We're back today after a long break since the last issue. I've been dealing with some real-life issues that have taken up much of my time, and unfortunately, it seems, so have many of our other writers. So I'm issuing another call for writers, and perhaps this one is more important than ever.

At this point, it appears that we have writers for a few of the features that have been without writers, or that I've had to handle, over the last few weeks. However, we're still in need of a few writers, if possible, to cover the various stories that come up from week-to-week -- things like the upcoming ArbCom elections, the fundraiser, and other concerns. These types of stories have not been covered recently, and it's my hope that we can cover them next issue.

While I haven't been as active as I'd like to be recently, it's also unfeasible for me to be nearly the only regular writer here. I would go so far as to say that without more participation, the project will lapse into inactivity completely, and I certainly don't want that to happen.

If you're interested in contributing, please contact me on my talk page. Even if you can't write every week, maybe you'd like to write about a particular story one week -- if so, please sign up for it in the newsroom. I'd like to get back to a deadline of Monday at 17:00 UTC, and publish late-Monday night every week, if possible.

As always, thanks for reading the Signpost.

— Ral315

The October 24 episode of the American game show The Price Is Right cited Wikipedia by name in descriptions of three products offered in one of the two showcases at the end of the show. Announcer Rich Fields explained that he had "lost" his product descriptions, and asked the show's models to give a description of the products. The descriptions for the first two products, a television and a washing machine, took short passages verbatim from the respective articles. For the third product, a boat, the model did not quote Wikipedia; instead, looking confused, and in a possible play on vandalism, offered the explanation that "Well, when Jack Ocean invented the water, he needed a way to get around, so he invented this."

Video of the entire episode is available on CBS.com, though it might not be available in some or most countries outside the United States.

• The Persian Wikipedia has reached 50,000 articles.
• The Thai Wikipedia has reached 40,000 articles.
• The Simple English Wikipedia has reached 40,000 articles.
• The Mazandarani Wikipedia has reached 1,000 articles.
• The Azeri Wikipedia has reached 20,000 articles.
• The Macedonian Wikipedia has reached 20,000 articles.
• The Tagalog Wikipedia has reached 20,000 articles.
• The Serbo-Croatian Wikipedia has reached 20,000 articles.
• The Malayalam Wikipedia has reached 8,000 articles.
• The Arabic Wikipedia has reached 80,000 articles.
• The Sakha Wikipedia has reached 500 articles.
• The Georgian Wiktionary has reached 200 articles.
• The Esperanto Wikipedia has reached 10,000 registered users.
• The Fiji Hindi Wikipedia has reached 500 articles.
• The Navajo Wikipedia has reached 200 articles.

For Halloween 2008, Wikipedians from various projects designed a thematic Main Page.

Did You Know (DYK), which highlights Wikipedia's newest content, held a contest and listed Halloween-themed DYK hooks on the Main Page. The idea for a series of Halloween-themed DYKs originated with the Windsor Pumpkin Regatta article, verified for DYK on October 19. Victuallers asked DYK regulars to hold the article until October 31 and they agreed. He later suggested a contest in which the best Halloween-themed article created before October 31 would receive a spot on the main page. The suggestion was later expanded to use Halloween-themed DYK hooks throughout the day. The "Did you know Halloween contest", which waived the usual "five days to list a nomination" rule, began on October 20, 2008. It successfully generated 28 Halloween-themed articles, providing most of the new DYK articles on Halloween. The DYK articles ranged from the mythological Cerberus to the very real vampire moths, phasmophobia (the fear of ghosts), Halloween in the Castro, and NASA'S "Galactic Ghoul" cluster of stars. Some of the sample hooks were:

Did you know...

• ... that phasmophobia is a fear of ghosts?
• ... that Halloween in the Castro, San Francisco's gay village, started as a children's costume contest in 1948 and was attended by 500,000 people in 2002?
• ... that the Mother Shipton Moth is named after the likeness of the legendary witch Ursula Southeil on its wings?
• ... that the permanent collection on display at Ye Olde Curiosity Shop in Seattle, Washington includes "Sylvester" (pictured), an excellently preserved mummy?
• ... that the wife of sawmill owner Julius Nicolai Jacobsen was said to haunt their house in Fredrikstad, Norway after she died?
• ... that some types of vampire moth can bite and drink human blood?
• ... that millions of children participate in Halloween-related fundraising events for Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, a program that has raised over US$188 million worldwide?
• ... that candy pumpkins were placed on the seat of every U.S. Senator by the candy industry in 1985 in hopes of extending U.S. daylight saving time to cover Halloween?
• ... that in classical mythology, Cerberus (pictured) is a monstrous dog with multiple heads that guards the gates to the underworld?
• ... that The Witchery of Archery, written by Maurice Thompson in 1878, was the first book about hunting with a bow ever published?
• ... that David J. Skal and Elias Savada wrote the first book-length biography of Tod Browning, who directed the films Dracula and Freaks?
• ... that the Norwegian film Cold Prey 2 was the sequel to what was called "the best slasher flick" of 2006?

The Picture of the Day, which highlights featured pictures, extended the spooky theme, featuring an illustration of two skulls that shows the location of Wormian bones. Wormian bones are abnormal extra bone plates in the cranium. The image was uploaded by LadyofHats and featured in March 2008.

The Featured article of the day was Treehouse of Horror, describing a series of Halloween-themed special episodes of the long-running animated television series The Simpsons that are broadcast annually near Halloween. To date, 19 episodes have been created; they are usually based on a horror, science fiction, or supernatural premise and often parody well-known films or books from these genres. "Treehouse of Horror XIX" premiered on November 2, 2008. Treehouse of Horror became featured in January 2008 after its second nomination at featured article candidates. Its main author was Scorpion0422, who is a Featured list director and author of much Simpsons-related featured content. While on the Main Page, the article drew in over 103,000 views.^[1]

A mock-up of the Halloween mainpage can be seen here, adjusted to include all of the DYKs that appeared throughout the day. DYK is planning a themed "Did you know" column for Christmas, with efforts towards that to begin on December 1, 2008.

Five users have been granted admin status via the Requests for Adminship process since the last issue: Protonk (nom), Magioladitis (nom), Ynhockey (nom), Berig (nom), and Addshore (nom).

Seven bots or bot tasks have been approved to begin operating since the last issue: Luuvabot (task request), DustyBot (task request), John Bot II (task request), AnomieBOT (task request), AudeBot (task request), ARSBot (task request), and Legobot (task request).

Twenty-seven articles have been promoted to featured status since the last issue: Joking Apart (nom), Iridium (nom), Stephen Crane (nom), Tropical Storm Hanna (2002) (nom), The Other Woman (nom), Emmeline Pankhurst (nom), Robert of Jumièges (nom), Homer Simpson (nom), Harvey Milk (nom), Pilot (House) (nom), Ring-tailed Lemur (nom), Albert Speer (nom), Paranoid Android (nom), Rhinemaidens (nom), History of a Six Weeks' Tour (nom), No Way Out (2004) (nom), Bob Windle (nom), LaRouche criminal trials (nom), Haumea (dwarf planet) (nom), Half-Life 2: Episode One (nom), Anglo-Zanzibar War (nom), Operation Epsom (nom), Amazing Stories (nom), New York State Route 28N (nom), Netley Abbey (nom), No Depression (album) (nom), and Red River Trails (nom).

