Wikipedia:Help desk

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March 3

Image problem

How do you remove the text beside the image inside the box to the right of this page: Great Egg Harbor Bay. When the picture is not in File:Xxxxx format, the picture is not centered and is too small. Tinton5 (talk) 00:01, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

The image parameters for most infoboxes take x.jpg/png/other. There is a separate parameter for the image size. See my edits. Goodvac (talk) 00:12, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

But the image is not centered though. Tinton5 (talk) 00:14, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

I couldn't figure out a way to centre the image beyond editing the info box itself [1], that improved it some what, but I reverted as I'm not really confident enough to go editing infoboxes that are used in so many articles.. feel free to reinstate if you feel it's safe. Яehevkor ✉ 00:36, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

I edited the ibox code to center the name.--ukexpat (talk) 01:41, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Where is my Wiki Article

I created an article in my sandbox, and then used the Article Wizard to upload it. It said it would take a couple days to look at it and that there were 386 articles before mine. I still haven't seen it appear, and don't know what the status is. Can you help? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mugshotmike (talk • contribs) 02:00, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Are you talking about this? You created that in your sandbox but it's far from being worthy of an actual article. Dismas|^(talk) 02:32, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

I agree. If that is you want to get accepted, you have a problem. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia not a web hosting service, but your page totally unencyclopedic. The subjects of Wikipedia articles must be notable by our standards; please read WP:ORG for the notability standard for organizations. Since you style yourself as the Wiki editor for Southwest Bible Church, you need to read WP:COI. —teb728 t c 02:57, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Liver Disease

Is one who is a carrier of the hepatitus virus considered to have a liver diease? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.111.113.249 (talk) 10:09, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Please do your own homework.

Welcome to the Wikipedia Help Desk. Your question appears to be a homework question. I apologize if this is a misinterpretation, but it is our aim here not to do people's homework for them, but to merely aid them in doing it themselves. Letting someone else do your homework does not help you learn nearly as much as doing it yourself. Please attempt to solve the problem or answer the question yourself first. If you need help with a specific part of your homework, feel free to tell us where you are stuck and ask for help. If you need help grasping the concept of a problem, by all means let us know.

You can search in Google (or any search engine you like)for some information!--Tito Dutta (Send me a message) 12:00, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Read the article Liver disease and Hepatitis, then try to determine yourself plz. Anthing still unclear or need more argue? Write on their corresponding talk pages plz.

Wyatt

I would just like to add to that information, my name is Charis Joy Liebich, My grandmother was a Wyatt, descendent of the British Duke Wyatt, we have records of this on our family tree and our ancestry as far as I have been informed is recorded at Buckingham palace (it might be available at the British Museum. What might be of interest to you, is as to why there are Wyatt's in South Africa, the reason is one of the descendent's of the Wyatt's, a duke, fell in love with a commoner, it is most likely that this would've been: William Henry Wyatt 1840-1889 and the commoner Sophia Titman 1836-1916. As a result he was given two options by the Queen, either he rejected Sophia Titman or he forfeited his title and would be forced to relocate to South Africa. He chose to loose his title. This is the line of Wyatt's I come from which can be traced all the way to the Duke Wyatt, who received his title upon informing or stopping a plot of assassination on the Queen's life.

Our line from the Wyatt's goes as follows: 1.A Duke in England 2.William 3.Henry 4. ?Wyatt Then there is unknown 5. John James Wyatt 6. William Henry Wyatt 1840-1889 married, Sophia Titman 1836-1916 7. Harry(Who's name is actually Henry, keeping with tradition) Wyatt married to Minnie Watson 1870-1942 8. Charlotte(otherwise known as "Lila") Wyatt 1908-2002 married to Ernst Traugott Liebich 1910.

What must be noted, as you can see, is that many of the names that were given were indeed family names, which explains the John James Wyatt in America etc. There is more information which can be found on a site called "My heritage" I would encourage you to please go look at this information, so that you can update your information on the Wyatt's. I just thought that I'd inform you of this, and I would appreciate it if you could include this information.

Kind Regards Charis Joy Liebich — Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.151.68.94 (talk) 11:46, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

OK, so what's your question? Roger (talk) 19:04, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Suggested changes to Wyatt go on Talk:Wyatt. Be sure you have reliable sources stating everything you say.— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 21:06, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Contributions

Wouldn't it be more convenient if on a user's Contributions page, they had a number of edits? That could help the user him/herself keep track. --This comment was added by Walex03 (talk · contribs); they did sign, but the signature subsequently broke.

Please make proposals at Wikipedia:Village pump (proposals)‎ which would be the right venue for the required consensus. --lTopGunl (talk) 15:26, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Using the software as it stands now, you can see your own contribution count by visiting the "My preferences" link. To see another editor's count, you can either use the "Edit count" link at the bottom of their contributions page, or enable Navigation popups. With popups enabled, you can see the contribution count just by hovering the mouse over a link to the editor's user page or user talk page. -- John of Reading (talk) 16:37, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

See WP:COUNT for other ways of counting your edits. Note that there may be slight discrepancies due to deleted edits and other complications. --NYKevin @032, i.e. 23:46, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

interwiki

The French interwiki on this and all other language pages is wrong. It should link to fr:Personne physique. How to bulk change this? - 84.41.34.154 (talk) 16:25, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

I changed the French interwiki on Natural person with this edit. Thanks for pointing out the error. What other languages need changing? —teb728 t c 18:56, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

I see what you are asking: Natural person has correct interlanguage links (other than the French before I fixed it), but the linked articles (including German until I fixed it) link to fr:Personne morale instead of fr:Personne physique. I asked at WP:VPT#Interlanguage links about having a bot fix things. —teb728 t c 21:58, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Wikipedia -> XKCD

Was it just me or did the main page of Wikipedia show XKCD for anyone else a little while ago? The address bar on my browser said en.wikipedia.org but what was shown on the page was definitely XKCD. I viewed the source of the page and it agreed that there was a little of both. Wikipedia header info but XKCD content. Dismas|^(talk) 17:15, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Is it on the current revision of the main page or a previous revision?--Hallows AG (talk) 18:54, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

It's gone now but was there earlier. There was nothing of the main page there. I simply picked my WP bookmark and instead, I got XKCD. Dismas|^(talk) 20:35, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Maybe there's something wrong in your browser cache. lol --LunarShaddowღIvy (talk) 20:00, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Front page bot failure?

There is a comment on Wikipedia_talk:Did_you_know#Bot_update_of_Main_Page_is_Late that the bot has failed. I am not sure which bot it is.... History2007 (talk) 17:16, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

DYKUpdateBot maybe?--Hallows AG (talk) 18:48, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Templates for Displaying Military Ribbons/Medals as Worn?

