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Um, leaving a message?

Hello this is Ellie and I am learning how to use the Wikis. Ifmicecouldfly (talk) 15:59, 24 August 2010 (UTC)

American novels

Hi Awadewit. When you get a chance can you have a look at this discussion. An editor has decided to eliminate the Category:American novels, if I understand correctly. Because we have Category:British novels, it seems we should be consistent and have American novels as well. Thanks. Truthkeeper88 (talk) 16:56, 4 August 2010 (UTC)

I long ago gave up participating in category discussions. The categories on Wikipedia are a mess and make no sense to someone who studies the field - but try telling that to the people who make it their life's work to manage the category structure. :) Awadewit (talk) 03:44, 6 August 2010 (UTC)
That's what I've learned this week. I think it's unfortunate, because I like the idea of sorting articles by category, but now I know the Wikipedia category structure regarding literature is arbitrary at best. Thanks for the response. Truthkeeper88 (talk) 14:03, 6 August 2010 (UTC)
Sorry you had to go through that! Awadewit (talk) 21:39, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

New Mexico?

Hello: I think that I just received a message from you - something about wikipedia and New Mexico. One of the rules that I live my life by is to always say "Yes" unless there is a strong, compelling reason to say "no". So, what exactly is it that I am saying "yes" to? Einar aka Carptrash (talk) 20:34, 4 August 2010 (UTC)

We are looking for Wikipedians to go to this THATcamp and work with some museums. Would you be interested in this? You can email me for more details. Awadewit (talk) 03:40, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

The Wikipedia Signpost: 9 August 2010

Hi

Hi Awadewit, I sent you an e-mail. I wanted to catch up with you and share with you some of the things I learned while working on the Public Policy project. Would you check your gmail when you get a chance? Thanks! Bob Cummings (talk) 01:11, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

Done! It's been a busy week here in DC! Awadewit (talk) 10:02, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 16 August 2010

Ezra Pound

Hi Awadewit, I've done it again, made one edit to an article and found myself unable to stop. This time it's Ezra Pound. I'd appreciate it if you have a look at the content and comment. Also had to pull out images because of a preliminary image review by Elcobbola - I plan to spend time digging to find definitive publication dates for the images and may need help from you because of your library access. However you want to do this is fine: either a full-blown PR as you did with Hemingway, or an unofficial review a la Edmund Evans and True at First Light if your time is crunched. Thanks. Truthkeeper88 (talk) 14:49, 21 August 2010 (UTC)

Pound - how wonderful! I'll try to do a full review, but my time is indeed crunched. I'm going on the job market this year! Scary stuff! Awadewit (talk) 21:35, 22 August 2010 (UTC)
Thanks! A full review would be great, but I understand the time crunch, so do what you can. Ignore what I've written about the images - they'll get sorted out. Malleus is copyediting at the moment; when he's done, I get back to finish the content. So glad you're interested. Truthkeeper88 (talk) 23:05, 22 August 2010 (UTC)
Truly this can wait for a good long time. I don't really think it's ready for any kind of review yet, and I've hit a wall. Whenever you have time, is fine. Btw - don't worry about the job market - not scary, just another step. Take care. Truthkeeper88 (talk) 21:46, 24 August 2010 (UTC)
Thanks for the reassurance and I've put Pound on my "to do" list! Awadewit (talk) 22:37, 25 August 2010 (UTC)
Good - although I'm sure your to-do list is quite long. It's not done, but your input is always welcome, especially before the final polish. Unfortunately Pound's bio isn't light reading - nonetheless he's important to Am Lit. Truthkeeper88 (talk) 01:38, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

Bibliography articles

Awadewit, long time no discussion page interchanges! I know you're busy, but you're the only name I recall from an old discussion on titling bibliography articles. There was a conflict between "[Author's name] bibliography" and "Bibliography of [author's name]". Do you remember that discussion? I'm not sure what consensus, if any, was reached. All the best, --Midnightdreary (talk) 13:35, 24 August 2010 (UTC)

I'm sure the exchange was quite heated, but I don't remember anyway, either! :) I use "List of works by...," anyway. Awadewit (talk) 16:39, 24 August 2010 (UTC)
I like that much better than "[Author's name] bibliography". I think you were the one that noted that terminology implies a list of works about the topic, rather than by that author. --Midnightdreary (talk) 23:03, 24 August 2010 (UTC)
Glad to be of help! Awadewit (talk) 22:37, 25 August 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 23 August 2010

New Section

At Sage's suggestion, I'm trying to leave a message by creating a new section. Hi, Awadewit! Ifmicecouldfly (talk) 15:14, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

So one should post with newest at the bottom of the page? Learning Wikipedia etiquette... Please delete my notes if you wish. Ifmicecouldfly (talk) 15:17, 26 August 2010 (UTC)
Hi Ellie! I'm not Awadewit, but just another Wikipedia editor who happens to watchlist Awadewit's talk page. I just wanted to say that it's wonderful that you are working with the Public Policy Initiative and that the Wikimedia Community is very excited to have you here.

As for your question, yes new discussions should begin at the bottom of the page (the new section button will automatically put your thread at the bottom) and replies to the original comment and the subsequent discussion should continue in that one section. Best, NW (Talk) 15:29, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

Nice formatting job, If mice (Ellie)! You did very well! And thanks for welcoming her, Nuke! Awadewit (talk) 17:36, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 30 August 2010

WikiProject Children's and Young Adult literature Newsletter

Newsletter September 2010

Project news
  • Welcome to the first edition of the WikiProject Children's literature newsletter! If you are interested in contributing or want more information, you can find us in the Outreach department.
  • The project now has a list of its most popular pages. The mosts visited page in our project's scope in July was List of Twilight characters which was visited 538088 times from July 1st to July 31st; which means it was visited a whopping 17357 a day.
  • Due to the combined efforts of several editors, the backlog of nearly 4000 unassessed articles has been eradicated in less than six months. Thanks to everyone who took part!
Collaboration article

Don't forget that the current Children's literature collaboration article is Curious George (book). Be sure to get involved and together we can make the article a better quality.


From the Editors

Hello and welcome to this, the inaugural edition of the WikiProject Children's literature newsletter. We're very excited about it and we hope that you will enjoy reading it. We're still in the early stages, though, and need your suggestions and feedback. Do you like the newsletter? What would you like to see in the next edition? Please give us your feedback on this issue here. We really value it.

Current discussions

The project's current discussions are as follows:


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Delivered by MessageDeliveryBot on behalf of WikiProject Children's literature at 15:42, 1 September 2010 (UTC).

Davenport, Iowa

Per this, I finally got the German studies book, what kind of information do you suggest I add, and how indepth should I go? CTJF83 chat 17:33, 1 September 2010 (UTC)

I'm afraid you'll have to use only my 2009 FAC comments - I don't remember the article well enough to give you any additional help. Have you tried adding some new material and submitting the article for peer review, asking the reviewer to focus specifically on those sections? That might help. Awadewit (talk) 18:58, 3 September 2010 (UTC)
Ok, thank you, CTJF83 chat 03:54, 13 September 2010 (UTC)

TFA day

Congrats on TFA day, for Lives of the Most Eminent Literary and Scientific Men! Looks like this is another one of those that you could add to your WP:FOUR collection (does not appear to be listed there yet). Cheers, -- Cirt (talk) 18:41, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Thanks! :) Awadewit (talk) 18:59, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 6 September 2010

Advice?

Hi, I was suggested here to consult you for advice for improving this article up to FA. I have added in s style and writing section along with a structure and genre section. Is it possible for this to become a FA? Huge thanks in advance! Derild4921☼ 01:39, 11 September 2010 (UTC)

Sorry, but have you missed this? Friendly reminder! Thanks! Derild4921☼ 22:49, 20 September 2010 (UTC)
I've been incredibly busy lately - I will do my best to get to it this weekend. Awadewit (talk) 01:14, 23 September 2010 (UTC)
Thanks you very much! :). Derild4921☼ 01:15, 23 September 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 13 September 2010

Email

Just so you know, I've sent e-mail. Truthkeeper88 (talk) 14:42, 15 September 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 20 September 2010

This is the Wikipedia Workshop

Hi! Thanks for helping out!Ifmicecouldfly (talk) 23:40, 21 September 2010 (UTC)

Hello again

Wikipedia is really fun. Ifmicecouldfly (talk) 23:38, 22 September 2010 (UTC)

I like! being! helpful!!

Yeeeeaaahhhhh. So I removed some remarks from your user page I thought were weird. On second thought, maybe they were students or folks in a workshop or something. Here, and here. So...sorry, I think. I dunno. --Moni3 (talk) 23:52, 22 September 2010 (UTC)

Check out their userpages Moni. They probably just got confused about the differences between user and user talk pages. Awadewit, do you want me to follow up, or do you want to handle it? NW (Talk) 00:37, 23 September 2010 (UTC)
 Done, left welcome messages and preliminary notices at the talk pages. -- Cirt (talk) 00:46, 23 September 2010 (UTC)
Yes, I was giving a workshop yesterday and today and we were showing people how to leave messages on a talk page. It was all fine. Thanks for policing my page everyone. :) Please welcome the new users! See here for the class I'm working with. Awadewit (talk) 01:10, 23 September 2010 (UTC)
 Done, all now have at least one welcome message. :) -- Cirt (talk) 01:24, 23 September 2010 (UTC)

Example text

Re. the email on Public Policy Initiative concerning sample text, copyright problems, etc.

I'm sure you are quite aware of the importance of caution over copyright, and forgive me if the following includes information that you already know; however it might also be useful to pass along to others. Consequently, I am trying to write the following for a general audience, so please don't find it patronising!

To add 'example text' to a user sandbox page, two suggestions;

1. You can put {{subst:lorem}} to quickly generate random text - if I put that below, it makes...

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

...it is quite random; see Lorem ipsum. You can also put a number up to 4, to get several paragraphs, e.g. {{subst:lorem|4}}.

2. You can copy the entire text of any Wikipedia article, with a few caveats;

  • Say where it comes from, in the edit summary - use a link to the specific dated revision from the page, for example;
This text copied from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sausage&oldid=386277439
You can get such a link by clicking on the History tab at the top of the article, ie in this case I went here.
  • Remove any non-free images (logos, record-covers, etc) if any — they are not permitted in user space
  • Add a colon-character : at the front of any categories, which should be at the end of the article. For example, changing [[Category:Breakfast foods]] to [[:Category:Breakfast foods]]. This stops the userspace page from appearing in those Wikipedia categories.

HTH, Cheers,  Chzz  ►  20:20, 23 September 2010 (UTC)

Yes, thanks. We were trying not to introduce too many concepts at once. We did suggest the Lorem Ipsum text - I think we will require that in the future. Awadewit (talk) 21:56, 23 September 2010 (UTC)
Yes, I agree with the 'keep it simple' - it can easily get into complicated stuff, like this.
One idea is to simply write some sample page, possibly using something from public domain, so no attribution would be needed; I'm sure we could find something. We could even add wiki formatting stuff, and release the whole thing into PD with a clear statement...then it could be used for anything, any time. Would be worthwhile making such a 'generic sample Wikipedia page', I think.  Chzz  ►  23:53, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 27 September 2010

Medical Collaboration of the Month

Craig Hicks (talk) 21:03, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

File:EarlyWiki2.pdf listed for deletion

A file that you uploaded or altered, File:EarlyWiki2.pdf, has been listed at Wikipedia:Files for deletion. Please see the discussion to see why this is (you may have to search for the title of the image to find its entry), if you are interested in it not being deleted. Thank you. Eeekster (talk) 22:59, 30 September 2010 (UTC)

WikiProject Children and Young Adult's literature Newsletter - October 2010

Newsletter October 2010

Project news
Unreferenced BLPs

There's only a few Unreferenced BLPs (Biographies of living people) left. Why not head over to the page and help by adding sources to the articles? It's an important job, that requires assistance.


From the Editor

Hello and welcome to this, the second edition of the newsletter. This month, I need to ask a favour of you. You may have seen that this month I had to write the newsletter by my self. I really need your help with writing and giving suggestions. If you have a suggestion for a future edition, please list it at the tips desk. You may also notice the links underneath this piece. Please use them to share this newsletter on your favourite social networks. Until next time, happy editing!

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Ways to promote the project
If you're interested in promoting the project, why not visit the Outreach department for more ideas?

There are many ways to promote the project. One of them is to add the project's ad to your userpage. To do this, simply add the code {{Template:Wikipedia ads|ad=212}} to your talk or user page. Another thing you can do is to invite other users to join the project. To find prospective members search the history pages of Children's literature-related articles and invite people who seem to be deoing good things for these articles. The code for the invitation template is {{subst:Wikipedia:WikiProject Children's literature/Invite}}.

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Delivered by MessageDeliveryBot on behalf of WikiProject Children's literature at 00:02, 1 October 2010 (UTC).

Indianapolis Children's Museum trip

Do you take many pictures for Wikimedia? If so, would you be willing to try to get one of the Broad Ripple Park Carousel when you're at the Children's Museum on Friday? I'd love to come, but I have class at the Wells Library during the tour time. FYI, I've also left a note with Koavf asking for a photo of the carousel, since he's signed up for the tour as well. Nyttend (talk) 19:10, 3 October 2010 (UTC)

By the way, talkback please. Nyttend (talk) 19:10, 3 October 2010 (UTC)
Will do, but, as I'm not a professional photographer, I can't promise great art! Awadewit (talk) 02:34, 4 October 2010 (UTC)
Thanks! I won't complain; it's not as if my photos (example) are anywhere close to professional quality either. Nyttend (talk) 03:37, 4 October 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 4 October 2010

Hi--we met at WAC--I'm a colleague of Anne's. I'm working with my American Women Writers course to expand the criticism and theory on writers like Fanny Fern and Harriet Wilson. Wondering if you know any Wikipedians who might be interested to help with student additions/edits. With thanks! Jentuser (talk) 12:50, 6 October 2010 (UTC)

Request for Wikipedians

Hi! I wanted to post this under a new section heading. I'm a colleague of Anne's (we met at WAC conference). Wondering if you know any Wikipedians who might be willing to help my students with their edits/additions to criticism and theory sections on U.S. women writers like Fanny Fern and Harriet Wilson. with thanks, Jentuser (talk) 12:56, 6 October 2010 (UTC)

Hi! Yes, I remember you! What a wonderful project - thank you! I will contact someone who should be able to organize a bunch of people. If he can't, I will do so myself. I'm on the job market this year, so I'm a bit busy right now, but articles on women writers are very important! :) Awadewit (talk) 17:18, 8 October 2010 (UTC)
I'm happy to help. I have a relatively thin background in literary criticism, but I'm familiar enough that I feel I could help out with the wikipedia end. Protonk (talk) 18:40, 8 October 2010 (UTC)

Hi, Adrianne; let me know how I can help -- I don't have any mentees on the Public Policy project yet so would be glad to work with either the students or the professor or both if you think I could help them. Thanks -- Mike Christie (talk) 19:17, 8 October 2010 (UTC)

Hello Adrianne, please let me know if you need any help. I'll be glad to help the students. :) Bejinhan talks 08:49, 9 October 2010 (UTC)
No work here either; I can help. • Ling.Nut 10:40, 9 October 2010 (UTC)
I'm a little busy at the moment, but I'm my page is always available to leave questions and I'm familiar with literature articles. I believe I welcomed Jenuser - I'll leave a note there as well. Truthkeeper88 (talk) 11:56, 9 October 2010 (UTC)
Great, thanks for helping out, guys and gals! User:Ragesoss is organizing some people as well. As soon as there is a link, I will post it here. Awadewit (talk) 23:32, 9 October 2010 (UTC)
Here's the course page I started: Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels/American women writers fall 2010. Nothing to see there yet, really, but that's the page to watch. Sonia will be taking the lead on coordinating with Jentuser and making sure the ambassadors know what the Jentuser and the students need.--Sage Ross - Online Facilitator, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 03:57, 16 October 2010 (UTC)
Thanks! Awadewit (talk) 03:08, 17 October 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 11 October 2010

Texas Chain Saw Massacre question

I know you're busy, but if you (or one of your TPSs) have time, I have a question about academic sources on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It's currently at FAC, and a non-WIkipedian I asked said that Carol Clover's Men, Women and Chainsaws was an important source that should have been cited, and that there has been a lot of academic work done on the film, particularly gender theoretic analysis, which is not well represented in the article. I don't have the background to be able to make a stronger comment than I already have at the article, but I gather you know something about gender studies -- would you be able to tell whether or not the article is light on critical theory? Thanks. By the way, your comment on the ambassador list was quite right -- I was wrong to think WP:NRG was less successful just because it created no FAs; thanks for pointing that out. On the other hand, perhaps I asked the question the wrong way round -- why was it more successful? I think Jon probably has some wisdom to share in either case. Mike Christie (talk) 09:56, 13 October 2010 (UTC)

I'm afraid I only the broad strokes arguments made about horror films, which are already in the article. Have you asked User:Kaldari? I think he knows something about the genre. (I briefly checked the MLA database and only found a handful of articles about the film, which was interesting.) Awadewit (talk) 03:01, 17 October 2010 (UTC)

Too much free time on your hands?

Hi Awadewit. Would you please take a look? Tom Reedy (talk) 18:42, 15 October 2010 (UTC)

Responded at talk page. Awadewit (talk) 03:07, 17 October 2010 (UTC)


Thought you might be interested...

...in this, my exhumation of a Victorian children's writer who was really quite big in his day. My grandfather won one of his books as a Sunday School prize in 1903 – and I have it! No need to comment, just read it at your leisure, such as you have. Good luck with the jobs market (it ain't lookin' too good over here). Good wishes, Brianboulton (talk) 23:59, 17 October 2010 (UTC)

Very interesting! I can't wait to read it! Awadewit (talk) 09:52, 19 October 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 18 October 2010

Presentation at the IMA next month

I just got an IU campus email about the thing at the IMA on 2 November with you and the British Museum GLAM project person. So sorry that I can't come (I have class on Tuesday evenings), but I was curious — do you ever run events like this on campus? Talkback, please. Nyttend (talk) 20:45, 21 October 2010 (UTC)

Thanks! I have a test late Monday afternoon, so something like this should be a nice break from studying. I'll come if I can remember. Nyttend (talk) 02:18, 22 October 2010 (UTC)
And I didn't remember :-( Nyttend (talk) 22:50, 25 October 2010 (UTC)
No problem - here is a link to a recording. http://breeze.iu.edu/p75545030/ Awadewit (talk) 01:21, 26 October 2010 (UTC)

The SAQ

Hi Awadewit,

Saw your comment on the Shakespeare talk page, and would just like to say your drive-by comment on a single comma placement in any Shakespeare article would be valuable and much appreciated; if you can somehow find the time for a wider review of Shakespeare authorship question I'd be at a loss for words to express my appreciation. That's not quite as effusive praise as it sounds, since the desperate lack of involved editors on Shakespeare in general—and this conflicted one in particular—makes any contribution tenfold valuable and appreciated; but since your help and input on other Shakespeare articles has been irreplaceable in getting them to a decent state, your contributions on this one would be particularly appreciated (not that my adulation of Awadewit should keep anyone else from joining in, you hearing me, Talk-page stalkers? ;D).

Anyways, good luck on your job hunting. Any academic institution of any repute and sense should give you immediate tenure. --Xover (talk) 12:52, 24 October 2010 (UTC)

You're too kind! I will make it a priority to stop by in about 2-3 weeks, after I have finished applying for jobs. Awadewit (talk) 16:02, 24 October 2010 (UTC)
A, if you have time to read and comment on this RfC sometime tomorrow or Monday, it would really be appreciated. The commentary on that talk page is confusing, so here are the links to the two competing articles (but your comments should go on the SAQ talkpage):
Version 1
Version 2
The second version should be substantially completed by tomorrow. Both are being reviewed by an admin who is refereeing this AN/I as part of his procedure to determine its outcome. Cheers! Tom Reedy (talk) 13:22, 30 October 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 25 October 2010

Wikipedia:Requests for comment/2010 ArbCom election voting procedure

You are invited to participate in the Wikipedia:Requests for comment/2010 ArbCom election voting procedure which is expected to close in a little over a week. If you have received this message, it is because it appears that you participated in the 2009 AC RfC, and your contributions indicate that you are currently active on Wikipedia. Ncmvocalist (talk) 26 October 2010 (UTC)

Children and Young Adult's literature WikiProject Newsletter - Issue 3

Newsletter November 2010

Project news
  • The project's most popular page in September was Harry Potter which received 481902 views throughout the month. That means that it received on average 16063 views each day. It's a GA which is Top importance within the project's scope. To see more popular pages head over to the list now.
  • The Children's literature Portal is up for Peer review. Please feel free to chime in here.
  • Pandawing$ has joined the project. Thanks for joining Pandawing$.
Articles needing infoboxes

There are lots of articles within this project's scope without infoboxes. They can help to improve the quality of an article by adding a brief overview. It's a task that won't take very long so why not head over now and help out?


From the Editor

Hello and welcome to this, the third edition of our WikiProject's newsletter. In this month's newsletter, I encountered a problem, well, two problems actually. I needed some help with the production: suggestions and other writers. As with last month, if you have any suggestions for the newsletter, please add them at the Tips Desk. If you would like to write some of the next issue, that's even better! Just come go over to the main Newsletter page to see where you can help out, and of course, as always, please give us your feedback on this edition, on the talk page. Until next time, happy editing!

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Children's literature news


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Delivered by MessageDeliveryBot on behalf of WikiProject Children's literature at 18:06, 1 November 2010 (UTC).

Citation formatting?

I was looking at your FA The Time Traveler's Wife and noticed for some references which needed subscriptions such as number 20 Judith Maas, "An uneven chronicle of a couple over time", The Boston Globe (8 December 2003). LexisNexis (subscription required). Retrieved 25 April 2009

the subscription required part is also in there; how did you format it? Manually of with a cite news or something? Thank you! Derild4921☼ 00:09, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

I do all my citations manually. Awadewit (talk) 00:50, 2 November 2010 (UTC)
Ok, thanks. Derild4921☼ 01:30, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 1 November 2010

Spare some time for a Southeast Asian children literature spinoff?

Hi Awadewit! It has been a while. I saw your listing of children literature on the peer review volunteers page and I wonder if you would be interested to look at Kampung Boy (TV series) (a spinoff of The Kampung Boy). It and its source are created by Lat, a Malaysian cartoonist whose article here has been brought to FA status. I am planning to nominate the TV series for FA and I wonder if you can spare the time to have a look at the article and leave comments at Wikipedia:Peer review/Kampung Boy (TV series)/archive1 if the article is of quality to be brought onto FAC or what further improvements are needed. Thank you. Jappalang (talk) 14:33, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

I would love to look at it. I won't be able to until this weekend, though. Awadewit (talk) 17:49, 2 November 2010 (UTC)
No problems, Awadewit. Good things come at their own pace and I am in no rush. Thank you and I look forward to your comments. Jappalang (talk) 01:40, 3 November 2010 (UTC)
Hi again. Sorry, Awadewit, if you do not mind, could you take a look at The Kampung Boy instead? I have nominated it for GA and User:Cirt has "strongly suggest some copyediting from editors previously uninvolved with the article." Thank you. Jappalang (talk) 03:41, 5 November 2010 (UTC)
Sure, will do. Awadewit (talk) 03:21, 6 November 2010 (UTC)
Thank you for the copy-edit. It has certainly tightened up the language. Jappalang (talk) 02:25, 8 November 2010 (UTC)
It was my pleasure. Awadewit (talk) 02:28, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Children's Museum Backstage Pass

I'm looking forward to having you come out to the Backstage Pass event at the Children's Museum tomorrow morning. Let me know if any issues have arisen that would prevent you from attending. Otherwise, excited to see you tomorrow! HstryQT (talk) 21:02, 4 November 2010 (UTC)

FYI

Wikipedia:Today's featured article/November 21, 2010. Ed [talk] [majestic titan] 06:02, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Main page apperance

Hello! This is a note to let the main editors of this article know that it will be appearing as the main page featured article on November 21, 2010. You can view the TFA blurb at Wikipedia:Today's featured article/November 21, 2010. If you think that it is necessary to change the main date, you can request it with the featured article director, Raul654 (talk · contribs). If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page so Wikipedia doesn't look bad. :D Thanks! TbhotchTalk C. 06:56, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Title page from Mary: A Fiction

Mary: A Fiction is the first and only complete novel written by the eighteenth-century British feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. It tells the tragic story of a heroine's successive "romantic friendships" with a woman and a man. Composed while Wollstonecraft was a governess in Ireland, the novel was published in 1788 shortly after her summary dismissal. Helping to redefine genius, Wollstonecraft describes Mary as independent and capable of defining femininity and marriage for herself. It is Mary's "strong, original opinions" and her resistance to "conventional wisdom" that mark her as a genius. Making her heroine a genius allowed Wollstonecraft to criticize marriage as well: geniuses were "enchained" rather than enriched by marriage. Through this heroine Wollstonecraft also critiques eighteenth-century sensibility and its damaging effects on women. Mary rewrites the traditional romance plot through its reimagination of gender relations and female sexuality. Wollstonecraft later repudiated Mary, writing that it was laughable. However, scholars have argued that, despite its faults, the novel's representation of an energetic, unconventional, opinionated, rational, female genius (the first of its kind in English literature) is an important development in the history of the novel because it helped shape an emerging feminist discourse. (more...)


An interesting new feature, informing folks that a TFA is imminent. Anyway, I just dropped by to say Congrats! So yeah.. Congrats! Scartol • Tok 19:07, 21 November 2010 (UTC)

To authors of past Signpost article on plagiarism

Please see Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates#Suggestion; momentum seems to have stalled at WT:FAC. My idea is to create a page that would be useful across all content review processes, and where we would have a centralized registry so we don't have to clutter each nomination with the same questions to repeat nominators. I'm not sure how we would name the page, so I've put it in my userspace for now-- feel free to edit. See also User:MLauba/Signpost definitions, an upcoming Signpost article. Best, SandyGeorgia (Talk) 15:04, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

I'm afraid I don't have time to get into all of that right now. I'm on the academic job market and it is taking most of my time. I can only do small, contained things onwiki. Apologies, as I view this as really important. Awadewit (talk) 19:17, 9 November 2010 (UTC)
no prob-- good luck with everything! SandyGeorgia (Talk) 19:18, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 8 November 2010

Wikipedia scholarship

Awadewit, do you know of any clearinghouse on scholarship related to Wikipedia? I'm preparing a paper now and want to see what others have said. I'm particularly interested in the perception of Wikipedia within the academic community and "experts" becoming significant Wikipedia contributors. Do you know of anything like this? Best, -Midnightdreary (talk) 16:49, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

You might start here. Awadewit (talk) 19:20, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Allegheny Places

I have not found any secondary sources regarding the Plan as it is the urban plan/economic development document for Allegheny County. It is relatively new and has not been critiqued. I believe that it will be important contribution to Wikipedia once completed. What should I do? Thanks.Evansza1 (talk) 16:02, 14 November 2010 (UTC)

I responded at your talk page. Awadewit (talk) 18:25, 14 November 2010 (UTC)

Thank you. I think the "widespread support" comment refers to the support of the citizens of Allegheny County and their respected officials and that would be difficult to measure. So, I intend to look for local news articles. Also, I have not finished the article. I plan on explaining their economic development initiatives (enterprise zones,research parks, etc.) using other sources. Is that a good idea?Evansza1 (talk) 22:12, 14 November 2010 (UTC)

That does sound like a good idea. Why don't you list the sources on the talk page of the article first? That way we can see what kinds of sources you have, what you might need to find, etc. I know that the report you are writing for class requires slightly different kinds of research than the Wikipedia article. Awadewit (talk) 23:20, 14 November 2010 (UTC)


Invitation to participate!

Hello! As you may be aware, the Wikimedia Foundation is gearing up for our annual fundraiser. We want to hit our goal, and hit it as soon as possible, so that we can focus on Wikipedia's tenth anniversary (January 15) and on our new project, the Contribution Team.

I'm posting across User Talk pages to engage you, the community, in working to build Wikipedia not only through financial donations, but also through collaboration in building content. You can find more information in Philippe Beaudette's memo to the communities here.

Please visit the Contribution Team page and the Fundraising page to find out how you can help us support and spread free knowledge. ⇒DanRosenthal Wikipedia Contribution Team 18:43, 15 November 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 15 November 2010

Hello! While I know that you weren't able to attend the Backstage Pass, I wanted to pass along some resources and links from the day. You can see that images from the day are being added to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis category in Commons. Note that there is a separate category of images of us from the day (rather than objects). We also received a little press on both the Children's Museum blog: The Wikipedians are Coming! and the Wikipedia Signpost had the event as their lead story last week. I will be continuing to work on organizing TCMI research content and moving forward with the content donation in the coming months. I will probably have an announcement about the content donation sometime around February, and I could certainly use your help in spreading the word at that point. Thanks for your interest in the Broad Ripple Park Carousel article. I know the staff will be excited to see it updated in the coming months. Thanks! HstryQT (talk) 20:01, 18 November 2010 (UTC)

History of Sesame Street

Hi Awadewit, I dunno if you remember me, but you've helped me with stuff in the past. These days, I've been working on Sesame Street articles (they need loads of work), and would like to ask for your assistance with this one. I'd like a pair of fresh eyes to copyedit it one more time before taking it to FAC. Be warned: I'm revamping the format of its sources, so ignore that, if you would. I plan on finishing that task before submitting it. Would you mind taking a look at the prose, so that it encounters little trouble at FAC? I know it's the end of the semester, so no hurry. Thanks, I appreciate it. Christine (talk) 13:31, 19 November 2010 (UTC)

Flower Drum Song

Hi. I wonder if I can pick your brain for a moment: Should "Oriental", as an adjective, used to refer to the Far East, be capitalized? We use it, for example, in "Oriental music". While you're at it, should we even capitalize Eastern, as in eastern philosophy or eastern music? Thanks for any advice. Flower Drum Song is a musical set in San Francisco's Chinatown, about Asian-American immigrants. -- Ssilvers (talk) 22:32, 22 November 2010 (UTC)

Hi. Any chance you could consider the above and let me know what you think? All the best! -- Ssilvers (talk) 00:15, 29 November 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 22 November 2010

Priestley House update

Hi A, I found a new source (from 1927) and added two sentences to the Joseph Priestley House article based on it. I also added three sentences on the renovation of the Pond building and its rededication earlier this month. I described this in more detail on the talk page. I think I got all the refs formatted correctly, but wanted to give you a heads up. Hope all is well with you, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 17:04, 23 November 2010 (UTC)

I uploaded several more images - I am most happy with this one of his gravestone, but also got some new or better images of the Pond building inside and out, carriage barn, NHL plaque, the clock, and the attic stairs - see here. I am glad you got such a nice picture of his telescopes as they are no longer on display. Ruhrfisch ><>°° 03:18, 26 November 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 29 November 2010

Flower Drum Song

Hi. We've been working on Flower Drum Song, and it is at FAC. There aren't many GAs or FAs in the whole musicals project, so I think this FAC is important to that corner of Wikipedia. Would you kindly take a look and either comment or vote? Thanks! -- Ssilvers (talk) 18:09, 4 December 2010 (UTC)

Peer Review

Hey there, I have opened Christina Aguilera for a Peer Review. Please leave your comments and suggestions here. Thanks so much! ΣПDiПG–STΛЯT (talk · contribs) 03:05, 5 December 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 6 December 2010

SAQ PR

Hi A! I wonder if you might take a look at the Shakespeare authorship question peer review if you have time? It uses only WP:RS sources and strives for WP:NPOV. If not, I understand, but I'm planning to take it to FA soon and your assessment—even a cursory one—would be most welcome. Thanks much. Tom Reedy (talk) 17:24, 13 December 2010 (UTC)

Never mind! I got a great review from Nikkimaria that will keep me busy for a week! Cheers, A! Tom Reedy (talk) 22:55, 13 December 2010 (UTC)

The Signpost: 13 December 2010

The Signpost: 20 December 2010

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays
Hope you have a lovely holiday season. I have one request: At least once this season, completely ruin someone's attempt to piss you off. If someone cuts you off in traffic or shits on you at work, just smile and wave and tell them Happy Holidays. Maybe they'll be less of an asshole, even if it's just for the rest of the day. Andy Walsh (talk) 20:29, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Tis the season...

Happy Holidays
Wishing you and yours a Happy Holiday Season, from the horse and bishop person. (The image, while not medieval or equine, is by one of my favorite poets and artists, William Blake.) Ealdgyth - Talk 01:36, 25 December 2010 (UTC)

Seasons Greetings!

<font=3> Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and all the best in 2011! Ruhrfisch ><>°° 18:56, 25 December 2010 (UTC)

Commentaries on the Laws of England

Heya; I'm preparing a brand-new, spiffy draft of our article on the Commentaries of the Laws of England, hopefully to eventually put it up at FAC. I've never written an article on a book or treatise before, and wanted a quick piece of advice - do you think it would be best to explain the contents completely in the "contents" section, or summarise what was said and then pull out particularly influential or critiqued bits in the "significance" and "assessment" sections? My current (and brief) draft can be found at User:Ironholds/Commentaries; apologies for the rough note-taking I've made. Ironholds (talk) 17:25, 26 December 2010 (UTC)

Main page appearance

Hello! This is a note to let the main editors of this article know that it will be appearing as the main page featured article on January 3, 2011. You can view the TFA blurb at Wikipedia:Today's featured article/January 3, 2011. If you think it is necessary to change the main date, you can request it with the featured article director, Raul654 (talk · contribs). If the previous blurb needs tweaking, you might change it—following the instructions of the suggested formatting. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page so Wikipedia doesn't look bad. :D Thanks! Tbh®tchTalk © Happy Holidays 05:12, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

A mock-up of one of the prototypes of the Spanish Lince main battle tank.

Letters Written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark is a deeply personal travel narrative by the eighteenth-century British feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. The twenty-five letters cover a wide range of topics, from sociological reflections on Scandinavia and its peoples to philosophical questions regarding identity. Published by Wollstonecraft's career-long publisher, Joseph Johnson, it was the last work issued during her lifetime. Wollstonecraft undertook her tour of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark in order to retrieve a stolen treasure ship for her lover, Gilbert Imlay. Believing that the journey would restore their strained relationship, she eagerly set off. However, over the course of the three months she spent in Scandinavia, she realized that Imlay had no intention of renewing the relationship. The letters which constitute the text, drawn from her journal and from missives she sent to Imlay, reflect her anger and melancholy over his repeated betrayals. Letters Written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark is therefore both a travel narrative and an autobiographical memoir. Using the rhetoric of the sublime, Wollstonecraft explores the relationship between the self and society in the text. Letters Written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark was Wollstonecraft's most popular book in the 1790s—it sold well and was reviewed positively by most critics. (more...)

The Signpost: 27 December 2010

Congrats on the main page appearance!

Hey, I know you worked hard on Letters Written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Congrats on getting it on the main page as well! --Jayron32 18:34, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

The Signpost: 3 January 2011

The Signpost: 10 January 2011

The Signpost: 17 January 2011

The Signpost: 24 January 2011

Wikipedia Ambassador Program Newsletter: 28 January 2011



This is the first issue of the Wikipedia Ambassador Program newsletter. Please read it! It has important information about the the current wave of classes, instructions and advice, and other news about the ambassador program.



Delivered by EdwardsBot (talk) 00:30, 29 January 2011 (UTC)

Is ready to have its prose ripped apart. Feel free to just edit, you know I'm never that concerned with my prose. Anything that you need to question about the sources, feel free to drop on the talk page. Ealdgyth - Talk 18:42, 29 January 2011 (UTC)

Great - I'll do so in the next few days. :) Awadewit (talk) 19:18, 30 January 2011 (UTC)

The Signpost: 31 January 2011

Spring Children's Museum backstage pass?

Hello!
I wanted to touch base and let you know that, as part of the ongoing project with Wikipedia, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is considering a second Backstage Pass Event this spring, likely to be held in April. Since you were interested previously but were unable to attend, I wanted to feel out if a Saturday event would work for you this coming April? Thanks for helping us gauge interest! Things are moving along with the image donation and there should be more press soon to share as things move forward. Thanks again for your interest! HstryQT (talk) 18:21, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

That sounds great - I'm definitely interested! Awadewit (talk) 19:51, 8 February 2011 (UTC)

The Signpost: 7 February 2011

Peer review, if you are interested

I was looking for a peer review of 1907 Tiflis bank robbery to get it prepared for a featured article run. I saw that you were listed as a volunteer on the peer review page for history articles, and I know of you are an excellent editor based on all the hard work that I have seen you do in the past. So if you would be willing to take a look at this article, I would greatly appreciate any thoughts you have on how I can improve it. Best regards, Remember 13:56, 8 February 2011 (UTC)

I'm afraid I don't have time right now. Good luck, though! Awadewit (talk) 19:52, 8 February 2011 (UTC)

Wikipedia Ambassador Program Newsletter: 13 February 2011



This is the second issue of the Wikipedia Ambassador Program Newsletter, with details about what's going on right now and where help is needed.


  • Userboxes and profiles - Add an ambassador userbox to your page, and make sure you've added your mentor profile!
  • Be a coordinating ambassador - Pick and class and make sure no students fall through the cracks.
  • New screencasts - Short videos on watchlists and a number of other topics may be useful to students.
  • Updates from Campus Ambassadors - Ambassadors are starting to report on classroom experiences, both on-wiki and on the Google Group.
  • Other news - There's a new on-wiki application for being an Online Ambassador, and Editing Friday #2 is today!
  • Things you can do - This is just a sample; if you're eager for something to do, there's plenty more.

Delivered by EdwardsBot (talk) 18:20, 11 February 2011 (UTC)

The Signpost: 14 February 2011

Main page appearance

Hello! This is a note to let the main editors of this article know that it will be appearing as the main page featured article on February 21, 2011. You can view the TFA blurb at Wikipedia:Today's featured article/February 21, 2011. If you think it is necessary to change the main date, you can request it with the featured article director, Raul654 (talk · contribs). If the previous blurb needs tweaking, you might change it—following the instructions of the suggested formatting. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page so Wikipedia doesn't look bad. :D Thanks! Tbhotch* ۩ ۞ 04:46, 18 February 2011 (UTC)

Engraving of Joseph Johnson by William Sharp

Joseph Johnson (1738–1809) was an influential 18th-century London bookseller. His publications covered a wide variety of genres and a broad spectrum of opinions on important issues. Johnson is best known for publishing the works of radical thinkers such as Mary Wollstonecraft, William Godwin, and Joel Barlow as well as religious Dissenters such as Joseph Priestley, Anna Laetitia Barbauld, and Gilbert Wakefield. Johnson's friend John Aikin eulogized him as "the father of the booktrade" and he has been called "the most important publisher in England from 1770 until 1810" for his appreciation and promotion of young writers, his emphasis on publishing cheap works directed at a growing middle-class readership, and his cultivation and advocacy of women writers at a time when they were viewed with scepticism. (more...)


Editor's noticeboard?

Apropos of WP:CODGER -- I am looking for pages to watch to find newbie editors in distress; and challenges for encouraging newbies that need concerted effort to overcome. What do you think of an editor's noticeboard, designed to become a pleasure to use and a source of support for editor-enthusiasts (including people who are considering retiring because they are tired of struggling just to maintain civility in their meta-circles)? For a wholly unfinished example, see/edit User:Sj/EN. Regards, –SJ+ 11:04, 21 February 2011 (UTC)

International Women's Day TFA nom

I wanted to inform you that an article you worked on, Maria: or, The Wrongs of Woman, is now nominated to appear on Wikipedia's main page on March 8, International Women's Day. It replaced a nomination of German women's national football team on the same day based on this discussion. This is to let you know that your great work in this article is likely going to be featured on the main page and give you a chance to refine the blurb if you wish (right now it's pretty much the lead taken verbatum). --SkotyWATC 18:35, 18 February 2011 (UTC)

Also, you may have a better idea for which image to use on the main page. Right now it's using the portrait of the author. Please feel free to modify either (the prose or the picture) as you see fit. --SkotyWATC 18:54, 18 February 2011 (UTC)
A, I didn't review the blurb for size, since you may be tweaking it-- 1,200 characters including spaces, although I note Raul exceeds that at times. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 18:56, 18 February 2011 (UTC)

The Signpost: 21 February 2011

The Signpost: 28 February 2011

Main page appearance (4)

Hello! This is a note to let the main editors of this article know that it will be appearing as the main page featured article on March 8, 2011. You can view the TFA blurb at Wikipedia:Today's featured article/March 8, 2011. If you think it is necessary to change the main date, you can request it with the featured article director, Raul654 (talk · contribs). If the previous blurb needs tweaking, you might change it—following the instructions of the suggested formatting. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page so Wikipedia doesn't look bad. :D Thanks! Tbhotch* ۩ ۞ 21:21, 1 March 2011 (UTC)

Mary Wollstonecraft by John Opie (c. 1797)

Maria: or, The Wrongs of Woman is Mary Wollstonecraft's unfinished novelistic sequel to her revolutionary political treatise A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. The Wrongs of Woman was published posthumously in 1798 by her husband, William Godwin, and is often considered her most radical feminist work. Wollstonecraft's philosophical and gothic novel revolves around the story of a woman imprisoned in an insane asylum by her husband. It focuses on the societal rather than the individual "wrongs of woman" and criticizes what Wollstonecraft viewed as the patriarchal institution of marriage in eighteenth-century Britain and the legal system that protected it. The novel pioneered the celebration of female sexuality and cross-class identification between women. Such themes, coupled with the publication of Godwin's scandalous Memoirs of Wollstonecraft's life, made the novel unpopular at the time it was published. Twentieth-century feminist critics embraced the work, integrating it into the history of the novel and feminist discourse. (more...)

The Signpost: 7 March 2011

The Signpost: 14 March 2011

Wikipedia Ambassador Program Newsletter: 21 March 2011



This is the third issue of the Wikipedia Ambassador Program Newsletter, with details about what's going on right now and where help is needed.


Delivered by EdwardsBot (talk) 22:20, 21 March 2011 (UTC)

The Signpost: 21 March 2011

The Signpost: 28 March 2011

The Signpost: 4 April 2011

The Signpost: 11 April 2011

The Signpost: 18 April 2011

Children's Museum Update

Hello!
I wanted to give you an update on the Children's Museum Wikipedia collaboration. You can check out my brief overview in the Children's Museum blog, which includes details on the Apprentice Program project to create five new Wikipedia articles as well as the image donation and use of the new Wikipedia Widget to link the museum's website to Wikipedia.

Last month we completed our first museum image content donation of 30 images. While this seems to be a low number, what makes the donation unique is the curatorial involvement in choosing and vetting the images for their appropriateness and usefulness within Wikimedia (many of the objects are copyrighted toys and other works that have copyright restrictions.) The curators in the collections department were very hands-on in their involvement, and we'll be outlining this process in an upcoming case study. If you would like to help further this process, I'd be happy for you to help disperse the images into useful Wikipedia articles, or let the appropriate WikiProjects know of the new images. Another 30 will be uploaded in the coming month.

In addition to the collaboration with the Museum Apprentice Program students and the curatorial department, another important collaboration was between User:Ealdgyth and the American Collections curators to significantly update the Broad Ripple Park Carousel article. After an impressive amount of time and work, the article has now received Featured Article status. The museum is absolutely thrilled and will now be adding a QR code to the carousel exhibit Carousel: Wishes and Dreams. In the future, more QR codes will be added to the objects that have had articles written by the MAP students. We're excited by the success of this collaboration & will also be writing a case study on the process.

There is now a recurring Indianapolis Update on the newly minted GLAM Newsletter. If you'd like to subscribe to the GLAM newsletter, you can do so here. Thanks! And let me know if you have any questions! HstryQT (talk) 17:53, 19 April 2011 (UTC)

Wikipedia Ambassador Program Newsletter: 22 April 2011



This is the fourth issue of the Wikipedia Ambassador Program Newsletter, with details about what's going on right now and where help is needed.


Delivered by EdwardsBot (talk) 16:30, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Invitation to join Wikimedia US/WALRUS mailing list

Hi Adrianne! I'd like to invite you to join wikimediaus-l, where we already discussing The Great American Wiknic for June 2011 :)--Pharos (talk) 16:43, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

Request for your Editorial Assistance or Referral

Can you help me update my bio, which i see you and another editor have worked on in the past I have sketched out some draft insertion and authority, but of course, as the subject it is inappropriate for me to add, though the page is much in need of some or all of the following;

Douglas W. Kmiec (born September 24, 1951) is an American legal scholar, author, and U.S. ambassador. He was the Caruso Family Chair and Professor of Constitutional Law at Pepperdine University School of Law. Kmiec came to prominence during the United States presidential election, 2008 when, although a Republican, he endorsed Democrat Barack Obama. In July 2009, he was nominated by President Obama to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Malta. He was confirmed by the Senate and served for close to two years as ambassador to Malta. Kmiec’s foreign service concluded when he challenged the accuracy of a State Department report that characterized his religious writing and speaking as an “outside activity,” and “rebuked” him for it. http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/us-ambassador-douglas-kmiec-rebuked-by-state-department-for-wasting-time-writing-about Largely understood to have been appointed by Obama to highly Catholic Malta because of his Catholic background, Kmiec argued that the faith references were either wholly personal and thus within the religious freedom due to all or related to a specific “mandate” given to him by President Obama to evaluate opportunities for faith-based or inter-faith diplomacy and further that the report found his embassy to be well-run and in good order. > http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/kmiec-faces-friendly-fire. An examination by the LA Times found that Kmiec had been consistently “harassed” by State Department officials for his writing and speaking about faith. http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110424/local/American-Ambassador-told-to-leave-next-month.362015 Thus, Kmiec found everything from his plans for a conference evaluating faith-based methods of evaluating conflict resolution to writing and speaking, though occasionally by speaking impromptu or from notes, he found it possible to include some faith reference, as when he opened and co-sponsored an exhibit to Anne Frank . http://www.youtube.com/user/usembmalta

That the White House anticipated Kmiec having this special portfolio was evident at Kmiec’s swearing in where he was introduced by Joshua DuBois, the President’s director of the White House Office on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/13/opinion/la-oe-0413-rutten-20110413, > >Arguing that he had been subjected to a categorical pre-clearance requirement for all speaking and writing which frequently minimized his faith references or told him to forego a fully-planned conference on inter-faith diplomacy, Kmiec resigned his post effective August 15, 2011. Hoping the President might confirm his mandate for inter-faith diplomacy, the President’s advisor DuBois instead chose to have the State Department handle Kmiec’s offered resignation. http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=124042 They did, claiming incongruously that the President accepted Kmiec’s resignation. The State Department then moved his departure up two and half months to May 31, 2011, which effectively prevented the ambassador from presiding over the opening of a new embassy compound which Kmiec saw to completion after it fallen a year or more behind its construction time-table during the Bush-Obama transition. (as noted in IG report, itself) Contents [hide] • 1 Education and career • 2 Scholarship and legal thought o 2.1 Proposition 8 • 3 2008 U.S. presidential election and aftermath • 4 Personal life • 5 See also • 6 References

Education and career Kmiec received his undergraduate degree with honors from Northwestern University in 1973 and his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Southern California in 1976. He was a member of the school's law review and was awarded the Legion Lex Commencement Prize for Legal Writing.[1] Kmiec was a member of the faculty at Valparaiso University School of Law, then taught at Notre Dame Law School from 1980 to 1999, with several leaves to serve in the Office of Legal Counsel for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. At Notre Dame, he directed the Thomas White Center on Law & Government and founded the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy. From 2001 to 2003, Kmiec was the Dean and St. Thomas More Professor of the law school at the Catholic University of America. Following his Catholic University of America deanship, Kmiec assumed the endowed chair in constitutional law at Pepperdine University School of Law.[2] Kmiec also teaches at the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy.[3] Scholarship and legal thought


Dean Douglas W. Kmiec at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Kmiec has been a White House Fellow and a Distinguished Fulbright Scholar on the Constitution in Asia. His published works include The Attorney General's Lawyer (1992), three books on the American Constitution, a two-volume legal treatise, related books, and hundreds of published articles and essays. He is a frequent guest in the media on programs such as PBS's NewsHour, Meet the Press, and NPR, analyzing constitutional questions. He writes the Faith and Precedent column for the Catholic News Service.[1] When asked what it "mean[s] to teach within a Catholic framework", Kmiec responded: Just consider the first year course in contracts. The Catholic emphasis of the study of this course explores not just how contracts are formed or what remedies exist for breach, but also the justice of keeping one’s promises and paying a just or family wage, for example. By contrast, most law schools have become entirely utilitarian and consequentialist – believing that ends justify means – and they’ve cast aside first principles, the most prominent of which is the belief that moral reality can be known and understood by men and women. Although our students are not all Catholic, they all have a sincere desire to explore the relationship of faith and law, and to be of service through the legal profession.[2] Proposition 8 Days before the arguments in front of the Supreme Court of California on Proposition 8, the amendment to the state constitution which limited marriage to opposite-sex couples, Kmiec and his colleague Shelley Ross Saxer, co-wrote an editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle. They opened by explaining "One of us (Saxer) opposed Prop. 8 for civil rights reasons; Kmiec supported it for reasons of religious liberty. Today, both of us believe the arguments in support of Prop. 8 fail each of these interests."[4] They offer two reasons for "resisting" Proposition 8: 1) it could be read too broadly; 2) it ignores the different religious practices of the citizenry. "Marriage", they argue, "is of religious origin; it should remain there."[4] Therefore, in order to retain the separation of church and state, they suggest that the state use consistent terminology for all couples, gay and straight, extending the same bundle of secular rights. If a couple wanted "marriage," Proposition 8 should prevent the state from dealing with the topic, which means it could again become the sole province of religious bodies.[4] Of this view, Time wrote: "The Pepperdine idea puts into a play a new way of thinking — and whether it's part of the court's decision in the Prop 8 case or whether it makes its way into a new referendum, the idea of getting governments out of the marriage business offers a creative way of thinking about a problem that is otherwise likely to be around for a long, long time.”[5] Colbert Report appearance Conservatives perceived Kmiec’s Proposition 8 approach to be more evidence of his apostasy. Kmiec saw it differently, responding that unless all people were afforded civil equality by the government, courts would be unwilling to draw distinctions between same-sex and other couples. While Kmiec argued for a distinction to be drawn between heterosexual and homosexual couples on the basis of procreation, he conceded that once a court finds same-sex relationships to require equal treatment, it would not be long before a church or other religious body not performing same-sex ceremonies or hiring same-sex couples in religious schools would be denied charitable tax exemptions and donations to them would no longer be deductible. Moreover, Kmiec reasoned, different religious traditions view same-sex relationships differently, so the way to keep the need for civil equality from trumping religious differences was to keep the government out of the marriage business altogether. Individual religious bodies would then have free exercise of religion principles to protect them from a mandate to do that which doctrine or practice denies. Kmiec appeared on the highly popular television show The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert, in which the humorist with his pretended conservatism took issue with Kmiec over his book supporting Obama and his and Saxer’s proposal to limit the concept of “marriage” to whatever qualifications religious bodies specified (as distinct from a state granted license or civil union). [1] Colbert in the course of the segment makes (tongue in cheek) the procreative and social case for the family which Kmiec’s writing apart from Proposition 8 would generally affirm. http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/16/opinion/oe-kmiec16 [edit] View on family Kmiec has strongly defended the family as the first vital cell of civilization. His book, Cease-fire on the Family,[2] in the 1990s was an early call for families to avoid getting caught up in the focus on law and politics which he called a "fool's game," when personal attention to the upbringing of one's own children would reap more lasting and direct benefit. Early in the book, Kmiec writes:[3] Family expectation must match family reality. Families must actually perform their intended function as a source of love and emotional support, respect for others, and the taking of responsibility for actions. Our cultural divisions have been unduly "nationalized," and thus artificially magnified, either through the media or Congressional legislation or Supreme Court opinion. These cultural tensions have become near unbearable as one faction or another has sought to enact morality into law, as if legal enactment or judicial pronouncement would somehow rectify moral shortcoming. While there is always some necessary overlap between law and morality, as law implicitly involves a moral claim by its command of obedience, few of us seem to fully appreciate any longer that law cannot force moral consensus or instill virtue or character. Thus, unlike some approving or opposing same-sex unions on the basis that they preclude the transmission of moral values to children, http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2008/06/sandefur_on_kmiec_and_gay_marr.php Kmiec refuses to make that argument, falling back on religious bodies to make this moral judgment as part of their control over the definition of marriage. In this way, opposing Proposition 8 allows Kmiec to keep marriage local and not nationalized, presumably lowering cultural disagreement by the lowering the stakes of one or the other judicial determination. http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/16/opinion/oe-kmiec16


2008 U.S. presidential election and aftermath


Kmiec and then-presidential candidate Barack Obama


Kmiec being sworn into office as United States Ambassador to Malta by Justice Samuel Alito Further information: United States presidential election, 2008 Although he initially supported Republican Mitt Romney,[6] Kmiec "caused a stir" when he endorsed Democrat Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election in a piece on Slate.[7] As he explained in an interview with the Chicago Tribune, "One of the things I kept discovering...was that Obama was sounding more Catholic than most Catholics I know."[8] The issues that drew Kmiec's attention were wages, health care, and the cost of the Iraq War.[8] To those fellow Catholics and pro-life advocates who were surprised at his position, he argued that Obama's desire to "alleviate social conditions that correlate with abortion", such as poverty, was convincing.[8] In the endorsement itself, Kmiec explained his disagreements with Obama, especially over the issue of abortion, but indicated that it was time to find common ground on this and other topics. Kmiec opened his piece by praising Obama's "integrity, intelligence, and genuine good will".[9] As a result of endorsing the pro-choice Obama, Kmiec was denied Communion in May 2008 at a Red Mass for Catholic business people in California.[10] Kmiec confirmed the incident with Nina Totenberg, NPR's legal correspondent [11] and E. J. Dionne of The Washington Post wrote a column [10] noting how John Kerry and other Catholic public officials had been threatened with communion denial in 2004 because of their pro-choice position,[12] but the first actual denial was experienced by Kmiec, a Catholic layman.[13] After review, Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles called the action "shameful and indefensible" and asked the priest to write a letter of apology to Kmiec.[14] In the midst of the election, Kmiec proceeded to write Can A Catholic Support Him?: Asking the Big Question About Barack Obama (2008) to explain his support for Senator Obama in light of Catholic principles.[15] The book's introduction was written by West Wing actor Martin Sheen. Sheen and Kmiec did a series of radio and video commentaries for the Matthew 25 network in support of Obama.[16] Kmiec also campaigned for the candidate as part of his "Faith, Family and Values Tour".[17] Obama was invited to speak at Notre Dame's commencement, which stirred controversy due to his pro-choice stance. Kmiec supported Obama speaking at the university[18] and suggested to the administration that they use the speech as an opportunity to discuss the issues on which both sides of the abortion debate already agree: "we both respect life, we both view abortion as a moral tragedy".[19]

In November 2008, Michael Sean Winters of the Catholic magazine America, called Kmiec "the perfect candidate" for United States Ambassador to the Holy See.[20] The Catholic News Agency, citing a Vatican source, has since reported that Kmiec will not become the ambassador "due to his stance on life issues".[21] The official is quoted saying Kmiec's candidacy "is closed" and that "[Kmiec] nailed the last nail in his coffin with his disappointing position on embryonic stem cell research".[21] After David Souter retired from the Supreme Court, Kmiec authored a lead article in the National Catholic weekly, America, making the case for "empathy" as a necessary value in the selection of a nominees for the high court.[22] On July 2, 2009, President Obama nominated Kmiec as Ambassador to Malta.[23] He was confirmed by the senate and has served for over a year as ambassador to Malta. In April of 2011 he was criticized by the Inspector General of the State Department for spending too much time on unofficial duties. In the report, itself, the IG focused on Kmiec’s perception of his mandate to work on inter-faith issues for the President. Indeed, based on prior clearance requirements that deleted most of his references to faith or precluded him from writing about faith issues altogether, Kmiec took the view that this was a criticism of him by some State Department officials for being too willing to discuss religion in public.[24] Catholic Malta was largely, though not entirely, of the view that Kmiec’s complaint was a principled one and that indeed his approach had brought renewed respect for the United States and its foreign policy. http://ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/malta-hearts-kmiec, There is an on-going debate as to the importance of faith in the conduct of foreign policy that pre-dates Kmiec. http://www.americamagazine.org/blog/entry.cfm?blog_id=2&entry_id=4140 After 9/11, President Obama tried to promote mutual respect by a greater, mutual understanding of different faiths, especially Islam. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/us/politics/04obama.text.html Former Secretary Albright authored a 2006 book The Mighty and the Almighty on the subject favoring greater attention to faith-based diplomacy as “crucial.” Others argued that faith matters were incompatible with diplomacy and Kmiec should not have been appointed or was property chastised. For its part, the State Department chose not to explain why Kmiec’s faith-based efforts were treated with hostility, but instead pointed out how it promotes religious freedom in China and elsewhere. http://ncronline.org/news/politics/state-department-fires-back-ambassador There was speculation that the Inspector General might be paying Kmiec back for a legal opinion he authored years earlier for President Reagan which reminded the inspectors that their role was an important, but limited one, of rooting out waste, fraud and abuse, rather than second-guessing the wisdom of executive programs or their design under the broad rubric of inquiring into effectiveness. http://books.google.com/books Congress has refused to broaden the IG’s authority so the Kmiec opinion has prevailed to preserve the prerogative of the President to define and redefine job responsibilities, subject to Congressional oversight. In other words, Obama could include faith-based discussion and inquiry into Kmiec’s diplomatic portfolio, and it would not be the IG’s business to say otherwise. Comment of Thomas Coogan, former IG http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110418/local/obama-accepts-ambassador-kmiec-s-resignation.361125 In an unusual endorsement, Malta’s Foreign Minister strongly praised Kmiec and expressed “disappointment and surprise” over the resignation pointing out that Kmiec’s faith references made him more not less effective. http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110419/local/US-Ambassador-s-resignation-accepted.361294 Maltese citizens called on President Obama to intervene and prevent the resignation. http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110424/local/American-Ambassador-told-to-leave-next-month.362015 He resigned his post on April 16, 2011, effective the Feast of the Assumption (August 15, 2011).[25] Personal life Kmiec is married to Carolyn Keenan and together they have five children

Dkmiec (talk) 15:30, 25 April 2011 (UTC)dkmiec

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Timeline of Jane Austen

Hi Adrianne,

There is a new weekly section on the main page called "Today's featured list" and I have nominated Timeline of Jane Austen to have a spot here. There has been some opposition to the nomination and it looks like the list could become a removal candidate very soon unless the quality of the list is improved. If you are interested in maintaining the list's featured status and seeing a summary of it up on the main page, your help in improving the article would be greatly appreciated.

Neelix (talk) 20:59, 21 June 2011 (UTC)

Eveline Hanska FAC

I wonder if you have any thoughts about the advisability of providing a citation after every sentence in an article? Scartol • Tok 00:08, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

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Peer Review

Hi, I had listed an article for Peer Review. Kindly post your suggestions. --Commander (Ping Me) 12:26, 29 June 2011 (UTC)

Request for peer review

I have recently listed Horrible Histories for a peer review. I saw that one of your specialities is children's literature, the genre into which I would most likely place the series. I was wondering if you would give the article the peer review that it is in such a dire need of. :)--Coin945 (talk) 06:45, 5 July 2011 (UTC)

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Octagon Chapel, Liverpool

This article might be of interest to you, given the context. I have been adding a bit more today because there is a DYK nomination active - it was started on impulse really, but the Warrington Academy connection is quite illuminating, at least. Charles Matthews (talk) 08:17, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Region 5 announcement

Hey there; you'll want to add our region's noticeboard to your watchlist: Wikipedia:Ambassadors/Great Lakes. Anything that needs to be handled at a regional level will be posted there. Bob the WikipediaN (talk • contribs) 18:19, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

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Next Children's Museum Backstage Pass

Hi Adrianne! I wanted to personally invite you to The Children's Museum of Indianapolis' 2nd Backstage Pass and Edit-a-Thon, which will occur on Saturday, August 20. The Wikipedian in Residence project is coming up on one year and is going strong. While the first year focused on garnering institutional enthusiasm among staff, organizing multiple content donations, and guiding teens in research and article creation, the next year will focus on establishing an E-Volunteer program and more deliberately connecting with local Wikipedians and WikiProjects around the world. You can read a summary of our projects on the museum's blog, or visit the project page.

We hope you're able to attend the upcoming Backstage Pass! If you're not able to attend, but are interested in remaining involved and up to date on the museum's Wikipedia project, please sign up on our E-Volunteer page. There will also be an opportunity to participate in the Edit-a-Thon online, if you cannot attend on-site. If you'd like to make a request for images or research content from our curators, you can add to the Requests page. If you know of other IU students (or otherwise) who would be interested in attending, please let me know or pass this note on to them. Thanks so much and I'm looking forward to seeing you! LoriLee (talk) 11:45, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

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