Keynes among the statisticians

This paper considers J. M. Keynes as a statistician and philosopher of statistics and the reaction of English statisticians to his critique of their work. It follows the development of Keynes's thinking through the two versions of his fellowship dissertation The Principles of Probability (1907/8) to his book A Treatise on Probability (1921). It places Keynes's ideas in the context of contemporary English and Continental statistical thought. Of the statisticians considered special attention is paid to the reactions of four: Edgeworth, Bowley, Jeffreys and R. A. Fisher<br/

Somethin\u27 Kinda Odd About Essie

Fiction by Alice Aldrich

The comparative academic standing of athletes and non-athletes of the class of 1940 at Dartmouth college

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University, 1947. This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

'Grow your own': Cold War intelligence and history supermarkets

Most of the records of the three British secret services relating to the Cold War remain closed. Nevertheless, the Open Government initiative in the UK and the Clinton Executive Order of 1995 have resulted in some disclosures, often from consumer agencies who were in receipt of intelligence material. There have also been limited releases from other countries. Against that background, this essay considers two questions: First, how far has the study of intelligence affected the broad context of Cold War history during the last decade? And second, how effective have we been in probing the institutional history of secret services during the Cold War? The essay concludes that while some secret services are breaking new ground by recording their own oral history, academic historians have been less than enterprising in their investigations and tend towards a culture of archival dependency

‘Even had I wanted to...’: intelligence and Special Operations in the Falklands Campaign

Lawrence Freedman has produced a balanced, well-researched and meticulous account of the Falklands Campaign. It combines scholarship with a lightness of touch. Official history can be - and often is - associated with ponderousness. There is no danger of that here, for the two volumes are tightly written and constitute an enjoyable read. Freedman's long-term interest in this campaign means that he has interviewed most of the key participants, even those who died before he undertook this official commission.1 However, official history is also associated with notions of 'screening' and security vetting prior to publication. Where secret service is concerned, official history has sometimes constituted an instrument with which the authorities have sought to 'police the past'. Accordingly this essay sets out to explore just what these volumes can tell us about the treacherous landscape of intelligence and special operations

Students' and teachers' perceptions of the use of mobile technology in university preparation classes : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Applied Linguistics at Massey University, Manawatu Campus, New Zealand

As in many aspects of society today, mobile technology has a presence in educational arenas. This study investigates and compares the views and perceptions of teachers and students about the appropriate use of mobile technology in university preparation classes, how the presence of mobile technology influences the classroom environment, and about what students and teachers believe to be their respective roles in the regulation of the use of mobile technology. To investigate this the following instruments were used: a student survey to gather quantitative data about their beliefs about mobile technology in class, their behaviour around devices, and their expectations of teaching practices and regulation of devices; student focus groups using four teacher scenarios (describing different teacher behaviour and attitudes) as a basis for the discussion; and teacher focus groups posing questions gleaned from the results of the student survey and focus groups. The overall objective was to determine if any gaps in perceptions, attitudes and expectations existed between students and teachers. Both parties agreed that devices were useful educational tools to use in class. However, there were opposing viewpoints about personal use of devices. Students expected teachers to take responsibility for regulating student behaviour around the use of devices, while teachers sought to prepare students to take personal responsibility and become autonomous learners. A need for establishing etiquette in the classroom was recognised. Teachers acknowledged that although students were skilled users of mobile technology, they lacked vital computer skills. Overall, there was a discrepancy between student and teacher beliefs about philosophical responsibility, the scope of technical ability, and logistical possibilities in the classroom. To conclude, the study confirmed that the nature of the classroom had changed and that all stakeholders need to be cognisant about everchanging technology

Whitehall and the Iraq War: the UK's four Intelligence Enquiries

The UK intelligence community has recently undergone a ‘season of enquiry’ relating to the Iraq War and the ‘War on Terrorism’. This essay discusses each of the four enquiries in turn and argues that while the debate has been intense, much has been missed. The enquiries have largely focused on specific administrative issues, while the media have focused on blame–casting. Although the enquiries have been useful in underlining the extent of genuine ‘intelligence failure’, wider reflections about the nature and direction of UK intelligence have been conspicuously absent. None of the enquiries has dealt with the difficult issue of how intelligence analysis might interface with modern styles of policy–making. More broadly, it is argued that there is a growing mismatch between what intelligence can reasonably achieve and the improbable expectations of politicians and policy-makers

The (in)visibility of Hobson's Pledge : a struggle for survival in the socio-political environment of Aotearoa/New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Sociology at Massey University, New Zealand

This study explores the emergence of Hobson’s Pledge, as an alt-right group that attempts to influence government policy towards a state of ‘ethnic unity’. It explores how the group manages ideological contradictions so as to prevent unanticipated (political) consequences, and what the future might hold for the groups as a consequence of those strategies. Three methods are utilised to interpret the situation of Hobson’s Pledge: semi-structure face-to-face interviews; content analysis of internet text; and observations gathered from conversations with group members. Three themes emerge from the data. The first of these is: a true face of ‘whiteness’ - the dislocation of ‘coherence’. The second is: maintaining a ‘colour-blind’ New Zealand for all. With this second theme, four strategies are identified by which Hobson’s Pledge manages the contradictions that come to be revealed publically in its ideology. These strategies are: the promotion of an abstract subjectivity - the ‘New Zealand’ citizen; the issuing of a political demand for national ‘unity’; the presentation of Hobson’s Pledge as a broker of Māori rights against patronization; and the advocacy of a liberal democratic defence of fragility. The third theme is: moving into the future – a post-racial Aotearoa/New Zealand?. Within this latter theme, three moments are revealed in which the operation of Hobson’s Pledge reinforces perceptions of a ‘post-racial’ New Zealand. These moments are: reducing perceived racism to a small fraction of society; a democratic right to ‘free-speech’; and an intensification of covertness – a democratic right to oppose Māori wards. Public conversations are recommended as a mechanism by which the socially-divisive effects of Hobson’s Pledge could be engaged with, to progressive effect