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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Kevin (talk | contribs) at 00:04, 20 December 2013 (Notification: listing at articles for deletion of Death of Abigail Taylor. (TW)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.


Joseph A. Spadaro

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Hello, my friend

Yes, it has been a while. My break didn't last long, or you could say it's not absolute. I couldn't believe the troubles I see reflected on your talk page. I know you to be reasonable, and I reviewed the circumstances of the conversation which led to your block. Needless to say I was a bit disenchanted. You, like me, appear to be a strong advocate for your side of a debate. While not unwilling to listen to an opposing view, you are not swayed unless the argument is particularly strong, and sound. The funny thing is I remember working differences with you, and found the debate quite refreshing. I think we both accepted parts of the others valid considerations and moved forward with good intentions.

There is another irony. I just had an RfA and got hammered because of this similar tendency. The irony gets even deeper when you realize that I stated the Cheshire Connecticut article as a proud accomplishment and my reason for stating that was because I was proud of the collaboration which achieved the result. I had already decided I wasn't going to take undue credit for what was a joint effort by several players. My first protagonist was intent to make me compare my efforts to others. Here is a quote: "I want to know how much he did versus Joseph Spadaro" I held my ground, got the shit kicked out of me and if I would have been gone it would be the RfA that took me out.

Yes it is an irony of ironies that you should have messaged me when you did. And I don't mind telling you that you, or me, will not be appreciated much; Because many in authority want to tell you how to think and expect that you will follow. I think you would enjoy seeing me destroyed by the bullshit, and the ironic part is it started because I didn't want to play the comparison game. Good talking to you again. For context here is my RfA, Find within my stated accomplishments "Cheshire, Connecticut, home invasion murders is a collaboration of which I am most proud. It really is a textbook example of people coming together from different walks, to collaborate on a high profile story that deserved the benefit of a proper telling. Even when you review the talkpages you can see dispute resolution and cooperation which manifest in a pretty good telling of a particularly hard story to tell" and know that it was you I had in mind when writing that. And you can search your name to see how I was hounded to define further my involvement. And that I stuck to my original statement of the cited collaboration.

It is a very terrible aspect of Wikipedia that if two people oppose in views, one has to be the bad guy. And there seems to be a tendency for it to be pinned on the one who makes the better argument. Anyway, I respect your manner and feel shame that your were blocked until you were made to say those pithy words. That you wouldn't do it again. My strong advice is, to not do it again, but for a different reason. Some minds are so thick, it truly is a waste of your own effort to form the good argument. So my friend, let's both endeavor to remain sane during these insane times. And do know there is a larger irony in play. Cheers My76Strat (talk) 23:49, 31 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Hello, there, my friend! I apologize that my response to your above post has been so delayed. But, I am the type who would rather respond fully and deliberately (albeit, perhaps, belatedly) versus just sending off a quick response that is not, err, particularly responsive. If you know what I mean. Thanks for the kind words above. I do appreciate them. I must admit, the ironies (and layers upon layers of further irony) did not escape me. It was really quite bizarre that I had messaged you only an hour or so after you decided to retire. (What are the odds of that?) Well, I am glad that you came back and that your retirement was short-lived! I agree with what you posted above in your Talk Page message to me. We seem to be cut from the same cloth. I am a lawyer by trade, and very left-brained, to boot. (And an Aries, at that!) (And a middle child by birth order!) For those not in the know ... this is a lethal combination ... which all means that I do cogitate over arguments. I am quite deliberative. I will not generally support a position unless I am fully convinced of it. And, at that point, I defend my position zealously. Some may call that arrogant or opinionated. (I've been accused of both.) I just see it as strong advocacy for a position in which I believe. I agree with you ... sometimes, that is all for naught. I recognize that one's greatest strengths can also be his greatest weaknesses. And, sometimes, we have to pick and choose which battles we decide to battle. And, it took me many years to learn ... you can win the battle, but lose the war. What do they call that ...? A Pyrrhic victory, I think? I did review that RfA discussion that you referenced above. I had to chuckle to myself when I saw that my name had come up, in terms of the Cheshire article. The whole time, though, I am scratching my head ... asking ... why would anyone in general (and you, in specific) want to be an admin? Oh, yes, I can see some benefit and enjoyment, perhaps. But, I am the type who would rather stay off to the side and out of the fray ... and just edit the articles of interest to me ... and steer clear of all the bureaucracy and politics. I have enough of that (bureaucracy and politics) in my "real" (offline) life. I certainly don't need/want any more here in my "escape" (virtual) life. I am sorry to see that the RfA did not conclude as you had hoped. But, you know the saying ... be careful what you wish for, you just might get it! In other words, everything happens for a reason ... and perhaps, in the end, this outcome is best for you. So, thanks again for the kind words above. And, again, I am glad to see that you are back editing in Wikipedia. Best, (Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 21:48, 14 April 2011 (UTC))[reply]
Thank you for that thoughtful response. You make many valid comments, and for sure I find much contentment editing at the user level. I did desire to be an admin for many ways I could perhaps have been good at it. It wasn't meant to be, and honestly I think where I may have had problems is that I might have unblocked users like you when I saw an inconsistency such as your example showed. I am very glad to see you editing again and the encyclopedia is better for it. I am better for having had an opportunity to collaborate with you and I look forward to a time again when we can collectively reach our best potential through cooperation. My76Strat (talk) 23:44, 14 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The Catholic Bible

You left a good question on the Humanities page regarding the official version of the Catholic Bible. The straight answer is there is none. All our Bibles are translations of the original texts that are generally not available to us now. However, there is such a thing as a Catholic Bible that is distinct from other Bibles. The main reason is that we have a number of Books and texts that are not in the "Protestant Bible". The Book of: Tobit, Judith, Esther, The 2 Books of Maccabees, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, parts of Daniel. These were deleted by Jewish people after Christ rose from the dead, as they had a reference to resurrection, or didn't fit the norm! (Scripture is my main study). (I always affirm in Court as invarably am presented with the King James' Version!). MacOfJesus (talk) 16:58, 26 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

One of my friends was in Court during the week and asked for a Catholic Bible, and was told, "we have none", but you can affirm! I always affirm, because of Matthew 5: 33-37. Was challenged twice and gave an account of my faith! MacOfJesus (talk) 17:47, 26 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This discussion was very much aired at the launch of The Jerusalem Bible (1966). "The Bible must remain free", was a phrase used. So, in the Divine Office (Prayer of The Church), you find all the English translations used throughout. Our modern languages change with time. Example: "spirit" was usually had the translation "ghost" in older translations. The King James' version was translated into a Shakesperian Standard English, that remains a point of reference today! MacOfJesus (talk) 08:33, 27 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Was my words helpful on the Bible? MacOfJesus (talk) 18:33, 2 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, thanks. I am still planning to get back to you on the Bible issue. That is on my "to do" list, and I shall be in touch shortly. Thanks! (Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 18:36, 2 May 2011 (UTC))[reply]

Table of contents

The question is about the article Deaths in 2011 specifically; it is also a general question for any article, however. I posted my question on Talk: Deaths in 2011, but I have received no replies there as of yet. So, I am posting here also. Is there any way to make the Table of Contents (TOC) read horizontally (left-to-right) as opposed to its present vertical (up-and-down) style? I think it would look much better. You can see the TOC of this article (List of Iranian actresses) for an example of what I mean. I looked at some templates, but they only seemed to apply to TOCs that are of the "A through Z" format. But, perhaps I am mistaken about that. Any insights on this issue? Thanks! (Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 17:42, 4 May 2011 (UTC))[reply]

