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Administrators' newsletter – September 2023

News and updates for administrators from the past month (September 2023).

Administrator changes

Hey man im josh

• Alex Bakharev
• CorbieVreccan
• Cyphoidbomb
• Davodd
• Hog Farm
• JamesR
• KnightLago
• Mark Ironie
• Nosebagbear (deceased)
• Rschen7754
• Tamzin
• TonyBallioni

CheckUser changes

DatGuy

• Ferret
• RickinBaltimore

• TonyBallioni
• Worm That Turned

Oversighter changes

RickinBaltimore

• TonyBallioni
• Worm That Turned

Guideline and policy news

• An RfC is open regarding amending the paid-contribution disclosure policy to add the following text: Any administrator soliciting clients for paid Wikipedia-related consulting or advising services not covered by other paid-contribution rules must disclose all clients on their userpage.

Technical news

• Administrators can now choose to add the user's user page to their watchlist when changing the usergroups for a user. This works both via Special:UserRights and via the API. (T272294)

Arbitration

• Remedy 9 ("MarioProtIV topic ban") of the WikiProject Tropical Cyclones case has been rescinded.

Miscellaneous

• The 2023 CheckUser and Oversight appointments process has concluded with the appointment of one new CheckUser.
• Self-nominations for the electoral commission for the 2023 Arbitration Committee elections opens on 2 October and closes on 8 October.

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Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 14:41, 4 October 2023 (UTC)

This week's article for improvement (week 41, 2023)

Witch-hunting is commonly motivated by religious superstition. Hello, Spurb. The article for improvement of the week is: Superstition Please be bold and help improve it! Previous selections: The arts • Motion Get involved with the AFI project: Nominate an article • Review nominations Posted by: MusikBot talk 00:05, 9 October 2023 (UTC) using MediaWiki message delivery (talk) on behalf of WikiProject AFI •

This week's article for improvement (week 42, 2023)

An IT8.7 Target by LaserSoft Imaging Hello, Spurb. The article for improvement of the week is: Color calibration Please be bold and help improve it! Previous selections: Superstition • The arts Get involved with the AFI project: Nominate an article • Review nominations Posted by: MusikBot talk 00:05, 16 October 2023 (UTC) using MediaWiki message delivery (talk) on behalf of WikiProject AFI •

This week's article for improvement (week 43, 2023)

Hello, Spurb. The article for improvement of the week is: Power (social and political) Please be bold and help improve it! Previous selections: Color calibration • Superstition Get involved with the AFI project: Nominate an article • Review nominations Posted by: MusikBot talk 00:05, 23 October 2023 (UTC) using MediaWiki message delivery (talk) on behalf of WikiProject AFI •

This week's article for improvement (week 44, 2023)

Various forms of severe weather Hello, Spurb. The article for improvement of the week is: Severe weather Please be bold and help improve it! Previous selections: Power (social and political) • Color calibration Get involved with the AFI project: Nominate an article • Review nominations Posted by: MusikBot talk 00:06, 30 October 2023 (UTC) using MediaWiki message delivery (talk) on behalf of WikiProject AFI •

WikiProject Tree of Life Newsletter Issue 23

October 2023—Issue 023

Tree of Life

Welcome to the Tree of Life newsletter!

Newly recognized content

Mimodactylus by FunkMonk Mountain pigeon by AryKun List of tarsiiformes by PresN List of hominoids by PresN List of cranes by AryKun Outline of lichens by MeegsC Lycorma meliae by Etriusus, reviewed by Chiswick Chap Oak by Chiswick Chap, reviewed by Esculenta Animal echolocation by Chiswick Chap, reviewed by Primium Elke Mackenzie by Esculenta, reviewed by Moriwen Dwarf pufferfish by Primium, reviewed by Chiswick Chap Hyalospheniidae by Snoteleks, reviewed by An anonymous username, not my real name Paroedura maingoka by Olmagon, reviewed by Jens Lallensack

Newly nominated content

Hypericum sechmenii by Fritzmann2002 Teloschistaceae by Esculenta Nyctibatrachus major by AryKun List of sunbirds by AryKun List of platyrrhines by PresN Handicap principle by Chiswick Chap Slime mold by Chiswick Chap Punctelia by Esculenta Pulchrocladia retipora by Esculenta Anaptychia ciliaris by Esculenta Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko by Olmagon Zavodovski Island by Jo-Jo Eumerus Chrysothrix chlorina by Esculenta Wood-pasture hypothesis by AndersenAnders Mammalian kidney by D6194c-1cc Lepas testudinata by Etriusus Teratoscincus roborowskii by Olmagon

Contest results

The second edition of our monthly contest was even better than the last month, with 80 articles improved spanning the entire tree of life. The winner this month was Quetzal1964, who contributed to 47 articles, mainly relating to marine fish, and racked up 81 points in the process. In second place was simongraham, who got 60 points from 14 articles on various species of jumping spiders. simongraham is still at the top of our overall standings, with 130 points, and Quetzal1964's close behind on 108. The November edition of the contest is now open: feel free to drop by and participate if you work on any TOL-related articles this month.

October DYKs

Illustration of swordtail mollies

Lycorma meliae

Illustrations of the front foot (A) and hind foot (B) of Diplobune quercyi

• ... that the Siberian columbine has been crossed with another species in the genus Aquilegia to determine the gene behind the genus's nectar spurs? (October 2)
• ... that the swordtail molly (examples pictured) and the Petén molly have been named and renamed so often, one even ending up with the other's name at one point, that the swordtail molly's current scientific name means 'confusion'? (October 8)
• ... that the early big cat Pachypanthera may have weighed as much as 142 kilograms (313 lb) and had teeth similar to a hyena's? (October 9)
• ... that ancient Greek philosopher Xenophon thought the alopekis was part dog, part fox? (October 11)
• ... that the katydid-like fossil Republicopteron douseae possibly could not sing? (October 12)
• ... that a Brontosaurus stamp led to the United States Postal Service being accused of "fostering scientific illiteracy"? (October 16)
• ... that the wings of Lycorma meliae (example pictured) undergo multiple color changes throughout their lives? (October 16)
• ... that the three-toed species of Diplobune (fossils pictured) were mammals of the order of "even-toed ungulates"? (October 17)
• ... that although fossils of the extinct mammal Asiavorator were first found in 1922, the genus was not named until 73 years later, in 1995? (October 18)
• ... that in aquariums, the humpbacked limia is known to cannibalise the young? (October 21)
• ... that Hypericum perforatum was a common component of classical cure-all concoctions called theriacs? (October 21)
• ... that Aristotle classified living things based on whether they had a "sensitive soul" or, like plants, only a "vegetative soul"? (October 22)
• ... that in June 2022, a neurosurgeon found a roundworm in someone's brain? (October 23)
• ... that ancient permafrost can preserve viable microorganisms, some of which contain antibiotic-resistance genes that may be transferred to modern bacteria? (October 27)

Discuss this issue

You are receiving this because you added your name to the subscribers list of the WikiProject Tree of Life. If you no longer wish to receive the newsletter, please remove your name.

-MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 16:30, 2 November 2023 (UTC)

This week's article for improvement (week 45, 2023)

Hello, Spurb. The article for improvement of the week is: Play (theatre) Please be bold and help improve it! Previous selections: Severe weather • Power (social and political) Get involved with the AFI project: Nominate an article • Review nominations Posted by: MusikBot talk 00:05, 6 November 2023 (UTC) using MediaWiki message delivery (talk) on behalf of WikiProject AFI •

Administrators' newsletter – November 2023

News and updates for administrators from the past month (October 2023).

Administrator changes

0xDeadbeef

Tamzin

Dennis Brown

Interface administrator changes

Pppery

• Ragesoss
• TheresNoTime

Guideline and policy news

Technical news

• The WMF is working on making it possible for administrators to edit MediaWiki configuration directly. This is similar to previous work on Special:EditGrowthConfig. A technical RfC is running until November 08, where you can provide feedback.
• There is a proposed plan for re-enabling the Graph Extension. Feedback on this proposal is requested.

Arbitration

• Eligible editors are invited to self-nominate themselves from 12 November 2023 until 21 November 2023 to stand in the 2023 Arbitration Committee elections.
• Xaosflux, RoySmith and Cyberpower678 have been appointed to the Electoral Commission for the 2023 Arbitration Committee Elections. BusterD is the reserve commissioner.
• Following a motion, the contentious topic designation of Prem Rawat has been struck. Actions previously taken using this contentious topic designation are still in force.
• Following several motions, multiple topic areas are no longer designated as a contentious topic. These contentious topic designations were from the Editor conduct in e-cigs articles, Liancourt Rocks, Longevity, Medicine, September 11 conspiracy theories, and Shakespeare authorship question cases.
• Following a motion, remedies 3.1 (All related articles under 1RR whenever the dispute over naming is concerned), 6 (Stalemate resolution) and 30 (Administrative supervision) of the Macedonia 2 case have been rescinded.
• Following a motion, remedy 6 (One-revert rule) of the The Troubles case has been amended.
• An arbitration case named Industrial agriculture has been opened. Evidence submissions in this case close 8 November.

Miscellaneous

• The Articles for Creation backlog drive is happening in November 2023, with 700+ drafts pending reviews for in the last 4 months or so. In addition to the AfC participants, all administrators and New Page Patrollers can conduct reviews using the helper script, Yet Another AFC Helper Script, which can be enabled in the Gadgets settings. Sign up here to participate!

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Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 17:23, 7 November 2023 (UTC)

This week's article for improvement (week 46, 2023)

Logo for 3dfx Hello, Spurb. The article for improvement of the week is: 3dfx Please be bold and help improve it! Previous selections: Play (theatre) • Severe weather Get involved with the AFI project: Nominate an article • Review nominations Posted by: MusikBot talk 00:05, 13 November 2023 (UTC) using MediaWiki message delivery (talk) on behalf of WikiProject AFI •

This week's article for improvement (week 47, 2023)

Hello, Spurb. The article for improvement of the week is: Human-centered design Please be bold and help improve it! Previous selections: 3dfx • Play (theatre) Get involved with the AFI project: Nominate an article • Review nominations Posted by: MusikBot talk 00:05, 20 November 2023 (UTC) using MediaWiki message delivery (talk) on behalf of WikiProject AFI •

This week's article for improvement (week 48, 2023)

Institute for sports science in Japan Hello, Spurb. The article for improvement of the week is: Sports science Please be bold and help improve it! Previous selections: Human-centered design • 3dfx Get involved with the AFI project: Nominate an article • Review nominations Posted by: MusikBot talk 00:05, 27 November 2023 (UTC) using MediaWiki message delivery (talk) on behalf of WikiProject AFI •

Books & Bytes – Issue 59

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 59, September – October 2023

• Spotlight: Introducing a repository of anti-disinformation projects
• Tech tip: Library access methods

Read the full newsletter

Sent by MediaWiki message delivery on behalf of The Wikipedia Library team --16:16, 27 November 2023 (UTC)

WikiProject Tree of Life Newsletter Issue 24

November 2023—Issue 024

Tree of Life

Welcome to the Tree of Life newsletter!

Newly recognized content

Hypericum sechmenii by Fritzmann2002 Nyctibatrachus major by AryKun List of platyrrhines by PresN List of gymnosperm families by Dank Varroa destructor by KoA, reviewed by Chiswick Chap Lepas testudinata by Etriusus, reviewed by Jens Lallensack Island bronze-naped pigeon by AryKun, reviewed by SilverTiger12 Placidium arboreum by Esculenta, reviewed by SilverTiger12 Orange-billed lorikeet by AryKun, reviewed by Jens Lallensack Spinular night frog by AryKun, reviewed by An anonymous username, not my real name Crested cuckoo-dove by AryKun, reviewed by Femke Aristonectes by Amirani1746, reviewed by Jens Lallensack Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko by Olmagon, reviewed by Etriusus Femoral gland by Esculenta, reviewed by Jens Lallensack Ameerega munduruku by AryKun, reviewed by Jens Lallensack Snowy plover by Jens Lallensack, reviewed by SilverTiger12 Crested cuckoo-dove by AryKun, reviewed by Grungaloo Wood-pasture hypothesis by AndersenAnders, reviewed by Chiswick Chap Hypericum bupleuroides by Fritzmann2002, reviewed by Etriusus Teratoscincus roborowskii by Olmagon, reviewed by Esculenta Pulchrocladia retipora by Esculenta, reviewed by Etriusus Anaptychia ciliaris by Esculenta, reviewed by Jens Lallensack

Newly nominated content

Snowy plover by Jens Lallensack List of birds of Bouvet Island by AryKun Laomaki by An anonymous username, not my real name Nyctibatrachus robinmoorei by AryKun Nyctibatrachus sabarimalai by AryKun Nyctibatrachus mewasinghi by AryKun Eucalyptus gomphocephala by Hughesdarren

Contest results

The third edition of our monthly contest saw Quetzal1964 win for the second month in a row, scoring 68 points from 39 articles about a variety of marine fishes. In second place for the month is Olmagon, who scored 45 points from 10 articles on extinct crustaceans and geckoes. In the overall standings, Quetzal1964 leapfrogged over simongraham into first place, with 176 points from 109 articles; simongraham is now in second place with 136 points from 37 articles. The December edition of the contest is now open: feel free to drop by and participate if you work on any TOL-related articles this month.

New newsletter!

Now, this newsletter is technically not new, but I have only recently become aware of its existence and am only a month late, so it still counts. Wikiproject Fungi's Lichen task force has a new newsletter that is very nicely formatted and also features much better writing than this newsletter. Anyone interested in receiving the newsletter can add their name here.

November DYKs

A bacterium that thrives in the deep ocean

Georges Cuvier's reconstruction of Anoplotherium commune

Paroedura maingoka

Field of Wyethia amplexicaulis in bloom

An adult dwarf pufferfish

Adult Balkan terrapin

Planocarina marginata, a hyalospheniid amoeba

• ... that a variety of the Connecticut field pumpkin is known as "the original commercial jack-o'-lantern pumpkin"? (November 1)
• ... that insects not only destroyed the personal plant collection of John Hunter Thomas, but also bear his name? (November 3)
• ... that life exists in every part of the biosphere, from the deepest parts of the ocean (bacterium pictured) to altitudes of up to 64 km (40 miles) in the atmosphere? (November 6)
• ... that Sivapardus was larger than a leopard, smaller than a lion, and had a face like a cheetah? (November 7)
• ... that Lillian V. Holdeman Moore identified a spike in hydrogen-gas-producing bacteria in Skylab astronauts? (November 8)
• ... that euglossine bees distribute the seeds of vanilla tlatepusco? (November 11)
• ... that in 1822, the Paleogene mammal Anop­lo­therium commune (reconstruction pictured) was the first fossil species to be subjected to a brain cast study? (November 12)
• ... that the island bronze-naped pigeon is a popular food at bars and parties on São Tomé? (November 12)
• ... that little pink elephants are parasitic? (November 12)
• ... that the gecko Paroedura maingoka (pictured) imitates venomous scorpions to discourage predators? (November 13)
• ... that the scenic fields of northern wyethia (pictured) found in the western United States are sometimes a sign that an area has been overgrazed? (November 15)
• ... that a 1950s album of frog calls developed a cult following? (November 15)
• ... that at a maximum standard length of roughly 2 cm (0.8 in), dwarf pufferfish are some of the smallest pufferfish in the world? (November 18)
• ... that the authors of The Neanderthals Rediscovered learned that their book proposal had been accepted on the same day they took their twin sons home from hospital? (November 20)
• ... that hatchling Balkan terrapins are only 3 to 4 centimetres (1.2 to 1.6 in) in length, while adults (example pictured) can grow as long as 25 cm (9.8 in)? (November 21)
• ... that organisms could harvest kinetic energy to survive? (November 22)
• ... that pollution in rivers scatters far-red light, making it harder for plants like Noveloa to germinate? (November 23)
• ... that many hyalospheniid amoebae (example pictured) construct shells by stealing mineralized particles from the shells of their prey? (November 28)
• ... that an ancient wildcat species is known only from a part of the jaw of a single animal discovered in Poland? (November 29)

Discuss this issue

You are receiving this because you added your name to the subscribers list of the WikiProject Tree of Life. If you no longer wish to receive the newsletter, please remove your name.

MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 17:45, 1 December 2023 (UTC)

This week's article for improvement (week 49, 2023)

A Mountfield church in East Sussex Hello, Spurb. The article for improvement of the week is: East Sussex Please be bold and help improve it! Previous selections: Sports science • Human-centered design Get involved with the AFI project: Nominate an article • Review nominations Posted by: MusikBot talk 00:05, 4 December 2023 (UTC) using MediaWiki message delivery (talk) on behalf of WikiProject AFI •

Administrators' newsletter – December 2023

News and updates for administrators from the past month (November 2023).

Administrator changes

• Ganesha811
• JPxG

• Ajpolino
• Lourdes
• Mairi
• RockMFR
• Somno
• WilyD

Beeblebrox → Just Step Sideways

CheckUser changes

• Beeblebrox
• Opabinia regalis

Oversight changes

• Beeblebrox
• Opabinia regalis

Guideline and policy news

• Following a talk page discussion, the Administrators' accountability policy has been updated to note that while it is considered best practice for administrators to have notifications (pings) enabled, this is not mandatory. Administrators who do not use notifications are now strongly encouraged to indicate this on their user page.

Arbitration

• Following a motion, the Extended Confirmed Restriction has been amended, removing the allowance for non-extended-confirmed editors to post constructive comments on the "Talk:" namespace. Now, non-extended-confirmed editors may use the "Talk:" namespace solely to make edit requests related to articles within the topic area, provided that their actions are not disruptive.
• The Arbitration Committee has announced a call for Checkusers and Oversighters, stating that it will currently be accepting applications for CheckUser and/or Oversight permissions at any point in the year.
• Eligible users are invited to vote on candidates for the Arbitration Committee until 23:59 December 11, 2023 (UTC). Candidate statements can be seen here.

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Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 15:54, 8 December 2023 (UTC)

This week's article for improvement (week 50, 2023)

Hello, Spurb. The article for improvement of the week is: International trade law Please be bold and help improve it! Previous selections: East Sussex • Sports science Get involved with the AFI project: Nominate an article • Review nominations Posted by: MusikBot talk 00:05, 11 December 2023 (UTC) using MediaWiki message delivery (talk) on behalf of WikiProject AFI •