Latest news with #MuseumofNaturalHistory
Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Meghan's huge royal clash as new glitzy outing comes on same day as major event
While the royal family will be celebrating the King's official birthday with the Trooping the Colour procession on Saturday, Meghan Markle will be at an event of her own in California As the Royal Family prepares for Trooping the Colour, Meghan Markle is planning her own big night out in California. The Duchess of Sussex has been confirmed as the guest of honour at a museum's Night of Wonder black-tie event in California, on the same day as the King's official birthday celebrations in London. The diary clash will see Meghan be honoured for her charity work, which focuses on advancing community wellbeing and expanding opportunities for disadvantaged people, particularly those from underprivileged and minority communities. The event, where Meghan will give a speech about her work, will take place at the Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles, California, where the royal couple has called home for the past five years since stepping back from their royal duties. Meghan will be joined by other high-profile guests at the museum on June 14, with the space being transformed into an enchanted nocturnal garden. The exclusive event will feature live music and installations representing local ecosystems and the LA landscape, and guests will be treated to a farm-to-table dinner that uses ingredients from the museum's nature gardens. While it has not yet been confirmed if Prince Harry will also be attending the museum's charity night, he often accompanies his wife to public events where she gives speeches. Ahead of the event, Lori Bettison-Varga, the President and Director of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, said: "We are proud to honour Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, a native Angeleno, whose work to advance community wellbeing and expand opportunity – especially for underserved communities – aligns with our equity-focused approach to developing science literacy for the next generation." The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan added that Meghan's mission to advance community wellbeing and uplift young women 'dovetails with the museums' approach to connecting community and science by fostering meaningful educational experiences that empower young minds.' On the same day of the exclusive event at the Los Angeles museum, the Royal family will be taking to the Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour to celebrate the King's birthday. The Trooping the Colour event, which takes place every year in June, has been held to mark the sovereign's official birthday since the accession of King George IV in 1820, except during the world wars and a national strike in 1955. In 2020, a scaled-back version of the celebration was held at Windsor Castle due to the Covid pandemic. Trooping the Colour 2025, officially known as The King's Birthday Parade, will take place on Saturday June 14 in London. Prince Harry and Meghan have not attended the event in an official capacity since 2019, although Meghan was seen watching the military procession from Horse Guards Parade during the late Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022. Harry and Meghan announced they would be stepping back as senior members of the royal family in January 2020, and have been living in Montecito, California, with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, ever since.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This Unexpected Reason Might Connect Estranged Brothers Prince William and Prince Harry
One of the largest collections of Princess Diana's items is coming up for auction on June 26—and there's a good chance that her sons Prince William and Prince Harry will be tempted to bid on them, an expert said. There are over 300 items on the auction block, from the former Princess of Wales' dresses to shoes to handbags. The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex even make it into the auction in the form of numerous holiday cards of Diana's family signed by the royal this month, over 300 items from the late Princess Diana's collection—everything from clothing to shoes to handbags to personal cards and letters—will go up for auction. The question has to be asked: will her sons Prince William and Prince Harry privately bid for any of their late mother's items? It's very possible, said Martin Nolan, executive director and co-founder of Julien's Auctions, which is putting on the sale on June 26 at 10 a.m. PST at The Peninsula Beverly Hills. Speaking on Hello!'s 'A Right Royal Podcast,' Nolan said, 'I would expect that they are tempted and expect that they do and expect they have representatives who buy on their behalf.' 'And that's understandable,' he added. 'I would, too.' Some of the items are deeply personal pieces from the former Princess of Wales' collection. 