Farber, Samuel. 2011. Cuba Since the Revolution of 1959: A Critical Assessment.

Farber, Samuel. 2011. Cuba Since the Revolution of 1959: A Critical Assessment

Socialism and Democracy in Latin America’s Left Turns

Maxwell A. Cameron and Eric Hershberg, eds. 2010. Latin America’s Left Turns: Politics, Policies and Trajectories of Change. Boulder: Lynne Rienner. ISBN: 978-1-58826-739-9. Paperback: 27.50 USD. Pages: 320. James Petras and Henry Veltmeyer. 2009. What's Left in Latin America? Regime Change in New Times. Farnham: Ashgate. ISBN: 978-0-7546-7797-0. Cloth: 99.95 USD. Pages: 266. Eduardo Silva. 2009. Challenging Neoliberalism in Latin America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 9780521705721. Paperback: 29.95 CAD. Pages: 336

Practical work : Its effectiveness in primary and secondary schools in England

We report here on the first of two evaluations of a national project (Getting Practical: Improving Practical Work in Science – IPWiS) designed to improve the effectiveness of practical work in both primary and secondary schools in England. This first baseline evaluation of the effectiveness of practical work is based on a study of a diverse range of 30 practical lessons undertaken in non-selective primary (n = 10) and secondary (n = 20) schools prior to the teachers undertaking a training intervention designed to improve their effective use of practical work. A multi-site case study approach employing a condensed fieldwork strategy was used in which data were collected, using audiotape-recorded discussions, interviews and observational field notes. The analysis, based on work by Millar et al. and Tiberghien, considers what students do and think relative to what their teacher intended them to do and think. In both primary and secondary schools the widespread use of highly structured ‘recipe’ style tasks meant that practical work was highly effective in enabling students (n = 857) to do what the teacher intended. Whilst tasks in primary schools tended to be shorter than in secondary schools, with more time devoted to helping students understand the meaning of new scientific words, neither primary nor secondary teachers’ lesson plans incorporated explicit strategies to assist students in making links between their observations and scientific ideas. As such, tasks were less effective in enabling students to use the intended scientific ideas to understand their actions and reflect upon the data they collected. These findings suggest that practical work might be made more effective, in terms of developing students’ conceptual understanding – an aim of the IPWiS project – if teachers adopted a more ‘hands-on’ and ‘minds-on’ approach and explicitly planned how students were to link these two essential components of practical work

Safety of dietary camelina oil supplementation in healthy, adult dogs

This study aimed to determine whether camelina oil is safe for use in canine diets, using canola oil and flax oil as controls, as they are similar and generally regarded as safe (GRAS) for canine diets. A total of thirty privately-owned adult dogs of various breeds (17 females; 13 males), with an average age of 7.2 ± 3.1 years (mean ± SD) and a body weight (BW) of 27.4 ± 14.0 kg were used. After a 4-week wash-in period using sunflower oil and kibble, the dogs were blocked by breed, age, and size and were randomly allocated to one of three treatment oils (camelina (CAM), flax (FLX), or canola (OLA)) at a level of 8.2 g oil/100 g total dietary intake. Body condition score (BCS), BW, food intake (FI), and hematological and select biochemical parameters were measured at various timepoints over a 16-week feeding period. All of the data were analyzed with ANOVA using the PROC GLIMMIX of SAS. No biologically significant differences were seen between the treatment groups in terms of BW, BCS, FI, and hematological and biochemical results. Statistically significant differences noted among some serum biochemical results were considered small and were due to normal biological variation. These results support the conclusion that camelina oil is safe for use in canine nutrition

Counter-Hegemony in Latin America? Understanding emerging Multipolarity through a Gramscian Lens