Fifty-five lists have been promoted to featured status since the last issue: List of Washington Nationals Opening Day starting pitchers (nom), List of American Idol finalists (nom), Tampa Bay Rays seasons (nom), Avatar: The Last Airbender (season 1) (nom), List of WarCry band members (nom), List of awards and nominations received by The Strokes (nom), List of universities in Nova Scotia (nom), List of Soul Eater chapters (nom), List of universities in Quebec (nom), List of universities in Canada (nom), The White Stripes discography (nom), Timeline of the 2007 Pacific hurricane season (nom), List of Honorary Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford (nom), List of Vancouver SkyTrain stations (nom), List of awards and nominations received by Nirvana (nom), List of D.Gray-man episodes (nom), List of Connecticut tornadoes (nom), List of D.Gray-man chapters (nom), List of awards and nominations received by Dave Matthews Band (nom), List of number-one Billboard Top Latin Albums of 2003 (nom), List of Second Afghan War Victoria Cross recipients (nom), List of awards and nominations received by Guns N' Roses (nom), List of awards and nominations received by Beck (nom), List of awards and nominations received by Katy Perry (nom), List of Bleach episodes (season 4) (nom), 2002 NFL Expansion Draft (nom), List of Bleach episodes (season 7) (nom), List of Knight's Cross recipients of the U-boat service (nom), List of Nashville Sounds managers (nom), Supergrass discography (nom), List of awards and nominations received by The Notorious B.I.G. (nom), List of awards and nominations received by Akon (nom), List of awards and nominations received by Barenaked Ladies (nom), List of awards and nominations received by Coolio (nom), List of awards and nominations received by Gorillaz (nom), List of awards and nominations received by Gwen Stefani (nom), List of awards and nominations received by Matchbox Twenty (nom), List of awards and nominations received by David Bowie (nom), List of Milwaukee Brewers Opening Day starting pitchers (nom), List of Nobel Laureates in Chemistry (nom), List of female Nobel Laureates (nom), List of Carnivàle awards and nominations (nom), List of Nobel Laureates affiliated with Princeton University (nom), List of Nobel Laureates affiliated with Washington University in St. Louis (nom), List of Nobel Laureates affiliated with the City University of New York (nom), List of Oklahoma City Thunder head coaches (nom), United States Academic Decathlon National Championships (nom), List of ISS spacewalks (nom), List of mergers and acquisitions by Adobe Systems (nom), Extreme points of Bulgaria (nom), Cy Young Award (nom), List of Nobel Laureates affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania (nom), Timeline of the 2005 Pacific hurricane season (nom), List of Nobel Laureates in Economics (nom), and List of people with hepatitis C (nom).

One topic has been promoted to featured status since the last issue: Lists of UEFA club competition winning clubs (nom)

No portals have been promoted to featured status since the last issue.

The following featured articles were displayed on the Main Page over the last three weeks as Today's featured article: Pat Nixon, Subarachnoid hemorrhage, USS New Jersey (BB-62), History of Stoke City F.C., IK Pegasi, James Robert Baker, Odwalla, History of Baltimore City College, Natalee Holloway, 1995 Pacific Grand Prix, Panic of 1907, Giant Otter, Creatures of Impulse, Meteorological history of Hurricane Wilma, National emblem of Belarus, NeXT, Tang Dynasty, Mary Shelley, Treehouse of Horror (series), Metallica, and Attack on Sydney Harbour.

Seven articles have been delisted since the last issue: Kargil War (nom), Muhammad Ali Jinnah (nom), Modernist poetry in English (nom), David Helvarg (nom), United States Constitution (nom), History of Test cricket from 1877 to 1883 (nom), and Virtuti Militari (nom).

Seven lists have been delisted since the last issue: List of Presidents of the Philippines (nom), List of popes (nom), List of Presidents of the United States (nom), List of space shuttle missions (nom), AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (nom), Narnian timeline (nom), and Nuclear power by country (nom).

No topics have been delisted since the last issue.

The following featured pictures were displayed over the last three weeks on the Main Page as picture of the day: Mandarinfish, 2008 Australian Grand Prix, Sukhoi Su-27, Crypsis, Mechanical advantage, Lichens, Royal Spoonbill, Elizabeth I of England, Parabolic antenna, Ecdysis, Maris Pacifici, Iceberg, Rose chafer, Chichen Itza, United States Colored Troops, Caterpillar (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Land sailing, Eta Carinae, Wormian bones, Four-spotted Chaser, and Antelope Island State Park.

Seven sounds have been featured since the last issue:

One featured pictures has been demoted since the last issue: Dandelion clock.

Twenty-nine pictures have been promoted to featured status since the last issue and are shown below.

• 
  San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm
• 
  Saddam Hussein
• 
  Cercophonius squama
• 
  Havana
• 
  Brown Tree Frog
• 
  Double-headed eagle
• 
  City of London
• 
  Bridgewater Bridge
• 
  Arborist
• 
  Seven Rila Lakes
• 
  Pedro Reinel
• 
  Aqueduct of Segovia
• 
  Australian Pelican
• 
  Embden Goose
• 
  Monarch (butterfly)
• 
  George Wallace, University of Alabama
• 
  Leucospermum
• 
  X PRIZE Cup
• 
  Skyscraper design and construction
• 2008 South Ossetia war
  2008 South Ossetia war
• 
  Rhea (moon)
• 
  "Au Clair de la Lune"
• 
  Cymbidium
• 
  Waldseemüller map
• 
  Anthurium
• 
  Othello
• 
  Dar es Salaam
• 
  New York City
• 
  Constantinople

This is a summary of recent technology and site configuration changes that affect the English Wikipedia. Note that not all changes described here are necessarily live as of press time; the English Wikipedia is currently running version 1.44.0-wmf.8 (f08e6b3), and changes to the software with a version number higher than that will not yet be active. Configuration changes and changes to interface messages, however, become active immediately.

• The apfrom parameter now works on all API queries sorted in descending order which take that parameter. (This was previously fixed for allpages, but not allcategories or allimages.) (r42142, bug 15985)
• The "email this user" link no longer displays for users who can't be emailed (due to not having a valid address, or opting out). (r42179, bug 1306)
• API queries for category members now work if there is a literal pipe character in the sort key for the last entry of a page. (r42197, bug 16017)
• The continue parameter on API queries for the contributions of more than one user now works. (r42198, bug 16018)
• Literal tabs in <pre> and <source> now work correctly. (r42257, bug 15959)
• Some special pages, such as Special:DoubleRedirects, are again updating regularly (once every 3 days, at the moment). (bug 15848http://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=15848)

• Large additions to pages now have a bold bytes-added amount in recent changes, the same way that large deletions have a bold bytes-removed amount. (r42110, bug 15925)
• API queries for category members can now specify start and end by category sort key, rather than timestamp. (r42169, bug 15995)
• [1] now has an RSS feed (r42220, bug 6955); so does Special:Contributions for an individual user (r42220, bug 12171).
• When someone tries to create a username that's confusingly similar to one that already exists, all the pre-existing names are now reported. (r42240, bug 12232)

• Internationalisation has been continuing as normal; help is always appreciated! See mw:Localisation statistics for how complete the translations of languages you know are, and post any updates to bugzilla or use Betawiki.

The Arbitration Committee closed three cases since the last issue, and opened one, leaving two cases currently open.

• Sarah Palin protection wheel war: Closed on October 20, a case involving allegations of wheel-warring on the Sarah Palin article, over a dispute as to the merits of page protection being applied in respect of it. As a result of the case, Jossi and MZMcBride were admonished for their use of administrative tools in the dispute and all parties in the case were instructed to carefully review the findings of the case, and the community was urged to continue discussions regarding the improvement of the biographies of living persons policy.

• Abtract-Collectonian: A case between Abtract and Collectonian, involving an editing dispute between the two. As a result of the case, Abtract was restricted from interacting with, harassing, or wikistalking Collectonian, or making uncivil comments about any other user. Collectonian, meanwhile, was urged to "continue to avoid any unnecessary interaction with Abtract".

• SlimVirgin-Lar: A case brought by Thatcher, asking the committee to review the use of checkuser by Lar, in the light of comments by SlimVirgin (here, inter alia), alleging that he misused the tool. The case found that Lar's checks "fell within the acceptable range of CheckUser discretion". Remedies enacted reminded users to bring similar issues to appropriate dispute resolution processes rather than "public invective", and reminded CheckUser operators to abide strictly to the Wikimedia Foundation's privacy policy.

• Kuban Kazak-Hillock65: A case involving a dispute between Hillock65 and Kuban kazak.

• Piotrus 2: A second case involving alleged edit warring and other misconduct by Piotrus and other editors. Piotrus denies the allegations against him, and has suggested that the case may be a deliberate attempt to drive him from the site. The case, which has been open for over two months, involves a large number of users not named as official "parties" to the case, but cited in workshop proposals made by arbitrator Kirill Lokshin.