Talk:Amsterdam/Archive 1

message: Patrick, you consider Madame Tussaud's on the same par as the Rijsmuseum??? Like maybe we should also include Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood and other commercial junk culture... and for that matter Casa Rosa... Perhaps you'd like to list all the Burger King's as well...
PS: I am sorry to have marked the last changes minor; you are quite right.  -- Viajero 16:22 24 Jul 2003 (UTC)
:It is one of the tourist attractions of Amsterdam. You seem to be interested in Amsterdam, then please concentrate on additions and corrections, instead of from time to time arbitrarily deleting things you are less interested in! --Patrick 16:40 24 Jul 2003 (UTC)
::Readers who visit this page seeking information on Amsterdam as a city, rather than a tourism destination, can't fail to note the emphasis on the latter in the language here. Wikipedia is an encyclopaedia, and signficance of content is an editing focus. Please note my comment of today's date, below. -- Thanks, Deborahjay 11:29, 21 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Tourist Attractions 

message: I deleted
'The three Xs -St Andrew's crosses- represent the three virtues of the city: Valor, Resolution, and Mercy. '
I assume whoever wrote this is referring to the motto carried in the Amsterdam coat of arms. (Helhaftig, Barmhartig, Vastberaden) This motto was granted to Amsterdam by Queen Wilhelmina in 1947 in recognition of Amsterdam resistance efforts during WWII. Since the flag dates back far earlier, it is very unlikely that the crosses would refer to this motto.  -- viezeric 13:01 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)
I've read, but can't remember where, that the three crosses represent the three things that have been the greatest threats to Amsterdam throughout the ages: Fire, Water and The Plague.
::Helhaftig will probably be heldhaftig. This sure is a freudian mistyping, especially relating WWII. (Helhaftig = like hell; heldhaftig = hero-like). -DePiep 14:19, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Motto's Historical Anachronism 

message: An automated Wikipedia link suggester has some possible wiki link suggestions for the Amsterdam article, and they have been placed on this page for your convenience.Tip: Some people find it helpful if these suggestions are shown on this talk page, rather than on another page. To do this, just add  to this page. — --LinkBot 10:28, 17 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  [[User:LinkBot/suggestions/Amsterdam|Link suggestions]] 

message: A note on what languages are spoken and their popularities might be useful. -- Maru Dubshinki  01:36 PM Friday, 01 April 2005
:The number of nationalities is mentioned. That should cover the number of languages. This page already has to much detailed information and I don't think adding will make this page more readable. What it needs is a good edit :) --Chardon
:: I was really thinking more along the lines of 'If you ask a random person in Amsterdam, what is the likelihood they speak X?" where X is the would-be tourists language. -- Maru Dubshinki 08:52 AM Saturday, 02 April 2005
:::Well that is another problem with this page. It is to much a tourist guide and not enough an encyclopedia article. --Chardon
::::I agree with Chardon; this article needs a thorough cleanup. One option would be to simply delete the tourist info and/or trivia as it belongs elsewhere on the Web (my choice). Another would be to move it to Amsterdam tourist information. Thoughts? -- Viajero 16:22, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Languages 

message: I think the three-crossed-bar should be upright (now it's horizontally, see the first picture). Or is there a official coat of arms, showing so? More official then what is shown halfway this article? I propose to put it upright, bar vertical. -DePiep 14:22, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: The flag, as depicted in the article, is correct. See, for example Flags of the World. The coat of arms has a vertical bar, the flag has a horizontal bar. Eugene van der Pijll 16:40, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Flag orientation 

message: All the photos in my Flickr account are Creative Commons-licensed so feel free to use them on Wikipedia. I'm too lazy to add the photos myself, so I'm leaving it up to you guys. http://flickr.com/photos/kentwang/tags/amsterdam/
Kent Wang 12:42, 8 August 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Donating my Flickr photos 

message: I wouldn't say football players but soccer players, since football is usually referred to american football.
kind regards
kaschni
:In the US, yes. But the world is bigger and in the Netherlands they're called football players. If not specified, football usually means association football. DirkvdM 07:43, 9 August 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: famous citiziens

message: How about a section on the geography of the city? - BIG BROTHER
:good idea Chardon 08:43, 30 August 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Or the geology? The soil and water have had a very strong impact on the development of the city (swamp > canals > ships > international trade > wealth). DirkvdM 07:12, 22 September 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Geography 

message: For one of the world's most well-known cities, this article could be brought to a higher standard. If I have time I'll come back to edit. Where's the Amsterdam pride? :) Seriously, there's no reason this should'd be feature article quality! --Dpr 07:47, 27 September 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: A comment

message: To quote "wikipedia is not a travel guide so link to weather is unnecessary". I disagree. I know it's not a travel guide but it is just convenient to have it linked. Besides, I compared other featured articles about places like Chennai and Seattle and they all seem to have a link too. The google maps removal I agree of course. I didn't realised the coördinates was also a link. Garion96 (talk) 00:43, 7 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I have just looked fhrough the list of featured articles on cities, and my impression is that most of them do not have weather links. In fact, of the two that you point out, Seattle did not contain a weather link at the time that it gained featured status. Anyway, regardless of whether other articles include such links or not, I would argue that such a link is outside of the types of external links suggested at WP:EL.  JeremyA 06:18, 7 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks for the mistake. Without it I might never have noticed the coordinates-link. :) DirkvdM 07:22, 7 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  I still don't agree, but I also don't think it's THAT important. What about a link which gives a little bit history overview of the weather in Amsterdam, instead of just the current weather. That would make even more sense. IMO of course. :) Garion96 (talk) 12:15, 7 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Sounds good to me, if you can find such an overview. DirkvdM 06:54, 8 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Weather external link 

message: Vincent van Gogh was not from Amsterdam and, according to their respective articles, neither are the Van Halen brothers - who I'm surprised to hear are Dutch.Rooseboom 09:19, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Perhaps we should establish some criteria to who gets on the list. I propose famous Amsterdammers must be: 
*dead
*born in Amsterdam and/or lived most of their lives in Amsterdam 
*known by an international audience Chardon 18:36, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

text: I agree. Johan Cruijff should for instance be there. It might be handy to have a maximum on it. Or just remove it, it seems too easy for people to add their favorites on it. Like Elisabeth Esselink. Garion96 (talk) 15:25, 4 March 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: The dead criterium was to keep footballers and pop singers from the list. Johand Cruyff should be on the list though. Perhaps a combination of criteria and a maximum number (let's say 10) is better? Chardon 09:16, 5 March 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Is it likely that Amsterdam has only 10 famous people (or Wikiable people)? Surely just let the list grow and spin it off to a separate article when it gets large enough? JackyR 14:34, 5 March 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I don't think we necessarily need to define specific criteria. If anyone feels that someone doesn't deserve to be on the list, the best thing to do is to list it on the talk page and we can get consensensus about it here. jacoplane 17:03, 5 March 2006 (UTC)

text: The decision to add or delete someone to the list of famous amsterdammers is always based on criteria. Better to have clear guidelines for adding or deleting a name or we will have the same discussion over and over again. There are more then 10 famous amsterdammers but should there be more then 10 on this page? I agree with you that if the list gets to big it wuld be better to create a seperate page for the subject. How many is to many is open for discussion. I picked 10 because it's a nice number, not for any particular reason.  Chardon 19:40, 6 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Famous citizens 

message: I've added a lk to the Conrad description of Amsterdam. I dare say people will move the ref around! Unfortunately, one place it really can't go is in one of those nice Wikiquote ref boxes, because there's no WQ page on Amsterdam, and current WQ style is to try to keep themes on author pages. So instead you may want a subhead in this article like "Literary references" or "Amsterdam in books and films". JackyR 22:42, 28 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Conrad quote 

message: I have just made this to show the popluation increase visually, what do people think?
Joss 08:20, 18 June 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Nice graph but was does it add to what we already have? Chardon 09:02, 18 June 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I just did it to see the increses cause i couldn't see if it was a slow constant increase and a increse that has definate increses and sudden stops like it does. Without i feel it is very hard to see the not uniform increse. What do others think? Joss 10:39, 18 June 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: IMHO the text and table are clear enough; moreover, the graph will take up a lot of space. Piet 13:29, 21 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Population

message: The history section ends with the second world war, something must have happened since? Piet 13:30, 21 June 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: There is the History of Amsterdam page, but you're right: It would be better to have a paragraph here. Feel free to contribute. Chardon 06:10, 22 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Post WWII History 

message: Perhaps this external link might be considered for inclusion: http://www.nieuwsuitamsterdam.nl/english.htm. A regularly updated site dealing with political, social and cultural issues related to Amsterdam.--Dirkk 08:24, 16 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  News from Amsterdam 

message: It doesn't make sense to me, using a painting by one of Wikipedia's users to depict the Amstel by night. If anyone can convince me otherwise, great, but I am planning to remove the picture from the Amsterdam page. Wikipedia ain't no art gallery. So, does it make sense to have a picture of the Amstel river by night?
- Claire
:Other then that it's a nice painting and that it has been on the Amsterdam page as long as I remember there is no reason why this picture should be shown and not something else. If it goes or stays, is fine with me. Chardon 16:55, 27 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Painting of the Amstel river 

message: Photo-caption: Leaning buildings are common in Amsterdam due to settling of the soft ground and fill underneath.
Rather stange the buildings would always lean forward. The reason i know is that while most 'grachtenpand' (canal-buiding) were storage-houses for trade, they all had a 'hijsbalk' (crane) on top. To operate the crane it would be very difficult if the building were reclining or straight. So they build them leaning forward. regards Aleichem 10:50, 13 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  leaning buildings 

message: I note that someone (I didn't catch the name) removed an entry from the list of famous Amsterdammers.  I wish to point out what it is that is being done with this list, and all the others I am working on.
What I am doing is basically adding the name of every person, whether or not they already have a page, from a biographical dictionary I have before me to the list of residents of his area of birth.  By definition, every person from this book qualifies as importance enough for their own article.  In this case, however, that article has yet to be created.  That, however, does not mean that they are not "important" enough to have their own article, simply that it has not yet been created.  I will also be adding the names of every other resident from this book and its successor volumes, whether they have an article already or not, to the lists here and elsewhere.  If, as I think likely, it means that some of these lists will probably become so long that they require their own page, it's probably better having it as a separate page including a section of minimal stub data on those who do not yet have their own pages than having a huge number of separate stubs with only a sentence or two of content.  Also, by having them on the resident page or section, it makes anyone who sees the entry, most of whom will probably be interested in the town to some degree and have access to info about the town and its people, see that a page does not yet exist for this person and possibily stimulate them to create a separate page, probably with more data than I have available to me from my source.  Also, I call to mind that, in accord with wikipedia guidelines, those entries actually had specific individual references.
Clearly, the individuals who have been removed do qualify as important enough for their own articles; they just haven't gotten them yet.  And, if the only real data available on them is the minimal data I presented, we might be better off if that data were included in a short list, rather than having an ever expanding proliferation of mini-stubs.  I sincerely hope that the person who saw fit to remove the individuals from the list reconsiders that action.  If s/he does, I believe that they will reach the same conclusion I did, that they do qualify at least for reference in the list.  I shall continue to add details and reference for the names on this list for a while; however, I may reconsider that in the near future at any time if this kind of summary judgement continues.  I sincerely await a response.  Badbilltucker 16:16, 26 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: So basically we would end up with a list of notable people born in Amsterdam? Wouldn't a category be better for that? Personally I don't find it necessary to have such a list. Even in this article I don't find it really necessary, but at least the list is small and is (should) only be for really notable people born in Amsterdam. Rembrand for instance. Not for every person born in Amsterdam who has (or should have) a wikipedia article. Garion96 (talk) 19:37, 26 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I'd prefer Rembrandt not to be in a list of notable people born in Amsterdam, if you don't mind... Eugène van der Pijll 21:20, 26 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  Hmm....oops? :) Garion96 (talk) 21:37, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

text: Just saw there already is a category for this. :Category:People from Amsterdam. Garion96 (talk) 19:43, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

text: I created the People from A'dam cat, and I agree with Garion96 that this list be removed because the category is a good replacement. C mon 20:25, 26 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I agree. The people added by Badbilltucker are not famous so should not be on the Amsterdam page in the ´Famous Amsterdammers´ section. That is not to say that they shouldn´t me mentioned in Wikipedia, just that the Amsterdam page is not the appropriate place. Chardon 07:29, 28 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Notability of Residents 

message: On December 16, 2004, The World Factbook, a publication of the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)  added an entry for the European Union.  According to the CIA, the European Union was added because the EU "continues to accrue more nation-like characteristics for itself". Their reasoning was explained in this small statement in the introduction:
The evolution of the European Union (EU) from a regional economic agreement among six neighboring states in 1951 to today's supranational organization of 25 countries across the European continent stands as an unprecedented phenomenon in the annals of history...
... for such a large number of nation-states to cede some of their sovereignty to an overarching entity is truly unique...
... the EU ... has many of the attributes associated with independent nations: its own flag, anthem, founding date, and currency, as well as an incipient common foreign and security policy in its dealings with other nations. In the future, many of these nation-like characteristics are likely to be expanded. Thus, inclusion of basic intelligence on the EU has been deemed appropriate as a new, separate entity in The World Factbook. However, because of the EU's special status, this description is placed after the regular country entries.
I might add that EU citizens have EU- numberplates, -passports, drivinglicense, the EU institutions, and regular election. I hope you support the small extension I made... all the best Lear 21 18:31, 24 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Strong oppose here as the other places where this has been suggested, see also: Template talk:Infobox City Poland and the templates for Greece and Portugal. Valentinian (talk) / (contribs) 21:27, 25 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Complement EU 

message: I'm seeking information on the Rijksakademie for an article I'm editing on the WWII-era artist Jan Budding. Instead of headings for Amsterdam's Culture and perhaps Education, I find the above. 
Content aside, I suggest this page would benefit from further editing to rectify its headings, to enhance its character as an encyclopaedia article rather than a promotional for tourism. I note there's already a separate page for Amsterdam Tourist Attractions, prominently linked here. --  Deborahjay 11:24, 21 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  '''Tourist attractions/nightlife''' ''sí,'' '''Rijksakademie''' ''no?'' 

message: There's a page for the Rijksakademie [sic] in Amsterdam, that requires further editing -- including a translation of its full name into English. I've done some preliminary work on it; would appreciate assistance there, as well as a mention included on (and linked from) the Amsterdam page under some suitable future heading, e.g. Culture or The Arts?. Thanks! -- Deborahjay 11:48, 21 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten  

message: I think something should be added about the famousness of this country because it is the only country in the world that begins with the letter A.
It isn't a country, it's a city.  213.84.44.254 23:45, 24 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  A 

message: Substituted at 20:10, 2 May 2016 (UTC)
thread_title: Assessment comment