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Blue Wolf Mongolia Countdown: 38 days till liquidation
VOR closed at 1.9c Tuesday
Voyager Announcing Significant Capital Raising, Trading Halted
March 13 – The Directors of Voyager Resources Limited (ASX:VOR) hereby request a trading halt of the Company’s securities pending an announcement regarding a significant capital raising.
The trading halt is requested until an announcement is made to the market, which his expected to be on or before the opening of trading on Monday 18 March 2013.
EUM last traded at 12c on 8 March
Eumeralla: INTERIM FINANCIAL REPORT
March 13 – Eumeralla Resources Limited (ASX:EUM) --
DIRECTORS’ REPORT
…
Review of Operations
Mongolia
Chuluun Khoroot Tungsten Mine
Prior to listing, the Company acquired Centreville LLC, a Mongolian domiciled entity that holds the Ovoot licence for an area located in north-eastern Mongolia. The License covers an area of 12,657 hectares and incorporates the historical Chuluun Khoroot tungsten mine which was active during the period 1945-1955.
The Chuluun Khoroot tungsten deposit was discovered in 1944 and is located in the south-eastern part of the license area. Tungsten and subordinate molybdenum mineralisation are associated with a series of quartz veins within the Chuluun Khoroot granite and surrounding sedimentary rocks.
Approximately 23 quartz veins have been identified with the “main vein” and number 18 vein having been the focus of past exploration. The main vein is approximately 500m long, strikes northwest-southeast and is essentially vertical. The vein has been explored to depths up to 60m and at surface appears to be 1-2m wide. The number 18 vein is approximately 100m long, 0.14m wide and has a variable strike from northeast-southwest to north-south. This vein has been explored to a depth of 12m.
Mapping and sampling fieldwork has been completed. The Company is awaiting the laboratory results of over 300 samples. A drilling program is planned to commence, subject to the outcome of the laboratory results.
Myanmar
On 26 July 2012, the Company announced that it had signed a non-binding letter of intent with Southern World Mining Co. Ltd (SWM) to jointly develop a total of four large-scale exploration or mining licenses in the Tenasserim tin and tungsten region of southern Myanmar.
Myanmar based SWM specialises in identifying large-scale, quality resource assets in the region. The Company utilized SWM’s extensive regional geological expertise to assist in identifying the additional large-scale exploration licenses. The Company expects the four licenses to total approximately 4,000 acres. The Company is encouraged by political and economic developments in Myanmar and considers that the lack of exploration over the last 30 years combined with favourable geology make the country highly prospective for tin and tungsten.
On 18 December 2012, the Company announced (subject to due diligence and necessary approvals) that it had signed an option agreement to acquire a 49% beneficial interest in the Two Palms (TP) Mining Project (Project) located in Southern Myanmar.
The initial tenement covers over 1,300 acres and is located in the Dawei, Township, Dawei District, Taninthayi Region, Myanmar. Applications are currently being made for three additional tenements.
The option agreement is subject to exploration licenses being granted for up to four mining leases. All prospective leases have been identified by TP, Eumeralla and consultant geologists as prospective for primary tin or tungsten deposits. After initial mapping, a drill program will be established with the objective of securing a maiden JORC resource. Eumeralla notes that under the transaction conditions, TP is required to seek and obtain any national and local government approvals and consents, including the ‘permission to explore permit’ from the Ministry of Mines.
The Company continues to conduct legal and geological due diligence of several sites in Myanmar with the view to increasing its footprint in the region in the short term.
The Southern regions of Myanmar include areas belonging to the South East Asian tin belt which includes parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand which produces tin and tungsten. The area around the port city of Dawei is the major focus of exploration.
…
BDSec: 03/12/2013 Tuesday Local Mongolian News
March 12 (Nick Cousyn, BDSec) Headline that US is abstaining from a World Bank vote to fund OT was disseminated yesterday, the market impact was fairly negligible. Unclear what the US’s motivation is here, do they think all parties involved would benefit more if production is delayed until a “sufficient” environmental assessment is completed?
While building a refinery to satisfy domestic demand sounds great in practice, Mongolia will still rely primarily on Russia for its import of oil, as opposed to distillate. While we are unaware of the potential financial benefits, this move would appear to increase strategic risks, as Mongolia will used borrowed money to build said refinery, while still being at the mercy of the Russians. The Tamasag oil deposit is in the far east of Mongolia, less than 200km away from the Chinese border.
Mongolia Daily Digest
· Mongolian transit transport will increase by 27-51% (unuudur p.A2)
o Working group of 26 people led by Consultant of Road and Transportation Minister J.Byambatsogt have participated in the railway cooperation association and made a productive transit agreement for 2013.
o Transit transport from China to Russia is to increase by 51% and become 280 thousand tons; Russia to China will increase by 27% and become 1715 thousand tons.
o Import from Russia will be 1.7 mn tons, and 947 thousand tons for export. Import from China will be 1360 thousand tons, and 6546 thousand tons for export. Out of total export to China, 5 million tons will be iron ore.
· French Geology Department (BRGM) wants to cooperate with Mongolia in geological sector (unuudur p.A6)
o BRGM representatives visited Ministry of Mining D.Gankhuyag and expressed interest of cooperating in geological sector and restoring MOA between two countries.
· OT financing wasn’t fully concluded (zuunii medee p.1)
o World bank is reconsidering the USD 900 mn loan to OT this year, but the U.S. has not given its support, claiming that the environmental assessment study is insufficient.
· Darkhan Oil Refinery Plant, general director, T.Namjim “Oil refinery, after 3 years, plant will fully supply the local oil demand” (zuunii medee p.1)
o Mongolia, Tamsag has possible oil resource of 42 mn tons considering that only 12-13% of total resource can be recovered. It means 20 years of resource if we produce 2 mn tons per annum.
o However, raw material will be purchased from Russia because there’s no infrastructure nearby Tamsag oil deposit.
· Average household income increased by MNT 225 k (udriin sonin p.4)
o Average household income increased by MNT 225 k (reached MNT 780 k) compared to the same period of the previous year.
o Unemployment (registered) decreased to 21k (2013, Feb) from 37k (2012 Feb) in the same period according to National Statistics Office of Mongolia.
Mining in Mongolia: Do the benefits outweigh the risks?
March 12 (BBC) In Mongolia the mining sector currently accounts for more than 25% of total economic output.
But some of the world's biggest mining companies have run into hurdles trying to start operations.
Rio Tinto is still in talks with the government trying to resolve disagreements related to its giant Oyu Tolgoi copper mine.
Peter Akerley from Erdene Resource Development (TSX:ERD) has been exploring for metals in Mongolia for the past 15 years, and he describes it as a once in a generation opportunity.
Mogi: Altain Khuder operates most probably the 2nd largest iron ore mine Tayan Nuur in Mongolia after Boldtumur Eruu Gol. EBRD approved a $55m debt/equity investment in AK back in January, 2012
Ministry of Environment sends inspectors to witness claims of environmental damage by Altain Khuder
March 12 (news.mn) The headlines of Newsweek report on a topical issue about a mining company, Altain Khuder. The company has caused great environmental disaster to the large amount of area in Tseel sum in Govi-Altai aimag with destructive trucks loading ore over the past 5 years. The Ministry of Environment and Green Development sent officials to observe the truth of the conditions in Tseel sum in Govi-Altai aimag on Tuesday March 12th.
According to reports released by local residents and herders “New Century Tseel” NGO Altain Khuder mining company promised to build paved roads in the area when it started running operations. But it failed to carry out their promises. Every day over 70 trucks constantly transport ore to export to China, making their own paths and routes across areas without road, causing great environmental damage to the area.
The devastated local residents and herders submitted a petition to the Ministry of Environment and Green Development asking officials to check the reality of the conditions in the area. Local residents say that environmental damage in the area has caused near extinction of rare animals in the Altai mountain range and Great Tayan mountains.
Mogi: don’t panic yet folks, Rosneft is not the only supplier to Mongolia. Let’s see how other suppliers can do
ROSNEFT TO SUPPLY 25% LESS PETROLEUM PRODUCTS TO MONGOLIA IN 2013
March 12 (InfoMongolia) The Board of Directors of the Russian Rosneft Company at its recent meeting approved the deal between Rosneft and Mongolia (the buyer) for the sale of petroleum products for 2013 in volume of 1.068 million ton, worth 1.1 billion USD, excluding VAT. This amount equals up to 25% less compare to last year’s trade.
In 2012, Rosneft transported to Mongolia 1.4 million tons of petroleum products. Total cost of oil in 2012 was 1 billion USD. In 2013, the company plans to deliver to Mongolia 1.068 million tons of petroleum products, but the cost of supply due to price increases would estimate at 1.1 billion USD.
At the end of 2012 the volume of sales of fuel to Asia amounted to 8.5 million tons, the total amount realized by the company was 57.3 million tons. Revenue from sales in Asia amounted up to 228 billion Rubles or 7.4 billion USD in 2012.
Between Russia and Mongolia, there is currently no long-term agreement for the supply of petroleum products, but at the XVI Intergovernmental Committee meeting between the authorities of the two counties held in Ulaanbaatar in December 2012, Mongolia requested on negotiations on long-term reliable supply of petroleum products from Russia, moreover to develop an industry on oil products with Russian assistance. Mongolia imports almost 100% of fuel from the Russian Federation.
Mongolia: Bond gamble heats up
March 12 (Oxford Business Group) Funds raised through Mongolia’s first national bonds are set to have an impact on the wider economy, with the government announcing in February that four new major projects will benefit from the so-called “Genghis” bonds. However, critics still fear the issuance could back fire.
Upon their release in November 2012, the government sold $1.5bn worth of bonds, attracting orders for 10 times that amount, with the sales of the five-year bond making $500m at its launch rate of 4.13% yield, while the 10-year bonds, sold at 5.12%, raised $1bn.
“This is a big-bang entry into global capital markets,” Jan Dehn, the co-head of research at the UK-based Ashmore Investment, told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the launch.
The issuance followed an offering by the state-owned Development Bank of Mongolia in March 2012 worth $580m in bonds, which was also oversubscribed by 10 times. Government officials have said the country plans to sell a total of $5bn in bonds to finance the infrastructure required to develop its mining sector.
The first project aims to connect Ulaanbaatar, the capital, to all 21 aimags (provinces) with some 1347 km of paved roads by 2016. Meanwhile, a second venture, forming part of a transport overhaul in the capital, will see 33 junctions improved and highways built alongside the Tuul and Selbe rivers. Elsewhere, a 300-MW power plant will be built near the Tavan Tolgoi coking coal mine, while a 270-km railway line will be built to connect the mine to the Gashuun Sukhait Port.
Mongolia, which has an abundance of resources, including copper, uranium and coal, has recently stepped up production efforts to take advantage of such mineral wealth. For example, Oyu Tolgoi, the country’s biggest copper and gold mine and the third largest in the world, which is owned by Rio Tinto and the Mongolian government, is set to begin production in 2013.
Some analysts have lauded the potential to build up greater domestic savings through the bond offering, saying that not only will the bonds instill a greater sense of discipline throughout the broader economy, but will also enhance the country’s image in the international capital markets. However, critics have stated that such issuances leave the country open to a number of risks, including over-exposure, liquidity needs and trade effects.
The reality of these risks became apparent in December when the bonds plunged $7-8 following reports that the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP) was no longer prepared to work with the free-market Democratic Party (Mogi: not so “free-market”-y these days though), the country’s biggest party, following the election in June 2012.
While speaking with Reuters in early December, Vidur Jain, an analyst at Monet Capital, a local investment bank, said the MPRP’s decision to back out of the coalition could affect the yields on the recently issued bonds, and make a second issuance more expensive. (Mogi: a lesson to the world that “politics” here are just as “politics”-y as anywhere.)
Further risking the confidence underpinning bond sales, in October 2012 the World Bank noted declining demand from China for key coal resources, with exports falling 39% year-on-year in August, the largest fall since mid-2009.
“The use of sovereign-bond proceeds is adding to the concerns regarding the growing tendency to bypass the Fiscal Stability Law,” the bank warned in January. “While it is a sign of growing interest from global financial markets in the Mongolian economy, the new bond issue could become a significant fiscal risk without prudent plans to use the proceeds.”
A crucial test for the bonds will come when the US Federal Reserve starts raising interest rates again. According to the WSJ, “[The bubble] could burst if the situation in the eurozone deteriorates sharply, but then, as that would likely boost demand for dollar assets, dollar bonds such as Mongolia’s could find themselves in favour.”
While some believe the level of debt being generated by the bonds is a cause for concern, for optimists the government is choosing just the right time to cash in on growth. For example, in January The Economist labelled Mongolia its “star performer” for 2013, outperforming its closest rival, Macau, by 4.6% with a predicted GDP growth this year of 18.1%. (Mogi: there’s two versions of 2013 forecasts running around on The Economist. The magazine’s very own Economist Intelligence Unit predicted Mongolia would be 2nd after Macau, not first, while the other prediction looked without an owner)
By targeting the infrastructure deficiencies that may limit future growth, such as when mining reserves eventually run dry, the government is taking a long-term view on attracting investment, which will benefit future generations. However, both the ruling parties and the opposition must take note of how domestic political shocks can impact the global economy.
Mogi: wow, 1 out 3. That’s not good right?
Mongolia: Highest credit usage of any country in the world
With one out of three adults (32.8%) reporting taking a loan over a 12-month period, Mongolia has the distinction of having the highest credit usage of any country in the world, whether developed or developing. (Page 15)
Link to report: Microfinance Index of Market Outreach and Saturation, Part 1 - Total Credit Market Capacity, March 2013 – Planet Rating
BoM abstains from FX intervention in regular auction, executes $100m swap agreement with banks
March 12 (Bank of Mongolia) On the Foreign Exchange Auction held on March 12th, 2013 the BOM received from local commercial banks total ask offers of 2 million USD and bid offers of 40 million CNY. BOM has refused for the bid and ask оffers.
On March 12th, 2013, The BOM received MNT Swap agreement offer in equivalent to 100 million USD from domestic commercial banks and BOM has accepted all the offers for swap agreements.
MINETECH 2013 EXHIBITION, MARCH 27-29
Ulaanbaatar, March 12 /MONTSAME/ An exhibition “Minetech 2013” will run at “Misheel expo” center this March 27-29.
To take place for the sixth year, the event will be organized by Mongolian Mining association. The participants are some 70 companies ans entities who deal with the mining equipment production, supply ans services, from USA, Federal Republic of Germany, People's Republic of China, S.Korea, Australia and Russian Federation, as well as the national ones.
A “Transwest Mongol” LLC is the main official sponsor, other sponsors are Everdigm Mongolia LLC, “Wagner Asia” LLC, “Mongolian Mining Journal”, and “MMC” LLC.
During the action, many events are expected such as a seminar for manufacturers of mining equipment and suppliers, promotions, bowling competitions, and a “Day of Association” meeting.
Link to article (click English then try the link again)
Mongolian Metals and Minerals Congress, 14-15 May, Ulaanbaatar
March 12 (Business-Mongolia.com) From a strong portfolio of up and downstream conferences Metal Bulletin Events announced first conference dedicated to Mongolian metals and minerals industries.
Abundant in resources, the Mongolian Mining sector has seen rapid growth in the last years. 2013 is set to be a pivotal year as Oyu Tolgoi starts production of one of the world’s biggest copper mines, which will not only have a huge impact on the mining sector but the Mongolian economy as whole. With the sector set to go from strength to strength, production of copper set to go online and vast mineral resources still untapped, Mongolia remains the preeminent frontier mining destination.
