Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2009 September 30

Welcome to the Wikipedia Help Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current Help Desk pages.

September 30

comment needed on article Raising kittens

may some on comment on the article Raising kittens please? i will reserve my comment now. i want to hear from others. Freshymail (Talk page ) the knowledge-defender 00:05, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Can't see the deleted article, but I'd be willing to bet it's a copy of Raising a kitten. If so, it can be speedied as WP:CSD#G4; see Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Raising a kitten. This is starting to get disruptive; the author may need a more clearly-worded warning than they're received so far. --Floquenbeam (talk) 00:13, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

It was prodded, and I just endorsed, but a G4 speedy and a stern warning is probably better. Wikipedia is not a how to guide. Xenon54 / talk / 00:16, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

== What to do when it appears that an issue notice on article has been resolved?

What is the correct process when there is an issue notice on an article, and then changes have been made which it appears have fixed the issue. Does one just remove/ edit out the issue notice?

North8000 (talk) 02:34, 2 October 2009 (UTC)

Thanks guys. Freshymail (Talk page ) the knowledge-defender 00:20, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

An admin has looked at the deleted article, Raising a kitten, and this is (astonishingly) not a repost of that article, so G4 is not applicable. DoktorMandrake 00:28, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Just to be clear, I didn't say I'd be willing to bet money... --Floquenbeam (talk) 00:34, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

The article has now been tagged for speedy deletion as a copyright violation. DoktorMandrake 00:43, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

So that would explain why the article was not eligible for G4...because the user (technically) didn't recreate it. Xenon54 / talk / 01:12, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

References

How do you cite a reference (in text) that is already included in existing text and therefore is alreayd included in the list of footnotes? Usually you insert a cross link to the footnote that already exists - not seeing how to do this.

--Write Bright (talk) 01:38, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Where the reference first appears, you need to give it a name. To do this, replace the opening <ref> with <ref name=AName>. You can change AName to whatever you would like the name of the reference to be - it doesn't matter, as long as it doesn't contain any spaces or weird characters and it should be descriptive enough for other editors to identify what the reference contains. Leave the rest of the reference alone. Then, wherever you want the reference to appear again, insert the code <ref name=AName/> and nothing else. Then, the reference will appear as normal and a separate link at the bottom will be made for he separate use of the reference. Xenon54 / talk / 01:46, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Note that if you want to use a name for the ref that has a space in it, punctuation marks, or non-ASCII characters, use straight (non-curly) quotes around it, e.g., <ref name="A Name">.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 01:56, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

All explained at WP:NAMEDREFS. – ukexpat (talk) 14:32, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Texas City Dike Pier

Is the Texas City Dike open yet?

This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Miscellaneous reference desk. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link and ask away. You could always try searching Wikipedia for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps. Someguy1221 (talk) 01:55, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Alternatively, you could read the Texas City Dike article. According to that, The dike was closed for repairs until further notice due to damage from Hurricane Ike. A quick search on Google seems to indicate that it is still closed (as of 22 August 2009). -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 09:12, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Template help

Resolved

 – --Marc Kupper|talk 18:42, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

I'm trying to fix {{Controversial}} so that I can pass a category parameter to it and when it's present to pass that on to {{Check talk}}. I've set up a sandbox at

• User:Marc Kupper/Wikipedia Hat Templates - This calls my copy of Controversial with "|category=".
• User:Marc Kupper/Controversial - this is a copy of {{Controversial}} and is already working for the Category:Wikipedia controversial topics part but has issues in line 5. (see below)
• User:Marc Kupper/Check talk is a copy of {{Check talk}} that has been modified to accept the category argument. This has been tested and works fine.

What's broken at the moment is if you look at User:Marc Kupper/Wikipedia Hat Templates you will see that it's in Category:Main pages with misplaced talk page templates. I'm trying to prevent that by calling "User:Marc Kupper/Controversial" with "|category=". The logic that detects that the category parameter is present (empty or not) does not seem to work.

The line in my copy of "Controversial" that seems broken has

{{User:Marc Kupper/Check talk|{{#if:{{{category|}}}|category={{{category}}}}}}}

What I thought that would do is

• If the category parameter is defined then
  • use {{User:Marc Kupper/Check talk|category={{{category}}}}}
• else
  • use {{User:Marc Kupper/Check talk|}}<nowiki> I also tried this but it did not work either :<nowiki>{{#if:{{{category|}}}|{{User:Marc Kupper/Check talk|category={{{category}}}}}|{{User:Marc Kupper/Check talk}}}}

It's longer but the second part would be {{User:Marc Kupper/Check talk}} without the extra pipe. I suspect I need to use a &#124; in there somewhere. TIA --Marc Kupper|talk 03:07, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

I did more playing around and resolved this using

{{#ifeq: {{{category|}}} | {{{category|-}}} |{{User:Marc Kupper/Check talk|category={{{category}}}}}|{{User:Marc Kupper/Check talk}}}}

Essentially it was to use #ifeq to see if the parameter existed. --Marc Kupper|talk 18:42, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Deleting a category

Resolved

I am sorry. I opened 'Category:European international boundaries' after failing to find anything else to fit the requiements. I have since found another way round the problem but do not know how to remove this category. If you can deal with it, please do. (RJPe (talk) 08:22, 30 September 2009 (UTC)) —Preceding unsigned comment added by RJPe (talk • contribs)

You can do it by putting {{db-author}} on the page. That's a WP:CSD#G7. It'll add the page to a category that the admins check. --Marc Kupper|talk 09:05, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Priority to published (paper) works

There seems to be some contraversy about a page that I started about The Ouse valley Railway. Basically someone has found a "published work" which disagrees with some of what I have written.

The trouble is the "published work" consists of two pages in a book of old railways which the author has confirmed by email to me "came mostly from a magazine article" - it was also written 20 years ago!

Why is more credence given to a 20 year old book when I have personally travelled the whole length of the existing line, visited the County Records Office, and studied the original maps as well as the act of parliament?

The page is also regularly listed as going to be deleted from Wikipeedia because it is copied from a web site. It is - MY web site!

As you may guess I am rather old and do have trouble working the Wikipedia web site but nevertheless feel that a complete railway line should at least be mentioned in Wikipedia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Cashpot (talk • contribs) 10:05, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

I have added a comment to your talk page regarding original research and free use policies – I hope it helps rather than hinders. Jan1nad (talk) 10:50, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Please see WP:IOWN for the procedure for releasing copyright materials (from your website) for use on Wikipedia.  – ukexpat (talk) 15:07, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

in seach of 1976 RING (MAGAZINE) BOXING RECORD BOOK

I know the Record Book stopped its annual publishing in 1977 or thereabouts. I was listed in the 1976 issue which was year after my last Professional bout and would like a copy of it. I had one but misplaced it during move to FL from MD. thank you...john t. coiley <e-mail removed> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.185.196.70 (talk) 12:04, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer just about any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. – ukexpat (talk) 15:04, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Updating the Company Information and Logo

Good morning!

I would like to updated our firm's page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carter_Ledyard, including the firm's logo.

Would you please let me know how I may add our correct logo?

Thank you in advance for your time.

Best, Maria D. Velazquez Marketing Director Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP (email removed per policy)—Preceding unsigned comment added by Mdvelazquez (talk • contribs) 12:26, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

I'm confused, what do you mean "our firm's page". Does this mean Wikipedia has become an advertising medium? I think we should have been told. Jan1nad (talk) 12:40, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Please see WP:IMAGE for help with images. --AndrewHowse (talk) 12:50, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Please note conflict of interest policy, as well. Master of Puppets - _{Call me MoP! :D} 14:51, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

If you are editing on behalf of your company, please read Wikipedia:FAQ/Organizations. It will explain conflict of interest and other guidelines. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 16:40, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

speech for head girl (nominee)

Dear Sir/Madam,

greetings for the day,

Plaese help by forwarding the speech for my daughter who is in class viii and a nominee for school head girl.I tried to find through the web but could not find the relevant speech.

thanks & regards

Shamsher Singh —Preceding unsigned comment added by Shamshersinghji (talk • contribs) 12:37, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our roughly three million articles, and thought that we were directly affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is a help desk for asking questions related to using the encyclopedia. Thus, we have no inside track on the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the left hand side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 13:05, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

modify username

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 15:02, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Hello. I have recently created a username (dinu_munteanu); while the first name became automatically capitalized, the last name remained written with a small 'm', resulting in my username appearing as Dinu_munteanu, instead of the desired Dinu_Munteanu (with both names capitalized). How can I correct this error and have my username (not just my signature) appear as Dinu_Munteanu?

Thanks in advance. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dinu munteanu (talk • contribs) 13:21, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

The simplest thing would be to create a new account with the name you prefer. You only have 3 edits on this account; it's not worth the effort of filing a change request. --AndrewHowse (talk) 13:27, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for the reply, Andrew. I think I'll do just that. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dinu munteanu (talk • contribs)

You could also make the userpage User:Dinu munteanu redirect to User:Dinu Munteanu, as a Doppelgänger account. hmwith☮ 17:25, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Can they do that? Won't the User name creation software tell them that the new name is too similar to the old one? 99.166.95.142 (talk) 19:09, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

You can request that the account be created for you by a qualified admin, see Wikipedia:Request an account. Those safeguards can be overriden, and the account created as a doppelganger account. --Jayron32 05:14, 1 October 2009 (UTC)

Trouble with someone removing my info

HI,

I work for Affiliated Computer Services and as an employee and appointed manager of the company I am responsible for managing and upkeep of our company page. The company told me to put what is on our website onto the Wikipedia page, word-for-word. It has been approved and needs to stay the way I (again, as a legit employee for ACS) put the info on the page. Can I black someone who continuously deletes company info I put on there? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jnl0031 (talk • contribs) 16:31, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

No. It is not your page. When you edit, there is a clear statement "If you do not want your writing to be edited, read or redistributed by other people, then do not submit it here" under the edit box. As an employee wiritng on behalf opf the company, you have a clear conflict of interest. Please read Wikipedia:FAQ/Organizations which has links to the policies and guidelines. I also left a welcome on your talk page with valuable links. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 16:37, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

I have removed even more encyclopaedic, promotional copyrighted material and added a coi tag.

I've removed the COI tag as the promotional material seems to be removed. Otherwise the tag serves no real purpose. Jauerback^dude?/_dude. 17:42, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

footnotes

Article contained numerical footnotes - usual form - but also, in footnotes, contained alphabetic symbols.

Cannot find explanation of alphabetic "footnotes".Waltbee (talk) 19:20, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

There are different forms and you didn't say which article it is but I guess it is a case where small a, b, c, ... at a footnote links to each time the footnote is used in the article. You can see how that is done at Wikipedia:Footnotes#Reference name (naming a ref tag so it can be used more than once). PrimeHunter (talk) 19:45, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

If that isn't the answer, please identify the article.SPhilbrickT 19:50, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Editing Issue

I have tried to edit an article in Wikipedia (Hubert Latham) and have been cautioned by you that I need to put in footnotes to cite sources that can verify my information. I would be delighted to but I absolutely can not make sense out of your instructions on how to write footnotes in URL. I tried and it didn't work at all. Do you have a step-by-step procedure, of "editing for dummies" I could use? Many thanks.Shallerking (talk) 19:21, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

visual guide to formatting inline citaitons

Formatting references using inline citations

All information in Wikipedia articles should be verified by citations to reliable sources. Our preferred method of citation is using the "cite.php" form of inline citations, using the <ref></ref> elements. Using this method, each time a particular source is mined for information (don't copy word-for-word!), a footnote is placed in the text ("inline"), that takes one to the detail of the source when clicked, set forth in a references section after the text of the article. In brief, anywhere you want a footnote to appear in a piece of text, you place an opening <ref> tag followed by the text of the citation which you want to appear at the bottom of the article, and close with a </ref> tag. Note the closing slash ("/"). For multiple use of a single reference, the opening ref tag is given a name, like so: <ref name="name"> followed by the citation text and a closing </ref> tag. Each time you want to use that footnote again, you simply use the first element with a slash, like so: <ref name="name" />. In order for these references to appear, you must tell the software where to display them, using either the code </references> or, most commonly, the template, {{Reflist}} which can be modified to display the references in 2 or 3 columns using {{Reflist|2}} or {{Reflist|3}}. Per our style guidelines, the references should be displayed in a separate section denominated "References" located after the body of the article.
Inline citation code; what you type in 'edit mode'	What it produces when you save
Two separate citations.<ref>Citation text.</ref><ref>Citation text2.</ref> Multiple<ref name="multiple">Citation text3.</ref>citation<ref name="multiple" /> use.<ref name="multiple" /> ==References== {{Reflist}}	Two separate citations. Multiple citation use. References_________________
Templates that can be used between <ref></ref> tags to format references {{Citation}} • {{Cite web}} • {{Cite book}} • {{Cite news}} • {{Cite journal}} • Others • Examples

--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 19:34, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Polanski Article

Because of the controversial and relatively fast moving nature of the current extradition on criminal charges, the BLP of Roman Polanski is messy and contains information which will surely be considered historically unworthy, such as the results of a French straw poll (should he be extradited?), the support of Polanski by the French government and then withdrawal of that support, etc. The article is growing substantially each day, reflecting the current media focus, and now reads less like an entry in an encyclopedia, and more like a blog.

I would like to see the bulk of the criminal case moved to its own page where it can be hacked at until this matter is settled. The current article is messy and repetitive. I have reviewed the wiki articles of several other notable artists who committed criminal acts, (for example William S. Burroughs and Norman Mailer), and their crimes, (manslaughter and assault), were treated unemotionally and succinctly. I assume this is what the aim should be for Polanski's biography as well. I read the article on Polanski several months ago and it was, at that time, comprehensible.

That said, can it be done, how is it done, can a new article be written, and can material be copied or moved from the current article?Oberonfitch (talk) 19:23, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Please discuss these issues at Talk:Roman Polanski. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 19:59, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Tried that, no response. Quitting wiki. Thanks for the fun!Oberonfitch (talk) 20:10, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Are you serious? A glance at the talk page linked suggests more than enough people would chime in with their opinions on the matter. Getting any kind of consensus, however, is another matter. TastyCakes (talk) 20:24, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Do you mean the section you wrote at Talk:Roman Polanski#Can the subject of the crime be spun off into a related article?? Because it would appear you just wrote that. Even popular article like that one take some time for enough people to read your comments and give their opinions. Wikipedia is a slow moving beast, most of the time... TastyCakes (talk) 20:28, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

where can i download free dvd ram drive

i am using fujitsu lifebook, os:window vista, service pack 1. i had matshita dvd ram uj870bj dvd ram drive before,but now my dvd ram is missing. i cannot find even in device manager. i tried deleting registry process but, there is no any upper filter and lower filter. i should i do now. Thanks in advance. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.202.253.176 (talk) 19:53, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

You'd probably do best asking this question at the Computing Reference Desk. TastyCakes (talk) 19:55, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Wikiglitched?

Resolved

 – Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 22:15, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Article Slash & Friends is being a bit funny, for some reason half of the page is missing, but when you click "edit this page" it's all there. I can't figure it out. Anybody look into it? Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 19:58, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Just sorted it, weirdest thing though... Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 19:59, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Well known issue— If </ref> is malformed, it eats everything after. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 20:02, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Ahh cheers! Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 20:07, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Pornographic Image - How to Delete

I was going to update the page for Amanda Adams. Noticed there is an obscene photo on her page. This is not her. How do I delete the pornographic image? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Matthew Hinde (talk • contribs) 20:34, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia is not censored, so normally images like that would be ok... For a pornographic actress. The fact that you have removed it from the article is enough. The image itself is of another Amanda Adams who is an actress. - ʄɭoʏɗiaɲ ^τ _¢ 21:39, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

However, if it is genuinely not Amanda Adams portrayed, as you state, then the image is irrelevant to the article and should be deleted from it. Karenjc 21:37, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Image was removed from article an hour ago. And I have to strongly dispute the idea that if it actually had been a picture of the subject of the article, and no other free image is available, we can just throw a nude image up there in the infobox, shrug, and say "oh well, what else can we do?". "Wikipedia isn't censored" is not the same thing as "on Wikipedia you can put nude images anywhere you want to". --Floquenbeam (talk) 21:42, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Until there is any sort of guideline prohibiting or discouraging nudity, I would have to disagree, as the only issue at hand is the portrayal of an identifiable living person. If the image was genuinely of that person, who is a pornographic actress, I'd certainly side with the image showing the person vs. no image at all. Just because part of the western world lives in a society that shuns the human body, does not mean that wikipedia need follow suit. - ʄɭoʏɗiaɲ ^τ _¢ 21:56, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

To be fair to me, you changed your comment above without indicating you'd done so; I had to look in the history to figure out what's going on. I was replying to your original post: [1]. This person isn't a pornographic actress, as you now agree. And a note that you lose a bit of credibility when you equate "don't put nude pictures in unexpected places" with "shuns the human body". Not the same thing. --Floquenbeam (talk) 22:05, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Commonly such an image fails to satisfy our licensing requirements, because the owner would basically have to give anyone permission to reproduce it for any purpose. Many celebrities do not want their images in public domain, and many photographers will not give the necessary release. The particular image did appear to have the necessary licensing. Edison (talk) 22:00, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia is not censored however a topless image of the subject is not appropriate for the biography of an archaeologist, and for reference I removed the image not the thread owner. Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 22:12, 30 September 2009 (UTC)