ut he is stymied by his lack of understanding of Gethenian culture.

Individuals
on Gethen are "ambisexual", with no fixed gender identity. This fact has a stron
g influence on the culture of the planet, and creates a barrier of understanding
for Ai. The novel became immensely popular; in 1970 it won both the Hugo and Ne
bula Awards as the year's Best Novel, and established Le Guin's status as a majo
r author of science fiction.
Chicago Pile-1 (nominated by Hawkeye7) was the world's first nuclear reactor to
achieve criticality. Its construction was part of the Manhattan Project, the All
ied effort to create atomic bombs during World War II. It was built by the Manha
ttan Project's Metallurgical Laboratory at the University of Chicago, under the
west viewing stands of the original Stagg Field. The first human-initiated, self
-sustaining nuclear chain reaction occurred in CP-1 in 1942 under the supervisio
n of Enrico Fermi, who described the apparatus as "a crude pile of black bricks
and wooden timbers". In 1943, CP-1 was moved to Red Gate Woods, and reconfigured
to become Chicago Pile-2. There, it was operated until 1954, when it was disman
tled and buried.
Yugoslav monitor Drava (nominated by Peacemaker67 and 23 editor) was a river mon
itor operated by the Royal Yugoslav Navy between 1921 and 1941. She was original
ly built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy as the name ship of the Enns-class river
monitors. As SMS Enns, she was part of the Danube Flotilla during World War I, a
nd fought against the Serbian and Romanian armies from Belgrade to the lower Dan
ube. After World War I she was provided to the newly created Kingdom of Serbs, C
roats and Slovenes, and renamed Drava. She remained in service throughout the in
terwar period, but was not always in full commission due to budget restrictions.
During the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941, Drava spent six days
shelling airfields near Mohcs in Hungary and fought off a small flotilla of Hung
arian gunboats. Later she was attacked by Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers of th
e Luftwaffe. The anti-aircraft gunners on the ship claimed three enemy aircraft,
but nine of the Stukas scored hits. She was raised and scrapped by Hungary duri
ng their occupation of parts of Yugoslavia.
Candaules, King of Lydia, Shews his Wife by Stealth to Gyges, One of his Ministe
rs, as She Goes to Bed (nominated by Iridescent) is a 45.1 by 55.9 cm (17.8 by 2
2.0 in) oil painting on canvas by English artist William Etty, first exhibited i
n 1830. It shows a scene from the Histories by Herodotus, in which Candaules, ki
ng of Lydia, invites his bodyguard Gyges to hide in the couple's bedroom and wat
ch his wife Nyssia undress, to prove to him her beauty. Nyssia notices Gyges spy
ing, and challenges him to either kill himself or Candaules as a punishment; Gyg
es chooses to kill Candaules and to take his place as king. The painting shows t
he moment at which Nyssia, at this point unaware that she is being watched by an
yone other than her husband, removes the last of her clothes. The painting was i
mmediately controversial, and perceived as a cynical combination of a pornograph
ic image and a violent and unpleasant narrative, and it was condemned as an immo
ral piece of the type one would expect from a foreign, not a British, artist.
Title TK (nominated by Moisejp) is the third studio album by American alternativ
e rock band the Breeders, released in 2002 by 4AD in the United Kingdom and Elek
tra Records in the United States. The album generated three singles: "Off You",
"Huffer", and "Son of Three". Title TK reached the top 100 in France, Germany, t
he UK, and Australia, and number 130 in the US. The reception of Title TK has be
en generally positive; appraisal has included commendation for Albini's contribu
tions to the sound of the album, and for how the arrangements isolate the indivi
dual musical components, such as vocals, guitar, and drums.
The Ecstatic (nominated by Dan56) is the fourth studio album by American rapper
Mos Def. After venturing further away from hip hop with an acting career and two
poorly received albums, Mos Def signed with Downtown Records and recorded the a
lbum primarily at the Record Plant in Los Angeles. The Ecstatic was described by
music journalists as a conscious and alternative hip hop record with an eccentr
ic, internationalist quality. Released in 2009, it charted at number nine on the
Billboard 200 and eventually sold 168,000 copies.
St Botolph's Church (nominated by Noswall59) is an Anglican place of worship in
the village of Quarrington. Recognised for its age and tracery, the church has b

een designated a grade II* listed building. The oldest parts of the building dat
e to the 13th century, although substantial rebuilding took place o