Variable Speed of Light Cosmology and Bimetric Gravity: An Alternative to Standard Inflation

A scalar-tensor bimetric gravity model of early universe cosmology is reviewed. The metric frame with a variable speed of light (VSL) and a constant speed of gravitational waves is used to describe a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe. The Friedmann equations are solved for a radiation dominated equation of state and the power spectrum is predicted to be scale invariant with a scalar mode spectral index $n_s=0.97$. The scalar modes are born in a ground state superhorizon and the fluctuation modes are causally connected by the VSL mechanism. The cosmological constant is equated to zero and there is no significant dependence on the scalar field potential energy. A possible way of distinguishing the metric gravity model from standard inflationary models is discussed.Comment: 10 pages. Latex file. No figures. Talk given at the Coral Gables Conference on High Energy Physics and Cosmology, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, December 17-21, 2003. Typos corrected. Reference adde

Imperialism and colonialism

Many who see the Northern Ireland problem as the result of imperialism frequently overlook the fact that, although the territory was indeed originally part of the British expropriation of Ireland, it has remained under British jurisdiction largely because of the size and determined resistance of its settler population. Imperialism and settler colonialism in general are not identical; and in respect to the 'native' peoples, the imperial ideology of the metropolis has differed in important ways from the colonial ideology of settlers. The British and French empires have been the most extensively studied in this context, both being particularly relevant because they included two important settler colonies which fiercely resisted majority rule, namely Southern Rhodesia and Algeria. Works on Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, German and Belgian empires, however, draw very similar conclusions to those of the British and French (Alatas 1977:7)

Quantitative and Econometric Methodologies in the Study of Civil War

This chapter provides an overview of the quantitative study of civil war, focusing on the development of quantitative conflict studies, the basics of the quantitative method, the prominent sources of civil conflict data, and the strengths and weaknesses of using quantitative methods to analyse civil war

An empirical analysis of the market response to earnings warning announcements : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Finance at Massey University

A review of the recent literature surrounding market efficiency identifies two families of pervasive regularities: the underreaction of stock prices to new information events, such as earnings announcements or warnings, and the overreaction of stock prices to a series of negative or positive news. This study provides an empirical analysis of the market's stock price response to earnings warning announcements. Traditional event study methodology is employed to examine the stock price response of a sample of 372 companies issuing earnings warning announcements over a two-year period (1998 to 1999). The study finds evidence of a systematic stock price underreaction to the news content of an earnings warning announcement resulting in negative post-event 'drift' over the short to medium term for the majority of companies in the sample. The exception to this general finding is the group of stocks that have experienced the worst performance in the year leading up to the earnings warning announcement. This group of stocks displays post-event returns significantly higher than the rest of the sample, possibly as a correction of previous overreaction to a series of negative news events

Blank slates or hidden treasure? Assessing and building on the experiential learning of migrant and refugee women in European countries

Commonly, the work situation of migrant and refugee women declines notably on arriving in the new country, irrespective of their existing qualifications and even after they have taken accepted qualifications. The primary objectives of this research were to test the hypothesis that women bring to their new countries skills and competences arising from their education, working life and experiential learning, in addition to those learnt in the process of adapting to a new way of life, such as communicative and intercultural competences; and to develop a typology which would facilitate access to appropriate education and training. This process also, crucially, involves vocational guidance and counselling to ensure that women develop goals which are both realistic and desirable to them. To this end an interview schedule was developed and delivered, after adaptations to local circumstances, to 120 women in four countries: Denmark, Germany, the Czech Republic and the UK. This paper presents the detailed findings only from the UK research. The main value of the data gathered is qualitative and the samples used were non-random, but certain patterns emerged which are described in this paper. It was concluded that education and training were usually necessary in the new country but that a much more considered approach needs to be taken to placement on courses. The paper concludes with recommendations for practice by institutions of further education and case studies to illuminate the findings. Four case studies are attached

Living the multicultural city: acceptance, belonging and young identities in the city of Leicester, England

Drawing upon research conducted with young people in the city of Leicester, England, this paper explores what it means for those from black and minority ethnic communities, particularly more recent arrivals, to live within and adapt to specific multicultural urban contexts. After introducing prevailing racisms and accommodations, the paper examines how forms of belonging are expressed, re-produced and negotiated through the spatial trajectories of everyday life. This includes the value of emerging versions of place through community, religious practice as a form of social capital, the importance of routine, and the construction of multifaceted identities. Such experiences relate to contingent hierarchies of acceptance and legitimacy, histories of settlement, economic marginalization, as well as gendered and generational roles. These young people negotiate everyday life and belonging by retaining, extending and forging local and trans-national ties; highlighting the relationship between sociospatial positions, everyday practice and identity formation