His excellency and the monk: a correspondence between Nyanaponika Thera and David Ben-Gurion

Between the years 1956 and 1962 the scholar-monk Nyanaponika Thera and the first Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion have exchanged eight long letters. These letters—published here for the first time—expose the extent of Ben-Gurion's interest in Buddhism and reveal the Buddhist rhetoric used by one of Sri Lanka's most influential scholars. This rhetoric, which was generally well received by Ben-Gurion, was an exemplar of 'Protestant Buddhism'. It is suggested that Ben-Gurion could relate to this image of Buddhism because it reflected his own vision of Judaism that had 'protestant' characteristics. The letters contain autobiographical notes, unpublished comments on the Buddhist concepts of Suffering and Rebirth, and a curious plan to invite Nyanaponika to Israel

The 'auto cannibal'

The relentless triumph of technology is increasingly dismissive of the human desire for interaction; we are deprived of experiences with the ordinary and become less aware of the potential such objects contain. The author primarily considers art as a means of understanding the world and his practice is based on personal observations and autonomous processes. This can often lead to an over-analysis of the mundane, which is directly confronted in each of my projects through an enthusiasm for the objects we not only take for granted, but do so to the extent that we barely notice their existence. Drawing inspiration from literature, philosophy and ideas which surround permanence in a society which is frequently considered throwaway, the author is influenced by personal insecurities and have developed a creative style that not only explores construction - in the obsessive means by which a work is made; but also one that celebrates the process of destruction - in that the materials the author uses have the potential to instigate their own demise in a process I generally refer to as autocannibalism

Neurobiological abnormalities in the first few years of life in individuals later diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder : A review of recent data

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Alexithymia and apathy in Parkinson's disease: neurocognitive correlates

Non-motor symptoms such as neuropsychiatric and cognitive dysfunction have been found to be common in Parkinson’s disease (PD) but the relation between such symptoms is poorly understood. We focused on alexithymia, an impairment of affective and cognitive emotional processing, as there is evidence for its interaction with cognition in other disorders. Twenty-two non-demented PD patients and 22 matched normal control adults (NC) were administered rating scales assessing neuropsychiatric status, including alexithymia, apathy, and depression, and a series of neuropsychological tests. As expected, PD patients showed more alexithymia than NC, and there was a significant association between alexithymia and disease stage. Alexithymia was associated with performance on non-verbally mediated measures of executive and visuospatial function, but not on verbally mediated tasks. By contrast, there was no correlation between cognition and ratings of either depression or apathy. Our findings demonstrate a distinct association of alexithymia with non-verbal cognition in PD, implicating right hemisphere processes, and differentiate between alexithymia and other neuropsychiatric symptoms in regard to PD cognition.Published versio

Ben Marais (1909-1999): The influences on and heritage of a South African Prophet during two periods of transformation

University of Pretoria / Dissertation / Department of Church History and Church Policy / Advised by Prof J W HofmeyrThis thesis in Church History presents a biographic study on the life of Ben Marais against the political and ecclesiastic background of South Africa of the 20th century. The significance of Ben Marais’ life is approached through his correspondence with the secretaries of the World Council of Churches during the 1960s and 1970s. The letters, pertaining to the World Council of Churches financial and moral support for the organisations fighting against Apartheid, reflect on Ben Marais’ involvement with the World Council and his particular concerns. Through a study on the life of Ben Marais insight can be gained into the thinking of the leadership of the NG Kerk. The study presents Ben Marais as a prophet who challenged the then popular tendencies in the NG Kerk theology on policy justification and on the relation between religion and nationalism. The central question in this study asks, what led an ordinary man, of humble background, to the insights he reflected, and guided him through times of transparent opposition to maintain his belief in what was right and just? What was the essence of his theology and understanding of the South African problem? To what extent could the church leaders of the present, and the future learn from his example and life, in terms of the tribulations faced, different schools of thought, and sentiments, both nationalistic and spiritual? The study then wishes to test the following hypothesis: Ben Marais can be considered as one of the steadfast and humble prophets of the church in Southern Africa during the 20th century, who serves as an example of Christian Brotherhood, regardless of the perplexities, for present and future generations on relations between the affairs of faith, state and society. The thesis presents a broader introduction on Church Historiography. Ben Marais’ own historiographical reflection is considered. The approaches to history are summarised as background to the periodisation model adopted by the study. The study wishes to work with a thematic model set against a chronological framework. Sensitivity to geographical concerns is also expressed. Afrikaner Nationalism is not seen in isolation, but in relation to African, English and Indian Nationalism

What Have We Learned since October 1979?

My good friend Ben Bernanke is always a hard act to follow. When I drafted these remarks, I was concerned that Ben would take all the best points and cover them extremely well, leaving only some crumbs for Ben McCallum and me to pick up. But his decision to concentrate on one issue central bank credibility leaves me plenty to talk about.

Art as a laboratory – Guy Ben-Ary’s work

Szykowna Sylwia, Art as a laboratory – Guy Ben-Ary’s work. “Images” vol. XXV, no. 34. Poznań 2019. Adam Mickiewicz University Press. Pp. 115–124. ISSN 1731-450X. DOI 10.14746/i.2019.34.07. The present paper deals with the work of an Israeli artist, Guy Ben-Ary. His work is a prime example of artistic practice in the field of bio art. Bio art provokes critical thinking about the place and role of people in today’s world. The main purpose of the article is to describe changes in contemporary artistic practices within the framework of art as a laboratory, the aim of which is to study reality.  Szykowna Sylwia, Art as a laboratory – Guy Ben-Ary’s work. “Images” vol. XXV, no. 34. Poznań 2019. Adam Mickiewicz University Press. Pp. 115–124. ISSN 1731-450X. DOI 10.14746/i.2019.34.07. The present paper deals with the work of an Israeli artist, Guy Ben-Ary. His work is a prime example of artistic practice in the field of bio art. Bio art provokes critical thinking about the place and role of people in today’s world. The main purpose of the article is to describe changes in contemporary artistic practices within the framework of art as a laboratory, the aim of which is to study reality

A Study of Junior High Students' Perceptions of the Water Cycle

Provides pedagogical insight concerning learners' pre-conceptions and misconceptions about the water cycle The resource being annotated is: http://www.dlese.org/dds/catalog_DLESE-000-000-003-365.htm