Social Intelligence – at Last

Some time after I read Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence, in 2006, I wrote that this was probably the last hugely eye-opening, self-revealing reading I was likely to discover.

And I’d run across any number of eye-opening books – perhaps starting with Pierce Howard’s thousand page The Owner’s Manual for The Brain.  This book – reading parts of it several times and taking about twenty pages of notes – pointed me to Thomas Armstrong’s 7 Kinds of Smart – which drew on Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence work.  My Brain book also pointed me to Dan Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence.

Problem Solving and Decision Making Tools – bCisive by Austhink

Problem solving and decision making are crucial activities for any organization, large or small – or for sub-organizations, mid-level or top-level – or even for individuals.  The usual approach to these activities or events is personal thinking and unstructured discussions.  Notes or records are often informal and impermanent.  Is it any wonder that these activities are risky and stressful?

Before computers, problems and decisions could be worked out with pen and paper.

A computer gives us more powerful and flexible tools.

Beautiful DVD: Cider House Rules

Mr. Rose is a shadowy character, and just as he is dying, he delivers a line that summarizes the Cider House Rules film: “Sometimes you gotta break some rules to put things right.”

Fareed Zakaria wrote “What Bush Got Right”

Do you get the feeling that America is locked into an inexorable, downward spiraling, nose dive?  Do you fear that Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, Israel and Palestine, China, and others present an insurmountable impediment to our future?

Do you ever wonder whether the news you hear is intentionally presented so as to keep you apprehensive, unsure, and willing, if not anxious, to support massive government spending?

The Beauty and Power of DVDs

I just watched Dirty Dancing, the Twentieth Anniversary DVD set, which I recently found at our local Barnes & Noble store.  I listened to Patrick Swayze explain how similar his background was to that of Johnny Castle, the character he played.  And I learned how life came to imitate art, while rehearsing and shooting the film in 1987, as the cast got into their roles, literally as well as figuratively – very much as it happened during the filming of M*A*S*H, nearly two decades earlier.

I thought, once again, how much I loved DVDs and what I was able to learn from them.

Then, I wondered if I could explain clearly what I love about DVDs and why.

Longwood Gardens’ Treehouses: The Lookout Loft

Longwood Gardens, the Kennett Square, Pennsylvania estate of flowers and fountains, has built three treehouses – for children and adults of all ages.

Treasure Island — Total Insanity

Sometimes I’m my own worst enemy.  You know, it’s true.  It’s like that old line, “With friends like you, who needs enemies.”

“Strange Feelings – Difficult Questions” – Update

I woke up about 3 this morning, feeling rather strange. 3 is a little early for me – even with my irregular sleep patterns.

After I got my basic daily journal entries set up, I decided to take my numbers – BP and so forth. My BP and blood sugar were high – not good. My weight was actually down 1.4 pounds from last week. That is good.

Those lines are how I started my “Strange Feelings – Difficult Questions” post two weeks ago.

Since that post was fairly alarming, I wanted to update what I could.

Strange Feelings – Difficult Questions

I woke up about 3 this morning, feeling rather strange. Three is a little early for me – even with my irregular sleep patterns.

After I got my basic daily journal entries set up in TreePad, I decided to take my numbers – BP and so forth. My BP and blood sugar were high – not good. My weight was actually down 1.4 pounds from last week. That is good.

A Cat Named Cleo

I live with a cat named Cleopatra. Cleo for short.

She generously lets me live with her, even though I don’t earn my keep yet.