50 years of the ‘twin engine’. Franco-German reconciliation, European integration and reflections for Asia. EU Centre Singapore Background Brief No. 8, March 2013

On 22 January 2013, French President François Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel gathered in Berlin to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Élysée Treaty, the document that ended centuries of rivalry and warfare between their two countries. It is all too easy to forget the importance of Franco-German reconciliation. The 1950 Schuman Declaration, which led to the creation of the European Union’s (EU) predecessor, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), sought to render the prospect of war between France and Germany ‘not only unthinkable but materially impossible’. Over 60 years later, when the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee noted that indeed, ‘war between Germany and France is unthinkable’. Halfway around the world in Asia, the other theatre of World War II, tensions between China and Japan have arisen, with Taiwan and South Korea also in the fray. Nationalist movements in these countries have grown. This background brief lays out the issues for a timely reappraisal of the applicability, or otherwise, of the European integration and reconciliation processes to East Asia. The brief seeks to outline the contours of the historic act of Franco-German reconciliation, and its consequences ever since. Starting from a brief look at the history of rivalry and war between the two countries, the brief examines the events leading to the signing of the Élysée Treaty in 1963, and the development of Franco-German exchanges that have cemented the relationship. Difficulties between the countries are also raised. A timescale analysis of the opinion of the two publics is considered, as a measure of the success of Franco-German reconciliation.

Flashlight Europe N°2–February 2015. “Europe must now get involved in a very big way”

More than three years after al-Gaddafi was overthrown, Libya has still not returned to some semblance of normality. In many places, the Libyan state exists only on paper. No less than two governments and dozens of rival tribes, all with their own militias and armed to the teeth, are trying to come to power. In the midst of this chaos “IS,” the terrorist organization, has now entered the fray. Evidence of this is provided by the brutal murder of 21 Egyptian Copts, which could trigger off a civil war that will pose a threat to the entire region and to Europe. Mirco Keilberth, an expert on Libya, explains what is going on.

Greece as an example of “post-politics” in the eurozone. EPIN Commentary No. 28/9 November 2015

The negotiations between Greece and the EU and IMF tested the unity, limits, stamina and financial interdependence of eurozone member states. Greece emerged wounded from the fray, but Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has established beyond doubt his dominance in Greek politics, in defiance of partisan competitors at home and his counterparts’ wishes in the rest of Europe. In this EPIN Commentary the authors argue that – beyond the political significance of SYRIZA’s third electoral victory in seven months – this vote of confidence brings certain characteristics of both Greek and EU politics into sharper relief. The high-risk political activism undertaken by Syriza’s leadership in the first half of 2015 has (re)opened the debate about what kind of EU we live in, and contributed to the creation of another type of discourse in Europe – one that has so far been the preserve of established elites.

Projeto: "Mudámos a Casinha"

O relatório final “Projeto: Mudámos a Casinha!” tem como finalidade investigar o brincar na segunda infância, principalmente o brincar ao faz-de-conta na área da Casinha. Após a observação em campo de estágio a questão que surge é: Como se organizam as crianças de 3/4 anos durante a brincadeira na área da Casinha? O brincar é uma atividade lúdica, que se quer prazerosa, livre, voluntária e agradável. Tem um papel muito importante no crescimento e desenvolvimento da criança, porque permite a maturação de capacidades cognitivas, a ampliação das relações sociais e a expansão de conhecimentos, potenciando o processo de aprendizagem. A brincadeira ao faz-de-conta favorece a utilização da imaginação e da criatividade numa constante adaptação da realidade conhecida. Esta investigação foi realizada numa instituição particular de solidariedade social, na freguesia de Benavente, que disponibiliza os serviços de creche, jardim-de-infância e centro de atividades e tempos livres. No entanto, o estudo desenvolveu-se com o grupo de crianças da sala dos 3 anos, que têm entre o 3 e os 4 anos de idade. Este trabalho é sustentado por um referencial teórico que engloba o modo como se brinca na infância, as diferentes fases de desenvolvimento da brincadeira, a componente social do brincar, a necessidade de estabelecer padrões de organização e a importância do brincar, que permitiram questionar a organização da brincadeira numa área de interesse específica como a área da Casinha. É um estudo qualitativo que utilizou a metodologia investigação-ação, recorrendo à observação, à tomada de notas de campo, à realização de entrevistas e aos registos fotográficos. Ainda que este estudo não permita generalizações, reflete-se sobre a realidade existente nesta sala em particular, sobre a importância e a influência do espaço e dos materiais na brincadeira e sobre o momento da arrumação.

On the prospective detection of polyoxymethylene in comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko with the COSIMA instrument onboard Rosetta

The presence of polyoxymethylene (POM) in cometary grains has been debated years ago. Although never proven, its presence can not be excluded. Rosetta, the ESA mission to comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, may answer this question. On board the spacecraft, COSIMA (COmetary Secondary Ion Mass Analyzer) will analyze the grains ejected from the nucleus using a Time Of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (TOF-SIMS). In this paper we report the extent to which COSIMA will be able to detect POM if this compound is present on cometary grains. We have analyzed two kinds of POM polymers with a laboratory model of COSIMA. Positive mass spectra display alternating sequence of peaks with a separation of 30.011 Da between 1 and 600 Da related to formaldehyde and its oligomers but also to the fragmentation of these oligomers. The separation of 30.011 Da of numbers peaks, corresponding to the fragmentation into H2CO is characteristic of POM and we show that it could be highlight by mathematical treatment. POM lifetime on COSIMA targets have also been studied as POM is thermally instable. It can be concluded that the cometary grains analysis have to be planned not too long after their collection in order to maximize the chances to detect POM. This work was supported by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES).

Obras escogidas.

Mode of access: Internet.

Escritores del siglo XVI ...

t. 1. San Juan de la Cruz. Fray Pedro Malon de Chaide. Fray Hernando de Zárate.--t. 2. Obras del maestro fray Luis de Leon. Precédelas su vida, escrita por Don Gregoria Mayans y Siscar, y un extracto del proceso instruido contra el autor desde el año 1571 al 1576.

Memorias de un vigilante;

"Apéndice; de la 'Corona fúnebre, ' publicada en Buenos Aires 1904": p. [145]-168.

En el mar austrál, cróquis fueguinos

At head of title : Fray Mocho

Un viaje al país de los matreros.

At head of title: José S. Alvarez (Fray Mocho)

A fuego lento; novela.

At head of title: Emilio Bobadilla (Fray Candil)

Bulevar arriba, bulevar abajo : psicología al vuelo. --

"Sociedad de Ediciones Literarias y Artísticas."

Solfeo (crítica y sátira)

Cover dated 1894.

Los mercaderes del templo; conferencia.

Mode of access: Internet.

Motivos pueblerinos.

Mode of access: Internet.