEN http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b55008304c.r=siegfried+wagner.langEN

Let me know what you think; I'll gladly help. I'm afraid I don't have an image ready for Heinrich Gudehus, if that's the subject of your research, but I may be able to find one with a little less trivial effort.

Oh, and I also own a copy of the Arthur Rackham illustrations to the Ring Cycle, if that's any help. They're a modern printing, but, even if they're not FP-quality because of that, they'll still be valuable. Adam Cuerden (talk) 14:27, 1 September 2015 (UTC)

I was thinking of owing up the Verdi project with a Wagner project. May as well start, right? I'm quite happy to put a fair bit of work in on these five operas, but would prefer all the work be things we're unlikely to remove from the articles, so let's plan out what we want first, and then I'll act. =) I think we should probably start by getting the unrestored images in place, and then I can restore at leisure.

Lohengrin'

Of the images already in, File:Lohengrin_-_Illustrated_Sporting_and_Dramatic_News.png [Already featured] and the Oslo image, File:Lohengrin 8420-Peralta.jpg probably deserve to be in the article (although I agree the Oslo is too prominent). The other three probably don't add that much, unless I'm missing something.


Lohengrin is actually very easy - the opera was a HUGE hit at its Paris première, and Gallica (the Bibliothèque Nationale de France's website) puts everything online. So, let's see what our other options are:
  • [1] Not featureable (blurry at full resolution), but nice.
  • [2] - I'm inclined to suggest this one for the article, it's one of the better artistically.]
  • [3] is interesting for cultural impact, though it may well predate the opera, so I'd need to research it first
  • [4] Might be good - Political cartoon based on the opera; again, shows its impregnation into world culture.

Other options are available at http://gallica.bnf.fr/Search?ArianeWireIndex=index&lang=EN&q=Lohengrin&x=0&y=0&p=1&f_typedoc=images - some of the entries have more than one image. Adam Cuerden (talk) 17:06, 1 September 2015 (UTC)

Der Ring des Nibelungen

Image I most want to restore for this at the moment: http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8437160p/f1.zoom.r=Der%20Ring%20des%20Nibelungen.langEN - a gorgeous illustration of the ending of Götterdämmerung.

Most annoying "What the hell were you thinking?!" image: http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8437154z/f1.zoom.r=Der%20Ring%20des%20Nibelungen You'll see why. (There's another copy) Adam Cuerden (talk) 17:15, 1 September 2015 (UTC)

http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b52502750r.r=Walkyrie.langEN is probably my favourite Walkyrie at the moment. Adam Cuerden (talk) 17:27, 1 September 2015 (UTC)

Having looked at these quickly, I am in general agreement with you on all issues and am happy to trust your judgement. I'd just say that Lohengrin2 would be ideal for (somewhere in) the article, but might be too detailed for the size of the infobox image - we may need to find something less 'busy'.--Smerus (talk) 18:36, 1 September 2015 (UTC)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/54525871@N05/sets/72157624969947145/

This has images up to about 2000x3000 from the original productions. Might be a gallery, but.... Adam Cuerden (talk) 16:54, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

  • The original costume designs --- AAA grade for material for the articles....--Smerus (talk) 19:46, 7 September 2015 (UTC)

Götterdämmerung

I think the Gwynneth Jones image is probably the weakest (If it was a better photograph, sure, but it's a weird angle and composition). The Rackham images are over-used, but not actually bad. Couple other options in the Galica site. What do you think? Adam Cuerden (talk) 16:25, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

  • One Rackham per article should be enough if we could get pictures relating to actual productions. The GJones pic has the advantage of being relatively recent (i.e. within living memory, my memory anyway) and of a renowned 'star' in the role.....--Smerus (talk) 19:35, 7 September 2015 (UTC)
Agreed on the Rackham, though I could see doing a gallery in the overall Der Ring des Nibelungen article eventually - they're quite famous. But they're fantasy images, not related to productions, so...
As for Jones - I agree those are merits of the picture, but it's such an awful picture. Let's see if we can get anything better, or save it for a possible section on later performances, and leave it out of the plot summary.
Here's a few possibilities for singers in the roles, although I really don't know enough about it to filter early 20th-century opera singers for you:

File:Max Brückner - Otto Henning - Richard Wagner - Final scene of Götterdämmerung.png

Hey, Smerus, how's your German? I think the German text states that this is a representation of the set design as used in the original production, but I might be wrong in that, so I'd appreciate some help. My Fraktur isn't very good, so my attempts to transcribe it seem to be woefully inaccurate. Adam Cuerden (talk) 12:53, 3 September 2015 (UTC)

  • 'First and only authorized colour reproduction of the original painted design by Professor MB of Coburg for the Bayreuth Festival Theatre'. couldn't see a date and I suppose it may well be from the first production altho it was apparently published in 1894. I don't offhand recall whether they kept using the original sets, but I don't think a new production was sanctioned until later in the 20th century.....--Smerus (talk) 19:44, 7 September 2015 (UTC)
The painting's signature has a date of 1894, so I'm going to presume that. I suspect the sets will at least be similar - I know the costume design was kept static for decades, even after Wagner's death. Adam Cuerden (talk) 20:44, 7 September 2015 (UTC)

[5]

Could you flip through these (green arrows on the right of the image) and tell me which of these you consider the most valuable? Adam Cuerden (talk) 18:04, 7 September 2015 (UTC)

  • OK these are apparently from the 1896 Bayreuth performance (i.e. 20 years after the premiere). They seem to me to be variable, but I (personally) liked no. 8 (Hunding's hut) and 14 (The Gibichung Hall) - the 'exterior shots' seem rather bland.....It's not clear to me whether these designs are the same as for the premiere in 1876 (in which Bruckner was also involved), as i'm in Kiev away from my refwrence books for a couple of weeks. Best, --Smerus (talk) 19:21, 7 September 2015 (UTC)
8 and 14 are probably what I'd go for. I believe these are black-and-white reproductions of full-colour works - compare the last one to the new Götterdämmerung image - though, interestingly, Valhalla in flames doesn't appear in that. Anyway!
In other news, I have a good image of Die Walküre from Harper's Weekly's coverage of the New York première from my persona collection. Black-and-white, but good artistry, and covers the core trio - Siegmund, Sieglinde, Brünhilde - quite attractively. Adam Cuerden (talk) 20:43, 7 September 2015 (UTC)
And here's an 1850 German Lohengrin image - I'm presuming from the première: http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8438236p.r=Wagner%2C+Richard.langEN
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8438216x/f1.zoom.r=Wagner,%20Richard.langEN is 1891 and French, but artistically good. Adam Cuerden (talk) 21:20, 7 September 2015 (UTC)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8438355c.r=Wagner%2C+Richard.langEN is of an opera we're not working on. Adam Cuerden (talk) 21:21, 7 September 2015 (UTC)


Sorry these discussions are getting diffuse. There's five operas, and various issues, so... Adam Cuerden (talk) 21:36, 7 September 2015 (UTC)

Yakov Chernikhov

Hi Smerus, On my talk page, I have an editor querying why I reverted his/her change of "Red Carnation" to "Red Nail maker" (factory) on this article. I explained why, but I see that his/her interpretation of the Google hits I found is broadly correct - that is, they seem to take their lead from Wikipedia. I see that you changed it a while back [6] from "Nailer" to "Carnation" with the edit summary "correction". Could you explain why you made that change in more detail, please, so I can satisfy the persion that queried my reversion? Thanks in advance, Stephenb (Talk) 17:05, 23 September 2015 (UTC)

@Stephenb: Russian gvozd' гвоздь means 'nail'; gvozdika Гвоздика means carnation; gvozdilshchik гвоздильщик means literally 'nailmaker' (or also colloquially 'a perfect example'). As you perhaps know, Russian is a very 'suggestive' language and the sense of 'Red Carnation' for the factory is the one adopted by Russians themselves (including all my St. Petersburg friends). See e.g. here and here. However if your querying editor is a literalist nutter you may be unable to convince him/her. If it gets to a dispute i am happy to weigh in on the article page. The factory by the way manufactured metal cable (and not nails). I by the way started the article on Wikipedia, and took the original photo of the factory tower, since replaced by the nicer one now on the article. --Smerus (talk) 21:43, 23 September 2015 (UTC)

Hello Smerus

Thanks for the detailed information on that change. The wrong translation somehow spread across several articles. Russian language may be "suggestive" but not the the point where one can confuse a nailer (гвоздильщик) with a carnation (гвоздика).

Here is a very respected resource dedicated to Saint-Petersburg architecture, it has an article on this factory:

http://www.citywalls.ru/house3265.html

here is an automated translation: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.citywalls.ru%2Fhouse3265.html

<Wire nail factory "Red nailer."> is a very adequate translation. (Russian is my first language)

I can't think of any more evidence than that.

Would you let me to fix the wiki page?

Thanks alexp

  • I think you have to accept that (per the examples I have given here and here) 'Red Carnation' is the translation generally accepted in English works relating to this building. That's the way it is. I don't think a Google translation trumps accepted usage. The article should therefore stay as it is imo. If you still disagree, start a discussion on the talk page of the article and see what other editors think.--Smerus (talk) 20:34, 24 September 2015 (UTC)

DYK nomination of Horace Brodzky

Hello! Your submission of Horace Brodzky at the Did You Know nominations page has been reviewed, and some issues with it may need to be clarified. Please review the comment(s) underneath your nomination's entry and respond there as soon as possible. Thank you for contributing to Did You Know! Edwardx (talk) 18:06, 28 September 2015 (UTC)

DYK for Horace Brodzky

Graeme Bartlett (talk) 00:02, 27 October 2015 (UTC)

Category:Welsh language speakers (inter alia)

Hi

I see you were involved in a 2006 debate to delete this category (among others); you were part of the overwhelming majority against this category clutter. The category was duly deleted but almost immediately reinstated and another debate is ongoing, but this time Welsh language activists are conducting a determined and vocal - if irrelevant - campaign to keep it. You may like to help the other side again! --The Sage of Stamford (talk) 11:44, 30 October 2015 (UTC)

Thank you for your contribution! But I fear this is going to be an ongoing battle. --The Sage of Stamford (talk) 12:22, 30 October 2015 (UTC)

Taking a risk, but you seem the right fellow

Smerus, We have not "met," (collaborated), but I respect what I have seen of your work, and when I saw your name on the edit history page of a three-day project I have been working on, I thought I would ask you to look in on it. The matter of concern is cultural sensitivity.

The article in question is on Styron's "Sophie" novel, which I view as a disaster area (the article, that is), even after there three days of work. It remains souerficially much messier, but substantively pointed—I believe—in the right direction. My effort, as captured in a diff below, was to call for expert attention, after (i) reviewing all sources, (ii) reviewing the content in place in light of those sources, (iii) seeking from colleagues and available library sources a recent scholarly perspective to orient me as to the emphasis of the article, versus other review works from actual scholars, and (iv) to mark anything suspect in the article, large and small, and (iv) begin to add (a) sources that I and others might peruse to move the article in the right direction, and (b) add sourced new content, if there were glaring deficiencies (important topics simply not covered).

I am stopping at this juncture for a week, and wanted to see if you might look in on the effort. While I have deleted little of the pre-existing content (even the large blocks of unsourced near nonsense), the article is changed, both for the markings of all the deficient material, and for the significant additions made to the Themes and Controversies subsections. (These were two sections that had clearly, from my research and consultations, "missed the boat."

The specific matter I should ask your attention to, after a skim of the changes made over 5-7 November, is to ensure that I have entered nothing culturally insensitive in presenting the clear consensus of scholarship regarding what Styron was seeking to convey in his novel. (This is what appears new in the Themes and Controversy subsections.) As it touches on Styrons view of the Shoah, it is certain to have the seeds of offending someone. It is for a careful, second scholarly look, that I turn to you.

Here is the diff: article changes since 5 November, by Le Prof Note, when you come upon what seems like a major deleted section—the Natl Book Award explanation, regarding duplicate hardback and paperback categories—know that even that was not deleted, but simply moved into a footnote.]

Again, please do not be dismayed by tags: they are placed to be removed, and are meant to stay in place to warn readers about poorer quality content, and to spur its evolution toward quality. See here, User_talk:Liz#Thank_you, and here User_talk:KateWishing#Thank_you, and here User:Leprof_7272#Draft_personal_opinion_essay_regarding_plagiarism_and_tagging, for further comment on this approach (which I acknowledge makes me the favourite of few editors here).

I will look for response here. Note, I travel a lot, and so you will see me logged both from IPs and from my Le Prof login. I try always to make clear (as I do here with the date range), what I am responsible, from any login/address.

Cheers, look forward to hearing back. Le Prof Leprof 7272 (talk) 03:08, 8 November 2015 (UTC)

Thanks for your message but I am not the guy to work on this. My interest was only as a consequence of Nicholas Maw's opera and I have not read the novel (or any of Styron's works except 'Lie Down in Darkness'). Apologies ---Smerus (talk) 08:38, 8 November 2015 (UTC)

ArbCom elections are now open!

Hi,
You appear to be eligible to vote in the current Arbitration Committee election. The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to enact binding solutions for disputes between editors, primarily related to serious behavioural issues that the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the ability to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail. If you wish to participate, you are welcome to review the candidates' statements and submit your choices on the voting page. For the Election committee, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 13:38, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

DYK for Masonic music

Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 00:01, 26 November 2015 (UTC)

List of Tchaikovsky operas

Hail Smerus! I put together a wikitable of the Tchaikovsky operas back in December 2011 -- are you interested in taking it? I'll be moving away from all opera-related work, and removing the opera pages (including the Wikiproject Opera pages) from my watchlists. Reply to this message here when you have taken the copy, as I want to start clearing my work areas down. Best, Scarabocchio (talk) 05:51, 30 August 2015 (UTC)

Ave Scarabocchio! I'm having a 'but why?' moment here - perchè leave opera after your many and valued contributions? Abbastanza d'opera o di tutto? Have made a copy which I will keep intact should you wish to revert to old bad habits. In the mean time, all the best!--Smerus (talk) 10:41, 30 August 2015 (UTC)
An email from ArbCom reminds me that I haven't replied to your question. It appeared (back in the summer) that I have arrived at a point in my life where I need to believe that human beings are basically rational, generous, flexible and co-operative. Clearly, I have my work cut out. My belief in the power of culture has been wounded by its retreats (enforced and otherwise) under the attacks of austerity, and its disconnect with the world that apparently surrounds us (Tolstoy would be proud of me). Life is too short to suffer the stubborn, the mean and the infantile (or bad red wine) so I am closing the laptop, finding the exceptions and grappling them to my soul with hoops of steel. If I don't come back to opera, an apposite final image might be this, misidentified as the Grand Opera House in Athens in 1924. Scarabocchio (talk) 15:20, 24 November 2015 (UTC)
Merely an invitation to vote, hardly Josef K, but thanks anyway :-) Scarabocchio (talk) 07:57, 25 November 2015 (UTC)
Hello everyone, Smerus, .. my name is Scarabo, and I am a recovering wikieditor (WP:INARTICULATE). I realised that I had a problem with denial (WP:CANTSAYNO) when I opened an account to edit under an assumed identity (WP:SPLITPUPPET), and found myself hanging around the project pages again (WP:STOCKHOLM). Following careful counselling (WKT:TREPAN; WP:CUCKOOSNEST), it has now been three weeks since I have logged in to add an Oxford comma (WP:COLONRETENTIVE), but I am taking it one day at a time. Thank you. Scarabocchio (talk) 18:52, 1 December 2015 (UTC)

Man from the Next Village

Some of those who watch this page might like to take a look here - I am gradually writing my memoirs of the Wild East (Russia 1991-1997). The general title is taken from the Russian proverb - "An expert is a man from the next village" - which also in its way applies to Wikipedia......--Smerus (talk) 20:57, 1 December 2015 (UTC)

Books and Bytes - Issue 14

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 14, October-November 2015
by The Interior (talk · contribs), Ocaasi (talk · contribs), Sadads (talk · contribs), Nikkimaria (talk · contribs)

  • New donations - Gale, Brill, plus Finnish and Farsi resources
  • Open Access Week recap, and DOIs, Wikipedia, and scholarly citations
  • Spotlight: 1Lib1Ref - a citation drive for librarians

Read the full newsletter

The Interior, via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 19:13, 10 December 2015 (UTC)

Today

Graceful, charming and sweet is the sound of our life’s harmonies, --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:46, 17 December 2015 (UTC)

Astonishing

I note during my absence over the past couple of months that WP:QAI has lost two more members: the honey-tongued Alakzi (talk · contribs) has vanished who knows where - along with his entire contributions history - and JackTheVicar (talk · contribs) has been outed as a sock of a permanently banned user. How does such a tiny "project" manage such feats? --Folantin (talk) 09:50, 19 December 2015 (UTC)

Merry Christmas!

A very happy Christmas and New Year to you!


May 2016 bring you joy, happiness – and no trolls or vandals!

All the best

Gavin / – SchroCat (talk) 15:06, 20 December 2015 (UTC)

Felice Anno Nuovo


May you have very Happy Holidays, Smerus, and


a New Year filled with happiness, and beautiful music!


Best wishes, Voceditenore (talk) 19:29, 23 December 2015 (UTC)

2016 year of the reader and peace

2016
peace bell

Thank you for inspiration and support, including an excellent GA review in 2015, - thanks with my review, and the peace bell by Yunshui! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:51, 31 December 2015 (UTC)

Many thanks Gerda
and all good wishes for 2016 from Budapest --Smerus (talk) 21:59, 31 December 2015 (UTC)

Invitation to a virtual editathon on Women in Music

Women in Music
  • 10 to 31 January 2016
  • Please join us in the worldwide virtual edit-a-thon hosted by Women in Red.

--Ipigott (talk) 16:28, 5 January 2016 (UTC)

Albert Ketèlbey

Dear Smerus, Many thanks for your recent comments on the Albert Ketèlbey peer review. The article is now at FAC for further comment, should you wish to make any. Many thanks – SchroCat (talk) 17:07, 8 January 2016 (UTC)

Sterndale Bennett

I think you have done wonders with the article. It should breeze through GAN and looks to me very much like a potential FAC. Loud applause! Tim riley talk 14:05, 16 January 2016 (UTC)

@Tim riley:- Thanks for this, a bit more tinkering and I will put it up for GA ---Smerus (talk) 09:02, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

William Sterndale Bennett now up for GAN - All comments welcome. Hoping if it gets through this hurdle to get it up to FA for WSB's 200th birthday in April.--Smerus (talk) 10:21, 19 January 2016 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of William Sterndale Bennett

Hi there, I'm pleased to inform you that I've begun reviewing the article William Sterndale Bennett you nominated for GA-status according to the criteria. This process may take up to 7 days. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you might have during this period. Message delivered by Legobot, on behalf of Ravpapa -- Ravpapa (talk) 10:00, 24 January 2016 (UTC)

Masny thanks for taking this on!--Smerus (talk) 10:43, 24 January 2016 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of William Sterndale Bennett

The article William Sterndale Bennett you nominated as a good article has passed ; see Talk:William Sterndale Bennett for comments about the article. Well done! If the article has not already been on the main page as an "In the news" or "Did you know" item, you can nominate it to appear in Did you know. Message delivered by Legobot, on behalf of Ravpapa -- Ravpapa (talk) 11:01, 24 January 2016 (UTC)

I saw this and thought of you ili more Taruskin, courtesy Grove

Vampuka, or The African Bride. Opera parody in one act by Vladimir Georgiyevich Ehrenberg to his own libretto after a scenario by Anchar Mantsenilov (Prince Mikhaíl Volkonsky); St Petersburg, Krivoye Zerkalo, 19 January/1 February 1909.

A send-up of every grand-opera stereotype, this famous parody (chiefly of Aida and L'Africaine), subtitled 'a model opera in every way', was first performed at Nikolay Yevreynov's theatrical cabaret 'Krivoye zerkalo' (`The Fun-House Mirror') and had countless professional and amateur productions up until 1927. The title is reputed to stem from a line in the Russian translation of Scribe's libretto for Robert le diable, as repetitively enunciated in the opera: `Vam puk, vam puk, vam puk tsvetov podnosim' (`We bring you a bunch, you a bunch, you a bunch of flowers'). 'Vampuka' became a common noun in Russian theatrical and operatic slang, meaning any sort of false grandiloquence, and even gave rise to a verb, vampuchit', meaning to affect any sort of pretentious or melodramatic pose. Stravinsky in particular enjoyed using these words as part of his general polemic against opera in the period of his early fame. RICHARD TARUSKIN. Scarabocchio (talk) 16:13, 28 January 2016 (UTC)

good one, many thanks!--Smerus (talk) 16:16, 28 January 2016 (UTC)

Template:Did you know nominations/Ciro in Armenia

I put you in as a co-creator for this DYK. Thanks for your help. Best.4meter4 (talk) 16:36, 28 January 2016 (UTC)

Many thanks, that's very kind. Best, --Smerus (talk) 16:37, 28 January 2016 (UTC)

A kitten for you!

Instructions unclear, but I did read something about sending a kitten! I also would like to thank you for allowing more time for the article. Cheers!

MurderByDeletionism"bang!" 00:59, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

Template:Did you know nominations/Found and Lost (opera)

Hello, Smerus,

If this isn't the quickest approval on record, it is in the running. You are GTG on the above nomination.Georgejdorner (talk) 18:31, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

Many thanks!!--Smerus (talk) 18:37, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

And now.....

William Sterndale Bennett up for FA - all and any comments (well, almost all and any) welcomed.....--Smerus (talk) 13:56, 2 February 2016 (UTC)

Thank you for your support

Thank you for participating in the

Women in Music edit-a-thon

  • January 2016
  • More than 250 articles were created
  • Hosted by Women in Red

(... check out our next event)

--Ipigott (talk) 09:02, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

Root of the problem?

I think these remarks are as true today as they were back in December 2013 [7]. Shame the advice went unheeded. Cheers. --Folantin (talk) 19:41, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

DYK for Found and Lost (opera)

—HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 00:01, 14 February 2016 (UTC)

DYK for Ciro in Armenia

Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 12:06, 20 February 2016 (UTC)

DYK nomination of William Sterndale Bennett

Hello! Your submission of William Sterndale Bennett at the Did You Know nominations page has been reviewed, and some issues with it may need to be clarified. Please review the comment(s) underneath your nomination's entry and respond there as soon as possible. Thank you for contributing to Did You Know! Yoninah (talk) 23:01, 21 February 2016 (UTC)

DYK for William Sterndale Bennett

— Coffee // have a cup // beans // 00:01, 27 February 2016 (UTC)

Precious again, your versatile composer introduced with love to detail!

--Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:48, 27 February 2016 (UTC)

Busoni

A question regarding Busoni: will there be some short article - or paragraph to link to - to his (a bit strange, often duplicated) Op. numbers? And/or the KiV/BV? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:39, 28 February 2016 (UTC)

yes, I've hardly started on the music, although there is a brief note on opus nos. Best,--Smerus (talk) 20:39, 28 February 2016 (UTC)
I saw that and wonder if we have to have such a note in every composition article or will have one short article/paragraph explaining the situation, to link to, instead of the normal Opus number. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:57, 28 February 2016 (UTC)
probably I will have a paragraph on this in the Works section, but as you see my idle tactic is to develop the article bit by bit. Quite often as it nears completion I will move about large sections to where they fit most neatly in context. Best--Smerus (talk) 08:54, 29 February 2016 (UTC)
Will wait in expectation ... - enjoy your "idle tactics" --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:56, 29 February 2016 (UTC)
following your suggestion, I have now put in a para in 'Works'.--Smerus (talk) 13:04, 1 March 2016 (UTC)
I linked to it from his charming concerto. His Nachlass seems to be in Berlin. What would Nachlass be in English? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:18, 1 March 2016 (UTC)

DYK for Strugnell's Haiku

Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 12:02, 17 March 2016 (UTC)

DYK for Charles Auchester

Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 00:01, 23 March 2016 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Today's featured article/April 13, 2016

Thanks for doing this one. I rewrote it as a summary of the lead section ... how does it look? - Dank (push to talk) 02:38, 28 March 2016 (UTC)

DYK for Verdi Transcriptions (Finnissy)

— Coffee // have a cup // beans // 00:42, 29 March 2016 (UTC)

Like your hook! - April 1 getting closer, I looked at the List of compositions by Ferruccio Busoni and think it's beyond help. Minor things that could possibly be done:

  • no link to Antiphon (especially misleading when at the beginning of a "title", making the readers think they will reach an article on the composition)
  • no links to known people such as Goethe (and do we need the full name every time?)
  • no links to B&H, better establish once before the table
  • find a better way to present the external links to scores, - such as a new column for them
  • consistent format for months, not "1 February 1885 - Jun 1889" (BV 231)
  • obvious typos (Adante)

Can you explain why we have six string quartets, two No. 1 (BV 38 & 208), three No. 2 (BWV 42, 177, 225), one No. 3 (BV 135)?

