Early life.

González was born in Bellavista, Seville, the son of a small dairy farmer. He has a sister called Lola González Márquez, married to Francisco Germán Palomino Romera, by whom she has two sons, Felipe and Germán Palomino González. He studied Law at Seville University and started his career as attorney specialising in labor law. While at the University he met members of the clandestine socialist trade union Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT). He also contacted members of the PSOE and started taking part in the party's clandestine activity, necessary under the dictatorship of Franco. During that time he adopted the alias Isidoro and moved to Madrid. He was elected Secretary General of the Party at the Suresnes Congress, in France.  By the time of Franco's death, González had become the most prominent figure among the left-wing of the democratic opposition to the regime, and played a critical role, along with then serving prime minister Adolfo Suárez, in the Spanish transition to democracy. During the Suárez government, General and vice president Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado asked González not to raise the debate of the Civil War and Franquist repression until the death of those of his generation.  In the first democratic general election after Franco's death, held in 1977, the PSOE became the second most-voted for party, and this served González to appear as a young, active and promising leader. However, he did not win the 1979 election and had to wait for 1982 and the dissolution of the Union of the Democratic Centre party to come into office.

Prime Minister of Spain.

In the 1982 general election held on 28 October 1982, the PSOE gained 48.3% of the vote and 202 deputies (out of 350). On 2 December González became President of the Government of Spain, with Alfonso Guerra as his deputy. He was the first socialist to hold the post since the Spanish Civil War, and his government was the first since then in which none of its members had served under Francoism.  His election was met with tremendous expectation of change amongst Spaniards. Under his government universal and free education provision was extended from age 14 to age 16, university education was reformed and expanded, the social security system was extended and a partial legalisation of abortion became law for the first time, despite opposition from the Roman Catholic Church. González pushed for liberal reforms and a restructuring of the economy.  On 23 February 1983, the Government passed a law nationalising Rumasa, a private business that included merchant banking interests, on the grounds that it was at the point of bankruptcy and the government needed to protect the savings of depositors and the jobs of its 60,000 employees, a decision that aroused considerable criticism and a judicial conflict over the law that was only resolved, in favour of the government, in December 1986.  Having promised in the election to create 800,000 new jobs, his government's restructuring of the steel industry actually resulted in job losses. When they tried to similarly tackle the debt problems in the dock industry in 1984 the dockers went on strike. The UGT, or General Workers' Union, called a general strike on 20 June 1985 in protest against social security reforms. In the same year his government began a massive privatisation, partial or full, of the 200 state owned companies as well as hundreds of affiliates dependent on these companies.  In the 1986 general election held on 22 June 1986, the PSOE gained 44.1% of the vote and 184 deputies in Parliament. González was elected prime minister for the second time. During this second term, Spain joined the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1986. González supported Spain remaining in NATO that same year in a referendum reversing his and the party's earlier anti-NATO position. A general strike on 14 December 1988 completely paralysed the country and caused the Unions and the PSOE left wing to describe González as moving to the right.  On 29 October 1989, he won the 1989 general election with 39.6% of the vote and 175 seats, his third successive mandate. In the First Gulf War in 1991, González supported the USA. From 1991, the PSOE started losing its urban vote in favour of the reformed People's Party. On the other side, events like the 1992 Olympic Games held in Barcelona or the Universal Exposition in Seville helped in consolidating Spain's international image as a modern, affluent country.  On 6 June 1993, González won the 1993 general election with 38.8% of the vote and 159 deputies. His fourth victory was marred by the fact he was forced to form a pact with nationalist political parties from Catalonia and Basque country in order to form a new government.  Towards the end of 1995 there was a debate about whether González should lead the PSOE in the forthcoming general elections. The People's Party intensified its campaign to associate his period in office with a poor economic situation (although unemployment had begun to decline and the economic reforms of the previous decade initiated a lasting period of economic growth) and with accusations of corruption and state terrorism scandals, including allegations of waging a dirty war against the terrorist group ETA by means of the GAL. There was speculation in the press about Javier Solana as a possible replacement, but Solana was appointed Secretary General of NATO in December 1995.  Left with no other suitable candidate, the party was again led by González and in the 1996 general election held on 3 March 1996, they gained 37.4% of the vote and 141 deputies. They lost the election to the People's Party whose leader José María Aznar replaced González as prime minister ("presidente" in Spanish, but not to be confused with the English use of the term) on 4 or 5 May 1996.  The legacy of Felipe González's long mandate left a bittersweet taste: on the one hand, under his tenure, Spain initiated a period of thorough modernisation; on the other hand the scandals that monopolised the news in his last years still preclude a dispassionate consideration of his tenure. His Ministers of Economy and Finance (notably Miguel Boyer, Carlos Solchaga and Pedro Solbes) implemented a vigorous program of economic reforms that included privatisation of public companies such as Telefónica or ENDESA, liberalisation and deregulation of the economy and restructuring of whole industry sectors such as steel or mining which left many people unemployed and created resentment among the working classes and the trade unions. This situation was worsened by the massive influx of female baby-boomers into the labour market, which further increased the unemployment rates.  His cabinets, on the other hand, paved the way to a long period of declining interest rates, low budget deficits and stronger economic growth than the European average. Spain was a founding member of the transition to the single currency (Euro) based on the measures of his last government. Other reforms had also a deep impact on the Spanish economy, such as the extension of a network of highways, airports and the creation of new infrastructures, including the high speed train. Gonzalez-led cabinets were the first to implement a national, comprehensive infrastructure program that included not only public works but theatres, museums, secondary schools. In addition, a comprehensive welfare state was established, while improvements were made to social programmes such as pensions and unemployment benefits. A 40-hour workweek was introduced, while entitlement to paid holidays was extended to up to 30 days per year. Pension funds were also established, together with provision for social tourism. In addition, the school-leaving age was raised from 14 to 16, while the number of educational grants was multiplied by eight.  Unemployment protection was expanded and a national education system for children under the age of six was established. Cash benefits in social housing, health care and education were introduced, along with earnings-based benefits for widowhood, sickness, disability and retirement. A Ministry of Social Affairs was also set up, allowing for social services to be decentralised in the early Nineties and to be available to all citizens, rather than only to those with social security.  The pension system was extended to needy people, universal public schooling was expanded from all children under the age of 16, and new universities were established. Healthcare was reformed, creating the National Health Service and the development of primary care medicine based on "health centres" where integral primary care for adults, pregnant women and paediatric patients was provided. When he left office, Spain had the best prepared young generation in history and women had stated coping leadership roles as never before. State run Television Española reached a high level of quality under the direction of Pilar Miró. Private television channels were also permitted in 1990, ending the state monopoly.  Felipe González also secured Spain's entry into the EEC, which the country joined in 1986 and consolidated democratic government. Together with François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl, he gave an injection of new life to Europe's public face. He was the sole support of Kohl's drive to a united Germany, counteracting British and French hostility. He also started diplomatic relations with Israel, which had never been established by Franco because of Antisemitism. Due to his prestige, Spain also housed peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis in 1990; these were chaired by President George H. W. Bush of the United States and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.  In the fight against terrorism, an intense police campaign secured several victories that left the terrorist organisation ETA severely debilitated. In his earlier years ETA killings totalled dozens per year (the 1987 Hipercor bombing attack in Barcelona alone killed more than 10 people), while in his latter years ETA killed far fewer. During his time as Prime Minister a group called GAL was active as a gangster-style force targeting "etarras" (ETA members). Several innocent people were killed and the subsequent investigations ended with some police officers and the Minister of Internal Affairs, José Barrionuevo, condemned to jail. The Constitutional Court later ratified the sentence. Among successful operations were the capture of the ETA central arsenal and archives in Sokoa (France) and the capture of the organisation's ruling body in 1992.  However, in the final years of his mandate several cases of corruption, the most notable of which were the scandals involving Civil Guard Director Roldán, further eroded popular support for the PSOE. Nonetheless González and most of his ministers generally managed to leave office with their reputation intact although there had been some singularly unfortunate choices made in the case of some of the lower ranking public servants, according to María Antonia Iglesias ("La memoria recuperada. Lo que nunca han contado Felipe González y los dirigentes socialistas", 2003); this author is very close, though, to the PSOE official line, as she served as head of the public TV broadcaster Televisión Española after appointment to the post by one of Gonzalez' cabinets.  Lately, his role as a decisive statesman in the latter part of the 20th century has been recognised. One of his most bitter adversaries, Luis MarÍa Ansón, at the time director of the right wing newspaper ABC and later of the hard right La Razón has stated that Gonzalez "was the best prime minister that Spain had in the 20th century". He also stated that he and many others (mainly newspaper owners and media pundits) started a witch hunt against him, in support of the Popular Party, out of fear that Gonzalez's leadership might last several decades.

After the premiership.

González ended his fourth term on 4 May 1996. Since September 1996 he has headed the Madrid-based Global Progress Foundation (FPG). At the beginning of the 34th PSOE National Congress on 20 June 1997 he surprisingly resigned as leader of the party. He also resigned from the federal executive committee, though retaining his seat in the Congress. With no clear successor he continued to exert an enormous influence over the party. He was only replaced at the 35th party Congress in July 2000 when José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero became the leader.  In 1997 he was considered a leading candidate to take over the position of President of the European Commission after Jacques Santer. The position ultimately went to Italy's Romano Prodi. In 1999 González was put in charge of the party's Global Progress Commission in response to globalisation. The Commission's report formed the basis of the closing declaration of the 21st Socialist International Congress on 8–9 November 1999.  He stood down as a deputy in the Spanish Parliament in March 2004.  On 27 July 2007 the Spanish Government appointed him plenipotentiary and extraordinary ambassador for the bicentenary celebrations in commemoration of the independence of Latin America. The celebrations will begin in September 2010 in Mexico.  At a summit held in Brussels on 14 December 2007, heads of state and government of European Union member states appointed González chairman of a think tank on the future of Europe. The group, consisting of up to nine prestigious personalities commissioned to drawing up a report, by June 2010, on the challenges facing the European Union from 2020 to 2030, will also look at how to achieve a closer understanding between citizens and the Union.  In December 2014, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos granted González Colombian nationality.  From 2010 to 2015, González was appointed independent director in Gas Natural-Fenosa, one of the leading energy companies in Spain, being one of the best known high-profile cases of revolving doors in Spanish politics.  Since 2015 he has taken an active role in criticizing the emerging party Podemos, which he considers a populist threat, and have actively lobbied the PSOE against approaching Podemos for any possible government coalition. González supported PSOE candidate Pedro Sánchez in the 2015 and 2016 general elections, but in the aftermath Sánchez announced talks with Podemos and Catalan separatist parties. González then supported Susana Diaz faction in a bitter internal struggle which ended with PSOE facilitating the investiture of the conservative government and the dismissal of Pedro Sánchez.  In 2015 González traveled to Venezuela to support Leopoldo López and other imprisoned opposition leaders. His involvement came at the same time mainstream media and political parties were accusing emerging Podemos of having links with the Venezuelan government.  González is a member of the Club of Madrid, an independent non-profit organisation composed of 81 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 57 different countries.  In 2015, González was awarded the Distinguished Leadership Award for Public Service in the Americas Award by the Inter-American Dialogue for his tireless, effective, and ongoing public service and commitment to democracy in Latin America.

Personal life.

González married María del Carmen Julia Romero y López in Seville on 16 July 1969 and has three children: Pablo González Romero, David González Romero and María González Romero (lawyer). He divorced Carmen Romero in 2008. In 2012 he married Mar García Vaquero.  One of his hobbies is tending bonsai trees. During his tenure at Moncloa, he received and cultivated several of them, mostly Mediterranean species, that he later donated to the Royal Botanic Garden of Madrid.

Felipe González Márquez (, born 5 March 1942) is a Spanish lawyer, professor, and politician, who was the Secretary-General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) from 1974 to 1997, and the 3rd Prime Minister of Spain since the restoration of democracy, from 1982 to 1996. To date, he remains the longest-serving Prime Minister of Spain to be freely elected.

Felipe González Márquez (* 5. března 1942 Sevilla) je španělský politik, dlouholetý generální tajemník hlavní španělské levicové strany Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) (1974–1997) a třetí předseda vlády od španělského přechodu k demokracii (1982–1996).


Biography.

Avraham was born in Rishon LeZion. Graduated from the Rakusin School in Ramla in the field of drafting machines. She holds a B.A. in political science from Bar-Ilan University. and an MBA from Peres Academic Center, specializing in Organizational Management and Human Resources).

Political career.

She began her political career as an assistant to Likud general manager Avigdor Lieberman in the early 1990s. In 1994-1999, she served as the bureau chief of the opposition leader and later prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She later served as a selection advisor to the Minister of National Infrastructures for Lieberman.

Likud Party.

She ran in the Likud primaries in 2003 and won 16th place in the Knesset elections, in which the Likud won 38 seats.  She served as Chairperson of the Sub-Committee for Small and Medium Businesses, as well as a member of the Knesset Finance Committee, the Committee on the Status of Women, the Special Committee on Foreign Workers. As chairman of the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Committee, she initiated the establishment of the State-guaranteed Small Business Loans Fund, which is currently managed by Bank Leumi and leveraged NIS 3 billion.  On 30 March 2005, she was appointed Deputy Minister of the Interior by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.  On 1 November, Army Radio reported that Avraham and the deputy minister of the interior were traveling to Agrexco in the US with the funding of Agrexco. In August 2008, it was decided to close the case for lack of evidence.  At the end of 2005, Interior Minister Ophir Pines resigned. Avraham, who served as Deputy Minister of Interior, received the powers of the Minister of the Interior. She became the acting interior minister until the end of the 2006 election campaign. During her tenure as interior minister, the interior minister first came out with a municipal bond program that was implemented in the cities of Ramla, Yehud, Eilat and Ra'anana.

Kadima Party.

At the end of November 2005, she left the Likud faction and together with Ariel Sharon, the prime minister and another 12 MKs, established the Kadima party. She was placed in the 18th place on the list and was elected to the 17th Knesset.  With the establishment of the 31st government of Israel headed by Ehud Olmert, Avraham was appointed chair of the House Committee, and in her position she directed a struggle to reduce the Arrangements Law - a law that would mean economic sanctions on the public, reducing it and canceling a quarter of its provisions. In addition, the most prominent law initiated by MK Avraham was the "Hot Meal for the Student Law", in which 250,000 students receive hot meals in schools  On 4 July 2007, as part of a round of government portfolios, Avraham was appointed to serve as the liaison between the government and the Knesset, which is responsible for the loneliness of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel. IDF soldiers by teenagers, and the main show on Independence Day, which was widely praised.  On 6 July 2008, the government approved its monopoly on the tourism minister. In her role as Tourism Minister she canceled the visa to their tourist from Ukraine opened a representative office of the Ministry of Tourism in China and crossed the tourist 3 million line.  In the elections to the 18th Knesset, she was elected sixth on the Kadima list and in this Knesset served as Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Chairperson of the Lobby for Minors and Mid-sized Businesses, Chairperson of the Lobby for Food Security, Member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.  During her tenure as a member of the Knesset, she was considered a Knesset member whose social agenda is very close to her heart. It initiated a number of major laws, including: Amendment to the Law and Administration Law:  The amendment provides that an agreement or government decision according to which the law, jurisdiction and administration of the State of Israel shall not apply to territory shall be subject to the approval of the Knesset and shall be brought to a referendum. The law also regulates the way to conduct a referendum.  An amendment to the Computers Law that prohibits the editing and transfer of software that causes damage to the computer or the computer material, even if there is no actual damage if the purpose is to penetrate the computer, to perform actions that result in false information or output or to carry out wiretapping.  Following the dissolution of the 18th Knesset, Avraham announced that she would not run for the 19th Knesset.

After Politics.

Between 2014 and 2016 served as an external director in the construction company "Beit Yair".  Since 2017, she has served as an external director at Minrav and Canada's Ski Line.  She also serves as a strategic consultant to companies and organizations.

Personal life.

She is divorced and a mother of two. She speaks Hebrew, Ladino and English. She lives in Petah Tikva.

Ruhama Avraham Balila (, born 29 January 1964) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Likud and Kadima between 2003 and 2013. She also held the positions of Deputy minister of interior Minister of Tourism and Minister without Portfolio responsible for liaison with the Knesset and was in charge of the Israel's 60th Independence Day celebrations.

Ruchama Avraham Balila (hebrejsky: רוחמה אברהם בלילא, narozená 29. ledna 1964, Rišon le-Cijon, Izrael) je izraelská politička a bývalá poslankyně Knesetu za stranu Kadima. V minulosti zastávala post ministryně turismu a ministryně bez portfeje zodpovědné za vztahy s Knesetem.


Report.

Background.

Jenson Button headed into the weekend still on top of the Drivers' Championship by 18.5 points in front of Mark Webber who had jumped ahead of team-mate Sebastian Vettel, who was on 47 points was only 3 points ahead of Brazilian Rubens Barrichello.  Brawn GP still lead the Constructor's Championship by 15.5 points from Red Bull Racing, with a further 58.5 points separating them from defending champions Ferrari. Ferrari had jumped Toyota after Kimi Räikkönen has finished 2nd place in the previous race.  Lewis Hamilton of McLaren-Mercedes won the last race in the championship, 4 weeks previously in Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix. He qualified 4th on the grid and won the race in dominating style to take his first race victory since the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix. Hamilton's win also marked the first victory for a car equipped with KERS. Kimi Räikkönen earned second place, his best result of the season. This however was only his second podium and his fourth points scoring finish of the season. Mark Webber finished third, Jenson Button finished 7th, and Rubens Barrichello came 10th while Sebastian Vettel retired because of suspension damage. Felipe Massa dominated the 2008 race, leading 50 of 57 laps from pole and setting the fastest lap in the process. Former European Grand Prix winners Rubens Barrichello and Fernando Alonso were also racing, though Massa is the only winner at Valencia.  Massa would miss the Grand Prix after he underwent surgery following an accident in the second part of qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He had life-threatening injuries including a fractured skull, and it was expected that he would be in recovery for at least six weeks. Consequently, this Grand Prix would see the return of Luca Badoer to Formula One in order to replace Massa. Badoer has the record for most races in Formula One without points with 48; he was perhaps closest to scoring points when he retired from fourth in the 1999 European Grand Prix for Minardi.  Meanwhile, Renault announced on 4 August that Nelson Piquet Jr.'s contract with the team had been terminated with immediate effect; this decision was made after Piquet had not scored a single point all season. His replacement Romain Grosjean was announced on 18 August. It was believed that he would be racing for the remainder of the season.  Renault had initially been suspended from the Grand Prix as a result of the events that led to a wheel coming off Alonso's car during the Hungarian Grand Prix. However, Renault appealed to the FIA Court of Appeal, who overturned the suspension, and enabled Alonso to race at his home Grand Prix.

Practice and qualifying.

Three practice sessions were held before the start of qualifying; the first was held on Friday morning and the second in the afternoon. Both sessions lasted 1 hour and 30 minutes with weather conditions dry throughout, as the air temperature at 27 °C (80 °F) and the track temperature at 36 °C (97 °F) in session one. Session two saw the air temperature at 30 °C (86 °F) and the track temperature rise dramatically to 52 °C (125 °F) in session two. The third session was held on Saturday morning and lasted 1 hour; it was also dry throughout with the air temperature at 28 °C (82 °F) and the track temperature at 41 °C (106 °F). Brawn came back to form with the track temperature higher than at other circuits making Barrichello the pace-setter with the two McLarens behind him. Kovalainen and Hamilton were only separated by 0.018 seconds. Nico Rosberg who has topped most Friday practice sessions throughout the season struggled in his Williams coming 14th in session 1, 1.3 seconds off Barrichello, while team-mate Kazuki Nakajima fared better, coming 7th. However both Rosberg and Nakajima got into the top five in the second session. Fernando Alonso in his home grand prix topped the second session while Hamilton came last after spinning out early on and damaging his car.  Renault's Romain Grosjean had a solid two sessions, coming 17th and 13th respectively, although Alonso outpaced him in each by over a second. Luca Badoer came 20th and 18th in the two Friday sessions as he continued to struggle with the car as team-mate Kimi Räikkönen was 11th and 10th in the two sessions. The Toyotas struggled in session 1 with Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock coming 18th and 19th respectively. Although there was a small piece of hope as Trulli in the second session came 12th and Glock came 15th, 0.225 seconds behind his team-mate.  Force India's big updates were showing improvements as Adrian Sutil came 6th in the first session, while in the second session Sutil came 6th again while Giancarlo Fisichella showed a bit of form when he came in 8th. BMW Sauber were still struggling as they came 12th and 15th. But Robert Kubica was hopefully showing a light at the end of the tunnel as he came 7th in the second session, splitting the two Force Indias.  Red Bull seemed to be struggling in the hotter conditions as they were outpaced in both sessions by title challengers Brawn. Vettel (5th and 9th) and Webber (8th and 14th) were hopeful things would improve on Saturday.  It was a surprise result on Saturday as Adrian Sutil topped the time sheets, as Vettel's engine blew halfway through the session causing it to be red-flagged as oil was on the track. The other Force India, Fisichella, was 0.621 seconds behind his team-mate in P6. Kazuki Nakajima came in 2nd with Robert Kubica coming in 3rd. Heikki Kovalainen was the only one of the major contenders for pole in the top 5 as he came in 4th ahead of Nico Rosberg.  The Brawns were a little off the pace as Button (7th) and Barrichello (12th) were hoping for better. Both Red Bull cars were in the bottom 5 as Vettel (18th) and Webber (17th) continued to struggle in the hot conditions. Luca Badoer continued to be well behind the pace as he came in at 20th, 3.055 seconds behind session winner Adrian Sutil.  The qualifying session on Saturday afternoon was split into three parts. The first part ran for 20 minutes, and cars that finished the session 16th or lower were eliminated from qualifying. The second part of qualifying lasted 15 minutes and eliminated cars that finished in positions 11 to 15. The final part of qualifying determined the positions from first to tenth, and decided pole position. Cars which failed to make the final session could refuel before the race, so ran lighter in those sessions. Cars which competed in the final session of qualifying were not allowed to refuel before the race, and as such carried more fuel than in the previous sessions. Weather conditions for the session saw the air temperature at 30 °C (86 °F) and the track temperature at 39 °C (102 °F).  The first part of qualifying saw Button top the time sheets, with a lap of 1:38.531. With all the optimism of the pace of the Force India, Fisichella came 16th and was knocked out. Another big name that failed to make it was Kazuki Nakajima who came 2nd in practice just a few hours beforehand. Trulli, Alguersuari and Badoer were the others that joined them in not making it through to Q2.  The second session was topped by the other Brawn, Rubens Barrichello, a time of 1:38.076; half a second quicker than the quickest time in Q1. Sebastian Buemi came bottom of the session, half a second behind débutante Romain Grosjean in 14th. Glock, Sutil and Heidfeld were the others eliminated. Robert Kubica ended a long drought and made it to Q3.  The final 10-minute shoot-out began with very close lap times. As the chequered flag fell everyone was on their final lap. Button was the first of the main contenders to cross it for the final time and he didn't improve and stayed 5th. Next was Barrichello as he crossed the line and didn't improve and stayed 2nd. Kovalainen looked set for pole position but a lockup and a slide in the final corner could only get him up into second, so Hamilton didn't feel the need to complete his lap with no one else on fast laps. Hamilton got his first pole position of the season, but more importantly, it was a McLaren 1–2. Barrichello came third and a surprise 4th for Vettel as he split the Brawns. Räikkönen even with race fuel on board posted a lap time that was 1.279 seconds quicker than Luca Badoer's time in Q1 on low fuel. This was also the first time Lewis Hamilton had been on pole since the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix.  The fuel-adjusted times showed that Barrichello was actually the fastest in qualifying with Kovalainen 0.216 seconds behind him. Hamilton was third with Button in fourth and Vettel in 5th. Even though it had been an encouraging sign to see BMW in the top 10, the fuel-adjustments showed that even with fuel taken into account, the BMW was still 1.114 seconds slower than the Brawn of Rubens Barrichello.

Race.

Around 12:00 (UTC) the formation lap for the Grand Prix started with race starting a few minutes later. With the air temperature at 31 °C (88 °F) and the track temperature at 49 °C (120 °F), it looked like the conditions were favouring the Brawn cars. The race started with Lewis Hamilton, Heikki Kovalainen and Rubens Barrichello as the top three after the first lap. Kimi Räikkönen had a good start making his way to fourth from sixth on the grid. Jenson Button had a poor start dropping to ninth in the first few corners, while Luca Badoer starting from the back of the grid jumped six positions to 14th at the start. Romain Grosjean then tapped the rear of Badoer's Ferrari, causing the Italian to spin. Grosjean had to pit for repairs, as did Timo Glock after he and Sébastien Buemi collided, the Swiss driver also pitting for a new nose. Mark Webber down in ninth got on the radio claiming that Button had cut the chicane to stop Webber's attempt of a pass. Button then fell behind Webber although it is unclear whether it was a legitimate pass or Jenson let the Red Bull driver through.  On lap 15, Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel came into the pits. Hamilton rejoined in sixth place but Vettel's fuel pump failed to work so he had to come in again. Kovalainen came in a lap later while Barrichello was pushing to try and build a gap. Button and Räikkönen pitted on lap 18, the Finn coming out in eighth while Button rejoined in 11th. Barrichello came in on lap 19, the Brazilian had made a lot of ground as he rejoined just behind Lewis after being around 10 seconds adrift. But most importantly for Brawn he had jumped the other McLaren of Kovalainen. On lap 24, a lot of smoke was pouring from the rear end of Vettel's car and he retired with a suspected engine failure. Hamilton was ordered over the radio to try to cool down his rear brakes as the temperature were getting out of control, but he was unable to shake off the challenge of Barrichello in second.  Hamilton seemed to have found some pace but he pitted soon after on lap 37. He came in but his new tyres were still in their blankets and a lot of time was wasted. Barrichello came in three laps later on lap 40 and came out in first. Button came in on lap 41 along with Alonso leaving Webber to tackle a bit of traffic. Webber pitted and the traffic had cost him as he came out behind Button and Kubica leaving himself out of the points. Räikkönen also jumped Kovalainen in the second round of stops.  As the race was heading into the closing stages, Hamilton seemed to be on a charge to try to catch the leading Brawn but in reality it looked only a mistake would stop the Brazilian winning. As Button was lapping a second off the pace just making sure his car got to the end. Kubica was catching Button at a high rate of knots but it seemed a long shot if Button was going to lose them two points. Barrichello took the chequered flag to win his first grand prix since the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix in, and record the 100th win by a Brazilian driver in Formula One (including the victories of Emerson Fittipaldi, José Carlos Pace, Nelson Piquet, Ayrton Senna, Felipe Massa and Barrichello). Hamilton came second, while Finn Räikkönen came home in third. Kovalainen came fourth, while Nico Rosberg had a reasonably quiet race as he came home in fifth. Fernando Alonso came sixth in his home race, championship leader Jenson Button came seventh, while Robert Kubica came eighth, only his second points scoring finish so far this season. Neither Red Bull's Vettel or Webber scored a point, while Barrichello moved into second place in the drivers championship. Button kept his lead although he only added two points to his tally. Brawn edged further ahead in the constructors' championship by scoring 12 points with Red Bull not scoring a single point this weekend.

The 2009 European Grand Prix (formally the LIII Telefónica Grand Prix of Europe) was a Formula One motor race held on 23 August 2009 at the Valencia Street Circuit in Valencia, Spain. It was the 11th race of the 2009 Formula One season. The race was contested over 57 laps, an overall race distance of 308.9 km (191.9 mi). The winner was Rubens Barrichello for Brawn GP after starting from third on the grid. The 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton finished second for McLaren-Mercedes, while 2007 world champion Kimi Räikkönen finished in third for Ferrari. Championship leader Jenson Button finished in seventh for the second race in a row, but extended his lead as Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel both failed to score.

Grand Prix Evropy 2009 (LIII Telefónica Grand Prix of Europe), 11. závod 60. ročníku mistrovství světa jezdců Formule 1 a 51. ročníku poháru konstruktérů, historicky již 814. grand prix, se po druhé v historii odehrála na okruhu ve Valencii.


Earliest life.

Claudia Alta Taylor was born on December 22, 1912, in Karnack, Texas, a town in Harrison County, near the eastern state line with Louisiana. Her birthplace was "The Brick House," an antebellum plantation house on the outskirts of town, which her father had purchased shortly before her birth. She was a descendant of English Protestant martyr Rowland Taylor through his grandson Captain Thomas J. Taylor II.  She was named for her mother's brother Claud. During her infancy, her nursemaid, Alice Tittle, said that she was as "purty as a ladybird." Opinions differ about whether the name refers to a bird or a ladybird beetle, the latter of which is commonly referred to as a "ladybug" in North America. The nickname virtually replaced her first name for the rest of her life. Her father and siblings called her Lady, and her husband called her Bird—the name she used on her marriage license. During her teenage years, some classmates would call her Bird to provoke her, since she reportedly was not fond of the name.  Nearly all of her maternal and paternal immigrant ancestors arrived in the Virginia Colony during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, likely as indentured servants as were most early settlers in the colony. Her father, a native of Alabama, had primarily English ancestry, and some Welsh and Danish. Her mother, also a native of Alabama, was of English and Scottish descent.  Her father, Thomas Jefferson Taylor (August 29, 1874 – October 22, 1960), was a sharecropper's son. He became a wealthy businessman, and owned of cotton and two general stores. "My father was a very strong character, to put

Education.

When it came time to enter high school, Lady Bird had to move away and live with another family during weekdays in the town of Jefferson, Texas, since there was no high school in the Karnack area. (Her brothers were sent to boarding schools in New York). She graduated third in her class at the age of 15 from Marshall Senior High School in the nearby county seat. Despite her young age, her father gave her a car so that she could drive herself to school, a distance of each way. She said of that time, "[I]t was an awful chore for my daddy to delegate some person from his business to take me in and out." During her senior year, when she realized that she had the highest grades in her class, she "purposely allowed her grades to slip" so that she would not have to give the valedictorian or salutatorian speech.  After graduating from high school in May 1928, Lady Bird entered the University of Alabama for

Marriage and family.

A friend in Austin introduced her to Lyndon Baines Johnson, a 26-year-old Congressional aide with political aspirations, working for Congressman Richard Kleberg. Lady Bird recalled having felt "like a moth drawn to a flame". Biographer Randall B. Woods attributed Johnson's "neglect of his legal studies" to his courting of Lady Bird.  On their first date, at the Driskill Hotel, Lyndon proposed. Lady Bird did not want to rush into marriage, but he was persistent and did not want to wait.

Early politics.

When Lyndon decided to run for Congress from Austin's 10th district, Lady Bird provided the money to launch his campaign. She took $10,000 of her inheritance from her mother's estate to help start his political career. The couple settled in Washington, D.C., after Lyndon was elected to Congress. After he enlisted in the Navy at the outset of the Second World War, Lady Bird ran his congressional office.  Lady Bird sometimes served

Business career.

In January–February 1943, during World War II, Lady Bird Johnson spent $17,500 of her inheritance to purchase KTBC, an Austin radio station. She bought the radio station from a three-man partnership that included Robert B. Anderson, a future U.S. Secretary of the Navy and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, and Texas oilman and rancher Wesley West.  She served as president of the LBJ Holding Co., and her husband negotiated an agreement with the CBS radio network. Lady Bird decided to expand by buying a television station in 1952, despite Lyndon's objections. She reminded him that she could do as she wished

Second Lady of the United States.

John F. Kennedy chose Lyndon Johnson as his running mate for the 1960 election. At Kennedy's request, Lady Bird took an expanded role during the campaign, as his wife Jacqueline was pregnant with their second child. Over 71 days, Lady Bird traveled through 11 states and appeared at 150 events. Kennedy and Johnson won the election that November, with Lady Bird helping the Democratic ticket carry seven Southern states.  Reflecting later, Lady Bird said that the years her husband served as Vice President and she as Second Lady was "a very different period of our lives." Nationally, the two had a kind of celebrity, but they both found the office of Vice President to lack power.  As the Vice President's wife, Lady Bird often served as a substitute for Jacqueline Kennedy at official events and functions. Within her first year as Second Lady, she had substituted for Mrs. Kennedy at more than 50 events, roughly one

First Lady of the United States.

As First Lady, Lady Bird started a capital beautification project ("Society for a More Beautiful National Capital"). It was intended to improve physical conditions in Washington, D.C., for both residents and tourists, by planting millions of flowers, many of them on National Park Service land along roadways around the capital. She said, "Where flowers bloom, so does hope."  She worked extensively with the American Association of Nurserymen (AAN) executive Vice President Robert F. Lederer to protect wildflowers and promoted planting them along highways. Her efforts inspired similar programs throughout the country. She became the first president's wife to advocate actively for legislation when she was instrumental in promoting the Highway Beautification Act, which was nicknamed "Lady Bird's Bill." It was developed to beautify the nation's highway system by limiting billboards and by planting roadside areas. She was also an advocate of the Head Start program to give children from lower-income families a step up in school readiness.  Lady Bird created the modern structure of the First Lady's office: she was the first in this role to have a press secretary and chief of staff of her own, and an outside liaison with Congress. Her press secretary from 1963 to 1969 was Liz Carpenter, a fellow alumna of the University of Texas. As a mark of changing times, Carpenter was the first professional newswoman to become press secretary to a First Lady; she also served as Lady Bird's staff director. Lady Bird's tenure as First Lady marked the beginning of the hiring of employees in the East Wing to work specifically on the First Lady's projects. During the 1964 election, Lady Bird traveled through eight Southern states in her own train to promote the Civil Rights Act, at one point giving 45 speeches over five days. It was the first solo whistle-stop tour by a First Lady. President Johnson initially said he would turn down the Democratic Party nomination for president, having been unhappy during his service in President Kennedy's administration and believing the party did not want him. Although aides could not sway him, the First Lady convinced him otherwise, reassuring him of his worthiness and saying that if he dropped out, the Republicans would likely take the White House.  Lady Bird continued her Whistlestop Tour in October 1964. She used a Braniff International Airways Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop aircraft to conduct a multi-state tour, with stops in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Indiana, and Kentucky. Braniff dubbed the Lockheed Electra "The Lady Bird Special," after the ground Whistlestop Tour Train.

Later life.

Former President Johnson died of a heart attack in 1973, four years after leaving office. When he suffered the heart attack, Lady Bird was in a meeting, and the former president had died when she reached him. She arranged for the body to lie in state at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum the following day, and the body was laid to rest two days later. The couple's elder daughter Lynda said that God "knew what he was doing" when her father died ahead of her mother; she thought her father would not have been able to live without Lady Bird. After his death, Lady Bird took time to travel and spent more time with her daughters. She remained in the public eye, honoring her husband and other presidents. She entertained the wives of governors at the LBJ Presidential Library.  In the 1970s, Lady Bird focused her attention on the Austin riverfront area through her involvement in the Town Lake Beautification Project. From 1971 to 1978, she served on the board of regents for the University of Texas System. She also served on the National Park Service Advisory Board, and was the first woman to serve on National Geographic Society's Board of Trustees. President Nixon mentioned her as a possible ambassador in a circulated memo, but never nominated her for office.  In December 1973, after President Nixon established the Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac, he notified Lady Bird via a telephone call.  In August 1975, after First Lady Betty Ford made comments on sex, Lady Bird expressed sympathy: "I know the pressures of being a First Lady, and I think maybe she got asked one question too quick."  During the 1976 United States presidential election, Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter apologized to Lady Bird over comments he made about her husband during an interview in which he stated he would not follow trends of "lying, cheating, and distorting the truth" set forth by former Presidents Nixon and Johnson.  On March 12, 1980, Lady Bird returned to the White House and attended a reception commemorating the fifteenth anniversary of the Head Start program. In his remarks, President Carter expressed gratitude for her attending as he stated "she personifies too, as you know, the essence of what this great man did with those who worked around him", referring to her late husband.  In June 1981, officials of Dartmouth College stated that Johnson and former President Gerald Ford would serve as co-chairs of the fundraising committee for the Rockefeller Center for the Social Sciences. Johnson later attended the dedication of the center in September 1983.  In 1982, Lady Bird and actress Helen Hayes founded the National Wildflower Research Center west of Austin, Texas, as a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving and reintroducing native plants in planned landscapes. In 1994, the center opened a new facility southwest of Austin; they officially renamed it the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in 1995 in acknowledgment of her having raised $10 million for the facility. In 2006, the center was incorporated into the University of Texas at Austin.  In 1988, Lady Bird convened with three other former first ladies—Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, and Pat Nixon—at the "Women and the Constitution" conference at The Carter Center to assess that document's impact on women. The conference featured over 150 speakers and 1,500 attendees from all 50 states and 10 foreign countries. The conference was meant to promote awareness on sexual inequality in other countries, and fight against it in America.  In September 1991, Johnson unveiled a new line of English porcelain flower sculpture that drew influence from American wildflowers in the Corrigan's Jewelry at NorthPark Center in Dallas.  For 20 years, Lady Bird spent her summers on the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard, renting the home of Charles Guggenheim for many of those years. She said she had greatly appreciated the island's natural beauty and flowers.  In August 1984, Lady Bird publicly stated her support for the vice-presidential nomination of Geraldine Ferraro in that year's presidential election while admitting the difficulty the Mondale-Ferraro ticket faced in winning Texas.  Lady Bird returned to the White House for the twenty-fifth-anniversary celebration of her husband's inauguration on April 6, 1990. Incumbent President George H. W. Bush praised Lady Bird for her support of her husband and work toward beautifying landscapes.  On October 13, 2006, Lady Bird made a rare public appearance at the renovation announcement of the LBJ Library and Museum.

Honors.

On August 27, 1969, President Richard Nixon dedicated a 300-acre grove of redwood trees as the "Lady Bird Johnson Grove," due to her efforts as First Lady toward preserving national resources for Americans. The grove is located just north of Orick, California, and is part of Redwood National Park. Lady Bird attended the dedication with former President Johnson.  Lady Bird Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Gerald Ford on January 10, 1977. The citation for her medal read:  One of America's great First Ladies, she claimed her own place in the hearts and history of the American people. In councils of power or in homes of the poor, she made government human with her unique compassion and her grace, warmth and wisdom. Her leadership transformed the American landscape and preserved its natural beauty as a national treasure.  She received the Congressional Gold Medal in 1988, becoming the first wife of a President to receive the honor. In a 1982 poll taken of historians ranking the most influential and important First Ladies, Lady Bird was ranked third—behind Abigail Adams and Eleanor Roosevelt—primarily for her work as a conservation activist.  In 1995, the National Wildflower Research Center—near Austin, Texas—was renamed the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. She and actress Helen Hayes had founded the center in 1982.  In November 1968, Columbia Island, in Washington, D.C., was renamed Lady Bird Johnson Park, in honor of her campaign as First Lady to beautify the capital. In 1976, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac was dedicated on Columbia Island.  Lady Bird declined many overtures to name Austin's Town Lake in her honor after she had led a campaign to clean up the lake and add trails to its shoreline; following her death, Austin Mayor Will Wynn's office said it was a "foregone conclusion that Town Lake is going to be renamed" in honor of Lady Bird Johnson. The lake was renamed Lady Bird Lake on July 26, 2007.  In April 2008, the "Lady Bird Johnson Memorial Cherry Blossom Grove" was dedicated in Marshfield, Missouri. The dedication took place during the city's annual cherry blossom festival. Johnson had been supportive of the rural community and their initiative to plant ornamental cherry trees.  In 1995, she received an Honor Award from the National Building Museum for her lifetime leadership in beautification and conservation campaigns. She was also named the honorary chairwoman of the Head Start program.  Lady Bird held honorary degrees from many universities: Boston University; the University of Alabama; George Washington University; Johns Hopkins University; State University of New York; Southern Methodist University; Texas Woman's University; Middlebury College; Williams College, Southwestern University; Texas State University–San Marcos; Washington College; and St. Edward's University.  On June 7, 2008, Texas honored Lady Bird by renaming the state convention's Blue Star Breakfast as the 'Lady Bird Breakfast'. In January 2009, St. Edward's University in Austin completed a new residence hall for upperclassmen bearing the name of Lady Bird Johnson Hall, or "LBJ Hall" for short.  On August 28, 2008, Lady Bird Johnson High School was opened in her name in San Antonio, Texas, a part of the North East Independent School District.  On October 22, 2012, the United States Postal Service announced the issue of a souvenir Forever stamp sheet honoring Lady Bird Johnson as a tribute to her legacy of beautifying the nation's roadsides, urban parks and trails. Five of the six stamps feature adaptations of stamps originally issued in the 1960s to promote planting in public spaces. The sixth stamp features her official White House portrait, a painting of the First Lady in a yellow gown, by Elizabeth Shoumatoff. The stamps were dedicated on November 30, 2012, at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center of The University of Texas at Austin.  In 2013, Lady Bird was posthumously awarded the prestigious Rachel Carson Award. The award, presented by Audubon's Women In Conservation, was accepted by her daughter Lynda.

Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson (née Taylor; December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) was an American socialite and the First Lady of the United States (1963–1969) as the wife of the 36th President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson. She also served as the Second Lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963.

Claudia „Lady Bird“ Alta Taylorová Johnsonová (22. prosince 1912, Karnack, Texas – 11. července 2007, West Lake Hills, Texas) byla manželkou 36. prezidenta USA Lyndona B. Johnsona, v letech 1963–1969 vykonávala funkci první dámy USA.


History of research.

Earliest finds.

Fossil remains from the Chalk Formation in Burham near Kent, England were uncovered by British paleontologist James Scott Bowerbank in 1851. He assigned these specimens to a new species called "Pterodactylus cuvieri", as "Pterodactylus" was the best known genus of pterosaur at that time, and therefore assigning new species to it was practical. The specific name is honoring Georges Cuvier, the noted French naturalist and zoologist of the 19th century. A few years later, British paleontologist Richard Owen also uncovered pterosaur remains in the same chalk pit of the Chalk Formation, he assigned these recovered specimens to a new species, which he named "Pterodactylus compressirostris", but the remains differed from "P. cuvieri" for having a more elongated snout. This species was later classified to the genus "Lonchodectes" in a review by paleontologist Reginald Walter Hooley in 1914. In 1861, Richard Owen had described several new specimens unearthed from the same formation where "P. cuvieri" was discovered. These remains also looked very similar to it in its overall anatomy, and therefore Owen assigned the remains to "Pterodactylus simus". In 1869 however, British paleontologist Harry Govier Seeley erected a new genus called "Ornithocheirus" (from Ancient Greek meaning "bird hand"), as many researchers at the time still considered pterosaurs as direct ancestors of birds. Seeley also renamed "Pterodactylus cuvieri" to "Ptenodactylus cuvieri". He then found out in 1870 that the generic name "Ptenodactylus" had been considered a "nomen nudum", and therefore he reassigned "P. cuvieri" to the new genus "Ornithocheirus", creating "Ornithocheirus cuvieri". Later that year, Seeley reassigned various species of pterosaurs that had been named at the time to "Ornithocheirus", but he did not designate a type species for the genus. He also published his conclusions in a book called "The Ornithosauria", which mainly consisted of his thoughts and conclusions about pterosaurs. The name of the book translates to "bird lizard", in reference of pterosaurs being the direct ancestors of birds.

Controversy of "Ornithocheirus".

Finding out that Seeley had assigned at least 27 species of pterosaur to "Ornithocheirus", and even publishing a book about his conclusions had made Owen consider the name "Ornithocheirus" invalid, or at the very least inappropriate. In 1874, Owen had created two new genera: "Coloborhynchus" (meaning "maimed beak") and "Criorhynchus" (meaning "ram beak"), in reference to their unique snout. Owen also created a type species for "Coloborhynchus", "C. clavirostris", and reassigned "Ornithocheirus simus" as the type species of "Criorhynchus", making a "Criorhynchus simus". Along with the type species, Owen also reassigned 2 former species of "Ornithocheirus" to "Coloborhynchus", and 5 former species to "Criorhynchus". In the same year, he reassigned "Pterodactylus cuvieri" into "Coloborhynchus", making a "Coloborhynchus cuvieri".  Seeley disagreed with Owen's position, and he therefore assigned "O. simus" as the type species of "Ornithocheirus", and also created a new separate species called "O. bunzeli". In 1888, the paleontologist Edwin Tulley Newton reassigned several existing species of "Coloborhynchus" into "Ornithocheirus", including "C. clavirostris", the type species.  In a 1914 study, the paleontologist Reginald Hooley kept the name "Ornithocheirus", but created two new genera: "Lonchodectes" (meaning "lance biter"), and "Amblydectes" (meaning "blunt biter"). This classification was rarely applied at that time, and therefore some paleontologists weren't aware. The species "Pterodactylus compressirostris" became the type species of "Lonchodectes" in Hooley's 1914 review of "Ornithocheirus", which was originally a species of it according to Seeley back in 1870. Confusingly, "P. compressirostris" was long regarded, incorrectly, as the type species of "Ornithocheirus".  In 2013, further studies on the genus "Ornithocheirus" were made, as well as on the species "Pterodactylus cuvieri", a long regarded species of "Ornithocheirus", known as "O. cuvieri". The Brazilian paleontologists Taissa Rodrigues & Alexander Kellner however, analyzed the specimens of "P. cuvieri", which was named as ""O." cuvieri" in the analysis, and concluded that it differed from "Ornithocheirus" due to a series of autapomorphies. Some of which included its crest being placed far back on the premaxilla, at the level of the seventh tooth pair, but begins before the large skull opening; there is a density of three teeth per at the front of the upper jaw and of two teeth at the back of the jaw. These distinguishing traits made it unique, and therefore Rodrigues & Kellner erected a new genus called "Cimoliopterus", and created the new combination "Cimoliopterus cuvieri". The generic name combines Κιμωλία, "Kimolia" (meaning "chalk" in New Greek), in reference to the white clay of the island Kimolos, and the Latinised Greek word πτερόν, "pteron" (meaning "wing").

South American discoveries.

In 1987, fossil remains from the Santana Group (sometimes called the Santana Formation) in Brazil were thought to belong to "Ornithocheirus", the paleontologist Peter Wellnhofer described the newly uncovered specimens, and made a new genus called "Tropeognathus" (meaning "keel jaw"), in reference to it being similar a keel. Wellnhofer also assigned a type species named "T. mesembrinus". These remains were specifically discovered in the Romualdo Formation of the Santana Group, alongside another similar pterosaur called "Anhanguera". The newly named "Tropeognathus mesembrinus" by Wellnhofer led to an enormous taxonomic confusion by certain paleontologists, this is due to the similarities it had with "Anhanguera". During the year 1989, the species was considered an "Anhanguera mesembrinus" by Brazilian paleontologist Alexander Kellner, then a "Criorhynchus mesembrinus" in 1998 by André Jacques Veldmeijer, and a "Coloborhynchus mesembrinus" was erected in 2001 by Michael Fastnacht. Paleontologist David Unwin however, considered "T. mesembrinus" a junior synonym of "Ornithocheirus simus", though he then proposed an "Ornithocheirus mesembrinus" in 2003. In 2013 however, Taissa Rodrigues and Alexander Kellner concluded that "Tropeognathus" would be valid again, and containing only "T. mesembrinus", its type species.  "Anhanguera", meaning "bygone spirit protector of the animals", sometimes simplified as "old devil", is also a well known relative of the ornithocheirids, and its remains were found in the same formation as "Tropeognathus", its fossils date back to the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous, around 112 million years ago. Because of its similarity to "Ornithocheirus" and "Tropeognathus", authors assigned several species to it, including "O. cuvieri" into "Anhanguera cuvieri" by David Unwin in 2001, and the already mentioned "Anhanguera mesembrinus" by Alexander Kellner in 1989.  Another pterosaur discovered in the Santana Group is "Santanadactylus", it was described by Wellnhofer in the same year as "Anhanguera", and a specific species of it was assigned to "Anhanguera", "S. araripensis", which in the description was reassigned as "Anhanguera araripensis". "Santanadactylus" is also similar to "Ornithocheirus", however, it is recently considered a basal pteranodontoid due to placement uncertainties.

Other discoveries.

The genus "Uktenadactylus" from the Paw Paw Formation in Texas is a curious discovery, a partial snout was the only thing unearthed, and it was originally named "Coloborhynchus wadleighi" by Yuong Nam-Lee. He assigned this new species to "Coloborhynchus" because they share the trait of having three pairs of teeth laterally placed within a broad snout tip. The fossil that was found has a length of about and consists of the front end of the skull, containing the premaxilla and a small part of the maxilla. In 2009 however, Rodrigues & Kellner erected a new genus for the species: "Uktenadactylus" (meaning "Uktena finger"), in reference to the giant horned snake from the mythology of the Cherokee. Rodrigues & Kellner base upon a possible age difference of perhaps over thirty million years between the Berriasian-Valanginian British and the younger Albian-Cenomanian American form, and therefore "C. wadleighi" was potentially different from "Coloborhynchus". The age difference basis is because of the more derived and advanced features seen in "C. wadleighi", as well as different from those of "C. clavirostris". Now named as "Uktenadactylus", paleontologists have analyzed it deeper, and found out that many traits were shared with other ornithocheirids, but mostly similar to those of "Coloborhynchus", and thus placed within the Coloborhynchinae, a subfamily consisting of genera closer related to "Coloborhynchus" rather than "Ornithocheirus". Fossil remains uncovered from the Toolebuc and Winton formations in Australia are now thoght to belong to potential ornithocheirids. These specimens were overall similar to "Ornithocheirus", one of which consisted only of the middle snout and parts of the mandible. This genus unearthed from the Toolebuc Formation was named "Mythunga", in reference to the Orion constellation in the local aboriginal language. The other genus was named as "Ferrodraco" (meaning "iron dragon"), in reference to the fact that the skeleton was found in ironstone. Its remains were discovered in 2019, and consisted on a partial skeleton, a skull and the lower jaws. These two genera were very similar to "Ornithocheirus", and therefore placed within the subfamily Ornithocheirinae.

Description.

Size.

Ornithocheirids were among the largest pterosaurs that ever flew the skies, and perhaps even comparable to the sizes of the largest azhdarchids. Wingspan estimates ranged from, though most were typically around. The ornithocheirids "Ornithocheirus" and "Coloborhynchus" likely measured around, with some estimates exceeding, this made them quite large for their time, but the diverse evolution of ornithocheirids in the Early Cretaceous had made paleontologists understand that they were likely the most typical species of pterosaur during their reign. The largest size for an ornithocheirid was recorded in 2013 by the Kellner "et al.", which uncovered and described unusually large specimens of the ornithocheirid "Tropeognathus". These specimens consisted of a skeleton with skull, and extensive elements of all body parts except the tail and the lower hindlimbs, this then led to an impressive wingspan estimate measuring.  Other smaller genera include the crested "Caulkicephalus", meaning "caulk head", in reference of the Isle of Wight. The newly named "Ferrodraco" from the Winton Formation in Australia is also one of the smaller ornithocheirines, though still large compared to the other ornithocheirids. "Caulkicephalus" is estimated with a wingspan of around, making it average within ornithocheirid wingspan size. The wingspan of "Ferrodraco" however, measured at least, which is slightly shorter, making it slightly smaller than "Caulkicephalus".

Skull and crests.

Most ornithocheirids are known for their prominent "keeled" crest over, and under their snout, which is more precisely on the premaxilla, and the underside of the mandible. This trait made ornithocheirids unique pterosaurs. "Ornithocheirus" for example, had very similar jaws to "Coloborhynchus", but can be differed by its much narrower structure, "Tropeognathus" on the other hand, had a larger premaxilla, but its snout isn't nearly as narrow. The "keeled" crest on "Tropeognathus" was also well-developed and more prominent than in "Ornithocheirus", an indication that it was respectively larger in size.  The ornithocheirid "Coloborhynchus" also shares features with "Anhanguera", leading to a confusing classification with "Ornithocheirus" within Anhangueridae and Ornithocheiridae. The tip of the snout in "Coloborhynchus" flared out into a wider rosette, in contrast to its narrow posterior premaxilla. These features differed it from "Anhanguera", which has a rounded and spoon-shaped snout in comparison to the robust and box-shaped snout of "Coloborhynchus". This led to the idea that "Coloborhynchus" was closer related to "Ornithocheirus" rather than "Anhanguera", but then again, it had unique features such as the position of its tooth sockets and its jawtip being less curved. The keel-shaped crest on the premaxilla in "Coloborhynchus" was also thinner than in close relatives such as "Tropeognathus". Another conclusion was that "Coloborhynchus" was most likely placed in its own subfamily, the Coloborhynchinae, but still within Ornithocheiridae.  One of the more specialized ornithocheirids is "Caulkicephalus", it didn't only had the convex "keeled" crests on its snout and underside of the mandible, but it also had the similar sagittal crest that the later pteranodontids had. This is led to an idea of how pteranodontids evolved or acquired their sagittal crest from their ornithocheirid cousins, but fossil remains of "Caulkicephalus" are scarce, so extracting accurate evolutionary data is difficult.  The recently named "Ferrodraco" also shares several features with "Ornithocheirus" and "Tropeognathus", and therefore was placed in this family. "Ferrodraco" possesses an elongated snout with a "keeled" crest similar to that of "Ornithocheirus", but its premaxilla has a triangular shape and it's likely more flattened compared to other ornithocheirids. The first tooth pair in the premaxillae is also directed vertically and is slightly set-off from above the jawline. These autapomorphies are unique in "Ferrodraco", and are probably related to its more advanced evolutionary changes.

Wings.

According to many studies, the wing-membranes of the ornithocheirids were extensive and broad, resulting in a high aspect ratio, analyses also show that most ornithocheirids had low wing loadings, which led to an easier maneuver during flight. Most wing-membranes of ornithocheirids also had pycnofibres, hair-like filaments that were unique in structure, but not homologous with mammalian hair, an example of convergent evolution. Ornithocheirid wings mostly differed from the earlier istiodactylid wings because of their impressive size, and the wings weren't only capable of soaring high, but also soaring very long distances without flapping.

Pelvic structure.

Studies of the pelvis of several ornithocheirids show that they were mostly of moderate size compared to the body as a whole, which is similar to the structures in other ornithocheiroids. The pelvic bones, which in total were three, were fused, this is seen in many genera such as "Anhanguera". The ilium was long and low, and its front and rear blades projected horizontally beyond the edges of the lower pelvic bones. Given the structure length, the processes of these rod-like forms indicate that the hindlimb muscles attached to them with limited strength. An ischiopubic blade is seen in most ornithocheirids, where the pubic bone is fused with the broad ischium, resulting in a narrow build. The front of the pubic bones were also articulated with a unique structure, resulting in a pair of prepubic bones within, this formed a cusp covering the rear belly of the pterosaur, and was located between the pelvis and the belly ribs. This element suggests of a vertical mobility, and therefore had a function in breathing, with the chest cavity compensating in a relative rigidity. Normally, the blades of ornithocheirids, most notably in the larger genera, were fused in both sides, closing the pelvis from below and forming the pelvic canal. Ornithocheirids didn't have the hip joint perforated, but directed obliquely upwards, preventing a perfectly vertical position of the leg, and therefore allowed considerable mobility for the hindlimbs.

Vertebrae.

Vertebral columns and vertebrae of ornithocheirids are only known from scarce remains, and it is hard to determine how their posture were. In some genera such as "Tropeognathus", the first five dorsal vertebrae are fused into a notarium, with five sacral vertebrae fused into a synsacrum, and the third and fourth sacral vertebrae are keeled within. Ornithocheirids also had a relatively long and straight neck. The more advanced species typically had their neck longer than their torso.

Classification.

Evolution.

Ornithocheirids were impressively large compared to other types of pterosaurs from the Early Cretaceous, and they were also one of the most successful of all pterosaurs. Some paleontologists suggested that the closely related "Istiodactylus" was an ancestor of the later ornithocheirids, and probably shared common features such as their diet. The conclusion of "Istiodactylus" preying on fish however, was considered inappropriate, as its skull was said to be thicker and more compact, and some of the remains were also misplaced, leading to a misunderstanding of a duck-like beak. Most ornithocheirids were long considered to only have a piscivorous diet, while this is mostly true, some remains uncovered were suggested to belong to an ornithocheirid with a non-piscivorous diet.  Other evolutionary changes of ornithocheirids include their territorial range, they were even present in the southern continent of Oceania, represented by two genera: "Ferrodraco" and "Mythunga". Most of the species discovered in Europe and South America belonged to "Coloborhynchus" and "Ornithocheirus", with some currently being synonyms of "Tropeognathus" and "Anhanguera".  A lot of paleontologists also consider the pteranodontids such as "Pteranodon" and "Geosternbergia" as the later evolutions of the ornithocheirids, this is due to their very similar hunting aspects as well as their long-distance flights. Ornithocheirids such as "Tropeognathus" also had a very high aspect ratio, which is also seen in "Pteranodon". Other features seen through the evolutionary changes are the teeth, which were present in the ornithocheirids, but absent in the later pteranodontids, this can also be an indication that genera from this family are likely the direct ancestors of the later pterosaur species. They are notable for their high, conical tooth sockets and raised alveolar margins.

Phylogeny.

The family Ornithocheiridae is mostly placed as the most derived family in the cladograms of various phylogenetic analyses, but contrary to this classification, the most derived clades are found to have been the family Lonchodectidae and the newly named clade Targaryendraconia, with specimens dating back to the Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous, around 94 million years ago.  The former ornithocheirid named "Cimoliopterus" (originally "Pterodactylus cuvieri") was reclassified as a targaryendraconian in 2019. Paleontologists found it to be closer to the newly named "Targaryendraco" (originally "Ornithocheirus wiedenrothi"), but as the sister taxon of "Camposipterus" within the group.  Autapomorphies found unique in "Coloborhynchus" made authors assign it to the new subfamily Coloborhynchinae. However, some authors placed "Coloborhynchus" within the family Anhangueridae instead, and with the later discovery of "Uktenadactylus", which shared very similar features with coloborhynchines, it was suggested that it would be the sister taxon of "Coloborhynchus". The phylogenetic placement of Ornithocheiridae was conducted by Andres and Myers in 2013, where they placed the family as the sister taxon of Anhangueridae, and within the more inclusive group Ornithocheirae. A later analysis by Pentland "et al." in 2019 had created the subfamily Ornithocheirinae, with the genera "Ferrodraco", "Mythunga", "Ornithocheirus", and interestingly "Coloborhynchus" as the members. In the analysis, they also placed the genus "Tropeognathus" within the family, but in a basal position. Topology 1: Andres & Myers (2013). Topology 2: Pentland "et al." (2019).

Paleobiology.

Feeding and diet.

Unlike the related istiodactylids, ornithocheirids were mainly fish hunters, consisting on a piscivorous diet that varied depending on the species. Paleontologists suggest that the feeding habits of the earlier istiodactylids changed through the process of evolution, resulting in a more aquatic-based lifestyle. The studies and analyzes of the ornithocheirids "Tropeognathus" and "Ornithocheirus" made paleontologists conclude how they hunted or catched fish successfully. The first basis is their long snouts, which they used for catching the fish near the surface of the water, paleontologists also suggest that they flew with moderated speed, giving them an overall advantage of a surprise attack during the hunt. Others suggest that ornithocheirids, similar to pteranodontids, just glided down directly to the water when catching prey, this technique can also be seen in modern-day soaring birds such as albatrosses. Pteranodontids use another flying technique called "dynamic soaring", which is also seen in albatrosses, and some paleontologists erect the idea that ornithocheirids did the same.

Teeth enamels.

