Contents 1 dissolution 2 Thanks, Horseman's Word 3 Congratulations and a question 4 re:St Kilda 5 St Kilda and Miralles 6 WPSI template 7 The kWh error 8 Rollback? 9 Roy Pedersen's map 10 Question and a favor 11 question 12 Congratulations 13 Ulva Comments 14 Hilton 15 Thanks 16 DYK 17 Mining 18 Photo thanks 19 Rùm 20 Basin 21 Ancient stone found 22 Scottish English 23 RE:Moffat 24 My RfA 25 Neilston 26 Re:Skye 27 Emery Molyneux: GA review 28 Strangeway 29 Question 30 Flannan Isles 31 RE:Recusants 32 Admin coaching 33 My RfA

dissolution

could you not remove my material although it is unreferenced it is perfectly obvious that it would be staightforward for another editor to reference it in the first instance by merely look at the Act of Parliament which created the WA which is online. further debate on the implications of the differences between the WA and SP have been widespread inthe press and other political writings. i believe the normal procedure on wikipedia is for other editors to add references where it is possible thus gradually building up a fuller article, well that is what i have seen and i read a lot of articles. i also believe you have a non-neutral POV on this as you are a scots devolutionist, so you should perhaps refrain from editing the page unless something is quite blatantly wrong on there. not that i have anything against scotch devolution, btw could you please take TCB back before the cheviot curtain is sealed. ta verra much.82.27.221.233 (talk) 12:53, 4 April 2008 (UTC)

i have read your reply and appreciate your offer to assist in referencing

i have replied at length to your reply which was on the talk page for this ip, justifying including that material 82.27.221.233 (talk) 18:53, 4 April 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, Horseman's Word

thanks and i've already started making some of the changes you suggested —Preceding unsigned comment added by R33nicholas (talk • contribs) 04:48, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Congratulations and a question

Great job on St Kilda; I also really like the additional map and the QF gun picture. Congratulations on an outstanding piece of work.

As it's evident you know something about the Scottish islands, I thought I'd ask you a question totally unrelated to the article in case you can help. As a teenager I read several books by a woman who lived in a small town or village on a Scottish island. The books were essays and sketches on village life; the sort of thing that might appear in a women's magazine. I'd like to read them again and thought that if by some chance they're well known you might know of them. If not, just ignore this note; and I look forward to reading more of your articles at FAC in the future. Thanks -- Mike Christie (talk) 16:55, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

There is a book called "Living on an island" by Vicki Coleman, Thule Press (1981). From memory I think this may have been about Muckle Roe in Shetland and is a one-off, not a series. It's available 2nd hand on Amazon, but there is no review there. I doubt you are thinking of Katie Morag, the children's books by Mairi Hedderwick. If it's neither of these I suggest posting the same message to Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Scottish Islands. I don't know where you stand on the Constantine II hoo-hah (about which I know very little), but bear in mind that this project includes several Gaelic speakers. Hope this is helpful. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 17:28, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

re:St Kilda

You're most welcome! I didn't do much though, the real credit goes to you (of course). Congratulations. As to your offer, I appreciate it. Lately I've been hard at work on Domestic sheep. I've basically rewritten the entire thing starting in early November, and I'm now copyediting and fleshing out the details on certain subjects. Since I'm visually anal retentive, I've also been flip-flopping on image choice a whole bunch. It would be a great help to me to have a fresh pair of eyes. Thanks again, VanTucky ^talk 23:29, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

I think the images are excellent. A few comments:

Particularly like the first flock, the Blackfaces, Cologne, Sphinx, Tierrra del, bestiary and Merino.

The only things I can think of that might add visual value would be a snap of a predator proudly staring down at its Ovis kill and maybe (if it fits the text) a more primitive pre-mouflon sheep ancestor. I had a look on Commons but I couldn't see anything.

Suggest linking ‘polled’ in skull photo

The second sentence is redundant for the Blackface

’as with this ewe’ for the Soay is redundant

Analysis of the sheeps’ ? Not sure

lambs - could be one sentence

’The global’ not ‘the’. Amazing map – I assumed they were more ubiquitous.

I don’t think you need to credit the ramshorn photo in the article if its done on Commons.

