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Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Poetry day set to warm winter hearts
A song, a sonnet, a soliloquy, entertainers and those with a poetic mind are invited to show off Southland's creativity this weekend. The Southern District Arts Trust Poetry Day is on at the Tokanui Tavern this Sunday, with everyone welcome to come along to watch or perform as the trust marks its 20th anniversary. Inspiration for the day, first held in 2006, came after the trust's vice-president Steven Hayes and others attended a similar event in Naseby, featuring popular folk poet and musician "Blue Jeans" Ross McMillan. Blue Jeans' style had been well received in Tokanui and Mr Hayes said many performers harked a similar tune and prose. "People around here like a rhyme and a humorous tale. We've got our fair share of local anecdotes that have been used as inspiration. "There's the one about the rat that emerged on to a crowded dance floor at the local hall, there's the Nokomai Nudist — I'll let you guess what that's about," he said. Poets will be welcome to weave their words from 2pm, with traditional music, sea shanties, and folk songs to follow. Trust president Janice Broad said it was a chance for some to share a piece of Southland creativity, but all were welcome to come enjoy some hearty entertainment. "There is no shortage of creative people around the district." And for those that just want to come and listen? "There's no better way to spend a winter's afternoon than enjoying some poetry at the pub." — APL
The Star
07-07-2025
- Health
- The Star
Sunny Side Up: How do we find genuine happiness?
Last month I was on radio discussing whether our pursuit of happiness might backfire, leaving us less content instead of bringing the fulfilment we expect. If we see happiness as a fleeting emotion, then the constant pursuit of any single feeling becomes problematic. Studies suggest people in elevated moods can actually become less cautious, more impulsive, and more prone to errors in judgement. During the Covid-19 pandemic, American psychologist Prof Steven Hayes – creator of acceptance and commitment therapy – delivered a memorable webinar for mental health NGO Relate Malaysia. He opened with a striking observation: 'We're sold the message that we ought to be constantly happy, but that's a problematic message. We need the whole range of human emotion to survive and thrive.' The idea that we should always be happy also shows up in therapy settings, where clients struggle with this expectation. Mark Vahrmeyer, a UK psychotherapist, wrote an excellent summary about the assumed opposition of depression and happiness. He pointed out that many people come to therapy wanting to 'feel happier'. But happiness isn't simply the opposite of depression. Depression isn't just sadness; it's a deadening of the inner world, a flattening of meaning, imagination, and desire. By contrast, happiness is transient, and therapy doesn't aim to manufacture a single feeling on demand. It's about helping us stay with our emotions, listen to them, and think instead of simply reacting. Vahrmeyer also notes that a rich life includes joy, but also grief, anger, longing, and disappointment. Chasing only happiness reduces life to shallow hedonism. What matters isn't simply feeling good but feeling fully alive and open to everything that life brings us. Yet too often we see a cultural push, in schools and workplaces, towards relentless positivity. We're encouraged to be cheerful, grateful, and upbeat at all times. These are valuable qualities, of course, but they aren't the only emotions we feel. Good emotional education, especially for young people, means helping people to recognise, understand, and express the full range of their feelings in healthy, honest ways. If children learn that anger and frustration are simply 'bad' and mustn't be expressed, those emotions won't just vanish. They can turn into something more corrosive and painful over time. A child who feels shame for being angry might withdraw, struggle to stand up for themselves, or suffer in silence. Over years, those unspoken feelings can harden into resentment against others or against themselves. If our model of emotional health is all about smiling through pain, we leave ourselves unprepared for reality, papering over cracks that only deepen if ignored or denied. We see this in how we handle grief. When someone loses a loved one, they might be told to 'stay strong' or 'think of the good times', as if devastation is something to hide or feel guilty about. But of course, they will feel deep sadness or devastation – and it isn't weakness to experience emotions appropriate for a significant and personal loss. During the radio interview, I was also asked if doing things just to be happy can still be good for us. It's a fair question and one with a nuanced answer: Activities that lift our mood clearly have value and can help us cope. American psychologist Carol Dweck talks about 'earned' positive feelings – those that come from meaningful effort and