At an early meeting of the British Sociological Association's "Activism in Sociology Forum" members met to discuss how we might play a more campaigning role in the world outside the academy. Pragmatically, academics tend to work long hours. We are faced with multiple and competing demands: teaching, administration, publishing, marketing, research, grant-bidding, and so on. The REF has ramped up the requirement to demonstrate the efficacy of our research in "the real world" (our impact upon society, economy, and culture rather than upon knowledge per se, or upon the academic discipline). Maybe here I suggested, as my contribution to the meeting was a chance for those of us interested in progressing social justice to lever officially sanctioned space, in our busy day-to-day lives, to do more of this sort of work? Maybe we should welcome the REF impact agenda? I learned afterwards that eminent British sociologists, whom I respect enormously, regarded such a viewpoint as "naive" and "embarrassing". Indeed, critics interpret REF as just one mode of the heightened, neoliberal, managerial control that is degrading academic life and infesting universities. So, how should we think about the REF impact agenda? Because of its obvious connections with social improvement and reform through policy action, social policy is regarded as one disciplinary area that is well-placed to meet and benefit from the impact agenda. Yet there has been surprisingly little concerted discussion amongst scholars about REF and impact. This is despite the fact that many millions of pounds of public funding accrue to the proposed or claimed impact of research (with monies channelled through research councils to individual projects or via regular, six-yearly centralised assessments of the quality of research in university departments). In addition, there is substantial funding directed toward the "impact industry"; the consultants, think tanks, PR firms, funding schemes, new software programmes, impact managers, specialist impact case study... Why is social policy seen as a well placed disciplinary? A. not enough information B. it is not C. because it is a prestigious discipline D. because of its connections with reform
D

I was fencing wire at Flat Broke Acres and trying to tighten up the wire a bit. I lost the grip of the fencing wire and the pliers smacked me in the mouth. This is what I hit myself in the mouth with. The curved end glance off my left front central incisor. It hurt some, my lips were lacerated, I scared my wife when I came in to take a look at it in the mirror but the pain to come was far worse. Tooth was intact thank goodness and was a bit wobbly and I said to myself yup, this could be a problem. A month or two later I hit it again when I was putting a portable step fence panel in the bed of the truck and it bounced and split the bridge of my nose and hit the tooth again. did not break or get displaced. Thank goodness I have a particularly thick head. Tooth trauma is a strange thing. It can blow up anywhere up to a year later. So almost 6 months later I was flying to a meeting in Orlando and of course the tooth decided to react to changes in atmospheric pressure just so I could experience the exquisite pain of barodontalgia. Kind of pain that makes you want to pry the top of your head off with a pitchfork because it would take your mind off the pain. Problem was it did not resolve after landing or anytime during the 4 days I was at the meeting. A combo regimen of acetaminophen and ibuprofen manage the pain well enough until I could get home and have it seen to. Pain did not end but the Xray showed no fracture or endodontic lesion. Strange. Then as suddenly as it occurred, the pain ceased. Strange x 2. Snapped another film and there was no pathology. Tooth was vital on pulp testing. So I did nothing more. I chalked it up to it being a karmic reminder about patients and dental pain as I've never had a cavity let alone a dental abscess. It let me feel your pain. What was the meeting in Orlando for? A. buying supplies B. sales C. workshop D. not enough information
D

Q: Voters in Pennsylvania head to the polls Tuesday in a special congressional election with national implications for President Donald Trump and opposition Democrats. The election is taking place in a congressional district that Trump won by 19 points in 2016, but where Democrats now hope for an upset that could be a preview of the midterm congressional elections in November. The race pits Democrat Conor Lamb against Republican Rick Saccone. Saccone got some high-profile help on Saturday when Trump spoke on his behalf at a rally in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. "We need him. We need Republicans. We need the votes. Otherwise, they are going to take away your tax cuts. They are going to take away your Second Amendment rights," Trump warned the crowd. Though Trump easily won the district in 2016, Lamb appears to be competitive in part because he is a moderate-to-conservative Democrat who personally opposes abortion and any new gun control measures. Lamb is hoping to pull off an upset with help from former Vice President Joe Biden. "Passion and commitment rules in politics. Passion and commitment generates grass-roots support," Biden told a recent Lamb rally. Republicans have poured money into the race, including millions of dollars in television advertisements in the final days before the election. Trump is trying to help Republicans avoid another setback on the way to the November midterm elections, where Democrats are favored to make gains. In making his pitch to voters this election year, the president remains focused on his tax cut bill, new tariffs on steel and aluminum, and a diplomatic opening to North Korea. But Trump remains stuck at about 40 percent approval in the polls, historically low for a second-year president, and a potential drag for Republican candidates in November. "He's doing nothing to expand his base," said Jim Kessler of Third Way, a centrist Democrat advocacy group. "And also, political damage is kind of like sunburn. You don't really notice it as it is happening. And later in the day you... What is probably true of Biden? A. he has become an independent B. not enough information C. he retired from politics D. he continues as a democrat
A: D