Monthly Archives: January 2012

Boil; Pour; Stew – Drink?

Posted on 30th Jan, 2012 by Puddleglum

The way to get tea so strong you could stand the teaspoon up in it and produce that almost unbearably metallic, bitter tannin taste in your mouth is to follow the age old recipe: Boil; Pour; Stew. Well, they call … Continue reading →

Posted in New Zealand Politics, Political Polls, Political Psychology | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

(Communication) Breakdown?

Posted on 23rd Jan, 2012 by Puddleglum

It was all too predictable. After voting for a controversial 14.4%, $68,000, backdated salary increase for its ‘CEO’, Tony Marryatt, a few weeks before Christmas, the Christchurch City Council – or, more precisely, Mayor Bob Parker and Tony Marryatt himself … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquakes, New Zealand Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Shearer on ‘How big is my politics?’

Posted on 19th Jan, 2012 by Puddleglum

Q. What’s the difference between Donald O’Connor, Jimmy Durante and David Shearer? A. All three of them express the naive belief that “It’s bigger than both of us!” but only two of them have the excuse that they were singing … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquakes, Labour, New Zealand Politics, Political Psychology | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Soul Food

Posted on 2nd Jan, 2012 by Puddleglum

Back in the 1970s I remember reading an American TV reviewer who pointed out that, at the time, the only programmes dealing with serious issues were comedies. He used the example of ‘All in the Family‘ with its lead character … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Human Nature, Human Wellbeing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment