Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2013-10-23/Featured content

This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from October 13, 2013 through October 19, 2013.

Featured articles
Twelve featured articles were promoted this week.
 * U.S. Route 23 in Michigan (nom) by . The second-longest highway in the U.S. state of Michigan (and the nominator's sixth nomination from the top 10 longest Michigan highways), this route runs from near Lambertville in the south to Mackinaw City in the north, and measures at 362 miles long (583 km).
 * John Sherman (nom) by . Serving at various times as a United States Congressman, Senator, Secretary of the Treasury, and Secretary of State, Sherman was the younger brother of Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman and prominent Republican politician in his own right.  Sherman impacted legislation and regulation in a number of areas, from immigration to monetary policy, and most notably, the antitrust act that bears his name.
 * Cabbage (nom) by and .  This leafy green cruciferous vegetable has been cultivated by humans since at least 1000 BC, and by 2011 at least 69 million metric tons of cabbage were produced worldwide, half of which was grown in China.  Cabbage can be steamed, pickled, sautéed, braised, stewed, or eaten raw, but watch out for packages of shredded cabbage, which have been linked with various food-borne illness outbreaks.
 * Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (nom) by and .  In a United States Supreme Court decision that still torments law students in U.S. Constitutional Law classes today, the nine justices wrote a total of six opinions, with the judgment of the court being delivered by two blocs of four justices each joined in supporting various parts of Justice Lewis Powell's opinion, which held that educational institutions couldn't use specific racial quotas in the admission of students.  The whole mess wasn't sorted out until the Court's 2003 decision in Grutter v. Bollinger.
 * No. 36 Squadron RAAF (nom) by . No. 36 Squadron is a strategic transport squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force, and saw service in World War II, the Korean War, the Indonesia–Malaysia Konfrontasi, the Vietnam War, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  In 1958, No. 36 became the first non-US operator of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, but these days the unit operates Boeing C-17 Globemaster IIIs.  In 1989, No. 36 provided civilian air transport services during a particularly long airline pilots' dispute.
 * Great North of Scotland Railway (nom) by . The GNSR (or GNoSR) was a small Scottish railroad line that operated between 1845 and 1922, after which time it was subsumed by the London and North Eastern Railway due to the effects of the Railways Act 1921.  With a main line running from Aberdeen to Keith, the railway had a total of 333 1⁄2 miles (537 km) of track.  Despite initial difficulties and a period of financial troubles in the late 19th century, the railroad eventually expanded by the end of that century.
 * Deepika Padukone (nom) by and .  This Indian actress has made a name for herself in the Bollywood industry, in addition to having been a successful badminton player and fashion model.  Having made her debut in 2006's Aishwarya, Padukone has appeared in twenty-four Hindi films.  She is currently one of the highest paid actresses in Bollywood, and was at the top of 2008's "Hot 100" list by Indian Maxim.
 * Pinniped (nom) by and .  The members of this clade of "semiaquatic marine mammals" are known to most of the English-speaking lay world as "seals".   This name belies the diverse roster of extant and extinct species, of which there are at least 33 and 50, respectively.  Most pinnipeds inhabit the cold waters throughout the planet, and possess a layer of blubber, as well as full coats of fur (except for the walrus) to keep them warm.
 * 21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian) (nom) by and .  This unit was a mountain infantry division of the notorious Waffen-SS, and is best known for having participated in a number of brutal actions targeting Jews and Serb civilians in Yugoslavia.  Composed primarily of Muslim Albanians and led by ethnic German officers, the unit only saw combat during an anti-partisan campaign in Montenegro in the summer of 1944.  After the war, divisional commander August Schmidhuber was found guilty of war crimes and hanged in 1947.
 * Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryū (nom) by . The third article concerning the Japanese aircraft carriers that attacked Pearl Harbor to reach featured status, this vessel participated in the early stages of World War II before December 7, 1941, and after taking part in the surprise attack on the United States, Hiryū continued to fight in the Pacific and Indian Oceans before being scuttled after the Battle of Midway due to the severe damage it sustained.
 * 24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Karstjäger (nom) by . Another of the thirty-eight divisions fielded by the Waffen-SS, this unit consisted primarily of ethnic German troops from Yugoslavia and South Tyrol.  Notably, the unit participated in a rearguard action in the Alpine passes of Italy during 1945, permitting other German units to retreat in the face of an advance of British and New Zealand forces.
 * Little Tich (nom) by . The English comedian and dancer was active on the "music hall" scene of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Reaching only 4 feet 6 inches (137 cm), the performer made light of his short stature and other physical abnormalities in his act.  For a period of six years, he performed in his own musical theatre company.  Little Tich died in 1928, but his name would live on in the slang term "titchy", which is used to describe something as small.

Featured lists
Four featured lists were promoted this week.
 * List of nature reserves in Barnet (nom) by . The London Borough of Barnet has large areas of green space and farmland, some of which are under designations intended to protect them from inappropriate development. As well as 2,466 hectares (6,090 acres) hectares of green belt, Barnet has another 690 hectares (1,700 acres) of Metropolitan Open Land receiving such protection.
 * Mikhail Youzhny career statistics (nom) by . Mikhail Youzhny is a Russian professional tennis player who has won nine ATP singles titles, and nine ATP doubles titles in his career to date. Youzhny has reached the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slams, as of 2013 only 11 other active players have managed to do the same. He has reached a Grand Slam semifinal twice, both at the US Open, in 2006 and 2010.
 * List of National Natural Landmarks in Alaska (nom) by . Alaska has 16 of the almost 600 National Natural Landmarks in the United States. They cover areas of geological and biological importance, and include craters, volcanoes, glaciers, lakes, islands and habitats for several rare species. The first set of five designations was made in 1967, while the most recent were made when two new sites were designated in 1976.
 * Pakistan national cricket team record by opponent (nom) by . The Pakistan national cricket team represents Pakistan in international cricket and is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status. Pakistan first competed in international cricket in 1952. As of 2013, have played 375 Test matches, of which they have won 116 matches, lost 105 matches. The other 154 matches were drawn.

Featured pictures
Four featured pictures were promoted this week.
 * Pied Kingfisher (nom, related article) created by Вых Пыхманн and nominated by . This water kingfisher is found in Asia and Africa, and is the world's third most common kingfisher.  Researchers suggest that there is some degree of relation to the American green kingfisher, but the exact nature of that relationship is unknown.
 * Small Tortoiseshell (nom, related article) created by Jörg Hempel and nominated by . The Small Tortoiseshell is a butterfly found throughout Europe and Asia, although recent data indicates the species' population is declining.  The males of this species are one of the few sets of butterflies that display territorial behavior.
 * Coral outcrop on Flynn Reef (nom, related article) created and nominated by . Nominated by the creator due to it being "emblematic of the colour and diversity of reef corals", this featured picture depicts a small portion of the Great Barrier Reef near Cairns.  The photograph includes several of the 400 coral species inhabiting the reef.
 * Wah-ro-née-sah (The Surrounder), an Otoe chief (nom, related article) created by George Catlin and nominated by . This 1832 painting by Catlin, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the old west, was one of 500 paintings of similar subjects done by the painter.