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A welcome from STiki

Hello, Sunray, and welcome to STiki! Thank you for your recent contributions using our tool. We at STiki hope you like using the tool and decide to continue using it in the future. Here are some pages that you might find helpful: Information about STiki, including: Using STiki Comparison to other tools Information about vandalism on Misplaced Pages Here are some pages which are a little more fun: The STiki leaderboard - See how you are faring against other STiki users! Userboxes - Do not hesitate to wear the STiki label with pride by choosing from a selection of userboxes! We hope you enjoy maintaining Misplaced Pages with STiki! If you have any questions, problems, or suggestions don't hesitate to drop a note over at the STiki talk page and we'll be more than happy to help. Again, welcome, and thanks! West.andrew.g (developer) and Orphan Wiki (talk) 09:02, 8 May 2012 (UTC)

STiki emergency

Hello! Due to a security update to the wiki software, older versions of STiki are no longer functional. You've been identified as a user of STiki, and are kindly asked to upgrade to the current version at Misplaced Pages:STiki#Download before continuing with use of the tool. Continuing to use older versions will be detrimental to the STiki project. Please see Misplaced Pages talk:STiki#Errors for a discussion of this issue or to respond to this message. Thank you! 04:08, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

Folding on ILADS

I wanted to personally thank you. There is a clear consensus that ILADS is fringe. I put some closing notes on the page to thank everyone. I want to say that people did assume good intent even though I was someone who didn't understand the process well. I also want to make sure that you realize that my goal was pro-patient, and not pro ILADS. 300,000 people get Lyme disease per year (per CDC) and only 10% get treated. Some of the rest will live horrible lives. People are imperfect everywhere, but it is the Lyme war that is killing people. Polarization and lies are the enemy. We have two camps publishing hundreds of papers and screaming liar-liar at each other. I do think IDSA has a lot to answer for, but I don't ANYONE has conclusive answers. I was a bad messenger, and I now know that Misplaced Pages is not the arbiter of truth, it is a reporter of the accepted truth, and there is nothing wrong with that.

P.S. The Lyme article should not accuse protesters of harassing. This is the USA. I never protest, and think those protesters are off the deep end, but it just seems really wrong to ridicule people for public dissent.

Thanks again.

Bob Bob the goodwin (talk) 09:42, 1 January 2014 (UTC)

It has been an interesting process, for sure. The default position for Misplaced Pages is to avoid original research and to strive for neutrality. It seemed to me that Yobal's edit summary didn't give much context as to why he was reverting you. Some editors are, no doubt, engaged in a constant struggle with fringe proponents, so they likely see the benefits of being cryptic and decisive. You obviously know a lot about the subject, so you needed an explanation as to why that revert had happened. I very much appreciated the way you conducted the Request for Comment. I agree with your postscript. Accusing the protesters of being "harassing" would not likely meet requirements for neutrality (unless it was stated in a New York Times article or some such :) Sunray (talk) 22:46, 1 January 2014 (UTC)

Andajara

I doubt that DRN or mediation will work. I'd suggest an RfC but there seem to be too many issues. She also seems to not understand about forum shopping, as failing at RSN she took the same issue to NPOVN. Dougweller (talk) 12:40, 5 January 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for your comments. I will pass them along. Sunray (talk) 21:21, 5 January 2014 (UTC)

Request to be mediator on an accepted RFM

Hello User:Sunray

Thanks for conveying the decision of MedCom to accept India Against Corruption for mediation.

This is to request if you would be able to mediate on it as apparently there is a backlog and such requests turn stale.

All the parties to the dispute are agreeable to mediation.

Thanks (I am the filer) 2001:4DD0:FF00:8A8B:0:0:0:5747 (talk) 10:42, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

I will be able to let you know which mediator will take the case in the next couple of days. Sunray (talk) 07:54, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

Thanks. Just to update you that one of the MedCom mediators "Transporterman" had previously shared his views (now archived) on the article's talk page in Jun/July 2013 when there was significant edit-warring between an Aam Aadmi Party troll and an IAC intern/volunteer "ACFI" (editing in her personal capacity) which disrupted these articles. 2001:4DD0:FF00:8A8B:0:0:0:5747 (talk) 13:29, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

The India Against Corruption RFM

Dear Sunray

Please take steps to resolve this RFM expeditiously or unmerge the articles to what they were 2 months back.

Thanks 2001:4DD0:FF00:8A8B:0:0:0:5747 (talk) 11:50, 30 January 2014 (UTC)

Hebrew Gospel

Thanks for accepting. What should I do next? Cheers - Ret.Prof (talk) 19:43, 10 February 2014 (UTC)

User:StAnselm wants to be added as a party to this (see my talk page). Is that possible?

Next step is to assign a mediator. I've made the request. Yes, we can add StAnselm. I will confirm that with the other participants on the case page. Once a mediator is confirmed, the mediation will proceed on the case talk page. Sunray (talk) 08:21, 11 February 2014 (UTC)

Thank you for the note, I'll have a look. Re above StAnselm is one of WikiProject Christianity's most informed and balanced editors so that will improve things. In ictu oculi (talk) 08:49, 11 February 2014 (UTC)

All good, thanks. Sunray (talk) 08:53, 11 February 2014 (UTC)

Please reach out to Eusebeus. He seems to be editing infrequently these days, but his participation is required for a successful mediation. Thank you. Ignocrates (talk) 14:15, 11 February 2014 (UTC)

"Note2: There are many participants involved. The mediator who takes this case may want to discuss ways of making the process simpler. One way to do this would be to have the participants agree on spokespersons" With the growing number of parties selecting spokespeople is necessary. David and I will represent those who believe Papias is reliable re the Hebrew Gospel. I suggest the opposing view select User:PiCo and User:Ignocrates. PiCo has been a part of this process from the beginning and although he has brutally attacked my position, he has been polite...even kind toward me. His arguments have actually made me moderate my position. (A good sign for mediation). Ignocrates on the other hand knows "the ropes". He has been though this process before. Of course it is up to them to decide. Cheers - Ret.Prof (talk) 14:58, 11 February 2014 (UTC)

Sounds good, though this will be up to the participants in discussion with the mediator who takes the case. I am going to copy your note to the project page. Sunray (talk) 15:44, 11 February 2014 (UTC)

• I apologize that is taking me some time to work through this. I hope your Talk page is an appropriate place to note the following: (a) I have a small concern that the wording of the mediation issue posted by RetProf is not what PiCo drafted explanation here, but presumably it doesn't have to be. (b) 2 spokesmen each would work if both were limited to a set word limit. (c) User:Eusebeus has the longest experience with this issue. (d) thank you for your own patient and clear work in setting this up, you have already made me far less skeptical of the process than I was before, thanks for that also. In ictu oculi (talk) 16:37, 11 February 2014 (UTC)
  • Clarification: PiCo has caused me to rethink my position re the Hebrew Gospel hypothesis. I will no longer be contesting it. Indeed my Google Book search indicated virtually no sources that use the term "Hebrew Gospel hypothesis". My focus in the mediation will be the Gospel of Matthew per my filing. Cheers - Ret.Prof (talk) 17:59, 11 February 2014 (UTC)

Hi, yes I'd be happy to sign up - immediately if you so advise, but was waiting for User:Eusebeus to come back on line. He/she doesn't edit much these days, but this has been going on for 4 years and I recall he/she edited the article before the rest of us. In ictu oculi (talk) 18:42, 12 February 2014 (UTC)

Best to sign up now. We can wait a day or two for Eusebeus. However, it looks like we have a critical mass of participants. Since s/he doesn't edit much, we may have to proceed and have him/her join when able. Sunray (talk) 19:00, 12 February 2014 (UTC)

• Please note Misplaced Pages talk:Requests for mediation/Hebrew Gospel of Matthew request of John Carter to be added (not sure how this got separated). Thanks. In ictu oculi (talk) 08:18, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

Mediation

Dear Sunray,

I noticed you were an on the Mediation Committee. I appreciate your guidance. I have politely the discussed a recent addition to the article Israel on the talk page. Some editors Talk:Israel#Palestinian state are refusing to cooperate in any form of dispute resolution. One is willing, but only if the resolution is binding. I strongly believe this issue requires the assistance of an admin and I favor dispute resolution and/or mediation, but their resistance is bring us to a standstill. I strongly support resolving this issue peacefully and I ask for your assistance and/or advice.

There is currently a dispute as to how to describe the geography of Israel in the lead of the article. Originally, the article read that Israel shared borders with the West Bank and Gaza Strip (among other borders). Some editors have insisted on adding "the Palestinian territories (or State of Palestine) comprising the West Bank and Gaza Strip on the east and southwest respectively," ignoring WP:UNDUE for the lead.

All reliable secondary sources put forward do not refer to the territories of the West Bank and Gaza as Palestine. All sources indicate a Palestinian state is yet to be established, and it does not appear on any mainstream maps. AP, NY Times. The sources likewise never use terms like "president of Palestine," etc. In addition, they identify incidents originating there as from the West Bank or Gaza Strip, never as Palestine. In addition, encyclopedias and other sources that have country profiles for Israel do not refer to Israel as bordering "Palestine," nor do they have entries on any country called Palestine. (See, e.g., Encyclopedia Britannica; Encyclopedia Columbia; Library of Congress Country Studies; Washington Post Country Profiles; Infoplease). Same with most Misplaced Pages articles.

Indeed, discussion of the status of Palestinian statehood is important, and it is included in the following paragraph, where it discusses the status of Israeli–Palestinian negotiations in the lead. Further explanation is included in the body. The intro describing Israel's geography should be kept neutral and factual. Reliable secondary sources guide us and they are in agreement with their terminology (using West Bank & Gaza Strip, or Palestinian territories).

Thanks for your query. I recognize that there are differing perspectives on this question, however I'm not sure that there is a mediatable dispute here. With respect to the sentence in the lead of the article you refer to: are you saying that the words "State of Palestine" should not appear in that sentence? The reason I ask is because a quick search shows that many reliable sources do use that term. Here's a sample:

• UNHCR - http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/page?page=49e486826
• Vatican Radio - http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/02/07/progress_in_talks_between_holy_see_and_palestine/en1-771286
• Al Arabiya - http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2014/01/30/Should-settlers-be-allowed-to-live-in-Palestine-.html
• Voice of Russia - http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_01_23/Palestines-leader-Abbas-to-have-talks-with-Putin-today-4166/

The sentence fragment you quote: "the Palestinian territories (or State of Palestine) comprising the West Bank and Gaza Strip on the east and southwest respectively," seems to reflect the differing points of view of the subject. Thus I don't see anything to mediate in this matter. One of the things I love about Misplaced Pages is that so many of its authors work hard at including various perspectives and finding ways to balance them. There can be valuable lessons to be learned from this. Best wishes. Sunray (talk) 08:14, 15 February 2014 (UTC)

Mail

You've got mail. Regards, TransporterMan (TALK) 22:33, 19 February 2014 (UTC)

MedCom concerns

Hello. I regret asking this of you, but I would very much appreciate your review of the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew mediation, in which I have requested that the currently involved mediator stand down. I would also ask you to review the mediator's talk page as well as my own. The existing mediator seems to be operating on the rather interesting basis that the parties of the mediation are all individually seeking to add their own "stuff" to the article. The fact that he is apparently already not only choosing to voice his judgments of the individuals involved, and to, I believe, rather amusingly seem to at least indicate that he is also, apparently, in a position to impose his somewhat ill-formed opinions on others, makes me believe that he is not competent to function in that capacity in this context. Also, in all honesty, I think it would be in the interests of the community if the person who does handle the mediation of this matter perhaps have a bit better basic knowledge of this subject, one way or another, than the current mediator has displayed. I believe his recent claim on the mediation page to the effect that it is basically impossible to believe that a tenured professor in the field of religion could not even conceivably publish a fringey book on the field of religion demonstrates, unfortunately, little knowledge of the publishing world, the egos and drive for "recognition" of some professors, and of the rather frequent appearance of sometimes wildly fringey books by tenured professors who want to make sure that their own, personal, opinions, many of which have little if any standing in the community, are recognized. Honestly, unfortunately, in many cases, that recognition itself has been the motivating reason behind their seeking such a position in the first place. Anyway, I believe it not unreasonable to request that this be dealt with quickly, if possible.

I will acknowledge that I, and others in this matter, have expressed serious reservations about the filing party of this mediation for years, and that, in fact, many of them took part in the recent request to have him banned. And I also acknowledge, honestly, that at this point my interest in continuing with this project is rather minimal, so, if you or someone else seeks to ban me or block me, honestly, I probably wouldn't mind. John Carter (talk) 08:50, 22 February 2014 (UTC)

I have looked at the Hebrew Gospel mediation. I know from experience that it is difficult to mediate when there are many parties. Establishing a workable structure is not easy, but I note that the mediation is progressing. I'm not clear about what you are referring to, above, as without diffs it is hard to make a determination. From my scan of the proceedings, I don't see anything amis, but I may have missed something. You say that your interest in continuing the mediation is minimal. You may wish to withdraw from the mediation, or just take a break from it. If you have a complaint, you should follow the procedures for that. The criteria are the following:

The mediator of a formal mediation case can be changed if:

• The mediator is not impartial in relation to a case or one or more of its parties;
• The standard of mediation undertaken by the mediator is not satisfactory; or
• The mediator becomes too inactive to properly mediate.

Mediators are experienced members of the Misplaced Pages community who have volunteered to help editors in dispute. I recommend that you work with Andrevan to support the mediation. If you do wish to make a formal complaint, please address it in writing by e-mail to the Mediation Committee. Please be sure to document your complaint with diffs. Sunray (talk) 18:51, 22 February 2014 (UTC)

An IP in a mediation has been blocked as a proxy

Please see User talk:2001:4DD0:FF00:8A8B:0:0:0:5747. This IP has been blocked by User:Materialscientist for using an open proxy. I declined the user's request for unblock since the policy is clear, though I didn't do a proxy check myself. Unclear why a person claiming to speak for an organization would want to use a 'privacy protection service'. The proxy policy says that such an IP be blocked at any time but it's not a reflection on the user, so they can continue editing Misplaced Pages by another route. Thanks, EdJohnston (talk) 13:29, 24 February 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for letting me know. Sunray (talk) 18:06, 24 February 2014 (UTC)

(IAC here) As Edjohnston mentioned its not a reflection on us. IAC is closely monitored by the Government and various agencies. Privacy Protection is routine. Edjohnston has not appreciated (a) that we have already done all of what he has suggested before reaching mediation, (b) the Legal implications for opening an "account" to edit are different from editing as an IP. (c) That we are not interested in editing in this article's space and had requested the edits be done for us under WP:COI. Ideally we would have preferred this entire matter to be resolved through emails, but the OTRS volunteers are not equipped for cases like ours, and the WMF has a hands-off policy which throws BLP/LIBEL complaints for article subjects back to the Community - where there are SERIOUS "competence" issues for some editors along with with "cabals" (the same cabal on the IAC - and several other India related - articles). (IAC). 78.46.206.3 (talk) 21:08, 24 February 2014 (UTC)

I regret that you believe that there there is a lack of competence on the part of the WP community. To my mind that reflects a misapprehension about how Misplaced Pages works. I've looked through your submission of issues and do that think that further attempts at dispute resolution would be useful (see my comments on the mediation talk page). Sunray (talk) 21:25, 24 February 2014 (UTC)