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Posts Tagged 'Greece'
Part two of our first-hand look at Friendly Planet's Athens and 3-Day Greek Isles Cruise
posted: May 20, 2010 by: Peggy Goldman with: No Comments
View of the Athens Parliament from Syntagma Square
Picking up from where I left off, recounting my experience on the Athens and 3-Day Greek Isles Cruise …
Soon after collecting our bags at Athens International Airport, the Friendly Planet group was met by our tour guide, Heather. First a word about our multilingual travel lifeline.
Heather had come to the country about three years earlier for a job as a guide with another company. She moved to Athens not speaking a word of Greek, but had a month before starting her job to acclimate herself to the city and begin learning the language.
Two days after her arrival she got a phone call from her soon-to-be boss. "Think you could start tomorrow?" She agreed. And after just a week on a tour bus with a driver who didn't speak a word of English, she was conversational in Greek.
Not surprising, our first conversation with Heather was a vocabulary lesson. On the ride into the city we learned kalimera (pronounced ka-lee-MEra, meaning good morning), yasass (pronounced YA-sass, the polite way to say hello to someone you don't know), and efharisto (pronounced ef-ka-ree-STO, meaning thank you).
During that drive, Heather also told us an important thing to know about the streets of Athens: Traffic is heavy and the "rules" of the road are seen as more of a suggestion. For the most part, they're ignored. She strongly suggested that we look both ways (a few times) before crossing the street. 🙂
Athens' heavy traffic can be attributed to its dense population. The city lies in a valley, with Mount Aegaleo to the west, Mount Parnitha to the north, Mount Penteli to the northeast, and Mount Hymettus to the east. Over 3 million people live in the Athens urban area, which is about seven times the square mileage of Manhattan.
But unlike the Big Apple, a building height restriction put in place to protect views of the Parthenon means there are no buildings over 12-stories high (except for a handful of exceptions). That means the city is packed with residential and commercial buildings, and Greeks traveling from the outskirts of town to the city center.
Life in the Plaka
After driving from the airport into the heart of downtown Athens, we arrived at our centrally located hotel, the Titania. The afternoon was spent exploring our surroundings. We were walking distance from some of the most beautiful neo-classical style buildings in the city, including Parliament and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where we watched the changing of the guard; the Academy of Athens; and the Vallianios National Library.
Having wandered through Syntagma Square (or Constitution Square), we found ourselves in Plaka, the historical neighborhood of Greece that wraps around the base of the Acropolis. The tangled web of narrow streets here are lined with beautiful old homes, street vendors, shops, and cafes.
It was just a few quick hours wandering the Athens streets (we'd be back in a few days) before we headed back to the Titania to resist a nap, meet with our tour group to discuss cruise embarquement procedure, and finalize the list of shore excursions we would take at each of the islands we would visit.
Dinner that night was at the hotel restaurant. Sure we were thousands of miles from home, but we managed to find ourselves at a place called The Olive Garden. Not the chain you find in the U.S. No endless soup, salad, and breadsticks here. Just incredible views of the Acropolis. 🙂 We went easy on the wine, because it was a 6 a.m. wake-up call the next morning when we'd head to Piraeus, the port of the Athens where our cruise ship, the Aquamarine, was anchored.
But more on that in my next post. Plus: Lifeboat dry runs, sunset picture #1 of 3,000, and how to confuse a pirate.
Tags: Acropolis, Aquamarine, Athens, Athens and 3-Day Greek Isles Cruise, Greece, Greek language, Parthenon, Piraeus, Pirates, Plaka, Syntagma Square, Titania Hotel
The wondrous Greek Isles: Heraklion and Santorini
posted: Jun 18, 2009 by: Peggy Goldman with: No Comments
If three days of sailing throughout the Mediterranean just isn't enough to take in all the wonders of Greece, there's also an Athens and four-day Greek Isles cruise. The itinerary for the two vacations are almost identical, but on the four-day cruise, the M/V Aquamarine also docks at the most popular of all the Greek Isles, Santorini, as well as a stop at Heraklion, Crete.
Two Friendly Planeteers enjoying the breathtaking views of Santorini.
On the four-day journey, after a day in Rhodes, travelers will enjoy a trip to Heraklion. Just five kilometers from the Heraklion city center lie the ruins of Knossos — the capital of Minoan Crete and today the island's major tourist attraction — which travelers can visit on an optional shore excursion.
Other points of interest here include Heraklion's Archaeological Museum — one of the finest in the Mediterannean — which houses exquisite findings from Knossos and other Minoan ruins, numerous Venetian fortresses, and fountains and loggias scattered throughout the city.
At the Historical Museum of Crete, Byzantine and folklore collections are on display. The island's open air market is a must-see, where colorful and boisterous crowds buy, sell, and trade everything from goats and sheep to enormous cauldrons of freshly churned yogurt.
The next port of call is Santorini. This striking island, with breathtaking panoramas and rugged landscapes, is actually a volcanic crater slightly immersed in the sea. The island is famous for its whitewashed houses, narrow streets, open-air cafes, and glittering boutiques which cling to steep cliffs, accessible by foot, cable car, or mule. Like Mykonos, it is not only Santorini's physical beauty that makes it one of Europe's most popular destinations, but its dynamic nightlife as well.
The island of Santorini was formed by one of the largest volcanic eruptions on the planet, which destroyed the earliest settlements on what was formerly a single island. The Minoan eruption (sometimes called the Thera eruption) occurred approximately 3,600 years ago at the height of the ancient Minoan civilization.
Vacationers can enjoy an optional tour of Santorini that takes them up along the Caldera (volcanic crater). They can also drive uphill along the rocky sides of the Caldera and pass through many traditional villages to Oia, a village that brims with many fine examples of Cycladic architecture. At the end of the day, passengers return to the ship for a final evening at sea before returning to Athens.
Tags: Athens and Greek Islands cruise, Crete, Cruise, Greece, Greek Islands, Heraklion, Santorini
The wondrous Greek Isles: Mykonos, Rhodes, and Patmos
posted: Jun 17, 2009 by: Peggy Goldman with: 1 comment
On the third day of our Athens and Greek Isles cruise, vacationers head to Piraeus, a large coastal city just 10 km from the center of Athens, where they'll board the M/V Aquamarine. Travelers can pass their time enjoying the sun, warm sea breezes, pool, and shipboard facilities while they sail to Mykonos.
The island of Mykonos is famed for its cosmopolitan character and energetic nightlife (some say it's the best in Europe), as much as it is for its labyrinth of winding alleyways and whitewashed buildings, basket-laden donkeys, and cascading geraniums. Chic crowds flock to the island's trendy restaurants, discos, and clubs each night, and vacationers sit seaside, sipping ouzo and watching the sunset while listening to traditional Greek music.
The next day takes travelers to Rhodes, the stunning "Island of Roses." Historically, Rhodes was famous throughout the world for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
In the heart of the island's biggest city, also named Rhodes, is the largest inhabited medieval town in Europe, a fascinating web of Byzantine, Turkish, and Latin ruins. There's no wonder why it's been declared one of the few World Heritage Sites. Its mighty fortifications provide the finest surviving examples of defensive architecture of the time.
Lindos, with its dazzlingly white houses clustered beneath a soaring castle-capped acropolis, is Rhodes' most picturesque village and most important Doric settlement because of its natural harbor and vantage point built 125 meters above sea level. Here, travelers can explore on their own, or take advantage of Friendly Planet Travel's optional shore excursions.
The following morning, the M/V Aquamarine docks in Kusadasi, Turkey. Just 10 km from the port of Kusadasi lies the ancient city of Ephessos, where travelers will find an archaeological site that ranks among the wonders of the world. The day's optional tours include the the Great Theatre of Ephessos, which had a capacity of 25,000 people, and the Library of Celsus, dating from 135 A.D.
Vacationers will then sail to Patmos, Greece. The Aquamarine docks at Skala harbor, a lively atmosphere with whitewashed houses, flowered courtyards, tavernas, and shops. The Island of Patmos is famous in history as the place where St. John wrote the Book of Revelation. An optional tour takes you to the cave where St. John lived and the nearby Monastery, built on one of the island's highest points, housing priceless icons and manuscripts in its Treasury.
From there, it's back to Athens for a final few days in the Paris of the Mediterranean.
Tags: Athens, Athens and Greek Islands cruise, Cruise, Greece, Greek Islands, Mykonos, Patmos, Piraeus, Rhodes, Santorini, Seven Wonders of the World, World Heritage Site


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What's Alan Watching? was a 1989 CBS television series pilot.

Overview
Produced by Eddie Murphy and his company, Eddie Murphy Television, What's Alan Watching? starred Corin Nemec as Alan, a 17-year-old couch potato who views life, and his family, as if they were on television. Libby (Barbara Barrie) and Leo (Peter Michael Goetz) are his parents, Gail (future sitcom star Fran Drescher) is his sister, Jeff (David Packer) is his brother and Alyssa (Cheryl Pollak) is his girlfriend. Murphy also had a cameo in the episode, playing a protester decrying James Brown's incarceration, as well as Brown himself.

The episode was directed by Thomas Schlamme and aired on CBS on February 27, 1989. The network passed on making it a regular series, but What's Alan Watching? did win the Television Critics Association's TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials.

See also
 Dream On (1990)
 Remote Control (1987)

In Popular Culture

TV Critic Alan Sepinwall named his personal television blog "What's Alan Watching?" after the television program.  The blog was used to recap, and review television programs after they had aired the night before. Alan Sepinwall is credited with being one of the television reviewers who popularized the recap and review format for post-air television discussions in the blogosphere.

References

External links

1989 American television episodes
1989 in American television
1980s American comedy television series
1980s American television specials
CBS original programming
Television pilots not picked up as a series

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


My daughter is a human resources professional with a Master's degree currently working in private sector in Jamshedpur. We come from a middle class, nuclear family background with moderate values.
My daughter is a student and she is pursuing her Bachelor's degree. She is currently living in Jamshedpur. We come from an Upper middle class, Nuclear family background with Traditional values.


Co-ordinates a Disability and Deaf Network to provide peer support for disability issues to those living in Northumberland.
Adapt also provides a community transport scheme for people who are disadvantaged or isolated through disability or location in the Northumberland area. There is a charge for this service and you need to join as a member. Buses can be hired at any time.
- a range of workshop/office units are available for startup businesses and social enterprises at Adapts premises and the Northumberland National park authority's premises, which form part of the charity's Hexham entrerprise hub.


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La controversia sul nome GNU/Linux, in ambito informatico, indica il dibattito sull'utilizzo dell'espressione "GNU/Linux" per etichettare un sistema operativo basato su GNU (il sistema operativo unix-like ideato da Richard Stallman nel 1984) utilizzante Linux (il kernel per sistemi operativi unix-like ideato da Linus Torvalds nel 1991).

Il dibattito ha origine dopo la nascita del sistema operativo GNU, con la sua rapida diffusione grazie all'adozione del kernel Linux. Nello specifico, il movimento open source ha sempre storicamente preferito chiamare l'intero sistema operativo semplicemente "Linux" o comunque dando poca importanza a dibattiti sul nome, mentre il movimento del software libero lo ha sempre dichiarato inappropriato per riferirsi all'intero sistema, preferendo appunto GNU/Linux.

Storia
Quando Richard Stallman decise di iniziare a scrivere GNU, l'intento era di portare il concetto di libertà di parola nell'ambito del software. Il progetto GNU e la stessa Free Software Foundation nacquero di conseguenza per favorire l'adozione e lo sviluppo di software libero e difendere la libertà degli utenti.

All'epoca, uno dei tasselli mancanti a GNU per essere completo, era un kernel. Il progetto GNU aveva previsto di iniziare a svilupparne uno, un microkernel, ma il progetto si rivelò molto complesso da realizzare e solo qualche decina d'anni più tardi lo si vide utilizzabile (vedesi GNU Hurd e Debian GNU/Hurd).

Parallelamente agli albori del kernel del progetto GNU, nel 1991 veniva pubblicata la prima versione funzionante del kernel monolitico ideato da Linus Torvalds il quale scelse di coprire Linux sotto la licenza libera GNU General Public License v2. In questo modo fu possibile includere Linux nel sistema operativo GNU, rendendolo finalmente un sistema operativo completo.

Nel 1992 la distribuzione Yggdrasil adottò il nome "Linux/GNU/X", mentre si iniziò ad adottare il termine "GNU/Linux" principalmente dopo il 1994 con la nascita di Debian GNU/Linux che aderì alle richieste della Free Software Foundation, dato che quest'ultima collaborò allo sviluppo di Debian.

Nel maggio del 1996, Stallman pubblicò Emacs 19.31, indicando come sistema operativo i seguenti sinonimi: "Lignux", "Linux", "Linux-based GNU system" (sistema GNU basato su Linux) e "GNU/Linux system". In seguito, Stallman usò esclusivamente "GNU/Linux". Fu nello stesso anno che Torvalds dichiarò di non avere nulla in contrario a sentire "Linux" soltanto per riferirsi al suo kernel, e non aveva nulla in contrario affinché si usasse "GNU/Linux" «o altri modi» per chiamare l'intero sistema operativo (evitando termini poco professionali come "Lignux"), ma aggiunse che per quanto lo riguardava avrebbe continuato a chiamare "Linux" l'intero sistema.

Ai giorni nostri ci si riferisce all'intero sistema operativo arbitrariamente fra "Linux" o "GNU/Linux", sebbene la prima forma sia molto più diffusa, soprattutto tra gli appassionati.

Argomenti a favore di "GNU/Linux"
La Free Software Foundation ritiene che il termine "Linux" sia inappropriato per parlare di un sistema operativo, per diversi motivi. Per una questione di credito, il solo "Linux" non aiuterebbe gli utenti ad entrare in contatto con la filosofia originaria con cui è stato creato il sistema operativo GNU, ovvero alla filosofia del software libero. Non è raro che vi siano «utenti GNU che non hanno mai sentito parlare di GNU» pur utilizzandolo.

In aggiunta dire «sistema Linux» sarebbe semanticamente scorretto dato che Linux è un kernel per sistemi operativi unix-like e non è un sistema operativo unix-like. Questa confusione è maggiore nel caso delle cosiddette varianti GNU, ovvero sistemi operativi basati sul sistema operativo GNU ma nei quali non è presente il kernel Linux, per esempio: Debian GNU/kFreeBSD, GNU/OpenBSD, GNU/Hurd e NexentaOS.

Altro argomento a favore di "GNU/Linux" è che il kernel di Torvalds è solo una piccola parte di un sistema operativo completo. Tuttavia, lo stesso Linus Torvalds ha sempre preferito chiamare soltanto "Linux" l'intero sistema operativo.

La normale definizione di "sistema operativo" include sia il kernel — lo specifico sottosistema che si interfaccia direttamente con l'hardware — che il software d'interfacciamento con l'utente e con le applicazioni software che controllano il computer. Inoltre, sia il nome "GNU" che il nome "Linux" sono intenzionalmente legati al nome "Unix", nel quale è stato sempre incluso concettualmente nella libreria del C, e i vari strumenti di utilità e lo stesso kernel.

Particolare importanza in un sistema di tipo Unix riveste la libreria C. Per i sistemi GNU/Linux tale libreria è glibc, la libreria C GNU, alternativamente chiamata libc6. Analizzando le dipendenze di tale libreria in una qualsiasi distribuzione di GNU/Linux si scopre che da essa dipendono quasi tutti i pacchetti del sistema operativo, le applicazioni e gli strumenti di sistema. Di norma i programmi su GNU/Linux vengono compilati e linkati ad una specifica versione di glibc. Questo include quindi glibc nei requisiti per la compatibilità binaria tra le diverse distribuzioni GNU/Linux mentre la versione del kernel piuttosto raramente è coinvolta in tali requisiti.
Infine è principalmente attraverso la libreria glibc che i sistemi GNU/Linux possono rispondere alle specifiche POSIX.

Va considerato che i componenti di un tipico sistema GNU/Linux possono essere assemblati ad altri per costituire sistemi differenti. Esistono sistemi che adottano GNU ma non il kernel Linux, come il già citato Debian GNU/kfreebsd. Esistono anche sistemi che adottano il kernel Linux, ma non contengono i componenti GNU. Mentre però un sistema GNU/kfreebsd è sostanzialmente compatibile con un sistema GNU/Linux (tanto che, l'utente e il programmatore, possono anche ignorare le differenze trovandosi a lavorare con gli stessi programmi, le stesse librerie, e gli stessi strumenti di sviluppo) un sistema basato su Linux ma non su GNU è, in genere, molto differente da una tipica distribuzione GNU/Linux – e spesso con essa incompatibile. Android, il sistema operativo sviluppato da Google è l'esempio più chiaro di un sistema basato su Linux che ha differenze molto marcate rispetto a GNU/Linux.

Nel 1991, nelle note di distribuzione di Linux delle versioni da 0.01 a 0.11 (che venne distribuito sotto licenza GPL solo dalla versione 0.12 in poi) Torvalds scrisse:

Purtroppo, un kernel da solo non ti fa andare da nessuna parte. Per avere un sistema funzionante hai bisogno di una shell, compilatori, una libreria, ecc. Questi sono componenti separati e possono avere delle restrizioni (grandi o piccole) legate ai diritti d'autore. La maggior parte degli strumenti usati in Linux fanno parte del software GNU e sono sotto licenza GNU. Questi strumenti non sono presenti nella distribuzione — chiedi a me (o a GNU) per maggiori informazioni.

L'uso della parola "Linux", spesso, si riferisce al kernel, al sistema operativo, e alle intere distribuzioni, creando spesso confusione sulla distinzione fra le tre componenti. Molti dei pacchetti GNU importanti sono tipicamente inclusi come parte delle distribuzioni GNU/Linux. I canali informativi, spesso, fanno delle affermazioni erronee, dichiarando, ad esempio, che l'intero sistema operativo Linux (piuttosto che il semplice kernel) fu scritto da Torvalds nel 1991; che Torvalds dirige lo sviluppo di altre componenti, come interfacce grafiche o strumenti GNU; oppure che le nuove versioni del kernel portano a dei miglioramenti visibili immediatamente all'utente, similmente a quanto accade con nuove versioni di sistemi operativi proprietari come Microsoft Windows, in cui oltre al kernel, spesso cambiano tante altre cose di contorno.

A causa di questa confusione, accuse legali e campagne condotte da PR dirette apparentemente verso il kernel, come quelle lanciate da SCO Group o da Alexis de Tocqueville Institution (AdTI), sono state male interpretate da molti commentatori, i quali assumevano che l'intero sistema operativo fosse stato preso di mira. Queste organizzazioni sono state anche accusate di aver deliberatamente coltivato questa confusione:

In generale, le lamentele di Caldera contro IBM sono vaghe e confuse su quale sia l'oggetto dell'accusa: il kernel Linux, il sistema operativo GNU/Linux, le distribuzioni di Linux, applicazioni Linux o cos'altro. (Mike Angelo, MozillaQuest Magazine, 28 aprile 2003)

SCO ha usato "Linux" per riferirsi a "tutto il software libero" oppure a "tutto il software libero che costituisce un sistema operativo UNIX-like". Questa confusione, che la Free Software Foundation aveva già avvertito potesse avvenire, è ora qui per mostrare le conseguenze sulle malinterpretazioni che la FSF aveva previsto. (Eben Moglen, dichiarazione dell'FSF sulla questione SCO contro IBM, 25 giugno 2003)

In particolare, Stallman ha criticato il rapporto [Ken Brown/AdTI]  per l'aver tratto profitto dalla diffusa confusione fra il kernel Linux, che Stallman dice "Scritto realmente da Linus" ed il sistema operativo completo GNU insieme ai software associati, che possono essere usati, come generalmente avviene, insieme al kernel Linux. (Lisa Stapleton, LinuxInsider, 27 maggio 2004).

Utilizzare il solo termine Linux per identificare l'intero sistema operativo (quando lo stesso termine è usato anche per identificare una parte di esso) causa delle confusioni, e obbliga i sostenitori del nome Linux (usato per identificare tutto il sistema operativo) a chiamare kernel Linux – quella parte che ha in realtà il nome Linux – e non kernel del sistema Linux come sarebbe più logico.

Argomenti a favore di "Linux"
"Linux" è da tantissimo tempo un nome molto diffuso, e oramai gran parte delle persone usano questo termine per riferirsi all'intero sistema operativo; riferimenti a controversie sulla denominazione appaiono con scarsa frequenza sui principali canali informativi. Il termine "Linux" assume una maggiore importanza storica, in quanto rappresenta il nome che Torvalds usò per il sistema combinato sin dal 1991, mentre Stallman iniziò a chiedere agli utenti di chiamare il sistema "GNU/Linux" verso la metà degli anni novanta, quando il termine "Linux" era già divenuto popolare. "Linux" è più breve e facile da pronunciare di "GNU/Linux".

Eric S. Raymond ha scritto (in relazione a "Linux" nel Jargon File):

Alcune persone obiettano che il nome "Linux" dovrebbe essere usato solo per riferirsi al kernel, non all'intero sistema operativo. Dietro quest'affermazione si nasconde una più profonda disputa territoriale; le persone che insistono sul termine GNU/Linux vorrebbero che la FSF prendesse i maggiori meriti per il Linux, poiché RMS [Stallman] ed i suoi amici scrissero molti dei suoi tool per l'utente. Né questa teoria, né il termine GNU/Linux hanno mai acquisito una grande accettazione.

Alcuni hanno l'impressione che l'insistenza di Stallman sull'uso del nome combinato sia un tentativo di prendersi gran parte dei meriti del Linux, sull'onda del suo successo. Un editoriale nel Linux Journal (#30, ottobre 1996) speculava:

Forse RMS si sente frustrato poiché Linus si è preso gran parte della gloria per quello che voleva fare RMS.

Lo stesso articolo cita Linus Torvalds che disse:

Mmmh, questa discussione è già durata abbastanza, vi ringrazio molto. Non è davvero importante cosa sia che la gente chiama Linux, finché vengono dati i giusti meriti (ad entrambe le parti) a chi ha fatto cosa. Personalmente, io continuerò a chiamarlo "Linux".

Con simili argomentazioni, il dibattito sul nome del sistema operativo viene talvolta caratterizzato come una banale distrazione; ad esempio, John C. Dvorak (PC Magazine, 5 marzo 2002) scrisse:

Sfortunatamente, la comunità Linux spende troppe delle sue energie su cose come la nomenclatura (del tipo, GNU/Linux contro Linux).

Molti utenti e venditori, che preferiscono il nome "Linux", puntano all'inclusione di strumenti esterni al kernel non-GNU, come l'Apache HTTP Server, il sistema X Window o il K Desktop Environment nei sistemi operativi per l'utente finale, basati sul kernel Linux. Nessuno può avere una precisa conoscenza delle centinaia di sviluppatori e progetti che hanno contribuito alla realizzazione di una completa distribuzione — GNU è solo uno di questi, sebbene uno di grande importanza. Linux, quindi, può essere considerato come una conveniente sineddoche per una completa distribuzione del sistema operativo.

La Free Software Foundation è consapevole dei limiti nel discorso della denominazione in base ai meriti dei contributi, ma giunge a delle differenti conclusioni:

Poiché un nome lungo come GNU/X11/Apache/Linux/TeX/Perl/Python/FreeCiv sarebbe assurdo, ad un certo punto si è costretti a fissare un limite ed omettere i nomi di molti altri contributi secondari. Non esiste un modo preciso per impostare tale limite, perciò, dovunque lo si metta, noi non faremo obiezioni. [...] Tuttavia, non può essere giusto dare tutti i meriti ad un contributo secondario (Linux), omettendo il nome del contributo primario (GNU). (FSF, "GNU/Linux FAQ")

Nell'uso corrente, il nome "Linux" di per sé è spesso usato come esempio standard del concetto di software o altri contenuti che possono essere liberamente modificati e ridistribuiti, anche se tali usi, generalmente, non menzionano specificamente GNU o "software libero".

Casi in cui "GNU/Linux" non è applicabile
In alcune circostanze, il kernel Linux è usato con pochi o nessun componente di GNU (ad es. Android o un'applicazione che viene eseguita direttamente su un kernel minimale, oppure con uClibc e BusyBox in luogo degli strumenti GNU). Tipicamente, questi sono dei piccoli sistemi dedicati, come dei prodotti firewall o altre applicazioni. Chiunque, inclusa la FSF, è d'accordo nel non considerare appropriato l'uso del nome "GNU/Linux" in tali circostanze. Quasi tutti i sistemi desktop e server basati su Linux usano componenti GNU, specialmente glibc, la libreria C di GNU.

Casi in cui "Linux" non è applicabile

In alcune circostanze il nome Linux non è un pacchetto del sistema operativo e quindi non può essere utilizzato come termine per identificarlo. Esistono infatti casi di distribuzioni e sistemi operativi che nell'uso comune differiscono da un tipico sistema Linux o GNU/Linux sostanzialmente solo per l'utilizzo di un kernel diverso. Ad esempio: Debian GNU/kFreeBSD, GNU/OpenBSD, GNU/Hurd e NexentaOS.
In tali sistemi operativi l'utente potrebbe benissimo non accorgersi della diversità di tale sistema da uno con kernel Linux, infatti tutti i programmi utente sono identici e funzionano in pratica allo stesso modo.
Vi sono inoltre diversi sistemi di tipo Unix come FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Solaris che sono sostanzialmente differenti da un sistema GNU/Linux pur appartenendo alla medesima famiglia dei sistemi Unix-like. In questi sistemi non solo il kernel, ma anche le utility e le librerie fondamentali sono proprie e non mutuate da un sistema GNU.

Come le distribuzioni definiscono se stesse
Ogni distribuzione basata sul kernel Linux e su software GNU identifica il proprio prodotto in modo diverso tenendo conto di aspetti commerciali, storici e ideologici. La maggior parte tra le più diffuse distribuzioni utilizza il nome Linux per identificare il proprio sistema operativo, oppure lo definisce "basato su Linux", con lievi differenze. Allo stesso modo, a parte i progetti direttamente collegati con GNU e con la Free Software Foundation, i principali sviluppatori di software open source e libero, utilizzano il nome Linux per definire genericamente il kernel, il sistema operativo, la piattaforma o le distribuzioni che adottano il kernel Linux.

Le prime dieci distribuzioni che utilizzano il kernel Linux secondo la classifica stilata dal sito DistroWatch definiscono sé stesse in questo modo:
Ubuntu: «Linux-based operating system».
openSUSE: «promotes the use of Linux».
Fedora: «Linux-based operating system».
Debian: «usiamo il nome GNU/Linux».
Mandriva: «Mandriva is one of the few worldwide Linux providers» e «Mandriva developS and distributes Linux distributions». Ma anche: «We hope you appreciate the difference and will enjoy both of our GNU/Linux based editions of Mandriva Linux».
PcLinuxOS: «Linux-based operating system».
SimplyMEPIS: «Linux distribution that "just works"».
Knoppix: «collection of GNU/Linux software». Ma poi «can be used as a productive Linux system».
Slackware Linux: «advanced Linux operating system» e «"UNIX-like" Linux distribution». Ma poi: «It's currently based around the Linux kernel and the GNU C Library».
Gentoo Linux: «a special flavor of Linux».

Altre distribuzioni tra le più note utilizzano il generico nome Linux per identificare il proprio sistema:
Damn Small Linux: «mini desktop oriented Linux distribution».
Arch Linux: «lightweight and flexible linux distribution».
Sabayon: «Sabayon Linux is an operating system powered by the Linux kernel and GNU. There are many Linux flavors, but most geeks just call them distributions. We are a Linux distribution, though, and try to provide our users the best and most complete computing experience.»
SUSE Linux Enterpise - Novell: «Linux solution» e in genere «Linux».
Red Hat: «Red Hat is the world's most trusted provider of Linux and open source technology».

Nei testi di informatica
Alcuni libri di informatica utilizzano il nome Linux per indicare il sistema nel suo complesso, mentre altri hanno adottato invece il nome GNU/Linux, come proposto da Richard Stallman.

Esempi di testi che utilizzano il nome Linux:

Esempi di testi che utilizzano il nome GNU/Linux:

Note

Voci correlate
 GNU
 GNU Hurd
 Linux (kernel)
 FreeBSD
 NetBSD
 :Categoria:Distribuzioni derivate da Debian

Collegamenti esterni
 Testo originale:  Linux and the GNU Project
 Risposte della Free Software Foundation alle obiezioni comuni sul nome "GNU/Linux"
Linux (Eric S. Raymond, The Jargon File)
FSF's Position regarding SCO's attacks on Free Software (essays by Richard Stallman, Eben Moglen and others regarding SCO and GNU/Linux)
Re: Proposal: Linrmsux (complete thread) (Craig Burley, Usenet gnu.misc.discuss, 30 May 1996)
"GNU/Linux" vs. "Linux" (Slashdot, 9 April 1999)
Why "Free Software" Is Better Than "Open Source" (Richard Stallman)

Rassegna stampa
From the Publisher: On the Politics of Freedom (Linux Journal #30, Oct 1996)
What's in a name? (Richard Stallman, ZDNet, 12 October 2000)
Is Linux Your next OS?  (John C. Dvorak, PC Magazine, 5 March 2002)
The Power of GNU (PCLinuxOnline, 26 October 2002)
SCO-Caldera v IBM  (Mike Angelo, MozillaQuest Magazine, 28 April 2003)
Why I Don't Use "Linux" (Timothy R. Butler, Open for Business, 25 August 2003)
Stallman: Accusatory Report Deliberately Confuses (Lisa Stapleton, LinuxInsider, 27 May 2004)
Who wrote Linux? (Josh Mehlman, ZDNet Australia, 7 July 2004)

Kernel Linux

Free Software Foundation
Controversie


Martians had hijacked the intestines of the entire human race. Some were so possessed by alien energy that they didn't seem human. And EVERYBODY, in order to feed the aliens, was driven by cravings for particular foods that kept their bellies huge.
Because the intestinal engorgement was controlling their brains, the decisions they made were disastrous. But all this was not coming from their own bodies- it was the alien consciousness.
And then a wind began to emerge.
And maybe "wind" is the wrong word. But something was changing.
The human "fail-safe" system, or back up battery, had kicked in. There was now sufficient voltage to re-connect to the innernet. And this wasn't an accident- there are no accidents. This was how their powerful systems had been designed to operate.
At first, only a few signed back on. The human side of mind- with or without aliens - is reluctant to unlearn the old and reach out for the new- even when they desperately want a change!
But this very small number of people pulled in knowledge on how to clear their intestines of excrement. WATER! PURE WATER! 2 OR MORE LITERS A DAY!
Increasing numbers of intestinal Martians had to take their spaceships and go home.
People came out of a deep sleep. Suddenly they realized they had been so busy with mundane pastimes that they had overlooked REALITY.
They had the ability to pull in an abundant life, The Creator had made it available to each of them. All they had to do was open up to a higher voltage, or life force. This higher voltage- which had been available to them all along- would attract whatever they needed.
Even the scientists, SO controlled by the Martians, began to wake up. They confirmed the existence of this very special energy.
"Our leaders talk about peace, but their actions are violent"
"Wouldn't it be great if we all got along?"
"Our food, air and water seems to be making us sick!"
The Martians hadn't been prepared for this shift.
They bombarded the people with FEAR images through mass media.
But a tipping point had been reached. The MASSES now realized how they'd been manipulated by these images. They'd started having "television burning" parties in stadiums around the world.
There is no destructive force that cannot be overcome by TRUTH.
They retreated, as did the vampire, witch, and goon aliens.
There was no more war, disease, or famine on earth.
In fact, there was no lack.
Everybody lived happily ever after.
FTHG: Clear all business and career blockages.
Words to Ponder= Life is like a grammar lesson. You find the past perfect and the present tense.


text:
You're reviewing: Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter Open License
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This results in a much more powerful server on every level.
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An Open License is a volume license designed to provide more flexibility to small and midsize businesses. It allows for easy changes in licensing as needed.
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Among the many new features available in Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter, some of the most powerful include:
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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MEDRAFT has developed a unique concept for the independent traveler: "self-guided" GPS tours – an innovative user-friendly complete package that offers a combination of extensive knowledge and exceptional service. It combines the advantages of a private tour together with the benefits of a professionally guided tour providing valuable knowledge and information.
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text:
Mana Ohyama (大山 真奈, Ōyama Mana; born 7 December 1992) is a Japanese handball player for Hokkoku Bank and the Japanese national team.

She participated at the 2017 World Women's Handball Championship.

Achievements
Carpathian Trophy:
Bronze Medalist: 2019

Individual awards
 Carpathian Trophy Fair Play Award: 2019

References

1992 births
Living people
Japanese female handball players
Handball players at the 2018 Asian Games
Asian Games bronze medalists for Japan
Asian Games medalists in handball
Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games
Handball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics
21st-century Japanese women
20th-century Japanese women


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A scientific demonstration is underway in the basement of the duan physics and astrophysics building at the university of Colorado at boulder, but it looks more like a juggling act.
One by one, the students wavered on a rotating platform. Then hand them over to a bicycle wheel that looks like a spinning wheel, with two handles projecting it from both sides of the wheel hub. When you flip a wheel, like a pizza, your body starts spinning in the opposite direction.
Dudley, a 20-year-old blond teenager with glasses, is an aerospace engineering student. She is in charge of today's meeting, coaching some students of the same age or even older. She is a learning assistant – a trained undergraduate helping her classmates.
Most of the country's science and engineering classes are much less interactive, and more frightening than this, and less interesting than this. CU Boulder has started a campaign to improve the quality of education in national science, not just on campus, but in k-12 classrooms. And these are called LA is at the heart of the work.
The effort here begins with a professor like Steven Pollock, whose team professor Dudley is the physics 1110 in Los Angeles. As we sat upstairs in his office, he told me that about fifteen years ago, he turned his studies from nuclear physics to physics.
"I only saw myself retire in 2000, 20 or 30 years," he explained. "I could learn a little more about the strange quark content of a proton, or learn about physics and how to teach it better, and it seems more important to the world.
Not everyone agreed that when pollock came here, the department was split in half and opposed. Since then, he has been appointed a national professor.
One of the highlights of these studies is that you might have guessed that the lecture didn't actually work. Pollock said they left most people without a firm grasp of the basic concepts.
CU Boulder still has a lot of lectures, but science and engineering classes hold weekly group discussions, LABS and demonstrations, sometimes supervised by graduate students. The pedagogical approach emphasizes the use of open questions and other research-driven teaching techniques. As a side effect, these bright young scientific minds are curious about the process of teaching and learning itself.
Professor Stephen pollock teaches physics at boulder university in Colorado. Pollock helped set up the study assistant program and did the physics education study.
"I use students' engineering ideas to figure out what they already know and are good at," Dudley said. "I have to figure out where they are, we need to get their location, and what steps are best for each student, so each student is like a new engineering challenge to be solved.
The plan also has a "sneaky" approach to teacher development, pollock added. This is because, in order to use the help of lawyers, professors have to change their previously passive, lecturing methods.
In the weekly training sessions, the tutoring organization may ask the professor about common students' misunderstandings or other teaching problems, rather than asking questions based on content. "When we have to consider teaching with these undergraduates, it improves our own teaching," pollock explained.
The department's own research shows that using teaching assistants improves students' understanding of the scientific concepts of physics, astronomy and biology. Students in Los Angeles support classes are more likely to study, and the likelihood of graduation is as high as 10 percent.
Students Geya Kairamkonda (left) and Patrick Murphy use transparent tape to conduct charge experiments in physics. Their class USES learning assistants as mentors.
Evan dongtan, a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering at Brenda, admitted that he was just "having fun".
The Los Angeles plan is shifting that momentum to another level.
There is much discussion about the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) for America's future competitiveness. But across the country, few undergraduate math and science majors become classroom teachers.
Valerie Otero explains: "annual – this is a highly productive institution that specifically refers to the physics of entering k-12 classes. She helped launch the Los Angeles project shortly after she came to the copper mine at education in 2003.
A lack of teachers with a scientific background means that most students are first introduced to STEM subjects from teachers who are never familiar with these subjects, and may even be intimidated by them. The study says this "math anxiety" is transferred to students. Even in high school, about a third of the country's math and science teachers are either not working in the field or are not certified professors.
With the introduction of the study assistant program, there are about 16 to 20 teaching assistants in CU Boulder every year to get a teacher certificate, and they are still undergraduates.
Learning assistant Michael byers (standing) talks to (from left) student Anna edenova, Aaron seeger and Austin reed in evolutionary biology class.
The absolute number is small, but it is significant for the quality of science and mathematics teaching. Especially in places like the rosebud Indian reservation in south Dakota, where Ian's many horses, doctor's degrees. Computer science majors are planning to return home to teach.
At the same time, he is teaching other professors to maintain his teaching skills.
Their research – tracking former coaches in the classroom – suggests that they continue to be more likely to use more evidence-based teaching techniques, such as group discussions, ottero said.
The impact on STEM teachers' pipelines is an important reason for the Los Angeles project to be replicated in 88 universities across the country.
"It's spreading like wildfire," Otero said. "he has built a website to share their training materials. Program leaders often go to the professor and the model. There are now about 3,000 teaching assistants across the country, and they tell them that they are working with tens of thousands of students.
Katie Dudley is in Los Angeles, where she plans to teach, even though she can make more money on engineering. I asked her if she had been pushed down by people, even family members, who felt they should take other, more lucrative career paths. "All the time," she said.
Former Los Angeles' Carissa Marsh, who works in CU Boulder, has a high school education certificate. She acknowledges that changing the image of science education is part of the Los Angeles project challenge. "When I told someone I was accepting education, but I learned biology, their first answer was, 'why don't you become a doctor? "Or" you're too smart to go to school! Or "education has no money".
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Bought a bottle of parfume on board Etihad flight but when unpacking at home found out bottle had discharged itself. Wrapping was soaked with parfume and bottle half empty. It took the customer service and contact Centre 2 weeks two weeks of stalling the complaint to come up with a "Dutyfree" e-mail Address. The complaint is still under "investigation". So we communicated with in total 7 different people from "customer service" who's main objective was to stall and finally transfer the complaint to a different department.