commitment. Exercising, creating, or helping others can all bring real satisfaction and lasting change. But it depends on our approach and our mindset. If happiness becomes the only goal, the pursuit can turn hollow, leaving us wanting more and never satisfied. When we nurture relationships, learn, create, or help others – not simply to be happy but because these things matter – the happiness that follows is more genuine, grounded, and lasting. It's not that happiness is unimportant or trivial. It's that it's most authentic when it grows out of living in ways that deeply engage us. Real happiness comes from understanding and accepting our full range of emotions, learning to express them well, and giving them their place. When we do this, we create the foundation for genuine contentment – the kind we often search for in all the wrong ways. Sunny Side Up columnist Sandy Clarke has long held an interest in emotions, mental health, mindfulness and meditation. He believes the more we understand ourselves and each other, the better societies we can create. If you have any questions or comments, e-mail lifestyle@ The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
DENSO Donates $9,000 to Athens, Tennessee-area High Schools for STEM Education
Employee competition leads to support of technical programs at nine local high schools SOUTHFIELD, Mich., May 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- DENSO, a leading mobility supplier, announced that DENSO Manufacturing Athens Tennessee, Inc. (DMAT), has donated $9,000 to local high schools, giving each $1,000 to support their Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs. The recipient schools include: Lenoir City High School Meigs County High School McMinn Central High School McMinn County High School Polk County High School Sequoyah High School Sweetwater High School Tellico Plains High School Walker Valley High School As one of the world's largest automotive suppliers, DENSO strives to foster a work environment that prioritizes safety, collaboration and quality. Last year, as part of DMAT's continuous efforts to improve metrics in those focus areas, the location launched a friendly competition among internal teams. It centered on a simple idea: the better your group performed, the more your group could raise up to $1,000 for local high school STEM programs. Motivated to deliver for each other and local students, each team hit their key metrics by the conclusion of the year-long competition this spring. As a result, DMAT awarded the full donation amounts to the recipient schools on behalf of its employees. "This competition represents the best of DENSO – our teams working together to not only continuously improve, but also support the communities where we live and work," said Steven Hayes, director of Manufacturing at DMAT. "We are grateful to channel the success of the project into a positive outcome for local schools and do our small part in contributing to technical education. These schools, and their STEM programs, are vital to preparing future innovators." DENSO is always looking for ways to give back to the places it calls home, including in and around Athens. DMAT is a supporter of the United Way of McMinn and Meigs County, The East Tennessee Japanese School, Adopt-A-School programs, and other local initiatives. DMAT has produced leading powertrain parts and systems in Athens for more than 20 years. In October 2024, DENSO announced a $100 million expansion at the location that would enhance its ability to produce a wider range of solutions, such as DENSO's heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) product. If interested in opportunities at a leading supplier committed to making a difference in its communities, visit DENSO's career page. About DENSO Globally headquartered in Kariya, Japan, DENSO is a $47.9 billion leading mobility supplier that develops advanced technology and components for nearly every vehicle make and model on the road today. With manufacturing at its core, DENSO invests in around 180 facilities worldwide to provide opportunities for rewarding careers and to produce cutting-edge electrification, powertrain, thermal and mobility electronics products, among others, that change how the world moves. In developing such solutions, the company's 158,000 global employees are paving the way to a mobility future that improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents, and preserves the environment. DENSO spent around 8.6 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. For more information about DENSO's operations worldwide, visit In North America, DENSO is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, and employs 27,000+ team members across nearly 50 sites in the U.S, Canada and Mexico. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, DENSO in North America generated $12.5 billion in consolidated sales. To learn more about DENSO operations in the region and explore career opportunities, please visit View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE DENSO Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
