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Q: Calculating average time difference by group using dplyr Say I have the following data frame representing the dates users registered an application in various companies:
df <- data.frame(user = c("Tia", "Sam", "Matt", "Brandy", "Joe", "Nariko"),
                 company = c("Intel", "Intel", "Nvidia", "Nvidia", "Nvidia", "Google"),
                 registrationDate = as.Date(c("2015-01-04", "2015-01-04", "2015-01-19",
                                              "2015-01-20", "2015-01-20", "2015-01-25")),
                 stringsAsFactors = FALSE)

How do I create a vector that would give me the average time difference between users at each company to register the application?
I am having some trouble getting simple summary statistics by company over the date variable. For example, when I try to find the maximum registration date for each company using dplyr:
library(dplyr)
df %>%
  group_by(company) %>%
  mutate(maxDate = max(registrationDate))

I get the maximum date over the entire registrationDate vector replicated for each row in the data frame. It is as though the max() function ignores dplyr's piping.

A: Another one, using summarize instead of mutate:
df2 = df %>%
  group_by(company) %>%
  summarize(minDate = min(registrationDate), maxDate = max(registrationDate), num_users = n())

> df2
Source: local data frame [3 x 4]

   company    minDate    maxDate num_users
     (chr)     (date)     (date)     (int)
 1  Google 2015-01-25 2015-01-25         1
 2   Intel 2015-01-04 2015-01-04         2
 3  Nvidia 2015-01-19 2015-01-20         3

df2$result = difftime(df2$maxDate, df2$minDate, units = "days")/df2$num_users

> df2
Source: local data frame [3 x 5]

  company    minDate    maxDate num_users     result
    (chr)     (date)     (date)     (int)     (dfft)
1  Google 2015-01-25 2015-01-25         1     0 days
2   Intel 2015-01-04 2015-01-04         2     0 days
3  Nvidia 2015-01-19 2015-01-20         3 0.3333333 days

A: df %>% group_by(company) %>%
  mutate(AvgTime = (max(registrationDate)-min(registrationDate))/length(company))

    user company registrationDate        AvgTime
1    Tia   Intel       2015-01-04 0.0000000 days
2    Sam   Intel       2015-01-04 0.0000000 days
3   Matt  Nvidia       2015-01-19 0.3333333 days
4 Brandy  Nvidia       2015-01-20 0.3333333 days
5    Joe  Nvidia       2015-01-20 0.3333333 days
6 Nariko  Google       2015-01-25 0.0000000 days


text:
L'escultura urbana coneguda pel nom La Pensadora, ubicada a la carrer Argüelles, proper al Teatre Campoamor, a la ciutat d'Oviedo, Principat d'Astúries, Espanya, és una de les més d'un centenar que adornen els carrers de l'esmentada ciutat espanyola.

El paisatge urbà d'aquesta ciutat, es veu adornat per obres escultòriques, generalment monuments commemoratius dedicats a personatges d'especial rellevància en un primer moment, i més purament artístiques des de finals del .

L'escultura, feta de bronze, és obra de José Luis Fernández, i està datada segons els experts en 1968 o en 1976.

A 1976 (Casaprima en la seva obra "Escultura Pública en Oviedo", Editat per l'Ajuntament d'Oviedo, data l'obra en 1968), José Luis Fernández va tallar en fusta, en petites dimensions una escultura a la que va cridar "Mujer Sentada", i que va estar exposada a Oviedo en l'exposició "José Luis Fernández. 30 anys d'escultura". Aquesta obra pot considerar com l'antecedent d'aquesta l'escultura que es troba a prop del Teatre Campoamor.

Referències

Escultures d'Oviedo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Microsoft Corp. said on Wednesday it switched to its own online ad brokering service called adCenter, so advertisers can directly place ads on the software maker's search sites instead of going through Yahoo Inc.
Microsoft's launch of adCenter is part of the world's largest software maker's push to better compete with Internet rivals Google Inc. and Yahoo in a U.S. online advertising market estimated to be worth around $15 billion (8 billion pounds).
After relinquishing the early advantage in paid search, Microsoft has invested heavily in recent years to create its own search engine and ad brokering service.
Advertisers bought pay-per-click ads on MSN search through Yahoo's Overture service until last year, but adCenter handled an increasing percentage of those transactions during testing in recent months.
In order to lure more advertisers to adCenter, Microsoft aims to increase the number of people using its search site.
The company started testing a new Windows Live search engine with features aimed at allowing users to more simply view search results. However, its main MSN search engine lost market share again to Google and Yahoo in March.
Its U.S. share fell to 11 percent from 14 percent, while Google and Yahoo each gained, rising to 49 percent and 22 percent of the search market.
AdCenter will be initially limited to paid search, but Microsoft envisions the service being a one-stop shop for online advertising across many of the company's software platforms including Xbox games and mobile phones.
The brokering service is expected to eventually allow advertisers to place advertisements on Microsoft's Internet services sites, such as Windows Live email or Office Live.
Analysts forecast Microsoft will spend an additional $2 billion in the coming fiscal year starting July 1, speculating that much of the investment will go towards building an infrastructure for an online services supported by ad revenue.
"The ad community is extremely important to us as we evolve Microsoft from a software company into the world's largest, most attractive provider of online media through MSN, Windows Live and adCenter," Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said in a statement.
Microsoft said adCenter allows advertisers to better track spending campaigns while providing more data to target potential customers.
The brokering service runs in the U.S., France and Singapore with tests starting in June in the UK.


So in summary the solution I gave above had already been applied.
However, another avenue to explore is cron job time out.
In my situation I have a of feeds so it could be taking the job invoked by the cron a long time to update all of them.
Here is another possible solution to extend the time alloted to running a job triggered by cron, a cron job: To quote: The number at the end is the number of seconds a program can run before timing out.
My host provider was kind enough to enable this function (after I told them it was now part of Drupal 7 core) but they offered the opinion that this was a security compromise." "A word or warning", Drupal API Documentation Work with them or switch hosts.
I have several feeds setup in the Feed Aggregator ( admin/config/services/aggregator ) in Drupal 7.
You might want to also check the permissions, both within Drupal and in your website's tmp/cache folders.
Aggregator allows your site to consume feeds from other sites and display that information on your site. Now click the add feed button to create a new imported feed. Navigate to the blocks page at admin/structure/blocks and under the disabled section, you will see your feed listed. Activate your block, configure your block, and place it where you want it.To subscribe to an RSS feed on another site, go to Configuration, choose Web Services, then Aggregator (admin/config/services/aggregator).My site is taking a feed from hourly intervals, but when the aggregator runs via cron (or even through the UI) no items are updated.In my particular situation, my host provider had ftp_connect() enabled but had disabled a whole bunch of native php functions which they viewed as security risks." "D7 uses the functions stream_socket_client(), fread(), fwrite(), stream_set_timeout(), and stream_get_meta_data().[...] In my case (as it turns out), my hosting provider had disabled [...] stream_socket_client().Setting it to 0 means "never timeout" which you should use very carefully, like on a development site where you have control over the server.Update 2 - and likely solution and root cause The cause of the problem likely stems from a corrupt database causing errors when the cron job is run.Details and remedy here: Update 3 After following the above instructions you may still see the feeds not updating. Last night, I downloaded, installed, and configured my new Drupal container (https://hub.docker.com/_/drupal/) from scratch in my old Debian oldstable/Jessie box. )'s frontend before, I decided to try my own setup, learn Docker, and Drupal v8. I am having problems getting my two external RSS news aggregators to show up in Drupal's home page with one test post. I cannot get RSS feed to show on Drupal 7.14 page, feed does not show any items.Feed url: added feed url in Feed aggregator with no problems, and feed name is shown in 'Feed overview' list, but when I clicked on 'update items' link, I got message: Is that the only feed that's happening on?
Jan 10, 2010. First of all, we're going to set up the Aggregator module so that it can handle the RSS feeds for us. Step 1 Go to. Step 5 Click "Save" and then "update items". That will load the latest. Step 7 More than likely, you will need to click "Configure" next to the block and choose a new title. Aggregator creates a.
Aggregator. Aggregator allows your site to consume feeds from other sites and display that information on your site. This functionality is part of Drupal core. Now the time. Update interval - How often do you want your Drupal site to go out there and check for new feeds? News items. Our feed did not show up. After a bit of.