text:
Peak District National Park to share in £2 million pilot scheme to restore historic farm buildings
This is an archived press release
The Peak District National Park is taking part in a £2 million pilot scheme to help farmers and land managers to restore historic farm buildings.
It is one of five National Parks to pilot the Historic Building Restoration Grant, which aims to save some iconic English farm buildings from falling out of use. The pilot is a partnership between Historic England, Natural England and the Peak District, Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Dartmoor and Northumberland National Parks.
Peak District National Park advisors will be working with farmers and land managers to determine which buildings are most suitable to receive grants offering 80 per cent towards the cost of restoration. This could include roof repair, weatherproofing or other restoration works, allowing a building to be used again for farming purposes.
Sarah Fowler, chief executive of the Peak District National Park, said: "We are delighted that the significance of our traditional buildings is recognised in this scheme. Particularly in upland areas, these historic buildings are vulnerable to falling out of use. We look forward to working with farmers and land managers to help them restore buildings that contribute so much to the landscape character of the National Park.
"We hope that this pilot scheme will be a success and will build a case for future funding to conserve more of these important buildings."
Lord Gardiner, Defra minister for National Parks, said: "The British countryside, including those historic farm buildings that dot some of our most iconic landscapes, is a truly precious natural asset. I am delighted that we are able to open this new set of grants supporting the restoration of traditional farm buildings."
Sir Laurie Magnus, chairman of Historic England, added: "Historic England warmly welcomes this scheme and its endorsement of the value and importance of traditional farm buildings.
"The partnership approach being piloted by Historic England, Natural England and upland National Parks will be of immense value in helping owners to maintain and conserve these buildings and to retain their significance for future generations."


text:
Tricia Fields Books
Tricia Fields is an award-winning American author that writes mystery novels, A native of Hawaii, she eventually settled down in a small Indiana town where she took care of her husband, a state trooper, and raised her two daughters.
Order of Josie Gray Mysteries Series
1 The Territory 2011 Description / Buy
2 Scratchgravel Road 2013 Description / Buy
3 Wrecked 2014 Description / Buy
4 Firebreak 2015 Description / Buy
5 Midnight Crossing 2016 Description / Buy
6 The Drummers 2021 Description / Buy
7 A Reluctant Saint 2022 Description / Buy
Order of Maggie Wise Mysteries
1 Young Blood 2020 Description / Buy
In some ways, the author's life mimics that of her stories and characters. She has a dog, she lives on a farm near her parents, and she loves the great outdoors. Tricia takes considerable pleasure in camping and cooking in the woods, not to mention going on research trips with her husband and children.
The Josie Gray Mystery series, for which she is best known, takes place on the Texas-Mexico border. Her characters are ordinary families living along this dangerous route. The families that occupy the region were initially accustomed to peaceful lives.
But the strip is now consumed by the activities of criminal elements, especially the drug cartels. The stories Tricia Fields writes are fictional, which is why they have a lot of drama and action. But she also spends a lot of time exploring the mundane lives of the people that live on either side of the border.
Her objective is to highlight the important role the Border Patrol and Local Law Enforcement play in maintaining the peace on the strip of land and keeping American citizens safe. Tricia Fields has emphasized the fact that she isn't a political author. She hates discussing the subject, let alone writing about it.
And she endeavors to keep politics out of her stories. The novels she writes tackle the ordinary lives of ordinary people and the difficulties they encounter as a result of human trafficking, drug trafficking, and the kidnappings that happen along the Texas-Mexico border.
Tricia doesn't touch upon the political causes and consequences of these events.
Tricia Fields Awards
The author won the 'Tony Hillerman' Prize for 'The Territory'.
Best Tricia Fields Books
The writer is very deliberate in her choice of settings. Fictional locations like Artemis play a significant role in her stories because they affect the way her characters act and react. Some of the best novels she has written include:
Territory: Life in Artemis isn't easy. It has a population of 2,500 people. The residents of Artemis thought they understood what awaited them when they migrated. They knew that Artemis was isolated and that is what drew them to it.
They assumed that, within its confines, they would live peaceful and independent lives. It never occurred to them that living on the border with Mexico would present certain unexpected challenges. Before long, they were contending with Mexican drug runners and violent turf wars that kept claiming the lives of people on both sides of the strip.
This clear and present danger should have simplified Josie Gray's work. The police chief presumed that the threat against their lives would make the people of Artemis more welcoming of her activities. She was wrong. Josie found that many of the residents were more interested in taking the law into their own hands, and the notion of trusting her was simply anathema to them.
Things took a turn for the worst when a gun-totting resident was killed and his entire collection of weapons went missing. This was after Josie arrested a cartel hitman. Now she has a war on her hands, one that has pitted her against two different opponents.
Wrecked: Dillon Reese murdered his secretary, or at least this is what everyone thinks. Dillon did not help his case by disappearing. In any other situation, none of that would have mattered to Josie Gray. The police chief would have investigated and ultimately solved the case as she had done with dozens of other murders.
But this is different. Josie and Dillon have been romantically involved for a long time, and she isn't convinced that he committed the crime. Because of her connection to the suspect, Josie has been forced to leave the case in the hands of a more objective officer.
But the heroine isn't certain that she can keep her hands off the investigation. She is wracked with guilt over her actions the last time she saw Dillon. She cannot help but wonder whether she could have prevented his secretary's murder by acting on her instincts.
But her regrets mean nothing now. More importantly, she has just stumbled upon a plot that changes everything she thought she knew about the murder.
When Does The Next Tricia Fields book come out?
Tricia Fields doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is A Reluctant Saint and was released on September, 6th 2022. It is the newest book in the Josie Gray Mysteries Series.
Home » Author » Tricia Fields


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2020 War Room: Update from the Fight to End GOP Gerrymandering (sponsored panel)
Starts: Thursday, Jul. 16 3:45 PM
Ends: Thursday, Jul. 16 5:00 PM
Room: 228 AB
Right-wing gerrymandering was bad in 2010, but John Roberts' Supreme Court can still make it a whole lot worse in 2020 – particularly for Latino and other minority communities who stand to lose the most when Republicans draw the lines. But Democrats are already organizing NOW to take back the redistricting pens before the 2020 Census. Please join a panel of Democratic legislative leaders, campaign strategists, and the founder of the newest progressive weapon in the redistricting fight – the Advantage 2020 super PAC – as we update the Netroots community on this cycle's crucial redistricting targets, the changes brought about by brand-new court decisions, and Democrats' long-term strategy to flip the legislative chambers that could shatter the Tea Party's hold on Congress.
This panel is sponsored by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
Jess McIntosh
Jess McIntosh is a Democratic strategist, Executive Editor of Shareblue Media, CNN commentator, and co-host of the award-winning SiriusXM radio show Signal Boost along with Zerlina Maxwell. Jess has written extensively about politics and gender for Shondaland.com, ELLE, Lenny Letter, and more.
Most recently she served as a senior communications advisor for Hillary Clinton, who received 3 million more votes than Donald Trump and really should be the President. Prior to that honor, she was the Vice President of Communications for EMILY's List, an organization devoted to electing pro-choice progressive women. She was the first campaign and Senate spokesperson for Al Franken, and helped with the elections of New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Jess is a graduate of New York University, where she earned a M.A. she has never found occasion to use in English Literature. She currently resides in Brooklyn with the boy she's had a crush on since 1996.
Other sessions: Daring to Internet While Female 2.0
Follow @jess_mc
State Rep. Charlene Fernandez
Charlene earned a Bachelor's Degree in Education from Northern Arizona University. She worked for Congressman Ed Pastor for twelve years, coordinating constituent services for the western portion of then Congressional District 2. . She also served in a similar capacity for Congressman Raul Grijalva. With her vast experience she became a consultant for a software company that produced a Constituent Management System for the U.S. House of Representatives. Charlene later served Governor Janet Napolitano as a liaison for the Arizona Department of Environment Quality in Yuma County.
As an educator Charlene decided to make an impact outside of the classroom by being elected to Yuma Union High School District Governing Board, serving as president and vice president. Charlene devotes time to local charities serving on boards and lending her experience to their challenges.
Other sessions: The Untapped Power of Unmarried America
Follow @CharleneforAZ
State Rep. Dan Pabon
Follow @Dan_Pabon
State Senator Martín Quezada
Senator Quezada was elected to represent Legislative District 29 in the AZ State Senate in November, 2014. He currently serves as the Democratic Whip and the Ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He also serves on the Senate Government and Rules Committees. Prior to that he served 3 years in the AZ State House of Representatives where he served as Chair of the AZ Legislative Latino Caucus and as the Ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary and Government Committees.
Sen. Quezada also serves as an elected member of the Pendergast Elementary School District Governing Board having first been elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014.
Professionally Sen. Quezada is an attorney with his own practice in Phoenix.
Other sessions: The Ethnic Studies Ban: Why Attacks on Curriculum Matter to Progressives, Can Big Data Keep Us Safe?
Follow @SenQuezada29
Michael Sargeant
Michael Sargeant has been the Executive Director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee since 2007. He joined the DLCC in 2001 as a political director and rose to become National Political Director in 2004. Even before joining the DLCC, Michael had many years of campaign experience. He's served as the Tennessee House Caucus director and also managed campaigns at virtually all levels, from mayoral to state legislature to congressional races in New Jersey, Michigan, Missouri, and California.
Other sessions: Building Progressive Political Power, A New 50 State Strategy: Reversing the Democratic Collapse in the States
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Patients are seen by appointment – on the same day the appointment is made if possible. To schedule an appointment, please call (956) 350-3901 during regular business hours.
To better serve the needs of all our patients, we ask that you call at least 24 hours in advance to cancel or reschedule appointments. Doing so will allow our office to make that appointment time available to others. Should you fail to reschedule and miss your appointment (3) three consecutive times, you will be discharged from the practice. We make every effort to stay on schedule, although emergencies arise.
All prescription refills will be done within 24 hours of notice to our office.
We require 48 hours notice on all forms to be filled out. We will notify you once the form has been completed.
We will try to get a copy of your records to you at the time you ask; however in the event we cannot, you will be able to get your records within 24 hours. You will have to sign a release for all records.
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, dial 911. However, if you need after-hours advice for a medical concern, please call (956) 350-3901 and our answering service will assist you.


A special dinner is organised after the Sports afternoon.
It will take place at Norrlands Nations, a place of the Uppsala Student Society.
Norrlands Nations in located in the city, within walking distance from the hotel on the other side of the river.
* Norrlands nation is a student society and the largest of thirteen nations at Uppsala University. It mainly recruits its members from the province of Norrland, which is the northern-most part of Sweden. As of 2008, the nation has about 7,000 members.


— A suicide bomber killed five senior commanders of the powerful Revolutionary Guard and at least 37 others Sunday near the Pakistani border in the heartland of a potentially escalating Sunni insurgency.
The attack — which also left dozens wounded — was the most high-profile strike against security forces in an outlaw region of armed tribal groups, drug smugglers and Sunni rebels known as Jundallah, or Soldiers of God.
Iranian officials have been reluctant to open full-scale military operations in the southeastern border zone, fearing it could become a hotspot for sectarian violence with the potential to draw in al-Qaeda and Sunni militants from nearby Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The region's top prosecutor, Mohammad Marzieh, was quoted by the semi-official ISNA news agency as saying Jundallah claimed responsibility for the blast in the Pishin district near the Pakistani border.
There was no immediate statement directly from the group, which has carried out sporadic kidnappings and attacks in recent years — including targeting the Revolutionary Guard — to press their claims of persecution in the Shiite government and officials.
The latest attack, however, would mark the group's highest-level target. It also raised questions about how the attacker breached security around such a top delegation from the Revolutionary Guard — the country's strongest military force, which is directly linked to the ruling clerics under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The official Islamic Republic News Agency said the victims included the deputy commander of the Guard's ground forces, Gen. Noor Ali Shooshtari, as well as a chief provincial Guard commander, Rajab Ali Mohammadzadeh. The others killed were Guard members or tribal leaders, it said.
Ahmadinejad — who counts on support from the Revolutionary Guard — vowed to strike back.
"The criminals will soon get the response for their inhuman crimes," IRNA quoted him as saying.
But controlling the scrubland and arid hills along the southeastern borders is a huge challenge that has been out of Iran's reach.
Drug traffickers ferry opium and other narcotics through the cross-border badlands — a key source of income for the Taliban in Afghanistan and the ethnic Baluchi tribes that straddle the three-nation region and include members of Jundallah. Iran has pleaded for more international help to cut off the drug routes and criminal gangs.
Iran also has accused Jundallah of receiving support from al-Qaeda and the Taliban, though some analysts who have studied the group dispute such a link.
In an attempt to boost security in the region, Iran in April put the Revolutionary Guard directly in control of the Sistan-Baluchistan Province in Iran's southeastern corner.
The 120,000-strong Guard also controls Iran's missile program, guards its nuclear facilities and has its own ground, naval and air units.
The Revolutionary Guard led the blanket crackdown on dissident after Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in June. But the attack Sunday appeared to have no link to the political showdowns.
The Revolutionary Guard blamed the attack on what it called the "global arrogance," a reference to the United States.
On the eve of talks about Tehran's nuclear program, Washington was quick to react.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the United States condemned what he called an "act of terrorism." Reports of alleged U.S. involvement are "completely false," he said.
Iran's parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani, told lawmakers that the bombing was aimed at further destabilizing the uneasy border region with Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"The intention of the terrorists was definitely to disrupt security in Sistan-Baluchistan Province," Larijani said.
Iranian officials summoned Pakistan's charge d'affairs in Tehran to lodge allegations that "terrorists" use bases in Pakistan to carry out attacks against Iran, IRNA reported.
Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman, Abdul Basit, also rejected Iranian claims that Jundallah's leader is in Pakistan.
"We are struggling to eradicate the menace of terrorism," Basit told Geo TV.
Despite Iran's claims of an al-Qaeda link, Chris Zambelis, a Washington-based risk management consultant who has studied Jundallah, said in a recent article that there is no evidence al-Qaeda is supporting the group. He does note, however, that the group has begun to use the kinds of suicide bombings associated with the global terror network.
"Jundallah's contacts with the Taliban are most likely based on jointly profiting from the illicit trade and smuggling as opposed to ideology," Zambelis wrote in the July issue of West Point's CTC Sentinel.


text:
Q: How to avoid getting null on user location result in android? In my app I am using FusedLocationProviderClient to get user location every time he enters the app by mFusedLocationClient.getLastLocation().addOnCompleteListener().But sometimes result is null,I am using  <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" /> in manifest.How can I get user location even if it not so correct?Because the logic of app depends on that location,I don't need to show it on map or smth like that,just get the location.Thx in advance

A: Don't use getLastLocation().  There is always a chance to have it return null if it doesn't have a location currently..  Use requestUpdates or requestSingleUpdates-  when the callback for those is called the location is guaranteed to be non-null.  getLastLocation() should only be used as an optimization to improve speed, it cannot be relied on.

