[Reader-list] [Fwd: FW: Physical Review, reviewer correspondence] (fwd)

[Ayisha Abraham]

>Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 16:36:33 +0530
>To: reader-list at mail.sarai.net
>From: Ayisha Abraham <ayish at vsnl.net>
>Subject: [Fwd: FW: Physical Review, reviewer correspondence] (fwd)
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>>Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 16:32:51 +0530
>>To: "Reader-List at Mail. Sarai. Net" <reader-list at mail.sarai.net>
>>From: Ayisha Abraham <ayish at vsnl.net>
>>Subject: [Fwd: FW: Physical Review, reviewer correspondence] (fwd)
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>>Bcc:
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>>A scientist with courage!  Read on.
>>
>>>>Dr. Daniel Amit
>>>>
>>>>Univ. di Roma
>>>>
>>>>La Sapienza
>>>>
>>>>Ple Aldo Moro 2
>>>>
>>>>00185 Roma, ITALY
>>>>
>>>>Electronic URL-Download Referral from Physical Review E
>>>>
>>>>Code: EA8932
>>>>
>>>>Title: Transitions in oscillatory dynamics of two connected
>>>>
>>>>neurons with excitatory synapses
>>>>
>>>>Received 08 January 2003
>>>>
>>>>Dear Dr. Amit:
>>>>
>>>>We would appreciate your review of this manuscript, which has
>>>>
>>>>been submitted to Physical Review E. This message is the
>>>>
>>>>COMPLETE REFERRAL. No hardcopy will be sent unless requested.
>>>>
>>>>--------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>
>>>>----
>>>>
>>>>From: "Daniel Amit" <daniel.amit at roma1.infn.it>
>>>>
>>>>To: "Physical Review E" <pre at ridge.aps.org>
>>>>
>>>>Sent: Friday, March 21, 2003 6:11 PM
>>>>
>>>>Subject: Re: Review_request AMIT EA8932 Roudi
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>I will not at this point correspond with any american institution.
>>>>
>>>>Some of us have lived through 1939.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>From: "martin blume" <blume at aps.org>
>>>>
>>>>To: <daniel.amit at roma1.infn.it>; <damita at green.fiz.huji.ac.il>
>>>>
>>>>Subject: your email to the American Physical Society
>>>>
>>>>Date: Tuesday, April 08, 2003 10:31 PM
>>>>
>>>>Dear Dr. Amit,
>>>>
>>>>We have received your email with your decision not to review a
>>>>
>>>>paper for us in light of American actions in the middle east. We
>>>>
>>>>recognize that reviewing manuscripts is a voluntary activity, one
>>>>
>>>>that you perform as a service to the physics community, and we
>>>>
>>>>thank you for your efforts.
>>>>
>>>>Given the voluntary nature of your participation we of course
>>>>
>>>>respect your decision to cease, and have made an indication in our
>>>>
>>>>database so that no further papers will be sent to you for review
>>>>
>>>>until you inform us otherwise.
>>>>
>>>>We ask, however, that you consider the following in hopes that in
>>>>
>>>>the not too distant future you will decide to review for us again.
>>>>
>>>>We regard science as an international enterprise and we do our best
>>>>
>>>>to put aside political disagreements in the interest of furthering
>>>>
>>>>the pursuit of scientific matters. We have never used other than
>>>>
>>>>scientific criteria in judging the acceptability of a paper for
>>>>
>>>>publication, without regard to the country of origin of the author.
>>>>
>>>>We have done this even in cases where some of us have disagreed
>>>>
>>>>strongly with the policies of that country, and we will continue
>>>>
>>>>this practice. We believe it is essential that all parties involved
>>>>
>>>>make every effort to separate social and political differences from
>>>>
>>>>their participation in scientific research and publication. The
>>>>
>>>>pursuit of scientific knowledge needs to transcend such issues.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Sincerely,
>>>>
>>>>Martin Blume
>>>>
>>>>Editor-in-Chief
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>--------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>
>>>>----
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Dear Dr Blume, Editor in Chief
>>>>
>>>>American Physical Society
>>>>
>>>>09.04.2003
>>>>
>>>>Thank you for you letter of April 8. I would have liked to be able
>>>>
>>>>to share the honorable sentiments you express in your letter as
>>>>
>>>>well as your optimism in the future role of science and the
>>>>
>>>>scientific community. To be frank, and with much sadness and pain,
>>>>
>>>>after 40 years of activity and collaboration, I find very little
>>>>
>>>>reason for such optimism.
>>>>
>>>>What we are watching today, I believe, is a culmination of 10-15
>>>>
>>>>years of mounting barbarism of the American culture the world over,
>>>>
>>>>crowned by the achievements of science and technology as a major
>>>>
>>>>weapon of mass destruction. We are witnessing man hunt and wanton
>>>>
>>>>killing of the type and scale not seen since the raids on American
>>>>
>>>>Indian populations, by a superior technological power of inferior
>>>>
>>>>culture and values. We see no corrective force to restore the
>>>>
>>>>insanity, the self-righteousness and the lack of respect for human
>>>>
>>>>life (civilian and military) of another race.
>>>>
>>>>Science cannot stay neutral, especially after it has been so
>>>>
>>>>cynically used in the hands of the inspectors to disarm a country
>>>>
>>>>and prepare it for decimation by laser guided cluster bombs. No,
>>>>
>>>>science of the American variety has no recourse. I, personally,
>>>>
>>>>cannot see myself anymore sharing a common human community with
>>>>
>>>>American science. Unfortunately, I also belong to a culture of a
>>>>
>>>>similar spiritual deviation (Israel), and which seems to be equally
>>>>
>>>>incorrigible.
>>>>
>>>>In desperation I cannot but turn my attention to other tragic
>>>>
>>>>periods in which major societies, some with claims to fundamental
>>>>
>>>>contributions to culture and science, have deviated so far as to be
>>>>
>>>>relegated to ostracism and quarantine. At this point I think
>>>>
>>>>American society should be considered in this category. I have no
>>>>
>>>>illusions of power, as to the scope and prospect of my attitude.
>>>>
>>>>But, the minor role of my act and statement is a simple way of
>>>>
>>>>affirming that in the face of a growing enormity which I consider
>>>>
>>>>intolerable, I will exercise my own tiny act of disobedience to be
>>>>
>>>>able to look straight into the eyes of my grandchildren and my
>>>>
>>>>students and say that I did know.
>>>>
>>>>With regard
>>>>
>>>>Daniel Amit
>>>>
>>>>PS I intend to distribute our exchange as much as possible. I
>>>>
>>>>authorize and pray that you do the same.
>>>
>>>Satyajit Mayor
>>>National Centre for Biological Sciences
>>>UAS-GKVK Campus,
>>>Bangalore 560065,
>>>India
>>>Ph:  91 80  363 6421/29 Extn: 4260
>>>Fax: 91 80 363 6662/75
>>>
>>>E-mail: mayor at ncbs.res.in
>>>web-address http://www.ncbs.res.in/~faculty/mayor.html
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

Please note change of address and ID.
Ayisha Abraham
302 Silverdale, #5 Hutchins Road, Cooke Town
Bangalore 560 005, India
Tel: ++91 (0)80 546-4058  e-mail: ayish at vsnl.net