Changes in Identity: How Mongolian Musicians and Performers have Responded to Geopolitical Transition

During Mongolia’s socialist period, traditional forms of Mongolian music were deliberately altered as the government, heavily influenced by the Soviet Union, attempted to modernize Mongolian culture. Throughout this period, traditional instruments were modified, the types of music that could be performed were strictly censored, and the structure of performances was set to strictly mimic those of Western orchestras. After Mongolia’s Democratic Revolution of 1990, the artistic freedom of Mongolian musicians has greatly increased, but even now, socialist cultural policies are deeply intertwined with Mongolian musical culture. Why is this the case? What is the common perception among performers about the influence of the Soviet Union on Mongolian music? What does the term “Mongolian music” actually mean to performers, and what do the different understandings of this term represent? By interviewing performers of Mongolian music in Ulaanbaatar and Dornogovi aimag who were educated or employed during both the socialist and current periods, this project examines the impacts of socialist control on the lives and decisions of performers, as well as the trajectory of future Mongolian music. The ethnographic study finds that, although the ideological impacts of the socialist period continue even to this day, Mongolian musicians and performers define ‘Mongolian music’ as something that transcends even the most persistent of socialist cultural policies. As such, these performers serve as a key example of the complexity with which rapid geopolitical change impacts cultural practices, beliefs, and identity

Water Access and Security for Mongolian Peri-Urban Communities in the Face of Climate Change and Development

The paper attempts to assess how water access and security in Mongolian ger districts is impacted by the competing forces of climate change and development. The development of Mongolia is, understandably, a priority of the government and much of the populace, as are the impacts of climate change, which are well documented and acknowledged. Furthermore, these processes both have potentially adverse impacts on the overall well being of communities. In the context of water access and security, the need to strike this balance becomes even more acute. These factors can all be seen playing out in the city of Sainshand, in Dornogovi aimag, in the South Gobi. Finding this balance defines the overarching theme of the paper, and the following questions will be asked in an attempt to begin to understand how best to integrate these interests for more successful water management overall in the context of Sainshand and its ger districts – What are people’s current water-related needs and concerns and are those being adequately addressed? Has there been any change seen in water access and water resource allocation in recent years? What are the existing plans for adaptation in the face of climate change and development and how are those plans being implemented? While water access is generally acceptable for ger district dwellers, issues still remain, and despite the very recent passage of a water security plan for Dornogovi aimag, there is still much that can and should be done to ensure sustainable water access and security. These issues are created by, namely, gaps in data created by lack of research and a high division of responsibility in regards to water resource management, both at the aimag level, and a lack of community participation in key decision-making

Limit to the ultra-high energy gamma-ray flux using data from the surface detectors of the Pierre Augar observatory

Cosmic-rays are highly energetic particles originating from outer space. Ultrahigh energy cosmic-rays (UHECRs) are defined as those above 10^18 eV. The Pierre Auger Observatory is a hybrid detector comprising a surface array of over 1660 water-Cherenkov detectors and 27 nitrogen-fluorescence detectors, the data from which can be studied separately or combined in hybrid mode. Data-taking began in 2004, with construction of the array completed in 2008. The mass-composition of UHECR, in particular the flux of photons, is currently unknown. UHECR photons are expected from the interaction of protons with energies greater than ∼ 3×10^19 eV with the cosmic microwave background. Previous limits on the fraction of UHECR photons from surface array data are of the order of a few % above 10^19 eV. Surface array data have been used to update and improve a mass-sensitive shower-timing parameter, (Δ), derived from the signal risetimes of individual detectors. A complete overhaul of this method has been performed, providing a more robust parameter sensitive to the mass-composition of UHECR. The change of (Δ) with energy has been investigated and a correlation between (Δ) and another mass-sensitive parameter - the depth of maximum, Xmax, has been found. A study of the mass-sensitivity of (Δ) has been made by comparison to photon and hadronic simulations. From this comparison it is found that the composition of UHECRs, on average, tends towards heavier primaries with increasing energy. Ten events have been identified as potential photon-initiated air showers. Conservative integral upper limits to the flux of UHE photons have been computed at 8.7 × 10^−3, 4.7 × 10^−3, 2.8 × 10^−3 and 2.3 × 10^−3 km^−2 sr^−1 yr^−1 above 10, 20, 30 and 40EeV respectively. Integral upper limits to the fraction of photons have also been found at 1.5%, 3.2%, 4.9% and 9.1% above these energies. These new limits improve upon previous works and exclude all ‘top-down’ models for photonproduction except the Z-burst model, which is strongly disfavoured. These limits do not yet probe the GZK region. The arrival directions of these photon-candidates have been compared to the positions of nearby AGN from the VCV and Swift-BAT catalogues. No obvious sources have been found for these events and none of the photon-candidate arrival directions lie close to Cen A. The differences between those events above 5 × 10^19 eV that correlate with AGN from the VCV catalogue, or originate from within 18◦ angular separation of Centaurus A, to those that do not, have been studied using the (Δ) parameter. No significant differences in their average (Δ) have been found, nor is a systematic change in (Δ) observed as a function of angular distance from Cen A. Finally, the azimuthal asymmetry on the risetimes has been reviewed as a potential mass-sensitive parameter in relation to previous works. A possible alternative method for determining the dependence of the asymmetry on the energy has been explored with limited success. This new method is in the early stages of development and further study is required

Understanding Philanthropic Motivations of Northeast State Community College Donors

At Northeast State Community College (NeSCC) nearly 70% of students need some form of financial aid to attend. State support is flattening or decreasing and the gap is filled by private donors\u27 support (Northeast State Community College, 2011). Hundreds of donors have made significant contributions to aid in the education of those in the Northeast Tennessee region. The purpose of this study was to investigate the philanthropic motivations of a select group of 4 donors who have given a significant amount to a community college and to garner their specific reasons for doing so. This qualitative study included 4 interviews from current donors in the President\u27s Trust at NeSCC who had contributed at least $10,000. I interviewed an alumni representative, a faculty member, an individual contributor, and a corporate representative to better understand their approaches and perspectives on giving to NeSCC. Through the interviews, I learned personal stories and motivations for giving. Some of their experiences can be linked to the servant leadership theory, transformational leadership, and Maslow\u27s Hierarchy of Needs. Also, the participants had similarities in stating that it was rewarding to give back and they all agreed that something from childhood spawned their motivations for giving

Creating Dialogical Safe Spaces for Gen Z Discussions on Social Issues and Creating Meaningful Change

Gen Z is interested in participating in impactful societal change. The process of change begins with intentional dialogue. After dialogue, a process of seeking and implementing change is necessary for true societal impact. Using research on current methods used in various settings and real-life stories we propose elements that foster safe spaces for Gen Z to have constructive dialogue that leads to change, both in them and in the church

Making change happen

This book is a unique window into a dynamic time in the politics and history of Australia. The two decades from 1970 to the Bicentennial in 1988 saw the emergence of a new landscape in Australian Indigenous politics. There were struggles, triumphs and defeats around land rights, community control of organisations, national coalitions and the international movement for Indigenous rights. The changes of these years generated new roles for Aboriginal people. Leaders had to grapple with demands to be administrators and managers as well as spokespeople and lobbyists. The challenges were personal as well as organisational, with a central one being how to retain personal integrity in the highly politicised atmosphere of the ‘Aboriginal Industry’. Kevin Cook was in the middle of many of these changes – as a unionist, educator, land rights campaigner, cultural activist and advocate for liberation movements in Southern Africa, the Pacific and around the world. But ‘Cookie’ has not wanted to tell the story of his own life in these pages. Instead, with Heather Goodall, a long time friend, he has gathered together many of the activists with whom he worked to tell their stories of this important time. Readers are invited into the frank and vivid conversations Cookie had with forty-five black and white activists about what they wanted to achieve, the plans they made, and the risks they took to make change happen

The moderating effect of gender on ideal-weight goals and exercise dependence symptoms

Background and aims: Exercise dependence is implicated in the development of eating disorders and muscle dysmorphic disorder. Although conceptually these disorders represent similar pathologies they largely affect different genders and result in opposite body composition, appearance, and ideal-weight goals (i.e., to gain or lose/maintain weight). Therefore, understanding individuals' ideal-weight goals related to engaging in exercise while simultaneously examining gender differences in exercise dependence symptoms may help to identify those whom may be most at-risk for eating disorders and muscle dysmorphic disorder. The purpose of our study was to examine the moderating effect of gender for exercise dependence symptoms in relation to weight gain, loss, or maintenance goals. Methods: Self-reported exercise behavior and exercise dependence symptoms (i.e., Exercise Dependence Scale) were assessed in 513 undergraduate students. Results: Our analysis revealed a moderating effect for gender on ideal-weight goals and a gender difference in exercise dependence symptoms. Specifically, men who were dissatisfied with their current weight reported more exercise dependence symptoms than women. Conclusions: These results support a growing body of research and extend our understanding of the relationships among exercise dependence and gender specific body-focused psychiatric disorders