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Dr. A. Meymandi's Monday Musings
By Assad Meymandi, MD, PHD, DLFAPA
Tag Archives: Assad Meymandi
On MacCulloch's "Christianity, The First 3000 Years"
"Monday Musings" for Monday March 30, 2015
Volume V. No. 13/221
A Special Book for Easter
by Assad Meymandi, MD, PhD, DLFAPA*
Christianity, The First 3000 Years
By Diarmaid MacCulloch
Happy Easter and joyous reading!
Faithful readers recall the review of Paul Johnson's Book History of Christianity, 600 pages long, which we presented previously. In that book, the author has favoured Reformation, Martin Luther, and Protestantism. We now have another colossal work, Diarmaid MacCulloch's 1184 pages, Christianity, The First 3,000 Years, in which one detects strong anti-Catholic bias. However, undeniably, the book is a landmark in its field, astonishing in its range, compulsively readable, full of insight and points of interest for the general reader. It is not the over-illustrated coffee-table type book you might expect. The book is scholarly, dense, yet written in a readable and engaging style, but not as well written as Plato's Republic or Edward Gibbon's Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. The impressive volume provides an excellent overview of Christianity. It is most appropriate reading for Easter.
The book begins with Judaism and Greek philosophy, giving the background to the remarkable historical phenomenology of Christendom. It is prodigious, thrilling, and gives the reader a master class of a history without leaving one's chair. MacCulloch is to be congratulated for his accessible handling of so much complex and difficult material. This is a book generous in detail and sound in judgment. It fills the gaps that heretofore existed in history of religion.
The content
The book consists of seven parts. The first part is about "A Millennium of Beginnings" (1000 BCE-100CE). In this part the history of the Greek beginnings, Rome and the coming of the Roman Empire are discussed.
In the second part Israel (100-1000 CE) is examined. The second part, "One Church, One Faith, One Lord?", examines the lives of Jesus, Paul, Gospel of John, the Book of Revelation, and the Jewish Revolt and the End of Jerusalem, and finally the Imperial Church, Constantine and Papacy.
In part three, "Vanishing Futures: East and South (451-1500)", a close examination of Asia and Africa, church fathers such as Saint Augustine of Hippo, emergence of Islam in 620 CE, the Church of China, Mongols and Islam in Africa are scrutinized.
Part four, "The Unpredictable Rise of Rome" (300-1300), the making of Latin Christianity, Latin Christendom and "The church of All People" are painstakingly dissected.
Part five, "The Imperial Faith" (451-1800), the emergence of the new Rome, Orthodoxy and the Russian Church are examined.
Part six "Western Christianity Dismembered" (1300-1800), Martin Luther, Reformation, Papal monarchy, Wittenberg and Luther's 95 questions/theses, and other reformers are discussed.
Part seven, "God in the Dock", (1492-present), the author examines the Age of Enlightenment, Judaism, Skepticism, and Deism, crowning the section with a more precise dissection and deeper understanding of the roots of religion in America's deep south. It also gives the reader an understanding of evangelical fervor and culture wars. The book has 67 illustrations, maps and paintings. The text is 1014 pages, the alphabetically arranged notes are 89 pages, and 49 pages of index, plus introduction, totaling 1185 pages
The title of the book, Christianity, the First Three Thousand Years, is fascinating if not intellectually challenging. We know that Christianity is only 2000 years old. Where does the author get 3000 years of Christianity? At first glance, the reader knows not whether the author is going to address 1000 BC to today or from the beginning of Christianity until one thousand years from now. Well, in this review I will attempt to answer that very question. The title refers to the former, one thousand years before Christ until today. The author skillfully documents that there was Christianity before Christ. There was a Socrates whom many historians and theologians including Soren Kierkegaard call Saint Socrates. As a matter of fact, Soren wrote his PhD thesis "On the Concept of Irony with Continual Reference to Socrates". Soren was a Socrates "groupie"! We know that Socrates is exalted because of his reverential devotion to teaching enlightenment to his young students for which he was accused, tried and executed. MacCulloch's "alternative" religious history, favoring the Catholic Church, holds that Christianity really began 3000 years ago. He asserts that before Christ there was a Jewish God, Yahweh, and a Greek God. There were prophets such as the Persian prophet Zarathustra and there were other prophets of the Old Testament Bible such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, etc., all of whom he calls precursors to Christianity which came on the scene 2000 years ago.
MacCulloch devotes considerable space to examine how Christianity has spread throughout the globe. He follows this spread, starting with the origins of the Hebrew Bible, tracing the three main religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, filling in often neglected accounts, including conversions and confrontations in Africa and Asia. He also explains the Crusades. Further, Mr. MacCulloch looks at the roots of the faith that galvanized America, charting the rise of the evangelical movement from its origins in Germany and England to the southern plains of America. In his book, MacCulloch explains that Christianity, one of the world's great religions, has had an incalculable impact on human history. In a systematic manner, the author devotes several chapters to the main ideas and personalities of Christian history. As cited above, other chapters are given to the organization and spirituality of the church, and how Christianity has changed politics, sex, and human society. The author's range of discussion spans from Palestine in the first century to India in the third; from Damascus to China in the seventh century; and from San Francisco to Korea in the twentieth.
Global History of Christianity
In my view this huge volume is the first truly global history of Christianity. This formidable compendium is the most comprehensive and up to date single volume work in English that presents the development of Christian history differently from any of its predecessors. The author shows how, after a semblance of unity in its earliest centuries, the Christian Church divided during the next 1400 years into three increasingly distanced parts, of which the western Church was by no means always the most important. He observes that at the end of the first eight centuries of Christian history, Baghdad might have seemed a more likely capital for worldwide Christianity than Rome. He concludes that all in all, Christianity is a landmark in the history of the faith that continues to shape the world.
It is comforting to have MacCulloch's complementary history of the Christian Church. MacDiarmid MacCulloch is a better writer than Paul Johnson, and his book is a lively and entertaining effort. On the downside, unfortunately, there is a strong anti-Catholic bias throughout his work which is even more disturbing than Johnson's pro-Catholic stance. In fact, there are several passages in the book that almost give you the impression that MacCulloch must have been writing them with a permanent sneer on his face. In summary, if you are English and Protestant and believe that the best thing that happened to England was the Reformation, then you will probably love this book. If not, the author's multiple biases and prejudices will probably grate on you. I consider the book a triumphantly executed achievement.
Strengths and weaknesses of this very impressive and comprehensive text are many. I have read Edward Gibbon's "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire" starting in my native tongue of Farsi then in French and finally in English, many times. Gibbon's English syntax is delicious reminding the reader of lyrical poetic writings of Plato in Republic. Well, I found the use of language in this book to be dry and matter of fact. The syntactic enjoyment is lacking! On the other hand I learned more about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire by reading this book, than reading Gibbon's work. Another weak or prejudicial point is that I found references are lacking or outright non-existent. The scholarly world knows that the father of Skepticism is Al-Ghazali, (1058-1111), the Persian poet, theologian and philosopher. Yet in Part seven of the book, discussion of Skepticism, there is no mention of either Al-Ghazali or Al-Farabi (870-950).
Finally, to the members of my family and close friends who received this review in advance, I wrote "If you want a delicious book, a feast of a book, a sumptuous and exciting intellectual and spiritual banquet for you and for your family, this book is it!—especially if you read it along with Paul Johnson's book either back to back or simultaneously—" Another attraction the book has for me is that it is about the Bible, a book which I truly enjoy and admire. In a recent interview for a national magazine, the interviewer's last question was
"If you were forced to live on a deserted island and were allowed to bring one book, one selection of music, and one piece of artwork, what would they be?"
Book That book has not been written. It would be a book containing the genomic display of all the biblical (Old and New Testaments) characters including Christ. If it is not written by the time I am assigned to a deserted island, I will take pen and paper to write it myself. Nobel Laureate, Craig Venter, whose book I have reviewed in this space, has given us a taste of that venture. Since I have not written that book and it is not yet available, I guess I will settle for the Bible, an amazingly comprehensive and complex book. For example, there are 114 references to King Cyrus of Persia alone in the Bible (see Isaiah 45 where Cyrus the Great is called Messiah).
Music: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, a piece of transcendent theology, musical genius, bringing the message of hope, promise, possibility and redemption to all humans. I have already devoted space to dissecting this truly miraculous opus magnum.
Art: Pietà, by Michelangelo.
*The writer is Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill, Distinguished Life fellow American Psychiatric Association, and Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief, Wake County Physician Magazine (1995-2012). He serves as a Visiting Scholar and lecturer on Medicine, the Arts and Humanities at his alma mater the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health.
Filed under The Writer
Tagged as Assad Meymandi, book review, christianity, Diarmaid MacCulloch, Dr. A. Meymandi's Monday Musings, Easter, History of Christianity, humanist, The First 3000 Years
On the Culture of Ignorance
"Monday Musings" for Monday March 9, 2015
Volume V, No. 10/218
IGNORENCE: WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT?
THE KIND OF A PERSON I WANT FOR MY PRESIDENT
By: Assad Meymandi, MD, PhD, DLFAPA*
We are 20 months away from the BIG election when the 45th US President will be chosen. Already the marketers of the business of politics are busy showcasing their wares. Last week at the meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference (C-PAC), we were given a glimpse of the 11 Republican contenders. They were Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio; colleagues, Drs. Ben Carson and Rand Paul; former Governors Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, and Jeb Bush; and current Governors Scott Walker, Chris Christie, and Bobby Jindal; along with former Senator/Ambassador Rick Santorum.
Our observation of the politician is often entertaining and fun. It is not a sin to be ignorant. Indeed most of us are ignorant about many things. What is sinful is to be told that one is wrong and the person refuses to right the wrong and learn from the experience. As of late, I have grown impatient with so many of our politicians and so called leaders whose knowledge of history is as short as the telomere at the end of their chromosomes. Yet, when they are corrected they refuse to acknowledge their error and continue defending their ignorance. Take the case of a nationally prominent politician, awhile back, in an interview with a TV reporter, she botched up Paul Revere history by saying "Paul Revere did warn the British" and bragged "I know my American history." And in an earlier interview this politician had opined "Paul Revere who warned, uh, the British that they weren't gonna be takin' away our arms, uh, by ringing those bells, and um, makin' sure as he's riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be sure and we were going to be free, and we were going to be armed."
Another politician, a candidate for US Presidency, makes errors mixing up content, context, places, and people. In an interview, this candidate stated that "the Founding Fathers worked tirelessly to end slavery." We know that this is not true. Historians, without exception, write that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, among others, owned slaves. But this candidate defended it, saying that one of the Founding Fathers, John Quincy Adams, worked throughout his life to end the evil practice. We know that John Quincy Adams was not a member of the Founding Fathers and he really did not work that hard to end slavery. And very high ranking office holder who glibly stated "using television, FDR did wonders communicating with people in his fireside chats." There was no television in FDR days!
I am no fan of John Wayne or Elvis Presley. But I am a fan of historical accuracy. One presidential candidate said that the iconic movie star John Wayne is from Waterloo, Iowa (he is in fact from Winterset, Iowa), and wished the King, Elvis Presley "a Happy Birthday" in the middle of August. The fact is that Elvis was born on January 8 and died on August 16. It was not Elvis' birthday. When corrected she said "Let's wish the King a happy birthday anyhow.." No apologies were offered.
These parapraxes, or slips of the tongue, though minor and of little apparent consequence, reveal deeper psychological conflict and characterological flaws. The attitude of "not knowing" and "not wanting to learn and correct one's lack of knowledge" is very disturbing. It reveals a character that is flawed and a personality that is inflexible, arrogant, and unappreciative of the truth. It strongly suggests that the person has very little desire to grow.
What is Growth?
There are literally billions of words, millions of treatises, books, essays and elaborate explanation and disputation about the topic of psychological growth. Here is a summary of a workable definition: A growing person should or shall 1) To know more today than we did yesterday. That is intellectual and cognitive knowledge. Something we did not know yesterday but learned today. It is not experience we are considering. It is raw knowledge. Knowledge of words, languages, music, humanities, basic sciences etc. When one goes to bed at night, one must take an inventory of one's raw knowledge, and what one has learned that day. And if one does not come with a specific answer, one should get up and hit the encyclopedia and learn something new before he goes back to sleep 2) To be more loving and accepting of others today than yesterday. 3) To do fewer bad things today than one did yesterday. We all do bad things every day. A growing person is aware of all the bad things one does and tries not to repeat them, or do fewer of them. This is the powerful Pauline theology of hope, grace, faith, and redemption. To do fewer bad things every day…
We spoke that a growing person ought to be more loving today than yesterday. Let us define love. By love it is not meant the erotic or filial love. The object of the discussion is Agape type of love. Agape type of love has three components, like a tripod: 1) Not to be abusive to ones' self, such as indulgence, gluttony, getting fat, risking cardiovascular disease, diabetes and back problems, use of tobacco, excessive alcohol and use and abuse of drugs, prescription or street drugs. 2) Not to be abusive to one's fellow humans, such as family members, colleagues, patients and others. I have a hard time accepting the behavior of some of my colleagues who are not punctual and who make patients wait in their reception room and. 3) The third part of love is, not allow others to abuse you. "No" is an effective word to gently but firmly refuse the abuse aimed at you.
I want to have a President who is growing and loving. I do not want a President who is arrogant, narcissistic, and self-serving. I can find abundant tolerance for ignorance, but I cannot tolerate denying one's ignorance.
Tagged as Assad Meymandi, culture of ignorance, Dr. A. Meymandi's Monday Musings, folly, growth, humanist, ignorance, knowledge of history, love, politicians, Psychiatrist
On Remaining True in the Face of Chronic Condition
Volume V. No. 9/217
L-R Drs. Sacks, Meymandi, Harpham at NHC
When death comes calling, gratitude answers
BY OLIVER SACKS
New York Times News Service February 21, 2015
(Editor's Note: We are devoting today's 'MM' to the celebrated life of prominent colleague, neurologist Olives Sacks, author of many NYT best seller books. Dr. Sacks was a Meymandi Fellow, National Humanities Center, RTP in 2008).
A month ago, I felt that I was in good health, even robust health. At 81, I still swim a mile a day. But my luck has run out – a few weeks ago I learned that I have multiple metastases in the liver. Nine years ago it was discovered that I had a rare tumor of the eye, an ocular melanoma. Although the radiation and lasering to remove the tumor ultimately left me blind in that eye, only in very rare cases do such tumors metastasize. I am among the unlucky 2 percent.
I feel grateful that I have been granted nine years of good health and productivity since the original diagnosis, but now I am face to face with dying. The cancer occupies a third of my liver, and though its advance may be slowed, this particular sort of cancer cannot be halted.
It is up to me now to choose how to live out the months that remain to me. I have to live in the richest, deepest, most productive way I can. In this I am encouraged by the words of one of my favorite philosophers, David Hume, who, upon learning that he was mortally ill at age 65, wrote a short autobiography in a single day in April 1776. He titled it "My Own Life."
"I now reckon upon a speedy dissolution," he wrote. "I have suffered very little pain from my disorder; and what is more strange, have, notwithstanding the great decline of my person, never suffered a moment's abatement of my spirits. I possess the same ardour as ever in study, and the same gaiety in company."
I have been lucky enough to live past 80, and the 15 years allotted to me beyond Hume's three score and five have been equally rich in work and love. In that time, I have published five books and completed an autobiography (rather longer than Hume's few pages) to be published this spring; I have several other books nearly finished.
Hume continued, "I am … a man of mild dispositions, of command of temper, of an open, social, and cheerful humour, capable of attachment, but little susceptible of enmity, and of great moderation in all my passions."
Here I depart from Hume. While I have enjoyed loving relationships and friendships and have no real enmities, I cannot say (nor would anyone who knows me say) that I am a man of mild dispositions. On the contrary, I am a man of vehement disposition, with violent enthusiasms, and extreme immoderation in all my passions.
And yet, one line from Hume's essay strikes me as especially true: "It is difficult," he wrote, "to be more detached from life than I am at present." Over the last few days, I have been able to see my life as from a great altitude, as a sort of landscape, and with a deepening sense of the connection of all its parts. This does not mean I am finished with life. On the contrary, I feel intensely alive, and I want and hope in the time that remains to deepen my friendships, to say farewell to those I love, to write more, to travel if I have the strength, to achieve new levels of understanding and insight. I feel a sudden clear focus and perspective. There is no time for anything inessential. I must focus on myself, my work and my friends. I shall no longer look at "NewsHour" every night. I shall no longer pay any attention to politics or arguments about global warming.
This is not indifference but detachment – I still care deeply about the Middle East, about global warming, about growing inequality, but these are no longer my business; they belong to the future. I rejoice when I meet gifted young people – even the one who biopsied and diagnosed my metastases. I feel the future is in good hands.
I have been increasingly conscious, for the last 10 years or so, of deaths among my contemporaries. My generation is on the way out, and each death I have felt as an abruption, a tearing away of part of myself. There will be no one like us when we are gone, but then there is no one like anyone else, ever. When people die, they cannot be replaced. They leave holes that cannot be filled, for it is the fate – the genetic and neural fate – of every human being to be a unique individual, to find his own path, to live his own life, to die his own death.
I cannot pretend I am without fear. But my predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved; I have been given much and I have given something in return; I have read and traveled and thought and written. I have had an intercourse with the world, the special intercourse of writers and readers.
Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.
Oliver Sacks, a professor of neurology at the New York University School of Medicine, is the author of many books, including "Awakenings."
*MM" is a weekly feature written by Assad Meymandi, MD, PhD, DLFAPA, Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill, Distinguished Life fellow American Psychiatric Association, and Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief, Wake County Physician Magazine (1995-2012). He serves as a Visiting Scholar and lecturer on Medicine, the Arts and Humanities at his alma mater the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health.
Tagged as Assad Meymandi, celebration, chronic disease, Dr. A. Meymandi's Monday Musings, end of life, Goeff Harpham, National Humanities Center, New York Times, Oliver Sacks
On Gun Violence
"Monday Musings" for Monday January 12, 2015
Volume IV, No. 2/210
Gun Violence and Mental Health
Recent terrorist attack and assassination of 12 journalists in Paris France prompts us to take another look of violence inflicted by availability of guns. It is not the purpose of this discussion to examine the barbarity of terrorist acts which not only kill people, but the freedom of speech. About a year ago, President Obama called the massacre of 20 innocent children and six adults on Dec 27, 2013, in Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newton, Connecticut, the worst day of his presidency. History tells us that every President since GW has had "a worst day". For George W Bush it was September 11, 2011, for FDR it was Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. All our 44 presidents have has the worst day in their presidencies. It would be a meritorious project for some PhD history candidate to compile a volume on US President's worst days. The December 27 occurrence could have been a turning point in the debate over guns in America. Knowing the history of gun violence, especially since the 1960s, University of Texas clock tower in Austin Texas, in the 70's, the Kent State University Massacre, in the 80's Cleveland School mass killing and the 90's several schools including Columbine high school in Colorado, not counting mass murders in other facilities including temples, army bases theaters (Aurora, Colorado) and others. The numbers are staggering. But none was as gruesome as the Sandy Hook massacre. Every one seems to agree that these tragedies must end.
To understand the current status of gun control a bit of history is in order:
In the first week after Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, Vice President Joe Biden chaired a task force to examine the issue by holding extensive public hearings in which expert testimony was given by representative of American Psychiatric Association (APA), American Medical Association (AMA), American Bar Association (ABA), and forensic authorities from academic centers. But the matter became quickly politicized. The National Rifle Association (NRA), Democrats, Republicans, advocates of the Second Amendment to the Constitution all began spinning in the media. Gun control advocates brought in an extensive agenda, namely tougher penalties for illegal gun sales, increase school safety programs, expanded background checks for gun buyers. They advocated keeping guns out of the hands of criminal and folks with history of mental illness. Republicans and NRA saw this as unnecessary interference by government. So a compromise was generated by Senators Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, and Patrick Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania, focusing attention on background check. It failed.
Issues like gun violence control, abortion, and cloning carry within their constitutional DNA a huge dose of controversy. My focus in this essay is a dispassionate and analytic examination of separating the hype from reality and what cool heads and wisdom would suggest. In this debate mental illness has gotten a bad rap. The alleged connection between mental illness and mass violence is not supported by objective data and science. "Substantial research shows that the vast majority of people with serious mental illness never act violently, and the vast majority of violent crimes -96 % by the best available data-is not perpetrated by persons with mental disorder" said Paul Appelbaum, Past President of APA, Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine and Law at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. What we need to do is to face and design program of mental healthcare instead of warehousing the mentally ill in jails and prisons.
The APA position of which I am advocating is to appoint a presidential commission to develop a vision for a system of mental health care, creating a mechanism for facilitating responses to key mental health issues such as designating a White House point person, improving early identification of youth with mental health problems, and developing sensible, non-discriminatory approaches to ensuring that dangerous individuals cannot gain access to guns. Massive data are available showing that that people with mental illness who are engaged in regular treatment are considerably less likely to commit violent acts than those who need but do not receive appropriate mental health treatment..
Another expert testimony at the Vice-President Task Force was Dr Thomas Insel, Director of National Institute of Mental Health that "Suicide, not homicide, is the most urgent public health problem associated with gun violence. About 90% of suicides involved individuals with mental illness, and only 6 percent association with homicide." Dr. Insel reported that "the popular association of homicidal violence and mental illness is tenuous at best, despite common public perceptions, there is little connection between gun violence and mental illness."
What to Do Nationwide, and in NC?
To correctly describe the mental health system in NC and for that matter in America, is that it is a devolving, deteriorating non-system that oversees jailing and imprisonment of mentally ill by the thousands. It does not have to be this way. For nearly 50 years, I have been involved in various capacities with the North Carolina mental health system. At no time have the services to and for our patients been as chaotic, sparse, and erratic as they are today. Fifty years ago in North Carolina we had a system in place that was truly superb. At the Dorothea Dix Hospital, in the late 50's and early 60's, patients had predictable, excellent, and academically cutting edge treatment available to them with ready access. We need commitment from Federal and State government with public-private partnership to revive what we had in the 50's and the 60's, namely, quick access to competent and accountable care. The steps being taken by UNC at Chapel Hill and WakeMed brokered by the President Tom Ross to provide 40 psychiatric beds is a good start. We need several hundred psychiatric beds for Raleigh-Wake County region where the population is rapidly growing.
Tagged as Assad Meymandi, Dr. A. Meymandi's Monday Musings, Gun violrnce, humanist, Psychiatrist
On the CIA Report and America
"Monday Musings" for Monday December 15, 2014
Volume IV. No. 50/206
Reflections on CIA Report
The media is flooded with hype, exaggeration and politicized partisan opinions about the use of torture by CIA. Some reflections:
There is no question that America is a blessed nation, and America's exceptionalism is globally recognized, if not accepted. If the gates are opened to all seven billion earth inhabitants, US and Germany would be the destinations of choice for most. Yet we constantly put down the decency and goodness of our beloved nation.
I grow intolerant of people who enjoy maligning America. Consider the case of Zimbabwe, a nation of 12 million oppressed and unhappy people, with vast natural resources including oil, coal, copper, zinc and platinum. Let's consider and compare form recent history the government functions in US and the African nation of Zimbabwe. In March 2008, an election was held in Zimbabwe. Morgan Tsvangirai was elected over incumbent Robert Mugabe, President since 1980 when the country became independent. Mugabe did not accept the election results. Violence ensued, and according to the BBC many thousands of Tsvangirai supporters have been killed, imprisoned and tortured. There was a runoff election June 27 which was named by many, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a "sham," while Tsvangirai sought asylum in Danish Embassy, and of course, Mugabe won. Compare this to our electoral process in which Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama, after 16 months of long and rigorous debates, came together in unity, for Hillary to declare her support of Obama. The occasion was a touching display of civility, cordiality and mutual respect.
Observing our democracy at work is enough to stir up the highest instinct of patriotism and devotion to America. As Americans, we enjoy the supremacy of the rule of law, and not the whims of a person, to guarantee our freedom. Our Founding Fathers, especially George Washington, set the tone for leadership in America. After serving his country for eight years of presidency, like the Roman political figure, Lucius Cincinnatus, Washington returned to his farm, and let others to lead and govern the nation.
As one citizen, I take tremendous joy and honor in being an American and am happy to pay my taxes to sustain the system.
Surely, America has flaws. But the goodness of our Republic gives us the opportunity to correct those flaws. We ended slavery with the sacrifices of fellow Americans who fought the bloody Civil War. We corrected Jim Crow laws by passing the Civil Rights legislation signed by the late President Lyndon B Johnson, a son of the South. We even purged the system from proven criminal activities and thinking of people like Richard Nixon, without missing a beat. Yes, America has flaws and from time to time engages in activities that stain the purity of our flag. But the stains can be cleansed and the pride of patriotism restored.
Those old enough recall one of the historic stains were the ill-conceived activities, in 1953, in Iran, of Richard Helms, the then CIA Director. CIA overthrew the democratically elected government formed by the late Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, returned the late Shah to power, established the much feared SAVAK and taught SAVAK agents how to torture Iranian dissidents in Tehran's Evin Prison. We do not need to go to centuries past, not even the 1920's to see right here under our noses, re-enactment of Puccini's Tosca, Baron Scarpia, Mario Cavaradocci, with the use of torture room, and sadistic agents who enjoy torturing. The 1953 action by Richard Helms was the seed that led to 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran and the imprisonment of the American Embassy officials for 444 days. Yes, America has a way of shooting herself in the foot. But we recover…We live with Puccini''s verismo operas every day.
The recovery is through honest, transparent, and inclusive examination of our flaws and applying the correct remedies. America's sovereignty is not only through excellence in technology, economic prosperity; but it is through our character, our humanity, and our moral leadership.
*The writer is Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill, Distinguished Life fellow American Psychiatric Association, and Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief, Wake County Physician Magazine (1995-2012). He serves as a Visiting Scholar and lecturer on Medicine, the Arts and Humanities at his alma mater, the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health.
Tagged as American exceptionalism, Assad Meymandi, CIA Report, Dr. A. Meymandi's Monday Musings, humanist, Iran, Mossagegh, Psychiatrist, SAVAK, Shah, The CIA Report and America
On a Few Reflections and Observations
"Monday Musings" for Monday October 27, 2014
Volume IV, No. 43/143
Potpourri of Reflections and Observations
The Birth of Existentialism
I am delighted to know that many of our readers are pleased with our occasional philosophical discourse. After all, philosophy means literally "love of wisdom." Wisdom is not information, it is not knowledge; yet it is both of those, and more. Also, it is gratifying to receive readers' mail who ask for more discussion of people who have made a difference in this world, like Soren Kierkegaard, born 1813, died 1855, a brilliant sarcastic, humorous and incredibly prolific thinker theologian/philosopher. He, along with Martin Heidegger (1889-1976—I once went to Berlin to meet and talk with him), Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1950) and Albert Camus (1913-1960) are the four horses of Existentialism, all of whom give credit to St Augustine of Hippo for their start and cutting their teeth in understanding the basic premises and principles of existentialism. Soren used to write books pseudonymously, and then critique them harshly, calling the writer of the books, meaning himself, a no good "oeuf"…
A writer asked about Manicheans. This reader was stimulated by my review of James O'Donnell's book on the life of Saint Augustine. Yes, Saint Augustine of Hippo for 14 years of his life, between ages of 18 (372) and 32 (386, the year he converted to Christianity) was a Manichean. Augustine was baptized by Bishop Ambrose of Milan on Easter morning 387.
Mani was a Persian. He was born and raised near today's Basra which was a part of the Persian Empire. The religion is heavily based on Zoroastrianism and Zoroaster's (Zaratustra) dualistic approach to heaven and earth, good and evil, body and soul… He is purported to have gone to China and converted Turan, Shah of China, (Puccinin's Turandot which is really Turan-dokht, the daughter of Turan) and is based on this Emperor's daughter. Manicheans were sophisticated and learned. They often ridiculed Christians and their "faith." Manichians were highly educated, most master-rhetors, engaged in the art of persuasion, like today's Law professors. They believed in dualism, rationalism and materialism. Augustine's corpus of work contains19 volumes refuting Manicheans, Donatists, Palagirists and Arians. It makes for stimulating reading and ultimately giving reader a roadmap to true wisdom.
Greed/Financial Dysfunction
The market has rebounded from five years ago. S&P is back to new highs. The stock market is volatile but not in a doldrums. Several years ago, when depression and unemployment engulfed our nation, I wrote that I needed help to understand a few things about our financial system. Here is what I wrote: "While stocks have lost about 50% of their value in one year, and many 401 K for the middle class American workers have been wiped out, we see the salaries and compensations of the CEOs who have caused this chaos have gone up. Let me quote some of these salaries from published statistics, US Department of Labor: Lloyd Blankfein, Chair and CEO, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. received $68.0 million dollars in compensation, and when the company failed the federal government pumped in $10 billion dollars to rescue it. Similarly, James Dimon, Chair and CEO, J. P. Morgan Chase & Co., $30.4 million in compensation and $25 billion government bailout; Kenneth Lewis, Chair, CEO, Bank of America Corp., $16.4 million, $25 billion; John Mack, Chair & CEO, Morgan Stanley, $16 million, $10 billion; Vikram Pandit, CEO Citigroup, Inc, $5.7, with $25 billion bailout; William McGuire, Chair and CEO, UnitedHealth $40.7 million; and another Merrill Lynch high flyer, Peter Kraus, head of strategy, $25 million, just to name a few."
What I still don't understand and would like for someone to explain to me is how could these people run their companies to the ground, cause millions of their shareholders to have their retirements wiped out and yet be rewarded and the government, without shame, bailed them out? Please help. Today, five years later I do not believe any of these individual have been reprimanded.
Editor, Psychiatric News:
The August 16 presidential column, Psychiatric News, interested me immensely. In her column, Dr Stotland made a point that the meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatry in London was modest, "using the meeting facilities of the inexpensive venue of the Imperial College has enabled the College to experiment with a meeting without pharmaceutical support…" She stated that "The meeting briefcases carried only the seal of the college…"
For decades, I have criticized the unholy and ethically unacceptable marriage of organized medicine and drug manufacturers. The unwelcome and greed-laden alliance of healthcare and pharmaceutical industries is an abomination. In recent months, we have learned that the scientists, writing papers in leading medical journals, have been sponsored by the drug makers. The Vioxx/Merck mess is a good example. Ghost authorship and ghostwriting occur even in our most trusted peer reviewed journals.
The late President Eisenhower, once in the late 1950s warned against the military-industrial complex. Now, the nation must be warned against the medical-pharmaceutical complex. It is ominous. Organized medicine and APA must find a way to fund their needs through Foundation moneys and not through revenues of advertisements by drug companies. Also, physicians ought to buy their own lunches, their own pens and their own scratch pads. And they should not get their "medical education" from drug representatives but from rigorous engagement in continued medical education. We must cleanse the holy temple of medicine from these corrupt practices. Maybe Dr. Stotland will start us off on this much needed pilgrimage.
Assad Meymandi, MD, PhD, DLFAPA
The Gift of Pistachio and a Pinch of Sufism
This is a personal note. I know that it should be handwritten. But legibility becomes a problem. I am writing to tell you how touched I was to receive your thoughtful card with your inserted personal note bearing syntactical elegance and rabbinical wisdom (Rabbi from Aramaic and later Hebrew roots means 'My teacher'.) Also thank you for the gift of pistachios, every individual kernel depicting the Hafez poem" Pesteh Khandan." Pistachios were known to Sumerians. There are records in cuneiform (spike or Mikhi) alphabet what scholars have interpreted to be pistachio associated with green color. Sanskrit word PESTEH is the etymology of our word pistachio. During Achamenid Dynasty, in Persia, Shiraz became the center for growing groves of pistachio trees. And in the pre-Islamic world, they used to ferment and make a wine from pistachio. There was and continues to be to this day, one species of pistachio that actually opens in the pod/shell on the tree before they are picked. They are called "laughing or smiling pistachios." The Shiraz poets such as Mosleh-Din Saadi (1210-1290) and Khajeh Shams-Din-Hafez (1337-1406) have romanced this species of pistachio as the smiling or laughing (KHANDAN) fruit. As one can see, a cracked pistachio looks like a smiling face.
Saadi and Hafez were Sufis. Sufi philosophy has given birth to the discourse and science of "ontology." For the last 1200 years, it has evolved the beatific message "to be in the world but not of the world." Sufism invites, encourages, and teaches the art and skill of "being" as a contradistinction of "doing." We need to set aside time for introspection and reflection…All one's "doings" should be in the ultimate service of "being" and "becoming"….
Rumi, one of the most eloquent and influential Masters of Sufi in relation to ontology said: "Blessed are those who are in a state of constant worship….for the very act of worship is the essence is self-awareness and self-knowledge…". I must assert that Rumi is very much exploited by literary charlatans and marketers who pose as Rumi authorities, yet do not know a word of Farsi language!)
May your faces like Hafez' Pesteh be Khandan, smiling and happy forever.
Etymology of the Word "Religion"
Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) and John Calvin (1509-1564), two disparate theologians of the 13th and 16th centuries, along with Persian physician Abu Ali Sina Avicenna (980-1037), the famed medical diagnostician and clinician of the eleventh century have written independent treatises on the "religion." Here is a summary of their work on the topic:
The etymology of the word "religion", re-ligion"; re: again, ligating: binding, connecting (surgeons ligate veins and tie up arteries); thus, re-connecting, re-binding, re-attaching…what to what is the question. Perhaps to the beatific vision of eternity and transcendence of love…
A Euro for Asia
The wire services just unloaded a very heartwarming and personal story: Robert Mundel, Reagan's Chairman of Economic advisors, father of trickle down Reageanonomics (Ibn Khaldoun '1332-1406' was the real father, Robert Mundel was a promulgator!), but he was the true father of the "Euro", the 1999 Nobel Laureate in Economics, is now back in the news. He wants to foster or father the equivalent currency of Euro for Asia. The name has not been conceived. The Sultan of Abu Dhabi, owner of the multi-trillion dollar "Sovereign Fund" which has been rescuing American Banks and Financial institutions (including Bank of America, UBS, CitiBank, and Washington Mutual) is behind the effort.
A personal note: We had the privilege of having lunch with Dr. Mundel in his Palladian villa in Italy on Friday June 25, 1992. It was a memorable occasion.
Randy Pausch's name was being considered by some members of the National Humanities Center Nominating Committee for membership to the Board before we earned that he was dying. I was fortunate to be in the audience when he gave his "Last lecture" at Carnegie Mellon. It was a fascinating experience. He was a picture of health. He did summersaults and push-ups during his lecture, and at the conclusion of his speech, carried his wife off the stage. It is very sad that he died, yet, it is glorious the way he lived and the legacy he left for us. I am reviewing his book which will appear in a future issue of WCP.
The Dope on Cannabis
In response to a reader's question about cannabis and alcohol:
The scholarship on cannabis and data driven research on this controversial drug show that cannabis may and does affect not only the higher cortical structures but also the subcortical parts of the brain, what is known as the Limbic system, causing not only bipolar disorder (radical mood swings and irrational and impulsive behaviour), but actual psychosis. Alcohol has the same adverse effects on the brain through different pathways. So, I really condemn both. I am absolutely against legalizing cannabis. I would be happy to give you reference to these studies. A drunken parent should not hypocritically admonish a pothead child. It does not work. This is one of the astonishing teachings of Saint Augustine of Hippo, the ultimate role model to humankind. Although he was addicted to sex, after his conversion to Christianity and soon after becoming a Bishop, he had enough discipline to stop sex altogether. The same, I condemn tobacco and its ill effects on the body in general. However, I guess the reason tobacco is not banned is that it does NOT cause bipolar disorder and psychosis.
The ultimate answer to these problems is education which starts in utero. Mamas must adopt Augustinian discipline to love themselves and their fetus(es), stop tobacco, alcohol and over-eating while they are pregnant, and continue to be role models to their children. Greed spoils capitalism and private enterprise. Making money out of harming others by selling, cannabis, tobacco, alcohol, and other harmful substances is immoral.
Hypocrisy and Greed of University Leaders
I am opposed to lowering drinking age in college as many, including 100 college and university leaders, promote. While prohibition is often counterproductive, I believe the answer to binging, abuse and unreasonable use of alcohol is education. The answer also lies in curtailing greed and hunger for money. The University leaders ought to cut out advertising of beer from all TV sports. It is sheer greed to have alcohol products sponsoring sports events, and it is sheer hypocrisy for the university leaders to tolerate this practice because it produces revenue for their institutions. Ban alcohol ads from all television sports.
Tagged as Assad Meymandi, Avicenna, Cannabis, Dr. A. Meymandi's Monday Musings, etymology of religion, Euro for Asia, Greed, humanist, Ibn Khaldoun, John Calvin, Mani, Manichean, Martin Heidigger, medical-pharmaceutical complex, Mosleh-e-Din Saadi, physician, Psychiatrist, Randy Pausch, Robert Mundel, Saint Augustine of Hippo, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Soren Kierkegaard
On the Importance of Music
Monday Musings for Monday May 12, 2014
By Assad Meymandi, MD PhD, DLFAPA*
We have had a number of letters from young parents and prospective parents asking about the "Mozart effect". As of late the media has been touting the notion that exposure to Classical music including of course Mozart's music during pregnancy and early childhood makes the child smarter. The question requires some recollection of Mozart as a person, artist and genius; and some reflections:
Faithful readers of this space recall that Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was and remains one of the most enigmatic individuals of the 18th century. He was born on January 27, 1756. Before his death on December 5, 1791, he was in poor health. Throughout his short life he had smallpox, tonsillitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, typhoid fever, rheumatism, gum disease, and possible cirrhosis of the liver and hepatitis, all caused by excessive use of alcohol and possible sexual indiscretion. Toward the end of his life, he had poor hygiene, most likely because of poverty, had to move in smaller apartment with limited accommodations and facilities.
Also, Mozart was enigmatic because of ineptness, inelegant personal conduct, and his lack of social grace. Yet in his operas, he demonstrates deep understanding of human nature. He takes us through a most complex circuitous labyrinth of psychological wonders that is humanly impossible. As I listen to his operas over and over again, I keep asking myself how did he know so much? For example, his opera King of Crete, Idomeneo, taking place 1200 BC, is an incredible psychological study of human possibilities, frailties, feelings and complex psychodynamics of behavior. Medical literature do refer to Mozart's scatologia/lalia and coprophilia as symptoms of Tourette Syndrome, a neurologic disorder the victims of which experience uncontrollable urge to make foul noises and use curse words. Modern medicine has pinpointed the biochemical etiology of the disease, namely excess dopamine concentration in the basal ganglia of the brain. This condition is neuroendocrinologically the opposite of Parkinson's disease where there is a paucity of Dopamine in the basal ganglia. There is no question that Mozart was a genius. Now, the question is can we make our children smarter by exposing them to Mozart's music.
The myth of Mozart "the eternal child" invented by his father, Leopold, has been exploited for financial gain first by Leopold himself and later by music publishers in Salzburg and Vienna. Now 200 years plus after his death, the myth continues to be exploited by the media. Worship of Mozart is a major industry with billions of dollars involved. Commercialization of Mozart has attracted the best and also the most crooked brains in marketing, ballyhooing, and concocting false products. "The Mozart effect" is one of them. The notion that Mozart's music, and for that matter classical music makes us smarter is a clever but false claim.
However, what Mozart and classical music do can be understood by explaining a bit of basic neurobiology. We have hard data to document that listening to classical and harmonically rich music prolong the life of the neurotransmitter called acetylcholine (AcH) in the synaptic junctions of nerve cells (neurons), thereby making the basic thinking process more efficient. The same principle works when milking cows are subjected to prolonged exposure to classical music. The animals produce more milk. The explanation is that the animals produce more dopamine in their brain, leading to secretion of more prolactin and eventual production of more and higher quality milk. Classical music does not make the cows smarter. It does make the milking factory more efficient.
Yes, classical music and Mozart make a child's mentation, perception and cognition more efficient. They do not make the child smarter. Also, families who are musically oriented and live in a rich intellectual and verbal environment create a better chance for their children to do better in school. Turn the television off. Read to your children and create a family environment enriched in music, books, arts, and robust conversation.
Tagged as Assad Meymandi, Dr. A. Meymandi's Monday Musings, humanist, Mozart, Psychiatrist, the Mozart Effect
On Controlling Anger- 4 Simple Steps
Monday Musings for Monday April 21, 2014
Preventing Anger From Erupting
(Editor's note: This article ran in the op-ed page of the Sunday May 25, 1980 edition of the Fayetteville Observer, Fayetteville, NC)
The recent eruption of the Mount Saint Helens volcano reminded me of how some people deal with their anger. Anger exists. Everyone needs to recognize, understand, and channel this ever-present emotion so that it does not become destructive. The fellow, who went to the Texas clock tower and gunned down 42 people several years ago, is a good example of how a human volcano can erupt, and indeed cause more destruction than a true volcano.
It is a serious and damaging condition not to be able to express anger. We either allow it to fester so when it is expressed it becomes explosive; we turn it inward so it turned into depression, ulcers and heart attacks; or we take it out on other people who did not cause it; or we learn to resolve it which is obviously the most reasonable and healthful way to deal with anger.
I am outlining four basic steps in resolution of anger. They are:
The first step is to recognize the anger. People often speak of being disappointed, frustrated or let down, or hurt when they are actually repressing anger. Also the anger may be denied because we feel guilty about it, that it is not nice or we are afraid to express it.
The second step in the resolution of anger is to recognize the real source of your anger. This may require professional help.
After you recognize your anger and know where it is coming from; the third step is to try to understand the reason for your anger. Some people feel so guilty about their angry feelings that they try to over-compensate or deny them. An example is the saccharin sweet person who is not really sweet at all but a bitter individual, and, because we sense this, we find such people uncomfortable to be with.
The fourth step is to deal with the anger realistically. A confrontation with the person provoking the anger may be reasonable.
A word about confrontation: When you try confrontation you should say "I am angry at the way you're treating me" rather than "you are no good, you are evil and I am angry at you." By verbalizing how the behavior is affecting you, you are not "wiping out" the other person, but making them aware of your feelings and clearing the air so that the bad feelings do not fester and turn into depression and ulcers. If confrontation is impractical or impossible, and you must put up with the situation, you should find other outlets for the energy. Some useful outlets are strenuous exercise, beating on a pillow, beating on a dummy or other inanimate objects, which does not affect damage. Whatever you do, don't suppress your anger. It'll turn into depression, ulcers, heart attacks, stroke, etc. Ninety-five percent of all hospital beds are occupied by folks who don't have the simple skills of resolving their anger as outlined above.
Tagged as anger, anger management, Assad Meymandi, confrontation, Dr. A. Meymandi's Monday Musings, The Fayetteville Observer
On the Eids of March
Volume IV, No, 13,/169
The Busy Month of March
March is a busy month. Many epoch-making occurrences took place in March including the back to back birthdays of Moses Maimonides of Cordoba on Mach 29, and birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach on March 30. We recently published a column reviewing Sherwin Nuland's book on Moses Maimonides of Cordoba. It grieves me to report that the beloved brilliant Yale surgeon, scholar, author and chronically depressed Nuland died on March 3, 2014 at the age 83. Nuland, among his immense volume of writings, successfully demystified death. His illuminating and crisp writings covered many topics including the true meaning of being a Jew, chosen by God and all the burdens that goes with the privilege. Nuland, with whom I had the privilege of corresponding by e-mail, honored me by reading "Monday Musings" and commenting on some of them. He very much reminded me of another brilliant colleague, Pediatrician/author Walker Percy who was chronically depressed.
Perhaps the most significant date in March is March 15, the Ides of March. A word about the etymology of "Ides"- the word comes from the Aramaic and Farsi Eid meaning celebration, such as Eid –e-Fetr, the end of 30 days of prayer and fasting in the month of Ramadan. March 15 is Eid or celebration of approaching spring, having only one week to suffer the barbarity of the old and foreboding winter (March 21), vernal equinox on Julian calendar, the start of Persian New Year or here we go again Eid-e-Norooz (see March 17 Monday Musings). There are some other significant historical events which took place on Ides of March. Roman Republic ended and Roman Empire started on March 15. Cesar was assassinated on March 15, 44 BC. Shakespeare's reference to Caesar's death "to beware of the ides of March" has given the ides of March black eyes…Perhaps this is the origin of modern day interpretation of "impending doom" that is superstitiously associated with March 15
March is the busiest month of the year admitting states to the Union: State of Ohio entered the Union on March1, 1803 (number 17), Nebraska on March 1, 1867 (number 37) Florida on March 3, 1845 (number 27), Vermont on March 4, 1791,(number 14), and Maine was admitted to the Union on the ides of March 1820 (number 23).
Happy Birthday, Maestro Bach
To understand music one must study Bach. Should you, your children and grandchildren be interested in understanding the fundamentals of architectural construct of classical music, then you should read the magnificent writings of our good friend, the very talented journalist and dramaturge, Barrymore Lawrence Scherr. Bach (born March 30—some argue that he was born March 21, 1685; died July 28, 1750), has two seminal compositions, The Well Tempered Clavier, BOOK I, and The Well Tempered Clavier, Book II. Both books, 48 pieces altogether, give us the basics for minor and major notes, preludes, point and counterpoint, color, fugue, development, etc. Daniel Barenboim, Emeritus Conductor of the Chicago Symphony, plays all 48 pieces often in Carnegie Hall. Check online and enjoy these delightful academic performances of baroque music, wrapped in rich cosmic bouquets that only Bach can produce.
Music: Mankind's Saviour
The recent New York Metropolitan Opera performance of Mozart's masterpiece, Idomeneo, was a good reminder that Mozart was an ordinary man with all the flaws and scars of alcoholism, syphilis (from Pamena of Magic Flute), kidney failure and periodic bankruptcy, with an extraordinary and truly God like mind to produce and write music of such complexity, architectural soundness of structure, yet immense sublimity and transcendence that is beyond any mortal person's comprehension. The gift of Mozart is available to all lovers of music. This particular performance was super-special, because the international cast involved countries of Australia, England, Canada, South Africa, India, New Zeeland, and France. Our own Maestro James Levine, veteran Met Opera Music Director, and now conductor of the Boston Symphony, born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, who conducted the feast, was America's contribution. The virtuous performance of the star-studded cast and Levine's skillful directing once again proved that music is the universal language of peace, understanding and love which may bring the message of brotherhood and connectedness to mankind.
