EU, China, MERCOSUR, Vietnam: Trade and Political Dynamics
EU-MERCOSUR Trade Agreement Negotiations
EU-MERCOSUR negotiations started in the 2000s, and it was not until 2019 that both institutions concluded negotiations for a trade agreement. In response, Italy and France alleged that sanitary and environmental measures were not justified.
Political Agreement Reached (December 2023)
Negotiations continued, and in December 2023, a political agreement for a partnership agreement was reached. Its main objective was to remove trade barriers, both tariffs and technical
Read MoreKey Factors Influencing Health: A Comprehensive Analysis
Key Factors Influencing Health
The main factors affecting health are environmental, social, biological, and behavioral factors.
Environmental Factors
Environmental factors, also known as the environment, are linked to a large group of variables, such as seasonal changes, pollution, housing, and urban infrastructure.
Social Factors
Social factors relate to security, education, transportation, safety, health, and favorable environmental factors.
Biological Factors
Biological factors are linked to age, gender,
Read MoreUnderstanding and Addressing Social Problems and Exclusion
Understanding Social Problems and Exclusion
Social Problems
Social problems encompass various challenges, including:
- Housing: Difficulties in accessing affordable rental housing due to high prices.
- Labor: Prevalence of precarious and unstable contracts.
- Loneliness: A pervasive feeling of isolation.
- Addictions: Vulnerability to media influence and substance abuse.
- Isolation: Reinforcement of isolation due to advancements in information technology.
- Individualism: A growing tendency to prioritize personal
Functionalism, Identity Theory & Computational Models of Mind
Folk Psychology
Folk psychology explains the behavior of agents based on their mental states. It is the common-sense framework used to understand and predict behavior. Fodor defends folk psychology, offering reasons such as:
- It is highly successful in predicting behavior based on attributed intentions, beliefs, and desires.
- It explains how beliefs and desires interact causally to produce behavior.
- It posits that behavior results from a causal chain of mental events.
Turing Machines Explained
A Turing
Read MorePolice Procedures for Assisting Vulnerable Seniors
Local Police Assistance for the Elderly
Local police are often required to intervene in situations where elderly individuals make complaints about neighborhood annoyances that patrols cannot verify or find to be unfounded. Sometimes, these claims stem from underlying issues like depression or lack of communication. The elderly person may simply desire conversation due to anxiety or insomnia. Requests for help due to occasional accidents, deaths from natural causes in homes, and suicides are also
Read MoreBelgium’s Political System: Societal Fractures & Elections
Belgian Political Culture and System
Belgium is a segmented society characterized by three main fractures:
- Religious: Separating Catholics and freethinkers. Since the 1950s, this fracture has diminished in importance due to secularization.
- Socio-economic: The class divide, originating from conflicts during the Industrial Revolution (labor-capital conflict).
- Ethno-linguistic: Separating Flanders and Wallonia. This has been the most influential fracture conditioning Belgian politics in recent decades.