"Social Progress After the Age of Progressivism: The End of Trade Unionism in the West"

This essay is about trade unions, an institution that arose to play an important part in relation to the social progress characterizing much of the present century and that served as an important reference point for several varieties of normative progressivism. The past two decades of social progress in the most prosperous established nations appear to be rendering the institution obsolete. The objective of the paper is to reject all progressivist interpretations of this trend -- neither condemning the development as a regressive obstacle to progress nor welcoming it as a normal part of the developmental process. The aim is to inquire anew into the historical project of trade unions and the interplay between this project and the processes of social progress, past and prospective. The analytical thesis is that the institution has been multi-dimensional, serving in one of its dimensions as an important political response to social progress. The normative problem is whether the unions' political contribution to a socially conscious political democratization can be revived or transferred, when the unions' constitutive adaptations to past stages of social progress appear to be failing so badly in the present. After a brief overview designed to show that analytical awareness of social progress has historically been linked to critical politically-minded theoretical currents as well as to progressivist theories and that it has been the ideology-process that has tended to smudge this distinction, we briefly outline three alternative progressivist approaches to unionism. Next comes a review of the contemporary state of the problem and a proposal for an analytical approach that avoids the holistic errors of progressivist analyses and lets the political issues be properly posed. In this approach, unions are situated in the context of labor regimes, an historical concept that highlights the dual character of unions, between social progress and political constitution. The contemporary decline of unions is then analyzed in relation to both levels of analysis. The political dimension poses questions of strategy for unions, and the study closes with a critical assessment of strategic alternatives generated by the progressivist alternatives. The conclusion is skeptical and political rather than programmatic, but that illustrates the social-theoretical point of the exercise. The demise of progressivism does not automatically condemn either its contributions to social theoretical analyses of social progress or its political projects.

HOW UNPREJUDICED ARE THE YOUNG?

http://web.ku.edu/~starjrn

Challenges and Prospects of Community Participation in Improving Environmental Rehabilitation and Agricultural Extension: The Case of Boloso Sore Woreda, SNNPR, Ethiopia

A number of scientific research and educational system have given attention to the needs and priorities of local communities. However, utilization of community potential through integrating indigenous and modern practical knowledge to enhance agricultural extension and environmental rehabilitation has been not satisfactory. Therefore, this study has assessed the bottlenecks and opportunities of community participation in environmental rehabilitation and agricultural extension in Boloso Sore Woreda. The study has employed personal interviews, questionnaire, focus group discussions, and observation in addition to using available documents. The study was mainly based on the data obtained sample household respondents which were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis were used for the purpose of describing different variables of the study. It was also examined the structure, mechanisms and its key problems of community participation in environmental rehabilitation and agricultural extension activities. The data analysis process was also made by making use of frequency distribution tables, percentage and pie charts. As a result, there is lack of integration, not only between the local government and community but also within communities themselves. This indicates that there existed insufficient coordination level of the Woreda administration and lack of transparency within the administrative bodies’ working procedure in the resource allocation processes. This in turn affected the commitment level of local people to participate in different activities of environmental rehabilitation and agricultural extension. Keywords: Community, Coordination, Indigenous, Integrating, Participation, Transparenc

Theatrical scenography

Ne možemo biti sigurni kako je nastala niti kada se desila prva predstava, ali smo sigurni da otkada postoji kazalište postoji i scenografija. Na početku je to vjerojatno bilo samo ono što se slučajno našlo iza glumca. S vremenom, kako se razvijalo kazalište, tako se i scenografija mijenjala i postala sve konkretnija i sve uvjerljivija. Svako je povijesno razdoblje preslikalo svoja obilježja na kazalište pa tako i na scenografiju. Mijenjala se ideja o tome što je bitno i čemu će se posvetiti veća pozornost prilikom izrade scenografije, a što je manje bitno i što će se izostaviti. Kada nastaje kazališna predstava, nastaje i scenografija, ona je važan dio predstave. Pomoću nje publika dobiva prvi dojam o predstavi, ona pomaže glumcima da lakše i jednostavnije dočaraju radnju. Scenograf osmišljava scenografiju u dogovoru s redateljem i kostimografom te svi zajedno moraju postići skladnu cjelinu predstave. Kada studenti izrađuju scenografiju najbitnije je da oni u sebi probude maštu i kreativnost, kako bi i sami mogli jednoga dana kod djece poticati iste kompetencije. Cilj izrade scenografije s djecom je da ih naučimo kako reciklirati, približiti samu kazališnu umjetnost kroz igru i likovno izražavanje.It is not certain how and when the first theater play was made, but ever since the theater is established, the scenography is used too. In the beginnings, the scene set was probably made of objects that were unintentionally left behind the actor. Eventually the theater has developed, so the scenery also had to improve to become more specific and convincing. Every historical or artistic period left a mark on theater in general and on scenography. The focus was changed from time to time and with it the scenography as well. The scenography is made at the same time as the play, it is a significal part of it. With the use of scene set, the first impression of play is brought to audience. Moreover, it helps actors to present the play easier and more convincingly. Scenographer is the person who designs scenography in agreement with the director and the costume designer. Their cooperation provides a play that is scenic and harmonious. When students create a scenography, it is most important to awake their own imagination and creativity, thus in the future they could induce the same competences with children. The goal of creating a scenography with children is to teach them how to recycle, and to bring closer the theatrical art it self through play and artistic expression

