Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Israel joins the nationwide strike to protest the exclusion of gay couples the right to become parents

2018-07-20 Thread Gregory Varnum
I think you misunderstood my point there. ;)

I was speaking to your comment that it was incorrectly labeled a LGBTQ issue 
because of adoption. I did not mean to suggest no one is against surrogacy or 
that they are not promoting adoption as an alternative. I was indicating that 
to my knowledge those organizations are not telling non-LGBTQ people that the 
laws are not of interest to them because they can adopt. Looking at their 
sites, they seem to want all people (LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ) to see it as related 
to their lives and rights.

Again, I am not commenting here on if organizations should engage, just 
pointing out that regardless of someone’s stance on the issue or this action, 
the issue remains one of relevance to LGBTQ rights (and others) and WMIL 
labeling it as a LGBTQ rights issue was accurate. :)

-greg

___
Sent from my iPhone - a more detailed response may be sent later.

> On Jul 21, 2018, at 3:25 AM, Mario Gómez  wrote:
> 
> On Sat, Jul 21, 2018 at 2:56 AM, Gregory Varnum 
> wrote:
> 
>> As far as it being an alternative, that is usually true, but it is also
>> true for non-LGBTQ families and I am not aware of viable political
>> movements successfully suggesting non-LGBTQ families should not worry about
>> surrogacy laws as adoptions are an alternative option for them.
>> 
>> 
> Well, so you just met someone who suggests exactly that for non-LGBTQ
> families and who actively participates in campaigns against legalization of
> surrogacy in his country.
> 
> This is actually a position held by many organizations, just to name a few:
> the "National Network Against Wombs for Rent" and the  "We are not Pots"
> campaign in Spain or the "Mexican Feminists Against Wombs for Rent" in
> Mexico.
> 
> These positions are also held by some feminist authors such as Kajsa Ekis
> Ekman, Sylviane Agacinski or Silvia Federici.
> 
> My point is not trying to convince you of my position. I do not think this
> is the right forum to debate politics beyond WMF mission. My point is that
> if the WMF or its affiliates take such positions beyond its mission, it
> will be extremely damaging to the community, since this is just alienating
> to all members of the community whose political positions do not match
> exactly WMF's framework (heavily influenced by US narrow ideological
> spectrum).
> 
> I'm not asking for the WMF or its affiliates to be against surrogacy, just
> the same way I don't ask for them to condemn apartheid policies against
> Muslims in Israel or the genocide in Gaza. I'm just asking the WMF and its
> affiliates to acknowledge that we are a global and diverse community united
> for a mission, and that entering into political advocacy beyond its mission
> is detrimental to this global perspective and diversity.
> 
> Best,
> 
> Mario
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Israel joins the nationwide strike to protest the exclusion of gay couples the right to become parents

2018-07-20 Thread Mario Gómez
On Sat, Jul 21, 2018 at 2:56 AM, Gregory Varnum 
wrote:

>  As far as it being an alternative, that is usually true, but it is also
> true for non-LGBTQ families and I am not aware of viable political
> movements successfully suggesting non-LGBTQ families should not worry about
> surrogacy laws as adoptions are an alternative option for them.
>
>
Well, so you just met someone who suggests exactly that for non-LGBTQ
families and who actively participates in campaigns against legalization of
surrogacy in his country.

This is actually a position held by many organizations, just to name a few:
the "National Network Against Wombs for Rent" and the  "We are not Pots"
campaign in Spain or the "Mexican Feminists Against Wombs for Rent" in
Mexico.

These positions are also held by some feminist authors such as Kajsa Ekis
Ekman, Sylviane Agacinski or Silvia Federici.

My point is not trying to convince you of my position. I do not think this
is the right forum to debate politics beyond WMF mission. My point is that
if the WMF or its affiliates take such positions beyond its mission, it
will be extremely damaging to the community, since this is just alienating
to all members of the community whose political positions do not match
exactly WMF's framework (heavily influenced by US narrow ideological
spectrum).

I'm not asking for the WMF or its affiliates to be against surrogacy, just
the same way I don't ask for them to condemn apartheid policies against
Muslims in Israel or the genocide in Gaza. I'm just asking the WMF and its
affiliates to acknowledge that we are a global and diverse community united
for a mission, and that entering into political advocacy beyond its mission
is detrimental to this global perspective and diversity.

Best,

Mario
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Israel joins the nationwide strike to protest the exclusion of gay couples the right to become parents

2018-07-20 Thread Gregory Varnum
Taking off my “staff hat” and not weighing in on WMIL taking this stance, but 
did want to correct one claim and offer some context on this issue overall. :)

Having worked on LGBTQ issues most of my professional career, and being a gay 
man planning on having a child one day, I feel confident I can say surrogacy 
laws very much relate to LGBTQ rights (as well as others). I spent a fair 
amount of time working on the topic for LGBTQ organizations around the world. 
It is also an issue often intentionally used to target LGBTQ families 
(according to the laws’ authors). The issue came up just last year in the USA 
as an effort to “minimize the impact of same-gender marriage victories”. 
Incidentally some versions discussed in the US could have financially punished 
employers that treated LGBTQ employees with children the same as non-LGBTQ 
employees with children.

In short, adoption is not the only route and for some it is not a comfortable 
or sometimes viable option (for personal or sometimes complicated reasons). As 
such, surrogacy is indeed an option many LGBTQ families pursue. As far as it 
being an alternative, that is usually true, but it is also true for non-LGBTQ 
families and I am not aware of viable political movements successfully 
suggesting non-LGBTQ families should not worry about surrogacy laws as 
adoptions are an alternative option for them.

Regardless of how you feel about this particular action, I believe it is 
important we talk about it factually. WMIL’s claim that this issue has to do 
with LGBTQ rights is accurate - if we are to believe the claims of LGBTQ 
organizations around the world and lawmakers who over the years have sponsored 
the types of laws in question.

However, unless you are suggesting your opinion on the actual action WMIL took 
would have changed if they had instead talked about the audience you personally 
believe it impacts most - I am not sure how it relates or matters.

-greg

PS. For what it is worth, as a LGBTQ employee of the Wikimedia Foundation, I am 
proud and better able to focus on my work as I personally feel the Foundation 
has been supportive of its LGBTQ employees, direct volunteers, and recruits. 
Having worked elsewhere in jobs where that was not always the case, I am keenly 
aware of the impact a silent, unsupportive, or “tolerant” environment can have 
on productivity, morale, quality, retention, and recruiting efforts for both 
LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ people within the organization. I am also glad that at this 
moment the US government is not financially punishing the Foundation for 
employing me as I grow my family simply because I’m gay (or alternatively 
forcing the Foundation to make me pay more in taxes than my non-LGBTQ 
colleagues) - that has historically not always been the case, and may not 
always be the case in the future.

___
Sent from my iPhone - a more detailed response may be sent later.

> On Jul 21, 2018, at 1:51 AM, Mario Gómez  wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> "a legal change on that would have given the LGBT community the right to
> become parents"
> 
> If I read correctly, this is simply not true. It denied the right to use
> gestational surrogacy. They can adopt though.
> 
> Note that gestational surrogacy is not a simple issue and it is highly
> political. I'm sure many wikimedians oppose it, among which I include
> myself. Surrogacy has nothing to do with LGBT rights, and everything to do
> with exploitation of women, and more particularly, women of less advantaged
> social classes.
> 
> It is sad to see a Wikimedia chapter to take this official position. I hope
> WMF never follows these steps.
> 
> Best,
> 
> Mario
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Fri, Jul 20, 2018 at 9:57 AM, Itzik - Wikimedia Israel <
> it...@wikimedia.org.il> wrote:
> 
>> Hi,
>> 
>> A few days ago, the Israeli parliament, with the support of Israeli Prime
>> Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, blocked a legal change on that would have
>> given the LGBT community the right to become parents. The new law denies
>> state-supported surrogacy to LGBT couples and single men.
>> 
>> In response, Israel’s LGBT Task Force called publicly for a strike on
>> Sunday, "The LGBT community is calling upon you, the LGBT and community
>> supporters, to join us in a one-day nationwide strike on Sunday, July 22,
>> Tisha Be’av".
>> 
>> During the last few days, a huge list of big companies and organizations in
>> Israel *publicized *their support and joined the strike by allowing their
>> employees to take a paid day off work to join the nationwide protest.
>> 
>> This morning, the board of Wikimedia Israel, alongside with other
>> organizations joined this call and published this announcement:
>> https://www.facebook.com/WikimediaIL/posts/1716487061739276
>> https://twitter.com/WikimediaIL/status/1020214512392302592
>> 
>> 
>> *"Wikimedia Israel supports the just struggle for full equality, led by the
>> Israeli LGTBQ community.*

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Israel joins the nationwide strike to protest the exclusion of gay couples the right to become parents

2018-07-20 Thread Mario Gómez
Hi,

"a legal change on that would have given the LGBT community the right to
become parents"

If I read correctly, this is simply not true. It denied the right to use
gestational surrogacy. They can adopt though.

Note that gestational surrogacy is not a simple issue and it is highly
political. I'm sure many wikimedians oppose it, among which I include
myself. Surrogacy has nothing to do with LGBT rights, and everything to do
with exploitation of women, and more particularly, women of less advantaged
social classes.

It is sad to see a Wikimedia chapter to take this official position. I hope
WMF never follows these steps.

Best,

Mario




On Fri, Jul 20, 2018 at 9:57 AM, Itzik - Wikimedia Israel <
it...@wikimedia.org.il> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> A few days ago, the Israeli parliament, with the support of Israeli Prime
> Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, blocked a legal change on that would have
> given the LGBT community the right to become parents. The new law denies
> state-supported surrogacy to LGBT couples and single men.
>
> In response, Israel’s LGBT Task Force called publicly for a strike on
> Sunday, "The LGBT community is calling upon you, the LGBT and community
> supporters, to join us in a one-day nationwide strike on Sunday, July 22,
> Tisha Be’av".
>
> During the last few days, a huge list of big companies and organizations in
> Israel *publicized *their support and joined the strike by allowing their
> employees to take a paid day off work to join the nationwide protest.
>
> This morning, the board of Wikimedia Israel, alongside with other
> organizations joined this call and published this announcement:
> https://www.facebook.com/WikimediaIL/posts/1716487061739276
> https://twitter.com/WikimediaIL/status/1020214512392302592
> 
>
> *"Wikimedia Israel supports the just struggle for full equality, led by the
> Israeli LGTBQ community.*
>
> *Equality to every woman and man, regardless of gender, sexual preference,
> religion, origin, or disability is a central value in the international
> Wikimedia Movement. *
>
> *The current outcry for the right for parenthood, indiscriminate medical
> treatment, and protection against violent statements by public figures
> against the LGTBQ community, is a part of the grand and continuous struggle
> for full rights and legitimacy to the Israeli LGTBQ community, and we
> support them in their struggle."*
>
>
>
> *Itzik Edri*
> Chairperson
> it...@wikimedia.org.il
> +972-54-5878078
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] [PRESS RELEASE] Wikimedia Foundation and Kiwix partner to grow offline access to Wikipedia

2018-07-20 Thread Anne Gomez
Hi Teemu,

I agree that there is a lot we can, and should, do for people who are not
online... I'm really excited about this partnership with Kiwix because they
are the base of a lot of different initiatives in the offline space.

Are you aware of WikiFundi[1]? It is a project, built on Kiwix, that is
taking steps towards offline editing. Offline editing is a really complex
problem from a technical and user experience perspective. The WikiFundi
team has been working on the product for a couple of years now, with
support from WMF and the Orange Foundation.

In January, the Foundation funded a project grant[2] to support WikiFundi
developing their user experience and effectiveness.

Cheers,
Anne


[1] http://www.wikifundi.org/
[2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/WikiInAfrica/WikiFundi




On Fri, Jul 20, 2018 at 11:39 AM, Leinonen Teemu 
wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> Offline is important but when doing these things we should same time
> remember our vision statement’s part saying “*every single human being* can
> freely *share* in the sum of all knowledge”.
>
> We should never consider the people in the “offline world” being only
> readers, users or consumers of the content, but people who naturally have a
> lot of knowledge to share for the rest of the world.
>
> With the offline distribution, let’s keep working on to have more
> languages and active communities in the Wikimedia. Let’s have the
> edit-button when ever possible.
>
> -Teemu
>
> > James Heilman  kirjoitti 20.7.2018 kello 12.54:
> >
> > Agree amazing news. Offline is key for much of the world.
> >
> > We are developing and distributing "Internet-in-a-Boxes" to help
> compensate
> > somewhat for the pull back from zero rating.
> >
> > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Internet-in-a-Box
> >
> > James
> >
> >> On Fri, Jul 20, 2018 at 4:27 AM Lucas Teles 
> wrote:
> >>
> >> Those are excellent news!
> >>
> >> I wonder if there are any plans on working on less rich countries. They
> >> usually have less internet access and would benefit from that.
> >>
> >> Wikipedia Zero has just expired in Angola and I can’t imagine a best
> way to
> >> replace that source of knowledge withou having to deal with the negative
> >> side of it.
> >>
> >> Concerning the many users from Angola that reached out to me complaining
> >> about the end of Wikipedia Zero in Angola, giving them access to Kiwix
> will
> >> be of enormous help.
> >>
> >> Teles
> >>
> >> Em qui, 19 de jul de 2018 às 19:16, Samantha Lien 
> >> escreveu:
> >>
> >>> This press release is also available on the Wikimedia blog here:
> >>>
> >> https://blog.wikimedia.org/2018/07/18/wikimedia-
> foundation-and-kiwix-partner-to-grow-offline-access-to-wikipedia/Wikimedia
> >>> Foundation and Kiwix partner to grow offline access to Wikipedia
> >>> *The Wikimedia Foundation and Switzerland-based Kiwix announce a global
> >>> collaboration to increase offline access to Wikipedia and the Wikimedia
> >>> projects.*
> >>>
> >>> Lausanne, Switzerland, and San Francisco, USA, 18 July 2018 – The
> >>> Wikimedia Foundation has announced a partnership with Kiwix, the free
> and
> >>> open-source software solution that enables offline access to
> educational
> >>> content, to expand and improve access to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia
> >>> projects globally. This partnership will include a $275,000
> contribution
> >> to
> >>> Kiwix to further enhance offline access to Wikipedia in parts of the
> >> world
> >>> where consistent, affordable internet connectivity presents a
> significant
> >>> barrier to accessing Wikipedia.
> >>>
> >>> “Our hope is that one day everyone will have access to the internet,
> and
> >>> eliminate the need for other offline methods of access to information.”
> >>> said Kiwix CEO Stephane Coillet-Matillon. “But we know that there are
> >> still
> >>> serious gaps in internet access globally that require solutions today.
> >>> Kiwix is a tool to start fixing things right now.”
> >>> The Wikimedia Foundation and Kiwix have had a long-standing
> collaborative
> >>> relationship to expand access to Wikipedia around the world. This
> >> includes
> >>> recent support to Kiwix and WikiProject Medicine to improve the
> >>> availability of offline Wikipedia medical content [1], as well as
> >>> improvements to the Kiwix desktop experience.
> >>>
> >>> Through this partnership, the two organizations will collaborate to
> >> create
> >>> a long-term strategy for third party reuse of Kiwix’s free access
> >> platform,
> >>> fix longstanding code debt, improve Kiwix’s usability across mobile
> >>> platforms including Android, and integrate Kiwix’s and the Wikimedia
> >>> Foundation’s technical operations more closely for improved Wikipedia
> >>> offline experiences.
> >>>
> >>> “As part of the 2030 direction for Wikimedia’s future [2], we’re
> thrilled
> >>> to be partnering with Kiwix to invest in solutions to address one of
> the
> >>> critical barriers to participating in Wikipedia globally: 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] [PRESS RELEASE] Wikimedia Foundation and Kiwix partner to grow offline access to Wikipedia

