Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for University

The Origins and Expansion of the European Union

Founding Treaties

• 1951 Paris Treaty: The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was formed by six founding countries: Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France, West Germany, Italy, and Belgium.
• 1957 Treaty of Rome: Established the European Economic Community (EEC) and a common market, alongside EUROATOM for the development of nuclear energy.

EU Enlargement Timeline

• 1973: Ireland, the UK, and Denmark joined.
• 1980: Greece joined.
• 1986: Spain and Portugal joined.
• 1995: Sweden, Austria, and Finland joined.
• 2004: Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Malta, and Cyprus joined.
• 2007: Romania and Bulgaria joined.
• 2013: Croatia joined.

The Schengen Agreement

Established in... Continue reading "History and Institutional Structure of the European Union" »

Council of Europe: A Champion of Democracy and Human Rights

The Council of Europe is a regional, multilateral organization established in 1949 by the Treaty of London. It is headquartered in Strasbourg, France, and has 47 member countries. It is important to note that the Council of Europe is not an integration process.

Objectives

The Council of Europe's primary objectives are to promote freedom and create a democratic and legal area based on the principles outlined in the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Convention, established in 1950, is the Council's main achievement. Any country wishing to become a member must ratify it, organize free elections, abolish the death penalty, and guarantee the rule of law. It is the first instrument to... Continue reading "Council of Europe: History, Structure, and Human Rights" »

NATO: Origins and Evolution

Established in 1949 via the Washington Treaty, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military alliance comprising 29 member states from Europe and North America. During its first period (1949–1989), the alliance primarily countered the Warsaw Pact, which was formed by the Soviet Union in 1955. Notably, in 1966, Charles de Gaulle withdrew France from NATO's integrated military command.

Post-Cold War Expansion

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, NATO underwent significant expansion. While the alliance began with 12 founding countries, 17 additional nations have joined through subsequent enlargements:

• 1982: Spain
• 1999: Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic
• 2004: Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania,

Embarrassment:

When something is sudden and unexpected, onlookers are amused. It is a social mistake and makes the person the center of attention. Feeling empathetic for someone else's embarrassment is a display of care. People are often forgiven for their mistakes because they blush, which makes them feel smaller. Embarrassment peaks during teenage years (pregenual ant. cingulate cortex).

Shame:

Shame occurs when a person has failed to live up to expectations or has done something morally wrong. Onlookers are angry, and it often involves poor performance or hurting someone's feelings by failing to meet their expectations.

Guilt:

Guilt is the result of failing to perform one's duty, such as lying, cheating, or stealing (Medial prefrontal, visual... Continue reading "Understanding Emotions and Hormones in Relationships" »

Leases and licences: proprietary and personal rights

Leases give an individual a proprietary right in land which is binding on any third parties, while a licence gives a personal right that can be revoked at any time, as stated in Thomas v Sorrell. Licences are also not binding on third parties.

Furthermore, if one obtains a lease, they will have statutory protection under the Rent Act 1977 and the Housing Act 1996, which do not allow the leaseholder to be evicted simply and which provide rent control. As opposed to this, a licence does not provide any statutory protection to the occupier.

Court difficulties in distinguishing leases and licences

As such, most occupiers of properties would like to establish a lease instead of a licence, as a lease... Continue reading "Lease vs Licence: Rights, Statutory Protection and Case Law" »

Down and Trimmed by the Stern

Deck Line

General Considerations

• Good physical conditions and staying healthy.
• Misusing of alcohol or drugs.
• Do not drink alcohol while undergoing medical treatment.
• Personal cleanliness is essential.
• Use a protective cream on your skin.
• Clean all cuts and abrasions to prevent infections.

Working Clothing

• Working clothes should be comfortable but sufficiently close-fitting.
• Gaping pockets, sweat rags, watch straps, and rings are easily caught in moving machinery.
• Wear industrial footwear with slip-resistant

Understanding Global Inequality: Thomas Piketty's Capital in the 21st Century

The Inequality Problem: R > G

Thomas Piketty's research on inequality has gained significant attention, particularly his formula r > g, where:

• r represents the return on capital (profits or interest from investments)
• g represents the overall growth of the economy

Piketty argues that over time, wealth concentrates in the hands of the wealthy few, regardless of hard work or intelligence. The actual distribution of wealth reveals higher inequality rates than commonly perceived. To combat this, he advocates for active redistribution and improved access to education.

Capitalism and Inequality

Piketty's book, Capital in the 21st Century, challenges the notion that capitalism... Continue reading "Understanding Global Inequality: A Deep Dive into Thomas Piketty's Capital in the 21st Century" »

Symbols

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

Daisy and Randolph

The most frequently noted symbols in Daisy Miller are Daisy herself and her younger brother, Randolph. Daisy is often seen as representing America: she is young, fresh, ingenuous, clueless, naïve, innocent, well meaning, self-centered, untaught, scornful of convention, unaware of social distinctions, utterly lacking in any sense of propriety, and unwilling to adapt to the mores and standards of others. These traits have no fixed moral content, and nearly all of them can be regarded as either virtues or faults. However, Randolph is a different matter. He is a thinly veiled comment on the type of the “ugly American”... Continue reading "Symbolism in Henry James's Daisy Miller" »

Themes

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

Americans Abroad

Daisy Miller was one of James’s earliest treatments of one of the themes for which he became best known: the expatriate or footloose American abroad. Americans abroad was a subject very much at the moment in the years after the Civil War. The postwar boom, the so-called Gilded Age, had given rise to a new class of American businessman, whose stylish families were eager to make “the grand tour” and expose themselves to the art and culture of the Old World. Americans were visiting Europe for the first time in record numbers, and the clash between the two cultures was a novel and widespread phenomenon.

James was of two minds about the American... Continue reading "Henry James's Core Literary Themes Analyzed" »