Membership cards were important documents for the elite. Membership in the Communist Party or in official organizations like the Writers' Union had to be produced to gain access to the elite institutions: special restaurants, special stores. Until the last days of the Soviet Union access was denied many buildings (special guards were on duty at the doors) unless one could produce some kind of document to impress the gatekeeper.
Because documents were so important, losing one's passport was tantamount to committing suicide. The saying "Bez bumazhki my kakashki!" [Without a paper we are doo-doo!] expresses the same idea as Bulgakov's formulation, which has today become an aphorism in Russia: "Raz net dokumenta, netu i cheloveka!" [No document, no person either!]
Perhaps this logical inversion can be illustrated with a curious example from the late 20th century. In order to have a sex-change operation in Russia even today, one must first go to the passport office to change one's official sex. Only after this can the operation take place to bring one's body into line with one's legal sex.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
air force general 332.air.003 Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire
Three quotes:
1. "While flying with several other USAF pilots over Germany in 1957, we sighted numerous radiant flying discs above us. We couldn't tell how high they were. We couldn't get anywhere near their altitude."
"While working with a camera crew supervising flight testing of advanced aircraft at Edward's Air Force Base, California, the camera crew filmed the landing of a strange disc object that flew in over their heads and landed on a dry lake nearby. A camera crewman approached the saucer, it rose up above the area and flew off at a speed faster than any known aircraft."
---NASA astronaut, L. Gordon Cooper.
I’ve always enjoyed this quote. The man was well-trained and well educated and was selected in a very competitive program to be an American astronaut; the gate-keepers he faced would only let someone through if they had the “right stuff.” The man had nothing to gain by his willingness to speak the truth, and indeed, had all too much to lose.
* * * * * * *
2. "It is true that I was denied access to a facility at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, because I never got in. I can't tell you what was inside. We both know about the rumors (concerning a captured UFO and crew members). I have never seen what I would call a UFO, but I have intelligent friends who have."
---US Senator, US Air Force General, and candidate for President, Barry Goldwater, quoted from a letter he wrote dated April 11, 1979.
The man was an Air Force Officer and was a candidate for the Presidency of the United States. What did he have to gain from making these comments? Yet – with those who accept the probability of alien visitations typically mocked and belittled – he had plenty to lose! Plus, he infer that despite his stature – he was a Senator from Arizona – he was denied access to a portion of a military base which suggests something very important must be hidden there and, further, Goldwater didn’t cover it up to protect his ego but, rather, was compelled to speak the truth.
1. "While flying with several other USAF pilots over Germany in 1957, we sighted numerous radiant flying discs above us. We couldn't tell how high they were. We couldn't get anywhere near their altitude."
"While working with a camera crew supervising flight testing of advanced aircraft at Edward's Air Force Base, California, the camera crew filmed the landing of a strange disc object that flew in over their heads and landed on a dry lake nearby. A camera crewman approached the saucer, it rose up above the area and flew off at a speed faster than any known aircraft."
---NASA astronaut, L. Gordon Cooper.
I’ve always enjoyed this quote. The man was well-trained and well educated and was selected in a very competitive program to be an American astronaut; the gate-keepers he faced would only let someone through if they had the “right stuff.” The man had nothing to gain by his willingness to speak the truth, and indeed, had all too much to lose.
* * * * * * *
2. "It is true that I was denied access to a facility at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, because I never got in. I can't tell you what was inside. We both know about the rumors (concerning a captured UFO and crew members). I have never seen what I would call a UFO, but I have intelligent friends who have."
---US Senator, US Air Force General, and candidate for President, Barry Goldwater, quoted from a letter he wrote dated April 11, 1979.
The man was an Air Force Officer and was a candidate for the Presidency of the United States. What did he have to gain from making these comments? Yet – with those who accept the probability of alien visitations typically mocked and belittled – he had plenty to lose! Plus, he infer that despite his stature – he was a Senator from Arizona – he was denied access to a portion of a military base which suggests something very important must be hidden there and, further, Goldwater didn’t cover it up to protect his ego but, rather, was compelled to speak the truth.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
completing 339.om.993 Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire
From the day of her entrance into Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, this Evanston, Illinois seeker of the truth knew medicine was to be her lifelong study. This search was to become concentrated on discovering the causes and hopefully the cures for epidemic illnesses.
After completing her internship and residency, she took post-doctoral studies in Clinical Medicine of the Tropics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She then moved on to the University of Minnesota, where she explored advanced epidemiology; then to John Hopkins to study genetics. International appreciation of her work has come in the form of awards, fellowships, and endowments.
