Talk:Alaska/Archive 4

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failed GA

Well, it's been failed again, but at least some solid feedback was provided. See Talk:Alaska/GA1 for details. Beeblebrox (talk) 21:09, 3 December 2010 (UTC)

Notable people

I see from the failed GA nomination that it's believed the Notable people section doesn't belong. I wanted to comment on it anyway. I found this above the source text:

• NOTE: These need to be people who are known OUTSIDE of Alaska. So, by definition, the governor of the state would not (normally) make the list. They must be more famous than the governor or Senators

I'll pass for now on whether this is anti-politician in slant. What I did want to say is that Ernest Gruening certainly qualifies. In his day, he would have been far better known outside of Alaska than perhaps a dozen or more modern-day B-list/C-list/D-list celebrities who are on the list. Using the critieria, I do acknowledge that Ted Stevens might perhaps fail.RadioKAOS (talk) 12:40, 5 December 2010 (UTC)

Ted Stevens was at the center of a major scandal that helped cost him his Senate seat. His death was headline news across the entire country. Before you-know-who came along he was probably the only politician from Alaska that most Americans had heard of. However I do agree that much of the rest of the list are "low grade" celebs. Beeblebrox (talk) 20:07, 5 December 2010 (UTC)

I only find brief mention in WP:UNDUE of the weight of recent events, but it seems like I'm running with that a lot. The primary motivation for this centers around many Alaska-related pages overrun by major media stories, and often gratuitous references to same, from the past 5 years in Alaska.

Addressing the actual subject at hand, Ted Stevens was known outside of Alaska to politicos since the 1980s, but perhaps starting only in the mid to late 1990s with the public in general, and increasing only in a gradual manner from then until his death. Ernest Gruening, on the other hand, can claim national renown of some sort spanning from the 1920s to the 1960s.RadioKAOS (talk) 07:44, 6 December 2010 (UTC)

I think we are more in agreement than disagreement here, I certainly didn't mean to suggest that Gruening was not a notable figure. Wally Hickel is being mentioned a bit in a lot of "year of review" stories you always here at this time of year as he was another notable Alaskan who died this year. Although not as known today as certain other governors of Alaska, he was quite well known in his day. However the GA review suggests we shouldn't have such a list at all on the state-level article, and I think I am inclined to agree. It is more appropriate to list these persons in the articles on the specific places they resided, as we all know Alaska is a very big place, and this article is supposed to be a general overview of the whole thing. Plus if we get rid of the list we don't have to worry about who is and is not on it. Notable figures like Gruening and Hickel can be worked into the article text, which currently barely mentions the process of becoming a state. Beeblebrox (talk) 18:50, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

the list

moved here for reference so that especially notable persons can be mentioned in the article text

Notable residents John Luther Adams, composer Marty Beckerman, author Irene Bedard, actress Tom Bodett, author and voice actor Carlos Boozer, professional basketball player Susan Butcher, noted dog musher, four-time Iditarod winner Mario Chalmers, professional basketball player Matt Carle, professional ice hockey player Chad Carpenter, cartoonist and creator of the comic strip Tundra Daryn Colledge, professional football player for the Green Bay Packers Ty Conklin, professional ice hockey player Brandon Dubinsky, professional ice hockey player Erik Ellington, professional skateboarder Scott Gomez, professional ice hockey player John Baldwin Gourley lead singer of Portugal. The Man Mike Gravel, former U.S. Senator Kelsey Griffin, WNBA player Walter Hickel, former two time Governor and Secretary of the Interior under President Richard Nixon Jewel, singer/songwriter Joe Juneau, Canadian-born prospector who co-founded and is the namesake of Juneau Natalie Kusz, memoirist Trajan Langdon, professional basketball player Sydney Laurence, noted landscape painter Hilary Lindh, alpine ski racer Ray Mala, actor Lance Mackey, four time Yukon Quest and four time Iditarod winner Holly Madison, model and television personality Tommy Moe, won a gold medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer, Norway Patricia Monaghan, poet and author Kelly Moneymaker, singer Margaret Murie, the Grandmother of the Conservation Movement Sarah Palin, former Alaskan Governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee. Elizabeth Peratrovich, civil rights activist Sean Rash, Professional Tenpin Bowler Libby Riddles, noted dog musher, first woman to win Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Curt Schilling, professional baseball player Don Simpson, noted film producer Molly Smith, theater director Soapy Smith, con artist and gangster Nate Thompson, professional ice hockey player Khleo Thomas, Actor/Rapper Paul Varelans, UFC fighter Mr. Whitekeys, writer, musician, commentator, and satirist Dave Williams (2000s pitcher), professional baseball player

Lt. Gov

As of today it is in fact Mead Treadwell, he was sworn in about two hours ago. [1] Beeblebrox (talk) 22:20, 6 December 2010 (UTC)

Re: the list

Looks like List of artists and writers from Alaska has been discussed for merging into List of people from Alaska. This material could also be merged into that article, as that article does appear to need some help.RadioKAOS (talk) 20:06, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

Huh, looks like that merger was proposed over a year ago and there has been no discussion whatsoever, even from the user proposing the merger. I agree the three lists should be merged into one, it doesn't look like it would be overly long or cumbersome. Beeblebrox (talk) 20:20, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

I'll work on it if I can get the million or so other things out of the way. BTW, what I really wanted to discuss is that the Juneau photo used in the article sucks. All I see is rooftops stretching from the library to the Baranof Hotel. There's at least 3 other Juneau photos in the Commons which would be better. Since the vast majority of Juneau photos appear to be either of or taken from cruise ships, it doesn't present much of a choice. I'm sure I still have some photos I took in the 1990s when I used to travel there halfway frequently, but I dunno if I'll find them anytime soon.RadioKAOS (talk) 05:26, 17 December 2010 (UTC)

image collage

Ok, I have to ask, what is the problem? The image collage was specifically created to be used as the lead image on this page, and it keep getting removed and/or moved around in the article, and I can't see any explanation anywhere of why. Now it is on the "geography" section, which is not good since only one of the images used is of a geographic feature. A lot of work went into this, so if it's going to be brushed aside I think at least some form of explanation is in order. More details on why it exists in the first place are on the GA review page. Beeblebrox (talk) 18:29, 24 December 2010 (UTC)

As I suspected, nobody has come forward and provided any rationale for this. Per WP:SILENCE I am going to move it back to the top the page. Beeblebrox (talk) 00:27, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

I see y this keeps happening - it looks way out of place (as its not the norm to be above the infobox and its a HUGE PIC as we are forcing 300px size on our readers) If we could incorporate the picture into the box like at Toronto the edit to move it would stop + if in the box the pic would not take up have the screen.Moxy (talk) 00:37, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Huh. On my screen it looks to be exactly the same width as the infobox and looks rather smart with the collage next to the lead and the box parallel to the table of contents. Incorporating it into the infobox seems like a good idea though. Beeblebrox (talk) 00:47, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

I just tried to do it using the same coding used in the Toronto infobox and when I previewed it it didn't work, the picture just disappeared. Beeblebrox (talk) 00:53, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

It doesn't work because Toronto is a city and thus uses {{Infobox Settlement}} whereas Alaska is a US state and uses {{US state}}; the latter has no |image_skyline = parameter (for obvious reasons). I will investigate to see if a similar parameter is available. Intelligentsium 01:11, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Being an Alaskan, I happen to like the collage. Being a Wikipedian, I randomly checked half a dozen other states--Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, New York, and Arizona--and each follows a standard format that displays the flag and the seal. I think we should stick with that and put the collage between State symbols and See also. Yopienso (talk) 01:12, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

No such parameter is available (and sorry for the belated response, I was AFK briefly); it would be possible to use a hack to include it, but I agree with User:Yopienso that it should be displayed further down on the page (not necessarily in Geography) rather than in the infobox, and not above the infobox as it is now. Wikipedia:Manual of Style (layout) recommends that the infobox precede all images. Personally I think such a large infobox seemingly being subordinated by such a small picture is unappealing; the image looks out of place and the lede section contrasts unpleasantly with those of similar articles. Intelligentsium 01:32, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Well, at least you guys are willing to talk about it, unlike the users who previously just moved it around without comment. Where should we put it then? The history section perhaps? Beeblebrox (talk) 03:46, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

I guess it's also worth mentioning that there is an alternate version File:Alaska collage 2.jpg. Same images in a slightly different configuration. Beeblebrox (talk) 03:50, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

If you could spread it out in one long line instead of the cool montage you created, it would make an attractive banner between Main article: History of Alaska and Alaska natives. But I'm somewhat partial, even though I'm trying not to be. Other editors may see it as too promotional, sorta Chamber of Commerce-ish. Yopienso (talk) 04:17, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Maybe something like the panoramic view in Valdez. Yopienso (talk) 09:16, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Sorry guys, but I didn't make them. I tried, I downloaded Hugin (software) and messed with it for about two hours before deciding it was not for me, then I asked over at WP:LAB for someone else to do it, and they were nice enough to make two. I deliberately tried to use images of things and people with lasting impact on Alaska and it's culture and avoided you-know-who, I'd like to think I balanced it out pretty well. We have Alaska's largest city, the tallest mountain, the state bird, the animals people most want to see when they visit, two images of different native groups, the first European to set foot in Alaska, and it's longest serving elected representative. A nutshell, to be sure, it's hard (impossible really) to compress Alaska down to only a few images. Beeblebrox (talk) 21:38, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Excellent choices. Yopienso (talk) 22:27, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

I don't think so. Including Ted Stevens (not that I dislike him) in the collage could create some sort of a Stevens cult on this high-traffic WP page, potentially enforcing a POV. -- HXL's Roundtable, and Record 00:25, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

That is one of the most absurd things I've heard in a long while. Maybe we should remove the bear to so fans of the Colbert Report don't form a cult here... Beeblebrox (talk) 01:54, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

WP:CIVIL. -- HXL's Roundtable, and Record 02:43, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

Meaning what? I find your comment absurd and highly improbable, and raised a similarly absurd concern to demonstrate as much. Nothing about that violates any policy I am aware of. Beeblebrox (talk) 06:58, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

it's equally, and perhaps even more, absurd that you have not explained your criticism at all other than confronting me with "absurd". --HXL's Roundtable, and Record 15:52, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

I gave a similarly absurd example to try and demonstrate my point, but apparently you didn't get it. To put it plainly, I don't find it believable that a Ted Stevens "cult" will form on this page if he happens to be one of several subjects in an image collage, the idea is illogical and unsupported by any evidence of any kind. Surely if there was a crew of Ted Stevens worshipping Wikipedians, they would gather on the page on Stevens himself. Beeblebrox (talk) 17:42, 22 February 2011 (UTC)

Daft Mount McKinley photo caption

The photo caption for the Mount McKinley photo rather daftly says that the mountain is the tallest in Alaska and also in all of North America. Well, if it's the tallest in North America, it's obviously the tallest in Alaska too. Can somebody with editing privileges make the necessary change, cutting down the caption so that it refers only to North America? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 150.108.67.125 (talk) 20:05, 4 July 2011 (UTC)

I see the caption hasn't been changed and I hope it stays that way. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.32.7.248 (talk) 15:41, 8 November 2011 (UTC) BTW Is "daftly" really a word? It sounds daffy. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.32.7.248 (talk) 15:48, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from 65.74.72.154, 14 July 2011

Ketchikan is on an island. There is no road that leads to it. This reference to a road between Hyder and Ketchikan needs to be deleted: The road between Hyder (population 100) to southeastern Alaskan cities like Ketchikan heads through British Columbia, Yukon, and returns south into Alaska. The 100-air-mile distance between Hyder and Ketchikan is 1,078 miles (1,735 km) by road.

65.74.72.154 (talk) 22:38, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

 Done You are quite right, that didn't make any sense, and I have removed the entire paragraph. Perhaps they were confusing Ketchikan and Skagway, which is on the mainland. Beeblebrox (talk) 03:47, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

About Alyeska

"It is also known as Alyeska, the "great land", an Aleut word derived from the same root." Can someone please find a reference to this? I live in Alaska, and have never heard that our name comes from Alyeska. I was always told it was from the Aleut word alaxsxaq. I have asked around and everyone I've asked tells me Alyeska is not where Alaska's name comes from. I have also been told it is not an Aleut word at all, but I honestly don't know about that...-Aelyanariah (talk) 11:17, 17 August 2011 (UTC)

At Alyeska there is a ref "Ransom, J. Ellis. 1940. Derivation of the Word ‘Alaska’. American Anthropologist n.s., 42: pp. 550-551" I've been able to find several other things online, but they contradict one another and none seems to be a reliable source. Beeblebrox (talk) 16:32, 17 August 2011 (UTC)

Inconsistent numbers for population and area - square miles.

There are inconsistencies in the population and area numbers between the upper right grid, and the geography and demographic paragraphs, and possibly others. It appears that possibly the grid on the upper right was updated for the 2010 census, and the rest was not.69.162.193.227 (talk) 03:15, 22 August 2011 (UTC)

Update Request: Economy Section

It now states: "The 2007 gross state product was $44.9 billion, 45th in the nation. Its per capita personal income for 2007 was $40,042, ranking 15th in the nation."

The Bureau of Economic Analysis released for 2010 the following figures: $49.12 billions for Gross State Product , Per Capita Real Gross Domestic Product of $63,424 ranking 1st, and per capita personal income of $44,174 , ranking 9th in the nation.

Could somebody update?— Comment added by 186.6.184.125 (talk) 13:56, 26 August 2011 (UTC)

Price in today's money

Amount is incorrect. Price was paid in gold, not currency. Price per ounce in 1867 was $18.93. Today's price is $1747.10. That translates to $664,507,131.50.

68.39.110.172 (talk) 02:30, 23 September 2011 (UTC)Norm

Cite error

It has come to my attention that as of right now there is a "cite error" on the references section on reference #25. NHRHS2010 the student pilot ✈ 21:16, 10 January 2012 (UTC)

Western Alaska

User:Rick.Wicks (who claims on his user page to be from Alaska) inserted this into the article text:

There are no officially defined borders demarcating the various regions of Alaska, but there are six generally accepted regions:

[BEGIN TEXT IN QUESTION(Source needed. Where does Nome and the Seward Peninsula fit in? I suggest adding Western Alaska as a region.)END TEXT IN QUESTION]

Actually, there's a problem there. "Western Alaska" was used as recently as the 1970s to refer to what is otherwise called "Alaska's Westward" or "The Westward": all of Alaska west of 141°W. In other words, the modern-day "Railbelt", when compared with Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka, was once considered by those folks to be a wasteland which could never be developed enough to be deemed worthy of statehood. The term has not been exclusively limited to refer to the area along the Bering Sea.RadioKAOS (talk) 23:17, 22 February 2012 (UTC)

Edit request on 8 November 2012

Because of its population relative to other U.S. states, Alaska has only one member in the U.S. House of Representatives. This seat is currently being held by Republican Don Young, who was re-elected to his 21st consecutive term in 2012. Alaska's At-large congressional district is currently the world's second-largest legislative constituency by area, behind only the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Fortaz107 (talk) 16:13, 8 November 2012 (UTC)

 Done in the future it would be helpful to use the "change x to y " format so it is more clear what you are asking. I had to find the relevant section of the article and then stare at it for a minute to figure out how what you wrote here was different. Beeblebrox (talk) 19:02, 8 November 2012 (UTC)

re-ordering of source for extract purposes

The placement of the coordinates macro in the source of this page means it is the first text to appear in an extract (rather than the introduction text). Could you move the coordinates bit down to the bottom of the page?

i.e. this (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php?action=query&prop=extracts&titles=Alaska&format=json) has the coordinates ("<p>Coordinates: 64°N 150°W</p>\n") at the top rather than "<p><b>Alaska</b> (\[Listen]/əˈlæskə/) is a state in the United States"

RyanAdams (talk) 00:14, 12 November 2012 (UTC)

 Not done. That's an issue with the MediaWiki software, nothing we can fix in the article itself. Sorry. [[User:gwickwire|gwickwire]] &#124; [[User_talk:gwickwire|Leave a message]] (talk) 01:42, 12 November 2012 (UTC)