Municipalism and feminism then and now: Hilary Wainwright talks to Jo Littler

Hilary Wainwright discusses municipalism and its relationship to feminism, past and present. She discusses how the women's liberation movement and in particular its creation of collective childcare produced a form of prefigurative politics which also opened up the possibilities of women being more active. She also discusses her involvement in the Greater London Council in the 1980s and its particular form of municipal politics, which included empowering communities, supporting co-operatives, an alternative industrial strategy and a progressive procurement policy. All these examples of 'power as transformative capacity' rather than 'power-over', are related to contemporary forms of municipalism, from Preston to Barcelona, and point to the necessity of local government as a necessary space of engagement in the wake of the 2020 general election.</jats:p

Rural transport and older people in Lincolnshire : research report in association with the Policy Studies Research Centre and Lincoln Business School

Executive Summary • The population of the UK is ageing and it is predicted that by 2035 people aged 65 and over will comprise 23% of the total UK population. • These changing demographics are particularly noticeable in rural areas of the UK, where the median age of a rural resident is 42, compared to 36 for an urban resident. The out-migration of younger age groups and the selective re-population of many of England’s rural areas with older age groups, means that the rural population is simultaneously growing and ageing. • Research indicates that among post-retirement older people there is a clear connection between transport and social exclusion, which is especially marked in rural areas. Accessible transport is therefore a key factor in preventing social isolation, facilitating independence and maintaining a high quality of life. • This report was commissioned to examine these issues and investigate the current and future transportation needs of older people in Lincolnshire after transport was listed as one of three top priorities for older people in a consultation with this age group in the county. • The report will form part of a wider proposal to develop a community transport strategy for Lincolnshire, supported by a marketing and communication plan for transport services for older people. • If well planned, community transport can form a vital component of an integrated transport system as it provides an important passenger transport resource, which complements other transport services such as local bus and rail networks and Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) schemes such as CallConnect. • In so doing, community transport helps to provide and enhance passenger transport accessibility and reduce social isolation in rural areas and for particular categories of people (such as older people), who can find it difficult to access public transport. The main conclusions which emerged from the research are as follows: • There was a severe lack of knowledge amongst participants about what community transport schemes existed, how they operated and what services they offered. • There appeared to be a negative relationship between the number of community transport providers and high levels of socio-economic deprivation. For example, in Gainsborough there were no voluntary/community car schemes, whilst in Louth, there was a large scheme, well operated and well used. However, despite these findings, there were still people living in Louth attending the focus group who had little or no idea about what a voluntary/community car scheme was or what other services like CallConnect could do for them. • The dominant role of the car in older people’s lives was noticeable: both men and women were very reluctant to give up driving and continued to drive into their 80s. • While some older people felt that their free bus passes were a ‘lifeline’, others felt they were less useful as there were not enough buses to use them on, could not use them due to mobility issues and the distance from their homes to a bus stop, or were not aware that they could be used on DRT services e.g. CallConnect. • A severe lack of coordination between transport services was reported by older people. These included connection times between different bus operators and also to railway stations. Furthermore there was also a variety of health care providers who older people felt gave little or no consideration as to how they were to get to appointments and how to deal with potential life changing events, e.g. the cessation of driving. • While many older people appeared to own mobile phones, very few used these to send text messages and no participants used their phone to access the internet. • Very few of the people interviewed used a computer, instead relying on their sons and daughters to find out information when they had no other option but to use a computer and access the internet. However, some older people did express a desire to learn more about computer technology and how to access the internet. • There are a lack of public and community transport services that operate during the evenings and at weekends in rural communities. This creates a feeling of isolation amongst the older people interviewed and difficulties in accessing essential amenities and services. Based on the research in this report, a series of short and longer term recommendations are suggested to increase the use of public and community transport services by older people in rural communities: Short term 1. The implementation of a promotional and marketing campaign that would raise awareness of different rural transport services available to older people 2. Further development of the Lincolnshire Community Transport Forum 3. The promotion of voluntary/community transport as a way to access healthcare Longer term 4. Greater opportunities for older people to access and learn about ICT for transport 5. The expansion of the concessionary bus pass scheme to be used on other transport service

Design and fabrication of a nonlinear micro impact oscillator

In this paper we describe the design and fabrication of a mechanical autonomous impact oscillator with a MEMS resonator as the frequency control element. The design has been developed with scalability to large 2-D arrays of coupled oscillators in mind. The dynamic behaviour of the impact oscillator was numerically studied and it was found that the geometry nonlinearity has an effect on the static pull-in voltage and equilibrium position. The external driving power can alter the frequency of the impact oscillator. The autonomous nature of the oscillator simplifies the complexity of the drive circuitry and is essential for large 2-D arrays

« Ce qui vient au monde pour ne rien troubler ne mérite ni égards ni patience » : Mike Ward et l'industrie de l'humour au Québec, une analyse posturale

Dans l’opinion publique, Mike Ward a longtemps été perçu comme un humoriste provocateur, reconnu pour la vulgarité de son langage et ses propos. Avant l’année 2015, les chroniqueurs en particulier qualifient son humour de « facile » et lui font coller à la peau une image d’enfant terrible. Pourtant, à partir de cette année-là, un basculement s’opère. L’humoriste devient copropriétaire du premier comédie club francophone montréalais, le Bordel, et redevient animateur de Mike Ward Sous Écoute, qui sera le podcast francophone le plus écouté au monde. L’humoriste prend le contrôle de son image puisqu’il n’hésite pas à prendre position vis-à-vis des différents détenteurs de pouvoir de l’industrie. Cette recherche a pour objectif de comprendre comment ce rôle actif, au sein même de l’industrie, permet d’une part à Ward d’encourager un renouvellement et une diversification de l’offre. D’autre part, ces tribunes —en particulier le podcast—sont aussi pour lui l’occasion de renégocier et de remodeler son image publique. Les réponses fournies par l’analyse exhaustive de 277 podcasts, auxquels a participé Ward, nous ont permis de cibler des récurrences dans son discours et de brosser un portrait intéressant du métier d’humoriste, du public d’humour et des différentes instances reconnues dans le milieu (Juste pour rire, l’École nationale de l’humour, l’Association des professionnels de l’industrie de l’humour , mais aussi la critique). La conclusion nous permet de montrer qu’en somme, l’humoriste a initié une trajectoire singulière, qui lui a permis d’outrepasser son simple rôle d’humoriste pour devenir un élément constitutif de l’industrie, lui qui agit désormais à titre de régisseur de la norme supportant l’émergence des humoristes

Focal Spot, Winter 1976

https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/focal_spot_archives/1016/thumbnail.jp

Fiddler on the Roof (1971 program)

Performed October 21-23, 1971. Cast:Tevye, the Dairyman: Rick MooreGolde, his wife: Teresa Rushton Their Daughters:Tzeitel: Debbie LynnHodel: Judy AdamsChava: Maurine LewisShprintze: Rose PeddleBielke: Beverly Martin Yente, the Matchmaker: Carolyn KesslerMotel, the Tailor: Kerry McClurgPerchik, the Student: Tim BixlerMordcha, the Innkeeper: Dan BatemanLazar Wolf, the Butcher: Wayne HawleyRabbi: Larry HoganMendel, the Rabbi\u27s son: Marcus HoginsAvram, the Bookseller: Glenn GreenvilleNahum, the Beggar: David CampbellYuzzel, the Hatmaker: Danny TullosShandel, Motel\u27s mother: Peggy MurrayGrandmother Tzeitel: Mona Lee MooreFruma Sarah: Beverly Martin and Bill McDonaldConstable: Ken CoxFyedka: Mike WardSasha: Charles DavisThe Fiddler: Phil Johnson The Villagers: Steve Burton, Jim Lange, Steve Smith, Doug Simmons, Kathy Kurz, Nancy Garner, Marion Barton, Beckie Oldroyd, Mona Lee Moore, Rebecca Richardson, Georgina Peddle, Jenny Beth Peddle, Bill Gardner, Novie Mann, and Richard Clark The Russians: Bill McDonald and Kirk Sewellhttps://scholarworks.harding.edu/theatre-history/1045/thumbnail.jp

The driving force of self-initiated expatriation: A case of teachers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

In the study of expatriation, there has been less emphasis on the study of self-initiated expatriation as compared to organizational expatriation. Since people in the academia profession are amongst the most mobile and have greater opportunity to choose their employment destination, this paper explores the motivations and experiences of a group of British and American self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) that chose to work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Guided by a case study approach, purposive sampling was used to gather information from the participants through semi-structured, exploratory questions in order to understand SIEs decisions to expatriate to the Kingdom. Findings suggest that financial rewards and personal beliefs played significant roles in the participating SIEs decisions to expatriate to the Kingdom. Particularly, this location provides them with job opportunities that offer attractive monetary rewards which fulfills their financial needs, as well as avenues to enrich their personal needs. This study focused on SIEs in a specific location, prior to the outbreak of the global pandemic. The appeal of self-initiated expatriation in the postpandemic era should be explored further. Data regarding the motivations and experiences of SIEs is beneficial for organizations’ managing talent on an international scale because many organizations rely on SIEs as a source of labor. Understanding what motivates individuals to choose expatriation can assist organizations in formulating strategic human resource management decisions. This study focused on the driving factors of academic SIEs in choosing a specific location and found that their decision to expatriate to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was based on the distinctive value of the location itself