Tagged as Assad Meymandi, Bach birthday, Caesar's death, Dr. A. Meymandi's Monday Musings, Moses Maimonides birthday, Mozart birthday, Roman Republic, The Eids of March, The Ides of March
On a Few Thoughts
Volume IV, No. 168
On Magic, Memory, Wrong Diagnosis, Origin of Inoculation, and What to do for Depression
Luther and Erasmus
Recently, we observed the 88th birthday of a good friend at a luncheon. The toast was the story of Luther (Nov 10, 1481-Feb 18, 1546) and Erasmus (Oct 27, 1466 to July 12, 1536), two fierce competitors (but good friends). Erasmus who was quite a few years older than Luther was debating the existence of 'Miracle" and "Magic" with Luther. After many exchanges of letters, with a sense of exhaustion, Erasmus tersely wrote to Luther, "Boy, Of course there is magic and miracle. You get magic and miracle when you combine intellect and industry " Yes, "smarts" and "hard work" produce magic and miracle…. I think Erasmus was thinking of our honoree. Happy birthday!
Promulgation and promotion of digital learning, and creation DigiLearn as reported in news media including New York Times and the Wall Street journal are all meritorious. But idealizing DigiLearn as a powerful instrument that nurtures imagination as opposed to memorization that discourages imagination is a disservice. This view is scientifically flawed and untenable. In neuroscience and neurobiology, we know that those areas of the brain, including the limbic system, association cortex and nucleus coeruleus that are responsible for memory and storing of information are strengthened by memorizing facts. The same centers are also responsible for strengthening the power of imagination, creativity and innovation. These centers work together to enhance both memory and imagination. Memorization complements and enhances imagination. Please do not malign memorization and do not deprive our children from receiving the gift of knowledge through activating the memory centers of their brain. All the computers and artificial intelligence floating around will never replace memorizing epic poems of Homer, Dante, Faust and Milton.
Krauthammer's Wrong Diagnosis
I usually agree with the opinions of my respected colleague turned journalist, Dr. Charles Krauthammer. His style shaped by his training as a physician, to cut through symptoms and look for the correct diagnosis(es) and cause(s) of America's ills, is most gratifying. But his March 14 syndicated column in Washington Post and other papers "An Action Plan to Stop Putin", while making recommendations to cure our current ills do not go deeply enough to make the correct diagnosis before offering suggestions and remedies.
The basic problem with America's repeated failures in foreign affairs is that our European and Middle Eastern allies no longer respect the office of American Presidency or the current person who occupies the post. I hear derogation, mockery and condescension from ordinary citizens of foreign nations about US presidency. We should address that basic malady before offering remedies.
The Origins of Inoculation and Vaccination
For the readers who are contemplating to travel to Turkey, here is a historical aside: It is about Turkish women of many centuries ago. It explains the character and intellectual capacity, with Baconian and Lockian power of inductive reasoning and empirical observation of Turkish women of the middle ages. These women were most likely illiterate. The story has to do with inoculation against smallpox. These women observed that they can sell their daughters into slavery for a higher price if they were unmarked by the scars of smallpox. They noted that mild cases of smallpox provided lifelong immunity to the disease and limited the scarring. So they exposed their young daughters to benign cases of smallpox. This practice was carried out hundreds of years before Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) and Robert Koch (1843-1910) introduced inoculation and vaccination to modern medicine. Voltaire while exiled to England in Les Lettres philosophiques has written extensively about powers of observation, inductive reasoning and empirical knowledge.
Treating Depression with Good Thoughts
Worth reading. I will be writing about how empirical data are showing that good thoughts, good words and good deeds(Zarathustra's Motto) not only elevate mood and restore dopamine levels of the brain, but actually changes the morphology of the brain. This is the essence of Eshgh, the Sufi love. Thinking good thoughts suffuses brain with good hormones like dopamine and indoleamine…Exciting stuff to think about and write about….
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/
Tagged as Assad Meymandi, Charles Krauthammer, Dr. A. Meymandi's Monday Musings, Erasmus, humanist, innoculations, Martin Luther, Psychiatrist
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On Saint Paul…and CETP
On Spinoza…
On My Favorite Music…
On Yalda…and Rumi
On Christmas…
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The writer is a Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association, Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill. He is the Founding Editor and Editor in chief, Wake County Physician Magazine (1995-2012).
Dr. A. Meymandi's Monday Musings ·


text:
What happens when an immigrant overstays their visa in the U.S.?
On Behalf of Walker Morton LLP | Apr 2, 2019 | US Immigration Law
There are a variety of reasons to apply for a visa to enter the United States. Immigrants entering the U.S. at Illinois or any other state should understand that a visa holds certain restrictions or requirements. In other words, a visa, no matter what type, does not afford a foreign national the right to remain in America for as long as they want. Every visa has an end date, and when that end date comes and goes and an immigrant remains in the U.S., this could result in serious penalties.
What happens when an immigrant overstays their visa in the U.S.? To begin, once the end date of a visa is reached, the visa is considered void. If an immigrant admitted to the U.S. on a valid visa has overstayed the time period of the visa, he or she will be considered ineligible to be readmitted into the U.S. as a nonimmigrant.
There are some exceptions to this. A foreign national that overstayed a visa can be readmitted to the U.S. if he or she obtains a visa that is issued in a consular office located in the foreign national's home country. If such an office does not exist in their country, he or she can obtain a visa in other consular offices. One could also be readmitted if there are extraordinary circumstances and they are found to exist by the Secretary of state.
Overstaying a visa could also trigger other consequences. If an immigrant overstays long enough or it is determined by an immigration judge that a status violation occurred, a bar could be put in place. This could result in a 3 to 10 year bar for readmission to the U.S.
The visa application process can be complex and confusing. This is especially true for those obtaining one for the first time. In other cases, an immigrant will seek to extend or even renew his or her visa. These are time sensitive matters, making it vital to obtain guidance when it comes to moving through these processes.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Patrice Bonnafoux: Hi Joelle, thanks for accepting this interview. Your topic of interest is one of the most fascinating avenue of archaeological and anthropological research but it is also one of the most challenging. Prehistoric pigments! How/why did you get yourself in there?
Joelle Nivens: Well, my interest in pigments actually came out of my interest and research into a completely different class of artifacts – beads.
As an undergrad, I got involved in my professor's ongoing project replicating a type of prehistoric bead known as basket-shaped beads using the same raw materials and tools as the original Upper Paleolithic bead makers.
Participating in that project led me further and further down the rabbit hole of research questions over the next few years – "how did these prehistoric people make beads?" lead to "who made them?" – culminating in the dual realization that 'pigments' were integral to this groups' bead making process and yet we know next to nothing about it's use in this period.
Patrice Bonnafoux: Knowing which pigments were used, what were the recipes, what were the original colours already gives a fantastic insight into prehistoric cultures, but clearly the thing that drives you is understanding the why. To put it differently, what can pigments tell us about ancient societies?
Joelle Nivens: So it's probably because of how I came to be researching ochre in the first place but the aspect of this technology, pigment processing and use, that really excites me is it's use in a number of activities we tend to see as distinct and separate from our 21st century perspective.
Bone tools, stone tools, beads, blocks, and rock walls have all been found with ochre stains. We can analyze these residues and know whether the same pigments were used on tools, beads, and artworks. In other words, we can begin to answer how were these activities related to each other. Were painting and bead making divided from tool making? What was the relationship between the people doing these activities?
Patrice Bonnafoux: The idea of prehistoric pigments conjures images of Lascaux paintings which, in turn, raises the question of conservation. It's not like you can just go there and take some pigments for analysis, right? Pigments from the Upper Paleolithic are rare and delicate. So, how difficult is it to work on such (scientifically) precious things? What are the main challenges you faced in your project?
Joelle Nivens: As far as access, yeah, it isn't impossible to get curators on board for destructive sampling but its pretty darn close. Even with recent advances in non-destructive analyses, you basically have to be a very well established "Big Kahuna" to even ask to analyze the major cave paintings. There is always, after all, a better, less destructive technique on the horizon so curators are smart to severely restrict destructive analyses.
Beyond access, though, (barring special circumstances like the delicate environment of deep painted caves) pigments are relatively resilient. The primary problems I've encountered in my research stem from excavators' recovery techniques and biases. As these minerals are usually medium hard to soft, dynamite, backhoes, filed screwdrivers, and other, let's say, 'invasive' excavation tools tend to obliterate any prehistoric use wear or tool traces left on the pigments' surfaces.
Additionally, they aren't the types of materials that can be used to define an industry or place an assemblage within the local chronology. So, in the transition from the field to the museum, coloring materials didn't always make the cut and aren't really first priority to locate if lost. I once arrived at a very prestigious museum to study a collection of pigment that though listed in the catalog had disappeared in the intervening 20 years.
Patrice Bonnafoux: Your PhD project focuses on the Early Upper Paleolithic (about 40,000 yrs ago) exploitation of mineral colorants. What cultural period are we talking about? Is your work centered on a particular region?
Joelle Nivens: My PhD project studies colorant exploitation in a period of the Upper Paleolithic known as the Aurignacian. Specifically, I analyze the colorant and colorant stained objects found in Early Aurignacian levels of sites in the Vézère River Valley, an area of Southwest France renowned for its incredible concentration of Paleolithic sites.
Note: The Vézère Valley is famed for its prehistoric cave systems, containing numerous cave paintings and hominid remains. UNESCO collectively designated these a World Heritage Site in 1979. Among the sites with remarkable caves is Lascaux.
Patrice Bonnafoux: Can you tell us more about your dissertation project?
Joelle Nivens: So as I said above, colorant exploitation stood out to me as a rare linking technology or one that connects activities and artifact classes traditionally studied in isolation. In the Vézère Valley Aurignacian sites I study, for example, traces of ochre are found on end scrapers, a stone tool associated with working hides, and polished beads.
My research seeks to understand which colorants were brought into the site and how they found their way onto stone tools and beads. By also analyzing the residues on other "end products", I hope to see if there are any overlaps in the activities in which these products were involved.
Some work at the forefront of my mind are Randall White and Claire Heckel's hypotheses that craft specialists produced Aurignacian beads; I'd particularly like to see if this task was really as isolated from other, more quotidian activities as we think.
Patrice Bonnafoux: How does your collaboration with Peyre Blanque Archaeological Project align with your research?
Joelle Nivens: Collaborating with the PB project allows me to hone analytical techniques while broadening my perspectives on Upper Paleolithic colorant exploitation.
PB is rare in that excavations at the site began with a sensitivity to pigment materials as possible connections to the region's many painted caves. So working with the team this summer has already produced invaluable discussions into best practices for recovering and processing colorant artifacts.
Similarly, the ongoing excavations are an opportunity to test out how some of my analytical methods could translate from the museum to the field- turns out creating a database of detailed petrological descriptions is a little trickier when you've got to keep up with the excavation!
As an open-air, Late Upper Paleolithic site, PB is basically way at the other end of the spectrum from my dissertation study sites. Working with the same materials recovered from such different contexts raises new and exciting questions I would've otherwise overlooked.
For example, the atypically high proportion of black pigments at PB led me to rethink an analysis of pigments from one of my study sites. I'd spent a lot of time thinking about red ochre at this study site because that's what most of the literature focused on and red dominated the colorant assemblage. After working at PB, I started investigating whether the patterns I saw in the red materials were consistent with the black ones. The patterns were completely different and I would've have missed it if not for PB.
Patrice Bonnafoux: What potential for research do you see at Peyre Blanque regarding pigments and what are you planning on doing with the Peyre Blanque material?
Joelle Nivens: Meg Conkey and Philippe Walter have already done so much with PB's pigments, particularly in terms of their relationship to painted caves. I hope to add some more details to buttress these discussions, specifically information we tend to ask more of stone tools than pigments.
First on the agenda is determining the full range of geomaterials present, that is to say the different kinds of raw pigment materials brought into the site many of whom are the same color but derive from different geological environments. These materials often have different physical properties that would produce really different results when used in non-painting activities like treating hides or polishing beads.
Another task on the agenda is trying to identify signs of chemical alteration, especially heat treatment. Aside from the spectacular and enigmatic stone structure, PB hasn't yet produced more common features like hearths. In this context, I'd love to see if some of these red and black materials we find have been heat-treated.
Patrice Bonnafoux: Peyre Blanque Archaeological Project and, before it, Meg Conkey's "Between the Caves" have been grounds where diversity has always been promoted but we have to admit that archaeology is still an industry dominated by white males. How is it for a black woman to step into the box?
Joelle Nivens: Yeah, one look at the sea of white male faces at conferences and on faculty webpages and its pretty obvious that archaeology and above all Paleolithic Archaeology has a diversity problem.
For me, navigating this field with an absolute dearth of role models (Kathleen Sterling PB's co-director is a solitary exception here!) has been the most challenging.
Every grad student suffers from at least a little Imposter's Syndrome, that overwhelming sensation that you don't belong in academia or that someone is going to notice that you are a total fraud who only read the introduction to that article that one day. When it strikes, my peers can turn to professors or mentors with whom they identify and say, "well they're like me, they did it, and so can I". When I look around campus there isn't a single person who looks like me who's doing what I'm doing. It takes a lot of energy to then ignore the old toxic, limiting internalized narratives that this field isn't for black people, that black people can and should only to study Black Issues (slavery, racism, civil rights, etc.), that the Paleolithic isn't my story to help tell.
I do feel, though, that mechanisms are being put in place that will over time address these challenges. Funding agencies, at least in the US, have been really great about forcing applicants to consider how their work addresses issues of structural discrimination and representation; such conventions are a crucial first step to seriously addressing those issues in practice.
Similarly, there a number of student-driven movements on US college campuses that are bringing these issues to the fore and holding university administration accountable for correcting them – because these challenges aren't unique to archaeology at all but a higher education-wide problem.
In the meantime, I stamp out those well-worn insecurities by focusing on the fact that once upon a time there was only Kathleen, and now there's Kathleen and I, we black female Paleolithicists are trending up!
Plus, Our archaeological forefathers had no problem casting their white, male, often colonial gaze all about the place, so it's probably very healthy for our discipline to have black, female descendants of colonial subjects gazing upon those European roots. After all, isn't the very beauty of academia that, through training and study, I, too, can contribute to these questions of who we humans are and have been, even if my personal story probably doesn't begin in southwestern France?
Joelle Nivens is a PhD student in Anthropology at NYU. Her research focuses on the Early Upper Paleolithic exploitation of mineral colorants. She primarily explores the ways in which the preparation and use of iron oxides link multiple activities- symbolic and quotidian (flint-knapping, ornament production, parietal art, hide-working) - within and between archaeological sites.
In spring 2015, Joelle was a visiting CIRHUS (Center for International Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences) fellow at the Laboratoire d'Archéologie Moleculaire et Structurale of the Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris .


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Category Archives: Michael Byrd
Weekend 526.0 (palaces made of lime and stone)
"People simply refused to believe what was happening…"
Finished The Brothers York by Thomas Penn. Some more quotes, substitutions, archeological curiosities, and final thoughts (and what comes next).
"Late that summer, Sir George Brown wrote a brief message to his nephew John Paston the younger. Brown was a Yorkist loyalist; his stepfather was the late king's recently executed chamber treasurer Sir Thomas Vaughan. One of Edward IV's close chamber servants, Brown had been knighted on the battlefield of Tewkesbury back in 1471; following the king's death that April, he had carried the banner of St George at his funeral and was among the household men keeping watch over his body the night before its burial. Now, Brown's message to Paston read, simply, 'Loyalté Aymé'. It shall never come out for me.' Scrawling a variation on Richard III's new royal motto, Brown dismissed it out of hand. There was no way that Richard's idea of loyalty would work for Brown: he didn't trust the new king an inch."
"The idea of putting the earl at the head of royal networks in the north seemed exceptionally unwise. Like their detested rivals the Nevilles, the Percies had historically proved themselves dangerously independent-minded: a challenge, rather than a support to royal authority."
"Meanwhile, in an act of political penance and reconciliation, Richard ordered the remains of the Lancastrian king Henry VI to be disinterred from their sequestered location at Chertsey Abbey, and royally reburied in the choir of the near-completed chapel of St George at Windsor, close to the body of the man who had destroyed him and his family, Edward IV. Edward, of course, had designed the chapel specifically as the last resting place of the Yorkist kings. The symbolism of Richard's gesture was lost on no one: in death, at least, the houses of Lancaster and York were to be unified. Perhaps, Richard hoped, some of the Lancastrian king's saintliness would rub off on him by association. And, as a flood of pilgrims descended on Windsor to venerate the bones of the saintly Lancastrian king, Richard redoubled his efforts to get hold of this rather more troublesome living descendent, Henry Tudor."
"There was an increasingly prevailing view that, far from governing for the common weal, Richard [Biden] was ruling for a privileged clique."
"This pension was paid, not in recognition of a lifetime of service on Forest's part — rewards for 'good service' tended to be recognized explicitly as such — but 'for diverse causes and considerations us moving', a formula kings habitually used when referring to confidential business carried out on their behalf. It was impossible to say for sure what 'diverse causes and considerations' might have moved Richard. But whatever Forest had done for him, it merited an exceptional royal response."
Here are some names to substitute- Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, Alexander Vindman, Michael Byrd, James Comey, Christine Blasey Ford, and Anthony Fauci.
Archeological Curiosities
"At the festivities, the king [Richard III] presented the mayor with a fine gold cup encrusted with pearls and lapis."
"Around this time, Richard acquired a book of hours. Designed for personal, everyday use, this prayer book was small, its illuminations – initials, sprays of foliage, the occasional illustration picked out in pink, blue and warm orange, with gold leaf – simple and practical, designed to guide the reader around the text in the course of their devotions."
Richard III's Book of Hours (Medievalists.net)
Lambeth Palace Library: The National Library & Archive of the Church of England
It was difficult to find any redeeming figures in this historical recount. I would add Miles Forest, John Dighton, and James Tyrell to my list of historical footnotes whose lives, after their heinous crimes, deserve immortalization in poems and literature if only as parables to the emptiness of worldly ambitions. Just like the knights who killed Thomas Becket, these three altered history for probably thirty pieces of silver.
Inward and Outward by Fr. Paul D. Scalia (The Catholic Thing)
"Such superficiality keeps us from knowing our real longings and desires. We limit them to the here-and-now, to the worldly, and even the carnal. The Psalmist shows us the true path: O God, thou art my God, I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee; my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is. (Ps 63:1) When we allow these words to shape our minds (as Saint Benedict counsels), then we break through the surface, into a deeper awareness of the real longing that we typically anesthetize. Then, as legitimate as our temporal needs may be, we realize the deeper need within us."
Posted in Alexander Vindman, History, James Comey, Lisa Page, Michael Byrd, Peter Strzok, Politics, Quotes, Weekend | Leave a reply
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Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and The Great Gonzo arrive at Magic Kingdom® Park on October 2 for the opening of their all-new, live show "The Muppets Present … Great Moments in American History." Hosted by James "J.J." Jefferson, town crier of Liberty Square, and Sam Eagle, the fiercely patriotic American eagle who is forever trying to set a high moral standard for the Muppets, this wacky new show is set to take place several times daily, just outside The Hall of Presidents.
Throughout the day, J.J. and the Muppets share their own unique take on the founding fathers as they recount the tale of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, complete with an original song and plenty of humor. Your Clients may even catch the Muppets' version of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, presented in hysterical fashion as only they can.