2018-07-20 Thread Leinonen Teemu
Hi all,

Offline is important but when doing these things we should same time remember 
our vision statement’s part saying “*every single human being* can freely 
*share* in the sum of all knowledge”. 

We should never consider the people in the “offline world” being only readers, 
users or consumers of the content, but people who naturally have a lot of 
knowledge to share for the rest of the world.

With the offline distribution, let’s keep working on to have more languages and 
active communities in the Wikimedia. Let’s have the edit-button when ever 
possible.

-Teemu

> James Heilman  kirjoitti 20.7.2018 kello 12.54:
> 
> Agree amazing news. Offline is key for much of the world.
> 
> We are developing and distributing "Internet-in-a-Boxes" to help compensate
> somewhat for the pull back from zero rating.
> 
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Internet-in-a-Box
> 
> James
> 
>> On Fri, Jul 20, 2018 at 4:27 AM Lucas Teles  wrote:
>> 
>> Those are excellent news!
>> 
>> I wonder if there are any plans on working on less rich countries. They
>> usually have less internet access and would benefit from that.
>> 
>> Wikipedia Zero has just expired in Angola and I can’t imagine a best way to
>> replace that source of knowledge withou having to deal with the negative
>> side of it.
>> 
>> Concerning the many users from Angola that reached out to me complaining
>> about the end of Wikipedia Zero in Angola, giving them access to Kiwix will
>> be of enormous help.
>> 
>> Teles
>> 
>> Em qui, 19 de jul de 2018 às 19:16, Samantha Lien 
>> escreveu:
>> 
>>> This press release is also available on the Wikimedia blog here:
>>> 
>> https://blog.wikimedia.org/2018/07/18/wikimedia-foundation-and-kiwix-partner-to-grow-offline-access-to-wikipedia/Wikimedia
>>> Foundation and Kiwix partner to grow offline access to Wikipedia
>>> *The Wikimedia Foundation and Switzerland-based Kiwix announce a global
>>> collaboration to increase offline access to Wikipedia and the Wikimedia
>>> projects.*
>>> 
>>> Lausanne, Switzerland, and San Francisco, USA, 18 July 2018 – The
>>> Wikimedia Foundation has announced a partnership with Kiwix, the free and
>>> open-source software solution that enables offline access to educational
>>> content, to expand and improve access to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia
>>> projects globally. This partnership will include a $275,000 contribution
>> to
>>> Kiwix to further enhance offline access to Wikipedia in parts of the
>> world
>>> where consistent, affordable internet connectivity presents a significant
>>> barrier to accessing Wikipedia.
>>> 
>>> “Our hope is that one day everyone will have access to the internet, and
>>> eliminate the need for other offline methods of access to information.”
>>> said Kiwix CEO Stephane Coillet-Matillon. “But we know that there are
>> still
>>> serious gaps in internet access globally that require solutions today.
>>> Kiwix is a tool to start fixing things right now.”
>>> The Wikimedia Foundation and Kiwix have had a long-standing collaborative
>>> relationship to expand access to Wikipedia around the world. This
>> includes
>>> recent support to Kiwix and WikiProject Medicine to improve the
>>> availability of offline Wikipedia medical content [1], as well as
>>> improvements to the Kiwix desktop experience.
>>> 
>>> Through this partnership, the two organizations will collaborate to
>> create
>>> a long-term strategy for third party reuse of Kiwix’s free access
>> platform,
>>> fix longstanding code debt, improve Kiwix’s usability across mobile
>>> platforms including Android, and integrate Kiwix’s and the Wikimedia
>>> Foundation’s technical operations more closely for improved Wikipedia
>>> offline experiences.
>>> 
>>> “As part of the 2030 direction for Wikimedia’s future [2], we’re thrilled
>>> to be partnering with Kiwix to invest in solutions to address one of the
>>> critical barriers to participating in Wikipedia globally: reliable
>> internet
>>> access,” said Anne Gomez, Senior Program Manager at the Wikimedia
>>> Foundation. “We have made a commitment as an organization to actively
>>> address the challenges and barriers to reaching our global Wikimedia
>>> vision: a world in which everyone can freely share in knowledge. Today
>>> marks an important step toward realizing that commitment.”
>>> 
>>> The Wikimedia vision is global: a world in which everyone can freely
>> share
>>> in the sum of all knowledge. While there has been a significant reduction
>>> in high mobile data costs and other barriers to participating in
>> Wikipedia,
>>> more than half the world’s population is not yet online. [3]
>>> 
>>> Today, Kiwix sits at the heart of the offline ecosystem with more than 3
>>> million users from more than 200 countries. It can store millions of
>>> Wikipedia articles from any of Wikipedia’s nearly 300 languages along
>> with
>>> thousands of books and videos on a single flash drive or microSD card for
>>> access on smartphones and computers. Kiwix has 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia DC: Knight Prototype Fund support for the Wiki Art Depiction Explorer project

2018-07-20 Thread Isaac Olatunde
Thanks for sharing this news, Rob. This is  certainly a good news.

Regards,

Isaac

On Jul 17, 2018 8:14 PM, "Robert Fernandez"  wrote:

Wikimedia District of Columbia is proud to be the recipient of $50,000 in
support from the Knight Prototype Fund, an initiative of the John S. and
James L. Knight Foundation.   Wikimedia DC will collaborate with the
Smithsonian Institution on a project called the "Wiki Art Depiction
Explorer", an effort to create an interface for museum visitors and other
art enthusiasts to crowdsource metadata about visual depictions in museum
artworks.  Making this data more accurate and robust will allow further and
deeper discovery of these works by anyone in the world.

The project was created by three longtime Wikimedia DC volunteers: Andrew
Lih, author of The Wikipedia Revolution, Effie Kapsalis, Chief of Content &
Communications Strategy at the Smithsonian Institution Archives, and Robert
Fernandez, member of the board of directors of Wikimedia DC.   Andrew Lih
is currently in South Africa for Wikimania and looks forward to talking to
other Wikimedia volunteers about this project.

The aim of the Knight Prototype Fund is to support the development of
innovative ideas to use technology to engage people with the arts and
cultural institutions.  The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has
previously supported organizations and projects related to Wikimedia,
including the Wikimedia Foundation.

For the announcement from the Knight Foundation, see
https://knightfoundation.org/press/releases/knight-prototype-fund-awards-
projects-that-explore-avenues-for-connecting-people-with-
the-arts-through-tech
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[Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] [PRESS RELEASE] Wikimedia Foundation and Kiwix partner to grow offline access to Wikipedia

2018-07-20 Thread Samantha Lien
This press release is also available on the Wikimedia blog here:
https://blog.wikimedia.org/2018/07/18/wikimedia-foundation-and-kiwix-partner-to-grow-offline-access-to-wikipedia/Wikimedia
Foundation and Kiwix partner to grow offline access to Wikipedia
*The Wikimedia Foundation and Switzerland-based Kiwix announce a global
collaboration to increase offline access to Wikipedia and the Wikimedia
projects.*

Lausanne, Switzerland, and San Francisco, USA, 18 July 2018 – The Wikimedia
Foundation has announced a partnership with Kiwix, the free and open-source
software solution that enables offline access to educational content, to
expand and improve access to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects
globally. This partnership will include a $275,000 contribution to Kiwix to
further enhance offline access to Wikipedia in parts of the world where
consistent, affordable internet connectivity presents a significant barrier
to accessing Wikipedia.

“Our hope is that one day everyone will have access to the internet, and
eliminate the need for other offline methods of access to information.”
said Kiwix CEO Stephane Coillet-Matillon. “But we know that there are still
serious gaps in internet access globally that require solutions today.
Kiwix is a tool to start fixing things right now.”
The Wikimedia Foundation and Kiwix have had a long-standing collaborative
relationship to expand access to Wikipedia around the world. This includes
recent support to Kiwix and WikiProject Medicine to improve the
availability of offline Wikipedia medical content [1], as well as
improvements to the Kiwix desktop experience.

Through this partnership, the two organizations will collaborate to create
a long-term strategy for third party reuse of Kiwix’s free access platform,
fix longstanding code debt, improve Kiwix’s usability across mobile
platforms including Android, and integrate Kiwix’s and the Wikimedia
Foundation’s technical operations more closely for improved Wikipedia
offline experiences.

“As part of the 2030 direction for Wikimedia’s future [2], we’re thrilled
to be partnering with Kiwix to invest in solutions to address one of the
critical barriers to participating in Wikipedia globally: reliable internet
access,” said Anne Gomez, Senior Program Manager at the Wikimedia
Foundation. “We have made a commitment as an organization to actively
address the challenges and barriers to reaching our global Wikimedia
vision: a world in which everyone can freely share in knowledge. Today
marks an important step toward realizing that commitment.”

The Wikimedia vision is global: a world in which everyone can freely share
in the sum of all knowledge. While there has been a significant reduction
in high mobile data costs and other barriers to participating in Wikipedia,
more than half the world’s population is not yet online. [3]

Today, Kiwix sits at the heart of the offline ecosystem with more than 3
million users from more than 200 countries. It can store millions of
Wikipedia articles from any of Wikipedia’s nearly 300 languages along with
thousands of books and videos on a single flash drive or microSD card for
access on smartphones and computers. Kiwix has also worked with nonprofits
such as the Orange Foundation, Human Rights Foundation, Internet in a Box,
WikiFundi, and Digisoft to scale distribution of offline education
materials around the world to students, teachers, and the general public.

More information about the Wikimedia Foundation’s work to expand access and
participation to Wikipedia globally, including information about this
partnership with Kiwix, can be found in the Wikimedia Foundation’s
2018-2019 annual plan. [4]



About the Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit organization that supports and
operates Wikipedia and its sister free knowledge projects. Wikipedia is the
world’s free knowledge resource, spanning more than 45 million articles
across nearly 300 languages. Every month, more than 200,000 people edit
Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects, collectively creating and improving
knowledge that is accessed by more than 1 billion unique devices every
month. This all makes Wikipedia one of the most popular web properties in
the world. Based in San Francisco, California, the Wikimedia Foundation is
a 501(c)(3) charity that is funded primarily through donations and grants.

About Kiwix

Kiwix is an open-source software that brings internet content to millions
of people without internet access - be it because of cost, poor
infrastructures or even censorship. Websites like Wikipedia, TED talks, the
Gutenberg library and many more can be stored and browsed as if users were
online. Kiwix is available in more than 100 languages, and runs on all
major desktop and mobile platforms. Based in Lausanne, Switzerland, Kiwix
Association is a registered Swiss Verein that is funded solely through
donations and grants. For more information, see www.kiwix.org.

Press contacts

Wikimedia Foundation
Kui 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees appointments and officer positions 2018

2018-07-20 Thread Gerard Meijssen
Hoi,
I have started to collect some information..
PS Tanya Welcome !!
Thanks,
 GerardM

https://tools.wmflabs.org/reasonator/?q=Q55655418

On 19 July 2018 at 17:33, Christophe Henner  wrote:

