Outside In Song of the Week

February is drawing to a close.  It was longer this year because of the leap day.  At least, that happens once every four years (Thank you, Julius Cesar).

I'm a big fan of The Supremes.  I remember back on a cold night in February back in 1976 while I was watching "Sonny & Cher" in my parents' bedroom.  I was sitting on the floor in front of the bed when one of my parents saw in the newspaper that Florence Ballard of the Supremes had died all of the sudden.  It was sad news.

Many years later in 2001, I got the chance to meet Mary Wilson, one of the Supremes, and get her autograph at a collectibles show in Wilmington, Massachusetts.  What a great day for me.

Florence was fired from the Supremes in late 1967 and later went on a solo career.  She was very close to making a comeback when she died in 1976. 

It was on this day in 1968 when Florence married Thomas Chapman.

"Yesterday" by Florence Ballard (June 30, 1943 - February 22, 1976)

Happy Leap Day

Happy Leap Day!

Here are some Happy Leapers! (People born on February 29)

Anthony Sabato Jr.
Dennis Farina
Alex Rocco
Dinah Shore
Jimmy Dorsey

Superman and Captain Marvel also share a birthday on this day!

Another Music Legend Has Passed Away: Buddy Miles

Another loss to the Music World: former Jimi Hendrix drummer, Buddy Miles, died this week of congested heart disease.  He was 60 years old.  He performed with Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys back in the 1960s.  In the 1980s, Buddy was one of the California Raisins.

RIP Buddy

"Down by the River" by Buddy Miles

Rest in Peace, Mike Smith of the Dave Clark Five

Sad news today: Mike Smith of the Dave Clark Five has died of pneumonia.  Smith had been paralyzed in a fall in his home in Spain a few years back.  He was hoping he would travel to the United States in the next two weeks to see his band get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  He was lead singer and keyboardist.

He was 64 years old.

I used to play The Dave Clark Five's Greatest Hits album (vinyl record) to death when I was a kid growing up in Washington, DC.  This really breaks my heart.

RIP Mike Smith

"Because" by The Dave Clark Five



"Catch Us If You Can" by The Dave Clark Five

Paint It Birthday

Happy Birthday,
Brian Jones
(February 28, 1942 - July 3, 1969)
Founder of the Rolling Stones

He would have been 66 if he hadn't drowned.  :(

"Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones

NJ Doctor has an Eureka! Moment

Back in 1999, Dr. Henry Kong read an article in The New York Times about Asperger's Syndrome and had an "Eureka!" moment when he finished.  For most of his life, he wondered why he had difficulty socializing with others and problems with his coordination.  The discovery led him to write a book called More Self than Self: At Autism's Edge, which came out in 2006.

Dr. Kong was born in South Korea and moved with his family to the United States when he was five years old.

Neurofeedback Helps!

Science Daily has an article about Neurofeedback and how it helps in treating people with Autism Spectrum Disorders.  The brains of individuals with ASDs have excessive high connectivity (parts of the brain talking with itself) and deficient connectivity (parts of the brain not communicating with other areas).  Neurofeedback shows a reduction in autistic symptoms and helps with the connectivity problems.

Read the article here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226185848.htm

Neurofeedback has been helpful to me.  It has reduced my anxiety and depression.  I went to Advanced Neurotherapy in Wellesley, Massachusetts.  Dr. Jolene Ross is my neurotherapist.

http://www.advancedneurotherapy.com/