The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the Americas. It was founded in 1812, by many of the leading naturalists of the young American republic with an expressed mission of "the encouragement and cultivation of the sciences". It has sponsored expeditions, conducted original environmental and systematics research, and amassed natural history collections containing more than 17 million specimens. The Academy also organizes public exhibits and educational programs for both schools and the general public.

History
During the first decades of the United States, Philadelphia was the cultural capital and one of the country's commercial centers. Two of the city's institutions, the Library Company and the American Philosophical Society, were centers of enlightened thought and scientific inquiry.

The increasing sophistication of the earth and life sciences, combined with a growing awareness of the great variety of life and landscape in the American wilderness waiting to be discovered, led a small group of naturalists to establish the Academy of Natural Sciences in the winter of 1812. The academy was meant to foster a gathering of fellow naturalists, and nurture the growth and credibility of American science. They frequently looked to their European counterparts for inspiration and expertise and longed to be regarded as equals. On 25 April 1817 they were incorporated into the society under the title of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia by the legislature of Pennsylvania. By 1 January 1818, eight members were published.

In 2011, the Academy became affiliated with nearby Drexel University and changed its name to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

Notable members
Within a decade of its founding, the Academy became the undisputed center of natural sciences in the United States. Academy members were frequently enlisted to participate in national surveys of the western territories and other major expeditions. Several of its earliest members, including William Bartram, John Godman, Richard Harlan, Angelo Heilprin, Charles Alexandre Lesueur, William Maclure, Titian Peale, Charles Pickering, Thomas Say, and Alexander Wilson were among the pioneers or recognized authorities in their respective areas of study. Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Edwards Holbrook of South Carolina, Thomas Nuttall and Richard Owen of the United Kingdom, Georges Cuvier of France, and Alexander von Humboldt of Prussia were among the corresponding members (members who lived far from Philadelphia) of the Academy's first decades.

Later during the 19th century, other notable naturalists and scientists, including John James Audubon, Charles S. Boyer, John Cassin, Edward Drinker Cope, Ezra Townsend Cresson, Richard Harlan, Ferdinand V. Hayden, Isaac Lea, William W. Jefferis, John Lawrence LeConte, Joseph Leidy, Samuel George Morton, George Ord, and James Rehn were members. Corresponding members included Charles Darwin along with his supporters Asa Gray, and Thomas Henry Huxley.

For much of its history, new members had to be nominated by two current members and then elected by the remaining members. These requirements were dropped in 1924. Notable 20th-century scientists include James Böhlke, James Bond, Henry Weed Fowler, Ruth Patrick, Henry Pilsbry, H. Radclyffe Roberts, and Witmer Stone.

Collections and research
The Academy of Natural Sciences holds an internationally important natural history collection. Currently, there are over 18 million biological specimens, and hundreds of thousands of volumes, journals, illustrations, photographs, and archival items in its library. These collections were obtained through multiple means, including the donation or purchase of existing collections or individual items, the collection activities of Academy-sponsored expeditions, or those of individual scientists, whether or not they work at the Academy. Some collections were originally gathered by other institutions. For example, a number of the natural history collections at the American Philosophical Society were relocated to the Academy by the end of the 19th century.

Traditionally, researchers at natural science (or natural history) institutions such as the Academy engaged in biological taxonomy, the science of discovering, describing, naming, and classifying species. In recent decades, research has shifted in emphasis to the science of systematics, the study of the evolutionary relationships among these species. The Academy preserves many type specimens, the reference material that helps establish a species' identity. They also preserve additional specimens with which scientists can investigate the nature of these species, their relationships with other species, their evolutionary history, or their conservation status.

Museum collections and research programs
The Academy's collections include a wide range of specimens across the tree of life. The museum also maintains several historically important collections.

Botany
Botany is study of plants, including nonvascular bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) and vascular plants, including ferns, conifers and flowering plants. The field of botany has also traditionally included the study of algae, lichens, and fungi which are now classified in different biological kingdoms.  Collections at the Academy, which are housed in the Philadelphia Herbarium (PH), the oldest institutional herbarium in the New World, include some of the oldest and most important botanical collections in the Americas. Notable early collectors include Benjamin Smith Barton, Constatine Rafinesque, Thomas Meehan, Thomas Nuttall, and Fredrick Pursh. Today, the herbarium contains approximately 1.5 million specimens of vascular plants, fungi, lichens, algae, and fossil plants, 40,000 of which are types. It also contains some special collections, including the plants collected by Johann and Georg Forster during the voyages of Captain James Cook, and by Meriwether Lewis during the Lewis and Clark expedition (Corps of Discovery). The department's current focus is plant biodiversity and evolution focusing on Apocynaceae (milkweed or dogbane family) and Polygalaceae.

Diatoms
The Academy's Diatom Herbarium, the largest in the Americas and the second largest in the world, contains approximately 220,000 slides of these microscopic algae. The herbarium contains many specimens contributed by notable collectors, a diversity of fossil diatoms, and diatoms collected as part of numerous freshwater environmental surveys in the United States. The Diatom Herbarium also provides collections and taxonomic services for the Phycology Section of the Patrick Center for Environmental Research. Former curators of note include Charles S. Boyer, Ruth Patrick, and Charles Reimer.

Entomology
Entomology has been important to the Academy since its founding. Two of its earliest members include Thomas Say, regarded as the father of American entomology, and Titian Peale, a leading natural history illustrator and the chief naturalist on the United States Exploring Expedition (1834–1842). The entomology collection currently contains more than 3.5 million specimens and includes the Titian Peale Moth and Butterfly Collection, the oldest entomology collection in the United States. Curator Emeritus, Daniel Otte, an expert on Orthoptera (crickets, grasshoppers, and their relatives) is a pioneer of presenting biological data on the internet through the creation of the Orthoptera Species File. Curator and Entomology Department Chair, Jon Gelhaus is a leading expert on crane flies and manages the Mongolian Aquatic Insect Survey.

Ichthyology
Ichthyology has also been a part of Academy collections and research since its beginnings, but the size of the collection was relatively modest until acquisition of Edward Drinker Cope's personal collections in 1898. A few years later, Henry Weed Fowler began his tenure at the Academy, during which he systematized the collections and described 1,408 species. James E. Böhlke, William Saul, and William Smith-Vaniz are among the scientists who followed Fowler. Curator Emeritus, John Lundberg, an expert in catfishes, pioneered deep channel collecting in large tropical rivers and is the lead author of a seminal scientific paper on the biological and geographic history of the Amazon River Basin. The Ichthyology collection, which currently houses nearly 1.2 million specimens and nearly 3,000 types, is one of the most important such collections in the United States. The department also hosts the All Catfish Species Inventory (a comprehensive online resource on catfish) and Catfish Bones (an online digital atlas of catfish morphology), and is a participant in Neodat II (an online resource of Neotropic ichthyology collections).

Malacology
Two of the early members of the Academy, Thomas Say and Isaac Lea, were malacologists (see also conchologists). R. Tucker Abbott, Samuel Stehman Haldeman, Henry A. Pilsbry, and George W. Tryon, Jr. were other noted malacologists who worked at the Academy. The Academy's malacology collection is the oldest such collection in the United States and is the 3rd largest in the world. It currently contains over 10 million specimens, including types erected by more than 400 authors. Curator Gary Rosenberg, an expert on Jamaican land snails, is a leader in digitised museum collections and research data. Research websites include the Malacology Georeferencing Project an online database of Western Atlantic Marine Mollusca (Malacolog), and the OBIS Indo-Pacific Mollusc database.  Research associate and former curator Danielle Graf, an expert on Unionidae (freshwater mussels), maintains the MUSSEL Project web site.

Ornithology
The majority of ornithologists active in the United States during the first half of the 19th century, including Charles Lucien Bonaparte, George Ord, Titian Ramsay Peale, John James Audubon, John Cassin, Thomas Nuttall, and John Kirk Townsend, were active members of the Academy. Later notable Academy ornithologists include James Bond, Frank Gill, Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee, Pete Myers, Fred Sheldon, and Witmer Stone. With nearly 200,000 specimens representing over 9,000 species, the Ornithology collection is one of the largest and most taxonomically complete bird collections in the world. The Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC) has held regular meetings at the Academy since 1890.

Vertebrate paleontology
Vertebrate paleontology in the United States originated in Philadelphia through the efforts of naturalists and scientists associated with the American Philosophical Society (APS) during the first decade of the 19th century and at The Academy of Natural Sciences thereafter. By the end of the 19th century, the holdings from the APS, including the Thomas Jefferson Fossil Collection, had been transferred to the Academy for safekeeping. Currently, the collection contains more than 22,000 specimens, including many types. Richard Harlan was an early member who introduced many American naturalists to the groundbreaking works of Georges Cuvier. Joseph Leidy, who described Hadrosaurus and alerted the scientific world to the paleontological treasures of the American West, is considered the "father" of American vertebrate paleontology. Edward Drinker Cope, who also worked extensively on other vertebrates, is best known for his rivalry with Othniel Charles Marsh during the infamous Bone Wars. Curator Edward B. Daeschler is currently studying the evolution of Devonian tetrapods, but he will be retiring in September 2023. He is a co-discoverer of the transitional "fishapod" Tiktaalik roseae from the Canadian Arctic and the discoverer of two tetrapods, Hynerpeton and Densignathus from the Catskill Formation in Pennsylvania.

Other collections
The Academy houses several collections of smaller size yet historical and scientific importance. The general invertebrate collection contains about 22,600 specimens, while the invertebrate paleontology collection contains about 105,000 lots. Both contain numerous type specimens. Generally, 21,500 specimens are gaunt, 13,500 are affiliated skins, and 1,700 are wet-preserved specimens.  The Frank J. Myers Rotifer Collection is the most comprehensive collection of rotifers on microslides. The herpetology collection contains about 40,000 specimens, including more than 500 type specimens. The mammalogy collection contains about 36,000 specimens and 180 holotypes. Among the naturalists and scientists associated with these collections are Timothy Conrad, Edward Drinker Cope, Richard Harlan, John Edwards Holbrook, William W. Jefferis, Henry Charles Lea, Isaac Lea, Joseph Leidy, Samuel George Morton, and Thomas Say.

Patrick Center for Environmental Research
Formerly the Limnology Department, the Patrick Center for Environmental Research focuses on applied ecology. Founded in 1947 by Ruth Patrick, formerly of the Diatom Herbarium, it was one of the earliest U.S. environmental consulting concerns. Its attachment to the Academy led it to become the first to employ interdisciplinary teams of scientists to study freshwater systems and the first to regard biodiversity as a central criterion of water quality.

Its 1948 biological survey of the Conestoga River Basin in Pennsylvania, a milestone in environmental research, led to similar surveys and studies throughout much of the United States. Characteristically, these earlier projects were joint projects of the Limnology Department and private industry. Since the rise of the environmental movement in the 1960s and 1970s and the resulting increases in governmental regulation of water pollution, the environmental assessments pioneered at the Academy are increasingly conducted by private environmental consulting firms.

, much of the research at the Patrick Center is conducted with regulatory agencies and other governmental bodies, in fields such as diatom autecology, environmental chemistry and toxicology, habitat restoration, long-term environmental trends, species conservation, and watershed management. Some of the work employs most of the center's expertise and capabilities, such as recent studies on the ecological effects of small dams or the ecological benefits of riparian reforestation.

Other studies may involve only one or a couple of the research programs. For example, a current project sampling sediment cores in tidal marshes throughout the Delaware Estuary. This undertaking, possibly the most comprehensive core sampling in any estuary, relies extensively on the center's expertise in biogeochemistry and phycology. Once the sampling is completed, scientist will be able to investigate historical trends in marsh development, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling, water pollution, salinity variations, and climatic change by analysing the core's sediments, chemistry, and diatom assemblages.

Biogeochemistry
The Biogeochemistry Section of the Patrick Center is concerned with the influence of aquatic organisms on the sources, fate and transport of chemicals in aquatic systems. Studies frequently deal with the carbon and nutrient cycling as well as those of trace elements (e.g., lead, copper, mercury, and zinc) and organic contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The section regularly provides water, sediment and tissue analyses for government, intergovernmental agencies, and private companies from around the country. In addition to the sediment core project mentioned above, it has recently studied the effects of small dams on sediment contaminants, photochemical transformation of marsh-derived dissolved organic matter, and sedimentation and eutrophication in salt marshes.

Ecological Modeling
The Ecological Modeling Section employs sophisticated and rigorous mathematical modelling techniques to address a variety of questions in basic and applied research. Examples include watershed-scale modeling and risk assessment; nonlinear population models structured by age, body size, or space; particle transport in turbulent aquatic systems; and the ecology and control of exotic invasive plants in urban parks.

Fisheries
The Fisheries Section of the Patrick Center conducts research into the ecology, conservation, and management of lotic and estuarine fishes. Studies may range from the analysis of fish tissues for contaminants, monitoring fish populations for environmental assessments, to investigating the life histories of individual species. Recent and ongoing work include, glass eel (the larvae of freshwater or American eels) recruitment in the Delaware River basin, the ecology and genetics of bridal shiner (a fish that's endangered in Pennsylvania), and the impacts of flow management (dam releases) in the Upper Delaware River to native and introduced fish populations.

Macroinvertebrates
Benthic macroinvertebrates (primarily aquatic insects, crustaceans, and mollusks) are useful for biological monitoring programs. Their varied life spans, ranging from weeks to years, are long enough to reveal intermittent and continuous pollutants, yet short enough respond to worsening or improving water quality. The Macroinvertebrate Section at the Patrick Center has extensive experience in bioassessment, biomonitoring, and inventorying of freshwater habitats throughout the United States.

Phycology
Because of their great diversity and specific ecological requirements, algae, particularly diatoms, make excellent indicators of water quality. Moreover, diatoms are readily preserved in sediments, which make them useful organisms for studying paleolimnology (the long-term trends of streams and lakes). The Phycology Section of the Patrick Center provides algal analyses for governmental and other agencies interested in both assessing water quality and long-term environmental trends. One such undertaking is the analyses of diatom assemblages in lake sediments (sediment cores) throughout the eastern United States. This work, part of a large project managed by the EPA, will try to establish reference (pre-anthropogenic) conditions for lakes throughout the country.

In addition to these research efforts, the Phycology Section of the Patrick Center has developed a set of online resources for using algae in environmental research. These include an algal image database, autecology datasets for freshwater algae, algae research with the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program, and a diatom paleolimnology database.

Laboratory for Molecular Systematics and Ecology
For most of its history, biological taxonomy and systematics were conducted using comparative morphology. In recent decades, however, advances in molecular biology and computational technologies have opened new possibilities for studying the diversity and history of life through the use of cladistics and computational phylogenetics. These technologies also offer new opportunities for molecular ecology and conservation genetics.

Academy scientists have been early adapters of molecular biology techniques. Allozymes, DNA-DNA hybridization, immunoelectrophoresis, restriction site analyses of mitochondrial DNA and serology were used extensively since the late 1960s. Recent molecular work mainly employs DNA sequencing, microsatellites, and AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism). In 2004, the Laboratory for Molecular Systematics and Ecology (LMSE) was formed as a shared, multi-user facility to improve access to and provide training for the use of molecular data in systematic and ecological research. In addition to supporting staff, the lab offers research opportunities for students and post-doctoral fellowships.

Hovsgol
The Academy's work in Mongolia started with the realization of the unique research opportunities available at Lake Hovsgol (Hovsgol Nuur). This large lake and its watershed were remarkably pristine and relatively unknown, especially in comparison to its sister lake in Russia, Lake Baikal. In 1995, a multidisciplinary team of scientists from the Academy, as well as from other American institutions, Mongolia, Russia, and Japan started a multi-year study of the lake's biodiversity, limnology, and watershed.

Although this research was scientifically rewarding, it was apparent that issues concerning environmental protection and sustainable economic development needed addressing. Consequently, work at Hovsgol shifted to ecosystem studies and capacity building. One early undertaking was the enhancement of the operational and physical infrastructure at Hovsgol National Park. Long-term ecological monitoring of several tributary watersheds began in 1997 and soon the site would be adopted into the
International Long Term Ecological Research Network.

Recent work at Hovsgol is focusing on the consequences of and sustainable responses to climate change. The region lies in a transitional zone between the semi-arid Eurasian Steppe (grasslands) to the south and the Eurasian Taiga (boreal forest) to the north. As such, it is an ideal mid-continental site at which to monitor the ecological effects of climate change. In addition, changes in livestock herding practices raise concerns about overgrazing and desertification. In response, the team at Hovsgol created and distributed a Herder Handbook and continues to conduct research and work with nomadic herders to develop sustainable practices.

Mongolian Aquatic Insect Survey
The Mongolian Aquatic Insect Survey is a multi-year biodiversity survey, environmental monitoring and capacity building project managed by Jon Gelhaus of the Academy's Entomology Department.  A total of 217 sites from the Selenge River Basin, the most populous and most extensive drainage in Mongolia, were surveyed from 2003 to 2006. Most of these sites are in rivers or streams, but some are in freshwater and saltwater lakes, hot and cold springs, and marsh wetlands. Additional sites from the remote drainage systems in western Mongolia will be sampled in 2008.

The survey has yielded numerous new species and hundreds of geographic records for known aquatic insects, provided an extensive dataset for ongoing environmental monitoring, and has helped develop research and technical infrastructures in Mongolia. This capacity building includes, in collaboration with the Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, the building of the first research laboratory in Mongolia dedicated to the study of aquatic invertebrates. It also includes training of Mongolian scientists and students.

Center for Environmental Policy
The Center for Environmental Policy informs and engages various constituents, promotes solutions, and builds public and professional awareness on important environmental topics. Much of its activities focus on public programs and working groups.

The center hosts or participates in a number of public programs that are free and open to the public. Urban Sustainability Forums feature panels of local and national experts discussing environmental and sustainability topics as they relate to the Philadelphia region. Town Square, which may feature a panel or an individual, addresses a variety of topics relating to the environment or public science. The center also hosts candidate forums, conferences and workshops.

The center acts as a logistical hub for a number of Working Groups organized around sustainability issues. Currently active groups include one for condominium and building co-op owners, a network of faith-based environmental groups, and a forum of senior executives in the private sector.

Ewell Sale Stewart Library
The Library and Archives were established at the Academy's founding meeting in 1812 for the purpose of supporting its natural science research. The library provides online access, services, collections, imaging, and shared resources with other libraries.

The library houses nearly 200,000 volumes ranging from works published in the 16th century to current journals and books. Its holdings also include  illustrated works from as early as the 15th century, including Konrad Gessner's Historia animalium, Maria Sibylla Merian's Insects of Surinam, Edward Lear's Psittacidae or Parrots, and a double elephant folio of John James Audubon's The Birds of America.

Scientific publications
The Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences was the first peer-reviewed publication in the United States devoted to the natural sciences. The first volume was published in 1817.  By 1842, it had been superseded by the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences. The Proceedings have been published continuously since 1841. The Journal was reborn in 1847 as a larger-format publication that could accommodate longer articles and monographs. The last volume was issued in 1918.

The Academy publishes three other series. The occasional series Notulae Naturae began in 1939 as a means to quickly publish short items, usually not longer than 16 pages on subject areas such as zoology, botany, ecology, geology and paleontology. The Monographs series, which began in 1935, is composed principally of larger systematic reviews of selected taxonomic groups. The Special Publications series, begun in 1922, includes works such as biography, taxonomy, historical reviews, and collections surveys.

VIREO

VIREO (VIsual REsource for Ornithology) is the most comprehensive collection of bird images in the world. Started in 1979, the collection contains over 180,000 photographs representing over 7,300 species. The collection contains work by some of the world's most talented photographers. VIREO licenses bird images for a wide variety of commercial and non-profit uses.