Feel free to 'badger' me again. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 15:25, 31 December 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the feedback, I missed it here. I've looked high and low for an applicable predator image. I'll just have to keep digging at Flickr I think. I've changed the images pretty significantly since you first looked at it, but I think I'm pretty happy with them for now. Otherwise, I'll try and deal with everything you brought up. Thanks again! VanTucky 03:29, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

St Kilda and Miralles

A Happy New Year to you too, and a belated congratulations on the St Kilda article being promoted to FAC. It makes a fine addition to the collection. I was aware of Miralles' inspiration from the St Kilda Parliament and also from the Forth Bridge. Unfortunately I don't have any weighty corroborative evidence of this. My collaborator on the Scottish Parliament Building article Mcginnly was, however, a mine of information and reference on Miralles and his inspirations. Cheers Globaltraveller (talk) 14:23, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Hi Ben, thanks for your message - it was quite a while since that article went through FAC - my main sources for the architectural aspects were [1] [2] - both excellent articles and well worth a read - just for the hell of it. I don't recall them mentioning St Kilda's specifically in relation to parliaments, however this article seems to. I would urge a note of caution and restraint if you intend a kind of "without the St Kilda's parliament, the Miralles building would be different" line of attack. Miralles was a very erm, odd architect in some respects - beautifully poetic, but it all seemed to express itself out of a soup of ideas and influences. 3 upturned boats he saw during a tour of Scotland were apparently inspirational for some of the form, but they also can be (and have been) read as leaves, feathers etc. For some, if Miralles's architecture is rich, it is because of this ambiguity of interpretation and likewise, attempting to pin specifics about the form of the Scottish Parliament to St. Kilda's is probably a fools errand. Kind regards --Mcginnly | Natter 13:40, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the assistance and warning. I'll probably add a footnote about Miralles drawing some kind of inspiration from St Kilda, although equating the boat shapes with the St Kildans is probably going too far. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 13:57, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

WPSI template

That was a nice simple one to fix! There was just one category link which you hadn't changed from the WP Scotland template, and then I created the category at Category:Scottish Islands articles with comments. You can see the articles with comments in it now, and the comments should appear in the log on the next pass. Warofdreams talk 00:42, 4 January 2008 (UTC)

Well done. I was so convinced the problem was the template I was looking in the wrong place! Many thanks. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 10:19, 4 January 2008 (UTC)

The kWh error

The abbreviation kWh is wrong because it violates requirements from international and national authority. Correct usage of measurements and abbreviations or symbols therefore are a matter of law. Unlike other areas of language, no amount of careless mistakes by those who don't know any better can make incorrect usage correct.

If you reintroduce this error in a context that suggest it is correct usage, I will immediately request comments. I have spent many hours trying to figure out the precise meaning of assorted letters that appear in technical works, and I will not tolerate actions that encourage people to make it harder than it already is. --Gerry Ashton (talk) 19:23, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

Dear Gerry Ashton - I don't believe we have corresponded directly before. In all candour I find your tone bordering on the threatening, but I shall assume this is unintentional. The correct place to discuss my edits to watt-hour is of course on the article's talk page, and I will be happy to discuss the matter further there. Regards. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 19:44, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

It is allowable to "threaten" to do that which one is entitled to do, that is, request comments. I feel energetic action to combat the deliberate introduction of errors into Wikipedia (although the person introducing the errors does not perceive them as such) is appropriate. --Gerry Ashton (talk) 19:49, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

The article's talk page now has my comments on the matter. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 20:14, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

Rollback?

Hello Ben MacDui and a very Happy New Year to you. There's a new rollback feature that makes it easier to revert vandalism. There's a stupid bureaucratic process you can follow if you like, but since I disagree with it just let me know if you want it turned on, Angus McLellan (Talk) 21:12, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

Basically it reverts every edit by the last editor back to the most recent one by someone else with one click. It's much faster if you're reverting a series of edits to different articles by a vandal, but apart from that it's not so very different from reverting with Popups or Twinkle in practice. Angus McLellan (Talk) 09:29, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

Roy Pedersen's map

Most of Pedersen's stuff agrees with the Orkneyinga Saga forms, or ones that were already in there. H-S tends to go for the -øy suffix, which can be found in the modern Faroes, and in modern Norway, rather than the -ey suffix which can be found in modern Iceland. I suppose it depends whether we're talking about the etymology, or the probable last form. I don't think H-S is reliable on placename etymologies, this is definitely his weak spot... some of his history's a bit unusual too.

