NW_history_buff
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Posts posted by NW_history_buff
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Sorry for bringing up an old thread, but I just need a little clarification. I've read through this forum and it seems to me that the term "Unusual Deaths" does not really mean that the person died due to an unusual cause, but rather their grave marker is unusual because it lists the cause of death. Is that it?
Reason that I ask is that I've seen gobs of waymarks go through review with very mundane causes of death, but they were approved. The only thing in common on most of those was that the cause of death was listed.
I appreciate the idea of eliminating one particular class of death causes -- disease. But it seems that there are many other classes of pathology that would be just as mundane as disease, yet they are not excluded.
I've read the category description over and over and it seems that it is very open. That's not bad; but it is confusing when one takes the words "Unusual Deaths" from the title into account. I'd just like a bit more clarification, beyond the category description, as to what is that we are Waymarking in this category.
My thinking is too restricted because of the term "Unusual Deaths" and I need to have my thinking adjusted for the real expectations here. Thanks!
MountainWoods brings up a good point. The original intention of the Graves of Unusual Deaths category was to highlight those graves which had a cause of death mentioned on their grave marker --- AND for that cause of death to be something unusual.
As I look at the past six months of approvals in the category, I feel the Waymark approvals are still very unusual in their 'cause of death' mentioned. There have been some good (although sad) submissions:
Hunting accident
Killed by a baseball
Drowning
Lost at sea
Murdered
Gun accident
Fall from a train
Hanging
The one type of approval that DOES stand out apart from the rest are deaths from war (killed in action). Part of me feels these type of deaths mentioned on a headstone should be included but another part of me feels these types of deaths are more common around the world than I envisioned and therefore fall outside of the category's scope of an 'unusual death.' I will e-mail the other officers and get their thoughts about this last point I've made and report back. This forum is also a good place for others to give their own viewpoints.
Thoughts?
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As we approach the end of 2015, there have been some good things to happen to the Waymarking community as well as some bad. I'll start with the good things:
Some GOOD things that happened in 2015:
- Waymarking celebrated 10 YEARS of existence!
- EIGHT new categories were created
- A number of categories with non-active officers were replaced with active officers
- Although small, the Waymarking community continues to slowly expand its presence around the world with new and interesting locations for visitors to see and appreciate.
Some BAD things that happened in 2015:
- Google Maps was replaced by MapQuest. Although this change had to do with financial issues, this adversely affected the Waymarking website and created challenges in approving/submitting Waymarks (Google Maps made things much easier with Satellite view). We can only hope that Groundspeak can work something out with Google Maps since MapQuest is one of the worst online maps I've ever dealt with.
- Waymarking.com domain went down repeatedly for a couple of months causing lots of frustration for users within the community. Although the site eventually got back up and running, there are still some after-effects that users continue to deal with (certain categories' pages give the dreaded 'sql_ERROR' when loading sub-menu options).
- Many categories continue to have non-active leaders/officers who inadvertently cause many Waymark submissions to stagnate in the approval process. This also goes for votes on Waymarks. How many of you have waited weeks or months for an approval or a vote on your Waymark to get either approved or denied?
I'm sure there are many other GOOD or BAD things that happened in 2015 that haven't been mentioned here. That's why I posted this topic for others to give their own two-cents...
HAPPY NEW YEAR and let's hope 2016 is the BEST year yet for Waymarking!
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Nice job! A great achievement. I'm at least a few years away this feat but I strive for quality over quantity, so if it takes a little longer for me to get there then so be it.
Kudos to you both!
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As I said in my first post, the only drawback to this potential category is the fact that it's centralized to the U.S.A. and Canada.
Then you know what my personal vote would be :-)
That is unfortunate to read those words from you, Torgut, since the Fraternal Order of Eagles organization satisfies every other category criteria. Like I've mentioned in previous forum posts, there are MANY current Waymarking categories that exist strictly in the USA and yet contribute much to the Waymarking community in terms of historical significance, personal education mission values. Could the Fraternal Order of Eagles spread their wings farther than North America? Perhaps someday they will!
The purpose of my original intent to create this category is the fact that many of these F.O.E. lodges are/were in very historical buildings and I've come across a few F.O.E. signs hanging in front of these buildings that made me want to learn about their backgrounds and history.
Just because you live in one part of the world and may not ever visit a Waymarking category in another part of the world doesn't mean a potential category shouldn't exist.
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OK, I have category editing capabilities in the Public Access Lands category and am eager to tweak some of the category verbiage to make it read better as well as include some additional info that could help make this category more inclusive.
A few issues I've discovered off the bat:
1) I don't like the 'hike' mention in the quick description so I've deleted that word.
2) I feel that since there is a category for U.S. Wildlife Refuges, the Public Access Lands category shouldn't allow these in the category. Any wildlife refuge or any refuge for that matter elsewhere in the world that doesn't qualify for any existing category could be submitted into the Public Access Lands category.
The one BIG issue I have with the category is the fact that it allows Waymarking of National and State Forests. This creates a possibility of dozens or more waymark submissions from many access points in a public access area of a forest or state park. I would propose limiting the Waymark submissions to access points that are publicly-accessible friendly (like a parking lot for a trailhead, or vista point, sightseeing point) vs. finding some random spot in a forest and Waymarking it.
It's a start, but welcoming other suggestions!
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There is no category for these older buildings. I have come across many old brick, stone or similar structures in my travels and have wondered what purpose they served when they were new and 'grand'.
The closest category I could think of that these buildings might fit into would be the Photos Then and Now, assuming you could do some research and find an older photo or two of the building. In addition, after doing some quick research on many older buildings I've been curious about, I've discovered that some of them qualified for inclusion in the Converted Bank Buildings, Retired Prisons, Converted Factories, City and Town Halls, and Meeting Houses (American categories, mainly).
As for creating a new category dedicated to 'boarded up' buildings, you may have a challenge on your hands convincing the Waymarking community that these neglected or abandoned buildings justify a category to themselves.
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I was surprised to receive a response from the leader of the Public Access Lands category and he stated he's been inactive in Waymarking for the past two years and unable to give attention to the category that it deserves. He's receptive to promoting me as an officer with category-editing capabilities so that I can potentially expand and fine-tune the category to make it more understandable for others to submit Waymarks into. I'd even be receptive to promote RakeInTheCache as an officer into the category for assistance in merging some of his ideas he had for his proposed category into Public Access Lands.
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RakeInTheCache is incorrect in his assumption that the Public Access Lands category is focused on hiking and exploring. Nowhere in the category does it state that. I've submitted a couple of parks that I didn't hike to that didn't fit into any existing category (and were denied) but fit nicely into the Public Access Lands category.
RakeInTheCache IS CORRECT in that the Public Access Lands category leader is INACTIVE with the category. I've reached out to him with an e-mail that the category is currently in the spotlight and needs his attention and I've received no answer thus far. If I don't hear back from him within the next few days, I'll move forward with notifying a Waymarking administrator to possibly promote me as an officer to allow me to edit the category to make it more inclusive and to read better for potential waymarkers.
More to come...
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Just got back into the Forums after the many fiascoes with the Waymarking site down for many days at a time.
What Tuena has proposed as a 'catch-all' category for all Fraternal organizations worldwide is not a bad idea. In this manner, there would be no need to continue adding ever-more categories within the Meeting Houses subtitle when one 'final' category could include the remaining organizations that exist in countries across the globe. As more fraternal organizations are discovered, they can be added to the category over time.
Thoughts?
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What frustrates me the most about this proposed category is that RakeInTheCache didn't bother to take the time to reach out to the Public Access Lands category leader/officers (which includes me) to address the overlapping issues that this new category would create. He even admits in an earlier post:
"I confess I did not take a close look at Public Access Lands before creating this category. But I am familiar with it as I have placed waymarks there before. The points you raise are good ones and should be clarified."
In prior experiences when proposing a new category that has overlapping issues in another category, I've ALWAYS reached out to the other category leader/officers via e-mails for their input BEFORE I expend lots of time and energy writing up a category only to risk having it shot down in Peer Review.
The Public Access Lands category's intent was to be a catch-all for any publicly accessible lands that couldn't be submitted into other existing categories. Does the Public Access Lands category need some fine-tuning in its verbiage to make it more clear and understandable for waymarkers? YES. Could the Public Access Lands category include all the Protected Natural Areas and Features? again, YES.
I hate to say that RakeInTheCache jumped the gun on this category proposal but it appears that is exactly what he's done.
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GREAT IDEA! PROBABLY THE BEST Waymarking CATEGORY PROPOSAL I'VE SEEN IN YEARS!!!
Can I be an officer? I would look forward to quickly hitting the 'Approve' button as fast as the submission came into my e-mail box!
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The Public Access Lands category could probably use some tweaking with the description to make it read better and leave less confusion for the potential submitter. I don't have that capability as an officer but will try reaching out to the leader -- it is one of those 'tucked-away-up-on-the-top-shelf' categories that 90% of Waymarkers don't know about but has the potential to accept many more submissions around the world than people realize.
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There is NO need for a new category since one exists as a catch-all category called Public Access Lands. I'm an officer in this category and we approve any government park and recreation area that doesn't fit into other existing categories.
Next topic?
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With the Pacific Crest Trail already being included in the Long Distance Hiking Trails category I wonder if the Waymarking community would support another exclusive category for this very popular West Coast trail? Other long distance trails have made the cut (North Country Trail, Appalachian Trail, The Great Florida Birding Trail and Ice Age Trail). I guess it needs to be discussed more here in the forum. This trail is the longest on the West Coast, stretching from the border of Mexico and all the way to the Canadian border and passing through California, Oregon and Washington. The current Waymarking community doesn't seem to be receptive to regional/national categories without a good argument.
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This category proposal failed in Peer Review, just like I thought it would. This should be a warning to other Waymarkers thinking about proposing a national/international retail chain category that they will face an uphill battle getting seasoned Waymarkers to support them. The focus on new category proposals currently centers on the 'interesting and informative' aspect. Without this feature, one is just wasting their time.
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By the way, I might be able to be convinced to call this category Mexican Chain Restaurants (to exclude Taco Bell which has its own category) but I would prefer that these chains have a presence outside of North America.
I see Baja Fresh, for example, supposedly has locations in Singapore.
I think this potential category will have a much better chance of success in Peer Review if it becomes more inclusive, i.e., a 'catch-all' category for regional or national chains of Mexican Restaurants/Franchises. Another national chain is Del Taco that comes to mind. I know there are a few others.
It's still going to be challenging to convince the masses that the Waymarking community should be allowed to add another food chain category but a good category writeup, making the category a catch-all for regional/national chains and adding the requirement that a submitter actually needs to patronize an establishment to waymark it just might get enough 'Yay' votes.
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After most of the day yesterday of receiving no error messages I'm now getting the same 'Error Occurred' message that lumbricus is getting.... AAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH
My smart phone is also working with the site.
With most-likely less than 10% of Groundspeak's annual revenue coming from Waymarking, I guess we know where the priorities lie....
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I thought there was already a category for Mexican resturants?
Looks like I don't get a response to my question here in the forums, so I will just vote against this category if it ever reaches peer review because I think that Chipotle resturants could be waymarked in the Mexican resturants category.
What about this great idea
: Go to category search, type in "Mexican" click on "Mexican Restaurants" now you have to read the "Description" which says "This category wants your favorite Mexican/Southwestern-style restaurants located outside of Mexico. National chains need not apply, but regional chains are fine."Wikipedia tells us about Chipotle Mexican Grill the following:
"Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (/tʃɨˈpoʊtleɪ/) is a chain of restaurants in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and France, specializing in burritos and tacos. Its name derives from chipotle, the Nahuatl name for a smoked and dried jalapeño chili pepper. The company has released a mission statement called Food with Integrity, which highlights its efforts in using organic ingredients, and serves more naturally raised meat than any other restaurant chain. Chipotle is one of the first chains of fast casual dining establishments. Founded by Steve Ells in 1993, Chipotle had 16 restaurants (all in Colorado) when McDonald's Corporation became a major investor in 1998. By the time McDonald's fully divested itself from Chipotle in 2006, the chain had grown to over 500 locations. With more than 1700 locations, Chipotle had a net income in 2013 of US$327.4 million and a staff of more than 45,000 employees." Wikipedia
-> "Chipotle Mexican Grill" restaurants will be denied by the "Mexican Restaurants" category officers.
Excellent point made, lumbricus!
I'm grateful to know there are Waymarkers such as yourself that do their research on potential categories and reply with encouraging feedback instead of replying with "Since I got no response from my question I guess I'll just vote NO on this category."
Waymarking is a hobby/game/activity that should encourage others to seek out new and interesting places to visit or experience in their travels. Although retail chains don't excite some Waymarkers as categories, I feel they DO have a place in the Waymarking community. If the majority of the Waymarking community thinks otherwise and shoots this category down in Peer Review then so be it. There seems to be enough interest in this forum to keep the Chipotle Restaurants category alive.
My personal input with the Chipotle category is to separate itself from the rest of the retail chain categories and require one to actually visit and experience the restaurant in order to waymark it. Drive-by waymark visits need not apply. I feel that by requiring this, the category will benefit much better and could possibly inspire other potential categories to follow suit.
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I just noticed I was finally able to submit a waymark with NO ERRORS....
Yay!
Thanks for your hard work, bootron!
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AAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I'm starting to go through Waymarking submission withdrawals...
Is there a Waymarkers Anonymous????
Must... persevere...
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The following pictures are of a rock garden I visited this past winter:
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To help clarify some confusion regarding what rock gardens are, I've taken an excerpt from the North American Rock Garden Society (NARGC) website which reads:
"...we are an organization of people interested in perennial plants that grow well among rocks and that are relatively short."
This is the most succinct and simple definition as to what rock gardens are that I've found. I would assume there are rock garden clubs and organizations that exist in other countries as well. Much as Japanese Gardens and Rose Gardens focus on specific types of plants, rock gardens also focus on relatively short-growing plants that specifically grow on rocks. These rock gardens can exist within a botanical garden but they can also be stand-alone gardens. I've come across two rock gardens in my travels and I know there are many more out there. The NARGC website lists some prominent rock gardens that exist, such as:
The Rock Alpine Garden at the Denver Botanic Garden, Denver, CO; Betty Ford Alpine Garden, Vail, CO; Botanic Garden of Smith College, Northhampton, MA; Berry Botanical Garden, Portland, OR; The Alpine Garden at the Montreal Botanic Garden, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; and the E. H. Lohbrunner Alpine Garden at the University of British Columbia Botanic Garden, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
I'm interested to see if there are enough rock gardens around the world to justify a category all to themselves. After reading up on them online, I feel rock gardens DO deserve a category to themselves.
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Site is faster but broken icons and a missing .xml file that is needed for me to select a state when I create a new waymark...
Looks like I take the night off.
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I'm wondering if any benchmarks recovered in Central and South America could be grouped together into a 'Latin American Benchmarks' category? This category would cover much more territory and prevent a possibility of multiple categories. I think the challenge here is to find a Spanish-speaking Waymarker knowledgeable in the surveying world in Latin America to provide input and guidance for this potential category. All other existing Benchmark categories in other countries have those knowledgeable people who understand the technology and can oversee the Waymark submissions.
: Go to category search, type in "Mexican" click on "Mexican Restaurants" now you have to read the "Description" which says "This category wants your favorite Mexican/Southwestern-style restaurants located outside of Mexico. 
New Category Proposal: Fraternal Order of Eagles
in Recruiting and Category Proposals
Posted
OK, I've finally found a little time to tweak the Fraternal Order of Eagles category description and feel it's ready for an Officer vote. I invite anyone to look at the category and let me know if I'm forgetting something or need to add/delete something.
Link to the category: Fraternal Order of Eagles
Thanks!
Doug
thebeav69