text:
News from France, Jordan and Japan
Posted on March 10, 2015 in Tuesday's World Events
FRANCE – Mystery drones fly over Paris and sensitive nuclear power and military sites in France
PARIS | French authorities have been flummoxed by the string of sightings of drones in France in recent weeks that have seen them illicitly fly over 17 nuclear power plants and a nuclear submarine base, as well as the Elysée Palace (the president's home), the Eiffel Tower and the US embassy in Paris.
Authorities were first alerted to unexplained drone flights in October, when they were seen around nuclear power plants. Less than two weeks after the Charlie Hebdo shootings, a drone flew over the Elysée palace and days later several were spotted near a nuclear submarine base in Brittany, one of the most protected sites in the country.
While police insist there is nothing to worry about, the sightings have raised public fears that terrorists could find a way to attach explosives or toxic chemicals to the drones or could be photographing the sites to plan attacks. Police say the drones spotted so far are too light and flimsy to carry explosives or weapons.
Last Tuesday night (March 3), a policeman reportedly spotted one hovering outside the offices of Libération newspaper, which is currently housing Charlie Hebdo – the satirical magazine targeted in an attack by Islamist gunmen in January that killed 12.
A police patrol gave chase to another drone at the porte de Montreuil, which leads to the ring road southeast of the capital. They were unable to keep up with it due to traffic, but the drone was then spotted at the nearby Porte de Vincennes, where another Islamist shot dead four people at a Jewish supermarket in the January attacks.
It was retrieved by four men who fled in a black car onto Paris's "périphérique," or ring road.
Little is known about the motivations of the drone owners and whether they are merely thrill-seekers playing with their new "toys" or individuals with more sinister aims.
The Paris prosecutor has launched an inquiry into "aircraft flight in a forbidden zone," which is being led by Paris's air transport gendarmes unit.
Police say they are taking the phenomenon "very seriously."
Bernard Cazeneuve, the interior minister, said there have been "60 overflights of drones" around France since October 5 and that the government had taken "preventative measures to inform users of these craft at the moment of purchase of the penalties they face for breaking the law".
The defense ministry recently issued a tender to develop systems enabling "the surveillance, detection, or even partial or total neutralization" of drones while respecting civil liberties.
A national security report last month recommended creating a drone register and obliging them to have in-built detection systems.
Drone flights without permission are illegal in France. The maximum penalty is a year in prison and a €75,000 ($81,450) fine.
JORDAN – Peace Corps evacuates Jordan, its last Mideast presence
AMMAN | The U.S. Peace Corps said it is temporarily suspending its program in Jordan because of the "regional environment," highlighting growing security concerns among some foreigners after Jordan raised its profile in the battle against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants.
The Peace Corps announcement came after the U.S. Embassy in Jordan warned last month of a potential threat of attacks against "high-end malls" in the capital Amman.
This Nov. 16, 2006, photo provided by the Peace Corps, a woman from California, teaches English at an all girls school in Jordan. (AP Photo)
Jordan was the last Mideast country still hosting Peace Corps volunteers. The organization had in previous decades sent Americans to Yemen, Oman, and Iran.
Jordan has long been perceived as an island of relative stability in a turbulent region, a country that offers shelter to war refugees from neighboring countries. Harm to that image could pose a growing threat to important branches of Jordan's economy, including tourism and related businesses.
Jordanian government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani declined to comment Sunday on the decision by the Peace Corps, which was posted on the agency's website over the weekend.
Mustafa Hamarneh, a member of Jordan's parliament, said there is a sense among Jordanians that U.S. officials are exaggerating the possible risk of attacks on foreigners in Jordan. "Malls are full, markets are full," he said. "There is no general sense in this country that we are in danger."
Maintaining Jordan's image as a stable country is critical for the economy, he said.
Jordan joined a U.S.-led coalition against ISIS in September, but significantly raised its profile last month, after the extremists released a video showing a captured Jordanian fighter pilot trapped in a cage [being burned alive]. ISIS's killing of the pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, set off widespread anger among Jordanians and warnings by the authorities that they would retaliate by carrying out more airstrikes against ISIS targets.
The extremist group controls large areas of Syria and Iraq, which border Jordan.
The Peace Corps said 37 volunteers had been working with local communities on youth development, and that all volunteers have left Jordan. Citing the "current regional environment" for the pullout, the agency said it hopes the volunteers can return later.
The Peace Corps' website says the agency operates in 64 countries and currently has more than 6,800 volunteers and trainees.
Last summer, at the height of the Ebola outbreak, the Peace Corps evacuated its volunteers from the three West African countries worst-hit.
JAPAN – Heir to Japanese throne appeals for 'correct' Second World War history
TOKYO | The heir to Japan's Chrysanthemum Throne has called on the nation to relay "correctly" the misery of World War II to future generations, a comment that is being seen as a rebuke to the present nationalistic government.
Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito posing at his residence at the Togu Palace in Tokyo.
Naruhito, the crown prince, used a Feb. 23 press conference marking his 55th birthday to express opinions that would be considered mild elsewhere but are a rare example of Japan's imperial family passing comment on the nation's elected leaders.
"I myself did not experience the war… but I think that it is important today, when memories of the war are fading, to look back humbly on the past and correctly pass on the tragic experiences and history Japan pursued from the generation which experienced the war to those without direct knowledge," the prince said.
The prince added that Japan enjoyed "peace and prosperity after it was built with the Japanese Constitution as the cornerstone."
Shinzo Abe, the prime minister, has expressed his intention to rewrite the constitution before he steps down, with sections concerning Japan's right to use its military the most likely to be altered.
The prince also pointed out that the world is marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the war and expressed hopes that this year "will be an opportunity to take the preciousness of peace to heart and to renew our determination to pursue peace".
"The imperial family very rarely wades into politics, but it is very hard to believe that this is not a planned and calculated comment that has been approved by the Imperial Household Agency," Robert Dujarric, director of the Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies at the Japan campus of Temple University, told The Telegraph.
"Clearly the agency believes Mr. Abe has gone too far and that it will be bad for the nation if he continues to take the line that Japan did nothing wrong in the early decades of the last century," he said.
"The [Imperial Household Agency] will be particularly keen to avoid any new questions being raised about the imperial family's role in and responsibility for Japan's colonial occupations and the war", he added.
(The news briefs above are from wire reports and staff reports posted at London's Daily Telegraph on March 4th & 8th [France/drones], CBS News on March 8 and the Daily Telegraph on Feb. 23.)
b) location/the countries that share its borders:
c) the religious breakdown of the population:
d) the type of government:
e) the chief of state (and head of government if different) [If monarch or dictator, since what date has he/she ruled? – include name of heir apparent for monarch]:
f) the population:
[Find the answers at the CIA World FactBook website. For each country, answers can be found under the "Geography" "People" and "Government" headings. Go to worldatlas.com for a list of continents.]
NOTE: Before answering the questions below, read the info under "Background" and watch the video under "Resources."
2. For FRANCE:
b) What is France's current law on drone use? What changes does teh defense ministry propose?
c) Considering the number of mysterious drones flown over military and other secure locations, do you think the French government should make these changes, none, or something more drastic? Explain your answer.
d) If a large number of drones were flown by anonymous persons over secure locations, or even over your school, a sporting event, a mall, etc., would you support a U.S. ban on drones or a limit on drone use, et.al? Explain your answer.
3. For JORDAN:
b) Why did the Peace Corps suspend its program in Jordan?
c) What did Jordanian parliament member Mustafa Hamarneh accuse U.S. officials of doing?
d) What do you think his motive is for making this assertion?
e) Considering the threats from ISIS and other Islamic terrorists, do you think Americans in various volunteer organizations should continue to work in the Middle East? and/or in Jordan specifically?
4. For JAPAN:
b) Japan Times reported on Feb. 25: "One question is whether Prime Minister Abe will reiterate crucial aspects of the statement issued on the 50th anniversary [of WWII] by Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, who offered apologies and used the terms "colonial rule" and "aggression." On Feb. 25, a 16-member advisory panel of scholars, business leaders and other experts held its first meeting to discuss what the contents of Abe's statement should be. After a series of meetings, the panel is expected to report to the prime minister by summer. Abe has said he will mention Japan's remorse over the war, its postwar history as a pacifist state, and future contributions to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
Read the "Background" below the questions.
In Japan's constitution, the "Peace Clause" (Article 9), renounced war and banned Japan from maintaining any armed forces.
-Considering the worldwide scourge of Islamic terrorism today, do you think Prime Minister Abe is correct in wanting to have a strong military?
-Do you think the Crown Prince and others are correct in insisting that the Japanese government show proper remorse for the atrocities committed by the Japanese government/military during WWII?
Japan's postwar constitution, adopted under Allied supervision, included a "Peace Clause" (Article 9), which renounced war and banned Japan from maintaining any armed forces.
This was intended to prevent the country from ever becoming an aggressive military power again.
However, within a decade, America was pressuring Japan to rebuild its army as a bulwark against communism in Asia after the Chinese Civil War and the Korean War, and Japan established Self-Defense Forces.
Traditionally, Japan's military spending has been restricted to about 1% of its gross national product, though this is by popular practice, not law, and has fluctuated up and down from this figure.
Prime Ministers Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzo Abe, and other politicians have tried to repeal or amend the clause. Although the intention of the American occupation was to demilitarize the Japanese [after WWII], due to the subsequent perceived threat of communism in Asia, and at American urging, the Japanese military was slowly restored to considerable strength. Japan now has the sixth largest military budget in the world (from wikipedia)
The Associated Press reported on July 1:
The move will allow the Japanese military to defend other nations under what is known as "collective self-defense."
Previous governments have said that Japan's war-renouncing constitution limits the use of force to the defense of Japan.
The constitution was drafted by American occupation forces after World War II in part to prevent a repeat of Japan's invasion and brutal occupation of wide swaths of Asia.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is pushing hard for the change. He cites a deteriorating security environment, including China's rise and North Korean missile and nuclear threats.
USA Today reported:
Prime Minister Abe said at a news conference [on July 1, 2014] that Japan remains a peace-loving, defense-oriented nation, that will not launch a war against other countries and will not join wars waged by other countries. But in view of the changing security environment, Japan must revise its defense posture to protect Japanese lives, he said.
"Japan will not resort to the use of force if the objective of the action is nothing more than the defense of a foreign country," Abe said. "If we are fully prepared, an attempt to wage war against Japan will be thwarted. This is called deterrence." [deterrence as used here is the maintenance of military power for the purpose of discouraging attack]
JAPAN – Watch a CNN news report from Feb. 26:
http://www.studentnewsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/More-drones-hover-over-Paris-CNN.mp4


