Oh dear.=

Two years ago ...
brevity and precision
	... you were recipient; no. 853 of Precious,; a prize of QAI!

Seems my relationship with Commons may be about to turn nasty. Commons:Village_pump#Commons:User-specific_galleries.2C_templates_and_categories_policy.23Categories. Someone's trying to remove credit from me again... I'm going to insist on a hard policy statement to the effect of that's not allowed, or all my works from not on are getting a {{NotCommons}} on them. Adam Cuerden ^(talk) 16:11, 17 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Alas, I'm not conversant in such issues. All I ever do at Commons is search for pix. Sca (talk) 16:33, 17 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Berthe Morisot

Not finding good non-painting pictures of her (File:Edouard Manet - Berthe Morisot With a Bouquet of Violets - Google Art Project.jpg is probably the best painting of her, though http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10524715b/f1.item.r=Berthe%20Morisot.zoom is also quite good.)and there's many good paintings by her), but I did find an interesting photo of her daughter, Julie Manet, a bit after she was orphaned (and adopted by one of the other impressionists). http://metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/284452?rpp=30&pg=1&ft=Berthe+Morisot&pos=24 What do you think? Adam Cuerden ^(talk) 16:53, 23 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Adam, I think she lacks the requisite fame or stature for an FP. The offspring of famous artists often suffer from comparison with their parents, but as far as can be seen on Commons she didn't make much of a mark as a painter herself, though she was painted by several famous artists. Sca (talk) 23:30, 23 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

My Struggle (with kittens)

Maybe The Tale of Kitty-in-Jack-Boots would have attracted more widespread attention? Martinevans123 (talk) 17:53, 27 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I'll keep that in mind for my granddaughters. Sca (talk) 18:13, 27 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, they might also like The Unscrupulous Capitalist Tailor of Gloucester or even The Story of a Fierce Bad Guerilla-Style Rabbit. Martinevans123 (talk) 22:41, 27 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Wiktionary/Fowler's

Wiktionary quotes Fowler's with the 6% figure. I simply don't believe that's accurate (as my BBC stat was intended to show). A quick scan of some media shows the Telegraph using an about 60% of the time, The Sun about 40%, The Mirror about 35%, and The Daily Mail about 35%. Looking at a forum, forums.digitalspy.co.uk goes about 35%, with the caveat that people expressing themselves in web forums don't always go formal. Innit. --Dweller (talk) 18:54, 16 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Dweller: At any rate, it seems that even among Brits it's a minority, though a sizable one, who use an before an aspirated h, right?

– Sca (talk) 21:27, 16 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Looks like it. But I think 6% is solid bunkum. Then again, we're heading towards a majority in this country who say "pacifically" instead of "specifically". Horrors. --Dweller (talk) 22:48, 16 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Don't get me started on grammatical errors and malapropisms. One of my pet peeves is misuse of lay and lie. Among many others, such as false possessives and inappropriate quotation marks. To what extent the digital age has worsened the pernicious trend, I don't know.

In my day, when I worked for the AP, if you gave an 'operator' (Teletype puncher) a sheet of copy with more than three errors in it, he would throw it back at you and say, "What is dis shit?" Those were the days. Sca (talk) 00:55, 17 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I once saw a man selling sausages on a stall in Leeds city centre. Above his head was a sign that read "Sausage's". I wanted to go up to him and say "What a coincidence! You sell sausages and your name is Sausage!" but I figured the punch in my face wouldn't be worth it. --Dweller (talk) 09:18, 17 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]

You're just a pointy-headed intellectual, Dweller!

You see that sort of thing all the time over here. There are people who have kitschy little signs on their houses with their names, as in THE JOHNSON'S or THE MILLER'S. I always want to ask, the Johnson's what?

Another frequent annoyance: Inappropriate quotation marks. There's a blog devoted to that, and lots of funny pics, including some from UK and ex-Commonwealth countries. Sca (talk) 14:45, 17 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]

A mischievious thread, if ever there was one. Mathglot (talk) 02:19, 27 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Today's articles for improvement

As you may know, Wikipedia:Today's articles for improvement reviews nominations for the project, and those articles that are selected get added to a list. Then notices are sent out weekly to interested editors inviting them to work to improvement that week's article. However, the nominations need to receive a certain number of Support votes or will not be approved and will fade back into oblivion. Things have been a bit slow there lately and I'm concerned that some good articles that need improvement will not be approved. I'd like to invite you or any talk page stalkers to look at the project page, look at the nominated articles, express your opinion (Support, Oppose, Comment), and maybe even nominate an article yourself. Here's the link: Wikipedia:Today's articles for improvement/Nominations. If you have any questions, I'm sure Northamerica1000 can answer them. Thanks! – Corinne (talk) 03:44, 1 April 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Inspiration

Hi, Sca. I was invited to your user page for inspiration. Nice page. Lovely in fact. I am indeed inspired.

On a side note, I have been helping a new editor Picomtn and you may be able to help them by direct editing as they are working on several articles about WW I and WW II scientists, and associated articles. Fritz Johann Hansgirg, Jozef Raskin, Karl-Hermann Geib, Roger Agnelli, Henry J. Kaiser, Dan Koshland. Cheers! {{u|Checkingfax}} {Talk} 20:28, 1 April 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Worm's eye view

Me having obviously missed your "friend request" on Facebook and you having missed my "frantic swiping" via Tinder, I felt compelled to send you this exciting link. Enjoy. Martinevans123 (talk) 22:51, 4 May 2016 (UTC) Note: other brands of cranky humourless curmudgeon are available.[reply]

What would Martin Luther say? Sca (talk) 23:45, 4 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Precious anniversary

--Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:02, 12 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Aw, shucks. Sca (talk) 01:02, 14 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Three years now! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:33, 12 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

.. and four ... --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:23, 12 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Ernst Moritz Arndt

The German article contains many informations lacking in the English one. Both my German and English aren't good enough to rewrite the article, so I have formulated only a number of critical comments and references.Xx236 (talk) 06:46, 20 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I'm no expert on Arndt, nor a fan of his. I just tried to clean up the article linguistically. My interest stemmed from having worked on the Stralsund article. Looking back at the Arndt article now, I think it needs more on his work. But I'm not familiar enough with him to add that. Cześć! Sca (talk) 14:14, 20 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

ITN recognition for Rupert Neudeck

On 4 June 2016, In the news was updated with an item that involved the article Rupert Neudeck, which you nominated. If you know of another recently created or updated article suitable for inclusion in ITN, please suggest it on the candidates page. The Rambling Man (talk) 12:30, 4 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]

GAR input sought: Hyacinth Graf Strachwitz

Hi, I noticed that you had previously commented on the article's Talk page and I am reaching out for an opinion and to see if you may be interested in participating in the current GAR.

It has been suggested to me by editor Coretheapple in the Discussion area of a current GA reassessment that the review be brought to the attention of a wider audience. The issues included in the review are sourcing; neutrality; level of detail; readability; extraordinary claims.

I would welcome feedback or a review of the article to see if it still meets Wikipedia:Good article criteria and whether it should be retained or delisted as a Good article. I would also welcome any feedback you'd be willing to share. Thank you and happy editing. K.e.coffman (talk) 08:02, 27 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]

K.e., as mentioned on the talk page, I got involved in the Strachwitz piece only because he was mentioned in a book I was reading (due in part to personal experience in the Baltics), and I was simply seeking to correct what seemed to be our misspelling of his first name.

Taking a look at the article now, I would offer two general criticisms: 1) At nearly 10,000 words, it's too long for someone who remains a comparatively minor historical figure, and 2) its tone seems rather effusive (almost hagiographic) for someone who, his interesting human qualities aside, served a criminal regime. These opinions probably are too general for the detailed discussion of the GAR review. Sca (talk) 13:48, 27 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Strange? edits

Hi, sorry to disturb you, but can you check many edits made today to Polish articles such as Świdnica and Brzeg by an IP. I don't know enough about the subjects and also, unfortunately I have to work. Many thanks Denisarona (talk) 12:46, 7 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Got your message, many thanks. The IP 85.176.6.194 appears to have made many edits to Polish articles today. Back to work!! Regards Denisarona (talk) 14:12, 7 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Outdated mat

Hello, I was wondering why you removed the sentence about the shutdown of Interstate 880 with the edit summary "outdated mat". The event had only occurred 1 day before, so I'm not sure why that would be considered "outdated". Kaldari (talk) 01:27, 11 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

E-mail failed

I got a notification that you sent me an e-mail but I did not get an e-mail. This is not the first time I have had this problem so I have decided to just disable e-mail until it is working properly.

If it does not involve private information I am happy to talk on wiki. If it does involved private information then you may need to bring the issue to another admin. HighInBC ^{Need help? {{ping|HighInBC}}} 15:14, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates/Cynthia Woodhead

Can't do anything about the grain, obviously, but I can use the curves tool to increase the contrast in the shadows - that's not a very good explanation, but you'll see what I mean - and have done so. Adam Cuerden ^(talk) 16:18, 20 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Punctuation

Hello.

I don't know whether your response here is in response to the matter of the absent but required comma, or to the presence of "Czech Republic". In my view "Czech Republic" is helpful, whether Prague is a "headline city" or not, since not all people know where it is. Regardless of that, if it would be kept there, the comma would be required per WP:Copyedit#Punctuation, headline city or not.

Regards

HandsomeFella (talk) 15:55, 9 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

(Answer moved here.)

Hi there Fella. I agree regarding the comma after Prague. On the issue of whether it's necessary to point out that Prague is in the Czech Republic (or Czechia?), perhaps it's a generational difference: My age is such that I remember the Soviet invasion of '68 very well. And, BTW, when I visited Prague three years later there were cops on every corner. Sca (talk) 22:16, 9 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I too remember the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, so I don't think there is a generational difference.

Cheers. HandsomeFella (talk) 04:10, 10 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Arbcom case you might be interested in

I just filed an arbitration request against The Rambling Man, citing an example in which you were involved in. You might be interested in the case. Link is here: [1]. Thanks, Banedon (talk) 05:16, 18 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Your email

I have a notification that you sent me an email, but when I tried to check it, the password had been changed, and the last "user" was assh*le.uk.co, so I suspect I have been hacked by a rather vetched creep. I am busy, I'll notify you later when I have had the time to take care of this. μηδείς (talk) 16:00, 20 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

'Twas nothing important.

Vetched – ?? Sca (talk) 19:45, 20 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, I meant vetchèd. I think it's obvious who's doing what now, but, frankly, I'd rather just let him hoist himself on his own petard. μηδείς (talk) 19:05, 21 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Arbitration Case opened

You recently offered a statement in a request for arbitration. The Arbitration Committee has accepted that request for arbitration and an arbitration case has been opened at Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/The Rambling Man.

Evidence that you wish the arbitrators to consider should be added to the evidence subpage, at Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/The Rambling Man/Evidence.

Please add your evidence by September 17, 2016, which is when the evidence phase closes. You can also contribute to the case workshop subpage, Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/The Rambling Man/Workshop. For a guide to the arbitration process, see Wikipedia:Arbitration/Guide to arbitration.

For non-parties who wish to opt out of further notifications for this case please remove yourself from the list held here

For the Arbitration Committee, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 10:04, 3 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Rail and metrics

Hi, so my point was that the abbreviation is done by a conversion template (that I linked to) and that template lists it as "mi" without the ".". Just pointing out that it was built into the conversion template. MPJ-DK 23:15, 10 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]

POTD notification

Hi Sca,

Just to let you know, the Featured Picture File:Hans Baluschek - Arbeiterstadt (1920).jpg is scheduled to be Picture of the Day on October 2, 2016. If you get a chance, you can check and improve the caption at Template:POTD/2016-10-02. Thank you for all of your contributions! — Chris Woodrich (talk) 08:40, 18 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]

The Rambling Man arbitration proposed decision posted

A proposed decision has been posted in the open The Rambling Man arbitration page. Please review this decision and draw the arbitrators' attention to any relevant material or statements. Comments may be brought to the attention of the committee on the proposed decision talk page. For a guide to the arbitration process, see Wikipedia:Arbitration/Guide to arbitration. If you are not a party, you may opt out of further notifications regarding this case at Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/The Rambling Man/Mass Message List. For the Arbitration Committee, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 01:36, 2 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]

DRB Class 52

Good point. I was trying to correct the grammatical error, but may have introduced an inaccurate statement so I've reverted it. I can't find the equivalent info on de.wiki so can't confirm whether it was just one class or several that it replaced. --Bermicourt (talk) 18:33, 12 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]

An article you contributed to has been nominated for Did You Know

Hello, Sca. An article you either created or to which you significantly contributedhas been nominated to appear on Wikipedia's Main Page as part of Did you know. You can see the hook and the discussion here. You are welcome to participate! Thank you. APersonBot (talk!) 12:01, 13 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]

DYK for Talking Gravestones of Amrum

On 30 October 2016, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article Talking Gravestones of Amrum, which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that the Talking Gravestones of Amrum and their counterparts on Föhr (example pictured) display detailed biographies of the deceased? You are welcome to check how many page hits the article got while on the front page (here's how, Talking Gravestones of Amrum), and it may be added to the statistics page if the total is over 5,000. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 00:01, 30 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Oi!, Sca-man, me ol' china ...

Martinevans123 ^{(Santa's Drop-in Centre)} ... sends you ...

... warmest seasonal wishes for ...
Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda.

Hoping that Christmas may bless you with peace, love and understanding... and wishing that you may find your true star...

upcoming POTD

Hi Sca,

Just to let you know that the Featured Picture File:Claude Monet - The Magpie - Google Art Project.jpg is due to make an appearance as Picture of the Day on February 7, 2017. If you get a chance, you can check and improve the caption at Template:POTD/2017-02-07. —howcheng {chat} 17:32, 3 February 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Theodore Roosevelt

I believe you are mistaken in applying nation-specific punctuation style to articles here, with spelling and word meaning what's meant with regard to articles with strong ties to a particular English-speaking nation. I clearly showed MOS:COMMA as my source for an en.wikipedia.org-wide guideline, which also links to MOS:QUOTEMARKS and MOS:TQ. Your preference being changed twice (for this stated purpose) does not constitute "continual meddling"; kindly cease and desist from such exaggeration. To continue your quotations of style passages, here's one from MOS:TQ that's very direct to my point.

Punctuation inside or outside

Shortcuts

On the English Wikipedia, use the "logical quotation" style in all articles, regardless of the variety of English in which they are written.

—ADavidB 19:12, 10 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Mistaken? Why?

I can assure you that, based on my four decades' experience with U.S. media and publishing, the punctuation style you insist on is not accepted practice in U.S. English. Nor do I accept it, regardless of what anyone at Wikipedia may decree. Wiki is not the final authority on questions of language. Sca (talk) 00:03, 11 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

A barnstar for you!

		The Barnstar of Good Humor
		For your inspired humour with this side-splitting comment, I present to you this barnstar. PS: I've edited WP for 11 years but now choose to edit anonymously, mostly at ITN. 118.81.223.237 (talk) 16:07, 4 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Can you help verify translations of articles from German

Hello Sca,

Would you be able to help evaluate the accuracy of translations of Wikipedia articles from German to English Wikipedia?

File:Language icon.svg

This would involve evaluating a translated article on the English Wikipedia by comparing it to the original German article, and marking it "Pass" or "Fail" based on whether the translation faithfully represents the original. Here's the reason for this request:

There are a number of articles on English Wikipedia that were created as machine translations from different languages including German , using the Content Translation tool, sometimes by users with no knowledge of the source language. The config problem that allowed this to happen has since been fixed, but this has left us with a backlog of articles whose accuracy of translation is suspect or unknown, including some articles translated from German. In many cases, other editors have come forward later to copyedit and fix any English grammar or style issues, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the translation is accurate, as factual errors from the original translation may remain. To put it another way: Good English is not the same as good translation.

If you can help out, that would be great. Here's a sample of the articles that need checking:

All you have to do, is compare the English article to the German article, and assess them "Pass" or "Fail" (the {{Pass}} and {{Fail}} templates may be useful here). (Naturally, if you feel like fixing an inaccurate translation and then assessing it, that's even better, but it isn't required.) Also please note that we are assessing accuracy not completeness, so if the English article is much shorter that is okay, as long as whatever has been translated so far is factually accurate.

If you can help, please {{ping}} me here to let me know. You can add your pass/fails above, right next to each link, or you may indicate your results below. Thanks! Mathglot (talk) 06:58, 11 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Mathglot, I'll give it a shot. (Can't promise exactly when.) My German is usually good enough for that purpose, though it's weit von perfekt due mainly to my sketchy German grammar. Sca (talk) 13:31, 11 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. From your description, I'm probably about like you in German. A simple bio is no problem for me, but something like Classis Germanica is really a stretch (but in a good way). We have plenty more articles, so let me know if you want articles that are simpler (or harder) and I'll try and accommodate. Mathglot (talk) 21:40, 11 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Einverstanden. I can't read Kant in the original. Sca (talk) 22:58, 11 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Mathglot: Went through Mediakraft Networks – quite a few minor changes in trans., plus one small addition. More could be added from the German, but for English Wiki this probably genugt. See what you think. Sca (talk) 22:55, 11 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Well, I can't read Kant in English. I'll have a look but I'll be off wiki except for phone the next few days. Mathglot (talk) 04:00, 13 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

USS Indianapolis

Hi It was ment for Martinevans123. --Jenda H. (talk) 15:01, 21 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]