Free Movement of Services and Social Security—Quo Vadis?

Dental treatment (of Aline Kohll) and a pair of spectacles (for Nicolas Decker) recently drew public attention throughout the whole of Europe. It is certainly true that the reactions following the Court of Justice's judgements in both cases were not only to be felt in the profession but in the general public most especially in political circles. Some authors even went as far as to place these judgements on a par with those in the Costa/ENEL and Cassis de Dijon cases. In the meantime these decisions have persistently been upheld by two further judgements (Vanbraekel and Smits/Peerbooms). The essence of the judgements lies in the observation that the Member States must respect an insured person's right to freedom of services despite being entitled to organise their own social security services. The following article is a critical analysis of this approach. The author pleads for a solution to the problems to be found within the ambit of the rules and principles of coordination whose further development he calls for.     

Europe at the Fin de Siècle

In 1968 he was a prominent spokesman for noncommunist intellectuals, and he later became a founding member and leader of the human and civil rights movement “Charter 77.” The danger of totalitarianism has been his constant theme.     

Sabina Berman: Brief overview

Privilege, by Yvonne Rainer, 1991.¹

Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore! Parti. (The Sex Show). Createdand performed by Penny Arcade. Presented by Theater for the New City, New York, October 13, 1990.

Daytrips. The Women's Project. Voyage to Lesbos. WOW Cafe. Hamlet. Barnard College. November, 1990.

Excerpts from the Attorney General's Report on Pornography ‐A Hard Place Theatre production. The Playground Theatre, New York City, January 10–20, 1990.

We Keep Our Victims Ready. Written, performed, and directed by Karen Finley. The Joyce Theater, New York City. September 18–22, 1990.

“Find Out Who Killed Laura Palmer” Episode of TwinPeaks, television series, directed by David Lynch. ABC.

World Without End. By Holly Hughes. P.S. 122, New York City, October, 1990.     

Crimes against children in nineteenth-century France

Abuse of children is not entirely a modern phenomenon but the definition and classification of abusive practices has changed. Modern concepts of child abuse date only from the 1880s in France. Child abuse in twentieth-century terms of emotional and physical assault, neglect, abandonment, and sexual molestation was not considered a crime during most of the past century. Prior to the 1880s, only two acts, abortion and infanticide, constituted crimes against children. Child abandonment, rather than a crime, was the state supported, societally acceptable alternative to abortion and infanticide. After abandonment, malnourishment and neglect of these children, even to the point of death, likewise were not crimes. With changes in attitudes of the 1880s, parental neglect, assault, and starvation of children became defined as child abuse as did perceived immoral behavior of the parents such as habitual drunkenness and debauchery. Under these new definitions of abuse, state officials could deprive parents of their legal rights and make the children wards of the state for their own protection. The state becamein loco parentis. This essay explores the changing perceptions of child abuse, and the increasing state intervention for the care of abused children after the 1880s.     

Portion size matters: Carrion ecology lessons for medicolegal death investigations—A study in Cape Town,South Africa

Forensic taphonomic studies are regionally specific and improve time since death estimates for medico-legal casework. Within forensic taphonomy and carrion ecology, vertebrate scavengers are under-researched with many studies conducted using multiple, unclothed carcasses. This is a forensically unrealistic experimental design choice with unknown impact. The effect of variation in carrion biomass on the decomposition ecosystem, particularly where vertebrate scavengers are concerned, requires clarification. To assess the effect of carrion biomass load on vertebrate scavenging and decomposition rate, seasonal baseline data for single, clothed ~60 kg porcine carcasses were compared to clothed multiple-carcass deployments, in a forensically relevant habitat of Cape Town, South Africa. Decomposition was tracked via weight loss and bloat progression and scavenging activity via motion-activated cameras. The single carcasses decayed more quickly, particularly during the cooler, wetter winter, strongly correlated with concentrated Cape gray mongoose (Galerella pulverulenta) scavenging activity. On average and across seasons, the single carcasses lost 68% of their mass by day 32 (567 accumulated degree days [ADD]), compared to 80 days (1477 ADD) for multi-carcass deployments. The single carcasses experienced substantially more scavenging activity, with longer visits by single and multiple mongooses, totaling 53 h on average compared to 20 h for the multi-carcass deployments. These differences in scavenging activity and decay rate demonstrate the impact of carrion biomass load on decomposition for forensic taphonomy research. These findings need corroboration. However, forensic realism requires consideration in taphonomic study design. Longitudinally examining many single carcasses may produce more forensically accurate, locally appropriate, and usable results.     

Life After the Bundestag: An Analysis of the Post-Parliamentary Careers of German MPs

Is the transition from the political sphere to highly paid and attractive private and public sector positions a common phenomenon for legislators? If so, which variables determine these career moves? To answer these questions, the following variables are utilised: (1) the expertise gathered in certain committees, (2) strong professional networks resulting from a high position in party and legislature, (3) a business-friendly ideology, (4) the deteriorating party support and networking base indicated by a failed re-nomination, and lastly (5) the political success in winning elections. To comprehensively assess these factors, this study makes use of a new dataset that comprises information on the political positions as well as the professional status of 646 former German MPs who left the Bundestag between 1998 and 2009. Using probit regression analyses, it is shown that a higher hierarchical position in parliament and party and acquired expertise influence the probability of subsequently holding a more attractive private or public sector position. Moreover, the way in which legislators leave parliament – be it due to failed nomination, a scandal or failed re-election –serves as a reliable predictor for the status of subsequent employment.