Metal Bulletin’s Metals and Minerals Congress offers the perfect chance to learn about the opportunities in Mongolian mining, as well as offering excellent networking opportunities with a broad range of delegates both based in Mongolia and abroad. The congress will be held on 14, May- 15, May, 2013 at Kempinski Hotel, Khan Palace. 14 May 2013 – 15 May 2013. Confirmed key speakers include; Cameron McRae, President & CEO, Oyu Tolgoi LLC, Graeme Hancock, Chief Representative, Anglo American, Senior representative, Oyu Tolgoi, N. Algaa, Executive Director, Mongolian National Mining Association, Dr Tuvshintugs Batdelger, Director, Economic Research Institute, Professor Damba Galsandorj, President, Mongolian Exporters Association.
Choir-Sainshand road to be operational by September
March 12 (news.mn) Prime Minister N.Altankhuyag saw the 176.4 km Choir-Sainshand road construction work on the way to visit Dornogovi aimag on Tuesday March 12th.
The road construction work, financed by loans from the Export-Import Bank of Korea in 2006, had been halted due to contract price increases for some time.
The road construction work re-started with finance from the US Millennium Challenge Foundation project and has now been 70 percent completed. P.Batsaikhan, a representative of the auto road project of the Millennium Challenge Foundation told the Prime Minister that the road connection between Choir-Sainshand will be operational by September 1st.
The project coordinator said that soil removal and dam work was 100 percent completed and asphalt and paving work 9 percent near completion.
Attempt to bribe Head of Ulaanbaatar Customs Office revealed
March 12 (news.mn) The Anti-Corruption Authority (ACA) has launched an investigation into a case about attempting to corrupt the head of the Ulaanbaatar Customs Office.
Customs officers revealed an attempt to import 16 tons of lard from South Korea into Mongolia late last month.
It was revealed during customs clearance at Customs Control Progress transport as custom officers had not taken note of the illegal attempt.
he Ulaanbaatar Customs Office seized the badges of two customs officers who were involved with the case.
The owner of the 20 tons of lard allegedly offered 20 million MNT to the Head of the Ulaanbaatar Customs Office, B.Khishigbat. The Head of the Ulaanbaatar Customs Cffice, B.Khishigbat, delivered a notification to the Anti Corruption Authority so the Authority launched an investigation into the matter.
The seriousness of the incident is revealing as it occurred during a time of breakout of swine flu in Mongolia.
There have been a few occurrences since this first case. Earlier this month customs officers revealed 3 tons of lard at the customs control of Ulaanbaatar.
100,000 Apartment protesters call for hunger strike
March 12 (news.mn) Applicants of the 100 Thousand Apartment loans began their protest on Sukhbaatar Square on Monday against the Government’s decision to halt the project.
These civilians applied to take lower interest loans for apartments as a part of the 100 Thousand Apartment project launched by the Government. But the financing for the project was suspended due to financial restraints. The apartments that these applicants had reserved became functional during last October to December.
But the applicants could not take out the loans with lower interest because of financing failure so the construction companies officially announced to those who had reserved apartments that the contract had to be cancelled by March 15th. The construction companies also started considering undue loss since February.
In the case of a cancelling of the contract the client can take back the advance fee with a 10-20 percent loss.
However these people are delivering a petition to the Government and the State Bank, but officials have yet to comment on the petition.
So as per their announcement the protesters are calling a hunger strike.
The civilians who have been removed from the project demanded the Government to resolve the finance of lower interest loans for apartments and to make the construction companies withdraw from considering undue fees.
Supporters of the protest are likely to increase. Currently eight people have taken medical tests and collected placards to call the hunger strike on Wednesday to protest against the Government’s decision.
Mongolian specialists study Armenia’s track-record in family medicine
YEREVAN, March 12 (news.am) – A group of specialists from Mongolia are in Armenia to study the country’s past performance in the domain of family medicine.
Receiving the delegation from the Mongolian Ministry of Health, Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Health, Sergey Khachatryan, briefed the delegation members on Armenia’s reforms that were conducted in the country’s healthcare system ever since its independence in 1991, and reflected on the measures that were taken to introduce family medicine in Armenia.
Khachatryan also assured that the Armenian Health Ministry stands ready to convey the country’s track-record in the establishment of family medicine and to contribute so that the Mongolian delegation’s visit becomes productive.
