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David Gilmour - Rattle That Lock
(+ Booklet + Download Code)
ACOL 32914
• CD
CD + Blu-Ray + Books + Poster + Postcard + Plectrum
• DVD & CD
New solo album from the Pink Floyd guitarist/vocalist
180-gram vinyl, mastered by James Guthrie and Joel Plante at das boot
Gatefold jacket, photo inner sleeves, full color labels, download card
Full size 16-page photo/lyric booklet including artist photographs by Kevin Westenberg and album session photographs by Polly Samson
Creative Director: Aubrey Powell, Hipgnosis / Jacket design by The Creative Corporation
Produced by David Gilmour and Phil Manzanera
Rattle That Lock is famed guitarist and co-vocalist of Pink Floyd, David Gilmour's fourth solo album. It follows his No. 1 in the U.K. album On An Island. The primary lyricist for the new album is Gilmour's long-term writing partner, Polly Sampson, and the album is co-produced by David Gilmour and Roxy Music's Phil Manaznera.
Rattle That Lock feaures an uptempo bass groove, rousing choir and lyrics drawn from John Milton's Paradise Lost. As Gilmour previously revealed, the melody for the title single was inspired by "four notes, created by (sound designer) Michaël Boumendil, which precede announcements at French SNCF railway stations which David recorded on his phone at Aix-en-Provence station."
"It's a jingle, a four-note jingle, and every time I heard it, it would make me want to start dancing," Gilmour says in a making-of video for the single. Gilmour's wife and novelist Polly Samson contributed the track's lyrics. "It's about a journey, but it's also about that journey of not accepting the status quo," Samson said. "It's based on two journeys, both inspired by Paradise Lost."
"Rattle that lock and lose those chains," Gilmour sings on the single, which features surprising dub elements midway through the song. The track is punctuated by a pair of Gilmour's trademark, unmistakable guitar solos, the first arriving around the 90-second mark, while the second soars on the track's closing minute.
1. 5 A.M.
2. Rattle That Lock
3. Faces of Stone
4. A Boat Lies Waiting
5. Dancing Right In Front Of Me
6. In Any Tongue
7. Beauty
8. The Girl In The Yellow Dress
9. Today
10. And Then…
View other items by David Gilmour

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Mayor Teresa Jacobs joined U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and executives from Visit Orlando at the Orange County Convention Center on June 1 to welcome 6,000 domestic and international travel bureaus and exhibitors to the U.S. Travel Association's 2015 IPW. A three-day industry conference boasting 1,100 exhibitor booths from 74 countries, IPW is reputed as the travel industry's premier international marketplace and the largest generator of travel to the U.S.
After participating in a ceremonial ribbon cutting with Secretary Pritzker, Mayor Jacobs greeted guests and walked the Convention floor packed with exhibitors of travel products and global destinations ranging from New York City-based Carnegie Hall to Fenway Park tours in Boston. According to the Travel Association's website, IPW brings travel buyers, suppliers and destinations together to bring international visitors to the United States.
The day before the ribbon cutting, Mayor Jacobs joined Visit Orlando and turned the page on a new chapter in the destination's history by unveiling its first global marketing and sales campaign featuring – "Orlando – the Never Ending Story" – a worldwide consumer campaign in search of the millions of stories visitors have to share about the theme park capital of the world.
Coinciding with the start of the campaign's consumer advertising this year, unforgettable guest experiences will be collected through the website OrlandoStories and visitors are encouraged to use #MyOrlandoStory when sharing posts, photos and videos in social media. The social media campaign has begun, but additional details of the global search for stories will be released this summer.
"Visit Orlando is reaching out to the storyteller in all of us to showcase our visitors and the lifetime of memories they made and will make across our destination," Visit Orlando President and CEO George Aguel said.
The campaign will serve as the cornerstone of Visit Orlando's future global marketing and sales efforts, beginning in August. The first of these will appear in the destination's No. 1 overseas market, Brazil, as well as Colombia and the U.S., followed by Canada and the United Kingdom.
"Orlando is an iconic American destination that truly delivers on the promises that travel offers to us all," said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow.
The announcement was made at the I-Drive 360 complex, home to the Orlando Eye observation wheel; Madame Tussaud's, an immersive and interactive wax experience; SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium and a blend of attractions, restaurants, clubs and shops, on world-famous International Drive. The announcement was covered by more than 400 international journalists who were visiting Orange County for the 2015 IPW. This is the seventh time the IPW convention has been held in Orlando. Along with the host region benefitting from the media exposure and a diverse group of international travel buyers, the estimated economic impact attendees spending on hotels, restaurants, entertainment and transportation is $11.8 million.
As part of her welcome, Mayor Jacobs issued a proclamation to USTA President and CEO Roger Dow declaring Project: Time Off Week. With Americans utilizing less than 3.5 days of vacation each year for a total of more than 429 million annual vacation days, Mayor Jacobs encouraged residents to enjoy a Central Florida "staycation" to support the travel industry.
Immediately following her visit with IPW, Mayor Jacobs toured the annual Premiere Orlando International Beauty event, also held at the Convention Center. Premiere Orlando is the largest professionals-only beauty event in the U.S. After launching at the Convention Center in 1994 with just 1,500 attendees, the event now draws more than 50,000 beauty industry professionals from across the world.
A collection of photos from the U.S. Travel Industry Association's 2015 IPW and Premiere Orlando are available on Flickr for use by the media.


Aniplex of America Inc. (Santa Monica, California) is a subsidiary of Aniplex Inc. (headquartered in Tokyo, Japan), a group of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. and a leading provider of anime content and music production and distribution in Japan. Aniplex of America has launched fan-favorite Blu-ray and DVD releases such as Bakemonogatari, Durarara!!, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, the Garden of Sinners, Sword Art Online,Blue Exorcist, Fate/Zero, Blast of Tempest, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Oreshura, and Vividred Operation. The company's ever-growing line-up of shows includes our most recent titles KILL la KILL, MEKAKUCITY ACTORS, The irregular at magic high school, Mushi-Shi (The Sequel), Nanana's Buried Treasure, Nisekoi, World Conquest Zvezda Plot, Magi: The Kingdom of Magic, Samurai Flamenco, Silver Spoon, and Oreimo 2.


Tonight is the new moon. I was expecting maximum waned symptoms from the minimum visible moon. That has not happened. Now I am thinking that the symptoms still wax and wane on a lunar cycle, with maximum symptoms at the moon's separate zeniths of full or new. I expect in a week, I'll have a different observation: a new one, a mid-moon one, another useless one.
The observations are not completely useless…they give me something to do. All in all, I am still much improved than prior to taking the ruxolitinib. I'll make do with improvement, considering where I was when I started.
Spend an hour or two lying on your back with a pair of binoculars. Look at the Seven Sisters (The Pleiades) and know that there are far more than seven siblings there….there are millions, with dozens and dozens more being visible with a cheap set of binoculars. You don't need a fancy big telescope: Some $75.00 8×56 binoculars can reveal things you never thought you could see. Those big 56mm objective lenses can grab a lot of light. It's not the magnification so much as it is the light gathering capacity with binocular s. Your view of the heavens will not look like pictures from the Hubble Telescope, or the Palomar Observatory, but it will be more than impressive; it can, in fact, be life altering.
As you look at the stars, you are looking back in time and seeing them as they were then at the now moment the light reaches your eyes. It may have taken years for the light to reach here. It takes nine light-minutes for sunlight to reach the earth. It takes about four years and two months for light from our next closest stellarly neighbors beyond the sun, the Alpha Centauri system, to reach us. The Alpha Centauri system is composed of three stars which revolve around each other….The much brighter stars, Alpha Centauri A and B, and the dimmer Proxima Centauri, our actual closest ex-solar system star, which is 4.22 light years away. Imagine living on a planet with three suns, or being on Saturn and seeing the rings on display in the sky, or on Jupiter and seeing Ganymede, Io, Europa, and Callisto in the night sky, along with their many sibling moons.
Imagine your place and significance among the heavens as you see a single band of our spiral home galaxy, the Milky Way, knowing that it stretches around 120 million light-years years across its bands, contains over a hundred billion stars, and perhaps a hundred billion more earth-like planets, anchored at its center by a radio-wave emitting source called Sagittarius A, which is most likely a super-massive black hole. Now imagine that that seemingly endless expanse of everything we can see with our own eyes is all contained within our massive galaxy. Then imagine the estimated one hundred billion other galaxies in the observable universe. We are smaller than small.
The reverse is true, as we are larger than large. The cells that make up our bodies are tiny. They carry things called DNA and RNA, which are smaller yet. Matter is made up of atoms which are mostly empty space, but seems pretty solid to us, especially when the weak force that is gravity causes an unexpected collision of our bodies with the concrete sidewalk, which turns out to be more solid than we wish it was at the moment of impact, we wondering where all that empty space went to. Atoms are made up of smaller electrons, protons, and neutrons, which consist of smaller particles called quarks, of which there are up quarks, down quarks, top quarks, bottom quarks, strange quarks, and charm quarks. The strange quarks seem to be overly represented in some people I know. I, on the other hand, have a super-abundance of charm quarks.
Then there are leptons and fermions, several classes of Baryons and Mesons, and several varieties of Bosuns, finally culminating with the elusive Higgs Bosun, also referred to as the "God Particle." If these particles have their own consciousness, they stare up at me in wonder of the heavens above.
In the grand scheme of things, I am not really important or significant, though to the chiggers (redbugs) that have occasionally made their (temporary) home embedded in my skin, dining on my flesh, I am more than significant. In a strange twist, the virus that invades my body and uses my own DNA to replicate itself, and may destroy me in its multiplication, seeks only to find a new host, which could be you.
In the contemplation of all this I am assured of my insignificance and my significance, depending on which way one looks at things. I am too tiny and ephemeral to be of much interest to cosmic events. I am too tiny and ephemeral to be of much interest to geologic events. I know that my wife loves me most of the time, and my dogs love me all of the time. I know that the cancer in my body seeks to replicate itself in such a way as to destroy its host, thus destroying the thing that gives it its life. Hmmmm! You'd think the cancer would be wiser. It is, perhaps, no more or less wise than we who destroy ourselves for any number of reasons.
I am reminded of rabbit hunting with my granddaddy. On a cold January morning hunt a long time ago, I killed my first rabbit. I got the rabbit with my 20 gauge single-shot Revelation shotgun, a gift Santa Claus brought me straight from Coleman's Western Auto Store, and proudly ran and picked it up placing it in the game sack in my new deluxe hunting vest. Granddaddy said nothing. He then shot a rabbit, and I ran to retrieve it. I placed it in the game sack, also, now toting around two recently dead rabbits in the sack on my back. Before you knew it, there were two more rabbits in my sack.
"That's enough, now," said Granddaddy. "We'll head back home and clean them for your grandmother to cook up with some gravy." My mouth watered at the thought of Grandmother's first fried, then stewed-in-brown gravy rabbit.
On the way back to Granddaddy's truck, I was soon overwhelmed with flea bites. I jumped and howled, slapped and scratched as a thousand fleas seemed to attack me all at once. Granddaddy didn't say a word, nor did he seem to be bothered with any fleas.
"Put that vest with the rabbits in the back of the truck, not in the cab," said Granddaddy. I flung it over in the back, and off we went towards home, chug-a-lugging in his old '62 GMC pickup with a straight-six that only fired on five.
"Owwww!" said me, as I squirmed and scratched.
"How come you don't have no fleas?" I asked him.
I then learned the secret of avoiding this, which I had seen before but had not understood. One hangs the newly dead rabbit in the fork of a tree as one continues on his hunt. The fleas, ticks, chiggers, mites, and every other blood-sucking critter on the rabbit, sensing the drop in the rabbit's body temperature now say to themselves, perhaps in English, but most likely in some dialect of parasitese, "Time to move!" And en masse, they move to the first thing they can find which exudes carbon dioxide and has a body temperature of at least 98.6°F. That would have been me that day. When they move, you don't want to make finding a new home too easy for them. Let them work hard for it. Putting them freshly killed into your game sack is making it a little too easy.
Granddaddy just laughed, enjoying the joke that was on me. It was worth it, as I still enjoy the joke today, though I did not seem to enjoy it too much at the time. To those fleas, I was at least as significant as a rabbit. To the universe, I am every bit as significant as the rabbit. To the rabbit, I was the cruel universe. To the sojourning mites on the fleas, I was their inter-planetary expedition.
I take my leave now. Go outside and marvel at YOUR universe. It is there for you to admire and wonder at. If you begin wondering, you'll soon start speculating. Then, you'll reckon, only to start wondering all over again, wondering, perhaps, if that sudden nip was a flea bite.
With that, you'll forget a few aches and pains, and join company with all the humans across the millennia before you who ever gazed up at the heavens in wonder at their own insignificance.
I do not eat Milky Ways. I only like Mars bars.


