User:AlanE

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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!


September 2008 Contributions

Yesterday early afternoon, my time, I couldn’t get on to CP to edit. It seems us peasants were locked out for some reason. So instead of doing the editing I had intended I decided to catch up on something I have been meaning to do since I read PJR’s “essay” on aSK – that is, list and wikify the contributions for the month or so before Andrew Schafly found my work so “unimpressive”. I probably would have stuck them here without comment except for the fact than when Guarddog’s block was reverted by Andy “yesterday” he said Guarddog was only possibly wrong – that after getting on towards 100,000 words of major substantive edits it seems I am still looked upon as a “possible” threat to this site - vandal (I note also that in early October, with over 30,000 words of new info already done, I was called a “stranger”.)

The original request for night editing rights - made purely for the good of the site; something that seemed not to occur to Andy - has disappeared. (Of course.) I do have it on Word document however and can resubmit it.

That said, I will now get about trying to remember what it was I was going to edit yesterday. A reply from Mr. Schafly would be appreciated.

Category: Explorers: George Vancouver 241 – Matthew Flinders‎ 446 - George Bass 298 – Trade winds 531 – Pedro Fernandez de Quiros 351 – Luis Vaez de Torres 180 – Willem Jansz 163 – Dirk Hartog 292

Category: Composers: Alexander Borodin 212 - Johann Pachelbel‎ 434 - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 599 – Felix Mendelssohn – 559 Fannie Mendelssohn 156 – Gustav Holst 565 – Cecil Sharp 134 – George Butterworth 78 – Emmanuel Chabrier 224 – Gabriel Faure 390 – Ruggero Leoncavallo 223 – Pietro Mascagni 99 – Niels Gade 237 – Hugo Alfven Sergei Prokofiev (works) 556.

Category: Greek Mythology: Cassandra - Clytemnestra – Leda – Ephigineia – Electra – Orestes – Pylades – 668

Category:English Monarchs: Henry IV 443 – Henry V 408 -

Category:English History: John of Gaunt 310 – William Marshal 251 – Stephen Langton 243 - Arthur of Brittany 176 – Barons 159 – Froissart 152

Category: British History:Battle of Quiberon Bay 255


Minor articles Dauphin -Anjou - Angevin-Plantagenet – Roaring Forties –

Major Additions: Longbow c150 – Joust c160 – Other Additions: Phases of the Moon - Backyard cricket Alnwick etc Various Historical and other corrections – many amendments and additions to composers’ work lists – fixed links, cats, defaultsorts, grammar, spelling – added or amended dates – deleted false information, etc. etc., A total of about 180 contributary edits as opposed to 70-odd talk edits, many of which were also “positive”… e.g. check out Talk:Jules Massenet.

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 640 words)

Runnymede 90
Maid of Norway 110
River Dee 160
Eleanor of Castile 130
Berlin 150


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)

Major November Contributions

For what it's worth, here are the major articles for the month. About 11,000 words in 44 articles and a couple of major additions. I also spent some time on categories and continuing my ongoing "Classical Music Appreciation " course for Joaquín (g'day Joaquín) (Se my talk page for an example). I also nearly decided (twice) to give up in disgust. Most of this month's articles were activating links I had generated with the English kings and music articles.

Hugo Wolf (300)
La Perouse (300)
D'Apres (150)
Bruny d’Entrecasteaux (450)
Philip IV of France (470)
Battle of Bannockburn (120)
Stirling Castle (130)
Simon de Montfort (pére et fil) (540)
Gascony (190)
Maine (France) (140)
Henry VI of England (720)
Margaret of Anjou (200)
William de la Pole (160)
St. Albans (220)
Towton (180)
Wakefield (100)
Barnet (130)
Tewkesbury (190)
Berkeley Castle (120)
Marches (80)
Roger Mortimer (180) 5000
Robert Curthose (260)
Battle of Tinchebrai (110)
New Forest (270)
The Wash (220)
Lewes (160)
Evesham (140)
Harmonica (180)
Opera (1550)
Oratorio (350)
Stabat mater (170)
Cantata (400)
Requiem (300)
Polyphony (100)
Counterpoint (190)
William Byrd (150)
Viol (100)
Jacobean (220)
Tudor (300)
Thomas Tallis (220)
Motet (160)
Vernacular (90)
Inigo Jones (130)
Robert Merrill (170

Major Additions: Hesiod (110) Bayeux Tapestry (100)

December Contributions

I started back in medieval England after a hint of Hungary this month….

Magyars………………… 180 words
Henry IV……………………480
Henry V……………………170
Richard Neville……………170
Ludlow……………………340
Warwick……………………200
then got waylaid by Ed on slavery (about 600) and fixed some bits and pieces (300) before going for a sail:

Barque (220) Brig(240) Brigantine(180) Ship(100) Carvel(170) Nao (170) Carrack(140) Hulk(160) Cog(170) Galleon(310) Galleass(110) Ship of the line(490) Frigate (140) Schooner(420) Galley(290) Xebec(160) Pinnace(180) Clipper(310) Corvette(140) Composite ship(330).

Then, apart from a quick Etude(190), I was swamped by Christmas and its preparations, including meeting airplanes and showing people the beautiful part of the world I live in (and if anyone wants my recipe for turkey (or chicken) stuffing……).