Again the one to ask is user:OlEnglish on his talk page. MacOfJesus (talk) 18:15, 4 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
What do you think of my change to the vertical TOC? Feel free to undo it, of course. You could try {{TOCCalMonths}} too. -- John of Reading (talk) 21:25, 4 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks, but ... no, sorry. That defeats the whole point. The page is essentially a calendar of the current month ... so people will want to find a specific date within the month. I'd like to see the TOC headings for the 30 days (i.e., the numbers 1 to 30) scroll left-to-right (horizontally) at the top of the page ... as opposed to the current up-and-down (vertically) at the right of the page, if possible. Is that do-able? Thanks. (Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 21:43, 4 May 2011 (UTC))[reply]
I couldn't find a substitutable template so I produced the markup on the article as <noinclude></noinclude> text. It is a form of the {{Compact TOC}} template. Cheers My76Strat (talk) 01:19, 5 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Looks neat, but it needs more work. If you click on "April" you get to April, then, if you click on "5" you jump back to May 5 - at least in Firefox. This is doable by adding an extra anchor to each day's sub-heading, but it could be a nightmare to maintain-- John of Reading (talk) 05:56, 5 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

As You Like It

I have raised this at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Shakespeare#Dramatis personæ for "Characters". --Old Moonraker (talk) 07:14, 6 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. I have replied at this link above ... as well as at the article Talk Page. Thanks. (Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 19:50, 6 May 2011 (UTC))[reply]

Hi

Hi, as I see that you agreeing with me about the content on the Caylee Anthony homicide article. Perhaps you could change back the reverted material. I was wondering also if you could check out Niteshift36 and the IP that discussed there to behaviour. I find them to be both offensive at the moment, especially Niteshift36. Thanks--BabbaQ (talk) 19:33, 25 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

What's going on here? Inducting other editors to change back material so you aren't involved yourself (3rr?) is generally seen as trying to game the system. --87.194.194.250 (talk) 19:40, 25 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
If a third party agrees with the first party. And the first party simply suggests that the material should be re-added there is no problem. Im not demanding anything and after all I think Joseph Spadaro can make his/hers own mind up perfectly. Its not my problem if Spadaro happens to agree with me for example. If anything you 87.194.194.250 are trying to avoid the (3rr?) by asking Niteshift36 to do your work.--BabbaQ (talk) 19:46, 25 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Help me

{{adminhelp}}

The following page was put up for speedy deletion: Anthony Weiner photo scandal. That page also had a Talk Page (Talk:Anthony Weiner photo scandal), on which editors could object to or support the speedy deletion. When I last read that Talk Page a few moments ago, there were about a dozen people who opposed the speedy deletion ... and perhaps only one person who did not oppose it. Then, an editor named User:Jonny-mt deleted the article. And now, that Talk Page -- and all of its discussion -- is nowhere to be found. Where can I find that Talk Page that was deleted? And, how can he (User:Jonny-mt) delete the page when the opponents to deletion outnumbered the supporters by 12 to 1? What would be the point of having the discussion then, if User:Jonny-mt can ignore and unilaterally override it? Thanks. (Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 06:31, 7 June 2011 (UTC))[reply]

Hi there. Please see the discussion on my talk page. --jonny-mt 08:05, 7 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Help me

{{adminhelp}}

I'd like an administrator to intervene. A user named Abrazame is constantly reverting my edits on the article of Anthony Weiner sexting scandal. Also, a user named Off2riorob is harassing me — and not Abrazame — by "threatening" me by posting a 3RR revert warning on my Talk Page (immediately above). Furthermore, Off2riorob is deliberately interfering with my "Admin Help" request ... by making unwanted, unwarranted, and unwelcome edits on my Talk Page. I added information into the Anthony Weiner sexting scandal article. Consensus on the Talk Page of that article approved such. And Abrazame keeps stating his own personal opinion that "this is not part of the scandal". All of the information that I added was true, factual, relevant, NPOV, and fully (reliably) sourced. Please advise. Thanks. (Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 22:42, 11 June 2011 (UTC))[reply]

