Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Featured log/March 2021

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The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Ian Rose via FACBot (talk) 31 March 2021 [1].


Preening[edit]

Nominator(s): MeegsC (talk) 21:37, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

This article is about preening, a behaviour that all birds use to keep their feathers in good shape. It's a behaviour that most of us have probably witnessed at some point, as birds spend quite a bit of time each day preening — up to 15% of their day, in some species. I've enjoyed researching this one; though I've been birding nearly my whole life, even I didn't know some of this before I worked on the article! This started as a WP:BIRD collaboration in 2017, but unfortunately fizzled out pretty quickly. I've been working on it in fits and starts since then, and think it's finally finished. MeegsC (talk) 21:37, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Images appear to be freely licensed (t · c) buidhe 23:56, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from Aa77zz[edit]

  • Which variety of English spelling is used in this article? There is color and colour, behavior and behaviour etc. The article is mostly in British English but there are behavior, neighbors and neighboring rather than behaviour, neighbours and neighbouring.
  • "barbules" should be linked at first mention in the lead.
    • Done; I also added links in the caption, and in the first instance following the lede.
  • The picture showing the structure of a feather is poor. The article cited at the bottom of the picture, Sullivan et al 2017, has a different (and better) version - see here but the licence is CC-BY-NC-ND. The picture is also not well placed - it would fit better near the section headed "Preening action" where the structure is explained. The article certainly needs a diagram to explain barbs, barbules, barbicels etc.
    • I'll see what I can find; I replaced the previous picture with this one at the recommendation of the GA reviewer. Unfortunately, these is little available online that is CC, and I'm a lousy artist. MeegsC (talk) 16:22, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      • Okay, I've found a fellow editor who has agreed to do some diagrams for me. It may take him a week or two though as he's busy IRL. MeegsC (talk) 17:35, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
        • Aa77zz, what do you think about Figure 3 in this article? Shyamal found it while looking for reference material. It's got a (CC BY 4.0) license, so I can upload it to Commons if you think it would work. MeegsC (talk) 08:28, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
          • A great find. Fig 3 in Zhao et al is 2020 is certainly an improvement on the present picture and you should upload it. Feathers are complicated and tricky to illustrate well. Confusingly, in Fig 3 the arrow in (a) appears to be pointing in wrong (opposite) direction to that used for the view in (b).
I've looked at diagrams (rather than micrographs) in textbooks. The diagram in Gill 2007 is poor (Fig. 4.1). The diagrams in Lovette & Fitzpatrick 2016 (p. 103 Fig 4.02 A & B, not available on Google Preview) are much better - but would be impossible to reproduce. - Aa77zz (talk) 11:31, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Aa77zz How about this one? This is the first pass of the one Shyamal is doing. He's planning more detail in the square, and I've asked for an intermediate step between the square and the closeup. Do you think this one is preferable?

Wow - I'm impressed. And the new diagram can be used to replace the horrible File:FeatherLocking.png in the Feather article and the File:The Interlocking of feathers.png in the Glossary of bird terms article. I agree that an intermediate step would be good. It should show that the hooklets/barbicels are on the distal barbules - ie on the side of the barb away from the calamus. - Aa77zz (talk) 13:40, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

References

  • The title of journal articles should have a consistent case. My preferred choice (and much the most common when listing articles in a list of references) is the use of sentence case. Compare ref 4 with ref 10.
  • Ref 10 Cotgreave & Clayton 1994 - the link is broken. There is a spurious "1" at the end of Cotgreave. I suggest you include jstor=4535237 in the reference template.
  • Ref 11 Delius 1988 - suggest you remove "(1 Neural Mechan)"
  • Ref 26 Campbell & Lack 1985 - should be pp.
  • Ref 55 Pepperberg - reference is to a veterinary practice website and could easily disappear. Has this info been published elsewhere?
    • Replaced with HBW ref.
  • Ref 62 Delogu et al 2010 - as this is an open-access article I suggest you include doi-access=free in the template.

Bibliography

  • Campbell & Lack 1985 - need to add url-access=registration
  • Gill 2007 - the 3rd edition (not the 2nd) was published in 2007. The isbn is for the 3rd edition as is the IA link. Perhaps surprisingly, registration is not required. The page numbers are correct for the 3rd edition.
  • Loon & Loon 2005 - link to Google is broken

More later - Aa77zz (talk) 13:17, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • The use of the plural "behaviours" sounds strange to me but from googling it appears that it is perfectly acceptable.
  • "including rump, tail, belly and underwing." -> "including the rump, tail, ..."
  • " More dominant birds received far ..." the change of tense here only works it you mention a study or studies.
  • "the structure is missing" -> "the organ is missing"

- Aa77zz (talk) 17:44, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • duplicated links - In Preening action "herons" is linked twice. The other duplicated links (ostriches, albatrosses, black guillemots) occur in different sections which I consider to be OK.

- Aa77zz (talk) 18:50, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Support - great work. A clearer picture showing the structure of a feather will enhance the article. - Aa77zz (talk) 11:07, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • Aa77zz, which do you think works better — Shyamal's picture or the photo? MeegsC (talk) 20:45, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      • I think Shyamal's diagram is easier to understand. The picture from Zhao et al may be useful in the feather article. In the square in the centre of Shyamal's diagram it is unclear which feature is labelled as barb and which feature is labelled as barbule as it is difficult to see where the lines end. Perhaps it would be easier to label the features in the round enlargement at the bottom. I notice that Shyamal has chosen not to introduce the word "ramus" for the central shaft of the barb. It is yet more jargon to confuse the reader and isn't strictly necessary. The term isn't used in the wiki feather article but the term is mentioned in Lovette & Fitzpatrick. Lucas & Stettenheim discuss the definition of the word at the bottom of page 241 here. It can probably be safely be omitted - but what do you think? - Aa77zz (talk) 22:23, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
        • I've just noticed the "ramus" is used on the glossary page when defining a barb. - Aa77zz (talk) 22:39, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Aa77zz: I have followed your suggestion above and added ramus into the diagram (but avoided introducing the plural form rami). Would it help to mention hooklets/barbicelles? Shyamal (talk) 03:23, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Hi Aa77zz, apologies if I am being slow, but this looks as if it is a source review. Is that correct? Thanks. Gog the Mild (talk) 10:47, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Not a formal sources review as such - but when reviewing an article I look at the type of sources used and where possible check some of them for accuracy/completeness/plagiarism etc. My preference is not to include links to google scans when access is limit/restricted as access can depend on where one lives - but on Wikipedia I believe this is considered a matter of personal taste. - Aa77zz (talk) 11:27, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Funk[edit]

  • I'll have a look soon. At first glance, speculum is duplinked within the same paragraph. FunkMonk (talk) 17:43, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "There is evidence that filoplumes, specialized feathers buried under a bird's outer covering of contour feathers, help to signal when contour feathers have been displaced" how?
All the changes look good, a bit more below. FunkMonk (talk) 01:33, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Link keratin and arboreal.
  • Link feather lice.
  • "preen on the wing" I wonder if the meaning of this would be lost to most layreaders. Maybe "during flight" would be safer?
    • I put "while flying". Is that okay?
  • You use both ise and ize endings, should be consistent. I assume this is UK English, since you write behaviour?
  • "The preen oil of several gull and tern species, including Ross's gull contains a pink colourant which does the same." Shouldn't there be a comma after "including Ross's gull"? As it appears to be a parenthetical sentence.
  • "the vast majority of these involve icterids, though at least one instance of mutual grooming between a black vulture and a crested caracara has been documented." Was this in captive or wild birds? To show if it is a "natural" occurrence.
  • "when done with between members of a mated pair" Seems the "with" is redundant?
  • "This causes a loss of heat regulation" Link thermoregulation?

FunkMonk, how's it looking now? MeegsC (talk) 07:45, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Support - looks nice to me, and it had already been looked over by many bird-editors prior to FAC. FunkMonk (talk) 15:57, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

CaptainEek[edit]

I was the GA reviewer on this one, and thought Meegs did a great job. Here is my fine toothed comb reserved for FA reviews:

  • I sat and watched through the YouTube videos in the EL. I think the allopreening video is poor quality and should go. Its shaky, and doesn't really show it that well. I think the in-body video of the ducks is sufficient. Plus, it looks like the ducklings are engaging in a little bit of allopreening, and is very high quality, so I think that covers all the video bases. If you wanted to leave the owl video, you can, but I am hesitant about external video links in general. I admit my understanding of WP:YOUTUBE could probably use some enlightenment, so use your judgement here.
  • I've replaced the allopreening video with better quality one. I still think it's useful, but if the general consensus is to lose them, I won't fight it.
  • Should not the lead say "disease-causing organisms" instead of "disease organisms"? I know that will result in two mentions of "cause" in the sentence, the second "cause" could be changed to "lead to"
  • I would not put "abnormalities" in scare quotes, given that you have the next sentence explaining it now
  • " contributing as they do to insulation," remove the "as they do"
  • Note on the use of emdashes vs. endashes. You have a set of emdashes. Emdashes are longer than endashes, and are used without spaces. Endashes are shorter, and are used with spaces. So either remove the spaces, or swap to endashes (I personally prefer endashes)
  • "One study found that some gull species spend 15% of their daylight hours preening during the breeding season, for example, and another showed common loons spend upwards of 25% of their day preening". The "for example" breaks up the sentence awkwardly. I would try to restructure/word the sentence so it flows better.
  • "For example, one study showed that the presence of the symbiotic bacteria Enterococcus faecalis in the preen oil of hoopoes inhibited the growth of the bacteria Bacillus licheniformis, a species which breaks down keratin, the main component of feathers" A very long sentence with a lot of punctuation. A solution I often employ when I have too many commas is to replace one of them with an endash. Makes it easier for the reader to keep track of the various clauses and statements.
  • "microscopic crypts" crypts is not a very common word in this context. Is it accurate? If so, a link could be useful. Otherwise, maybe pits would be a better word?
  • At your suggestion, I've used pits here. The source uses "crypts" and mentions that these features are unique to hoopoe eggs, but I guess "pits" is probably close enough.
  • " and such contact allows" I haven't read the associated paper, but it feels like there could be evidence enough to change the "and" to an "as"
  • I've changed this to "where"; is that okay?
  • "louping ill virus, for example, can be" Feels like another overuse of "for example"
  • I've removed all but one instance of "for example" from the article. ;)
  • The video needs an Alt Text
  • It has alt text already; I'm not sure why it's not displaying.

Very high quality!! Ping me when you've tackled the above :) CaptainEek Edits Ho Cap'n! 05:44, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

CaptainEek, I think I've addressed all of your concerns. MeegsC (talk) 14:46, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Nicely done! Thats a support from me! CaptainEek Edits Ho Cap'n! 20:21, 21 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support and comments from Jim[edit]

The remaining review comments above are pretty minor, and I'm happy to support this excellent article. One statement that is misleading or incorrect though; ...neighbouring black guillemots that engaged in allopreening were much less likely to fight. Since fights often lead to eggs or chicks being knocked off breeding cliffs...— Unlike Common Guillemots, Black Guillemots don't breed on cliffs, they use crevices, caves and even artificial "holes". Cornell lists a wide variety of nest sites, but they are all basically holes, not ledges Jimfbleak - talk to me? 14:32, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

And your ref is actually about Common Guillemot, so it looks like an inadvertent species change... Jimfbleak - talk to me? 14:49, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
You're absolutely right; I just checked that ref myself, and it looks like I put that in way back in 2017. Eek! Fixed now. MeegsC (talk) 14:52, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Ian Rose via FACBot (talk) 31 March 2021 [2].


Battle of Marais des Cygnes[edit]

Nominator(s): Hog Farm Talk 14:21, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

And now, an FAC whose title I do not know how to pronounce. Confederate cavalry was retreating across Kansas after being defeated near Kansas City two days earlier. After slowing down at a river crossing, they were attacked by pursuing Union cavalry, who hurried the retreat along. This minor action set the stage for the more significant Battle of Mine Creek later the same day. Hog Farm Talk 14:21, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

whose title I do not know how to pronounce - there you go. We could probably add the IPA, no? RetiredDuke (talk) 14:35, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I don't understand IPA symbols well enough to feel comfortable adding them. Hog Farm Talk 15:27, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I do, added. (t · c) buidhe 00:49, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Source review—pass[edit]

Sources pass per ACR. Source checks below: (t · c) buidhe 01:49, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Jenkins 1906, p. 52.: Supports that Sedalia raid was successful. Assume that the other source supports Glasgow.
  • Scott 1893, p. 329.
  • Scott 1893, p. 330. Supported
  • National Park Service 2010, p. 5. Supported
  • National Park Service 2010, p. 12. Supported
  • National Park Service 2010, p. 14. Mostly supported, but "the site of the battle is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places," needs a citation to an updated listing of protected battlefields and an "as of" date.
  • National Park Service 2010, p. 24 Supported
  • Assuming the minor caveat above is addressed, support on 1c, 1e, 2c, and 3. Other criteria not evaluated. (t · c) buidhe 03:41, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • @Buidhe: - Would a page from the Kansas Historical Society here be good enough to establish that it is not listed? It's hard to find up-to-date stuff saying that most things aren't on the NRHP, so it'll likely be difficult to cite this without arguing on absence from a list as an argument from silence. Hog Farm Talk 03:56, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      • If there's an official, current list of NRHP sites in Kansas that would be best to cite imo. The absence from the list shows that the site currently isn't recognized. You could also supplement with the Kansas Historical Society source. (t · c) buidhe 04:02, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
        • Here's the official NPS list. It's very long and you have to start typing in the search box about halfway down the page to get results to come up, so I'll support with with the KHS source. Hog Farm Talk 04:08, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comment: A minor thing, but I notice that this article has "Part of Price's Raid" in the infobox, but the other events in {{Campaignbox Price's Missouri Expedition}} have "Part of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War"—surely all of them should be one or the other? Aza24 (talk) 04:43, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Technically both are correct. I have no idea what the relevant style guidelines for that are, but I personally think the more specific Price's Raid (or Price's Missouri Expedition) is more meaningful. Willing to go with either one though. Hog Farm Talk 04:51, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • I like the more specific Price one as well. What I wonder is if we can/should—for uniformity's sake—switch the other articles to such a parameter? Aza24 (talk) 09:10, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      • I'll do that and see if I get reverted. I'm the primary author of about 2/3s of the Price's Raid articles, and they aren't very highly edited, so I don't expect reversion. Hog Farm Talk 15:34, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Accessibility: the first and third images are missing alt text. Heartfox (talk) 02:35, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • @Heartfox: - Thanks for the review. I've added alt text to both images lacking it although I have to admit I'm not really sure what sort of alt text is best for complex maps. Hog Farm Talk 03:44, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Funk[edit]

  • I'll have a look soon. I don't think I've reviewed an American civil war article before, so it's going to be interesting. FunkMonk (talk) 15:43, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Uh oh - "interesting"! Gog the Mild (talk) 17:49, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I did watch a few relevant movies and all of North & South, so I should be covered! FunkMonk (talk) 00:01, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "while Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon and the Union Army supported the United States and opposed secession" A local faction of the Union Army? Because it's written as if it was local to Missouri, but as far as I can read it was the general army of the union?
    • I've rephrased this to make it clearer that this is only referring to Lyon's small part of the Union Army
  • "and join the Confederate States of America" Is "of America" needed in subsequent mentions after the first one?
    • The Confederate States of America is the formal name, so I have a preference for using that. I'm unaware of any MOS specifically dealing with this, and it's not a big deal to me, so I'm willing to change this if desired.
  • "As events east of the Mississippi River turned against the Confederates, General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department, was ordered to transfer the infantry under his command to the fighting in the Eastern and Western Theaters." It is unclear from reading this sentence and the preceding what side he was on.
    • Confederate, clarified.
  • "allowing an enemy force to operate in his rear" By or at his rear? "In his rear" reads a bit, erm, oddly...
    • And that's what I get for using military jargon. Rephrased.
  • " Blunt suggested an ambitious flanking movement, but was overruled by Major General Samuel R. Curtis,[26] commander of the Department of Kansas.[23] The plan would have involved only using a token force to attack the Confederate position at the Marais des Cygnes and slipping most of the rest of the Union army around the Confederate flank and then attack Price's army in the morning." Flanking is linked twice in this paragraph.
    • Unlinked the latter. It's actually two links to slightly different articles, which is why the duplink checker didn't catch it for me.
  • Flanking is linked for a thirds time under battle.
    • Removed. I'd linked to a redirect that time. It's hard to remember what you've linked and what you haven't sometimes when writing content
  • "and Blunt's plan did not considered the fact" Consider?
    • Yep, that's what it was suppose to be. Corrected.
  • "A brief friendly fire incident involving the 4th Iowa Cavalry and the 2nd Colorado Cavalry ensued" Anything on what triggered this?
    • Added. Iowans didn't know there was friendly troops in their front.
  • Any pictures of what the battle could have looked like, or the kinds of units in it?
    • I've added the best image I'm aware of. It's from a Union veteran of the campaign and shows Confederate cavalry during the raid and is probably pretty representative. Neither side really had combat photographers or artists west of the Mississippi at this point, so it's probably around the best available.
That's great! Perhaps link Price's Raid in the caption? And maybe mention who it was drawn by? FunkMonk (talk) 06:00, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Done. And it helps that the artist is notable, so I've linked him too.
  • Thomas Freeman is a disambiguation page.
    • Fixed to a redlink. None of the people at the dab page are the right ones.
  • "Marais des Cynges" should be Cygnes.
    • Apparently I can't spell Marais des Cygnes in addition to not being able to pronounce it.
  • Anything on what this event meant for the wider war? Part of a series of defeats? Sign of weakening Confederacy?
    • Frankly, this didn't mean really anything for the wider war. The preceding battle (Westport) and the succeeding battle (Mine Creek) are considered significant, but this one was really just an insignificant skirmish. The sources don't really ascribe this as anything beyond a rear guard/delaying action.
      • @FunkMonk: - Thanks for starting a review. I've replied to all of the above and made the changes except for two. One there's really no answer to due to lack of overall significance for the battle, and the other I haven't implemented yet but am willing to implement if desired. Hog Farm Talk 06:01, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Changes look good, I added one reply before your last comment, after that I should be ready to support. FunkMonk (talk) 06:03, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Support - that's all from me, the American Civil War is kind of exotic for us Europeans, so even if it was a minor incident, it was still interesting. FunkMonk (talk) 15:44, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Gog the Mild[edit]

Recusing to review.

  • "with a cavalry force with hopes of drawing". "with ... with". Maybe 'with a cavalry force in the hope of drawing'?
    • Done
  • "without participating in any heavy combat." Delete "any".
    • Done
  • "bringing the total Union strength present to 3,500". Do we need "present"?
    • Not in particular; removed.
  • Infobox: "over 2,000" → 'Over 2,000'.
    • Done
  • "As the American Civil War began in 1861, the state of Missouri was a slave state". "As" → 'When'.
    • Done
  • "and a portion of the state legislature voted to secede and join the Confederate States of America, while another element of the legislature". Optional: Delete "of the legislature".
    • Done. I'm too use to writing college papers with minimum word counts where being excessively wordy is essentially rewarded by the word count.
That made me smile. Gog the Mild (talk) 19:27, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The second paragraph of "Background" is long. Consider splitting at "Despite having limited".
    • Done
  • "All in all". Would anything be lost if this were deleted?
    • I've changed to "Overall". Is this acceptable?
It was an open question. Personally I prefer "Overall" to "All in all". Personally I wouldn't have either. But I'm not the nominator.
  • "The Confederates suffered at least 800 casualties during the engagement and their morale suffered". "suffered →

suffered". Time for a synonym?

    • Rephrased
  • "able to recruit between 1,200[18] and 2,000 men." Do you mean 'either', rather than "between"?
    • It's really that nobody can agree on this number. I've added another estimate and rephrased this.
  • "with the camp split into two segments by the Marais des Cygnes River". That seems an exceptionally stupid thing to have done. Do we know why?
    • In a self-trout type moment, I somehow managed to miss the detail that Price was expecting an extended flanking maneuver, not a direct attack on Trading Post in my approximately 10 readings of the relevant part of Collins. While I left Buresh and Stalnaker at home when I went back to college, I checked Collins, Sinisi, and Lause and that's the only really relevant thing related to that that's mentioned. I will note also note that Shelby and William L. Cabell were the only two high-ranking Confederate officers involved in this campaign who can really be described as particularly competent.
And that gave me a good chortle.
  • "then attack Price's army in the morning." "attack" → 'attacking'.
    • Went with "to attack" instead and rephrased this down to only one "and" in the sentence
  • "Blunt's plan did not considered the fact". ?
    • Also caught by Funk above, I've corrected this.
  • "was not conducive to a rapid movment". Delete "a"; insert an 'e' in "movment".
    • Done
  • "A battery was also deployed at this time"> Perhaps 'An artillery battery was ..."?
    • Done
  • "on a row of two 140-foot (43 m) tall mounds". Can two of anything be said to form a "row"?
    • Changed to "a pair"
  • "the 4th Iowa Cavalry on the Union right attacked, using the broken ground as cover. Confederate marksmanship at that portion of the line was very poor, and the Iowans easily took the right of the position". If the Iowans were on the Union right, would not the (Confederate) position they captured be on the (confederate) left? Perhaps best to drop the second "took the right"?
    • Done. After reading back through the source, I am highly confused as to what I was trying to say with the second "took the right"
  • "but despite firing at a 15° angle". 'a 15° elevation'? Note the link.
    • Done
  • "of the misses did strike". "did strike" → 'struck'.
    • Done
  • "so the mound was abandoned." "mound" singular?
    • Yes. The Confederate commander facing the two militia cavalry regiments ... is referring to one mound, while the Iowans captured the other. Does this overall section need rephrased?
I think that if you did something like add 'which included one of the mounds' to the end of "and the Iowans easily took the position" it would help. I am assuming that was the case?
  • "The 2nd Arkansas Cavalry, operating in a mounted role". Why is it necessary to state that a cavalry unit was operating in a mounted role. Won't a reader assume that? (Unless told otherwise.)
    • Removed
  • "and the Union troops were temporarily halted". Possibly add 'by these'. Assuming that was the case.
    • Done
  • "presented another challenged to the crossing." I suspect a typo. Or a "misspeak".
    • Typo. Fixed
  • "Sanborn left to personally go find Curtis for orders". Suggest deleting "go".
    • Done
  • "formed a line from the cavalry brigades commanded by". Suggest "from" → 'with'.
    • Done
  • The "Battle" section has four mentions of "the field", including two in consecutive sentences in the last paragraph.
    • I've rephrased two of them, including one from the last paragraph
  • "that had begun the campaign with 12,000 men." Suggest deleting "men".
    • Done.

Nicely done. Gog the Mild (talk) 18:39, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

A couple of minor things above. Gog the Mild (talk) 19:37, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Gog the Mild: - And both have been done in the article. Hog Farm Talk 16:42, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I was about to support, but this tweak - "the Iowans easily took the position, which consisted of one of the mounds. Union artillery fired on the mounds" - seems to have thrown your chronology. I assume that the artillery ceased fire on the right hand mound once it was captured by friendly forces? The article currently suggests not. Gog the Mild (talk) 16:57, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I've changed the order of the sentences there so that the artillery fire is mentioned before the capture of the mound, which should solve the chronology issue. Hog Farm Talk 17:34, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Gog the Mild: - Just making sure you saw the reply above. Hog Farm Talk 17:00, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Apologies Hog Farm, I had unwatched this. I assume that I thought I had already supported. Now done. Good work - as usual. Gog the Mild (talk) 10:55, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Ian Rose via FACBot (talk) 31 March 2021 [3].


Battle of Rethymno[edit]

Nominator(s): Gog the Mild (talk) 12:27, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

A very hard fought World War II battle which was part of the 1941 Battle of Crete. So hard fought that both sides lost. It has gone through GAN and ACR and is hopefully now ready for FAC scrutiny. Gog the Mild (talk) 12:27, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Images are freely licensed. But the ACR hasn't yet been closed. (t · c) buidhe 16:03, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments by Wehwalt[edit]

  • "dead ground" a link or explanation might be useful.
Removed.
  • "All of the Allied units were well dug in and well camouflaged.[24][25] Food stocks were limited and were supplemented by local foraging.[27] Rethmyno itself was defended by a battalion of 800 well-armed Greek civil police.[28]" are you being consistent with the use of hyphens after well?
I honestly can't see where you are suggesting that one is missing.
  • "(Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment) " Italics?
Done.
  • "Ju 52s" Link? I see you link on a later usage.
Oops. Fixed.
  • "No Royal Air Foce (RAF) units were based permanently at Crete" versus " after 29 of their 35 fighters based on Crete were destroyed the RAF ..." is "at Crete" or "on Crete" preferred, or does it not matter?
Personally I have tried to mix in, at and on to provide some variety in the prose. "at" does look a little odd so I have changed it to 'on'.
  • "German intelligence summaries stated that the total Allied force on Crete consisted of 5,000 men and that the garrison of Heraklion was 400 strong[32] and that Rethmyno was not formally garrisoned.[24]" and ... and
Fixed.
  • "Sturm's plan was for the regiment's 3rd Battalion (2/III), reinforced by two artillery units, would drop approximately 2 mi (3 km) of Rethymno and capture the town." for ... would. Reads oddly, but perhaps it's just Engvar.
Ha! That is generous of you. No - I mangled it in an ACR edit. Fixed
More soon. As a mostly non-milhist editor, I'm focusing on prose.--Wehwalt (talk) 13:09, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thanks Wehwalt. Your points to date addressed. Please keep them coming. Gog the Mild (talk) 15:47, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Refuelling was carried out by hand and took longer than anticipated.[41][20] " Cites in reverse numerical order which is of course OK if you are doing major source first.
I automatically tend to go for major source first. But I get picked at for it. And into debates as to which really is "major". So swapped.
  • "Having been informed at 14:30 of the attacks to the west, the Allies realised this may be the prelude to a paratrooper assault.[34]" May should probably be might, as a past event.
It should, it should. Fixed.
  • "Campbell ordered his two heavy tanks to counter-attack, but both became immobilised in the rough terrain. Campbell set up ..." Consecutive sentences beginning with Campbell.
Fixed.

--Wehwalt (talk) 11:47, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • "rubber dingy" is this dinghy or engvar?
That's all.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:23, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
It's a (I think fairly common) variant of dinghy - wikt:dingy. But I am sure that dinghy is more common, so I have changed it.
Cheers Wehwalt, I think that I have addressed everything you have flagged up. Let me know if not, or if you have further comments on my responses. Gog the Mild (talk) 13:00, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments Support by Constantine[edit]

Claiming my spot, will review over the following days. Constantine 20:30, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Lead
  • I see a slightly incoherent treatment of ranks: why 'Lieutenant General' for the Germans but 'Major-general' for the British?
Standardised.
  • confusion and delays at the airfields in Greece 'in the Greek mainland', perhaps?
Done.
Background
  • In Directive 31 Hitler asserted -> In Führer Directive 31 Hitler asserted... I also note that based on the list at the article redirected to, the directive outlining Unternehmen Merkur was 28, not 31. This needs to be checked.
Good spot. Thank you. 31 is about military organisation in the Balkans and I assume that I became confused. Text of Directive 28 for checking.
Please link also Führer Directive.
Done.
Opposing forces
  • The British forces had seven commanders Are the British forces on Crete meant, or in the theatre of operations generally? Please clarify.
"... especially in the backwater of Crete. The British forces had seven commanders in seven months" seemed clear to me, but further clarified.
  • I will use the Hellenic Army's concise history (henceforth 'Concise History', I added it to the sources) to check some things and recommend some additions/clarifications, but will simply provide you with the information here and let you incorporate it as you see fit. I hope that is OK. I could probably scrounge up some German-language sources too, but this would take a few more days, and the German bibliography is generally well utilized by English-speaking authors; the Greek, not so much, even for a conflict taking place on Greek soil.
Yes, I noticed a distinct lack. And a couple I found - in English but by Greeks - did not seem very reliable. I consoled my self with WP:NONENG: "English-language sources are preferred over non-English ones when available and of equal quality and relevance". The information you give below is incredibly helpful, thank you.
  • The Greeks were 2,300 strong and ill-disciplined, ill-equipped and extremely short of ammunition. per the Concise History (p. 229), the Rethymno Group comprised the local reservists' training battalion, and a battalion (Τάγμα Οπλιτών Χωροφυλακής, roughly "Gendarmerie Soldiers' Battalion") made up of the Gendarmerie Academy that had been moved to the island in March (900 men, 15 officers, p. 224). That would also be the '800 well-armed Greek civil police' (which therefore were not really 'civil police', since the Gendarmerie was a semi-paramilitary body) in Rethymno itself, mentioned below (and which should be moved up, since the landing strip is discussed separately from the Rethymno city area).
Added "paramilitary" and the link and moved it up.
Does that mean that the local reservists' training battalion was ~1,400 strong? Does the Concise History give its strength?
Hmmm, no it does not, but it certainly was not that strong. The bulk of the Greek units in the area were likely the two 'Regiments', each probably around 600 strong (the total manpower of the eight recruit training battalions was 4910 men and officers). However, there was also (pp. 223-224) a recently formed civil guard (πολιτοφυλακή), meant to guard rear area installations, with a total strength of ca. 1,500 men, also divided into four battalions (one per prefecture). The source that gives the number of 2,300 likely omits the gendarmerie battalion from this total, right? Then the 2,300 would make sense, ca. 1200-1300 men in the two 'Regiments', some 350-400 men in the civil guard, and the rest from the reservist battalion. Total Greek forces would then be ca. 3200, which is (almost) the number in the infobox. Constantine 11:07, 14 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I follow what you say, but "each probably" and guessing at the strength of the civil guard, or even whether they were at, or how many were at, Rethymno smacks a bit of OR. I would prefer to use the Concise History for Greek strengths, but it seems that the only non-Greek sources give "precise" numbers, while the CH would seem to broadly support them. I don't see any specific changes i can make here, but I am sure that you will come back at me if I am wrong.
  • The Australian 2/1st Battalion (2/1st) ... was positioned on and around Hill B. per the Concise History (p. 229), the Australians had ten field guns in total (6x75 mm and 4x100 mm, I assume the calibres are not exact)
I take this to mean that you would like the article to give the number and calibre of artillery pieces available to the Allies? I have done so. Long gives 4x75 mm and 4x100 mm, so I have used those numbers.
  • The Greek 4th Regiment was situated on the ridge between the two Australian units and the 5th Regiment... Again based on the Concise History (p. 224), these 'regiments' were so only in name. They were in fact battalions from the recruit training centres in the Peloponnese, evacuated in April. In total, there were 8 of them on Crete, some 4.900 men in total. These were renamed as 'regiments', but were completely worthless, as the recruits comprising them had received a few days' worth of training at most. Their equipment was disparate, with 5-20 bullets per gun at most, while about a third of the men had no guns at all.
Agreed. Which is why the article describes them as "ill-disciplined, ill-equipped and extremely short of ammunition". Is there something you would like to adding or subtracting from that?
Hmmm, the main point I'd like to see added would be that the Greeks were a hodgepodge of recent, ad hoc recruit and armed civilian formations, most of them with barely any training at all, with the gendarmerie academy battalion virtually the only somewhat well-trained and well-armed formation. And the 'extremely short on ammunition' could be clarified with the numbers given above. Personal aside here: I admit I am leery of blanket descriptions of 'ill-disciplined' troops. This always triggers alarm bells in me. I've seen this often enough, and whenever I've been able to examine the views of both sides from the respective literature (not just for British descriptions of Greeks, but also German views of Italians, US views of Chinese, etc), there's usually more than a smidgen of racial/ethnic prejudice and superiority complex at work, that tends to obscure the actual root causes—to whit, when you are unarmed, or with an antique Gras rifle with ten bullets, and have had a week's training at best, where on earth would 'discipline' come from?—reveals a lack of understanding of and engagement with the troops in question, obscures/explains away any omissions by the respective commander—their deficiencies being well known, why did the British not undertake to at least arm these men properly during the previous weeks? Was it really that difficult for the British Empire to find 10,000 rifles and ammunition?—and, finally, it is a code word that prepares the reader for the ultimate failure, because when one has 'ill-disciplined troops' that were not up to the task, of course one would fail. Admittedly, the lack of discipline may well be true here (again, we are talking about troops with barely any training), but it is better to rely on objective facts than value judgments. Say that the 4th and 5th Regiments were battalions composed of green recruits with a few days' basic training (verbatim from the 'Concise History') and describe their lack of armament, which by itself is enough information. Constantine 11:07, 14 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
A good point. I have removed "ill-disciplined" in favour of something more nuanced. ("most had received little training") And added more detail on the ammunition situation. See what you think.
  • Before the invasion, the Germans conducted a bombing campaign the campaign began on 14 May (Concise History, p. 234), and also aimed at preventing shipping from reaching Crete, forcing the supply of the Allied forces on Crete to happen during night, and mostly with smaller vessels.
Changed to "the Germans conducted a bombing campaign against Crete and the surrounding waters".
Battle
  • In Greece the Germans as above, 'In the mainland...', which makes the 'in mainland Greece' after redundant.
Oops. Resolved.
  • the Allies realised this might be the prelude to a paratrooper assault. Might we also add explicitly that this meant that the Germans had lost the element of surprise, and that the delay between the bombing and the landings allowed the Allies to recover from the bombardment?
What would you suggest is added to further emphasise that surprise was lost. The Allies did not know that they were also going to be attacked. They could only strongly suspect that "this might be the prelude to a paratrooper assault". The article says of the bombardment "as fewer than 20 aircraft were involved it was ineffective" so there was not much to recover from, even given a source - Concise History I assume - stating that there was time for recovery a reader may be left a little puzzled as to how one recovers from something which was anyway inefffective.
Good point, comment stricken. Constantine 11:07, 14 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • total of 160 Ju 52s 161 according to the Concise History (p. 239)
Thank you. An odd error by me. Well picked up. Corrected.
  • at the Greek airfields mainland airfields
Done.
  • The surviving Germans of the 2/I Battalion...suffered 400 dead or wounded. per Concise History (p. 240), the paratroopers first captured the village of Stavromenos, and from there attacked Hill A. The rest is more or less the same.
Yes, Beevor says "The main part of Kroh's force fell round the olive oil factory at Stavromenos, two kilometres to the east" (of Hill A). I have tweaked accordingly.
  • many members of the 2/II Battalion I think you mean the 2/III Battalion
D'oh! Given that the 2/II was at Heraklion, I do of course. Fixed.
  • landed as planned near Platanes per Concise History (p. 240), to the west of Platanes, at Perivolia, which was held by the Greek reservists' training battalion, which, being virtually unarmed, simply collapsed.
Added.
  • the Cretan police as noted above, not the Cretan police, but the Gendarmerie recruits
Changed.
  • per Concise History (p. 240), Campbell requested reinforcements from Allied HQ for his counterattack, but this was not granted. The Georgioupolis group (rest of 19th Brigade including brigade HQ), which faced no attack and thus was available, was sent to Chania instead.
Added.
  • At first light on 21 May Concise History offers some details here. There were two axes: 2/11th Battalion attacked towards the coastal plain and part the 5th Greek Regiment towards Platanes, and the other with 2/1st against Hill A and the rest of 5th Regiment towards Stavromenos (p. 244). 60 prisoners were taken at Hill A,, the rest is as described (pp. 244-245). The Greeks reached the outskirts of Stavromenos in early morning, but were pinned down, and 5th Regiment commander asked for artillery support and a tank to attack it, but Campbell denied this and ordered him to return to his initial positions after leaving a company with 2/1st Battalion (p. 245).
Constantine, I deliberately haven't gone into too much detail here. Long, pages 262-263, gives further detail, similar to the Concise History's, but I have communicated it in summary style. I confess that there seems to be no logical stopping point on the spectrum from "it neglects no major facts or details" broad-brush overview to a platoon action by platoon action "It stays focused on the main topic without going into unnecessary detail", but to me going into the detail of which Allied unit did exactly what, Hill A aside, creeps over the line into the latter.
I figured as much. I merely wanted to give the option, in case the information was not available. As the article author, judging the appropriate level of detail is of course up to you ;). The only thing I would insist on would be to clarify the units involved on the Allied side (2/11th and 5th Regiment), as this allows the reader to follow the tactical dispositions. Constantine 11:07, 14 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
My bad - added. Gog the Mild (talk) 21:29, 24 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The German 2/III Battalion per Concise History (p. 245), in the afternoon (17:15), the Gendarmerie managed to recapture the village of Kastelakia, and the Germans were restricted to the cemetery of Perivolia around the church of Agios Georgios. The same source also gives total German losses for 21st May as about 70 killed, 300 wounded, and 200 prisoner.
How is "The German 2/III Battalion was unable to renew its attack on Rethymno on the 21st as it was pinned down around Perivolia by the Greek gendarmerie from the town and armed civilians." I have added the casualty figures.
"The German 2/III Battalion renewed its attack on Rethymno on the 21st, but was beaten back and pinned down around Perivolia by the Greek gendarmerie from the town and armed civilians"? Since the Germans did actually attack in the direction of Rethymno, and were driven back, losing ground. Constantine 11:07, 14 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The sources are not unanimous about that. But it is a nuance and I consider it reasonable to use the Greek history for actions solely involving Greeks. (On the Allied side.) So done.
  • per Concise History (pp. 247-248), from the morning of the 22nd, the Luftwaffe increaisngly flew bombing sorties in order to assist the paratroopers, including against the city of Rethymno, where there were several civilian dead (including the local prefect and the Gendarmerie commadner). Otherwise the information on the day's events is about the same.
Added.
  • per Concise History (pp. 250-251), Rethymno was bombed again on the 23rd for about seven hours (13:00-20:00), including the local hospital, despit eit being marked with a red cross. On the 23rd, another attack on Perivolia failed (p. 251), and a three-hour truce was arranged at the airport to bury the dead. During this, the local German commander, having learned of the German successes further west, requested the Australians' surrender, but was refused (p. 251). Another attack on Perivolia in the early hours of the 24th failed (p. 251). This was followed by a German counterattack from Agios Georgios, but was defeated by 14:00 (p. 251).
Some details, especially on the bombing of Rethymno, added. Some others not, on the grounds that it is creeping into "unnecessary detail" territory. See comment above.
  • On 26 May the Australians... per Concise History (p. 255), this was a joint attack with the 5th Regiment, and captured 100 German prisoners, of whom 42 were wounded that were abandoned in the factory. On the 27th, the Germans at Perivolia attacked the Gendarmerie positions at Kastelakia, without any result (p. 255).
Information on the factory added.
  • The Germans attacked and isolated the Allied positions east of Rethymno. The Allies had all but consumed their food supplies and exhausted their ammunition and so Campbell surrendered some detail should be added here. Per Concise History (p. 259), the commanders of the 4th and 5th Greek regiments decided to withdraw on 22:00 of 29 May, to Adele and Arkadi respectively. 5th Regiment, which comprised many Cretan recruits, then simply dispersed, while 4th Regiment surrendered to the Germans. The Concise History also notes that Campbell surrendered after noon on the 30th, and that the commander and many men of the 2/11th Battalion fled to the mountains, but it does not mention whether they managed to escape or not. There's some info in other sources (e.g. [4] about locals helping several British, Australian and NZ soldiers to escape via the Preveli Monastery though.
Time of surrender, withdrawal and fates of the 4th and 5th Regiments added.
Aftermath
  • than in the entire campaign in the Balkans. "...than in the entire campaign in the Balkans until then", technically, the Battle of Crete is part of the Balkans campaign.
Done.
  • The Germans attempted no further large-scale airborne operations "...during World War II", perhaps also mention that this was due to the high casualties among the German paratroopers specifically.
Done.
  • Both the 2/1st and 2/11th battalions reiterate that this is the Australian units you are talking about.
Why? I haven't written 'the 2/III battalion, which as I mentioned above was a German unit' each time I mention it. After fully naming at first mention it is usual to then just give whatever commonly used shortening was in parentheses afterwards.
  • I feel the section is a bit thin. Could we have some (brief) additional information about the subsequent fate of both the Australian units and of the German ones? The German paratroopers for example fought in Italy after 1943. Was there any assessment of the battle in the post-war works you have examined? For example, the failure of the Allies to eliminate the Germans, even though the latter made a complete mess of the first day, is quite surprising. This is something that probably should be addressed somehow. Crete in general is a German victory that should not have been one, and was helped along by lethargic Allied leadership, so perhaps this can be analyzed a bit?
I don't think that this is the place for any of that. The detailed fate of the various battalions belongs in the histories on them or their parent units. I would be unhappy working in what a descendant division did in a different country, 30 months after two of its battalions fought on Crete. Logically this would open the door for a full history of each unit involved.
What happened at Rethymno, according to the RSs, was irrelevant to the outcome of the battle. No Allied reinforcements were sent, so Campbell not completely wiping out the Germans made no difference to the outcome of the Battle of Crete. Rethymno would only have effected this battle if the Germans had captured the landing strip, and there was never a possibility of this. And if it had been captured it would have ended in the same result - a German victory.
Again, I don't think this article is the place for an analysis of the Battle of Crete. That has its own article. And, as noted, the Battle of Rethymno was all but irrelevant to its outcome.
Hmmm, all right. My point was rather whether Rethymno itself was analyzed in any way, either independently or as part of the general Allied failure in Crete (which probably all stem from the same root causes)—in other words, whether Rethymno was indicative/representative of the battle as a whole—and what lessons could be (and if, indeed, they were) drawn from it. Constantine 11:07, 14 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • and many more murdered less formally is a rather awkward turn of phrase, just state outright that many more were murdered in reprisals and atrocities.
Tweaked.

That's it, content-wise. There's some minor prose issues, but they are dealt with by Wikibenboy94 below. Once the above comments are done, I'll make another pass through the article, before supporting. Overall the article was a nice read, and easy to follow. Well done, as usual. Constantine 18:02, 16 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thanks Constantine, you have gone well above and beyond on this one. Your input has been extremely helpful and I much appreciate it. I have, I think, addressed all of your comments above. Note that this does not necessarily mean that I have actioned them as you may have wished. See what you think. Gog the Mild (talk) 19:03, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Hi Constantine, just a reminder. Gog the Mild (talk) 13:01, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Hi Gog the Mild, thanks for the changes, I've commented above on the few remaining issues. Looks
Hi Constantine, apologies for taking so long to respond.. I think that I have covered everything. See what you think. Gog the Mild (talk) 17:08, 25 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
No worries, Gog the Mild. Your changes are good, and I am now happy to support. Thanks for your work on this. If you ever want to take on the main Battle of Crete article or other sub-articles, ping me; apart from the Concise History I've got some German sources that might be useful/interesting (particularly in somewhat demolishing the myth of the elite Fallschirmjäger). Cheers, Constantine 10:45, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Many thanks for getting so involved in this Constantine, it is much appreciated.
Do you have Gola (2006)?
I assume that you have noticed Battle of Heraklion which is currently (also) working its way through FAC.
I am hoping to do articles on three more of the component conflicts of the Battle of Crete, but that article seems to have a lot of strong opinions and the current shape and weights of the article are so far from how I would like it to be that I suspect that I will decide to allocate the time to something else when I get there. Gog the Mild (talk) 18:04, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Gog the Mild: I'll have a look at Battle of Heraklion as soon as I may. I don't have Gola 2006, but I have on order from an antiques bookshop his other book on the fall of Greece, which may include Crete as well (it's probably going to get here sometime in the next fortnight). I am however currently reading Sönke Neitzel's book on the institutional history of the German military from 1871 to today (Deutsche Krieger, if it ever gets translated into English, I heartily recommend it), and there are some remarks that the performance of the Fallschirmjäger was inadequate, partly because of the insufficient homogenization of the corps, with those who were carried over from the police (Police Regiment 'General Göring') still notably being less proficient than their army counterparts, and that this was not overcome until after Crete clearly highlighted their deficiencies. Student's planning is also heavily criticized by German sources (underestimation of Allied force strength, lack of a clear Schwerpunkt). Constantine 18:54, 29 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Source review[edit]

Source review - spotchecks not done

  • Source for Australian/Greek overall strength in the infobox?
Arguably OR, so removed.
  • Source for alternate spellings in note 1?
Oops. Added.
  • How are you organizing Sources?
My A to Z went to pot. They should now be in alphabetical order, with "2/11th Battalion" under A for Australian War Memorial and the obit under H for The Herald.
  • The obit has a specific date that should be included, and why include publisher?
Date added, publisher removed.

Nikkimaria (talk) 23:42, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thanks as ever for the review Nikkimaria. Your comments addressed above. Gog the Mild (talk) 12:49, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Now have a citeref error on Hellenic Army History Directorate, and that ref if kept needs cleaning up - endash in title, repeating publisher as author when other refs do not, etc. Nikkimaria (talk) 14:01, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Hi Nikkimaria, I have found material in Hellenic Army History Directorate not covered by an English language source and so am now using it. This loses the citeref error, and I have tidied up Constantine's formatting. Re the duplication, apologies: I had understood that one should reproduce the author and publisher as given on the title page. This work gives the author as "Grèce. Dieúthynsī istorías stratoú" and the publisher as"Έκδοση Διευθύνσεως ιστορίας στρατού". Both translate as Hellenic Army History Directorate. Now better educated re this unusual case, I have deleted the publisher. Thanks. Gog the Mild (talk) 11:59, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Nikkimaria: How is it looking now? Gog the Mild (talk) 17:52, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Looks fine. Nikkimaria (talk) 22:24, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments by Wikibenboy94[edit]

Hi. This is my first contribution to a peer review so I apologize upfront if some of my suggestions for the prose come across as naïve or amateruish, regardless of my efforts in adhering to WP:FACR. I've currently got my own review open for the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered with the intention of getting it to FAC, and was directed to one of your reviews on by ImaginesTigers you had reached out to. However, it seems that peer review is now on the verge of closure so I have moved on to this relatively-new one instead.

Hi Wikibenboy94, I appreciate your spending the time to review this.
Linking
  • "heavy weapons" needs amending as it links to the video game Heavy Weapon.
Oops. Who knew? Fixed.

The following terms in bold should be linked:

Ah ha! There are nuances to how editors approach linking. I tend towards the light touch per MOS:OVERLINK. Clearly you tend towards the "better save than sorry" view. IMO "Australian", "Greek", "paratrooper" and "Adolf Hitler" fall into the not needing to be linked category under this guideline. Eg it seems unlikely that many readers of the article will be unfamiliar with Adolf Hitler.
"artillery" is already linked in the lead but not the article! Good spot. Fixed.
"Belligerent" and "taxiing" now linked.
  • "the Greek island"
  • "Australian and Greek forces"
  • "paratrooper"
  • "artillery"
  • "Belligerent"
  • "Adolf Hitler"
  • "Taxiing"
Lead
  • "defended the airstrip near Pigi[...]" Is there just the one airstrip? This is the first and only mention of it so perhaps it should be referred to it as "an airstrip", or otherwise clarify its location before the noun?
"Pigi" removed; rephrased as 'defended the town of Rethymno the nearby airstrip'. Yes, there was just the one.
That change doesn't seem gramatically correct to me, like it's missing a word.
Sorry. Somehow the cut and paste dropped a word. The article reads "defended the town of Rethymno and the nearby airstrip against a German paratrooper attack".
  • "The attack on Rethmyno was one of four airborne assaults on Crete on 20 May [...] following on from attacks against Maleme airfield and the main port of Chania in the west of Crete in the morning." Were these all attacks from German forces?
They were. Clarified.
  • "were scheduled to drop the 2nd Regiment over Rethymno[...]" When? Afternoon? Evening?
Added.
  • "Those German units dropping near the Allied positions suffered very high casualties, both from ground fire and once they had landed". I would suggest re-wording this to "The German units dropped near the Allied positions suffered very high casualties, both from ground fire and upon landing."
I prefer the current version, but given that your other suggestions have been insightful, perhaps you could expand on in what way(s) your version would be an improvement?
I suppose "those" is better if it's referring to a specific unit(s); "the" might imply it was all of them. I thought "upon landing" just felt snappier, and without having to include the use of a pronoun.
"upon landing": I can see pros and cons to both, and so have gone with your version as the more concise.
  • "The Allied Commander-in-Chief Middle East, General Archibald Wavell," This could potentially mislead readers into thinking the General is called "Middle East" before his actual name is mentioned immediately after. Recommend changing this to "Middle East's Allied Commander-in-Chief" or "Allied Commander-in-Chief of Middle East".
No, his title was "Commander-in-Chief Middle East". It can't be broken. Do you really think that a reader may think that there might be a person named "Middle East"? That they would be sub-literate enough to not realise that the lack of a comma between "Chief" and "Middle" rules this out? And if they did and were, that the immediate clarification of this by giving the actual name and rank of the holder of the position is not sufficient?
  • "Some Australians took to the hills[...]" "Took to the hills" should be replaced per MOS:IDIOM.
Rephrased.
Background
  • "the Ploiești oil fields in Romania would be within range of British bombers based on the island." Maybe I'm just being ignorant but what's the significant of the oil fields? For fuel?
Well, that's the main product of oil fields. I could stick a footnote in on their output and its importance to the Nazi war machine if you think it wouldn't be "unnecessary detail".
Thanks, I didn't know much about the purpose of oil fields. I probably wouldn't bother on the note but on the other hand it wouldn't harm I suppose.
I am inclined to leave it. There are so many aspects where one could give a fuller geo-political explanation, but one ends up with a cluttered article or a silly number of extensive notes.
Allies
  • "Equipment was scarce in the Mediterranean, especially in the backwater of Crete." This is more just my opinion, but I think replacing "especially" with "particularly" would make it sound a little more formal.
Done.
  • "In the space of a week, 27,000 Commonwealth troops had arrived from Greece," Are these part of the 42,000? If so, maybe clarify "27,000 of the Commonwealth troops".
I think that would put the emphasis in the wrong place, but I take your point. I have tweaked elsewhere, so it now reads

When the Germans attacked, the Allies had available a total of 42,000 men on Crete: 10,000 were Greek and 32,000 Commonwealth. In the space of a week, 27,000 Commonwealth troops had arrived from Greece, many lacking any equipment other than their personal weapons, or not even those; 9,000 of these were further evacuated and 18,000 remained when the battle commenced.

Any clearer?
I'm confused now as to how many Commonwealth soldiers there were at the start. Is "when the Germans attacked" and "when the battle commenced" referring to the same point in time, as the former sentence mentions there were 32,000 soldiers, but then 18,000 in the latter?
Ah. Probably because I have reversed the chronology. D'oh! How's

In the space of a week, 27,000 Commonwealth troops arrived from Greece, many lacking any equipment other than their personal weapons, or not even those; 9,000 of them were further evacuated and 18,000 remained when the battle commenced. With the pre-existing garrison of 14,000 this gave the Allies a total of 32,000 Commonwealth troops to face the German attack, supplemented by 10,000 Greeks.

  • "Both Australian battalions had fought in Greece" Do we know how long before Rethymno?
Clarified.
  • "The Australians totalled 1,270 experienced veterans, and there were several smaller attached Commonwealth units." I would change "and there" to "with".
Why? That seems less clear and less precise to me.
  • "The Greeks were 2,300 strong and ill-disciplined, ill-equipped and extremely short of ammunition". Change "and" to "but" to illustrate the disparity between their size and inadequacies.
Done. (But with fingers crossed for the PoV introduced. I am not sure that it is our role to illustrate such points, as opposed to stating the facts and allowing a reader to draw their own conclusions.)
Germans
  • "German intelligence summaries stated that the total Allied force on Crete consisted of 5,000 men," Was this deduction accurate? I thought the total Allied force amounted to many thousands more?
They did. As stated earlier. One source on the German performance in this area

The Germans, during their period of seemingly unstoppable conquest, paid relatively little attention to the art of intelligence. Such over-confidence was revealed in the language of their summaries which phrased mere suppositions with the cast-iron confidence of undeniable truths. That of 19 May, on the eve of battle, categorically stated that the British garrison on Crete was no more than 5,000 strong, with only 400 men at Heraklion, and none at Rethymno.

Others are less generous.
Paratroopers
  • "The design of the German parachutes". Did this apply to all German parachutes used during WWII? If so I would suggest changing to "standard German parachutes".
The source only states that this applies to the parachutes of German paratroopers (up to and including this operation). It almost certainly (OR alert) does not apply to at least some other types of German military parachutes of the period.
  • "were dropped in separate containers and until and unless the paratroopers reached them they were helpless". Grammatical error. I think the last part of the sentence could be a bit more formal or elaborated upon.
Elaborated on.
The grammatical error still remains: "and until and unless".
I had wondered what you considered that error to be. Broken into a separate sentence.
  • "German paratroopers were also required to leap headfirst from their aircraft, and so were trained to land on all fours [...] Once out of the plane, German paratroopers were unable to control their fall or to influence where they landed." Why was it required that they leap headfirst, and what about this manoeuvre meant that they had to land on all fours? Similarly, did the inability for German paratroopers to control their fall and destination only result from the types of parachutes they used, or did this apply to any country's paratroopers?
"Why" and "what": the source does not say. "Many technical problems remained ... German parachute training called for ..." without (much) further explanation. I could guess, but that would be OR.
"control": I don't know. My sources only refer to German paratroopers.
  • "Paratroopers were carried by the reliable tri-motored Ju 52. Each transport could lift thirteen paratroopers, with their weapons containers carried on the planes' external bomb racks." I'm not sure about the placement of the acknowledgement of the Ju 52 by name at the end of the section only after being referred to as "the aircraft" several times throughout. Also, is the Ju considered reliable for its aforementioned carrying capacity, or some other detail?
"aircraft" is used when the type of aircraft used is unknown or irrelevant. Ju 52s are only introduced at the end, because it is only in relation to this operation that we know that they were used. It is common for non-front line aircraft to be used for training. Other aircraft may have been used for other operations. The sources don't say.
I assumed that the paragraph was only referring to details on paratroopers for that specific battle rather than the war in general, so if this is the case, to avoid confusion it might be worth adding to the introduction "During the war German paratroopers were also required[...]".
Given that the article is about a paratrooper attack during WWII, that the preceding paragraph is about the planning for a paratrooper landing during WWII I think that this would be clear to a reader from context. And I can't write "During the war"; as stated above "The source only states that this applies to the parachutes of German paratroopers (up to and including this operation)", the situation may have continued, it may not - I don't know and, given that "The Germans attempted no further large-scale airborne operations" I don't think it is relevant.
Initial assault
  • "The aircraft which dropped them were scheduled[...]" I presume by the use of the plural "were" that it was more than one aircraft?
Yes.
  • "In Greece the Germans were having problems with their hastily constructed airfield facilities in mainland Greece[...]" Greece is mentioned twice. Recommend keeping the first instance and changing to read "in the mainland" or some other variation.
Ah. I tweaked it for a previous reviewer and clearly didn't check thoroughly enough. Fixed
  • "the pre-assault softening up from the German air support" Shouldn't the correct tense be "softened"? Also it may be beneficial to use more accessible wording for those unfamiliar with military jargon.
No, "softening" is correct. Rephrased to be more accessible.
  • "many members of the 2/II Battalion had been dropped in the wrong location," Do we know why?
No. (I mean yes - paratrooper operations were notorious for lack of accuracy (on D-Day some Americans were dropped 40 miles off target), the totally unexpected ground fire will have seriously distracted the pilots and at another attack site the same date it turned out that interpretation of the reconnaissance photos used to plan the attack had resulted in a valley being mistaken for a hill. But that is all OR. No source specifically says.)
  • "Around 18:00[...]" "At around 18:00" is more gramatically correct.
Done.
  • "but were beaten off by the Cretan police," Sounds a bit informal. Would suggest replacing with "fended off" or "repelled" as examples.
"fended off" - a nautical term - seems even more informal, and repelled suggests an inactivity on the part of those doing the repelling which wasn't the case. I don't see a problem with "beaten off", but happy to consider synonyms other than those two.
Subsequent operations
  • "this was disrupted when they were mistakenly bombed by their own aircraft." The article mentions this happening twice to the Germans. Were there any casulties/deaths do we know?
None are mentioned in the sources.
  • "The German 2/III Battalion was unable to renew its attack on Rethymno on the 21st as it was pinned down around Perivolia by the Cretan police from the town and armed civilians." Not clear about whether these are the same aforementioned police and civilians from Rethymno or some from Perivolia. If both groups were from the same location I would re-arrange the wording to "Cretan police and armed civilians from the town."
We don't know where the armed civilians came from precisely, but it is known that at least some did not come from the town. Hence the arguably clumsy wording.
  • "When Ju 52s flew over, the Allies ceased fire and displayed captured panels requesting resupply; they received weapons, ammunition and equipment." What are these panels, and how did the Allies use them to communicate (in the next paragraph it mentions the use of signal panels, which are presumably the same thing)? Also, I presume the supplies came from the Ju 52's (via parachute?) as they were tricked into thinking they were Germans?
Yes, they were signal panels. The sources don't go into the specifics of how they were used to communicate nor specify what type of aircraft dropped the supplies. On the latter there is probably enough in the sources for me to specify Ju 52s, but I felt a little happier hedging as in the sentence you quote.
Surrender
  • "Greek casualties are unknown". Would include "The number of" at the start of the sentence.
Done.
Misc.
  • Instances of "machineguns" need to be changed to "machine guns".
wikt:machinegun
  • "The Rethymno landing strip was about 8 mi (13 km)[...]" The full unit of measurement "miles" should be used for clarity; its abbreviation of three fewer letters isn't much difference.
Done.
Punctuation requirements

The following words/punctuation in bold need a comma or hyphen between them:

Commas
  • The month–day–year dates need commas per MOS:COMMA.
I have not used any MDY dates, they are all in DMY format.
  • "but airfield construction took place, radar sites were built and stores delivered."
A comma inserted after "and" is known as a serial or Oxford comma. It is, under the MoS a permissible practice, but not a required one. The MoS states "Editors may use either convention so long as each article is internally consistent".
  • "grouped under the 11th Air Corps (XI Fliegerkorps) which was commanded by[...]"
  • "after 29 of their 35 fighters based on Crete were destroyed the RAF rebased its aircraft there to Alexandria."
Rephrased.
  • "Faced by a superior force of Germans equipped with tanks and artillery Campbell surrendered[...]"
  • "supplies and communication facilities."
  • "Rifles, automatic weapons, mortars, ammunition, food and water were dropped"
  • "The transport aircraft had to fly straight, low and slowly,"
  • "At the same time its 1st Battalion (2/I),"
  • "The paratrooper drops did not occur simultaneously instead a succession of easy targets[...]" (Semi-colon after "simultaneously"; comma after "instead".)
Comma inserted after "simultaneously" (only).
  • "The German 2/I Battalion dug in on the hilltop having suffered 400 dead or wounded."
  • "At first light on 21 May the Allies[...]"
I am aware of the, to my mind strange, convention of inserting a comma after any initial mention of time. It is not one I use. So proponents of it would write, and, I assume, say "Today, I ate breakfast"; I would write and say "Today I ate breakfast". Either is acceptable. (Much as I itch to remove them when copy editing for GoCE.)
  • "a radio was transferred to rubber dinghy and this paddled towards the beach. The radio, dinghy and seaplane[...]"
  • "The next day Wavell ordered[...]"
  • "On the morning of 29 May a German force[...]"
  • "On the morning of 20 May two reinforced[...]"
Where I have not commented it is because I have already covered the principle - serial comma, time commas, or because I do not feel that a comma is required, necessary nor aids understanding.
You are, I gather, a "commaist"; I am, you will have gathered, not. During a FAC discussion of one of my nominations earlier this year an experienced reviewer is also a commaist gently mocked themself by quoting the grammar writer Lynn Truss.
The Comma War seems to be becoming a running joke. See the comments here from 15 minutes ago! Gog the Mild (talk) 16:31, 18 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Hyphens
  • "was code named "Operation Mercury[...]"
Done.
  • "part transported by air"
That would imply that all of the division went part way by air and part way by sea, which was not the case.
  • "the German air operations over Rethymno were ill coordinated"
Done.

