A tale of three cities: Crime and displacement after Hurricane Katrina

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in August 2005, it greatly disrupted both the physical and social structures of that community. One consequence of the hurricane was the displacement of large numbers of New Orleans residents to other cities, including Houston, San Antonio, and Phoenix. There has been media speculation that such a grand-scale population displacement led to increased crime in communities that were recipient of large numbers of displaced New Orleans residents. This study was a case study of three cities with somewhat different experiences with Katrina's diaspora. Time series analysis was used to examine the pre- and post-Katrina trends in six Part I offenses (murder, robbery, aggravated assault, rape, burglary, and auto theft) to assess any impact of such large-scale population shifts on crime in host communities. Contrary to much popular speculation, only modest effects were found on crime. Social disorganization theory was used to frame both the analysis and the interpretation of these results.     

“Bubbles”—A Spot Diagnosis

Abstract: Aspiration of blood is a phenomenon observed in violent and natural death scenarios. Bloodstain patterns evolving from expectoration of aspired blood may look suspicious of a violent genesis and thus mislead crime scene investigators. In the present case, a woman was found lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor. Furthermore, bloodstains covered her face, clothing, and surrounding furniture and walls. Bloodstain pattern analysis and medicolegal inspection of the suspected scene of crime were carried out and revealed dispersed stains with enclosed gas bubbles in the absence of signs of physical violence leading to the assessment of a natural manner of death. The bloodstains were attributed to expiration of blood because of an internal bleeding. Medicolegal autopsy confirmed the on‐site diagnosis as a fatal esophageal varix rupture was found.     

Police Lie Detection Accuracy: The Effect of Lie Scenario

Although most people are not better than chance in detecting deception, some groups of police professionals have demonstrated significant lie detection accuracy. One reason for this difference may be that the types of lies police are asked to judge in scientific experiments often do not represent the types of lies they see in their profession. Across 23 studies, involving 31 different police groups in eight countries, police officers tested with lie detection scenarios using high stakes lies (i.e., the lie was personally involving and/or resulted in substantial rewards or punishments for the liar) were significantly more accurate than law enforcement officials tested with low stakes lies. Face validity and construct validity of various lie scenarios are differentiated.     

Verbandsklagen zur Geltendmachung von Naturschutzbelangen bei immissionsschutzrechtlichen Genehmigungen

Zusammenfassung  Eine Verletzung der Belange von Natur und Landschaft ist in der Vergangenheit bei immissionsschutzrechtlichen Genehmigungen nur in Ausnahmef?llen durch die Verwaltungsgerichte überprüft worden. Weder gelten diese Belange als drittschützend, noch zielen die bisherigen naturschutzrechtlichen Verbandsklagen prim?r auf immissionsschutzrechtliche Genehmigungen. Im Umweltrechtsbehelfsgesetz (UmwRG) hat der deutsche Gesetzgeber die Klagerechte der Verb?nde an eine Verletzung subjektiver Rechte gekoppelt und damit ebenfalls die Geltendmachung von Naturschutzbelangen ausgeschlossen. Durch den Vorlagebeschluss des OVG Münster vom 5. M?rz 2009 im Verfahren gegen das Steinkohlekraftwerk Lünen ist nun der EuGH aufgefordert, sich dazu zu ?u?ern, ob das deutsche Recht den Vorgaben des Gemeinschaftsrechts entspricht.     

Explaining differences in EMAS participation rates across Europe: the importance of institutions,incomplete information and path dependence

What factors shape environmental policies across Europe? In order to answer this question most economists would probably adopt a Public Choice approach. This approach has convincingly explained some aspects of environmental policies that exist in a similar fashion across Europe. But why do many environmental policies differ across European countries? This article argues that in order to understand differences in environmental policies in Europe North’s analysis of institutional change focusing on formal and informal institutions, incomplete information and path dependence is useful. North’s approach is applied to explain differences in a particular field of European environmental policy: The implementation of the EU’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) in Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK. The starting point of the analysis is the observation that participation of companies in EMAS markedly differs between countries. It is shown that these differences can be explained with differences in formal and informal institutions in the three Member States, incomplete information of relevant actors, and path dependence.     

The Proliferation of Renewable Energy Systems will Continue Irrespective of Federal Support

James Richard Perry's U.S. Department of Energy recently released a staff report on electricity markets and reliability which, among other things, discussed concerns regarding the reliability of renewable energy system. Notably, however, the purported issues regarding renewable energy systems should be more accurately described as issues resulting from our aging electrical infrastructure, which is currently based on the 100-year old Edisonian peaker plant model. Accordingly, this article briefly reviews the environmental benefits of renewables, highlights new and exciting renewable technologies developed to overcome issues related to antiquated distribution networks, and discusses why the market for renewable energy systems will continue to flourish—regardless of U.S. Federal support.     

Asphyxia due to pacifiers--case report and review of the literature

Pacifiers and bottle nipples entail the risk of asphyxia when they are swallowed, self-made or have become porous, or when used by older children whose teeth and chewing musculature have developed beyond the suckling stage. A further danger lies in the various devices used to tie the pacifier to the child, as they can cause strangulation. On the basis of this first case of a 2-year-old biting off a piece of her pacifier and fatally aspirating it, we point to the dangers and security requirements related to pacifiers and bottle nipples, and give a review of the related literature.