Animals enrich our lives

Left to right: Elizabeth and Sasha

The rain has been a welcome respite to everyone but Elizabeth, the ruling queen of our household. While Sasha remained content to warmly bask indoors, Elizabeth became restless and desperate to be let outside. She views the rain as a personal betrayal of infathomable magnitude.

Emotional Intelligence

I recently finished reading a book called Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. Written in 1995, what I thought intriguing about the book was that it described individual traits that today are recognized among tendencies attributed to Asperger’s syndrome.

Alexithymia, for instance, from the Greek: a- for “lack,” lexis for “word” and thymos for “emotion.” People with this tendency have difficulty expressing their emotions.

Psychologists also applied the term dyssemia, from the Greek: dys for “difficulty" and semes for “signal.” The condition is a learning disability in the realm of nonverbal language.

The book was written in 1995, immediately prior to Asperger’s syndrome becoming a recognized diagnosis in the DSM IV.

I’ve now begun reading Social Intelligence, which is by the same author but was published 11 years later. What a difference those 11 years make! Asperger’s syndrome is referenced by name in Goleman’s later book.

Transcribed from a personal journal

Advanced Leader Bronze in Toastmasters International

Next Thursday, Oct. 1, I’ll be giving a presentation in Toastmasters International’s Successful Club Series: “Evaluate to Motivate.” The presentation will complete my final requirement toward earning Advanced Leader Bronze.

‘Shop local’ includes local media

"Don’t want a newspaper? Buy one anyway," urges a video produced by Slate V, reposted in Utne Magazine's online media blog (archived under July 2009 at www.utne.com/blogs/blog.aspx?blogid=34). "For less than the price of a cup of coffee per day, you can feed and clothe a newspaper professional."

The video is modeled on those television commercials that urge support for a child overseas at a cost of mere pennies a day and while it's heavy on irony, it delivers an essential truth: Journalists are full-time professionals who live and work in their local communities.

UUCLC Lending Library wish list

Please consider purchasing a book on behalf of our lending library. I have posted a wish list of books produced by the UUA imprints, Beacon Press and Skinner House, on the bulletin board in the main hall. There is space for you to sign off on sponsoring each book I have requested.Your donation will be noted on the inside front cover of the book, in much the same way that the UUCLC acknowledges donation of hymnals.

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