Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2012-01-30/Featured content

Featured content soaring this week

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Featured articles

Eight featured articles were promoted this week:

"Halo" (Beyoncé Knowles song) (nom) by Jivesh boodhun and Tbhotch. "Halo", a song by American rhythm and blues artist Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album I Am... Sasha Fierce, is a power ballad that deals with a sublime love in its lyrics. Well received by critics, "Halo" – the fourth single from the album – won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 52nd Grammy Awards and reached the top five in Australia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the US; it topped the charts in Brazil, Norway and Slovakia.
Martha Layne Collins (nom) by Acdixon. American politician Martha Layne Collins—born in 1936 in Bagdad, Kentucky and a graduate of the University of Kentucky in the late 1950s—became a schoolteacher. Drawn into politics in 1971, she worked on several campaigns before serving as secretary of the Democratic Party of Kentucky in 1975 and as a clerk to the Kentucky Court of Appeals (later the Kentucky Supreme Court). In 1979, Collins was elected lieutenant governor under John Y. Brown, and as the first female governor of the state in 1983, serving until 1987. She is currently executive scholar in residence at Georgetown College.
Ray Farquharson (nom) by Nikkimaria. Canadian doctor and professor Ray Farquharson, born in 1897 in Claude, Ontario, enrolled at the University of Toronto's medical school before enlisting in the Canadian Field Artillery as a gunner; not sent to the front, he was recalled and finished his education in Canada. Marrying in 1931, Farquharson worked as a medical consultant and by 1934 was head of the therapeutics department at Toronto. After serving on several medical advisory boards during World War II, Farquharson and fellow researcher Arthur Squires discovered the endocrinological "Farquharson Phenomenon"; he went on to become a member of the National Research Council of Canada and to play a role in the establishment of the Medical Research Council of Canada. Farquharson died at age 68 after a heart attack
Hector Waller (nom) by Ian Rose. Australian naval officer Hector Waller, born in Benalla, Victoria in 1900, entered the Royal Australian Naval College at the age of 13 and served in the Royal Australian Navy at the tail end of World War I. Spending the post-war period specializing in communications, in 1937 he received command of HMS Brazen; this was followed by command of the "Scrap Iron Flotilla", including HMAS Stuart, in 1939. Two years later he was given command of HMAS Perth; he went down with the ship in the Sunda Strait on 1 March 1942. Now with a submarine named in his honour, in 2011 he came under formal consideration for the award of the Victoria Cross.
Charles Villiers Stanford (nom) by Tim riley. Irish composer, teacher and conductor Charles Villiers Stanford, born in Dublin in 1852, was appointed organist of Trinity College, Cambridge, while still an undergraduate. In 1882 he became one of the founders of the Royal College of Music, where he stayed as a teacher for the rest of his life and taught famous composers such as Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Seeing most of his success at the end of the 19th century with choral works for church performance, he was eclipsed in fame by Edward Elgar and his former pupils during the 20th century. Stanford died in 1924 in London from the aftereffects of a stroke.
The Monster (novella) (nom) by Yllosubmarine. The Monster is an 1898 novella by American author Stephen Crane. Published two years before its author's death, The Monster follows the trials and tribulations of African-American coachman Henry Johnson, who is disfigured when rescuing a white child from a fire, and the boy's father who protects him. Possibly based on an 1892 lynching in Port Jervis, on which the setting in Whilomville was based, the novella dealt with the paradoxical study of monstrosity and deformity and race and tolerance. Initially receiving mixed reviews, The Monster is now considered one of Crane's best works.
W. E. B. Du Bois (nom) by Noleander. American sociologist William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (right), born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts in 1868, was raised in a tolerant community and became the first African American to graduate with a doctorate from Harvard. After becoming a professor of history, sociology, and economics at Atlanta University, Du Bois was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909. An adamant peace and civil rights activist, he later rose to national prominence as the leader of the Niagara Movement and through his writings on the widespread racism in the US. He died in Ghana in 1963, having become a Ghanaian citizen after the US government refused to renew his passport while he was in Africa.
HMS Temeraire (1798) (nom) by Benea. The British 98-gun warship HMS Temeraire was built at the Chatham Dockyard and served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Mostly on blockade duty, she only fought in one fleet action at the Battle of Trafalgar; however, further depictions gave her the nickname "The Fighting Temeraire". In 1813 the Temeraire was converted into a prison ship and moored in the River Tamar, where she stayed until 1819. She served in various other capacities until being broken up in 1838, the depiction of which (right) was voted Britain's favourite painting in 2005.

Featured lists

Four featured lists were promoted this week:

List of papal elections (nom) by Savidan. Since mandatory elections were instated in 1059, 112 elections or conclaves for the office of the Pope, the most powerful office in Catholicism, have been held. Although the Catholic Church is headed in Rome, several elections have been held in other cities and towns.
Timeline of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season (nom) by TropicalAnalystwx13 and Yellow Evan. The 2002 Atlantic hurricane season produced 14 tropical depressions, which produced 12 tropical storms. Four of those tropical storms became hurricanes, half of which were major. Hurricane Lili was the strongest storm of the season; the other major storm was Hurricane Isidore.
List of Category 4 Pacific hurricanes (nom) by Hurricanefan25. At least 95 hurricanes (tracks pictured at right) in the northeastern Pacific basins have attained a Category 4 rating on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale, the second-highest classification. Of these, 22 have made landfall; only four of these made landfall while still Category 4 storms. The most recent Category 4 hurricane in the Pacific basin is 2011's Hurricane Kenneth.
Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year (nom) by Jaespinoza. The Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year, established in 2000, recognizes performers, producers, and audio engineers who produce new or mostly new Latin albums. Most nominees are Spanish-language, although Portuguese-language albums are also nominated and have won. Several albums that won this award also won a regular Grammy.

Featured portals

One featured portal was promoted this week:

History (nom) by Resident Mario. The discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events, history is a field of research which uses a narrative to objectively examine and analyse the sequence of events as well as their causes and effects. The portal features 22 selected biographies, 21 selected articles, 20 selected quotes, 19 selected pictures, 16 selected portals, 10 did you knows, and a transclusion of on this day.

Featured pictures

Eight featured pictures were promoted this week:

Lina Rafn at 2007 Danish DJ Awards (nom; related article) by Jepsen. Rafn (born 12 August 1976) is a Danish singer, songwriter and producer active with the band Infernal. Originally a professional dancer, she entered singing in 1997. Together with Infernal she has released four albums and is best known for the song "From Paris to Berlin".
Mark Satin counselling draft dodgers (nom; related article), created by Laura Jones and nominated by Babel41. The new featured picture (right) depicts American political theorist, author, and newsletter publisher Mark Satin (born 16 November 1946) counselling American draft dodgers. During the late 1960s, with the Vietnam War in full swing, Satin was hired as the director of the Anti-Draft Programme of the Student Union for Peace Action. After changing how the programme dealt with draft dodgers to be more receptive, Satin published the best-selling Manual for Draft-Age Immigrants to Canada, which provided further information to draft dodgers.
Red-necked Stint (nom; related article) by JJ Harrison. One of the smallest waders, the Red-necked Stint measures 13–17 cm (5.1–6.7 in) in length and weighs 21–51 g (0.74–1.8 oz). These migratory birds breed in eastern Siberia and Alaska, but spend their non-breeding season in South East Asia and Australasia as far south as Tasmania and New Zealand. They are classified Least Concern.
Shy Albatross in water (nom; related article) by JJ Harrison. The Shy Albatross is a sea bird endemic to Australia and New Zealand that averages 90–100 centimetres (35–39 in) in length; it is one of the largest of the small albatrosses. Classified as Near Threatened after being exploited for their feathers, the Shy Albatross currently has an estimated population of 26,000 breeding birds.
Buller's Albatross in flight (nom; related article) by JJ Harrison. Buller's Albatross (above) is a small mollymawk from the seas near Australia. Measuring an average of 79 cm (31 in), the bird was named for the New Zealand ornithologist Walter Buller. Formerly classified as Vulnerable, its status was downlisted to Near Threatened in 2008 after studies revealed greater numbers than previously thought.
Poster for Plan 9 from Outer Space (nom; related article), created by Tom Jung and nominated by Crisco 1492. Plan 9 from Outer Space, an American film directed by Ed Wood, follows earthlings fighting against alien-resurrected zombies (called "ghouls") in the film. Infamous for reusing footage of Bela Lugosi from unrelated films, poor special effects, and numerous continuity errors, the film is often cited by critics as the worst film ever made.
Parque del Este, Caracas (nom; related article) by Paolostefano1412. The Parque del Este in Caracas, Venezuela (below), was designed by Brazilian landscaper Roberto Burle Marx. It consists of three differently designed areas: an open grass field, a densely forested landscape, and a series of paved gardens. The new featured picture depicts the South Lake.
Rembrandt self-portrait (nom; related article), created by Rembrandt and nominated by Crisco 1492. Self Portrait with Beret and Turned-Up Collar, by Dutch artist Rembrandt, was painted in 1659 and is currently found in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Depicting "the stresses and strains of a life compounded of creative triumphs and personal and financial reverses", the painting continues to draw critical commentary and has been restored several times.

The new featured picture of the Parque del Este, in Caracas, Venezuela

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30 January 2012 (all comments)

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Personal preference - I don't like the panorama picture view. It seems to distort the image in an unpleasant way. MathewTownsend (talk) 01:56, 1 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
What stood out to me in the list of new featured articles were the nationality descriptors: American, American, Canadian, Australian, Irish, American, American, British. There were certainly some great topics among them, but they were conspicuously confined to the Anglosphere. —tk tk tk 04:22, 2 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
- en.WP is biassed towards the anglosphere. It could hardly be otherwise. The other WPs are similar, I think, although a brief survey would reveal more. Mathew, I asked for the "widescreen" view at the bottom to be reverted if anyone didn't like it. I guess this was fairly late in the process. Tony (talk) 13:26, 2 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  - That is a personal preference and may not be shared by others. MathewTownsend (talk) 15:52, 2 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  - It oughtn't be. Whereas with languages such as Finnish or Thai you can safely assume the reader will be Finnish or Thai or at least widely familiar with Finnish or Thai culture, you can make no such assumption with English or Spanish. 31.6% of readers of en.wiki come from places other than North America, the British Isles, or the Antipodes. ― A. di M. 11:56, 4 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Tktktk, as you say, the topics are various:

rhythm and blue pop song, Grammy Award winner (by African American Beyoncé Knowles)
first female governor of the American state of Kentucky
Canadian doctor and researcher
Australian naval officer, who went down with his ship
Irish composer, teacher and conductor, one of the founders of the Royal College of Music
1852 novella by American Stephen Crane
sociologist, first African American doctorate from Harvard, peace and civil rights activist
18th century British warship

You could say two women and six men (including Crane) were covered, or you could say two articles were on military topics and five were biographies, or that there were two African Americans covered vs six non African Americans, etc. Seems to me that nationality is only one variable in looking at diversity. MathewTownsend (talk) 15:52, 2 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Thank-you for parity in nationality descriptors. It is appreciated. Now if it could be equally applied to the rest of the project, which still sees the US as the default setting... 86.134.50.51 (talk) 15:56, 3 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
- A di M and Mathew Townsend: it was an observation, not an opinion. $Tony (talk)$ 13:37, 5 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

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