This is an archive of past discussions with User:Evolauxia. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.
Thanks for the proper term for an anti-twister. I've never been keen on that title either; basically, I just threw something there so it wouldn't get deleted way back when. Now it has a proper home, under Anticyclonic tornado. Anti-twister is now just a redirect. BTW, welcome aboard! Denni☯23:18, 19 September 2005 (UTC)
I originally merely added the comment but left the article, until I reread it and saw tornado rotation attributed to Coriolis effect. They are too small to be generated from this. I'll revise the new article.
If you reread it, you'll see that it is the parent thunderstorm's rotation to which the article refers. It would certainly be incorrect to attribute a tornado's rotation to the Coriolis effect. Denni☯03:27, 21 September 2005 (UTC)
I have edited the article to best reflect the current understanding of the anticyclonic tornado phenomenon (though I've not yet completed it), which isn't understood well, indeed, the exact process of tornadogenesis itself is not yet understood. Evolauxia09:19, 2 November 2005 (UTC)
Tornado Weather in Australia
Hi Evolauxia, just looking at your edit on the Buladelah Tornado... can you ellaborate on the "classic setup for violent tornadoes"? Also I'm not convinced there's something really special about Canada, Bangladesh, and India for violent tornadoes. Glancing at the graphs in this article [1] seem to suggest that in most places around the world, tornado intensity distributions are similar (the UK and France being opposite exceptions, possibly for reporting-related reasons). Australia gets a moderate number of tornadoes (a few reports per state per year), sometimes they're significant and occasionally they're violent. -- pde
One must be careful with what those graphs actually mean, though indeed, in that paper there is a quite similar distribution of F-scale categories for most regions of the world that experience tornadoes. Note, however, the datasets for all other regions are much longer than the US dataset, yet overall numbers are still much lower. Consult the number of observed tornadoes by intensity in Tables 5 and 6. Although they occur, and the populations should be aware of this, violent tornadoes are somewhat rare outside the regions I mentioned; and it is (theorized) due to lesser occurrences of favorable environmental parameters, including in other works by one of the coauthors of the paper you cited (Brooks). No F5 tornadoes have been confirmed outside the U.S. and Canada, in fact, some European tornadoes are overrated.
These environmental parameters are what I was alluding to when I mentioned 'classic setup' and it's a somewhat complex thing to get in to with adequate treatment. Essentially, to get the requisite meteorological setups with much frequency seems to require a certain geography that is somewhat unique to North America and that area of southern Asia. Various features provide for a high frequency of warm, moist, unstable low levels with dry air at mid-levels, capping inversions setup just right, various jet streams and colder air aloft (lapse rates), and a wind shear profile which is somewhat rare (increasing speeds AND anticyclonic veering with height, esp. 1-3km and 1km AGL for the veering) especially in conjunction with all other requisite conditions. FWIW, I think there are underreporting issues in places like China and Russia, potentially other areas, and Australia (lower population density, and possible tornadoes with intense offshore supercells).
I was able to find very little information on this tornado, but given its significance it certainly deserves a better article, as do some other Australian events (such as Bucca and Sandon). Evolauxia10:52, 24 November 2005 (UTC)
Good. Seems fine to me for articles on said and similar events. They could also be linked either on the main global listing of significant events and/or the coming seasonal (or decadal/centennial for further back) global summary articles. Evolauxia07:42, 25 March 2006 (UTC)
Sadly, I don't know anything about the Tuggerah Lakes tornado. Might require a call to the NSW beureau of meterology, or some digging through contemporary newspapers. -- pde01:36, 28 November 2006 (UTC)
Heritability of Stature
Great to hear you're going to take this on! I'll take a look for more references. Off the top of my head I seem to remember a bunch of really interesting discussion about long bone growth and prenatal hormone exposure in the last few pages of Martin & Nguyen (2004) Anthropometric analysis of homosexuals and heterosexuals: implications for early hormone exposure. Hormones and Behavior 45: 31 – 39. Cheers, Pete.Hurd17:33, 5 November 2005 (UTC)
Accumulative generation effect
Hi, I just read the article about Human height. From what I could gather, you should be the one who wrote:
Thus, there is an accumulative generation effect such that nutrition and health over generations influences the height of descendants to varying degrees.
I'm very interested in this. There could be some interesting parallels in explaining the change over time of characters other than height. Could you tell me of some reference(s) where I can find more detail about this effect? (I can get almost anything at my university). Cheers, F481009:26, 12 January 2006 (UTC)
I poorly articulated that section, I intend to rewrite the manuscript of the article eventually. Anyway, I know of no papers that specifically cover this, though it might be addressed in some pediatric or auxological books. Some papers touch upon it such as when covering prenatal growth, I'll dig them up. Evolauxia10:39, 12 January 2006 (UTC)
I moved it because specific tornado outbreaks are considered to be proper, they're specifically identifiable events by their name (like hurricanes but less regimented), and all the other outbreaks are thus capitalized so I moved it to fit this. I did it early before people recognized the first name and before there would be links to it. Evolauxia00:00, 29 November 2005 (UTC)
Thanks for your comments on my comments to the List of Tornadoes and Tornado Outbreaks. Still attempting some sporadic work on this; I just added a draft/article for the November 1992 outbreak, it's in need of some work, but I'll clean it up over the next few days. Any contributions would be welcome.
David--Davidals
Coincidence indeed!
Thanks for your efforts as well. . .can we use a redirect on category pages? I was soing to put a redirect from Category:Saint Louisians to Category:St. Louisans. Will that work? If so, I'll do the same with St. Louisans and St. Louisians. I always type St. Louis by habit and hate having to spell it out. TMS6311206:21, 27 January 2006 (UTC)
I feel that, if the information is available from the NWS local offices, it should be included. However, it should have to be proven from there. CrazyC8317:38, 29 January 2006 (UTC)
Was ePodunk used as source or a reference in the article on Saint Louis. If so it should probably be described as a source or reference.
Also ePodunk seems to have excessive advertising on it and could be considered link spam. I didn't want to remove the link again untill I found out more about why it keeps re-appearing on the article.
I used the following guidlines on External Links when I removed the link.
