12/12/12

     Today is supposedly good for harmony, tying the knot, numerology, and many things. This morning I was reviewing in my head what some of the other triple repeat number dates were like. When the alarm rang this morning they were playing the 1974 hit "Nothing From Nothing" by Billy Preston. He died on the dreaded 6/6/6 day six and a half years ago. It was a Tuesday. Monday 1/1/1 was the coldest new years day in many years. However, people at the shore still went in for "First Dip" in Ocean City New Jersey. I have a friend whose daughter Sarah was born on Saturday 2/2/2. On 4/4/4 the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Boston Red Sox in an exhibition game in their new Citizens Band Park. Saturday 7/7/7 was another day that was good for marriage. The casinos had some extra players on this "Lucky Day". Friday 8/8/8 was the opening of the Beijing Olympics. Wednesday 9/9/9 produced an earthquake in Japan. Let's see what 12/12/12/ brings.

December 10 events

Tuesday December 10, 1963 -Six year old Donny Osmond appeared on The Andy Williams Show.

Thursday December 10, 1987 - Nightline is seen in the USSR for the first time.

Saturday December 10,1988 - Massive earthquake in Armenia kills over 100,000 people.

     In addition to writing books an memory and healing, I write humorous essays. Some of the titles include "Why I have Never Been to a Self Improvement Seminar", "Back to Jail Night" and "Teachable Moments With My Grandson" Eventually, I am going to publish them in a collection. I am currently writing one about dumb things people have done over the past 40 years.  You may have heard on the news on Friday December 7 that a man called the police on a prostitute because she short changed him ten minutes. Then there was the 1972 Olympics in Munich where two American runners missed there event because their coach did not get the correct time. I have collected a few other news memories over the years. However, I need your help. If you remember any other events where someone did something really dumb I would like to hear from you. Anything that can be verified by a news story in the past 40 years counts. If your contribution is selected, you will be listed as a contributor when the book is published. There will be an additional prise too!

Events of November 4 -

Tuesday November 4, 1879 - Will Rodgers born.

Monday November 4, 1918 - Actor Art Carney born.

Saturday November 4, 1922 - Howard Carter's archaeological team uncovered the entrance to King Tut's tomb.

Sunday November 4, 1956 -Soviet tanks invaded Budapest Hungary which put a brutal end to the Hungarian Revolution. Citizens tried to fight the soldiers with their own guns but to no avail.

Sunday November 4, 1979 - Iranian students stormed the American Embassy and took more than 60 hostages. A week later President Carter declared an oil embargo on Iran. The hostages were held until Tuesday January 20, 1981 when Ronald Reagan took office.

Tuesday November 4, 1980 - Ronald Reagan beats Jimmy Carter in a landslide election.

Tuesday November 4, 2008 - Barrack Obama is elected America's President over John McCain.

     Which do you think is the truth. beliefs are formed through your memories or do beliefs determine memories? Think about it. If you have memories of being a good student but you remember being the last one picked for teams in gym class, you probably formed the belief that you are smart but not athletic. If you have beliefs that you are a handy person than you probably do not balk when you are asked to put up a ceiling fan.So  your memories determine your beliefs.
     However, your beliefs can determine which memories you are able to recall. If you do believe that you are not athletic you may not remember the time that you made two game saving catches in Little League, but you do remember striking out to end your teams season.
     Sometimes you are forced to re think your beliefs when you have evidence to the contrary staring you in the face. Suppose you believe that all cyclists are drug addicted street gang members. One night you are at a party and you see someone arrive on their cycle, They come in and start talking about their doctoral program that they are in and how their gang of weekend warriors raised $10,000 for their churches mission to Haiti. You would have to revise that belief.
     Being open minded can help you retrieve more memories that you may have suppressed. It can be fun and rewarding to recall good memories. I am not advocating that anyone should lose focus on the present and be "stuck" in the past, but it can be fun to retrieve old good memories. Considering how many people have reconnected with old schoolmates on facebook, it is fun to re live the good parts of the past.

