PRO September 21, 2015

Bits & Breaks • Datebook • Datebook Tomorrow • Entertainment • Fun & Games • Image of the Day • Joke of the Day! • Last Minute Items • News & Nuggets • News Attack • Number for the Day • Television • Video of the Day • Wacky-But-True

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DATEBOOK: SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

This is day 264 of 2015. There are 101 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Stephen King is 68

• Bill Murray is 65

• Dave Coulier (Full House) is 56

• David James Elliott (JAG) is 55

• Rob Morrow (Numb3rs) is 53

• Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm) is 50

• Ricki Lake is 47

• Alfonso Ribeiro (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, In the House) is 44

• Luke Wilson is 44

• Nicole Richie is 34

• Maggie Grace (Lost, the daughter who is taken in Taken) is 32

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1897: The “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” letter was published in the New York Sun.

• 1937: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit was published.

• 1970: On the first edition of ABC’s Monday Night Football, the Cleveland Browns beat the New York Jets at Cleveland Municipal Stadium 31-21.

• 1981: Sandra Day O’Connor was unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate as the first female supreme court justice.

• 1989: In Southhampton, England, boxer Tony Wilson was losing to Steve McCarthy when Wilson’s mother climbed into the ring and started stabbing McCarthy with her spike-heeled shoe. When McCarthy left the ring bleeding, Wilson was declared the winner, and angry McCarthy fans beat Wilson up at ringside.

• 1993: “NYPD Blue” debuted on ABC. Due to “raw” content, almost a fourth of the networks affiliates refused to carry the first episode.

• 1998: The sitcom “Will & Grace” premiered on NBC.

• 2003: A Florida man, who bought a biscuit jar on eBay, found the seller was the New Jersey brother he’d never met. The buyer, adopted as an infant, knew his parents names and knew he had a brother. When he found the seller had his father’s name, the two talked, realized they were brothers, and began corresponding by email.

• 2004: Construction of the Burj Dubai began. It would become the tallest man-made structure ever built.

• 2008: Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, the two last remaining independent investment banks on Wall Street, became bank holding companies as a result of the subprime mortgage crisis.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Deaf Awareness Week

• Pollution Prevention Week

• National Clean Hands Week

• National Singles Week

• National Dog Week

• Sea Otter Awareness Week

• International Day of Peace

• Miniature Golf Day

• World Gratitude Day

UPCOMING

• September 23: First day of autumn

• October 6: Major League Baseball playoffs begin

• November 1: Daylight Saving Time ends

• More holidays – Updated with 2016 holidays.

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NUMBER FOR THE DAY

53,000: Americans age 100 or over.

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NEWS ATTACK!

A researcher says that the most common regret older people have about their lives is that they spent too much time worrying. [Now I’m worried that’s going to be my regret, too.]

Over the weekend British Airways lost track of thousands of pieces of luggage. [They’re suspected of joining ISIS.]

Delta is being criticized for a new bargain basement class called Basic Economy where many of the traditional services of an airline have been removed. [When the plane lands you have to stick around to help clean.]

The View has lost sponsors after making fun of nurses. [That’s dangerous. The last people who should make fun of nurses are people working for a show that’s on life support.]

Jessica Simpson is accused of being drunk on live television. [It works for Kathie Lee and Hoda.]

A man overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship was rescued by a Disney cruise ship. [He immediately requested political asylum.]

Sean Penn attended a Madonna concert. [And no injuries were reported.]

One of Rand Paul’s aides was punched in the face by Marco Rubio’s campaign manager. [These people don’t need votes. They need adult supervision.]

Donald Trump says that he would serve as president for free. [Nights and weekends not included.]

They say the flu shot should be more effective this year. [This means I’m gonna have to come up with a completely different set of excuses for taking a sick day.]

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NEWS & NUGGETS

JILL BIDEN IS ‘ON BOARD’ IF JOE DECIDES TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT _ Last week it came out that someone close to Joe Biden was overheard on a train saying the Vice President is a lock to run for president. Joe’s still not saying if he’s running, but should he decide to wife Dr. Jill Biden is on board. A source says Jill is “100 percent” supportive of her husband running for president and that she’s not the reason he’s not made an official decision yet.

KIM DAVIS BOOK DEAL? IT’S NOT HAPPENING _ Rumors and tales of a Kim Davis book deal, outlining her trials as she battles the courts in Kentucky, defying first the Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage equality, then direct orders to Davis herself to issue marriage licenses, have gone viral in the past several days. However, the rumors that it has been officially announced are untrue. One source says the Davis book, printed by Forever Faith publishing, will be titled I’m A Survivor, and available in time for Christmas. But Forever Faith Publishing doesn’t exist.

