Celebratory Occasions Research Articles

The role of goat production in smallholder systems in Lao PDR: implications for improving productivity and scaling up production

Context Rising demand from Vietnam for Lao goat meat has triggered a rapid increase in goat numbers in Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Despite the increased market opportunity for smallholder farmers in Laos, goat production remains low input within free-grazing management systems. Aims Qualitative research was conducted to explore the role that goat production plays in farmers’ livelihood strategies and farming systems, including the benefits and associated trade-offs, so as to inform development approaches to improve goat husbandry and productivity. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 smallholder goat farmers across five villages in southern-central Laos. Interview transcripts were analysed using grounded theory methodology with the assistance of the Nvivo 12 software program. Key results The interviews showed that goats were a profitable and liquid asset for farmers. Income from goats was used for small expenses that occurred frequently or at short notice, such as household loans or debts, utility and medical costs and buying food and clothing for family members. Goats had socio-cultural purposes, with some farmers preferring to consume goats during celebratory occasions over other livestock species. Managing goats was easy and benefited the wider farming system by providing goat manure to fertilise crop plantations. Conclusions Goat productivity and goats’ unique subsistence and socio-cultural roles can be enhanced by improving goat kid management, goat-house design and cleaning, and by implementing disease management. These activities can be low input. Implications The government policy and future development projects in Laos should focus on increasing goat productivity rather than increasing the scale of farmers’ goat enterprises. The majority of farmers may not benefit from significantly increasing the scale of their goat enterprises because of trade-offs associated with free-grazing management, including goats damaging crops or becoming lost or involved in accidents such as dog attacks and car accidents.

“Edible Aesthetics”: Blurring Boundaries between Pastry and Art

The inquiry into whether food can be classified as “art” has long been a subject of debate. From its roots tracing back to Plato, this question has attracted the attention of both artistic movements and philosophers, especially throughout the twentieth century. In this paper, I aim to revisit this contentious issue by exploring the realm of pastry making as a form of art. Within the broader discourse on this topic, pastry emerges as a distinctive medium. Since sweets have historically transcended their mere nutritive functions, pastry may establish an immediate connection between art and food. Simultaneously, it reiterates the persistent challenges of encompassing the edible domain within conventional aesthetic theories. Throughout various contexts and periods, confectionery has evolved through the reproduction or imitation of visual arts, often reflecting the prevailing artistic climate of its flourishing periods. Moreover, due to its intimate association with rituals and celebratory occasions, pastry carries a profound cognitive and metaphorical framework that enhances its expressive potential, capturing the attention of many artists. By exploring the intersection of pastry and various artistic genres, drawing on illustrative examples ranging from modern European pièce montées to American cake design and Japanese wagashi, I critically examine the possibility and potential aesthetic qualities of this marginal genre, thereby opening up broader inquiries into the loose categorizations and fluctuations within the intricate domain of art.

영조 4년(1728) 분무공신(奮武功臣)에 대한 의례적 기념

Examined in this article are the ritual protocols observed in celebrating the honorable deeds of the meritorious “Bunmu” subjects, who were commended for their service in subduing the Mushin-year Insurrection(戊申亂) in 1728(4th year of king Yeongjo’s reign). The rituals were designed and promoted by King Yeongjo himself, who wanted to get as much public attention as well as political score from not only the victory but the celebratory occasion itself.BR The officials who successfully suppressed the Mushin-year rebellion were commended with the title “Bunmu Gongshin(奮武功臣),” which meant “the Bunmu meritorious subjects.” The most general and ordinary ritual for officials commended in this fashion had been the Hwemaeng-je(會盟祭) ritual, in which the honored participants would apply blood to their lips and then swear an oath of loyalty to the king. But the ritual performed for the Bunmu meritorious subjects in the 4th year of King Yeongjo’s reign was a little different, as it first featured the “Heon’gwek(獻馘)” ceremony, which was a performance of presenting the enemy’s decapitated head to the king, and then conducted the Hwemaeng-je ritual, displaying a rather enlarged service compared to previous occasions meant for other meritorious vassals.BR The reason Yeongjo wanted to display the Bunmu meritorious subjects’ contributions through ritual ceremonies designed in this manner was because he was trying to maintain a level of unity within the Joseon government, by preventing the Soron(少論) faction inside the government from facing any fallout from the Mushin-year insurrection in which many Soron members outside the government actually joined. By staging this ritual ceremony, Yeongjo was able to use the government army’s victory over the rebels to not only consolidate and but also legitimize his own throne. Meanwhile, the Soron faction inside the government, which was facing a crisis because of the rebellion, also tried to reflect their stance and opinion in the preparation and performance of the rituals spearheaded by King Yeongjo himself, and managed to solidify their position in the government as well. Examination of the entire process helped me understand the nature of these rituals, as well as the political machinations of the participants involved, in details.