Saturday October 27, 2012

Births

Wednesday October 27, 1858 - Theodore Roosevelt born

There were several interesting World Series games played on October 27

Sunday October 27,1985 - The Kansas City Royals gave the St. Louis Cardinals a drubbing to take game 7 and win the series. 11-0. Cardinal pitcher Joaquin Andujar was ejected after running towards the umpire Don Dekinger in rage over a perceived missed call.. He was suspended for five games of the 1986 season and traded to the Oakland A's in the off season.

Sunday October 27, 1991 - The last game of the worst to first series between the Minnesota Twins and the Atlanta Braves. Both teams had finished last in 1990. Game seven was scoreless after nine innings. In the tenth Dan Gladden of the Twins was driven in by Gene Larkin to score the only run and win the game and the series.

Wednesday October 27, 2004 - Under a full moon and a lunar eclipse the Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 to sweep the series and win their first World Series since 1918. After the 1918 season they traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees and it was a legend that this caused the Curse of the Bambino. The curse was ended that night and Red Sox fans ran rampant to graveyards putting messages on the grave of their deceased relatives who had been fans.

     Most people have an easy time remembering things that they are interested in. Many baseball fans probably remember these games even if they do not remember the dates. One of the easiest and most effective ways to remember new information is to connect it in some way to old information. that you already know and are interested in. My book Memory Quiz, What Type of Learner Are You? shows you how to take facts about something you already know about and make them pegs for remembering new information.

October 14 history

Tuesday October 14, 1947 -Chuck Yeager breaks the should barrier in "Glamorous Glynnis" it was the first supersonic flight.

Monday October 14, 1968 - Apollo 7 had the first television broadcast from space. It showed Colonels Wally Schirra, Don Eisle, and Walt Cunningham in the Command Module.

Friday October 14, 1977 - Entertainer Bing Crosby dies on a golf course in Seville Spain. He was 73.

Tuesday October 14, 1986 - The International Olympic Committee votes to stagger the Winter and Summer Olympics beginning in 1994. The first staggered new were the Lillehammer games in 1994 followed by the Atlanta summer games in 1996.

Wednesday October 14, 1987 - Eighteen month old Jessica McClure "Baby Jessica" falls down a well shaft in Midland Texas while out playing. She was rescued on Friday October 16.

Sunday October 14, 1990 - Composer Leonard Bernstein dies in New York at age 72.

Memory tip -

     Memories and beliefs have a strong interplay. Most of the beliefs that you have  were formed by past memories. For example, if you always fared well in school you developed the belief that you are smart. Conversely if you always tripped over the ball or struck out when you were playing ball you developed the belief that you were not athletic. You not only developed beliefs about yourself but about your world, people, god etc.
      Ironically, the beliefs you develop influence which events in your life you remember. If you are a white collar worker who remembers trying to use a hammer and nail and always hit your finger instead, you probably will balk when your wife asks you to put up a ceiling fan. The trick would be to ask yourself f you have ever been successful with assembling things. When you do that you may suddenly recall a time you made a bird house or put a swing up. Then you can feel confident to put up the ceiling fan.
      The moral of the story is that everyone can use their memories and beliefs together to accomplish more than they think. Look for more on this subject on the next few blogs.

Events of October 3

Wednesday October 3, 1951 - Bobby Thompson of the Giants homers to defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers for the pennant.

Wednesday October 3, 1962 - Wally Schirra flew in space on a Mercury flight.

Saturday October 3, 1970 - NOAA was founded by the U.S. government. It stands for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Wednesday October 3, 1979 - Pope John Paul II said mass in Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square.

Wednesday October 3, 1990 - The reunification of Germany.

Friday October 3, 2008 -President Bush signed into law the Economic Stabilization and Recovery Act.

     Some people prefer not to remember much, because they are afraid that unpleasant or traumatic memories will surface. However, when you block bad memories you also block good memories. The good news is that when you recover positive memories you realize that your life was better then you may have thought it was. This leads to confidence and gratitude

Events on October 1

Wednesday October 1, 1930 -Richard Harris, actor born

Saturday October 1, 1932 - Babe Ruth pointed his bat and hit the ball to the exact spot.

Tuesday October 1, 1935 -Julie Andrews, actress born

Sunday October 1, 1961 - Roger Maris of the Yankees hits his 61st home run. It was a new season record. The record would be broken by a man would be born exactly two years later. On Tuesday September 8, 1998 Mark Maguire of the Cardinals hit no. 62. He would hit 70 that year.

Friday October 1, 1971 -Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom opened in Orlando Florida

Friday October 1, 1982 -Epcot Center opened in Disney World

     My previous blogs on memory focused on improving your recall for facts and information. THE next few blogs will bring you to a new aspect. Recalling your memories. In my counseling and coaching I have often heard clients say that they don't remember much, and they would like to be able to retrieve their good memories. There are ways to retrieve memories that you may just think you can't recall. Sometimes it helps to think of a memory you have. Think of the sights, sounds, smells, and mood that you were in that day, and you not only remember more of the episode but start recalling similar events in your life. For example, if you recall a day of a vacation you will start to recall more days if you think about it intensely enough.\\\\\

You must believe that you can have a good memory.

Events that happened on August 18:

1952 Monday - Actor Patrice Swaze born. He died on Monday September 14, 2009.
1961 Friday - Construction of the Berlin Wall was completed.
1962 Saturday - Peter, Paul, and Mary released their first song "If I Has A Hammer".
1966 Thursday - Cultural Revolution began in China.
1973 Saturday - Hank Aaron surpassed Stan Musial with highest number of extra base hits. He had
                           number 1378.
1981 Tuesday - Jerry Lewis appears as a guest on the Phil Donahue show to defend telethons.
1981 Tuesday - The mall in King of Prussia Pennsylvania opens it's "Kings Court" section.

     In my kindle book "Memory Quiz, What Type of Learner Are You?" there is a chapter on changing your beliefs about how good a memory you can have. If you are believing that you have senior moments, that you are all brawn and no brain, or that your memory is like a seive, you will continue to have problems and never improve your memory even if you try the techniques.
     When I used to teach memory courses, my students included people with brain injuries. Often, I would have to give those students pep talks so they would stay motivated to continue the class and not succumb to the belief that they will never have a good memory. As the 80's tune goes "Don't Stop Believing", you will accomplish your goal if you believe you can.
      Someone might be thinking "Yes but I have always had a bad memory, how can I believe I can do it if there is no evidence, and plenty of evidence that I can't". All great accomplishments were made by people who believed they could, despite a lack of evidence. You can too!

Basic ways to make associations of what you know and don't know

News happenings on August 16

1948 Monday - Babe Ruth dies.
1954 Monday - Sports Illustrated begins publishing
1958 Saturday - Madonna born
1962 Thursday - Ringo Starr replaces Pete Best as Beatle's drummer
1977 Tuesday - Elvis dies
1985 Friday - Madonna weds Sean Penn
1986 - Saturday - Madonnas "Papa don't Preach" is no. 1 hit
1988 - Tuesday - IBM introduces software for artificial intelligence

     There are tricks to memorizing trivia as well as important things for your job and school. If you look at this example there are three things about Madonna on August 16. Her birthday, her wedding, and her No. 1. hit. Some information just lends itself to easy memorization. To remember this all you would have to memorize are the years that the Madonna event occurred on August 16, and if you are like me, the day of the week.
      When I was in high school our sanitation engineer ( back then we called them janitors, oh that sounds so seventies) was Mr. Les Trash. Can you see how his name made for an easy association with his occupation? However, most things you need to memorize do not lend themselves so easily to association, so you need to create one.
       Since the olympics just ended here is an example of how I memorized what olympics were on which years. I would use pictures and souns to associate the city with the year.

1896 - Athens - Well that was easy because they were the first modern olympics.
1900 - Paris - I thought of a state senator and a baseball pitcher I knew who were born in that year and imagined them eating in a cafe in Paris. THey were Hugh Scott and Lefty Grove
1904 St. Louis - I knew that Bing Crosby was born in 1904 I imgined him singing "Meet Me in St. Louis"
1908 London - Lyndon Johnson ex president was born in 1908. I imagined him climbing Big Ben.
     I continued this through all the olympics through 1964 Tokyo. Beginning in 1968 I did not have to associate because I rember the games from watching them.
     In future bologs I will illustrate specific ways of making associations.