As a friendly note, WP:3RR says that reversing another editor's edit, whether in whole or in part, counts as a revert. That information was added or removed does not matter, if it undoes the action that another editor performed. - SudoGhost™ 23:08, 11 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I have removed the admin help request; you have been helped both on ANI and on the article talk page. Please don't try to carry the same discussion in 3 locations. --Shirik (Questions or Comments?) 23:14, 11 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Friendly reminder

Please do not attack other editors, as you did at Talk:Anthony_Weiner_sexting_scandal#Weiner_checks_into_treatment. Comment on content, not on contributors. Personal attacks damage the community and deter users. Please stay cool and keep this in mind while editing. Thank you. - SudoGhost™ 03:06, 12 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

You've been warned about this sort of conduct before, and still pretty much everything you've said at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents#Help me and your most recent comments at Talk:Anthony Weiner sexting scandal leave something to be desired in terms of civility. If you are not able to respond in a civil and measured manner to things that others say to you here on Wikipedia, I suggest that you take a few days off to cool down. Continuing to be uncivil and sarcastic in all of your responses, instead, will end with you blocked. Cheers. lifebaka++ 14:38, 12 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Joseph, I am writing here instead of creating a new Weinergate section. I have some concerns about this edit [1] to the talk page. When you wrote:
Why does he 'deserve the benefit of the doubt?' if anything that violates NPOV...
I strongly disagree. Giving the benefit of the doubt is having a neutral point of view. Though Wikipedia is not a court of law, it is not unlike the presumption of innocence, or being an impartial juror. Furthermore, it is given high importance that living persons not be libeled or defamed. The standard for biographical articles is greater than that of place or things. This is why I and others are arguing against the inclusion of certain things. It isn't that we're trying to soft-pedal the congressman, we are trying to follow the idea that having a citation of something does not make a good enough reason for there to be a link in the article. There's a tendency with current events to include every little detail. One way to think about this is to apply the ten year test on it. This isn't an official policy, it is just a guideline to think about looking back from ten years in the future. What is going to be important about the article that people will want to know?
The other thing I wanted to say is I was concerned about your statement that Weiner is a "proven self-serving liar" is defamatory. Even if he admits to lying about his online sex talk (which he has) this does not make him a unqualified liar. This is potentially libelous, and should be stricken. Talk pages are not exempt from BLP, and I'm bringing this to you instead of removing it myself as a courtesy.
Regards, Liberal Classic (talk) 21:16, 12 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

AN/I

Hello. This message is being sent to inform you that there is currently a discussion at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents regarding an issue with which you may have been involved. Thank you. - SudoGhost™ 11:47, 12 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Anthony Weiner sexting scandal

{{adminhelp}}

Question: When does this AfD close? I thought that it was a seven-day process. Am I mistaken? Please advise. Thanks. (Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 17:21, 14 June 2011 (UTC))[reply]

I won't remove your template as you might want specifically to talk to an admin. - but it is seven days. That AFD is more or less ready to close and it will get closed soon enough now. Closure is not like, seven days is exactly up now please close, often they are closed a few hours early or a few hours late, if is is a close cut call or not well frequented it can be left open for another seven days - this is clearly not the case in this AFD, regards. Off2riorob (talk) 17:51, 14 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]
As Off2riorob said, AFDs are not closed immediately after seven days but whenever admins are able to do it. The more complicated an AFD is, the longer it might take. No reason to worry though. In this case, I closed it now but generally you should only start worrying about such things if several days have passed without closing or relisting (since the old open AFDs will be listed at the next day for all admins to see). Regards SoWhy 20:10, 14 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Question

Thanks for all your help on the Deaths in 2012 page. :) But how did you get such a beautiful user page? I'm assuming that all those coloured boxes are widgets of some kind, but I don't know. Guyovski (talk) 01:02, 16 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Hello! You are certainly welcome (for the help that I offered on the Deaths page). That's certainly no problem. Thanks, also, for your compliments on my User Page. Those colored informational boxes are called "userboxes". You can read all about them here: Wikipedia:Userboxes. If you scroll down to the bottom of that page (to this section, here: Wikipedia:Userboxes#Gallery), you will see that there are hundreds – if not thousands – of different Wikipedia userboxes. You can add any of them to your own User Page. Just click on any of those links in that Gallery, depending on which category of userbox you are interested in. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks again! Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 18:11, 16 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Dispute resolution requested

