User talk:Bencherlite/Archive 29

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Churches in Scotland

Hi, I was wondering if you'd be interested in creating a few lists for Template:Lists of churches in Scotland by council area? I've started a basic one for Highland. Eventually it would be good to have detailed tabled lists by sub area with pretty pictures! It's a huge task though but worth starting. I didn't it worth asking User:Peter I. Vardy as it's not Cheshire or Merseyside :-)♦ Dr. Blofeld 20:05, 14 December 2014 (UTC)

Hmm, Scotland... not really that interested, sorry. Bencherlite^Talk 16:47, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

Better late than never

I guess I haven't been paying attention; I just now saw on Talk:Main Page that you're soon going to hang up your TFA coordinator hat. I'm not an FA/TFA regular, so take this with a grain of salt, but I've been consistently impressed with the job you've done over, what, the last few years. Well done, and thank you. --Floquenbeam (talk) 16:39, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

Thank you, Flo, that's very kind. I'm looking forward to things like today being somebody else's problem. (Incidentally, the discussion at WT:TFA hasn't been brought to a conclusion yet, but I've asked at the requests for closures page for someone to take a look and perhaps see whether a conclusion has been reached. If you, or anyone else, fancies doing the honours, then that would be nice. If no decision is reached in the next day or two then I'll start having to schedule January's TFAs, when it might be cleaner if a new team did that (assuming that there is consensus for this/them etc etc...) Bencherlite^Talk 16:47, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

It's become clearer to me, as the years go on, that "interpreting consensus" in complicated discussions isn't really a strength of mine. I'd be too prone to favoring opinions that match my own. (I would, for example, be the world's absolute worst TFA coordinator, lasting about 3 days before telling someone to fuck off and quitting in a huff.) I know it's taboo to say this out loud, but I'm the type of admin you'd basically describe as a cop, not a judge or an editor or a gnome. Many troubles come when cops try to be editors, or gnomes try to be cops. So you don't want me closing that discussion, I'd screw it up. I assume you've enough talk page watchers that someone competent will do it eventually. I'll keep some of your previous edit summary so watchers will know you're advertising. --Floquenbeam (talk) 17:03, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

Missing email

The email you sent me on 2 December did not, unfortunately reach me (it was at a time when many were going astray). Could you send it again (or post it to my talk if that's more convenient)? Brianboulton (talk) 14:05, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

Sent. It's a bit too long to put on-wiki... Bencherlite^Talk 14:24, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

• Me too. I don't recall getting it, which is odd, because your address is saved. Mind, I was getting ready to travel then. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 15:00, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

• And sent to you too. Bencherlite^Talk 15:15, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

Thanks - duly received. I'm reading it now and will get back to you soon. Brianboulton (talk) 15:17, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

OK, I've read it and am most grateful for all the information – there's a lot to absorb, and I'm sure I will pore over the document in the weeks to come. However, what I need in the immediate term is a simple, procedural guide to the steps that I need to take when I schedule an article, either from the TFAR page or from the FA lists. It seems that some tasks are carried out by bots but not others – how, for instance, is the "This month's queue" page generated? Could you provide a short list of the steps, indicating in each case the consequences of that step, so that the things I need to do are burned into my brain? I am sorry if this sounds wimpish, but I need to feel confident about evey stage of the process before I can take responsibility for it. Much obliged. Brianboulton (talk) 16:22, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

Can you please check out my scheduling for Jan 1? I have done all the stages in your list except the last two (noting that you corrected me along the way). Please signal if all is well, and I'll do the next. Brianboulton (talk) 20:27, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

Jan 2 Michael Tippett now scheduled – is all well? Question: has a "this month's queue" page for January 2015 been set up? If so, where can it be found? Brianboulton (talk) 21:49, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

Not quite sure what you mean by "this month's queue" - do you mean Wikipedia:Today's featured article/recent TFAs/January 2015, perhaps? Bencherlite^Talk 21:58, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

No, I mean this page, which is reached by the "This month's queue" link on the WP:TFA page. Perhaps something has to be done to set it up for next year? Incidentally, I have moved the notepad to my userspace in User:Brianboulton/TFA notepad. Brianboulton (talk) 23:52, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

That's all sorted automatically. The notepad move is fine - I can update the stats at the start of 2015, if you like, to give an indicative view of how many articles from each category would represent "par". Of course, the par scores are often over- or under-shot substantially, depending in particular on what new articles get nominated at TFAR, but I found it worth bearing in mind that if TFA doesn't keep cranking through those mushrooms/birds/shrubs/battleships/admirals/pilots then the less populated topics just get used up much more quickly. Bencherlite^Talk 00:01, 17 December 2014 (UTC)

... and hurricanes and highways ... - thanks for a smooth transition, --Gerda Arendt (talk) 00:08, 17 December 2014 (UTC)

Enjoy!