'You see the ski suit and the great photographs of them or the shoes that she wore when she went to the dinosaur exhibition at the Museum of Natural History here,' Nolan continued. 'You know, like all of those, they're memories for them. It's their mum. She's the most famous person in the world, but of course they would love to own some of these and preserve them for their own memories.' In total, there are 325 items in the auction, called Princess Diana's Style & A Royal Collection—including Diana's famous Lady Dior bag, her iconic Caring Dress designed by Bellville Sassoon, the hat she wore as she departed for her honeymoon with Prince Charles in 1981, and multiple handwritten notes. William and Harry even make it to the collection themselves in the form of a signed holiday card featuring a photo of the two with their parents from 1989 and a signed photograph of Diana with her two sons from 1990, among other photographs of the Wales family from yesteryear. Read the original article on InStyle
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Parents outraged by trans film for kids at Museum of Natural History: ‘Should be off-limits'
The Museum of Natural History shocked even liberal Upper West Side parents last week by showcasing an animated film featuring a drag-performing fox and a trans kid with an identity crisis – alongside an exhibit 'about sea animals.' The eight-minute stop-motion animation short titled 'Dragfox' – featuring a 'charismatic' fox in drag voiced by Sir Ian McKellen — played last weekend on a loop inside the august Milstein Hall in the shadow of the famed 94-foot long blue whale. In one scene 11-year-old Sam twirls around with his sister's pink dress, eventually wearing it. The flamboyant fox, 'Ginger Snap,' snatches it and breaks into a drag musical number as the duo embark on a 'magical journey' in the attic. 'What on Earth is this doing playing in the Natural History Museum? No connection whatsoever to space, the ocean, anything,' blasted one stunned museum-member mom in an online parents group. 'There's a time and place for drag queens but the AMNH isn't it,' added the mom about the museum, which received at least $17 million in government funding in 2024, according to its financial disclosures. The mom was galled that the subject matter 'was intentionally placed in front of us, in cartoon format, with no posted forewarning, in an exhibit about sea animals.' The 'family friendly' series, part of the annual Margaret Mead Film Festival, was innocuously called 'Our Friends, The Animals' and described a collection of five 'imaginative' shorts that explore 'the deep and often mysterious connections between humans and animals' told through 'myth, magic and quiet moments of discovery.' De-transitioner Oli London rejected the film's sentiment that transitioning magically brings happiness. 'Children should not be exposed to gender ideology in any format,' said London, who's 35 and detransitioned two years after beginning the grueling process. He railed against the animated film aimed at 'targeting' youngsters by including a character with a 'cute, friendly-looking fox . . . encouraging them to become confused with their gender identity and become trans. Children should be off-limits from radical gender ideology.' Parents accused the museum of straying from its mission to 'discover, interpret, and disseminate —through scientific research and education — knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe.' Instead of understanding science, they're 'ignoring' it by 'presenting something that's ideological as scientific fact,' said Natalya Murakhaver, an UWS mom-of-two and documentary filmmaker, who blasted the screening as 'predatory behavior for young, impressionable children. 'I think we have activists running the museum who are trying to portray their idea of reality as fact, when it's actually ideological,' she added. But 'Dragfox' director, Lisa Ott, exulted during a 2024 BAFTA award acceptance speech that the short 'celebrates drag queens and trans joy.' The singular goal of the film was to 'have one little queer kid or trans child out there feel a little bit less alone.' The festival is a way to 'step beyond your comfort zone to listen, feel, and see yourself reflected in the stories presented on screen,' insisted Jacqueline Handy, the AMNH Director of Public Programs. It's more insidious than that, said downtown mom of two, Jacqueline Toboroff. Showing a loaded film aimed at kids is 'predatory indoctrination' meant to sow chaos, she said. 'It's an attempt to dislodge American traditions,' said the author of 'Supermoms Activated,' claiming that the focus on kid-rich environments – 'libraries, schools and museums' – is an 'intentional effort to groom these kids. 'It's meant to sexually exploit impressionable minds and to mainstream sexual deviance.' New York is among the states with the most gender-affirming care, with 1,154 minors in the state who were sex change patients between 2019 and 2023. There's social contagion being artificially created and 'harming a new generation of kids that can't escape this ideology,' according to Maud Maron, a parents-rights activist in NYC running on the Rrepublican ticket for Manhattan district attorney against Alvin Bragg. She added, 'You just don't have a right to push it down New Yorkers' throats in taxpayer-funded institutions.' The museum said the festival is funded by the New York State Council on the Arts with support of the 'Office of the Governor,' but Gov. Kathy Hochul's spokesperson insisted the state stopped directly funding the film festival in 2021. 'The state did not allocate funding for this film festival and was not involved in the curation or selection process,' the spokesperson insisted. The arts council budgeted $25,000 in capital grants for the museum this year and that money may have been funneled towards this year's festival, said the rep. AMNH did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
New York Post
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Parents outraged by trans film for kids at NYC's Museum of Natural History
The Museum of Natural History shocked even liberal Upper West Side parents last week by showcasing an animated film featuring a drag-performing fox and a trans kid with an identity crisis – alongside an exhibit 'about sea animals.' The eight-minute stop-motion animation short titled 'Dragfox' – featuring a 'charismatic' fox in drag voiced by Sir Ian McKellen — played last weekend on a loop inside the august Milstein Hall in the shadow of the famed 94-foot long blue whale. In one scene 11-year-old Sam twirls around with his sister's pink dress, eventually wearing it. The flamboyant fox, 'Ginger Snap,' snatches it and breaks into a drag musical number as the duo embark on a 'magical journey' in the attic. Advertisement 3 The film played on a loop in the museum, surprising parents. Dragfox 'What on Earth is this doing playing in the Natural History Museum? No connection whatsoever to space, the ocean, anything,' blasted one stunned museum-member mom in an online parents group. 'There's a time and place for drag queens but the AMNH isn't it,' added the mom about the museum, which received at least $17 million in government funding in 2024, according to its financial disclosures. The mom was galled that the subject matter 'was intentionally placed in front of us, in cartoon format, with no posted forewarning, in an exhibit about sea animals.' Advertisement The 'family friendly' series, part of the annual Margaret Mead Film Festival, was innocuously called 'Our Friends, The Animals' and described a collection of five 'imaginative' shorts that explore 'the deep and often mysterious connections between humans and animals' told through 'myth, magic and quiet moments of discovery.' De-transitioner Oli London rejected the film's sentiment that transitioning magically brings happiness. 'Children should not be exposed to gender ideology in any format,' said London, who's 35 and detransitioned two years after beginning the grueling process. Advertisement 3 Jacqueline Toboroff called the film 'predatory indoctrination.' Obtained by the New York Post He railed against the animated film aimed at 'targeting' youngsters by including a character with a 'cute, friendly-looking fox . . . encouraging them to become confused with their gender identity and become trans. Children should be off-limits from radical gender ideology.' Parents accused the museum of straying from its mission to 'discover, interpret, and disseminate —through scientific research and education — knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe.' Instead of understanding science, they're 'ignoring' it by 'presenting something that's ideological as scientific fact,' said Natalya Murakhaver, an UWS mom-of-two and documentary filmmaker, who blasted the screening as 'predatory behavior for young, impressionable children. Advertisement 'I think we have activists running the museum who are trying to portray their idea of reality as fact, when it's actually ideological,' she added. But 'Dragfox' director, Lisa Ott, exulted during a 2024 BAFTA award acceptance speech that the short 'celebrates drag queens and trans joy.' The singular goal of the film was to 'have one little queer kid or trans child out there feel a little bit less alone.' The festival is a way to 'step beyond your comfort zone to listen, feel, and see yourself reflected in the stories presented on screen,' insisted Jacqueline Handy, the AMNH Director of Public Programs. It's more insidious than that, said downtown mom of two, Jacqueline Toboroff. Showing a loaded film aimed at kids is 'predatory indoctrination' meant to sow chaos, she said. 3 Parents were surprised the show was showing, on a loop, in an exhibit about sea life. Robert Miller 'It's an attempt to dislodge American traditions,' said the author of 'Supermoms Activated,' claiming that the focus on kid-rich environments – 'libraries, schools and museums' – is an 'intentional effort to groom these kids. 'It's meant to sexually exploit impressionable minds and to mainstream sexual deviance.' Advertisement New York is among the states with the most gender-affirming care, with 1,154 minors in the state who were sex change patients between 2019 and 2023. There's social contagion being artificially created and 'harming a new generation of kids that can't escape this ideology,' according to Maud Maron, a parents-rights activist in NYC running on the Rrepublican ticket for Manhattan district attorney against Alvin Bragg. She added, 'You just don't have a right to push it down New Yorkers' throats in taxpayer-funded institutions.' Advertisement The museum said the festival is funded by the New York State Council on the Arts with support of the 'Office of the Governor,' but Gov. Kathy Hochul's spokesperson insisted the state stopped directly funding the film festival in 2021. 'The state did not allocate funding for this film festival and was not involved in the curation or selection process,' the spokesperson insisted. The arts council budgeted $25,000 in capital grants for the museum this year and that money may have been funneled towards this year's festival, said the rep. AMNH did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
CBC
27-04-2025
- General
- CBC
Meet Root, the turtle with a mobility aid made of Lego
He doesn't live in a sewer, his name isn't Donatello and he doesn't ride a skateboard. But little Root the turtle does get around on his own set of wheels. The wood turtle came to live at the Museum of Natural History in Halifax last September. Unlike most turtles, Root is missing his right front foot. Heather McKinnon Ramshaw, the museum's animal care specialist, says she doesn't know how he lost the foot, but he's been that way for a long time. She says he was originally collected from the wild by Natural Resources Department personnel and brought into captivity 20 years ago — possibly because of his missing foot. Root spends most of his time in his enclosure, which is filled with wood chips and has a container of water that he can swim around in. But three times a week, staff at the museum take him out on a little stroll. Early on, they noticed that as Root was tootling around, he was scraping his plastron, or bottom shell, on the floor. "Because one leg is essentially shorter than the other one, we found that he was kind of clunking his shell down," McKinnon says. "There was some wear on the shell and we didn't want it to get worse, so he needed something to lift him up." Leg up on other wood turtles Enter Tessa Biesterfeld, a naturalist interpreter at the museum. The museum had a Lego exhibit in December, and Biesterfeld had the idea to create a platform with wheels out of Lego pieces to lift Root up higher so his shell wouldn't get damaged. The first incarnation used medical adhesive tape and a bandage to attach some wheels, but staff didn't want to have to stick something to his shell every time he went out for his constitutional. So Biesterfeld came up with the idea of using a removable dog harness along with the Lego platform and wheels. "We thought that'd be so great because we know it's non-toxic, we know that we can replace the parts as we need, and should his shell change or grow, we can change the shape and size of that. It's very modular," says Biesterfeld. The first day, Root had an unexpectedly speedy slide down a ramp, but quickly became accustomed to using the contraption. "Now when I snap his harness on, it's like when he hears that snap, he's ready to go," says Biesterfeld. With the help of his wheels, Root enjoys exploring different areas of the museum, and may even have a leg up on other members of his species. "We didn't want to make a skateboard or make anything that would just have him zooming too unnaturally fast, but he's clearly going a little faster than the average wood turtle but he seems happy to do so. He's getting lots of great exercise," Biesterfeld says. Threatened species Root has spent most of his 20 years in captivity at the Oaklawn Farm Zoo in Aylesford, N.S., and, after the zoo closed at the end of 2023, at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park. But staff at the wildlife park decided he needed a new home because he was being a little too assertive with the other turtles, standing in the food dish and intimidating others, preventing them from eating. So he ended up at the museum. McKinnon describes Root's personality as "very bold, brave, I don't want to say overbearing," but also a bit timid around people. Root and Gus, the museum's famous, beloved centenarian gopher tortoise, have not met, partly because they may not get along, but also because turtles can pass diseases to each other. But with Root's fancy wheels, it's possible the museum could have another shell-ebrity on its hands. Wood turtles are a species at risk in Nova Scotia, so having one is special because the museum would never collect one from the wild, McKinnon says. Wood turtles can live for 50 to 80 years. "We may have him for a while, so we want to make sure he's comfortable," McKinnon says.
