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Archive 7 November 2009

Jerome's Who's Who

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Found another list of Jerome's Who's Who that has not been discovered yet by anyone else. It also can be decoded by using the Petrarch code. The short biographies listed consists of a dozen dozen minus Decem. Decem doesn't really belong there and should be removed from the total list. Wouldn't dare say that the sum of the biographies of the Chronicle of Universal History and Boccaccio's Famous Women (which is known to have been based on Petrarch's work) is the amount of biographies in this work, but it is. --Doug Coldwell talk 22:28, 12 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Interesting that Jerome talks in this Who's Who # 5 of Acts of the Apostles as well as Pauline epistles. Today that set is exactly in that order, supposedly some 1600 years later (mmmmmm). Six hundred years I can see, but 1600 years later and coming through the Dark Ages period intact - that's astonishing! Wouldn't dare say that the amount of letters of each group of people listed as the 7 "churches" match those of Pauline epistles exactly, but they do. Jerome also mentions the number 27. Arsinoe I of Egypt died in her exile twenty-seven years later. This is the amount of books in the New Testament. It should be noted that the Ostian way is the Ostrichian way. I believe you already have a clue where I found this list, especially if you know to remove Decem from the total list. --Doug Coldwell talk 21:02, 14 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Jerome notes that this ancient Greek history period is in his Chronicle of Universal History. It can be found in homilies 6, 7, and 8 in case you want to look it up. Note that Plotemy II started his reign with his father Plotemy I in 290 BC. Arsinoe II of Egypt died in 270 BC, some twenty years later. Both her and her husband (Ptolemy II) had a splendid time when they reigned at Alexandria. It is also interesting to note that Ptolemy Keraunos had a short reign of only two years, which ended at the fourth reigning year of Ptolemy II Philadelphus in 279 BC. It is interesting to me anyway. --Doug Coldwell talk 13:15, 15 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Interesting that Jerome has named ever book of the New Testament so far, and almost all in the order we use today - astonishing.--Doug Coldwell talk 14:59, 17 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Of course you already know Appius Claudius Caecus is Jerome's Chronicle of Universal History homily 9. Appius is the one that made the "straight street", also known as the Appian Way.--Doug Coldwell talk 14:46, 18 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Just received an e-mail from a Dr D. Jackson, Department of Manuscripts of The British Library, in reference to a copy of Jerome's De Viris Illustribus they have. He says, In addition, the manuscript bears a close resemblance to others which were made or owned by the monks of the Augustinian priory of the Holy Trinity or Christ Church, Kirkham, Yorkshire. Dionigi di Borgo San Sepolcro was an Augustinian monk who was at one time Petrarch's confessor, and who taught Boccaccio at the beginning of his education in the humanities. A philosophy I have in life is that I don't believe in coincidences.--Doug Coldwell talk 18:58, 18 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What's interesting about Ptolemy III Euergetes is that he is associated with the Leap year.--Doug Coldwell talk 12:08, 19 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What's interesting about Ptolemy IV Philopator is his giant ship known as Tessarakonteres. It had 40 banks (5 letters) of Oars. I wouldn't dare say that counting the books (5 letters) with a capital "O" it totals 40, but it does. --Doug Coldwell talk 12:46, 20 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I wouldn't dare say Antiochus V died in his eleventh year, but he did. Also another interesting coincidence is the 10 leopards. --Doug Coldwell talk 22:25, 22 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Demetrius I Soter is the "Savior" as the Second coming of Our Lord.--Doug Coldwell talk 19:59, 23 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What's interesting about Eucratides I is the coins he produced during his reign. --Doug Coldwell talk 21:07, 24 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What's interesting about Mithridates I of Parthia is his control of the Silk Road and the Persian Royal Road. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote of the Persian Royal Road couriers, "There is nothing in the world that travels faster than these Persian couriers." Herodotus' praise for these messengers—"Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor darkness of night prevents these couriers from completing their designated stages with utmost speed"—was the inspiration for the unofficial motto of the United States Postal Service.--Doug Coldwell talk 12:51, 25 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What I find interesting is that Giovanni Boccaccio (close friend of Petrarch) has many of these Who's Whos in his illustrious people, especially in Books 4 and 5. Also Boccaccio's Books has many of the people in Jerome's Chronicle of Universal History, the one with the 28 homilies. Examples are Darius I of Persia and Alexander the Great. --Doug Coldwell talk 11:36, 26 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Wouldn't dare say Orodes II of Parthia started his reign on the thirteenth year of his father’s rule, Phraates III - but he did!--Doug Coldwell talk 22:03, 27 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

This material is so sophisticated that without Wikipedia and internet hyperlinks it would not be found for centuries. Yep, definitely centuries - perhaps 6 or more. However now that I have found it with these tools, it should be found within years, maybe less that one since I am leaving it here. Now I wonder how long it will take for other's to find Jerome's Chronicle of Universal History. Perhaps less than a century, but who knows - maybe another 6.--Doug Coldwell talk 21:19, 28 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I hope someone says this system is not all that difficult to decipher. I can see in the process of coming up with these Who's Whos that a person that is also involved in this material, besides the two I have already mentioned, has much knowledge of the English language - perhaps a professor. This person is very well educated and uses sophisticated English words not normally used in everyday conversations. I think if you took an educated guess of an English professor that lived in the fourteenth century that had controversy with the Church, you would be wight on track.--Doug Coldwell talk 16:53, 29 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Wouldn't dare say "Cataphrygians" and "Julio-Claudian" BOTH just happen to have 13 letters, but they do. AND believe it or not AD 13 fits into the story of Germanicus for Who's Who # 40 as that is the 40th year of the dynasty. My calculator doesn't have that many digits for the odds against this one. AND you know my philosophy on coincidences. Oh, forgot - Germanicus is a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. --Doug Coldwell talk 00:00, 30 September 2009 (UTC) Germanicus has 10 letters noteworthy to history but Apollonius' are not. Tiberius has 8 letters that are very well known; Montanus' letters are extant but not noteworthy to history. Julius Caesar has two sets of 6 letters definitely intended for Prisca. Last but not least Agrippina has 9 letters meant for Maximilla. Apparently Tertullian is a twin of Apollonius and does the same thing.--Doug Coldwell talk 20:43, 30 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Going on a wiki-break for a month. Will be traveling through the States and doing some camping. Perhaps we'll find some self-guided tours we can do or go on some factory tours like that which Jayco has. Wouldn't dare say who started those articles.--Doug Coldwell talk 11:34, 30 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Couldn't resist. This uses the same cryptogram so was deciphered as above. This is just another item I found in that special hiding place of a treasuretrove. It is a testament as to how good the hiding place is and is certainly not a new idea. What I find interesting in this is the use of fourteen, as in the fourteenth century. I won't say where I found this because then I suspect I would be banned by Wikipedia. I'll let sleeping dogs lie as they have been sleeping there for over half a millennium already, so why distorb them. See you in a month or so and perhaps I'll pick up where I left off - unless of course you wish to take over.--Doug Coldwell talk 22:18, 2 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Talking about a multitude of ideas, when I wanted a permanent e-mail address some 15 years ago that everyone could easily remember without writing down I ultimately came up with one from a great multitude: Doug at idea 4 u dot com which I have been using ever since. It has fulfilled these parameters and suited my needs ever since. Now when I am in a conversation with others and wish to exchange e-mail addresses I just give them mine and they send me an e-mail and I automatically get theirs then without either of us having to write anything down. Since I usually come up with ideas for others it fits my personality and they can easily remember. Works every time. What do you think of that innovative idea?--Doug Coldwell talk 09:57, 3 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

