Memory Loss from Drinking—Why It Happens, Why It’s Dangerous

Memory Loss from Drinking—Why It Happens, Why It’s Dangerous

Why do people experience memory loss from drinking? What’s happening in the brain? What are the consequences? The effects of alcohol on memory are startling. At a blood-alcohol level of approximately 0.15, the hippocampus shuts down entirely. At that point, all memories disappear completely and there is nothing to recall. Even in this state of total blackout, when the hippocampus is entirely shut down, it is possible for the drinker to continue to function like a “normal” drunk person. In fact, it can be impossible to tell when someone else has reached the point of blackout. Learn more about drinking and

It Starts with Why: Key Takeaways from Simon Sinek

It Starts with Why: Key Takeaways from Simon Sinek

Why does it always start with why? Start With Why covers everything you need to know about creating an organization that puts its values at the center of its business. The core concept is simple and straightforward: great businesses know why they’re doing what they’re doing—and they use that mission as their guiding principle.  Given this goal, Start With Why covers three aspects of WHY: 1) defining your WHY, 2) understanding how your WHY affects your company on all levels, and 3) making sure you stay focused on your WHY in the long-term. We’ll cover why, to create a successful

Effects of Stress on Memory: Lessons from PTSD Research

Effects of Stress on Memory: Lessons from PTSD Research

What are the effects of stress on memory? Are the effects severe? Long term? Stress affecting memory is a huge problem in everyday life, and a particular problem for people who need to obtain crucial information under stressful circumstances, such as interrogators. We’ll look at the effects of stress on memory in the military to understand how stress might also affect us in less acutely stressful environments.

What Happened to Sandra Bland? Malcolm Gladwell’s Answer

What Happened to Sandra Bland? Malcolm Gladwell’s Answer

What happened to Sandra Bland? What events led up to death in jail? Who’s to blame? The police officer? The justice system? Our society as a whole? We’ll cover Malcolm Gladwell’s answer to the question, What happened to Sandra Bland?, from his book Talking to Strangers. Learn why Gladwell thinks the death of Sandra Bland was the tragic result of common misreadings of strangers.

Aldrich Ames—How the Soviet Spy Fooled His CIA Colleagues

Aldrich Ames—How the Soviet Spy Fooled His CIA Colleagues

Who was Aldrich Ames? How was he outed as a spy? How was he able to fool the CIA for so long? Aldrich Ames was one of the most senior officers in the CIA’s Soviet Counterintelligence agency during the Cold War. He was also working as a double agent for the Soviet Union. The CIA is supposed to be the most sophisticated intelligence agency in the world. But even some of the best CIA agents have failed to detect liars in their midst. Learn what it means for the rest of us when even CIA agents can’t identify liars like Aldrich

Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment: Is It Working?

Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment: Is It Working?

What was the Kansas City preventive patrol experiment? Why was it so groundbreaking? Why have we failed to replicate it successfully across the country? We’ll cover what the Kansas City experiment was, how it used the theory of coupled behaviors, or coupling theory, and why it was so successful. Then, we’ll look at why it hasn’t been particularly successful in other parts of the country.