Word: elementals
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...unit without warning to administer urine tests on a spot basis. The tests are supposed to detect the presence of benzoylecgonine, a component of the drug. The system, like many an effective military operation, relies on surprise. Unfortunately, because of lax security in scheduling the tests, that element is not always present. Says one troubled officer: "In some places the troops find out through the grapevine about a urine test five days ahead of time. You can get most anything out of your system with that kind of lead time. We aren't close to winning any drug...
When you get to that sort of error, you are nearing a psychological abyss. It was Freud who first removed the element of accident from language with his explanation of "slips," but lately others have extended his theories. Psychiatrist Richard Yazmajian, for example, suggests that there are some incorrect words that exist in associative chains with the correct ones for which they are substituted, implying a kind of "dream pair" of elements in the speaker's psyche. The nun who poured tea for the Irish bishop and asked, "How many lords, my lump?" might therefore have been asking...
...them. By the time you have reached for your pocket, an armed robber will have had time to kill you. For much the same reason, do not attempt to use karate or judo against the mugger. Even expert fighters are not skilled enough to disarm a mugger unless the element of surprise is on their side. Admits Gerry Armstrong, 31, of Miramar, Fla., a martial-arts instructor with 19 years of experience: "If someone pulls a gun and tells me to hand up my wallet, he can have it. A bullet travels faster than my foot...
During his three-day visit to Washington, François-Poncet promised Haig that France would join the U.S. in breaking political and economic ties to the Soviet Union if it invaded Poland. What has changed? Said François-Poncet: "The new element is that there is a new Administration. For long the U.S. sought protégés in Europe. This Administration is looking for associates." Perhaps. But attitudes have shifted in Paris too. Giscard, who faces a tough battle for re-election in two months, is aware he is out of step with French public opinion...
...Namibia's northeastern Caprivi Strip. Assigned on a rotating basis to South African fighting units, the traditionally unwarlike Bushmen have distinguished themselves in combat. Five have been killed; one was posthumously awarded the Honoris Crux, one of the highest military decorations. Their tracking skills have introduced a new element to the counterinsurgency tactics. "They have fantastic eyesight," says a South African lieutenant, "and they can navigate in the bush without a compass or map." The Bushmen, in fact, were given their name, "Bosman," by 17th century Dutch settlers because of their ability to use the brushy landscape for their...