Magnitude and factors associated with anti-malarial self-medication practice among residents of Kasulu Town Council, Kigoma-Tanzania

Background: Anti- malarial self-medication practice in Africa is very common. It is considered as an alternative way for people who cannot afford the cost of health care services. This study was conducted to assess the magnitude and factors associated with anti-malarial self-medication practice among residents of Kasulu Town Council.Materials and methods: The study was a descriptive cross sectional study. Two hundred and eighty consenting respondents were selected by systematic random sampling and interviewed with the aid of a semi structured questionnaire to assess anti-malarial self- medication practice. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant, at 95% confidence interval.Results: Prevalence of anti-malarial self-medication was (69.6%). Majority of the respondents (83.1%) reported that, they did not get better after self- medication. About 36% of the respondents metioned time taken in health facilities as the main factor for self- medication.Conclusion: This study revealed that, self-medication practice is very common among community members in Kasulu district. The main reasons identified for self-medication was long time taken to get treatment in health facilities.Keywords: Anti-malarial, Self- medication, Practice, Kasulu, Tanzania

Peranan universiti teknikal sangat kritikal sekarang

RANGKAIAN Universiti-Universiti Teknikal Malaysia (MTUN) adalah gabungan empat universiti iaitu Universiti Malaysia Perlis (Unimap), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (Utem), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) dan Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA)

PENERAPAN MODEL PEMBELAJARAN INKUIRI UNTUK MENINGKATKAN HASIL BELAJAR IPS SISWA KELAS V SDN JARAKAN SEWON, BANTUL

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan proses pembelajaran IPS agar dapat menyenangkan dan membuat siswa menjadi aktif. Penerapan model pembelajaran inkuiri dapat meningkatkan hasil belajar IPS siswa kelas V SDN 3 Jarakan Sewon, Bantul tahun ajaran 2015/2016. Jenis penelitian ini adalah Penelitian Tindakan Kelas (PTK) dengan menggunakan model Kemmis dan Mc. Taggart, dengan subjek penelitian yaitu siswa-siswi kelas V SDN 3 Jarakan yang berjumlah 29 siswa dan objek dalam penelitian ini adalah peningkatan hasil belajar siswa pada mata pelajaran IPS. Tindakan yang dilakukan selama penelitian ini adalah pelaksanaan pembelajaran dengan menggunakan model Inkuiri. Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah soal tes uraian dan observasi Teknik analisis data dilakukan secara dekriptif kualitatif dan deskriptif kuantitatif Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa melalui penerapan model Inkuiri dalam pembelajaran IPS dapat meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa. Peningkatan hasil belajar siswa ini dilihat dari meningkatnya kemampuan siswa dalam mencari jawaban dari permasalah melalui berbagai tahapan dalam model inkuiri yaitu orientasi, merumuskan masalah, merumuskan hipotesis, mengumpulkan data atau informasi, melakukan uji hipotesis, dan merumuskan kesimpulan. Serangkaian tahapan dalam model inkuri selain meningkatkan hasil belajar juga meningkatkan keaktifan siswa dalam proses pembelajaran dimana siswa diarahkan untuk berusaha sendiri mencari jawaban atas pertanyaan yang telah dirumusakan. Peningkatan hasil belajar siswa dilihat dari meningkatnya persentase ketuntasan hasil tes siswa dimana pada pra tindakan persentasenya 31, 03%, pada siklus I meningkat menjadi 55, 17% dan meningkat lagi pada siklus II menjadi 82, 76%. Kata Kunci: Model Inkuiri, Hasil belajar IP

LPS induced inflammatory responses in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells is mediated through NOX4 and Giα dependent PI-3kinase signalling

COPD is a disease of innate immunity and bacterial infections are a dominant cause of exacerbations in the later stages resulting in poor health and high mortality. The pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is sensed by immune cells through activation of the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). This leads to the activation of NADPH oxidase (NOX) and NF-κB which together drive COPD inflammation. In this study we show in human PBMCs that LPS stimulated proinflammatory cytokine release (CXCL8 and IL6) was inhibited by approximately 50% by the broad specificity phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, wortmannin. Our results also demonstrate that activation of PI3K following LPS stimulation is mediated by a NOX4 dependent mechanism releasing endogenous H2O2, as the NOX4 inhibitor apocynin blocked LPS induced AKT phosphorylation. Moreover, LPS-induced PI3K activation was inhibited by the anti-oxidant N-acetylcysteine in a concentration dependent manner (IC50 ~100 μM). In addition, our data demonstrated that inhibition of small G proteins, by pre-treatment with pertussis toxin, inhibited LPS-induced AKT phosphorylation. Furthermore, the G-protein inhibitors pertussis toxin and mastoparan both inhibited LPS-induced CXCL8 and IL-6 release by approximately 50%. Together, these data indicate there is a mechanism in human PBMCs where TLR4 activation by LPS leads to ROS generation through NOX4 and activation of the PI3K pathway. This effect is apparently mediated through small G proteins facilitating the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines