User:Rfl/Old

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Penrose Tribar
Penrose Tribar

Rafał Pocztarski[edit]

Administrator of the English Wikipedia since 2004 (original nomination)

My Contributions: All · Articles · Talk · User talk · Wiki · Wiki talk · Page Deletions · Current rights

Quick links[edit]

Administration[edit]

I am proud to announce that I have been nominated by Quadell to become a Wikipedia administrator on December 3, 2004. The voting ended on December 10, 2004 with the result of 12 Support votes by: Quadell, jni, 172, JOHN COLLISON, M7it, Dittaeva, Grunt, Lst27, GeneralPatton, Andre, RedWordSmith and ffirehorse. There were no Oppose and no Neutral votes. I have been promoted by Cecropia. Now I am also an administrator on Wikimedia Commons. Having one Support vote by Quadell, no Oppose and no Neutral votes, I was promoted by villy on December 20, 2004.

If you have any opinion, positive or negative, about my administration-related contributions—mostly reverting anonymous vandalism, protecting pages and posting comments to vandals in their IP talk pages—please post a comment on my talk page.

My contributions: all · articles (look for reverts) · user talk (look for IPs) · deletions

In the news[edit]

Current events: Sunday · May 26, 2024 · 17:25 UTC

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in 2023
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian
Ongoing:

Selected anniversaries

May 26: National Sorry Day in Australia; Independence Day in Georgia (1918), Lag BaOmer (Judaism, 2024)

Damage to the Interstate 40 bridge
Damage to the Interstate 40 bridge
More anniversaries:

Links[edit]

Featured articles[edit]

Featured articles · candidates · collaboration of the week

May 26[edit]

Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin

"The Day Before the Revolution" is a science fiction short story by American writer Ursula K. Le Guin (pictured). First published in Galaxy in August 1974, it was republished in Le Guin's The Wind's Twelve Quarters (1975). Set in her fictional Hainish universe, the story has strong connections to her novel The Dispossessed (also 1974), and is sometimes referred to as a prologue to the novel. The story follows Odo, an aging anarchist, who over the course of a day relives memories of her life as an activist as she learns of plans for a general strike the next day. The strike is implied to be the start of the revolt leading to the idealized anarchist society based on Odo's teachings depicted in the novel. The story was critically well-received. It won the Nebula and Locus Awards for Best Short Story in 1975, and was also nominated for a Hugo Award. Multiple scholars commented that it represented a shift in Le Guin's writing toward non-linear narrative structures and works infused with feminism. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

April 26[edit]

The cover of the official report of the 1896 Summer Olympics

The 1896 Summer Olympics were the first modern celebration of the Olympic Games, after the Ancient Olympic Games had been cancelled by Roman emperor Theodosius I in AD 393. At a 1894 congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin in Paris, the International Olympic Committee was established, and the Greek capital of Athens was appointed as the host city of the first modern Olympics. The Greeks had little experience with organizing sports events, and initially had financial troubles as well, but managed to have everything ready in time. Although the number of participating athletes was low by today's standards, it had the largest international participation for any sports event to that date. The athletic highlight for the Greeks was the marathon victory by their compatriot Spiridon Louis. The most successful competitor in terms of victories was German wrestler and gymnast Carl Schuhmann. Barring the so-called Intercalated Games of 1906, the Olympics did not return to Greece until the 2004 Summer Olympics. (more...)

Recently featured: Hydrochloric acid – Diego Velázquez – Canadian Pacific Railway

March 26[edit]

Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that infects the mucus lining of the human stomach. Many peptic ulcers and some types of gastritis are caused by H. pylori infection, although most humans who are infected will never develop symptoms. The bacterium lives in the human stomach exclusively and is the only known organism that can thrive in that highly acidic environment. It is helix shaped (hence the name helicobacter) and can literally screw itself into the stomach lining to colonize it. In 1875, German scientists found the bacteria in the lining of the human stomach, although the results were forgotten. The bacterium was rediscovered in 1982 by two Australian scientists Robin Warren and Barry Marshall, who isolated and cultured organisms from mucosal specimens from human stomachs. In their original paper, Warren and Marshall contended that most stomach ulcers and gastritis were caused by colonization with this bacterium, not by stress or spicy food as had been assumed before. The medical community was slow to recognize the role of this bacterium in stomach ulcers and gastritis, but in 1994, the National Institutes of Health published an opinion stating that most recurrent gastric ulcers were caused by H. pylori, and recommended that antibiotics be included in the treatment regimen. (more...)

Recently featured: Military history of the Soviet Union – History of the Yosemite area – Pioneer Zephyr

February 26[edit]

Women displayed by LRA fighting line up to draw water from a borehole
Women displayed by LRA fighting line up to draw water from a borehole

The Lord's Resistance Army is a rebel paramilitary group operating in northern Uganda, and as of February 2005 is engaged in an armed conflict against the Ugandan government. It is led by Joseph Kony, who proclaims himself a spirit medium and apparently wishes to establish a state based on his unique interpretation of Biblical millenarianism. The rebels have been accused of many atrocities in the area. It is estimated that around 20,000 children have been kidnapped by the group since 1987 for use as as soldiers and sex slaves. LRA practices such as mutilation, enforced prostitution and enlisting children under the age of 15 into armed groups are war crimes. The group abducts its members primarily from the Acholi people, but it lacks widespread support among the Acholis, who have been the victims of many of its tactics. The insurgency has been mainly contained to the region known as Acholiland, consisting of the districts of Kitgum, Gulu, and Pader, though since 2002 violence has overflowed into other districts, including Lira, Apac and Adjumani. (more...)

Recently featured: John Vanbrugh – Sidney McMath – Big Bang

January 26[edit]

Battle Between the Monitor and Merrimac, by Kurz and Allison
Battle Between the Monitor and Merrimac, by Kurz and Allison

The Battle of Hampton Roads was a naval battle of the American Civil War, taking place from March 8, 1862 to March 9, 1862, off Sewell's Point, a narrow place near the mouth of Hampton Roads, Virginia. As the war started, Union forces evacuating Norfolk burned the ships left behind. One was raised by the Confederates, renamed the CSS Virginia, and plated with iron—making it the first modern ironclad warship. On March 8, 1862, it sailed into Hampton Roads off Sewell's Point to challenge the blockading Union ships there, destroying several of them. The next day, it was engaged by the USS Monitor, a newly built Union ironclad. Although the battle itself was inconclusive, it is chiefly significant in naval history as the first battle between two powered ironclad warships, which came to be known as ironclads. Prior to then, warships were made primarily of wood. After the battle, ships and naval warfare changed dramatically, as nations around the world raced to convert their fleets to iron. (more...)

Recently featured: Hip hop music – Witold Pilecki – Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius

December 26[edit]

British infantry advancing near Ginchy
British infantry advancing near Ginchy

The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of World War I, with more than one million casualties. The British and French forces attempted to break through the German lines along a 25 mile (40 km) front north and south of the River Somme in northern France. One purpose of the battle was to draw German forces away from the battle of Verdun; however, by its end the losses on the Somme had exceeded those at Verdun. The battle is best remembered for its first day, July 1, 1916, on which the British suffered 57,470 casualties, making it the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. As horrific as the battle of the Somme is in British memory, it also had a staggering impact on the German army; one officer famously describing it as "the muddy grave of the German field army." By the end of the battle the British had learnt many lessons in modern warfare while the Germans had suffered irreparable losses. (more...)

Recently featured: Shroud of Turin – Homo floresiensis – Duran Duran

November 26[edit]

Athanasius Kircher
Athanasius Kircher

Athanasius Kircher was a German Jesuit scholar who published around 40 works in the 17th century, most in the fields of oriental studies, geology and medicine. He made an early study of Egyptian hieroglyphs. He was ahead of his time in proposing that the plague was caused by an infectious microorganism and in suggesting effective measures to prevent the spread of the disease. A scientific star in his day, towards the end of his life he was eclipsed by the rationalism of René Descartes and others. In the late 20th century, however, the aesthetic qualities of his work have again begun to be appreciated. He has been described by one scholar, Edward Schmidt, as "the last Renaissance man." (more...)

Recently featured: English poetry – History of Buddhism – William I of Orange

October 26[edit]

The term race is used in a wide variety of contexts, with related but often distinct meanings. Its use is often controversial, largely because of the political and sociological implications of different definitions, but also because of disagreements over such issues as whether humans can be meaningfully divided into multiple races. In biology, some use race to mean a division within a species, synonymous with subspecies or variety. Race serves to group members of a species that have, for a period of time, become geographically or genetically isolated from other members of that species, and as a result have diverged genetically and developed certain shared characteristics that differentiate them from the others. Some biologists feel that in this usage we may justifiably speak of dividing Homo sapiens into races. Others, however, assert that in humans there is in fact insufficient categorical variation to justify the classification of humans into multiple races in a strictly biological sense. Many social scientists therefore view race as a social construct, and have sought to understand it as such. (more...)

Recently featured: Karl Dönitz – Casablanca – Crime fiction

September 26[edit]

A healthy 12-year-old mixed-breed dog
A healthy 12-year-old mixed-breed dog

A mixed-breed dog (also called a mutt or mongrel) is a dog that is a mixture of two or more breeds. Mixed-breed dogs vary in size, shape, and color, making them hard to classify physically, but some colors are more common than others. With each generation of mixing, the offspring move closer to the genetic norm. Dogs that are descended from many generations of mixes are typically light brown or black and weigh about 18 kg (40 lbs). The theory of hybrid vigor suggests that dogs of mixed ancestry will be healthier than their purebred counterparts. In some cases this might be true, because inbreeding among purebreds has made some breeds prone to various genetic health problems. Historically, dog shows and dog sports excluded mixed-breed dogs from competition. While this tradition is changing, some sports still remain open only to one breed of dog, such as greyhound racing. (more...)

Recently featured: Du Fu – Ackermann function – Black hole

September 6[edit]

Polish boy scouts fighting in the uprising
Polish boy scouts fighting in the uprising

The Warsaw Uprising was an armed struggle during the Second World War by the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) to liberate Warsaw from German occupation and Nazi rule. It started on August 1, 1944 as a part of a nationwide uprising, Operation Tempest. The Polish troops resisted the German-led forces until October 2. An estimated 85% of the city was destroyed during the urban guerrilla war and after the end of hostilities. The Uprising started at a crucial point in the war as the Soviet army was approaching Warsaw. Although the Soviet army was within a few hundred metres of the city from September 16 onward, the link between the uprising and the advancing army was never made. This failure and the reasons behind it have been a matter of controversy ever since. (more...)

Recently featured: Anno Domini – PaX – Behistun Inscription

August 26[edit]

Alfréd Hajós is one of only two Olympians to have won medals in both sport and art competitions

Art competitions were held from 1912 to 1948 at the Olympic Games. The competitions were an idea of Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Movement. Medals were awarded in five areas: architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture, to works of art inspired by sport. The art competitions were abandoned in 1954 because artists were contended to be professionals, while Olympic athletes were required to be amateurs. Since 1956, the Olympic cultural programme has taken the place of the art competitions. (more...)

Recently featured: Tuberculosis – Cold fusion – Humphrey Bogart

July 26[edit]

The 1453 Siege of Constantinople
The 1453 Siege of Constantinople

A siege is a prolonged military assault on and blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition. A siege occurs when an attacker encounters a city or fortress that refuses to surrender and cannot be easily taken by a frontal assault. Sieges usually involve surrounding the target and blocking the provision of supplies, typically coupled with artillery bombardment, sapping and mining to reduce fortifications. Sieges are as old as warfare itself, with towns in the Middle East from the dawn of civilization having defensive walls. However, with the advent of mobile warfare, one single fortified stronghold is no longer as decisive as it once was. (more...)

Recently featured: Lollapalooza – Galileo Galilei – 1993 Russian constitutional crisis

June 26[edit]

A heavy metal umlaut is an umlaut over some of the letters in the names of a heavy metal band—although the names will then sound very silly to people who use languages in which umlauts are common, such as German, Turkish or Swedish. Umlauts are often used in concert with a Blackletter or pseudo-Blackletter typeface in the band logo to give it a more gothic feel. The original use of gratuitous diacritical marks appears to have been by the Blue Öyster Cult in 1971; Motörhead and Mötley Crüe then followed. Spoof band Spinal Tap parodied the idea still further in 1982 by putting the umlaut over the letter n, which does not belong to any standard character set. (more...)

Recently featured: Greek mythology – Billboard – History of computing hardware

May 26[edit]

Single malt Scotch is a type of Scotch whisky, distilled by a single distillery, using malted barley as the only grain ingredient. This is in contrast to blended whisky, which consists of a mixture of single malt whiskies and whiskies derived from other grains. All single malt Scotch must be produced using a pot still, and be distilled, aged, and bottled in Scotland. (more...)

Recently featured: British East India Company – Rembrandt van Rijn – Enclave

April 26[edit]

Taiwan presidential election results
Taiwan presidential election results

The 2004 Taiwanese presidential election was held on March 20, 2004. President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu of the Democratic Progressive Party were re-elected by a margin of less than 0.25% of valid votes over a combined opposition ticket of Nationalist Party Chairman Lien Chan and People First Party Chairman James Soong. Lien and Soong refused to concede and unsuccessfully challenged the results. (more...)

Recently featured: Assassin – Hinduism – DOOM

March 26[edit]

The first page of Beowulf
The first page of Beowulf

Medieval literature encompasses essentially all written works available in Europe during the Middle Ages (roughly from the fall of the Western Roman Empire ca. 500 AD to the beginning of the Florentine Renaissance in the late 15th century). The literature of this time period varies wildly, from the utterly sacred to the exuberantly profane (touching all points in-between), which is only fitting for a millennium in which European life circled around the muck and mire of the fields, the gore of the battlefield, and the quiet removal of monasteries and cathedrals. (more...)

Recently featured: Gough Whitlam - Summer Olympic Games - Attack on Pearl Harbor

Featured pictures[edit]

Featured pictures · visible · candidates

I just saw the Mandelbrot set above generated by Evercat as Picture of the day for September 2, 2004 (see the archive) which inspired me to uploading three pictures of my own. They will be located below just next to the Picture of the day template so if anyone asks me whether my pictures had ever been Picture of the day, I’ll be able to say: “No, but they were really close.”

Calm Mandelbrot Cool Mandelbrot Hot Mandelbrot Shot Mandelbrot

See also: other pictures I have contributed to Wikipedia.

Wikipedia is written by volunteer editors and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts a range of other volunteer projects:

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