Headline »

November 1, 2016 – 7:58 am |

Happyzine has been sold! More information soon …
Ever thought about running a good news website? Here’s your chance.
Happyzine.co.nz has been a force for the positive for the last nine years in New Zealand, sharing good …

Read the full story »
Business
Community
Environment
Blog
Youth
Home » Archive

December 2008 ‘Wealth’

Submitted by on December 1, 2008 – 5:05 pm
December 2008         ‘Wealth’ 
 
 
 
“Shoe Foundations” – Pastel  
 By Doti Young

 
 

Happyzine (which rhymes with ‘magazine’)is for the dreamers and optimists of this world.  It is a positive news electronic magazine with strong roots in Aotearoa/ New Zealand.  

Editorial
Wealth. What’s your little slice of wealth?  Could it be your goat?  Your wife? Your land?  Your car?  Your harvest of seafood?  Your stock of seeds?  Your bank account?  Do you feel wealthy beyond reason?  Or would you prefer that your cup contained just a little more?  Do you wake up each morning and breath deep with gratitude?  Or maybe you wake up wondering when your dreams will make themselves known, if ever.  This month we focus upon ‘wealth’ in its many guises.  I’m interested to discover the Wikipedia definition: “Wealth derives from the old English word “weal”. The term was originally an adjective to describe the possession of great qualities”. 
A heartfelt welcome to those who have recently joined the Happyzine community, and also to those not so new.  Enjoy your wealth. 
 
Charlotte Squire
Editor
Happyzine
 
 
 

Inspiring Currency

H.A.N.D.S 

Complementary money systems always thrive during economic down-turns and Golden Bay’s own HANDS (How About Non Dollar System) currency is New Zealand’s most successful example. 
A dedicated Trust have built HANDS up over the years, weaving together an ingenious and forward thinking money system.  In contrast to the conventional money system’s pursiut of growth,

 
the aim of HANDS is to strengthen local community and social climate.  One way this aim is actioned is via regular market days where HANDS members gather to exchange goods and services.  Stall holders are paid to be there, thus creating a welcoming market atmosphere. 
 

You can of course, use HANDS on a day-to-day basis, transactions are recorded in member’s accounts and can be held in the form of exchange vouchers.  Unlike the conventional money system, HANDS works best when as many traders as possible bring their account balances through zero as often as possible.  Around half of the members will be in credit (known as ‘recognition’ in HANDS language) and the other half will be in debt (or ‘dedication’).  Debt is encouraged, and necessary as it makes the system possible, and according to the HANDS brochure

 
“it is the act of exhange and the resulting satisfaction that creates wealth, not the keeping of a high balance”.

 

 
A HAND is worth roughly the same as a NZ dollar.  Golden Bay’s HANDS system currently has 360 members, representing just over seven percent of the local population.  For more information email the HANDy Messenger or check out the HANDS brochure
 

Puls’n Planet – Earthbeat

‘A New Green Economy’ 

 

Looking for a silver lining. Given the massive world-wide economic downturn that is occurring, Earthbeat host Mike Tidwell speaks to Lester Brown, one of the world’s greatest environmental minds.
Listen to this edition of Earthbeat – click here and scroll down to ‘A New Green Economy’
 
 

Mentor – Ali Scott

 

A Wealth Of Choices 

Have you ever walked into the supermarket and been captivated by the range and beauty of the fruits and vegetables. Or at a farmer’s market, in the morning sun, and noticed so many different shades of green; or the smell of freshly baked bread, or the gold of a yolk as you break it into the bowl.   If your senses sing and your soul soars it’s no wonder.  Such wealth is to be reveled in.   Nature’s wealth of food for us is awe-inspiring and the way it nourishes us is nothing short of miraculous.

And yet some of us don’t know how to feel really satisfied, are confused about what we need, and when, and sometimes find it less than easy to distinguish between physical and emotional hunger.
 
A research project showed that children, given unlimited access to all kinds of foods including chocolate, ice cream, fruit and vegetables, were, within a month and of their own accord, eating a balanced and healthy diet.
 
We are born with the ability to eat what and how much is good for us.   It is intuitive.  Relearning this ability (yes, you had it once) and noticing what is
emotional hunger and what is physical hunger begins with paying attention to feedback.  Feedback is noticing what actions make you feel better, and noticing what food feels better in your stomach over time (i.e. three hours later.)  And when you do something that doesn’t feel good, or eat something that makes you feel uncomfortable, that’s just
more valuable information about what does or doesn’t work for you.  You don’t need to tell yourself what to do anymore.  Let your body guide you in what to do.   Notice the feedback.
Alison Scott is an NLP trained life coach, specializing in food issues.   She is also a poet and writer and loves using the healing power of story and metaphor in her coaching work.  Alison is based in Christchurch and does face-to-face and nationwide phone coaching.  She can be contacted at  [email protected]  

Ph:  03 942 7071

Wild Youth:  Ben Plows-Kolff

 

What’s your full name? Benjamin Norman Plows-Kolff – bit of a mouthful really!

How old are you? 23 – I’m waiting for my walking stick in the post.
 
What makes you happy? Well nothing “makes” me happy actually, but that just makes me sound depressed! I choose to be happy, nothing else makes me happy. I feel happiest when I am dancing, especially when I’m doing Ceroc modern partner dancing! I also feel happy when I’m in the outdoors, socialising with my buddies and when I practice Seido Karate.
 
What gets you through the hard times? Friends and taking time for myself. If I’m not having a good time and I don’t make the effort to step back and reflect, it only gets worse!
 
What do you think the secret to happiness is? Priorities! I think most of us would agree that we tend to put other things, including other people, before ourselves. If there is one thing life has taught me so far it’s to make myself number one. There is a song from a Lazy Sunday CD and the chorus goes “First you save yourself, then you save the world” and I think that’s a pretty damn good motto to live by!
 
What do you have to say to the rest of the world on behalf of youth? Instead of trying to turn us into moral, law-abiding citizens, show us (by example and role-modelling) how to respect and appreciate ourselves so that we are always our own number one priority. Social etiquette/respect for others and all that jazz will follow on naturally IF we respect who we are. So, if you know you’re not your own number one priority, you can see why we make the same mistake! Politics, the environment and the world can wait. YOU are number one.
 
What’s your day time occupation usually? At the moment? Being lazy – having jjust finished 5 years of university to come out with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy. I’m basically running Ceroc Nelson, my partner’s dancing business, full-time at the moment.
 
 

 
 

News from Home and Beyond  

 

Mā Te Reo Supports 21st Celebration of Radio Ngāti Porou 
Radio Ngāti Porou celebrates 21 years of being on air.  The country’s smallest radio station at the time, back in 1987 – Radio Ruatoria spent the first week of its life doing outside broadcast.   
Email for more details

NZ on Track for Lowest Road Toll for Decades

NZPA 
The weekend passed with no fatal road crashes as New Zealand looks set to record the lowest road toll in decades.
 
Kiwis Savour World Cup Victory
Fairfax Media
Twenty four exhausted but ecstatic Kiwis were pinching themselves in Suncorp Stadium’s visitors’ dressing room, coming to grips with the knowledge they were now world champions. New Zealand had never won a rugby league World Cup, never even beaten Australia in a World Cup game.
Read more

Robert Parker Finally Breaks Silence on NZ Wine
For the first six issues of Robert Parker’s Wine Buyers guide, the world’s best known (and some might say the most controversial) wine critic declined to comment on New Zealand wine. Finally, with the release of the 7th edition, the silence has been broken.

 
NZ School Of Dance Graduation Season Proves A Hit

 

The New Zealand School of Dance Graduation Season 2008 has opened to full houses and a rapturous response from the audience.
 
 
Tributes Flow for Helen Clark on The Big Idea
Tributes for Helen Clark, former Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, have flowed into The Big Idea, from arts leaders and the creative community.
 
It’s Official, Taupo is New Zealand’s Most Loved Town.
After a close run six-week nationwide competition, Taupo has been voted New Zealand’s most loved town.
Stay tuned to www.billitees.co.nz to find out more about the ceremony.
 
Future Scientists Of NZ Get Funding Boost
Six top students from throughout New Zealand are the new beneficiaries of an environmental research scheme funded by Bayer New Zealand Ltd. The students, selected from among 45 entries, are from Auckland, Te Awamutu, Bay of Plenty, Taupo, Nelson and Otago.
Read more
 
Neil Finn Announces Seven Worlds Collide Shows

Seven years ago, Neil Finn called on a very special group of musical friends. They came from all around the world and converged on Auckland, New Zealand. Over a short few days in 2001, they formed a band and rehearsed a lengthy set, taking it to the stage of Auckland’s St James Theatre for a series of five incredible shows under the banner Seven Worlds Collide.
 
Stage Set For Spectacular Auckland Festival 2009

A spectacular programme of theatre, dance, music, and visual arts from some of the world’s most exciting arts and entertainment companies will bring Auckland alive next March in the city’s fourth biennial Festival.
 
Tourism Pioneers Jump for Joy

Twenty years to the day after the world’s first commercial bungy jump opened at Queenstown’s Kawarau Bridge, tourism pioneers Henry Van Asch and AJ Hackett tandem jumped for joy.

Read more

 
Jenny Pattrick Wins Mansfield Literary Prize

 

New Zealand Post and the Katherine Mansfield Menton Trust today announced Wellington author Jenny Pattrick as winner of the 2009 New Zealand Post Mansfield Prize.
The $100,000 Prize, offered in conjunction with the Winn-Manson Menton Trust and administered by Creative New Zealand, covers return travel to France and living and accommodation expenses for six months. The Prize enables a New Zealand author to work at the Villa Isola Bella in Menton, France, where famed writer Katherine Mansfield lived and wrote in 1919 and 1920.
 

