Fog

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

"Reciting Salawath on our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is an activity that will be accepted by Allah, even if we don't have Ikhlas (piety)".

Fog

Fog is a cloud in contact with the ground. Fog differs from other clouds only in that fog touches the surface of the Earth. The same cloud that is not fog on lower ground may be fog where it contacts higher ground such as hilltops or mountain ridges. Fog is distinct from mist only in its density. Fog is defined as cloud which reduces visibility to less than 1 km, whereas mist is that which reduces visibility to less than 2 km.

The foggiest place in the world is the Grand Banks off the island of Newfoundland, Canada. Fog is frequent there as the Grand Banks is the meeting place of the cold Labrador Current from the north and the much warmer Gulf Stream from the south. The foggiest land areas in the world are Point Reyes, California, and Argentina, Newfoundland and Labrador, both with over 200 foggy days a year.

Characteristics

Fog forms when the difference (Δ) between temperature and dew point are (5 °F) 3 °C, or less.

Fog forms when water vapours in the air, at the surface, begin to condense into liquid water. Fog normally occurs at a relative humidity of 100%. This can be achieved by either adding moisture to the air or dropping the ambient air temperature. Fog can form at lower humidities, and fog can sometimes not form with relative humidity at 100%. A reading of 100% relative humidity does not mean that the air can not hold any more moisture, but the air will then become supersaturated. Fog formation does require all of the elements that normal cloud formation requires with the most important being condensation nuclei. When the air is saturated, additional moisture tends to condense rather than staying in the air as vapor. Condensation nuclei must be present in the form of dust, aeresols, pollutants, etc., for the water to condense upon. When there are exceptional amounts of condensation nuclei present, especially hydroscopic (water seeking such as salt, see below) then the water vapor may condense below 100% relative humidity.

Fog can form suddenly, and can dissipate just as rapidly, depending what side of the dew point the temperature is on. This phenomenon is known as Flash Fog and is the inspiration for an antiburglary device that stops burglars by filling the room with artificial fog.

Another type of formation also common is sea fog (also knows as salt fog or salty Fog). This is due to the peculiar effect of salt. Clouds of all types require minute hygroscopic particles upon which water vapor can condense. Over the ocean surface, the most common particles are salt from salt spray produced by breaking waves. Except in areas of storminess, the most common areas of breaking waves are located near coastlines; hence the greatest densities of airborne salt particles are there. Condensation on salt particles has been observed to occur at humidities as low as 70%, thus fog can occur even in relatively dry air in suitable locations such as the California coast. Typically, such lower humidity fog is preceded by a transparent mistiness along the coastline as condensation competes with evaporation, a phenomenon that is typically noticeable by beachgoers in the afternoon.

Fog occasionally produces precipitation in the form of drizzle. Drizzle occurs when the humidity of fog attains 100% and the minute cloud droplets begin to coalesce into larger droplets. This can occur when the fog layer is lifted and cooled sufficiently, or when it is forcibly compressed from above. Drizzle becomes freezing drizzle when the temperature at the surface drops below the freezing point.

The thickness of fog is largely determined by the altitude of the inversion boundary, which in coastal or oceanic locales is also the top of the marine layer, above which the airmass is warmer and drier. The inversion boundary varies its altitude primarily in response to the weight of the air above it which is measured in terms of atmospheric pressure. The marine layer and any fogbank it may contain will be "squashed" when the pressure is high, and conversely, may expand upwards when the pressure above it is lowering.

Fog as a visibility hazard

Fog reduces visibility. Although most sea vessels can penetrate fog using radar, road vehicles have to travel slowly and use low-beam headlights. Localized fog is especially dangerous, as drivers can be caught by surprise.

At airports, some attempts have been made to develop methods (such as using heating or spraying salt particles) to aid fog dispersal. These methods enjoy some success at temperatures below freezing.

Accidents

Accident in a Level Crossing

Fog contributes to accidents, particularly with modes of transportation. Ships, trains, cars and planes cannot see each other and collide. Notable examples of accidents due to fog include the July 28, 1945 crash of a B-25 Mitchell into the Empire State Building, and the July 25, 1956 collision of the ocean liners the SS Andrea Doria and SS Stockholm.

Types

Radiation fog

Radiation fog is formed by the cooling of land after sunset by thermal radiation in calm conditions with clear sky. The cool ground produces condensation in the nearby air by heat conduction. In perfect calm the fog layer can be less than a meter deep but turbulence can promote a thicker layer. Radiation fogs occur at night, and usually do not last long after sunrise. Radiation fog is common in autumn and early winter. Examples of this phenomenon include the Tule fog. For clarity, Radiation fog is not radioactive.

Ground fog

Ground fog is fog that obscures less than 60% of the sky and does not extend to the base of any overhead clouds. However, the term is sometimes used to refer to radiation fog.

Advection fog

Advection fog occurs when moist air passes over a cool surface by advection (wind) and is cooled. It is common as a warm front passes over an area with significant snowpack. It's most common at sea when tropical air encounters cooler waters, or in areas of upwelling, such as along the California coast. The advection of fog along the California coastline is propelled onto land by one of several processes. A cold front can push the marine layer coastward, an occurrence most typical in the spring or late fall. During the summer months, a low pressure trough produced by intense heating inland creates a strong pressure gradient, drawing in the dense marine layer. Also during the summer, strong high pressure aloft over the desert southwest, usually in connection with the summer monsoon, produces a south to southeasterly flow which can drive the offshore marine layer up the coastline, a phenomenon known as a "southerly surge", typically following a coastal heat spell. However, if the monsoonal flow is sufficiently turbulent, it might instead break up the marine layer and any fog it may contain.

Steam fog

Steam fog, also called evaporation fog, is the most localized form and is created by cold air passing over much warmer water or moist land. It often causes freezing fog, or sometimes hoar frost.

Precipitation fog

Precipitation fog (or frontal fog) forms as precipitation falls into drier air below the cloud, the liquid droplets evaporate into water vapor. The water vapor cools and at the dew point it condenses and fog forms.

Upslope fog

Upslope fog forms when winds blow air up a slope (called orographic lift), adiabatical cooling it as it rises, and causing the moisture in it to condense. This often causes freezing fog on mountaintops, where the cloud ceiling would not otherwise be low enough.

Valley fog

Valley fog forms in mountain valleys, often during winter. It is the result of a temperature inversion caused by heavier cold air settling into in a valley, with warmer air passing over the mountains above. It is essentially radiation fog confined by local topography, and can last for several days in calm conditions. In California's Central Valley, Valley fog is often referred to as Tule fog.

Ice fog

Ice fog is any kind of fog where the droplets have frozen into extremely tiny crystals of ice in midair. Generally this requires temperatures at or below −35 °C (−30 °F), making it common only in and near the Arctic and Antarctic regions. It is most often seen in urban areas where it is created by the freezing of water vapor present in automobile exhaust and combustion -products from heating and power generation. Urban ice fog can become extremely dense and will persist day and night until the temperature rises. Extremely small amounts of ice fog falling from the sky form a type of precipitation called ice crystals, often reported in Barrow, Alaska. Ice fog often leads to the visual phenomenon of light pillars.

Freezing fog

Freezing fog occurs when liquid fog droplets freeze to surfaces, forming white rime ice. This is very common on mountain tops which are exposed to low clouds. It is equivalent to freezing rain, and essentially the same as the ice that forms inside a freezer which is not of the "frostless" or "frost-free" type. In some areas such as in the State of Oregon, the term "freezing fog" refers to fog where water vapor is super-cooled filling the air with small ice crystals similar to very light snow. It seems to make the fog "tangible", as if one could "grab a handful".

Artificial fog

Artificial Fog used in the Tamil Movie Sachien

Artificial fog is artificially generated fog that is usually created by vaporizing a water and glycol-based or glycerin-based fluid. The fluid is injected into a heated block, and evaporates quickly. The resulting pressure forces the vapor out of the exit. Upon coming into contact with cool outside air the vapor forms a fog—see fog machine.

Garua fog

Garua fog is a type of fog which occurs at the western coast of Chile. The normal fog produced by the sea travels inland, but suddenly meets an area of hot air. This causes the water particles of fog to shrink by evaporation, producing a transparent mist. Garua fog is nearly invisible, yet it still forces drivers to use windshield wipers.

Hail fog

Hail fog sometimes occurs in the vicinity of significant hail accumulations due to increased temperature and increased moisture leading to saturation in a shallow layer near the surface.

Rain

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

"Reciting Salawath on our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is an activity that will be accepted by Allah, even if we don't have Ikhlas (piety)".

Rain is a type of precipitation, a product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapour that is deposited on the earth's surface. It forms when separate drops of water fall to the Earth's surface from clouds. Not all rain reaches the surface; some evaporates while falling through dry air. When none of it reaches the ground, it is called virga, a phenomenon often seen in hot, dry desert regions.

How rain is formed

Rain

Rain plays a role in the hydrologic cycle in which moisture from the oceans evaporates, condenses into drops, precipitates (falls) from the sky, and eventually returns to the ocean via rivers and streams to repeat the cycle again. The water vapor from plant respiration also contributes to the moisture in the atmosphere.

A major scientific explanation of how rain forms and falls is called the Bergeron process. More recent research points to the influence of Cloud condensation nuclei released as the result of biological processes.

Differing conditions for rainfall

Based on the reason for precipitation, rain is classified into:

• Orographic rain
• Convective rain
• Frontal or cyclonic rain

Orographic rain (relief rain)

View of monsoon rain in Kerala, South India

Orographic rain (or relief rain) is caused when the warm moisture-laden wind blowing in to the land from the sea encounters a natural barrier such as mountains. This forces the air to rise. With gain in altitude, the air expands dynamically due to a decrease in air pressure. Due to this the wind experiences a decrease in temperature (by adiabatic cooling), which results in the increase of the relative humidity. This causes condensation of water vapor into water droplets to form clouds. The relative humidity continues to increase until the dew point reaches the level of condensation, causing air to be saturated. This height where the condensation occurs is called the level of condensation. When the cloud droplets become too heavy to be suspended, rain falls.

As the wind descends on the leeward side of the mountain range, it becomes compressed and warms; which results in the decrease of the relative humidity of the wind, which is already dry after precipitating its moisture on the windward side of the mountain. Hence the leeward side of the mountains does not receive any rain from these winds and it's called the rain shadow region of the mountains.

The Indian Ocean monsoon is a good example of orographic rain. About 80% of the rain that occurs in India is of this category.

Convective rain

Convective rain mainly occurs in the equatorial climatic regions and tropical climatic regions where it is very hot during the day. The rate of evaporation of moisture from the water bodies and respiration from the dense vegetation is very high. The evaporated moisture along with its hot surrounding air begins to ascend. With gain in altitude, the air expands dynamically due to a decrease in air pressure. Due to this the wind experiences a decrease in temperature (per adiabatic cooling), which results in the increase of the relative humidity. This causes condensation of water vapor into water droplets to form unstable towering cumulonimbus clouds. When the cloud droplets become too heavy to be suspended, rain falls.

Frontal rain

Frontal rain is caused by cyclonic activity and it occurs along the fronts of the cyclone. It is formed when two masses of air of different temperature, humidity and density meet, e.g., meetings of moisture laden warm tropical wind with a polar air mass. A layer separating them is called the front. This front has two parts — the warm front and the cold front. At the warm front, the warm lighter air rises gently over the heavier cold air. As the warm air rises, it cools, and the moisture present in it condenses to form clouds — altostratus clouds. This rain falls steadily for a few hours to a few days.

At the cold front, the cold air forces the warm air to rise rapidly causing its moisture to condense quickly, which results in the formation of cumulonimbus clouds. The rainfall from these clouds is usually heavy and of short duration.

A view of rain falling on a street of Kolkata, India

Human influence

The fine particulate matter produced by car exhaust and other human sources of pollution form cloud condensation nuclei, leads to the production of clouds and increases the likelihood of rain. As commuters and commercial traffic cause pollution to build up over the course of the week, the likelihood of rain increases: it peaks by Saturday, after five days of weekday pollution has been built up. In heavily populated areas that are near the coast, such as the United States' Eastern Seaboard, the effect can be dramatic: there is a 22% higher chance of rain on Saturdays than on Mondays.

Classifying the amount of rain

When classified according to amount of precipitation, rain can be divided into:

• Very light rain — when the precipitation rate is <>
• Light rain — when the precipitation rate is between 0.25 mm/hour - 1.0 mm/hour
• Moderate rain — when the precipitation rate is between 1.0 mm/hour - 4.0 mm/hour
• Heavy rain — when the precipitation rate is between 4.0 mm/hour - 16.0 mm/hour
• Very heavy rain — when the precipitation rate is between 16.0 mm/hour - 50 mm/hour
• Extreme rain — when the precipitation rate is > 50.0 mm/hour

Properties

Falling raindrops are often depicted in cartoons as "teardrop-shaped" — round at the bottom and narrowing towards the top — but this is incorrect. Only drops of water dripping from some sources are tear-shaped at the moment of formation. Small raindrops are nearly spherical. Larger ones become increasingly flattened on the bottom, like hamburger buns; very large ones are shaped like parachutes. The shape of raindrops was studied by Philipp Lenard in 1898. He found that small raindrops (less than about 2 mm diameter) are approximately spherical. As they get larger (to about 5 mm diameter) they become more doughnut shaped. Beyond about 5 mm they become unstable and fragment. On average, raindrops are 1 to 2 mm in diameter. The biggest raindrops on Earth were recorded over Brazil and the Marshall Islands in 2004 — some of them were as large as 10 mm. The large size is explained by condensation on large smoke particles or by collisions between drops in small regions with particularly high content of liquid water.

Rain falling

Raindrops impact at their terminal velocity, which is greater for larger drops. At sea level and without wind, 0.5 mm drizzle impacts at about 2 m/s, while large 5 mm drops impact at around 9 m/s. The sound of raindrops hitting water is caused by bubbles of air oscillating underwater.

Generally, rain has a pH slightly under 6. This is because atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in the droplet to form minute quantities of carbonic acid, which then partially dissociates, lowering the pH. In some desert areas, airborne dust contains enough calcium carbonate to counter the natural acidity of precipitation, and rainfall can be neutral or even alkaline. Rain below pH 5.6 is considered acid rain.

Measuring rainfall

Rainfall is typically measured using a rain gauge. It is expressed as the depth of water that collects on a flat surface, and is routinely measured with an accuracy up to 0.1 mm or 0.01 in. Rain gauges are usually placed at a uniform height above the ground, which may vary depending on the country. There are two types of gauges. Storage rain gauges are used to make daily or monthly measurements. Recording rain gauges measure the intensity of rainfall using a tipping bucket which will only tip when a certain volume of water is in it. An electrical switch can be used to record the tips.

Effect on agriculture

Precipitation, especially rain, has a dramatic effect on agriculture. All plants need at least some water to survive; therefore rain (being the most effective means of watering) is important to agriculture. While a regular rain pattern is usually vital to healthy plants, too much or too little rainfall can be harmful, even devastating to crops. Drought can kill crops in massive numbers, while overly wet weather can cause disease and harmful fungus. Plants need varying amounts of rainfall to survive. For example, cacti need small amounts of water while tropical plants may need up to hundreds of inches of rain to survive.

Agriculture of all nations at least to some extent is dependent on rain. Indian agriculture, for example, (which accounts for 25 percent of the GDP and employs 70 percent of the nation's population) is heavily dependent on the rains, especially crops like cotton, rice, oilseeds and coarse grains. A delay of a few days in the arrival of the monsoon can, and does, badly affect the economy, as evidenced in the numerous droughts in India in the 90s.

Culture

Cultural attitudes towards rain differ across the world. In the largely temperate Europe, rain metaphorically has a sad and negative connotation — reflected in children's rhymes like Rain Rain Go Away — in contrast to the bright and happy sun. Though the traditional notion of rain in the Western World is negative, rain can also bring joy, as some consider it to be soothing or enjoy the aesthetic appeal of it. In dry places, such as parts of Africa, Australia, India, and the Middle East, rain is greeted with euphoria. (In Botswana, the Setswana word for rain, "pula," is used as the name of the national currency, in recognition of the economic importance of rain in this desert country.)

Several cultures have developed means of dealing with rain and have developed numerous protection devices such as umbrellas and raincoats, and diversion devices such as gutters and storm drains that lead rains to sewers. Many people also prefer to stay inside on rainy days, especially in tropical climates where rain is usually accompanied by thunderstorms or rain is extremely heavy (monsoon). Rain may be harvested, though rainwater is rarely pure (as acid rain occurs naturally), or used as greywater. Excessive rain, particularly after a dry period that has hardened the soil so that it cannot absorb water, can cause floods.

Many people find the scent during and immediately after rain especially pleasant or distinctive. The source of this scent is petrichor, an oil produced by plants, then absorbed by rocks and soil, and later released into the air during rainfall. Light or heavy rain is sometimes seen as romantic. Rain can be depressing to some people due to bleak clouds.

Rain around the world

Europe

A country noted for its raininess is the United Kingdom. The reputation is partly deserved because of the frequency of rain driven into the country by the south-western trade winds following the warm Gulf Stream currents. Areas along the western coasts (including those in Ireland) can receive between 1016 mm (40 inches, at sea-level) and 2540 mm (100 inches, on the mountains) of rain per year. However, what is less well known is that the eastern and southern half of the country is much drier, with the south east having a lower rainfall average than Jerusalem and Beirut at between 450 and 600 mm per year.

Meanwhile, Bergen in Norway is one of the more famous European rain-cities with its yearly precipitation of 2250 mm (88 inches) on average.

North America

One city that is known for rain is Seattle, Washington. Rain is common in the winter, but mostly the climate is cloudy with little rain. Seattle's average rainfall is 942 mm (37.1 inches) per year, less than New York City with 1173 mm (46.2 inches), but has 201 cloudy days per year (compared to 152 in New York). However, it should be noted that Seattle lies in the rain shadow of the nearby Olympic Mountains, with some locations on the windward sides of the mountains receiving close to 5080 mm (200 inches) per year.

Vancouver, British Columbia could be considered the world's capital of rain, despite having some snow during special periods, receiving as much as 40 mm at one time. Almost every day in the winter the Greater Vancouver Area is pummeled by rain.

Australia

Melbourne has a similar reputation to Vancouver's. In the popular imagination it is thought of as being much rainier than Sydney; however, Sydney receives an average of 1094 mm (43.1 inches) of rain per year compared to Melbourne's 544 mm (21.4 inches). Sydney, meanwhile, experiences 53 fewer overcast days per year than Melbourne.

Although Australia is the world's driest continent, Mt Bellenden Ker in the north-east of the country records an average of 8000 mm (315 inches) per year, with over 12000 mm (472 inches) of rain recorded in the year 2000.

Asia

Cherrapunji, situated on the southern slopes of the Eastern Himalaya in Shillong, India is one of the wettest places on Earth.

on the way to Cherrapunji

Mythology

The Ancient Greeks believed that rain was a sign of the gods anger towards them. They thought that it symbolized drowning and frustration as it often disturbed what they were doing.

Rainy Clouds

A Little Boy & Gal in a Rainy Day

A Little gal with her pet while it’s raining outside :)

Mist............

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

"Reciting Salawath on our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is an activity that will be accepted by Allah, even if we don't have Ikhlas (piety)".

Mist

Misty Morning

Mist is a phenomenon of small droplets suspended in air. It can occur as part of natural weather or volcanic activity, and is common in cold air above warmer water, in exhaled air in the cold, and in a steam room of a sauna. It can also be created artificially with aerosol canisters if the humidity conditions are right.

Misty Morning view of Cambridge University

The only difference between mist and fog is visibility. This phenomenon is called fog if the visibility is one kilometer or less (in the UK for driving purposes the definition of fog is visibility less than 200 meters, for pilots the distance is 1 kilometer). Otherwise it is known as mist. Seen from a distance, mist is bluish, while haze is more brownish.

Strong superstitious and religious connotations are associated with mist in some cultures.

Mist makes a beam of light visible from the side via refraction and reflection of the suspended water droplets.

Scotch mist refers to a light, steady drizzle, the name being typical of the Scottish penchant for understatement.

Mists usually occur near the shores, and are often associated with fog.

The next topic on "Fog" will be posted by me or haseem soon do check..........

Academy Award

Academy Award

Awarded for Excellence in cinematic achievements

Presented by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Country United States

First awarded May 16, 1929, to honor achievements of 1927/1928

Courtesy www.oscars.org

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is among the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremonies in the world.

The 1st Academy Awards ceremony was held on Thursday, May 16, 1929, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood to honor outstanding film achievements of 1927 and 1928. It was hosted by actor Douglas Fairbanks and director William C. DeMille. Most recently, the 79th Academy Awards ceremony was held on Sunday, February 25, 2007, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood to honor outstanding film achievements of 2006. It was hosted by day-time television talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

The 80th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, February 24, 2008, and will be hosted by Comedy Central's The Daily Show host, Jon Stewart. AMPAS, a professional honorary organization, maintains a voting membership of 5,830 as of 2007. Actors constitute the largest voting bloc, numbering 1,311 members (22 percent) of the Academy's composition. Votes for Oscars have been tabulated and certified by the auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (and its predecessor Price Waterhouse) for the past 72 annual awards ceremonies.

The Oscar

The official name of the Oscar statuette is the Academy Award of Merit. Made of gold-plated britannium on a black metal base, it is 13.5 in (34 cm) tall, weighs 8.5 lb (3.85 kg) and depicts a knight rendered in Art Deco style holding a crusader's sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes. The five spokes each represent the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers and Technicians. MGM’s art director Cedric Gibbons, one of the original Academy members, supervised the design of the award trophy by printing the design on scroll. In need of a model for his statue Gibbons was introduced by his then wife Dolores del Río to Emilio "El Indio" Fernández. Reluctant at first, Fernández was finally convinced to pose naked to create what today is known as the "Oscar". Then sculptor George Stanley sculpted Gibbons' design in clay, and Alex Smith cast the statue in tin and copper and then gold-plated it over a composition of 92.5 percent tin and 7.5 percent copper. The only addition to the Oscar since it was created is a minor streamlining of the base. Approximately 40 Oscars are made each year in Chicago, Illinois by the manufacturer, R.S. Owens. If they fail to meet strict quality control standards, the statuettes are cut in half and melted down.

The root of the name "Oscar" is contested. One biography of Bette Davis claims that she named the Oscar after her first husband, bandleader Harmon Oscar Nelson. Another claimed origin is that of the Academy’s Executive Secretary, Margaret Herrick, who first saw the award in 1931 and made reference of the statuette reminding her of her Uncle Oscar. Columnist Sidney Skolsky was present during Herrick’s naming and seized the name in his byline, "Employees have affectionately dubbed their famous statuette 'Oscar'" (Levy 2003). Both Oscar and Academy Award are registered trademarks of the Academy, fiercely protected through litigation and threats thereof.

As of the 79th Academy Awards ceremony held in 2007, a total of 2,663 Oscars have been awarded. A total of 290 different actors have won an acting Oscar (including Honorary Awards and Juvenile Awards). Of these, 144 are still alive today.

Ownership of Oscar statuettes

Since 1950, the statuettes have been legally encumbered by the requirement that neither winners nor their heirs may sell the statuettes without first offering to sell them back to the Academy for $1. If a winner refuses to agree to this stipulation, then the Academy keeps the statuette. Academy Awards not protected by this agreement have been sold in public auctions and private deals for six-figure sums (Levy 2003).

This rule is highly controversial, since it implies that the winner does not own the award. The case of Michael Todd's grandson trying to sell Todd's Oscar statuette illustrates that there are many who do not agree with this idea. When Todd's grandson attempted to sell Todd's Oscar statuette to a movie prop collector, the Academy won the legal battle by getting a permanent injunction. Although some Oscar sales transactions have been successful, the buyers have subsequently returned the statuettes to the Academy, which keeps them in its treasury.

Academy membership

All members must be invited to join. Invitation comes from the Board of Governors, on behalf of Academy Branch Executive Committees. Membership eligibility may be achieved by a competitive nomination or a member may submit a name based on other significant contribution to the field of motion pictures. Though winning an Academy Award usually results in an invitation to join, membership is not automatic.

New membership proposals are considered annually. The Academy does not publicly disclose its membership, although as recently as 2007 press releases have announced the names of those who have been invited to join. The 2007 release also stated that it has "just under" 6,000 voting members; though the membership had been growing until 2003, stricter policies have kept its size steady since then.

Academy membership is divided into 15 Branches, representing different disciplines in motion pictures. Members whose work does not fall within one of the Branches may belong to a group known as "Members At Large."

Nominations

Today, according to Rules 2 and 3 of the official Academy Awards Rules, a film must open in the previous calendar year, from midnight at the start of January 1 to midnight at the end of December 31, in Los Angeles County, California, to qualify. Rule 2 states that a film must be "feature-length", defined as a minimum of 40 minutes, except for short subject awards and it must exist either on a 35 mm or 70 mm film print or on 24 fps or 48 fps progressive scan digital film print with native resolution not less than 1280x720.

The members of the various branches nominate those in their respective fields while all members may submit nominees for Best Picture. The winners are then determined by a second round of voting in which all members are then allowed to vote in most categories, including Best Picture.

As of the 79th Academy Awards, 847 members (past and present) of the Screen Actors Guild have been nominated for an Oscar (in all categories).

Awards night

The major awards are given out at a live televised ceremony, most commonly in February or March following the relevant calendar year, and six weeks after the announcement of the nominees. This is an elaborate extravaganza, with the invited guests walking up the red carpet in the creations of the most prominent fashion designers of the day. Black tie dress is the most common outfit for men, although fashion may dictate not wearing a bowtie, and musical performers typically do not adhere to this (the artists who recorded the nominees for Best Original Song quite often perform those songs live at the awards ceremony, and the fact that they are performing is often used to promote the television broadcast). The Academy has for several years claimed that the award show has a billion viewers internationally, but this has so far not been confirmed by any independent sources. Neither has the Academy explained how it has reached this figure.

The Academy Awards is the only awards ceremony televised live across the United States excluding Alaska and Hawaii; the Emmys, Golden Globes, and Grammys are broadcast live in the East Coast, but they are on tape delay in the West Coast.

The Awards show was first televised on NBC in 1953. NBC continued to broadcast the event until 1960 when the ABC Network took over, televising the festivities through 1970, after which NBC resumed the broadcasts. ABC once again took over broadcast duties in 1976; it has contracted to do so through the year 2014.

After more than sixty years of being held in late March or early April, the ceremonies were moved up to late February or early March starting in 2004 to help disrupt and shorten the intense lobbying and ad campaigns associated with Oscar season in the film industry. The earlier date is also to advantage of ABC, as it currently usually occurs during the highly profitable and important February sweeps period. The Awards show holds the distinction of having won the most Emmys in history, with 38 wins and 167 nominations.

On March 30, 1981, the awards ceremony was postponed for one day after the shooting of President Ronald Reagan and others in Washington, D.C. On October 16, 2006, the awards event itself was designated a National Special Security Event by the United States Department of Homeland Security.

Movie studios are strictly prohibited from advertising films during the broadcast.

Since 2002, movie stars have been seen arriving at the Academy Awards in hybrid vehicles; during the telecast of the 79th Academy Awards in 2007, Leonardo DiCaprio and former vice president Al Gore announced that ecologically intelligent practices had been integrated into the planning and execution of the Oscar presentation and several related events.

Venues

The 1st Academy Awards were presented at a banquet dinner at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood. Subsequent banquet ceremonies in the 1930s and early 40s were held in Los Angeles at either The Ambassador Hotel or the Biltmore Hotel.

Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood then hosted the awards from 1944 to 1946, followed by the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles from 1947 to 1948. The 21st Academy Awards in 1949 were held at the "Academy Award Theater" at the Academy's then-headquarters on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood.

From 1950 to 1960, the awards were presented at Hollywood's Pantages Theater. The Oscars then moved to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California in 1961. By 1968, the Academy decided to move the ceremonies back to Los Angeles, this time at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in the Los Angeles Music Center. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion hosted 20 consecutive Oscar ceremonies until 1988, when the Academy started to alternate between the Music Center and the Shrine Auditorium.

In 2002, Hollywood's Kodak Theater became the first permanent home of the awards. It is connected to the Hollywood & Highland Center, which contains 640,000 square feet (59,000 m²) of space including retail, restaurants, nightclubs, other establishments and a six-screen cinema. In fact, the Grand Staircase columns at the Kodak Theater showcase every movie that has won the Best Picture title since the first Academy Awards in 1928.

Criticism

Critics have noted that many Best Picture Academy Award winners in the past have not stood the test of time. Several of these films, such as Around the World in 80 Days, Grand Hotel and Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth are often considered to have aged poorly and to have little of the impact they had on their initial release. Several films that currently have wide critical approval were not named Best Picture.

It has been suggested that actors are at a disadvantage in comedic roles, as few acting awards have been given for performances in films that could be considered primarily comedic. Notable examples of actors who have received Oscars for comedic roles are James Stewart in The Philadelphia Story, Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday, Josephine Hull in Harvey, Jack Lemmon in Mister Roberts, Peter Ustinov in Topkapi, Walter Matthau in The Fortune Cookie, Goldie Hawn in Cactus Flower, George Burns in The Sunshine Boys, Diane Keaton in Annie Hall, Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost, Jack Palance in City Slickers, Jack Nicholson in As Good as It Gets, Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda and Jessica Lange in Tootsie. This was joked about at the 2007 awards by Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and Will Ferrell.

Studios also lobby heavily for their films to be considered, leading to the complaint that nominations and awards may be largely a result of this lobbying rather than the quality of the material.

Academy Awards of Merit

Current Awards

• Best Picture: 1928 to present
• Best Director: 1928 to present
• Best Actor: 1928 to present
• Best Actress: 1928 to present
• Best Supporting Actor: 1936 to present
• Best Supporting Actress: 1936 to present
• Best Original Screenplay: 1940 to present
• Best Adapted Screenplay: 1928 to present
• Best Animated Feature: 2001 to present
• Best Art Direction: 1928 to present (also called Interior, Set Decoration, or Production Design)
• Best Cinematography: 1928 to present
• Best Costume Design: 1948 to present
• Best Documentary Feature: 1943 to present
• Best Documentary Short Subject: 1941 to present
• Best Film Editing: 1935 to present
• Best Foreign Language Film: 1947 to present
• Best Makeup: 1981 to present
• Best Original Song: 1934 to present
• Best Original Score: 1934 to present
• Best Original Musical: 2000 to present
• Best Animated Short Film: 1931 to present
• Best Live Action Short Film: 1931 to present
• Best Sound Mixing: 1930 to present
• Best Sound Editing: 1963 to present
• Best Visual Effects: 1939 to present

Retired Awards

• Best Assistant Director: 1933 to 1937
• Best Dance Direction: 1935 to 1937
• Best Engineering Effects: 1928 only
• Best Score—Adaptation or Treatment
• Best Original Musical or Comedy Score: 1995 to 1999
• Best Short Film—Color: 1936 and 1937
• Best Short Film—Live Action—2 Reels: 1936 to 1956
• Best Short Film—Novelty: 1932 to 1935
• Best Original Story: 1928 to 1956
• Best Unique and Artistic Quality of Production: 1928 only

In the first year of the awards, the Best Director category was split into separate Drama and Comedy categories. At times, the Best Original Score category has been split into separate Drama and Comedy/Musical categories. Today, the Best Original Score category is one category. From the 1930s through the 1960s, the Cinematography, Art Direction, and Costume Design awards were split into separate categories for black and white and color films.

Newest Awards

The newest awards to be added to the list of available awards from the Academy are the awards for:

• Best Animated Feature: added in 2001
• Best Original Musical: added in 2000
• Best Makeup: added in 1981

Proposed Awards

The Board of Governors meets each year and considers other new categories. To date, the following proposed awards have not been approved:

• Best Casting: rejected in 1999
• Best Stunt Coordination: rejected in 1999; rejected in 2005
• Best Title Design: rejected in 1999

Special Awards

These awards are voted on by special committees, rather than by the Academy membership as a whole, but the actor/actress voted to receive the special award can turn down the offer.

Current Special Awards

• Academy Honorary Award: 1928 to present
• Academy Special Achievement Award
• Academy Award, Scientific or Technical: 1931 to present (at three levels of awards)
• The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: 1938 to present
• The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
• Gordon E. Sawyer Award

Retired Special Award

· Academy Juvenile Award: 1934 to 1960

The 80th Annual Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2008.

The following schedule may change and you should check it periodically or check the press releases section of this Web site to be sure you have the most recent information about the 80th Awards.

• Monday, December 3, 2007: Official Screen Credits forms due
• Wednesday, December 26, 2007: Nominations ballots mailed
• Saturday, January 12, 2008: Nominations polls close 5 p.m. PST
• Tuesday, January 22, 2008: Nominations announced 5:30 a.m. PST, Samuel Goldwyn Theater
• Wednesday, January 30, 2008: Final ballots mailed
• Monday, February 4, 2008: Nominees Luncheon
• Saturday, February 9, 2008: Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards presentation
• Tuesday, February 19, 2008: Final polls close 5 p.m. PST
• Sunday, February 24, 2008: 80th Annual Academy Awards presentation