User talk:Cyrusc

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[edit] Welcome to Wikipedia!

Welcome!

Hello, Cyrusc, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically produce your name and the date. If you need help, check out Wikipedia:Questions, ask me on my talk page, or place {{helpme}} on your talk page and someone will show up shortly to answer your questions. Again, welcome!  - Mike 21:48, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Coaching

Hi FayssalF,

I saw your name on the coaching page and decided to ask if you are still interested in taking on students. I do not necessarily want to become an administrator, but I would really value your advice. I have been interested in WP for a little more than a year, but my schedule did not allow me to spend much time learning about the community. Starting at the end of this month, I will finally have some free time. My goals are 1)to figure out (given my particular interests, strengths, and weaknesses) how to be as productive as possible here; 2) to find some friends (not necessarily in that order.) What do you think?

Best regards,

Cyrusc 18:35, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Hi Cyrusc. Thanks for your interest and initiative. I've had a look at your contributions and found many fine edits. Most of your edits have been related to politics and religion but i see other interests at your userpage. Interesting.
Well, as a start, i'd just signal to you that contributing to Wikipedia can be classified into 2 main things;" Article space" and "WikiSpace". I'd recommend, for the time being, that you concentrate on editing article until you get yourselves familiarized w/ that before delving into collaborating in Wikipedia:Wikiprojects or other Wikipedia's back office tasks.
In parallel, i'd recommend that you have a look Wikipedia core policies and guidelines. A good understanding of those pillars of Wikipedia is very important and essential. (Wikipedia:List of policies, Wikipedia:List of guidelines).
I'll be waiting for your next message once you've done w/ the above. At that time we can move on. Good luck. Don't hesitate to email me in case you don't want your message to be public. -- FayssalF - Wiki me up® 19:21, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Global perspectives task force

Hey CyrusC. I just noticed the good additions you made to the Downing Street Memo article. I think it is important to have sections about news coverage reflect as wide a range of international sources as possible. That is very much one of the goals of the recently formed Global perspective task force. I see that you are a member of the broader Countering Systemic Bias project. If you have a moment, I invite you to check out the global perspectives task force and add your name to the list of participants. We can use all the help we can get! Cheers --Mackabean 05:53, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Another task force

Hi CyrusC! I'm posting to recruit you to another task force :) Someone has suggested an initiative within the Environment project to make sure that the environmental records of major corporations and politicians are more consistently described across Wikipedia. Based on your edit history, it seems like you would be interested in this kind of thing. If so, check it out [1] and add your thoughts. Cheers! --Mackabean 19:05, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for adding your support to the proposed new task force in the environmental project. If you see other Wikipedians who would be interested, please encourage them to head over to the environmental project page to add their support. Thanks! --Mackabean 01:27, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Name of Task Force Yeah, now that I think about it you're probably right. "Record" makes more sense then "Records". I'll change it back. Psdubow 21:59, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Welcome to Wikiproject Environment

Hello and welcome to wikiproject environment!.--Alex 08:21, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Thanks for the invite to Environment record

Hi Cyrus, thanks for your invite. I already had one earlier but had to keep myself to some focus that I could do justice too. While I completely admire the idea and support it, I can only offer outside help on any specific topics for the moment. I see for instance that Union Carbide is not mentioned in your list of corporates. It was responsible for the Bhopal disaster, which killed 22,000 people (about 10 times the number of people killed in 9-11). Cheers. Shyamal 01:54, 19 June 2007 (UTC)

q.v. Dow Chemical#Environmental Record
--Cyrusc 19:56, 19 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Another thanks for the invite to Environmental record

Hello Cyrus. Thanks for the compliment on my user page. The project certainly leans towards the US at the moment - I will see what I can do on the UK/EU front. I certainly hope to be more active on the Wikiproject: Environment front, as I have been pretty woeful, despite my background. Oh, re Shyamal's comment - as I recall, the Bhopal plant was operated by an independent Indian subsidiary of Union Carbide, so it is a bit more complicated than that. Ta, Parmesan 12:39, 19 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The EMC² Barnstar

The E=mc² Barnstar
I'm awarding you this barnstar for your contributions to articles relating to science. Wikidudeman (talk) 06:24, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] re Thanks for your note about admin coaching

Hi FayssalF,
Thanks for the good advice about the division of article space from wikispace and about familiarizing myself with the former--I'm writing to check in with you because I've learned a bunch about both spaces in the past few weeks and I'd like to know how you think I should proceed. Like I say, my goal is not necessarily to become an administrator, but to become the most productive member of the community that I can. What do you think? I sure appreciate your time and consideration.
warm regards,
Cyrusc 02:11, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

Hi again Cyrusc. I've had a look this time to your contribs details and noticed the progress made. I've also had a look particularly at your contributions to the environment project. Good job.
Ok. Now, and since you get yourself a bit familiarized w/ the wikispace i think it is time to move on to the next stage.
The first thing to do before anything else now is to read and understand Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines. If you find anything confusing, please ask me. I say this because the way admins intreprete some policies and guidelines differ from an admin to another. Some admins are rouge (like myself? ;)), others are more patient. You can also check Wikipedia:Administrators' reading list.
Please note that administrators main task is to resolve conflicts between editors. So in order to achieve that, i suppose all admins have the WP:ANI watchlisted. The ANI page is the cnsidered the most active page in the whole project. So it is essential for you now to start watching it as well and understand how admins deal w/ the different reports. You may also think about starting participating in the ANI page by suggesting remedies or advising/counseling. Many non-admins do that in fact.
There are of course other tasks which admins take care of (closing AfDs, protecting/unprotecting articles, deleting innapropriate pages according to WP:SPEEDY, etc)
These are the important Wikispace pages that you MUST participate at to get more experienced about the admin tasks.
  • WP:RFPP (observe how admins decide to accept a request or reject it)
  • WP:AIV (observe how admins decide about the durations of blocks)
  • WP:AFD (observe how admins close a debate)
I think this will be enough for this stage. Please do not hesitate to contact me anytime. Good luck. -- FayssalF - Wiki me up® 14:00, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Environmental Record Task Force

I'd like to join in - though I'm not sure how much expert knowledge I have on the subject: I'm a biologist, not a climate scientist. However, my father arrives tomorrow for a three week holiday, so it might not be the best time for me to join, given I'll not be able to do much for a bit. Adam Cuerden talk 00:23, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Yes, Count me in!

Dear Cyrusc, I am definitely willing to join your project. Global Warming is not a matter of opinion; it's a scientific fact! Bosniak 01:39, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

Cyrus, I'll be going on wikibreak for awhile, but when I get back I'll be in touch and see what I can do to help out. Thanks for the invite! Antelan talk 03:34, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] advice about task force

Hi FayssalF,

Thank you for the excellent advice about admin culture. I have duly watchlisted WP:ANI, WP:RFPP, WP:AFD, and WP:AIV; I look forward to learning enough about these processes to participate in them actively.

I am writing you today because you are a member of Wikipedia:WikiProject Politics. I have an idea for a task force which I began working on yesterday. Here is the page where I have been organizing my thoughts: Wikipedia:WikiProject Politics/money and politics task force.

To my chagrin, I have just learned that I probably should have gathered consensus from WP:PJ Politics members before starting a page. My question for you is, how should I proceed with my idea for the task force? I am confident that members of the Politics project would support it, provided that I sought that support tactfully.

Thank you again for your help,

Cyrusc 02:32, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

Hi again Cyrusc. It happens and you don't have to worry about it. You are learning and as long as you agree that you have done it in a rush w/o consulting anybody then there's nothing to worry about.
Well, instead of explaining to you the process, i suggest you have a look at how we proceeded when we first wanted to create:

[edit] MPTF

Hi Cyrusc--thanks for the complement. But YOU'RE the ERTF member whose work has been exemplary. I think your idea for a new TF is a great idea and I fully support it. I also know several other editors who I believe will be willing to contribute. Mackabean, for instance, who is a member of the GPTF (I think you are also a member?) and who I believe supported the ERTF. I will write him and ask that he support the TF idea when you post on the project page. I think the basic concept as you've described it is clear and considered.Benzocane 22:02, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Wikipedia

Hey, I noticed your changes to the article Wikipedia. I've been working on some of the technical an grammatical errors but have been so caught up on vandalism to the article I haven't had a chance. Thanks for jumping in and taking some of the things on my list. Happy editing, Mkdwtalk 20:51, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Portal review

No, this time I'm finding you not because something related to the task force. I just got Portal:Environment up and running and I need some feedback from others. Can you do a portal peer review for me? OhanaUnitedTalk page 15:46, 26 June 2007 (UTC)

Feel free to edit the portal, that's what Wikipedia's all about, isn't it? The best is to post your suggestions on the portal's talk page so that others can agree/disagree or give comments on your suggestions. As for ERTF, all pages related to WikiProject environment has a sidebar which has direct link to the task force. It's not necessary to have this on the portal. OhanaUnitedTalk page 17:58, 26 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Hi Mutt Lover

FYI, one of my best friends, Reba, is the "star" of one of your userboxes! :-) RichardF 20:50, 26 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Strategic reset

Hi! Looking much better. One suggestion: To cut down on possible point of view issues, you might want to include a section about criticism of the plan, and links to any other Wikipedia articles (or external web sites) that might illustrate an opposing plan or view. This can be put in a section down a the bottom (above the references and such) called "Criticisms" or something similar. It doesn't have to be very long. You might also add links to or comments about any other proposals from the left side of the political spectrum that are different, such as a total pullout from the region instead of the "strategic reset." Just by the hot-button nature of the subject, you're going to get a fair number of folks complaining about POV, but just do the best you can. Just make certain that the article is not simply a presentation of the CAP report without other context. So far you're doing pretty well with that, better than many other editors in a similar situation. Realkyhick 17:34, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

There's no established etiquette that I know of, though I am by no means the final authority on all things Wikipedia. I prefer to work with preview, then save it to the live page once I am done. With a large article, you can do it in chunks like sections and save yourself. Some folks like to set up there own personal sandbox page, which in your case would be something like User:Cyrusc/Sandbox — all you have to do to create it is click on that link — and do all there work there, saving every time and then copying and pasting everything over in full once it's all done. I haven't done that yet, but I'm considering it later on. The only thing that might irk some editors is having to wade through a whole bunch of revisions in the history list to find the last "good" version of an article. Anyway, do whichever makes best sense to you. You won't make anyone upset that I know of. Realkyhick 19:13, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Stephen Marshall (director)

Hello, this is a message from an automated bot. A tag has been placed on Stephen Marshall (director), by SockpuppetSamuelson (talk · contribs), another Wikipedia user, requesting that it be speedily deleted from Wikipedia. The tag claims that it should be speedily deleted because Stephen Marshall (director) fits the criteria for speedy deletion for the following reason:

zero factual content


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[edit] ERTF

I added back the Contributions section. I use it to keep track of who did how many articles so that I can award the Environmental Barnstars to individuals like you, who contributes significantly to the task force. OhanaUnitedTalk page 16:04, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

I just can't ignore your tremendous efforts on ERTF. So here you go. Yes, I know you got one already, but doesn't hurt to get another one =)
Image:Environment Barnstar.png The Environmental Barnstar
I would like to present this barnstar to Cyrusc for his tremendous effort to environmental records. OhanaUnitedTalk page 16:08, 15 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Environmental Record Task Force

Great idea. I don't have time to help patrol... (or rather, I'm putting my time into other things) but would be glad to comment on specific issues in my areas of interest and knowledge, specifically water (though you've got Vortexrealm already, knowledgable fellow), sanitation, Australia, Indonesia and SE Asia in general. Let me know if you need my input on a specific issue. Sorry I can't be more actively supportive. --Chriswaterguy talk 12:35, 16 July 2007 (UTC)

I appreciate the offer, and I'm thinking about it. The only reason I have doubts is because I know that sometimes my blood pressure gets up (figuratively, at least) when this topic is involved, and that's not a good sign. Ben Hocking (talk|contribs) 21:00, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

After spending a little time monitoring a few of the environmental pages, I've decided that close monitoring is not for me. It definitely causes me stress that I don't need right now. I might jump in occasionally, but for now I'm backing off. Ben Hocking (talk|contribs) 15:52, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Humour: Nat King Cole Universal Bible

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I like to reply in kind. I wrote my vision in a tongue in cheek manner I believe you will find it quite interesting. Please see my user page: Quasarstrider 19:44, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Your spam

Please don't spam users with no involvement with your task force, as you did at User talk:ST47. Doing so may be considered disruption. --ST47Talk·Desk 17:00, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Question about spam

Hi FayssalF, Thanks for your good admin-coaching advice about watchlisting WP:ANI, WP:RFPP, WP:AFD etc. I will continue to pay attention to these with the goal of jumping into the WP:ANI conversation at some point.

—I have a specific question on which (if you have a chance)I would really appreciate your advice. I want to let people know about a task force I and some other editors have been working on, but today user:ST47 asked me to stop "spamming" (here). This is the first such message I have received--should I stop writing other editors about the task force? What would be an acceptable way to contact editors about the task force?

Cheers, Cyrusc 18:35, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

Great job Cyrusc. I see that your task force is ready to fly. What happened is that your engine was a bit noisy for the people who live around ;) I saw a complaint at your talk page but one discouraging message is necessary for anyone. It makes people do it better.
Good question. A simple answer and effective way to inform people is to go step by step. You can attract users via the parent project itself. You can have links to different task forces from the main Politics WP. How? You don't have to follow the design or the layout but just the idea. Well, this is a good example. → Military history task forces . This would have a double effect both for the task force and the main project itself. Try that and see if it would work. This is also a good example of a working task force African military history task force. Also it is a good idea to talk about the task force implicitly while discussing in a policts/money related article. If you need more details ask me again. -- FayssalF - Wiki me up® 04:04, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Please help unblock this school address

Y

Your request to be unblocked has been granted for the following reason(s):

Autoblock of 12.167.65.189 lifted or expired.

Request handled by:  Netsnipe  ►  18:42, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Tracing IPs

I'm sorry -- I had posted a response on my talk page, but I guess I failed to save the page after the preview...rats! Info on the Dezenhall (and the Check into Cash) IPs was on the whois page that's on the tools at the bottom of IP user pages, then I checked the edits against its clients. Flowanda | Talk 20:48, 9 December 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Topcat

Please do not make personal attacks as you did at Topcat Marine Security. Wikipedia has a strict policy against personal attacks. Attack pages and images are not tolerated by Wikipedia and are speedily deleted. Users who continue to create or repost such pages and images, especially those in violation of our Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons policy, will be blocked from editing Wikipedia. Thank you. Crusio (talk) 23:51, 19 December 2007 (UTC)

PS: The Topcat article makes some serious allegations, without mentioning reliable and verifiable sources. --Crusio (talk) 23:52, 19 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] AfD nomination of Climate change denial

I have nominated Climate change denial, an article you created, for deletion. I do not feel that this article satisfies Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion, and have explained why at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Climate change denial (2nd nomination). Your opinions on the matter are welcome at that same discussion page; also, you are welcome to edit the article to address these concerns. Thank you for your time. Judgesurreal777 (talk) 20:03, 27 March 2008 (UTC)