text:
Talk:Baby Gender Mentor

Thoughts
John, I got your message. This is very interesting. I was not even aware this test existed. A few thoughts: I think that the section break line so close to the top of the article is a bit distracting; I'm not sure it's needed. Also, I can see why you would have essentially quoted the company's claims, not wanting to unconsciously skew them in any fashion, but I think it makes the article a little clunky. I think we can probably safely summarize what they claim the test does ourselves and then just add a link to where people can see for themselves how they phrase the claims.

I also think that there needs to be more discussion of just how early this test claims to work, as compared to the other current methods, for folks who may not be familiar with just what other options currently exist. I also think this line needs a bit of tweaking: Even though the Food and Drug Administration doesn't regulate the test because it is classified as non-medical, some parents may use the test as a basis for determining whether or not to get an abortion as a means of gender selection.  With that language, Wikipedia is pronouncing ourselves that some parents will use this test to do gender selection. What we need to say is that "critics of the test fear that some parents may use the test".... you see what I'm saying. It would be even better to refer to a specific critic.

May have some other thoughts later, those are what came to mind at first blush. · Katefan0(scribble) 15:14, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Hi Kate, thanks for your excellent suggestions, as always. I have also received some good suggestions over at Peer review/Acu-gen/archive1.  I will see what I can do to implement these suggestion to the article over the weekend.  Best, Johntex\talk 19:46, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

 * I have to say I found this article excessively long, and after forcing myself to read through it, felt it was needlessly so as well. It reads like an advertisement for the company designed to appear unbiased, but in reality is not. Possibly shortening the article and being more concise would avoid that feel. Just a thought. SINsApple 05:48, 16 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Could you explain in more detail how it seems like an advertisement when a signifcant portion of the article is devoted to controversy and criticism of the product? As for length, is there any specific information that you feel should be removed? Johntex\talk 21:25, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

GA concern
I found this article clear and interesting, and I admire your research. After my copyedit, I have only one concern before calling this a Good Article. (Anybody can do that, right?) That's the format of the references. The two NPR broadcasts listed under "Sources" should have the same format, ideally the same as the way they're listed under "references". And you might want to rethink the format for the references. At a minimum they need a word or some puncutation between the title and the source (e.g., "The Gender Flap". The Washington Post). I didn't want to format them myself because this has been your article (and I have other things to do), but this site has some examples of newspaper references that you might be able to adapt for radio news.

By the way, my personal opinion is that the law firm shouldn't be mentioned. They're just trying to drum up business, and are you prepared to vouch for them or to keep checking whether any other firms competing for the same clients, so you can add them for fairness? Just a suggestion. —JerryFriedman 01:08, 14 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Hi Jerry, thank you very much for your review and your suggestions. I will work on the references this weekend.  I've learned a lot about reference styles since I originally wrote this article, so I am sure I can do better if I revisit them.

 * I will also re-examine the bit about the law firm. Since creating the article I have had the article on my watchlist.  Since that time, on about 3 or 4 occasions someone has tried to add more specific advertising for the law firm mentioned. ("If you have used this product, call us at...)  I always revert that when I see it.  So far, I haven't found any other law firm trying to bring a similar case.  I think it is useful information for the reader to know that a suit has been filed, but clearly we don't want to allow advertising.  Perhaps a good compromise is to say that a firm has filed a suit but not name the firm within the text? Johntex\talk 15:45, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

 * Well, the suit hasn't been filed yet, right? When it has, I think naming the firm would be fine, but for now, it's all just tentative, if I understand the article correctly.  So yes, I do like your suggestion of not naming the firm yet and letting readers do their own research if they want.  Anyway, John, thanks for accepting my changes and suggestion in the spirit they were offered in, and I'll be back on Wikipedia next week.  —JerryFriedman 16:45, 14 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Hi Jerry, I just wanted to let you know I didn't have time to work on Wikipedia this past weekend, but I hope to address these issues this week. Thanks, Johntex\talk 15:20, 17 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Looks like a lawsuit has been filed. I'll add this new info to the article. Johntex\talk 23:28, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

 * Hi Jerry, I believe I have fixed the references and I have also been able to expand the article since new information is now available. I look forward to your thoughts.  Thanks very much, Johntex\talk 03:26, 18 July 2006 (UTC)
 * A couple things on my proofreading: I changed things like Bioethicist Dr. Analia Bortz, as if Bioethicist were a title like Doctor, because I hate that and that style wasn't used elsewhere in the article. However, I realize some people are taught that method, so if you decide to go back to the way you had it, that won't affect my GA review.  Same with my slight reorg of combining the two sentences about what the user does.  —JerryFriedman 00:29, 19 July 2006 (UTC)
 * I have no objections to that at all. I think I accidently restored "Bioethicist" in one of my edits, but I took it back out after reading your note.  My re-inclusion of it was inadvertant.  I don't immediately see what your other change was - I'll check the page history to see. Johntex\talk 18:18, 19 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Oh, I see now. Your wording is far better than mine.  It doesn't make sense just to say the user puts the blood in the kit.  The reference to the card is much better.  Do you think I should add one more image to illustrate this?  I don't want to go overboard with using too many fair-use images, but I think an image of the kit in use would be easily justifiable in that section.  Please let me know your thoughts.  Best, Johntex\talk 18:21, 19 July 2006 (UTC)
 * I think the new image is great, and I think the whole article is now excellent. —JerryFriedman 23:34, 20 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Hi Jerry, thank you again for all your help in improving this article. You have really helped it to improve.  Best, Johntex\talk 00:13, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

Availability, other comments
In the section "Warranty and availability", the article mentions that "As of July 2006, the Pregnancy Store.com reported that the test was 'currently out of stock.'" If this is important to the article (I'm not sure), it should be brought up to date. At the moment, the Pregnancy Store website doesn't have any information about the Baby Gender Mentor at all, and the page linked as a reference for the above statement comes back as "Page not found." On the other hand, BabyGenderMentor.com still appears to be selling the test.

Also, please be consistent in spacing and capitalization when referring to the Pregnancy Store website, and double-check spelling in general throughout the article. FreplySpang 17:42, 22 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Thank you for the note. I brought the section about warranty availability up to date.  I also just completed a spell check in my word processor so I think I have fixed all the typos - inlcuding any new ones introduced today as I addressed the other comments from the FA reveiw.  I will now check for consistency in spacing when refering to the websites. Johntex\talk 18:53, 22 January 2007 (UTC)
 * I think I have now fixed all these points. Thanks again for the suggestions. Johntex\talk 19:03, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

Semi-automated peer review script
The following suggestions were generated by a semi-automatic javascript program, and might not be applicable for the article in question. You may wish to browse through User:AndyZ/Suggestions for further ideas.
 * 1) Consider adding more links to the article; per Manual of Style (links) and Build the web, create links to relevant articles.[?]
 * 2) There may be an applicable infobox for this article. For example, see Template:Infobox Biography, Template:Infobox School, or Template:Infobox City.[?] (Note that there might not be an applicable infobox; remember that these suggestions are not generated manually)
 * 3) Per Wikipedia:Manual of Style (numbers), when doing conversions, please use standard abbreviations: for example, miles -> mi, kilometers squared -> km2, and pounds -> lb.[?]
 * 4) Avoid using contractions like (outside of quotations): Can't.
 * 5) Please ensure that the article has gone through a thorough copyediting so that it exemplifies some of Wikipedia's best work. See also User:Tony1/How to satisfy Criterion 1a.[?]
 * Reply:
 * I think that the important wikilinks have all been added. The article tends to stick to the same terms, or to use plain English words that do not seem beneficial to link.
 * I can't find an appropriate infobox.
 * This suggestion puzzles me. I don't see any location in the article where such a conversion is made.  Perhpas someone else can spot it?
 * Contractions - I have search the article for every instance of the (') character. They all seem to be indicating a possessive, or else they are inside a direct quotation.  I don't see any contractions in the article except in quotations.
 * The article has had multiple peer reviews, as linked above. Johntex\talk 00:21, 23 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Agree with the author of this section. Quite a few errors. Albeit minor (to most), they distract me to say the least. I've corrected a few, but still many left. Cheers. ~ UBeR 02:50, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Article confusing

 * At least 40 women have come forward to say their Baby Gender Mentor tests predicted the wrong gender.[26] According to a National Public Radio (NPR) report, the company has explained certain inaccurate results as being the result of a vanishing twin, a fetus that stopped growing soon after fertilization.[11] Vanishing Twin Syndrome ...

Does this mean that all 40 women have had twins predicted but ended up with only one baby? Because surely the whole vanishing twins thing is irrelevant if a boy was predicted but you ended up with a girl (or vice versa) because the test is supposed to be able to report if you have fraternal twins Nil Einne 01:53, 13 May 2007 (UTC) "But now parents are raising concerns about the test -- on Monday 40 people who purchased the kit filed a class-action lawsuit in Massachusetts claiming incorrect test results."
 * The article is not saying that all wrong results have been attributed to Vanishing Twin Syndrome. Those two sentences are talking about the same general topic (allegedly incorrect results) but not necesarily the same cause.  They are attributed to different sources.  If you look at the footnote 26, it says:
 * So, we know at least 40 women are suing because they allegedly got incorrect results. We do not know what explanation, if any they each got from the manufacturer. Johntex\talk 19:08, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Well the wording was rather unclear. And regardless, the explaination doesn't work for having a boy predicated but ending up with a girl or vice versa since the test is supposed to be able to predict fraternal twins. In any case, it seems this has been improved now Nil Einne (talk) 13:44, 18 October 2009 (UTC)

Broken ref link
The sentence "In February 2006, Wang said, 'We don't mistakes [sic]. Period,'50" in the Warranty and availability section, the link to the source cited does not work. ~ UBeR 02:57, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Scientific method
"The medical community is not in agreement about how frequently vanishing-twin phenomena occurs.[27] The scientific method relies on the existence of a falsifiable hypothesis. This means that if it is not possible to observe a counterexample which disproves the claim, then the claim is not scientifically testable. If vanishing twins can be reabsorbed so completely that they leave no evidence, then it is not possible to prove whether they were ever present. This would make it impossible to ensure that all cases have been recorded.[28]"

This is a misunderstanding of the scientific method. This theory is easily falsifiable.

