Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 13:18, 20 February 2007

Welcome!

Hello, Alan2012, and welcome to Misplaced Pages! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

• The five pillars of Misplaced Pages
• How to edit a page
• Help pages
• Tutorial
• How to write a great article
• Manual of Style

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically produce your name and the date. If you need help, check out Misplaced Pages:Questions, ask me on my talk page, or place {{helpme}} on your talk page and someone will show up shortly to answer your questions. Again, welcome!  Addhoc 17:07, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Hi

Hello. In case you didn't know, when you add content to talk pages and Misplaced Pages pages that have open discussion, you should sign your posts by typing four tildes ( ~~~~ ) at the end of your comment. You may also click on the signature button located above the edit window. This will automatically insert a signature with your name and the time you posted the comment. This information is useful because other editors will be able to tell who said what, and when. Thank you! Addhoc 17:14, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Orthomolecular medicine

Just so you understand it was Jefffire who reached a compromise concerning the introduction. If from outside of Misplaced Pages you have personal issues concerning persons who are unconvinced by the orthomolecular approach then either you shouldn't edit this article or you should be very careful not to consider other Wikipedians as guilty by supposed association. Have a look at our policies and guidelines, in particular, Misplaced Pages:Assume good faith and Misplaced Pages:Civility. Thanks, Addhoc 18:34, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

You have surfaced several high quality references. Congratulations - good, incisive points, and welcome. Tempering the tone of a strong argument is an art that takes time to absorb the philosophy and rules of Misplaced Pages. Reading the Talk pages and edit histories in articles that interest you may give you important vicarious experience that is useful. You have entered at a hot zone in Misplaced Pages at an especially hot time and made good points that are greatly appreciated by some of us. As you can see, passions and differences of opinion can run petty high & ideas of neutral seem to fluctuate somewhat with the individual. I hope that you decide to continue to contribute to orthomolecular articles.--TheNautilus 22:47, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Independent review of QW

• Alan2012, I posted a message on I'clast talk page as follow:

" I'clast. many thanks for the links to the independent review of QW. Very relevant and factual. Hopefully that will help focus on the real issues instead of having to deal with the specific worldview of some editors. :-) NATTO 09:17, 20 September 2006 (UTC) "

He mentioned your own efforts and suggested I thank you as well, which I am very pleased to do. Thanks NATTO 11:22, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

Proposal to merge Stephen Barrett, Quackwatch, and NCAHF article

I have started three separate proposals to merge these three articles. The discussion for each amalgamation of the merge begins here. I would appreciate you taking the time to give your thoughts for each proposal. Thanks. Levine2112 00:51, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

You may be interested in voice you opinion here: . Levine2112 02:15, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

MfD

Hi. You may be interested in an article that has been nominated for deletion. Feel free to cast your vote and comment. Steth 04:42, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

http://en.wikipedia.org/Wikipedia:Miscellany_for_deletion/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Pseudoscience/List_of_articles_related_to_scientific_skepticism

An Automated Message from HagermanBot

Hello. In case you didn't know, when you add content to talk pages and Misplaced Pages pages that have open discussion, you should sign your posts by typing four tildes ( ~~~~ ) at the end of your comment. You may also click on the signature button located above the edit window. This will automatically insert a signature with your name and the time you posted the comment. This information is useful because other editors will be able to tell who said what, and when. Thank you! HagermanBot 16:35, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

civility

Hi Alan. With regards to this post, I want to remind you about wikipedia's civility policy. It is very important to refrain from making things personal, even if (especially if!) you think it's deserved. Best wishes, Bucketsofg 19:06, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

peer review article

Though you may not realise it from my latest edits, I'm a sympathizer. But Multi-posting on WP looks very much like POV pushing--the subtler technique is to say somewhat different things each time, & keep it short. I removed the duplicate from one clearly less appropriate talk page, Weasel words. I think it should have been kept on the p-r talk page, but I am not about to get into a quarrel there with a respected editor, so it is still on RS, where I added some comments. I will get what I think the key part of it back on peer-review, and in the article, not the talk page, though I am going to wait a few days. I've cited jefferson in (peer-reviewed) published work, which will help. I've posted my email if you prefer to go offline. If you answer here, I will see it. DGG 00:17, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

I never said you were pushing POV, just that posting in that way might be taken that way. I do in on lists all the time, but it seems not to be the custom here. DGG 04:51, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

I strongly advise you not to re-add it. I assure you it is not the way to get your opinions heard. Just post a note saying that you've posted an essay on it at RR. When in Rome, DGG 04:57, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your advice. I think I'll go with my original plan. There is nothing remotely like spamming going on; these were SINGLE, information-dense posts and I do not plan to go back and argue for or try to "sell" anything, much less hector anyone. THey can do with the info as they please. I am doing for them as I would have them do for me: inform me of a very important couple of publications in this area, and with them a critical change in the status of peer review, at least in the biomedical sphere. By the way, my post it seems is something of a hot potato. Someone on the Quackwatch talk page wanted to MOVE IT OFF, entirely! Ha! I can understand. It is not pleasant to see a sacred cow savaged like that. "A wonderful hypothesis slain by an ugly fact", as some pundit put it. Thanks again. -- Alan2012 00:41, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

As it so happens, that editor has been somewhat busy over the last week and didn't notice the reinsertion of the post. The moving of the post has nothing to do with my opinion of the content. The Quackwatch talk page, an obscure location among millions of similar pages, only frequented by a small number of specific editors who won't necessarily be interested in the post, is simply not the right place for the post, and won't result in discussion that is useful to Misplaced Pages. Posting there would be like publishing the results of the Human Genome Project in Physical Review D. --Philosophus 01:46, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

civility at Quackwatch

Hi Alan. Thanks for your note. My reminder about civility was not meant for your individually, but for everyone there on both sides. Best wishes, Bucketsofg 05:01, 24 January 2007 (UTC) Oops. I just saw the edit you were referring to above. I'm sure you felt (and possibly feel) justified in your anger, but lashing out like rarely helps; it only puts other editors' backs up and, in the worst case scenario, results in sanctions against you. No matter how deserved you feel that kind of criticism is, it is always better to bite your tongue, remain civil, and (if must be) temporarily disengage. Best wishes, Bucketsofg 05:08, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

Moving talk page sections

I've moved your peer review discussion from Talk:Quackwatch to Wikipedia_talk:Reliable sources, which is the appropriate place for it. We shouldn't split up the discussion by posting it in multiple places. --Philosophus 07:15, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

"Science Apologist"

Hi. I mostly agree with your comment in Talk:Cold fusion -- "Science Apologist", but unfortunately it violates WP:NPA. Better for everyone if we can keep the temperature down. Also, according to User:ScienceApologist, he is on an extended Wikibreak. I was going to delete your comment but it will look better if you do so yourself. Sorry! --Wfaxon 07:25, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

Later:

• The purpose of the talk page associated with an article is about improving the article.
• A well-documented critique of another editor remains a critique of that editor.
• I'm out of this loop, but please consider reading WP:NPA again.

--Wfaxon 04:55, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

Requesting unblock

My IP addy was blocked tonight, for no apparent reason. Funny, but I had just made an edit (on a talk page, not an article) just moments before I was blocked. Heaven only knows why I was blocked. Please unblock.

Thanks! -- Alan2012 02:43, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

Hi Alan. What a wild world Wiki is! I found what I believe is your block log and don't see any listed. Here it is . Thanks for daring to ask important questions on the arbitration. I see that that Fyslee found a reason to remove them. Apparently, they weren't in the right place. I'm a bit stymied ... if I can help in any way let me know. Best from the Jungles Ilena (chat) 04:14, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

Yes, Alan, I did remove your entry and left instructions in the edit summary.

You are more than welcome to make comments there. Keep in mind that your own conflict of interest will then be used against you, so think twice about what you write. I'd rather not explode such a can of worms in your face there (or anywhere!). I partially had that in mind when I deleted your entry instead of just outing you immediately, since I know perfectly well who you are, who pays you, and why they pay you. (Being an upper echelon coded keyholder in the QuackbustersOfTheIlluminati has its privileges. You do know that JFK isn't dead at all? We meet regularly with him at the Vatican ...;-) No, seriously, I wanted to give you a second chance. I know what it's like to be a newbie here, but I may as well tell you now that your conflict of interest is so strong and easy to document that you would be totally banned from editing many alternative medicine subjects here, so be careful. Just some friendly advice. If you treat me nice and assume good faith, I will do the same. I don't want to out you, since we need people of your stature and knowledge here. Just be very careful about ever deleting what might be opposing POV (to your own POV). That's where the greatest danger of violating NPOV exists. POV suppression is not allowed here. (Read WP:NPOV & WP:COI)

I suggest you read the "collaborate" link at the end of my signature. If you read it and the links it contains, and then learn from it, you will quickly become a good wikipedian and have a long and happy editing life here. Even though your POV is worlds from mine (I have earlier shared your POV to a T, understand it perfectly, and to some degree sympathize with it), that POV is necessary here, as long as it is not sold or promoted in articles. It should just be presented from V & RS in an NPOV manner, so all significant POV are represented in the article in question. Then readers can make up their own minds without knowing the personal POV of the editors. It is our own POV we must suppress, not the POV that gets included. Good luck, and if you are ever in doubt about POV matters and their relationship to NPOV policy, just ask.

I am a firm advocate of "writing for the enemy" and collaboration between editors who hold opposing POV, so consider me an ally who can see things from both sides of the issues, since I've been there. I have earlier practiced alternative medicine and seen plenty of unnecessary deaths, including in my own family because of our belief in certain alt med practices, which included fanatical opposition to mainstream medicine. There was a time when I would rather have died than eat anything from the animal kingdom or use any pharmaceuticals. But just as surely, I don't believe in whitewashing mainstream medicine either. There are "monsters" there! Things are much more complex than they seem. -- Fyslee (collaborate) 13:18, 20 February 2007 (UTC)