Sabbatical

Sabbatical or a sabbatical (from Latin: sabbaticus, from Greek: sabbatikos (σαββατικός), from Hebrew: shabbat (שבת) (i.e., Sabbath), literally a "ceasing") is a rest from work, or a break, often lasting from two months to a year. The concept of sabbatical has a source in shmita, described in several places in the Bible. For example, in Leviticus 25, there is a commandment to desist from working the fields during the seventh year. Strictly speaking, this means a sabbatical would last one year.

History

The main Bible passage for sabbatical concepts is Genesis 2:2-3, in which God rested (literally, "ceased" from his labour) after creating the universe, and it is applied to people (Jew and Gentile, slave and free) and even to beasts of burden in one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11, reaffirmed in Deuteronomy 5:12-15). All agriculture was stopped during these periods, so even the land itself was given a Sabbath.

In recent times, "sabbatical" has come to mean any extended absence in the career of an individual in order to achieve something. In the modern sense, one takes sabbatical typically to fulfill some goal, e.g., writing a book or travelling extensively for research. Some universities and other institutional employers of scientists, physicians, and academics offer the opportunity to qualify for paid sabbatical as an employee benefit, called sabbatical leave. Some companies offer unpaid sabbatical for people wanting to take career breaks; this is a growing trend in the United Kingdom, with 20% of companies having a career break policy, and a further 10% considering introducing one.

Sabbatical (TV series)

Sabbatical is a 2007 CTV television movie, which was filmed in August 2007, as a pilot, and aired on 23 November 2007.

The film follows Patrick Marlowe (who is on sabbatical), his paleontologist wife Dr. Julie Marlowe, and their children, as they leave the big city for Julie's dinosaur dig in Saskatchewan's Avonlea Badlands (located south of Regina).

To be close to the dig The family moves to the fictional small town of Beacon Vista. On their way to Beacon Vista, their mildly autistic son Danny is almost kidnapped by a trucker, who had previously helped them change a tire while flirting with the daughter Gwyneth.

The family quickly finds some oddities about their new home. Cell phones don't work, and the local minister preaches the end is near.

The family wakes up after their first night in the new home to discover that a triple murder (a mother and two children whose husband/father is working on an oil rig) occurred next door while they slept.

Later, while both playing a video game and sleeping, Danny has some sort of psychic vision related to the murders.

This Et Al

This Et Al were an English alternative rock band, from Leeds and Bradford, West Yorkshire. They were active between 2002 and 2008. Their sound was compared to My Bloody Valentine, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Queens of the Stone Age, Interpol, and The Stills.

Former members

Career

This Et Al formed in Bradford in November 2002. All of their releases enjoyed airtime on MTV2, as well as BBC Radio 1 and XFM. They toured with Minus The Bear, Scarling., Amusement Parks On Fire and ¡Forward, Russia!, and also appeared at the Download Festival and Leeds Festival. After a run of sold out singles and heavy touring for several years, the band released their debut album, Baby Machine, in a limited pressing in 2006 before a wider release on 9 April 2007. After a couple of member changes and a tour in Germany, the band released Figure Eight EP (19 May 2008), followed by a retrospective collection entitled B-Sides & Rarities. The group disbanded in June 2008 following a run of internal disagreements.