User:AlanE

G’day.

When I was growing up, a frequent reply to a question of mine was: “Look it up”. I was fortunate to have a roomful of the wherewithal for looking “it” up; and half a century later I still have…and do.

I am a history nut, a classical music freak, a lover of American music theatre and an inveterate atlas browser. (A decent historical atlas takes me to pig’s heaven.)

I think it is time I passed on some of this “useless” knowledge (and give the family a break).

So unless I get kicked out for pushing the barrow of historical veracity a little too recklessly over someone’s toes (which has already happened once), or being somewhat sarcastic in a discussion page (I am, after all, a grumpy old man), I will attempt the following:

a) get rid of every history stub I can find and fill in the gaps – starting with medieval Britain and Western Europe because they are a particular interest – starting with 250+ word articles on the people that flavour the Age. Later I will try and come back and expand and link and source everything, but let’s get them onto the table first where they at least exist.

b) correct every historical error I come across….or at least bring it to attention if it is not in my sphere or I am in the middle of something else.

c) assist in supplying Conservapedia with core knowledge of classical music (And if my enthusiasm for the subject becomes a bit obvious you will have to excuse me…or not.)

d) be balanced in my articles – I do not care for tabloidism.

Is there anything more that is required of me here?

alan.carvel@gmail.com

Contributions

Contributions since 5 August. New or substantial additions (100 words or more)

(All are in my own words - I do not copy and paste.)

• English history: Battle of Quiberon Bay - Edward III - Richard II – Henry IV – Henry V – Peasants’ Revolt – The Black Prince – John of Gaunt – Lords appellant – Charters – Froissart – Joust – Longbow – Anne of Bohemia – Stephen Langton – William II – Barons – William Marshall - Arthur of Brittany - plus thumbnail definitions of Anjou, Dauphin, Plantagenet, Angevan (ongoing)

• Discovery of Australia: Cook – Vancouver – Flinders – Bass - Torres – de Quiros – Janz – Hartog - Tasman (ongoing - haven't done the French)

• Age of Exploration: Da Gama – Portugese Exploration in West Africa – Cabral – Trade Winds (Sorry PJR, Trade wind’’) – Dutch East India Co. (ongoing want to at least finish the Portuguese sea empire in Africa/Asia)

• Other History: Mansa Musa – Trireme – Assyrians – Ibn Battuta – Fertile Crescent etc

• Music: Paganini – Borodin – Pachelbel – Tchaikovsky – Felix Mendelssohn - Fannie Mendelssohn – Holst – Cecil Sharp – Butterworth – Chabrier – Fauré – Bizet – Richard Strauss – Leoncavallo – Mascagni – Prokofiev - Gade – Alfven - Suite (very ongoing)

• Other “useful” (or not) additions/ammendments: Full moon - Backyard cricket – Royal Navy – Fire Fighting – Alnwick (?) etc etc.....

• Thumbnails: Cassandra – Clytemnestra – Electra - Orestes – Leda – Ephigineia – Pylades – Roaring Forties etc

• Many dozens of edits fixing grammar, spelling - adding or amending dates – correcting small errors - and sometimes sarcastic exhortations on talk pages.....(hopefully ongoing)

I need more time!

Major contributions during October

Anglo-Saxon kings (+queen, sorry Ethel)(18 articles – about 2800 words)

Ethelred the Unready about 440 words

Ethelwulf, Ethelbald, Ethelbert, Ethelred I Ethelfleda 410

[Edward the Elder]] 250

Athelstan 230

Elfward 60

Edmund I 150

Edred 120

Edwy the Fair 120

Edgar 420

Edward the Martyr 180

Harthacanute 90

Harold Harefoot 70

Edgar the Atheling 130

Edmund Ironside 130

History and places (5 articles - about 490 words)

Runnymede 90

Maid of Norway 110

River Dee 160

Eleanor of Castile 130

Classical music. (13 articles – about 5000 words)

Rachmaninov 750

Suite (music) 440]]

Glinka 250]]

John Field 100

Henry Purcell 410

Weber 420

Hubert Parry‎ 390

Charles Villiers Stanford‎ 280

Serenade 400

Arpeggione 320

Romantic period (music) 560

E.T.A. Hoffmann 200

Song cycle 400

Misc.(4 articles- about 1290 words)

Europa 190

Prester John 630

Carthage 400

Alans 70

There were at least two more encyclopedic articles that would have been in the list (about 5-600 words I suppose, one of which I will wikify and save onto site when I finish this), but it seems that a little fit of pique by me was met by an over-the-top fit of pique by someone else and, quite frankly, I can't be bothered finishing the others at the moment. I will have to think about it. AlanE 15:38, 1 November 2008 (EDT)