Featured content
Winter hath a beauty that is all his own
This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from 16 March 2014 to 23 March 2014.
Featured articles
Four articles were promoted to featured status this week.
- Fuck: Word Taboo and Protecting Our First Amendment Liberties (nominated by Cirt) This book by Ohio State University law professor Christopher M. Fairman was published in 2009. The book discusses the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and other issues relating to freedom of speech, the use of the word "fuck", censorship, and word taboo.
- Poetry of Maya Angelou (nominated by Christine (Figureskatingfan)) Noted African-American author Maya Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at the inauguration of United States President Bill Clinton in 1993. Angelou has been called "the black woman's poet laureate". She is better known for her autobiographies than her poems, although her first book of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
- Are You Experienced (nominated by GabeMc) The rock band the Jimi Hendrix Experience released this LP record album in 1967. It was recorded at five locations in London, England. The album peaked at number 2 on the U.K. album sales charts. Rueben Jackson of the Smithsonian Institution wrote: "it's still a landmark recording because it is of the rock, R&B, blues ... musical tradition. It altered the syntax of the music ... in a way I compare to James Joyce's Ulysses."
- Four Freedoms (Norman Rockwell) (nominated by TonyTheTiger) This series of four oil paintings by American artist Norman Rockwell includes Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want and Freedom from Fear. The paintings reference the January 1941 Four Freedoms State of the Union address by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt. For a time, reproductions of the four paintings were often found in public buildings such as post offices and railroad stations. The paintings are Rockwell's best-known works although they met with mixed critical reviews.
Featured lists
Two lists were promoted to featured status this week.
- Silver certificate (United States) (nominated by Godot13) Silver certificates are a kind of representative money. These notes were issued in the United States between 1878 and 1964. Denominations ranged from $1 to $1000. The notes have been obsolete since 1968 but are still valid legal tender. The article says that the notes "were produced in response to silver agitation by citizens who were angered by the Fourth Coinage Act, which had effectively placed the United States on a gold standard".
- List of songs recorded by Sophie Ellis-Bextor (nominated by Prism) Ellis-Bextor is an English recording artist. She has recorded songs for five studio albums including collaborations. She issued her first studio album in 2001. Her successful singles include "Mixed Up World", "I Won't Change You", "Young Blood" and "Runaway Daydreamer".
Featured pictures
Twelve pictures were promoted to featured status this week.
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- C-class Melbourne tram (created by David Iliff, nominated by Elekhh) Trams – trollies for our U.S. readers – are a type of light rail public transport common in many cities throughout the world. The C-class trams in Melbourne, Australia have low floors for passenger convenience, but have been criticised for swaying and causing driver injuries.
- Arecibo message (created by Norro, after the original by Frank Drake, Carl Sagan, et al., nominated by Alborzagros) The Arecibo message was sent into the heavens to commemorate the 1974 remodeling of the Arecibo radio telescope, it was, in fact, more of a proof of concept than any real attempt to contact aliens. The stars it was directed towards won't be there when the message arrives in twenty-five thousand years, and whether it could actually be interpreted is dubious.
- Pinctada margaritifera (created by Didier Descouens, nominated by Theparties) Pinctada margaritifera, or the black-lipped oyster, is a member of a genus noted for the mother-of-pearl lining the inside of its shell.
- Coronation of the Virgin (created by Diego Velázquez, nominated by Crisco 1492) Diego Velázquez was one of the most celebrated painters of the Spanish Golden Age. This painting shows the Holy Trinity crowning the Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven.
- Wiesen Viaduct (created by David Gubler, nominated by Armbrust) The Wiesen Viaduct in Switzerland is a limestone bridge spanning the Landwasser River.
- Bootes, Canes Venatici, Coma Berenices, and Quadrans Muralis (created by Sidney Hall and Richard Rouse Bloxam, after Alexander Jamieson, restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden) This plate, from Urania's Mirror (1825) probably shows most clearly the copying of Alexander Jamieson. Compare this plate from A Celestial Atlas. Sometimes, even plagiarized works are quite notable: Urania's Mirror may have borrowed illustrations, but it innovated in having holes punched in the cards, allowing them to be held up to a light to see a representation of the stars.
- Pisces (ditto) Another Urania's Mirror illustration, this one shows the constellation Pisces, one of the thirteen constellations of the ecliptic. We'll hopefully be seeing more of those soon: Urania's Mirror is moving towards featured article, which means a complete set of illustrations is needed.
- Stockholm Central Station (created by Arild Vågen, nominated by Elekhh) The largest train station in Sweden, Stockholm Central Station was built in 1871, and has so many visitors that the heat produced by them is used to heat a nearby office building. This image is a beautiful shot of the station's interior.
- William Sidney Mount (created by Mathew B. Brady, restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden) An American genre painter and history painter, William Sidney Mount (1807–1868) is noted for his painting of scenes from what was then everyday life.
- Aularches miliaris (created and nominated by Chris Woodrich) With a variety of names including the coffee locust and the ghost grasshopper, Aularches miliaris is a colourful insect from South and Southeast Asia.
- Hoffmann's two-toed sloth (created by Goeff Gallice, nominated by Tomer T) Choloepus hoffmanni is a species of sloth found in the south part of Central America, and roughly the northwest of South America. Its claw-like hands are used to hold onto trees, where it eats its diet of leaves. As leaves are a poor source of energy, its metabolism is exceptionally slow for its size.
- Treaty of Waitangi (created by William Hobson, James Freeman, and James Busby (English version); Henry Williams and Edward Marsh Williams (Māori translation), nominated by Theparties) A foundational document of New Zealand, this agreement between the British and the āori promised them the rights of British subjects, as well as various other rights. Settlements related the treaty since the 1960s have formed part of the Māori Renaissance, which brought the Māori and their culture back to prominence, resulting in an artistic, cultural, and economic revival.
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The Coronation of the Virgin, by Diego Velázquez, is noted for being particularly naturalistic, particularly for a religious work from the Baroque period. -
The American artist William Sidney Mount was photographed in the early career of Mathew B. Brady, before his famous work in the American Civil War.
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