Exhibits and public programs

Public exhibits

The Academy first opened its collections to the public in 1828. The popularity of its exhibits soared in 1868 with the debut of the world's first mounted dinosaur skeleton, Hadrosaurus.  In fact, the size of the crowds flocking to this display prompted the Academy to relocate to its present-and roomier-location in 1876.

Collections and the public
As with most museums in the 19th century, there was little separation of the Academy's collections, which were vital to scientific work, and the public spaces. Not only did this subject the collections to extra wear and tear, but visitors were typically confronted with a bewildering assemblage of specimens with little in the way of supplemental information. Over time, however, museums such as the Academy started to showcase their more popular specimens while sequestering the bulk of the collections. In addition, they spent more effort interpreting their public displays. Museums started to play a more active role in educating the public.

Dioramas
One expression of this transformation was the rise of that icon of natural history museums, the diorama. These three-dimensional displays were the virtual reality of their time, providing generations of museum visitors with their only opportunity to experience distant places and exotic wildlife.

In 1929 program coordinator Harold T. Green created The Academy's first diorama, depicting rocky mountain goats. Green's work was at first controversial amongst The Academy's staff, due to both the cost and accusations of sensationalism, but proved popular amongst the public. In 1935, the Works Progress Administration began providing artists to help work on the dioramas, fueling the exhibits' continued expansion.

By presenting the wilderness to the public, dioramas nurtured an appreciation of our natural heritage, which, coincided with the growth of the Conservation Movement in the United States. The Academy currently has 37 dioramas, most of which were installed in the 1930s and 1940s. They feature a variety of animals from Africa, Asia, and North America. Some of these, such as the caribou, lion, and plains zebra are familiar and relatively common, but others, such as the desert bighorn, kiang, Kodiak bear, panda, and passenger pigeon, are threatened, endangered, or extinct.

In 2018, under the management of Drexel University, The Academy renovated some of the older dioramas. These renovations were meant to increase the scientific accuracy of the displays and improve their aesthetics.

Dinosaurs

Another icon of natural history museums is the dinosaur skeleton. The first of these, the Hadrosaurus mount created by noted natural history artist Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, made its debut at the Academy in 1868. Hadrosaurus mounts also found their way into other public venues, including Princeton University, the Royal Scottish Museum, the Smithsonian, and the 1876 American Centennial Exposition. A special exhibit on the history of Hadrosaurus foulkii ran from November 22, 2008 to April 19, 2009.

A skeletal mount of a related dinosaur, Corythosaurus, served as the centerpiece of the Academy's "Hall of Earth History" during the middle of the 20th century. In 1986, the Academy opened a new exhibit, "Discovering Dinosaurs." This was the first large-scale exhibit to incorporate the findings of the "dinosaur renaissance." Instead of cold-blooded and lumbering reptiles, dinosaurs were conceived as active-and possibly warm-blooded-animals more akin to birds than reptiles.

In 1979, another type of dinosaur was the subject of an exhibition at the academy when it featured Jim Gary's Twentieth Century Dinosaurs and found that it was an enormous success with the public. This unconventional exhibition for a museum of science that featured contemporary sculpture, which focused upon the subjects of intense scientific inquiry, began a trend among its peer institutions, who then began to invite Gary and several other artists who specialized in scientific topics and subjects to museums that always had shied away from anything identified as "contemporary art" as exhibitions.

Other exhibits
In 1979, the academy also opened "Outside-In", a hands-on children's nature museum. In 1995, it pioneered the hands-on simulation of a dinosaur dig, with its "The Big Dig". Other permanent exhibits include "Secrets of the Diorama", an insight into what goes into a diorama, and "Science at the Academy", which showcases current Academy research.

The museum also has special, changing exhibits. Recent changing exhibits include "Skin: Living Armor, Evolving Identity", "Illuminating Birds", "Extreme Deep: Mission to the Abyss", and "Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Modern World."

Public programs

Festivals
Four weekend festivals organized around scientific disciplines, are held during the year. Paleopalooza, held in mid-February, features fossil collections and talks by leading paleontologists. Earth Day Festival, held in mid-April, features scientists from the Academy's Patrick Center for Environmental Research. Bug Fest, held in mid August, features entomologists, insect collections and live insects. The Philadelphia Shell Show, held in mid-October, features an international shell market and competitive shell displays.

Programs for adults
The Academy began offering lectures to the public as early as the 1820s. Current offerings include natural history author talks, lectures by scientists, workshops and classes. In addition, the Center for Environmental Policy produces public programs on environmental issues.

Programs for families and children
Since its Nature Club in the 1930s, the Academy has offered programming just for children. Several programs appropriate for different age groups are currently offered. Safari Overnight sleepovers (camp-ins) are held on selected weekends during Fall, Winter, and Spring. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts can participate in day workshops and sleepovers to fulfill badge and pin requirements. Tiny Tot Explorers is a program for toddlers. A new series of Family Workshops designed for both adults and children was launched in early 2010.

"Wild Weekends", held on selected weekends throughout the year, offer a variety of children's programs, including hands-on exploration of museum specimens, crafts and live animal shows with mammals, birds and reptiles. Live animal shows are also presented at regular times on other days and featured prominently in the educational programs.

Educational programs

Field trips and outreach
Field trips to the Academy are available throughout the year for schools, summer camps and other groups. Optional directed programs include Discovery Lessons for younger age groups (pre-K and higher) and Science Explorers for older children (grades 7 through 9). "Academy on the Go" is an educational outreach program that visits schools, camps, and community centers.

Women in Natural Sciences
WINS (Women in Natural Sciences) is an innovative and successful science enrichment program conducted by The Academy of Natural Sciences in collaboration with the School District of Philadelphia. Since its founding in 1982, WINS has been providing female public school students with hands-on science classes, scientific literacy and skill-building activities, and opportunities for personal growth in a uniquely nurturing setting.

Other programs
Academy Explorers Camp is a day camp program offered during Spring Break and the Summer. The George Washington Carver Science Fair is held in February or March. Science fair participants are eligible for the George Washington Carver Scholars summer program, which is also held at the Academy. Educator workshops are held throughout the year. The most recent series covered the integration of science and literacy skills. Self-guided workbooks tailored for younger children are available for some of the museum exhibits.

Awards and research opportunities

Hayden Memorial Geological Award
The Hayden Memorial Geological Award is given to prominent scientists working in geology or paleontology. It was established in 1888 in memory of Ferdinand V. Hayden, a distinguished American geologist and pioneering surveyor of the American West who had extensive ties to the Academy.

Gold Medal for Distinction in Natural History Art
Established in 1980, the Gold Medal for Distinction in Natural History Art is awarded to people whose artistic endeavors and life's work have contributed to our understanding and appreciation of living things.

The recipients  are:
 1980: Roger Tory Peterson
 1981: Ansel Adams
 1982: Sir Peter Scott
 1983: Eliot Porter
 1984: Peter Matthiessen
 1987: BBC Natural History Unit
 1992: William Cooper
 1995: Guy Tudor
 2005: John McPhee
 2007: Ray Troll
 2012: James Prosek

Richard Hopper Day Memorial Medal
The Richard Hopper Day Memorial Medal, established in 1960 by his granddaughter, Margaret Day Dilks, is awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions in interpreting the natural sciences to the public. , the recipients are:
 1960: Jacques Piccard, Lawrence A. Shumaker, Don Walsh, Andreas Rechnitzer
 1964: L. S. B. Leakey
 1966: H. Bradford Washburn
 1967: Charles A. Berry
 1969: Ruth Patrick
 1973: Harrison H. Schmitt
 1979: Stanton A. Waterman
 1980: Crawford H. Greenewalt
 1983: David Attenborough
 1985: Lewis Thomas
 1988: Gerald Durrell
 1991: Robert McCracken Peck
 1997: Stephen Ambrose
 2000: Thomas Lovejoy
 2004: Sylvia Earle
 2010: Scott Weidensaul

Joseph Leidy Award
The Joseph Leidy Award honors research in the natural sciences. It was established in 1923 as a tribute to the many contributions and long association of Joseph Leidy with the Academy.

Endowments and fellowships
The Böhlke Memorial Endowment Fund honors the memory of James E. Böhlke and Eugenia B. Böhlke who were prominent ichthyologists at the Academy. This fund provides support for graduate students and recent postdoctoral researchers to work with the Ichthyology Collection and the Academy's Library.

The John J. & Anna H. Gallagher Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for original, multi-year, postdoctoral or sabbatical research on the systematics of microscopic invertebrates, especially Rotifera. The research focus must be on systematics and may employ ecological, behavioral, physiological, molecular or developmental tools.

Jessup and McHenry Awards are competitively awarded to students wishing to conduct studies at the postgraduate, doctoral and postdoctoral levels under the supervision or sponsorship of a member of the curatorial staff of the Academy. The Jessup Award is given for any specialty in which our curators have expertise. The McHenry Fund is restricted to botanists.

The Eckelberry Endowment helps support the efforts of wildlife painters, sculptors, printmakers, and other artists to better acquaint themselves with the natural world through both museum and field research. In addition, artistic and scientific mentors counsel and assist these artists as their careers develop. One grant will be given each year.

Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), a program of the National Science Foundation, provides summer research experience for students attending colleges and universities. Each summer the Academy offers five to ten separate research projects which can include collections, field, imaging and/or lab work. The projects vary but typically include environmental, library collections, and/or systematics research.

See also
 Academy Glacier (Greenland)
 American Philosophical Society: The first "learned society" in the Americas, and an important scientific and cultural institution in Philadelphia.
 Drexel University: The Philadelphia-based university with which the Academy is now affiliated.
 Franklin Institute: Another Philadelphia science museum.
 Library Company of Philadelphia: The "mother of all subscription libraries", the Library Company was founded in 1731.
 List of natural history museums
 List of natural history museums in the United States
 Logan Square: A landmark adjacent to the Academy that contains the Swann Memorial Fountain.
 Please Touch Museum, a children's museum that was housed within the Academy before moving in 1981.
 Wagner Free Institute of Science: A museum of a museum (a Victorian era Natural History museum) located in Philadelphia.
 Witmer Stone

References

Citations

General bibliography

External links

 Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University on Google Cultural Institute
 "Hall of the Academy of Natural Sciences, 1860"

1812 establishments in Pennsylvania
Biological research institutes in the United States
Botanical research institutes
Dinosaur museums in the United States
Drexel University
Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums
Logan Square, Philadelphia
Museums in Philadelphia
Natural history museums in Pennsylvania
Organizations based in Philadelphia
Organizations established in 1812
Paleontology in Pennsylvania
Shell museums
Zoology organizations
Research institutes in Pennsylvania


William Augustus Hatcher (born October 4, 1960) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first base coach. He played for the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and Texas Rangers.