BLACK DOTS A NEW SIGNAL FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS _ “I need help” are words that can be tough to say for victims of domestic violence because they can put them in more danger. Now there’s the Black Dot Campaign, a grass-roots effort taking social media by storm. The photos, popping up from around the world, show single black dots printed on the palm of a person’s hand. They’re meant to be a silent symbol of abuse.

CHINESE BARACK OBAMA IMPERSONATOR IS BREAKING INTO MOVIES _ A 29-year-old man in China had a life-changing experience after a friend uploaded a video of him singing. While viewers were not particularly impressed with his musical skills, they did comment on his resemblance to U.S. President Barack Obama. Now he’s making a living as an Obama impersonator. He recently landed a part in a new Chinese detective comedy movie.

AMERICANS OVER 65 SHARED THEIR GREATEST REGRET IN LIFE _ “What do you regret when you look back on your life?” That’s what Karl Pillemer, professor of human development at Cornell University, asked hundreds of older people. Pillemer says he was unprepared for the answer he so often received: “I wish I hadn’t spent so much of my life worrying.” Several years ago, when Pillemer, a world-renowned gerontologist (someone who studies older people), met June Driscoll, a particularly spirited 90-year old woman in a nursing home, she told him, “It’s my responsibility to be as happy as I can, right here, today.” His conversation with Driscoll inspired Pillemer to launch the Legacy Project and ask more than 1,500 Americans over 65 years of age about the most important lessons they learned over the course of their lives.

… The problem with worrying, says Pillemer, is that it takes place in the absence of actual stressors. We worry when there is actually nothing concrete to worry about. To reduce how much regret we have in a lifetime, the experts suggested increasing the time spent on concrete problem solving and drastically eliminating time spent worrying.

KID IDOLIZES HIS NEIGHBORHOOD MAILMAN _ In Knoxville, Tennessee, four-and-a-half-year-old Carter Lawson idolizes his neighborhood mailman, who he calls “Mailman Mike.” Mike has been the Lawsons’ mailman for about nine months, and over that time he’s become close with the boy. Carter was initially interested in the mail truck. When it was hot, Carter would bring Mike out a water and a snack. To reciprocate, Mike would sometimes bring Carter candy and a letter. The two now walk through the neighborhood delivering mail and talking to neighbors. Carter’s mom even got him a mailman outfit.

WALMART SIMPLE TEXT COULD IMPROVE THE WAY YOU SHOP _ Don’t you hat it when you know the Walmart or Target you’re standing in has that special kind of jelly you like but you just can’t find it? At a recent hackathon, a trio of programmers introduced an idea we can only hope gets the attention of big retail stores everywhere. They call it Walmart Simple Text and it works like this: You’re standing in a Walmart, frustrated that you can’t find your jelly, or a garden hose, or whatever. So you text “hi” to a specific number tied to that Walmart. You get an immediate response: What are you looking for? You name the item and brand and Walmart Simple text tells you the aisle where you’ll find it and how many are in stock. The technology isn’t available yet.

TEST TUBE SPERM: SORRY, GUYS, YOU’RE NO LONGER NEEDED _ Scientists have claimed to have grown mature human sperm in test tubes. Does this mean that very soon women will have zero reason to have men on the planet? Not yet. French researchers claimed to have taken immature germ cells from six men who were infertile and developed them in a bioreactor. The sperm cells are said to look identical to those produced naturally. The researchers say the technology could be ready within four years to help men who are unable to make their own sperm have their own biological children.

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WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEF SHOWERS, STEALS CLOTHES AND CASH _ Imagine walking in the front door and realizing you’ve been burglarized. That would suck. Then imaging discovering that the burglar has used your shower, your deodorant and your shampoo. Worse yet, the burglar has changed into your clothes and left his worn-out clothes behind. Your cash has also been stolen. A guy in China has done this about a dozen times and police have no leads.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SHOE COLLECTOR STORED THEM IN BARRELS _ On a tip from a neighbor, police in Thailand raided a man’s apartment and found 13 barrels of what they thought were going to be illegal filled will illegal moonshine. One by one they cracked open the containers and found — hundreds and hundreds of women’s shoes. The man is apparently a collector and was allowed to keep his collection.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CAR THIEF COMES BACK TO FILL UP WITH GAS _ If you’re going to steal a gas station employee’s car, don’t come back an hour later to get a fill-up. This happened in Florida and when the employee saw his car pull up to a pump he called police. Because he parked his car around the side of the building when his shift started he had no idea it had been stolen till the thief returned to fill it up.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NO HORSES ALLOWED ON TRAIN DURING COMMUTE _ A horse was asked to leave a commuter train in Dublin, Ireland. Riders on the train were surprised when a passenger brought the horse on. Before the doors closed the train driver asked the horse owner to get off.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN RETURNS STOLEN PHONE 4 DAYS LATER WITH APOLOGY _ Surveillance video captured a man taking a phone from a New Jersey business. A few days later the security system also recorded a man tossing the phone back over the company’s fence along with a handwritten note. The note read: “I’m the one who took your phone. I’m in a desperate situation. I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m not that type but a situation can lead some to do dumb things.” The business owner says he’s not interested in pursuing legal action against the man but police say they’ll do their job and investigate.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN WEARING GOPRO RECORDED TESTICLE ATTACK _ (CAUTION) In another example of the remarkable versatility of the GoPro, a Florida man was wearing the small camera when his estranged wife snuck up from behind and struck him in the testicles. Michael Novak was attacked at their home. The Novaks, who are married and living together, are in the midst of divorce proceedings. Novak told a sheriff’s deputy that he was wearing a GoPro camera “due to issues in the past with incidents like this.”

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN SHOOTS AT LANDSCAPERS FOR GETTING GRASS ON HIS CAR _ A Florida (Avon Park) senior citizen is charged with attempted murder after allegedly threatening to kill and shooting at some landscapers who apparently sprayed grass clippings on his car. 91-year-old Max Horton got upset with a landscaper and began arguing. The argument between the pair turned violent when Horton allegedly pulled out a handgun, ordered Hendrix to get on his knees and told him he was going to kill him. Another landscaper moved to intervene. The landscapers were able to disarm Horton and subdue him until deputies arrived.

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ON TELEVISION

SEASON PREMIERE: THE BIG BANG THEORY (8p ET, CBS) — Season 9 begins shortly after where the finale left off: Penny and Leonard are in Vegas, ready to get married.

SEASON PREMIERE: THE VOICE (8p ET, NBC) — The blind auditions begin, with returning coaches Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams. The episode kicks off with all four coaches teaming up to perform each other’s songs.

DANCING WITH THE STARS (8p ET, ABC) — For Hometown Glory night, the couples dance to songs that represent the celebrities’ hometowns. Plus, the first celeb is sent home.

SEASON PREMIERE: GOTHAM (8p ET, FOX) — Season two begins tonight.

PENN AND TELLER: FOOL US (8p ET, CW) — New

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (8p ET, ESPN) — The New York Jets (1-0) visit Indianapolis to take on the Colts (0-1).

SERIES PREMIERE: LIFE IN PIECES (8:30p ET, CBS) — Similar to ABC’s Modern Family, this new comedy looks at a family’s complicated life and tells a story each week from 4 different perspectives. James Brolin, Diane Wiest, Colin Hanks, Zoe Lister-Jones (New Girl), Thomas Sadoski (The Newsroom, Wild), and Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad) star.

SEASON PREMIERE: SCORPION (9p ET, CBS) — Season 2 begins several weeks after Walter’s accident in the season finale.

SERIES PREMIERE: MINORITY REPORT (9p ET, FOX) — Based on the film by Steven Spielberg, this new drama, set in 2065, follows a team as they try to stop crimes before they happen. Stark Sands (Inside Llewyn Davis) stars as the precog secretly living among society, who tries to use his ability to see future murders. Meagan Good (Californication) is the detective that helps him.

WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (9p ET, CW) — Repeat

SIGNIFICANT MOTHER (9:30p ET, CW) — New

SEASON PREMIERE: NCIS: LOS ANGELES (10p ET, CBS) — In the Season 7 premiere, the team investigates the murder of a Russian woman and uncovers evidence that answers who and why Callen was shot six months ago.

SEASON PREMIERE: CASTLE (10p ET, ABC) — As Season 8 begins, Beckett is now the Captain of the 12th precinct. The premiere is told in two parts (and two episodes); tonight’s is from Castle’s point of view, and next week’s from Beckett’s.  Toks Olagundoye (The Neighbors) joins the cast this season.

SERIES PREMIERE: BLINDSPOT (10p ET, NBC) — This new mystery/drama (from the exec producer of hit series The Flash and Arrow) stars Jaimie Alexander (Thor) as a woman who shows up naked in Times Square, covered in tattoos, with no memory of who she is. One of her tattoos spells out the name of an FBI agent (Strike Back star Sullivan Stapleton). So he’s put in charge of finding out who she is, and what the tattoos mean.

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ENTERTAINMENT

EMMY AWARDS _  The Emmy Awards were Sunday night. Check your favorite news source or search Twitter for a list of winners.

MAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS WINS BOX OFFICE _ Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials was the No. 1 movie in North America, earning $30.3 million in its opening weekend. Coming in at No. 2 at the U.S. and Canadian box office was Black Mass with $23.4 million.

NETFLIX COULD BE PREPARING TO STREAM STAR WARS FILMS _ Disney is rumored to be in talks with Netflix to stream Star Wars films in an attempt to build brand awareness for The Force Awakens. But unless you live in Latin America, don’t get too excited. The Wall Street Journal reports Disney is currently in talks to stream five Star Wars films on Netflix in Latin America before the release of The Force Awakens in December.

BEN AFFLECK AND JENNIFER GARNER NOT RECONCILING _ Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are not reconciling. The tabloids claim they’re getting back together, but a source close to Ben and Jen says it’s not happening and that both have “moved on” from the marriage.

GHOSTBUSTERS WILL INCLUDE ERNIE HUDSON _ The new Ghostbusters movie will include a cameo by Ernie Hudson. Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd were also previously confirmed to have cameo roles.

GHOSTBUSTERS WRAPS UP SHOOTING _ Saturday (September 19) was the last day of filming for director Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters movie. It’s in theaters July 15, 2016.

KRISTEN BELL JOINS HUSBAND DAX SHEPARD IN CHiPs MOVIE _ Over a year ago we learned that comedian and actor Dax Shepard was taking on quite the responsibility by writing, directing and starring in a big screen adaptation of the popular NBC television series CHiPs. The movie has been filling out the supporting cast in recent months, and now it’s been revealed that Kristen Bell, the real-life wife of Dax, will have a role in the movie. Dax Shepard and Michael Pena are leading the film as two California highway patrol officers and their adventures in crime-fighting. The original TV series ran from 1977-1983.

DAYS OF OUR LIVES’ KASSIE DEPAIVA CONFIRMS SHE’S OUT _ Daytime-TV vet Kassie DePaiva has confirmed not just her exit from Days of Our Lives, but that the decision was not hers to make. On Sunday morning DePaiva thanked fans, via her official website, for the kudos she has received for the past few weeks of storyline. The two-time Daytime Emmy nominee then went on to affirm that, as she put it, the sand in her hourglass was running out at Days. She blogged: “I have no regrets. I had a truly remarkable experience there. It saddens me to have been let go from the show just as Eve was finally finding her footing… But that is the way the soap business goes.” DePaiva is expected to appear on screen for several more months due to the soap’s large lead time.

ALLISON WILLIAMS BREAKS INSTAGRAM WITH HER WEDDING DRESS _ Allison Williams tied the knot over the weekend with a surprise wedding with fiancé and College Humor co-founder Ricky Van Veen. She posted a wedding photo on her Instagram showing off the Western ranch outback, her new husband, and a breathtaking handmade Oscar de la Renta gown.

… The surprise ranch ceremony included many famous faces such as Katy Perry, John Mayer, Bruce Springsteen, Bee Shaffer, Andy Cohen, Tom Hanks and Lena Dunham. • IMAGE

SIENNA MILLER SAYS SHE BACKED OUT OF A ROLE DUE TO PAY INEQUALITY _  Sienna Miller tells Marie Claire magazine she pulled out of a play once because of pay inequality. She says, “The producer wouldn’t pay equally. He wouldn’t pay me within a million miles of what the male actor was being paid. And women always have to do more publicity than the men. The only way is to make a stand. We are going to have to make sacrifices to make change. I want to turn up and feel dignified.”

… Miller joins a series of Hollywood actresses to speak out about sexism and gender pay disparity in the business. Charlize Theron negotiated a $10 million rise to put her on par with co-star Chris Hemsworth for Snow White and the Huntsman prequel and Amanda Seyfried unveiled that she was only paid 10% of what her male co-star earned in an unnamed blockbuster movie.

MAD MEN SPIN-OFF NEVER HAPPENING _ Don Draper has left the building — and he’s never coming back. Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner says, “I’m not judging people who do spin-offs, but despite the temptation and I love these characters and love working with these people, I’d like to leave the show the way it is.”

