User talk:Dgrant

Hello and Welcome to Wikipedia! I hope you like the place. --mav

Thanks! --dgrant

Dave,

After your comments on Talk:Severe acute respiratory syndrome, I'm guessing that your latest edit to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (about "professional discrimination" against nurses) is a parody, an attempt to discredit the racial discrimination section. I'm curious if you'd be kind enough as to clarify whether or not this hunch is correct. If it is, perhaps you deserve credit for being credit for being clever, so we should preserve your section on the talk page, even if it can't stay in the main article. If it is not a parody, on the other hand, do you have a reference about this? Being a healthcare worker probably is more problematic thanks to SARS, though I could not find the specific claims you mentioned with a google search. --Ryguasu 04:57 Apr 7, 2003 (UTC)

Ryguasu: thanks for the reply. You are clever as well... Yes it is a joke. I will remove it myself and stick it on "talk", unless you've already done it. The parody could have been seen in a few ways, but I just thought of an interesting side to it...if anything, the people that one should stay away from the most are actually doctors and nurses. Because technically they are the only ones in the hospitals in the somewhat-quarantined areas. But my original point was just to make up a little story to mimic the racism one. The fact that it doesn't come up on Google like you said, raises another point: just because something is on google (or covered by the media) does it make it wikipedia-worthy? If I hear something from my friend John why can't his opinion be put on wikipedia? In my mind I don't seperate media from average people very much...the media IMHO sucks nowadays and turn little things into big things. What I'm implying is, I think the racism comments were probably made by one outspoken chinese person and the media went to town with it because it makes good headliens. Anyways, thanks for the constructive discussion. It's been interesting. dave 05:15 Apr 7, 2003 (UTC)

Actually I just thought of something. It's a bit childish, but I was curious how long it would take for someone (other than you) to notice the "profession discrimination" section. This article has pretty heavy activity, and no one has stepped in and deleted it. But to play that game would be childish so I'll just take it off. dave 05:18 Apr 7, 2003 (UTC)

Dave,

Thanks for your note on my talk page. I think your latest rewrite improved the section quite a bit. One thing that remains a mystery to me is why only Canada seems to be under discussion. The potential for racism here seems global, and Canadians certainly don't tend to strike me as more racist than anyone else. --Ryguasu 01:36 Apr 10, 2003 (UTC)

hehe, yeah that is interesting, I think it might just be because that was were some chinese people said something about it, and then maybe it snowballed from there, thanks in part to the media. I noticed in the past few days that the US media started covering it, but like you said only about the Canada racism. Yeah I don't think we (canadians) are more racist. Maybe it was because Toronto has a lot of chinese (400,000) or something like that, probably a lot of which are from Hong Kong (like in Vancouver). And also because there are 10 deaths here so far, which is why people might be more on edge than say in the U.S. dave 03:34 Apr 10, 2003 (UTC)

Hi, Dave,

My thanks, too, for your contributions to the SARS page. My own theory is that Canada serves as a convenient scapegoat for other countries. People project their own shortcomings onto Canada, which is after all a country few people know anything about. Opposition to the seal hunt, for example, was strongest in the States during the Vietnam war, and strongest in the UK during periods in which the British Army was most active in Northern Ireland. I've never managed to get a grant to assess this theory, though.

The section has been shaped up, I think. It still perhaps leans a bit toward views like mine, but I have moderated my view a bit. on the whole, though, I'm surprised at the lack of anti-Chinese sentiment in Toronto. The characteristic Torontonian oblivious to everything except making money, I guess Jfitzg.

Thanks for removing the statement about the first mosque in Canada. My source was the London Free Press which, as I'm sure you know, is no source at all. Shoulda known better. It sounds like one of those local myths which are widely cited without authentication -- like the story of Toronto being the most culturally diverse city in the world. Jfitzg

And thanks for the note. I'll try to be more conscientious about including comments. The page has piqued my interest in the history of the city I grew up in, so I'll be doing further research, but not in the Free Press.Jfitzg

Cool. I grew up in B.C., and I live in Waterloo now, but my girlfriend is in London, and I go there on weekends. So I don't know it very well, but I'm a history buff. Please if you have any friends in London, forward them the Wikipedia link. It needs some more authentic information from locals. dave

I'm there a lot, too, and have been trying to get locals to contribute. Incidentally, I put adhesive tape in the industries/products list because 3M makes it there. The economy boomed during the recent security alert in the States. According to the undependable Free Press, London manufactures all the 3M duct tape for North America and Europe. I'll leave it up to you whether it should be restored, though, since you've been taking a more careful approach to the article than I have.Jfitzg

Ok, I'll add it back in then. Sorry, I knew there was a 3M Medical division in London, and I also know that 3M is famous for tape, so I thought someone just "put 2 and 2 together" and guessed that they made tape. Well it turned out you had obviously done your research. Thanks. dave

Dave, I removed the "n" you added at the Arrhenius equation, see the Talk:Arrhenius equation to see why. jbc

The previous way was designed so that Mav and gang could add in a picture like how Oxygen and Carbon are. --PY

Hi, Dave. I left a comment about POV and NPOV opinions of VIA Rail at Talk:London, Ontario. I won't be hurt if the comment doesn't go back. What I thought would be first to come out was my description of the major Western Ontario crops -- it seemed to me to have some relevance to London but I don't know if anyone else would agree. The article is shaping up famously. London seems to be one of the major centres of Western civilization -- seriously, it has been influential well beyond what you would expect of a city its size and the article shows it. Jfitzg

I just wanted to mention, I haven't been on VIA since I was 12 or so, and I've never taken a Greyhound bus to or from London...but I don't recall there being overwhelming complaints about VIA. I mean, there is general complaining, like there always is about any transportation system...isn't it faster than the bus though, even if it is more expensive? Adam Bishop 21:51 9 Jul 2003 (UTC)

I decided that even if my comment was NPOV it's unnecessary, so it can stay out. As for the relative merits of the train and the bus, they're scheduled to arrive in the same time, but the bus actually does arrive in that time, and usually earlier (it has the advantage of being able to leave as soon as the bus is full). To be fair, I haven't ridden VIA in a dozen years or so, and perhaps there's been a massive turnaround in service. Since they're as starved for cash as they ever were, though, I doubt it. Their big problem is shortage of equipment. Jfitzg

Hi!
I don't know if you, who originates from there, is as impressed by BC as I have been, when visiting from the European continent. Anyway, if you say lesbian's can't be called dikes, then I think you are better informed than Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. :-)) I'm sorry for the extra work I and User:Efghij caused you.
-- Ruhrjung 17:09 15 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Yes BC was nice. The dike/dyke thing was no big deal. I'm just a perfectionist unfortunately... dave

Thanks for your help on Wikipedia:Sites that use Wikipedia as a source. I am glad I'm not the only one taking the initiative here. Base on my google research so far, it looks like we may have our work cut out for us. MB 15:06 18 Jul 2003 (UTC)

I'm sure interest will pick up on this page and reach a critical mass eventually. I haven't looked at the /Temp page your referred to yet, but I'll have a look. dave 15:18 18 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Just FYI, I would perfer you put responses to me on my talk page, b/c that is where I (and most wikipedians) expect to see them. I don't really have the time to watch everyone's talk page for a response is all. MB 20:37 18 Jul 2003 (UTC)

I hope you don't mind that I moved the page to Wikipedia:Sites that use Wikipedia for content. I thought is was more appropriate, considering what we are using it for. We can create a different page for pages that use use as a source (although I have come across a lot!), since linking is included in this, but not in sites that use content. MB 21:20 18 Jul 2003 (UTC)

If you are still interested in the definition of dike (geology of course...), have a look at the page after the weekend. I'm working on it. Short definition: tabular body of intrusive igneous rock, ´discordant (i.e. not according) to the orientation of the intruded rock. Pipes of volcanoes usually are dikes. Muriel Gottrop 13:40, 30 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Hi Dave;

About getting work in Korea- I did it by word of mouth. A friend was working here, needed more employees from abroad, and put the word out. I volunteered to come. If you're interested, there are a few places online for you to look for work that have good reputation, and areas to chat up people currently working here. I won't clog your page with this info now, just write me and I'll hook you up. Or email me (better) at [email protected] Kim Hogg

I posted this at Wikipedia talk:Sites that use Wikipedia for content but you didn't respond, so I am posting it here:

I've made a few changes to Wikipedia:Copyrights in anticipation of updating our copyright notice on the bottom of the page. I purpose that the new notice read "All text is available under the terms of the GFDL. See Wikipedia:Copyrights for details." Right now the link at the bottom links to a page which redirects to Wikipedia:Copyrights, but being that the GFDL is intimidating to most to read, people are less likely to click on the current link and read the terms of copying.

I would like some feedback before purposing this on the mailing lists. Thanks. (Please post replies to my talk page) MB 18:03, Aug 8, 2003 (UTC)

I have nominated you for adminship at Wikipedia:Requests for adminship. I hope you accept the nomination. Read Wikipedia:Administrators for what it means to be an admin. { MB | マイカル } 14:32, Aug 27, 2003 (UTC)

Poof! You've got sysop rights. Use them well. As your first act, let me suggest that you update Wikipedia:Administrators to reflect your new status. --Uncle Ed 19:31, 2 Sep 2003 (UTC)

Congrats. Use them well, use them sparingly. { MB | マイカル } 14:52, Sep 3, 2003 (UTC)

RE: The RIAA article -- Since that talk page says it's protected (Why, BTW? It does not give a reason in the history of when and why, especially when the main article keeps getting vandalized and is NOT protected?), but I wanted to tell you that I think it's a good thing that you put it on the front page. No need to be sorry at all. I think if we truly believe in this project, we should be daring and have faith in it (i.e. any news worthy topic will be searched for anyway, and thus will need to stand on its own merits, this way at least it was brought to our attention). The front page listing brought about tweeking, which is a big plus in this case, right? I personally hope that some form of compromise bearing a good deal of resembelence to NPOV will naturally result from repeated editing. I do not know that it needs to be split into one article on the organization and one on their lawsuits. What would one even call that lawsuit article? P2P lawsuits? Anyway, that's my two cents. What do you think? Congrats on your sysopiness BTW.  :) -- Paige 18:43, 10 Sep 2003 (UTC)

Greetings, good to meet another Canuck I haven't seen around yet (and a sysop no less). Two things regarding Dorval vs. PET airport:

1. I wouldn't have moved the page until 1 Jan, when the change of name officially takes effect.
2. Please use the "move" command when moving a page. This preserves the history, as opposed to simply cutting and pasting which leaves all the history on the original page and makes life difficult. Come 1 Jan, I'll delete the current Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and move Montreal Dorval International Airport there comme il faut.

Thanks, - Montréalais 01:35, 12 Sep 2003 (UTC)