Are there any templates for displaying a user's military ribbons and medals as worn on his uniform? If not, how can I do it? User:Gadget850 said that he uses the template "Quote box" to place ribbons into. Is that good, or is there a better way? Thank you. Allen (talk) 17:26, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

There is another way, however, I haven't heard or see a template regarding this yet.--Hallows AG (talk) 18:53, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Well, I would like to find a correct way. Allen (talk) 01:07, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Cannabis Tax Stamp

How many people have applied for a Cannabis Tax Stamp in the United States? NoniQuinn — Preceding unsigned comment added by NoniQuinn (talk • contribs) 20:37, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

• You'd probably want to post this here: Reference Desk. You'll probably find something there. dci | TALK 20:40, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Becoming an administrator

Hello. I'm not sure I'm ready to post an RfA yet, but I'm wondering if my current contributions would be enough to get any support. Where could I find any feedback on that? dci | TALK 20:40, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

WP:ER may be your best bet.--Hallows AG (talk) 20:43, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

As well as editor review, it can be good to ask some experienced editors whose opinion you trust. Alternatively, there is a list of people who would be willing to nominate potential admin candidates which can be found here. Even if you don't want to be nominated straight away, they can probably give you some sound advice. ItsZippy ^{(talk • contributions)} 21:11, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Contributions rendering error?

As of today, I noticed that the closing parenthesis surrounding the edit summary on my own contributions page was being placed over the last character in the edit summary. Is this behavior limited to some unusual quirk of my browser-OS combination, or is it generalized? I don't see the effect anywhere but my own page.

I am running Chrome in Win7Pro using the default skin. I haven't changed anything that would coincide with this behavior manifesting, but I suppose Chrome might have silently updated. The problem has persisted across restarts, window resizing, and reboots, occurs on multiple machines, and occurs when I am not logged in (though this may be a caching thing?) It does not appear to happen in IE.

A screenshot showing the behavior is at https://plus.google.com/photos/108633618017568269118/albums/5715786216699889313?authkey=CMmwy7besbrm1AE

Any thoughts? gnfnrf (talk) 21:35, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

I can reproduce this in Google Chrome on Windows Vista for your contributions but not my own. It looks like you start manually written section edit summaries by adding an extra space. This can apparently confuse Chrome so it doesn't compute the width correctly. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:04, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Cite reference

The Cite link to include references is no longer on display when I try to edit text and I very much would like it back. It just says Advanced, Special characters and Help where it also used to say Cite.
Best Wishes AnkhMorpork (talk) 23:57, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Which page are you referring to? —teb728 t c 00:43, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

It's about the toolbar above the edit box when "Enable enhanced editing toolbar" is selected at Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-editing. I still have "Cite" after "Help" and don't know why it disappeared for AnkhMorpork. Try to clear the entire cache. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

March 4

Appointment of new Foreign Secretary for Pakistan

Respected Wiki team,

I would like to inform you that the "Foreign Secretary of Pakistan" hasbeen replaced with "Jalil Jilani" .On the following address :"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Secretary_%28Pakistan%29" ; under the heading of "List of Foreign Secretaries" ; there lies a certain tabular format of those individuals who held this office of foreign secretary.The name of "Salman Bashir" is still listed as current office holder.Pakistan has replaced him with "Jalil Jilani".Kindly update that tabular formate of yours.Shahroze93 (talk) 01:38, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Regards.

Done. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Goodvac (talk) 01:54, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

loisiana red

On 3PBS in Melbourne Australia the male announcer just five minutes ago announced Louisiana Red the artist the radio station had been playing announced he had been lynched by the Klu. Klux. Klan and God rest his soul I hope this had not been a defamatory statement as I think the kkk. Love God. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.148.117.107 (talk) 02:00, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

According to the Louisiana Red article, he died 25 February of a stroke he suffered 21 February. —teb728 t c 02:10, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Disambiguation marked as stub?

The disambiguation page for Two-way is marked as a stub. I'm still new to Wikipedia, but that looks odd to me. Is that normal, or should the stub tag be removed since it is not an actual article. I don't mind being bold, I'm just not sure on the rules for stub marking. RudolfRed (talk) 03:07, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

You're right; the stub template doesn't belong there. Feel free to remove it. Goodvac (talk) 03:17, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Done. Thanks! RudolfRed (talk) 03:22, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

why cant I edit anything

i can not edit anything it just says view source Kickthepuppies (talk) 03:21, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Which articles are you trying to edit? Some are protected or semi-protected, which limits who can edit them. RudolfRed (talk) 03:24, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

i dont know i just look for an article and it just says view source. so much for an encyclopedia anyone can edit. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kickthepuppies (talk • contribs) 03:27, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

You did edit Kick. It is hard to help you when you don't give us much to work on. If you can give us an article name that you can't edit we can try to figure out why GB fan 03:37, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

i guess an example would be the animal cruelty article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kickthepuppies (talk • contribs) 03:40, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

That article was protected because people persistently vandalize it. What do you want to add to that article? Maybe I can help you edit the article. GB fan 03:53, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

I just wanted to add this link. http://m.missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/butte-man-arrested-for-kicking-dog-during-uptown-walk/article_371a8b9a-806a-5eae-87ab-08e0773e726a.html Kickthepuppies (talk) 03:58, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

So what do you want to do with that link? GB fan 04:13, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

You have succeded in vandalizing four pages. All of your edits including those here have been disruptive. Hopefully someone will block you from editing soon. —teb728 t c 05:39, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Trouble placing image

I'm having trouble placing an image in Horsted Keynes railway station. I'm trying to add a picture that illustrates the 3rd paragraph (that starts "Since being taken over by the Bluebell the station has become...") but the picture keeps ending up way at the bottom of the page.

The code I used was [[File:Bluebell line train luggage.jpg|thumb|left|1930s ambiance of Platform 5]] Cloveapple (talk) 05:52, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

It appears the thing forcing it down to that level is the infobox. The top of the image is even with the bottom of the infobox. The infobox must be clearing floating content on both right and left. I don't know how to work around that. —teb728 t c 06:08, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

The other image above it was a right thumb, which forced it and every image after to below the infobox; changed to left & repositioned. You can adjust if desired. Dru of Id (talk) 06:21, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Thank you both. That one really had me mystified. Cloveapple (talk) 14:07, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Progeria

how do I make a comment? Well known monozygotic twins in Nigeria who have the condition and were a constant feature in the Yoruba genre of the movie industry'Nollywood'. Lack of documentation is why the world only has the south African case as the only black african case. Check out Taiwo and kehinde Osuolale( the twins in question). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.203.64.129 (talk) 08:21, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

I don't seem to understand your question. See WP:TP to learn how to leave comments.--Hallows AG (talk) 09:07, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

If I understand you, you are objecting to something in the Progeria article. It says "In September 2011, the first reported case of a black African child with progeria was reported, 12-year-old South African Ontlametse Phalatse." However you are saying that this is not true. And two black Africans who are movie actors in Nollywood movies had the condition before this?

If you want to change the article you'll need to find a newspaper article, a magazine article, a book, or maybe a movie review website that talks about the twins. You'd need to find this kind of evidence before you could fix the article. Cloveapple (talk) 14:20, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Where to request block of some accounts I control?

I recently decided to retire from Wikipedia and will probably stay away for a long time. I own three accounts here and would like to have two of them blocked indefinitely. Where can I request such a block? T Y 08:32, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you decide to come back one day. I would think that the best place to request this is at WP:AN--Hallows AG (talk) 09:01, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Thank you. Good luck.

T Y 09:09, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Named reference definition placement

Is there any problem with defining a named reference in the reference-tag section rather than in the first use of the named reference?, both cases seems to work. So no problem?

<ref name=thename>url..</ref> .. <references/>

vs

<ref name=thename> .. <references><ref name=thename>url..</ref><references/>

Electron9 (talk) 10:54, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Either is acceptable. (If I followed your point, which I'm not quite sure) I prefer the second, you might look at WP:LDR, which I think is your second example.--SPhilbrick(Talk) 11:28, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Name of Company is wrong

HCL Hanne & Co Page

THE FIRM IS CALLED HANNE & CO. Please can you change this. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.44.88.33 (talk) 10:59, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

 Done I moved the page.--Hallows AG (talk) 11:05, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Cite error

I am unable to identify the cause of the cite error in my sandbox. Any suggestions? Amend as required.
Best Wishes AnkhMorpork (talk) 11:41, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

 Fixed You have forgotten to place a {{reflist}}. I've added one for you. Happy editing!--Hallows AG (talk) 11:49, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Post from User:Comcargru6

Section heading added. Adrian J. Hunter^{(talk•contribs)} 13:48, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Rear Admiral Lära Connor should read Vice Admiral Carol Pottinger. and no username. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Comcargru6 (talk • contribs) 13:06, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

I'm not whether I understand your question. Are you saying that the page User:Rear admiral lära connor, which you have edited, should have its name changed to Vice Admiral Carol Pottinger? If so, I regret to say the page is not yet ready to stop being a user page and start being a real article. Most importantly, it needs to cite references to show that this person really should have a Wikipedia article about them. You may wish to use this tool to help you create an article. Alternatively, if there's already an article about this person on the Swedish Wikipedia, you can add {{Expand Swedish|Name of article on Swedish Wikipedia goes here}} to User:Rear admiral lära connor, which will request that someone translates the Swedish article into English. Adrian J. Hunter^{(talk•contribs)} 13:48, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Permission to reproduce map

Please let me know if I can obtain permission to reproduce, in a village history website the following; Template: Nutbrook Canal map and what acknowledgments I would need to provide. I must point out that no money will change hands for this piece. Camelious. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Camelious (talk • contribs) 14:16, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Like almost everything else on Wikipedia, you may use it by the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License (text here) or a specific Creative Commons license (description here, text here). I'd recommend using it under the terms of the Creative Commons license: you only need to say where you got it and a list of the people who worked on it, plus you need to announce that any changes you've made to the template map may be used by other people the same way that you used this one. You can do everything with a simple statement of

Image derived from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Nutbrook_Canal_map, used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike License 3.0, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0

That will fulfill all the license requirements and enable you to use it safely and legally on your website. Nyttend backup (talk) 14:58, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Article title formatting

In the last few months I have noticed that article titles don't display properly. They always have html-like "tags" in them, like the example below. I am using Ubuntu 10.01 and Firefox 10.0.2 Mozilla Firefox for Ununtu Canonical 1.0

John Forbes Nash, Jr.

Spalding (talk) 14:57, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Do you mean that you are seeing those "span" tags, <span dir="auto">John Forbes Nash, Jr.</span>? If you are using the StumbleUpon Firefox extension, see this archived thread for a possible fix. Otherwise I don't know. -- John of Reading (talk) 15:06, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Why is it so difficult to add a userbox to a userpage?

I struggle to express my opinions through userboxes. Often times I have to find them on someone else's and copy and paste. Any explanation? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Questions99 (talk • contribs) 16:36, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Userboxes but note that we are here to build an encyclopedia and not advocate. You have some leeway on your user page but it should be used to better participate in the community, and not used to excess for unrelated purposes. PrimeHunter (talk) 17:37, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Actually userboxes are good. They reveal an editor's POV stance incase they edit in those areas, hence a voluntary disclosure. --lTopGunl (talk) 14:18, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Incorrect information on Roshumba Williams article

Hello, in regards to her height it is listed as her being 6 feet 11 inches, which is highly unusual for a female. I'm sure it was a typo but she is 6 feet. Thank you — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.51.73.162 (talk) 17:03, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

The article was unfortunately vandalized a few days ago. I have reverted the vandalism. PrimeHunter (talk) 17:27, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Creating pages that get deleted.

I keep on creating pages that get deleted, uploading files that have errors and need help. Mainly the copyrights is getting in my way. I know the copyright but it will not accept it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Invention Man (talk • contribs) 17:37, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

As far as I can tell, it has nothing to do with copyright: Staple tank was deleted as unambiguously promotional: Wikipedia requires a neutral point of view; promotional articles are deleted. Innovation express was proposed for deletion because it does not indicate that the subject has received significant coverage in multiple independent reliable sources, which Wikipedia requires for the subjects of articles. What other pages or files are getting deleted? —teb728 t c 01:16, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Creating an arrow like an n-dash

You know how you can type & ndash; to get a – ; is there a way to do the same to get an arrow (→)? Vranak (talk) 17:38, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

→ or → should do the trick. If you just want to insert the character itself rather than its HTML entity, look in the special characters section of the toolbar or look in the box below "Save page". PleaseStand (talk) 17:54, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

List of XML and HTML character entity references says rarr (right arrow). → produces →. You can also enter characters at a tool like http://rishida.net/tools/conversion/ (no relation to Wikimedia) and get their numbers. The hexadecimal → gives →. The decimal → gives →. PrimeHunter (talk) 17:58, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks a lot guys. (PS I know etiquette is to say thanks at the Reference Desk; it's not frowned upon here is it?) Vranak (talk)

Certainly not! Apart from being nice, it lets us know that the replies were read and understood, and no further help is needed. We are often left wondering about that. PrimeHunter (talk) 18:09, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Oddity on front page

On the front page of WP today, I noticed that I couldn't click on any of the headings above the page (talk, view source, etc.) but all the other links work (including my talk, my preferences, and so on). Upon further examination, it seems like sometimes some of the headings like "mainpage" or "unlink", start out fine, but then stop working after I've run the mouse cursor over the other links. So, for example, if I move my mouse left across the top of the main page, "unlink" appears clickable, but then "last" does not and if I move right again, "unlink" now also appears unclickable. On other pages, including this one, all the links appear clickable. I'm using MonoBook and don't recall ever having this issue before. No problems with other sites (as far as I can tell). I'm using Firefox 10.0.02 on Win XP SP3 if that means anything. Matt Deres (talk) 20:53, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

