The United Kingdom Identity Cards Act 2006 Civil or Criminal?

After much controversy and debate, the United Kingdom Parliamentpassed the Identity Cards Act in March 2006. The new nationalidentity registration scheme established under the legislationwill be in operation in 2 years. Initially the scheme will notbe generally compulsory, though the intention is eventuallyto make it mandatory. The Act uses a mix of civil penalty andoffence provisions as part of its enforcement regime. This articleconsiders the approach of the legislation, particularly thepractical implications of authentication and verification ofidentity under the scheme and the potential impact on the effectivenessof the enforcement regime, having regard to the right againstself-incrimination under the Human Rights Act 1988 (UK) andArticle 6 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rightsand Fundamental Freedoms 1950, and the common law privilegeagainst self-incrimination.     

Emotional responses to the nonverbal behavior of French and American political leaders

This paper summarizes the results of a series of experimental studies on the emotional responses of American and French viewers to televised excerpts of their leaders' facial displays. Using a combination of ethological and social-psychological theory it develops an explanation of such emotional responses.     

Lactic acid concentrations in vitreous humor: their use in asphyxial deaths in children

Lactic acid concentrations in brain tissue of humans have been shown to increase with an extended agonal period. Infants and children dying from various causes are undergoing different stress conditions terminally and the postulate of this study is that natural death cases and traumatic asphyxia cases are characterized by varying agonal periods, the former being somewhat prolonged with the latter being rather brief. One-hundred-and-two cases of infants and children were examined for vitreous humor lactic acid concentrations. They were divided into two major categories, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and non-SIDS cases. SIDS was further divided into SIDS without additional findings and SIDS with secondary findings which contributed to death. The non-SIDS category included traumatic asphyxia cases as well as those dying from blunt trauma, known respiratory diseases, and other causes. Categorical mean values and standard deviations were calculated. The vitreous humor lactic acid mean value for traumatic asphyxia was significantly lower than the mean value for SIDS. Also the mean value for known respiratory diseases was statistically lower than the mean value for SIDS with secondary findings. These findings are probably suggestive of agonal time differences and may be a reflection of the various mechanisms of death.     

Nonverbal displays and political leadership in France and the United States

Because contemporary theories of politics discuss the appeal of leaders primarily in verbal terms, it is often difficult to go beyond anecdotes when explaining the effects of televized appearances of leaders and candidates. Experimental studies of the way American viewers respond to televized excerpts of leaders were replicated in France shortly before the legislative elections of March 1986, using comparable expressive displays of Laurent Fabius (then Social Prime Minister), Jacques Chirac (Gaullist Mayor of Paris who became Prime Minister), and Jean Marie LePen (head of the Front Nationale). Although the results show striking similarities in the system of nonverbal behavior in France and the United States, there are cultural differences in the role of anger/threat (which elicits more positive responses from French viewers than Americans) as well as variations in the evocative character of the facial displays of individual leaders. These experimental findings clarify recent discussions concerning the evolution of the French party system, providing insights into the role of political culture as well as leadership style in the media age.     

Assisted Housing and Reagan's New Federalism: The Colorado Experience

This article considers assisted housing policies during theReagan administration relative to four dimensions of what DeilS. Wright has called a "restoration" strategy: decongestion,devolution, decrementalism, and deregulation. General evidencesuggests that decrementalism has been the major thrust in assistedhousing policy, and evidence from Colorado seems to underscorethat general evidence. Questionnaire and interview data fromColorado housing authority directors do not indicate perceptionsof increased decongestion, devolution, and deregulation duringthe Reagan years. Decrementalism, the only dimension that housingauthority directors perceive to have come about, is not perceivedto have lessened regulation or to have brought about greaterlocal decisionmaking responsibility.