As their name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat flying insects, especially bees and wasps, which are caught in the air by flights from an open perch.
This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from 13 November to 17 December. Text may be adapted from the respective articles and lists; see their page histories for attribution.
Aries(nominated by Magiciandude) is the ninth studio album by Mexican recording artist Luis Miguel. It was released by WEA Latina in 1993. After attaining commercial success in 1991 with his previous album, Romance, Miguel decided to return to a style similar to his earlier work, featuring pop ballads and dance numbers with R&B influences. The record was produced by Miguel, who was assisted by Kiko Cibrian, Rudy Pérez, David Foster, and Juan Luis Guerra. It peaked at number one on the US Billboard Latin Pop Albums, where it stayed for 19 weeks. Internationally, the album was certified triple platinum in Mexico, and was certified diamond in Argentina. Aries sold over two million copies worldwide through 2000. Upon its release, the album received mixed reviews from music critics; they were divided on the dance tunes and ballads, although Miguel's vocals and the album's arrangements garnered positive reactions. Miguel received several accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album.
Northampton War Memorial(nominated by HJ Mitchell) is a First World War memorial on Wood Hill in the centre of Northampton, the county town of Northamptonshire. Designed by architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, it is a Stone of Remembrance flanked by twin obelisks draped with painted stone flags standing in a small garden in what was once part of the churchyard of All Saints' Church. Today it is a Grade I listed building.
The 2015 Formula One season(nominated by Tvx1) was the 66th season of the Formula One World Championship, a motor racing championship for Formula One cars, recognised by the sport's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. Twenty-two drivers representing ten teams contested nineteen Grands Prix, starting in Australia and ending in Abu Dhabi as they competed for the World Drivers' and World Constructors' championships. Lewis Hamilton secured his third Drivers' Championship with three races left in the season. The runner-up was his teammate Nico Rosberg, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel third. Mercedes clinched the 2015 Constructors' title at the Russian Grand Prix, ahead of Ferrari and Williams, and ended the season with a record 703 points.
Giganotosaurus(nominated by FunkMonk) is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Argentina, during the early Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 99.6 to 97 million years ago. The holotype specimen was discovered in the Candeleros Formation of Patagonia in 1993, and is almost 70% complete. The animal was named G. carolinii in 1995; the genus name translates as "giant southern lizard" and the specific name honours the discoverer, Rubén D. Carolini. A dentary bone, a tooth and some tracks, discovered before the holotype, were later assigned to this animal. The genus attracted much interest and became part of a scientific debate about the maximum sizes of theropod dinosaurs.
First Tennessee Park(nominated by NatureBoyMD) is a minor league baseball park in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The home of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds of the Pacific Coast League, it opened in 2015, and can seat up to 10,000 people. It replaced the Sounds' former home, Herschel Greer Stadium, where the team played from its founding in 1978 until 2014. The design of the park incorporates Nashville's musical and baseball heritage and the use of imagery inspired by country music, Sulphur Dell, and Nashville's former baseball players and teams. The ballpark's wide concourse wraps entirely around the stadium and provides views of the field from every location. The greenway section connects with two other greenways in the city.
Turbinellus floccosus(nominated by Casliber) is a cantharelloid mushroom of the family Gomphaceae native to Asia and North America. The orange-capped vase- or trumpet-shaped fruiting bodies may reach 30 cm (12 in) high and 30 cm (12 in) wide. The lower surface, the hymenium, is covered in wrinkles and ridges, and is pale buff or yellowish to whitish. T. floccosus forms symbiotic relationships with various types of conifer, growing in coniferous woodlands. Though mild-tasting, they generally cause gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea when consumed.
Crucifix(nominated by Ceoil and Kafka Liz) is a wooden crucifix, painted in distemper, attributed to the Florentine painter and mosaicist Cimabue. The work was commissioned by the Franciscan friars of Santa Croce and is built from a complex arrangement of five main and eight ancillary timber boards. It is one the first Italian artworks to break from the late medieval Byzantine style and is renowned for its technical innovations and humanistic iconography. The work was in the Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence, since the late thirteenth century, and at the Museo dell'Opera Santa Croce since restoration following the flooding of Arno in 1966. It remains in poor condition despite conservation efforts.
Night of January 16th(nominated by RL0919) is a theatrical play by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, inspired by the death of the "Match King", Ivar Kreuger. Set in a courtroom during a murder trial, an unusual feature of the play is that members of the audience are chosen to play the jury. The court hears the case of Karen Andre, a former secretary and lover of businessman Bjorn Faulkner, of whose murder she is accused. The play does not directly portray the events leading to Faulkner's death; instead the jury must rely on character testimony to decide whether Andre is guilty. The play's ending depends on the verdict. Rand's intention was to dramatize a conflict between individualism and conformity, with the jury's verdict revealing which viewpoint they preferred.
SMS Mecklenburg(nominated by Parsecboy) was the fifth ship of the Wittelsbach class of pre-dreadnought battleships of the German Imperial Navy. Laid down in 1900 at the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin, she was finished in 1903. Mecklenburg was armed with a main battery of four 24 cm (9.4 in) guns and had a top speed of 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph). It spent the early period of her career in the I Squadron of the German fleet, participating in the peacetime routine of training cruises and exercises. After World War I began in 1914, the ship was mobilized with her sisters as the IV Battle Squadron. She saw limited duty in the Baltic Sea against Russian naval forces, and as a guard ship in the North Sea. The German High Command withdrew the ship from active service in 1916 due to a threat from submarines and naval mines, together with severe shortages in personnel. For the remainder of her career, Mecklenburg served as a prison ship and as a barracks ship based in Kiel. She was stricken from the navy list in 1920 and sold for scrapping the following year.
State Route 76(nominated by Rschen7754) is a 52.63 mi (84.70 km) long state highway in the U.S. state of California. It is a much used east–west route in the North County region of San Diego County. A route along the corridor has existed since the early 20th century, as has the bridge over the San Luis Rey River near Bonsall. The route was added to the state highway system in 1933, and was officially designated by the California State Legislature as SR 76 in the 1964 state highway renumbering.
Super Mario Galaxy(nominated by Jaguar) is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii worldwide in 2007. It is the third 3D game in the Super Mario series and the eighth main instalment overall. The game was re-released as a Nintendo Selects title in 2011, and as a download via the Wii U's eShop in 2015. The story revolves around the protagonist, Mario, who is on a quest to rescue Princess Peach whilst simultaneously saving the universe from Bowser. The levels in the game consist of galaxies filled with minor planets and worlds, with different variations of gravity, the central element of gameplay. It was a critical and commercial success, hailed as one of the greatest video games of all time. Critics praised the game's graphics, gravity mechanics, and setting.
Ike Altgens(nominated by ATS) (1919–1995) was an American photojournalist, photo editor, and field reporter for the Associated Press (AP) based in Dallas, Texas, who became known for his photographic work during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He was 19 when he began his AP career, which was interrupted by military service during World War II. When his service time ended, Altgens returned to Dallas and got married, then went back to work for the local AP bureau and eventually earned a position as a senior editor. Altgens appeared briefly as a film actor and model during his 40-year career with the AP, which ended in 1979. He spent his later years working in display advertising, and answering letters and other requests made by assassination researchers. Altgens and his wife died in 1995 at about the same time in their Dallas home.
After the Deluge(nominated by Iridescent) is a Symbolist oil painting by English artist George Frederic Watts, first exhibited as The Sun in an incomplete form in 1886 and completed in 1891. It shows a scene from the story of Noah's Flood, in which after 40 days of rain Noah opens the window of his Ark to see that the rain has stopped. Watts felt that modern society was in decline owing to a lack of moral values, and he often painted works on the topic of the Flood and its cleansing of the unworthy from the world. The painting takes the form of a stylised seascape, dominated by a bright sunburst breaking through clouds. Although this was a theme Watts had depicted previously in The Genius of Greek Poetry in 1878, After the Deluge took a radically different approach. With this painting he intended to evoke a monotheistic God in the act of creation, but avoid depicting the Creator directly.
Bradley Cooper(nominated by FrB.TG) (born 1975) is an American actor and producer. His career began with a guest role in the television series Sex and the City in 1999 and his film debut came two years later in Wet Hot American Summer. He first gained recognition as Will Tippin in the spy-action television show Alias (2001–2006), and achieved minor success with a supporting part in the comedy film Wedding Crashers (2005). His breakthrough role came in 2009 with The Hangover, a commercially successful comedy which spawned two sequels in 2011 and 2013. In 2011, Cooper was named International Man of the Year by GQ and Sexiest Man Alive by People. He is one of the highest-paid actors in the world, and has been nominated for several accolades, including four Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015.
The Pale Emperor(nominated by Homeostasis07) is the ninth studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released in 2015, through Marilyn Manson's Hell, etc. label, and was distributed in the US by Loma Vista Recordings and internationally by Cooking Vinyl. The album was released in standard and deluxe editions on CD and 2×LP vinyl, and as a limited edition box set. The standard version of the album contains ten tracks; the deluxe edition includes three acoustic versions as bonus tracks. The album was released to generally positive reviews from music critics. Several writers referred to it as the band's best album in over a decade, and multiple publications ranked it as one of the best albums of 2015. It was also a commercial success, debuting at number eight on the Billboard 200 with the band's highest opening week sales since Eat Me, Drink Me in 2007. It topped Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart, as well as the national albums chart in Switzerland, and peaked within the top ten in fifteen other countries.
Seri Rambai(nominated by Singora) is a 17th-century Dutch cannon displayed at Fort Cornwallis in George Town. It is the largest bronze gun in Malaysia, a fertility symbol and the subject of legends and prophecy.
Gottlob Berger(nominated by Peacemaker67) (1896–1975) was a senior German Nazi official who held the rank of SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS, and was the chief of the SS Main Office responsible for Schutzstaffel recruiting during World War II. He had a key role in the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories from mid-1942. In this role he proposed a plan to kidnap and enslave 50,000 Eastern European children between the ages of 10 and 14, under the codename Heuaktion, a plan that was subsequently carried out. He surrendered to U.S. troops near Berchtesgaden, and was promptly arrested. He was tried and convicted in the Ministries Trial of the U.S. Nuremberg Military Tribunals for war crimes, and was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment. His sentence was soon reduced to 10 years, and he was released after serving six and a half years.
Dick Cresswell(nominated by Ian Rose) (1920–2006) was an officer and pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He held command of No. 77 (Fighter) Squadron twice during World War II, and again during the Korean War. Cresswell was credited with being the first RAAF pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft at night over Australian soil, the only man to serve as commanding officer of an RAAF squadron on three occasions during wartime, and the first officer to lead a jet-equipped Australian squadron in combat. His performance in Korea earned him both the Commonwealth and the US Distinguished Flying Crosses.
The Montreal Laboratory(nominated by Hawkeye7) was established by the National Research Council of Canada during World War II to undertake nuclear research in collaboration with the United Kingdom, and to absorb some of the scientists and work of the Tube Alloys nuclear project in Britain. It became part of the Manhattan Project, and designed and built some of the world's first nuclear reactors.
The bee-eaters(nominated by Sabine's Sunbird and Jimfbleak) are a group of near-passerine birds in the family Meropidae containing three genera and 27 species. Most species are found in Africa and Asia, with a few in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies, and usually elongated central tail feathers. All have long down-turned bills and medium to long wings, which may be pointed or round. Male and female plumages are usually similar.
The Tahiti rail(nominated by FunkMonk) is an extinct species of rail that lived on Tahiti. It was first recorded during James Cook's second voyage around the world (1772–1775), on which it was illustrated by Georg Forster and described by Johann Reinhold Forster. The Tahiti rail was 9 in (23 cm) long, and its colouration was unusual for a rail. The Tahiti rail was supposedly flightless, and nested on the ground. It is said to have been seen in open areas, marshes, and in coconut plantations.
Love, Inc.(nominated by Aoba47) is an American television sitcom, created by Andrew Secunda, which originally aired for one season on United Paramount Network. The show revolves around five matchmakers working at a dating agency. Despite being set in New York, filming took place at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles and other locations in California. It was canceled following UPN's merger with the WB to launch the CW in 2006. Critical response to Love, Inc. was mixed: some critics praised its multi-ethnic cast, while others felt that the storylines and characters were unoriginal and Philipps' portrayal of her character as unsympathetic.
The Alabama Centennial half dollar(nominated by Wehwalt) was a commemorative fifty-cent coin struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1921 as a belated acknowledgement of the 100th anniversary of Alabama's admission to the Union in 1819. The coin was created by Laura Gardin Fraser, who became the first woman designer of a coin. To boost sales, a symbol, 2X2 (recognizing Alabama as the 22nd state) was included in the design for a minority of the coins; these are generally more expensive today.
Ipswich Town F.C. is an English association football club founded in 1878. In 2007, the club created a hall of fame(nominated by The Rambling Man) into which a number of personnel associated with the club are inducted every year. The inaugural members, Ray Crawford, Mick Mills, Ted Phillips and John Wark, were selected in 2007 by a ballot of former Ipswich players. As of 2016, forty-six people have been inducted into the hall of fame.
The Masters Tournament Par-3 contest(nominated by The Rambling Man) is a golf competition which precedes the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. The first Par-3 contest was held in 1960, and was won by three-time Masters champion Sam Snead. The contest takes place in a single round on a nine-hole, par-27 course in the northeast corner of Augusta National Grounds, which was designed in 1958 by George Cobb and club founder Clifford Roberts. Traditionally the golfers playing in the contest have invited family members onto the course to caddy for them, sometimes allowing them to play shots on their behalf. Numerous holes in one have been made during the history of the tournament, including nine in the 2016 tournament. No winner of the Par-3 contest has gone on to win the Masters in the same year.
Ravichandran Ashwin (born 1986) is a Test, One Day International and Twenty20 International cricketer who represents the India national cricket team. As of December 2016, Ashwin has taken 24 five-wicket hauls in international cricket(nominated by Vensatry); he ranks joint 13th in the all-time list, and joint third among his countrymen. He is one of only 45 bowlers who have taken 15 or more five-wicket hauls at international level in their cricketing careers.
Michael Fassbender (born 1977) is a German-Irish actor. His filmography(nominated by Cowlibob) includes thirty-two films, seven television films and thirty-six television episodes. He also voiced Logan in the 2010 video game Fable III.
A One Day International (ODI) is a 50 over cricket match between two representative teams, each having ODI status, as determined by the International Cricket Council (ICC). As of November 2016, 50 players have represented the Kenyan national team in ODIs(nominated by Yellow Dingo), since its debut in 1996. Thomas Odoyo and Steve Tikolo have played the most ODIs for Kenya with 131 each. Tikolo has scored the most runs with 3369 for the team, while Odoyo has taken the most wickets with 141.
Shannen Doherty (born 1971) is an American actress, producer, author, and television director. She has appeared in numerous television programs and motion pictures.(nominated by Aoba47) She has appeared in sixteen films (with currently four of them being in post-production), in forty-eight television films and numerous television episodes (being a series regular on seven television shows).
Rajinikanth (born 1950) is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He began his film career(nominated by Kailash29792 and Vensatry) by playing antagonistic and supporting roles before graduating to a lead actor. After starring in numerous commercially successful films throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he has continued to hold a matinée idol status in the popular culture of Tamil Nadu. Writing for Slate, Grady Hendrix called him the "biggest movie star you've probably never heard of." Rajinikanth has also worked in other Indian film industries such as Bollywood, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Bengali. As of 2016, he has appeared in over 150 films.
Maryland is a state located in the Southern United States. According to the 2010 United States Census, Maryland is the 19th most populous state with 5,773,785 inhabitants but the 9th smallest by land area spanning 9,707.24 sq mi (25,141.6 km2) of land. Maryland is divided into 23 counties and contains 157 incorporated municipalities(nominated by Mattximus) consisting of cities, towns, or villages. Incorporated municipalities cover only 4.4% of the state's land mass but are home to 26.2% of its population.
Cardiff City F.C., a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales, was founded in 1899. As of the end of the 2015–16 season, the club had spent 11 seasons in the top tier of English football, 47 in the second, 22 in the third and 5 in the fourth. This list(nominated by Kosack) details their achievements in first-team competitions, and records their top goalscorer, for each completed season since their first appearance in the English football pyramid as members of the Southern Football League in 1910–11. Due to the unavailability of complete statistics, seasons prior to 1910 in the amateur Welsh leagues are not included.
Essex is a county in the east of England. It has an area of 1,420 sq mi (3,700 km2), with a coastline of 400 mi (640 km), and a population of 1,393,600 according to the 2011 census. As of August 2016 there are forty-nine Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) in Essex(nominated by Dudley Miles). Nine are also Sites of Special Scientific Interest, three are also Scheduled Monuments and four are managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust. LNRs are designated by local authorities under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The local authority must have a legal control over the site, by owning or leasing it or having an agreement with the owner. LNRs are sites which have a special local interest either biologically or geologically, and local authorities have a duty to care for them. They can apply local bye-laws to manage and protect LNRs.
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