Featured content
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This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from 8 June through 14 June. Anything in quotation marks is taken from the respective articles and lists; see their page histories for attribution.
Featured articles
Five featured articles were promoted this week.
- Sesame Workshop (nominated by Christine (Figureskatingfan)) "Sesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop, is an American non-profit organization behind the production of several educational children's programs—including its first and best-known, Sesame Street—that have run on public broadcasting around the world." "Sesame Street premiered on PBS in the United States in November 1969, and the Workshop was formally incorporated shortly after, in 1970. Gerald S. Lesser and Edward L. Palmer were hired to conduct research for the show; they were responsible for developing a system of planning, production, and evaluation, and the interaction between television producers and educators, later called the "CTW model". They also hired a staff of producers and writers. After the initial success of Sesame Street, they began to plan for its continued survival, which included procuring additional sources of funding and creating other TV shows."
- Hurricane Kate (1985) (nominated by Hurricanehink and 12george1) "Hurricane Kate was the final in a series of tropical cyclones to impact the United States during 1985." "Kate originated from the interaction of an upper-level trough and tropical wave northeast of Puerto Rico on November 15. Though the system tracked erratically during the first hours of its existence, the intensification of a region of high pressure to the cyclone's north caused Kate to turn westward. A favorable atmospheric pattern allowed the newly developed system to intensify to hurricane intensity on November 16, and further to Category 2 intensity three days later. Kate made its first landfall on the northern coast of Cuba at this intensity prior to emerging as a slightly weaker storm during the evening hours of November 19. Once clear of land, it began to strengthen quickly, becoming a Category 3 and reaching its peak intensity of 120 mph (195 km/h) the following day. On November 21, a cold front moving across the Mississippi Valley resulted in a north and eventual northeast turn of the cyclone, and Kate came ashore near Mexico Beach, Florida, as a minimal Category 2 hurricane with winds of 100 mph (160 km/h). Gradual weakening ensued as the cyclone moved along the Southeast United States coastline, and Kate transitioned to an extratropical cyclone on November 23, a day after exiting the coastline of North Carolina."
- U.S. Route 31 in Michigan (nominated by Imzadi 1979) "US Highway 31 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Alabama to the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that runs from the Indiana–Michigan state line at Bertrand Township north to its terminus at Interstate 75 (I-75) south of Mackinaw City. Along its 356.5-mile-long (573.7 km) route, US 31 follows the Michigan section of the St. Joseph Valley Parkway as well as other freeways and divided highways northward to Ludington. North of there, the trunkline is a rural undivided highway through the Northern Michigan tourist destinations of Traverse City and Petoskey before terminating south of Mackinaw City. Along its route, US 31 has been dedicated in memory of a few different organizations, and sections of it carry the Lake Michigan Circle Tour (LMCT) moniker. Four bridges used by the highway have been recognized for their historic character as well."
- Pope Paul III and His Grandsons (nominated by Ceoil) Pope Paul III and His Grandsons "is an oil on canvas painting by Titian, housed in the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples. It was commissioned by the Farnese family and painted during Titian's visit to Rome between autumn 1545 and June 1546. It depicts the thorny relationship between Pope Paul III, born Alessandro Farnese, and two of his grandsons, Ottavio and Alessandro. Ottavio kneels to his left; Alessandro, wearing a cardinal's dress, stands behind him to his right. The painting explores the effects of ageing and the manoeuvring behind succession; Paul was at the time in his late seventies and operating within an uncertain political climate as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, came into ascendancy. Paul was not a religious man; he viewed the papacy as a means to consolidate his family's position. He appointed Alessandro as cardinal against accusations of nepotism, fathered a number of illegitimate children and spent large sums of church money collecting art and antiquities. Around 1545 Charles took political and military advantage, weakening Paul's hold on the papacy. Aware of the changing tides of influence, Titian abandoned the commission before completion, and for the next 100 years the painting languished unframed in a Farnese cellar."
- John Tyler (nominated by Designate and Wehwalt) "John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth President of the United States (1841–1845). He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig ticket with William Henry Harrison, and became president after his running mate's death in April 1841. Tyler's opposition to nationalism and emphatic support of states' rights endeared him to his fellow Virginians but alienated him from both major parties in Washington. A firm believer in manifest destiny, President Tyler sought to strengthen and preserve the Union through territorial expansion, most notably the annexation of the independent Republic of Texas in his last days in office."
Featured lists
Five featured lists were promoted this week.