정조대 『어제전운시』의 유입과 병자호란 기억의 재구성 -나덕헌 이확을 중심으로-

Examined in this article is the Eoje Jeon’un-shi, which came from Qing to Joseon during King Jeongjo’s reign. How it shed a new light on the actions of two individuals named Na Deok-heon and Yi Hwak, and how it affected the Joseon people’s recollections of the war with the Manchurians that occurred in the Byeongja-year(1636), is the main focus of this study.<BR> When the (Qing) Emperor Hongtaiji was enthroned for the first time, Joeon representatives Na Deok-heon and Yi Hwak refused to bow, despite all the beating and torture they had to suffer. But upon their return to Joseon, they were accused of joining the celebratory occasion of Hongtaiji’s enthronement, and also of receiving an official letter from him who clearly called himself an Emperor. To answer for their crimes, they were summarily exiled. At the time it was indeed reported that they never actually bowed, but people did not believe it, and the doubtful stares existed even after they were given posthumous governmental positions during the reign of King Sukjong.<BR> Then later, in 1778(2nd year of King Jeongjo’s reign) the Joseon people learned that the story of the two was inserted in the Eoje Jeon’un-shi(御製全韻詩), and after this very book was officially imported into Josoen the next year(1779), the situation changed dramatically. The actions of Na Deok-heon and Yi Hwak were heralded as a brave and decisive act which declared to the entire world Joseon’s determination to uphold its loyalty toward the legitimate master of China (the late Ming), against the barbaric Qing which undeservedly proclaimed its leader as an Emperor. They even received posthumous titles for that, and governmental officials and academic scholars alike, regardless of their political parties and world views or even perception of the Qing, engaged in vibrant efforts of creating biographies for these two men.<BR> But certain portions in Eoje Jeon’un-shi, which documented Qing’s invasion of Joseon (and also immediately followed the story of Na and Yi), was conveniently ignored in the process. This paved a way for the Joseon people’s memories of the Byeongja-year war to convert into a different sort of recollection, which remembered the event as one symbolizing Joseon’s everlasting loyalty toward the late Ming.

Reading Party as Space: A Study of Virginia Woolf's Select Short Stories

This paper aims to address a conceptual gap in the understanding of 20th-century modernist literature where on the one hand, it was associated with a sensibility of death, frustration, crisis, and social dissonance. On the other hand, the literature of the times was proliferated with social spaces and public gatherings which not just acted as spaces of leisure but had a politics of their own. By developing on this inherent contradiction, this paper studies the impact of the built environment of the party space on the construction of the modernist subject through urban theorist Henry Lefebvre’s idea of the “lived space.” Party here is a reference to any social gathering, a celebratory occasion, and does not have any political affiliation. Through this theoretical framework, the paper identifies space not as a physical structure or a medium but as a milieu formed through human actions and interactions with each other and the surroundings. Moreover, to study the ambience of the modernist party the paper draws inspiration from Virginia Woolf’s idea of “party consciousness” which elucidates the impact of the imping of spatial consciousness of the party through its developments which either “make things much more real or much less real.” Through this understanding, the paper studies Virginia Woolf’s short story collection Mrs Dalloway’s Party (2012) wherein the ideological binaries of race, class, and gender collapse to reveal party as a third space of open-ended possibilities. In a larger context, this study recognizes humans as inherently spatial beings made and re-made continually through socio-political and economic factors. Therefore, the impressive impact of city life which has stirred multiple consciousnesses and has realized the significance of leisure time makes it a relevant study in the present times.

Endre Szentkiralyi. Being Hungarian in Cleveland: Maintaining Language, Culture, and Traditions.

