The summer is approaching. Brian Hyland (if it weren't for the internet I'd never have known his name) sang of the beginning of the summer, though of course in a totally different social situation. It's the sort of totally forgettable song that for some reason you can't seem to get out of your head (especially if it's the last thing you hear on the radio just before coming home and turning the car off). And it comes to mind as I think of finally presenting the physical entity that is my thesis. Without the aid and encouragement of my advisor, Dr. David Mioduser, and of Dr. Rafi Nachmias, I might still be looking for some topic into which I could sink my teeth. My debt to them is immense. David and Rafi, each in his own way, gave me the direction, the constructive criticism, and the ample lee-way that was necessary for this project to come to fruition. They have been, from well before this particular thesis started to take shape, valuable and valued teachers, and I can hope that also, in some small way, colleagues.

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