Cosmological Implications of the Tetron Model of Elementary Particles

Based on a possible solution to the tetron spin problem, a modification of the standard Big Bang scenario is suggested, where the advent of a spacetime manifold is connected to the appearance of tetronic bound states. The metric tensor is constructed from tetron constituents and the reason for cosmic inflation is elucidated. Furthermore, there are natural dark matter candidates in the tetron model. The ratio of ordinary to dark matter in the universe is calculated to be 1:5.Comment: 23 page

THE SHAME OF BEING NUMBER ONE

Americans are accustomed to saying and hearing that the United States is the greatest, most powerfi1l nation in the world Citizenship is considered to be a source of pride. Although the United States is, in fact, number one in many areas, not all are something Americans should he proud of There appears to be a greater concernfor. andfocus on, those at the lop than those at the boltom. The result is great inequality. The United States. which claims to be the world leader, should attempt to be the leader in social justice. To accomplish this, policies and actions should be guided hy the principles of social justice, and all Americans should spend more effort in societalizing our youth as we are socializing them

Religion and the Electability of Presidential Candidates

Denominationalism appears to be an important factor in American politics, particularly in presidential elections. Evidence indicates there are, and has always been, favored and disfavored denominations. One such disfavored denomination is Catholicism. Although it is the largest denomination in the United States, there has been only one Catholic president. Until the 2004 election, whenever a Catholic was in the presidential race, anti-Catholic rhetoric was commonly employed against him. Fears of papal control and sinister machinations were expressed. The result was religious discrimination which, like all forms of discrimination, eliminates or greatly reduces the right of participation. This is a violation of social justice

Producing an LGBT Religious Organizational Identity: The Case of DignityUSA

In this exploratory study, we examine the production of an organizational LGBT religious identity utilizing the case of DignityUSA. To this end, we engage in two interconnected analyses. First, we revisit and verify the findings of Loseke and Cavendish (2001) concerning the production of what they called a “Dignified Self,” which LGBT Catholics may use to integrate their religious-sexual-gender identities. Then, we expand on their analyses of DignityUSA in the late 1990’s to outline the ways DignityUSA constructs an organizational identity their members may draw upon to construct the Dignified Self and integrate their sexual/gender and religious identities. In so doing, our analyses speak both to (1) Loseke and Cavendish’s (2001) call to explore whether their findings from three years of newsletters held over time; and (2) calls over the past two decades for LGBT religious studies to expand beyond individual LGBT religious-sexual-gender identity integration to ascertain the construction of the organizational identities LGBT people draw upon to accomplish individual and interpersonal identity integration

Cluster Algebras and Discrete Integrability

Cluster algebras are a class of commutative algebras whose generators are defined by a recursive process called mutation. We give a brief introduction to cluster algebras, and explain how discrete integrable systems can appear in the context of cluster mutation. In particular, we give examples of birational maps that are integrable in the Liouville sense and arise from cluster algebras with periodicity, as well as examples of discrete Painleve equations that are derived from Y-systems

Hispanic Catholic Leadership: Key to the Future

This article assesses data from a 1999 survey of Hispanic adults concerning their experiences, needs, and deficits with respect to Hispanic-based leadership in their churches. Commissioned by the National Catholic Council on Hispanic Ministry (NCCHM), the study concluded that because Hispanics are an increasingly important part of the Church in the United States (and society), Hispanic Catholic leadership development (especially among women, youth and young adults) requires an immediate and significant investment. Once formed, such leaders are very likely to contribute time, talent, and treasure to the Church

Summer Faculty Internships: An Attractive Faculty Development Alternative

The objective of any faculty development program is to provide an environment, an opportunity for growth and renewal. At Tarrant County Junior College South Campus, an imaginative program has been established as a partnership between the College and local businesses and industries. Since the summer of 1992, computer science faculty members have participated in summer faculty internships in which they are placed in a local organization for six weeks and work along side the computer professionals of that organization day by day. This internship program provides faculty opportunities for reviving technical skills, learning new skills, observing first-hand the impact of the computer revolution, and rekindling the flame of enthusiasm for their profession and discipline. Results of the first two summer programs are summarized and payoffs both to the host organization and to the academic institution are described