Mailbag
Spring 2008
Bipolar and Schizophrenia I have been in recovery from bipolar disorder for 20 years now, and continue to search for the “magical” gene that determines bipolarity vs. non-bipolarity. Like the article said, when I was diagnosed at 20, I was prescribed lifetime medication, namely lithium, to treat my illness. I am satisfied to know that my alma mater, USC, is pursuing research in this area, which I feel needs to be placed in the limelight. Whether it be through our entertainers, politicians or average citizens, we need to bring bipolar into the light so it is not such an enigma or stigma in society today. I would like to contribute to your cause at Keck. I am not a doctor or a research scientist, but I am an alum with bipolar who supports your efforts. Kudos to Drs. Pato – please fight on! Aloha and mahalo. Kelimia Mednick ’87 Thank you for the most fascinating article. As someone whose grandparents were from the Azores Islands, this article really hit home – especially since one grandmother always had some mental instability. I hope the Patos’ findings are worthwhile. Flavio Semas To follow the very moving, very personal, superbly crafted piece on Elyn Saks’ new book (“Law and Disorder,” Autumn 2007, p. 48) with the amazing scientific partnership of the Patos was brilliant journalism. The Patos piece is excellent, the box explanation of the DNA root of the disease process is fantastic – I think I really understood it! All of the regular sections (like “Class Notes,” What’s New,” etc.) continue to be well done – just because they are “regular sections,” there is no slacking off in quality or sliding into numbing “rote writing.” I really admire that; it’s hard to avoid. Christine D. Glogow I was deeply moved by Melinda Vaughn’s article about Elyn Saks’ struggle with schizophrenia. I suspect there are a great many accomplished people who have schizophrenia but who keep the secret of this tragic disease hidden. I admire Ms. Saks for her courage in speaking openly about her illness, and Melinda Vaughn for her beautifully written article. Jody Wise MM ’73 Alert readers will note a second letter from Jody Wise on page 9; she actually submitted just one letter, but because her comments were on two different subjects, we chose to split them. Dollars and Sense One comment on the reference to happiness levels in different industrialized countries: It is not all that surprising that, of those you mentioned, France is “the only country to report greater happiness of late.” France has had a 35-hour work week for some time now. Sure, the policy may be in jeopardy with the new government in place, but one can only guess that a lighter focus on work has contributed to the happiness level of French citizens. Lynn Balsamo ’88 I found the profile of Dr. Easterlin and his thoughts on happiness economics interesting, but he seems to miss a rather major issue. If leisure and time with family and friends is where true happiness is found, then wealth should bring more happiness. That is because the most valuable thing money can buy is time, in my opinion. Wealth may allow one to retire at 55 instead of 65, giving 10 years of discretionary time to spend on life’s more noble pursuits. Wealth can also buy better healthcare, resulting in a longer life. So while material things such as boats and cars may not bring happiness, I don’t think you can conclude that wealth does not add to happiness. It is rather a matter of what you spend your wealth on. Craig Newell MBA ’96 Regarding the “What Price, Happine$$” article and happiness economics research: The polls show that over a period of time when wealth and income grew, personal happiness ratings stayed the same. A lot of other things improved during this time including life span, education, our understanding of the world, medicine, dental science, choices, women’s rights, social openness, entertainment, future prospects for children, and none of these things improved people’s happiness? This tells me that excluding extreme hardships, happiness has nothing to do with one’s environment and is most likely a product of personality. But does that imply we don’t truly need these things? The basis of this research is people’s understanding of their own happiness, which carries many flaws such as: what is happiness, are these people being honest or maybe some of them do not want to admit they are unhappy. The research conclusions seem to trust people’s personal happiness opinions but then find flaws in their opinions regarding what makes them happy (money). That doesn’t seem to make sense. Probably a better way to measure happiness would be some sort of brain chemistry study, which would be very difficult and expensive. Easterlin seems to conclude that basic survival instincts from a time when they were necessary for the basic preservation of life lead to dysfunctional pursuits of happiness in today’s civilization. But I think that it’s more of the general “goal setting” nature of man that leads to this unfulfilling pursuit. This can be a bad thing but I sure wouldn’t want to live in a world where nobody worked towards anything further than what we already know and can do. Mike Tomé The article says that money doesn’t equate to happiness. Yet more frequent sex is worth $50,000 a year. How does this equate? How about chocolate? How much is that worth in dollars? Maybe you can come up with a table so that we need only to buy “a happiness creator worth much more dollars” and thus we have a lower salary, less demanding job but equal in dollars. Sherman May MS ’63 Escape Artist Professor Casper probably didn’t know it, but he was training the mind of a future novelist who always sat front row center in his classes. He unlocked the secrets of the masters – or rather, his style was to painstakingly guide us to unlock those secrets ourselves. He showed us the visceral power of stories, how they could stir the heart and the soul and reveal injustice. Now that I’m a multi-published author, professor Casper gave me the foundation of my storytelling abilities. I want to say thanks to a great teacher who reinforced my love of stories and movies. Mary Castillo ’96 Two Wolfgangs? Jody Wise MM ’73 Senior editor Diane Krieger replies: If we’re going to be literal, then Korngold wasn’t a Viennese composer either. Erich Wolfgang Korngold was born in Brünn, Moravia (today, Brno, the Czech Republic), on May 29, 1897, as the second son of Dr. Julius Korngold and his wife, Josefine, but grew up in Vienna from the age of 4, when his father became the successor to the famous music critic Eduard Hanslick at the Neuen Freien Presse (New Free Press) newspaper. For the record, from the age of 6, Mozart was on the road continuously and concertizing all over Europe. He didn’t set foot in Salzburg from age 6 to 10. Despite the love Salzburgians bear him in hindsight, during his lifetime Mozart was treated pretty shabbily there and tried desperately to get work anywhere else. That anywhere turned out to be Vienna, where he was based for the last 10 years of his short life and where he composed the vast majority of his music.
Thanks for the Memories The answer to the first item concerning an Old Norse expression meaning “be thou whole” is something like “wes thu hal” in Old English. I remember that toast from a class in Anglo Saxon taught by professor Meredith Thompson in 1959. He was one of my favorite professors in the English department at USC, and later we became close friends. Besides Anglo Saxon, I studied Middle English and Chaucer under him, great courses I will never forget. I still have my notes from all those courses 50 years ago. Later I joined the USC faculty in the American Language Institute, where I taught for over 30 years. I’m sure the faculty of the present English department consists of memorable professors, too, so I would like to suggest to the present majors that they retain their notes from their most noteworthy classes. Later in life, you will go through those notes occasionally with fond memories of those days at USC. You never know; you might see a Last Word quiz that leads you to research from way back then. Charles W. (Bill) Gay MA ’57, PhD ’69 Fair and Balanced? Those he suggests have hawkish credentials and most have been prominent promoters of the administration’s Iraq debacle. Several advocate destroying Iran’s infrastructure unilaterally, in violation of the U.N. charter. It would be unfortunate, therefore, if USC’s reputation were to be linked to such as these. Surely fair balance in scholarly forums should continue to serve the university’s best interests. Edward A. Mainland ’56 From Enron to Sub Prime The significant bad effects from the collapse of the sub-prime lending industry could have been softened if individuals issuing these loans on behalf of their employers adhered to an even modestly ethical code. These companies and individuals should have previously – and need to currently – adjust to a mindset of conducting long-term business rather than making a quick buck by issuing loans to applicants who clearly cannot pay them and do not possess the knowledge or abilities to form better deals. Steve Mellin BS ’91 Notice Board Gifts of papers, pictures, letters, programs, student publications, any item contributing to documentation of the history of USC, will be greatly appreciated and carefully preserved. Please contact me at (213) 740-2587 or czachary@usc.edu, or visit us at www.usc.edu/arc/libraries/uscarchives. Claude Zachary
The 28th annual USC Swim With Mike will be held at McDonald’s Olympic Swim Stadium on campus on April 12, 2008. A week later, the fourth Swim With Mike – Hawaii is scheduled for April 19, 2008, at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatics Complex at the University of Hawaii. Last year’s USC Swim With Mike raised $975,000 for the Physically Challenged Athletes Scholarship Fund. A private donation pushed the total over the million-dollar mark, to $1,002,000. Special guests last year included Will Ferrell ’90, who was challenged to a one-lap race by football coach Pete Carroll. Carroll won the Carroll-Ferrell Challenge, in a spectator-pleasing race that had Ferrell trying out a variety of strokes. The inaugural Claire Snow Volunteer of the Year Award – honoring a USC employee and longtime Swim With Mike volunteer who succumbed to cancer – was given to retired USC employee Oscar Mendoza, a 20-year Swim With Mike volunteer who has recruited volunteers and obtained donated food and beverages to feed more than 1,500 attendees and swimmers. Swim With Mike began as a one-time fundraising event to purchase a specially equipped van for three-time All-American USC swimmer (and recent NCAA Inspiration Award winner) Mike Nyeholt, who was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident in 1981. At Nyeholt’s suggestion, the excess monies raised that year were used to help other athletes overcome physically disabling injuries or illness and return to school. Since 1981, Swim With Mike has raised more than $7 million for 69 student athletes who have overcome life-challenging accidents or illnesses. The fund is the only one of its kind, allowing students to pursue both undergraduate and graduate degrees at USC and, beginning four years ago, other colleges. In 2007, scholarships for tuition, housing assistance and books were given to 27 students. Twelve are attending USC and 15 are studying at other universities around the nation. The scholarship fund is supported by corporate and private donations and the annual swim-a-thons, which are open to the public. More information is available at www.swimwithmike.org. Ron Orr
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