Wikipedia:Today's featured article/April 2023
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April 1
![Subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate under the North American Plate, causing volcanism in the Boring Lava Field](http://178.128.105.246/cars-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/JuandeFucasubduction.jpg/174px-JuandeFucasubduction.jpg)
The Boring Lava Field is a Plio-Pleistocene volcanic field with cinder cones, small shield volcanoes, and lava flows in the northern Willamette Valley of the U.S. state of Oregon and adjacent southwest Washington state. The zone became active about 2.7 million years ago, with long periods of eruptive activity interspersed with quiescence. Its last eruptions took place about 57,000 years ago; individual volcanic vents are considered extinct, but the field itself is not. The volcanic field covers an area of about 1,500 square miles (3,900 km2) and has a total volume of 2.4 cubic miles (10 km3). The highest elevation of the field is at Larch Mountain, which reaches a height of 4,055 feet (1,236 m). The Portland metropolitan area, including suburbs, is one of the few places in the continental United States to have extinct volcanoes within a city's limits. The probability of future eruptions affecting the Portland metropolitan area is very low. (Full article...)
April 2
The red-throated wryneck (Jynx ruficollis) is a bird in the woodpecker family that is related to the Eurasian wryneck. Its three subspecies are resident in much of sub-Saharan Africa in open habitats with trees. It is a slim bird about 19 cm (7.5 in) in length, with a fine bill, long tail and cryptic grey and brown plumage. The sexes look similar. The diet is almost entirely ants. This wryneck's call is a series of shrill notes. When threatened, it will hiss and twist its neck and head in a snake-like manner to deter predators. It nests in pre-existing holes, usually in trees, preferring old barbet or woodpecker nests. The nest cavity is unlined, and the clutch is typically three or four white eggs. Both sexes incubate for 12 to 15 days until the blind, naked chicks hatch. The chicks are fed by both adults for 25 to 26 days until they fledge. There are usually two broods. This bird has a very extensive range, and a large and increasing population. It is evaluated as a species of least concern by the IUCN. (Full article...)
April 3
Riders Field is a baseball park in Frisco, Texas, United States. The home of the Frisco RoughRiders, a Double-A team of the Texas League, it opened on April 3, 2003, and can seat 10,216 people. Primarily a venue for Minor League Baseball games, the facility also hosts high school and college baseball tournaments and other public and private events. It has been the site of three Texas League All-Star Games. In his design, park architect David M. Schwarz desired the creation of a village-like "park within a (ball)park". The stadium received the 2003 Texas Construction award for Best Architectural Design. Attendance for RoughRiders games at the stadium has consistently placed first or second in the Texas League and at the Double-A classification since its opening. After having the second-highest attendance in its first two seasons, it had the highest in the league and classification from 2005 to 2019. (Full article...)
April 4
"Lips Are Movin" is a song by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor (pictured) from her debut major-label studio album Title (2015). She wrote the song with its producer Kevin Kadish. Epic Records released it as Title's second single on October 21, 2014. A doo-wop and pop song, it was inspired by Trainor's conflict with her label, but critics interpreted it as a song about leaving a cheating significant other. Some compared it to "All About That Bass" (2014); some found it catchy while others criticized its lyrics. Peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, it was certified 4× Platinum in the United States. It reached the top ten in countries including Australia and Canada, where it received multi-platinum certifications. Philip Andelman directed its music video, said to be the first created entirely by social media influencers, portraying behind-the-scenes events of a video shoot. Trainor performed the song on television shows and her concert tours. (This article is part of a featured topic: Title (album).)
April 5
John C. Young (1803–1857) was an American educator and pastor who was the fourth president of Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. 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. During his term, he increased the endowment of the college more than fivefold and increased the graduating class size from two students in his first year to forty-seven in his final year. Continuing to preach while in office, Young accepted the pastorate of the Danville Presbyterian Church in 1834, and founded the Second Presbyterian Church in Danville in 1852. He was elected moderator of the Presbyterian Church's General Assembly in 1853. Young is the eponym of several facets of the college today, including Young Hall. He was the father of William C. Young, who later became Centre's eighth president. (Full article...)
