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Merriam-Webster online says:
I've kind of ruined this excellent discussion by renaming it to list of Canadians. Oops Martin
Add bullet points here:
After someone writes a solid biography, then move it to the famous page.
And, make the extra effort to go to the talk page and tell why, if you think someone else is wrong, remove it (with your own explanation but adhering to these guidelines).
To see the FAMOUS CANADIANS page (and all other countries too) be something that makes new, curious, visitors from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Korea, etc. etc. stop, look and listen AND come back. In simple words, an advertisement. Limiting the categories to the top three of four hockey players, baseball, etc. is a marketing concept that is designed to create interest. Endless names and lists turn people off. List 20 hockey players and which one does the visitor from Nigeria choose? List the top 3 and it does not matter.
The famous France page is pretty good and attracts a huge following. But, fill the page with fringe authors and a lot of newcomers will turn away and never come back out of pure disgust at the waste of time. Canucks don?t have France?s long history but they still have interesting knowledge to impart. American liberals like Ralph Nader and Michael Moore think Canada is the greatest place on earth but then far righties like Supreme Court nominee (failed) Robert Bork thinks Canada is the cat?s meow politically and judicially. Hopefully, after some new visitor reads about a Canadian scientist or a baseball player, or even Big Ben, who is a horse not a clock, will leave the Wikipedia site with several things:
1) New or expanded knowledge about Canada, Canadians, their values, and their beliefs; 2) A tiny seed planted towards the developing of a positive attitude towards others; 3) Simple enjoyment and a slight smile about the behaviour of Queen Juliana?s ?Canadianized? kids after they returned from Ottawa to the Netherlands; 4) A desire to return to Wikipedia; 5) A beginning of a desire to maybe do an article or even so bold as to create a List of Famous Syrians (I used Syria because the President has said he is addicted to the web.); 6) A germination that all Americans (I am dual citizenship folks) are not Yahoos, not self-centered, not anti anybody, and some are willing to admit it is time to look outward and understand others. Go Bill Maher! (The education system worldwide teaches kids almost nothing about the rest of the world. Canadians biggest complaint is not that Americans know zip about Canada, it is that Americans don?t want to know zip about Canada. But Canadians don?t want to know zip about Mexico except for the name of a resort beach in January. Note the Famous Canadians talk page snide comment of some basketball statistic on Steve Nash by an American who obviously follows the NBA. I attempted to explain Nash's reason for being a famous Canadian by using the Matt Stairs example.) 7) A growing curiosity and involvement that will, through well written ?famous? people articles, make a visitor want to look at the lengthy sub list and learn more about Canada and with trust in the NPOV of articles will want to read other pages about other nations and the links that can take then to thousands of works of knowledge.
Thank you, LDC. Common sense rises to the surface once in a while.
Zoë, you do a good job running around Wikifying my articles because my brain and dyslexic mind (that?s an excuse) can?t handle them properly. Your effort is a very valued one, that is why I didn?t go after you too hard. ?.DW
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