Tag Archives: wellbeing

National Standards and Neanderthals – “They will know what is required …” – Part III

Posted on 23rd Apr, 2013 by Puddleglum

In Part I of this post I outlined the historical context of our modern education system and argued that  National Standards were a continuation of the controlling and directive imperatives of that system. In Part II I described the nature … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Education, Freedom, Human Nature, Human Wellbeing, New Zealand Politics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

National Standards and Neanderthals – “They will know what is required …” – Part I

Posted on 7th Apr, 2013 by Puddleglum

“School prepares for the alienating institutionalization of life by teaching the need to be taught.” - Ivan Illich There’s an interesting opinion piece by archaeologist April Nowell in a recent ‘New Scientist‘ – ‘All work and no play: Why Neanderthals were no Picasso‘ … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Freedom, Human Nature, Human Wellbeing | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

Back to school in happy town

Posted on 23rd Feb, 2013 by Puddleglum

How are you feeling? If you’re in Christchurch, CERA thinks you’re doing really well. A media release cheerily announced that ‘Wellbeing Survey reveals positive outlook‘. Conducted for CERA by Nielsen Research from August to October, 2012, “2,381 residents completed questionnaires [of whom] … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Earthquakes, Freedom, New Zealand Politics, Welfare | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

‘Human capital depreciation’ and the Pike River Mining Disaster

Posted on 10th Nov, 2012 by Puddleglum

There are moments when a few words can open up a vista on an entire worldview. The words shoot through the air for a few days like a rapidly fading spark on Guy Fawkes night but, every so often, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Education, Free Market, Human Wellbeing, Labour, New Zealand Politics, Welfare | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Underneath the ‘underclass’

Posted on 29th Jul, 2012 by Puddleglum

Joe Bageant died on the 26th of March last year. Apparently, he was sometimes referred to as an American ‘leftneck’ – which is not a bad label for him. Bageant’s book (and, more generally, his literary life) has been devoted to laying … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Economics, Education, Free Market, Human Wellbeing, New Zealand Politics, Welfare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Getting ‘stuck in’ to employment

Posted on 11th Jul, 2012 by Puddleglum

Recently, Rodney Hide related his experiences as a manual labourer, doing casual jobs for a builder, digger driver and retaining wall builder. Hide drew a lesson from his experience about the motivation of the unemployed. Basically, it amounted to the conclusion … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Freedom, Human Nature, Human Wellbeing, Labour, New Zealand Politics | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

A better term than ‘breeding for a business’

Posted on 29th May, 2012 by Puddleglum

  Back in 2002, some years before scaling the heights to the Prime Ministerial summit, John Key said that Labour’s Domestic Purposes Benefit policy had led to a situation “where people have been, for want of a better term, breeding … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Human Wellbeing, New Zealand Politics, Welfare | Tagged , , , , , | 25 Comments

City in a box

Posted on 29th Apr, 2012 by Puddleglum

It was meant to be the ‘City in a Park’. But, according to a Press editorial, a lot of people in Christchurch have taken a look at the future and they don’t like what they see: The artists’ impressions of … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Earthquakes, Free Market, Human Wellbeing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

California dreaming

Posted on 22nd Apr, 2012 by Puddleglum

If the future form of Christchurch’s central city now hangs in the balance, the outcome will depend upon the weightings given to two quite distinct sets of ‘instincts’ about how to create a vibrant, sustainable, thriving city centre. One set … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquakes, Economics, Free Market, Freedom, Human Wellbeing, New Zealand Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A lesson about community

Posted on 4th Mar, 2012 by Puddleglum

Who would have thought that, in the saga that is the ‘recovery’ of Christchurch, it would be the Anglican Church that would give us the clearest example of the emptiness of modern expressions of ‘community’? When push came to shove … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquakes, Economics, Free Market, Human Wellbeing, National Identity, New Zealand Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments