User talk:Ben MacDui/Archive 1CIFALI have no idea what "CIFAL" refers to or what exact failings I pointed out. You are going to have to show me.--Rmky87 19:53, 2 October 2006 (UTC)
Image copyright problem with Image:Gig.jpgThanks for uploading Image:Gig.jpg. See notice by OrphanBot. For assistance on the image use policy, see Wikipedia:Media copyright questions. 06:15, 6 October 2006 (UTC) Dealing with vandalismHi Ben, thanks for the question you left on my talk page. Typically, vandals are warned four times and, if they persist, can then be reported at WP:AIV. Administrators monitor that page and can block the user from editing Wikipedia for a period of time. For further information on this policy, see Wikipedia:Vandalism#Dealing with vandalism. Links to the warning templates can also be found on this page. Additional templates for all kinds of issues are available at WP:UTM. I placed the second warning {{test2}} on the talk page of the user you mentioned. If you have any additional questions, please drop me a note. Thanks for reverting vandalism on Wikipedia. Regards, Accurizer 21:16, 19 October 2006 (UTC)
Thank you very much for your support in my RfA. Unfortunately consensus was not reached, and the nomination was not successful. I do however appreciate that you took the time to post, and the thoughtfulness of your message. Thanks again! --Elonka 08:42, 25 October 2006 (UTC) Peer ReviewI ran the semi automated peer review and put it on your Sandbox's talk page. I am glad to run it - AndyZ is doing them again so I have not been doing them on the WP:PR page. If you are interested, you can add the javascript to your monobook.js and run it yourself. Take care, Ruhrfisch 02:10, 28 October 2006 (UTC)
Islands of the Inner HebridesI see that you've added a number of additional islands such as Handa and the Summer Isles to this category. Whilst I agree that they didn't seem to be well categorised under Islands of Scotland, I din't think that they are normally included within the Hebrides. Indeed Inner Hebrides does not include them. Do you have another source which says otherwise? --JBellis 17:31, 28 October 2006 (UTC)
Dubh ArtachHi I got the Inchcape/bell rock photo from Geograph_British_Isles_project which has a lot of creative commons licensed images, unfortunately could not see a Dubh Artach one. If you add this {{reqphotoin|Scotland}} template to the article talk page it will go into Category:Wikipedia requested photographs in Scotland and someone may be able to supply one. GameKeeper 13:16, 29 October 2006 (UTC) BurgheadYes your picture is fine, I had expected to around there when I saw that a picture was missing but was behind schedule when over there so never got chance to take a picture. --jmb 16:53, 6 November 2006 (UTC) DYKExcellent work. That's why it has top billing with the photo as well!Blnguyen (bananabucket) 03:05, 8 November 2006 (UTC) Novas Software entryWhat were the reasons as to why you pegged it for a speedy deletion? I would like to hear what you would have to say about the matter --Christian B 20:09, 10 November 2006 (UTC)
Advaita editIt's OK. I don't mind if the word motif is used. 14 November 2006 21:33 (UTC+1) Kkrystian Dubh Artach picture...confirm that the artist is Sam Bough...this Scottish painter died in 1878... This means {{pd-art}} definitely applies. It also means you can take that book cover image and crop the releavant part from it for the article. The logic behind this is that the artist is dead over 100 years so the picture is offically public domain in the US. This makes it public domain for english wikipedia (US based) and therefor due to bilateral trade agreements the UK respects this copyright law. You can take the photo of the picture and use it, because this case Bridgeman Art Library v. Corel Corp. means the copyright of the original picture is the copyright in question (not the copyright of the photo of the picture). If you want a second opinion you can ask here Wikipedia:Media copyright questions. But this seems fairly clear cut to me. It would be good practice to link the source from the image page.GameKeeper 20:48, 17 November 2006 (UTC) GeographyNope: there is no "history" regarding that particular section, certainly not in the last year or so. Geography is happily one of our less controversial topics. I would strongly recommend that you have a browse through the Geog sections of other countries, especially the northern European ones; and the ones which are Wikipedia:Featured articles. You often pick up lots of good ideas there. Feel free to rewrite it. If you want you can stick the draft on a subpage - eg. User:Ben MacDui/Draft of new geography subsection at Scotland article - and invite comment/ammendments at Talk:Scotland; but you do not need to. Remember WP:BE BOLD. I am sure that if your version displeases someone we will know about it before too long. Please use plenty of good quality citations: too many is far better than too few - we can just cut out any overkill. Yep: a little geology probably a good idea, but please keep it v brief, cos we have a whole article for the detail: Geology of Scotland. Featured articles on countries: Australia · Bangladesh · Belgium · Bhutan · Cambodia · Canada · Hong Kong · India · Libya · Nauru · Nepal · Pakistan · People's Republic of China · South Africa See also: Geography of India · Geography of Ireland --Mais oui! 14:24, 20 November 2006 (UTC) I unfortunately never got around to fully rewriting the article (my contribution to Wikipedia tends to come in spurts). So, take a try at it. If you looked at the old article, you'll see why I deleted--it basically read like something out of a true ghost stories book. If you're going to write a detailed article, I'd certainly suggest describing the various paranormal interpretations and their history. After all, you're right--they are still of great interest. The problem with the old article wasn't that it described those theories, but that it fancifully championed them, and this is Wikipedia, not Unsolved Mysteries. I agree with you on the theory that the sea took them, and if I remember correctly, it seems that this is the most widely accepted of the more plausible explanations. havardj Jack 06:26, 22 November 2006 (UTC) Dubh ArtachThe best person to get in touch with that i can think of is Angr - Old Irish and linguistics, especially relating to Celtic languages, are areas in which he specialises. Siarach RE: BoatI actually got that from the Russian wikipedia, which has far more on the lords of the Isles than English wiki. I'd have to consult one of those heraldry books to find out more about its origins. I can tell you that it is called a Lymphad and is on the earliest Macdonald seal, i.e. that of Domhnall of Islay dating to 1410 and attached to a charter to Inchaffray Abbey. Also, if I recall correctly, it is displayed on some monumental sculpture from the isles in this period (e.g. bottom of this image); you might wanna look at Robert Brydall, "Monumental Effigies of Scotland" (Here in PDF). Also, this page might be of use. Regards, Calgacus (ΚΑΛΓΑΚΟΣ) 10:19, 2 December 2006 (UTC)
ScotlandThe edits I made today to the Scotland article were very minor, and there is no need to discuss them beforehand. The article is not protected- so in effect I can make any changes as I wish- as is the nature of Wikipedia. So don't leave such stupid messages again on my talk page please. Astrotrain 20:49, 6 December 2006 (UTC)
Reply to Scottish Island template/infobox question..."I have been working on a new infobox to use for Scottish islands. A draft of the infobox is here (on the rhs of the page). Clearly there is something I have not understood, and I am sure it is something simple, but I can't find what I am looking for amidst the blizzard of Help jargon. I tried copying it to Template:X1 and then posting {X1} (with two braces) to a page. The infobox appeared but with the data fields presented as in the template (e.g. {{{area}}}), and when I went to edit the box on that page all there was, was {X1}. Looking at other templates transcluded into pages I imagine I should see a nice user-friendly list to add data too. I have not therefeore had the confidence to post a new page 'Template:Infobox Scottish island' yet. Apologies if I am being dense - any assistance gratefully received. Ben MacDui (Talk) 15:05, 2 December 2006 (UTC)"
Good MorningHiho, just another little example for you :-) --Ü 00:43, 8 December 2006 (UTC) Re User:Globaltraveller/Sandbox/CultureFeel free to edit my user page User:Globaltraveller/Sandbox/Culture. Thanks Globaltraveller 22:00, 14 December 2006 (UTC) User:Ben MacDui/Scotland/ArchiveTa. Happy Christmas to you too. I'm having a very good one so far :) --Mais oui! 22:05, 23 December 2006 (UTC) Semi Automated Peer ReviewI am not sure what the problem is - I just ran it on Johnny Appleseed and it worked. User:AndyZ has updated the script so it now runs some corrections too (if you want it to). I would ask him or try WP:BYC. I am not around as much the next few days, but if you let me know what you want the script run on and were to put the results, I will get back to it in 12 hours or so. Happy New Year! Ruhrfisch 15:11, 29 December 2006 (UTC)
DunHi Ben. I'm fascinated by your entry on the St Kilda page: the bit about Dun having been joined to Hirta until a galleon from the Spanish Armada crashed into it. Do you have a reference for that? Dhmellor 11:19, 31 December 2006 (UTC) Yes, of course. It's Maclean again, p18. "one of the galleons lost in St Kilda waters was driven through the channel in a storm. The ship's mast caught the arch as it passed underneath it and brought a massive fall of rock down on its decks, sinking the ship and destroying the arch." He does not cite his source, although Martin Martin is a possibility. It sounds far-fetched and awfully like a resident of the gaeltacht winding up a sassenach, but as WP:V makes it clear "the threshold for inclusion in Wikipedia is verifiability, not truth." I'd have cited it but I am reluctant to start adding the <ref> tags in the middle of an article that doesn't use the system. I am not in a position to attempt such a revision for the whole article as I don't have all the source books. There is a wonderful quote I might add about the landscape in which case I'll probably add the ref tags for the Name and Geography sections. Thinking aloud, the See also - List of places with fewer than ten residents seems to me to be be irrelevant and surely 'Notes' should be 'Miscellany'. All the best for 2007. Ben MacDui (Talk) 12:04, 31 December 2006 (UTC) I don't know the Lachlan MacLean book so I can't comment on whether he can be regarded as a reliable source. However, I don't remember any Spanish galleons in Martin Martin (though that doesn't mean it isn't there!) and I agree it sounds extremely unlikely. I would go for your 'winding up a sassenach' theory! Happy Hogmanay! Dhmellor 17:57, 31 December 2006 (UTC) PS When I wrote the above yesterday, I assumed you must have meant Lachlan Maclean (1838), because the passage which you cite does not appear on p.18 of my copy of Charles Maclean's book. However, I have now found it - in my edition it is on p.5. However, I still can't trace the story in Martin Martin or anywhere else in the copious St Kilda literature, and I suspect it may be one of the more recent instances of the old tendency to romanticise about St Kilda! Cheers Dhmellor 15:16, 1 January 2007 (UTC)
Thanks for your contributions! Nishkid64 14:49, 31 December 2006 (UTC) Who Gon Stop UsWell you can find out how notable it is by bringing it to WP:AFD. In fact that's the edit summary you used for your Who Gon Stop Us edit even though you actually tagged it for speedy deletion. I see you've only edited one AFD ever so let me know if you're unfamiliar with the various deletion methods. If an article is not a speedy delete candidate, it can still be deleted via a non-speedy delete method (either WP:PROD or WP:AFD). —Wknight94 (talk) 11:00, 7 January 2007 (UTC)
ThanksThanks for the link. Hope you had a good christmas and new year. Regards, Calgacus (ΚΑΛΓΑΚΟΣ) 06:17, 10 January 2007 (UTC) DYK!Nishkid64 15:33, 10 January 2007 (UTC) Homage to CataloniaThanks ;-) It certainly hasn't put me off progressing Caledonian-related FA's (although that one was a bit hairier than normal). If only we all had the eloquence, diplomacy and tact of Margo!! Globaltraveller 23:25, 10 January 2007 (UTC) Black Rats in ScotlandHi Ben. Apologies for querying something of yours again, but I think your amendment to the Shiant Isles page, referring to two other islands in Scotland which also have Black Rats, is unreliable. Having been to North Rona and probably read most if not all the literature on it, I can't see how there could be rats there - black or brown - as they would surely have wiped out the nesting Storm Petrels. The same goes for St Kilda, of course. I know Niall Benvie's book claims that North Rona has Black Rats, but I have never seen this claim anywhere else, and frankly I don't believe it. Benvie is a fine photograpther, but...... regards Dhmellor 14:58, 12 January 2007 (UTC)
Ben, your sources (and others) suggest that Inchcolm and perhaps other nearby islands in the Firth of Forth may have (or have recently had) Black Rats. I was as surprised as you about Westray, so I googled westray and rats, and found this fascinating link: [6] Sounds credible, I think, and indicates that although Westray has had them in recent memory, it is now clear. So I reckon the best we could do on the Shiants page would be something like 'Apart from one or two small islands in the Firth of Forth, the Shiants are believed to be the only place in the UK where the Black rat (Rattus rattus) can still be found'. I don't think we should be too hard on Niall Benvie - it's a bit of a 'coffee table book' really (sorry if that sounds patronising!) Dhmellor 17:41, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
I'm sure we can have every confidence in FFD! I've done a bit more work on the North Rona article, inspired by your example. I'm more seriously into islands than wildlife, but the one does tend to lead to the other. If your wildlife article is already posted I'll certainly have a look and contribute if I can. Dhmellor 17:56, 14 January 2007 (UTC)
Fauna draftHi, I was looking at your draft of Fauna of Scotland and the following excerpt concerned me: Scotland is the remaining European stronghold for the Freshwater Pearl Mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera), supporting populations in over 50 rivers, mainly in the Highlands. This sentence is very similar to the referenced JNCC page; I would suggest finding a way to paraphrase this information. The draft looks good so far but I just wanted to inform you of this before you post it in mainspace. Quarma 20:14, 14 January 2007 (UTC)
Location map of ScotlandCan I ask why you keep reverting the location map of Scotland which is in line with all other UK location maps and keep replacing it with one not showing Scotland as part of the UK and out of line with all other UK location maps? Somethingoranother 22:09, 16 January 2007 (UTC) By all means. There are three main reasons. 1) The Scotland page is prone to more-or-less endless vandalism and POV pushing. More effort seems to go into simply keeping it stable than in improving it. It is therefore my view that any changes of significance ought to be discussed on the Talk page first, (ideally reaching consensus) if for no other reason than to help that silent brigade of watchers who are trying to keep the article stable. It is all too easy for things to fall apart, especially if there are complex edits with no clear strategy behind them going on. 2) It does not matter to me what other home countries do on their pages, only what is the best thing for this page. Following the herd is not necessarily better. 3) I can't see any purpose in confusing the map with an extra shading for the UK. Definitions of Scotland, England, UK, Europe etc. are all a click away. Many people already confuse 'England' and the 'UK' and I don't think the England map does anything other than re-inforce that condition. Maybe a better map with clearer colours would work, but what is the point? The UK map does not show 'Europe' in a subsidiary shade. Thank-you for asking, and I hope we will find a positive way to work together to improve this article. Ben MacDui (Talk) 08:59, 17 January 2007 (UTC) Thank you!!Many thanks for all the hard work and constructive input you have put in recently. It is very much appreciated! Apologies for not responding to Talk page items, but I do have a good excuse/reason: I have a new girlfriend, and... well... you know... somehow Wikipedia is just finding it extremely hard to compete with a pretty girl ;) Isn't that odd... I used to be birdwatching and tree/shrub nuts in days gone by, so I promise to read your new article soon. But to answer your question, yes: the Talk page of the WP:SCOWNB is defintitely the best place to start when seeking peer review of new articles. Best wishes. --Mais oui! 15:45, 21 January 2007 (UTC)
DYK--Yomanganitalk 18:12, 23 January 2007 (UTC)
MingulayYou sure get around for a mountain.... I ran the peer review script on Mingulay and also did the fixes (double check that edit please - it wanted to change "we'll" in the song lyric to "we will" but I caught that one). I am glad to run the script any time you want and since it seems to like me (depsite my love of the Waterboys and Hoogie and listening to "Fhuair Mi Pog A Laimh An Righ" by Margaret Stewart and Allan MacDonald as I type this), so please just ask if it gives you trouble. Ruhrfisch 21:17, 23 January 2007 (UTC)
This was deleted from commons while on DYK, so I don't know whether you uploaded it or not. It seems to be unused in any article so I'm going to delete the temporary copy I uploaded here too. Drop me a note if that's a problem, and I'll see about fixing it. Cheers, Yomanganitalk 02:16, 24 January 2007 (UTC) Seria LudoHi. I just created a goofy, hopefully humorous user page called "Seria Ludo", the main context of which is me complaining about the length of the DYK hook we used for your recent article. The following text is from the bottom of the page:
I wanted you to read my sincere praise before the rest of the page. I hope the essay makes you smile rather than frown. Thanks. House of Scandal 03:09, 24 January 2007 (UTC) Aw shucks - my first award! - and it was only 214 characters long. Just as well it didn't run to 220. Thank-you for your encouraging words - I shall change my listening to celebrate. Ben MacDui (Talk) 23:36, 25 January 2007 (UTC) I think that the Wikipedia:WikiProject Scotland would probably be the best place to go for help with the article, as the article is about the animals of Scotland. Badbilltucker 21:05, 24 January 2007 (UTC) Orphaned fair use imageThe image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. This is an automated message from BJBot 10:28, 28 January 2007 (UTC) Thank-you for noticing. I asked for this to be deleted months ago. Ben MacDui (Talk) 13:51, 28 January 2007 (UTC) |