I've added it because it's a decent place/geography site with its collection of information, and is provided for some other cities. I think more should be represented than just city government and tourist sites if the other sites are "reputable". Epodunk isn't pushing anything but does have a lot of google ads, so I could see an argument made on excessive ads. Evolauxia04:04, 7 February 2006 (UTC)
Hey, I saw your edit on the weather forecasting page. It sounds very similar to this quote I found some years ago:
"Imagine a system on a rotating sphere that is 8000 miles wide, consists of different materials, different gases that have different properties (one of the most important of which, water, exists in different concentrations), heated by a nuclear reactor 93 million miles away. Then just to make life interesting, this sphere is oriented such that, as it revolves around the nuclear reactor, it is heated differently at different locations at different times of the year. Then someone is asked to watch the mixture of gases, a fluid only 20 miles deep, that covers an area of 250 million square miles, and to predict the state of that fluid at one point on the sphere two days from now. This is the problem the weather forecaster faces."
Thanks for your response. After posting my message, I decided to check it out and found multiple sites that quoted him including couple that cited when/where he said it, such as this one. I'll make the change and include where he published this quote. EWS23 | (Leave me a message!)22:09, 19 February 2006 (UTC)
Thanks again for all your help. Interesting how both of the quotes we found were somewhat distorted versions of the original, but I suppose that's the nature of quotes, constantly changing from one report to another. Kind of a shame, since yours with the frozen poles and such and my previous one that mentioned water vapor add even more complexities to weather forecasting. EWS23 | (Leave me a message!)22:19, 19 February 2006 (UTC)
You said at the Wikiproject Tropical Cyclones page that "As a meteorologist, I have a background in atmospheric sciences, as well as access to journals, conferences, and experts". Would it be possible for you to eventually use your access to journals etc to help me find death and damage totals for tropical cyclones from Pacific hurricane seasons from 1972-1987. The NHC reports are available after 1988 and the Monthly Weather Review is free online before 1973. Between those years is a "hole" where death and damage information, if it is online without having to pay anything, is scattered about in pieces everywhere. I thought that you might be able to eventually find information regarding those cyclones since you have access to journals. Miss Madeline | Talk to Madeline22:58, 4 March 2006 (UTC)
Forecasters say that there is a chance of an outbreak tomorrow into Thursday in the central US. I am keeping a close eye on it - at this point the conditions are not as volatile as, say, last November 15th (which had been predicted 2-3 days in advance), but it could still be major. Should a new general page Tornadoes of 2006 be created to cover everything that does not warrant outbreak articles? BTW, the WikiProject you suggested I am working on - as a major part of Meteorology and Weather Events. The project page is User:CrazyC83/Meteorology. CrazyC8323:14, 7 March 2006 (UTC)
I definitely see something big here. While it is still too early to call it a big outbreak imminent, I see a potential for a major tornado event with the possibility open for a 20-state super outbreak stretching from the upper Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. One to watch for sure! Talk:Tornadoes of 2006 has a section to discuss the potential outbreak. CrazyC8305:56, 28 March 2006 (UTC)
Article formatting
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Other- The ideal article should have inline sourcing, with the {{cite web}} formatting being preferable. Always double check your writing and make sure it makes sense.
Good luck with future writing, and if you have a question about the above, don't hesitate to ask.
I had actually forgotten about that proposal, but I'm glad you agree. Do you mind if I just dig in and start moving events to their new respective pages? -Runningonbrains19:44, 6 November 2006 (UTC)
European tornadoes
Hi, there is list of all known tornadoes in Czech Republic and of some in Slovak Republic at Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (in czech), many with photos and videos. The strongest confirmed tornado was F3, but tornado research in Central Europe began only couple of years ago. There aro also some historical ones in the list. I will incorporate some significant ones in couple of days. I don't know any claim of F5 tornado in Europe. I can try find some other sources from Central Europe countries. --Vladimír Fuka13:22, 10 November 2006 (UTC)
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I saw that you have an interest in biometeorology and a link to the potential page on your ToDo list. I'm pretty new to Wikipedia, but I'm finishing up a course I'm taking on it right now, and I was thinking about trying to get the page started. Do you have any support/tips/etc. you'd like to share (even if it's "Don't even try, new guy!")? Jason Patton20:00, 24 April 2007 (UTC)
Probably, they will wait after conducting all the surveys before publishing the summary. And there are a lot of surveys to be done (and across the same region), And I think considering the moderate threat for the same region, they will probably focus more on today's event which I hope won't be as bad as there were 92 reports + 2 others in the wind reports. Probably, tomorrow or Tuesday at late, they will published it.--JForget19:26, 6 May 2007 (UTC)
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I've removed the trasclusion of Kurzewil's Law from the AfD log since it is a redirect and not an article with an Afd tag. Personally, I think the redirect doesn't harm, but in case you want to get rid of it, you can mark it for sepepdy deletion as a page created in error with {{db-author}}.--Tikiwont12:09, 18 June 2007 (UTC)
I've actually been working on a draft article for Ben Abell for some time now, and wonder if you would like to see and/or incorporate what I've developed? Or would rather I did? I was really surprised to find Ben Abell not a redlink anymore!--I didn't really expect anybody else to develop the article. — pd_THOR|=/\= | 12:52, 19 June 2007 (UTC)
The 15th OWS, huh? I'm stationed at Scott, I wonder if they could provide me with anything for the article (WP:V, of course). Of course, USAF pictures are public domain, I wonder if they have any pictures I could either that would be appropriate. I thought living so close it should be easy enough to get a free-use picture of him, but thinking on it, I don't really know I would go about it. Are you in the area and/or acquainted with him so as you could possibly get a good picture taken for the article? (BTW, we've already scattered this conversation before I put the notice on my talk page, however you want to chat for this if fine with me.) — pd_THOR|=/\= | 15:46, 23 June 2007 (UTC)
Generally, I go back and forth, which fragments the conversation but is usually trackable when it's only two people, but I defer to the preference of whomever I'm communicating. I'm a former student of Abell's and was briefly in the USAF before (honorably) discharged. I may be able to get a photo of him, and there's a decent chance that the OWS has some too. Other potential sources are the STL NWS or STL/SLU AMS. I actually took some photos of him at SLU (and perhaps STL, I don't recall) AMS meetings, but I don't think any would work well for the article, though I'll check. Evolauxia16:05, 23 June 2007 (UTC)
I've taken the report off as it seems just a misguided user, not really vandalism. Get his article deleted as you have through AfD and then see what he does. --Steve (Stephen) talk 00:05, 10 July 2007 (UTC)
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How can (if allowed) I cite an e-mail as a source? In this case, it is an e-mail from a forecaster at the Storm Prediction Center on what constitutes a severe weather outbreak, I would like to use it as a source on Severe weather. --Ks0stm13:35, 12 July 2007 (UTC)
Great work on expanding the tornado article even further after its FAC. I think you're work is great, you added a lot of stuff I never would have thought to add. Are you going to be making any more significant additions to the article? If not, I'd like to request a Featured Article Review for the article. While I highly doubt it will be removed from its featured status, it would be nice to receive comments from the community in general, since the article has changed so drastically (1000 revisions!!) since it was awarded that status. What do you think? -RunningOnBrains17:03, 14 July 2007 (UTC)
Fire whirls -reply
Hello there,
I have had a read of the article Fire whirl, (compliments on your contributions), and it seems to me to be about as complete as possible, considering the paucity of published research on the subject. The additions, made by me to Dust devil (Related phenomena) came from my own observations during bush fire fighting.
Classical physics requires, for generation of a vortex, preservation of both angular momentum and mass; but within a bush fire it is unlikely that the latter can be achieved because of the turbulence of the burning inflowing air and gases. The matter is further confused because, unlike a hot air vortex (a dust devil), thermal energy is being added within the fire whirl by the burning, rotating & rising gases; further the very high temperature difference between the flame of the fire whirl and surrounding air promotes mixing of the two, thus destroying the boundary layer as seen in dust devils with high vertical development.
It can also be noted that, above a fire whirl, the smoke and ash debris does not (in my observations) form a vortical shape-- instead a confused turbulent upward flow.
The best I can summarise is that the initiating mechanism of a fire whirl is similar to that of a dust devil, but that once formed the mechanisms appear to be dissimilar. Best wishes Geoffrey Wickham00:29, 16 July 2007 (UTC) PS: If you go to Vortex engine, > External link AVE, > Links in sidebar, > Atmospheric Vortex Tower, > photos - Firewhirl : this is a good photo of artificially created firewhirl. The associated text indicates that their attempt at producing an artificial atmospheric vortex was not successful.Geoffrey Wickham02:44, 16 July 2007 (UTC)
Fire whirls - further comment
May I comment, with constructive intent, on the 3 photos to which you linked in your 26 July edit. I contend that only photo 3 shows a fire whirl, and that 1 & 2 show a smoke/debris devil arising after the fire has been doused or has died down leaving smouldering debris.
An experiment can be conducted to demonstrate the difference between the two.
Make up a 'wand' of ~ 5cm of fine cotton attached to the tip of a BBQ skewer.
Take a 1 litre tin and cut vertical slots in the lower side, each ~1 cm apart and ~4 cm high.
Using flat nose pliers bend the metal between the slots to form vanes at ~15 deg to the tangent.
Put the tin on an electric hotplate set to low and take the base temp up to ~ 80c.
Into the centre bottom of the tin place a small amount of dry fine garden mulch (or cigarette tobacco); pour a small amount of ethyl alcohol on the mulch & ignite with a match.
A fire whirl of burning alcohol vapour will result.
Hold the wand vertically above the flame and it will be seen that the cotton tuft will tend to turn erratically upwards, with no rotation.
Once the alcohol is consumed the mulch will smoulder, producing a smoke vortex extending well above the top of the can (assuming no draughts inthe room).
Introduce the wand into the rising smoke, or a little above it, and the cotton tuft will rotate indicating the presence of a true vortex similar to a dust devil.
Thus, I contend that a 'fire whirl' is comprised of burning gases in a vortical form but with little or no vortex in the hot rising air above the flame.
Photo 3 is interesting in showing very high vertical development of the fire whirl; probably due to the radial inflow of air to the 'very hot spot' having much greater velocity than the tangental flow; thus the point of equilibrium between the radial and tangental velocities is at a small radius. This can be demonstrated with the tin can experiment by cutting wider slots so that the radial inflow is increased.
Would appreciate your comments in response. Best, Geoff Geoffrey Wickham02:15, 20 July 2007 (UTC)
Fire whirls further
Thank you for the comprehensive reply & links.
I go along with you, as regards a Wikipedia article, in "lumping all whirls caused by fire into the fire whirl category" -- considering the complexity of atmospheric phenomena this is sensible.
Re " non-vortical turbulent upward flow" my perception comes mainly from experiments conducted which ranged from the 'tin can' as described, to a complex outdoor apparatus 1m dia with adjustable peripheral vanes. Summarising:
heating the underside of the base produces an invisible vortex which can be detected well above the walls of the apparatus (using the wand method). The height reached depends on multiple variables.
placing smouldering material within the base produces smoke which allows the vortex to be seen, but otherwise the results are similar to above.
causing flame within the apparatus by placing a tray of a mix of gasoline & oil in the base creates a flame of burning gases having a vortical shape. The dark smoke from the oil does not show a vortical form above the flame -- just rising turbulent flow. No rotation can be detected above the flame when using the wand method.
I've been working on some ongoing upgrading to various E Coast-related tornado articles; sourcing and referencing, and adding details.
First, I was wondering if (when you have a little time) you would mind doing a read-through of the Enigma tornado outbreak article. The work I've done thus far is referenced from many newspaper sources, and pieces of Finley's tornado study, which appeared in 1886. Most of this material is anecdotal, rather than scientifically precise, but it does include an abundance of locations and (vague) desctiptions. The article doesn't correspond to the usual formatting of outbreak-related articles, due to the disparate nature of the sources and the general lack of scientific precision in most of them. There's virtually no easily accessible material on this outbreak (I've had to dig very hard to find what sources I've been able to come up with), so I'd like to get a decent article together on the outbreak. Some feedback on tightening up the article, if needed, would be appreciated.
Do you have access to any of Grazulis' material, specifically anything detailing individual storms during this outbreak? I think some of this material would be of use, so I'd like someone with access to the big Grazulis book to make some contributions when possible. I'd be curious to see what he had to say about the overall outbreak.
