Two a penny

It is opening day of Amanda Joyceas brand new fashion and interior business in downtown Harrisburg Pennsylvania. So what is Amanda to do with a sharp-tongued guy sporting a girlas cheerleading outfit cowboy boots and a knife protruding from his stomach? With her zealous curiosity and her creative flair for getting in and out of trouble Amanda embarks on a campaign to find out why she is the center of all the wrong kind of attention. Overcoming obstacles like a giant detective whom Amanda dubs the Hulkinator an even bigger hungry black bear an argumentative lawyer obnoxious reporters a landlord with a bad attitude and a hunk of a police officer with a killer smile Amanda discovers that the only way to save her business is to keep her sense of humor her determination and her faith. Comments (0)

Get other Popular Fiction hereThe Unexpected is about how one family uses their faith and trust in God to overcome an unexpected tradgy in their lives and in their town. John and Ruth Randlewood are highly respected members in their town now that their 6 children are grown and with the addition of grand children John and Ruth thought that it was the perfect time to retire and enjoy life together traveling and visting family. On an early March afternoon a sudden unexpected tornado hits their town of Mapleton Illinois thus changing their lives and the family and neighbors forever. Will the bond between family members be as strong as john and Ruth and instilled in their children? With each trail after the other it causes each of the Randlewoods children and grand children to re-examine their own lives and their own faith. In the midst of all the turmoil God uses a little angle to teach the family and friends the real meaning of love along with some unexpected surprises you the reader will not want to put this book dow… Comments (0)

Ministries and prophets like Tapley are two a penny out there, all of them claiming to be the agent of the latest definitive Word of God. The only consolation is that they at least provide us with roars of laughter

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Views, News and Pews: Don't you know There's a (World) War On?

Tin pot celebrities and commentators wanting to take pot shots at Rome seem two a penny these days but in a gracious and humble manner the holy father silenced his critics as he spoke words of love and truth. …

Continued here:
The Pope's message to the young | The Saint Barnabas' Blog

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New South Wales police say they hold “grave concerns” for a New Zealander who disappeared since last month.

Oliver Sims, 26, was last seen on September 18 at a university in Wollongong, where he worked in a function centre, NSW police said in a statement. .

Mr Sims, who lived in Wollongong, 82km south of Sydney, failed to return home after his shift and did not show up for work the next week.

“I was at home and he sent me a text message about 11pm, saying `Don’t wait up, I will be home late.

In the six weeks since he was last seen, his girlfriend of seven years, Pauline Cook, has retraced his steps, kept a constant vigil and made a public appeal for information to help find him. And that was the last I heard from him,” Ms Cook told the Illawarra Mercury newspaper. I love you’.

“I have been in contact with his family in New Zealand pretty much every day and they’re very distraught and extremely worried,” Ms Cook said.

Mr Sims, who did not have a driver’s licence, usually used public transport or got a lift home with a workmate. I’ve gone to places locally where he might be or go, and I’ve gone up to Sydney to places where we used to hang out.

“We’re all scared for his welfare and there’s not much we can do.”

Ms Cook and Mr Sims had talked of a future together that included marriage, and she said he was a “quiet and gentle kind of guy”.

“We’ve tried everything we can think of to find him.

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Family members have set up a “find Oliver Sims” Facebook group

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The Government has pulled out of funding a counter-offer by TVNZ and TV3 to scupper Maori Television’s bid for the free-to-air broadcasting rights for the Rugby World Cup.

In the latest twist to the saga, Prime Minister John Key confirmed this afternoon that the Government would no longer be backing a separate bid by the two rival broadcasters for the rights to 16 live free-to-air games.

“Our preferred option would be to have one bid on the table, led by MTS, with TV1 and TV3 playing a role,” Key said.”

The compromise, which is being thrashed out at a meeting in Auckland this afternoon between MTS, TVNZ, and TV3, appears to involve MTS as the lead bidder, with the other channels picking up some delayed TV rights to some of the games.

“I think there is every chance of that being achieved. .

The result is a win for the Maori Party and represents an embarrassing back-down by the Government just a day after revelations it was backing a counter-bid.

“It’s certainly not in New Zealand’s interests to have a bidding war, it might be in the IRB’s (International Rugby Board’s) interest.”

Dr Sharples said the meeting was being held to find a way to put together a joint bid led by MTS but guaranteeing TVNZ and TV3 the same entitlements they sought in their separate bid.

“We are very hopeful a successful outcome can be achieved and progress can be made.”

Dr Sharples said today’s development was a win for his party and Mr Key admitted that his ministers’ handling was not the best.

“Our expectation is that there will be only one bid on the table and it will be a Maori (Television) led-bid and it will be subbed (sub-contracted) out to other groups as well.

“I think the Maori Party has played a really important leadership role here.

There was a lack of coherence and ministers should have got together to thrash out a single approach, he said. Pita’s been very keen to see a good outcome both for the Rugby World Cup tournament, for all New Zealanders and actually for the Maori culture as we use this Rugby World Cup and Maoridom to deliver a world class event. Pita’s been very keen to see a good outcome both for the Rugby World Cup tournament, for all New Zealanders and actually for the Maori culture as we use this Rugby World Cup and Maoridom to deliver a world class event

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NZ Bus will lift its lockout notice and resume services on Thursday morning “as a gesture of good will”, if the unions stop strike action and agree to reach a settlement, the company says.

But parents and school children still face another day of disruption tomorrow as a lockout of about 900 bus drivers in Auckland continues.

A statement from the company said it would remove the lockout notice but only on the “proviso that by 1:30pm tomorrow the unions also lift their strike notice and agree to work with the facilitator to reach a ratified settlement”, NZ Bus operations general manager Zane Fulljames said.

No NZ Bus services have run since then and the disruption became greater yesterday on the first day of the fourth school term. .

Students and around 80,000 other commuters have had to find alternative transport to get to school or work.

The Auckland Combined Unions will meet with their members tomorrow at 11am to discuss developments.Most travellers had coped by switching to trains, taking buses provided by other companies, car pooling or using their own cars.An offer by the drivers to drive pupils for no pay was rejected by the company as “at best misguided and is at worst mischievous”.But yesterday, with pupils returning after the school holidays, many of the buses used for public services last week were switched back to school routes.co.Frustrated passengers have been told to go to the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (Arta) website maxx.Arta spokeswoman Sharon Hunter said it had scraped together a skeleton bus service and the trains into the city were packed.nz for alternatives.She said the daily subsidy of $160,000 paid to NZ Bus had been suspended while the buses were not running.She said the daily subsidy of $160,000 paid to NZ Bus had been suspended while the buses were not running.”If this dispute is not settled, I will be calling on Arta to start the process of terminating the existing contracts and finding someone else who will deliver the services that Auckland expects and pays for.”Like any commercial contract, NZ Bus contracts can be terminated for non-performance,” Mr Lee said.”If we terminated NZ Bus completely then we’d leave a 700-bus gap overnight, and we couldn’t do that to the public,” Ms Hunter said.”However, Arta spokeswoman Sharon Hunter said it would take up to two months to terminate the contract and it would be impossible to replace the bus service in that timeframe.

.NZ Bus spokeswoman Megan McSweeney said Mr Lee’s comments were “not helpful”

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A senior public servant has been committed for trial facing an assault charge.

At a depositions hearing before two Justices of the Peace in Wellington District Court today, the man, whose name and occupation have been suppressed, denies the charge following an incident in central Wellington on August 29 last year.

Prosecuting lawyer Paul Dacre told the court the teenage victim had taken credit cards belonging to the defendant’s wife and withdrawn $700 from an ATM, spending $200 of that on a cellphone, cigarettes and a bag.

Once in the car he punched the victim five or six times, with one blow hitting him in the head, he said.

On finding the victim the defendant grabbed him and walked him back to his car, threatening to break his legs if he tried to run away, Mr Dacre said.

Four witnesses, including two teenagers and two shop staff from across the road, today gave varying accounts of seeing the defendant strike the victim about the upper body while the pair were in the car.

When spoken to by police the man denied the threat and punches.

Some said they witnessed just a couple of blows while another said he saw up to 10 blows with a closed fist.

What they thought were punches could have been the man trying to get the bag off the boy and lock the car doors.

The defendant’s lawyer, Mike Antunovic, questioned the witnesses’ recollections and statements about the event. .

The witnesses were spoken to by police earlier this year, up to nine months later.

The defendant will next appear in Wellington District Court on January 19 for a jury trial call over.

Mr Antunovic conceded there was a prima facie case to answer.

Arguments for continued name suppression will be heard before a District Court judge before Christmas.

Arguments for continued name suppression will be heard before a District Court judge before Christmas.

. If he was acquitted then the damage done by publicity would be irreversible

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A Rotorua gathering touted as a peaceful
boy racer “park-up” to protest pending legislation ended with 31 arrests
and two damaged police cars.

Senior Sergeant Denton Grimes said about 230 cars and 900 people initially gathered in a central city park last night before heading south of the city, apparently to drag race and do skids.

Arrests could not be made as the offenders could not be identified.

The central city gathering was peaceful but things turned ugly when police arrived at the second venue, with bottles being thrown at police cars and officers being verbally abused.

“Typically, boy racers say they are a peaceful group, (who) abide by the law and just want to have a forum to be passionate about their cars,” Mr Grimes said. However, when the group headed back to the central business district, police checked every car and driver and arrests were made. It was totally unacceptable and disgraceful that the police were subjected to this behaviour.

“This is just not the case, as highlighted in their behaviour last night. As well, their behaviour took police away from other jobs and areas where they were needed.”

Boy racers put themselves, their passengers and, more importantly, members of the public at risk.

“We will continue to target the boy racer community and adopt a firm, professional and no discretion approach to influence their attitude and behaviour.

Mr Grimes said police had a simple message for boy racers: “This type of behaviour and lack of respect to laws and regulations will not be tolerated by Rotorua police.

Police Minister Judith Collins’ Vehicle Confiscation and Seizure Bill gives courts the power to send cars owned by repeat offenders to the crusher.”

Those arrested faced charges including breach of liquor ban, drink driving, unpaid fines, driving while disqualified, possession of meth and sustained loss of traction.

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A strong earthquake shook the popular
Indonesian resort island of Bali early Saturday, injuring at least
seven people and sending panicked tourists and residents fleeing out
of homes and hotels.

No tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of major damage.

The magnitude 5. Indonesia’s Meteorological and Geophysics Agency put the quake at a more powerful 6.8 quake hit just after 6am local time (11am NZT) 75km south of Denpasar, the island’s capital, the United States Geological Survey said.

Seven people were treated for head injuries and broken bones at Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar, said Dr Ken Wirasandi, adding that women and children had run from their homes screaming when the ground began to rattle.4 magnitude.

“I was frightened because it was strong,” said Ernst Raynaldo, a tourist from the Netherlands who was staying at the Kuta beach strip.

The Bali quake comes just two weeks after a larger tremor on the main Indonesian island of Java killed of left missing nearly 100 people and ruined thousands of homes. . A huge quake off western Indonesia caused a powerful tsunami in December 2004 that killed about 230,000 people in a dozen countries, half of them in Aceh province.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago, straddles continental plates and is prone to seismic activity along what is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.