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text:
Home Relationships Marriage & Love
18 Red Flags People Share They Ignored Before Arranged Marriage In This Viral Thread
Marriages are never easy. And, with the increasing cases of failed marriages, marriage as an institution is losing its significance. And, one of the key reasons behind many failed marriages is how easily and willfully many people tend to ignore the red flags. One needs to take a lot of factors under consideration, especially in an arranged marriage, before taking a decision to share your life together. It's better to be sure about certain things than to regret the decision later.
Recently, we stumbled over a very informative Reddit thread, where people shared the red flags they wish they noticed before signing up for arranged marriage. We are sure these inputs will help many to identify red flags before committing to the person.
Red Flags In Arranged Marriages
1. "If they always pick parents over the SO to "keep the peace" – Anonymous
2. "Is rude to waiters, taxi drivers, servants, or anyone else they have power over. It takes a special kind of jerk to be rude to people who don't have a choice in the matter. You want someone who tries to be respectful and kind to all people." – dsarma
3. "If they or their family is overly concerned about status or "What will people think" mentality." – Anonymous
Image: Screengrab from Khoobsurat
4. "That he didn't know how to cook or clean. I was so excited to get our own place and be the perfect wife that I just did it all and I was happy about it. Like an idiot lol. 10 years and two kids later I was completely over that shit. Thankfully after a few tough years we figured it out. But damn, had I known I would have started our life a lot differently." – queenoreo
Image: Screengrab from movie Ki & Ka
5. "Talks a lot about their money/cars/fancy lifestyle." – dsarma
6. "Excessive sweet talk and romance early on. Kind of an extension to the previous point. This usually hints at a very immature idea of what a relationship and later marriage should mean. Instead, they mimic the "romanticized" version of love that is shown in movies. These guys will not continue the same after marriage or even worse, make you feel like you owe them for their affections." – Anonymous
7. "Interrupts you when you talk, or clearly isn't paying attention to what you say." – dsarma
Screengrab: Thappad
8. "He yelled and threw (my) things at me. I was so young and foolish. I thought it meant he was passionate and that he loved me more than anyone else…because nobody else in my life loved me enough to get so angry they would throw things. That's not how it works."-chaigirl-
Screengrab from Kabir Singh
9. "Doesn't have any interests outside of work. As quarantine has taught us, there will be times when you're both stuck with each other with nobody else as company. Unless you can get along in those times, you're in for an uphill climb." – dsarma
10. "Wanting to rush the marriage – definitely a big red flag."-11ej25
11. "Doesn't know how to cook/do laundry/clean, and has their mom do everything. It's one thing to live with your parents. It's another to be a helpless baby as a grown adult." – dsarma
Screengrab: Two States
12. "Always played the victim. Emotionally manipulative." – bexxsterss
13. "Refuses to discuss any of their negative qualities honestly. Nobody is perfect, and acknowledging that early on is important. Maybe not on the first meeting, but at some point. You don't want to end up with someone who only criticises you and doesn't own up to their own shortcomings." – dsarma
14. "Made comments about how cute or attractive other women were. Or how sexy my friends were. Weird sexual comments. We were married 3 years when I found out he had a hooker problem and was fucking a few of my friends." – hammstands
15. "Stonewalling during arguments, insulting me then saying it's just a joke when I get upset." – mediocreart023
16. "Has a temper. If someone gets angry frequently, you're setting yourself up for a difficult life." – dsarma
17. "There isn't enough space on reddit to list (I'm divorced) – mom had full control of his world; he was emotionally needy; always the victim in every scenario; no work ethic or independence; overly conservative; had a "show" mode for the public; no boundaries." – Anonymous
18. "He's one of those "men can't show emotions" kinda guy, and I'm a deeply emotional person. Just frustrating a lot of times" – thepoisedduchess
This beautiful yet hard-hitting thread has so many powerful insights. Do you also want to add something to the list? Tell us in the comments below.
50 Best Valentine's Day Instagram Captions For 2023

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This is the home for all the work I've done and all the work to come.
It's growing, don't look away too long.
I can be contacted with the form below. I am available for inquiries regarding collaboration, reading full works, and general brain picking.


text:
Items where author is "Abu Salim, K."
Feldpausch, Ted R. and Lloyd, J. and Lewis, Simon L. and Brienen, R.J.W. and Gloor, M. and Monteagudo Mendoza, A. and Lopez Gonzalez, G. and Banin, L. and Abu Salim, K. and Affum-Baffoe, K. and Alexiades, M. and Almeida, S. and Amaral, Ieda and Andrade, Ana and Aragao, Luiz and Araujo Murakami, A. and Arets, E.J.M.M. and Arroyo, L. and Aymard, Gerardo and Baker, T.R. de and Banki, Olaf and Berry, N. J. and Cardozo, N. and Jerome, Chave and Comiskey, J. A. and Alvarez, E. and de Oliveira, A. and Di Fiore, A. and Djagbletey, G. and Domingues, T.F. and Erwin, T. and Fearnside, P. M. and França, M. B. and Freitas, M. A. and Higuchi, Niro and Honorio C., E. and Iida, Y. and Jimenez, E. and Kassim, A.R. and Killeen, T.J. and Laurance, W.F. and Lovett, Jon C. and Malhi, Y. and Marimon, B.S. and Marimon-Junior, B.H. and Lenza, E. and Marshall, A.R. and Mendoza, Casimiro and Metcalfe, D.J. and Mitchard, E.T.A. and Neill, D.A. and Nelson, B.W. and Nilus, R. and Nogueira, E.M. and Parada, A. and Peh, K.S.-H. and Peña Cruz, A. and Peñuela, M.C. and Pitman, N.C.A. and Prieto, A. and Quesada, C.A. and Ramírez, F. and Ramirez Angulo, H. and Reitsma, J.M. and Rudas, A. and Saiz, G. and Salomao, R. P. and Schwarz, M. and Silva, N. and Silva Espejo, J.E. and Silveira, Marcos and Sonke, Bonaventura and Stropp, Juliana and Taedoumg, H. E. and Tan, S. and Ter Steege, Hans and Terborgh, J. and Torello-Raventos, M. and Van der Heijden, Geertje and Vasquez, R. and Vilanova, Emilio and Vos, V. A. and White, L. and Willcock, S. and Woell, H. and Phillip, Oliver L. (2012). Tree height integrated into pantropical forest biomass estimates. "Biogeosciences" (n. 9); pp. 3381-3403. ISSN 1726-4170. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-3381-2012.


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Gone Fishing? At least David Beckham and Prince George have, as sport sees stratospheric rise in popularity
You'll find the social set riverside and hooked on fishing these days
By Annabel Sampson
Instagram: @davidbeckham
As the world recovers from a pandemic, new hobbies are bound to emerge as other activities get struck out. Fishing – or angling – is a sport that naturally lends itself to the post-Covid era; by nature, it's socially-distanced and takes place outdoors (on river banks, boats or when waist deep in waders).
On Monday 31 August the Times reported that the Environment Agency had estimated that more than 100,000 people in the UK are fishing than last year. Sales of rod licenses are reportedly through the roof, up 114 per cent year on year according to the Angling Trust, and there has been an 18 per cent rise in demand for junior licenses. On top of that, Gone Fishing, an unlikely hit for the BBC, returned for a third season this month, and fishing seems to have attracted an A-list following.
Liam Neeson fishing with his son, Micheál Richardson
Twitter: @NeesonAddict65
Why fly fishing is the most relaxing thing you can do this summer
Eve Jones
David Beckham, Liam Neeson and his son, Micheál Richardson, Harrison Ford, Zac Efron and Rita Ora are but five of the circle of celebrity fishing enthusiasts. Last week it was reported that Prince George would follow in his father's footsteps by learning how to fly-fish at Balmoral, which will likely spearhead a generation of youthful anglers. The Times reports that at Farlows, the high quality Pall Mall fly-fishing shop, week-on-week online sales have continued to rise by 70 per cent, with 'unprecedented' demand for fly-fishing materials.
Marina Gibson
Instagram: @marinagibsonfishing
Marina Gibson, a glamorous 29-year-old fly-fishing expert, is no doubt contributing to a renaissance for the sport among girls who might not have previously considered it. Both knowledgeable and personable, her Instagram account – which has 47.2k followers – introduces anglers to different waters, fish and techniques. She told the Times: 'All these big stars are fly-fishing now,' in reference to the likes of Beckham and Neeson who have embraced the sport. She is reportedly inundated with messages from people in their twenties asking for advice on species and from beginners, asking her what kit they need to get started. 'Yes, fly-fishing has exploded on social media, but we are very much part of a catch and release community, which appeals to a more eco-conscious generation,' she told the newspaper.
Of course, aristocrats have known about the joys of fishing for years. Prince Charles only extended his summer holiday in Scotland 'for an extra week' just recently (because the fishing was so good).
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Bridgerton's popularity sees rise in searches for corsets, headbands and afternoon tea sets
Get the Bridgerton look
Staycations and sunshine have led to a boom in English wine
English Sparkling Wine sales are up at Waitrose and vineyard tours have never been more popular
Why Cowdray Park's polo lessons are a summer holiday saviour
Fun for children, teenagers and beyond, there's no sport as glamorous as polo
Meet Simon Case, former royal aide and the new chief of the civil service
At just 41-years-old, the youngest ever top civil servant already has plenty of strings to his bow – as a private secretary for David Cameron as well as Prince William
By Isaac Bickerstaff


Sometimes it can be difficult to move forward from a setback. Over the past few weeks, I've had bad anxiety (as I've mentioned here before). This time it was caused by a few changes in my medication. At times I felt so bad, I thought seriously about deleting this site.
It was only after my anxiety began to dissipate that I realised how negatively I had been thinking. The very point of this blog is to show girls and women that we're allowed to be confident in our abilities, we can stand up for our ADHD-selves, and we can speak out about having ADHD. For me to worry about starting the blog because I'm nervous that I'll be judged is to go against my own beliefs: that by encouraging discourse about ADHD, we can slowly but surely remove the stigma of this, and the other mental health issues that are so often a part of our experiences.
Merel and Carolyn Mallon (The Distracted Mom) - two other lovely ladies with ADHD - got in touch with me this week, and both made me think again about pressing delete. It helped so much to speak to other wonderful young women who share similar ADHD experiences.
When you're struggling to move forward after facing a setback, take a deep breath, talk to someone who understands, and/or write about it, and simply move onto the next task. It's never too late to bounce back.


The birth of the Word of Faith Christian Life Center began in 1992 in the home of Senior Pastor and Apostle Ludie and Pastor Jackie Lynch. At that time, the church consisted of two members: Sis. Mattie Alston and Walter Ray Crayton. Apostle Lynch spent several months teaching and preaching the Word of Faith. Soon thereafter, the Father began to bless the ministry. The church moved from the home to 1206 Highway 3, La Marque, Texas. And, again, God added and increased the people. The church had no microphones, sound equipment nor musical equipment, only a few chairs. However, God gave us favor with the owner of the building, and we moved in with no overhead...only rent because the lights and water were included in the note for $300.00 a month.
The Holy Spirit then directed the Apostle to purchase the building located a few feet away, at 1220 Highway 3, La Marque, Texas for $17,000. Again, the favor of God was with us where the owner of the building sold it to us with no down payment. God began to give an increase. After about two years, the Lord spoke to the Apostle about building a new sanctuary. This building was then sold, and the church moved to Carver Park and had Sunday Worship services for a little over a year. This was very challenging since services did not start until 2:00 p.m. Wednesday night bible study was also instituted and all other services were cancelled until the sanctuary was built. The grace of God brought us through this trial of our faith.
After months of prayer and fighting the fight of faith, and the people faithfully giving and supporting the work of the ministry, God blessed the Word of Faith Christian Life Center with a new sanctuary at 310 South Willow Road, Texas City.
The Word of Faith Christian Life Center has witnessed a miraculous move of God. On February 15, 1998, the sanctuary was dedicated to the Lord. The dedication theme was "Building on a Faith Foundation," I Corinthians 3:10-15. Since that time, under the direction of Apostle Lynch, Word of Faith has been committed to doing the work of God and seeing the Word of God change the hearts and lives of men.
In April 2002, the church purchased 10 acres of land in the city of La Marque, Texas which is the new location of the Word of Faith Christian Life Center, home of the Pentagon of Faith.
On June 1, 2003, the church was sold while we worshipped at our temporary location at the Lincoln Auditorium, 6006 Carver, Texas City, Texas.
On October 16, 2004, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on the property where we are now. We are now in Phase I, which is our Multipurpose facility, presently being used for our current church services. There are several phases to this one; the Pentagon of Faith, which is the sanctuary, and other facilities which will be built on the 10 acres.
The Word of Faith Christian Life Center family is appreciative of Deacon Arthur Thomas Concrete Company, A.T.'s Construction, for saving the church several thousands of dollars by pouring the concrete for our foundation, the Multipurpose Facility, Phase I.
We are anchored in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the head of all principalities and powers. He has empowered us, the church, the Body of Christ, to be laborers together with Him; to help gather in this last day, harvest of souls before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are touching people, one life at a time, through faith which works by love. Each one, reach one!


From left, Amy Nordness, Ph.D., Charles Sederstrom, Jr., and MMI Director Karoly Mirnics, M.D., Ph.D.
Scottish Rite provided more than $500,000 to endow the professorship.
Mega thanks to the Scottish Rite Foundation. Their support of MMI over the years has been nothing short of incredible. They have truly made a difference!


"Ever since radio went commercial, a major problem has plagued its news commentators. Unlike newspaper columnists, most of them are hired or sponsored by advertisers; if a commentator's opinions disagree too violently with those of the sponsor who is paying the bill, that commentator is likely to find himself replaced by somebody else when his contract expires. Hence one of the most frequent complaints against radio—chiefly from leftist sources—is that opinion on the air tends to agree with the views of big business as represented by a fairly small group of advertisers."
"Murrow's friends believe that his decision to give up the vice-presidency was brought to a head by the departure from C.B.S. of Shirer, who had returned from Europe in 1940 to become a commentator in New York. Neither Murrow nor Shirer likes to talk about the affair, but the facts appear to be that Shirer's sponsor complained about his broadcasts, Shirer was shifted to an unsponsored program at a less desirable hour, and Shirer resigned.
"Two or three newspaper columnists asserted that Shirer had been shifted because of his liberal opinions, and Murrow, as the official directly responsible for making the switch, came in for a good deal of criticism from the liberal benches. On the other hand, his supporters point out that if a sponsor objects to a commentator, the network can do little but substitute an acceptable one or lose the sponsor, and they contend that C.B.S. would have tried to find another sponsor for Shirer if he hadn't decided to quit. However that may be, Shirer's leaving must have been painful for Murrow, for after all Shirer was the original 'Murrow boy.'"
The New York Times weighed in on the issue of sponsors in radio news in 1947, first with critic Jack Gould and then followed up by comment from the editorial board. Before he left his position as vice president, Murrow responded with a letter defending CBS. These articles, including Murrow's response, are featured below.
The widespread curtailment of broadcasts by liberal commentators, chiefly because they have not been able to hold their sponsors, again has brought to the fore the question of whether opinions on current events should be broadcast on a commercial basis.
Dr. Frank Kingdon recently was dropped from the weekday schedule of WOR after his sponsor became dissatisfied with the time period at which he was heard. His separate Sunday program enjoying sponsorship, however, is continuing.
WOR also refused last week to carry locally the new Mutual commentary series of F. H. La Guardia unless it was sponsored.
The commercial evaluation of commentators also has prevailed on other networks. John W. Vandercook and Robert St. John no longer are heard on NBC and Quincy Howe has been dropped from CBS in New York, though carried elsewhere on the Columbia chain. Independent stations also have had their share of casualties among liberals who failed to meet the tastes of present or potential sponsors.
This application of the acid test of commercialism to the presentation of opinion manifestly is unsound. In the last analysis, it results from the willingness of most broadcasters to relegate editorial comment to the competitive marketplace in the same manner as a daytime serial or any other radio "show."
The consequences of this policy are only too evident. Primarily, it means that individual stations have surrendered to others their authority in perhaps the most critical and important field of their operation: the dissemination of news and opinion.
Only recently one of the major conservative networks, at the behest of the sponsor, agreed to a complete change in format for a specific broadcast. The emphasis of the program was shifted from foreign to domestic issues and the old commentator replaced by a new one. The sponsor was pleased because the program's popularity rating improved and the network apparently was not disturbed over the fact that the appraisal of news values was being handled by a new entrant in the field of journalism—a manufacturer of patent medicines.
The individual advertiser's insistence on a good popularity rating for "his" program devoted to commentary also has placed a premium on "the performance" which can catch the public's ear if not mind. It has been a natural incentive to the soap-opera journalism of Gabriel Heatter and patented emotionalism of Walter Winchell, Drew Pearson or Bill Stern. The sound and reasoned thinking so desperately needed in the resolution of today's issues is made secondary in such cases to the desire to win and hold larger audiences.
Under the public license enabling him to be in business, the individual broadcaster is exclusively and solely responsible for what goes out over his wave length. Accordingly, he must be the one to assure a balanced presentation of all shades of opinion as the first principle of sincere operation in the public interest. And it is in his own conscience that he must find the answer to whether a balanced presentation means offering several commentators of conservative viewpoint five times a week at a choice evening hour and a liberal commentator not at all, as is now the case on one network.
But it is difficult if not impossible to see how this essential and required independence of the individual station in news matters can be achieved so long as specific advertisers are associated with specific commentators.
Certainly, in last year's automobile strike, it was an odd journalistic experience for the listener to hear that news of the industrial dispute war brought to him "through the courtesy" of a party to the dispute, an automobile manufacturer. Since then, in the case of both conservative and liberal speakers, inferences that this or that commentator is heard because he reflects a sponsor's beliefs have become commonplace in radio circles. Even though these rumors have not been substantiated, it would seem that broadcasting cannot much longer overlook their circulation.
The logical remedy for this condition would be to remove opinion commentator from the realm of direct association with specific advertisers and make it the exclusive function of those trained and equipped to handle it, which in radio means the station licensee's own staff of reporters and commentators. Opinion and news on the air would then be vital ends in themselves and not subordinate to the advertiser's aims, which in themselves are wholly proper and legitimate but must be distinct from an entirely different pursuit: journalism.
Under such procedure the commentator would have only one master—the station itself—and the only criterion of his success would be as a journalist, not also as a salesman.
As a newspaper may permit advertisements in space adjacent to news columns, so, too, the appropriate place for radio commercials is either before or after a news or comment program. The context of the advertisement should be entirely free of any association with the editorial matter which comes before or after, the middle commercial having no more place in a commentator's program than an "ad" in the center of a newspaper columnist's article.
It is the policy of a sharp separation of the functions of journalism and advertising which radio must put into effect if it is not to be plagued perennially by controversies over commentators. A contrary course in the long run can only jeopardize radio's reputation for impartiality in presenting news and opinion and, concurrently, its strength as an advertising medium.
The sponsored program is a phenomenon of the radio industry for which no individual or set of individuals deserves credit or blame. Radio advertising just happened to develop in such a way that the sponsor's message customarily is related to and identified with a specific program content. This contrasts with the periodical and newspaper method, in which the advertiser is not related or connected with or concerned about the news and editorial messages with which his copy appears in juxtaposition.
It is just as possible that radio could not have attracted in any other way the advertising investment to support the ambitious programming of modern broadcasting. At any rate, the burden of proving that radio can support itself by other means rests upon those who condemn the whole practice out of hand.