Mission Message. Sister Nelson and I are really pleased to begin our New York New York South Mission Blog. Sister Nelson will be gathering and putting together the information. Our purpose is to share our Mission events and snapshots (literally) of Mission life with the families and and friends of our missionaries. We are so very pleased to be here with your sons and daughters. We love them and are proud of them for the wonderful desires of their hearts and their commitments to magnifying their callings. They are so good. And they are fun to be with. They are the joy of our lives here. Over the one year period beginning November 1, 2009, as a Mission we are committed to baptize 800 people (so far, we have baptized 100 of them). This will be a significant task, requiring all of us to prepare in the same manner as the Sons of Mosiah (Alma 17) and to exercise great faith. We are excited and hope you will help us by including us in your prayers. In spite of characterizations of New Yorkers as harsh and gruff, we have found them to be kind and good. We really love serving them. Living around Brooklyn and Queens is like living in twenty other countries all at once. There are purportedly one hundred twenty languages spoken in Queens alone. It is reported to be the most diverse city in the country.
*People. The New York South Mission serves over 8.5 million people.
*Boroughs. The Mission covers all of Long Island, which includes two of the five boroughs of New York--Queens and Brooklyn, and the borough of Staten Island. The other two boroughs--Manhattan and the Bronx--are across the East River in the New York North Mission. Bermuda is also a part of our mission.
*Missionaries. We have 175 missionaries and 8 senior couples. This number fluctuates every six weeks when new missionaries arrive from the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah and others depart for home.
*Six Languages Missions. There are six language missions in the New York South Mission--Spanish (our largest language), English, Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), Korean and American Sign Language.
*Oldest. The New York South Mission is the second oldest mission in the church. Only the British mission is older. In the 1800s, Parley P. Pratt actually served as one of our first presidents.
VPRO TV, a television station in the Netherlands, requested permission from the Church to include a segment on the life of Mormon missionaries in their TV series, Metropolis. Their purpose is to portray young, single adults from all over the world in their, "Singles Episode" --what they do, how they think, their interests, etc. The TV program has been airing in the Netherlands for over five years and covers many different topics and issues.
Filming. VPRO TV wanted to feature Mormon missionaries working in New York--specifically in Brooklyn. The filming took place in the Midwood "pad" (the mission terminology for apartment). The second location was in the streets showing missionaries interacting with the people. The filming took place on Monday, January 11, 2010. The filming lasted most of the day, but the footage will be condensed into a 3-5 minute segment.
Correspondents. Elder Teixera and Elder Pape (pronounced Pop) were selected by two people known as correspondents--people who do work for the network, but are not their full-time employees (they said that they have been working for the network for almost three years). President Nelson was interviewed, as well.
Topics. Some of the conversation topics that were covered were: (a) the Mormon mission--how it works, (b) the daily life of missionaries, (c) how making decisions with a companion prepares them for the future, (d) what they think of New York and (e) their plans for the future. The program will be aired sometime in the Spring. When it is completed, the mission will receive a copy.
About the Missionaries. Elder Teixiera was born in Portugal, but has lived in Germany, France, Switzerland and the United States. Elder Pape was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. P.S. The correspondents said that the Midwood apartment was the nicest single male adult apartment they had ever seen (thanks to the New York South Mission Clean-up/Rehabilitation Crew--Sister Hess and Sister Nelson).
Jimmy. "We received a media referral for a man named Jimmy Anton. We taught him a powerful restoration lesson. He readily accepted our message, and committed for baptism. He told us that when he was 10, he heard the story of the first vision, and there haven't been many days since that he hasn't thought about it."
Name Tag. Another investigator said that because of many disappointments and problems that occurred in her life, that she had chosen to reject God. Her father was Muslim and her mother was Christian. She said that lately, that something felt wrong with her heart--that something wasn't right. She saw a missionary with a name tag that contained the name of Jesus Christ, inquired about the church. She is currently investigating it.
Recent Convert. A new member told me that if it hadn't been for me that she never would have known about Jesus Christ. She wasn't allowed to mention His name in her home.
Lennie. "I was specifically looking for 'the' true church (she and her husband were stopped by the missionaries as they were walking along the street--they were eventually baptized). It changed everything--the way I woke up in the morning and the way I went to bed. I now try to live my life like I'm going to meet Christ at the end of the day."
Christmas Eve Mission Conference. On Christmas Eve, a Mission Conference was held for the entire mission at the Rego Park chapel in Queens. We had talks in the morning, and musical presentations in the afternoon. As a gift, all the missionaries will receive a 27 minute slide show, which will include 430 pictures of life in our mission and pictures of every missionary in the field. At the end of our Blog we will have a slide show containing some of these pictures. We are planning to post our Blog every 4-6 weeks. Please visit us--pass it along to your friends and family.


Create an enviable decking area, relax at your resort-style poolside or command attention with a stand-out shopfront.
Create an enviable decking area, relax at your resort-style poolside or command attention with a stand-out shopfront. We will design and manufacture each job to your specification, whether you're after a glass balustrade for your outdoor living area or a practical design to meet safety requirements in a commercial area. Choose from a wide range of steel, wrought iron or glass balustrades & handrails to suit all requirements. Our products range from semi-frameless glass balustrades and pool fencing to Juliet balconies, architectural stairs and custom designs in wrought iron and stainless steel, all of which meet current New Zealand building standards.
Our in-house architectural design and drafting team will work closely with owners, builders, architects, and engineers to produce an affordable and practical solution to meet all requirements.
Your metal or glass balustrade and handrails will have their very own project manager and fabrication team working closely together to ensure all quality aspects and programme requirements are met.
A dedicated team of highly skilled onsite installers will ensure your balustrades or handrails are installed to the high-quality specifications and finished product we pride ourselves on.
Your balustrades and handrails will have their very own project manager and fabrication team working closely together to ensure all quality aspects and programme requirements are met.


Velocity, as a term used in project management, is defined as the measure of the productivity rate of the project team with respect to the produced, validated and accepted deliverables. It is usually measured within a pre-defined interval. It is also used in capacity planning to forecast the future work and tasks involved in a project.
It can be used as a tool by project managers to predict whether their team can deliver a similar work in the future provided that the conditions are the same. This allows project managers to predict the duration needed for the project team to finish the same task that they have already completed in the past.
Aside from predicting the rate of future work, many project managers want to increase the velocity of their team. Focusing on fast work cycles through iterations is often done where the product can be created quickly and also be reviewed by the stakeholders for consistency. Project managers can also switch gears to avoid wasting time while doing the project. This method requires creating a list of important lessons learned for future planning.
What Exactly Is Scrum And Is It For Everyone?


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Les Gnaphosidae sont une famille d'araignées aranéomorphes.

