THE SURFACE MINING CONTROL AND RECLAMATION ACT OF 1977 IN OKLAHOMA: STATE AND FEDERAL COHABITATION

The enforcement of the SMCRA in Oklahoma has led to improvements and transformations in the coal industry, state and federal regulatory agencies and the public. The catalyst for these changes was the federal takeover of inspection and enforcement of the SMCRA in Oklahoma with the state carrying on all other mining regulatory activities from 1984 through 1987. This pattern of cohabitation differed from that in Tennessee where OSM took over all enforcement of the SMCRA or that in states that enter into cooperative agreements to provide state regulation of coal mining on federal lands within the state. Cohabitation in Oklahoma produced a new, more positive attitude toward cooperative federalism by both federal and state regulatory bodies that might serve as a model for other states with OSM maintaining state agency support for policy objectives while allowing the state reasonable decisional discretion.     

Dimensional Review of Scales for Forensic Photography

Scales for photography provide a geometrical reference in the photographic documentation of a crime scene, pattern, or item of evidence. The ABFO No. 2 Standard Reference Scale (1) is used by the forensic science community as an accurate reference scale. We investigated the overall accuracy of the major centimeter graduations, internal/external diameters of the circles, error in placement of the circle centers, and leg perpendicularity. Four vendors were selected for the scales, and the features were measured on a vision‐based coordinate measurement system. The scales were well within the specified tolerance for the length graduations. After 4 years, the same scales were measured to determine what change could be measured. The scales demonstrated acceptable stability in the scale length and center‐to‐center measurements; however, the perpendicularity exhibited change. The study results indicate that scale quality checks using certified metal rulers are good practice.     

Book reviews

Pride of Small Nations: The Caucasus and Post‐Soviet Disorder Suzanne Goldenberg London: Zed Books, 1994, xv, 233 pp, 1 map

The North Caucasus: Minorities at a Crossroads Helen Krag and Lars Funch Report of The Minority Rights Group International, 94/5, 45 pp (incl. map), 1994, £4.95

The Legacy of History in Russia and the New States of Eurasia. The International Politics of Eurasia Vol 1 Series editors, S. Frederick Starr (editor), Bruce Parrott and Karen Dawisha Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1994, xiii, 328 pp, $49.95 hb, $19.95 pb

Central Asia Reader: The Rediscovery of History H. B. Paksoy (editor) Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1994, ix + 206 pp $60 hb, $21.95 pb

National Identity and Ethnicity in Russia and the New States of Eurasia. The International Politics of Eurasia Vol 2 Roman Szporluk (editor) Series editors, Bruce Parrott and Karen Dawisha Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1994, xiii, 328 pp, $49.95 hb, $19.95 pb

Muslim Communities Reemerge: Historical Perspectives on Nationality, Politics, and Opposition in the Former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia Andreas Kappeler, Gerhard Simon and Georg Brunner, editors of the German edition: Edward Allworth, editor English edition Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1994, Caroline Sawyer, trans., xiv, 365 pp, $54.95 hb, $24.95 pb

The Making of Iran's Islamic Revolution Mohsen M. Milani Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1994, 268 pp

Torture and Modernity: Self, Society, and State in Modern Iran Darious M. Rejali Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1994, 289 pp

China's Minorities: Integration and Modernization in the Twentieth Century Colin Mackerras Hong Kong and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994, viii, 341 pp, $79.00

High Tartary Owen Lattimore New York, Tokyo, London: Kodansha International, 386 pp, illus, £11.99

Turkestan Reunion Eleanor Holgate Lattimore New York, Tokyo, London: Kodansha International, 323 pp, illus, £10.99

Islamic Urban Studies: Historical Review and Perspectives Masashi Haneda and Toru Miura (editors) London: Kegan Paul International, 1995, 365 pp, index, biblio, £55     

Can Tax Authorities Scrutinise the Ideas of Foreign Charities? The ECJ's Persche Judgment and Lessons from US Tax Law

The European Court of Justice's (ECJ's) recent Persche judgment poses important questions about the relationship between taxation of gifts and charitable purposes in the light of EC law requirements. This article argues that by applying its established case‐law to the matter of donors to foreign recipient bodies, the ECJ takes a position on the social role of both charities and tax deduction. Moreover, the position of the ECJ clearly paves the way for tax authorities to check the objectives and the values pursued by recipient bodies seeking tax‐preferred status, a situation that recalls a similar power recognised under specific circumstances of the US Internal Revenue Services. Arguably, the ECJ case‐law has more profound consequences on charitable action, since it seems that the power accorded to tax authorities of the Member States to check the purposes of charitable organisations leads to a cosmopolitan apprehension of charitable action while it pushes charities to enhance transparency in their activities.     

Elevator-Related Deaths

Elevators are mechanical transportation devices used to move vertically between different levels of a building. When first developed, elevators lacked the safety features. When safety mechanisms were developed, elevators became a common feature of multistory buildings. Despite their well-regarded safety record, elevators are not without the potential for danger of injury or death. Persons at-risk for elevator-related death include maintenance and construction workers, other employees, and those who are prone to risky behavior. Deaths may be related to asphyxia, blunt force, avulsion injuries, and various forms of environmental trauma. In this review, we report on 48 elevator-related deaths that occurred in nine different medicolegal death investigation jurisdictions within the United States over an approximately 30-year period. The data represents a cross-section of the different types of elevator-related deaths that may be encountered. The review also presents an overview of preventive strategies for the purpose of avoiding future elevator-related fatalities.