Hello there,
I would invite you to update [[Wikimedia:Our projects]] - introduction
of our nine projects (and some related). As for Wikiquote I modifed
its part, but I will be happy to coordinate with more active editors'
hands. For other projects, much more such collaborations will be
welcome.
There is a draft version on meta.
http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Translation_requests/WMF/Our_pr…
I believe all parts are outdated to some extent, except Wikiversity
and Wiktionary (thank you, Cormaggio and Kipmaster). And hopefully
Wikiquote ... Regretfully this draft is not regularly updated - if we
can periodically update this draft and regularly replace with the
existing version on the Foundation website, we'll be able to provide
visitors latest information. I confess even I myself forget to update
the parts I am very familiar, but still I believe it is a worthy task
to keep in mind always.
We expect your description about your favorite project(s)!
Cheers,
--
KIZU Naoko
Wikiquote: http://wikiquote.org
* Nessuna poesia prima di noi *
The Wolf Mountain Group has been reincorporated as a C Corporation with
10,000,000 shares of common/preffered stock and the LLC has been
dissolved effective November 19, 2006. The company is now Wolf Mountain
Group, Inc.
I also received a disturbing email from Mr. Wales to the affect some
people in the community and business community seem to have a mistaken
belief that the Foundation and Wolf Mountain Group have some sort of
partnership. I will clarify and address these statements.
There is NO formal partnership between the Wikimedia Foundation and the
Wolf Mountain Group, Inc. of any kind, nor is there likely to be in the
future. The basis for this position is that the Foundation is a
non-profit entity and the Wolf Mountain Group is a for profit domestic
corporation which is 100% owned and controlled by Tribal Members or
Tribal Entities of Native American Tribes. A formal partnership
between the two entites would preclude our participation in many of the
programs of the Federal Government since the Foundation is not eligible
for participation in any of these these programs for Native American
Tribal entites. WMG, Inc. as currently structured is eligible for 8(a)
status with the Federal Government, which means we come before minority
businesses and even the open bidding process due to our status on
equipment purchases and business arangements with the Federal
Government, ANA, and BIA. A partnership with the Foundation would
preclude us from our primary mission to serve the Native American Tribes
with our programs and place this status in jeopardy.
I have no idea where this mistaken belief has originated, so I am
correcting it. WMG is simply a consumer of Wikipedia content like many
other groups who work with the Wikipedia community, the Wikimedia
Foundation, and various stakeholders in the effort as do a large number
of other groups who interact with the Wikipedia projects. Mr. Wales
is under some impression there is some sort of "bad blood" with various
members of the community as well he cannot correct. My response to
this is its irrelevant to our mission and business objectives. The last
company I co-founded sold to the Canopy Group for 3.9 million dollars,
and the one before to Network General for 10.1 million dollars, so I
know how to create profitable ventures and we do contribute to the
Foundation in many ways that are complementary.
My message to those with "bad blood" is get over it. WMG isn't going
away, and and we have 175 languages to preserve. I want everyone to
understand that our mission overshadows any personal issues people may
have with me personally, or our company. We don't care, and to be
honest, its not relevant. We all have our roles and as a consumer of
Wikipedia content we are a "customer" of sorts of your efforts.
We look forward to promoting Wikipedia content and working with the
Foundation as a Wikipedia customer and content consumer. For anyone
spreading these rumors there is some sort of "partnership" we ask you to
please stop immediately. These statements are untrue and contrary to
the facts.
Sincerely,
Jeff
I am very well aware of foundation's need for money, and I love
the fact that Wikipedia is advertisement-free.
Yet the new Paypal donation notice with now hangs on top of every
Wikipedia page is awfully ugly and distracting.
Can we make it one line only, just a pointer to a page where
people can donate? The way it is now it is no better than an
ugly advertisement to start with.
Oleg Alexandrov
Hello
I am aware the elections are over. Please allow us a few days to settle
down on that. We are currently working pretty hard over the fundraising
stuff (when we do not lose our times waiting in airports forever for the
ultimate flight to Belgrade...)
Thanks for the patience
Anthere
There are many ways to donate to the Foundation, not just Paypal. In fact,
Paypal, while the most common, is also the most expensive for us and the most
difficult for people in certain countries.
We have redesigned the fundraising page to highlight the different ways
people can donate. Based on the current site notice, the drive-by donor will
never see that. The link to the donor page is completely counter-intuitive.
Please remove the Paypal link from the site notice.
Danny
Hello, world:
I want to provide everyone with the situation regarding fundraising.
(www.wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Fundraising)
* Fundraising page in its new form is up and running in many languages.
* Need to migrate FAQ from comcom to Foundation wiki
* Need to migrate Press release from comcom to Foundation wiki
* Need to translate FAQ on Foundation wiki
* Need to translate Press release on Foundation wiki
* Need to translate Anthere's appeal on Foundation wiki where not translated
* Site notice needs to be translated in four forms
- Default - now
- Sponsor #1 (matching) - sometime next week
- Sponsor #2 (matching) - sometime next week
- Sponsor #3 (Anonymous matching) - sometime next week
A word about matching. So far we expect to have a significant match
extending over several days from an anonymous donor, and two
corporations with matching dates we are still working out. We don't
have the dates completely set in stone yet, and they will not be in
place until next week. For now, the regular fundraising is underway. We
are finalizing the site notices shortly, and will be working on all of
this tonight.
Thank you for your patience, and for your support of Wikimedia!
-Brad
Hi,
Has anyone here checked out Wikipubs.org, the pub guide wiki? It's a
proposed wikimedia project. Anyway, I propose a similar guidebook for
cafés and coffeehouses: Wikicafés. A place for information, reviews,
photos and so forth.
Proposal information: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikicafes
Demonstration site: http://www.wikicafes.co-operista.com
I've searched and searched but can't find any other site out there that
lets users submit their own reviews of cafés, let alone gives them the
democratic power of a wiki.
Regards,
Sam Wilson
Native language preservation bill becomes law
Friday, December 15, 2006
A bill that will help tribes preserve their languages was signed into
law by President Bush on Thursday.
H.R.4766, the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation
Act, authorizes funding for new programs that tribes will use to prevent
the loss of their heritage and culture. "These languages will be
preserved with attention and effort. Once lost, they will never be
recovered," said Ryan Wilson, the president of the National Indian
Education Association.
The act took on significance this fall following the death of Esther
Martinez, a Native language teacher and storyteller from New Mexico. She
was killed in a car accident on September 16, just days after receiving
a National Heritage Fellowship award for her efforts to preserve the
Tewa language.
"The Native languages were precious to Esther Martinez, and this bill is
designed to help preserve them," said Wilson. "It is a fitting tribute
to her life's work."
New Mexico's Congressional delegation worked to pass the bill in the
closing weeks of the 109th Congress. It had passed the House in
September but was held up in the Senate and failed to gain approval
before the November elections.
After some feverish lobbying by the National Alliance to Save Native
Languages, a coalition that includes the NIEA and other organizations,
the measure passed the Senate earlier this month. Tribes then turned
their attention to the White House to get it signed before the end of
the year.
"The urgent need to protect and preserve Native American languages is
clear," said Rep. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico), whose district includes
Ohkay Owingeh, the pueblo where Martinez taught her language for
decades. "We must invest in their preservation by implementing immersion
programs."
By authorizing funding for language nests, language survival schools and
language restoration programs, supporters hope to prevent the loss of
additional languages. Of the more than 300 languages spoken in the U.S.
at the time of European contact, only 175 remain, according to the
Indigenous Language Institute.
By 2050, only 20 will be spoken with regular use, the organization says,
unless efforts are taken to teach the languages to new generations.
The United States played a major role in the loss of Native languages.
Students at government boarding schools were prohibited from using their
languages. The Bureau of Indian Affairs at one point outlawed
ceremonies, a critical method of preserving languages and history.
Through the government policies of termination, relocation and
assimilation, the efforts continued through the 1950s and 1960s even as
the U.S military enlisted Native soldiers to create unbreakable codes
using their languages. In 2000, President Bush honored Navajo Code
Talkers who served in World War II.
"For many years, tribes were discouraged from speaking their native
languages and now many languages have disappeared. This legislation will
help ensure native languages are preserved, and passed on to future
generation," said Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico).
The grants for the new programs will be distributed by the
Administration for Native Americans within the Department of Health and
Human Services. Wilson said tribes must work to ensure Congress and the
White House provide adequate funds to carry out the bill.
Native Languages Bill: http://thomas.loc.gov/
<http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.04766>