User talk:AlanE

From Conservapedia
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by AlanE (Talk | contribs) at 01:19, February 11, 2013. It may differ significantly from current revision.

Jump to: navigation, search
Useful links

Welcome!

Hello, AlanE, and welcome to Conservapedia!

We're glad you are here to edit. We ask that you read our Editor's Guide before you edit.

At the right are some useful links for you. You can include these links on your user page by putting "{{Useful links}}" on the page. Any questions--ask!

Thanks for reading, AlanE!



Anyone I have banned who wishes to question my decision (or for any other reason) can contact me at alan.carvel@gmail.com


In case you weren't aware, typing four tildes (~~~~) after a comment automatically produces your signature. --Hojimachongtalk 20:38, 8 May 2007 (EDT)

Thank you...I'm new in town, so to speak.AlanE 20:44, 8 May 2007 (EDT)

AlanE, thanks for your contributions. I just gave you blocking powers so that you can block the accounts of vandals yourself, as soon as you see them. Thanks much and Godspeed to you.--Aschlafly 01:16, 8 June 2007 (EDT)

Thank you. Appreciated. AlanE 02:14, 8 June 2007 (EDT)

Categories

Alan, I think your comments on the monarch categories are good, and would encourage you to fix the categories as you see fit. It seems to me, since this is such a new project, that a lot of things got categorized willy-nilly style (which is understandable), and anything we can do to set things straight, I think it is better sooner than later. I think you'll notice a lot of redundant categorization on some articles too that need cleaned up. --Colest 19:48, 11 June 2007 (EDT)

  • Personally, I would check with a Sysop before doing what Colest is suggesting, especially removal of categories. Okay? --Sysop-TK /MyTalk 19:49, 11 June 2007 (EDT)

Email

Unless there's a bug in the software, then, "This user has not specified a valid e-mail address, or has chosen not to receive e-mail from other users."

Although we do not require an email address, refusing to supply one is one of several factors which can add up to grounds for banning your account. If you really support the goals of this project, why not take a couple of minutes to create a free yahoo or account and put it in your preferences? --Ed Poor Talk 23:42, 6 August 2007 (EDT)

  • Ed, check your preferences page. It was changed by Webmaster many months ago.  ;-) --şŷŝôρ-₮KṢρёаќǃ 23:52, 6 August 2007 (EDT)
    • Yes, I see that now, Terry: "E-mail (required): Enables others to contact you through your user or user_talk page without needing to reveal your identity."

OK. I will go back and change the email address in my Preferences. Hang on. AlanE 00:15, 7 August 2007 (EDT) I have changed it to the address stated at the bottom of my user page and hit the "Mail confirmation code" even though I never got one. I did get the following though: A confirmation code has already been e-mailed to you; if you recently created your account, you may wish to wait a few minutes for it to arrive before trying to request a new code.

This wiki requires that you validate your e-mail address before using e-mail features. Activate the button below to send a confirmation mail to your address. The mail will include a link containing a code; load the link in your browser to confirm that your e-mail address is valid.

The above is what I have always received...right from day one. Maybe my geriatric brain is missing something. Ban me if you wish, but it must be obvious by now I am not refusing to supply it. It is sitting there in my User Page. AlanE 00:30, 7 August 2007 (EDT)

Don't be silly. It's not grounds for banning: Terry says I was wrong. But have you tried this link? http://www.conservapedia.com/Special:Emailuser/AlanE --Ed Poor Talk 00:36, 7 August 2007 (EDT)

Yes, Ed; but it tells me I need a valid email address!! Perhaps I should go away and come back as someone else... throw off AlanE and don the cloak of, um, how about Guddle. The IP address will be the same, but if I start from scratch, you (CP) will hopefully send me a confirmation code which I can send on its way (rejoicing or not) and I will be legitimate, so to speak. AlanE 00:50, 7 August 2007 (EDT)

You can get a free email address from Yahoo. Send me an email from your new account when you're set up. --Ed Poor Talk 00:54, 7 August 2007 (EDT)

No, Alan...get at me on AIM if you have it, mine is on my user page. You need to fill in the box on your preferences here, AND check the box below, to the right!  :p --şŷŝôρ-₮KṢρёаќǃ 01:37, 7 August 2007 (EDT)--şŷŝôρ-₮KṢρёаќǃ 01:37, 7 August 2007 (EDT)

Re Buglar's "debate"

Bugler; I would qualify for banishment. I am a non-believer in your brand of faith. I also consider myself to be pretty middle of the road in social and political matters, being conservative in some issues and left of centre in others, but certainly do not consider myself Conservative. (In other words I am normal.) I am neither American nor British. I follow the tenets of Christ's teaching and the Commandments without any of the trappings nor the passionate narrowness of orthodoxy of belief that says "we are always right and everyone else is always wrong". I do not attend a church. Too many good and wonderful people have died because that. I am known as a "man of goodwill". I know there are many others like me in Cp. I joined for the sake of the homeschoolers and others who I thought, in my vanity it now seems, might benefit from the breadth of my knowledge and my desire to share it.

Except for a long break enforced by ill-health, I have been editing since early May last year. I work at giving articles in my chosen fields, of a substance that I would have found useful in my teens when I was starting my love affair with history and classical music half a century ago. I believe passionately in historical veracity - and as much as anyone I have repaired the fun and games of historical parodists and mistakes as I have found them. (I fixed two blatant pieces of misinformation yesterday…both well over a year old.) Go through my edits and you will see what I mean. I am actually trying to create a viable encyclopedia.

I know I am blowing my own trumpet, Bugler (um), but there is a reason - there are a lot of us here that are doing this sort of graft, many of whom would qualify for banishment under your “proposal”. More and more, Conservapedia is becoming a blog, and less “The Trustworthy Encyclopedia” – your proposal would finish that process.AlanE 23:14, 19 August 2008 (EDT)

Notice

We need to close night editing early tonight. Hope to see you early tomorrow morning.--Aschlafly 23:29, 20 August 2008 (EDT)

Portuguese names

Ok, I will review some of the Portuguese names. Sunda62 20:47, 2 September 2008 (EDT)

Trade winds

You're welcome...BTW, be sure to make comments on people's TALK page, the user page is for personal use. Marge 10:26, 3 September 2008 (EDT)

Composers

Be my guest. --User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 19:22, 26 September 2008 (EDT)

Thanks...you may notice Chabrier has just arrived. AlanE 19:27, 26 September 2008 (EDT)

Richard Strauss

Some works are now lost. --User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 00:20, 28 September 2008 (EDT)

I hope you enjoyed your breakfast

I was not implying that you did not contribute to this encyclopaedia and apologise for giving that impression. The guilt lies elsewhere. Bugler 04:33, 29 September 2008 (EDT)

Thank you, I did. And thank you for this note.AlanE 14:08, 29 September 2008 (EDT)

Schumann

What is wrong with the pic? --User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 22:45, 29 September 2008 (EDT)

Oh 'ell! Sorry! I think I must have edited an old page. Um. If you want to revert it to your last edit, I'll do my last edit again in the morning....Carefully this time. Sorry again. Gulp. AlanE 23:23, 29 September 2008 (EDT)

Sergei Prokofiev

Good work. Clap, Clap...!

Only a favor; Please save the valuable material that is already posted. --User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 18:32, 30 September 2008 (EDT

Why? I made sure everything of value was transferred into my post. AlanE 18:52, 30 September 2008 (EDT)

Alfred Schnittke

How about an article on Alfred Schnittke?

You may use if you like: http://home.wanadoo.nl/ovar/schnopus.htm

--User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 19:48, 1 October 2008 (EDT)

That's one from left field! I have some of his, but usually paired with Shostakovitch and the like. Viola I think. I'll have a go. Not today. I'm already late with the day's chores.
And I want you to think about the Prokofiev page. The double up looks a bit silly, seeing as pretty-well all the information parts of your edit are now repeats of mine. I may be back before 2pm (my time) but I doubt it. (You don't want to have a word with Andy about that do you?) AlanE 20:28, 1 October 2008 (EDT)
The repeated pieces could be just a few but not all, and users sometimes prefer to have the cake sliced. So my advice is to have that section as it is now. I admire your work and hope this will encourage you to do your best. Andy, I am sure will be glad to hear from you, please go ahead. --User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 10:54, 2 October 2008 (EDT)
Ok and G'morning. (It's too early to say g'day.) Give me a few days to listen to Schnittke. He's not the sort the family would like to have filling the house at all hours so I have to be on my own. He's not easy listening, but neither is Shostakovitch whom I adore!

BTW. The "...will encourage you to do your best" is a tad off. I left school nearly 50 years ago! Cheers. AlanE 14:26, 2 October 2008 (EDT)


Brit

Hehe, I was hoping that no one would notice me attempting to change the British spellings. Good thing you didn't rev the whole edit. o.O Nate my opinion matters? 15:02, 5 October 2008 (EDT)

I was in the middle of a grump when the above came in. And why shouldn't I have a bet each way on refering/referring? BTW...what was the point of putting a single very alone reference under "References"? AlanE 15:12, 5 October 2008 (EDT)

Monarchs

Thanks for taking up the challenge to complete the red-links in the English Monarchs navbar. BrianCo 14:20, 12 October 2008 (EDT)

I'll get there in the end...I'm on other things for a while (suffering from a surfeit of Ethels) but I'll be back to them. AlanE 14:30, 12 October 2008 (EDT)

Redirects

I commented on the music page you edited, but just so you know, it's always better to link to the actual page (where possible) than to link to a redirect, just because redirects can be broken, and they are harder to fix then straight links. That is, if the National Association of How To spell set out a new rule that Bach should be spelled Back, you can make one change (on the actual page with the data), and not have to worry about all the redirects. otherwise, you manually have to rewrite a bunch of redirect pages. It does mean spelling out the whole name "J.S. Bach|Bach", but in the long run, it's "better". Or so the world says. grins. --JeanJacques 18:04, 29 October 2008 (EDT)

Christopher Wren

Thank you! --User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 13:20, 2 November 2008 (EST)

I was thinking about the big gap between 2nd and 14th centuries overnight...but all I could remember was Henry Yvele (or Yevele) who did some of the Perpendicular stuff. (Canterbury Cathedral at least.) I think he was 14th century though. I will chase down the fella who built Edward I's Welsh castles - he's in the back of my mind somewhere but refuses to peek out. I have half a mind on it whilst I do private stuff. If I think of anyone I'll put it on the "Famous Architects" talk page. AlanE 13:36, 2 November 2008 (EST)
Please do. --User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 14:46, 2 November 2008 (EST)
I have already...AlanE 14:51, 2 November 2008 (EST)

!!!!

