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  One of our latest featured pictures: Kitt Peak National Observatory by KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/T. Slovinský

As I write this, it's just before St. Patrick's Day, and I'm really hoping we publish soon, because otherwise this is going to get exceedingly long and make all my work to get it ready while feeling ill worthless. There's nineteen featured articles, and that's getting near the limits of readability. On the other hand, have to appreciate all the hard work.

Myself, I've not done that much this fortnight. I'm prone to ear infections, and, well, they've been pretty bad. Hell, due to a lot of personal issues – suffice to say my family has not been doing well – I don't even have my first featured picture of 2023 yet. Looks like my restoration of Li Fu Lee will be done soon, though.

Anyway, have a fair bit to get done, so will leave the introduction here and get to summarising all the articles, because I really don't want this one getting held back, forcing a longer issue.

Featured articles

Nineteen featured articles were promoted this period.

John C. Young (pastor), nominated by PCN02WPS

John Clarke Young (August 12, 1803 – June 23, 1857) was an American educator and pastor who was the fourth president of Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. A graduate of Dickinson College and Princeton Theological Seminary, he entered the ministry in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1828. He accepted the presidency of Centre College in 1830, holding the position until his death in 1857, making him the longest-serving president in the college's history. He is regarded as one of the college's best presidents, as he increased the endowment of the college more than five-fold during his term, and increased graduating class size from two students in his first year to forty-three in his final year. Young is the namesake of several facets of the college today, including Young Hall and the John C. Young Scholars Program. He was the father of William C. Young, who later became Centre's eighth president.

Death of Kevin Gately, nominated by SchroCat

Kevin Gately (18 September 1953 – 15 June 1974) was a student who died as the result of a head injury received in the Red Lion Square disorders in London; it is not known if the injury was caused deliberately or was accidental. He was not a member of any political organisation, and the march at Red Lion Square was his first. He was the first person to die in a public demonstration in Great Britain for at least 55 years. The article's rather unclear on whether he was part of the fascist march or the anti-fascist march, and really shouldn't be.

1920–21 Gillingham F.C. season, nominated by ChrisTheDude

During the 1920–21 English football season, Gillingham F.C. competed in the Football League for the first time. The team had previously played in Division One of the Southern League, but in 1920 the Football League added the Third Division to its existing set-up by absorbing the entire Southern League Division One. The club appointed Robert Brown as manager, but the arrangement turned out to be only a casual one and he accepted another job before the season started. Under his replacement, John McMillan, Gillingham's results were poor, including a spell of over three months without a league victory, and at the end of the season they finished bottom of the league table.

8th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Confederate), nominated by Hog Farm

The 8th Missouri Infantry Regiment, originally called the 7th Missouri Infantry Battalion or Mitchell's Missouri Infantry, was an infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It participated in a Confederate offensive at the Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7, and made several charges against the Union lines but was repeatedly repulsed by artillery fire. On July 23, 1863, the unit was officially named the 8th Missouri Infantry Regiment. Later that year, it was part of the abortive Confederate defense of Little Rock before retiring to Camp Bragg near Camden. In March 1864, the regiment was sent south into Louisiana to help defend against the Red River campaign. It was part of a failed attack at the Battle of Pleasant Hill on April 9. After the Union troops involved in the Red River campaign retreated, the 8th Missouri Infantry was sent back to Arkansas, where it pursued the retreating Union soldiers led by Major General Frederick Steele. The regiment took part in a failed attack against Steele on April 30 at the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry. For the remainder of 1864 and the first half of 1865, the unit was stationed at several points in Louisiana and Arkansas. The Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department surrendered on June 2, 1865, and the men of the 8th Missouri Infantry Regiment were paroled on June 7, ending the regiment's military service.

Edward I of England, nominated by Unlimitedlead

Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307) was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 to 1306, he ruled Gascony as Duke of Aquitaine in his capacity as a vassal of the French king. Edward spent much of his reign reforming royal administration and common law, but the King's attention was increasingly drawn toward military affairs. After suppressing a minor conflict in Wales in 1276–77, Edward responded to a second one in 1282–83 with its conquest. He then established English rule, built castles and towns in the countryside and settled them with English people. After the death of the heir to the Scottish throne, Edward was invited to arbitrate a succession dispute. He claimed feudal suzerainty over Scotland and invaded the country, and the ensuing First Scottish War of Independence continued after his death. Simultaneously, Edward found himself at war with France (a Scottish ally) after King Philip IV confiscated the Duchy of Gascony. The duchy was eventually recovered but the conflict relieved English military pressure against Scotland. By the mid-1290s, extensive military campaigns required high levels of taxation and this met with both lay and ecclesiastical opposition. When the King died in 1307, he left to his son Edward II a war with Scotland and other financial and political burdens. Modern historians are divided in their assessment of Edward; some have praised him for his contribution to the law and administration, but others have criticised his uncompromising attitude towards his nobility. Edward is credited with many accomplishments, including restoring royal authority after the reign of Henry III and establishing Parliament as a permanent institution, which allowed for a functional system for raising taxes and reforming the law through statutes. At the same time, he is also often condemned for his wars against Scotland and for expelling the Jews from England in 1290.

The Longing, nominated by The Night Watch

The Longing is a 2020 point-and-click adventure game created by independent developer Studio Seufz. Set in an underground kingdom, the player controls the Shade, a creature tasked with watching over a sleeping king for 400 days. The Shade performs recreational activities, including reading and exploring, as it waits out the 400 days in real time. The in-game timer continues regardless of the player's actions, but moves faster if the Shade performs certain actions inside its home, such as decorating the walls with drawings. Developer Anselm Pyta conceived of The Longing after hearing the Kyffhäuser legend while visiting the Barbarossa Cave.

Doc Savage (magazine), nominated by Mike Christie

Doc Savage was an American pulp magazine that was published from 1933 to 1949 by Street & Smith. It was launched as a follow-up to the success of The Shadow, a magazine Street & Smith had started in 1931, based around a single character. Doc Savage's lead character, Clark Savage, was a scientist and adventurer, rather than purely a detective. Lester Dent was hired to write the lead novels, almost all of which were published under the house name "Kenneth Robeson". A few dozen novels were ghost-written by other writers, hired either by Dent or by Street & Smith. The magazine was successful, but was shut down in 1949 as part of Street & Smith's decision to leave the pulp magazine field completely.

Logan (novel), nominated by Dugan Murphy

Logan, a Family History is a Gothic novel of historical fiction by American writer John Neal. Published anonymously in Baltimore in 1822, the book is inspired by the true story of Mingo leader Logan the Orator, but weaves a highly fictionalized story of interactions between Anglo-American colonists and Indigenous peoples on the western frontier of colonial Virginia. Set just before the Revolutionary War, it depicts the genocide of Native Americans as the heart of the American story and follows a long cast of characters connected to each other in a complex web of overlapping love interests, family relations, rape, and (sometimes incestuous) sexual activity.

Donkey Kong Land, nominated by TheJoebro64

Donkey Kong Land is a 1995 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It condenses the side-scrolling gameplay of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) game Donkey Kong Country (1994) for the handheld Game Boy with different level design and boss fights. The player controls the gorilla Donkey Kong and his nephew Diddy Kong as they defeat enemies and collect items across 30 levels to recover their stolen banana hoard from the crocodile King K. Rool.

