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Revision as of 21:29, 31 August 2009 editChildofMidnight (talk | contribs)43,041 edits I'm going to archive this, but I hope that awareness of this widespread problem has been raised and that editors and admins will do more to stop harassment, stalking, baiting, and censorship.← Previous edit Revision as of 21:34, 31 August 2009 edit undoChildofMidnight (talk | contribs)43,041 edits Left Censored Image text: tweakNext edit →
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Do you mean "hateful". Didn't just want to change your User Page! ] (]) 19:08, 31 August 2009 (UTC) Do you mean "hateful". Didn't just want to change your User Page! ] (]) 19:08, 31 August 2009 (UTC)
:Oops. Yes indeed. :Oops. Yes indeed.
:It's been made clear to me that those images and the related captions are offensive to some, so I am seeking a better analogy and illustration. I find those atrocities distasteful also, which is why I have strong convictions about the offensiveness of gangs, militias, and paramilitary groups engaging in censorship, bullying and intimidation, and why I feel strongly about making the point that we shouldn't allow those types of behaviors and actions here. It's very important that we speak up and stop them whenever and wherever they occur. :It's been made clear to me that those images and the related captions are offensive to some, so I am seeking a better analogy and illustration. I find those atrocities distasteful also, which is why I have strong convictions about the offensiveness of gangs, militias, and paramilitary groups engaging in censorship, bullying and intimidation. I feel very strongly that we shouldn't allow those types of behaviors and actions here as they are very damaging to fundamental and core values of building and maintaining a free, fair, and collaborative encyclopedia. It's very important that we speak up and stop them whenever and wherever they occur.
:Feel free to copy-edit anything of mine here or elsewhere. I am a big believer in collegial collaboration as being a core value and a necessity for a productive wiki. The idea that we should leave one another's mistakes in place so as not to cause offense strikes me as being particularly ridiculous. It seems strange that many consider the recording of an edit fixing something in a page history as more embarassing than having one's stupidity and ignorance on display for all to see. :) :Feel free to copy-edit anything of mine here or elsewhere. I am a big believer in collegial collaboration as being a core value and a necessity for a productive wiki. The idea that we should leave one another's mistakes in place so as not to cause offense strikes me as being particularly ridiculous. It seems strange that many consider the recording of an edit fixing something in a page history as more embarassing than having one's stupidity and ignorance on display for all to see. :)
:Maybe that's a little harsh, but you get the idea. I don't think every minor typo needs to be corrected, but fixing obvious grammar errors and assisting those of us with poor copy-editing skills can aid in communication and deter the repetition of common mistakes. I believe corrections of that sort should be rewarded rather than discouraged, but as on many issues, it appears I am in the minority. Having to notify one another when a copy-edit is needed and having to ask permission to fix something in good faith doesn't make much sense to me. :Maybe that's a little harsh, but you get the idea. I don't think every minor typo needs to be corrected, but fixing obvious grammar errors and assisting those of us with poor copy-editing skills can aid in communication and deter the repetition of common mistakes. I believe corrections of that sort should be rewarded rather than discouraged, but as on many issues, it appears I am in the minority. Having to notify one another when a copy-edit is needed and having to ask permission to fix something in good faith doesn't make much sense to me.

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For later

The Digital Ramble | Furniture Design New York Times blog /ref

  • AE statement

Bacon

. ChildofMidnight (talk) 17:06, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

Funny, I was just going to start a section here called "Bacon." Although wikipedia already has an article called Double down which mentions the new bacon chicken sandwich from KFC, it's simply altered from an already existing article about a different use of that phrase, and doesn't even have any sources. I suggest you create KFC Double Down if it hasn't already been created yet. Grundle2600 (talk) 23:44, 22 August 2009 (UTC)
That is a strange article indeed. It started out strange. Got stranger. Was redirected to blackjack#Rules of play against a casino. And now it's strange again. I thought doubling down was what you do at a casino if you're in a hurry to lose money. As I recall it's also a nickname given to one of the characters in the Swingers (movie). I'm not familiar with the KFC sandwich. But I assume it isn't kosher? ChildofMidnight (talk) 01:55, 23 August 2009 (UTC)
Of course it's not kosher. I thought you'd like to be the one to get credit for starting the article, but I see it's still red. Grundle2600 (talk) 19:52, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Skishing

Oh well done, you clever lad! You have no doubt saved this article from deletion. Now please find a category it can can fit into. An article on over-resourced, fat-arse US-americans pouncing about in such stupid and destructive ways has no place in the fishing project! --Geronimo20 (talk) 14:10, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

We invented fishing. ChildofMidnight (talk) 19:13, 23 August 2009 (UTC)
Had to comment on this. While Geronimo's comment was somewhat overly aggressive, please please please tell me you're joking--Jac16888 19:34, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

DYK for Roadkill cuisine

Updated DYK query On August 23, 2009, Did you know? was updated with a fact from the article Roadkill cuisine, which you created or substantially expanded. You are welcome to check how many hits your article got while on the front page (here's how) and add it to DYKSTATS if it got over 5,000. If you know of another interesting fact from a recently created article, then please suggest it on the Did you know? talk page.

Wikiproject: Did you know? 17:00, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

I put it where folks might expect to find it

I copied the stub from my sandbox and placed the contents in the section in Sauerkraut about sauerkraut candy , as I cannot find enough for it to exist on its own. MichaelQSchmidt (talk) 05:47, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

I think you will enjoy this video.

This two minute video at YouTube is the best description of the Obama administration I've ever heard. Grundle2600 (talk) 21:20, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Interesting. He made some excellent points. I didn't like that he walked away before the congressman could answer though. But I respect his passion. Si se puede. ChildofMidnight (talk) 21:26, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Re:Photo licensing

Photos do need to be availble for commercial use and derivative work. "Permission for use on Misplaced Pages" is not legitimate- the entry on the upload form is a "trap" and tags the image for speedy deletion. There's also no issue with faces on photos- on Commons, there is a template for personality rights, but on Misplaced Pages, it's not really an issue unless we are accusing someone of something- standard biographies of living people stuff. Is this related to a specific image? J Milburn (talk) 22:02, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free image (File:World Focus 004.jpg)

⚠

Thanks for uploading File:World Focus 004.jpg. The image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Misplaced Pages under a claim of fair use. However, the image is currently orphaned, meaning that it is not used in any articles on Misplaced Pages. If the image was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that images for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Misplaced Pages (see our policy for non-free media).

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No longer orphaned. ChildofMidnight (talk) 17:44, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Tweak?

wp:edit summary - You are a highly (VASTLY) experienced WP editor, and changing an article from being about "Vegetarianism" to one about "Vegetarians" is not a tweak.- sinneed (talk) 17:39, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Actually there was an edit conflict so I didn't get to finish. I was trying to work in vegetarian and vegetarianism (since that article has to cover both as there is not vegetarian article) but didn't get the chance. That article is a mess. For example focusing is spelled incorrectly. It seems kind of ridiculous that vegetarian redirects to vegetarianism anyway. But if it's going to be a combined article it should at least cover both. Cheerios! ChildofMidnight (talk) 17:43, 25 August 2009 (UTC)
I agree about the article. :) I *knew* there had to be some explanation. I do wish it were easier to handle edit conflicts... Maybe it could pop up another window instead of painting over the exiting one, or something. All the best.- sinneed (talk) 17:47, 25 August 2009 (UTC)
If you want to see something related and REALLY painful, look at some of the versions of Vegetarianism in Sikhism. I ran away quickly.- sinneed (talk) 17:48, 25 August 2009 (UTC)
Yes. I see I'm over my head there. But at least it was changed so it doesn't say that vegetarian and herbivore are synonymous (although I see at least one dictionary definition makes that claim). Thanks for being understanding. I seem to have gotten in over my head on that one stepping in and trying to collaborate in fixing it up. I will take a look at the other article. Are you vegetarian? What about yeast?  :) ChildofMidnight (talk) 17:55, 25 August 2009 (UTC)
Ugh. I couldn't get past the first sentence. They do that "In XYZ," formatting on mathematical articles as well. Makes for a very awkward and dull lead sentence. And it only gets worse from there. :) Truly it's a bit of a monstrosity.
I'm going back to where it's safe. :) Any time a subject is a piont of passion for people it is hard to achieve rational editing and collaboration. I also think it's interesting that people with alternative lifestyles that are based on tolerance and empathy are sometimes very closed minded and fanatical about their version of the subject or practice being the only one that's valid. Being omnivorous I support equality for all. :) ChildofMidnight (talk) 18:00, 25 August 2009 (UTC)
The history of vegetarianism article is a mess too. I think an article on the diet at vegetarian and the belief system at vegetarianism would be good. But I think I'm done. It's too difficult to work with the people involved in feuding over those articles. :) ChildofMidnight (talk) 18:13, 25 August 2009 (UTC)
  • Yeast is good because it makes booze.  :) Vegetarian, nay, I just followed a vandal into Vegetarianism and put it on my watch list... I am not at all sure it is fixable but I figure if I just murder a small number of Bad Things (Vegetarians are synonymous with herbivores *blink*) it will help at least a tiny bit. An editor I have worked with (and opposite) pointed me at the Vegetarianism in Sikhism, and I actually made several edits before I decided that a) I wasn't going to accomplish much anything and b) it was going to hurt a lot, so I fled. Be safe. Have fun.- sinneed (talk) 18:28, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

DYK for Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill

Updated DYK query On August 25, 2009, Did you know? was updated with a fact from the article Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill, which you created or substantially expanded. You are welcome to check how many hits your article got while on the front page (here's how) and add it to DYKSTATS if it got over 5,000. If you know of another interesting fact from a recently created article, then please suggest it on the Did you know? talk page.

— Martin (MSGJ · talk) 23:08, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Clarification from Talk:Vegetarianism

Hi there, I hope I didn't cause any offense. When I mentioned your diet it was because of my own misunderstanding: When you said "What about fungi? They aren't plants are they?" I mentally switched the words "aren't" and "are", which made me think you said the complete opposite of what you did. So, when C6541 then said "Fungi are fungi, not plants. Sigh... vegetarians...", I thought s/he was refuting your comment (instead of actually agreeing with it), and sighing at the stupidity of vegetarians who would think fungi are plants. So I mentioned that you weren't a vegetarian, and pointed out that some vegetarians (like me) actually understand the difference between fungi and plantae. When I realized my mistake, I reverted my mention of you. Anyway. Thanks for the reminder to keep COIs in check; I always make every effort to keep mine in check, but reminders are always helpful. And vegetarianism has not infrequently been a target of POV-pushing (from both directions), so being careful with COI is a good thing to keep in mind there. Thanks again! -kotra (talk) 00:26, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

I tried to add this as an external link to the hummus article, but other editors weren't receptive. This is sort of funny and painful , but I'm not sure what it has to do with anything. ChildofMidnight (talk) 01:23, 26 August 2009 (UTC)
I wonder if spam is ok for vegetarians. It certainly doesn't resemble meat. -kotra (talk) 01:47, 26 August 2009 (UTC)
Not okay. That one's not a gray area. :) Not according to my POV anyway. Whether it is actually meat is an open question though. ChildofMidnight (talk) 01:48, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

Vegetarianism

I think your changes to the lede today are a big improvement. This gives a much more complete summary of the topic than was there previously, so thanks for that. I've made small tweak which hopefully won't be controversial.--Michig (talk) 19:05, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

Cool. I have big plans for how the subject is covered. :) ChildofMidnight (talk) 19:19, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

Childofmidnight blog

I have just eastablished the ChildofMidnight blog: http://childofmidnight.wordpress.com/. Since I have a lot of important and interesting things to say I wanted to give others a chance to share in the learning. Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? I'm planning to do some posts on food, So Cal., Misplaced Pages, politics, and other things that interest me. Is that too broad? :) I expect to make a lot of money from it as it grows and advertisers line up to be a part of the awesomeness. ChildofMidnight (talk) 19:18, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

NowCommons: File:Sodolak's chicken fried bacon.jpg

File:Sodolak's chicken fried bacon.jpg is now available on Wikimedia Commons as Commons:File:Chicken Fried Bacon.jpg. This is a repository of free media that can be used on all Wikimedia wikis. The image will be deleted from Misplaced Pages, but this doesn't mean it can't be used anymore. You can embed an image uploaded to Commons like you would an image uploaded to Misplaced Pages, in this case: ]. Note that this is an automated message to inform you about the move. This bot did not copy the image itself. --Erwin85Bot (talk) 06:31, 27 August 2009 (UTC)

I realize I'm replying to a bot, but it seems unfortunate that the commons image is so poorly captioned and the appropriately captioned photo we had here will be deleted. The information on where and when the photo was taken will be lost (Chicken fried bacon with cream gravy from Snook, Texas in 2006, Flikr account carabou, http://www.flickr.com/photos/carabou/270361246/ freely licensed with attribution), which is very significant to what the image is of. The new caption "the real thing" or something like that is silly. ChildofMidnight (talk) 06:38, 27 August 2009 (UTC)

Mark Levin article

I just wanted to give you a heads-up that I have made some edits to the changes you made earlier on the Mark Levin article. The edits are minor and I haven't made any substantive changes to the way that you reworded the section, but I wanted to bring them to your attention so you can review them and verify that you're okay with them. I think the disputed words in question were acceptable, but I don't want to make an already acrimonious situation worse by being pedantic. I'll probably do some further clean-up to the rest of the article but wanted to bring this to your attention first. BigTex71 (talk) 22:08, 27 August 2009 (UTC)

Okay. Thanks for your courteous message. I'll have a look. ChildofMidnight (talk) 22:09, 27 August 2009 (UTC)
Generally it looks okay to me. I think some more substance over Levin's positions might be good to add to the article. I don't really know what his stands are other than beign opposed to Dems and (American) liberals.
I do have one remaining concern with the text as written. I haven't actually read or listened to Levin, so I have no idea how confrontational he is, but the way one sentence is written it seems to make a judgment that isn't very neutral. I would prefer to have it written in a way that is more encyclopedic and either attributes who is describing him as being confrontational or just leaves that opinion out. So from "David Frum, a conservative journalist and former speechwriter for George W. Bush, has also criticized Levin's confrontational approach as an example of..." I prefer "David Frum, a conservative journalist and former speechwriter for George W. Bush, criticized Levin's approach as being confrontational and an example of..."
or "David Frum, a conservative journalist and former speechwriter for George W. Bush, criticized Levin as an example of..." It's not a major issue, but I think one of those tweaks would be an improvement because the way it's written we're saying he is confrontational. If that's an important point I'd rather make it elsewhere with good sourcing. I also took out the "has" as being passive voice which is what I was trying to do on the other bit with Pelosi, but I see that I didn't do it properly. Anyway, I suppose we can carry out further discussion on the talk page, but I'm pretty okay with the way the content is treated now. Have you read any of his writings? I saw that his book was pretty successfull and I know he's partisan, but I haven't read what his positions and take are. I presume you're not a fan :) but I wonder if there is anything novel or interesting in his work or if he's just staking out the usual battle lines. Take care. ChildofMidnight (talk) 22:24, 27 August 2009 (UTC)
I think that the article in general could stand to be expanded, and the section I added would probably benefit from the perspective of those who have defended Levin, including Levin himself. I don't have the stomach to do it myself because (as you can tell) I'm not a fan, but I do think it would be fair, which is why I suggested that people who were opposed to my edits improve the section by adding context. As far as the statements above are concerned, I think they're fine, and I frankly regret getting so hung up over semantics earlier. I do think I was correct about the disputed words in question, and I have a tendency to be stubborn when I'm convinced I'm right, but if the information can be restated in a way that is more broadly acceptable to the community without censoring relevant information, then that's something I can support.
Regarding the Levin article, I'm probably going to take a few steps back and perhaps try coming back to the article later with a fresh perspective. I'm working on a few other articles right now and will probably seek out a few non-political ones to work on as well, to give myself an opportunity to build my editing experience a bit in a more peaceful setting.  :-) I haven't read much of Levin's writing and definitely don't listen to his show regularly, but what I've heard/read of him leads me to think that he's pretty much a louder, male version of Ann Coulter, both in terms of ideology and style.
Thanks for being patient with me as I learn the ropes here. BigTex71 (talk) 03:22, 28 August 2009 (UTC)

Puri (food)

Hello, ChildofMidnight. You have new messages at Paalappoo's talk page.
You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{Talkback}} or {{Tb}} template.

Thanks for rolling out the welcome mat

The links & information you posted on my talk page will be most helpful and are greatly appreciated. Side note: I got a chuckle out of the fact that one of the articles listed in the suggested tasks box was Fingering (sexual act), and was even more amused when I noticed that it was listed right after Quinceañera. I suppose that says more about my sense of humor than anything else.

Thanks again. BigTex71 (talk) 05:19, 28 August 2009 (UTC)

Removed comments

Hi. While looking at the most recent edit history at Talk:Matt Sanchez it appears that while formatting the page you removed Bluemarines response to a post that he had struck out - you later unstruck the post. Was Bluemarines response removed in error, or in regard to some discussion (I haven't located it)? Although Bluemarines language is yet again non optimal, I think he isn't violating any guideline, policy, or restriction in the context of his post. Can you review this, please. LessHeard vanU (talk) 11:59, 28 August 2009 (UTC)

Hi LVU. I removed it on purpose and explained why in my response. It was bold, but given the circumstances and the level of drama surrounding the article I thought it was the best approach to nip a discussion that wasn't going anywhere in the bud. The post was about the anon editor who posted, so it wasn't constructive or useful to article building. I thought about it and decided it was best to keep the discussion focused on article issues rather than editors, and tried to get that across to Bluemarine in my reponse and explanation. If someone objects they can revert me, but I think keeping the discussion narrowly focused on the article would be ideal. :) ChildofMidnight (talk) 17:20, 28 August 2009 (UTC)

Footwear

Hi, I have been in Natucket for about a week, without secure email/Internet access, so I am using my less secure Sock account. I'll be back next week at work. Bearian'sBooties (talk) 15:30, 28 August 2009 (UTC)

I'm back. Bearian (talk) 19:28, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

Some wine?

From Morgan Creek Vineyards, perhaps? Drmies (talk) 22:13, 28 August 2009 (UTC)

ChildofMidnight topic banned

As a party to the Obama articles arbitration case, you are notified as a courtesy of this amendment to the final decision.

By motion of the Committee at Misplaced Pages:Arbitration/Requests/Clarification,

Remedy 9 in the Obama articles case is replaced by the following (timed to run from the date the case closed):

ChildofMidnight (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log) is topic-banned from Obama-related articles for six months, and any related discussions, broadly construed across all namespaces.

Discussion of this motion should be directed here.

For the Arbitration Committee,
AGK 12:53, 29 August 2009 (UTC)

Based on what? What a joke. ChildofMidnight (talk) 16:34, 29 August 2009 (UTC)

Vegetarian

I was the one who sort of "removed" the content on the article and tried to add in a stub-ful of information. On IRC, certain people wanted to delete or redirect it (most of these people voted on the AFD, redirect) because of it's "OR", so I tried to add in some information that supposedly wasn't OR, to try and save the article. However, re-reading the article now shows that the content is not OR, but just needs a few references. Just wanted to tell you, I didn't mean to remove your content on the article, and I thank you for your efforts in trying to save the article. Warrior4321 17:17, 29 August 2009 (UTC)

Okay. Thanks for the note. I understand the concern about citations. Common information that isn't disputed doesn't actually have to be cited. So if anyone disputes the content they can add citaiton needed tags. There is a fanatacism about citations, but many articles that weren't created recently have no citations, and some of them are quite excellent. That being said, the vegetarian article certainly needs to be based on reliable sources and as it is expanded and developed it should be cited. I don't think there's anything there that can't be cited. It's ripe for expansion. Unfortunately, new articles are often targeted and squashed before they have a chance to develop. Hopefully this one can be saved. The diet and the belief system are distinct enough that they should be treated independently. Cheers. Thanks for the note. ChildofMidnight (talk) 17:23, 29 August 2009 (UTC)

Trout

Whack!

You've been whacked with a wet trout.

Don't take this too seriously. Someone just wants to let you know that you did something silly.

A dish made with trout that Durova sent you, could arose your appetite in autumn, but CoM, you really should not assume bad faith on and mischaracterize the admin who has helped you regardless of your animosity against him, and Durova just out of your frustration over the ArbCom case.--Caspian blue 22:59, 29 August 2009 (UTC)

ChildofMidnight has been sent a sample of the relevant material, although neither a request nor a response has been forthcoming. In good faith, it is possible this editor has not checked his/her inbox yet. This is formal notification. Perusal has, so far, demonstrated to every person who has seen it that the circumstances are entirely different from what have (thus far) been CoM's very vocal conjectures. Yes, I do expect appropriate retractions during followup. Durova 23:43, 29 August 2009 (UTC)
I'm not sure what the connection is to the ANI report. But I will say that it's laudable (and slightly insane) that many editors choose to disclose their true identity. Given the number of crazies on here, I'd rather be anonymous. I tried to modify my comments a bit, but couldn't come up with a good modification. It's tricky because they've already been responded to so I couldn't figure out a good way to go about it wihtout making it seem like I said something horrible. Really, I don't think there's anything there that's very objectionable, but I am sorry that it irked you. That wasn't my intention. I remain concerned about the use of IRC and e-mail to make decisions that don't involve the editors involved and that don't give them a chance to defend themselves. ChildofMidnight (talk) 00:05, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
That was the straw on the camel's back which precipitated my resignation from mentorships. The only one which remains is Bluemarine, which I haven't been able to hand off yet. The editor who created it is someone I never encountered on-wiki. He had been sitebanned for over a year before I started mentoring ScienceApologist, but he held a grudge so long that when I helped ScienceApologist with the optics drive that got created in retaliation. And I never use IRC. Durova 00:09, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
I've seen the abuse you've taken as a mentor first hand and it is very unfair and unfortunate. This community often freaks out over mild incivilities, but seems to ignore patterns of behavior that are far more damaging like stalking, persistent baiting, hounding and harassment.
The ANI issue is kind of moot since the IP was blocked for using an open proxy. I have no idea if there was sufficient quack to connect it all up to the same person, but my concern is more general anyway. But again, I'm sorry that you felt I made a dig at your character. I'm pretty sarcastic and it was a pointed comment, but I was not intending to malign you. Thank you for your good work and for your efforts to stick up for troubled editors. I'm sorry that you've sometimes been harassed and critcized for it. I do think you take things too hard sometimes, but I haven't walked in your shoes, and so far I've been able to stay anonymous, so I'll try to give you the benefit of the doubt on that issue. Have a good weekend. ChildofMidnight (talk) 00:19, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
It's wearying. As you may be aware, I am one of only two Wikipedians who have gone public about having opened formal FBI cases in response to Misplaced Pages-related harassment. Even that so-called 'secret mailing list' was something I had initially joined in order to try to address a problem where an elderly relative was being harassed as a result of my Misplaced Pages volunteer work. Yes, some of them go after your family. I hope you never encounter such things firsthand. Best wishes, Durova 00:46, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
Yikes. That's awful. I hope that abuse has stopped. I'm sorry you endured it. You are opinionated, but you an enormous amount of good work and there's no excuse or reason that anyone should go after you in that way. ChildofMidnight (talk) 01:06, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
It's gotten easier, mostly. Bit of a sore point. Naturally, it isn't the sort of thing one wants to detail very much onsite. There's a risk of getting retargeted. And well-meaning people occasionally make poor judgment calls. When news of the FBI case came out (and the perp was at large within driving distance of my home), one Wikipedian went over to user talk to deliver a lecture. He supposed I wouldn't defend myself in a pinch and thought I needed a dressing-down because of that. Not only was the assumption unfounded, I'm actually a war veteran who served overseas, have earned the military history project's highest service award, and chose a username after a historic military officer. Have always wondered whether that assumption would have followed if I had been male... ;) Best wishes, Durova 02:21, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Images

The Nazi images are also very concerning. You would better take out them from your page.--Caspian blue 23:02, 29 August 2009 (UTC)

I'm not going to have any part in standing by silently while history repeats itself. No thank you. The only thing I agree with you on regarding this matter Caspian blue is that the comparison with the Nazis is eerie. I've sectioned this part of the discussion becuase I don't want it to be unduly associated with the one above. ChildofMidnight (talk) 23:04, 29 August 2009 (UTC)
Now we wait for them to start rounding up the jewish, gypsy, and crippled wikipedians to be hauled off in the happy vans. Then we'll start burning the website for its "dangerous ideas" and finally, Jimbo Wales will grow a moustache. Give me a fucking break COM, this has got to be the biggest load of crap I've ever seen in my life. You got topic banned, woohoo, that pales in comparison to the six million dead in the holocaust and 15 million+ dead in WWWII. Perhaps returning to reality would be in order? Soxwon (talk) 00:56, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
They didn't start rounding up the "undesirables" right away. First they spread their propaganda and consolidated power. An encyclopedia that contains false, misleading and innacurate information and that is governed by bullies and liars is a real danger. I haven't suggested it's in any way equivalent to slaughtering people. But it's very much like book burning. ChildofMidnight (talk) 01:03, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
Any comparison of people on an encyclopedia website to the group that organised the most abhorrent genocide in human history is not only fatuous, it is unspeakably disrespectful to the memories of those who died in the camps, those who survived, and those who love(d) them. I suggest you remove this from your page, or I will have to seek wider community comment on this; it's disgusting to make that comparison. → ROUX  01:43, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
Comparing those who promote censorship and engage in propoganada pushing by harassment, intimidation and thuggery is legitimate. I find it very offensive and I share your outrage. We should never forget history or the damage and dangers inherent in ignorance and hate. ChildofMidnight (talk) 02:41, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
Roux's outrage is clearly directed at you, as you must have noticed. At some point, when multiple people tell you the same thing, including people who have defended you before as Caspian Blue has, it might behoove you to acknowledge that they may, possibly, have a legitimate point. You might also think about the simple fact that people tend to notice visual cues right away and do not always take the time to read text that accompanies an image, particularly a shocking one (I blame this laziness on video games!). Folks who stop by your talk page will promptly be treated to a photo of Adolf Hitler and other Nazis acting like Nazis. In our world of short attention spans, perhaps that's not the best thing to feature prominently on your talk page. The "subtlety," such as it is, of your "Misplaced Pages is sort of like early Nazi Germany" critique might be lost on some folks. Perhaps you can simply revert to an earlier, slightly less strident version of your talk page—ideally one which does not serve as an unintentional paean to Godwin's Law. --Bigtimepeace | talk | contribs 03:39, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
None of these editors have suffered the incessant harassment and stalking that I've endured. No good faith contributor, let alone one with my outstanding record of content building on a wide range of subjects, should suffer a constant barrage of abuse. They should be outraged. You may support these thugs because you agree with their content position, but there's no excuse for this kind of hounding and censorship. You've made your views clear and I think your behavior has been disgraceful, hateful and intolerant. Take care. ChildofMidnight (talk) 03:45, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
I literally have no idea what you are talking about (which is probably for the best), but I thank you for your kind words at the end there. I'll now leave you to the privacy of your calm and understated talk page. --Bigtimepeace | talk | contribs 03:57, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
  • I find your comparison of a Misplaced Pages topic ban to the Holocaust vile. This is not because I disagree with your "content position", but because I'm a human being. When I first encountered you, it was after a bad block made against you. I had great sympathy for you then. None remains. And I'm considering removing the vile images (and ludicrous comparisons) at the top of this page. The very thought that such comparisons exist anywhere on this project disgusts me to the core. UnitAnode 04:12, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
I've been subjected to a constant campaign of harassment and intimidation. You saw one bad block, but you have no empathy because you haven't suffered or witnessed the kind of continuous abuse continuous that's taken place before and after that one event. And yes, I take censorship and propaganda pushing very seriously exactly because it is dangerous and destructive. Misplaced Pages is an encyclopedia and giving skewed and biased information is a serious problem. I don't want history to repeat itself and I'm not going to remain silent when this kind of behavior goes on. I'm certainly not the only one who's been attacked in this way. ChildofMidnight (talk) 04:15, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
Just because I haven't commented on every problem you've had, doesn't mean I haven't seen them unfold. Nothing you've "gone through" is 1/1,000,000,000,000 of what happened during the Holocaust. This is my last post to you, ever. I have no use for a person who insists on comparing their wikitrials and wikitribulations to the greatest human tragedy I know of. In my view, the initial posting of the comparison could possibly be explained by a fit of pique. This continued defense of such a comparison is so vile, I don't have the right words to explain just how disgusted I am. UnitAnode 04:22, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
I haven't compared my trials and tribulations to the concentration camps. This is a totally bogus straw man argument. I have compared the treatment dished out by the brown shirted thugs who intimidated, censored, and propagandized in order to create an atmosphere of hate and intolerance to those who engage in similar behaviors here. If you want to cover your eyes and ears and look the other way, that's your decision. When I see or experience things that aren't right I speak up about them. Perhaps that's a result of my family background. ChildofMidnight (talk) 04:26, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Unsolicited advice

CoM, you've been really helpful reaching compromises in some of the global warming related articles. But you need to back off the Nazi stuff. I wouldn't want to lose your contributions and fear that is where things could be headed if you continue along this path. Short Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 04:50, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

I find it shocking that the entire lesson of the holocaust, to never forget, to never allow that kind of abuse, censorship, intimidation and intolerance to exist, is so often forgotten. If my Wikicareer ends speaking out about the harassment and intimidation I've experienced and witnessed then so be it. I've tried to ignore it and go about my business long enough. The holocaust is not some memorial that we should never mention and can't touch, it's a scar that should remind us always that kowtowing to thuggery, ignorance, and intolerance is never acceptable. ChildofMidnight (talk) 04:55, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
And by the way, there is genocide going on right now against the Tibetan people and their culture, minority groups in Burma, there's a holocaust in North Korea where people are starving and kept as political prisoners, and there's genocide and slavery in parts of Africa. So standing up for free speech and unbiased reliable information is absolutely critical to educating people about the world they live in so they can make informed decisions, put a stop to the horrors going on now, and so we never repeat the insidious mass murders of the past. ChildofMidnight (talk) 04:58, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Heads Up

Tarc has left a comment for you at User talk:Jimbo Wales. I just thought I should let you know. And, just so you know, I am not supporting any argument by any party in this matter, but I have been watching this event very closely and will continue to be watching. I really do hope that things can mould back into place for you.--Sky Attacker 20:37, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for the note. I've brought my concerns about the conduct of certain editors to the attention of the appropriate parties. I will always do my best to speak up for those who are harassed, stalked and intimidated. Our core policies and the integrity of Misplaced Pages are real concerns given this site's influence and the pattern of abusive behavior I've witnessed. The majority generally rules on Misplaced Pages, and we will have to decide whether abusive tactics are allowed and whether we allow mob rule, abusive harassment and intimidation against those who don't hold majority viewpoints. I've made my opinion clear and will continue to do so for as long as I am able. ChildofMidnight (talk) 04:32, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

Even more unsolicited advice

Hey CoM!

Great to see you in the thick of it, fighting for what you believe is right. At one time I was advocating passionately that the Atropa belladonna article should contain no mention of homeopathy. You are arguing that the Barack Obama article should contain mention of birther conspiracy theories.

One thing I can say is this: if phrased the right way there certainly can be room on the Obama page to include birther conspiracy theories. In particular, the idea of Barack Obama as a cultural phenomenon is one which has been studied extensively in reliable sources including political journals and social commentary. The Birthers obviously represent the views of a vocal and crazed extremist minority in the United States that is scared shitless about "the other" coming in and ruling over them, but there are also historically oppressed people who view Barack Obama as a culmination of years of struggle. These are certainly different sides of the same coin (the United State's relationship with its current president) and while in 1950s and 60s the ideas of segregationist-USA weren't considered crazed and extremist, they simply are today. The sad fact of racial relations and political demagoguery in this country means that the same fights get played out again and again -- just on different battle fields. The battlefields of the intolerant racists are now confined to talk radio, fox news, and self-published webpages, and, as such, are marginalized blather. All we can say is that Barack Obama as a cultural phenomenon has been a galvanizing and motivating force within the African American community as well as the core Democratic Party base, but also within the isolationist, nativist, and racist communities.

But realize that it may take months if not years for the full import of this to work itself out. Why we try and insist on writing encyclopedia articles about current events, I don't know. It is impossible to get perspective on what's going on while it's going on. Sometimes I look at news stories from a year ago and then find the Misplaced Pages articles abandoned and looking like a stale crime scene. Cleaning up those articles can be a real fun thing to do and won't get you in any trouble. My suggestion is let it sit for a bit. The article will still be here in six months, a year, two years, a decade. After a bit of perspective and after people's passions have cooled, it may be a lot easier to see the forest for the trees, as it were.

Now if only I could figure out what to do about atropa belladonna.

Take care, you're a real pal,

ScienceApologist (talk) 00:09, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

Hey Sci. Thanks for the note. It's good to have you back!
I'm not involved in editing or advocating on the conspiracy theories you've mentioned. I'm not sure where you got that impression (although I see now it was raised on JW's talk page). There has also been a long term smear campaign against me to make me out to be some sort of radical.
I haven't made a single edit to that article or a single edit related to that issue. I'm truly a moderate and I think a reasonable balance of mainstream opinions is the way to go, with fringier content given appropriate weight and context as fringier stuff.
I'm not allowed to discuss that article. Such is the extent of the censoship campaign against me. Go figure. There is no crazy content I've ever tried to add to any article. It's just that I don't tolerate bullies and censors, and as a result the worst of the POV pushers are after me. I understand it may be hard for outsiders to understand or to believe that I'm not making it all up or paranoid, and that's okay. But there's nothing okay about harassment intimidation and stalking. Cheers buddy. Thanks again for your note. ChildofMidnight (talk) 04:16, 31 August 2009 (UTC)
You're just not allowed to discuss it at the article pages. You can discuss it here, of course. I'm just trying to show a light at the end of the tunnel, which, believe me, is difficult to see. ScienceApologist (talk) 05:49, 31 August 2009 (UTC)
I'm not sure you are correct about what I can and cannot discuss. You're welcome to ask Arbcom for a clarification. My experiences with those individuals shows that they have little competence, fairness or judgment and generally can't be bothered to investigate issues properly. I hope other editors have better experiences than I have, it may well be because I am not devoted to diff digging and I don't find it's a constructive use of my time here. I'm working on getting a photo of a person with tape over mouth so I can depict my experience editing here. ChildofMidnight (talk) 06:28, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

Report at WP:AE

You are the subject of a report at WP:AE, you may wish to comment. . Spartaz 16:03, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

Left Censored Image text

Do you mean "hateful". Didn't just want to change your User Page! leaky_caldron (talk) 19:08, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

Oops. Yes indeed.
It's been made clear to me that those images and the related captions are offensive to some, so I am seeking a better analogy and illustration. I find those atrocities distasteful also, which is why I have strong convictions about the offensiveness of gangs, militias, and paramilitary groups engaging in censorship, bullying and intimidation. I feel very strongly that we shouldn't allow those types of behaviors and actions here as they are very damaging to fundamental and core values of building and maintaining a free, fair, and collaborative encyclopedia. It's very important that we speak up and stop them whenever and wherever they occur.
Feel free to copy-edit anything of mine here or elsewhere. I am a big believer in collegial collaboration as being a core value and a necessity for a productive wiki. The idea that we should leave one another's mistakes in place so as not to cause offense strikes me as being particularly ridiculous. It seems strange that many consider the recording of an edit fixing something in a page history as more embarassing than having one's stupidity and ignorance on display for all to see. :)
Maybe that's a little harsh, but you get the idea. I don't think every minor typo needs to be corrected, but fixing obvious grammar errors and assisting those of us with poor copy-editing skills can aid in communication and deter the repetition of common mistakes. I believe corrections of that sort should be rewarded rather than discouraged, but as on many issues, it appears I am in the minority. Having to notify one another when a copy-edit is needed and having to ask permission to fix something in good faith doesn't make much sense to me.
Thanks for stopping by and for the note. Enjoy your editing and have a great week. ChildofMidnight (talk) 20:02, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

Dirac and the h-bar

Δ x Δ p 2 {\displaystyle \Delta x\,\Delta p\geq {\frac {\hbar }{2}}}

To your comment, sometimes it is interesting to recover articles on topics I know absolutely nothing about, like Matrioshka brain, Beverage Digest or Khayal Muhammad. Take a break from the wars and try it. But articles like Introduction to Dirac's constant fill me with uncertainty. The well-intentioned attempt to clarify the subject you saw did not really help me all that much. Sometimes I think I get it, but I can never remember when I wake up. Aymatth2 (talk) 20:08, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

A "hypothetical megastructure"? That seems defacto notable to me, at least as much as the 46th finisher in badmittion at the 1994 Olympics. Speaking of which, someone is trying to delete the Jedi Temple article and Jedi Academy (which I believe is where User:GTBacchus went to school). The temple is reported to be 1 km high, so it seems very impressive to me as well as being something of an engineering marvel! But I suppose buildings are getting taller all the time, and one person's notable megachurch is another person's listcruft. ChildofMidnight (talk) 20:26, 31 August 2009 (UTC)
1km high is nothing. The Matrioshka brain computer will be about 1,600,000,000 km across. The answer, of course, is 42 so I'm not quite sure why they are planning to build it. Aymatth2 (talk) 20:38, 31 August 2009 (UTC)
I was listening to Quirks & Quarks this weekend and they were talking about building a space elevator 20 km high, to be used as a platform for launching rockets (resulting in a 30% reduction in lift off cost). Also it would function as a cheaper "space tourism" destination.--kelapstick (talk) 21:25, 31 August 2009 (UTC)
Space tourism is really taking off. ChildofMidnight (talk) 21:26, 31 August 2009 (UTC)