> And because I can't step down properly, a part of the email was missing,
> here is the complete version
>
>
>
> *Hello everyone,*
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *I am happy to make some announcements about the Wikimedia Foundation Board
> of Trustees. As of today, Tanya Capuano has formally joined the Board.
> Tanya is an experienced financial professional who has worked as a Vice
> President of Finance for Intuit, and more recently as CFO for the software
> firm G5. She is passionate about education, having served on the boards of
> various educational nonprofits.Tanya will enrich the financial and
> accounting skills critical to the oversight of the Foundation and to her
> role as Chair of the Foundation’s Audit Committee, to which she was also
> elected today. Please join me in warming welcoming her in the Wikimedia
> movement. As Tanya joins us, we also see Kelly Battles and Alice Wiegand,
> two very valuable trustees, leave us as their terms of service come to a
> close. Both of them have been stellar trustees who helped the board and the
> Foundation grow and become a more robust organisation.Kelly and Alice, you
> have brought so much to the Foundation and to the movement, and it has been
> an immense pleasure serving with you. I can only hope, as has often been
> the case with other former trustees, our movement will be lucky enough we
> keep seeing both of you around and that you keep on bringing your
> experience, skills, and wisdom to all of us. As you might have noticed we
> still are one trustee short, with a total of nine. We are currently
> searching for a tenth Trustee, with a technology and platform background;
> you can read the profile here on Commons
>  Recruiting_Candidate_Packet_May_2018.pdf>.
> Today the Board also voted to appoint María Sefidari as Chair and
> Christophe Henner as Vice Chair. After serving as Chair for two terms, I
> decided to step down and support María as Chair, hopefully as effectively
> as she served me and the organization when she was my Vice Chair. María and
> I both have a long history of involvement in the Wikimedia community, and
> prior to coming to the Foundation, held leadership roles in local Wikimedia
> organizations.In addition, the Board re-elected Nataliia Tymkiv as Chair of
> the Board Governance Committee, supported by BGC members James Heilman and
> Dariusz Jemielniak, and alternates Raju Narisetti and María. We also
> elected Raju as Chair of the Human Resources Committee, with members María
> and Dariusz.  Finally, as noted, we elected Tanya Capuano as Chair of the
> Audit Committee, with Christophe and Raju as members and María and Jimmy as
> alternates.  More about Christophe, María, and the Committee Chairs are
> below. I hope you will join me in congratulating them on their new
> positions and wish them success in their terms ahead.On a more personal
> note, I would like to thank everyone for the last two years. This is not
> farewell, but the last two years have been a roller coaster and I am proud
> I had the chance to serve as Chair and helped us building up the future of
> the movement. We have achieved a lot in the last 24 months, and the best is
> yet to come!ChristopheAbout Tanya CapuanoTanya Pine Capuano most recently
> was the chief financial officer (CFO) of the data-driven marketing company
> G5 in Bend, Oregon. Originally from San Jose, California, she has
> wide-ranging experience including strategy and financial planning and
> analysis in technology. In addition to her recent role at G5, she has also
> worked for Hewlett-Packard and Intuit.She has also supported numerous
> education initiatives throughout her career; including serving on the
> boards of Education Pioneers, Los Altos Educational Foundation, and “I Have
> a Dream” Foundation San Francisco, an organization whose San Francisco
> chapter she co-founded.She is very involved with Stanford University alumni
> life, having earned a bachelor's in economics, a master's in education, and
> a master of business administration from the university. After graduating,
> she worked as the university’s Director of Alumni Relations and Development
> Director for the Initiative on Improving K-12 Education. She has also
> served on the board of the Stanford University Graduate School of
> Business.Tanya lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two
> children. They enjoy traveling as a family and outdoor sports.About María
> SefidariMaría Sefidari Huici is a professor in the Digital Communications,
> Culture and Citizenship Master's degree program of Rey Juan Carlos
> University at the MediaLab-Prado.Born in Madrid, Spain, where she still
> lives today, María 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Curating YOUR Wikipedia

2018-07-20 Thread Gerard Meijssen
Hoi,
I have no problem adding information to Wikidata. At the moment they are
districts of Ghana and I am adding new items, adding missing information
like what it is an instance of. I will eventually add the information to
several African Wikipedias, the information will be available as Listeria
boxes. Consequently this information will be easy to adopt.

I totally agree that a bigger community involved in any subject may make a
difference. One great example where we make that difference, where it is
acknowledged that there is an issue is the gender gap. I can make a
difference improving the coverage of Africa but it only makes a difference
when this data is used. Hence, copying the listeria lists to other,
particularly African language Wikipedias and pointing out the extend
information about a subject like African are problematic on ANY Wikipedia.
There is no project big enough or its support for Africa is easily seen as
insufficient.

The community that I seek is not only Engish, French or German. It is first
and foremost Swahili, Xhosa, Igbo, Yoruba and and and... We lack coverage
of any and all subjects that are about Africa. We lack a public both
editing and reading in Africa. We do not have infrastructure in Africa that
makes Wikipedia zippy. We do not raise money in Africa, we do not spend
money in Africa. We need people like Shevon Silva (working on
administrative territorial entities). That work will enable an English
Wikipedia policy of always linking to the lowest level. It is really
important for the African Cinema group to start so that we can share what
they find. Developing Listeria lists is cheap, easily transportable and it
will bring content to wherever it is welcome. I can do that, I can add
information to Wikidata improving lists like this [1] one at a time and so
can you.

The big elephant in the room is quality. When a subject is underdeveloped,
there are situational errors, systemic errors, errors by omission and
errors at entry. Check this query, compare the info from Wikidata with the
data at OpenStreetMap and be glad that we have such queries [2]. But a map
like this, a query like this, should fit in Listeria lists and articles, we
should enable data exploration much more. There is so much more than just
text that is too long to read, images, maps with interactive queries will
make it much more of .

The big elephant in the room is quality. We do not know the differences
between projects, we maintain that "our" Wikipedia is better, that the text
of the other is inconsistent EVEN THOUGH it talks about reforms that have
not been properly entered into the text. You can expect 6% error rate
because of manual entry. When I add Wikipedia data in Wikidata, I will
catch some errors and make some others.. the error rate is at least 6%. We
would catch these errors when we compare. We could do this but we don't.

The big elephant in the room is quality. This is true for the Internet, it
is why a Facebook and Youtube point to us. We could and should do 6% better
for their readers, for our readers. We should do this for Africa. Because I
do not know the capital cities of Africa and so do you. Facts like these we
want to find in Wikipedia and we do not know he capital cities of the
administrative territorial entities because I did not put them there and
many of these places have no article.
Thanks,
GerardM




[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:GerardM/Subprefectures_of_Guinea
[2]
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Request_a_query#Third-level_administrative_country_subdivision


On 16 July 2018 at 12:56, Alessandro Marchetti  wrote:

> Hi.
>
> You said that you find an area where there is a problem. I found another
> one too, taxonomy, and in this case I am quite sure it won't be solved for
> a while even without better diagnostic tools. Yet I am optimistic on the
> long term. I have also found areas where problems were similar to yours,
> and they were solved. Like the examples of ancient Greece items. In that
> case you need enough people that knows ancient Greek, possibly, and those
> can be rare to find as well.
>
> For one thing you notice, there are other ones other people noticed. But
> they also see them improving, we have examples.
>
> As far I can say from my experience, the main issue, if the discrepancies
> were not structural (that is: in the sources), was not having a super tool.
> In the end, it was about understanding the sources. Tools help, they are
> cool, is nice to show them, but you need human resources. For all these
> possible gaps I can notice, my strategy is to look for people.
>
> Sometimes I ask to improve tools based specifically on what these people,
> the newbies of wikidata, want, not what the "expert users" want. I don't
> say these people know what is best but they kinda feel what is necessary,
> especially what is necessary to integrate more users with specific
> necessary knowledge in the workflow.
>
> So my core advice remain the same: 

[Wikimedia-l] Timeless Newsletter

2018-07-20 Thread Isarra Yos

Hey all,

For anyone not familiar, the Timeless skin has been available as an 
option on Wikimedia wikis since november or so, and development of the 
skin is now being funded by a Project Grant. If you're interested in 
receiving updates about this, I've created a newsletter which should be 
going out monthly.