Oi!

Leave my edit to scottish monarchs alone, i put the link around the dates for a reason you know!!!! thanks a lot for making me loads of extra work! :( --PhilipV 16:11, 5 November 2008 (EST)

Or shall i put it simply, LEAVE IT ALONE!!! (i know about your work on some scottish monarchs, and i agknowledge them, dont worry.) --PhilipV 16:17, 5 November 2008 (EST)

Smile and say please when you say that. AlanE 16:31, 5 November 2008 (EST)
-sigh- :) --PhilipV 16:34, 5 November 2008 (EST)
I aim to have this list complete by the end of the week , so please dont interfere until the list is complete, then please (note: please) do either tell me on my talk page, or on the scotland talk page if you want to take bits off it, thanks--PhilipV 16:39, 5 November 2008 (EST)

List

Monarchs of Scotland

House Of Stuart

The problem now is I can't seem to link Edgar...It may need an official disambiguation page. If I were more computer literate..... AlanE 23:36, 9 November 2008 (EST)

Don't pollute a talk page

Don't pollute a talk page with a personal attack, like what you just did on Talk:Barack Obama.--Aschlafly 18:54, 10 November 2008 (EST)

I quote:We are trying to build an encyclopedia here. Either help out or get out of the way, HGridley. You might find more people who think you are funny on a liberalpedia, if one exists.

The only truly funny thing about your note is that you call them "cantidates", which is a true record of how liberals treat Black Americans -- telling them "You can't, so depend on the government to do so for you." BHarlan 18:29, 10 November 2008 (EST)

In my eyes, that is also a personal attack. I also consider that BHarlan's edits are, in the main, not particularly encyclopedic. That is my opinion only of course. I suppose I get a bit crabby at people who come and spend nearly all their time on variations on the same theme whilst I am getting up at four in the morning to find the time to do what I do here...which is 99point something per cent true encyclopedic. Can you deny I am trying to actually build an encyclopedia. If you think I am unproductive then ban me. if you agree I am productive then please give me at least some of the same leeway you extend to those you agree with. CheersAlanE 19:26, 10 November 2008 (EST)

AlanE, in hockey the third person who enters a fight is ejected. You jumped into a dispute with your own personal attack. Don't pollute a talk page like that.
Moreover, BHarlan's comment was informative and appropriate. I found HGridley's prior comment to be offensive, despite my warning.
Your substantive edits are appreciated. Godspeed.--Aschlafly 19:38, 10 November 2008 (EST)
And don't feel bad about being singled out as a 'polluter'. Often we choose to speak to the person who has shown the greatest maturity, so a person who is already setting a good example can show an even better one. --Ed Poor Talk 16:00, 30 November 2008 (EST)

Clausell

Thank you!

--User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 21:54, 14 November 2008 (EST)

Artists

Done, thanks. --User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 21:22, 20 November 2008 (EST)

Thank you! AlanE 21:30, 20 November 2008 (EST)
AlanE, please, who are those two great composers that are left? I am planing to have two composers sections to have classical along. --User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 19:23, 21 November 2008 (EST)
Brahms and Handel are usually considered right up there at the top.
Film composers are a funny breed...they use the classical idiom, but its usually up to a century old. The battle scene at the start of "Gladiator" is so much like "Mars" from "The Planets" that it must be a template. The last battle in "Troy" harks back to the "Battle on the Ice" scene in Prokofiev's "Alexander Nevsky". The main phrase in the scene where Superman takes Lois for a fly in the first Superman movie, is a direct pinch from a phrase near the end of Richard Strauss' "Death and Transfiguration". They are very good at their job, but they are not "great" composers in the true sense of the word. Good, if not great composers have written film scores of course...Prokofiev, Shostakovich, William Walton, Vaughan Williams, Copland, Korngold, etc. (And did you know that the first music written specifically for a film was by Saint Saens?) but they were classical composers before they went near films.

Cole Porter, Gershwin, Berlin, Mercer, etc. were great but they were not "classical". They need their own classification. When popular composers try and write something classical (like Meredith Wilson's symphonies, or Leroy Anderson's piano concerto) it never quite gets there. I can think of only one who sits comfortably as a true classical composer whilst feted also in the popular idiom and that Leonard Bernstein. I will now go back into my hole. AlanE 20:02, 21 November 2008 (EST)

Thank you for your reply. I like Brahms and Händel, but are they as famous as Chopin? --User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 07:14, 22 November 2008 (EST)

G'morning, Joaquín. Chopin wrote just for the piano. Apart from a couple of piano concertos and a cello sonata that is all he is known for....solo piano music. Some of the best ever written and much of it of an emotional intensity that can grab you. And for that - as well as for a strange sort of relationship with a strange sort of woman (George Sands) - he has grabbed the imagination of the public's attention (and Hollywood's) as one of the "great" composers. Which he is...for the piano.

