iPod docks are two a penny these days, but this one from Magicbox caught our eye. It’s available in four snazzy metallic colours, has DAB and FM radio and an alarm clock
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Magicbox Tower iPod dock – hi-fi news – whathifi.com
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An Auckland man murdered his friend with a high-powered rifle after the victim went “crazy” at a dinner party being held at the accused’s rural home, a High Court jury has heard.
The Crown alleges that Alan Christopher Paul Gundry, 30, killed Orewa man Gene Patrick Atkins, 28, on January 12 this year. .Gundry – who has been on bail until the start of today’s trial – appeared in the dock dressed neatly in a black suit and red tie. The accused had shot the unarmed Mr Atkins twice with his high-powered hunting rifle at close range, Mr Glubb said. Mr Glubb told the court that Mr Atkins and the accused had been friends for many years and on the afternoon of the murder had been enjoying the summer weather on Gundry’s back deck with their partners and other friends.He denies murdering Mr Atkins. Mr Atkins had become drunk and violent and after having an argument with his partner, Sarah Dean, and then went home, the court was told.Ms Dean had discovered the mess and packed her things and returned to the Gundry’s Rodney home to stay the night. Once home he had thrown Ms Dean’s belongings outside the house and broken several objects. He strode through the house and started brawling with several people, demanding to know where his partner, Ms Dean, was hiding.Minutes later Mr Atkins arrived at the Gundry house, furious and violent, Mr Glubb said. An enraged Mr Atkins had gone into Gundry’s five-year-old daughter’s room and pushed and threatened his partner.Ms Dean had locked herself in the bathroom, Mr Glubb said. Several attempts by friends to calm Mr Atkins had failed, the court heard. Several attempts by friends to calm Mr Atkins had failed, the court heard. Gundry replied: “I can’t do that, he’s threatening my kids and my family”.Mr Atkins’ partner, Ms Dean, had asked Gundry only to “scare” her partner with the rifle, Mr Glubb said.He died almost instantly.The Crown alleges Gundry came across Atkins on the stairwell and shot him twice. Gundry then called police, telling them: “his friend was drunk, he had gone crazy and he had shot him”, the court heard. Gundry had then apologised to Ms Dean for shooting Mr Atkins, Mr Glubb said.Self-defence was a complete defence to the charge of murder, the court heard. Defence lawyer Graeme Newell said his client had been acting in the self-defence and this would be the key focus of the trial.Around 35 friends and family of Gundry and Mr Atkins filled the courtroom’s public gallery. Mr Newell said he would also be exploring Mr Atkins history and other “aggressive incidents” he had been involved with prior to his death. The trial is expected to last for a week. The trial is expected to last for a week.
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A man arrested over the death of a Wellington man had his charge upgraded from assault to murder today.
The man, 43, was granted name suppression in Wellington District Court while a psychological assessment was carried out.
The killing happened on Tuesday at a halfway house, in suburban Newtown, which accommodates people suffering from mental illness or involved in drug rehabilitation.
The victim has been identified as Kelly Whakaneho, a 37-year-old Wellington man. .
A post mortem examination revealed Mr Whakaneho died of multiple stab woulds.
Detective Inspector Paul Basham said the investigation into Mr Whakaneho’s death was going well and a detailed scene investigation had been completed.
The accused man, who was remanded in custody, will re-appear for a pre-commital hearing on September 4.
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Investigators had spoken with several possible witnesses, he said
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A British man living in New Zealand for the past five years has died in the overnight sinking of Tongan ferry Princess Ashika.
The dead man is understood to be Daniel Macmillan.
Mr Macmillan was travelling on a British passport, but had a New Zealand driver’s licence. He has reportedly lived in New Zealand for the past five to six years. .
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Forty people, many of them women and children, are missing and feared dead after the sinking of the inter-island ferry, which was heading from Nuku’alofa to Ha’afeva, in the Nomuka Islands group.
It is understood Mr Macmillan’s relatives live in a remote part of Scotland.
A British High Commission spokesperson in Wellington said the man’s UK family was in the process of being informed.
Mike Roberts, of New Zealand’s Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RCCNZ), said tonight that of the 86 suspected people on board the ferry, 53 had been picked up safe and well.
The British man was among six foreigners on the ship, including Japanese, German and French nationals. The Shipping Corporation’s figure was 96 with 55 rescued.
However, reports of the number of people on board varied and it was possible more than 100 were on the Princess Ashika when she sank.
A Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion will resume searching the area tomorrow morning.
”Tongan police are working to establish exactly who is still missing and liaising with next of kin,” Mr Roberts said.
MFAT had had no calls from anyone about other New Zealanders, Mr McCully said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully told reporters in Cairns the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFAT) was liaising with British authorities about repatriating the British man’s body.
”Prime Minister (John) Key has taken the opportunity earlier today of conveying the condolences of the New Zealand people to the Tongan Prime Minister, who is obviously here at the forum.
”It’s obviously a terrible tragedy,” he said.
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The sinking was doubly tragic for the Pacific region as it followed last month’s ferry sinking in Kiribati, which left 33 people dead, Mr McCully said
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Economics tutor Clayton Weatherston was ‘always putting Sophie down’, a friend told the High Court trial in Christchurch today.
Jessica Smithsaid that when she found out that her friend Sophie Elliott was seeing Weatherston she had concerns as a result of the difficulties it could create for both of them.
Weatherston has denied murdering Elliott in her home in 2008 but has admitted manslaughter.
Smith told the court that she tried to dissuade Sophie fromgoing ahead with the relationship but it “it was all on by June 30, 2007″. Weatherston stabbed Elliott 216 times.
“Sophie described their relationship as very up and down.
Over the next few months, Sophie confided in her friend, often talking about the relationship. Sometimes she was very happy, sometimes very low,” Smith said.
“She felt Clayton thought she was stupid.
Elliott told Smith that she felt Weatherston “didn’t appreciate her intelligence and spoke down to her”.”
When Weatherston was violent he “would yell a lot of different things at her that she was ugly and not attractive. He often told her that she didn’t know what she was talking about and that he knew far more than her.
Smith said when Elliott left for a trip to Australia in December 2007 it seemed the relationship was finished.
“Just little comments like that,” Smith told the court.
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Fire safety warnings on children’s nightwear are now compulsory after the death of one young boy and serious injuries to at least four others.
Retailers who fail to ensure the correct labels appear on pyjamas, nighties and other sleepwear face prosecution by the Commerce Commission from this month.
Four-year-old Corwin Bridge, of Red Beach, near Orewa, died of his burns in September 2007 after 2 1/2 months in Middlemore Hospital.
The Consumer Affairs Ministry regulations were introduced after several children were burnt when their pyjamas caught fire.
At least four more children under 10 were burnt in similar accidents in the four years before the regulations were passed. His pyjamas caught fire when he sat near a gas heater at a family member’s house.
Hamilton boy Jack Livingstone, 5, was badly burnt when his Chinese-made cotton pyjamas caught fire in 2007. The new colour-coded labels were phased in from July last year, but became compulsory on all sleepwear at the beginning of this month.
His road to recovery began with skin grafts and he wore a pressure suit for 23 hours a day for two years. He had been sitting in front of a gas heater watching television with his sister when the fabric ignited. .
He was able to switch to a less restrictive pressure sleeve just before he started school this year.
“The burns have healed to skin colour, it’s a little bit rough from the skin grafts, but overall he’s just getting on with it.
Jack had bounced back from his injuries and was not expected to have continuing problems, Mr Livingstone said yesterday.
The labels come in three colours white, orange and red and are coded according to their safety level, based on the garment’s style and fabric.”
Mr Livingstone said the new labelling was “a great idea, as long as every retailer abides by it”. Under the new system, they would have an orange label.
Jack’s pyjamas were bought from The Warehouse and were labelled a low fire risk.
The Warehouse would not comment on the new regulations yesterday. They were withdrawn from sale after a second boy suffered burns. It is either made of fabric that burns more slowly such as wool or is close-fitting.
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TAG! YOU’RE WEARING A FIRE SAFETY GUIDE!
WHITE: This label means the garment is a lower fire risk.
RED: The garment is a higher fire risk, either as a result of its fabric or because it is loose-fitting.
ORANGE: Label denotes garment made of a higher-risk fabric such as cotton, but is designed to be worn snug-fitting to reduce fire risk.
The safety regulations apply to all businesses involved in the manufacture, distribution and sale of children’s nightwear.
The safety regulations apply to all businesses involved in the manufacture, distribution and sale of children’s nightwear.
Individuals who breach the rules can be fined up to $60,000 corporations up to $200,000 under the Fair Trading Act.
The ministry urges parents to remember the “metre from the heater” rule to avoid fire danger.
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NZ sun too strong for vitamin D advice
By FINBARR BUNTING – Sunday, 15 February 2009
SUNSHINE GIRLS: Vanessa Cailleretz and Delphine Nicolet enjoy the sun at Takapuna beach. .
UK health campaigner Oliver Gillie has even called for the scrapping of the UK's Sunsmart campaign (similar to the New Zealand campaign of the same name), calling for public health bodies to encourage sunbathing.
New research from England's Bristol University has lent weight to the argument of campaigners in the UK who say vitamin D deficiency – which is often caused by inadequate sun exposure – may be a danger that outweighs the risk of skin cancer.
She says New Zealand's unique conditions, with UV levels up to 40 percent higher than those recorded in the UK and some of the highest rates of melanoma in the world, means the Sunsmart message is an important one.
But Dr Judith Galtry of the Cancer Society says there is no need for New Zealand to change its official stance on sun protection.
The difference was attributed to the elevation of vitamin D levels in mothers during the longer, brighter summer days.
The Bristol study showed children born to women whose pregnancy spanned summer months were taller and had thicker bones than children who were gestated through winter.
However, the Cancer Society does recommend some sun exposure for vitamin D synthesis.
Vitamin D deficiency has previously been linked to prostate cancer, tuberculosis, breast cancer, diabetes and even multiple sclerosis by some researchers, although Galtry says there is still debate over whether vitamin D deficiency is a contributor to poor health, or simply a marker of it. During winter, sun protection is advised only around snow or water.
It advises only that New Zealanders protect themselves during the sunny months from September and March, and only between 11 and 4pm.
He says our vitamin D deficiency levels are comparable with that of the UK and higher than North America.
But Professor Robert Scragg of the School for Population Health at the University of Auckland says too much focus is put on people staying out of the sun.
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He says people should aim for short regular bursts of sunlight, without sunscreen, rather than prolonged exposure, which is more damaging to the body
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Southerner to rejoin bushfire battle
By MICHAEL FORBES – Tuesday, 10 February 2009
JOHN HAWKINS/137397
AUSSIE MISSION: Southland pilot Dave Latham at Invercargill airport yesterday before flying out to Sydney to help fight the Australian bushfires.
As the firestorm ripping through southeast Australia continues to take lives, Southlander Dave Latham is heading back across the Tasman to help.
The Invercargill pilot has spent the past week flying helicopters in Merimbula, just north of the Victorian border, helping authorities battle a 4000-hectare blaze with 1500-litre monsoon buckets.
It is a job the pilot of 21 years' experience knows well, having flown monsoon buckets in Ireland, the United Kingdom and New Caledonia.
Mr Latham came home at the weekend to rest but returned to Sydney yesterday to begin another 10 days on the fire-relief frontline.
"Some of the stuff you hear about is quite amazing.
But he describes the tragedy in Victoria as the largest and most horrific fire he has ever encountered. People driving through the flames and idiots taking tour buses up to some of the fires," he said. You just have to look at the number of people who have been consumed in their cars and houses. "People don't realise how quickly a fire like that can spread in 43 to 44 degrees (Celsius).
Not learning those lessons also comes at a price, according to Mr Latham."
Mr Latham said the potential for a disaster of this magnitude had always been high, in his eyes, because Australians were forgetting the lessons learned from the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983, which claimed 75 lives. . "The cost of flying my aircraft (a Bell 205 similar to an Iroquois military helicopter) is $200,000 a day, not counting everything else (foam and fire retardant). "You cannot get an Australian bushfire properly under control until the conditions cool significantly, so those fires could burn until March. "You cannot get an Australian bushfire properly under control until the conditions cool significantly, so those fires could burn until March.
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"I'd never worried about his safety until he drove away the other day," she said
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Police failed to search man who died in cell
The Wednesday, 28 January 2009
A Rotorua prisoner found dead in a police cell had not been searched for personal items that he could use to harm himself or others, an inquest has been told.
Anthony Patrick McGuire, 33, a chef, was found dead in the Rotorua police station remand cells on March 26 last year.
He had been arrested on a domestic violence matter that day and charged with assault with intent to injure.
Mr McGuire was denied bail and locked up at 5. . But he was found dead in the cell just before 9pm.30pm to appear in court the next day. Police described the death as self-harm. The cause and circumstances surrounding the death had to be examined because the lapses allowed Mr McGuire to take his own life, Mr Pilditch said.
Appearing for the police, crown prosecutor Fletcher Pilditch told the inquest in Rotorua yesterday that police accepted there had been important lapses of procedure in processing Mr McGuire leading up to his death.
He was locked in the cell without being searched and with personal items that should have been removed as a result of their self-harming potential, Mr Pilditch said.
Mr McGuire was not assessed for risks he posed to himself or others when he was processed at the police station.
There had been confusion between sworn police staff and non-sworn custody officers about who was responsible for what duties when a prisoner was processed.
Station supervisor Senior Sergeant Colin McPherson said that, at the time, the remand wing was being moved to a new site.
Custody officer Kevin Rowell told the inquest that he and another custody officer, John Cunningham, were on duty that night and responsible for processing Mr McGuire.
Custody officer Kevin Rowell told the inquest that he and another custody officer, John Cunningham, were on duty that night and responsible for processing Mr McGuire. Then he went "very quiet", Mr Rowell said. He was not angry with police until he was told he had been denied bail. "I was absolutely dumbfounded when I realised," he said.
He could not remember locking Mr McGuire in the cell but later admitted, after viewing security camera footage, that he had.
The inquest continues today.
Both men said they processed about 22 prisoners that day and it was the busiest night they could remember.
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Bibles reaching captive audience
Saturday, 24 January 2009
The word of God was originally delivered from on high and a Christchurch woman is attempting to take it back there.
Redcliffs architect Ria Wayne is trying to put Bibles into every Department of Conservation hut in New Zealand.
The idea first came to her after meeting four Australians at French Ridge Hut below Mt Aspiring who had been trapped by the weather for four days.
Since she began her mission eight years ago, forming charitable trust Seek Freedom, she and trust volunteers have put Bibles into 375 of DOC's 950 huts. .
"I realised then this was a captive audience," she told the Salvation Army's magazine, War Cry."
But not all the reaction to the Bibles has been positive with some destroyed by trampers.
"It really is the most powerful place to get life into perspective.
DOC recreation senior technical officer Brian Dobbie said permission had been sought and granted to put Bibles in huts.
"People have emailed to express their disapproval and have told me that they will work to remove as many Bibles as they possibly can," she told the magazine. "We're quite happy to have Bibles put in huts.
"It was a minor policy issue," he said.
"You'd be grateful for both especially if you got stuck with nothing to read for two days while you waited for the weather to clear."
Dobbie said the only other literature distributed to huts was a collection of New Zealand short stories.
Grant Piper, a former Canterbury/Westland Alpine Club president, said it was good to have any sort of reading material in the huts."
Dobbie said he had had no feedback on the Bibles.
And they could definitely come in handy.
"I don't think anyone really cares either way, so good on them," he said."
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"Given the option of a ropey old Reader's Digest I would rather use a page from a Bible to start a fire