Preliminary investigation into the recovery of explosives from hair.

Sampling of hair has proved to be a useful non-invasive method for detecting illicit drugs. This study examined the viability of hair as a surface from which explosive traces can be recovered and showed that as little as one-hour vapour exposure can result in measurable traces of explosives. Contamination of the hair may result from direct contact with explosive particles or from secondary contact by hand. Also the paper demonstrates that hair can concentrate explosive from the ambient vapour of a variety of military explosives. It was found that the amount of TNT picked up by the hair increased with time of vapour exposure. The data also suggested that unwashed hair may pick up more TNT than washed hair.     

Provisional concepts and definitions of fact

The paper explains and differentiates the concept of ‘fact’ in the legal setting. Fact and evidence, fact/falsity distinguished; fact and law considered -- a real difference or a pragmatic device? Questions of fact and degree considered, in themselves and in the context of jury trial and of appeals. Primary fact, factual inferences from primary fact, questions of classification of fact are considered. Whether inference is supported by evidence, and whether classification is correct may be questions of law. Issues of fact and opinion, fact and comment, relative to freedom of speech, defamation etc: no clear distinction available. Legal problems concerning absence of workable distinctions.

     

Citizenship rights in Malaysia: the experience of social and institutional discrimination among ethnic minorities

This article examines the experience of political, social and cultural rights for Malaysia's ethnic minorities. Using a survey method, our research finds that while Malaysia has made substantial economic progress, lack of attention to political, social and cultural rights for ethnic minorities in Malaysia has meant that ethnic minorities have become increasingly dissatisfied with their experience of citizenship. Experiences of institutional and social discrimination within Malaysia's ethnically differentiated model of citizenship are common. Such experiences can lead to low levels of confidence in Malaysia's national institutions and have the capacity to undermine the kind of political support that is necessary for good governance and national stability.     

The Anti‐Democrat Diploma: How High School Education Decreases Support for the Democratic Party

Attending high school can alter students' life trajectories by affecting labor market prospects and through exposure to ideas and networks. However, schooling's influence competes with early socialization forces and may be confounded by selection biases. Consequently, little is known about whether or how high school education shapes downstream political preferences and voting behavior. Using a generalized difference‐in‐differences design leveraging variation in U.S. state dropout laws across cohorts, I find that raising the school dropout age decreases Democratic partisan identification and voting later in life. Instrumental variables estimates suggest that an additional completed grade of high school decreases Democratic support by around 15 percentage points among students induced to remain in school by higher dropout ages. High school's effects principally operate by increasing income and support for conservative economic policies, especially at an individual's midlife earnings peak. In contrast, such schooling does not affect conservative attitudes on noneconomic issues or political engagement.     

Anglo‐Russian relationships

Trial and Error. By Dr. C. Weizmann. Pp. 608. Hamish Hamilton. 1949. 21s.

China: The Far East and the Future. By G. Keeton. 2nd Edition. xii and 511 pp. Stevens (Chatham House), 1949. 21s.

The Marichurian Crisis, 1931–2. By Sara R. Smith. Pp. 281. Columbia University Press. 1948. $3.75.

Teach Yourself Chinese. By H. R. Williamson. English University Press. Pp. viii + 530. 7s. 6d.

The 3,000 Commonest Chinese Terms. By Ronald Hall, C.B.E., and Neville Whymant, Ph. D., Litt. D. Luzac. Pp. viii+211. 15s.

How Russia Transformed Her Colonial Empire: A Challenge to Imperialist Powers. By George Padmore. Dennis Dobson, Ltd., London. Pp. xx+185.. 7s. 6d.

Assam Valley. By R. Muirhead Thomson. Pp. 96. Illustrations. Luzac. 10s. 6d.

Mohammedanism. By Professor H. A. R. Gibb. (Home University Library.) Pp. 206. Oxford University Press. 1949. 5s.

Free Will and Predestination in Early Islam. By W. Montgomery Watt. Pp. x + 181. Bibliography. Index. 8½”×5¾”. Luzac, London. 15s.

Life in Modern Turkey. By E. W. F. Tomlin. Thomas Nelson and Sons, Ltd. Pp. 94. 15 Illustrations. Map. 7¼” × 4¾”.

Three Years in the Levant. By Richard Pearse. Pp.294. 12s. 6d. Macmillan and Co. 1949.

Bird of Time. By Melvin Hall. Pp. 307. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. 1949. $3.50.