English Wikipedia @ Freddythechick:Picture of the day/December 2017

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These featured pictures, as scheduled below, appeared as the picture of the day (POTD) on the English Wikipedia's Main Page in December 2017. Individual sections for each day on this page can be linked to with the day number as the anchor name (e.g. [[English Wikipedia @ Freddythechick:Picture of the day/December 2017#1]] for December 1).

You can add an automatically updating POTD template to your user page using {{Pic of the day}} (version with blurb) or {{POTD}} (version without blurb). For instructions on how to make custom POTD layouts, see Wikipedia:Picture of the day.Purge server cache

December 1

A single-pitch angklung from Bandung, Indonesia. The angklung is a musical instrument made of a varying number of bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. The base of the frame is held in one hand, whilst the other hand shakes the instrument. This causes a repeating note to sound. The tubes are carved to have a resonant pitch when struck and are tuned to octaves. When single-pitch angklung such as this are used in angklung ensemble, each of the performers plays just one note or more, but together they produce complete melodies.

Photograph: Chris Woodrich

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December 2

Hollister Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located north of the central business district of Hollister, California. Covering an area of 343 acres (139 ha), in 2007 it saw an average of 200 aircraft operations a day.

Photograph: Don Ramey Logan

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December 3

Visitors bowing in front of statues of North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il at the Mansu Hill Grand Monument in Pyongyang, North Korea. These statues, each 22 metres (72 ft) tall, are central to the complex, which also includes monuments titled Anti-Japanese Revolutionary Struggle and Socialist Revolution. The statue of Kim Il-sung was completed in 1972, in celebration of his 60th birthday. The statue of Kim Jong-il was added in 2011, following his death.

Photograph: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen

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December 4

Girl in White is an oil painting on canvas by Vincent van Gogh. Completed in Auvers-sur-Oise, France, in 1890, it depicts a peasant woman dressed in white. The work is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Painting: Vincent van Gogh

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December 5

An illustration by Sidney Hall for Urania's Mirror, a set of 32 astronomical star chart cards first published in November 1824. These cards, which were based on Alexander Jamieson's A Celestial Atlas, had holes punched allowing them to be held up to the light to see a depiction of the constellation's stars.

This card, Plate 28 in the series, depicts six constellations: the defunct Psalterium Georgii ('George's Harp'), Fluvius Eridanus ('the river'), Cetus (also known as 'the whale'), Officina Sculptoris ('sculptor'), Fornax Chemica ('the furnace'), and the defunct Machina Electrica ('the generator').

Illustration: Sidney Hall; restoration: Adam Cuerden

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December 6

One of the first issue of coins for the Japanese yen. This coin was introduced in 1870 as part of the Meiji government's modernization program, replacing the Tokugawa coinage with silver 5-, 10-, 20- and 50-sen and 1-yen pieces, as well as gold 2-, 5-, 10- and 20-yen pieces. The 20 gold yen contained (on average) 33.33 grams of gold (0.9000 fine) and weighed 0.9645 ounces.

Coin: Empire of Japan (image courtesy of the National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History)

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December 7

Anthidium florentinum, a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants that are involved in pollination. There are nearly 20,000 known species of bees in seven recognized biological families. Bees are found on every continent except Antarctica, in every habitat on the planet that contains insect-pollinated flowering plants. Bees range in size from tiny stingless bee species whose workers are less than 2 millimetres (0.08 in) long, to Megachile pluto, whose females can attain a length of 39 millimetres (1.54 in).

Photograph: Alvesgaspar

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December 8

Martin Ryckaert (bap. 1587 – 1631) was a Flemish painter known for his small, usually imaginary landscapes in an Italianate style. Born to the Ryckaert family in Antwerp, he is believed to have studied under his father David Ryckaert I and later Tobias Verhaecht. In 1611, he was registered as a "painter with one arm" at the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp, where he was also active in the local chamber of rhetoric.

This painting of Ryckaert as a king was completed by Anthony van Dyck, reportedly a close friend, between 1627 and 1632. It now hangs at the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain.

Painting: Anthony van Dyck

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December 9

A vervain hummingbird (Mellisuga minima) photographed at Strawberry Hill in Jamaica. This species, which can also be found in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, is the second-smallest bird in the world after the bee hummingbird. It has an average length of 6 cm (2.4 in), including the bill, and weight of 2–2.4 g (0.071–0.085 oz).

Photograph: Charles J. Sharp

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December 10

Intentional camera movement is a photography technique in which a camera is moved during the exposure for a creative or artistic effect. This causes the image points to move across the recording medium, producing an apparent streaking in the resulting image. The image shown here depicts a bluebell wood on Ashridge Estate in Hertfordshire, England; the intentional camera movement along the vertical plane has created an impressionistic effect.

Photograph: Colin

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December 11

Meripilus giganteus is a polypore fungus in the family Meripilaceae. It causes a white rot in various types of broadleaved trees, particularly beech. This bracket fungus is often found in large clumps at the base of trees, although fruiting bodies are sometimes found some distance from the trunk, parasitizing the roots. M. giganteus has a circumboreal distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, and is widely distributed in Europe. In the field, it is recognizable by the large, multi-capped fruiting body, as well as its pore surface that quickly darkens black when bruised or injured.

Photograph: Michael Gäbler

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December 12

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A male Eurasian bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) photographed in Lancashire. This small passerine bird in the finch family was listed in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae. It is breeds across Europe and temperate Asia, where it is mainly resident, though some birds may migrate. Birds of this species feed mainly on seeds and the buds of fruit trees.

Photograph: Francis Franklin

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A female Eurasian bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) photographed in Lancashire. This small passerine bird in the finch family was listed in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae. It is breeds across Europe and temperate Asia, where it is mainly resident, though some birds may migrate. Birds of this species feed mainly on seeds and the buds of fruit trees.

Photograph: Francis Franklin

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December 13

A Daruma doll (Japanese: 達磨) is a hollow, round, traditional Japanese doll modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of the Zen tradition of Buddhism. These dolls, though typically red and depicting a bearded man (Dharma), vary greatly in color and design depending on region and artist. Though considered an omocha, meaning toy, by some, Daruma has a design that is rich in symbolism and is regarded more as a talisman of good luck to the Japanese. They are seen as symbols of perseverance and good luck, making them a popular gift of encouragement.

Photograph: Chris Woodrich

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December 14

A witch doctor of the Shona people in Zimbabwe, August 1989. Among the Shona, witch doctors, or n'anga, are known as healers who use a combination of herbs, medical/religious advice, and spiritual guidance to heal people. Traditionally, they are believed to have the religious power to tell fortunes, and to change, heal, bless or even kill people.

Photograph: Hans Hillewaert

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December 15

The Horse Fair is an oil painting on canvas completed by the French artist Rosa Bonheur between 1852 and 1853. Depicting dealers selling horses on the streets in Paris, the work was first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1853. In 1887, having been held by several private collectors, the painting was donated by Cornelius Vanderbilt II to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is one of Bonheur's most popular works, such that Queen Victoria requested a private viewing at Buckingham Palace during the painting's 1855–1857 tour of England.

Painting: Rosa Bonheur

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December 16

A panoramic view of the Gorce Mountains, part of the Western Beskids that spread across southernmost Poland. The Gorce are characterized by numerous ridges reaching in all directions for up to 40 kilometres (25 mi) east–west with a series of higher elevations cut by deep river valleys. The range is dominated by about a dozen gentle peaks; the largest, Turbacz, rises to 1,310 metres (4,300 ft) above sea level.

Photograph: Marcin Szala

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December 17

Fremantle Prison is a former Australian prison and World Heritage Site in Fremantle, Western Australia. The six-hectare (15-acre) site includes the prison cellblocks, gatehouse, perimeter walls, cottages, and tunnels. Constructed between 1851 and 1859 using convict labour, the prison was initially used for convicts transported from Britain, but was transferred to the colonial government in 1886 for use for locally-sentenced prisoners. Decades of prisoner discontent, culminating in a 1988 riot that saw guards taken hostage and a fire cause $1.8 million worth of damage, led to the prison being closed in 1991. Since then, Fremantle Prison has been conserved as a heritage and tourism site, and various restoration works have been undertaken.

Photograph: Iwelam

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December 18

A black plastic comb. Toothed devices used for styling, cleaning and managing hair and scalp, combs have been used since prehistoric times, and examples date back to 5,000 years. Combs vary in shape according to function, and can be made out of a number of materials. Most combs are plastic, metal, or wood; ivory combs were also once common.

Photograph: Chris Woodrich

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December 19

The Umbrellas is an oil painting on canvas by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, painted in two phases in the 1880s. It depicts a busy street scene in Paris, with most of the people depicted using umbrellas against the rain. The principal female figure to the left of the frame, modelled by Renoir's lover and frequent subject Suzanne Valadon, holds up her skirt against the mud and water on the road as she carries a hatbox, but has no hat, raincoat or umbrella. The painting is owned by the National Gallery in London as part of the Lane Bequest.

Painting: Pierre-Auguste Renoir

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December 20

The featured picture for this day has not yet been chosen.