I tried - my little present for the birthday - to create something a little bit more accessible, Ferruccio Busoni works, to be expanded. Feel free to add works that would deserve an article or are otherwise distinguished. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:15, 29 March 2016 (UTC)

Noted, Gerda, thanks. I'm sort of on holiday at the moment therefore have given Busoni a little rest. I agree that the 'List' is pretty useless, and your 'works' looks much better. I think the duplicates of quartets 1 and 2 come about because he gradually disowned the earlier ones. You should certainly add the other sonatinas and the Indian Diary. Really many of his editions of Bach (e.g. Goldberg) are recreations and ought to be in there somewhere, I suppose.--Smerus (talk) 14:19, 29 March 2016 (UTC)
Thinking alike, added Sonatina No. 1 and the Diary before I saw this ;) - The last number goes to the long list, so I gathered people clicking to Sonatina No. 1 will see No. 2 right below. Enjoy your holiday! - I wasn't sure how to get the recreations in, for example the article says the one on BWV 565 was early and initial, but the list has it much later. ? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:38, 29 March 2016 (UTC)

Portillo

I've read the contents of the wiki pages you cited and they don't actually address the issue at hand. You have yet to truly explain how mentioning Portillo's early sexuality violates WP:BLP, seeing that mentioning a fact does not make the POV non-neutral. Having gay relationships isn't an embarrassing scandal like, I don't know, accepting bribes; it informs many other aspects of one's life. I'd mention that someone has had straight relationships in the past, too, even if a person ends up marrying someone of the same sex. Or, say, I think Anne Heche's past relationship with Ellen DeGeneres is relevant in her personal life section, even though Heche is now having relationships with men. I don't see how mentioning those things violates WP:UNDUE, because what was written wasn't a minority opinion/view but a fact. Moreover, I wasn't going on and on about Portillo's sexuality but mentioning it in an off-hand manner. As to straightwashing, perhaps I was a little quick on the draw, so sorry about that, but I still disagree that adding my little half sentence violates NPOV.--little Alex (talk) 05:46, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Portillo's gay past is relevant in his personal life section, imho; an opposite-sex marriage isn't just a declaration of love between the two persons, but also a declaration of heterosexuality, which would be, well, not false per se, but incomplete in Portillo's case. So it is on-topic, imho. And I think not mentioning it in the personal life section will rather shock readers when you spring it on them only in the politics section. A person's sexuality, again, informs other aspects of that person's life, so I don't think it's right just to shove it into the political career section, like some embarrassing scandal. Or if it's just in the politics section, I think we should mention Portillo's voting records against some gay rights, like his past stance for forcing lgbtq people out of the military.--little Alex (talk) 13:01, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Books & Bytes - Issue 16

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 16, February-March 2016
by The Interior (talk · contribs), UY Scuti (talk · contribs)

  • New donations - science, humanities, and video resources
  • Using hashtags in edit summaries - a great way to track a project
  • A new cite archive template, a new coordinator, plus conference and Visiting Scholar updates
  • Metrics for the Wikipedia Library's last three months

Read the full newsletter

The Interior via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 15:16, 14 April 2016 (UTC)

Rheingold

To my amazement, I found nothing about the E-flat from which Das Rheingold originates, in the article. I had thought to find a source would be easy ;) (needed for FAC, - comments welcome). --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:42, 12 April 2016 (UTC)

Reger not for me, I am afraid, one of the few composers to whom I am allergic.--Smerus (talk) 17:04, 14 April 2016 (UTC)
Question is about Rheingold, source for E-flat "drone" beginning if possible, --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:44, 14 April 2016 (UTC)
Oh, well, how about - Westernhagen, Curt von, tr. Arnold and Mary Whitall (1976). The Forging of the 'Ring' . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 521 21293 6. pp. 17-21. He comments "[The E flat] is not a pedal-point, strictly speaking, but the bass note of a chord sustained for a very long time." (p. 20). Smerus (talk) 22:11, 14 April 2016 (UTC)

DYK for The Importance of Being Earnest (opera)

On 15 April 2016, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article The Importance of Being Earnest (opera), which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that an Earnest performance necessitates the rhythmic smashing of forty dinner plates? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/The Importance of Being Earnest (opera). You are welcome to check how many page hits the article got while on the front page (here's how, The Importance of Being Earnest (opera)), and it may be added to the statistics page if the total is over 5,000. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

Gatoclass (talk) 00:27, 15 April 2016 (UTC)

Richard Wagner

Hi Smerus, I saw your revert of my edits from today on the page about Wagner. I spent quite a lot of time researching this topic and this information is not simply stated already on other pages related to Wagner. I can understand adding some edits to what I wrote but a mass revert of everything that I added is excessive. Please re-read what I edited and reconsider your changes. I appreciate your help and your interest in the page.Monopoly31121993 (talk) 19:31, 23 April 2016 (UTC)

