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RIP

I've been notified by Sarah's family that she passed away after a long illness and have offered to them to post the news here. If it needs to be posted elsewhere, will an admin please do so. Sarah was an inspiration to me and over the years became a good wiki friend. Though I knew she was ill, she never complained, she continued to edit right up to the end, and yet I suspected it was often difficult for her. She has a strong body of work here, and I know from chatting with her that she was deeply committed to the project. I'm unbearably sad. Victoria (tk) 23:58, 8 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

  • For historical record... An obit for Sarah was published community wide on Wiki on June 27, 2021
  • One more for historical record...A published obituary by Saskatoon Funeral Home states, Although Sarah was an accomplished journalist, few people knew of her first love, which was working with the international website Wikipedia, the mostly volunteer, online encyclopedia, which she joined in its formative years, shortly after its start-up in 2002. Sarah began editing Wikipedia in 2004 under the nom de plume, Slim Virgin, sometimes shortened to SV in more polite Wikipedia circles. She is greatly missed. Atsme 💬 📧 02:42, 8 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Very sorry to hear this. We often disagreed, but her passion and commitment to Wikipedia's values was beyond question.--Wehwalt (talk) 01:56, 10 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]
οὐδ' ἴαν δοκίμωμι προσίδοισαν φάος ἀλίω
ἔσσεσθαι σοφίαν πάρθενον εἰς οὐδένα πω χρόνον
τεαύταν. Nishidani (talk) 10:05, 11 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]
I forgot to mention that, like Yoninah, she was someone I looked forward to one day meeting in person at some wikigathering, and now I never will ... only perhaps some sunny day ... Daniel Case (talk) 14:22, 12 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]
And I think she should not be allowed to pass without mentioning one more great thing she did: cleaning up Murder of Meredith Kercher from the POV/walled-garden mess it had become, one of our worst moments IMO, a task that even Jimbo couldn't get going. Daniel Case (talk) 21:51, 13 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Follow-up

If this is the wrong time or place to post this, feel free to remove.

Johnuniq (talk) 07:33, 9 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Impact

Impact
Thank you for your impact
in helping persons
by portraying them,
collaborating with them,
making policy for their protection
and defending them!

I wish I had told you, Sarah. I wish the arbs had listened to you. We miss you. None of us can replace you alone, but we all should do what we can to keep your spirit in this place. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:14, 10 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Four years ago, you were recipient no. 1670 of Precious, a prize of QAI! I wasn't the first one to award you that, the most beautiful edition - in 2007 - was by Phaedriel, with a poem and an image:

I thank thee, friend, for the beautiful thought
That in words well chosen thou gavest to me,
Deep in the life of my soul it has wrought
With its own rare essence to ever imbue me ...

Yea, it shall always abide with me
As a part of my immortality;
For a beautiful thought is a thing divine,
So I thank thee, oh, friend, for this gift of thine!

Katherine Mansfield

--Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:07, 16 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Flowers

Flowers
She was a wonderful Wikipedian. I’ve seen her name in a bunch of edit summaries, and I thought... wow, she’s good. I wish I’d gotten the chance to work with her. 🐍 Helen 🐍 21:26, 10 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Goodbye Sarah...

This is a really sad year for Wikipedia, losing not one but two of its top editors, not by their edit count but by the quality of their work and their incredible integrity as human beings. First, we lost Flyer22, and now this. This is a huge blow to the project, but that pales in comparison to the tragic loss of such a great and wonderful person, who was so incredibly smart and talented.

I never really had much of an opportunity to interact with Sarah. I think we may have spoken to each other once or twice in all the years I've been here. I doubt she ever knew how much I have always admired and respected her, or how much of an influence she had on me, especially back when I first started here. In all of Wikipedia, there are a handful of people who stand out among the crowd, and Sarah was a shining star above the masses. From the moment I crossed paths with her, I knew immediately, this was someone special. Perhaps it was because she shared my interest in quality, encyclopedic writing, or her love of writing in general, that first peaked my interest, but it was her brilliance, conviction, and steadfast integrity that I ultimately came to admire. She was someone you could really look up to.

I am especially grateful for her work on core policies, and especially BLP policy; that extremely important and vital policy that protects both our readers and our subjects from very real harm. I've spent most of my time here helping to explain and enforce that policy, and am very thankful to Sarah for recognizing the importance of such a policy very early on. We will always be in your debt, not just us editors and writers, but our subjects, readers, and the world as well.

I never knew until this year that I could be affected so deeply by the loss of someone whom I never met in person, nor ever really knew outside of her work on Wikipedia. My deepest condolences go out to her family and friends. To Sarah, may whatever god or spirit or chi you believe in carry you on to something better. The force will be with you, always. Zaereth (talk) 20:50, 11 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Sarah-SV prize?

Sarah was so active in and supportive of gender equity that it seems fitting for one of the WP groups in that field to consider awarding an annual or biennial prize in her memory for the best contribution to gender equity on the site. Tony (talk) 08:26, 12 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Tony1, Hobit, BD2412, cash prizes tend to result in editors with questionable motives in my experience. — Alexis Jazz (talk or ping me) 08:33, 1 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Alexis, I'd donate, too. But I wasn't necessarily suggesting a cash prize, which brings problems (large amount invested, dividends pay for the prize, is usual for in perpetuo prizes; seems unlikely). Why not replace cash with prestige: so members of the Gender gap task force, call for nominations and discuss and create a shortlist, which goes to, say, the chair of the WMF board. The chair makes the announcement. You never know, the current chair and the rest of the board might think that's a good way to further some of the Foundation's key aims. It would need brief selection criteria and a timeline. And if it works, I'd be in favour of later widening the scope to include other Wikipedias. Could be annual, or every two years? Tony (talk) 12:20, 1 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Tony1, I think it would be better to aim for publication in the WP:Signpost for starters. Possibly a custom barnstar? — Alexis Jazz (talk or ping me) 14:12, 1 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]
I wanted something special in memory of Sarah, equal to her special role in the evolution of WP. And something with more grunt than a mere barnstar. Tony (talk) 14:14, 1 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Tony1, I get what you mean, but it may have a better chance of happening if you learn to walk before you run. Though if you believe you can run right away, go for it. Also the barnstar suggestion was just as an addition, not a replacement. Maybe as a way to nominate? — Alexis Jazz (talk or ping me) 18:37, 1 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  • Can't WMF fund it under a rapid grant? --Titodutta (talk) 20:28, 12 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  • What, in perpetuo? I'd rather not mix money into it, unless it's going to be a one-off. And I'd prefer our incentives toward gender equity to be long term. Tony (talk) 02:34, 13 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The Signpost: 27 June 2021

* Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 20:16, 27 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Chelsea Manning

Thank you. I wanted to do it....but was nervous about my own issues. Mahalo and aloha to you.

OK...I mentioned Viriditas (and then took it out)....holy crap...he's not...I am so embarrassed, thrilled and sad at the same time right now. Really not sure how to process this.--Mark Miller (talk) 12:44, 1 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I miss you

Sarah, I miss your kind emails and thoughtful ways. I wish I could have said goodbye. Your loving friend, Ta bu shi da yu - Chris Sherlock. - Aussie Article Writer (talk) 08:34, 6 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

On days like today, I wish I could email you. I cannot tell you how I miss you. - Aussie Article Writer (talk) 04:29, 11 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]
I just rescued some references for an article you started, Aftermath of the Holocaust. Evidence of you is everywhere, and you won't be forgotten. - Aussie Article Writer (talk) 08:51, 5 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Remembering Sarah

Dear colleagues,
I created a generic userbox to commemorate our absent Wikifriends, and I keep a copy for Sarah at my user page:

This Wikipedian remembers
SlimVirgin.

To add this userbox to your user page, just copy/paste:
((User:Pdebee/UBX/RemembersAbsentFriend|SlimVirgin))
With kind regards;
Patrick. ツ Pdebee.(talk)(become old-fashioned!) 15:13, 12 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

My condolences

Thank you for everything you did to help this project, so sorry to see you go. Rubbish computer (Talk: Contribs) 23:56, 17 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

It's late but I just heard

that you had passed, through a Wikipedia dramaboard as somehow seems apropos. Farewell and rest in peace. If you are someplace where you see AaronSw, please give him my regards too. You and I didn't interact very much, but I remember you and I will miss you. 2601:648:8202:350:0:0:0:2B99 (talk) 02:57, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Muhammad al-Durrah incident

Thanks to SlimVirgin, we read as the TFA today about the Muhammad al-Durrah incident, which came with the most excellent introduction I've seen to date, in both detailing the content as also the collaborators:

"This is a partial self-nom. The 10th anniversary of this incident is coming up on September 30 this year, which is why I'm nominating it for FA status. Several editors have worked on it over the years, both on the article itself and by offering guidance on the talk page. A full list of editors is here, and talk-page contributors are here. It was largely rewritten in October this year, though earlier contributions helped to shape the rewrite. The top editors from 2009 are ChrisO, George, Jaakobou, and myself. Previous key editors were Jayjg, Tundrabuggy, and Liftarn. It is 41 kB (6502 words) of readable prose; 110 kB overall.

What happened to 12-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah is a highly contentious issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He was filmed by France 2 on September 30, 2000 apparently being shot and killed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during a gun battle with Palestinian security forces. Multiple, conflicting, and sometimes overlapping narratives have developed about the incident over the years. The basic positions are as follows, with examples of who holds the view—the people cited are either involved, or are journalists who've written about the issue in depth:

  1. He was shot and killed by the IDF. Held by Charles Enderlin and Talal Abu Rahma of France 2; most of the media that first responded; the IDF initially. [1]
  2. He was shot and killed, probably or definitely by Palestinian gunfire. Held by e.g. General Yom Tov Samia of the IDF following a controversial November 2000 IDF investigation; [2] Daniel Leconte, former France 2 correspondent. [3]
  3. He was shot and killed, but we don't know who fired the shots. Held by e.g. Arlette Chabot, news director of France 2, [4] and Israeli historian Tom Segev. [5]
  4. He was shot and killed, and we don't know by whom, but not by the IDF soldiers known to have been there. Held by e.g. James Fallows of The Atlantic. [6]
  5. A boy did die that day in that area, but he arrived at the hospital (10 am) before al-Muhammad was shot (between noon and 3 pm), and the boy shown during the funeral was not al-Durrah. Muhammad may be alive or dead; there is no firm evidence either way. A small minority position, held by German journalist Esther Schapira, who has produced two documentaries about the incident. [7]
  6. There is no reason to suppose he was either shot or killed; the whole thing was a hoax. A very small minority position, the so-called "maximalist narrative." Held by e.g. Israeli physicist Nahum Shahaf who was involved in the October 2000 IDF investigation; Richard Landes, an American academic; Philippe Karsenty, a French media commentator; Daniel Seaman, director of the Israeli govt press office; Luc Rosenzweig, a retired managing editor of Le Monde; Jean-Claude Schlinger, a French ballistics expert hired by Karsenty. [8] There is also a belief, held by at least one member of the October 2000 IDF inquiry, that the incident was staged, but that the boy's death was real and was part of the pretence.

The positions aren't as clear-cut as the above and overlap considerably. It has been difficult to steer a course through them, giving each view the attention reliable sources give it, but I think we've achieved a reasonable balance. The article covers all the main views comprehensively, without going into neurotic detail (I hope).

There are quite a few fair-use images in the article, as we had to use the original France 2 footage of the shooting. This is copyrighted, but although not released under a free licence, the network has allowed the images to be reproduced all over the world without charge, so there's no problem with our use of them. SlimVirgin TALK contribs 08:33, 31 December 2009 (UTC)"[reply]

Awesome. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:34, 30 September 2021 (UTC)[reply]

RIP

“Known by many, respected by all.”
“A rare bright star among the sleeping throngs.” Dronebogus (talk) 08:59, 27 February 2022 (UTC)[reply]

RIP

I talked to Sarah before the pandemics because she needed a photograph of the grave in Rome of the Australian artist Dora Ohlfsen-Bagge. I only managed to take those pictures today, and I had learnt the sad news she's no longer with us. She might have liked that someone continues the job she started and that her legacy is not lost. May the Earth be Light on You, Sarah. -- Blackcat 13:26, 28 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for File:Tomba di Dora Ohlfsen.jpg relating to Dora Ohlfsen-Bagge. Johnuniq (talk) 23:27, 28 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Added. Viriditas (talk) 01:32, 5 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Condolences on this loss. Andre🚐 08:39, 5 September 2022 (UTC)[reply]
You will be remembered. R.I.P. — Hamid Hassani (talk) 04:39, 10 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

R.I.P.

May rest in peace. 2601:1C0:CF00:2680:0:0:0:485 (talk) 00:01, 27 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Historiography Appreciation

Your work at 1948 Palestinian expulsion from Lydda and Ramle is appreciated. Special:MobileDiff/316257893 IOHANNVSVERVS (talk) 01:13, 26 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

May you be at one with your gods, whomever they may be

Damn. I don't know how I missed this. I never really told you how much I admired you. The world was a better place with you in it, and you leave great things behind. I always felt like a little dog yapping at your heels... Hiding T 14:22, 4 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

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