Hello. This message is being sent to inform you that there is currently a discussion at Wikipedia:Dispute resolution noticeboard regarding an issue with which you may have been involved. The thread is "I don't want to be forced to keep responding". Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.71.2.203 (talk) 17:33, 17 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

As a follow-up, I have gone to this webpage [2] and filled out an incident report stating: "Joseph A. Spadaro appears to assert that Holocaust denial is a legitimate form of philosophy," providing location details of the relevant talk page discussion and my contact information. This is absolutely not intended to escalate our dispute on Wikipedia, and all follow-up on this issue should be directed to that website. I am adding this talk page entry purely for informational purposes. Guyovski (talk) 20:14, 17 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]
There's currently a discussion about the above post at WP:AN#Offwiki report to ADL? which you may want to participate in. Nick-D (talk) 07:47, 19 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Notice of Wikiquette Assistance discussion

Hello, Joseph A. Spadaro. This message is being sent to inform you that there currently is a discussion at Wikipedia:Wikiquette assistance regarding an issue with which you may have been involved. Thank you.

AN Notice

Hello. This message is being sent to inform you that there is currently a discussion at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard regarding a recent Anti-Defamation League Report. The thread is "Offwiki report to ADL?". Thank you. --Guy Macon (talk) 08:31, 19 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Let me just say how sorry I am that this happened. The ADL is obviously unlikely to do anything with the report, but I suggest that you ask them to remove it from their records, as you use your real name to edit. The report itself constitutes defamation. ʝunglejill 13:20, 19 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Wow, I just perused the discussions about this. You really got the raw end of the deal and were dragged into something that was absolutely no fault of your own. I'm glad that you're still on WP and that after enduring that ordeal, you continue to make edits and speak your mind. Nicely done Sir... --Scalhotrod - Just your average banjo playing, drag racing, cowboy... (talk) 01:20, 14 January 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Robert Mone

There is no "standard" header. Please read Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout. The original header should be kept. Thank you. -- Necrothesp (talk) 10:33, 23 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Hello. I did read the section to which you directed me. Thanks. However, I do not agree with you. That section of the MOS says that the term "footnotes" is used when we have explanatory footnotes only. It goes on to say that the term "References" is used when we have citation footnotes. In the Robert Mone article, those are not explanatory footnotes, they are citation footnotes. So, please clarify for me what your point is and what the issue here is. To my understanding, an explanatory footnote is something like this example. "President Carter spent his childhood in California. (footnote 8)." And, below, footnote 8 says: "Carter, however, was actually born in Montana". That is a footnote that carries an explanatory text only, not a citation. In that type of case, the terminology "footnotes" is an appropriate header for the section. In the Mone article, however, the footnotes clearly contain citations to articles and such. So, please let me know your argument, your issue, and why you think the header should be "footnotes" instead of (the more traditional) "references". Thanks. Please reply at my Talk Page. Thanks for the note, also. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 16:04, 23 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]
See, also, a discussion that I raised about this issue at Wikipedia:Help desk#Proper header. Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 18:57, 23 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I have answered there. -- Necrothesp (talk) 10:42, 24 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Divine Comedy