I have the same problem in MonoBook: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page?useskin=monobook. If the mouse moves to the link from above then it works, but not from below. Maybe the "Welcome to Wikipedia" box is too close to the links in MonoBook. I see more space in vector: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page?useskin=vector. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:18, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Are you both using Twinkle, or only Matt? If the former, you should probably go ask at WT:TW. --NYKevin @960, i.e. 22:01, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Federal Detention Center Miami

The current Warden is W.T.Taylor — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.140.75.14 (talk) 22:04, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

If you have a published source which says so, feel free to edit the article. If you think there is something wrong with the article but you haven't a reliable source, the best place to bring it up is on the article's talk page: in this case Talk:Federal Detention Center, Miami. --ColinFine (talk) 23:22, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Fanning & Coles

Never seen such a mess, what do you do with an article where the ref section is (messy and) three times longer than the article? This is not even a proper ref section, is it? CaptainScreebo ^Parley! 23:12, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

(I have seen a worse mess.) I have improved the article, though not, I believe, to the point where it is worth keeping without further work. It needs the attention of someone who understand references better than I do.Maproom (talk) 23:30, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for taking a look. CaptainScreebo ^Parley! 14:53, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

March 5

Google Earth kmz file reference

Hi there,

I'm trying to reference some legal suvey data - specifically a pipeline right of way for the Ibex Valley article. I can see where it is using the Canada Land Survey System overlay (.kmz) in Google Earth. I got the kmz file from the CLSS website. Is this a referencable source? I can't find anything decent that is on their website (I imagine because they have this overlay, but I don't really know).

Its a bit convoluted, (i.e. you have to have Google Earth which is free and then you have to download the kmz file, which is also free and public information as it is on the government website) but it all seems like public info from a reputable source to me. Any advice? Thanks --JonGDixon (talk) 00:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Not sure on this one, but you might be slightly ahead of the technological curve in terms of sourcing on Wikipedia. Does the file have any sort of identifier or unique reference #? It's something we'll have to think about as more data becomes accessed as discrete elements within databases, rather than traditional documents. The problem I see is that the overlay layer is just an element of a source, not the whole thing. Are there any other possibilities for sourcing the location of the pipeline? The Interior (Talk) 05:11, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I see your point. I will continue digging. The kicker is that each parcel of survey is numbered uniquely, but searching their site with those numbers yields no results! Damn gov sites! By the way, is there something I can put there to note that I know I need a reference for it, and am searching so that someone doesn't come along and delete my unreferenced material? — Preceding unsigned comment added by JonGDixon (talk • contribs) 05:48, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I guess it depends on how long it's going to take you, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. If another editor challenges/removes it, it can be re-added when you have your reference together. To be proper, you could just add the {{cn}} "citation needed" tag to the content. The Interior (Talk) 06:53, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I'm not clear about it, but this sounds to me like a primary source. Wikipedia references are supposed to be secondary sources, where somebody has written about the information from a primary source. --ColinFine (talk) 09:57, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Good point Colin, maybe I will try out the local newpapers. Maybe this will even give me a chance to and check out our new library! Thanks for tips folks, I will keep working on it. --JonGDixon (talk) 14:46, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I'm not sure if anyone else is interested, but I did find this: Wikipedia:Using maps and similar sources in wikipedia articles. I think that for this application, the NLSS maps are acceptable for showing the pipeline right of way as there is no interpetation of the data, even though it is a primary source. That being said, I will try to find some more references, as the article also notes that it is preferable to reference more than just a map. Note that I'm using the overlay .kmz file as a map - this may or may not be a correct assumption though. Playing devil's advocate in my head, I can argue it both ways. Nothing's ever easy I suppose. Colin, thanks for your help, this exercise has helped me to better understand wikipedia's policies about sources.--JonGDixon (talk) 15:51, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Note on the above - so I just revisted the above link and discovered that it is indeed an essay and not a policy (although it is in the See Also section of Wikipedia:No original research, which is a policy). Sorry for the confusion and the edit spamming. I am going to try the geography project, to see if they have any thoughts about it. Again, thanks for the help. If it isn't already obvious, I'm pretty new here and still learning the ropes. Thanks for the help and patience. --JonGDixon (talk) 16:06, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Jon, just to clarify - secondary sources are required when any interpretation is involved. However, there are many cases where primary sources are appropriate. Referencing hard data - such as elevations, co-ordinates, distances, etc. in geography articles can be done with reliable primary sources. "A primary source may only be used on Wikipedia to make straightforward, descriptive statements of facts that any educated person, with access to the source but without specialist knowledge, will be able to verify are supported by the source." from policy page WP:OR. It's preferable to find a secondary source for this data, but if not possible, a primary can be used. The Interior (Talk) 16:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Ginger Baker's Drumming - How to add info

Hi. I have tried to add info to the article on the song "Sunshine of Your Love." Maybe I have not done the sources correctly, but the info is good and interesting. I will try to do the footnotes better in the future, but please take my info. I am an expert. People will like this info. People will add to it. Am I sending a question or adding to the article here? Yish. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Timbuktom (talk • contribs) 03:24, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Unfortunately for experts, Wikipedia does not accept the unpublished personal knowledge of experts. The threshold for inclusion in Wikipedia is not truth but verifiability by reference to reliable sources. Experts don’t like it; but that’s the policy here. So if you want to say that Baker’s drumming on the song is unusual, you need a published reliable source that says so in so many words. It is not enough to conclude that by combining the usual drum pattern and your observation that the performance does not conform to that pattern. Sorry. —teb728 t c 05:28, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Seeking explanation and some assistance

Low level laser therapy (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)

I am new to editing Wikipedia. On January 7, 2012, I added a paragraph to "low level laser therapy" that discussed the FDA clearances that Erchonia Medical had obtained pursuant to randomized, double blind clinical trials with placebo control. This is the history log entry when I added this accurate paragraph. 11:05, 7 January 2012‎ Lesisko (talk | contribs)‎ . . (8,208 bytes) (+625)‎

I recently discovered that on January 12, somebody removed the paragraph that I added regarding Erchonia's FDA clearances. This same person, added paragraphs regarding quackwatch.com and a cigna study. This is the wiki entry for these changes: 17:30, 12 January 2012‎ Ohnoitsjamie (talk | contribs)‎ . . (7,644 bytes)

My questions: why was my paragraph deleted? what do i have to do the next time so it is remains in place? I have copies of the FDA clearances that I can provide. Or is it enough to cite the FDA clearance number which is easily verifiable in the FDA's online database? I intend to expand the discussion of the research and published articles about low level lasers and want to make sure i reference them in a manner acceptable to wikipedia. 2nd question: How do i complain about the quackwatch and cigna paragraphs? Neither belong for reasons i intend to explain. Please tell me the correct procedure to do this. Thank you.24.94.67.24 (talk) 04:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

You need to discuss the issue on the article's talk page. Roger (talk) 07:04, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Ohnoitsjamie reverted not only you but the editor before you, who added the paragraph about lasar generally and deleted the paragraph about the Quackwatch. (The Cigna paragraph has been there all along since August 2010.) Ohnoitsjamie did not explain his reversion, but I would guess that he deleted the lasar paragraph because it was unneeded in the article, deleted your paragraph because it was unsourced (and maybe a little promotional), and restored the Quackwatch paragraph because it is sourced. —teb728 t c 07:19, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Help moving article from sandbox to main space

I just tried to move an article from my sandbox into main Wikipedia using the new title William Newport Goodell, but all I seem to have done is create another sandbox called William Newport Goodell. Now I don't know what to do. Thanks for any guidance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:William_Newport_Goodell 98.155.80.91 (talk)

98.155.80.91 (talk)

Hi, I've moved it for you. Thanks for a nice new article. The problem was that only registered accounts can create pages in the article space. Consider registering! The Interior (Talk) 06:29, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Now located at: William Newport Goodell. You should consider nominating your article for our Did you know column. The Interior (Talk) 06:32, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I'm new - help

Hey there, I'm the new kid on the block. I've decided to try out editing a little, but the problem is that I'm no article-writer. Is there any behind the scenes work that I can do? Thank you. (Isn't this how you sign?) YumYamNam (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 06:28, 5 March 2012 (UTC).

Welcome YumYumNam. There's tons of things to do besides article writing. Check out the Backlog for some ideas: WP:BACKLOG. What would you like to do? The Interior (Talk) 06:35, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

There's a huge lot of work to be done besides writing articles, simple things like fixing typos, grammar and layout errors, categorising articles, reverting vandalism, finding and citing sources for unreferenced content, etc take up the majority of my time here. See WP:GNOME. Welcome to Wikipedia! Roger (talk)

Paul Newman/marriage & family

There is an inconsistent list of information. Under the marriage topic there are three children listed for Paul and Joanne Woodward. There's Elinor b. 1959, Melissa b. 1961, and Claire b. 1965.

In the little blue panel box on the right side...the box with fast reference information it lists three children, but the names & dates do not match the first list. The panel list has Nell b. 1959 (Nell is Elinor) then Melanie b. 1960, and then Melissa b. 1961.

I don't know the correct answer so I can't edit this....perhaps there is someone who can check this out.

One other thing....Jackie White is listed as being married to Paul as 1949-1958...but later in this same paragraph it is noted that the two divorced in 1957. Since Paul remarried in 1958 it might be wise to correct this. Thank-you.173.190.187.181 (talk) 07:36, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

If nobody can sort this right away, you could leave a comment at Talk:Paul Newman. That way, people interested in editing or improving the article will eventually read about this problem and maybe try and fix it. --Colapeninsula (talk)

Draft article

Dear reviewer, I don´t understand why my article draft is turned down for the second time. The intermation of the article is taken from the respective journal´s homepage. Do you want me to include this information in a footnote? I would like to have a more detailled suggestion how to improve the article. Thanks in advance!

Jalas.es (talk) 08:42, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

The problem is mainly that your draft does not indicate why the subject is notable and also does not cite any sources. You particularly need to add material from independent sources (not the journal itself) to establish notability. Roger (talk) 09:34, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Upload a picture

How shall i upload a photo of bird that i ve taken ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Fur elise (talk • contribs) 09:50, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

• Have a look at Wikipedia:Uploading pictures and let us know when you need more help. -194.60.106.17 (talk) 09:54, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Ariel Sharon

On the English Wiki site his birthdate is 26.2.1928 but on the jewishvirtuallibrary site and on the Danish Wiki site it is 27.2.1928 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.145.52.185 (talk) 10:51, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

A Google search (26 OR 27) February 1928 "Ariel Sharon" finds lots of sources for both dates. I don't know which is right. http://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mk_eng.asp?mk_individual_id_t=125 says 26/02/1928. It also said that date in 2004 [2] when he was still active and Prime Minister. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:30, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Probably caused by confusion between Hebrew and Gregorian calendars as Hebrew runs sunset (don't quibble) to sunset. If he were born in the evening, he would have the Hebrew calendar birth date associated with the following day, and someone looks up a Hebrew calendar date and doesn't understand that it could be one of two English calendar dates and says the wrong one ...--Wehwalt (talk) 11:34, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Winning by endurance

Does Wikipedia have a process for handling editors who get their way by outlasting all those who disagree?

I recently returned to editing at Metrication in the United Kingdom. One editor there has posted far more in discussions at Talk:Metrication in the United Kingdom than probably everyone else combined. I find his arguments often illogical, ill-informed and dishonest, but that's not really the point. He seems able to post many times a day without fail, without pause, without interruption. By always being there he succeeds in getting his way in the article while other editors come and go.

So, does Wikipedia have any processes to stop someone who has more time on his hands than anyone else winning a fight by wearing everyone else into the ground? It does not lead to good encyclopaedic content. It does not lead to consensual discussion. HiLo48 (talk) 10:56, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Have you read Wikipedia:Dispute resolution? It's a good overview of the options available. Serious misbehaviour can be published by blocking a user or banning them from editing some or articles. If you're concerned about a specific user repeatedly editing articles against the general consensus or against Wikipedia policy, you can post on Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Edit warring. You could also ask for the article to be protected if it is being vandalised, edit-warred, or otherwise disrupted (see Wikipedia:Protection policy). --Colapeninsula (talk) 14:00, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I tried to make it clear above that this isn't just a simple dispute between me and another editor. It's about an editor who has far more time on his hands to push his perspective than those with different perspectives. It's about the bias in Wikipedia caused by someone trying to own an article by persistence, and effectively succeeding. Maybe my comments above were a bit narrow where I expressed my frustration over that particular editor. It's really an issue for all of Wikipedia. HiLo48 (talk) 23:44, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

A place to ask for help improving language

Do we have a forum where contributors can ask for help in writing better English by providing specific sentences that they want comments and suggestions about? __meco (talk) 11:33, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Consider WP:GOCE.--Wehwalt (talk) 11:35, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

(edit conflict) People often use the Language reference desk for that purpose but it's not intended to be flooded with questions by a single person solely for that purpose. Dismas|^(talk) 11:36, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Both responses seem relevant to my inquiry. __meco (talk) 12:10, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Question regarding image copyright

Hello, I'm very confused about how to acceptably insert images in Wikipedia pages I'm editing. Specifically, I have inserted 2 images on artist Bill Drummond's page, and I would like to add an image or two on a related page 'The17'. Firstly, on Drummond's own websites, he offers the images I use to anyone for downloading, printing or any other purpose as long as he is acknowledged as the creator (a belief in the free use of creative work is part of his artistic practice). Secondly though, to be sure when I began editing on Wikipedia, I contacted Drummond directly to ask if he was happy for me to use the images for this purpose; he responded that he was very happy. This however, does not tick the box that the "copyrighter is willing for the image to be used for Wikipedia only" because he is happy for the images to be used in other ways too. In short, how can I most appropriately define the copyright status for these images? Many thanks. Katrinacrear (talk) 15:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Looking at File:Thomas Ecke photo of Bill Drummond.jpg, you seem to have tagged it that you are the copyright holder, but from what you say above that isn't true. File:The17 Choir, Poster 59, Bill Drummond.pdf has been tagged for deletion from commons. It therefore sounds as if both need addressing. It may be handy if you provide a url for where on the Drummond website it gives the permissions, then one of the experts on copyright can look and advise you. - David Biddulph (talk) 16:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Removing copyrighted material or vandalism

Resolved

 – Removing user directed to WP:CPI. If they don't respond, make a decision at the article's talk page. --NYKevin @199, i.e. 03:47, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

This edit removed a large part of the List of file signatures article and added a link to a pay website. The editor claims it is a copyright violation of his list that is hidden behind his paywall. Since he offers no evidence apart from his edit summary and his external link, how can we be sure his claim is true and not just vandalism designed to drive people to his website? Astronaut (talk) 16:46, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

The only way to verify a copyvio is for the alleged copyright owner to follow the process set out at Wikipedia:COPYVIO#Information for copyright owners.--ukexpat (talk) 16:52, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I have told the remover as much, although I linked to WP:CPI. --NYKevin @199, i.e. 03:47, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Correct kerning when using a quote in a citation

Ok, let's say we're adding a citation with a quote within a quote. Since the {cite web} template automatically adds double quotes around your quotation, is there any way to get the right kerning – a little gap between the " and subsequent '  ? Also, is there a way to type {cite web} with the actual double brackets so that it doesn't transform into a real citation. Tried the code thing; didn't work. Thanks. Vranak (talk) 17:08, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Answer to your second question, use <nowiki>{{cite web}}</nowiki> to get {{cite web}} - David Biddulph (talk) 17:15, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Try a thin space:   You can escape templates using {{tl}}; example: {{tl|cite web}} gives {{cite web}}. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 18:07, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

(ec) You could use {{tl|cite web}} to get a helpful link like {{cite web}}. As for the kerning, I can think of one way to do this, but it is a 2-stage process. Remember that templates are just a handy way of dropping common bits of markup into a page. You can use {{subst:template_name}} to force Wikipedia to expand out the template's markup before storing the page. You can then edit it again to modify what the template has created for you, and make it do anything extra you need it to. All a bit long winded to get a bit of space and many templates are very complex, using templates within templates, within ... Maybe there's a better way that someone else will mention. Astronaut (talk) 18:10, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Please don't subst a citation template, as it will generate an enormous amount of markup. If this is referring to Toilet paper reference #4, then I have to question the need for the quotation in the first palce. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 18:16, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Of course, templates should not be subst'd under normal circumstances (unless the template itself imposes it on you). I'm simply suggesting that subst'ing can be used as a mechanism to tweak the template output to your exact needs, but note it does come with the possibility of adding a lot of extra and complex markup. Perhaps you should mess about with the technique in a sandbox first. Astronaut (talk) 07:08, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Is there a place I can read about when to include a quote, and when not to? (Also, thanks – the   worked well.) Vranak (talk) 19:15, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

WP:QUOTE seems a good place to start - it's got sections on recommended usage and how to notice and avoid overusage. Hersfold non-admin^(t/a/c) 20:41, 5 March 2012 (UTC)+

How do I create a new user sub-category

Currently there is a category named Category:Wikipedians by computing or engineering organization. It now has only two subcats named Category:Wikipedians in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers‎ and Category:Wikipedians in the Institution of Engineering and Technology‎.

I want to create one more subcat, named Wikipedians in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. How do I do that? I placed the coding [[Category:Wikipedians in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers]] at the bottom of my user page (where my other categories are), but all I got was a red link instead of a blue link. How do I create the new user subcat that I want? Step-by-step, please .... or just do it for me if you can. Thanks, mbeychok (talk) 21:04, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Just like any other page, if you click on the red link that's now on the bottom of your user page, you can put some text in there explaining what the category is for. You can use the IEEE category as an example. Your page is categorized there, though; a category doesn't have to be blue-linked for pages to be placed inside it. Hersfold non-admin^(t/a/c) 21:08, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I created the category for you, basing it on the IEEE category as Hersfold suggested. If you click on the now-blue category and click Edit, you can see what I entered. If you can improve it, be bold. —teb728 t c 21:45, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hersfold and teb728, thanks very much to both of you. mbeychok (talk) 23:02, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Death of Ralph McQuarrie should be "In the news"

Hello, My name is Toph Gorham and I am a concept artist in the video game industry. This last Saturday March 3rd, Ralph McQuarrie passed away at the age of 82. Ralph McQuarrie was the production artist that defined the original Star Wars trilogy, and I doubt anyone who loves Star Wars would disagree. I know that he was a very important figure in the art, film and video game development community. He was one of the most important inspirations for most of us, and I am very saddened to see that his memory has not been honored on your front page in the "In the news" section. I love Wikipedia, and it is my home page in my browser. Wikipedia is the first thing I see on the internet every morning, and that is why it is very important to me that Ralph McQuarrie be featured prominently in the news of these days. Could you please feature the news of his death? Thank you so much in advance for correcting this oversight.

TOph Gorham — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.114.154.155 (talk) 21:35, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Toph. In The News stories are discussed at WP:ITN/C. McQuarrie's death has been suggested there, but it doesn't look likely that it will gain a consensus for inclusion. Obviously, he made a big contribution to his field, but I think that people are not in favour of posting the news because it was not a shock (due to his age) and because ITN is very selective about reporting deaths. --FormerIP (talk) 21:40, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I think the user above meant to post a link to the criteria rather than candidate page. Anyway, see WP:ITN/DC as well as Wikipedia:In the news/Death criteria.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 00:06, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

need an article on macarthur scale of subjective socioeconomic status

I cannot find a simple definition... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.140.185.228 (talk) 23:16, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

That might very well be a worthy topic for an article, but no one has written it yet. There are many gaps in Wikipedia's coverage despite our vast catalogue. Subject are written by volunteers who are interested in a subject; there is no central authority determining what to write about. In any event, you can read about this subject here which a Google search found very quickly. I suggest when doing such a search use just "MacArthur Scale" as your term (note the quotation marks), which is specific enough to capture generally only links on this subject, but not so specific that it will miss entries that do not use the full name you provided or alternate names (in fact, the common name appears to be MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status).--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 23:54, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

March 6

Incorrect reference

Misinformation of the authors of the referenced article. The referenced article was written just by Pondé RA. See DOI: 10.1007/s00430-010-0159-9 - Med Microbiol Immunol (2011) 200:7–11 Hidden hazards of HCV transmission - REVIEW Robério Amorim de Almeida Pondé — Preceding unsigned comment added by 177.0.122.238 (talk) 00:23, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi. Telling us about a missing reference here is a good idea. Unfortunately, as far as I can see above you have not identified which page has this error on it. Since Wikipedia has almost 4 million articles, and your IP address has no edits other than this one, there's no way for us to locate what page you're speaking about.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 00:33, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Actually I take that back, it certainly would have helped but I guess are you here about Hepatitis C, and I have removed the second author from the citation after looking at the source.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 00:38, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

WP guidelines or policy for deciding what constitutes a political endorsement?

Has a Wikipedia policy been established for deciding what constitutes an endorsement of a candidate for office in an election? And for which endorsements are appropriate for inclusion in Wikipedia articles about specific campaigns? Can you point me to the policy or relevant discussions?

If there is no formal policy, is the absence intentional?

There are some statements that nearly everyone, if not everyone, would accept as clear endorsements. An example would be when the editorial board of a newspaper publishes an article shortly before an election stating that of the candidates seeking office, the board prefers Candidate X and urges readers to vote for Candidate X, or when a retiring elected official holds a press conference with his chosen successor and urges voters to cast their votes for that person.

There are many other situations in which it is not so clear that a formal endorsement is being made.

Is casually saying "I agree with a lot of what Candidate X says" an endorsement for office?

Is it an endorsement if the person only makes the statement with reluctance (for example, during an interview that is not primarily about the interviewed subject's opinion of the candidates and in which the interviewer must ask repeatedly to extricate that specific information)?

Is saying "I support Candidate X" while simultaneously saying "I support Candidate Y" and "I support Candidate Z" - all of whom are competing for the same seat - an endorsement suitable for inclusion among the endorsements listed in a WP article about a campaign? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dezastru (talk • contribs) 02:18, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

I don't think we have anything that specific, but I do think the original research policy would be relevant here, and more specifically our rule about synthesis. Basically, it's an endorsement if reliable secondary sources say it is. --NYKevin @198, i.e. 03:44, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Where's my saved article?

I registered last night and wrote and saved an article draft. Now I can't locate it. Where is it? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bulsonroad (talk • contribs) 04:35, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

I'm afraid I can't see that edit in your contributions. Are you sure you saved it? where did you think you saved it?   Starfleet Academy  Hail  ML  05:11, 6 Mar, 2012 UTC  

If you were not logged in it would be attributed to an IP address. Roger (talk) 07:48, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

What was it about? Maybe we could find it by content. —teb728 t c 09:20, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Redirects of words from other languages to English

One of the problems that faces me during using English Wikipedia that sometimes I have a word, place, or person in Arabic and want to search for the English. Sometimes if the article contains the Arabic equivalent it would show in search results, and the results might be many. I was wondering if it is OK to add redirects from Arabic text; so instead of going to search results the search will go to the page directly.

--Haytham^Abulela 05:38, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Generally, no. There is the Arabic Wikipedia where many articles have links to the corresponding article here on the English Wikipedia. For word definitions, there is the Arabic Wiktionary where there are links to the corresponding definition on the English Wiktionary. That said, there are some exceptions - for example: القرآن; but I doubt you would find widespread support for creating a large number of Arabic redirects to all kinds of things. Astronaut (talk) 07:28, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Image problem

I can't figure out what's wrong with the photo at Attack on Pearl Harbor#Salvage. When I preview it, it looks fine, and the same coding on an earlier version also looks good. Clarityfiend (talk) 07:50, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Fixed with this edit. I ran AWB on it to find the error. -- John of Reading (talk) 08:13, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks. Clarityfiend (talk) 08:32, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Interwiki on mobile wp

Can anybody ask meta or the wmf to add interwiki links to other languages? I have to switch to the lagging full version wp to view an article in other languages. Thanks. --109.171.137.224 (talk) 08:26, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Try asking in Wikipedia:Mobile_Extension_Feedback--Hallows AG (talk) 09:14, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Twinkle

I discovered this tool that supposedly would make difficult tasks easier, but when I try using it a message pops up saying "Your account is too new to use Twinkle". How long do I have to wait? YumYamNam (talk) 08:46, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

You would have to wait until your acount is auto confirmed. That is, your account would have to be 4 days old and have made at least to ten edits. You can request to be confirmed in WP:PERM. Happy editing!--Hallows AG (talk) 08:53, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

That would be ten edits. Dismas|^(talk) 08:54, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

(ec)Twinkle is a very powerful tool - in inexperienced hands it can do a lot of damage. I'd definitely recommend that you first get substantial editing experience - several months and a few hundred edits - before attempting to use Twinkle. At this stage of your Wiki-career you should not even be thinking of attempting "difficult tasks". Take another look at the advice you were given yesterday on this page. Roger (talk) 09:04, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Twinkle auto-watchlisting

Resolved

• Twinkle seems to add pages (especially warnings to IP userpages) I edit to watchlist even though I don't have auto watchlisting set in my preferences. Is there a way to prevent this watchlisting unless I specifically do so? --lTopGunl (talk) 08:59, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

You need to adjust your Wikipedia:Twinkle/Preferences. -- John of Reading (talk) 09:06, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Try this link. Uncheck "Add user talk page to watchlist when notifying".--Hallows AG (talk) 09:08, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks both. --lTopGunl (talk) 09:18, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

My page is not getting approved and no update on the status

Hi,

I have submitted a page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Articles_for_creation/Finemetal. It was rejected at first submission due to some issues. So i have submitted it again after editing it. But its been many days and i have not got my page reviewed ( I Guess) . Kindly review my page and tell me if that is ok and approve it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Emobx (talk • contribs) 11:57, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

The proposed article didn't have an AfC review template on it, which is probably why it got overlooked... I've reviewed and declined the submission; the only reference given is a listings website which is totally inadequate for sourcing. In addition, there is no need to copy text from other articles on Wikipedia; just linking to Helvetia is sufficient. Yunshui 雲‍水 12:55, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Extraneous |} in an article

I've poked and prodded but I can't get tease out the cause of a couple of problem characters here Medusa (Annie Lennox album)#Certifications. Can someone please take a look, a let me know what the cause was when its fixed? Thanks. Vranak (talk) 12:18, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

That is the end-of-table marker. It was showing in the article because there was a {{col-end}} with no corresponding {{col-begin}}. I have removed it. -- John of Reading (talk) 12:44, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks again. Vranak (talk) 12:47, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Looking under spirit I found an error

The Chinese do not use the word qi to describe spirit, they use the word Shen. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.50.248.170 (talk) 12:48, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

If you can cite a reliable source for this, please feel free to change the article accordingly. Yunshui 雲‍水 12:52, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Such a claim needs to be "filtered" by the fact that there is a very wide variety of dialects in the Chinese language family. Roger (talk) 13:39, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Quoting

How do I insert a pull-out quote in an article about a famous person? Kind of like an info box, but: (a) I just want to put the famous person's famous quote in it, and (b) if possible, I'd like to have it be further down the page than the usual upper-right placement of the info box. Thanks! Debrou (talk) 12:58, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Template:Cquote or Template:Rquote? See Category:Quotation templates. --Colapeninsula (talk) 14:30, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

I recommend {{quote box}}. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 15:12, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

More to the point, we don't use pull quotes in articles. To quote the documentation at Category:Quotation templates: "Templates with quotation marks, especially decorative ones, such as those provided by the {{cquote}} template, are reserved for pull quotes and should not be used for quotations; they are intended for non-article pages, such as Wikipedia guidelines." We have Wikiquotes for that. --Orange Mike | Talk 20:39, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

How is wiki markup stripped from search results?

I've noticed that in Wikipedia search results, most wikitext markup is stripped in the text that provides context for the search hit. For example, if I'm searching for "Dog", on the entry for Dog in the search results I'll see something like "The domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris is a subspecies of the gray wolf" in the search results, but the wiki text says something like "The '''domestic dog''', '''''Canis lupus familiaris''''',<ref>{{Cite|...}}...</ref> is a subspecies of the [[gray wolf]]". How do all those templates, tags, brackets for links, etc. get removed? When I search on many other MediaWiki wikis, I tend to see a lot of that markup in the search results, but in Wikipedia most of the markup is removed (I occasionally see some template parameters, but that's about it). Is there an extension or hook or something else that cleans up the search results? Or is there a way to configure MWSearch to return cleaner results? --Llarq (talk) 16:02, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Alan Ladd Biography

Hello.I was wondering if it would be possible to have the photo of Alan Ladd on the front page changed to a photo from another movie like "This Gun for Hire".The movie "Saigon" was not one of his better movies.An earlier photo would present him in a more attractive light.Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.138.71.2 (talk) 17:14, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Why? "An earlier photo would present him in a more attractive light" is not a valid argument for changing the picture. We have no interest in making the subjects look more (or less) attractive. --Orange Mike | Talk 18:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

... and, in any case, neither of the photos currently in the article is from "Saigon". - David Biddulph (talk) 18:55, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

How do I get to the search page?

If the thing I am searching for also happens to be the exact name of an article? I think you used to be able to choose whether you got the search page or an exact article, if one existed, but now I can't seem to find a way. 86.164.69.124 (talk) 19:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

See the first two paragraphs at Help:Searching. -- John of Reading (talk) 19:39, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Oh, of course. Null search. I should have thought of that. Thanks. I had actually checked that article, but must have overlooked that bit until you assured me the answer was there! 86.164.69.124 (talk) 22:52, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Huggle issue

Asking here instead of the Huggle talk page only because a quicker reponse is more likely, but Huggle currently cannot seem to find the user whitelist. Can someone address this? Calabe1992 20:18, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Is it giving you an error? because it seems to be working here. - Happysailor ^(Talk) 22:38, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Expansion of an existing article -- how does one request this?

In the article entitled "Columbus Day", I was trying to find reference to the date being changed from October 12th to October 21st -- as referenced in the book "Our Calendar" by Rev. George Nichols Packer, 1893 pp 55-57 and listed after the errata in The Project Gutenberg's eBook edition (#E36197 transcribed in May 2011 == http://www.gutenberg.org/files/36197/36197-h/36197-h.htm) -- where it states (Quote follows)

"THE COLUMBUS CELEBRATION.

THE WELLSBORO MAN WHO BROUGHT ABOUT THE CHANGE IN THE DATE. State Superintendent D. J. Waller, in the School Journal.

Who brought about the change in the date? It was down in the books as October 12th. The Committee of the National Educational Association issued circulars to the country to observe that day. Congress solemnly resolved that that day should be celebrated throughout the land. The Commissioners of the World’s Fair fixed upon October 12, as dedication-day, and sent out invitations to the exercises. Suddenly there was a change. Heralded by no newspaper discussion, preceded by no exhaustive treatise, without any authoritative decree, a change was made to October 21.

The following facts are indisputable. An aged retired minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church, living in Wellsboro, Tioga County, Pa., author of a little book entitled “Our Calendar,” Rev. George Nichols Packer, saw the error. He possessed the confidence of Judge Henry W. Williams, of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. After laying the facts before him, he secured through him the approval by the several Justices composing that body, of an effort to change to the proper date, October 21st. Equipped with this approval, he secured the endorsement of his project by Governor Pattison and some of the heads of the Executive departments at Harrisburg. He then went to Washington, gained an audience with the President, laid the subject before the member of Congress from his district, and went before the Congressional Committee.

The evidence in support of the proposition was so presented that it could not be successfully disputed. Congressman W. A. Stone skillfully enlisted influential collegiates in an effort to correct the error already widely spread. The correction by the National Legislature was in time to have its influence upon President Harrison, who named October 21 in his proclamation, as the day to be observed, and Boston and Chicago fell into line.

All honor to Rev. George Nichols Packer, of Wellsboro, Tioga County, Pennsylvania." (End Quoted Material)

I see no references to this in the article, nor can I find where the date was changed back either from the 21st to the 12th. How can one both have this added to the article, along with the "jump back" to the October 12th date?

Thanks for listening.... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.75.66.236 (talk) 20:19, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Packer's short-lived triumph is not very well-documented. Apparently, while he shamed Congress into using the corrected date for the big nationwide blowout of 1892, almost everybody in the country went back to using the old Julian calendar date of the 12th. You'd have to find some solid references, possibly from books or articles on calendar reform and/or the Columbus Day commemoration (not all of us "celebrate" that event). --Orange Mike | Talk 20:33, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

References for which part? The book itself I refer to is a book on calendar reform and history. I have a copy of it (a real one, not the transcribed version I link to) -- and I cite the pages where it's mentioned (55-57). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.75.66.236 (talk) 20:42, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

The book is by Parker himself, and thus questionable as to WP:NPOV! --~~

Report on a personal attack of a wiki user

To who can I report when a user keeps opening personal discussions about me?--123o (talk) 22:02, 6 March 2012 (UTC)