Kyrgyzstan's 'manas' epos millennium celebrations : post-colonial resurgence of Turkic culture and the strategic marketing of cultural tourism

The paper addresses the symbolic nature of the Manas epos and its influence on both the unification of Kyrgyzstan and the enhancement of the country's national and Turkic identity. The case of the Manas epos millennium celebrations event is then used to illustrate the relationship between the uses of the Manas 'legend' in the construction of a national identity and in the positioning of the cultural tourism product. The paper subsequently assess the potential usefulness of the Manas epos in the creation of a destination image for Kyrgyzstan and in the positioning of Kyrgyzstan in the global tourism marketplace

Productivism, Neoliberalism, and Responses to Regional Disparities in Canada: The Case of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Nowhere in the 1987 act establishing the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) was there any mention of productivity, but today it is its top priority. I argue that ACOA’s shifting mandate reflects the growth of a idea other scholars have called “productivism” – the idea that economic growth (usually by way of productivity growth) is a good, in and of itself. This idea has shaped not only the agendas of other government agencies, but the entire project of regional redistribution, conceptions of national unity, and expert and lay understandings of what the Canadian economy is and how it functions.Bien que la loi de 1987 instituant l’Agence de promotion économique du Canada atlantique (APECA) ne fasse aucune mention de la productivité, celle-ci se trouve aujourd’hui au cœur des priorités. Je fais valoir que la modification du mandat de l’APECA reflète l’essor d’une idée que d’autres spécialistes ont appelée le « productivisme » : la notion voulant que la croissance économique (généralement sous la forme d’une hausse de productivité) est une bonne chose en soi. Cette idée a façonné non seulement le programme d’action d’autres organismes gouvernementaux, mais aussi tout le projet de redistribution régionale, les conceptions de l’unité nationale et la façon dont les experts et les profanes comprennent ce qu’est l’économie canadienne et comment elle fonctionne

Amphetamines and Western Australian detainees: A social profile

The current study utilised data collected from the Australian Institute of Criminology’s project known as Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA). The DUMA project examined detainees’ social demographics and past and present drug use, at various Australian sites. The current study examined secondary data as a subset of the DUMA data collected from the East Perth lockup in Western Australia. Three sections of the DUMA data were analysed in this study (i) changes in amphetamine use by detainees (ii) demographic profile of detained amphetamine users and (iii) offences for which they have been detained. Analyses included chi-square tests, Kendall’s tau_b, ANOVA, and descriptive statistics, which were used in order to ascertain if a change between the three main sections had occurred overtime (1999-2006). Results showed detainees’ amphetamine use increased during the ‘heroin drought’. The profile demographic of detainee amphetamine users showed some significant changes overtime; a majority were male, aged between 18 to 34 years, and most likely to be unemployed. The study also showed detainee amphetamine users were most likely to commit offences against property, rather than offences against a person. Recommendations include detainees be offered drug counselling where appropriate and have access to resources assisting with gaining long-term employment

Mobilization for Low Intensity Conflict

On 22 July 1982 President Reagan revised US mobilization policy through NSDD 47. His goal was to develop an emergency mobilization preparedness capability that will ensure that government at all levels, in partnership with the private sector and the American people, can respond decisively and effectively to any major national emergency, with defense of the United States as the first priority

Development of food photographs for use with children aged 18 months to 16 years:comparison against weighed food diaries – The Young Person’s Food Atlas (UK)

Traditional dietary assessment methods, used in the UK, such as weighed food diaries impose a large participant burden, often resulting in difficulty recruiting representative samples and underreporting of energy intakes. One approach to reducing the burden placed on the participant is to use portion size assessment tools to obtain an estimate of the amount of food consumed, removing the need to weigh all foods. An age range specific food atlas was developed for use in assessing children’s dietary intakes. The foods selected and portion sizes depicted were derived from intakes recorded during the UK National Diet and Nutrition Surveys of children aged 1.5 to 16 years. Estimates of food portion sizes using the food atlas were compared against 4-day weighed intakes along with in-school / nursery observations, by the research team. Interviews were conducted with parents the day after completion of the diary, and for children aged 4 to 16 years, also with the child. Mean estimates of portion size consumed were within 7% of the weight of food recorded in the weighed food diary. The limits of agreement were wide indicating high variability of estimates at the individual level but the precision increased with increasing age. For children 11 years and over, agreement with weighed food diaries, was as good as that of their parents in terms of total weight of food consumed and of intake of energy and key nutrients. The age appropriate food photographs offer an alternative to weighed intakes for dietary assessment with children

Reactions of Low-Income African American Women to Breastfeeding Peer Counselors

Objective To examine the influence of breastfeeding peer counseling on the breastfeeding experiences of African American mothers who participated in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Design Qualitative study using focus groups. Setting Two WIC clinics in Southeast Wisconsin were used for recruitment and data collection. Participants A convenience sample of nine African American mothers participated in one of two focus groups. Methods The women responded to a series of open-ended questions about their breastfeeding experiences and the effect of breastfeeding peer counselors (BPCs). Content and thematic analyses were used to analyze patterns related to the influence of BPCs on breastfeeding. Results Four themes were categorized: Educating With Truth, Validating for Confidence, Countering Others\u27 Negativity, and Supporting With Solutions. Mothers in this study expressed positive reactions to educational, emotional, and social support from BPCs. The mothers noted that the contact they had with BPCs had a direct positive influence on their breastfeeding experiences. However, the contact from BPCs varied between the two WIC clinics. Conclusion The findings demonstrate the positive effects of BPCs on breastfeeding experiences among African American WIC participants. Findings from this study can guide future explorations using BPCs. Interventions are needed to develop standardized guidelines to bring about homogeneity of, better access to, and greater use of BPCs

“WALK30X5”:A feasibility study of a physiotherapy walking programme for people with mild to moderate musculoskeletal conditions

Objectives: To explore the feasibility of delivering and evaluating a web-based walking intervention for people with long term musculoskeletal conditions (LTMCs), to determine its acceptability and the feasibility of conducting a definitive trial.  Design: Prospective randomised feasibility study, with blind outcome assessment at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Setting: Hospital based physiotherapy service. Participants: Forty one adults referred for assessment and advice for any mild/moderate LTMCs. doing <120 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week.  Interventions: Participants randomised to: 1. Usual care: one usual physiotherapy advice and assessment session, including setting a physical activity goal and one follow up session (8 weeks). 2. “Walk30 × 5”: session one, usual care plus intervention of walking programme. Participants were shown the website and podcasts and practiced how to use them. One follow up session (8 weeks). Outcome measures: Primary: timed six minute walk test (T6MWT). Secondary: step count, self-reported pain, fatigue, mood, self-efficacy, happiness, objective blood pressure, peak expiratory flow rate, and self-report and accelerometer measured physical activity.  Results: Recruitment target achieved. No adverse events occurred. Adherence was high and the intervention acceptable. Loss to follow up n = 3 (7%) at 3 months, n = 8 (20%) at 6 months. T6MWT and step count proved suitable outcomes, unlike accelerometry. Estimated sample size for a definitive trial is 216.  Conclusions: “Walk30 × 5” is ready for evaluation in a future, appropriately powered (n = 216), phase III trial. If effective, the intervention will provide a cheap, highly accessible intervention to enable people with mild/moderate LTMCs to achieve UK physical activity guidelines.  Clinical Trial Registration Number: ISRCTN78581097

Work ethic and degrowth in a changing Atlantic Canada

Abstract This article draws on interviews, observations, and surveys from two mixed-methods sociological studies of people's relationships to paid and unpaid work to argue that the concept of the work ethic is a fruitful entrypoint for exploring critical issues of work, leisure and consumption in rural places, and indeed anywhere there are efforts to realize degrowth strategies. Then, I survey some of the major themes about work in a selection of widely-cited degrowth writings and argue that the work ethic could use more attention—particularly the question of how the dominant work ethic at any place and time might constrain or enable degrowth as a political-ecological aspiration. This question is actually a hopeful one, because it suggests that in-depth studies of instances where something other than the Protestant, capitalist (i.e. expansion-oriented) work ethic dominates can (and already do!) show us the kinds of culturally-embedded relationships to work that are complimentary to a degrowth agenda. Moreover, such studies show that alternative modes of working are viable. In other words, sociological and anthropological studies can provide empirical evidence that vibrant, meaningful human life can continue in the absence of constant economic growth. Keywords: Degrowth, employment, work, work ethic, sociology, anthropology, rura