You can sign up for the newsletter here: 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Timeless/Newsletter
Or read the first issue: 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Timeless/Newsletter/1


Timeless: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Skin:Timeless?useskin=timeless
The grant now funding this: 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Isarra/Timeless:_Post-deployment_support


Thank you to everyone for your interest and support thus far, and making 
all of this possible!


-Isarra

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Movement Strategy: First round of Working Group members

2018-07-20 Thread David Cuenca Tudela
 Dear Kaarel & Nicole,

It saddens me that in the selection of candidates our digital projects are
not directly represented.
Where is the representation of volunteers from our digital communities like
Commons, Wikidata, Wikisource, Wiktionary...? It is not the same to have
members that work in those communities, that to have members chosen by
those communities.
I acknowledge that it is difficult to bridge the gap between digital
communities and real-life ones, but if some effort is not made the only
possible outcome is even more alienation. I hope that the Working Groups do
not repeat the errors of WMFR outlined in the governance review by having
discussions away from the volunteer community.

You say that "the Working Groups don't yet have the level of diversity that
represents the movement", but you don't mention *which* diversity aspect is
lacking. Is diversity only considered as region, gender, race,
organization, "new voices"? Or can we have a more inclusive definition of
diversity by considering also "diversity of thought"? How can we get to
know what the participants think of their assigned area?

Also with so many "exceptional applications" that you said you have
received, it is unclear to me why volunteers represent only 30% of the
total (40% staff members, 30% board members). Isn't the wikimedia movement
a volunteer-based movement? If so, why to give so much weight to staff
members?

Cheers,
Micru


On Fri, Jul 20, 2018 at 10:12 AM Nicole Ebber 
wrote:

> Dear Wikimedians,
>
> Thanks to everyone who applied to participate in a Working Group and
> for your interest and engagement in the process! We received a lot of
> exceptional applications and we are excited to announce the first
> round of selected members for our nine Working Groups. You can find
> all names on the respective Working Group pages on Meta.[1]
>
> Even though we received many exceptional applications, the Working
> Groups don't yet have the level of diversity that represents the
> movement and brings in new voices. This means we will increase our
> outreach efforts and accept additional applications.
>
> We will use Wikimania to reach out existing contacts from previous
> processes, and will identify more connectors and multipliers to get
> their expertise and support. This also means that the first task for
> the selected members is to map the gaps and increase the diversity of
> their Working Groups in consultation with the Core Team. After that,
> we will also start bringing in external expertise to the groups.
>
> == Wikimania Strategy Space ==
> At Wikimania, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Core Team will be
> hosting Strategy Sessions, and a Strategy Bar, to provide an update,
> seek your feedback, harvest your expertise, and respond to all
> questions as the Movement Strategy advances. Please check the detailed
> schedule on-wiki.[2] All are welcome at these sessions, and we look
> forward to seeing many of you.
>
> Following Wikimania, we will provide an update on progress to date, as
> well as information on the process and timelines for collectively
> advancing the Movement Strategy. We are thankful for your ongoing
> contribution to the Movement Strategy process and look forward to
> hearing from you during future consultations.
>
> In the name of the Core Team
> Kaarel & Nicole
>
>
> [1]
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Working_Groups#Thematic_areas
> [2] https://wikimania2018.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_2030
>
>
> --
> Nicole Ebber
> Adviser International Relations
> Program Manager Wikimedia Movement Strategy
> Wikimedia Deutschland e.V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin
> http://wikimedia.de
>
> Wikimedia Deutschland - Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e.
> V. Eingetragen im Vereinsregister des Amtsgerichts
> Berlin-Charlottenburg unter der Nummer 23855 B. Als gemeinnützig
> anerkannt durch das Finanzamt für Körperschaften I Berlin,
> Steuernummer 27/029/42207.
>
> ___
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] [PRESS RELEASE] Wikimedia Foundation and Kiwix partner to grow offline access to Wikipedia

2018-07-20 Thread James Heilman
Agree amazing news. Offline is key for much of the world.

We are developing and distributing "Internet-in-a-Boxes" to help compensate
somewhat for the pull back from zero rating.

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Internet-in-a-Box

James

On Fri, Jul 20, 2018 at 4:27 AM Lucas Teles  wrote:

> Those are excellent news!
>
> I wonder if there are any plans on working on less rich countries. They
> usually have less internet access and would benefit from that.
>
> Wikipedia Zero has just expired in Angola and I can’t imagine a best way to
> replace that source of knowledge withou having to deal with the negative
> side of it.
>
> Concerning the many users from Angola that reached out to me complaining
> about the end of Wikipedia Zero in Angola, giving them access to Kiwix will
> be of enormous help.
>
> Teles
>
> Em qui, 19 de jul de 2018 às 19:16, Samantha Lien 
> escreveu:
>
> > This press release is also available on the Wikimedia blog here:
> >
> https://blog.wikimedia.org/2018/07/18/wikimedia-foundation-and-kiwix-partner-to-grow-offline-access-to-wikipedia/Wikimedia
> > Foundation and Kiwix partner to grow offline access to Wikipedia
> > *The Wikimedia Foundation and Switzerland-based Kiwix announce a global
> > collaboration to increase offline access to Wikipedia and the Wikimedia
> > projects.*
> >
> > Lausanne, Switzerland, and San Francisco, USA, 18 July 2018 – The
> > Wikimedia Foundation has announced a partnership with Kiwix, the free and
> > open-source software solution that enables offline access to educational
> > content, to expand and improve access to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia
> > projects globally. This partnership will include a $275,000 contribution
> to
> > Kiwix to further enhance offline access to Wikipedia in parts of the
> world
> > where consistent, affordable internet connectivity presents a significant
> > barrier to accessing Wikipedia.
> >
> > “Our hope is that one day everyone will have access to the internet, and
> > eliminate the need for other offline methods of access to information.”
> > said Kiwix CEO Stephane Coillet-Matillon. “But we know that there are
> still
> > serious gaps in internet access globally that require solutions today.
> > Kiwix is a tool to start fixing things right now.”
> > The Wikimedia Foundation and Kiwix have had a long-standing collaborative
> > relationship to expand access to Wikipedia around the world. This
> includes
> > recent support to Kiwix and WikiProject Medicine to improve the
> > availability of offline Wikipedia medical content [1], as well as
> > improvements to the Kiwix desktop experience.
> >
> > Through this partnership, the two organizations will collaborate to
> create
> > a long-term strategy for third party reuse of Kiwix’s free access
> platform,
> > fix longstanding code debt, improve Kiwix’s usability across mobile
> > platforms including Android, and integrate Kiwix’s and the Wikimedia
> > Foundation’s technical operations more closely for improved Wikipedia
> > offline experiences.
> >
> > “As part of the 2030 direction for Wikimedia’s future [2], we’re thrilled
> > to be partnering with Kiwix to invest in solutions to address one of the
> > critical barriers to participating in Wikipedia globally: reliable
> internet
> > access,” said Anne Gomez, Senior Program Manager at the Wikimedia
> > Foundation. “We have made a commitment as an organization to actively
> > address the challenges and barriers to reaching our global Wikimedia
> > vision: a world in which everyone can freely share in knowledge. Today
> > marks an important step toward realizing that commitment.”
> >
> > The Wikimedia vision is global: a world in which everyone can freely
> share
> > in the sum of all knowledge. While there has been a significant reduction
> > in high mobile data costs and other barriers to participating in
> Wikipedia,
> > more than half the world’s population is not yet online. [3]
> >
> > Today, Kiwix sits at the heart of the offline ecosystem with more than 3
> > million users from more than 200 countries. It can store millions of
> > Wikipedia articles from any of Wikipedia’s nearly 300 languages along
> with
> > thousands of books and videos on a single flash drive or microSD card for
> > access on smartphones and computers. Kiwix has also worked with
> nonprofits
> > such as the Orange Foundation, Human Rights Foundation, Internet in a
> Box,
> > WikiFundi, and Digisoft to scale distribution of offline education
> > materials around the world to students, teachers, and the general public.
> >
> > More information about the Wikimedia Foundation’s work to expand access
> > and participation to Wikipedia globally, including information about this
> > partnership with Kiwix, can be found in the Wikimedia Foundation’s
> > 2018-2019 annual plan. [4]
> >
> >
> >
> > About the Wikimedia Foundation
> >
> > The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit organization that supports and
> > operates Wikipedia and its sister free 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Israel joins the nationwide strike to protest the exclusion of gay couples the right to become parents

2018-07-20 Thread Shlomi Fish
Hi Itzik,

On Fri, 20 Jul 2018 10:57:12 +0300
Itzik - Wikimedia Israel  wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> A few days ago, the Israeli parliament, with the support of Israeli Prime
> Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, blocked a legal change on that would have
> given the LGBT community the right to become parents. The new law denies
> state-supported surrogacy to LGBT couples and single men.
> 
> In response, Israel’s LGBT Task Force called publicly for a strike on
> Sunday, "The LGBT community is calling upon you, the LGBT and community
> supporters, to join us in a one-day nationwide strike on Sunday, July 22,
> Tisha Be’av".
> 

I do not oppose the LGBT movement, but please explain how an official support
of that falls under the global Wikimedia project's mission, and does not
dilute our policy of avoiding having a stance on issues that are unrelated to
it?

Regards,

Shlomi

> During the last few days, a huge list of big companies and organizations in
> Israel *publicized *their support and joined the strike by allowing their
> employees to take a paid day off work to join the nationwide protest.
> 
> This morning, the board of Wikimedia Israel, alongside with other
> organizations joined this call and published this announcement:
> https://www.facebook.com/WikimediaIL/posts/1716487061739276
> https://twitter.com/WikimediaIL/status/1020214512392302592
> 
> 
> *"Wikimedia Israel supports the just struggle for full equality, led by the
> Israeli LGTBQ community.*
> 
> *Equality to every woman and man, regardless of gender, sexual preference,
> religion, origin, or disability is a central value in the international
> Wikimedia Movement. *
> 
> *The current outcry for the right for parenthood, indiscriminate medical
> treatment, and protection against violent statements by public figures
> against the LGTBQ community, is a part of the grand and continuous struggle
> for full rights and legitimacy to the Israeli LGTBQ community, and we
> support them in their struggle."*
> 
> 
> 
> *Itzik Edri*
> Chairperson
> it...@wikimedia.org.il
> +972-54-5878078
> ___
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> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and
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-- 
-
Shlomi Fish   http://www.shlomifish.org/
Optimising Code for Speed - http://shlom.in/optimise

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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Israel joins the nationwide strike to protest the exclusion of gay couples the right to become parents

2018-07-20 Thread
Congratulations to the Wikimedia Israel board for taking positive
action for equality.

Fae
--
fae...@gmail.com https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fae
Wikimedia LGBT+ User Group https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_LGBT+

On Fri, 20 Jul 2018 at 08:57, Itzik - Wikimedia Israel
 wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> A few days ago, the Israeli parliament, with the support of Israeli Prime
> Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, blocked a legal change on that would have
> given the LGBT community the right to become parents. The new law denies
> state-supported surrogacy to LGBT couples and single men.
>
> In response, Israel’s LGBT Task Force called publicly for a strike on
> Sunday, "The LGBT community is calling upon you, the LGBT and community
> supporters, to join us in a one-day nationwide strike on Sunday, July 22,
> Tisha Be’av".
>
> During the last few days, a huge list of big companies and organizations in
> Israel *publicized *their support and joined the strike by allowing their
> employees to take a paid day off work to join the nationwide protest.
>
> This morning, the board of Wikimedia Israel, alongside with other
> organizations joined this call and published this announcement:
> https://www.facebook.com/WikimediaIL/posts/1716487061739276
> https://twitter.com/WikimediaIL/status/1020214512392302592
> 
>
> *"Wikimedia Israel supports the just struggle for full equality, led by the
> Israeli LGTBQ community.*
>
> *Equality to every woman and man, regardless of gender, sexual preference,
> religion, origin, or disability is a central value in the international
> Wikimedia Movement. *
>
> *The current outcry for the right for parenthood, indiscriminate medical
> treatment, and protection against violent statements by public figures
> against the LGTBQ community, is a part of the grand and continuous struggle
> for full rights and legitimacy to the Israeli LGTBQ community, and we
> support them in their struggle."*
>
>
>
> *Itzik Edri*
> Chairperson
> it...@wikimedia.org.il
> +972-54-5878078
> ___
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> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and 
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
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> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, 
> 

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[Wikimedia-l] Movement Strategy: First round of Working Group members

2018-07-20 Thread Nicole Ebber
Dear Wikimedians,

Thanks to everyone who applied to participate in a Working Group and
for your interest and engagement in the process! We received a lot of
exceptional applications and we are excited to announce the first
round of selected members for our nine Working Groups. You can find
all names on the respective Working Group pages on Meta.[1]

Even though we received many exceptional applications, the Working
Groups don't yet have the level of diversity that represents the
movement and brings in new voices. This means we will increase our
outreach efforts and accept additional applications.

We will use Wikimania to reach out existing contacts from previous
processes, and will identify more connectors and multipliers to get
their expertise and support. This also means that the first task for
the selected members is to map the gaps and increase the diversity of
their Working Groups in consultation with the Core Team. After that,
we will also start bringing in external expertise to the groups.

== Wikimania Strategy Space ==
At Wikimania, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Core Team will be
hosting Strategy Sessions, and a Strategy Bar, to provide an update,
seek your feedback, harvest your expertise, and respond to all
questions as the Movement Strategy advances. Please check the detailed
schedule on-wiki.[2] All are welcome at these sessions, and we look
forward to seeing many of you.

Following Wikimania, we will provide an update on progress to date, as
well as information on the process and timelines for collectively
advancing the Movement Strategy. We are thankful for your ongoing
contribution to the Movement Strategy process and look forward to
hearing from you during future consultations.

In the name of the Core Team
Kaarel & Nicole


[1] 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Working_Groups#Thematic_areas
[2] https://wikimania2018.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_2030


-- 
Nicole Ebber
Adviser International Relations
Program Manager Wikimedia Movement Strategy
Wikimedia Deutschland e.V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin
http://wikimedia.de

Wikimedia Deutschland - Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e.
V. Eingetragen im Vereinsregister des Amtsgerichts
Berlin-Charlottenburg unter der Nummer 23855 B. Als gemeinnützig
anerkannt durch das Finanzamt für Körperschaften I Berlin,
Steuernummer 27/029/42207.

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[Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Israel joins the nationwide strike to protest the exclusion of gay couples the right to become parents

2018-07-20 Thread Itzik - Wikimedia Israel
Hi,

A few days ago, the Israeli parliament, with the support of Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, blocked a legal change on that would have
given the LGBT community the right to become parents. The new law denies
state-supported surrogacy to LGBT couples and single men.

In response, Israel’s LGBT Task Force called publicly for a strike on
Sunday, "The LGBT community is calling upon you, the LGBT and community
supporters, to join us in a one-day nationwide strike on Sunday, July 22,
Tisha Be’av".

During the last few days, a huge list of big companies and organizations in
Israel *publicized *their support and joined the strike by allowing their
employees to take a paid day off work to join the nationwide protest.

This morning, the board of Wikimedia Israel, alongside with other
organizations joined this call and published this announcement:
https://www.facebook.com/WikimediaIL/posts/1716487061739276
https://twitter.com/WikimediaIL/status/1020214512392302592


*"Wikimedia Israel supports the just struggle for full equality, led by the
Israeli LGTBQ community.*

*Equality to every woman and man, regardless of gender, sexual preference,
religion, origin, or disability is a central value in the international
Wikimedia Movement. *

*The current outcry for the right for parenthood, indiscriminate medical
treatment, and protection against violent statements by public figures
against the LGTBQ community, is a part of the grand and continuous struggle
for full rights and legitimacy to the Israeli LGTBQ community, and we
support them in their struggle."*



*Itzik Edri*
Chairperson
it...@wikimedia.org.il
+972-54-5878078
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees appointments and officer positions 2018

2018-07-20 Thread Nurunnaby Hasive
Congratulations from Bangladesh.

Hasive
WMBD

On Fri, 20 Jul, 2018 at 4:52 AM, Lucas Teles  wrote:

> Congrats from Brazil.
>
> Hope for a community of editors and contributors as diverse as the Board
> already is.
>
> Teles
>
> Em qui, 19 de jul de 2018 às 12:34, Christophe Henner <
> chen...@wikimedia.org>
> escreveu:
>
> > And because I can't step down properly, a part of the email was missing,
> > here is the complete version
> >
> >
> >
> > *Hello everyone,*
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > *I am happy to make some announcements about the Wikimedia Foundation
> Board
> > of Trustees. As of today, Tanya Capuano has formally joined the Board.
> > Tanya is an experienced financial professional who has worked as a Vice
> > President of Finance for Intuit, and more recently as CFO for the
> software
> > firm G5. She is passionate about education, having served on the boards
> of
> > various educational nonprofits.Tanya will enrich the financial and
> > accounting skills critical to the oversight of the Foundation and to her
> > role as Chair of the Foundation’s Audit Committee, to which she was also
> > elected today. Please join me in warming welcoming her in the Wikimedia
> > movement. As Tanya joins us, we also see Kelly Battles and Alice Wiegand,
> > two very valuable trustees, leave us as their terms of service come to a
> > close. Both of them have been stellar trustees who helped the board and
> the
> > Foundation grow and become a more robust organisation.Kelly and Alice,
> you
> > have brought so much to the Foundation and to the movement, and it has
> been
> > an immense pleasure serving with you. I can only hope, as has often been
> > the case with other former trustees, our movement will be lucky enough we
> > keep seeing both of you around and that you keep on bringing your
> > experience, skills, and wisdom to all of us. As you might have noticed we
> > still are one trustee short, with a total of nine. We are currently
> > searching for a tenth Trustee, with a technology and platform background;
> > you can read the profile here on Commons
> > <
> >
> https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Board_Recruiting_Candidate_Packet_May_2018.pdf
> > >.
> > Today the Board also voted to appoint María Sefidari as Chair and
> > Christophe Henner as Vice Chair. After serving as Chair for two terms, I
> > decided to step down and support María as Chair, hopefully as effectively
> > as she served me and the organization when she was my Vice Chair. María
> and
> > I both have a long history of involvement in the Wikimedia community, and
> > prior to coming to the Foundation, held leadership roles in local
> Wikimedia
> > organizations.In addition, the Board re-elected Nataliia Tymkiv as Chair
> of
> > the Board Governance Committee, supported by BGC members James Heilman
> and
> > Dariusz Jemielniak, and alternates Raju Narisetti and María. We also
> > elected Raju as Chair of the Human Resources Committee, with members
> María
> > and Dariusz.  Finally, as noted, we elected Tanya Capuano as Chair of the
> > Audit Committee, with Christophe and Raju as members and María and Jimmy
> as
> > alternates.  More about Christophe, María, and the Committee Chairs are
> > below. I hope you will join me in congratulating them on their new
> > positions and wish them success in their terms ahead.On a more personal
> > note, I would like to thank everyone for the last two years. This is not
> > farewell, but the last two years have been a roller coaster and I am
> proud
> > I had the chance to serve as Chair and helped us building up the future
> of
> > the movement. We have achieved a lot in the last 24 months, and the best
> is
> > yet to come!ChristopheAbout Tanya CapuanoTanya Pine Capuano most recently
> > was the chief financial officer (CFO) of the data-driven marketing
> company
> > G5 in Bend, Oregon. Originally from San Jose, California, she has
> > wide-ranging experience including strategy and financial planning and
> > analysis in technology. In addition to her recent role at G5, she has
> also
> > worked for Hewlett-Packard and Intuit.She has also supported numerous
> > education initiatives throughout her career; including serving on the
> > boards of Education Pioneers, Los Altos Educational Foundation, and “I
> Have
> > a Dream” Foundation San Francisco, an organization whose San Francisco
> > chapter she co-founded.She is very involved with Stanford University
> alumni
> > life, having earned a bachelor's in economics, a master's in education,
> and
> > a master of business administration from the university. After
> graduating,
> > she worked as the university’s Director of Alumni Relations and
> Development
> > Director for the Initiative on Improving K-12 Education. She has also
> > served on the board of the Stanford University Graduate School of
> > Business.Tanya