Lebanon Utility Service Board: Fill & Download for Free

Airlines typically retire the flight numbers of flights involved in crashes or accidents.For example, Malaysia Airlines changed the flight numbers of its service between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing, from MH370/371 to MH318/319 soon after a Boeing 777 operating the route disappeared. Japan Airlines stopped assigning flight number JL123 to its Tokyo → Osaka service shortly after a Boeing 747 serving that flight crashed, killing 520 people. Thereupon, flight number JL127 is used instead.The flight numbers of ill-fated flights evoke negative impressions for travelers, especially for high-profile accidents like MH370. Hence, airlines usually elect to discontinue them to avoid agitating passengers, and as a gesture of respect for the victims of the disaster.That being said, not every accident flight results in the retirement of a flight number. For instance, several airlines reuse flight numbers of accident flights with aircraft hull losses but no fatalities, like British Airways Flight 38.▲ Wreckage of British Airways Flight 38This incident marked the first hull loss of a Boeing 777, which crashed short of the runway due to fuel starvation. Fortunately, all 152 occupants aboard survived.Presently, flight number BA38 continues to be in use.You may think that airlines will retire the flight designator of every catastrophic flight with casualties. Well, that’s not the case.Delta Air Lines Flight 723 was used for the airlines’ Burlington → Manchester → Boston route. On July 31, 1973, a Douglas DC-9 operating as flight DL723 struck a seawall while on final approach at Boston’s Logan International Airport. Thick fog limited visibility of the runway. All 89 passengers and crew on board died.▲ Remains of Delta Airlines Flight 723Today, Delta Airlines still utilizes flight DL723, albeit for its Atlanta—Key West (Florida) service.Air India Flight 101 was assigned to the airlines’ Bombay → New Delhi → Lebanon → Geneva → London service. On January 24, 1966, a Boeing 707 operating this flight was flown into Mont Blanc massif on the way to Geneva International Airport in Switzerland.▲ Mont Blanc massif, the mountain that Air India Flight 101 collided intoThe accident was caused by miscommunication between the pilots and ATC. The flight crew descended the plane prematurely, thinking they had already passed the mountain. All 117 people aboard perished.In spite of this tragedy, Air India continues to use flight AI 101 today, on a different route (Mumbai → New Delhi → New York).[1]You may also think that only flights that crash will warrant retirement of flight numbers.Saudia Flight 163 was the flight code issued by the airline for its flight from Karachi, Pakistan to Jeddah via Riyadh (both within Saudi Arabia). On August 19, 1980, a Lockheed TriStar L-1011 operating as SV163 was involved in an accident. An in-flight fire in the cargo hold caused the plane to be diverted for an emergency landing. After the airliner successfully landed, the flight crew failed to promptly initiate an evacuation. The plane quickly became engulfed in flames, killing all 301 passengers and crew on board.▲ Burnt fuselage of Saudia Flight 163It is the deadliest aviation accident that was not caused by a crash and flight number SV163 was not used for any Saudia flight after this calamity.There is no definite criteria that needs to be fulfilled for the retirement of a flight number. However, notable accidents and incidents commonly lead to retirement of flight numbers, due to their notorious association with catastrophe. Aviation occurrences that receive less publicity might not necessitate the deactivation of a flight number. This decision-making process varies across airlines, and takes into account the significance and gravity of the incident or accident.Have airlines accidentally reused flight numbers that have been retired for good?Well, almost.In 2011, during the merger of Continental Airlines and United, a technical glitch in United’s booking system resulted in some scheduled, future flights being assigned flight numbers UA93 and UA175 and put up for sale on its website (to be operated by Continental Airlines under a code-share agreement with United).United Airlines Flight 93 and 175 were both hijacked during the September 11 attacks in 2001. Flight 175 was flown into the South Tower of the World Trade Center, while flight 93 plunged into a field after the terrorists’ plans were foiled by the passengers.United apologized for the blunder and rectified the issue. "It should not have happened, and we should have caught the mistake sooner than we did," United Spokesman Rahsaan Johnson said.Thanks for reading ✈Acknowledgements“Air India Flight 101” case study shared by Ilamparithi Venugopal in the comments. Much appreciated.Image credits1st photo — Marc-Antony Payne/Wikimedia Commons2nd — (Screenshot from Google)3rd — The Boston Globe4th — (Screenshot from Google)5th — Aviation Accidents DatabaseNote: Due to Quora’s policy, I cannot add the image URL sources in my answer. To view the image links, click here.Footnotes[1] https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/ai101