Hi there Monopoly31121993, and thanks for your comments. There were two reasons behind my reverts; one is that the extent of coverage was WP:UNDUE in the context of the article on Wagner (although your edits may have relevance for the article Wagner controversies); the other is your reliance on the book about Houston Stewart Chamberlain. Chamberlain, although married to one of Wagner's daughters, never met Wagner. The author of the book on Chamberlain would not be rated as a Wagner expert. I don't think that Cosima's comments about Govineua or extended discussion of Gobineau and Wagner is very productive since there are many Wagner writers who have demonstrated that Wagner came to Gobineau very late in life (and moreover, of course, Gobineau although a rqcist was not anti-Jewish). When the article was up for WP:GA and WP:FA there was a lot of discussion as to presentation (both in terms of quality and quantity) of Wagner's Jew-hatred and the article as it presently stands reflects that consensus. I think if you want to go into more detail, then the article Wagner controversies may be the place for it. Best, --Smerus (talk) 19:48, 23 April 2016 (UTC)
Hi Smerus, thanks for your quick reply. I understand your some of your points but I think it's best if we take this one edit at a time and not in an all or nothing kind of way. Despite the fact that the page is a FA there are, like on several other FA pages, major errors that the editor who evaluated it likely overlooked since it is not their job to fact check every citation. In this case there is an error where the article states that "There seems to be no evidence to support claims, sometimes made,[262] that his music was played at Nazi death camps during the Second World War.[n 23]". When I went to the Time article referenced there it said the following "Wagner's music sometimes sounded in the death camps". The text in the article is clearly wrong and therefore needs to be edited in order to reflect what was actually said, which in this case was the exact opposite of what you have reverted the text to.
There are several other points that I don't see any good reason for not including: 1) The fact that Gobineau and Wagner met in Rome, 2) Wagner's wife own statement that Wagner was fascinated by the 1400 page text by Gobineau, and 3) The titles of Wagner's written texts on Judaism (Judaism in Music (1850), Religion and Art (October 1880) and Heroism and Christianity (September 1881)) which were all removed after I added them.Monopoly31121993 (talk) 11:28, 24 April 2016 (UTC)
Please see my response and continue this discussion (if you wish) on the Richard Wagner talk page.--Smerus (talk) 12:33, 24 April 2016 (UTC)

Visit Levoča!!

To any of those mysterious people who apparently follow this page, who are interested in music! The 9th Indian Summer in Levoča Festival takes place in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Levoča, Slovakia, from 9th-13th September 2016. We are featuring wonderful artists including the Kodály Quartet and Jonathan Powell, and music by (among many others) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, William Sterndale Bennett, Charles-Valentin Alkan, Franz Liszt, Ernő Dohnányi, Modest Mussorgsky, Franz Schubert and Béla Bartók. If you want further information check out our website or Facebook page, or email or message me. Best, --Smerus (talk) 11:53, 26 April 2016 (UTC)

File:Dcsmall.jpg listed for discussion

A file that you uploaded or altered, File:Dcsmall.jpg, has been listed at Wikipedia:Files for discussion. Please see the discussion to see why it has been listed (you may have to search for the title of the image to find its entry). Feel free to add your opinion on the matter below the nomination. Thank you. Cloudbound (talk) 21:32, 4 May 2016 (UTC)

Precious anniversary

Three years ago ...
centenary
... you were recipient
no. 492 of Precious,
a prize of QAI!

--Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:17, 22 May 2016 (UTC)

  • Thanks and greetings from Tashkent!--Smerus (talk) 09:34, 22 May 2016 (UTC)

Busoni at GA review

I've now nominated Ferruccio Busoni for GA review and welcome all and any comments and contributions there - also someone willing to start it!.Smerus (talk) 17:51, 8 June 2016 (UTC)

I don't do GA reviws but found some related comments on WP:COMPOSERS, mainly: the painting should not be the lead image. I took the advice and changed for the composer to whose music you are allergic where I had done the same: a good painting as lead image, beautiful but perhaps not the best introduction to the person. - Good luck. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:57, 8 June 2016 (UTC)
Noted and have switched pix, thanks -Smerus (talk) 18:07, 8 June 2016 (UTC)
Sorry I never did come back to the PR; depending on how the rest of this week goes, I may pick it up the GAC review this weekend. Josh Milburn (talk) 18:49, 8 June 2016 (UTC)
But best of luck with it either way! Josh Milburn (talk) 18:49, 8 June 2016 (UTC)
Do drop by at GAC review if you can!Smerus (talk) 07:17, 9 June 2016 (UTC)
  • @Tim riley:, @Brianboulton:, @Dr. Blofeld:, @Ipigott:, @Adam Cuerden: and any others out there if they have any time on their hands....Ferruccio has been languishing in GA review limbo for a month now, in case anyone would like to start on him.....Smerus (talk) 09:53, 4 July 2016 (UTC)
    • I'll certainly look in during the next couple of days, unless someone pips me to the post. (I'd be reviewing the article from a starting point of flawless ignorance, but I don't imagine there are many Busoni experts hovering.) Tim riley talk 17:22, 4 July 2016 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of Ferruccio Busoni

Hi there, I'm pleased to inform you that I've begun reviewing the article Ferruccio Busoni you nominated for GA-status according to the criteria. This process may take up to 7 days. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you might have during this period. Message delivered by Legobot, on behalf of Tim riley -- Tim riley (talk) 07:40, 5 July 2016 (UTC)

Ferruccio Busoni

@Dr Blofeld, Ipigott, Brianboulton, and Gerda Arendt:, and anyone else who might conceivably be interested....I've initiated a peer review for Busoni and would welcome all or any constructive comments. I'm hoping to get it up to GA but am presently feeling a bit blocked with it - what does it need?--Smerus (talk) 16:04, 28 April 2016 (UTC)

Interested, but preoccupied with the composer to whose music you are allergic, - please be patient. - Once we are here: what do others think of the proposed "merge" of his list of works and the short list which I created (as a subset) because I find the first unreadable? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:08, 28 April 2016 (UTC)
Good to hear from you again, Smerus. Glad to see you are being so constructive in your retirement. I'm pretty busy for the next week or so but then I will certainly look at Busoni.--Ipigott (talk) 16:09, 28 April 2016 (UTC)
I've finally managed to find time to read the article and make a few comments. Not quite sure what we should do about the list of works. In any case, I think it would be useful to include a short list of his main works in the biography itself.--Ipigott (talk) 14:46, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

It's a GA now, congrats are in order! Smerus, what semi-quirky hook will you find for his DYK? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:15, 6 July 2016 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of Ferruccio Busoni

The article Ferruccio Busoni you nominated as a good article has passed ; see Talk:Ferruccio Busoni for comments about the article. Well done! If the article has not already been on the main page as an "In the news" or "Did you know" item, you can nominate it to appear in Did you know. Message delivered by Legobot, on behalf of Tim riley -- Tim riley (talk) 10:20, 6 July 2016 (UTC)

DYK for Die Zerstörung Jerusalems (oratorio)

On 6 July 2016, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article Die Zerstörung Jerusalems (oratorio), which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that Felix Mendelssohn encouraged The Destruction of Jerusalem in Leipzig in 1840? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Die Zerstörung Jerusalems (oratorio). You are welcome to check how many page hits the article got while on the front page (here's how, Die Zerstörung Jerusalems (oratorio)), and it may be added to the statistics page if the total is over 5,000. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

