Two a penny

Get other Fantasy Science Fiction Books hereThis first novel in a brand-new series introduces October “Toby” Daye a changeling who is half human and half fae. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage Toby has denied the Faerie world retreating to a “normal” life. Unfortunately for her the Faerie world has other ideas. Original. CLICK HERE -Rosemary and Rue Seanan McGuire Paperback at www.science-fiction-books.com.au

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Dame Kiri Te Kanawa breezed into Sydney and made two things clear. Don’t mention John Farnham, or retirement.

Ironically the two are scheduled to perform in Sydney tomorrow night; Dame Kiri at the Opera House and Farnham at the Star City Casino as he kicks off a 31-date farewell tour.

New Zealand’s world famous soprano, scheduled to sing in two concerts with the Sydney Symphony this week, wasn’t best pleased when the Aussie pop icon’s name was raised.48) million lawsuit by promoter Leading Edge Events in the New South Wales Supreme Court after she withdrew from three scheduled concerts with Farnham – because she was uncomfortable at the prospect of female fans throwing knickers at him.

Two years ago, Dame Kiri beat a A$2 (NZ$2.

“This is about music and that’s not.

“Can we just drop that subject, thank you,” Dame Kiri told The Australian newspaper.

“I was concerned about the knickers or underpants and underwear apparel being thrown at him and him collecting it and obviously holding it in his hands as some sort of trophy.”

Dame Kiri – whose company Mattase was ordered to pay $A128,000 to Leading Edge in expenses incurred – told the court in 2007 she withdrew after watching footage of Farnham’s previous concerts.

Dame Kiri, 65, was quoted by London’s Daily Telegraph last month as saying a concert in the German city of Cologne next April “will be my last”.”

Asked about the coincidence of the pair performing on the same night in the same city tomorrow, Dame Kiri said: “Good luck, can we move on?”

Meanwhile, British reports of her impending retirement were also given the short shrift.

But she told reporters in Sydney: “No, I have not announced it (retirement).

She cited an exhausting schedule and was quoted as saying opera was “mainly for young people”. I didn’t say a thing.

“The press might have announced it. I’m not retiring. I don’t know why they’re trying to retire me.

“You don’t retire. . But retiring means you don’t do it any more. You just move on to something else if you want.. I’m working morning, noon, and. I mean, I do 20 concerts a year, I do charity. I mean, I do 20 concerts a year, I do charity… how can I retire?”

She said the door was open to more operatic roles, beyond her performance in Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier in Cologne.

Dame Kiri said she was kept busy through her work developing young New Zealand opera talent.

She planned to bring three of her students from the Solti Academy and Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation to London to perform alongside her at the Tower of London in September.

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Survivors of rape and sexual abuse will find it difficult to access therapy if proposed changes to ACC’s sensitive claims unit come into effect next month, according to rape survivor Louise Nicholas.

Ms Nicholas, an advocate for rape prevention education, said she was shocked that ACC believed shorter term therapy was more beneficial for clients than longer term therapy.

She explained that currently, survivors had four sessions with a counsellor to discuss their abuse experiences before their claim was assessed for ongoing therapy.

“Many survivors, including myself, speak about the difficulty in being able to open up and talk about their experiences which needs to be at their own pace and with someone they trust which is vital in their healing process,” Ms Nicholas said.

Ms Nicholas said the new clinical pathway proposed to come into effect on September 14 would mean survivors having to tell their story three times to three different professionals. Survivors would often choose to have ongoing therapy with the counsellor with whom they had already built up a relationship. .

She said they could also be declined help at any stage in the process, and would also have to prove they had a mental injury which fits the criteria for a psychiatric problem.

After attending ACC’s draft clinical pathways provider workshop in Auckland earlier this month, Ms Nicholas said it was not about seeking better services for survivors, it was about cutting costs.

“Finding someone who they can trust to disclose to is often a major issue as there are many barriers that need to be dealt with before they even get to the stage of being able to talk about the actual abuse incident,” Ms Nicholas added.

“Rape and sexual abuse is a crime that is committed upon a person by another person deliberately causing harm.

“I viewed it as taking vital resources away from counsellors and specialist service providers and putting them into the costs of assessments by clinical psychologists.

She believed the effect of the new clinical pathway would be detrimental to not only survivors of rape and sexual abuse but also to agencies, mental health services and other specialist service providers who would have to take on many more survivors who may be declined for subsidised counselling through ACC. It is not like a self-inflicted recreational or sporting injury,” Ms Nicholas said.

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“These agencies are also likely to be weighed down by the extra workloads that will inevitably see even more specialist services crumble under the weight of inadequate funding and resources,” Ms Nicholas said

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The family of the New Zealander killed in last Friday’s twin bombings in Indonesia has released a statement recalling a dedicated family man who did not suffer fools lightly.

Tim Mackay was at a business meeting at the JW Marriott hotel in Jakarta when a bomb blast ripped through the hotel at the same time as another bomb was detonated at the close toby Ritz-Carlton hotel. Seven others were killed in the blasts. He died in hospital after suffering severe leg as well as facial wounds.

“Tim was a quiet man with a mischievous sense of humour.

In a statement released today the family of Mr Mackay said the response to his death reflected Mr Mackay’s character and the fact that New Zealanders felt a loss keenly when a Kiwi was killed in such a way. . He was a dedicated family man, not just to his own family but also to wider family,” they said.”

The family said Mr Mackay, 62, had a passion for sailing and enjoyed fishing and hunting when he was younger. At the same time he was not a man to suffer fools lightly.

The Mackay family said they wished to thank people throughout New Zealand and internationally for their support since the death of Mr Mackay, who as well as being the president director of the cement company Holcim Indonesia was involved in a number of charities to help struggling Indonesians.

They acknowledged the support from the Indonesian people and from Mr Mackay’s friends and colleagues who helped return his body.

The bombings are believed to be linked to a group known as Jemaah Islamiyah, an Al Qaeda affiliate responsible for the Bali bombings in 2002.

The funeral will be held in Wellington tomorrow.

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A juror in the trial of Clayton Weatherston has been rushed to hospital, bringing a halt to proceedings this afternoon.

Justice Potter has adjourned the High Court in Christchurch after the juror was taken away by paramedics at about midday.

The judge told the jury she would get updates on the juror’s condition this afternoon and make decisions on the continuation of the trial in consultation with Crown and defence counsel.

The juror collapsed in the jury room at the morning adjournment.

Earlier a former girlfriend of Weatherston gave a tearful account of a letter she sent to him in prison, urging him to stay resilient.

The trial was adjourned until tomorrow morning.

She said that when she wrote the letter she “did not realise the extent of what he [Weatherston] had done”.

The woman, whose name is suppressed, broke down as she read the letter to the jury in the Christchurch High Court earlier today.

Weatherston admits the manslaughter of Elliott but denies her murder, saying he was provoked.

Weatherston, 33, allegedly murdered of his ex-girlfriend, Sophie Elliott, 22, by stabbing her more than 200 times at her Dunedin home on January 9 last year. .

The court has heard the letter from her said: “Dig deep, find those coping skills… Don’t over-analyze, that’s a strict order, okay. . .

“You have lots of people rooting for you out here…

“I understand you are being sent socks, it will be a turn-up for the books if you wear them. I’m worried about you but know that you will be fine. … I will send you letters, you should write back to me.

“Anyway, everyone … says hi and sends you a hug.

“You know that resilience is a wonderful thing.

“You know that resilience is a wonderful thing.”

The woman said that after she sent the letter, she did not go and see Weatherston in prison.

“I was in shock, I was coping as well as I could at the time,” she said.

“Up until then, I thought maybe a mistake had been made, as people do when they are in shock.

“When I found out what had gone on, I couldn’t believe it.”

She said she would not have written what she had once she found out what Weatherston had done.

The court also heard the full transcript of Weatherton wrote back in reply.

His letter said:

“I have been better and have also been thinking about you. This is a rough ride and it’s not looking like getting any easier. I am in a cell (3.5 x 2.5m) most of the day, getting some time for a shower and outside in a small yard.

“The food is pretty good! Knowing I have your support is crucial to me. I am so sorry for not seeing how great you truly are. I will see you and Mum and Dad et al. soon as possible.

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French seamen on a New Zealand-bound warship have rescued one of Auckland’s top medical specialists and his family from their dismasted yacht 375 kilometres north of North Cape. .

On a medical website Dr Bradfield lists his interests as “Sailing, Sailing, Sailing, Sailing, making children.

The yacht ran into the storm that caused foul weather across the North Island last weekend and knocked three yachts out of the Auckland to Noumea yacht race.”

The family left Auckland in May and stayed in Tonga before setting sail for home last week.

The New Caledonia based 55-metre patrol boat La Glorieuse, which was on the way to Auckland, was guided to the scene by the Hercules.

Dr Bradfield activated his distress beacon yesterday afternoon and an RNZAF Hercules flew to the scene, reporting the yacht had dismasted.

Sailors onboard the 55-metre patrol boat La Glorieuse found their 12.

The yacht had become dismasted, its rigging tangling around the rudder and keel while travelling from Tonga to New Zealand.6m sloop Carenza at 10pm yesterday, about five hours after the yacht’s captain had activated an emergency beacon.

No-one had been injured, Rescue Co-ordination Centre New Zealand search and rescue officer Christine Wilson said.

Surviving yachts in the Noumea yacht race were alerted to be aware of La Glorieuse cross the fleet’s path.

La Glorieuse rescued the family and was ordered to sink Carenza because it was a hazard to shipping.

The warship stayed alongside the yacht overnight, evacuating the New Zealand-resident family about 7am today.

La Glorieuse is due in Auckland on a scheduled visit tomorrow morning.

La Glorieuse is due in Auckland on a scheduled visit tomorrow morning.

“It’s a long way.

“We’ve had a reasonable day with a few showers -somehow this time the trip feels a lot slower and we are keen to be home,” Dr Bradfield said.

“This dead downwind sailing under head sail – although easy – has an unpleasant motion, and the kids have spent most of the day sleeping with the lethargy that comes with a bit of sea illness.

“We are looking forward to a more northerly wind shift tomorrow and an increase in boat speed.

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Josh added on the blog that time was going slowly: “only 3 things to do on board, sleep, stare aimlessly at the empty horizon or cough up your guts overboard

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The winner of Lotto’s record $36. .

Do you know who won the $36.co.1m prize? Email newstips@stuff.

The district’s mayor already has one piece of advice: don’t park your new Porsche and Audi in the same street.nz

The Big Wednesday winning ticket will be verified today by the Lotteries Commission as the region’s 22,623 inhabitants scramble to work out who the country’s newest multi-millionaire is.

The ticket was bought at Masterton’s Kuripuni Take Note Lotto and Post Shop and netted the lone first division winner $34,453,401 in cash, plus a slew of luxury prizes. Last night’s win follows a $5.

The first division winner also won the second divison prize of $696,795.

In an unprecedented move, the Lotteries Commission set up an 0800 phone number so last night’s winner could claim the prize in “total secrecy”.5m Powerball win just 12 days ago in Masterton.

“The winner’s privacy is very important.

Spokeswoman Karen Jones said the number was set up so the winner could sidestep the usual process of turning up to the Lotteries Commission in Wellington. We don’t want them rocking up to a store or to our offices, because there is intense interest. We don’t want them rocking up to a store or to our offices, because there is intense interest.

Local residents Doug and Liz Wishart said the excitement last night had been “almost too much to bear”.

Speculation as to their identity is intense today.”It’s not something they are going to be able to keep quiet for long.Though not the holders of the winning ticket, like everyone they wanted to know who the newly-minted multi-millionaire was.

So far this morning, dozens of punters have flooded through the doorsat the store where the winning ticket was sold. Masterton is just too small and there are too many tongues that wag,” said Liz Wishart.Shop owner Maureen Taute believed the winner was local. Media crews have staked out the shop since 6am, hoping to catch of the big winner.”Most people who come in here are regulars and live locally. The shop is tucked away in a small shopping village and away from the beaten track of visitors.5 million from a ticket bought here recently came in ten days later to say very privately and quietly, thank you.5 million from a ticket bought here recently came in ten days later to say very privately and quietly, thank you.”

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Taito Phillip Field arranged a series of fictitious statements and documents to hide the fact that Thai workers he was helping with immigration matters were working on his property for little or no money, a jury has been told.

Crown prosecutor Simon Moore said the former MP arranged for the false statements and document creations to put a government inquiry and police investigators on the wrong scent.

Mr Moore was making his opening address at the trial of Field in the High Court in Auckland on 35 criminal charges.

