START MONDAY WITH GOOD NEWS / MERCY SHIPS: FLOATING HOSPITALS

Founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens, MercyShips.org is a humanitarian organization headquartered in Garden Valley (near Tyler), Texas. Its mission is as bold as it is simple: bring world-class surgical care directly to nations where access to safe surgery remains a luxury. 

Operating entirely on donations and volunteer service, Mercy Ships deploys fully equipped hospital ships to African ports, transforming harbors into floating medical centers.   

Each ship is a self-sustaining community. The Africa Mercy, a converted ferry launched in 2007, houses five operating rooms, an 82-bed recovery ward, laboratories, and accommodations for more than 400 crew members. The Global Mercy, commissioned in 2021, is the organization’s first purpose-built hospital ship. With six operating rooms and capacity for nearly a thousand people, it stands as the world’s largest civilian hospital ship.   

Life aboard these vessels is as challenging as it is purposeful. Volunteers—surgeons, nurses, engineers, teachers, cooks, and deckhands—sign on for months at a time. They share compact cabins, work long shifts, and take meals together in common dining halls. Many bring their families; schools on board ensure children continue their education while their parents serve. The environment is communal, international, and deeply mission-driven.   

Mercy Ships deployments, known as “field services,” typically last eight to ten months and occur only after an official invitation from a host nation. Advance teams work with local ministries of health to prepare for arrival. Once docked, surgeries begin immediately. Tumor removals, cleft palate repairs, orthopedic corrections, and cataract procedures are performed on board, while dental and eye clinics operate onshore. 

Deck officers aboard the Mercy Ship “Global Mercy” take a brief pause on duty. These maritime professionals help keep the hospital ship safely crewed and seaworthy as it delivers free surgical care along the African coast. 

Equally important are the training programs—local surgeons, anesthetists, and nurses learn techniques that strengthen their national health systems long after the ship departs.   

In 2024 alone, Mercy Ships completed 4,746 surgical operations and more than 13,000 dental treatments. With Global Mercy now fully operational, the fleet is expected to serve more than 1,500 surgical patients annually, expanding both reach and impact.   

The World Health Organization estimates that five billion people lack access to safe, affordable surgical care. In some African nations, nine out of ten who need an operation cannot obtain one. 

Mercy Ships does not claim to solve this crisis—but it bridges an immense gap, one patient and one surgery at a time.   

For the volunteers, it is a voyage of skill and spirit. 

For the patients, it is often a passage from despair to recovery. 

And for those who watch these ships sail, emblazoned with the promise of healing, it is proof that compassion can still chart a course across any sea. 

SUNDAY REVIEW / PSYCHOLOGY TODAY PH.D CALLS AUTHOR DAN BROWN'S NEW THRILLER FAST PACED, FUN READ BUT ...

DON'T BELIEVE THE SCIENCE BEHIND "THE SECRET OF SECRETS" 

 GUEST BLOG / By Betsy Holmberg, PH.d writing in Psychology Today Magazine--Dan Brown’s latest thriller, The Secret of Secrets, follows neuroscientist Katherine Solomon as she reports how low GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the nervous system, expands consciousness. She states in her research that low levels of GABA enable things like telepathy, remote viewing, and more. She explains that on our deathbeds, we experience a precipitous drop in GABA, revealing to us what lies beyond. Her science leads to a mind-bending cat-and-mouse chase around the most beautiful parts of Prague. 

It is a fun and riveting read. 

But is it real? 

Does lowering GABA levels open the aperture of awareness so we can sense a greater connection to each other and all that this universe is? Like everything Dan Brown writes, it sounds very convincing. And exciting! But unfortunately, the science is wrong. 

GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, is a neurotransmitter that hyperpolarizes neurons. GABA mutes neurons, so they are less likely to fire. This produces a calming effect on the brain, helping to reduce stress and anxiety and improve sleep. 

Our thoughts are also affected by GABA levels. We have two thought networks: first, the default mode network (DMN), which is our internal, automatic network (aka the thoughts that make up our inner monologue), and second, the central executive network (CEN), which is the network we use when we focus on something. For example, when you are in an anxiety spiral and your thoughts are spiraling, you’re listening to your DMN. When you write an email and think through what you want to say, you are using your CEN. 

Increased GABA levels correlate with deactivation of the DMN. It helps us turn off our inner monologue so that we can focus better on external tasks and the world around us. 

Therefore, low GABA levels don’t lead to expanded consciousness—they actually make us more internally focused. Low GABA makes it impossible to turn off our negative self-talk. When individuals are low in GABA, they tend to experience symptoms like anxiety, insomnia, depression, and even suicidality. 

If what you are reading now this leads you to think, “I want more GABA!” Here are a few actions you can take: 

1. Eat foods rich in GABA or its precursors. Do a quick search online, and you will find lots of healthy food options that are rich in GABA or its precursor, glutamate, such as spinach, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms. 

2. Increase your vitamin B6 intake. B6 is an essential vitamin for converting glutamate into GABA, and many of us do not get enough B vitamins. Supplementation can help us round out our dietary needs. 

3. Limit alcohol intake. Alcohol can interfere with GABA-A receptors, making them less effective. 

Relatedly, the thought network literature shows that regular alcohol use leads to increased functional connectivity in the DMN, probably in part caused by impairments in GABA activation. 

 It is a thrilling concept to think that modulating a neurotransmitter could lead to greater awareness and perception. Unfortunately, the science is not there to support it. 

Like the rest of his works, Dan Brown’s The Secret of Secrets is an incredibly fun romp. He does a wonderful job bringing to life real cultural and historical places. 

Unfortunately, the science he shares in this work is not as real as the history. 

***

CRITICAL SNAPSHOTS —

The Guardian--“Weapons-grade nonsense from beginning to end — but irresistible for Brown devotees.” 

Washington Post--Brown “clearly had fun writing this,” and the energy carries the book, even through “corny dialogue and cosmic overreach.” 

Los Angeles Times--“A dense thriller that doubles as a meditation on consciousness … you’ll want to clear your schedule and just read.” 

New York Times--“A wistful testament to the power of the printed word.” Ingenious plotting and pacing, though “hyperactive prose” keeps it from Da Vinci-level resonance. 

Kirkus Reviews--“Fast, vivid, and occasionally over-explained.” Commends settings and drive; sighs at “info-dump” detours. 

The Telegraph (UK)--“A ludicrous fantasy full of laughable writing — yet oddly fun if you don’t take it seriously.” 

The Times (UK)--“Fond of cliché, hyperbole, and mixed metaphors … the first half is fun enough before it drifts into new-age fog.” 

The Independent (UK)--“Unavoidably silly, but Brown embraces the silliness with verve — thrillers, not high literature.” 

 Le Monde (France)--Notes a shift from rationalism to mysticism: “Langdon becomes a believer.” Warns fiction and pseudoscience blur at times. 

Bookreporter--“Another instant classic” that “packages complex ideas into page-turning accessibility.” 

Book Marks (Aggregator)--Overall verdict: Mixed. Critics agree on brisk pacing; divide over whether the ride justifies the noise.

PillartoPost.org online daily magazine style blog--We agree with Los Angeles Times, Kirkus Reviews and (UK) Times.  And, we ask author Brown when will he add a Cast of Characters list to help pull us out of "new age fog."  He does provide a map of Prague, however.