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October 1, 2010 8:13AM EDT
DR Congo: Q & A on the United Nations Human Rights Mapping Report
What is this report about?
The UN mapping report has been prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and describes the most serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between March 1993 and June 2003. It is a solid, detailed document, based on extensive and credible research by a team of about 20 international and Congolese human rights professionals over the course of 12 months. The report focuses on 617 of the most serious incidents across Congo during the 10-year period and provides details of grave cases of mass killings, sexual violence, attacks on children, and other abuses by a range of armed actors, including foreign armies, rebel groups, and Congolese government forces.
The report says that women and children were the main victims of much of the violence the team documented. To "appropriately reflect the scale of the violence practised by all armed groups" against the most vulnerable, the report devotes specific chapters to crimes of sexual violence against women and girls and violence against children. It also devotes a chapter to the role played by natural resource exploitation in relation to the crimes committed in Congo.
The report concludes that the majority of the crimes documented qualify as crimes against humanity and war crimes. With reference to one particular series of events between 1996 and 1997, the report raises the question of whether certain crimes committed by the Rwandan army and its Congolese ally, the Alliance des forces démocratiques pour la libération du Congo-Zaïre (AFDL) rebel group, against Rwandan Hutu refugees and Congolese Hutu citizens (see below for further details) could be classified as crimes of genocide. The report specifies that it would be up to a competent court to make such a judgment.
The aim of the mapping exercise was not "to establish individual responsibility, nor lay blame." Instead, the report says that the mapping exercise was "intended as a first step towards the sometimes painful but nonetheless essential process of truth-telling after violent conflict" and that the report "looks to the future by identifying a number of paths that could be pursued by Congolese society to come to terms with its past, to fight impunity, and to face its contemporary challenges in a manner that prevents the re-occurrence of such atrocities." A significant part of the report is devoted to an assessment of the current Congolese justice system, the legal framework for trying these crimes, and options for transitional justice.
Why is this report significant?
The UN mapping report is a powerful reminder of the gravity of the crimes committed in Congo and the shocking absence of justice. The report notes that the period covered by the mapping exercise is "probably one of the most tragic chapters in the recent history of Congo." This decade, it says, "was marked by a string of major political crises, wars and multiple ethnic and regional conflicts that brought about the deaths of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people." It notes that "very few Congolese and foreign civilians living on the territory of the DRC managed to escape the violence."
The mapping report is the first time that these crimes, perpetrated by a variety of actors, have been comprehensively analyzed, compiled, and systematically organized in an official UN report. Many of the events have been documented before, including by the UN itself and by nongovernmental organizations, but others had gone largely unreported. If followed up by strong action nationally and internationally, the report could make a critical contribution to ending impunity and breaking the cycle of violence in Congo and the wider Great Lakes region.
Is there any difference between the version that was leaked to the press in August and the official version published by the UN on October 1?
There is no substantive difference. The report has not been significantly altered. The official version published on October 1 includes additional clarification on the legal definition of the crime of genocide and arguments for and against qualifying some of the events of 1996 and 1997 as crimes of genocide. It sets out some of the factors that could lead a court to characterize some of these crimes as crimes of genocide, as well as countervailing factors that could lead a court to find that the requisite intent to commit genocide was lacking and that the crime of genocide may not have been committed. It concludes that "a full judicial investigation into the events that occurred in Zaire in 1996 to 1997 will be necessary, in order to permit a competent court to decide on the matter."
The official version incorporates comments from the Congolese government. Other governments have been given an opportunity to publish their responses on the website of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Rwandan government, in particular, strongly objected to the report and threatened to pull its 3,000 peacekeepers out of the African Union-UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur if the report was published and the allegation of crimes of genocide committed by its troops in Congo was not removed from the document. The UN resisted this pressure and on September 24, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda backed away from the threat.
What is the origin of this report? Why did the UN decide to look at the past crimes committed in Congo now?
The UN previously investigated some of the crimes described in the report, notably in 1997 when Kofi Annan, then the secretary-general, appointed an investigation team to look into serious crimes committed in Congo from March 1993 to December 1997. But these investigations were repeatedly blocked by the Congolese government, headed at that time by Laurent Désiré Kabila (father of Joseph Kabila, the current president), who had come to power with the assistance of Rwanda and Uganda.
Despite these attempts to block the investigation team, the UN did publish the team's preliminary findings in 1998, which concluded that some of the killings in 1996 and 1997 by the Rwandan army and its Congolese rebel allies, the AFDL, might constitute genocide. Because their work had been seriously hindered, the team called for further investigations and requested that evidence and other sensitive information it had obtained be stored in a secure place until a more thorough investigation was possible.
In September 2005, the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo, MONUC, discovered three mass graves in Rutshuru, in North Kivu province of eastern Congo, relating to crimes committed in 1996 and 1997. The gruesome discovery was a reminder of the horrors that had taken place and of the continuing absence of justice. It acted as a trigger to re-open investigations. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, with the support of the UN Secretary General, initiated the mapping exercise, so-called because it was to document the most serious crimes over a specific time frame and geographical area, and broadened the mandate to include violations of human rights and international humanitarian law during Congo's second war, from 1998 to 2003.
In May 2007, President Joseph Kabila approved the mapping exercise and in July 2008, a team arrived in Congo to begin the work. This time the team was able to operate without hindrance.
Why is the Rwandan government so angry about this report?
The Rwandan government, and other governments named in the report, are understandably sensitive to allegations of crimes committed by their troops. While the report documents horrific crimes by many armed groups in Congo, some of the most serious crimes, the report says, were committed by the Rwandan army (the Rwandan Patriotic Army, RPA) and its allies, the AFDL Congolese rebel group in Congo in 1996 and 1997.
The report says that the attacks committed by the RPA and the AFDL "reveal a number of inculpatory elements that, if proven before a competent court, could be characterized as crimes of genocide." At the very least, it concludes, "The information gathered to date makes it possible to confirm quite clearly that these [attacks] were indeed crimes against humanity."
The Rwandan government received an advance copy of the report in July and has since sought to dismiss and discredit it, claiming that the genocide charges are absurd and irresponsible and that the report was instigated by people who oppose the Rwandan government. The Rwandan government has put significant pressure on Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, to stop the report's publication, in addition to its threat to pull its 3,000 peacekeepers out of Darfur. It has also encouraged other African countries to denounce the report. In a statement dated September 24, the Ugandan government also rejected the report and said that it undermined Uganda's resolve to continue contributing to peacekeeping operations.
Such reactions only hinder efforts to end impunity in the Great Lakes region and to find a lasting solution to the continuing conflict in Congo. By seeking to prevent publication of such an important report through threats and intimidation, the Rwandan and Ugandan governments only raise further questions about the conduct of their troops and give the impression that they have something to hide. The report merits a serious response, not blanket denials that crimes that already have been well-documented ever took place.
But wasn't there a genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda? How can there also have been a genocide against Hutu?
In 1994, over 500,000 people were brutally slaughtered in a genocide in Rwanda planned by extremist Hutu politicians and other officials against the Tutsi minority. The extremists were defeated in 1994 by the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), led by Paul Kagame, the current Rwandan president, ending the genocide. Fearing revenge attacks, more than a million Rwandan Hutu fled Rwanda into eastern Congo [then called Zaire]. The refugees were accompanied by perpetrators of the genocide - including members of the former Rwandan army and interahamwe militia - who established control over the refugee camps set up by the international aid community near the border between Rwanda and Congo. In 1996, the Rwandan government, backed by Uganda, invaded eastern Congo to destroy the camps, and together with the hastily constituted Congolese rebel group, the AFDL, marched on the capital, Kinshasa, overthrowing President Mobutu Sese Seko, who had backed the Hutu extremists.
The mapping report says that after the Rwandan army and its Congolese allies crossed the border into eastern Congo in 1996, they carried out "apparent systematic and widespread attacks" against Hutu in what the report describes as an "apparently relentless pursuit and mass killing of Hutu refugees," resulting in the deaths of "several tens of thousands." The report states that "the extensive use of edged weapons (primarily hammers) and the apparently systematic nature of the massacres of survivors after the [refugee] camps had been taken suggests that the numerous deaths cannot be attributed to the hazards of war or seen as equating to collateral damage." It adds that "the majority of the victims were children, women, elderly people and the sick, who were often undernourished and posed no threat to the attacking forces."
The report also describes the systematic killing of Congolese Hutu who played no part in the genocide in Rwanda but who were targeted at public meetings and roadblocks established by the Rwandan army or their Congolese AFDL allies, then taken aside and killed. The report states that "the numerous attacks against the Hutus in Zaire [Congo], who were not part of the refugees, seem to confirm that it was all Hutus, as such, who were targeted." The report concludes that the research revealed "a number of inculpatory elements that, if they were proven before a competent court, could be classified as crimes of genocide."
It is this alleged targeting of individuals on the basis of their ethnicity - regardless of whether they were Rwandan or Congolese, combatants or civilians - which raises the question of the possible commission of "crimes of genocide" in Congo. The crime of genocide has a very specific legal definition, namely the commission of a number of acts (including killings and serious bodily or mental harm) "with the intent to destroy in whole or in part a national, ethnic, racial or religious group".[1] The term "genocide" does not refer to the scale of the crimes, but to the intentional targeting of a group with the specific objective of eliminating it partly or fully.
The Rwandan Patriotic Front has been rightly credited with ending the genocide in Rwanda, but this does not absolve it of responsibility for crimes its own forces may have committed in the months and years that followed, both in Rwanda and Congo. Justice for tens of thousands of Congolese citizens and Rwandan refugees is critical to finding a lasting peace in the Great Lakes region of Africa.
Is this report more about Rwanda than Congo?
This is a report about Congo and the terrible atrocities that Congolese people have suffered at the hands of both foreign and Congolese actors. It covers many other atrocities, apart from those committed by the Rwandan army and its allies. The report includes considerable information on crimes committed by Congolese rebel groups and Congo's national armed forces as well as the Ugandan, Burundian, Angolan, Chadian, and Zimbabwean armed forces and other foreign rebel groups.
It is often said that at least 5 million people died in Congo. Does the report cover these deaths?
Detailed mortality surveys conducted by the International Rescue Committee have found that nearly five million people have died in Congo since 1998 as a result of the conflict, the vast majority due to malnutrition and lack of access to medical treatment. The mapping report focuses specifically on killings and other abuses inflicted deliberately on civilians. It does not document the many hundreds of thousands of other deaths that were an indirect consequence of the violence.
Does this report document crimes of sexual violence?
The UN mapping report found that women and children were the main victims of much of the violence and devotes a chapter to the crime of sexual violence against women and girls. It found that: "Between 1993 and 2003, sexual violence was a daily reality from which Congolese women gained no respite. Whether schoolgirls or mothers, engaged, married or widowed; simple farmers or wives of political leaders, former army members or civil servants; opposition party activists, humanitarian workers or members of non-governmental organisations, they were all subjected, regardless of social class or age, and for a variety of reasons, to the most diverse forms of sexual violence."
The mapping team was also able to confirm massive incidents of sexual violence that had previously been undocumented or documented only to a limited extent, particularly the rape of Hutu refugee women and children in 1996 and 1997.
Does the report make any reference to natural resource exploitation?
Yes, the report devotes a chapter to this issue. As the report notes, "it would have been unthinkable to produce an inventory of the most serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed within the DRC between March 1993 and June 2003 without considering, however briefly, the role played by natural resource exploitation in the perpetration of these crimes. In a significant number of cases, the struggle between different armed groups for access to, and control over, the DRC's resources served as a backdrop to the violations perpetrated against the civilian population." The chapter documents the way in which the desire to control minerals, timber, and other resources acted as a powerful motivating factor for Congolese and foreign parties to the conflict.
This is a historical report. What is its relevance to present-day Congo?
The report has an immediate relevance to the situation in Congo today and is a stark reminder of the consequences of impunity. Many of the types of atrocities against civilians documented in this report continue. The Congolese security forces and a multitude of armed groups still use the same tactics and strategies of abuse, emboldened by the fact that there has been no accountability for previous atrocities.
This was particularly evident in the mass rape of over 300 women and girls in Walikale, eastern Congo, in August 2010, which was widely reported by the news media. The UN report highlights the direct link between the lack of accountability for perpetrators and the continuation of serious crimes against the civilian population. The creation of justice mechanisms to begin to hold perpetrators to account for these crimes will be crucial to ending this cycle of violence.
What is the Congolese government's response to the report?
The UN submitted a draft of the report to the Congolese government in June 2010. The Congolese government provided detailed comments to the UN, which have been incorporated into the final version. On October 1, the Congolese government issued a statement saying it welcomed the publication of the report and was "appalled at the horrific nature and scope of crimes documented in this report that the people of the Congo have suffered." The statement said, "The victims deserve justice and they deserve that their voices are heard by [the Congolese government] and by the international community." The government said it was "determined that the Congolese Government will do what it can to bring justice for the crimes and some degree of reparations for the victims" and called for a meeting in Congo with legal experts and international donors to further discuss the judicial options set out by the mapping report to determine a way forward.
Congolese civil society has strongly supported the report. On September 3, a coalition of 220 human rights organizations from across the country issued a news release endorsing the report and requesting that appropriate judicial mechanisms be put in place to hold the perpetrators to account and bring justice for the victims. In the words of one human rights activist, "[The report] responds to the lobbying we have done for a long time to re-establish moral equilibrium in Congolese society based on the noble ideas of justice, equality, peace, fraternity and national solidarity as defined by our constitution of February 18, 2006, in favor of all Congolese and all human beings who live in the DRC."
Why hasn't anyone been brought to justice for these crimes if they were already well known at the time?
The lack of justice for these crimes has been a major failing of governments in the Great Lakes region and the international community and has undoubtedly contributed to the continuation of attacks on civilians in Congo. Successive attempts to investigate these crimes were blocked, and reports by national and international human rights organizations about the scale of the crimes were ignored. Guilt about failing to take action to stop the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 led many governments to turn a blind eye to horrific crimes committed by Rwandan forces in Congo and, by extension, crimes committed by other armed forces on Congolese soil. The civilian population has paid a heavy price for this flawed policy.
The Congolese government has attempted to seek some recourse through the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for crimes of aggression and major violations of international humanitarian law by Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi during Congo's second war, from 1998 to 2003. The ICJ issued a judgment in December 2005, which found that Ugandan armed forces had perpetrated widespread violations of human rights in Congo between 1998 and 2003 and violated the principle of non-use of force in international relations and the principle of non-intervention. The court ordered Uganda to pay reparations of about $6 billion to Congo. No money has yet been paid.
The same court said it could not rule on a similar case the Congolese government brought against Rwanda since Rwanda does not recognize the ICJ and is not a party to UN conventions against torture and other human rights instruments. In particular, Rwanda referred to its reservation to Article IX of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide[2]. The ICJ can only accept a case if it has the consent of both parties. Rwanda did not consent, thereby shielding itself from what would probably have been a similar finding to the court's conclusion on Uganda.
In 2003 at the UN General Assembly, President Joseph Kabila called for an international criminal tribunal for Congo to investigate the crimes and to hold the perpetrators to account. His call was echoed by Congolese civil society groups. The appeals were ignored.
Can the International Criminal Court (ICC) try the crimes described in the mapping report?
The ICC was set up to try cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes that occurred from July 2002 onwards when the Rome Statute, which established the court, came into effect. Many of the events described in the mapping report occurred before this date. However, some of the crimes committed in the second half of 2002 and in 2003, such as those in the Ituri District, do fall within the ICC's mandate. In April 2004, the Congolese government referred the situation in Congo to the ICC. The Office of the Prosecutor determined, two months later, that he had jurisdiction over the crimes committed in Congo after July 1, 2002, and investigations have been ongoing since then. Three Congolese armed group leaders have been arrested following indictments by the ICC and are on trial in The Hague. The ICC prosecutor is also conducting further investigations in the Kivu provinces of eastern Congo of crimes committed since July 2002.
Can the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) investigate these crimes?
The mandate of the ICTR is to try crimes of genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in Rwanda in 1994. It is also able to try crimes committed by Rwandans in neighboring states during the same period, but most of the crimes committed by Rwandan forces documented in the UN mapping report took place after 1994 and therefore do not fall within the tribunal's mandate. Enabling the tribunal to take on these cases would require changing its mandate. Furthermore, the tribunal is due to complete its trials by the end of 2011 in the first instance and is not taking on new cases. It seems unlikely that there would be sufficient international interest to expand the tribunal's mandate and keep it in operation beyond its current completion date.
So which court should try these crimes?
This is one of the key questions the UN mapping report seeks to address, and it sets out several options. The mapping team found that the Congolese justice system lacks the capacity in the short- or medium- term to prosecute the crimes it documented, despite recent judicial reforms initiated by the government with international donors' support. Among the options it set out, the report expresses a strong preference for creating a hybrid model: a mixed judicial chamber embedded in the Congolese justice system with international and Congolese judges and other personnel to bring justice to the victims. This follows similar recommendations from numerous UN special rapporteurs and Congolese civil society organizations. Human Rights Watch also supports such a model.
The proposed "mixed chamber" would in large part follow the model of the Bosnian war crimes chamber established in early 2005 as part of the Bosnian State Court.[3] It would be a national institution embedded in the Congolese justice system and apply Congolese laws and procedures, but with its own bench, investigation and prosecution services, registry, and victims and defense offices. It would deal exclusively with past and present war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, and would temporarily include non-Congolese staff. Establishing a "mixed chamber" within the domestic judicial system would be in accordance with the principle that states have the primary responsibility to prosecute serious violations of human rights committed on their territory. Created by the Congolese authorities and embedded in the domestic justice system, the "mixed chamber" would have Congolese ownership. It could also benefit the Congolese justice system in the longer term through capacity-building and would not divert current international efforts to strengthen the rule of law in Congo. The addition of a mixed chamber in the Congolese justice system with support from international judicial experts could provide the national justice system with the boost it needs to tackle rampant impunity for the worst crimes.
Moreover, given the tense political context surrounding the crimes documented in the UN mapping report, the presence of international staff in the "mixed chamber" would lend the necessary credibility and legitimacy to its investigations of crimes allegedly committed by non-Congolese perpetrators.
What should happen now that this report has been published?
The grave crimes documented in the mapping report can no longer be ignored. The report requires a serious response from the UN and its member states, including the Congolese government and other African governments whose armed forces participated in the atrocities. Until now, such a response has been sadly lacking.
The UN Security Council, as the primary UN body responsible for threats to international peace and security, should formally discuss the report and insist that all countries whose nationals participated in the crimes assist in efforts to bring justice. The Congolese government should act quickly on its proposal to hold a meeting with relevant experts and donors in Congo to consider the judicial and non-judicial options the report sets out and decide on a way forward.
Was Human Rights Watch involved in the mapping exercise?
No. The mapping exercise and the drafting of the report was carried out exclusively by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The UN team consulted many international and national nongovernmental organizations, including Human Rights Watch, and referred to their publications relating to the events in question. These included reports published by Human Rights Watch, some of which are listed in the mapping report annex. The mapping team also used a broad range of other sources and conducted detailed investigations of its own, interviewing 1,280 witnesses. In many cases, Human Rights Watch's own findings are consistent with those of the UN mapping report.
[1] Article 2 of the 1948 Convention on Genocide.
[2] Five judges commented at the time: "It is a matter for serious concern that at the beginning of the twenty-first century it is still for States to choose whether they consent to the Court adjudicating claims that they have committed genocide. It must be regarded as a very grave matter that a state should be in a position to shield from international judicial scrutiny any claim that might be made against it concerning genocide. A State so doing shows the world scant confidence that it would never, ever, commit genocide." International Court of Justice, Armed Activities on the Territory of the Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Rwanda), Joint separate opinion of Judges Higgins, Kooijmans, Elaraby, Owada and Simma, February 3, 2006.
[3] For more information about the Bosnian war crimes chamber, see Human Rights Watch, Looking for Justice: The War Crimes Chamber in Bosnia and Herzegovina, February 2006, https://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2006/02/07/looking-justice.
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Could Male Infertility Be Caused By Water Pollution?
by Diethics · Published December 5, 2018
What do fish swimming in 51 rivers running throughout the U.K. and infertility in human males have to do with each other? A lot, according to a January 2009 study called "Statistical Modelling Suggests That Anti-Androgens in Wastewater Treatment Works Effluents are Contributing Causes of Widespread Sexual Disruption in Fish Living in English Rivers", published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
The catalyst for the research project was the continued appearance of "feminized" male fish downstream of some wastewater treatment plants. These males that had one of three conditions:
Elevated plasma vitellogenin levels (VTG) — Vitellogenin is a protein produced in the liver in female vertebrates and transported to the ovaries. It is the precursor of the yolk that will later form when the oocyte (egg cell) becomes fertilized and matures.
A feminized reproductive duct
Developing oocytes (egg cells) in the testes
British ecologists and public health officials believed that the "sexual disruption" phenomenon being displayed in these male fish was also manifesting itself in human males, and that both instances were being caused by exposure to contaminants in the water that act as "anti-androgens", that is, agents that block testosterone function, which interferes with male fertility. However, there was little evidence to prove this causality, or the connection between fish and human.
The accepted explanation for Testicular Dygenesis Syndrome in human males, a condition in which the embryo's gonad doesn't fully develop into a testis, was, in fact, exposure to mixtures of anti-androgenic chemicals. This had been proven in laboratory testing in which rodent models had been exposed to these agents. But the accepted explanation for the feminization of male fish was exposure to steroid estrogens coming from human excretion.
The researchers involved in the study believed that that steroid estrogens were only one cause for the male fish taking on more feminine qualities; and that these fish were exhibiting these traits as a result of exposure to anti-androgen chemicals in the water in addition to their exposure to the estrogens.
To prove their hypothesis, the scientists took 1000 fish samples from 30 rivers throughout the country. All of the sites had both estrogenic and anti-androgenic agents. Using statistical modeling, they were able to examine the correlations between what chemical agents the fish had been exposed to and what non-male traits they were exhibiting. It took over three years to evaluate all of the data, but when all was said and done, they did make two significant discoveries. The first is that there is a much broader range of chemicals than was previously suspected that is leading to sexual disruption in fish. This means that the chemicals are probably coming from more sources than originally thought. The second is that the "cocktail of chemicals", as the researchers refer to it, in the water is a contributing factor to the rise in male reproductive problems.
Because the researchers identified a new group of chemicals whose sources are unknown that are impacting fish, they have decided that their next step is to identify the origins of these pollutants. Another of their goals is to work with environmental regulators to test the effects of a mixture of these chemicals and already known estrogens. They believe that only through continued study into the nature of these pollutants will scientists be able to identify the exact causes for male infertility, and what can be done to protect humans from their effects.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Şuhut is een Turks district in de provincie Afyonkarahisar en telt 40.800 inwoners (2007). Het district heeft een oppervlakte van 1.175,20 km².

De bevolkingsontwikkeling van het district is weergegeven in onderstaande tabel.

District van Turkije
Afyonkarahisar

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Cover Story: A self-contained development in Semenyih
Racheal Lee
December 03, 2018 16:00 pm +08
This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on November 26, 2018 - December 02, 2018.
The developer had recognised the need for a unique concept early in the design stage of Midlands City. Pictures by Midlands
Kok Kiang(left) and Loo aim to offer something different from the rest in Semenyih with Midlands City. Pictures by Midlands
A room in the dual-key SoHos which are among the development's facilities. Pictures by Midlands
The basketball court which are among the development's facilities. Pictures by Midlands
The gymnasium which are among the development's facilities. Pictures by Midlands
Before it became one of the fastest-growing areas in the south of Selangor, Semenyih was known more for its recreational offerings such as Broga Hill, LadyBird Organic Farm and Rabbit Fun Land.
In the past 10 years, many property developers have flocked there as land nearer to Kuala Lumpur became scarce. In 2005, the University of Nottingham Malaysia moved to a 125-acre campus there.
All these developments have led to major changes in the landscape and residential offerings in the area. Connectivity has improved over the years, and Semenyih is now connected via such highways as the North–South Expressway Central Link, Kajang Dispersal Link Expressway, Lebuhraya Kajang–Seremban and Cheras–Kajang Expressway. Two more highways — the East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE) and Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) — are in the pipeline as well.
Local and international players have been drawn to the area, including the likes of S P Setia Bhd, Eco World Development Group Bhd, UMLand Bhd, IWajib Group and Kueen Lai Group. Among the international developers are China's Country Garden Holdings Ltd and Jian Wei Development Sdn Bhd.
New project in town
One of the newest players to jump on the bandwagon is Midlands City Sdn Bhd, which aims to offer something different from the rest in Semenyih. Incorporated in 2014 under the Wira Syukur group of companies, its shareholders are Datuk Ng Aun Hooi, Ng Kok Kiang and Ting Hing Khok.
Aun Hooi is Midlands' executive chairman and the founder of Wira Syukur Group. He has more than 30 years of experience in infrastructure and building construction and 15 years in property development. He is also a non-executive director of Vizione Holdings Bhd.
Kok Kiang is an engineer who has been involved in engineering, property management, property development and construction since 1992 while Ting started his career in banking and ventured into property development in 1997.
The company's 22-acre project in Semenyih — Midlands City — is a joint venture with the landowner, explains managing director Kok Kiang. It will be developed in three phases, he adds.
Phase One will take up 5.8 acres and have an estimated gross development value of RM420 million. It will comprise 772 small offices/home offices (SoHos) in two 21-storey blocks, and 224 serviced apartments in a 14-storey block on top of a 7-storey retail podium.
The 450 sq ft SoHos are dual-key and fully furnished, and come at an average price of RM280,000. Soft-launched in July, each unit comes with one parking bay.
"The dual-key design means there are two small rooms in one unit, and each will have its own kitchen and bathroom. This is good for one's own occupancy or to rent to university students. Midlands City is located just 700m from Nottingham University," says Kok Kiang.
To date, 40% of the SoHos have been taken up, mostly by young investors. The facilities, which will be separated from those of the apartment tower, include a gymnasium, multipurpose hall, Jacuzzi, swimming pool, outdoor gym area, barbecue deck, viewing deck and gazebo.
Retail lots
Kok Kiang says the retail podium will complement the residential blocks, making the development self-contained.
"There will be 70 retail units on the ground and first floors. We want to make it a F&B hub for the area to cater for the needs of local residents. There will be enough supporting services, such as a grocery, laundrette, hair salon and IT shops, but most will be F&B operators," he explains.
"We have yet to launch the retail units. We plan to keep some of them for long-term rental income and also, it is easier for us to control the tenant mix so as to minimise competition. So far, we have managed to get about 30 retailers to sign letters of intent to open shops in the development."
The developer had recognised the need for a unique concept early in the design stage in order to differentiate Midlands City from the nearby developments of mostly landed properties, according to Ryan Loo, senior manager of operations.
The development is targeted at investors as well as owner-occupiers because of its proximity to Kuala Lumpur as well as the student population of Nottingham University. The latter led to the decision to build apartments as well as SoHos, which will have their own facilities, security services and parking space.
"The podium block will have a sports centre with bowling facilities on Level 3 and a college on Levels 4 and 5. A banquet hall on Level 6 can double as badminton courts. We see the demand for sports facilities and places to organise small-scale private events there," says Loo.
The college and residents will provide a steady market for the retail components, he adds.
Metro Homes Realty Bhd executive director See Kok Loong reckons that it is bold of the developer to launch a high-rise project in Semenyih. He also notes that the dual-key units are a good idea.
"As for the pricing at about RM600 psf, it is not cheap for the Semenyih area even when the size of the unit is small. The timing of completion of both Phase One and a proposed hospital is important," he adds.
When completed in early 2021, the hospital — which will be located diagonally across from Midlands City — will be another catalyst for the development, says Kok Kiang. Phase One will also be completed in early 2021.
A sister company had acquired the 2.66-acre site early this year and has obtained zoning approval for a hospital.
"We are in the midst of submitting a plan to the Ministry of Health and Kajang Municipal Council for a 300-bed private hospital, tentatively called Semenyih Specialist Hospital. We are in talks with a few healthcare operators now. We will build a link bridge to connect the hospital to the retail component in Phase One, which will help boost the businesses there," says Kok Kiang.
The hospital is expected to be manned by 1,500 personnel, and will be a boon for home rental and retail businesses in Midlands City.
Kok Kiang says the SoHos and apartment blocks may be launched early next year, depending on market sentiment.
High-rise apartments were initially planned for Phases Two and Three. "We will see how we can enhance Phases Two and Three when Phase One and the hospital are completed," says Kok Kiang.
"The market is soft at the moment and loan requirements are strict. We believe things will be the same in the first half of next year and we hope the government will come out with new policies to encourage banks to disburse more loans."


What the heck is culinatherapy?
In all honesty, you will not find this term in any dictionary. This is because I made it up. However, that does not make its meaning any less real. The idea for this blog and for the word "culinatherapy" came just a few days after I made the move from my hometown of Denver, Colorado to the wild and crazy sports-obsessed city of Chicago, Illinois. As I, along with my boyfriend, made the transition, navigating congested roadways, buying and assembling seemingly endless pieces of furniture, and organizing all the (mostly useless) personal items we had brought with us, I found that I was growing increasingly irritable, restless, and frustrated. In general, I am an anxious person, and the stressful process of moving did not help my nerves. Needless to say, I required a healthy outlet.
So, I turned to cooking. I have always enjoyed cooking (especially baking), but it was previously more of an activity that I chose to do "if I had time," which, of course, was rarely ever. But, upon moving and realizing that, for the most part, I could no longer rely on anyone by myself to prepare meals for my household (my boyfriend is not much of a cook), I of course began cooking on a daily basis. As it turned out, the process was extremely enjoyable to me; even therapeutic, if you will. I found that I came to look forward to the time I set aside for planning meals, searching for coupons for weekly grocery shopping trips, and preparing and assembling tasty dishes. Of course, the compliments I received during mealtimes were helpful, as well.
Taking my newfound zest for culinatherapy a step farther, I decided to start Cooking Through Crazy in order to incorporate my love for writing/blogging and passion for teaching, all in one neat package. I hope to post regularly with nutritious recipes and pictures, useful tips and tricks for the kitchen, grocery deals that I've encountered, and general inspiration about the art and therapeutic nature of cooking. I look forward to any and all feedback from my readers, and I hope that I can inspire each and every one of you in some small way. Thanks for stopping by!


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Senior missionary couples serve for 18-24 months, without compensation, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They learn to love the people. It becomes a part of their lives. They are grateful for the opportunity to serve, changing lives, including their own.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides relief and development projects for Humanitarian purposes in countries all over the world. Projects are chosen without regard to the nationality or religion of the recipients.
Senior missionary couples serve for 18 to 24 months, without compensation, from the Church . The following video shows an example of how the Church's Humanitarian Services work in Kenya. Elder and Sister Jensen, stationed in Mombasa as humanitarian missionaries give us some insight as to how they learned to love the people as the work became part of their lives.
"We are grateful for the opportunity to serve, changing lives, including our own," expresses Sister Jensen.
The mission statement of humanitarian service for the Church is to relieve suffering, to foster self-reliance for people of all nationalities and religions, and to provide opportunities for service.


Disclaimer: This is a pretty boring post. I think it's important from the standpoint of fully introducing the concept, so I wrote it, but it's mostly about my health history. The next one will be much more interesting, I promise.
I think the next logical post after describing what I'm trying to do with this "Healthy Living" series should be about my "health" past and present - where I am today. I'll follow that up with a post about the core tenants I'm going to try to adhere to in designing the lifestyle changes and finish introducing the concept with the first pass at a specific plan of guidelines I'll be following.
So, most of you know me, but I'm a 6 foot Indian kid, usually weighing slightly less than 165 lbs. As a rule, Indian men tend to store body fat in the waist, build smaller but denser muscles, and generally be of slighter build. I certainly conform to this body type. I tried to maintain a heavier weight during high school (for football purposes) and hovered in the 180-190 lb. area, but even then I didn't gain much actual size (another characteristic of my body type).
Since then, I've realized 165 lbs. or slightly below is a good equilibrium weight for me - it tends to stay in that region almost irrespective of my health habits (which can vary a fair amount but not drastically so). I think that it means it's a good weight for me. Has anyone else found they have a natural "equilibrium weight" by the way?
Speaking of which, I should probably describe my past/present habits. I have weekly goals of hitting the gym 5 times a week, which I do probably 85-90% of the time. Workouts usually consist of one pure cardio (20-30 minute run), then 3-4 days of short cardio (5-10 minutes to get the heart pumping) and lifting (major muscle groups being legs, back/biceps, chest/triceps, and shoulders - sometimes I'll combine legs and shoulders), and then maybe a day of yoga (which I'm not very good about fitting in).
Past that, my second goal is meditating 5 times a week for 30 minutes, which I actually get to 65-80% of the time. Right now, the meditation is all of the zazen variety (good explanation here), but I'd like to branch out and this will probably be another thing I change going forward.
Anyway, I think that's about everything. Stay tuned.
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Donesafe News
Now the norm: Courts hand jail sentence to yet another employer over fatal workplace accident, with a second such ruling in as many months.
By | Safety | No Comments
Employers are being warned that penalties handed to executives and business managers are "significantly increasing" for health and safety failures. After the very first jail sentence was announced last month, yet another has been handed down in courts.
Typically jail sentences for breaches of workplace health and safety (WHS) rules had been suspended, but this no longer looks to be the case. Courts now appear more accepting of handing jail sentences to employers over fatal workplace accidents, with a second such ruling in as many months.
Executives, managers with direct reports, and business owners are now feeling the weight of jail term if an accident occurs to an employee. We often are asked the question, "What if I had nothing to do with the worker's negligence or decision that led to their accident, am I still at risk of a penalty?" The answer? Below:
Are you at risk of jail terms or heavy personal fines?
The simple answer is yes. Under the Workplace Health and Safety (iso 450001) for example, you as a business owner or manager of a person involved in a workplace fatality will face a possible jail term and heavy fines if the following circumstances are found:
steps are not taken to avoid a risky situation from occurring.
there is a failure to comply with regulatory requirements.
Can OSHA Put You in Jail?
With heavy fines are now the norm in the USA, a disparate mix of groups lately have begun to get traction on their demands that somebody pursues criminal actions against employers involved in workplace fatalities. The Democrats have been unsuccessful for 20 years in efforts to amend the OSHAct to include more severe criminal sanctions. Having failed, they are now looking for ways employers may be prosecuted under other Federal and State laws.
Mitigate your risk of penalty. Talk with Donesafe today!
Have a look at Donesafe, the #1 safety management solution – Go now
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How to create open conversations around mental health in the workplace


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Now that you've decided you're going to have a second day after your wedding including drinks and barbecue, you're probably wondering what to wear? Kassi, the owner of a fashion blog Just Kassi, is getting married soon and after a small chat about her wedding day we came up with an inspiration to start you off on your own ideas.
Wearing white as continuation of your wedding day will remind everyone that you're still the queen of the party stealing the entire show for one more day. With this outfit you can be more creative and relaxed.
Accessories like rings, shoes and the bag are essential to dress up an outfit. You can leave your wedding hand free of any other rings to emphasise your beautiful new combination of wedding bands and celebrate the reason they are there in the first place!
If you weren't brave enough to wear that red lipstick you really wanted on your wedding day, now is the time! Be brave, relax and experiment and indulge in the varieties of showing off your beauty.
This is a simple stylish outfit dressed up with a bit of jewellery. Depending on time of year and your chosen location, whether it is a destination wedding or a winter wedding in Ireland, the outfit will change completely.
Although still taking into account your personality, in this case you have room to be more adventurous!
DON'T KNOW WHERE TO LOOK FOR YOUR OUTFIT?


This international event educates and inspires people to get out and explore the world, particularly by vehicle or motorcycle, but it could just as well be by bicycle or on foot; the idea is to get out and explore whether 100 miles from home or 10,000 miles. It is held mid-May each year outside Flagstaff, Arizona, USA—the gateway to the Grand Canyon.
Over 6,000 do-it-yourself adventurers enjoy 85 different classes, workshops, and roundtable programs, or visit 180+ exhibitors who offer four-wheel-drive vehicles and campers, adventure motorcycles, accessories, camping gear, and adventure travel services.
Two dozen countries and five continents (and a subcontinent) were represented at the show in 2013, everyone enjoying music, food, and a film festival in the evenings, and on-site camping and services provided by Mormon Lake Lodge.
For more information, please see the Overland Expo website. Proceeds from the event in part support ConserVentures programs.


Welcome to Mr. Harris' Orchestra Web Page.
throughout the week of March 25th.
All will attend during their scheduled lesson.
Original copies of solo needed!!!!!!!!
Can you name these songs?
Please sign up for my remind 101.


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Das Nationalmuseum von Saudi-Arabien () ist ein kulturhistorisches Museum und Bestandteil des König Abd al-Aziz-Zentrums für Geschichte, zu dem außer dem Museum noch die König Abd al-Aziz-Stiftung für Forschung und Archive (Darah), die König Abd al-Aziz-Bibliothek und der Murabba-Palast gehören. Das Nationalmuseum befindet sich in Riad, der Hauptstadt des Königreichs Saudi-Arabien.

Geschichte

1963 wurde im Bildungsministerium des Königreichs Saudi-Arabien eine eigene Abteilung geschaffen, die das urgeschichtliche Erbe des Landes betreuen sollte. Daraus wurde 1972 der Oberste Rat für Antiken gebildet (seit 1975: Amt für Antiken und Museen), der einen langfristigen Plan zum Umgang mit den Bodendenkmälern des Landes entwickelte. Dazu zählte die Aufnahme aller bekannten archäologischen Fundstellen des Landes in ein Register, das heute ca. 40.000 Stätten umfasst, die Herausgabe der ersten archäologischen Fachzeitschrift des Landes, Atlal – The Journal of Saudi Arabian Archaeology, die regelmäßig seit 1977 erscheint, und die Gründung des Nationalmuseums. Seit 1996 wurde es dann nach einer Planung des Architekten Raymond Moriyama errichtet. Er wählte dafür Formen und Farben, die an die Wüstenlandschaft um Riad erinnern. Das Gebäude endet und gipfelt in einer halbmondförmigen, aufsteigenden Mauer, deren Spitze sowohl an ein Minarett erinnert als auch nach Mekka weist.

Eröffnet wurde das Museum 1999.

Präsentation

Für Besucher sind acht Abteilungen mit Dauerausstellungen eingerichtet, die nach zeitlichen Epochen gestaltet sind. Die achte befasst sich mit dem Haddsch und den heiligen Moscheen in Mekka und Medina. Darüber hinaus gibt es zwei Bereiche, in denen Sonderausstellungen gezeigt werden können. Weiter sind im Museum Service-Einrichtungen für den Betrieb untergebracht. Insgesamt weist das Museum eine überbaute Fläche von 28.000 Quadratmetern auf. Die Dauerausstellung gliedert sich in die Abteilungen:
 Entstehung des Universums und des Menschen. Hier wird die Schöpfung der Welt durch Allah erklärt, Geologie, Mineralogie und Paläontologie präsentiert.
 Umwelt (Berge, Wüsten und Oasen sowie das die Arabische Halbinsel umgebende Meer), Urgeschichte und Archäologie, insbesondere das Paläolithikum.
 Frühgeschichtliche Zivilisationen. Hier wird die Zeit von etwa 6000 v. Chr. bis 400 n. Chr. gezeigt. Beispielhaft werden hier die archäologischen Fundstätten von Medyan, Qaryat al-Fau, Ain Zubaida und al-Aflai vorgestellt. Die Galerie schließt eine Sektion über die Entwicklung der Schrift auf der arabischen Halbinsel ein.
 Jahiliyyah-Galerie: Protoislamische Periode (400–650 n. Chr.). Hier wird die Zivilisation der arabischen Stämme in der Zeit unmittelbar vor dem Auftreten des Propheten Mohammed und die frühe arabische Kalligrafie vorgestellt.
 Zeit des Propheten Mohammed. Hier geht es um das Leben und Wirken des Propheten, insbesondere die Hidschra. Mittelpunkt der Ausstellung bildet der Koran.
 Islam und die Arabische Halbinsel. Diese Abteilung betrachtet die Zeit von Mohamed bis nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg. Sie ist in Sektionen eingeteilt:
 Die Zeit des Propheten Mohamed
 Die Zeit der Kalifen bis zum Osmanischen Reich
 Saudische Staaten bis in die Zeit der Jugend von König Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud.
 Vereinigungsgalerie. Hier wird die Entstehung des modernen Saudi-Arabien dargestellt.
 Haddsch und die heiligen Moscheen. Hier wird die Entwicklung der Moscheen in Mekka und Medina, der Kaaba und der Prophetenmoschee, sowie Dokumente zur Entwicklung des Haddsch gezeigt.

Wissenswertes
Vom 26. Januar bis zum 9. April 2012 war im Museum für Islamische Kunst der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin im Pergamonmuseum der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin eine Sonderausstellung unter dem Titel Roads of Arabia –  Archäologische Schätze aus Saudi-Arabien zu sehen, die eine Auswahl der Sammlungen des Nationalmuseums von Saudi-Arabien zeigte.

Literatur
 Ali Al-Ghabban: Das Kulturerbe Saudi-Arabiens. In: Roads of Arabia – Archäologische Schätze aus Saudi-Arabien. [Ausstellungskatalog]. Hrsg.: Museum für Islamische Kunst – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-88609-721-0, S. 31–35.
 Nationalmuseum von Saudi-Arabien (Hrsg.): The National Museum. o. O., o. J. (ca. 2011). (engl.)

Weblinks
 Homepage
 Neue Homepage des Museums in der englischen Version

Einzelnachweise

Geschichte Saudi-Arabiens
Bauwerk in Saudi-Arabien
Kultur (Saudi-Arabien)
Museum in Asien
Organisation (Riad)
Gegründet 1999
Orientalisches Museum
Islamisches Museum
Bildung in Saudi-Arabien


Instagram is full of Wanderluster's traveling the world, sharing bucket list destinations, visiting all the wonders of the world, and sharing all their adventures along the way.
A Venueluster is a unique breed of Instagramers that go one step further than a wanderluster. A Venueluster is out there in the world experiencing some of the most amazing "I want to go there" hotels and accommodations. They are experiencing things that make you want to add that experience to your bucket list.
They make you so jealous of the pool they are swimming in, the suite they are sleeping in, the bathtub they are soaking in, and every cocktail and culinary masterpiece their camera lays its lens on. A Venueluster makes you desire to go to a destination because of a particular hotel or experience.
So we have rounded up some of our favorite Venueluster's to follow on Instagram. From travel bloggers to professional photographers, these Venuelust influencers will have you packing your bags and planning your next adventure!
About: While most people may remember Lesley from season 17 of The Bachelor, Lesley Murphey is far from the bachelor mansion these days, globetrotting for her luxury travel blog The Road Les Traveled. Lesley inspires Venuelust, sharing her experiences including, luxury eco resorts in Patagonia, to helicopter adventures over the great barrier reef. She shares a great combination of photos and video clips which truly capture her entire experience. Lesley has made a brand with her dreamy hotel bathtub photos, which has created Venuelust for bathtub experiences alone. The Road Les Traveled covers her first-hand experiences at luxury accommodations, helpful travel itineraries, travel tips, and travel must-haves.
About: While Laura may be best known for her work with Novica & National Geographic, she is a self-proclaimed jet-setter at heart. Laura has been a globe-trotter from an early age having grown up internationally with two parents that worked for the CIA. She has over 60 countries under her belt and shares a wild collection of Venuelust experiences with her audience, which includes everything from exploring the Amazon on board the Delfin, to experiencing luxury safari camps in India. Not only will her Venuelust experiences make you extremely jealous, her photographs are so incredible you may even want to purchase them. Laura also teaches, mentors, and inspires other photographers through her travel workshops.
About: Brent Wallace is not just a luxury travel agent and blogger, he is a luxury travel designer and that's very clear when you take a stroll or scroll through his Instagram feed. Brent's feed is 100% focused on Venuelust. He shares stunning photos from his own luxury travel experiences as well as his clients. You rarely see him at a big chain hotel. His photos are full of luxury boutique hotels with unique style and design. Brent is based in Australia and is the director of several niche Australian travel companies including Travel Emporium, a boutique retail travel agency, and Smartflyer Australia - a collection of next-gen mobile travel agents.
About: Lauren Wells and husband Matthew Wells are jet-setting off to Venuelust-worthy weekend hideaways and luxury boutique hotels just about every other weekend. Not only will these two cause major Venuelust, but you may just fall in love with them too. Lauren knows how to create a perfect romantic weekend for two and does an even better job of sharing their story with their Instagram audience. Whether they are having a weekend escape to the American Trade Hotel in Panama City or a romantic getaway to The Woodstock Inn in Vermont, no matter where they are headed you will want to hop in their suitcase or stock their Instagram feed to experience the Venuelust right along with them. When Lauren is not traveling she is a creative director, providing Instagram marketing, content creation, and design consulting.
About: Daniel and Luiza are the founders of an online travel magazine, Travel Plus Style. Their Instagram feed shares their personal photos of first-hand experiences at some of the most luxurious accommodations around the world. The photography (all shot by them) is outstanding. From luxury safari camps in Namibia to luxury private villas in Turkey, these two globetrotters are covering the globe to uncover venues that are providing not only the most stunning spaces but also top notch service and experiences. The Travel Plus Style online magazine shares hotel reviews, round-up articles, and travel tips.
About: Brooke Saward, at the age of 22, sold everything and hit the road as a solo traveler on a mission to see the world. Fast forward a couple years and this Venueluster is now one of the leading luxury travel bloggers and storytellers with a massive following. Her published book, The World of Wanderlust Story has inspired young aspiring writers to get out and see the world. Brooke has had the opportunity to experience and share some of the best accommodations in the world. From safari camp hopping in Kruger National Park with Singita to soaking in one of the most photogenic bathtubs in the world at Thalia Haven, in her homeland of Tasmania.
About: Jessica not only shares stylish images of her time spent at unique boutique hotels but she is also sharing trendy places to dine and the scenic towns and landscape of where she is visiting. Jessica is uncovering hidden gems all over and you will never catch her at a chain restaurant or hotel. She knows how to pair a delicious cup of coffee or cocktail with a venue for the perfect Instagram shot, which will make you want to teleport yourself to sip a beverage right along with her.
About: One of my newest Venueluster's to follow is Hermione Olivia. I recently discovered Hermione Olivia after her recent African adventures with World of Wanderlust at Singita. Hermione Olivia is a fashion, lifestyle + travel blogger and the Aussie native definitely knows how to pair a great outfit with each destination she visits. From frolicking with giraffes in Kenya to exploring the streets of Paris, this fashionista is a Venueluster worth following.
About: Becky is the founder of @WeareTravelGirls, sharing real girls' travels to inspire adventures. On her personal account @beckyvandijk she is sharing her very own travel experiences that will cause some major Venuelust. From ice hotels in Finland to strolling down picturesque streets in Spain, she is a traveling girl you want to be following.
About: Nicola is a travel blogger with a great eye for capturing the perfect Instagram shot. This Aussie native has explored 31 countries and counting and shares the perfect balance of dreamy pools, delicious looking breakfasts, adventure, and unique Venuelust-worthy spaces.
About: Katie Frederick of Ever After Honeymoons plans luxury honeymoons for clients all around the world. Her Instagram profile is packed with her personal travels to Venuelust-worthy destinations and hotels around the world. From private villas in Bocas Del Toro to boutique beachfront cabanas in Brazil, Katie is tackling the globe one luxurious venue at a time.
About: Kristen, founder of Border Free Travels is off uncovering and experiencing off the beaten path (and Venuelust worthy) destinations and accommodations around the globe. She calls Nantucket home which is enough to make most people jealous and when she is not at "home" she is engaging in and experiencing the real culture of each place she visits. From intimate boutique hotels in New England to private estates in South Africa, Border Free Travels inspires us to add a few places to our list.
About: While The Points Guy may not be sharing much Venuelust on the ground, he certainly has the sky covered. Brian Kelly is flying all over the world staying in and experiencing every first class and business class cabin that exists. From Etihad's residential suites to Singapore Airline's first class suites, Brian Kelly has experienced it and all by using reward points. So if you want to make yourself jealous or learn how to get the most out of your travel reward's points then you need to follow The Points Guy.
About: Susan Moynihan is a travel editor and honeymoon consultant scouting luxury accommodations around the world for her audience and clients. Susan combines her favorite hotels with her personal travels on her feed. Susan is always in the know of the newest openings and ready to share the news with her audience.
About: With 2.2 million followers, you are most likely one of them. This fashionista is hopping from one continent to the next, staying in some of the most incredible accommodations all while looking fabulous. Her blog, Tulla Vintage, shares even more incredible photos from her travels along with fashion and lifestyle content.
About: Luke Whittaker, the co-founder of Venuelust, shares our personal travel experiences on his Instagram page. A behind the scenes look at our journey to uncover the most amazing + off the beaten path venues around the world. From the food we love to indulge in, to the places we stay, it's less business and more fun, like island hopping in the Maldives, to game drives in South Africa, it's 100% Venuelust.
Do you have a favorite Venueluster you like to follow?


Carolyn Mae Booth, age 70, of rural Batesland, S.D., died at her home September 3, 2013, with her family by her side.
She was born March 21, 1943, at Dodge City, Kansas to Robert and Bernice Coats. She grew up in the Martin, Allen then Sharps Corner area. Carolyn attended grade school at Our Lady of Lourdes in Porcupine, S.D. where she was selected for May crowning in 8th grade, then attended high school at Holy Rosary Mission in Pine Ridge where she was selected Prom Queen.
She was raised in a hard working ranch family helping care for her siblings. Carolyn worked at Sharps Corner Store then she worked at the State Veterans Home in Hot Springs.
On August 12, 1972, she married David Booth at Christ the King Church in Porcupine, S.D. Carolyn joined the Navy family with David on that day. They moved to Norfolk, Virginia. Their son was born July of 1973 at Pine Ridge, S.D. They then moved to Patuxent River, Maryland where a daughter was born in 1977. Moving on to Virginia Beach, Virginia where they retired in 1981. They then moved to Rapid City, S.D., then west of Batesland where she has lived since 1985.
Carolyn enjoyed camping, boating, dogs, travel and most of all, her grandkids and family.
She has fought a hard fight with cancer, many ups and downs, defying the odds, for the past two years.
Her survivors include her husband Dave Booth of Batesland, S.D., son Mark (Maxine) Booth of Batesland, S.D., daughter Sheila (Mark) Wieseler of Carroll, Neb., grandchildren, Jason and Timmy Gibbons, Tyler, Abigail, Sarah and Kayla Wieseler, 6 brothers, 4 sisters and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Bernice Coats.
Funeral service was held Saturday September 7, 2013, 2:00 p.m. at Chamberlain-Pier Funeral Home, Gordon, Neb., with Reverend Al Trucano officiating. Burial was held Monday September 9, 2013, 12:00 p.m. at Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis, S.D.
In lieu of flowers the family suggest memorials to the Caring Bridge, www.caringbridge.org/waystogive and donations may be sent in care of Chamberlain-Pier Funeral Home PO Box 366 Gordon, NE 69343.


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Transmission: Automatic Color:Black Interior Color: Gray Average Vehicle Review: (4.857 reviews) I bought my Santa Fe brand new in 2005. I bought it because I do a lot of expressway driving and needed to sit high enough to see traffic issues. This car has so much get up and go. It is the 3.5L, 6 cylinder model. It has so much power. I just love it if i need to take off quickly or get around in traffic Handles well, has short wheel base for easy U-turns....just a great car!
Because this vehicle is dependable very good on gas. Since we bought this vehicle I not had no Problem drive very good.my family test drive this vehicle they love the way the vehicle handle and my wife said that is vehicle is the best she drove.awesome.Thank you caxrmax with out you I could not get this vehicle you guys are awesome.
Just keeps on going and going!
I bought my Santa Fe brand new in 2005. I bought it because I do a lot of expressway driving and needed to sit high enough to see traffic issues. This car has so much get up and go. It is the 3.5L, 6 cylinder model. It has so much power. I just love it if i need to take off quickly or get around in traffic Handles well, has short wheel base for easy U-turns....just a great car!


Oud Wood Radiant Metal Premium Candle. This elegant gold-colored metal candle fills your home with the fragrance of Oud Wood. An inviting complexity of lavender and rare oud is beautifully blended with warm tonka bean and cedarwood. BURN TIME: 70 Hours. FILL WEIGHT: 18.7 oz/530 g.
Be Your Own Kind Of Beautiful Tray. This abstractly shaped small ceramic tray measures 4.25" x 4.25", perfect for jewelry or small catch-all items.
Rose Hibiscus Botanical Steam. Rose Hibiscus All Natural Vegan Organic Face Steam Bath Tea. Handmade with detoxing blend of Rose, Hibiscus, Chamomile, Lavender, Cornflower, Calendula flowers, and Citrus Orange Peel.
Rose Relax Bath Salt. Relax Bath Salt is a luxurious bath soak made with four salt varieties and rose petals. The truly soothing and relaxing blend of floral Rose Geranium and Palmarosa Essential Oils relaxes mind and body. Epsom salt aids in calming muscles and eliminating toxins. Bathing in Dead Sea Salts encourages dermal absorption of minerals and stimulates blood circulation. Natural plant essential oils provide a safe, subtle fragrance without chemical enhancers.


ARA Windows - If you has a session template set when the ARA plug-in creates a document the ARA plug-in will not see the new document.
Background processing aborted by ARA plug-ins.
Pitch grid colours are wrong if you create a scale.
Windows - If windows screen display scale is not 100 % pitch grid label are displayed too small.
Windows - pitch grid text weight increased.
Windows - Studio One ARA - plug-in not working if the Studio One audio driver keeps resetting.
Improve mapping of tracks between RVP and host DAW by using IDs rather than track indices. Allows tracks in RVP to be moved or deleted without confusing (destroying) the mapping.
Resulting return files does not have .wav at end and cannot be pasted into Studio One.
Allow deletion and addition to process inputs.
Flat Line Audio mode - If you zoom out on Y scale at the last position the audio is replaced with a line.
Default values displayed on control sliders. Pressing the Alt key with the mouse presses sets the default value.
When editing note pitch as you drag below C the wrong octave is displayed. Fixed.
Pitch Grid - faster drawing of the labels.
Don't draw initial pitch & level values if X zoom is less that 0.0002 - this is to keep the drawing speed up.
Original pitch traces now not draw connecting lines between groups.
Defaults to a size which is large enough to show the temporary file locations controls.
Changes in Studio One 3.5 copy & paste causes errors - Fixed.
Rare problem with link modules in Pro Tools not connecting to Revoice Pro - fixed.
Shift click on Show Processes in Track Info applies to all tracks.
u key - Display only selected tracks. Of one track is selected show in full height mode. If press with only selected tracks displays switch back to showing all tracks.
Auto size track heights switch off at 5% of space per track was 10%.
Y Scale control - Set Automatically option added - this set the Y scale automatically. If you select one of the other values it is fixed and has to be manually changed.
Context menu on track group area to show management panel. Panel can be resized.
Drag and drop tracks to Track groups window to create or add to groups.
Crash when creating groups if Process Create panel is displayed. Fixed.
Save Copy In added to file menu, saves a copy of the session and collects all audio files into one folder.
New help system, a pdf version of the help is now available.
Pitch limits can now be changed part way though a warp process.
Pitch Limits - If you join pitch limit zones a warning is displayed about edit loss.
Display New Process - pressing space key causes Crash in warp process Fixed.
Warp Process - Changed anchor for note edge when editing, allows note envelope height to be changed without moving the pitch centre. Anchor on pitch centre is now the default.
Erratic behaviours when moving notes and level blocks fixed.
Position of Pitch label modified - now defaults to top centre.
Correct pitch background colour and frame changed.
APT Music Mode - separates the long term average of the note from the short term variation of the pitch. This allows the performance to be tuned without effecting the dub characteristics.
APT Music Mode - pitch is segmented using the same method as the warp process.
APT Music Mode - pitch correction to grid added to pitch output.
APT View controls in right properties panel - settings effect all processes. Display and editor controls removed from process settings panel.
X Fade added to protected area display when protecting pitch.
Play from current position into play area, on space key. Shift space is the old action.
Faster start of playback after you change a processing parameter.
Graphic update speed problem found on Retina screens now fixed - Drawing is much faster.


Vehicle dealers, together with lawyers and politicians, happen to be saddled by having an unfortunate stereotype. You realize the man. He sports polyester pants, a pencil mustache, and slicked back hair. Sadly, this long lasting status implies that vehicle shoppers happen to be nervous, distrusting, as well as on the defensive before they can board a vehicle lot. There are lots of ways that you could get rid of dishonest dealers even before you step onto a great deal. Listed here are a couple of ways to locate a trustworthy, honest vehicle dealership that likes you you, the client.
Check around – The main strategy for finding a trustworthy vehicle dealer would be to trust person to person. Your buddies and family have your own interests in mind and won't white-colored-wash almost anything to safeguard the dealership. Question them regarding their encounters with sales agents and repair following the purchase. When the vehicle they bought was everything these were guaranteed, and when they ultimately felt like they were given a great deal, odds are the casino dealer is reliable.
Take a look at the website – All websites aren't produced equally. You are able to really tell a great deal in regards to a dealer by perusing the website knowing things to look for. First, find out if the website submissions are well-written. If your dealer doesn't have enough respect for that customer to perform a spell check or use punctuation, they will probably have a similar slovenly attitude toward their clients. The caliber of the vehicles they're selling might be affected by this attitude too.
Second, take a look at their inventory to find out if the data you'd like to learn is instantly available. Any dealer that needs you to definitely call a sales rep to obtain the most fundamental details are most likely not current.
Take a look at their lot – This can be a less reliable indicator, but it is still important. First, see if their inventory, including their used cars for sale, may be the vehicles neat and presentable. You would like staff that's busy playing around being useful, not staff that's holed in their offices ignoring customers. Furthermore, a large, shiny lot with a lot of cars and a lot of flags flying doesn't necessarily indicate that it is trustworthy dealer. Don't discount the smaller sized dealerships. Frequently, smaller sized dealers, especially family-owned dealers, are being economical time attempting to look impressive and much more time really being useful.
In contrast to sales agents – Have a sharp eye out when talking using the sales rep. She or he ought to be friendly, although not too friendly. You need to get a enjoyable smile, 't be requested your existence story. Make certain you are receiving real, informed solutions to all your questions. Your sales rep ought to be a specialist concerning the product they're selling. When they appear to become selling a line instead of showing they've understanding concerning the vehicle, you need to look elsewhere.
Talk to other staff – Salespeople should be friendly, and they'll frequently be so just to help make the purchase. Remember that it's the other staff you'll have to cope with for service following the purchase. Talk to the receptionist. They're the very first person you'll talk to when you call having a question or issue. They must be accessible and useful, not curt or dismissive. Have a stroll with the service area.
Go over the vehicle – Any trustworthy dealer shouldn't have trouble with you searching carefully in the vehicle or taking it try it out. Whether it appears as if you are applying an excessive amount of effort to do either of those things, you need to most likely ignore that dealer. If your dealer is reluctant that you should have your personal auto technician go over the vehicle, leave.


text:
#include "NeuralLayerTestFixture.h"
#include <gtest/gtest.h>
#include <shogun/lib/SGMatrix.h>
#include <shogun/lib/SGVector.h>
#include <shogun/mathematics/Math.h>
#include <shogun/mathematics/linalg/LinalgNamespace.h>
#include <shogun/neuralnets/NeuralInputLayer.h>
#include <shogun/neuralnets/NeuralLeakyRectifiedLinearLayer.h>
#include <shogun/mathematics/UniformIntDistribution.h>

using namespace shogun;

using NeuralLeakyRectifiedLayerTest = NeuralLayerTestFixture;

/** Compares the activations computed using the layer against manually computed
 * activations
 */
TEST_F(NeuralLeakyRectifiedLayerTest, compute_activations)
{
	int32_t seed = 100;
	// initialize some random inputs
	SGMatrix<float64_t> x;
	std::shared_ptr<NeuralInputLayer> input;
	std::mt19937_64 prng(seed);
	std::tie(x, input) = setup_input_layer<float64_t>(12, 3, -10.0, 10.0, prng);

	// initialize leaky rectified linear layer
	auto layer = std::make_shared<NeuralLeakyRectifiedLinearLayer>(9);
	layer->set_alpha(0.02);
	SGVector<int32_t> input_indices(1);
	input_indices[0] = 0;
	auto params =
	    init_linear_layer(layer, input_indices, x.num_cols, 1.0, false);

	// get the layer's activations
	SGMatrix<float64_t> A = layer->get_activations();

	// manually compute the layer's activations
	auto biases =
	    SGVector<float64_t>(params.vector, layer->get_num_neurons(), 0);
	auto weights = SGMatrix<float64_t>(
	    params.vector, layer->get_num_neurons(), x.num_rows,
	    layer->get_num_neurons());
	SGMatrix<float64_t> A_ref(layer->get_num_neurons(), x.num_cols);
	shogun::linalg::add_vector(
	    shogun::linalg::matrix_prod(weights, x), biases, A_ref);

	for (int32_t idx = 0; idx < A_ref.num_rows * A_ref.num_cols; idx++)
	{
		A_ref[idx] =
		    Math::max<float64_t>(layer->get_alpha() * A_ref[idx], A_ref[idx]);
	}

	// compare
	EXPECT_EQ(A_ref.num_rows, A.num_rows);
	EXPECT_EQ(A_ref.num_cols, A.num_cols);
	for (int32_t i = 0; i < A.num_rows * A.num_cols; i++)
	{
		EXPECT_NEAR(A_ref[i], A[i], 1e-12);
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
| Giovanni Manfredi | Ninety-nine years ago in Rome, and one month ago in Washington, fascism rose
Giovanni Manfredi | Ninety-nine years ago in Rome, and one month ago in Washington, fascism rose
Guest Column | The parallels between the Blackshirt and MAGA Hat insurrections serve as a frightening historical lesson
By Giovanni Manfredi 02/12/21 12:09pm
Credit: Tyler Kliem
Reflecting on the harrowing events of the Jan. 6 insurrection brings to mind how Benito Mussolini came to power as the Italian prime minister in 1922. As we shall see, there are many parallels between what happened in Italy 99 years ago and in Washington on Jan. 6, which show us just how fragile democracy really is.
Throughout 1921 and 1922 Mussolini, leader of the Fascist Party, vowed he would come to power. Italy in 1922 was a country still healing from war, economic crisis, and severe political strife, with an aggrieved lower-middle class who felt abandoned by the political class and was on the verge of being disenfranchised.
At a rally in Naples, Mussolini declared from the podium, "Either the government will be given to us, or we will seize it by marching on Rome." Most of the moderate right-wing and centrist politicians, supported by several of Italy's foremost business leaders, were ready to give Mussolini the benefit of the doubt, under the illusion that the whole movement would eventually deflate itself when confronted by the realities of governing.
Similarly, when former President Donald Trump announced his candidacy in 2015, the mainstream Republican leadership initially dismissed him as a crank. Then, on becoming the official GOP nominee, the common opinion was that the realities of the office would soon tame him. Instead, the truth was that, as told in Bob Woodward's "Rage," Trump had "hijacked" the Republican Party. The Republican base obediently followed Trump because his notions best reflected the grievances of the alienated or — more accurately — those who feared becoming overwhelmed by minority communities. The moderate and more centrist elements of the GOP, including the business lobbies, fell in line with him to guarantee their political future.
When Trump sensed in the last stages of the 2020 campaign that the result would be close, or even that he could lose, he convinced the GOP base and leaders, through a drumbeat of lies and conspiracy nonsense, that the election was "rigged." It allowed Trump to foment the Jan. 6 attempted coup at the now infamous rally on the Ellipse. Trump's remarks on that occasion bear an eerie similarity to Mussolini's speech in Naples on Oct. 24, 1922.
Political power was the key to both speeches. Trump wanted to keep it; Mussolini wanted to win it. The fact that Trump then chose to return to the White House while the insurrection played out on Capitol Hill parallels Mussolini's decision to return to his base in Milan rather than personally lead his followers (the "Blackshirts") into Rome. Both men advocated for illegal actions but thought they could dodge the consequences by staying away from the actual fray.
The results of Mussolini's march were tragic. The Italian king, threatened by about 25,000 Blackshirts storming Rome, named Mussolini prime minister. Mussolini's contempt for democratic norms would ultimately bring about the abolishment of elections, as well as the shameful Racial Laws of 1938 and 1939, depriving all Italian Jews of their rights. Had the invasion of the United States Capitol succeeded, something similar could have happened in the United States: Trump remaining in office, backed by an obedient, well-funded GOP composed of cowed moderates and myth-fed, extremist firebrands.
Neither Trump nor Mussolini really considered elections to be the decisive factor in determining political power in a democracy. Trump's conversation with Georgia's secretary of state, when he asked him "to find" 11,780 votes, reflects the former president's contempt for democracy's basic instrument. Trump and Mussolini instead considered rallies to be the true measure of their political strength, so much so that the flop of a rally in Tulsa last June caused Trump to immediately reassign his campaign's chief operating officer.
Of course, the situations in the United States this year and in Italy 99 years ago also present profound differences, as reflected by their different outcomes: Trump failed and was immediately impeached for "incitement of insurrection," while Mussolini's insurrection succeeded. In 1945, however, Mussolini was arrested and immediately executed (without trial).
Though I graduated in 1969 — a year after Trump — from the College, I do not know Trump. I do know, though, that he was not on the Wharton dean's list in 1968, and that the lectures by the Economics professor we shared, Lawrence Klein (the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 1980), had absolutely no effect on him — if his later decisions on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, NAFTA, tariff wars, and the emasculation of the World Trade Organization dispute are anything to go by.
As far as I remember, Trump never participated in any of the civic activities that most involved the student body at the time: the Vietnam war, Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, voting rights, the 1968 election campaign, or even the movement to stop University administration from cutting down a number of trees in the Quadrangle.
As unfortunate as it may sound, I don't believe there is much the University can do to distance itself from Trump and his family. There are no major buildings or other structures named after him which could be renamed. Penn also cannot legally publish his senior thesis (if he had one) or his transcript without his consent. My only advice — however unsatisfying — is to ignore him and allow his memory to gradually fade away, depriving him of the attention he so desperately wants.
GIOVANNI MANFREDI is a 1969 College graduate now living in Muscat, Oman. He served as the Italian Ambassador for Disarmament at the United Nations and his email is nannimanfredi@gmail.com.


Are you looking for a special and cosy beach towel for your summer holiday? This Glamorous Autumn Red Leaf Shape Plain Beach Towels is you best choice. Bring jaunty, coastal fun with you on your vacation with the banana leaf shape detailing beach towel. Give the hot summer with a touch of red.
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Kathleen is a Tarot Grandmaster teacher and certified psychic advisor with a M.A. in Religion and Culture. She combines a strong, credible academic background with psychic gifts to inform her wise and down-to-earth spiritual guidance.


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We provide our clients with a unique, results-driven experience by leveraging our culture of "clients first." We consider ourselves a boutique commercial real estate brokerage firm, meaning that you get all of the experience and capabilities of a large firm, without getting lost in the shuffle.
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Vinagres de Jerez, Vinos de la Tierra de Cádiz y Salsas Balsámicas.
In 1910 Mr. Francisco Páez Sánchez, our Managing Director's grandfather, founded with some friends a Wine Society for the purchase and enjoyment of old sherry wines. While selecting these wines, he discovered a small quantity of a unique high quality Sherry Vinegar. This vinegar was kept as a family heirloom, but in 1945 his son Mr. Antonio Páez Lobato had the idea of developing a totally new business from his treasured vinegar, producing the first commercial SHERRY VINEGAR.
Since then, our Company has been purchasing and collecting all the aged sherry vinegars which were sold by some firms within the Sherry District like Williams&Humbert, Sandeman and others. An exceptional purchase was that made from Mr. Alejandro Romero Osborne, whose vinegars dated back to 1936 and were of outstanding quality.
That extraordinary discovery led us to use it as the first base of our "soleras" and give a touch of real history to our vinegars. We then began this totally new business: The production, aging and bottling of our Sherry Vinegars, until then regarded as a by-product of the sherry wine industry, although all the big sherry wineries kept a small reserve of this unique product.
At present, the business is still family run and our inventory of 2.000.000 litres, aged in more than 4.000 American Oak casks, is the largest in the area, which allows us to maintain our vinegars of the highest quality.
In 1973, as part of a program of renovation and expansion, our firm purchased "La Vicaría",a country estate with a long wine tradition and, in 1981, we marketed our pioneering young white wine"Tierra Blanca". 1n 1977, our "Viña Lucía" red wine was launched, the first of its kind in our province, to be followed by our semi-sweet "Tierra Blanca" with its characteristic blue bottle.
This calculated decision was initially viewed with a lot of curiosity and not a little skepticism in the area, but the Company´s success has already encouraged others to follow.
We have also recently launched our "Doña Pepa" range of balsamic sauces, to be used as a seasoning or flavour enhancer in all kind of recipes. A cooking wine, also called "Doña Pepa", is available as well in our wide portfolio of products.


text:
Q: Can't get my data-binding with knockoutJS to work I'm currently working on an application with DurandalJS, BreezeJS and KnockoutJS.
Everything goes fine but the most simple thing (I believe), I can't get it to work.
In my Viewmodel I have a currentCustomer which is a ko.observable.
Via Breeze I get the customer! currentCustomer(data.results[0].Customer()); This is all working fine. If I check with Google Chrome I see the object is filled with the currentCustomer.
What I want is the following: I have an inputfield and with a value data-bind I'm trying to bind the Name of the currentCustomer to this input. But I can't get this to work. What works is this:
 <input data-bind="value: currentCustomer()" />

But in the input field it only says [Object object] So there is definitely something in the currentCustomer (which is).
This is what I tried but didn't work:
<input data-bind="value: currentCustomer().Name()" />
<input data-bind="value: currentCustomer().Name" />
<input data-bind="value: currentCustomer.Name()" />
<input data-bind="value: currentCustomer.Name" />
<input data-bind="value: currentCustomer()._latestValue().Name()" />
<input data-bind="value: currentCustomer()._latestValue.Name()" />

Here is a screenshot so you can see the values are in the view!
http://s22.postimg.org/62m21nnsx/problem_data_bind.png

A: Have you tried using 'with'?
<div data-bind='with:currentCustomer'>
<input data-bind="value: Name/Name()" />
</div>

A: Change it to currentCustomer().name and that should work provided that Name is a property on the currentCustomer entity.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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PlacePod is an IoT-enabled smart parking sensor for on-street and off-street municipal and private parking management. Parking has long been a poorly managed resource, resulting in environmental and economic problems and consumer dissatisfaction. Technological advancements and societal needs are now aligned for the widespread adoption of the next generation of smart parking solutions. The biggest challenge is accurate and timely vehicle detection.
PNI's solution is PlacePod, an in-ground or surface-mounted smart parking sensor that communicates with a LoRa® gateway or Sigfox base station to provide real-time parking data. It provides accurate vehicle detection in parking spaces, up to 10 years of battery life, and is stable over temperature fluctuations, even in harsh environments.
Includes the industry's most accurate magnetic sensing system for vehicle detection with the combination of PNI's high-performance magnetic sensor and vehicle detection algorithms that accurately detect the presence or absence of a car in a parking space.
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Sensors and algorithms are finely tuned for ultra-low power consumption, providing continuous vehicle detection without missing a parking event.
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