Protecting the economic patrimony of indigenous nations: the case of the Shuar

This article concerns contemporary problems of indigenous peoples and human rights. In general, the human rights of indigenous people occupy marginal space in the global discourse. Overcoming cultural hurdles, and recognizing that indigenous peoples are not objects of juridical concern, not abstractions of analytically precise units of analysis, but in fact are subjects who come with perspectives of identity, demand and expectations, is a necessary starting point for both the scholar and the advocate. This article deals with a particular indigenous nation in the Amazon: the Shuar. The Shuar hold important perspectives of identity, demand and expectation encompassing the critical values that sustain their lives in the community.     

Everyday worlds of young refugees in London

This article examines the everyday lives of a sample of young refugees living in London, based on a study of the social roles and social networks of refugee children undertaken under the ESRC Children 5–16 Programme. It draws on findings from a survey of refugee and non-refugee children aged between 11 and 14 in two London schools, complemented by data from in-depth interviews with refugee children. The article focuses on the children's responsibilities towards home and family, friendships, and leisure activities. It highlights the experiences of the refugee children in the sample, and explores some gender differences between the social lives of refugee boys and girls, and between the lives of refugee children and those of their non-refugee peers.     

On the accuracy of regulatory cost estimates

This study compares ex ante estimates of the direct costs of individual regulations to ex post assessments of the same regulations. For total costs the results support conventional wisdom, namely that the costs of regulations tend to be overestimated. This is true for 14 of the 28 rules in the data set discussed, while for only 3 rules were the ex ante estimates too low. For unit costs, however, the story is quite different. At least for EPA and OSHA rules, unit cost estimates are often accurate, and even when they are not, overestimation of abatement costs occurs about as often as underestimation. In contrast, for those rules that use economic incentives, unit costs are consistently overestimated. The difference between the total‐cost and the unit‐cost results is caused by frequent errors in estimates of the effects of individual rules, which suggests, in turn, that the rule's benefits may also be overestimated. The quantity errors are driven both by difficulties in determining the baseline and by incomplete compliance. In cases of unit‐cost overestimation, unanticipated technological innovation appears to be an important factor — especially for economic incentive rules, although procedural and methodological explanations may also apply. © 2000 by the Association for Public Policy and Management.     

Radiodense bullet wipe around osseous entrance gunshot wounds

“Bullet wipe” is the material deposited by a bullet on any surface with which it comes into contact after it is fired and may contain debris from the gun barrel, including particles of primer and metal fragments from previously fired bullets. X‐ray analysis is a non‐destructive method by which traces of metallic elements can be visually detected. The analysis of osseous defects for radiodense bullet wipe (RBW) assists in determining the presence or absence of perforating gunshot wounds, especially in fragmented, skeletonized remains. The aim of our current study was to determine the frequency of RBW around entrance firearms injuries that perforated bone. We prospectively analyzed entrance gunshot wounds for RBW over a three‐year period using digital X‐ray analysis (n = 59). We retrospectively reviewed the corresponding autopsy reports to determine the frequency of RBW by biologic sex, reported ancestry, age‐at‐death, location of wound, manner of death, range of fire, bullet caliber, and presence of bullet jacket. Data were analyzed by Fisher's exact test or Chi‐square test with significance levels accepted at p < 0.05. RBW was present in 66% (n = 39) of examined cases. Decedent characteristics did not significantly alter RBW distribution, including biologic sex (p = 0.75), reported ancestry (p = 0.49), and age‐at‐death (p = 0.43). Additionally, the location of the osseous entrance gunshot wound, manner of death, range of fire, and cartridge caliber did not affect RBW detection. All cases involving non‐jacketed rounds (n = 5) showed RBW (p = 0.30). To our knowledge, this study is the first to report the frequency of RBW detection from osseous entrance gunshot wounds.     

A new type of shotgun ammunition produces unique wound characteristics

The Tucson Police Department, Tucson, AZ, has begun using the Polyshok Impact Reactive Projectile (IRP), a new type of shotgun ammunition that includes a lead bead core that travels within single, plastic-encased projectile. On impact, the core is released to distribute over a small area, thereby disintegrating on impact to reduce the likelihood of exit or collateral damage on missed shots. After a brief review of shotgun slug ballistics and wound characteristics and a discussion of the mechanism of the Polyshok IRP, we report the first death in the United States from this ammunition. Findings included a single entrance wound with plastic ammunition components and small lead particles recovered from the body, the combination of which normally would suggest a close-range shooting with birdshot. However, the characteristics of this ammunition create different patterns than are found with slugs or shot, so that a medical examiner unfamiliar with the Polyshok IRP could draw inaccurate conclusions about ammunition and range of fire. Because the single projectile fired from this ammunition is composed of both plastic and lead, plastic components are likely to be found within the wound at any range of fire, unlike traditional shot or slug ammunition. Also, the small size of lead particles found spread through the wound cavity would ordinarily suggest a small-size shot, whereas the external appearance of the wound (a single entrance with no dispersion of shot) and the pattern of tissue destruction are more consistent with the patterns of injury associated with shotgun slugs.     

Beyond Modern: Shimizu Shikin and “Two Modern Girls”

Abstract

This essay introduces the translation of Shimizu Shikin's “Tōsei futari musume” (Two Modern Girls, 1897), which follows, and argues that by separating the body from gender, Shikin (1868–1933) effectively threatened the dimorphic ideology of sex that underpinned the literary establishment of Meiji Japan. In an essay written in 1896, Shikin posits an hermaphrodite combining allegedly gendered character traits in a “perfect” body, thus asserting that behavioral traits are not limited to one sex. Shikin calls attention not only to “the second sex” but a third sex decades before twentieth-century writers did in Japan and elsewhere, and she was erased because of it.