Graeme Bartlett (talk) 15:04, 6 July 2016 (UTC)

DYK for Ferruccio Busoni

On 18 July 2016, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article Ferruccio Busoni, which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that Falstaff provoked in Ferruccio Busoni a "revolution of spirit"? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Ferruccio Busoni. You are welcome to check how many page hits the article got while on the front page (here's how, Ferruccio Busoni), and it may be added to the statistics page if the total is over 5,000. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 13:31, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

Did you notice that Falstaff received more interest than Busoni? Your tribute worked! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:09, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

DYK nomination of Three-hand effect

Hello! Your submission of Three-hand effect at the Did You Know nominations page has been reviewed, and some issues with it may need to be clarified. Please review the comment(s) underneath your nomination's entry and respond there as soon as possible. Thank you for contributing to Did You Know! --DYKReviewBot (report bugs) 23:02, 24 July 2016 (UTC)

Is the bot someone created a "third party"? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:17, 25 July 2016 (UTC)
Well, it's certainly someone's party!--Smerus (talk) 13:05, 25 July 2016 (UTC)

Liszt

Ever hear of WP:BRD? The material about the transcriptions appears in the first paragraph of the transcriptions section. Please reinsert and don't revert again without some more nuanced discussion on talk if you believe I am missing the point here. Thanks. SPECIFICO talk `

The source cited there does little or nothing, apparently, to justify the assertions that "Liszt also played an important role in popularizing a wide array of musical works, including the complete Beethoven Symphonies, by transcribing them for piano." Nothing there afa I can see about importance, popularizing, or wide array. You can't just read into citations what you want to read. They have to justify explicitly what the article says. Otherwise we could all just write essays propagating our own views.--Smerus (talk) 18:00, 3 August 2016 (UTC)

Polish Library in Paris

Hello colleague, As a graduate from the other place in the same year as you, I thought I should notify you of the overhaul I have perpetrated on your valiant article. The Library's connection with the erstwhile Literary Society is not straightforward and I have uncovered further complications after the Communist authorities took over after WWII. I have therefore created a separate article about said society. The main changes are the titles of the articles. I believe I am tri-lingual in the 3 relevant languages, and still failed to find the Paris Library on English Wiki, until I hit on the idea of trying out the French name, and bingo! I hope you will agree with me that giving the society and the library a generic name in English is just simpler. Kind regards, --Po Kadzieli (talk) 21:30, 6 August 2016 (UTC)

Many thanks for this great improvement of an article which I only created in the first place as an adjunct to the article on Frédéric Chopin. I would just, if I were you, give some citations for the comments on Rapperswil and Fawley Court, and for the first paragraph of 'Current dilemmas'. Best, --Smerus (talk) 06:55, 7 August 2016 (UTC)

Please claim your upload(s): File:Poundgrave.jpg

Hi, This image was seemingly uploaded prior to current image polices, Thank you.

However, as part of ongoing efforts to ensure all media on English Wikipedia is correctly licensed and attributed it would be appreciated if you were able to confirm, that it was your own work, by marking it as {{own}}, amending the {{information}} added by a third party, and by changing the license to an appropriate "self" variant. You can also add |claimed=yes to the {{Media by uploader}} or {{Presumed self}} tag(s) if present to indicate that you've acknowledged the image, and license shown (and updated the {{information}} where appropriate).

This will assist those reviewing the many many "free" images on commons that have not yet been transferred to Commons. Sfan00 IMG (talk) 12:37, 10 August 2016 (UTC)

Please claim your upload(s): File:Svetfromdjvari.JPG

Hi, This image was seemingly uploaded prior to current image polices, Thank you.

However, as part of ongoing efforts to ensure all media on English Wikipedia is correctly licensed and attributed it would be appreciated if you were able to confirm, that it was your own work, by marking it as {{own}}, amending the {{information}} added by a third party, and by changing the license to an appropriate "self" variant. You can also add |claimed=yes to the {{Media by uploader}} or {{Presumed self}} tag(s) if present to indicate that you've acknowledged the image, and license shown (and updated the {{information}} where appropriate).

IF you have other uploads, please consider "claiming" them in a similar manner, You can find a list of files you have created in your upload log.


This will assist those reviewing the many many "free" images on commons that have not yet been transferred to Commons. Sfan00 IMG (talk) 17:52, 10 August 2016 (UTC)

DYK for Three-hand effect

— Maile (talk) 00:07, 17 August 2016 (UTC)

Wikipedia:The 10,000 Challenge

Hi there. I've started a new initiative, the Wikipedia:The 10,000 Challenge. It's a long term goal to bring about 10,000 article improvements to the UK and Ireland. Through two contests involving just six or seven weeks of editing so far we've produced over 1500 improvements. Long term if we have more people chipping it and adding articles they've edited independently as well from all areas of the UK then reaching that target is all possible. I think it would be an amazing achievement to see 10,000 article improvements by editors chipping in. If you support this and think you might want to contribute towards this long term please sign up in the Contributors section. No obligations, just post work on anything you feel like whenever you want, though try to avoid basic stubs if possible as we're trying to reduce the overall stub count and improve general comprehension and quality. Thanks.♦ Dr. Blofeld 12:48, 30 August 2016 (UTC)

FAC voluntary mentoring scheme

During a recent lengthy discussion on the WP:FAC talkpage, several ideas were put forward as to how this procedure could be improved, particularly in making it more user-friendly towards first-time nominees. The promotion rate for first-timers at FAC is depressingly low – around 16 percent – which is a cause for concern. To help remedy this, Mike Christie and I, with the co-operation of the FAC coordinators, have devised a voluntary mentoring scheme, in which newcomers will guided by more experienced editors through the stages of preparation and submission of their articles. The general format of the scheme is explained in more detail on Wikipedia: Mentoring for FAC, which also includes a list of editors who have indicated that they are prepared to act as mentors.

Would you be prepared to take on this role occasionally? If so, please add your name to the list. By doing so you incur no obligation; it will be entirely for you to decide how often and on which articles you want to act in this capacity. We anticipate that the scheme will have a trial run for a few months before we appraise its effectiveness. Your participation will be most welcome. Brianboulton (talk) 21:53, 29 August 2016 (UTC)

Many thanks for signing up. The response from would-be mentors has been most encouraging. Schemes like this are often slow to take off, and it may be a while before we know if it's working. But with this level of support, including that of many of our most experienced FA editors, I think it has every chance. Brianboulton (talk) 17:00, 30 August 2016 (UTC)

DYK for The Merchant of Venice (opera)

On 26 August 2016, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article The Merchant of Venice (opera), which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that the director David Pountney was once part of a mercantile silence, but now is part of the noise? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/The Merchant of Venice (opera). You are welcome to check how many page hits the article got while on the front page (here's how, The Merchant of Venice (opera)), and it may be added to the statistics page if the total is over 5,000. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

Gatoclass (talk) 00:02, 26 August 2016 (UTC)

  • It's a little known fact that the composer, Mr Tchaikowsky, left 453.59237g of the rest of his body to the Bregenzer Festspiele. Scarabocchio (talk) 16:43, 21 September 2016 (UTC)
    • Well I know he left his skull to the RSC ("I like the idea of a Jewish skull wandering around Hamlet") but I am not aware of the testamentary disposition of any of his other body parts.....--Smerus (talk) 20:12, 21 September 2016 (UTC)

DYK for The Aachen Memorandum

On 5 August 2016, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article The Aachen Memorandum, which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that in The Aachen Memorandum, William Mountbatten-Windsor (son of Charles III) is king of New Zealand, and Michael Gove and Iain Duncan Smith are arrested as members of the Anti-Federalist Movement? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/The Aachen Memorandum. You are welcome to check how many page hits the article got while on the front page (here's how, The Aachen Memorandum), and it may be added to the statistics page if the total is over 5,000. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk, contributions) 13:06, 5 August 2016 (UTC)

Congratulations to another good one which made it to the stats. As I collect for DYK Germany everything even remotely related to Germany, Aachen did it ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:22, 6 August 2016 (UTC)
:-) - --Smerus (talk) 09:46, 6 August 2016 (UTC)
In Bratislava today and tomorrow. Anything to see and do not in the guides? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:08, 26 September 2016 (UTC)
Yes @Gerda Arendt: try to visit the tomb of Chatam Sofer - it's astounding... - best, --Smerus (talk) 08:13, 26 September 2016 (UTC)
Thank you! - I checked List of palaces and think it might profit from more English ;) - I corrected the first link, to the palace where Mozart played, but may be wrong. The previous link went to Vienna ... --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:32, 26 September 2016 (UTC)
I will look at the Englishing! Thanks for highlighting this.--Smerus (talk) 09:47, 26 September 2016 (UTC)
I made the memorial my first destination today, found it, read that access is by appointment only, but was admitted with a group of girls after answering the question "Do you speak Slovak" with "A bit" ;) - I received a complete lecture. - It should have an article, no? Deeply moving. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:31, 26 September 2016 (UTC)
I thought you would be impressed! It needs an article, yes. Did you take any pictures? When I first saw it, I was shown round by a camp survivor. I asked him how it was possible that the Jewish community in the 'First Slovak Republic', which was Nazi-sponsored, was able to persuade Tiso's government to let them enclose the cemetery. "Well", he told me, " it was a miracle - and a miracle which was accompanied by a great deal of money." --Smerus (talk) 19:49, 26 September 2016 (UTC)
Back home. Yes, I took three pictures but no masterworks. I was a bit shy because none of the others did, and there were signs about it being a sacred place. - Thank you for the improvements to the list of palaces. That could become a nice article, with formal improvements such as no links from titles, images where the place is mentioned, some hint about where a street may be found on a map, style, time of building ... --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:23, 28 September 2016 (UTC)

Maritana

You previously contributed to the article on Maritana. You may wish to comment on the new Talk page discussion there. All the best, -- Ssilvers (talk) 07:45, 26 October 2016 (UTC)

Books and Bytes - Issue 19

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 19, September–October 2016
by Nikkimaria, Sadads and UY Scuti

  • New and expanded donations - Foreign Affairs, Open Edition, and many more
  • New Library Card Platform and Conference news
  • Spotlight: Fixing one million broken links

Read the full newsletter



19:07, 1 November 2016 (UTC)

Europe 10,000 Challenge invite

Hi. The Wikipedia:WikiProject Europe/The 10,000 Challenge has recently started, based on the UK/Ireland Wikipedia:The 10,000 Challenge. The idea is not to record every minor edit, but to create a momentum to motivate editors to produce good content improvements and creations and inspire people to work on more countries than they might otherwise work on. There's also the possibility of establishing smaller country or regional challenges for places like Germany, Italy, the Benelux countries, Iberian Peninsula, Romania, Slovenia etc, much like Wikipedia:The 1000 Challenge (Nordic). For this to really work we need diversity and exciting content and editors from a broad range of countries regularly contributing. If you would like to see masses of articles being improved for Europe and your specialist country like Wikipedia:WikiProject Africa/The Africa Destubathon, sign up today and once the challenge starts a contest can be organized. This is a way we can target every country of Europe, and steadily vastly improve the encyclopedia. We need numbers to make this work so consider signing up as a participant and also sign under any country sub challenge on the page that you might contribute to! Thank you. --MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 21:09, 7 November 2016 (UTC)

ArbCom Elections 2016: Voting now open!

Hello, Smerus. Voting in the 2016 Arbitration Committee elections is open from Monday, 00:00, 21 November through Sunday, 23:59, 4 December to all unblocked users who have registered an account before Wednesday, 00:00, 28 October 2016 and have made at least 150 mainspace edits before Sunday, 00:00, 1 November 2016.

The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

If you wish to participate in the 2016 election, please review the candidates' statements and submit your choices on the voting page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 22:08, 21 November 2016 (UTC)

RfC: Inclusion of predecessors and successors in officeholders' infoboxes

Hi, I'm writing to inform you that I've opened a new general Request for Comment concerning whether predecessors and successors should be included in the Infobox Officeholder template, further to my RfC concerning Michael Portillo specifically. The new RfC can be found here: Template_talk:Infobox_officeholder#RfC:_Should_predecessors_and_successors_be_included_in_officeholders.27_infoboxes.3F. Thanks, Specto73 (talk) 19:12, 9 December 2016 (UTC)

Thanks, I may well comment at some stage.--Smerus (talk) 08:29, 10 December 2016 (UTC)
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