A visual image of how things are going lately. :-(
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Plea to Other Editors
Almost every good faith edit is valuable. Research, verify, rewrite --------------- but don't delete!
Reminders to myself
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Absence of evidence for your hypothesis does not mean that the opposite of the hypothesis is true, nor does it mean that the hypothesis must be false. Likewise, absence of evidence against your hypothesis does not mean that the hypothesis is true, or that the opposite of your hypothesis is false. This seems clear enough, but ...
Omit needless words. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph has no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell. — William Strunk, Jr.
We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion. ----- Doctrine & Covenants Section 121:39...
While committed to a neutral point of view in the Wiki universe, I should disclose the following inherent biases which will probably show up in my work. After all, I am only ( almost ) human.....( but evolving slowly.... )
I am a participating member in a religious organization. I believe studying philosophy, human ethics and religious precepts is one of the most valuable things people can do to understand and improve themselves and the world around them.
I am a politically active citizen of the United States, with strong opinions on concepts underlying the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I am an avid proponent of civil liberties for all.
While not adverse to open markets and capitalist theory, I abhor the practice of using wealth to obtain power and influence in government and social movements. I believe the oligarchy is one of the least equitable forms of government, and is dangerous to human rights.
Let’s see....religion, politics and money. What else can we fight about?
I enjoy and appreciate the Internet, but I do not worship it, trust it or even respect it - yet. When looking for information, I believe in primary sources, lots of secondary sources and discussions with people with practical expertise.
My opinion on dating systems, BC/AD vs BCE/CE, reflects my university training and professional experience. BC/AD as a convention should always used in Wikipedia articles on specifically Christian subjects. In creating articles I tend to follow the university standard in my field which is to never use BCE/CE for a Christian subject, or BC/AD for a secular subject.
My writing style tends to be pedantic and wordy — but if you give me time, it does get better. And, I despise acronyms. So, there will be lots of edits.
And....
I have a sneaking fondness for fringy ideas, outrageous theories, and outright fantasy. I may not take these things seriously, but they are sometimes charming and reveal a great deal about us from a socio-anthro point of view. So, I am likely to be patient with these authors and generally wish them well.
Your Opinion, Please
For tireless dedication to Wikipedia in the face of continuous technological obstruction, I hereby award WBardwin this Working Man's Barnstar. Here's to hoping you will one day never need to ask before being able to edit. JRM · Talk 23:58, 21 August 2005 (UTC)Hi, please don't give up! Here's your second barnstar. It goes round and round, just like an AOL user rotating through the cache proxies. Bishonen · talk 17:50, 24 August 2005 (UTC)
