Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2012-12-10/Featured content

This edition covers content promoted between 2 and 8 December 2012.



Featured articles
Eight featured articles were promoted this week:
 * Vidya Balan (nom) by Smarojit. Balan (b. 1978) is an Indian film actress who made her debut in the sitcom Hum Paanch in 1995, with her feature film debut following eight years later. At first fairly unsuccessful, beginning in 2009 she played the first of five consecutive roles which were well received. She initially drew criticism for her fluctuating weight and poor choice of clothing, but has since been credited for retaining her individuality and breaking stereotypes of a Hindi film heroine.
 * Operation Barras (nom) by HJ Mitchell. Operation Barras, a 2000 British Army operation, was an effort to rescue five British soldiers from a Sierra Leonean militia group after negotiations failed. One regiment attacked the militia's base at Gberi Bana, while elements of another provided a diversion. The operation rescued 26 persons, including the original five, and led to at least 26 deaths – mostly members of the militia. The success of this mission restored confidence in the British forces operating in Sierra Leone.
 * 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian) (nom) by Peacemaker67. The 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian) was a mountain infantry division of the Waffen-SS, the armed wing of the German Nazi Party in World War II. It was the first non-Germanic Waffen-SS division, reaching a maximum size of 17,000 men. It saw action between 1943 and 1945 in what is now Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and parts of Serbia.
 * Harold Larwood (nom) by Brianboulton. Larwood (1904–1995) was a professional cricketer who spent a fourteen-year career playing for Nottinghamshire and England. He was considered the finest bowler of his generation. His domestic career ended in 1938; his international career had ended five years previously owing to his involvement in the "bodyline" scandal. In the 1950s he emigrated to Australia, where he spent the rest of his life.
 * Banksia grossa (nom) by Casliber. Banksia grossa, commonly known as the coarse banksia, is a species of shrub endemic to Southwest Australia. It was first described in 1981 and is distinguished from the other thirteen species in its series by thick leaves and large seeds. The plant grows up to 1 m (3 ft) high, generally in sand or sand over laterite among heath. B. grossa is pollinated by insects and the white-tailed dunnart; its seeds germinate after disturbance, such as bushfires.
 * Terang Boelan (nom) by Crisco 1492. Terang Boelan is a 1937 film from the Dutch East Indies written by Saeroen and directed by Albert Balink. It stars Rd Mochtar and Roekiah as two lovers who elope after one is nearly forced to marry an opium smuggler. Released after a period of little activity in the local film industry, Terang Boelan was highly successful: it earned 200,000 straits dollars in Malaya and provided a catalytic effect on the domestic film industry's growth.
 * Mauritius Blue Pigeon (nom) by FunkMonk. The Mauritius Blue Pigeon (Alectroenas nitidissima) was a species of blue pigeon formerly endemic to the Mascarene island, near Madagascar. It was coloured similar to the Dutch flag: white hackles around the head, neck and breast, blue plumage on the body, and red on the tail and the bare parts of the head. First mentioned in the 17th century, the bird became extinct around the 1830s due to deforestation and predation.
 * Arthur Gilligan (nom) by Sarastro1. Gilligan (1894–1976) was an amateur English cricketer who captained the England cricket team in 1924 and 1925 before ultimately retiring in 1932, having played worse after a blow to the heart. He was known as a fast bowler and hard-hitting lower order batsman, but a poor strategist. During the mid-1920s he was a member of the British Fascists, but only a few years later suggested that the Indians take responsibility for their own cricket board.

Featured lists
Four featured lists were promoted this week:
 * List of aircraft operated by Scandinavian Airlines (nom) by Arsenikk. Scandinavian Airlines, the national airline of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, has operated 618 aircraft throughout its history. Most are from Douglas Aircraft Company and its successor McDonnell Douglas.
 * List of songs recorded by Adele (nom) by Calvin999. The English singer-songwriter Adele has recorded 36 songs during her six year career. Her first single as a solo singer was "Chasing Pavements", from her debut album 19.
 * List of Vancouver Whitecaps FC players (nom) by Nurmsook. The Canadian soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC has seen three goalkeepers and forty-two outfield players participate in games since it was established in 2011.
 * Bruno Mars discography (nom) by Status and Hahc21. The American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars has released one studio album, one extended play, twenty-one singles, and thirteen music videos during his three-year career. Another album is due in December 2012.

Featured pictures
Six featured pictures were promoted this week:
 * Tony Estanguet (nom; related article), created by Pavel.rycl and nominated by Tomer T. Estanguet (b. 1978) is a French slalom canoeist who competed between the mid-1990s and 2012. He has won three Olympic gold medals.
 * The Early Poems of Alfred, Lord Tennyson (Set of ten pictures; related article), created by William Edward Frank Britten, restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden. Britten (1848 or 1857–1916) was a British painter and illustrator who worked out of London. He illustrated numerous anthologies, including the one featured.
 * First Colored Senator and Representatives (nom; related article), created by Currier and Ives, restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden. African Americans began to be elected to the US Congress in 1870; several representatives were chosen during this same period.
 * Door to Hell (nom; related article), created by Tormod Sandtorv and nominated by Tomer T. The Door to Hell is a natural gas field in Turkmenistan which has been burning continuously since 1971, fed by the rich natural gas deposits in the area.
 * Pisa Baptistry (nom; related article), created by NotFromUtrecht and nominated by Tomer T. The Baptistry of St. John in Pisa, Italy. Construction began in 1152 and was completed in 1363. The structure is 54.86 m high.
 * Domesticated yak (nom; related article), created by Dennis Jarvis and nominated by Samsara. The yak is a long-haired bovine found throughout Central Asia and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. It has a large domesticated population.

Featured topics
One featured topic was promoted this week:
 * Armero tragedy (nom) by Ceranthor, with three articles. The Armero tragedy was the overrunning of the Colombian town of Armero by lahars from Nevado del Ruiz. The government did not warn the populace of the impending eruption.