- List of Eurasian nuthatch subspecies (nominated by Jimfbleak) "The Eurasian nuthatch (Sitta europaea) is a small passerine bird found throughout temperate Asia and in Europe. There are more than 20 subspecies, but the precise number depends on how small differences between populations are evaluated. This article follows the 2013 Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive treatment, which has more recognised forms than the 1996 Tits, Nuthatches and Treecreepers. Given the similarities between geographical forms of the Eurasian nuthatch, subspecies boundaries are somewhat fluid, although less than half as many are recognised now as in 1967."
- List of tallest dams in China (nominated by NortyNort) "Some of the world's tallest dams are located in China. Nearly 22,000 dams over 15 metres (49 ft) in height – about half the world's total – have been constructed since the 1950s. Many of the tallest are located in the southwestern part of the country (Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan) on rivers such as the Lancang (Mekong) River, the Yangtze River, its upper stretch (Jinsha River) and tributaries (Yalong, Dadu, Min and Wu). The Yellow River in the western part of the country is also impounded by several among the tallest. Purposes for these high structures include flood control, irrigation and predominantly, hydroelectric power. While beneficial, many throughout the country have been criticized for their effects on the environment, displacement of locals and effect on trans-boundary river flows. Currently, the country's and world's tallest, Jinping-I Dam, an arch dam at 305 metres (1,001 ft), is located in Sichuan. The tallest embankment dam in China is the 261 m (856 ft) Nuozhadu Dam in Yunnan. The country's highest gravity dam is Longtan Dam at 216.2 m (709 ft), which can be found in Guangxi. In Hubei is the world's tallest concrete-face rock-fill dam, Shuibuya Dam at 233 m (764 ft). In Sichuan, China is constructing the 312 m (1,024 ft) tall Shuangjiangkou Dam which, when complete, will become the world's tallest dam."
- List of awards and nominations received by Psych (nominated by Awardgive) "Psych is an American comedy-drama television series which was broadcast from 2006 until 2014. Created by Steve Franks, the series aired on USA Network for eight seasons with a total of one-hundred and twenty one episodes. Psych stars James Roday, Dulé Hill, Maggie Lawson, Timothy Omundson, Kirsten Nelson, and Corbin Bernsen, with Roday and Hill earning award nominations for their respective roles." "Starting from its 2006 debut, Psych received five awards, coming from the Independent Investigations Group, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, the People's Choice Awards and the Imagen Foundation. However, the series received nominations for several other awards, including four ALMA Awards, two Creative Arts Emmy Awards, eight Image Awards, one People's Choice Award, and one Satellite Award. In total, Psych received thirty-one award nominations in its eight-year tenure. The show has been recognized in terms of awards for its first episode, 'Pilot' its musical team; the series itself; and actor James Roday. Roday and Hill also lead in nominations, with nine."
- Shahrukh Khan filmography (nominated by Krimuk90) "Shahrukh Khan (also credited as Shah Rukh Khan) is an Indian actor, producer, playback singer, action director and television personality. Khan began his acting career on television by playing a soldier in the Doordarshan series Fauji (1988), a role that garnered him public recognition and led to starring roles in Aziz Mirza's television series Circus (1989–90) and Mani Kaul's miniseries Idiot (1991). He soon started receiving offers for film roles and had his first release with the romantic drama Deewana (1992), in which he played a supporting role alongside Rishi Kapoor and Divya Bharti. Khan subsequently played the antagonist of the 1993 thrillers Darr and Baazigar, box office hits that established his career in Bollywood."
- List of accolades received by American Hustle (nominated by Corvoe and Cowlibob) "American Hustle is a 2013 American crime comedy-drama film directed by David O. Russell. The screenplay, written by Eric Warren Singer and Russell, is based on the FBI ABSCAM operation of the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was filmed in Boston, Worcester, and New York City. It stars an ensemble cast of Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner and Jennifer Lawrence." It won a lot of awards, far too many to mention here - but, luckily, we have a list.
Featured pictures
Twenty-two featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Kota Kinabalu City Mosque (created by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, nominated by Chris Woodrich (Crisco 1492)) A gorgeous photograph of the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque in Malaysia, a recent (building began in 1989) but gorgeous structure, incorporating, besides the obvious religious aspects, a palliative care clinic and (in the surrounding lake, presumably) a fish farm.
- Five-dollar, ten-dollar, twenty-dollar, fifty-dollar, and one-hundred-dollar National Gold Bank Notes (created by American and Continental Banknote Companies, prepared and nominated by Godot13) The now-exceptionally-rare National Gold Bank Notes were issued by California banks between 1871 and 1883, and were redeemable in gold. This is a complete set of all known to still exist; $500 notes were issued, but are all believed destroyed, and $1000 notes were prepared, but never issued, and no record of them remains. As such, this is as complete of a set as is possible to achieve.
- 1899 Westward Ho! cover and frontispiece (created by Frederick Warne & Co., with the frontispiece by Walter Sydney Stacey; restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden) Westward Ho! is a historical novel by Charles Kingsley set in the Age of Exploration, around the time of the Spanish Armada, and dealing with the conflict between England and Spain.
- Nice tramway (created by Myrabella, nominated by Elekhh) A very, well, nice picture of the trams in Nice, France. This picture shows one unusual feature: To avoid overhead lines in the Place Masséna and Place Garibaldi, where they would be considered an eyesore, the trams have the ability to lower their pantograph and rely on their batteries in those parts of the city.
- Gas mask (created by Nikodem Nijaki, nominated by Tomer T) A Polish gas mask used in the 1960s and 1970s, beautifully photographed.
- Befreiungshalle at night (created by Richard Bartz, nominated by Tomer T) The Befreiungshalle in Bavaria, Germany is a monument commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria to celebrate the victory over Napoleon in the Wars of Liberation ("Befreiungskriege" in German, hence the name of the monument), and built between 1842 and 1863, with a design by Friedrich von Gärtner with modifications after his death by Leo von Klenze, who completed its construction.
- John Lorimer Worden (created by Mathew Brady, restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden) American Civil War Rear Admiral John Lorimer Worden was the commander of the Monitor, whose battle with the confederate ship Merrimack was the first battle between two ironclad ships.
- Miranda en La Carraca (created by Arturo Michelena, photographed and nominated by Wilfredo Rodríguez) This is a truly excellent reproduction of a painting, stitched together from seven separate photographs, giving a high-resolution, very sharp image. The image shows Francisco de Miranda, Venezuelan revolutionary, who attempted to gain independence for the Spanish colonies in the Americas. He failed, hence this picture of his imprisonment, but, within fourteen years of his death, others, such as Simón Bolivar had taken up the cause, and most of South America was free.
- Dustforce trailer (created by Hitbox Team, with music by Lifeformed;, nominated by Chris Woodrich (Crisco 1492)) A platform video game in which the player takes on the rôle of janitors, attempting to clean up a filthy world, Dustforce was widely praised for its clever, soothing design and being enjoyable despite its difficulty.
- Banyunibo (created and nominated by Chris Woodrich (Crisco 1492)) "Banyunibo, a 9th-century Buddhist temple located in Cepit, Sleman Regency, Indonesia. The temple is dated from the era of Medang Kingdom, and located on a narrow valley surrounded by paddy fields."
- Post-clitellum segment of an annelid (created and nominated by KDS444/KDS4444) A gorgeous diagram of the anatomy of a typical post-clitellum segment of an annelid.
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1902 (created by Thaddeus Mortimer Fowler, restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden) Thaddeus Mortimer Fowler was a largely-Pennsylvania-based cartographer and lithographer from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This map of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1902 replaced a hideous reproduction of the same map, now deleted.
- Starved Vietnamese man (created by U.S. Information Agency. Press and Publications Service, restored by by Chris Woodrich, and nominated by GamerPro64) A shocking depiction of just one month of starvation's effects on a person who, after being captured by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War, was intentionally starved.
- Christ Pantocrator (created and nominated by Godot13) Christ Pantocrator is a specific Orthodox Christian depiction of Jesus, usually seen on domes. In it, He has a "somewhat melancholy and stern aspect", has His right hand raised in blessing, and a book, representing the Gospels, in His left hand. This depiction is from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.
- Nave, Quire, and The Lady Chapel of Exeter Cathedral (created and nominated by David Iliff) A gorgeous set showing several notable architectural views from the interior of Exeter Cathedral. The cathedral was completed by about 1400, with some reconstruction work done after it was hit by a bomb in 1942, during World War II.
Featured portals
One featured portal was promoted this week.
- Portal:Literature (nominated by Sven Manguard) It's honestly a bit hard to describe a well-done portal, because a well-done portal is designed in such a way that one gets what one would expect based on the portal's name. And this is certainly a well-done portal, covering all varieties of literature from as much of the world as either featured articles or pictures allow.
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The effects of starvation on a Vietnamese man who had spent a single month in a Viet Cong prison, restored by Chris Woodrich. -
18 June 2014 (all comments)
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