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Home Markets Gold The Lone Star State Is Taking on the Entire Financial System
The Lone Star State Is Taking on the Entire Financial System
Rodney Johnson
200 men against 1,500 enemy troops.
They were never going to win. They fought anyway. Everyone died. It's a story that most Americans are vaguely aware of, but the tale of the Alamo is seared into the heart of every Texan.
In losing the battle in such heroic fashion, the defenders rallied others to the cause, helping the Tejanos defeat the Mexican army in 1836. Like that, the country of Texas was born. Nine years later, the young nation joined the United States, and became the only state to join the union by treaty.
These few facts provide a sense of how many Texans (including my wife) view the world.
Defend the home. Defend the community. Stick together.
As I've noted many times, I rarely see Floridians wearing t-shirts with the state flag, but every Texan I've ever met has a Texas flag t-shirt in his drawer. They want everyone to know where they come from.
Texans are also very welcoming… unless you try to impose new rules or views on them.
If people move to Texas and find something they don't like, that's fine. They're free to leave. Even though they love their country, Texans fiercely hold on to their independence, both personally and as a state.
This goes a long way in explaining their latest endeavor – building their own gold depository.
The University of Texas endowment is worth $24 billion, and is run by the University of Texas Investment Management Co (UTIMCO). During the financial crisis, UTIMCO built a huge gold position, eventually amassing about $1 billion.
There are lots of ways to own gold, but most of them involve nothing more than a claim on a piece of paper. Apparently the UTIMCO officials weren't comfortable with that arrangement. So, they did something unusual.
They took delivery of their gold. All 6,643 ounces of it.
The problem with delivering gold is that you have to find a place to store it. Putting a few ounces in your sock drawer, or holding a dozen or so ounces in a safe deposit box, is all well and good. But where do you put over 6,000 one-ounce bars?
Where everyone else does: in New York.
That idea didn't sit well with the Texans. The point of physical gold is to set it aside for any problems that might arise in a financial crisis. Having the actual metal on hand establishes clear ownership. Having it sort of on hand, 2,000 miles away, controlled by a bunch of bankers who caused the financial crisis in the first place, just seemed wrong.
So they did what anyone would do. They set about building their own gold depository.
If things go well, the physical location could be up and running within a year. The plan is to open up the depository to all Texans, not just the University investment fund. And it won't be just a storage facility. The state legislature authorized a bullion depository that can receive and send fund transfers.
Suddenly, the Texas Bullion Depository looks a lot like a bank, with deposits backed by gold, which takes their independent streak to a whole new level. Apparently they aren't just mad about paying banks in New York to store their gold. They're mad at the whole darn system!
If Texas succeeds in setting up a metals-based bank, they will create one of the highest-profile alternatives to the traditional, fiat money banking system that we use today.
Yes, Bitcoin is once again riding high. But the digital money system suffers from one of the same weaknesses that plagues fiat cash – at the end of the day, there's nothing behind it.
But Bitcoin and the Texas Bullion Depository do address one of the biggest problems in our current system. It's open to manipulation by the government and central bank any time they feel like tinkering with it.
Government bureaucrats sitting in Washington (and areas across the country at regional Fed banks) can decide to take value from our hard-earned dollars and savings whenever they deem it appropriate.
When it comes to the Fed, we have absolutely zero control. We can't fire them or vote them out. We work for our money, risk our capital on investments, pay our taxes, and yet are still beholden to a small group of people that can impair our personal wealth in the name of a greater good.
Some people like this. They believe the government should control the wealth of the country, pulling different levers to promote growth, inflation, or whatever else they think could be beneficial to the nation as a whole.
This implies that government officials know better than individuals how to use their funds, and that, if we would simply give the centralized government more control, they could solve our economic problems.
I don't think many of these people are from Texas.
In keeping with their independent nature, Texans prefer a small government and localized control, allowing people to keep as much of what they earn as possible, making their own decisions about their wealth.
I think I've heard that before. It sounds a lot like the arguments made by another group who fought for their independence and drew up a document in Philadelphia to that end.
I hope the Texas Bullion Depository succeeds. In addition to being a great example of Texas, I think it's a fine example of being American.
Follow me on Twitter @RJHSDent
Rodney works closely with Harry to study the purchasing power of people as they move through predictable stages of life, how that purchasing power drives our economy and how readers can use this information to invest successfully in the markets. Each month Rodney Johnson works with Harry Dent to uncover the next profitable investment based on demographic and cyclical trends in their flagship newsletter Boom & Bust. Rodney began his career in financial services on Wall Street in the 1980s with Thomson McKinnon and then Prudential Securities. He started working on projects with Harry in the mid-1990s. Along with Boom & Bust, Rodney is also the executive editor of our new service, Fortune Hunter and our Dent Cornerstone Portfolio.
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Q: Solving the following system of differential equations How do I solve the following system of differential equations

*

*$x' = a_{1}x+b_{1}y+c_{1}z$;

*$y' = a_{2}x+b_{2}y+c_{2}z$;

*$z' = a_{3}x+b_{3}y+c_{3}z$.

Do I need any specific conditions here?
First, I guess a solution, $x(t) = Ae^{rt}$, $y(t) = Be^{rt}$, and $z(t) = Ce^{rt}$.
Then substitute the solution in the system of DEs:

*

*$rAe^{rt} = a_{1}Ae^{rt}+b_{1}Be^{rt}+c_{1}Ce^{rt}$;

*$rBe^{rt} = a_{2}Ae^{rt}+b_{2}Be^{rt}+c_{2}Ce^{rt}$;

*$rCe^{rt} = a_{3}Ae^{rt}+b_{3}Be^{rt}+c_{3}Ce^{rt}$.

Then the put the system of equations in a matrix:
$$\begin{bmatrix}
a_{1}-r &b_{1}  &c_{1} \\ a_{2}&b_{2}-1  &c_{2} \\ a_{3}&b_{3}  &c_{3}-r
\end{bmatrix}
\begin{bmatrix}
A\\
B\\
C
\end{bmatrix}
=
\begin{bmatrix}
0\\
0\\
0
\end{bmatrix}$$.
The determinant of the 3X3 matrix yields the characteristic equation and after skipping some steps, we get:
$$r^{3} - (a_{1}+b_{2}+c_{3})r^{2} - (-a_{1}b_{2}-a_{1}c_{3}-b_{2}c_{3}+b_{3}c_{2}+a_{3}c_{1}+a_{2}b_{1})r-a_{1}b_{2}c_{3}+a_{1}b_{3}c_{2}+a_{3}b_{2}c_{1}+a_{2}b_{1}c_{3}-a_{3}b_{1}c_{2}-a_{2}c_{1}b_{3} = 0.$$
Now, where do I go from here, or is there a simpler way of doing the problem?
EDIT: Tried doing with the eigenvalues and eigenvalues but get the same thing and can't solve for the eigenvalues.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Having a freshwater aquarium is a wonderful way to bring nature into your home. Setting up a new aquarium is easier than it looks at first glance. The scope of gadgets and accessories on the shelves in pet stores is intimidating, but all you really need are the basics to get started. You'll be watching fish swim gracefully by in your new freshwater aquarium in no time.
Choose a fish tank. A little forethought can go a long way towards keeping your fish healthy and your aquarium fun to maintain. Do a little research on what kind of fish you want, (described in further detail later in this article) and then select a tank that will accommodate them. The tank you choose needs to be large enough to hold enough water for the type and number of fish you plan to have. Different fish need different amounts of room and produce different amounts of waste. In general, the larger the fish are, the more waste they make and the more water is needed. Keep in mind that live plants and other decorations will also take up space.
There exist various calculators to help you decide what fish are safe to keep based on tank size, compatibility, and needs. The one-inch per gallon rule you may have heard is a rule of thumb that scales quite poorly to smaller or larger tanks. You would never keep two five-inch fish in a 10 gallon (37.9 L) aquarium!
A 55 gallon (208.2 L) tank is a standard size that will allow you to have a variety of fish. As a beginner, you probably don't want to go larger than this just yet.
You could also go with a 20 or 25 gallon (75.7 or 94.6 L) tank for a starter tank and keep just a few hardy fish (Mollies, guppies, platys, tetra, small cory cats and no cichlids) to see if you like the hobby.
It is not recommended to start out with anything less than 10 gallons (37.9 L) - meaning no "Desktop" aquariums or the small, single Betta holders. As tempting as it is, it is actually harder to maintain good water quality in a small tank.
Get an aquarium stand. Aquariums that hold 20 gallons (75.7 L) or more will need a stand no matter what. The only exception is if they are on a heavy, well-anchored counter. Buy one that is designed for the dimensions and shape of your tank. Don't underestimate the weight of a full fish tank! Make sure the stand is either rated for the size of your tank or that it has been custom built to be very sturdy. It is vital to the integrity of the tank it will hold that it be sturdy enough to hold the tank's weight. In addition, it is not safe to have an edge of the tank sticking out over the side.
Furniture like dressers, TV stands, end tables/buffets, or flimsy wooden desks aren't strong enough.
Look for complete tank kits at those big box pet stores. Used setups from websites like Craigslist are often available for great prices, but be sure to check for leaks and clean very well before use.
If you don't buy a complete setup, make sure the equipment you choose is rated for the size of your tank.
Too much sunlight will cause excessive algae growth and a maintenance nightmare. An interior wall, away from bright light, is best.
Try to stay away from putting the tank under a vent - dust will blow out and drop into the fish tank. It will also be harder to maintain a consistent water temperature, something that is important for all fish but vital for some.
It is also important to consider the ability of the floor to support the weight of the fully loaded aquarium. Make sure that there is adequate structural support under the floor. If necessary find your home's blueprints and look for crossbeams.
Choose a location near an outlet, and keep in mind how far you will have to haul water for weekly tank maintenance! No cords should be straining to get to the outlet either. In fact, it's a good idea all around to get a surge protector power strip (which you'll love when the power snaps back on after an outage) and go from there.
Set up your tank stand ideally on a wooden floor, not a rug or carpet.
Decide which filtration system you would like to use. The most common and easiest are either under-gravel filters or power filters (recommended for first-time owners over under-gravel filters) that hang on the back of the tank. Don't get caught up in technology. Penguin and Whisper power filters provide both mechanical and biological filtration and are easy to clean and use. Only use Top Fin if you know your way around filters (get a Whisper if you get the excellent Top Fin starter kit).
If you choose an under-gravel filter, make sure that the air pump or powerhead you buy with it is strong enough for the size of the tank. In this case, bigger is better. Note that if you don't regularly vacuum the gravel it will eventually clog the under-gravel filter and turn it into a killing zone. Keep in mind that you can't use an under-gravel filter if you plan on having sand or other fine substrates.
For under-gravel filters put the filter plate in, and make sure the lift tubes are fitted. (If you have a submersible powerhead, you only need one; with a traditional air pump, two are best for most tanks under 40 gals, one at each end.) Do not turn it on until the tank is filled completely with water. Attach your pump airlines or powerhead into the appropriate lift tube(s) now, if you've got an under-gravel filter. Don't turn it on.
If you've chosen an external power filter, set it up on the back of the tank in a position where the outflow will evenly distribute the water. Some tank hoods come with pre-perforated cut-outs which make it easier to position your equipment. Do not turn it on until the tank is filled completely with water.
Fill the bottom with gravel. Having about 2 to 3 inches (5.1 to 7.6 cm) of gravel on the bottom is essential to a healthy aquarium and helps fish keep their orientation in the water. Cheap gravel (lots of color choices) can be purchased from pet stores dealing in aquarium products.
Sand is optimal for fish and invertebrates that like to burrow but it needs to be stirred on a regular basis to prevent dead spots that can wreak havoc on your tank or ruin a filter. Beginners are better off using gravel.
If you are interested in a planted tank, make sure to get an appropriate substrate. Good ones include Amazonia and Azoo substrates.
Rinse the substrate in clean water before adding it to the aquarium. The less dust in the water, the faster it'll clear when the filter is started up. This step is especially crucial if you're using sand instead of gravel but remains important for all setups.
Wash gravel through and through. Make sure to use no soap - it is very harmful to fish and will kill them.
Slope the substrate slightly upward toward the back of the aquarium.
If you have an under-gravel filter spread the rinsed gravel in an even layer across the surface of the filter. (Pour in a bit at a time - to allow it to settle the way you want but also because it will scratch the tank walls if you pour it in too fast).
Put a plate on top of the substrate so it doesn't disperse when you add water.
Set up chosen plants and decorations. Make sure you arrange them how you like at this point because once the water and fish are in the tank, you'll want to have as little stress as possible––and that means no hands in the tank.
Plants are functional decorations; it is difficult to make a mechanical filter control a plankton bloom, but live plants make it easy. For some fish, plants actually help them stay healthy. However, live plants get gobbled up quickly by some types of hobby fish such as goldfish. Aside from plants, you can add driftwood or other decorations specifically designed for freshwater aquariums. Don't put random objects in the tank.
Choose the plants you need according to what type of fish you're getting. Submerge the roots in the gravel, but not the stems or leaves.
Certain plants need to be fastened to something, so get some fishing line (will not hurt the plant or fish) and tie the plant to a decoration or an appropriately cleaned piece of driftwood or rock.
Look for leaks. Fill the tank with about two inches of water, then wait for a half an hour. If there are any leaks, it's better they show up now, rather than when you have filled the entire thing. If you don't see leaks, fill up the tank about 1/3 full.
Do this somewhere where you won't mind water if it does leak. Have sealant on hand so that you can dry the tank and start fixing it.
Fill the tank the rest of the way. Once you are sure that all the decorations are just the way you want, fill the tank up to just under the rim of the tank, leaving a gap of 1 inch (2.5 cm).
Start the filter. Fill the reservoir of the filter with water, and plug it in! Water should smoothly (and quietly) circulate after a couple of minutes. Plug in the powerhead/pump if you have an under-gravel filter. Water should start moving vertically in the lift tube(s).
Wait for an hour or two and check that the temperature is still in the safe range, that there are no leaks, and that the water is circulating properly.
Install your heater on the inside of the tank. It will attach with suction cups. Try to position it near or at the mouth of the filter expelling water. This way the water will be evenly heated. Most of the thermostats on new heaters now come pre-set at an acceptable temperature range of 70-77 degrees Fahrenheit (21-25 degrees Celsius). Plug in the heater and install your thermometer. Do not turn it on until the tank is filled completely with water.
The fully-submersible heaters are the easiest to use. Look for one with an adjustable thermostat, since different fish prefer different temperatures. A good rule of thumb is 3-5 watts of heat per gallon of water. Most fish like it between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Basically, keep it between 78-82 degrees F. or 28-32 degrees C in a community tank.
Some lights (sometimes included in starter kits) put out so much heat that the water temperature will be drastically altered. When it is turned off, the temp. falls drastically as well. Not good for fish. If this happens, simply go to the hardware store and get the kind that doesn't give off such extreme heat.
Remember to turn on the heater only after water is added to the tank.
Give the heater time to adjust the temperature before cycling the tank.
Add water dechlorinator. Tap water contains chlorine and other chemicals that will kill fish, so it's necessary to add a neutralizer unless you use distilled water off the bat. Add the dechlorinator according to the instructions on the bottle. This is also the time to add a starting dose of SafeStart or another bacterial catalyst which will speed up the growth of good bacteria.
Make sure to follow the instructions on the bottle closely. The activated carbon of your filter may need to be removed while the chemical circulates, otherwise, the filter may remove it before it has a chance to detoxify the water.
Cycle your tank, preferably for at least a few weeks. For instructions on the fishless cycle (the most humane way to grow the beneficial bacteria all tanks need) see Do a Fishless Cycle. The cycle must be completed before you add any fish to the tank, or they will die. During the cycle, you need to monitor the water parameters (pH, High pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate). When the numbers for Am., Nitrite, and then Nitrate spike and lower to 0, you have completed your initial Nitrogen Cycle and are in the clear to add fish. (To help move Ammonia and Nitrites along, you may have to use Ammonia Remover. The only way to reduce the Nitrates is to do water changes and physically remove the bad chemicals).
Remember to continue doing water tests, especially with a new tank. You may need to do daily 15% water changes to keep your fish tank clean, depending on the nitrate levels. Adding live plants will reduce the number of nitrates as well.
Choose fish. Discuss what type of freshwater, tropical fish you want to have with the salesperson.They should give you tips on which types can and can't get along, and so forth. Look for a locally-owned fish store in the area, since they tend to provide the most accurate information and high-quality fish. Quality pet stores usually have compatibility charts for freshwater and saltwater fish.
Although you may see two types of fish you really like, they may not be compatible. The result of bringing them both home would be harassed colorless fish (they lose color when stressed), and eventually the fish that is not the alpha bully will simply die. Why spend the money, right?
Often, fish stores will have stickers that indicate whether the fish are "community" fish (highly recommended as they get along with other community fish), "semi-aggressive" or "aggressive". You may mix community fish together, but not a community with semi-aggressive.
If this is your first tank, do not get fish that are only recommended for intermediate or experienced aquarium owners. Like owning a dog, there is a reason they are not for beginners.
Be aware of the size of the adult fish (not the baby you're getting) and do not get a fish you won't be able to handle down the line. The same goes for freshwater sharks, crabs (who, by the way, try to escape all the time), Cichlids, and animals that bury themselves. It's not fair to the fish.
Guppies, platies, swordtails, or mollies are good starter fish. But it all depends on your tank size. If your tank size is 5–10 gallons (18.9–37.9 L), you might get 3-4 African dwarf frogs, or a betta, or possibly a betta and some shrimp. Do lots of research before adding any fish to your tank.Do not only use the 1 inch (2.5 cm) of fish per gallon rule.
Don't buy all of your fish at once. Know all the fish you hope to eventually have in your fish tank and buy two of the smallest (this goes for all types except for schooling fish, which should be bought in groups of 4 (ideally 6+). You can introduce a new group of fish every 2 weeks. Add the largest fish last.
Transport the fish home safely. The salesperson will have filled a plastic clear bag with water, then fish, then blow it up with oxygen. When you get to the car, rest the bag in a place where it won't roll around or have something fall on it. Go straight home. The fish can only survive on the water and oxygen they've been given for maybe 2 1/2 hours. For trips longer than that, different packing procedures should be taken.
After the pet store worker catches your fish, bring the fish home and set the bag in your tank. Let it sit there for about 20 or 30 minutes. Then open the bag and let some of the water from the tank in. Be sure to not let any water from the bag into the tank! Let it sit for another 20 or 30 minutes. Gently net the fish out and pour all the pet store's water in the sink. Or pour the fish into the net over a bucket and then release into tank. Discard store water.
The reason you do not want to add pet store water into your tank is that the store water may contain unwanted contaminants like parasites, fungus, or freshwater snails. Pet stores that cycle their fish rapidly often treat their water regularly for diseases, but in a home tank you will not have the same tools available and an infection or infestation can wreak havoc on your tank's ecosystem.
Introduce the fish to your aquarium. Start with two or three fish the first ten days, then get two or three more, wait another ten days, etc. If you put too many fish at once into a new tank, the water will not be able to adequately cycle, and will quickly turn toxic. Patience is the key for the first six to eight weeks. That said, a big mistake people make is to buy schooling fish but only get 1 or 2 of them. This is stressful and cruel for the fish. A school means that a group of 5 is the minimum. A great book for stocking suggestions is "The simple guide to freshwater aquariums by David E Boruchowitz".
How long must water sit before I can add fish?
Two weeks is recommended, but if you treat with dechlorinators, and your nitrate/nitrite levels spike and balance, it may be shorter.
Why do people want to imprison the fish instead of letting it enjoy its life?
When cared for properly, aquarium fish can live full and fulfilling lives. Fish in captivity benefit from routine feedings, clean environments, medical care, and safety from predators. Without the constant stress caused by fear of predation, parasites, lack of food, and harsh weather, captive animals frequently live longer than their wild counterparts. Fish are no exception. Furthermore, many ornamental fish have become domesticated, leaving them unable to survive in the wild. Therefore, an aquarium is not a prison for a pet fish, but rather a safer facsimile of their native environment. In a well-maintained tank, you can see fish freely engaging in a wide range of natural behaviors with little stress.
Is an external filter recommended for a freshwater aquarium?
Filters come in a huge range of shapes and sizes, and this will normally come down to a case-by-case basis. However, typically external filters are larger than internal filters of the same litre capacity. While there is a limit to the bigger is better in aquariums (a tank can only sustain a certain amount of bacteria with the waste fish produce), internal filters tend to be so small you are more prone to having problems with ammonia, due to an inadequate amount of bio-media.
Can I keep two one year old Oscars in a 60 litre tank?
Oscars are very large fish, two fully grown Oscars will outgrow even a 200 litre tank (a 4 foot aquarium). Sixty litres of water would be too small for these Oscars. Ideally you should buy a tank that is the right size for your fully grown fish, it works out cheaper in the long run as you don't need to buy multiple tanks as you upsize, and it is kinder to the fish (less stress from changing from tank to tank, they are never in a tank that becomes small for them, and while they are younger they'll love the extra space). Oscars are fantastic fish, but if you plan on looking after them, you should defiantly put in a good amount of research before setting up for them.
Which types of food are best for adult fish?
When you buy your fish, the associate will give you care directions like which foods your fish prefers. Most freshwater fish can eat dry or frozen foods labeled for freshwater fish. Some are planteaters and some are carnivores (usually aggressive and semi aggressive). Most community fish are omnivores. Don't give your freshwater fish "marine" frozen foods because they may contain saltwater. baby fish need special food because their mouths are so tiny, but adult fish can eat most anything.
Is it okay to put the water in my tank a week or so before adding the Safestart and fish?
Yes, of course! Letting the water stand allows chlorine to evaporate. It's recommended to treat the water and cycle your tank for a couple more weeks before adding fish. You can do a water test for pH and nitrites/nitrates to see if it's ready for fish.
I have a 40 gallon tank in the process of cycling. I'm thinking of a school of cardinal tetras and glo danios), 10 of each. Will I stress them out since both will be on the same level of the tank?
Add them gradually, say two a week to let the water quality adjust to the population. Some surface fish spend time in the middle and bottom. Danios are going to be mostly at the top for sure. Tetras might enjoy the rest of your tank. I think you can do it in a 40 gallon. Watch them for signs of stress (faded colors, rapid breathing, clear stool). Sounds like a fun bunch!
Should I treat the water with both a dechlorinator AND a conditioner? The pet store recommended both, but I am worried about putting too many chemicals in and hurting the fish.
Yes, both treatments are necessary to remove chemicals that might harm the fish, such as chlorine, chloramine, ammonia, and nitrates.
Do I need an air pump?
An air pump is not required, but it may be helpful for a number of reasons. There is a gas exchange that refreshes oxygen in the tank without the need for a pump, but for heavily stocked tanks, having an air pump can help. Another area where an air pump can be helpful is with cold water fish in warm weather. Warmer water has two main effects: warmer water holds less oxygen, and the metabolism of fish increases in warmer water, resulting in higher oxygen consumption. Adding an air pump can ensure that this does not result in problems.
We have a new tank and water treated with water conditioner bacteria supplement. The water is cloudy, it has been one week and no fish yet. What is wrong with the water?
There could be several things going on, ranging from an algal bloom to contaminated water. Perform partial water changes every day without adding more bacteria and see if that clears up the problem. Make sure that the bacterial supplement is not expired. Testing the water chemistry frequently might help you to figure out what's wrong, but be wary of adding more chemicals to a tank like this, as it may exacerbate the problem. When there are no fish, it's safe to just start over completely. Also, check to make sure the water is the proper temperature; if it's too cold, it could be facilitating fungal growth.
Over time, beneficial bacteria build up on the surfaces within the tank that help to process ammonia and nitrite. Adding a large number of fish at once can overwhelm these bacteria, taxing your filter heavily. A lightly stocked tank will generally "cycle" in 30-45 days, meaning the bacteria will become well established and can "keep up" with the fish wastes. Adding more fish does not expedite this process.
Make sure you don't buy a half dead fish. You can tell it's healthy if the fish swims swiftly.
5 gallons (18.9 L) of water weighs almost 42 lbs. This should help you decide whether or not you have something that the tank will safely sit on. Anything over 15 gallons (56.8 L). will almost certainly need a special stand, commonly sold at pet/fish stores.
Buying an inexpensive check valve for your airline tubing can save you having to buy a new pump in the event of a power outage.
If you're having a hard time keeping the tank clear, consider using live plants. They keep the tank from getting murky and look nice. Just make sure that you buy them from a pet store so that they won't harm the fish.
Research the conditions of your municipal water. There are different kind of fish suited to live in "hard" or "soft" water, and fish living in the correct water conditions will live longer and be more healthy. Unless you are willing to treat all the water going into the tank (can be expensive and/or time consuming), choosing a setup adapted for your local water can make your life easier.
If using an undergravel filter, consider getting a single submersible powerhead instead of an air pump - they're much quieter, and more efficient. Use the same guidelines for the power filters to select the right size.
UGFs(under gravel filters) are becoming less and less popular for several reasons: they don't perform as well as a HOB(hang on back)/power filter, they can be noisy, and they require more maintenance.
If you choose an under gravel filter, the gravel will need to be vacuumed occasionally to remove built up organic material. Failure to do this thoroughly can result in high ammonia or nitrite levels and fish death.
Avoid putting a fish tank where another pet can reach it. They could possibly kill your fish.
Getting a fish tank can be super stressful if it's not "hooked" up right. Never let your tank be to close to sun because the sun rays can cause a huge algae growth and your fish can get very sick from that. The worst thing to see is dead fish right after you get them. Before you blame the pet store, make sure you followed all the basic rules of using aquariums because it could be your own doing.
If you have a choice of light bulb in the light fixture, go with fluorescent: it shows off fish colors better, and generates less heat.
Not all air pumps are created equal - the box may say "quiet" or "silent", but always ask to test one in the store before you buy it.
Always research the needs of any living thing (fish, plant, or invertebrate) going into your tank. Make sure they are compatible with what you already have and that you can meet their maintenance needs. It is best to get your information from many sources; don't automatically trust what the store employee tells you.
Get a pet store worker to help you. Make sure you ask someone who looks like they have lots of fish experience, or ask at the front desk for a fish expert. If you get someone who doesn't seem they know what they're doing, don't be afraid to ask for someone else.
When choosing fish, you can look in large pet stores or check out a "family" store like Brook's Farm & Feed. Look up some "family" pet stores in your area and decide.
If your power filter makes a rattling noise, try wiggling the intake tube - air gets trapped sometimes and makes a racket.
Don't leave a light on all night; fish need sleep. They need a period of darkness for this, because they don't have eyelids to close. If you don't have any live plants in your tank, only turn on the light when you are home to view the fish. Fish do not need 14 hours of noonday sun, and the additional light only encourages algae.
Don't just put tap water in the tank and plop the fish in, chances are that they will die in a couple minutes.
Do not tap on the glass. The fish will become scared/irritated.
Under no circumstance should you buy fish by how cute they are. That cute little fish might be the terror of the seas (or lakes) when it gets bigger, or you may not be able to take care of it properly.
Avoid using a spray bottle or ammonia to clean tank sides.
Resist the urge to buy a lot of fish as soon as you set up your tank! The conditions in a fledgling tank can fluctuate a great deal, which can be lethal to fish.
If using a bit of aquarium salt in a freshwater tank, make sure to add aquarium salt and not marine salt or salt for human consumption.
Try to avoid lifting an empty tank by its rim - the rim may break or come off, which will compromise the structural integrity of the tank. Large tanks often demand a compression pad beneath. Also, do NOT lift an aquarium with wet hands.
Don't put the tank in or close to a window - this will cause the water to overheat, and also encourage algae to grow. This is not a problem for a fishless tank.
Compare the rate of staff turnover at the stores available in malls with stores where you can actually get to know the owners. As that rate descends, the quality of information from your staff ascends. Pond keepers usually maintain glass enclosures, too.
Ammonia, nitrate, and phosphate build-up in a tank should tell you to change your water and plant your tank. pH (alkalinity) testing is almost compulsory. Bring in a water sample when you go to the pet store.
Remember, they say feeding your fish molasses makes a good treat, but don't feed your fish it too much.
Consider breeding feeders and danios before you buy carnivores like cichlids, sharks or oscars.
Real sea shells that you found on the beach could be toxic to your fish - remember this a freshwater tank. Avoid buying fish if they have any sores, blemishes or other defects. Plenty of fish are in the sea, and prognoses. You are probably not a veterinarian.
Some models of heater will become dangerous when they are dry and on. Sometimes, mechanical safeties fail.
Don't always listen to a pet store employee, sometimes they are knowledgeable (get to know your pet store employees!), but most times they give advice based on loose facts. Research and research again to fact-check anything.
To set up a freshwater aquarium, choose a tank, aquarium stand, and filtration system based on the number and size of fish you want. Once you have your equipment, fill the bottom of the tank with gravel and add plants and decorations before filling the tank with water and installing the filter. Then, place a heater in your tank to keep the water between 70-77 degrees Fahrenheit and add a water dechlorinator to get rid of harmful chemicals. Make sure to cycle your tank for a few weeks before introducing fish. For tips on introducing fish to their new tank, read on!
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text:
Parkop issues challenge to Youth Minister
Despite government efforts to ensure unfortunate students are given other opportunities to get educated, there is still the problem of finding a job.
BY LYNETTE KIL
National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop said not much has been done at the national level to improve the future of youths that make up 75 per cent of the population.
He was responding to questions posed by the Post -Courier during a conference on the importance of youth for this week's World Youth International Day celebration yesterday at NCDC's City Hall.
Mr Parkop said as the governor responsible for the people in the city, he has done his part with the NCDC team to help youths look forward to a positive life when they are not able to enter university and colleges.
"Every year we have more than 80,000 students coming out of secondary schools but only 20,000 students secure spaces at universities and colleges, while the rest are left out.
"The youths have potential, skills that we have to recognise and harness and not to see them as problems, but as opportunities," he said.
Mr Parkop said to make this happen, he has set up the NCDC Youth Advisory Committee this year to work with other youth based organsiations to help the youths.
For the city alone under the leadership of Governor Parkop, the NCDC has come up with a lot of programs which include TVET, urban youth development, active city program and sports.
"Here in the capital, we are making a strong commitment to hearing the voice, harnessing the talent and the energy of our young people and bringing our young people into the main stream so they join the main stream journey to secure a better future for everyone," he said.
"However, there is a big problem and crisis when it comes to seeking jobs after completing the training programs.
"We got different types of intervention mechanisms to try to reach out and to keep our young people thinking positive.
"But I don't see that coming at the national level. They need to wake up, they need to come up with real programs and start to implement."
Governor Parkop is calling on the Minister Youth and Community Development to come up with better plans to improve the future of youths and to also implement plans to have a provincial youth commission set up .
Mr Parkop said he also want to see the military cadet scheme be implemented again which has been neglected for a long time.
Health centre is now open
Moresby South electorate will now be able to receive medical treatment in a new health centre that is soon to be opened
MP: TVET, school subsidy program will continue
I'm pleased to say over the last eight years Moresby South has educated over 8000 Papua New Guineans in the district
Hope Cup a 'great success'
The 'Cup of Hope for Southern Highlands' was a great success with the support of the public in Mendi, Southern Highlands province.


A Windsor Service Wash is where we do all of the work - for a small additional charge on top of what it might cost you to do your laundry in the coin operated machines, we can do it for you - whether you want items just washed, washed and dried or wash, dry and iron - we can do this for you. Get your garments back clean and fresh and with a friendly personal service.
Our service wash service will mean that you have more time to do your daily chores and you can pick up your washing at a convenient time to suit you. This time can be given to you when you drop it off. In a hurry? no problem - let us know when you need your laundry and we will aim to get it done to suit you. Washing will be placed back in your bag or we can supply a laundry bag to you at minimal cost (included in the price of a service wash). Our machines are built to run and run so if you do ever come across a problem please let us know. Staff are on hand all day, every day to assist you with operating the laundry machines. We also have free off-road parking on site especially for customers of Wash Windsor Laundrette. Worth a trip out to see us if you also need to do some food shopping as Tesco is opposite us.
Our committment is to provide a quality and friendly service to the local community - come and ask for a quote if you are unsure how much a service wash might cost.


How Often Do Your Perform Gadget Maintenance?
Everyone knows that an automobile needs regular maintenance. If you want your car to get you from point A to point B, you have to change the oil, rotate the tires and replace the air filter. But do you give the same level of care to your laptop? In reality, our high-tech gadgets have become such a predominant part of our lives, we take them for granted. Set your own maintenance schedule to keep your devices in perfect working order. Take the time to perform some basic upkeep every month. Here are four to-do's that need to be on your device maintenance checklist.
It used to take hours to perform a basic hard drive scan on your laptop or desktop, and even if the scan found a problem it could be difficult to tell if it had been fixed without consulting a tech specialist. Modern laptops make regular scans much easier. They take far less time and come equipped with an easy-to-understand diagnostics tool that is tailored specifically to your system's architecture. You can also schedule the scans to occur once a month during the middle of the night so you won't have to cut into your productivity to keep your hard drive bug-free.
If your laptop is your primary work device then you most likely save, create or download new documents on a daily basis. It can be easy to let these new files stack up, but things can quickly get out of control if you don't stop to organize and rename your important work every once in awhile. Take the time to develop a naming system and file structure that makes it easy to sort and search your work. Keep a file on your desktop called "Unsorted" and add all of your new stuff here. Once a month, pour yourself a strong cup of coffee and empty this folder. It's a good chance to put fresh eyes on your documents and multimedia files while giving them their appropriate space.
Laptops, tablets and smartphones are defined by their portability, and portability means greater susceptibility to dirt, dust and weather. Once a month, take some canned air and clean out all of the ports on your device. This can prevent moisture buildup and keep dust at bay, which causes hardware to run hotter than necessary. Avoid using water to clean your devices. You want to use an alcohol-based cleaner for screens and cases because it evaporates quickly and won't causing rusting or electrical interference.
If you truly care about the contents of your laptop or smartphone then you need to keep an extra copy offsite. Once a month, after you organize your files, take the time to back up to a cloud service. Google Drive and Dropbox both offer affordable options for backing up documents, photos and videos. Dropbox will even monitor your local hard drive to ensure that it's always backed up. The best part about backing up your work on the cloud is that it gives you access between different devices, so you can edit photos or update spreadsheets from wherever you are.


text:
Panel 3/9: Frameworks/Paradigms between IR & Islam: Classical Treaties, International Law, Shari'ah, and Internationalization of Human Society
8th Pan – European Conference on International Relations
Theme: One International Relations or Many? Multiple Worlds, Multiple Crises
Wednesday 18 – Saturday 21 September 2013
Organised by the ECPR Standing Group on International Relations and EISA in cooperation with the Institute of International Relations, University of Warsaw and the Polish Association for International Studies.
This panel indicates and explains frameworks and/or paradigms between International Relations and Islam.
Chair:Prof. Dr. Turan Kayaoglu (Associate Professor of International Relations, Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington, Tacoma)
Discussant:Prof. Dr. Maurits S. Berger, LLM is the Professor of Islam in the contemporary West and the Sultan of Oman Chair for Oriental Studies of the Institute for Religious Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University. He is also a Senior Research Associate at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations 'Clingendael'.
Paper Presenters:
Treaties as an Important Source of International Relations in Islam: Approaching some Treaties of Classical and Pre-Modern Era in Contemporary Context
Tauseef Ahmad Parray is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Islamic Studies, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Aligarh, India, and Sadia Jabeen is a PhD Research Scholar, University of Peshawar, Pakistan.
Treaties are an important source of Islamic International Law. From the classical period to the pre-modern times, there have been treaties, pacts and alliances between Muslims and non-Muslims that have proved to be very helpful as far as International relations in Islam are concerned. In this direction, in this paper, five (5) treaties, both of classical as well as of modern era, will be assessed and evaluated from the contemporary perspective. These four treaties are: i) Constitution of Medina, ii) Treaty of Hudaybiyyah (March 628/6 AH), iii) Treaty of Umar, iv) Treaty of 1535 between Sultan Mehmet and Frances of France, and v) Ottoman treaty with Russia in 1739. These treaties can act as "models" in the present times as well to establish friendly relations with non-Muslims countries and nation-states in various fields, socio-economic, scientific and technological, and other relations.
Types of Treaties in Islamic International Law: A Comparative Analysis with Public International Law
Prof. Muhammad Zia Ul Haq (International Islamic University,Islamabad, Pakistan)
Historically, Muslim societies have always been keen to interact with other nations and civilizations for the settlement of disputes. For this purpose, they used international negotiations as a tool. In the early period of Islam, as a result of international negotiations, Muslims successfully entered into many international treaties, agreements, and charters. These agreements and charters, which were completed during the period of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and early Caliphs, later on became not only historical documents, describing a formative period of Islamic civilization, but also became sources of Islamic International Law. These agreements also contributed directly or indirectly to the development of modern international law. The legitimacy of international treaties is proved from Quran and Sunnah, and Quran has clearly instructed the Muslims, not only to respond positively when called for peaceful treaties, but also instructed them to fulfill their commitments. The same has been expressed in the Sunnah of Holy Prophet (PBUH), who himself concluded many international treaties, charters, and agreements. Muslims jurists have divided international treaties and agreements in various categories, such as, agreements of friendship, peace treaties, trade treaties, treaties for protection, and forced treaties. In Islamic Law, treaties must be conducted by the authorized personality, it should be for the protection of the interests of Muslims, it should not be a void treaty, and periods of treaties should also be fixed. Along with types and conditions of international treaties, Muslim jurists have also provided detailed rulings of Shariah regarding compliance with international treaties. They have also spoken of ways and mechanisms for termination of treaties. The possibilities of permanent international peace treaties were also deliberated upon by Muslim jurists. The types of agreements, its conditions, authority for conducting international agreements, and termination of international agreements in international law, are not too dissimilar to Islamic International Law. However, rulings of Shariah regarding these issues were established centuries before the evolution of modern international law. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out, that Islamic International Legal thought has contributed directly or indirectly in the development of modern international law and the treatise of Muslim jurists that were developed and complied during 9th Century C.E., may have been used as sources of rules of international law on treaties by European scholars in the 16th Century.
The Impact of Islamic Treaties on the Development of the Doctrine of Liberty of Faith in Contemporary International Law
Rizwan Faiz Muhammad (International Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan)
The doctrine of liberty of faith has a central place in contemporary international law. Modern developments in this area of international law begun in the 19th century, and the doctrine was subsequently accepted as a part of customary international law, and incorporated in international law through various instruments, including the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and the European Convention on Human Rights. Contrary to certain perceptions regarding early Islamic interactions with people of other faiths, Islamic treaties, from the earliest days of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and the early Caliphs, as well as in later years, placed a significant amount of focus on liberty of faith, as a central theme in dealing with other nations, and people of other faiths. This stems from a fundamental principle set out in the Holy Quran, whereby there is be no compulsion in matters of faith. Islamic International Law has not treated this injunction as mere theological belief, but has incorporated this as a principle of dealing with people of different faiths. Islam came into contact, often hostile, with people of other faiths from its very inception. Despite the hostile nature of such contacts, Islamic treaty making, starting from the Misaq of Madina, the Treaty of Hudaibiya, and subsequent treaties after the conquest of Mecca, shows that liberty of faith has as a matter of policy and practice, was given paramount importance from the very beginning, thus setting a precedent for future development of Islamic International Law, and Shariah rulings on the subject. The present article aims to analyze a number of early Islamic treaties, including specifically the treaty with the People of Najran, Treaty with the People of Jerusalem, the Treaty of Lud, and select subsequent treaties by Muslim rulers, and related Shariah rulings by early scholars, from the perspective of the doctrine of liberty of faith, in order to understand the impact of Islamic International Law on the genesis and development of the doctrine of liberty of faith in modern international law.
Significance of Islamic (Shariah) Law in Contemporary International Relations
Tahira Ifraq (International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan)
Shariah Law has combined in itself, not only what law 'is' but also what law 'ought to be'. It is in short, the 'is' and the 'ought to' of law and thus positive as well as ideal and may aptly to be described as the Positive law in Ideal form. Islam considered life as an organic whole, all its parts to be governed by Islamic Law, hence the conception "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's,and render unto God the things that are God's" has no applicability to it. Islam is a universal religion so as is its law. Majid Khadduri has points out that the relevance of comparative studies of Islamic Law of War and Peace is inbuilt in the interpretation of Article of the Statute of the International Court of Justice, under which the Court applies "the general principles of law recognized by civilized nations." There is now so much interest in the debate over the question whether the international law of which Hugo Grotius is often called the father is so completely Western-European in inspiration and outlook as to make it unsuitable for universal application in these days of a much wider and more varied international community of states .The attention recently paid-both in scholarly writing and in international arbitral awards-to Asian, Middle Eastern, and Islamic precursors of the law of nations has revealed how widely certain concepts have influenced man's thought as problems concerning the interrelationships of various groups have been faced throughout history. Therefore it has to be understood that the various systems of international relations including Islamic has contemporary significance for the better International Relations and world peace. The is the purpose of this article which will focused on tracing the contemporary significance of Shariah Law in international relations.
Islam's Role in Internationalization of Human Society
Dr. Abdul Qaddus Suhaib (Bahauddin Zakariya University,Multan, Pakistan)
Islam's perspective, insofar relations with other societies and civilizations is concerned, has always been outward looking. From the early days of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), the Muslim State tried to establish friendly relations with neighboring, as well as distant states. Thus, even before the age of conquests, Muslims and Islam were rather well-known in even remote areas of the world at the time. Subsequently, the spread of Islam owes much to the travelers, traders and other individuals who ventured as far as China, and the heart of Africa, and their travels have been well-documented. Contemporary perspectives of Islam often consider it to be an inward looking religion where contact and interaction with other societies is shunned and discouraged. Although these perspectives are based on observations and analysis of recent practices, such practices are often the result of regional political and social phenomenon, and are restricted to certain areas within the Muslim world, and can be explained through various phenomenons which are not linked with the teachings of Islam. The current article aims to examine Islamic teachings and practices regarding interaction with other societies and civilizations, in order to examine Islam's role in internationalization of Human Society, and to study the role played by Muslim civilization in the development of other civilizations in adoption and adaptation, as well as its role as a bridge between different civilizations.
Posted on March 28, 2013 February 7, 2016 Author Nassef Manabilang AdiongCategories Posts
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Department of Justice Settles Gun Jumping Allegations Against Duke Energy
On January 18, the Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust suit alleging that Duke Energy Corporation (Duke Energy) violated the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act, while simultaneously entering into a settlement agreement with Duke Energy for $600,000 in civil penalties to resolve the allegations. The suit stemmed from 2014, when Duke Energy entered into both an acquisition agreement and tolling agreement for a power plant owned by Calpine Corporation (Calpine), the value of which exceeded the requisite filing threshold under the HSR Act. Despite filing the requisite notification for the asset acquisition, the DOJ alleged that through the terms of the tolling agreement, which went into effect immediately upon execution, Duke Energy had acquired beneficial ownership of the power plant from Calpine. The Complaint and agreed to Final Judgment serve as an important reminder for acquiring parties that until approval of a reportable asset acquisition is granted, or the HSR waiting period expires, ancillary agreements that confer beneficial ownership of an asset, even if common in a particular industry, violate the HSR Act.
Duke Energy's Alleged Conduct
In August 2014, Duke reached an agreement to purchase Osprey Energy Center (Osprey) from Calpine – a competing seller of wholesale electricity in Florida and nationally. In its complaint, the DOJ alleges that "at the same time that Duke agreed to purchase Osprey, Duke entered into a so-called 'tolling agreement' that immediately gave Duke control over Osprey's output and gave Duke the right to receive the day-to-day profits and losses from Osprey's business" while putting off the effective date of the transfer of the Osprey assets for two years. Accordingly, the DOJ alleges, "from the moment the tolling agreement went into effect, Osprey ceased to be an independent competitor" to Duke. The complaint points out that Duke's beneficial ownership of Osprey extended to, among other things, "assum[ing] control of purchasing all the fuel for the [Osprey] plant, arranging for delivery of that fuel, and arranging for transmission of all energy generated."
According to DOJ, Duke and Calpine entered into this tolling agreement as a means to "obtain expedited approval for the purchase of Osprey from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)." Specifically, the tolling agreement was designed to short-circuit FERC review of increased market concentration as a result of the transaction. With Osprey already under control of Duke through the tolling agreement, the complaint alleges, FERC would not find any incremental increase in market concentration.
Premature Transfer of Beneficial Ownership
The DOJ alleges that "the combination of Duke's agreement to purchase Osprey and the contemporaneously negotiated and interdependent tolling agreement transferred beneficial ownership of Osprey's business to Duke" prematurely, i.e., before Duke had received clearance pursuant to the HSR Act. Entering into the tolling agreement before filing the required HSR notifications and before the HSR waiting period expired, according to DOJ, defeated the purpose of the HSR Act by enabling Duke to direct Osprey's business to bring about the effects of the acquisition prior to the completion of DOJ's antitrust review.
This case demonstrates that the antitrust agencies will review carefully agreements which, while not necessarily themselves violative of the HSR Act, serve as the functional equivalent of an acquisition subject to the Act. As Acting Assistant Attorney General Renata Hesse explained: "The antitrust division remains vigilant against such 'gun-jumping' and takes action when parties to a reportable transaction stop competing independently before the review period has ended."
Britton D. Davis
Email: bdavis@crowell.com


New Castle County Police have arrested a 13-year-old boy for the April 16 shooting of a 15-year-old boy in the community of Edgemoor.
(Wilmington, Del. – 19809) Detectives with the Major Crimes Squad have arrested a 13-year-old Edgemoor resident for the shooting of a 15-year-old. Through the investigation, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for the 13-year-old on April 19 and contacted his family. The 13-year-old turned himself in to police yesterday (April 20).
The 15-year-old victim has been released from the hospital.
The 13-year-old was charged with first-degree assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a handgun by a juvenile and two counts of first-degree reckless endangering. He was arraigned and committed to the New Castle County Detention Center after failing to post $35,000 secured bail.


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Gencor
How Do Consumers Define Wellness? Natural Marketing Institute Dissects Many Facets of Health
The report covers market research on the many facets of overall wellness.
Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) recently published its 2022 Whole Living Consumer Database Report, which highlights consumer studies based on many facets of wellness, which encompasses much more than the absence of illness.
The report covers data gathered on consumers' overall physical, mental, and social wellbeing, not just the absence of health issues or medical conditions. The construct for the study is based on six dimensions of wellness – emotional, physical, technological, financial, environmental, and social health.
Financial health is defined as concern over one's financial future, which covers a broad spectrum of health issues. Social health is defined as an awareness of one's importance in society, and the impact they have on multiple connection points. Physical health encompasses both looking and feeling good. Technological health deals with how consumers use technology to understand their own health and how they can empower themselves to improve upon it. Environmental health covers an embrace of environmental responsibility and sustainability, making a connection between personal and ecological health. Lastly, emotional health involves the management of life in personally-rewarding ways and taking responsibility for one's actions.
"In essence, as consumers become more aware that their health is dependent on the health of all dimensions, they will be prepared for their lifelong journey in pursuit of satisfaction, happiness, and balance," Steve French, COO of Research America, said.
The survey reveals that while some aspects of consumers' lives appear to be on track, others are not balanced when it comes to the six dimensions studied. Some examples include that: almost half of all American consumers are very satisfied that their life is in a balanced state; only one in four consumers are satisfied with living an environmentally-friendly and sustainable lifestyle; and half of consumers are often confused by the changing information on what they are supposed to do to live a healthy lifestyle.
However, in the past decade, significantly more consumers have come to indicate a more satisfying life by having fewer material possessions, and today, almost three out of four consumers feel positive and hopeful about the future.
PepsiCo Provides $1.5 Million to Protect Water Basins in Southern California
IFIC Predicts Food Trends for 2022


100g Bulgarian Rose & White Amber fragrance Reed Diffuser. Glass circular container with silver effect lid, plastic travel stopper and 8 x 4mm reeds. Presented in black card packaging decorated with coral ribbon and bow.


The effects of macronutrients (NO3−, NH4+ and PO43−) on cell growth and triterpenoids production inCentella asiatica cell suspension cultures were analyzed using the Box-Behnken response surface model experimental design. In screening and optimization experiments, PO43− as a single factor significantly influenced cell growth where increasing the phosphate level from 0.1 to 2.4 or 2.6 mM, elevated cell growth from 3.9 to 14-16 g/L. The optimum values predicted from the response surface model are 5.05 mM NH4+, 15.0 mM NO3− and 2.6 mM PO43−, yielding 16.0 g/L cell dry weight with 99% fitness to the experimental data. While the NH4+-NO3− interaction influenced cell growth positively in the optimization experiment, NH4+ and NO3− as single factors; and interactions of NO3−-PO43−, NH4+-PO43− and NH4+-NO3− were all negative in the screening experiment. Cell growth and the final pH level were positively affected by PO43−, but negatively affected by NH4+ and NH4+-PO43− interactions. The different effects of factors and their interactions on cell growth and final pH are influenced by a broad or narrow range of macronutrient concentrations. The productions of triterpenoids however were lower than 4 mg/g cell dry weight.


If you are injured in an automobile accident while driving a borrowed car, you may be entitled to recover your personal injury damages under multiple automobile insurance policies. The personal injury lawyers of Maginnis Law, PLLC can help you identify those automobile policies and determine the amount of coverage provided by each.
In a typical loaned car case, there is potential to recover under at least three motor vehicle policies: (1) the at-fault driver's policy; (2) the policy on the borrowed vehicle; and (3) your personal automobile policy. To make a claim against your policy or the policy on the loaned vehicle, you must first recover the limits of liability coverage provided by the at-fault driver's policy.
After recovering the limits of the at-fault driver's policy, you may then be entitled to recover pursuant to the underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage (explained here) provided in your policy and the policy on the borrowed car. The amount of UIM coverage provided by your policy and the policy on the borrowed vehicle will depend upon the particular coverage limits provided in the other policies. For help understanding complicated insurance coverage questions, contact the car accident attorneys of Maginnis Law, PLLC. Our personal injury lawyers are experienced in handling questions involving North Carolina automobile insurance law.
Maginnis Law, PLLC can assist you through every step of the automobile accident personal injury claim process. Maginnis Law, PLLC offers free consultations for all personal injury cases in Raleigh, Apex, Cary, Clayton, Morrisville, Wake Forest, Durham, and the rest of the Triangle Area. You pay no attorneys' fees unless you recover for your injuries.
Maginnis Law, PLLC accepts car accident personal injury cases from Wake, Durham Alamance, and Orange Counties. You may contact the firm at 919.480.8526 to speak with a personal injury attorney or visit the firm's website at www.maginnislaw.com. You can submit a new case inquiry by visiting www.maginnislaw.com/contact.


The Martial Arts Gypsy Do yu know one?
My Version of the Count Dante Kata!!!
It's Martial movie madness time!
First Fight To Energy Drink Or not!!
How do you get rid of Cauliflower Ear?
Are knuckle dusters legitimate assets for streetfighting?


At Alden Air Conditioning & Heating Inc, we're still managed by the company's founder, Roger Pollard, and we continue to serve our loyal customers guided by his principles. Built from the ground up, we are proud to be a part of your community since 1968. Our Arlington HVAC experts are dedicated to providing personalized service. We take great pride in getting to know each and every one of our customers individually, working to create a lasting rapport so that our customers know they can come to us with any HVAC problems they may have.
Call Alden Air Conditioning & Heating Inc at (817) 369-3657 to schedule a high-quality heating or air conditioning service!
At Alden Air Conditioning & Heating Inc, we will never hire sub-contract labor, which is a cost-cutting business practice used by many companies. Our employees have been screened and undergo regular drug tests. We will always arrive in clean uniforms, driving clearly marked vehicles. When you choose our team to work on your home or office comfort system, you can rest assured that the technician who is sent to assist you is a highly trained expert who will be courteous, professional, and efficient.
When choosing a contractor, you should always select an established, licensed company. We follow all safety and efficiency standards as defined by the State of Texas as well as local building codes, and we carry a blanket insurance policy that protects your family's home. With free estimates and an excellent referral program, our team of Arlington HVAC specialists is dedicated to providing you with not only top-notch HVAC services but also the best customer service experience of your life.
Call our offices today at (817) 369-3657 to find out how we can help you!


BOOKS… and a $16 smoothie!?
I've been on a reading kick recently. Every weekend, I go to the public library or Chapters/Indigo (sometimes both!), where I spend up to four hours reading and reading. Someone please shoot me an email or comment if you've read (or want to read!) one of these books. I need someone to discuss 'em with ASAP!
Also, food is coming. I promise.
Dad got a new backdrop for the fish tank back home in BC, and my doggie Arnie had some fur shaved off so he could have his [fortunately benign] tumour removed.
I've been loving lentils recently. The Pulses Canada website has some phenomenal recipes. I want to try chickpea flour soon. Have you tried chickpea flour? What are your thoughts?
Scrambled spinach eggs with cheese and avocado toast are my go-to meal, no matter where in Ontario I am!
Super pink oatmeal (pureed raspberries stirred into the oats) to make a hearty Valentine's Day treat. Strawberry hearts and chocolate almond butter completed this tasty breakfast.
Gloria Cafe never disappoints. I love their tomato cheese toast and get it every time. That's an orange-ginger scone at the bottom! Devoured.
Strawberry-topped oats with sweet potato muffin and a drizzle of almond butter. Simple and tasty.
Almond butter toast, cinnamon, and yogurt with crunchy granola.
On Saturday I went to a rundown shack in the Kensington Market. Called the Latin American Emporium, this little place was full of Spanish-speaking locals.
I enjoyed a freshly-made pupusa with cabbage and a mildly spicy sauce, horchata (rice milk drink blended with sesame, cinnamon, vanilla, and cocoa powder) and a fried plantain with creamy cheese. It was my first time trying Salvadorian food, and I LOVED it, despite the plantain being a tad oily. This incredible, filling meal cost less than $5! Have you ever had horchata?
Some frozen, others devoured, others chopped up to enjoy throughout the week. It looks like a lot, and it actually was a lot… but a good a lot. You know what I mean?
And yes, I know I overdid it with the pictures.
I headed back to Millie Creamerie the other day for a crepe. This was the Japanese special, which had strawberries, matcha sauce (more matcha!), red bean paste, coconut gelato, all piled into a slightly-sweet, crispy crepe.
Seline painted this a few weeks ago. She is so talented! I wish I was as good as her when it comes to art. Can you believe that she freehanded this with oil paints?
Applied Health Sciences Fun Run pics! Why didn't I post these earlier? Good question, Cindy, good question. I have no idea why I just wrote that in third-person.
A meal at Famoso Pizzeria (yup in the Waterloo days) on December 31, a day before I left for Toronto! I miss personal pizzas. When am I gonna find a place in Toronto that does this?
Neat graphic of the muscles of the human body! Did you know that there are 680 skeletal muscles in the human body? Nevertheless, the exact number is difficult to define because different sources group muscles differently, e.g. regarding what is defined as different parts of a single muscle or as several muscles. Examples actually range from 640 to 850.
Guys… is it really already February 24?! Where on EARTH is the time going?
Anyways, pop me a message below about BOOKS! Tell me – do you like to read? What is your favourite recent read? I'm always craving a good book, and psychological thrillers are my favourite. I'm all about the paranormal-romance-suspense-mystery fusion (bonus points if it's got a powerful heroine à la Katniss Everdeen!).
Previous Post A Spoonful of Octopus: MIKU Review!
What a post!! So many ideas… Fun to read your booklist– I'm a library fan too!
Thank you Rhonda! What's your favourite genre?
Hi Cindy! I really like memoirs(real people's stories) and historical fiction. Read a lot of British writing… How about you?? I'm in a Lit group and we've been reading together for 30+ years– so that keeps me reading a wider variety. Hope you have a good stack of books on your nightstand!!
30+ years of reading – that's incredible! What exactly is a lit group? My sister wants to start one at her high school but isn't sure where to begin.
Great thoughts and pictures! Thanks for sharing!
The pictures of the food. Omg hungers max!!!
It's never a bad day for a bakery run! I could truly eat baked goodies (especially croissants!) all day long.
I have a recipe for the horchata I made a the link below if you're curious. Unfortunately, the picture links are expired and I just haven't made it again to take a more current picture. I may dig out and repost the pic if I get a chance.
OMG thank you x10000! Love!
Your pupusa looked INCREDIBLE, by the way. What a talent!
Have you ever read anythimg by Christine Feehan? i love all her series?
No, never! But Wikipedia-ed her and now I think I know who to read next! Thanks!
You are welcome. Let me know what you think.


■ Europe standard slot design we have purchased 5+18A+5 hollow tempered glass improve warm preservation performance and sound insulation effect.
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■ Europe standard slot design can use 5+27A+5 hollow tempered glass improve warm preservation performance and sound insulation effect.
■ We have purchased German Italian high-grade hardware accessories beautiful shape flexible operation.


As an NIH MD/PhD student, you have access to many unique resources at the world's largest biomedical research facility and largest clinical facility that is 100% dedicated to research.
NIH events and activities are not exclusively available to MD/PhD students who receive MSTP funding through the NIH MD/PhD Partnership Training Program. Any student at the NIH has access to these opportunities through the Clinical Research Center or the Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) Office.
Any student interested in dual-degree training to prepare for a career as a physician scientist is encouraged to take advantage of the many resources available at the NIH and partnering institutions.


Nordica Rosetta Maiolica: The Nordica Rosa Maiolica is an attractive compact size woodburning range cooker that is available in two different finishes - bordeaux red or cappucino.
The Rosetta Maiolica's fine features include: majolica finish tiles on front and sides with design, body plate and rings manufactured from cast-iron, the hob rings are removable; plus an enameled oven chrome fender and wood storage drawer. To provide adjustability there is a heat control damper and a warming compartment. For minimum cleaning there is air wash control (primary, secondary & tertiary) which keeps the glass viewing window clear, and a temperature gauge.


Making my first boat and made an error on one side panel where the scarf slipped(only slipped) and I had to sand. It appears that this will not look great as a bright finish and I was wondering since it is a small area--Could I cover this with some artwork or a decal? This I think might give the kayak some indiviuality and it would allow for the bright finish as well. When should I apply the decal and how? I saw a prior thred on this but my computer skills are lacking. I would appreciate hearing anyone's thoughts. Thank you in advance.


A Tesla Model X driver involved in a Montana crash earlier this month put the blame on the car's Autopilot capabilities, later claiming that Tesla was trying to cover up issues with the system. But a public response by the manufacturer suggests that the car isn't the one with the piloting issues.
But Tesla claimed that they have been trying to contact Mr. Pang, using a Tesla employee fluent in Mandarin. The parties apparently spoke through a translator on the Monday morning following the crash to discuss the wellbeing of both Mr. Pang and the passenger, according to the post, but could not reach him on later attempts to discuss the crash itself.
Mr. Pang said in the open letter that he was "willing to talk to Tesla concerning the accident anytime, anywhere, in front of the public" about the wreck, but that's not what Tesla said to have occurred when they reached out again.
The Tesla statement posted on the Tesla Motors Club forum said the company was able to contact Mr. Pang's wife after the first discussion, but was unable to reach him for a follow up on several occasions—before the release of the crash assessment and after.
The post from Tesla concluded by saying that the company is still trying to get into contact with Mr. Pang, and asked for him to contact Tesla for any further questions he has.
The full details of Mr. Pang's letter are here, and Tesla's response to the matter can be found here.


Numerous factors come into play as to why Lebanon doesn't meet the requisite conditions for the adoption of incinerators – inspired by the example of developed countries – from the composition of the country's waste to its independent environmental authority, or lack thereof.
BEIRUT: Leading environmental experts have warned against the establishment of waste incinerators in Beirut, amid the lack of governmental supervision to monitor and curb air pollution as well as toxic emissions in the highly dense urban area.
With the latest form of waste incinerators being touted by Beirut's municipal council under the guise of thermal disintegration, Associate Professor at the College of Chemical Engineering at the American University of Beirut, Dr. Joseph Zeaiter, and Environmental Engineer Ziad Abi Chaker, rang alarm bells over this reported proposal.
"These procedures adopted in European nations will not bode well in Lebanon, as the nature of our waste and its composition are distinctly different", Zeaiter told Annahar.
The lack of government oversight or independent environmental agencies represent another hindering roadblock toward the proper implementation of such a wide-scale project, said Zeaiter. "Lebanon is missing a proper environmental law and effective authority to meticulously monitor these incinerators," Zeaiter explained.
"The Ministry of Health is simply inactive in this regard", he added.
These sentiments were also echoed in a report put together by a collective of experts and specialists in the fields of environmental science, health and economics, as well as different activists and civil societies.
Beirut has witnessed an alarming rise in air pollution, with toxic inhalable aerosols filling its atmosphere and contributing to a hike in diseases and medical conditions, the highest in the Middle East at the moment according to the report.
According to the report, toxic fumes emanating from the proposed incinerators within the Beirut area would negatively impact over 500,000 citizens, the equivalent of almost half the city's residents.
Solid waste needs to be controlled and sorted at well-operated waste sorting facilities, Abi Chaker noted, arguing that western nations only use incineration in parallel to advanced screening programs.
"Countries like Germany and Denmark resort to incineration processes to deal with non-recyclable waste", Abi Chaker told Annahar.
Further derailing these plans and underscoring how incineration is not a viable case for Lebanon is the extremely high cost of enacting such facilities, with estimates mounting to around half a billion dollars to establish the facilities in addition to another $100 million in management and operation expenses, Zeaiter said.
The tender specifications for the "thermal disintegration" project, which were approved by the Cabinet in November 2017, is being challenged by a group of environmentalists and activists before the Shoura Council. The opponents of the project claim the proposal is riddled with flaws and in violation of numerous Lebanese environmental laws and international agreements.


Although VR has been a buzz word for the past few years, VR experience delivery is still at its infancy. There are some products starting to use tiles and other techniques to broadcast VR videos but real deployments still stream flat equirectangular videos. There are no standards able to stream and merge 3D models (e.g. "3D videos" or persons) in a unified social VR experience. VRTogether comes to the rescue.
VRTogether is a consortium about social virtual reality. Our goal is to provide a social virtual reality experience that mixes up natural and artificial (e.g. a movie and 3D-reconstructed persons). In one of the content samples developed, users are able to reenact themselves an experience which looks like one they could have seen in a thriller.
The world of VR has acted strange lately. After the sudden boom (from 2014's Oculus Rift acquisition by Facebook for $2bn to 2017's reality check from the market), new HMDs have been presented at the CES 2018, solving real issues (increased field-of-view, better displays, less motion-sickness, autonomous). However while problems are getting solved, the news about the solutions receive little coverage.
Social VR has been teased a lot during this VR frenzy. Who doesn't remember this Facebook/Oculus conference with a room full of people wearing a Rift?
Beyond the awe that provoked this image on many people, there is an undeniable fact: social VR is one of the futures of VR.
Social VR is one of the futures of VR.
As of now, there are no standards to stream 3D videos. The two main technologies that compete are Meshes and Point Clouds. Both approaches are at different stages of standardization. Without a specification handled by a serious body (MPEG, W3C, etc.), device and browser integrations are absent. These are key points as of 2018 and we are working on it.
Bandwidth limitation. 3D representation of the users needs to be sent in real time, which requires a lot of bandwidth at the moment to get a smooth experience. We are talking about 50mbps for a realistic representation.
Latency. We have to ensure that, to be able to interact convincingly with your friends, you'll be able to see yourself and your friends moving instantly, without any perceptible delay. A self-representation should show almost zero-delay.
Synchronization: the users should not perceive strange artifacts (e.g. lip sync, freezes, zombies, etc.).
The dust is settling down, the VR mania is down, and now, we can start to get really serious about it.
Motion Spell, the company under GPAC Licensing, will support that objective at NAB 2018, and at MPEG 122 in San Diego.
The technical objectives of the consortium are to provide more reliable technological bricks to support packaging and delivery of such experiences. As such, Motion Spell will deliver a first prototype as part of the VRTogether Pilot one, which will be available this semester.


For me, Fotheringay is Sandy Denny's band, though her husband, Trevor Lucas, also strongly influenced the band's sound and does about half the lead singing and original songwriting. The overall sound is very '70s folk/rock: rocking folk tunes, and lyrical ballads, with strong musicianship and of course Sandy Denny's remarkable voice—her vocals are exquisite here.
Fotheringay for those who just want to hear the best of this band; Nothing More for someone who wants nearly everything the band did.
Entry last updated 2016-05-30 15:27:14.