The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Illinois

An introduction to the Self-Sufficiency standard and how it differs from the federal poverty measure

Life in transit : travel narratives of the British governess

Life in Transit: Travel Narratives of the British Governess argues that on entering the profession of governessing, women embarked on a new, more mobile existence of travel and relocation on a local and global scale. At a time when gentlewomen rarely travelled far without a chaperone, governesses left home and travelled unaccompanied across counties, countries and even continents for the purpose of work. Some relocated to wealthy households in Britain, some toured with families on the Continent, and others voyaged out to the colonies to work for expatriates or members of the Eastern aristocracy. Previously, however, scholars have tended to consider the governess in light of her unusual social status between the middle and working class. Studies of this kind do much to highlight the complexity of the governess’s situation, but by developing new theoretical perspectives which focus on the governess’s mobility, this thesis demonstrates how the impact of travel is fundamental to this.Highlighting the interplay between the governess of fact and fiction, Life in Transit defines the ‘governess travel narrative’ as a literary strand present in the canonical novel, and a sub-genre of women’s travel writing. Beginning with a re-reading of the governess novel, it considers Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847) and William Thackeray’s Vanity Fair (1848) to explore the governess’s journey in England. Moving its focus across the Channel, it then examines how the semi-autobiographical governesses of Anna Brownell Jameson’s Diary of and Ennuyée (1826) and Brontë’s Villette (1853) experience life on the Continent. Crossing the border of fact and fiction into the genre of travel writing, the thesis considers the work of the lesser-known Emmeline Lott and Ellen Chennells, and examines governess travel narratives produced at the height of the British Empire. Finally, it analyses the journeys of Sarah Heckford and Anna Leonowens, who travelling in the 1870s and 80s, reached as far as South Africa and Siam, extending the scope of women’s travel and pushing the boundaries of the governess profession.In this way, Life in Transit re-reads the governess’s plight as both a physical and psychological journey in which she attempts to understand her place in the world. Incorporating theories of travel, space, translation and ‘things’ into a framework through which to examine her experience, it builds on Marxist and feminist approaches to the governess’s position. Allowing for further analysis of the governess’s unusual status, this approach shows how, from within the liminal space of her displacement, the governess experiences her life through spatial above social relations, and provides a unique voice in nineteenth-century Britain’s conception of self and world

The volunteer work of newly-certified unemployed teachers in Ontario schools

This mixed-methods study explored the volunteer work of newly-certified, unemployed teachers in Ontario by asking the research question: How do newly-certified, unemployed teachers understand their volunteer work in schools? Quantitative data pertaining to unemployed volunteers and their volunteer behaviour from the National Survey of Learning and Work was analyzed using descriptive statistics in order to provide context for qualitative interviews. Six newly-certified, unemployed teachers completed a semi-structured interview that asked about volunteer tasks, learning, and access to teaching. Findings demonstrated that volunteer-teachers perform a wide range of tasks, engage in informal learning that is both volunteer-related and job-related; and perceive that volunteer work helps them gain access to teaching through growing a professional network and providing insight into the hiring process. Furthermore, how teachers understand their volunteer work is differentiated, seemingly dependent on having previously paid teaching work and pre-existing relationships in a school community. Recognition of a distinct type of volunteer work in the contemporary Canadian volunteer landscape is also presented. Policy and practice implications include disseminating this information for aspiring and unemployed teachers in Ontario, as well as recognizing the adult learning that takes place at the site of volunteer work

Can Self-Esteem Protect Against the Deleterious Consequences of Self-Objectification for Mood and Body Satisfaction in Physically Active Female University Students?

Using objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997), this study tested the interaction between self-objectification, appearance evaluation, and self-esteem in predicting body satisfaction and mood states. Participants (N = 93) were physically active female university students. State self-objectification was manipulated by participants wearing tight revealing exercise attire (experimental condition) or baggy exercise clothes (control condition). Significant interactions emerged predicting depression, anger, fatness, and satisfaction with body shape and size. For participants in the self-objectification condition who had low (as opposed to high) appearance evaluation, low self-esteem was associated with high depression, anger, and fatness and low satisfaction with body shape and size. In contrast, for participants with high self-esteem, these mood and body satisfaction states were more favorable irrespective of their levels of appearance evaluation. For female exercisers, self-esteem-enhancing strategies may protect against some of the negative outcomes of self-objectification

Spread Trustee Company Ltd v Hutcheson

EXEMPTING A trustee for gross negligenceCan an exemption clause exclude a trustee’s liability for gross negligence? That was the question which the Privy Council was required to consider in this appeal from the Guernsey Courts. Guernsey has developed substantial activities in finance and trusts, and now has legislation (the Trusts (Guernsey) Law 2007) creating a legal framework for this business. The legislative framework was first introduced in 1989, and amended in 1990. The effect of an exemption clause had never been considered in litigation in Guernsey prior to the introduction of legislation.

Sinclair Investments (UK) Ltd v Versailles Trade Finance Ltd (in Administration) Court of Appeal [2011] EWCA Civ 347

THE PURSUIT OF PROPRIETARY REMEDIES FOR BREACH OF FIDUCIARY DUTYThere is an old adage that if an opportunity looks too good to be true, then it almost certainly is. Despite this, the law reports are filled with examples of people seeking redress for the fallout from “get rich quick” schemes that have gone wrong. One type of scam, exemplified by the fraudulent investment scheme run by Bernard Madoff from the United States and which collapsed in 2008, is known as a “Ponzi1 scheme”.2 The wrongdoer in such a scheme invites “investments” promising a high rate of return. The funds subscribed are not in fact invested (or if they are, they are invested in vehicles which produce a lower rate of return than that promised). Instead, the money from new subscribers is used to pay the rewards to earlier subscribers. In due course the scheme is bound to collapse, because there will be a point at which the new funds coming in are insufficient to make the payments to existing subscribers, and the bubble of new investment can continue only for as long as there is confidence on the part of subscribers, encouraging fresh deposits. When the scheme begins to unravel, it falls apart very quickly, since the assets held by the wrongdoer are inevitably inadequate to reimburse all of the subscribers in full. In the ensuing insolvent liquidation, subscribers stand to recover only a small fraction of their subscription as unsecured creditors unless they can demonstrate that they have a proprietary interest in some of the remaining assets. Sinclair Investments (UK) Ltd v Versailles Trade Finance Ltd is a case involving what the judge at first instance called a “classic Ponzi scheme”

ICTs Help Citizens Voice Concerns over Water – Or Do They?

Information and communications technologies (ICTs) are widely seen as a new avenue for citizens to hold service providers and government to account. But if citizens live in rural Africa, Asia or Latin America, are they able and willing to report on service delivery failures? And are service providers or government officials willing to listen and respond? We explore these questions using an analysis of recent ICT reporting initiatives to improve rural water sustainability. The findings demonstrate that models where a service provider is committed to responsiveness and designs an in‑house fault-reporting and maintenance system show greater responsiveness and accountability to users than crowdsourcing models where users are encouraged to report faults. This raises the question of whether ICT is transformative, or whether service improvement simply hinges on making service provision designs more accountable

How can ICT initiatives be designed to improve rural water supply?

Access to water supply around the world is increasing, but poor sustainability of water supply services remains a key barrier, particularly in rural areas. In response to this, a growing number of information and communication technology (ICT) initiatives aim to improve the monitoring and functionality of water supply. Research carried out by WaterAid, IRC and Itad, and supported by Making All Voices Count examines evidence from two water supply monitoring systems involving ICTs in Uganda and Timor Leste to understand how ICT initiatives should be designed to improve rural water supply.UKAID, SIDA, USAID, Omidyar Networ

Economic potential for distributed manufacturing of adaptive aids for arthritis patients n the U.S.

By 2040, more than a quarter of the U.S. population will have diagnosed arthritic conditions. Adults with arthritis and other rheumatic conditions earn less than average yet have medical care expenditures that are over 12% of average household income. Adaptive aids can help arthritis patients continue to maintain independence and quality of life; however, their high costs limit accessibility for older people and the poor. One method used for consumer price reduction is distributed manufacturing with 3-D printers. In order to assess if such a method would be financially beneficial, this study evaluates the techno-economic viability of distributed manufacturing of adaptive aids for arthritis patients. Twenty freely accessible designs for 3-D printable adaptive aids were successfully fabricated on low-cost desktop 3-D printers and performed their functions adequately. The financial savings averaged \u3e94% compared to commercially-available products. Overall, twenty adaptive aids were printed for US$20 of plastic; while on average, each adaptive aid would save over US$20. As printing a tiny subset of the adaptive aids needed by a single patient would recover the full capital and operational costs of a low-cost 3-D printer, it can be concluded that there is considerable potential for distributed manufacturing to assist arthritis patients

Economic potential for distributed manufacturing of adaptive aids for arthritis patients n the U.S.

By 2040, more than a quarter of the U.S. population will have diagnosed arthritic conditions. Adults with arthritis and other rheumatic conditions earn less than average yet have medical care expenditures that are over 12% of average household income. Adaptive aids can help arthritis patients continue to maintain independence and quality of life; however, their high costs limit accessibility for older people and the poor. One method used for consumer price reduction is distributed manufacturing with 3-D printers. In order to assess if such a method would be financially beneficial, this study evaluates the techno-economic viability of distributed manufacturing of adaptive aids for arthritis patients. Twenty freely accessible designs for 3-D printable adaptive aids were successfully fabricated on low-cost desktop 3-D printers and performed their functions adequately. The financial savings averaged \u3e94% compared to commercially-available products. Overall, twenty adaptive aids were printed for US$20 of plastic; while on average, each adaptive aid would save over US$20. As printing a tiny subset of the adaptive aids needed by a single patient would recover the full capital and operational costs of a low-cost 3-D printer, it can be concluded that there is considerable potential for distributed manufacturing to assist arthritis patients