Abstract This paper discusses the history and philosophy of Belgian law, significant features of criminal and procedural law, how judges and attorneys are educated and attain their positions, sentencing philosophy, and levels of jurisdiction in terms of subject matter and territory. The paper concludes with a comparison and contrast of these features with the American legal system.
Abstract The writer explains that the classic, "Heart of Darkness", is important primarily as an art form. The paper shows that it also serves a significant historical purpose in that the novel reflects the surroundings and circumstances in the Belgian Congo in 1902. The paper examines the account of the colonization of the Belgian Congo related in Conrad's novel. The writer reviews traditional historical sources showing factual accounts of the same era. The writer assesses the overall relevance of "Heart of Darkness" to the body of historical documentation of European imperialism in the Belgian Congo. In conclusion, the writer states that any thorough investigation of the European colonization of the Congo can be greatly enriched when supplemented by a reading of Conrad's "Heart of Darkness".
From the Paper "Joseph Conrad's 1902 novel Heart of Darkness is invaluable for its frank portrayal of European colonialism in the Belgian Congo. Although Heart of Darkness is undoubtedly a work of fiction and a product of Conrad's imagination, the fact that Conrad's own experiences of 1889-90 mirror those laid out in the novel serves to increase the credibility of the historical framework of the text. Historical investigations and the posthumous publication of Conrad's personal papers have confirmed that Conrad endured a series of incidents remarkably similar to that recounted by Marlow, as a Belgian agent inextricably torn "between colonizing Europe and exploited Africa" (Gurko 115). In this context, Heart of Darkness transcends the confines usually placed upon a work of art and becomes a valuable narrative recording a dismal, largely undocumented period in the history of European imperialism."
Abstract This paper examines the book, "King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa". It explains how it is an account of what befell the nation now known as Congo during the years of Belgian colonial rule in the early years of the 20th century.
From the Paper "At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was becoming a commonly accepted belief among the European powers that colonial possessions enhanced the prestige of the nations that held them. King Leopold II, wishing to elevate Belgium to a higher status in the European community of nations, had his eyes upon Africa. Of course, there were also more practical reasons to play the imperial game, namely to build personal wealth and to accumulate personal power. With the major colonial states more interested in the coastal African states, Leopold managed to colonize the Congo, using public statements about his humanitarian concerns for the slave trade in the Congo and the drive to spread Christianity in the area to disguise his real intentions."
Abstract This paper explains that Adam Hochschild's "King Leopold's Ghost" is a brilliant historical account of how Leopold II, King of the Belgian, carved a personal empire and fortune from the Congo and how Edmund Morel, a clerk for the Elder Dempster shipping company, led an international campaign to expose the monarch's criminal enterprise. The author points out that Leopold's single-minded ambition, adroit diplomacy, skillful corruption and ruthless brutality brought him, already one of Europe's wealthiest men, untold riches, while for the Congolese people it brought only unbelievable suffering. The paper states that the "ghost" in the book's title relates to (1) after Leopold's death, rumors abounded that he had not really died but instead had gone to live in the Congo or (2) a more plausible claim emerged that Leopold's ghost would return to haunt the Congo for more than three decades after independence in the form of Mobutu Sese Seku, also a master criminal driven by vampire avarice.
From the Paper "From the start, Leopold's Congo administration required Congolese labor, at first as portage to carry ivory, then to construct the railway. With the commercial emphasis switching to rubber, the Congo Free State was faced with a problem. Obviously, the state could purchase ivory, or seize it at the point of a gun, but it was impossible to oversee the harvesting of rubber latex, Its collection required going deep into the rain forests to find the rubber vines. So the Congo Free State's militias, the Force Publique, developed a brutal system which involved raiding villages and seizing women and children as hostages, only releasing them when the men brought in quotas of rubber."
Abstract The paper explores how Belgium has different nations that coexist in the same political framework. The paper discusses the background and development of Belgium's regional autonomy. The paper relates that the sub-societies of Belgium recognize and respect each other and they all agree on a principle of self-organization. The paper concludes that the Belgian example shows how it is possible to hold on to a national identity and to find the compromising measures that restrict nations as little as possible.
From the Paper "The influence of nationalism was great in world history, as the nation-state has become the dominant form of state organization. In fact, the existence of nations is the starting point of nationalism, as nations are entities with a long history and nationalist claims are based particularly on the historical aspect."
"A very important distinction when speaking about nationalism is that between nation and state, as state refers at the institutional framework provided for a nation or for more nations. The term "nation" refers to a specific identity that individuals identify with. Some nations do not identify as much with their state and they identify more with their specific nation than with the state, this being the case of the Flemish in Belgium."
Abstract This paper relates that Switzerland is a country with a robust economy, good prospects and no impediments to imports. The author points out that, although geographically Switzerland is land-locked and despite the presence of the Alps, excellent transit routes connect it to the Belgian Stella Artois plant. The paper relates that, politically, the country is a stable democracy with a somewhat right-wing government that actively promote business and investment by minimizing bureaucratic hindrances to foreign investors. The author concludes that this report did not identify any facts that would seem to contraindicate expansion into the Swiss market except for the fact that domestic consumption of beer has dropped. The paper includes charts.
Table of Contents:
Executive Summary
Introduction
Overview of Switzerland and its Business Climate
Geographical Setting
The Role of Education in Swiss Society with reference to Industry and Business
Primary Education
Secondary Education
Higher Education
Economic Analysis
Population
GDP/ GNP - Total, growth, per capita
Trade Data and Analysis
Exports and Imports
Trade Predictions
From the Paper "Stella Artois is one of the brands of beer manufactured by InBev, a Belgian brewery company, and the world's largest beer producer. Stella Artois is a 5.2% beer brewed in Belgium, the United Kingdom, Australia and some other countries. Stella Artois is a strong seller in international markets - for example, it is the top selling premium beer in the UK market, while in Belgium, it is marketed as a regular beer. However, in general it is associated with the high-end beer market, which is a lucrative one."
Abstract This paper discusses the book, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", by Jules Verne. The paper introduces the book's narrator, a Frenchman named Professor Aronnax, his Belgian assistant, Conseil and Ned Land, a Canadian sailor. The paper describes how Verne represents in these personas, three different segments of French-speaking Europe?the Parisian intellectual, the smaller and helpful Belgian servant and the outdoorsy Canadian. The antagonist of the story, Captain Nemo, is examined in detail.
From the Paper "The story begins when Professor Aronnax agrees to investigate a series of attacks by a mysterious sea monster. After joining the crew of the ship Abraham Lincoln and Ned Land, the men encounter what they first believe is the monster, but turns out to be a large, state-of-the-art submarine, the Nautilus. But in a way, they have encountered a monster, because Captain Nemo has become so cruel, embittered, and mad from his time away from humanity, that it is almost as though he is like the monsters he observes and is tracking himself."
The writer examines novels by Agatha Christie and Joseph Conrad, and discusses characters and scenes in light of prejudices the authors may have held, bringing as evidence Chinese (non-Western) detective novels.
2,200 words (approx. 8.8 pages), 2 sources, 2001, $ 68.95
Abstract We can also see the kind of xenophobic stereotypes that Christie used when we compare her works to detective fiction taken from an entirely different cultural tradition: When we think about the detective novel, we are most likely to see in our mind's eye Sherlock Holmes's deerstalker cap or hear the Belgian accents of Hercule Poirot. The genre of detective fiction ? with its traditional elements of the seemingly perfect crime, the wrongly accused suspect at whom circumstantial evidence points (in many cases, the bungling of the dim-witted police (in opposition to the cleverness of the private operator), the astonishing powers of observation and superior mind of the detective, and a startling and unexpected denouement (quite likely taking place in a parlor) in which the detective reveals how the identity of the culprit was ascertained ? seems a quintessentially Western concept.
Abstract This essay uses Adam Hochschild's book," King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa," in order to explore the role of various people responsible for the mass killings in the Congo in 1979. The author details the conflict, the history of the region, the players, both local and foreign, whose knowledge and decency exposed the massacre and its cover-up by King Leopold.
From the Paper "Just as Leopold and his aides were involved in the exploitation of the country, there was one man who actively worked towards exposing this tragedy thereby forcing Leopold to give the people of Congo their independence. His name was Edmund D. Morel, a British shipping company clerk who noticed that ships coming from Congo carried valuables like ivory and rubber but those that went back contained nothing but soldiers and arsenal. This made him suspicious and so he resigned from his job to form the Congo Reform Association (CRA), an organization that made the horrors of the Congo region public. Morel used information smuggled out by missionaries such as William Sheppard and George W. Williams, the former being later involved in a libel suited filed against him by Leopold."
Abstract This paper is an examination of the third battle of the Aisne. It details this excellent demonstration of the strengths of the German army during World War I as well as demonstrates why these particular strengths were not sufficient to win the war. It describes this German offensive that began on May 27, 1918. The author believes that the German success in this battle came about as the result of the finely honed German infantry tactics combined with a furiously concentrated artillery bombardment, operating under a sky dominated by the 'Jagdgeschwader' of the VII German army. But he feels that in the end, this battle did not help the Germans win the war in any way, in fact, it actually backfired at them.
From the Paper "The Third Battle of the Aisne is most certainly not one of the best known battles of World War I. Perhaps this is merely because of that oldest of all war adages, which is that the victors get to write the histories, and that in the aftermath of the war late German victories were brushed aside. Perhaps it is not that often cited simply because, while every battle in a war is important, this one was not a turning point. And yet the battle does deserve to be examined as an excellent demonstration of the strengths of the German army during the Great War ? as well as a demonstration of why, in the end, these particular strengths would not be sufficient to win the war."
Tags: Great, War, World, I, Aisne, River, Battle, Germans, French, Belgian, Canadian, American, Allies
This paper gives a cross-cultural analysis of the indigenous peoples of the BaMbuti tribe in Africa. This paper focuses on examples from their politics, economics and religion from a functionalist's perspective.
Abstract In his ethnography "The Forest People," Colin Turnbull has done an excellent job of providing details of the different aspects of the BaMbuti. This essay gives a descriptive analysis of three cultural traits of the BaMbuti's culture from a functionalist perspective. The three topics discussed in this paper include politics, economics, and religion. There are many examples that could be included within each topic; however, for the purpose of this paper, it focuses mainly on one particular example for each section.
From the Paper "With regards to political organization, the BaMbuti is a tightly knit hunter-gatherer tribe that has its own unique set of checks and balances. From a structural-functionalist perspective, peoples of the BaMbuti have no formal political authority; there are neither formal written laws, nor law enforcement agencies needed in the BaMbuti's relatively simple social structure. To the BaMbuti, cooperation is key concerning decisions affecting the group as a whole (Turnbull 124)."
From the Paper "This paper is a study of the development of the theories of philosopher Chaim Perelman as he has instigated a modern application for the classical concept called rhetoric. This discussion covers Perelman's writings spanning more than three decades, starting with some of his early considerations of rhetoric as a means to influence, argue, and persuade. His thinking on a subject that had fallen so out of favor with the mainstream as to be no longer mentioned except in the pejorative fashion in traditional discussions has single-handedly returned rhetoric to a topic of serious consideration in the realm of speech communication and modern philosophy.
The Belgian philosopher and law professor has spent his professional career specializing in an unexpected area. Carlin Romano observes"
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to examine Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness in relation to Belgian colonialism in Africa. The plan of the research will be to set forth the historical and literary context in which Heart of Darkness was published, and then to discuss ways in which Conrad made use of the historical given of Belgian colonialism in the Congo to articulate narrative meanings.
Two features of Conrad's work dominate an appreciation of the literary and historical context in which it emerged. First is the issue of language; although Conrad wrote mainly in England and always in English, in fact he was Polish and remained aware of and concerned with issues of Polish nationalism. The second feature of note about Conrad's work is that it is almost always set in or near a major waterway. In their respective critical ..."
From the Paper " Body Gestures in the Paintings of Rogier Van Der Weyden
The end of the Middle Ages saw an increase in the numbers of painters, illuminators, tapestry makers and other artists of the Burgundian States. Notable among these was Rogier Van Der Weyden, the official painter of Brussels, who achieved great heights in his ability to portray emotion from a personal point of view. The art of Van Der Weyden was striking to his contemporaries in his methods of using gesture, particularly hand gesture, to convey symbolic meaning..
It is important to note that in medieval iconography, position, grouping, and symmetry were of extraordinary importance. Attributes to the saints, the usual subjects of religious art, were commonly understood. In some artistic works.."
From the Paper "acques Brel was a Belgium-born composer, lyricist, and singer who by the mid-1960s was the leading chansonnier, or "troubadour pop artist," in France. Marlene Dietrich called him "the greatest singer in the world," and others used epithets such as "lyric genius" to refer to his dark ballads. By the early 1970s Brel had quit the concert stage and to concentrate on the writing of his soul-searching songs, by then numbering in the hundreds. Musically, his compositions are rooted in old Flemish and French forms, but with a contemporary sound. Brel would become famous to American audiences largely through the revue Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, which contained 25 of his songs translated from the French by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman.
Brel would be part of a tradition of cabaret singing that ... "