		The Barnstar of Integrity
		Bencherlite, you took over a process when it was in turmoil, and turned it into a well-oiled machine. You handled controversy with firm diplomacy, and goodness knows, you worked your tail off during your tenure as Today's Featured Article delegate and coordinator. From your recent activity at Featured Article Candidates, I can see the website is going to benefit from your freedom to get out there and edit again; enjoy your well-deserved "retirement". Best, SandyGeorgia (Talk) 12:20, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

Thanks, Sandy, for these kind words. There were times when I agreed with you that it was the worst job on Wikipedia, but for most of the time it was great fun. Bencherlite^Talk 12:54, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

Seconded. Thank you for your dedicated and exemplary service. Nikkimaria (talk) 01:16, 17 December 2014 (UTC)

Greetings

		Seasonal Greetings and Good Wishes
		Christmas greetings for 2014, and best wishes for 2015. Here's to a successful return to reviewing and editing, and down with the trolls, vandals and bores. Peace on earth and goodwill to all! Brianboulton (talk) 19:24, 18 December 2014 (UTC)

Merry Christmas!

A very happy Christmas and New Year to you!
May 2014 bring you joy, happiness – and no trolls or vandals! All the best Gavin / SchroCat (talk) 09:33, 19 December 2014 (UTC)

Season's Greetings!

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous 2015 !!!

Hello Bencherlite! As we gather to celebrate the changing of years and reflect on the meaning of life, the universe, and everything, I would like to wish you and yours a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Attached is a small snack which I hope will give you the energy to continue being an amazing person and editor in the coming year. Happy editing,  — Crisco 1492 (talk) 13:46, 20 December 2014 (UTC)

User talk:Dank#TFA blurbs

Pinging in case you want to weigh in. - Dank (push to talk) 14:30, 21 December 2014 (UTC)

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous 2015!!!

Hello Bencherlite, may you be surrounded by peace, success and happiness on this seasonal occasion. Spread the WikiLove by wishing another user a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, whether it be someone you have had disagreements with in the past, a good friend, or just some random person. Sending you a heartfelt and warm greetings for Christmas and New Year 2015. Happy editing, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 04:01, 25 December 2014 (UTC) Spread the love by adding {{subst:Seasonal Greetings}} to other user talk pages.

Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) on behalf of {{U|Technical 13}} to all registered users whom have commented on his talk page. To prevent receiving future messages, please follow the opt-out instructions on User:Technical 13/Holiday list

Nollaig

	Nollaig shona duit
	Best christmas and new year. Another year down, and so much more to write. Thanks for all your contribuitions and being part of the community. Hope January is at least resonabally tolerable for you. Ceoil (talk) 09:33, 25 December 2014 (UTC)

Happy Holidays

		Happy Holidays
		Wishing you and yours a Happy Holiday Season, from the horse and bishop person. May the year ahead be productive and troll-free. - Ealdgyth - Talk 14:59, 25 December 2014 (UTC)

Happy New Year!

Dear Bencherlite,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! A new year has come! How times flies! 2015 will be a new year, and it is also a chance for you to start afresh! Thank you for your contributions!
From a fellow editor,
--Nahnah4 (talk | contribs | guestbook) 09:00, 31 December 2014 (UTC)

This message promotes WikiLove. Created by Nahnah4 (talk | contribs | guestbook). To use this template, leave {{subst:User:Nahnah4/Happy New Year}} on someone else's talk page.

Merry Christmas!

Dear Bencherlite,
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Best wishes to you, your family and relatives this holiday season! Take this opportunity to bond with your loved ones, whether or not you are celebrating Christmas. This is a special time for everybody, and spread the holiday spirit to everybody out there!
From a fellow editor,
--Nahnah4 (talk | contribs | guestbook)

This message promotes WikiLove. Created by Nahnah4 (talk | contribs | guestbook).