Pre-MLB career
In 1979, Hatcher graduated from Williams High School in Williams, Arizona, where he had pitched an 11-inning no-hitter as a junior. Hatcher then played for Yavapai Community College in Prescott, Arizona, where he was a junior college All-America selection.

Professional playing career

Chicago Cubs

Hatcher was drafted by the Cubs in the sixth round of the January 1981 MLB draft. He rose quickly through the Cubs' minor league system, playing exactly one season at each minor league level before receiving a late-season call-up to the major league club in 1984. He split time between AAA and the Cubs during the 1985 season before being traded to the Astros along with Steve Engel for Jerry Mumphrey.

Houston Astros

Hatcher would be the Astros' starting left fielder for the next  seasons and is remembered by Astros fans for hitting one of the most dramatic post-season home runs ever in the 14th inning of Game 6 of the Astros' 1986 National League Championship Series vs the New York Mets' Jesse Orosco, temporarily saving the Astros from elimination.

Hatcher achieved his best statistical season in 1987, when he opened the season with a 16-game hitting streak and led the Astros in hitting (.296) and had career highs in stolen bases (53, third in the National League), home runs (11) and runs batted in (63). His most dubious achievement came that season as well, as he received a 10-day suspension for bat corking. Hatcher later explained that he had borrowed the bat from relief pitcher Dave Smith. Hatcher broke several of his own, uncorked bats in games leading up to the incident, and he continues to maintain his innocence.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Near the end of the 1989 season, the struggling Astros traded Hatcher to the Pirates for Glenn Wilson. He played just 27 games for Pittsburgh before being traded to the Reds for Jeff Richardson and Mike Roesler.

Cincinnati Reds

Hatcher had a memorable season in 1990 for the Reds when he stole 30 bases during their closely contested 1990 pennant run. On August 21, 1990, he tied the major league record against the Cubs with four doubles in one game. He ended up leading National League outfielders in fielding percentage (.997) on the season. The best hitting performance of Hatcher's career was timely, coming during the 1990 World Series against the Oakland Athletics. During the 1990 post-season he hit .519 overall (14-for-27), including a World Series record .750 in the four-game World Series sweep over the heavily favored A's. This mark broke a 62-year-old World Series record that was previously held by Babe Ruth (.625 in 1928), though it was achieved with the at-bat totals for only three games, as Hatcher was removed from Game 4 in the 1st inning after being hit on the hand by a Dave Stewart pitch and was taken to the hospital for precautionary x-rays. They were negative and he was able to return to the ballpark in time for the victory celebration. Hatcher also set records for most consecutive hits in a series (7) and most doubles in a four-game series (4). Despite his torrid hitting, Hatcher was not named the Series Most Valuable Player, that going to Reds pitcher José Rijo, who had a nearly perfect series of his own. Hatcher was later awarded the 1990 Babe Ruth Award for his performance. He finished his career with a .404 postseason batting average in 14 games which included 12 runs, 2 home runs and 6 runs batted in.

Boston Red Sox

Hatcher was traded to the Red Sox for Tom Bolton in the middle of the 1992 season and, on August 3 of that season while with the Red Sox, stole home against the Toronto Blue Jays' Juan Guzmán. He was the Red Sox' starter in center field for the 1993 season before finishing his career as a reserve for the Phillies and Rangers before retiring following the 1995 season. Hatcher played 12 seasons in the major Leagues. He finished his career with a .264 career batting average with 54 home runs and 399 runs batted in during 1,233 games.

Coaching career
In 2015, Billy Hatcher entered his tenth season as a Major League coach with the Reds organization. He works as third-base, outfield, and baserunning coach. Prior to joining the Reds, he spent ten seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, first as a roving minor-league instructor (1996), then as a minor-league coach for 1997 Florida State League champion St. Petersburg. Hatcher spent the next eight seasons as a member of the Rays' Major League coaching staff (1998–2005) as the first-base coach (1998–99, 2003–05), bench coach (2001–02), and third-base coach (2000). He holds the distinction of being the only coach to work for the Rays in each of the club's first eight years of existence.
For the 2016 season, he switched from first base coach to third base coach. Hatcher was named the first base coach for the Miami Marlins prior to the 2020 season, and remained in that position until 2021.

Personal life
Hatcher and his wife Karen have a son, Derek, who was Florida's 2004 Class A Player of the Year in football at Berkley Prep in Tampa, Florida and then played safety for the University of Richmond football team that won the 2008 NCAA FCS National Championship. The couple also have a daughter, Chelsea, who played soccer at the University of Tennessee from 2008 to 2011. She was selected to the All-SEC first team in 2010.

He is now an assistant coach for the Madeira Mustangs—a high school football team in Cincinnati, Ohio.

See also

List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders

References

External links

Billy Hatcher at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League)

1960 births
Living people
African-American baseball coaches
African-American baseball players
Águilas del Zulia players
Baseball players from Arizona
Boston Red Sox players
Chicago Cubs players
Cincinnati Reds coaches
Cincinnati Reds players
Geneva Cubs players
Houston Astros players
Iowa Cubs players
Major League Baseball bench coaches
Major League Baseball center fielders
Major League Baseball first base coaches
Major League Baseball left fielders
Major League Baseball third base coaches
Miami Marlins coaches
Midland Cubs players
Minor league baseball coaches
Navegantes del Magallanes players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Omaha Royals players
People from Williams, Arizona
Philadelphia Phillies players
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Salinas Spurs players
Tampa Bay Devil Rays coaches
Texas Rangers players
Yavapai Roughriders baseball players
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople

Billy Hatcher


Bundaberg railway station is located on the North Coast line in Queensland, Australia. It serves the city of Bundaberg.

History
Bundaberg's first railway station, on the Mount Perry railway line, was built in 1881 as a transfer station to the Bundaberg docks for shipping coal from nearby mines. It is now in use as a museum. The station has one side platform and a south facing bay platform. A yard exists opposite the station.

Services
Bundaberg is served by long-distance Traveltrain services; the Spirit of Queensland, Spirit of the Outback and Tilt Train.

It was also the terminal point for a Tilt Train service. It was previously served by the Bundaberg Mail.

References

External links

Bundaberg station Queensland's Railways on the Internet

Buildings and structures in Bundaberg
Regional railway stations in Queensland
North Coast railway line, Queensland

Bundaberg railway station


Wilson Dwight Peter Parasiuk (; born May 6, 1943) is a Canadian businessman and former politician. As founder and CEO of the Paralink Group of Companies, based in the Vancouver area, Parasiuk organizes private sector/public sector partnerships in the export of Canada's health care, education and governmental expertise.  Paralink also provides advice on energy development matters within Canada and internationally. In his early career as a politician, he was an elected member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, Canada, from 1977 to 1988 and a cabinet minister in the New Democratic Party government of Howard Pawley from 1981 to 1988.

Early life and education
Born in Stenen, Saskatchewan, Canada into a farming family, the son of William Peter Parasiuk and Lillian Gogal, he moved with his family to Transcona, a Winnipeg suburb (now part of the city), when he was five. Parasiuk went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Master of Arts, Political Science and International Relations at the University of Manitoba and subsequently became a Rhodes Scholar (Manitoba 1966), studying at Oxford University (also playing for the University's ice hockey team in 1967 and 1968) and obtaining a Master of Arts at St.John's College. In 1967, Parasiuk married Wilma Dorothy Hewitson.

Early public career (1968-1988)
Parasiuk returned to Canada in 1968 and worked for the Canadian federal government's Department of Regional Economic Expansion as an Economic Development Planner in Ottawa, Ontario.

In 1970, Parasiuk returned to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and began work with the Provincial Government of Manitoba.  Appointed Assistant Deputy Minister for the Cabinet Planning Secretariat by then Premier Edward Schreyer, Parasiuk held several positions over the following years, including Cabinet Sub-Committee on Economic and Resource Development, Chairman of the Lake Winnipeg Management Board, Chairman of Northern Manpower Corporation, Deputy Minister to the Premier and Deputy Minister to the Cabinet Planning Secretariat.

From 1971 to 1977, Parasiuk was Chairman of the Leaf Rapids Development Corporation, Chairman of the Communities Economic Development Fund and Ex Officio Member of the Boards of Crown Corporations of the Government of Manitoba.  Parasiuk led the development of the community of Leaf Rapids, Manitoba.

Parasiuk first ran for the Manitoba legislature in the provincial election of 1973, losing to Progressive Conservative candidate Donald Craik by about 2,000 votes in the suburban Winnipeg riding of Riel. In the 1977 election, he was elected in his home riding, the traditional New Democratic Party stronghold of Transcona in east Winnipeg, even as the NDP government of Edward Schreyer was defeated by the Progressive Conservatives under Sterling Lyon.

In 1979 Parasiuk went to China on a fact-finding tour led by prominent New Democrat, Tommy Douglas.  This led to a lifelong interest and activities in an emerging China and the impact of this emergence on the rest of the world.  Parasiuk remained neutral in the Manitoba NDP leadership race which ultimately elected Howard Pawley as party leader.  Parasiuk was easily re-elected in the 1981 election, as Pawley's NDP won a majority government.  Parasiuk had acted as the Co-Chairman of the election campaign with Eugene Kostyra.

On November 30, 1981, Parasiuk was named Minister of Energy and Mines with responsibility for Manitoba Hydro, the Development Corporation Act, Manitoba Data Services and Manfor Resources Ltd. On January 20, 1982, he was also named Minister for Crown Investments. He was relieved of the DCA and MDS responsibilities on May 19, 1982, and the Crown Investments portfolio and the Manfor responsibility on November 4, 1983.

As Minister Responsible for Manitoba Hydro, Parasiuk was instrumental in organizing an electricity export sales agreement with Northern States Power in Minnesota which led to the development of the Limestone hydro-electric dam and generating station in northern Manitoba.  The dam development and its economic spin-offs had influence in the re-election of the Pawley government March 18, 1986.

Parasiuk was easily re-elected in the 1986 provincial election. He resigned his portfolios on May 20, 1986, amid a conflict-of-interest allegation, but was reinstated on August 29, 1986 after his name was cleared by the Honourable Samuel Freedman, the retired Chief Justice of the Manitoba Court of Appeal. On September 21, 1987, he was appointed Minister of Health, with responsibility for Sport, the Boxing and Wrestling Commission Act and the Fitness and Amateur Sports Act.

Parasiuk had not intended to run again in the next election, expected sometime in 1990.  However, the 1988 election, brought on by the unexpected defeat of the government in the legislature, left Parasiuk no option but to run in his Transcona riding. During this election, Pawley resigned as leader and Parasiuk supported Gary Doer as Pawley's replacement. The NDP lost power in 1988 and Parasiuk himself was upset by Richard Kozak in the 1988 election, and has not sought a return to political life since then.

Private and public sector career and activities (1989-present)
Parasiuk moved from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to the Lower Mainland of British Columbia in 1989, accepting the position of founding President of Vancity Enterprises, a real estate investment and development subsidiary of Vancouver City Savings Credit Union.  Under his leadership, Vancity Enterprises went through a start-up with developments such as private residences providing assisted care at Queens Park Hospital, subsidized housing located over a Vancity Community branch and the Vancouver City Savings Credit Union Headquarters, constructed on previously unusable land due to the Skytrain rapid transit unit, which now passes through the building.

In 1992, Parasiuk was hired by the government of then British Columbia Premier Michael Harcourt to work as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the British Columbia Trade Development Corporation until he left in 1995.  Parasiuk was an advocate of developing Vancouver as the gateway to Asia and focused on expanding trade and investment to and from Asia, especially China and India.  He also pursued the expansion of the film industry in B.C.

Parasiuk was the Director of Quorum Growth Inc., then a publicly traded venture capital company, from 1993 to 1997, Director of Quorum Growth International Ltd. from 1994 to 2000 and was named President of Quorum Funding International in 1995.  From 1995 to 1997, Parasiuk was Chairman of the British Columbia International Power Group Inc.

During his entire career, Parasiuk has been a board member for several private, non-profit and public organizations outside of his primary work activities.  From 1989 to 1991, Parasiuk was a Director of the Canada West Foundation and in 1992 acted as Moderator for the B.C. Premier's Summit on Trade and Economic Opportunity.  He was a member of the World Economic Forum from 1992 to 1995, as well as a member, from 1992 to 1998, of the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on Government Restructuring (now the Advisory Committee on the Public Service) and Director of the Public Policy Forum during that time.

Parasiuk has remained active in health-care policy research in Canada, having been a Director of Interhealth Canada Ltd. from 1994 to 2002 and Chairman of Interhealth Canada (China) Inc. from 1995 to 2003 and Chairman of the Beijing Toronto International Hospital Co-operative Joint Venture from 1996 to 2001, the first-ever private healthcare facility in Beijing, China.  This project has not been completed due in large part to funding problems brought on by the East Asian financial crisis of the mid to late 1990s.

In 1999, Parasiuk became the Managing Director of Interhealth Canada Limited Abu Dhabi, overseeing the start-up of the then Sheikh Khalifa Medical Center, a 335-bed, 1500 staff, accredited Western standard international hospital, now known as the Sheikh Khalifa Medical Pavilion, a central piece in the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City.  When Parasiuk left Interhealth Canada Limited in 2002, he held the positions of Vice-Chairman of the Board, President and CEO.

Since 1995, Parasiuk and his company, Paralink Management Ltd., have been involved in organizing private/public sector partnerships in the export of Canada's expertise with emphasis on Canada's healthcare, education and civics expertise.  Paralink also provides advice on energy development matters.  The Paralink group of companies are also involved in the recruitment and placement of foreign workers in Canada.

Parasiuk has not remained active in partisan politics, although in 2003 he publicly supported Bill Blaikie's campaign to lead the federal New Democratic Party.

Married since 1967 to Wilma Dorothy Parasiuk (née Hewitson),  also of Winnipeg, Manitoba, he has two children and resides in the Vancouver area.

References

New Democratic Party of Manitoba MLAs
1943 births
Living people
Members of the Executive Council of Manitoba
Canadian healthcare chief executives
Canadian people of Ukrainian descent
Canadian socialists of Ukrainian descent
Canadian socialists

Wilson Parasiuk


State Route 132 (SR 132) was a short secondary state highway in Claiborne County, Tennessee, not accessible to the rest of the state via state-maintained roads. It was a coal haul route that existed as an extension of Kentucky Route 186 southwest of the city of Middlesboro, Kentucky into the unincorporated Manring community. Pavement ended at the end of state maintenance, but since the route was decommissioned after 1997, the roadway has been gradually turned into an unpaved road by the county due to the wear and tear of coal trucks.

Transportation in Claiborne County, Tennessee
Former state highways in Tennessee

Tennessee State Route 132


Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT) () is an institute of technology in Thammasat University, Thailand. It was established in 1992.

SIIT offers education in science, technology, engineering, and management. Every education programs are "international program", all classes are in English language. Its graduates receive degrees from Thammasat University.

Although it is part of Thammasat University, its financial and administration system are separate from the central university system.

Academics

Schools
SIIT has five schools and one department for undergraduate and graduate students.
 School of Bio-Chemical Engineering and Technology  hosts chemical engineering and environmental technology programs
 School of Civil Engineering and Technology  hosts civil engineering and infrastructure planning programs
 School of Information, Computer and Communication Technology  hosts information technology, computer science, and Electronics and communication engineering programs
 School of Management Technology hosts management technology and engineering management programs
 School of Manufacturing Systems and Mechanical Engineering  hosts mechanical engineering and industrial engineering programs
 Department of Common and Graduate Studies

Campuses
SIIT has two campuses (as of 2013), Rangsit and Bangkadi campus. Both are in Pathum Thani province.
The area is known for "Technology Clusters of North Bangkok".
 Rangsit campus is 42 kilometers north of Bangkok (the capital city of Thailand). It is near Thailand Science Park, national research centers, industrial estates, and universities.
 Bangkadi campus is in Bangkadi industrial park. It is near Software Park Thailand.
 There is a plan to open a new campus in Lampang. Lampang is a province in northern part of Thailand.

Other websites
 SIIT official website
 SIIT International Office
 SIIT.NET  community
 List of SIIT websites  (Open Directory Project)

References

Colleges and universities in Thailand
1992 establishments in Asia
20th-century establishments in Thailand


Seppo Juhani Hentilä (10 April 1948 in Oulu), is a Finnish historian.

Hentilä was 1980–98 docent in political history at Helsinki University and became 1998 professor in the subject of matter. He has studied the DDR-Finnish relations and Finnish athletics history. Amongst his productions can be found Suomen työläisurheilun historia (3 parts, 1982–87), Kaksi Saksaa ja Suomi (2003) and several academic textbooks.

In 2007 to 2008 Hentilä was a visiting professor in the Berlin's Humboldt University.  Hentilä has also written about the Swedish working class movement and socialdemocracy: Den svenska arbetarklassen och reformismens genombrott inom SAP före 1914: arbetarklassens ställning, strategi och ideologi (1979). This study is also translated to English.

References
 Uppslagsverket Finland, 2 (2004)

20th-century Finnish historians
1948 births
Living people
People from Oulu
Academic staff of the University of Helsinki
Members of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters
21st-century Finnish historians

Seppo Hentilä


A Shot at History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold is 2011 autobiography of Indian 2008 Summer Olympics Gold medalist Abhinav Bindra. He won the medal in the 10-metre air rifle category, which made him India's first ever individual gold medalist; this victory came after he received the seventh rank at the 2004 Athens Olympics. However, due to Bindra's inexperience in writing, he co-authored the book with sportswriter Rohit Brijnath, which took them two years to complete. After it was released on October 20, 2011, at nationwide stores by Harpercollins, Union Sports minister Ajay Maken formally released the book on October 27, 2011, at a function in New Delhi. The book's subsequent Bangalore release in November 2011 was done by Rahul Dravid and went on to receive good reviews.

Synopsis
In this book, Bindra tells that only hunger for success and inner desire helps anyone to achieve his or her dreams. He denies that only the best training, coaches can lead to anyone's success. In this book, he tells how various coaches helped him to become a professional shooter. Especially, he gives credit to his German coach Gabriele Bühlmann, who helped him to win a gold medal after finishing 7th in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens which he states as "the darkest hour in his career". He says that how he drew inspiration from shooters like Gagan Narang, Samaresh Jung, Jaspal Rana and Anjali Bhagwat. The book also highlights the unique situation faced by an Olympic contestant. He says that a cricketer or a Professional golfer has many matches or tournaments to prove himself in a single year if he fails in one, but an Olympian has to wait 4 long years to prove himself if he fails once.

References

2011 non-fiction books
Sports autobiographies
Olympic Games books
Indian autobiographies
Rifle shooting sports
Shooting at the 2004 Summer Olympics
21st-century Indian books
Collaborative autobiographies
HarperCollins books

A Shot at History


The Vanishing Virginian is a 1942 American drama film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Frank Morgan and Kathryn Grayson. It is based on the memoirs of Rebecca Yancey Williams and set in Lynchburg, Virginia, from 1913 to 1929.

Synopsis
Based on the true story of turn-of-the-century Robert Yancey, lawyer and ever-popular politician in Virginia. The film starts with the statement, "This is the story of a vanishing era when simple men so loved their country, their families and their friends that America became a better place in which to live. Such a man was Cap'n Bob Yancey."

The film is based on a 1940 memoir of the same name by Rebecca Yancey Williams. The book's central figure was her father, Robert Davis Yancey, and detailed the story of Cap'n Bob Yancey, his charming and absent‐minded wife and all the Yancey children. The film explores societal roles in plantations of the "Old Dominion" around Lynchburg and their socio-economic implications, as well as the movement for women's suffrage, among other things. It is also the town's story, and various eminent Virginians cross the pages, including Carter Glass, General Jubal Early, Lady Astor's father, "Chilly" Langhorne, and others. Katharine Alexander portrays an outspoken woman who moved north and got a divorce; the character is held to be loosely based on Nancy Langhorne Astor.

Cast
 Frank Morgan as Robert Yancey
 Kathryn Grayson as Rebecca Yancey
 Spring Byington as Rosa Yancey
 Natalie Thompson as Margaret Yancey
 Douglass Newland as Jim Shirley (as Douglass Newland)
 Mark Daniels as Jack Holden
 Elizabeth Patterson as Grandma
 Juanita Quigley as Caroline Yancey
 Scotty Beckett as Joel Yancey
 Leigh Whipper as Uncle Josh
 Louise Beavers as Aunt Emmeline
 Katharine Alexander as Marcia Templeton
 J.M. Kerrigan as John Phelps
 Harlan Briggs as Mr. Rogard
 Katharine Alexander as Marcia Marshall

Box office
According to MGM records, the film earned $589,000 in the U.S. and Canada, and $316,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $63,000.

Trivia
A promotional poster for the film makes the claim that "Millions Read the Book", and also refers to the film as an "American Masterpiece" having "Heart-Throbs, Laughs, [and] Thrills". In addition, a 1942 issue of Photoplay referred to the book as "delightful".

The Vanishing Virginian, the book the film is based on, was published a second time in London in 1941, this time under the title Father Was a Handful. This version was published by Michael Joseph, a British writer and publisher who was part of the publishing company that would later become Penguin Random House.

The story told in The Vanishing Virginian is continued in Rebecca Yancey Williams' second and final novel Carry Me Back, which further chronicles the life of the family, focusing on Rebecca Yancey Williams' experiences during the country summers of 1913-14 in Lynchburg. In addition, some of the content in this novel was adapted from Williams' own diary she kept when she was 15 years of age.

References

External links

 The Vanishing Virginian at TCMDB

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
1942 films
Films directed by Frank Borzage
1942 comedy-drama films
American comedy-drama films
Films produced by Frank Borzage
American black-and-white films
1940s English-language films
1940s American films

The Vanishing Virginian


Maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) or orthognathic surgery, also sometimes called bimaxillary advancement (Bi-Max), or maxillomandibular osteotomy (MMO), is a surgical procedure or sleep surgery which moves the upper jaw (maxilla) and the lower jaw (mandible) forward.
The procedure was first used to correct deformities of the facial skeleton to include malocclusion. In the late 1970s advancement of the lower jaw (mandibular advancement) was noted to improve sleepiness in three patients. Subsequently, maxillomandibular advancement was used for patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Currently, maxillomandibular advancement surgery is often performed simultaneously with genioglossus advancement (tongue advancement). The genioglossus advancement pulls the tongue forward in a manner that decreases the amount of tongue blockage during sleep. MMA has been demonstrated to be one of the most effective surgical treatments for sleep apnea, due to its high success rate. Nonetheless, the procedure is often used after other forms of treatment have failed (nasal surgeries, tonsillectomy, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, tongue reduction surgeries).  There is a longer recovery when compared to other sleep apnea surgeries, since the bones of the face have to heal into their new position.

External links

 Description of MMA for Sleep Apnea

 Arrick, Roger. "Roger's MMA Sleep Apnea Surgery at Stanford Blog" Roger Arrick Project Repository, September 21, 2008.
 Sleep Apnea May Have Added Dangers for Women
 Does Sleep Apnea increase the Risk of Heart Attacks by 30%

Jaw surgery
Oral and maxillofacial surgery
Oral surgery
Sleep surgery

Maxillomandibular advancement


Tōshūsai Sharaku (active period - 1794 - 1795) was a Japanese ukiyo-e print designer. He depicted the Kabuki actors on woodblock prints. The dates of his birth and his death are not known. His works consist of fewer than 160 prints, chiefly of actors. They are very dynamic, with unflattering details. He became popular when his works appeared in Europe.

After 1795 Sharaku quit his career and suddenly disappeared. Nodoby knows the exact circumstances.

Style
Sharaku characters have facial expression. Sharaku focused on the actor's psychology.

References

Japanese printmakers

Tōshūsai Sharaku


GoldenEye 007 is a first-person shooter video game on the Nintendo 64. Its story is based on the 1995 movie GoldenEye. The main character of the game is James Bond, Agent 007. It is a 3D first person shooter style game. Its multiplayer mode is also very popular. The game has received a very positive reception and is often said to be one of the best games ever made.

In November 2010, a remake of the game was released for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS. However, it was not received as positively and it was criticized.

Levels
There are 20 levels in the game, which are separated into 9 missions. Some missions only have one level while others have many. There are also 2 bonus missions.
 Mission 1 : Arkhangelsk – Bond is sent to help fellow agent Alec Trevelyan (Agent 006) in a secret laboratory.
 Mission 2 : Severnaya - Bond must sneak into a bunker and steal a key for the  satellite.
 Mission 3 : Kyrgyzstan - Bond is sent to destroy a Silo and prevent rockets from taking off.
 Mission 4 : Monte Carlo - Bond goes aboard a Frigate to rescue hostages and plant a tracker on an enemy helicopter.
 Mission 5 : Severnaya - Bond returns to the same place as Mission 2 and rescues the heroine, Natalya.
 Mission 6 : St Petersburg - Bond learns that 006 is the leader of Janus, a crime group that is using the satellite for evil. Bond is later arrested, but breaks out and chases 006.
 Mission 7 : Cuba - Bond follows 006 to Cuba and fights in a final showdown with his former friend.
Mission 8 : Teotihuacán - Bond goes to an ancient Aztec temple to blow up a secret rocket facility. It uses designs from the 1979 Bond movie Moonraker.
Mission 9 : el-Saghira - Bond visits a temple in Egypt to track down the evil Baron Samedi, a character from the 1973 Bond movie Live and Let Die.

The game is one of the world's most highly acclaimed first-person shooter games and has been rated highly on many lists. Screwattack.com for instance put it first on its list of top ten first-person shooter games, taking the title away from games like Halo and Half Life 2.

Nintendo 64 games
1997 video games
James Bond
Shooter video games

GoldenEye 007 (1997 video game)


The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) is a programme of activities for anyone aged 14 to 24. There are three levels of the award: Bronze, Silver and Gold. There are different sections in each level. At Bronze and Silver level, participants must do four sections: Volunteering, Physical, Skills and Expedition. At Gold level, participants must do another section, as well as the other four, called Residential. Each level can take between 1-4 years to complete.  All activities must be done by the participant's 25th birthday.  Around 275,000 participants are taking part in their DofE programme at any time in the United Kingdom. The aim of the programme is to evidence a person's dedication to improving themselves. DofE is also run in other countries under the name of the International Award.

eDofE
eDofE is an online system that lets participants manage their DofE programme. It also enables leaders to look at participants' progress.

References

British awards

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award


Arthur H. Murphy (August 24, 1831 – October 27, 1903) was an entrepreneur and political figure in Quebec. He represented Québec-Ouest in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1878 to 1881 as a Liberal.

He was born in Notre-Dame de Québec, Lower Canada, the son of Daniel Murphy and Ellen Murphy, and was educated there. Murphy was involved in shipping on the Great Lakes and owned a lumber business at Quebec City and phosphate and asbestos mines at Thetford Mines, Templeton and Black Lake. He was also a commissioner for the Turnpike Trust. Murphy married Marie Roach. He served on the municipal council for Quebec City. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Quebec assembly in an 1877 by-election before being elected in 1878. Murphy died at Montreal at the age of 72.

References

1831 births
1903 deaths
Politicians from Quebec City
Quebec Liberal Party MNAs
Anglophone Quebec people

Arthur H. Murphy


Ferenc Gyurcsány (born 4 June 1961) is a Hungarian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Hungary from 2004 to 2009. He is a member of the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) and was elected to parliament in 2002.

Gyurcsány was born on June 4, 1961, in Pápa, Hungary. He studied economics at the Budapest University of Economics and later earned a PhD in the same field from the University of Pécs.

Gyurcsány began his political career in the early 1990s, when he was appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of a state-owned construction company. He later became involved in the leadership of the MSZP and was elected to parliament in 2002.

In 2004, Gyurcsány was elected as Prime Minister of Hungary after his party won a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections. His government pursued a program of economic and social reforms aimed at reducing Hungary's budget deficit and promoting growth.

Gyurcsány's government introduced a number of measures aimed at improving Hungary's fiscal position and stimulating economic growth. These measures included the introduction of a flat tax system, the privatization of state-owned enterprises, and the reform of the pension system.

However, Gyurcsány's government faced several challenges during its time in power, including a series of corruption scandals and accusations of economic mismanagement. In 2006, Gyurcsány was caught on tape admitting that his government had lied to the public about the state of Hungary's economy in the run-up to the 2006 elections.

The tape sparked widespread protests and calls for Gyurcsány's resignation. However, he refused to step down and instead called for a referendum on his government's economic policies. The referendum was unsuccessful, and Gyurcsány remained in power until 2009, when his party was defeated in the parliamentary elections.

Following his resignation as Prime Minister, Gyurcsány remained active in politics and founded a new political party, the Democratic Coalition (DK), in 2011. The party has since become a prominent opposition force in Hungarian politics, advocating for progressive economic policies and democratic values.

Overall, Gyurcsány is a controversial figure in Hungarian politics, with some viewing him as a competent and committed leader, while others criticize him for his role in the economic and political turmoil that characterized his time as Prime Minister. Nonetheless, he remains an influential figure in the Hungarian political landscape and continues to advocate for reform and democratic values.

Early years
Ferenc Gyurcsány is a Hungarian businessman and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Hungary from 2004 to 2009. He was born on June 4, 1961, in Pápa, Hungary. He grew up in a working-class family, and his father was a factory worker. Gyurcsány attended the University of Pécs, where he studied economics and later pursued further studies in the United States. He began his career in business, starting his own company before entering politics in the early 2000s.

Return to politics
After stepping down as Prime Minister of Hungary in 2009, Ferenc Gyurcsány returned to politics in 2010. He founded the Democratic Coalition (DK), a center-left political party, and was elected as its leader. In the 2014 European Parliament elections, DK won two seats, and Gyurcsány became a Member of the European Parliament. He has been a vocal critic of the current Hungarian government and has been involved in various protests and demonstrations against Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's administration. Gyurcsány has been a prominent figure in Hungarian politics, and his return to the political arena has reinvigorated the opposition movement.

Prime Minister
Ferenc Gyurcsány served as the Prime Minister of Hungary from 2004 to 2009. During his tenure, he implemented several economic and social reforms, including the introduction of a flat tax system and the expansion of healthcare coverage. His government also pursued a pro-European Union and pro-Atlantic foreign policy, and Hungary joined the Schengen Area during his time in office. However, his administration was marred by several controversies, including the leaking of a speech in which he admitted to lying about the state of Hungary's economy in order to win the 2006 election. The speech sparked widespread protests and calls for his resignation, and his popularity plummeted. He resigned in 2009, and his party, the Hungarian Socialist Party, was soundly defeated in the subsequent election.

Career after premiership
After stepping down as Prime Minister of Hungary in 2009, Ferenc Gyurcsány has remained active in politics and business. He founded the Democratic Coalition (DK), a center-left political party, and has been a vocal critic of the current Hungarian government led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Gyurcsány has been involved in various protests and demonstrations against the Orbán administration and has been a key figure in the opposition movement. In addition to his political work, he has also been involved in business, serving as the CEO of Altus Zrt., an investment company. Gyurcsány's continued involvement in Hungarian politics and business has made him one of the most prominent and influential figures in the country.

Personal life
Ferenc Gyurcsány was born on June 4, 1961, in Pápa, Hungary. He is married and has four children. His wife, Klára Dobrev, is a politician and member of the European Parliament. Gyurcsány is known for his love of sports, particularly basketball, and he has been involved in several sports-related initiatives in Hungary. He is also a published author, having written several books on politics and economics, including "Tűzszünet" ("Ceasefire"), which chronicles his time as Prime Minister of Hungary. Gyurcsány's personal life has been relatively private, and he has largely kept his family out of the public eye.

Criticism

Ferenc Gyurcsány has faced significant criticism throughout his political career. One of the most controversial moments came in 2006, when a leaked recording of a speech revealed him admitting to lying about the state of the economy in order to win the election. The admission sparked widespread protests and calls for his resignation, and his popularity plummeted. He was also criticized for his government's handling of the 2008 financial crisis and the subsequent recession. Gyurcsány has also been accused of corruption, with some alleging that he used his position for personal gain. Finally, he has been criticized for his confrontational style and for his vocal opposition to the current Hungarian government, which has led some to accuse him of being divisive and obstructive.

Hungarian businesspeople
Prime Ministers of Hungary
1961 births
Living people

Ferenc Gyurcsány


The black-backed forktail (Enicurus immaculatus), occasionally referred to as the black-throated forktail, is a forktail species in the family Muscicapidae. The species was described in 1836, from a specimen collected in Nepal. It is a medium-sized forktail, weighing between 25 and 29 grams, with a length of . The species has a broad white stripe across its forehead. The crown, face, and mantle are black, while the bird's underparts are white, sharply divided from the black above. The wings are largely black with a broad white stripe across the greater coverts. The tail of the species, similar to that of other forktails, is long, graduated, and deeply forked. The tail is black with a white tip and three white bands created by shorter tail feathers. The beak of the bird is black, while the feet and legs are light pink, and the iris is brown. The species is monomorphic.

The black backed forktail is solitary, but is occasionally found in pairs or in family groups. It is described as a shy species. The bird breeds between March and June, building a nest of plant matter in holes or crevices in rocks and dead trees. Three eggs are generally laid, which are pink and spotted with red-brown. Both sexes build the nest and incubate the eggs. The species frequents fast-flowing rivers and streams in temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is found in the Indian subcontinent and in some adjoining regions of Southeast Asia. It ranges across Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand. It is generally found below  above sea level, but has been recorded as high as . Its precise range and population are unknown. It is classified as a species of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Taxonomy
British naturalist Brian H. Hodgson scientifically described the black-backed forktail in 1836, from a specimen obtained in Nepal. It was originally placed in a new subgenus Enicurus in the genus Motacilla, which contains the wagtails. Hodgson described the species as sharing the characteristics of the genera Motacilla and Turdus, having an intermediate morphology, a general shape closer to that of Turdus species, and behavior closer to that of Motacilla. The species is currently placed within the family Muscicapidae, which includes Old World flycatchers and chats. The species has been referred to as the black-throated forktail.

Description
A medium-sized forktail, the black-backed forktail is between . It weighs between 25 and 29 grams. The length of the wing has been recorded as between  in the male and  in the female. The bill extends  from the skull, while the tail is between  long.

The species has a broad white stripe beginning just behind the eyes and running across its forehead. The crown and mantle are completely covered in black feathering, which extends down to the upper forehead, face, scapulars, throat, and sides of the neck. The underparts of the bird are white, sharply delineated from the black of the throat. The lesser coverts and median coverts are completely black, as are the bases of the greater coverts. A broad white band runs across the wing, running across the greater coverts as well as the bases of the inner secondary and tertiary feathers. The highest tertial feather is white, and the inner primaries have white tips and the base of the secondaries are covered in a small white patch. The flight feathers are otherwise black. As with most other forktails, the tail of the species is long, graduated, and deeply forked. The feathers are black, with white tips, except for the outermost feathers, which are white. The tail has a white tip and three white bands created by the ends of shorter tail feathers. The beak of the species is black, while the feet and legs are whitish-pink or a light flesh colour. The iris is brown or dark brown.

The black-backed forktail does not exhibit sexual dimorphism, and has no known geographic variation in its appearance. Nothing is known of its moulting. Juveniles of the species lack the prominent white stripe across the forehead, and the areas that are black on the adult are sooty brown or dull black. Juveniles have a white spot behind the eye, and may have dark scales or speckles on its flanks, breast, and belly. The tail of the juvenile is usually shorter, while the mandible is yellowish, and the maxilla have whitish cutting edges.

The bird is similar to the slaty-backed forktail, but lacks the slaty back of the latter, and is also smaller in size. It also has a slimmer bill. The white band on its face is narrower than that of the otherwise similar white-crowned forktail: it is also distinguished by its white, rather than black, breast. Field identification guides describe it as being the same size as bulbul species. Its call is described as a short and whistled "tseep - dew" or "hurt-zeee". The two syllables of this call are sometimes produced separately, as a hollow "huu" and a shrill "zeee", which are somewhat higher pitched than the call of the slaty-backed forktail. It produces a two syllable call when disturbed. It also makes a call similar to that of the slaty-backed forktail, described as being reminiscent of a squeaky hinge. It has been described as occasionally producing a short song as well.

Behavior and ecology
The species is solitary, or occasionally found in pairs, but may be seen in family groups during the breeding season. Described as a shy bird, it often bobs its tail when feeding, and when at rest opens and closes it with a scissor-like motion. It habitually flies along the course of a river or stream, and its flight is described as quick and straight, occasionally undulating slightly. It has been observed near waterfalls. The precise diet of the black-backed forktail is unknown, but it has been observed to consume aquatic insects, the larvae of these insects, and crustaceans. It typically forages along fast-moving streams and rivers, including on rocks in midstream, and may occasionally enter the water. It may also forage along slower-moving rivers, ponds, or forest pools, and has been recorded as foraging in damp areas of the forest. When inactive, it has been observed to remain in bushes or low shrubbery.

The breeding season of the black-backed forktail is between March and June. The nest consists of a cup constructed of plant matter, including dried leaves, moss, and fibres, sometimes lined with leaf skeletons. It may be located in the hole of a dead tree, under a bank, on a ledge, or in a hole or cleft among rocks. Usually, three eggs are laid, which are pinkish and sparsely specked with fine red-brown. The speckles occasionally form blotches or caps at the end of the eggs. The eggs have been recorded as averaging  in length and  in width. Both male and female birds participate in the construction of the nest and in incubation. Though the species is largely sedentary, first-year birds disperse from their parental breeding areas between April and October.

Range and distribution
The black-backed forktail's habitat of choice is near fast-flowing rivers and streams in moist tropical broadleaf forest and subtropical lowland forest. It frequents rocks and boulders within or bordering streams, as well as mud or sand banks bordering rapidly moving stretches of water. The western end of the species's range is in Garhwal, in the northwest portion of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The range extends from there through western and central Nepal to Bhutan and the northeastern Indian states, including Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Manipur. It is known as a winter visitor to Nameri National Park in Assam. West of Sikkim the species is uncommon, but it is common in Bhutan. It is also found in the Sylhet and Chittagong regions of Bangladesh, where it is uncommon. The range extends to Myanmar, except for the region of Tenasserim, and to northwestern Thailand. It has also been reported from southwestern Yunnan in China, and from southeastern Tibet. Birdlife International maps its range as being contiguous over these regions, except for an area in south Myanmar separated from the rest of the range. Field guides for birds in south Asia describe its distribution as discontinuous.

In the western part of its range the species is found up to  above sea level; in the eastern part, up to  above sea level. In Nepal its elevational range is described as  above sea level. In 1998 the species was recorded at  above sea level in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh. It breeds largely below  in India and Bhutan. The population of the species is unknown, but is believed to be stable, and larger than 10,000 individuals.  Its precise range is also unknown, but is thought to be larger than 20,000 square kilometres. These estimates have led to its being classified as a species of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

References

External links

black-backed forktail
Birds of Bhutan
Birds of Nepal
Birds of Northeast India
Birds of Myanmar
black-backed forktail
Taxa named by Brian Houghton Hodgson
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot

Black-backed forktail


Eurolang is an international planned language created by Philip Hunt between 1995 and 1998 in order to be a language for the European Union. The author stated as a principle of the design that the language should be very easy to learn for Europeans. In contrast with other languages like Esperanto, Eurolang includes many words directly borrowed from English.

At present there's no known community of active speakers of Eurolang. The website of the author in which he described the language has disappeared from the net.

Eurolang example
Eurolang est actifacta lang, qui me creatab estar comuna 2a lang per la Europa Unized (EU). Its word-list est baseda super England-lang, Deutsh-lang, France-lang, Italia-lang, Espanja-lang et Latin. Me desinab it estar facila lernar et usar.

Detail est, que lernabera Europa person, qui deja sav un or plus un de da langs, probablae pos lectar Eurolang (no tropa usation de dictionary), si ge est lernabera it per 2 days. Evidentae, facation it est plus unfacila rel lection it.

Other website
 Website of Eurolang by the author (not longer existing; link to the archive Wayback Machine)

Constructed languages

Eurolang


Lighthouse Point Park is a park in the city of New Haven, Connecticut that is operated as a New Haven city park. The 82-acre park is located at the eastern point of New Haven Harbor in the East Shore neighborhood, and affords a view of Downtown New Haven.

The park features the deactivated Five Mile Point Light, which is open for tours on special events, and the Lighthouse Point Carousel, which is operated seasonally. The 1911 carousel includes 69 horses, a camel (one of only three in the world), and two chariots. Park amenities include a sand beach area with a bath house, rest rooms and life guard, a boat launch, two pavilions, splash play area, playground, summer concession stand, fishing pier, picnic tables, grills and nature trails. In season, admission is free for New Haven residents, and non-residents and out-of-state residents pay a fee per vehicle.

Lighthouse Point Park abuts the Morris Creek Nature Preserve, a 20-acre salt marsh that is partly owned by the New Haven Land Trust.

The park is located on the Atlantic flyway, a major migration route for butterflies, hawks, and many other bird species, which makes it a popular site for bird watching. Events include the annual fall "Migration Festival at Lighthouse Point Park", bird watching walks, hawk displays, butterfly observations, and an annual hawk count.

See also
Five Mile Point Light
Lighthouse Point Carousel

References

External links

Lighthouse Point Park

Beaches of Connecticut
Parks in New Haven, Connecticut
Important Bird Areas of the United States

Lighthouse Point Park


was a town located in Watarai District, Mie, Japan.

As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 4,284 and a density of 62.88 persons per km². The total area was 68.13 km².

On February 14, 2005, Kisei, along with the town of Ōmiya, and the village of Ōuchiyama (all from Watarai District), was merged to create the town of Taiki and thus no longer exists as an independent municipality.

External links
 Official website of Taiki

Dissolved municipalities of Mie Prefecture

Kisei, Mie


Gay Film Nights () film festival organised annually in Cluj-Napoca, Romania by the LGBT association Be An Angel. By presenting a series of films with LGBT themes, it seeks to showcase LGBT culture and cinema, while also initiating a dialogue with other members of society. The complete title of the event is Festivalul de Film "Serile Filmului Gay" (or "Gay Film Nights" Film Festival). The festival was first organised in 2004. Entry to the films is free.

The films shown at the Gay Film Nights are somewhat different from those shown as part of Bucharest's annual GayFest, which also includes a film festival. Gay Film Nights tends to be more mainstream and focussed on English-language films in its selection, while GayFest usually presents a greater number of documentaries and European productions, with a greater focus on LGBT rights.

Apart from the screening of films, Be An Angel also organises a number of other events during the Gay Film Nights festival. One of these is the Miss Travesty Romania contest which is open to drag and cross-dressing participants, intended to celebrate transsexual and transgender culture, and Mister Gay Romania.

Additionally, the Gay Film Nights includes a Gay Prize Gala, which seeks to recognise those who have contributed to LGBT culture and rights throughout the year, with prizes awarded in several categories.

Gay Film Nights 2016

Held 14 – 20 November 2016, Cluj-Napoca.

Gay Film Nights 2014

Held 10 – 16 November 2014, Cluj-Napoca.

Gay Film Nights 2009

Held 19 – 25 October 2009, Cluj-Napoca.

GAY FILM NIGHTS International Film Festival 2009
AWARDS

Best Short Film: Todas!!! (Spain)

Best Documentary: Transvestites also cry by Sebastiano d'Ayala Valva (France)

Best Feature Film: I Can't Think Straight (United Kingdom)

Public's Choice: My name is Love (Sweden)

Gay Film Nights 2008

Gay Film Nights 2008 took place between 13 and 19 October 2008, under the tagline of "The same people. The same ideals. Just in appearance different". It was the fifth edition of the festival.

Films:

Short Films

A Domicilio, Area X, Below the Belt, Benny's Gym, Fabulosity, FAIR Enough, Flores en el Parque, Just, Kaden, King County, Kompisar, Laundromat, Le Baiser, Mechanic's Daydream, Mother's Day, Postmortem, Premieren, Radu + Ana, Scarred, Signage, Secrets of the Mystic Oracle, The Offering, Thick Lips Thin Lips, Twirling Earl, Una última voluntad, Uncle Mike, Was is schon normal?

Feature Films

Butch Jamie, Coffee Date, East Side Story, Finn's Girl, Pusinky, The Gymnast

Documentaries

Campillo,  Here's Looking at You, Boy, Red Without Blue, The Two Cubas, Voodoo Woman

Gay Film Nights 2007

Gay Film Nights 2007 took place between 15 and 21 October 2007, under the tagline of "Respect me the way I am!". The festival commemorated the fifth anniversary since the founding of Be An Angel, the festival's organiser. For the first time, the festival included photography exhibitions, a theatre performance and a Home Made Movies Contest, where amateur filmmakers were invited to create an LGBT-themed short film, of no more than 20 minutes, with a message of anti-discrimination or tolerance. The event was organised as part of the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All and was sponsored by KulturForum Europa.

Films shown in the 2007 Gay Film Nights were:

Tan Lines (Australia)
Surveillance (UK)
Bob and Jack's 52-Year Adventure (USA)
Vampire Diary (UK)
Another Gay Movie (USA)
FtF: Female to Femme (USA)
The Birthday (Netherlands)
Brother Outsider (USA)
Friends in High Places (Germany)
The short films Summer by Hong Khaou, Lucky Man by Dan Faltz, Sonntag Morgen by Beate Kunath, #01 hygienist by Beate Kunath and Backstroke by Amy Bronson

The Gay Prize Gala 2007 took place on September 29 at 22:00 at Club Angels, with the following recipients in the following categories:

Person of the Year for supporting the Romanian LGBT community: Daniel Zavoian
Prize for excellence: Neculai Constantin Munteanu
Organisation of the Year for supporting the Romanian LGBT community: Be An Angel
Prize for LGBT activism: Kenno
Prize for the promotion of LGBT culture: Gay Film Nights
Best medium of information for the LGBT community: Angelicuss Magazine
Sexiest male: Răzvan Fodor
Sexiest female: Monica Barladeanu
The most popular drag queen in Romania: Toxice
Gay song of the year: Prinde-mă, aprinde-mă by Andreea Bălan
The most objective TV show with an LGBT theme: ''PRO TV Portret on PRO TVThe "black ball" was once again awarded to Gigi Becali, for his repeated anti-gay remarks.

Gay Film Nights 2006
Gay Film Nights 2006 was held between 25 and 30 September, and was the first festival to include short films (the short films shown were Highlanders Too, Toilet Treatments and Providence Dirt Newsreel). A different full-length film was shown each day at 19:00 at Club Angels, with five films shown in total (considering that the festival runs for five nights):

Almost Normal (USA)
Transamerica (USA)
The Birdcage (USA)
Boys Don't Cry (USA)
Saving Face (USA/China)

Additionally, at 22:00 every night, a different LGBT party was held as part of the festival, including a karaoke night, a live music party and the Miss Travesty event on September 30.

The Gay Prize Gala 2006 took place on September 29 at 22:00 at Club Angels, with the following recipients in the following categories:

Person of the Year for supporting the Romanian LGBT community: Alexandra UngureanuPrize for LGBT activism: Romaniţa Iordache from AcceptPrize for the promotion of LGBT culture: The Toxice musical bandBest medium of information for the LGBT community: The GayOne.ro  online magazineSexiest male: Adrian RosenbergSexiest female: Alexandra UngureanuThe most popular drag queen in Romania: Kaballa TimişoaraGay song of the year: Viaţa mea by Cristina RusThe most objective TV show with an LGBT theme: Bomba zilei'' on OTV

The Gay Prize Gala also awarded a "black ball" to the politician Gigi Becali, for his anti-gay remarks and his virulent opposition to Bucharest's GayFest pride parade in June 2006.

See also
Be An Angel, the organiser of the event
GayFest, Bucharest's annual gay culture event
Gay rights in Romania
List of LGBT film festivals

Film festivals in Cluj:
 Comedy Cluj
 Transilvania International Film Festival

References

External links
Official website
 Gay Film Nights FILM FESTIVAL 2009
 Gay Film Nights FILM FESTIVAL 2008
 Gay Film Nights FILM FESTIVAL 2008 - English section
 Gay Film Nights FILM FESTIVAL 2008 - French section
 Gay Film Nights Festival 2007
 Gay Film Nights Festival 2007 - English section
 Gay Film Nights Festival 2006

LGBT events in Romania
LGBT film festivals
Film festivals in Romania
Recurring events established in 2004
Cluj-Napoca
2004 establishments in Romania
Annual events in Romania
Autumn events in Romania
LGBT festivals in Europe

Gay Film Nights