Pleasures in Socialism: Leisure and Luxury in the Eastern Bloc

This book is a significant contribution to the studies of everyday life in Eastern Europe under communist rule. It is the third in a series of volumes edited and written with Susan E. Reid, which examine the material culture of the Eastern Bloc: see Style and Socialism (Berg, 2000) and Socialist Spaces (Berg, 2003). Reviewing these titles in the London Review of Books, Sheila Fitzpatrick credits Crowley and Reid as ‘two cultural historians who have played a leading role in the development of studies of the everyday in the former Soviet bloc’. The 14 essays explore how leisure and the consumption of luxury goods formed zones that communist states sought to shape, and thereby to extend the reach of their authority. Yet at the same time, they also presented opportunities for people to assert their individuality and enjoy unlicensed pleasures. This contrasts strongly with the conventional scholarship on the Soviet Bloc, which stresses poverty and repression. Crowley's contribution was to write, with Reid, a 21,000-word critical review of existing debates about leisure and luxury in the Bloc and make a number of propositions about the way in which these concepts and practices need to be further conceptualised and researched. This essay also functions as an introduction to the book. The origins of the book lie in a conference organised by Crowley and Reid at the V&A Museum in London in 2007. Following publication, Crowley was invited to talk about the themes in this volume at Södertörn University, Centre for Baltic and East European Studies in Stockholm (2012). A review of this book was published in Slavic Review (2011). Crowley and Reid were also interviewed about the volume in an hour-long podcast for New Books in Eastern Europe Studies (2012)

The assessment and management of pain in older people : a systematic review of the literature

This paper presents the findings of a systematic literature which was carried out to determine the most appropriate strategies that could be carried out for the assessment and management of pain in residents living in care homes. Five hundred and seventy-one papers were initially identified and from this total 70 papers were found to be appropriate. These papers were organised into five key themes; Assessment & Behavioural Assessment, Barriers/Attitudes/Perceptions, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Complementary Therapies and Education/Guidelines. Most of the papers related to pain in this group were pharmacological suggesting that health care professionals generally feel that pharmacological approaches are the only way to manage pain in this group. Nevertheless, the non-pharmacological papers do suggest that there are other methods of pain control which should be considered. Recommendations for further research are made.Burdett Trust for Nursin

Inheritance Forgery

Many venerable norms in inheritance law were designed to prevent forgery. Most prominently, since 1837, the Wills Act has required testators to express their last wishes in a signed and witnessed writing. Likewise, the court-supervised probate process helped ensure that a donative instrument was genuine and that assets passed to their rightful owners. But in the mid-twentieth century, concern about forgery waned. Based in part on the perception that counterfeit estate plans are rare, several states relaxed the Wills Act and authorized new formalities for notarized and even digital wills. In addition, lawmakers encouraged owners to bypass probate altogether by transmitting wealth through devices such as life insurance and transfer-on-death deeds. This Article offers a fresh look at inheritance-related forgery. Cutting against the conventional wisdom, it discovers that counterfeit donative instruments are a serious problem. Using reported cases, empirical research, grand jury investigations, and media stories, it reveals that courts routinely adjudicate credible claims that wills, deeds, and life insurance beneficiary designations are illegitimate. The Article then argues that the persistence of inheritance-related forgeries casts doubt on the wisdom of some recent innovations, including statutes that permit notarized and electronic wills. The Article also challenges well-established inheritance law norms, including the litigation presumptions in will-forgery contests, the widespread practice of rubber-stamping deeds, and the delegation of responsibility for authenticating a nonprobate transfer to private companies. Finally, the Article outlines reforms to modernize succession while remaining sensitive to the risks of forgery

Scattering of low-energy electrons and positrons by atomic beryllium: Ramsauer-Townsend effect

Total cross sections for the scattering of low-energy electrons and positrons by atomic beryllium in the energy range below the first inelastic thresholds are calculated. A Ramsauer-Townsend minimum is seen in the electron scattering cross sections, while no such effect is found in the case of positron scattering. A minimum total cross section of 0.016 a.u. at 0.0029 eV is observed for the electron case. In the limit of zero energy, the cross sections yield a scattering length of -0.61 a.u. for electron and +13.8 a.u. for positron scattering

Lambeth LGBT Matters: The needs and experiences of lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans men and women in Lambeth.

This report presents the findings of a study of the experiences of Lesbians, Gay men, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) men and women who live, work and socialise in Lambeth. It presents the results of part of a larger study which included analysis of Lambeth’s policies and procedures, stakeholder interviews and staff focus groups. The full report can be found at our website. Here, we present the results of a self-completion quantitative survey of LGBT people who live, work or socialise in Lambeth (Chapter 2) and qualitative focus groups/interviews with LGBT residents of Lambeth (Chapter 3). Chapter 4 contains some conclusions and recommendations arising from this research. The study was commissioned by The London Borough of Lambeth (LBL) to provide the Council with information to improve services for these populations. LBL is the largest and possibly most diverse of inner London’s boroughs. Patterns of UK and international migration ensure that the LGBT population in London is far larger than elsewhere in the UK. Using Census (Office for National Statistics 2006) and other data (Mercer et al. 2004) we can estimate that Lambeth’s LGBT resident population is approximately 18-20,000 adults. This figure does not include people who come to Lambeth to work or socialise. Lambeth also hosts a substantial LGBT social and commercial scene with six Gay saunas / gyms, 12 LGBT social support agencies and at least 17 bars, clubs and cafes in the borough. Lambeth also contains several public areas where men meet for sex (parks, commons and public toilets)

Manifold dimension of a causal set: Tests in conformally flat spacetimes

This paper describes an approach that uses flat-spacetime dimension estimators to estimate the manifold dimension of causal sets that can be faithfully embedded into curved spacetimes. The approach is invariant under coarse graining and can be implemented independently of any specific curved spacetime. Results are given based on causal sets generated by random sprinklings into conformally flat spacetimes in 2, 3, and 4 dimensions, as well as one generated by a percolation dynamics.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Wasted opportunities: Problematic alcohol and drug use among gay men and bisexual men

This report describes the findings from a qualitative and quantitative study of alcohol and drug use among gay and bisexual men and other men that have sex with men (MSM) in England. The qualitative element describes the experiences and understandings of men who identified themselves as being concerned about their alcohol or drug use. The quantitative element shows the broader picture of use and concern about use among MSM. So we go from a broad picture of the extent of alcohol and drug use and concern about it, to a narrower and more detailed focus on men experiencing concern and problems related to alcohol and drug use. The aims of the study are to qualitatively explore the contexts and attendant needs of men who are concerned about their substance use, to locate that use within the broader MSM population and to suggest ways in which the drug-related needs of MSM might be better met. So we have specifically recruited men who were concerned about their substance use and investigated the way these men used drugs and alcohol, what drugs and alcohol mean to them and the harms caused by drugs and alcohol. Many men, perhaps the majority, use alcohol and other drugs without any mishap or unhappiness. However, the range of experiences described highlight the pervasive and often detrimental role that alcohol and other drugs play in the social and personal lives of many men. Although there is some research which examines the effects of substance use treatments on sexual risk behaviour (that is, do drugs services reduce unsafe sex), there is little or no research which investigates the accessibility, acceptability or effectiveness of current substance use services for gay men and other MSM. So in the qualitative interviews we also sought information about the role services played in meeting drug-related needs, for example information, motivational and practical support