Dirty tricks of cross-examination

A mock jury study was conducted to test the hypothesis that perceptions of a witness can be biased by presumptuous cross-examination questions. A total of 105 subjects read a rape trial in which the cross-examiner asked a question that implied something negative about the reputation of either the victim or an expert. Within each condition, the question was met with either a denial, an admission, or an objection from the witness's attorney. Results indicated that although ratings of the victim's credibility were not affected by the presumptuous question, the expert's credibility was significantly diminished—even when the question had elicited a denial or a sustained objection. Conceptual and practical implications of these findings are discussed.This research was supported by funds provided to the first author by the Bronfman Science Center.     

Lingual markings of anterior teeth as seen in human bite marks

A review of the available literature does not reveal a plausible explanation as to why the incisal edges of maxillary anterior teeth do not always mark clearly. Generally, the mandibular incisal edges do mark with some consistency. This paper demonstrates through test bites on skin that the answer lies in the position of the mandible.     

Pete Maravich's incredible heart

Postmortem examination of a former professional basketball player revealed an abnormal heart, most notably a single coronary artery. The literature on single coronary arteries is briefly reviewed, and the possible mechanism which caused the patient's condition is considered. This case is particularly unusual because of the patient's profession, which is so physically demanding.     

Career Public Service 2000: Road to renewal or impractical vision?

Abstract: Historically, the concept of career public service has received remarkably little attention in Canada. Career public service is, however, a central theme in the recent Public Service 2000 white paper on renewal of the federal public service. The challenge is to decide the extent to which the public service should adhere to the major principles of career public service relating to political neutrality, merit, open versus closed competitions, and career planning. There are significant barriers to achieving these principles, including conflict between some of the principles themselves. The extent to which career service will be achieved depends largely on the degree to which the vision of Public Service 2000 is realized. It is a vision of a new public service culture that is results-oriented and client-oriented and that is based on the precepts of service, innovation, people, and accountability. Among the obstacles to successful implementation of this vision are resistance by public service unions, lack of understanding about the magnitude of the commitment required to create a new public service culture, and the possible lack of political will to implement the white paper's proposals. Among the means by which the federal government can enhance the prospects for career service are a renewal of commitment to career service, including the allocation of more resources to career planning and development, and greater sensitivity to the threat of undue politicization of the public service. Sommaire: Historiquement, au Canada, le concept d'une fonction publique de carrière a bien peu retenu I'attention. Mais récemment, un livre blanc consacré au renouveau de la fonction publique, intituléFonction publique 2000, en a fait son thème central. L'enjeu, c'est de décider dans quelle mesure la fonction publique devrait adhérer aux principes fondamentaux d'une fonction publique axée sur des fonctionnaires de carrière, en ce qui concerne la neutralité politique, le mérite, les nominations en système ouvert ou fermé, et la planification de carriÈre.     

Social justice as a Holy Grail: The endless quest

This paper gives the author's impressions on the following aspects of justice: desert, equity, equality, need, and intergenerational equity. The author concludes that these different aspects cannot be reconciled but instead must be compromised. An example of such a compromise is provided by a discussion of welfare reform. The author claims that rights are correlative with duties, and that asserting the former has little meaning without specifying the latter. He then discusses justice toward groups rather than individuals. He proposes that maintaining cultural variety in the presence of a homogeneous superculture is a major problem of the contemporary world. The paper concludes with a discussion of various forms of power, particularly the integrative power that people acquire over each other by virtue of ties of loyalty and identity.