Distribution

Les espèces de cette famille se rencontrent sur tous les continents sauf aux pôles.

Description

Presque toutes les espèces de cette famille sont nocturnes. Ce sont des araignées chasseresses, qui vivent sous les pierres dans des loges de soie, mais ne construisent pas de toile pour attraper leurs proies.

Elles ont des filières antérieures longues et bien visibles; les yeux médians postérieurs sont rapprochés.

Paléontologie
Cette famille est connue depuis le Crétacé.

Liste des genres
Selon  :

Selon World Spider Catalog (version 23.5, 2023) :
  Captrix Petrunkevitch, 1942
  Drassyllinus Wunderlich, 1988
  Eognaphosops Wunderlich, 2011
  Eomactator Petrunkevitch, 1958
  Palaeodrassus Petrunkevitch, 1922
  Zelotetis Wunderlich, 2011

Systématique et taxinomie
Cette famille a été décrite par Banks en 1892 comme tribu des Drassidae. Platnick en 1990 la redéfinie.

Les Ammoxenidae ont été placés en synonymie par Azevedo, Bougie, Carboni, Hedin et Ramírez en 2022.

Les Prodidomidae, placés en synonymie par Azevedo, Griswold et Santos en 2018 ont été relevés de synonymie par Azevedo, Bougie, Carboni, Hedin et Ramírez en 2022.

Cette famille rassemble  espèces dans 147 genres.

Publication originale
 Banks, 1892 : « A classification of North American spiders. » Canadian Entomologist, ,  (texte intégral).

Liens externes

Notes et références

Gnaphosidae
Famille d'araignées (nom scientifique)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Boy, it sure has been a long time since I posted here. But I have made a few comments lately on other posts, and they have had no other option but to post comments on something I had written back when I was active. So, I'll try to get you a little more current.
Thanks for reading, and have a Merry Christmas!


Home - Michelle Beverly Hills Inc.
We're happy you're here! Our mission is to offer the best in beauty to all. From quality, ingredients and packaging, to earth friendly. You'll find specialty waxing, natural skincare, body care and makeup all in one place.


This game in the 5. Qf3 sideline of the Caro-Kann Classical is most notable for how Black repeatedly did not take advantage of a number of opportunities presented by White in the late opening and middlegame phases. However, at this point (round 6 of the tournament) I was hoping to stabilize my performance and was clearly looking for a draw. Be careful what you wish for, since you just might get it.
Before my most recent chess training period (starting with the establishment of this blog), I had relatively little notion of the importance of active piece play. Starting on move 9, by which point Black had more than equalized, I pass up several chances to improve my piece activity and create multiple threats. I like to think that now I would recognize at least some of the better candidate moves, given a better understanding of the importance of piece play and how to widen the move selection process.
In the end, the draw wasn't a bad result, but it illustrates another psychological trap - for Class players especially - which is to settle for a result that is less than the position merits, either through mis-evaluating the position or from lack of a winning desire. In the long run, for the improving player I believe that realizing potential wins is just as important as avoiding losses.


While the school makes every effort to minimise school related costs, the 'School Saving Scheme' aims to alleviate the financial burden such costs can place on families at various times throughout the year.
Based on the success of the scheme, the Board of Management requests that from September 2016 all families use the scheme for making payments. Money will not be collected on any other days.
It is anticipated that a €5 saving per child per week will adequately cover all school related costs throughout the year.
In September each family will receive a box of envelopes which are dated and include the family ID number.
Parents may choose to pay a lump sum at the start of the year/term or may choose to save €5/pupil per week, €10 per fortnight or €20 per month using the envelopes provided.
Book rental & stationery fee (there is no need to send this fee in separately).
Pupil insurance (if you choose to avail of the cover).
Curricular activities and initiatives e.g tennis.
Thursday is 'Saving Day' and the eldest child in each family brings in the savings envelope each week with the amount marked clearly on the outside of the envelope. Class teachers have a folder & collection sheets. They collect the envelopes and maintain a record of who has saved on a weekly basis.
Folders are sent to the office and the secretary opens all envelopes, checks amounts & updates balances weekly on excel sheet. All envelopes are held on file until the end of the year.
The school pay all expenses and will be reimbursed from the saving scheme termly.
A statement will be issued at the end of each half term for each child showing opening balance i.e. savings, deductions made to date and closing balances. Please note this may be a negative balance early in the year. At the end of the school year all balances will be refunded. Receipts will not be issued on a weekly basis.
We have received very positive feedback about the scheme. This scheme still affords teachers the flexibility to include additional curricular activities during the year which supports teaching and learning in individual classrooms. In addition it greatly reduces the amount of time spent collecting and recording money from individual classes and offers transparency and accountability for all involved.


City Church is looking to hire two part-time staff members to help with our ministry to the church community and to the neighborhoods of North Baltimore.
Our City Kids Director will administrate our Kid's Program on Sunday mornings. This involves the scheduling of teachers and volunteers, curriculum preparation, and welcoming. The position also involves the planning and execution of City Kids events throughout the year. We are looking for someone with good administrative and creative skills who has a passion for kids.
Our City Church Administrator will be responsible for the general organization and flow of the ministries of City Church. This requires involvement in almost every aspect of ministry at City Church. We are looking for someone with good administration, communication and organizational skills who enjoys working with people.
It would be our desire to grow both roles into full-time positions down the road. If either one of these positions interest you, email Patrick at patrick@citychurchbaltimore.org. We are looking to fill both positions as soon as possible.
We'd love to have you be a part of what God is doing in the neighborhoods of North Baltimore.


text:
Q: UICollectionView does not stay selected after scrolling When I select a cell, it turns blue, which is good. Then when I scroll up and the cell out of view, it turns back to original color. Not sure how to fix this.
- (UICollectionViewCell *)collectionView:(UICollectionView *)collectionView cellForItemAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath{
    UICollectionViewCell *cell=[collectionView dequeueReusableCellWithReuseIdentifier:@"cellIdentifier" forIndexPath:indexPath];
    cell.backgroundColor=[UIColor lightGrayColor];
    [collectionView selectItemAtIndexPath:indexPath animated:NO scrollPosition:UICollectionViewScrollPositionNone];
    self.collectionView.allowsMultipleSelection=YES;

    return cell;
}

-(void)collectionView:(UICollectionView *)collectionView didSelectItemAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath {
    UICollectionViewCell *datasetCell =[collectionView cellForItemAtIndexPath:indexPath];
    datasetCell.backgroundColor = [UIColor blueColor];
}

-(void)collectionView:(UICollectionView *)collectionView didDeselectItemAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath {
    UICollectionViewCell *datasetCell =[collectionView cellForItemAtIndexPath:indexPath];
}

A: In your first method, you are practically telling the collection view to select any cell that it asks for. Instead, you should check whether the cell you return has the same path as the selected one, and only then give it color:
- (UICollectionViewCell *)collectionView:(UICollectionView *)collectionView cellForItemAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
    UICollectionViewCell *cell=[collectionView dequeueReusableCellWithReuseIdentifier:@"cellIdentifier" forIndexPath:indexPath];
    if ([indexPath isEqual:self.selectedIndexPath]) // you need to create selectedIndexPath as a property
    {
        cell.backgroundColor=[UIColor blueColor];
    }
    else
    {
        cell.backgroundColor=[UIColor lightGrayColor];
    }
    return cell;
}

And then:
-(void)collectionView:(UICollectionView *)collectionView didSelectItemAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
    self.selectedIndexPath = indexPath;
}

A: When cell are  reused, the selection state is lost. So you need to save the indexPath of the selection in didSelectItemAtIndexPath. And when you dequeue the cell you need to check and restore the state

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I considered writing a piece this week relating relationships and art to Valentine's Day, but found myself struggling with it. This was not because I knew that papers and the Internet would already be dripping with pink and chocolate, nor because there's any lack of artists who make love with their subject. Rather, I struggled because I find the art world so inherently macho.
That is not to say that artists themselves are necessarily macho: artists are dreamers and essentially romantic, aspirational people- to even call yourself one and place yourself near the canon of artists before you- is a lofty enterprise. An artist's relationship to his or her ultimate realized self is often just as essential as it is to other people.
David Hockney imagining himself being drawn by Picasso, whom he never met.
It is also not macho because art prices are soaring and it is still so male-dominated. Even this Thursday the feminist group called "The Guerrilla Girls" called on its members to send a letter to BCAM demanding that the museum reconsider the curation of it's predominantly white male collection.
No, I find being an artist in the art world macho for other reasons. There's a required toughness to stick it out, get to work and put it "out there" — more exhibitions, more galleries, more museums — constantly pushing to get on the radar. And the most macho part of all is the need to reach thirty feet inside your own guts for content. Picture young medical students eating pastrami sandwiches around the cadaver they're studying to show it doesn't phase them.
Certainly there are other spheres of the art world that are different. There are painters who paint flowers and sunsets on the weekends. But even within that sphere there are ardent realists who seek to recreate reality down to the molecule. This is especially prevalent in the water color world where first prize winners are often indistinguishable from the photograph it was copied from. Realism is very macho. When my artist friends and I swoon over one of Gerhard Richter's photo paintings, we undoubtedly stalk and make the same noises as young men admiring a red muscle car.
Combine all this machismo with the feminine sensuality of working with paint and color, then the act of being an artist itself forms the ultimate couple.


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Ladbrokes Partner With NL
New official National League sponsor!
The National League are pleased to announce Ladbrokes as the Official Betting Partner for the Vanarama National League play-offs. The partnership coincides with a brand new play-off format across The National League competition.
The National League are delighted to have the backing of an organisation as recognisable and prestigious as Ladbrokes. This shows how high a regard the Vanarama National League is held by football fans across the country. 'Monumental May' gets underway with an interesting clash between Aldershot Town and Ebbsfleet United on May 2nd, with all five matches in the play-offs live on BT Sport.
The Vanarama Big Day Out 4 will take place on Saturday May 12th, which is sure to be another wonderful occasion at Wembley Stadium. Michael Tattersall, CEO of The National League, said: "We are proud to have Ladbrokes on board for what is set to be a significant time in the history of The National League. "This partnership will provide fantastic exposure for our competition, and we look forward to working with Ladbrokes during this time".
Ladbrokes Head of PR, Jessica Bridge said: "As Britain's biggest multi-channel betting operator we are very excited to be sponsoring The National League play-offs. "It's a very exciting time for clubs as they embark on their mission for promotion and we would like to wish the clubs and fans the very best of luck".
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Please listen to Nijla's thank you message and watch her trailer.
Nijla is a writer and filmmaker whose artistic background spans poetry, photography, short fiction, dance, and film criticism. Hailing from the East Bay Area, she tells stories about black girls and women who find themselves between worlds and identities. Her short films have screened at festivals and venues across the country, including the Pan African Film Festival, Outfest, and BAMcinématek . She has written for Shadow & Act/Indiewire, East Bay Express, The Los Angeles Times, and Vice. She is the recipient of the 2012 Princess Grace Foundation- Cary Grant Award for her short film, Deluge. In 2014, she was one of 10 writers selected for the Sundance Institute's Screenwriters Intensive. She was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenplay at the 2014 Urbanworld Film Festival, for her script Noor. She is currently developing her first feature film, Jinn. In 2016, she raised over $25,000 through Kickstarter for the project, and was selected for Film Independent's Fast Track program and Panavision's New Filmmaker Program. She is a 2013 dual-degree graduate of CalArts MFA Film Directing and Writing Programs.


Grew up with BC Gradine Pula (Croatia) youth teams.
Made his debut with BC Gradine Pula during the 1994-95 season.
Signed by Cibona Zagreb for the 1995-96 season.
Sent on loan for the 1995-96 season to Franck, Cibona's farm team.
Sent on loan again for the 1996-97 to BC Benston Zagreb.
Back to Cibona Zagreb for the 1997-98 season.
Moved to Slovenia for the 2001-02 season by BC Olimpija Ljubljana.
Moved to France on January '02, signed for the remainder of the season by MSB Le Mans.
Back to France for the 2006-07 season, signed by MSB Le Mans.
Moved to Turkey for the 2007-08 season, signed by Besiktas JK Istanbul.
Signed for the 2011-12 season by Sutor Montegranaro.
On January'13, moved to Croatia, signed by Cibona Zagreb.
Named the 2008-09 Eurocup Week-1 MVP.
Won the 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01 and 2012-13 Croatian National Championship with Cibona Zagreb.
Won the 1999, 2001 and 2013 Croatian National Cup with Cibona Zagreb.
Won the 2003-04 French National Cup with MSB Le Mans.
Played the 2004 French All Star Game.
Has been member of the Croatian U-18 and U-22 National Team.
Won the silver medal at the 1994 U-18 European Championship.
Played at the 1997, 2003 and 2009 European Championships.


text:
Home newsitems Citizens Initiative:EU for EuroFora Debate idea Commissioner Cefcovic+Rapporteur Lamassoure tell us
Citizens Initiative:EU for EuroFora Debate idea Commissioner Cefcovic+Rapporteur Lamassoure tell us
A whole New Dimension may be developed in EU Citizens relations vis a vis EU Institutions by the way that will be forged a brand new component added at the last minute in EU Citizens Initiatives, introduced by EU's Lisbon Treaty, consisting into adding a Public EU Debate, according to an "EuroFora"'s idea accepted by EU Parliament, Commission and Council's compromise on the Draft Rules fixing its overall procedure, which were adopted by MEPs this week in Strasbourg, EU Rapporteur Alain Lamassoure and EU Commissioner Mario Cefcovic told us.
This opening towards EU Institutions' Public Debates triggered by EU Citizens and with their participation, had been repeatedly suggested by "EuroFora" many Months earlier, when nobody spoke yet about such a possibility, during our contacts both with key MEPs and EU Commission Officials between at least April and November 2010.
- "On (EU) Citizens' initiative : Each one,.... if it reaches the 1 Million Signatures, and if it has passed the original Admissibility test, will be guaranteed the chance to have a Public Hearing, and this will be always arranged in the European Parliament, and it will be the (EU) Commission and the Parliament together who will be organizing it" together, confirmed from the outset EU Parliament's Press Officer Hana Kaganaru (former Press Attaché for Finland's President Tarja Halonen, famous also for her Scandinavian "transparency" pledge).
- This all boils down to the fact that "Now, we can tell them (to EU Citizens), that, whatever might happen, you shall have, at least, a Right for a Debate in EU Parliament" (together with EU Commission and EU Council's representatives), stressed in a crystal-clear manner, after the adoption of his Report by the Constitutional Committee, EU Parliament's main Rapporteur, experienced French MEP Alain Lamassoure, former EU affairs Minister and current President of Budget's Committtee, speaking to "EuroFora".
- For that new purpose, EU Parliament will have to change its own Rules in 2011, and not only the EU Member States and EU Commission, he added. At any case Parliament will be always involved. "The Hearings will be held inside EU Parliament, according the issue raised by each ECI : F. ex. if its on Natural Environment, it's normal for the Environment Committee to be involved. If it's on Foreign Policy, it's for the Foreign affairs Committee to act. If it's about EU Budgets, it's for the Budget Committee to act, and so on". The best is to leave it up to the President of each Commission responsible for the domain concerned by EU Citizens' initiative. Petitions' Committee might, eventually, be added in a kind of Joint Debate, told us Lamassoure, who is also Chairman of EU Parliament's Budget Committee.. This was later agreed also by MEP Haefner (from the "Greens"), speaking to "EuroFora".
- "The Test, for me, the Measure for the Success of the ECI, will be when (EU) Citizens who are Not-Organized today, will take over this procedure in order to make their Voice heard", Lamassoure stressed afterwards from the outset of a Press Conference with all other EU actors involved.
- "Obviously, once this tool created, this very fact will create a big stimulus". "NGOs and Political Parties, some of which have already started to prepare ECI, will rush to take over, and, probably, the first real-fake "Citizens' Initiatives" will come from them".
- "But the Main Beneficiary, the Main Target, of this EU Citizens' Initiative, are the Citizens who are too dispersed throughout all the EU in order to constitute a Lobby, a Political Elections' Pressure Group, and, either have Expectations from Europe, or they are complaining against the EU, or they find Lacunas in the Issues with which EU is dealing" : It's to them that we mainly aim "to give them a Tool to Directly raise the issues vis a vis those who decide inside the EU" in Brussels, i.e. the Commission, since the Commission, in its eminent Sovereignity, decides when and what Draft Document should be put at the Table" for Law-making, as he observed.
- "Obviously, we'll be helped, in this task, by Internet and all those kinds of Social Networks, which allow, via New Communication Technologies, for those People who couldn't meet together in the Past, to start doing so", he concluded, (citting a main point of "EuroFora"s co-Founder's pioneer collective project "Europe in the World : EIW" which was officially presented to EU Commission as ealy as since 1997, i.e. when the Internet still was only at starting to be introduced in Europe)..
- Speaking at EU Parliament's Press Conference, "EuroFora" made it clear from the outset that our Questions "concern, not the usual, (pre-established) Lobbies, that are obviously welcome and useful in the Political Game in Europe, but, preferably, (as EU Rapporteur Lamassoure had earlier mentioned), the Masses, the greatest Number of People who have not been engaged in EU Debates up to now, and who had, as it's well known, abstained in Majority since 1999 (EU Elections), more and more, also in 2004, even if it was a little better, or (more precisely) less worse in 2009", and/or voted "No" in the 2005-2007 EuroReferenda in France, Netherlands and Ireland.
- "Even if there was an Effort to Simplify" the Procedure of EU Citizens' Initiative, (compared to its initial, March 2010 Draft), there are, still some points, which are not so obvious to prepare", we also observed.
=> Therefore, "EuroFora" asked if, "in the Practical aspects" of the Procedure for Citizens' Initiative, at least these People "might have any kind of Help, ..in the everyday contacts with EU Commission and Parliament, in order to Facilitate the Beginning of this kind of Initiatives ? This would be very important", we stressed.
+ But, "EuroFora" went on to raise also what could be "the most Substantial Question" about the EU "Citizens Intiative", as it stands now :
- "We have a Feeling, somehow, that the only thing that might be guaranteed, if everything is OK, would be a Hearing, which is a Good Initiative, because People would be able to speak and debate with the (EU) Commission and the Parliament, and that's very Welcome". Thus, their proposal "might be, eventually, integrated in another way, in the work of the Parliament, of the Commission, in the EU" in general. "We have the feeling that this is the only thing that's more or less guaranteed, if conditions are met, because, as (EU) Commissioner Sefcovic said, if there is something "Too Controversial", or something at the Borderlines, etc., it might not go in as a Legislative proposal", "EuroFora" observed.
- "In this direction, which is a New one, but exists now in the Draft (Rules for ECI) that you have agreed (MEPs, Commissioners and Governments), do you believe that by Enlarging this kind of process, it might become a New way to revitalize the contacts (relations) between EU Citizens and Institutions, in a way which was, perhaps, not (clearly) thought (expected) at the beginning, when the (Lisbon EU) Treaty was prepared ?", "EuroFora" asked.
- EU Commission's vice-President Mario Sefcovic, in "Reply to that (substantial) part of the ('EuroFora"'s) Question : (i.e.) if I believe that this (ECI) would re-Energize EU Debate in Europe ?", stressed that he "clearly believe(s) so" :
- "I'm sure that the First Subjects for ECI will be Subjects which mobilize the Civic Society, and very often the Young People as well. And I hope that this will help us also to get more of the EU Topics to the National Capitals. And, by then, I believe, that we'd have also (a Majority of Citizens' Participating in) EU Parliament's re-Election next time, as You referred in Your ("EuroFora"'s : Comp. supra) Question. So, then, I really hope that we'll see in the (Electoral) Campaign much more European Topics than we did before, (NDLR : with the Big Exception, naturally, of France, Germany, the UK, Netherlands, Bulgaria, etc., where the "No to Turkey's EU Accession bid" notoriously boosted a strong Voters' support for all those Political Parties which campained on this EU Topic in the 2009 EU Elections)
- "And I hope that this Instrument to steer the European Debate will definitively provide a wide European Political Space", (in the sense of nearby Frankfurt School's Jurgen Habermas' concept of "Offentlichkeit"), "and bring these EU topics more into light and more in the perspective of the Daily Life of EU Citizens", EU Commission's vice-President concluded in his Positive reply to "EuroFora"s main Question, (No 2 : See supra).
- Also, "I believe that through these Initiatives we'll engage much more with the Young Generation, because they are very Good with the (World-wide) Internet Communication, and with the (USA-monitored) Facebook, the Twitter, and all these Social Networks which will be at the disposal of the Organizers of this ECI in order to collect the Signatures", Sefcovic added.
+ But, moreover, "I think that it's not just the Hearing : It's the whole Legislative Procedure which is quite important, which is really giving the Citizens the Right to have their Idea put accross to the Highest echelons of the EU Institutions, and the Institutions will have to deal with it, consider it and analyze it very seriously", (I.e. respecting at least the Judge's elementary Control of the "Decision-making Process" in any Discretionary Power, as "EuroFora"s co-Founder has already wroten in his Master and PhD. Strasbourg University work on Public Administration Law).
- "Concerning the Procedure for the Post-Succesful Initiative, there, you know, the procedure which is in the Regulation is actually very Similar to the procedure (that EU) Commission is following when it comes into Legislative Resolutions of the EU Parliament. So, I would say, EU Citizens' Initiative and its Organizers are very High on the Priority list and on "to do" list of the Commission that we have to do once the collection of signatures is succesful", he observed.
- "It's not only the Hearing : Before that, the Organizers will be received by the (EU) Commissioner, or the Director General, then you have a Public Hearing, where their Proposal will be discussed from all possible angles, and then, of course (EU) Commission will have to consider it very deeply as well. And it will be debated also in the College (of all EU Commissioners). Because the College (of EU Commission as a whole) will have to adopt the Decision on the Communication to the Organizers, to the (EU) Parliament, to the (EU) Council, etc., where we (EU Commission) have to reason (i.e. sufficiently Motivate) our Future Steps. And I can ensure you that we will be doing that very Carefully, because, of course, we know how much Energy is invested in this kind of Initiatives, and how much Political Importance it would have, and, of course, if you have also the European Rights' Debate (EU Court of Justice + EU Charter of Rights), you consider very carefully how you treat the initiative and what are the Next Steps".
- "Coming back to Your ("EuroFora"'s main substantial) Question : I think that we have to be very Clear about that. What we are introducing now, is Not an Instrument of Direct Democracy", experienced German MEP Gerard Haefner of the "Greens", and ECI co-Rapporteur, stressed from the outset.
- "It's not an instrument of Law-Making where Citizens decide on law issues". On the contrary, "It's an instrument on Agenda-setting, it's an instrument where Citizens can make Proposals", he observed.
- "Therefore, the Hearings are very Important (as "EuroFora" noted : See supra). "I think that this is one of the Biggest Achievements that we, as (EU) Parliament got in this (ECI) Regulation now, because it has not been there before. Because what we (EU Parliament) want is to create Discourse, Dialogue, between (EU) Citizens and Institutions, but also Discourse among Citizens and in the Society".
- "So, this Instrument will also work as an Instrument that creates Public Awareness of Issues, that creates Cross-Border Debates on Issues, and by creating these Debates, (it : i.e. EU Citizens' Initiative) creates also a little-bit a European Spirit, or the European Demos, (steming from the Ancient Greek word : "Demos" for Citizens' Public Space, origin of the very concept of "Democracy"), a European Civil Society, which is desperately needed for a more Democratic Europe. Therefore, I think that's an important instrument", MEP Haefner replied to "EuroFora"s main query.
+ "2nd point : The (EU) Parliament shares part of its Power with the (EU) Citizens now, because it's the Same Right that we (MEPs) have with our Legislative Resolutions, that we'll be giving to the (EU) Citizens in the Future too". "I think this was all Your ("EuroFora"'s) point. We should make it clear that we shouldn't over-estimate or over-weight this (ECI). We should present it as an Instrument of Participatory Democracy, not of Direct Democracy", Haefner reiterated in conclusion.
- "But, of course, the most important is to give a Chance to EU Citizens to know it", sharply observed Zita Gurmai, vice-President of EU Parliament's Constitutional affairs Committee, in reply to "EuroFora"s questions. "Because if you ask anyone of us during the preparations, if we got any question from any Collegues of Yours (i.e. Journalists), .. it's very clear : First, you prepare the instrument. How can you collect SIgnatures if you don't know what type of Criteria, what type of Documents you have to get, in order to get the signatures ? Of course, that's why we need your guidance, how to get this instrument known. It's not an easy exercice at all ! So, let's hope that you (Journalists') help us, we (MEPs) are all available, and, of course, we'll be chatting, we shall use all the instruments to make it known".
- "And, of course, if it's Sexy, it will help us, .. because we know what goes through the EU Press !.. I hope that ECI will be a "Sexy" subject for all our Citizens, and that we can ... have a Nice Christmas (satisfied) that we were able to do something that is really good for our Citizens. Believe me : we really "tested" on our Friends for the last half a year", she joked.
