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So I’m listening to dear old radio national (The show is ‘Life Matters’ May 19th 2008) and I hear Martin Seligman and others talking about teaching Happiness (I added the capital H. It was radio after all) at a fairly flash school in Victoria. And the discussion scrolled through whether it was a good idea,

24 Jun

Reality TV, happiness and optimism

Pete

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Stephen Post is (Professor of Bioethics & Family Medicine in the School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University) and has established ‘The Institute for Unlimited Love’ which sounds very cool. Stephen tells us that we gain health happiness and longevity when we contribute to those around us. He tells of a study which started with

16 Jun

Being nice is good for us

Pete

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This is just so lovely that I had to add it. Ta Sam for sending it to me. I have read comments that the music is boring…I find it moving, inspiring and delightful. Somone also said that a younger person should have mixed it…though ya know being older maybe aint so bad…and interesting to see

16 Jun

Sorry

Pete

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This is not the whole article but these quotes give you a pretty good idea what the point is. I thought it worth putting up on my website. Check out the whole thing here if you would like to. American Psychological Association Report Challenges School Zero Tolerance Policies and Recommends Restorative Justice By Doug Graves

19 May

Zero tolerance? Restorative justice?

Pete

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Thought I would put something up here about the resilience stuff as it continues to attract a great deal of attention. That’s good as it’s an important idea. The fear I have is the overuse problem. We use the word so much it gets sucked of its meaning. This has happened to the word ’empowerment’.

04 May

Optimism, strengths and resilience

Pete

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Everyone wants kids to be safe. No-one wants them to be hurt, and everyone wants them to lead meaningful active, happy lives. Drug education, whether information-based or skills-based seeks to do this. Yet I have to say that a lot of what I see seems at best useless and at worst harmful. And after 30

14 Apr

Drug education

Pete

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If this website is about people and our lives…then here is something that blew me away. My source, as it often is, is ABC Radio. In this case Hindsight March 18th 2008 about an amazing woman Mrs Mac, 1892-1982. There are lots of parts to her story whch are just wonderful…Australia’s first woman radio telegraphist

28 Mar

Need a hero? Check out Florence Violet McKenzie

Pete

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James Baker: ABC ‘The world today’ March 5th 2008 had this to say: ‘Everyone was a bit happier overall, so everyone was a little bit less distressed but the big difference was that people who actually started a blog, felt more socially integrated.’ And James Pennebaker says this: ‘Writing about emotional upheavals in our lives

11 Mar

Words, stories, pictures and what’s good for us

Pete

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I am about to conduct some workshops on ‘Engaging the disengaged’…that is how to get the attention of a young person whose identity has been established in opposition, defiance and the expectation that the world is unloving and uncaring…. …how to get this young person’s attention and then hold it…so that you might be able

06 Feb

Engaging the disengaged

Pete

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I did say I would give you some information about the fabulous women I heard speak on Radio National’s ‘Australia talks’ on 20th December 2007. Here they are under the title of that show: Science of sexuality Dr.Clio Cresswell Mathematician, University of Sydney and author of Mathematics and Sex Jennifer Graves Professor of comparative genomics,

06 Feb

Sex, sexuality mardi gras and what works for you

Pete

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