Your last TFA!

Showing today. Tomorrow...le déluge? We shall see. Final thanks to you for all your efforts in this area, and in particular for your help and guidance in the handover process. A very Happy New Year to you. Brianboulton (talk) 15:03, 31 December 2014 (UTC)

I've learned a lot from reading your blurbs. Thanks for working so hard on documenting everything you've done. I hope you'll continue to participate in any way at any time! - Dank (push to talk) 16:31, 31 December 2014 (UTC)

I also learned a lot, starting from the one time I scheduled and you helped me that it didn't look too silly. Thank you. Wishes for all (in prep) will appear shortly. Participation is a great idea, carry on! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:40, 31 December 2014 (UTC)

Instead of a cheque...

		The Running Man Barnstar
		Thank you for all you have done to help me with the Boat Race articles. Tonight we hit a landmark, over 50% of the race articles are now Good or Featured Articles, which is a monumental achievement considering that none of the articles even existed eight months ago. Thanks again. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:42, 3 January 2015 (UTC)

Oh, advanced warning.... you are absolutely obliged, nay mandated to assist me, in a few months time, in trying to turn The Boat Race article into something suitable. If I have to drive two hundred miles west, or thirty miles south or whatever, just to pin you down, I'll do it. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:57, 5 January 2015 (UTC)

Page view column

How are we doing so far? Also ... I noticed you just added a page view column showing around 10k hits. That might be useful or might be misleading ... the Main Page gets around 10M hits a day, so almost all of the readers of the TFA paragraph won't be showing up on that counter. Pinging Brianboulton and Crisco 1492. - Dank (push to talk) 15:46, 8 January 2015 (UTC)

So far so good. And, on page views, I'm not doing anything new - TFA page views have been tracked on a stats page since at least Wikipedia:Today's featured article/Statistics 2010 and form the basis of Wikipedia:Today's featured article/Most viewed. All I'm doing is combining the old TFASTATS page with TFAREC since there was a lot of overlap between the two, and because Wikipedia:Today's featured article/Statistics 2014 had been abandoned. Per Talk:Main Page#TFA Statistics and User talk:Tbhotch#WP:TFASTATS and WP:TFAREC. Bencherlite^Talk 15:57, 8 January 2015 (UTC)

And if you want to ping Brianboulton and Crisco 1492, you need to sign when you ping - adding names to a previously signed post doesn't generate a ping. Bencherlite^Talk 15:58, 8 January 2015 (UTC)

Didn't know ping didn't work without a simultaneous signature, thanks. Sorry, I didn't write what I was thinking, I might be getting the flu ... the article views on TFA day are very helpful, thanks. But at the same time, I think we undersell TFA if we only throw around numbers like 10k and 20k and neglect mentioning that the TFA column is the first section on a page that gets 10M hits a day. - Dank (push to talk) 16:15, 8 January 2015 (UTC)

• I've always understood the number as a click-through rate. No other way to indicate that someone even read part of the blurb, instead of just skipping to the search bar. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 16:56, 8 January 2015 (UTC)

Eight honorary citizens

Obama signed the bill, so I've updated the article Lafayette dollar.--Wehwalt (talk) 20:52, 10 January 2015 (UTC)

Ah! I'd already forgotten this issue! Bencherlite^Talk 07:48, 12 January 2015 (UTC)

A favor

Would you remove the featured article star at Selena for me? The article was just demoted at FAR, and it is currently under full protection so I can't do so myself. Thank you sir! Maralia (talk) 07:42, 12 January 2015 (UTC)

Done. Bencherlite^Talk 07:48, 12 January 2015 (UTC)

Regius Professor of Natural History (Aberdeen)

Referenced (at least the beginning years) Still not sure on George Skene.Naraht (talk) 18:25, 13 January 2015 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Today's featured article/February 4, 2015

Sorry, just a case of seeing what I wanted to see. - Dank (push to talk) 23:24, 19 January 2015 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Today's featured article/February 11, 2015

Actually, I preferred Crisco's version. I'm consistently going a little over 1200 characters, and that's making it a lot easier to do my job. No one over at ITN had a problem with it when I asked ... but the extra blank line you want may mean they need to do another news item, and then they might complain that I'm too far over the limit. - Dank (push to talk) 00:26, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