Internationally recognized as an expert in epidemiology, she is currently the Chair of the Department of Community and Family Medicine at the University of California at San Diego.
Elizabeth Barrett-Connor's main research has been into the factors promoting a healthy old age.
After completing her internship and residency, she took post-doctoral studies in Clinical Medicine of the Tropics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She then moved on to the University of Minnesota, where she explored advanced epidemiology; then to John Hopkins to study genetics. International appreciation of her work has come in the form of awards, fellowships, and endowments.
Internationally recognized as an expert in epidemiology, she is currently the Chair of the Department of Community and Family Medicine at the University of California at San Diego.
Elizabeth Barrett-Connor's main research has been into the factors promoting a healthy old age.
Monday, May 10, 2010
egyptian 332.egy.0 Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire
We were sitting face-to-face with the Egyptian generals, and a completely new situation began. It's like going from hot to cold. All of a sudden you meet people who are your enemies, and they speak to you...
Sunday, May 2, 2010
efforts 99.eff.995 Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire
The Real Fifth Force, and More?
In the Standard Model, there is at least one additional type of interaction beyond the four known forces (weak, strong, electromagnetic, and gravitational). This force is needed to explain how all the fundamental particle masses are generated. This part of the theory is the least tested experimentally, so there are a number of different competing ideas on how it may work.
The simplest version introduced one more force--the Higgs force--and one more particle type--the Higgs particle--related to this force. Searches for this particle and efforts to learn more about how particle masses occur are one active area of particle studies. Other models introduce more complicated explanations for particle masses.
In addition, there are many speculations about physics beyond the Standard Model that introduce additional types of extremely-weak interactions. These interactions can only be observed if they mediate a process, such as proton decay, that is otherwise totally forbidden. So far, no experimental evidence for such processes has been found. However physicists like this idea, since such additional processes are predicted when we try to unify the strong, weak and electromagnetic interactions into a single "Grand Unified Theory." Such unification is suggested by the similarities of the underlying mathematical theories for these very different interactions.
Unification of all four force types, including gravity, is also a goal for particle physics. Gravity has a different mathematical structure, and so far no complete quantum theory of gravity has been developed. String Theory suggests possible answers, but much work remains to be done.
In the Standard Model, there is at least one additional type of interaction beyond the four known forces (weak, strong, electromagnetic, and gravitational). This force is needed to explain how all the fundamental particle masses are generated. This part of the theory is the least tested experimentally, so there are a number of different competing ideas on how it may work.
The simplest version introduced one more force--the Higgs force--and one more particle type--the Higgs particle--related to this force. Searches for this particle and efforts to learn more about how particle masses occur are one active area of particle studies. Other models introduce more complicated explanations for particle masses.
In addition, there are many speculations about physics beyond the Standard Model that introduce additional types of extremely-weak interactions. These interactions can only be observed if they mediate a process, such as proton decay, that is otherwise totally forbidden. So far, no experimental evidence for such processes has been found. However physicists like this idea, since such additional processes are predicted when we try to unify the strong, weak and electromagnetic interactions into a single "Grand Unified Theory." Such unification is suggested by the similarities of the underlying mathematical theories for these very different interactions.
Unification of all four force types, including gravity, is also a goal for particle physics. Gravity has a different mathematical structure, and so far no complete quantum theory of gravity has been developed. String Theory suggests possible answers, but much work remains to be done.
Friday, April 16, 2010
appreciate 448.app.002 Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire
Because of an unfortunate combination of factors, Dayan was not stopped.� This was due to his very high position and influence, to the weakness of the IDAM at that time, to the lack of act by the higher authorities, and to the shortcomings of the Antiquities law. The Israeli law of antiquities in use today was passed only in 1978, and even this law does not prohibit dealing and selling of antiquities.� The failure to stop Dayan cannot be placed at the feet of the IDAM alone. Museums bought robbed antiquities from Dayan, archaeologists published selected finds from his collection, the media turned almost a blind eye to his deeds and the police and the Knesset ignored complains against him. The failure to stop Dayan shows the state of immaturity of society as a whole (Falk 1985:245-246).
8.6���� Fortunately, there is an optimistic side to this story, when we compare it to the situation in Israel at present. What Dayan did is unthinkable today. The media is much stronger, and criticism of public figures is a daily matter.� Prime Ministers cannot escape police inquiries, and Ministers are condemned in court (as recent cases of Ministers Der�i and Mordechai prove). The IAA, the body that replaced the IDAM in 1989, is also much stronger. Supervision and protection of sites are better and result in many more sites being saved, or at least documented by salvage excavations (Kletter and De-Groot 2001).� The public, by large, accepted the view that robbing antiquities is illegal, and that antiquities are a public treasure. The once common habit of individuals placing antiquities in their gardens, for example, has passed away. Museums signed an international treaty prohibiting purchase of stolen antiquities.� I am not naive to think that all the problems are solved, and Israel is still a focus of a large scale illicit robbing and trade in antiquities. No doubt, archaeologists still make mistakes, but almost all academic and professional archaeologists in Israel today would never lend a hand to illicit robbery and trade.
In his poem Gerontion, T.S. Elliot (1935:38) writes:� �After such knowledge/ What forgiveness?/ Think now/ History has many cunning Pages/ Contrieved corridors/ And issues, deceives with wispering ambitions/ Guides us by vanity�.� After this long and laborious review, the question whether the �books� about Dayan�s illicit archaeological activities should finally be closed is a matter I leave for readers to decide.�
Acknowledgments
In the course of research for this paper I have tried to verify every piece of information and to present it as accurately as possible. I would appreciate any further information and/or corrections about Dayan's activities. I remain responsible for any fault that may have occurred unintentionally. I wish to thank all those who helped me by sharing with me their precious information and time, including especially R. Gophna and Z. Meshel of Tel Aviv University and U. Avner.� Also instrumental were the contributions of A. Kloner; Y. Porat; M. Ben-Gal; S. Ben-Arieh; E. Eisenberg; I. Beit Arieh; B. Brandl and U. Dahari and others, who asked to remain anonymous.� Special thanks are due to the publication committee of the IAA for giving me access to administrative files of sites robbed by Dayan, whose contents are published here for the first time. N. Feig and A. Rochman of the IAA scientific archive, Jerusalem, helped in tracing these files.� The study was supported by a Tigu Cultural Fundation grant, which enabled me to write parts of this paper in the Karu manor house at Pirita, Tallinn.
8.6���� Fortunately, there is an optimistic side to this story, when we compare it to the situation in Israel at present. What Dayan did is unthinkable today. The media is much stronger, and criticism of public figures is a daily matter.� Prime Ministers cannot escape police inquiries, and Ministers are condemned in court (as recent cases of Ministers Der�i and Mordechai prove). The IAA, the body that replaced the IDAM in 1989, is also much stronger. Supervision and protection of sites are better and result in many more sites being saved, or at least documented by salvage excavations (Kletter and De-Groot 2001).� The public, by large, accepted the view that robbing antiquities is illegal, and that antiquities are a public treasure. The once common habit of individuals placing antiquities in their gardens, for example, has passed away. Museums signed an international treaty prohibiting purchase of stolen antiquities.� I am not naive to think that all the problems are solved, and Israel is still a focus of a large scale illicit robbing and trade in antiquities. No doubt, archaeologists still make mistakes, but almost all academic and professional archaeologists in Israel today would never lend a hand to illicit robbery and trade.
In his poem Gerontion, T.S. Elliot (1935:38) writes:� �After such knowledge/ What forgiveness?/ Think now/ History has many cunning Pages/ Contrieved corridors/ And issues, deceives with wispering ambitions/ Guides us by vanity�.� After this long and laborious review, the question whether the �books� about Dayan�s illicit archaeological activities should finally be closed is a matter I leave for readers to decide.�
Acknowledgments
In the course of research for this paper I have tried to verify every piece of information and to present it as accurately as possible. I would appreciate any further information and/or corrections about Dayan's activities. I remain responsible for any fault that may have occurred unintentionally. I wish to thank all those who helped me by sharing with me their precious information and time, including especially R. Gophna and Z. Meshel of Tel Aviv University and U. Avner.� Also instrumental were the contributions of A. Kloner; Y. Porat; M. Ben-Gal; S. Ben-Arieh; E. Eisenberg; I. Beit Arieh; B. Brandl and U. Dahari and others, who asked to remain anonymous.� Special thanks are due to the publication committee of the IAA for giving me access to administrative files of sites robbed by Dayan, whose contents are published here for the first time. N. Feig and A. Rochman of the IAA scientific archive, Jerusalem, helped in tracing these files.� The study was supported by a Tigu Cultural Fundation grant, which enabled me to write parts of this paper in the Karu manor house at Pirita, Tallinn.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
transition 4440.tra.002 Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire
Director Danny Leiner (Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle; Dude, Where's My Car?) makes a flawless transition from broad comedy to intricate drama with The Great New Wonderful. He links five separate stories not by physical connection but by New York City's omnipresent, but never mentioned, tragedy. Poignant and compelling, the characters weave together across the five boroughs, from Queens to Ellis Island, in moving portraits reflective of individuals living in a recovering city. An insolated man has a catastrophic experience at the office.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)