The Political and Judicial Life of Metadata: Digital Rights Ireland and the Trail of the Data Retention Directive. CEPS Paper in Liberty and Security No. 65, May 2014

This paper examines the challenges facing the EU regarding data retention, particularly in the aftermath of the judgment Digital Rights Ireland by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) of April 2014, which found the Data Retention Directive 2002/58 to be invalid. It first offers a brief historical account of the Data Retention Directive and then moves to a detailed assessment of what the judgment means for determining the lawfulness of data retention from the perspective of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights: what is wrong with the Data Retention Directive and how would it need to be changed to comply with the right to respect for privacy? The paper also looks at the responses to the judgment from the European institutions and elsewhere, and presents a set of policy suggestions to the European institutions on the way forward. It is argued here that one of the main issues underlying the Digital Rights Ireland judgment has been the role of fundamental rights in the EU legal order, and in particular the extent to which the retention of metadata for law enforcement purposes is consistent with EU citizens’ right to respect for privacy and to data protection. The paper offers three main recommendations to EU policy-makers: first, to give priority to a full and independent evaluation of the value of the data retention directive; second, to assess the judgment’s implications for other large EU information systems and proposals that provide for the mass collection of metadata from innocent persons, in the EU; and third, to adopt without delay the proposal for Directive COM(2012)10 dealing with data protection in the fields of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters.

Determinants of Farm Labour Use: A Comparison between Ireland and Italy. Factor Markets Working Documents No. 60, August 2013

This paper examines the effect of the decoupling of farm direct payments upon the off-farm labour supply decisions of farmers in both Ireland and Italy, using panel data from the Farm Business Survey (REA) and FADN database covering the period from 2002 to 2009 to model these decisions. Drawing from the conceptual agricultural household model, the authors hypothesise that the decoupling of direct payments led to an increase in off-farm labour activity despite some competing factors. This hypothesis rests largely upon the argument that the effects of changes in relative wages have dominated other factors. At a micro level, the decoupling-induced decline in the farm wage relative to the non-farm wage ought to have provoked a greater incentive for off-farm labour supply. The main known competing argument is that decoupling introduced a new source of non-labour income i.e. a wealth effect. This may in turn have suppressed or eliminated the likelihood of increased off-farm labour supply for some farmers. For the purposes of comparative analysis, the Italian model utilises the data from the REA database instead of the FADN as the latter has a less than satisfactory coverage of labour issues. Both models are developed at a national level. The paper draws from the literature on female labour supply and uses a sample selection corrected ordinary least squares model to examine both the decisions of off-farm work participation and the decisions regarding the amount of time spent working off-farm. The preliminary results indicate that decoupling has not had a significant impact on off-farm labour supply in the case of Ireland but there appears to be a significantly negative relationship in the Italian case. It still remains the case in both countries that the wealth of the farmer is negatively correlated with the likelihood of off-farm employment.

Great hatred, little room Northern Ireland and the European Union: Attitudes, perspectives and the role of religion. Bruges Political Research Papers 48/2015.

Little academic attention has been given to the study of Northern Irish Euroscepticism despite the fact that it is a unique and interesting example of citizens’ relationships with the EU. Northern Irish Euroscepticism is defined by the divergence in attitudes towards European integration between Catholics and Protestants. This is a divide that is rooted in historical and religious interpretations of the project, as well as the widespread belief that membership of the EU will somehow lead to a united Ireland. Membership in the EU has not had a significant political impact on Northern Ireland, with citizens’ attitudes being largely characterised by a clear lack of interest in the project. Participation at the European level provided limited opportunity for cooperation by both sides while it may be argued that European elections contributed to the sectarian divide.

Chemistry of Late Quaternary sediments and their interstitial waters of sediment cores from the Nort-West African continental margin

In the sediments of the NW African continental margin the mainly biogenic carbonate constituents become increasingly diluted with terrigenous material as one approaches the coast, as indicated by the carbonate-CO2 content, the Al2O3/SiO2-ratios, and the presence of ammonia fixed to alumino-silicates, predominantly to illites. In the norther area of the investigation - off Cape Blanc and Cape Bojador . the terrigenous constituents are mainly quartz from the Sahara Desert, whereas in the south - off Senegal - more alumino-silicates as clay minerals are admixed with the carbonate constituents. The organic carbon content of the continental slope sediments off Senegal is higher than in samples of the continental rise or of the preservation of organic matter as a result of high production and relatively rapid sedimentation. The zone of manganese-oxide enrichment follows the redox potential of + 330 mV from the surface (0-5 cm) into the sediments (20-30 cm deep) at 2000--3000 m and 3700 m of water depths, respectively. At shallower water depths, low redox potentials preclude deposition of manganese oxides and cause their mobilization from the sediments. About 1/3 of the total sedimentary Zn and 1/4 of the Cu is associated with the carbonate mineral fraction, probably in calcium phosphate overgrowths as a result of the mineralization of phosphorus-containing organic matter. Besides the precipitation of calcium phosphate, the mineralization of organic matter mediated by bacterial sulfate reduction also results in calcium carbonate precipitation and the exchange of ammonia for potassium on illites. Because of these simultaneous reactions, the depth distribution of all mineralization constituents in the interstitial water can be determined using the actual molar carbon-to-nitrogen-to phosphorus ratios of the sedimentary organic matter. The amount of sulfide sulfur in this process indicates the predominance of bacterial sulfate reduction in the sediments off NW Africa. This process also preferentially decomposes nitrogen- and phosphorus-containing organic compounds so organic matter deficient in these elements is characteristic for the rapidly accumulating sediments than today, indicating there was increased production of organic carbon compounds and more favorable conditions of their preservations. During the last interglacial times conditions were similar to those to today. This differentiation with time has also been observed in sediments from the Argentine Basin and from slope off South India indicating perhaps world-wide environmental changes throughout Late Quaternary times.