FIRST BEATLES RECORD CONTRACT THAT JUST SOLD AT AUCTION _ The first recording contract signed by The Beatles was sold at a New York auction Saturday for a hammer price of $75,000. It was a six-page contract signed in 1961 in Germany.

HEIDI FLEISS: I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH MY BLACK BOOK AUCTION _ Heidi Fleiss claims she has nothing to do with the eBay sale of her notorious black book. She’s pointing the finger at an elusive thief she thinks could have stolen it from an FBI evidence room. But Moonlite Bunny Ranch owner Dennis Hof says he won’t let it go public and is willing to pay a lot of money to keep his friend Heidi’s black book contents secret.

JACKIE COLLINS DIES _ Novelist Jackie Collins has died. Collins’ novels dramatized the lives of the most elite people and places and were read by everyone, everywhere — from airports to beaches. Collins died at age 77 of breast cancer in Los Angeles.

KENDALL JENNER AND ORLANDO BLOOM DATING RUMORS HEAT UP _ Kendall Jenner and Orlando Bloom have been “secretly dating” since July, according to British tabloids. The relationship is still low-key, but a source says Kendall and Orlando have been spotted together on low-key dates over the summer, and things are heating up. Apparently the difference in age isn’t a problem. Bloom is 38, Kendall is 19.

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BITS & BREAKS

TOP TEN MOVIES

1. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, $30.3 million
2. Black Mass, $23.3 million
3. The Visit, $11.3 million
4. The Perfect Guy, $9.6 million
5. Everest, $7.5 million (IMAX only)
6. War Room, $6.2 million
7. A Walk in the Woods, $2.7 million
8. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, $2.2 million
9. Straight Outta Compton, $1.9 million
10. Captive, $1.4 million

… One year ago this week the number one movie was The Maze Runner.

… Five years ago this week the number one movie was The Town.

… Ten years ago this week the number one movie was Just Like Heaven.

… Twenty years ago this week the number one movie was To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar.

IN THEATERS FRIDAY

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 (PG)

Dracula and his friends try to bring out the monster in his half human, half vampire grandson in order to keep Mavis from leaving the hotel.

• Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Fran Drescher
• website, trailer, reviews

THE INTERN (PG-13)

70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker has discovered that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin.

• Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro, Rene Russo
• website, trailer, reviews

EVEREST (PG-13) — EXPANDS FROM IMAX TO WIDE RELEASE

A climbing expedition on Mt. Everest is devastated by a severe snow storm.

• Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson and Jake Gyllenhaal.
• website, trailer, reviews

THE GREEN INFERNO (R)

A group of student activists travels to the Amazon to save the rain forest and soon discover that they are not alone, and that no good deed goes unpunished.

• Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Aaron Burns
• website, trailer, reviews

WEEKLY HOT LIST

Courtesy of morning show talent coach Steve Reynolds. The Hot List is made up of the topics everyone knows about.

1. The Emmys
2. Donald Trump
3. The Pope to America
4. NFL
5. College Football
6. Fan Duel
7. Jackie Collins
8. iHeart Music Festival
9. Government Shutdown
10. Ahmed Mohamed’s Clock
11. New iPhones
12. Miss Colorado

FOR THE LOVE OF PIZZA!

Pizza is America’s favorite food. Here’s a brief history of pizza:

• 1522: Tomatoes were brought back to Europe from the New World (Peru). Originally they were thought to be poisonous, but later the poorer people of Naples added the new tomatoes to their yeast dough and created the first simple pizza, as we know it.

• 19th Century: Pizza migrated to America with the Italians in the latter half of the 19th century. Pizza was introduced to Chicago by a peddler who walked up and down Taylor Street with a metal washtub of pizzas on his head.

• 1905: Gennaro Lombardi claims to have opened the first United States Pizzeria in New York City at 53 1/2 Spring Street.

• 1943: Chicago-style deep-dish pizza was created by Ike Sewell at his bar and grill called Pizzeria Uno.

• 1948: The first commercial pizza-pie mix, “Roman Pizza Mix,” was produced in Worcester, Massachusetts by Frank A. Fiorello.

• 1957: Frozen pizzas were introduced and found in local grocery stores. The first was marketed by the Celentano Brothers. Pizza soon became the most popular of all frozen food.

• 1984: Papa John’s opened its first location. But of all the national chains it’s one of the babies. Within a span of a few years — 1958 to 1960 — pizza chains Pizza Hut, Little Caesars and Domino’s opened.

FOUR RITUALS THAT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY

You get all kinds of happiness advice on the Internet from people who don’t know what they’re talking about. Don’t trust them. Trust neuroscientists. They study that gray blob in your head all day and have learned a lot about what truly will make you happy. UCLA neuroscience researcher Alex Korb has some insights that can create an upward spiral of happiness in your life.

Ask yourself what you’re grateful for. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like your brain wants you to be happy. You may feel guilty or shameful. Why? Believe it or not, guilt and shame activate the brain’s reward center. So what do neuroscientists say you should do? Ask yourself this question: What am I grateful for? Does it really affect your brain at the biological level? Yup. You know what the antidepressant Wellbutrin does? Boosts the neurotransmitter dopamine. So does gratitude.

Label negative feelings. You feel awful. Okay, give that awfulness a name. Sad? Anxious? Angry? Boom. It’s that simple. Sound stupid? Your noggin disagrees. Suppressing emotions doesn’t work and can backfire on you. But labeling, on the other hand, makes a big difference. Here’s the bottom line: describe an emotion in just a word or two, and it helps reduce the emotion.

Make that decision. Ever make a decision and then your brain finally feels at rest? That’s no random occurrence. Brain science shows that making decisions reduces worry and anxiety — as well as helping you solve problems. But deciding can be hard. So what kind of decisions should you make? Neuroscience has an answer: Make a “good enough” decision. Don’t sweat making the absolute 100% best decision.

Touch people. No, not indiscriminately; that can get you in a lot of trouble. Neuroscientists did a study where people played a ball-tossing video game. The other players tossed the ball to you and you tossed it back to them. Actually, there were no other players; that was all done by the computer program. But the subjects were told the characters were controlled by real people. So what happened when the “other players” stopped playing nice and didn’t share the ball? Subjects’ brains responded the same way as if they experienced physical pain. One of the primary ways to release oxytocin is through touching. Obviously, it’s not always appropriate to touch most people, but small touches like handshakes and pats on the back are usually okay. For people you’re close with, make more of an effort to touch more often. Touching someone you love actually reduces pain. In fact, when studies were done on married couples, the stronger the marriage, the more powerful the effect.

Source: Barking Up the Wrong Tree

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FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: It’s estimated that 10 to 40% of these are fake. (Major paintings for sale)

TRIVIA: The average woman does this about 5 times a day; the average guy 3 to 4 times a day. (Apologize)

NEWS QUIZ!

If your only source of news is TMZ, you won’t win…

• A study published in the journal Pediatrics said parents should make toddlers and small children where a helmet when doing what? (Riding a tricycle)

• The Minions passed Toy Story 3 to become the No. 2 animated movie of all time behind what? (Frozen)

• This U.S. professional sports team was named the most valuable sports franchise in the world by Forbes magazine. (Dallas Cowboys)

• Playboy magazine named this college as its top party school of the year. (Ohio University)

• NBC announced that actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger would star in Celebrity Apprentice, taking over for who? (Donald Trump)

• This restaurant chain brought back a never-ending pasta pass and sold out 1,000 of them in seconds. (Olive Garden)

• It was revealed that during his four year term in the White House, which president watched over 400 movies? (Jimmy Carter)

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JOKE OF THE DAY

John was on his deathbed and gasped pitifully. “Grant me one last request, dear,” he said. “Of course, John,” his wife said softly. “Six months after I die,” he said, “I want you to marry Barney.” “But I thought you hated Barney,” she said. With his last breath John said, “I do!”

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VIDEO OF THE DAY

Look what this guy found under his porch!

 

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IMAGE OF THE DAY

Finally got air conditioning, then this happened.

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LAST MINUTE ITEMS

• Wedding day from the bride’s perspective.

• A quick personality test called What Did You See First?

• iSkelter Tab lap desk looks like an interesting new way to work with your iPad.

• A database of paper airplanes with easy to follow folding instructions.

• 10AppsManager is a tool to uninstall Windows 10 pre-installed Store apps.

• I had no idea you could make a challenging game out of tic-tac-toe.

• The Guide to Practicing How to Win Friends and Influence People.

• The 7 Most Moving Podcasts Ever.

• Handy CheatSheet app for Mac users.

• Married since 1952, she’s a Giants fan, he’s a Cards fan. The two teams played August 17 in St. Louis. (Cards won.)

• Guy plays 100 TV theme songs on his guitar in 11 minutes.

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