Death Be Not Strange. The Montreal Convention’s Mislabeling of Human Remains as Cargo and Its Near Unbreakable Liability Limits

This article discusses Article 22 of the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air (“The Montreal Convention”) and its impact on the transportation of human remains. The Convention limits carrier liability to a sum of 19 Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) per kilogram in the case of destruction, loss, damage or delay of part of the cargo or of any object contained therein. Transportation of human remains falls under Article 22 which forecloses any recovery for pain and suffering unaccompanied by physical injury. This Article finds fault with this liability limit. The Article notes that if a plaintiff were to bring a claim against a carrier for mishandling of human remains, recovery will be limited to the weight of the corpse and the casket in kilograms, multiplied by 19 SDRs. This leads to the absurd result of recovering more for a heavy corpse and/or casket versus a light one. The Article argues that by classifying human remains as ordinary cargo thus applying ordinary cargo rules, The Montreal Convention as generally applied is inhuman and absurd

Green futures for whom? : Traveling models as tools of legitimization in Kenya's future making

Development concepts that promise growth in the economy while safeguarding the environment have progressively become significant in the recent past in the global south countries. These concepts are framed and argued to respond to immediate and long-term societal needs. This study looks at these concepts as traveling models that strive to find a state of balance between environment and economic goals. They influence how Kenya’s development agenda is set and put into action. I conducted qualitative research with experts and actors from government ministries and agencies and local and international non-government organizations. Primary interviews were conducted in Nairobi and via telephone. I attended some workshops and conferences to get an insight on which actors were more dominant than others and how ideas are framed and sold to other actors. I looked at how actors implement the neoliberal concepts of green development in Kenya. Additionally, I conducted focus group discussions and talked to locals where these ideas are implemented, including parts of Kenya's Narok, Baringo, and Laikipia counties. The locals I spoke to were strictly the ones key informants referred to me. This was important to determine whether what is discussed at the global and national levels is reflected and shared with the locals. More importantly, this aided in finding out which visions are dominant, which ones materialize, which ones do not materialize, and alternative visions. The findings indicate that particular actors play significant roles in ensuring ideas move from the international arena's point of origin and are put into practice through powerful networks. Further, the findings indicate that political interests in Kenya play a significant role in how these ideas are received and put into practice. Some ideas become dominant while others do not, which is highly dependent on which actor has what vision, their networks, and the ability to influence politics. To sum it up, the application of green development ideas is characterized by a considerable sum of money from international donor organizations. This is why they have been quickly taken up and put into policy and legal frameworks. This enables the country to show its commitment nonetheless with a more significant objective of attracting funds from donor organizations

Physicochemical and Microbiological Quality of Roof-harvested Rainwater in Urban Areas: A Review

This work proposes to consider the quality of roof-collected rainwater. There are three main stages. In the first stage, rainfall washes out the urban atmosphere with contaminants from aerosols and gases. The second stage refers to the catchment, where there is contamination due to the wash-off of particles settled on the roof’s surface roofing materials. The third stage refers to the first-flush, storage and plumbing system. In each stage, different processes take place and add specific contaminants to the initial precipitation. Only in the third stage, after the discard of the high-polluted initial rainwater, some physical processes (for example sedimentation and correction of pH) can also improve the quality of the rainwater harvest. This approach offers a clear view of the overall contamination processes that take place in a rainwater harvesting system.The most common microbiological and physicochemical contaminants that can be found in rainwater harvesting system were considered, together with the eventual presence of waterborne pathogens and emerging chemical contaminants, according to an extensive review of previous scientific works. Keywords: Rainwater, Physicochemical, Microbiological, Contaminants, waterborne DOI: 10.7176/JEES/12-10-05 Publication date:October 31st 202