Middle to Late Quaternary sedimentation and rock-magnetic of ODP Site 105-646

We examine rock-magnetic, carbonate, and planktonic foraminiferal fluxes to identify climatically controlled changes of terrigenous and pelagic sedimentation at Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 646 (the Labrador Sea). Terrigenous sediments are brought to the site principally by bottom currents. We use a rock-magnetic parameter sensitive to changes in magnetic mineral grain size, the ratio of anhysteretic susceptibility to low-field magnetic susceptibility (XARM/X), to monitor changes in bottom-current intensity over time, with large values of XARM/X (finer-grained magnetic minerals) indicating weaker bottom currents. A second rock-magnetic parameter, magnetic mineral accumulation rate (KaT) was used to indicate variations in terrigenous flux. Planktonic foraminiferal and carbonate accumulation rates (Pfar and CaC03ar) are used as indicators of pelagic flux. Absolute age assignments are based on correlation between the planktonic foraminiferal oxygen-isotope variations for Site 646 and the SPECMAP master oxygen-isotope curve. Cross-correlation analyses of the parameters that we studied with respect to the SPECMAP curve suggest that from oxygen-isotope stages 21 to 11, sedimentation rate, KaT, X, CaCO3ar, and Pfar were at their maximums, whereas XARM/X was at its minimum during peak interglacials (i.e., 0 k.y. lag time with respect to minimum ice volume). However, all parameters we examined lag behind minimum ice volume from stages 11 to 1, indicating a change in timing of both pelagic and terrigenous fluxes at approximately 400 k.y. BP. The negative correlation coefficient between XARM/X and the SPECMAP curve further suggest that finer-grained magnetic minerals are deposited during glacial periods, which probably reflects weaker bottom currents. The shift observed in the lag times of parameters examined with respect to the SPECMAP record is attributed to a change in significance of orbital parameters. Spectral results exhibit strong power in eccentricity (about 100 k.y.) throughout the record. Kap X, CaCO3flr, and Pfar show significant power in obliquity (about 41 k.y.), whereas XARM/X shows significant power at 73 k.y. from stages 21 to 11. The 73-k.y. period in XARM/X is near the difference tone of obliquity and eccentricity: 1/43-1/102 = 1/69. Kar and XARM/X show power only in eccentricity from stages 11 to 1. X and Pfar show significant power in precession (about 18 and 22 k.y.) whereas CaC03ar has power at 34 k.y, which could be a combination of precession and obliquity. The shift in power of orbital parameters may by attributed to the effect of the about 413-k.y. signal of eccentricity.

Sedimentology and benthic foraminiferal assemblages of the late Younger Dryas and early Holocene in the Skagerrak

A high-resolution study of palaeoenvironmental changes through the late Younger Dryas and early Holocene in the Skagerrak, the eastern North Atlantic, is based on multi-proxy analyses of core MD99-2286 combined with palaeo-water depth modelling for the area. The late Younger Dryas was characterized by a cold ice-distal benthic foraminiferal fauna. After the transition to the Preboreal (c. 11 650 cal. a BP) this fauna was replaced by a Cassidulina neoteretis dominated fauna, indicating the influence of chilled Atlantic Water at the sea floor. Persisting relatively cold bottom-water conditions until c. 10 300 cal. a BP are presumably a result of an outflow of glacial meltwater from the Baltic area across south-central Sweden, which develops a strong stratification of the water column at MD99-2286. A short-term peak in the C/N ratio at c. 10 200 cal. a BP is suggested to indicate input of terrestrial material, which may represent the drainage of an ice-dammed lake in southern Norway, the Glomma event. After the last drainage route across south-central Sweden closed, c. 10 300 cal. a BP, the meltwater influence diminished, and the Skagerrak resembled a fjord with stable inflow of waters from the North Atlantic through the Norwegian Channel and a gradual increase in boreal species. Full interglacial conditions were established at the sea floor from c. 9250 cal. a BP. Subsequent warm stable conditions were interrupted by a short-term cooling around 8300-8200 cal. a BP, representing the 8.2 ka event.

The calendar of the Anglican Church illustrated : with brief accounts of the saints who have churches dedicated in their names, or whose images are most frequently met with in England : the early christian and medieval symbols : and an index of emblems.

Calf, rebacked.

Oceanographic observations between Iceland and Scotland, July-November 1965.

"CG 373-28."

Ireland and the Holy See in the middle ages.

Mode of access: Internet.

Whitehall Ceiling: The Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland

Peter Paul Rubens; 25 ft.x 17 ft. 11 23/64 in.; oil on canvas