Some discoveries, found that several ornithocheirids weren't completely fish hunters or aquatic consumers. This is confirmed with a 2017 analysis of carbon isotopes found on teeth enamels of ornithocheirids. In the analysis, they compared the enamel values of ornithocheirids with the aquatic and terrestrial consumers near the fossil site. The ornithocheirid enamels found in the Twin Mountains Formation were shown with lower enamel values compared to the aquatic consumers that lived nearby, suggesting a more terrestrial diet, similar to the carnivorous theropods found in the site, such as "Acrocanthosaurus". Enamels found in the Paw Paw Formation however, were described with higher values, in comparison to the nearby terrestrial consumers. These enamel remains were analyzed, and paleontologists then found out that the values seen were more similar to aquatic consumer enamels rather the terrestrial ones. These analyses are considered very useful reference, since there isn't much data on several ornithocheirid genera. The earlier species that partially fed on terrestrial prey, such as "Coloborhynchus", were also analyzed, and paleontologists conclude that there can be a specific evolutionary change between the earlier and later formations, due to the age difference. This can be demostrated with the enamel remains found in the Twin Mountains and Paw Paw formations. The ones found in the Twin Mountains Formation dated back to the earlier Aptian stage, while the remains found in the Paw Paw Formation dated back to the later Albian stage.

Locomotion and flight.

Similar to modern-day albatrosses, most ornithocheirids used a flight technique called "dynamic soaring", which consists of travelling long distances without flapping using the vertical gradient of wind speed near the ocean surface as an advantage, but the flight speed is moderate. Several footprints from some species were also found, and shows that most pterosaurs didn't sprawl their limbs to a large degree, as in modern reptiles, but rather held their limbs relatively erect when walking, like the distant related dinosaurs. Some studies in the later genera, show that ornithocheirids spend lots of their time sea fishing, and as a result, they perhaps influenced the later pteranodontids with the same piscivorous diet, as well as their well developed flight techniques. Analyses of limb proportions in the genus "Anhanguera" however, show that some ornithocheirids were consistent on hopping, but the later genera were suggested that they most likely walked on four limbs, which consists on their wing-fingers as the front limbs, and using their hind limbs to balance.

Paleoecology.

Ornithocheirids were a widespreaded type of pterosaurs, with many fossil remains found across the world. The first true ornithocheirid specimens were uncovered in the Cambridge Greensand of England, these belong to the infamous genus "Ornithocheirus", and dated back to the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous. Within the fossil site, several other pterosaurs were also found, these include the ornithocheirids "Amblydectes" and "Coloborhynchus", the targaryendraconian "Camposipterus", the lonchodectid "Lonchodraco", and the azhdarchoid "Ornithostoma". The ornithischians "Anoplosaurus", "Acanthopholis", and the dubious "Eucercosaurus" and "Trachodon" were also found within the formation. Fossil remains of the sauropod "Macrurosaurus" were also present. The bird "Enaliornis", as well as the ichthyosaurs "Cetarthrosaurus", "Platypterygius" and "Sisteronia" were also found alongside the remains of ornithocheirids. A Lagerstätte called the Santana Group (sometimes known as the Santana Formation) in northeastern Brazil was found to contain a large number of pterosaur genera. The most diverse formation of the group is the Romualdo Formation, known for its wide variety of pterosaur remains. The formation dates back 111 to 108 million years ago, during the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous, which is similar to the Cambridge Greensand. The Romualdo Formation is found to contain a variety of ornithocheirids, including "Tropeognathus", "Coloborhynchus" and "Araripesaurus", the targaryendraconian "Barbosania", and the anhanguerids "Anhanguera" and "Maaradactylus" were also found alongside. The related "Araripedactylus", "Brasileodactylus", "Cearadactylus", "Santanadactylus" and "Unwindia" were also present within the fossil site. Many other pterosaur were found within, these include the tapejarid "Tapejara", as well as the thalassodromids "Thalassodromeus" and "Tupuxuara". Other animals such the theropods "Irritator", "Mirischia" and "Santanaraptor", as well as the crocodylomorph "Araripesuchus" were also found. Several turtle remains were found within the formation, with some specimens referring to the genera "Santanachelys", "Cearachelys" and "Araripemys", and along with these, many fish remains were also found, these were assigned to the genera "Brannerion", "Rhinobatos", "Rhacolepis", "Tharrhias" and "Tribodus".  Ornithocheirids were also partially distributed in North America, and several specimens that were found are thought to belong to the genus "Uktenadactylus" (originally "Coloborhychus wadleighi"). This pterosaur was uncovered in the Paw Paw Formation of Texas, USA, which dated back to the Albian and Cenomanian stages. The formation includes several ankylosaurian dinosaurs such as "Pawpawsaurus", "Texasetes", and an indetermine nodosaurid. Within the fossil site, several specimens of ammonoids were thought to belong to the genera "Turrilites" and "Scaphites", and along with these, shark remains of "Leptostyrax" were also found.

Ornithocheiridae is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea. Along with the closely related lonchodectids and targaryendraconians, ornithocheirids were among the last pterosaurs that possess teeth. Members that belong to this group lived from the Early to Late Cretaceous (Valanginian to Cenomanian stages) periods, around 140 to 96 million years ago. They were some of the most advanced anhanguerians.

Ornithocheiridae byla čeleď rozšířených pterodaktyloidních ptakoještěrů, kteří žili většinou v období spodní křídy. Patří do nadčeledi Ornithocheiroidea spolu s dalšími dvěma čeleděmi Istiodactylidae a Pteranodontidae.


Studies and student politics.

Bajnai was born in Szeged and raised in Baja, Hungary, the son of György László Bajnai and Ágota Sóvári. He finished his secondary studies at the local Béla III High School in 1986. He graduated from the Budapest University of Economic Sciences (now Corvinus University) International Relations Department in 1991. For his public and professional activities he was rewarded Pro Universitate Award.  Bajnai was very active in student-politics. In 1987, he organized a boycott of the University of Economics' canteen, and was the first chairman of the Independent Student Council. He was also the head of the History Department of Studium Generale, Admission Preparatory Studies College. In 1989, he, alongside András Schiffer, participated in the establishment of the short-lived New Generation Movement (ÚNM), founded and led by Ferenc Gyurcsány.

Entrepreneurial career.

After earning his master's degree, Bajnai took a job at Creditum Financial Consulting Ltd. In 1993, he undertook an internship at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London. Later he also worked for Eurocorp International Finance Ltd.  Between 1995 and 2000, Bajnai was the managing director of CA IB Securities Co., and was the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (at the same time when András Simor, later head of National Bank of Hungary, was the head of the company). Bajnai was leading, among others the IPO's of Gedeon-Richter, MOL, OTP, Magyar Telekom, as well as some of the major M&A transactions of this period.  Between 2000 and 2005, he was CEO of Wallis Rt., an investment company. His duty was to restructure the holding-company, make it more efficient and to manage its investments. Wallis group member companies were at that time Graboplast Rt., Rába Rt., Elender Rt., Index.hu, WING, Wallis Auto Holding, Danubius Radio, Café Advertistment. In 2003, the National Association of Managers awarded Bajnai as the "Young Manager of the Year".  Among the more than 100 Wallis-owned companies a poultry processing firm, Hajdú-Bét went bankrupt during 2003, against all efforts by its management and owners. Many partners of Hajdú-Bét suffered serious losses during the time when the poultry market collapsed in 2003, Wallis group itself lost 10 billion forints (over 40 million Euros).  Years later, when he started his political career, Bajnai was criticized for the Hajdú-Bét collapse, although he won all the lawsuits against media-outlets for false accusations.  In 2005, he was Chairman of Budapest Airport (on behalf of BAA), and member of the Supervisory Committee at Zwack Inc. He was a member of the Corvinus University of Budapest Economic Council. He resigned all of his company posts and board-memberships, when he entered the government as government commissioner, responsible for EU funds and national development.

Political career.

Member of the Gyurcsány II Cabinet.

Bajnai first received a government post in 2006. On 1 July, Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány's called on him to be the Government Commissioner for Development Policy. In this position, he was overseeing the National Development Agency, that controls EU Funds to Hungary.  He became minister in July 2007, in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development. After SZDSZ left the coalition government, in May 2008, he took over the newly formed Ministry of National Development and Economy. During his period as Minister, Hungary has won the right to host the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, and at the same time Mercedes has concluded a major FDI with the Hungarian Government in Kecskemét. From October 2008, Bajnai's activities had mainly focused on managing the evolving crisis in the real economy in Hungary.  In March 2009, Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány resigned, announcing that he would hand over his position to a new premier with a higher support of the parties of the Hungarian Parliament. The Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ) opposed most candidates for the post proposed by the Hungarian Socialists. Although Bajnai was reluctant to give in, after a week, with no tangible results in sight, and being asked by the majority of party stakeholders, who also assured him of their support of the needed austerity measures, he took the job. Securing the backing of both parties, Bajnai became prime minister on 14 April 2009.

Prime Minister.

The Hungarian Parliament elected Bajnai as Hungary's Prime Minister with 204 votes for, 8 abstentions. The remaining 174 MPs did not vote.  In his first speech as PM, he promised drastic measures to stop the negative spiral of the Hungarian economy, and to ease the burden of the international crisis. He also stated that he would remain in power until he had the solid majority of Parliament behind his austerity package, but will stay no longer than a year.  He did not want to nominate himself on the next election; he undertook the task for only a year. Attila Mesterházy became the Hungarian Socialist Party's candidate for the position. The MSZP suffered its worst result since the 1990 elections. The sixth National Assembly of Hungary formed on 14 May 2010. In accordance with the Constitution of Hungary Bajnai became "acting Prime Minister" for the following days. In his last speech he raised word against the Jobbik fearing for democracy given the party's radical views.  The new cabinet formed on 29 May 2010. Bajnai was succeeded by Viktor Orbán. After that he retired from politics and returned to business life.

Economic policy.

Bajnai took over an economy that was expected to contract by 6 percent in 2009 and was kept afloat by a $25.1 billion IMF-led lifeline. Foreign investors were declining to finance Hungary's high budget and then current account deficits, and the forint's weakness threatened hundreds of thousands of families who took out foreign currency mortgages. Bajnai must have had to cut spending to rescue the budget, keep within IMF guidelines and regain investor confidence.  The Bajnai government had four main goals:  Handling the ruling Socialists might have been his most difficult task. He needed their votes but a sizeable section of the party viewed Bajnai with contempt because cuts in welfare spending was seen as eroding the party's traditional voter base. Despite this, Bajnai made a reform in taxes, pensions, public sector bonuses, maternity support, mortgage subsidies, energy subsidies and public transport subsidies.  Within six months, he managed to present a new budget that reduced government spending by five percent of GDP. Hungarian economic policy has regained its credibility, CDS-spread was less than one third of the level of a year before.  In an interview given to Handelsblatt, Bajnai said: “Most of the painful decisions were taken during the first 100 days of my government” (...)“It was clear what Hungary had to do, even if it was not easy politically. (...) This required painful adjustments from the people. Our challenge was keeping things bearable while simultaneously creating better conditions for stable and sustainable development. We have accomplished that goal.”

Foreign policy.

His first visit abroad was in Brussels, where he debuted as Prime Minister. He had discussions with Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, President of the European Commission, and with Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Secretary-General of NATO. In April he met with Austrian PM Werner Faymann, in May, he attended the EU Partnership Summit in Prague. In May, he presented a speech on the Europe Forum, in Wachau, and in June, he attended the V4 summit in Kraków. He made a two-day official visit to Israel, where he met Shimon Peres, Benjamin Netanyahu and the Opposition Leader, Tzipi Livni. He also visited the Palestinian Authority, where he met the Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad.  The Nabucco pipeline's intergovernmental agreement between Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria was signed by five Prime Ministers (including Bajnai) on 13 July 2009 in Ankara.  On 19 August, he met with Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, in Sopron. The event was the 20th anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic. In September he made a short official visit to Finland, where amongst others he met Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen. On 10 September, he invited the Slovak PM Robert Fico to ease the tensions between Hungary and Slovakia. There were a clash of views between the two neighbors concerning the controversial amendment of the Slovak State Language Act. The two premiers expressed regret over the circumstances of a failed visit by President László Sólyom to Komárno on 21 August and agreed to accept all recommendations of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe high commissioner on national minorities. Prime Ministers Gordon Bajnai of Hungary and Robert Fico of Slovakia signed a joint statement during their meeting in Szécsény.  Published on the Hungarian government spokesman's website, the statement declares the two countries' common interest in easing political tension. Bajnai and Fico agreed to direct the attention of all political parties to the social risks of confrontation, and called upon the citizens of both countries to show tolerance and understanding. They agreed to take resolute measures against extremist groups, and fight against all forms of xenophobia, intolerance, chauvinism, nationalism and violence, and the exportation thereof to one another's country. The two premiers declared that bilateral relations should be based on confidence, transparency and a pragmatic and constructive bilateral dialogue. They agreed to use all forms and instruments of cooperation, including further prime ministerial meetings. Between 20–24 September, Bajnai made an official visit to the USA, where he met President Barack Obama, the UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon, he attended the Climate Conference of the UN. He visited "The Wall Street Journal"'s editorial office. Amongst others he had discussions with George Soros, Charles Gati, and major U.S. financiers and investors, he closed the day's trading at the New York Stock Exchange.  In early October, Bajnai made a visit to the United Kingdom. He attended talks with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown and gave a public lecture at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Between 18–19 October, he made a short official visit to Paris, where he met president of France Nicolas Sarkozy, PM François Fillon, and many French investors.  Hungary sent more troops to Afghanistan in line with then current US strategy to enhance involvement there, Bajnai announced at a meeting with US Vice President Joe Biden in the White House on 4 December 2009. The pledge been made in several steps during 2010: Hungarian troops mainly serve in logistics and training operations, on top of helping to secure elections in Afghanistan, Bajnai told journalists after the talks.  At the beginning of 2010, Bajnai, as the Chairman of the Visegrád Four Grouping has invited ten countries from the CEE region to sign a declaration for the support for stronger European energy policy cooperation and enhanced security of supply.

Together 2014.

Several months after retiring from public service, he founded the Patriotism and Progress Public Policy Foundation with some of his former government members and independent experts, which states on its website that its goal is "to shape the world view and attitudes of our citizens to build a better Hungary". "To realize this dream we will actively pursue a progressive agenda by learning from best practice and empowering communities to better themselves. We will amass and tutor the expertise and know-how to assist Hungary in facing the many tests it has to pass on the road to modernization."  During the Autumn of 2011 he became adjunct professor at SIPA Columbia University in New York, and held lectures and speeches at Rutgers University in New Jersey, Johns Hopkins University in Washington D.C., Princeton University, Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania.  Bajnai announced his return to politics on 23 October 2012, during the anti-government demonstration of the One Million for Press Freedom (Milla). On the protest, he called for an anti-Orbán coalition so as to form a supermajority in Parliament with the help of which the changes done by Orbán's ruling party, Fidesz could be undone.  In his speech, Gordon Bajnai repeatedly used a variant of the term (""We may fail on our own, but together, we shall prove victorious!""), when he proclaimed his support for such a ""cooperation between hopeful left-wingers, disappointed rightwingers, politically abandoned free-thinkers and committed Greens"" that his organization along with two other civilian body named Together 2014 (later simply known as "Together") as a reference to the date of the next general election in Hungary. In December 2012, Bajnai announced his intention to be a parliamentarian candidate in the 2014 general election.  On 14 January 2014, five opposition parties entered into an electoral coalition and formed Unity alliance. In order to facilitate the creation of this alliance, Bajnai voluntarily gave up his candidacy of Prime Ministership, in favor of Attila Mesterházy, the candidate of MSZP, the largest party of this coalition. Unity, under the leadership of Mesterházy suffered a heavy defeat in the April election, nevertheless Bajnai was elected to the National Assembly from the second place of the alliance's joint list. Bajnai resigned from his parliamentary seat on 26 May 2014, and gradually withdrawn himself from domestic politics.  From September 2014, Gordon Bajnai returned to his original profession when he was named Group Chief Operating Officer of the Paris-based Meridiam infrastructure, a leading global investment fund. Commentators on both the left and right political wing agreed that Bajnai was quitting politics with that step.

Personal life.

Bajnai is currently in his second marriage. He has four children: Zsófia (1995), András (1998), Ágnes (2008) and Miklós (2012).  Bajnai has played soccer from early childhood; he is one of the players of Hungarian football club Építők SK. Bajnai plays as a goalkeeper. According to the team's homepage the Prime Minister was the Footballer of the Year in 2001 at the club. In an occasion of a preparatory match against Grund FC in August 2011, he was seriously injured.

Honors.

In 1994 he was awarded Pro Universitate. In 1999 he was voted one of the 30 most promising Central-Eastern European business executives by the journal Central European Business Review. In 2003, the National Association of Managers selected Bajnai as the "Young Manager of the Year". 2006 Officer's Cross Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (Civic Order of Merit) as an acknowledgement for his exceptional professional and company management work and his achievements in the area of company management culture development.

György Gordon Bajnai (; born 5 March 1968) is a Hungarian entrepreneur and economist, who served as the Prime Minister of Hungary from 2009 to 2010. Prior to that, he functioned as Minister of Local Government and Regional Development from 2007 to 2008, then as Minister of National Development and Economy from 2008 to 2009. In March 2009, following Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány's announced resignation, Bajnai was nominated by the ruling Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) to become Hungary's next head of government. Bajnai became prime minister when the parliament passed a constructive motion of no-confidence against Ferenc Gyurcsány on 14 April 2009. He held the office until the formation of the Second Orbán Government following the 2010 parliamentary election.

György Gordon Bajnai (* 5. březen 1968, Szeged) je maďarský ekonom, politik a bývalý ministr Národního rozvoje a hospodářství. V letech 2009 – 2010 byl sedmým premiérem Maďarské republiky.


Systematics and distribution.

Remains of taxa that can be confidently assigned to Istiodactylidae have been found in the UK and China, in rocks dating from the Early Cretaceous period (Barremian to Aptian stage). Arbour and Currie (2011) described Canadian "Gwawinapterus beardi" as a member of Istiodactylidae living in the late Cretaceous (upper Campanian stage); however, Witton (2012) suggested the tooth replacement pattern in this animal does not match that of pterosaurs, suggesting that the species might be non-pterosaurian. Additional research suggested that the species was in fact a fish. The earliest known species might be "Archaeoistiodactylus linglongtaensis", from the Middle Jurassic of China; however, it also has been suggested that the holotype specimen of this species might actually be a poorly preserved specimen of "Darwinopterus". "Hongshanopterus", a supposed istiodactylid from China, has been reclassified as a non-istiodactylid member of Ornithocheiroidea of uncertain phylogenetic placement by Witton (2012).  Istiodactylids were medium-sized pterosaurs with flat, rounded jaws similar to that of a duck. They had small teeth lining their jaws, however, and this can mostly be seen in the more advanced genera such as "Istiodactylus".

Classification.

Below is a cladogram showing the phylogenetic placement of this group within Pteranodontia from Andres and Myers (2013).  The cladogram below is a topology recovered by Kellner "et al." (2019). In the analyses, they recovered Istiodactylidae within the more inclusive group Istiodactyliformes, and assigned both "Istiodactylus" and "Liaoxipterus" to a new subfamily called Istiodactylinae, but kept "Nurhachius" as a basal member.

Paleobiology.

Lifestyle.

Unlike most ornithocheiroids, istiodactylids bear physiologies suited to a terrestrial life and many of their fossils have been found in freshwater-deposits. Istiodactylids are considered to be pterosaurian equivalents to vultures: acting as the clean-up crew in their native locations. Whether or not istiodactylids could swim like most water-loving pterosaurs remains a mystery.

Istiodactylidae is a small family of pterosaurs. This family was named in 2001 after the type genus "Istiodactylus" was discovered not to be a member of the genus "Ornithodesmus".

Čeleď Istiodactylidae byla poměrně malou skupinou pterodaktyloidních ptakoještěrů z období spodní křídy. Byli to zubatí ptakoještěři menší až střední velikosti, jejichž společným charakteristickým rysem byl dlouhý, plochý a okrouhlý zobák, poněkud připomínající zobák vrubozobých ptáků. Na okraji zobáku však měli istiodaktylidé sérii drobných zoubků.