No, we're not 'all in this together'!

Opinion piece pointing out that for those who already experience mental distress, a recession causes further problems. They will find it harder to find work which might help their recovery; and, with huge cuts in welfare provision, they will receive less support. There is a strong link between poverty and unemployment and increased mental health problems like depression or suicide. As well as an increased demand for benefits, the recession will increase pressure on charities and mental health services

“We're in this all together”: community impacts of long-distance labour commuting

Labour and economic development patterns in rural regions have shifted substantially as a by-product of both economic and political restructuring. An important manifestation of this restructuring has been the growth of long distance labour commuting (LDLC) associated with increased labour flexibility and worker/family preference. In this article, we draw upon research in Mackenzie, British Columbia (BC), Canada, to explore the broader impacts of LDLC on a home community from a series of different perspectives. Our findings focus on two core themes: (1) family and community dynamics; and (2) the capacity of community organizations. Numerous negative outcomes associated with LDLC were found, including family stress and volunteer burnout. Our research also revealed a variety of positive dimensions associated with LDLC, including the ability to continue to call Mackenzie home and a strengthened sense of community. The experience in Mackenzie offers important themes for research in other communities and places experiencing LDLC

'We're all in this together': Commodified notions of connection, care and community in brand responses to COVID-19

The current COVID-19 (coronavirus) global pandemic has resulted in a wave of advertising and marketing approaches that are based on commodified concepts of human connection, care and community in a time of crisis. At the core of many brands’ marketing messages – whether these be supermarket advertising campaigns or celebrity self-branding - is the notion that ‘we’re all in this together’. While it is true that the impact of COVID19 has affected the lives of many people around the world, not everyone is experiencing this crisis the same way, due to structural inequalities and intersecting oppressions. What is the relationship between COVID-19, capitalism and consumer culture? Who is the ‘we’ in the messages of ‘we’re all in this together’, and how might such messages mask distinct socio-economic disparities and enable institutions to evade accountability? This article examines sub-textual meanings connected to brand responses to COVID-19 which rely on an amorphous imagined ‘we’—and which ultimately may aid brands’ pursuit of productivity and profit, rather than symbolising support of and concern for peopl

Mouse X

Mouse X is a short science fiction film which was shot in August 2012 and is a mystery/sci-fi story about Anderson, a man who wakes in a building with no idea where he is or how he got there, before slowly discovering that in each of the rooms around him are a thousand clones of himself, all of whom woke into the same mysterious scenario. To escape he needs to outwit his 'selves' whilst overcoming the realisation that he is not the only Anderson... We're a low budget but extremely professional production full of energy and ambition. We raised our modest £5k budget from 150 individuals around the world and attracted some exceptional crew to this Lincoln based production. We have an executive producer who is currently working on a film with Richard Aoyade (Submarine, The IT Crowd) which stars Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network). We also have a Visual Effects team who worked on Burn After Reading and Sex and the City, Sound Designers who produce Hollywood trailers (Red Tails, Skyline to name just a couple) and a BAFTA award winning Cinematographer. We've been so lucky to bring this talented team of people together for this local production. We've also joined forces with some large companies to make this film happen and are currently working alongside Western Digital to promote the film whilst it goes through Post-Production. To find out more about Mouse X take a look at our Facebook page www.facebook.com/mouseshortfil

Developmental Model

The developmental model is a concept created by two seasoned educators. It recognizes that we're all moving along a developmental continuum of awareness and skills when it comes to being able to talk about race and racism and being able to disrupt/prevent racism. This model recognizes that exploring and disrupting racism requires a lens and a skill set not generally taught in the U.S. and that a binary model (a person is either racist or not racist), is ineffective in building the awareness and skills necessary to transform U.S. structures and culture. Individuals further along the continuum can support others who are not as far along. Working together, we can disrupt opportunity gaps caused by personal biases AND systemic inequities.

The State We're In: A Report Card on Public Education in Illinois 2012

This report assesses Illinois' academic performance from early childhood through postsecondary, providing a snapshot of how Illinois compares to other states and nations as we collectively work to provide all students a world-class education. The analysis is divided into three parts. The first section examines how Illinois public schools serve 2 million students by spotlighting performance on key academic milestones such as 4th-grade reading, 8th-grade math, college readiness in core subjects and postsecondary graduation. The second section examines the interlocking set of reforms that state education leaders, legislators and advocates have crafted to lay the foundation for future academic growth since the State We're In: 2010. The report also illustrates how the various initiatives fit together to lay a strong academic foundation for Illinois going forward. The third section contains 55 data measures that examine Illinois' standing in early education, K-12 and postsecondary readiness and success

One library, endless community (Billy) poster

Poster with student testimonial about Mugar's sense of community and its place on BU's campus. Quote from Billy, "My favorite thing about the library is the sense of community. It's weird, but I like knowing other students are as busy and frustrated with work as I am. I look around and realize we’re all in this together. We're a community working to do the best we can in our classes.

Interview with The University of Manchester Faculty e-learning Managers conducted by Graham McElearney for ALT News Online, Issue 18, November 2009.

Graham McElearney conducted an interview with the four Faculty e-learning Managers at The University of Manchester. This document is the full transcript of the interview. The discussion includes e-learning strategy, organisational structure, current choices of tools and the future of the institutional VLE

The Freedom of the Christian for Culture

(Excerpt) It is somewhat surprising for Timothy Lull to be invited to address a liturgical conference of any sort. I was talking to several of my colleagues at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary this week about what I would be saying, and one of them said, Ah! Is Lull among the liturgists? He seemed surprised These colleagues wondered if you knew, for example, that I describe myself as a recovering evangelical catholic, or if you would know that I have the reputation in my congregation as being the great complainer about matters like the length of service, the fact that we sing no hymns written after 1750, that the basis for preaching almost never includes either the Old Testament or the Epistle lesson, and the kind of frightened anxiety with which we do things liturgical in our very liturgical parish