Neurosurgery in the Dutch Antilles: A minireview of recent developments

Curaçao is an island in the Southern Caribbean Sea, which formed part of the Dutch Antilles and Aruba, Bonaire, part of Saint Martin, Saba, and Statia. Aruba was the first country of the Dutch Antilles to dissolute in 1986 (1). On October 10th of 2010, Curaçao and Saint Martin also became constituent countries within the Dutch kingdom. Bonaire, Saba, and Statia became “special municipalities,” also known as administrative divisions, within the Dutch state (2). Curaçao is the biggest of the six islands, with an area of 444 km2/ 171.4 sq.mi, situated 65 km (40mi) north of the Venezuelan coast (3). Curaçao is of multi-cultural composition (mainly Afro-Caribbean) and has three official languages; Papiamentu, Dutch, and English. Spanish is widely spoken on the island as well.3 It has a little less the 160,000 inhabitants (4).

ZNACZENIE JĘZYKA W KREOWANIU WIZERUNKU MIASTA

Cities are the main centres of social, cultural life and economic development. They have always attracted newcomers not only because of new opportunities but also because of the feeling of belonging and uniqueness which people need. The attractiveness of a particular urban centre mainly rests on its image, which is created in relation to its own unique identity. The language of the city, which is present in the public space in the form of the linguistic landscape and which reflects the socio-cultural composition of the city, creates the identity. Both socio-cultural composition of a city (hence the languages spoken in the public space) and the linguistic landscape can create an image of a city which is either open for an interaction or presents limited interactional potential.

Syntactic Analyssis of Spatial Configuration in Indo-Portuguese Houses in Goa

The culture of a place can be understood by analysing its architecture and vice versa. Each place has a unique culture and hence a unique architectural style. Vernacular architecture is a perfect example for displaying the culture of that place, as it is built based on the culture of that place. However, the culture of a place can be changed or altered when it comes in contact with another culture. The degree and dominance of one culture over another, purely depend on the sextent to which both the cultures have acculturated. Hence, vernacular architecture which is a reflection of culture also has a natural tendency to change and to accommodate changes and is flexible, adaptable and hence sustainable. There are many factors that lead to a cross-cultural composition like trade links, colonisation, and westernisation etc. among which colonisation plays a major role in the creation ofa new culture in the coastal stretch of India. Goa is one such perfect example where crosscultural miscegenation is seen due to Portuguese colonisation. This paper aims in understanding and evaluating the crosscultural amalgamation which is reflected in Indo-Portuguese houses through a study and analysis of four case examples in Goa using space syntax.

Restructuring Nigeria: The Dilemma and Critical Issues

Objective: The main objectives of this paper are to explore the critical issues in the agitations/calls for restructuring Nigeria. A conceptual model is used and critical issues identified as influenced by many factors and interests with a special reflections on the background history, geography, heterogeneity and politics of the Nigerian state. Methodology: Secondary sources of data were used to and historical documentation method of data analysis was also used to analyse the data. Results: There are severally identified issues which are critical to and must be squarely addressed in order to arrive at a desired and mutually accepted stand on Nigeria’s geo-political, ethno-religious and socio-cultural composition, and a sustained unity and stability which are sought in the name of restructuring. Elites and political merchants’ prime interest in power and resources have however, shaped and dominated the restructuring agitations. Implications: The study is premised on the socio-economic, political and ethno-religious realities of the Nigerian state and society. Therefore, the study presented an outline and a roadmap for the Nigerian policy makers, politicians, citizens and other stakeholders in the Nigerian state. The study stated the most sensitive issues which are indispensable to any re-arrangement, negotiation, consensus and unity in the Nigerian state by the name of restructuring.

The Content of Students� Research Potential Development in Subject Oriented Education

The author presents the content of the students� research potential development in the didactic module in the context of the ideas of integrity, cultural genesis and systemogenesis. The implementation of the idea of integrity allows providing harmonious combination of what a student has learnt and his unstructured knowledge, invariant and variant parts of the content including present scientifi c achievements, problem and hypothetical knowledge, knowledge of tomorrow�s science in the form of the objects of observation or refl ection. The idea of cultural genesis makes it possible to determine the accents in the cultural composition of the syllabus. The idea of systemogenesis leads to understanding the methods of selection of universal educational activities, which will be implemente d by a student while solving problems.

Book Review: Federalism and the Constitution of Canada

In his recent book, Federalism and the Constitution of Canada, David E. Smith characterizes Canada’s federalism as existing on two planes. Horizontally, Canada consists of a territorial federalism- divided among ten provinces with equal jurisdiction and three territories, united by a common central government. Vertically, Canada is a cultural federation: two distinct nations, the English and the French, again connected by a common central government. Using this schema, Smith reevaluates some of the key questions in Canadian federalism. In particular, he analyses the relationship between Canada’s constitution and its variant of federalism. While Smith’s analysis provides a novel approach to the study of Canadian federalism, this review highlights some of the difficulties with his framework of dual federalism; in particular that his conception of cultural federalism is too rigid to accommodate Canada’s broad cultural composition.