Wikipedia

Natalie.Desautels

Joined 7 February 2015

My goal is to help the Wikipedia movement by contributing, correcting, expanding and translating articles in classical music and jazz. I have a special interest in classical guitar, flamenco guitar and atonal music. I am a proud polyglot, a simultaneous tri-lingual, a code switcher and enjoy several mother tongues; I can translate fluently to and from English, French and Spanish. (My ancestry is such that my father was French, Spanish and German, and my mother English, Scottish and Russian going back one generation). Thanks to my upbringing, I am also a receptive multilingual, able to understand other languages as well. As such I take pleasure in enacting different kinds of selves, and linguistic contexts create different kinds of self-expression and experiences for me. My diplomas are in engineering, languages, music and computer science and I've had the pleasure of doing lots of translation work even though I am fortunate to be independent. Wikipedia is a magnificent endeavor indeed and I am strongly motivated to give some of my time to contribute and help out in many ways including the use of my language skills.

Your compliments are welcome; I interpret them to mean that I've helped improve Wikipedia in some small way. It never has nor ever will be in my nature to get involved in conflict (see userbox below), so I only respond to constructive criticism. In context, constructive means whatever makes Wikipedia better, which at times also means resetting one's ego and sense of self-importance. Alas, Wikipedia is no different than life, which is rife with conflict whether at home or on the battlefield. I believe that the greatest victory is often not going to battle; one should at least try to achieve a higher understanding, to bring people into the conflict resolution process (perhaps without them even being aware of it).

The Buddha said "When I go, I'm gone!" He meant life is so short, and every day is a gift. Indeed, life is how we spend time. Why waste it on making oneself or others unhappy? If you think you have problems, chances are the person you meet has more problems than you do. I treasure civility and the laws of cause and effect; I often ponder upon this ancient wisdom:

As within, so without; as above, so below.

— Hermes Trismegistus

It is not necessary to look outside for better seeing, nor peer from a window; rather abide at the center of your being. For the move you leave it, the less you learn. Search your heart and see. If he is wise who takes each turn, the way to do is to be.

— Lao-Tzu

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.

— Lao-Tzu

Time in its irresistible and ceaseless flow carries along on its flood all created things and drowns them in the depths of obscurity.... But the tale of history forms a very strong bulwark against the stream of time, and checks in some measure its irresistible flow, so that, of all things done in it, as many as history has taken over it secures and binds together, and does not allow them to slip away into the abyss of oblivion

— Anna Komnene, preface to the Alexiad

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This user loves cats and prefers to spend some time with them when she sees an argument approaching.
This user believes in civility and assuming good faith.
This editor is a Grognard Extraordinaire and is entitled to display this Wikipedia Vest Pocket Edition.
This user helped promote Planned Parenthood to good article status.
This user helped promote Michael Laucke to good article status.
This user has made over
6,010 edits to Wikipedia.
This user has been on Wikipedia for 9 years, 10 months and 4 days.
This editor won the Million Award for bringing Planned Parenthood to Good Article status.
French
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English		This user is a translator and proofreader from French to English on Wikipedia:Translation.
German
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English		This user is a translator and proofreader from German to English on Wikipedia:Translation.
Spanish
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English		This user is a translator and proofreader from Spanish to English on Wikipedia:Translation.


 

The Humor Corner

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I think Bisexuality is great; it virtually doubles your chances for a date on Saturday night.

— Woody Allen

I'm not afraid of dying; I just don't want to be there when it happens..

— Woody Allen

I don't want to belong to any club that will accept people like me as a member.

— Groucho Marx

Jackie Mason (video) ~ the Psychiatrist...so if I don't know the real me, what, I need a partner?

— Jackie Mason

Userboxes

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Userboxes

 

Barnstars

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Barnstars


  The Teamwork Barnstar
Thank you for your spot-on efforts to improve the Planned Parenthood article directly resulting in its promotion to Good Article status. {{u|Checkingfax}} {Talk} 04:39, 12 March 2016 (UTC)

Here is a userbox to paste onto your user page if you wish: {{User Good Article|Planned Parenthood}}

Congratulations, Natalie! This is richly deserved, very well done!  
With kind regards;
Patrick. ツ Pdebee.(talk)(guestbook) 09:03, 12 March 2016 (UTC)
@Checkingfax and Pdebee: What a pleasant surprise!   Thank you kindly. best regards ...je vous remercie infiniment. Sincères salutations, Natalie --Natalie.Desautels (talk) 10:02, 12 March 2016 (UTC)
  Der Fleißorden
Regarding your work on the Laucke-PBS photograph: Well done, well done indeed. Hedwig in Washington (TALK) 03:17, 19 October 2015 (UTC)
Das ist großartig. Es ist mit großem Stolz, dass ich nehme diese Auszeichnung für außergewöhnliche Kontrolle, Präzision und Zivildienst. (That's great. It is with great pride that I accept this honor for extraordinary scrutiny, precision and community service.)
  The Michael Laucke article, IMHO is looking very solid and you should be proud of all your hard work. Check out the Talk page at the very top. Cheers! {{u|Checkingfax}} {Talk} 08:32, 15 November 2015 (UTC)
@Checkingfax: That's very kind of you  . On top of it, I do like falafel! Merci! --Natalie.Desautels (talk) 09:12, 15 November 2015 (UTC)
  The Random Acts of Kindness Barnstar
Too little an appreciation for your large heart and impeccable politeness! It beats me how you have not got a dozen of these yet. You are one of the kindest and cheerful I have met here! Sainsf <^>Feel at home 13:09, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
Dear User:Sainsf, My goodness, what a pleasant surprise!   ...and just in time to delight in along with my morning expresso and of course breakfast croissant, as we French are wont to do. Top of the morning to you, my cyber friend and colleague   Natalie Natalie.Desautels (talk) 13:52, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
  The Cheerfulness Award
Echoing Sainsf, Natalie, you are a breath of cheerfulness on WP. With your sweet, kind, polite, appreciative nature, and your delightful sense of humor, you make Wikipedia a better place in which to volunteer.  – Corinne (talk) 14:19, 7 April 2016 (UTC)

Wow. ...All I can say is a B.I.G.  ...  ... .

Seriousness aside (as Groucho Marx used to say), this is very heartwarming ...and meaningful to me. Thank you. --Natalie.Desautels (talk) 14:43, 7 April 2016 (UTC)

Million Award for Planned Parenthood

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  The Million Award
For your contributions to bring Planned Parenthood
(estimated annual readership: 1,793,486) to Good Article status, I hereby present you the Million Award. Congratulations on this rare accomplishment, and thanks for all you do for Wikipedia's readers! {{u|Checkingfax}} {Talk} 04:41, 21 April 2016 (UTC)

The Excellent New Editor's Barnstar for you!

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  The Excellent New Editor's Barnstar

A new editor on the right path
Dear Natalie,  
I am over the Moon for you, now that your very first brand new article has successfully reached the hallowed heights of GA status! This is a considerable achievement and you should feel very proud of your success with it, as much as we—your Wiki-friends—feel so very proud of you!  
Throughout this effort, and with wonderful assistance from our friends @Checkingfax: and @Corinne:, you have shown great skill and determination in learning many aspects of developing an article for our encyclopedia, thus becoming very rapidly acquainted with the myriad of editorial guidelines and facilities that constitute this special Wiki-universe we inhabit, as its editors. For all this, very well done for your focus in becoming familiar, so quickly and expertly, with this new environment.
In addition, and on a more personal level, you have impressed me (and several other editors, evidently) with your diligence, politeness, kindness, good humour and wit. In fact, so much so that I consider you simply as a lovely, trusted friend and I would feel honoured to work with you again, any time, and on any future project.
For all these reasons, dear Natalie, I send you my warmest congratulations on this important milestone in your life as a Wikipedian editor!
Long may you continue to excel here!!
With much love and kindest regards;  
Patrick. ツ Pdebee.(talk)(guestbook) 16:06, 9 April 2016 (UTC)
P.S. Of course, I will continue to expect great things from your future contributions!  
That's so kind, really  . I sent you a Teamwork barnstar in appreciation for your fantastic contributions, particularly on that special page you especially created to help us. Future contributions ...hm, I guess that might be the Quebec French article we were working on. I would love that!   kindest regards, --Natalie.Desautels (talk) 21:56, 9 April 2016 (UTC)

Some falafel for you!

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  I think I read somewhere above that you love falafel... I felt sure you would have missed it a lot when you were devoting all your time to this superb article!   Take this as a treat from my side! Sainsf <^>Feel at home 02:45, 10 April 2016 (UTC)
@Checkingfax and Corinne: User:Sainsf, Many thanks. It would be appropriate, in this gastronomic instance, to say Yum, which would be Miam in French. I always found the onomatopoeic differences in languages interesting; there is often an very different equivalent. Does that mean that sounds strike our ears differently according to the language we speak? A cat says Meow in English, but Miaou in French; a cow says Moo, but Meuh in French—not close really. Interesting food for thought... --Natalie.Desautels (talk) 02:59, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

DYK for Michael Laucke

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On 7 May 2016, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article Michael Laucke, which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that Michael Laucke's snooker winnings allowed him to finance 110 trips from Montreal to New York City to study the classical guitar with Franco-Spaniard Rolando Valdès–Blain? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Michael Laucke. You are welcome to check how many page hits the article got while on the front page (here's how, Michael Laucke), and it may be added to the statistics page if the total is over 5,000. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 00:52, 7 May 2016 (UTC)

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