OTP (6), day 8 -- Time flies when you're having fun

It always happens. I find myself packing for the train out of Durham and wonder, "Didn't I just get here??" Well, here are some of the other interesting things I did when I wasn't studying.

• I got to watch Maeve and two colleagues work on a project/grant from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on 'The Media, Poverty, and Public Opinion in the UK." It was fascinating to hear about ways in which media, both traditional and "new media", can be used to shape public opinion -- positive and negative -- on poverty. People like Daniel Meadows at Photobus are using digital storytelling to empower people to tell their own story in their own way. Maeve & her friends did a presentation that evening in the St. Chad's Senior Common Room, which was great and very well attended.


• I attended a postgraduate seminar on "Trees in Tarkovsky's Work" by Prof. Gerard Loughlin.


• I watched children from a local school prepare for a concert in the Cathedral. It's nice to see the way that this magnificent World Heritage site is incorporated in the daily life of the community.


• I went to a formal dinner at St. Chad's College and sat the Reverend Canon Rosalind Brown, the "residentiary canon" of the Cathedral. She also used to be part of a group called Community of Celebration outside Pittsburgh, which sounds strikingly similar to Communality (yes, in more than just the name).

Sorry for all the links in this post. It's all just so interesting.