User:Killing sparrows

Wikibreak! I will be travelling to summer nesting grounds on Saint Paul Island, Alaska and will be off-Wiki until about June 12th.

I hope you brought your slingshot, it's time for killing sparrows!

Everybody comes to kill sparrows!

St Paul Island, my summer nesting grounds

Bhaktapur, Nepal The view from my balcony, where I sit and drink milk tea in the morning!

Othello, Washington water tank Thirsty birdies gather here on migratory flyway!

Killing sparrows was part of the People's Republic of China campaign, begun in the 1950's, to wipe out The Four Pests, flies, mosquitos, rats and sparrows. Sparrows were later replaced by bedbugs, as sparrows were seen to be important in controlling insects.

About Me

I migrate seasonally from St Paul Island, Alaska to Bhaktapur Nepal, with refueling stops in Othello, Washington.

Current Location: Othello

Welcome!

I use the {subst:w-basic} template to greet newcomers. I'm not a regular at this, but I try to great a few each day that I edit and also with people I come across in AfD's and talk pages.

I feel there is a need for gentle encouragement and welcome for new users that is not being met. The nature of written communication can lead to an impression of terseness, even rudeness, that while perhaps not intended can drive away those who have valuable contributions to make to this project. I think this is especially true with users who may be older (like me!), and/or less web savvy and yet may have a wealth of time, skills and knowledge to contribute.

If you are a newcomer to Wikipedia, welcome! We need your contributions here. It takes awhile to learn the ropes. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have on my talk page. If I can't answer I will direct you to the person or page that can help you.

WP:WT Welcome templates

Things I'm proud of

• The Corfu Slide It aint much, but I started it!
• Earth jurisprudence, Help creator make this Wikipedic. It survived AfD!
• Sofia Kovalevskaya, Major copyedit, finished.
• Catoblepas, Major copyedit, finished

Jeez, kind of a short, pathetic list!

Stuff I Use Frequently

• WP:LoCE League of Copy Editors
• WP:Speedy For speedy deletion
• WP:PROD For uncontested deletion
• WP:AFD For proposing an article for deletion
• WP:VAND Vandalism
• WP:MEA Bored? Need something to do?
• WP:CSD Various deletion criteria
• WP:CU Articles needing cleanup
• WP:CT Cleanup templates
• WP:CV Copyright violation
• WP:WPSPAM Spam fighting techniques
• WP:RDR How to redirect a page
• WP:NOTE Notability guidelines
• WP:MOS Manual of style
• WP:DATE For dates and numbers
• WP:DEP Dead end pages
• WP:RC Recent changes
• WP:BIAS Countering systemic bias in WP
• WP:SNARK Something I hope to use
• Pleonasm How not to write
• My Litter Box Clumping, multiple-cat formula
• Slaying Slews Pet peeve, page 12 finished
• Counting Crows Get a life

Can O'Worms I have currently open

• Adopt-a-User Program Working to improve and expand this program.
• List of people who went to heaven alive: This survived AfD and now I need to help get it renamed and decent.
• Bad Iburg Helping edit this article being translated from de.wiki
• Lygodactylus Genus article with many redlinks to articlize.
• Zephyranthes Genus article with many redlinks to articlize.
• Morgellons Attempting to improve neutrality in controversial article.
• Blue Ribbon Schools Program Researching to establish importance of this award.
• Protocol of Sèvres Trying to, umm...oh heck, just check out the talk page.

Stuff I'd like to do

• Click Relander Create article on this journalist and author

Adoption

I requested adoption after trying to single-handedly and inerrantly master the arcana of Wikilore. I highly recommend the program to any newcomer. You can see our scintillating exchanges on our talk page. Thanks coelacan!

After a great experience with this program I have started adopting other users. I have a dedicated talk page for my adoptees, you can watch me dispense wisdom here!

I am also working to help make Adopt-a-User a more active program. If you are interested in joining as an Adopter or an Adoptee check out the WP:ADOPT project and it's talk page!

Slaying Slews

I'm going through all instances of the word slew, as in, a slew of, and variants, where the meaning is many, or several, and replacing it with, well, many or several. This is one of my pet peeves in the informal usage in a formal article category. I'd guess 70% of occurrences are in articles for bands and musicians I've never heard of, the rest actors, computer games, misc bio. 2800 hits but many are, so-and-so slew the haighites-type, Seattle Slew, quotes, and a slew of other stuff!

Update! As of March 28th. I am halfway through 2696 total hits for slew!

Favorite lines from AfD's

Speedy Delete. A brain-clenching void of nothingness. User:BTLizard

Factoids and Quotes

• "Memory is the guardian of all things." --Cicero

• In Nepal, government expenditure on health care, for 26 million people, is about $125 million a year, or $5 per person. Americans spend $1 billion dollars a year...on cat litter! --Me, WP:OR

• "Poetry is a pheasant disappearing behind a bush." --Wallace Stevens, who should know.

• "If you don't get caught, it never happened." --My friend, Kitty.

• “FARM removes the scales from the eyes of society so they may glimpse the horror on their plates. From the pigpen to the frying pan, from the stockyard to the (backyard) barbecue..." --Paul Watson, President, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. (I improved this quote, fixing misspelling and increasing alliteration. Rabble-rousers should hire English majors for this sort of thing, Goddess knows they need the work.)

• "I see inclusionist/deletionist arguments every day, and on that spectrum, I would consider myself on the inclusionist side, but surely there has to be some limit. As an analogy, I would include every instance of man bites dog, but not every instance of dog bites man." --Me, recently.

• "More ice, Bill!" --Amelita, you really had to be there.

• "We're not swans Lenneke, we don't have to mate for life." Me, long story.