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Talk:Instrumental variables estimation

It looks like hoax
This is fake technology. It is possible to improve result of least squares technique by projection matrix and it is elementary. The founding fathers of the method exploit elementary algebraic trick and pretend that they bring to science something new and powerful. Look, what we have

 * $$ y = X \beta + e $$

They use obscure notations. In linear algebra matrices are denoted by upper case letters and vectors by lower case. Bold font is used for matrices and vectors and regular for scalars. Indexes on vectors or matrices means an iteration for entire matrix or vector, when speaking about components, people use brackets []. Following this convention, everything becomes clear. We don't have scalars in this explanation, so we use same font. The unobserved vector error $$e$$ is correlated with known vector $$y$$ or with columns of $$X$$ or both, so usage of classical least squares gives biased estimation for $$\beta$$. The only thing that they actually do is a substitution of matrix $$X$$ by sum of two matrices of the same size

 * $$ X = N + Z$$

We can do that, of course. Why not? And we can choose $$Z$$, such that product of $$Z^T$$ and error $$e$$ is less correlated with vector $$y$$ compared to $$e$$. The error is not known but can be assumed. Now we plug second expression into first one and have

 * $$ y = N\beta + Z\beta + e$$

Next step is multiplication of both parts from left by $$Z^T$$ and that operation suppose to reduce error or make it less correlated with $$y$$. Next is multiplication by inverse $$(Z^T Z)^{-1}$$ (assuming it exists) and by $$Z$$ again. These cofactors form projection matrix $$P$$. Taking into consideration that $$P = P*P$$, we can multiply both parts by projection again, and come back to slightly modified original equation

 * $$ P y = P X \beta $$

The sum of $$N + Z$$ is replaced back by $$X$$. The error is assumed filtered or reduced. The rest is obvious. So the method is an error filtering based on assumed properties of the error, conducted by introducing filter matrix $$Z$$ and using it for constructing projection matrix. Construction of projection matrix $$P$$ does not require existence of inverse for $$(Z^T Z)$$, it can be done anyway. The founding fathers of the method blow its significance out of proportions by introducing the new terminology and obscure explanation with violation of standard notations, so readers can't understand what is going on. Read questions that people have. Matrix $$Z$$ is not instruments, it is filter for error vector. The improvement of result depends on luck with how $$Z$$ is constructed. Most of the time the improvement is very insignificant. Now it becomes clear why columns of matrix $$Z$$ should be correlated with columns of $$X$$ and not correlated with error. Since error is correlated with $$X$$ and not known, it is very challenging to make such $$Z$$ and this explains why it only can give slight improvement of result. If matrix $$Z$$ is not correlated with $$X$$ the projection built on it may kill the solution, that means bring even higher error into equation by reducing its rank. But insignificant improvement is, of course, possible.

Now imagine founding fathers of the method presented their concept in this clear and simple form. They would be that respected, honored and cited.

I can add how to make projection matrix in a quick and simple way when matrix $$Z$$ is degenerate (not full rank). It is known since 1971 (A.Bjorck, C. Bowie, SIAM Journal). Divide $$Z$$ by its Euclidian norm (sum of squares) and apply iterations as

 * $$ Z_{i+1} = 1.5 Z_i - 0.5 Z_i Z_i^T Z_i $$

When matrix stop changing it is ready. $$ P = Z_n Z_n^T $$. You don't need to compute $$P$$. Multiply system by $$Z_n^T$$ and then by $$Z_n$$, new system will have better estimate for $$\beta$$ if $$Z$$ is properly selected.

Isn't that simple? It is idea on the student's level purposely made looking complicated and revolutionary, laughable. Use it as lesson, always be critical. Some researchers believe that multiplication by projection matrix is modification of data and should not be applied. That is debatable. If $$P$$ is full rank matrix, it can't change the solution if your data is valid, and only filters the error. This is why 2SLS needs this justification for introduction of $$Z$$. It is so-called additional information, which is very stupid argument. If you have any information, it should be used to identify model in the first place, not applied when your identification failed miserably. Normally, all known information is included into model and no other information can be obtained.

Better and more examples needed
It's great that an example is provided, but it is not very clear and does help someone who is still learning about econometrics to understand this topic. Improving this example and adding others would be great. Thanks! ChelseaH (talk) 06:55, 4 April 2009 (UTC)

I agree, the effect of tobacco tax rates on smoking isn't clear to me. So i'm left guessing what they mean by tax rates, is it the countrys tobacco tax income? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.233.233.166 (talk) 18:28, 25 May 2009 (UTC)

The example that is provided is highly problematic, tobacco tax rate CANNOT be considered to act on health only through tobacco consumption...because...increased tobacco tax rates pushes consumption into higher income brackets. In turn higher income has been universally observed to be a protective health factor. In essence a higher tobacco tax rate selects for a population with better determinants of health.

?
I think it would be a good idea to combine the two pages, as they are on the same topic, altho one is a simple algebraic derivation of the IV estimator and the other is a more discursive presentation of the purposes and assumptions underpinning IV estimation. The two pages are quite complementary.

I agree, merge them. SCB

- There is an important subtlety that is missing from the discussion, and is even often missing in texts. OLS still provides an excellent predictor of response under the current data generating process (DGP). In other words, if I know market price and I want to predict market quantity, OLS does a fine job. On the other hand, if I want to recover the structural equations, supply and demand, I need 'IV'. That allows me to predict quantity given an exogenous shock to price, such as a tax. So, when we say a consistent estimator, it's a little ambiguous. We ought to be saying what we want to estimate consisistently.

Just to be clear, suppose we are trying to guess future earning based on IQ. However, IQ is measured with an additive error. Suppose Jim's measured IQ is 100 and I want to guess his future earnings. I'll do just fine plugging his measured IQ into an OLS estimate, so long as the measurement error for him follows the same DGP as the data for the regression. On the other hand, if I want to know the impact of giving Jim a pill that increases his true IQ by 10 points, then I need an IV estimator. That's because the slope coefficient is biased towards zero to adjust for the measurement error. But, I am adjusting the IQ by a known amount, and thus want to have the true slope coefficient for true (not measured) IQ.

This may be too fine a point for the article, but it's one I often see misunderstood in papers. The ambiguity being what we are trying to estimate: a structural model, or a good predictor under the current DGP. Derex @ 23:55, 8 October 2005 (UTC)

> The slope estimator thus obtained is unbiased.

I think the slope estimator is consistent, but biased. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.2.48.91 (talk • contribs)

 * I take it you're referring to the text about the simple IV? Both are right, depending on the experimental assumptions.  If X is viewed as fixed in repeated samples, then it is unbiased.  If X is viewed as random, then IV is consistent but likely biased.  The latter is the realistic case, though the former is often presented in introductory texts.  Probably should change it though, as "consistent" is always correct. Derex 02:54, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

2 stage?
what are the corresponding regression equation for each stage? This is very unclear.
 * stage 1: Xi=Zb+residual  we get Xihat=Zbhat=Z(Z'Z)^(-1)Z'Xi.
 * Xhat=(Xihat ...)

Jackzhp (talk) 04:30, 25 March 2008 (UTC)
 * stage 2: y=Xhat*beta+residual.

Hypothesis testing
The discussion under "hypothesis testing" is simply wrong. The first moment of the simple IV estimator doesn't exist, therefore, the estimator is neither biased nor unbiased. The normality result is asymptotic; in small samples the coefficients are not normally distributed, and the t-ratio does not follow a Student distribution. Since this section is superfluous it would be wise to delete it.

A minor problem is the second sentence is incoherent: ``endogeneity" means that the error term and regressors are correlated, so the piece should not claim that one reason that the error term and the covariates may be correlated is endogeneity! 68.146.25.175 (talk) 22:28, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Major edit
I have substantially overhauled this page. I entirely rewrote the previous hypothesis testing and "testable implications" sections, which were, as noted above, simply wrong. An example has been added (this material could be expanded and moved to a new section), the bits on weak and invalid instruments have been largely rewritten, a misleading claim about nonlinear models has been modified, and finite sample properties and overidentification tests are discussed. Several references to influential papers have been added. Some of the previous material could be better referenced, and a few more examples would help illustrate ideas. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.146.25.175 (talk) 19:21, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

Estimation: describing the DGP
The start of the "Estimation" section begins with a specification of where the data come from. Describing that equation as the "model" may be misleading, as we specifically do not mean that this is the approximation we are using to model the data but rather the actual process generating the data. The best descriptive would be the technical term "data generating process." There is no WP page on that term, however. Somewhat more opaque would be referring to the equation as the "population process." A correct but more generic substitute which actually has a WP page would be "stochastic process." It is not "STANDARD" (I see no call to YELL at me) to fail to distinguish between the estimable model and the data generating process. Sked123 (talk) 16:00, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

Paragraph on limitations seems out of place in "Example" Section.
The section "Example" ends with a paragraph that is a discussion of the limitations of the IV approach.

 * Because demonstrating that the third variable 'z' is causally related to 'y' exclusively via 'x' is an experimental impossibility, and because the same limitations...

Should this be moved to a different section? If so, which?

Blossomonte (talk) 06:59, 15 January 2014 (UTC)

Never defined
The term "Instrumental variable" is either poorly defined, or else not defined at all.

The first sentence in the lede says what the method is used for. The second sentence says what the method allows you to do (and, worse, says this by jumping immediately into mostly incomprehensible technical jargon.) Neither section says what an instrumental variable actually is.

There is, later, a section called "definition", but it starts out as history, and then moves to math that does not really define an instrumental variable (it starts by labeling an instrumental variable as "Z" which is defined in terms of an equation which does not include Z)... then goes on to say that this definition is confusing and ambiguous. Yes, I agree.

In simple language: what is an instrumental variable? Is it a proxy? Is it what you read out from an instrument?Geoffrey.landis (talk) 17:03, 9 November 2015 (UTC)

Dr. Angrist's comment on this article
Dr. Angrist has reviewed this Wikipedia page, and provided us with the following comments to improve its quality:

"This is weak. Its hard to tell what problem IV solves - the problem of selection bias. And its impossible from this entry to see how IV solves this problem.  The easiest way to explain selection bias is with potential outcomes and an empirical example using the simplest Wald-type IV estimator, which involves only four numbers and produces an intuitive calculation that a non-technical reader easily grasps.

As it stands the discussion is entirely abstract; the graphical causal framework only makes this worse.

In any case I would propose that a standard for econometric and statistical entries require empirical examples illustrating use of the technique."

We hope Wikipedians on this talk page can take advantage of these comments and improve the quality of the article accordingly.

Dr. Angrist has published scholarly research which seems to be relevant to this Wikipedia article:

 * Reference : Angrist, Joshua & Chen, Stacey, 2008. "Long-Term Economic Consequences of Vietnam-Era Conscription: Schooling, Experience and Earnings," IZA Discussion Papers 3628, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).

ExpertIdeasBot (talk) 03:01, 28 May 2016 (UTC)

Dr. Santos Silva's comment on this article
Dr. Santos Silva has reviewed this Wikipedia page, and provided us with the following comments to improve its quality:

"This is generally a good article and I only have minor suggestions/corrections.

1 - The GMM estimator that is presented is just the two-stage least squares estimator presented later, so there is some duplication. I would delete the reference to GMM.

2 - If the reference to GMM stays, I would delete the proof that is collapses to the usual IV estimator in the just identified case.

3 - In the interpretation of the two-stage least squares estimator it is important to state that this approach is only valid in linear models; doing two-stage estimation in non-linear models leads to the so called "forbidden regression".

4 - I would omit the proof of the computation of the 2SLS estimator.

5 - The section on testing instrument strength and overidentifying restrictions has a common error: The test for overidentifying restrictions is not a test for instrument validity; the two references below clarify this:

Parente, P.M.D.C. and Santos Silva, J.M.C. (2012), A Cautionary Note on Tests for Overidentifying Restrictions, Economics Letters, 115(2), pp. 314–317.

Guggenberger, Patrik, (2012), A note on the (in)consistency of the test of overidentifying restrictions and the concepts of true and pseudo-true parameters, Economics Letters, 117(3), pp. 901-904."

We hope Wikipedians on this talk page can take advantage of these comments and improve the quality of the article accordingly.

Dr. Santos Silva has published scholarly research which seems to be relevant to this Wikipedia article:

 * Reference : J.A.F. Machado & J.M.C. Santos Silva, 2003. "Identification with averaged data and implications for hedonic regression studies," Econometrics 0303002, EconWPA.

ExpertIdeasBot (talk) 13:33, 11 June 2016 (UTC)

Dr. Anatolyev's comment on this article
Dr. Anatolyev has reviewed this Wikipedia page, and provided us with the following comments to improve its quality:

"Description is very specific to one of desciplines. For an econometrician like me, it sounds very subjective. Even some notation is unfamiliar.

The introduction of instruments and whole description leans on the causal linear model. However, there are other, different contexts when instruments are intensively used, primarily in time series where instruments are generated from past values of variables.

Missing are mentions of the optimal instrumentation theory, the theory of many instruments and many weak instruments, GMM as an embedding framework, etc."

We hope Wikipedians on this talk page can take advantage of these comments and improve the quality of the article accordingly.

We believe Dr. Anatolyev has expertise on the topic of this article, since he has published relevant scholarly research:

 * Reference : Stanislav Anatolyev & Nikolay Gospodinov, 2008. "Specification Testing in Models with Many Instruments," Working Papers w0124, Center for Economic and Financial Research (CEFIR).

ExpertIdeasBot (talk) 20:36, 1 July 2016 (UTC)

Dr. Carrasco's comment on this article
Dr. Carrasco has reviewed this Wikipedia page, and provided us with the following comments to improve its quality:

"This article gives a good overview of the topic. It is a bit long. I found a small typo:

" IV helps to fix this problem by identifying the parameters β → {\displaystyle {\vec {\beta }}} {\vec {\beta }} not based on whether x {\displaystyle x} x is uncorrelated with u {\displaystyle u} u, but based on whether another variable z {\displaystyle z} z (or set of variables) is (are) uncorrelated with u {\displaystyle u} u." There should be no arrow on beta.

 * undefined"

We hope Wikipedians on this talk page can take advantage of these comments and improve the quality of the article accordingly.

We believe Dr. Carrasco has expertise on the topic of this article, since he has published relevant scholarly research:

 * Reference : Marine Carrasco & Rachidi Kotchoni, 2013. "Efficient Estimation Using the Characteristic Function," Working Papers hal-00867850, HAL.

ExpertIdeasBot (talk) 15:29, 24 August 2016 (UTC)

Close paraphasing in the article? (plaigarism)
The smoking/general health example, and the proximity/tutoring example seem to be a superficial rewrite of the examples on this page:

http://www.statisticshowto.com/instrumental-variable/

Which uses smoking/depression and proximity/community centre.

Sentence after sentence matches. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.113.148.220 (talk) 21:33, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

3SLS
A group of PhD students were made to write a number of articles on econometrics topics. Encyclopedia quality is poor and they were blocked for not disclosing that they made paid edits, but to make at least some use of their work maybe someone can look at Draft:Three-Stage Least Squares Estimator and see what if any of it can be used. Antimanipulator (talk) 16:28, 28 September 2017 (UTC)

Endogeneity with an exponential regression function
The same group from also wrote Endogeneity with an exponential regression function, which contains salvageable material on instrumental variables estimation in Poisson regression. I suggest that the usable material be merged into a new section here. Wikiacc (¶) 14:57, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
 * Pretty ugly stuff. Nevertheless, support merge and suggest some refinement in situ. ✅ Klbrain (talk) 07:06, 6 July 2020 (UTC)

Another merge proposal
Similar to the previous section, Binary response model with continuous endogenous explanatory variables might be worth merge here, if not deleting. Thoughts? Klbrain (talk) 21:31, 19 July 2020 (UTC)
 * I created a header under which it could go. As with the Poisson section, a merge is worthwhile, though serious cleanup will be needed. Wikiacc (¶) 00:32, 26 July 2020 (UTC)

 * The article in question, Binary response model with continuous endogenous explanatory variables, describes a residual inclusion, not an IV method. If anything, it should be merged into control function (econometrics). --bender235 (talk) 22:51, 2 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Fair point. But isn't also a residual inclusion method? I'm inclined to think the two should stick together, but that could be at the control function article. Wikiacc (¶) 23:12, 2 August 2020 (UTC)

 * You're right. Unfortunately, the definition of IV is very fuzzy. In the narrow sense, the term "IV estimation" only describes the special case of just-identified two-state least squares (2SLS). But since the "idea" of an instrumental variable (a variable that is excluded from the main equation of a model, or "second" stage of a regression) can be extended into non-linear models, the term is now used rather loosely in the literature. I'm not sure whether we should follow that trend.
 * In the end, the "classic" projection version of 2SLS, of which IV is the aforementioned special case, can also be expressed as residual inclusion (i.e., both approaches give the same estimate). However, only the residual inclusion works also in non-linear models. So again, calling this an "IV method" only leads to confusion, especially among those just learning econometrics. But then again, the excluded variable(s) from the first stage of residual inclusion methods are often referred to as "instrument(s)" nonetheless.
 * Long story short: I'm not quite sure whether it's best for us to adopt a narrow IV definition (which the risk of potentially contradicting some textbooks) or stick to the wide IV definition (with the risk of this article turning into a hodge podge of vaguely related methods). --bender235 (talk) 01:53, 3 August 2020 (UTC)
 * This article is messy at present, but I agree that focusing on the linear model will help keep the article from sprawling further. (I'd keep keep overidentified IV here, though.) I support limiting this article to the linear model and developing a section at the control function article about residual inclusion in nonlinear models (both Poisson and probit). Wikiacc (¶) 02:20, 3 August 2020 (UTC)

 * I like the idea of splitting the topic along linear vs. non-linear models ("projection inclusion" vs. residual inclusion). But it's going to be some work to reorganize and rewrite these articles. Unfortunately, giving each of the technical terms that being thrown around in the context of IV estimation at large its own article will lead to a lot of overlap and redundancy (endogeneity, exclusion restriction, identification, reduced form, etc.), not to mention the number of related techniques that almost synonymous with IV (indirect least squares, limited information maximum likelihood). So I guess some detailed planning would be great. --bender235 (talk) 18:19, 3 August 2020 (UTC)
 * The tricky part will be separating "instrumental variables estimation" from simultaneous equations model. I'm not sure what the solution is there. But fortunately the linear/nonlinear split won't affect that at all. Wikiacc (¶) 01:36, 4 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Wow, I didn't even think of that one. But you're right, that's another article with overlap and redundancy potential. Unfortunately I won't have time to get more involved in any large-scale reorganization any time soon. --bender235 (talk) 02:20, 5 August 2020 (UTC)

Rebooted merge proposal
As a result of the discussion above, I have revised the merge proposal to the following: Binary response model with continuous endogenous explanatory variables and both get merged to a new section in control function (econometrics) about residual inclusion methods in nonlinear models. Wikiacc (¶) 02:44, 5 August 2020 (UTC)
 * At the binary response model article, there is a method estimated purely by conditional MLE. Separating that from the residual inclusion method seems silly. Therefore, I suggest the following revision. Instead of control function (econometrics), how about making the target a new article? Say, nonlinear simultaneous equations model (by analogy with simultaneous equations model). This new page could also contain material on the "forbidden regression" (see above) and other related topics, focusing more on the setting than on the particular method. Wikiacc (¶) 03:33, 14 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Scratch that new proposal—too ambitious. I have moved the Poisson regression section to control function (econometrics). Not exactly sure what to do with Binary response model with continuous endogenous explanatory variables. Wikiacc (¶) 04:29, 11 December 2020 (UTC)

title: Talk:Instrumental variables estimation


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Star Trek and pedophilia

 This page is an archive of the proposed deletion of the article below. Further comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or on a Votes for Undeletion nomination). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result of the debate was no consensus. Fernando Rizo T/C 00:00, 26 August 2005 (UTC)

Star Trek and pedophilia
Speculation is not fact. Even speculation by the press. Denni ☯ 03:16, 2005 August 19 (UTC)
 * Delete as per above. Boxclocke 03:30, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Much as I hate to say it, Keep. That specualtions are made by the press, and by police, and fairly widely reported, is a fact. This article merely notes that fact. It does not claim that the specualtions are accurate, merely that they ahve been made. It seems reasonably NPOV to me. DES (talk) 03:34, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete - A single original story, which doesn't even suggest anything more than coincidence amounts to nothing notable. If this was widely reported and discussed, than yes, I would support it's inclusion in wikipedia in *some* article.  Let's pretend it was real:  why create an article?  There's a widely beleived correlation between crime novels and  crime, but we don't create a specific article for each in every combination of specific crime novel and specific crime.  Instead we make an appropriate comment in the article about the book (if it's pecular that specific book), or to the crime (if a type of reading material is common to the crime), but we don't (or shouldn't) have an article on every conceivable crime/book/tv/movie/work-of-art combination that some local cop noticed.  --rob 04:23, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep (but I am the author of the original article.) As pointed out above, I was merely noting that the correlation was considered and widely discussed, not that it was necessarily true - it could be like the Sexual Rainbow Party, which was a subject of wide discussion despite flimsy evidence the phenomenon actually existed. I think that if we keep that article, this is worth keeping as well. Oh, and here's another recent article on the subject from Macleans; this isn't based on just one news story. Soultaco 04:33, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Comment: Well, if we follow the Maclean's article, we can either create a Star Wars and pedophilia article also.  or we can find an appropriate existing article, and put it there (*if* sufficient notability exists).  I'm sure there must be hundreds of *other* apparent commonalities or patterns that police see (or think they see).  Also, putting this "theory" in an existing abuse-related article will subject it to appropriate peer review, by active editors on the subject.  Passing off a POV in such an article will get you reverted much quicker than in some obscure little article, nobody sees.  --rob 12:05, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Well, perhaps this could be merged into an existing article, but I didn't find one that seemed particularly appropriate. Suggestions? Soultaco

 * Strong delete Inherently POV; no matter how matter-of-factly the article is written, the discussion of such a correlation on what is presumably a coincidence is always going to result in a skewed point of view. Trekkies, as abhorrent as they may be, may not necessarily all be paedophiles. Consideration of a correlation does not make for an encyclopaedic article. Proto t c 11:09, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Well, it does specifically note that the hypothesis does not imply that all or even most Trekkies are pedophiles - rather, it implies that pedophiles are attracted to Star Trek, which is quite different, as it says nothing whatsoever about Star Trek fans in general (who could also be attracted to Star Trek for other reasons entirely). Soultaco

 * Delete as per Proto. Can never be NPOV. RasputinAXP   talk  *  contribs  12:56, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep As per DES (talk), above. --Nicodemus75 13:21, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. Anything to make the Trekkies mad, man.  -HX
 * Keep. This is a controversial theory that has already received a fair bit of attention, and will likely continue to do so, if only to disprove it. The controversy is what makes this Wikipediable. We can't go around deleting things we don't like, or even things that are found not to be credible. We haev an article on the Flat earth theory. Why not this? Ground Zero 14:33, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep as per DES. --GraemeL 15:23, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep as per DES. Trollderella 15:25, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep as per Ground Zero. Sdedeo 15:26, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep — unfortunate, but plausible. Actually I would think this article could be generalized into psychology of pedophiles. Also why isn't there a Clergy and pedophilia article since that phenomenon is authentic and so well documented? — RJH 15:53, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * keep please the article is dealt with in a really neutral manner so erasing this would just be censorship Yuckfoo 18:03, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * keep but add a related article on Star Trek, Sadomasochism, and the Renaissance Fair]. Voyager640 19:05, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Move to "... and paedophilia". Erwin Walsh
 * Comment Given that Star Trek is s U.S. production, if the article is kept, the AmE spelling "pedophilia" ahould be kept. Caerwine 23:16, 20 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep Feel me up, Scotty, Mom's in the other side of the department store. --Jscott 21:25, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep per Jscott. ;-) Acetic Acid 03:49, August 20, 2005 (UTC)
 * Weak keep. The theory is BS however it has received some media attention. Needs to be handled carefully so as to maintain NPOV. If it becomes a Trekkie-bashing affair, the article will be worthless. 23skidoo 05:16, 20 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete as per Rob. -- Kjkolb 06:27, August 20, 2005 (UTC)
 * One aside in one LA Times article and this thing gets spun up into a Wikipedia article. Delete. --Calton | Talk 09:55, August 20, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete - Anecdotal at best. However, would merit future inclusion if scientifically supported.  PlainSight 14:17, 20 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Weak keep I'd like to see where this is headed --Dysepsion 16:07, 20 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete per Calton. One case does not make a theory. Iff this becomes more widely accepted (which it won't, would be my guess), then it would deserve an article. Xoloz 17:45, 20 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Single newspaper mention later withdrawn by original source = no story. NPOV-ing and removing original research gets you "LA reporter claims Toronto police connected Star Trek and pedophilia; police retract" with no possibility of expansion that is not original research. — mendel ☎ 18:45, August 20, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete per Carlton, PlainSight, and mendel. -- Cyrius|✎ 22:46, 20 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete -- Non-notable theory, apparently since withdrawn, not held up by a major news source. --Mysidia (talk) 00:05, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

 * Delete. While the statement is verifiable, it's substance is not notable. - brenneman (t) (c)  04:26, 21 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete ridiculous, frivolous and outrageous! Hamster Sandwich 04:30, 21 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. It may be true that there was speculation, but the speculation itself is not worthy of an encyclopedia article.  There isn't really anything to say about this topic, and it shows. Isomorphic 04:35, 21 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Speculation in a press report and later withdrawn by the original source. 213.78.162.189 15:02, 21 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Aimless speculation based on a coincidence. Not encyclopedic material. --Ritchy 21 August 2005
 * Delete. More likely a correlation between Star Trek fandom and getting caught. TheMadBaron 17:33, 21 August 2005 (UTC)
 * del: speculation; misleading name (Star Trek and child molestation...). 24 at 19:22, 21 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep as an accurate and historic record of how the press wildly speculates and retracts information. —RaD Man (talk) 19:47, 21 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep per Des. Jobe  6  20:41, August 21, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete: dubious correlation, not even statistically sound. Pure speculation. --Ragib 21:58, 21 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete Wikipedia is not Everything2. Denni ☯ 01:43, 2005 August 22 (UTC)
 * Keep. Christopher Parham (talk) 04:25, 2005 August 22 (UTC)
 * Keep. Verifiable news story. The police researchers themselves are probably full of bollocks, but the article is still encyclopedic. — J I P | Talk 05:16, 23 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep as per User:JIP. However, I agree that what it's saying is probably full of crap. It's also contributing to Wikipedia's systemic bias, but that's no reason to delete an article (otherwise we'd probably lose about half of all articles here). - ulayiti (talk)  07:13, 23 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. As Ulayiti has eloquently put it, the article is full of crap, which is precisely the reason to remove this. Dottore So 19:17, 23 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Not notable, POV (could not possibly be made otherwise), news story retracted by source, and one ridiculous and unfounded story does not make an encylopedia entry, anyway. --Fang Aili 13:19, 24 August 2005 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in an undeletion request). No further edits should be made to this page.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
Vamberk

Vamberk (Wamberg) is a town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,700 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The villages of Merklovice and Peklo are administrative parts of Vamberk.

Etymology
The local small castle and then the settlement were initially called Waldemberg, which was then shortened to Walmberg, and later to Wamberg, or in Czech Vamberk. It is not certain whether the origin of the name is Czech or German, because at the time of the establishment it was fashionable among the Czech nobles to give German names to castles. If the name is of Czech origin, it probably meant "Valda's hill", which was translated into German as Waldemberg. If of German origin, the name was probably derived from waldberg ("wooded hill").

Geography
Vamberk is located about 5 km south of Rychnov nad Kněžnou and 33 km southeast of Hradec Králové. The western part of the municipal territory lies in the Orlice Table. The eastern part lies in the Orlické Foothills and includes the highest point of Vamberk at 475 m above sea level. The Zdobnice River flows through the town.

History
The first written mention of Vamberk is from 1341. In 1616, Vamberk gained town privileges. The town lived for centuries from lacemaking, weaving and the timber trade. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the textile, stove and meat industries developed, and Vamberk became the industrial centre of the region.

Economy
Vamberk is known for the lace production. The first mention of the production in Vamberk is from 1642, but the tradition is probably older. In the mid-17th century, Magdalena of Gramb, a Belgian owner of the Vamberk estate, introduced Belgian lace patterns and a new technique of bobbin lace making using a lace cushion or pillow. Vamberk became a European centre of lace-making. The tradition continues to this day.

The largest employer based in the town is ESAB CZ, the world's leading manufacturer of welding and cutting equipment and welding consumables.

Transport
The town is situated at the crossroads of two main roads: I/11 from Hradec Králové to Šumperk and I/14 from Náchod to Ústí nad Orlicí.

Vamberk is located on the short railway line of local importance heading from Rokytnice v Orlických horách to Doudleby nad Orlicí.

Sights
The main landmark of the town is the Church of Saint Procopius. It was built in the early Baroque style in 1707–1714.

The Church of Saint Barbara was also built in the early Baroque style, in 1696–1697. It is a cemetery church. The family tomb of the Lützow family is located there.

The tradition of lace making is documented in the Lace Museum Vamberk. The museum is located in an architecturally valuable house from 1916, decorated with Art Deco elements.

Notable people

 * Jan Václav Voříšek (1791–1825), composer
 * Josef Richard Vilímek (1835–1911), publisher
 * Josef Kalousek (1838–1915), historian

title: Vamberk


text:
Violin Sonatas (Grieg)

Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg wrote three violin sonatas. They are all examples of his musical nationalism, since they all contain references or similarities to Norwegian folk song. Grieg wrote the sonatas between 1865 and 1887.
 * Violin Sonata No. 1 in F major, Op. 8 was written in Copenhagen in 1865.
 * Violin Sonata No. 2 in G major, Op. 13 was written in Oslo (then Christiania) in 1867.
 * Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45 was completed while Grieg was living in Troldhaugen in 1887.

Violin Sonata No. 1 in F major, Op. 8
Grieg composed this sonata in the summer of 1865 while on holiday with Benjamin Feddersen in Rungsted, Denmark, near Copenhagen. The piece was composed shortly after his only piano sonata was completed that same summer.

Concerning the piece, Norwegian composer Gerhard Schjelderup commented: it is "the work of a youth who has seen only the sunny side of life." Despite this, many sections of the work are quite dark and turbulent.

The sonata has three movements:
 * 1) Allegro con brio
 * 2) Allegretto quasi andantino
 * 3) Allegro molto vivace

The violin's opening theme in the first movement:
 * Grieg1viol.png

Violin Sonata No. 2 in G major, Op. 13
This sonata was dedicated to Norwegian composer and violinist Johan Svendsen.

On the second sonata, Schjelderup remarked: it is "the gift to the world of a man who has also shivered in the cold mists of night." Also, due to the sonata's tragic qualities, he considered the piece more Norwegian than the first sonata and "a Norway without tragedy is not a complete Norway."

When Grieg presented the sonata to his teacher Niels Gade, he proclaimed the work "too Norwegian" and professed that his next sonata should be less Norwegian. Grieg, reportedly, in defiance claimed that his next sonata would be even more Norwegian.

First movement

 * Introduction (G minor)

 * 1st theme (G major)

 * 2nd theme (B minor)

 * 3rd theme (D major)

Second movement

 * Theme (E minor)

Third movement

 * 1st theme (G major to D major)
 * 2nd theme (E♭ major)
 * 2nd theme (E♭ major)

Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45
Grieg began composing his third and final violin sonata in the autumn of 1886. Whereas the first two sonatas were written in a matter of weeks, this sonata took him several months to complete.

The sonata remains the most popular of the three works, and has established itself in the standard repertoire. The work was also a personal favorite of Grieg's. The sonata premiered with Grieg himself at the piano with well-known violinist Adolph Brodsky in Leipzig. To a certain extent, Grieg built on Norwegian folk melodies and rhythms in this three-movement sonata. However, Grieg considered the second sonata as the "Norwegian" sonata, while the third sonata was "the one with the broader horizon."

This was the last piece Grieg composed using sonata form.

First movement
The first movement is characterized by its bold and heroic introduction. The agitated opening theme is contrasted with a lyrical second theme.

 * Introduction (C minor)

 * 1st theme (C minor to G major)

 * 2nd theme (E♭ major)

Second movement
The second movement opens with a serene piano solo in E major with a lyrical melodic line. In the middle section, Grieg uses a playful dance tune. The second movement also exists in a version for cello and piano that Grieg composed during the same time as the violin version. The cello version was given to his brother as a birthday gift in May 1887, but appeared in print only in 2005 (by Henle).

 * 1st theme (E major)

 * 2nd theme (E minor)

Third movement
The finale is written in sonata form with a coda but lacks a development section.

 * 1st theme (C minor)

 * 2nd theme (A♭ major)

title: Violin Sonatas (Grieg)


text:
Mongrel Mob

The Mongrel Mob (sometimes self-labelled as the Mighty Mongrel Mob or colloquially known as the Mob) is an organised street gang and prison gang based in New Zealand. With a network of more than thirty chapters throughout the country and additional operations in Australia and Canada, the Mob is the largest gang in New Zealand. They are especially active in the King Country, Kawerau, Ōpōtiki, Waikato and Hastings. The Mongrel Mob's main rival is the Black Power gang; there have been several very public and violent clashes between the two gangs over the years.

History
The gang began with a group of mainly New Zealand European youths from Wellington and Hawke's Bay in the 1960s. Legend within the gang holds that the name originated from the comments of a judge in the Hastings District Court, who referred to a group of men before him as mongrels. Whatever the origin, the group embraced the term. By the late 1960s loose groups of rebellious young men in Wellington and Hawke's Bay were calling themselves Mongrels. By 1966 they were wearing patches bearing the name 'Mongrel Mob'.

By about 1970 the Mongrels were also known as the Mongrel Mob, and the gang had expanded to include numerous Māori. Members consider Hastings in Hawke's Bay to be the gang's "Fatherland" or birthplace, and the gang first became known for its violence in Hawke's Bay. Later, similarly named groups sprang up around the country, forming their own independent chapters.

In the 2000s and 2010s, the Mongrel Mob began expanding into parts of Australia. In 2018 they also expanded into Canada.

Chapters
According to Te Ara, in 2010 there were over 30 recognised chapters of the Mongrel Mob; including,
 * Mongrel Mob Hastings – 1962
 * Mongrel Mob Wellington – 1962
 * Mongrel Mob Auckland Maximum Security Prison – 1979
 * Notorious Mongrel Mob – 1981
 * Mongrel Mob Perth – 1989–1989 (defunct)
 * Mongrel Mob Melbourne – 2013
 * Mongrel Mob Darwin – 2016
 * Mongrel Mob Gold Coast – 2016
 * Mongrel Mob Fatherland – 2018
 * Mongrel Mob Te Puke

Insignia
Mongrel Mob colours are predominantly red and black. The patches usually feature a British Bulldog wearing a German Stahlhelm, which supposedly is an image intended to offend as it is a British Bulldog wearing the helmet. The patch is worn on the back of "patched members": those considered loyal and trustworthy enough to be in the gang. The patch will also be tattooed on the member's body. Mob members are known for their tattooed faces and red bandannas.

Membership
The gang claims it offers a surrogate family for young men, most of whom are often alienated from their family via joining. A majority of members are Māori, European or other Polynesian ethnic groups, with Māori predominating.

A "prospect" is a person who is loyal to the gang but is not a "patched member" yet and must normally do errands or "missions" to show his loyalty to his gang. A prospect normally has a patched member to report or "clock in" to. This patched member normally decides when it is time for the prospect to be "patched".

The hierarchy is: captain or president, vice president, sergeant at arms, patched members, prospects. In some cases they use younger blood gangs as prospects.

There were 934 members in prison in April 2013, making up more than a tenth of all New Zealand prisoners. In the Wellington region, there were an estimated 194 patched members in 2013.

Notable members

 * Anaru "Fats" Moke – Wellington member, often featured in the media
 * Dennis Makalio – Senior member, often featured in New Zealand media
 * Frank Milosevic – President of the Mongrel Mob Kawerau
 * Harry Tam – Senior member, often featured in New Zealand media.
 * Joe Edmonds – Senior member, deported from Australia while attempting to establish a chapter
 * Roy Dunn – Mongrel Mob President who died on 1 April 2016
 * Tuhoe Isaac – Former senior member often featured in the media
 * Grantito Chacone – Former National President of the Mongrel Mob Kingdom – Australia
 * Daniel Eliu – Auckland Notorious Mongrel Mob President, shot dead outside a South Auckland church in December 2022

Operation Crusade
In 2001, the New Zealand Police launched Operation Crusade, a long police surveillance operation of the Christchurch-based Mongrel Mob Aotearoa chapter. The main purpose of the Operation was to disrupt and destroy a suspected drug sales-ring controlled by the Mongrel Mob. Over a 15-month period, the Operation targeted the gang using taps on the phones of known Mongrel Mob Aotearoa members and undercover police buying drugs from the gang. The operation culminated in co-ordinated raids resulting in nearly 40 arrests and a "huge trial" in the High Court at Christchurch.

Joseph 'Junior' Wiringi and most of the chapter's top hierarchy were arrested in 2003 as part of the police investigation on more than 70 charges, including dealing in methamphetamine and magic mushrooms and possessing firearms. The operation confirmed the suspicions of police and revealed brazen drug dealing from the gang's former headquarters on Wilsons Rd.

Operation Walnut
Operation Walnut was a four-month long investigation targeting an organised methamphetamine supply-and-distribution ring operating out of the Mongrel Mob Porirua in the Wellington region. The investigation began in December 2016 when New Zealand Police officers infiltrated the Mongrel Mob via placing undercover officers as associates of the organisation, where they would buy methamphetamine from the gang. As well as undertaking 8 search warrants in the Wellington region, the Operation also targeted a property in the East Auckland suburb of Howick where the Mongrel Mob is suspected of importing the methamphetamine. The operation involved another 150 New Zealand Police officers, with 120 operating in the Wellington raids and the remaining 30 operating in the Auckland raids. From December 2016 to April 2017, it is thought that the Mongrel Mob had distributed over 20 kilograms of methamphetamine, valued at over $18 million.

The first day of raids led to the confiscation of a Mercedes-Benz, a container property, 2 kilograms of methamphetamine, $450,000 in cash, two stolen motorbikes valued at $30,000, and over 13 vehicles, a jetski, 2 boats, valued at $1.8 million. The second day of the raids led to 7 arrests, as well as grenades, money, 2 kilograms of methamphetamine, locked safes, and 11 guns being found and confiscated. The Operation culminated in 14 arrests; 4 kilograms of methamphetamine, valued at $3.6 million; $2.3 million in property; and $500,000 in cash being confiscated.

Operation Notus

In October 2017, Operation Notus was launched because of community concern in regards to the Mongrel Mob Kawerau and their alleged involvement in the 'commercial distribution of methamphetamine and cannabis' within the community. The six-month-long investigation involved over 300 New Zealand Police staff, including the Auckland-based National Organised Crime Group, Tauranga-based Armed Offenders Squads, and the locally based Asset Recovery Unit. The investigation proved the community concern to be accurate, and led to the arrests of over 30 members, and associates, of the Mongrel Mob Kawerau. The final number of arrested associates stood at 38 arrested, with more arrests likely to occur

The investigation culminated with the raids of over 40 properties, in Kawerau, Ōpōtiki, Whakatāne; and 3 properties in Gisborne and Hastings; leading to the subsequent arrest of the 30 associates. Along with the arrests, the police confiscated over 25 firearms, over $2.6 million worth of methamphetamine, over $100,000 in bank accounts as well as over 100 cannabis plants. Also confiscated were residential property, boats, jet-skis, motorcycles, and cars. Eastern Bay of Plenty Area Commander Inspector Kevin Taylor said, "We are committed to protecting our communities from the harm caused by organised crime and today's arrests will go a long way to disrupting the supply of methamphetamine and cannabis in Kawerau and wider Bay of Plenty region." Kawerau is commonly known as a 'red-town', a town that is known to be a Mongrel Mob stronghold.

Other incidents

 * In June 1971, members of the Hells Angels, Highway 61, the Polynesian Panthers and the Mongrel Mob gangs engaged in a large gang-related brawl in central Auckland.
 * On 14 August 1981, Mongrel Mob Wellington leader Lester Epps awoke outside the gang pad. Epps had fought members of the Eastern Suburbs Rugby League Club at the Tramway Hotel the night before. Epps tried to flee through the Basin Reserve, however he was ultimately caught and beaten. He died later in hospital. All people involved eventually received 18-month prison terms for manslaughter.
 * In December 1986, a young woman was kidnapped by the Mongrel Mob and taken to a convention in Ambury Park in Auckland, where she was subsequently raped by over 15 members of the gang.
 * In June 1987, Mongrel Mob member Sam Te Hei raped and murdered 16-year-old Colleen Burrows in Napier.
 * In 2003, members of the Murupara Mongrel Mob, and the Tribesmen MC Murupara chapters were involved in multiple methamphetamine laboratories that were raided by police.
 * On 9 September 2011, a member of the Wairoa Mongrel Mob chapter fired a sawn-off shotgun at a local Rugby League match because there were Black Power gang members in attendance.
 * In August 2016, a 31-year-old with Mongrel Mob Aotearoa links and under the influence of methamphetamine and alcohol caused a crash with a taxi in Christchurch, injuring two people.
 * According to the Northern Territory News, between the establishment of the Mongrel Mob Darwin in September 2016 and January 2017, there were roughly four unreported assaults involving Mongrel Mob members, including a brawl with a member of the Australian Hells Angels.
 * On 13 January 2018, a gunfight erupted in Whakatāne, Bay of Plenty, when a funeral procession of the Mongrel Mob Kawerau chapter was ambushed by members of the Outback Blacks – a sub-chapter of Black Power.
 * On 10 March 2018, Joe Edmonds, a senior Mongrel Mob member, was deported from Australia, along with four others, for allegedly attempting to establish a Mongrel Mob chapter in Western Australia.
 * On 22 March 2018, police raided four houses in Ōpōtiki, leading to three Mongrel Mob Barbarians members being arrested and charged with a "connection to the supply of methamphetamine in Ōpōtiki."

Community services
In 2005, the Mongrel Mob Notorious chapter and its President Roy Dunn started a labour-hire business to do painting, demolition, and other work. Dunn said, "We are setting this up for our kids, creating the employment, bringing them in." A search on the New Zealand Companies Office showed that Dunn was a joint-shareholder in two companies, both named Rent A Bro Limited at one point, however the older company's name was changed to BRO 2007 Limited in 2011, just months before the second company was incorporated. BRO 2007 was incorporated in 2007 as Rent A Bro Limited and changed its name to BRO 2007 Limited in 2011 and subsequently removed from the company registry in 2012. Rent A Bro Limited was incorporated in 2011 and was removed from the company registry in 2013.

In 2010, Dunn and his Māngere-based Notorious chapter announced the Hauora Programme partnership with the Salvation Army to combat methamphetamine drug use. By 2013, they had completed five intakes of 'P' users who wanted to rid themselves of addiction.

In mid July 2021, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed that she and several Government ministers including Grant Robertson, Poto Williams and Kris Faafoi had approved $2.75 million in funding to support the Mongrel Mob-led Kahukura drug and trauma rehabilitation scheme. The scheme is run by the charity Hard2Reach which aims to address trauma and drug abuse through a live-in marae based in Waipawa using funds from criminal proceeds that had been seized by the Police. The Ministry of Health also confirmed that it supported the Kahukura proposal to receive funding under the Proceeds of Crime, which is run by the Ministry of Justice. The Government's support for the Kahukura scheme was criticised by the opposition National Party leader Judith Collins and Simeon Brown, Sensible Sentencing Trust co-leader Darroch Ball, and mental health advocate Mike King.

In media

 * Ross Kemp on Gangs (2005) – Season 1, Episode 3 – Episode documenting the history of the Mongrel Mob in New Zealand
 * Jono Rotman (2007) – a photographer; has featured members of the Mongrel Mob gang in a series of award-winning, traditional portraits
 * Arman Alizad, a Finnish journalist visited the Mongrel Mob in his TV-series: Arman ja viimeinen ristiretki – Uusi Seelanti – Maorijengit (Arman and the last crusade – New Zealand – Māori gangs)

title: Mongrel Mob


text:
USS LST-285

USS LST-285 was a United States Navy LST-1-class tank landing ship in commission from 1943 to 1947. She saw action in Europe during World War II.

Construction and commissioning
LST-285 was laid down on 16 August 1943 by the American Bridge Company at Ambridge, Pennsylvania. She was launched on 24 October 1943, sponsored by Mrs. R. A. Shaw, and commissioned on 13 December 1943.

World War II European Theater operations
During World War II, LST-285 was assigned to the European Theater of Operations. She participated in the Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy in June 1944, and in Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France in August and September 1944.

Decommissioning and disposal
Upon her return to the United States, LST-285 was decommissioned on 27 June 1947 and stricken from the Navy List on 1 August 1947. On 26 March 1948, she was sold to the Kaiser Company, Inc., of Seattle, Washington, for scrapping.

Awards
LST-285 earned two battle stars for World War II service.

title: USS LST-285


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Mental Planes

 This page is an archive of the proposed deletion of the article below. Further comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or on a Votes for Undeletion nomination). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result of the debate was keep. No consensus on the disposition of this article. --Tony Sidaway Talk 01:52, 27 August 2005 (UTC)

Mental Planes
I wasn't sure if this nonsense quite made it to meet criteria for speedy delete, so I put it here. -- WCFrancis 03:18, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * There is a Mental plane article. Redirect there. Zeimusu | (Talk page) 03:23, August 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * speedy delete! I think it is nonsense, and i have so tagged it. DES (talk) 03:31, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Redirect. Nonsense sure, but the namespace is a useful redirect. Got me a ticket for a mentalplane, I ain't got no time to take no fast train --Fernando Rizo T/C 03:39, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Redirect to the Mental plane article as suggested by Zeimusu. The Bearded One 03:45, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete - clearly nonsense --130.95.128.51 10:31, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete the whole damn flight. Denni ☯ 00:42, 2005 August 20 (UTC)
 * Redirect per Zeimusu. "the mental plane is below the soul plane"... classic stuff. JDoorjam 16:42, 21 August 2005 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in an undeletion request). No further edits should be made to this page.


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Republic of the Landland Islands

 This page is an archive of the proposed deletion of the article below. Further comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or on a Votes for Undeletion nomination). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result of the debate was delete. - Mailer Diablo 17:06, 26 August 2005 (UTC)

Republic of the Landland Islands
Non-notable micronationcruft.Delete. --Pyroclastic 03:19, August 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Gazpacho 03:26, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete and your little language. too. -- WCFrancis 03:27, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. What is it? Deleted. Non-notable vanity nation. Fernando Rizo T/C 03:41, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete this "nation" and its language too (see below). Capitalistroadster 05:32, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Another nn micronation. Sjakkalle (Check!)  07:54, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, and also delete the Landland redirect. Flowerparty  talk 18:22, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete non-existent republic. — Sesel wa  23:05, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in an undeletion request). No further edits should be made to this page.


text:
David P. Buckson

David Penrose Buckson (July 25, 1920 – January 17, 2017) was an American lawyer and politician from Camden in Kent County, Delaware. He was a veteran of World War II and a member of the Republican Party, who served as the 15th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware, for nineteen days the 63rd Governor of Delaware and the 37th Attorney General of Delaware.

Early life and family
Buckson was born in Townsend, Delaware, the son of Leon and Margaret Hutchison Buckson. He first married Betty Savin in 1945 with whom he had two children, Deborah Gray, and Brian Roth. His second wife was Patricia Maloney, whom he married in 1962 and with whom he had four children, Marlee, David, Eric, and Kent. They were members of the Methodist Church. He graduated from the University of Delaware in 1941 with a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. During World War II Buckson served in the South Pacific and attained the rank of major. Afterwards he resumed legal studies, at Dickinson College Law School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Buckson is the founder of Dover Downs, opening in 1969 a harness racing track that was also encompassed by the NASCAR race track which began racing the same year. Buckson died on January 17, 2017, at the Delaware Veterans Home in Milford, Delaware.

Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Delaware
He was appointed a judge in the Court of Common Pleas in 1955. A year later, he was elected lieutenant-governor, defeating Vernon Derrickson. He served one term from January 15, 1957, to December 30, 1960. Near the end of his term, in 1960, he sought the Republican Party nomination for governor, but lost it to John W. Rollins. However, he became governor when Governor J. Caleb Boggs resigned to start his first U.S. Senate term, and served the remaining 18 days of Boggs' second term.

Professional and political career
Buckson was elected Delaware's attorney-general in 1962 and served two terms, from January 15, 1963, to January 19, 1971. He ran for governor again in 1964 but lost to Democratic former Chief Justice Charles L. Terry Jr., and in 1972, when he failed to receive the Republican nomination.

Buckson was later appointed by Governor Sherman W. Tribbitt to be a judge in the Family Court of Delaware.

Buckson was the first Delaware attorney to have offices in more than one county. He was the founder of Dover Downs, a volunteer fireman, a decorated World War II officer, and commander of a National Guard unit. Buckson was also simultaneously city solicitor for the Delaware municipalities of Newark, Middletown, Townsend, Smyrna, Clayton, and Dover.

Buckson died on January 17, 2017, in Milford, at age 96. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living state governor.

Images

 * Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery; Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover.

title: David P. Buckson


text:
North West Arm

Northwest Arm is a natural arm of approximately 20 miles in length and average of 1 mile wide located on the south side of Random Island at the inner region of Trinity Bay in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Together with Smith Sound it makes a continuous channel which is the longest inshore waterway in the province at approximately 44 miles.

title: North West Arm


text: File:Torchball.gif

title: File:Torchball.gif


text:
Mark Farrell (comedian)

Mark Farrell (born 1966) is a Canadian comedian and writer, who honed his talent in the Yuk Yuk's comedy club in Halifax, Nova Scotia before moving to Toronto in 1989. In 1992, Farrell helped lead an exodus from the Yuk Yuk's chain, along with other prominent comics such as Brent Butt. After appearing in CBC's Comics! as well as CTV's Comedy Now!, as well as NBC's Friday Night Videos, he was cast in two Ken Finkleman series, Married Life and the first season of The Newsroom.

Eventually his writing skills were noted, and as he became a writer for award-winning This Hour Has 22 Minutes, eventually moving all the way up to Executive Producer, until he left the show in 2010. His work on 22 Minutes led to many other writing gigs, including another job as Supervising Producer for the first season of Corner Gas, a show for which he continued to write and helped develop.

He was an Executive Producer and writer for the show Seed, a show he co-developed with the show's creator, Joseph Raso. The program ran for 26 episodes in 2013-14.

title: Mark Farrell (comedian)


text:
User talk:Avnit

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to Wikipedia. Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers: I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! By the way, please be sure to sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~~~) to produce your name and the current date, or three tildes (~~~) for just your name. If you have any questions, you can post to the help desk or ask me on my talk page. Again, welcome! pamri 03:21, August 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * The five pillars of Wikipedia
 * How to edit a page
 * Help pages
 * Tutorial
 * How to write a great article
 * Manual of Style

title: User talk:Avnit


text:
User:Nauraran

I am Nauraran.

I am a pyromaniac.

Brownie points to him who guesses the origin of my name.

title: User:Nauraran


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Landlandic Language

 This page is an archive of the proposed deletion of the article below. Further comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or on a Votes for Undeletion nomination). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result of the debate was delete. - Mailer Diablo 17:07, 26 August 2005 (UTC)

Landlandic Language
micro-nation cruft NN -- WCFrancis 03:22, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Gazpacho 03:26, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Cruftcruftic. Fernando Rizo T/C 05:37, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Nn language of nn micronation. Sjakkalle (Check!)  07:54, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Unverifiable. Flowerparty  talk 18:34, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Does not cite any sources. — Sesel wa  23:06, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in an undeletion request). No further edits should be made to this page.


text:
Van Heusen

Van Heusen is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

 * Billy Van Heusen (born 1946), American football player
 * Jimmy Van Heusen (1916–1990), American composer
 * John Manning Van Heusen, Dutch immigrant in America, after whom PVH Corp. was named

Fictional characters

 * Juliet Van Heusen, a character in Wizards of Waverly Place

title: Van Heusen


text:
Talk:Xingyiquan

"internal" or Wudang?
The first sentence in the article is ambiguous. It seems to imply that all Wudang styles are internal or all internal styles belong to Wudang which is not correct as both Shaplin and Wudang have internal and external styles. 194.225.239.176 (talk) 13:05, 11 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Wudang Chuan has no external styles TommyKirchhoff (talk) 01:23, 4 November 2013 (UTC)

Improving this page
Hi there. My name is Jonathan Bluestein. As you may notice, over the last 2 years I've been doing a lot of work on this page. Gradually, I am expanding the text, improving it, and adding references. Please do not delete any material. Everything that's on the page can be referenced, and will be in time. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jonathan.bluestein (talk • contribs) 16:57, 3 April 2014 (UTC)

That's not how Wikipedia works. Aspergers riddled freaks (Wikipedia editors) will delete at will whenever they get a notion. You need to get used to that toute de suite. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.140.166.157 (talk) 05:04, 27 May 2014 (UTC)

Agreed. Contributor doesn't get to claim sovereignty over a topic. Jonathan, you don't have priority over this or any topic and a statement like yours simply invites people to re-write your inclusions.

Name
As far as I'm aware, there was no discussion before this article was renamed "Xing Yi Quan" and I'm wondering why such a change was necessary. The reason given was that "it is made up of three distinct words". That may be true but that can be said of other terms like Shaolin as well. Furthermore, compound words exist in every language, including Chinese. Just because a term consists of several words does not necessarily mean they're supposed to be written separately. Monosyllabization of the Chinese language is particularly common outside China but is not favoured by those who are very familiar with pinyin. I seriously doubt the xingyiquan spelling caused any confusion. And unless we resort to the lazy method of simply googling the words, I wouldn't say that "Xing Yi Quan" is more common either. If anything, the most common literary spelling in English is probably the Wade-Giles form (hsing-i). Would anyone object to the previous Xingyiquan spelling? Morinae (talk) 12:24, 26 July 2014 (UTC)

 * The only reason I would object is because the T'ai chi ch'uan page is more developed than this one, and some standardization should exist among these related arts, including Wudang chuan. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.52.119.236 (talk) 16:19, 30 August 2014 (UTC)

History
The history and origins on this page are a mess. I suggest someone with good sources goes in and revamps the whole thing. If not, I will take on this task. To say "XingYi is Taoist" as an absolute, then source a blog containing an obscure article is just not the way it's done. Even the junk about Yang Jwing-Ming's opinion is not at all impressive. Do any strong Wiki editors want to get behind me on this revamp ? TommyKirchhoff (talk) 16:26, 30 August 2014 (UTC)

Another disputed history of Xing Yi
Hi, this is Allheart8012, you recently deleted my sub section 'Another disputed history of Xing Yi', and I have added it back. Next time please inform people before deleting other's work, I don't know which masters you consulted with, but Li Bo is a well-known Xing Yi master in China and he is the descendant of Li Luoneng's family for sure. You can consult with master Yang Hai in Montreal to verify what I said, he is one of the masters in US who knows master Li Bo. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Allheart8012 (talk • contribs) 21:27, 15 January 2016 (UTC)

You appear new to this page on Wikipedia, so allow me to point out several things:

- Over the past few years, I have been the major, usually sole contributor to the XYQ page on Wikipedia. I have asked many others to aid in this on countless forums and facebook groups, but no one wanted the 'job'. I have been editing this page on my own mostly, therefore, though I always take care to consult with others before making serious edits.

- There is a main Xing Yi Quan discussion group on facebook, in which belong and write many serious Western and Chinese teachers of the art: https://www.facebook.com/groups/xingyi/?fref=ts. In this group are thousands of members, of which hundreds are active. Once every few months I create a discussion about the wikipedia page on that group, and we all talk about possible changes and discuss what needs to be done. When relative consensus is reached, I make the edit.

- In this manner, I have also created the famous lineage chart - the most comprehensive chart for the art ever made available publicly, and placed it for everyone to share on Wikipedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xing_Yi_Quan#Lineage_chart. This chart has been continuously refined and updated based on feedback from the Xing Yi Quan community, most often by discussing the teachers and lineages which appear on it in the facebook group linked to above. My lineage appears on that chart as well. I am a student of master Zhou Jingxuan of Tianjin, and his top disciple, shifu Nitzan Oren.

- Your own edit was also thoroughly and seriously discussed on that Xing Yi Quan faceook group before I took action. You may read the full discussion here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/xingyi/permalink/10153851909341248/. I only made an edit of my own after I received the support of many other Xing Yi teachers there. It seems people were also pleased with it after I made it.

- I respect and appreciate your contribution. You should have looked into the page thoroughly after I edited it, and ought to have examined the reasoning I took care to write for the edit I made. I have not deleted all of the information your contributed. Rather, as explained in the edit I made, I integrated much of what you have written into other relevant parts of the article. I have indeed deleted the rest given that it was meant to promote a certain teacher and lineage. Moreover, in my own edit (after yours) I added several references to support the text.

- All that being said - I have undone your last edit. You mistakenly thought that I deleted all you have added, and I have just explained this was not the case. I have even kept the picture you uploaded, alongside lots of other text (the Chinese names and characters, too). Content which was relevant to the page was integrated into different parts of it that were more relevant than being placed as a whole under 'another disputed history'. What seemed like promotional stuff for this or that lineage was deleted. Before making another edit, READ the actual page, check the text itself, and let me know if something is missing. We can surely work it out :-)

- I have copied this discussion to the talk page for Xing Yi Quan article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Xing_Yi_Quan). Please reply there instead of here.

- By the way - it was you who originally made a huge edit to the page without first discussing it on either the talk page or on a major Xing Yi discussion group, and I merely replied by accommodating your contributions into the existing text. Had I wanted to delete your contribution, I would have simply undone the original edit, and I did not do that.

- You are also welcome to add me on facebook, and we can discuss it there:  www.facebook.com/Bluestein

- I am happy you mentioned master Yang Hai from Montreal as someone who can make these matters clear. He happens to be my friend, and I speak with him often via facebook, email and skype. He also took part in the discussion I created concerning your edit (https://www.facebook.com/groups/xingyi/permalink/10153851909341248/). I am quite certain he supports the views I presented there.

Cheers,

Jonathan.bluestein (talk) 22:18, 15 January 2016 (UTC)

- Hi Jonathan, I've added the facebook group but couldn't find the discussion you talked about, could you please send me the link to that discussion? Also, since I am new to wiki page edit, I have a silly question: does your group own this page? Update: I've looked every post under Discussion of that Facebook group you gave me, couldn't find anything. Thanks.

Allheart8012 (talk) 09:40, 16 January 2016 (UTC)

Hi again :-)

This is the direct link to the relevant discussion, which I also posted above: https://www.facebook.com/groups/xingyi/permalink/10153851909341248/

Wikipedia is free for all - no one can own it or one of its pages. Everyone is free to make edits. It is a strange mix between Democracy and Anarchy. Everyone pretty much do whatever they like, and if there is disagreement, people randomly gather about and discuss it, often voting on "what's best".

This particular page is maintained by myself mostly, but a lot of the input was donated by request from many members of the Xing Yi Quan community worldwide. Over the last 2 years, the page has been primarily discussed on the main Xing Yi group on facebook, where I take care to ask publicly for other people's opinions on issues relating to the page, concerning various edits. So even though I tend to be the sole major editor, this is in a way a 'community project' - which I think serve the interests of all of us to preserve and spread information about the art in a serious and dignified manner.

The 'problem' with your edit was that alongside useful information and content, it also made casual biographical anecdotes of a specific teacher and his lineage, which were, in wikipedia lingo, 'unencyclopedic'. We have so many teachers and lineages in the art, and we cannot afford to start promoting one over the others in that manner. Long-dead teachers who were famous can gain more attention in the text to a degree, but current and recent teachers tend to lean the page in the direction of a specific school. This is why I eliminated the more biased parts of the edit you made. The rest I have simply allocated to different parts of the article, which were more relevant. For instance - it doesn't matter to the general reader that Li Bo is the keeper of a specific version of the Quan Pu as a biographical note. However, the information about that Quan Pu and its picture you have generously uploaded are a welcome edition under the section discussion the Xing Yi classics. Other times, historical claims you have made which were presented as 'fact, though disputed', I simply added as 'another point of view' next to the relevant parts in the article where such histories were detailed.

Also, as you must know, the notion of Li Luoneng creating Xing Yi in its modern form to "compete with the Dai clan out of resentment" is not a commonly accepted 'truth' about the history of the art. It MAY be true indeed, but most practitioners and teachers have not even heard that version, and you brought it up without backing it with any references. This is why the elaborate story behind it had to be reduced, and the whole thing presented as 'another take' next to other 'histories', rather than including it as a whole independent section.

I am sorry this caused a mess in your fine and well-intended efforts, and that some of the text had to go. I wish I could keep more of it. But this page is intended neither as a debate forum about the history of the art down to every single tiny detail, nor as a complete history book. We have to be more concise, and with regard to stuff that we cannot back up by any evidence, be careful and not expand too much about it.

Jonathan.bluestein (talk) 10:46, 16 January 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20140319213844/http://taiji-europa.eu:80/other-chinese-internal-arts/basics-of-xingyiquan/ to http://taiji-europa.eu/other-chinese-internal-arts/basics-of-xingyiquan/

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External links modified
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Requested move 3 July 2023

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: moved. Unopposed proposal, moving per WP:RMNOMIN. (closed by non-admin page mover) ModernDayTrilobite (talk • contribs) 15:23, 12 July 2023 (UTC)

Xing Yi Quan → Xingyi quan – Two reasons for this move. First, as a martial arts style, there's no reason for the name to be capitalized. Secondly, accepted convention is to space pinyin according to words, not syllables. It can sometimes be a bit tricky to determine where the word boundaries are since Chinese is an isolating language, but here's some examples of the correct spacing:, , ,. Notably, many of the incorrectly spaced sources depart from conventions in other ways, too: and  both hyphenate pinyin names, which is unconventional. SilverStar54 (talk) 16:30, 3 July 2023 (UTC) The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Additional page move discussion: "Xingyi Quan" → "Xingyiquan"
Sorry I missed the above discussion. I agree "Xing Yi Quan" was not correct, but I disagree with "Xingyi Quan" and can support only "Xingyiquan".

"Xingyiquan" is correct pinyin, and it is in more English-language book titles than "Xingyi Quan". Yes, the accepted convention is to space pinyin according to words not syllables, and that is why "Xing Yi Quan" was not correct, but we must go further because the rules of pinyin join together noun phrases that express a single concept. "Xingyiquan" is a noun phrase that becomes a "word" in pinyin. "Ziranmen" and "taijiquan" are other examples. Furthermore, all of these fully joined phrases are the most common versions in English-language publications as well. For more information on noun phrases in Hanyu Pinyin, please see: Yin, Binyong & Felly, Mary (1990), Chinese Romanization: Pronunciation & Orthography, Sinolingua, ISBN 7-80052-148-6, pp. 134-138, Section 1.11.

Before making a formal request to change this again, I will give others more time to respond here, because officially requesting a move starts a ten-day timer. Jōkepedia (talk) 02:49, 24 July 2023 (UTC)

 * You're completely correct. You're welcome to wait before proposing the move, but I don't think you need to. It was a simple error on my part and no other editors seem to have been interested in this topic. SilverStar54 (talk) 03:49, 24 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Moved, thank you. I had to request an admin do that because a redirect page of the same name existed. In the request I linked to our agreement here and in the closely related discussion at Talk:Yiquan, in addition to summarizing that "Xingyiquan" is the correct name under Naming conventions (Chinese) and Article titles, and is more common in publications. Jōkepedia (talk) 16:18, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Xingyiquan


text:
Ted Owens (contactee)

Ted Owens (1920-1987) was an alleged UFO contactee who claimed paranormal powers.

Life
Owens, claimed to have had had a genius-level IQ and to be a member of Mensa, believed he had been subject to "psychic surgery" by "space intelligences" who had operated on his brain to allow him to receive their telepathic messages. He considered himself a "UFO prophet" and compared himself with Moses, claiming psychokinetic powers that enabled him to not only predict but control lightning, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and volcanoes. Dubbing himself the "PK Man", Owens professed that his alleged powers were given to him by space intelligences who wished to call attention to the dangers that nuclear weapons and environmental pollution posed for mankind.

Science fiction and comic book writer Otto Binder wrote that Owens suffered a series of accidents resulting in brain trauma, which he felt were responsible for Owens supposed supernormal powers. Parapsychologist Jeffrey Mishlove wrote a book about Owens, The PK Man: A True Story of Mind Over Matter, with a foreword by John E. Mack.

Articles

 * How to Contact Space People, Ted Owens, Saucerian Press
 * How You Can Communicate with UFO Space Intelligences, Ted Owens, Saga Magazine
 * Flying Saucer Intelligences Speak, Ted Owens, Saucerian Press

title: Ted Owens (contactee)