This defense does not eliminate some particular criticisms of the general radio policy. The offensive commercial that appears in the midst of a music or drama program may be no more than mildly annoying. The relationship between a news or comment program and its sponsor may be something a great deal more serious. The advertiser, under these circumstances, has the power to take off the air part of the news and opinion a station furnishes. No newspaper would tolerate for a moment such control of its news and its opinions. The newspaper or magazine advertiser can take out his advertising, but he cannot take along with it the news, editorials or features alongside the advertising. As long as the radio advertiser has the power to do this, radio stations will face the sort of criticism they have had in the past few weeks as the result of the withdrawal of several commentators whose sponsors have quit.
The issue is much broader than the fate of these particular commentators and newscasters. These episodes only serve to emphasize that the present method of sponsored news and commentators is open to some grave criticism. Advertisers are being permitted to say what news is to be put on the air and who is to put it on the air. The power and responsibility of such a choice is not properly put into their hands alone.
Radio might well consider the precedent of the press and separate completely its commercial and news content. Jack Gould, discussing the problem in this newspaper's columns, has suggested entirely separate commercials before or after news and comment periods but without any sponsorship connection. This is one logical alternative to a system that casts doubt on the impartiality of stations and newscasters.
Perhaps you will permit me to make brief comment on your column, "Commercial Comment," in The New York Times on Sunday, Jan. 5, and The Times editorial titled "Sponsored News" of Sunday, Jan. 12.
As you must know, the system you advocate for the discharge of the broadcasters' responsibilities in news and analysis has been the established policy and practice of the Columbia Broadcasting System for many years. This network takes full responsibility for broadcasts of news and analysis transmitted over its facilities. The individual broadcasters are members of Columbia's staff, are paid by us and responsible only to us. We set aside periods of network time for news and analysis which are sold only to clients who will sponsor them as they are developed by CBS. Under no circumstances will we sell time for news and permit the sponsors to select a broadcaster who is not wholly acceptable to us or to influence the content of the broadcast.
"Columbia broadcasts news programs solely for the purpose of enabling the listeners thereto to know the facts so far as they are ascertainable and so as to elucidate, illuminate and explain facts and situations as fairly to enable the listener to weigh and judge for himself—in other words, Columbia endeavors to assist the listener in weighing and judging developments throughout the world, but refrain, particularly with respect to all controversial, political, social and economic questions, from trying to make up the listener's mind for him."
"Advertisers are being permitted to say what news is to be put on the air and who is to put it on the air. The power and responsibility of such a choice is not properly put into their hands alone."
Of course it isn't and at this network it is not put into their hands at all.
"Only recently one of the major conservative networks, at the behest of the sponsor, agreed to a complete change in format for a specific broadcast."
Which network, Mr. Gould? Wouldn't it be more responsible and effective criticism if you were to name names? It is the practice in our News Room when we quote or comment upon an article in The New York Times or any other newspaper to designate the paper by name. We think we owe that to our listeners and to the newspaper concerned.
Professional radio criticism, of which there is a woeful dearth in the United States today, can be a great force in elevating broadcasting standards. It will never become that force, however, unless leaders in the profession, like yourself, set the critical standard. This you have already done to such a degree that it is disturbing to note that you have advocated policies which are already practiced by this network without anywhere recognizing the existence of the policies or the practice.
Furthermore, since you compare radio with newspaper journalism on a general industry basis, I too feel justified in making this comparison. A recent national independent survey which sought out the opinions of a representative sample of people found that the public attitude was that radio gave the fairest, most unbiased news as compared with the newspapers, two to one.
The safeguarding and continual improvement of objective, accurate news and analysis on the radio is our goal, and specific criticism directed to that end is both desirable and necessary.
"...We have a right to protest when critics do not differentiate between station and station, program and program..."
I should like to see people angry when they are angry at particular stations, particular programs, particular offenders, and not at all radio.
The article that prompted Mr. Murrow's letter made these two chief points: (1) that the broadcaster should have sole control over what goes out over his wave length; (2) that news and opinion should be removed entirely from commercial sponsorship.
The letter covers the first point but not the second. The difficulty with this approach to the program of sponsored news and comment is that the two cannot be so readily separated.
The CBS contention that it has final authority over what is said on its facilities need not be argued. But this in itself does not mean that the advertiser is wholly without influence in regard to news and comment programs. As a matter of fact, he may exercise many influences which are antithetical to sound principles of journalism.
Specifically, a sponsor of news or news analysis on CBS does not have the right to pick and choose among the analysts and newscasters on staff of CBS. This would seem almost the same as if an advertiser were permitted to say which member of a newspaper's staff should or should not be responsible for an editorial assignment.
For example, Quincy Howe, CBS analyst, at present is heard at 6 P. M. on a sustaining basis over the network. Effective next month, however, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company is scheduled to assume sponsorship of the period. According to CBS, the Metropolitan proposes to choose between two other members of the network's staff. The end result is that Mr. Howe will not continue to be heard at this choice time.
Apparently up to now CBS has regarded Mr. Howe as eminently qualified to occupy the period at 6 P. M. or, it must be presumed, he would not have received the assignment. If so, why should he not be retained in that period whether or not a prospective advertiser happens to concur in the network's decision?
Thus the advertiser, even though it be indirectly, decides when—and sometimes if—a commentator shall be heard, and therefore how large an audience he shall have.
This condition in radio stems directly from the fact that programs of news and news analysis are sold in the same manner as any other radio "show."
The fault does not lie with the sponsor, who is only following the perfectly normal practice of his interest—advertising.
The fault does lie with the radio station for permitting this practice to be carried over into a field where it cannot be applied with propriety—journalism.
There is another important point. The sponsorship of news by an advertiser affects the actual compensation received by the man who presents his views over the radio. Though his work be precisely the same in both cases, the commentator under commercial sponsorship as a rule receives several times as much pay as he does when heard on a sustaining basis.
Even in straight news programs, the present juxtaposition of editorial copy and advertising on the radio is unwise in principle, if innocent in practice. On the morning of Jan. 17 over WCBS, for instance, a news broadcast sponsored by a milk concern dealt at considerable length with the price of milk.
This is not even to suggest that specific sponsors are editing or tampering with specific news broadcasts or specific opinions of commentators. But it is primarily important that the public should have every confidence in radio's independence in presenting the news.
Citation of a poll financed by the National Association of Broadcasters, the results of which have been disputed by numerous other surveys, hardly seems the ideal means to achieve that end. The sounder course is to divorce news and opinion from advertising entirely, so that the listener will have no grounds for suspicion of radio's integrity.


text:
Accepted into Nature Catalysis: Providing a first glimpse of the chemistry of electrocatalysis through the 'eyes' of a powerful surface technique
- Helen Towrie
From a recent successful experiment which was noted as "sorely needed by the electrochemistry community", the CLF's Paul Donaldson, Gaia Neri and Alex Cowen (both of whom are from the University of Liverpool) made a second surprising discovery.
From a recent successful experiment which was noted as "sorely needed by the electrochemistry community", the CLF's Paul Donaldson, Gaia Neri and Alex Cowen (both of whom are from the University of Liverpool) made a second surprising discovery – one that has been picked up by Nature Catalysis.
During their experiment using the Ultra laser facility, the team took a laser technique commonly used for surface observation and applied it to electrochemistry. However, they were struggling to achieve any results.
Dr Paul Donaldson explained: "When we had our first beamtime we spent two weeks trying to use an electrochemical system that didn't work. It was frustrating because we knew that if this experiment was successful it could be an important discovery for the electrochemistry community."
"We were using an unusual electrode and we just couldn't get any signals from it. However, on the last day of experiment, Alex suggested we try out a manganese catalyst that he had happened to bring along with him."
The electrodes are pieces of gold imbedded in a plastic sheath and are conductors through which electricity enters or leaves an object, substance or region. To the team's surprise, the moment they installed the electrode, they got the results they were looking for.
"It was the first time for us to ever see SFG signals from electrocatalysts," Paul said. "And for one day we ran experiment after experiment going "Wow" because we'd never seen these signals from the interface before."
Following the elation of this discovery, the team promptly reapplied for beamtime. A few months later they returned to continue.
However, despite setting up the experiment exactly how they had previously, once again they were getting no results whatsoever.
"We couldn't get any signal at all, so we spent two weeks trying to get it. We would get some signal, but it didn't give reproducible clear signals on Au, so the signal would die overtime. It was so disheartening because to our knowledge we weren't doing a single thing different," Paul explained.
On their last day of what had been a very frustrating experiment, the team decided to try a different sample. Alex had brought along a molybdenum compound as a backup, and the moment it was installed the team observed a rich pattern of SFG signals that began a scientific journey which resulted in the molybdenum compound's data being published in JACS.
The mystery remained, however: Why did the experiment work with the manganese sample, then not work, and then work again when a molybdenum sample was used?
What was possibly different about the samples experiment to experiment?
The team tried to solve this in a number of ways. For example, they thought that, possibly, it was the laser because they had changed the setup is between experiments. Paul exposed the electrodes to the previous beam just in case there was something about that laser that triggered the great results. However, nothing worked until one major realisation.
"It turns out that Gaia prepares her electrodes by hand polishing them. She'll spend around half an hour grinding the surface of the electrode with finer and finer grains," Paul divulged.
"In the second beamtime, she used brand new electrodes in preparation for getting the best data she could out of the experiment. However, it turns out that the re-used electrodes had been exposed to mercury during their cleaning process – mercury was the key!"
As soon as they gave the new electrodes a mercury treatment, all the incredible data returned. It appeared the mercury had either improved the electrode surfaces, stabilised the manganese compounds or allowed them to bind properly.
Because of the unlikely journey it has taken, this research using the CLF-Ultra laser has produced two papers from one series of experiments. The first being the aforementioned JACS paper, which was featured in a Young Investigators Virtual Issue for the important analysis of the molybdenum catalyst's surface interactions in an electrochemical reaction, and the second being this surprising, impactful discovery of manganese catalyst's rich surface chemistry, soon to be featured in Nature Catalysis.
Furthermore, the experiment may not end here, as there is still a question to try and answer: why does the exposure of mercury allow us to detect the signals?
Alex, Paul and Gaia are discussing looking into this as a future project.
"There are lots of possibilities as to why the pre-treatment might work, but right now we really don't know. There's a bit of a mystery to solve still," said Paul.
Impact summary (Donaldson)
The work of Neri et al provides a first glimpse of the chemistry of electrocatalysis through the 'eyes' of a powerful surface technique called Surface Sum Frequency Generation (SFG). SFG, a laser-based technique was used to probe with great specificity the layer of the catalyst molecules that exchange electrons with metal electrodes and then go on to perform chemical catalysis – a process known as electrocatalysis. SFG is a well-established, specialised technique for observing the vibrations of molecules at interfaces. Cowan (Uni. Liverpool) and Donaldson (CLF) teamed up to apply the SFG method to electrocatalysis. Few groups have to-date undertaken such research and along with electrochemists Neri, Saeed and Walsh and theorist Teobaldi, the group's first success in this area was to observe the chemical reaction of an electrocatalyst which converts CO2 to CO – an important process for both CO2 emission mitigation and generation of CO – an important industrial compound. This work was the first success of the group in electrochemical SFG and involved several years of careful experimentation, finally revealing with unprecedented detail and specificity some of the steps in the catalyst's chemical reactions and paving the way for using the SFG technique more generally in the field of electrocatalysis science.
Read more about the experiment on Nature Catalysis: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41929-018-0169-3
Contact: Towrie, Helen (STFC,RAL,CLF)


Healing Hearts Northwest is a non-profit that sends cardiologists and their team to Rwanda to perform Open Heart Surgery on Rwandan Children who have Rheumatic Heart Disease.
You can support them by going out this Sunday and playing in their Casino Night Tournament. Registration is a $50 donation to the 501(c) non-profit.
Castro Business Services asked me to update their business card. Their business handles Income Taxes, Real Estate, and Notary services, so I created a few variations of their card.
The original has an older design seen in the framing lines. This reflects well on the business because it considers the industry and years in practice (more than 30 years). When looking for businesses in this vertical, experience and age offer a significant advantage. We want someone we can trust to handle our financials, and when finding someone new without a referral, trust is best displayed through experience.


We were involved in our very first Google Summer of Code . Dr Zygmunt Szpak mentored student Arijit Kar from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. Together they worked on a Julia Language project under the umbrella of the NumFOCUS organisation.
We're looking forward to getting involved again next time!


Gut-wrenching and awe-inspiring, breathing at dusk is the new collection of poetry from the award-winning Beth Goobie as she explores her past and revels in her future. Autobiographical in nature, breathing at dusk follows the journey of one girl as she escapes her childhood home and all of the painful memories that home elicits – her memories largely centered around the physical and sexual abuse she experienced as a child at the hands of her father and the untimely death of her brother. Years removed from these experiences now, Goobie is able to cast an unblinking eye on her relationship with her father, and looks back at her emotional journey with fiercely striking language. Often with a focus on classical music and the beauty in nature, this collection, while painful, is a moving and elegant testament to Goobie's strength and resolve as she heals and grows and finally chooses joy.
Beth Goobie grew up in Guelph, Ontario, where the appearance of a normal childhood hid many secrets. Beth moved to Winnipeg to attend university, became a youth residential treatment worker, and studied creative writing at the University of Alberta. She is the award-winning author of 25 books, mainly for young adults, including The Pain Eater and the CLA award-winning Before Wings. Also a published poet, Beth makes her home in Saskatoon.


text:
Charleston County Public Library and government officials break ground on St. Paul's Hollywood Library
by The Charleston Chronicle | Nov 28, 2018 | Books, Early Learning, Editorials, Featured, Featured, NNPA, nnpaESSA, South Carolina, The Chronicle | 0 comments
St. Paul's/Hollywood Library design rendering
Construction of the new St. Paul's Hollywood Library branch is underway. Charleston County Public Library (CCPL) and Charleston County Government officials kicked off the construction of the new facility during a groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 30. The 15,000-square foot facility will be located on Highway 165 next to the new Hollywood Town Hall.
The new library will include:
Adult, children and teen areas
An auditorium that can be divided into two meeting rooms (100-person capacity)
A meeting room/makerspace for do-it-yourself (DIY) projects (25-person capacity)
Learning Lab (Computer Instruction Room)
Contemporary Lowcountry Design
The library branch, which is scheduled to open in late 2019, will be part of a larger municipal complex that will include the new Hollywood Town Hall building as well as an aquatics center operated by the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission.
Local residents approved a referendum to build five new libraries, and renovate or upgrade 13 others in November 2014. The first phase of the overall project was designed to solicit community input for the five new library locations. One of CCPL's top priorities during this process involved obtaining practical information from public library users. The Glick Boehm architectural firm presented their design of the new branch during a community meeting in June 2017. Visit bit.ly/stpaulshollywood to see the design.
Visit www.ccpl.org/construction for monthly status updates and to view updated branch designs presented during past community meetings.


text:
Q: Filling in the screen with a diamond grid with pure javascript (jsfiddle is available) Those who solve this will get 150 reputation points once im eligible for a bounty.
https://jsfiddle.net/testopia/xzxe6y5k/
As you can see in the jsfiddle I did some trigonometric calculations to figure out the exact position for the adjacent placements.
The following formula gives me the exact positioning:
elem.offsetHeight * Math.cos(degrees converted into radians) + elem.offsetTop
elem.offsetWidth * Math.cos(degrees converted into radians) + elem.offsetLeft
Of course the same thing is also possible by getting the vertex points, the code would just be larger. Here a small example:
elem.offsetLeft + elem.offsetWidth
elem.offsetTop + elem.offsetHeight

Anyways, I figure that automatic placement is pretty hard. I mean I am trying to achieve something like in the image below: http://www.purplesquirrels.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/dg.png
Question: So how can I make the diamond grid spread to the full height and width of the screen / container from the center? Not a loop from left to right and top to bottom but starting from the center in a somewhat circular way.

A: I was able to get the screen filled with two while loops. For now I used some static margins, so the spacings are not perfect, but I guess your computePosition function can help with generating the right spacings between the diamonds.
https://jsfiddle.net/xzxe6y5k/3/

var wrapper = document.getElementById('grid'), diamond = wrapper.children, newDiamond, prevDiamond, evenRow = true;

function createDiamonds() {
  while (!newDiamond || newDiamond.getBoundingClientRect().bottom < window.innerHeight) {
    evenRow = !evenRow;
   prevDiamond = newDiamond;
   newDiamond = wrapper.appendChild(document.createElement('div'));

    if (prevDiamond) {
        newDiamond.style.top = prevDiamond.getBoundingClientRect().bottom + 10 - (newDiamond.getBoundingClientRect().height / 2) + 'px';

      if (evenRow) {
        newDiamond.style.left = diamond[0].getBoundingClientRect().left + newDiamond.getBoundingClientRect().width / 2 + 7 + 'px';
      }
    }

    while (newDiamond.getBoundingClientRect().right < window.innerWidth) {
      prevDiamond = newDiamond;
      newDiamond = wrapper.appendChild(document.createElement('div'));
      newDiamond.style.left = prevDiamond.getBoundingClientRect().right + 10 + 'px';
      newDiamond.style.top = prevDiamond.style.top;
    }
  }
}

createDiamonds();
#grid div {
  background: black;
  height: 25px;
  width: 25px;
  position: absolute;
  transform: rotate(45deg)
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Jon Snow Got Exactly What He Deserved In The 'Game Of Thrones' Finale
Matt Miller
Esquire May 20, 2019
Photo credit: HBO
From Esquire
Although he was widely expected to die, or become king, or be the Prince That Was Promised, or have some other big important ending, things ended pretty humbly for Jon Snow. After he killed his queen/lover/aunt, Jon Snow was not automatically granted the throne even though he was technically the rightful heir to the Seven Kingdoms. Instead, Tyrion helped set up a new form of government where the ruler is chosen by the lords of the realm. And their first king is none other than Bran Stark, who has done nothing but chill out and smoke CBD and not provide valuable information to anyone around him.
But poor Jon, he was actually sent to the wall as punishment for killing Daenerys Targaryen, which is technically fair since he killed a queen and all. But at the same time seems pretty harsh considering he stopped a tyrannical ruler who just massacred millions of people.
Anyway, it's pretty unclear what, exactly, is the point of the wall anymore now that the Wildlings are their friends and the White Walkers are dead. But at the end of the series we see Jon Snow head back to the wall where he finds Tormund, Ghost (who lost an ear?), and the rest of the Wildlings. We last see Jon presumably heading north of the wall to live with the Wildlings. Maybe he'll find another Wildling lady, like Ygritte. Maybe spring will come to the North (we do see a little plant sprouting up from the snow).
And, maybe, Jon Snow got exactly what he deserved in the end.
Jon didn't ever want to be king. He never appeared to have any dreams beyond stopping the undead threat marching from the North. And thanks to his rallying of the Wildlings and teaming up with Dany, he did exactly that. Now, he can go hang out up North in the only place he's really been accepted.
Plus, Jon Snow never really deserved to be king. Sure, he united the north and avenged his family and saved Winterfell and had the foresight to treat the White Walker threat as a pretty big deal. But I think we can all admit that he made some pretty idiotic mistakes during the brief time he was in power. Need we remind you that he was literally murdered because he alienated the people of the Night's Watch? Operation Capture a Wight? Screaming at the dragon? Trusting Daenerys even after she slaughtered countless people? The guy wasn't exactly leadership quality, when you really think about it.
And I think I speak for everyone here when I say that all that matters is he was reunited with Ghost.
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text:
Arc of Infinity
Arc of Infinity was the first story of the Doctor Who anniversary season 20. Janet Fielding returned as Tegan Jovanka in this serial, rejoining the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa on their travels. Future Doctor Colin Baker made his Who debut in this story, playing Commander Maxil. Just over a year later, he would take over as the Sixth Doctor at the end of season 21. Of the several Doctor Who stories filmed outside the UK in the late 1970s-early 1980s, this was the only one to open a season.
On Gallifrey, a Time Lord is at work stealing the biodata extract of another Time Lord and killing a technician who stumbles across the crime. The traitor provides the bio-data to a creature composed of anti-matter and uses the bio-data to invade the TARDIS and then the Fifth Doctor's metabolism. The Doctor's companion, Nyssa, helps him recover. The creature is shielded in this attempt by the Arc of Infinity, a curious curve between the dimensions containing quad radiation which can shield anti-matter. The Doctor decides to head to Gallifrey to track down the supplier of his bio-data, conscious that, unless the creature trying to cross universes is stopped, its incursion could cause a fatal chain reaction to our universe.
Meanwhile, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, backpackers Robin Stuart and Colin Frazer decide to crash at the crypt of the Frankendael mansion.
During the night, Colin hears something and investigates; he finds a curious birdlike creature, the Ergon, which hypnotizes him. A terrified Robin runs away.
The High Council of the Time Lords is also taking the matter seriously and has decreed that the Doctor's TARDIS should be recalled. The Chancellery Guard under the over-zealous Commander Maxil seizes the Doctor and Nyssa. When the Doctor resists arrest, Maxil shoots him…
The Doctor has been stunned to ensure his delivery to the High Council. When he is brought before the High Council the new Lord President, Borusa, is inscrutable while Chancellor Thalia and Cardinal Zorac are openly hostile; only his old friend Councillor Hedin seems pleased to see him.
The President stresses the gravity of the situation since the creature poses such a threat to the Universe, and the High Council has had no alternative but to issue a Warrant of Termination on the Doctor to ensure the creature can no longer bond with him. Fortunately an old friend, Damon, who is another technician in the records section, provides him with the proof he needs that a member of the High Council stole his bio-data extract.
Meanwhile, the Doctor's former companion, Tegan Jovanka, arrives in Amsterdam looking for her cousin Colin. Instead, she is greeted by Robin, who tells her that Colin has disappeared. When neither of them can persuade the police to take an interest they decide to investigate the crypt themselves.
The Doctor is soon taken for execution, despite Nyssa's attempts to save him, and placed in a dispersal chamber. Sentence is carried out…
The supposed death of the Doctor, however, has not solved the situation. Unbeknownst to the High Council, his mind has been taken into the Time Lord living repository of knowledge, the Matrix, while his body is hidden behind a force shield in the termination cubicle. The creature is a renegade Time Lord, who demands an opportunity to return to the Universe it once inhabited. The truth of the aborted execution is discovered by the wily Castellan, who tells first Nyssa and Damon that the Doctor is alive, and then the High Council.
Tegan and Robin are attacked by the Ergon's weapon, a matter conversion gun, and transported into a TARDIS hidden at the Frankendael and belonging to the renegade. Their minds are scanned, revealing to the creature that Tegan knows the Doctor. The renegade uses Tegan as bait to force the Doctor to obey him, also releasing Colin from his slavery as a reward. The Doctor is returned to normal space on Gallifrey where he makes for the High Council Chamber. Lord President Borusa has fallen under suspicion of being a traitor because the Castellan reveals it was his codes that were used to transmit the bio-data. The truth, however, is that Councillor Hedin is the traitor. He is in awe of his master – the mighty Omega, first of the Time Lords and pioneer of time travel.
Hedin wishes to release Omega from his exile in a universe of anti-matter, not realizing the great Time Lord has been driven mad by his years of solitary confinement. The Castellan kills Hedin, but this does not prevent Omega using the Arc of Infinity to seize total control of the Matrix and, therefore, the organisation of Gallifrey…
Fortunately the Doctor and Nyssa manage to slip away and return to the TARDIS. They use scant knowledge provided by Tegan to determine that Omega has established his base in Amsterdam on Earth, and head there immediately, desperately trying to find the Frankendael crypt she described. After a lengthy hunt they find the lair defended by the Ergon, and Nyssa disposes of it with its own matter-converter gun. They reach Omega's TARDIS at the point at which both the ship is destroyed and Omega makes full transference to Earth using the Arc of Infinity. When he peels his decayed mask away he reveals the features of the Doctor.
Omega heads off into Amsterdam with the Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa in hot pursuit. Within a short time the Doctor's prediction of an unstable transfer begins to come true: Omega's flesh decays and it is clear his new body is not permanent. When the Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa catch up with him it is a painful task for the Doctor to use the Ergon's anti-matter converter on Omega, expelling him back to his own universe of anti-matter. The Time Lord High Council on Gallifrey detects the end of the threat.
Once Tegan has checked on her cousin's progress in hospital, she decides to rejoin the TARDIS crew. This time it is as a willing traveler.
The Fifth Doctor
Nyssa
Tegan Jovanka
Previous Episode: Time Flight
Next Episode: Snakedance


text:
Picnic  se poate referi la:
 Serbare
 Picnic – masă câmpenească în comun

 Film
 1955 Picnic – film în regia lui Joshua Logan cu William Holden și Kim Novak
 1986 Picnic – film în regia lui Marshall W. Mason cu Gregory Harrison și Jennifer Jason Leigh
 2000 Picnic – film în regia lui Ivan Passer cu Josh Brolin și Gretchen Mol


text:
Missouri woman in legal battle to keep three emotional support monkeys
By: CNN Wire
(CNN) — A Missouri woman is fighting to keep three monkeys she claims have provided her emotional support for years.
Texanne McBride-Teahan may lose possession of the animals after a neighbor in Creve Coeur, a suburb of St. Louis, spotted one monkey outside roughly a month after McBride-Teahan moved in, according to CNN affiliate KMOV .
Monkeys are considered an "inherently dangerous animal" along with alligators, lions and pythons and are thus prohibited in residential areas, according to the City of Creve Coeur.
McBride-Teahan defended her monkeys — a black-capped capuchin named Paula, a patas named Zoey and a bonnet macaque named Kalie Anna — at a city council meeting September 9.
McBride-Teahan considers the monkeys emotional support animals and has a doctor's letter and registration cards for them, she told CNN through Facebook. The animals help her cope with post-traumatic stress disorder related to an incident when she was a teenager, McBride-Teahan added.
Emotional support animals are not considered service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These sorts of animals provide comfort by being with a person but "because they have not been trained to perform a specific job or task, they do not qualify as service animals under the ADA," the organization's website states.
"However, some state or local governments have laws that allow people to take emotional support animals into public places," the ADA adds.
McBride-Teahan is scheduled to appear in court over her monkeys in November, KMOV added.
"Monkeys are little. Less than 9 pounds. Pictures show they aren't dangerous. To me they are life savers for my PTSD. We just want to live in peace," McBride-Teahan told CNN.
Originally Published: 15 SEP 19 17:37 ET
Updated: 15 SEP 19 18:19 ET
By Fernando Alfonso III, CNN