Good question.I didn’t know much about this capital city of Lebanon before touching down 5 days ago. But this past week has taught me a lot about this bustling little city.While a more thorough understanding of this country’s history would help me put more of my observations into a historical context, my lack of preconceived notions about how things will be hopefully gives me an unfiltered lens to see through. Here’s what’s struck me so far:SafetyThe biggest concern of my family has, thankfully, been largely disproven. I mind my own business, and everyone else minds theirs. I haven’t seen a single fight or crime. I’ve only seen a few police officers, and they weren’t fighting much crime.There are not many light skinned, light haired people like me here, so it’s pretty obvious that I’m an outsider. I think I’ve seen 4 people that had a similar ethnic background as myself. Two seemed to be locals, and two were definitely tourists. Yet, I haven’t even been heckled (something that happened my first night in the ‘insanely friendly’ country of Thailand). Granted, these locals may be bad mouthing me under their breath, but at least I don’t notice.The Lebanese army has posts scattered through the city. These men are very nice and seem well trained. They’ve helped my Uber driver find his way on several occasions.I haven’t felt unsafe yet. Sure, I haven’t been here very long, and this city, like every other city in the world, has crime. Still, I’m encouraged by what I’ve experienced thus far.TransportationThe roads are crazy. There are no speed traps, red light cameras, or even police monitoring road behavior. Drivers take full advantage, doing whatever it takes to get to their destination as fast as possible. So far, I’ve seen:* A car going against the flow of traffic in a triple lane roundabout.* A father backing up his sedan on the highway with his daughters inside.* And, best of all, an old man in a wheelchair rolling away on the far right side of a freeway. Not even in the shoulder, just in the far right lane (there are no shoulders). The drivers seem unphased as they swerved around him.Incredibly, I’ve only seen one traffic accident, and it was very minor. I saw a man fall off his moped as he made a sharp turn (like most riders, he wasn’t wearing a helmet). He took it like a champ, though. He patted his head with his hands to check for bleeding. He saw he was clear, kicked his moped back into gear, and was on his way. Traffic around him, of course, flowed as usual (giving him a 12-inch buffer on either side).The honking is incessant. People honk when they’re angry, but also when they need to pass, when they’re fighting for positioning, when they’re coming across a blind intersection, when they’re (very rarely) giving someone permission to pass, and sometimes just for fun (there’s a melodic honk that I keep hearing that goes buh-buh-buhbuhbuh-buhbuhbuhbuh-buhbuh). Cabs will also honk at you if they think you might need a ride.When walking alongside the road, it’s very important to walk in straight lines. Drivers often come very close to pedestrians, so an unexpected movement could be problematic. These drivers have an incredible eye, though, because they don’t hit anything on the sides of the road that they tiptoe.There are cabs everywhere, but I feel better taking an Uber. Locals advise me that I’ll get better rates using it, too. On multiple Uber trips, my driver has had issues with their GPS. Mine has been working fine. On one ride, I had to hand the driver my phone to navigate to our destination. I’m not sure if my drivers are using older phones with lower quality location services or if their cell service isn’t up to par (I may be on a different network).Addresses, though, are a huge pain. While some buildings have what appear to be ordinary addresses, most just use descriptions. For example, “In X neighborhood, behind the Y pharmacy”.There isn’t public transportation here, either. There are some buses that run, but they don’t have official stops, fares, or timetables. One person called them public transport, but I’m not buying it.UtilitiesI’m living in an AirBnB with recent college grads, so I’m experiencing exactly what I would be had I been born here. The wifi is slow, and it goes down often. To the dismay of an internet aficionado like myself, this is one of the hardest parts about living here. Electricity goes down sometimes; it's a part of life. Charge your devices when you can. The water at my apartment is also unheated. Thankfully, I find cold showers refreshing. I presume nicer buildings have better versions of all of these things.This is a big part of what’s making this trip so memorable. It’s easy to grow accustomed to the comforts of the developed world, with stable electricity, fast wifi, and warm showers. In reality, the situation here is how much of the world lives.Cost of LivingExtremely low. I’m staying in an Airbnb for $17/night. I had a fantastic, fresh lunch yesterday for the equivalent of $2. The only thing that's a bit pricey is cell service. Calls are expensive, but data is reasonable. Not sure about the mechanics of this pricing model.CultureThe biggest shock. I think culture is so abstract that it is best explained through examples.When ordering food, the vendors don’t seem to be in a hurry to serve you. I was ordering takeout and the baker/cashier was sorting some supplies. He had to have seen me, but he finished what he was doing before minding me. At first, this sort of behavior was off-putting, but now I’m starting to accept it as the norm.Another example: at the market, I was waiting to scale my produce. Two others were also waiting. When the cashier was ready for a new customer, both of the others made a move for the scale with their bags. One touched down first and proceeded with the other transaction; the other accepted defeat and waited in second place.This was not an isolated incident. I’ve seen it since I was in the boarding line for my flight to Lebanon. My boarding zone was in a narrow portion of the airport terminal, and people passing through were struggling to make their way through/around my flight’s line, which was now roadblocking the entire width of the terminal corridor. Naturally, I left a 2-foot space in front of me to let luggage couriers and old ladies pass through without having to shoulder tap. Incredibly, after a few minutes of leaving this gap open, the person behind me walked in front of me and filled the gap. I was cut in line. I was in absolute shock. Despite my dropped jaw, the violator appeared to pay his act no mind whatsoever. I haven’t been cut in line since the 3rd-grade lunch line. And I here I was, taken advantage of my a 30-year-old man. I spent the past year in the ‘rude’ city of DC, but this behavior has shocked even myself.This happens in lines of all sorts. If you’re in line at a store, you better be straight in line, just on the edge of the comfort zone of the person in front of you. If you’re not, you will be out-positioned by someone more eager to complete their transaction.People often seem to be in a hurry, but I can’t blame them. I want to say people are hustling to make a better life for themselves. It is a developing country, after all. At the same time, many people seem super relaxed at work. Several places I’ve called haven’t picked up their phone (although this may have something to do with the expensive cost of using it).The locals I’m living with don’t have an extremely favorable view of their city. They say sexism and racism are rampant. They told me that while I don’t see tons of issues from the surface, I will find many problems if I dig deeper. One described her hometown and unconscientious and lazy (she’s dying to go to Europe for grad school).At the end of the day, though, these differences are marginal. Men get up early to fish on the coast. Children run around acting crazy. People chill outside and socialize over a coffee, smoke, and snack. I feel that our underlying human nature is universal. While the differences made me feel quite out of place initially, I’m starting to settle into the flow of things.EconomyA pretty standard mix of essentials. Lots of cell phone stores and restaurants. Many of the restaurants seem to be struggling. Many are totally empty even at prime hours. It breaks my heart, and I wonder how they stay in business.American RelationsWhen I tell people I’m American, they don’t react in any spectacular way. They just give me the look of “Ah, I was thinking it was that or the UK.” The Lebanese American University is heavily policed, but I think this is a legacy of the 1983 US Embassy bombing. In addition, college campuses everywhere tend to have extra high security.This reminds me of a travel blog I read a while back. It said that while, as Americans, we like to think of ourselves as the center of the universe, most places in the world don’t pay us all that much mind besides listening to some of our music, watching our movies, and not hating us for inventing Facebook and WhatsApp.My roommates have said many people don’t have much of an opinion on the US. Others have a distaste for American intervention in their domestic affairs. These seem reasonable. While I’m a champion for equality and democracy, I can see the beef people have with a big, powerful foreign power crashing the party.In airport customs, I wasn’t given any extra level of scrutiny. People with passport stamps from Israel or Palestine, however, are not let in the country.In conclusion, expect the label of “just a foreigner” as an American in Lebanon.RecreationSmoking is still pretty big here, but I haven’t yet seen anyone visibly drunk. Stores sell liquor, but consumption