Inflating, Warming Up, and Probing the Pre-Bangian Universe

Classical and quantum gravitational instabilities, can, respectively, inflate and warm up a primordial Universe satisfying a superstring-motivated principle of "Asymptotic Past Triviality". A physically viable big bang is thus generated without invoking either large fine-tunings or a long period of post-big bang inflation. Properties of the pre-bangian Universe can be probed through its observable relics, which include: i) a (possibly observable) stochastic gravitational-wave background; ii) a (possible) new mechanism for seeding the galactic magnetic fields; iii) a (possible) new source of large-scale structure and CMB anisotropy.Comment: Latex file, 17 pages, 5 figures, Based on two recent talks, References update

On the origin and acceleration of cosmic rays: Cooling flow clusters and AGN hosts

We are looking for radio `relics' and `halos' in an X-ray selected sample of clusters of galaxies. These radio features are not a product of the Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN)-mechanism, but more likely are associated with past cluster merger events. AGN hosts of cooling flow clusters contain particle bubbles that show non-thermal radio emission. These bubbles could explain the presence of radio relics and halos if they can restrict cosmic rays efficiently. Intracluster magnetic fields and cluster environments can reveal the acceleration mechanisms of cosmic rays. Using radio/X-ray data and analytical methods we examine three AGN hosts out of our 70 clusters, namely Hercules A, 3C310 and 3C388. We found that none of these clusters contain relics and/or halos.Comment: 5 pages, 2 tables; NIMA, 201

Discarding Relics of the Past: Patriation of Laws in the South Pacific

Drawing on Professor Angelo’s work in relation to the patriation of law in Niue and Tokelau as an exemplar of best possible practice, Associate Professor Corrin argues in this article that the time has come for other small island jurisdictions to complete their own promised patriation projects. In her article Dr Corrin reviews the issues facing former British dependencies in assessing whether English law applies in their jurisdiction.  Dr Corrin concludes that the situation is problematic and that the interests of the rule of law would be better fulfilled by the introduction or the completion of patriation programmes. She reviews case law from a wide range of former dependencies which demonstrate the complexities of applying the reception rule and that of the confusion that can result

Perancangan Ornamen "Harini" melalui Kajian Visual Relief Latitavistara pada Candi Borobudur

Indonesia has many ornaments given that various cultures born in this archipelago. Variety of ornaments that characterizes a region refers to such cultural relics from the past. Excavation of the ornaments through the relics of the past with a rich in visual such as Borobudur may lead to the birth of the spirit of love of local product which is based on culture and tradition. Latitavistara relief which is part of the past Buddhist fragment became the main object in extracting visual object to bear a new visual language in the form of ornaments. The design of the ornament with a new visual appearance only used the visual elements of the flora in Latitavistara relief classified according to its clump type. The method used in this visual design referred to the simplification of the form leading to the symbolization inherent to the religious philosophy of Borobudur. Division levels in the pursuit of perfection contained in Borobudur were basis for determining the variations of ornament design generated. The results of this ornament design are expected to be applied into other visual disciplines which is not always be just a mere craft product. The spirit of recycling cultural heritage and traditions of the past to be a creative product with modern innovation becomes inseparable part of this design

Implementation of Community Service in The Introduction of History in the Sembulungan Peninsula, Banyuwangi Regency, East Java Province Indonesia

One of the relics whose existence must be preserved and preserved is in Banyuwangi Regency, precisely in Alas Purwo National Park (TN Alas Purwo), a national park located in Banyuwangi covering an area of 43,420 hectares. In addition to having a diversity of flora and fauna in the Alas Purwo National Park area, there are also many objects and buildings of the past, especially on the Sembulungan peninsula, which was formerly known as an entry and exit route for colonial trade commodities. However, let alone the student community who are academics who are not very familiar with the relics on the Sembulungan peninsula, the method used in this service is qualitative analysis by coming to the location directly and conducting observations and collecting data through structured interviews with a triangulation approach. The results show that students' insight has increased by looking at the relics of the Japanese military in maintaining power in the form of bunkers, cannons, and military strategies developed on the Sembulungan peninsula for maritime security

Future Tense

Nature - Humans - Past - Future - Presence - Absence These familiar terms are the stepping stones of thought that went into my thesis work. While some may pair these words together as dichotomies, I concentrate on the balancing act that exists between them. Since the first Industrial Revolution beginning in the mid-18th century, human activities have significantly altered the rest of the natural world. Other species have evolved in reaction to circumstances produced by human actions. Through my own observations of nature and research into how humans have impacted nature’s evolution, speculation began to swell as to what does the future look like? My thesis work presents found objects from human life intermingled with my own ceramic pieces that are inspired by nature but have elements of peculiarity. The relics represent a human existence and the ceramic components act as a symbol of other forms of life. These familiar, yet odd growth forms imply futurity, a continued existence. This futurity is stemming from a human element that is clearly from the past, combined with this altered view of nature. Are humans of the past too? Are these growths something of the future? At a fundamental level, the work I make as an artist is intended to imply that life will continue in some form, with or without us. My work evokes a glimpse of how things may evolve in the future in order to stress the importance of mindful consideration of how the decisions we make impact the environment

Displaying Lives: the Narrative of Objects in Biographical Exhibitions

Biographical exhibitions are a museum practice that asks for critical consideration. Grounding the argument in critical theory, social studies and museum theory, the article explores the narrative function of objects in biographical exhibitions by addressing the social significance of objects in relation to biography and their relevance when presented into an exhibition display. Central is the concept of objects as ‘biographical relics’ that are culturally fetishized in biographical narratives. This raises questions about biographical reliability and the cultural role that such objects plays in exhibition narratives as bearers of reality and as metonymical icons of the biographical subject. The article considers examples of biographical exhibitions of diverse figures such as Gregor Mendel, Madame de Pompadour and Roland Barthes, and the role that personal items, but also portraits and photographs, play in them

Object-relics and their effects: for a neo-animist paradigm

Our relationship with objects is far less clear-cut than a rational materialism predicated upon a subject/object distinction would have us believe. On the contrary, it is a messy and unpredictable one, electrified by emotional investments, often anxiety-ridden, never innocent or neutral, and always implicated in powerful identity-forming practices. This essay examines instances of contemporary animism in our relationship with object-relics by mapping the symbolic and affective investments these objects are charged with. The hypothesis is that their borderline ontological status defies simple categorization and that it might be better examined through the lens of a neo-animist paradigm able to express the complex, relational and negotiated engagement between us and the material world. The belief in the thaumaturgical power of object-relics is a persistent if irrational cultural topos that, precisely because it operates transversally and adheres to a wide array of commodities, can be the entry point for an investigation into how the meaning of things around us is generated and produces tangible effects in the making (and unmaking) of subjectivities. It is my intention to question the distinction between animate and inanimate objects, to privilege instead their opaque and enigmatic status, and the way in which they act as clusters of excess of meaning, as strange attractors of a surplus of significance quintessentially irreducible