Endre Szentkiralyi. <i>Being Hungarian in Cleveland: Maintaining Language, Culture, and Traditions.</i>

The Strange Case of Dr. Netanyahu and Mr. Bibi

The swearing-in ceremony of a new Israeli government is normally a celebratory occasion. After months of heated electioneering and arduous coalition-building negotiations, the freshly elected 120 M...

Making Light of Convicts

Making Light of Convicts

Investigating Australian Consumers' Perceptions of and Preferences for Different Styles of Sparkling Wine Using the Fine Wine Instrument.

This study investigated consumer preferences for different styles of sparkling wine and the influence of wine style and occasion on sparkling wine purchasing and consumption behavior. Australian consumers (n = 203) completed an online survey and blind tasting of representative styles of commercial sparkling wines, including Champagne. Wine sensory profiles were determined by descriptive analysis using a trained panel (n = 12) and consumers were segmented into ‘No Frills’, ‘Aspirant’ and ‘Enthusiast’ clusters using the Fine Wine Instrument. Consumer perceptions, preferences and liking were measured using 9-point hedonic scales and compared via statistical analysis. Consumers anticipated liking Champagne and sparkling white wine the most, and Moscato and Prosecco the least, but on tasting, could only readily identify the Moscato and sparkling red wines, as the most contrasting wine styles. As such, liking scores for the Champagne and sparkling white wine were significantly lower based on tasting (median scores were 6.0, compared with 9.0 and 8.0 for survey responses, respectively). Consumers’ preconceived expectations of different sparkling wine styles clearly influenced purchasing and consumption behavior. Aspirants and Enthusiasts were more likely to spend more per bottle for Champagne and sparkling white wine, and consumption of these sparkling wines was most frequently associated with celebratory occasions, such as anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas, New Year and weddings.

Analysis of Islamic Legal Rulings Relating to Women Activities During Waiting Period (Iddah) of Revocable Divorce (Talaq Raj’ie) According to Muslim Jurists] Analisa Hukum Berkaitan Aktiviti Wanita Dalam Iddah Talak Raj’ie Menurut Pandangan Fuqaha

&#x0D; ‘Iddah or waiting period is a specific period stipulated for a woman who was divorced or after the death of her husband. It is an aspect that needs to be observed after a divorce occurs, other than maintenance and custody. In reality, many women who are observing the waiting period are involved in a career and social activities which leaves certain implications and creates challenges as to the actual process of waiting period as stipulated by Islam. Hence, this conceptual paper aims to review the sharī‘ah rulings on some common activities that these women who are separated by revocable divorce were involved in, such as in the aspects of career, appearance and celebratory occasions. Qualitative methodology was adopted by collecting and analyzing Muslim jurists' opinions on social activities that the women who are observing waiting period of revocable divorce are involved in. This study found that the opinions of Muslim jurists and their discourse on legal sources on the basis of legal objectives (Maqāṣid al-Sharī'ah) can determine the status of involvement in social activities among women who were revocably divorced and observing the waiting period. ‘Iddah or waiting period is a specific period stipulated for a woman who was divorced or after the death of her husband. It is an aspect that needs to be observed after a divorce occurs, other than maintenance and custody. In reality, many women who are observing the waiting period are involved in a career and social activities which leaves certain implications and creates challenges as to the actual process of waiting period as stipulated by Islam. Hence, this conceptual paper aims to review the sharī‘ah rulings on some common activities that these women who are separated by revocable divorce were involved in, such as in the aspects of career, appearance and celebratory occasions. Qualitative methodology was adopted by collecting and analyzing Muslim jurists' opinions on social activities that the women who are observing waiting period of revocable divorce are involved in. This study found that the opinions of Muslim jurists and their discourse on legal sources on the basis of legal objectives (Maqāṣid al-Sharī'ah) can determine the status of involvement in social activities among women who were revocably divorced and observing the waiting period. &#x0D; Iddah merupakan suatu tempoh tertentu yang ditetapkan bagi seorang wanita yang diceraikan atau selepas kematian suami. Ia merupakan salah satu aspek yang perlu dilalui selepas berlaku penceraian selain nafkah dan hadhanah. Realiti wanita beriddah pada masa kini banyak melibatkan diri dalam kerjaya dan aktiviti masyarakat yang memberi impak dan cabaran dalam proses pelaksanaan iddah yang sebenar mengikut Islam. Justeru, kertas kerja konsep ini bertujuan untuk melihat pandangan syariah terhadap beberapa aktiviti yang menjadi kebiasaan dalam kalangan wanita yang ditalak raji’e seperti dalam aspek kerjaya, penampilan dan aktiviti keraian. Metodologi kualitatif dijalankan dengan mengumpul dan menganalisis pandangan-pandangan fuqaha terhadap aktiviti sosial yang dilakukan oleh wanita yang berada dalam iddah talak raji’e. Kajian ini mendapati pandangan dan kupasan dalil oleh para fuqaha berdasarkan Maqasid Syariah dapat menentukan status perlaksanaan aktiviti sosial dalam kalangan wanita beriddah talak raji’e.

