Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2015-07-29/Featured content

This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from 12 July through 18 July. Text may be adapted from the respective articles and lists; see their page histories for attribution.

Featured articles


Featured articles were promoted this week.
 * Columbian mammoth (nominated by FunkMonk) The Columbian mammoth was native to the southern half of North America, evolving from the steppe mammoth about 1.5 million years ago. The last specimens appear to have died out about 11,000 years ago. The largest adult specimens stood 13 feet high and weighed about 10 tons; only bones and hair have been recovered from deposits so far. Examples of their dung and stomach contents have also been found- it's estimated that a full-grown mammoth consumed about 400 pounds of vegetation and tree bark a day, browsing in their preferred habitat of open parkland (groves of trees set in grassland). There is possible evidence of hunting by humans from about 22,000 years ago. Sites associated with the rise of the Clovis culture from about 15,000 years ago provide evidence of hunting with spears, butchering, and the utilisation of bones for tool-making. The Columbian mammoth may have become extinct through overkill and/or climate change – warmer temperatures allowed the replacement of parkland by forests impassable for mammoths, treeless grasslands, and deserts.
 * Frigatebird (nominated by Aa77zz and Casliber) Frigatebirds are tropical seabirds with black plumage, forked tails, and a wingspan up to 2.3 m, which allows them to float over the water for days on the wind currents. The males have a distinctive red gular pouch, which they inflate during the breeding season to attract females. Frigatebirds spend most of the day soaring in flight over the ocean, hunting for fish and squid. At night they sleep on trees or cliffs.
 * Hurricane Gonzalo (nominated by Juliancolton) Hurricane Gonzalo started as a tropical wave off the west coast of Africa at the beginning of October, 2014. Moving across the Atlantic against "hostile winds", this area of low atmospheric pressure encountered a Kelvin wave moving eastwards- showers and thunderstorms associated with the tropical wave became more concentrated. The wave then passed the "upper-level trough axis" that had been causing the hostile winds, and developed into a "small surface low pressure area" and then a tropical depression. This depression then became a category 4 hurricane, which passed over Bermuda twice. After causing extensive damage in the Caribbean, the remains of the storm hit Europe as a large storm system.
 * SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse (nominated by Parsecboy) SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was a German battleship, launched in 1899. She was of a pre-Dreadnought type, with four main guns of 9.4 inch calibre, and driven by three steam engines. This type, common to many navies, was rendered outgunned and obsolete when HMS Dreadnought arrived in 1906, with her ten 12-inch guns and more powerful steam turbines. Kaiser Wilhelm served until 1910, when she underwent a major refit and was placed in reserve. On the outbreak of war in 1914, she and her four sister ships were formed into a battle group to serve in the Baltic. Eventually, shortage of manpower led to her decommissioning in February 1915. She became a depot ship, and was sold for scrap in 1919.
 * The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold (nominated by Brianboulton) The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold is a semi-autobiographical novel by Evelyn Waugh, published in 1957. The protagonist is a successful novelist; enervated and insomniac he resorts to barbiturates and alcohol. Depressed by the oncoming winter, Pinfold embarks on a cruise. As he rests in his cabin he becomes aware of noises and voices somehow transmitted from other parts of the ship. The voices gradually become more distinct and threatening, assuming the identities of a BBC radio interviewer and two women. Waugh had himself suffered from harassing voices on board a cruise he took to Colombo in 1954; a doctor diagnosed him as suffering from the effects of a mixture of "chloral and bromide", washed down with crème de menthe. He'd been afflicted with writer's block and financial worries at home which had given him insomnia, and the boozy cocktail was self-medication. When paraldehyde was substituted for chloral, the delusions ceased, and Waugh was able to return to writing. Pinfold was written over the next two years.

Featured lists


Featured lists were promoted this week.
 * Angel Haze discography (nominated by Azealia911) Angel Haze is an American rapper and singer. They have released one studio album and a number of EPs, mixtapes and singles. Haze has been described as a "smart, striking and original lyricist" by the Guardian's head rock and pop critic, Alexis Petridis, employed by the only major newspaper to still employ a head rock critic.
 * List of Somerset County Cricket Club grounds (nominated by Harrias) Established in 1875, Somerset County Cricket Club has its "home ground" at the County Ground, Taunton, where the club has played first-class matches since 1882. Somerset have played as the home team on about eighteen other grounds, including three in Bristol and one in Devon. Clarence Park in Weston-super-Mare and the Recreation Ground in Bath (the home territory of Bath Rugby club) are regular venues.
 * List of The Boat Race results (nominated by The Rambling Man) The Boat Race is an annual side-by-side rowing competition between Oxford and Cambridge University's Boat Clubs. The race is held on the River Thames; the first one was in 1829 and from 1856 it's been an annual event, with interruptions for the two World Wars. Oxford were first represented in 1829 by students from Christ Church, whose colours were dark blue. Cambridge adopted light blue in the second race of 1836. "Blues" are now awarded to athletes of merit at many universities.
 * List of accolades received by Barfi! (nominated by Prashant!) Barfi! is an Indian film from 2012, with Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Ileana D'Cruz. It was both written and directed by Anurag Basu. The film was praised for its direction, the cast's performance, cinematography, screenplay, musical score, costume and production design. The film's protagonist, Murphy "Barfi" Johnson, is a deaf-mute scallywag, born to Nepali parents. It's a bitter-sweet film, as Barfi and his sweetheart Jhilmil die together in a hospital bed "not wanting to leave each other behind in life or death." Barf.
 * List of awards and nominations received by Taylor Swift (nominated by FrB.TG) Taylor Swift is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She has been nominated for 475 awards, of which she has received 220, many of which are in the country music sector.

Featured pictures
Featured pictures were promoted this week.
 * Atiśa (created by Unknown; nominated by Crisco 1492) Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna was a religious leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the founder of the Kadam School and was a major figure in spreading Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism in Asia in the 11th century. He was born to a royal family, in the capital of the ancient kingdoms of Southeast Bengal, in a city that was in those times a vivid center of the Buddhist academic and cultural life of the region. He has chosen to became a monk. He was a learned academic (it is said that he had more than 150 teachers) who had skills in the art of music, logic and philosophy. His teachings were spread by his followers.
 * Canadian dollar (created by Bank of Montreal; nominated by Godot13) The Canadian 10 Dollars from 1935, printed by the Bank of Montreal depicts Charles Blair Gordon (1867 – 1939), a Canadian banker, manufacturer and diplomat. He was appointed first as director and later became the president of the Bank of Montreal. He was the Acting Chairman (Canadian War Mission) to the United States of America in Washington. He was decorated with the Order of the British Empire, he was made Knight Commander of the British Empire and in 1918 was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the order.
 * Egg fruit and its cross section (created by Mydreamsparrow; nominated by Mydreamsparrow) The canistel, or yellow sapote, (Pouteria campechiana) is an evergreen tree with glossy orange-yellow fruits, native to warm climates, originating from Central America and Mexico. The edible and tasty fruits have a creamy texture with a flavour reminiscent of an egg custard. The fruits start to decay quickly at warm temperatures, so the sapote has low economic importance. However the fruit can be used for marmalade or made into flour.
 * One mohur and Double mohur (created by Calcutta Mint; nominated by Godot13) The 'Mohur' is a denomination of gold coin, introduced by Sher Shah Suri circa 1545, and later minted by the Moghul Empire, the British East India Company, and the British Crown. Last issued by the British in 1918, some princely states continued minting it until 1947. It was generally equivalent to fifteen silver rupees.
 * Kue gapit (created and nominated by Crisco 1492) Kue gapit is an Indonesian dry snack that comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, made from tapioca flour, grilled between iron molds, looking almost like waffles.  Kue gapit originates from West Java, and comes in several flavors like chocolate, sesame seed, cheese, ginger, prawn, and spicy durian.  The molds with waffle-like square patterns are the most common.
 * Convair X-6 (created by United States Air Force; nominated by Crisco 1492) This airplane is actually the Convair NB-36H, a conversion of a Convair B-36 Peacemaker bomber to demonstrate the feasibility of carrying a nuclear reactor. It was a flying testbed for the proposed nuclear-powered Convair X-6; the NB-36H wasn't powered by the onboard reactor, which just sat there, glowing quietly. The cockpit was lined with lead and rubber, as were the pilots' underpants.
 * My Man Jeeves (Uncredited creator; restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden) My Man Jeeves is a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. The cover of the first American edition is featured. Jeeves the butler, or the gentleman's personal gentleman, as he prefers to call himself, is Bertie Wooster's all-purpose problem solver. Wooster's general ineptitude leads him into scrapes from which Jeeves rescues him through machinations which often succeed in putting Bertie into an even bigger scrape. Despite Jeeves' deferential attitude to his employer, there is the sense that Jeeves is pulling the strings in Bertie's life.
 * Runway of Palm Springs International Airport (created by WPPilot; nominated by WPPilot) This view of the runway at Palm Springs was taken by WPPilot as he approached the airport at 125 miles per hour, with his Nikon D7100 SLR camera. The slight shading to either side is the blurred image of a four-bladed propeller belonging to his aircraft.
 * Guinea baboon with juvenile (created by William Warby; nominated by Bruce1ee) The Guinea baboon is native to areas of dry forests and savannah in western Africa, where it lives in troops of up to 200, foraging on the ground during the day, and sleeping at the ends of tree branches at night. It eats anything it can shove in its mouth, and thus has the ability to "occupy areas with few resources or harsh conditions." This pair of baboons was photographed in an animal park in Port Lympne.
 * William Tell Told Again (created by Philip Dadd; restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden) William Tell Told Again is the story of William Tell ... told again, text by P. G. Wodehouse and poetry by John W. Houghton. The cover of this book was drawn by illustrator and artist Philip Dadd. He came from an artistic family (an uncle and his maternal grandfather were both artists, and Kate Greenaway was his aunt) and worked for illustrated newspaper The Sphere as staff artist. He enlisted in the army as a private in December 1915. Dadd continued to work for The Sphere, contributing eye-witness sketches of life on the front line. He was killed in August 1916, ten days before his illustration of a soldier ringing a gas alarm bell appeared on the front cover. He was 36 years old.
 * Proclamation of the Republic (created by Benedito Calixto de Jesus; nominated by Tomer T) Proclamation of the Republic is a painting by Brazilian painter Benedito Calixto de Jesus (1853 –1927), who often painted historical scenes. On 15 November 1889, there was a "minor revolution" in Rio de Janeiro, when army officers arrested the prime minister, Afonso Celso, and declared a republic. Those few bystanders who witnessed this coup failed to recognise that a rebellion was happening. Emperor Dom Pedro II went quietly into exile with his family, and died two years later in Paris. He was held in great respect by the majority of Brazilians, especially those of African descent, for Dom Pedro had played a major role in the abolition of slavery. In 1921 his remains and those of his wife, Teresa Cristina, were returned to Brazil and buried with great ceremony in the Catedral de Petrópolis.
 * Sega Nomad (created by Evan-Amos; nominated by Crisco 1492) The Sega Nomad is a portable variation of the Sega Genesis handheld game console, introduced in 1995 and marketed exclusively in North America, with a regional lockout. The Nomad was a commercial failure; high initial price, short battery life and bad timing of the launch to market have been blamed for this. It sold about a million units.
 * Aida: Act IV Scene 2 (created by Philippe Chaperon; restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden) Aida is a popular opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, a sensation on its Cairo and Milan premières, and soon embraced at major opera houses throughout Italy and later the whole world. This painting shows the stage set for Aida's performance at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo by Philippe Marie Chaperon (1823–1907), a prominent French scenic designer. Chaperon painted a number of watercolours of theatrical and operatic subjects of which this is one, painted thirty years after the event.
 * The Annunciation, with Saint Emidius (created by Carlo Crivelli; nominated by Brandmeister) The Annunciation, with Saint Emidius is an altarpiece of 1482 showing the Annunciation. It was painted for an Italian church, by Carlo Crivelli (1430? –  1495), who was an Italian artist painting in a Late Gothic  and Renaissance style. The painting is full of exquisitely painted household objects, such as pillows and flowerpots, and also objects that symbolise religious concepts, like the flask of pure water, symbol of virginity, the cucumber symbolising the promise of resurrection and the peacock that symbolises  immortality. An expensive and luxuriant carpet is on the balcony. The archangel Gabriel is depicted together with Saint Emidius, who was a very particular saint, according to legend. When Emidius was martyred he picked up his head and walked to the spot where he wished to be buried. A church was later built on the site. Emidius is the patron saint of Ascoli Piceno, and of protection against earthquakes (place a statue of him at your bedside- the head will fall off and wake you up if there is an earthquake). The painting is today in the National Gallery of London.