- "I'm personally satisfied that this instrument became very User Friendly, that it ensures enough Information to Citizens on the ECI, and also a Contact Point, and also to ensure that they can trully benefit from this tool. Moreover, "during the debates (for the preparation of the Draft) all of us had an opportunity to meet Representatives of the Civil Society, with a lot of NGOs, EcoSoc was deeply involved, and the Committee of Regions, etc., showed a High Interest on how to use this New Tool", Gurmai added. (I.e. citting the usual, old-fashioned, Brussels-based Lobbies, which didn't prevent neither the 1999-2004+ Majority Abstention in EU Elections, nor the 2005-2007 "No" in 3 EuroReferenda, etc, revealing a huge Gap between EU and its Citizens)..
- On "the "Practical Help" our friend ("EuroFora" : See supra) was asking", EU Commissioner Sefcovic found that, "of course the (EU) Commission tried to do that as Citizen-Friendly as possible, and in this effort we were very much helped by EU Parliament's practical suggestions", (as he called some MEPs' attempts to diminish bureaucratic procedural formalities' burdens).
+ "We (EU Commission) are going to Help the Organizers of the Petition... from the 1st Step, when they'd be even considering whether they should, or should not launch such an Initiative", EU Commission's vice-President pointed out.
- "So we shall create a "Contact Point" in the Commission, we shall be giving the Practical Advise on what is necessary for the registration of the Initiative, how it should be done, if the Initiative and the Final Goal is Compatible with what is the actual Competence of the (EU) Commission, if there is already anything similar in the pipelines, or if there is, by chance, already any other Initiative under preparation, which is in total Opposition to the proposal of these organizers-to-bee. For that, we are also going also to prepare, and keep up to date, a Manual, (on) how to do it, how to proceed. We will prepare the Information on the Frequently asked Questions (F.A.Q.) or problems, and there will be a whole set of information and advise from the Commission for the Organizers to have a succesful and as user-friendly as possible Start", Sefcovic promissed.
+ Among various other last-minute Simplifications on ECI's Procedure, EU Parliament succeeded to find a compromise with EU Commission and Council also into suppressing the initially drafted 2 Checks : on Registration and for Admissibility, by fusioning them into only 1, to be made upon Registration, and by limiting somehow the reasons for which EU Commission's services may reject a proposal for EU Citizens' Initiative around basically "Legal" points, such as issues of "Competence", "EU Values", etc, as the main EU Rapporteur, MEP Alain Lamassoure said earlier to "EuroFora" :
- "On the Admissibility, (EU) Council accepted our (EP's) position, i.e. that there is only 1 Decision in order to Register the demand of the (EU Citizens') Initiative, and to recognize it Admissible", instead of 2 Decisions, as it had been initially envisaged, Lamassoure observed to "EuroFora".
- "And, in order to verify the Admissibility, it only examines its Compatibility with the (EU) Treaty. "If it's an isssue in conformity with EU Treaties, (then), EU Commission has the right (but not the obligation) to propose a New Legislation", he added.
- EU "Commission had initially scheduled a serious obstacle : In its initial proposal, it didn't examine the Admissibility but only after 300.000 SIgnatures. And EU Council had scheduled to limit that into just 100.000 signatures. But we (EU Parliament) suppressed that, completely", asking for Registration/Admissibility to be decided from the start, Lamassoure underlined.
An obvious danger is, however, that EU Citizens who wish to launch a Popular Initiative, would be obliged, even before they start connecting with EU Public Opinion, to submit their Personal Data to some more or less unknown bureaucrats inside EU Commission in Brussels, and passively wait for its Decision, to "register", or not, their demand, risking to face, eventually, a more or less arbitrary refusal, without even having a chance to start getting Popular Support, while, on the contrary, they'd have exposed themselves alone to possible criticism, opposal, hostility, political discrimination, eventual harassment, etc. (f.ex. if their views are very critical on an issue with big stakes, etc), for nothing...
That's why "EuroFora" believes that it would be better, wiser, more democratic and more natural, if those who inspire an EU Citizens' Initiative were let free to find, from the start, if they wish, a fair chance to contact the Public Opinion and to start testing, debating and gathering Popular support accross EU Member Countries, before any more or less bureaucratic or formalistic obstacle might block and stop any action.
F.ex. initial alerts, awareness-raising EU-wide Anouncements and Debates on the issues at stake, and f.ex. on how exactly to formulate the EU Citizens' Initiative, etc., inviting interested People to join a movement, actively participate, be prepared to vote officially to this or that Websites' addresses, etc., appear, in these circumstances, particularly useful, before the formalities vis a vis the EU Commission.
Such a Preparatory work could also facilitate, in case EU Commission registers the proposed EU Citizens Initiative, to gather easier and faster the required number of at least 1 Million Signatures inside the tight Time Deadline of 1 Year only, as the draft EU Regulation imposes, avoiding the risk to lose such a chance merely for a small delay of just a few Days, etc.
+ On other Formalities (and there are several more...), Lamassoure appeared upbeat :
- "It's easy, because, EU Commission will be obliged to help the authors. It will have a special Office for that, and will make available a Free Software for the collection of signatures". In general, "Honestly, this cannot be simplified more" than that, Lamassoure estimated.
- Questioned by "EuroFora" whether EU Commission's "Software" (for an On-line collection of Signatures) will be "imposed" to EU Citizens, or simply "offered", Lamassoure appeared rather softer, at least at this moment : - "Well, if they (EU Citizens) don't need it,.. But, at any case, EU Commission will be obliged to offer them one", he simply replied.
Concerning the total of all procedural Conditions, both formal and substantial, put to EU Citizens' Initiatives by the 1st EU draft Regulation, "EuroFora", who had assisted at the 1st ever EU Parliament debate as early as on April 2010, inside its Constitutional affairs Committee, a late Monday Evening in Strasbourg, together with EU Commissioner Cefcovic, (see Draft-News sent to Donors/Subscribers), had already started to criticize an initialy rather too formalistic version, by systematically denouncing, since next Day's EU Parliament Political Groups' Press Conferences, what appeared then to be like ... "an astonishing Eruption of Bureaucratic Ashes", risking to cover the sky over EU Citizens Initiative, and keep it in the shade, as the famous Icelandic Volcano (pushed by unusual Brittish Winds), had freezed most EU AirPlanes on the ground, hindering them to flight, and provoking losses of, reportedly, more than 50 Billions €, by a Symbolic coincidence, those very same days...
Almost all Presidents of EU Parliament's Political Groups replied then to "EuroFora"s questions by strongly supporting EU Citizens' Initiative, asking for it to be really "Citizen Friendly", and, apparently, they succeeded to find at least some Simplifications in certain points, after long negotiations with EU Commission and EU Council of Ministers, (including a rather .. tumultuous EU Council meeting at nearby Luxembourg, where, before a Press Conference at an ..Empty Room with roughly 2 or 3 Journalist only, several EU Member Countries' representatives expressed some Critical views during the Public part of the discussions which was exceptionally interrupted by a spectacular .. Electricity Cut, which suddenly stopped any Image transmission, by a coincidence, during some among the most "delicate" points !)..
In addition to a brief but detailed, concrete, point by point, Critical Analysis of the EU draft Resolution which fixes the Procedure to follow for EU Citizens' Initiatives, (already sent earlier to Donors/Subscribers), "EuroFora" will publish much and various more useful Data on this emerging big issue, that we shall naturally follow up also in the Future asap, including during its Ratification process in 2011, particularly because, after the above mentioned latest Addition of a Public Hearing/Debate (See supra) it entered inside our Project's main scope.
Facing a 70% Abstention threat in 2009 Election, EU endorses EuroFora's idea for Citizens' debates on crucial EU decisions !
- Different views on "Europe's Future", should be debated among Citizens at June 2009 EU Elections, thanks to political Parties' "Manifestos", says EU Parliament's Report
A main idea, initiated and promoted by EuroFora's founders since 1997: the vital need to develop European Citizens' democratic right to actively participate in multilingual debates on EU decisions, is formally endorsed by the EU from 2009 !
The move is a key attempt to overcome "catastrophic" Polls which warn that only ...30% of Citizens are ready to vote in the forthcoming June 2009 EU Election ! This was revealed by EU Commission's vice-president, in charge of Communication policy, Margot Wallstrom, during a "hot" meeting of EU Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education, during the December 2008 Strasbourg session.
Wallstrom faced criticism, but also suggestions from various MEPs, naturally worried by Abstention threats which herself found even "worse" than in 1999 or 2004...
A Report on "Active Dialogue with Citizens",examined at the same time, presented some useful practical tips, on "facilitating Interviews"; etc., but also a potentialy important call to "incorporate the conclusions of ...debates...into (EU) policies, and take into consideration the expectations that Citizens have of the EU when deciding". An amendment even implies that Citizens' participation in debates on EU decisions is a democratic "Right".
More importantly, it finds that a Debate "on the Future of Europe", (as French President Nicolas Sarkozy has asked since 2007), would be a good idea " for the 2009 European parliamentary Elections", because "clarifying the political differences between the EU political parties would help citizens to identify themselves with, and choose between various concepts", for which "all parties (should) present their Manifesto".
A "Joint political declaration on Communicating Europe in Partnership", co-signed by "the European Parliament, Council and ... Commission", confirms that they "attach the utmost importance to improving communication on EU issues", by "enabling European citizens to exercise their right to participate in the democratic life of the Union, in which decisions are taken as openly as possible and as closely as possible to the citizens, observing the principles of pluralism, participation, openness and transparency".
This should "enable Citizens to exercise their right to express their views and to participate actively in the public Debate on European Union issues", while also "promoting the respect of multilingualism". In this regard, EU confirms its "wish to develop synergies with national, regional and local authorities as well as with representatives of Civil Society".
It's since 1997 that a group of EuroFora's founders have officially presented a pioneer Project (then called "EIW", for "Europe in the World"), which aimed to develop Strasbourg's "Polyphonic music", by providing "Interactive information", on "main issues ... during the Decision-making process of European Organizations which engage in Transparent and Public Democratic Debates"
This should be done, inter alia, by "exploring the potential of New Communication Tools (mainly Internet)", as well as classic-form debates, the 1997 EIW pioneer project's anounced in its "Synopsis". It was formally "accepted for evaluation" by EU Commission in Brussels in order to be examined for a grant in the framework of the "Research/Technology/Development (RTD) Programme in the field of Information Technologies", then called "ESPRIT", as a "Best Practice Pilot Project".
But the vital, urgent Political need for EU to search new, efficient ways to reach the People and interact with European Citizens, was really felt in Brussels and elsewhere only after the unprecedented in History 1999 and 2004 Majority Abstention in EU Elections, followed by 3 "NO" in Referenda in France, the Netherlands and Ireland, on 2005 and 2008...
In this New Political Landscape, we prepared a new, actualised and more developed version of our initial idea, in a simplified and more efficient form, thanks also to a large Experience accumulated during many years of EU/CoE/UNO Press work and Multi-lingual debates, with the New project "EuroFora" :
On 2006 we presented in Public its main lines during Questions/Replies that we raised at two Press Conferences by EU Commission President, Jose Baroso, and mainly EU Commission's vice-President, in charge of Communication policy, Margot Wallstrom, together with EU Parliament's vice-president, Alejo Vidal-Quadras, in Strasbourg, (Videos available), and we reminded it at various brief contacts with Commissioner Wallstrom in 2007 and 2008.
Meanwhile, a new Text was also presented for "EuroFora" Project mainly to certain Political and other personalities, at European, National or Regional/Local level, mainly in 2007, but also in 2008..
Now, after the unexpected 2008 Irish "NO", and before the 2009 EU Elections, which are due to be of exceptionally crucial importance for Europe's Future, the moment has obviously come to launch that project, progressively, but in real practice.
Whoever really cares for Europe and its Citizens is welcome to join, in one way or another. Only anti-European, anti-democratic, obscure or ignorant groups might oppose or attempt to "steal" and deviate the main idea.
But European Citizens, incited by enlightened political leaders, are those who will finally write the real History.


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chef-client Man Pages¶

The following command line interfaces are available in the chef-client:

chef-client

chef-server-ctl

chef-shell

chef-solo

knife

knife¶

knife is a command-line tool that provides an interface between a local chef-repo and the Chef server. knife helps users to manage:

Nodes

Cookbooks and recipes

Roles

Stores of JSON data (data bags), including encrypted data

Environments

Cloud resources, including provisioning

The installation of the chef-client on management workstations

Searching of indexed data on the Chef server

The following sections describe functionality common to all knife subcommands:

Working with Knife

Common Options

knife includes the following sub-commands:

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Sub-command
Description

knife bootstrap
The knife bootstrap subcommand is used to run a bootstrap operation that installs the chef-client on the target system. The bootstrap operation must specify the IP address or FQDN of the target system.

knife client
The knife client subcommand is used to manage an API client list and their associated RSA public key-pairs. This allows authentication requests to be made to the Chef server by any entity that uses the Chef server API, such as the chef-client and knife.

knife configure
The knife configure subcommand is used to create the knife.rb and client.rb files so that they can be distributed to workstations and nodes.

knife cookbook
The knife cookbook subcommand is used to interact with cookbooks that are located on the Chef server or the local chef-repo.

knife cookbook site
The knife cookbook site subcommand is used to interact with cookbooks that are located at https://supermarket.getchef.com/cookbooks. A user account is required for any community actions that write data to this site. The following arguments do not require a user account: <tt class="docutils literal">download</tt>, <tt class="docutils literal">search</tt>, <tt class="docutils literal">install</tt>, and <tt class="docutils literal">list</tt>.

knife data bag
The knife data bag subcommand is used to manage arbitrary stores of globally available JSON data.

knife delete
The knife delete subcommand is used to delete an object from a Chef server. This subcommand works similar to <tt class="docutils literal">knife cookbook delete</tt>, <tt class="docutils literal">knife data bag delete</tt>, <tt class="docutils literal">knife environment delete</tt>, <tt class="docutils literal">knife node delete</tt>, and <tt class="docutils literal">knife role delete</tt>, but with a single verb (and a single action).

knife deps
The knife deps subcommand is used to identify dependencies for a node, role, or cookbook.

knife diff
The knife diff subcommand is used to compare the differences between files and directories on the Chef server and in the chef-repo. For example, to compare files on the Chef server prior to an uploading or downloading files using the <tt class="docutils literal">knife download</tt> and <tt class="docutils literal">knife upload</tt> subcommands, or to ensure that certain files in multiple production environments are the same. This subcommand is similar to the <tt class="docutils literal">git diff</tt> command that can be used to diff what is in the chef-repo with what is synced to a git repository.

knife download
The knife download subcommand is used to download roles, cookbooks, environments, nodes, and data bags from the Chef server to the current working directory. It can be used to back up data on the Chef server, inspect the state of one or more files, or to extract out-of-process changes users may have made to files on the Chef server, such as if a user made a change that bypassed version source control. This subcommand is often used in conjunction with <tt class="docutils literal">knife diff</tt>, which can be used to see exactly what changes will be downloaded, and then <tt class="docutils literal">knife upload</tt>, which does the opposite of <tt class="docutils literal">knife download</tt>.

knife edit
The knife edit subcommand is used to edit objects on the Chef server. This subcommand works similar to <tt class="docutils literal">knife cookbook edit</tt>, <tt class="docutils literal">knife data bag edit</tt>, <tt class="docutils literal">knife environment edit</tt>, <tt class="docutils literal">knife node edit</tt>, and <tt class="docutils literal">knife role edit</tt>, but with a single verb (and a single action).

knife environment
The knife environment subcommand is used to manage environments within a single organization on the Chef server.

knife exec
The knife exec subcommand uses the knife configuration file to execute Ruby scripts in the context of a fully configured chef-client. This subcommand is most often used to run scripts that will only access Chef server one time (or otherwise very infrequently). Use this subcommand any time that an operation does not warrant full usage of the knife subcommand library.

knife index rebuild
The knife index rebuild subcommand is used to rebuild the search indexes for the open source Chef server. This operation is destructive and may take some time.

knife list
The knife list subcommand is used to view a list of objects on the Chef server. This subcommand works similar to <tt class="docutils literal">knife cookbook list</tt>, <tt class="docutils literal">knife data bag list</tt>, <tt class="docutils literal">knife environment list</tt>, <tt class="docutils literal">knife node list</tt>, and <tt class="docutils literal">knife role list</tt>, but with a single verb (and a single action).

knife node
The knife node subcommand is used to manage the nodes that exist on a Chef server.

knife raw
The knife raw subcommand is used to send a REST request to a specified path using the Chef server API.

knife recipe list
The knife recipe list subcommand is used to view all of the recipes that are on a Chef server. A regular expression can be used to limit the results to recipes that match a specific pattern. The regular expression must be within quotes and not be surrounded by forward slashes (/).

knife role
The knife role subcommand is used to manage the roles that are associated with one or more nodes on a Chef server.

knife search
The knife search subcommand is used run a search query for information that is indexed on a Chef server.

knife serve
The knife serve subcommand is used to run a persistent chef-zero against the local chef-repo. (chef-zero is a lightweight Chef server that runs in-memory on the local machine.) This is the same as running the chef-client executable with the <tt class="docutils literal">--local-mode</tt> option. The <tt class="docutils literal">chef_repo_path</tt> is located automatically and the Chef server will bind to the first available port between <tt class="docutils literal">8889</tt> and <tt class="docutils literal">9999</tt>. knife serve will print the URL for the local Chef server, so that it may be added to the knife.rb file.

knife show
The knife show subcommand is used to view the details of one (or more) objects on the Chef server. This subcommand works similar to <tt class="docutils literal">knife cookbook show</tt>, <tt class="docutils literal">knife data bag show</tt>, <tt class="docutils literal">knife environment show</tt>, <tt class="docutils literal">knife node show</tt>, and <tt class="docutils literal">knife role show</tt>, but with a single verb (and a single action).

knife ssh
The knife ssh subcommand is used to invoke SSH commands (in parallel) on a subset of nodes within an organization, based on the results of a search query made to the Chef server.

knife ssl check

The knife ssl check subcommand is used to verify the SSL configuration for the Enterprise Chef and/or Open Source Chef servers, or at another location specified by a URL or URI.

