Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Wisdom and progress comes from unexpected places

Yogi Berra, despite his image, was a smart, respected, and respectful public figure (unlike some leaders in the news recently).

Last year, Berra lent his name and reputation to Athlete Ally, a group promoting LGBT rights and inclusion in sports. Thanks, Yogi.

READ STORY

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Willie May's piece of history

Baseball memories, to those who follow this complex and yet pure sport, last a long time. We lost Yogi Berra recently after a full life of, well, Yogi.

Willie Mays' catch, 61 years ago, was slightly ahead of my time. I do remember buying a model of May's play at the Woolworth's in Yonkers. I was fascinated by "the catch," and had fun assembling the model and painting it. I didn't realize who or what was happening. All I knew were the Mets and the Yankees. Learning about the Dodgers and the Giants would come later, sadly.

Celebrate "the catch."

Saturday, September 19, 2015

20,000 youth in NY are ready to change your lives

More than 20,000 youth in New York can enrich your lives in ways you couldn't imagine. Learn how. Come to an information fair, this Thursday in Syracuse.  Listen here.


Monday, September 14, 2015

Brain research saves money, lives

 
Nobel laureate Leon Cooper, a modest, funny man, had too much to drink at a black-tie event, one of many he had attended to celebrate progress in brain research. He couldn't find his coat-check ticket. I tried to lighten the situation by saying that he was thinking great thoughts.

"Nice words," he said. "I'm just plastered."

Well, Leon Cooper often had great thoughts and he expressed them eloquently. In this article from Dana Sourcebook of Brain Science, Dr. Cooper shows the immense value of progress in understanding the brain benefits families and the economy.

Read here. 

Hope is the best thing, maybe the only thing

Tim Robbins (l) discusses hope with Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption.

David Mahoney, my mentor for many years, was a top businessman and philanthropist.

And probably the greatest lay expert on the brain.

It was an honor to work for this man, who truly supported his employees and motivated them. He exhorted us at the Dana Foundation to realize that we were doing fantastic work and that we will tell our grandchildren, "I was there at the beginning."



Mahoney believed that we all must know about the brain and how it works, because while one-in-five of us will have a brain-related disease or disorder, all of us will know someone with one.

To understand how the brain works is to understand how people work. That information is essential to professionals--from social workers, teachers, lawyers to nurses and primary care docters.

What causes addiction? What are effective treatments? What signs indicate drug abuse?

How can stress damage our health? What steps can we take to prevent its effects?

My organization, A Thousand Moms, has wrapped up our first two podcasts covering these issues. Download them and listen on any device, anywhere, anyplace.

David Mahoney said that knowledge doesn't count for anything unless it gives people hope. And hope is sometimes the best thing, the only thing, paraphrasing the Tim Robbins character in the movie, The Shawshank Redemption.

Upcoming podcasts will offer hope on depression, Alzheimer's disease, pain, memory loss, autism, and more.

Click here to listen.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Stop stress from damaging your health

Well, Tom Brady's feeling better, but he's been through a lot of stress. How about you?

When stress becomes a serious problem
Since your autonomic (automatic) nervous system doesn’t distinguish between daily stressors and life-threatening events, if you’re stressed over an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, or a mountain of bills, your body can still react as if you’re facing a life-or-death situation. When you repeatedly experience the fight or flight stress response in your daily life, it can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, speed up the aging process and leave you vulnerable to a host of mental and emotional problems.

Get the skinny on stress in this podcast.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Stressed out? Listen here.

Stress appears in our daily lives in some form or another. In some people, stress can dominate their days. What is stress? What can we do to lower it? How much is natural?

Listen to our show live or on tape. Starts at 5:00 pm EDT today.

My show, "Stress and the Brain: Part I" on "A Thousand Moms Talk" is airing 09/05/2015 on BlogTalkRadio. See the details and set a reminder athttp://tobtr.com/s/7904231.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

The Strange, Common "Bag Lady" Syndrome

Do You Share the Most Common Money Fears?

Get Relief with This Consumer Advice

If you're caught up in the nightly money worries cycle, there is hope—for both your sleep and finances. Here are six of the most common financial fears that plague our slumber, and how to address them with information and solutions. (LearnVest.com)

  1. A Catastrophic Event Will Drain My Bank Account

  2. I'll Lose My Life Savings in the Stock Market

  3. I'm Going to Lose My Job

  4. I'm Destined To Be a "Bag Lady"

  5. I'll Never Dig Out of Debt

  6. I'll Be Bankrolling My Kids Forever