THE ADVOCATE 787
VOL. 79 PART 5 SEPTEMBER 2021
a train would be travelling northwardly on the southbound track. The railroad
company contends that even though Mrs. Krieger had the right to assume
that no train would be moving in the wrong direction on the wrong track, she
should anticipate such a possibility and be prepared accordingly.” The court
described this as “an unusual burden that the defendant would place on the
train-riding public.” Further, “to concentrate on the unexpected when the
expected offers a constant danger of its own is to invite a mishap which can
be no less catastrophic for being commonplace. The man who steps into a
busy thoroughfare looking into the sky to guard himself against Sputnik
would scarcely have an action against the owner of an automobile which
struck him while he was ignoring the hazards of the thoroughfare which are
constant and commonplace.” The court asked, “What would be the plaintiff’s
defense against contributory negligence if she testified that she ignored the
danger which could be expected in front while maintaining a vigil toward a
point of the compass from which no train was expected?” It added: “Very little
could ever be accomplished by man if he were required to look for northbound
trains on southbound tracks, board ‘Up’ elevators on shafts marked
‘Down,’ and try ‘Exit’ doors for traffic marked ‘Entrance.’”
Eric M. Regehr was reappointed as a member of the Civil Resolution Tribunal
for a term ending October 1, 2026.
According to the company’s website, at one time David Bowie worked for
Legastat, which provides “expert litigation support”; he “worked as an operator
at our Carey Street address early in his music career. It is rumoured
that A Space Oddity was recorded in the basement of 57 Carey Street, on a
Dictaphone borrowed from our Chairman”. “A Space Oddity”, which was
released in 1969, commences with the iconic words, “Ground Control to
Major Tom”. Major Tom made a later appearance in Bowie’s 1980 masterpiece
“Ashes to Ashes”, which in turn gave its name to a British crime series,
Ashes to Ashes (which itself was a sequel to Life on Mars, yet another reference
to a Bowie tune). It’s all part of some freaky dream.
Article V of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the
Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial
Bodies, provides:
States Parties to the Treaty shall regard astronauts as envoys of mankind
in outer space and shall render to them all possible assistance in the
event of accident, distress, or emergency landing on the territory of
another State Party or on the high seas. When astronauts make such a
landing, they shall be safely and promptly returned to the State of registry
of their space vehicle.