Canadian Federalism: The Entanglement of Meech Lake and the Free Trade Agreement

In retrospect, 1988 may turn out to be a pivotal year in theevolution of Canadian federalism. The November general electionwas dominated by an intense national debate over the proposedFree Trade Agreement with the United States. Although the FreeTrade Agreement was seen to have important ramifications forCanadian federalism, coherent discussion of those ramificationsbecame blurred in the face of a much broader and emotionallypartisan debate. Concerns about the nature of Canadian federalismwere instead absorbed by, and in part displaced by, an emergingnational debate on the Meech Lake Constitutional Accord. TheAccord had been reached by the eleven first ministers in 1987,but by the end of 1988 it had yet to receive legislative ratificationin Manitoba and New Brunswick. In the aftermath of the 1988election, debates over free trade and the Accord have becomeprogressively entangled. While this entanglement did not alterthe outcome of the free trade debate, it has had important consequencesfor the Meech Lake Accord, and thus for the future of Canadianfederalism.     

Evidence of Premeditation in Skin Messages in Suicide

A 34‐year‐old man with manic‐depressive disorder was found dead sitting in a vehicle with a hose running from the exhaust pipe to the cabin. Numerous suicide notes were found inside his house. At autopsy, the decedent was wearing jeans and a long‐sleeved windcheater. Upon removal of his clothes, a series of messages were also found written on the legs and forearm. Death was due to carbon monoxide toxicity with a blood level of carboxyhemoglobin of 84%. Skin messages represent a rare form of suicide note that may suggest that a suicide has not been planned, as the decedent may have used the nearest surface to write on. This case demonstrates, however, that skin messages may be more organized, being written prior to dressing and setting up the fatal episode. They also may compliment other notes and messages.     

Age‐Related Vulnerability to Lethal Craniocerebral Crush Injuries from Electrical Beds/Tables

Vulnerability to accidents characterizes the extremes of life for reasons that may be similar in each age group. Two cases are reported to demonstrate increased risks of entrapment and crushing injury involving the use of electrically controlled beds/tables. Case 1: A frail 98‐year‐old woman with a history of dementia suffered a lethal crush injury to her head when she fell out of bed and accidentally activated its lowering mechanism. Case 2: An 18‐month‐old girl suffered a lethal crush injury to her head when she became trapped under a lowered electric massage table. Common devices may be dangerous if individuals do not have the mental or physical capabilities to deal with them. The forensic assessment of such deaths involves an evaluation of the neurocognitive level and physical strength of the decedent as documented in previous clinical assessments, in addition to a careful examination of the structure and function of the bed/table.     

Orchestration and transnational climate governance

With multilateral efforts to mitigate climate change in gridlock, attention has turned to transnational climate governance initiatives, through which sub- and non-state actors seek to reduce greenhouse gases. These initiatives include networks of cities committed to lowering their carbon footprints, voluntary corporate reduction targets and disclosure processes, and many of the rules that govern carbon markets. The paper considers the role of “traditional” actors in world politics—states and intergovernmental organizations—in orchestrating such initiatives. This strategy accounts for nearly a third of transnational climate governance initiatives, we find, and upends the conventional dichotomy between “top down” and “bottom up” solutions to global collective action problems. We develop a theory to explain when states and intergovernmental organizations are likely to engage in orchestration, and we provide initial support for this theory with a new dataset of transnational climate governance initiatives and case studies of two of the most active orchestrators, the World Bank and the United Kingdom.     

A Review of the Forensic Implications of Pica

Pica is characterized by the persistent eating of non‐nutritive substances over some time that is inappropriate for the maturation stage of the individual and is not culturally sanctioned. A 9‐year‐old boy with Goldenhar syndrome, significant developmental delay and pica, collapsed and died after a short history of diarrhea and vomiting. Death was due to a sigmoid volvulus resulting from filling of the distal colon with feces containing dirt, stones, and rice with evidence of ischemic intestinal necrosis. Lethal complications of pica include intestinal obstruction and perforation with peritonitis and generalized sepsis. Other findings at autopsy may include airway obstruction, heavy metal poisoning, and parasitic infestation. Presenting symptoms and signs of such complications may be subtle or masked given the nature of underlying conditions, and so careful evaluation of the medical histories of individuals with pica may be necessary to provide pertinent details of associated medical and psychiatric conditions.     

Endobronchial/Tracheal Metastasis and Sudden Death

Endobronchial and endotracheal metastases are rare lesions that may cause acute occlusion of major airways. A case is reported of a 62‐year‐old man with history of renal cell carcinoma and hemoptysis who died after having suddenly become short of breath with cyanosis. At autopsy, recurrent renal cell carcinoma was identified with metastases to the lungs, pulmonary hilar lymph nodes, and brain. In addition, a solitary papillomatous metastasis arising from the mucosa of the carina was obstructing both the main bronchi and distal trachea. Death was due to acute airway obstruction by a metastatic deposit at the bifurcation of the trachea in a case of disseminated renal cell carcinoma. This case demonstrates an extremely rare cause of sudden death that may complicate disseminated malignancy.     

Prison Suicides in South Australia: 1996–2010

Forty‐eight deaths occurring in prisons in South Australia were identified between January 1996 and December 2010, including 25 cases of suicide (mean age = 37 years; median age = 34 years; age range = 24–70 years). Most suicides were due to hanging (23/25; 92.0%) with victims using bedding, belts, or shoelaces attached to cell shelves, air vents, doors, or other accessible projections. There were no suicides attributed to drug overdose or sharp force injury. Over a third of all suicides (39.1%) occurred during the first month of confinement, with 26.1% of cases occurring within the first week. There was one suicide reported after 2 years of imprisonment. Given that suicide in state prisons currently occurs at a rate approximately eight times that of the general South Australian community, it appears that the subset of incarcerated individuals represents a group in need of effective preventive strategies to enable more appropriate provisions of existing prisoner resources.