Aucklands Sexiest Named
ACP Media
Nightline presenter Samantha Hayes and Outrageous Fortune star Kirk Torrance have been named the sexiest Aucklanders for 2008.
The stars were selected for their all round sex appeal by Metro magazine, as part of its annual Best of Auckland awards.

 

 
Showing Off isn’t Just for the Birds
The Dominion Post

Chinese palaeontologists recently unearthed an astonishing fossil – a dinosaur with long, long tail feathers.
Chipping away at 160-million- year-old rock from Inner Mongolia, a team led by a Dr Fucheng Zhang uncovered this pigeon-sized reptile with four long ribbon-like feathers streaming from its tail. The creature’s body was also covered in feathers.
 
‘Epic’ Beatles Track Set for Release

 

Reuters

An epic Beatles improvisation more than 14 minutes long could be released 41 years after it was recorded, Paul McCartney has revealed.
The track Carnival of Light – a jumble of shrieks and psychedelic effects – was never released because three of the Fab Four thought it too adventurous.
Animal Welfare: Classical Music Soothes the Wanderlust of Zoo Elephants
 
The rousing, patriotic sweep of Elgar’s Nimrod, the mournful tones of Nessun Dorma and the urgent eight-note allegro con brio opening to Beethoven’s fifth – they have all been helping animal behaviour experts to make life more comfortable for the elephants at Belfast zoo.
   
Britain’s Water Mills Given Role in Clean Energy Generation

The Guardian 
Britain’s iconic water mills, some of which date back to the 11th century, are to become a major force in the fight against climate change.
Mill owners around the UK have started to refurbish their old buildings and install turbines in order to show that they can be used as a source of clean electricity.  Government figures suggest that if the resource is fully tapped, small-scale hydropower from the old mills and weirs could provide up to 10,000GWh per year – 3% of the UK’s electricity needs.
 
Catching the Wind in Antarctica
Blog

On six continents, wind energy is struggling to compete with fossil fuels. But in Antarctica, wind is carving out a big role.
 
Renewable Energy Industry Says the Future Looks Bright

NY Times
We solicited comments from environmental and renewable industry leaders in the wake of Senator Barack Obama’s victory in Tuesday night’s presidential election. A few e-mailed responses – enthusiastic all – follow. We’ll post more if/when they come in:
 
On CO2 Reduction, Obama Pledges to Stay the Course
NY Times
President-elect Barack Obama sent a video message to a summit on global warming organized by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, implying that despite the ongoing economic turmoil, Mr. Obama plans to keep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions a central component of his energy, environmental and economic policies.
 
 
Cheap Green: Energy and Ovens
NY Times
Ovens of all types account for more than 6 percent of household electricity use in the United States, according to the Energy Information Administration.  But there are some easy ways to save a modest amount of energy without having the turkey or casserole suffer.
 
San Francisco Bay to be Electric Car Capital
The Guardian
Officials in California have unveiled ambitious plans to turn the San Francisco Bay area – home to 7.6 million people – into one of the world’s leading centres for electric vehicles.
 
California Switches on to an Electric Future

The Guardian 

A network of kerbside charging points in cities and ‘filling’ stations will have a major impact in reducing emissions
California’s 36 million people have 21m cars between them, accounting for 40% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. So replacing 1m of those petrol cars with electric cars will make a big difference.

Schwarzenegger’s Bid to Save the Rainforest

The Guardian 

Three US governors join forces with Indonesia and Brazil to keep carbon locked up in endangered tropical forests
Though it didn’t seems to make an enormous splash in the press, the deal reached this week between three US states, Indonesia and Brazil seems like a fairly big deal in terms of rainforest protection.

The agreement was brokered at the climate summit convened by California’s ecosavvy governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Along with fellow governors from Illinois and Wisconsin, Schwarzenegger signed an agreement that could see carbon credits earned from forest protection in Indonesia or Brazil incorporated into US emissions trading schemes.
 

 

Happy Events 

Go somewhere and get happy. 
 

Arctic Monkeys Tour NZ

 


ARCTIC MONKEYS kick start 2009 with shows in Wellington and Auckland alongside their Big Day Out performance.

WOMAD 2009 Featured Artist: Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 (Nigeria)

 

13-15 March
Taranaki
Brooklands Park & TSB Bowl of Brooklands, New Plymouth
Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 are more than a funk orchestra; they’re a musical family who have been
Seun Kuti inherited his father Fela’s charisma, energy and booming voice along with his orchestra – Egypt 80. But Seun’s orchestra isn’t a clone of his fathers, even if we do see as much frenetic movement on stage and even if two thirds of the orchestra’s members were already there in Fela’s time.

GD Star Rating
loading...
GD Star Rating
loading...

Tags: ,

Leave a comment!

Add your comment below, or trackback from your own site. You can also Comments Feed via RSS.

Be nice. Keep it clean. Stay on topic. No spam.

You can use these tags:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This is a Gravatar-enabled weblog. To get your own globally-recognized-avatar, please register at Gravatar.