Warning

When verification of a remote server’s SSL certificate is disabled, the chef-client will issue a warning similar to “SSL validation of HTTPS requests is disabled. HTTPS connections are still encrypted, but the chef-client is not able to detect forged replies or man-in-the-middle attacks.” To configure SSL for the chef-client, set <tt class="docutils literal">ssl_verify_mode</tt> to <tt class="docutils literal">:verify_peer</tt> (recommended) or <tt class="docutils literal">verify_api_cert</tt> to <tt class="docutils literal">true</tt> in the client.rb file.

knife ssl fetch

The knife ssl fetch subcommand is used to copy SSL certificates from an HTTPS server to the <tt class="docutils literal">trusted_certs_dir</tt> directory that is used by knife and the chef-client to store trusted SSL certificates. When these certificates match the hostname of the remote server, running <tt class="docutils literal">knife ssl fetch</tt> is the only step required to verify a remote server that is accessed by either knife or the chef-client.

Warning

It is the user’s responsibility to verify the authenticity of every SSL certificate before downloading it to the <tt class="docutils literal">trusted_certs_dir</tt> directory. knife will use any certificate in that directory as if it is a 100% trusted and authentic SSL certificate. knife will not be able to determine if any certificate in this directory has been tampered with, is forged, malicious, or otherwise harmful. Therefore it is essential that users take the proper steps before downloading certificates into this directory.

knife status
The knife status subcommand is used to display a brief summary of the nodes on a Chef server, including the time of the most recent successful chef-client run.

knife tag
The knife tag subcommand is used to apply tags to nodes on a Chef server.

knife upload
The knife upload subcommand is used to upload roles, cookbooks, environments, and data bags to the Chef server from the current working directory in the chef-repo. This subcommand is often used in conjunction with <tt class="docutils literal">knife diff</tt>, which can be used to see exactly what changes will be uploaded, and then <tt class="docutils literal">knife download</tt>, which does the opposite of <tt class="docutils literal">knife upload</tt>.

knife user
The knife user subcommand is used to manage the list of users and their associated RSA public key-pairs.

knife xargs
The knife xargs subcommand is used to take patterns from standard input, download as JSON, run a command against the downloaded JSON, and then upload any changes.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Zero One: AI, Machine Learning and the End of the World
Written by Tom Kaneshige
Is AI a job creator or job killer? Should we be worried?
In the sci-fi movie "Children of Men," people suddenly could no longer make babies, putting the human race on the brink of extinction.
A character in the movie gazes at Michelangelo's masterpiece sculpture, David, and says to the art collector, "A hundred years from now there won't be one sad f-ck to look at any of this. What keeps you going?"
The art collector replies, "I just don't think about it."
Back in real life, I'm at AI Summit in San Francisco's Regency Ballroom during one of the hottest days of the year listening to speaker after speaker excitedly portend the end of the world. Will AI destroy people's ability to make a living? It's ironic to be sweating – no air-conditioners – inside an artsy ballroom built in 1909 as a bleak future of machines taking away human jobs unfolds before me.
The future really took shape after Frank Chen, partner at venture capital behemoth Andreessen Horowitz, took the stage. Chen cited amazing examples of AI happening today, where it might take off tomorrow, and how it can seize the networking effect and become ubiquitous. AI that replaces human labor can be cheaply implemented, he said.
To be fair, many of Chen's examples earned my applause. An AI war drone entering dangerous buildings and mapping the interior, including people, so that a soldier doesn't have to. An AI supply plane delivering blood to outlying communities in Africa. And, coming soon, an AI ear bud that translates foreign languages on the fly.
With other examples, though, I was reminded of the words of Martin Niemöller, a pastor who, post-World War II, warned about the dangers of complacency.
Chen showed a homemade, $2,000 AI system that classifies and separates cucumbers so that an elderly Japanese woman wouldn't have to. At scale, this system would put a lot of produce sorters out of work. But that kind of low-value job is "ripe" for disruption, I thought, smirking at the cleverness of my pun. First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out – Because I was not a Socialist.
Next, Chen showed a video of AI robots doing a simple task. They weren't like manufacturing robots programmed to do the task, he said. Rather, they were in the act of learning how to do the task. It wasn't hard to imagine these robots replacing human workers en masse. The takeaway, I thought, was don't make a career out of simple tasks. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out – Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Chen showed an AI agent that summarizes reports. Just about every company has someone doing this, he said. The AI agent can look at many reports and summarize them much more quickly than a human can. Whew, I thought, that was close. I'm glad I don't just summarize reports; I write stories. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – Because I was not a Jew.
Then Chen showed how the Washington Post uses AI to write stories. He showed the stories on the big screen behind him. You can't even tell that AI wrote them and not a journalist, he said. Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.
I began to wonder if anyone else was struck by Chen's presentation, but attendees seemed happy. Perhaps all of this was figured out a day earlier at AI Summit during the session on ethics and AI, which I had missed. The speaker of that session was the chief innovation architect at Wells Fargo Bank – not exactly the beacon of ethical practices.
A couple of weeks earlier, I was at Mobile World Congress listening to a panel of AI experts, and someone asked about AI's future impact on society. Many of the panelists painted a rosy picture of man and machine working together, harmoniously, efficiently, and with a nice return on investment.
Then Danny Lange, vice president of AI and machine learning at Unity Technologies, with previous stints at IBM, Microsoft, Amazon and Uber, spoke up. "Yeah, I do think that AI is going to take over the world and it's also going to eat the jobs, but we can rest," he said. "It's going to take at least 10 years."
The audience laughed.
Lange, one of the smartest people I've heard speak on the subject of machine learning and AI, delivered his comments deadpan. I'll have to ask him if he was joking. Maybe we're all like the art collector in the movie, joking in the face of looming disaster. After all, it's better just not to think about it.
Tags: Cloud Service Providers Digital Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs Digital Transformation
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The SAP SAPPHIRE NOW Expo Floor Featuring VMware, Cisco, HPE
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The shift to services-oriented business models has created opportunities for partners to transition to MSSPs. Learn how Fortinet facilitates this change with the SOC Lifecycle Strategy.
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Deloitte, Cognizant, Mindtree and others are changing the way we think of digital transformation.
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The Thing which Every Website owner hate is Scammers.Internet is Now full filled with Scams and Spams.
There is another bad use of Google Adwords i seen in AdSense Advertise .One YouTube channel Placed at YouTube.com/fullmovies had no videos on their Channel and they advertise this channel through Adwords and Got 7,195 visitors and 157 Subscribers till 30-06-2011 Indian Date.
One things is noted down from this Topic that how much Google Adwords Work for us.


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A marketing revolution is taking place and it's leveling the commercial landscape. Online marketing is allowing small businesses to become big, and small marketing budgets to act big. An abundance of opportunities await those willing to educate themselves and then engage with the burgeoning online marketplace. It is more accessible than you may have previously thought.
The eMarketing Guide explains how to create an impressive online presence by utilizing the major online marketing platforms. In a straightforward manner, the guide educates beginners and experts alike in the most powerful marketing opportunities available today. You will learn the fundamentals of online marketing strategy and theory, and the practical steps and tips to make them effective! The eMarketing Guide will teach you the following concepts: 1. Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals 2. SEO Application and Tips 3. Creating a Facebook Business Profile 4. Utilizing Twitter for Business 5. Using Paid Search with Facebook 6. Using Paid Search with Google 7. Creating Viral Videos 8. Utilizing Blogs for Business 9. Laymen's Glossary of Online Marketing Terms, and much more! Search engine optimization, Facebook, Twitter, viral videos—everyone's talking about using them for business—but who's explaining how to do it? The eMarketing Guide is your solution. It's easy- to-read style, plus wealth of tips, strategies, and how-to sections are optimal tools to assist anyone venturing into online business. You will learn marketing strategy and theory, but also the pragmatic steps to implementing those strategies…saving years of trial and error. If you are ready to engage the international online marketplace, The eMarketing Guide will give you the tools and knowledge necessary to succeed.
Blair Reynolds is a marketing and business consultant living in Redding, CA. He graduated from Kansas State University with a dual major in Political Science and Psychology, and was the founder and CEO of Slingstone Media. He worked for Sound Wisdom Media for four years and recently worked as the marketer and account manager for Bethel Media.


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