On the road, however was able to get access to a computer with internet. Finally figured out why the material I have been talking to you about is a cryptogram. You indicated to me before that you saw no reason for this, however I do believe I have found a reason. It turns out all the material in the treasuretrove is nothing special, as it is recorded by many historians - ancient and otherwise. The reason for this is that it is nothing other than a teaching tool. The amount of research required to decipher the material in incredible - so by default I learn history - European history, ancient Greek history, ancient Persian history, and ancient Roman history. Do you think I would open up books and study this on my own? Nope! But to decipher the code - now that is interesting! The decoded material reveals not only ancient history I have already mentioned to you, but European history of the thirteen and fourteenth century, nothing later. A teaching tool - what an innovation, besides a brilliant inspiration. You are a very bright person, so I'm sure by now you have figured out where this genealogy of the above came from. If not, I will be glad to put more light on it. --Doug Coldwell talk 22:58, 8 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I nearly added to your ref desk comment last night, re the (mythical?) plain-glass monocle, and now what do I find?. Small world. Johnbod (talk) 16:25, 16 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Those engraved gems of yours are are popping up like mushrooms.--Wetman (talk) 17:08, 16 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

This article should be closed, because of vandalism, almost everyday. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek seems to be a very popular lemma to leave nonsense, maybe by non-evolutionists. As you probably have more experience, I would like you to take action or leave a message somewhere else. Is that possible? Thanks in advance. Taksen (talk) 05:50, 17 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Only an administrator can protect an article. Perhaps one of them lurking at this page will pitch in and help. --Wetman (talk) 06:05, 17 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Notification

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Hi Wetman. I'm posting to let you know that your name has been mentioned on a list of potential candidates for adminship on the talk page for RfA's here. If you are interested in running, or if you would like to make any comments, feel free to join the discussion. decltype (talk) 20:16, 18 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for thinking of me, but I already spend too many hours daily on vandal patrol and I have no appetite for Wikipedia controversies or the folk who specialize in them. So I've had to decline as not suited. --Wetman (talk) 21:46, 18 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Talk:Demon

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If ufology, there is a rather common tendency to associate aliens with demons. It's unclear exactly why that is, but the article should consider mentioning this particular issue. ADM (talk) 12:31, 19 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There is no such "tendency". No wonder it's "unclear".--Wetman (talk) 12:57, 19 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, there is, see for yourself. [1] ADM (talk) 13:22, 19 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
But not in print. Ignorant 'net babble might seem a tautology.--Wetman (talk) 16:04, 19 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I have been going boldly on this surprisingly tangled term. What do you think? Also has the OED bothered to define either that or Hardstone yet? Not in my print edition. I think pietra dura can be regarded as an English term by now, pietre dure not. How do you feel? Johnbod (talk) 15:48, 20 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"Pietra dura table slabs" etc. is the old-fashioned pseudo-Italian term I've used for decades, probably incorrectly, in the sense that Terry Friedman used it in a photo caption for G.B. Foggini's Elector's Cabinet: "ebony, pietra dura, gilt-bronze, mother-of-pearl" (Friedman, "The English Appreciation of Italian Decorations" The Burlington Magazine 117, December 1975:844 fig. 90). The authentic Italian term in documents is opera di commessi I vaguely recall. In John Fleming and Hugh Honour, Dictionary of the Decorative Arts, s.v.Pietre dure", the authors observe "The singular form of the term pietra dura, though sometimes used outside Italy for combinations of more than one kind of stone, should correctly be reserved for a single type." They illustrate for pietra dura a jasper ewer with enamelled gold and silver mounts, and for pietre dure an ebony prie-dieu with pietre dure mounts. The Oxford Companion to the Decorative Arts has an entry for "Pietre dure".--Wetman (talk) 21:34, 20 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
That's my view, but the Met & Getty seem to be trying to shift it. The Fleming/Honour caption seems not to match the text though. Did you see my additions to the article? Johnbod (talk) 22:32, 21 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

DYK for Engraved gem

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Updated DYK query On September 20, 2009, Did you know? was updated with a fact from the article Engraved gem, which you created or substantially expanded. You are welcome to check how many hits your article got while on the front page (here's how) and add it to DYKSTATS if it got over 5,000. If you know of another interesting fact from a recently created article, then please suggest it on the Did you know? talk page.

BorgQueen (talk) 16:07, 20 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

DYK for Marlborough gem

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Updated DYK query On September 21, 2009, Did you know? was updated with a fact from the article Marlborough gem, which you created or substantially expanded. You are welcome to check how many hits your article got while on the front page (here's how) and add it to DYKSTATS if it got over 5,000. If you know of another interesting fact from a recently created article, then please suggest it on the Did you know? talk page.

BorgQueen (talk) 10:08, 21 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the co-nom. That was quick! Johnbod (talk) 13:58, 21 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
That was the thoughtful User:PFHLai who worked it out for both of us!--Wetman (talk) 15:52, 21 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
You're welcome, Wetman. The good work by you and Johnbod deserves the spotlight on MainPage. Glad that I could help. Happy editing! --PFHLai (talk) 05:29, 26 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Way old, but way strange...

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I have no idea what happened back in 2005, but the article Septimania contained the gem:

In the Pyrenees, the Basques defeated themselves in Roncesvalles (August 15, 778).

I've changed that to the best oldie I could find [2].

But I'm really confused as I can't figure out where you restored that text from, as some revisions back then are 'blank' or 'empty' (or at least as I write this). Wow. Any ideas? Shenme (talk) 06:45, 22 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well, it was some former version. The text I reverted, in the form of a timeline, may have had some valuable material in it, though unsourced. "Oversight", the right to suppress edits, is entrusted, they say, to a restricted number of administrators, who can suppress material if it meets their interpretation of supposedly strict requirements. Wikipedia's "admins" are a very mixed bag, such as you might encounter in a NY subway car.--Wetman (talk) 07:13, 22 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Oh, here's the Septimania timeline I mentioned.--Wetman (talk) 07:44, 22 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Dionysus Pseudanor

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hi wetman do you think you could add something to the article or even copyedit it a bit?87.202.61.56 (talk) 21:26, 23 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I went right to Kerenyi's Dionysos to find that Pseudanor, unfamiliar to me, wasn't in the index. So it's not something I've forgotten, it's something quite new for me. I'd better read that article you cited, eh, before I go monkeying with your text. Do log in, since you're clearly making a genuine contribution.--Wetman (talk) 05:10, 24 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks

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Hi Wetman, thanks for your improvements to Jean de La Forêt! PHG Per Honor et Gloria 13:21, 26 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I see that my commented-out queries were useful. When there are two enlightened editors, that's quite an effective way to question a word or a date without disfiguring the article as those taggers seem to enjoy doing.--Wetman (talk) 13:35, 26 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Malicious redirect

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I thought that joining that with Durres was better.I actually modified the redirects inside the Durres article last night.Sorry.Megistias (talk) 09:57, 27 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I am a bit confused.So should i redirect all the ancient words found redirects in Durres redirects to the Epidamnos article? My head is spinning.Megistias (talk) 11:40, 27 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Leave ancient Epidamnos alone, as you have no competence there. It is currently just fine. Do as you like with modern Durres, in which I have no interest. We need never cross one another's path. Now that the carefully-edited text at Epidamnos has been restored, if you are a fastidious and careful editor, you'll put a condensed version of it at Durres: I'll never know one way or the other.--Wetman (talk) 14:47, 27 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Wetman i see that i did not blank the page i had work only on the redirect after user history Atillios had redirected it at Durres.See the history and 2006 blanking diff.And he seems to have done at 2006 while i edited a redirect at 2009, 3 years later.Please dont be angry at me, even i got confused and thought i had redirected the page which i did not and would not as it was trully well written.Megistias (talk) 15:32, 29 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Then I seem to have approached the wrong editor.--Wetman (talk) 16:40, 29 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi. I saw this and believe you may be thinking of the Lombok Strait, which is quite deep; Wallace Line, and all. The Bali Strait is relatively shallow and has been dry when the oceans have dipped due to glaciation. The US Navy loves the Lombok Strait because their submarines can transit. There's a lovely mural near me that I've been meaning to get a picture of; theme is Bali Tiger, rest in peace. Sincerely, Jack Merridew 14:50, 27 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Oh brother, my face is red. If you haven't reverted me, I'll hasten to do it myself. Thanks for catching this blooper.--Wetman (talk) 15:06, 27 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
No problem; it's not like the Bali strait article is worth much. I did just find that pic and add it. fyi, the reason I've not gotten the mural pic is that I'll have to get rather muddy to get the shot from in the middle of a rice field. Cheers, Jack Merridew 15:18, 27 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Glad to see you

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at Cola di Rienzo. That last editor made a lot of edits that seem to be from some unknown, but perhaps knowing source. Some odd wording for the casual editor. But I'm off to work in 4 minutes, we'll see about later. Carptrash (talk) 16:17, 27 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I toned it down further: the timing, naming and location told the Risorgimento story well enough, but I've added a quote from a new ref.. --Wetman (talk) 17:26, 27 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Life is good. Einar Carptrash (talk) 20:18, 27 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well, you have to be hanging with the right people, Einar!--Wetman (talk) 20:20, 27 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not even a stub, I was surprised to see. Johnbod (talk) 17:30, 27 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

He was just an oil-rich Republican. Jayne was the collector.--Wetman (talk) 17:36, 27 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I'd added this in, then saw from the rational discourse depicted that it was actually Nessus

Minotaur

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Re your summary [3] – The obvious citation would be [File:Minotaurus.gif] from Maffei's collection of ancient gems, which appears also in Matthews (Labyrinths and Mazes) and Kern (#371 in Through the Labyrinth). But Kern declares that Maffei was mistaken in believing it to be Classical, assigning it instead to the 16th century; and all the other "early" examples I know of turn out to be medieval or from the Renaissance. So by all means leave it "The Greeks imagined . . . ". It would be worth pointing out somewhere in the article, however, that (probably through Ovid's scrupulously neutral description) the Minotaur in later times turned up in the opposite configuration. Elphion (talk) 20:43, 28 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

By the time I was prepared to ask you for an example at your talkpage, I'd added a section on the brief appearance of the Minotaur in Inferno xii to justify adding Blake's drawing. Maffei's Gemme Antiche, 1709: very good: I'd overlooked that. Would you edit that Maffei illustration material in? --Wetman (talk) 20:59, 28 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry it's taken so long, but I have included Maffei's image (whose page I've edited to indicate non-Classical origin), and a brief discussion of the development of the centaur-type. I toned the discussion of Blake's image down somewhat; "non-canonical" is a bit over the top, considering the long (albeit non-Classical) history of this alternative configuration. Elphion (talk) 19:23, 2 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Let's find a softened expression, then: "unorthodox" always suits Blake. Would that seem suitable to you in this case?--Wetman (talk) 21:45, 2 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
It's not unorthodox by Blake's time, just less common. Both alternatives by that time had appeared with some frequency, and arguably Blake would have seen more of the later, medieval Latin style. There is no canon, no δόξα, no Platonic form of "Minotaur". I prefer simply describing what Blake drew, rather than pinning a point of view on it. We've already established that the other version was first and more common. (Of course, it has Blake's own characteristic exuberance about it, but I don't think that's what you're getting at.) Elphion (talk) 22:20, 2 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Regarding the image above, it's not clear that the artist intended it to be Nessus: those are clearly bovine hooves! Regards, Elphion (talk) 22:59, 2 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Then, your eye is sharper than mine. Your edits have improved Minotaur.--Wetman (talk) 23:06, 2 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks! I do appreciate the feedback, though I recognize that I'm just tinkering around the edges of a lot of previous writing. Sharper eyes? Hardly! But in the full-size version of the image, the hooves clearly show up as cloven in bovine fashion, not solid like horses' hooves. The same is true in the Maffei and Blake images. Elphion (talk) 01:24, 3 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Sculptor

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Thanks for catching my sculpturist issue on the DYK nom for Endomosaic! I've submitted the correction as an ALT nom and corrected the term used in the article too. Nick Ottery (talk) 21:58, 1 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

...I didn't want to rush in where angels fear to tread!--Wetman (talk) 22:05, 1 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Buscot Park

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I'm beavering away on something here here and was wondering if any of your referencres make comment on the architecture. Mine are a little limited and the text is probably subconsciously influence by the fact that I was deeply underwhelmed by the place. In spite of its appearance though, the house and its gardens have a very nice soul and spirit, so I thought it would be pleaisng to improve its page a little. Plus, the fact it is not everyday one is confronted with a little publicised Rembrandt and other major works in the same house in the middle of nowhere out in the provinces. I shall bolster the references out with Girouard and a couple of others as it was the scene of great left wing political houseparties in the 40s and 50s and redesigned to luxuriously accomadate them, so typical of socialists! If you do have anything please add it to the userpage or its talk, I shall be hugely grateful. It's not going to be a very long page, but hopefully a fairly interesting one. Giano (talk) 11:45, 6 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Better known for its contents, of course. There's nothing in Colvin. I guess Loveden didn't keep the accounts among his papers, or we'd have heard. --Wetman (talk) 16:13, 6 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks, not to worry, just another of England's thousands of very nice, but unremarkable provincial houses. It's nice though, one of the only places I have ever been where one can feel the 1930s - I have a photograph in a book somewhere entitled "Miss Penelope Chetwode and her pony, take tea with Lords Faringdon and Berners in the drawing room at Buscot Park" (or something similar), shame it will be copyright, it sums up the England of the high summer just before World War II. A lost and little researched world; I must make sure I get to finish this page, I've too many unfinished at the moment. Giano (talk) 17:26, 6 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
The English (and Scottish) tradition that a gentleman in possession of a library and some engravings, working with a well-practiced builder, can come up with a perfectly idiomatic house, lasted right through to the Battle of the Styles. The intervention of an architect wasn't essential. --Wetman (talk) 17:47, 6 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Seeing Beckford below, reminds me: Didn't his non-architect built house keep falling down? Giano (talk) 11:41, 8 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Well, Wyatt was on board as architect, to the damage of his reputation. But Beckford kept changing his plan, always exigeant, always in a rush. The first wooden tower blew right off, neatly, with little damage. The stone one was built on foundations that were never intended to bear such weight. When it crashed down through a large chunk of Fonthill, the new owner simply said, "Now I have a house that's not too large." Fonthill Abbey is an article that needs expanding. --Wetman (talk) 20:30, 14 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, sorry! I knew that it'd redirect to the Dutch version of the article; I was about to fix it since it was missing a bracket, but I noticed that there was already a redirect, so I deleted the extra. Thanks for fixing my mistake. --LostBelmont (talk) 01:43, 7 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I checked again: it's functioning now.--Wetman (talk) 02:01, 7 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Demeter ref/correction

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I've restored some things you deleted from Demeter, notably one ref's full author name, book title, and publication date, and a grammatical "among" where the text referred to three people as "one of the few people". May I ask why you removed the ref info and inserted the grammatical error? Sizzle Flambé (/) 08:02, 8 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I certainly didn't intend to spoil a reference, or confuse the difference between between and among, which I preserve even in day-to-day conversation. Thank you for your close observance, that caught my foul-up. The article Demeter deserves some protection, I'd say.--Wetman (talk) 17:09, 8 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Is there a reason...

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...why Beckford is presented as not really having taken a sexual interest in Courtenay and others? I thought it was a foregone conclusion that he had, even as Courtenay himself turned out quite homosexual later on. Haiduc (talk) 11:20, 8 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Can someone be "quite" homosexual? Giano (talk) 11:37, 8 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
My own hunch is that the seducing was on the part of "Kitty" Courtenay, who did turn out quite gay in the modern sense; however, one doesn't really support one's own feeling about Beckford by inserting a "reference" to The Fire of His Genius: Robert Fulton and the American Dream. If I were pressing my single interest at Wikipedia, I should make double sure I were scrupulously honest and correct in each of my insertions.--Wetman (talk) 17:06, 8 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Why do I have a recollection of you being courteous and reasonable in the past? I see no problem with the ref, it asserts that "Beckford declared he was in love with young Courtenay" and that they met a number of times, and "on one of those occasions, according to Beckford, they became lovers." This seems to be in the book on Fulton by way of introducing the possibility that Fulton himself may have been one of Courtenay's lovers. This in a work published by Simon and Shuster and written by Kirkpatrick Sale. Will you reconsider? Haiduc (talk) 20:04, 8 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Sale's own source for his assertion would bring us closer to the subject than his speculation about Courtenay and Robert Fulton. Mind you, I think there has been considerable non-historical unproffesional embarrassment on the part of writers about Beckford's most publicised juvenile indiscretion, but Boyd Alexander, England's Wealthiest Son, which I haven't seen since 1962, dealt for the first time quite frankly enough: a quote and footnote would suffice, I think. There's a newer book I haven't read: Brian Fothergill, Beckford of Fonthill (1979); it has more detail about the impassioned letters that fell into the hands of Courtenay's sister, Lady Loughborough.--Wetman (talk) 20:57, 8 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Imperial hairs!

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I too had never heard the term or spelling, but during the writing of the page one of our Russian friends pointed this page out - is it a hoax? Giano (talk) 22:24, 10 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

PS: I don't suppose you know anything about this man do you? I thought he might make an interesting page, but now I'm not so sure he wasn't a one trick horse. Giano (talk) 22:44, 10 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
O good grief! The Caesarevich, indeed! So after Peter, none of the tsars were tsars; they were Tsesars, spawning tsesareviches!! Nevertheless, I read, "Until the end of the empire most people in Russia and abroad, verbally and in writing continued to refer to the Sovereign as "tsar". Perhaps for that reason the title of tsesarevich was less frequently used to refer to the heir apparent than either tsarevich or grand duke, particularly in less educated circles." How preposterously pretentious! Another of our little slavs, I imagine, telling us how to speak English: "Kaparthy! that dreadful Hungarian! was he there?" If Wikipedians would think of this simply as a reader's guide, rather than an "encyclopedia", a hundred ambitious little pretensions to correctness might be avoided. There are more than three million articles at Wikipedia: I shall remove Winter Palace from my Watchlist and never be missed. I advise you to do the same, Giano. --Wetman (talk) 23:02, 10 October 2009 (UTC).[reply]
No, don't remove it please. It needs impartial people watching it all the time. I had not read that it was only the "less educated" that said Tsarevich. However, it does explain why that horse race The Cesearovitch (probably spelt wrong) has such a convoluted spelling, I had always wonderd in a subconscious sort of way about that. Giano (talk) 07:47, 11 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I was actually taken to dinner there once in the 60s, the house entirely lit in candles, but my connection was through R.M. We have an American counterpart in John Barrington Bayley. May I tweak?--Wetman (talk) 23:16, 10 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Very welcome additions to Geddes. I have exhausted ny knowledge, a little on one or two more buildings and I would have had to enter the realms of woffle - or risked him being deleted for non-notable. Daylesford that dings a bell - Lord Beaverbrook? It must be similar to Sezincote another amazing bilding, on my mental list for writing one day. Thanks a lot, and please don't take Winter Paace off the list, or it will just become another Versailles type page! Giano (talk) 07:47, 11 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I'm rather attached to the local effort
The Palace (sic) of Versailles was a fishbone in my throat, so I coughed it into my napkin and have left it unregarded on my lap: I am not responsible for anything one may see there. Daylesford House, Gloucestershire, more likely rings your bell because it was Warren Hastings' than for its architect, Samuel Pepys Cockerell, who nevertheless deserves your attention. --Wetman (talk) 20:08, 11 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I have put him into mainspace, not because it is finished, but because I cannot find anything more, not even a date of birth. He seems to be completely overlooked by all my books which is hardly surprising as they tend to concentrate on the the home-grown architects so the minor Brits have to compete for limited space. Thanks for all your help, you saved it from being a stub! Giano (talk) 22:37, 13 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Hell! look at this [4] I was going to write a glowing description, I should think the kindest thing would be "Bishop Andrewes himself, had strong opinion over the design." and hope it is true. Giano (talk) 13:10, 14 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
*gulp* Bishop Andrewes might have had the same reaction as you!--Wetman (talk) 17:26, 14 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Ah, an Anglican - that explains it. Here's a more close up view [5]. I love the sign for "humps"; I'd have the hump if I had to worship in that. Giano (talk) 20:13, 14 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
...but still he wouldn't have been pleased with Hyslop's big brick barn.--Wetman (talk) 20:30, 14 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Mmmm, maybe, but they're a funny lot Anglicans and Protestants, very austere and none too fussed where they sacrifice their chickens. Giano (talk) 20:55, 14 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Theodore Presser Poldowski and Henryk Wieniawski's daughter

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Hi, Wetman.

I've just written an article on Poldowski, the daughter of Henryk Wieniawski. In my research, I searched extensively for any information about the "Theodore Presser Poldowski" you inserted into her father's article on 28 May 2008 here, but all I could find was mirrors of your post. Do you have any independent source for the existence of this gentleman? My other sources all refer to her marrying Sir Aubrey Dean Paul, but make no mention of any other marriages. She married him in 1901 when she was only 21 or 22. It's unlikely a baronet would be marrying a 22-year old divorcee. Or maybe she was already a widow, but as I say, there's no independent evidence of any "Theodore Presser Poldowski" - that I can find. There is a Theodore Presser, a music publisher. Is it possible he published some of Poldowski's works, and the confusion arose that way? Hope you can clarify this. Cheers. -- JackofOz (talk) 08:08, 11 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Ordinarily I've confined myself to statements that are merely reports of published material: in this case I must have seen it on the Web and reported it unguardedly. I don't have Grove's, but since this phantom "Theodore Presser Poldowski" isn't mentioned there, it should be dropped, to my acute chagrin.
Her choice of this masculine name, an important point, is specifically brought up in context of the resistance to women in music in Wanda Wilk, "An Outline History of Women Composers in Poland". Sir Aubrey's wife brought a suit for slander against Régine in 1911: "Mrs Atherton's suit...", New York Times. Her lady friend in the Bohemian and largely homosexual group that welcomed Noel Coward to New York was Cecile Sartoris, I see in Philip Hoare, Noel Coward: A Biography (1998, pp. 92-93). The two portrait photographs by Bassano in the National Portrait Gallery might better be noted specifically in the footnote. --Wetman (talk) 19:45, 11 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
No chagrin required, mate. We all misread things. The info about Poldowski is fairly scant, and the proliferation of names under which she was known, or referred to as, only confuses matters. Wanda Wilk's site seems to have appropriated her as a "Polish composer", but afaik she never went there and knew no Polish (she only ever spoke French to her children, but I assume she must have become conversant in English, as she lived in the UK or the USA for most of her life). Her father died less than a year after she born, her mother was English, she was born in Brussels, and later became a British subject. So "a Polish composer"? No, I don't think so. "Sir Aubrey's wife brought a suit for slander against Régine" - that confuses me a little: Sir Aubrey's wife was Régine. I think you meant Sir Aubrey's sister, Mrs Atherton. Cheers. -- JackofOz (talk) 20:28, 11 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, a good point! her "Polishness" was actually confined to the persona expressed in her masculine name, which also embodied Wanda Wilk's main point, about cultural resistance to composers who were women. Yes, I did intend to say that Mrs Atherton was his sister.--Wetman (talk) 20:39, 11 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hello,

The text you have twice restored to the labarum page has been moved to the page concerning the Chi-rho monogram itself. According to Eusebius the term labarum referred to the military STANDARD used by Constantine the Great and his successors which incorporated a Chi-rho, the Chi-rho itself was separate and was called by Eusebius the SYMBOL of Christ. As the sections you have restored do not refer to the labarum at all, just to the Chi-rho symbol and are to be found on the page related to that symbol please do not restore them to the labarum page again.

Many thanks, Urselius (talk) 20:26, 11 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Lotharingia Infoboxes

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There is discusion about infoboxes on the Lotharingia taking place at Talk:Lotharingia. Either take part in the discussion or stop reverting the infoboxes. Second, Lotharingia is the same as Lorraine and it is source on the talk page. Spshu (talk) 14:50, 13 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"Lotharingia is the same as Lorraine" expresses the heart of the problem. That and the dreadful unwarranted self-confidence of it. Those with content contribute content. Others make Infoboxes. And even before I post at Talk:Lotharingia, I'm aware that anyone who can assert to me "Lotharingia is the same as Lorraine" is unlikely to listen to anyone or read anything.--Wetman (talk) 17:02, 13 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Beware of POV

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Ciao! OK for your mods at Palazzo Farnese, Rome, but just be careful that adding "prominent" is considered WP:POV and WP:weasel word, so avoid to use them as possible. Ciao and good work!!! --'''Attilios''' (talk) 09:06, 17 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

O please. "Prominent" applied to Palazzo Farnese, Rome, could not be considered anything other than a mainstream competent assessment. A glance at a map makes a start. This is not what is intended by "weasel" words: the correct vulgarism is "peacock term". All so silly, really...--Wetman (talk) 09:15, 17 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Gondophares revert

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Hi! I saw that you reverted my edit of Gondophares, with the motivation "This diff records an edit by a new editor with a dicey record." I suppose you mean new editor as new on this very page, for I have certainly contributed to many other pages in the same field. As for "dicey", I would be grateful if you could please specify this. The link to my discussion page that you have provided includes no warnings from Wikipedia officials, except some bot messages regarding copyright on images. It does include a rather heated discussion with a user who used aggressively anti-Arab and clearly biased sources for medieval Persian history, from some years ago, as well as discussions about the Indo-Greek page, where there was indeed some controversy, but to my knowledge nobody has blamed me for that. I also argued with an Argentinian who wanted to be personally mentioned as a descendant of the Hasmonean kings, and some other smaller disputes (where I have by no means always been right) that have also occured during my four year tenure on Wikipedia.

As for my edits regarding Gondophares, I rely on Robert Senior's Indo-Scythian Coins and History IV from 2006 (published by Classical Numismatic Group), the fourth part of an encyclopaedia of such coins and probably the most ambitious specialist work published in this field. Senior reviews the chronology of the Indo-Parthians by a few decades (please see the Indo-Parthian main page for full references, including some other articles.) New chronological evidence has appeared in the last decade or so, in form of overstrikes and dated inscriptions.

Please feel free to add modern research that proposes a different chronology, if there is such material that I have not mentioned, but until then, I have taken the liberty of reverting back to my last edit. Kindly, Sponsianus (talk) 09:56, 18 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Copied to Talk:Gondophares--Wetman (talk) 19:50, 18 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
You have however not provided a specification of why you consider my record "dicey". Wikipedia is hardly improved by unfounded accusations or rumour-mongering.Sponsianus (talk) 20:58, 23 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
(Wetman notes that Sponsianus has made a large number of edits in the last few days, all of which, there can be no doubt, are responsible and high-minded additions to the sum of Wikipedian knowledge.)
It's basically one large edit (the updated chronology) and a number of minor edits for consistency, in image texts etc., and some rewriting. That's perhaps not ideal editing style, but the changes are based on referrenced sources. Never mind, I was perhaps a bit grumpy about being checked up, which is in essence a sound thing to do. But please don't revert before stating what's wrong with my edits. Sponsianus (talk) 04:42, 24 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Provinces

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I still object to this wording. Not in a wildest dream can I imagine one calling Russian republics, federal cities, and autonomous entities "provinces"; explaining it to a child maybe, but most certainly not in an encyclopedic context. What these "polities" would be termed as "elsewhere" is really irrelevant in an encyclopedic article dealing solely with subject matter that is referred to as "provinces" in academic context. To top it off, nothing is sourced. Please consider revising once again. Thanks.—Ëzhiki (Igels Hérissonovich Ïzhakoff-Amursky) • (yo?); 21:07, October 19, 2009 (UTC)

The wording objected to
Though the only types of federal polities ever called "provinces" in Russia are oblasts and krais, Russia has a variety of federal subject polities that elsewhere would be termed "provinces"
was explicitly chosen to satisfy your vanity, by using the very wording of your own objection. Wikipedia is a reader's guide: if we keep the value to the English-speaking reader firmly in mind, we can avoid a thousand little self-promoting quibbles. Igels Hérissonovich Ïzhakoff-Amursky's wildest dreams needn't be ignited by this harmless bit of explication to an English-speaking reader, however small and childish that reader may appear at such a very great distance.--Wetman (talk) 21:31, 19 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Vanity??? What does "vanity" have to do with anything here? Not to mention that "wording of my objection" is hardly something that can be used as a source; I provided it merely as a description of why a certain passage is inappropriate in a certain context.
If you care as much about our readers as you claim to, please find a supporting source stating that Russian federal subjects (other than oblasts and krais) are ever referred to as "provinces" in academic works. Provinces, after all, is what the article is about, so we should stick to the subject and not to feed our readers with dumbed-down definitions which are neither accurate nor relevant. A list of types of Russian federal subjects is available in articles about said subjects as well as in a higher-level overview.
As a reminder, our guidelines allow removal of information that is unsourced and challenged. It is the responsibility of a person making a statement to source it. Please consider the passage in question challenged and kindly provide sources to back it up. Otherwise, I will be removing it within the course of a week, as "doubtful and harmful", as per WP:NOCITE. Best,—Ëzhiki (Igels Hérissonovich Ïzhakoff-Amursky) • (yo?); 21:42, October 19, 2009 (UTC)
Well, in order to move the article Province forward, why don't you contribute a section on the very special situation Russia presents. One might give it a neutral title like Russia and "provinces', no? Since you'll likely object to any title, do feel free to change the one I'll edit in for you. Thank you. (Copied to Talk:Province).--Wetman (talk) 19:07, 21 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I have responded at Talk:Province. Thanks.—Ëzhiki (Igels Hérissonovich Ïzhakoff-Amursky) • (yo?); 19:23, October 21, 2009 (UTC)

Subtle hint

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Philibert Le Roy! - not much there! Giano (talk) 08:01, 21 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Google scholar turned up two good hits: one I worked in, the other lies in commented-out limbo for now. Plus the usual minor tweaks.--Wetman (talk) 08:28, 21 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you very much. This edit was my motivation. I am surprised there is not more about him lurking around, he must have designed far more than just that - lost in the revolution, I suppose. I went to the site of the Chateau de Marly last week, fascinating, the lake is still there and the rooms of the chateau are marked out on the grass in stone (I took some photos - I must upload them), I came straight from Versailles and it was very sobering to think that the whole lot could have been razed to the ground just like Marley, also saw La du Barry's little chateau and the music pavilion she built for Louis XV is still there (overlooking the ruins of the monstrous pumping machine) and then reminded how they came and dragged her screaming to the guillotine - all very evocative and emotive being there. I think doing the French chateaux are too depressing, for one of my delicate and sensitive nature. Giano (talk) 12:52, 21 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
That diff: Wikipedia has editors and penelopes. The editors assemble new material, weaving together published accounts into some foolproof text. And the penelopes unpick their work at night. François Coty is the one to be credited for rescuing the Pavillon du Barry. One of those East Anglian windmill-restoring groups should take on the machine as their project.--Wetman (talk) 18:38, 21 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Ay yes, M. Coty, I was told the name of the conglomerate owning it now, but have forgotten (I expect it's on the internet somewhere) apparently one can hire it for an evening for one's own soiree - strange building, perhaps there have been land-slides and errosion since it was built, but looking at it from the Seine and the machine it looks as though the scrub, nettles and bushes of the cliff are the only things stopping it falling over the edge and into the river - I know there is suposed ot be beauty in decay, but I have never quite grasped it myself. Giano (talk) 21:30, 21 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

NowCommons: File:GuercinoAdultress1621Dulwich.jpg

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File:GuercinoAdultress1621Dulwich.jpg is now available on Wikimedia Commons as Commons:File:GuercinoAdultress1621Dulwich.jpg. This is a repository of free media that can be used on all Wikimedia wikis. The image will be deleted from Wikipedia, but this doesn't mean it can't be used anymore. You can embed an image uploaded to Commons like you would an image uploaded to Wikipedia, in this case: [[File:GuercinoAdultress1621Dulwich.jpg]]. Note that this is an automated message to inform you about the move. This bot did not copy the image itself. --Erwin85Bot (talk) 14:13, 24 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Jones

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According to EB, Inigo Jones' first building was the new exchange on the strand in 1608, demolished in the 18th century. Usually the queen's house gets the distinction of being the first consciously classical building in England. I can't find any engravings or drawings of this building - can you help with your super-googling? --Joopercoopers (talk) 21:39, 25 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Very odd indeed: my bedtime reading last night was in Robert Tavernor, Palladio and Palladianism (Thames & Hudson. 1991), brushing up the gloss on my superficiality, and I was looking at his fig. 85, p 120 "Jones' elevation for the New Exchange in the Strand, 1608" (Courtauld credit, a double page spread of ink and wash drawing, I think, but perhaps an engraving). Tavernor calls the design "transitional between the prevalent Jacobean style and the classicism all'antica that he was to embrace so convincingly. His New Exchange design contains the decorative elements of English architecture then current, particularly in the sky-line with its tower-like lanterns, while the lower two storeys are more controlled and in an assertive classicism — including a central serliana, or, to call the motif by its English name, a Venetian window, that derives from Serlio's Book IV." Tavernor mentions three Venetian windows on each side of the upper storey, not seen in his illustration, so apparently on the side elevations. Btw, the tower lanterns, circular Temple-of-Vesta peripteral colonnades or arcades, surmounted by parapets with ball finials at the four "corners", in turn surmounted by addorsed scrolls with a chess-pawn topmost finial, correspond to elements in Wren's much-elaborated St Paul's west-end tower finials. --Wetman (talk) 22:10, 25 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
How strange! Many thanks Wetman. The book's on my christmas present list and Inigo Jones is on my 'improve' list. --Joopercoopers (talk) 22:40, 25 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
At £1:50 from ebay, Tavernor was too good value to pass up. Excellent read. Seems Jones's designs for the New Exchange weren't used and Simon Basil won the commission. EB is quite misleading I think - "[Jones] was patronized also by Robert Cecil, 1st earl of Salisbury, for whom he produced his earliest known architectural work, a design for the New Exchange in the Strand (c. 1608; demolished in the 18th century)." --Joopercoopers (talk) 13:27, 1 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, Wetman. Here's why I changed the 857 and 858 dates: Absent evidence to the contrary, the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia would be authoritative on whether the councils in 857 and 858 were the same or separate. see also: Carolingian Portraits: A Study in the Ninth Century By Eleanor Shipley Duckett, pp 215-216. (I posted this comment on the article discussion page). Kenatipo (talk) 23:35, 25 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Authoritative or not, a council held in February 857 would be 858, depending on whether the reporter was using Old Style or New Style. One wouldn't be suggesting that there were two councils of Quierzy, one in 857 and one in 858. Or would one? Continued at Talk:Councils of Quierzy. --Wetman (talk) 23:55, 25 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Flamarande

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I can't help you with the text but I must point out the following sentence: "Do not change from one style to another unless there is substantial reason for the change, and consensus for the change with other editors." It has been my experience that BC/AD is widely the most famous and popular dating system of the world. It is overwhelmingly used as such by the English language. Here in Wikipedia most articles use BC/AD. However here and there anonymous users sneakily change the dating system. As far I can judge this matter (and notice that I'm in favour of BC/AD) most of these sneaky changes are made towards BCE/CE. I never impose BC/AD upon BCE/CE articles but I revert sneaky changes. Anonymous changes which ignore proper protocol can, and are to be, reverted with extreme prejudice. See the talkpage of the respective article. If you don't agree please state your reasons. Flamarande (talk) 13:16, 28 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yes but even though Jesus is the most famous and popular person in the whole world, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia just is not a Christian subject, and BCE/CE has been used there since a date was first introduced into the article. No one would insist on changing BC/AD to BCE/CE at, say Saint Barbara; if I said that would be tasteless and aggressive, I'm sure you'd agree. Your experience about changing conventions does not match mine: the sneaky changes are very unlikely to be from BC/AD to BCE?CE, I have found.--Wetman (talk) 19:39, 28 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, but the article has used BC/AD right from the start [6] and has used it for over 7 years without any problems at all. BC/AD is the original dating system of this article and of all other 'ancient wonders of the world'-articles (consistency speaks for itself). An anonymous user changed it towards BCE/CE a couple of months ago [7]. Unsurprisingly this was his only edit. Said change was against protocol (it was not requested, it was not debated, and it was not agreed upon) and he didn't even mention it on the edit summary (one can only wonder why). Such behaviour should never be rewarded and most of us know of the agreement: "don't change the dating system needlessly, original systems have the home advantage, and never change it without debating and agreeing upon the issue first". There are no logical reasons to change the most popular dating system overwhelmingly used in the English language (BC/AD) in favour of a so-called "neutral" dating system (BCE/CE). AFAIK this is the English language wiki and not the Political Correct language wiki. Many readers don't even know the BCE/CE system at all
My apologies: I see that the article had used BC/AD from the start. I was thrown off by a sneaky change some time back. Often I put a commented-out hatnote to identify the usage at the top of the text, to avoid this kind of thing, but they are often officiously deleted.--Wetman (talk) 19:47, 28 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
No apology is needed (unilateral changes are to be reverted). Flamarande (talk) 19:54, 28 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Indeed they are, no matter which way they've been "corrected"!--Wetman (talk) 20:08, 28 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I've seen sneaky changes both ways. Personally I use BC/AD for anything to to with Christendom (blind link I dread to follow), including pre-Christian topics, but BCE/CE for anything on China, the Islamic world, etc, and sometimes support proposed changes on this basis. The 2nd part of that is now pretty standard in academia, surely? Johnbod (talk) 21:12, 1 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
No, it isn't. AFAIK BCE/CE is all but unknown in Europe. All of this boils to the following: BC/AD is incredibly more popular in the English language. I honestly don't agree with the "Balkanization of the English language along religious lines" because of dubious reasons and your reasoning is IMHO faulty. Let me offer a simple example: ancient Rome. Is ancient polytheistic Rome a "Christian subject"? It certainly isn't. Nevertheless the vast majority of books about ancient Rome written in English use BC/AD (and the vast majority of the ancient Roman-articles "here" use it acordingly). The vast majority of English-speaking media (books, films, TV documentaries, etc) also uses BC/AD. This wiki is suppossed to be the English wiki and it should reflect English language. Flamarande (talk) 21:56, 1 November 2009 (UTC) And I'm an atheist.[reply]
I thought that was what I was saying! BCE/CE is certainly very well known among Asians writing in English. BC/AD will not survive long in those articles, or in those on paleontology etc, which mostly use BP. You may call it "Balkanization", I call it cultural tact and the flexibility of the English language. Johnbod (talk) 22:06, 1 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Until the arrival of that day BC/AD stays the more popular system and used as such by British English and American English. I honestly call it political correctness. What would you think if "foreigners" began to write in your native language but instead of using the traditional native system, began to impose a "neutral dating system" tailor-made to twist the more popular one along PC-lines? Flamarande (talk) 22:22, 1 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
The English have long been used to that. In any case the change is largely driven by native speakers. Johnbod (talk) 22:30, 1 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Flamarande's quote from Wikipedia guidelines prevents any self-justified bullying on either side: "don't change the dating system needlessly, original systems have the home advantage".--Wetman (talk) 01:28, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
It's the only thing that I'm envious of Conservapedia, "the trustworthy encyclopaedia". Man, you truly have to love that slogan, notice how subtly it suggests that you shouldn't trust the other ones - because Conservopedia is the (only) trustworthy one. Truly a fine American Republican product.
They at least decided the issue once and for all (predictably in favour BC/AD but at least they weren't afraid of making a decision) whereas in Wikipedia Jimbo and everybody else are willing to ask for contributions but wash their hands from simple decisions. I could live with a BCE/CE decisions (I would stop my edits because I'm against PC but how the French say: ces't la vie) but this way ("we leave the dating system to the individual article and in the hands of the user") is clearly begging for sneaky shifts in favour of both sides. Flamarande (talk) 12:29, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Oh just think of PC as standing for Personal Courtesy.--Wetman (talk) 19:23, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Any ideas?

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It's at times like this one can fully understand the need for a stud book. Giano (talk) 20:52, 5 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What? Not in Burke's Landed Gentry?--Wetman (talk) 22:24, 5 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Your edits

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sure, thanks! Drmies (talk) 22:41, 6 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]