I also believe that everything happens for a reason, so as the tears and self-pity subsided, I knew that there must be another way in which my newfound knowledge and Punch's sparkling desire to perform could be utilized.

A rhapsodic inquiry greets us from the TV screen and the radio: Have you talked to the Man Upstairs? God is a friendly neighbor who dwells in the apartment just above. Call on him any time, especially if you are feeling a little blue.

The Qirghiz also have a consciousness of belonging to a homogeneous racial unit, but owing to their difficult mountain country, into which they have for some centuries withdrawn, they have not the same ease of intercommunication.

Ben-Gurion's legacy has been an enduring one. The projection of a national consensus, the domination of the state over other political actors, and the hegemony exercised over decision-making by a largely Ashkanazim élite remain features of Israeli politics today.