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Constitution of Iran

The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran (, Qanun-e Asasi-ye Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Iran) is the supreme law of Iran. It was adopted by referendum on 2 and 3 December 1979, and went into force replacing the Constitution of 1906. It has been amended once, on 28 July 1989. The constitution was originally made up of 175 articles in 12 chapters, but amended in 1989 to 177 articles in 14 chapters.

It has been called a hybrid regime of theocratic and democratic elements. Articles One and Two vest sovereignty in God and Article Six "mandates popular elections for the presidency and the Majlis, or parliament." Main democratic procedures and rights are subordinate to the Guardian Council and the Supreme Leader, whose powers are spelled out in Chapter Eight (Articles 107–112).

History
Over the course of the  year 1978 Iran was subject to  worsening cycles  of "provocation, repression, and polarization" in political unrest. It became more and more clear that the Pahlavi regime was likely to fall and that the leader of the revolution taking his regime down was Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Work began on a constitution for the new Islamic state that would follow the revolution. A preliminary draft was (according to Asghar Schirazi)  begun in Paris by one Hassan Habibi while Khomeini was still in exile there. It was structured like the 1958 constitution of the French Fifth Republic with separation of powers among the executive, judicial and parliamentary branches. An outline was presented to Khomeini in January 1979 and he brought it with him when he returned to Iran. After being reworked by two different commissions, it was published on 14 June 1979 by the provisional government of Mehdi Bazargan as the official preliminary draft of the constitution.

The preliminary draft differed from the final version of the constitution in a number of ways. It made no reference to velayat-e faqih, and did not "reserve any special posts for Islamic jurists" except on the guardian council where they made up a minority and were to be approved by the parliament from a  list drawn up  by the "highest religious authorities".

Despite this, Khomeini made "only two small changes (in part to bar women from the presidency and judgeships)", in the draft, and publicly stated his approval of the draft "on more than one occasion", declaring at one point that it "must be approved quickly". The Council of the Islamic Revolution approved of it unanimously after examination and "declared it to be the official preliminary draft of the Revolutionary Council".

What happened next is disputed. The revolutionaries' original plan was to have a Constituent Assembly of hundreds of people write the new constitution, but with this broad support for the preliminary draft, there now seemed to be a  consensus in favor of  a much more streamlined completion. An "Assembly of Experts" of only a few dozen members would go over the text and "present it for final ratification in a national referendum".

But Baqer Moin writes of contradictions in statements by Khomeini and questions about the election of the Experts. At the same time Ayatollah was publicly declaring the draft to be `correct`, he "had already started to denounce the supporters of a `Democratic Islamic Republic,` whose ideas were enshrined in the draft", and who included the man he had appointed president, Bazargan, as `enemies of Islam.` Also dismaying Bazargan and his colleagues, was the decision by the clerical members of the Revolutionary Council, without consulting them, to have the constitution finalized by  a much smaller body—an `Assembly of Experts` with 70 members, which alarmed them because with much larger constituencies and fewer candidates "it would be easier to rig the elections". If Khomeini's network succeeded in doing so, "the likelihood of dissenting voices in the Assembly could be reduced to almost nothing".

During a joint summit between the members of the provisional government and the Superieur Council of Revolution with the presence of Khomeini in Qom, it was decided that an Assembly for the Final Review of the Constitution was to be established   for a final evaluation of the constitution of Iran.

Assembly of Experts
The assembly members were voted  on in the summer of 1979. Out of the "72 delegates whose election was officially recognized, 55 were clerics", almost all of them following "the line of the Imam", i.e. Khomeini loyalists. (Other delegates were from different minorities of religions, scientists, Athletes.)

Schirazi writes that Khomeini then announced that the job of "determining whether or not" the constitution was "in conformity with Islamic requirements" was "exclusively reserved for revered jurists", to the surprise of those outside his network. Also at odds with previous statements was that instead of quickly approving the draft, the Assembly for the Final Review of the Constitution (dominated by Khomeini supporters) rewrote it, adding a Guardian Jurist (wali-e faqih) leader with powers over other branches of government, and significantly increasing  the power of the Council of Guardians. (The offices of the President and the Prime Minister were retained for the executive branch of government from the French model.)

A different version of  events comes from Shaul Bakhash, who writes that Khomeini and his supporters accepted the preliminary  draft but were  provoked by an "opposition determined to establish a secular state". A secularist group calling itself a "Seminar on the People's Expectations from the Constitution", called for changes in the draft: "a ceremonial president, supremacy of parliament, independent judiciary, individual rights, and equal rights for women, proposed making the universal declaration of Human Rights part of the constitution, more decentralization, and `democratization` of the army". This led "Khomeini to spur the Islamic groups to counterattack', telling his supporters that the determination of whether articles of the constitution meet Islamic criteria `lies within the exclusive jurisdiction of the leading Islamic jurists,` and non-jurists should not get involved. "It quickly became clear to Khomeini and his lieutenants that there existed considerable support and no mass opposition to the doctrine and that the constitution could serve to institutionalize both the supremacy of the faqih and clerical rule." The idea that Khomeini "should be entrusted with supreme authority under the constitution" was brought up by provincial clerics in the Assembly and was quickly embraced by the Assembly.

The assembly worked for sixty-seven sessions and in four rounds. The first round was considered with a preliminary evaluating of principles. The second round considered with providing principles in groups. The third round dealt with approbation of principles and the fourth round with investigation of all collection of principles.

According to a legal bill of council of revolution, the draft  was put  to a vote through a referendum, with voters  given the option of voting  yes or no. On 2–3 December 1979 Iranians voted, and the official result was over 99% in favor. (The vote was boycotted by some secular, leftist and Kurdish groups; and total of 15,578,956 votes was almost 5 million less than the earlier referendum for an Islamic Republic.)

1989 Amendments
On 24 April 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini issued a decree convening an Assembly for Revising the Constitution. It made several changes in the constitution, in Articles 5, 107, 109, 111, eliminating the need for the Supreme Leader to be a Marja' chosen by popular acclaim. It made permanent the Expediency Discernment Council to work out disagreements between the Parliament and Council of Guardians, and eliminated the post of Prime Minister. The amendment concerning qualifications  for the Supreme Leader is thought to have been  introduced and  approved because no marja' had given strong support for Khomeini's policies. The amendments were approved by the voting public on 28 July 1989 (in same election as Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was elected to the first of two terms as President of Iran).

Velayat-e Faqih
While liberal and leftist values are present in the constitution, the overriding both are "the values, principles and institutions of an ideal Islamic society", The Ayatollah Khomeini's concept of Velayat-e Faqih, i.e. Guardianship or rule of the Islamic Jurist, is enshrined in several places in the constitution. One example is the section "Method of Governance in Islam" in the preamble, where it is stated "in creating the political infrastructures and institutions which make the foundation of society on the basis of an ideological outlook, the righteous assume the responsibility of governing and administering the country with the Qur’anic verse (verily, my righteous servants shall inherit the earth Q.21:105)" In case the term ‘righteous’ is ambiguous, a later section of the Preamble (Guardianship of the Jurist) states "On the basis of continuous Guardianship and Leadership (Imamate) the Constitution provides for leadership under all conditions, (by a person) recognized by the people as lender, so that there shall be security against deviation by various organizations ('The course of affairs is in the hands of those who know God and who are trustworthy in matters having to do with what he permits and forbids')" Article 109, stipulates that the Leader must possess the "scholarship, as required for performing the functions of mufti in different fields of fiqh", i.e. only a high level cleric of Islamic law may be the Leader. Article 113 states the Leader is the highest public official in Islamic Republic of Iran. The Head of Judiciary, who has considerable power (Establishing the organizational structure of the Judiciary, Drafting judiciary bills for parliament, hiring, dismissing, transferring judges) must be an Islamic legal cleric (mujtahid); as must be the President of the Supreme Court, the Attorney General (Article 162), and six out of the twelve members of the Guardian Council who are appointed by the Leader (Article 91) and have the power to veto legislation from the parliament that they believe does not conform to sharia (Article 96).

Sharia
Hassan Vakilian cites Article 4: "civil, penal financial, economic, administrative, cultural, military, political, and other laws and regulations must be based on Islamic criteria. This principle applies absolutely and generally to all articles of the Constitution as well as to all other laws and regulations…" as evidence "Sharia laws and principles" ("Islamic criteria" in the article above) "must be considered as a main source of the legal order" in the constitution. Sharia is referred to numerous times in the constitution but often by another terms (as it is above):
 * In the Preamble: "Islamic principles", "Islamic rules", "Islamic standards", "Islamic program", "Rules of Islamic codes", "Islamic ordinances and regulations";
 * In articles 110, 147, 151, 167, 171, 175 and 177 "Islamic criteria".
 * Other terms used are "Islamic law" (Article 45), "Islamic ordinances" (Article 91), "Islamic regulations" (Article 107), "Norms and principles of Islamic justice" (Article 14), "Principles and commandments of official religion" (Article  85), "Principles of Sharia" (Article  112), "Criteria of Fiqh" (Article  163), "Islamic sources and authentic fatwa" (Article  167).

Preamble
The preamble or introduction of the constitution touches on (its version of) events leading up to the revolution and on key features of the new Islamic regime:

How the "anti-despotic movement for constitutional government [1906–1911], and anti-colonialist movement for the nationalization of petroleum" in the 1950s failed  "due to departure from genuine Islamic positions"; a matter rectified by the "authentically Islamic and ideological line" under the leadership pursued under the leadership of Grand Ayatollah Khomeini.

How the movement dawned in June 1963 with "the devastating protest by Imam Khomeini against the American conspiracy known as the 'White Revolution'". The plan of Islamic government set forth by Imam Khomeini known as "governance of the faqih". The fury of the Iranian people at a January 7, 1978 newspaper article insulting Imam Khomeini. The "watering" of the "sapling" of the revolution "by the blood of 60,000 martyrs". How 98.2% of voters approved of Iran becoming an Islamic Republic.

Our nation "intends to establish the ideal and model society" with the final goal of "movement toward God". Governance by the "just faqih" will prevent deviation of the government from essential Islamic duties. The economy in Islam will be "a means not an end", providing work, "suitable opportunities", "essential needs". The family is "the fundamental unit of society" within which women will recover their "precious function of motherhood". The Army and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are responsible not only for guarding the country but for "fulfilling the ideological mission of jihad in God's path". The judicial system will be based on Islamic justice. The executive branch will implement "the laws and ordinances of Islam". "Mass communications media" will diffuse Islamic culture and refrain from anti-Islamic "qualities".

The "central axis" of the theocracy shall be Quran and hadith, and as framed by the Assembly of Experts for Constitution, who hope that "this century will witness the establishment of a universal holy government and the downfall of all others." (See also: Mahdi and Mohammed al-Mahdi)

Chapter I [Article 1 to 14]: General principles
Some of the more important articles of the constitution are described below:

Article 1 (Form of government)
The form of Government in Iran is that of an Islamic Republic following the Islamic revolution led by Grand Ayatollah Khomeini, affirmed by the referendum of Farvardin 9 and 10.

Article 2 (Foundation)
The Islamic Republic is a system based on the belief in:
 * 1)  One God (as stated in the phrase "There is no god except Allah"), who has exclusive sovereignty and right to legislate, and whose commands must be submitted to;
 * 2) the fundamental role of divine revelation in setting forth the laws;
 * 3) the return to Allah after death and resurrection, and the constructive role of this belief has in the course of man's ascent toward Allah;
 * 4) the justice of Allah in creation and legislation;
 * 5) continuous leadership and perpetual guidance, and its fundamental role in ensuring the uninterrupted process of the revolution of Islam;
 * 6) the exalted dignity and value of man, and his freedom coupled with responsibility before God; in which equity, justice, political, economic, social, and cultural independence, and national solidarity are secured by recourse to:
 * continuous Ijtihad of Islamic jurists possessing necessary qualifications, exercised on the basis of the Quran and the Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad;
 * sciences and arts and the most advanced results of human experience, together with the effort to advance them further;
 * negation of all forms of oppression, both the infliction of and the submission to it, and of dominance, both its imposition and its acceptance.

Article 3 (State goals)
The duty of the Islamic Republic is to direct all of its resources to a number of goals. These goals were designed to emphasize positive liberty.
 * 1) Support of faith and piety and struggle against vice and corruption
 * 2) Raising of public awareness through the proper use of the mass media and press
 * 3) Free education
 * 4) Free physical training
 * 5) Strengthening advanced scientific research
 * 6) The elimination of imperialism and foreign influence
 * 7) The elimination of despotism, autocracy and monopoly
 * 8) Ensure social and political freedoms within the law
 * 9) The end to all forms of undesirable discrimination
 * 10) The elimination of unnecessary governmental organizations
 * 11) Universal military training

Some of the goals are put in context of the requirements of Islam. For example:
 * The planning of a correct and just economic system
 * The expansion of Islamic brotherhood among all peoples
 * The creation of the government's foreign policy

Article 4 (Islamic Principle)
All laws and regulations "absolutely and generally" must be based on Islamic criteria. Enforcing this will be the Islamic jurists (fuqaha') and the Council of Guardians.

Constitution compared to traditional Islam
Olivier Roy points out that traditionally sharia was the "sole foundation for the judicial norm",  not  constitutions which were secular. Khomeini himself specifically affirmed the preeminence of the Islamic state over sharia in January 1989 when he publicly dressed down the future Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei, pronouncing the opposite. "On key questions Iranian law remains fairly un-Islamic. The constitution grants equal rights among men and women (article 20). The discretionary law of repudiation was not recognized for men. There is no legal discrimination on the basis of personal status against Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, all of whom perform military service, pay no special taxes and hold full citizenship; nevertheless they are prohibited from assuming leadership posts and vote in separate colleges. Similarly, a Muslim foreigner has the same status as a Christian foreigner. In short Iranian citizenship is not an Islamic notion. Finally, Iran has kept the solar calendar and celebrates the new year on March 21."

Article 5 (Religious leader's office)
During the occultation of the Twelfth Imam, the Ummah (Islamic community) must be led by a just and pious, courageous, resourceful faqih (Islamic jurist) knowledgeable about affairs of the day, in accordance with Article 107.

Article 12 (Official religion)
"The official religion of Iran is Islam"—specifically of the Twelver Shi'ism in Usul al-Dîn and of the Ja'farî school in fiqh, -- "and this principle will remain eternally immutable."

Article 13 (Recognized religious minorities)
"Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian Iranians are the only recognized religious minorities", who, within the limits of the law, are free to perform their religious rites and ceremonies, and to act according to their own canon in matters of personal affairs and religious education.

Article 14 (Non-Muslims)
"The government ... and all Muslims are duty-bound to treat non-Muslims" with "Islamic justice and equity", provided those non-Muslims "refrain from engaging in conspiracy or activity against Islam and the Islamic Republic of Iran".

Article 15 (Official language)
The "Official language and writing script (of Iran)... is Persian. In addition "regional and tribal languages" are allowed "in the press and mass media, as well as for teaching of their literature in schools"

Article 16 (Arabic education)
"Since the language of the Qur'an and Islamic texts ... is Arabic", Arabic "must be taught ... in school from elementary grades until the end of high school."

Article 17 (Official calendar)
The official calendar of Iran is the Solar Hijri calendar, which combines a year zero from the Islamic Hijri calendar, and organization of months according to the Iranian  solar calendar. "The official weekly holiday is Friday. Both the solar and lunar Islamic calendars are recognized".

Article 18 (Official flag)
The official flag of Iran is composed of green, white and red colours with the special emblem of the Islamic Republic, together with the motto (Allahu Akbar).

Article 20 (Women's rights)
Women will enjoy equal legal, "human, political, economic, social, and cultural rights", when "in conformity with Islamic criteria".

Article 22 (Individual rights)
"The dignity, life, property, rights," etc. "of the individual are inviolate", "except in cases sanctioned by law".

Article 23 (Individual beliefs)
The Iranian constitution holds that “the investigation of individuals’ beliefs is forbidden, and no one may be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief.”

Article 24 (Publications and the press)
"Publications and the press are free to discuss issues" unless it is "deemed harmful to the principles of Islam or the rights of the public."

Article 27 (Freedom of assembly)
Assembly is allowed, "provided arms are not carried" and the assemblies "are not detrimental to the fundamental principles of Islam".

Article 37 (Presumption of innocence)
"Innocence is to be presumed, ... unless his or her guilt has been established by a competent court."

Article 29 (Welfare benefits)
It is a "universal right" of all to enjoy social insurance or other forms of security for "retirement, unemployment, old-age disability", lack of guardianship, being a wayfarer, accident and the need for health and treatment services and medical care. The government, in accordance with the laws and by drawing on national revenues, is required to provide such insurance and economic protection to each and every citizen of the country.

Article 38 (Torture is forbidden)
"All forms of torture for the purpose of extracting confession or acquiring information are forbidden. Compulsion of individuals to testify, confess, or take an oath is not permissible; and any testimony, confession, or oath obtained under duress is devoid of value and credence. Violation of this article is liable to punishment in accordance with the law."

Comment: Torture in the Islamic Republic
Videotaped confessions and "ideological recantations" by opponents of the regime are very common on Iranian broadcast television. The government denies using torture (shekanjeh) to elicit these statements, but Human Rights Watch calls torture and other ill-treatment "widespread and systematic" in Iran. Historian Ervand Abrahamian describes on way the government has found to skirt the explicit ban on torture and coerced confessions in the Constitution, by using Ta'zir or "Discretionary Punishment" of up to 74 lashes for lying to authorities. "The prisoners are asked questions. If their answers are not satisfactory, they can be lawfully whipped for `lying`. In theory, this punishment should come after a proper law court has found them guilty of perjury. But the line between interrogation and trial is hazy as the same clerics wear three different turbans – prosecutor, judge, and interrogator." "The new regime has often told UN delegations that ta'zir should not be equated with torture because it is sanctioned by the sharia and administered by qualified magistrates."

Article 44
"The economy of Iran is to consist of three sectors: state, cooperative, and private; and is to be based on systematic and sound planning." "All large-scale and mother industries, foreign trade, major minerals, banking, insurance, power generation, dams, and large-scale irrigation networks, radio and television, post, telegraph and telephone services, aviation, shipping, roads, railroads and the like" are to be entirely owned by the government. This article was amended in 2004 to allow for privatization.

Article 49 (Ill-gotten wealth)
"The government has the responsibility of confiscating all wealth accumulated through usury, usurpation, bribery, embezzlement, theft, gambling, misuse of endowments, misuse of government contracts and transactions, the sale of uncultivated lands and other resources subject to public ownership, the operation of centers of corruption, and other illicit means and sources, and restoring it to its legitimate owner; and if no such owner can be identified, it must be entrusted to the public treasury. This rule must be executed by the government with due care, after investigation and furnishing necessary evidence in accordance with the law of Islam."

Article 50 (Environment)
Protecting the environment is "a public duty" and economic activity that degrades or causes irreversible harm to the environment is forbidden.

Chapter V [Article 56 to 61]: Right of national sovereignty
The executive, judicial, and legislative branches are separate powers  and supervised by the leadership (Article 57); Pursuant to Article 60, the president fulfills "executive" functions "except in the matters that are directly placed under the jurisdiction of the [Leader]" as enumerated in Article 110. Suspension of elections is allowed during wartime (Article 68).

Chapter VI [Article 62 to 99]: Legislative powers
Representatives of the people to be members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly will be elected directly and by secret ballot (Article 62), Term of membership in the Islamic Consultative Assembly is four years (Article 63),

There are to be 270 members, for minority religions, Zoroastrians and Jews will each elect one representative; Assyrian and Chaldean Christians will jointly elect one representative; and Armenian Christians in the north and those in the south of the country will each elect one representative (Article 64), Deliberations of the Islamic Consultative Assembly must be open, and full minutes of them made available to the public (Article 69), The Islamic Consultative Assembly cannot enact laws contrary to the usul and ahkam of the official religion of the country or to the Constitution. It is the duty of the Guardian Council to determine whether a violation has occurred, in accordance with Article 96 (Article 72).

Article 81 (Foreign business)
Multinational corporations are forbidden from taking over certain businesses in Iran: "concessions to foreigners or the formation of companies" in Iran is forbidden.

Article 91 (Guardian Council)
A "Guardian Council" is to "examine the compatibility of the legislations passed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly with Islam". The council is to be made up of:
 * 1) six 'adil fuqaha' (just Islamic jurists), "conscious of the present needs and the issues of the day, to be selected by the Leader", and
 * 2) six jurists, "specializing in different areas of law, to be elected by the Islamic Consultative Assembly from among the Muslim jurists nominated by the Head of the Judicial Power".

Article 99
The Guardian Council has the responsibility of supervising the elections of the Assembly of Experts for Leadership, the President of the Republic, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and the direct recourse to popular opinion and referenda.

Article 100
"Each village, division, city, municipality, and province will be supervised by a council" to "expedite social, economic, development, public health, cultural, and educational programmes" etc. "according to local needs". Members of these councils "will be elected by the people of the locality".

Article 101
In order to prevent discrimination and secure the cooperation, and arrange for the supervision, a Supreme Council of the Provinces will be formed, composed of representatives of the Provincial Councils.

Article 102
The Supreme Council of the Provinces may draft bills and  submit them to the Islamic Consultative Assembly,

Article 103
Provincial governors, city governors, divisional governors, and other officials appointed by the government must abide by all decisions taken by the councils within their jurisdiction.

Article 104
In order to ensure Islamic equity and cooperation, councils consisting of the representatives of the workers, peasants, other employees, and managers, will be formed in educational,  administrative,  industrial and other units,  composed of representatives of the members of those units.

Article 105
Decisions taken by the councils must not be contrary to the criteria of Islam and the laws of the country.

Article 106
The councils may not be dissolved unless they deviate from their legal duties.

Article 107 (Fuqaha)
After the death of Grand Ayatollah Khomeini, the Experts shall choose a new leader from among the fuqaha possessing qualities specified in articles 5 and 105. It also states that the leader is legally equal to the populace''.

Background and comments
Before the 1989 amendments to the constitution, Article 107 called for the leader to be someone who was "accepted as a marja' and Leader by a decisive majority of the people", and if such a person could not be found, to appoint a "leadership council" made up of marja' In his book  Islamic Government: Guardianship of the Jurist, Khomeini had argued that "only the most senior religious jurists -- not just any cleric -- had the scholastic expertise and the educational training to fully comprehend the intricacies of Islamic jurisprudence." According to historian Ervand Abrahamian, the original constitution also declared that "the leadership clauses, especially those stipulating that ultimate authority resides in the senior religious jurists [marja'], were to endure until the Mahdi, the Lord of the Age, reappears on earth."

They were amended nonetheless because the Assembly of Experts that would choose the next leader knew "well that the senior jurists distrusted their version of Islam", i.e. Khomeini and his supporters interpretation of Islam. Abrahamian argues that this "unwittingly undermined the intellectual foundations" of the jurist's roll as guardian. Another scholar (Olivier Roy) called the change "an end to the logic of the Islamic revolution" for the same reason.

Article 110 (Supreme Leader's duties and powers)
The constitution accords many powers to the Supreme Leader of Iran, including:

 * 1) Delineation of the general policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran after consultation with the Nation's Exigency Council.
 * 2) Supervision over the proper execution of the general policies of the system.
 * 3) Issuing decrees for national referenda.
 * 4) Assuming supreme command of the armed forces.
 * 5) Declaration of war and peace, and the mobilization of the armed forces.
 * 6) Appointment, dismissal, and acceptance of resignation of:
 * 7) the fuqaha' on the Guardian Council.
 * 8) the supreme judicial authority of the country.
 * 9) the head of the radio and television network of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
 * 10) the chief of the joint staff.
 * 11) the chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.
 * 12) the supreme commanders of the armed forces.
 * 13) Resolving differences between the three wings of the armed forces and regulation of their relations.
 * 14) Resolving the problems, which cannot be solved by conventional methods, through the Nation's Exigency Council.
 * 15) Signing the decree formalizing the election of the President of the Republic by the people. The suitability of candidates for the Presidency of the Republic, with respect to the qualifications specified in the Constitution, must be confirmed before elections take place by the Guardian Council, and, in the case of the first term [of the Presidency], by the Leadership;
 * 16) Dismissal of the President of the Republic, with due regard for the interests of the country, after the Supreme Court holds him guilty of the violation of his constitutional duties, or after a vote of the Islamic Consultative Assembly testifying to his incompetence on the basis of Article 89 of the Constitution.
 * 17) Pardoning or reducing the sentences of convicts, within the framework of Islamic criteria, on a recommendation [to that effect] from the Head of judicial power. The Leader may delegate part of his duties and powers to another person.

Human rights groups have argued that the Supreme Leader's powers extend beyond those specifically enumerated in the Constitution because he can use "Islamic issues for justification."

Article 111 (Removal and replacement)
Under some circumstances, such as incapacity, a leader can be removed or replaced.

Article 112 (Expediency)
If a proposed bill of Majles is "against the principles of Shariah or the Constitution," then the Guardian Council should meet with the Expediency Council to resolve the legislative deadlock.

Chapter IX [Article 113 to 151]: Executive power
The president is the second-highest office holder (Article 114), elected for a four-year term (Article 114). He must be of Iranian origin and nationality and a Twelver Shi'i, have administrative capacity and resourcefulness, virtues of trustworthiness and piety, stay loyal to the principles of the Islamic Republic (Article 115) and declare his candidacy officially (Article 116). Elections will have a second run-off round if there is no majority in the first round (Article 117),

will be supervised by the Guardian Council (Article 118) and must take place no later than one month before the end of the term of the outgoing president. (Article 119),

Article 146 (Forbidden military bases)
Foreign military bases in Iran, even for peaceful purposes, are forbidden.

Article 152
The foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is based upon the rejection of all forms of domination, both the exertion of it and submission to it, the preservation of the independence of the country in all respects and its territorial integrity, the defence of the rights of all Muslims, non-alignment with respect to the hegemonic superpowers, and the maintenance of mutually peaceful relations with all non-belligerent States.

Article 153
Any form of agreement resulting in foreign control over the natural resources, economy, army, or culture of the country, as well as other aspects of the national life, is forbidden.

Article 154
The ideal of the Islamic Republic of Iran is independence, justice, truth, and felicity among all people of the world. Accordingly, it supports the just struggles of the Mustad'afun (oppressed) against the Mustakbirun (oppressors) in every corner of the globe.

Article 155
The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran may grant political asylum to those who seek it and are worthy of it.

Article 156
Duties of the Judiciary:
 * 1) investigating and resolving grievances, violations of rights, and complaints;
 * 2) promoting justice and freedom;
 * 3) supervising law enforcement;
 * 4) investigating, prosecuting, and punishing, crimes;
 * 5) crime prevention and reforming criminals

Article 157
The Leader shall appoint the head of the judiciary

Article 158
The head of the judiciary shall be responsible for the establishing the structure for the administration of justice; draft bills on the judiciary; appointing, dismissing, transferring judges (Article 158),

Article 159
Grievances and complaints will be referred to the courts

Article 161
The Supreme Court will "supervise the correct implementation of the laws by the courts", ensure "uniformity of judicial procedure";

Article 162
The chief of the Supreme Court and the Prosecutor-General must both be just mujtahids (Islamic jurisprudents). They will be nominated by the head of the judiciary branch for a period of five years, in consultation with the judges of the Supreme Court;

Article 164
Judges cannot be removed from office except by trial and conviction, or by being dismissed in consequence of a violation;

Article 165
Trials are to be open to the public; unless detrimental to public morality or discipline, or in case of private disputes;

Article 167
Verdicts of courts must be well reasoned out and documented (Article 166), Judges must make use of "Islamic sources and...verdicts " in matters where the Iranian law books are silent;

Article 168
"Political and press offences will be tried openly ... in accordance with the Islamic criteria";

Article 169
"No act or omission may be regarded as a crime with retrospective effect on the basis of a law framed subsequently";

Article 170
Judges may not execute statutes and regulations that conflict with the laws or the norms of Islam;

Article 171
When there is a moral or material loss as the result of an incorrect ruling of a judge the defaulting judge must stand surety for the reparation of that loss in accordance with the Islamic criteria;

Article 172
Military courts will be established to investigate crimes committed in connection with military or security duties by members of the military or security;

Article 174
The National General Inspectorate will "supervise the proper conducting of affairs and the correct implementation of laws by the administrative organs of the government".

Chapter XII [Article 175]: Radio and television
This article guarantees the freedom of expression and dissemination of thoughts in the "Radio and Television of the Islamic Republic of Iran" when keeping with the Islamic criteria and best interests of the country. It gives the Leader the power to appoint and dismiss the head of the "Radio and Television of the Islamic Republic of Iran" and establishes a council with two representatives (six in total) from each branch of the government to supervise this organization.

Chapter XIII [Article 176]: Supreme Council for National Security
Chapter 8, which has only one article, establishes Iran's National Security Council. "The Council shall consist of: heads of three branches of the government, chief of the Supreme Command Council of the Armed Forces, the officer in charge of the planning and budget affairs, two representatives nominated by the Leader, ministers of foreign affairs, interior, and information, a minister related with the subject, and the highest-ranking officials from the Armed Forces and the Islamic Revolution's Guards Corps."

Chapter XIV [Article 177]: Revisions
To revise the constitution, the Leader must "issue an edict to the President after consultation with the Nation's Exigency Council stipulating the amendments or additions to be made by the Council for Revision of the Constitution which consists of:

 * 1) Members of the Guardian Council.
 * 2) Heads of the three branches of the government.
 * 3) Permanent members of the Nation's Exigency Council.
 * 4) Five members from among the Assembly of Experts.
 * 5) Ten representatives selected by the Leader.
 * 6) Three representatives from the Council of Ministers.
 * 7) Three representatives from the judiciary branch.
 * 8) Ten representatives from among the members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly.
 * 9) Three representatives from among the university professors.

Whatever this Council and the Leader agree on will be put to a national referendum and amend the constitution if it receives an absolute majority vote. (Unlike referenda under Article 59, where referendum must be approved by a supermajority of the Islamic Consultative Assembly before going to a vote.)

Parts of the constitution that cannot be amended: "Articles of the Constitution related to the Islamic character of the political system; the basis of all the rules and regulations according to Islamic criteria; the religious footing; the objectives of the Islamic Republic of Iran; the democratic character of the government; the wilayat al-'amr; the Imamate of Ummah; and the administration of the affairs of the country based on national referenda, official religion of Iran [Islam] and the school [Twelver Ja'fari]".

Comment
This article itself was a revision to the Constitution, so the constitution was amended in 1989 without this chapter allowing amendments being a part of the constitution.

title: Constitution of Iran


text:
Flumazenil

Flumazenil (also known as flumazepil, code name Ro 15-1788 ) is a selective GABAA receptor antagonist administered via injection, otic insertion, or intranasally. Therapeutically, it acts as both an antagonist and antidote to benzodiazepines (particularly in cases of overdose), through competitive inhibition.

It was first characterized in 1981, and was first marketed in 1987 by Hoffmann-La Roche under the trade name Anexate. However, it did not receive FDA approval until December 20, 1991. The developer lost its exclusive patent rights in 2008; so at present, generic formulations of this drug are available. Intravenous flumazenil is primarily used to treat benzodiazepine overdoses and to help reverse anesthesia. Administration of flumazenil by sublingual lozenge and topical cream has also been tested.

Medical uses
Flumazenil benefits patients who become excessively drowsy after use of benzodiazepines for either diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.

The drug has been used as an antidote in the treatment of benzodiazepine overdoses. It reverses the effects of benzodiazepines by competitive inhibition at the benzodiazepine (BZ) recognition site on the GABA/benzodiazepine receptor complex. There are many complications that must be taken into consideration when used in the acute care setting. These include lowered seizure threshold, agitation, and anxiousness. Flumazenil's short half-life requires multiple doses. Because of the potential risks of withdrawal symptoms and the drug's short half-life, patients must be carefully monitored to prevent recurrence of overdose symptoms or adverse side effects.

Flumazenil is also sometimes used after surgery to reverse the sedative effects of benzodiazepines. This is similar to naloxone's application to reverse the effect of opiates and opioids following surgery. Administration of the drug requires careful monitoring by an anesthesiologist due to potential side effects and serious risks associated with over-administeration. Likewise, post-surgical monitoring is also necessary because flumazenil can mask the apparent metabolization ("wearing off") of the drug after removal of patient life-support and monitoring equipment.

Flumazenil has been effectively used to treat overdoses of non-benzodiazepine hypnotics, such as zolpidem, zaleplon and zopiclone (also known as "Z-drugs").

It may also be effective in reducing excessive daytime sleepiness while improving vigilance in primary hypersomnias, such as idiopathic hypersomnia.

The drug has also been used in hepatic encephalopathy. It may have beneficial short‐term effects in people with cirrhosis, but there is no evidence for long-term benefits.

The onset of action is rapid, and effects are usually seen within one to two minutes. The peak effect is seen at six to ten minutes. The recommended dose for adults is 200 μg every 1–2 minutes until the effect is seen, up to a maximum of 3 mg per hour. It is available as a clear, colourless solution for intravenous injection, containing 500 μg in 5 mL. Additional doses may be needed within 20 to 30 minutes if evidence of oversedation reappears.

Many benzodiazepines (including midazolam) have longer half-lives than flumazenil. Therefore, in cases of overdose, repeated doses of flumazenil may be required to prevent recurrent symptoms once the initial dose of flumazenil wears off.

It is hepatically metabolised to inactive compounds which are excreted in the urine. Individuals who are physically dependent on benzodiazepines may experience benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms, including seizures, upon rapid administration of flumazenil.

It is not recommended for routine use in those with a decreased level of consciousness.

In terms of drug enforcement initiatives, diversion control programs and required post-marketing surveillance of adverse events, orders for flumazenil may trigger a prescription audit to the search for benzodiazepine misuse and for clinically significant adverse reactions related to their use.

PET radioligand
Radiolabeled with the radioactive isotope carbon-11, flumazenil may be used as a radioligand in neuroimaging with positron emission tomography to visualize the distribution of GABAA receptors in the human brain.

Treatment for benzodiazepine dependence & tolerance
Epileptic patients who have become tolerant to the anti-seizure effects of the benzodiazepine clonazepam became seizure-free for several days after treatment with 1.5 mg of flumazenil. Similarly, patients who were dependent on high doses of benzodiazepines (median dosage 333 mg diazepam-equivalent) were able to be stabilised on a low dose of clonazepam after 7–8 days of treatment with flumazenil.

Flumazenil has been tested against placebo in benzodiazepine-dependent subjects. Results showed that typical benzodiazepine withdrawal effects were reversed with few to no symptoms. Flumazenil was also shown to produce significantly fewer withdrawal symptoms than saline in a randomized, placebo-controlled study with benzodiazepine-dependent subjects. Additionally, relapse rates were much lower during subsequent follow-up.

In vitro studies of tissue cultured cell lines have shown that chronic treatment with flumazenil enhanced the benzodiazepine binding site where such receptors have become more numerous and uncoupling/down-regulation of GABAA has been reversed. After long-term exposure to benzodiazepines, GABAA receptors become down-regulated and uncoupled. Growth of new receptors and recoupling after prolonged flumazenil exposure has also been observed. It is thought this may be due to increased synthesis of receptor proteins.

Flumazenil was found to be more effective than placebo in reducing feelings of hostility and aggression in patients who had been free of benzodiazepines for 4–266 weeks. This may suggest a role for flumazenil in treating protracted benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms.

Low-dose, slow subcutaneous flumazenil administration is a safe procedure for patients withdrawing from long-term, high-dose benzodiazepine dependency. It has a low risk of seizures even amongst those who have experienced convulsions when previously attempting benzodiazepine withdrawal.

In Italy, the gold standard for treatment of high-dose benzodiazepine dependency is 8–10 days of low-dose, slowly infused flumazenil. One addiction treatment centre in Italy has used flumazenil to treat over 300 patients who were dependent on high doses of benzodiazepines (up to 70 times higher than conventionally prescribed) with physicians being among the clinic's most common patients.

Pharmacology
Flumazenil, an imidazobenzodiazepine derivative, antagonizes the actions of benzodiazepines on the central nervous system. Flumazenil competitively inhibits the activity at the benzodiazepine recognition site on the GABA/benzodiazepine receptor complex. It also exhibits weak partial agonism of GABAA receptor complexes that contain α6-type monomers; the clinical relevance of this is unknown.

Flumazenil does not antagonize all of the central nervous system effects of drugs affecting GABA-ergic neurons by means other than the benzodiazepine receptor (including ethanol, barbiturates, and most anesthetics) and does not reverse the effects of opioids. It will however antagonize the action of non-benzodiazepine z-drugs, such as zolpidem and zopiclone, because they act via the benzodiazepine site of the GABA receptor - it has been used to successfully treat z-drug overdose.

Pharmacodynamics
Intravenous flumazenil has been shown to antagonize sedation, impairment of recall, psychomotor impairment and ventilatory depression produced by benzodiazepines in healthy human volunteers.

The duration and degree of reversal of sedative benzodiazepine effects are related to the dose and plasma concentrations of flumazenil.

Availability
Flumazenil is sold under a wide variety of brand names worldwide like Anexate, Lanexat, Mazicon, Romazicon. In India it is manufactured by Roche Bangladesh Pharmaceuticals and USAN Pharmaceuticals.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Flumazenil


text:
Richard Grant (author)

Richard Grant (born 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author.

List of works

 * Saraband of Lost Time (1985) Nominated Philip K. Dick Award-Science Fiction
 * Rumors of Spring (1986) – Fantasy
 * Views from the Oldest House (1989) – Fantasy
 * Through the Heart (1991) Winner Philip K. Dick Award-Fantasy
 * Tex and Molly in the Afterlife (1996) – Fiction
 * In the Land of Winter (1997) – Fiction
 * Kaspian Lost (1999)
 * Another Green World (2006)
 * Drode's Equations (1981), a short story that appeared in New Dimensions 12 and is available in the science fiction anthology The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF, edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer (1994)

title: Richard Grant (author)


text:
Siam Shade

Siam Shade (stylized as SIAM SHADE) was a five-piece Japanese rock band, formed in Tokyo in 1991. The classic line-up of Hideki on vocals, Natchin on bass, Kazuma and Daita on guitar, and Jun-ji on drums broke onto the visual kei scene alongside a multitude of other artists in the early 1990s and enjoyed a decade of relative popularity before disbanding in early 2002. The members have reunited several times since 2007 for one-off concerts and short tours. Outside Japan, Siam Shade is best known for "1/3 no Junjō na Kanjō", which was the sixth ending theme of the Rurouni Kenshin anime. Daita's work on their song "Triptych" was named the 83rd best guitar instrumental by Young Guitar Magazine in 2019.

1989–2002: Formation and career
In March 1989, high school friends Hideki (then known as "Chack") and Natchin (then spelled "Natin") formed a band called Power. They won the Summer Grand Prix Award at that year's Yokohama High School Hot Wave Festival. However, due to many member changes, including the brief enrollment of guitarist Daita, Power disbanded. After befriending guitarist Ataru, singer Hideki and bassist Natchin formed a new band with him called Atæru in 1991.

In 1992, the members met Love Jets vocalist Kazuma at a talent show, and later recruited him as guitarist. Drummer A completed the lineup and Atæru began touring, playing small clubs and local venues. They changed their name in 1993, settling on Siam Shade. The band released a free demo tape on May 1, shortly after which Ataru left. In July, Hideki and Natchin called on their former schoolmate and one-time band member Daita to fill in the lead guitar slot. The group distributed the single "Doll" in December 1993. The band became close with Luna Sea, with Ryuichi Kawamura promoting Siam Shade in 1994 by playing their demo tape on his radio show.

Siam Shade had another small lineup change in 1994 when A left the band and was replaced by Jun-ji in May, solidifying the group's final lineup. Jun-ji was a roadie for Luna Sea drummer Shinya Yamada. At the end of the year, the band released their first self-titled album. In 2004, it was named one of the top albums from 1989-1998 in an issue of the music magazine Band Yarouze.

In October 1995, Siam Shade released their major label debut single "Rain" on Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Their second album Siam Shade II followed in November.

The band burst into the mainstream in late 1996 when "1/3 no Junjō na Kanjō", a single from their latest album Siam Shade IV, was selected as an ending theme for the Rurouni Kenshin anime series. The song's popularity led to increased ticket sales, concert DVDs, and television appearances.

The band continued to release albums and DVDs well into the next decade. In 2002, while touring in support of their recently released compilation albums, the band announced that they would be disbanding. Siam Shade's ten-year career came to an end on March 11, 2002 at the Nippon Budokan. Later that month, the band released their final album, Siam Shade X, a compilation of all their previous releases.

Post-Siam Shade activities
After the disbandment Hideki quickly begin his solo career. In 2003, he joined the band Acid, before leaving in 2006 to focus on his solo career again. However, in 2007 he formed Detrox with KAZ (Sads) and they released a large amount of material before going on hiatus after their show on April 18, 2012.

Kazuma also started his solo career after the disbanding. In 2003, he performed a duet with Vivian Hsu, "Moment", which was used as the second opening theme to the anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. He has also played support guitar for Anna Tsuchiya and Damijaw (solo project of Janne Da Arc member Ka-yu).

Daita started a solo career, wrote the soundtrack for the movie Volcano High, and played support guitar for Kyosuke Himuro. In 2005 he formed the band Binecks. In 2012, he formed the American-based band Broken Arrow with vocalist Nik Frost, who sang on the Siam Shade Tribute album.

Natin, now going by the stage-name "Natchin", has a solo career and in 2008 formed the band Big Bites with Anchang (Sex Machineguns) and Annie (The Yellow Monkey).

Junji has a solo career, was support drummer for Takanori Nishikawa a.k.a. TM Revolution, and in 2008 formed the band Bull Zeichen 88. He is also a regular support member for Acid Black Cherry.

2007–2016: Reunions
Siam Shade held a reunion concert, titled Heart of Rock, on November 18, 2007 at the Nippon Budokan, in honor of their manager who died the previous April. The band stated that the reunion was a one-off event, and would not pave the way for a new single or album release.

On October 27, 2010 a tribute album to Siam Shade was released, Siam Shade Tribute. It is composed entirely of Western artists such as Sebastian Bach, Richie Kotzen, Mike Vescera and George Lynch.

Siam Shade's song "1/3 no Junjō na Kanjō" was covered by Nogod on the compilation ''Crush! -90's V-Rock Best Hit Cover Songs-'', which was released on January 26, 2011 and features current visual kei bands covering songs from bands that were important to the '90s visual kei movement. "Glacial Love" was covered by Guild on its sequel, ''Crush! 2 -90's V-Rock Best Hit Cover Songs-'', that was released on November 23, 2011.

On April 29, 2011, Siam Shade announced on their new website, which went online on the same day, that they would reunite once again. This time for a free concert on July 17 at Zepp Sendai, entitled Siam Shade Spirits ~Return The Favor~, "to bring hope" to the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. A second concert was held on October 21 at Saitama Super Arena. The band released the album Siam Shade Spirits 1993 on April 14, 2012, which includes their entire first album, the new "opening" track called "Light For Closed Your Eyes" and two previously unreleased songs from their indie years.

The group released their first new song in 12 years "Still We Go" digitally on September 18, 2013, with a limited physical release following the next month. Siam Shade performed their first nationwide tour in 12 years at the end of 2013, titled Heart of Rock 7. The three date tour began on October 27 at Saitama Super Arena and went to Zepp Nagoya on November 11, before ending on November 12 at Zepp Namba.

Siam Shade performed at the first night of Luna Sea's Lunatic Fest at Makuhari Messe on June 27, 2015. In celebration of the 20th anniversary since their major label debut, the group held The Abiding Belief concert at Saitama Super Arena on October 18, 2015. The six date The Ultimate Fight Series tour continued the celebration and took place in February 2016 at various Zepp venues. The anniversary celebration ended with three Final Road Last Sanctuary concerts in October 2016; the Osaka International Convention Center on the tenth, the Nakano Sun Plaza Hall on the fifteenth, and the last taking place on the twentieth at the Nippon Budokan.

Members

 * Hideki "Chack" Imamura (今村栄喜) – vocals (1991–2002, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015–2016)
 * Yasushi "Natin/Natchin" Nakagawa (中川泰) – bass, backing vocals (1991–2002, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015–2016)
 * Kazuma Endou (遠藤一馬) – vocals, rhythm guitar (1992–2002, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015–2016)
 * Daita Ito (伊藤大太) – lead guitar, backing vocals (1993–2002, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015–2016)
 * Jun-ji Sakuma (佐久間淳士) – drums (1994–2002, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015–2016)

 * Former members
 * Ataru – guitar (1991–1993)
 * Ozz... – drums
 * A – drums (1992–1994)

Discography

 * Albums
 * Siam Shade (December 10, 1994) Oricon Indies Ranking: No. 2
 * Siam Shade II (November 11, 1995) Oricon Albums Chart Ranking: No. 27
 * Siam Shade III (October 2, 1996) No. 20
 * Siam Shade IV - Zero (January 21, 1998) No. 3
 * Siam Shade V (December 2, 1998) No. 6
 * Siam Shade VI (July 26, 2000) No. 8

 * Singles
 * "Doll" (December 19, 1993, distributed for free at first one-man live)
 * "Rain" (October 21, 1995) Oricon Singles Chart Ranking: No. 49
 * "Time's" (February 1, 1996) No. 44
 * "Why Not?" (February 21, 1997) No. 69
 * "Risk" (May 21, 1997) No. 42
 * "Passion" (July 30, 1997) No. 35
 * "1/3 no Junjō na Kanjō" (1/3の純情な感情) No. 3
 * "Glacial Love" (グレイシャルLOVE) No. 10
 * "Dreams" (August 5, 1998) No. 4
 * "Never End" (October 28, 1998) No. 9
 * "Kumori Nochi Hare" (曇りのち晴れ) No. 8
 * "Black" (September 15, 1999) No. 5
 * "1999" (September 29, 1999) No. 7
 * "Setsunasa Yori mo Tooku e" (せつなさよりも遠くへ) No. 10
 * "Life" (April 11, 2001) No. 13
 * "Adrenaline" (アドレナリン) No. 14
 * "Love" (November 28, 2001) No. 20
 * "Still We Go" (digital on September 18, 2013; limited CD on October 27, 2013)

 * Compilations
 * Siam Shade VII (November 29, 2000) No. 23
 * Siam Shade VIII B-Side Collection (January 30, 2001) No. 17
 * Siam Shade IX A-Side Collection (March 6, 2002) No. 20
 * Siam Shade X ~Perfect Collection~ (November 27, 2002) No. 98
 * Siam Shade XI Complete Best ~Heart of Rock~ (September 26, 2007) No. 26
 * Siam Shade XII ~The Best Live Collection~ (October 27, 2010) No. 23
 * Siam Shade Spirits 1993 (April 14, 2012)

 * Various artists compilations
 * Emergency Express 1994 (February 1, 1994, "End of Love")
 * Tribute Spirits (May 1, 1999, "Pink Spider")

 * Tribute albums
 * Siam Shade Tribute (October 27, 2010) No. 15
 * Siam Shade Tribute vs Original (July 11, 2011) No. 253