Handel is known as one of the top 2 high baroque composers. People say "Bach and Handel" in the one breath - he is that good. Completely different in temperament and style in his output of course - he made and lost fortunes writing for the stage. But posterity owes him as much for his concerti grossi, organ concertos, chamber works, the two suites for augmented military band that have come down to us as the Water Music and Fireworks Music (one of which caused the first recorded traffic jam in history) his anthems and other church music, keyboard music - the lot. He is a part of every British coronation: and Christmas and Easter would not be the same in the English speaking countries without the enumerable Messiahs popping up, not only in concert halls but churches and town halls, and parks - many of them amateur productions. Grass roots stuff. I bet you that you can hum more Handel tunes than any other classical composer. He is part of the fabric of western culture right down to the farmer who turns up at his church hall to rehearse a bit of Handel for the service on Sunday.

As is Brahms, but in a different way. Brahms ain't "popular". Just great. When I say popular I mean amongst the general classical-illiterate public. And he is not for the young....you seem to grow into Brahms with age. He is recognised, though, as one of the truly great composers of "pure music"; that is music not written to a program. He is also considered the true symphonic heir to Beethoven. Like Bach and Handel mark the peak of the high baroque, and Beethoven the classical era, Brahms represents the pinnacle of the Romantic period. After him the movement started breaking up. He wrote four of the 20 great symphonies, two of the twenty great piano concertos, one of the top 4 violin concertos; he is one of the top 5 most popular writers of chamber music. His "Requiem" is in the top 5. He is one of the top four 19th century song composers. Pianists enjoy his many short piano pieces. He is second to none as a writer of "variations". When he died there was a state funeral and procession through the streets of Vienna attended by foreign heads of state...not to mention scores of thousands of ordinary citizens.

Are you sorry you asked? If you're going to hit me at 4:30 in the morning with something close to my heart.... :-) AlanE 14:06, 22 November 2008 (EST)

Excellent Alan, a very rich dissertation! --User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 07:38, 23 November 2008 (EST)
Thanks again! --User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 21:37, 1 December 2008 (EST)

Ship

Done, it has been a pleasure my friend! --User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 18:55, 8 December 2008 (EST)

Happy Holiday

The same to you my dear friend. --User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 15:34, 19 December 2008 (EST)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!----PhilipV I Support our Troops! 07:02, 25 December 2008 (EST)>>>

....And to you, Philip. AlanE 13:22, 25 December 2008 (EST)

Categories

Please only use the subcategory and not the categories above it when applying categories to articles. Thanks. Learn together 03:28, 31 December 2008 (EST)

Um...I gather the problem is with Wars of the Roses. Which Cat. should I not have put it under? I wanted it to be clickable from all three categories. HNY. AlanE 14:17, 31 December 2008 (EST)

Scotland's History

What's your opinion of that Neil Oliver series on TV at the moment? Bradlaugh 18:40, 5 January 2009 (EST)

Mate... I'm writing from wildest Tasmania. We're still watching Hamish Macbeth down here (albeit for the third time). If its not tabloid, I will look forward to it. AlanE 18:50, 5 January 2009 (EST)

Ah... if it gets on to BBC World (if indeed that is still going) you might give it a go. As a staunch (if adopted) Northumbrian I like to see what the neighbours are up to! Bradlaugh 18:51, 5 January 2009 (EST)

Your work

Nice to see such a good work. --User:Joaquín Martínez, talk 21:10, 18 January 2009 (EST)

Thanks Joaquín. AlanE 21:20, 18 January 2009 (EST)
Indeed, Alan, your help in untangling Scotland hasn't gone unnoticed! --₮K/Admin/Talk 21:23, 18 January 2009 (EST)
Yes..t'was a bit out of kilter. (Ahem) AlanE 21:32, 18 January 2009 (EST)

Conservapedia:Featured articles

Dear friend. You are invited to participate in: Conservapedia:Featured articles. --Joaquín Martínez 16:23, 1 March 2009 (EST)

Thank you Joaquín; it is appreciated - but for all your kindness, I don't think any of my articles are good enough, or the ones that may be would not be of sufficient interest. AlanE 16:31, 1 March 2009 (EST)
I think some of your articles should be considered. But I prefer to have you select one or two as you know them better than any other. Please? --Joaquín Martínez 22:34, 2 March 2009 (EST)
Um. Let me think....AlanE 22:48, 2 March 2009 (EST)
Umm, waiting! --Joaquín Martínez 15:51, 12 March 2009 (EDT)
G'day, Joaquín. From the various comments on the Featured Articles talk page, I had gained the impression that those such as I were not likely to be welcomed so had stopped thinking about it. And frankly, I tend to think my articles are unsuited - wrong spelling, not enough references etc because usually I write from my own knowledge, I don't touch America, I don't follow any ideological line (as much as anyone can), I write to the old-fashioned reference book format without great lines and headings taking the eye away from the text and my articles tend to read as much like essays as wiki articles. Ya know wha' I mean? AlanE 17:02, 12 March 2009 (EDT)

Perhaps it would be beneficial if you stopped with the supposition? You were invited to participate first, and then my friend Joaquín brought up the subject of including some of your own articles. Two separate ideas. The main thing that is/was happening with "Featured Articles" is that the original idea was to have a committee decide, not some community vote, as that always leads to parodists and trolls disrupting, and that is why I locked the page. And if you are participating, I will certainly unlock it. The page needs further tweaks to make clear other's suggestions should be on the talk page, and only member's should vote. I hope you will choose to help out, all of us do, but of course that is your decision, Alan. --₮K/Admin/Talk 17:51, 12 March 2009 (EDT)

Okay. If I can help I will. Thanks. AlanE 18:10, 12 March 2009 (EDT)

From a new musician/editor on CP

Hi AlanE! I've just made some substantial changes to the "Arnold Schoenberg" article. The history of his stylistic evolution was a little inaccurate, in that the 12-tone phase didn't start until after 1923. This means also that "Pierrot Lunaire" was actually part of his "free atonal" period. If you think this needs a reference to back it up, I'd be happy to find one. Cheers! JDWpianist 17:59, 16 March 2009 (EDT)

No problems. (I think.) I am not an atonal fan so I probably tend to lump atonal and 12-tone together somewhat in my brain. I think though that he had the 12-tone down pat by 1923 having worked on it on the quiet (if that is not an oxymoron) for the previous 8 or so years.
One thing, though. I am protective of my British (Aussie actually} spelling. :-) AlanE 19:10, 16 March 2009 (EDT)
As you have every right to be! Just to be clear, Schönberg wrote "On the composition with 12-tones" in 1923, and his first compositions to utilise it were published in the same year. There were several years of development, as Schönberg makes clear in his article, but the first evidence appears in this year.JDWpianist 19:26, 16 March 2009 (EDT)
Sorry, the article was published in 1941. My bad.JDWpianist 20:00, 16 March 2009 (EDT)
Blimey, mate! No! Alan, do you see a citation about the 12-tone phase? I don't. --₮K/Admin/Talk 19:14, 16 March 2009 (EDT)
Just added one, TK.JDWpianist 19:26, 16 March 2009 (EDT)
Terry, in the biography net reference under 1923 it is alluded to sufficiently clearly for me to be satisfied I suppose...... "Introduces a “Method of Composing with Twelve Tones Which are Related Only with One Another”, which revolutionizes the traditional concept of harmony by means of a new classification of musical material and therewith lays »the foundations for a new procedure in musical construction which seemed fitted to replace those structural differentations provided formerly by tonal harmonies.« (»Composition with Twelve Tones« 1941)" That's what I based my acceptance on. Thanks. AlanE 19:35, 16 March 2009 (EDT)

Ahh, so it is only a matter of making the citation line note that specific section, so as not to present the reader with an endless scroll, not knowing where to look. Thanks. --₮K/Admin/Talk 20:10, 16 March 2009 (EDT)

I'd be happy to do that, if I knew how. Is there a place in the help section that explains this?JDWpianist 07:37, 17 March 2009 (EDT)


If you added the reference by using the ref deal, add the URL within it, and after the end of it, make a space, and add the comment that Alan did, would be easy enough. Like: [www.xyz1234.com Under 1923, it says "Introduces a “Method of Composing with Twelve Tones Which are Related Only with One Another]. That help? --₮K/Admin/Talk 08:05, 17 March 2009 (EDT)
Sure, thanks.JDWpianist 08:50, 17 March 2009 (EDT)

Something completely different, AlanE. I'm interested in adding images as musical examples to some of the musical terms pages. Would you help me with this?JDWpianist 09:58, 17 March 2009 (EDT)

Attended. --Joaquín Martínez 16:10, 17 March 2009 (EDT) Thanks!!AlanE 16:12, 17 March 2009 (EDT)
Sorry to be late answering. I was late logging on this morning (It's a little after 6AM here.) I'm also sorry that I can't help with uploading pictures...there are certain protocols and restrictions and I have never really tried to find out. (Though one day I must, if I am still around) Go to Help Index on the left there. AlsoUser talk:Joaquín Martínez is a senior sysop who loves his pictures and is usually helpful. Mention my name ;).AlanE 15:27, 17 March 2009 (EDT)
Thanks for the advice. By the way, I just left a note for you under the Prokofiev article.JDWpianist 17:37, 17 March 2009 (EDT)
Just seen it, thanks. Gotta go. Have appointments.AlanE 17:43, 17 March 2009 (EDT)

Your thoughtful response in the Prokofiev thread got me reading again (dangerous hobby, I know), and revisiting the old books about music in the Soviet Union. I've started to expand the Shostakovich article, and am interested in your feedback. I plan to do the same with Prokofiev, and even perhaps write an essay on the topic. Let me know what you think.JDWpianist 19:55, 23 March 2009 (EDT)

Just for fun

Good morning. I added a "trivia" section to J.S. Bach, including an amazing story that my doctoral advisor just told me. Thought you'd appreciate it, being a history buff yourself. JDWpianist 10:24, 2 April 2009 (EDT)

Thanks; enjoyed it. I've always found it interesting that Beethoven considered Handel to be the greater of the two. Then again how many know Louis Spohr who was considered at the time to be greater than Beethoven?
I am about to let loose with St. Matthew Passion. Please do with it as you will. I know you can improve it. AlanE 16:10, 2 April 2009 (EDT)
Ahh, yes, I should probably mention it on the page too, but Von Swieten also brought Handel with him to Vienna; I had a hard time working it in in a relevant way. The quote from Mozart's letter to his father is something to the effect of "I go often to Swieten, where only Bach and Handel are played." My personal theory is that Beethoven was too close to Bach to effusively praise him -- a father complex, maybe?? My dissertation (still in the research phase) actually will discuss how Beethoven inherited several of his ideas about key characteristics from the Well-Tempered Clavier, the Mass, and the Passions.
Ahh, Spohr. That's where weasel words get their name. Of course he "was considered" to be greater than Beethoven at one time, but by whom? Tovey writes about Spohr dismissively (in The Main-Stream of Music and Other Essays, a great book if you happen upon it) by saying that his examples of sonata form, and only his and Hummel's, embody perfectly the academic definition of sonata form, and this is where many theorists got the wrong idea. You will find no examples from Mozart, Haydn, or Beethoven in sonata form as we learn at the conservatories. Conservatism always finds an enthusiastic audience.
It's also worth remembering that Beethoven's late works disturbed all but his most ardent supporters. Out of the romantics, no one until Wagner felt sympathy enough to champion them: if you want to do some fun influence-spotting, listen to the slow movement of Beethoven's Op. 127, and immediately after that the duet from Act II of Tristan ("O sink hernieder, Nacht der Liebe"). JDWpianist 17:19, 2 April 2009 (EDT)
Oh duhh! I forgot that I actually mentioned Handel! JDWpianist 17:23, 2 April 2009 (EDT)
I think the last time I read somewhere of the "greatness" of Spohr (and please realise that my comment above was sarcastic - of course Spohr had no viable claim of greatness) was in a comment about Charles Villiers Stanford who said once that he could remember when Spohr was considered such. Cheers AlanE 17:50, 2 April 2009 (EDT)

St. Matthew Passion

I've done my thing with it, and am quite happy with it as it stands momentarily -- though I still might like to add a section on famous recordings. Take a look and see what you think. It also could use a nice image, perhaps some artwork appropriate for the subject. I'll give a holler to Joaquin about it. JDWpianist 11:59, 3 April 2009 (EDT)


It's excellent, and shows scholarship!
As far as famous recordings go, I am looking into them. (And yes, I'll mention Sir Georg's! - fancy having Kiri and Anne Sophie on the same bill. And if the sound is anything like his 1981 Mahler "Resurrection".......)AlanE 18:11, 3 April 2009 (EDT)
Glad you like the additions. It was a fun way to spend my afternoon. Joaquin has added several pictures per my request, and also nominated it as a Featured Article.
The Solti recording is pretty special, and one that both sides of the "authentic performance" argument could find something to like and something to disparage. My only quibble is that Blochwitz as the Evangelist gets a little screechy for my taste. One particlar pregnant pause (and the crashing organ chord that comes after) in "Sind Blitze, Sind Donner" is one of my top 10 favorite moments on any disc period.
By the way, also notice that I un-reddened the Category:Musical Works, which now only contains the Messiah (still unfortunately a stub) and this page. Just letting you know, in case you know of other pages that might fit. JDWpianist 18:30, 3 April 2009 (EDT)


Just saw your new "recordings" section, and am thrilled! I'm glad that you added some perspective and opinion to this section, so that anyone interested enough to run out and buy a recording could have an idea of the issues with Baroque recordings in general. I fixed a few spelling things, but otherwise agree with the inclusions. I might have added Klemperer's to the list myself. My only other point is that it might be better to also name the orchestras involved instead of just the conductors. It could get cumbersome to list everything, but in most cases it's useful information for someone seeking out the recording. JDWpianist 19:32, 7 April 2009 (EDT)

Will do AlanE 21:54, 7 April 2009 (EDT)

Guard Dog

Sorry he was acting out this morning....highly unlike him, actually, unlike me! --₮K/Admin/Talk 18:39, 15 April 2009 (EDT)

Terry - it's not that. I'm a dog lover from way back, and they occasionally make a mess. It's everything else. You know I'm not a vandal. So does JM. So do every senior Admin I've spoken to.

Except Andy.

Yesterday, I not only did a word count of my edits, I did a word count of the, um, "non-opinion" edits of various others. Even Jpatt's hagiographies didn't come close to the amount of new input I had done that month. In fact, if you take away the copy-and-pastes of countries and art and US ships and that sort of thing, I have probably contributed more new old-fashioned encyclopedic uncontroversial information to this site than any other editor. If you go just a day either side of the offending "athletics" to "sports" edit, (24rd, I think) I did major new articles totalling over 1500 words.

I made my night-editing request so I had more time to do more work. That's all. No other reason. After all, midnight there is 2PM here in September (and now). I was amazed when I couldn't get it. I was even more amazed at the reason - which I only found out recently, and which made me angry, for obvious reasons.
Cheers AlanE 19:26, 15 April 2009 (EDT)
Well, I am in the dark about that, so perhaps it isn't true, but not the place to discuss such things, so email me, if you want. --₮K/Admin/Talk 00:04, 16 April 2009 (EDT)
According to what I have learned from your edits, you have helped Conservapedia in an important way. --Joaquín Martínez 20:05, 18 April 2009 (EDT)

Thank you, Joaquín! - AlanE 20:47, 18 April 2009 (EDT)

"Your considerable efforts might be more appreciated at www.astorehouseofknowledge.info. Corry 11:59, 18 April 2009 (EDT)"

Restoring page

This block expired in April 2011 2010; I have no idea why the user page was deleted. Sorry for the inconveniece. Rob Smith 10:07, 16 July 2011 (EDT)

Look who is back!

How've you been? WesleySHello! 17:47, 5 July 2012 (EDT)

Hi Wes!!
Hanging on in there. I think I owe you a Christmas greeting or three. Went away a bit for a while there. Good to see your greeting! AlanE 22:05, 5 July 2012 (EDT)

British Inventions page

Thanks for your contributions! EJamesW 16:38, 7 July 2012 (EDT)

Thanks. It's fun. I was adding a few when you wrote. Brits haven't invented the really important things, though - the stubby cooler, the cardboard wine cask and beach cricket, all of which can be seen together on a warm weekend arvo. AlanE 17:24, 7 July 2012 (EDT)

oops

Yeah I know he was, seems I forgot to put that bit back, sorry ! --Dvergne 21:56, 13 October 2012 (EDT)

No problem - go Webber! AlanE 21:58, 13 October 2012 (EDT)

Congratulations

Congratulations! Your account has been promoted to night editing, blocking and SkipCaptcha.--Andy Schlafly 23:59, 23 October 2012 (EDT)

Free Speech

By the way that debate you remembered me having on free speech is here. Debate: Should Westboro Baptist Church be allowed to protest funerals as free speech? I had forgotten about it, but having read it again I stand behind everything I said. Gotta take your lumps, good and bad, otherwise you haven't got free speech. --DamianJohn 20:30, 7 November 2012 (EST)

So you should. There is a small problem though for me... there is common or garden civility, decency, empathy, whatever. "I know it's his funeral, Mrs Smith, but your husband really was a cheating cad" is not the way to go and this can be extended to political discourse. Whilst those bastards at Westboro should have the right under law to do the hurt that they do, there is no way I will accept their moral justification. AlanE 21:27, 7 November 2012 (EST)
Yes. I think that is a given, but perhaps it should be spelled out explicitly. --DamianJohn 23:25, 7 November 2012 (EST)
I have not the facility, these days, of speller-outery ( a reference to my much missed mother who considered herself a "looker-upperer" way into her nineties and used me (per telephone) in her later years as her main reference source.) I think, mate, that you can extract from the bones of my statement above that I do not agree with the use of malice in a political statement - though my grumgy-old-manliness can be frequently construed as such. Unfortunately these days, my knowledge exceeds my ability to expound it appropriately. Luckily. I usually wander the outer reaches of the CP galaxy where few of the more political, or overtly religious, editors go. Or if they do, they haven't the faintest interest in what I am talking about. Cheers AlanE 00:44, 8 November 2012 (EST)

Request

This request is in ignorance, but as you are currently logged on, I was hoping you might unlock Karl Rove so I might made the additions mentioned on the talk page. Thanks, WilliamWB 21:55, 8 November 2012 (EST)

Only Sysop's can protect and unprotect pages. I suggest you ask Karajou, Ed Poor, JPatt, Aschafly or Conservative to unlock the page Dvergne
Thank you for your advice. WilliamWB 22:07, 8 November 2012 (EST)

Attention Dvergne

Is that a Gallic way of answering a question or is it too much FourX? Or you're engrossed in the cricket? Deleting my question and answering in the summary is not polite. Even for a FNQer. :-) AlanE 23:19, 8 November 2012 (EST)

Block

What was that for ? Because of that I couldn't block those vandals and had to spend more time cleaning the mess up. Dvergne 21:56, 17 November 2012 (EST)

Settle down! Read my next edit and be amazed I had the sense of humour to say to you what I did. You used inappropriate language, OK? AlanE 22:03, 17 November 2012 (EST)

Blocking users for username

Alan when you block a user for his or her username, your edit summary indicates that they are allowed to recreate their account with an appropriate username, but the block settings you're using are preventing them from doing that. Make sure all boxes are unchecked as to not prevent account creation or block the IP.--IDuan 00:24, 28 November 2012 (EST)

Will do. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by AlanE (talk)
I think the block that Aaln gave for the user called Adm1nistrator was perfectly reasonable as that user would have almost certainly either been a troll or a vandal. Dvergne 00:50, 28 November 2012 (EST)
Thanks D. What Iduan has done, though, has made me aware of the varieties involved in the blocking policies. I had not really thought about it before. ...But thanks. Cheers AlanE 00:57, 28 November 2012 (EST)

Thanks

Thanks for putting in the good word for me. Alas, I won't have much time in the future to hang around here. And helping to police the place is not really something I'm good at or interested in. The vandal of attack or December 30, and my being in the middle of it, was just a freak accident.

I was amused by your characterization of "swinging lustily". Though that's not what it felt like.  :-) JudyJ 22:56, 1 January 2013 (EST)

No problem, Judy. Best wishes for your future. AlanE 00:42, 2 January 2013 (EST)

Help needed to correct articles

Hello Alan,

I started correcting the entries so they don't look as if most of Europe was Eastern Europe. It should look like that: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/638/ciaeuroperegions.png/sr=1 unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/UNGEGN/docs/23-gegn/wp/gegn23wp48.pdf http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Grossgliederung_Europas-en.svg

and not during the communist period of Central Europe and Soviet Union in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/focuson/film/images/activities/cold-war/europe-cold-war.png

Therefore, I may need your help to correct mistakes, if they apply. Most of the time, when people mean Eastern Europe, they mean Central Europe.

Would you be willing to help?

Sure, no problem.
(Sorry I'm late in replying - your request arrived at about the same time as a group of friends and their neighbours forced to evacuate their homes because of bushfire smoke. Some were asthmatics. (Even here, 50 miles away as the raven flies (we don't have crows in Tasmania) things are blurry and there is no far horizon.)
Where are you? Approximately I mean. I ask because the very question of the definitions of the parts of Europe can be one of perception, including historical perception. I'm complicating things, so I'll shut up for the moment. AlanE 18:51, 5 January 2013 (EST)

Dashes etc.,

Technically, there are standards dictating when to use minus signs, em-dashes, and en-dashes. What rules do you want to follow? For example, please read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Dash#Dashes.2C_hyphens.2C_and_minus_signs and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOS:DASH#Dashes A user who nit-picks over such details probably should not be blocked for compulsive editing. :-) Wschact 22:12, 31 January 2013 (EST)
I blocked him for a day - half of which he will probably be asleep - and the other half I will be. Dash. Yes Dash I know (sort of) the rules of punctuation dash I am a hyphen man myself dash but this bloke is filling up the "recent changes" far worse than Ken or dash more recently dash OscarO ever did dash does. As I said to Karajou dash if it gets to the colon we have a real problem. (Wait 'til you get to my age.)
Do you know what gets me, Wschact? It is dash I can write thousands of words of sodashcalledendashcyclopedic words on this site and never get a mutter from anyone dash but as soon as I ban someone for a bloody day dash someone pops up and has a shot at me. If you want to talk about this dash go to my gmail. I am a lot friendlier there. AlanE 22:53, 31 January 2013 (EST)

Australian Sports

That was a pretty shocking report on Aussie sport the other day. It looks like the AFL and the NRL are dirty. And then there was the SBW fiasco on Friday night. I am starting to wonder if any sport can be taken seriously these days. I see that rugby hasn't been specifically mentioned, but one would have to be naive to think drugs and match fixing weren't prevalent there as well. It would explain the recent form of the Wallabies... (at least we know they aren't taking any performance enhancing drugs...)  :) --DamianJohn 06:25, 10 February 2013 (EST)

Morning Damian. Yeah, its a worry and very very disappointing. Not entirely surprising though. Like the winter sniffles there's a lot of it going around. As they clean up one thing another takes off. Too many muscle-bound oafs with wallets bigger than their brains being told how important they are and how the finances are more important than the results. And it's not a team any more - its a franchise - so the old loyalty angle is no more. So many sportsmen are now mercenaries.
I think Rugby's okay. I think Anglo cricket is okay (but needs watching.) At least we know about Indian bookmakers now - we realise the ubiquity of the problem on the sub-continent. (BTW I had a nasty thought or two last week when I saw that Pakistan were skittled for 49 in SA.) The last major team sport to go under will be Rugby because of its culture and if it does, it won't be your mob because of the culture within the culture - the utter pride in being an All Black and the knowledge of the country's pride in you. (Take that as a national and personal compliment.)
As for the Wallabies: I thought their last half dozen games were excellent considering their injuries. I saw somewhere a list of the run-on side against the Pumas in Argentina against a list of Wallabies unable to play because of injury. The injured "side", on paper, was stronger than the fit one. Pocock, Rocky, Genia, Beale, Mitchell, O'Connor, Cooper and so on. Cheers AlanE 15:46, 10 February 2013 (EST)
As a kiwi, all I can say is that I hope and pray that Cooper recovers fully and is fit and selected for every game against the All Blacks.  :) Speaking as an Australasian, I think that there has been a slightly arrogant attitude from the sporting public here that our sportsman are clean. I remember people saying how great it was that there was a clean winner of the tour de France after Cadel Evans won - as if he couldn't be dirty because he's one of us. Personally I have my doubts about the Aussie swimming team, some of our rowers and even Valerie Adams. I think we have been incredibly naieve and we will have our comeuppance. --DamianJohn 16:49, 10 February 2013 (EST)
Heading out the door - will speak later.AlanE 16:56, 10 February 2013 (EST)
Son's 26th. Took daughter to get cake ingredients (incl. NZ chocolate.) It's good to have an expert cake-maker in the family.
I think Cooper's heading back to League. Had a hissy fit a coupla months ago about his treatment by the ARU. I think Cadel is clean - he came up nice and slowly, was there or thereabouts for a few years, never did anything spectacular, rode for various teams, got his act together with good support riders for that win, then age started to tell. As far as the Aust. swim team is concerned I don't know. I don't think there is institutionalised cheating but that may be inbuilt patriotic denial. The boys' failure in London was a lack of commitment - they were having a good time. Shot putters are like weight lifters - it's almost a given that there is dirt not too far away.
You can read too much into things. I have watched the odd Six Nations game recently. I saw Italy beat France, various teams beat Scotland, then Scotland beat Italy. There is something suspicious there, but only if you want to there to be. (Like turning off the lights to aid the 49ers.)
BTW Ricky's still at it - hit 200 not out a few days ago against NSW. And Watson's back - thumped the Windies around for 121 in 111 balls. (But I won't mention Saturday at Eden Park. :)) AlanE 19:00, 10 February 2013 (EST)
It seems rugby is pretty clean as seen HERE. Netball and V8SC seem to be the cleanest sports now! Dvergne 20:00, 10 February 2013 (EST)
Not sure about Netball. There's a pill on the market that gives women the powers of those Angel Statues in Doctor Who. The guard blinks and the player with the ball is suddenly half a metre closer to the net without seeming to have moved. AlanE 20:19, 10 February 2013 (EST)