Analysis of Islamic Legal Rulings Relating to Women Activities During Waiting Period (Iddah) of Revocable Divorce (Talaq Raj’ie) According to Muslim Jurists

‘Iddah or waiting period is a specific period stipulated for a woman who was divorced or after the death of her husband. It is an aspect that needs to be observed after a divorce occurs, other than maintenance and custody. In reality, many women who are observing the waiting period are involved in a career and social activities which leaves certain implications and creates challenges as to the actual process of waiting period as stipulated by Islam. Hence, this conceptual paper aims to review the sharī‘ah rulings on some common activities that these women who are separated by revocable divorce were involved in, such as in the aspects of career, appearance and celebratory occasions. Qualitative methodology was adopted by collecting and analyzing Muslim jurists' opinions on social activities that the women who are observing waiting period of revocable divorce are involved in. This study found that the opinions of Muslim jurists and their discourse on legal sources on the basis of legal objectives (Maqāṣid al-Sharī'ah) can determine the status of involvement in social activities among women who were revocably divorced and observing the waiting period.

"Mom, I'm Pregnant": The Adolescent Pregnancy Reveal.

The pregnancy reveal is conventionally a celebratory occasion, but for a pregnant adolescent, sharing news of a pregnancy, particularly with parents, can be a daunting prospect. Nonetheless, given the importance of social support to pregnant and parenting adolescents' success, the pregnancy reveal is an important step toward making healthy pregnancy decisions. Drawing on data from 27 in-depth interviews with young parents in Texas who were peer educators in an adolescent pregnancy prevention program, we find that adolescents often delay telling parents about a pregnancy. The complex decision-making process they undergo as they consider how and from whom to seek help can be drawn out, sometimes well into the second trimester, potentially delaying prenatal care and other steps necessary for a healthy pregnancy. This finding suggests that the delay and its consequences warrant further research and may have implications for parents' and practitioners' conversations with adolescents about sexual and reproductive health.

Everyday Multiculturalism in the Public Library: Taking Knitting Together Seriously

This article brings recent discussions of everyday multiculturalism into a context which has had little sociological attention – the public library. Focusing on a south London library’s newly established knitting group, made up of predominantly older women from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, I show how the library’s framing of multiculturalism, limited to either celebratory occasions or targeted interventions for vulnerable groups, was unable to recognise the knitting group as an everyday multicultural space. Using an ethnographic approach which ‘takes seriously’ the ordinariness of knitting together, I show how the library setting provided the group with a reliable foundation, and attend closely to how, for its participants, the group became a space of multicultural recognition. I argue that the public library has capacity to anchor vital spaces of everyday multicultural conviviality which are not curated as special projects, and that the ordinary positioning of these spaces is integral to their formation.

Violence, Otherness and Identity in Isaiah 63:1–6: The Trampling One Coming from Edom

Violence, Otherness and Identity in Isaiah 63:1–6: The Trampling One Coming from Edom

Untangling Centuries of South African Chinese Diasporas: Molluscs/Abalone, Ungulates/Rhinos and Equidae/Donkeys

This article seeks to consider perceptions of the Chinese in the context of the illegal trade in molluscs (abalone), ungulates (rhino horn) and, more recently, equidae (donkey hides), which has scourged the coasts and hinterlands of South Africa for the Asian market for over half a century. Abalone is heralded as a delicacy for celebratory occasions, rhino horn is in high demand as a medicinal cure for a range of ailments and the more recent donkey hides are connected to the treatment of menopause and related conditions. Since its inception in the latter half of the twentieth century, this illegal trafficking by syndicates has been indelibly ascribed to the Chinese with hugely negative consequences and stereotyping becoming embedded in popular consciousness. This article attempts to untangle the perpetrators from the entangled Chinese diasporas by identifying three distinct historical waves of Chinese arrivals in South Africa and deliberates on how ignorance of this past has perpetuated a stereotyping which culminated in the current Chinese hate speech case in the Equality court.

Enriching The Soundscape And Dancescape Of Sabah Through Sumazau

Sumazau is a generic term for a genre of music and dance of the Kadazan of Penampang District, Sabah. Traditionally, the sumazau was a sacred dance accompanied by distinctive gong music that was performed as part of religious ceremonies such as monogit, and those associated with rice farming, weddings, and various other obligatory rituals. The sumazau musical ensemble played using six hanging gongs, and a drum is called sompogogungan. When the sompogogungan plays the sumazau beat in ritual contexts, its sound is said to bridge the human and the spirit worlds. The dance itself, the sumazau, functions symbolically to cleanse and cure illness; the dancers embody the spiritual while simultaneously offering rice and rice wine to the spirits. Social change and development have made these traditional sacred practices less important in modern-day society. Nevertheless, sumazau continues to serve as a powerful identity symbol for the Kadazan. sumazau accompanied by the sompogogungan continues to be performed at village weddings and on other celebratory occasions, including special church events. Through staged performances featuring segments of the rituals choreographed for various secular events at district and state levels, Sumazau has become an iconic “living Kadazan heritage”. sumazau music with its distinctive rhythm has also influenced popular music and contemporary Kadazan Dusun songs. Based on qualitative research among the Kadazan of Penampang, this paper discusses how sumazau music and dance has been transformed from the sacred to the secular, from the traditionally private space to the public domain, where it enjoys a wider audience and participation as part of the intrinsic local popular culture of contemporary Sabah and Malaysia. Through concerted efforts to promote indigenous nationalism, sumazau music and dance have also become iconic cultural elements of the Kadazan as well as that of Sabah’s identity. Keywords: sumazau, musicscapes, dancescapes, heritage, identity, Kadazan of Sabah

Assessing the Impact of Closure Type on Wine Ratings and Mood

We report on a preliminary study designed to assess the impact of the sound of the closure on the taste of wine. Given that people hold certain beliefs around the taste/quality of wines presented in bottles having different closure types, we expected that the sound of opening might influence people’s wine ratings. In particular, if participants hear a cork being pulled vs. the sound of a screw-cap bottle being opened then these two sounds will likely set different expectations that may then affect people’s judgment of the taste/quality of the wine that they are rating. In order to test this hypothesis, 140 people based in the UK (and of varying degrees of wine expertise) rated two wine samples along four scales, three relating to the wine and one relating to celebratory mood. The results demonstrated that the sound of a bottle being opened did indeed impact ratings. In particular, the quality of the wine was rated as higher, its appropriateness for a celebratory occasion, and the celebratory mood of the participant was also higher following the sound of the cork pop. These results add to the literature demonstrating that the sounds of opening/preparation of food and beverage products can exert a significant influence over the sensory and hedonic aspects of people’s subsequent tasting experience.

Outstanding Organics

Editor-in-chief Haymo Ross summarizes the history of the journal, which is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, and highlights exciting new features that readers can look forward to in the celebratory years. Twenty years ago, in 1997, the first step was taken by the Dutch and German chemical societies (KNCV and GDCh) to amalgamate several national chemical journals into a smaller number of high-quality European journals. In the following year, the European Journal of Organic Chemistry (EurJOC) and its twin journal, the European Journal of Organic Chemistry, were launched when more European chemical societies participated in this truly European project. For one year only, in 1997, the two journals were published under the names Liebigs Annalen/Recueil and Chemische Berichte/Recueil. At that time, the three journals already had a long history; Recueil des Travaux Chimiques des Pays-Bas was formed in 1882, Chemische Berichte in 1868, and the founding of Liebigs Annalen even dates back to 1832. Commemorating 1997 as the year of transition, EurJOC and EurJIC are celebrating their 20th anniversary over a two-year period. Our anniversary activities will concentrate on special issues, new features, as well as conferences and events. Our celebrations began in the first week of July, fittingly at the 20th European Symposium on Organic Chemistry (ESOC 2017) in Cologne, Germany. This was not the first time the symposium series and the journal that have so similar names collaborated. Actually, EurJOC's decennial celebratory issue in 2007 exclusively contained contributions from speakers and the chair Figure 1. Left to right: Anne Nijs, Albrecht Berkessel (Co-Chair, ESOC 2017), Hans-Günther Schmalz (Chair, ESOC 2017).of the local organizing committee of ESOC 2007 held in Dublin, Ireland (see issue 25/2007). From then on, we have regularly supported ESOC in various ways. At this year's ESOC meeting, the welcome reception on the first day of the conference was sponsored by EurJOC. Deputy editor Anne Nijs gave a short talk prior to the reception to present the journal and to highlight the celebratory occasion (Figure 1). As mentioned above, EurJOC is going to present new features. First off, we have introduced the “Outstanding Organics” section on our homepage. Here, you can find, immediately upon publication, papers from currently outstanding research areas in organic chemistry. The topics for this section are curated by the editors based on trends that they observe at conferences, from the manuscripts submitted, and from the papers published in EurJOC that receive increased attention. The number of sections may be increased or topics may change as time passes by. Each section will be filled continuously with a selection of excellent papers published in EurJOC to give our readers a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in each field. So far five topics have been selected: Fluorinated compounds Earth-abundant metals Iodine-mediated reactions Functional organic materials The manuscripts compiled in the Outstanding Organics section will also be featured on our Twitter page, so please check out #outstandingorganics for updates! And if you are working in one of these areas, feel encouraged to submit your next paper to us!

Epigenomic Susceptibility to the Social World: Plausible Paths to a “Newest Morbidity”

This article—presented on the celebratory occasion of Dr Robert Haggerty's 91st birthday—describes how a 1962 article by Dr Haggerty and his colleague Dr Roger Meyer launched a previously unexplored, pediatric research enterprise by asserting that: “There are little precise data to explain why one person becomes ill with an infecting agent and another not.” Noting a prospective association between family stressors and the acquisition of β-hemolytic streptococcal infections, the article introduced a generation of young academic pediatricians—the author of the present article among them—to the possibility of causal linkages among children's adversity exposures, compromised immunological processes, and the development of immune-mediated, acute or chronic diseases of childhood. That research agenda has led, over the past 40 years, to the advent of psychoneuroimmunology as a field of study, to the recognition of childhood stress and adversity as potential etiologic agents among childhood morbidities, and to the discovery of differential susceptibility to social adversities within populations of children.

Provision of effective, meaningful and appropriate care for families who have experienced stillbirth: a comprehensive systematic review protocol

REVIEW OBJECTIVE The objective of this review is to identify effective, meaningful and/or appropriate non-pharmacological, psychosocial supportive care interventions and strategies for families to improve their psychological well-being following stillbirth. REVIEW QUESTIONS Review question 1 What are effective interventions and strategies for improving the psychological wellbeing of families who have experienced stillbirth? Review question 2 What are family’s experiences of interventions and strategies aimed at improving their psychological well-being following stillbirth? Specifically, this question examines the meaningfulness of interventions and strategies experienced by parents and families following stillbirth. Review question 3 What is the appropriateness of interventions and strategies aimed at improving the psychological well-being of families who have experienced stillbirth? Specifically, this question examines the cultural appropriateness of interventions following stillbirth. INCLUSION CRITERIA Participants The participants of interest for the review will be families who have experienced stillbirth. In this review, family is defined as mothers and/or fathers and/or siblings who have experienced stillbirth. Siblings are defined as the siblings of the stillborn baby. Studies that include parents or families who have experienced neonatal death, perinatal death (before or after birth), miscarriage, termination of pregnancy for non-medical or genetic reasons or pregnancy loss prior to 20 weeks will be excluded. Studies that include parents or families who have experienced neonatal death, perinatal death (before or after birth), miscarriage, termination of pregnancy for non-medical or genetic reasons or pregnancy loss prior to 20 weeks as well as stillbirth will be excluded if patient data relating to TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS