Corrigendum: The Plebanski sectors of the EPRL vertex

We correct what amounts to a sign error in the proof of part (i.) of theorem 3 in Class.Quant.Grav.28 225003 (arXiv:1107.0709). The Plebanski sectors isolated by the linear simplicity constraints do not change --- they are still the three sectors (deg), (II+), and (II-). What changes is the characterization of the continuum Plebanski two-form corresponding to the first two terms in the asymptotics of the EPRL vertex amplitude for Regge-like boundary data. These two terms do not correspond to Plebanski sectors (II+) and (II-), but rather to the two possible signs of the product of the sign of the sector --- +1 for (II+) and -1 for (II-) --- and the sign of the orientation $\epsilon_{IJKL}B^{IJ} \wedge B^{KL}$ determined by $B^{IJ}$. This is consistent with what one would expect, as this is exactly the sign which classically relates the BF action, in Plebanski sectors (II+) and (II-), to the Einstein-Hilbert action, whose discretization is the Regge action appearing in the asymptotics.Comment: Corrigendum to arXiv:1107.0709, 4 page

Choosing Law for Attributing Liability Under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act: A Proposal for Uniformity

This Note argues that federal common law should determine all attribution of liability issues in actions brought under the FSIA. Part I discusses the FSIA, its history and policies, and the sole U.S. Supreme Court decision to discuss the proper choice of law approach for attribution of liability under the FSIA. Part II examines subsequent cases that have either followed or distinguished the Supreme Court\u27s choice of law approach in deciding questions of agency or respondeat superior. Part III argues that congressional intent demands the application of federal common law to determine questions of attribution of liability in actions brought under the FSIA. This Note concludes that federal courts should apply federal common law to determine the limited question of attribution of liability

Computer Art in the Former Soviet Bloc

Documents early computer art in the Soviet bloc and describes Marxist art theory.Comment: 28 page

Rapoport Center Investigates Afro-Colombian Territorial Rights

Latin American Studie

Understanding Rural Sprawl: A Look at Osceola County, Michigan

The term “sprawl” has been a part of the land use lexicon since the mid-1940s. While it has traditionally been prefixed by the word “urban,” rural sprawl has entered land use vocabulary since the 1970s. Rural sprawl can be understood as a demographic manifestation of conservative America’s rejection of the social and economic movements of the 1960s. Much of this rejection involved chastising urban centers and solidifying political bases in the suburbs. However, like the movement to escape core cities during the 1950s and 60s, the last three decades have seen a shift by many of conservative America’s members to remove themselves further from core cities and even abandoned suburbs that once seemed to them like the ultimate place of freedom, away from liberal ideas and people. Today, sprawl is a notable characteristic of politically conservative northern Michigan. Land division continues in the region at a much more rapid rate in areas outside of cities and villages than it has in previous decades. In Osceola County, MI, rural land parcels have gotten smaller, and this reflects a concerted assault on the remaining open spaces and farm lands in that location by politically conservative elected officials who have neglected to engage in meaningful growth management. In the last three decades much of the county’s open space and farm and forestry lands have been lost to the chopping up of many farms and large parcels to lots that range in size from one to five acres, which are known in the land use field as rural “large lots”. This has adversely impacted natural habitats and productive lands. As the State of Michigan decreases revenue sharing to its counties as a result of the current recession and decline of the auto industry, Osceola County government has had to reduce the level of service provision to its citizens. This is particularly true of the Osceola County Road Commission, which must service more rural residents who have sprawled into areas once primarily inhabited only by large landowners whose housing and building infrastructure was generally far apart

Improve Your Church Library

I began my journey as librarian for my church sometime at the end of 2004. I truly enjoyed the library experience at my previous church and wanted my new church home to offer a wide variety of great materials for our congregation. The good news for me was that we already had a room and materials that served as our church library. The bad news was that most of the materials were really outdated and only a very few people were using the library. So, I took a step back and devised a strategy for bringing our library back to life

A spin-foam vertex amplitude with the correct semiclassical limit

Spin-foam models are hoped to provide a dynamics for loop quantum gravity. These start from the Plebanski formulation of gravity, in which gravity is obtained from a topological field theory, BF theory, through constraints, which, however, select more than one gravitational sector, as well as an unphysical degenerate sector. We show this is why terms beyond the needed Feynman-prescribed one appear in the semiclassical limit of the EPRL spin-foam amplitude. By quantum mechanically isolating a single gravitational sector, we modify this amplitude, yielding a spin-foam amplitude for loop quantum gravity with the correct semiclassical limit.Comment: 5 pages; sign error corrected, further clarification regarding the semi-classical limit added, as well as other minor change