Back to late medieval England……

Richard III………………660
Battle of Bosworth………160
Woodville………………320
Lambert Simnel…………170
Duchy of Lancaster……170
House of York…………170
Wars of the Roses………1350
William Caxton…………330

I wrote a bit more than 11000 words of new information this month…nothing really compared to those who whip off a 20 word “insight” or two, or a couple of “great blocks”. (I played a bit of beach volleyball a decade or four ago and I know how it feels.) Still, what I try and give is good ol' information like they used to have in encyclopedias with pages.

I also added or changed over 100 categories, fixed numerous links and generally kept my room tidy…not leaving a lot of red links lying around.

I wish all Conservapedians a happy and satisfying 2009.

January Contributions

As usual, the following are almost entirely new entries, mostly brought about by the need to put life into red links engendered by my previous articles. It just goes on and on.

Not including Talk Pages, Category changes, minor amendments and the like, I did up to about 12,000 words this month. I was fortunate in that I had saved the word documents in which I compose my articles, so I was able to replace those lost in “The Great Crash” with only a few hours work. My heart goes out to those of you who lost the fruits of their time and efforts during that week.


February Contributions

Not as much new information this month for one reason or another….

Category: Composers: - John Ireland (430)

Various musical categories: - Chanson (280) – Melodie (170) – Impromptu (110) – Partita (150) – Capriccio (120) – Glockenspiel (100) – Fantasia (450) – Rhapsody – Horatius Bonar‎ (270) – Plainchant (130) – Prelude (330) and of course the song (hymn, anthem – it is any or all of those) additions to And Did those Feet (What larks, Pip old chap!)

Category: Sailing Ship Types – Lateen (250) – Spanker (50) – Dhow (410) –Junk (410)

Category: Ships - Pentekonter (70).

Category: Explorers – Willem Cornelisz Schouten‎ (200)

Category: Civilizations Indus Valley Civilization (1000+)

Category: Dictionary Guddle (170) Love that word!

A few red links turned blue eg Burwash, Tees-Exe line and the abovementioned Pentekonter. (Which reminds me – why do people decide to add red links to an article then wander off without making any effort to actually turn those links blue?)

I have enlivened or created many scores of links, (nearly all Blue! - but give me time.), made a few dozen minor changes and/or small additions to articles, reverted a number of vandalisms, opened redirects, done defaultsorts, added or changed many categories, attempted a few times to maintain historical accuracy (to very little avail – it seems I have a closed mind, am an atheist, and know nothing at all about history!)

I spend days thinking about leaving. I probably won’t – what I wrote in my opening spiel above still applies – but it would not take much of a push.

Submitted 07:51 2nd March, my time AlanE 15:51, 1 March 2009 (EST)

March Contributions

Instruments: Alto flute 150 – Transposing instrument 170 - Saxophone 190 – Oboe 520 – adds to bassoon, Tuba etc 100 – Psaltery 110 - Dulcimer 170 Virginal 280 - Spinet 140 – Harpsichord 400 - Clavichord 200 – Piano (history) 500 – Xylophone 160 .

Composers: Couperin 170 – Janacek 410 – Delius 580 – Mussorgsky 400 – Boccherini 310 – Palestrina 220 – Lassus 170 – Victoria 120 – Corelli 160 – Max Bruch 180 – Henri Duparc 220 – Cesar Franck 220 – Ernest Chausson 220 – Vincent D'Indy 140 – Arnold Bax 370.

Sacred Music: Psalms 250 – Nunc dimittis – 130

Musical forms etc: Villanella 60 - Trio sonata 130 – Concerto grosso 190 – Ballad 420 – Chamber music 1150.

Miscellaneous: Kingdom of Kush 230 – Kushan Empire 190 – Virtuoso 210

There have been the usual fixing of links, categories and sorts, minor additions and amendments, some talk, talk, talk (positive I hope) Nearly all the above articles were to remove red links. One thing seems to lead to another.

The above amount of work, about 40 substantive edits totalling about 10,000 words of new information, is less than September’s additions to the site, which, it seems, were considered “unimpressive” by the owner. He didn’t tell me that of course.

April Contributions - continuing

St. Matthew Passion – partnership with User:JDWpianist – my share about 1440 words; his share - well over a thousand words of superior knowledge and expertise on he actual music..

New articles, all of them enlivening previously red links: Pontefract 350 – Heinrich Schutz 184 – Orlando Gibbons 178 – Robert Grosseteste 120 – Sir Thomas Malory 100 – Teutonic Knights 259 – Order of the Garter 244 – Order of the Thistle 121 – Battle of Crecy 304 – Battle of Poitiers 448 – Bordeaux 179 – Navarre 76 – Battle of Najera 127 – Themistocles 358 – Charles VI, king of France 214 - Bury St Edmunds 159

Rewrite of existing article: Tournament 280

Goodbye

Goodbye to all those who have helped or been understanding during my stay. You know who you are. I would say "Godspeed" but that word has been so wrongfully used here, that instead I will just say Take Care and Be Well. Alan Evans AlanE 23:36, 18 April 2009 (EDT)

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