The Mongolian delegation leader Baasan Bulganchimeg (Mogi: B. Bulganchimeg it seems) noted that they are informed that family medicine is an already-established institution in Armenia, and the Armenian specialists’’ knowhow in this domain is the best from the countries in the region.
Subsequently, the Mongolian delegation and the specialists from the Armenian Health Ministry held working discussions.
Skis and skates out of reach for Mongolian youth
March 13 (UB Post) There are very few places that youth in Ulaanbaatar can go for entertainment or to spend their free time, having fun with friends. Many people suspect that this lack of opportunities for youth entertainment is a reason why many young people are slipping into undesirable walks of life. So there have been calls for urgent action on the matter. But little has been done.
Many people are keen to spend time outside the city in winter to get fresh air, and the number of visitors to the ski resort has risen in recent years. The ski resort figures indicate that 90 percent of all customers are youth. But although the youth are willing to get fit and engage in winter sports, not many of them are able to learn to ski or snowboard because ski resort prices are out of reach. Few young people have their own skis, snowboards or skates because this sports equipment is so expensive. The few sports shops operating in Ulaanbaatar that sell skis, skates and other winter sports equipment have extremely high prices.
A journalist from the Daily News newspaper visited several sports shops to inquire about the exact prices of the equipment. At the first shop, the journalist found few items for sale, and what was available was expensive. The salespeople in the shop explained that as winter sports equipment is not popular, they import very few items. They further noted that the people in Mongolia who are interested in skiing and other winter sports are mostly wealthy people who prefer to buy designer gear, which small sports shops in Mongolia do not import.
The journalist then visited the Olimpus sports shop near the Tengis Cinema. The salesperson in the shop said that they purchase winter sports equipment, such as skates and skis, from Russia as they can obtain decent quality items for a reasonable price there. She said that they used to import winter sports gear from China, but customers repeatedly complained about the quality, so they no longer purchase such items from China.
Although Russian skate and ski manufacturers sell products at cheap wholesale rates, the Mongolian sports shops sell them with a mark-up of up to three times the price paid overseas. The shops claim that the high price is due to the low demand.
A quick price check, found that children’s skates in the shop cost between 35,000 and 65,000 MNT while skates for adults cost even more. Brand name skates used by professional European skaters cost 165,000 MNT.
The shop sold both cross-country and downhill skis, in the Larsen and Fischer brands, and had skis for all levels, from beginner to expert. The cheapest pair of skis cost185,000 MNT. According to the salesperson, this winter the shop had good sales of the skis that cost 510,000 MNT. This type of ski is reportedly used by World Cup athletes.
The journalist interviewed a member of the Mongolian Ski Association (MSA), B.Tsendsugar, who shared her views on the sport of skiing in Mongolia.
-The number of people interested in skiing and skating is increasing every year. But the ski and skate prices are so high in Mongolia. What’s your opinion on this?
-Everyone knows that the root of a healthy life is sport. Before 2000 almost all Mongolians used to go out of the city and ski. Their health was good and their bodies were fit thanks to skiing. Today the youth still want to ski and skate. But the government doesn’t pay attention to it and provide an appropriate environment for them to do so. There is no space in or near Ulaanbaatar where citizens are free to ski as they wish. The prices are very high at the ski resort. The price of the equipment also prevents people from taking up skiing. These are the main reasons for the poor development of skiing as a sport in Mongolia.
It is the duty of government organizations to control the prices and make them reasonable. Skiing must also be promoted among the public.
-The Mongolian Ski Association seems to have implemented very few measures regarding the matter. Would you agree?
-Yes. Actually the association has a lot of potential to undertake action in this area. The MSA and other ski organizations are not doing anything effective to develop winter sports.
-Is there really no chance of importing skis and skates at a cheaper price? I heard sports shops sell them at three times the original price here.
-The low awareness of the health benefits and magic of skiing has resulted in low sales of skis and skating equipment.
Mogi: Oh no!!! These guys are here?
