User talk:Chiacomo

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Contents 1 Welcome! 2 Orange Mound 3 Stoles in UMC 4 Civilian casualties and displacements during the Cyprus conflict 5 Self-promoting photographer 6 Hope this comment is in the right place 7 Apparently, I've been blocked on Wikinews 7.1 "As he shivers in a cold cell in the Sierra foothills, his fears are now being realized." 7.2 Adding material 7.3 Editorial cleanup 7.4 Administrator malfeasance 7.5 Four requests 8 Re: Wikinews username

[edit] Welcome!

Mel Etitis (Μελ Ετητης) 13:54, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC)

• Thank you! I've been browsing and making minor edits for some time, but I guess I've only recently deserved notice.. :D

--Chiacomo 02:49, 6 Apr 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Orange Mound

I'm glad to hear that you've enjoyed some of my articles; it's nice to know that one is appreciated. You asked a good question -- of all the neighborhoods/areas in Memphis, why this one? Well, there are several reasons that I've chosen it.

• Its history is rather interesting -- it once was a large plantation where about 1000 slaves lived, and with the abolition of slavery, many of them stayed there. In the '30s, it was the second largest black community in the United States, second only to Harlem, and from the little I know, quite vibrant and thriving. Its population is presently only a fourth of what it was then, having undergone quite a decline.
• Very few articles (none?) on Wikipedia deal with poor, African-American neighborhoods, yet many people live in such areas. These areas have their own cultures, but they're not very likely to get written about here, whereas the subcultures present in Midtown and Cooper-Young hardly ignored online. But that being said, I'd love to write about those areas too, when I'm done with Orange Mound! Ideally, every Memphis neighborhood would have a thoroughly detailed article, one richly illustrated with photographs.

However, it's going to be a month before I and a friend (we're splitting up the work) really get down to the research, photographing and interviews needed for the article, due to exams. I just threw up a little page for us to take notes on before we started. Oh, and if you have anything to add, that's great, but we're not going to post the article until it's really written -- no little stubs here;) --Zantastik 23:48, 9 Apr 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Stoles in UMC

There is no provision in the UM Book of Discipline for any "stole etiquette". It is something that is completely determined by a pastor's personal choice and his/her regional traditions. A deacon is free to wear whatever stole he/she feels is appropriate. I have found that deacons under the "new" (current) system wear the sash-style stoles, whereas deacons under the "old" system wear them as would an Elder. Local pastors, who are not ordained, are also free to wear a stole as they see fit, though many do not. There is no piece in Church law which dictates "stole wear" at all. hope I've helped! KHM03 00:12, 29 May 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Civilian casualties and displacements during the Cyprus conflict

I'm at the end of my revert limit, and it needs more. Mel Etitis (Μελ Ετητης) 14:48, 30 May 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Self-promoting photographer

To begin with, I'm not particularly convinced that the article needs any links to photographs; the links are not particularly encyclopedic. Second, look at his edits themselves; his POV on this matter is quite clear. Third, if he really wanted to help Wikipedia, he would upload his pictures and release them under GFDL, and then insert them in relevant sections of text, which he adamantly refuses to do. He's obviously using Wikipedia as a blatant vehicle for self-promotion; do you really want to assist him in that? Jayjg ^(talk) 20:08, 3 Jun 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Hope this comment is in the right place

Thanks for all the help. This has turned out to be pretty fun, and a constructive outlet.

It is a little addictive though. Early this morning I was working on a technical paper having to do with a compound called DMSP. Of course, I had to set my work aside for a little while when I realized there was no Wikipedia entry for DMSP. But it didn't take very long, and I enjoyed the hell out of it.

By the way, is there a 12-Step Program for Wikipedia?

Darn it, there's another link some other OCD case besides me is going to have to work on.

(Note I changed my screen name since my original Wahalak entry; it's the same person, but with a little less obvious handle).

prokaryote 23:37, 6 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Yep, you answered in the right place... Some users reply to messages on their own talk pages (I'm going to copy this response to mine), while others reply as you have done on the page of the user who left the message. It's a matter of personal preference, really. Concerning your handle: if you want to change your actual username (rather than just masking it as it appears you have done), you contact an administrator and they'll migrate your edits, discussion, etc to the new username. See Wikipedia:List of administrators to find an admin -- User:Mel Etitis is a nice guy and could probably advise you. Need help with your new addiction? No twelve steps that I know of, but see Wikipediholic. --Chiacomo (talk) 23:54, 6 Jun 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Apparently, I've been blocked on Wikinews

A nice guy like me! This admin, Mrmiscellanious blocked me without warning for 3RR on the Kubby article until 21:55 1 Feb. Worse, I did not violate 3RR! It gets better, this admin is flatly anti-cannabis, and invoked the rule in an article he was clearly trying to exercise editorial control over. Now it is full of typos, and I can neither fix it nor appeal to an admin capable of counting to four. Incandescent does not begin to describe my state of mind, and I have gone through several cups of tea. BTW, here is my last version

[edit] "As he shivers in a cold cell in the Sierra foothills, his fears are now being realized."

The main bone of contention was this phrase which is a fact well-documented by several sources. Two separate people cut the line, saying it is either unsupported or too emotional. WTF! Neutral does not mean neutered! I had several other admins comment on how well-sourced the article was. In fact, it was well-sourced in its very first draft (thanks in large part to Timeshifter). At my request, you and others gave ongoing guidance as to issues of form. As I am locked out, I cannot appeal to any of them. My voicemail to Mrmiscellanious went unanswered.

Speaking of sources, there was some issue about footnotes inline, which I had in the first draft, which you put- I thought- in the prefered form. Also,

The key reason for this was the fact that these inline links pushed a specific position, an action which is contrary to NPOV. --Brian McNeil / talk 22:32, 31 January 2006 (UTC)

Ridiculous. The links establish facts cited in the article. Most are transcripts, government reports, and other news articles. The facts are often quotes from the principle in the story. How can one quote anyone and escape this notion of POV? I would like to have seen a specific example, but as I was locked out of the site, and the article renegotiated on IRC (access to which medium was unknown to be a requirement), neither I nor Timeshifter- the pricipal researchers and authors- had any means of participating. Can you say admin cabal?

[edit] Adding material

There was some issue about adding material as it came in. I made my explanations and asked for advice. It put me in a catch-22, as Chipuni added a comment on why Kubby was arrested which (only for being incomplete) added bias, but to add a fuller explanation would be, well, adding more information and opening a whole new window on government malfesance. I gave him sources and suggested he write a new article.

BTW, I don't understand this comment:

you are pushing the POV of this article by repeately expanding on Kubby's medical condition. --Brian McNeil / talk 20:29, 31 January 2006 (UTC)

Why was adding information as it came in was somehow biased or POV- the information was all convergent. Neutralizer mentions supportively that I am passionate about this issue. Read the article and transcripts on Kubby's conversations with people from this weekend: if you don't feel passionate, check your pulse. All things considered, my treatment was fairly clinical.

[edit] Editorial cleanup

Prior admin guidance notwithstanding, This article has been nominated for editorial cleanup, that is, an editor considers it not to be publishable in its current form. The following reason has been cited: "Please move all external links to the sources section." You OK'ed having them there in the first place, per the wikinews style guide, all captured on the talk page. Sticking something like this on an article is almost worse than unpublishing it, as it undermines its credibility. This was the second time, where the first time DragonFire1024 had said it was not needed (can't tell whether he is an admin).

[edit] Administrator malfeasance

After Mrmiscellanious locked me out, Brianmc set about cutting the article up, leaving glaring typos. Look at the things they cut! Neither of them showed any evidence of familiarity with the topic. Also, they did so just as Kubby's lawyer was in court and after I had sent the story link to various other media.

What are my options here? Is it too much to ask for an unbiased admin who can read and count to four? I have read about foreign wikis where admins gang up on editors they don't like and lock them out. Show me how this did not happen here! Brianmc was just a crap editor, this happens sometimes. However, I can't see how, after deliberately abusing 3RR and lockout to exercise editorial control, Mrmiscellanious can remain an admin. Can you?

Timeshifter and I worked for three days gathering sources and writing this (he gathered most of the sources I used to write the articles), only to have demonstrably uninformed editors hack it up. I am a fervent believer in Wikipedia, and particularly in the power of neutrality to reveal truth, a point I have made with difficulty to several activists hard done by on Wikipedia. Things like this do make one want to give up and leave.

[edit] Four requests

1. I'd like this block removed ASAP, and declared out of order.
2. I'd like the Kubby article immediately reverted to my last, with a discussion to follow as to how to change it.
3. I'd like Mrmiscellanious stripped of his admin privileges.
4. I'd like to initiate a discussion on the propriety of placing a cleanup tag on a published article (the talk page would be better).

Please advise,

StrangerInParadise 07:41, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Re: Wikinews username

Most kind, and my thanks. If Bawolff has any issues, refer to me and I'll take full responsibility. Thanks again! RadioKirk talk to me 05:22, 2 June 2006 (UTC)