Today Mr Moore began outlining the 23 charges of wilfully attempting to obstruct or pervert the course of justice, alleging Field took numerous steps to create a false impression of what happened at his properties.

Yesterday he outlined most of the 12 charges of bribery and corruption charges as an MP laid against Field, alleging that Thai nationals carried out tens of thousands of dollars worth of work on five of his properties in return for help with their immigration issues.

A few days before the election, Prime Minister Helen Clark ordered an inquiry into Field’s conduct, primarily over tiling work carried out at a house of Field’s in Samoa, to be undertaken by Auckland barrister Dr Noel Ingram.

Mr Moore told the jury how the allegations against Field broke in media in September 2005, during the general election campaign.

Mr Moore said there was also media coverage suggesting police were considering an investigation of their own.

They were to arrange false receipts or invoices to be created in relation to the work on the properties, arranging for witnesses to make false statements, and making false statements himself, Mr Moore said.

He said Field then took a series of steps which led to false or misleading information being presented to the Ingram inquiry.

“Mr Field embarked on this course in an attempt to conceal and hide what the true position was, and he did it for the purpose of preventing charges being laid against him.

Once the Ingram inquiry report had been released, Mr Field then arranged to have further false statements made to police and further false documents created once a police investigation had been formally announced, Mr Moore said.

“The circumstances that have given rise to the decision I do not propose to divulge,” he told the remaining jurors.”

Mr Moore was making today’s remarks to a jury of 11 after a man appointed jury foreman yesterday was discharged by Justice Rodney Hansen today.

“But what I do want to emphasise is that it involves no personal reflection in any way at all on the character of your foreman.

“But what I do want to emphasise is that it involves no personal reflection in any way at all on the character of your foreman. A further seven jurors, including the man discharged today, were empanelled yesterday and heard half of Mr Moore’s opening address yesterday.

Today’s development came after seven of the jurors originally empanelled on Monday were discharged the following day. .

The trial is expected to last 12 weeks

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Thieves have broken into the Invercargill pound in what has been described as a planned commando attack, and stolen two mastiff dogs who mauled an elderly woman last week.

The 68-year-old victim, Noeline Shaw, said she was horrified the dogs had been broken out of the pound and were back in the community.
Mrs Shaw had been delivering pamphlets in Holloway St last week when the two large mastiff dogs got out of their property and lunged at her, biting her arm and pulling on her clothing, she said. She feared someone else would be attacked. She was still feeling shaken by the attack.
Her bite wounds had since become infected and she was put on antibiotics.
“They should have been onto the job and shot them there and then.
The dogs should have been destroyed immediately, she said. That breed shouldn’t be allowed in the town boundary. Why should they have still been in the pound? They nearly killed me.
The owner of the two dogs, Renee Bartlett, said she had no idea who had stolen her dogs or where they were. They are vicious,” she said.
“People have been after those dogs for a long, long time . She blamed for the thefts as the paper had named her as the dogs’ owner, which had alerted people to the identity of the dogs in the pound, she said… . I feel maybe they are going to use them to breed…
It is understood the thieves cut through a wire fence to gain access to the city dog pound on Saturday night.”
She did not believe the dogs were a threat to the public, adding she had received hate mail since it was revealed they had attacked Mrs Shaw.
The council’s environmental and services director William Watt said it was a “planned commando attack”. They then used boltcutters to gain access to the locked main enclosure and locked cages holding the dogs. “I think security is a problem. “I think security is a problem. It’s a facility that’s been there for a number of years.”
Responding to claims the dogs should have been destroyed immediately, Mr Watt said the council had been unable to do so because the owner had not given permission. The dogs were being held in the pound pending court action to get them destroyed, Mr Watt said.

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Body identified as missing Alaskan

Tuesday, 24 February 2009

Oamaru Police have confirmed the body found close to the Kakanui River mouth earlier today is that of a missing Alaskan man.
Sergeant Tony Woodbridge said the dead man had been identified as 20-year-old Sean Francis Lawson of Alaska.
His body was found on the south beach close to the mouth of the Kakanui River around 7am earlier today.
Mr Lawson's family wished to thank the search and rescue volunteers and the Kakanui community for their help in locating their son, he said.
"The matter has now been handed on to the Coroner's Office and police will be assisting with any ongoing enquiries," he said. .
"The matter has now been handed on to the Coroner's Office and police will be assisting with any ongoing enquiries.