Eternity and Vision in Boethius

Boethius and Augustine of Hippo are two of the fountainheads from which the long tradition of regarding God’s existence as timelessly eternal has flowed, a tradition which has influenced not only Christianity, but Judaism and Islam, too. But though the two have divine eternality in common, I shall argue that in other respects, in certain crucial respects, they differ significantly over how they articulate that notio

Curtis homomorphisms and the integral Bernstein center for GL_n

We describe two conjectures, one strictly stronger than the other, that give descriptions of the integral Bernstein center for GL_n(F) (that is, the center of the category of smooth W(k)[GL_n(F)]-modules, for F a p-adic field and k an algebraically closed field of characteristic l different from p) in terms of Galois theory. Moreover, we show that the weak version of the conjecture (for m at most n) implies the strong version of the conjecture. In a companion paper [HM] we show that the strong conjecture for n-1 implies the weak conjecture for n; thus the two papers together give an inductive proof of both conjectures. The upshot is a description of the integral Bernstein center for GL_n in purely Galois-theoretic terms; previous work of the author shows that such a description implies the conjectural "local Langlands correspondence in families" of Emerton and the author.Comment: Final accepted version. 36 pages. Note that the published version of Helm-Moss, "Converse theorems and the local Langlands correspondence in families" references an earlier version of this paper, and the section numbering has changed; in particular sections 9,10, and 11 of the referenced version correspond to sections 8,9, and 10 of the current version, respectivel

The long and winding road ...

The long and winding road is a metaphor for a journey, often used to describe life journeys and the challenges encountered. The metaphor was used for the title of my keynote to refer both to the journey towards the current position of virtual exchange in education policy \u2013 but also the long road ahead. This paper aims to explore the emergence of virtual exchange in educational policy and how it has been adopted by non-profit organisations, educational institutions, and policy makers to address geo- and socio-political tensions. Though still a relatively new field, in recent years there have been some important developments in terms of policy statements and public investments in virtual exchange. The paper starts by looking at the current state-of-the-art in terms of virtual exchange in education policy and initiatives in Europe. Then, using an approach based on \u2018episode studies\u2019 from the policy literature, the paper explores the main virtual exchange schemes and initiatives that have drawn the attention of European policy makers. The paper closes by looking at some of the lessons we have learnt from research on the practice of virtual exchange, and how this can inform us as we face the long road ahead of us. The focus of this paper is on the European context not because I assume it to be the most important or influential, but rather because it is the one I know best, since it is the context in which I have been workin

Phonons in intrinsic Josephson systems with parallel magnetic field

Subgap resonances in the I-V curves of layered superconductors are explained by the coupling between Josephson oscillations and phonons with dispersion in c-direction. In the presence of a magnetic field applied parallel to the layers additional structures due to fluxon motion appear. Their coupling with phonons is investigated theoretically and a shift of the phonon resonances in strong magnetic fields is predicted.Comment: Invited Paper to the "2nd International Symposium on Intrinsic Josephson Effects and Plasma Oscillations in High-Tc Superconductors", 22-24 August 2000, Sendai, Japan, to be published in Physica

How Liable should an Exporter be? The Case of Trade in Hazardous Goods

This paper analyzes liability issues in the context of internationally traded goods like hazardous waste. If waste disposers of a small open economy are judgement-proof, then the extension of liability to waste exporters distorts the factor allocation and may reduce disposal care. Hence the optimal extension is partial at most. However, extending liability increases incentives of the waste importing country to hold domestic disposers liable. Interaction through the price system and through contracts that condition payments for disposal services on the occurrence of an accident yield identical outcomes if disposers are judgement-proof.extended liability, hazardous waste trade, externalities, moral hazard