Penguin says it will not publish book by author who claimed to have beaten 'terminal brain cancer' through good nutrition.
Belle Gibson's story was a remarkable one.
The 26-year-old single mother seemingly defied a diagnosis of terminal brain cancer by shunning conventional medicine and instead simply eating healthily.
Her tale of survival against the odds attracted worldwide attention. Everyone wanted to know the secret of how to beat the killer disease.
Hundreds of thousands subscribed to her social media accounts and Australians flocked to buy her hit recipe book The Whole Pantry - a quarter of the proceeds of which she promised to donate to cancer charities.
But all may not have been as it appeared. Doubts have now been cast over whether Australian Ms Gibson ever even had cancer to begin with.
Suspicion was first raised when the chosen charities revealed that the money raised from the book and the app - some £150,000 - never reached them.
Then friends started to come forward with their own concerns about "holes in her story", such as her age and details of her medical history.
When the allegations began surfacing, thousands of photos and social media posts on Ms Gibson's account which referenced her cancer were deleted.
On Tuesday, Penguin said it would not publish her book in the UK next month as planned because it had not received "sufficient explanation" from the author on the doubts around her story. The book has also been withdrawn in the US and Australia. Her app has also been quietly pulled from sale in the US and Australia.
Ms Gibson said she will release a statement later in the week and added that her home address and her son's childcare details have now been posted online.
"I understand everyone's anger," she told the Daily Mail. "But our address being posted online to a website is not okay."
Ms Gibson said that along with her home address, her floor plan and her son's childcare details were also shared on social media.
"My son's childcare details were posted online in the midst of this, so I'm sure you can understand how unnecessary, concerning and threatening that is," she said.
When contacted earlier by local newspaper The Australian all she would say is that she may have been misdiagnosed and that "it is hard to admit that maybe you are wrong".
Now there are growing calls for her to return the money and apologise to her followers.
The mother-of-one broke the news of her illness on her Instagram account in July 2014, telling followers she did not expect to survive beyond four months: "With frustration and ache in my heart // my beautiful, game-changing community, it hurts me to find space tonight to let you all know with love and strength that I've been diagnosed with a third and fourth cancer," she wrote.
Three months later, she wrote another message - one that would gain her hundreds of thousands more followers offering their comfort and support.
She later made scattered references to worsening pain and holistic therapy in Bali.
Another said the age she told friends she was was not the age she told the public.
It has also emerged that neither The Whole Pantry business nor Ms Gibson were lawfully registered as fundraising enterprises, a situation that could lead to huge fines and potential prison sentence.
When asked about where the money was, Ms Gibson cited disappointing sales and miscalculated profit margins. However the app was reportedly downloaded 300,000 times at £2, meaning, at face value, the business would have had earned more than £500,000 from downloads alone.
Many fans have since expressed their concerns about the upcoming international book release and ask about obtaining refunds for both the book and the app.
One follower, Lisa Forrester, wrote on her Twitter account: "I bought your app. I bought your cookbook. I read about you in Marie Claire. I watched you on various TV shows. I followed you on Instagram. I rooted for you and felt sad for you when you posted about your cancer spreading. And now I am just appalled. You deserve to pay back every cent."
Jayme Smith, a former friend of Ms Gibson's told the Daily Mail Australia: "I am just so shocked and I feel betrayed, that we all fell so hard for the illusion that she created. I just want her to confirm or deny (her diagnoses) so people who put their faith in her, invested in her - they need to know.
Ms Gibson's story had offered hope to cancer-sufferers around the world, and if the allegations prove true, thousands with terminal illnesses will likely be left feeling betrayed.


I want to learn about using my (401K/IRA) funds to buy a business.
Affordable Business Concepts, LLC will call you for a free consultation.
When you think of having your windows or gutters cleaned, we bet you cannot think of a household name. In this highly fragmented space, there isn't a national brand that stands out. This international franchise is changing that. It is the newest brand by a powerhouse franchisor that owns and operates several highly successful service franchises.
This franchise provides a One-stop shop for house detailing services like window washing, gutter cleaning, power washing, Christmas light installation and more.
This sale is confidential. No students or brokers please. Interested buyers must have a minimum net worth of $100K. The list price includes $20K in working capital. Buyer must be a US or Canadian Citizen. The information contained in this ad does not constitute an offer to sell or award a franchise and may not reflect the most current facts. Such an offer can only be made in compliance with applicable disclosure laws. Offerings are made by Franchise Disclosure Document only. Relevant information for business purchase will be provided by the Franchisor and Seller.
Work from your home office. Single and multiple territories are an option.
The franchise is different because they promise exceptional house detailing, exceptional customer service and they deliver! They offer more services than the competition. They have friendly uniformed technicians, shiny organized vans and supply services on one visit. There are supported buy an online booking system and world class sales center. Customers can schedule their services using the franchise call center and customized scheduling software.
Their strong advertising program on TV, Newspaper, Vehicles, billboards, Church Bulletins, Home Shows and Word-of-mouth has continue to grow sales and brand loyalty. You can also grow by adding additional territory.
Some in-house funding provided by the franchise. We can help you obtain an SBA Pre-Qualification in 24 hours or refer you to franchise friendly lenders. We can also help you use 401K funds to invest in your own business without penalties.
12 week Extensive training and jump start program. 8 days training at HQ. 2 field visits, software training, CRM training. Public relations manager assigned to each franchisee. Online marketing manager & business coach is assigned to each new franchisee.
I am interested in learning more about how to use my retirement funds (IRA/401K) to buy a business.
Affordable Business Concepts, LLC respects your privacy. Your information will never be rented or sold and will only be used with your permission to facilitate the evaluation of a franchise business opportunity. Any information you provide to us is used to enhance your experience at our web site and will expedite the process of identifying a business opportunity that meets your criteria. It is also used to help determine whether you meet the franchises' initial qualifications for ownership. The inquiry forms you complete are only forwarded to the specific franchises where you are seeking additional information.
The information contained on this website does not constitute an offer to sell or award a franchise. Such an offer can only be made in compliance with applicable franchise disclosure laws. Buying a business is an important and complicated investment. Take your time to decide, seek advice from professionals, do your homework then follow your dream.
2015 © Affordable Business Concepts, LLC.


text:
Q: R group_by and count distinct values in dataframe column with condition, using mutate R group_by and count distinct values in dataframe column with condition, using mutate
This is similar to the question R group by | count distinct values grouping by another column but slightly different in that i want to mutate together with a condition. to count distinct values in each group, but also present in the vector c
id = c(  1,  1,  2,  2,  3,  4,  4,  5,  5,  5,  6,  6,  6,  6 )
val = c(100,100,200,300,400,500,500,500,600,600,200,200,300,500)
df <- data.frame(id=id, val=val)
c= c(200,500)

I know the following code is wrong, but it gives and idea of what i am trying to do.
So, I want to create a fourth column, by grouping df by id, where the count of distinct values is given when it is present in c
x <- df %>% group_by(id) %>%
  mutate(distinctValues = n_distinct(val %in% c ))

If we consider the id = 6, The distict values present in it are 200,300 and 500. But 300 is not present in c. So the count is = 2.
so the output column will be
c(0,0,1,1,0,1,1,1,1,1,2,2,2,2)

A: Since c is unique, you can approach it from the other way - count the number of c values that show up in val.
df %>%
  group_by(id) %>%
  mutate(distinctValues = sum(c %in% val))
# # A tibble: 14 x 3
# # Groups:   id [6]
#       id   val distinctValues
#    <dbl> <dbl>          <int>
#  1     1   100              0
#  2     1   100              0
#  3     2   200              1
#  4     2   300              1
#  5     3   400              0
#  6     4   500              1
#  7     4   500              1
#  8     5   500              1
#  9     5   600              1
# 10     5   600              1
# 11     6   200              2
# 12     6   200              2
# 13     6   300              2
# 14     6   500              2

You could also use distinctValues = sum(unique(val) %in% c) if that seems clearer - it might be a tad less efficient, but not enough to matter unless your data is massive.

A: With n_distinct, we need to apply on the subset of rows
library(dplyr)
df %>%
    group_by(id) %>%
    mutate(distinctValues = n_distinct(val[val %in% c]))

-output
# A tibble: 14 x 3
# Groups:   id [6]
#      id   val distinctValues
#   <dbl> <dbl>          <int>
# 1     1   100              0
# 2     1   100              0
# 3     2   200              1
# 4     2   300              1
# 5     3   400              0
# 6     4   500              1
# 7     4   500              1
# 8     5   500              1
# 9     5   600              1
#10     5   600              1
#11     6   200              2
#12     6   200              2
#13     6   300              2
#14     6   500              2

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Assam: I will give my best, says union minister Rameswar Teli
by NE NOW NEWS May 31, 2019 8:54 pm November 11, 2021 10:25 pm
Rameswar Teli after taking charge as union minister of state for food processing at Pancheel Bhawan, New Delhi on Friday. Image - UB Photos
Immediately after assuming charge as the union minister of state for food processing, Rameswar Teli on Friday said he will give his best for the development in the sector.
Rameswar Teli is the two-time MP from the Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency.
On Thursday, he took oath as a union minister in the second term of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi ministry at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
On Friday Teli took charge as the union minister of state for food processing at the office of his ministry in Pancheel Bhawan, New Delhi.
Also read: Modi Ministry: Assam's Rameswar Teli takes oath as MoS
Saying that the food processing unit needs more attention, union minister Teli said, "This sector needs much more attention. I believe under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi there will be an overall development."
Union minister Teli won the Dibrugarh Lok Sabha seat defeating Congress' Pawan Singh Ghatowar in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election.
Also read: Teli represents aspiration and dreams of people of a 'New India': Himanta
Veteran Congress leader Pawan Singh Ghatowar, who also served as a union minister, continued to win the Dibrugarh Lok Sabha seat for five times.
The people from tea-rich Dibrugarh district of Assam were elated over the inclusion of Teli in the Modi ministry.
Wishing best wishes to Teli after he took oath as the union minister of state on Thursday, Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on his Twitter handle state: "I join people of Assam in wishing best to the very bright Sri Rameshwar Teli as he joins the Union Council of Ministers.
"You represent aspiration and dreams of people of a #NewIndia. Congratulations. Do well and bring us laurles with your hard work," added Sarma.
Teli, who has come from the tea community, said that tea sector too in Assam needs a serious look.
"I will also work for the development of tea sector and the people associated with this sector," said Teli.
Previous Modi 2.0 govt brings new hope for Garo banana farmers
Next China to issue new versions of visas from Saturday

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Inventory from Yamaha
2016 YZ250F - Yamaha
Style Dirt Bikes
Colors Team Yamaha Blue/White
Engine Type DOHC 4-stroke; 4 titanium valves
Seat Height 38.0 in.
2016 YZ250F - 60th Anniversary Yellow - Yamaha
Colors 60th Anniversary Yellow
2018 YZ85 - Yamaha
Colors Team Yamaha Blue
Engine Type 85cc liquid-cooled 2-stroke; reed-valve inducted
Displacement 85cc
Engine Type 2-stroke; reed-valve inducted
2016 YZ250 - Yamaha
Colors Team Yamaha Blue, White/Red
Colors Team Yamaha Blue, Gray
Engine Type DOHC 4-stroke; 4 valves
Colors Team Yamaha Blue, White
Engine Type Liquid-cooled DOHC 4-stroke; 4 titanium valves
Engine Type Liquid-cooled 2-stroke; reed-valve inducted
Engine Type Liquid-cooled DOHC 4-stroke; 4 valves
Engine Type 449cc liquid-cooled DOHC 4-stroke; 4 titanium valves
Engine Type 249cc liquid-cooled 2-stroke; reed-valve inducted
Dirt Bikes (29)
Utility (181) Side x Side (90) Sport (85) Off-Road (68) Motocross (58) Super Sport (58) Pull Start (24)
Adventure Touring (7) Cross Country (24) Cruiser (12) Cruiser/Touring (3) Dual Sport (30) Electric Start (19) Gas Powered (3) Generators (5) Hyper Naked (13) Inverter Series (18) Motocross (58)
Naked (6) Off-Road (68) Performance (5) Premium Series (24) Pressure Washers (2) Pull Start (24) Pumps (8) Pure Sport (19) Recreation (33) Scooters (23) Side x Side (90)
Sport (85) Sport Heritage (14) Sport Touring (36) Standard (26) Super Sport (58) Transcontinental Touring (6) Utility (181) Water Pumps (8) Youth (16)
2020 (6) 2019 (5) 2018 (6) 2017 (5) 2016 (7)
Worthington Sports Center
703 Oxford St.
Mon-Wed 8:00 a.m. 5:30 p.m.
Thu 8:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m.
Fri 8:00 a.m. 5:30 p.m.
(507) 372-2291 703 Oxford St.
Mon-Wed: 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Thu: 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
© 2019 Worthington Sports Center - Powered by ARI Network Services - ARI Responsive Websites


This is to inform you that we have been listed in the top 10 hotels of Nepal and we have also received Traveller's Choice Award of 2018.
We have been a part of 1% of the businesses on Trip Advisor who exemplify great service.
We thank every single one of our guests for all the support and love extended toward Gokarna Forest Resort.
Join us to celebrate good food, good friends and the BBQ season.


A lease or Commercial Lease Agreement sets out the rules landlords and tenants agree to follow in their rental relationship. It is a legal contract, as well as an immensely practical document full of crucial business details, such as how long the tenant can occupy the property and the amount of rent due each month. Whether the lease or Commercial Lease Agreement is as short as one page or longer than five, typed or handwritten, it needs to cover the basic terms of the tenancy.
Now you can Make the Commercial Lease Agreement Online easily by just sitting at your home/office. It will not only save your time but also you will get the fully drafted Agreement as per the Commercial Act which will be act as savior in terms of Legal Crises.
How to Make Commercial Lease Agreement Online ?
Long queues in Courts, Time Consuming, Costly, Not Legally drafted. Lack of Clauses. People must have face all these issues while getting the Commercial Lease Agreement. To minimize these conditions to the Level of zero we have set up this Online Portal in which People can have their fully Legally drafted Commercial Lease Agreement by just sitting at their home.
Then after that Provide your Details by filling up the Form, Designed securely to Capture your Data. Form can be filled either by Owner OR by Tenant.
Enter the Address of the Rented Property Location, the Date of Commence of an Agreement from which you are entering into an Agreement for a particular year and the Duration of your Agreement i.e for how long you are making Agreement for example for 11 months.
Enter the Name of the Landlord, then Enter the Permanent Address of the Landlord. Also, if there is More then One Landlord then Select the Option if there is more then One Landlord(s) and fill the details of other Mature Landlord(s).
Enter the Name of the Tenant, Enter the Related Person Name and then Enter the Permanent Address of the Tenant. Also, if there is More then One Tenant then Select the Option if there is more then One Tenant(s) and fill the details of other Mature Tenant(s).
Enter the Property Details, Enter the Permanent Address of the Tenant.
Enter the rent payment details, then enter the rental payment on which day of the month the payment will be made. In also, fill thepayment address details, then other mature rent details.
That's it! Your Work is Complete.
Ques – What are the Important Terms which we should mention in our Agreement?
Water and Electricity Consumption Bill.
Previous PostPrevious How to make a rent agreement online?


Each November, the Church, in its wisdom, reminds believers that our life on this Earth is transient, and that the world as we know it will be no more at a moment known only to God. While ours is far from a perfect world (couldn't we all produce a lengthy list of problems, persons, failures and situations we could do without?) no one is particularly eager for it to end. On the contrary, there are many among us tending to go about as if there was all the time in the world. We fail to recognize that life is a fragile gift we borrow for only a short time before offering it back to God. Or, we waste our time on senseless worry about where, when, or how the end will come. But when we get to November on the calendar, the month brings with it a challenge to focus on our present, our commitment to God, to the Church, and to one another.
Clearly the 1st reading from the prophet Daniel and the Gospel of Mark are connected. In fact, it is practically impossible to understand them without an appreciation of a type of biblical writing called apocalyptic. The pages of a bible contain many different types of writing – letters, songs, gospels, legal norms, social critiques – as well as varying forms or genres. Knowing the genre of a biblical book is vital to understanding the author's focus in writing it. For example, understanding the genre of the book of Jonah would preclude a reader from trying to find an explanation of how a person could live in the belly of a gigantic fish for a three-day period. Interpretation of a biblical book is dependent on the genre as well. The meanings and truths of some biblical literature are easily conveyed in a work that resembles fiction.
Consider this: in a poll taken in the early part of 1998 after the release of the movie Saving Private Ryan, veterans of D-Day were asked whether Saving Private Ryan or The Longest Day" (a film produced in the 1960s which was promoted as the historical record of what happened on those Normandy beaches during the Allied invasion) more meaningfully conveyed their experience of the events of June 6, 1944. Almost to a person, male and female vets who lived through those days answered Saving Private Ryan resonated with their experience of Omaha Beach. Interestingly however, there never was a historical Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) or a Private James Ryan (Matt Damon). It was a fictional account of an event. Based on that poll, fiction was apparently more meaningful and mirrored personal experiences better than history.
This is very important to remember when reading any type of apocalyptic literature, which is more an escape from history than actual history. That is not to say that the genre is not inspired by God. Symbols often take the place of many words in conveying truths. The most common trigger for such literature was persecution. Things are getting so bad for the Jews or Christians that they can only look for relief in the distant future. Authors frequently speak of that future in symbolic terms or use exotic images that only a few can understand, let alone interpret. Not trying to inspire optimism or false hope, they often casually mention things readers may know nothing about to convey the idea that things are going to get a lot worse before they get better again. The Christian Scriptures contain only two apocalyptic books: Daniel in the Old Testament, and Revelation in the New. Each of the three Synoptic Gospels contains apocalyptic sections, but they do not dominate. Christians seemed to have avoided conveying their faith in the genre. Rather, Christian writers seemed more interested to make certain their readers were familiar with the fundamental issues around which Jesus' ministry revolved.
It is easy to get spooked by apocalyptic literature. Prophecies of coming persecutions, celestial battles, scourges inflicted on the people who remain, and the dead raising from their graves have a tendency to do that! Hope still exists for those who have died before that glorious day arrives, as long as their names are "written in the book." If one wants to realize this promise of eternal life and "shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament," the author says one must be just; i.e., he/she must have developed proper relationships with God and those around them. They will be safe in a liberated world.


text:
String theory, blues fact
The Nimmo Brothers – Old Fire Station, Carlisle, 7th November 2018
Following the apt introduction to 'The Boys Are Back in Town' the most anticipated blues rock tour of 2018 arrived on stage at the Old Fire Station in Carlisle, the fifth of eleven dates for The Nimmo Brothers' reunion tour.
Right from Alan Nimmo's gritty little blues riff that kicked off opening number 'Bad Luck' (with an equally weighty lead vocal from elder brother Stevie Nimmo) and following song, the Quo meets ZZ boogie of 'The Shape I'm In' (featuring a gruffer Alan Nimmo vocal courtesy of a head cold both Nimmo boys had picked up) it was Brotherly business as usual for a band that hadn't actively toured the UK in three years.
That said mention has to be made of the brothers' unforeseen get-together last year when Alan Nimmo played guitar with the Stevie Nimmo Trio (Stevie having broken his arm in a cycling fall, leading to a run of vocal-only gigs for the elder brother).
Not that on this showing (or any other date on the tour) you would know Stevie Nimmo had any sort of recovery issues that might still remain, proven by the guitarist in exemplary style (from soft touch notes to searing blues cries) on 'Long Way From Everything,' complemented by Alan Nimmo's own solo (complete with trademark dial-it-down/ pin-drop segment) and backed by the blues-rock solid rhythm section of bassist Mat Beable and drummer Craig Bacon.
Further, the Beable & Bacon partnership is as much a part of the Nimmo Brothers as the siblings themselves.
Their rhythmic pairing was to the fore on many a number, not least the funky fun shuffle that shapes 'Gotta Slow Down,' extended live to feature two feisty solos from the Scottish blues Brothers.
While there was no sign of the arm break, there was a string break for Stevie Nimmo, something that, in theory, never happens (Stevie Nimmo genuinely couldn't remember the last time he broke a string) but in actuality happened not once, but twice.
The first high E string to wave goodbye was on the aforementioned 'Long Way From Everything' (luckily just as he was closing out his solo); the same string then went south as the band were about to start the Stevie Nimmo featured and highly emotive 'If I Could See Through Your Eyes,' leading to a quick decision to change not a string, but guitar.
The beauty of that unforeseen instrument swap was Stevie Nimmo got to show that (in the right hands) a PRS can deliver just as strikingly (and with a bright, chiming resonance) as any Les Paul you want to spray a sunburst finish on (and if it's good enough for Bernie Marsden…)
Beyond the more heartfelt blues the audience were treated to a meaty rendition of 'Living Again' and 'Still Here Strumming' (the latter Alan Nimmo's two fingered salute to those that all but ignored The Nimmo Brothers back in the day) and a travel back in time to the Glasgow based Blackwater Blues Band via the southern rock styled 'Reason to Believe' (featuring some nifty slide-guitar from Stevie Nimmo).
Going back just as far was an extended, ten-minute plus outing for the exceptional slow build blues ballad 'Waiting for Your Heart to Fall,' which finally and deservedly found a home on the 2012 album, Brother To Brother (to date the last studio offering from the Nimmos).
The expressive live version featured not one but two striking solos from each brother, Stevie Nimmo's lyrical and US coastal blues style dovetailing beautifully with Alan Nimmo's more British influenced blues licks (nobody plays (nor ever will play) like Paul Kossoff but you could swear there are moments when Alan Nimmo is channelling the late and legendary guitarist).
Set closer 'Black Cat Bone' came as no surprise, given it's been the Nimmo Brothers show stopper and show ender since pretty much day one; Mat Beable's funky four-string opening and Craig Bacon's infectious groove both shaped and led the number that featured twin-guitar attacks a plenty, including the brothers' signature operating-as-each-others-left-hand move.
Complaints on such a stellar show by such as stellar quartet is being nit-picky to the nth degree but the brothers' colds did make for a running-out-of-vocal-steam scenario towards set's end (both Nimmo's were clearly tired as they took their bows, having given it the full 100%, but then they don't perform any other way).
The lurgy wasn't too much of a problem however and for encore number 'Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City' Alan Nimmo just had to tee the crowd up with the first line to guarantee a full-voiced, audience lead vocal while the band contributed the soulfully blues'd-up backing.
The Carlisle show may not have been an advanced sell-out as many of the other dates were, but the Old Fire Station was rammed to the point that there couldn't have been but a handful of tickets left.
The irony of such a well-attended tour however was that back in the day, when the Nimmo Brothers were a recording and touring entity, before there was a King King or a Stevie Nimmo Trio, obtaining such audience numbers in the UK was a genuine struggle.
Why that was even the brothers find hard to fathom; it remains one of the great unsolved musical mysteries of our time.
Fortunately their time has now come and in the most outstanding of performances, tours and circumstances.
Because the blues fact of the matter is this wasn't just the most anticipated blues rock tour in the UK this year, it was the best blues rock tour in the UK this year.
The Boys Are Back in Town indeed; now we just need those same boys to find time to get back in the studio, because you can't help but feel there's some unfinished brotherly business there, too.
FabricationsHQ at all the way.


text:
by Elizabeth Wood | November 15, 2006 · 10:37 pm
Haggard, ashamed, self-loathing … but not a hypocrite
I had not planned to comment on Ted Haggard, but yesterday Slate posted a letter from Haggard to his congregation. (Haggard is the pastor who was recently "outed" by a male escort.)
Before reading the letter, I had not devoted a great deal of thought to Haggard, other than to comment on how unfortunate it is when people's lives and professed philosophies are in conflict. But when I read this letter, I was taken by the depth of the self-loathing and shame that this man feels.
He writes about a part of his life that he finds "so repulsive and dark" that he has been "warring against it" for his entire adult life. This thing that he has been warring against he later refers to as "dirt" that reemerges after periods when he thought he has vanquished it, and during these times he says he finds himself with thoughts and feelings that are "contrary to everything" that he believes.
He claims to have sought help from many sources, none of which were effective. He is now going to let men like James Dobson perform a "thorough analysis" of his mind and spirit, and then let them try to heal him. (Slate reported that Dobson himself apparently backed away from an initial offer to help counsel Haggard.)
Haggard claims total responsibility for the situation he created and says that an example must be made of him. He clearly believes that sexual desire is something we can resist and must resist, unless we are oriented to a very narrow sexuality permitted within monogamous heterosexual Christian marriage.
He asks his congregation to forgive and even to thank his accuser because he believes that ultimately this will give the world a chance to see how his church, and Christians, by extension, "deal with our sick and wounded."
I cannot imagine the personal horror of belonging to an organization and holding so deeply a faith that inspires such self-hatred. People have called Haggard a hypocrite. Sadly I think he is probably not a hypocrite at all. I think he believes every word of what he preached, and yet, unable to alter the pattern of his desires, and unable to squelch them entirely, occasionally indulged them as secretly as he could
That he sought out an escort does not surprise me. That would have been his safest outlet, as Dan Savage pointed out in an op-ed piece in the New York Times. That he was discovered is not entirely bad either, but I wish that his response had been to say "I need to face my sexuality and I need a church that will support me in that."
For people struggling with their sexuality and their Christian faith, it is important to remember that there are Christian denominations which do not hate their gay members. The US Episcopal church ordained a gay bishop three years ago and while this is far from the norm, many congregations within a range of mainline Christian churches have found room to welcome their gay and lesbian members. In addition, there are non-denominational Christian congregations that welcome LGBT folks openly. For a list of some, click here, and online network click here.
I don't advocate Christianity, specifically, nor do I condemn it. I find many of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth are inspiring in their focus on love, compassion, honesty, and social/economic justice. I find these same teachings evident in other faiths and traditions also.
It is a terrible thing when a church claiming love and the compassion as its foundation uses the faith of many to protect the privilege of a some by persecuting others.
Filed under Homophobia, News and politics, public discourse, sex, sexual orientation, sexuality


text:
Tag Archive: The Muppets
Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem get back together for SDCC 2020-at-home exclusive
Filed under: Fantasy Realms, Movies, Retro Fix, TV — Leave a comment
Gentle Giant leads the way again with the next exclusive for the at-home edition of San Diego Comic-Con 2020 (since the actual event cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). It's the first ever release of The Muppets' Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem in action figure form reunited on stage (cardboard) in The Muppets–Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem Deluxe Box Set 2020 SDCC Exclusive. You get Dr. Teeth on piano, Floyd Pepper on bass, Janice on guitar, Zoot on sax, and Animal on drums in deluxe show-stage packaging, a three-tiered window box with a protective fifth-panel door.
Tags: Comic-Con exclusives 2020, coronavirus delays, Diamond Select, Diamond Select Toys, Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, Gentle Giant, San Diego Comic-Con exclusives, SDCC 2020, SDCC 2020 exclusives, shelter at home, Summer of 1982, The Muppet Show, The Muppets, The Muppets--Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem Deluxe Box Set 2020 SDCC Exclusive
Muppet Guys Talk Some More–Original Muppet performers to reunite to discuss Jim Henson and more
Filed under: Backstage Pass, Con Culture, Fantasy Realms, Movies, Retro Fix, TV — Leave a comment
We watched them get the band back together the first time with Muppet Guys Talking, a fun documentary we discussed two years ago here at borg. Now not even sheltering at home will hold back the fun-loving Muppet Guys, who are returning once again to share some more about Muppet creator Jim Henson, and the incredible creative process and their experience as Muppet performers, all while earning some money for front-line COVID-19 workers. Part in honor of Jim Henson, who passed away 30 years ago, and part reason to get some of our favorite people back together virtually, it's all happening this Saturday, and everyone is invited.
Tags: Bill Barretta, Caroll Spinney, COVID-19, Dave Goelz, Fran Brill, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Jim Henson, Muppet Guys Talking, Muppet Guys Talking film review, Muppet Guys Talking: Secrets Behind the Show the Whole World Watched, Sesame Street, shelter at home 2020, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, The Dark Crystal, The Dark Crystal 35th anniversary, The Land of Gorch, The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Muppet Movie, The Muppets, Victoria Labalme
Reflections on The Muppet Movie, back on the big screen 40 years later
Filed under: Fantasy Realms, Movies, Retro Fix — Leave a comment
Thanks to Fathom Events and other film retrospectives over the years, movie audiences can revisit their first viewings of some of the best films ever made. In that league comes The Muppet Movie, which just wrapped its 40th anniversary with two days of screenings. Like the one-of-a-kind The Beach Boys and The Bee Gees, and the symbols of goodness everywhere: Mr. Rogers, Bob Ross, and Steve Irwin, The Muppets are a truly unique team, and Jim Henson and his $65 million box office hit The Muppet Movie reflects why they created the word "iconic" in the first place. It says something when a retrospective anniversary screening can make the week's Top 10 box office after 40 years. The Muppets are as accessible and necessary as they've ever been.
Paul Williams' musical score and powerful songs might be the high point of the movie, from "The Rainbow Connection," to "Movin' Right Along," to Gonzo's emotional "I'm Going to Go Back There Again." Or maybe it's the magic, the forgetting we're absorbed in characters played by actors that are a frog and a pig and a bear and a dog and whatever Gonzo is. Or maybe it's the behind the scenes magic. Filming in the lagoon once used for Gilligan's Island, Henson spent an entire day perfecting the scene with Kermit singing in a wetsuit under water, perched inside a metal tank, reaching upward to give Kermit his character. You wouldn't know any of it happened that way from the perfectly still water and multiple angles the song is filmed from. Or that Kermit was operated my remote control for the Schwinn scene (but Kermit the Muppet really was riding that bicycle, no strings attached!). Jim Henson can't be overstated as sitting among the kings of creating the fantastical.
But even all of those great components can't beat the storytelling. Full of honesty and heart, Kermit's path is a classic reluctant hero's journey, equal to that of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Luke in Star Wars, Frodo and Bilbo in Tolkien's stories (Fozzie is a great Samwise), Harry in J.K. Rowling's series. Here our green felted friend assembles a group of new friends to help him succeed by story's end. The Muppets had already been known to us through The Muppet Show, yet this movie succeeded in getting audiences to meet them all over again. The story is playful, too, allowing its own script to become a plot device with the characters.
Tags: 1979 movies, 40th anniversary The Muppet Movie, A Little Romance, Alien, All That Jazz, Alternate Oscars, Bob Hope, Bob Ross, Dave Goelz, Fathom Events, Harry Potter, It's a Mad World, James Frawley, Jim Henson, Milton Berle, Mr. Rogers, Paul Williams., Pinocchio, reluctant hero journey, road movie, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Wars, Steve Irwin, The Beach Boys, The Bee Gees, The China Syndrome, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Muppet Movie, The Muppet Movie retro review, The Muppet Show, The Muppets, The Wizard of Oz, When You Wish Upon a Star
Review–Original Muppet performers share their creative (and fun) process in new film Muppet Guys Talking
The beginning of a new film references the scope of the success of the Muppets: In 1978 the Muppets were seen weekly by more than 235 million people in more than 102 countries, and Time Magazine called them "the most popular entertainment on Earth." Created by Jim Henson in 1955 and starring in Sesame Street, in feature films, and in animated films, the Muppets endure to this day. Regularly returning on television and in movies, they continue to entertain and educate young and old alike. Frank Oz, the creator and actor behind Sesame Street and The Muppet Show's Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Cookie Monster, Grover, Animal, and Sam the Eagle, Aughra and Chamberlain in The Dark Crystal, and the performer and voice of Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (and director of countless other films), has produced and directed a new film with four other original Muppet performers to recount the development–and fun–of working in their timeless fantasy world.
Feeling like an informal dinner party among old friends, but even more like the first hour of a 12-part series, Muppet Guys Talking–Secrets Behind the Show the Whole World Watched, is a wonderful, cheery glimpse at life working with Jim Henson, who Emmy-winning performer Frank Oz says "wanted to make a better world." Originally premiering at last year's South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas, the film will be available for fans everywhere for the first time next week at MuppetGuysTalking.com. Frank Oz brings together Emmy-winner Jerry Nelson, creator and performer of Count von Count, Snuffleupagus, Lew Zealand, Statler, Floyd, and Gobo Fraggle; Emmy-winner Dave Goelz, creator and performer of The Great Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, and Fizzgig from The Dark Crystal; Emmy-winner Fran Brill, creator and performer of Prairie Dawn, Zoe, Little Bird, Betty Lou, and The Land of Gorch's Vazh; and Bill Barretta, BTVA Award-winning creator and performer of Pepe the King Prawn, Johnny Fiama, Bobo the Bear, and Big Mean Carl. Along with providing insight into Muppet mastermind Jim Henson, the "Muppet Guys" provide some advice on creating characters that will be worthwhile to creators in many media, as well as offering a great peek into the job of performing with puppetry. The most difficult part? Yep, holding your arms over your head inside the Muppets for a very long time.
From John Denver and the Muppets Rocky Mountain Holiday. You don't see the dozen human performers underneath the ground working the Muppets and speaking their lines.
Oz and Goelz recount major difficulties in the craft, like building a hole in the ground around a bonfire with a propane tank near their heads, so they could stand and perform their characters sitting around a real campfire above, as filmed for the famous John Denver Rocky Mountain Holiday TV special and album. They also discuss Henson performing the risky opening scene of The Muppet Movie, stuffed inside a tube submerged in a backlot, underwater stage swamp with a small TV monitor and his arms above his head to perform Kermit singing and playing banjo on "The Rainbow Connection." The discussions among these friends are fun to watch, and the viewers will feel like they are a part of the room. And viewers can't help but listen for the performers slipping in and out of various voices–like the sound of Grover and Cookie Monster from Oz a few times when he gets animated or is laughing. The most valuable bits center around what seems to be a shared tool among the performers–Oz developed a thorough backstory for each of his characters that never makes it beyond his own mind, to assist with his performance (like method acting).
Other highlights include Dave Goelz recounting how he got into the business when he was a young aspiring puppeteer working an office job at Hewlett-Packard, Bill Barretta discussing his inspiration for the King Prawn character Pepe, Fran Brill discussing her fix for performing while not being as tall as the others, and Jerry Nelson coming up with the voice of Snuffleupagus and discussing the late performer Richie Hunt (who performed characters including Scooter, Beaker, Statler, Janice and Sweetums). Sadly documentary contributor Jerry Nelson passed away before the premiere of the documentary at South by Southwest, and the show is dedicated to him.
Tags: Bill Barretta, Dave Goelz, Fran Brill, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Jim Henson, Muppet Guys Talking, Muppet Guys Talking film review, Muppet Guys Talking: Secrets Behind the Show the Whole World Watched, Muppet Guys Talking: Secrets Behind the Show the Whole World Watched availability date, Muppet Guys Talking: Secrets Behind the Show the Whole World Watched preview, Saturday Night Live, Sesame Street, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, The Dark Crystal, The Dark Crystal 35th anniversary, The Land of Gorch, The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Muppet Movie, The Muppets, Victoria Labalme
It's time to meet the Muppet performers in new Frank Oz documentary
Filed under: Backstage Pass, Fantasy Realms, Movies, Retro Fix, TV — Leave a comment
One of the best subjects I have discussed with a celebrity was asking Peter Mayhew–the actor known for playing Chewbacca from Star Wars–to talk about working with the Muppets when he guest-starred on The Muppet Show with Mark Hamill as Luke and Anthony Daniels as C-3PO in January 1980. Mayhew beamed as the memories flooded back and he described two incredible worlds he was immersed in–interacting with these great furry characters from television just as if they were real people, and looking down below them to see an entire separate world of creators sprawled across each other with their hands working in every direction like a giant work of magic. Frank Oz, the actor and voice of Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back and The Last Jedi, and the creator and actor behind Sesame Street and The Muppet Show's Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Cookie Monster, Grover, Animal, and many more, has created a new documentary with five of the original Muppet performers to recount the creation of their timeless fantasy world.
Originally premiering at last year's South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas, Muppet Guys Talking: Secrets Behind the Show the Whole World Watched, will be available for fans everywhere for the first time in March. Emmy-winning performer Frank Oz, who also was co-director of The Dark Crystal and director of movies from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to HouseSitter, brings together Emmy-winner Jerry Nelson, creator and performer of Count von Count, Snuffleupagus, Lew Zealand, Statler, Gobo Fraggle, and the original Saturday Night Live character Scred; Emmy-winner Dave Goelz, creator and performer of The Great Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Waldorf/Robert Marley, and Fizzgig from The Dark Crystal; Emmy-winner Fran Brill, creator and performer of Prairie Dawn, Zoe, Little Bird, Betty Lou, and The Land of Gorch's Vazh (and recurring Law and Order actress); and Bill Barretta, BTVA Award-winning creator and performer of Pepe the King Prawn, Johnny Fiama, Bobo the Bear, and Big Mean Carl.
Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, the late Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and the late Richard Hunt, with Gonzo, Floyd, Kermit, Fozzie, and Scooter.
The performers of so many beloved characters discuss their individual approaches to creating memorable characters and the impact Jim Henson had on their lives and work. This is all a great tie-in to the 35th anniversary return of The Dark Crystal to theaters next month (check out our preview here and the Fathom Events website here for more information on that event). For a taste of some of the fun to be had in Muppet Guys Talking, check out the website for the show, MuppetGuysTalking.com, and these quick previews:
Tags: Bill Barretta, Dave Goelz, Fran Brill, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Jim Henson, Muppet Guys Talking: Secrets Behind the Show the Whole World Watched, Muppet Guys Talking: Secrets Behind the Show the Whole World Watched availability date, Muppet Guys Talking: Secrets Behind the Show the Whole World Watched preview, Saturday Night Live, Sesame Street, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, The Dark Crystal, The Dark Crystal 35th anniversary, The Land of Gorch, The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Muppet Movie, The Muppets
borg.com Best of Movies, TV, and Print 2015
Filed under: Backstage Pass, Comics & Books, Con Culture, Fantasy Realms, Movies, Retro Fix, Sci-Fi Café, Superheroes, TV — Leave a comment
Well it's been one long year, with plenty to do and see, plenty of good and not-so-good to read and watch, and as with last year we're certain we reviewed more content this year than ever before. This year was a big year for borgs in TV and film, so we had some difficult decisions to make. All year long we sifted through all that Hollywood had to offer and honed in on the genre TV, films, comics, and other books we thought were worth examining. We went back and looked at it all and pulled together our picks for our annual Best of the Best list.
Today we reveal the entire list–the best genre content of 2015–with our top categories Best Sci-Fi Fix, Best Fantasy Fix, Best Superhero Fix, Best Animated Fix, and Best Borg selected regardless of medium. A dozen properties garnered multiple mentions.
We hope you agree with many of these great creations of the entertainment industries, and wish everyone a great 2016!
Best Sci-Fi Fix – Killjoys (Syfy). Surprised? Killjoys pulled together great worldbuilding, characters and actors in a year of a dozen new sci-fi shows to provide us the closest thing to the next Firefly we've seen in a long time.
Best Fantasy Fix – Galavant (ABC); Runner-up The Librarians (TNT). It aired early in 2015 but nothing surpassed Galavant's medieval high adventure and all-out Princess Bride-style fun.
Best Superhero Fix – The Flash (CW). Of all the Marvel movies and TV series from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to Agent Carter and from Arrow to Supergirl, nothing had us coming back for more each week like the superhero world in The Flash.
Best Animated Fix – Star Wars Rebels (DisneyXD). Compare it to Star Wars: The Force Awakens and see if you think this animated Star Wars galaxy had an even better story and characterization, along with the return of its own group of original trilogy actors, compelling visuals and rousing music.
Best Borg – Pops (Arnold Schwarzenegger) from Terminator Genisys (Paramount). Schwarzenegger created yet another borg that could stand up against his prior successful characters from the series. A cool, moving character in a big year for borgs on screen!
Best Borg Movie – Ex Machina (DNA Films). Incredible storytelling and a small cast of talented actors provided a classic science fiction story and Oscar-worthy film about our favorite subject.
Best Borg TV Series – Humans (AMC). On television the most in-depth look at life as a borg and among borgs has never been portrayed more dramatically than on this year's surprise sci-fi hit series from AMC.
Best Kickass Genre Movie Heroine – Rey (Daisy Ridley), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Disney); Honorable Mentions: Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke), Terminator Genisys (Paramount); Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), Mad Max: Fury Road (Village Roadshow)
Best Kickass Genre TV Heroine – Liv Moore (Rose McIver), iZombie (CW); Honorable Mentions: Dutch (Hannah John-Kamen), Killjoys (Syfy); Helena (Tatiana Maslany), Orphan Black (BBC)
Want to know who we picked for best villain and best comic books of the year? Take a look after the cut…
Tags: 3D Photobooth, 3D printing cosplay, ABC, Abrams Books, Alicia Vikander, AMC, Ant Lucia, Ant-Man, Armie Hammer, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Batman Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover, BBC, Best comic books 2015, Best movies 2015, Best of 2015, Best of list, Best TV 2015, Black Widow, borg.com Best of 2015, Byung-hun Lee, Charlize Theron, Columbia Pictures, Crimson Peak, CW Network, Daisy Ridley, David Anders, David Petersen, David Tennant, DC Bombshells, DC Comics, Disney, Disney XD, DNA Films, Doctor Who, Dutch, Dynamite Comics, Elizabeth Debicki, Emilia Clarke, Ex Machina, Galavant, Gore Vidal, Grimm, Hannah John-Kamen, Helena, Humans, IDW Publishing, Imperator Furiosa, iZombie, Jennifer Graham, Jessica Chastain, Jessica Jones, Khlyen, Kilgrave, Killjoys, Legendary Pictures, Lionsgate, Liv Moore, Mad Max: Fury Road, Maggie, Man from U.N.C.L.E., Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios, Michael Douglas, Mr Robot, NASA, Nathan Edmondson, NBC, New Horizons, Orphan Black, Paramount, Paula M. Block, Phil Noto, Pluto, Pupok the scorpion, Rami Malek, Rey, Rob Stewart, Rob Thomas, Robert Buckley, Rose McIver, Sarah Connor, SPECTRE, Sphero, Sphero BB-8, Star Trek Costumes: Five Decades of Fashion from the Final Frontier, Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War, Star Wars Artifact Edition, Star Wars The Force Awakens, Star Wars trilogy movie adaptations, Star Wars: Chewbacca, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Original Topps Trading Card Series, Swords of Sorrow, Syfy, T-1000, Tatiana Maslany, Terminator Genisys, Terry J. Erdmann, The Art of Mouse Guard 2005-2015, The Flash, The Librarians, The Muppets, The Muppets ABC, Thieves Fall Out, Titan Books, TNT, Under the Lake/Before the Flood, USA Network, Veronica Mars: Mr Kiss and Tell, Village Roadshow, Warner Bros
Thoughtful, nostalgic Big Bird documentary now streaming on Amazon
Filed under: Backstage Pass, Fantasy Realms, Retro Fix, TV — Leave a comment
If you can't get enough of Sesame Street and The Muppets like this big kid who grew up with these shows and characters, then a 2014 documentary now available on Amazon is just for you. I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story is a feature-length documentary about the original, and only, Muppets puppeteer who has performed Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch in the 45-year history of Sesame Street.
I Am Big Bird is a love letter of sorts, set to a bittersweet soundtrack. Filmmakers created an emotional look at a performing artist, his wife, and his relationship with Jim Henson and the cast and performers of Sesame Street from the beginning to the present incarnation of the show. Spinney comes through as every bit the kindhearted soul of his feathery yellow alter ego. Highlights of the film include the impact of Big Bird on the world, from teaching little kids from 1969 onward, to being credited in part with the demise of a candidate's presidential bid. And nothing is more nostalgic than catching up with original Muppeteer Frank Oz and the original human cast of Sesame Street as they recount working with Caroll, including Bob McGrath (Bob), Sonia Manzano (Maria), Emilio Delgado (Luis), and Roscoe Orman (Gordon).
Expect to hold back (or not) some tears during the documentary. Plenty of down moments provide benchmarks in the life and times of Big Bird: the Sesame Street episode featuring Big Bird about the death of Mr. Hooper, an incredibly poised Caroll performing Big Bird singing "It Ain't Easy Bein' Green" at the funeral of Jim Henson, and the segment discussing Caroll's space travel preparation with NASA when he was asked to be among the Challenger space shuttle crew, only to be rejected when they realized the Big Bird suit was too big (and then teacher Christa McAuliffe took his place), a group of ROTC students nearly destroy his Big Bird costume, and even the replacement by Elmo as most popular character on the show serves as a downbeat event.
Tags: Big Bird, Bob Hope, Bob McGrath, Caroll Spinney, Challenger space shuttle, Christa McAuliffe, Emilio Delgado, Frank Oz, I am Big Bird review, I am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story, Jim Henson, Oscar the Grouch, Roscoe Orman, Sesame Street, Sonia Manzano, The Muppets
Never missing a beat, the Muppets return like they never left
Is it because the Muppets don't age? Because the writers know their characters so well? You wouldn't think the Muppets have been off the air for 17 years after watching last night's premiere of their new sitcom, The Muppets, on ABC. Sure, the format is fresh and new, but the core of the show–the rich characterizations of not only the main cast of Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Fozzie, but subordinate cast members like Electric Mayhem band members, too–is every bit the same as it was when the acting troupe first appeared nearly 40 years ago in 1976 on The Muppet Show.
The Muppets are back, and as laugh-out-loud funny as ever.
Credit great, punchy dialogue and situational humor appropriate for kids of all ages to the writing staff, who don't let down fans of the original show or any of its brilliant movie incarnations. The only travesty of The Muppets? That the show is in a 30-minute time slot and only airs once each week. Sigh.
This time the Muppets are seen as they are, behind the scenes in the "real world" of actors and production studio antics in Hollywood. Kermit is still in charge of the show, but this time the show-in-a-show is not a variety show but in the late night format, with Miss Piggy as host. Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem band sit in where you'd see The Roots on The Tonight Show, with Fozzy in Steve Higgins' role. The first guest star is Elizabeth Banks, who gets taken for a ride by assistant showrunner Scooter, with a comical appearance by Dancing With the Stars' host Tom Bergeron and musical guest Imagine Dragons (we featured their Muppet tie-in video years ago here at borg.com). The success of the humans in the show is judged as in the past–the ability to seamlessly interact with the Muppet cast, and both Banks and Bergeron have no problem blending right in.
The show is peppered with one-liners and innuendo, exactly in the style as the original 1970s series. But in truth, the laughs are probably funnier–the kind of humor you might find in a Tina Fey show or The Office. You know you have good comedy when guitarist Janice makes a comically timed Imagine Dragons joke and Zoot gets cut off in the middle of an A.A. meeting reference. As humor goes, The Muppets is the real deal.
Tags: ABC network, Elizabeth Banks, Imagine Dragons, Jere Burns, Margo Harshman, Niki Lindhome, The Muppet Show, The Muppets, The Muppets ABC series, The Muppets pilot, The Muppets pilot review, The Office, Tom Bergeron, Tonight Show parody
The Muppets return to primetime series on ABC
Filed under: Backstage Pass, Fantasy Realms, Retro Fix, TV — 1 Comment
It's been 34 years since The Muppet Show wrapped its now classic five season run back in 1976-1981, with its last episode guest starring Singing in the Rain actor Gene Kelly. It seemed like everyone who was anyone was a guest on the show, from Vincent Price to Don Knotts, from George Burns, John Cleese and Steve Martin to Elton John, Julie Andrews, Debbie Harry, James Coburn, Roger Moore, Sylvester Stallone, Lynda Carter, Christopher Reeve, and even the cast of Star Wars. The show won four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Grammy.
ABC just announced the full Muppets ensemble will return to Primetime Tuesday nights this Fall. This time the show won't be a variety show as the original with guest stars, but will follow a bit of the format from The Office TV series, a "contemporary, documentary style" and probably copy any other show they can spoof for a laugh. It will have humans interspersed with the cast, as seen in the first trailer released in the past few hours by ABC. The preview couldn't be much better.
And the never aging Muppets look just like they did when we first met them: Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Rowlf, The Electric Mayhem, Scooter, Sweetums, Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker, Statler and Waldorf. Without the requirements of a two-hour movie as we saw with the recent fun movies The Muppets and The Muppets Most Wanted, the series is going to delve into the private, personal lives of the Muppets. We can't wait!
Check out the preview:
Tags: ABC network, Muppets Tonight, The Muppet Show, The Muppets, The Muppets 2015, The Muppets ABC Fall 2015 preview, The Muppets ABC series, The Muppets fall 2015
On video–Willis & Gordon-Levitt sci-fi time trip "Looper" worth a second look
Filed under: Movies, Sci-Fi Café — Leave a comment
If you happened to miss last year's theatrical release of the sci-fi crime thriller Looper, you might give it a shot now on DVD or Blu-Ray. Although it has some bits and pieces that don't quite come together and leaves you wondering whether what you think happens at the end is the same as what the director intended, so many great scenes, acting, and sci-fi concepts will have us go back to watch this one again.
In part, it's what I was expecting from another Joseph Gordon-Levitt sci-fi film–Inception. Inception was over-hyped and more commercially successful, but ultimately didn't deliver the promised surprises and complexity, but that's where Looper's story does it better, with its back-and-forth, twisty time travel tale.
Tags: Brick movie, Bruce Willis, Butterfly Effect, D.O.A., Donnie Darko, Emily Blunt, It's a Good Life, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Looper, Looper review, Pierce Gagnon, Rian Johnson, Sarah Connor, The Adjustment Bureau, The Muppets, The Twilight Zone


The snow season is coming, so is the high demand for the people movers. We are always looking after our clients and want them hire the best suited car. Besides it will save them some money too.
There are now so many 7 seaters available. In this article we will focus on the mini vans only and I promise to put together another post on SUVs that suit larger families.
Pros: Can fit up to 7 people and would be very roomy inside. The car offers European safety, lots of power, diesel and good boot space. It is great for big kids and adults to travel comfortably. The vehicle is very reliable and goes the distance. This car is also known as a Volkswagen Transporter before being released as Multivan.
Cons and gotchas: height can be an issue in some carparks (look for 2.1m clearance). It is 7 seats but the 2nd row would be great as a bench seat making it an 8 seater. It can come with the table as an extra but how often do you think you might use it? A lot of people told us they have never used it. We are not sure if it was just our issue, however Low Cost Car Rentals team decided to replace all of our VW with Toyotas just because of our door problems in this specific VW model.
Pros: Newer models come as 9 seater which suits large families nicely. It is quiet spacious inside, european safety and quality. The car is reliable and well priced among other 9 seaters offered for hire.
Cons: Height can be an issue. Longer body than the VW Multivan for parking. The boot space is not as big but there is some room inside the van for bags etc.
Pros: It is probably one of the cheapest vans for this size. Mostly this car comes as a 7 seater, however it is possible to rent an 8 seater as well. Hyundai iMax offers good sized seats in the back. You can even walk around inside. You will be amazed with the great boot space too. Some rental companies add an extra 9th seat in the first row making it a 9 seater.
Cons: doesn't have the european safety, you can also note some heaviness in the body and doors. Therefore the cheaper price. If you've ever opened a VW or Mercedes van then you know what I'm talking about. Some vans come slightly smaller in size if you only have little children (with little legs). Otherwise, make sure you ask the rental company about the dimensions of the specific model they offer.
Pros: well priced, 8 seats, drives like a car as not as big as other vans, easy to park, no height restrictions to worry about. The newer Carnival model looks amazing with a new shape.
Cons: Not as spacious. Although it's an 8 seater some of the seats are smaller in the back. Check you can fit all of your car seats in and still fold down the seat to get into the back. Carnival doesn't have the heaviness in the doors and body compared to an european van. Older models had some engine problems. So make sure the company you rent it from offers 24/7 road-side assistance. Fortunately, I overheard the manufacture has already switched to new engine so be careful renting older models or cars with a lot of mileage on it. Always ask, if the rentals include the road-side assistance as well.
Pros: One of the best and the most popular rental cars among MPV. It is built to last and they just keep going and going (we see some older ones in our fleet and we have never had any issues with it). The car can be a 7 seater but most of the companies offer the 8 seater option. This vehicle is the most reliable car among all. It has very nice and attractive body shape. You will find it easy to drive and park. You will not have any height issues compared to the bigger vans.
Cons: I could not think of any. You may pay a little extra but you will get what you paid for.
Pros: european safety and heaviness in the doors and body, luxurious, reliable, roomy inside, great boot space, 8 seater and good full sized seats. Great for lots of kids, car seats and long legs.
Cons: Price, price, price. Luxury cars offer great comfort but you will have to pay for it.
Pros: roomy inside, 7 seats, reliable, luxury features. It is not as big as some of the other people movers.
Cons: Price and size. It is slightly smaller than others and will cost you some buck since it is considered a luxury car too.
Pros: Offers 7 or 8 seater options. It is not as big as some people movers so it will be easy to drive/park. Newer model has really changed and are larger.You will find some luxury features inside that will pleasantly surprise you.
Cons: Price. Also, it is not as big inside as other people movers which can be an issue with carseats.
Pros: 12 seater, european build (think heavy safe doors and body) and safety features. It is reliable vehicle of a great quality, Would suit really big families and long travels.
Cons: Price – the vehicle itself isn't cheap therefore the rental companies will have to price the hire fares accordingly. Height and size of van for shopping centres/carparks/parking can be a trouble.
Pros: Big enough to fit the largest of families (OK maybe not the Duggars but plenty of room for everyone with 12 seats or 14 seats in the super long wheelbase), great for parties and playdates as extra seats, reliable and they go and go and go. The vehicle is well priced. Note: the word "commuter" means it is a people mover, also called full-size van and has 4 doors. Don't confuse it with the commercial version of it that normally comes as a 2 seater and 2 doors, suited to move things.
Cons: parking at shopping centres (you'll need bus parking) and height considerations in carparks, OK parking full stop! Otherwise another great vehicle.
The Japanese do some nice people movers that aren't available from dealers and you might have seen a Nissan Elgrand around and there seem to be a few in Sydney. There is also a japanese version of Toyota Tarago called Estima – it mostly looks and feels exactly the same as the australian model. However it might come as a AWD and cost you more on petrol. Car Rental companies rarely supply the imports to their customers as they are more expensive in servicing and repairing. It could also get you in trouble with the road-side assistance if you need one – it might just take a little longer to help you when you need help.
Among other imports: Mazda MPV (seats 7), Hyundai Trajet (seats 7, older version of Hyundai iMax), Mitsubishi Starwagon (comes as 7 or 8 seater), Mitsubishi Grandis (seats 7).