The rise of the “ emerging economies” and the relative decline of US power hold forth the promise of a more multipolar and pluralistic world order. Perhaps nowhere is this as apparent as in the Americas, where left and centre-left governments have challenged the traditional imperialistic arrangements that have governed the region. What type of regional order will emerge in the Americas ? How will this diverge from the current capitalist world order organized under the aegis of the Unites States ? This article draws on classical Marxism and Gramscian thought to examine the interplay between hegemony and counterhegemony in the Americas, focusing on Brazil, Bolivia, and Venezuela. By exploring the history and geopolitics of regional order, the emergence of the new left, and the ongoing dominance of the traditional oligarchy, it argues that counter-hegemonic change is still very much a work in progress.L’ascension des économies émergentes et le déclin relatif du pouvoir des États-Unis promettent un ordre mondial plus multipolaire et pluraliste. Ceci est particulièrement vrai dans les Amériques, où les gouvernements de la gauche et de centre gauche ont mis au défi les structures impérialistes traditionnelles gouvernant la région. Quelle sorte d’ordre régional émergera dans les Amériques ? Comment s’écarte-t-il de l’ordre capitaliste actuel organisé sous l’égide des États-Unis ? Cet article s’appuie sur le marxisme classique ainsi que de la pensée gramscienne afin d’examiner l’interaction de l’hégémonie et de la contrehégémonie dans les Amériques, en mettant l’accent sur le Brésil, la Bolivie et le Venezuela. Par l’entremise d’une exploration de l’histoire et la géopolitique de l’ordre régional, de l’émergence de la nouvelle gauche, et de la dominance continue des oligarchies traditionnelles, il affirme que le changement contrehégémonique demeure toujours une oeuvre inachevée.Burron Neil A. Counter-Hegemony in Latin America? Understanding emerging Multipolarity through a Gramscian Lens. In: Revue Québécoise de droit international, hors-série septembre 2014. L’hégémonie dans la société internationale: un regard néo-gramscien. pp. 33-68

Counter-Hegemony in Latin America? Understanding emerging Multipolarity through a Gramscian Lens

The rise of the “ emerging economies” and the relative decline of US power hold forth the promise of a more multipolar and pluralistic world order. Perhaps nowhere is this as apparent as in the Americas, where left and centre-left governments have challenged the traditional imperialistic arrangements that have governed the region. What type of regional order will emerge in the Americas ? How will this diverge from the current capitalist world order organized under the aegis of the Unites States ? This article draws on classical Marxism and Gramscian thought to examine the interplay between hegemony and counterhegemony in the Americas, focusing on Brazil, Bolivia, and Venezuela. By exploring the history and geopolitics of regional order, the emergence of the new left, and the ongoing dominance of the traditional oligarchy, it argues that counter-hegemonic change is still very much a work in progress.L’ascension des économies émergentes et le déclin relatif du pouvoir des États-Unis promettent un ordre mondial plus multipolaire et pluraliste. Ceci est particulièrement vrai dans les Amériques, où les gouvernements de la gauche et de centre gauche ont mis au défi les structures impérialistes traditionnelles gouvernant la région. Quelle sorte d’ordre régional émergera dans les Amériques ? Comment s’écarte-t-il de l’ordre capitaliste actuel organisé sous l’égide des États-Unis ? Cet article s’appuie sur le marxisme classique ainsi que de la pensée gramscienne afin d’examiner l’interaction de l’hégémonie et de la contrehégémonie dans les Amériques, en mettant l’accent sur le Brésil, la Bolivie et le Venezuela. Par l’entremise d’une exploration de l’histoire et la géopolitique de l’ordre régional, de l’émergence de la nouvelle gauche, et de la dominance continue des oligarchies traditionnelles, il affirme que le changement contrehégémonique demeure toujours une oeuvre inachevée.Burron Neil A. Counter-Hegemony in Latin America? Understanding emerging Multipolarity through a Gramscian Lens. In: Revue Québécoise de droit international, hors-série septembre 2014. L’hégémonie dans la société internationale: un regard néo-gramscien. pp. 33-68