In order to be true: A twin must be observed early (real early) in pregnancy, disappear, and leav little or no trace of its prior existence.

To falsify: A twin will be observed early on. Some trace will remain. There will likely be an intermediate trace prior to the "vanishing" of the bulk of the foetal matter.

This theory relies on no trace. If there is a trace left (an observable counterpoint), this hypothesis is falsified.
 * H1 No Twin Foetus. (vanishes?) No trace. (unobservable, but default position - Occam)
 * H2 Twin Foetus. Vanishes. No trace. (requires observation of early twin and no recordabale trace)
 * H3 Twin Foetus. Vanishes. Trace. (falsifies H2 through observation of a trace)
 * H4 Twin Foetus. Doesn't Vanish. Significant trace. (normal twin pregnancy)

--ZayZayEM 04:04, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

 * The trouble is that in some cases the only evidence that a male twin ever existed is the result from the Baby Gender Mentor test. If they say they detect a male baby and the mother delivers a girl, they can say that there were originally fraternal twins (one male, one female) at the time the Baby Gender Mentor test was given. Johntex\talk 21:19, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

 * I wasn't talking just about how Baby Gender Mentor is using the idea (they are definitely fudging dodgy science). Just contesting that the general idea of vanishing-twin is not unscientific, and is essentially falsifiable. However it needs a little bit of actual evidence first (Baby Gender false positives are not genuine evidence, they could be used as motivation for research, but in themselves they show nothing until confirmed to be showing what they say they show).--ZayZayEM 07:40, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

 * They claim they can predict fraternal twins. Therefore if vanishing twins occured they should have predicted that rather then a boy or girl and gotten it wrong. It seems that this has been correct in the article now but I think it's worth understanding why multiple people raised this area as a concern on the talk page Nil Einne (talk) 13:47, 18 October 2009 (UTC)

May someone please semi-protect this article
seems to be vandalism going on Bladesofhalo 04:21, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Do you think that Main Page featured article protection should be redrafted or not? Please help form consensus at Wikipedia talk:Main Page featured article protection. DrKiernan 11:00, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Ticker?
Does this company have a stock ticker? 66.30.166.58 18:37, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * No, they are a private company. If you read the sources, you will infer that they have only a handful of employees (<10) though this is never directly stated, as far as I know. 68.8.72.3 18:16, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Thank you. 66.30.166.58 18:37, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

A Main Page FA?
Okay, this only the second time I have ever complained about the Main Page FA, and the first complaint inspired me to register my account. While I can appreciate the work that went into the article and its FA nomination, in my humble opinion this reads as spam. It is not NPOV, it promotes the product in question, and I believe that the above comment about "How can I buy their stock?" only proves the point. Again, this is just my opinion of reading the article. I am disappointed. I'll move on tomorrow. Teke 05:33, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Basically, my problem is that this article reads just like any random drug advertisement I've seen on TV.
 * This is what our product does
 * This is how our product works
 * This is our disclaimer/side effects
 * Only not in that order.  Teke  05:59, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I agree, see my comments below. -RustavoTalk/Contribs 05:39, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I totally agree. After reading this entire article, I fail to see why this is notable enough for an article, let alone an FA. This strikes me as a long ad on our main page.--Alabamaboy 12:05, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Ditto. Seems an extraordinary choice for a FA. AndrewWTaylor 18:08, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * FA's can be on any subject, from Solar System to Spoo. Besides, the article is hardly a glowing endorsement of the product when it details numerous controversies and legal actions pertaining to the product.  What makes you say it reads like an advertisement when it is a very balanced article stating multiple sides of the story? 68.8.72.3 18:18, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * See my three points above. Don't get me wrong, Shoe polish is a damn great article.   Teke  03:10, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

I don't see how this could be taken to read like an ad, when large parts of the article are devoted to questioning its scientific validity and possible unethical nature. --Delirium 19:53, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * No publicity is bad publicity. Carcharoth 21:53, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I know a little about how drug marketers work. While I will assume good faith on the part of WP editors involved in the decision making to post this page, I certainly won't attach the same level of good faith for the marketers whose job it is to promote this product. I have no evidence to support the idea that WP has been had, but I think there a definite possibility of a coordinated action to get this page put up. My $0.02. Ronnotel 22:20, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

From my perspective, the article addresses man valid concerns about the technology and I believe its inclusion is both timely and appropriate. From the perspective of a United States resident, it seems like a trivial issue, but in most of the developing world, gender selection is a serious issue. Not only that, but using blood samples to identify sex chromosomes is only the beginning of what is coming online in terms of fetal testing. I applaud the authors for writing a fair and balanced look at the current state of affairs. 67.149.103.119 23:15, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Opening paragraph POV concerns
I am concerned that certain claims appearing in the opening section are speculative, opinion-based, and not supported by authoritative references. Namely, this section claims that reasons for use of the test include "getting a head start on shopping for baby clothes or decorating the nursery" or "preparing themselves or the baby's siblings for gender-specific issues." These two claims are apparently based on single, anecdotal interviews in popular press reports. The statement that "50–70% of expectant parents would like to know the gender of their child ahead of delivering the baby" is further used to support the presumed use of the device. Yet gender is easily and accurately determined by routine prenatal care methods (ultrasound) several months before term. The real purpose of the test is to determine gender very early in the pregnancy, and the motivations of the majority of this company's clients for doing this is unclear. The concern about gender-selective abortion is relegated to a worry of "bioethicists", yet there is no evidence to suggest that this is not a common use of the test in actual practice. I would propose that the opening paragraph be trimmed to state the reasons for ordering the test as:

"'Women may have many motivations for using a test to learn the gender of their fetus early in pregnancy, including mental preparation, gender-specific purchases, or (more controversially) gender-selective abortion. The actual motivations of most users of the Baby Gender Mentor are unknown.'"

More (anecdotal) detail could possibly be included in a later paragraph about "non-controversial" uses of the device, but should not be in the opening paragraph, IMHO - otherwise this article risks uncritically parroting the company's marketing claims. Since this is a featured article, I will wait for comments before making this change. -RustavoTalk/Contribs 05:39, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

 * Linking to the discussion at Featured article review. Sandy Georgia  (Talk) 08:25, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I read the discussion at Featured article review. As you stated there, "Main page exposure may help address the issues in this article and encourage better examination of sourcing by FA reviewers." I hope this is true b/c this article's sourcing, er, sucks. For example, the source for the lead comment "An estimated 50–70% of expectant parents would like to know the gender of their child before it is born." is a now non-existant advertisement for this product (link was at ). The reference for "Parents might like to know this information early in order to get a head start on shopping for baby clothes or decorating the nursery" is a single news column which reads as if the author copied directly from advertising copy.--Alabamaboy 12:49, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Note: I've made some changes to the lead to address these issues.--Alabamaboy 12:55, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

 * One motivation for women to seek alternatives to ultrasound is that the procedure is not entirely without risk to the fetus, and in fact the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists does not recommend the procedure for routine use in every pregnancy. (see, the ACOG pamphlet, and Mothering Magazine).  The last source also points out that by having an ultrasound exam, some women receive information they don't want (for example, information that severely tests their opposition to abortion). Mike Serfas 13:21, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Your first reference discusses theoretical risks of ultrasound, extrapolating from animal models, and determines that they are very small. To my knowlege, there is absulutely no direct evidence that prenatal ultrasound causes any risks in humans. ACOG reccommends that ultrasound be "offered" to all pregnant women for fetal abnormality screening. Regardless, this is far too technical a discussion to appear in what should be a concise, non-POV, non-controversial opening paragraph. -RustavoTalk/Contribs 18:59, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

 * Thanks - "not entirely without risk" may have been a stronger phrase than I intended, and I'm pleased with how the final edit came out. Mike Serfas 14:42, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

One giant advertisement
How does a passage like this end up in a Featured Article? (my bolding):

"The company says that the accuracy of the test exceeds that of conventional methods, such as ultrasonography, amniocentesis, or chorionic villus sampling techniques, and that their test offers "unsurpassed accuracy, unrivaled earliness, and uncompromised promptness".[4] Acu-Gen has chosen not to release details of how the test works or proof of its accuracy"

So basically an unproven claim has been allowed to stand in a featured article - a claim that makes nice advertising for the company. That this has been promoted to Featured Article status SUCKS. Now every company will get their PR people to write a nicely-worded, generally positive article for their products and Bingo! Millions of dollars worth of free advertising. Shame on you, Wikipedia people. 81.152.168.172 13:04, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

 * They already do. Have you seen some of the Feature articles foisted on Wikipedia?  Every couple of days it's an ad for a video game that's due to be released next month (because the article is most "stable" when no one has had the opportunity to dispute the manufacturer's claims...)  At least this article incorporates some substantial criticism (and doesn't even spin it off to a separate sub-article!) and mentions competing products.  I would have voted against it anyway, but I didn't vote... there's one problem. Mike Serfas 13:32, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

 * Slander! Video game featured articles usually show up only every couple of months at the most part. (And I agree with the statements posted below.) Brutannica 01:11, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

And now it's even featured. That's really advertisement. I am quite disappointed with Wiki here.

 * I had just the other impression: Quoting the manufacturer's claims made it very clear to me that this company is suspicious. Without the claims, it might have seemed like a nit-picking issue, but the article as presented was very compelling and balanced at the same time. Good work! Ben 14:31, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Thank you Ben. I am very surprised anyone thinks this reads like an advertisement.  The controversies surrounding this product, including allegations of fraud, are clearly explained in the body of the article and mentioned in the lead. Johntex\talk 18:39, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Of course we should be discussing how the product is marketed. The article wouldn't be comprehensive if it didn't state that the company insists that it's completely accurate, despite several false results.  If we actually said that this stuff was true, it'd be an issue.  But it's completely appropriate to discuss the company's claims in the proper context.  This doesn't look like an ad at all.  ShadowHalo 18:50, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Who said "no publicity is bad publicity"? Seriously. If the claims are bogus, the company doesn't need an article. 4500 people have bought the product? That is a vanishingly small number. Carcharoth 21:52, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Of course it warrants an article. The product has received attention from reliable third-party sources.  ShadowHalo 22:54, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Remind me which sources those are again? Carcharoth 22:58, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Checking the references, one finds that the article cites stories from The Today Show, NPR, and Science, among others. Johntex\talk 15:08, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I suppose one could question why the article is titled Baby Gender Mentor rather than Blood-based prenatal sex determination or something similarly generic, given that this company is only one of several labs offering a similar service. I agree that this is the most publicised & well-known company, and maybe it does deserve its own separate page, but right now I think it is a valid concern that Wikipedia seems to be promoting one company (if you agree that any publicity is good publicity) over others. -RustavoTalk/Contribs 15:40, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 * None of the other companies that do "blood-based prenatal sex determination" have received any sort of widespread publicity at all. I had to dig to even find them, and I dug them out just to make this article as complete as possible.  In my view, our Coca Cola article should absolutely mention Pepsi and vice versa, but that does not mean both of those articles should be merged into Soft drink.  We are clearly not promoting this product just because we have an article on it; not if our article is an un-biased view of the product. Johntex\talk 16:55, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

 * A new kit called "Pink or Blue" is getting some media attention this week. I've added it to this article for now.  It may merit its own article in the future and/or the coverage on this new test may help us created an article on the more general topic.  Interestingly, a good portion of the press reports on "Pink or Blue" are calling it the "first test of its kind", so obviously they have not done their homework! Johntex\talk 16:21, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Sherry Bonelli
I would be interested to here if Sherry Bonelli's child was indeed a girl...has anyone heard anything about this?Trottsky 13:54, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

sex vs. gender, a little bone to pick
I wanted to mention a small issue regarding the use of the word gender in this article. Accu-Gen claims this product determines the "gender" of a fetus, but this is misleading. The proper (i.e. scientific and academic rather than colloquial) use of the word gender refers to how one convceives of begin masculine, feminine, or both. Gender is widely accepted to be a social construction. Thus it does not refer to the sex of an individual, i.e. being male or female in a biological sense. This article does not address this glaring issue, and I plan on noting the issue and changing gender in all cases where appropriate. I think Wikipedia should use academically and scientifically accepted forms of words where applicable, albeit noting common/colloquial usages. Obviously, I won't change the name of the product! It's name is it's name and that can't be changed :) JeffreyN 15:25, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I don't believe this is the article to discuss these issues. Has anyone made this complaint in a notable source?  If not, I'm removing it, for two reasons: 1, information in the lead section should always be expanded upon in the article main, and 2, lack of sources.  I don't mean a definition in a dictionary, that's original research by wikipedia's definition.  I mean a source of someone complaining.  Until then, I'm removing it from the lead. Fieari 16:07, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * This isn't a purely semantic issue - for example, in cases of testicular feminization the test will say "male" and the doctor will say "it's a girl!" - who's right is a philosophical question. Mike Serfas 16:19, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * You are correct Mike Serfas; this is an issue of semantics (though situations such as testicular feminization make things more complex). In this case, I wish to keep things simple. I don't wish to make a "discussion" of these issues in the article, I simply wanted to denote that the product's name uses the word "gender" in a colloquial, non-proper manner. What I mean to say is that: while sex and gender might be used interchangably in popular culture, scientific and academic circles generally use them in a much more specific manner. If you don't want this info in the lead section, then I can put it somewhere else. I didn't want this info to be in its own section as I don't feel it warrants a new section. It is simply a short note about the wording and context of the product's name.

 * Also, where does Wikipedia policy say that a reputable dictionary is not a proper source? (I say this NOT to provoke, but because I never knew this to be the case). Are you looking for a peer reviewed journal article specifically on the semantic differences between gender and sex? This might be harder to find though there are hundreds of other sources on the issue. I have no doubt there are many psychology and sociology textbooks that address the issue, and I think these would be considered proper sources. If you wish me to find a source like this, then that can be done. In the meantime, I will cite a dictionary or some other similar source. JeffreyN 17:49, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

 * Just to illustrate my point, the WHO defines gender and sex in the way I have outlined . I know there are better sources out there and that this would not classify as a proper source for Wikipedia. But I wanted to use this as an example. I feel that the WHO is a VERY reputable organization which can be looked to for generally accepted information. JeffreyN 17:58, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

 * The point I'm making is that the fact that this is an issue at all is original research without a source of someone else saying it. This is practically the very example given here: WP:OR.  In our case, the position in question is that the product's name is "Incorrect".  To back up this position, the definition of "Gender" is used.  The synthesis of these two positions is thus original research. Fieari 18:57, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

 * I understand your point and reference to policy, but at what point does an assertation become so obvious that 1) no research would be ever be done into the specific issue and 2) such issues are not intended to be covered by this Wikipedia policy. Also, I toned down the original text by saying that the name implies the test is for gender. In fact, it does more than imply as the website for the product explicitly says it tests for fetal gender. This case is much more clear and less "synthesizing" than the one given in WP:OR. The company defines that they do in regard to the specific word "gender". There are mutiple sources for one definition of gender. The two do not match. This is clear, simple, and uncomplicated and thus I reference the two points I make above. The policy cited is given to prevent people from making very arguable assertations that are up for debate and thus need clear and reliable sources to back up any claims made. This is not the case here. JeffreyN 19:20, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I don't think this deserves much, if any, treatment in this article. For the majority of the world, their sex is the same as their gender.  The company does not make a distinction between the two, and none of the people commenting on the product refer to the distinction.  We link to sex and we link to gender.  Articles such as those are the more appropriate place to discuss this issue. Johntex\talk 19:35, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

 * While you are correct that the words "sex" and "gender" have distinct, specific definitions in the field of sociology, the word "gender" is widely used to refer to biological "maleness" or "femaleness" in popular usage and by many medical authorities & researchers (see for example, this reference which uses the terms interchangably). I'm not sure you have the authority to say that this common usage is universally "wrong".-RustavoTalk/Contribs 19:34, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

 * For the majority of the non-scientific world, the two are many times used interchangably. The point is that the scientific community that deals with these issues almost universally defines the terms as I have outlined. I simply want to make this point clear as Wikipedia is to be used to make all aspects and definitions of a word/issue clear, esp. regarding scientific definitions and points of clarifications. If Wikipedia is to authoritative, it must contain both universally accepted definitions as well as those that are accepted in scientific communities that study specific issues. As to the fact that the medical community sometimes uses gender to refer to biological maleness or femaleness, this is sometimes the case, though as I have said incorrectly (and I would agrue, though with no proper evidence, rarely the case). However, the pyschology and sociology communities which specifically deal with the issue have sought to clarify the definitions as they apply to all scientific fields, medical or otherwise. If you all feel that the definition does no warrant clarification, then I will cease to argue my case as long as all references to the word gender are changed to sex (except of course in the case of the name itself or citations/sources). JeffreyN 20:14, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

 * Look, I understand your point, but I completely disagree that your definition of the term "gender" is relevant to the usage on this page. If this article dealt with issues of "gender identity," than using those terms in the strict sociology/psychology usage would be an important goal, but it is absolutely clear to purchasers of the product, as well as readers of this page, that it is a test for "biological sex" or (as it is commonly used in medical and non-medical contexts) "biological gender". This page simply isn't the right place to be advancing a politically charged semantic debate without relevance to the topic at hand. -RustavoTalk/Contribs 20:55, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I agree with Rustavo. It's a valid point for discussion on some other article, it is not relevant here. Johntex\talk 15:10, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 * While I didn't like the original sentence added to the lead, I think this point has to be relevant to this article. "Gender" is in the name of the article (and product); the product is a test for biological sex (which occurs 107 times in PubMed vs. 20 times "biological gender", FWIW).  Though the two words are synonymous in common usage, that is irrelevant - what matters to this article is the scientific and medical usage.  A brief, restrained statement clarifying the difference would be appropriate under "Test Methodology", for example:  "As the test examines DNA, what it determines is the biological sex of the fetus, rather than its sexual differentiation or gender identity."  If you say WP:NOR I say WP:IAR - you shouldn't need a reference to infer that a test for a Y chromosome will not perceive androgen resistance or other hormonal abnormalities. Mike Serfas 16:47, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 * What Mike Serfas sounds great to me. As I said, I do not wish to make a huge issue of this in the article itself. I realize this is not the forum for the issue to that degree. My interest is only in clarifying (as Mike Serfas seems to want as well (let me know if this is not the case!)) in a technical, scientific way the terms used by the company and in this article. For me, that means in some way clarifying the difference between gender and sex as defined by relavent scientific fields. I don't think that this necessarily has to be "politically charged", and I apologize if my initial edits seemed so. JeffreyN 20:46, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Americans United for Life
"Americans United for Life argues that women disappointed by the result of their test would find it easier to have an abortion if they get the results early. They say that women who want to have a specific sex will be learning the results at a time when it is safer for them to have an abortion, without the complications associated with aborting later in pregnancy." Unless AUL is seriously arguing in favour of killing off women who opt for abortion, doesn't this seem like a pro-abortion argument? Or am I misreading it? Soo 15:41, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * AUL is essentially stating that a woman shouldn't know the baby's sex early, because that way she'll be too far into the pregnancy to abort it. That's how I read it, at least.  ShadowHalo 18:46, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Yes, that is how I read it also. Or, to re-phrase it slightly: AUL does not believe women should be getting abortions, and they don't like anything that might make an expactant mother more likely to choose an abortion. Johntex\talk 18:58, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Thread on Main Page talk
There is a thread on the Main Page talk about this article. Carcharoth 16:22, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Quick Question
Has anyone followed up the references provided by the Acu-Gen web page? I haven't had a chance to do so, is there any mention of how Acu-Gen ensures that only foetal cells undergo QT-PCR? Any maternal cell contamination would clearly interfere with the results. I am unaware of any technique which allows for the selection of foetal cells over adult cells with 100% accuracy... Alexjcharlton 01:08, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Most (possibly all) of the references given by Acu-Gen are not specifically about the Baby Gender Mentor test. They are about RT-PCR in general, or about the use of AmpliSensor technology as applied to different problems (but not to sex selection).  The founder of Acu-Gen is also an inventor of AmpliSensor.  They have not published peer-reviewed papers going into detail specifically about Baby Gender Mentor.  The article states that they have declined to publish such informaiton until the technigue is patented. Johntex\talk 19:32, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Decision Process
How does one go about verifying the transparency of the decision process for front page nominations. I'm not making any claims here, I'd just like to know how WP decides what gets put up on the front page. Ronnotel 22:23, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Well, first it is made a featured article. See Featured article candidates/Baby Gender Mentor. Then Raul (the Featured Article Director), queues the articles to appear on the front page. See this month's queue at Today's featured article/May 2007. The choice of articles from the backlog to appear in the queue is done at Today's featured article/requests, though as that page says, the final decision is taken by Raul. Carcharoth 22:32, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Current availabilty info
I've e-mailed Acu-gen Biolabs on this question and they replied, saying the product is "currently being offered".--Pharos 03:23, 30 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Interesting. I will try again to purchase the product.  Twice in the past they have said it was "out of stock".  I will report back what I learn. Johntex\talk 21:23, 19 June 2007 (UTC)

 * The Pink or Blue product appears to no longer be for sale on the DNA Worldwide website Kert01 (talk) 16:32, 4 January 2008 (UTC)

Tagging DYZ-1 etc.
This discussion uncovered some sourcing problems in Baby Gender Mentor. That section makes claims about fetomaternal microchimerism, polymerase chain reaction, and DYZ-1, but the cited source (O'Crowley 2005) doesn't support those claims. For now I added some fact tags. Eubulides (talk) 22:24, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

Sourcing edits -- June 2011

 * I removed edits sourced to or related to PregnancyStore.com. The removed information needs to be discussed here and sourced per WP:RS before being readded to the article. The article appears to be the victim of rampant, equal-opportunity abuse and questionable sourcing. Flowanda | Talk 08:14, 27 June 2011 (UTC)
 * I also removed the unrelated competition section that sourced to company websites or news articles that had nothing to do with the subject of this article. Discuss the edits here and show a clear connection to this company and legitimate sourcing. Flowanda | Talk 08:32, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

Recent meta-study
Am I correct in assuming that this meta-study (lay summary) relates to Baby Gender Mentor? Gabbe (talk) 15:25, 10 August 2011 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 5 one external links on Baby Gender Mentor. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20090619120142/http://news.aol.com/article/baby-sex-tests-lawsuit/528219? to http://news.aol.com/article/baby-sex-tests-lawsuit/528219?
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20051228022019/http://babygendermentor.com:80/information.php?information_id=3 to http://babygendermentor.com/information.php?information_id=3
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.webantidote.com/pregnancystore/today_show_flash/
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20080820143450/http://www.babygendermentor.com/ to http://www.babygendermentor.com
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20080414153151/http://www.dnapolicy.org/resources/2006_Javitt_Fertility_and_Sterility_Pink_or_Blue.pdf to http://www.dnapolicy.org/resources/2006_Javitt_Fertility_and_Sterility_Pink_or_Blue.pdf

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at ).

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 17:38, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 5 one external links on Baby Gender Mentor. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110505210227/http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_detail.aspx?id=19814 to http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_detail.aspx?id=19814
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070202131214/http://babygendermentor.com/information.php?information_id=4 to http://babygendermentor.com/information.php?information_id=4
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20060813223631/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/front/story/337727p-288375c.html to http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/337727p-288375c.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070109041436/http://www.tufts.edu:80/sackler/facultyIntros/bianchiD.html to http://www.tufts.edu/sackler/facultyIntros/bianchiD.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070202102307/http://www.bioethics.gov:80/background/background2.html to http://www.bioethics.gov/background/background2.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at ).

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 21:22, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 8 external links on Baby Gender Mentor. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://news.aol.com/article/baby-sex-tests-lawsuit/528219
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20090410184640/http://babygendermentor.com/information.php?information_id=1 to http://babygendermentor.com/information.php?information_id=1
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://babygendermentor.com/information.php?information_id=3
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/337727p-288375c.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20060819132014/http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid%3D16574383%26method%3Dfull%26siteid%3D66633%26headline%3Dwhat-will-they-think-of-next---name_page.html to http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid%3D16574383%26method%3Dfull%26siteid%3D66633%26headline%3Dwhat-will-they-think-of-next---name_page.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070929134129/http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/07/03/10051143.html to http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/07/03/10051143.html
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.tufts.edu/sackler/facultyIntros/bianchiD.html
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.bioethics.gov/background/background2.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 11:35, 27 March 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 3 external links on Baby Gender Mentor. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070202094115/http://babygendermentor.com/information.php?information_id=5 to http://babygendermentor.com/information.php?information_id=5
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070129005148/http://www.babygenderinvestigation.com/ALLEGATIONS.html to http://www.babygenderinvestigation.com/ALLEGATIONS.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070224130327/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/050624/24sex.htm to http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/050624/24sex.htm

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 02:35, 16 May 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified one external link on Baby Gender Mentor. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20060705201351/http://pregnancystore.com/baby_gender_mentor.htm to http://www.pregnancystore.com/baby_gender_mentor.htm

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 11:09, 13 July 2017 (UTC)

title: Talk:Baby Gender Mentor


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Connor C. Smith

 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 Speedy deleted clear A7 --Doc (?) 00:11, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

Connor C. Smith
Non-notable frat boy. — Mateo SA | talk 23:05, 29 September 2005 (UTC)

 * Connor is indeed a notable character, a good man, and certainly the kind of person for whom an informative Wiki article is wholly appropriate — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.108.159.20 (talk • contribs) 23:49, 29 September 2005
 * Are you a Sigma Nu from another chapter? 138.202.10.62 23:13, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
 * It is my understanding that Connor is quite notable within system of the fraternity. If anyone can point me to his bio, that'd be great. Egonspengler 23:25, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Notorious would be more accurate, I think. I don't know of an online bio, but he's well remembered at the undergraduate chapter to this day (5+ years after graduation) and would not be surprised if they wouldn't collect stories for a page off of their page at http://www.dartmouth.edu/~sigmanu/ 138.202.10.62 23:52, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Dude, everyone knows Connor Smith! He's our generation's Brother Bluto. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.218.216.61 (talk • contribs) 23:29, 29 September 2005
 * Speedy delete as per WP:CSD A7. Hall Monitor 23:33, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Speedy Delete as per Hall Monitor.--Sean Jelly Baby? 23:56, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Non-notable and borderline nonsense. -- SCZenz 00:01, 30 September 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:
User talk:Blau

Welcome to Wikipedia
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 such as yourself:

 * Be Bold!
 * Don't let grumpy users scare you off.
 * Meet other new users
 * Learn from others
 * Play nice with others
 * Contribute, Contribute, Contribute!
 * Tell us about you

 * How to edit a page
 * Editing tutorial
 * Picture tutorial
 * How to write a great article
 * Naming conventions
 * Manual of Style

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! By the way, you can sign your name on Talk and vote pages using three tildes, like this: ~~~. Four tildes (~~~~) produces your name and the current date. If you have any questions, see the help pages, add a question to the village pump or ask me on my talk page. Again, welcome! -- Spinboy 23:05, 29 September 2005 (UTC)

Boeing 787 potential customers list
Please see the discussion at Talk:Boeing 787, as it concerns your edits. —Joseph/N328KF (Talk) 06:46, 14 May 2006 (UTC)

ArbCom elections are now open!
MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 13:09, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

ArbCom elections are now open!
MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 13:33, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Blau


text:
Enderby Land

Enderby Land is a projecting landmass of Antarctica. Its shore extends from Shinnan Glacier at about -67.91667°N, 44.63333°W to William Scoresby Bay at -67.4°N, 59.56667°W, approximately $1/24$ of the earth's longitude. It was first documented in western and eastern literature in February 1831 by John Biscoe aboard the whaling brig Tula, and named after the Enderby Brothers of London, the ship's owners who encouraged their captains to combine exploration with sealing.

Nation state claims
Subject to the constraints of the Antarctic Treaty System, the longest-held nation-state claimant rights in the territory is Australia, being a large part of its claimed Australian Antarctic Territory up to various high latitudes towards the South Pole.

Features
Coastal features include Amundsen Bay, Casey Bay and Cape Monakov. Mountain ranges or sub-ranges being crests above pack ice (escarpments), are the Scott Mountains, the Tula Mountains, and the Napier Mountains. The highest peak is Mount Elkins at 2300 m Above Ordnance Datum (conventional sea level).

title: Enderby Land


text:
2006 Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia leadership election

The Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia leadership election of 2006 was held on February 11, 2006 to select a replacement for John Hamm, as Premier of Nova Scotia and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia.

Timeline

 * September 29, 2005 - Hamm announces his retirement, effective upon the election of a new leader.
 * October 15, 2005 - The PC Party announces that the leadership vote will be held on February 11, 2006 with a delegated convention as opposed to the one member one vote system used in the previous race.
 * October 26, 2005 - Bill Black becomes the first candidate to officially enter the race.
 * October 28, 2005 - Neil LeBlanc becomes the second candidate to officially enter the race.
 * November 4, 2005 - Rodney MacDonald becomes the third candidate to officially enter the race.
 * December 27, 2005 - Membership cutoff date.
 * January 7, 2006 - Delegate selection period begins.
 * February 11, 2006 - Leadership convention held in Halifax. Rodney MacDonald wins on 2nd ballot with support from Neil LeBlanc.
 * February 24, 2006 - MacDonald sworn in as 32nd Premier of Nova Scotia.

Candidates

 * Bill Black, former CEO of Maritime Life and candidate for the Halifax Citadel by-election
 * Neil LeBlanc, former minister of Finance
 * Rodney MacDonald, minister of Tourism, Culture & Heritage and MLA for Inverness

Non-candidates
The following individuals were the subject of media speculation about running or themselves indicated they were considering a run but eventually opted against.

 * Michael Baker, minister of Justice and MLA for Lunenburg
 * Jamie Baillie, former Chief of Staff to Premier Hamm.
 * Cecil Clarke, minister of Energy and MLA for Cape Breton North
 * Ernie Fage, minister of Economic Development and MLA for Cumberland North
 * Richard Hurlburt, minister of Natural Resources and MLA for Yarmouth
 * Peter Kelly, mayor of Halifax
 * Peter MacKay, deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and MP for Central Nova
 * Kerry Morash, minister of Environment and Labour and MLA for Queens
 * Jane Purves, former minister of Education, Chief of Staff to Premier Hamm
 * Judy Streatch, MLA for Chester-St. Margaret's

First Ballot
The first ballot was close, with just 59 votes separating the first and last place candidates.

LeBlanc eliminated, supports MacDonald.


text:
Wikipedia:Peer review/Acu-gen/archive1

Acu-gen
Hello, I created this article today and I would like others to check it over for NPOV. From my research, I feel pretty confident that the company does not meet their claims. Since I have gotten close to the subject, I want other editors to check that the article remains balanced. Thanks, Johntex\talk 23:06, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
 * The three bulleted points in the "Baby Gender Mentor test" section shouldn't be just cut-and-pasted from Acu-gen's materials; rewrite their claims in other, more encyclopedic words that doesn't sound like advertising. No need for bullets. Similarly, the quotes and testimonials make it read like a news article, not an encyclopedia article. Summarize the positions; I'd use quotes only if the exact phrasing the speaker used is important or unique. Don't use contractions, like I've been using here.. heh. More details about how the test works, not from the company's advertising materials, might be good if available.   CDC   (talk)  05:34, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

OK, here we go! Take care! Ryan Norton T 09:59, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
 * 1) "Acu-gen Biolab, Inc is a small biotech company" - "small" in this context is POV... be specific!
 * 2) Grammer needs a bit of work
 * 3) " The company gives no evidence of proof for its claims" - Very POV
 * 4) "Baby Gender Mentor test" - Full of PR-speak - should not have a list and should be explained in neutral language. Needs to be much longer
 * 5) "Criticism of the test and Acu-gen" - paragraphs too short
 * 6) " some parents may" - may-->might
 * 7) Explain "vanishing twin"
 * 8) "Until Acu-Gen releases its data, there's no way to know the test's reliability, said Sandra Carson, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine who specializes in sex selection. "Until that's out, I think it shouldn't be on the market," she said. Washington Post
 * Paragraph is written like a news article - should be paraphrased in a NPOV. Inline link should be ref/noted or similar
 * 1) Other sources have testimonials from women who have received successful predictions from the test. "I would recommend the Baby Gender Mentor test to my friends and family," says one customer of The Pregnancy Store.
 * No need for the quote, and the link should be ref/noted or similar
 * Thank you both for your great advice! I will try to implement these changes.  BTW, how do I do "ref/noted" links - is there a how-to page on making those type of notes?  Thanks again, Johntex\talk 14:00, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Check out Footnote3. CDC   (talk)  17:35, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

A good company article should talk about things like corporate structure, funding sources, marketing, market share, manufacturing, corporate policies, corporate vision and corporate strategy as well as include the Infobox_Company template. This article doesn't talk about any of those things and I have a feeling that's not really the direction you want to take the article. So rather than call the article Acu-gen move it to something like Baby Gender Mentor (the product's trademark) and just talk about the product. Also be careful in your writing, Acu-Gen always writes its name with a capital "G" and for that reason so should you. Leaving a redirect from Acu-gen to this new page is fine though. Cedars 09:27, 1 October 2005 (UTC)

title: Wikipedia:Peer review/Acu-gen/archive1


text:
Geronimo FM

Geronimo FM is a youngsters hits radio based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It first went on-air as a pirate station called Gembel Rapi in 1968. Geronimo got its license in 1971 and May 31 was selected as its official start date. The station was, at first, an AM station on 1602 kHz and has since retained its top hits format. In 5 March 1990, Geronimo was the first station in Yogyakarta to move to FM on 105.8. That was after the Indonesian government opened the frequency for commercial radio stations, but in 2003 Indonesia's Communications Minister issued a decree in the FM Radio Frequency Master Plan that forced Geronimo to move to 106.1 FM.

title: Geronimo FM


text:
User:Carnildo/transcomic

 * Transwiki to the Comixpedia Webcomic Wiki and delete.

title: User:Carnildo/transcomic


text:
Talk:Ralph Meeker

wives
It's not at all clear who Meeker was married to and when. This refers to his second wife Millicent: http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/208871%7c0/Starring-Ralph-Meeker.html

This to a second wife, Colleen

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576112/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

Any certainty? 178.167.254.131 (talk) 19:43, 22 May 2015 (UTC) BB

Orphaned references in Ralph Meeker
I check pages listed in Category:Pages with incorrect ref formatting to try to fix reference errors. One of the things I do is look for content for orphaned references in wikilinked articles. I have found content for some of Ralph Meeker's orphans, the problem is that I found more than one version. I can't determine which (if any) is correct for this article, so I am asking for a sentient editor to look it over and copy the correct ref content into this article.

Reference named "Mannix": From Dore Schary:  From 1956 in film: .

I apologize if any of the above are effectively identical; I am just a simple computer program, so I can't determine whether minor differences are significant or not. AnomieBOT ⚡ 17:20, 1 July 2018 (UTC)

title: Talk:Ralph Meeker


text:
User talk:Nihonjoe

You've got mail

 * Your email was rather confusing. Please explain it again here, and please include links to what you're talking about. ··· 日本穣 ·  投稿  · Talk to Nihonjoe ·  Join WP Japan ! 16:20, 4 April 2024 (UTC)
 * The question I had for you has been answered by User: Mike Christie. Thanks! Safari Scribe Edits! Talk! 02:02, 5 April 2024 (UTC)

 * My talk page archive wasn't picked by "Cluebot 11" after the rename. Yet I found the February and March archive., What should I do? Safari Scribe Edits! Talk! 02:48, 5 April 2024 (UTC)

 * I still have no idea what you're talking about. ··· 日本穣 ·  投稿  · Talk to Nihonjoe ·  Join WP Japan ! 20:17, 5 April 2024 (UTC)

Template editor granted
Your account has been granted the "templateeditor" user permission, allowing you to edit templates and modules that have been protected with template protection. It also allows you to bypass the title blacklist, giving you the ability to create and edit editnotices. Before you use this user right, please read Template editor and make sure you understand its contents. In particular, you should read the section on wise template editing and the criteria for revocation.

You can use this user right to perform maintenance, answer edit requests, and make any other simple and generally uncontroversial edits to templates, modules, and edinotices. You can also use it to enact more complex or controversial edits, after those edits are first made to a test sandbox, and their technical reliability as well as their consensus among other informed editors has been established. If you are willing to process edit requests on templates and modules, keep in mind that you are taking responsibility to ensure the edits have consensus and are technically sound.

This user right gives you access to some of Wikipedia's most important templates and modules; it is critical that you edit them wisely and that you only make edits that are backed up by consensus. It is also very important that no one else be allowed to access your account, so you should consider taking a few moments to secure your password.

If you do not want this user right, you may ask any administrator to remove it for you at any time.

If you were granted the permission on a temporary basis you will need to re-apply for the permission a few days before it expires including in your request a permalink to the discussion where it was granted and a ping for the administrator who granted the permission. You can find the permalink in your [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Log/rights&page=User:Nihonjoe rights log].

 * Useful links
 * All template-protected pages
 * User:AnomieBOT/TPERTable – outstanding template-protected edit requests (bot-generated)
 * Request fully-protected templates or modules be downgraded to template protection

Happy template editing! Cabayi (talk) 10:35, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

A barnstar for creating new articles

 * Thanks! ··· 日本穣 ·  投稿  · Talk to Nihonjoe ·  Join WP Japan ! 16:25, 29 April 2024 (UTC)

Reminder to vote now to select members of the first U4C

 * You can find this message translated into additional languages on Meta-wiki.

Dear Wikimedian,

You are receiving this message because you previously participated in the UCoC process.

This is a reminder that the voting period for the Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C) ends on May 9, 2024. Read the information on the voting page on Meta-wiki to learn more about voting and voter eligibility.

The Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C) is a global group dedicated to providing an equitable and consistent implementation of the UCoC. Community members were invited to submit their applications for the U4C. For more information and the responsibilities of the U4C, please review the U4C Charter.

Please share this message with members of your community so they can participate as well.

On behalf of the UCoC project team,

RamzyM (WMF) 23:09, 2 May 2024 (UTC)

Wikimedia U.S. Mountain West Online Meeting
Wikimedians of the U.S. Mountain West will hold an online meeting from 8:00 to 9:00 PM MDT, Tuesday evening, May 14, 2024, at meet.google.com/kfu-topq-zkd. Anyone interested in the Mountain West or the future direction of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia movement is encouraged to attend. All guests are welcome. Please see our meeting page for details.

If you don't wish to receive these invitations any more, please remove your username from our . Thanks.

MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 07:21, 9 May 2024 (UTC)

Rescheduled online meeting of the Wikimedians of the U.S. Mountain West 05/21/2024
The online meeting of the Wikimedians of the U.S. Mountain West originally scheduled for May 14 has been rescheduled for 8:00 to 9:00 PM MDT, Tuesday evening, May 21, 2024, at meet.google.com/wbg-wgws-sbj. Please see our new meeting page for details.

If you don't wish to receive these invitations any more, please remove your username from our . Thanks. - MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 05:46, 16 May 2024 (UTC)

title: User talk:Nihonjoe


text:
User talk:Josowski

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! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~); this will automatically produce your name and the date. If you need help, check out Where to ask a question, ask me on my talk page, or place  on your talk page and someone will show up shortly to answer your questions. Again, welcome! You also might want to take a look at WP:NOT in regards to content, ie external links, that are on pages and such. If you have any questions or anything, feel free to drop me a line, and i will try to help you out. --Boothy443 | comhrá 23:09, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
 * The five pillars of Wikipedia
 * How to edit a page
 * Help pages
 * Tutorial
 * How to write a great article
 * Manual of Style

Philadelphia Project
Hi i have noticed that you have edited several articles on subjects related to the Philadelphia area. Several other users and myself have got together to creak a project to help improve, expand, and create articles concerning the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley region. While our project is still new, we are inviting people to join us to help it get started off on the right foot. You can find the project at WikiProject Philadelphia, feel free to add your name and drop off an suggestions that you might have. If you have any questions, drop me a line anytime. Thanks. --Boothy443 | trácht ar 04:12, 28 October 2005 (UTC)

title: User talk:Josowski


text:
Credit Union National Association

The Credit Union National Association, commonly known as CUNA (pronounced "Cue-Nuh"), was a national trade association for both state- and federally chartered credit unions located in the United States. CUNA provided member credit unions with trade association services, such as lobbying, regulatory advocacy, professional development, and professional services management. The organization operated out of its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and an operations center in Madison, Wisconsin. CUNA's president and chief executive officer Jim Nussle led the organization since September 2014 and now leads its successor organization, America's Credit Unions.

CUNA was founded at a meeting in Estes Park, Colorado as a replacement for the Credit Union National Extension Bureau. The first director was Roy F. Bergengren.

America’s Credit Unions
On August 1, 2023, the association’s board of directors announced its intent to merge the association with the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions, forming a new entity called America's Credit Unions. The merger became effective as of 2024 and longtime CUNA CEO Jim Nussle is the president and CEO of the new association.

Services and support
CUNA is supported through dues paid by credit unions through their local league dues and fees generated from services provided. CUNA has previously operated a for-profit "CUNA Services Corp." However, many of the pass-through services, such as credit card processing and individual retirement account (IRA) administration, have been sold to other vendors.

CUNA also houses eight CUNA Councils - national organizations for credit union professionals. Run by and for credit union professionals, Councils target their networking, information and programs to key areas of credit union management.

Prior to 2016, a credit union was required to be a member of its local state credit union league in order to qualify for benefits and services from CUNA, but that is no longer a requirement.

Employees and locations
CUNA employs 295 people in its offices in Washington, D.C., and Madison, Wisconsin. The Madison campus is also the headquarters of CUNA Mutual Group, the World Council of Credit Unions, and the National Credit Union Foundation.

Advocacy
On December 4, 2013, Rose Bartolomucci testified before the United States House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit on behalf of CUNA in favor of the bill To amend the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to authorize privately insured credit unions to become members of a Federal home loan bank (H.R. 3584; 113th Congress). The bill is a bill that would amend the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to treat certain privately insured credit unions as insured depository institutions for purposes of determining eligibility for membership in a federal home loan bank. Bartolomucci emphasized that the bill does not guarantee membership to individual credit unions, but only the right to apply for membership. Bartolomucci argued that being able to join the Federal Home Loan Bank System would allow credit unions to better serve their members by providing them with additional liquidity. Bartolomucci also made historical arguments about why credit unions should be eligible.

CUNA supported the Credit Union Share Insurance Fund Parity Act (H.R. 3468; 113th Congress), a bill that would expand federal deposit insurance to include Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTAs) and similar escrow accounts housed within credit unions. The CUNA said that "this legislation is necessary because the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) has interpreted that the Federal Credit Union Act does not permit it to extend such coverage." CUNA President Bill Cheney said that the bill "would reduce credit unions regulatory burden and help them better serve their members."

title: Credit Union National Association


text: User talk:147.252.220.48

title: User talk:147.252.220.48


text:
The Battalion

The Battalion (The Batt) is the student newspaper of Texas A&M University. Started in 1893 as a monthly publication, it continues to this day, now as a weekly print and daily online paper. The Battalion is entirely student-run and covers the university and surrounding Bryan-College Station area.

Origins
The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now known as Texas A&M University), had two literary societies, the Calliopean and the Austin. The societies collaboratively published a literary magazine, College Journal from 1889 until 1893. The College Journal appeared monthly, describing the activities of the college and its students in "the flowery prose of the time." College Journal ceased publication in 1893 when the two societies collaborated on a newspaper, called The Battalion.

Vol. 1, No. 1 was published on Sunday, October 1, 1893. In the first issue's salutatory, it reads:

This new publication used a more journalistic style as it covered campus events, and even included photographs; however, early issues still strongly resembled prose, and included sections of poetry, humor and essays.

June editions originally acted as a yearbook before one was officially adopted by the university in 1903. While women weren't allowed to officially attend A&M until 1963, starting in 1893 women could enroll in classes and participate in student organizations. This included The Battalion; Ethel Hudson — the first woman to enroll in A&M courses in 1893 and an honorary member of the Class of 1895 — helped edit the annual yearbook issue. Women have served as reporters, writers and editors of The Battalion throughout its publication.

Early 1900s
In 1904, The Battalion began publishing weekly. Around the same time, the Austin and Calliopean Literary Societies handed publication over to the Association of Students, causing a stylistic shift from literary writing to news coverage.

The A&M College Trouble of 1908
While there had been turmoil in years prior about university restrictions, unrest between the students, newspaper and faculty came to a head after University President Henry Hill Harrington ordered history professor Charles W. Hudson and his family — including a popular son and current A&M student — to be confined to their campus home after Hudson's grandchild developed whooping cough. The decision overruled quarantine guidelines from college physician Dr. Joe Gilbert, interpreted as disrespecting Gilbert and questioning his competency. This angered students since Gilbert "had something of a hero image." Class president T.J. Beesley and the senior class of 1908 petitioned Texas' governor to remove Harrington from office. A month later, when the board of directors fully exonerated Harrington, roughly half of the student body left campus in protest; the walkout made national headlines at the time.

Students slowly returned to A&M, but two months later The Battalion ran an article disputing Harrington's stance on the protest. He claimed there were no more problems between students and faculty, which the article contested. A&M's board of directors responded by directing Harrington to establish order — seven junior Battalion editors were suspended and an order put in place to censor future publications.

Protest against Harrington continued throughout the summer. As a result, Harrington resigned as university president in August. Censorship rules remained on the books for The Battalion; however, they were almost never enforced and eventually forgotten.

World Wars era
As the main local source of news at the time, The Battalion broke the news of America declaring war and joining World War I to much of the Bryan-College Station community. The below images are reprinted from The Battalion. Texas A&M was heavily involved in the war effort and had a larger percentage of graduates enlisted than any other university;. in September 1918, the entire senior class enlisted. In the 1920s and '30s, the editor-in-chief and business manager were elected annually by the A&M student body. At the same time, The Battalion gained its own campus office.

The only time The Battalion ceased publication was during World War II, when it was suspended for a period of time to conserve paper and supplies.

1954 staff walkout
In February 1954, the Student Life committee voted for a special committee to oversee student publication. The entire staff of The Battalion quit in protest the next day. The staff announced the walkout on the paper's front page, saying:

The rest of the four-page issue, in addition to typical news, featured letters to the editor from resigning staff. Each explained their grievances and why they chose to quit.

At the time, The Battalion's walkout made headlines. “Censorship is hidden with advice and assistance,” Holder and Bennett said in a press statement. “To us, it still means the same thing. This committee has been set up to stop The Battalion from printing the truth about things at A&M which are embarrassing to some individuals.”

A new staff was announced one month after the mass resignation, featuring many protesting writers returning in new roles. The two new co-editors, Harri Baker and Bob Boriskie, were formerly the campus and sports editors, respectively; Baker and Boriskie sought Battalion staff approval before taking the positions. Walking out worked as intended and no oversight committee was formed.

Push for coeducation
In 1958, A&M's student body voted whether or not to implement coeducation at the university. The Battalion began writing editorials to encourage coeducation leading up to the vote. A comic declared coeducation "An evolution, not a revolution."

Copies of The Battalion were burned in the Quad in protest, and Editor-in-Chief Joe Tindel's dorm was "Batt bombed," or filled with crumpled issues of The Batt. A month later, the Student Senate demanded Tindel resign. The coeducation resolution was later defeated by students, and women weren't admitted to A&M until the 1960s.

Present
In February 2022, Texas A&M University administration unsuccessfully attempted to cease The Battalion weekly print release, despite the organization's independent status. This led to significant backlash from the publication, as featured in their "Print is not dead" edition, and started a student movement, #SaveTheBatt. The publication continues to print weekly, each Thursday, and distributes across Texas A&M's campus and the Bryan-College Station community.

Kathleen McElroy hiring controversy
On June 13, 2023, former A&M student Kathleen McElroy was hired to lead A&M's new journalism program at an official signing ceremony. She began meeting with journalism faculty and staff of The Battalion soon after to plan for the upcoming year. However, on July 11, Elroy announced she would remain in her position as a University of Texas at Austin professor due to undiscussed changes to her contract.

Two days after McElroy's official hiring, Texas Scorecard, news page of conservative advocacy group Empower Texans, published "Aggies Hire NY Times 'Diversity' Advocate to Head Journalism Program." The article was written by a former opinion writer for The Battalion and discussed McElroy's work in diversity, equity and inclusion. Its publication led to criticism of her hiring, and on July 6 the Texas A&M Board of Regents met to discuss the decision.

On July 7, McElroy said she spoke on the phone with José Luis Bermúdez, then-interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and that he advised her to stay at UT, saying her hiring "stirred up a hornet's nest." Bermúdez later resigned from the position, citing the controversy.

On July 9, McElroy received a one-year contract that varied from the original agreement and included a clause about "at-will termination." She was originally offered tenure, which then-University President M. Katherine Banks told the faculty senate was still on the table on July 19. Banks resigned as university president on July 21 as a result of the McElroy controversy.

Traditions

 * Silver Taps - when a student passes away, they're honored by a Silver Taps ceremony; the week of the ceremony, a write-up of the student's life and who they were, typically with quotes from their friends and family, appears in that week's print edition of The Battalion
 * BTHO papers - for major sporting events, The Battalion publishes a BTHO, or "beat the hell outta," poster, featuring the phrase "BTHO [opponent]" that spectators hold up during the game
 * Batt bombing - typically done to freshmen by upperclassmen in the Corps of Cadets, Batt bombing involves filling a cadet's dorm room with crumpled up copies of The Battalion, with the goal being to take up as much of the room as possible
 * Swan Songs - graduating Battalion staff have the option of writing a Swan Song column, which reflects on their time at A&M
 * Ring Day columns - similar to Swan Songs, Ring Day columns are written when a staff member earns their Aggie Ring

Distribution
The Battalion is published on Thursdays during the fall and spring semesters, and on dates corresponding with New Student Conferences during the summer sessions. The print version is distributed throughout the Texas A&M campus to interested students, faculty and staff. Many places throughout College Station, such as restaurants and apartments, receive copies to distribute to their customers.

A&M's Cushing Memorial Library keeps an incomplete archive of past Battalion print issues. The Battalion 's page on Issuu has a print archive going back to 2009.

Honors
Princeton Review named The Battalion as the twentieth best college newspaper in the nation in its 2008 edition of The Best 361 Colleges. Along with four other university newspapers, The Battalion received honorable mention in the 2004 National College Newspaper Convention held by the Associated Collegiate Press. In October 2022, The Battalion was recorded as having an average of 116 shares per article and was ranked 8th in the U.S. for most consistent engagement per article.

National Pacemaker Awards (past 30 years)

 * 1996 Pacemakers - finalist
 * 1997 Pacemakers - finalist
 * 2008 Pacemakers - winner
 * 2012 Pacemakers - finalist
 * 2019 Pacemakers - winner
 * 2021 Pacemakers - finalist
 * 2022 Pacemakers - winner
 * 2023 Pacemakers - finalist
 * 2024 Pacemakers - finalist

Aggieland yearbook
The Battalion has been involved with production of Texas A&M's yearbook since its creation. Originally, the June issue of The Battalion served as an unofficial yearbook. In 1895, the Olio became the first separate production, printed after a series of The Battalion editorials arguing for a college annual to be created. The next yearbook wasn't printed until 1903, under the name the Longhorn. This has no affiliation with Texas A&M's rival school University of Texas-Austin or their mascot the Longhorns, since UT didn't adopt longhorn cattle as its mascot until 1916.

The Longhorn published each year from 1903 to 1948, except for 1943 to 1945 when World War II interrupted publication. In 1949, students voted to change the name to Aggieland, which the yearbook has used until present.

The 2000 edition of Aggieland was named an ACP Pacemaker finalist for its coverage of the 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse. In 2004, 2007, 2014, 2015 and 2018, it was listed as a finalist as well. Aggieland won the 2008 and 2013 Yearbook Pacemakers.

Aggieland 's office is located at the front of The Battalion 's office in the Memorial Student Center. Both productions fall under Student Media in the Texas A&M Division of Student Affairs. Aggieland 's current editor-in-chief is Emily Escobedo.

Notable past editors and writers
Ernest Lynwood Bruce (1876-1949) was the first Editor in Chief of The Battalion in fall 1893. He graduated with a degree in civil engineering in 1894, then attended the University of Texas School of Law and became a prominent attorney in Orange, Texas. From 1913 to 1917 Bruce represented Texas' 14th District — then covering Jefferson, Liberty and Orange Counties — as a Democratic state legislator.

Singer-songwriter and actor Lyle Lovett wrote for The Battalion as a journalism student in the late 1970s. Lovett has won four Grammy Awards, including Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Album.

Journalist Cathie Anderson served as The Battalion 's first Black editor-in-chief in 1986. She is currently a reporter for The Sacramento Bee and previously worked for the Dallas Morning News, Detroit News and Austin American-Statesman. In 2024, the Former Journalism Students Association of Texas A&M inducted Anderson into its Hall of Fame. A plaque of Anderson hangs in the newsroom of The Battalion.

Current editorial staff (Spring 2024)

 * Zoe May - editor in chief
 * Caleb Elizondo - managing editor
 * Ana Renfroe - news editor
 * Hilani Quinones - assistant news editor
 * Luke White - sports editor
 * Hunter Mitchell - associate sports editor
 * Kylie Stoner - associate sports editor
 * Sydnei Miles - life and arts editor
 * Amy Leigh Steward - assistant life and arts editor
 * Ryan Lindner - opinion editor
 * Ana Sofia Sloane - associate opinion editor
 * Kyle Heise - photo chief
 * Chris Swann - assistant photo chief
 * Sophie Villarreal - social media manager
 * Pranay Dhoopar - video/graphics editor
 * Nikhil Vadi - design editor
 * Anna Deardorff - special sections editor
 * Emma Moser - finance manager
 * Hayden Arevalo - advertising manager
 * Emily Pritchard - distribution manager
 * Spencer O’Daniel - general manager and adviser

title: The Battalion


text:
Laennec

Laennec may refer to:

People

 * Guillaume François Laennec (1748–1882), French physician
 * René Laennec (1781–1826), French physician and musician
 * Laënnec Hurbon (born 1940), Haitian sociologist

Places

 * Laënnec, a quarter of the 8th arrondissement of Lyon, France
 * Laënnec Glacier, a glacier in the Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica

Other uses

 * Doctor Laennec, a 1949 French historical drama film

title: Laennec


text:
Lady Love (Lou Rawls song)

"Lady Love" is a pop song written by Yvonne Gray alias Vonghn Gray. The sheet music has the songwriter as Von Gray the sole writer, however; the strings were the arrangement of Belford Hendricks. The Producers were Von Gray and Jack Faith. It became a hit single cut from Lou Rawls' 1977 album When You Hear Lou, You've Heard It All. It was released as a single in January 1978 and peaked at No. 13 in Canada, No. 21 on Australia's Kent Music Report, No. 24 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, No. 20 on Cash Box, and went to No. 21 on the R&B chart.

On the Canadian and U.S. Adult Contemporary charts, "Lady Love" peaked at No. 5. The song is an airplay staple today on adult standards and smooth jazz radio stations.

Personnel

 * Lou Rawls – Vocals
 * Barbara Ingram, Yvonne Gray, Carla Benton, Yvette Benson – backing vocals
 * Charles Collins – drums
 * Michael "Sugarbear" Foreman – bass
 * Dennis Harris – guitar
 * Edward Green, Von Gray, Leon Huff – keyboards
 * Davis Cruse – bongos
 * Don Renaldo – strings, horns

title: Lady Love (Lou Rawls song)


text: User talk:70.226.141.126

title: User talk:70.226.141.126


text:
Francis Austen

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Francis William Austen, (23 April 1774 – 10 August 1865) was a Royal Navy officer and an elder brother of the novelist Jane Austen. As commanding officer of the sloop HMS Peterel, he captured some 40 ships, was present at the capture of a French squadron, and led an operation when the French brig Ligurienne was captured and two others were driven ashore off Marseille during the French Revolutionary Wars.

On the outbreak of Napoleonic Wars Austen was appointed to raise and organise a corps of Sea Fencibles at Ramsgate to defend a strip of the Kentish coast. He went on to be commanding officer of the third-rate HMS Canopus (1798), in which he took part in the pursuit of the French Fleet to the West Indies and back and then fought at the Battle of San Domingo, leading the lee line of ships into the battle. He later commanded the third-rate HMS St Albans (1764) and observed the Battle of Vimeiro from the deck of his ship before embarking British troops retreating after the Battle of Corunna. He went on to be commanding officer of the third-rate HMS Elephant (1786) and captured the United States privateer Swordfish during the War of 1812.

As a senior officer Austen served as Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station.

Early career
Born the son of the Reverend George Austen and Cassandra Austen (the daughter of the Reverend Thomas Leigh), Francis Austen joined the Royal Navy in April 1786. After graduating at the Royal Naval Academy at Portsmouth, he was appointed to the fifth-rate HMS Perseverance on the East Indies Station. Promoted to midshipman in December 1789, he joined the third-rate HMS Crown and then transferred to the fifth-rate HMS Minerva in November 1791. In HMS Minerva he took part in a blockade of the coast of Mysore.

Promoted to lieutenant on 28 December 1792, Austen transferred to the sloop HMS Despatch and then returned to England at the end of 1793. In March 1794 he joined the sloop Lark, a brig that was part of a fleet that evacuated British troops from Ostend and Nieuwpoort after the French captured the Netherlands during the French Revolutionary Wars. In March 1795 HMS Lark was part of a squadron that escorted Princess Caroline of Brunswick to England. Austen transferred to the fifth-rate HMS Andromeda in May 1795 and to the second-rate HMS Glory in Autumn 1795. In HMS Glory he escorted the troops of General Ralph Abercromby destined for the West Indies in December 1795. He moved to the fifth-rate HMS Shannon in early 1796, to the fifth-rate HMS Triton in September 1796 and to the fifth-rate HMS Seahorse in March 1797. He then joined the second-rate HMS London in February 1798 and took part in the blockade of Cádiz. After securing the patronage of Admiral Lord Gambier, he was promoted to commander on 3 January 1799 and became commanding officer of the sloop HMS Peterel in February 1799. In HMS Peterel he captured some 40 ships, was present at the capture of a French squadron in June 1799 and led an operation when the French brig Ligurienne was captured and two others were driven ashore off Marseille in March 1800. He also took part in the blockade of Genoa in May 1800 and, having been promoted to captain on 13 May 1800, was present at the blockade of Abu Qir in August 1800.

Austen became Flag Captain to Lord Gambier, in the second-rate HMS Neptune in August 1801 and earned a reputation for seeing to the welfare and health of his men. On the outbreak of Napoleonic Wars he was appointed to raise and organise a corps of Sea Fencibles at Ramsgate to defend a strip of the Kentish coast. He went on to be commanding officer of the fourth-rate HMS Leopard, flagship of Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Louis, in May 1804 and then took part in the blockade of Boulogne. He next became commanding officer of the third-rate HMS Canopus, a French ship of the line captured in the Battle of the Nile (as the Franklin), early in 1805. In HMS Canopus he took part in the pursuit of the French Fleet, under the command of Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, to the West Indies and back in Summer 1805.

Austen was temporarily detached from the fleet for convoy duty in the Mediterranean and missed the Battle of Trafalgar. However, he did command HMS Canopus at the Battle of San Domingo, leading the lee line of ships into the battle, in February 1806. He went on to be commanding officer of the third-rate HMS St Albans in March 1807. On 13 July 1808, the East India Company gave Austen £420 with which to buy a piece of plate: this was a substantial gift (perhaps the equivalent of a year's salary) in thanks for his having safely convoyed to Britain from Saint Helena seven of their Indiamen, plus one extra (voyage chartered) ship. In HMS St Albans he observed the Battle of Vimeiro from the deck of his ship in August 1808 and then embarked British troops retreating after the Battle of Corunna in January 1809.

Austen became Flag Captain to Lord Gambier, Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Squadron, in the first-rate HMS Caledonia in September 1810. He went on to be commanding officer of the third-rate HMS Elephant in the North Sea in 1811 and took part in a blockade of the Scheldt. In HMS Elephant he captured the United States privateer Swordfish in December 1812 during the War of 1812. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 4 June 1815.

Senior command
Promoted to rear admiral on 22 July 1830, Austen was advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 28 February 1837 and promoted to vice admiral on 28 June 1838. He became Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station, with his flag in the third-rate HMS Vindictive, in December 1844. His main role was to protect British commercial interests during the Mexican–American War, which broke out in 1846, and to disrupt the activities of slave traders. Promoted to full admiral on 1 August 1848, he was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 18 May 1860 before being appointed Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom on 5 June 1862 and then Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom on 11 December 1862. He was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 27 April 1863.

Austen died at his home Portsdown Lodge at Widley in Hampshire on 10 August 1865 and was buried in the churchyard at St Peter and St Paul, Wymering, Portsmouth.

Family

In July 1806 Austen married Mary Gibson (eldest daughter of John Gibson); they had ten children. Following the death of his first wife, he married Martha Lloyd (eldest daughter of the Reverend Nowes Lloyd (son of Reverend John Lloyd and Isabella Lloyd, nee Nowes)) in July 1828; they had no children. Martha's collection of recipes used at Chawton, which were later compiled into A Jane Austen Household Book by Peggy Hickman, David & Charles, Ltd. 1977, and in The Jane Austen Cookbook by Maggie Black and Deirdre Le Faye, British Museum Press, 1995; (ISBN 0-7141-2769-8). Martha Lloyd is directly mentioned in Jane Austen's poem, ''Oh! Mr. Best You're Very Bad.''

Austen's siblings included Jane Austen, the novelist, Cassandra Austen, the watercolor painter, and Charles Austen, a naval officer.

title: Francis Austen


text:
Sunday Morning (radio program)

Sunday Morning was a Canadian radio news and information program, which aired on CBC Radio One from 1976 to 1997.

Created by producer Mark Starowicz as a "Sunday New York Times of the air", the magazine style program was one of the highest-budget and highest-rated shows on CBC Radio during its run. Although the program's centrepiece was radio documentaries, the show also featured interviews, round table discussions, book reviews, arts reports, puzzles and various features designed to resemble an audio version of a high-end newspaper.

History
The program was launched in 1976 with Bronwyn Drainie and Bruce Rogers as hosts. Rogers was replaced after several months by Warner Troyer.

In 1979, Troyer reduced his workload, continuing as a literary critic for the program but retiring as cohost; he was succeeded by Patrick Martin.

Stuart McLean was associated with the show in its early years as a documentary reporter and producer. He won an ACTRA Award in 1979 for "Operation White Knight", his Sunday Morning documentary about the Jonestown Massacre.

For much of its run, comedian Nancy White contributed a weekly satirical song to the program.

In 1981, the program won two ACTRA Awards, for Best Radio Program and Best Host or Interviewer in a Radio Program (Martin and Drainie). That fall, Martin and Drainie were replaced by Russ Patrick and Barbara Smith, and the program was revamped so that it shared the same production staff as the weekday news program As It Happens. McLean became the show's executive producer. Patrick left the show in 1983 to join the staff of The Journal, and Smith continued to host with a rotating stable of cohosts that included Eric Malling, Michael Enright, Christopher Thomas, Peter Benesh and Dale Goldhawk.

Linden MacIntyre became sole host of the program in 1986. He was succeeded by Mary Lou Finlay in 1988. She left the series in 1994, and was succeeded by Ian Brown, the show's final host.

The series ended in 1997 after twenty years when CBC Radio merged Sunday Morning with Morningside to create the new morning series This Morning. In 2000, the programming schedule was altered again and the Sunday morning block was made a separate program again as The Sunday Edition.

title: Sunday Morning (radio program)


text:
Talk:Æther (disambiguation)

I've reverted the anonymous insertion:
 * The phrase "the Aether" is also used to refer to the Internet.

Is it? Never heard it before, but I'm not a native speaker.

23:13, 29 September 2005 (UTC)

No consensus WhiteNight T 08:44, 31 December 2005 (UTC)

Requested move to Æther

 * Talk:Æther (disambiguation) — Æther (disambiguation) → Æther – The target is a redirect to the disambiguation page. Dread Lord C y b e r S k u l l  ✎☠ 07:45, 26 December 2005 (UTC)

 * Oppose. Move to either Aether (disambiguation) or Aether.  There's no reason to use a disused, obsolete ligature in the title.  Gene Nygaard 21:06, 30 December 2005 (UTC)
 * Or merge with the existing Ether (disambiguation) and redirect all of them there, leaving Ether with its existing article and just a link to the disambiguation page at the top. Gene Nygaard 21:13, 30 December 2005 (UTC)

title: Talk:Æther (disambiguation)