From The New International, Vol. XVIII No. 2, March–April 1952, pp. 68–74.
The return of a Tory Government precariously based on a minority vote has ushered in a vital new phase for the British Labor movement. Both the result and subsequent actions by the Conservatives have been extremely revealing and have commenced the process of injecting fresh life into the movement generally.
The Co-operative Sunday paper Reynolds News conceived a Tory return in terms of an immediate and vicious large scale onslaught on working class conditions which would quickly result in the emergence of pre-war conditions of poverty and unemployment. The first reactions, however, were surprisingly mild. On the day after the Tory victory, the Daily Telegraph editorial stated that the "result was no defeat for the Socialists – and no victory for the Tories." Both the Daily Express and the Daily Telegraph gave the advice that the newly elected government "will have to proceed very cautiously" in view of their precarious position.
The Daily Mail, always an outright spokesman for the Conservatives, admitted that a government with such a small majority would be tested by quick results, and named housing, cost of living, etc., as the type of issues on which they would be judged.
Winston Churchill, who had done his best to create parliamentary chaos over the preceding 18 months, now made a statement in which he said that he hoped there would be a lull in party strife and urged his supporters to see the good points in their opponents.
The Daily Telegraph in its editorial of November 1, 1951, devoted an entire column to pointing out that the interests of the T.U.C. were really the interests of the Tories!
This amazing about-face, which has caused no small amount of consternation among their supporters, can only genuinely be understood, if we understand the changed relationship of class forces both nationally and internationally.
At present, the British Labor movement, known as the "Trinity of Labor," and made up of the united strength of the Labor Party, Trades Unions and Co-operative Movement, constitutes an extremely powerful and unique combination, and can be said to express the general trend of socialistic thought in the United Kingdom.
The fact is, we still have the biggest support, with over 250,000 more voters than the Tories could muster. It is this overwhelming power and confidence which is making the Tories very wary. For them, the existence of their own class is at stake over the period of the next ten to fifteen years, and they recognize only too clearly that at the present time they lack the real power to act boldly and decisively.
Even the electoral figures give them a strength they do not in reality possess. For their strength lies in the residential areas while Labor's strength lies in the industrial and productive areas of the country.
Their future boldness depends to a large extent on the way in which the British Labor movement reacts to the present situation, and the type of policy it will attempt to formulate for the next election. The experience of the past six years, however, has resulted in a totally different outlook, and the evolution of socialist thought since 1929 and the second Labor government, gives us an interesting insight as to what we may expect in the future.
In 1929, too, Britain was subject to a severe economic crisis. In many respects the situation was not so difficult as in 1945, for her foreign investments were still intact and her world power was still considerable. The Labor government at that time, renowned for its inaction, could conceive of a solution only in terms of economy cuts. There was no thought of redistribution of the national income in favor of the working class, neither was there any policy to develop and maintain full employment. It is interesting to note that even in 1945 the Labor government did not consider it possible to maintain full employment. The present National Insurance Scheme still bases its contributions upon the existence of 1½ million unemployed which in itself indicates how little faith the Labor leaders had in their ability to provide a job for everybody.
In addition, the increased working class share of the national income (38 per cent to 47 per cent after tax) has been due almost entirely to the efforts of the Trades Unions. Government taxation has redistributed only 1 per cent in favor of the working class.
Thus, it is clear that Labor Party philosophy has been and is very incomplete, and if we were to presume pre-war conditions – and a pre-war relationship of class forces – the prospects would not be very bright.
Fortunately, many new factors have come into play in the postwar era, for not only did the working class emerge very much stronger at the end of the last war, but the capitalists also emerged very much weaker – a factor of equal importance. The general loss of investments, plus the 1945 election result stunned the Tories into a state of helplessness which was no small factor in helping the Labor government to tackle the post-war problems.
It was not that the Labor leaders had changed, but that the conditions had, and as we know it is the conditions which determine consciousness.
1945 began five years of intensive legislative work, and it is quite true that more results were achieved in five years than in any previous fifty. There was no co-ordinated plan so far as the legislation was concerned, and this caused people like G.D.H. Cole to make the comment that the Labor Party had pushed through legislation in an ill-digested manner. However, the idea of co-ordinated planning was to develop a little later, and largely as a result of empirical experience.
The scope of Britain's overseas trade problem can be seen by the simple fact that whereas income from investments paid for 21 per cent of our imports in 1938, they paid for only 3 per cent in 1949. The fact that, despite this, an overall balance of trade was achieved by 1950 was a remarkable result. It was the first time since 1870 that Britain had achieved a trading balance and this enabled the cessation of American aid and the development of a more independent attitude generally.
The fact that this balance did not last, and was very precarious at best, does not alter the remarkable character of the achievement and was one which nobody had previously thought possible.
Labor's major achievement, however, lay in the maintenance of full employment. Critics have attempted to minimize this achievement by saying it was due to either post-war boom conditions, American aid, or the needs of re-armament. But in France, Italy and Germany considerable unemployment existed despite equal amount of American assistance and considerable rearmament programs. Whereas Britain has kept unemployment down to around 1 per cent, Italian unemployment has been in the region of 13 per cent and German 9 per cent.
It is interesting to note that despite criticism of Labor's housing program, for every two houses the whole of Europe including Scandinavia has built in the post-war years, the United Kingdom has built one. Great Britain builds in one month what France builds in 12 months, and France, remember, is a land of free enterprise, where anybody can build a house if he so desires. Whereas the retail price rise over the years 1945 to 1950 was 21 per cent in the United Kingdom, it was 102 per cent in Italy and 369 per cent in France.
There is not the slightest doubt that full employment has been the decisive factor in the maintenance of the bargaining power and strength of the British working class movement.
No single factor has been decisive in making full employment a continued reality. Bulk buying, which has guaranteed markets for overseas producers and jobs for workers in Britain; price controls which have kept prices down and purchasing power up; economic controls generally, and a large scale development of the depressed areas which have to be visited to fully appreciate the transformation which has taken place. All this has constituted a socialistic direction of policy which has resulted in a greater understanding of the need for economic planning, and for the various techniques which can maintain mass purchasing power and full employment generally.
Since the Tories have been in power we have seen a policy which moves in the opposite direction. Dearer loans to local authorities mean dearer rents and prices. Less capital investment and cuts in governmental expenditure must inevitably lower purchasing power to the point where genuine unemployment begins to rear its head once again. Rearmament industries will absorb 500,000 workers, but that will be just a passing phase before we witness the emergence of genuine poverty again.
Democratic control of our industries, etc.
It was not until a year before the 1950 election that these ideas began to take conscious shape and began to be widely discussed. Economic controls were seen more clearly as a form of planning and therefore very necessary. It was seen that a conscious intervention into the mechanics of the capitalist system can produce beneficial results, and there was clearly the evolution of a socialist policy in relation to the capitalist system generally.
What was more important was the growth of the idea that the structural alterations which had been carried out (nationalization, etc.) was a process which had to be continued, and, if carried sufficiently far would transform the economy.
Nobody would say that the Labor government has carried out any decisive socialist measures, or solved the problem of a future slump. A good deal of the ground was cleared, however, sufficient to imbue great confidence by the mass of Labor workers in the government and explained the continued increase in its support. Thus, the weakening of the capitalists plus the power of the Trades Union movement and the greater confidence and experience of the Labor movement as a whole, has resulted in a tremendous shift in class relationships in Great Britain. There is at the present time the element of a subtle and precarious form of dual power. Both the Tories and some of the more conservative Labor leaders are afraid of the "Proletarian Dictatorship," which dictates their actions and makes them do things contrary to a good many of their own wishes.
Even in the field of foreign policy, which has been subject to more criticism than any other aspect of Labor policy, the growing economic independence of Britain in 1950 resulted in the growth of a more independent approach to international problems. The recognition of Mao Tse Tung in China, the policy toward Formosa, and the revelation of the MacArthur Tribunal which revealed the opposition of British Labor to the proposed bombing of Manchuria, can be seen as the glimmerings of a new approach to international problems, and together with the Bevan resignation was all part of a process which was symptomatic of a growing socialist consciousness far more developed than ever before.
A process of rethinking is taking place in which there is a great and growing discussion on how we are to affect a radical change in the economic structure of Britain. This discussion is taking place with a background of six years of valuable experience. The British workers are acting with a self-restraint born of confidence in their strength, and this finds its reflection in many of the utterances of their leaders.
The Co-operative Party has issued a pamphlet which discusses the merits of different forms of common ownership, and the manner by which the next Labor government must transfer whole industries and enterprises to common ownership.
Austin Albu, M.P., suggests that we tackle private companies by a form of joint control between workers and employers, with a government nominee as chairman. Others point to the need for socialists in the managerial positions in the nationalized industry if they are to develop in the right direction.
No longer does the movement discuss in general terms. It is a question of how it has to be carried out, with detailed plans and discussions. Nobody believes that the Tories will last the full term of five years (three is the absolute maximum) and plans are being made on that confident basis. Such is the change over the past decade.
There are of course, a few "Marxists" who refuse to see any progress at all. Acutely aware of their own failure, they are not going to see the virtues of others. To them, social revolution must observe the classic conditions of social upheaval, bolshevik principles and barricades. Marxism becomes a series of books, and quotations become a substitute for independent analysis.
No serious student of political and economic theory can, however, deny that the present and future situation in Britain is capable of pushing the movement forward again: of nationalizing fresh sectors of the economy; of developing the techniques of economic planning and controls which could effectively regulate the economy.
Even with a considerable private sector in existence, such an economy would not be predominantly capitalist, and would be more progressive than the Russian nationalized and totalitarian system. Only blind fools and incurable sectarians can shut their eyes to this possibility.
It is this breathtaking opportunity which provides British socialists with such a magnificent goal and purpose. Irrespective of the future, it is this approach which must become the focal point around which activities must center – for it is this perspective, during the present optimistic and confident stage of the movement, which will create the maximum influence, and therefore the best point of departure for the problems of the future.
The above article was submitted to one of Britain'sleading Labor periodicals, and a lengthy reply was received fromthe editor stating the reasons why it was unsuitable forpublication. Because the main arguments in the letter are veryrelevant, and are presented in a reasoned manner, they areincluded with my article, together with a brief reply to eachpoint. – J.H.
I know the calculation was made by Beveridge, but the Labor government implemented it without alteration, although it altered many other features. It had six years to act, but did not do so. Also many government spokesmen referred continually to the possibility of unemployment.
These facts were obtained from a lengthy article in the Economist late last year. It is also stated quite clearly in the article that the T.U. strength and bargaining power was largely dependent on full employment.
The difference between the partial planning of 1950, and the lack of it in 1946 is considerable. I do not wish to confuse the L.P. program with economic planning. It is clear they must go a lot further along these lines yet.
This is happening NOW. The strength of the Labor movement has no DIRECT relationship with the economic policies of the Tories which must inevitably increase unemployment, and is doing so in practice.
These were not accepted by the 1929 Labor government. (Bevans' book is a revelation on this point) I know they have been essentials in terms of education for many years, but I am referring to the DEEDS and ACTIONS of the movement at various stages. The official attitude toward rearmament and the advocacy of "consolidation," is in my opinion, a negation of those three principles. What the rank and file think is a different matter.
In general it is the pressure of the members which force the leaders TO THE LEFT. Last year, Sam Watson, Durham miners' leader, said the miners did not support Bevan – but it was Bevan they invited to their Gala this year, not Watson. This could be repeated many times, and explains the relative mildness of the Tory budget. It is a question of pressure of class forces in final analysis.


text:
(-) Contributor: Shields, Walter C. (1)
(-) Language: English (1)
Walter C. Shields Photograph album
Culture: Iñupiat | Yupik | Sámi
Alternate forms: Eskimo, Iñupiaq
Contributor: Barnette, H. | Shields, Walter C. | Minungun
Subject: Alaska--History | Education | Missions | Social life and customs | Boarding schools
Type:Still Image
Genre: Photographs
Extent: 208 photographs
Description: Walter C. Shields was the Superintendent of Schools of the Northwest district of the Alaska division for the Bureau of Education of the United States Department of the Interior from 1910-1918. The photograph album reflects the dual role the Bureau of Education played in creating schools for Iñupiat children and domestic reindeer herding for their parents as part of a government project to impose Euro-American models of education and subsistence on Iñupiat communities. The 199 original black and white photographs, dated 1911-1913, reflect individual and group portraits of Inupiat Eskimos, interior and exterior views of their homes and schools, reindeer sleds and round-ups. Taken by Shields and his colleague H. Barnette, some specific locations include Barrow (Utqiagvik), Wainwright, Noatak, Selawik, Buckland, Candle, Deering, Wales, Kotzebue, and Shishmaref. Nine other photographs, dated 1916, 1928, are of dwellings and dog sleds in the White Mountains.
Collection: Walter C. Shields Photograph album (Mss.SMs.Coll.4)
Iñupiat (1)
Sámi (1)
Yupik (1)
(-) Shields, Walter C. (1)
Boarding schools (1)


The surrounding nearby villages and its distance from Baja are Amritpur 1.1 KM , Burewal 1.4 KM , Sujo Kalia 1.7 KM , Nurowal 2.0 KM , Mullan Baha 2.0 KM , Thatta Purana 4.0 KM , Dandupur 4.0 KM , Tibba 4.5 KM , Talwandichaudhrian 5.2 KM , Thatta Nawan 5.2 KM , Todarwal 5.8 KM , Amanipur 6.1 KM , Boolpur 6.1 KM , Daula 6.8 KM , Pamman 6.9 KM , Masit 7.8 KM , Shalapur Bet 8.0 KM , Kalru 8.4 KM , Mahijitpur 8.7 KM , Ucha Boharwala 8.9 KM , Swal 9.1 KM , Shikarpur 9.3 KM , Sarai Jattan 9.7 KM , Meera 10.0 KM , Paramjitpur 10.2 KM , Jeorgepur 10.4 KM , Mullan Kala 10.6 KM , Mewa Singhwala 11.1 KM , Jainpur 11.1 KM , Pandori Jagir 11.2 KM , Pitho Rahal 11.3 KM , Baoopur Jadid 11.8 KM , Jabbo Sudhar 12.4 KM , Ladwal 12.4 KM , Sangra 12.9 KM , Randhirpur 13.4 KM , Sultanpur ( Rural) 13.7 KM , Miani Bahadur 14.1 KM , Sultanpur Lodhi 14.6 KM , Dera Saidan 14.7 KM , Bussowal 14.9 KM , Mahablipur 15.4 KM , Patti Bhalubahadur 15.4 KM , Sech 15.8 KM , Lodhiwal 16.0 KM , Kabirpur 16.1 KM , Gill 16.2 KM , Mokhe 16.3 KM , Karamjitpur 16.4 KM , Alluwal 16.7 KM , Hazara 17.1 KM , Nasirewal 17.2 KM , Hussainpurbulle 17.4 KM , Sherpur Sadda 17.7 KM , Toti 18.0 KM , Latianwala 18.1 KM , Ugrupur 18.1 KM , Amarjitpur 18.1 KM , Shatabgarh 18.1 KM , Maniala 18.7 KM , Ahli Kalan 18.8 KM , Wattanwalikalan 19.3 KM , Sherpur Dona 19.4 KM , Suchaitgarh 19.5 KM , Farid Sairai 19.5 KM , Ahli Khurd 19.6 KM , Wattanwalikhurd 19.6 KM , Nawin Basti Rampur Jagir 19.9 KM , Sheikh Manga 20.1 KM , Tashpur 21.2 KM , Chananwindi 21.3 KM , Bharoana 21.7 KM , Haibitpur 27.4 KM , Takia , Chuharpur , Khurd .
The native language of Baja is Punjabi and most of the village people speak Punjabi. Baja people use Punjabi language for communication.
Baja village is located in the UTC 5.30 time zone and it follows indian standard time(IST). Baja sun rise time varies 28 minutes from IST. The vehicle driving side in Baja is left, all vehicles should take left side during driving. Baja people are using its national currency which is Indian Rupee and its internationl currency code is INR. Baja phones and mobiles can be accesed by adding the indian country dialing code +91 from abroad. Baja people are following the dd/mm/yyyy date format in day-to-day life. Baja domain name extension( cTLD) is .in .
The nearest railway station to Baja is Sultanpur Lodhi which is located in and around 15.0 kilometer distance. The following table shows other railway stations and its distance from Mamakudi.
Sultanpur Lodhi railway station 15.0 KM.
Kapurthala railway station 18.8 KM.
Kapurthala Rail Coach Factory railway station 18.9 KM.
Lohian Khas Jn railway station 20.1 KM.
Beas railway station 21.8 KM.
Baja's nearest airport is Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport situated at 53.7 KM distance. Few more airports around Baja are as follows.
Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport 53.7 KM.
Baja is located around 18.9 kilometer away from its district head quarter kapurthala. The other nearest district head quarters is kapurthala situated at 13.8 KM distance from Baja . Surrounding districts from Baja are as follows.
Amritsar ( amritsar ) district 44.3 KM.
Moga ( moga ) district 58.2 KM.
Hoshiarpur ( hoshiarpur ) district 71.8 KM.
Baja's nearest town/city/important place is Kapurthala located at the distance of 20.0 kilometer. Surrounding town/city/TP/CT from Baja are as follows.
Baja nearest schools has been listed as follows.
Amar Puri Public School Apps Goindwal Sahib 4.8 KM.
Kanwal Public School 9.3 KM.
Baja's nearest beach is Ennore Beach located at the distance of 2082.1 kilometers. Surrounding beaches from Baja are as follows.
The following Baja map is from google. Baja map consist of nearest villages and more information based on the zooming. You can enlarge or minimize the map zooming level based on your requirement.
Dear Baja people we have started this wikiedit.org to publish all village details around the world. You are welcome to provide more information about Baja. It can be under the following category.


