Kashmir and Tibet: comparing conflicts,states, and solutions

Five decades of conflicts in Kashmir and Tibet continue into the twenty-first century without clear signs of resolution. This article focuses on issues of collective rights, national identity, and state sovereignty in these two conflicts to ask what political recourses exist for Tibetans or citizens of Jammu and Kashmir in today's changing world. As citizens of differently organized states and subjects to dissimilar conflicts, what methods and types of conflict resolution might Tibetans and Kashmiris have shared access to? Both of these post-WWII conflicts have been framed and defined by the two core states involved, India and China. Analytically, therefore, this article draws on anthropological and political constructivist work on the state to suggest possible non-violent, community-oriented solutions to these conflicts.     

How real is the threat of imprisonment for environmental crime?

In this contribution, we investigate whether prison sentences for environmental crime are indeed used in practice, how they are used and whether they imply a real threat to violators. To this end we examine previous studies on the role of imprisonment and confront these models with some empirical data. The empirical application summarizes evidence from several countries, but focuses on detailed data for criminal prosecution of environmental legislation in Flanders (Belgium) between 2003 and 2007. Thus we are able to highlight some interesting policy issues and directions for future research.     

A survey of extraction techniques for drugs of abuse in urine

Sixty nine participants in the United Kingdom national external quality assessment scheme for drugs of abuse in urine reported details of their sample extraction technique by questionnaire. Laboratories were categorised by differences in technique and their analytical test results compared for samples containing D-amfetamine 0.4 (4) and 0.8 (3) mg/l, morphine 0.4 (4) and 0.8 (4)mg/l, and benzoylecgonine 0.15/0.2 (2) and 0.45/0.5 (4) mg/l. Values in parentheses are numbers of samples. For amfetamine, there was no significant difference in the frequency of true positive results between liquid-liquid or solid phase extraction and the Toxi-Lab A system at 0.8 mg/l. Toxi-Lab A gave significantly fewer positives when operating below its specified threshold at 0.4 mg/l. Paradoxically, laboratories using >5 ml urine volume performed less well. Acidification of the extract before volume reduction gave significantly more true positives. For extraction of morphine, solid phase systems significantly outperformed both liquid-liquid and the Toxi-Lab A system at both 0.8 and 0.4 mg/l. No significant differences between extraction techniques were demonstrated for analysis of benzoylecgonine.     

“Relational goods” and participation: Incorporating sociability into a theory of rational action

Theoretical explanations of why rational individuals would participate in politics remain unsatisfactory. This paper addresses the problem by developing and analyzing models which include among citizens' payoffs “relational goods,” objectives which depend upon interactions among persons. The models predict more participation than do the standard approaches. For example, under some circumstances persons will be more likely to act if they believe others will act, contrary to free-rider logic. More importantly, conditions are identified under which leaders could increase mass activity. Thus, a model is provided of “mobilization” in terms of the preferences and decisions of a rational individual. The author thanks the Russell Sage Foundation for support as a Visiting Fellow during 1986–87. The paper has benefited from the comments of Patricia Gurin, Steve Brams, Jane Mansbridge, Linda Cohen, Tyler Cowen, Ami Glazer, and seminar participants at the University of Rochester.     

Suicide by intravenous injection of cocaine. A report of three cases

Death as a consequence of cocaine abuse is continuing to increase in all parts of the United States. Cocaine use may cause the development of psychosis, with subsequent expression of suicidal ideations, and potentially even successful suicide. Cocaine dependence may also cause depression in the individual who is unable to control his or her craving for the drug, and suicide may be perceived as the only solution to a desperate problem. Despite the dramatic escalation of cocaine abuse and the potential toxicity of this drug, there have been no reports within the United States of cocaine being used as the agent to accomplish a suicide. Herewith are reported three cases in which depression and desperation over cocaine dependence were the motivations for successful suicide, which was accomplished through the intravenous injection of cocaine to the point of death. True cocaine suicide is probably only identified through the presence of objective scene information that unequivocally proves suicidal intent, such as notes or letters which contain information to this effect. A careful search of the scene of death in cocaine fatalities is mandatory, and diligent application of routine scene investigation principles may reveal that suicide through the use of cocaine is more widespread than first appearances would suggest.     

The biohazard potential of cyanide poisoning during postmortem examination

A case of suicide by ingestion of cyanide salts provided an opportunity to determine whether personnel involved in postmortem examination of such cases are exposed to any significant degree of biohazard from cyanide remaining in body cavities or tissues of the decedent or both. It was found that potentially toxic concentrations of cyanide can develop in personnel so exposed. These findings have implications not only for the safety of pathologists and pathology assistants, but also for first responders (for example, police, firemen, emergency medical technicians [EMTs], paramedics, R.N.s) and emergency room personnel who may be involved in resuscitation efforts or removal of gastric contents or both in cyanide poisoning victims. Symptoms of cyanide toxicity and recommendations for reducing the potential for clinically significant cyanide exposure in medical settings are briefly reviewed.     

‘Does Sex Matter to Democracy?’– A Comment

Two aspects of the relation between sexual difference and democracy are discussed: (i) the construction in classic contract theory of the 'natural' difference between the sexes as a relation of superiority and subordination; (ii) the peculiarities and paradoxes of women's standing as citizens as the 'different' sex. This is illustrated by the examples of motherhood - women have been seen as having a distinctive political duty as mothers, but motherhood is also seen as the antithesis of citizenship - by the difficulties surrounding women and consent, and by the questions raised by contemporary feminists about the meaning of ('normal') 'sex'.     

Ultrastructural and immunofluorescent detection of herpes simplex virus after embalming and burial

The practice of embalming preserves body tissues, and embalmed bodies may resist decay processes for many decades with relatively little change. As the chemicals used for embalming are poisonous to microorganisms, bacterial and viral cultures are futile after such funerary procedures are performed. However, embalming may act as a virtual tissue fixative, especially with arterial perfusion, and identification methods other than culture may be used to detect and identify pathogenic organisms. In the case presented here, a death from a fulminating, but unidentified, illness in a young girl was successfully diagnosed as herpes hepatitis by immunofluorescent and electron-microscopic studies of tissue obtained 3 weeks after she was embalmed and interred. Routine embalming and burial should not eliminate these diagnostic procedures from consideration in specific situations where potentially useful information may be realized.