A: Follow the following example and your app is guaranteed to work as you wish. I have recently used this code and it is working like a charm.
Only thing you should know is that for the location updates to actually work ( to get real latitude and longitude values) you should enable "google play services". There may be several ways to do this but perhaps the simplest of all is to open "settings" on your device and probably somewhere under "security" or "permissions" (depending on your android distribution) find "google play services" and give it the permission it needs.
https://github.com/googlesamples/android-play-location/tree/master/LocationUpdates

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Gamers don't have the most flattering stereotypes when it comes to physique. A known sedentary pursuit, gaming doesn't often help its players stay svelte. There are exceptions of course, but the physically undemanding nature of games can't honestly be denied. There are many examples of developers trying a variety of techniques to keep players moving and motivated by their entertainment.
Motivation has always been the crux of the issue for many. With so many other distractions and entertainments vying attention it can be hard to fit in the drudgery that is exercise. Blending the two has always seemed like an ideal marriage of practical benefits and entertainment. Some companies have started developing products for exercise in VR, but the dedicated space requirements for equipment and added price (as discounted as they may have become, VR is not by any means "cheap") makes the addition even more prohibitive.
Augmented Reality games like the series Zombies Run! (now in its 6th season) and Pokémon Go help get folks out and about in the real world and can be great motivational hooks. Personally, I have had a hard time keeping up with these AR games. Zombies, Run! is certainly fun but application errors I experienced and lapses between runs (due to weather and schedules) made it harder and harder to keep up with the story and keep interested. Pokémon Go was certainly a good motivator for a while, but the issues with distance tracking effectively discarding so much of my progress greatly reduced the game's hold on me.
Our current generation of VR headsets offer plenty of opportunity for motion, but it tends to be in a limited play space. Some folks have taken it upon themselves to augment their VR play with wearable weights. As Reddit user leppermessiah1 proved with his self-constructed VR 50 exercise challenge, the results can be impressive.
Using a weight vest, wrist weights, and anklets Steve and I have started experimenting playing Space Pirate Trainer here and there as a form of home exercise. It's been an interesting experience so far. The physical challenge is daunting as the slow-mo Matrix like bullet dodges get off balancing fast when you are wearing a 20 pound vest. I'd had a few sessions with just the wrist and ankle weights that felt like a nice workout, but the weight vest brought it to a whole other level. I was sweating and panting like a dog as I tried desperately to fight off wave after wave of drones. It was utterly exhausting, but still very fun. Despite my aching muscles I still found myself wanting to try for a the high score "just one more time".
It's hard to say if this will continue to become a routine, if the enjoyment of the game will be enough motivation, or if at some point the novelty will wear off. In the interim it is an interesting challenge to add to the VR experience, and perhaps one day a developer will hit on some kind of integration that make VR exercise the norm.


text:
Q: How to select an aggregated column from a dataframe df = df.groupby(F.upper(F.col('count'))).agg({'totalvis.age':'avg'}).show() creates avg(totalvis.age AS age) column.
I want to use another aggregate function to select max of the newly created column, but there is an issue with column name not being resolvable.

A: You can use this syntax below to assign a column alias to the aggregation:
import pyspark.sql.functions as F

df2 = df.groupby(F.upper(F.col('county'))).agg(F.avg('totalvisitor.age').alias('age_avg'))

Then you can select the maximum as df2.select(F.max('age_avg')).
PS Note that in the code you provided in the question, you have overwritten df with None after calling
df = df.(...).show()

because df.show() returns None.


Koyasan is the closest the modern tourist will come to experiencing the true Japan… or at least, the true Japan as it relates to Buddhism. Koyasan is the home of Shingon Buddhism. Founded by the monk Kukai, Shingon has shaped Japanese thought for well over a millennium.
Although Koyasan means "Mt. Koya," there's no actual mountain. Instead, Koyasan is a central plateau between eight mountain peaks. Kukai chose the location because the circle of mountains look like an open lotus blossom. Koyasan sits in the center. The monks of Koyasan preserve the traditions of Kukai's time. They do so in an incredible multi-temple complex surrounded by a pristine forest.
Koyasan has over 100 temples. Many of them provide lodging and the chance to experience Japan's monastic past. You can live as a monk, observing temple rituals and eating vegetarian shojin-ryori. You can also explore the beautiful forests. Walk through Japan's biggest cemetery to pay your respects at Kukai's mausoleum. Visit the many temples he founded. You'll leave Koyasan refreshed and inspired.
You can literally feel the spirit of Koyasan just be being there. You should definitely visit and stay overnight at a temple if you have the time.
Staying overnight at Koyasan is an experience you don't want to miss. It's been a pilgrimage destination since 819.
52 of Koyasan's 120 temples offer stays for pilgrims and casual visitors. A temple stay is a unique chance to experience the monastic life. Staying at a temple is known as shukubo and usually includes two meals per day. You often have a chance to join the monks in an activity.
** Be careful! The temples have strict schedules. There usually is a curfew that you need to follow.
The temple routine remains rooted in tradition, yet modern amenities are available. Many temples offer free Wi-Fi, and some have westernized bathrooms. Accommodations vary from temple to temple.
The Koyasan Shukubo Association runs a website about the temples. It includes a list of temples offering shukubo. The site gives basic information and links to the individual temples.
All temples offer Otsutome, the morning ceremony. Starting at 6 am, the priests chant sutras. A sutra is an ancient Buddhist writing.
English translations are sometimes available, depending on which temple you attend. You have the choice of participating or merely watching.
There are other activities for guests, including meditation and hand-copying the sutras.
The staff at the Visitor Center can tell you which temple offers what activity. They can also help you arrange accommodations and guided tours. The information center is at the town's main intersection.
The shojin-ryori (Buddhist cuisine) is another good reason to stay at Koyasan's temples.
The food is vegetarian to the point of excluding onion and garlic.
In most cases, it's vegan, although dairy and eggs somehow sneak into the food now and then. So if you want a pure vegan meal, be sure to ask the staff before you have your meal.
Koyasan's shojin-ryori has a reputation for being amazingly delicious, even to non-vegetarian eaters. It evolved over the centuries to feed the monks.
Koyasan is also famous for its goma-dofu, a tofu-like food made from ground sesame seeds. You eat it the same way you eat tofu. It has a subtle, roasted sesame flavor. It's smooth, rich, and even creamy. It is absolutely delightful.
No visitor should leave without paying respects to Kukai, the founder of Koyasan.
Kukai, known posthumously as Kobo Daishi, has a beautiful mausoleum. The building sits within a forest of thousand-year-old cedar trees.
The cemetery once attracted Japan's most powerful families.
Feudal lords have given way to prominent corporations (and some unusual gravestones). Even so, the cemetery retains a timeless atmosphere.
There are two main approaches to Okunoin, both reached by bus. Starting at Ichinohashi gives you a long walk through the cedar forests.
You take in the beauty of the forest and the moss-covered monuments. The cedar trees leave you in awe. Moss grows on tree trunks and the surrounding monuments. You can't read the kanji on many of the markers, but the features of the jizo statues are striking.
Jizo statues pop out between roots and in the hollows of tree trunks. You see mountains of weathered statues. Bird songs ring out, and from time to time you hear distant bells as people pay their respects. It feels like you've traveled back in time, and seeing the true Japan, unobstructed by modern buildings or technology.
Here and there you encounter a robed monk on his way to a service. It's very easy to linger (and lose all track of time) in the beauty of the forest.
Taking the bus to Okunoin-mae reduces the walk to a kilometer. The walk starts with the grand entrance leading up to the more modern additions to the cemetery.
The corporate tombs are something else.
Check out the rocket ship tomb. Marvel at the tomb of the Yakult Corporation. A grave marker in the distinctive shape of a Yakult bottle tops the pink-granite display. Beer manufacturer Kirin also has a tomb here featuring the mythical Kirin — their logo.
Is this a sincere wish or clever advertising? Who knows?
No matter which path you take, you'll end up at Gokusho Hall.
The mossy walls and simple wooden exterior enchant you. Incense drifts through the air.
You have an opportunity to wash your hands. Cleanse yourself spiritually and physically before crossing the bridge.
When you cross, you enter the holiest area in Koyasan. Once you cross the bridge, you must put your camera away. You won't even miss it.
Don't miss the stone revealing the condition of your soul. You'll find the stone in a small cage.
It is said the stone feels lighter to people with good hearts and heavier to people who are bad. The pure of heart can lift the stone with one hand. I tried with both and couldn't budge the stone an inch — make of that what you will.
Compared to the simple beauty of Gokusho, I found Torodo Hall a little gaudy.
Within the hall, you see 10,000 lamps kept alight in Kukai's honor. Moving along the set route, you view the mausoleum. Then you head down to the basement, where tens of thousands of tiny statues sit. Devout well-wishers donate the statues.
Although Kukai lived well over a thousand years ago, his influence is still felt today. While visiting the mausoleum, I was amazed by the number of people paying their respects.
I emerged from the temple and went back into the forest, feeling like I'd gotten a good glimpse of Kukai's influence on Japan.
Koyasan is a religious center, so it's no surprise most of the attractions relate to Buddhism. However, deciding which of the 120 temples best represents Koyasan is hard work!
Kukai laid out the plans for Danjo Garan, Koyasan's central temple complex. These buildings are as much an influence on Shingon Buddhism as Kukai's teachings.
The buildings are used today as they were used in Kukai's time. Monks gather for services or hold annual ceremonies, no matter how many tourists may gather there… providing the tourists are respectful, of course!
Most of the buildings allow photography. Signs tell you which ones don't.
Danjo Garan's buildings include small wooden storehouses. The storehouse's beautiful carvings are not augmented by paint.
Kukai gave sermons from the Kondo (Golden Hall), but the building he used perished in a fire — not once, but six times. The current building dates from 1932 and remains a major Buddhist hub.
Kukai designed the great pagoda, Konpon Daito, to be the centerpiece of Koyasan… and of Japan itself!
The pagoda is bigger than most other pagodas, though not necessarily taller.
It's tall enough to have a history of lightning strikes. Fire destroyed the Konpon Daito five times. The current pagoda is partially concrete to protect it from lightning.
After Kondo, Kongobu-ji is Koyasan's best-known temple. Kongobu-ji is the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism.
Built in 1593 by warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the temple was rebuilt in 1861 as Seigan-ji. However, in 1869, the temple was renamed to its current name or Kongobu-ji. Kongobu-ji Temple contains the biggest rock garden in Japan.
The garden equals any of Kyoto's gardens in beauty.
The garden features 140 granite stones, arranged to evoke a pair of dragons. They emerge from mist to guard the temple.
Admission includes a cup of green tea and a sweet snack. Take the opportunity to linger and enjoy the garden.
Don't miss the exquisite screen doors painted with cranes by Kano Tanyu and his followers.
The tour of Kongobu-ji ends in the temple's kitchens. Huge stone ovens and immense cast iron bowls stand ready to produce enough rice to feed 2,000 people.
You can buy a combination ticket for 2,000 yen. The ticket includes admission to all the major sites.
When pilgrims approached Koyasan on foot, the gates were the first thing they saw.
The towering Daimon, The Great Gate, is the biggest and best preserved. Built in 1705 to replace a more traditional tori gate, Daimon is a bus ride away from the Danjo Garan. It's well worth the extra effort to visit.
The gates are significant for another reason. Until 1872, women could not visit Koyasan. Female pilgrims used special prayer sites, called nyonindo, built at the gates.
Originally, one nyonindo sat at each of the nine entrances to Koyasan. Today, only one remains. You can find it on the main bus route between the center of Koyasan and the Koyasan Cable Car Station. It's easy to spot on your arrival or departure.
The question is not whether to visit Koyasan, it's when to go.
In summer, Koyasan is much cooler than the surrounding Wakayama and Osaka areas. It's popular with people escaping the heat.
Hydrangea season is the peak time for visitors. It runs from early June to mid-July. I visited in August, a few weeks after the hydrangeas fade. I found Koyasan practically deserted.
In winter and late autumn/early spring, the cold can catch you by surprise. Pack accordingly.
The Koyasan World Heritage Ticket is good for two days. You can buy the ticket at major Nankai railway stations and travel agents. It gets you to and from Koyasan. Travel on buses around Koyasan is included with the ticket. The ticket costs 2,860 yen.
*Keep in mind that the JR rail pass is not vaild for the Koyasan Cable Car.
Outside peak season, you don't need to buy the ticket in advance. I picked mine up at Namba Station about 15 minutes before boarding my train. However, it's better to get your tickets in advance so you can plan your trip ahead of time and avoid any unplanned setbacks.
The 3,400 yen Limited Express ticket includes limited express trains from Namba or Shin-Imamiya to Gokurakubashi Station. It covers the cable car to Koyasan. The ticket also includes free rides on the Nankai buses on Koyasan itself.
*Note: You can catch a limited express train from Namba to Gokurakubashi Station, but not the other way around. If you want to catch a limited express train going back to Osaka you'll need to pay an addition 780 yen to do so.
Should You Get the Regular or the Limited Express Ticket?
If you're not in a hurry, the regular ticket offers the same deal (excluding limited express trains) for less. Riding the regular train from Namba takes roughly 100 minutes. It's about 85 minutes on the limited express.
Both tickets give you discounted admission to Koyasan's bigger attractions. Both provide discounted entry to Kondo, Konpon Daito, and Kongobu-ji.
Koyasan is news you should share. Send this article to a friend and let them know about this awesome experience.
If you've visited Koyasan, leave your tips and recommendations in the comments below.


James Lavelle was only fourteen years-old when he played his first DJ set. At eighteen he founded seminal trip-hop label Mo'Wax Recordings, and soon after, formed musical outfit UNKLE. Drawing together Lavelle's prolific career, a new documentary by Matthew Jones, titled The Man from Mo'Wax, offers a cinematic insight into Lavelle's prolific career, charting the impact he made on music culture whilst also providing access to stories from a highly inimitable era.
A fearless spirit balanced not only with business savvy, but also a deep and instinctive understanding of the harmony between different artistic personalities, Mo'Wax Recordings carved a unique path. From his father's folk music background to film soundtracks and hip-hop, Lavelle developed a varied musical palette which became the firm basis for a career led by the ability to see beyond genre and labels. He signed global acts such as DJ Shadow and Japanese hip-hop producer DJ Krush early on, and formed the ongoing project UNKLE which has seen him collaborate with the likes of Richard Ashcroft, Mike D, Thom Yorke, Ian Brown, and Joshua Homme.
J.L. Sirisuk: I know you grew up in a music household and played the cello. I was just wondering if you can recall one of the first moments when you first fell in love with music?
James Lavelle: Falling in love with music – as a sense of identity – was through hip-hop, but music was around me as long as I can remember. My father was a drummer and a folk musician so it was constant. There are early memories of being into film soundtracks as a kid, you know, things like James Bond and stuff like that. I remember buying things when I was young, like the score for Platoon because I liked Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber.
JLS: The Man From Mo'Wax just came out, how did this all come to be?
JL: It was started by my ex-wife and he [Matthew Jones] was brought in as a co-director with her, but it was originally just meant to be a series of short tour films, then my wife turned it into something else. At the time I thought, "Okay, whatever. Come and shoot stuff and we'll talk about a Mo'Wax documentary," then suddenly they put this trailer together to present to potential investors and it kind of leaked and suddenly everybody was like, "Oh, there's an UNKLE film coming out," and it kind of built from there.
JLS: This film reveals many facets of your personality and work, how did it feel to watch these moments from your career?
JL: It's always difficult to watch yourself regardless of subject matter. I suppose it depends on what kind of person you are, but for me I learned to accept and go with the flow. In a lot of ways its cathartic and it sort of puts a box on things. There's a certain honesty. The film has a habit of talking about all these broken relationships, it doesn't really focus on relationships that have continued for many years. It has an agenda coming from a certain period of time where you have someone like Giles Peterson talking about War Stories, but a record like War Stories wasn't made for that group of people. It would have been more interesting for me to have someone like Trent Reznor talk about it – that record really connected in America.
It also talks about record sales and how the records aren't as successful, but the whole industry shifted. I think it has its agenda based on a sort of DJ shadow, 90s sort of jazz-funk, acid-jazz perspective at times but that's not really what was going on since Psyence Fiction. It has a certain perspective but that perspective is not a universal one. It's not a definitive Mo'Wax or UNKLE documentary because there's so many things that aren't pointed out – it says that it was a disaster with XL and Beggars but the last person I hired signed Adele, so it wasn't a disaster for them. There's quite a lot of people that I've worked with for years who aren't in the documentary. It doesn't really focus particularly on things that are coming from the art world perspective that I did, and also the fashion side of things. It's a snapshot and it has its agenda and that's okay. It doesn't define one, I don't think, both emotionally or creatively.
JLS: You had an exhibition devoted to Stanley Kubrick, and there's an interest in space mythology that filters through your work. What draws you to that genre?
JL: My father studied Greek classics. I grew up in a household of music and mythology and art with my mother, and I think that combination as well as being a child of a certain time and growing up on Star Wars, Spielberg, martial arts, etc, is what influenced my creative directions. It was also just about trying to find identity at a time where it was very tribal and those things defined you. Those were the things that inspired me as a kid.
JLS: Why do you think you're so good at bringing the right people together?
JL: I just always look for what I think is unique in personality and in expression. I look for something different in people and tend to veer away from the obvious.
JLS: Is there anything else we might find surprising that sparks something in you?
I like music across the board. A lot of it is just fragments of things that will inspire me, whether it's a certain type of sound… Especially things like drums and emotional songs. I've always been drawn to melancholia in music, but if I was to recall my favourite records of all time, it would be Rumours [Fleetwood Mac] on one side, Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber on the other, and then it might be a Queens of the Stone Age record. It's quite sporadic.
JL: That continual search for the Holy Grail. Light at the end of the tunnel. To understand why, and to constantly question yourself while pushing creatively as far as you can.
The Man From Mo'Wax is out in selected UK cinemas now. Buy tickets and create screenings here. The film will be released on 10th September as a digital download and limited-edition DVD via BFI. A special edition vinyl soundtrack will also be released on 31st August.


text:
require 'nokogiri'
require 'open-uri'
require 'keen'

# Track public available information of a twitter user like follower, follower
# and tweet count by scraping the user profile page.

# Config
# ------
twitter_username = ENV['TWITTER_USERNAME'] || 'codedellemc'

SCHEDULER.every '60m', :first_in => 0 do |job|
  doc = Nokogiri::HTML(open("https://twitter.com/#{twitter_username}"))
  tweets = doc.css('a[data-nav=tweets]').first.attributes['title'].value.split(' ').first
  followers = doc.css('a[data-nav=followers]').first.attributes['title'].value.split(' ').first
  following = doc.css('a[data-nav=following]').first.attributes['title'].value.split(' ').first

  send_event('twitter_user_tweets', current: tweets)
  send_event('twitter_user_followers', current: followers)
  send_event('twitter_user_following', current: following)
  Keen.publish(:twitter, { :handle => 'codedellemc', :tweets => tweets.gsub(/,/,'').to_i, :followers => followers.gsub(/,/,'').to_i })
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub