Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2011 January 7

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January 7

Old vandalism or typo?

Someone asked on the talk page for the Nina Hartley article about a claim that she was charged with "felony lesbianism". That bit of text has been in the article since at least as far back as March 2009. I'm hesitant to check the source due to the nature of Hartley's occupation combined with the fact that I'm at work. So, would anyone mind checking the source to see what's up with this "felony lesbianism"? Thanks, Dismas|^(talk) 02:26, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

It may be accurate, but the citation was to a glorified blog. I had to delete, under BLP, to await better sourcing. --Orange Mike | Talk 02:40, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

IP address posting / abuse.

Hi.

My old account 45g was unfairly blocked, and the resulting harassment from cross Wiki sites is currently being investigated as TOS violations at my request.

Public IP address posting isn't really allowed, nor do I appreciate being abused by morons from Encyclopedia Dramatica. I had to sue them for TOS violations and for breech of the privacy policy of the internet.

An IP address is not a sock puppet.

This one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Sockpuppet_investigations/Grace_Saunders

However, there's a bunch of crap on the talk pages of these wrongfully titled "sock puppets" which I cannot delete. It also has my real IP address in the logs. Can you erase the talk page so only the blank page comes up?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:45g

Check 45g's edit history to see the case where my IP was posted without my consent.

If you look here, you will also see where they tried to edit war with staff.

Grace Saunders. Check history editing. An IP address beginning with a 6 edited it the most, to spam.

Posted using 50.16.118.58 from public diner.

Thank you.50.16.118.58 (talk) 06:00, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Please delete once resolved.

A couple of points. Firstly, ED has no connection with us. Secondly, IP addresses can be sockpuppets, it means they are being used to get around a block. I'm not going to comment any further as I do not have the time to look into this further at the moment, someone else hopefully will. -- PhantomSteve.alt/talk\^{[alternative account of Phantomsteve]} 06:27, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

I have some vague memories of this case. 45g maintained a massive sockfarm, noted in the sockpuppet investigation noted above, and repeatedly disrupted the SPI in question. Claims of being "unfairly blocked" are ludicrous. Even if that is true, he still should not be editing and instead needs to raise these issues with WP:BASC instead of coming here. If a person has a blocked account, even if they think the block is unfair, they may not edit Wikipedia. Period. Either request an unblock via the blocked account's talk page, or email arbcom as described at WP:BASC. Not thinking the block was fair is not liscence to violate Wikipedia's policies by continuing to edit under IP addresses or other accounts. End of discussion. --Jayron32 06:36, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Addendum. NOW I know why I remember this case. there is still the issue of this legal threat which is why the initial disruption block was extended to an indefinite. --Jayron32 06:40, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, and I will be taken legal action. Why? Because you STILL have not shown me how to request unblocking, nor have you removed the accounts and the page I wrote to HQ about. Plus that jackass Michael person STILL keeps tagging me and is harassing me on ED. So next week, I will be taken legal action for TOS abuse on both ED and Wikipedia, even if you are not related. Same shit, DIFFERENT website. So on Monday, I'll be looking to sue The Wikipedia Foundation and ED for not deleting the talk page. Understood?50.16.21.191 (talk) 03:18, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

But if you comply, I won't have to do anything. This would really just waste my time and your time. Also, I'm getting lots of good evidence. So don't reply with back chat or say this is an empty threat. Just go here if u think I'm lying.

http://encyclopediadramatica[dot]com/Grace_Saunders http://urbandictionary.com/peter+anderson

This is not an empty threat, nor am I making up stories. Both were deleted because I filed a violation of the privacy policy of the internet & for abuse. Since I was abused on Wikipedia, I'm eligible to sue for harassment and unjust treatment. Also, writing to the site is pointless because no one replies. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.16.21.191 (talk) 03:23, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

As has been stated, please follow the process under WP:BASC. Specifically, please send an e-mail to arbcom-llists.wikimedia.org and they will attempt to help you with your issue as possible. - Burpelson AFB ✈ 15:51, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

Train engine reverser key

I have a train engine reverser key and would like to a photo of the same to generate discussion as to its possible date, manafacturer, engines it was in use with etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.67.168.71 (talk) 07:55, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 3.5 million articles and thought we were affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is for asking questions related to using or contributing to Wikipedia itself. Thus, we have no special knowledge about the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the upper right side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. -- PhantomSteve.alt/talk\^{[alternative account of Phantomsteve]} 10:19, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

MBA colleges in germany

Hi, This is lakshman from india i want to study MBA in germany, so i would like to have a complete information about the MBA colleges in germany along with the college details,

Regards, S.lakshman kumar RF Engineer. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.234.128.194 (talk) 08:33, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 3.5 million articles and thought we were affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is for asking questions related to using or contributing to Wikipedia itself. Thus, we have no special knowledge about the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the upper right side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. Gonzonoir (talk) 08:36, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Castle Cover intro is incorrect

The following needs updating on the 'Castle Cover' page - how do you do this? I've been able to edit the rest fo the page fine, but can't find an edit section to update this info.

Castle Cover is an over 50 insurance specialist based in Poole, Dorset in the United Kingdom. Founded in July 2006, Castle Cover was named as the fastest growing UK home insurer in 2007. The company is continuing to grow and develop, with over 200,000 policy holders and employing over 250 people. Castle Cover is expected to reach a turnover of £100m and sign up over 450,600 customers by 2011.[2] — Preceding unsigned comment added by Leepeterhill (talk • contribs) 09:07, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Castle Cover (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)

The answer to your editing question is here. However, if you are the Lee Hill who is the online marketing executive at Castle Cover, you should not be editing the article directly, as you have a conflict of interest. Please read the FAQ page for organisations. -- John of Reading (talk) 11:09, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

I have undone your changes, as they removed references from the article and damaged the formatting. Feel free to suggest changes by posting on the article talk page. -- John of Reading (talk) 11:43, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

How Do I Put Footnotes At The End Of The Table Caption?

I understand the table on Cape Coral, Florida regarding historical populations uses 2 templates:

template:USCensusPop

but I am not sure if the second template is template:Historical populations.

How do I put the footnotes in the historical populations table on Cape_Coral,_Florida beside the table caption? Since this is a template, it doesn't seem to let me do this. I would assume either of the templates will require changing?199.126.224.245 (talk) 09:58, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

I'm not quite sure what you're asking, but Template:Historical populations/doc says that there is a parameter called 'footnote'. --ColinFine (talk) 18:12, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

This is a table caption[I want to put a footnote here]

Header text	Header text	Header text
Example	Example	Example
Example	Example	Example
Example	Example	Example

Above is a table where I want to put the footnote. On Cape Coral, Florida there is a table regarding historical populations, but the table uses the template {{USCensusPop}}, and I am not sure if {{Historical populations}} has to be changed so that the footnote can be put next to the caption, since {{Historical populations}} seems to be used in {{USCensusPop}}. Is a change required to these templates or one of them so that I can put the footnote next to the caption?199.126.224.245 (talk) 20:57, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

How about this:

{| class="wikitable"
|+This is a table caption<ref group=nb>included reference</ref>
! Header text !! Header text !! Header text
|-
| Example || Example || Example
|-
| Example || Example || Example
|-
| Example || Example || Example
|}
{{reflist|group=nb}}

This is a table caption

Header text	Header text	Header text
Example	Example	Example
Example	Example	Example
Example	Example	Example

---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 05:52, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

That works on NON-template tables. Cape Coral, Florida's table regarding historical populations uses {{USCensusPop}}. {{USCensusPop}} is a template. Also, {{USCensusPop}} might use {{Historical populations}}. {{Historical populations}} is a template. Can someone change these templates so that footnotes can be added to the table caption?199.126.224.245 (talk) 11:16, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

Editing not visible

I have just tried to edit the 'Republicans Abroad' page. I inserted a hyperlink to the website of or chapter in Luxembourg. When I previewed my change it seemed to have been successfully applied, but when I saved the change and viewed the page it was unchanged... No link to our site. And there is no record of my edit in the page history. The edit page states that changes will be visible immediately. I'm just wondering if I've done something wrong or if there is in fact a delay before edits appear. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.103.209.79 (talk) 10:06, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Republicans Abroad (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)

This is an ordinary unprotected page, and changes will be visible immediately. So it looks as if something went wrong. However, a hyperlink to the Luxembourg chapter's website does not seem an appropriate addition - see the Wikipedia guideline on external links. -- John of Reading (talk) 11:02, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Human Confirmation!

I have had several problems editing Wikipedia in the last couple days, when a box appears, saying "Complete one of these surveys to gain access this page. Otherwise you will not have access to this page." Then it lists the following:

• Play Streetfighter Now
• Track your local weather...instantly
• Get you custon facebook theme
• Ultimate Toolbar for hot sleb info
• Customize your facebook with a theme
• Looking to fix up your house?

I'm worried that this may be a virus, but it only appears on Wikipedia, not on anyother site. What could be the problem? Nascar1996 11:14, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Did this happen when you clicked a link within Wikipedia, or when you tried to jump into Wikipedia from somewhere else? If the former, you have a virus. If the latter, you may have mis-spelt the URL. A "survey" site has registered domains such as "en.wikiepdia.org" to catch anyone who mis-types the name. -- John of Reading (talk) 11:25, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

I have Wikipedia on my favorites list, which has been the same for months. Then when I go to my watchlist it starts up. It is not currently doing it, but it normally does when I first log on. Nascar1996 11:58, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Rheinish church in Namibia not mentioned

dear sir / madam

please allow me to air my views concerning the above:

the Rhenish Church in Namibia also derived from the Rheinish Mission Society,where the church (former mission society) still exists today.

Their headoffice is located in Rehoboth, Namibia their numbers are: Synod, <tel# removed>.

Mother Church office: <tel# removed>, I am positive you will be able to find more information on the church and her history and also list on your site(s). Another source would be the website of the Rhenish Church in South Africa.

Regards Bourquin Windhoek, Namibia <tel# removed> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 196.31.226.26 (talk) 11:20, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Since we are a volunteer site, articles are added organically by people who are interested in writing an article on a topic doing so. You can make a request for an article to be created at Wikipedia:Requested articles but there's no guarantee that it will be acted on soon or ever. If you want to take the reins, you can write a draft article and submit it for review at Wikipedia:Articles for creation. If you do, please be careful to write from a neutral standpoint and cite to reliable sources that verify the suggested content.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 13:45, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

posting new article by myself or finding an editor?

I would like to see an article of a very notable topic in Wikipedia that is not yet present in Wikipedia. But the topic is about a project I was very involved with. Since I know the most about it and have all the reference material, photos, etc. it makes sense for me to write it...but that seems counter to Wiki suggestions of it being posted by an editor who is non-bias. Would it be OK to write the article myself and post it? Is it possible to collaborate with a Wikipedia editor? How would I find an interested collaborator? Suggestions on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.Markalansmith (talk) 16:46, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

You do have a COI, but the good thing is that you have recognised that and disclosed it. I would suggest that you create the article in your userspace first, at, say, User:Markalansmith/Sandbox. When you think it's ready, ask at Requests for feedback or here for someone to review it (or leave a message on my talk page). I have left a welcome message on your talk page with lots of useful links. In particular take a look at WP:GNG, WP:RS and WP:YFA. – ukexpat (talk) 16:51, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Longest articles list

Is there a list of the longest articles on wikipedia. If I recall such a list is produced every so often. It is relevant at Talk:Clint Eastwood/GA1.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 17:43, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Special:LongPages CTJF83 chat 17:45, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

2007 USC Trojans football team was a Featured Article and is now about 150K, much longer than the Clint Eastwood one.Naraht (talk) 18:12, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

It currently is an FA. I don't see length being a reason for quick fail GA. CTJF83 chat 18:14, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

It is only 65 KB of readable prose.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 18:22, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Please comment on the GA talk page so that others considering this issue can consider your thoughts.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 18:21, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Done. CTJF83 chat 18:34, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Is there a list based on readable prose length?--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 19:27, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Save the world...

Which policy/guidelines dictates that we can't try to effect real world outcomes through our writing. I found WP:Synth, WP:Soapbox, WP:CRYSTAL, and WP:Encyclopedia to be somewhat on point, but feel there is an explicit mention somewhere that we are always backwards looking, always source-reflecting, and never write with a mission to advance, even if it were a good one. Note, this is in response to a deletion discussion about a Julian Assange fork which would highlight calls for his death made in the media so that they could be publicized so people would know he was being targeted and there'd perhaps be outrage which could basically save his life. So the implicit question, was, can we save someone's life if it's an WP:UNDUE violation, and I think the answer is obviously no, but I didn't have a clear policy to point to. Ocaasi (talk) 17:47, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

It's pretty simple. It's not the job of an encyclopedia to "try to effect real world outcomes" - Wikipedia is a tertiary source that writes about things that have been reported on in secondary sources. That's why advertising, proselytising, lobbying, campaigning, predicting the future and other such activities are not allowed here - they are simply beyond the scope of the project. There are plenty of other outlets for such things. – ukexpat (talk) 18:00, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

There is the essay Wikipedia:Advocacy. PrimeHunter (talk) 18:29, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Thanks, this was just right. There's also WP:ACTIVISM, which is currently being written. Ocaasi (talk) 15:52, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

WP:NOBLECAUSE too. And more generally: WP:PEACOCK. But also see WP:IAR and The Constitution is not a suicide pact. --Teratornis (talk) 20:41, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

And of course in the example you give above, publicizing death threats against a person might not have the effect you want. You might encourage some wingnut to carry out the threats. See WP:BEANS. --Teratornis (talk) 20:47, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

By "you" I mean whoever took the position that publicizing the death threats against Assange would make him less likely to be murdered. --Teratornis (talk) 20:51, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

Good links. Also, Wikipedia:RIGHTGREATWRONGS#Righting_Great_Wrongs. As for 'The Constitution is not a suicide pact', see Rahm Emanuel. Ocaasi (talk) 22:48, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

Use on Facebook

Is it possible to share wikipedia pages/articles on facebook? Toadtpullen (talk) 18:00, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, but wholesale republishing of Wikipedia articles is subject to the terms of WP:REUSE which is why Facebook pages that mirror content from Wikipedia (such as this) contain a source statement and an appropriate license. – ukexpat (talk) 18:05, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

You can make a "Community page" on Facebook that contains some content from a Wikipedia article. You can also post links to Wikipedia articles on your Facebook wall. I'm not too impressed with Community pages (so far) because they are only a poor replication of some of the text content from a Wikipedia article. But Facebook is evolving fast so it may one day be almost as good as Wikipedia is now. --Teratornis (talk) 04:09, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

Taipei Metro EMU C371

Having trouble finding info on Google. Help? Perseus, Son of Zeus 20:50, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

You'd probably be better off asking at WikiProject Railways or WikiProject Transport. Incidentally, you can't use a Wikipedia article as a reference for another Wikipedia article. -- PhantomSteve.alt/talk\^{[alternative account of Phantomsteve]} 22:47, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

little help

Hi, I've noticed much of Lambda Sigma Upsilon comes from its website, could someone show me the relevant page on how to handle it...can't seem to find it, and can someone also show me where the rules on photo size on wikipedia is written-the same page has a massive photo in the page...Thanks, Passionless (talk) 21:53, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

The article is a possible copyright violation. If you are able to do it yourself, and there is a sufficiently clean prior revision available, you can revert to that revision, with an explanation in the edit summary. If you are not able to do it yourself, or you are uncertain about the copyright status, you can use the template {{subst:copyvio}}, adding an entry on Wikipedia:Copyright problems/2011 January 7 as indicated by that template. As to your second question, Wikipedia:Image_size is relevant: "Images beside the text should generally use a caption and the "thumb" (thumbnail) option . . . Where size forcing is appropriate, larger images should generally be a maximum of 500 pixels tall and 400 pixels wide". Intelligentsium 22:08, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

"Rights"

Why are statuses such as rollbacker and admin referred to as "rights" when it is clear that editing Wikipedia is a privelege and not a right? jc iindyysgvxc (my contributions) 21:59, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

It's programming terminology meaning the access rights that an individul has. An admin has access rights to specific buttons - which are not physical buttons, but links - which other editors do not. Words mean different things in different contexts - for example, this page is called the help desk, but you don't see a flat surface for placing things on, do you? It's not a desk at all, really... -- PhantomSteve.alt/talk\^{[alternative account of Phantomsteve]} 22:52, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Photo Used can not be verifieds

If a photo on a company's post is from an animal activist group, and can not be linked to that specific company, can it be removed? The photo in question is actually a activist photo of a type of housing, but not specifically the company (as far as I can tell). Xanderanj (talk) 22:52, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

It depends! Was the photograph taken by the individual who uploaded it? Or is it taken from a copyrighted site? What licence has it been released under? If you told us the image, we could give more specific advice. -- PhantomSteve.alt/talk\^{[alternative account of Phantomsteve]} 22:57, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gestcrate01.jpg Xanderanj (talk) 23:00, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

I'm not an expert, but the photo is illustrating the way the pigs are kept by the company - and the cited reference appears to back that up - and there is no indication that this is not one of their cages. I'd probably discuss this on the a article's talk page and get a consensus one way or another. If there are no replies within a week, be bold and remove the picture with a suitable edit summary -- PhantomSteve.alt/talk\^{[alternative account of Phantomsteve]} 23:07, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

entry for Variadic_function goes into a redirect loop or something

I tried to go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variadic_function using IE 8.0, and the browser looks like it gets caught in a continuous loop of redirection. Can someone fix this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.111.16.35 (talk) 23:01, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Works OK for me in Firefox 3.6.13. – ukexpat (talk) 23:40, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

As it does for me in Opera Mini 4.2 -- PhantomSteve.alt/talk\^{[alternative account of Phantomsteve]} 23:46, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

More to the point, it works for me in IE8 8.0.6001.18999 -- John of Reading (talk) 09:43, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

How does one practice editing an existing article using the sandbox?

I am learning Wikipedia editing. How do I practice editing an existing article using the sandbox? ````rgherman — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rgherman (talk • contribs) 23:02, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Go to the article, click on edit and then you can copy the markup. Then create a sandbox such as User:Rgherman/Sandbox by either clicking on that link, or typing it in the search box - then click on the 'create this page' link. Then just paste the copied text and edit/save it. -- PhantomSteve.alt/talk\^{[alternative account of Phantomsteve]} 23:32, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

I created a personal sandbox for you at User:Rgherman/Sandbox by adding the {{User sandbox}} template. I also put a link to it on your user page at User:Rgherman. – ukexpat (talk) 23:36, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

OK. Got it. Many thanks. Rgherman (talk) 19:21, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

This is a test. No reply needed

Resolved

 – Some people just have to reply! – ukexpat (talk) 23:38, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

This is a test. No reply needed.Rgherman (talk) 23:08, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

In that case, I won't reply -- PhantomSteve.alt/talk\^{[alternative account of Phantomsteve]} 23:26, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Nor will I although it is very tempting... – ukexpat (talk) 23:37, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

I think that was very restrained of you - many people would have given in to the temptation and replied anyway! -- PhantomSteve.alt/talk\^{[alternative account of Phantomsteve]} 23:48, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

I know! Must be crowd pyschology... – ukexpat (talk) 23:55, 7 January 2011 (UTC)