New Challenges: Memory Series
The brain can recall and store much more information than we generally think it can. To use more of it, we must first, as mentioned last week, give up negative self-talk. "I can," rather than "I can’t" must become our mantra. The Greeks developed mnemonics, later used by the Romans, and being revived today as a major method to remember lists of things. Short term memory involves mostly left-brain triggers such as order, sequence, and numbers. In addition to repetition, using right-brain triggers such as imagination, exaggeration, humor, absurdity, color and the senses, enhances the ability to move information to long-term memory and retrieve it more easily. If you were asked to remember and list the five Tudor English monarchs in order, you might think of going into a museum and in hall number seven (a lucky number) you see a portrait of Henry the Seventh. You think "how appropriate," and next to him is Henry the Eighth. Once again it seems logical. Then you hear over the intercom in a ghostly voice "EME" several times. EME is an acronym for Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth. Now, think of the story, visualize and listen to it. Name the five rulers in order. If you can’t, reread the story and try again. —Submitted by Employee Development (08.25.10)

Labor Day—Celebrating Workers’ Contributions to the U.S.
On Monday, September 6, the United States will celebrate the national holiday in honor of organized labor and the achievements of American workers. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the holiday originated in New York City on September 5, 1882 and was organized by the Central Labor Union of New York. Other industrial cities soon followed New York’s example. By 1894, 23 states had adopted the holiday, and that same year the United States declared a national Labor Day holiday. "The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership—the American worker." [The quote is excerpted from the Department of Labor web site at www.dol.gov.] —Submitted by Diversity Task Force (09.01.10)
Focus on Diversity Archive

Take a Break from Work
If you begin working early in the morning and don’t quit until bedtime, there will be no room in your life to focus on anything but your job. So, make sure you take some time for non-work activities everyday or at least several times a week. Here’s how you can spend some of your time away from work:

	Read a good book (non-work related, of course)
	Keep up with world news, pop culture and politics
	Travel for pleasure
	Volunteer your time
	Talk to people with whom you don’t work
	Enjoy a hobby

—Submitted by the MCC Wellness Committee (04.28.10)