 * Videos
 * Siam Shade (VHS: March 1, 1997, DVD: December 6, 2000)
 * Siam Shade V2 Clips '95 - '97 (VHS: March 1, 1998, DVD: December 6, 2000)
 * Siam Shade V3 (VHS: March 20, 1999, DVD: December 16, 2000)
 * Siam Shade V4 Tour 1999 Monkey Science Final Yoyogi (VHS: August 30, 1999, DVD: September 22, 1999)
 * Siam Shade V5 (September 6, 2000)
 * Siam Shade V6 Live Otoko ki (December 31, 2000)
 * Siam Shade V7 Live in Budokan Legend of Sanctuary (March 27, 2002) Oricon DVDs Ranking: No. 34
 * Siam Shade V8 Start & Stand Up Live in Budokan 2002.03.10 (May 29, 2002) No. 14
 * Siam Shade V9 The Perfect Clip (January 8, 2003) No. 49
 * Siam Shade Spirits ~Return the Favor~ 2011.10.21 Saitama Super Arena (March 10, 2012)
 * Siam Shade Heart of Rock 7 Live at Saitama Super Arena (April 1, 2014)
 * Siam Shade Live Tour 2013 "Heart of Rock 7" Special Live -Inheritance of the Soul- Tamashii no Keishou (SIAM SHADE LIVE TOUR 2013 "HEART OF ROCK 7" Special Live -Inheritance of the soul- 魂の継承)
 * ~Final Road Last Sanctuary~ Siam Shade Live 2016 Live at Nippon Budokan 2016.10.20 (October 21, 2018)

title: Siam Shade


text:
Sartaj Sahni

Professor Sartaj Kumar Sahni (born July 22, 1949, in Pune, India) is a computer scientist based in the United States, and is one of the pioneers in the field of data structures. He is a distinguished professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science and Engineering at the University of Florida.

Education
Sahni received his BTech degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. Following this, he undertook his graduate studies at Cornell University in the USA, earning a PhD degree in 1973, under the supervision of Ellis Horowitz.

Research and publications
Sahni has published over 280 research papers and written 15 textbooks. His research publications are on the design and analysis of efficient algorithms, data structures, parallel computing, interconnection networks, design automation, and medical algorithms.

With his advisor Ellis Horowitz, Sahni wrote two widely used textbooks, Fundamentals of Computer Algorithms and Fundamentals of Data Structures. He has also written highly cited research papers on the NP-completeness of approximately solving certain optimization problems, on open shop scheduling, on parallel algorithms for matrix multiplication and their application in graph theory, and on improved exponential time exact algorithms for the subset sum problem, among his many other research results.

Awards and honors
In 1997, Sahni was awarded the IEEE Computer Society's Taylor L. Booth Education Award and in 2003 he was awarded the IEEE Computer Society McDowell Award. Sahni was also awarded the 2003 Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award of the Association for Computing Machinery.

Professor Sahni is a member of the European Academy of Sciences. He was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 1988, and of the Association for Computing Machinery in 1996; he is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, elected in 1995. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.

Sahni was given the Honorary Professor Award of Asia University in 2009.

Volunteer activities
He has served as editor-in-chief of ACM Computing Surveys.

title: Sartaj Sahni


text:
Central provinces

Central provinces may refer to:

 * Central Canada
 * Central Provinces of former British India (1861–1936)
 * Central Provinces and Berar of former British India (1936–1950)
 * Central Provinces and Berar Circuit or C. P.-Berar Circuit, a Hindi film distribution circuit comprising parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra
 * Six Central Provinces of China

title: Central provinces


text:
Black imported fire ant

The black imported fire ant (Solenopsis richteri), or simply BIFA, is a species of ant in the genus Solenopsis (fire ants). It was long thought to either be a subspecies or a color variation of Solenopsis invicta (the red imported fire ant, or simply RIFA), but is now recognized as its own species with a demonstratively different range and living habits. BIFA seem to be more tolerant of cold and a less dominant species than RIFA. Due to the BIFA higher body content of water than the RIFA conclusions demonstrate the certain factor plays a role in their differences of living regions.

The species is native to South America, but has been introduced to North America. In the United States, the official assessment is that BIFA are limited to extreme northeastern Mississippi, northwestern Alabama and a few southern counties in Tennessee, though this may reflect underestimation of their range. As of April 2013 their range has been found as far north as the tidewater area of Virginia, and as of July 2016 they have been reported near coastal South Carolina. Since the 2013 records, this species has been collected in NE Arkansas in several Craighead County localities. These collections are presumably the result of recent landscaping of new construction projects.

All stings of imported fire ants will produce a sterile pustule that is helpful in distinguishing them from the stings or bites of other insects. Pustules are surrounded by reddened swelling (wheal) with the redness (erythema) extending beyond (flare). The extent of reaction to imported fire ant stings is variable depending on the quantity of allergic (IgE) antibodies an individual has already formed. There may also be differences in the venom from the two species that result in more pronounced wheal and flare formation after stings from BIFA.

title: Black imported fire ant


text:
Wikipedia:Goings-on/July 25, 2004

Welcome to Wikipedia's goings-on. This page is a central point for community members to collect current information about the community project and to report on recent goings-on. In a sense, it's an announcement page, but it is supposed to collect even those kinds of information that are normally not announced on pages like Announcements (e.g. arbitration progress, outspoken newcomers, amusing things, etc.). However, please notice that this page is explicitly not for discussion. When listing topics here that are being discussed or have been discussed, please link to the appropriate discussion page and discuss it there. For a project-wide update of events, see the Meta-Wiki Goings-on.

This page is archived in a weekly digest-like fashion, every Sunday at 0:00 UTC.

{| cellspacing=3 width="100%"
 * bgcolor="#fffff6" colspan="2" style="border: 1px solid black;padding-left:1em;"|

Goings-on in the week starting Sunday July 25 2004

 * Saturday is the Wiki-meetup in Boston.
 * Elections have been scheduled for two open positions on the Arbitration Committee. Candidates should present their candidate statements before midnight UTC on Monday, August 2, 2004. The election will start on Wednesday, August 4, and run through Friday, August 13. Anyone who has been a registered user for 3 months is eligible to vote.
 * Quote - a template for reporting short quotable statements on wikipedia and its non-wiki platforms.
 * The outcomes of the Foundation website meeting are published, along with the full transcript (warning: 132 kilobytes).
 * Andris, Hypernovean, Ed g2s, Snowspinner and Thue become administrators. Congratulations!

 * - valign="top"
 * bgcolor="#fffff6" style="border: 1px solid black;padding-left:1em;"|

Articles featured on the Main Page
 * Lollapalooza (July 25)
 * Siege (July 26)
 * Copyright (July 27)
 * Mitochondrial Eve (July 28)
 * Radar (July 29)
 * History of Scotland (July 30)
 * Typewriter (July 31)

 * bgcolor="#fffff6" style="border: 1px solid black;padding-left:1em;"|

Articles that gained "featured" status
 * Coronation of the British monarch (July 27)
 * Vulgar Latin (July 29)
 * Aryan invasion theory (July 29)
 * Glass (July 29)
 * Russian language (July 30)
 * Treaty of Devol (July 30)
 * Black hole (July 30)
 * Order of the Garter (July 30)

Pictures that gained "featured" status
 * }

title: Wikipedia:Goings-on/July 25, 2004


text:
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous is an American television series that aired in syndication from 1984 to 1995. The show featured the extravagant lifestyles of wealthy entertainers, athletes, socialites and magnates.

Cast and Crew
The show was hosted by Robin Leach for the majority of its run. Leach was joined by Shari Belafonte in 1994. At her request, in order to "bring the show into the '90's", the show was renamed Lifestyles with Robin Leach and Shari Belafonte. After Belafonte left in 1995, the show was simply retitled Lifestyles.

Voice-over artist David Greenspan (aka David Perry) provided narration for most of the segments during the bulk of the show's run and could be heard whenever Leach did not appear on camera. Upon Greenspan's death in 1991, various voice-over artists took over narration duties, including Les Marshak and Charlie O'Donnell.

The theme song, titled "Come with Me Now" and performed by Bill Conti, is from a 1978 film called Five Days from Home.

Synopsis
Lifestyles was created by Al Masini (also credited with Solid Gold, Entertainment Tonight, and Star Search)''. '' It was one of the first shows to feature the lives of the wealthy, largely intended to be an insight into the opulent residences and the glamorous lifestyles of those it profiled. However, many of the geographic areas it covered were also ideal destinations for vacations, and in his on-camera appearances, Leach indirectly made references to resorts and tourist attractions. Greenspan, as narrator, made more direct references to such resorts and such tourist attractions.