Sayf al-Dawla, nominated by Cplakidas (a.k.a. Constantine)

ʿAlī ibn ʾAbū'l-Hayjāʾ ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ḥamdān ibn Ḥamdūn ibn al-Ḥārith ibn Lūqman ibn Rashīd ibn al-Mathnā ibn Rāfīʿ ibn al-Ḥārith ibn Ghatif ibn Miḥrāba ibn Ḥāritha ibn Mālik ibn ʿUbayd ibn ʿAdī ibn ʾUsāma ibn Mālik ibn Bakr ibn Ḥubayb ibn ʿAmr ibn Ghanm ibn Taghlib, more commonly known simply by his honorific of Sayf al-Dawla, was the founder of the Emirate of Aleppo, encompassing most of northern Syria and parts of the western Jazira. The most prominent member of the Hamdanid dynasty, Sayf al-Dawla originally served under his elder brother, Nasir al-Dawla, in the latter's attempts to establish his control over the weak Abbasid government in Baghdad during the early 940s CE. After the failure of these endeavours, the ambitious Sayf al-Dawla turned towards Syria, where he confronted the ambitions of the Ikhshidids of Egypt to control the province. After two wars with them, his authority over northern Syria, centred at Aleppo, and the western Jazira, centred at Mayyafariqin, was recognized by the Ikhshidids and the Abbasid caliph. A series of tribal rebellions plagued Sayf al-Dawla's realm until 955, but he overcame them and maintained the allegiance of the most important of the nomadic Arab Bedouin tribes. Sayf al-Dawla is well known for his role in the Arab–Byzantine wars, facing a resurgent Byzantine Empire that in the early 10th century had begun to advance into the Muslim-controlled territories on its eastern border. In this struggle against a much more numerous and well-resourced enemy, Sayf al-Dawla launched raids deep into Byzantine territory and scored a few successes, for which he was widely celebrated in the Muslim world. The Hamdanid ruler generally held the upper hand until 955. After that, the new Byzantine commander, Nikephoros Phokas, and his lieutenants spearheaded a sustained offensive that broke Hamdanid power. The Byzantines annexed Cilicia, and even occupied Aleppo itself briefly in 962. Sayf al-Dawla's final years were marked by military defeats, his own growing disability as a result of disease, and a decline in his authority that led to revolts by some of his closest lieutenants. He died in early 967, leaving a much weakened realm, which by 969 had lost Antioch and the Syrian littoral to the Byzantines and had become a Byzantine tributary.

Red-throated wryneck, nominated by Jimfbleak

The red-throated wryneck (Jynx ruficollis) is a species of wryneck in the woodpecker family closely related to the Eurasian wryneck. Its three subspecies are resident in much of sub-Saharan Africa in open habitats with some trees. It is a slim, elongated bird about 19 cm (7.5 in) in length, with a small head, fine bill, long fan-shaped tail and cryptic plumage intricately patterned in greys and browns. The sexes look similar, although males are slightly larger. The diet of the adults and young is almost entirely ants at all stages of their life cycles. The call of the red-throated wryneck is a series of repeated harsh, shrill notes. When threatened, a bird will twist its neck and head in a snake-like manner while making a hissing sound, presumably to deter predators.

Frilled lizard, nominated by LittleJerry

The frilled lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii) is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. It is native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea. This species is the only member of the genus Chlamydosaurus. Its common names come from the large frill around its neck, which usually stays folded against the lizard's body. It reaches 90 cm (35 in) from head to tail and can weigh 600 g (1.3 lb). Males are larger and more robust than females. It is generally grey, brown, orangish-brown, or black in colour. The frills have red, orange, yellow or white colours.

Angela Lansbury, nominated by Midnightblueowl

Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury DBE (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American actress and singer. In a career spanning over seventy years, she played various roles across film, stage, and television. Although based for much of her life in the United States, her work attracted international attention. Lansbury was born to an upper-middle-class family in Central London, the daughter of Irish actress Moyna Macgill and English politician Edgar Lansbury. To escape the Blitz, she moved to the United States in 1940, studying acting in New York City. Proceeding to Hollywood in 1942, she signed to MGM and obtained her first film roles, in Gaslight (1944), National Velvet (1944), and The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945). She appeared in 11 further MGM films, mostly in minor roles, and after her contract ended in 1952, she began to supplement her cinematic work with theatrical appearances. Lansbury was largely seen as a B-list star during this period, but her role in The Manchurian Candidate (1962) received widespread acclaim and is frequently ranked as one of her best performances. Moving into musical theatre, Lansbury gained stardom for playing the leading role in the Broadway musical Mame (1966), winning her first Tony Award and becoming a gay icon. Amidst difficulties in her personal life, Lansbury moved from California to Ireland's County Cork in 1970. She continued to make theatrical and cinematic appearances throughout that decade, including leading roles in the stage musicals Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, and The King and I, as well as in the Disney film Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). Moving into television in 1984, she achieved worldwide fame as the sleuth Jessica Fletcher in the American whodunit series Murder, She Wrote, which ran for twelve seasons until 1996, becoming one of the longest-running and most popular detective drama series in television history. Through Corymore Productions, a company that she co-owned with her husband Peter Shaw, Lansbury assumed ownership of the series and was its executive producer during its final four seasons. She also moved into voice work, contributing to animated films like Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Anastasia (1997). In the 21st century, she toured in several theatrical productions and appeared in family films such as Nanny McPhee (2005) and Mary Poppins Returns (2018).

Burnley F.C. in international football, nominated by Eem dik doun in toene

Burnley Football Club is an English professional association football club, founded in 1882. Burnley first played against foreign opposition – Scottish club Cowlairs – in 1885, and embarked on their first overseas tour in 1914, playing sides from the German Empire and Austria-Hungary. Further trips to foreign countries followed in the next decades. In 1955, UEFA launched the first officially sanctioned European club competition, the European Cup. Burnley won their second First Division title in 1959–60, qualifying for the 1960–61 European Cup. They eliminated French champions Stade de Reims in the first round before being sent out of the contest by West German champions Hamburger SV in the quarter-final. Burnley's next campaign in a European club competition came six years later, in the 1966–67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, where they were again eliminated by a West German side (Eintracht Frankfurt) in the quarter-final. In 2018, Burnley qualified for the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, reaching the play-off round. The side also competed in minor international football tournaments in the 1970s and early 1980s. Burnley participated in two editions of the Texaco Cup, a competition involving sides from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland that had not qualified for UEFA-sanctioned European competitions or the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. They reached the 1974 final but lost against Newcastle United after extra time. Burnley later competed in the Anglo-Scottish Cup – the Texaco Cup's successor – on five occasions and won the tournament in 1978–79, after they defeated Oldham Athletic 4–2 on aggregate in the final.

Battle of Utica (203 BC), nominated by Gog the Mild

The battle of Utica was fought in 203 BC between a Roman army commanded by Publius Cornelius Scipio and the allied armies of Carthage and Numidia, commanded by Hasdrubal Gisgo and Syphax respectively. The battle was part of the Second Punic War and resulted in a heavy defeat for Carthage.

In the wake of its defeat in the First Punic War (264–241 BC) Carthage expanded its territory in south-east Iberia (modern Spain and Portugal). When the Second Punic War broke out in 218 BC a Roman army landed in north-east Iberia. After a disastrous Roman setback in 210 BC Scipio took command and cleared the peninsular of Carthaginians in five years. He returned to Rome determined to carry the war to the Carthaginian homeland in North Africa. Appointed consul in 205 BC Scipio spent a year in Sicily training his army and accumulating supplies. In 204 BC the Romans landed near the Carthaginian port of Utica with four legions. The Romans defeated two large Carthaginian scouting parties, besieged Utica and set up a fortified camp.

The Carthaginians and their Numidian allies each set up their own camps about 11 kilometres (7 mi) from the Romans but close to each other. The Romans were outnumbered and so avoided battle; the Carthaginians were wary of Scipio's skill as a field commander and content to wait for reinforcements. During this pause, Syphax offered to act as an intermediary to broker a peace, and the three parties entered into a long series of negotiations. With his delegations Scipio sent junior officers disguised as slaves to report back on the layout and construction of the Numidian camp, as well as the size and composition of the Numidian army. As the weather improved Scipio made conspicuous preparations to assault Utica. Instead, he marched his army out late one evening and divided it in two. One part launched a night attack on the Numidian camp, setting fire to their barracks which were made from reeds. In the ensuing panic and confusion the Numidians were dispersed with heavy casualties. Not realising what was happening, many Carthaginians set off in the dark to help extinguish what they assumed was an accidental blaze in their allies' camp. Scipio attacked them with the remaining Romans, stormed their camp and set fire to many of the Carthaginians' wooden huts. Again the Romans inflicted heavy casualties in the dark.

Hasdrubal fled 40 kilometres (25 mi) to Carthage with 2,500 survivors, pursued by Scipio. Syphax escaped with a few cavalry and regrouped 11 kilometres (7 mi) away. Over the following year the Carthaginians raised two more armies and each was defeated by Scipio, at the Great Plains and Zama. Carthage sued for peace and accepted a humiliating treaty, ending the war.

Battle of Winwick, nominated by Gog the Mild

The Battle of Winwick (also known as the Battle of Red Bank) was fought on 19 August 1648 near the Lancashire village of Winwick between part of a Royalist army under Lieutenant General William Baillie and a Parliamentarian army commanded by Lieutenant General Oliver Cromwell. The Royalists were defeated with all of those who took part in the fighting, their army's entire infantry force, either killed or captured. The Royalist mounted component fled but surrendered five days after the battle. Winwick was the last battle of the Second English Civil War.

Glycerius, nominated by Iazyges

Glycerius (fl. 470s) was Roman emperor of the West from 473 to 474. He served as comes domesticorumcode: lat promoted to code: la (commander of the palace guard) during the reign of Olybrius (r. 472), until Olybrius died in November 472. After a four-month interregnum, Glycerius was proclaimed as emperor in March 473 by Gundobad, the magister militumcode: lat promoted to code: la (master of soldiers) and power behind the throne. Very few of the events of his reign are known other than that an attempted invasion of Italy by the Visigoths was repelled by local commanders, diverting them to Gaul. Glycerius also prevented an invasion by the Ostrogoths through diplomacy, including a gift of 2,000 solidicode: lat promoted to code: la . Glycerius was not recognized by the Eastern Roman emperor Leo I (r. 457–474), who instead nominated Julius Nepos (r. 474–475/480) as Western Emperor and sent him with an army to invade the Western Empire. Glycerius was without allies because Gundobad had abandoned him, and therefore was forced to abdicate on 24 June 474, and was succeeded by Nepos. He was appointed Bishop of Salona, which position he held until his death, possibly in 480. A nearly contemporaneous source blames him for the assassination of Nepos, but the records for this event are muddled.

New Amsterdam Theatre, nominated by Epicgenius

The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the first Broadway venues to open in the Times Square neighborhood, the New Amsterdam was built from 1902 to 1903 to designs by Herts & Tallant. The theater is operated by Disney Theatrical Productions and has 1,702 seats across three levels. Both the Beaux-Arts exterior and the Art Nouveau interior of the building are New York City landmarks, and the building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Widows of Culloden, nominated by Premeditated Chaos

The Widows of Culloden (Scottish Gaelic: Bantraich de cuil lodair) is the twenty-eighth collection of the British designer Alexander McQueen, made for the Autumn/Winter 2006 season of his eponymous fashion house. Widows was inspired by his Scottish ancestry and is regarded as one of his most autobiographical collections. Widows makes extensive use of the McQueen family tartan and traditional gamekeeper's tweeds, as well as other elements taken from Highland dress. Historical elements reflected the fashion of the late Victorian era and the 1950s. The collection's runway show was staged on 3 March 2006 during Paris Fashion Week. It was dedicated to Isabella Blow, McQueen's friend and muse. The show marked a return to theatricality for McQueen, whose shows in the preceding two seasons had been comparatively conventional. Widows was presented on a square stage with a glass pyramid at its centre. Fifty-one ensembles were presented across roughly three phases, ending with a Pepper's ghost illusion of English model Kate Moss projected within the glass pyramid. Critical response was positive, especially towards McQueen's tailoring and the collection's balance of artistry and commercial practicality.

Featured pictures

Twelve featured pictures were promoted this period, including the ones at the top and bottom of this article.

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  C/2022 E3 (ZTF) by Edu INAF, photographer: Alessandro Bianconi
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  Lasiocampa quercus caterpillar by Ivar Leidus
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  Synthesis of the thyroid hormones by Mikael Häggström
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  Campanula cervicaria by Ivar Leidus
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  Wild strawberry by Reinhold Möller
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  Alicudi by Carsten Steger
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  Don Lemon by Fuzheado
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  Ptychochromis insolitus by H. Zell
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  La Laguna Cathedral by Diego Delso
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  The Wine Glass by Johannes Vermeer

Featured lists

Eight featured lists were promoted this period.

List of Saxifragales families, nominated by Dank

Saxifragales is an order of 15 families of flowering plants. It belongs to the superrosids, a group of around 150 related families, including the rose family. The order includes fruit-bearing shrubs, woody vines, succulents, aquatics, and many ornamental trees and garden plants, including stonecrops, currants, peonies, and witch-hazel.

74th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, nominated by RunningTiger123

The 74th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards honored the best in artistic and technical achievement in American prime time television programming from June 1, 2021, until May 31, 2022, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. A total of 99 Creative Arts Emmys were presented across 93 categories. Adele One Night Only, The Beatles: Get Back, Euphoria, Stranger Things, and The White Lotus each received five awards, leading all programs. Euphoria also tied with Succession for the most nominations, with each receiving 13. Overall program awards went to Adele One Night Only, Arcane, The Beatles: Get Back, Carpool Karaoke: The Series, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Presents: Once Upon a Time in Late Night, George Carlin's American Dream, Love, Death & Robots, Love on the Spectrum U.S., The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show, Queer Eye, Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, and When Claude Got Shot. HBO and HBO Max led all networks with a combined 26 wins from 93 nominations.

50th Anniversary of the Republic Sculptures, nominated by Gazozlu

The 50th Anniversary of the Republic Sculptures are 20 sculptures erected in Istanbul that were created by selected Turkish sculptors to mark the 50th anniversary of the Turkish Republic. The sculptures were erected in various parks and squares in Istanbul in around 1973. Many of them were damaged, destroyed, lost, stolen and sold for scrap, or moved, and only a handful remain today. It was difficult for Turkish sculptors to get their works seen in the years between 1950 and 1960; what sculptors needed was for their sculptures to be displayed in public spaces. Until 1973, there were very few public sculptures in Turkey, other than monuments. In May 1972, the Committee for the 50th Anniversary of the Republic Celebrations gathered at the headquarters of the Governor of Istanbul. It initially planned to commission 50 sculptures to mark the anniversary; however, due to limited funds the number was reduced to 20. On 13 September 1973, the sketches and photographs sent by the 20 selected artists were approved by the board members of the committee. The initiative was a turning point for Turkish sculpture.

List of cities founded by Alexander the Great, nominated by AirshipJungleman29

Alexander the Great (July 356 BC – June 323 BC), a king of ancient Macedon, created one of the largest empires in history by waging an extensive military campaign throughout Asia. Alexander founded numerous settlements during his campaigns, naming them after himself or close followers. These have been the subject of intense debate, as the accounts of ancient and medieval scholars differ wildly and are often contradictory. Plutarch provides the maximum estimate of seventy cities in his Life of Alexander, but most texts attest to between ten and twenty foundations.

List of Hot R&B Sides number ones of 1960 and List of Hot R&B Sides number ones of 1961, nominated by ChrisTheDude

Another of our series on the Billboard record charts, featuring the most popular music in various genres for each year. ChrisTheDude seems to be working through these, and it wouldn't surprise me if one day everything was featured.

List of Billboard Tropical Airplay number ones of 1998, nominated by Magiciandude (a.k.a. Erick)

Similar to the above, but it's probably worth noting that "Tropical Airplay" in this context refers to Spanish-language songs in styles from the Caribbean.

The Microphones discography, nominated by PerfectSoundWhatever

The Microphones are an American indie folk, indie rock, and experimental project from Olympia, Washington. The project was founded in 1996 and ended in 2003, with a short reunion following in 2007 and revivals in 2019 and 2020. Across every iteration of the Microphones, it has been fronted by Phil Elverum. Elverum is the principal songwriter and producer behind the band's albums, but he has also collaborated with other local musicians on his other recordings and tours. Many of Elverum's recordings from the project's initial period were released by the Olympia label K Records.

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  Katabatic wind at Makhtesh Ramon, Negev desert, Israel, by ZeevStein, another of our featured pictures for this month.

Aoidh's request for adminship (RfA) closed on 10 March, with 228 editors expressing approval, two opposed, and one neutral. We interviewed him about his experience.

1. Did you have any apprehensions about running for adminship beforehand?

I had a lot of apprehension beforehand. I've seen how contentious and stressful some RfAs can go and the negative part of my mind was convincing me that all of my worst fears and every worst case scenario I could dream up would come to pass, so I was very nervous and stressed about the prospect of the RfA prior to it going live.

2. How would you describe your experience being a candidate at RfA?

It went much better than I had anticipated. My experience was relatively a good one, despite the slight controversy thet surrounded the first oppose in the RfA itself that resulted in a block/unblock situation and a couple of AN/I discussions. While there was some contention about parts of the RfA, there was no serious contention about me as a nominee, so I didn't have to experience the really negative aspects of RfA that some nominees unfortunately have to deal with.

3. If you could change anything about the RfA process, what would it be?

There is a general consensus that the RfA process is flawed in one or more ways, and I agree with that. Unfortunately I don't have any answers to those issues because a lot of the issues are how editors interact with the RfA process. The change I would have liked to have seen the most is automatically placing the RfAs on hold after the allotted time has passed, which was just implemented in late 2022. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate that change and how relieved I was when it happened automatically. Once it closed I knew that that part was concluded and that I didn't have to keep refreshing the page looking for questions or anything; even though my RfA went well there was still a small level of stress that went away once I saw that automatically close. "It's been 7 days why isn't it closed yet" seems like the last thing a nominee wants to be worrying about.

4. In an answer to a question about an oppose !vote you received, you said "oppose comments turning into these large threads of that nature would make some hesitate to even make an oppose comment". Do you find moving the threads to the talk page ameliorates or worsens this problem?

I think it helps, but I've seen valid concerns about who is doing the moving/closing of those threads. Seeing a large thread on each oppose might put someone off of commenting their own oppose, so even if it's a "out of sight, out of mind" thing I think it might help in that regard, though I recognize that it introduces other concerns in doing so.

5. It is honorable to advocate for the necessity of oppose !votes (calling them "insightful feedback and critiques") after going through an RfA where you faced seemingly ideological opposition. Did you find any insightful feedback or critiques in the opposes to your RfA?

Yes I did. However, since there were only three, and one wasn't about me specifically and one later moved to neutral, there wasn't a lot in that regard. There were however things to take away from them, even if they weren't the intended message, and even if they were just reminders/reaffirmations of things to keep in mind, like the fact that just because you personally have a higher tolerance for uncivil commentary directed at you doesn't mean that should be the baseline expectation for everyone or that concerns about such incivility shouldn't be taken seriously.

6. What degree of freedom is appropriate for oppose !votes? Should oppose !voters be allowed to blanket oppose candidates because they believe the process is broken?

I'm kind of on the fence about this but ultimately don't think they should, and this is reflected at the "Too many admins" section of Wikipedia:Advice for RfA voters#Voting 'Oppose'. I don't know about removing the comments, but they should absolutely be given zero weight because it's an opposition to the concept of the current admin process, not a comment on the RfA nominee themselves. I don't find it to be a particularly compelling oppose rationale in any way.

7. Before running, you were discouraged from responding to !voters individually because candidates who do are routinely opposed for it. An editor temporarily blamed you for not intervening in the block of an oppose !voter and you were able to address it while avoiding directly responding, as someone asked you a question about it. If nobody had asked you, would you have considered responding on your own in some manner?

With the benefit of hindsight I feel like only commenting to respond to questions does a lot towards making the process less stressful based on observations of previous RfAs, but that particular situation certainly made me uncomfortable. I was strongly considering responding in some way the entire time, from the moment it escalated into a block. I'm not sure if it would boiled over into me breaking that self-imposed "rule" of only responding to questions directed at me, but I was weighing it the entire time and was very relieved when it was actually brought up to me as a question.

8. In your RfA, some editors called for the forced erasure of certain oppose !votes. Is it ever appropriate to delete someone's !vote when it is made in good faith?

There might be situations where that might be appropriate, I don't know, but I don't think this RfA was one of them. If it came to a situation where it went to a 'crat chat, I'm sure the rationale would have been given very little to no weight in the determining of consensus, so the only thing it hurts is the percentage and in this case it made it go from 100% support to 99% support, which does not harm the RfA nominee (myself in this case) in the slightest. Sure, you can't go "My RfA was unopposed" but my saying that would just sound like a prideful boast and it's not something that matters. Also, if it had been 100% only because the oppose comment was removed would have been an even more meaningless statistic. I think if we're going to go the route of removing rationales then we as a community need to establish under what circumstances that would be appropriate, and to do so with great care. Ideally this would be something to resolve before an RfA, not in the middle of one after the comment had already been made.

9. One editor asked you about recall and why your opinion on it mattered since it is not a binding process. What would you think of making recall binding?

There have been at least four RfCs on this subject from 2009 to 2019, none of which came to a consensus that it should be binding. This tells me that it's a longstanding question without an easy answer. When I answered Q10 I was being sincere, so for me personally it may as well be binding. As for being binding for admins in general, I don't know. As the RfCs show, it's not a simple question with a simple answer. I'd certainly be open to the idea of it being a binding process, but it's very much the details that matter and would shape how I would view any such proposal.

10. What is your opinion on the RfA philosophy of WP:NOBIGDEAL?

I think giving someone the ability to make the kind of changes that administrators can make is a big deal in that it is a responsibility, one granted because the community trusts the editor. If it is a big deal in any way it's that it is a big deal for that editor; they should take those tools very seriously and strive to validate the trust of the community. That is a big deal. That said, being an administrator is not a big deal in that it doesn't make you a better editor, and shouldn't give your opinion any additional weight when discussing content on article talk pages, for example. It's not a status symbol, it's more like working in IT at an office building. Sure, you may have a special keycard to get into all the doors because you need to access all the equipment and you're trusted to use it responsibly, but that doesn't make you a better employee than someone who only has a keycard that lets them into the front door. It's not a big deal, it's just something you're entrusted with.

11. What is one piece of advice you would give to someone considering running for adminship?

I don't think I can stick to just one, so like Galadriel, I will give three. (1) Look through previous RfAs, both successful, unsuccessful, and especially ones that are contentious. Look at the questions being asked of the nominees, and look at reasons editors opposed the nominees. This will give you an idea of what to expect and what editors often look for, but also be prepared for something to happen that you don't anticipate. (2) If you're being nominated by someone, ask them questions and listen to their feedback. Even if you think you're already an expert at Wikipedia, keep an open mind and be prepared to learn, even during the RfA itself there are teaching moments. (3) It's so tempting to just stay at your computer and hit refresh every few minutes for seven days. Don't. Take care of your physical and mental health during this time as it's very important. Go for walks, stretch, see friends, don't give into the temptation to become a recluse for seven days.

See also

Category:Wikipedia RfA debriefings

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All sorts of delays and schedule slips kept this off the last edition, but here are the most viewed articles for half of February and March alike.