SCIENTOLOGY: HOW WE HELP—NEW HOPE FOR MONGOLIA
A new brochure, Scientology: How We Help—Achieving Literacy and Education, describes a worldwide movement to revert the educational decline through the technology of study.
| ULAN BATOR, MONGOLIA ∙ MARCH 10, 2013 | The brochure Scientology, How We Help: Applied Scholastics, Achieving Literacy and Education, was released in March 2013, to describe the tools to make quality education available anywhere, as a recent project in Mongolia illustrates.
Mongolia faces unique challenges—30 percent of the population is nomadic or semi-nomadic and some 20 percent live on less than $1.25 per day. Educators are eager for technology to improve the quality of education to help Mongolia preserve its cultural heritage and maintain its commitment to sustainability while bringing it firmly into a competitive position in the 21st century.
Applied Scholastics International is a secular nonprofit public benefit corporation that addresses head-on the problem of illiteracy by making broadly available L. Ron Hubbard’s discoveries in the field of education and literacy. These educational breakthroughs are collectively known as Study Technology.
Executives of Applied Scholastics International received a request to participate in an educational convention in Mongolia. As Russian is more frequently spoken there than English (Mogi: that’s CIS thinking) and the Mongolian language is written in the Cyrillic alphabet they called on Ekaterina Komarova of Moscow, Executive Director of Applied Scholastics for the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Komarova flew to Ulan Bator, the capital and largest city in Mongolia. Over the course of four days, she delivered lectures to nearly 1,000 educators and students. She introduced Study Technology to professors of education responsible for teacher training and curriculum throughout the country and reached thousands more through news broadcasts and television interviews.
The responses were uniformly positive.
“I didn’t see the true reason for children’s study difficulties. Now I do,” said one of the teachers. “You told us about things we thought we knew, but we didn’t really get before. Thanks to you, now we understand,” said another.
Komarova also lectured to a group of 28 business owners and managers who saw that application of Study Technology will improve employee productivity and the communication of new ideas to clients and customers.
On Komarova’s final day in Ulan Bator a teacher who had attended her first presentation and had in turn organized a special lecture on Sunday for the students at her own school, came to share her experience with Study Technology with the 300 students Komarova was lecturing. After a math class where this teacher used these methods, the pupils insisted that she explain one thing: “Why didn’t you explain it to us this way earlier?” they wanted to know. “How interesting algebra is now.” (Mogi: haha)
An official in the Ministry of Education of Mongolia had this to say: “The conclusion I draw from your seminar is that this technology is very necessary to us all.” (Mogi: even got the government officials involved. Now that’s scary)
Study Technology is the work of author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. In his research into the mind and life, Mr. Hubbard isolated the precise causes for the success or failure of any activity or study and an actual “technology” of learning with which to master any subject.
Applied Scholastics International is a fully independent, nondenominational organization supported by the Church of Scientology and by Scientologists. For more than four decades it has made the technology of study available internationally, training over 135,000 educators from 42 nations who, in turn, have brought Study Technology to millions of colleagues and students. The organization works with hundreds of affiliated schools and educational programs throughout the world, providing the effective learning tools developed by L. Ron Hubbard.
The brochure Scientology, How We Help: Applied Scholastics, Achieving Literacy and Education is one of a series of publications presented by the Church of Scientology International to meet requests for more information about the Scientology religion and its support of global humanitarian initiatives and social betterment programs. For more information, visit the Scientology website at www.scientology.org/AppliedScholastics.
Mogi: thought for a second if it was April 1st already, but then a quick wiki revealed there’s actually animals called wolverines, didn’t know.
Biologists on skis seek wolverines in remote Mongolia
BOZEMAN, MONTANA, March 12 (Montana State University) - A team of wildlife biologists will soon ski 400 miles through northern Mongolia, searching for signs of wolverines in the rugged, frigid mountains of the Darhad region.
Headed by Montana State University graduate Gregg Treinish and featured on National Geographic's education website, the researchers will leave Bozeman on March 19. They plan to start skiing on March 26. Four of the five team members will fly home May 3.
During their time in Mongolia, the biologists hope to find wolverine DNA that they can add to an existing database, refine what little information is known about wolverine distribution, and look for places to set up wildlife cameras in the future, under the direction of a longer-term wolverine research projected affiliated with the MSU BioRegions Program.
In the course of the expedition, which the public can follow online, the researchers could encounter blizzards, extreme cold, herders, hunters and an assortment of wildlife that might include wild reindeer, wild boars and Siberian musk deer. What they really want to do is find wolverine tracks and collect hair, scat and urine for DNA analysis.
"We know that a population of wolverines exists in the Darhad region, but understanding the population dynamics, human threat levels, and the ecology of the species in this region will be critical as wolverines begin to feel the effects of climate change due to diminishing suitable habitat," the collaborators wrote in a project summary.
"The Darhad region of Mongolia represents one of the world's most unknown regions when it comes to wildlife species," they added. "Although wolverine research has been conducted in the region for the past four years, a lot remains to be learned, and the country is a particularly challenging place to work on an elusive species."
Mongolia is a ferocious country, according to team member Rebecca Watters who considers it her second home. A research associate with the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative in Jackson, Wyo., and ecological research coordinator with MSU's BioRegions Program, Watters has worked in Mongolia since 2000 and run a wolverine research program there since 2009.
"The climate is extreme, the infrastructure is relatively undeveloped, and it takes 100 percent sheer willpower to push yourself forward on a day-to-day basis," Watters said. "During my previous research expeditions in these mountains, we've run into blizzards, and that was in July and August, so I'm sure that the physical challenges will be huge."
Mongolian temperatures in late spring will be so cold that the team might as well be skiing in Fairbanks, Alaska during the winter, added Cliff Montagne, a soil scientist who directs MSU's BioRegions Program. Montagne has traveled to Mongolia 16 times - usually with MSU students -- since the mid-1990s.
An additional challenge will be interacting with hunters and herders who are familiar with the area, but may or may not offer reliable information about wolverines.
"Local people often tend to answer in ways which they believe will please the questioners," Montagne said.
He added that Watters will be a key resource for the expedition because she speaks the language well and knows the culture.
Watters said, "The rules of Mongolian hospitality dictate that one should always try to please one's guest, so when I asked my Mongolian friends, at the start of my project in 2009, how I should interview herders and hunters, they cautioned me not to ask directly about wolverines, because people would want me to feel welcome and would give me information that might not be true."
As a result, she devised an interview technique that first had Mongolians identify wildlife photos, then answer more targeted questions. Now, after four years working in the Darhad region, Watters said she feels her method is working. (Mogi: they make it sound as if we are some lost Amazon tribe, unaccustomed to ways of the white folk)
"The wildlife knowledge of herders and hunters in Mongolia is very deep," Watters said. "I trust their understanding of what's out there to a much greater degree than I did when I started this work, and I also have a sense of when to be more skeptical of what they're saying."
Jamie Cornish, science outreach and education specialist with MSU's Extended University, noted that Treinish was National Geographic's Adventurer of the Year in 2009 and the Mongolian expedition will be featured on the National Geographic's education website at http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/?ar_a=1 and at http://www.adventureandscience.org/mongolia-education.html. The sites will include seven lesson plans for which much of the content came from the "Climate in My Backyard" curriculum series developed by the Montana Institute on Ecosystems, Montana NSF EPSCoR and MSU Extended University. The expedition was funded through a National Geographic grant secured by Treinish.
Thousands of students across Montana and the nation are expected to follow the expedition online, Cornish said. Treinish and his team hope to post at least one new photo a day during the journey.
Treinish, a 2009 MSU graduate in biological science (emphasis in ecology and evolution), is founder and executive director of "Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation," a non-profit organization based in Bozeman. His research adventures have been featured in the New York Times, Popular Science, Wired, NPR and many more. Among other things, he has traveled to five continents, hiked the 2,174-mile Appalachian Trail and completed the first-ever trek of the Andes Mountain Range, which took more than 22 months and covered 7,800 miles.
To read more about the Mongolian expedition, go to http://www.mongoliaexpedition.com.
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Mogi Munkhdul Badral Bontoi
Cover Mongolia
Email: mogi@covermongolia.mn
Mobile: +976 9999 6779
Skype: mogibb
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