The best bet for looking up some of Shetland names would probably be Jakob Jakobsen's book, but I think he tends to use Faroese orthography. In some of the cases, there seems to be more than one Norse form, so I've kept both, with a "/" in the middle. I've done pretty much the same with Gaidhlig names, where there are variants. --MacRusgail (talk) 18:16, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

Question and a favor

Hi MacDui, I have a geography question for you and a favor to ask. The question first - I want to standardize the creek articles I work on and so I will be moving discharge out of the Geology section and into the Course section in Larrys Creek and White Deer Hole Creek (following your suggestion at Plunketts Creek (Loyalsock Creek)). My question is where to put the following two sentences (from Larrys Creek): "The USGS also estimated mean monthly and annual groundwater recharge at the Cogan House stream gauge. Using data from 1961 to 1977, the upper and lower annual recharge estimates were 18.1 to 14.5 inches (46.0 to 36.8 cm), and the greatest monthly recharge was in March, with 20.1% of the annual total.[21]" I can see moving them to the Course section with the rest of the discharge sentences, but since they refer to recharge, I wasn't sure if they were a bit better in Geology. I am going to add the names of the mountains in the drainage basin to Geology, as well as a new bit about drilling for natural gas in the Larrys Creek area - the deep shale is thought to hold lots of methane apparently.

I think the discharge and recharge should be kept together, wherever you choose to put them.

The favor is only if you have time, but would you mind looking at Joseph Priestley House and helping with the peer review? We hope to take it to FAC soon, but a fresh pair of eyes would be appreciated. If you can't I understand and have someone else I could ask. Thanks in advance, yours Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 18:39, 16 January 2008 (UTC)

I'd be happy to do it, but you catch me a slightly busy time. It might have to wait until the first weekend in Feb. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 19:17, 16 January 2008 (UTC)

Thanks - the other person has left Wikipedia, so I appreciate a review whenever you can get to it. Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 19:51, 16 January 2008 (UTC)

This is a collaboration with Awadewit, who has just found another substantial source to digest and add to the article, so it would be best to wait until she's done anyway. If it is OK with you, I will let you know when the article is ready. Thanks again, Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 23:40, 16 January 2008 (UTC)

I'll await the call! Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 08:16, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

Awadewit and I have finished adding the last relevant bits of data to the article (and debated many bits that we chose not to include). The Peer Review has been archived to help save space, so we can either open a new PR or you could just add comments to the talk page (which I think we are going to archive next, as it has gotten quite large). Let me know which you prefer (new PR or Talk) and we will wait for your feedback at your convenience. Hope all is well, and thanks in advance for your help, Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 02:26, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

I'll reply on the talk page asap. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 17:10, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

Thanks so much, we are proof reading and checking for MOS issues, but we think that the article is very nearly ready for FAC. Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 17:26, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

question

Hey Ben, hope you are well. If you have time, what sort of background information do you think would to put Thomas de Rossy in context. Is any necessary? Regards, Deacon of Pndapetzim (Talk) 08:18, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

I wasn't under the impression this was a pet topic of yours, so that's why I asked you. I figure a good content editor with little knowledge of it would be perfect to inform what's needs contextualising. Yeah, FA at some point ... though not necessarily just for ole de Rossy, but for any of those big bishop articles I do. Deacon of Pndapetzim (Talk) 00:12, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

I thought you were talking about the evil company before I clicked on the link. Will this visit result in detailed revelations on this obscure knoll being brought before wikipedia's audience? Or is it just some hill walking? Deacon of Pndapetzim (Talk) 10:59, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for your comments so far. Appreciated! I will get back to you on these points tomorrow. Deacon of Pndapetzim (Talk) 20:15, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

Is it conceivable that a man of this learning and self-confidence in 14th C Scotland was not from the nobility?

He's from the nobility alright, but not probably not a magnate. Probably from the noble class whose best option was to serve magnates or if they could, kings. In my user space I wrote an introduction to another guy that could be refashioned and used for many such men, HERE. Rossy differs somewhat because he's a mendicant; his training is preaching, rather than bureaucratic stuff. I get the feeling from the reading that he's Clement's man in Scotland, and was sent there not to adminstrate his bishopric, but to convince the Scots and keep them on side, and to harass the English into changing sides. His diocese is perfect, as it was an "English diocese" (in the English church province) under Scottish control. But going too far in that way would be WP:OR.

Re Walter de Coventry - The "family were probably closely connected to Margaret de Abernethy." Assuming she is Alexander de Abernethy's daughter, her nephew, Alexander de Lindsay was William of Rossie's father.

early years - His name indicates a family origin from Rossie, perhaps from either the Rossie in Gowrie or in Angus. ?

Apparently there are Rossies in both places. I don't know much about them though. According to Watt, there is one Rossie in Inchture parish (Gowrie), and another in Craig parish, (Angus). Looking on OS, the Gowrie one appears to be of Rossie Priory and Rossie Hill fame. Craig is Kirton of Craig (near Montrose), and thus the Angus one is the one that gave us modern "Rossie Mills".

There's a Rossie in Strathearn too, on the upper reaches of a rivulet (Tarnavie burn?). Around there are Rossiebank and Craig Rossie (near Ben Effrey). Given the connections with Robert, Earl of Strathearn, you'd think the Strathearn one would be the best candidate, but to suggest it might be again WP:OR.

Interesting that the Rossies of Gowrie and Strathearn are only a few miles from Abernethy. (I think the latter is the Rossie House at OS NO 081 084). There was also a Rossie, Rossie House and Loch near Collessie in Fife about 5 mils south east of Abernethy. (NO265 121) It is presumably this location that 'William of Rossie' is named for.

. I had a surf and this web page notes the existence of ' William of Rossie' aka William Lindsay who is a great grandson of Walter Stewart. This William of Rossie is younger than, but alive at the same time as Thomas. However the trail went cold and I can't see anything that suggests a more tangible connection.

You got me there.

....?

I note that Thomas "received a gift of £10 from the King of the Scots". I may be wide of the mark, but this sounds a little like a favour to a relative.

The Rossies are definitely close to Robert II; I was told by someone in the know that the occur along with him alot when he was Earl of Strathearn. Deacon of Pndapetzim (Talk) 10:02, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

Congratulations

Congratulations on FLC for List of Shetland islands - just saw it in the Signpost. Thanks again too for your comments on Joseph Priestley House, which is experiencing smooth sailing at FAC. Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 17:20, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

• Thanks for the support at FAC. No problem on the radio silence. Just glad to see you back and hope that things are better - perhaps prayers to a saint or a pilgrimage to an abbey would help? (On the latter, perhaps you could visit some Swiss relatives along the way.) MLA stands for the Modern Language Association, but more specifically means their MLA Style Manual, which is THE writing guide for scholars in the Humanities and English on one side of the Atlantic. As is perhaps obvious, I find it confusing (as I am used to and use another style guide). Thanks again, Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 16:34, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

Ulva Comments

To go to, and edit, the Ulva comments, just add /Comments to the url when you are at Ulva's talkpage. I have no idea why the url in the banner is now weird. Lurker (said · done) 16:14, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

It seems to be that the edit link in the banner works if there are no comments, but breaks if comments exist. We need someone who knows more about template syntax than me to fix this. Lurker (said · done) 16:40, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

It beats me. A polite request to young WOD should do the trick. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 17:44, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

Hilton

The OS gazetteer marks them as more than farms, but settlements of some size (village, hamlet, etc. seem interchangable). The gazetteer has Hilton farms in Aberdeenshire (2 of them), City of Aberdeen (1), Fife (1), Perth & Kinross (1), Shropshire (1), and Vale of Glamorgan (1). The version I am using is the 4th edition (1999), ISBN 0-333-77029-3. Carlossuarez46 (talk) 19:53, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

I suspected this was the culprit. Shapinsay indicates that the island has a population of 300. Balfour, Orkney is the main village and probably has a population of about 75-100. If you look at the OS map you can see that Hilton is a large building of some kind. The one on Bute is even more clear-cut here. There is no metalled road and if there as many as five people there I'd be surprised. This site seems to confirm it is a farm, although amazingly it has some small claim to fame via Leslie Crowther! Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 20:25, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks

	Thanks for your support, peer review and comments - Joseph Priestley House made featured article today! Take care, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 02:52, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

Great stuff - congratulations to you both. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 20:16, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

DYK

On 7 February 2008, Did you know? was updated with a fact from the article Skerryvore, which you created or substantially expanded. If you know of another interesting fact from a recently created article, then please suggest it on the Did you know? talk page.

--Archtransit (talk) 21:38, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

Mining

Hello MacDui, thank you for the generous comment and effective encouragement. I omitted from my post to the board that I'm almost sure that I intend to contribute in this area, with a short delay before starting. I'm in the middle of a major change to a relatively unimportant article, Scotland-unrelated, as a self-introduction; and I feel the need to do some more preparation (style, writing a good article, etc). I'm then torn over the existing articles (and missing articles) on US unions and mining and mine wars, some of which are in such need of repair that I wish they weren't there at all (I have direct access to primary information, I already know how to obtain additional information, and I personally knew many of the participants on both sides of important "wars"). I probably should start there, but I'm more likely to start in Scotland, even though I am so far away that "even on a clear day I cannot see the Isles". By the way, as I've rummaged around in Wikipedia, I've been particularly pleased to see the concerted effort to achieve good Scotland-related articles. Best Regards, 24.178.228.14 (talk) 21:41, 11 February 2008 (UTC)

Hello MacDui, I'm thinking that I'll be registering so that I can create articles and join groups of interest. I've been doing some prep and minor edits as a way to ease in. One such edit regards Braidwood, Illinois, named for the Scottish emigrant. A small favor, if you're interested ... could you make a quick scan of my changes (the talk page explains them; looking at pages of the old version and the new version would be easier than comparing via"diff"), just for format and such, and comment on them? If I'm going to create Scotland-related articles, it is my preference that style and format agree with the group's existing expectations. If your busy, never mind, and no response necessary. Regards, 24.178.228.14 (talk) 04:16, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm a bit busy at present but I'll certainly take a look in the next day or two. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 22:22, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Hello MacDui, I registered, so I'm no longer anon. Currently spending too much time on Wikipedia "policies and procedures". Thank you for the comments, they helped. Newcomer error on ref's, I've moved them; the "film" trivia doesn't belong at all, really. I've finished an article on the 1606 "colliers and salters" act (includes discussion of consequences and discussion of all later acts that reference it), but haven't submitted it yet ... it's a poor choice for a newcomer and I'm a bit hestitant, as I wonder if parts may be contentious (? paranoia); however, it's a seminal reference on coal mining in Scotland thereafter. I may hold off and start with something else. Regards, Notuncurious (talk) 02:21, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Photo thanks

Hi MacDui, we recently finally had the rare confluence of snow on the gound, sun in the sky (very rare this winter), and time for me to travel there, and I got some winter photos of Plunketts Creek. There is even a house and part of a bridge visible in this one. Thanks again for requesting these, Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 13:43, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Well done sir!. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 22:04, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

A cropped version is now at WP:FPC. Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 01:55, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Sorry - I withdrew it as it was obvious the photo experts were not going to pass it (and I am not an expert). FPC is frustrating as I apparently do not have a good enough camera, nor apparently do (most?) photos of creeks have the inherent "wow" factor required (even if technically sound). Elsewhere on Wikipedia you can revise and edit to improve your work, but at FPC I am not sure how to improve. Thanks anyway and take care, Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 18:25, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

My camera is similarly deficient, but I get a personal 'wow' from the Falls of Lora [3]. OK so it's not a creek as such, but I don't know of too many other waterfalls in the sea. Another one to add to your Scottish itinerary! Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 18:33, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

I get a wow from almost any creek (as I perhaps painfully obvious). As for the Falls of Lora - Wow - thanks for letting me know about them. I would like to see them in person. In North America (mostly Canada) there are similar tidal phenomena in the Bay of Fundy (which I also have yet to see and photograph inadequately).

As for being an admin, it is a good thing (although I am not the wiki's most active admin). I mostly do what I did before, but I if I run into a vandal I can block them if they have already had the requisite warnings (mostly I have blocked Vandalism Only Accounts). If I see someone spamming I can revert much more quickly with rollback (but now any experienced user can get that). I have had someone ask me for admin help a few times, which I was able to do, and I have made a few deletions and a done a few protections. The unwatched pages is sadly a bit of a dud (you only see a limited number), so I have a Bugzilla request in to fix that to make it more useful. I have updated DYK a fair number of times and made a few mistakes along the way. I added the color picture of Joseph Priestley to the template and thus the Main Page the other day (same as the black and white version in the article itself). I have been doing almost all the archiving at Peer Review, which is a lot of work every day, so I think that is keeping me from doing more admin stuff. I also am trying to do about as much writing as before (Dincher and I just got a new FL and I am working on an odd tributary list right now - odd in that none of the tribs have articles). I still want to help at WP:PUI but I need time, plus a lot of the admin tasks are a bit intimidating and the directions are not always crystal clear, so I am easing into it. Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 20:54, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

Rùm

Now back where it started, at Rùm. I'll leave a note for the editor who moved it. Angus McLellan (Talk) 08:50, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Basin

Hi McDui, I've taken Basin, Montana, as far as I can for the nonce, and I've left you a longer note on the article's talk page. Finetooth (talk) 16:30, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

Ancient stone found

Thought this might interest you. It's from the P&J but did not appear in online version.--MacRusgail (talk) 17:45, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

Picture here - [4]

A prehistoric rock carving, believed to be 5,000 years old, has been uncovered on a mountain bike trail near Lochgilphead in Argyll during recent storms. For years, the rock art has remained hidden and protected from the elements by a huge tree in the Forestry Commission Scotland's Achnabreac Forest, which was blown down three weeks ago. The rock is a rare discovery and is inscribed with a dice-like carving. It sits high above the mouth of Kilmartin Glen and directly overlooks the rock art previously discovered at Cairnbaan. Its close location to the other rock art sites, visual relationship with both sites, and the similar complexity of design suggests all three sites are connected. The new site may hold the key to understanding the mystery around the rock art in Argyll. Andy Buntin, planning operations forester with Forestry Commission Scotland in west Argyll, said: "We discovered the new rock art during a routine inspection of trees that had been blown down or uprooted during the high winds - so it seems this time the damage and disruption caused by the gales has uncovered something good. "The importance of the site and the reasons for the carvings remain a topic of speculation. "We do know that they date back to the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. Initially, the carvings were found on boulders and outcrops of rock overlooking major routes, hunting grounds, water-holes and hunting spots. This suggests a link with herding or hunting wild animals." The rock is very close to the popular Fire Tower mountain bike trail. The Forestry Commission will reroute part of the trail to ensure the carving is protected and will open up access for people to view the rock.

Great stuff, and many thanks. I found an on-line report at forestry.gov.uk Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 17:56, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

Scottish English

Could you please write a stub about Kurów in Scottish English here – just a few sentences based on http://kurow-wiki.openhosting.pl/wiki/en-gb:Kurow ? Please.

PS. Article about Kurów is already in 276 languages and dialects. If your village/town/city isn't yet on PL wiki, I can do article about it. (I'm first author of requests and this article have the biggest number of interwikis) Pietras1988 ^TALK 12:41, 23 February 2008 (UTC)

Not so easily achieved I'm afraid. To the best of my knowledge there is no Scottish English wiki. En Wikipedia policy does not discourage the use of Scottish English terms in an article "that has strong ties" to Scotland, but there might be objections about a Polish article. The differences between English English and Scottish English are in any case likely to be few for an article of this nature. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 13:50, 23 February 2008 (UTC)

OK, pitty. Pietras1988 (talk) 17:33, 23 February 2008 (UTC)

There's already a Lallans version here http://sco.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kur%C3%B3w —Preceding unsigned comment added by MacRusgail (talk • contribs) 14:39, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Ah ken fine. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 15:02, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

I was thinking that that might be what he was looking for. By the way, thanks for dropping the interesting notes on the talk page. Don't know much about Moffat, but I'm learning! I may add some stuff to your prehistoric timeline, as I have some further info.--MacRusgail (talk) 22:23, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

RE:Moffat

Well, according to WP:VERIFIABILITY The threshold for inclusion in Wikipedia is verifiability, not truth. Of course there's no ultimate difference between veriability and truth, although no-one has argued that to the writers of that guideline. If you've double-checked then that should be fine. Even most primary school kids get most basic facts just about right ... the problem for Moffat is everything else! Regards, Deacon of Pndapetzim (Talk) 23:10, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

My RfA

Neilston

Thank you MacDui for the addition to the article! I read something about this when I intially started developing the article, but lost the link. Thanks though, it is much appreciated. There are a few other places in the lowlands and on Kintyre that I have my eye on for developing too, but maybe not just yet! Thanks again, --Jza84 |  Talk  00:58, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

You are most welcome, and congratulations on a fine article. I'm sorry I missed the FAC. If you think I can help out with anything, (especially Kintyre as it is an honorary island), just let me know. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 08:44, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

Re:Skye

Not knowledgable about bot stuff, but as it continued its existence at Talk:Isle_of_Skye/Comments, that looks likely. I'll need to watch out for that when moving articles in future. All the best, Deacon of Pndapetzim (Talk) 12:49, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

Emery Molyneux: GA review

Hi, thanks very much for taking the time to review the article. I've responded to your suggestions on the article's talk page. — Cheers, JackLee ^–talk– 01:20, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Strangeway

Hi. Please have a care in respect of Strangeway, he's emailed the foundation office in a state of some ire, and not without justification. Please do be careful to keep within the letter and spirit of WP:BLP, even if you suspect someone is perhaps less modest than they might be. Not to make a biig deal of it, I'll not be picking a fight with someone 3,111 feet taller than me... Guy (Help!) 15:08, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Sorry if I am being dense, but I am not sure what the grumble is about. Is it that he is using his own definition, which happens to come to the same number of islands as the list in the major work on the topic? I notice you changed "His suggestion" to "It has subsequently been suggested" as well. The Guardian says "He calls his island challenge Strangeways and accepts a comparison with Munros". Yours, mildly mystified, Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 20:11, 20 March 2008 (UTC) PS By all means email me if there is some deep controversy here.

Let's just say he's... a bit sensitive. The difference between "it has been" and "he suggests" is the kind of thing. No biggie. Guy (Help!) 20:18, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Question

Greetings, MacDuff! Question for you ... planning to create at least one article on Scots in other countries. Oxford Companion to Scottish history has a series of such articles, so wikipedia should follow. The question is, what sorta naming formula do you think'd be best. E.g. Scottish people in Russia, Scots in Russia, Scotland and Russia, etc, etc? Doesn't need to be Russia (that's the one I'm doing in my userspace), could be Poland, USA, Sweden, etc. I'll ask Mais oui! too. All the best. Deacon of Pndapetzim (Talk) 20:03, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Flannan Isles

'This is a Good Article. Please do not add uncited material to it. Many thanks. Ben MacDuiTalk/Walk 08:40, 25 February 2008 (UTC)'

This has been added (and removed by yourself) by several editors - citations or not. Please do not treat the quality of the article as an excuse to exclude other information to be added to it - no pet articles on wikipedia!>Jw2034 15:50, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Uncited material is liable to be removed from any article. Unverified edits are likely to be especially unwelcome on articles that are already properly cited. Please see WP:PROVEIT. I will look at the revised edit you have provided, and if necessary comment on the talk page there. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 17:16, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

RE:Recusants

Happy Easter to you too! No idea about that I'm afraid, being a medievalist. On the knowledge I do have I'd presume such people if they existed and did that were coming from the Low Countries, where a lot of exiled Scots and English religious resided. That part isn't obviously cited. Note 54 is from Calendar of State Papers: Domestic Series, 1595–1597 which is a primary source [OR?], and Wallis, "Further light on the Molyneux globes", p. 307 in note 46 says nothing relevant. Did the author clear up where he got that phrase from? If he's taking it from the primary source, maybe "recusant" is just a word for Catholic or something and refers to forces whose lord was Philip II. It's beyond my sphere. If I had access to a big library I'd go check it, but just now I do not. Deacon of Pndapetzim (Talk) 08:23, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Ok - thanks for looking at it. It's already an FAC: Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Emery Molyneux. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 08:27, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

BTW, speaking of FACs, I really liked reading your Fauna of Scotland article. Great job! FA nom sometime? It's really a shame that such articles haven't been done for more countries. It inspired me to think about a Fauna of Siberia article, but an hour or so into it I realised I don't have the knowledge or resources. Sad! I hope better people than myself will follow the example of your article. All the best, Deacon of Pndapetzim (Talk) 08:36, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

You are most kind - I enjoyed writing it. I keep a large note above my computer that says: 'No more than one GA or FA attempt per month', which keeps me from undue stress. It is somewhere on the conveyor belt, although I find myself suspecting that the effort involved may be out of proportion to the improvement in quality gained compared to say taking a poor B class article to GA. I 'd love to see a Flora of Scotland as its companion, but I'd be starting from a rather low knowledge base. Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 08:47, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Admin coaching

Sure, I'll take you on. Make a subpage in your userspace and write some info about yourself. I'll follow up. Nishkid64 _{(Make articles, not love)} 20:03, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

I didn't want to get your sandbox cluttered, so I moved the contents to User:Ben MacDui/Admin coaching. Nishkid64 _{(Make articles, not love)} 17:43, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

My RfA

Hi Ben MacDui/Archive 5! Thank you for your support in my RfA (87/3/3). I truely appreciate the many votes of confidence, and I will exert myself to live up to those expectations. Thanks again! - CobaltBlueTony™ talk 17:56, 26 March 2008 (UTC)