The event officially begun with a welcome address from Stojan Praprotnik, project leader, who greeted and briefly introduced partners, the project and the target public.
Alenka Ribič spoke about OiRA, the use of free online interactive risk assessment regarding safety and health at the workplace. Iztok Žilavec presented exercises and training for coping with stress, while Karmen Resnik presented 24alife web and mobile app for raising awareness about a healthier lifestyle and monitoring it and 24alife Corporate for planning and monitoring activities within the workplace health promotion program. At the end of the event Damijana Presečnik presented how to eat healthily at work and actively included participants in smoothie making in the 'Battle Annoying Colds with Healthy Smoothies' activity. The participants were divided in three groups and were challenged on making the tastiest and healthiest smoothie. Votes were unanimous - all smoothies were delicious.
Contemporary e-solutions for workplace health and safety encourage employees towards a more active lifestyle to decrease absenteeism in the organizations.
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) is trying to provide a safer, healthier and a more productive European working environment. On Tuesday, 9th June 2015, they organized a conference about e-tools that could provide safety and health at work, focusing on mobile solutions.
In October 2014 the study about Occupational Stress among New Anesthesiology Residents was published. The pilot study included 24alife solution and professionals from RC IKTS and was executed in the year 2013. Thesis was based on prediction that occupational stress young doctors are under has negative impact on their health, proficiency, quality of work, and safety of the patients. The strain parameters were measured by 24alife app with the help of Slovenian sports professional Vojko Strojnik, Ph.D., a member of the 24alife expert team.
24alife Fitness is an evolution of the renowned 24alife application. Accessible via a smartphone and web portal, 24alife is a comprehensive solution, guiding the user towards a healthy lifestyle by providing advice in the fields of medicine, nutrition, sports and psychology. 24alife Fitness, adapted for use in fitness centres, is a result of international cooperation. In its development, renowned international experts from the University of Graz, Austria, EU, the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, EU, collaborated with a team of experts at the Mayo Clinic, USA.
Very few solutions on the market holistically address all the elements of personal health and fitness. 24alife happens to be one of them. By integrating knowledge from the fields of medicine, sports, nutrition and psychology, 24alife is constantly improving and expanding in different areas. The current focus has been set to serve the needs of fitness centers, its members, and the fitness trainers. However, we are continually working to ensure better mobility of the elderly, strengthening health at workplaces and improved wellbeing of hotel guests.


text:
Q: Spark dataframe self-joins are producing empty dataframe as a result Below is my data in csv which I read into dataframe.
id,pid,pname,ppid
 1,  1,    5,  -1
 2,  1,    7,  -1
 3,  2,    9,   1
 4,  2,   11,   1
 5,  3,    5,   1
 6,  4,    7,   2
 7,  1,    9,   3

I am reading that data into a dataframe data_df. I am tryng to do a self-join on different columns. But the results dataframes are empty. Have tried multiple options.
Below is my code. Only the last joined4 is producing the result.
val joined = data_df.as("first").join(data_df.as("second")).where( col("first.ppid") === col("second.pid"))
joined.show(50, truncate = false)

val joined2 = data_df.as("first").join(data_df.as("second"), col("first.ppid") === col("second.pid"), "inner")
joined2.show(50, truncate = false)

val df1 = data_df.as("df1")
val df2 = data_df.as("df2")
val joined3  = df1.join(df2, $"df1.ppid" === $"df2.id")
joined3.show(50, truncate = false)

val joined4  = data_df.as("df1").join(data_df.as("df2"), Seq("id"))
joined4.show(50, truncate = false)

Below are the output of joined, joined2, joined3, joined4 respectively :
+---+---+-----+----+---+---+-----+----+
|id |pid|pname|ppid|id |pid|pname|ppid|
+---+---+-----+----+---+---+-----+----+
+---+---+-----+----+---+---+-----+----+

+---+---+-----+----+---+---+-----+----+
|id |pid|pname|ppid|id |pid|pname|ppid|
+---+---+-----+----+---+---+-----+----+
+---+---+-----+----+---+---+-----+----+

+---+---+-----+----+---+---+-----+----+
|id |pid|pname|ppid|id |pid|pname|ppid|
+---+---+-----+----+---+---+-----+----+
+---+---+-----+----+---+---+-----+----+

+---+---+-----+----+---+-----+----+
|id |pid|pname|ppid|pid|pname|ppid|
+---+---+-----+----+---+-----+----+
| 1 |  1|    5|  -1|  1|    5|  -1|
| 2 |  1|    7|  -1|  1|    7|  -1|
| 3 |  2|    9|   1|  2|    9|   1|
| 4 |  2|   11|   1|  2|   11|   1|
| 5 |  3|    5|   1|  3|    5|   1|
| 6 |  4|    7|   2|  4|    7|   2|
| 7 |  1|    9|   3|  1|    9|   3|
+---+---+-----+----+---+-----+----+

A: Sorry, later on figured out that the spaces in the csv were causing the issue. If I create a correctly structured csv of the initial data, the problem disappears.
Correct csv format as follows.
id,pid,pname,ppid
1,1,5,-1
2,1,7,-1
3,2,9,1
4,2,1,1
5,3,5,1
6,4,7,2
7,1,9,3

Ideally, I can also use the option to ignore leading whitespaces as shown in the following answer :
val data_df = spark.read
  .schema(dataSchema)
  .option("mode", "FAILFAST")
  .option("header", "true")
  .option("ignoreLeadingWhiteSpace", "true")
  .csv(dataSourceName)

pySpark (v2.4) DataFrameReader adds leading whitespace to column names


11 members Latest Activity: Jan 31, 2011 Race cyclocross, wear pink, get muddy, drink beer!
15 members Latest Activity: Oct 6, 2011 Any one who suits up and races an Independent Fabrication!
14 members Latest Activity: Dec 11, 2013 Where is it?
27 members Latest Activity: Jul 31, 2012 A group dedicated to promoting cyclocross in Seattle and Western Washingon.
10 members Latest Activity: May 27, 2011 Arizona Cyclocross Group. If you cross in AZ, join us! Check out AZCROSS.COM!!!
64 members Latest Activity: Oct 3, 2012 A group dedicated to promoting cyclocross in Kansas City.
12 members Latest Activity: Jun 15, 2010 There is cross in TX, run-ups, barriers, mosquitos, and tornadocanes.
45 members Latest Activity: Oct 2, 2014 A group dedicated to 'cross in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.


Ho ho ho…it's Christmas time. This usually means a lot of end of year parties, whether they are work parties, social parties or community parties and with a lot of parties quite often comes alcohol.
We HR people tend to bang on about the effects that drinking can have on a workplace and highlight worst case scenarios, but that's because it often ends up being costly for businesses and is one of the most common issues HR Managers deal with over the silly season. A recent study conducted by the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA) found that hangovers are costing Australian businesses $3 billion dollars a year in absenteeism and make up for 11.5 million sick days. Hangovers can also mean employees have a reduced ability to perform their roles, accidents or near misses and more pressure on the rest of the team to make up for the hung-over employee.
Firstly, we need to stress the importance of having a well written drug and alcohol policy which explains what the repercussions are for being under the influence at work. A good policy should spell out what the repercussions are for the employees and provide guidance for your managers. It should aim to protect both the safety of employees and the Company's reputation. It should also explain the importance of employees being fit to work. Breaches to the policy must be treated seriously and applied across the board, if the policy is to be effective and a document that is relied upon.
However, it's imperative that you assess the individual circumstances. Each case needs to be assessed on its own merits, and some degree of sensitivity would be required if the employee was suffering from a trauma or mental health issue. If the hangover is caused by your own work party the night before and the employee is not a risk to health and safety, you may want to apply leniency if it's a one off and the Company may be liable for the state the employee is in. A good option is to make sure your end of year bash precedes a weekend or rostered day off, so that everyone can get into the spirit.
Remember as an employer, you have a legal obligation and a duty of care to address alcohol and drug issues. This means you need to take reasonable steps to ensure the health and safety of all workers, contractors or clients who could be affected by the actions of your employees. Consider if this person is an OHS risk to themselves or others. If they are, you will need to take swift action and ensure you remove the risk to your workplace. According to the Australia Alcohol and Drug Foundation being hungover at work can be dangerous as the employee may still have a high BAC, meaning the employee is still drunk.
If you have chronic hungover employees, then we suggest you have a serious chat/counselling session with your employee about expected standards of conduct and work outputs and escalate your disciplinary processes in line with your policy. Some policies are designed to have "zero tolerance" and some are designed with a little more leniency. Its important to consider the type of environment you operate in when designing your policy. Even more so, when deciding how to proceed with your hungover/intoxicated employees, you need to ensure you consistently follow your own policy, so you don't end up with legal challenges about your processes.
If you need some guidance with drafting a Workplace Drug and Alcohol Policy or some assistance in how to deal with hungover employees at your workplace, give us a call at HR Gurus.
Top tips of what NOT to do at your work Christmas Party.
DANGER, DANGER – It's the Work Christmas Party!