" 
 ::Sadly, one can only defend the defensible. I'm sure if someone trawled through my edits they would find sentences and paragraphs with similarities to those in reference books - writing on narrow historical subjects with limited references that is inevitible. What is not inevitable and impossible to defend is manufacturing a huge volume of knowingly plagiarised ""work"" frequently submitted for awards and basking in the daily kudos. I shall make no comment on his behaviour when discovered. As you point out on Rlevse's page, I don't bear grudges, but neither will I ignore those who bring the project into huge disrepute - one has to be quite ruthless about that or Wikipedia is sunk. An Arb must surely  know the difference between original own writing and plagiarising, if he doesn't then God help the project. I have not one jot of public sympathy or compassion for him - it's as black and white as that, this is not an area where one can afford a generosity of spirit. Arbs have to set an example, if they don't they must go.  "