Strict Secrecy Research Articles

Антропологические исследования в советских лагерях для военнопленных в 1940-е гг.

The article fills an important gap in the history of Russian (Soviet) physical anthropology. Based on previously secret archival papers discovered by the author, the history of anthropological research in prisoner-of-war camps on the territory of the USSR in the 1940s is revealed. Following the example of anthropologists during World War I, Soviet anthropologists, led by Viktor Bunak, initiated and carried out an extensive research program under the auspices of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences in close cooperation with the NKVD authorities. The published archival materials strictly document the work of the scientists, who in 1943 proposed the idea of this large-scale study, and presented the project to the Deputy Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars, Andrey Vyshinsky. The immediate permission to conduct the expedition was personally given by Lavrentiy Beria. The project was carried out in 1944–1946 under strict secrecy, which also was extended to the publication of its results. Specific information is provided on the conduct of anthropological research in a number of prisoner-of-war camps, the composition of the expedition, instructions, and methodologies. The article analyzes the reasons why the entire history and results of this project remained classified as secret until the collapse of the USSR. The article is preceded by a review of anthropological research by Russian (Soviet) scientists involving special contingents as informants, explaining why special contingents (army conscripts, military personnel, mentally ill individuals, prisoners in prisons and camps) were actively used in anthropological research.

ВНУТРІШНІЙ ФІНАНСОВИЙ КОНТРОЛЬ У СФЕРІ ОБОРОННИХ ЗАКУПІВЕЛЬ: АЛГОРИТМ ЕФЕКТИВНОСТІ В УМОВАХ ВІЙНИ

The article deals with the issue of effective implementation of internal financial control in the field of defense procurement. The functions and tasks of the State Audit Service of Ukraine in modern conditions are clarified, as well as the specifics of its functioning during the period of the legal regime of martial law when conducting state financial audits, inspection, verification and monitoring of purchases, etc. The activities of the State Audit Service of Ukraine during the last reporting year were analyzed and the position regarding the importance of implementing preventive measures aimed at preventing possible offenses without applying appropriate sanctions to customers was justified. It was determined that monitoring is one of the most effective tools for preventing violations, preventing financial abuse and corruption, and is also the only control tool that works preventively. The legal mechanism for defense procurement planning, the formation of the main indicators of the procurement of goods, works and services that have a defense purpose, the peculiarities of information disclosure, adjustments, the organization of control and reporting on the progress of bidding, as well as the publication of information on defense procurements, have been defined. The transformational changes in the organizational and legal foundations of state financial control in the field of defense procurement over recent times have been analyzed. Zones of special risk in the field of defense procurement in modern conditions are singled out, in particular, when inspections and audits are carried out, and the position is substantiated that the algorithm for the effectiveness of internal financial control should be based on the return of transparency to the field of defense procurement with the simultaneous adoption of effective measures aimed at preserving confidentiality critically important information necessary to ensure the security of the state. The need to achieve a balance of transparency of budget expenditures on the basis of public procurement with the provision of reliable measures to observe the strict secrecy of the functioning of the military-industrial complex and the defense industry as a whole has been determined.

Семей полигоны: тарихы, ядролық сынақтар және оның зардаптары

Семей ядролық полигоны — бұл әлемдегі ядролық қаруды сынаудың ең ірі полигондарының бірі. Семей полигонының 40 жылдай уақыт аралығындағы қызметі Кеңес Одағының қару жарақ жарысы тарихының бір кезеңі саналады. Өкінішке орай, Семей полигонының тарихы отандық тарихнамада тарихи тұрғыдан жан-жақты қарастырылмаған, ғылыми жұмыстар жоқтың қасы. Мұның негізгі себептерінің бірі — архив құжаттарына деген қолжетімділіктің болмауы және олардың қатаң құпия түрінде сақталуы. Сондықтан, қазіргі уақытта Семей ядролық полигонына қатысты жаңа архивқұжаттарын қолдану арқылы ғылыми жұмыстарды басып шығарудың қажеттілігі туындап отыр. Екінші жағынан, Семейдегі ядролық сынақтар су және жер ресурстарының зақымдануына алып келді, экономика масштабының қысқаруына, әлеуметтік құрылымдардың әлсіреуіне ықпал еткені белгілі. Сондықтан, қазіргі уақытта халықтық өмірлік қуатын және аймақтың өмірлік кеңістігін сауықтыру үшін әлеуметтік қорғау жүйесін құру өзекті саналады. Осы себептен, мақалада Семей полигонының құрылу тарихы және 1949–1989 жылдар аралығындағы ядролық қаруды сынаудың салдарықарастырылған.