Thanks for the note and the look/work on the article. Valuable suggestions; I'm still working on assembling further info. The Finley study BTW is excerpted in some AMS studies and is available online; I'll look for the link and pass it on. I haven't reproduced any of his charts - the book appears to be a government work, at least commissioned by the Army, but I am uncertain of the precise copyright status. There are two weather charts made as the event unfolded, along with Finley's graph of tornado tracks, and I do have uploadable JPEGs of this material.
Likewise, the Montgomery NWS office has (available online) an archival publication/survey of all tornadoes they were able to definitely source and verify, 1880-1925, in that state, and detailed path maps of the Enigma tornadoes are included in that information.
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At the moment, David Le Brocq, Malmö Devilants and Trajectory Hermeneutics are up for deletion review. Please take a look at them and make your voice heard at the deletion review. Articles nominated for deletion also present a challenge for improvement. See what you can do, and watchlist our deletion review page.
The Pederasty articles continue to be a point of controversy both within and outside of our community. Various editors have suggested that to include them as LGBT Project related somehow taints the project and brings Wikipedia into disrepute. Other editors have stated that the articles, and especially the Pederasty article, are part of the core of LGBT studies. Well meaning editors continue to remove our tags from the articles themselves as well as the talk pages. If you have time, please read the articles and watchlist them to protect them from vandalism and well meaning but counterproductive edits.
The list of LGBT people has survived its 4th nomination for deletion. Please watchlist this list to protect it from vandalism and unsourced additions. There are many in Wikipedia who would like to see this Featured status list removed from the project. It is up to us to keep it to such a high caliber that it never is removed.
Our project member David Shankbone is now working as a journalist for Wikinews, as well as continuing to improve our project and Wikipedia as a whole with his photographs. A sincere thank you goes out to him for all of his hard work. Wikipedia would not shine nearly as brightly without your contributions, David.
Happy Halloween, everybody! Be happy and celebrate!
The surviving life partner of prominent LGBT rights activist Barbara Gittings recently called one of our editors and, among other things, complimented us on what a great job our project is doing on Wikipedia. Thanks to everyone who contributes to this project, either through their article edits or support for other project members. We really are making an difference here!
Member assistance
Some of our project members have been having difficulties related to editing on the encyclopedia. If you are feeling frustrated or distressed by your editing experience, please don't keep it to yourself. Wikipedia is a collaborative effort, and we are all here to help one another. Drop a line on our talkpage or on another editor's page, and other members of the LGBT project will happily give you the support you want and need.
Lastly, Halloween is just around the corner. More than most holidays, Halloween is a holiday embraced by and tailor made to our community (though God only knows why we are invisible in the Halloween article here. Perhaps somebody would like to rectify that editing oversight). Have fun, everybody, and remember to both trick and treat!
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Delivered on 17:31, 11 October 2007 (UTC).
Oceanography project proposal
It looks like the project above has at least enough members to be at least a functional task force, possibly of WikiProject Physics. Have you considered contacting that project and seeing if they would be willing to take on such a task force? It would make the work in creating and, later, maintaining all the templates and whatnot quite a bit easier. John Carter13:48, 24 October 2007 (UTC)
Hey, Peeps, it's that time of the month again (no not that time — get your mind out of the gutter): time for another monthly edition of the LGBT Project'sLove Boat newsletter from your cruise directorMiss Julie. So much has been happening this month and I just can't wait to tell you all about it!!!
Alice and her harasser
Let's start with some good news: Alice and the project lost the bothersome sock puppet who had been disrupting many articles we monitor, and now most of us can edit in relative peace. Congratulations, Alice, for being able to come out of semi-retirement. Benjiboi, on the other hand, has gained an anonymous IP stalker who seems to be more Catholic than the Pope and who has a hard-on for the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. We seem to have a sort of Yin and Yang thing going on here, which helps both to keep us in balance and on our toes <bright smiles all around>.
Harry Potter and his homosexual teacher
Albus Dumbledore got outed this month, and was immediately adopted by our project. The international brouhaha surrounding this disclosure reached all the way to Wikiland, and his article was briefly locked due to homophobic vandalism (as well as well meaning editors who just couldn't believe that that nice man could possibly be gay). This is a wonderful article to add to your watchlist, and will surely give you hours of reverting fun on cold winter days.
"My Fellow Americans"
On a more serious note, Fireplace has suggested a new article series about LGBT rights in the United States, state by state. This ambitious topic will surely require many editors and a lot of research, but has the potential to add further prestige to our already prestigious project.
Same name, same sexuality: a riddle for the ages
Francis Bacon (not the new gay one, but the old gay one ... though they're actually both dead, now that I think about it) has also aroused passions here on Wikipedia, with editors opposing his sexuality being disclosed in his biography. The always helpful Haiduc has thoughtfully provided any number of sources, but it is slow going getting his point across. Anyone want to lend a hand?
Beat writer arouses Irish guy
And speaking of passions, Jack Kerouac has inflamed the senses once again with editors, including administrator Irishguy, mounting a spirited defense to keep him as heterosexual as possible for Wikipedia purposes. Why? I don't know. Perhaps some of you can drop by the talk page and ask your questions there. I feel certain a stimulating debate will ensue that will be enjoyed by all.
Love those Texas Longhorns
Did you know that one of our Featured articles, Lawrence v. Texas, lost its shiny gold star? That was a shocker. It has been suggested that we turn our attention to it in an effort to restore it to its former glory. I took a peek, and it does need our help badly. For our American editors, it would seem almost a civic duty to edit it (not that I'm hinting....).
Point and Counterpoint
Though it was far too intellectual a debate for a mere cruise director like myself to take part in, Intersexuality was certainly a hot topic a week or two ago. The thrust of the debate was over inclusion in our project. Lots of good editors had lots of good opinions. For those too lazy to check out the discussion, we decided to leave it out for now.
Drudgery on offer
Peer review is, as always, short staffed and seemingly unloved. Wouldn't you feel better about yourself and the world in general if you took a few minutes to read one of the listed articles and offer some helpful advice? I know I'd feel better if you did.
"My Fellow Americans" redux
The article LGBT movements in the United States certainly raised eyebrows last week, especially when it was discovered that copyrighted content had been added to our article. Tragedy was averted at the last minute, though, when the original hosts of the article where the material had been pilfered agreed to make it free to everyone. Our thanks to them, whoever they are. Busy Bee that I am, I haven't had time to read it, but I'm sure it's sensational.
Not content to run for Best Actress, plucky Bannon won a Best supporting actress Oscar... whoops, I meant to say Ann is also getting more than her share of womanly attention on the Good Article list. Joining her on this exalted plane are Freddy Mercury, Waylon Smithers and Lance Bass. Good articles indeed, and the last one mentioned just goes to show that one needn't admire the subject of an article to appreciate the effort put into making him worthwhile reading. What on earth Britney ever saw in him I'll never know. Truly a riddle cloaked in an enigma and wrapped around a puzzle.
On a personal note, your already overworked cruise director is being cyberly whipped almost daily by Nemissimo, who desperately wants to get the German BDSM translation copy edited and used as a replacement for the current one. It's such a ... err, stimulating topic that I am sure many of you will want to join the copy editing fun. Jump right in, folks! It's so lonely copy editing it all by my lonesome!
Late breaking news
A little birdie just whispered in my ear that our noble collaboration project was delisted from the Community Portal due to inactivity. When asked how this scandalous turn of events could have occurred, the answer I received was "we suck at stuff like that". Well. In the first place, I disagree that sucking should be considered a negative, but to each his or her own. In the second place, I have full confidence that we can and will collaborate with other projects in the future. So let's not view this as a setback (even though it is), but rather a challenge to improve (and good Lord, I sound almost Wikipedian!).
Champagne dreams and caviar kisses
Lastly, the holidays are rapidly approaching. Our American cousins are currently getting ready to slaughter masses of poultry in an effort to show their gratitude and generally peaceful demeanor, and those of the Canadian persuasion, trendsetters that they are, celebrated a bit early this year. I'm sure all us foreigners will join together in wishing them all a very happy Thanksgiving on their respective holidays, both already celebrated and forthcoming... though I would hope somebody would enlighten me as to why they don't celebrate it on the same day. I was awake all last night trying to figure that one out.
In the spirit of this peculiarly North American holiday, let me take a moment to thank all of our editors for their contributions to this project. It's people like you who make people like me...well, a "people person"! May all your Wiki days be bright, and may your Love Boat never turn into a Poseidon.
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Quelle Suprise! King James is a Queen!
Our dear Haiduc, never a stranger to controversy, recently decided to delve into the wardrobe of the British Monarchy, and what did he discover? King James had more than appreciative eyes for strapping young men! Naturally, Haiduc felt the need to share this news with the community, but instead of being praised for his scholarship, he was reviled. In fact, one rabid heterocentrist even rummaged around in his own wardrobe until he found an old pair of socks to play with. All seemed lost until astute editor Jeffpw noticed some odd postings and did some sleuthing of his own. The socks were uncovered, the Wicked Witch was melted and readers the world over were able to learn that Good King James regularly ordered tube steak from the menu of the day. Thank you, Haiduc! Thank you, Jeff! And let Miss Julie add (for readers who might not know) that tube steak tastes just like chicken!
It's Britney, Bitch!
Well, maybe it's not Miss Thang, herself, but it's the next best thing: Chris Crocker! he stirs up just about as much controversy as his idol does, even here on Wikipedia. Though it's all a bit of a muddle, one of our editors hopes you can drop by the talk page and leave a message of hope for those battling the forces of obstructionism in that little corner of the Wiki World. It is so hard to spread enlightenment. As Miss Parker herself said, "You can lead a whore to culture, but you can't make her think".
Game show for nerds
Wallowing in cash from the latest beg-a-thon, the powers-that-be have decided to sponser a little contest here to improve the articles, with a Grand prize of $100. Yeah. Just enough for a Burger King dinner for the family. Still, the thought is nice and the goal is noble, so we should support it. Our little Queer beehive has taken a look at what's on offer, and both the Greek Traditionalists and Daughters of Bilitis are well represented. The ever useful SatyrTN has made a little list, which can be found here (if that malignant bot hasn't archived it already, that is). So find a pal, roll up your sleeves and dive right in. Let's show this Encyclopedia just what Queers with firecrackers up their....err, I mean, let's show the others what we can do.
Jón Þór Birgisson
I can't pronounce his name, but he's awfully cute, he's deliciously foreign, and best of all...he's GAY! But he won't be for long, if certain users have their way. A concerted effort has been under way for a while now, designed to neuter poor Jon (pretend I put a little accent thingy over that O) and make him into a sort of rockin' Ken doll. So please watchlist this hunka man, and keep him queer! If anybody questions you, tell them "Miss Julie sent me".
TranSanta
Everybody loves a sequel
Readers not afflicted with Alzheimer's will remember that last month we had a little story about Alice and her harasser. That proved so popular that we bring you the sequel: Benjiboi and his stalker. After a chance meeting at the Michael Lucas article, this anonymous user took a shine to our Benjiboi, and has been showering him with attention on virtually every board on Wikipedia. Flattered though he is, Benjiboi finds the attention a bit distracting, and administrators have been seeking various remedies for this. It has proven difficult, as the stalker has an IP address that changes quicker than Superman in a telephone booth. So perhaps some of you would like to watchlist Benjiboi's page, and lend a hand if you see some love letters from an 11 digit friend. I was actually thinking we should get Alice's harasser and Benjiboi's stalker together. Then we could have another sequel, sort of like Freddy vs. Jason. Any bets as to who would win??
Not quite the second coming, but special just the same
Let me be the first to give a warm, wet, Love Boat kiss (though not with tongue) to our newest Project members: Jacksinterweb, Cleduc, Pigman, Becksguy and Iamandrewrice. Even in the month of our Saviour's birth, your popping into our Wikipedian lives is a blessed event indeed. As Jesus Himself said, "Live long and prosper". He did say that, didn't he? I think he said it. In any event, if he was standing next to me now, I'm sure he'd say it, and add, "Happy homo editing!"
Battle of the Wikipedia Stars!
Indomitable Ann Bannon is holding her own in Wikipedia's answer to American Idol: The Featured Article candidate list! For four feverish weeks, she has mastered the challenges and not been eliminated from the competition. Drop by the FAC page and show Ann you love her....or give her the hook (I'm not supposed to tell you how to vote). Giving our plucky Ann reason to hope is the recent promotion of List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people: Sa-Sc. If Miss Julie has her way, we will have the entire alphabet of Queerdom Featured here on Wikipedia soon! And I would be remiss if I did not give a warm, Lesbian salute to our own Belovedfreak, who showed Wikipedia with But I'm a Cheerleader that even pom poms are no protection from the Love that dare not speak its name, and got a gold star for her efforts.
Climbing the Wikipedia career ladder is User: Tim1965, who has not only written, but is now promoting Reel Affirmations to Good article status. Best of luck, Tim, and remember: there are no small parts, only small actors. We're sure you'll be trading that green circle for a gold star soon (assuming you get the green in the first place!).
Santa's on his gay way!
Santa needs elves
Yes, I know: packages need buying, trees need trimming, egg nog needs drinking. The holidays make many demands on our time. It's ...well, it's a bitch, is what it is. So I wouldn't blame you for skipping this little section and putting off my request until next year. But...think of the children. Our future. They need quality information about the homosexual "lifestyle" if we are to indoctrinate them properly. That's why I am asking you to drop by our Peer review area and give your meaning as to the efforts of your fellow gay Wikipedians. And think: in this season of kindness and good will to all, isn't it nice that I am pointing you to someplace where you can (in a Wikiloving way, of course) rip someone a new asshole? Think about it...and those children with their shiny, bright eyes, thanking you for contributing to their future.
Even more festively, consider joining in on the deletion discussions of our favorite articles. Here you can bandy about such words as "homophobia", "Right-wing Christian agenda" and my personal favorite, "just who do you think you're pushing around?!?!?". If you play your cards right, there might even be an extra present under the tree for you. :-D
Urgent Christmas appeal Tovojolo asked me to ask you to edit Elizabeth Bishop as part of the Collaboration Project. She's an old dead poet (Miss Bishop, not Tovojolo. I've never actually met Tovojolo. She's probably very young and attractive. Maybe somebody should ask if she's single), but she was a flaming homosexual long before most of us had even been conceived, so we owe her some respect. Tovojolo actually asked me for the last newsletter, but Miss Julie forgot. Bad Miss Julie. She was so busy boosting morale it just slipped right by her. Nemissimo, maybe you need to crack that whip again to get Julie back in line.
Surrender, Dorothy!!!!!!! Friend of Dorothy has attracted the attention of a group of....the more senior elements of our gay society. They disagree with our thesis that Saint Judy was the possible source of the term, and demand we change the article to reflect their contention that Dorothy Parker was the origin. The problem is, their source didn't check out. So we agreed to disagree. Well, we at the project did. They got kinda mad at us, said unkind things, and started edit warring. Though they are old, they are certainly quick, and could revert the article faster than my nimble fingers could press the undo button. To quote the divine Miss Parker, every time I saw the article on my watchlist, I thought to myself, "What fresh hell is this?". The page was protected by sympathetic administrators, but keeping an eye on it will keep Dorothy safe from future Wicked Witches of the West or East.
Ambrosia
Our dear Benjiboi has been busy indeed, lately. He recently made fruit salad out of Fruit, turning a once nasty word into a damn good article, and saving it from deletion! Congratulations, Benjiboi! I hear he has turned his attention from fruit to poultry now. Before he is through, he will have turned every major food group gay on Wikipedia!
Christmas came early
Yes, indeed! Valued administrator WJBscribe was raised out of the mire of mid-level management and placed squarely into the Pantheon of Bureaucracy! And Miss Julie is just too proud of him not to mention that he got the most support votes in the history of Wikipedia! Congratulations, WJB! We know you will not prove the Peter Principle correct!
You!
Yes, you! It's you who make this project shine! It's you who make Wikipedia such a valuable resource for all humanity! And it's you who make Miss Julie's dull life just a little bit better. So I want to take this moment to thank each and every one of you for all you do here. Merry Christmas, everybody! Happy Hanukkah! Festive Kwanzaa!Delirious Dong Zhi!Delicious Diwali! And for our oppressed Iranian brothers and sisters, I wish you a safe and joyous Yalda. And if I didn't mention your favorite December holiday, well, it's because I feel it's so special I should just keep it between you and me. Always remember: You light up my life!
May we all have a joyous holiday season, and a safe, healthy, happy and prosperous 2008.
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Ms Julie is .. unavailable .. this month, so Isaac and Gopher have stepped in to put this newsletter thing together. We may not be as funny as you're used to, but if you'd like a free drink, come see me at the bar. That might help. Maybe. And no, there aren't any flashing lights or fancy pictures this month - I'm still recovering from a whopping hangover. Julie's recovering too, but that's a story I'll let her tell.
Two New Featured Articles (and...)
Emma Goldman was promoted to Featured status on 2007December 27. If you don't know Ms. Goldman, she was a Lithuanian anarchist. Aren't many of those around, really, so having one of our very own is special. She'll be dancing the Cha-Cha on the Promenade deck later tonight.
Ann Bannon was promoted to Featured status on 2007December 3. Faithful readers may remember Moni moaning that we didn't mention this promotion in the last newsletter. Happy now?
The marathon efforts of Dev920 against her astonishing abilities of procrastination continued this month, and she managed to update the Portal's main articles. Whether she will finally beat her procrastination pixies in submission and update the biographies remains to be seen, but Jeffpw has leapt to the rescue and taken it upon himself to do all our lovely news. Friends, lend us your goodwill and your eyeballs, and mosey on over to see all Jeff's hard work.
Also, back in October 2007, Allstarecho and Benjiboi worked diligently on the "WP:LGBT Random Quote" and "WP:LGBT Random Picture" sections of the portal. They added many new quotes and pictures but, and yes here's the cat's meow friends... you can now use these on your own user pages! To add the "WP:LGBT Random Quote" to your own userpage, use: {{Portal:LGBT/Quotes}} And to add the "WP:LGBT Random Picture" to your own userpage, use: {{Portal:LGBT/Pics}} If you'd like to see it in action, check out Allstarecho's userpage for both in action and Benjiboi's talk page for the Quotes in action!
The long, slow race toward FP status continues...
Bisexual Awareness Month
Folks in Utah are celebrating Bisexual Awareness Month. For our own wikicelebration, Alison suggests we try to bring Bisexuality at least up to good article status. Working on the Utah article would be encouraged, but do it stealthily - they don't like us to be *too* open.
A cunning plan
In a move sure to bring her fame and fortune at last, Dev920 (talk·contribs) has proposed that an FA buddying system be set up, to help nudge frightened tikes who also happen to write killer ass articles over that initial first FAC hurdle. Anyone interested in shepherding duties, or anyone interested in being made to lie beside still waters (handcuffs are optional), do drop Dev an RSVP so she can start battering those darned pixies...
Zigzig20s has mentioned a desire to work on .. desire. Specifically literature by and about LGBT desire. To facilitate "LGBT Literature" taskforce, there will be shuffleboard and lesbian fiction on the foredeck later in the afternoon. Signup if you're interested.
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Welcome to the first monthly issue of the WikiProject Severe weather newsletter! In this issue, we will welcome you to the newsletter, and give you an idea of what the project is about, what it has done, and what it plans to do. So, enjoy reading the February 2008 issue! If you have not signed up to receive the newsletter, you may do so at the newsletter page. If you do not sign up, you will not receive the next newsletter!
This featured story focuses on the relative WikiWork for this project. The relative WikiWork is the measure of how lose a project is to having every article featured. It is a complex calculation;
ω = a + 2g + 3b + 4s + 5t
where a is A-class articles, g is GA-class articles, b is B-class articles, s is start-class articles, and t is stub-class articles.
Thus, the closer you are to 0 (zero), the closer you are to having every article featured. The WikiWork number for every class is added, then divided by the number of articles, similar to averaging, and it is found that the relative WikiWork for this project is Ω = 4.182. Ω is a symbol for the relative WikiWork factor. That is not the best number, as we are closer to 5 than we are to 0, and we are very close to 5. This means that the majority of the articles in the project are either stub, or start. That is what we need to change. So, while more severe weather articles are good, we should try not to publish as many stub class, and fewer start class articles.
New membersUser:Juliancolton (Talk) The most recent user to join the project, but is very active. User:Juliancolton is also an editor of this newsletter.
Featured member
User:CrazyC83 is this month's featured member for WikiProject Severe weather. (The following text is from User:JForget's nomination.) User:CrazyC83 - One of the most active (if not the most) members in recent tornado activity coverage and monitoring. Recent examples of this includes the February-March 2007 Tornado Outbreak in Alabama and Missouri, the May 2007 Tornado Outbreak in Kansas and Oklahoma and the January 2008 Tornado Outbreak Sequence in Missouri, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama. Had also made coverage in non-article tornado events such as the New Orleans tornado event on February 13, 2007 and the tornado event associated with the Superstorm of December 16, 2007. User:CrazyC83 made numerous edits, more than one hundred, to 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak.
Significant storms last month included the outbreak in the United States in early to mid-January that produced 71 tornadoes and killed three people. Several tornado emergencies were issued in association with supercells during this outbreak. This outbreak was very similar to a classic spring severe weather outbreak, but extending farther north than even most late season outbreaks. The hardest hit areas on January 7 were the Springfield, Missouri metropolitan area and areas immediately to the north of Chicago, three people were killed near Springfield throughout the Southwestern Missouri Ozarks. On January 8, my area, the Tri-State region of Evansville, Indiana, was hit with the tornado outbreak. Only a few funnel clouds were reported in my area. Most tornadoes of the day were confined to the Memphis, Tennessee area and Eastern Arkansas, where one person was killed. On January 9 only a few wind and hail reports were received[1]. On January 10, however, the action started back up. More tornadic storms developed across the Southern United States, including several significant storms that produced tornadoes. These tornadoes severely damaged rual towns in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The most notable of these tornadoes was reported in Lamar County, Alabama where 1 person was injured as several buildings were destroyed in this EF-3 tornado.
Five more deaths (three by tornadoes and two by straight-line winds) were reported on January 29 from a series of scattered tornadoes and a serial derecho across the Ohio Valley stretching south into Arkansas.[2]
I've proposed on the talk page of the above named project which you created that perhaps the scope and name of the project be changed to reflect more of a focus on oceans in general, rather than specifically oceanography. Oceanography would still be included within the scope of the project, however, and, if the project grows big enough, would certainly be one of the first likely subprojects. Please indicate your opinion of the possible change on that page. Thank you. John Carter (talk) 22:12, 23 February 2008 (UTC)
Project member Moni3 has been working on the article for Barbara Gittings and noted that the Lambda Literary Foundation used the lead paragraph from Wikipedia, skillfully and lovingly written by Moni3, verbatim in the Lambda Literary Pioneers calendar. Moni3 contacted the Lambda Literary Foundation to let them know, and to ask if we could get a little write-up in the next Lambda Book Report. There is a preliminary text you can find here. Feel free to add to it. It should be no longer than 1,000 words, and it needs to be submitted by March 15.
Place yourself in a user category so you can collaborate with other LGBT/Allied Wikipedians!
Mostly for allies of LGBT people; To place yourself in Category:Wikipedians interested in LGBT issues, just add [[Category:Wikipedians interested in LGBT issues|?]] to your userpage and change the question mark to your username OR add this userbox by placing {{User:UBX/LGBTinterest}} on your userpage.
Mostly for people who identify as either Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender; To place yourself in Category:LGBT Wikipedians, just add [[Category:LGBT Wikipedians|?]] to your userpage and change the question mark to your username OR add a userbox found at User:Xaosflux/UBX/Sexuality#Sexual orientation.
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I'll start on the cleanup as soon as i get the chance. I have Kenner, Louisiana tornado included because the tornado travelled from New Orleans into it. Same with the Los Angeles-area tornadoes. :) RingtailedFox • Talk • Contribs17:26, 27 March 2008 (UTC)
List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people: R
Hello. I don't want to revert your addition, but the Reich entry absolutely needs a citation. Every entry on this list has one. Could you dig one up? (If you're using the autobiography, that's fine but need the usual details.) Thanks! Rivertorch (talk) 16:06, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
I'd assume you have it on your watchlist, but just in case, I did throw a little something about my concern in merging with microscale meteorology on the talk. Jason Patton (talk) 05:11, 2 May 2008 (UTC)
Hello, members and friends of WP:LGBT! I'm not one to be writing newsletters, but I miss our cruise director, Miss Julie, and our project is drifting along with a few leaking plugs in the bottom of the boat. Hey, it happens. Every group we join goes through changes. If Wikipedia weren't so interesting it wouldn't also be so frustrating sometimes. And vice versa. More than one Wikiproject has tumbleweeds blowing through it, but this is one that can't afford to let that happen. Even if you pop in to the talk page of the project, you can let us know you're still around.
WP:LGBT's Role in HIV / AIDS articles
It wouldn't be a proper gay community without a li'l bit o' drama! That's right. If we aren't arguing about something, then we should be asking if we're still queer. Maybe that's for the best, since we know we're still kicking. Our most recent topic is how far the role of our project should go in dipping our toes into HIV/AIDS articles. The main AIDS article was delisted as a Featured Article last month, sadly. (Sending a swift kick to WP:Medicine.) A spirited discussion is available for your entertainment on the WP:LGBT talk page about just how much of HIV and AIDS should we take on. As ever, we'll take your opinions under advisement. We're going to have to, because it doesn't seem to have been settled.
Is Pride POV?
We have a pretty cool sidebar that identifies core LGBT articles. Its symbol is the iconic gay pride flag, much like other Wikiprojects have iconic symbols denoting the topic is a core subject in a series of articles. However, a question recently arose asking if the symbol itself is not neutral. Should a pride flag show up at the top of the article on Conversion therapy? How else would anyone know the article is about queer issues? Is there another symbol that is as widely recognized and that includes all our many splintered facets? At what point do we stop asking ourselves all these questions and just go have a mint julep on the verandah and stop caring?
For the love of all that is holy, no Kool Aid jokes. However, an editor involved in pioneering San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk's article has included a section about the late supervisor's support of Jim Jones and the People's Temple. While it may be accurate, there is a Request for Comment regarding how much emphasis the section places on Milk's support in light of his overall political influence on the city, and indeed the rest of the United States. Milk's article is a sad one in more ways than one. It lacks the detail and heart that honors its subject. Anyone want to do a barter with me? I'll bring Harvey Milk to featured status (give me a month or two so I can read stuff), if you do something of equal value to WP:LGBT?? Make me an offer...
Queer Studies is offensive!
The established branch of study known as Queer studies was brought up as an category for deletion because an editor was offended by the use of "queer" in the title. It was overwhelmingly rejected mostly by the usernames I see here on our Wikiproject page. (A clue that I know you are out there, hiding...biding your time...) So, I wish I could congratulate you, but now I'm all confused by my sympathy for the editor who was offended. So, if you're reading this, Moni has a short memory and can't remember your username. Don't be put off by our demonstrative pushiness. Join us. We can always use involved editors.
What can you do to help the project out? Be a wiki-fairy, on many levels. There are all kinds of articles that need help. Why, just this morning I removed those ugly wikify and cleanup tags from four articles at random. If you can put [[ ]] around stuff, you can clean up articles. There's a list of articles that need attention at the top of the WP:LGBT talk page. Or you can start with the Lambda Literary Awards, where the goddess of my altar received a pioneering award, and was "reduced to rubble" by Katherine V. Forrest's wonderful speech. The 20th ceremony of the Lambda Literary Awards, which celebrates LGBT literature, took place in West Hollywood on May 29th [2]. The page needs to be updated with the new winners, to be found on the official website [3].
Why on earth would someone want to delete material about homosexuality? 'Tis truly a mystery. But these embattled articles have some random evil gnomes removing information that places these folks under our queer umbrella. Help us keep an eye out for the deletions. Take a peek at the articles, familiarize yourselves with the info, and be handy with the undo function in the article history. If tempers flare, take it to the Hall monitors and let them sort it out. Best solution is to make sure your sources are immaculate.
This month's Wiki stars
This is what I get for opening my big fat mouth and suggesting the newsletter should be revived. Here I am writing it. So, to pat self on back (*cough*) Mulholland Dr. became a featured article in May. This is A Good Thing since it is my personal declaration that there is no such thing as lesbian porn. I don't care what Benjiboi says about the video collection at goodvibes. Instead, we have hot women who connect on a deep, personal, soul-touching level, so this film should qualify as some of the skankiest porn available for lesbians. Plus, it's completely confusing and surreal! D'you think Laura Harring would care that the article is featured? I don't think so either... (Call me, Laura!)
Compulsive hoarding of templates
Once I saw a harrowing episode of Animal Planet's Animal Cops where this guy had, like, 250 cats in his house and it freaked me right out. I'm drawing a parallel between 250 cats and, well...three, really, templates in articles involving LGBT issues. Can we stick to one, maybe? In the aforementioned Harvey Milk's article there's a core LGBT template, a link to the LGBT portal, and a sidebar for LGBT rights. Jiminy! You'd think we weren't the folk to set industrial grey carpeting and track lighting in vogue. An LGBT footer was designed to link to articles of interest that aren't the aforementioned core articles. What do you think, can we have either an LGBT template for core articles, a footer for LGBT articles that are high profile but not core, or an LGBT rights template? As ever, anything's up for discussion on the WP:LGBT talk page.
It's June, Pride month. Wear sunscreen, stay hydrated, get a designated driver, then go half-dressed in the streets find a girlfriend or boyfriend, or some homo who's standing there looking lonely and kiss 'em up real good. Remember, it all started 39 years ago when a bunch of drag queens just got fed the f*ck up by the cops raiding the bar and dragging them all out to the pokey again. Rock on, queens! Enjoy your celebrations. My town's is in October, and 200 people attend. I miss Denver.
It looks like we've picked up a lot of talent lately. We have no doubt you'll be making your indelible mark on LGBT knowledge as we know it, here at Wikipedia.
In the immortal words of Miss Julie, "May all your Wiki days be bright, and may your Love Boat never turn into a Poseidon."
We miss you, Miss Julie, as well as all the others who have graced our project and are on wiki-breaks or just got fed up with all the nuttiness and went to live their lives. Get your stupid houses built and hurry up and come back. --Moni3 (talk) 16:52, 9 June 2008 (UTC)
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I'm proposing a merger on an article you worked on. Since the shelf clouds and roll clouds are subset of the arcus clouds, they should be integrated into the later article. This would make a more complete article instead of splitting the information among three articles. Anwer in Talk:arcus cloud.
