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Featured content

A wide variety from the best

Map of the U.S. Highways in Michigan

This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from 3 to 16 July.
Text may be adapted from the respective articles and lists; see their page histories for attribution.

Featured articles

Male impala in the Serengeti
Front of the Old Pine Church
The Victoria Dam is one of the twenty hydroelectric power stations in Sri Lanka.
Pankaj Advani is the only sportsperson to have won the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna for two sports disciplines; billiards and snooker.

Seven featured articles were promoted these weeks.

  • Dr. No (nominated by SchroCat) is the sixth novel by the English author Ian Fleming to feature his British Secret Service agent James Bond. Fleming wrote the novel in early 1957 at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica. It was first published in the United Kingdom by Jonathan Cape on 31 March 1958. The novel centres on Bond's investigation into the disappearance in Jamaica of two fellow MI6 operatives. He establishes that they had been investigating Doctor No, a Chinese operator of a guano mine on the fictional Caribbean island of Crab Key. Bond travels to the island and meets Honeychile Rider and later Doctor No. The story was adapted in 1962 as the first film in the Bond series, with Sean Connery in the lead role.
  • The impala (nominated by Sainsf) (Aepyceros melampus) is a medium-sized antelope in eastern and southern Africa. The sole member of the genus Aepyceros, it was first described by German zoologist Martin Hinrich Carl Lichtenstein in 1812. Two subspecies are recognised, the common impala, and the black-faced impala. The impala reaches 70–92 centimetres (28–36 in) at the shoulder and weighs 40–76 kilograms (88–168 lb). It features a glossy, reddish-brown coat. The male's slender, lyre-shaped horns are 45–92 centimetres (18–36 in) long.
  • Old Pine Church (nominated by West Virginian) is a mid-19th century church near Purgitsville, West Virginia. It is among the earliest extant log churches in Hampshire County. The church is a large, one-story, gablefront log building sheathed in brown-painted wooden German siding. The original hewn log beams are visible beneath the church, with some bark remaining on the logs. The church's interior ceiling measures approximately 15 feet (4.6 m) in height and is clad in pressed metal panels. In the church's adjoining cemetery, the earliest extant gravestone dates from 1834, and several unmarked interment sites may exist from as early as 1759. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012, due to its "significant settlement-era rural religious architecture in the Potomac Highlands".
  • Agharta (nominated by Dan56) is a 1975 live double album by American jazz musician Miles Davis. After experimenting with different lineups, he established a stable live band in 1973 and toured constantly for the next two years. During a three-week tour of Japan in 1975, Davis performed two concerts at the Festival Hall in Osaka; the afternoon show produced Agharta and the evening show was released as Pangaea the following year.
  • The CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship (nominated by MPJ-DK) is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. As it is a professional wrestling championship, it is not won via legitimate competition; it is instead won via a scripted ending to a match or on occasion awarded to a wrestler because of a storyline. The official definition of the light heavyweight division in Mexico is between 92 and 97 kilograms (203 and 214 lb), but the weight limits are not always strictly adhered to. Because CMLL puts more emphasis on the lower weight classes, this division is considered more important than the heavyweight division, which is considered the most important championship by most promotions outside of Mexico. The current champion is La Máscara, who is in his first reign.
  • "The Man Trap" (nominated by Miyagawa) is the first episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. It aired on NBC in 1966. Set in the 23rd century, the series follows the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and his crew aboard the Starfleet starship USS Enterprise. In this episode, the crew visit an outpost to conduct medical exams on the residents, only to be attacked by a shapeshifting alien creature seeking to extract salt from their bodies. "The Man Trap" was written by George Clayton Johnson and directed by Marc Daniels. The episode placed first in the timeslot with a Nielsen rating of 25.2 percent for the first half-hour and 24.2 for the remainder. After broadcast, reviewers criticized the levels of violence but praised the acting. More recent appraisals have been mixed; praise has been given to the plot and diverse cast but Hollywood.com listed it as among the worst episodes of the series.
  • Milos Raonic (nominated by Saskoiler) (born 1990) is a Canadian professional tennis player. Raonic is the most successful Canadian singles player in history. He became the highest-ranked Canadian male tennis player ever in 2011, when he reached world No. 37. His career-high world No. 4 ranking is the highest by a Canadian man or woman. He is the first Canadian man in the Open Era to reach the Australian Open semifinals, the French Open quarterfinals, and the Wimbledon final. He has more ATP World Tour titles and finals appearances in the Open Era than all other Canadian men combined.

Featured lists

Five featured lists were promoted these weeks.

  • Sri Lanka's electricity demand is currently met by nine thermal power stations, fifteen large hydroelectric power stations, and fifteen wind farms (nominated by Rehman), with a smaller share from small hydro facilities and other renewables such as solar. Most hydroelectric and thermal/fossil fuel based power stations in the country are owned and/or operated by the government via the state-run Ceylon Electricity Board, while the renewable energy sector consists mostly of privately run plants operating with a power purchase agreement.
  • Following the trial of Charles I in 1649, 59 commissioners signed his death warrant. They, along with the several key associates and numerous court officials, were the subject of punishment following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 with the coronation of Charles II. Charles I's trial and execution had followed the English Civil War (1642–51) in which his supporters, Royalist "Cavaliers", were opposed by the Parliamentarian "Roundheads", led by Oliver Cromwell. There is no agreed definition of who is included in the list of regicides (nominated by SchroCat). The Indemnity and Oblivion Act did not use the term either as a definition of the act, or as a label for those involved. "Regicide" has never been specific crime in English law, and has never been defined in law. Historians have identified different groups of people as being suitable for the name, and some do not include the associates who also faced trial and punishment.
  • The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (nominated by Vivvt) is the highest sporting honour of India. The award is named after Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India who served the office from 1984 to 1989. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The recipients are selected by a committee constituted by the Ministry and is honoured for their "spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years" at international level. As of 2016, the award comprises a medallion, a certificate, and a cash prize of 7.5 lakh (US$9,000). As of 2015, there have been twenty-eight recipients from twelve sport disciplines.
  • The Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (nominated by Magiciandude) is an honor presented annually by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, the same organization that distributes the Latin Grammy Awards, to commend musicians who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording. Award recipients are honored during "Latin Grammy Week", a string of galas just prior to the annual Latin Grammy Awards ceremony.
  • Matt Damon (born 1970) is an American actor, producer and screenwriter. His filmography (nominated by Krimuk90) includes 72 films (including three television movies) and twelve television episodes. With box office receipts of over $2.9 billion in North America, Damon ranks among Hollywood's most commercially successful actors. Damon has featured as a guest star in the television shows Will & Grace (2002), Entourage (2009) and 30 Rock (2010–11), among others. A production company he formed in 2000 with Ben Affleck and Sean Bailey, named LivePlanet, produced Project Greenlight (2001–05, 2015), a television series that helps newcomers develop their first film. Damon has served as the executive producer of a number of projects directed by the winners of the show. In addition, he has narrated several documentaries, including The People Speak (2009) and Inside Job (2010).

Featured topics

One featured topic was promoted these weeks.

  • U.S. Highways in Michigan (nominated by Imzadi1979) are the segments of the national United States Numbered Highway System that are owned and maintained by the US state of Michigan, totaling about 2,300 miles (3,701 km). The longest of these is US Highway 23 at around 362 miles (583 km). On a national level, the standards and numbering for the system are handled by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, while the highways in Michigan are maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Featured pictures

Fourteen featured pictures were promoted these weeks.