seems to be responsible.The primary sport seems to be soccer (football, rather). A pair of goals is the only sporting equipment on the beach, and the only stadium I’ve come across caters to the same sport.I often see old men playing a table game outside that resembles checkers. People enjoy the spring’s nice evening climate, sipping their espressos (no one drinks full sized coffees) into the late hours.My roommates tell me that the city has quite the nightlife scene. I’m more of a stay at home and read kind of guy, but I may have to experience this feature a night or two to see for myself.Volunteering in Refugee ReliefI’ve been knocking on doors of some NGOs asking if they’re in need of any volunteers. Surprisingly, many organizations are not in need of free labor. Some local organizations seem confused by the idea of volunteering. I guess not many people around here work for free. The NGOs that I am likely to work with seem to actively recruit outsiders like myself.The reason I came to Lebanon was to work in refugee relief. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees from the Syrian crisis, with 1 in 4 people in the country registered as a refugee. Refugees surround me, but they seem well integrated. Hell, one of my roommates left Syria a year and a half ago to avoid being drafted into their military.While I’ve only seen a few people begging (and none homeless), this roommate does tell me that refugees are exploited. To stay in Lebanon, Syrians must find an employer to sponsor them. While the employer only has to pay the Lebanese government around $200/year for the sponsorship, many employers make their sponsorees pay them 3-4x this. The law of supply and demand in an unregulated market, with unfortunate outcomes for those outside of the position of power.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank with a mission to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia.It is established by the AIIB Articles of Agreement (entered into force Dec. 25, 2015) which is a multilateral treaty. The Parties (57 founding members) to agreement comprise the Membership of the Bank.It is headquartered in Beijing and began its operations in January 2016.The members of Bank have now grown to 97 approved members worldwide. There are 27 prospective members including Armenia, Lebanon, Brazil, South Africa, Greece, etc.Fourteen of the G-20 nations are AIIB members including France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.By investing in sustainable infrastructure and other productive sectors in Asia and beyond, it will better connect people, services, and markets that over time will impact the lives of billions and build a better future.GoalsTo foster sustainable economic development, create wealth, and improve infrastructure connectivity in Asia by investing in infrastructure and other productive sectors.To promote regional cooperation and partnership in addressing development challenges by working in close collaboration with other multilateral and bilateral development institutions.To promote investment in the public and private capital for development purposes, in particular for the development of infrastructure and other productive sectors.To utilize the resources at its disposal for financing such development in the region, including those projects and programs which will contribute most effectively to the harmonious economic growth of the region;To encourage private investment in projects, enterprises, and activities contributing to economic development in the region when private capital is not available on reasonable terms and conditions.Financial Resources of AIIBThe AIIB's initial total capital is USD 100 billion divided into 1 million shares of 100 000 dollars each, with 20% paid-in and 80% callable.Paid-Up Share Capital: It is the amount of money that has already been paid by investors in exchange for shares of stock.Called-Up Share Capital: Some companies may issue shares to investors with the understanding they will be paid at a later date.This allows for more flexible investment terms and may entice investors to contribute more share capital than if they had to provide funds upfront.China is the largest contributor to the Bank, contributing USD 50 billion, half of the initial subscribed capital.India is the second-largest shareholder, contributing USD 8.4 billion.Voting RightsChina is the largest shareholder with 26.61 % voting shares in the bank followed by India (7.6%), Russia (6.01%), and Germany (4.2 %).The regional members hold 75% of the total voting power in the Bank.The AIIB has a governance structure similar to other MDBs (multilateral development bank), with two key differences:it does not have a resident board of executive directors that represents member countries' interests on a day-to-day basis; and the AIIB gives more decision making authority to regional countries and the largest shareholder, China.Hope you like the answer. Follow and upvote.