I hope this is as great as it sounds ... what a wonderful addition!
Is this a limited engagement or do you think it will stick around a while?
Saw some video of this show... Bravo! Nice addition to Liberty Square... Well done!
This show is totally great -- be sure to catch it next time you're in Liberty Square. It happens in the area of Hall of Presidents, in the building facade windows on the second story. It is super cute, and appears to be actual Muppeteering, not animatronics.
"There is nothing we do here that is not creative.
There is nothing creative that we do not do here."


This eclectic collection of traditional Hymn favorites and soul stirring Gospel music is a must have for those who love music!
Yes God is Real is sung with such dynamic passion that the message is clear, yes, God is Real! After experiencing a series of personal tragedy, Christine released this CD compiled of songs that serve as her personal testimony told through song. Traditional favorites such as Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art display the rich quality and extensive vocal range of Christine�s voice. Upbeat Gospel favorites He�ll Do it Again and Your Grace and Mercy are sung in a soulful, upbeat style guaranteed to have you praising the Lord and singing along!
Produced by Robin Sinclair; Engineered by Roy Gamble; Recorded, Mixed and Mastered at Christian World Studios.


Welcome to the roundup of one of the best new Android video games that went reside within the Play Retailer or have been noticed by us within the final week or so. This week I've a stunning platformer from the devs of Leo's Fortune, an superior informal mountaineering recreation, and a unusual pixel-based shmup that mixes in block stacking mechanics for one thing that feels recent but acquainted. So with out additional ado, listed here are probably the most notable video games launched this week.
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Distinctive Video games is a studio that focuses on sports activities titles, and its newest launch is a 5-on-5 Soccer recreation for 2019. You'll be able to look forward to finding a draft system, a coaching mode, day by day missions, swipe controls, and a season mode. It takes all the things you're keen on about American Soccer and streamlines it into one thing that is intuitive and straightforward to select up any time of the day.
Oddmar might have been out on iOS for the final 9 months, however that does not imply its arrival on Android is not one thing to have fun. It is a beautiful platformer from the devs of Leo's Fortune, and it improves on the whole lot about that fantastic title with a extra fleshed out expertise that also controls extremely on a touchscreen. So do not miss out on this one people.
Cling Line: Mountain Climber is an fulfilling grappling hook recreation. Your job is to succeed in the height of a 5 separate mountain tops by grappling your means up their icy slopes, all whereas rescuing any survivors you occur throughout. In fact, there might be loads of obstacles in your approach, corresponding to falling boulders, ice, and molten lava. So whereas the aim might sound easy sufficient, it may take loads of apply and some very nimble fingers to succeed in every summit.
Galaxy Stack mixes block stacking mechanics with the gameplay of a shmup for one thing distinctive that also feels acquainted. As you shoot ever-encroaching ships, they'll pile on the bottom. The extra ships you shoot, the upper your stack. The aim is to create the very best towers attainable out of those destroyed ships. There are even a couple of boss fights thrown within the combine to maintain issues fascinating, do you have to get uninterested in stacking one ship after one other.
BACKFIRE is an ingenious indie title that is billed as a "reverse shooter." What this implies is that you will have to shoot from the rear of your ship, which makes juggling your ship's motion fairly difficult. You will have to consider your motion slightly in another way than a typical 2D shooter because you all the time transfer in the other way you're capturing. It is a easy change, nevertheless it provides far more complexity to the standard shooter gameplay that any fan of the style ought to contemplate checking this title out.
Stellar Invictus is a sandbox MMO that is set in area. It performs equally to the various browser-based MMOs on the internet, so do not anticipate flashy graphics or an intuitive UI. Some have in contrast the sport to a cellular model of EVE On-line, and there are undoubtedly similarities, so for those who're on the lookout for a deep MMO to dive into, Stellar Invictus might suffice.
Heroes and Retailers is an MMORPG that squarely focuses on crafting. It's going to be your job to coach many various artisans with a view to create invaluable gadgets. These things can then be outfitted on recruitable heroes that may be despatched into battle to gather you extra assets and some candy loot. Workforce play can also be included so you possibly can type guilds, and there's even a aggressive facet that permits you to duel with different gamers for a couple of rewards.
Octobyte Video games made a splash on the Play Retailer with the discharge of its NES-like platformer Demon Citadel : Bloodstained Night time, and this week the developer has launched an all-new title that travels even additional again in time for one thing slightly nearer to an Atari 2600 launch. Gobs of Ghosts is a black and white platformer with easy graphics and strong controls. It is a difficult motion recreation comparable in type to Castlevania and Metroid, so ensure you're prepared for a problem should you plan on enjoying.
Ludoku is an fascinating mind teaser that jogs my memory of the puzzler Quell, however as an alternative of sliding a ball throughout the display you're tasked with hooking a rounded masks with the contraptions organized on pre-defined anchor factors. As you drag the masks nearer to its aim, you possibly can then snag it with a second or third hook to vary its course. What makes this so difficult is that you simply by no means know which hooks it is best to use to get the masks to its aim.
Equilibrium is a stupendous puzzler that may problem your thoughts. The principles are easy. All it's a must to do is draw strains on the display so that you simply mirror the brightly coloured shapes in every degree. The aim is to mild up all sides of the displayed shapes. There are over 200 puzzles to unravel which might be scattered throughout 20 totally different worlds. In case you get caught, there's a assist choice, although it may be annoying because the button is constantly blinking on the display.
Lodge Mania is an off-the-cuff simulation recreation that is all about constructing your dream lodge by adorning its rooms and amassing loads of quirky clients. There are over thirty separate room designs to select from, and every buyer can probably include a superpower which will certainly make you pull out your hair in frustration, which ought to hold the participant on their toes as they go about their routine of managing their lodge.
Phrase Ink is an anagram phrase recreation comparable in fashion to widespread crossword puzzles. It incorporates 10,00zero distinctive puzzles and helps a number of languages. Sadly there's a subscription payment hooked up to the sport after the three-day free trial, so until you need to pay a weekly payment for entry to a crossword puzzle recreation, you are in all probability not going to love this launch.
Through the years there have been various UNO releases on the Play Retailer. It might appear every tackle the title finds a completely new approach to monetize the sport, and Mattel163 Restricted's model seems to be to be virtually as dangerous as Gameloft's just lately delisted providing UNO & Buddies. For some cause, the UNO license has been handed round greater than a soccer, which is odd for such a easy card recreation. Do individuals actually need to spend cash endlessly for a shallow color-matching card recreation?
Area Justice is a level-based shoot 'em up that takes place in outer area within the 23rd century. It is a free-to-play launch, which suggests you possibly can anticipate loot packing containers and a subscription system. The graphics are fairly good, although nearly all of the sport performs like a reskin of a earlier launch from the developer. Probably the most vital additions to this title are the PvP points and the co-op gameplay.
Bandai Namco nonetheless owns the rights to the Galaga franchise, and it might seem that the corporate is prepared to money in on the shooter with an in-app buy infested cellular launch on the Play Retailer. Proper off the bat, you will discover lengthy loading occasions, which might be because of the location of the sport's server. In the event you can ignore the lengthy wait occasions, then you could benefit from the brightly coloured shooter that is buried beneath the grasping monetization.
Rangers of Oblivion is the newest free-to-play Monster hunter clone to land on the Play Retailer. Very similar to its inspiration, you will spend nearly all of your time searching down monsters in situations that play out like lengthy boss fights. There are over ten totally different recreation modes to discover, so that you're by no means caught grinding the identical content material over and over, although the monetization does depart rather a lot to be desired.
Cellular Royale is the newest Recreation of Struggle clone to land on the Play Retailer. What units this aside from comparable releases is that it is extremely polished and the whole player-base is situated on one server. For those who've performed the developer's older Lords Cellular launch, then all you want to know is that this title is actually an upgraded model with flashier graphics.
Capturing whereas shifting in reverse have to be a brand new fashionable recreation mechanic as a result of that is the second recreation on this week's roundup to benefit from it. Wasteland Ninja is a futuristic shooter that may have you ever leaping round a number of levels as you shoot aliens. It's kind of like a platformer in that regard, although nearly all of your time might be spent chasing down enemies to kill as you repeatedly leap in the other way.
Hothead Video games undoubtedly has a deal with on producing titles with incredible graphics, and its newest launch Cast Fantasy doesn't deviate on this regard. It seems to be nice in motion, and the cover-based gameplay truly works very properly because of the various totally different choices obtainable on your group choice. Often, most cover-based shooters really feel stale after some time, however because of the hero assortment features in Cast Fantasy you'll discover a bunch of various fight methods.
Faucet! Captain Star is an idle tapping recreation that takes place in outer area. It is your job to defeat the sport's darkish lifeforms by furiously tapping on the display. You'll be able to look forward to finding loads of upgrades and particular expertise to make sure your crew is the strongest within the galaxy.
If in case you have an software in thoughts for the subsequent problem of the roundup, be happy to ship us an e mail and tell us.
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School suspensions set students up to enter the school-to-prison pipeline, leading to unemployment and incarceration later in life (Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology).
Taking an empathetic, rather than punitive, approach to classroom discipline reduces suspensions and improves student-teacher relationships.
Although Black men make up only 6% of the U.S. population, they are the victims of 40% of unarmed fatal police shootings.
Racial disparities in the justice system disproportionately affect Blacks.
Juries make better decisions when they're racially diverse.
Rejection by peers leads teens to act aggressively and feel down.
Prejudice and discrimination make life hard for many people around the world.