I see that you were (are) active on the article and Talk Page for Dante's Divine Comedy. Are you familiar with the poem? May I ask you a question about it? Please reply at my Talk Page. Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 03:35, 3 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I'm familiar with the poem, though I'm hardly a Dante expert. If you have a question, you can ask it here (I'll watchlist this page), and I'll do my best to answer it or direct you to a relevant resource. Deor (talk) 10:08, 3 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Hello. Thanks! I am just starting to read this poem. I know (basically) nothing about it, as of yet. The only thing that I do know is that the poem chronicles Dante's journeys through hell, purgatory, and heaven. Now, as I sat down to begin reading it, I wondered to myself, why the poem is entitled "comedy". I found that odd. So, I went to the Wikipedia article to seek an answer. I did not see any mention on this point at all. So, do you have any idea as to why Dante called his poem a "comedy"? I can't imagine that this journey through hell, etc., is "funny" in the comedic sense. The only thing that I can come up with, off the top of my head, is that the word "comedy" is used as it is used in Shakespeare (not so much meaning "funny" or "comedic", but simply meaning a happy ending as opposed to a tragedy). And, I am assuming, the "happy ending" is that his journey ends in heaven, since he exited hell. But, I have no idea. And, again, the title puzzled me. Any thoughts? Thanks! Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 15:12, 3 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]
You're correct that it was called Commedia (at least partly) because of its "happy ending" in heaven. This is addressed in the third paragraph of Divine Comedy#Thematic concerns, and I quoted Dante's remarks on the matter in this reference-desk thread a few years ago. Deor (talk) 15:25, 3 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. That was very helpful. I certainly would never have found that Reference Desk thread, without you directing me to it. And, as far as that section in the actual article: I very intentionally only "skimmed" the article, very briefly, as I did not want any "spoilers" before I read the poem. In my very quick scan, I missed the section to which you referred. Thanks so much! Let me ask you another question, if I may. Would you suggest that one read the entire poem, beginning to end? Or is it OK to just read the Hell section, put it down, later read the Purgatory section, put it down, and later read the Heaven section? I understand that is likely a personal preference. But, which approach is best, do you think (to get the full impact and meaning of the poem)? It seems awfully big (daunting) to read from end to end. On the other hand, I don't want to "lose" anything by parceling out the reading in three distinct sections, over a long period of time, with my reading of other (distracting) material intervening. Thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks! Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 15:40, 3 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Hmmm, that's a difficult question. When I've read it for pleasure—as opposed to just investigating some specific point—I never been able to resist reading the whole thing straight through. It helps that my favorite of the three cantiche is the Paradiso, so I'm always looking forward to it. I don't, however, see any particular problem with reading the cantiche separately over a period of time; though it is, I think, important to read them in order.
As a sort of introduction to whet one's appetite for the poem, I can't recommend highly enough an essay by Dorothy Sayers, called "... And Telling You a Story". It was originally published in Essays Presented to Charles Williams, ed. C. S. Lewis, in 1947, but I'm sure it has been reprinted elsewhere since. If you can find a copy, I encourage you to read it. I don't know what translation you're using or how well it's annotated, but you'll probably want a guide to the many unfamiliar names you'll come across in the Comedy. Wikipedia's List of cultural references in Divine Comedy is a serviceable compendium of brief explanations. The most copious and detailed notes I know of in English are those in Charles Singleton's edition (three volumes of Italian text and translation and three volumes of notes), but they may be rather daunting for a first-time reader. I'd advise you to just dig in and start reading; you may find yourself unable to stop, or you may find that you need a rest after the rigors of Hell. I don't see that it matters much. Deor (talk) 19:30, 3 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the valuable input. Yes, I certainly do plan to read them in order. I guess it's just a question of whether I will read all three continuously or with breaks in between. The edition that I purchased is this one: Dante's Divine Comedy: Hell, Purgatory, Paradise. It is translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and illustrated by Gustave Doré. It's a beautiful book, and the price was very reasonable ($14 or so). I will also try to find that essay you mention (by Dorothy Sayers), before I actually start reading Dante's poem. As a side note, I started reading another book in the interim, William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. Are you familiar with that one? And can you offer any insights? Thanks so much! Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 15:54, 4 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, can't help you with that one; I haven't read it. Deor (talk) 16:24, 4 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]
No problem. Thanks for all the other suggestions and advice! Much appreciated. I will follow your suggestions. I am looking forward to reading this! Thanks again! Best, Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 17:05, 4 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

As I Lay Dying

Hello. I do not really appreciate your comments at the Wikipedia:Reference desk/Humanities#As I Lay Dying, implying that I am a child seeking help with homework. Some questions at the Help Desks are, indeed, bona fide. If you are "at" the Help Desk, I assume that you are there to "help" or to offer some insights into the bona fide questions of other editors ... and not to belittle the questions of others as if they were trivial, childish, and nothing more than a veiled adolescent disguise at cheating on homework. What exactly about my question leads you to your assumption that I am a child attempting to cheat on a homework assignment, as distinguished from a bona fide question, seeking information (i.e., indeed the very purpose of the Help Desk)? And, furthermore, even if that is your personal suspicion, why act on it in such a condescending and mocking (and very public) manner? Please advise. Please reply at my Talk Page. Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 13:52, 10 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

StuRat, I am particularly surprised/dismayed/disappointed/hurt by your behavior. I have seen you on these Help Desks quite a bit. And, in fact, I am sure that you have helped me over the past many years, several times. This seems out of character for you. And, as such, it is particularly disappointing and hurtful. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk)

Apologies if my response seemed inappropriate, but I expect that you’ll agree the question does resemble a homework assignment.DOR (HK) (talk) 05:52, 14 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion at User Talk:StuRat#As I Lay Dying

You are invited to join the discussion at User Talk:StuRat#As I Lay Dying. Senra (talk) 16:00, 10 February 2013 (UTC)Template:Z48[reply]

Murder of Travis Alexander

Maybe you'd be interested in commenting in a discussion I started on the talk page about the tags an editor added?[3] Halo Jerk1 (talk) 20:53, 11 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Could you take a look at a new talk page discussion on Murder of Travis Alexander concerning changing the article name to Death of... I have tried to reason and explain to the IP about the previous discussion held to deaf ears unfortunatly.--BabbaQ (talk) 19:56, 14 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Interesting. I thought Joseph was a random person who shared your opinion and thus I was prepared to settle; but it seems you sneakily went and recruited him knowing he was on your side. Very sly and pathetic. I also believe it is against the wiki rules to seek help in edit discussions from users you already know share your opinion... 87.232.1.48 (talk) 23:56, 14 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I would be very careful to not throw accusations around like you are doing right now. It almost seems like you are "out to win the discussion at any cost" which is not productive. Me contacting Joseph was because he had been involved along with me in the original consensus discussion concerning the name of Murder of Travis Alexander, which you for some reason totally ignored when I tried to tell you about. --BabbaQ (talk) 14:52, 15 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Also interesting to note that the user Ip is currently active at three IP numbers 87.232.1.48 , 134.226.254.178 and 87.232.101.49.--BabbaQ (talk) 19:15, 15 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Article name

Hi again, now some user has gone and changed the article name from Murder of Travis Alexander to Homicide of Travis Alexander without discussing it and ignoring consensus. This has gone way to far in my opinion, in my opinion this is a Murder and nothing else changing the article name like that is misleading. Hope you see and understand my points. Thanks.--BabbaQ (talk) 14:47, 15 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I was bold and moved the article name back to Murder of.... I have also started a new "what should the article name be" discussion at the talk page. For me a waste of time but as a few users seems to disagree with a passion I thought a new discussion was the best way to settle this.--BabbaQ (talk) 15:41, 15 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Excel question: horizontal line

In Excel (2010), is there any way to get a solid horizontal line directly in the middle of a cell, going from left to right (in other words, cutting the cell in half horizontally)? I don't want to use a series of dashes or minus signs or equal signs, because they have a little blank space between each character (leaving little gaps). Rather, I want a solid, unbroken horizontal line (with no gaps). I looked in the "borders" format function, under "more borders". And there is indeed exactly the type of border that I am looking for. However, that specific border format is "grayed out", so that I am not able to click on it. Why is it even there, if it cannot be clicked on or selected? Or am I doing something wrong, and I should indeed be able to click on it? Any ideas? Thanks! Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 21:17, 3 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

You could use a macro to draw the lines. The following VBA code draws a horizontal line in the middle of every cell in the current selection:
Sub DrawLines()
    Dim c As Range
    For Each c In Selection
        ActiveSheet.Shapes.AddLine c.Left, c.Top + c.Height / 2, c.Left + c.Width, c.Top + c.Height / 2
    Next
End Sub
AndrewWTaylor (talk) 18:07, 4 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. I will try that macro and see how that works. But, I have no idea of what a macro really is. So, where exactly do I type all of that above code? Where in the Excel spreadsheet do I type all of that? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 20:01, 4 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]
You need to copy it into the Visual Basic Editor, which you can get to by pressing Alt+F11. Here are some links that should get you started: [4], [5], [6]. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 09:40, 5 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the info and for those links. I will try that. Thank you. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 13:42, 5 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, the macro is definitely the most elegant solution, and it works perfectly (I've just tried it). Dbfirs 17:19, 6 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

To AndrewWTaylor: Thank you very much for providing me with this macro, and with the links that explain how to create a macro. I really do appreciate it. Thanks again! Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 19:21, 6 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Why don't you do it the easy way, with the draw tool that there is every version of Excel? You can download my example here. By the way the border you saw, which you could not click, was not a line in the middle; it is rather a grid line that can be made visible when you select more cells at once. It was gray because you had not selected more than one cell on top of each other (vertical selection).--Gciriani (talk) 20:13, 6 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Hi. Thanks. The above conversation is actually an excerpt from this Reference Page Help Desk question: Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing#Excel question: horizontal line. If you go to that link, you'll see more of the conversation. In any event, I had mentioned (at that page) why the "draw" function really doesn't work very well (for me). Also, another editor explained why my border line selections were "grayed out". (Which I now understand, but did not when I posed my original question.) Thanks so much for your reply here on my Talk Page. I actually looked at (downloaded?) your example of a horizontal line. But, once I looked at it, I was not sure what to do with it (i.e., how to place that into my own Excel spreadsheet) ... ? Do you know how to do so? Thanks again! Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 22:24, 6 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]
You can draw lines with the draw menu. To activate the menu, please go to View / Toolbars and check mark Drawing. At least this is the menu path in Excel 2003. Once the menu is active you have a bunch of drawing tools available: for my example, I selected the line tool, and then on the spreadsheet itself I clicked on one side and dragged it across the cells of interest. It can be adjusted at any time for position of both ends, thickness and color. I hope this helps.--Gciriani (talk) 23:33, 6 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. Yes, I know how to "draw" a line in Excel. But, it is not a great solution to my problem. This is what I had replied at that Reference Desk Page, when another editor suggested using the "draw" function. I replied: "Yes, the drawing menu is still there. I did try it. It's not an ideal solution, however. It's hard to draw a "nice, clean, straight" line. This is because it is hard to "start" and "stop" the line at the exact spot you want; it is hard to draw the line perfectly horizontal (as it tends to slightly slant up or down); and it is hard to get the line in the exact center of the cell. In other words, the line will only be as precise as your hand drawing will allow. Plus, you have to draw a line in every single cell, one by one." Thanks! Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 23:36, 6 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Joseph, thanks for your note on my talk page about this. You're welcome - glad I was able to help. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 09:37, 7 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks again! Much appreciated! I will be using your macro; it does exactly what I want/need. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 15:31, 7 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Nomination of Death of Abigail Taylor for deletion

A discussion is taking place as to whether the article Death of Abigail Taylor is suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia according to Wikipedia's policies and guidelines or whether it should be deleted.

The article will be discussed at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Death of Abigail Taylor until a consensus is reached, and anyone is welcome to contribute to the discussion. The nomination will explain the policies and guidelines which are of concern. The discussion focuses on high-quality evidence and our policies and guidelines.

Users may edit the article during the discussion, including to improve the article to address concerns raised in the discussion. However, do not remove the article-for-deletion notice from the top of the article. Kevin (talk) 00:04, 20 December 2013 (UTC)[reply]

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