Welcome!

Hello, Rousse, 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 have any questions, check out Wikipedia:Where to ask a question or ask me on my talk page. Again, welcome!  --rogerd 03:15, 11 January 2006 (UTC)Reply

Thanks for the welcome. I *really* appreciate having a place to inform myself about all kinds of matters of substance, which also allows me to correct the record (in a mild-mannered editorial way, of course!) when l feel the need. Such a great use of the Internet. Long live Wiki. Rousse 20:26, 11 January 2006 (UTC)Reply

Thank You for the corrections edit

I did not know what cases Alito was referring to. John wesley 20:21, 11 January 2006 (UTC)Reply

Nor do I, sorry - I'm just cleaning up for greater readability. Rousse 20:23, 11 January 2006 (UTC)Reply

My IP address (but not my user name) was blocked by Sanchom! Why??? Whozat?!! edit

Here is a dump of the box text announcing why I couldn't edit without logging into Wiki with my user name.

Block warning: You can read pages, but you are blocked from editing and changing them.


You have been blocked from editing, or tried to edit a page to which you do not have editing access. 76.204.176.0/22 (your account, your IP address or a range of addresses) was blocked by Sanchom for the following reason (see our blocking policy): Abusing multiple accounts: see Your IP address is 76.204.176.192, and your block has been set to expire: 16:23, 25 October 2007.


Who is Sanchom? I couldn't edit his/her Talk page to ask why this block was done. (When I did log in as myself I was able to edit as usual.)

Sorry. It wasn't your specific IP address that has done anything wrong, but it fell inside of a range of IPs that a blocked editor using. See Category:Suspected_Wikipedia_sockpuppets_of_SallyForth123 for details. Sancho 23:32, 10 October 2007 (UTC)Reply

Aha. OK, thanks for the explanation, Sancho. -Rousse

Another block, this time by Dmcdevit; why???? Please undo this! edit

Here's the text of the new block (I was blocked last month by Sanchom, for reasons that I still don't understand):

You have been blocked from editing, or tried to edit a page to which you do not have editing access. 76.203.48.0/22 (your account, your IP address or a range of addresses) was blocked by Dmcdevit for the following reason (see our blocking policy): To edit, please log in.

Editing by anonymous users from your shared IP address or address range may be currently disabled. Registered users, however, are still able to edit. If you are currently blocked from creating an account, you may email us using an email address issued to you by your ISP or organization so that we may verify that you are a legitimate user on this network.

In your email, please tell us your preferred username and an account will be created for you. Please check on this list that the username you choose has not already been taken. We apologize for any inconvenience. Example (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log • checkuser)

Your IP address is 76.203.50.194, and your block has been set to expire: 22:21, 25 November 2007.


I really, really would like whoever blocked me to contact me and give me a nontechnical reason why this was done. I am a proud and happy user of Wikipedia, rarely editing except to fix up typos and grammar or matters I know to be errors of fact, and being blocked by some faceless person is extremely frustrating. I tried to obtain an email address for Dmcdevit, but discovered my email address is not "authenticated", so I'm blocked from emailing; I'll work on fixing my status, and see if that enables me to reach Dmcdevit, but gosh, it sure would be nice if this person would contact me here and tell me what is going on here. Rousse (talk) 05:42, 19 November 2007 (UTC)Reply

Another note to Dmcdevit, or whoever: I discovered I was blocked when I visited the page on Judith Catchpole (linked from a Did You Know? item on the current main page) and tried to fix this sentence under the "Significance" heading: ... In general however, woman were not allowed to serve on juries in the United States, even after the Nineteenth Amendment was passed in 1920 giving women the right to vote.[3]

- I intended to add a comma after In general - and change "woman" to "women"

Since I'm blocked from doing so, maybe you'd like to do the honors??? Rousse (talk) 05:48, 19 November 2007 (UTC)Reply

Hi, I just stumbled across your talk page and saw your question. I'll try and help :)
You probably know that anyone can edit Wikipedia and you don't need to register to do this. If you're not registered, then the page history remembers you by checking a number called your IP address. This is a number that the company you pay to use the internet give you every time you log on. Unfortunately, you were given an IP address of someone who has previously vandalised Wikipedia. Therefore, that IP address was blocked from editing. However, you personally are more than welcome to edit here, but to do so you will need to login.
I hope that answers your question :). Feel free to ask on my talk page if you have any other questions and please enjoy editing here. Hurdygurdyman1234 (talk) 20:10, 24 November 2007 (UTC)Reply

IP address blocking edit

Hi Rousse. Sorry about the delay in replying. Unfortunately, due to severe abuse from a wide range of IP addresses on your network, we have had to disable anonymous editing as well as prevent creation of accounts. This is no reflection upon yourself, but is a wider issue. There's not much we can do about it as the abuse is of a serious nature. As you can see, this shouldn't affect your editing as you have an account and are free to log in, though. Right now, there are over 32,000 IP addresses blocked and yours is just one of them. I'm really sorry about the inconvenience it causes, but there's not much can be done right now. Thanks for the editing you've been doing over the years! - Alison 16:06, 12 February 2008 (UTC)Reply

PS: I notice the message above regarding the block placed by User:Dmcdevit. This was done for the exact same reason and this all relates to an editor who has caused severe problems on Wikipedia.


Alison, thanks very much for the plain-English response. It pains me to think of people vandalizing Wikipedia. Why??!!! May they all get Fs on their term papers, the little snots... Rousse (talk) 00:37, 15 February 2008 (UTC)Reply

Bette Davis edit

  In a recent edit to the page Bette Davis, you changed punctutation from one international variety of English to another. Because Wikipedia has readers from all over the world, our policy is to respect national varieties of English in Wikipedia articles. If you have any queries about all this, you can ask me on my talk page or you can visit the help desk. There are also guidelines regarding how quotation marks should be used at Wikipedia:MOSQUOTE#Quotation marks. While everything you did at the article was okay, you might keep in mind that when an article reaches Featured Article status like this one, any changes should really be brought up on the talk page, since FA status implies the article doesn't really need much, if any, editing. Thanks!! Wildhartlivie (talk) 02:49, 16 March 2008 (UTC)Reply

Seems just slightly odd to stet all British usage and punctuation in an article about a quintessentially American actress like Bette Davis. It was this officiousness on some wiki editor’s part that caused me to sour on doing my bit to help edit Wikipedia and step back from offering my professional editor & proofreader’s experience. My clearly good-faith intervention was treated as vandalism & wiped out without notice or discussion. That’s me told, I guess. Rousse (talk) 22:04, 16 January 2020 (UTC)Reply

Revisiting this a year later, it still brings an embittered smile to my face to see the excuse for my hours’ work on that article being dumped in the trash being excused as “respecting national varieties of English”. It’s still culturally tone-deaf to use Britishisms for an article about Bette Davis. Rousse (talk) 19:41, 4 April 2021 (UTC)Reply

“punctutation” my American arse Rousse (talk) 19:42, 4 April 2021 (UTC)Reply

My account is blocked. Why??? edit

I don't know enough about the technical side of Wikipedia to wade through the wordy explanation, but I do see a big nasty red "blocked" sign telling me that I can't make changes even when I log in to my account. I've gone through several cycles of having my IP address blocked - which Alison explained to me a few months ago was part of the blocking of a whole series of IP addresses in order to fence someone else out - and now my own account is blocked.


Later: E-mailed Alison 3/21/08 in the late hours; we'll see what that brings. This morning I tried to log in, and for some reason was informed that my password wasn't correct, so had to type in a computer-generated nonse word, then suddenly my password was OK after all. Rousse (talk) 15:27, 22 March 2008 (UTC)Reply

Hmm. Well, no word back from Alison, but I just logged in and now I'm able to edit again! Whatever was wrong has been corrected. Huzzah. Rousse (talk) 19:42, 23 March 2008 (UTC)Reply
Rousse, I don't wish to talk about it on here as it's now a police matter and one involving me directly now. One of the ranges you are using overlaps with a banned editor. This is absolutely no reflection whatsoever upon yourself and unfortunately, I cannot fix the matter. I'm really sorry but there's not much I can do here - Alison 21:08, 26 March 2008 (UTC)Reply
Sigh. Wonderful things get wrecked, given enough time. Like teenagers tagging/breaking windows/pissing on beautiful old buildings. My enthusiasm for Wiki gets taken down another notch...
Just for your info, Rousse - I've granted IP Block Exemption to your account, so you'll never get caught in one of these blocks again :) - Alison 09:03, 7 November 2009 (UTC)Reply

Petition to include Jon Carroll in current "mondegreens" article? edit

There are hints he used to be mentioned in both article and talk page. I wonder why not anymore? (Maybe ask him about it first?)

His earliest column on Ms specifically recalls Sylvia Wright, who wrote a piece in Harper's about the idea in 1954. But would people know about them today if not for him? Not sure, but I am sure my local pals wouldn't. Harper's: not exactly the NYT. (Or, more pertinently, not exactly the SFChron.)

Sarah Palin - campaign photos edit

Completely agree with you, it's ludicrous. Have tried to resurrect talk, BrekekekexKoaxKoax (talk) 02:57, 23 December 2010 (UTC)Reply

Well, it's nice to have some support, although my supporter seems to have his(?) own problems getting along with WP editors... sigh.

Wayne LaPierre edit

Hi, I wasn't the editor who reverted your recent edits at Wayne LaPierre; that was someone else. Please discuss it on the talk page there. ROG5728 (talk) 02:04, 21 December 2012 (UTC)Reply

ArbCom elections are now open! edit

Hi,
You appear to be eligible to vote in the current Arbitration Committee election. The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to enact binding solutions for disputes between editors, primarily related to serious behavioural issues that the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the ability to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail. If you wish to participate, you are welcome to review the candidates' statements and submit your choices on the voting page. For the Election committee, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 13:41, 23 November 2015 (UTC)Reply

ArbCom Elections 2016: Voting now open! edit

Hello, Rousse. Voting in the 2016 Arbitration Committee elections is open from Monday, 00:00, 21 November through Sunday, 23:59, 4 December to all unblocked users who have registered an account before Wednesday, 00:00, 28 October 2016 and have made at least 150 mainspace edits before Sunday, 00:00, 1 November 2016.

The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

If you wish to participate in the 2016 election, please review the candidates' statements and submit your choices on the voting page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 22:08, 21 November 2016 (UTC)Reply

ArbCom 2017 election voter message edit

Hello, Rousse. Voting in the 2017 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23.59 on Sunday, 10 December. All users who registered an account before Saturday, 28 October 2017, made at least 150 mainspace edits before Wednesday, 1 November 2017 and are not currently blocked are eligible to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once.

The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

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Not all Wiki editors are equally talented edit

Case in point, the self-important male “editor” person who reverted my style edits to the Violence against men article. I decided to keep my annoyance at his casual putdown to myself and let the matter drop. Some people feel very proprietary about certain territories, need I say any more? -yawn, I doubt I do.

I later became curious about his case, and went over to read his account of himself. If ever someone needed an editor...! He referenced being involved in various controversies that had soured him on WP. Ya think? (I’ll bet he reverted the efforts of a number of far more skilled writers, with patronizing little digs, and they dug in and made him smart for it. I salute these feisty Wikipedians I have hypothesized into being!!) Rousse (talk) 04:30, 17 October 2018 (UTC)Reply

Flyer22, for the record. Now deceased. Rousse (talk) 04:39, 8 December 2021 (UTC)Reply

ArbCom 2018 election voter message edit

Hello, Rousse. Voting in the 2018 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23.59 on Sunday, 3 December. All users who registered an account before Sunday, 28 October 2018, made at least 150 mainspace edits before Thursday, 1 November 2018 and are not currently blocked are eligible to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once.

The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

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ArbCom 2020 Elections voter message edit

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ArbCom 2021 Elections voter message edit

 Hello! Voting in the 2021 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23:59 (UTC) on Monday, 6 December 2021. All eligible users are allowed to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once.

The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

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