April 6
The 149th Boat Race took place on 6 April 2003. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge along a 4.2-mile (6.8 km) tidal stretch of the River Thames in south-west London. The lead changed twice during the race, which Oxford won by one foot (30 cm), the smallest margin of victory in the history of the event. The close race has been described as "epic". Five-time Olympic gold medallist Steve Redgrave suggested that the race was the "greatest we will see in any of our lifetimes". Umpired by the Boat Race veteran Boris Rankov, the 2003 race was the first to be scheduled on a Sunday. As a result of a collision between the Cambridge boat and a launch, a member of the Cambridge crew was replaced just two days before the race. This was the first Boat Race to feature two sets of brothers on opposing sides. In the reserve race Cambridge's Goldie beat Oxford's Isis and Oxford won the women's race. (Full article...)
April 7
Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American (pictured) and Eurasian beaver. Both have stout bodies, large heads, chisel-like incisors, hand-like front feet, webbed back feet and flat, scaly tails. The Eurasian beaver has a longer skull, lighter color and narrower tail. Both are found in freshwater habitats, and are herbivorous, consuming plants and tree bark. They build dams and lodges using tree branches, vegetation, rocks and mud. Their infrastructure has a great impact on the surrounding environment. Adults live in monogamous pairs with their offspring. Beavers are territorial and scent-mark with a secretion called castoreum. Historically, beavers were hunted for their fur, meat and castoreum. Overhunting nearly exterminated both species. With protection, populations have rebounded, and both are listed as least-concern species on the IUCN Red List. The beaver symbolizes industriousness and is Canada's national animal. (Full article...)
April 8
R2K: The Concert was an arena concert by Filipina entertainer Regine Velasquez held on April 7 and 8, 2000, at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Supporting her 1999 album R2K, it was promoted by Viva Concerts with Velasquez serving as stage and creative director. In contrast to her previous smaller venue outings, the concert was her first performance in a large-scale indoor arena. It featured a 360-degree configuration with a semi-circular plexiglass stage, four large video screens, and an automated flying rig used during an aerial performance (pictured). The costumes were designed by Rajo Laurel, inspired by Dolce & Gabbana's "print-on-print" collection. She performed numerous selections from R2K, with additional songs from her older albums and various covers of pop hits. The concert was critically praised for its modern production and Velasquez's vocal abilities, showmanship, and wardrobe. She earned an Aliw Award for Best Female Major Concert Act for the show. (Full article...)
April 9
Mount Price is a stratovolcano in the Garibaldi Ranges of southwestern British Columbia. It is 2,049 m (6,722 ft) high, and rises on the western side of Garibaldi Lake in New Westminster Land District. It has a number of features, including Clinker Peak, the source of two thick lava flows between 15,000 and 8,000 years ago. These unstable flows produced large landslides as recently as the 1850s. A provincial park surrounds Mount Price and other local volcanoes. It lies within an ecological region that surrounds much of the Pacific Ranges. Mount Price is one of a small group of volcanoes called the Garibaldi Lake volcanic field, part of the larger Garibaldi Volcanic Belt, a volcanic zone in the Canadian Cascade Arc. It began forming 1.2 million years ago and continued until sometime in the last 15,000 years. It has not been active for thousands of years, but if it did erupt, the Interagency Volcanic Event Notification Plan outlines how agencies involved in relief efforts may be notified. (Full article...)
April 10
The 27th Infantry Division Savska was an infantry formation of the Royal Yugoslav Army's 4th Army during the German-led Axis invasion of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in April 1941. Commanded by August Marić, the division was largely made up of Croat troops, many of whom saw the Germans as potential liberators from Serbian oppression. It lacked modern arms and sufficient ammunition, and like all Yugoslav infantry divisions of the time, relied on animal transport. Upon mobilisation, the division began to disintegrate due to fifth column actions, rebellion and desertion. Its chief of staff countermanded orders for the sabotage of a key bridge over the Drava river at Zákány, allowing the German 14th Panzer Division to cross. In a single day, with overwhelming air support, the panzers brushed aside the mostly Serbian remnants of the division and captured Zagreb, covering nearly 160 km (100 mi) and meeting little resistance (Yugoslav generals pictured). (This article is part of a featured topic: 1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia).)
April 11
Science Fiction Monthly was a British science fiction magazine published from 1974 to 1976 by New English Library (NEL). It was launched in response to demand from readers for posters of the cover art of NEL's science fiction paperbacks. The magazine was published in tabloid format, with high-quality colour reproduction; it was not stapled, so that it could be disassembled and the artwork used as posters. It was initially very successful, its circulation reportedly reaching 150,000 by the third issue. It reprinted artwork by Chris Foss, Jim Burns, Bruce Pennington, Roger Dean, and many others. Well-known writers whose work appeared in its pages included Brian Aldiss (pictured), Bob Shaw, Christopher Priest, and Harlan Ellison. The high production costs meant that a high circulation was necessary to sustain profitability, and when circulation fell to about 20,000 after two years NEL ceased publication. A new magazine, S.F. Digest, was launched in its stead, but lasted only one issue. (Full article...)
April 12
Banksia brownii, commonly known as feather-leaved banksia or Brown's banksia, is a species of shrub that grows in the southwest of Western Australia. A banksia with fine feathery leaves and large red-brown flower spikes, it usually grows as an upright bush around two metres (7 ft) high, but can also occur as a small tree or a low spreading shrub. First collected in 1829, it is placed in Banksia subgenus Banksia, section Oncostylis, series Spicigerae. It is considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature; all major populations are threatened by Phytophthora cinnamomi dieback, a disease to which the species is highly susceptible. Other threats include habitat loss, commercial exploitation and changes to the fire regime. Highly valued by Australia's horticultural and cut flower industries, B. brownii is cultivated in areas not exposed to dieback. It prefers a sheltered position in soil with good drainage, and must be provided with some moisture over summer. (Full article...)
April 13
![Gold dinar of al-Hafiz](http://178.128.105.246/cars-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Gold_dinar_of_al-Hafiz_li-Din_Allah%2C_AH_544.png/199px-Gold_dinar_of_al-Hafiz_li-Din_Allah%2C_AH_544.png)
Al-Hafiz (c. 1075 – 1149) was the eleventh caliph of the Fatimids from 1132 until his death. He rose to power as regent after his cousin al-Amir was killed in 1130 leaving an infant son. The army seized power, imprisoning al-Hafiz, but he was freed a year later. In 1132, he proclaimed himself caliph and imam. Many Isma'ili followers abroad refused to recognize him as imam, breaking away as the Tayyibi sect. There were repeated uprisings even in Egypt, although his reign saw little foreign aggression. He tried to restrain his overmighty viziers, with mixed success. He was repeatedly forced to give way to the demands of various military factions, and although for the last decade of his reign he ruled without a vizier, he was ultimately unable to halt the evolution of the vizierate into a de facto sultanate, independent of the caliph. His successors would be reduced to puppets at the hands of powerful viziers, until the end of the Fatimid Caliphate in 1171. (Full article...)
April 14
The Longing is a 2020 point-and-click adventure game by independent game developer Studio Seufz. The player controls the Shade, a creature tasked with watching over a sleeping king in an underground kingdom for 400 days. Developer Anselm Pyta conceived of The Longing after hearing the Kyffhäuser legend while visiting the Barbarossa Cave (pictured). Pyta sought to explore emotional themes in a narrative-driven story, and used time as a game mechanism. As the primary developer for most of the game's six-year production, he had to rely upon intuition to design the pacing due to playtesting difficulties. The Longing was released for Windows, macOS, and Linux on March 5, 2020, and for the Nintendo Switch on April 14, 2021. It gained praise for its soundtrack, visuals, and experimental nature, but the slow-paced gameplay divided critics. Released during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was compared by many to life under quarantine, and won the "Best Debut" award at the 2020 Deutscher Computerspielpreis. (Full article...)
April 15
Louis H. Bean (April 15, 1896 – August 5, 1994) was an American economic and political analyst. Born in Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire, Bean migrated to the United States in 1906 with his family. In 1923, he became a member of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, working on estimates of farm income and price indices. Bean's charts were used in Congress in discussions about the McNary–Haugen Farm Relief Bill. He was closely associated with Vice President Henry A. Wallace. Bean wrote for The Review of Economics and Statistics. During the late 1930s, Bean developed an interest in political analysis. After his successful near-unique prediction of Harry S. Truman's victory in the 1948 presidential election, Life called him the "Lone Prophet" of Truman's victory. Bean wrote many books, notably Ballot Behavior and How to Predict Elections. He continued making electoral analyses and projections in the 1950s and 1960s, most of which were accurate. (Full article...)
April 16
John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (1347–1375), was an English nobleman and soldier. At the age of one he became a ward of King Edward III. The King arranged for his daughter Margaret to marry Hastings. They married in 1359, but Margaret died two years later. The Hundred Years' War reignited in France, and in 1369 Pembroke journeyed to Aquitaine. There he took part in raids, sieges, and counter-measures against the French, with both notable successes and failures. In 1371 he was summoned to Parliament. There he was responsible for forcing the King's ecclesiastical ministers from power. In 1372 Pembroke returned to France with a small fleet. His arrival had been anticipated by the Castilian navy. Outnumbered and outgunned, he was forced to fight the Battle of La Rochelle, where he suffered a crushing defeat and was captured. After three years a large ransom was negotiated and in 1375 he was finally released. Returning to England through France, he was taken ill near Paris and died, aged 27. (Full article...)
April 17
The Roanoke Island, North Carolina, half dollar is a commemorative coin issued by the U.S. Bureau of the Mint in 1937. It commemorated the 350th anniversary of the Roanoke Colony, depicting on one side Sir Walter Raleigh (pictured), and on the other Eleanor Dare, holding her child, Virginia Dare, the first child of English descent born in an English colony in the Americas. The coin was one of many commemorative issues authorized by Congress in 1936. As the colony was founded in 1587, the coins were struck in 1937. William Marks Simpson, a sculptor who created several commemorative coins of the era, designed the coin. His work required only slight modification by the Commission of Fine Arts. The legislation allowed the Roanoke Island Memorial Association to buy at least 25,000 coins at a time before July 1937; they placed two orders for the minimum amount. Eventually, 21,000 were returned to the Mint for redemption and melting. Numismatic catalogs value the coin in the low hundreds of dollars. (Full article...)
April 18
![Providence and Worcester GE locomotive](http://178.128.105.246/cars-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/P%26W_4006_Baltic_CT.jpg/140px-P%26W_4006_Baltic_CT.jpg)
The Providence and Worcester Railroad (P&W) is an American Class II railroad operating 612 miles (985 km) of tracks in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. It was formed in 1844 to connect its eponymous cities, and ran its first trains in 1847. P&W later built a branch to East Providence, Rhode Island, and double-tracked its main line after a fatal train collision. P&W remained independent until 1888, when the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad leased it; the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (the New Haven) assumed the lease in 1892. P&W remained leased until the New Haven was merged into Penn Central (PC) in 1968. When PC threatened to abandon the line, P&W's shareholders convinced regulators to give them back their railroad, and P&W returned to independence in 1973 after 85 years. P&W grew from under 100 miles (161 km) by purchasing other lines, expanding more than sixfold. In 2016, P&W was purchased by railroad holding company Genesee & Wyoming. (Full article...)
April 19
Logan is an 1822 Gothic novel by American writer John Neal (depicted). The book is inspired by the true story of Mingo leader Logan, but weaves a fictionalized story 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. Scholars criticize the story's profound excessiveness and incoherence, but praise its pioneering and successful experimentation with psychological horror, verisimilitude, sexual guilt in male characters, impacts of intergenerational violence, documentation of interracial relationships, and intersections between sex and violence on the American frontier. The novel is considered important by scholars studying the roles of Gothic literature and Indigenous identities in fashioning an American national identity. (Full article...)
April 20
The 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division of the British Territorial Army was formed in September 1939 during the Second World War. Initially raised in Staffordshire, the division began as a second-line duplicate of the 55th (West Lancashire) Motor Division. It was tasked with anti-invasion and guard duties until late June 1944, when it was assigned to the Second Army and transferred to France to take part in the Battle of Normandy. On 8 July, the division helped capture Caen during Operation Charnwood; a week later, it assaulted the town of Noyers in Operation Pomegranate. In late July, when the German frontline was crumbling, the division captured a bridgehead over the River Orne and fended off counter-attacks to maintain its hold. Its final combat was a protracted battle to capture the town of Thury-Harcourt. Historians have praised the effort of the division in these battles, during which it suffered several thousand casualties. (Full article...)
April 21
Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy is a series of games within Square Enix's Final Fantasy video game franchise. Each game shares a theme of crystals tied to deities. The series was announced in 2006 and the flagship Final Fantasy XIII was released in 2009. Developers included Shinji Hashimoto, Motomu Toriyama (pictured) and Kazushige Nojima. The central games – Final Fantasy XIII, XV and Type-0 – all suffered delays. After their releases, their teams used ideas from development to create additional games with other studios. Final Fantasy XV was distanced from the series brand for marketing purposes. Seven titles, the original three projects and multiple sequels or spin-offs, have been released and complemented by works in related media. Final Fantasy XV expanded into a multimedia project, spawning a film and a webseries. Individual games have generally received a positive reception. (This article is part of a featured topic: Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy.)
April 22
The production of renewable energy in Scotland came to the fore in technical, economic and political terms in the 21st century. In 2020, Scotland had 12 gigawatts of renewable electricity capacity which produced about a quarter of UK renewable generation. In decreasing order of capacity, Scotland's renewable generation comes from onshore wind (turbines pictured), water, offshore wind, solar photovoltaics and biomass. Fears regarding fuel poverty and climate change increased its prevalence on the political agenda. Renewables met a quarter of total energy consumption in 2020; the Scottish government target is having renewables meet half of total energy consumption by 2030. Although there is significant support from the public, private and community-led sectors, concerns about the effect of the technologies on the natural environment have been expressed. There is also a political debate about the relationship between the siting, and the ownership and control of these widely distributed resources. (Full article...)
April 23
Angel Locsin (born April 23, 1985) is a Filipina actress and humanitarian. She has received four Star Awards, three FAMAS Awards, two Box Office Entertainment Awards, and a Luna Award, and was named one of Asia's Heroes of Philanthropy by Forbes and Asia's Leaders of Tomorrow by Tatler. She had her breakthrough as an avian-human hybrid in the fantasy series Mulawin (2004), before starring as Darna in the Ravelo Komiks Universe series Darna (2005). The role of a fledgling werewolf in the supernatural drama series Lobo (2008) earned her an International Emmy Award nomination for Best Actress. Locsin drew praise for the critically acclaimed dramas Love Me Again (2009), In the Name of Love (2011), and One More Try (2012). She won a Star Award for playing an indoctrinated military nurse in the spy action series The General's Daughter (2019). Locsin promotes various causes, including disaster relief, education, and women's rights. (This article is part of a featured topic: Overview of Angel Locsin.)
April 24
Armenian genocide denial is the claim that the Ottoman Empire did not commit genocide against its Armenian citizens during World War I—a crime widely documented and affirmed by the vast majority of scholars. The perpetrators denied the genocide as they carried it out; incriminating documents were later systematically destroyed. Denial has been the policy of every government of the Republic of Turkey, and rests on the assumption that the "relocation" of Armenians was a legitimate state action, not deliberate extermination. Deniers claim the death toll is exaggerated or attribute the deaths to other factors. Historian Ronald Grigor Suny summarizes their main argument as "there was no genocide, and the Armenians were to blame for it". An important reason for this denial is that the genocide enabled the establishment of a Turkish nation-state; recognition would contradict Turkey's founding myths. The Turkish state's century-long denial of the genocide sets it apart from other cases of genocide. (Full article...)
April 25
Alfred Shout (1882–1915) was a New Zealand–born soldier and posthumous Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for combat gallantry awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces. It was bestowed for his actions at Lone Pine in August 1915, during the Gallipoli Campaign of the First World War. Born in Wellington, Shout had served in the Second Boer War, where he was mentioned in despatches. He immigrated to Sydney in 1907 and was active in the part-time Citizens Forces. In August 1914, he joined the Australian Imperial Force and was appointed a lieutenant in the 1st Battalion. He took part in the Anzac landings at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. For his leadership during the invasion, Shout was awarded the Military Cross and later mentioned in despatches. Shout's three gallantry awards at Gallipoli made him the most highly decorated member of the Australian force in the campaign. (Full article...)
April 26
When Megan Went Away is a 1979 children's picture book written by Jane Severance (pictured) and illustrated by Tea Schook. The book, featuring lesbian parents, was the first picture book to include any LGBT characters. Published by Lollipop Power, an American independent press, the book depicts a child named Shannon dealing with the separation of her mother and her mother's partner, Megan. As a lesbian working in a feminist bookstore in Denver in her early twenties, Severance sought to rectify the lack of picture book content for children with lesbian parents in her community. When Megan Went Away was not widely distributed upon publication, although the text of the story was republished by the magazine Ms. in 1986 under the pen name R. Minta Day. The work proved divisive among critics. Some praised the story for being an anti-sexist example of lesbian life. Others found its depiction of same-sex separation poorly timed, arriving at a moment when lesbian motherhood was on the rise. (Full article...)
April 27
Bacteria are ubiquitous, mostly free-living microorganisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Among the first life forms to appear on Earth, bacteria are present in most habitats. They are vital in many stages of the nutrient cycle, where they recycle nutrients. The study of bacteria is known as bacteriology, a branch of microbiology. Humans and most other animals carry millions of bacteria; most bacteria in and on the body are harmless or rendered so by the immune system, and many are beneficial. Several species are pathogenic and cause infectious diseases. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections and are also used in farming, making antibiotic resistance a growing problem. Bacterial cells do not contain a nucleus and rarely harbour membrane-bound organelles. Their scientific classification changed after the discovery in the 1990s that prokaryotes consist of two groups of organisms that evolved from a common ancestor. (Full article...)
April 28
Beograd was the lead ship of a class of destroyers built for the Royal Yugoslav Navy during the late 1930s. Commissioned on 28 April 1939, she was damaged by a near miss during an air attack following the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941, and then captured by the Italians. After refitting, she saw extensive service with the Royal Italian Navy from August 1941 to September 1943, completing more than 100 convoy escort missions under the name Sebenico in the Mediterranean, mainly between Italy and the Aegean or North Africa. Following the Italian armistice in September 1943, she was captured by the German Navy and redesignated TA43. After serving with the 9th Torpedo Boat Flotilla on escort and minelaying duties in the northern Adriatic, she was sunk or scuttled at Trieste on 30 April or 1 May 1945, raised in June 1946, probably to remove her as a navigation hazard, and scuttled again either in July 1946 or in 1947. (This article is part of a featured topic: Ships of the Royal Yugoslav Navy.)
April 29
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is an American mockumentary musical drama television series created by Tim Federle for Disney+, which was first released on November 8, 2019. The first season centers on a group of teenage theater enthusiasts (played by Olivia Rodrigo, Joshua Bassett, Matt Cornett, Sofia Wylie and others) who participate in a staging of High School Musical: The Musical as their school production. The series is set at a fictionalized version of East High School (pictured), where the original High School Musical film series was filmed. Several cast members from the film series appear in guest roles. Critics have highlighted the performances of Bassett and Rodrigo, and have compared the series to Glee for its music and themes. There has been a mixed reception to the program's mockumentary format. The series won a GLAAD Media Award and was nominated for five Children's and Family Emmy Awards. The third season premiered in July 2022; a fourth season is in production. (Full article...)
April 30
Weymouth is a seaside town in Dorset, England, on the English Channel. Situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey, the town had a population of 53,427 in 2021, the third-largest in Dorset. The town had roles in the spread of the Black Death, the settlement of the Americas and the development of Georgian architecture. It was also a major departure point for the Normandy landings during World War II. Since 2019, the area has been governed by Dorset Council. Weymouth's economy depends on tourism. Visitors are attracted by its harbour (pictured) and position, approximately halfway along the Jurassic Coast. Once a port for cross-channel ferries, Weymouth Harbour is now home to a commercial fishing fleet, pleasure boats and private yachts, while nearby Portland Harbour is the location of the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, where the sailing events of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics were held. (Full article...)