Publish or Perish has been the driving force for the academicians, faculty members to publish and thus contribute to the medical literature besides promoting the research culture in their respective institutions. However, in view of some recent developments during the last couple of years, it has become essential to have another look on this. Number of publication has played a vital role in the...

Many sports fans invest a great deal of time into watching and analyzing the performance of their favourite team. However, the tools at their disposal are primarily heuristic or based on folk wisdom. This paper provides a concrete mechanism for calculating the minimum number of points needed to guarantee a playoff spot in the National Hockey League (NHL). Along with determining how many games n...

“The next activity we will do in today’s session is called the fantasy death exercise.” I look at the expectant faces in front of me. I always get a kick out of doing this exercise with medical students as it is a great immersion learning tool and fun to do. “The fantasy death exercise is sort of like guided imagery experience. Please close your eyes and keep them closed until I tell you to ope...

Much has been written about Manifest Destiny in the United States. The authors of Manifest Destinies and Indigenous Peoples primarily focus on other countries in the Americas and examine how Manifest Destiny and its organizing principles were used against the indigenous peoples in those countries. The book is a collection of essays by professors from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, and the Un...

In this essay, the author shares his personal reflections gleaned from a lifetime of research with ayahuasca, and speculates on the societal, political, planetary, and evolutionary implications of humanity's aeons-old symbiosis with this shamanic plant. The thesis is developed that at this critical historical juncture, ayahuasca has developed a strategy to broadcast its message to a wider world...