A Novel Method of Enhancing Security Solutions and Energy Efficiency of IoT Protocols

Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANET’s) are wireless networks that are capable of operating without any fixed infrastructure. MANET routing protocols must adhere to strict secrecy, integrity, availability and non-repudiation criteria. In MANETs, attacks are roughly categorised into two types: active and passive. An active attack attempts to modify or remove data being transferred across a network. On the other hand, passive attack does not modify or erase the data being sent over the network. The majority of routing protocols for MANETs were built with little regard for security and are therefore susceptible to a variety of assaults. Routing technologies such as AODV and dynamic source routing are quite common. Both however are susceptible to a variety of network layer attacks, including black holes, wormholes, rushing, byzantine, information disclosure. The mobility of the nodes and the open architecture in which the nodes are free to join or leave the network keep changing the topology of the network. The routing in such scenarios becomes a challenging task since it has to take into account the constraints of resources of mobile devices. In this an analysis of these protocols indicates that, though proactive routing protocols maintain a route to every destination and have low latency, they suffer from high routing overheads and inability to keep up with the dynamic topology in a large sized network. The reactive routing protocols in contrast have low routing overheads, better throughput and higher packet delivery ratio. AODVACO-PSO-DHKE Methodology boosts throughput by 10% while reducing routing overhead by 7%, latency by 8% and energy consumption by 5%. To avoid nodes always being on, a duty cycle procedure that's also paired with the hybrid method is used ACO-FDR PSO is applied to a 100-node network and NS-3 is used to measure various metrics such as throughput, latency, overhead, energy consumption and packet delivery ratio.

A Novel Method of Enhancing Security Solutions and Energy Efficiency of IoT Protocols

Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANET’s) are wireless networks that are capable of operating without any fixed infrastructure. MANET routing protocols must adhere to strict secrecy, integrity, availability and non-repudiation criteria. In MANETs, attacks are roughly categorised into two types: active and passive. An active attack attempts to modify or remove data being transferred across a network. On the other hand, passive attack does not modify or erase the data being sent over the network. The majority of routing protocols for MANETs were built with little regard for security and are therefore susceptible to a variety of assaults. Routing technologies such as AODV and dynamic source routing are quite common. Both however are susceptible to a variety of network layer attacks, including black holes, wormholes, rushing, byzantine, information disclosure. The mobility of the nodes and the open architecture in which the nodes are free to join or leave the network keep changing the topology of the network. The routing in such scenarios becomes a challenging task since it has to take into account the constraints of resources of mobile devices. In this an analysis of these protocols indicates that, though proactive routing protocols maintain a route to every destination and have low latency, they suffer from high routing overheads and inability to keep up with the dynamic topology in a large sized network. The reactive routing protocols in contrast have low routing overheads, better throughput and higher packet delivery ratio. AODVACO-PSO-DHKE Methodology boosts throughput by 10% while reducing routing overhead by 7%, latency by 8% and energy consumption by 5%. To avoid nodes always being on, a duty cycle procedure that's also paired with the hybrid method is used ACO-FDR PSO is applied to a 100-node network and NS-3 is used to measure various metrics such as throughput, latency, overhead, energy consumption and packet delivery ratio.

Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States

Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States

From the History of the Reign of Solomon I in Imereti (1766-1768)

All known official appeals from Imereti to the Russian court in the 18th century were made under strict secrecy from the Ottoman Empire, and the embassies were either headed by clergy or representatives of the clergy were always part of the embassies. The principle of forming the composition of the embassy clearly indicates that the clergy of Imereti, as well as Kartli-Kakheti, was directly involved in political issues, and the ambassadors were supporters of the current rulers or kings. The clergy served as a living proof of Imereti’s commitment to the Christian world, despite Ottoman rule, oppression and the decline of religious culture. However, during the period we are considering, the first appeal of Solomon I to Russia for support (1766), he attracts only a representative from the Imeretian princes. The organization of the message was entrusted to Prince Kaihosro Tsereteli. Then the connection with Kizlyar was secretly maintained through the hegumen of the Ossetian spiritual commission Gregory, who already in 1768 was instructed to deliver a response message from Russia to Solomon, on condition that the secrecy of the owner’s correspondence with Russia be kept. The Imeretian and Abkhaz Catholicos Vissarion, acting at that time, cannot participate in this secret case, due to opposition to the king of the Rachinsky Eristovs, other persons from the Georgian clergy are not involved by Solomon either. Solomon’s non-representative appeal to Russia can only be associated with his position ol an exile and his inability to form the composition of the embassy, which is assigned to the tsar. Instead, we see that King Solomon is sending a single “messenger” with an important message from the princes of Tsereteli. Based on a comparison of the known historical facts of the reign of Solomon I in Imereti and the information presented in the document under consideration, the conditions and reasons that led Solomon in 1766 to a written appeal to Russia about the possibility of granting him political asylum are clarified.

The “Sheep” and the “Lion”: Charles V, Barbarossa, and Habsburg Diplomatic Practice in the Muslim Mediterranean (1534-1542)

Abstract Between the 1530s and the 1540s, the Emperor Charles V tried to win over the Ottoman Grand Admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa, leading him to defect from the Ottoman cause and turn him into a faithful Habsburg warlord. In exchange for this, the former would have given the latter the opportunity to rule over the Central Maghreb as a new Habsburg ally. Obviously, both sides managed this negotiation in strict secrecy to prevent the plan from being discovered by the Ottoman sultan. Although it might seem surprising, this kind of diplomatic operation was a common tool to address political rivalries in the Early Modern Mediterranean. While efforts to recruit the best warlords were a well-established practice in Renaissance warfare, inter-religious dialogue was certainly nothing new at the beginning of the sixteenth century, given the long-lasting relations established between Christian and Muslim polities in the Middle Ages. Therefore, by analyzing the three main dimensions of diplomacy—communication, negotiation, and information gathering—this article aims to emphasize that the negotiation between Charles V and Barbarossa was not an exception, but a well rooted diplomatic practice in Habsburg Mediterranean policy.

IMPLEMENTATION OF PRINCIPLES IN IDENTIFYING SERVICE USERS REGARDING THE PREVENTION AND ERADICATION OF MONEY LAUNDERING OFFENSE

The implementation of principles of identifying service users and suspicious financial transaction report submission for profession aims to prevent money laundering offense by postponing transaction, blocking, investigating and temporarily suspending transaction which is carried out by PPATK (Financial Transaction Reporting and Analysis Center). The method used in this study was juridical normative or legal doctrinal research, which is a legal research using secondary data conducted by emphasizing and juridical aspects. Legal-normative research is a library research, which is a research on secondary data including private documents, books, and official documents issued by government. The normative approach emphasized juridical issues regarding the legal rules on money laundering offense. The result of the study of the implementation of the principles in identifying service users regarding the prevention and eradication of money laundering offense isidentifyingservice user while having a business relationship involving suspicious financial transaction related to money laundering offense. The informant questions the validity of information provided by the service user, which necessitate the implementation of the principle of identifying the service user in carrying out banking transaction. The factors promoting the occurrence of money laundering offense in various countries consist of 9 aspects, namely: globalization, technological advancement, banks’ strict secrecy policy, the possibility of saving using an alias or anonymous, the emergence of electronic money, the possibility of layering practice, the confidentiality of lawyer-client and accountant-client relationships, the government unseriousness in eradicating money laundering offense and the lack of money laundering criminalization.

Начало досудебного расследования по делам о похищении человека: сущность и характеристика

In this article, the author examines the features of the pre-trial stage of the investigation in the investigation of kidnapping. The initial stage of the investigation consists of: starting a pre-trial investigation, conducting urgent investigative and procedural actions and attracting a person as a suspect. The initial stage of the investigation of a crime, including kidnapping, is crucial for the implementation of further qualitative and offensive investigation of criminal acts. The purpose of this article is to study the nature and features of the beginning of the pre-trial investigation of kidnapping. In the course of the study, the author used such methods of scientific research as: dialectical, system, method of qualitative and quantitative analysis, generalization and study of literary sources, comparative legal, historical-legal, system-structural and formal-logical methods, as well as the method of system analysis. Activities to identify signs of a crime must be considered through the prism of the beginning of a pre-trial investigation. Currently, the beginning of a pre-trial investigation, from the point of view of criminology, refers to very specific types of organizational activities at the initial stage of the investigation of a kidnapping. The detection and investigation of kidnappings is highly complex, requiring law enforcement officials to maintain strict secrecy. If there is a reason provided for by the criminal procedure law to start a pre-trial investigation, the investigator or an employee of the body of inquiry is obliged to establish the presence of sufficient data indicating signs of kidnapping. To do this, it is necessary to carefully study the content of the application, compare the available factual data. The beginning of a pre-trial investigation should not be an end in itself of the activities of the pre-trial investigation bodies. At the same time, their offensive and proactive work on all received facts, information and operational materials is extremely important, because it is the embodiment of the active position of the law enforcement system in the direction of preventing and suppressing possible illegal encroachments on personal freedom, including the suppression of those criminal actions that are in the stages of their preparation or beginning.

From Isolation to Connection: The Practices and Promise of Open Domestic Violence Shelters.

Antidomestic violence advocates have begun to question two essential policies that have long defined domestic violence shelters-strict secrecy regarding shelter location and prohibitions on shelter access to all except staff and residents-both of which serve to increase survivors' social isolation and entail coercive rules that resonate painfully with broader oppressive dynamics. In response a growing number of communities have begun experimenting with open shelters, which break from tradition by making their locations public, and allowing visitors. Although this innovation is a sharp departure from tradition, virtually no research exists to explore its philosophical underpinnings, benefits, and challenges. This study addresses this gap. Study Questions: We used a qualitative descriptive approach to explore the experiences and perspectives of open shelter directors. Participants included 14 open shelter directors from 11 states. We conducted semistructured phone interviews with each participant, focusing on their shelter's (a) nature and history; (b) rationale; (c) policies and programs related to secrecy and openness; (d) benefits and challenges; (e) effects on specific survivor subgroups; and (f) practices used to build or strengthen survivors' relationships. Open shelters: (a) promote physical safety using a broad array of measures; (b) adopt a range of policies that promote varying degrees of location disclosure and visitor accessibility; (c) face challenges, such as the need to gain buy-in from multiple constituents; and (d) Improve survivor outcomes, including decreased shame; improved advocacy relationships; increased access to services and community involvement in shelter life; and deepened relationships with network members; in turn increasing prospects for physical and psychological well-being long after survivors' shelter stays are over. Findings suggest a new path for shelters interested in promoting survivor safety and healing in the context of a web of meaningful relationships.

Romashka and the Power of Conversion

In the 1960s, nuclear reactors learnt to fly. The two decisive technologies of the Cold War – harnessing nuclear energy and flying to outer space – were merged in space nuclear power projects. After Sputnik 1 and Laika had launched the space race in 1957, opportunities for innovative space projects seemed to be almost limitless. In the wake of the U.S. Atoms for Peace campaign, the regimes of secrecy surrounding everything nuclear were carefully relaxed, allowing for a very limited exchange of information, beginning in the mid‑1950s. It was against this background that Romashka, the world’s first nuclear reactor‑converter, was launched in Moscow in 1964. Although it was a prototype which was never put into use in outer space, Romashka became a showpiece of Soviet scientific‑technological prowess and received considerable attention around the world. This article discusses Soviet space nuclear power projects, focusing on the history of Romashka and proposing an examination of nuclear history with an integrative analytical concept: it studies the history of space nuclear power as an expression of Soviet nuclear internationalism, stressing the interplay of different factors such as the dual‑use potential of nuclear applications in space, the chances and limits of knowledge circulation within a framework of strict secrecy and limited candor, the significance of experts as cultural brokers between the Soviet Union and “the West,” and respected ideas concerning epistemic communities and science‑policy debates.

A Study on Prevalence of Anaemia in Pregnancy among the Women Reporting for Antenatal Care in Combined Military Hospital, Dhaka Cantonment

Background: Anemia is regarded as a major risk factor for unfavorable outcome of pregnancy both for the mother and the fetus. Maternal anaemia is a common problem in pregnancy, particularly in developing countries.Aims: To determine the prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy and to find out the haemoglobin level of pregnant women reporting for antenatal checkup among the women reporting for antenatal care in Combined Military Hospital Dhaka.Method: This is a descriptive cross sectional study was done in the antenatal clinic at CMH Dhaka. One eighty four (184) pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at CMH Dhaka including CWC under CMH Dhaka were included for the study. The data were collected from 1st May 2001 to 31st May 2001 at the antenatal clinic, combined Military Hospital. Dhaka where pregnant women reported for antenatal check up. The data were collected by interviewing respondents in different dates & day of the week at different CWC and CMI-I Dhaka. Prior to the interview the respondents were explained clearly the objective of the study and sought their co-operation. The authority of CMH Dhaka was given prior information through issuing letter from AFMI. The respondent was assured on ethical point of view that strict secrecy would be maintained. Data were collected by the following methods: Interview Method; Laboratory Investigation for Hb estimation and Scrutinization of antenatal check up card.Results: A total of 184 pregnant women of them 70 were primi gravida and 114 were multigravida. The prevalence of anaemia as per WHO cutoff points was 56.52% (<11.0 g/dl). The mean age was 24.96 ± 4.49 years. The age groups 20-24 was the maximum. Out of 184 women 104 women was ariaemic. 15-24 age group was more anaemic (57.42%) than the 25-39 age group (55.42%) but the difference was not statistically significant, P>0.05. The prevalence of anaemia was higher in Illiterate (100%), lowest in degree and above level education group (48.48%). The maximum women (64.13%) belong to lowest income group. (Tk 2500-5000) Anaemia was the most common in the lowest income group (60.50%). The prevalence of anaemia was the highest among the family size 6 and above group (75%) and lowest in 2-3 family size group. Anaemia was more prevalent among high parity group (75%) and lowest in ‘0’ parity group (52.28%) but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Multigravida were found more anaemic (62.28%) contrast to prirnigravida (47.14%) which was statistically significant (P<0.05). The prevalence of anaemia was less in higher birth interval group but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). About the cultural belief only 33 women were found having cultural belief of avoiding food during pregnancy (17.93%) and anaemia was more prevalent among them (57.57%) but the difference was statistically significant (P>.05). In this study 14.13% women had concomitant illness during pregnancy. In this study 15 women had caesarian section of which 10 were anaemic (75%) and there was one Forcep delivery (non-anaemic).Conclusion: In this study anaemia is more prevalent among younger age group women (15-24), with less educated group low income group, large family size group, high parity and high gravida, less birth spacing and also in women having concomitant illness. Anaemia is more prevalent among women having cultural belief on avoiding food during pregnancy. The findings of this study may not reflect the overall picture of the country. It does not differ much from the results of similar studies at national level. However, this study can be a base for further studies in a broader perspective.J Dhaka Medical College, Vol. 26, No.2, October, 2017, Page 103-110

Markets in votes: Alienability, strict secrecy, and political clientelism

Standard rationales for the illegality of markets in votes are based on concerns over the undue influence of wealth and the erosion of civic responsibility that would result from the commodification of votes. I present an alternative rationale based on how the mere alienability of votes alters the strategic setting faced by political actors. The inalienability of votes ensure the strict secrecy of voting, that is, the inability of voters to communicate credibly to others the content of their votes. In doing so, it diminishes the credibility of all political actors’ clientelistic promises to reciprocate. By drastically reducing the transaction costs of vote exchanges, the legality of markets in votes would thus exacerbate the detrimental effects of political clientelism on the quality of democratic governments.

Israeli nuclear capabilities in mid-1967: what Washington knew (and didn’t know)

ABSTRACTAt the time of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, top US policy makers did not believe that Israel had produced nuclear weapons. Since the discovery of the Dimona reactor complex in 1960, senior US officials and intelligence experts took it for granted that the Israelis sought a nuclear-weapon capability, but a wall of secrecy surrounded the reactor. Even inspection visits by US nuclear experts left important questions unanswered. A central problem was whether Israel had acquired or would acquire the reprocessing plant needed to produce plutonium. While the original plans for Dimona included an underground reprocessing plant, it was deeply secret. A few months before the war, State Department intelligence experts suspected that the Israelis had begun reprocessing and could even have stockpiled a few devices, but this perception was not shared at the top. The Lyndon B. Johnson administration would have been profoundly shocked if US intelligence had discovered the secret assembly of nuclear devices in May 1967. Strict secrecy in Israel may have averted a crisis in US–Israeli relations.

Union Voter's “Selfie” Disqualifies Her Ballot

A recent decision by a National Labor Relations Board regional director reveals what happens when the age of sharing photos of yourself as you go about your life and the strict secrecy required in an NLRB election collide.

A Protectionist Bargain?: Agriculture in the European Union—Canada Trade Agreement

The EU and Canada have been negotiating a preferential trade agreement - the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) - since 2009.The negotiations have been conducted in strict secrecy with an agreement only reached in late September 2014.This was the first time the text of the agreement was made public. This article examines those parts of the text of the agreement which pertain to agri-food trade. The facets of the agreement examined include those that directly affect agriculture - tariffs, TRQs, subsidies, safeguards and rules of origin - as well as other facets of the agreement that indirectly affect agriculture - pricing of wines, geographical indications, environment, sustainability, anti-dumping. The general conclusion is that little in the way of agricultural trade liberalization was achieved and protectionist interests were maintained.

Andorra: Exchange of Information and New Tax System in the Context of the OECD’s and EU’s Initiatives

Andorra, a microstate located in the Pyrenees, between France and Spain, used to be characterized by strict bank secrecy and the absence of direct taxes on income. However, given the pressure exerted by the European Union and, especially, by the OECD, Andorra finally committed in 2009 to exchanging tax information upon request according to the OECD standards. Since then, Andorra has introduced important legal reforms following these standards, in a process which is still evolving and which may even lead to automatic exchange of information in the near future. Moreover, as a result of the crisis suffered in recent years, Andorra has also undergone a complete reform of its tax system and has approved, for the first time in the history of the country, a corporate and a personal income tax, even though the fiscal pressure is still very low. The aim of this article is to systematically analyse this major transformation of the Andorran legal framework in the context of the initiatives undertaken by the EU and the OECD in tax matters.

Kiss, and: Time for an Unfamiliar Animal, and: At Noon, Sex Is Green, and: Room Full of a Host of Butterflies, and: Ladyhawk

Kiss, and: Time for an Unfamiliar Animal, and: At Noon, Sex Is Green, and: Room Full of a Host of Butterflies, and: Ladyhawk Five Poems by Gang Jeong Translated by Brother Anthony (bio) and Chung Eun-Gwi (bio) Kiss Closing the door, you kiss me. The door is narrow but the world inside the door is wide. Entering your door, I touch your heart, and the world my tongue touches bears pictures meandering like the traces of a snake. While I muse on the next shape of humanity, rain gradually mixes blue and yellow. The scene with trees opening hidden eyes is a moment when a fairy tale I read long ago becomes real. The future does not come by a shifting of time, it is a temporary conclusion by an extinction of time, so inside your door, I compose a prophecy of the end everyone experiences. From my tongue, you try to absorb the laws of music and poetry. By you, I try to establish a prototype of beautiful breasts and a type of psychological incest. Therefore, this kiss is a contact in high-level play and strict secrecy unrelated to drug addiction. Your door is opened by my kiss and is eternally closed by my kiss. I am your last man. But for you I am the first man. Inside your door, finality is connected to the experience of extreme near-death. On your projecting teeth foregrounding an aesthetics of bloodsucking, a poetic line, “the taste of a closing coffin-lid,” had been written then erased. As I slightly draw back my tongue, an unhappy family history is drawn on it. [End Page 303] Time for an Unfamiliar Animal Discerning things by smell is not only a skill of four-legged animals.Your erased smell oozes from the last breath of leaves fallen in various directions.I interpret this very familiar trace of fecesas yet another prospect regarding humans.The reason why human beings do not stop lovingis because of a stubborn nostalgia for an already atrophied sense. Maybe it’s because of a desire to erase people already erased from memorythat zoos and amusement parks are so crowded on holidays.Every day my body takes a restI never fail to have pain in my heart. If I listen to music while reading the silent nap of an animal whose end I do not know,the chronicles of extinct species spread in the air like museum art booksand parting is, therefore, the day I eat some meat.Biting into the flesh of things said to be inferior to human beings,striving to liberate my humanness,because someone’s heart, still alive in my body, playing the coquette artisticallywants to touch something outside my body. I look into the mirror after eating meat,covet the eyeballs of the mournful carnivore in the mirrorand masturbate as if turning off the last switch of earth’s destruction. [End Page 304] At that moment, inside my head is the gathering place of the theories of modern physicsthat I had grasped too poetically.As hours and seconds cross boundaries freely, the narrow bathroombecomes the battlefields of the far-off Tang and Sung dynastieswhere tens of thousands of dead men and horses attract flocks of crows. After I have brought up the last drop, perhaps I can go beyond human passion.There is someone pathetically looking at this stupid concentration,trying to deconstruct the curvature of high-tech construction.Putting on another expression in an attempt to quickly conceal my flurried mind,wrinkling my nose in a grin, my body suddenly becomes another animal’s flesh,the prim eyes of the cat in the bedroomthat unfailingly flees my touch on days when I give off a meaty smell.Now I realize,it’s because the more we spend time rubbing skins, the more you become me and I become the wind, invisible to any one, anywhere. [End Page 305] At Noon, Sex Is Green The woman who had been lying stretched out at full length slowly raised herself.Her shadow dropped lower and added to...

“Unnecessary and Artificial Divisions:” Franklin Roosevelt's Quest for Religious and National Unity Leading Up to the Second World War

The letters were portrayed as a goodwill gesture toward the three more dominant religious traditions in America and, as far as President Franklin Roosevelt was concerned, the world. After being carefully constructed over the preceding weeks, they were held in strict secrecy until they were released to the media on December 24, 1939. Each was written to the leader of his respective religion: as president of Jewish Theological Seminary, Rabbi Cyrus Adler represented American Jews and George A. Buttrick, president of the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America (FCC), received a letter on behalf of American Protestants, with the last letter going to Pope Pius XII, head of the Roman Catholic Church. Each letter was, at least ostensibly, a Christmas greeting. Roosevelt offered each man warm wishes and his hearty thanks for all that he had done for his people and the world. Yet Roosevelt also noted the fear and uncertainty of the time. War had again come to Europe and threatened to envelop the globe. It was the responsibility of all people of goodwill, Roosevelt argued, to come together in any way they could for the cause of peace. He hoped the three men, and those they represented, would put aside religious differences and join together for the common good.