But as there's no image, the overall length will be no longer than a 1200 blurb + TFATOPIC + image + correct formatting, so I suggest the blank line stays in, as per usual. Bencherlite^Talk 00:31, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

Brian's out of town, this can wait till he gets back. - Dank (push to talk) 00:35, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

First Wikinews article

Hi there. I see that you're active on Wikinews and I would like a bit of assistance, so I'm consulting you if that's OK. I would like to write an article about the situation of Raif Badawi but I'm not sure what information to include, as his sentencing and first punishment were awhile ago but there aren't any articles on Wikinews already about him. Should I just write about a recent development in his case and give a bit of background? Sorry if this is a stupid question haha I'm just really wary of getting things wrong. Shiningroad (talk) 10:58, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

Shiningroad, the only thing I do on Wikinews is prevent the site from looking stupid by referring to events on the main page as if they happened yesterday when they happened over a week ago. For actual content questions, you'll have to ask at Wikinews - I haven't written or reviewed an article there for many years and I have no plans to start again. But you'll need to find some recent news (a matter of a few days old at most, really) to use as a peg upon which to hang a story, otherwise you won't get anywhere. Sorry I can't be more helpful. Bencherlite^Talk 11:01, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

Thanks for the prompt reply! Do you know of any individuals who I could ask? Shiningroad (talk) 11:03, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

The only person who seems to edit WN these days is Pi zero. Blood Red Sandman and Brian McNeil are around as well, I see. Try one or all of them! Bencherlite^Talk 11:09, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

Sorting

Thanks for the sort in BWV 22. Tim did the table, I confess that I noticed only now that it is sortable, shame on me. I don't believe that the soloists should be sorted, they should always appear in the normal order alto - tenor - bass. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:58, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

If you look at the table, Gerda, you will realise that they "always appear in the normal order" ATB, both before and after my changes. (You can't sort the contents of a cell within a table, at least not without great complexity.) The only difference in the soloists column is that it now sorts by surname of the first-named singer, not by the first name of the first-named singer. (I've left "boy treble" alone so it sorts under "b".) Does that answer your question? Bencherlite^Talk 11:06, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

I think your changes are good, but there is no reason to sort by soloist to start with, to arrive at the line which has a boy, just because his "b" happens to be the "name" with the first alpha letter. If I had not forgotten how to make one column unsortable, I would do it here, for that one. All other sorts, such as by conductor, makes sense. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:46, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

I think that's a good idea. It's now unsortable. If I can help with lists in future, let me know - I'm a bit rusty, but I have more "featured lists" to my credit than "featured articles"! Bencherlite^Talk 13:13, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

Thank you! Next time I will know where to find the example, also for the sorting by name itself, more elegant than what I saw at List of 20th century classical composers. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:41, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

My userpage

Thanks for tidying some of the text on my userpage (even though I did wonder what was going on when you reverted over a year of edits I'd made to it).— Rod ^talk 10:48, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

All I did was misclick on rollback (browser froze annoyingly) then rollback my previous edit, so there should be no difference now between the current look and the way you previously left it! I thought about leaving a message on your talk to explain but decided you'd probably work it out anyway.... sorry! Bencherlite^Talk 10:54, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

Thanks

Just wanted to say thanks for noticing Wendell H. Ford's 90th birthday last year and recognizing it with a TFA run. Senator Ford died today. Just wanted you to know you managed to hit his last living birthday. Nice job. Acdixon ^{(talk · contribs)} 16:24, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

No problem. Bencherlite^Talk 16:26, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

Rawlinsonian professors

Thanks for letting me know about your proposed merger, which you will see I am against. As I have said on the page you pointed me to, I see no harm in keeping the two existing categories, whereas there is harm in merging them, because the edges of who was what become blurred. I know that the English Wikipedia absolutely loves blurring all such edges, on the principle of "For goodness' sake, what does it matter, it's more or less the same thing, grow up and stop being so pernickety!" but once you start to blur edges they get more and more blurred until they cause confusion and even errors. Moonraker (talk) 21:21, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

Ethnic Armenian philanthropists

This https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Albert_A._Boyajian&diff=next&oldid=602633014 is I created the link right will give you a feel for the out-of-process removal by a non-registered user.John Pack Lambert (talk) 03:26, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

Main talkpage & Main Error page.

Howdy Bencherlite. My apologizes if I've accidently mess up any of your edits. There's something rather confusing about those related pages. GoodDay (talk) 00:39, 29 January 2015 (UTC)

TFA

Thanks for your edits on the TFAs today. - Dank (push to talk) 16:37, 29 January 2015 (UTC)

• Agree. Thanks. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 16:42, 29 January 2015 (UTC)
  • No problem. Happy to help out on minor things as long as I don't have to do the boring stuff anymore! Hope you're still enjoying it - I've not seen many - any? - complaints about your collective choices yet, which is half the battle! Bencherlite^Talk 17:18, 29 January 2015 (UTC)
    • I'm biding my time, slowly building up a dossier of examples. Nothing added to it yet though, which is of credit to the triumvirate! - SchroCat (talk) 17:37, 29 January 2015 (UTC)

Heather Professor

I have on my shelves a history of the Proms by Jenny Doctor. Is she related to Heather Professor, by any chance? – Tim riley talk 18:18, 31 January 2015 (UTC)

I suspect so. A little side-line of mine is to come up with lists of Oxford profs from time to time - makes a change from churches! Bencherlite^Talk 11:58, 2 February 2015 (UTC)

Speaking of lists... do you have any that would be fit to go onto the front page in the near future? I'm happy to write the blurb if necessary! Cheers - SchroCat (talk) 12:05, 2 February 2015 (UTC)

Yes, to make up for the hissy fit I had when I spotted that one of my old lists had been nominated and scheduled (all happening over the Christmas holidays) without Neelix letting me know (and mangling the prose in the process while leaving the deadlinks unaddressed...) I'll find one now and nominate it before lunch. Bencherlite^Talk 12:09, 2 February 2015 (UTC)

Many thanks - you're a star! - SchroCat (talk) 12:50, 2 February 2015 (UTC)

Vannevar Bush

"Vannevar Bush (11 March 1890 – 28 June 1974) ...": If this appears on the Main Page on 11 March, would you go with (11 March 1890 – 1974), or (1890 –1974)? - Dank (push to talk) 16:05, 8 February 2015 (UTC)

"Years only" is the usual way, whether anniversary or not, for consistency. Bencherlite^Talk 22:27, 8 February 2015 (UTC)

Future University MfD

Just for the record, the intended target was this version of the Future University page. Don't know how it got redirected to an article (which obviously would require an AfD instead). Moot point now. Cheers! --- Alexf^(talk) 19:40, 9 February 2015 (UTC)

No problem - thinking about it, Twinkle must have followed the redirect on this version of the page to put your MFD nomination in article space. No harm done, anyway. Bencherlite^Talk 20:02, 9 February 2015 (UTC)

TFA 1 March 2015

This is to inform you that Old Church of St Nidan, Llanidan , which you nominated at WP:FAC, will appear on the Main Page as Today's Featured Article on 1 March 2015. The proposed main page blurb is here; you may amend if necessary. Please check for dead links and other possible faults before the appearance date. Brianboulton (talk) 12:34, 10 February 2015 (UTC)

Thanks, Brian, will do. Bencherlite^Talk 12:36, 10 February 2015 (UTC)

PS: I was interrupted about eight times (phone etc) while scheduling this. I hope I haven't left something important out! Brianboulton (talk) 12:38, 10 February 2015 (UTC)

Unlikely, but I'm sure someone will realise before 1st March if you have! Bencherlite^Talk 12:38, 10 February 2015 (UTC)

Well I'm doing something wrong because you've reverted. Is this a repeat of an error I made in January? If so, can you tell me (again, for shame) what I'm doing wrong and what I ought to be doing? If you put it in a clearly defined note on my talkpage, perhaps I won't forget again! Brianboulton (talk) 16:05, 10 February 2015 (UTC)

Wikipedia:The sky is not falling/Chapter 1

In light of recent developments... Shearonink (talk) 04:58, 10 February 2015 (UTC)

Shearonink, are you asking me to do something, and if so what? I'm not a mind-reader. Bencherlite^Talk 12:36, 10 February 2015 (UTC)

Since you blocked its creator/puppetmaster and deleted its related content WP:TSINS and WP:The sky is not falling, I thought you would want to know and take whatever the appropriate action would be. Shearonink (talk) 16:27, 10 February 2015 (UTC)

Ah, I thought something was odd but couldn't work it out earlier - zapped in an IAR G6 way rather than faff about with MFD and process... Thanks. Bencherlite^Talk 16:57, 10 February 2015 (UTC)

DYK for Arthur Phillips (musician)

Graeme Bartlett (talk) 12:12, 12 February 2015 (UTC)

DYK for Henry Ford (professor)

Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 01:07, 15 February 2015 (UTC)

Laudian Professor of Arabic

Hi Bencherlite. I scheduled your submission at WP:TFLS for March 9. As long as that date is all right with you, the article looks fine to me. Giants2008 (Talk) 23:33, 13 February 2015 (UTC)

Thanks Giants2008, that'll be fine. Bencherlite^Talk 09:25, 15 February 2015 (UTC)

Replacing TFA for 5 March

At the principal author's request I changed the TFA selection for 5 March to Wikipedia:Today's featured article/March 5, 2015. "This month's queue" still shows the original selection - what still needs to be done? I am also unsure about the move protection on the deferred article – can you help if you're around? Thanks, Brianboulton (talk) 11:57, 14 February 2015 (UTC)

Ignore the bit about non-transclusion, which is resolved now. They may well still be an issue with the move protection. Brianboulton (talk) 19:25, 14 February 2015 (UTC)

Brianboulton, the non-transclusion was probably a "purge your cache" issue. I've removed the move protection on the descheduled TFA. Bencherlite^Talk 09:25, 15 February 2015 (UTC)

So that I don't have to bother you again the next time this arises, is removing the move protection simply a matter of reverting by hand the bot's protection edit? Brianboulton (talk) 09:36, 15 February 2015 (UTC)

Brianboulton, no, "admin superpowers" are needed to take away the move protection. Bencherlite^Talk 21:50, 18 February 2015 (UTC)

"Not my problem any more"

errrr, what did I miss? --Dweller (talk) 14:34, 19 February 2015 (UTC)

nothing much... Bencherlite^Talk 14:57, 19 February 2015 (UTC)

Bloody norah. Sorry I missed that. --Dweller (talk) 15:24, 19 February 2015 (UTC)

Belated award

	The balls of steel award for former TFA coordinator
	For a jolly long time, User:Bencherlite displayed BALLS OF STEEL in scheduling FAs efficiently, occasionally wittily, but always decisively. And with hardly a serious complaint. Quite extraordinary. You sir, are the man. Or you were. Dweller (talk) 15:29, 19 February 2015 (UTC)

That was certainly worth waiting for, though! Many thanks. Bencherlite^Talk 15:34, 19 February 2015 (UTC)

Plumbing the depths...

Dear Bench, Yet another request for PR help, I'm afraid, although this one comes with an ready-made opportunity for a pun or two while comparing the subject matter to the content and prose! It concerns the Great Stink, a relatively brief event in London history that has had a beneficial effect that we all enjoy to this day. The PR can be found here, if you have the time to spare. If you don't, no worries! Cheers – SchroCat (talk) 23:23, 19 February 2015 (UTC)

Recent unpleasantness

Sorry about the recent unpleasantness, "there's no point" and "If you needed to be asked" ticked me off and I wasn't sure where you were going with that (nowhere, apparently, so it's all good). I get that it's a concern for you if the new guys aren't going to do the job properly. Sorry to leave you with the impression that I wasn't, I just haven't had time to get everything working yet the way I want. Brian and Crisco seem to want me to do at least a little more with article leads, and I'm doing that now, which I think deals with your main concern. I don't think you (or anyone, yet) gets my concern about the potential downsides of my fiddling with article leads, but we'll see. Anyway ... everyone who works as hard as you do around here (which isn't a lot of people) has their share of stress, and I don't want to add to it. - Dank (push to talk) 12:49, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

You seem to have taken on board my point. Thanks. I have much less stress, and much more time for other things, since I stopped my TFAR role! Bencherlite^Talk 13:10, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

Jacobi

Not sure what the persistent "block evasion" means,but please stop blocking me just for fun.its not funny.--213.7.105.158 (talk) 13:22, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

Only Fools and Horses Review

It looks like you missed step 5 at Wikipedia:Featured article review. The review isn't listed. - X201 (talk) 11:26, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

Yes it is listed, and it was listed two minutes before you left your message. Bencherlite^Talk 11:29, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

I wasn't "telling you off", I was just informing you, as you'd done the other steps and it wasn't listed when I went to FAR. Please assume good faith with this reply. - X201 (talk) 11:44, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

Well, as I didn't miss step 5, there was no need for your message after all, so thanks for this waste of time. Bencherlite^Talk 11:47, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

What was causing the error?[1] SandyGeorgia (Talk) 13:26, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

I think the explanation is at Template:Article history#Invalid date, i.e. some invisible characters made it into "2006" (perhaps from a copy/paste of the date stamp?) and these were deleted when I retyped the date manually (the history shows that my edit removed four bytes). Anyway, if only the article could be fixed as easily! Bencherlite^Talk 13:35, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

Ah, ha! I did copy-paste the date from Raul's FAC log entry-- so I will type the date manually now! Thanks, Bencher. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 13:36, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

No problem. Glad to be of service, ma'am. Bencherlite^Talk 13:38, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

And I'm glad to see you engaging FAR :) You are needed. Everywhere ;) SandyGeorgia (Talk) 13:42, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

The "American going thru BBC withdrawal" barnstar (minus the artwork)

Every time someone references Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, BlackAdder, or Yes Minister, an angel gets his or her wings. --Floquenbeam (talk) 17:27, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

You may say that; I couldn't possibly comment. Bencherlite^Talk 18:32, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

I'm a fan of Atkinson and of the other three shows (mostly), but paradoxically I've never even cracked a grin at BlackAdder. I know I'm supposed to like it. Maybe I just need to find the right episodes. - Dank (push to talk) 19:48, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

Avoid series 1, it's crap (everyone agrees, even the stars). Thereafter Ben Elton got involved and the humour improved. Then watch repeatedly, ignore the jokes that don't work (there are quite a few, if truth be told) and laugh at the rest as you say the lines along with the cast. This doesn't annoy Mrs Bencherlite at all, of course... Bencherlite^Talk 22:35, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

Thank you

— Coffee // have a cup // beans // 15:01, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

Thanks, Coffee. Bencherlite^Talk 15:02, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

Desperate Passage: The Donner Party's Perilous Journey West by Ethan Rarick

If you won't accept reviews of the book from Western Historical Quarterly California History or Western American Literature, then why would you accept anything I say? Go away and improve the encyclopedia somewhere else, please. BencherliteTalk 17:30, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion. Please read the prologue then tell me this isn't a fictionalized account. Rationalobserver (talk) 16:52, 26 February 2015 (UTC) The horse is dead. Move on. BencherliteTalk 16:54, 26 February 2015 (UTC) That's overused, and this discussion is only about 12 hours old. Why can't anyone have a polite discussion about anything related to EC? Parts of that book are fictionalized, and that fact doesn't change because you stick your head in the sand. What is the source material for this book? It doesn't look like any member of the Donner Party kept a journal. Rationalobserver (talk) 16:58, 26 February 2015 (UTC) You've been pointed to scholarly reviews of the book which support its reliability. If they don't satisfy you, I doubt anything will. I have nothing more to say on the subject. BencherliteTalk 17:00, 26 February 2015 (UTC) Do you think you are neutral enough to EC to close that thread? Rationalobserver (talk) 17:01, 26 February 2015 (UTC) Yes, otherwise I wouldn't have done. Now go away, please. BencherliteTalk 17:02, 26 February 2015 (UTC) You're wrong that I won't accept anything else, but nobody has attempted to explain why a narrative history can be treated as a scientific or analytic history when they are not the same thing. Why can't you explain that to me here? That it was published by Oxford isn't the final word, as Oxford does publish fictional works. Rationalobserver (talk) The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Thank you...

...for this. APK whisper in my ear 23:23, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

You're welcome. Bencherlite^Talk 23:24, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

Creating a stink....

Afternoon Bench, Many thanks for your help on the Great Stink. The article is now at FAC for further consideration, should you wish to partake further. Many thanks! - SchroCat (talk) 16:09, 27 February 2015 (UTC)