Greetings Wikibenboy94 and many thanks for this review. I have now addressed all of your comments above and look forward to your further thoughts. Gog the Mild (talk) 11:58, 20 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Hi Wikibenboy94. I think that i have addressed all of your comments above and I would welcome your further thoughts on my responses. Regards. Gog the Mild (talk) 22:45, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Hi Gog. Apologies for not getting back to you. I have no qualms with your most recent responses, and yes while I am a "commaist" as you say I can't do much to persuade you otherwise if you don't hold the same views (I've understood since that there is less support for serial commas than I first thought!). Wikibenboy94 (talk) 23:40, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Wikibenboy94: I have certainly been surprised since I started doing work at GoCE three years ago at how many things which I thought were accepted practice, are actually variants. And sometimes a minority one. Hyphens is an area which repeatedly trips me. And I seem to get no better at copy editing my own work.
I much appreciate your comments so far, and the article is the better for them. Do you have further suggestions, or do you feel able to either support or oppose?
Gog the Mild (talk) 13:46, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Gog the Mild: One thing I did come across initially and had to remind myself it was referring to the same ones was that the Matilda tanks are only referred to by name once (mentions: "Two Matilda II heavy tanks" ... "his two heavy tanks" ... "their two abandoned tanks" ... "The two recovered tanks"). I think at least for the second instance they should be referred to as "Matilda tanks". Wikibenboy94 (talk) 17:11, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I possibly overdo the 'give full name at first mention only' thing. "Matilda II" added to second mention and to the footnote. Thanks again for the review and the support. Gog the Mild (talk) 17:50, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support. Can't find any further reasons why it shouldn't be. Wikibenboy94 (talk) 17:11, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Accessibility review[edit]

  • the images are missing alt text
Added.
  • can the infobox small font be avoided per MOS:SMALL?
It can. Fixed.

Heartfox (talk) 03:08, 17 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Hi Heartfox and thank you for that. Both issues fixed I believe. See what you think. Gog the Mild (talk) 12:48, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Question from SnowFire[edit]

This is not a full review; just one nitpick / question.

Before the invasion, the Germans conducted a bombing campaign to establish air superiority; after 29 of their 35 fighters based on Crete were destroyed the RAF rebased its aircraft there to Alexandria.

First off, this sentence is structured a bit funny (you might think the "their" in "their 35 fighters" refers to the Germans as you read along, but nope, surprise, it was the RAF retroactively). However, it seems to also raise more questions. What were the losses among non-fighter aircraft? Were there any? If not, shouldn't it just say "the remaining 6 fighters"? I'm not entirely sure that this is the place to go into deep detail about the German air campaign against Crete, but if you're going to go into it, I'd suggest rephrasing to be a bit clearer about what's going on.

Strictly the semi colon makes the phrase grammatically correct. But I take you point and have rephrased to

Before the invasion, the Germans conducted a bombing campaign against Crete and the surrounding waters to establish air superiority. The RAF rebased its surviving aircraft to Alexandria after 29 of their 35 Crete-based fighters were destroyed.

How is it now?

Checking the history, I see that this used to be vaguer and just say "the Germans conducted a bombing campaign to establish air superiority and forced the RAF to rebase its aircraft in Alexandria." Maybe revert to that? If the details are important, though, I'd rephrase and give all of them - "Before the invasion, the Germans conducted a bombing campaign to establish air superiority. After RAF losses of 29 out of 35 of their fighters and (INSERT OTHER RELEVANT LOSSES HERE OR ELSE MAKE CLEAR IT WAS JUST THOSE 35 AIRCRAFT AT ALL), the British rebased their remaining aircraft to Alexandria."

I need to be careful to to not step outside the constraints of the information provided by the sources, but the rephrase may have allayed your concerns?

SnowFire (talk) 20:37, 17 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Good point SnowFire, thanks. How does it look now? Gog the Mild (talk) 22:23, 17 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I think skipping the semicolon is better since separate sentences, one for the Germans and one for the RAF, is better. So it does read better, thanks. One question on your addition: " the surrounding waters?" Does this mean the outlying islands? Or does this mean that the Germans were bombing the British fleet as well? If so, maybe say that directly? But maybe this is overly nitpicky. SnowFire (talk) 00:12, 18 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
It means that they conducted a bombing campaign against the surrounding waters as well as against Crete - which by definition is mostly land. Yes, in practice this meant attacking Allied warships, submarines, transport craft and seaplanes. As I don't go into detail of what was attacked during "bombing campaign against Crete" I don't think it appropriate to do so for just that against the surrounding waters. Remember that - as stated - the objective was to "to establish air superiority"; attacking specific targets was secondary. Gog the Mild (talk) 13:37, 18 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments Support by Zawed[edit]

I reviewed this for the Milhist A-Class assessment, and felt it was in good shape then. I see there has been substantive and comprehensive feedback provided by other FA reviewers, but am taking another look at this to see if I can nitpick anything else. Comments, if any to follow. Zawed (talk) 02:20, 21 February 2021 (UTC) InfoboxReply[reply]

  • In the strength section of the infobox, there is no value associated with Support units. In the Allies section of the article, I believe this is intended to be covered by note 2 which only gives an absolute value for the artillery. Perhaps instead, say "Unknown number of support personnel" or "90+ support personnel"?
I have gone with your first suggestion.

Background

Done.
  • largely opposed to a German attack on Crete. German seems redundant here.
True. Removed.

Battle

  • It was 16:00 before this pre-assault air attack commenced, it was limited to fewer than 20 aircraft and it was ineffective. repeated use of "it was". Suggest something like "It was 16:00 before this pre-assault air attack commenced; limited to fewer than 20 aircraft, it was ineffective."
Tweaked along those lines.
  • Having been informed at 14:30 of the attacks to the west, the Allies realised this might be the prelude... is this realisation in response to the 14:30 news or the 16:00pm pre assault and is the Allies here meant to refer to the overall forces on Crete (which is the impression I get) or more specifically the garrison at Rethymno?
Clarified.

Surrender

  • Many men from the 2/11th Battalion struck off on their own I think "struck out" would read better?
Changed to "made off". Does that work?
That's about it for me. Zawed (talk) 03:03, 21 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thanks for that Zawed. Your comments above all addressed. Gog the Mild (talk) 12:04, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Looks good, I have added my support. Zawed (talk) 08:56, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Query for the coordinators[edit]

@WP:FAC coordinators: Ealdgyth, Ian Rose: This nomination now has image and source review passes, three supports – two by non-military history regulars – and a fourth review running smoothly. Could I have permission to throw in the next one? Cheers. Gog the Mild (talk) 18:51, 27 February 2021 (UTC) Gog the Mild (talk) 17:53, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I'm fine with that. Ealdgyth (talk) 13:35, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

HF[edit]

Looks like this one's been running awhile, so I'll give it a review. Standard WikiCup potential entry disclaimer. Hog Farm Talk 00:53, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Maybe it's just something wrong on my end of the system, but for the map in the Germans section, I'm just getting a caption, with the alt text as a link to the image I have to click on to see the image. May just be my system, though.
I have just checked it on four different devices and it displays fine on all of them, so I suspect the issue to be at your end.
  • I notice both Lieutenant General and Lieutenant-general are used in different points to refer to Student's rank; it might be best to standardize.
Very diplomatic. Fixed.
  • "German paratroopers were also required to leap headfirst from their aircraft" - Is this because of equipment restrictions, plane design, how they were trained to do this, or for other reasons? Leaping headfirst out of a plane seems like a really bad idea, so it might be worth a brief explanation as to why this was done.
Briefly added: "The danger of fouling the static lines also required that German paratroopers lept headfirst from their aircraft, and so were trained to land on all fours ...
  • I notice the infobox only gives 20 May as the date, but the battle seems to have drawn out for longer; maybe use a date range in the infobox?
Very odd. Thank you. Fixed.

That's it from me, expect to support. Hog Farm Talk 18:39, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thanks HF. Your comments addressed above. Gog the Mild (talk) 19:16, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Support on WP:FACR 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 2a, 2b, 2c, and 4, did not check others. Hog Farm Talk 19:18, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Gog the Mild via FACBot (talk) 29 March 2021 [5].


Beaver[edit]

Nominator(s): LittleJerry (talk) 22:32, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I've been working on this in since the last FAC and hope the major issues have been addressed. I would like to thank Dieter.Meinertzhagen,Twofingered Typist and SandyGeorgia. LittleJerry (talk) 22:32, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Image review—pass[edit]

  • Optional: Use a higher resolution header image
The image shows both front and back feet, the tail and head. Would have liked to use File:Beaver Yearling Grooming Alhambra Creek 2008.jpg but the back feet are covered. LittleJerry (talk) 00:21, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
It states in the Description "Date of Publishing: 1853"
  • Other image licensing looks OK to me. (t · c) buidhe 23:59, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from SilverTiger[edit]

I'm not any sort of FA reviewer, but I'm taking a look-see in hopes of learning.

  • Is there a reason some of the sources are separated out into a bibliograohy section rather than being cited like the other sources?
The bibilography sources are used for multiple pages thoughout, the others have a specific page range. LittleJerry (talk) 12:55, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Is there nothing more to be said about C. californicus and C. praefiber? Which came first, who evolved into who, etc. Can they be included in the cladogram?
Not much. LittleJerry (talk) 12:55, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Dipoides, Miocene, larynx, and trachea should all be linked at the first mention. There's probably more that need to be linked, those were just the first four I noticed.
Fixed. LittleJerry (talk) 12:55, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Usual among mammals, the epiglottis... Shouldn't that be unusually?
I don't think so. LittleJerry (talk) 12:55, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Comma needed after "webbing between the toes"
Fixed. LittleJerry (talk) 12:55, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • only their webbed hind feet are used for propelling while the front feet are tucked under the chest. The used for propelling part is a little clunky. Maybe change to used to swim?
Fixed. LittleJerry (talk) 12:55, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The whole three sentences about the tail also read a little clunky and disconnected.
Fixed. LittleJerry (talk) 12:55, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Next to humans, no other extant animal appears to do more to shape its environment. Shouldn't that be Except for humans?
Fixed. LittleJerry (talk) 12:55, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Canada Geese needs to be sentence case.
Fixed. LittleJerry (talk) 12:55, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • First sentence of the Family life section is a bit unclear. Maybe change to The basic unit of beaver social organization is the family, which is comprised of an adult male and...
Fixed. LittleJerry (talk) 12:55, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

That's all for now. --SilverTiger12 (talk) 00:45, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Support - I supported last time around, so here it is again. FunkMonk (talk) 14:24, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Support - I can not see any notable issues with the article. This is definitely ready for promotion. Wretchskull (talk) 08:33, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Source review[edit]

Claiming. Will do soon. Might claim for WikiCup points. Hog Farm Talk 07:36, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

This looks so much better than it did back at Beaver/archive1.

This isn't a huge deal, but since you're linking the names of the journals with article, BMC Evolutionary Biology has a link, as does Physiological Zoology, and the Journal of Wildlife Diseases.

Done. Wretchskull (talk) 17:13, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Ref 114 (Riley, "Restoring Neighborhood Streams ...") lacks a publishing location.

Done. Wretchskull (talk) 17:20, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I'm not particularly confident with Vice being high-quality RS; the WP:RSP entry for it says there's no consensus on basic reliability

Replaced it with journal. Wretchskull (talk) 17:26, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

With the exception of Vice, I think the sources are all high-quality RS for what they are citing. After looking through the sources and what they are supporting, I don't see any red flags of things that are likely dated. The section about beavers in culture is also much better written and sourced; the tendency to get trivial or to cherry-pick examples there is gone. The breadth of sourcing used here is also much greater and more representative. Formatting is acceptable - a few minor inconsistencies, but nothing distracting, incomplete, or problematic. I will be doing spot checks for close paraphrasing and source-text integrity soon. Hog Farm Talk 16:56, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I can't access all of the sources, but I spot-checked five statements that I could check and found no issues. Results at User:Hog Farm/spot checks/Beaver. Pass on WP:FACR 1c, 1f, and 2c. Sourcing looks fine to me. Hog Farm Talk 15:48, 11 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Accessibility review[edit]

Fixed. LittleJerry (talk) 12:37, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support and comments from Jim[edit]

Looks pretty good to me, just a few thoughts below:

  • Beavers are territorial and mark them using scent— isn't quite grammatical, Beavers hold territories and mark them using scent
Fixed. Wretchskull (talk) 16:56, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • 75 percent of the air in its lungs, compared to 15 percent for a human.—is that per breath, or a particular time span? Given enough time all the air will be replaced.
Clarified. LittleJerry (talk) 19:41, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I'm pleased to see predators and parasites considered. In bird articles we often have an EL to vocalisations, is there anything similar for our furry friends here?
Come again? LittleJerry (talk) 19:41, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Jimfbleak - talk to me? 14:06, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support by Dunkleosteus77[edit]

  • "Beaver activity can affect the temperature of the water. In northern latitudes, ice thaws earlier in beaver-inhabited waters than in those without beavers. Beavers may contribute to climate change. In Arctic areas, the floods they create can cause permafrost to thaw, releasing methane into the atmosphere." I feel like this could be 1 sentence   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  20:25, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
That would be a huge sentence. And they are two different subjects. LittleJerry (talk) 12:54, 21 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I assumed the ice thaws early because their floods release methane and contribute to regional warming?   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  18:03, 21 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
No. Its become damming makes the water warmer. LittleJerry (talk) 18:45, 21 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
you should say that then   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  19:33, 21 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Done. LittleJerry (talk) 20:50, 21 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Because rodents have a bad reputation. See rats. LittleJerry (talk) 12:54, 21 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "who capitalized on trading with the Europeans" just checking is this really the best way to describe European–Native American relations?   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  20:25, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I'm not describing their whole relationship. LittleJerry (talk) 12:54, 21 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
No, but is "capitalized" the best word to use?   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  18:03, 21 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I don't know. LittleJerry (talk) 18:50, 21 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
what does the source say?   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  01:54, 23 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
It uses "capitalize" as well. LittleJerry (talk) 03:00, 23 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Dunkleosteus77, I removed the word. LittleJerry (talk) 18:22, 23 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
That is not when Castoridae evolved. Removed range since sources are not clear on the exact mya in which Castor appeared. LittleJerry (talk) 12:54, 21 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
this has a good overview of the Castor fossil record. It says the earliest is C. neglectus from 12–10 mya Germany   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  19:33, 21 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Added. LittleJerry (talk) 20:50, 21 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Dunkleosteus77? LittleJerry (talk) 01:51, 23 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Done. LittleJerry (talk) 16:59, 24 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Coordinator note[edit]

Hi LittleJerry and thanks for the email. Three supports is the minimum required for a nomination for, possibly, it to be considered that a consensus for promotion has formed. And this has been open for less than four weeks. I would like to leave it for a little longer to see if it can attract further suggestions for improvements. I know all too well how difficult it can be to be patient while hoping and waiting for a FAC to be promoted, but all I can suggest is sticking with it and seeing what the next few days brings. Gog the Mild (talk) 22:44, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Gog the Mild via FACBot (talk) 29 March 2021 [6].


William Hardham[edit]

Nominator(s): Zawed (talk) 09:37, 8 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

This article is about William Hardham, a New Zealand soldier who was awarded the Victoria Cross for saving a wounded comrade during an engagement of the Boer War. Only the second New Zealander to be a recipient of the VC, he went on to serve in the First World War. Seriously wounded at Gallipoli, after recovering he was commander of a Military hospital in New Zealand and later participated in the Sinai and Palestine campaign. After the war he was involved in rugby union administration. The article underwent a GA review in July 2018 and then a Milhist A-class review in May 2019. I freshened the article up a little last year in anticipation of taking this to FAC. Thanks in advance to all those who participate in the review. Zawed (talk) 09:37, 8 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Gog the Mild[edit]

Recusing to review. Gog the Mild (talk) 14:59, 10 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • "that could be awarded at the time to British and Commonwealth forces." Insert 'members of the'.
  • I swapped personnel for members, but otherwise changed as per suggestion. Zawed (talk) 08:11, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Having reached the rank of major by the end of the war". Perhaps add 'in 1914'?
  • "He would eventually play 53 games for the province". What province?
  • Have clarified - I think I had phrased it that way originally to try and avoid using Wellington too much but it is inevitable I guess. Zawed (talk) 08:11, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "the first and only such award". Do we need "first and"?
  • Good point, a bit redundant isn't it. Have rephrased. Zawed (talk) 08:11, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "This event took place even before the gazetting of the award." A non-specialist will have little idea what this means, so perhaps an in line explanation, especially of "gazetting".
  • "The medal itself was not officially engraved". What was engraved, and where on the medal?
  • "The Rough Riders spent the final weeks of its service in South Africa". Optional: "its" → 'their'.
  • "It was also involved in". Quite possibly just me, but referring to the Rough Riders as "it" really jars.
  • Changed. Earlier in the section I use they/their anyway so the changes actually make for consistency. And looking at it again, it is a little jarring. Zawed (talk) 08:59, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "On the outbreak of the First World War" State when.
  • "and would be destined for service", "would be" → 'was'.
  • "organise sporting events to keep men occupied." → 'organise sporting events to keep the men occupied.'
  • "While the WMR missed out on the initial landings at Gallipoli". Suggest a different phrase to "missed out".
  • "the initial landings at Gallipoli". Give the date.
  • "During an attack on Anzac Cove". Could you specify who was doing the attacking.
  • "and it was during this engagement", Delete "it was".
  • "Initially just a temporary position". Delete "just".
  • "repatriated back to New Zealand suffering malaria." Optional: → 'repatriated back to New Zealand suffering from malaria.'
  • "Unable to return to his work as a blacksmith". I can guess why, but I think you should be explicit.

Nice one. Gog the Mild (talk) 14:59, 10 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Gog the Mild, thanks for taking a look at this one. I have made some edits to the article and responded with comments above. Cheers, Zawed (talk) 09:18, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Coordinator note[edit]

Hi Zawed: more than three weeks in and only one review. It may be time to see if you can call in some favours? Gog the Mild (talk) 21:05, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments Support by Pendright[edit]

@Zawed: I have a few comments for your cosideration. Pendright (talk) 06:01, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Lead:

The Boer War link and the South Africa section indicate it's the Second Boer War. The Boer War, as you are aware, is known by several names - suggest you choose one and AKA one of the others.
Gone with Second Boer War - I use that term elsewhere so that keeps things consistent. Zawed (talk) 06:18, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • He rode to the rescue of a wounded soldier while under heavy fire and for this he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
He rode his "horse", "steed" or "mount"?
Gone with horse. Zawed (talk) 06:18, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Discharged from the New Zealand Military Forces in 1901, he rejoined for another period of service in the Boer War but did not return to South Africa and instead was sent to England for the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
Boer War VS. Second Boer War?
As above. Zawed (talk) 06:18, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Early life:

  • He was [born and] educated in Wellington, the city of his birth and when his schooling was completed, he obtained work as a blacksmith.
  • Consider the above changes
I had constructed this section originally to avoid getting too close to the source material. I haven't gone with your suggestion (since it would involve using "born in" two sentences in a row) but have rephrased. What do you think now? Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • One could become a blacksmith without a formal education, but honing the skills of the trade could take several years. Could you add a litle background?
Presumably he actually started as an apprentice but there is nothing in the sources to support this assumption. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

South Africa:

  • During the Second Boer War, the New Zealand Government offered the British [Government] a mounted rifles contingent from the New Zealand Military Forces for service in the [South Africa] conflict in South Africa.
  • Second Boer War?
Using Second Boer War consistently now. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Should it go without saying that the British accepted Australia’s offer?
Have rewritten to explicitly state this. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Consider the above changes
  • In addition to the Second Boer War link, could you briefly tell readers who fought in it and why?
Have added some context for the reader. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Volunteers were plentiful and by 1900, two contingents had already left for the war.
Wouldn't the comma after 1900 be better placed after pentiful, or how about no comma at all because the sentence is only 14 words?
I have rejigged this sentence. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • They was also involved in the capture of a convoy of Koos de la Rey's commando in March 1901.
  • "They was "vs. "They were"?
Ouch. Fixed. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Should commando be plural?
Not in this context - Commando can be used in a singular form as it can refer to a troop of men as per its usage here. Earlier in this section I refer to commandos, but in the sense of multiple troops. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Aside from a brief action at Ottoshoop in August, the Rough Riders spent the majority of their service in the war in the Transvaal, carrying out reconnaissance patrols and pursuing Boer commandos.
  • Since location is being expressed, shouldn't "in
the Transvaal" be "at the the Transvaal"?
The Transvaal is a province, not a specific feature so the accepted usage is in the Transvaal. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The sentence does well in telling readers about the several events that took place, but how about showing them a bit of it?
The actions were generally small scale so what I've done here is combine two paragraphs, to give Hardham's VC action as an example of skirmishing with Boer commandos. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Hardham [and] , along with over 50 other New Zealand mounted riflemen[,] serving in South Africa, [were] was sent to England to join up with the New Zealand contingent attending the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra and participated in a parade of colonial troops in London on 1 July 1902.
Consider the above changes
Done. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Civilian life:

  • As well as [In addition to] his work as a blacksmith, he also increasingly became involved in rugby administration; in 1908 he commenced a six-year term on the of the Wellington Rugby Football Union.
Consider the above change?
Done. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

First World War:

  • Later in the day, Hardham was ordered to lead an attacking party on the Nek, from where Turkish soldiers were sniping.
  • Literally, Nek means Neck?
Actually, I'm not sure, it is just the name of the feature being attacked. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • On the "Nek" of what?
There has been some clarifying text added. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • If snipping has not been linked, consider linking it.
Linked as suggested. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • He still sought a role with the NZEF and eventually, in late 1917, the military authorities relented[,] and he was able to rejoin the WMR, which at the time was serving in Palestine.
Consider the above changes
Done. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • His [Hardham's] health was poor and he spent [was ill] much of the remainder of the war ill.
Considet the above changes
Done. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Later life and legacy

  • After the war, Hardham was discharged from the NZEF but sought a role in the New Zealand Military Forces as a professional soldier.
  • Where and when was he discharged?
Sources don't explicitly state this. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Should it be said that he returned to Wellington?
Again the sources don't explicitly state this, but some of his employers were in Wellington I have expanded on the detail of the newspaper he worked for which gives some context. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Suffering from stomach cancer, Hardham died at his home in the suburb of Ngaio on 13 April 1928.
Consider adding -> "on 13 April 1928" [at the age of ?].
Done. Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Finished - Pendright (talk) 06:01, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Pendright, thank you for your considered feedback, much appreciated. I have responded with replies above and edits to the article. Thanks again, Zawed (talk) 04:04, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Zawed: My pleasure! All good, supporting - Pendright (talk) 22:10, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments Support by Dumelow[edit]

I only looked at the prose, comments below but looking pretty good to me. All the best - Dumelow (talk) 11:38, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Dumelow, thank you for stopping by and reviewing this one, it is greatly appreciated. I have responded to your comments above and with edits to the article. Cheers, Zawed (talk) 04:53, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Supporting on prose, your changes look good to me - Dumelow (talk) 10:25, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Source review – pass[edit]

  • Slight inconsistency in formatting of initials: "Crawford, J.A.B." vs "Hall, D. O. W."
  • According to the OCLC link, the year range in the title of Hall 1949 is actually 1889–1902, not 1899–1902.
  • Weird, the title is definitely 1899–1902. Bizarrely, doing a search on Worldcat I found another version where the year part of the title was 1899–1908, so that two versions of the same book with incorrect titles! I have found an oclc number that links to the correct title. Zawed (talk) 09:29, 11 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Be consistent in the formatting for the location: McCarthy & Howitt 1983 and Wilkie 1924 are missing "New Zealand" after Auckland.
  • Some would quibble about ISBN-10 vs ISBN-13 formatting, but I really don't care: they are equally verifiable.
  • The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography reference could do with a first published year of 1996 adding.
  • The cite template here is a specific one for DNZB entries so isn't the standard web cite template. I have tried adding orig-year to the DNZB template, but it doesn't show up when previewed. Zawed (talk) 09:29, 11 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The reference from The London Gazette is formatted inconsistently compared to the other newspaper sources.
  • Like the DNZB template, this reference uses one specific to the LG whereas the others use the standard newspaper cite template. This is why they are inconsistent. I have used this mixture of LG and newspaper cites in other FA articles. Zawed (talk) 09:29, 11 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • All sources appear to be to high-quality, reliable sources.

More to follow on coverage and accuracy. Harrias (he/him) • talk 20:20, 10 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thanks for the source review, I have responded above. Look forward to your further comments. Cheers, Zawed (talk) 09:29, 11 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Okay, I'm happy with the responses above. Harrias (he/him) • talk 19:47, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Searches don't reveal any glaring omissions, this article appears to accurately cover the source material.
  • The nominator is an experienced and trusted editor, so spotchecks are not necessarily needed. That said, I did check the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography references, and all checked out okay.
  • Further checks for copyvio or close para-phrasing revealed nothing of concern; the only significant duplication appeared in attributed quotes.

Sorry for the gap in the middle, but with those addition checks, I'm happy to pass this source review. Harrias (he/him) • talk 19:47, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Coord note[edit]

Hi Zawed, like to see a review from someone outside of MilHist -- if you think you can scare one up, great, otherwise I'll try and do so. Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 00:14, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thanks Ian Rose, I have reached out to a non-Milhist editor of New Zealand topics to see if they will take a look and if that doesn't work out, I will post a request on the NZ project page. Cheers, Zawed (talk) 01:58, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I was at the receiving end of such a request and I shall endeavour to have a look. Schwede66 02:49, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Ian Rose, I think this is good to go now. Cheers, Zawed (talk) 23:02, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from Support by Schwede66[edit]

I have looked at this from a non-military perspective. I offer the following comments:

  • There’s an existing redirect for Mount Cook School and it points to the suburb; suggest you make use of that link.
  • Naauwpoort should be wikilinked (redirects to Noupoort)
  • Done although by amending the previous paragraph - I prefer to not have a link within the quote if I can avoid it. Zawed (talk) 05:57, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Hardham was presented with the VC, the only such award made to a New Zealander in the Boer War, on 1 July by George, Prince of Wales, who was in South Africa on a visit." This could do with the year added for clarity. We are talking about 1901 but what is confusing is that in the previous line, The London Gazette notice is reproduced with an October 1901 date. It's confusing that this was gazetted after the medal had already been awarded and by adding the year, that confusion is avoided. Admittedly, the very next sentence clears this up but by then, some readers may already be confused.
  • "This event took place even before the award was officially announced in the London Gazette." My preference would be to include "The" within the wikilink and in italic font as that’s the common name for the gazette.
  • Fixed. That's a subtlety I don't think I've noticed before. I may need to amend a few other articles where I've probably omitted "The" from The London Gazette. Zawed (talk) 06:03, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "in accordance with normal practice" – I suggest this should instead say “in departure from normal practice”
  • "and Hardham was discharged two months later" – would it be a good idea to wikilink to Military discharge for those of us who aren’t super-familiar with military matters?
  • "Soon after the Ninth Contingent's arrival in South Africa in late April" – I see that there is no article for the 9th New Zealand Contingent but is that contingent notable? If so, I’d like to see a red link.
  • It is subjective, but in my view the 9th Contingent isn't notable. It did little active campaigning and the war ended the month after its arrival in South Africa. Zawed (talk) 06:31, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "were sent to England to join up with the New Zealand contingent attending the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra" – hang on, another contingent? Or does this instance of "contingent" have a different meaning to the previous one? If so, could a different term be used?
  • Yes, I see the potential for confusion here - the benefit of feedback from a non-Milhist person. I have rephrased. Zawed (talk) 06:31, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Coronation Parade of Imperial troops in 1902
  • Is this a suitable photo to illustrate this part of the bio?
  • Unfortunately, the copyright tag on that photo doesn't look correct and the caption suggests it is a parade in South Africa not London. But your suggestion to illustrate the parade led me to the photo I have chosen to illustrate this section. Zawed (talk) 06:31, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "While the WMR were not involved" – one regiment and therefore, it should be “was not involved” for proper grammar (or else, you ought to talk about the “soldiers of the WMR”).
  • Is "countermand" a military term? Have never heard it before; would anything be lost if a more common term (e.g. "revoked") was used instead?
  • "He was involved in veterans' affairs, being a club manager at the Wellington Returned Serviceman's Association and organising Anzac Day parades." Should that be "Servicemen's", i.e. plural? Wikilink the RSA part to Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association?
  • Turns out the name was slightly wrong, I have amended to match the source and linked. Zawed (talk) 08:50, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Victoria Cross plaque, Queens Gardens, Dunedin
  • Should this image be used in the later life and legacy section?
  • In terms of structure, what didn’t sit quite right with me is that his marriage gets a mention only after he’s dead. Obviously, he married his wife after his repatriation back to New Zealand. Maybe the section "First World War" should have three sub-headings: his two placements and the short time in NZ in between. As a VC holder, there was of course contemporary interest in the wedding, and here's one source of such reporting. At the very least, St. Peter's Church, Wellington (Category I registered and thus notable), the wedding date, and a bit more on her background should be stated. That would give it better balance / make it less of a "mostly military" bio. Schwede66 04:02, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I have moved the content regarding the wedding to the appropriate place chronologically, and also added some headings RE your comments on structure. Zawed (talk) 08:50, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Schwede66, thank you very much for responding to my request for feedback on this article. I have responded to your points above and my edits are here. Cheers, Zawed (talk) 08:50, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • No trouble; good work. Just one further question – is it common to show authors with their given names abbreviated to initials? For convenience, the full names are David Hall (Q62666642) and Alexander Herbert Wilkie (Q106244682). Personally, I show full names when these are known (preferably common names) but have never looked up whether there is guidance on the matter. Schwede66 19:52, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Thanks for the support! When citing authors, I use the names as they appear in the source itself. If they had an article on Wikipedia, I would link through to that. Not sure if the author-link field in the cite template works for Wikidata or not. Cheers, Zawed (talk) 23:01, 28 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Ian Rose via FACBot (talk) 28 March 2021 [7].


Temporary gentlemen[edit]

Nominator(s): Dumelow (talk) 10:11, 21 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

For centuries the British army was officered by gentlemen, drawn from the upper classes. The requirements of the First World War led to a more than ten-fold expansion in the officer corps and, with insufficient men of the traditional officer class available, the positions were filled with those drawn from the middle and working classes. Such men were given temporary rank only and it came to be considered that they held the status of a gentleman only while they held the King's commission; they were expected to return to their former stations after the war which led to a number of social issues. The article also covers temporary gentlemen commissioned into the British Army during the Second World War and National Service, and those who held similar positions in the Portuguese conscript army of the 1960s and 1970s.

The article has recently passed a MILHIST A-class review and I am indebted to all the reviewers there for their improvements - Dumelow (talk) 10:11, 21 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Image review[edit]

Pass per my A-class review. (t · c) buidhe 12:56, 21 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Source review[edit]

Spotchecks not done

  • FN15 needs page number. Ditto FN81, check for others
Replaced FN15 and added an archive link for FN112 (for which I didn't have a page number). FN81 is this page on Google Books but I couldn't determine the page number. Is it OK to use the direct link to the page as the URL? - Dumelow (talk) 07:31, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Not alone, because what users are able to see is variable - for example that link doesn't lead to any page for me. You could use a section name if there is one; if there is absolutely no indicator of a page number or other way of identifying location within the source, you could include a quote as a last resort. Nikkimaria (talk) 01:27, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thanks, I've added the chapter title (all citations are to the first page of that chapter). I've heard that books.google.co.uk links don't work for everyone. Should I convert them to books.google.com? - Dumelow (talk) 12:16, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Be consistent in whether you abbreviate page ranges
I'm not sure what you mean here? All the page numbers I could see were prefaced either p. or pp.? - Dumelow (talk) 10:37, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
For example in FN37 you have "191–2", but then in FN112 you have "197–198". Nikkimaria (talk) 01:27, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Ah understood, thanks. I've written it out in full. Think that was the only instance - Dumelow (talk) 12:27, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • FN68: given work title is the article title, given publisher is the work title. Why cite this to a book review? Ditto FN109
I've got rid of FN68. I don't have a copy of Allport to hand but will have by the end of this week and will convert FN109 into book footnotes - Dumelow (talk) 10:37, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • FN75 is missing author and date
Book review now replaced with references to the actual book - Dumelow (talk) 07:52, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I am never quite sure how to approach Hansard references, hopefully I have corrected this? - Dumelow (talk) 08:10, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
This is now FN74 - ODNB. Nikkimaria (talk) 01:27, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Oops, thanks for clarifying. I've converted it to a tempalte:citation format and included author, date etc. Hopefully I've not forgotten anything? - Dumelow (talk) 12:21, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Hansard is a work title
Fixed, I think? - Dumelow (talk) 08:10, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • FN117: NATO is the publisher, Defesa Nacional is an organizational author
Fixed - Dumelow (talk) 09:40, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Formatting should match between References and Bibliography
I've swapped all of the "template:cite web" etc. for "template:citation"; is that what you meant? - Dumelow (talk) 10:40, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Partly, but now you've got inconsistencies between those and the source-specific templates like ODNB. The other piece is what information is included: for example in FN108 you've got an author affiliation, which doesn't appear in Bibliography entries. Nikkimaria (talk) 01:27, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thankyou. I think I've fixed the ODNB by switching it to template:citation. Are the Gazette references OK as they are or should I convert them also? FN108 should be fixed once I have the book and convert it into a standard biblio ref - Dumelow (talk) 12:24, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Be consistent in whether you include locations for books
When I was studying I was told not to use locations for obvious publishers (Cambridge University Press etc.) but I have no real objection either way. I've added them to all for consistency - Dumelow (talk) 08:05, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Check alphabetization of Bibliography
Think I caught it (Lewis and Leeson were transposed) - Dumelow (talk) 08:01, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • You cite several theses - how do these meet WP:SCHOLARSHIP?
    • PhD theses are usually reliable per WP:SCHOLARSHIP: "Completed dissertations or theses written as part of the requirements for a doctorate, and which are publicly available (most via interlibrary loan or from Proquest), can be used but care should be exercised..." (t · c) buidhe 14:08, 21 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Tony Gould is identified in the text as a historian - what is his background in history?
There's a profile at the Royal Literary Fund. He's largely a medical historian but served in the Ghurkhas which inspired him to write the history used here. I've no reason to doubt his military history credentials and Imperial Warriors is widely cited by other works - Dumelow (talk) 07:59, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Root is cited by Hodgkinson (2013) and Deeks (2017) who are used in this article and in related literature: Tracey (2018), Williams (2017), Paxman (2013), Hall & Stead (2020), Paul (2017) and Williams (2019) - Dumelow (talk) 07:52, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
What has this been cited in that is not a student work? Nikkimaria (talk) 01:27, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
For what its worth, I see a DPhil thesis at a major research university to be closer to a journal article or academic work than student work --Guerillero Parlez Moi 03:45, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Two books, plus a journal article, plus a handful of DPhil theses is more than the average peer reviewed paper gets citied in. --Guerillero Parlez Moi 03:53, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I'm not thrilled with the extent to which theses are being used, but I'm not going to oppose over it. Nikkimaria (talk) 22:32, 27 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from Harry[edit]

Sorry I missed the ACR. I saw this there but didn't get time to do a full review while it was open.

  • Some of the image captions could benefit from more detail or be worded to be more relevant to the text the images support.
I'm wary of making them too long but I've had a go at providing some context and would welcome any feedback - Dumelow (talk) 09:33, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The prices in the background section are interesting but something to compare it to would be nice. I'm wary of the inflation template but it gives some idea, or perhaps a soldier's pay? Just something that gives a little context.
Agreed. I've converted all values into modern equivalents in footnotes and added some background on pay levels in the different classes and the pay of private soldiers (the basic rate of which remained the same between the 18th century and 1915, though efficiency and re-enlistment supplements were introduced in the later period) - Dumelow (talk) 10:39, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Weren't/aren't OTCs a university thing rather than a school one?
Prior to 1948 the cadet corps in schools, what we now know as the Combined Cadet Force, was the junior division of the Officers' Training Corps (which is now solely university age). It's covered a little at Officers' Training Corps#General history of the units, though I've often thought we need an article covering the history of cadet forces in the UK as it is quite complex - Dumelow (talk) 12:33, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I always thought "enlisted" was an American term. Do sources commonly use it to refer to private soldiers and NCOs in the British Army?
Good point. I've switched to the Commonwealth term other ranks and linked at first use - Dumelow (talk) 12:33, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • had to be "forced to take commissions to their financial detriment" Who are you quoting here?
It was an unnamed Ministry of Labour official but I don't think it adds much. I've paraphrased it - Dumelow (talk) 13:18, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • However Macmillan came from a family of good social standing I'm sure you'll have seen "however" seized upon at FAC in the past. It is over-used on Wikipedia and I'm not sure this adds anything. Check for others.
I'm a bit out of touch with recent FACs but I agree, particularly where I'd used however at the start of sentences. I've been through and addressed this - Dumelow (talk) 13:33, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Temporary gentlemen were demobilised relatively quickly at the war's end Relative to what?
No idea. Removed, they were demobilised quickly - Dumelow (talk) 13:36, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • this was rare happening only on 1,109 occasions Missing some punctuation there I think. Also, out of how many? A percentage might be helpful here.
Reworded. Percentages would be problematic as there is uncertainty on the number of temporary commissions granted (I've added a footnote on this), but I've added a comparison to the number commissioned by the traditional military college route during the war - Dumelow (talk) 08:30, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Hugh Pollard wrote in February 1919 Tell the reader who Pollard is and what his expertise is in the matter
Done - Dumelow (talk) 09:35, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Many temporary officers found their financial situation worsened by demobilisation Is it worth mentioning the wider context of tense industrial relations and economic recession that followed the war?
Yes, good call. The sources are clear that the civilian wages were lower than the army's even in 1919, but I've added a bit later on about the effects of the 1920-21 recession - Dumelow (talk) 09:15, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • were often barred from making use of the labour exchanges Why?
Hopefully clarified - Dumelow (talk) 19:43, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • former public school boys and the sons of serving officers; with only 5% of the intake from the other ranks that seems an odd place for a semicolon, also MOS:% would have that written as "per cent" or "percent", not "%".
Removed semi colon and spelt out % - Dumelow (talk) 19:13, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Frederick Hubert Vinden reformed the system What was his position?
Added, his boss was involved also - Dumelow (talk) 19:12, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

These are all quite minor and I'm sure I'll support in due course. Thank you for an interesting read. I find these sorts of unintended social consequences of war fascinating! HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 16:42, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thanks for your review Harry, some really good points and the article is much improved for them. I think I've addressed everything above now, but would welcome a review of my changes - Dumelow (talk) 09:15, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I've had a look through your changes and they are indeed improvements. Glad to support. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 20:53, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Accessibility review[edit]

Add alt text to the images per WP:CAPTION; MOS:ACCIM. Heartfox (talk) 02:42, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thanks Heartfox. I've had a go but I am never quite sure what is pertinent to add and would welcome any advice - Dumelow (talk) 11:48, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Looks good. Heartfox (talk) 04:35, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Coordinator note[edit]

This nomination has been open for four weeks and has attracted only the one support. Unless there is a little more interest over the next few days, it is liable to be archived. Gog the Mild (talk) 15:33, 22 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Eddie[edit]

  • Support I went over this in detail at ACR have since reviewed all the changes made, and am satisfied it meets the FA criteria. A thought: have you considered when you use "%" versus "per cent"? Eddie891 Talk Work 12:01, 25 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thanks for the support Eddie891. Good point on the %, per wp:percent it seems these should all be written out (though personally I prefer the symbol), I've changed all instances to "per cent" - Dumelow (talk) 12:17, 25 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from AustralianRupert[edit]

Support: I've been impersonating an officer for most of my military career (having been commissioned from the ranks), so I guess I felt the need to take a look at this one. Overall this looks pretty good to me. I have a few minor comments/observations: AustralianRupert (talk) 11:59, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thanks so much for reviewing AustralianRupert, I've taken the actions below - Dumelow (talk) 12:35, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • the article is well referenced and well written in my opinion (no action required)
  • the following terms are overlinked according to the dup link checker: Territorial Force, Household Brigade, Royal Irish Constabulary, Edwardian era, Richard Adlington,
I've delinked the duplicates - Dumelow (talk) 12:35, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Only a small number of non-gentlemen were granted commissions" --> not sure about this, what's a "non gentleman"?
Good point. I meant men from outside the traditional officer class, hopefully I've clarified this in the article - Dumelow (talk) 12:57, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "together with a few territorial force officer" --> "Territorial Force" as a proper noun?
Yep, done - Dumelow (talk) 12:35, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "commanded brigades" --> suggest linking brigade
Done - Dumelow (talk) 12:35, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "each division was required" --> as above
Done - Dumelow (talk) 12:35, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • ISSN for the Root work?
Doesn't seem to be - Dumelow (talk) 12:57, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • is there an ISBN or OCLC for the works by the two Turners?
Added - Dumelow (talk) 12:57, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • the Further reading section is in a different sized font to the rest of the references; this seems inconsistent
Fixed, I think - Dumelow (talk) 12:57, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "positions; despite objections from the boards" --> not sure about the semi colon here. Suggest just using comma despite objections from the boards
Done - Dumelow (talk) 13:38, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Many temporary officers, even those with no secondary education, expected to retain their position as gentlemen after the war": purely non actionable in this review, however, interestingly enough - or not depending upon one's perspective -- this situation is enduring, even in modern Australia. After commissioning, I found that my daughter's school fees were raised simply because I was now a "commissioned officer" rather than an NCO
  • "File:David Nelson VC.jpg": not sure about the date on the image description page -- seems unlikely that the image was created in 2012; suggest c. 1914-1918 or something similar
He's wearing captains insignia. He was still a lieutenant in 1916 and promoted major in March 1918 so I've put 1916-18 - Dumelow (talk) 13:31, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "File:Men of the 20th Officer Cadet Battalion, 1917.jpg": same as above, the date on the image description page doesn't seem correct. Suggest "December 1917"
Done - Dumelow (talk) 13:31, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • in the lead, suggest linking Portuguese Army for consistency with British Army
Done - Dumelow (talk) 13:31, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "joined the army in Autumn 1914": probably best to avoid per MOS:SEASON -- do we know the months?
November, changed - Dumelow (talk) 13:38, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • (non actionable and more of an aside) -- suspect that there is an aspect of this that remains; even within the Australian Army there remains a gap between those commissioned from the ranks and those directly recruited as officers, even though all go through exactly the same training. It isn't a particularly large gap to bridge, but the term "ORTs" (other rank tendencies), to be added pejoratively to a performance appraisal on a whim, remains the weapon of the CO who doesn't like how close the new subbie is to his subordinates.
  • the article seems quite heavily focused on the army; but were there not temporary gentlemen in the Navy and RAF?
Good point, there were temporary officers in the RN and RAF also. There seems to be less written about them, probably because numbers were much fewer, but I've added a couple of paragraphs (which I've split out, with the existing British Indian Army paragraph, into an "Other branches" section - Dumelow (talk) 16:53, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "psychic reassurance of a khaki tunic on their back and a Webley .455 at their hip" -- again not actionable, but there was a time when a light hip caused me distress, too. Most returning soldiers will experience this at some time, usually for a short period after returning home...
  • "and in 2019 49 per cent": is there a way to avoid two sets of numbers appearing after each other?
Done - Dumelow (talk) 17:15, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • the bit about batmen is interesting, I once got marked down on a PAR for insisting on cleaning my own weapon rather than having a soldier do it for me after an activity...apparently I lacked "teamwork". Anyway, I seem to recall an anecdote about one of the first Allied officers killed during D-day (Brotheridge, I think) cleaning his own boots while his batman lay on his bed. I don't have my copy of Pegasus Bridge at the moment as I am away from home, but will see if my wife can dig it out and send it to me to pass on. Might be useful, or it might not. Regards, AustralianRupert (talk) 13:09, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Yes, I think I remember reading that (my copy of Pegasus Bridge is at my parents house, I think). Our article says he was a temporary gentleman commissioned from the ranks. The Ox and Bucks were quite a 'smart' regiment so I'm not surprised to read that he "did not initially enjoy an easy relationship with his fellow platoon leaders who all came from a different social background to himself", though its uncited - Dumelow (talk) 17:15, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
G'day, J sent me the following excerpts from my 2003 Pocket Books edition (ISBN 0-7434-5068-X); my email got through to her just after she got the kids down, so she had some free time. Up to you if you wish to use this or not : AustralianRupert (talk) 03:22, 27 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
p. 27: mentions Brotheridge was the oldest platoon commander in D Coy at 26; he had been a corporal before and attended OCTU on Howard's recommendations; his fellow platoon commanders were initially unsure of him as he "wasn't one of them"; he didn't play their games (rugby or cricket) but they warmed to him because of his athleticism
p. 35: mentions that Brotheridge had no sense of being ill at ease amongst the soldiers because of his background; he played the same sport as them (soccer/football); would chat to his batman Billy Gray in his barracks. Brotheridge would polish his own boots while his batman would chat about sport. Wally Parr recounts the strange sight of a British LT polishing his own boots while his batman is "gassing on about Manchester United and West Ham"
pp. 101 & 109: Brotheridge is mortally wounded during the assault, after throwing a grenade at a German machine gun post; dies of his wounds
  • Your recent changes look good to me, so I have added my support. Purely optional if you choose to use the info above about Brotheridge. Thanks for your work on this article. Regards, AustralianRupert (talk) 03:22, 27 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Ian Rose via FACBot (talk) 28 March 2021 [8].


Yazid I[edit]

Nominator(s): AhmadLX-(Wikiposta), Al Ameer (talk) 16:56, 18 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

The second caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from April 680 to November 683. The first person in Islamic history to benefit from hereditary succession, his reign was marred by opposition from the representatives of the old Islamic elite. His efforts to impose his authority resulted in the death of Muhammad's grandson Husayn, as well as attacks on the cities of Medina and Mecca. These disasters have earned him the reputation of evil among many Muslims. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 16:56, 18 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

@Gog the Mild: since you did the GA review, would you mind giving the article another look? Thank you. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 19:48, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Images appear to be freely licensed. (t · c) buidhe 20:45, 18 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Source review[edit]

Some thoughts

  • Can we refer to Michael Jan de Goeje as a modern scholar? He is an orientalist from before the Great War.
Thanks for the comments Guerillero. I have replaced de Goeje's views with a more recent historian's. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 15:55, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Has the scholarship on Yazid I changed after colonialism? You use lots of sources from before 1940
No, there isn't much current research on this subject going on and Lammens' Le Califat is the standard, although a little pro-Umayyad, treatment of the subject. Hawting's article in Encyclopedia of Islam (published 2002) can be compared with ours. This article is modeled upon Hawting's treatment. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 15:55, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Sounds good. I just wanted to check --Guerillero Parlez Moi 00:03, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I am uncomfortable with Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 being used for facts. Can we get a more recent scholarly source?
It is cited only once now, twice previously, and that is for uncertainty in his birth year. Pretty harmless;) AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 15:55, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
It can be replaced with Lammens 1921 though. If you prefer that, I can replace de Goeje with it. Thanks. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 16:51, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
It seems reasonable as it is --Guerillero Parlez Moi 00:03, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I am skeptical of Lammens 1921 and Lammens 1934 due to their age and the fact that Lammens was a monk. Has his work been cited recently?
His Le Calfat (i.e. 1921) is the most comprehensive account of Yazid's caliphate. Hawting in Encyclopedia of Islam refers the readers to Le Califat for further information. The 1934 one is from the first edition of Encyclopedia of Islam and is very much reliable. It could be replaced with 1921, but is more recent and reduces reliance on the 1921 one. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 15:55, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
My knowledge of the area of islamic history is thin, so it seemed wise to check --Guerillero Parlez Moi 00:03, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Similar feelings from Wellhausen 1901 and Wellhausen 1927
Wellhausen is arguably the Einstein of Umayyad studies. His Arab Kingdom is still used as textbook in the universities. Modern historians cite his views as an authority, although, of course, not always agree with him. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 15:55, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
My knowledge of the area of islamic history is thin, so it seemed wise to check --Guerillero Parlez Moi 00:03, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Why is Encyclopaedia Iranica a high quality source?
Madelung is one of the foremost Islamicists of the current era, albeit a little anti-Umayyad. Although it is possible to replace that source with books, even those already present in the biblio, I decided to keep it for its easy accessibility. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 15:55, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
My knowledge of the area of islamic history is thin, so it seemed wise to check --Guerillero Parlez Moi 00:03, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

--Guerillero Parlez Moi 05:53, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Passes my source review. Spot checks are not done --Guerillero Parlez Moi 00:03, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Funk[edit]

  • Important article, I'll have a look soon. At first glance, Chronicle of 741 is duplinked.
Thanks for the comments FunkMonk. Done. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 19:47, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "who became caliph in 661." This paragraph ends without citation.
Done. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 19:47, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Yazid was born in Syria circa 646." The note says this, though, so isn't it better to just give the range than a made up midway number?: "His year of birth is uncertain. Reports vary from 22 AH to 30 AH".
Done, and clarified further.AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 19:47, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Link Mecca?
Mecca is already linked at the first instance both in lead and body.AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 19:47, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • You give a lot of information in the caption of the coin images in the rest of the article, but not for the one in the infobox. Could it get dates, links, and other such info?
Thanks for this. Previous coin was from Mu'awiya's time (I had never noticed that;)) Now changed and links/date added. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 19:47, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Interesting, perhaps the previous image[9] should have its description and categories changed accordingly? FunkMonk (talk) 14:07, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I have requested move on commons. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 18:56, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Seems a bit arbitrary to show a 1950s photo of Damascus? Wouldn't some old artwork be more appropriate? The 1950s are only marginally closer to the time than we are now in any case...
Added a 19th century painting. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 19:47, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 until their replacement by the Marwanids in 684." Link the terms Umayyad Caliphate and Marwanids here?
Done. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 19:47, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "after which Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, became caliph" Perhaps state how/why he became so?
Done. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 19:47, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "On his way back to Damascus, he secured allegiance from the people of Medina. General recognition of the nomination thus forced Yazid's opponents into silence. The orientalist Julius Wellhausen doubted the story, holding that the reports of the nomination's rejection by prominent Medinese were a back-projection of the events that followed Mu'awiya's death.[29] A similar opinion is held by the historian Andrew Marsham." Where does the former belief come form then?
It is from the account of the medieval historian Ibn Athir. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 18:56, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "instructing him to secure allegiance from Husayn ibn Ali" Any reason to spell his name out again, when you already did so earlier (and only refer to him as Husayn in the meantime)?
Shortened to Husayn. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 18:56, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • No speculation on what he died from?
Detail added. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 18:56, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "The killing of Muhammad's grandson caused widespread outcry" I think you could repeat his name here.
Done. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 18:56, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • After first mention, yu don't need to spell out the full names of for example Bernard Lewis and Henri Lammens.
Done. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 18:56, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Support - looks good, nice to see something on his cause of death added, even if it's just speculation or hearsay. FunkMonk (talk) 17:58, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Gog the Mild[edit]

Recusing to review.

  • "His appointment was the first hereditary succession in Islamic history." Do you mean 'His appointment was the first hereditary succession of the Caliphate in Islamic history.'?
Done. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 18:37, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "several Muslim grandees from the Hejaz". Suggest adding 'region'.
Done. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 18:37, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "His Caliphate was marked by". Why the upper case C?
@Al Ameer son: would you please look into this?
@AhmadLX: I would reserve capitalization when referring to the empire, as in "civil war in the Caliphate" as this would be a proper noun, while lowercasing in the case of the office, as in "he acceded to the caliphate". I could make these adjustments, if you agree. Al Ameer (talk) 19:56, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Al Ameer son: Yes that would be great. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 20:21, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "called for a shura to elect a new caliph". Shura needs an in line explanation - or replacing by one. Likewise its first mention in the main article.
Done. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 18:37, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "The killing of Husayn caused resentment in the Hejaz, where Ibn al-Zubayr called for a shura to elect a new caliph and the people of Medina, who supported Ibn al-Zubayr, held additional grievances toward the Umayyads." I think there is too much in this sentence.
Sentence split into two. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 18:37, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "After failing to gain the allegiance of." 'regain'?
Ibn al-Zubayr had not payed him any allegiance, so for him it should be "gain". On the other hand, you are right it should be "regain" for the Medinese people. But making it such in the lead would require splitting the sentence I think. What do you say?AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 18:37, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Hmm. I see your point. I am easy. Leave it as "gain" if you wish.
  • "the city was plundered for three days" Was it plundered, or was it sacked?
I checked a couple dictionaries, and it seems both mean the same.AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 18:37, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
"Plunder" can be a relatively civilised business, with valuables looted and money extorted. A sack suggests a less controlled affair, with rapine, drunken destruction, torturing of inhabitants to reveal the location of (possibly non-existant) buried valuables etc. It is something of a spectrum, but a sack is the nastier end. Eg see the Sack of Baghdad.
I've changed it to "sacked" for now. Let's see what Al Ameer has to say on this, as he knows the al-Harra stuff better.AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 20:11, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "and the tribal nobility." Should that be 'tribal nobilities'?
I think no. Tribal nobility=elites and chiefs of the tribes.AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 18:37, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Yes, I know what tribal nobility is. "the tribal nobility" means the nobility of one tribe. Is that what you mean. Or are you, and the sources, referring to the nobilities of two or more tribes?
I mean by "tribal nobility" the chiefs and elders of the tribes, and sources too usually refer to it as the tribal nobility/chiefs in addition to just ashraf.AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 20:11, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

More to follow. Gog the Mild (talk) 21:10, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • "Yazid was born in Syria between 642 and 649." Well, no, he probably wasn't. Ie it would be a very unusually protracted childbirth!
Haha lol 😂. How to formulate it then? "His year of birth is placed between 642 and 649"? AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 20:11, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Personnally I tend to use the formula "His year of birth is variously placed between 642 and 649".
  • "During his father's caliphate, Yazid led several campaigns against the Byzantine Empire". Perhaps a sentence or so on the reasons for the enmity between the Byzantines and the caliphate?
  • "annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca". Perhaps preface with a definite article?
  • "was recognized caliph by the Medinese people". 'as caliph'.
  • "In 656 Uthman had been killed by rebels in Medina." Perhaps a little background on the rebels and their motivations?
  • "and instructed him to defeat them if they did." Delete "him" - for grammatical consistency with the first part of the sentence.
  • "town of Basra, which paid homage to Yazid"; "paid allegiance to him." Suggest replacing "paid" with 'pledged'.
Changed to "pledged allegiance to Yazid" as "him" would imply allegiance to Mu'awiya. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 20:11, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "signalling that the latter should enter the city. The news of this prompted Yazid to". It is unclear to me how Yazid obtained this "news".
  • "which Husayn refused" → ' which Husayn refused to do'?
  • "while his family were taken prisoner". "were" → 'was'.
  • "played with Husayn's head with his staff". Link "staff" to the relevant meaning.
  • "He showed compassion towards the captives". Seems PoV; is this the consensus of scholarly sources?
Wellhausen: treated them compassionately; Vagliere: treated them kindly; Madelung: treated them well. I went with Wellhausen. Since Al Ameer also raised this issue previously, I take it does seem to come across as POV. I've modified it to match Madelung.AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 20:11, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "who secretly began taking allegiance in Mecca". I don't think one can "take" allegiance. I am unclear as to what al-Zubayr was doing.
I think I've clarified it now. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 20:11, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "They were unpersuaded and on their return to Medina narrated tales of Yazid's lavish lifestyle and practices considered by many to be impious, including drinking wine, hunting with hounds, and his love for music." There is a lot happening here for a single sentence.
  • "the city was plundered for three days, whereas per the account of Awana (d. 764) only the ringleaders of the rebellion were executed." From this, should a reader assume that by the first account the city was plundered but the ringleaders were not executed?
No, they were excuted according to both accounts. But according to Awana "only that": i.e. no sacking. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 20:11, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "during which the Ka'ba caught fire" And the Ka'ba would be?
I don't quite get this. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 20:11, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
You and I know what the Ka'ba is, but many readers won't. If this were a trivial or unimportant issue I may be content to leave it with just the Wikilink, even though I know that few readers click through Wikilinks, and feel that an FA should not rely on a non-FA explanation to be comprehensible, and it is against the MoS. But I feel it is an important point, and so would like to see a brief in line explanation of what the Ka'ba is. Gog the Mild (talk) 20:27, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Done. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 04:00, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "like Mu'awiya had". Suggest "like" to 'as'.
  • "He continued to rely on the governors of the provinces and local tribal chiefs (ashraf), like Mu'awiya had, instead of relatives, and retained several of Mu'awiya's officials, including Ibn Ziyad, who was Mu'awiya's governor of Basra, and Sarjun ibn Mansur, a native Syrian Christian, who had served as the head of the fiscal administration under Mu'awiya." Too long. Perhaps split after "relatives"?
  • "from the provinces in order to persuade and win their support". The use of "persuade" is ungrammatical. (And is it necessary? 'from the provinces in order to win their support' would work.)
  • Sources: Madelung (2004). Could you add the publisher location (New York) to be consistent.
Done upto here (exceptions responded to above). AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 20:11, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Provinces retained much of the tax revenue". Maybe "the" → 'their'?
  • As you give the religion of the Najranee, it would seem appropriate to do the same for the Samaritans.
Samaritans have their own religion and are not considered Jews. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 04:00, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Why would you think that I supposed they were? (Although there are those who would give you an argument.) I meant, could you indicate that the Samaritans were a religious group, rather than, or as well as, an ethnic or geographical one.
  • Is there a reason ashraf is not linked?
  • "forward bases they had occupied on the Byzantine coast." Is known where this coast was geographically?
  • "Yazid established and garrisoned the northern Syrian frontier district of Qinnasrin out of the district of Hims." This does not flow well. Maybe something like 'Yazid established a northern Syrian frontier district of Qinnasrin from what had been a part of Hims, and fortified and garrisoned it.'?
  • Link Ifriqiya and state in line where it is.
Was linked. Stated inline. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 04:00, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Could we be told in line at least roughly where Khurasan was?
  • "without gaining a permanent foothold in either place". You mention three places in the first part of the sentence.
  • "the authors of anti-Umayyad leanings". You need a different word to "leanings". ('chronicles'?) (Or do you mean 'authors with anti-Umayyad leanings'?)

More to follow. Gog the Mild (talk) 18:20, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • "Pleurisy". Lower case p.
  • All foreign language non-proper noun words should be in lang templates, not just italics.
  • "By 692 Abd al-Malik defeated Ibn al-Zubayr" → 'By 692 Abd al-Malik had defeated Ibn al-Zubayr'.
  • "caused widespread outcry among the Muslims". Delete "the".
  • "After the Battle of Karbala, Shi'a Imams from Husayn's line". Why the upper case I?
  • "his ban on pilgrimage to the holy sites". "pilgrimages'.
  • "Among the Sunnis, Hanbali scholar Ibn al-Jawzi considered cursing Yazid permitted". 1. Could we have some idea of when al-Jawsi gave this opinion? Likewise al-Ghazali, 2. 'Ibn al-Jawzi considered that cursing Yazid was permitted'.
  • "As such, his accession is considered by Muslims ..." The following three sentences are cited to Hawting. Is this the consensus of modern scholarship? Are there any dissenters? (You say "is", not 'was', so you are talking about the current view held "by Muslims".
Gimme a day or two for this. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 04:00, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Just a reminder that this is outstanding.
Gog the Mild, let me first thank you for this Hawting talks about historical tradition and not Muslims in general. Modified to reflect that . AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 22:24, 10 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Extant Muslim histories"> I assume you mean 'Extant contemporary Muslim histories'
  • "as opposed to the title Commander of the Faithful". Lower case f and c.
Sources are split on this. Some use lowercase (e.g. Hawting), some uppercase (e.g. Kennedy) and some mixed (c and F/B; e.g. Donner). EI2 uses uppercase. I prefer EI2 on this. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 04:27, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
In this case it doesn't matter what the sources do; the MoS mandates lower case.
  • "to exonerate Yazid of Husayn's death" This is missing something. Eg 'to exonerate Yazid of blame for Husayn's death' or similar.
  • "attempted to stress the positive qualities of Yazid" → 'attempted to stress Yazid's positive qualities'.
  • "stress .. stressed". Perhaps "stressed" → 'emphasised', to vary the language?
  • "Yazid was a transmitter of hadith". Should that be 'Yazid was a transmitter of the hadith'?
It is how the cited author, and I checked a couple others too, writes: "transmitter of hadith". AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 04:00, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "In view of Hugh N. Kennedy". 1. 'In the view of Hugh N. Kennedy'. 2. Kennedy needs introducing; as do Hawting and Lammens.
Lammens should be introduced at first mention.
  • "According to G. R. Hawting, he tried to continue". "he" → 'Yazid'.
  • "More interestingly" - PoV. According to whom?
It came from the cited source. Removed. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 04:00, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "although Ibn al-Zubayr had not publicly claimed the caliphate" → 'although Ibn al-Zubayr did not publicly claim the caliphate'
  • "roughly from the time of his accession" → 'from roughly the time of his accession'
  • "Mu'awiya died in Rajab 60 AH." → 'Mu'awiya died in the month of Rajab 60 AH.' Link Rajab.
  • Introduce Lammens and de Goeje, and indicate that they are not joint authors.

Gog the Mild (talk) 13:03, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Done all (exceptions responded to above). AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 04:00, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
A few comments in response above. Otherwise it is looking good. Gog the Mild (talk) 20:19, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Changes implemented. Thank you for the review. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 22:24, 10 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

A fine piece of work. Supporting. Gog the Mild (talk) 23:06, 10 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from A. Parrot[edit]

Only a couple of minor points before supporting:

  • "Thus the Sufyanid dynasty, named after Mu'awiya I's father Abu Sufyan, was replaced by the Marwanid dynasty." It seems worth clarifying that both these dynasties were part of the Ummayad dynasty. The accompanying image does so, but the article text does not.
  • "Another coin bearing the mint date 60, which is assumed to be the Hijri year, and mint location Nishapur, but without the name of Yazid, is also thought to be from Yazid's first regnal year." This sentence is a bit awkward; maybe it should be split. A. Parrot (talk) 01:06, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thank you for the comments A. Parrot. I have addressed both points. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 15:58, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Ian Rose via FACBot (talk) 27 March 2021 [10].


2019 WPA World Ten-ball Championship[edit]

Nominator(s): Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 10:44, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

This article is about a professional ten-ball pool tournament held two years ago. The championship hadn't been held since 2015, when it was won by Ko Pin-yi. Ko lost in the semi-finals of the event to Joshua Filler, who played Ko's brother Ko Ping-chung in the final. Filler, the reigning nine-ball world champion went into an early lead, but was ultimately defeated 10-7 by Ko. The event featured a $132,000 prize fund, very large for a pool event, and played as both a double-elimination and single-elimination tournament.

This is the second nomination, after the first drew little commentary. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 10:44, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Image review

Accessibility review

Support from Gog the Mild[edit]

Recusing to review.

  • "with the previous championship held in 2015." It either needs a comma before "with" or (better IMO) a semi colon and changing to 'the previous championship was held in 2015.'
  • "but was later moved to". "later" is unnecessary.
  • In the lead, four sentences start with "The event". Is some variety possible?
    • Yeah, I've changed. There's still two "the event", but are in different paras now. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 10:19, 20 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "The event featured 64 participants based on world pool rankings, as well as qualifiers and played as a double-elimination tournament until the 16 players remained, becoming a single-elimination tournament." 1. 'was played'. 2. Suggest splitting.
  • "in both 2016 and 2018 both fell through". Delete one "both".
  • "partnered with CueSports International". Who are?
    • Explained. They are pretty much a group that owns lots of tours, but "event organisers" covers it. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 14:32, 20 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "will be played in Las Vegas until 2022 as part of a three-year deal for the event to be played in the United States". Given 'will be played in Las Vegas until 2022', 'to be played in the United States' is unnecessary.
  • "The event featured 64 players, with entries being selected from ranking lists for players tours, such as the Euro Tour and the WPA, with 16 qualifiers, held in events from June and July 2019." This doesn't seem to explain how the 64 participants were selected.
    • I've added a section as to how this did work. Don't ask me who qualified by each tour, as this wasn't really publicised outside of a few players. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 14:32, 20 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "as a double-elimination bracket". You what? Like this?
    • A bracket is an American word for the knockout structure - you might call it a tree, or similar. I'm not sure how you'd change this. Any ideas of a better wordage? Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 14:32, 20 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
"double-elimination" or "double elimination"?
To answer your question, maybe 'The tournament was played as a double-elimination knockout structure or bracket ...'?
I've just put knockout. Our own article uses double-elimination, so so did I. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 10:44, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "becoming a single-elimination tournament." → 'when it became a single-elimination tournament.'
  • "were played as a race-to-eight racks"?
  • "the alternating break format." At which, I suspect, a reader goes down for the third time.
  • "After a combined eight break-and-runs" I know that there is a link, but the idea of an encyclopedia is that an article explains its subject without the need for constant referring to other articles, an understanding of which may require a referral to yet more articles ...
    • So, a break-and-run means the player who breaks wins the rack without letting the other player take a shot. I can reword to say that the eight racks were won by the breaking player, but a break-and-run is a specific thing, I'm not sure how you explain what it is succinctly. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 14:44, 20 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Yep, that does it. If you want to add ', known as a break-and-run' then you can use that term thereafter if you want.
We do only use it once more, but I have done so. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 10:44, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Early rounds" section title. Surely the "early rounds" were the "Double elimination bracket" rounds?
    • I'm getting that this is the knockout rounds. Ive reordered to avoid the confusion Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 15:22, 20 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "struggled to play against Ko's safety play", "play ... play". Maybe 'struggled against Ko's safety play'?
  • "after snookering himself behind the 10-ball." And for the non-initiated this would be?
    • So, a snooker (named as something that is used in the game of the same name) is when you can't directly hit the ball you are supposed to. Think of it like a solar eclipse. In this case, the cue ball, (the one you hit) is beyond the 10-ball, but you are trying to hit another ball. Basically it's not what you want to do. I'm not sure what other wording can be used to explain this. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 15:30, 20 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Apologies. I have a bad habit of asking rhetorical questions and/or acting the simpleton when reviewing. I knew what you meant. I was concerned that many readers wouldn't. Hmm. 'after inadvertantly leaving the ball he needed to play obscured behind the 10-ball' or similar?
Reworded. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 10:44, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "The semi-finals and final were held on June 26, the last day of the competition.! Optional: do we need to be told that the final was held on the last day of the competition?
    • I was getting at this was the last day of the whole event. If you remember in the format section, there was other events (such as the national BCA championship that was also going on). I've removed this though as it isn't relevant. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 15:35, 20 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "after losing the lag". ?
    • Removed - not important. The lag is just what pool uses rather than a coin toss to see who plays first. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 15:38, 20 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "produced two dry breaks." Dry break?
  • "capitalizing on a scratch from Ko". Referring to Wiktionary, and looking only at definitions specifying that they apply to sport "scratch" can mean seven different things. Even restricting that to cue sports it can mean two different - and opposing - things.
    • I've linked, and changed the words. Wiktionary does actually do a good job of explaining what this means. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 15:44, 20 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "and later tied up the match". Is "up" correct in this context?
  • "Ko played a kick shot" Could "kick shot" be explained in line?
Unaddressed.
  • "Ko banked the 1-ball". "banked"?
    • Both of these are two sides to the same coin. They both involve hitting a cushion to make the shot. The original is where you hit the cue ball into the cushion to hit the object ball, the other is where you hit the object ball into the cushion which then goes into the pocket. I'm not sure how you can. Explain these succinctly. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 16:14, 20 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "ran the rack". ?
  • "Ko met up with his brother Pin-yi during the break". This seems a bit of a random comment.
  • "The win was the first major championship of Ko Ping-chung's career". Do you mean that it was his first such victory? Or the first such championship that he had taken part in?
  • "which was won by Ko's brother while he had lost in the semi-final". It may be helpful to replace "he" with a name.
  • Were there any comments from Filler after the final?

Gog the Mild (talk) 15:26, 19 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Cheers Lee Vilenski, that all looks good. See what you think of my responses above, and then I'll think about having a final read through. Gog the Mild (talk) 13:44, 21 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Gog the Mild Looks like it is just the two terms regarding "banking" and "kick shot" which I'm struggling to rewrite. The only way to really explain in prose what a bank (or double) is would really need the citation to state which rail was being used. I could write "Ko played the 1-ball against the cushion, and into the side pocket", but something like a double is very common language for pool. I feel we would be dumbing down the article and not improving it to add this additional words, unless you have a better wording. I have reworded the kick shot variant, let me know what you think. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 10:44, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Second read through[edit]

Most of the below are by way of suggestions. See what you think.

  • "the previous championship held in 2015." 'the previous championship was held in 2015'?
  • "with the Billiard Congress of America national ten-ball event". Should that be 'with the Billiard Congress of America's national ten-ball event'?
  • "players competing were based on both the world pool rankings". "based" → 'selected' or similar.
    • Only issue is that wildcards are based on rankings, but not selected on them. That is kind of the actual difference between something being ranking-only, and ranking and wildcard. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 12:43, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "becoming changing to a single-elimination format" → 'then changing to a single-elimination format'.
  • "won the previous 2015 championship". Either "previous" or "2015" needs to go.
  • "where it became a single-elimination tournament". "where" → 'when'.
  • "Double-elimination matches were played as the first to eight racks, whilst the single-elimination matches were played as the first to ten racks." Optionally add something like '(A rack being a single game, named after the balls being "racked" at the start of each game.)
    • This isn't an article on how things are named, so I don't see how linking to rack is helpful. We have to be very careful how we word terms like "game", "match" etc, as they have different meanings, which is why the article specifically uses the technical term. The term "game" could be used for either the whole match, or just one frame. I don't think a reader is going to look at this term and be confused over what it means with the context given. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 12:43, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "(or "break and run")". Suggest → '(known as a "break and run")'.
  • "Ko Ping-chung reach the final after a 10–3 win". "reach" → 'reached'.

A nice job there. Flow versus fullness of explanation is frequently a tricky balance. Where I am not completely happy I think that the context gives a reader enough to go on. Supporting.

Gog the Mild (talk) 11:46, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thanks Gog the Mild. It certainly is a balancing act finding terms that are suitable to be reworded, and ones that would actually make the article worse by replacing. Thanks for the in-depth review; I hope we get a little more eyes on this one. (I'll get some FAC reviews done as soon as I can). Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 10:11, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Oh yeah. I am currently working on an article I hope to bring to FAC where I need to explain late-Medieval siege equipment and techniques *eyeroll* .
I'll put it up for a source review.
That would be good. We have been missing your reviews. When you get the time, wrapping up the 1987 FA Cup Final review would be good. Gog the Mild (talk) 10:44, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Sure thing. I'd assume a trebuchet can just be described as "like a cannon, but not" :P. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 12:08, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Source review[edit]

Spotchecks not done

  • I'm very confused about when this was actually taking place. The lead says June 22 to 26, 2019. The infobox says July 22 to 26. Double elimination bracket says the event began July 22, Knockout rounds says the quarter-finals were on June 25. Am I missing something?
  • Lead says the event was originally to be held in General Santos, text says Manila - which is correct?
    • I've made some changes. Whilst an event was suggested for Manila, it never came through. More important was that two prior events that had dates and stuff for 2016 and 2018 were cancelled in Manila. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 11:38, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Seeing inconsistencies around publishers/works - for example FN5 has a work title of "CueSports International (CSI)", but then FN10 has a publisher of "Cue Sports International". Please check throughout.
  • FN16 is incomplete
  • What makes sixpockets.de a high-quality reliable source? Alison Chang? Pro9?
    • I have culled these. Alisong Chang I was always a bit weary of, but it is generally deemed quite the expert, but it is essentially a personal blog. I have also removed sixpockets, which whilst it has it's own team, aparently it also posts guest columns without ever (to my knowledge) stating if it is editorialised at all! Pro9 I'm sure is reliable, but I can't find much on it, so I've replaced anyway. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 11:12, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • FN30 is missing author. Nikkimaria (talk) 15:10, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I think I've understood and covered this now. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 10:06, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support Comments from Sportsfan77777[edit]

I'll give a detailed review at some point. Sportsfan77777 (talk) 05:10, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

In the meantime, one major comment I have is... In the participant summary section, can you write out who were the key participants like you usually do in your other FAs? (e.g. Who were the former champions/finalists, contenders, and top-ranked players from each tour? Any unique lower-ranked players worth noting? Also, can you summarize what the seven tours are? I assume the WPA is the main one. Are the other six also professional? Related to how the tours work, if you are for instance a top Asian player, does that mean you only play on the WPA or are you a member of both the WPA and the APBU?) Sportsfan77777 (talk) 05:10, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I would do more, if I knew more. I don't usually do this - I think I did this on maybe two other events? It's a bit WP:OR/WP:SYNTHy to an extent, because the sources don't say it, they just say that they were participating, and the other ref shows they won/final in the event before. There had only been four prior events, and the only former finalist was the defending champion who I went into depth talking about. I see the need for something to describe the tours, but most of them are the local tours (European, Asian, American etc.) with the WPA being a ranking for other world stage tournaments (like the World nine-ball championship). There seems to be little information as to which players actually qualified from which tour, or how they came up with that number. The official event info list doesn't have anything [11]. I do have a list of the players who qualified from the local competitions, but that's about it. I have signed up for Inside Mag Pool & Billiard magazine, I'm just awaiting my archives access and see if it is mentioned there, but that would be the last hope really. None of the individual governing bodies mention this at all. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 12:16, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Okay, that's fine about not including the stuff you don't have. In part with regard to qualification, I feel like the ranking system(s) itself could use a little more of an explanation (see my comments below). Sportsfan77777 (talk) 05:25, 14 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

More detailed comments... Sportsfan77777 (talk) 05:25, 14 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

No problem. Been a little busy recently, will update on this in a day or so. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 11:17, 16 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Lead

  • I don't understand what CueSports International is or what it links to.
    • Clarified a little. CSI are the parent company to the BCA and other events. We don't do a good job in the redirected article, sadly. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 12:37, 16 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • After plans an event in both 2016 and 2018 ===>>> After plans for an event in both 2016 and 2018
  • a 2019 event organised to be held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of a three-year deal for the event to be played in the United States was agreed. <<<=== This seems like too much passive voice. (agreed by who?, and "organised to be held" seems like it could be shortened)
  • July 22 to 26, 2019. <<<=== You don't need to repeat "2019".
  • Featuring 64 participants, <<<=== 64 or 62? (see comment below)
  • players competing were based on both the world pool rankings as well as qualifying events. <<<=== Are they also based on continental tour rankings?
  • then changing to a ===>>> at which point it changed to a
  • Chinese Taipei player Ko Ping-chung <<<=== should be Taiwanese or "representing Chinese Taipei" to be the most correct
  • who won the previous championship <<<=== I'd suggest "who was the defending champion" instead

Format

  • Probably worth adding that all previous editions were in the Philippines
  • Also worth adding that the first edition was in 2008
  • Was it ever intended to be held annually?
    • I haven't got anything that says that, but it's been many years since it was an annual event. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 12:56, 16 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • stage the event along with the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) <<<=== Aren't the WPA also who Predator Group partnered with (like CueSports International)?
  • Is there a reason the tournament is not held regularly? (Is ten-ball less played than nine-ball or other variants in general?)
    • Pool has been in decline for years. Nine-ball is the big event, and even that has come under issues of not being run. If you aren't the Mosconi Cup, or World Cup of Pool, there might be issues with money. This event in particular has issues with money with players not getting paid for the 2015 event. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 12:56, 16 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • with plans to host the event for three years <<<=== Which event? This one or the Players Championship?
  • "The WPA World Ten-ball Championship will be played" <<<=== This could be rephrased so you are not WP:CRYSTAL-balling
  • Relatedly, if you are referring to this event with the "for three years" comment above, then that is repetitive with the "will be played" sentence.
  • such as the Euro Tour and the WPA <<<=== Is the WPA a tour?
  • with 16 qualifiers, held in events from June and July 2019 <<<=== I don't think this wording ("16 qualifiers, held in events") makes sense. (unless the qualifiers are part of broader events and not isolated events on their own?)
  • The tournament was played as a double-elimination knockout structure until 16 players remained, when it became a single-elimination tournament. <<<=== Looking at the link to the draws, it looks like they refer to these as stages (i.e. a double-elimination stage and a single-elimination stage). The tournament cannot "become a tournament".
  • Also in that sentence, it would be "double-elimination format" or "double-elimination knockout format", albeit the Wikipedia article on knockout format says that would imply single-elimination (not sure if that's correct).
  • Clarify that the double-elimination format implies players need to win three matches to advance to the single-elimination stage. (Is that correct?)
    • Nope, double-elimination brackets are confusing. You have to win three or four matches. It's a weird American thing, and the reason I didn't go into details as to how these work. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 12:56, 16 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The event was also played ===>>> Matches were played
  • with each player taking turns to break in each rack ===>>> in which the players take turns to break each rack ("in each rack" seems to suggest both players break in one rack. Also, I don't know, but is "to break" correct versus "at breaking" or "at the break"?)
    • Reworded. Yeah, it doesn't seem like great English, but it is indeed a player "to break". A break is like a serve in tennis Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 12:56, 16 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • It was broadcast ===>>> The event was broadcast

Participant summary

  • The player list has 64 spots, but only 62 of them are actually filled?
  • local qualifying events ===>>> regional qualifying events ("local" sounds like "near the tournament". I think they were global, right?)
  • "in the following tours" implies a list of tours. I think a format like "World Pool Association (16)" where it's just the tour (and then the number of qualifiers in parentheses) would fit that better.
  • Relatedly, these seem like organisations, not tours?
  • With regards to my comments last week, no worries about including information you don't have.
  • The current explanation seems to imply that each tour has its own ranking. Is that correct? Or do the spots go to the top-ranked players from each tour according to the overall WPA rankings?
    • So as far as I can tell (nothing seems to go into actually in-depth about it), the WPA has a very loose ranking, based on how people do in the world championships and select other events. I think the allocation for the WPA takes priority, but the sources don't say anything about this. I did reach out to both the WPA and CSI on this, but neither got back to me. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 13:12, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Is it worth mentioning who are the top-ranked players? Or are these players not necessarily the favourites? (I could imagine that being the case if being good at 9-ball doesn't mean you are good at 10-ball?)
    • Yeah, the rankings are generally for other games (such as 9-ball and 8-ball), so it's difficult to say who is the theoretical favourite, other than who was the number one ranked player by the WPA, but unless I've mentioned it in the prose, the sources themselves don't credit this. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 13:05, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Relatedly, the tournament wasn't seeded or anything?
  • If you don't have who qualified by tour, maybe state which countries had the most representatives?
    • Quite a bit of WP:OR around that, but even if there was a list, I'm not sure it's anything more than a bit of trivia. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 13:05, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Prize fund

  • Okay.

Double elimination

  • I'd suggest calling this sub-section "Double elimination stage" rather than bracket
  • Filler lost his second match 1–8 to Johann Chua after losing the first seven racks of the match. <<<=== no need to repeat "of the match" at the end
  • his opening round match to Ariel Casto ===>>> his opening round match against Ariel Casto
    • Done 13:05, 18 March 2021 (UTC)
  • Defending champion Ko Pin-yi won his opening round match to Ariel Casto [de], but lost to Alex Pagulayan 8–6 in the second round. <<<=== This is incomplete. He still qualified. The "but" seems to suggest he didn't.
  • American players Shane Van Boening and Billy Thorpe <<<=== specify that these are good players? or at least popular players? At the moment, it doesn't seem clear why they are highlighted instead of others.
    • I've clarified, they were on the same Mosconi Cup team. Some were mentioned more than others as thats where the news are. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 13:05, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • shared a hotel room for the event, but were drawn <<<=== I don't think the "but" is necessary. It's not really a negative.
  • Maybe add how Masato Yoshioka did, since he made the semifinals?
  • Sure. There's not all that much info on him (like at all), but I've added something. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 13:05, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Albin Ouschan to reach the knockout round ===>>> Albin Ouschan to reach the knockout rounds

Single elimination

  • Should probably stick to using full names for the Ko brothers to avoid confusion.
    • I've done this in a few cases. I don't want to be super redundant though, let me know what you think. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 13:40, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Styer failed to take advantage in rack 12, <<<=== take advantage of what?
  • Filler failed to capitalize in racks 16 and 17 <<<=== failed to capitalize on what?
  • Ko Ping-chung reached the final after a 10–3 win ===>>> Ko Ping-chung reached the final with a 10–3 win
  • regional qualifier Masato Yoshioka <<<=== "regional qualifier" should be mentioned the first time Yoshioka is mentioned, not here
  • pocketing the cue ball <<<=== add "(known as a scratch)" OR I think you could just say "scratching the cue ball"?
    • As per Gog's comment, I didn't want to use jargon terms for the sake of it. As I don't talk about a scratch again, it's a bit moot. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 13:40, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • to trail 5–3, ===>>> to cut the deficit to 5–3,
  • The final was played as a race-to-ten-racks match <<<=== It doesn't make sense to specify that when all matches in this stage were race-to-ten.
  • with Ko taking a comfort break after rack four ===>>> at which point Ko took a comfort break
  • , before taking the lead ===>>> and took the lead
  • With Filler firing a dry break <<<=== I would assume "firing" isn't formal enough.
  • to win the rack to lead 9–7 ===>>> to win the rack and lead 9–7
  • The win was the first major championship win of Ko Ping-chung's career, having previously reached semi-finals in various events. ===>>> The win was the first major championship win of Ko Ping-chung's career, with his best previous major results having been semi-finals in various events.
  • In the caption: Niels Feijen reached the quarter-final of the event, before losing to 2018 WPA World Nine-ball Championship winner Joshua Filler. ===>>> Niels Feijen reached the quarter-final of the event, losing to 2018 WPA World Nine-ball Championship winner Joshua Filler.

Draw

  • The following results only show the final 16 players. ===>>> The following results only show the single-elimination stage comprising the final 16 players.
  • All matches were ===>>> All matches in this stage were
  • Players in bold represent winners: ===>>> Players in bold represent winners.

Overall

  • I noticed in general that you don't usually include the ranking points distribution, or any description of the ranking system. Is there a reason why you leave it out? I didn't even realize this was a ranking event until I found it in the WPA rankings here.
  • It doesn't makes sense to link the balls that aren't the 10-ball. Those links go to the disciplines, not the balls.
    • That's more of an issue with our glossary than the links. Eight-ball (the game), and 8-ball (the ball), are different. I have been meaning to tighten up the glossary, but I'm not quite there yet. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 13:50, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I think the more important comments above have to do with the sections outside of the tournament summary. The comments on the tournament summary are more minor.
    • Yeah, it's a bit sad that there is no more information. Even looking at [12], there's no info on where the points actually come from, nor what the next event is going to be a ranking event. It's a bit different from snooker, where the rankings are professional or bust, and are clearly defined. I don't mind adding any notes, or something to say it's a WPA ranking event in there somewhere. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 13:50, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

After these comments are addressed, I'll look through it again. Sportsfan77777 (talk) 05:25, 14 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Replies / New comments

  • For the first sentence: "a professional pool tournament for the discipline of ten-ball, organised by pool governing bodies, the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) and CueSports International." ===>>> "professional pool tournament for the discipline of ten-ball organised by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) and CueSports International, both pool governing bodies." (you don't the first comma; the second one doesn't seem right)
  • The event was the first official world ten-ball championship ===>>> The 2019 event was the first official world ten-ball championship
  • with plans to host the ten-ball event for three years ===>>> and had plans to host the ten-ball event for three years
  • with 16 qualifiers, from winning events ===>>> and 16 qualifiers who had won events
  • as a double-elimination knockout structure ===>> with a double-elimination knockout structure
  • became a single-elimination format ===>>> became single-elimination format
    • I'm not sure this is an improvement. The sentence doesn't read right with "became single-elimination format". Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 11:19, 22 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • With regards to the rankings, you might as well specify it's a WPA ranking event somewhere, even if it's just in the format section. It would make the event seem more important.

Looks good. I agree that I wish more information on some of the technical details were available. Sportsfan77777 (talk) 08:52, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Supporting! Sportsfan77777 (talk) 06:30, 23 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support Comments from MaranoFan[edit]

  • bulle-benson.de redirects to Wikipedia so I'm not sure if linking to it as the source on File:MC2008 M10 015 - Shane van Boening.JPG is beneficial.
  • It seems CueSports International is abbreviated as CSI. Might be worth adding in a bracket, for consistency.
  • "a 2019 event held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada" -- This part would still make sense if "held" was omitted, just to decrease repetition
  • "In addition, five players were chosen as wildcard entries by the event organisers. An additional 16 players were entered from local qualifying events held in the weeks leading up to the event" -- Active voice
  • "The tournament total prize fund was $132,000" --> "The tournament's total prize fund was $132,000"
  • "Feijen's final break pocketed four balls, leading Strickland to comment on the performance by saying "wow" -- Could be reduced to just "Feijen's final break pocketed four balls, leading Strickland to comment "wow"
  • I am not sure why Ko Pin-yi's full name is being repeated instead of just "Pin-yi", same with Ko Ping-chung. Apologies if it is some obvious reason.
    • So are these Chinese names, and my understanding is you'd use the first name as a surname (like Ding Junhui is Ding, Junhui). I'm no expect on these though. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 10:32, 25 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • There seem to be too many quotations from this source according to the copyvio detector. If possible, try to paraphrase some more.
    • Most of this is direct attributed quotes. The copyvio detector isn't the best comparison for this. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 10:32, 25 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I haven't seen this particular citation style with bare urls before but I will assume good faith since neither of the other two reviewers raised concerns about it.
  • I meant the website names being expressed as "abc.com" instead of "Abc". But that doesn't seem to be a problem.--NØ 10:51, 25 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Those are the few comments from me. A great article overall :) --NØ 11:17, 24 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thanks for taking a look at this MaranoFan, I've looked at the above and given some comments. I'll see what I can do about the commons image. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski (talkcontribs) 10:39, 25 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I am now going to support.--NØ 10:51, 25 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Ian Rose via FACBot (talk) 27 March 2021 [13].


Ted Kaczynski[edit]

Nominator(s): AviationFreak💬 05:57, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

This article is about Ted Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber. He grew up as a gifted child and later, after some possible psychological trauma, became a major serial bomber until his arrest in 1996. He is currently serving eight life sentences at ADX Florence.

As this is my first time nominating at FAC, I sought (and received!) significant guidance from Gog the Mild and SandyGeorgia. AviationFreak💬 05:57, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Wikipedia:Peer review/Ted Kaczynski/archive1. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 02:15, 23 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Image review[edit]

  • File:Unabomber-sketch.png — I suspect this is PD but it needs more documentation: is Boylan a federal government employee? If it was done on a contract basis the copyright might be different.
    I'm not sure of the best way to determine this, but after a skim of her auobiography and this source it seems that she works with all levels of law enforcement on a case-by-case contractual basis. The archived version of the now-dead link on the Commons page simply states that the FBI "distributed" the sketch in '87. I imagine the licensing of the image depends on the original agreement between Boylan and the FBI, but honestly image licensing is an area that I am not particularly strong in. AviationFreak💬 06:35, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    This leads me to suspect that it may be free use anyway but I'm not sure. Nikkimaria, you're the image copyright expert, what do you think? Thanks in advance, (t · c) buidhe 16:11, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I agree with AF that it would depend on the nature of the relationship between Boylan and the FBI whether this could be counted as a work for hire. This source suggests the image is copyrighted. Nikkimaria (talk) 22:45, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    It looks like the sketch has been removed from the article by someone here - shouldn't it still be in the article as "fair use"? It seems rather significant. Elliot321 (talk | contribs) 02:31, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Other image licensing looks OK (t · c) buidhe 06:11, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comment by Buidhe
  • "Manifesto" section looks like it could use more aggressive summary style considering that it has its own article. "Style" subsection is too short and should be cut or merged into a different section. "Reception" and "Influences" should be cut down or simply moved to the sub-article. (t · c) buidhe 07:19, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • I've moved the "Influences" section to the manifesto's article and removed the Reception section as the manifesto's article covers reception quite well. AviationFreak💬 21:05, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Partial review by Nick-D[edit]

It's good to see this at FAC, but I don't think I'll be posting a full review as I find articles on nutters to be a bit heavy going. I'd like to offer a few comments:

  • The table of bombings is a bit confusing - I don't understand why the rows describing the occupations and injuries of victims of separate attacks have been combined.
    • Unmerged cells in the "Injuries" column, but I feel like the merging of cells in "State", "Location", and "Occupation" shows how Kaczynski would target specific areas and professions. AviationFreak💬 03:28, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Why is Kaczynski being held in a supermax prison rather than a normal high security prison? Presumably this is due to an assessment that he could make further attacks?
    • Looking in to this, it seems like ADX Florence is used more as a prison for high-profile inmates (OKC Bombers, Boston Marathon Bombers, Al-Qaeda higher-ups, etc.) than to provide supervision above normal max-level prisons. Because there is also a significant psychological toll placed on inmates there, I think Florence primarily serves as a place to put the "really bad guys." AviationFreak💬 03:28, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I'd delete the self-pitying quote in the 'Incarceration' section as it doesn't add anything and risks being read as sympathetic to this murderer. Nick-D (talk) 02:57, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Source review[edit]

Spotchecks not done

  • Some of the details in the infobox, such as his height, don't appear to be sourced anywhere
  • Quotes should be cited in the lead even when cited later
  • The lead claims that "was the subject of the longest and most expensive investigation in the history of the Federal Bureau of Investigation". The source supporting this detail in the text is from 1996 - does this remain true?
    • I can't find a more recent source stating explicitly that this holds true today, but this 2018 History.com article at least makes it clear that it was the most expensive at the time, if not since. History.com isn't terribly reliable and I can't find other sources like it, so the article could be reworded to make it clear that Kaczynski's investigation was the most expensive at the time. AviationFreak💬 22:16, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "dedicated himself to reading about sociology and political philosophy, such as the works of Jacques Ellul. " - source?
  • "The task force grew to more than 150 full-time personnel, but minute analysis of recovered components of the bombs and the investigation into the lives of the victims proved of little use in identifying the suspect, who built the bombs primarily from scrap materials available almost anywhere. The victims, investigators later learned, were chosen indiscriminately from library research. " - source?
  • Chicago Tribune is a work title, National Public Radio, Inc. is a publisher. Check throughout for problems of this kind
  • FN31 was recently modified and used a different cite template than the other citations - I've fixed it, but AFAIK there aren't other issues. AviationFreak💬 20:41, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Be consistent in when you include publication location and how these are formatted
  • Where? As far as I can tell there aren't any publication locations in the refs - Is this a requirement?
  • It's not a requirement to include them, but if you're going to you need to be consistent about it. Most of the book sources include locations, and most of those use a "City, State" format - but not all. Nikkimaria (talk) 02:55, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • All book sources have now been standardized to fit this format except the one for the manifesto itself, which wasn't ever "published" in the traditional sense as far as I can see. AviationFreak💬 20:41, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Be consistent on when you include publishers for periodicals
  • Is FN15 meant to cite Karr-Morse?
  • Griset or Grisett?
  • Author titles need not be included, as in FN3
  • What makes Harvard Crimson a high-quality reliable source? Medium? John Bullough? The Tech? Wildism?
    • WP:RSP: "Reputable student media outlets, such as The Harvard Crimson, are considered generally reliable sources for news on their school and local community." In this case, the Crimson is being used as an overarching biography of Kaczynski that is heavily supported by classmates.
      • The bar here is high-quality, not simply generally reliable. Nikkimaria (talk) 00:27, 21 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
        • I've replaced the first Crimson citation with one from the Baltimore Sun (supporting fact that Kaczynski left academia in 1969), but I feel the citation that supports his housemates' opinions on him is reliable as the Crimson source is interviewing his former housemates. AviationFreak💬 18:01, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • Medium is a blog website, as noted by Hog Farm below. In this case it is an interview with Kaczynski's brother, with the supported claim being taken almost directly from David Kaczynski's response to a question.
      • Being an interview doesn't necessarily make the source reliable. What are the qualifications of the interviewer? Nikkimaria (talk) 00:27, 21 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
        • Michaela Haas is a German reporter who has hosted German talk shows and written for major publications in German and English.
    • Bullough is a scientist with a PhD in lightning science, which is of course unrelated to this topic. However, the cited source is just a list of Kaczynski's academic works and is used in the article to give dates and names of certain papers. As Bullough is an academic, this is likely reliable.
      • He is an academic, but not apparently one with expertise in bibliographic studies? Primary sourcing would be sufficient to verify the bibliographic details - why not cite the papers directly? Nikkimaria (talk) 00:27, 21 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
        • Kaczynski's dissertation does not itself state that it is his dissertation - The source in question has been replaced by an LA Times article on Kaczynski's dissertation. AviationFreak💬 18:01, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • The Tech source has been replaced with one from the Crime Museum in D.C.
    • Wildism is simply a list of Kaczynski's letters here.
  • FN11 should have url-status marked as dead. Check for others
  • FN13 is missing agency credit
    • I believe I've done this by adding The Associated Press as the publisher - If this is not what you meant, please let me know.
  • Be consistent in how you handle sources without author credits
  • I believe I've done this by only using "Staff writer(s)" (or some variation) if the source explicitly states that - If this is not what you were referring to, let me know. AviationFreak💬 18:01, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • FN28 is missing date. Ditto FN29, check for others
  • FN46: details here don't match those at the link provided
  • Be consistent in how you format works with multiple authors
  • FN49 is missing pages, check for others
  • FN54: don't see that author credit at given link

Stopping there - considerable cleanup is still needed here. Nikkimaria (talk) 02:44, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

All done above my note on FN13 unless otherwise noted. I have to stop right now, but I will be back to finish this off. AviationFreak💬 22:16, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
All of the above are now done unless otherwise noted. AviationFreak💬 05:11, 17 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Drive-by source comment from Hog Farm - Medium is a blog hosting site, so the blog author will need to have very good credentials to pass as a high-quality source. Hog Farm Talk 18:36, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Be consistent in whether you use {{sfn}} or handwritten short cites
  • Missing full source for Chase 2000
    • I can't find any sources published by Chase in 2000, nor can I find the claim in either of his other sources already cited in the article. I've removed the claim. AviationFreak💬 19:35, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Be consistent in when you include accessdate
  • Associated Press or The Associated Press? SFGate or SFGATE? Check for consistency
  • FN71 is missing date
  • FN72 is missing additional author credits provided at the link
  • FN106: is there no secondary source that provides this information? ditto FN111
  • What makes Salon a high-quality reliable source? Vice?
    • The Salon source has been removed, and the claim it supported is now cited using The Chicago Tribune. I've done the same with Vice, replacing it with a source from The Guardian. AviationFreak💬 19:35, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • FN118 should cite the original source, and credit the university site using |via= if at all. Is this an authorized republication?
    • I've cited the source through JSTOR, using |via= to name JSTOR. I'm not sure what you mean by this being an authorized republication - Let me know if I've done something incorrectly here. AviationFreak💬 19:35, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • FN126 is missing author
  • FN135: is there any secondary source that would support the significance of this reference? See this RfC
    • Not that I can find - I've removed the claim and its source.
  • How have you selected what to include in External links? Nikkimaria (talk) 00:27, 21 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • I didn't put too much though into this when I thinned the External Links down at Peer Review - As you can see they consist of Kaczynski's writings, but there's no real reason for this as far as I'm concerned. Please let me know what suggestions you have for this section. AviationFreak💬 19:35, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      • It looks like the last on the list is accessible through the first link? I would suggest privileging broad compilations over individual letters. Nikkimaria (talk) 02:55, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
        • I've removed all but the link to the Anarchist Library compilation of his writings. This includes the manifesto, but it might be worth linking that separately. AviationFreak💬 20:41, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I believe I've tackled all of the above concerns unless otherwise noted. Let me know if there's anything I've missed or done incorrectly. AviationFreak💬 19:35, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Gog the Mild[edit]

Recusing to review. I made some comments on this at PR.

  • "against people involved with modern technology." The vast majority of the World's population is "involved with modern technology". Is there a phrasing which narrows it down? Or was the campaign effectively random? Or 'against people he believed to be involved with modern technology' or similar? Eg, is the president of a timber industry lobbying group really "involved with modern technology"?
  • "submitted a tip" Maybe be a little clearer about just what this involved?
This change has left things a little unclear again. Maybe something like "and submitted a tip" → 'and reported his suspicions to the FBI'? Gog the Mild (talk) 23:33, 17 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Done. AviationFreak💬 01:04, 18 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "life in prison without possibility of parole." This may be a USVar issue, but to my eye that should be 'life in prison without the possibility of parole', as is used in the main article.
  • "a smart, but lonely individual." Either remove the comma, or add one after "lonely".
  • "turned over to an anonymous attorney". An actual professional lawyer?
  • "1 F, 5 Bs and 12 As in his 17 courses". 18 grades for 17 courses - is that correct?
  • "he began performing acts of sabotage against nearby developments in 1975". Do we know any details as to what form these acts took?
  • "held a family meeting without Ted later that year to map out the future." The future of what?
  • "his brother fired him for writing insulting limericks about a female supervisor he had courted briefly." His brother did the courting?
  • "it released smoke, which forced an emergency landing". I know what you mean, but is "forced" right? 'çaused the pilot to carry out an emergency landing' maybe?
  • "was brought to the campus police, who used a bomb squad to defuse it". → 'was brought to the campus police, and was defused by a bomb squad'.
  • "As of 2000, ... the green anarchist and eco-extremist movements came to hold Kaczynski's writing in high regard" I don't think that's what you mean, so suggest a sentence break.
  • "and U.S. Postal Inspection Service was formed." → 'and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service was formed.'
  • "using phrasing similar to the manifesto." → 'using phrasing similar to that in the manifesto.'
  • "Theories emerged naming Kaczynski as the Zodiac Killer." Could we have a brief in line explanation of who the Zodiac Killer was.
  • Link grand jury.
  • "The Library rejected the offer because it already had copies of the works." Optional: → 'The Library rejected the offer on the grounds that it already had copies of the works.'
  • "Kaczynski was parodied several times" Optional: "was" → 'has been'.

Gog the Mild (talk) 16:29, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

All but the last bullet done. AviationFreak💬 03:14, 16 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
That all looks good. I expected to be commenting further on the amount of quoting, but note that this has been reduced since nomination, and so I am happy to support. Gog the Mild (talk) 03:36, 17 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I have struck my support. I had made what I considered an uncontroversial copy edit to move things along. Apparently I was wrong. "who murdered five people in Northern California from 1968 to 1969". "from" cannot cover two consecutive periods, there has to be at least one other in between, as in 'from 2017 to 2021'. So, IMO, the above should read 'who murdered five people in Northern California in 1968 and 1969' or some other usage not involving "from". Gog the Mild (talk) 03:44, 17 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I don't have problems with either one when reading over them at a normal pace - Stopping and looking though, "in/and" seems to make more sense than "from/to." I don't see anything in the MOS about this, so what to do here? The first two steps of BRD have taken place, but I don't know if discussion would do much to resolve the issue unless it's covered in a style guide somewhere (which I can't find from a cursory search). AviationFreak💬 04:20, 17 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
In which case I shall treat it as a USVar style. (it makes no sense in UKVar.) As this is a US based article that is fine - re-supporting. Gog the Mild (talk) 04:27, 17 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The Polish pronunciation of his name: is there RS evidence that he ever used this pronunciation. If so, could it be added; if not could it be deleted. Cheers. Gog the Mild (talk) 15:31, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • I'm not able to find any sources discussing the pronunciation of his name. Jaroslaw Kaczynski's name pronunciation has been discussed in this 2006 BBC article and is different from the pronunciation currently in the article, but afaik there's no connection to say that Ted's name should be pronounced the same way. Videos from news sources about the Unabomber (like this one) pronounce it /kəˈzɪnski/. AviationFreak💬 16:06, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Harry[edit]

  • Chase[31][25] and others[32][33] two sets of footnotes so close together is distracting
  • Ted was visited multiple times in Montana by his father Theodore, who was impressed by Ted's wilderness skills We generally refer to subjects by their surnames, and the similarity of the father's name is potentially confusing. Suggest leaving dad's name out and sticking to "Kaczynski" for junior.
  • fingerprints found on some of the devices did not match those found on letters attributed to Kaczynski.[a] You probably need a reference there outside, as well as inside, the footnote.
  • As bombing an airliner is a federal crime, Sending mail bombs *isn't*? Also, do we know how the FBI connected the plane bomb to the university bombs?
    • I'm not sure how this sentence got into prose - the FBI page on Kaczynski clearly states that they became aware of him after his first bombing. I would assume the plane/university connection would be made through the bombs' constructions (the aircraft bomb was still intact enough to determine the reason it didn't detonate), but this source just says the bomb was "later attributed" to Kaczynski. AviationFreak💬 06:50, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • the then-president of United Airlines Wikipedia is timeless, so we don't use "then" (I'm sure there's a projectspace shortcut for this but I can't find it; it's the same reason we don't use "the late" for deceased people)
  • Ted's brother, David Kaczynski → "Kaczynski's brother, David" as above
  • Kaczynski tried to commit suicide by hanging The method, much less the link, is not a necessary detail and goes against the way various organisations recommend writing about suicide; suggest the much simpler "tried to kill himself".
  • Suggest unlinking counsel, competent, pleading guilty, restitution, redactions, freedom of speech; these are all commonly understood terms
  • He later tried to withdraw this plea, arguing it was involuntary On what grounds?
  • I was surprised not to see any mention of his impact on fiction.
  • Sourcing:
    • FN24: History.com and the History Channel are considered "generally unreliable"
      • Replaced with article from The Atlantic.
    • FN27: Medium, is considered unreliable
      • This was discussed above - This particular article seems reliable to me, seeing as it is an interview with Kaczynski's brother and the interviewer is well-accredited.
    • FN33: "there is no consensus regarding the reliability of CounterPunch"
      • Removed.
    • FN44: What makes this a high-quality, reliable source?
      • Removed/replaced.
    • FN48: Spell out the publication's name in sentence case; also needs a retrieval date
      • Name spelled out - Per {{Cite web}} and to keep page uniformity, access-date is not required.
    • FN61: "There is no consensus on the reliability of Biography.com"
      • Removed.
    • FN85: I'm not sure what the reliability of Yahoo news is, but I don't think I'd use it in a featured article or a BLP for something I couldn't source to a publication whose links are more stable.
      • Removed.
    • FN97: What is The FBI National Academy Associates Inc?
      • Their website makes it sound like they're a group of high-ranking law enforcement officers.
    • FN137: VG is apparently a tabloid
      • Removed.
    • What makes Court TV a high-quality, reliable source?
      • Court TV has gone through a couple rebrandings and buyouts over the years - The one that published these sources (pre-2008) was a major U.S. broadcasting network that specialized in covering court cases and legal proceedings.
  • Are we using full names or common names of publications/publishers? And are we linking them or not? Either is acceptable but it needs to be consistent.
    • I believe all publisher names are now spelled out and wikilinked. Let me know if this is not the case. AviationFreak💬 06:50, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • In the bibliography, most locations are given as "City, State" except Chase (just city) and Kaczynski 1995 (which doesn't have one)
    • Added state for Chase - I don't think the manifesto was ever really published by a publishing house, so I'm not sure what the location would be. AviationFreak💬 06:50, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Wiehl looks like a recent, thorough study of the subject but is only cited once. Is there a reason for that?
  • I'm slightly concerned that the article appears to have its foundations on news articles and web pieces rather than books and journals; sometimes that's the nature of the subject, but I'd like to hear why you're not making more extensive use of these sources where they're available.
    • Addressing both of your previous points: Most of the prose and sources in this article were here before I ever had an inkling of trying to get this to FA. I think this basis on the web rather than books and journals is largely due to the way that Wikipedia articles naturally develop when they are written by a huge number of editors making little edits, rather than a few editors making a lot of large edits. If the article were rewritten from scratch by an experienced editor or group of editors with the time and resources to use more books and journals, I'm sure it would be more literature-heavy. However, as it is, most of the sources in the article are reliable and strong enough to support their respective claims in prose. I don't see any inherent issue with using web sources as opposed to books and journals, especially when web sources are usually easier to access for most readers. Wiehl and other book/journal sources certainly go into more detail than most web sources, but this isn't terribly for important for Wikipedia when articles are supposed to summarize their subjects. AviationFreak💬 06:50, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

This is in good shape for a first FA nomination. Hopefully my concerns won't be difficult to address. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 23:10, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thank you for the review - all concerns have been addressed unless otherwise noted. Let me know if you have any further questions/comments. AviationFreak💬 06:50, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I'm satisfied with your responses. Support. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 22:05, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Ovinus[edit]

Planning to review this by Wednesday night. On a skim through the article, I have two concerns. First of all, I think more information could be included about his later writings. While nowhere near as impactful as the manifesto they're still quite interesting, not only philosophically but also on the basis that he was able to get them published despite being in prison. Also, I think the Legacy section could be expanded. His writings have received quite a bit of attention from mainstream philosophers, which also raises interesting ethical questions. He also has a place in popular culture as a well-known example of a crazy but intelligent fanatic. For what it's worth, Unabomber Manifesto#Aftermath and legacy seems to have a useful starting point. Edit: Just saw on that article's talk page that you were purposely splitting off such content. I'm not sure I agree, but how about a compromise of including his later writings, his meaning in pop culture, and a one to two sentence note in Legacy that his writings have received attention from academics. Cheers, Ovinus (talk) 21:03, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I'm going to be relatively picky with this article because it's so widely viewed; my level of pickiness is correlated with the level of daftness in my comments, so if you're ever puzzled by a request, do question it. :)

  • I added a {{respell}} to the lead, which I generally feel helps readers
  • and concluded that living in nature was untenable; he began his bombing campaign in 1978 "untenable" is a bit vague here. Did he think that living in nature is impossible in our time due to its destruction, or did he think that he had a calling to stop just chillin' in nature and rise up against destruction? Or both? Or is he saying that living in nature is an objectionable thing to do? And the following information "he began his bombing campaign" is a... non sequitur. How about He witnessed the destruction of the wilderness surrounding his cabin, concluding that living in nature was becoming impossible and resolving to fight industrialization and its destruction of nature via terrorism; he began his bombing campaign in 1978. Longer, but I think the chain of events/reasoning is clearer.
    • Implemented your suggestion with some changes to reduce sentence length and remove ambiguity. AviationFreak💬 05:35, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Can we include some brief information about the location of his bombings? Otherwise the "University and Airline Bomber" doesn't seem to have much background.
    • I assume you're referring to the lede here, since location is covered in the "Bombings" section - Either way, I think the spelling-out of the acronym in the lede is sufficient to identify the target locations of his bombs. AviationFreak💬 05:35, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      • Fair!
  • Kaczynski was the subject of the longest and most expensive investigation in the history of the Federal Bureau of Investigation when it occurred The "when it occurred" tripped me up here. Also "became" instead of "was" might be more elegant. How about Kaczynski became the subject of what was then the longest and most expensive investigation ever undertaken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Ehhh, seems wordy still. I'll think about it.
    • For what it's worth, the "when it occurred" was recently appended and there probably are better ways to word that sentence than the one currently in the article. AviationFreak💬 05:35, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      • See if what I did is okay, the problem with "when it occurred" is that the "it" could refer to any of "subject", "investigation", "history", and "FBI".
        • Your change here and later in the sentence about the insanity defense both look good to me. AviationFreak💬 16:18, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • which occurred in the Washington Post It's a bit strange for a publication to occur; doesn't seem like an active phrasing. Also should be "The Washington Post". How about which appeared in The Washington Post in September 1995?
  • He did not believe that he was insane. In general I think short sentences give a lot of emphasis, which is undue here. Maybe combine with the previous sentence with a semicolon?
    • I'm not always the best with semicolons and where to put them, but I feel like this might make the sentence unwieldy. I was also looking at using ... avoid the death penalty, even though he did not believe he was insane, but I feel like this runs into the same issue. AviationFreak💬 05:35, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      • This is one of my sillier comments, but take a look at what I did and revert if you feel like it's not an improvement

Otherwise, lead looks good. I'll continue the review soon, and let me know if you're okay for me to be hands-on with the simple prose/stylistic changes—in other words, whether they've been objectionable. Sincerely, Ovinus (talk) 22:54, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I've responded above to your comments so far and implemented some of your suggested changes - let me know if you'd make any changes or what further suggestions you have. AviationFreak💬 05:35, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I made some small changes, so please check
  • Comment: Exciting that we have a freely licensed picture of Kaczynski from 1968; would not expect that
  • I'm a bit confused about the purpose of the Kaczynski family meeting and his father's suicide in "Life in Montana". What relevance does this have?
    • I think noting the suicide of a subject's parent is important in a biography, and this seems like the best section to put it in. The second sentence in that paragraph provides context for the suicide. AviationFreak💬 16:18, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Comment: Table looks great.
  • FBI Inspector Terry D. Turchie was appointed to run the UNABOM investigation. We need to include the UNABOM etymology here, not just in the lead
  • an unkempt Kaczynski Love it.
  • which they put on display They literally moved the cabin to a museum?
    • Indeed - It appears it was trucked to Malmstrom Air Force Base to prevent vandalism and presumably flown to DC for inclusion in the Newseum after it had been used for evidence in the trial. The Newseum closed recently, and it appears that it now resides in an exhibit called "the FBI Experience".
  • Please see my comments above about the Legacy section. I think it's suitable for mild expansion.
  • Comment: A really impressive and well-written article. Well done! I'll do a citation overview next.
Citation check[edit]
  • I questioned [26]'s reliability but I see it has been discussed above.
  • I think you can change "New York, New York" to plain "New York" in citations, but whatever
  • ISBNs are all valid and uniform
  • 31 is missing an author and time stamp. I'd also encourage the usage of {{Cite podcast}}
  • 46, 50, 51, 52, 53, 58, 59, 60, 61, etc. are missing a retrieval date. Perhaps someone can tell me whether these are necessary for FAC.
    • I removed most of the retrieval dates to ensure uniformity between citations - Per the documentation on {{Cite web}} and {{Cite news}}, |access-date= is not a required parameter for static publications unless there is no publication date in the article. AviationFreak💬 05:03, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I'm not sure if the author of 69 should be "staff writer(s)". I'd remove it
    • I'm not aware of any policy on this, and the authors are attributed at the source as staff. AviationFreak💬 05:03, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • 128 has an error

Looking good besides the retrieval date kerfluffle; didn't see any obvious typos. Ovinus (talk) 17:10, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Spot checks[edit]
  • [1]: Good, but the archive seems messed up.
    • Archive looks messed up for me as well, but as this is a federally-maintained database search (as opposed to something like a static article), I don't think the archive will need to come into use anytime soon. Happy to remove archive link if requested.
  • [4]: Good
  • [5]: Link is dead afaics and doesn't have an archive. Remove?
    • The link looks fine to me - Should be a Baltimore Sun article. Are other editors having issues?
  • [9 a–j]: b: Quote showed little emotion for months should be emotions. j. The NYT article states His life was largely financed by his parents, who gave him $1,000 to $1,500 a year in birthday and Christmas gifts., while you say "some" financial support.
    • For b: I changed the quote to align with the source, but while looking at {{Sic}} I saw that MOS:QUOTE says "trivial spelling and typographic errors should simply be corrected without comment... unless the slip is textually important." This isn't a spelling error as far as I'm concerned, but I also don't think it's "textually important" - Should it be changed back?
      • well, TIL, feel free to change it back
    • For j: Changed "some" to "significant".
  • [11], [28], [36]: AGF
  • [17], [25], [33]: good
  • [38]: Doesn't seem to support that "he taught undergraduate courses in geometry and calculus" at Berkeley
    • Removed claims about teaching in specific fields.
  • [55]: AGF
  • [56], [57], [60], [61]: good
  • [63]: Mosser's middle name doesn't seem to be there, nor that it was North Caldwell. Maybe just check the first sentence?
    • Reworded & removed uncited details
  • [65]: A bit too much info for me to check
  • [69], [76], [77]: good, though I'm not sure about the present tense "believes".
    • Changed to "states", with minor reword to improve readability.
  • [78]: AGF
  • [86]: Is the New Yorker article incomplete? Seems to be missing some stuff, like "neo-Luddite"
    • The text version on the linked page appears to be significantly shorter than the image of the original full article shown above. This original full article is behind a hard paywall & the images are too low-quality to read anything but the drop caps. There is definitely more to the "full version" though, so I have to AGF that the details are there.
  • [88], [90]: good
  • [92]: Again, not sure about this one. "Swanson" isn't in the text. Could use [93] to support more of it
    • Reworded and added different source to support claim.
  • [93]: Can't find stuff about his brother wanting to protect him from the raid
    • Added ref to support claim.
  • [99], [104], [111], [115], [118]: good
  • [121]: AGF, can't get around the paywall
  • [124]: good
  • [132]: Doesn't seem to support "These include the 1996 television film Unabomber: The True Story, the 2011 play P.O. Box Unabomber, and Manhunt: Unabomber, the 2017 season of the television series Manhunt."
    • Added supporting sources

I'm incredibly sorry for the delay, AviationFreak. Off-wiki things caught up with me, and I totally forgot to at least notify you. I hope this was still helpful. Sincerely, Ovinus (talk) 23:54, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

No problem! I've had a bit more off-wiki stuff to do lately as well, so I completely understand where you're coming from. Thank you for all your help! AviationFreak💬 04:55, 21 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Looks good. Ovinus (talk) 05:26, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Ian Rose via FACBot (talk) 27 March 2021 [14].


Apollo 12[edit]

Nominator(s): Wehwalt (talk) 13:09, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

This article is about... the second crewed mission to the Moon. Not as famous as its illustrious predecessor, the crew of Apollo 12 probably had more fun doing it. Enjoy. Wehwalt (talk) 13:09, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Image review[edit]

  • Images appear to be freely licensed. There is, however, layout issues with sandwiching in "Crew and key Mission Control personnel", "Lunar surface activities", and "Mission insignia" sections, and the last image breaks the references section. Overall, the article gives the impression of having too many images, and would be improved by retaining only those which substantially increase reader understanding of the topic. (t · c) buidhe 20:53, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • Also, the infobox seems way too long. How many readers are actually going to look at all that detail? Can't you present the key info in a more concise format? (t · c) buidhe 20:54, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thank you for that. I've cut some of the images that seemed less necessary. Regarding the infobox, all I can say is that all of the Apollo mission articles contain that information, and 7 of the 11 crewed missions are now FA.--Wehwalt (talk) 22:30, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
That may, or may not, be persuasive re the technical detail, but does the infobox need three images. Suggest you move at least two, all three might be better, elsewhere. Gog the Mild (talk) 22:17, 30 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Most articles have a lead image, and in the case of the Apollo articles, it is generally an image that is distinctive to that mission. I've moved the other two out of the infobox, thereby shortening the same and eliminating one image from the article.--Wehwalt (talk) 01:44, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Source review by Ealdgyth[edit]

Universe Today seems to be a well-regarded and reliable site that has been covered and praised by sites we deem reliable, for example, Slate, here.--Wehwalt (talk) 16:48, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      • I'm more concerned that I can't find a editorial policy or even who is behind it. And while it MIGHT pass WP:RS, I have significant doubts about it meeting the high quality requirement for FA. -- Ealdgyth (talk) 16:55, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I'll look for a replacement.--Wehwalt (talk) 16:58, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Replaced.--Wehwalt (talk) 16:51, 1 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
works for me. next time though, can you do me a favor and tell me what it was replaced with, so I don't have to go digging for the information?
  • I have a concern about how much is sourced to NASA sources, or primary sources. There is a lot of relying on NASA publications as well as things that should probably be considered primary - the various data sheets and other things of similar nature. It's something that needs to be kept as little as possible because it is entirely too easy to drift into actually writing history as historians do (i.e. from the primary sources) instead of doing encyclopedia editing from secondary sources. I know primary sources are allowed, but I remain concerned about the number used in this article.
  • Note that I did not do spot checks or check for formatting, etc. Just reliablity.
  • Note also that I will claim this review for points in the Wikicup.
  • Ealdgyth (talk) 15:39, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thank you for the review. I think there's two separate issues here: the primary sources from the Apollo era, which of course are NASA-generated, the true primary sources, and much later sources, such as that by the Lunar and Planetary Institute and the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, that have are supported by NASA but are secondary sources. Plainly both are used. I will, over the next few days, see where I can bring down the number of cites to the earlier sources. There's really, though, no reason to doubt the accuracy of either for factual information, and we're not reporting on any opinions. It's a bit of a cleft stick: the NASA sources, earlier or later, are going to have the technical information that if collected on a private site, might raise questions of reliability. But I'll see where I can find a happy medium.--Wehwalt (talk) 16:48, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I've replaced some. I'm not sure how much more I can do. The Apollo-era ones that are left are mostly being used for technical info, biographical detail and similar. The later ones are secondary sources, and reliable and unbiased as per above. I worry also that I'm having to replace online sources with book refs. I hope this is good enough.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:03, 2 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Yeah, it's a tough balancing act. It is always hard to judge on this sort of thing ... how much to use from an agency directly vs. how much to source through third-party sources that likely get their information from the organization. But the rant about too much use of primary sources is for another time... not now (grins). Looks good, you're good to go and I'm unwatching this review. Good luck! Ealdgyth (talk) 02:50, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from HAL[edit]

  • You could link Capsule communicators to Flight controller#Spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM)
  • The second clause of the sentence The use of a hybrid trajectory allowed more flexibility in mission planning, for example allowing Apollo 12 to launch in daylight and reach the planned landing spot on schedule. seems odd. A restructuring could make it more concise and flow better.
  • This isn't a huge deal, but the mission insignia looks a little off when positioned to the left. I realize that if you moved it to the right, you would have a near constant stream of rightside images. Moving "File:Astronaut Alan L. Bean is about to step off the ladder of the Lunar Module.jpg" to the left may help. You don't have to act on this.

I'm pretty new to the FA side of things, so take these comments with a grain of salt. ~ HAL333 21:00, 2 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I've done those things, and thank you for the review and welcome.--Wehwalt (talk) 18:31, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • A second sweep found nothing. Happy to support. ~ HAL333 17:43, 17 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Gog the Mild[edit]

Recusing to review.

  • "Apollo Lunar Module Pilot Alan L. Bean". The upper case P - is "pilot" an actual title? As opposed to a position.
Yes, I've adjusted the link.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:48, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "In proving that pinpoint landings could be made, they enabled future Apollo missions to sites of scientific interest, where the astronauts would have to land close by." Would it be possible to improve the flow of this?
I've tried.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:48, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "ALSEP" - abbreviations in full at first mention.
You have it at second mention.
I've removed the first mention so that the full-length can occur where it will do the most good.
  • "The commander of the all-Navy". If the upper case N is because it is short for the US Navy, could it be linked?
  • "Patuxent River NAS": NAS in full at first mention please.
And unlink it in Mission insignia.
Navy? Done.--Wehwalt (talk) 11:56, 5 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Above done.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:48, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Naval ROTC": ROTC?
I know. But in American English it is far more common to refer to it by the shorthand. There is a link.
I know, but for the majority of English speakers for whom that would mean nothing without a click through ... You know, I am struggling to think of a non-clunky solution. OK, leave it. But it is possible I may come back on this, if I actually think of something workable.
  • Any chance of a brief in line explanation of "Flight director"?
Done.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:48, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "they had to be relatively flat without major obstructions". Maybe 'they had to be relatively flat and without major obstructions'?
  • "the path the LM would fly". LM in full at first mention.
  • "Since Apollo 12 was to attempt the first landing if Apollo 11 failed". I struggled a bit to understand what you were trying to say here. Probably just me, but consider 'attempt the first Moon landing'.
Above ones done.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:59, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "However, some argued for a landing ... However, given that Apollo 11 had landed" Optional: avoid "However" twice so close together.
OK.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:59, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "overruling the unanimous recommendation of two site selection boards." What was that recommendation?
On review of the source, modified to "despite the unanimous opposition of members of two site selection boards.".--Wehwalt (talk) 23:59, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "simulators of the CM". CM ...
Done.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:08, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "with large numbers of media members getting in the way". Would 'with the large numbers of media members getting in the way. read better? Or, perhaps, 'with many of the large number of media members getting in the way'?
Done slightly differently.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:08, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • In the infobox the spacecraft launch mass is given as 101,127 pounds. In the text it states "Of this figure, the spacecraft weighed 110,044 pounds". What am I missing?
I will research this.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:08, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The figure in the infobox was that on reaching Earth orbit, so from the next line in the Mission Report table on page A-9. I've made a correction and verified that the landing weight is that which is stated.--Wehwalt (talk) 08:20, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "The S-IVB auxiliary propulsion system was fired". Should that be 'The S-IVB auxiliary propulsion system was to be fired'?
Tweaked.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:18, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
OK.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:18, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "a small error in the state vector". I don't think it reasonable to expect many readers to know what "state vector" means in this context.
I've simplified the passage.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:18, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Again in solar orbit". Perhaps 'Currently in solar orbit', or ' In solar orbit as of early 2021'?
Done. more or less.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:18, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

More to follow. Gog the Mild (talk) 22:37, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • "CSM" in full at first mention please.
Fine.
  • "a Launch Escape System (LES), and Spacecraft-Lunar Module Adapter 15 (SLA–15}. The Launch Escape System contained" Why give the abbreviation LES and then not use it? Especially when you do use others in the same sentence.
LES is used near the end of the paragraph. But for consistency I've changed Launch Escape System to LES.
  • "These were selected from several thousand proposed names". Is it known who made the selection?
The crew. New source added.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:42, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "the abort system logic"? And this would be? ;-)
Beats me. But as it is mentioned, better to give the info than to fuzz it away.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:42, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I am unenthusiastic about a sentence in a FAC which even the author doesn't understand!
Cut.--Wehwalt (talk) 11:56, 5 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The paragraph starting "Apollo 12's ALSEP included a Lunar Surface Magnetometer" Has a whole series of names with upper case initial letters, eg "Lunar Surface Magnetometer"; "Dust Detector" etc. Why?
NASA equipment tends to take the capital letters. If I lower cased it, it might be taken to be merely descriptive.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:42, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "and the Solar Wind Spectrometer, to measure the strength and direction of the solar wind at the Moon's surface—the Solar Wind Composition Experiment, to measure what makes up the solar wind, would be deployed and then brought back to Earth by the astronauts". Is this two separate experiments, or two aspects of the same one?
Clarified.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:42, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "by the nearby planned impact of the ascent stage". Optional: → 'by the planned impact nearby of the ascent stage'.
  • "which contained a transmitter, receiver, timer, data processor, and equipment for power distribution"> Might some of these be linked?
I would think they would be relatively common terms and therefore links would be unnecessary.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:42, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "some NASA and military satellites had previously". Perhaps 'some uncrewed NASA and military satellites had previously'?
I'm inclined to think the reader will understand that satellites are not crewed, and that it's clear from context.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:42, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "The Apollo 12 ALSEP experiments were commanded on from Earth on November 19, 1969.". Is there a typo there? Because i am struggling to even guess what is meant. OK - I think that "commanded on" and "off" is the issue. Is there a way of rephrasing this?
It's the proper terminology, but I've switched to "activated" and "deactivated".
  • "This termination happened principally due to budgetary reasons". Maybe 'The principal reasons for these terminations were budgetary restrictions' or similar?
Done a little differently.
  • "There were completely overcast rainy skies, encountering wind speeds". You can't switch tenses like that. ("There were ... encountering".)
  • "the highest of any Apollo mission". Optional: "highest" → 'strongest'.
Rewritten.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:42, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • You give abbreviations for a number of items which are not mentioned again. eg "Descent Propulsion System (DPS)". Why?
NASA equipment is often referred to by the shorthand, and it is my thought that it's better to give it in case the reader encounters the abbreviation elsewhere.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:42, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "a core tube full of lunar material". What's a core tube?
  • "Conrad had landed it between two of these points". What points?
  • I gather from the text that Surveyor 3 was in a crater. Is that correct? If so, could it be made explicit somewhere?
  • " Hand Tool Carrier". Upper case initials. Really?
Yes, it's a thing. Later on it was expanded and put on wheels, first on the "rickshaw" pulled by Apollo 14's astronauts and then on the lunar rover (the MET and LRV, respectively).--Wehwalt (talk) 23:29, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "plane change maneuver". Which would be? (You just know that readers are going to be thinking "airplane".)
  • Link spectrum.
  • "nmi". In full at first mention.
  • "The Apollo 12 landing area on the Moon is the portion of the lunar surface" → 'The Apollo 12 landing area on the Moon is within the portion of the lunar surface'.
  • "a photograph of a globe of the Moon in a library, taken by engineers". Is "in a library" necessary?
  • Bibliography: Dick - no publisher location?
  • Cite 89 should be 'pp.'
  • Cite 62 should be 'p.'
All the above done or commented on.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:29, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

And I think that is it from me. Good work. Gog the Mild (talk) 12:45, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thank you for a mot thorough review. I think I've done or commented on everything.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:29, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
A few minor follow ups above. Gog the Mild (talk) 10:55, 5 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Done those.--Wehwalt (talk) 11:56, 5 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I am envious of your ability to communicate highly technical information. Supporting. Gog the Mild (talk) 12:15, 5 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Hawkeye7[edit]

Once again, I'm just giving a drive-by support for an article I believe meets the FAC criteria. But some comments to prove I read it:

  • "All three of the astronauts had backed up Apollo 9 earlier in 1969" makes it sound like Bean had been on the backup before selection for Apollo 12. Suggest: " The three astronauts backed up Apollo 9 earlier in 1969"
Done, more or less.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:45, 10 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Fn 70 doesn't seem to go to the correct place.
Fixed.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:45, 10 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Analysis of Surveyor 3 material and photographs returned by Apollo 12" is a bodgie link.
That and two other ELs replaced.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:45, 10 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • A bit surprised that my favourite book on the subject, Apollo 12 on the Ocean of Storms (2011) OCLC 801098415 didn't make the references. Consider adding it to the Further reading list.
I"ve obtained a copy and used it as a reference.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:29, 10 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Hawkeye7 (discuss) 08:30, 6 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

All done. Many thanks for the review and support.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:45, 10 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Jim[edit]

Just three queries:

  • Afterwards, the samples and photographs taken would be critiqued. — isn't "analysed" more appropriate?
I've clarified. The astronauts' choice of samples and technique in photography was being critiqued.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:36, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • weighed 6,487,742 pounds (2,942,790 kg) at launch, an increase from Apollo 11's 6,477,875 pounds (2,938,315 kg). Of this figure, the spacecraft weighed 110,044 pounds (49,915 kg), up from 109,646 pounds (49,735 kg) on Apollo 11. — Why millions of lb/kg instead of tons/tonnes?
Source states it that way.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:36, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Hand Tool Carrier—Why caps?
It is a specific piece of NASA equipment and was capped.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:36, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Jimfbleak - talk to me? 14:12, 6 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thanks for the support and review.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:36, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Harry[edit]

I won't go over this with quite such a fine comb because you've already had several thorough reviews, but I picked up a few things while reading through:

  • The lead looks on the short side for 5,500-word article.
  • With President Richard Nixon in attendance, the first U.S. president to watch a crewed space launch Does this mean Tricky Dick had watched a previous launch, or do you mean "the first time POTUS had attended"?
  • Flight Director Gerald Griffin, CAPCOM Gerald Carr is a sea of blue; also Electrical, Environmental and Consumables Manager (EECOM) John Aaron
  • Unfortunately, when Bean carried the camera "unfortunately" is editorialising
  • 20:58 UTC (3:58 pm EST, 10:58 am HST) You use "UT" above (and below) but this, near the end of the article, is the first time you mention and link UTC and the other time zones.

HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 18:31, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I've dealt with these. HST is used because that is local time where they splashed down; EST is used (and also is for the launch) because that is local time at KSC. Thanks for the review.--Wehwalt (talk) 22:48, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Looks good to me. I'm not fussed what time zones you use; just be consistent in which abbreviation you use. Support. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 13:49, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments Support from Balon Greyjoy[edit]

Nice work on this article! Few comments:

  • "...which then, after completing its 45th lunar orbit, traveled back to Earth" I would remove the 45th orbit part; it's a pretty long sentence as is. Balon Greyjoy (talk) 11:28, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
OK.--Wehwalt (talk) 02:25, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I'm guessing Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon were also Navy ROTC graduates; the commissioning source is only mentioned for Bean.
Conrad was, I don't see any reference to Gordon. I'm not sure it's necessary to mention it in all cases. This is very much a thumbnail bio, and the lack of a prior spaceflight for Bean means we're somewhat digging for detail on him.--Wehwalt (talk) 02:25, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I would just remove the ROTC reference for Bean then to keep it consistent with the other astronauts. Balon Greyjoy (talk) 10:07, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "he became a naval aviator, completing United States Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River Naval Air Station." This makes it sound like Conrad became a naval aviator by going to TPS.
Massaged.--Wehwalt (talk) 02:25, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Conrad's Lunar Module pilot" I would make it "Apollo 12's Lunar Module pilot". Balon Greyjoy (talk) 11:28, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Williams died before the Apollo 12 crew was assigned. I think Williams was at the time of death de facto backup LMP for Apollo 8 (which then became Apollo 9).--Wehwalt (talk) 01:44, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I still think listing him as "Conrad's LMP" isn't correct; I understand he would have worked under Conrad, but he would have been assigned to the mission, not the commander. Balon Greyjoy (talk) 10:07, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I've tried to finesse that point.--Wehwalt (talk) 11:28, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "a former student of his at Patuxent River" I would change this to "a former student of his at Test Pilot School" to make it clear where he was a student. Balon Greyjoy (talk) 11:28, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I've done that slightly differently.--Wehwalt (talk) 01:44, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I still think referring to it as "the Patuxent River school" still puts it in the territory of Navy-speak. Readers unfamiliar with Navy TPS referred to as "Pax River" may not get what school it is referring to, as it is previously referred to as "United States Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River Naval Air Station" Balon Greyjoy (talk) 10:07, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
OK, we'll do it your way.--Wehwalt (talk) 11:28, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I would remove the job description sentence for flight directors. It's a good anecdote, but I don't think it fits, as none of the other jobs having their job description quoted. The flight director page is linked. Balon Greyjoy (talk) 11:28, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I've received a number of reviewer comments asking for a description of the jobs of Flight Director and CAPCOM in these Apollo articles. The language is borrowed from Apollo 13.--Wehwalt (talk) 01:44, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "some argued for a landing close enough to the crater" Who argued? NASA directors? Mission planners? It should be stated. Balon Greyjoy (talk) 12:19, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Detail added.--Wehwalt (talk) 02:25, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "five hours in mission-specific training for every hour they could expect to spend in flight on the mission" Shouldn't this be "for every hour they expected to spend"? Balon Greyjoy (talk) 12:19, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Fine.--Wehwalt (talk)
  • "even though Armstrong had been forced to bail out of a similar vehicle in 1968, just before it crashed" I would remove this; it implies that the LLTV was no longer in use following Armstrong's crash except when Conrad wanted to use it, but I'm pretty sure it was used for all lunar landings. Balon Greyjoy (talk) 12:19, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
It was. I've massaged the text to make it clear that the training continued.--Wehwalt (talk) 02:25, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "The cask would be put to the test on Apollo 13, and survived re-entry to sink in the Tonga Trench" I think "would be put to the test" is wordy; maybe "On Apollo 13, the cask survived re-entry and sank in the Tonga Trench" Balon Greyjoy (talk) 12:19, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Done in a slightly different form.--Wehwalt (talk) 02:25, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "This achieved one objective of the mission, to perform a precision landing near the Surveyor craft." This comma seems unnecessary; maybe something like "This achieved the mission objective to perform a precision landing near the Surveyor craft." Balon Greyjoy (talk) 12:19, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I think the existing language puts more emphasis on this being one of the mission objectives--Wehwalt (talk) 02:25, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Analysis of the images might reveal colors not visible to the naked eye or detectable with ordinary color film, and information could be obtained about the composition of sites that would not soon be visited by humans." I'm assuming they did learn about the composition through these photos? This reads like it is the hope for a future experiment. Balon Greyjoy (talk) 12:19, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Apparently, from the brief discussion in Harland at pp. 397 to 398, it wasn't greatly successful.--Wehwalt (talk) 02:25, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "CSM and LM docked just over three and a half hours later." Was 3.5 hours abnormally fast? If not, I would remove "just over" Balon Greyjoy (talk) 12:19, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • No, not abnormally fast. By Apollo 14, they were doing it on a single lunar orbit, half the time of 11 and 12. Modified per suggestion.--Wehwalt (talk)
  • "NASA had remotely fired the service module's thrusters" Since NASA is a really big organization, I would make this more specific; maybe make this "Mission control had remotely fired..." Balon Greyjoy (talk) 12:19, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Done.--Wehwalt (talk) 02:25, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I think "File:20180320 Apollo 12 Virginia Air and Space Center-2.jpg" is a better photo of the capsule (full disclosure: I took this photo), as the current photo is pretty washed out in the top right corner. Balon Greyjoy (talk) 12:19, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Done.--Wehwalt (talk) 02:25, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

That's all I have! Balon Greyjoy (talk) 12:19, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I've responded or done those things. Thanks for the review.--Wehwalt (talk) 02:25, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I have a few further comments that I have added in regard to additional changes, but it doesn't change the fact that I think this article is well done, and I support it passing. Balon Greyjoy (talk) 10:07, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thanks for the review and support. I've tried to address the remaining issues.--!!!!
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Ian Rose via FACBot (talk) 27 March 2021 [15].


Turf Moor[edit]

Nominator(s): WA8MTWAYC (talk) 15:29, 22 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

This article is about one of the oldest football grounds in the world, which received some fame for being the “Happy Place” of an I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here contestant. After an unfortunately failed FAC nom almost 11 years ago, I decided to hopefully bring it up to FA status. I’ve squeezed out every bit of information, including from the seminal book Football Grounds of Britain by Simon Inglis. The peer review received some good, constructive comments. I hope it’s interesting and comprehensive, and I look forward to any comments. WA8MTWAYC (talk) 15:29, 22 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Gog the Mild[edit]

Recusing to review.

  • "In 1883, they invited Burnley to a pitch adjacent to the cricket field." Suggest 'In 1883, they invited Burnley F.C. to use a pitch adjacent to the cricket field.'
    • Done
  • "while terraces were also added to each end of the ground". When?
    • In the same year, added
  • "attended a friendly between Burnley and Bolton Wanderers". Suggest 'attended a friendly match between Burnley and Bolton Wanderers'. And link to Exhibition game.
    • Done
  • "Burnley is situated on the edge of the Pennines". Could we first mention the country and part of the country in which it is located?
    • Done
  • Link Middle Ages.
    • Done
  • "Before 1840, however, there was a short-lived attempt". Delete "however".
    • Done
  • "£4,000 as of 2021" → 'the equivalent of £4,000 as of 2021'.
    • Done
  • "and the Bee Hole Colliery" Delete "the".
    • Done
  • "The following month, they invited association football team Burnley, Rovers' successors who had been formed on 18 May 1882, to move from their original home at Calder Vale along with a donation of £65 (£7,000 as of 2021) toward the setup costs." Possibly a bit long - split? The "along with" wording doesn't read well.
    • Split and reworded
  • "installed uncovered terraces". Could we have an in line explanation of what a "terrace" is?
    • Done
  • "attended the friendly between". Insert 'match'; and link.
    • Done
  • "(£9,000 as of 2021)" See above. And in other similar cases.
    • Done
  • "subsequently increased their ticket prices to 6d" Is it known what they were before? Use pence instead of "d" and link it.
    • Unfortunately not; done
  • "although it retained its name by the supporters". This doesn't make sense.
    • Reworded
  • "stretching from the goal". Which one?
    • The eastern one, added
  • "and after the First World War ended". How is this relevant?
    • Removed
  • "a record for Turf Moor". Perhaps 'still the record for Turf Moor'?
    • Done
  • "but these ideas were delayed by the outbreak of the Second World War." The ideas weren't delayed. Their implementation was.
    • Reworded
  • "was built with the help from the Burnley youth players" Either delete the first "the", or "from" → 'to'.
    • Done
  • "(£2.98 million as of 2021)[a]". From MOS:PF "Where a footnote applies only to material within parentheses, the ref tags belong just before the closing parenthesis."
    • Done
  • "Both never came into operation". "Both never" → 'neither'.
    • Done
  • "The field was also raised". I think that for consistency it would be better to use 'pitch'.
    • Done
  • "Burnley defeated the Scots 3–1 on aggregate". What was the score at Burnley? Mention that there was a return leg - Two-legged tie. Link aggregate score.
    • Added, done, done
  • "A drop in home attendances combined with an enlarged debt caused a rapid decline in the team's fortunes between the late 1970s and the early 1990s, whereby Burnley were left with little money to invest on the stadium's redevelopment and safety work." The bits either side of the comma don't link up too well.
    • I think it's alright. Does it need the word "also" to indicate that because of the mentioned reasons Burnley were also left with little money to spent on the redevelopment and safety work (and less on players et cetera)? What do you suggest?
Thinking about it, why not make it two sentences? 'A drop in home attendances combined with an enlarged debt caused a rapid decline in the team's fortunes between the late 1970s and the early 1990s. Burnley were left with little money to invest in the stadium's redevelopment and safety work." The bits either side of the comma don't link up too well.'
Note the change of "on" to 'in'.
Agreed, done
  • "following the Hillsborough disaster" needs an in line explanation. Something like 'when a human crush on a football ground terrace caused 75 fatalities'.
    • Done
  • "which had to be acted upon within 12 months". Started, finished, spent, committed? "acted upon" is not very clear.
    • Spent, reworded
  • "following the 2002 ITV Digital collapse" A brief explanation of why this caused financial difficulties please.
    • Added
  • "split in six phases" → 'to be carried out in six phases' or similar.
    • Done
  • "The planning permission". Delete "The".
    • Done
  • "as part of a extension" "a" → 'an'.
    • Oh, sloppy. Done
  • "Turf Moor's Desso GrassMaster pitch"
    • Sorry, but I can't see it here
  • "both have two tiers" → 'each have two tiers'.
    • Done
  • "Would it be appropriate to link "corporate hospitality boxes" to Luxury box?
    • Yes, done
  • "other campus locations were opened". "were" → 'have been'.
    • Done
  • Most of the uses under "Other uses" seem to be hosting football games. Possibly a different section title?
    • Added "events" to the title
  • "the latter scored a penalty kick." → the latter scored from a penalty kick.'
    • Done
  • "The ground had hosted several women's charity matches". Delete "had".
    • Done
  • "The highest attendance in a league match". "in" → 'at'.
    • Done

Great stuff. Gog the Mild (talk) 17:32, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Looking good. No rush, this is not a race. Just "A drop in home attendances ...", ITV and 6d to go; plus I forgot to explain:

"Turf Moor's Desso GrassMaster pitch". That seems excessively jargony. Any reason why it can't be 'Turf Moor's artificial grass (Desso GrassMaster) pitch'?

Reworded

Gog the Mild (talk) 20:00, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Gog, thank you very much for taking a look and for the review. I've addressed all comments and left a question under the "A drop in..." one. Thanks, WA8MTWAYC (talk) 23:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "subsequently increased their ticket prices to six pence" Perhaps add an 'equivalent to ...'?
    • Done

Support from Kosack[edit]

I took a look at this at peer review shortly before it came here and made some suggestions which were all acted upon. Since then, the article has received further attention from the FAC and the talk page and I'm happy to support at this point. Great work. Kosack (talk) 13:42, 5 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from Mike Christie[edit]

I'll copyedit as I go; please revert anything you disagree with.

Thanks for that, it looks good!
  • Why do we need to mention the river Brun? And that's a run-on sentence, if we keep the mention.
    • We've done so because it's part of the (indirect) explanation why the stadium is called "Turf Moor" (by mentioning the moors). Amended (hopefully done correctly).
  • Having read the article about Burnley I see why you describe them as the successors to Burnley Rovers, but since it's a different sport, and initially a different ground, the reader won't follow.
    • I see, removed "Rovers' successors who had been formed on 18 May 1882" as it's not vital. Hope it's clearer now.
  • Perhaps not necessary for the article, but where was Calder Vale? The village is near Preston, so I assume we're not referring to that?
    • Very little is known about Calder Vale. There is a "Calder Vale Rd" and "Calder Park South" (with quite a large grass field) in Burnley, but that's about it.
  • Until the dispute about the shared dressing room was mentioned I didn't understand that cricket was still being played -- presumably not on the same land that was used for football, but on an adjacent pitch? Can we say this when the invitation to Burnley to move is mentioned in the first paragraph? This would also give us an opportunity to name the ends, by explaining "Cricket Field End".
    • Indeed on an adjacent pitch. Expanded the sentence about the invitation.
  • "In 1891, Burnley Union Star disbanded": suggest something like "In 1891, another local football team, Burnley Union Star, disbanded and ...."
    • Done
  • "The Stars Stand was demolished in 1898 and replaced by a larger grandstand, which was referred to as the Stars Stand by the supporters." Perhaps "still referred to" or "continued to be referred to".
    • Done
  • "a roof was constructed to cover the terracing at the Cricket Field End, which increased the ground's capacity to around 50,000": how can constructing a roof increase capacity? Presumably the terracing was extended as well?
    • It was more due to the expansion of the embankment that the capacity increased. I reworded the sentence.
  • I'm aware that the population may have shrunk quite a bit between 1914 and 1960, but my eye was caught by the contrast between "around 50,000, almost equal to the town's male population" (this article, 1914) and "With 80,000 inhabitants, the town of Burnley became the smallest to have an English first tier champion", referring to 1960, from the article on Burnley F.C.. Can you confirm both these numbers are accurate? And I see later in the article that 21,944 is about one third of the 2020 population, implying about 66,000 is the current population; later we say that the population is now around 73,000.
    • I can confirm both numbers are accurate:) Although the 100k and 80k figures (approx.) are from two different books (by Simon Inglis and Tim Quelch), they're also recorded here: [16] The town's current population is indeed about 73k, according to the last (reliable) measure in 2001 [17] (Note: Excel document file). More recent Census reports imply a figure of 87k, but this is for the Borough of Burnley and not exclusively for the town. WA8MTWAYC (talk) 21:44, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "The following year, the new chairman Bob Lord purchased 80 acres of farmland at Gawthorpe Hall; Burnley became one of the first clubs to set up a purpose-built training centre." Assuming that the training centre was actually built on this farmland, suggest "In 1955, Burnley became one of the first clubs to set up a purpose-built training centre, on 80 acres of farmland at Gawthorpe Hall purchased by their new chairman, Bob Lord."
    • Done
  • "the players' tunnel behind the goal": wouldn't this be more natural as "the players' tunnel behind one of the goals"?
    • Done
  • Is it "Longside Stand" or "Longside terrace"?
    • It's quite interchangeably, but I amended "Stand" into "terrace"
  • I had to read through carefully to understand the sequence of stands at the two sides -- I kept getting confused as to which stand was on which side. Since the infobox says "Harry Potts Way", I think if you just make it clear that the Brunshaw Road Stand is on the south side, and that the name has changed, that would help. Perhaps "so in 1885 the club built an 800-seater wooden grandstand along the south side of the ground, along Brunshaw Road (as it was then known)".
    • Done
  • The panorama caption says "Cricket Field Stand", but that stand is labelled "David Fishwick Stand" -- perhaps a short term sponsorship deal? If you can source it, it would be good to say something about this so the reader doesn't think there's an error. You might also make it "looking north from the Bob Lord Stand" to help a reader understand the orientation.
    • It was indeed a sponsorship deal. He had sponsored the stand since 2004, but I can't find when it was renamed. Amended the image caption.
  • "The club's chairman Barry Kilby owned 51 per cent of the company's shares": shares of what? Longside Properties?
    • Yes, clarified

-- Mike Christie (talk - contribs - library) 16:22, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Mike Christie Thank you very much for taking a look and for the review and copy edit. I've addressed all comments. If there's something else, please let me know. Cheers, WA8MTWAYC (talk) 21:44, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support. Looks good. Mike Christie (talk - contribs - library) 22:42, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Source review[edit]

Spotchecks not done

  • The record attendance figure differs between the lead and text - which is correct?
    • Very good find. It's 54,775, so it was a small typo in the lead.
  • Don't use pseudoheading markup - see MOS:PSEUDOHEAD
    • Done
  • "This unbroken service makes the stadium the second-longest continuously used ground in English professional football" - don't feel citing this extraordinary claim to Burnley FC itself is a good idea. In general I'm seeing quite a number of citations to Burnley FC - could you explain your approach? Are there no independent sources supporting these details?
    • Replaced the source. I've indeed used quite a number of citations to Burnley, because they aren't the biggest nor the most mentioned English club, so in order to give a comprehensive view I had to use those sources sometimes. I think we did a good job in using secondary sources for the very large part of the article.
      • I see some other claims that I don't feel are appropriately sourced to Burnley - eg that they are one of the world's biggest sellers of Bénédictine. Nikkimaria (talk) 14:35, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
        • Added an extra ref.
  • What makes Adams a high-quality reliable source? Wiseman? Fiszman? FCHD? RSSSF? When Saturday Comes?
    • Duncan Adams has written multiple books about English football grounds, including one for this season. He's a member of the the 92 Club, so he has also visited all grounds which he has written about.
    • David Wiseman is a Burnley fan and has written multiple books about the club. Among his works are "Up the Clarets: Story of Burnley Football Club" (1973), which was regarded as the seminal book about Burnley F.C. before Simpson had his one published in 2007.
    • Marc Fiszman has written multiple yearbooks about (league) competitions and football and rugby clubs, from Reading F.C. to Wasps RFC.
    • FCHD is regarded as a very reliable source for historical data in English football and has been referenced in many featured articles (e.g. Luton Town F.C. and Cardiff City F.C.).
    • RSSSF is the online database of historical football statistics that's used as a general guide by several mainstream sports media outlets, including ESPN. Its charter may provide some extra clarification. The site is also widely used for football articles on Wikipedia and actually for most of the featured articles (e.g. Arsenal F.C. and Manchester United F.C.).
    • When Saturday Comes is published every month and "is the only independent national football magazine"; its blog is part of The Guardian Sport Network. Although it has some humorous articles, it's mostly seriously. The author of the cited article, Mike Whalley, is also a writer for the Manchester Evening News.
      • Generally speaking, neither writing many things nor being used in other articles is a good rationale for something being a high-quality reliable source. This may be helpful in elaborating on the rationales above. Nikkimaria (talk) 14:35, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
        • Some further explanations:
        • FCHD has used multiple reliable sources: [18]. It is part of the WikiProject Football reliable sources. E.g. it's been used by this newspaper: [19]. Its reliability has been doubted before by non-football editors, but I think ChrisTheDude explained it better than I did: Wikipedia:Featured list candidates/Gillingham F.C. records.
        • David Wiseman has been mentioned in this newspaper: [20]. He has written multiple books about Burnley and is a noted expert in the field. Most Burnley books have used his seminal work, "Up the Clarets: Story of Burnley Football Club" (1973), as a benchmark/source.
          • Can you give some specific examples of him being noted as an expert? Nikkimaria (talk) 02:00, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
            • In the introduction of Simpson's 2007 book, it's stated that he used the works of Wiseman as one of the sources. Wiseman has also been mentioned here, here, and here. I would say he's an expert in the Burnley field. However, I replaced the source.
        • Replaced the Adams and Fiszman sources.
  • Burnley Borough Council is a publisher and shouldn't be italicized; check for others. Nikkimaria (talk) 23:20, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • Done, done
      • Looks like there are still a number of errors of this kind - for example Premier League. Nikkimaria (talk) 14:35, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
        • Should be fixed now, I've also amended the UEFA one.
Nikkimaria, thanks very much for the source review. I've addressed your points and left some comments. Thanks, WA8MTWAYC (talk) 09:44, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Nikkimaria Replied to your comments above.

Coord note[edit]

Hi WA8MTWAYC, re. "In the spring of 1911..." -- pls try to use wording that avoids seasonal time references; I won't hold up promotion over it though. Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 08:36, 27 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Ian Rose via FACBot (talk) 27 March 2021 [21].


Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik[edit]

Nominator(s): Al Ameer (talk) 04:02, 14 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

This article is about the seventh Umayyad caliph Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik. He governed Palestine for over ten years during the reigns of his father and brother, founding Ramla, the district's capital until the Crusades. He succeeded his brother as heir apparent in 715, ruling for two years, during which the mass territorial expansion of the Caliphate under his predecessor came to a virtual halt due to increased resistance along the frontiers. It was under Sulayman that the Arabs made their most concerted effort to capture Constantinople, which ended in disaster. Before he died, he appointed his cousin Umar II as his successor, an unconventional choice over his brothers or sons. Al Ameer (talk) 04:02, 14 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Gog the Mild[edit]

Recusing to review. Gog the Mild (talk) 17:33, 14 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • "Many had been handpicked by al-Hajjaj and had led the war efforts which brought the Caliphate to its greatest territorial extent, including the conqueror of Transoxiana (Central Asia), Qutayba ibn Muslim, who was killed by his own troops in an abortive revolt at the beginning of Sulayman's reign, and the conqueror of Sind (the western Indian subcontinent), Muhammad ibn Qasim, who was executed." possibly an over-long sentence?
  • "from local forces". What is meant by "local forces"? Both in the lead and the main text.
  • I replaced with "indigenous". This may not be the best substitute, but more specific than "local". Al Ameer (talk) 22:59, 14 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "culminating in the sieges of Constantinople of 717 and 718, which ended in Arab defeats." "sieges"; "defeats". I understood it to be a single siege and a singlr defeat.
  • From my understanding of the sources used in this article there were two successive sieges (part of the same general effort, of course). I will look into this further. On this point, and the related one below regarding more details about the siege during Sulayman's reign, I also defer to Cplakidas, who may have some useful information. Al Ameer (talk) 22:59, 14 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Caption: the Ramla photograph - as the caption is a sentence, should it not end in a full stop?
  • Sulayman's mother is red linked in the infobox but not in the text. It should be both or neither.
  • "At an unknown point, Abd al-Malik made Sulayman governor". Suggest "point" → 'date'.
  • "(military district of Palestine)". Would this flow better as '(the military district of Palestine)'?
  • "had previously supervised Abd al-Malik's construction of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem<" I think you mean 'had previously supervised the construction of Abd al-Malik's Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem' or similar.
  • who held him in "the highest regard". The MoS on quotations: "[t]he source must be named in article text if the quotation is an opinion". Emphasis in original.
  • What is the best approach here? Removing the conversion template and just sticking with 10 kilometers? Al Ameer (talk) 22:59, 14 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
sigfig is your friend. You happy with how I have tweaked it?
  • "efforts to transfer settlement to Ramla". I don't think that "settlement" is the right word.
  • Revised to "transfer Lydda's inhabitants to Ramla". Let me know if this is better. Al Ameer (talk) 22:59, 14 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "by appointing allied officials," Is there a better word than "allied"?
  • "Kennedy asserted that the caliph's reign". Upper case C. And elsewhere.
  • "but was nonetheless dismissed, summoned to Wasit and was tortured to death" The second "was" is redundant.
  • "716/17" → '716 and 717', see MOS:DOB.
  • Revised. In this case, however, the slash means that it was in 716 or 717. Al Ameer (talk) 22:59, 14 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "to besiege the Byzantine capital of Constantinople via land"> I think 'from the land' conveys the sense better than "via land".
  • Could Elias of Nisibis and Abu Mikhnaf be introduced. preferably with some idea of when they were writing?
  • "ṭāʿūn al-Ashrāf". Foreign language words or phrases which are not proper nouns should use the Lang template.
Assuming that is Arabic, this one: ṭāʿūn al-Ashrāf.
  • "He also cultivated ties to the religious opponents of al-Hajjaj in Iraq, was financially generous toward the Alids (the closest surviving kinsmen of the Islamic prophet Muhammad), and installed as governor of Medina Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad al-Ansari, a member of the city's pious circles, despite his family's role in the fatal rebellion against the early clansman and patron of the Umayyads, Caliph Uthman (r. 644–656), revenge for whom had served as an ideological rallying point and foundational event for the Umayyad dynasty." I think that this is a little much for a single sentence.
  • "future pretender to the caliphate". Either Caliphate or caliphate should be used throughout.
  • In this particular case, the office of the caliphate is being referred to, as opposed to the entity/empire. I have capitalized "Caliphate" when referring to the entity, should the office of the caliphate also be capitalized? Al Ameer (talk) 22:59, 14 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
No, I see your point. I had missed that. You are correct.
  • Possibly a little more detail on the Siege of Constantinople? At least up to Sulayman's death?
  • Cites 16 and 33 have p./pp. errors.
  • Ahmed and Bosworth need publisher locations.

A very fine piece of work. And you are clearly on top of your sources. Gog the Mild (talk) 17:56, 14 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thank you very much for your review and the many suggested improvements. Most of the points you have raised have been addressed now, with the exception of a few, namely the information about the siege(s) of Constantinople and the two points about the distance conversion and language templates, where I would like further advice. I hope to have those last few addressed asap. --Al Ameer (talk) 22:59, 14 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Distance tweaked in the article; lang template demonstrated above. That just leaves the siege(s): 1. Are you happy to include a little more detail? 2. Lets both dig into our sources to see to what extent it is meaningful to split the events into two sieges and whether modern RSs do. As you say, Constantine will probably have a magisterial opinion on this. Gog the Mild (talk) 23:41, 14 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thanks for the tweak and the tip. As for the siege(s), definitely happy to include more detail, especially as this was a monumental event. I'll look into the sources I have today and am looking forward to what you could find on your end. I also see that Constantine will be leaving comments below, and am expecting his thoughts on this as well ;) --Al Ameer (talk) 19:20, 15 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
My sources all agree that 717-718 was a single siege. Siege of Constantinople (717–718), taken to FA by Constantine, says the same. Do you have anything different? Gog the Mild (talk) 12:49, 16 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
No, the sources I have mention very little about the siege, but none appear to call it two sieges, it just took place over two summers. Eisener, Blankinship have it as one siege, Powers does not mention it in his annotations of al-Tabari. --Al Ameer (talk) 16:10, 16 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I you want to tweak the text from sieges to siege in the various places it is mentioned, I should then be able to support. Gog the Mild (talk) 16:37, 16 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thanks again Gog, the text has been tweaked by Constantine. I will be addressing the points he raised below, but otherwise let me know if there is anything else that should be done. Al Ameer (talk) 21:46, 16 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I still think that you need a little more detail on the siege.
  • "Already from early 716, the Arab commander Umar ibn Hubayra al-Fazari had launched a naval campaign against Constantinople." What happened to the naval campaign.
  • "Sulayman's efforts ultimately failed as the Byzantines repulsed the Umayyad attacks in the early summer of 717 and the summer of 718." This seems a little confused to me. Maybe something like. 'The Byzantines repulsed the Umayyad attacks in the early summer of 717, but Maslama continued to blockade Constantinople's landward approaches. [sentence on naval activity] Maslama renewed the the Umayyad assault in the summer of 717 but was again defeated. He abandoned the siege and withdrew through Anatolia, losing most of his army en route.'

Gog the Mild (talk) 21:59, 16 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • I have expanded the section, mostly by copying from the main article about the siege, with some revisions and minor additions, and with a mind toward your proposed structuring of the passage. From my understanding, Maslama's army retreated relatively intact to Syria after the casualties endured during the siege, but the relief army sent to aid him was routed and driven out of Anatolia. Will request Constantine to do a source check for the books I could not access or read. There will be more fine-tuning, but let me know if, content-wise, this issue has now been addressed. I will also be adding one summary sentence about the repercussions of the expedition's failure at the end of the section. I will update you. Al Ameer (talk) 02:51, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I am content with everything except for the minor suggestion:
  • "The Umayyads' first blockade of the city under Mu'awiya I had failed." → 'The Umayyads' first blockade of the city under Mu'awiya I in 674 to 678 had failed.'
So am happy to support. Great work. Gog the Mild (talk)
Thanks Gog. I intentionally omitted the date since there seems to be credible disputes by historians to the dating of the siege or whether it was siege at all. What is agreed is that the raids and/or naval blockade of the city occurred under Mu'awiya I. Al Ameer (talk) 16:59, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Image review[edit]

  • Pass image licensing looks good to me. (t · c) buidhe 05:08, 15 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

If possible would suggest improving File:The_Caliphate_in_945_(centred_on_the_southern_Caspian_Sea).jpg - it's not clear what is green vs lime green. Nikkimaria (talk) 16:39, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

@Nikkimaria: I lack the know-how to do this, despite it seeming simple enough. How about I crop out the lime green portion at the bottom left corner of the map? Alternatively, I could replace it altogether with this detailed map of the region in question: File:Northern Iran and its surroundings during the Iranian intermezzo.svg. The main benefit of the current map is that it shows the conquest of Tabaristan in the context of the conquests undertaken by Sulayman's predecessors, though this may not be terribly important. Thoughts? —Al Ameer (talk) 02:59, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Maybe first try Wikipedia:Graphics_Lab/Map_workshop. Nikkimaria (talk) 03:00, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The request has been made: Wikipedia:Graphics Lab/Map workshop/Archive/Dec 2020#Coloring adjustment for map, per FAC recommendation. Al Ameer (talk) 04:59, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Nikkimaria: The map has now been improved by Amitchell125, and updated in the article. --Al Ameer (talk) 21:01, 26 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

CommentsSupport by Constantine[edit]

Glad to see this here, will review over the following days. Constantine 18:01, 15 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • I've done some copyedits in the article, feel free to revert/discuss them.
  • Muslim religious scholars link faqih, if that is what is meant.
  • For the transliterated Arabic terms, you should use {{transl|ar|}}, e.g. {{transl|ar|[[shurta|shurṭa]]}}, as this helps automatic parsers of the Wikicode determine what the terms are.
  • I am not sure that "security forces" is the proper translation of shurta; to a modern reader, this implies entities like the FBI or armed police. Perhaps "elite guard"?
  • Yes, shurta is a tricky one, and a term that seems to have evolved a number of times even just in the early Islamic period. I changed it to elite guard as suggested, since this seems like the appropriate use for this case. Al Ameer (talk) 03:18, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Files need alt descriptions
  • militarist policies link militarism, if that is what is meant here.
  • more effective resistance from indigenous forces add where this happened; as a small conqueror class, the Arabs faced 'indigenous forces' everywhere. What you mean is that they faced increased resistance on their frontiers.
  • I need to look into where specifically the Muslims faced increased resistance tomorrow and will update you. Al Ameer (talk) 03:18, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I have clarified and expanded this area now. Let me know your thoughts. Al Ameer (talk) 06:06, 20 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • IIRC, the conquest of Tabaristan and Jurjan was mostly nominal and definitely ephemeral; not only were many local princes like Farrukhan the Great left effectively undisturbed, but the conquest had to be repeated under the Abbasids. This needs to be added.
  • Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I clarified and added context, let me know if it suffices. Al Ameer (talk) 03:18, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Made some additions & copyedits there, and added Madelung's chapter in the Cambridge History of Iran as a source. Constantine 12:56, 20 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • On the failure of the siege of Constantinople, I would suggest adding the destruction of the two fleets sent against the city; it was the failure of the naval component that decided the outcome more than anything else. Some context might also be advisable here, after The Caliph's principal military focus was the war with Byzantium, to the effect that Sulayman's campaign was the culmination of two decades of encroachment into Byzantine territories, and the second major attempt to seize Constantinople. It should be easy to mine the article on the siege for whatever details you need (ping me if you need to verify sources).
  • I owe you a debt here, as I indeed went ahead and copied much of the new material from the article, which you mainly authored. I do in fact need you to please verify at least Lilie and Guilland for I am illiterate in German and French ;) Also, if you do not mind, please see Nikki's query below about Lilie being a high-quality RS, as you may be able to offer a better response than me. Al Ameer (talk) 03:18, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Thanks, I was able to check Treadgold and Haldon, so that just leaves Guilland. Al Ameer (talk) 06:06, 20 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Made some additions & copyedits here too, chiefly for chronology/context, but also added a bit on the impact and aftermath, since this event was one of the most significant in world history and a turning-point both for Byzantium and the Caliphate. Feel free to adapt my additions. I also checked Guilland, and it does correspond with the article text. Constantine 12:56, 20 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I remember reading a brief exposition about the emergence of the figure of Mahdi in connection with Sulayman in Patricia Crone's God's Rule - Government and Islam, that would fit in really well here. I probably can send you the relevant pages, if required.
  • Thanks for this tip as well. I incorporated the relevant material into the article. Al Ameer (talk) 03:18, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

That's it after a first pass. Looks like the usual thorough job one has come to expect of Al Ameer son. Constantine 15:09, 16 January 2021 (UTC) PS on the siege/sieges issue, I suspect the sources used considered the two different 'active phases' of the siege as different events; they were not. Maslama and his troops wintered in Byzantine soil, in Europe, but they never abandoned the siege, at least not from the landward side. That's why the quick neutralization of the Umayyad fleets was critical. Constantine 15:20, 16 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • as his age of death in September 717 is cited as 39, 43, or 45 I guess this means Islamic years? They are not equivalent to our solar years, so this should be pointed out. I will go through the article once more when I have a bit more time just in case I missed something, but otherwise I am very happy with its current state. Constantine 12:56, 20 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I just came across this so thought to add it as a footnote. The 39, 43 or 45 are not calendar years though. They are the various ages of death cited for Sulayman by the sources, according to Bosworth. Would it be better if I just did the math and subtract those various ages from 717 to get the approximate years of birth instead? Al Ameer (talk) 16:51, 20 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The difference still applies, since the lunar Islamic year is ten days shorter than the solar Gregorian one. If Bosworth directly references the medieval sources, then the ages of 39, 43, or 45 Islamic years correspond to 38, 41, and 43 solar (our) years. Constantine 19:32, 20 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • What is the best solution? I could remove them altogether as they are not very important, only to further comprehensiveness. Al Ameer (talk) 00:41, 21 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I'd say keep it, just add "is cited as 39, 43, or 45 (Islamic) years" or smth similar, unless you can check the original sources and Bosworth has already done the conversions. Constantine 19:01, 21 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I've done another read-through and made some minor tweaks. I can't find anything missing or to complain about, so I am happy to support at this point. Once again, well done. Constantine 21:25, 26 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Source review[edit]

  • spotchecks not done
  • Some of the details in the infobox, such as burial place, don't appear to be cited anywhere
  • Burial has now been cited. The names of all the children listed in the infobox are cited in Note C. Al Ameer (talk) 04:45, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • There is a child mentioned in the infobox and text but not that note - is there a reason for that? Nikkimaria (talk) 13:27, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The note mentions the sons of Sulayman listed by al-Ya'qubi. Muhammad is not mentioned by al-Ya'qubi, but is mentioned as the eldest son to have survived Sulayman, according to an annotation by David Powers citing al-Dinawari in the edited History of al-Tabari. Al Ameer (talk) 17:33, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Their first attempt to capture the city during Mu'awiya I's reign had failed. " - source?
  • Just added this but forgot the cite. Revised and sourced, now. Al Ameer (talk) 04:45, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Missing full bibliographic details for Guilland 1959
  • This now includes publisher and location, which the other journal citations do not. Nikkimaria (talk) 13:27, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • How are you ordering multiple works by the same author in Bibliography?
  • Chronologically. The Hinds sources have now been ordered accordingly. Al Ameer (talk) 04:45, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Shaban 1970 is missing location
  • Bacharach appears to be a journal publication rather than a book
  • Biesterfeldt is an editorial board member, but the volume credits specific editors who should be included in the citation
  • Bosworth: what was the original publisher?
  • Apparently, Variorum. I removed “Reprints”. I cannot find anything other than it was published in 1982 by Variorum. I guess the particular link used here was for a reprint (though an original year does not seem to be indicated, so I am assuming it was 1982). Al Ameer (talk) 04:45, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Since the linked source does include "Reprints", it shouldn't be removed from the citation. Nikkimaria (talk) 13:27, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Haldon: edition statement should be separate from title
  • Done. Also a bit confusing to me upon inspection. The title mentions it is the “Revised Edition”, but nothing indicates it was published in a different year than the original year, 1990. Al Ameer (talk) 04:45, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Hawting is a dead link
  • What makes Lilie a high-quality reliable source?
  • I defer to Constantine on this one. I copied information cited to the source from the main article about the Siege of Constantinople (717–718). I do not see why it would not fit the bill. On a related note, I have also requested Constantine verify the material sourced to Lilie and Guilland (see above)—want to make sure all content is still true to the sources after the modifications I made to the copied text. Al Ameer (talk) 04:45, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Just added this, but at the very bottom of the online article is information about the citation of the article in the print version. Is this ok, or should it be formatted differently? Al Ameer (talk) 04:45, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • If you're referencing the online article, the citation should reflect that and not the print version. Nikkimaria (talk) 13:27, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I re-did the reference. Let me know if this works, or please propose the best way. Al Ameer (talk) 17:33, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments by ImTheIP[edit]

Fantastic article. Very well-written and informative. Here are some thing that struck me while reading it:

  • Sulayman resented al-Hajjaj's influence over his brother. Is it known why he resented al-Hajjaj?
  • Great question. This is unfortunately unclear. Hawting (2000) discusses it on page 74. He mentions the mutual hostility between them stemming from al-Hajjaj's desire for al-Walid's son to accede instead of Sulayman, but "whether this was its cause or a symptom is not clear". Before that, Hawting notes that Yazid ibn al-Muhallab escaped prison and took refuge with Sulayman, "taking advantage of the antagonism that existed between al-Hajjaj and the heir apparent [Sulayman]", implying it was already established from early on. Wellhausen notes the hostility existed while Sulayman was still heir apparent. Al Ameer (talk) 19:58, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Among them were the conqueror of Transoxiana (Central Asia), Qutayba ibn Muslim, who was killed by his own troops in an abortive revolt at the start of Sulayman's reign So Qutayba tried to stage a revolt because he got fired?
  • He was a loyalist of al-Hajjaj and supported Sulayman's replacement as heir with al-Walid's son. Following Sulayman's accession, he anticipated hostile action from the new caliph, despite Sulayman's confirmation of him in his post, and revolted. I will tweak the lead since it reads as if Sulayman dismissed him, when it was not the case. Al Ameer (talk) 19:58, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • At an unknown date, Abd al-Malik appointed Sulayman governor of Jund Filastin (the military district of Palestine) According to Nur Masalha, Sulayman became governor in 705. That may be wrong though.
  • I am leery of this, it may be a presumption by Masalha. Sulayman was appointed during Abd al-Malik's reign and appears to have been well-established there before his brother's accession to the caliphate. We know there were two other governors of Palestine under Abd al-Malik: his uncle Yahya ibn al-Hakam could not have been governor after 694, as he was reassigned to Medina and afterward led campaigns against the Byzantines until his death around 699 or 700. Although governors of Hims, Qinnasrin and the Jazira were known to lead army campaigns against the Byzantines, this was not apparently a purview of a governor of Palestine. Then there is Abd al-Malik's brother Aban ibn Marwan. It is not clear if he preceded his uncle or succeeded him, though the sources mention that al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf started his career in Syria as part of Aban's shurta in Palestine, which would have been in the latter half of the 680s. It seems likely Sulayman was appointed after Yahya. None of the sources offer the years of appointment, so I am staying away from it. Al Ameer (talk) 19:58, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • About Ramla, Nur Masalha writes: "According to the conventional wisdom, the name Ramla is derived from the Arabic word raml, meaning sand (Palmer 1881: 217). But it is more likely that the new Arab capital was named by Suleiman ibn ‘Abd al‑Malik not for its sand but in memory of Ramla, a remarkable woman who was the daughter of Caliph Mu’awiyya ibn Abu Sufyan, the founder of the Umayyad dynasty. Ramla’s reputation among the Umayyad ruling elite was enhanced by the fact that she also married to a son of Uthman, the third Caliph of Islam (Roded 1994: 57). The likelihood of a major city being named in memory of an important Umayyad woman in the history of the ruling dynasty could easily have been overlooked by the post‑Umayyad almost exclusively male (Abbasid‑leaning) Muslim historians of the Middle Ages."
  • Interesting, but again I am wary of this, as it seems entirely presumptuous on Masalha's part. Masalha may be a high-quality, academic source, but this appears to be way out of his area of expertise. Does make me want to start an article on Ramla bint Mu'awiya, though. Al Ameer (talk) 19:58, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • A protege of al-Hajjaj, Qutayba ibn Muslim, whose relations with Sulayman had been antagonistic, was confirmed in his post by the Caliph, but remained wary that his dismissal was pending. In the lead it says he was fired?
  • Yes, I will tweak this in the lead and update you, per above. Al Ameer (talk) 19:58, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The latter was assassinated on Sulayman's orders, and his head was delivered to the Caliph by Habib ibn Abi Ubayd al-Fihri in 715 or 716. That wasn't very nice! Is there some explanation as to why Sulayman had Abd al-Aziz assassinated?

ImTheIP (talk) 23:30, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Not nice at all. The source used does not elaborate. Upon further research, it appears there are a few different narratives. In EI2's entry on Abd al-Aziz b. Nusayr, it just says "He was assassinated in Seville, where he had fixed his residence, by a certain Ziyad b. Udhra al-Balawi, at the beginning of Radjab 97/March 718, and was succeeded by his maternal cousin Ayyub b. Habib al-Lakhmi." Tabari (used in this article) only says "In this year [715-716] Abd al-Aziz b. Musa b. Nusayr was killed in al-Andalus and Habib b. Abi Ubayd al-Fihri brought his head to Sulayman." Hitti tells of a story that Abd al-Aziz was murdered after Sulayman caught wind of rumors he became a Christian under his wife's influence. Then there's the History of Ibn al-Qutiya (ed. David James) where Sulayman orders Musa imprisoned after the latter's arrival in Syria after some tensions between him and the heir apparent (Musa had been on his way to visit his "benefactor" al-Walid, but arrived after Sulayman's accession) and orders "five of the leading Arabs of al-Andalus", among whom were Ziyad and Habib, to assassinate Abd al-Aziz. Nothing is mentioned of the victim's head being delivered to Sulayman or why exactly the deed was ordered; one may presume it was related to the caliph's tension with Musa. Need to sort all of this out. Al Ameer (talk) 19:58, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Added a bit more. The EI2 entry on Musa notes the stories about his later life are filled with legend and David James, the translator and editor of a 10th-century Andalusian manuscript I just used to expand this section, also makes note of legendary elements in the narrative about Musa's imprisonment. Perhaps the multiple narratives about his and his son's fates ought to be discussed in further detail in the articles about Musa and Abd al-Aziz. Thoughts? Al Ameer (talk) 04:32, 19 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments Support by AhmadLX[edit]

  • Diacritics from the infobox should be removed per MOS.
  • Also Wallada bint al-Abbas ibn al-Jaz' → Wallada bint al-Abbas ibn al-Jaz, dīwān → diwan, shurṭa → shurta, al-Sab' → al-Sab, mawlā → mawla, and ṭāʿūn al-Ashrāf → ta'un al-Ashraf
  • Why is there a change from past to past participle mid-paragraph in section Early life?
  • "Al-Ya'qubi (d. 839) noted the Caliph razed the houses of Lydda's inhabitants". Please change "the Caliph" here to Sulayman.
  • "Although Yazid acted with a staunch preference for the Yaman, there is no indication that Sulayman favored one faction over the other." Other historians' views on the matter are presented as views, but Wellhausen's as fact.
  • I attributed the view to Wellhausen. Hate to attribute so much, but there are multiple differing views about this caliph. Al Ameer (talk) 17:11, 19 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "The hadith (sayings or traditions attributed to Muhammad) ..." → A hadith ... or The hadiths
  • Crone 1994, p. 18, 21, note 97. → Crone 1994, pp. 18, 21, note 97.
  • Kennedy 2004, p. 105–106. Ditto (finally some form of Kennedy error, I was looking for it;))
  • Brill and E. J. Brill
  • This would require changing the content of the template or replacing the templates altogether. Is it necessary? And if so, @Cplakidas: would it make sense for me to change "E. J. Brill" to just "Brill" in all the EI2 templates? Al Ameer (talk) 17:11, 19 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
You can change Brill in other sources to E. J. Brill.
  • That Walid died on 23 February is not in Tab (it just says late February). EI2 article on Sulayman says Walid died on 24 February.
  • "In 701, Sulayman led the Hajj pilgrimage caravan to Mecca." According to the cited source, "he led hajj", which by default means he led the hajj rituals.
  • The section Assessment sounds like minutes of a meeting. For modern historians, you could use "notes/has noted", "agrees/has agreed" etc instead of noted/concurred/agreed.AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 02:35, 19 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • @AhmadLX: Yes, I see that now. I tweaked the wording a bit, let me know if this is sufficient or not. --Al Ameer (talk) 17:11, 19 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I don't like "Shaban agreed", but the rest seems good. It would be fun to imagine Crone, Shaban, Wellhausen discussing Sulayman, something like this;)
Changed the wording, hopefully it's better now. Al Ameer (talk) 20:44, 19 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Yazid used his tribal connections with the district's large Yamani Azdi population to gain Sulayman's protection." You might need to change the page number of Crone 1980 citation here.
  • Thanks for finding this. Wrong year actually. Fixed. Al Ameer (talk) 20:44, 19 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "The funeral for another of his sons, Abd al-Rahman, was held in Ascalon." This is irrelevant and completely trivial.
  • Removed. May add that through another of his sons, Abd al-Wahid, he had descendants recorded by the sources in Islamic Spain with the nisba "al-Sulaymani". Al Ameer (talk) 20:44, 19 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Eisener mentions the general hostility of early sources. One or two sentences can fit in the Assessment section. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 18:40, 19 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • @AhmadLX: Great point, do not know how I missed that. Took a stab at it, but the language may need to be modified. Let me know your thoughts. --Al Ameer (talk) 20:44, 19 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
To me, it seems to be hitting the bull's eye. I can't write that good, lol. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 21:38, 19 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Comprehensiveness-wise quite good, other aspects well. Prose vetted by others. I am supporting now. If there isn't overlap of Brill/E. J. Brill using templates, all Brills should be changed to EJs. If overlap exists, then no change needed. AhmadLX-(Wikiposta) 21:45, 19 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Hi @AhmadLX and Al Ameer son:, on Brill, it is a matter of chronology: after a certain point (c. 1998, IIRC), E.J. Brill became simply Brill (I don't know the reason). But the reference is still correct and appropriate, we cannot retroactively change the publisher merely for consistency's sake. Constantine 19:58, 20 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Gog the Mild via FACBot (talk) 26 March 2021 [22].


Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1[edit]

Nominator(s): Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:10, 15 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

This article is about Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1, J. S. Bach's Cantata No. I, which - as you probably know - means nothing chronological, but that it was selected to be No. 1 in the first attempt to print all of his works 100 years after his death. It is a chorale cantata on a beloved hymn. Bach planned a complete yearly cycle of such cantatas for his second year in the Leipzig office of Thomaskantor, but this one, for Annunciation (to Mary that she'd bear a child, so 9 months before Christmas, 25 March) became the last one, possibly because the librettist died. Annunciation was the only occasion during the long period of Lent for which festive cantata music was allowed.

We have already several featured articles on Bach's cantatas, including one about a chorale cantata (Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin, BWV 125). This one had a GA review by sadly missed Yash! in 2016, and a recent peer review with little attention. I'd like this article to be as good as can be because it is linked from the most profound database around Bach's works, Bach Digital, - look for the little blue W here, - please help. - On Wikipedia's 20th birthday, Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:10, 15 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Based on comments below, we have split the details of the recordings section to a separate article, as before for BWV 4. Please be patient with that article to grow, and the section here to be just a summary. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:09, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments by Ovinus[edit]

I'll take this up, hopefully with comments by tomorrow evening. Ovinus (talk) 22:53, 15 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Overarching comments

  • I'm unfamiliar with naming conventions for Bach's work. In my understanding, "BWV" is an organization/compendium of Bach's music? In that case, shouldn't the article title just be Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern and move the hymn it's based on to Wie ... Morgenstern (hymn), since I doubt there is another piece to confuse it with?
    The cantatas are uniformly named since a 2010 discussion. The hymn came first, the cantata was derived. --GA
    Sounds good!
  • I'm thinking about the lead, which was hard for me to fully understand. As an FA I'd like it to be really accessible, but I also understand that this article is one that an excited newbie to Bach chorales (hint, me!!) would be unlikely to visit. Hopefully others can weigh in, but in my mind it should give more context or be organized slightly differently.
    You mean "Bach chorale cantatas". There are practically no chorale tunes by Bach, but hundreds of four-part settings of the tunes of others, which might be called Bach chorales. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:28, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Thanks for explaining! Well... as you can plainly see, I'm unfamiliar with all this, but hopefully that will help us make a widely understandable article. Cheers, Ovinus (talk) 15:18, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Lead

  • Bach composed it in his second year as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, where the Marian feast was the only occasion during Lent when festive music was permitted. I think this sentence would be more appropriate for opening the third paragraph.
    I think the extra weight of a cantata performance after weeks of "fasting" should come sooner. --GA
    Sure, but I think we should give some more context for our non-Christian readers. I'll think about this.
  • Is the Marian feast the same as the feast of the Annunciation? In my understanding there are multiple Marian feasts
    It's to avoid repetition, and to explain to those who still don't know that it IS a Marian feast. We could say this Marian feast, if it helps. --GA
    I think "this Marian feast" would be clearer, but I'd be fine with just "the feast".
    "this" taken --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:32, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I think the wikilink to theme should be removed because it goes to something literary, not musical
    At this point, it is the theme/topic in a narrative sense, not a musical theme. --GA
    Oh duh!! Can we just say "The hymn suits..."
  • three vocal soloists maybe three solo vocalists ?
    convince me ;) - we also have the two violin soloists, - how would you call those then? --GA
    A Google ngram shows the two choices have nearly equal prevalence, but I'd prefer the latter for parallelism with two solo violins later in the sentence.
    vocalist redirects to Singing, but then says it's rather used for jazz and popular music, no? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:32, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I didn't know that connotation! Okay, keep the original
  • continuo I've heard of "basso continuo" but somehow never heard it shortened to continuo. Would spelling it out in full be fine?
    We don't do that in the other cantata articles. Th uninitiated might confuse it with double bass. We could use b.c. but I'd find that less clear. --GA
    The double bass...? I'll again have to think about the intended audience of this article. It's a prospective FA, so I'd like the lead to be pretty accessible. I'll go over it again after reading the full article.
  • retaining the hymn's first and last stanzas unchanged I think we should make clear that the usual procedures for Bach's second cycle specifically included retaining the first and last stanzas unchanged. As it reads right now, it sounds like the hymn was paraphrased for each cantata, but not necessarily in this specific way.
    We do that in the body. I wonder if the concept of a Bach chorale cantata (linked, and this thing explained in the lead) should be repeated in individual cantata leads (40!), - boring for those who know that, and want to know about this specific piece.
    Sure, but the sentence as it stands is a bit vague on this and leaves the reader (er, me at least) a bit puzzled. How about As usual for Bach's second cantata cycle, the hymn was paraphrased by a contemporary poet retaining the hymn's first and last stanzas unchanged, but transforming the themes of the inner stanzas to a sequence of alternating recitatives and arias. Alternatively, as you say it may not be important to repeat it on each article
    that's more or less what I read, no? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:37, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I'm not sure why I quoted so much. The only difference is the removal of the comma after "poet", which grammatically means the entire section portion is usual for the cycle (but is still readable).
    English/American commas will remain a mystery to me. Please, you fix it. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:50, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Based on Philipp Nicolai's hymn "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern" (1599) I think it might help readers if we do Based on Philipp Nicholai's 1599 hymn of the same name and not wikilink hymn; I don't think this lead is understandable to those who don't know what a hymn is
    I think a link to hymn might help especially those. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:45, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • in a spirit of longing expectation of an arrival "in a spirit of" has a lot of imprecise meanings to me. Could we say "evoking the feeling of longing expectation of an arrival" or "representing the longing expectation of an arrival".
    English is not my first language, I am thankful for guidance in such matters. Spirit still seems to evoke more the "representing", but I may be wrong. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:44, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • We should also be more clear for the uninformed that this arrival is the feast. (Right?) So maybe "representing the longing expectation of an arrival—the feast."
    Well, the arrival is not the feast, but will be the announced birth on Christmas. Do we have to say that? ... as in the body --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:44, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Oops, I didn't understand that either. I think it's very important for context
  • Last thing for now: crowns the closing chorale. What do you mean by "crowns"?
    Well, perhaps a too literal translation from German, short for what the source has: "In the splendid final chorale, however, the horns are to the fore. Whereas the other instruments move together with the vocal lines, the second horn acts independently and, with its signal-like motifs, lends an air of baroque festive splendour to the concluding strophe". Usually at this point, a closing choral is simple, four vocal parts and the instruments playing with them. This is different. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:59, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Background

  • Thomaskantor italicize? From what I understand, the Thomaskantor is the director of the Thomanerchor group in particular? I would appreciate if this was clarified
    It isn't. Thomaskantor implies all these duties, at least during Bach's time. I am not sure about italics, - we wouldn't have Generalmusikdirektor italic, no, or in general German titles which have an article (or redirect). --GA
    • Suggestion: In 1723, Bach was appointed as Thomaskantor (director of church music) in Leipzig. He was employed by the town of Leipzig to this position, which made him responsible for the music at four churches and for the training and education of boys singing in the Thomanerchor. The second sentence duplicates some information from the first, so how about In 1723, Bach was appointed as the Thomaskantor in Leipzig, making him responsible for the music of four Leipzig churches and for the training and education of those in the Thomanerchor, a boys' choir group.
    Not convinced yet. The Thomanerchor is one of best-known choirs in the world, - I don't think we need to explain. We wouldn't for The Beatles, I guess. --GA
    I would explain for The Beatles too. Sadly, I've never heard of the Thomanerchor before.
    did you enjoy the article on Thomaskantor then? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:49, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I did! It's crazy to me that such an old choir is still singing together. Listened to a 2000 recording of theirs of "Weihnachtsoratorium (Kantate IV)", though I'm not sure where that cantata (?) lies in Bach's life. Maybe we can discuss more on your talk.
  • for these occasions I think we should move the preceding comma and use "for liturgical events" for clarity
    "event" sounds strange for a performance during a church service ;) - changed, and "liturgical" repeated the second time. --GA
  • text and tune Is tune the formal word to use here? What does it mean
    Yes, see link. A hymn tune is a certain melody, to which sometimes several songs are sung. Old 100th, for example. This hymn's tune is also used for other hymns. --GA
  • 25 March, nine months before Christmas Is the nine months important?
    Yes, explaining why celebrated then, duration of normal pregnancy. It could be removed if you feel strongly about it. --GA
    I didn't make that connection... could this be explained?
    It is explained in the lead of Annunciation. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:54, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Wikilink librettist?
    done in lead and here, thank you --GA
  • While the name of the librettist I think "identity" is more appropriate here
    taken --GA
  • his death in January 1725 would explain that Bach lost a competent collaborator and inspiration This feels like a non sequitur or maybe just unrelated. Do you mean "his death in January 1725 would explain the end of Bach's cycle?"
    yes and no, - he could have proceeded with someone else, but seems to have wanted this particular one, - open to suggestions --GA
    How about his death in January 1725—for Bach, the loss of a competent collaborator—may explain the end of the second cycle.
    I change a bit, please check --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:01, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The composer returned to other texts I think we can just say "Bach" instead of "The composer"
    ... but we just said Bach the previous half-sentence --GA
    I'm not hard pressed about this one, but I just like the sound of "Bach" better than "The composer". To be more figurative about this change, why describe him in such banal terms as "the composer"?
    What do you suggest? "He" would be ambiguous. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:01, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Well, "Bach"?
    done, although repetitive --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:03, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I don't know what was in me that day. "The composer" is probably better... I think I was just confusing myself. Sorry! Ovinus (talk) 12:37, 26 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • meant so much to him For formal tone, "was so important to him"
    taken, even if - to me - it sounds more commonplace, - my translator also also offers "significant" --GA
  • and in later years added Can we just say "and later added" ?
    I think it might be interesting that it wasn't just writing missing ones the following year but a process over several years, - one here, one there, up to 1735. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:46, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I find that fascinating. How about and sporadically, over the next ten years, added ?
    I added some, please check. Next will be that someone will ask for a source ;) - I just looked at the years in the table. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:01, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Hahaha, well I think WP:CALC has your back there.
  • About the Thomanerchor: Looking at Erschallet,_ihr_Lieder,_erklinget,_ihr_Saiten!_BWV_172, one of your earlier FAs, the Thomanerchor isn't mentioned. Is that sentence necessary, since we don't talk about the boys' group at all?
    That was my first FA, and a long time ago, - perhaps better compare to BWV 125, the most recent, or even BWV 56 which didn't make FA but I remember good discussions. We talked about the group in the background section, and it's mentioned in recordings (without italics, no need for choirs to be italic, even if foreign language), and I like to hint at the tradition. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:04, 22 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I'll continue the review soon. Cheers, Ovinus (talk) 11:21, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thank you for the review! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:19, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Music

  • A festive scoring like this, including brass It's unclear why the instrumentation is inherently festive; is it because it includes brass?
    "normal" was just strings and oboes, and anything more was "festive" --GA
  • I changed the table to use {{music}}, let me know if that's okay
    ok --GA
  • The sparkle of the morning star is illustrated Putting quotes around "sparkle of the morning star" would help readers understand what you mean
    not sure I understand, and it's not me but a source author who means something ;) --GA
  • Is there any more information about movements 2 through 6?
    probably, give me some time, please. - history: Mincham has much detail, but was not accepted as reliable by some, and Gardiner was available online only by Bach Cantatas Website which was regarded as illegal copying. I'll check them out. --GA

Manuscripts & publication

  • copies of the vocal and instrumental parts are extant, and held by the Bach Archive in Leipzig Can we just say copies of the vocal and instrumental parts are held by the Bach Archive in Leipzig ?
    I added a "but" after the preceding "lost", thinking it's clearer --GA
  • This set of performance parts is marked as original source at the Bach Digital 1 website, Is this "marking" bit necessary? I think it's a bit confusing
    Francis Schonken added that, and it's explained in the next half-sentence, no? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:05, 22 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Hi Ovinus, are you feeling able to either support or oppose yet? Thanks. Gog the Mild (talk) 11:53, 5 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • @Gog the Mild: A reluctant oppose until the discography thing is resolved, at which point I'd need to review once more. Seems to be a sourcing problem? I don't really want to wade into this... :( Cheers, Ovinus (talk) 17:52, 5 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      • I'll work on it over the weekend - but first the hymn tune requested by Mirokado, and I believe a short summary here is what will remain, with a separate article about the details. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:26, 5 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Some more[edit]

@Gerda Arendt: So sorry for the delay! I've been busy. The article is looking even better and upon another read through, some comments:

  • A festive scoring like this, including brass, was usually performed I don't know if a scoring can be performed. How about was usually used or employed
    "employed" taken, thank you ("Joy to the World") --GA
  • The duration of the cantata is given as 25 minutes Given by whom? Bach himself?
    no, the source :) - this is a standard wording, of course the duration varies due to conductor mood, but we take them all from Dürr, so it gives an idea --GA
    To me this sentence implies Bach said so. How about "One author gives the duration of the cantata as 25 minutes" or "Dürr gives ... minutes"
    You seem to be the only one to think so. In all FAs about Bach cantatas, we don't give that much attention to who said it, and - as explained - it's only relative anyway. - If I had meant that Bach saids so, I would have said so, in active voice. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:06, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Hm... I'm not thoroughly convinced but the other FA I checked had it as you said. I see that Dürr is a really helpful source in these articles, heh! Ovinus (talk) 08:29, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • firstly, its text ... well-crafted and mature This sentence scares me; I can't tell whether it's grammatically sound. Perhaps it could be split up?
    I thought by saying it will be three, and then have firstly to finally, it's structured enough. I'm afraid that if we split it , we may loose where Leisinger's reasoning ends. Or what would you suggest?
    Take a look at what I did? I separated the three reasons with semicolons.
    It was changed, see what you think. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:06, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Glorious!!
  • possibly in 1927 I find this a bit odd? Do we know a definite time range, say 1920s? Or is that all the source gives
    As you probably saw the source gives "(1927?)" (at the bottom of the left page.) - What can we do? How much does it matter?
    • Didn't see the source, sounds good!

I also made a few small changes that I hope you find innocuous. Cheers, Ovinus (talk) 02:37, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thank you, Ovinus, and sorry for having been a little nervous. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:33, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Gerda: some replies. Cheers, Ovinus (talk) 00:09, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Also replied. (Please read the essay by RexxS about indenting, available here, - can't remember the long name. I fixed it above.) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:06, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Haha, thx for that; I've always just kind of derped around with indentation. Ready to support. Cheers, Ovinus (talk) 08:29, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Image review[edit]

Source review[edit]

(spotchecks not done)

  • The number of violins in the infobox doesn't match up with the number in the text
    Do you think the two solo violins should appear in the infobox? --GA
    Could just say "violins". Nikkimaria (talk) 16:50, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    yes, but a key feature of the sound of this particular cantata are the two solo violins, - please check --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:22, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The 4 subsection is short on sources
    Which one do you mean? Recordings? For more than one cantata, we made a separate article discography. Perhaps that might be an idea here. --GA
    Sorry, not sure how "recordings" ended up in this point - was referring to the subsection titled "4". Nikkimaria (talk) 16:50, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    My mistake, I looked at the TOC, where 4 is Recordings. Will supply refs. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:27, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    It has a ref now. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:23, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Sourcing is fine. Don't think having one-sentence subsections makes sense. Nikkimaria (talk) 17:25, 24 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    It's standard for higher quality articles on Bach's cantatas to have a section for each movement. There's not much to say about a short recitative, about also no natural combination to the previous and following movements. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:04, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    What is best for one article may not work for another. Maybe it is appropriate in other articles to have separate sections for each movement, but this article would be better served by a unified approach. Nikkimaria (talk) 00:36, 30 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    This is a series, and a unified approach concerns them all. The sections will grow (because I found a new ref), just the recitative will always remain short. --GA
    Requiring all BWV articles to be organized in the same way serves this particular article poorly. Nikkimaria (talk) 13:42, 30 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • In the table of recordings, the OCLC links do not consistently support all of the details in the table - for example, the use of period instruments. In other cases the information provided at the link actively contradicts what is in the table - for example the second entry lists a label of Erato, but the link indicates World Record Club and doesn't mention Erato at all
    I was a bit in a rush, - several were reissued. I'll look again. All recordings are sourced to the Bach Cantatas Website, but now we have a critic who doesn't accept that as a reliable source. --GA
    Werner has an entry mentioning ERATO now. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:52, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Okay, but the general point still stands. Nikkimaria (talk) 17:25, 24 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    The current plan is to split the detailed recordings section off, and replace it by a summary, as previously done in BWV 4 and the Monteverdi vespers. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:07, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Why are the Bach Digital links not sorted into subsections of Cited sources, as the other sources are?
    Bach Digital is the source of sources for these works, and should not be hidden somewhere at the bottom. That's what we did in other cantata FAs. --GA
    Sorry, don't follow - it is a cited source and not solely a general reference, correct? Nikkimaria (talk) 16:50, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    It has a header now. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:23, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    K. Still not entirely sure why it needs its own header, as opposed to just being a web source like the other web sources. Nikkimaria (talk) 02:16, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    In older Bach cantata FAs (172, 4), the position was held by scores, sources for the music. In the meantime, we have Bach Digital, where you can see facsimiles of what was handwritten at Bach's time, - that's not any web source. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:25, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    It appears that what is actually being cited to these sources though is supported not by the scores but by the information on the site itself. Nikkimaria (talk) 17:25, 24 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    yes --GA
    So in this context then it is a web source, not some other thing. Nikkimaria (talk) 13:42, 30 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • How are you ordering book sources?
    I try alpha by author, but made a mistake, fixed, thank you. --GA
  • Why does the formatting of short cites differ between the two Bach Digital sources?
    do you mean the year? We could make it 2021 consistently. --GA
    No, I mean one includes an ID number and the other does not - why? Nikkimaria (talk) 16:50, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Both have an ID number now. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:57, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Chapter titles shouldn't be italicized
    you mean I should use "chapter", not "title"? --GA
    In the context of {{cite book}} |title= is used for the title of the book. Since in this case you are using it to cite a chapter, yes, should be |chapter=. Nikkimaria (talk) 16:50, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Done for Dürr/Jones and Jones --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:28, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Petzoldt: is this an authorized republication?
    tricky question. I believe that it's more helpful to an English-speaking audience than the German original. I found it in Thomaskantor where it must have been for years. --GA
    I don't disagree that it would be more useful, but unfortunately if it's not authorized our hands are tied as per Wp:LINKVIO. Nikkimaria (talk) 16:50, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Jones: why include page number in both short and full cite?
    I'd like to link to the section about the cantata, and mention those pages in the full cite, but there are other more general facts referenced to other pages. Help? --GA
    I only see one citation to that work, which is to that same page. Are there meant to be others? Nikkimaria (talk) 16:50, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Sorry I confused Jones' own book with the translation of Dürr. I now cited two pages, giving the beginning of the chapter as initial link, and using para chapter. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:20, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Why is Zahn including publication location when it was not mentioned for the other sources?
    because Francis Schonken entered that one. --GA
    Yes, well. It does need to be made consistent. Nikkimaria (talk) 16:50, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Ping. Nikkimaria (talk) 17:25, 24 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I wouldn't like to remove something which someone else added, and may be useful for some readers. How would I find locations for books that I know by Google? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:10, 30 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    This information would typically be found on the copyright page of each book, or sometimes elsewhere in the volume. Nikkimaria (talk) 13:42, 30 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Terry: link provided doesn't match bibliographic details listed
    same, and I am not sure I understand the question. --GA
    If you click the link provided for Terry, it doesn't go to a work by Terry, it goes to the book by Wolff - in other words, the link is a different work than what is actually being cited. Nikkimaria (talk) 16:50, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Sorry, my mistake, that ref came without any link, and when I formatted, I overlooked that. Fixed. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:06, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Bischof: don't see date at link provided. Ditto Dellal, check others
    when a site doesn't offer a date, I use access-date, as done for Bach Digital. --GA
    Using accessdate is fine, but if the site doesn't include a date the citation shouldn't be including |date=. Nikkimaria (talk) 16:50, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I am lazy. If date is filled, a sfn ref is easy, if not it needs to be defined. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:27, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Sure, but when laziness extends to adding detail to a reference that isn't in the source, that becomes a problem... Nikkimaria (talk) 02:16, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    done --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:34, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Hofmann should include original publication details
    will search. --GA
    done --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:50, 18 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Schmuck is a dead link and there are no citations to it
    removed, don't even remember how he got there. Thank you! --GA
  • How does atticbooks meet WP:EL? Nikkimaria (talk) 15:08, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    removed, at least I vaguely remember that some added that years ago --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:29, 17 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • @Gerda Arendt: I see there have been extensive changes since my review, including to sourcing; could you please ping me when the article is more stable so I can revisit? Nikkimaria (talk) 01:27, 9 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Yes. One reviewer asked for sources to the discography, the next for more detail on the hymn, and first also for reception. I am willing to oblige. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:12, 9 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Revisiting after recent edits:

  • Would suggest value statements like "morning star is a good image for the heavenly light" would benefit from in-text attribution
    Attributed, but then also quoted. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:00, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Does the parenthesis end where the quote ends? If so, can it be added? There are a few other spots that would benefit from attribution because they are either value statements or interpretation - for example the "It is unclear..." line in the previous section. Nikkimaria (talk) 14:36, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    yes, thank you, added, and it's followed by a full stop but I understand that is preferred outside the quote. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:43, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Just noting the latter part of this point: interpretive statements like the "It is unclear" line would benefit from in-text attribution. Nikkimaria (talk) 02:18, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    that one done --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:06, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • FN9: is this fact not available in secondary sources?
    It is a secondary source, no? - I hope that ref numbers are still the same, I see it for more chorale text than biblical in the chorale cantata cycle, which is almost self-evident. --GA
    Now FN5 - Britannica. Nikkimaria (talk) 14:36, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I wonder actually why we need any ref for the fact that 25 March is 9 months before Christmas, but Aza24 asked, and I explained, below. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:43, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I see that Aza24 asked for an explanation of the significance of the time period - I'm not seeing that this sourcing was requested, have I missed it? Nikkimaria (talk) 02:18, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Aza seems satisfied. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:00, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Either include locations for all books, or don't - this should be consistent. If they are to be included please check that they are accurate - Columbia University Press is not in Columbia
    I tried locations. --GA
    Missing for Wolff. Nikkimaria (talk) 14:36, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    added --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:43, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • FN34 is too broad a page range. Also how are you deciding whether page numbers appear in short vs long citations?
    I added now the precise link to p. 91 (FN34) and p. 94 (FN35), but think the range of the chapter is good to know for someone who wants more background. --GA
    Okay, but the broader question still stands. Nikkimaria (talk) 14:36, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I try to give the page in the short citation, but rather than giving no page in the full citation, I try to indicate where the relevant chapter begins, like for Dürr/Jones the beginning (to end) of the chapter covering the cantata, although other facts may come from elsewhere in the book. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:43, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • FN40 is missing page(s)
    added, my bad --GA
  • University of Hamburg is a publisher, not a work, and shouldn't be italicized. Check for other problems of this kind.
    sorry, copied blindly --GA
    Still issues here - for example BIS is unitalicized one time and italicized another (shouldn't be). Nikkimaria (talk) 14:36, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    done (a while ago) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:58, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • As per WP:ELCITE citation template shouldn't be used in External links, and how are you deciding which links to include here?
    Some links there are former refs, and one was restored to ref, per Mirokado. Why does it matter, just for curiosity? It looks the same to the reader. --GA
    See this RfC. Nikkimaria (talk) 14:36, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I moved them to Further reading. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:43, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "subscription required" should be indicated separately, not within the work title parameter, although the link appears to be accessible without subscription anyway?
    removed - it works now. After I had looked at several reviews from the site, I was requested to subscribe, but not again recently. --GA
  • Check alphabetization of Periodicals
    good catch --GA
  • Kenney is an editor, not an author - check for others
    Kenney changed --GA
  • Why include |via= for Qucosa but not other sources?
    You'd have to ask Francis Schonken. I removed it. --GA
  • There are no citations to Terry or Harnoncourt
    Terry is now in the hymn, Harnoncourt in discography, - thank you for noticing --GA
  • Hofmann is listed under Online sources, but has no online link - should not be in this section
    It had a link. What should we do? --GA
    If the claim made in that removal is correct, then the source will need to be cited as not online. Nikkimaria (talk) 14:36, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I can't believe that the quotation by the Bach Cantatas Website of the liner notes is against the will of the publishers, - they could have requested removal a decade ago. Francis Schonken believes otherwise, and my appetite to argue with him is zero. I believe further that a link would help our readers to verify, but. Moving for now. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:43, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Appreciate that you've moved it, but I'm not sure liner notes are well placed in a Book category either. What about splitting Print/Online rather than Books/Periodicals/Online? Nikkimaria (talk) 02:18, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I did that, moving news to online, because available, but of course they were first printed. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:52, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Dörffel link does not seem to match with bibliographic details provided
    sorry, copied and url not removed. - The source is on IMSLP, and one has to download it to access. --GA
    New link suggests there is another editor to be credited? Nikkimaria (talk) 14:36, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    added the other --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:43, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • FN43: the list at the source doesn't appear to be in a particular order
    in what order would you think? --GA
    The citation is supporting the claim that this work "appeared as No. 4", suggesting fourth-most favourite or the like. Since it seems that the list is not in ranked order, I would suggest reframing to just say it was one of the fifteen on all three lists. Nikkimaria (talk) 14:36, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I believe they are listed with ranking, but as you wish. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:43, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • How are you ordering online sources without authors?
    alpha by publisher but made a mistake --GA
  • Harnoncourt: the given link does not provide access to the liner notes
    not used, see above - I got this far, but need to interrupt. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:28, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The University of Hamburg source appears to be a republication - if this is an authorized republication, the citation should include details of the original source. Nikkimaria (talk) 00:38, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    It's the booklet from Hänssler, but I can't find that. How is this instead? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:28, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Sure. Nikkimaria (talk) 14:36, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    adding, - thank you! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:43, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Source review by Ealdgyth[edit]

For easier recognisability, I'll name the sources: 1) Mincham, 2) Dahn, 3) Bach Cantatas Website, 4) Dellal. All four have in common that they cover details in an accessible way, and that they are used selectively in the article.

  1. Mincham - the website was introduced to project Classical music in 2010, and pros and cons discussed (can be found in the project archives, nutshell: use with care). My pros: he has many music examples to offer (more than Dürr/Jones), and right next to explanations, which I find may be easier to access, especially for lay readers, than turning to a score, possibly handwritten in old clefs. He has been frowned upon by Brian Boulton who knew him personally, found him nice but no authority, but was used heavily as a source for articles by others, see BWV 28 (mostly by Nikkimaria).
  2. Dahn - the website is focused on the chorale settings by Bach, offers the precise four-part setting, with background information about a hymn's history, but is used exclusively to easily show the music. This could be under external links, but would there be harder to connect to the movement in question.
  3. Bach Cantata Website - the page from that website was the key source for our article when it was begun in 2005, and still in 2009. It just is the best source I'd know about details of recordings, such as who played the oboes in a certain recording. It would be silly to leave readers suddenly without that. Again, it could go to external links, but then the connection to the recordings - the only place where it is referred to - would be harder to make. - As the site has been under fire, all recordings also come with an entry on WorldCat, and I can look for reviews in addition.
  4. Dellal - Pamela Dellal translated all of Bach's works with text, and - may Jones forgive me - often does it better than in the Dürr/Jones. She is referenced only for her quoted translations, which add to understanding the content.

Looking at other Bach cantata FAs: Dahn was not used because he was not yet know, Mincham was used less from 2015 when Brian had commented:

  1. BWV 172 (2014) 1 3 4
  2. BWV 22 (2015) 1 3 4
  3. BWV 4 (2015) 3 4
  4. BWV 165 (2015) 1 3 4
  5. BWV 161 (2016) 3 4
  6. BWV 125 (2017) 3 4
  7. BWV 134a (2018) 3 4

What do you think? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:10, 25 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Gerda, use in other articles is not a rationale for reliability here; see User:Ealdgyth/FAC_cheatsheet#New_FAC_stuff.
  1. Mincham is a former Chair of Music at Middlesex University and is published by the Bach Network[23]
  2. Dahn is a professor of music at University of Utah, and this site is cited in The Routledge Handbook of Music Signification. Both Dahn and Bach Canata Website are cited as resources by the Bach333 edition
  3. Bach Cantata is, in addition to the above, cited by books including Dürr and Jones and The End of Early Music, and journals including Early Music and Journal of Singing
  4. Dellal herself has published in Early Music; sources citing her include Reynolds, Schulenberg, and Emerson. Nikkimaria (talk) 03:31, 26 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Francis's approach to these four sources:

  1. Mincham's jsbachcantatas website:
    • WP:SELFPUB source; seems to pass the policy requirement "Self-published expert sources may be considered reliable when produced by an established subject-matter expert, whose work in the relevant field has previously been published by reliable, independent publications.[1] Exercise caution when using such sources: if the information in question is suitable for inclusion, someone else will probably have published it in independent reliable sources.[2]"
    • It is stated in the BWV 1#Movements section: "... the musicologist Julian Mincham ..." (emphasis added) – I could however not find a source yet confirming that Mincham is actually a musicologist (heading a music department is not the same as being a musicologist)
    • reliable source in the context, with the caveat that Mincham shouldn't be called a "musicologist" unless reliable sources demonstrate that this is correct.
  2. Dahn's bach-chorales website:
    • WP:SELFPUB source which seems to pass the policy requirement quoted in the first bullet of #1 above.
    • Weakest point of this source is, imho, that it relies on bach-cantatas (see #3 below) for understanding the German-language sources on which it relies (the problem being rather in poor understanding of German leading to misunderstandings/misrepresentations than in the underlying German-language sources themselves). This problem appears however limited to German sources about the origin of hymns (hymn texts and chorale melodies) when there are no up-to-date English-language sources about these hymns.
    • reliable source in the context, with the caveat that, generally, information about the history of the hymns modelling for Bach's compositions should always be double-checked (occasionally a German-language source about the history of such hymn is misrepresented)
  3. Bach-cantatas website by Oron, Braatz, and others:
    • WP:USERGENERATED source, with WP:COPYLINK problems; or, if considered a WP:SELFPUB source: not passing the criterion quoted in the first bullet of #1 above; further, translations from German (mostly by Braatz) can not be trusted to be correct renderings of the original. The source has been discussed at WP:RSN, see Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard/Archive 227#Is Bach Cantatas Website a RS? – quoting from the closure report of the discussion: "... there seems to be concern that the provided site is, apart from any copyright issues, self-published."
    • That the source is quoted elsewhere, in more reliable sources, is independent of the assessment of this source (and the assessment of the sources quoting bach-chorales.com)
    • not a reliable source
  4. Dellal's translations at emmanuelmusic.org:
    • Emmanuel Music seems to tick all boxes of a reliable source (at least I can't see a single of such boxes that wouldn't be ticked).
    • Dellal's translations have the advantage of being in up-to-date English, compared to more stolid translations that can be found elsewhere.
    • reliable source in the context.

References

  1. ^ Please do note that any exceptional claim would require exceptional sources.
  2. ^ Self-published material is characterized by the lack of independent reviewers (those without a conflict of interest) validating the reliability of content. Further examples of self-published sources include press releases, material contained within company websites, advertising campaigns, material published in media by the owner(s)/publisher(s) of the media group, self-released music albums and electoral manifestos:
    • The University of California, Berkeley library states: "Most pages found in general search engines for the web are self-published or published by businesses small and large with motives to get you to buy something or believe a point of view. Even within university and library web sites, there can be many pages that the institution does not try to oversee."
    • Princeton University offers this understanding in its publication, Academic Integrity at Princeton (2011): "Unlike most books and journal articles, which undergo strict editorial review before publication, much of the information on the Web is self-published. To be sure, there are many websites in which you can have confidence: mainstream newspapers, refereed electronic journals, and university, library, and government collections of data. But for vast amounts of Web-based information, no impartial reviewers have evaluated the accuracy or fairness of such material before it's made instantly available across the globe."
    • The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition states, "any Internet site that does not have a specific publisher or sponsoring body should be treated as unpublished or self-published work."

--Francis Schonken (talk) 06:49, 26 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • @Ealdgyth: I have recently helped upload the brand new image for the infobox of BWV 1. I agree with User:Gerda Arendt and User:Nikkimaria that the Bach Cantatas website is a reliable source, particularly for discussions of recordings. It is listed in the encyclopedic book on the Cantatas of J S Bach by Alfred Dürr and Richard D. P. Jones. For English translations, some care is sometimes needed with metrical vs literal translations. The English libretto by Mervanwy Roberts in the Breitkopf & Härtel edition might not be ideal—it seems stilted. The literal translations of the edition of John Eliot Gardiner/Christoph Wolff can often be used as the basis of a home-brewed literal translation. Mathsci (talk) 09:55, 26 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I find I'm convinced by #2 and #4. We need to remember that the FA standard is "high quality" and while #1 and #3 may meet the WP:RS standard, I'm still not seeing that they meet the FA criteria of high quality. Note that I don't take account of what may have happened at other articles or in the past or at other FACs... Ealdgyth (talk) 16:38, 26 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I can live without #1. But, as explained, #3 was The Source for this article from 2005, and is used as a backup only, supported also by other sources. Removing it entirely seems like separating a child from its mother, denying that she was the mother, although the relationship was visible to the world for 15+ years. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:58, 26 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Gerda, building on your analogy: maybe time this article grew up, start a life in its own right (... as a FA) & stopped living under its parent's tutelage? Anyway, don't think an article promoted to FA in 2021 should still use Bach Cantatas Website as if it were a reliable source. Sorry. --Francis Schonken (talk) 17:38, 26 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Even if I grow up, I don't deny who my mother was, and don't eradicate her memory. I am thankful to the editors before me who built the recordings section based on BCW, and have no intention to hide that. Rather no FA. - I will work on your "citation required", but probably not today. A remark here that you think they need a citation would look better to out readers than tags in the article, imho. Today, I want to improve Arik Brauer further. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:51, 26 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Re. "Rather no FA" – is that official? I really think it better to make the decision about BCW without further delay, in order not to create false expectations... --Francis Schonken (talk) 17:58, 26 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I am talking to Ealdgyth about BCW, and would appreciate if you would not change the article until we reach a conclusion. We have time, Ealdgyth has to schedule TFA February, and I have to improve "my" article, and there's no danger with BCW in the article as it was from the beginning. Kindly self-revert for now. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:06, 26 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I'm sorry, but there is no exception for "mother source" in the criteria. You're welcome to convince me that the two sources meet the "high quality" reliable source and thus the FA criteria, but I can't see how these sources right now satisfy the requirement. And personal feelings of "honoring a mother" quite honestly have no place in editing wikipedia. That's not how we source things. Ealdgyth (talk) 19:25, 26 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I moved them to external links, to prevent Francis Schonken getting in trouble for edit warring. I miss Brian. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:32, 26 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thank you. That resolves my concerns. Unwatching now. Ealdgyth (talk) 19:44, 26 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Don't thank me because I removed them for his sake, before I saw your comment. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:50, 26 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
For the record, the discography has now been spun off to Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1 discography. The problems relating to the Bach Cantatas Website source have been re-introduced there. That being another problem altogether, I do think that the current "Recordings" section of the BWV 1 article is rather shortish (apart from a still unresolved sourcing issue), anyway too short for a FA (one-paragraph main sections are a bit of a layout issue too): this could be addressed by expanding the recordings section a bit, or by a more integrated "Reception" section. I'd leave it to the FAC initiator to address the issue ASAP, with whatever means they think appropriate. --Francis Schonken (talk) 10:56, 1 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Did you see a general explanation (as of when the split was made) at the top? The new article will be developed, and then this summary will be adjusted. Today, I need to work first on the article of a Recent death biography which can not wait. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:29, 1 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
See Talk:Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1#Re-integrate discography? – that will be far more time-effective than what you propose (which would mean not to return to making the recordings section FAC-ready until after the other article has been expanded). --Francis Schonken (talk) 12:31, 1 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Gerda Arendt: Almost all editors today have been making helpful edits to the new discography article. At the same time, tags have been added to the discography article. Too many tags indicates poor quality; so a poor quality article cannot be merged into a WP:GA. Theoretically the same problem applies to BWV 4 amd its separate discography. Mathsci (talk) 18:40, 1 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments[edit]

I'm a little new to the FA side of things, so take this all with a grain of salt.

  • also with a designation for a Marian feast which made it acceptable also for Catholic performers and musicologists The second "also" may be unecessary.
  • Should there be a comma after In 1725?

That's all I can comment on. Nice work. ~ HAL333 01:37, 27 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thank you, HAL333|, both accepted. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:14, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Happy to support. ~ HAL333 22:31, 9 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from Mirokado[edit]

Hello Gerda. I hope to read through the article over the next few days.

  • Thomaskantor: italicised in the lead, not in two later sections. I think without italics is better, since italics are being used for work titles and this is a position. (The linked article has the same problem, with the title and some occurrences without italics, but italics for the bold occurrence in the lead).
    taken, changed --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:50, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • §Hymn: Can you say a bit more about the original tune for Nicolai's chorale than just the Zahn number? For example, the composer, or say it is traditional or composer unknown or whatever.
    I'll see. Traditionally, it was believed that Nicolai wrote both text and tune, but now Zahn says the tune is older, I'll check, help welcome. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:09, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I checked that out, and fixed it already in the hymn article. Will get it here when the other is solid enough. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:40, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I've seen your updates to Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, looking promising. --Mirokado (talk) 13:55, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    The updates now in this article provide the extra information. Thank you. --Mirokado (talk) 11:07, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • §First performance, last chorale cantata
    • I think "was to be" would be a better idiom than "turned out to be".
      taken, changed --GA
    • There is a little confusion between "the last chorale cantata of Bach's second cantata cycle" and "over the following decade added a few chorale cantatas for some missing occasions".
      It is tough. We need to distinguish "second cycle" (per date, mid 1724 to mid 1725) and "chorale cantata cycle" (exclusively chorale cantatas, the early BWV 4, and several later, the last 1735). Where is that not clear? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:54, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      Indeed, "here be Dragons!" How about "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern was to be the last newly composed chorale cantata of Bach's second cantata cycle.", taking the phrase from the linked article. That explains in what way it was "last". --Mirokado (talk) 18:27, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      Fine, changed. The Easter cantata was the only exception - the only older composition performed that year. Unbelievable creativity, all these Sundays, + some saint's days and 3 each for Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:20, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      Yes, and all without computers etc. --Mirokado (talk) 11:18, 5 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • §Scoring and structure:
    • would it be better to say "solo violins" for the first two mentioned?
      tried, pleas check --GA
      That is better, easy for a reader unfamiliar with some of the musical terms to understand. --M
    • the second pair of violins is described as "obbligato". What about the other instruments? (obbligato says the opposite is ad libitum, what is the distinction if neither are specified?)
      Well, i took the term from older articles and sources. It more or less translates to "of solo importance". --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:00, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      now removed, is OK. --M
  • §Movements §4: "Ein irdscher Glanz, ein leiblich Licht rührt meine Seele nicht" (An earthly flash, a corporeal light does not stir my soul): I have my doubts that "flash" is a good translation for "Glanz", which at least in modern usage indicates a continuous light of some sort rather than something which is inherently transient like a "flash".
    You are right. Only: we take translations from the sources. I'd like to check how Jones translated, but have no access to the page 667), - anybody? If I find another, I can change it. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:05, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Update: I found this translation but can we use it? Ambrose [24] has this ("No earthly gloss, no fleshly light / Could ever stir my soul;") which I like, but the source was removed. Can we reintroduce it? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:53, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Hmmm, I've been thinking about this:
    An earthly flash, a corporeal light does not stir my soul; (emmanuelmusic): flash is just wrong, corporeal is a bit clumsy
    A temporal luster, a carnal sheen, do not stir my soul; (lyricstranslate): sheen and lustre are both quite good for Glanz, temporal is wrong for earthly and carnal has inappropriate connotations. Also found via Bach Cantatas with a different copyright.
    No earthly gloss, no fleshly light / Could ever stir my soul; (Ambrose): I agree, pretty good, particularly the meter, and a good English idiom which conveys the meaning even if not a word-for-word translation
    In this case, Google translate does rather well,
    An earthly shine, a bodily light does not move my soul (Google translate): Accurate, unpretentious
    Also:
    A glitter from the earth, a light from the body does not move my soul; (Francis Browne (probably him), via Bach Cantatas): glitter is interesting, otherwise rather too many words
    Should we continue to use emmanuelmusic? No, we cannot use obviously incorrect material for our main content just because someone has published it somewhere, however "reliable" or "high quality" other things they have published may be.
    Can we use Ambrose? I think so, at least for a translation:
    • His translations were published (BWV 1 here) on the University of Vermont website in 1997–1998, long before they appeared as XLibris books (self-published)
    • We are not relying on any expertise in BWV 1 here, just a translation which anyone can check for themselves
    There is clearly no one "right" translation for these lines. I think I might prefer "fleshly glow" to "fleshly light" since glowworms glow, people glow with health and "gloss" and "glow" go nicely together, but Ambrose's translation is fine. --Mirokado (talk) 00:07, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I used Ambrose now, restored from external link for that one phrase. Sorry, I missed this comment. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:45, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Thank you. I made a couple more edits to that paragraph. --Mirokado (talk) 19:45, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

More later... --Mirokado (talk) 22:09, 30 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thank you for the comments, and I hope to get to them in detail later tomorrow. (In the morning, I'll have a chance to listen to BWV 3 in a cantata service!) I agree with Thomaskantor better not italic, - the problem seems to be that {{lang}} formerly didn't set italics, and now does, and not all instances have been found and changed. This may be one of them. More on the hymn is a good idea. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:25, 30 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Mirokado, update: I fixed Thomaskantor in both articles, and replied above. Before looking at the hymn history, I plan to expand the music, split the recordings section and expand an article of someone who died. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:09, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thank you. That is OK, there is time (also for me to add more comments :) ). --Mirokado (talk) 19:56, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • §Manuscripts and publication
    • "at the Bach Digital website": we normally italicise website (work) names, I suggest doing that here too, also for the mentions elsewhere including short notes and §Cited sources. --Mirokado (talk) 19:56, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      I made it italic in the prose, but am unsure about the cites. Compare BWV 125. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:15, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      I have edited to show what I meant. Apart from general consistency, I think the short notes are clearer like this. --Mirokado (talk) 22:45, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • "... initiated by ..., and ... a century after Bach's death." With a long list each of whose entries are also long, it would be better to have the list last in the sentence, so the reader can tell where it ends without having to parse the start of a phrase qualifying the subject of the list in some way. Thus I suggest rearranging the sentence: "... initiated a century after Bach's death by ..., and ...". --Mirokado (talk) 11:21, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      tried, please check --GA
      Super, thanks. --M
    • "The chorale cantata was a good work for the programmatic, with a chorale text not relying on "disreputable German church texts" ("verruchte deutsche Kirchen-Texten") as Carl Friedrich Zelter had phrased it, also with a designation for a Marian feast which made it acceptable for Catholic performers and musicologists, and finally as a particularly well-crafted and mature composition.[ref]": several problems here:
      • The opinion should not be in Wikipedia's voice, so inline attribution to the ref author is needed
      • "programmatic" is problematic here, not a correct idiom
      • you've already removed one "also", I think we can lose the remaining one too
      • something like: "According to musicologist Ulrich Leisinger, the chorale cantata was a good choice to open the program, with a chorale text not relying on "disreputable German church texts" ("verruchte deutsche Kirchen-Texten") as Carl Friedrich Zelter had phrased it, with a designation for a Marian feast which made it acceptable for Catholic performers and musicologists, and finally as a particularly well-crafted and mature composition.[ref]" --Mirokado (talk) 19:20, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      I tried a bit differently, please check. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:53, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      Better than my suggestion, well done. --Mirokado (talk) 13:55, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • §References
    • The short notes for Wolff 2002 sometimes have hyperlinked page numbers, sometimes not. I suggest you link a single page or first page for a page range for each note. There is no need to link the last page in the range too. --Mirokado (talk) 01:00, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      I hope I did it. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:51, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I have now read through the updated Reception section and copyedited a bit. Once the two open points above are addressed I will be happy to support, assuming there are no further substantial changes. --Mirokado (talk) 14:01, 21 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thank you, Mirokado, very helpful! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:51, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
You are welcome, Gerda.
Support. --Mirokado (talk) 19:45, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments by Francis[edit]

  1. As far as I can see, the reception-related material seems underdeveloped. Meaning, the history/context material is fairly well developed (compared to some other compositions by Bach, relatively much is known about the origin of this work); also the description of the work is fairly well-developed in the article; relatively little is, on the other hand, given about how the piece was received in the 170 years since its first publication. That seems, over-all, an unbalance of the article. --Francis Schonken (talk) 08:36, 5 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Do you have something specific in mind, for this cantata? Or perhaps at least link with a summary to the section about reception of the chorale cantatas in general? - We do have FAs on compositions without Reception, but "with" would be preferable. Feel free to add. I plan to say more about the melody of the hymn tomorrow. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:21, 5 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Seems like you misunderstood:
    1. I've applied some updates etc to the article (no big stuff, this isn't my FAC)
    2. My remark #1 above is rather the big stuff which I won't be doing: if I would, you might not recognise the bottom third of the article when I'm done. We've been there in previous FA's, so I won't be going that path.
    3. For clarity, there's no time limit, take all the time you need.
    4. Not interested in WP:OTHERSTUFFEXISTS (or ... DOESNTEXIST) type of reasoning: for THIS cantata (BWV 1) there's 170 years of reception history that isn't covered adequately in the article (especially since the short discography overview was removed).
    5. trying to be a bit more specific:
      • there's some reception history between the publication of the cantata (1851) and the end of the 19th century. I'd like to see some summary of it in the article;
      • there's some reception history in the first half of the 20th century. I'd like to see some summary of it in the article;
      • reception history in the second half of the 20th century should be expanded
      • reception history in the first decades of the 21st century should be expanded
    I'll come back every now and then to see whether this is evolving in some direction. If you have questions (that is, apart from asking me to do the legwork), I'd be happy to oblige. --Francis Schonken (talk) 08:26, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    --Francis Schonken (talk) 15:57, 9 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Thank you for posting the list of potential sources (certainly helpful for me and a good example of how we should work together). --Mirokado (talk) 21:53, 9 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Thank you for the stepping stones. I used #2 and will look further tomorrow. In #1, the first movement of the cantata is mentioned in comparison to Kuhnau, but I see nothing more substantial which would deserve coverage here. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:55, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • 19th-century reception, and reception from the second half of the 20th century seem more or less covered; reception in the first half of the 20th century is not covered adequately yet:
    --Francis Schonken (talk) 09:07, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • Here's an oddity (2nd half of 19th century reception): https://archive.org/details/sebastianbach02pool/page/138/mode/2up?q=morgensternReginald Lane Poole list the cantata as "CC", i.e., the very last church cantata Bach would have composed (which is wrong, but says something about reception). --Francis Schonken (talk) 09:41, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • Gerda, I'm finished editing the BWV 1 article for now (meaning: likely won't be editing it again before conclusion of this FAC procedure one way or another – so no fear you might get in an edit conflict with me when applying further suggestions made in this FAC to mainspace); in my last edit I inserted some hidden comments where the suggestions made by me above may be inserted. If you can cover that more or less adequately, I'd rather support a successful outcome of this FAC. If you have trouble giving a reference for the No. 1 listing in the BWV of 1950, I'd be happy to provide that – that is, if and when the first-half-of-20th-century reception of this cantata has been elaborated satisfactorily in mainspace, otherwise, after the FAC conclusion. --Francis Schonken (talk) 12:43, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Thank you for all the above, including the oddity. I took the Voigt and Schweitzer on board. I am unsure how to mention that only one performance of BWV 1 was listed 1904-07 compared to many of the Passions without getting too wordy about that one line. Terry, I think, is better in the hymn article. Mentioning the Poole, I wonder if we should mention trivia from 2018 also, [25]? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:56, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I like the 2018 selection as one of Bach's 33 best church cantatas by three leading experts (Maul, Wollny, Gardiner). (as a side-note: I have been red-linking Peter Wollny in many articles by now – I hope someone will some time get around initiating that article). Below I see you're planning on extending the editions a bit probably later today – after that, I'll try to do my last checks on the entire article within 24H (after a cursory glance I think a few small improvements to phrasing etc would be in order, nothing big). --Francis Schonken (talk) 07:52, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • (ec, reacting to somehing you wrote in a comment in the article) Gerda Arendt, re. "should we talk about the just one performance?": there are two, one in Bethlehem, PA and one in Leipzig. If it were just the one in Leipzig, then I'd say nothing special – adding the American one seems a bit less ordinary for the era we're talking about here. --Francis Schonken (talk) 21:59, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      thank you for pointing that out, I misread. Will do then. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:03, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  2. [possibly more to follow – will proceed with further checks when I find the time] --Francis Schonken (talk) 08:36, 5 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Francis, I like your wording for Leisinger's three reasons, - I thought it was undue weight to go into such detail but appreciate it. However, "following Zelter's appreciation" is not clear to me. I am used to appreciation as rather positive, and his is more a verdict, no? Also, did others "follow" his statement, or did he just summarize what was around anyway? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:40, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Zelter, who died in 1832, is, afaik, not "mid 19th-century", so the mid 19th-century views followed (after) Zelter's assessment. I changed "appreciation" to "assessment" per your remark. --Francis Schonken (talk) 09:49, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Gerda Arendt: don't know whether this would help to further fine-tune the text of the BWV 1 article, but I have found where the Zelter quote originated: see opening quote of this Bach-jahrbuch article. I began reading the article (but it is rather terse German, so the reading progresses slowly). --Francis Schonken (talk) 11:01, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
While I think that it is a good find, I doubt that it should go to this particular work, rather perhaps to Zelter's article - a section that could be linked to, including from here? - or a broader perspective of the 19th century on the 18th. So take your time reading. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:31, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
New round (Francis)[edit]

New round of checks:

  1. @Gerda Arendt: I'm currently rejigging the sources list: the old distinctions (e.g. Print vs. Online sources) made no sense: how is a reader, checking sources, supposed to know that the full reference for "Gardiner 2013" is to be found in another of these sub-lists than the full reference for "Gardiner 2006"? That's all very well if you have an on-line application with an operational pointing device, but doesn't work, e.g., for printed versions of the article. "Bach Digital 3216 2020" (my emphasis) was even worse as no full citation even mentioned the "3216" number. --Francis Schonken (talk) 15:04, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I am sorry, I have no idea what you mean by old distinctions when it's new distinction made to please Nikkimaria. Can we please agree on making suggestions here but not rejigging but discussing first? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:16, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    No problem. Do you have any issues with what I propose? --Francis Schonken (talk) 15:19, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    No, but that is of no concern. Please discuss it with Nikkimaria. I understand that you make a list by title, and one by author, correct? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:28, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Yes. And update the {{sfn}}s so that these start with the same text as the (alphabetically sorted) entries in the full references list. --Francis Schonken (talk) 15:32, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I don't agree that organization is more useful - might as well use a single list with no separation. Nikkimaria (talk) 22:16, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Nikkimaria, seeing your comments in the #Source review section above it is my humble opinion that your contributions to this FAC have ceased to be helpful a long time ago. However, in the off-chance I'm wrong about that, could you please explain "might as well use a single list with no separation"? I think I'm not getting what you mean. What difference would that make (as in: practically) – or what do you actually propose? And why would that be a better arrangement than the current one? --Francis Schonken (talk) 05:11, 10 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    How about having those by author first? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:58, 10 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I have no idea whether that is Nikkimaria's intention, and even less why that would be a good idea in Nikkimaria's or your mind. For me, I'd oppose it: when starting to look for something in the sources section, one can see past the three "by title" entries immediately, locating the start of the "by author" list without much ado. In what you propose it would be harder to find the three "by title" ones so deep below the start of the section. --Francis Schonken (talk) 10:05, 10 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    While I can imagine a reader searching for a specific author, I see nobody searching for a specific title. From the article, there are links which make searching unneccessary. I'm just asking, - either way is fine for me. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:57, 10 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    If the concern is for a printed copy with a reader who doesn't know what list a source would be in, then simply present a single list sorted alphabetically by what is displayed in the References list. This is a common convention that allows one to quickly match up short to long citations, even without links if necessary. The by title/by author distinction is, as Gerda notes, not an intuitive approach. Nikkimaria (talk) 01:33, 11 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Re. "... is, as Gerda notes, not an intuitive approach" – Gerda said no such thing: she had no issues with the arrangement I implemented. So, Nikkimaria, your ifs and buts seem of no consequence, as you don't even seem able to explain what you personally prefer, and why. --Francis Schonken (talk) 07:06, 11 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  2. images, as explained below in #CommentsSupport from Aza24 and #Coordinator note – see the first of these sections for proposed solution. --Francis Schonken (talk) 16:19, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I believe we should not have this discussion in three places, can we please have it here?
    The current lead image is in the article since 17 February 2015 : a page from a solo violin part. (It was replaced by the same page in higher quality this year.) I think the violin part, representing the morning star from the title, is a good illustration. You offered an additional image, of the continuo part with bass figures partly by Bach, and I think that has a good position where it is now: in the Music section, where the specialists will look. Bach's contribution to that page was minimal, and is hardly detectable without explanation. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:01, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  3. The "Reception" section has expanded till it is currently around the same size as the other two main sections. This comment is about the lead section of the article: the other two main sections are each summarized into a sizeable paragraph of the intro. The "Reception" section is summarized in a single sentence. The summary of "Reception" topics should be expanded in the intro, until it is roughly covered with the same weight as the other two main sections. --Francis Schonken (talk) 16:19, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    That's a good point, and I'll think about it. Tomorrow. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:01, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I gave it a try. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:14, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  4. "Hymn" subsection of "Background" section contains "... bridegroom, which refers to Psalm 45, described as a bridal song ...": not only Psalm 45, but Song of Songs evidently too, see Vopelius#p. 814 ([26] – "... Hohen Lied Salomonis" = Song of Songs), but I can't imagine that Vopelius would have been the only one to have remarked that. So "Song of Songs" should be mentioned along Psalm 45, with a decent reference. --Francis Schonken (talk) 16:55, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Don't you think that this detail is rather good for the hymn article (which to expand is on my to-do-list)? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:01, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Sorted, except that the added reference isn't fully formatted yet (which I leave to you). Don't think my suggestion was all that difficult to implement. Whether or not this belongs in the hymn article is not something to discuss here, but sure, seems like a shortcoming if it weren't mentioned there yet. --Francis Schonken (talk) 11:33, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Thank you, formatted the ref. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:17, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  5. Lead of "Music" section: I translated the title page of the manuscript. That title page was not written by Bach, nor by any of his usual scribes (nobody knows who wrote it, and it may well have been written after Bach's death). When I saved that translation, I recall writing something in the edit summary whether this (German) transcript of this manuscript title is needed? I am still asking myself this question... Unless there's a good rationale for keeping it (please state such rationale then), I'd remove it (that is: including my translation). --Francis Schonken (talk) 17:13, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    While I think it's interesting to see in which way (order, language, ...) such a page was composed, I'm not married to it. Perhaps you might find a place for it in reception. An image of said page would be better than trying to imitate the layout, but thank you for trying. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:01, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Handled. I thought I gave a rather straightforward suggestion, which was also easy enough to execute. I didn't ask for a commentary that was neither here nor there as far as replying to the suggestion goes. --Francis Schonken (talk) 11:07, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Thank you for sparing me to remove what you added. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:08, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  6. Lead paragraph of "Movements" section: "The scoring provides a rich orchestration" – this sounds awkward: Bach provided the orchestration (the "scoring" does not really provide an orchestration of whatever sort). Please rephrase, e.g. by replacing "The scoring provides" by "Bach provided" (but that is likely not the only possible rephrasing). --Francis Schonken (talk) 17:22, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Suggestion taken. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:01, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  7. Same paragraph contains "..., BWV 65, written for Epiphany" – would make that "... , BWV 65, written for Epiphany 1724" (so that it is clear that this is an earlier cantata – like it is clear in the next sentence that the Christmas Oratorio is a later work). --Francis Schonken (talk) 17:27, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I added the year. I thought "reminiscent" made clear that it referred to something earlier, but perhaps I'm wrong. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:01, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  8. (Movement) 1 section: "tonic" → best link that word to tonic (music) ... not everyone might recognize this. --Francis Schonken (talk) 17:31, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    done --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:01, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  9. (Movement) 4 section: "Melisma embellishment emphasises ..." – the adjectival use of "Melisma" doesn't work very well (sounds pretty awkward), replace by either "A melisma emphasises ..." or "Melismas emphasise ..." (whatever is intended). --Francis Schonken (talk) 17:46, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I tried, please check. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:01, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  10. General: the prose is partly American English (fervour, emphasises) and partly British english (characterizes): please choose one variety, and update the rest to that variety of English. --Francis Schonken (talk) 17:46, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I try British which I believe is "fervour", but make mistakes. I found one "ize" and changed it. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:01, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  11. Teldec series (middle paragraph of "Recordings" subsection): in the series, Bach's church cantatas were issued/recorded in BWV order (=BGA order), thus this was evidently the first cantata on the first record of the series: please mention "BWV order" (and/or "BGA order") for this series. --Francis Schonken (talk) 18:40, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    This is so, but none of the sources used says so, and the sentence is already long. I don't think it changes much in meaning. The detail could go to the discography article. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:01, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

@Gog the Mild: thanks. I run through my above 11 comments, just stating whether I consider them handled sufficiently:

  1. OK – at least for me: I can, however, not speak for others who have commented on that.
  2. Not OK. If FA promotion means this is not open for discussion after promotion (some might see FA promotion as a "valid" argument to disallow further consensus seeking ...) then no, the article should not be FA promoted at this point.
  3. OK
  4. OK
  5. OK
  6. OK
  7. OK
  8. OK
  9. OK
  10. OK
  11. Not OK. Doesn't seem too hard to find a source confirming the fact, nor does it seem particularly demanding to split up a long sentence, so all "explanation" notwithstanding this is a plain failure to respond adequately to the suggestion.

Apart from these suggestions, there is a new one (resulting from what happened after I drafted my above list):

  1. Layout problems in the "Movements" subsection. As I had to explain elsewhere not so long ago, WP:SANDWICHING describes the situation where there is an image on the left, some text in the middle, and an image on the right. A similar situation can occur with some poetry (in a foreign language) on the left, the translation of that verse in the middle, and an image on the right. If the poetry has long sentences, which one doesn't want to spill over to the next line (especially as the translation might spill over other lines, or no lines, or vice versa) this results in bad layout, unless when one views the layout on a sufficiently wide screen. The situation is now occurring, and imho unacceptable.

So, in sum, Nos. 2, 11 and 12 are not OK and I can not support FA status for the time being based on that assessment. --Francis Schonken (talk) 13:30, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I find it difficult to scroll up and down to find what which bullet means, and wouldn't know where to reply to #12, so do it here: I moved the image below the poetry and hope that will fix it. #2 I don't share your concern that being FA would deter further development (from the FA template: "Even so, if you can update or improve it, please do so."), hopefully by discussion. #11 I think it's undue weight but will look for a ref and a wording, for you. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:19, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Dear Gerda: please see my recent email message about Movement 1. Thanks, Mathsci (talk) 06:44, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Re. #12: I'd still put {{nowrap}}s around the longest lines (i.e. the longest German line, and the longest translation line) in the poetry (like this), so that poetry lines don't wrap unevenly (so that original and translation would no longer be aligned) on smaller screens. --Francis Schonken (talk) 05:47, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  1. I converted the "Hamburg 2021" Further reading item to an AV media notes cite template (mentioning author etc), but have now commented out the "url" and "via" parameter values as a precaution: this document is clearly copyrighted to Hänssler Classic (2010), see last page of the document, and I am now uncertain whether the re-publication on Hamburg University's ftp server is legitimate copyright-wise. It might be, but it might as well be on a private part of this university's website without copyright clearance. I looked around on the website but could not find an indication this is part of "official" pages of the website, for which Hamburg University would accept copyright responsibility. I'd rather like to be proven wrong, but as long as the situation is unclear, I assume it is best not to link. --Francis Schonken (talk) 06:30, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from Jim[edit]

I don't know enough about music to comment in detail on the music, but perhaps a little on what the "Morning Star" actually is. The term is always applied to Venus, by far the brightest object in the morning sky after the Sun and Moon, als auffallend hell leuchtender Stern erscheinen der Planet Venus am östlichen Himmel vor Sonnenaufgang, and surely the point of the title is an analogy between the appearance of he brilliant heavenly object with the birth of Jesus? The same point is made explicit in Revelation 22:16, where the King James version has "I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star" Jimfbleak - talk to me? 13:53, 6 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thank you, and I agree, but think it's more a topic of the hymn than the cantata, and the hymn is my topic today. Please look there later. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:06, 6 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Jim, please look again. The quote from Revelation is now in the cantata article. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:11, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Support on prose. As I said, I don't have the background to add much to the content discussion beyond my comments here Jimfbleak - talk to me? 14:33, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments by Wehwalt[edit]

  • "Compared to the first cycle, the music has less emphasis on biblical texts, but more on the use of chorale text and melody.[6]" Can this be better explained?
    I'll try here: at Bach's time, the sequence of readings from the Bible was the same every year. In his first year, Bach wrote cantatas close to those readings. In his second year - the one this cantata is from - he gave himself the rule to base the cantata on a hymn (chorale, church song), typically (but not here) the one assigned to the occasion, see Church cantata#Annunciation (25 March), Church cantata#Second Sunday after Epiphany (Epiphany II). These hymns were sometimes not really related to the readings, that's text, and he'd use the melody in the opening and the closing movement, that's melody, while some from the first year had a hymn only at the end, and some not even that. How would you say that? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:59, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "The cantata and other Bach chorale cantatas were the only works that the city of Leipzig was interested in," It sounds a bit odd to describe a city as interested in something.
    The city was his employer, and paying for the archive. It's really amazing how little of his vast output was held in Leipzig, and how much is probably lost. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:59, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I see hidden notes discussing what should be inserted. Are these matters resolved?
    Only one is left as I write this, about more editions. That may happen, tomorrow, - too tired now. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:59, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
That's about all I have.--Wehwalt (talk) 22:33, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thank you! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:59, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

CommentsSupport from Aza24[edit]

  • Looking promising thus far. I have an empty weekend ahead so I have no excuse to not look at this tomorrow or the day after. Aza24 (talk) 08:12, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • some initial comments
  • There are a lot of dup links btw
    I "killed" some, but think that a duplication in lead, History and Music should be permitted, - we can't expect every reader of the Music section to have read the History. --GA
    Fine by me Aza24 (talk) 03:48, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • a contemporary poet—I assume (?) this poet is unknown, can we specify that? E.g. "Unknown/unrecorded/anonymous contemporary poet..."—otherwise it looks like we just forgot the name there. ditto for this when the librettist is first mentioned in the body text
    Well, as explained, perhaps we know him. The wording dates to a time when we had no idea. --GA
    I see what you're saying, but I'm not really sure how valid it is. With this logic we may as well never put anyone as "unknown" or "anonymous" because we could have known them. Aza24 (talk) 03:48, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • A date on the manuscript caption would be nice
    For what? Performance date is just below. --GA
    Is that the original manuscript? If so add "autograph" to "manuscript"—I just assumed it was a copy Aza24 (talk) 03:48, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Agreeing with Aza that the caption of the image in the infobox is a bit uninformative. I'll let you two settle this (and other points of this section) before continuing with my final check of the entire article (see above). --Francis Schonken (talk) 05:01, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    That is a copy, - I added details, please check again. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:09, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Transposed continuo part of the start of the cantata, from the performance material of the première (partial autograph: bass figures by Bach)
    Suggesting →
    --Francis Schonken (talk) 07:45, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    thank you, added --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:51, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • accents the first aria—the meaning of "accents" is unclear to me here, surely there are less ambiguous words—are you saying, like, "Begins"?
    I tried "corresponds" now. Not "begins", - throughout the aria, only this instrument and the bass group play, - perhaps not known to readers unfamiliar with Bach's work that he "coloured" or "flavoured" a movement by reducing the "orchestra" to specific sounds. The German word would be Klangfarbe, lit. sound colour. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:49, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Ah I see, if I'm understand you right, the correct world is "doubles" as in "doubles the first voice"
    Sorry, I was not clear. The oboe has its own music, it's just that the strings are silent. (The horn doubles the soprano in the first movement, but that's different.) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:09, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I wonder if "begun a century after his death" can be linked to the Bach revival but eh maybe not
    We have Early music revival#19th century, but that's too poor to link to. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:54, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • You include translations for all the terms thus far except Thomanerchor?
    Thomaskantor is not translated but explained - because it's misleading, it was not just one church covered by the position. Once that is explained, I felt that translating Chor to choir wasn't really needed. --GA
  • More soon Aza24 (talk) 09:10, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Thank you for the comments, Aza, I'll check later today, too nice weather right now ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:04, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    some replies, the other later today, out again --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:42, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Aza, I'm back, and replied to the others --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:54, 13 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • is there some significance in including "nine months before Christmas"?–this may be my ignorance speaking
    Well, I think so, because it's the normal duration of pregnancy (which I thought doesn't need explanation). --GA
    Not sure that the typical reader would draw that connection... you have too much faith in them! Aza24 (talk) 08:14, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    It's all the source gives. If you google you get all crap about that Jesus died and was conceived that day, with no reliable source. Can we please leave it simple? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:34, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Sure Aza24 (talk) 21:57, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • would explain the end of the chorale cantatas in the second cycle, because Bach lost a competent collaborator and source of inspiration.—what about the end of the chorale cantatas? Or are you saying that the piece ended at the chorale cantatas because of this?
    I'm sorry that it is so confusing, and we need to do something if it still is. We must distinguish the chorale cantatas of the second cycle which was meant to be a cycle of chorale cantatas exclusively (1724 to exactly this one, 1725) from all his chorale cantatas (1707 to 1735). --GA
  • suggest linking Call and response (music) somewhere in the first paragraph of the first movement
    why? --GA
    Because... that's what's happening? Aza24 (talk) 08:14, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    ... in the specific way of African and other music that the link leads to? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:36, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    There's a whole section on classical music! But I digress Aza24 (talk) 21:57, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I don't know that the secco link is that helpful; I suggest Glossary of music terminology#secco
    No, that explanation is even wrong for this case. For Bach, secco means "the continuo group [alone] plays" vs. accompagnato, "additional instruments play". --GA
    The current link doesn't get you that either then? Aza24 (talk) 08:14, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I never looked, sorry. Fixed the link, I hope. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:39, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Will work on Reception later Aza24 (talk) 04:21, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I hope I could help. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:33, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • ornament means a very specific embellishment, not this: that an instrument plays something at all not at all, I've just looked at the score for the 6th movement, are saying that the horn part really doesn't fall under the definition on the ornament Wikipedia page of In music, ornaments or embellishments are musical flourishes—typically, added notes—that are not essential to carry the overall line of the melody (or harmony), but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" that line (or harmony), provide added interest and variety, and give the performer the opportunity to add expressiveness to a song or piece. Many ornaments are performed as "fast notes" around a central, main note.? Aza24 (talk) 08:14, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    We would have to use a different word then, not a link to ornamentation. Very few cantatas have the feature that the chorale is not just four-parts. Suggestions? "enriched" sounds like food. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:46, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Thinking out loud, maybe something like "The second horn is playing a counter-melody ... (in the closing chorale)"? --Francis Schonken (talk) 10:05, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    What do you think, Aza? - Francis, do you have a suggestion for how to say (s. further up) that we had no idea who the author was until rather recently? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:31, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Counter-melody seems better, sure

@Aza24 and Gerda Arendt: don't know whether all issues of this section are deemed settled? Anyhow, will be proceeding with my last over-all check. --Francis Schonken (talk) 09:22, 16 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

@Gerda Arendt: despite my announcement here I'm confronted with edit conflicts. Maybe I should just give up. Oppose promotion to FA. The prose of the article is awkward in about every other paragraph, which seems beyond repair (at least, under the time constraint of a FAC procedure); the manuscript score containing the composer's handwriting is more suitable as lead image than one exclusively by a copyist; etc. --Francis Schonken (talk) 10:37, 16 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Kindly say so in your own section, otherwise superficial reading might suggest that Aza opposed. For the image: if that continuo part was written exclusively by Bach, I'd agree, but as his fingering is too small to be detectable in that size, and therefore needs explanation, I prefer the image of the violin part there. Your swap was a bold edit which we please discuss on the talk or somewhere here, - again, please not in Aza's section. Feel free to move this reply with your comment. We had that one edit conflict: the swap of a lead image which was in place for years seemed to justify an immediate revert as such, per WP:BRD. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:04, 16 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Re. "... make a case for a different placement on the article talk or in the FAC" – I did so above. Sorry if it is perceived as being in the wrong section. That doesn't change the rationale for that change being on this page. In my appreciation the reason given for that change outdoes, by far, the objections raised against it. So, sticking, for now, to "not ready for FA" on this and other grounds (which I may detail further in #Comments by Francis – depending on how my further checks fare). --Francis Schonken (talk) 13:31, 16 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Further, the captions I wrote or rewrote for both performance part images are determined by where each of these images is placed in the article, in view of the "link on first occurrence" principle, in view of not having a name of a secondary figure like J. A. Kuhnau in the lead image caption, etc. That's also why this topic is in this section, it followed on Aza's remark about the lead image caption. The problem remains for the solo violin I image: as a lead image its caption either has to go in a lot of detail (making it excessively long with details not explained in the body of the article) or it would be too short to be sufficiently informative (the repositioned solo violin I image caption fails on both points: too long, and still insufficiently informative when it precedes the body of the article). That's why I proposed the alternative lead image in this section: it makes a relatively short fully informative lead image caption possible. --Francis Schonken (talk) 14:06, 16 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
ps: I am sorry that I pressed the rollback button instead of thank you, and reverted myself immediately. I like the translation next to the original, among others, thank you! - Just the image, I don't accept, as explained above. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:16, 16 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The original manuscripts of the chorale cantatas remained in the possession of the St. Thomas School, but were later conserved in the Leipzig Bach Archive.[1] Like for most cantatas of this cycle, Bach's original score did not survive.—these lines seem to contradict each other? Aza24 (talk) 01:52, 18 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    They seem to contradict each other, but before it said "parts" and that's what the manuscripts are: parts. Perhaps you can offer a wording that is less misleading. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:39, 18 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Perhaps just changing "Bach's original score did not survive..." to "Bach's original full score did not survive" would do the trick?
    Sorry, for this work we have score and parts, - not sure that "full" would add much. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:59, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Part of the issue is that, these lines are confusing to the point where, I'm not sure I understand the situation enough to comment on it. I can get at least 4 things from it 1) the original parts survive but the original full score doesn't. 2) the original full score survives but the original parts do not. 3) neither survives. 4) one or the other did survive and was "conserved in the Leipzig Bach Archive", but now is gone...? The distinction between original full score & original parts needs to be a lot clearer. Saying something like "The original manuscripts of the chorale cantatas remained in the possession" is ambiguous and could easily refer to either, regardless of the mentioning of "parts" earlier. Aza24 (talk) 21:57, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I tried by arranging the facts in a different order, first score is lost, so I hope it's clear that the rest is about the parts. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:36, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Francis has tried as well, and addresses the issue sufficiently I beleive. Aza24 (talk) 00:50, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Is there a ref for the translation of Bach-Jahrbuch? Aza24 (talk) 01:52, 18 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • I'm now wondering if the reason there's no ref is because you translated it yourself? That should be fine because of WP:NONENG, but I thought I'd double check Aza24 (talk) 01:52, 18 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      I am not sure I understand the question. Bach-Jahrbuch is literally "Bach yearbook", Jahr is year and Buch is book, for whoever writes that. The publishers call it Bach Annals. Does that help? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:39, 18 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      Oops communication error on my part, I mean a ref for the english translation from the journal (e.g. "A precious work...")—but I assume you did it yourself so never mind this Aza24 (talk) 01:51, 20 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      I did it myself with help from a translate program which I modified, yes. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:59, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The Reception confuses me a little, most of it is fine, but there is some before Publication (the transmission of the work for example) that doesn't really have anything to do with "Reception". IDK what the best approach would be here, rename the section (legacy?) or maybe split this information into a provenance/transmission section? Change the name to history? Aza24 (talk) 01:47, 18 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    You will have to discuss the header and content mostly with Francis. The whole section is new since the review started. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:39, 18 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Any thoughts on this Francis Schonken? Aza24 (talk) 01:51, 20 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Of course transmission and conservation of (original) manuscripts containing the work is part of the reception history of the work. --Francis Schonken (talk) 05:38, 20 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I guess, I would think reception is what scholars, audience members, fellow musicians "think of" the work, not where it's been kept. Aza24 (talk) 21:57, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    So what do we know about what scholars, audience members and fellow musicians thought of the work for the period between 1725 (première performance) and 1847 (Winterfeld's commentary)1845 (Mosewius's listing of the cantata)(*)? Afaics, for that period of over a century, all we know is the care they took (or didn't take) in conserving its manuscripts, and the value these manuscripts had in the eyes of those who knew about them. Indeed, manuscripts that today are considered invaluable were in that period traded for nominal amounts, expressing that at least for a part of that period "scholars, audience members, fellow musicians" didn't think very highly of the work, even leading to the loss of the original score. --Francis Schonken (talk) 06:31, 1 March 2021 (UTC); (*) found Mosewius's 1845 listing (without commentary) of the cantata here (last entry in the left column), and updated my comment above accordingly – afaik that was the first time the cantata was mentioned anywhere in print. --Francis Schonken (talk) 08:08, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Interesting, though I don't know if it's worth inclusion because of its absence of commentary. I also don't know that we could assume it's the earliest mention without a source saying it is, but perhaps Gerda will think otherwise. Aza24 (talk) 00:50, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Interesting but I think the same about inclusion in this article. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:16, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I've thought about this for a while—way too long—and decided that I am ready to support for promotion. I think the prose is good and adding any further information will compromise the article's summary style. I'm also confident in high quality sourcing (especially in light of the most thorough sourcing review above). Aza24 (talk) 05:53, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Coordinator note[edit]

This has been open for more than three weeks and has so far received one oppose and no support. Assuming that the issues concerned have been addressed I suggest canvassing the reviewers to date to see what their current views are. Regardless, unless it attracts some support over the next four or five days I am afraid that it will have to be archived. Gog the Mild (talk) 15:09, 9 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

The issues have not been addressed. One reviewer was not pleased with the source this article was originally built upon, so others had to be found, same reviewer wants a section about reception (and I had no time to even begin), and another reviewer wants more about the underlying hymn, which made me look there and see that it first has to be developed, which I began. Aza24 and Wehwalt promised to look. Perhaps wait for them? Archiving would also be fine with me, however, knowing myself, it would make me procrastinate further, and possibly make me miss next year as this year. Let's please not forget that this article is linked to from the prime source for Bach in the world, - I'd prefer to improve rather sooner than later. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:56, 9 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I don't think the article is ready to be promoted at present, but I am happy with the quality of the content so far and look forward to completing this or another review when remaining updates are completed. --Mirokado (talk) 21:50, 9 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Agreed, the content is great and just lacking in a few areas. Edit: Pretty much ready to support on prose and comprehensiveness. (00:12, 25 February 2021 (UTC)) Cheers, Ovinus (talk) 04:54, 10 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I think the article issues are addressed by now. Please indicate open questions if I overlooked them. Nikkimaria and Francis Schonken debate the appearance of the sources. I don't care too much about that at this point. It would be nice if this could be settled not only by 25 March - day of Annunciation - but 21 March, Bach's birthday. I appreciate everybody's patience. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:03, 10 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Gerda, I think you misunderstand: I currently can't support a FA promotion for this article. I was clear about that above. When I tried a last check some time ago, I was rather aggressively interrupted (by reverts no less) during the proceedings. I don't know when I will have time for another attempt at last check. I think you had time enough to get this in FA shape, but much of the proceedings are what I always dread when one of your GANs or FACs gets started: the article is not even nearly in shape for GA or FA promotion (just see the number of comments on this page!), and there's a large amount of things that don't get sorted unless someone does it for you. I'm tired doing the work for what after the facts you consider your GAs or FAs. I can of course only speak for myself. I care about improving the encyclopedia, and don't care about who does what, but my work being presented as someone else's is, when that is done on a systematic base, getting a bit offensive. So I'd suggest this FA procedure be closed on non-promotion, and we all get to improving the article, not caring about FA promotion until it is really in shape to pass a FAC procedure with no more than a minimal amount of necessary adjustments. --Francis Schonken (talk) 08:20, 10 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Hi Francis Schonken. Would I be correct in gathering that your oppose is largely or entirely based on the reception section, for the reasons which you outline above? Thanks. Gog the Mild (talk) 16:30, 15 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • No, I still want to do an over-all check (i.e., the entire article, not only the things I mostly (re)wrote myself in the reception section – although even that may still best be checked against the rest of the article, to see whether the narrative is coherent throughout). The issue with the lead image (I think it better to have the manuscript partly written by the composer as lead image instead of the current one, entirely written by a copyist) is also still unresolved. That issue is unrelated to the reception section. I recently also updated the collation of the sources list: while doing that I saw a few issues (which I forgot in the mean while, while the discussion then got hung on the new collation – but I want to take this up again). This is also unrelated to the reception section. --Francis Schonken (talk) 16:51, 15 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      Francis Schonken, an oppose to promoting an FAC "must provide a specific rationale that can be addressed" (emphasis in original). I can see this with regards to Reception and the lead image. But not for "the entire article". You indicated above that you were unlikely to be coming back to this for some time; have I misunderstood that? While I don't want there to be unseemly haste over something as deciding whether to promote an article to FA, this nomination has been open for two months and you first commented on it 48 days ago. If you have further specific objections, I would be grateful if you could state them. Thanks. Gog the Mild (talk) 17:11, 15 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      (edit conflict) The specific rationale being that I can't agree with the lead image, while there is a better one available (i.e., this arrangement of images instead of the current one), which I explained above (see AZA24's section). I'll try to make time for an over-all last check within the next 24H, which I hope you can grant me. If you want it sooner, let me know. Tx. --Francis Schonken (talk) 17:25, 15 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      (ec) The best time for precisely worded concerns would have been the peer review in which you participated. The idea of a peer review is to prepare an article. - I don't want to reply to points such as the lead image again here. Please look above. (nutshell: the violins represent the morning star from the title, their music should be visible, not a continuo part in which Bach's entries are marginal, and not detectable to the unprepared reader who would therefore need a long explanation, which is undesirable for a lead image.) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:16, 15 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thank you both. I believe that I have grasped your respective opinions on the lead image, and Francis Schonken's on the Reception section. I was concerned that there were other specific objections which had not been articulated and so could neither be responded to by the nominator nor taken into account by me. Francis, haste is good, but no need to rush. I shall return to this in 48 hours. Gog the Mild (talk) 18:20, 15 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Gog the Mild and Gerda Arendt: completed final check, see #New round (Francis) above (I also applied some minor tweaks in mainspace). --Francis Schonken (talk) 18:47, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I replied. Expanding the lead by a summary of the reception is a good idea, but I'm not in a creative mood, - hopefully tomorrow. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:05, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I expanded the lead now, please check. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:15, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thanks! I shortened it again a bit: one paragraph on reception in the intro suffices. I'm now going to swap the two images again: the intro speaks about Bach's partial autograph (for which the partial autograph image is a better companion), while the scintillating by the violins isn't mentioned until the description of the 1st movement in the "Music" section, for which the violin manuscript picturing that movement is a better companion. I can assure you that neither page is exactly readable until it is clicked and viewed in a scale larger than thumbnail. --Francis Schonken (talk) 17:23, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thank you for shortening the lead, but I reverted the swapping of the images. After several users supported the violin part for the lead, and you seem to be the only one to prefer the continuo part there, we can discuss, or leave it as is. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:10, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Re. "After several users supported the violin part for the lead" – I am not able to find that in the discussion above. Can you clarify? As for the reasons why that is sub-optimal, I stick to what I said about that, and remain thus far unconvinced by your counterarguments (and, for clarity, your weak counterarguments are the only counterarguments I see in the discussions about this topic). --Francis Schonken (talk) 05:43, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
They didn't support the violin pic for the lead explicitly, but when they supported it was in place. To make any major change to a FAC, you should seek consensus before. Some reviewers even do that for minor changes. I regard changing the lead image as a major change. If you still think the pic placement needs discussion, where, Gog the Mild, should that be held? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:46, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

It is the nominators right to not make a change suggested by a reviewer, just as it is then a reviewer's right to then oppose the nomination on it not meeting one of the criteria. I believe that I have grasped your respective arguments on the lead, so there is no need to continue to restate them. As I read it, Francis Schonken is opposing promotion on the choice of lead image but is satisfied with other aspects. If I am mistaken on this, apologies, and could you gently point me to any other specific reasons why this should not be promoted?

Gerda Arendt, you seem to have responded to all reviewers concerns. If so, could you confirm this, if not, could you do so.

I note in passing that the article has been considerably improved thanks to Francis's considerable efforts here. All of this is without prejudice to whether I consider there to be a consensus to promote or not.

Gog the Mild (talk) 12:54, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I didn't comment on the images previously, because I was happy with the original disposition. Looking at them in more detail, I think having an image of an artefact actually used for the first performance of the subject of the article is a good argument for keeping the violin part as the lead image. That is also less cluttered so just from the point of view of visual presentation it works better as a lead image and thus any reduced image representing the article. --Mirokado (talk) 13:43, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Yeah, and this is the argumentation I feared... "it looks better, so who cares about authenticity?" – besides, the continuo part was of course also used at the first performance. --Francis Schonken (talk) 13:59, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Sorry about your fear, and you will call it a weak argument again: our general readers will rather have heard "violin" than "continuo", - it could be rather simple. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:08, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
(ec) I have tried to respond to all concerns, but may have overlooked something. I acknowledge that Francis improved the article greatly by questions and editing, up to a point that I'd normally offer co-nomination. (Right now, that would probably seem like getting rid of a possible oppose, - what can I do?) Thanks also to Mathsci (image, music details) and Thoughtfortheday (recordings). I feel strongly that the violin pic should be in the lead, as it has been since 2015, and we don't talk about not using an image, only about position. From a distance, the two images look quite similar even. I will try to get rid of the red link in the caption. For a long time, red links in FAs were frowned upon. Now we accept them, but not in lead and infobox (not even in "normal" articles). I'd place the link in the body if only that scribe was mentioned there. I doubt that we need his name in the image caption. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:49, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
3x(edit conflict) @Gog the Mild, my "final" assessment, seeing three remaining issues in total (including a new one!), is above in #New round (Francis). I put "final" in quotes, while this of course depends on what happens next: imho the last two (Nos. 11 and 12) don't require much effort, and the other one, the lead image issue, should anyhow best be settled by consensus before FA promotion (i.e., considering how it would become much more difficult to reach consensus on the issue after promotion). So, I'd much prefer to work away these last three issues, so that my current assessment does not need to be my final one. Tx. --Francis Schonken (talk) 13:52, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]


  • Francis Schonken: Many thanks for the prompt and detailed response.
  • Gerda Arendt: Why is there a major edits label in Movements? Is this article stable? When is it anticipated that this "major edit" will be completed?
    Mathsci announced expansion of the analysis of the first movement, on my talk. That's all I know. Should I have said "not now"? Probably. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:11, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Indeed Gerda, you are the nominator, you are meant to be controlling the process. Even nominators should not be carrying out major edits during a FAC, much less third parties. Third parties should be posting comments and suggestions here. I now have to consider whether to archive the nomination on the grounds that the supports recorded so far were for for an article (possibly) materially different from what it is now, and that reviewers who continued to follow the FAC have not been able to follow any debate regarding proposed/made changes. Unlike for example with Francis's contributions. Can I recommend that you revert Mathsci's edits, apologise to them, and cordially request them to make any suggestions for improvement on this page? Gog the Mild (talk) 15:38, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I have just read down to Mathsci's comment below. At least that lets other reviewers know what is happening, but gives them no detail and no opportunity to comment. I shall wait to see how substantial the changes end up being, but I am currently minded to archive the article so that it can be renominated and reviewers can appraise the substantially changed article, rather than have their supports for a different article carried forward. Or perhaps once Mathsci is finished you could furnish a diff and ask reviewers who have supported to reaffirm their support? Gog the Mild (talk) 15:47, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Gog the Mild: Hi again. Could I take you up on your last proposal? As I wrote below, I think the last changes can be done today so that reviewers can check matters. Cheers, Mathsci (talk) 16:04, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Late - I was out as written here: These changes deal exclusively with movement 1. How is this: Mathsci finishes, and we invite all previous reviewers about that section, and the images? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:58, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Sounds good to me. Gog the Mild (talk) 17:00, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Re Francis's point 2 above: I do not see that the nominator's preference is in breach of "Media. It has images and other media, where appropriate, with succinct captions and acceptable copyright status. Images follow the image use policy. Non-free images or media must satisfy the criteria for inclusion of non-free content and be labeled accordingly." In any case there seems to be implicit and explicit support for the nominator's preference. Barring some fresh reasoning as to why this breaches a criterion I do not see it as an obstacle to promotion. (And yes, once promoted changing any material and contested aspect becomes extremely difficult.)
  • Point 11: I assume the objection is that this fails "comprehensive: it neglects no major facts or details and places the subject in context"? Francis, do you have an RS which confirms the order of issue?
    I had no time to look but doubt that the order of cantatas in the Teldec series matters at all for this cantata. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:17, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I'm needed right now RL. That and other issues will have to wait. --
  • Point 12 seems to have been resolved.
  • This nomination has been open for nine weeks; Francis first commented 50 days ago: it is time to close this one way or the other. Gog the Mild (talk) 14:48, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Hi. The major editing is happening because, as discussed on User_talk:Gerda_Arendt#BWV_1,_concertante_violin_1, the musical analysis of Movement 1 needed to be improved. So far, as Gerda mentioned recently on this page, I have been the only editor to initiate such an improvement. It required having the ten-line hymn text available in translation (done); adding an image of the cantus firmus (done); describing the opening sinfonia (done); and then adding musical analysis about the instrumental episodes and vocal passages for the ten lines (in process). The main impetus for change was a new reference, Vol 2 of Whittaker, which I purchased only recently on ebay: it is not available online. The musical analysis required four different sources, so is slightly complex. Nevertheless it seems to be going fairly well and I hope to complete it today. I hope that clarifies matters. Gerda can probably explain the current status. Cheers, Mathsci (talk) 15:36, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
First page of the first volume of the Bach Gesellschaft edition (1851)
(edit conflict) – not a reply to the above (don't shoot me if you don't like it, just trying to find common ground) Proposing the first page of the very first volume of the BGA edition →
Some advantages:
* It has the "sparkle" motif right in the middle of the page (and indeed, one needs both violins to suggest the sparkle)
* Looks nice! (surely looks better than the authentic scribbles)
* Highly relevant (at least from a "reception" perspective)
--Francis Schonken (talk) 14:59, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I like that image but not for the lead, but for where the publication is mentioned. Better than many words. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:17, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
(and another (edit conflict), this one is answering Gog the Mild, not Gerda's intermediate reply above): I didn't want to go too technical (yet), trying to find common ground should be the first step, no? Anyhow, technically, from the FA criteria: "It has images and other media, where appropriate, ..." (my emphasis) – the violin score is "appropriate" adjoining the prose explaining it in detail; the partial autograph is "appropriate" where "partial autograph" is mentioned. The other arrangement is "not appropriate".
Or, from the lead of the FA criteria "A featured article exemplifies Wikipedia's very best work and is distinguished by professional standards of writing, presentation, and ..." (again, my emphasis): the other arrangement does *not* exemplify "Wikipedia's very best work"; and it is far from distinguished by a "professional standard ... of ... presentation". So, there is enough material in the criteria to not grant it FA status under these conditions.
But as said, let's see first whether we can compromise on the BGA's first page. Gerda Arendt? --Francis Schonken (talk) 15:20, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I answered just above - edit conflict - and already inserted the print where the publication is described in great detail. For the lead, a 19th-century print suggests the wrong period, imho. It wasn't printed for more than 125 years after being written, - we can show that at a glance. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:26, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

@Gog the Mild: OK, "common ground" clearly failed. Indeed, the FAC has been open for too long. It should fail on (from the FA criteria, emphasis added):

  • "A featured article exemplifies Wikipedia's very best work and is distinguished by professional standards of ... presentation ..." – Not Wikipedia's very best work, not quite a professional standard of presentation.
  • "It has images and other media, where appropriate, ..." – the current arrangement does not present the images "where appropriate"

--Francis Schonken (talk) 15:34, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

@Francis Schonken: Thank you. Understood. Are you now content regarding your points 11 and 12 above? If not, could you provide an RS re the order of issue? Gog the Mild (talk) 15:52, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Gerda wrote, above, about this point "... will look for a ref and a wording ..." – so I'd be very happy if I didn't have to do this one (for which I don't really have time now anyhow). Tx. --Francis Schonken (talk) 16:03, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I was out as announced. I still feel that the order of cantatas in the Teldec series is of no concern for this cantata, - enough that it was the first - but I like to please and satisfy even wishes that I don't understand. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:58, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I now split the sentence and said (by adding a bracket) that "the first four cantatas" mean "BWV 1 to 4". Was that what you want? Same source as already used, it even gives all four titles full length but I fear that really would be undue weight on this detail. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:19, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Re. my #11 (in #New round (Francis)): Gerda's tweak resolves the issue as far as I'm concerned. Re. my #12: I put a follow-up suggestion in the "New round" section above. --Francis Schonken (talk) 05:53, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Gerda Arendt: Re. when broken on smaller screns, they will be broken similarly – not exactly: on my mobile the German Stanza now has 20 lines, and the English translation 22 lines. Suggesting (for the #12 follow-up):
{{nowrap|Schön und herrlich, groß und ehrlich,}} {{nowrap|reich von Gaben,}}
{{nowrap|fair and glorious, great and righteous,}} {{nowrap|rich in wonder,}}
for the 9th line, on the German and English sides respectively. Tx. --Francis Schonken (talk) 09:45, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Now added #13 in the "New round" section above. --Francis Schonken (talk) 06:30, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I adopted the line adjustment, thank you, good solution. You seem to have fixed the #13, is that right? I agree with the change. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:56, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Yeah, there was nothing to fix any more, unless you really want the link (then you'd need to check whether it can be ascertained it is hosted on the "official" pages of the Hamburg University website, or otherwise copyright-wise OK). --Francis Schonken (talk) 11:44, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
20 March[edit]

I read the article once more, and thank especially Francis Schonken and Mathsci for major contributions, and all reviewers (Ovinus, buidhe, Nikkimaria, Ealdgyth, HAL333, Mirokado, Jimfbleak, Wehwalt, Aza24) for great help, and the coordinator for great patience. As some things changed recently, I invite all reviewers to check the changes:

  1. The analysis of the first movement was expanded.
  2. Three images were added, and we need to talk about their placement. I am happy with
    1. Violin part manuscript for lead (as before)
    2. Continuo part manuscript (new) for Music now where preparation of manuscripts is discussed, Libretto ..., see below. (21 March)
    3. Soprano part manuscript (new) for Analysis movement 1
    4. Bach Gesellschaft print (new) for Publications

Do you agree, or do you have recommendations for changes to the analysis, and/or a different arrangement of images? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:33, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Just a few comments:
  • §1
    • wl dotted? Why is "dotted" in parentheses"? Actually, retaining the parentheses would separate the two wikilinks, so better anyway to retain them.
    • "The musical analysis of the chorale fantasia": I suspect "musical analysis in general" is meant here, in which case "The" is incorrect in English, just start the sentence "Musical analysis ...".
    • wl cadence?
      Done by Mathsci, thank you. --Mirokado (talk) 17:26, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Images
    • I'm happy with the current placement.
      After the further discussion below, I think the continuo image should be moved to the start of the "For the first performance of the cantata ..." paragraph in §Libretto and first performance. --Mirokado (talk) 22:28, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      I've done that (request from Gerda on my talk page). --Mirokado (talk) 23:43, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • lead image, caption: is "J. A. Kuhnau" Johann Kuhnau? If so, that article does not mention "Andreas", perhaps it should. Ha! he died in 1722, so not him. Perhaps his son, who is only referred to as "Andreas" in that article? Perhaps we could add a note somewhere about copyists to clarify who is meant.
      Content added by Francis, with new references. Thank you. (I now also notice that the redlink is an ill to scores). --Mirokado (talk) 17:26, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      The link is now blue, - not enough that we know about him to make it a stand-alone article, but I added the little bit to his uncle, with the scores as one of the refs. I think it looks better. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:18, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • §Movements image: the continuo is not mentioned much in the content, so this image seems most bound to "Bach provided a rich orchestration". Can we mention something like "... including bass figures for the continuo in his own hand in the original performance parts."?
      Francis' addition also covers this point. --Mirokado (talk) 17:52, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
--Mirokado (talk) 13:28, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Re. is "J. A. Kuhnau" Johann Kuhnau? – no: J. A. is the (younger) nephew of J.: J. was Bach's predecessor as Thomaskantor, and dead for about a year by the time Bach succeeded him in Leipzig; J. A. was, in Bach's early years in Leipzig, the new Thomaskantor's chief copyist until he became a student at Leipzig university.
Re. continuo and rich orchestration: there's no connection between "continuo" and "rich orchestration". If the current image arrangement gave you that impression, then there is indeed something wrong with the image arrangement. Even the leanest orchestration would still have a continuo in Bach's late Baroque period. That's why it doesn't belong along the description of the movements, because, as a continuo, it is not even worth mentioning (apart from being part of the ensemble): it is as standard as can be, and as ordinary as a bass drum in a drum kit. The importance of the continuo manuscript image is in being a partial autograph of the composer, and that is not explained near where the image is now. --Francis Schonken (talk) 13:48, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thanks for the replies. Indeed one of the benefits of asking questions is in revealing sources of misunderstanding or lack of clarity. A common convention in encyclopedia entries is to give birth and death dates for people when first mentioned. There is no need for us to do this if we have a wikilink, but in this case, with J., A. and J. A., adding J. A.'s dates would help someone to find who was meant. A sentence about original copyist(s) somewhere in the content would, I think, be in order. Thanks for clarifying about the continuo. Mentioning what survives in Bach's hand somewhere in the content would provide a good anchor for that image, I suggested one way to do that above. --Mirokado (talk) 14:12, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Mirokado: Thanks for the corrections. All high-res images for the Bach Archive were created by me on Commons, using the dezoomification tool and GIMP software. The zoom images of pages 1 and 2 of the soprano part are missing, so had to be uploaded differently. Since the "Reception" section specifically mentions autograph manuscripts and their loss, placing the image for the "transposed continuo" in that section might be appropriate. Mathsci (talk) 17:31, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Well we should go back to what led me to propose the alternative lead image: another editor (not me!) found the caption for the lead image too convoluted (and still unclear). Then I saw it was not possible to reduce that caption much (but I did what I could), and then proposed another image, which was possible with a shorter caption. then the original image moved back to lead position, and now the proposal is to expand its caption again while it is not clear. Yeah sure... I can only say that seeing all this, shoving complexity on complexity, etc, etc, and yet another round of old arguments by another editor, while it can all be solved simply by putting the right image in the right place, will only lead me to put my foot down on what I come more and more to believe as what is right if this article wants to achieve FA status. The current arrangement of images (with captions which were not written for the place where they now occur in the article) is confusing, and more inspired by images as decoration than images as illustrating what the prose is about. --Francis Schonken (talk) 14:43, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I have tried in preview moving the continuo image to the start of the "For the first performance of the cantata ..." paragraph in §Libretto and first performance. This is where it is directly relevant after Francis' recent update. On a wide window it is pushed down a bit by the preceding image, but otherwise it places fine. It does not interfere with the display of the following table, since either the window is wide enough or text flows below it. I suggest we move it there (I've also updated the comment earlier in this section). --Mirokado (talk) 22:30, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I've now done that after a request from Gerda on my talk page. --Mirokado (talk) 23:43, 20 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Thanks for the ping; I think the images are great, especially the additions. I will note that there are a lot of dup links—some may be justifiable, but most should probably be removed. I like the expanded movement one section as well, but would gently suggest the rather uncommon word "scintillating" (as lovely as it is) be switched with one of its many synonyms, or linked to the wikitionary. Aza24 (talk) 03:53, 21 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Thank you. I reduced dupl links somewhat, but recitative, aria and such are still in three places: lead - history - structure. Can you please write the wikt link, - I'd have to look it up. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:44, 21 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]


Coordinator query[edit]

Francis Schonken, Mathsci,Ovinus, buidhe, Nikkimaria, Ealdgyth, HAL333, Mirokado, Jimfbleak, Wehwalt, Aza24: This nomination has sprawled somewhat, but seems to be coming to an end. I would be grateful if reviewers could flag up anything which they consider merits opposing promotion - other than Francis's objection to the lead image - so that I can take them into account in deciding whether a consensus has been reached to promote or not. I shall take an absence of comment to mean that any supports indicated above still stand. Thanks. Gog the Mild (talk) 14:39, 24 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Still supporting. --Mirokado (talk) 19:00, 24 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Supporting—if the image issue is FS wanting to use the original continuo part instead of the solo violin part as the lead image, I could support that, but it's certainly not something I would oppose the entire FA nomination for. Aza24 (talk) 20:39, 24 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Still supporting as well. ~ HAL333 21:32, 24 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
A month and half ago I removed the merge suggestion tags seeking to re-integrate the discography into the article. Due to recent developments at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Classical music#Recordings lists in articles on individual compositions and at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Schlage doch, gewünschte Stunde discography (2nd nomination) (that last one: a cantata with many more recordings than BWV 1 seems unable to garner solid support for a separate discography article). I'm not sure where this is going to end, while I also want to keep to what I said a month and half ago (i.e., "I don't want this to stand in the way of FAC proceedings"). I can only hope that if some broad consensus develops over whether or not separate discography lists for Bach cantatas are desirable, that this can be implemented without much ado post FAC (if different from the current arrangement), in the same way as the BWV 4 discography was split from the article post FAC. That being said, I'm having a closer look at the Recordings section of the BWV 1 article, and see an issue with its first sentence: "... Fritz Lehmann recorded Bach's cantatas with ... as his first recording with Deutsche Grammophon" (emphasis added). The Lehmann reference has two external links: I could not find confirmation for the "... first recording with Deutsche Grammophon" bit in either. Can this be clarified? Tx. --Francis Schonken (talk) 04:49, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Second sentence of the same opening paragraph of the "Recordings" section: "The recordings of nine cantatas, ..., were released beginning in 1952" (emphasis added) – according to the jpc link in the Lehmann reference, at least one of the nine cantatas (BWV 4) was already released in 1951. All others were released in 1952. --Francis Schonken (talk) 04:59, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Last sentence of the same paragraph: "Fritz Werner recorded around 50 of Bach's church cantatas ... in the 1960s" (emphasis added) lacks precision: what I can derive from the given source, and its companion ([27]), is that Werner recorded 39 Bach cantatas in the 1960s (other recordings date from an earlier or later decade). Please adjust prose. --Francis Schonken (talk) 06:05, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I adjusted the prose, - the precise years are rather for the recordings article, while the years for the cantata article should give a rough idea of the chronology (To my understanding, saying "in the 1960s" doesn't excluded the 1970s", but I added "beginning [in the 1960s]" for you.) I doubt that at any time the detailed list of recordings will return to the cantata article. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:36, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Still not correct, as in: the source says something different. Also, you seem to have missed my second remark above. --Francis Schonken (talk) 08:51, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Missed this, still support, though can't comment on the above remarks. Cheers, Ovinus (talk) 09:20, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Gog the Mild via FACBot (talk) 24 March 2021 [28].


The Heart of Thomas[edit]

Nominator(s): Morgan695 (talk) and Lady freyja (talk) 19:18, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

This article is about Moto Hagio's seminal 1974 manga series, noted for its significant influence on Japanese girls' comics of the late 1970s and onward. Currently a Good Article, the article was nominated at FAC in January, though the nomination was autofailed due to a lack of substantive reviews. Since then, the article has undergone a substantial peer review – thank you to Aoba47, Fowler&fowler, SandyGeorgia, Link20XX, Chipmunkdavis, and Vanamonde93 for their comments, with special thanks to Fowler&fowler for their exhaustive source review. I am re-nominating this article in the hopes that in its current state, it will attract enough substantive reviews to be passed for FA. (Note: I've listed Lady freyja as a co-nominator, as the article is adapted from the equivalent article on the French Wikipedia which they were the primary author of, and which is itself an FA. The co-nomination is not expectation/obligation for them to participate in this FAC, though they are certainly welcome to do so.) Morgan695 (talk) 19:18, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

@WP:FAC coordinators: I believe this nomination is now ready to be reviewed by a coordinator, as it is currently at 5 supports/0 opposes, and has undergone image and source reviews. Morgan695 (talk) 19:46, 16 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
(Noting for clarity that while some supports appear to be brief, all of the supporting editors offered substantive feedback either at the article's first FAC, or at its peer review.) Morgan695 (talk) 19:51, 16 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
That all looks good to me. However, the nomination has only been open for 12 days. I would want to keep it open for another week or so to give sufficient time for any other potential reviewers to chip in with comments. Gog the Mild (talk) 20:01, 16 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Sounds good. Assuming no major dissension arises, I'll ping you in a week. Morgan695 (talk) 03:51, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Comments from SandyGeorgia
I participated at the peer review, so will hold off on Supporting until independent editors have been through. I anticipate supporting, but point out for now that the considerable, exhaustive and thorough work done by Fowler & fowler means that a source review (in every sense) has already been done (a time saver!! ... I hope Ealdgyth and Nikki don’t make a liar of me :). I believe the article is at FA standards, but hold off also because this is not an area I am familiar with. Please ping me if I forget to come back to this later. (The HarvRef errors I mentioned on talk should be cleared up.) SandyGeorgia (Talk) 20:15, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thank you, per your revision I've resolved those two Harv errors. I'll also note that User:Nikkimaria completed an image review in the first FAC, but three images have been since added that need to be reviewed (File:Yoshiya Nobuko.jpg, File:Elsie Leslie as Little Lord Fauntleroy cph.3b10326.jpg and File:Amaterasu cave crop.jpg). Morgan695 (talk) 20:52, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I should point out that I did only an extended spot check in the Analysis section, and even there haven't checked ISBN numbers (I vaguely recall that a couple did not link). So the basic stuff may need a quick glance or two. Any outstanding content-related issues, I have no doubt, Morgan695 and Lady Freyja will sort out. If you have any specific questions about which my input is needed, please ping me. Fowler&fowler«Talk» 01:53, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Support, having followed all edits and reviews during and since the Peer review; a real piece of scholarship! SandyGeorgia (Talk) 00:29, 16 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from Lady Freyja[edit]

Hello, and thanks to both @Fowler&fowler and Morgan695 for your notifications. The article changed quite a lot since the last time I read it, you all did a great job! I will take time to review in details all the changes and discussions, for improving the French article when I have some free time for working on Wikipedia.

I won't speak about the form of the article, as I am not used to the conventions of English Wikipedia, but on the substance, I have two comments:

  • The sentence "Following soon was a period of immense change and upheaval for the shōjo manga: new aesthetic styles and more narratively complex stories focusing on social issues and sexuality emerged in the 1970s, differentiating the genre from shōnen manga (manga for boys).[11]" as it is, is an oversimplification; the shōjo aesthetic style (deviating from shōnen convention) started to be developed in the 1960s decade (or more exactly at the end of 1950s one) with Macoto Takahashi, Miyako Maki, and the likes; as rightly explained in the section Visual style, Hagio and the others Year 24 mangaka only followed this trend with new contributions, but the stylistic shift was already long done by the time of the Year 24. In the page cited, Shamoon says "Chapter 4 outlined the changes that took place in girls’ magazines through the 1950s and 1960s.", referring notably to p. 90 where she wrote a subsection tiltled Takahashi Makoto and the Development of the Shōjo Manga Aesthetic, which explains this development. I made the distinction between stylistic and narrative development taking place at two different time in the French article: "À cette époque le shōjo manga est en pleine expansion et transformation : lors des années 1960, il gagne ses propres codes esthétiques qui lui permettent de se différencier du shōnen manga, et le début des années 1970 voit l'apparition d'histoires plus complexes, qui n'hésitent plus à parler de politique ou de sexualité[13]."
  • Revised this section to note the difference between narrative and aesthetic styles. Morgan695 (talk) 22:57, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • About the sentence "Following the critical and commercial success of The Rose of Versailles at rival publisher Shueisha, Shūkan Shōjo Comic editor Junya Yamamoto asked Hagio to create a series of similar length and complexity, initially planned to be serialized over the course of two to three years.[23]" In the French article, I didn't mention Yamamoto, I stayed elusive only speaking about "un éditeur" because Tamura herself doesn't mention him in the page cited "Somewhat surprisingly, it was an editor at Weekly Shōjo Komikku who solicited the serial from her rather than her pitching it him."; Yamamoto is mentioned by Tamura 19 pages later. I am myself pretty sure that it is Yamamoto who asked Hagio, but I as couldn't find any source explicitly mentioning him, I didn't either. Lady freyja (talk) 22:06, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I seem to recall Thorn mentioning in the intro to the Fantagraphics edition of Thomas that it was Yamamoto who was the commissioning editor, but as I unfortunately don't have a copy of that edition for reference at the moment, I've aligned the copy per the Tamura source. Morgan695 (talk) 22:57, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I reread Thorn's introduction, when speaking about Thomas's publication, she uses the expressions "Hagio's editor" and "that same editor — by then editor-in-chief —", but she also introduced Yamamoto as Hagio's editor few paragraphs earlier "where she was welcomed by the innovative editor Junya Yamamoto". So I guess it confirms it, yes. Lady freyja (talk) 07:08, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Image review[edit]

  • The Gender image has two captions set
  • Some images are missing alt text
  • File:Yoshiya_Nobuko.jpg is tagged as lacking author information and is missing publication date
    • This might be a tougher one to resolve, but I've reached out to the original uploader to see if they can provide that information. The image was uploaded to Commons 14 years ago, but they're still actively editing, so hopefully I'll get a response. Morgan695 (talk) 00:37, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • @Nikkimaria: If there's no response, or if the authorship/date can't be resolved, are either File:Yoshiya Nobuko 1947.JPG or File:Nobuko Yoshiya 01.jpg adequately attributed to be used as substitutes?. Morgan695 (talk) 00:39, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      • @Nikkimaria: Per the original uploader, "I am aware that the photo is on display at the Yoshiya Nobuko Memorial Museum in Kamakura, Japan, and appears in https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/yoshiya-nobuko-memorial-museum. It can also be found in a book called 文学都市かまくら100人, published by the Kamakura Museum of Literature in 2005". As I am unable to access that book or the museum, I cannot confirm the authorship or date of the image. Please let me know if either of the other two images posted are acceptable alternatives. Morgan695 (talk) 15:28, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • File:Elsie_Leslie_as_Little_Lord_Fauntleroy_cph.3b10326.jpg needs a US PD tag
    • Added. Morgan695 (talk) 00:30, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      • When and where was this image first published? Nikkimaria (talk) 21:57, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
        • The uncropped version on the Library of Congress indicates that it was taken in New York, NY. No publication info is listed, just that it is a "digital file from b&w film copy neg". I've added both of these pieces of info to the Commons page. Morgan695 (talk) 22:28, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
          • Okay, but the current tagging is dependent on the image having been published, not just created, before 1926. If we don't know when it was published, how do we know that to be true? Nikkimaria (talk) 03:30, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
            • I've swapped the image for the one that was previously used in that section, and which passed your review in the first FAC. Morgan695 (talk) 04:57, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
        • In the caption at the bottom of the LoC's image (link), it says "Copyright 1888 by Napoleon Sarony // Union Square, N.Y.". This information is repeated at the full listing here.— Goszei (talk) 09:22, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • File:Amaterasu_cave_crop.jpg needs a US PD tag and author date of death. Nikkimaria (talk) 00:07, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Plead guilty. All my handiwork. But Morgan695 will fix this I'm sure (the alt text in his nice style). Fowler&fowler«Talk» 00:16, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Fowler&fowler[edit]

  • I took part in the peer-review. The Heart of Thomas, I'm sure meets the FAC criteria, but they in some sense are beside the point. It's not often that accidents of fortune bring me to a new world on WP, even a wondrous one. Hagio Moto, her influences, her muses, her cohorts, the socioeconomic and cultural forces at play in post-war and 1970s Japan, and the scholars following in the wake of all, puzzling them out, have together created such a world. It deserves notice. For that reason alone, and many besides, I'm happy to support. Thanks and admiration for Morgan695 and Lady freyja Fowler&fowler«Talk» 02:15, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Link20XX[edit]

  • I gave your previous nomination my support, and I gave a couple comments on the peer review, so I will definitely be doing the same here. You have worked tremendously hard on the article and it definitely shows. You have done excellent work that is more than worthy of a featured-article promotion in my book. I give this nomination my full Support. Link20XX (talk) 03:55, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Aoba47[edit]

  • I have a question about this part from the lead, his 1919 novel Demian; the Bildungsroman genre; and the 1964 film Les amitiés particulières. Is it normal to use semicolons in this manner to separate items in a list? I am only asking about this as I am more so used to seeing semicolons used to link together two independent clauses.
  • FAC review section stalker Yes, the main function of a semi-colon is to separate two independent clauses that are closer to each other (semantically) than they are to sentences to either side of them. Semi-colons are less commonly used in lists whose (three or more) constituents are either on the long side or have internal commas. (But usually (in my way of thinking) when so used, a reader should know that a list is coming.) The sentence is here is: "The series draws inspiration from the works of Hermann Hesse, particularly his 1919 novel Demian; the Bildungsroman genre; and the 1964 film Les amitiés particulières." The reader doesn't really recognize a list until the second semi-colon. A better phrasing would be: "Influencing the series were the novels of Harmann Hesse, especially Demian (1919); the bildungsroman genre; and 1964 film Les amitiés particulières." Fowler&fowler«Talk» 03:11, 8 March 2021 (UTC) Updated. Fowler&fowler«Talk» 03:21, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Thank you for the explanation. The semicolon usage looked odd to me, but thank you for informing me that is a valid method. I actually never saw semicolons used this way until Wikipedia, which is why I wanted to double-check about this. I do not have a strong opinion about either wording so I will leave that up to the nominators. Aoba47 (talk) 03:34, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Rephrased to Hagio drew inspiration for the series from the novels of Hermann Hesse, especially Demian (1919); the Bildungsroman genre; and the 1964 film Les amitiés particulières. Morgan695 (talk) 05:08, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • There are two sentences in the lead's first paragraph (i.e. the series follows the events. . . and The series draws inspiration. . .) that start with the same thing. I would revise this to avoid having such close repetition.
    • Fixed now with previous revision.
  • I would identify in this sentence, It is noted as one of the earliest manga in the shōnen-ai (male-male romance) genre., who is saying this (i.e. is it critics, scholars, etc.). When I read this sentence, I immediately ask who is saying this.
    • Revised. It's not one a specific person saything this, per se, it just is one of the first in the genre. Morgan695 (talk) 05:08, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • In this part of the lead, young and adolescent women, I am not really sure the difference between young and adolescent. Could you explain this to me? Looking at the description as a whole, girls' comics that are typically aimed at young and adolescent women, I am uncertain about the first part as from my understanding this style of manga is more defined by who is created and marketed to, and girls' comics implies some level of possession that I do not think it is entirely accurate. I am just uncertain if this is the best translation for shōjo manga.
  • Would it be possible to put this sentence, The series was originally developed by Hagio as a personal project that she did not expect would ever be published., from the lead into a more active tense? Something like, Hagio originally developed the series as a personal project that she did not expect would ever be published., reads better to me and puts more emphasis on Hagio.
  • For this part of the lead, and has been described as a seminal work of shōjo manga, I would attributed in the text who is describing this manga in this way.
    • Replaced with the following, which I think is less fluffy and is directly cited in the article body: It significantly influenced shōjo manga as a medium, with many of the stylistic and narrative hallmarks of the series becoming standard tropes of the genre. The series has attracted considerable scholarly interest both in Japan and internationally, and has been adapted into a film, a stage play, and a novel. Morgan695 (talk) 05:08, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Looks good to me. Thank you for addressing this. Aoba47 (talk) 05:31, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I would avoid the following sentence construction (with X verb-ing) as shown in this example from the lead, with critics exploring the series' depiction of gender. It is something that I have seen repeatedly discouraged in FACs so I would find ways to avoid this sentence construction if it appears anywhere else in the article.

These are my comments on the lead. They are very nitpick-y so apologies for that. I will review the rest of the article either tomorrow or on Tuesday. Given all of the activity both here and at the peer review (from much more experienced editors than myself), I expect my review to be short as any issues would have already been addressed by them. Aoba47 (talk) 01:13, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Just a quick additional comment. I went to check how shōjo manga was defined in the article, and I have an issue with the definition there as well. The article defines this as, Shōjo manga (girls' comics). I see no reason to change manga to comics and I would actually think would cause some confusion. I would keep manga as you have done for the shōnen manga translation in the same paragraph. I would also say "manga for girls" instead as it is more so based on the intended readership and I just think the girls' part is misleading. I wanted to add this part now as it is similar to the issue I have with the translation of this in the lead. Aoba47 (talk) 03:31, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I still think it should be "manga for girls" and not "girls' manga" (in both the translation for the lead and the article) as I believe these represent two different things. Aoba47 (talk) 05:30, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Replaced both instances with "comics for girls," so it also explains what "manga" is to an audience that might not recognize the term. Morgan695 (talk) 05:34, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Manga and comics are not the same thing. They have different structures and histories. Manga has passed into popular culture, and you could always wikilink the word for the readers that have never heard of it before. But, I would not consider manga and comics to be the same thing to the point that this substitution would work. Aoba47 (talk) 05:48, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I respect that interpretation, but I think it's one that is not necessarily aligned with how those terms are used in common use on Wikipedia (the article on manga literally defines it as comics or graphic novels originating from Japan). You could argue that the term "comic books" has a specific western context, but "comics" as an umbrella term for "ideas expressed with text and images" is pretty universal. Morgan695 (talk) 06:09, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I will leave that for other editors. I still disagree, but after looking at academic sources on manga, some also use the "comics" translation so you are right. I have two additional points about this. This translation is not consistently applied throughout the article. In the "Context" subsection, manga is used for this translation shōnen manga (manga for boys). The "manga"/"comics" translation should be consistent. Aoba47 (talk) 17:54, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • If an audience might not recognize the term manga, then wouldn't they be confused by how manga is used in the lead's first sentence and two more times in the lead's first paragraph without any translation? Currently, the lead introduces "manga"/"comics" translation in the second paragraph. If there are readers that would be confused by this word, wouldn't it be more beneficial to include a translation like (comics or graphic novels originating from Japan) in the lead's first sentence? Aoba47 (talk) 17:54, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Fair point, but upon reflection I think it's less about audience comprehension and more about not using a term in a definition of that term. I think this discussion is something of a moot point, as 1) per your point, "manga" has crossed over enough into the mainstream consciousness to be discernible to most people, and 2) the overwhelming consensus supports that "manga" and "comics" are synonymous, or at the very least that manga are a kind of comics. Morgan695 (talk) 18:20, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thank you for your patience with my review. I support the nomination for promotion. I hope you have a great week! Aoba47 (talk) 20:15, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
PS Much as I love this article, I too remain a little troubled by the language of the lead. It is not made clear in the lead sentence that Hagio Moto wrote The Heart of Thomas for a readership of young women. Later in the lead is not good enough. It creates incoherence. In my view, that needs to be stated front and center as the French FA does "est un shōjo manga écrit et dessiné par Moto Hagio." The current language does not help the ordinary, inexpert, reader for whose edification we write. I can't be sure, but I suspect that the article might have attracted less attention in the first FAC than it deserved because of its somewhat opaque introduction. I support the article, of course, with the same enthusiasm. Fowler&fowler«Talk» 14:29, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
PPS I feel "Japanese manga series for young women written and illustrated by Moto Hagio," might be better. ("Girls" in place of "young women" would be OK as well if that is what the convention demands.) Fowler&fowler«Talk» 14:49, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Aoba47: @Fowler&fowler: I've re-written the lede in a way that hopefully satisfies both of your concerns: The Heart of Thomas (Japanese: トーマの心臓, Hepburn: Tōma no Shinzō) is a 1974 Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Moto Hagio. Originally serialized in Shūkan Shōjo Comic, a weekly manga magazine publishing shōjo manga (manga aimed at young and adolescent women), the series follows the events at a German all-boys gymnasium following... Morgan695 (talk) 16:29, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
It is better, but it still skirts around the fact that the story was targeted at adolescent and young adult women (btw, is that what you mean by young and adolescent?). It merely states that she published the story in a magazine that is read by this demographic. Has she ever written anything targeted at men? If not substantially, then her readership needs to be stated in some fashion. After all, a large portion of the article is about how Thomas is suffused with symbolism, signifiers, and allegories that are of meaning mostly to women, mirroring conflicts that are mostly (though not uniquely) those of women.
Now that I've read the lead, I think a bigger problem might be that the lead is not an adequate summary of the article. I'm sorry to unload these minor misgivings here, in the fashion of afterthoughts, but I'll try to find some time in the next few days and expand the lead a little to make it more representative of the article body. I will do so on the talk page. As I've already offered support, it will be less confusing if others comment here. And you can tell me on the talk page what you think. Fowler&fowler«Talk» 17:44, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
In response to the ping, I appreciate the change and I do not have any issue with it. I believe that Moto Hagio primarily writes shōjo manga (i.e. manga marketed young women). To avoid the confusion about the magazine, would it be more beneficial to somehow identify this as a shōjo manga in the very first sentence? Aoba47 (talk) 20:55, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Fowler&fowler: Hi, just wanted to follow up on your comments re: the lead. Now that the nomination is at 5 supports and has undergone source and image reviews it's approaching the point where the FAC could reasonably be closed, but I wanted to make sure this was resolved first. Morgan695 (talk) 17:25, 16 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
We can discuss it (if need be) after promotion on the article's talk page. Not a big deal right now. All the best. Fowler&fowler«Talk» 19:21, 16 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Vanamonde[edit]

  • Happy to support; I reviewed the previous FAC, where most of my concerns with prose were addressed; and my most substantive commment, about the theme of coming-of-age, has also since been taken care of. I have made some minor copy-edits, but I have nothing further to complain about. This is a solid piece of work. Vanamonde (Talk) 00:47, 11 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Accessibility review[edit]

Source review – Pass[edit]

Will do soon. Aza24 (talk) 22:47, 15 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Formatting

References

  • Ref 32 appears to be missing "Anime News Network"
  • Date missing for ref 31
  • You may want to add University of Hawaii Press to ref 39, as you have the publisher in the journals below
  • I'm not sure "|last=School of Arts and Sciences|first=East Asian Languages and Civilizations" really make sense for ref 40; we have no idea of knowing who wrote her bio here — and in the future you can just do "|author=" :) — I would stick to put this as the "|website="
  • Ref 43 is formatted differently than the other book refs; the page range is also incomplete. I will also note that this is the only ref you include the state in the location
  • trans-title for ref 83 would be nice

Biblio

  • You have "Canada" here for two of the ANN refs, but not earlier in References; since it's a website, I wouldn't think it's inclusion is necessary, but if you differ that's fine, it just needs to be consistent

Both The main issue with refs, besides these minor nitpicks above, is the designation of "References" and "Bibliography"; it remains ambiguous. What I mean is, you have a journal article in the refs (Shamoon) and some in the biblio (Hori, for example). I assumed you were putting the ones with only one citation in the refs, and those with others in the bibio, but Nagaike suggests this isn't the case. Likewise, one of the ANN citations is in the refs, while the others in the biblio; The Atlantic article is in the biblio but Gentosha Plus ones in the refs. I would think the simplest solution (though there are certainly others available) would be to move all refs with authors into the biblio and replace the current citations with sfn back to there.

That was the idea, but it looks like some books crept up into the references. All reviews, books, and scholarly articles should be under "Bibliography" now, while non-sfn references under "references" are either unauthored pages and/or basic newswire-type stories. Morgan695 (talk) 00:14, 16 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Ah I see, well, it looks good now. Aza24 (talk)
Reliability
  • In light of the subject-matter and analysis by F&F at PR, I'm inclined to give lee-way for what could otherwise be seen as not "high-quality sources". No issues here.
Verifiability
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Gog the Mild via FACBot (talk) 20 March 2021 [29].


Delicate (Taylor Swift song)[edit]

Nominator(s): (talk) 14:51, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Back in 2018, everyone thought Taylor Swift was no longer relevant, until she launched a massive tour and released this song, which slowly climbed onto the charts and raked in hundred millions of YouTube views. After expanding the article from reliable, high-quality sources, including one peer-reviewed journal paper, I believe this article now meets FA status. Thank you in advance for any comment regarding the article's prose and sourcing issues. (talk) 14:51, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Source Review by Guerillero[edit]

Spot-checks not done

The thing that you knew was coming. Why are these high quality sources

  • Removed since I think it is of marginal reliability
  • All Access is powered by Mediabase, which monitors airplay information across the U.S. and provides information for other music industry magazines [30]. The editorial board consists of music industry insiders, radio managers, and contributors to other publications i.e. Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, [31]. Subscribers to All Access also gain access to Billboard Pro [32]
  • À la All Access in Italy. It has partnership with many record labels and networks including Universal, MTV, Warner, to name a few, to promote songs on Italian airplay [33]
    • The about makes it seems like a PR agency. --Guerillero Parlez Moi 03:39, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
      • I don't know how you're getting a PR agency from that?? It's a company that monitors radio airplay in Italy and also happens to publish statements from record labels indicating when they make a song available for radio airplay in the country. If you look at the bottom right of the reference the writer of the statement and the record label who employs them are clearly visible. In the article, the source is obviously citing the "radio date" only. EarOne has also been cited/noted by Rolling Stone Italy. Heartfox (talk) 05:42, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
        Meh. I won't stand in the way -- Guerillero Parlez Moi 00:04, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Replaced with a non-primary source
  • I was initially dubious about whether a "student journal" should qualify as high quality. I believe that this journal does satisfy in terms of quality, if my understanding of WP:SCHOLARSHIP is sufficient. The advisory board consists of professors in the music and media fields, which sort of explains that the journal is not wholly dependent on student operation. It has an open DOI access, which (to me) does not appear as original research, and proves that it has been vetted by the scholarly community.
    • I go back and forth on this one, tbh. I want to wait for other reviews to comment on it --Guerillero Parlez Moi 03:39, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Listed among reliable sources at WP:RSMUSIC. Reuters acknowledged Slant among the reliable side of online publications, alongside the New York Times, WSJ, and LA Weekly. The magazine is quite valued within the film review community, with Cineaste describing it as "smart, idiosyncratic, well-written".
    • Works for me. We (the people who write FAs about pop music and the people who do source reviews) should probably work out WP:HQRSMUSIC to make these sorts of things easier. Sources can easily be RSes, and on WP:RSMUSIC, without being High Quality RSes to pass through FAC. --Guerillero Parlez Moi 03:39, 23 February 2021 (UTC).Reply[reply]

I will do my standard grumble about the use of Apple Music. Also

  • RÚV need a language code

--In actu (Guerillero) Parlez Moi 23:52, 22 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Thank you for the source review. I think Apple Music usage can be justified in this case, given that digital music releases most likely happen on such sites, and the two remixes in the article seem to have been released to Apple Music only. (talk) 03:13, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • I agree, , that is as good as we have. I just don't like it because the source isn't in the industry of reporting correct dates, but of providing music --Guerillero Parlez Moi 03:39, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from Heartfox[edit]

  • Swift described the song as one of Reputation's few songs about vulnerability → suggest changing to "Swift described the song as one of the few on Reputation about vulnerability" or something similar to avoid "song" twice in the same sentence.
  • The song's accompanying music video → maybe change "accompanying" to something else, reword, or remove it as it's already used two sentences before.
  • dancing in a pouring rain → I don't think "a" is necessary.
  • I am uncertain if that would be grammatically correct..
  • inspired by the tumultuous relationship with the media that she had experienced. → I would cut this; already explained in the background section
  • wondering, "Could something fake like your reputation affect something real, like someone getting to know you?" → I would cut this or the previous quote; both mostly say the same thing.
  • I had to go to the Slate article to fully understand what he was saying about her being liberated.
  • The song incorporates R&B elements, dense synthesizers, and house-influenced beats. → I would expect this to be a bit more detailed than a copy of what is in the lead.
  • The music video images are missing alt text
  • social media account → social media accounts?
  • Specified that it was Twitter.
  • She later uploaded the video → she didn't upload it herself
  • Rephrased.
  • Five sentences for Payne is a bit of undue weight I think, given that in the previous paragraph six sentences are given for three critics combined. I would replace the em dashes with commas and cut her comments down by a couple sentences.
  • I cut down one sentence... The rest are rather hard to remove since they provide in-depth analysis on the video's content. (talk) 08:02, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • throughout the year → redundant

I read the whole article and these were my immediate thoughts as I went through it :) Great work! Heartfox (talk) 06:54, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thank you for the review. I believe I have addressed all of your concerns. Lmk if the article needs more work. Cheers, (talk) 04:33, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The spaces between the Payne em dashes shouldn't be there per MOS:EMDASH, and the access date for ref 42 is odd given the published date. Heartfox (talk) 19:30, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Whoops, I meant "2021". Revised. (talk) 02:28, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support. Congratulations on another great article. Heartfox (talk) 05:44, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from Aoba47[edit]

  • In the lead, there are two sentences in a row with "perceived" (i.e. perceived image and perceived reputation). Would it be possible to change one of these instances?
  • Changed one, perceived reputation to "blemished reputation"
  • The repetition of "Swift" in this part, Swift and Martin manipulated Swift's vocals with a vocoder., seems rather awkward to me. Also Swift is not credited as a producer for the song, so do you mean "Shellback" in the beginning? I have the same question for when this is repeated in the "Production and composition" section.
  • In the interview Swift used we, so I assumed it was her and the other producers. Changed to "Martin and Shellback"
  • In the lead, I would include a brief part about how critics considered the music video to be an autobiographical reference and the plagiarism allegation since it does form a separate subsection (i.e. Analysis and reception).
  • Added.
  • This is very nitpick-y, but I find the music video summary to overly wordy, and I think it can be condensed somewhat to be more concise.
  • I cut down some words here and there. It was a hard task because the video is so cinematic lol.
  • Is there a reason why the prose does not clarify what number single this is from the album?
  • Added a note.
  • For this part, Swift continued to be a major target of, I would say was a major target of instead as continued does not really make sense in this context as the previous sentences do not refer to Swift being a tabloid target prior to this.
  • Rephrased.
  • I have a comment for this part, "Delicate" is the fifth track on Reputation. I do not think it is particularly notable or worthwhile to mention where this song appears on the album track listing. I could see this being notable if critics discussed this in a meaningful way, but right now, it seems trivial.
  • The following paragraphs of the Composition section talks about how the track differs from its four preceding songs, so I do think it is relevant to some extent.
  • In the "Production and composition" section, I think the iHeartRadio sentence is awkwardly constructed. I think the first two paragraphs in this section could be improved to better convey the information. For instance, it seems off to start the first paragraph a sentence on how Swift wrote the song, then go into production information for the rest of the paragraph, and go back into the song-writing process for the second paragraph.
  • I rearranged the whole section; the first paragraph is about the credits and recording locations, the second about the songwriting inspirations, and the third about critical analysis of the song.
  • I was intrigued by the R&B elements bit as this sounds like a very pop song to me. I believe the R&B elements part is sourced through this New York Times article (but correct me if I am wrong here). Apologies in advance as this will be super-nitpick-y, but the source says "soft-core pop-R&B" not just R&B. I think saying just R&B elements is a little misleading.
  • I adhere to WP:EXPLICITGENRES. As the Times does not exactly describe this song as "pop-R&B" (but among the few of the album that are), I think it is best to leave it at "R&B elements"--or I could rephrase it to something like "R&B sensibility". This is different from the source I used for electropop--Time--which explicitly describes "Delicate" as an "electro-ballad".
  • I still disagree with connecting this song with R&B as I do not see how this is supported in the Times article. You are correct that the "soft-core pop-R&B" part is not explicitly tied to this song, but it is the only instance in the article where R&B is mentioned. I would suggest removing the R&B part entirely as I just do not see this being supported by the source. Aoba47 (talk) 18:37, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I concur with your opinion. Removed R&B. (talk) 03:43, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The word "released" is used many times throughout the "Release" section. I know it is inevitable considering that this is what the section is about, but it may be worthwhile to find ways to revise some of these instances.
  • Revised some instances to "available".
  • In a random aside, I think it is interesting that a critic compared the video to "Lucky" when I think a more apt comparison would be to the video for ""Overprotected" (The Darkchild remix) since both focus on the singer's relationship with fame and have a sequence with dancing in the rain lol.
  • Haven't checked out the Overprotected video, but I think critics did so because "Lucky" was a more popular song (which is really catchy and memorable imo).
  • In the "Live performances", I would avoid having two sentences in a row saying (On X date) as it comes across too much like a list and makes the prose not as engaging as it could be.
  • I tried my best to make it not like a list, but I guess for live performances I cannot include much.
  • Unfortunately that is the best image I can retrieve from Commons... Would it be a miss to remove it from the article?
  • I would remove from the article as it is a low-quality image and it is awkwardly cutting across section titles anyway, but I will leave this up to whoever do this image review. I will leave this up to you as the image will not hold me up from supporting and it will likely be more beneficial to get other editors' opinions about it. Aoba47 (talk) 18:30, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Are there any notable covers that can be included here? I know that Kelly Clarkson as one of the many, many, many songs she covers on her talk show. I was just curious if there were any notable covers out there as this song was very popular. Apparently, Kelsea Ballerini also did a cover of it (according to Billboard).
  • I don't really know about this... A popular song can be covered by other musicians, so I don't see how it could be beneficial to the article as an encyclopedic entry (inspired by a comment at the "Shake It Off" FAC). I'm open to discussion on this, though.
  • That's a fair point. I did not have a strong opinion either way tbh, but I just wanted to ask you to get your opinion on it. Aoba47 (talk) 18:29, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Is there a reason why the "The Making of a Song" video is only included as an external link and not used a source? I have not seen the video, but I would think it would have at least some helpful information?
  • The video is more or less what Swift had shared during the iHeartRadio interview. It's just that it features more scenes where she writes in her bedroom, which I think is a way for fans to get close and personal to her. Not much substance to add (you could watch to verify my words and check out whether I missed something..)

I hope these comments are helpful. Once my comments are addressed, I will look through the article one more time to make sure I do not miss anything. Have a great rest of your week! Aoba47 (talk) 05:26, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thank you for your comments, which are as helpful as always. (talk) 10:27, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Thank you for the responses. Once the R&B issue is cleared up, then I will support this. My issue is that the Times article does not explicitly connect the song with R&B. I would recommend removing the R&B part entirely since it is not really accurate to the source. Aoba47 (talk) 18:38, 24 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Thank you again for the review. I believe everything is good now. (talk) 03:43, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Thank you for addressing everything. I support the nomination for promotion. Aoba47 (talk) 13:26, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from MaranoFan[edit]

Can already tell it had a major glow up since the last time I was here. I will leave some comments soon.--NØ 04:34, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • "Swift explained that, while she could feign disinterest in what others have to say about her, things began to get complicated" -- Is the usage of "have" and "began" correct here? It's a little confusing if the feigning of disinterest happened in the past or is currently happening. The quote directly after this part seems to go back into present tense.
  • This part still feels a bit off to me: "things turned complicated 'when you meet somebody that you really want in your life'". But I'm no Grammar expert so I'm going to leave this to your preference.
  • In this part: "really emotional, and really vulnerable, and ... sad but beautiful", maybe the repetition of "and" can be eliminated.
  • "At the beginning of the song, Swift confesses to her love interest that, because her reputation has "never been worse", he must have liked her for herself." -- I think this part is sung in present tense in the song. Maybe it's just me but the way this is framed seems to imply he stopped liking her.
  • "[breaking] free from the pressures of society and acts freely as though nobody is watching". - I believe "act" should be singular here.
  • Revised to "breaks... and acts". I hope it is grammatically correct. (talk) 15:05, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • In the last sentence of the Critical reception section, the citation for the 2019 ASCAP Awards will probably look better at the end of the sentence.
That's it. The article is really well-written.--NØ 09:55, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thank you very much for your comments. I believe I have addressed them all. (talk) 15:05, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support--NØ 16:28, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Image review—pass[edit]

Images are adequately licensed. I would keep the performance image, it may not be the greatest quality but I don't think it detracts at all from the article. The sound file should be shorter, I think it's longer than necessary to convey the fair use purpose and it's best to keep under 10% of the track. (t · c) buidhe 10:36, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • I cut it from 23.2 to 22.6 seconds. Not a dramatic change, but still short enough and under 10% of the original. Thank you for the image review. (talk) 11:37, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    • The stated purpose of this non-free content is that it "illustrates Swift's manipulated vocals by a vocoder." I don't see how 22.6 seconds is necessary for this purpose. I think it could be done with more like 5 seconds. (t · c) buidhe 07:27, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • My bad, I updated the non-free rationale, which illustrates the muted pulse (as discussed in Pitchfork) and the synthesizers as well. I choose not to expand the caption because I believe it is supposed to be succinct, but I could expand it to include all matters the sample is supposed to illustrate. (talk) 09:10, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Hi Buidhe, does this resolve the issue? Thanks. Gog the Mild (talk) 17:20, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from Harry[edit]

Yay, another Taylor Swift song! Not my favourite from Reputation but still worthy of attention. Are you planning to bring any of her back catalogue up to FA? This is a well-prepared nomination; I just have a few minor suggestions, after which I'll surely support. Note that I'm looking at prose/MoS/readability and comprehensiveness, not sources.

  • In the background section, I'd suggest adding a sentence or two about Swift's career up to the that point and her transition from country to pop. Nothing too duplicative of the album article, but just a little bit of context for a reader wondering where the song fits in her career.
  • I added something about 1989's blockbuster success. (talk) 08:58, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • She had short-lived romantic relationships with Scottish producer Calvin Harris and English actor Tom Hiddleston. I would avoid name-dropping short-term romantic partners, no matter how reliable the source. It's tabloid gossip and adds nothing to the reader's understanding and in my opinion is unbecoming an encyclopaedia.
  • Her "good girl" reputation This comes somewhat out of the blue. Can we say a few words about it for context?
  • blemished from publicized disputes this is a major theme of Reputation (down to the title of the album, and I'm thinking of LWYMMD and This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things) but I don't get that sense from the background section.
  • I think this adds something for readers to understand why she made the album. (talk) 08:58, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • became increasingly reticent on social media but how much of that is a publicity stunt? After five studio albums, she has an established fan base and doesn't need to use social media to drum up sales, but by withdrawing from it the few things she does post attract a lot more attention.
  • I do not get what you are trying to say here... What should I do with this bit of information? I personally think that including it as it is right now could be beneficial to readers to understand the consequences of Swift's overexposure over the previous years. (talk) 08:58, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • having maintained an active presence suggest "having previously maintained".
  • Swift wrote "Delicate" as her confession to a prospective lover suggest you add "lyrically" to make clear we're talking about writing lyrics as opposed to writing music. Or better yet, find a different opening phrase to avoid repetition from the previous paragraph.
  • Watch for punctuation placement; it should go outside quote marks except where it's an integral part of the quote (MOS:LQ).
  • I think it should be resolved by now. (talk) 08:58, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • As part of Spotify Singles series As part of a Spotify Singles series? The Spotify Singles series?
  • Is tosses her heels really encyclopaedic language? Also, the way that paragraph is written sounds like it's been copied and pasted from somewhere. Suggest you double check that you're paraphrasing the source material in your own words.
  • there are poignant moments: at one scene There's no MOS shortcut for this but I really hate colons in mid-prose. Can we have an emdash (—) instead?
  • in the digital era: in terms of narrative Same complaint, but this one can be substituted for a comma.
  • "breaks free from the pressures of society and acts freely as though nobody is watching" You need a ref straight after a direct quote (end of sentence is fine, but this one is a few sentences away).
  • "marching and stomping" and "animalistic squatting" is this quoting Payne or is this supposed to be in Wikipedia's voice? Likewise "insincere or fake" and "dorky".
  • Specified that it is in Payne's voice. (talk) 08:58, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "fashion choices, modes of gossip, dating habits and dreams of a comfortable middle-class life" needs a ref after a direct quote.
  • Ditto "[got] bigger the longer audiences have spent with it". Also, I would take the "got" out of the quote marks to eliminate the square brackets.
  • Reputation Stadium Tour (2018), which she launched in support of Reputation Can you think of a better way to phrase that? The reader can guess that the Reputation tour was supporting Reputation.

Must dig out my Reputation tour t-shirt! HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 23:39, 16 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thank you very much for the review. I am not particularly fond of this song on Reputation, but I find it uplifting that its chart success helped Swift maintain her superstardom after the underperforming singles "Ready for It" and "End Game"--the latter is one of my favorites. Let me know if there is anything left that needs to be addressed. (talk) 08:58, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Of the softer songs on Reputation, I prefer "Call it What You Want" but it's still great to see this article being brought up to FA standard. I'll leave it to you to decide what, if anything, you want to do with the social media line but Swift's use of social media is quite sophisticated and I'm not sure we should attribute so much to her lack of presence on it in the run-up to the release of a new album. Support. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 17:49, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Gog the Mild via FACBot (talk) 20 March 2021 [34].


Lips Are Movin[edit]

Nominator(s): NØ 13:43, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

This article is about Meghan Trainor's second single "Lips Are Movin", which she wrote within eight minutes. Almost every critic that reviewed it compared this song to Trainor's debut single, and its release made Trainor the fifth female artist in Billboard Hot 100 history to follow her debut number-one single directly with a second top-five. Additionally, it is noteworthy as the first-ever music video made entirely by social media influencers. After its recent peer review, I am confident that this article has a decent chance of passing an FAC. Thanks a lot to everyone who will take the time to give their feedback here.--NØ 13:43, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from Nikkimaria[edit]

Source review - spotchecks not done

  • The lead states that the song "is about Trainor leaving her significant other after discovering he is cheating on her". However, the text states that this is an interpretation by some reviewers, and indeed quotes a different explanation from the co-author. Be careful that opinions and facts are clearly distinguished throughout.
  • I have now made it clear this was just a critical interpretation.
  • "The first-ever music video with a cast consisted of only social media influencers" - the text says it's the first with a production team of influencers, which is a slightly different thing. Also this phrasing is grammatically incorrect.
  • The producer was not an influencer, so I have amended this.
  • Now switched to the Billboard wording: "created entirely by", which can be found in the Reception section.
  • FN1: link credits a different author
  • Robert Cocuzzo was the author upon the original 2013 publication, but I have now made the change.
  • What makes N Magazine a high-quality reliable source? Mashable?
  • N Magazine's about page provides evidence of editorial oversight, and its publisher has worked for The Boston Globe. The Mashable piece cited in this article is only used for critical commentary, its author Brian Anthony Hernandez has a documented history of contributing to several reputed sources, including Billboard.
  • That it has editors. Nevermind, I changed it to Cape Cod Times and Billboard.
  • Fn15: don't see that author credit at given link
  • Different authors reviewed different songs for this article. The commentary about this particular song is attributed to Hampp here.
  • FN17: how confident are we that the sheet music released accurately reflects the song as recorded?
  • I am confident about the reliability of this since it credits the songwriters as the author.
  • I don't doubt that the source is reliable for what it is; my question is, how do we know that it matches up with the recorded version? Nikkimaria (talk) 15:37, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • There is no evidence that Trainor has recorded this song more than once. I believe it is safe to assume details like BPM and vocal range are about the one known recorded version.
  • I don't think we can assume that sheet music will correspond exactly to the recorded version even if it's the only recorded version to exist. See for example this explanation. Nikkimaria (talk) 03:15, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Removed, albeit a bit reluctantly.--NØ 06:31, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • FN22: what kind of source is this?
  • FMQB is only being used to source the radio impact date as the AllAccess archives do not have a snapshot of this particular date. Would you like me to look for replacements?
  • It is in Idolator too but it is probably better to site a radio magazine directly for this purpose. Your call.
  • Pardon my chiming in, but I think FMQB is appropriate for radio releases. It monitored radio releases across the U.S. and could be compared to trade magazines i.e. MusicRow. (talk) 03:30, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Are FNs 24 and 25 the same source?
  • The first one is the German release and the second is Swiss.
  • Best Buy is a publisher, not a work
Amended.
  • FN53 is malformatted. Ditto FN63, check charts throughout.
  • FN53 is the result of the singlechart template. Should it still be changed? I believe its use is highly recommended.

Nikkimaria (talk) 14:21, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Is this something that can be changed at the template level? It might make sense to normalize, or provide a version that is normalized, to line up with CS1. If that is not possible then yes. Nikkimaria (talk) 15:37, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I have done this for the New Zealand ref for the time being. But it seems like every other song FA (literally all) uses the singlechart templates instead. I think a larger discussion about this may be needed at the template talk page. I don't believe it is feasible to manually change them all.--NØ 16:42, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thank you for the source review, Nikkimaria. I have replied above.--NØ 15:07, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Still think it would be better to look for a replacement for FMQB. Otherwise yes. Nikkimaria (talk) 23:21, 14 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Nikkimaria, as the above Idolator link and Bustle magazine confirm, "Lips Are Movin" was listed with an October 21 impact date on AllAccess. It just wasn't archived in a timely manner and the FMQB directory is now the best option available to verify this information.--NØ 05:11, 15 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from HumanxAnthro[edit]

Oh, man, Meghan Tumblr (it's an A Dose of Buckley joke)'s gonna get her own featured article. An as atheist, I can use this as proof there is no god...... Just kidding around.

I see you haven't treated yourself to a read of this one ;)
Oh.... Oh, man. Well, good work getting that article to FA anyway. HumanxAnthro (talk) 14:14, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Some comments:

  • The lead section categorizes the song as "A retro-tinged doo-wop and pop song with girl-group harmonies and bubblegum pop hooks." (1) Girl group is not a doo-wop genre, it's a type of band and there have been many of all genres; we wouldn't categorize Destiny's Child, Spice Girls and Tegan and Sara as doo-wop groups, for instance, and I don't think this songs sounds like any of them. (2) This is a non-objective characterization from a Slant Magazine review. I understand this specific statement is in the lead cause it describes the genre of the song, but I'd like it presented it as an attributed saying to the Slant writer in said lead.
  • From what I've read at Girl group, it does seem to be a genre in the US that denotes doo-wop-influenced female pop groups from the 50s. For international readers' understanding, I will add a link to that page. And I understand where you are coming from, but musical elements are always covered unattributed in the lead and attributed in the article body. The lead is just supposed to be a brief summary that compels readers to read the rest of the article. (See Diamonds (Rihanna song), Style (Taylor Swift song), etc.)
  • I have no problem with context or background sections if they connect to the primary topic, but the only part of the background that seemed to influence the song's creation was "All About That Bass"'s commercial success. I'd only include that plus the making of "Lips Are Movin" itself.
  • Removed Trainor's independent albums. I believe keeping the details of how Kadish and Trainor met and the doo-wop pop nature of "All About That Bass" is reasonable, though, as it had a direct bearing on the creation of this song.
  • Why have the sample be the intro? Why not during the hooks where the "girl group" vocals are prominent as well as the handclaps and other instruments?
  • The current sample includes the hook: "lyin', lyin', lyin'", and the handclaps in the production. It most aptly demonstrates the song's "upbeat and catchy" nature, and is the part most similar to the chorus of "All About That Bass", aka the song's two qualities that were the biggest focus of critical commentary.
  • Actually, I just listened to it again. The intro actually does have girl group vocals, it's just they played the same pitch, hehehe. HumanxAnthro (talk) 13:30, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

More comments soon. HumanxAnthro (talk) 19:22, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Yes, that's absolutely correct :) NØ 14:10, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Actually, I have some issues with the composition section

  • "Trainor told The Tennessean that "Lips Are Movin" and "All About That Bass" follow the same formula," Specify. I know "formula" means the composition of the song, but I'm an experience editor who's worked on music articles before. I don't think the general audience (which is most WP readers) will get this. HumanxAnthro (talk) 19:49, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Thanks for offering a wider perspective on this :) Clarified.
  • I just noticed a misinterpretation of a source, and I didn't even plan on a spot check of this article to find it: "saxophone beat.[15]" (1) Saxophone is also not a genre and a type of instrumental and (2) The source actually says "sax bLeats." Notice the "L." "Bleat" is defined as "a characteristic wavering cry"; in other words, it's not synonymous with "beat." I don't blame you if you didn't notice this, since it's one skinny letter hiding between fatter letters, but it shows you the importance of being healthy to have a fully-functioning brain (like I've been doing ;).
  • Whoops, definitely takes a smart one to notice this. Corrected.
  • A major problem with redundancy. The review summaries of "equally inspired by "vintage 45s and Amy Winehouse's snazzy new-millennial revival,"" "doo-wop throwback" and "Gary Trust characterized "Lips Are Movin" as doo-wop and pop" all state the same thing when you boil them down: it's a retro-inspired doo-wop track. If the genre is this widely agreed on, attribution is not needed.
  • Done. But imo "Lips Are Movin" being a doo-wop track should be stated explicitly once even after the line about its formula, just for readers' clarity.
  • Another redundancy issue in the last paragraph. In addition to word fluff, I don't think the quote is needed. I would write something like "While Kadish explained that the lyrics of "Lips Are Movin" were about by Trainor's frustrations with her record label,[8] critics Dave Paulson and Christina Garibaldi interpreted the track's lyrics as about leaving a significant other after being cheated.[12][19]"
  • Done. Although, chronologically, Kadish's explanation came after both the reviews were published so I framed it accordingly.
  • For completeness sake, I also found FN15 (The Billboard Singles "Worst to Best" piece), bringing up "a sly self-reference into its snappy chorus. "I gave you bass/You gave me sweet talk,"" I think we all know what that "self-reference" refers to, so I would put it in the composition section.
  • Already there in the composition section.

HumanxAnthro (talk) 20:28, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Other comments:

  • Removed the archives and tagged it for subscription.
  • The reception section is disorganized and, while not another quotefarm, has a fair amount of problems commonly associated with the way of writing. In simplier words, it doesn't have the best prose it could:
    • First, the beginning is presumably a section of "negative reviews," as the second paragraph prefixes with "Other reviewers were positive of the song" which indicates the paragraph will summarize the song's supporters. However, there are two reviews in the middle of the first paragraph that make positive comments: "Billboard's Carl Wilson complimented the lyrics, saying that they proved Trainor had "more going on than a topical trifle" [...] Brian Mansfield of USA Today called "Lips Are Movin" the "better record" of the two despite it lacking novelty.[36]" WTF?
    • Calm down... I have fixed this.
    • Second, while there is an attempt at summarizing multiple opinions with the prefix sentences of both paragraphs, the section still suffers from redundancy. The Time quote establishes nothing new, while some of the other quotes give the same skepticism and criticism of "Lips are Movin" being the same song as "All About the Bass." The Clash and USA Today quotes also make the same statements of it having less novelty than "All About That Bass."
    • Definitely disagree on removing the Time review. Feeney's comment that "Lips" was created only to milk the commercial success of "Bass" isn't repeated by other critics so I fail to see how it constitutes redundancy.
    • Oh, that's not what I said. Probably should clarify. We already know in the background section that "Lips are Movin" was created to follow "All About That Bass"'s success. I think Time's statement means it's trying to be another "All About That Bass," as it "replicate[s]" the success of the song's style, but I'm pretty sure the later review quotes are similar. HumanxAnthro (talk) 13:36, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • That makes perfect sense, fixed. Sorry for not getting this earlier. HumanxAnthro, I believe all of your comments are addressed now ;) NØ 14:10, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Also. what's up with FN 53? HumanxAnthro (talk) 20:40, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thanks for your comments. I have made some of the changes and addressed the rest of them above.--NØ 07:49, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Good work, although I still have more of the article to read. I have to say, when I searched the song on Google News for later coverage for completeness, it was a bunch of results unrelated to the track all because they described her as the "Lips Are Movin singer." Things us Wikipedians do for research, hehe. HumanxAnthro (talk) 14:12, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I remember when I use to read Billboard's coverage of the Hot 100's top 10 back when I was a mid-teenager, and they would bring up the number of sales, streaming and radio for that week. Since the citation for "Lips are Movin"'s.... uh... move to the top ten brings up these numbers ("The similarly doo-wop/pop-styled cut soars to the Digital Songs top five (8-5; 110,000, up 2 percent) and the Streaming Songs top 10 (13-7; 7.8 million, up 20 percent). On Radio Songs, "Lips" lifts 44-36 (36 million, up 26 percent)."), plus I don't want just being another list of chart numbers and certifications when we already have those below, plus for completeness sake, these should be added. HumanxAnthro (talk) 14:24, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Not necessary--per WP:CHARTTRAJ. Adding them for the sake of demonstrating weekly moves could constitute WP:INDISCRIMINATE. We should adhere to summary style i.e. peak positions, debut positions, charting weeks, should be enough. We are not meant to collect each-and-every detail. We are not a newspaper. (talk) 01:27, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Wait. I didn't say to talk about every week on the chart. I just said to add info of the sales numbers for that one week, since it's covered in the Billboard article. I'm talking about the number of sales for a single week, which I'm pretty sure summary style has tolerated in every other music article. HumanxAnthro (talk) 03:41, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • This was brought up during the PR as well. Weekly sales numbers are usually noteworthy when a song debuts high on the chart. "Lips Are Movin" is a sleeper hit, and highlighting its sales numbers during a random week when they were high is random and not in compliance with INDISCRIMINATE. The certified units sold in the US are already included to give people an accurate image of its overall success. Also, pardon me but I don't understand what is being implied with the excessive amount of periods in "'Lips are Movin''s.... uh... move into the top 10".--NØ 18:34, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • (1) The periods you're talking about, it was a joke. The joke was that the song had "Movin" at the end of its title, and that I couldn't think of an alternate word for "move" to avoid it sounding repetitive. It's a kind of joke I took from video reviews of movies and video games. Now you know the importance of real-life communication instead of just texting every time.
  • (2) "Sail" by Awolnation and "Somebody I used to Know" by Gotye are sleeper hits. "Lips are Movin" isn't; it got from 93 to 8 within a month (four weeks), with upward movements of around 20 positions each week, which is a pretty substantial move if I say so myself. Also, when a song gets to the top 10, that ain't no random week.
  • (3) Excuse the tangent here, but this relates to 1b of the FA criteria. I've seen the WP:Indiscriminate rationale used in other discussions, but with no explanation why it's "indiscriminate" or what the heck that even means. Aren't all encyclopedia articles already collections of information from sources? On a side note, why aren't we considering list of peak chart positions and certifications WP:INDISCRIMINATE collections of information? While we're at it, why not extend the indiscriminate label to lists of albums and singles in discographies, or a list of personnel that worked on a single or album, causes the sources never cover the behind-the-scenes people, ya know? HumanxAnthro (talk) 22:08, 3 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • @HumanxAnthro: Discography lists and credits section are not INDISCRIMINATE--they simply summarize the most vital details i.e. chart positions, certifications that an album or a song received (accordingly, statistics should be placed in tables to enhance readability), so I think you are confusing these two things here. Top 10 weeks are acceptable if you insist, but specific sales figures for specific weeks raised the question--if we mention the sales each week it moved upward, shouldn't we mention the sales each week it moved downward, or even until it dropped out of the chart? I do not see anything significant about that, unless the song saw a sudden surge in sales somewhere in the middle of its charting trajectory. (talk) 01:02, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • On another note, I also do not think Lips Are Movin was a sleeper hit--but that makes sense to not include specific sales week to prove its success. In the digital age, songs that move 20-30+ positions on the Billboard charts are the norm, I'd say. (talk) 01:06, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • HumanxAnthro and , I am going to let you two decide what to do about this. I had included this information in the article before HĐ asked for its removal: [35]. So quite frankly, I am perfectly fine adding it back, and have done so for the time being so both of you can see how it looks. Best.--NØ 03:00, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Comparing the before and after edits (on the U.S. chart and sales paragraph)--I do not think the before section adds more substance to the readers' understanding with week-by-week sales and streaming figures. They are redundant especially when the song has sold millions way beyond the 100k-200k weekly sales (unless it received commentary from Billboard i.e. it was one of the highest weekly digital sales in the chart history). The most important takeaway, which is the fact that Trainor was fifth female artist to have two debut top-ten Hot 100 singles, is already mentioned. I am not seeing if week-by-week sales add anything substantial, and I shall reiterate my stance that Wikipedia is not a newspaper, so even if the data per-se are mentioned by Billboard, we shall design the article in an encyclopedic manner--concise, straight to the point, no excessive details. (talk) 03:12, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I agree with HĐ that it would be unnecessary to bring up weekly moves (unless they are noteworthy and have received coverage, like a huge drop or rise in the charts) and it would be best to stick the summary style. Apologies for the intrusion. I just wanted to second HĐ's point. Aoba47 (talk) 23:28, 2 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Sorry for the delay, got busy working at my dad's small business, editing other Wikipedia articles on video games and learning Japanese. Here's a few more comments.

No problem.
  • "AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the track as Motown bounce.[17]" This stylistic description doesn't come close to reflect the most widely-agreed upon genre of the song by critics, that being a retro-tinged doo-wop number. I think it's redundant and unnecessary. HumanxAnthro (talk) 22:47, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • It's being fairly attributed to Erlewine and not being misrepresented as anything more than his opinion. He is a reputed critic and his take is necessary to include for the sake of completeness.
  • "Spin's Dan Weiss dismissed the song as "the oldest-joke-in-the-book-ask-a-lawyer".[34]" Can someone clarify what the heck this means or saying? Cause (1) it breaks the flow of the paragraph and (2) it seems to be a simple "it's good," "it's bad" opinion, which we want the sentences to add substance to the topic. HumanxAnthro (talk) 22:50, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Definitely an "it's bad" opinion. Clarified.
  • "Yahoo! Music writer Lyndsey Parker compared the latter to the ones featured in a poster for The Rocky Horror Picture Show.[73]" I'd say this is an WP:INDISCRIMINATE issue. Why are we devoting an entire sentence to this? I wouldn't mean if it incorporated the concept of being like the Rocky Horror lips in the previous description about the other lip visualizations, but why a full sentence about one person's abstract view not shared by any other critic? HumanxAnthro (talk) 22:56, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Merged into preceding sentence, works much better in my opinion.--NØ 08:36, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Hello. Sorry for the comments a bit delayed again. I'm on a general food and sugar detox (I mean, I still a little bit of a sugar, but far less) and focus on getting my brain as well as editing VG articles.

  • Most of the music video section looks good, but "She expressed excitement about the video's concept and concluded "it still feels very 'Meghan Trainor,' which is amazing!".[70]" (1) "Expressed excited" just sounds weird, and (2) we've already established she's talking about the "video's concept" in the previous sentenece.
  • Fixed.
  • Not sure why the first paragraph of the synopsis section is in there instead of the background and concept section.
  • Moved.
  • The music video reception sub-section is another quotefarm, with some of the quotes being summaries instead of real opinions. For example,
    • "Pell wrote that the clip continued the "bubbly and bright" theme of the "All About That Bass" video.[74]"
    • "Parker noted Trainor's fashion in the video, and stated that it "seems to be an unofficial campaign to land her own M.A.C. Viva Glam endorsement deal".[72]"
    • She described the video as "a super-meta technicolor dance party".[73]
    • Mashable's Brian Anthony Hernandez wrote that "the visuals are what you would expect from a bouncy pop song: young dancers, colorful backgrounds, quirky outfits and exaggerated expressions".[75]
  • These quotes are equivalent to review of music analyzing the genre of the song instead of giving a good/bad opinion.
  • I picked out more critical quotes from the article and rewrote the section. Mashable removed as it didn't offer anything critical.
  • The live performances paragraph also has a bit of a quotefarm vibe; I mean, there's no quotes, sure, but it's got that indiscriminate list feel to it. I think it's just the first paragraph.
  • Hmm, it doesn't have any quotes. I rewrote it a bit though and made the first paragraph more informative.

OK, I think these are all the comments I need to make, plus Nikkimaria's checking the sources, so I'll let them take care of that. Best of luck HumanxAnthro (talk) 23:51, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thanks for your review, everything has been addressed.--NØ 08:45, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Welp, Support. Should've commented this the instance you responded but, hey, self-discipline requires slow building. HumanxAnthro (talk) 22:24, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from Aoba47[edit]

I participated in the article's last peer review. I am leaving this up as a placeholder. Please ping me if I do not post anything in a week. Aoba47 (talk) 00:27, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • I will wait to further comments until the above review as I do not want to step on anyone's toes. Apologies for interrupting their discussion above. Just wanted to let you know. Aoba47 (talk) 00:10, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I would revise the following part from the lead, The song had a premiere on MTV News on October 15, 2014, and was released to United States contemporary hit radio stations by Epic Records, to the following, Epic Records premiered the song on MTV News on October 15, 2014, and released it to United States contemporary hit radio stations. I am recommending this for a few reasons. I think it is important to clarify that the MTV news premiere was also done by Epic Records. This revision would also put this part into a more active tense, and change up the sentence variation as most of the first paragraph has the song at the start of the sentences.
  • Sounds better to me. Done.
  • I am uncertain if the novelty part of this part of the lead, it too derivative of its predecessor and thought it lacked novelty, is really supported in the article or if it is really needed.
  • Given the equal amount of weightage negative and positive reviews have in the article body, I think it is important to represent the negative ones in this sentence too. Therefore, I have tweaked and kept some of it. Please feel free to change it to wording you think represents it better.
  • To be clear. I was not asking you to remove the negative criticism part entirely. I was only referencing the thought it lacked novelty. I think the revision looks good though. Aoba47 (talk) 13:53, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Done.
  • I am confused by this sentence, The two had an additional day to work together and went into the studio., in the "Background" section. What do you mean by "an additional day"? There was not a time frame or schedule set up prior to this so "an additional day" lacks any context to be really understand (at least in my opinion).
  • I could have sworn the part about it being after the album's initial completion used to be in the article lol. Just added it back.
  • For this part, He spoke fondly about writing with Trainor: "It's almost like we share a brain musically when we're writing a song. I've never had that with anyone before.", I would add in the prose the year that he said this to just clarify that to readers. I would say something like In a 2014 interview.
  • Done.
  • Since single is linked in the lead, I would also link it on the first mention in the article for consistency.
  • Done.
  • I have a clarification question about this part, "Lips Are Movin" was briefly available to stream on mobile application Shazam. Why was it only briefly available on Shazam?
  • Shazam does this thing called "First listen", where a song exclusively premieres on there for a while and is available to stream upon shazamming the artist's previous single. This stops working when the song is officially out and is replaced with links to retailers like Apple Music instead.
  • I have another clarification question about this part American actress Liza Koshy. I never really associated Koshy as an actress (no offense to her, but I think she is far more well known as a YouTuber). Is that a fair assessment? I would put a description next to her that reflects what she is most well known for and I frankly do not think actress is it (but feel free to correct me if I am wrong).
  • I had initially gone for "actress" as it was the first profession listed in the opening sentence of her bio but you're right, her being a YouTuber is way more relevant to the context of her starring in this video. Changed.
  • I would either paraphrase or remove the "fierce" quote. I have always been told to avoid one-word quotes as they are never particularly useful, and the quote used later in the same sentence is much more interesting and informative anyway.
  • Removed.

Great work with the article. I have focused primarily on the prose. I do not notice anything obviously wrong with the images or the citations, but I have admittedly only looked at them superficially and without any deeper analysis. All my comments above are quite nitpick-y, and once they are addressed, I will read through the article again (and will likely support this FAC for promotion at that time). I am happy that you have gone for another FAC and I hope this encourages other editors who may have less-than-stellar experiences in the FAC space to consider doing future nominations. Have a great rest of your weekend! Aoba47 (talk) 01:28, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Hey Aoba47, thanks for your kind words and comments. I believe I have addressed them all :) NØ 06:31, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Thank you for addressing everything. I support the nomination for promotion based on the prose. Aoba47 (talk) 13:53, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Media review[edit]

The media assessment passes. I might come back later with comments on other details. SNUGGUMS (talk / edits) 22:23, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thank you for the media review. I eagerly await your comments!--NØ 06:31, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I believe SNUGGUMS now only reviews media and nothing else. (talk) 07:50, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Sometimes I assess only that during FAC's, other times (like this) I review more. SNUGGUMS (talk / edits) 00:39, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from HĐ[edit]

I participated in the article's peer review, and will look through the article one more time to make sure it meets FA criteria. (talk) 07:50, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • "However, critical commentary has described it as a song about Trainor leaving her significant other" I am uncertain if using "However" is correct--removing it would cause no harm.
  • Grammarly did not pick up any mistake in this sentence. I think the word "however" is beneficial here to represent the contrast between what the song was actually inspired by, and what critical commentary interpreted it as.
  • "it conceptually portrays" shouldn't "it portrays" suffice?
  • Done.
  • Very nice improvements with why "All About That Bass" was rejected!
  • The composition section is also very nice!
  • "have deemed" I don't think present perfect tense is encouraged--simple past ("deemed") should be enough.
  • Fixed.
  • "and was quoted as saying" by whom?
  • Kadish. Added.
  • "manufactured sass" shouldn't this be in quotes?
  • I turned it to "factory-produced sass" so it would be a direct quote but done.
  • Linked.
  • The Andrew Hampp link has the title "Best and Worst Singles of the Week"--I think it would be helpful to note whether Lips Are Movin was among the worst or best of the week.
  • The article does not make an explicit distinction between these but the tone of the review seems favorable so I added that.
  • "versatility, confidence, vulnerability and smartness" shouldn't this be in quotes?
  • Done.
  • I see that the weekly sales for its top-10 entry was re-added. I don't press to remove it completely--it's just that it reads incomplete that there is weekly sales for one week, and then this information disappears in thin air.
  • This was a re-addition insisted on by another reviewer. Since this information is also available for the following week, I have now added it.
  • Link laptop (I know this is a common term, but still..)
  • Linked.
  • "Andelman suggested showcasing behind-the-scenes events occurring during a music video shoot, which was used as the video's theme" convoluted. Is there any more straightforward way to word this?
  • Clarified.
  • "The x360 was utilized by each influencer who participated in the clip" I think something like "The x360 laptop appears frequently in the music video as a product placement" would sound better.
  • Changed.
  • Ref 9 has a harv error (to see this error, you must install this script).
  • It doesn't show the error anymore. Please feel free to verify if I have done this correctly.

The rest of the article is in very good shape. (talk) 02:12, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

@:, I have resolved the concerns. Please let me know if you'd like anything else done.--NØ 06:18, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I revised the wording for one sentence--please feel free to revise/revert if you think it reads awkwardly. Other than that, all of my concerns are now resolved. Happy to support this article for FA. Well done! (talk) 01:35, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Please remove your blue templates from everywhere in FAC. Transclusions are to be avoided at FAC because they cause the page to exceed template limits, meaning FACs later on the page get cut off. Hopefully people can read a quote by ... using quote marks rather than colors. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 13:00, 14 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

@SandyGeorgia: Thank you for informing me about that. Just curious, could {{tq}} be appropriate for FACs?` (talk) 01:22, 15 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
See WT:FAC; in the past, it was encouraged, but it seems that it may now be a problem. I prefer just to use straight quotes without any transclusions at all, as we now have such a problem at FAC. It is being discussed on FAC talk. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 01:36, 15 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Other comments from SNUGGUMS[edit]

Extended commentary moved to talk (t · c) buidhe 14:40, 14 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Following sufficient changes (which include a couple compromises), I now support this nomination. SNUGGUMS (talk / edits) 18:25, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from LOVI33[edit]

Overall, I would say this article is extremely well done. Congrats MaranoFan! The prose is engaging, I see no original research and this article is definitely broad in its coverage. The only issues I have are with the citations, although all of them seem reputable and high quality. Here are my concerns:

  • Note 'A' cites six sources at the end (WP:OVERCITE?). I see that ref 2, 8, and 12 are used throughout the article so maybe remove those or convert ref 9-11 to a bullet point list ref.
  • Fixed.
  • Repeating a wikilink is okay on citations per MOS:REPEATLINK. I would recommend adding them in as it could enhance understanding.
  • Added in.
  • Fixed.
  • Ref 138 is missing a translated title and language.

LOVI33 20:35, 10 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Added.

All addressed, LOVI33. Thank you for this :)--NØ 05:37, 11 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Great MaranoFan! I am now happy to support this! LOVI33 18:24, 11 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Query for the coordinators[edit]

  • @WP:FAC coordinators: , this nomination has accrued five supports and complete source and media reviews as well. I just wanted to bring that to your attention since I am excited and this seems to be the average count at which recent nominations got promoted. Regards.--NØ 03:11, 13 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I see no particular problems, but it has only been nominated for two weeks. I intend to leave it open for a few more days to allow time for other potentially interested reviewers to chip in. Gog the Mild (talk) 15:02, 15 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from Heartfox[edit]

The Tennessean gives me 3 free articles; looks like url-status=limited, not subscription. @Nikkimaria, MaranoFan, and : here is an archived link of AllAccess with October 21 impact date. I will read the article tomorrow ;) Heartfox (talk) 05:05, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thanks a lot for the link! Looking forward to your comments :) --NØ 05:15, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Kevin Kadish met Meghan Trainor" → who is Kevin Kadish?
  • Clarified.
  • fn 6 url didnt work
  • Fixed.
  • "Trainor overheard the track for "Lips Are Movin" through Kadish's headphone box and insisted they write it that day" → I'm a bit confused. Did she hear like an instrumental version and then they wrote lyrics to it?
  • Yes. Since it's clear from the references the lyrics weren't written yet, I have changed it to instrumental track.
  • fn 17 use the archived version which contains the text cited in the article
  • Done.
  • "The record label sent it to radio stations in the United Kingdom" → I believe BBC Radio songs are added their playlists by BBC (as does every radio station), but unlike US/Italy, the record label doesn't officially send them on a date. Maybe reword?
  • Changed.
  • fn 27 missing first/last, suggest adding via= as it's published by Sony, not the website
  • Fixed.
  • "Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times considered "Lips Are Movin" as one of Title's dozen versions of the latter, which he found as cheerful but also as annoying." → Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times considered it one of Title's dozen versions of the latter..."
  • Amended.
  • fn 37 "spells great things for" is the same text as in the article, but no quotation marks are given?
  • This must have slipped out. Thanks, reworded.
  • "which Parker likened to the one in American television program So You Think You Can Dance" → I think this part is unnecessary
  • Removed.
  • "The music video's release reportedly boosted Trainor's social media presence, including an 11% surge in Twitter followers and 16% on Facebook." → the Billboard article fn 77 cites has more info; also "reportedly" makes it seem it could be untrue
  • I have kept "reportedly" as there is no explicit way to know that the music video was the sole reason for the gain. It is just what was reported :)
  • fn 85 "EW" should be in italics, same for "Billboard" in fn 41
  • Done.
  • fn 90 "TODAY" is a stylization, not an acronym, so it can be written as "Today".
  • Done.

Comments above :) Heartfox (talk) 22:02, 18 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

All done, Heartfox. Sorry for some of these basic errors and thanks for catching them :) --NØ 03:21, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I think "C List" may be an unfamiliar term for many; maybe just rotation? Heartfox (talk) 03:27, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
That's reasonable. I changed it to rotation.--NØ 06:02, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Happy to support! Heartfox (talk) 20:01, 19 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Gog the Mild via FACBot (talk) 17 March 2021 [36].


A Crow Looked at Me[edit]

Nominator(s): DMT biscuit (talk) 18:08, 2 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

This article is about the death of Geneviève Castrée and her husband Phil Elverum's ensuing grief. It has proven to be one of the important albums of his career and one of the most critically acclaimed of the 2010s.DMT biscuit (talk) 18:08, 2 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

With help from BLZ, Ceoil and Moisejp the article has seen extensive tinkering and general work; three GOCE copy edits and two peer reviews are a further testament.DMT biscuit (talk) 18:08, 2 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Wikipedia:Peer review/A Crow Looked at Me/archive2, SandyGeorgia (Talk) 18:40, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thoughts from Guerillero—pass[edit]

--Guerillero Parlez Moi 00:32, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Passes my source review. I really dislike the annons, but they are an allowable style choice --Guerillero Parlez Moi 03:50, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thank you.DMT biscuit (talk) 17:22, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I engaged at the peer review.

  • I agree with Guerillero that "anons as authors is kinda kludgy". While I understand they may be "an allowable style choice", the way the short note SFNs are done actually creates a problem. Imagine the reader looking at this article in hard print (it happens). Without the "jump" provided by the SFN to the actual source, how do they determine which anon is the source ? It would be much preferable to spell out the article name in the SFN, in place of anon, since there are so many of those. I would prefer that these be fixed so that they work in hardprint versions and mirrors as well as on Wikipedia, where the jumps can be clicked on.
DMT hit on the "Pitchfork editors (December 22, 2017)" formula this morning, which I much prefer and recommend that they implement for all the anon sources. Ceoil (talk) 19:45, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • As Ceoil mentioned I've converted the majority of Anon cites into [publication] editors/writers. The general consensus is that this is for the better. Do you agree?DMT biscuit (talk) 20:00, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Its implicit. Do it. Ceoil (talk) 21:08, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
FWIW, I like this better --In actu (Guerillero) Parlez Moi 01:09, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Those are my sourcing notes only; planning to review the rest.SandyGeorgia (Talk) 18:50, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Media review—pass[edit]

  • Album cover would benefit from improved fair use rationale (hint: don't write "n.a." when you could be more specific)
  • File:Theodor Kittelsen, Soria Moria.jpg Needs PD-US tag (probably PD-1996)
    Both Updated. DMT biscuit (talk) 19:48, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Other free-use media appears to be OK for licensing
  • Audio clip licensing looks good to me. (t · c) buidhe 06:36, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comment by Buidhe[edit]

  • The combination of relatively short paragraphs and long sections in "Background and composition" and to a lesser extent "Music and lyrics" overview make it more difficult to scan. It is best for the reader to break up content into chunks about 3-4 paragraphs long with subheadings, especially on mobile devices where, for instance, your background and composition section is going to take up several screens of space. (t · c) buidhe 06:44, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I've attempted to rectify this issue; feel free to flag up any issues you find with it.DMT biscuit (talk) 22:37, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Also, the quoteboxes in the Reception section don't seem to be doing enough to justify their existence; I would recommend putting the quotes into the text and/or paraphrasing. (t · c) buidhe 22:49, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    The quote by Elverum was removed as the text already expressed its sentiment. The second one was integrated into the text.DMT biscuit (talk) 23:23, 3 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Images in "Impact" section: According to WP:NPOV, "Undue weight can be given in several ways, including but not limited to depth of detail, quantity of text, prominence of placement..." What makes these two reactions more important than the others, justifying the greater prominence? What about their appearance adds encyclopedic value to the article? (t · c) buidhe 18:40, 10 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • @Buidhe: They're prominent artists in genres other than Elverum's, thus demonstrating how the album impacted not only fans and music critics but disparate artists. The image and their respective captions summarization the adjacent text. DMT biscuit (talk) 19:54, 10 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • @Buidhe: Do you think this to be a sufficient rationale. I'm willing to remove the images if you're unsatisfied with my justification. DMT biscuit (talk) 13:41, 11 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I am not too bothered by those images because they are not adding POV; they are presenting a view that is pretty common in the sources. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 16:04, 11 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Hi Buidhe, any response to these responses? Gog the Mild (talk) 17:27, 15 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I'm not opposing on this basis. (t · c) buidhe 19:48, 15 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Moisejp[edit]

Support on prose and comprehensiveness. I made many comments on the article's talk page (Talk:A_Crow_Looked_at_Me#Comments_from_Moisejp), and these have all been addressed. Moisejp (talk) 16:29, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thank you.DMT biscuit (talk) 17:22, 4 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Ceoil[edit]

Support as with Moisejp, also made many comments on talk, a few edits, and participated in the last PR. I'm [now, having become a bit obsessed with the album since discovering it via the PR] familiar with most of the sources, and confident that this is one of our better FAC standard album articles. Ceoil (talk) 22:36, 5 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thank You.DMT biscuit (talk) 23:01, 5 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
To note, the comment re familar with most of the sources can be taken as confirmation that there is no evidence of close paraphrasing etc, and essentially a sign off on a source review. Ceoil (talk) 15:52, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from BLZ[edit]

Initial comments:

  • "His working title for the album was Death is Real." – Though it's not directly addressed in the source, it's worth addressing here that this did become the title of the intro track.
    The opening track is entitled "Real Death". It does however feature the phrase "Death is Real"; the soundclip of includes the caption: "The first track...introduces the theme that "Death is Real", which Elverum once said could be the name of the album.[50]"DMT biscuit (talk) 11:24, 6 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "... to represent the 'uncomfortable feeling of applying significance to insignificant things'. Two sources are cited but presumably the quote only comes from the latter.
    Fixed.DMT biscuit (talk) 11:27, 6 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Sources without a date should have | (i.e. "no date"). It also goes in the shortcite in place of the year, e.g. "Smith n.d."; if necessary they can be distinguished by "n.d.a", "n.d.b" and so on.
    Included. DMT biscuit (talk) 15:16, 6 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • In the "Citations" I would recommend sorting "Anon." sources by date, earliest to latest; it's not immediately clear to me how they're sorted at the moment.
    Fixed. I reworked the abundance of anons; adding either blanket titles, such as "ABC Writer" "Pitchfork Writers"... or in the case of Year end lists crediting the writer who wrote the segment cited--including that segment in the title as well. DMT biscuit (talk) 13:59, 6 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    "Writer" is a very good solution, but dont like the False title capitalisation. Ceoil (talk) 20:41, 6 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Fixed.DMT biscuit (talk) 23:04, 6 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The footnotes for Metacritic and Acclaimed Music—"Its appearance on the list made it the highest rated folk album of the decade." and "In total, the tenth-highest ranking for an indie folk album"—strike me as somewhat arbitrary. It's comparatively high on Acclaimed Music's "indie folk" list, yes, but the site also attaches the album to the genre "singer-songwriter", and the article could also include the album's rankings by year or by decade (both comparatively high). In any case the Acclaimed Music "indie folk" reference link is dead, though if you're set on keeping it this URL works.
    Removed. DMT biscuit (talk) 13:59, 6 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The "Accolades" table could be expanded. Many major music/news publications are missing (Exlaim! ["folk and country" genre list, but a #2 placement], Fact, The Guardian, Magnet, NPR Music, PopMatters, Tiny Mix Tapes [#1!!], Uncut). Other times only a publication's decade-end list is included, but not its year-end (Noisey, Spin); OTOH I would include AllMusic's decade-end list but not its year-end, since both are unranked anyway, though adding at least one of them means there would be some function for the "unranked/asterisk" note below the table.
    I've implemented TMT. I'm hesitant to add the others. I feel the accolades section should be brief and highlight the most relevant examples (those placed within in the top ten or nearabouts); the inclusion of rankings such as the Guardian's 47 may run the risk of betraying summary style and evoking wikipuffery. DMT biscuit (talk) 15:16, 6 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I agree with DMT on this point. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 17:41, 9 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • There should be at least a brief paragraph summarizing the "Accolades" section in prose. A good model here is Yeezus § Accolades, although of course it doesn't need to be nearly as long what's there. I would recommend mentioning at least Metacritic and Pazz & Jop in prose, plus maybe meta-commentary on its acclaim like e.g. Seattle Metropolitan noting it as the most-mentioned album by an artist from Washington state on "best of the 2010s" lists. Come to think of it, a paragraph in this section would also be a much better home for the footnotes I took issue with a few bullet points above. Pazz & Jop in prose would be a good opportunity to also note that Robert Christgau's P&J top ten ballot listed the album third, and he pumped the album in his accompanying P&J essay It's a bit surprising too that Xgau's Vice review is cited in-table for its score but not quoted from elsewhere; he had unusually much to say about the album, and it's rare that the Dean is reduced to a sentiment like "Like nothing I've ever heard."
    Implemented. Feel free to hash out any problems or additions you see fit.DMT biscuit (talk) 14:06, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • In the "Personnel" section: "Credits adapted from the album's liner notes and Cult MTL." It's not clear why the liner notes alone don't suffice, and besides the cites are to Cult MTL and Consequence of Sound. —BLZ · talk 09:02, 6 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Fixed.DMT biscuit (talk) 15:16, 6 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "The album was recorded onto a laptop computer, making A Crow Looked at Me his first album to be produced entirely in this way" – Not entirely clear what this means. Digital vs. analog? Had he recorded on a computer before, but not a laptop? Possibly better phrased as something like "A Crow Looked at Me was his first album recorded onto a laptop computer, having previously recorded with [x, y, z conditions]."
    As a Phil Elverum nerd, I can say that yes he had previously recorded on a computer--specifically a MacBook. So the comment is specifically regarding the use of a laptop. I try to better word that section.DMT biscuit (talk) 14:12, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Regarding Bandcamp Daily: It looks like Bandcamp's Best of 2017 list was called into question, but not Martin 2017 directly. I don't see any issue whatsoever with Martin 2017 as a reliable source. Bandcamp Daily is overseen by a permanent professional editorial staff (see this post), including former contributors to music publications like Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, etc., and the former editor of the 33⅓ series. In any case, there's no doubt that they conducted an interview with Elverum and that it was not fabricated.
    Yeah this is a totally valid reason. I'll see that Martin 2017 and the relevant info is reinstated.DMT biscuit (talk) 14:06, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Regarding the info I added to the "cover artwork" section: The reference to Tintin in Tibet was previously deemed trivial in the second peer review because it was embedded in the prose in a trivial way. The connection to the song on Now Only was not made clear. The major issue raised at peer review was that the way it was written made the subject of the next sentence confusing/ambiguous. The connection to Now Only can be established by this Stereogum interview: "STEREOGUM: There are clear connections between your last two albums, whether it's the fact that the main subject matter is Geneviève, or smaller stuff like the Tintin In Tibet comic being in one album’s artwork and inspiring a song title on the other..." Other facts added to the cover artwork section were not merely restating the information provided by the album cover image in the infobox—it's hardly obvious what room that is in the photo, just that it is "a room", but the fact that it's Castrée's former studio carries enormous significance. —BLZ · talk 01:33, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Like above I'll restate the info from Martin 2017 and add the stereogum cite. Nice find. Update: I added the info from Lyons 2018 in the form of a note as I feel inclusion in the prose would be jarring. DMT biscuit (talk) 14:06, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • The Google Books URL attached to Franklin 2020 seems to be dead, it doesn't link to an actual page because there's no preview for the linked edition. Not that it really matters, so long as you're sure that the ISBN/edition and cited page number are correct. There's another edition on Google Books with a preview, but it's an ebook edition without numbered pagination.
    The ISBN and page cited is correct. DMT biscuit (talk) 14:59, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I noticed the archive URL for Sankowski 2017 was blank, and indeed was blank on every date the page had been "archived" on Archive.org (whether or not the UTM "?disableRedirects=true" was attached to the end of the URL or not). This sometimes happens on certain websites that want to try to prevent archiving (or to prevent some other behavior that happens to also prevent archiving as a side effect). If this happens, it's worth checking Archive.is as an alternative; I find that it's almost always (but not quite always) able to save pages that are unsaveable on Archive.org. One tip: if you use Archive.is, you have to "share" and copy the "long link" (which uses "archive.today/" and includes the full URL of the archived link, just like Archive.org links) to be able to save it on Wikipedia.
    Thanks for the tip and thanks for fixing the archive-url. DMT biscuit (talk) 15:21, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The |language= parameter is used inconsistently for English-language sources. It's variously included as en-us, en-br, en, or most often not at all. Doesn't ultimately matter too much—afaik it's really only strictly necessary for non-English sources, but if you're going to use it I'd be as consistent and thorough as possible.
    Fixed. This is the result of autocite's somewhat inconsistent nature and my negligence. DMT biscuit (talk) 15:21, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • I feel (perhaps self consciously) as though my review comments so far have been too harshly critical, maybe because I didn't open my review with my usual preamble about how I deem the project at hand to be clearly worthy of serious consideration and how I caution that my method of directly editing the article is not intended to assert any "my way or the highway" attitude (I swear I'm not trying to be a dick). Rest assured you have done a tremendous job writing this article, and I have enjoyed almost every step of the way. This is how the article looked way back before you ever edited it, way back in 2019, and I've been checking in on it over that time feeling nothing but amazement, shock and appreciation that someone was developing it so well. You've killed it. Your overall sensitivity and attunement to the themes and spirit of the album are extraordinary and I can't wait for this to be featured because you've really earned it. —BLZ · talk 08:27, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Well, thank you. I don't think you've been a "dick" or overly critical, considering this is FAC. I've actually been quite surprised by how nice everyone has been here. You're edits have also been very helpful--especially regarding the more technical stuff, which I think you'll know from my work on this and the Great American Novel isn't my strong suit. I was very happy to have you on board as Ok Computer, alongside Loveless and recently 1989, was an article i frequently referred to for inspiration. While we're doing compliments, congratulations on being, perhaps the first person to have a Chief Keef lyric as an edit summary. DMT biscuit (talk) 15:21, 7 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Hey @Brandt Luke Zorn: just curious if you have any further comments or a verdict. No rush.DMT biscuit (talk) 16:38, 10 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

SandyGeorgia[edit]

  • Hi Sandy, does this count as a pass for a first-time nominator's source spot check as well? Thanks. Gog the Mild (talk) 12:47, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    @Gog the Mild:, I have now revisited and refreshed my memory of what review I did, and no, it does not count as first-time spot check (I was not aware this was a first-timer). I will dig in to do that, though. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 17:24, 10 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support. I was involved in writing this article as far as the GA review, and DMT Biscuit has excelled in getting it to the current status since then. As I see it, this article meets the FA criteria through quality of prose, breadth of coverage, sourcing and subject matter. Great work. — sparklism hey! 15:21, 10 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Note to co-ords @WP:FAC coordinators: - this seems help up/stalled; what is outstanding so can address....no pressure & tks...Ceoil (talk) 23:04, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • If its expectation of further from BLZ, he seems to be pre-occupied IRL atm and not editing much; but all his points have been met and I take tacit support from "I can't wait for this to be featured because you've really earned it". Ceoil (talk) 23:12, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from MaranoFan[edit]

Initial comments:

  • Anytime his prior albums are mentioned, shouldn't their chronological appearance in his discography be mentioned too? i.e. "his second album Lost Wisdom (2008)"
  • @MaranoFan:Lost Wisdom isn't his second album overall, but, just the second studio album under the Mount Eerie name—he previously recorded under The Microphones. As a result, it would likely become convoluted to mention their place in Elverum's discography. DMT biscuit (talk) 15:45, 4 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "After its release and widespread acclaim, he undertook well-received tours of North America and Europe" -- I would omit the part about widespread acclaim here and move it to the last paragraph of the lead, since the tours' good reception doesn't have any direct correlation with the album itself.
  • Include the month of Castrée's diagnosis too, if possible.
  • "in the room Castrée had died"
  • Shouldn't it be "began" instead of "begun" in the Composition section's second paragraph's first line?
  • "Kyger died two days before the album's release" -- This seems trivial and I'm not sure how it influenced this album if it was so close to its release.
  • "He had originally planned a small-scale release on his website, but as the album took shape, wanted to reach a wider audience" -- A better way to frame this would be "He had originally planned a small-scale release on his website but wanted to reach a wider audience as the album took shape".
  • "Both singles were listed by Stereogum as the best song of the week" -- Mention which week, i.e. "as the best song of their respective release weeks"
  • Did the supporting tours have names?
  • The first sentence of the Impact section's third paragraph should be split into two sentences.

--NØ 13:36, 3 March 2021 (UTC) Final comments:Reply[reply]

  • I did a brief c/e. Hope that is okay
  • The release years for other works mentioned should be included in brackets. e.g. Hospice (2009), Blackstar (2016), etc.
  • "The album's music is reminiscent of his 2008 albums" -- I think this would still make sense if you just said "The album is reminiscent of his 2008 works" or "Its music is reminiscent of his 2008 albums"
  • It doesn't appear to be.--NØ 13:11, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • A Now article is cited after the sentence about The Daily Beast's year-end list.
  • This is Now, not The Daily Beast. This hasn't been fixed yet.--NØ 13:11, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Did a secondary source report Zauner's comments? If Tidal (a streaming service) is the only source covering this, its inclusion might be WP:INDISCRIMINATE.
  • Release dates should be included in the "release history" table.

--NØ 10:02, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • Support - I will assume good faith that you will address the two remaining minor concerns and am now ready to support this for promotion. This article convinced me to listen to the album, so job accomplished! :) In case you have some time, please do consider reviewing my current FAC which is also music-related. Best wishes, NØ 13:42, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thank you. The two qualms have been resolved. DMT biscuit (talk) 13:59, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Yup, everything looks great now. I will reaffirm my support.--NØ 18:49, 5 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Source review and first-time nom spot check[edit]

On talk, Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates/A Crow Looked at Me/archive1#First-time nom spot check. There are still a few niggles to wrap up, but between the sources I reviewed on this spot check and those I also reviewed at peer review and at my FAC review, I am confident DMT biscuit has accurately represented the body of the literature and has no issues with too-close paraphrasing or copyvio. There were minor instances of use of less-than-best sources, but most of the sources for this topic are all saying similar things, so sources are easily swapped. On sourcing, I believe the article meets 1b, 1c, 1f, and 2c. It might not hurt, should they be interested, for @Nikkimaria: or @Ealdgyth: to look over my work, as I don’t typically do source reviews. Signing off as I am going to be traveling over the weekend. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 18:39, 11 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Gog the Mild via FACBot (talk) 17 March 2021 [39].


United States war plans (1945–1950)[edit]

Nominator(s): Hawkeye7 (discuss) 01:03, 24 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

This article is about the American war plans in the aftermath of World War II. The plans were never put into effect. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 01:03, 24 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Jens[edit]

  • "Pincher (1946)" – maybe mention somewhere that this is the nickname of an individual war plan? That was not immediately clear to me.
    Clarified. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 21:03, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • When have these plans been made public? Was there any public reaction upon release?
    The plans were largely declassified under the 30-year rule in the late 1970s. Books appeared in the early 1980s, including Gregg Herken's The Winning Weapon (1980) and Borowski's A Hollow Threat: Strategic Air Power and Containment Before Korea (1982). The central issue that Soviets had the ability to overrun Europe and Asia, and that nuclear weapons were no deterrent at all doesn't seem to have made much of an impression, although I know that my generation were astounded when the old hands talked about the planned retreat to the Pyrenees. There were two factors here: the capability of Soviet conventional forces was well understood and still an important issue in the 1980s; and the fact that the atomic stockpile was small in the late 1940s had been revealed in the early 1960s (by which time the stockpile was humungous). Yet in 2016, documents on targeting obtained through FOI ("1950s U.S. Nuclear Target List Offers Chilling Insight") still made front page news in the New York Times. (Targeting is more sensitive than the war plans because it incorporated more detailed intelligence.) Comments from reviewers of the article seem to indicate a much greater fascination with the destructiveness of nuclear weapons that with the dangerous bluff. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 21:03, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • followed, if necessary by a retreat to the Pyrenees – comma missing here behind "necessary"?
    Added comma. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 21:03, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • B-29 – This number is not linked or explained at first mention.
    Added an explanation. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 21:03, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • redeployed from Europe to Pacific – "to the Pacific"?
    Corrected. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 21:03, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

--Jens Lallensack (talk) 23:09, 28 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Accessibility review[edit]

Those parts of the MOS are not required at FAC. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:31, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Not required but small and quick fixes that are beneficial to the readers. Is that not what we're here for, or is it just the bronze star...? Aza24 (talk) 00:02, 17 March 2021 (UTC) Apologies for my comment, I see they've been inserted regardless. Aza24 (talk) 00:17, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments by Wehwalt[edit]

Seems comprehensive and well-written, though not my field of expertise.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:08, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "It was expected that the Soviet Union would demobilize most of its forces to facilitate the post-war reconstruction of its economy, which had been devastated by the war, and was not expected to recover before 1952." I might cut "post-war" as implied by the rest of the sentence.
    Changed as suggested. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:30, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "581,000 Army personnel had been separated." Maybe "discharged"?
    Not the same thing. A discharge completely alleviates the veteran of any unfulfilled military service obligation, whereas a separation (which may be voluntary or involuntary) may leave an additional unfulfilled military service obligation to be carried out. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:30, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Tens of thousands found this out in 1950, when a fracas broke out in Korea, and they were recalled to active duty. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 23:27, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "as they would require 300,000 men a month to be inducted" perhaps "per month" rather than "a month".
    Changed as suggested. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:30, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Truman is at least double-linked
    Can't find any double-links. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:30, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Nonetheless, the Harmon committee doubted that it would destroy civilian morale; based on World War II experience, the reverse would be more likely." I would suggest "opposite" instead of "reverse"
    Changed as suggested. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:30, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "143 wing Air Force" suggest link wing:
    Linked to Wing (military unit) Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:30, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "so only the selection of a few sites had been carried out by January 1950.[80]" This could be more succinctly phrased
    Trimmed slightly. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:30, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "due to the state of its devastated economy" Perhaps "due to the devastated state of its economy".
    Changed as suggested. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:30, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
That's it.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:08, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Support Sorry, still catching up on things. All looks good.--Wehwalt (talk) 22:41, 17 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support from Harry[edit]

  • I would recommend looking again at the accessibility concerns above if they are resolvable.
    I already did them under protest. The changes to the table were extensive, complex and troublesome. I fear that they would have been a deterrent to less technical editor Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:53, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The Italian, Iberian, Danish and Scandinavian peninsulas could be held against superior numbers Is this supposed to be in Wikipedia's voice or is this the opinion of the JWPC?
    It is the opinion of the JWPC. Re-worded. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:53, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • would be unwilling to divert the resources required to hold Scandinavia you mention Iberia, Denmark, Scandinavia, and Italy above but only Scandinavia here.
    That's correct; added a bit to clarify. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:53, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Plan Moonrise, which covered it, was released When you say "released", do you mean internally or publicly?
    Internally. Added words to this effect. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:53, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • I'm curious, why did the plans call for so many nukes to be dropped on cities? Surely they had seen the devastation caused in Japan at the end of WWII? Why were they planning to drop potentially dozens of atomic bombs on one city?
    The damage to Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been studied. The map is instructive here: targets were identified as industrial, oil production and communications. It wasn't so much targeting cities per se as the industries in them. Hiroshima would have been a communications target and Nagasaki an industrial one. At Nagasaki, two industrial facilities were targeted with the one bomb. This thinking drove the acquisition of megaton bombs that could take out multiple facilities at once. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:53, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • 20 division Army, 143 wing Air Force and 402 ship Navy those are all compound adjectives and need a hyphen between the number and the noun.
    Hyphenated. (I thought I had done this.) Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:53, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • improved designs, with the X-Ray and Yoke tests having yield The ", with" construction is a poor way of joining a sentence, although it's the only one I spotted.
    Corrected plural. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:53, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • and ultimately that bet paid off While that's undoubtedly true, should that statement be in Wikipedia's voice or should we quote the source(s)?
    Switched to a quote. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:53, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

—Not much to pick at, really. A solid piece of work as usual! HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 16:10, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Thanks Harry. great to have you back. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:53, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I'm around, but real life keeps me busy so not as much as I used to be. Anyway, LGTM. Support. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 23:21, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support Comments from Z1720[edit]

I love twentieth-century history, but most of my knowledge is through the lens of Canadian history. Consider me a non-expert.

At some point the Canadians realised that nobody else was going to write Canadian military history, but I'm open to collaboration on 20th century topics. For my master's thesis my supervisor gave me a Canadian book and asked me to produce an Australian version. Which I did. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:29, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
That's basically the story of Canadian history: we realised that Americans and Brits are not going to write about our history, so we have to do it ourselves. If I start editing 20th century military history topics, I'll give you a shout (though I'm more interested in the political side of history). Z1720 (talk) 01:17, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Prose review: lede and background

Many of my comments involve removing words or tightening up the language. I suggest you conduct a copyedit for similar issues in the rest of the article.

  • "were formulated on a regular basis between 1945 and 1950" This feels very general, especially for an opening sentence. Were the plans being remade from the beginning every day? Were they being revised every six months? I want much more specific language in the opening sentence. Maybe something like "were constantly created and revised by the US government between 1945 and 1950."
    Changed to "formulated and revised". Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:29, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "they nonetheless would have served as the basis for action had a conflict occurred." Do you need nonetheless?
    It is a s useful bridge here. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:29, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "At no point was it considered likely that the Soviet Union or United States would resort to war, only that one could potentially occur as a result of a terrible miscalculation." Change to "It was considered unlikely that the Soviet Union or United States would resort to war, but one could potentially occur as a result of a strategic miscalculation" This tightens up the words and removes commentary/opinion that a war between the two countries would be terrible. (Just because I think it would be terrible doesn't mean everyone thought a war was terrible.)
    Deleted "terrible" Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:29, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Intelligence assessments of the Soviet Union's capabilities" whose intelligence assessments? American? This is important because the reader needs to know if this was the truth of the Soviet capabilities, or what the Americans thought was the Soviet capabilities. (or something else)
    Added "American". Linked "intelligence". The article points out that they were estimates. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:29, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "About 6.7 million casualties were anticipated, of whom 2.7 million would be killed." When I think of "casualty" I think of someone dying, so this sentence confused me. Maybe change the word to "injuries"?
    "Casualties" is a technical term. Linked. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:29, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Per MOS:BOLD, only the first occurrence of the title word or phrase should be bolded. Most of the bolded words in the body should be unbolded (especially when the word is the title of the section)
    MOS:BOLD: The most common use of boldface is to highlight the first occurrence of the article's title word or phrase in the lead section. This is also done at the first occurrence of a term (commonly a synonym in the lead) that redirects to the article or one of its subsections, whether the term appears in the lead or not. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:29, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I think you are correct that the word should be bolded in the body, per the above quote. My concern is that Pincher, Broiler, Halfmoon and Offtackle were bolded twice in the article: once in the lede and once in the body. I haven't seen this done in an article before, and I just skimmed some warfare FAs and didn't find an article that bolded a term twice. Should these terms be bolded in the lede? Z1720 (talk) 03:56, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Normally, the lead and the article are considered independent of each other, as it is the practice to use one of the other for various applications. I'll wait and see if someone else wants to weigh in on it. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 05:32, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    @SandyGeorgia: have I understood MOS:BOLD correctly? Hawkeye7 (discuss) 22:46, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Was the correct SandyGeorgia pinged here? Z1720 (talk) 17:40, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    OOps. I remember that she doesn't normally respond to pings. Will post a question on her talk page. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 19:02, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    I wouldn’t consider myself an authority on this, as I had a run-in myself regarding MOSBOLD with some MOS warriors in my own editing :). But ... MOS:BOLD also says (in the next sentence after those quoted) that this use is not a requirement, so it seems like we can choose to do whatever makes most sense. Most of our readers probably have no idea why we are bolding these words anyway, which would appear random to them if they don’t know about redirects, whether they are in the lead or anywhere else, so I’m not sure doing it elsewhere (twice) does them any good, so ... why do we bother? Maybe so we will remember to change it to a link should someone create that article and it is no longer a redirect? If that is unlikely to happen, I don’t see that we are helping either ourselves or the reader by having a bolded word show up in the middle of the article, making them wonder why ... not sure that answer helps at all, but I have kinda/sorta given up on keeping up with the vagaries of MOS. If it helps, I don’t recall ever seeing it done like this (twice), but I am not as active at FAC or FAR as I once was. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 20:48, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    What happened here was that there was originally separate articles for each war plan, but they were stubs. I changed them all to be redirects to this article. It's possible that they could be upgraded to real articles again, but given how long they remained as stubs, and the depth of coverage here, I wouldn't hold my breath. Accordingly, I have unboldened them in the body and left them bold only in the lead, which should satisfy the presumed requirement. Note the bit above where compliance with MOS:DTAB is requested. This is technical and tricky, and while I have complied, I fear that many editors would delete the table or not nominate at FAC at all if they had to conform. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 21:45, 28 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "While Britain would continue to be an important power, its position would be greatly diminished." Replace "would be" with "was".
    Changed as suggested. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:29, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Until then the Soviet Union would seek to avoid conflict, but for its own security it would attempt to control border states." Replace "would seek to avoid" with "avoided"
    That would be incorrect. This is a JCS forecast. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:29, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Even after demobilization though, the capabilities of the Soviet Union would be formidable." Remove though
    Deleted. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:29, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "During World War II, the United States had mobilized the largest armed forces in American history." Remove had
    Deleted. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:29, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "About 400,000 personnel were to remain in Europe on occupation duties," What is occupation duties? Reword or define.
    Linked. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:29, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "By the time of the surrender of Japan in August 1945, 581,000 Army personnel had been separated." Replace "By the time of" with "At"
    That makes no sense. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:29, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    The sentence would read, "At the surrender of Japan in August 1945, 581,000 Army personnel had been separated." In my writing, I always try to eliminate extra words and say things with as few words as possible. I don't think my suggestion changes the meaning of the sentence. Z1720 (talk) 03:56, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Maybe we have an ENGVAR issue. "At the surrender of Japan" makes no sense to me. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 05:32, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Of most interest were nuclear weapons and long range missiles." This sounds awkward because the noun is not at the beginning of the sentence. Change to "Their first concern was nuclear weapons and long range missiles" or something similar.
    Changed to "particularly" Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:29, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Bush did not think it was possible to build a missile like the German V-2 rocket of World War II, but with a range of 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km), and even if it were, it would still need overseas bases to reach the Soviet Union." Awkward phrasing. Change to "Bush was sceptical that a missile like the German V-2 rocket of World War II could be built, but if it was possible it would need overseas bases to reach the Soviet Union."
    Changed. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:29, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "he thought that they might be in ten to twenty years" A verb is missing after "be" (built? created?)
    Don't see the problem here, but tightened the wording. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 03:29, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I'll continue when these are addressed, so I do not overwhelm (and I can take a break.) Z1720 (talk) 23:35, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Added comments above to MOS:BOLD and "By the time of the surrender of Japan" bullet points. Z1720 (talk) 03:56, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Prose review: Pincher, Broiler, Halfmoon

  • "The plan did not specifically call for the use of nuclear weapons, although it noted that bases within Boeing B-29 Superfortress range of key targets were lacking.[12] At the time the B-29 was the USAAF's most advanced long-range bomber.[13]" As a non-military expert, I think these sentences imply that the B-29 would be used to deploy nuclear weapons. Is this the case? If so, this should be stated in the second sentence with something like "At the time the B-29 was the USAAF's most advanced long-range bomber and would be used to deploy nuclear weapons."
    As explained later on, not all B-29s were nuclear-capable, only Silverplated ones. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 22:46, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "The Air Force gradually became the major user of nuclear weapons" The word "user" here confuses me, as nuclear weapons were only used in 1945. Do you mean they were the major stockpiler, the organisation in charge, the branch with the most nuclear weapons ready to deploy, or something else?
    Custody of the nuclear stockpile was in the hands of the Atomic Energy Commission. Changed to "the agency most concerned with the delivery of nuclear weapons". The original use of "user" was correct in the military usage of the word; I have a habit of using words in their narrowest, most precise meanings. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 22:46, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "The Convair B-36 Peacemaker, with a range of 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km), was being introduced to service in 1948, but was not atomic capable." Remove being
    Changed to "in the process of being introduced to service". Deliveries began in August 1947, but due to the large number of bugs, the B-36 did not become operational for several years. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 22:46, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "One reason for this was the paucity of intelligence on the precise location" This is the first time I have heard of the word "paucity". Maybe change to scarcity?
    I think "wikt:paucity" is the right word here. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 22:46, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "Although Broiler was accepted as an emergency war plan, this did not mean that the Joint Chiefs liked it. On the contrary, all the chiefs had reservations about it." This can be shortened to "Although Broiler was accepted as an emergency war plan, all "the Joint Chiefs had reservations about it."
    Changed as suggested. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 22:46, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "mobilization plan called Cogwheel in a response to a request from the Secretary of Defense" Remove "a"
    Deleted. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 22:46, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I'll continue this later. Z1720 (talk) 18:54, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Prose - Offtackle and Outcome

  • "Although he recognized the reality that the Rhine could not be held with the available forces, he wanted a return to Western Europe at the earliest possible date." Suggested change to "He determined that the Rhine could not be held with the available forces but wanted a return to Western Europe at the earliest possible date."
    Changed as suggested. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 02:54, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • "and neither with the concluding ones, nor post-conflict issues." Replace "ones" with "stages"?
    Changed as suggested. Hawkeye7 (discuss)
  • "and sought a new directive; but in the end the Western" Remove "but" or replace the semi-colon with a comma.
    That would be grammatically incorrect. Deleted "but" instead
  • "In 1947 the United States European Command (EUCOM) had ordered the sole American division stationed in Europe," Remove "had"
    Deleted. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 02:54, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

This finishes my first prose check through this article. Z1720 (talk) 01:17, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

I added non-breaking spaces to the article for dates, which allows easier reading for users on a smaller screen (like a smartphone). This was taught to me by a member of the GOCE. If you do not like the changes, you can revert my edit.

After reading the article again, I support this nomination based on a prose review. Z1720 (talk) 16:22, 1 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from HAL[edit]

  • The third caption doesn't need a full stop.
    Deleted. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 23:27, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • (which included the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)) The parentheses within parentheses bugs me. Maybe turn into a parenthetical phrase with commas?
    Probably the double-parentheses. Changed as suggested. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 23:27, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • What is a points system?
    Added: "a system whereby soldiers were awarded points based for length of service, length of overseas service, children and decorations. Those with the highest scores had priority for separation from the Army." See here for more details. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 23:27, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Link heartland
    Linked. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 23:27, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Looks good. More comments later. ~ HAL333 20:08, 6 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • I would link AJ Savage in the caption as you did with the other aircraft.

Assuming you fix that, I'm happy to support. ~ HAL333 14:22, 9 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from Shotgunscoop[edit]

I'm still a beginner at doing formal reviewing, but I just wanted to note a confusing point(s) (may add more if I find any):

  • In the Pincher section, I think that it should be more clear that "This was a major barrier, but it was anticipated that it could not be held for long" was referring to the entirety of Western Europe and not just the Rhine. Shotgunscoop (talk) 19:54, 11 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Source review – Pass[edit]

Doing soon. Aza24 (talk) 00:06, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Formatting

Notes

  • No issues here

References

  • Borowski appears to be missing a publisher
    Added. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 04:58, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • New York, New York vs just New York inconsistency
    Standardised on "New York". Hawkeye7 (discuss) 04:58, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Are we sure Brahmstedt is the author for that ref?
    Yes. See the OCLC link. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 04:58, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Wondering about include the volume number in Poole and Schnabel; perhaps put it separately, like in Little? Condit and Knaack seem fine, as there is a subtitle with the volume number, in those cases. Feel free to disagree, this is just my initial reaction.
    Changed as suggested. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 04:58, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Reliability
  • No doubts here, all consistently high-quality sources
Verifiability
  • Not done, though the nominator is a prolific FAC participant, and I believe I have spot checked them in the past. Aza24 (talk) 01:05, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Pass for source review. Aza24 (talk) 05:25, 17 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Gog the Mild via FACBot (talk) 16 March 2021 [40].


1985 Tour de France[edit]

Nominator(s): Zwerg Nase (talk) 16:13, 6 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

This article is about the 72nd running of the Tour de France, the most prestigious cycle race in the world. It was promoted to Good Article last May. All comments are much appreciated! Zwerg Nase (talk) 16:13, 6 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments Support from Gerald Waldo Luis[edit]

Resolved comments from GeraldWL 02:21, 1 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • Suggest the addition of alt texts on images
Done.
  • Suggest archiving sources.
Will get to that later, Internet Archive is really lag for me at the moment.

Lead

  • Short descriptions must be started with capital letters.
Done (even though it is not yet showing up for me, these short descriptions are always weird).
Done.

Teams

Done.
  • Not familiar with the Tour de France, but why is a person referred to as a "team"? Sounds weird.
can you indicate where this happens? I read the section twice, and could not find what you refer to... --EdgeNavidad (Talk · Contribs) 15:47, 10 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Cannot really understand this point either... Zwerg Nase (talk) 18:57, 21 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
EdgeNavidad, it's at "The teams entering the race were". However the bulleted list are only people and not teams, as in "a group of people". GeraldWL 06:37, 27 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The only bulleted list I see there starts with "Renault-Elf", which is a redirect to "Renault (cycling team)". That is not a person, but definitely a team. The same goes for the other seventeen items in that bulleted list. Are you really talking about that list? --EdgeNavidad (Talk · Contribs) 08:44, 27 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Pre-race favourites

  • "had won the 1984 Tour de France" --> "had won the previous Tour de France".
Done.
  • "Panasonic–Raleigh" is linked in the second mention; should be linked in the first mention.
Done.

Route and stages

  • "Summit of the Col du Tourmalet, the highest point of elevation during this year's Tour"-- suggest changing "this year's" to "the 1985", as "this" may sound like "the current year" aka 2021.
Done.
  • Italicizing "en route" is not needed,
Done. Never sure which terms are covered and which aren't.
  • In the table's header, suggest switching positions of ref 38 and 30. Feel free to do this or not, I'm sure it's just my OCD triggered.
Done.

Race overview

  • Suggest making the display text of the second main article as "Stage 12 to Stage 22", as the prefix "1985 Tour de France" has been stated in the first main article.
Done.

I'll have more on this later. Currently writing something for Signpost, so am shifting simultaneously. GeraldWL 15:49, 8 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

@Gerald Waldo Luis: Have done most (waiting for the archive links). Looking forward to more comments! Zwerg Nase (talk) 18:57, 21 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Sorry for the long wait! I'll continue with a second round of comments.

  • "Rudy Matthijs (Hitachi–Splendor–Sunair) won the first stage from a bunch sprint"-- what does "bunch sprint" mean? Sorry, not a cycling guy.
Is wikilinking enough? I added one.
  • "Ángel Arroyo, second in the Tour of 1983" ----> "Ángel Arroyo, who won second place in 1983".
Done.
  • "Hinault however was bothered" ----> "Hinault, however, was bothered".
Done.

GeraldWL 06:35, 27 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

@Gerald Waldo Luis: Done these (I believe, see above). Zwerg Nase (talk) 18:30, 29 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Support Comments from Sportsfan77777[edit]

I'll get to this in the future... Sportsfan77777 (talk) 07:12, 10 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

@Sportsfan77777: Looking forward to your comments! Zwerg Nase (talk) 18:58, 21 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Here are the comments! Sportsfan77777 (talk) 04:53, 1 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Lead

  • Why the citation?
In accordance with MOS:LEADCITE, I added that citation since this statement is not repeated anywhere in the article and might be challenged.
  • but time bonuses saw the lead switch to Eric Vanderaerden after stage 1 ===>>> but lost the lead to Eric Vanderaerden after stage 1 because of time bonuses. (as is, it doesn't follow parallelism)
Done.
  • leading to a bronchitis ===>> leading to bronchitis
Done.
  • However, he was able to fight off ===>>> Nonetheless, he was able to fight off (two "However"s)
Done.
  • Clarify that Hinault had a large lead from stage 8 onwards.
Done.
  • For his assistance ===>>> For LeMond's assistance (unclear "his")
Done.
  • The above sentence sounds like it is contradictory with the previous one. Maybe be more specific with what happened with LeMond.
I cannot quite follow which sentence you mean?
Nonetheless, he was able to fight off challenges by teammate LeMond and Roche to win the race overall. For LeMond's assistance, Hinault publicly pledged to support LeMond for overall victory the following year. <<<=== These two sentences. Sportsfan77777 (talk) 08:11, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Sportsfan77777: Reworded.
  • Add the importance of the time trials in one of the first two paragraphs.
Done.
One more comment on that: decisive for its outcome ===>>> instrumental in Hinault's victory. (the grammar is not quite right) Sportsfan77777 (talk) 08:11, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Sportsfan77777: Mhh, I am not quite convinced. If I word it as "in Hinault's victory", that makes it sound that the change was made to specifically disadvantage Hinault (which he might have believed, but was certainly not the whole truth). Zwerg Nase (talk) 11:43, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Teams

  • Three Italian teams (Gis Gelati, Alpilatte–Olmo–Cierre, and Malvor–Bottecchia–Vaporella) withdrew ===>>> Because three Italian teams (Gis Gelati, Alpilatte–Olmo–Cierre, and Malvor–Bottecchia–Vaporella) withdrew, the Tour started (I don't like "so" as a transition word)
Done.
  • Each team had 10 cyclists, so the 1985 Tour ===>>> With 10 cyclists on each team, the 1985 Tour
Done.
  • The average age of riders in the race was 26.76 years ===>>> The riders in the race had an average age of 26.76 years (to make "ranging" work in the next clause)
Done.
  • who had won in 1980 <<<=== should be in parentheses
Done.
  • , as it was their fifteenth start in the race ===>>> by each starting in the race for their fifteenth time.
Done.
  • That one sentence could just be the last sentence of the first paragraph.
Done.

Favourites

  • as record winner of the Tour ===>> for the record number of Tour wins.
Done.
  • winning the road world championship ===>>> a win in the road world championship (to keep parallelism with the next clause)
Done.
  • The amount of individual time trials, a total of 159 km (99 mi), ===>>> Either "The number of individual time trials, totaling 159 km (99 mi)," OR "The amount of individual time trials, four stages totaling 159 km (99 mi)," OR "The length of the individual time trials, totaling 159 km (99 mi),"
Done.

Route

  • started in Brittany ===>>> started in Brittany in northwest France
Done.
  • Vosges and Jura ===>>> Vosges and Jura mountains
Done.
  • into the Alps ===>>> into the Alps for stages 11 through 13
Done.
  • to the Pyrenees ===>>> to the Pyrenees for stages 17 and 18 (again, check that?)
Reworded "for three high-mountain stages".

Opening stages

  • immediately, by <<<=== you don't need a comma
Done.
  • meaning that he was eliminated from the race before reaching the first stage proper, having missed the time limit ===>>> eliminating him from the race before reaching the first stage proper due to having missed the time limit.
Done.
  • highlighted the stage with a 205 km <<<=== "highlighted" doesn't sound right here
Reworded.
  • jersey, courtesy <<<=== you don't need a comma
Come.
  • now came from ===>>> came from
Done.
  • Manders left him ===>>> leaving him
That would make the sentence wrong, since then it would sound like van Vliet left Manders behind.
  • before the finish, as van Vliet ===>>> before the finish when van Vliet
Done.
  • Kelly and Vanderaerden had battled hard for the victory, with the latter pushing Kelly towards the barriers, who pushed back with his arm. ===>>> During the sprint, Kelly and Vanderaerden pushed against each other, forcing Kelly towards the barriers.
Done.
  • the race lead remained with Andersen. ===>>> while Andersen kept the race lead. (parallelism)
Done.
  • on stage 7 ===>>> into stage 7
Done.

Vosges

  • who had started two minutes ahead of him ===>>> who had started two minutes ahead of him,
Done.
  • proceeded to take another minute out of him ===>>> proceeded to gain another minute on him
Done.
  • was taken to hospital ===>>> was taken to the hospital
Done.
  • into second place <<<=== remove this
Done.

Alps

  • stage 11, with the first leg <<<=== you don't need a comma
Done.
  • he collected the points ===>>> Herrera collected the points
Done.
  • in between teammates ===>> between teammates (unless they were in-between some other teammates, haha)
Done.
  • Hinault driving up to Pelier <<<=== Is "driving" fair here? You mean on the bike, right?
Changed to "riding".
  • Weakened by his attacking riding style <<<=== Do you mean Hinault was unable to attack? (You can't attack on a time trial, right?)
I meant over the previous days, have clarified.

Transition

  • of Fagor ===>> (Fagor)
Done.
  • 15 km (9.3 mi) from the finish. ===>>> With 15 km (9.3 mi) from the finish,
Reworded.

Pyrenees

  • led to a bronchitis ===>>> led to bronchitis
Done.
  • He was therefore on the back foot <<<=== this is too informal. What does "back foot" mean here?
Changed to "weakened".
  • therefore, both cancelled each other out and allowed other riders to catch back up. ===>>> leading to both cancelling each other out and allowing other riders to catch back up.
Done.
  • he had to push his teammate ===>>> LeMond had to push his teammate
Done.

Finals

  • compared to 35.882 km/h ===>>> slightly faster than the 35.882 km/h
Done.

Leadership

  • changed for the 195 Tour <<<=== typo
Done.
  • for 25th placce <<<=== typo
Done. Must have been drunk when I wrote this section (but what does that say about the GA reviewer?)
  • The combination jersey for the combination classification was introduced in 1985 ===>>> The combination jersey for the combination classification was introduced in this year's Tour.
Done.
  • only points were awarded on intermediate sprints ===>>> only awarded points on intermediate sprints
Done.
  • from 3,2, and 1 points for the first three riders across during stages 1 to 5 to 12,8, and 4 points respectively during the last five stages <<<=== fix the two spacing issues
Done.
  • Who wore the green caps when La Vie Claire led both classifications? (Was it no one?)
Unfortunately, this sort of information is borderline impossible to come by. Even van den Akker, who did a tremendous job in collecting this sort of info, does not specify. If this classification was still around today, I would assume the second-placed team would wear them, but to be honest, if you look at the TV footage, even the team who did lead the classification did not wear those caps all the time back then, so maybe they didn't even bother... it's easier to enforce nowadays with helmets being compulsory.
Even stronger: Van den Akker explicitly says he does not know: Groene en gele petjes (green and yellow caps). --EdgeNavidad (Talk · Contribs) 12:13, 14 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@EdgeNavidad: I guess there is a "not" missing in your sentence? Since he clearly states that he doesn't know either. Zwerg Nase (talk) 11:49, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Good guess, fixed it. --EdgeNavidad (Talk · Contribs) 14:20, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • The split stages ===>>> The split stage 18
Done.
  • and the idea was scrapped the following year. ===>>> . The idea was scrapped the following year.
Done.
  • 120,000 Francs ===>>> 120,000 francs
Done.
  • Greg LeMond wore the technicolor jersey. <<<=== This isn't explained. Which one is the technicolor jersey? (It should be mentioned as the jersey for the combination classification above.) This also doesn't seem right? Why would this happen on Stage 21? What about the other stages where Kelly held two jerseys?
I have removed this altogether, since you are right, this should be noted for all the stages, but I cannot find the exact information on who wore the jerseys each day in place of somebody else. I guess somebody added this line because they saw LeMond in the jersey on the TV footage...
All (?) stages where somebody wore a jersey in place of somebody else are listed here. Not sure if this should be added, though, it is more a curiosity.
I'll try to add this information, but van den Akker's validity has been called into question in the source review, so we might have to wait how that turns out... Zwerg Nase (talk) 11:49, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Aftermath

  • His first Tour victory the following year did not come to LeMond as easily ===>>> LeMond's first Tour victory the following year did not come as easily
Done.
  • too easy, and made <<<=== you don't need a comma
Done.

Doping

  • Okay.

Overall

  • No major issues.
  • The lead is one of the only places I suggested adding content. Sportsfan77777 (talk) 04:53, 1 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

@Zwerg Nase: Just checking to see if you have addressed all of Sportsfan77777's comments? Gog the Mild (talk) 21:43, 10 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

@Gog the Mild: Now I have. @Sportsfan77777: I have adressed all points above, some mind need your eyes again. Zwerg Nase (talk) 17:34, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Supporting, but also see the two added comments on the lead. Also, I'd push for "22 stages and a prologue" (what you had originally) instead of "a prologue and 22 stages" as suggested below. Sportsfan77777 (talk) 08:11, 12 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Image review[edit]

  • Suggest adding alt text
  • File:Bernard_Hinault_(1982).jpg: don't see the given licensing at the cited source. Nikkimaria (talk) 22:03, 9 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Nikkimaria: The license is given in the original image here, which links to here, where the Creative Commons licence is under "Auteursrechthebbende". Why the cropped image has CC 3.0 instead of CC 1.0 of the original, I do not know. I am not an expert on those licences unfortunately, so I am not sure if there is anything wrong with that. Zwerg Nase (talk) 13:15, 11 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The larger issue is the source image has different licensing conditions (CC0) than the image here (CC BY-SA). Nikkimaria (talk) 13:54, 11 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Nikkimaria: Yeah, that's what I meant, but I am unsure what one can do about it? Can I just change the licence in the cropped image? Or do I have to use the original? Zwerg Nase (talk) 09:06, 15 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Unless there's a specific reason why the cropped image is different, then yes, you can change it. Nikkimaria (talk) 13:05, 15 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Nikkimaria: Have changed the licence, I hope it's OK now? Zwerg Nase (talk) 09:15, 20 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Yes. Nikkimaria (talk) 13:54, 20 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]


Coordinator note[edit]

This has been open for more than three weeks and has yet to pick up a support. Unless it attracts considerable further attention over the next four or five days I am afraid that it will have to be archived. Gog the Mild (talk) 16:15, 31 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Gog the Mild, I have given my support to this article. One of the many unfortunate nominations that did not manage to attract as much editors. It's a quality article, so I hope more editors look through this. GeraldWL 02:22, 1 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thanks Gerald Waldo Luis. I'll add it to Urgents and see if that stirs up any interest. Gog the Mild (talk) 13:08, 2 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Gog the Mild, I have also given support conditional to the sources being verified (I couldn't work out if they already have or not). HumanBodyPiloter5 (talk) 21:00, 10 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Accessibility review[edit]

  • The final standings legend table is missing a caption and row scopes, and the table in the aftermath section is missing column scopes a caption. Heartfox (talk) 01:32, 8 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Heartfox: Well, for the legend table, have moved the header into the caption, however, I don't really know where to put the scopes, since the table does not really have any rows and columns? For the table in the aftermath section, have added col scopes and a caption. Zwerg Nase (talk) 09:09, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
The jerseys may need to be moved into one column so there can be clear headers. Heartfox (talk) 19:40, 25 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Heartfox: Have used headers to include the col scopes. Hope this is sufficient? I am sorry for being a bit of an idiot here, tables are my least favourite part of Wikipedia... Zwerg Nase (talk) 11:53, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Comments from HumanBodyPiloter5[edit]

Mostly taking the sources given on good faith as I read through this. Obviously if they haven't already been reviewed by somebody then they would need to be.

  • The infobox is quite wide and sandwiches text in the lead awkwardly on my screen. I don't know how much can be done about this or what standards exist regarding related articles, but it is something to consider.
It looks OK on my computer and to be honest, I have no idea how I would change it...
  • Is noting a cyclist's team in brackets in prose a standard when writing about road cycling? It took me a couple of moments to realise that this was the significance of the terms in brackets after the competitors names, and to someone who doesn't know that road cycling is a team sport it could prove difficult to parse.
So far, this has been standard in all cycling articles I've seen (at least the higher quality ones).
Personally I would suggest using the phrasing "Rider Cyclistsson (riding for the Organisation McOrganisationface team)" for the first rider who is mentioned and then just sticking to "Cyclist McRider (Operation Society)" for all the others in order to get a balance between clarity and conciseness. HumanBodyPiloter5 (talk) 18:06, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@HumanBodyPiloter5: Done.
  • The lead mentions that there were "22 stages and a prologue"; would it make more sense to say "a prologue and 22 stages" since the prologue came first?
Done.
  • Remaining with the lead and still regarding the prologue, it may be worthwhile to provide some brief indication of the significance of the prologue relative to the other stages in the lead. A link to the individual time trial article from the word prologue would likely suffice.
Done.
  • Is there a reason why "Fabio Parra (Varta–Café de Colombia–Mavic) was the best rider who rode for the first time" is the exact wording used or could something more concise like "the best debutant" or "the best rookie" be used?
Done.
  • This source: "Record-aantal ploegen in Tour" Koninklijke Bibliotheek Nieuwsblad van het Noorden (15 June 1985) page 23" seems to go to a dead link.
I will have to come back to this, apparently Kranter has removed the paper from their library. Shame.
@HumanBodyPiloter5: OK, so I have scratched that statement alltogether since I found a newspaper article from the same date (15 June 1985) were the 18 teams were already announced, so that was a bit misguided anyway. I've also therefore scratched the part about the three Italian teams.
  • I assume that the part saying "Since three Italian teams (Gis Gelati, Alpilatte–Olmo–Cierre, and Malvor–Bottecchia–Vaporella) withdrew" is referring to three teams mentioned in the preceeding source which seems to be a dead link. Is there a particular significance to these teams being Italian relating to their withdrawal or is it just a coincidence?
See above.
  • Is "which would draw him level with Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx for the record number of Tour wins" referencing Tour de France wins or Grand Tour wins?
Clarified.
  • How does Philippa York prefer to be referred to in the past tense? If she hasn't said that she prefers to be refered to under her former public-facing identity in the past tense I would use her current identity.
I have so far not found an indication over how she wants to be spoken of when talking about the time when she was known as Millar. My reasoning was that for people familiar with cyling in the 80s, they might not be aware of her transition, so I have included the former name to avoid confusion and added the note to make it clear. I guess there can be different views on this, but since the sources on the topic all refer to her as "Robert Millar", I would argue that for her in the 80s, that is the WP:COMMONNAME.
  • "Ángel Arroyo ... abandoned"?
Yes?
I would recommend rephrasing this to say that Arroyo "abandoned the stage" or "abandoned the tour" for clarity. HumanBodyPiloter5 (talk) 17:56, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Clarified.
  • Does the team time trial have any influence on the individual classifications?
  • Were Kelly and Vanderaerden relegated to the back of the field for the stage results or in the overall classification?
Just the actual field. Not even the stage result in general, but the field that they were in when they crossed the line. Whoever arrived later, seperate from the main pack, was still behind them.
That would make far more sense as a penalty. I would suggest changing the wording to say "their group" rather than "field" as the latter term is suggestive of the phrase "(x number) of teams fielded an entry", hence the confusion. HumanBodyPiloter5 (talk) 18:32, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Done.
  • I understand that the section titled "Vosges and Jura" is referring to the mountain ranges which were mentioned earlier in the article, and that presumably these stages took place in those regions, but reading through the article this heading stuck out as a little vague in its subject matter relative to the prose it contains.
The reason why I chose those quite generic descriptions was because I wanted to avoid editorializing, which basically every header containing the actual events in the race would mean... at least that is how I feel like.
  • The footnote explains about how Dietrich Thurau believed that Raymond Trine held a grudge against him, and while most of the information contained within that footnote is better suited to an explanatory footnote than the main prose, I think a few words mentioning that there was some sort of existing rancour may be suitable in the main prose.
Since the other altercations between the two are not strictly relevant to the 1985 Tour, I would prefer to leave them in the footnote.
  • A brief explanation or a suitable link explaining what a "categorised climb" is at first mention would probably be a good idea.
Will get back to this when rearranging the classifications section.
  • Is "led to a bronchitis" the normal wording? I'm no medical expert so I don't want to comment too much about this sort of thing.
Doing a quick Google search "leading to [illness]" seems quite common in English?
  • Is there a reason Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx have their full names used twice in the main body?
Done.
  • The explanation of the different classifications comes quite late in the article. I haven't found this to be a problem, but someone with no background knowledge may find it a little harder to parse. Not a particularly serious issue though, as the table of contents will presumably help anyone who's truly stuck.
Will be adressed. See comments by TRM. Zwerg Nase (talk) 12:23, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Other than a few small concerns raised above, I would support this article for featured article status, provided all of the citations have been/will be verified appropriately by someone with the means or the time. A very high quality read for the most part.

HumanBodyPiloter5 (talk) 20:51, 10 February 2021 (UTC)HumanBodyPiloter5 (talk) 20:52, 10 February 2021 (UTC)HumanBodyPiloter5 (talk) 20:57, 10 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Some replies, more to follow. Zwerg Nase (talk) 17:46, 11 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Apart from the classifications section, which will need a complete new look considering the comments raised below, I think I have adressed everything from your side :) Zwerg Nase (talk) 12:23, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Thank you. Sorry I have only gotten back now. Good luck with the rest of the review! Things are looking good! HumanBodyPiloter5 (talk) 22:58, 7 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Source review[edit]

Doing now. Aza24 (talk) 02:20, 15 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

  • A note, you seem to have missed the accessibility review further up in the page
    • If this is done than a caption can be added to the Aftermath table and ref 138 could be moved next to it like the other tables
Done.
  • Wondering if it's possible to include the information cited in the first sentence in the body text so the ref can be removed
Hmm, it doesn't really fit in the article body. Doesn't seem like a dealbreaker to me, all TdF FAs so far have the same format, I believe, with that statement in the lead only. Zwerg Nase (talk) 11:24, 8 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Fine by me, just thought I'd check
Formatting

Bibliography

  • Why sometimes include the country as location and sometimes not? Needs to be consistent
Done.

References

  • Refs 4, 38, 74 missing |trans-title= that the others have
There were a couple of those, I think I have done all now.
  • ref 35 missing retrieval date
Done.
  • I'm confused by your use of retrieval dates, you're inconsistent with including them for refs via Delpher (e.g. ref 29 vs ref 66) and inconsistent with refs via Newspapers.com. (e.g. ref 62 vs 58). Either always include them or don't at all, just needs to be consistent—I would think it's better to include though
Reliability
  • What makes van den Akker, Pieter a high-quality reliable source if it's self-published? How is there credibility or oversight here?
(Not the nominator): I asked the Tour-taskforce for input on why Van den Akker (and McGann, publisher mentioned on WP:SPSLIST) are reliable. --EdgeNavidad (Talk · Contribs) 10:24, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Aza24 and EdgeNavidad: In the end, the oversight comes from me and other editors who decide to use it as a source and check the contents. I, being quite knowledgable myself in the field of road cycling, if I dare say so, have found only minor errors in van den Akker's work (a lot less I might add than in books by highly-rated journalists!). And on top of that, I was able to write an email to Mr. van den Akker and he has promised to remove them and add some more information that I provided (with sources) to subsequent editions. Also, van den Akker does give a whole list of sources which he uses for the information he gathers. I would find it a travesty if his book should be excluded as a reliable source simply because he self-published it. That does not make a source unreliable. It might make it questionable, but that question can be answered by taking a thorough look at the source. If he were to be removed from this and all other Tour de France articles, a lot of information would be a lot harder to come by, since we would go through the years-long process that Mr van den Akker has, in great detail and thoroughness, done for us already. Zwerg Nase (talk) 12:32, 27 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I'll get back to you on this—asking another person who regularly does source reviews. Aza24 (talk) 01:26, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Zwerg Nase, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's not looking good for the van der Akker source. At FAC the sourcing standards are very high (see 1c. at WP:FACRITERIA), more so than WP:GAN and WP:FLC; the self publish part by a non-subject matter author is almost certainly a no-go. I discussed this with a user who also does source reviews at FAC, she recommends seeing if van der Akker has any publications in Dutch that could prove he is a Subject-matter expert, otherwise, the source will have to be replaced. Aza24 (talk) 05:56, 14 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
It's a statistical compilation. Van den Akker is a subject-matter expert by virtue of how they have compiled the material, which they have explained in detail. Sportsfan77777 (talk) 06:51, 14 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
How they compiled the material alone doesn't qualify them as a subject-matter expert under WP:SELFPUB. Nikkimaria (talk) 14:58, 14 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
@Aza24 and Sportsfan77777: To be perfectly honest, if this source cannot pass, then I am afraid I will abandon this review and the article will not get promoted. Van den Akker does so much work which is vital to many cycling articles I have dealt with in the past. I had assumed that apart from the strict formal guidelines that Wikipedia has on reliable sources, there would still be leeway for the editors to judge sources on their merit and not just judging a "book by its cover" as they say. I could give you hundreds of examples of books written by journalists and the like, which would have no problem passing the formal requirements for a reliable source, but they prove unreliable in places when you take a closer look. Wikipedia expects me as an editor to catch those mistakes and prevent them from entering the articles. But apparently, I am not allowed to do the opposite and determine that a source is reliable even if it is self-published. I cannot comprehend that and am very unwilling to accept it. One more note: 1989 Tour de France passed its FA review and was even Featured Article of the Day, with van den Akker as a source. Zwerg Nase (talk) 11:03, 15 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
An afterthought: If this is him (I am not sure he is, but I can ask him), then he apparently is a sports journalist. If that counts for something... Zwerg Nase (talk) 11:07, 15 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
  • what makes CVCCBike.com a high-quality reliable source?
(Not the nominator): I think CVCCBike.com can just be removed as source; it does not give any info that is not given in other sources. When I added this source [in 2011], those other sources did not exist yet.--EdgeNavidad (Talk · Contribs) 10:24, 26 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I've done so (perhaps boldly) Aza24 (talk) 01:26, 12 March 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Verifiability
  • I don't really understand linking to the google books, almost all of them don't have a preview available or open access
    Aza24, just to comment. I don't think paywall means the GBooks links are not sufficient. Adding a url-access parameter with "subscription" would rest the case. GeraldWL 12:35, 23 February 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]
    Gerald Waldo Luis, afaik google books does not offer subscriptions; sometimes you can purchase the book, most of the time it's just a preview. The latter is why if you go to "Get the book" it's just links to external websites (and not a link to buying it from google, which if available would surely be the first option!). Aza24 (