Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2024 June 14

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June 14

Embedded maps are showing place names in Serbian

Why are the maps here showing place names in Manhattan in the Serbian language? I am in the United States and have zero connection to Serbia. I believe the problem is not on my end. Every browser on every device connected to different ISPs I've checked this on exhibit the same behavior. Here is a screenshot: https://i.imgur.com/UqRqbzl.png Themetron (talk) 00:36, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

This question has been asked repeatedly; most recently above. And congratulations: now you (and many others) do have a connection to Serbia. -- Hoary (talk) 00:57, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

How do I get rid of those spectacles??

I really do not like the new spectacles / size. Previously, I customised my Wiki pages to exactly what I needed with my eyesight, using the ctl + / ctrl - keys. Those gave me considerable flexibility.

Now, with the spectacles, I have 3 and only 3 choices, because if I try to use ctl + or ctrl -, the spectacles revert the change or format the page incorrectly (eg expanding it so that I have to move the page back and forth, left to right, to get the whole page.

If the spectacles were meant to improve accessibility, they failed miserably, by forcing 3 and only 3 choices on us. I want to turn them off. Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 00:59, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

I don't know what you mean here by "spectacles", but imagine that it's some icon thereof. I don't see them. Ctrl + and Ctrl - in Firefox on my computer increase and decrease font size respectively, exactly as they did a day, a week, a year ago. -- Hoary (talk) 01:15, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

They're at the top of every page I open. There's the top row: the search box, my user name, the spectacles, and then the alert bell. Click on the spectacles and I get a drop down menu with 3 and only 3 sizes. Since it was installed, I can't get the size of the display the way I want it, with the page too wide for my screen so I have to move it back and forth. The "small", "standard" and "large" options don't respond to my needs. Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 01:31, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

It's specific to Vector 2022 and was just added recently, if that helps. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 01:42, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Is there a way to get rid of it? What is Vector 2022? Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 01:43, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Vector 2022 is the new layout for Wikipedia. There doesn't seem to be a way to turn it off in User Preference, so you might need to switch to other configure skin in "Appearance" part of your User Preference. Tutwakhamoe (talk) 02:37, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Thank you. What is “configure skin”, please? Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 04:43, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

The skin selection is at Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering. Vector legacy is the previous default. The appearance menu on the spectacles in Vector 2022 doesn't interfere with Ctrl++ and Ctrl+- for me in Firefox. What is your browser? You can hide the spectacles icon from display with this in your CSS:

.vector-appearance-landmark {display:none;}

However, the code is still sent to your browser and I don't know whether it will stop the interference you mention. PrimeHunter (talk) 09:22, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

I find that leaving the options from the dropdown menu under as small text size and standard width gets it pretty close to what it was before. Haven't noticed any infoboxes or side elements breaking yet. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 10:44, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Ctrl + and Ctrl - (zoom in, zoom out) are a function of the browser, not part of Wikipedia. I use Vector 2022 and have the spectacles, and the browser zoom still works the same way. (I use Chrome, but Edge and other browsers have similar functionality). -- Verbarson  ^talk_edits 20:18, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Infobox changes?

What's with the infobox format changes? The {{infobox}} on my sandbox has reduced to minimum width, and {{Infobox locomotive}} is showing a blank margin to the left (eg GWR 2900 Class). Other infoboxes seem unchanged, though I've only checked a few. (I'm running Chrome on Linux, in case that's an issue.) Noticed yesterday. -- Verbarson  ^talk_edits 10:35, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

I've just seen Wikipedia:Village pump (technical)#Thursday 13 June style changes. Thursday, of course. -- Verbarson  ^talk_edits 10:38, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Just pick one

After reading MOS:NATIONALITY and the article Miki Yamanaka, do you think the lead sentence of that article should describe her as

1. Japanese (status quo)
2. Japanese and American
3. American

Cheers, Mach61 11:19, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

I would stick with 1. The article (or any other source I've found in a brief websearch) says nothing about her adopting US citizenship, and implies (confirmed by this source) that she moved to the US as an adult. Most sources found in a cursory search refer to her as 'Japanese-borne' / 'from Japan' and 'based in New York' or similar; none that she is (or considers herself) American or Japanese-American. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 188.220.136.217 (talk) 13:06, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Cannoli

On the cannoli page, the singulars and plurals aren't always written in English (e.g. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cannoli&diff=prev&oldid=1229017430; it was written "are"); I'm not a native English speaker (in Italy "cannoli" is plural). JacktheBrown (talk) 11:38, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

When referring to the dish in the abstract, singular 'is' etc. is appropriate; if referring to multiple examples, 'are' is appropriate: the article uses both because it is using both senses. I agree this can look odd, but English is not constructed by logic.

Pluralising all mentions to plural (e.g. changing "Cannoli is . . . a Sicilian pastry" to "Cannoli are . . . Sicilian pastries") would remove the anomaly acceptably. So would replacing all instances of "They . . . are" to "Cannoli . . . is".