American Independence and other July 4 happenings

Thursday July 4, 1754 Washington surrenders Fort Necessity to the French
Thursday July 4, 1776 - Declaration of Independence signed ( I'll bet you did not know it was a Thursday).
Tuesday July 4, 1826 - Former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson die.
Friday July 4, 1902 - Theodore Roosevelt ends "Great Insurrection" in the Philippines
Tuesday July 4, 1911 - Mitch Miller born , "Sing Along With Mitch". He died on Saturday July 31, 2010
Thursday July 4, 1918 - Advice columnists Abigail Van Buren and Ann Landers born.
Monday July 4, 1927 - Playwright Neil Simon born.
Wednesday July 4, 1956 - Independence Park in Philadelphia opens.
Monday July 4, 1966 -LBJ signs into law "Freedom of Information Act".
Friday July 4, 1969 - Give Peace A Chance released in the UK by John and Yoko.
Friday July 4, 1997  - Photos of Mars first seen online from the  robot on the Mars Pathfinder.
Friday July 4, 2003 - Disco star Barry White dies.
Wednesday July 4, 2007 - The American Flag with 50 stars becomes the longest standing version of the American flag.
Saturday July 4, 2009 - The Statue of Liberty reopened to the public after eight years due to the 9/11 attacks.

     As you look at these events you may remember some more than others. If you are a history buff you will remember the Fort Necessity, presidents deaths and Great Insurrection without using any memory techniques. If you are a music fan you will remember Mitch Miller's birth and Barry White's death. Anything that you have a natural curiosity and interest in comes easily. The trick can be to relate the information to something you are already interested in.

When is the real midpoint of the year?

Saturday July 1, 1961 - Princess Diana's birth
Friday July 1, 1983 - Buckminster Fuller's death
Monday July 1, 1991 - Michael Landon's death
Tuesday July 1, 1997 Robert Mitchum's death
Saturday July 1, 2000 Walter Mathau's death
Thursday July 1, 2004 - Marlon Brando's death.

     As someone who has the calendar memorized or calculated for hundreds of years, I figured out when the real middle of the year is. It's never midnight on June 30 going into July 1. The midpoint of the year depends on whether it's a leap year or a common year. In a leap year, such as this one, the midpoint of the year is midnight July 1 going into July 2. If you do the math, 2012 began on a Sunday and will end on a Monday. Given that there are an even number of weeks in the year, 52 you can calculate that since the year 2012 began at midnight on a Saturday going into Sunday, and will end on a Monday going into a Tuesday, then the midpoint would be a Sunday going into a Monday. Hence, tonight Sunday July 1 going into July 2.
     Converesly, a common year begins and ends on the same day of the week. For example, 2011 began and ended on Saturdays. January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011. The midpoint of 2011 would thus be at noon on a Saturday July 2. The same holds true for any common (non leap) year. 2013 will begin and end on Tuesdays, so the midpoint will be noon on Tuesday July 2.
     If you consider that all of the months have either 30 or 31 days but February has 28 or 29. It follows that since February is a short month, the middle of the year will cut into July. This year Octboer 1 will be a Monday, so the three quarter mark of the year will be at noon on October 1.
     
    

Memory Update

It has been a busy few months since my last post. On Friday November 4, 2011 I was a guest on the Australian talk show Sunrise. The host Melissa Doyle introduced me as "The man with the greatest memory in the world". On Tuesday February 14, 2012 I was featured on the CBS News Health Check in Philadelphia with my friend Sean Conlon who is also and HSAM - it stands for Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory. The host Stephanie Stahl would ask us a date. We competed to see who could name the day of the week it was and what news event occurred. You can view the segment on my website www.phenomenalmemory.com On Friday April 20 I was a radio guest on the Michael Smerkonish Show. he has interviewed President Obama six times, Ex president Bush the night he was elected, and ex president Carter. However, he said that I am the most interesting guest he has ever had.
This month I am featured in Jersey Man magazine.
My new book is now available on Kindle. It is the first of a series entitled "Phenomenal Memory For All". It is entitled "Memory Quiz, What Type of Learner Are You?" It includes exercises to improve your own memory, and a quiz to discover your own personal learning style. You can download it on Kindle for just $4.99.
Starting on Monday June 11 I will be posting more blogs with memory improvememt tips and interesting trivia.  You will also get information on my upcoming books.