Leach ended each episode with a wish for his viewers that became his signature catchphrase, "champagne wishes and caviar dreams."

Lifestyles originally aired in syndication from 1984-1995. ABC aired re-edited segments of the show, along with some new footage, at 11:00 A.M. (EST) during its daytime schedule from April 7 to June 13, 1986, and from June 30 to September 5, 1986. It was replaced on the daytime schedule by its spinoff, Fame, Fortune and Romance, which ran until May 1987.

Lifestyles was Emmy nominated for "Outstanding Informational Special" in 1984.

Spinoff
Lifestyles had two companion spinoff series. One was Runaway with the Rich and Famous, also hosted by Leach. Runaway focused on taking viewers on vacations with celebrities to exotic foreign locations. The series also aired in first-run syndication, from 1986 to 1994. There was also Fame, Fortune and Romance, broadcast on ABC from 1986 to 1987.

Rebooted
In 2013, the Style Network was going to reboot Lifestyles of The Rich and Famous but did not move forward when the network was later rebranded the Esquire Network. In 2014, a source said that a new version of Lifestyles would be remade for NBC, hosted by Nick Cannon. Unlike the original, this version would have mostly focused on Cannon's point of view as well as featured profiles of the mega-rich. This version would also have featured tech billionaires, who were quickly becoming the new face of wealth; it was said that philanthropic efforts would also be covered. Cannon said that "Robin Leach passed the torch to me, now I'm producing and hosting the new Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"; he also said "You know what? I think rich and famous people take themselves too seriously, I'm gonna be just like I am on this show America's Got Talent. I'll be like, what the hell? Gold toilet seats? Let's pop bottles!" The idea was later scrapped.

Merchandise
A board game called Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: The Game was released by Pressman Toy Corporation in 1987.

A video slot machine was made by IGT in 2002.

Parodies

 * An episode of the second season of Garfield and Friends titled "Lifestyles of the Fat and Furry" had Garfield winning the lottery and being featured on the titular program. At the end though, Garfield loses his fortune because he was underage (he was 11 years old at the time the episode aired), and the winnings are given to the Robin Leach look-alike (played by Robin Leach himself), who is thrilled that he can now "stop hosting this stupid program and talking in this stupid voice!"
 * In several episodes of Saturday Night Live, the "Lifestyles" program would be spoofed a few times by Harry Shearer as Robin Leach in "Lifestyles of the Relatives of the Rich and Famous". Another more exaggerated parody of Leach would be made a few years on SNL by Dana Carvey where his Leach character would exclaim "I'm yelling and I don't know why!"
 * Sergio Aragones often parodied the show in his cartoon drawings, namely in MAD Magazine (other MAD artists and writers targeted Leach and the show as well), but Aragones, like Antonio Prohias, managed to do so without words. One such Aragones cartoon showed a live taping of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" suddenly interrupted by a homeless woman and children requesting food and clothing, much to the surprise of the shocked camera men.
 * Cryptic Slaughter's song "Death styles of the Poor & Lowly", from the 1990 album Speak Your Peace, criticized the show and included a mocking imitation of Robin Leach.
 * Rapper Big L titled his 1995 debut album Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous.
 * Rapper Ice-T included a song called "Lifestyles Of the Rich and Infamous" on his 1991 album O.G. Original Gangster.
 * Genie (voiced by Robin Williams) featured a parody of the show in the beginning of Aladdin and the King of Thieves, calling it "Lifestyles of the Rich and Magical".
 * This line is included in the song Piece Of Me by Britney Spears, where she sings "I'm Mrs. Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" in the chorus
 * Rap group Lost Boyz had the hit " Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless"
 * The cartoon Muppet Babies parodized the show as "Lifestyles of the Pink and Famous", in the episode This Little Piggy Went to Hollywood.
 * The TV series Dinosaurs parodized the show as "Lifestyles of Those We Envy".
 * The cartoon Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog had a show-in-episode entitled "Lifestyles of the Sick and Twisted".
 * An episode of the cartoon Tiny Toon Adventures featured Babs and Buster Bunny as presenters of a show called "Lifestyles of the Rich and Rotten". They were supposed to interview Montana Max, but he had snubbed them, so they mainly used the show as a way to torment him.
 * A song by Tracy Byrd titled Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous.

title: Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous


text:
Talk:Betty Hill

From VfD:

substub, contains nothing not already in Hill Abduction. Ianb 23:48, 24 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Agreed; Hill Abduction is enough for Betty Hill. Psychonaut 23:52, 24 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Should be (and used to be) a redirect to Hill Abduction. If it's deleted, someone will just recreate it (and Barney Hill). If it's a redirect, they may have the sense to edit the article they're directed to instead of creating a new one. - Nunh-huh 23:56, 24 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * comment: neither are linked from Hill Abduction, a redirect might be confusing if there is another Betty Hill. Ianb 00:00, 25 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * I've made it a redirect - David Gerard 00:31, 25 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Redirect to Hill Abduction. -- Cyrius|✎ 02:15, 25 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep as redirect to Hill Abduction. If and when we get another Betty Hill, then we deal with that by making it a disambiguation. Andrewa 07:09, 25 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep as redirect. --Gary D 08:02, 25 Jul 2004 (UTC)

end moved discussion

title: Talk:Betty Hill


text:
Talk:Barney Hill

From VfD:

substub, contains nothing not already in Hill Abduction. Ianb 23:53, 24 Jul 2004 (UTC)

 * I've made it a redirect - David Gerard 00:32, 25 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep redirect. -- Cyrius|✎ 02:15, 25 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep as redirect to Hill Abduction. Wow, this has been a battleground, it was originally a redirect to a page which now redirects to the same target, has been various bordeline stubs and badly formed redirects in the meantime. Hopefully it will now settle down for a while! Andrewa 07:06, 25 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep as redirect. --Gary D 08:03, 25 Jul 2004 (UTC)

end moved discussion

title: Talk:Barney Hill


text:
Little Harpeth River

The Little Harpeth River is a 16.3 mi tributary of the Harpeth River in Tennessee, just south of Nashville. Via the Harpeth, Cumberland, and Ohio rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed.

The Little Harpeth rises in Williamson County, Tennessee near the community of Clovercroft. From there it flows north-northwest, entering and largely draining the Nashville suburb of Brentwood, where it crosses the golf course belonging to the local country club. The Brentwood area marks where the stream begins a largely west-northwest course. Crossing into Davidson County, it passes Edwin Warner Park, one of the largest municipal parks in the Southern United States, and provides a lovely setting for some of the picnic areas. From there, it flows into the main Harpeth River (colloquially called the "Big Harpeth") near the Bellevue area of Nashville. Its major tributaries are Beech Creek and Otter Creek, which is impounded several miles above its confluence with the Little Harpeth to form Radnor Lake, the focal point of Radnor Lake State Natural Area.

title: Little Harpeth River


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Blaz

"an internet discussion forum in Brazil devoted to computers and technology." Yet Another Internet Formum. Delete, submit to dmoz.org. Ianb 23:57, 24 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete - Wikipedia is not a web director. -- Cyrius|✎ 02:16, 25 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Or a web directory. -- Cyrius|✎ 02:17, 25 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Geogre 14:57, 25 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Blah. - Eisnel 07:27, 27 Jul 2004 (UTC)

title: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Blaz


text:
False stag beetle

The false stag beetles (Diphyllostoma) are a group of three species of rare beetles known only from California. Almost nothing is known of their life history beyond that the adults are diurnal and females are flightless; larvae have not been observed.

Their length ranges from 5 to 9 mm; bodies are elongate, with a generally dull brown to reddish-brown color. Both body and legs are covered with longish hairs.

Originally classed with the Lucanidae, Diphyllostoma have a number of characteristics not shared with any other type of stag beetle, and so in 1972 Holloway proposed a separate family Diphyllostomatidae, which has since been accepted.

Species

 * Diphyllostoma fimbriatum (Fall), 1901
 * Diphyllostoma linsleyi Fall, 1932
 * Diphyllostoma nigricolle Fall, 1912

title: False stag beetle