User talk:The Blade of the Northern Lights/Archive 13

Reference Errors on 21 July

Hello, I'm ReferenceBot. I have automatically detected that an edit performed by you may have introduced errors in referencing. It is as follows:

• On the Linguistic development of Genie page, your edit caused a broken reference name (help). (Fix | Ask for help)

Please check this page and fix the errors highlighted. If you think this is a false positive, you can report it to my operator. Thanks, ReferenceBot (talk) 00:38, 22 July 2014 (UTC)

Please fill out your JSTOR email

As one of the original 100 JSTOR account recipients, please fill out the very short email form you received just recently in order to renew your access. Even though you signed up before with WMF, we need you to sign up again with The Wikipedia Library for privacy reasons and because your prior access expired on July 15th. We do not have your email addresses now; we just used the Special:EmailUser feature, so if you didn't receive an email just contact me directly at jorlowitzgmail.com. Thanks, and we're working as quickly as possible to get you your new access! Jake (Ocaasi) 19:48, 23 July 2014 (UTC)

Genie picture

Sorry about that. The image didn't show up for me when I first visited the article or upon reloading. I even went to the commons to see if the file name had changed. At any rate it seems to work for me now. Thanks for the necessary revert. :) Buddy23Lee (talk) 20:28, 24 July 2014 (UTC)

File:1719 Tales 60.jpg

For your stunningly comprehensive and conscientious work on Linguistic development of Genie, you win a Hungarian stamp! Genie is of course written up within various surveys of L1A and psycholinguistics, but I've never seen anything anywhere near as ambitious as this. Bravo! -- Hoary (talk) 08:39, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

Syntax and grammar

On this: a problem with linguistics is that, even ignoring merely fringe material, theoretical frameworks can differ so greatly. So I wouldn't be very surprised if there are theoretical frameworks subscribed to by some 21st-century linguists -- people with doctorates in linguistics, teaching linguistics in real universities -- in which "syntax" and "grammar" are more or less as you describe them. (Let's ignore linguists who haven't benefited from advances made in the last half-century, let alone hapless "language mavens" and miscellaneous species of quack.) But to me, your description of "syntax" looks very narrow (though perhaps you're just sparing me talk about constituents, heads/dependents, etc, that you fear I wouldn't understand), and your description of "grammar" looks like a very wide description of inflectional morphology. The least theoretical book about English that comes to hand right now is Huddleston and Pullum's The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language; this large volume starts off by clarifying its scope and intention, and on p.26 baldly states: "A grammar, we have said, is divided into two major components, syntax and morphology." Thereafter, most of this weighty "grammar" is devoted to syntax. (Chapters 18 and 19 are about inflectional and derivational morphology respectively, and the final chapter is about punctuation.)

Just one example of other oddities. In early August Butler wrote to Jay Shurley that Genie was regularly speaking in two-word sentences, and sometimes used two adjacent adjectives to describe nouns, as in "one black kitty". In standard L1 English, "one" definitely isn't an adjective. I haven't read the literature on Genie and am willing to believe that at this stage in her (abortive) acquisition of English it does appear to have been treated as an adjective; but if so, this would merit an explanatory footnote. Did Butler really consider "one black" to be a sequence of two adjectives? Or is it possible that Rymer, whose own article doesn't suggest a linguistics background, simply have the naïve notion that anything you can stick in front of a noun to modify it is an "adjective"?

I could niggle away for hours, I suppose; but luckily for you I have other demands on my time. And I note that you say you're not yet satisfied with the article yourself, so it's probably better for me to keep out of your hair.

And however many the niggles, well done on all the good work. -- Hoary (talk) 00:12, 30 July 2014 (UTC)

More on grammar/syntax, all from pretty neutral sources:

• ". . . grammar refers to a level of structural organization which can be studied independently of phonology and semantics, and generally divided into the branches of syntax and morphology." (David Crystal, "A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics", 6th ed, s.v. "Grammar")
• "Grammar is concerned with the structure of words (morphology) and of phrases and clauses (syntax)." (Bas Aarts, Oxford Modern English Grammar, p.3)
• grammar: "1. The system by which the words and morphemes of a language are organized into larger units, particularly into sentences, perceived as existing independently of any attempt at describing it. 2. A particular description of such a system, as embodied in a set of rules. 3. The branch of linguistics dealing with the construction of such descriptions and with the investigation of their properties, conventionally divided into morphology and syntax." (R L Trask, A Dictionary of Grammatical Terms in Linguistics, s.v. "Grammar")

-- Hoary (talk) 05:46, 30 July 2014 (UTC)

No problem; criticism of any sort is always welcome. I'm not in this for some sort of ego boost, it's about writing the best possible article. And thanks for the reading, I'm certainly interested in getting a firmer hold on the subject. I preface everything by saying that I'm a historian by trade, not a linguist, so I'm a lot more at home working on the parent article; although I had some basic understanding of the subject prior to working on these articles, most of it I've learned on the fly. Furthermore, I'm more familiar with the study of the pragmatics of language than theoretical frameworks about the delineation of grammar (I find it much easier to process), so take anything I have to say with more than a pinch of salt.

In addressing the specific example, Rymer is quoting Butler's letter. Rymer today is very knowledgeable about linguistics, but I'm not sure what his level of knowledge was in the early 1990s; his own comments suggest he was fairly new to the field at the time. The trick there would be pointing out that Butler's description isn't really accurate in a linguistic sense without getting into OR territory; no one ever commented on the letter (Rymer just presented it as-is, he didn't critique it at all), so there's nothing specifically disputing Butler's analysis. There's probably a way to do it, I'll see if I can figure something out. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 05:54, 30 July 2014 (UTC)

Now that I reread my comment it seems a bit opaque. What I was getting at was something like -- well, I'll illustrate with a different example. In normal L1A (first language acquisition) of English, we often see utterances such as "All gone sweeties." Somebody who thinks about this a bit (but not enough) may think "Oh, that's an interestingly scrambled version of 'All the sweeties are gone'. She's managed a past participle, but it's all rather scrambled." However, on analysis of the child's other utterances, we see that "all gone" is a more or less fixed formula, and also perhaps that the child never says "No [noun]". Aha! Although "all gone" is a quantifier and a participle in your English and mine (and isn't a fixed formula; we can say "all utterly gone", etc), in the child's English it's much more plausibly analysed as a single word (which we might write "allgone", though NB even in standard English "no one" and "each other" are in reality both single words), and this single word is a quantifier. In a similar way, "one" within Genie's speech might have been knowledgably analysed as an adjective (although I find this very hard to believe). ¶ A sizable chunk of Rymer's book is on view here. Unsurprisingly, it's journalism. Rymer seems to treat linguistics and linguists with respect, but it seems [I confess to skimreading; I may have missed something] he either doesn't know or chooses to pretend not to know that "star" is a common name for the character "*", which is conventionally used to label what's ungrammatical (and not merely unidiomatic or semantically strange). If he's just trying here to be amusing, fine, but I do wonder if he's up to speed on linguistics. (In the book's prefatory acknowledgments he doesn't obviously credit anybody with linguistics-related copyediting.) -- Hoary (talk) 07:06, 30 July 2014 (UTC)

Yeah, like I said his acquaintance with linguistics at the time seems to have been less than it is now (although to be fair, he did better than Natalie Angier's horrific New York Times review; at least he wasn't outright misunderstanding Chomsky's theory, he did a good enough job of explaining that). He's written a few articles for NatGeo on dying languages in recent years, they're journalism as well but do show somewhat better understanding than his book on Genie. Anyways, what you're saying above does make a little more sense. I did tweak the wording in the article to show that it was Butler (who was a special education teacher, and had no specific expertise in linguistics) describing it as such, I have to agree with your analysis of it. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 22:03, 30 July 2014 (UTC)

Prem Rawat

Hello Blade. It is coming up to 2 years since you topic banned me from these articles. While I have some sympathy for your "nuclear" approach to a very divisive subject, it does not seem to have produced much in the way of results. As you say above it's about writing the best possible article. Neither of the two main current editors are native English speakers and they don't seem to have much access to newer sources. So the main article is now quite stilted in style and still not very informative on the subject. To save me the bewilderibng experience of appealing yet again (this time it would be for a recount of the vote last time) would you care to reinstate me now? Thank you for your consideration. Rumiton (talk) 09:25, 30 July 2014 (UTC)

Sunday August 17: NYC Wiki-Salon and Skill Share

Sunday August 17: NYC Wiki-Salon and Skill Share

You are invited to join the the Wikimedia NYC community for our upcoming wiki-salon and knowledge-sharing workshop on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Sunday August 17 NYC Wiki-Salon and Skill Share (RSVP). 2pm–5pm at Yeoryia Studios at Epic Security Building, 2067 Broadway (5th floor). Afterwards at 5pm, we'll walk to a social wiki-dinner together at a neighborhood restaurant (to be decided). We hope to see you there!--Pharos (talk) 15:58, 4 August 2014 (UTC)

(You can unsubscribe from future notifications for NYC-area events by removing your name from this list.)

WP:JSTOR access

Hello, WP:The Wikipedia Library has record of you being approved for access to JSTOR through the TWL partnership described at WP:JSTOR . You should have recieved a Wikipedia email User:The Interior or User:Ocaasi sent several weeks ago with instructions for access, including a link to a form collecting information relevant to that access. Please find that email, and follow those instructions. If you were not approved, did not recieve the email, or are having some other concern or question, please respond to this message at Wikipedia talk:JSTOR/Approved. Thanks much, Sadads (talk) 21:21, 5 August 2014 (UTC) Note: You are recieving this message from an semi-automatically generated list. If you think you were incorrectly contacted, make sure to note that at Wikipedia talk:JSTOR/Approved.

Sunday August 24: Westchester County Edit-a-thon

Please check it out, and sign up if you can come: Wikipedia:Meetup/NYC/Westchester.--Pharos (talk) 12:23, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

AE appeal

I have started an appeal at Arbitration/Requests/Clarification and Amendment to lift my topic ban.[1]MOMENTO (talk) 23:05, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Revert

Blade, I reverted a banned user here earlier, even though their message was ok. Perhaps I should not have done but they've been the subject of various SPIs and ANI threads etc over the last few days because of their repeated avoidance of the ban. You might want to make clear to your stalkers whether or not you would prefer any further messages from that banned user to appear here. - Sitush (talk) 17:39, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

No problem; I'm a proponent of "banned means banned", and I'm capable of looking through page histories. I did see the comment, it wasn't unreasonable, but given the situation there it makes sense to try to keep a lid on things as much as possible. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 18:26, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

Reference Errors on 25 August

Hello, I'm ReferenceBot. I have automatically detected that an edit performed by you may have introduced errors in referencing. It is as follows:

• On the Linguistic development of Genie page, your edit caused a broken reference name (help). (Fix | Ask for help)

Please check this page and fix the errors highlighted. If you think this is a false positive, you can report it to my operator. Thanks, ReferenceBot (talk) 00:31, 26 August 2014 (UTC)

Reference Errors on 29 August

Hello, I'm ReferenceBot. I have automatically detected that an edit performed by you may have introduced errors in referencing. It is as follows:

• On the Genie (feral child) page, your edit caused a broken reference name (help). (Fix | Ask for help)

Please check this page and fix the errors highlighted. If you think this is a false positive, you can report it to my operator. Thanks, ReferenceBot (talk) 00:22, 30 August 2014 (UTC)

September 2014

Hello, I'm BracketBot. I have automatically detected that your edit to Genie (feral child) may have broken the syntax by modifying 2 "{}"s. If you have, don't worry: just edit the page again to fix it. If I misunderstood what happened, or if you have any questions, you can leave a message on my operator's talk page.

List of unpaired brackets remaining on the page:

• to Rigler's decision—but none of them bojected to it.{{sfn|Rymer|1993|pp=60–61}}|group=upper-alpha}}{{sfn|Rymer|1993|pp=52–61}}{{sfn|Newton|2002|p=217}} The research team also planned to continue

It's OK to remove this message. Also, to stop receiving these messages, follow these opt-out instructions. Thanks, BracketBot (talk) 21:30, 9 September 2014 (UTC)

Reference Errors on 14 September

Hello, I'm ReferenceBot. I have automatically detected that an edit performed by you may have introduced errors in referencing. It is as follows:

• On the Linguistic development of Genie page, your edit caused an unnamed parameter error (help). (Fix | Ask for help)

Please check this page and fix the errors highlighted. If you think this is a false positive, you can report it to my operator. Thanks, ReferenceBot (talk) 00:28, 15 September 2014 (UTC)

October 2014

Hello, I'm BracketBot. I have automatically detected that your edit to Genie (feral child) may have broken the syntax by modifying 1 "[]"s. If you have, don't worry: just edit the page again to fix it. If I misunderstood what happened, or if you have any questions, you can leave a message on my operator's talk page.

List of unpaired brackets remaining on the page:

• alpha}}{{sfn|Curtiss|1977|pp=34, 38, 40, 61}} She also learned to write individual letters in [[block letters|print], although even after learning to write she often chose to dictate a message

It's OK to remove this message. Also, to stop receiving these messages, follow these opt-out instructions. Thanks, BracketBot (talk) 17:01, 11 October 2014 (UTC)

You've got mail!

Hello, The Blade of the Northern Lights. Please check your email; you've got mail!
Message added 04:11, 31 October 2014 (UTC). It may take a few minutes from the time the email is sent for it to show up in your inbox. You can at any time by removing the {{You've got mail}} or {{ygm}} template.

No rush, nothing serious. Church ^Talk 04:11, 31 October 2014 (UTC)

You have one more.--Church ^Talk 01:51, 2 November 2014 (UTC)

Just a poke in case you didn't see. No rush :)--Church ^Talk 20:52, 6 November 2014 (UTC)

Ah, sorry about that. I'll get on it in just a few minutes. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 20:55, 6 November 2014 (UTC)

No Worries, like I said it's no rush. Take your time.--Church ^Talk 21:37, 6 November 2014 (UTC)

Protection

Hi Blade, if/when you have a moment would you please take a look at List of Scheduled Tribes in India. I'm being driven daft there by anons adding unsourced stuff. - Sitush (talk) 10:20, 6 November 2014 (UTC)

What a mess! Indefinitely semiprotected, and if it gets too crazy on the talkpage I'll lock that down for a while too. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 20:51, 6 November 2014 (UTC)

Thanks. I doubt there will be a problem on the talk page. That is one of several lists that I didn't even want to exist: I knew what would happen and I also pointed out that the grand idea of linking the contents to specific caste/tribe articles wouldn't work. It is pretty much an orphan that aggregates information freely available on official websites. But we have it and so have to make the best of a poor job. - Sitush (talk) 20:55, 6 November 2014 (UTC)

The deletion of List of Indian castes gave me some fleeting hope that a common sense approach to this would prevail, but that obviously hasn't been the case. I'd be in favor of preemptively semiprotecting all of these types of lists, as I'm about 100 percent sure the edit histories are all jumbled messes like this one. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 20:58, 6 November 2014 (UTC)

That one ended up being moved to Warden's userspace. As is common, he did nothing with it. I'm not sure if he has gone completely (I have a vague idea he CHUS'd) but given that it is a userfied AfD with no real work done since, it probably should go. - Sitush (talk) 21:04, 6 November 2014 (UTC)

I'm guessing it'd be deleted, but I'm sure an MfD would be contentious to say the least. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 21:07, 6 November 2014 (UTC)

Precious

courage
Thank you for quality admin work, not afraid of a difficult category, and for supporting your peers, - you are an awesome Wikipedian!

--Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:33, 9 November 2012 (UTC)

Two years ago, you were the 299th recipient of my PumpkinSky Prize, --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:19, 9 November 2014 (UTC)

Reference Errors on 12 November

Hello, I'm ReferenceBot. I have automatically detected that an edit performed by you may have introduced errors in referencing. It is as follows:

• On the Linguistic development of Genie page, your edit caused a broken reference name (help). (Fix | Ask for help)

Please check this page and fix the errors highlighted. If you think this is a false positive, you can report it to my operator. Thanks, ReferenceBot (talk) 00:32, 13 November 2014 (UTC)

Thursday December 4: NYC Wiki-Salon and Skill Share

Thursday December 4: NYC Wiki-Salon and Skill Share

You are invited to join the the Wikimedia NYC community for our upcoming wiki-salon and knowledge-sharing workshop in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. Thursday December 4 NYC Wiki-Salon and Skill Share (RSVP). 6:30pm–8pm at Babycastles, 137 West 14th Street Afterwards at 8pm, we'll walk to a social wiki-dinner together at a neighborhood restaurant (to be decided). We hope to see you there!--Pharos (talk) 07:11, 27 November 2014 (UTC)

(You can unsubscribe from future notifications for NYC-area events by removing your name from this list.)

Reference Errors on 4 December

Hello, I'm ReferenceBot. I have automatically detected that an edit performed by you may have introduced errors in referencing. It is as follows:

• On the Linguistic development of Genie page, your edit caused a redundant parameter error (help). (Fix | Ask for help)

Please check this page and fix the errors highlighted. If you think this is a false positive, you can report it to my operator. Thanks, ReferenceBot (talk) 00:34, 5 December 2014 (UTC)

2015 already

Hi Blade. No frills - just a quiet ‘’all the best’’ to you for 2015 and I hope you’ll continue to be around on Wikipedia for a long time to come. --Kudpung กุดผึ้ง (talk) 15:06, 1 January 2015 (UTC)

And I hope all the same for you. Your work is much appreciated. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 02:44, 2 January 2015 (UTC)

Happy New Year The Blade of the Northern Lights!

Happy New Year!

The Blade of the Northern Lights,
Have a prosperous, productive and enjoyable New Year, and thanks for your contributions to Wikipedia. NorthAmerica¹⁰⁰⁰ 08:35, 3 January 2015 (UTC)

Send New Year cheer by adding {{subst:Happy New Year 2015}} to user talk pages.

An old SPI

If you recall[2], sock of Highstakes00, I would like to know if you are interested in discussing his recent case of socking. Thanks. OccultZone (Talk • Contributions • Log) 05:20, 21 January 2015 (UTC)

Reference Errors on 22 January

Hello, I'm ReferenceBot. I have automatically detected that an edit performed by you may have introduced errors in referencing. It is as follows:

• On the Linguistic development of Genie page, your edit caused a broken reference name (help), a cite error (help) and a missing references list (help | help with group references). (Fix | Ask for help)

Please check this page and fix the errors highlighted. If you think this is a false positive, you can report it to my operator. Thanks, ReferenceBot (talk) 00:21, 23 January 2015 (UTC)

Hello, The Blade of the Northern Lights. Please check your email; you've got mail!
It may take a few minutes from the time the email is sent for it to show up in your inbox. You can at any time by removing the {{You've got mail}} or {{ygm}} template.

Saturday February 7 in NYC: Black Life Matters Editathon

Saturday February 7 in NYC: Black Life Matters Editathon

You are invited to join us at New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture for our upcoming editathon, a part of the Black WikiHistory Month campaign (which also includes events in Brooklyn and Westchester!). Saturday February 7 Black Life Matters Editathon (RSVP). 12:00pm - 5:00 pm at NYPL Schomburg Center, 515 Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue), by W 135th St The Wikipedia training and editathon will take place in the Aaron Douglas Reading Room of the Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division, with a reception following in the Langston Hughes lobby on the first floor of the building at 5:00pm. We hope to see you there!--Pharos (talk) 06:03, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

(You can subscribe/unsubscribe from future notifications for NYC-area events by adding or removing your name from this list.)

Disambiguation link notification for February 6

Hi. Thank you for your recent edits. Wikipedia appreciates your help. We noticed though that when you edited Joe Deters, you added a link pointing to the disambiguation page Burden of proof. Such links are almost always unintended, since a disambiguation page is merely a list of "Did you mean..." article titles. Read the FAQ • Join us at the DPL WikiProject.

It's OK to remove this message. Also, to stop receiving these messages, follow these opt-out instructions. Thanks, DPL bot (talk) 09:01, 6 February 2015 (UTC)

He's baaaaack (again)

[3] EEng (talk) 21:45, 8 February 2015 (UTC)

The longevity people have been quite active these last few months, but this is pretty... bold, even by their standards. Not seeing what the difference is between this version and the one which was deleted, but I'm obviously too close to the situation to do an uncontroversial G4. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 04:21, 9 February 2015 (UTC)

The new sources are given here at DRV. Take a look. What is with this bunch, anyway? EEng (talk) 04:55, 9 February 2015 (UTC)

I found this to be fairly accurate, and not much has changed since then; for ease, this gem is what he was referencing. Setting aside the marked absence of "egregious BLP violations" in the original AfD (despite claims to the contrary at the MfD), I admit I'm just not seeing it. How 5 mentions in various newspapers is a whole lot better than 3 escapes me; bearing in mind the applicability of the sorites paradox to notability, it doesn't seem like this has turned from a changed from a non-heap to a heap of notability suitable for Wikipedia. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 05:20, 9 February 2015 (UTC)

I fear there's serious trouble ahead -- all the zombies are coming back to life [4][5]. Do you think an AfD is in order now? Or should we wait to give a chance for more sources to be found? EEng (talk) 05:49, 9 February 2015 (UTC)

I was thinking of giving it a couple days to see if the longevity fanboys will wear themselves out, and then putting it up for AfD. Trying right now is asking for a repeat of this flameout, which was spectacular enough that I'm remembering it offhand 4 years later. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 06:52, 9 February 2015 (UTC)

You and everyone else. I innocently posted this [6] one day and was instantly drawn into the Vortex of Crazies. I was there at the coda as well [7]. Not sure you know that the reason the beehive has been turned over is that there are/were a series of recent XfDs/MfDs/SomethingfDs regarding userpages of these otherwise-defunct longevity editors, which apparently are being used as a kind of webhost for their old-people rankings and so on. This was one. EEng (talk) 12:58, 9 February 2015 (UTC)

I'd heard about it, but didn't get too involved. The community doesn't realize just how problematic this is, and it's hard for those of us who've dealt with it to get the point across. I actually appreciate Robert Young's real life work, I think it's a great thing he's doing, but what I understand less is the singular fixation on turning aging into a spectator sport for a bunch of teens and 20-25 year olds. It'd be a bit like me taking the linguistic results from the people Susan Curtiss and others wrote about in their papers and putting together a ranked table in my userspace based on grammar acquisition according to one of their papers (List of most people with the most intact grammar unable to count: 1. Laura 2. Antony 3. Rick, etc. But a new challenger arises, Jeff with Williams syndrome who is now learning complex questions; he's climbing the list for most intact grammar chase, Laura had better hope he doesn't learn complex passives!). Not sure why this topic attracts so much of this, but hey. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 22:00, 9 February 2015 (UTC)

I suppose ranking the oldest could be viewed as a spectator sport, but I'm more amazed at the relative lack of interest in aging and those who become extremely old. From the time we are born, the clock is ticking down. You would think that the number one research funding priority would be on discovering the mechanisms of aging. I looked at Robert Young (longevity claims researcher) and I would say that the 2006 Chicago Tribune article and the 2010 Wall Street Journal articles are sufficiently in-depth about what he does to establish notability. He is borderline, but just over the threshold as I see it. BTW, Genie and Linguistic development of Genie are fantastic articles. When I cover the critical period concept and talk about the case of Genie during lecture, I tell my students that these two articles are best available comprehensive accounts of both topics! --I am One of Many (talk) 23:23, 9 February 2015 (UTC)

In-depth?? Here's the entirety of the information about Young in those two articles:

WSJ:

When Robert Young was little, he found himself wishing he had gotten to know the elderly people in his life before they died. "I wanted to meet them and stay around them first, because they would be passing away first," Mr. Young recalls. ... Now Mr. Young's childhood inclination has turned into his profession, as the gerontologist tracks the world's oldest people for a variety of research groups. ... Now Mr. Young works for Guinness as its head consultant on checking such claims, and also verifies claims for GRG.

Tribune:

Young, 31, a Georgia State University student, researches supercentenarians -- people 110 and older -- for the Guinness World Records and for gerontology research centers. His specialty is confirming or disproving claims of advanced age from around the world. ... Young has met several of the oldest people on the planet ... Young examines baptismal records, census reports, newspaper clippings and any other paperwork he can find to authenticate or disprove claims. ... But he's interested not only in how long people live but also in how they live. He's hoping to help find how people can live longer and better.

...

Young is not sure he would want to live to be 110. ... Young calls his field demographic gerontology. ... What is now Young's life's work started as a hobby. He was fascinated by the longevity of the world's oldest people, as cited by Guinness, and impressed by reports of a study on centenarians by the University of Georgia. Young hopes eventually to acquire graduate degrees and teach gerontology at the college level.

...

In 2002, Young began work with Jerry Friedman on Friedman's book, "Earth's Elders: The Wisdom of the World's Oldest People," released in September 2005. "It was primarily because of him I was able to do this book," Friedman says. Young helped him find and document the elders in the book, he says. ...

That's in-depth? By that reasoning every stamp collector interviewed in a local paper is notable. EEng (talk) 02:47, 10 February 2015 (UTC)

Well, we'll see if his acolytes find anything else; every once in a while they surprise me, I remember the article on Tase Matsunaga being a bright spot for them. As long as we're on this subject, you may find Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons/Noticeboard/Archive217#Unverified supercentenarians interesting. And I entirely agree that the field of study is an extremely important one, it does seem to get remarkably little attention. Aside from figuring out how to treat diseases like progeria and Werner syndrome, among others, it would seem to be in just about every living person's best interest to figure out how the aging process works and to extend our lifetimes. Natural selection already gave us the potential for unusual longevity, so it'd be great if we could get more people to live up to it. (And it's nice to know my Wikipedia work is of some use to somebody, it's been one hell of a ride getting it together) The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 04:02, 10 February 2015 (UTC)

I think it's about time to think about nominating. Thoughts? EEng (talk) 02:52, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

Ready? EEng (talk) 19:54, 2 March 2015 (UTC)

As soon as you are. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 21:06, 2 March 2015 (UTC)

I am. But you go first. You're an admin, after all, and I'm already frontman for something quite trouble-inviting on its own, thank you very much. I suppose it will make sense to notify all the non-SPAs from the earlier AfDs, or should we just wait and see? EEng (talk) 22:21, 2 March 2015 (UTC)

I'll get to it, then. I can think of a few editors who are worth notifying (Canadian Paul, DerbyCountyinNZ, and David in DC are the three who come readily to mind, and I'll ping them when I start the AfD). By the way, that's quite an interesting mess you've got on your hands there, I might just swing by there myself. The one I've been keeping an eye on is Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight), but that's actually managed to stay reasonably on course (I consider it a bonus that no one has been able to discern my personal thoughts on that matter). The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 23:06, 2 March 2015 (UTC)

And the deed is done; see Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Robert Young (longevity claims researcher) (2nd nomination) (wow, that's a long title). Here's to hoping this discussion doesn't get too crazy... The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 23:22, 2 March 2015 (UTC)

A few more edits to make

Check out Emma Sulkowicz's talk page when you have a moment. There are several referenced edits waiting to be made;)--A21sauce (talk) 04:22, 10 February 2015 (UTC)

Will do; I'll look everything over, and I'll make the edits when I'm done watching Charlie Rose. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 04:26, 10 February 2015 (UTC)

A barnstar for you!

	The Tireless Contributor Barnstar
	Linguistic development of Genie is fascinating, well-organized, and more detailed than anything I've ever seen on WP. You're an exceptional editor. Congratulations! FourViolas (talk) 11:24, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

@FourViolas: I'm glad you liked it. To be honest, my work on it is as much to improve Wikipedia as it is to have an outlet so that I don't bore everyone to death talking about it in real life. If it weren't for having someplace to unburden some prose, my body count would probably be in the hundreds and there would be an FBI investigation into what the hell I was doing. It's been one hell of a ride, and it's good to know at least a few people are getting something out of it. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 22:41, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

Hi Blade, re: this. I don't think the ping works if you add it retrospectively. In fact, right now, I don't think the ping system is working very well at all. I seem to be finding stuff for which I should have received notifications but in fact have not. Maybe it is connected with work on the FLOW system? One day, I'll revisit WP:VPT. - Sitush (talk) 02:38, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

I haven't had much need to use it, so here I finally get a chance and I forget to. I wish I could say it'd surprise me to find this connected with some WMF project, but then again I wish I could say I have a billion dollars in my bank account. I'll have to take a look at the Village Pump too. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 02:50, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

I've had someone from Nigeria promise me a ridiculous sum deposited in my bank account. I can pass on your details if you wish ;) - Sitush (talk) 02:53, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

Heh. When I was at college a few years ago someone actually fell for one of those, and we ended up having our library plastered with Internet safety posters. Was a little disappointed to hear that my long lost Uncle Ralph didn't really have 87 million dollars, though... The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 03:02, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

Oh dear, Sitush was right: I wasn't notified.

Doing my best not to give offense, I've worked quite a bit with people on the spectrum, and I can't think of a more productive outlet for your particular interest than a quiet corner of Wikipedia. You write well, and WP is so high-profile that you can "talk to" many, many curious people non-fatally; I'm sure you're among the most-read authors in the world on the subject.

And about this, sorry for the unfriendly revert alert, and thanks for the better solution. FourViolas (talk) 00:37, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Not a problem, I took no offense; my first attempt was definitely less than optimal. The article is better now, that's all that matters. Thanks again for your encouragement, and I would say that you've been a great asset to Wikipedia as well. I hope you continue to have a good experience here, and I'm always here if you're looking for another voice on some matter. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 00:41, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Richardson family murders

I've reduced the protection to semi. I would have posted a long, profane rant but I'm too lazy. CambridgeBayWeather, Uqaqtuq (talk), Sunasuttuq 03:03, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

Heh. Thanks, as a gesture of thanks I think I'll put in a little time at RfPP myself. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 06:05, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

Take Flight

"Ass Scent". Something about this world always smelled like shit and blood. And now I understand why. It's fuckfaces like you. I'm a big hungry horse. Feed me Hadrian Hannibal Vercingetorix (talk) 15:27, 1 March 2015 (UTC)

Disambiguation link notification for March 3

Hi. Thank you for your recent edits. Wikipedia appreciates your help. We noticed though that when you edited Trajan Langdon, you added a link pointing to the disambiguation page William Avery. Such links are almost always unintended, since a disambiguation page is merely a list of "Did you mean..." article titles. Read the FAQ • Join us at the DPL WikiProject.

It's OK to remove this message. Also, to stop receiving these messages, follow these opt-out instructions. Thanks, DPL bot (talk) 09:00, 3 March 2015 (UTC)

Sunday March 22: Wikipedia Day NYC Celebration and Mini-Conference

Sunday March 22: Wikipedia Day NYC 2015

You are invited to join us at Barnard College for Wikipedia Day NYC 2015, a Wikipedia celebration and mini-conference for the project's 14th birthday. In addition to the party, the event will be a participatory unconference, with plenary panels, lightning talks, and of course open space sessions. We also hope for the participation of our friends from the Free Culture movement and from educational and cultural institutions interested in developing free knowledge projects. Sunday March 22 Wikipedia Day NYC 2015 (RSVP on-wiki or at bit.ly/wikidaybarnard). 10:00pm - 9:00 pm at Barnard College, 3009 Broadway, by W 118th St We especially encourage folks to add your 5-minute lightning talks to our roster, and otherwise join in the "open space" experience! Newcomers are very welcome! Bring your friends and colleagues! --Pharos (talk) 21:59, 9 March 2015 (UTC)

(You can subscribe/unsubscribe from future notifications for NYC-area events by adding or removing your name from this list.)

List of African supercentenarians

Hello,

I noticed that you nominated List of African supercentenarians for a speedy deletion a couple of weeks ago, and the page was subsequently deleted. I would like to contest this deletion because:

• 1. The recreated article was NOT, as G4 specifies, "substantially identical to the deleted version". I understand that more entries had been added and more sources were used.
• 2. One basis for deletion in the two previous deletion discussions, here and here, was that the Gerontology Research Group is not a reliable source, which is no longer considered to be the case. Again, G4 specifies that speedy deletions should not be used for "pages to which the reason for the deletion no longer applies".
• 3. Did you notify the article's creator that you had nominated it for deletion?

--Ollie231213 (talk) 22:54, 22 March 2015 (UTC)

It sure looked just about exactly the same, as in the new source material was extremely marginal. Nothing addressed the core of the concerns of the AfD. There's no requirement the creator be notified, although I typically do; I can't say I remember if there was a reason I didn't, or if it just slipped my mind. That said, I'd be willing to restore it and have a DRV; if you don't know how to start one, as the process is a bit complicated, I'll do it myself. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 04:35, 23 March 2015 (UTC)

How can you start a deletion review if you were the one who deleted it? --Ollie231213 (talk) 21:48, 23 March 2015

It's not unheard of for admins to list a contested deletion at DRV, it's not a big deal. When I'm off my iPhone and have access to a full keyboard I'll take care of it. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 15:12, 24 March 2015 (UTC)

Well, ok then. If you could do that it would be great. Thanks --Ollie231213 (talk) 21:55, 25 March 2015

And it's done; see Wikipedia:Deletion review/Log/2015 March 26. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 03:08, 26 March 2015 (UTC)

WTF u

Why did you delete my page? It is a planeswalker in Magic:The Gathering! It is also a prominent character as he has appeared in 3 sets.TheEvilInThisWorld (talk) 20:14, 9 April 2015 (UTC)

Vishwakarma (caste)

Hi, what do you think of the anon/newly-registered contributor history at Vishwakarma (caste)? There have been voluminous discussions on the article talk and elsewhere but those seem always to be ignored in favour of outright POV-pushing. At one point, they even created a POV fork.

Indefinite semi-protection is probably not in order because of the dearth of earlier protections. However, something like, say, two months might just fire a shot across the bows. Anna Frodesiak previously semi'd for a month, although I'm not sure why the rationale was BLP violation because that really hasn't been the long-term problem. I suppose pending changes might work but the problem there tends to be that too few reviewers understand issues relating to caste and so things slip through the net. - Sitush (talk) 06:10, 11 April 2015 (UTC)

Given how few of these edits are at all useful, I'll give it 3 months. That should give it enough time for the issues to be resolved and ward off anyone attempting to refight it later. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 18:38, 11 April 2015 (UTC)

April 29: WikiWednesday Salon and Skill-Share NYC

Wednesday April 29, 7pm: WikiWednesday Salon and Skill-Share NYC

You are invited to join the Wikimedia NYC community for our inaugural evening "WikiWednesday" salon and knowledge-sharing workshop by 14th Street / Union Square in Manhattan. We also hope for the participation of our friends from the Free Culture movement and from educational and cultural institutions interested in developing free knowledge projects. We will also follow up on plans for recent and upcoming editathons, and other outreach activities. After the main meeting, pizza and refreshments and video games in the gallery! Wednesday April 29 WikiWednesday Salon and Skill-Share NYC (RSVP on-wiki or at meetup.com). 7:00pm - 9:00 pm at Babycastles, 137 West 14th Street Featuring a keynote talk this month on Lady Librarians & Feminist Epistemologies! We especially encourage folks to add your 5-minute lightning talks to our roster, and otherwise join in the "open space" experience! Newcomers are very welcome! Bring your friends and colleagues! --Pharos (talk) 18:29, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

(You can subscribe/unsubscribe from future notifications for NYC-area events by adding or removing your name from this list.)

Third opinion, please

Can you read the sources here and tell me if I'm off base? WP:Articles for deletion/M. William Phelps EEng (talk) 22:30, 17 April 2015 (UTC)

Paramara

It a good three years since you semi-protected Paramara. The problems do not really seem to go away. Care to take another look? - Sitush (talk) 19:43, 23 April 2015 (UTC)

Ouch. Gave it 6 months, if it keeps up after that expires I'll extend it longer. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 21:33, 23 April 2015 (UTC)

Your edit at Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Lightbreather

Hi The Blade of the Northern Lights, I've reverted your edit to Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Lightbreather because it was an edit to an open case without you being an arbitrator or clerk. Further, that's just the one case; the template the cases are opened on is located at Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Template. If you'd like to propose changes, please bring it up at WP:ACCN. (We will probably not switch between national varieties of English without good reason.) Thanks, --L235 (t / c / ping in reply) 04:12, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

June 10: WikiWednesday Salon / Wikimedia NYC Annual Meeting

Wednesday June 10, 7pm: WikiWednesday Salon / Wikimedia NYC Annual Meeting

You are invited to join the Wikimedia NYC community for our next evening "WikiWednesday" salon and knowledge-sharing workshop by 14th Street / Union Square in Manhattan. This month will also feature on our agenda: recent and upcoming editathons, the organization's Annual Meeting, and Chapter board elections. We also hope for the participation of our friends from the Free Culture movement and from educational and cultural institutions interested in developing free knowledge projects. We will also follow up on plans for recent and upcoming editathons, and other outreach activities. After the main meeting, pizza and refreshments and video games in the gallery! Wednesday June 10 WikiWednesday Salon / Wikimedia NYC Annual Meeting (RSVP on-wiki or at meetup.com). 7:00pm - 9:00 pm at Babycastles, 137 West 14th Street Featuring a keynote talk this month to be determined! We especially encourage folks to add your 5-minute lightning talks to our roster, and otherwise join in the "open space" experience! Newcomers are very welcome! Bring your friends and colleagues! --Pharos (talk) 17:23, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

(You can subscribe/unsubscribe from future notifications for NYC-area events by adding or removing your name from this list.)

Passion Yara

I searched and searched for sources (News, Books, browser, highbeam and thefreelibrary) and I was unable to find any, would you care to help find some Japanese sources? SwisterTwister talk 04:56, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

I can certainly give it a shot, I'll let you know if I find anything. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 20:06, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

User:Ghazal Omid

Both this user and her associated article have been a target for vandalism from IP accounts. 173.63.171.142 is the latest whose sole purpose is to vandalize her user page and her article. Luckily because her case bring brought up at ANI, the pages have a lot of watchers now. But could this IP get a temporary time-out? They only have 4 edits but there have two to her pages in June. Liz ^{Read! Talk!} 21:28, 14 June 2015 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm on it. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 21:31, 14 June 2015 (UTC)

Many thanks. I haven't heard back from her via email with her questions for me but I'll encourage her to take her email address off her talk page. I don't feel comfortable removing it myself but considering the vandalism, I imagine some trolls will find it irresistible. Liz ^{Read! Talk!} 21:47, 14 June 2015 (UTC)

Probably a good idea. Like I said at your talkpage I've worked with her before, as can be seen further up on her talkpage, so if you feel like you need additional help I'm happy to do whatever I can; I recently read the works of Laleh Khadivi, which has reignited my interest in the subject, and I'm not averse to taking on controversy. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 21:53, 14 June 2015 (UTC)

Reference errors on 14 June

Hello, I'm ReferenceBot. I have automatically detected that an edit performed by you may have introduced errors in referencing. It is as follows:

• On the Genie (feral child) page, your edit caused a broken reference name (help). (Fix | Ask for help)

Please check this page and fix the errors highlighted. If you think this is a false positive, you can report it to my operator. Thanks, ReferenceBot (talk) 00:21, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

Soham321

This sort of thing is becoming tendentious. Others have tried to dissuade Soham from repeatedly referring to an irrelevance and from casting aspersions (I don't believe what they claim, nor have I suggested that I do). How much rope do they get? - Sitush (talk) 14:56, 19 June 2015 (UTC)

I am only repeating something factual:your view that the caste system as we know it today was a creation of the British was also of the view of the Hindutvas who had taken this issue to court in the California textbooks case. The State of California were represented by Prof Witzel of Harvard University who considered this view to be nonsensical (see his interview--the extract of which i posted on the discussion page of the Caste system in India). The judges of California sided with Witzel and dismissed the case of the Hindutvas with prejudice, meaning it can never be appealed again. I am certainly not making personal attacks on you, in the way you were insulting Calvin999 in the Babur talk page: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Babur&diff=667035906&oldid=667035870 Soham321 (talk) 15:16, 19 June 2015 (UTC)

Any chance you can stop following me around? That, too, is becoming tedious. - Sitush (talk) 15:21, 19 June 2015 (UTC)

The record shows that you followed me to the pages of Daily News and Analysis and also Open magazine. You had never made a single edit on these pages and started editing these pages soon after i started editing them. Soham321 (talk) 15:35, 19 June 2015 (UTC)

July 8: WikiWednesday Salon and Skill-Share NYC

Wednesday July 8, 7pm: WikiWednesday Salon and Skill-Share NYC

You are invited to join the Wikimedia NYC community for our evening "WikiWednesday" salon and knowledge-sharing workshop by 14th Street / Union Square in Manhattan. This month will also feature on a review of past and upcoming editathons, including Black Lunch Table Editathon @ MoMA on July 13. We also hope for the participation of our friends from the Free Culture movement and from educational and cultural institutions interested in developing free knowledge projects. We will also follow up on plans for recent and upcoming editathons, and other outreach activities. After the main meeting, pizza and refreshments and video games in the gallery! Wednesday July 8 WikiWednesday Salon and Skill-Share NYC (RSVP on-wiki or at meetup.com). 7:00pm - 9:00 pm at Babycastles, 137 West 14th Street Featuring a keynote talk this month to be determined! We especially encourage folks to add your 5-minute lightning talks to our roster, and otherwise join in the "open space" experience! Newcomers are very welcome! Bring your friends and colleagues! --Pharos (talk) 05:45, 28 June 2015 (UTC)

(You can subscribe/unsubscribe from future notifications for NYC-area events by adding or removing your name from this list.)

The Wikipedia Library needs you!

We hope The Wikipedia Library has been a useful resource for your work. TWL is expanding rapidly and we need your help!

With only a couple hours per week, you can make a big difference for sharing knowledge. Please sign up and help us in one of these ways:

• Account coordinators: help distribute free research access
• Partner coordinators: seek new donations from partners
• Communications coordinators: share updates in blogs, social media, newsletters and notices
• Technical coordinators: advise on building tools to support the library's work
• Outreach coordinators: connect to university libraries, archives, and other GLAMs
• Research coordinators: run reference services

Sign up now

Send on behalf of The Wikipedia Library using MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 04:31, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

You've got mail, The Blade of the Northern Lights

Hello, The Blade of the Northern Lights. Please check your email; you've got mail!
It may take a few minutes from the time the email is sent for it to show up in your inbox. You can at any time by removing the {{You've got mail}} or {{ygm}} template.

Liz ^{Read! Talk!} 19:36, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Sunday August 2: WikNYC Picnic

Sunday August 2, 1-7pm: WikNYC Picnic

You are invited to join us the "picnic anyone can edit" in Brooklyn's Prospect Park, as part of the Great American Wiknic celebrations being held across the USA. Remember it's a wiki-picnic, which means potluck. Sunday August 2 WikNYC Picnic (RSVP) (also on meetup.com) 1pm–7pm - come by any time! @ Bartel-Pritchard Square entrance (Prospect Park West and 15th St), immediately on the lawn to your left as you walk through the lovely lotus columns. Subway: ​ to 15th Street – Prospect Park (IND Culver Line) We hope to see you there! --Pharos (talk) 03:32, 24 July 2015 (UTC) (Bonus event: WikiWednesday Salon @ Babycastles - Wednedsay, August 19)

(You can subscribe/unsubscribe from future notifications for NYC-area events by adding or removing your name from this list.)

Community desysoping RfC

Hi. You are invited to comment at RfC for BARC - a community desysoping process.--Kudpung กุดผึ้ง (talk) 09:03, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

You've got mail, The Blade of the Northern Lights

Hello, The Blade of the Northern Lights. Please check your email; you've got mail!
It may take a few minutes from the time the email is sent for it to show up in your inbox. You can at any time by removing the {{You've got mail}} or {{ygm}} template.

Liz ^{Read! Talk!} 18:01, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

RFA

Hi, on second thought I'm ready to remove the whole bit, including my vote. Enough of this stuff. I'll ask Liz for a voluntary interaction ban or something. May I remove your comment below my vote as well? Manul ~ talk 02:21, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

Fine by me. I hope this doesn't burn any bridges, I realized that came out harsher than I intended; RfA can be gloomy, all I wanted was a bit of humor. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 02:25, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

Burn bridges for ... me? I thought I was doing due diligence by mentioning this stuff, but I suppose others may consider it a singular issue. Is that your impression? Manul ~ talk 02:39, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

I was thinking of myself, it wouldn't be the first time I was inadvertently off-putting. Tact isn't my strong suit, the story of my life is being harsher than I intend. I don't want to interfere with your participation in any way, and I don't want you or anyone else to think otherwise. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 02:51, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

Your comment at RFA appears to be one of those "ha ha only serious" comments to me, and I guess you had a reaction similar to that of NeilN, which took me by surprise. In case, removing now. Manul ~ talk 03:10, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

Speedy deletion nomination of ダルビッシュ 有

A tag has been placed on ダルビッシュ 有 requesting that it be speedily deleted from Wikipedia. This has been done for the following reason:

R3

Under the criteria for speedy deletion, pages that meet certain criteria may be deleted at any time.

If you think this page should not be deleted for this reason, you may contest the nomination by visiting the page and clicking the button labelled "Click here to contest this speedy deletion". This will give you the opportunity to explain why you believe the page should not be deleted. However, be aware that once a page is tagged for speedy deletion, it may be removed without delay. Please do not remove the speedy deletion tag from the page yourself, but do not hesitate to add information in line with Wikipedia's policies and guidelines. If the page is deleted, and you wish to retrieve the deleted material for future reference or improvement, then please contact the deleting administrator, or if you have already done so, you can place a request here. RekishiEJ (talk) 11:57, 1 August 2015 (UTC)

ダルビッシュ 有 listed at Redirects for discussion

An editor has asked for a discussion to address the redirect ダルビッシュ 有. Since you had some involvement with the ダルビッシュ 有 redirect, you might want to participate in the redirect discussion if you have not already done so. RekishiEJ (talk) 12:33, 1 August 2015 (UTC)

Continued poking

I resent having to come here to tell you this, but you're continuing to take pot shots at me for over three years now, ever since my single posts at your Talk over three years ago. I've never initiated anything with you since then; you however take advantage of opportunities to kick at me on community boards. (You're not the only grudge-filled admin on my case like that, admin Sjakkalle, whom I also have not initiated anything for years after my final goodbye post to his Talk, has done the same thing, consistently taking pot shots on community boards given the chance. Why don't you two get together and begin a new hobby braiding voodoo dolls or something? Take a hint and pretend you don't know me. I certainly wish I never met the two of you.) IHTS (talk) 14:45, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

I can certainly hit the reset button. We'd probably both be happier that way, I certainly would. I don't take things here very personally, and I sometimes forget I can be a lot harsher than I intend; not always the best combination. Easing the tension would help keep this from happening again, I'm certainly willing to do my part. Sound all right? The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 14:52, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

Move watch is back

Hey, thought I'd let you know I'm resurrected Move Watch - it's living on Tools Labs now, so new url: https://tools.wmflabs.org/dplbot/mv/move_watch.php. --JaGa^talk 13:32, 6 August 2015 (UTC)

Thanks; I'm sure Tobias is off creating a mess somewhere now. He's also been wreaking havoc at Wikidata, so they might have some use for it too. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 13:37, 6 August 2015 (UTC)

A cookie for you!

For removing a test edit from the SCP Foundation page, as well as your response to the editor making the edit. I thought that your comments were well thought out and communicated in such a way that got the point across while maintaining a friendly and civil tone. Well handled, and please keep up the good work. Spirit of Eagle (talk) 05:05, 7 August 2015 (UTC)

Another one?

You might like to take a look at SethAdam99. I know nothing about pro wrestling, nor much about the sockmaster in question, but I wouldn't say it's an exemplary editing record. GoldenRing (talk) 17:33, 7 August 2015 (UTC)

August 19: WikiWednesday Salon and Skill-Share NYC

Wednesday August 19, 7pm: WikiWednesday Salon and Skill-Share NYC

You are invited to join the Wikimedia NYC community for our evening "WikiWednesday" salon and knowledge-sharing workshop by 14th Street / Union Square in Manhattan. We also hope for the participation of our friends from the Free Culture movement and from educational and cultural institutions interested in developing free knowledge projects. We will also follow up on plans for recent and upcoming editathons, and other outreach activities. After the main meeting, pizza and refreshments and video games in the gallery! Wednesday August 19 WikiWednesday Salon and Skill-Share NYC (RSVP on-wiki or at meetup.com). 7:00pm - 9:00 pm at Babycastles, 137 West 14th Street Featuring a keynote talk this month to be determined! We especially encourage folks to add your 5-minute lightning talks to our roster, and otherwise join in the "open space" experience! Newcomers are very welcome! Bring your friends and colleagues! --Pharos (talk) 15:59, 11 August 2015 (UTC)

(You can subscribe/unsubscribe from future notifications for NYC-area events by adding or removing your name from this list.)

WOP

You're enjoying this aren't you? Do you just want to see a train wreck or something? -- Ricky81682 (talk) 07:52, 15 August 2015 (UTC)

I hope that's just kidding, because BOTNL has been at the forefront of the battle to bring WOP to heel for years. BTW, Blade, a post of yours [8] seems to have got caught up in some mass-revdel. EEng (talk) 15:01, 15 August 2015 (UTC)

@Ricky81682: I've been wrangling with them off and on since 2010 trying to beat some sense into the topic area, I'd love to see an end to it. I've had a few small successes (i.e. the reason you don't see all these lists glutted with flag icons is that I and another user managed to close the MoS loophole they used to lawyer them in, see here, here, and here) but as you can see there's a lot left to be done. I don't think anything short of mass-banning these SPAs will work, so getting the tools to do so without having literally 50 AN/ANI threads seems like the best option. I've been down that road in this topic, it's not fun. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 00:11, 16 August 2015 (UTC)

Joking entirely. Page protection is already starting but another round is going on at RSN where we're learning that we shouldn't question things because the GRG's correspondent is maintaining sources for us. I'm just hoping I don't get topic banned by an admin glancing over the amount of canvassing and IP editors blowing up ANI. -- Ricky81682 (talk) 00:31, 16 August 2015 (UTC)

Don't worry, I didn't take it seriously; the above was merely a demonstration of just how much effort it takes to get anything done. Their vaunted GRG correspondent in the UK at least once created a massive issue by reporting someone dead, and it took a massive fight and a complaint from her family to get it fixed; see Margaret Fish for the blow by blow, I'll mention that at RSN. ArbCom is looking more and more inevitable by the day, but if no one else does I'll start a request in the next couple days so that we can at least get the sanctions back in place; that way, even if we end up having an entire case it'll be a little easier to deal with things while we wait. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 00:46, 16 August 2015 (UTC)

I don't think a new case is necessary, just get the DS revived. [9] Naturally I nominate you for the job. EEng (talk) 01:01, 16 August 2015 (UTC)

A block would be in order

[10] EEng (talk) 01:18, 16 August 2015 (UTC)

Agreed, and done. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 01:23, 16 August 2015 (UTC)

Protecting pages

Hey, Blade,
I was just reading information about protecting pages and the page referred to Wikipedia:PC2012/RfC_1 which you closed several years ago. Is it standard practice not to use PC level 2 protection? Or has opinion changed since 2012? Thanks! Liz ^{Read! Talk!} 20:47, 16 August 2015 (UTC)

As far as I know PC2 is allowed in exceptional circumstances (not exactly sure what that means, but I didn't come up with it), but as far as I know the standard practice is still not to use PC2. I'm not sure if there have been any more recent discussions about it, I haven't been involved with the PC debate at all since closing the RfCs, but it seems like the sort of thing I'd have heard of if it had happened (I have no personal opinion on it, no one has yet persuaded me to care one way or another about PC in any form). The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 21:47, 16 August 2015 (UTC)

That's the kind of answer I was looking for, Blade. I think they might be useful but I don't think I'll find myself in exceptional circumstances when the other levels of protection won't be sufficient. Liz ^{Read! Talk!} 22:03, 16 August 2015 (UTC)

Arbitration Committee notice

You are involved in a recently-filed request for clarification or amendment from the Arbitration Committee. Please review the request at Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Clarification and Amendment#Amendment request: Longevity and, if you wish to do so, enter your statement and any other material you wish to submit to the Arbitration Committee. Additionally, the Wikipedia:Arbitration guide may be of use.

Thanks, -- Ricky81682 (talk) 09:27, 25 August 2015 (UTC)

The move-o-meter is flickering

Might like to take a look at User:Welease Wodewick. GoldenRing (talk) 03:07, 26 August 2015 (UTC)

Creates Tanveer Alam

I searched on Google and find that Mr Tanveer Alam is a notable person. He was joint secretary if IFTDA. Intra is apex body of director in India. To be joint Secretary of this apex body is itself a proof of notability. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ishueditor (talk • contribs) 10:14, 28 August 2015 (UTC)

Motion: Longevity

The Arbitration Committee has resolved by motion that:

Standard discretionary sanctions are authorized for all pages related to longevity, broadly construed.

For the Arbitration Committee, L235 (t / c / ping in reply) 22:53, 30 August 2015 (UTC)

Discuss this at: Wikipedia talk:Arbitration Committee/Noticeboard#Motion: Longevity

Feedback

As you have adminned in the caste area before, I'd like your feedback on an AE/ARCA proposal I'm putting together -- User:SpacemanSpiff/sandbox2‎. Feel free to modify directly and/or place comments at the discussion page of that sandbox. cheers. —SpacemanSpiff 04:39, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

An RfC you should be aware of...

Another user has just started an RfC at Talk:Phineas Gage#RfC: What is it like to edit this page for the first time? which suggests that respondents also take a look at Genie (feral child) as a reference point for that discussion. --Mirokado (talk) 21:45, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

Help request re iBAN violations

Hello Blade. I thought I would ask you to do something for me. I'm under an iBAN (it wasn't my idea, and I've already spoken on ANI how can be problematical and can act undesirably as essentially a "roving topic ban", and other problems (e.g. I've received at least two blocks for violating it when in fact I didn't and tried in good faith to follow its restrictions specified at WP:IBAN, but was held accountable for things not specified there that I was somehow supposed to "just know", which IMO was both unfair and bad faith since what I was blocked for in both cases was not specified at WP:IBAN and my reading of it was good faith reading and my behavior good faith to abide), but I was shouted down when I proposed lifting it and continuing with utmost respectful behavior toward the other editor). ¶ My complaint is, the other editor has been overlaying some of my edits to Evergreen Game, which are not allowed under iBAN, and given that the iBAN was not my idea or desire, I would like to insist that it be followed. I added to the Talk page after one of my edits was overlaid ([11], [12], [13]), and I restored part of content I added that was trampled on ([14]), assuming it was inadvertent. But now a second contribution of mine there has been overlaid ([15], [16], [17]), this time I reverted to restore my original edit content there ([18]). Anyway I feel this has to stop, so am seeking your admin help to advise the other editor, or whatever. Again, the iBAN was not my idea, I expressed distaste for it more than both in AN and ANI discussions, because it ends up being a wandering topic ban on articles, which was clear to me before was even imposed, but apparently not clear to others. Thank you. IHTS (talk) 09:51, 9 September 2015 (UTC)

p.s. FYI, now there's an ANI case (not opened by me) over my restoring my overlaid content in the second case. IHTS (talk) 10:34, 9 September 2015 (UTC)

I see the ANI thread has been closed, or I'd have said there what I'll say here. I think the other editor is being overly sensitive, and he really should have been more careful; I would understand his complaint better if he hadn't reverted you and then run to ANI, but this looked more like point-scoring than anything else. If someone hasn't already I'll leave him a message saying as much. I appreciate your patience, and if it starts up again somewhere else I'll move to clear it up before it comes to this. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 15:31, 9 September 2015 (UTC)

Please note that I did *not* re-revert the edit in question before going to ANI. I have simply been researching and working on improving the article, not having a go at anyone. I raised the ANI thread in response to interference with my work for what appears to be petty point-scoring purposes, and which also constituted a clear-cut IBAN violation. I kept the ANI thread as drama-free as possible with a single, factual, post - not that it stopped one lazy admin from accussing me of "bickering" and declaring "a plague on both your houses". You have definitely got the wrong end of the stick here. MaxBrowne (talk) 03:39, 10 September 2015 (UTC)

Blade, the editor is of course correct - I did the revert. (Undoing an editor's edits is not permitteed under iBAN. Who else was going to restore my edit, if not me? [If an admin should do it not me, I'm OK with that, but that involves another person and an investigation and an unrelated person to do the revert. Which is more complex, more time-consuming, more error-prone, and more fuss.] The first time this happened, I put a section up on the article Talk indicating my edit was overlaid, so the offending editor might restore it. Instead the opposite happened, more of my editing on the article was undone. I not only put up another Talk page notice about it, but included an editsum stating in no unclear terms that my edits are being overlaid contrary to iBAN. Instead of correcting the error by restoring my edit, an ANI was opened up against me. I don't know what I could have done better to avert dragging unnecessary people into that situation, I tried to deal with it with the minimum of fuss by involving only me and the offending editor, and respect given to terms of the iBAN, which I never asked for and never wanted but the offending editor insisted on.) ¶ What I would like is a clear way forward should my edit(s) be undone again. Again what I've been doing is to post a neutral message on the article Talk indicating my edit was overlaid, expecting the offending editor to correct, but clearly that has not worked. (I still think that is the way forward to minimize disruption, but it requires cooperation.) IHTS (talk) 17:22, 10 September 2015 (UTC)

To me the solution you say above would seem best, but if it hasn't worked out the best I can think of is this; if it's a chess article, for instance, post something to WP:CHESS asking someone to take a look at the edit you made to see if someone else agrees. Just mentioning you're interaction banned isn't against policy, and that way a hopefully neutral party can have a look. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 20:25, 10 September 2015 (UTC)

For me WP:IAR is kicking in here. I'm working in good faith to improve the article, and I'm not going to check every edit to see who originally wrote the text 2, 3, 5 years ago. Because I don't care. MaxBrowne (talk) 00:28, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

Bottom line is this: I am working to improve the encyclopedia. The other party is just being a pain in the rear. Hope you understand where I'm coming from. MaxBrowne (talk) 01:26, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

Blade, I didn't open this thread to have a pseudo-dialogue with (and insults from) the person am in iBan with. The problem continues: [19] [20] [21] [22] The editor insisted on the iBan, it is not anything I wanted. The editor wanted iBan, but says to hell with following the stipulations of it. That's having it both ways. The argument that the undos of my edits are justified by IAR is bogus, and I don't really want to get into why for the edits that have been overlaid, unless I have to, but I'll do that clearly if someone needs me to. p.s. I don't see why it's necessary to solicit a third opinion on whether or not an edit of mine has been undone, since that is determinable by simple inspection of the before & after diffs I've been providing. IHTS (talk) 04:46, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

Guy, you closed the ANI, that the restoration I made of an edit I'd made, was not a violation. As you can see by this thread, I had to do the same again. But was reverted [23] (which *is* a violation, including the insulting editsum). IHTS (talk) 07:44, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

Blade, did all this happen too quickly for you to intervene in the two ways you offered to? Now we have an abortion (multiple ANIs). (I personally don't open ANIs. It's a doghouse there.) IHTS (talk) 11:02, 19 September 2015 (UTC)

Invitation to subscribe to the edit filter mailing list

Hi, as a user in the edit filter manager user group we wanted to let you know about the new wikipedia-en-editfilters mailing list. As part of our recent efforts to improve the use of edit filters on the English Wikipedia it has been established as a venue for internal discussion by edit filter managers regarding private filters (those only viewable by administrators and edit filter managers) and also as a means by which non-admins can ask questions about hidden filters that wouldn't be appropriate to discuss on-wiki. As an edit filter manager we encourage you to subscribe; the more users we have in the mailing list the more useful it will be to the community. If you subscribe we will send a short email to you through Wikipedia to confirm your subscription, but let us know if you'd prefer another method of verification. I'd also like to take the opportunity to invite you to contribute to the proposed guideline for edit filter use at WP:Edit filter/Draft and the associated talk page. Thank you! Sam Walton (talk) and MusikAnimal ^talk 18:22, 9 September 2015 (UTC)

September 16: WikiWednesday Salon and Skill-Share NYC

Wednesday September 16, 7pm: WikiWednesday Salon and Skill-Share NYC

You are invited to join the Wikimedia NYC community for our evening "WikiWednesday" salon and knowledge-sharing workshop by 14th Street / Union Square in Manhattan. This month, we will also host a Newcomer's Wiki Workshop for those getting started on the encyclopedia project! We hope for the participation of our friends from the Free Culture movement and from educational and cultural institutions interested in developing free knowledge projects. We will also follow up on plans for recent and upcoming editathons, and other outreach activities. After the main meeting, pizza/chicken/vegetables and refreshments and video games in the gallery! Wednesday September 16 WikiWednesday Salon and Skill-Share NYC (RSVP on-wiki or at meetup.com). 7:00pm - 9:00 pm at Babycastles, 137 West 14th Street Featuring a keynote talk this month to be determined! We especially encourage folks to add your 5-minute lightning talks to our roster, and otherwise join in the "open space" experience! Newcomers are very welcome! Bring your friends and colleagues! --Pharos (talk) 15:12, 10 September 2015 (UTC) Bonus events, RSVP now for our latest upcoming editathons: September 20 - Afrocrowd Wikipedia editathon @ Queens Library October 3 - WikiArte Latin America editathon @ MoMA October 15 - Women in Architecture editathon @ Guggenheim

(You can subscribe/unsubscribe from future notifications for NYC-area events by adding or removing your name from this list.)

HEY YOU!

you deleted my article on sorin markov, can we please get a section of the category of Magic:The Gathering labled Planeswalkers and have a short paragraph about each planeswalker there?TheEvilInThisWorld (talk) 15:27, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

If you would...

Could you please set this nonsense straight? In case you're wondering, people-who-are-certain have taken this claim to COIN twice, with the obvious result. EEng (talk) 00:48, 12 September 2015 (UTC)

Resolved itself. EEng (talk) 04:23, 12 September 2015 (UTC) Big help you are! ;P

Yard House

Hi can you restore the full history of that redirect? It is a notable restaurant owned by Darden with over 39 locations. I am going to work on it and add sources. Valoem ^{talk contrib} 13:21, 16 September 2015 (UTC)