Wikipedia:Today's featured list/September 2016
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September 2
Sri Lanka's electricity demand is currently met by nine thermal power stations, fifteen large hydroelectric power stations, and fifteen wind farms, 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 (CEB), while the renewable energy sector consists mostly of privately run plants operating with a power purchase agreement with the CEB. Per CEB's 2014 generation report, the country had a total combined installed generation capacity of 3,932 megawatts (MW), of which 2,115 MW (53.8%) was from thermal (900 MW/22.9% from coal and 1,215 MW/30.9% from fuel oil), 1,665 MW (42.3%) from hydroelectricity, and the remaining 152 MW (3.9%) from other renewable sources such as small hydro, wind, biomass, and solar. These generation sources produced a total of 12,357 GWh of electricity during that year, of which 7,508 GWh (60.8%), 4,534 GWh (36.7%), and 315 GWh (2.5%) was from thermal, hydro, and other renewables, respectively. (Full list...)
September 5
Characters in Millennium, a crime-thriller television series which was broadcast from 1996 to 1999, include Frank Black, an offender profiler for the Millennium Group (a private investigative organisation). Black, played by Lance Henriksen, retires from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to move his wife Catherine (Megan Gallagher) and daughter Jordan (Brittany Tiplady) to Seattle, where he begins consulting on criminal cases for the group. After the group's attempt to cause an apocalyptic viral outbreak kills his wife, Black returns to the FBI to work with new partner Emma Hollis (Scott) to discredit the group. Black was one of the first elements conceived for the series, the remainder of which were fleshed out by screenwriter Chris Carter around his character. Black has been described by a producer as Millennium's constant, as the series' tone and direction changed around him with each successive season. Except for Frank Black, the series' characters have been criticized as one-dimensional, "generic" and little more than "symbol[s]". (Full list...)
September 9
Several discontinued Hugo Awards have been presented throughout the years, only to be removed after a few years. The Hugo Awards are presented every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially known as the Science Fiction Achievement Award. When the Hugo awards were begun in 1953, each Worldcon organizing committee decided what awards they would give. Several awards were presented over the next few years which were not repeated in later conventions, unlike the primary categories which are still presented—such as Best Novel. In 1961, formal rules were set down for which categories would be awarded, which could only be changed by the World Science Fiction Society board. Despite this, the 1964 convention awarded a Hugo Award for the Best SF Book Publisher, which was not on that list. Immediately afterward the guidelines were changed to allow individual conventions to create additional one-time categories. Since then, five temporary categories have been added and removed, with only Best Original Art Work rising for a time to the level of an official category. (Full list...)
September 12
There have been 26 recipients of the Victoria Cross (VC) who served with the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas. The VC is a military decoration bestowed upon members of the British or Commonwealth armed forces for acts of valour or gallantry performed in the face of the enemy; it is the highest award a soldier can receive for actions in combat. The Gurkhas are units composed of Nepalese soldiers—although they were originally only commanded by British officers—which has been a part of the Army since 1815. The first award was made in 1858 to a British officer of the Gurkhas, John Tytler, during the campaigns that followed the Indian Rebellion of 1857, while the first award to a native Gurkha, Kulbir Thapa, was in 1915 during the First World War. The most recent award was made in 1965 to Rambahadur Limbu, during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. (Full list...)
September 16
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Singer-Songwriter Album is presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards. According to the category description guide for the 13th Latin Grammy Awards, the award is reserved for solo artists or duos and they "must compose and interpret 75 percent of the album on their own to be eligible in this category". Additionally, live albums are eligible if they contain at least 51 percent of new unreleased material released within the eligibility period. The accolade for Best Singer-Songwriter Album was first presented to American musician Soraya at the 5th Latin Grammy Awards in 2004 for her eponymous fourth studio album (2003). Caetano Veloso (pictured) and Gian Marco Zignago have received the most wins in this category, with four. (Full list...)
September 19
Miami-Dade Transit operates 42 metro stations, with 23 in the Metrorail rapid transit system throughout Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, and 21 in the Metromover people mover system within Greater Downtown Miami. The Miami-Dade Transit network consists of two elevated Metrorail lines (Green Line and Orange Line) and three elevated Metromover lines (Brickell Loop, Inner Loop, and Omni Loop). In the first quarter of 2016, the system served 111,800 passengers per weekday, with 76,400 passengers riding the Metrorail and 35,400 the Metromover. The initial 21-mile (34 km) Metrorail line opened in three segments. Service began on May 20, 1984, with the opening of the first 11-mile (18 km) segment, featuring 10 stations from Dadeland South station in Kendall to Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre station in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami. Metromover service began on April 17, 1986, with the opening of the initial 1.9-mile (3.1 km) loop through the Miami Central Business District. (Full list...)
September 23
Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust manages over 40 nature reserves covering nearly 810 hectares (2,000 acres) north of London, in Hertfordshire and the former county of Middlesex. It has over 21,000 members, and is one of 47 Wildlife Trusts across the UK. The Trust's activities include managing nature reserves, advising landowners on how to manage their land for wildlife, commenting on planning applications, advising planning authorities and campaigning to protect wildlife. The first preparatory meeting of what was to become the Trust was held on 16 November 1963, and the Hertfordshire & Middlesex Trust for Nature Conservation was incorporated on 9 October 1964. By 1970 it had twenty reserves and in the same year took over management of its first Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Blagrove Common. In 1987 it became the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. Two of the Trust's nature reserves are Ramsar sites, internationally important wetland reserves; fifteen are SSSIs, and five are Local Nature Reserves. (Full list...)
September 26
American actor and producer Tom Hanks has had an extensive career in films, television and on the stage. Hanks made his professional acting debut on the stage playing Grumio, in the Great Lakes Theater production of The Taming of the Shrew (1977). He made his film debut with a minor role in the horror film He Knows You're Alone (1980). In the same year, Hanks appeared in the television series Bosom Buddies. His role in the show led to guest appearances on a variety of long running television shows. In 1993, he played the role of a gay lawyer suffering from AIDS, fighting discrimination in his law firm in the drama Philadelphia. For his performance, Hanks earned his first Academy Award for Best Actor. For his next film, the romantic comedy-drama Forrest Gump (1994), he received a consecutive second Academy Award for Best Actor which made Hanks the first actor since Spencer Tracy in 1938 to achieve this feat. Hanks made his debut as a director and screenwriter in the 1996 musical comedy That Thing You Do! At the age of 45, he became the youngest person to receive the lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute in 2002. (Full list...)
September 30
Since 1897, there have been eighteen permanent and seven caretaker managers of Arsenal Football Club. Prior to the given date, the position of selecting the team was undertaken by a committee of directors. The most successful person to manage Arsenal is incumbent manager Arsène Wenger, who has won three Premier League titles, six FA Cups and six Community Shields since his appointment in October 1996. Wenger is the club's longest-serving manager; he surpassed George Allison's record of 13 years in October 2009. Seven managers have won the league as Arsenal manager, five of which on two or more occasions. Bertie Mee guided the club to its first European success in 1970 by winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a feat George Graham bettered during his reign as Arsenal triumphed in the European Cup Winners' Cup. Scotsman Stewart Houston managed the club in two separate spells as caretaker during the 1990s. Two Arsenal managers have died in the job – Herbert Chapman (statue pictured) in 1934 and Tom Whittaker 22 years later. (Full list...)