Because of its hybrid origins (several semi-creolised Germanic languages modified by heavy Norman-French and Latin influences and a subtle Celtic substrate), English often has many different ways, with different implications, of saying broadly the same thing, and is rich with technically ungrammatical idioms that sound correct to a native ear, and grammatical constructs that are 'correct' but sound wrong: achieving stylistic consistency is perhaps the greatest challenge of writing it well. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 188.220.136.217 (talk) 13:25, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

navbox display

Hi there!

I've been working on the postmodernism article, and I'm having a hard time getting the navbox to display properly at the bottom of the page. It used to be off to the side near the top—but it's not actually very useful or informative, so I want to preserve it just at the bottom for readers who seek these things out.

I'm afraid to edit the template,[1] however, lest I mess up other articles where it is placed on the side.

Any advice on how to fix this or where to look for an explainer?

Many thanks! Patrick (talk) 17:27, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

The template in question, {{Postmodernism}}, is not a navbox template but a sidebar template, so it's not designed to fit where you want to put it. I'm not seeing any navbox templates for that topic currently, so if you wanted one you'd have to create it. I'd recomend using a similar existing navbox, like {{Modernism}} as a reference, and you can read WP:NAV for more information on when and how to use them. WelpThatWorked (talk) 17:41, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Well, that makes sense then. Glad I didn't try to "fix" the existing template.

Cheers, Patrick (talk) 17:45, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Request for Assistance with Creating a Wikipedia Page for our main President

Dear Wikipedia Support Team,

I hope this message finds you well, I am an agent working in an gov administration. I am writing to seek your assistance regarding the creation of a Wikipedia page for our president.

Following instructions from our main president, I attempted to integrate a Wikipedia page using information that is readily available on our official website. However, the page was deleted shortly after its creation. I would like to understand the reasons for the deletion and how to ensure compliance with Wikipedia’s guidelines so that we can successfully create and maintain this page.

Here is informations we intend to include in the biography:

- **Name** - **Personal Information** - **Professional Experience** - **Academic and Professional Qualifications** - **Publications and Contributions**

I believe that the president extensive career and contributions to the judicial and administrative fields establish his notability, and we aim to present this information in a neutral and verifiable manner.

Could you please provide guidance on the following:

1. The specific reasons for the previous deletion. 2. Any additional steps we need to take to meet Wikipedia’s notability and verifiability standards. 3. Best practices for drafting and submitting the page to ensure it aligns with Wikipedia’s content policies.

Thank you for your time and assistance. We are eager to contribute valuable information to Wikipedia and look forward to your guidance on how to proceed correctly.

Best regards, Institution du Médiateur du Royaume du Maroc (talk) 17:51, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Hello.

I'm afraid that, like many people, you (and your organisation) have a fundamental misunderstanding of what Wikipedia is.

It is not for anybody to tell the world about themselves. It is an encyclopaedia, where articles consist of summaries of what independent sources have published about a subject: Wikipedia has little interest in what the subject of an article says or wants to say about themselves, or what their associates say about them. Wikipedia is almost entirely interested in what people who have no connection with the subject, and who have not been prompted or fed information on behalf of the subject, have chosen to publish about the subject in reliable sources. If enough material is cited from independent sources to establish notability, a limited amount of uncontroversial factual information may be added from non-independent sources.

Please read WP:BOSS, which answers several of your questions.

Please note that you must change your user name (or abandon that one and create a new one): Wikipedia user accounts are for individuals, and may not be shared, or have names which suggest that they are being shared; also, names which suggest that they are editing on behalf of an organisation are forbidden.

You must also make a formal declaration (preferably on the user page of that account) of your status as a paid editor. ColinFine (talk) 18:16, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Quick note: There is an article on French Wikipedia relating to the Institution du médiateur du Royaume. It would need significant rewriting to be acceptable here however. Reconrabbit 18:18, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

1. The mostly likely reason for the article's deletion is copyright violation, as articles on Wikipedia should not be copied from elsewhere. It might also be deleted for being promotional, as your organization's website is incentivized to present your president in a favorable light, which runs counter to the purpose of Wikipedia.

2. The relevant guidelines are WP:GNG and WP:NBIO. Essentially, you should make sure that there are several indepth coverage about your president from sources that are reliable and independent from them. Note that these cited sources shouldn't be routine coverage, so things like announcements about product launches or personnel change are not sufficient to demonstrate notability.

3. The first and only step for you to draft an article about your organization's president is: Don't. Wikipedia articles are expected to be objective, and it's difficult to remain neutral when you are writing about your own boss. The best practice would be to gather enough sources that proves your president passes the aforementioned guidelines, and make a request at Wikipedia:Requested articles/Biographies/Political figures or Wikipedia:Requested articles/Biography/By nationality#France. Tutwakhamoe (talk) 18:21, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

I'm not finding anything visible to non-admins which indicates that any article on the president of this organization (Mohamed Benalilou) has been attempted on en-wiki, but it appears that there have been at least six speedy deletions on French Wikipedia, the most recent being today for reasons being generally equivalent to an A7 here. --Finngall ^talk 18:34, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

There is no deleted article from this account, which has been soft-blocked Jimfbleak - talk to me? 10:25, 15 June 2024 (UTC)

Ideas about article name

I'd like to start a draft about Brunel University London's lecture theatre, as I've found multiple sources about it, but I'm not sure what to title the article. The building listing at Historic England calls it "Lecture Theatre Block, Brunel University", this article calls it "Brunel University Lecture Theatre", this article calls it "Lecture theatre, Brunel University", and this article calls it "Brunel University Lecture centre". My first instinct was to call the article "Brunel University Lecture Theatre", but I'm not sure if "lecture theatre" should be capitalised or not. Any ideas? Suntooooth, it/he (talk/contribs) 18:01, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

If "lecture theatre" is capitalized in the cited sources, it should be capitalized in the article name as well. Tutwakhamoe (talk) 18:26, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Well, that's the problem - some do, some don't. The latter two links don't capitalise the full name (I'm pretty sure the capital L on the last one is a typo), while the first two do. Suntooooth, it/he (talk/contribs) 18:29, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

MOS:CAPS advises us to only capitalize terms that are consistently capitalized in a substantial majority of RS, so if sources are divided on whether to capitalize "lecture theatre" or not, it's probably best to default to lowercase. ModernDayTrilobite (talk • contribs) 18:39, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Got it, thank you! Suntooooth, it/he (talk/contribs) 18:39, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Unclaimed Bank Accounts

I wanted to see if Wikipedia could help me find monies my Father left me some 69 years ago, I only know the Dates of my Fathers Birth/Death, (1904/1955) I am dismayed by the Banks cannot find his Account. The records of 1955 should show his Bank Account numbers, but they seem reluctant to search for his account. They offer no advice to seek the funds. with Interest add over some 800 odd months it should be worth seeking. Jamiesonandy (talk) 18:30, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

@Jamiesonandy: We can only help with editing or otherwise using the site as an encyclopedia. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 18:34, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

I asked a question

where is your answer Jamiesonandy (talk) 18:32, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

This is totally beyond the scope of the Help desk, it relates only to Wikipedia.--♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 18:34, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

There is really no need for the rude tone, or to duplicate questions across the Helpdesk and Teahouse. I'd like to if you're here to help build an encylopedia, or just to ask questions about dormant bank accounts? If it's the latter then you're in the wrong place. -- D'n'B-t -- 18:44, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

I have contributed to Wikipedia for a number of years

Now I want to post a situation that i need help with, how do I post a question for the wikipedia readers Jamiesonandy (talk) 18:40, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

@Jamiesonandy: As I and others have stated above, this goes beyond the scope of any help desk on Wikipedia. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 18:45, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Your account is one month old, and all of your edits are just questions on Teahouse or Help Desk about things irrelevant to Wikipedia. Please stop, or your editing privilege might get suspended. Tutwakhamoe (talk) 18:45, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Question regarding Infobox

Hi! Sorry this might be a weird question, but I noticed the Infobox design for films/tv looked different last night, but now looks the same. Will the design be coming back? Interestingedits (talk) 19:59, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Village pump (technical)#Friday message from the Web team (and all its preceding sections). Basically, a big Ooops! -- Verbarson  ^talk_edits 20:06, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Hall Green

•  Courtesy link: Hall Green

All I want to do is flag some vandalism but I can't log in, I can't set up a new account, I can't request a password, it's abysmal. 2003:C7:774C:C54E:959C:3BA8:E6A2:F1C1 (talk) 22:13, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

If you're referring to the edit that called the area Pakistani, I've reverted it. As for the questions about your account, Wikipedia can't send you your password, you can only reset password with the email address associated with your account. Tutwakhamoe (talk) 22:33, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Accepted AoC article still not indexed by google after 90 days

Hello,

I constructed and submitted a new article to Wikipedia in early March 2024 via the Articles of Creation process. The page is "Joseph Mougous" and has the url Joseph Mougous. The article was apparently accepted as an mainspace article on March 9th by Wikipedia user Ldm1954 with the following revision note: Ldm1954 moved page Draft:Joseph Mougous to Joseph Mougous: Publishing accepted Articles for creation submission (AFCH). I am inquiring about why this page has not yet been indexed by Google, as I cannot determine a reason that the page should not yet be indexed at this point. There does not appear to be a NOINDEX tag in the article and the typical 90-day indexing waiting period should have had the page indexed 1 week ago on June 7th. Can someone please check on this issue and help me understand 1) why the article is not yet indexed and discoverable via Google, and 2) what, if any, remaining tasks need to be completed in order for the article to be indexed and discoverable by Google search?

i sincerely appreciate your time and efforts,

Adiantumprime Adiantumprime (talk) 23:45, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

@Adiantumprime: The article allows indexing now. We don't control when Google or other external search engines actually index it. As far as I know, we don't contact Google to say that noindex has been removed from a page. They have to revisit the page on their own to discover it. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:16, 15 June 2024 (UTC)

I just searched for Joseph Mougous on Google, and the Wikipedia article came up as the seventh result. Deor (talk) 13:42, 15 June 2024 (UTC)

It wasn't indexed by Google when I posted at 00:16. After my post it was edited for the first time since March. It's possible Google monitors our edits and will often revisit a page after an edit but I don't know. PrimeHunter (talk) 19:38, 15 June 2024 (UTC)