Newsfront

US AIRFORCE CONFIRM AUCKLAND UFO WAS JUST A CLOUD

NZ Herald, 22 Jan 2015

Recently released United States Air Force files have confirmed that a suspected UFO photographed in the skies above Auckland more than 60 years ago was actually just a cloud.

The Project Blue Book files, which have recently been made available online, related to USAF investigations from 1947-1969. One of the images shows a circular disc shape in the sky, which thecid.com UFO website reported as being above Auckland in mid-1951. This image was titled “Winter 1951”.

The photographer believed it to be a flying saucer, but the USAF concluded that it was in fact a lenticular cloud, the Daily Mail reported. The lens-shaped formations were the result of moist air that had condensed at a high altitude. The clouds were formed when the air temperature dropped and moisture droplets were pushed up a steep slope by high winds, the paper said.

Another famous image was of the Lubbock Lights, which was reported in Texas in 1951, that were likely to be plover birds, which had white breasts that reflected light from cities below.

The Project Blue Book investigated more than 12,000 suspected UFO encounters. More than 700 cases remain unsolved, accounting for 5.5 per cent of the files.

TEACHER CENSURED AND DEREGISTERED AFTER FAILED PONZI SCHEME

NZ Herald, 20 Jan 2015

A teacher who was jailed after losing about $1.5 million of investors' money in a failed Ponzi scheme has been censured and deregistered by the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal. Rene Alan Chalmers was sentenced in Auckland District Court in January last year to serve four years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to 14 charges of theft by a person in a special relationship, dishonestly using a document, and making false statements to investors. Many of his clients were family, friends and colleagues. In a recently released decision, the tribunal said Chalmers' offending was “dishonesty at the highest level”.

“In our view, we would not be discharging our responsibilities to the public and the profession were we to allow this teacher to retain his registration.”

The offending was so serious, the tribunal said if Chalmers was to attempt to reregister in the future, they would be surprised if the application was treated “sympathetically”.

The Pukekohe teacher's convictions stemmed from trading foreign currency and misleading banks when buying three Bay of Plenty properties. When obtaining loans for these he showed bank accounts from his company, Chalmers Cameron Investments, passing off the balance as his own money, not that of investors. He also made 519 false statements to 64 investors about his company in which its parlous financial position was not disclosed.

During sentencing, prosecutor Dale La Hood said the operation was never viable and was a Ponzi scheme. Defence lawyer Paul Mabey, QC, told the court that by his own admission, Chalmers was incompetent at forex trading but when the operation was set up there was no intention to deceive investors.

RAW MILK DEATH PROMPTS WARNING

NZ Herald, 12 Dec 2014

Authorities in New Zealand have issued a warning about unpasteurised milk after the death of an Australian child. The child's death and four other children falling seriously ill have been linked to the consumption of raw milk in Victoria. The state's health department issued a warning about drinking the raw milk, which was being sold in health food shops for cosmetic purposes.

The death of a 3-year-old had been referred to the coroner.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry for Primary Industries in New Zealand said there were risks associated with drinking raw milk. Producers of raw milk needed to tell their customers their product might contain bacteria that could cause illness, she said. Those particularly at risk were the young, old, pregnant and those whose immune system was weakened.

“We also advise producers to inform their customers that it is recommended to heat the milk to 70°C for a minute to reduce the risk of bacteria.”

The food safety risks associated with drinking raw milk needed to be carefully managed, which was why extensive consultation on the policy and rules applying to the sale of raw milk to consumers was recently undertaken, she said.

Federated Farmers dairy and food safety chairman Andrew Hoggard said sellers were required to make buyers “well aware” of the risks

“Being unpasteurised [drinkers] are really at risk of any bugs that the cows may have been in contact with and passed through their milk.”

Raw milk could not be kept for any length of time, Mr Hoggard said.

“It's important if you are going to buy the stuff, that you are going to get what you need for a day or two at the most and you don't overstock.”

Some New Zealand retailers have had to close down because they had not gotten the hygiene right, Mr Hoggard said. Australian chief health officer Rosemary Lester said raw milk, which was marketed as bath milk, could affect the kidneys, the bloodstream and cause watery diarrhoea if consumed.

PAKISTAN CRICKET PLAYER “TRAUMATISED” BY SUPERNATURAL PRESENCE IN CHRISTCHURCH HOTEL ROOM

NZ Herald, 27 Jan 2015

A touring Pakistan cricket player is reportedly “traumatised” and unable to train after complaining of a supernatural presence at his Christchurch hotel room.

The Pakistan team have been staying at Rydges Latimer Christchurch in the earthquake-devastated central city while they play some warm-up matches ahead of the Cricket World Cup which starts in New Zealand next month. But rising star Haris Sohail has been “freaked out” staying at the hotel. Pakistan media reports that the 26-year-old woke up in the night at the weekend terrified that there was a supernatural presence in his room.

Sohail believed that a ghost had pushed him while he was asleep, once source told NZME. News Service. He phoned team management and by the time they came to see him he had developed a high fever.

Team bosses convinced hotel management to change his room immediately, reports say. Comment was being sought from the Pakistan team management.

A spokesman for Rydges Latimer Christchurch last night said there was “no active ghost”.

“It's hard to believe,” he said. “They [Pakistan management] told me it was only a nightmare. I spoke with a team physiotherapist and other people on the team. He [Sohail] didn't come to me but they wanted him to move rooms. He's been sleeping in another room for about two night now.”

A source said the hotel – built after the February 22, 2011 earthquake which claimed 115 lives when the multi-storey Canterbury Television building collapsed just 100m away – has not received any similar complaints in the past.

Sohail didn't play during Pakistan's first warm-up match on Sunday at Lincoln outside Christchurch playing against New Zealand President XI, which they lost. Since his scare, Sohail has been unable to practice with the team, a source said.

“He's not trained for two days because he's so traumatised. He's pretty freaked out.” Sohail tweeted yesterday that Allah “always answers your duas”.

A follower replied: “@HarrisSohail89 it's nice to hear that you recovered from that incident in New Zealand. May Allah protect you.”

Sohail is playing Pakistan's second warm-up match against the New Zealand President XI at Lincoln again today. However, he failed to make much of a contribution with the bat, coming in at number 4 and scoring just 6 off 25 balls before falling to Logan van Beek.

FLU OUTBREAK HITS BABIES, TOTS HARDEST

NZ Herald, 10 Nov 2014

Hospital admissions for the flu and respiratory illness more than doubled 6 | NZ SKEPTIC Newsfront this year compared with last year – with babies and toddlers among the worst affected, a new study says.

Results from the third year of a five-year multimillion-dollar study also showed this year's flu season claimed four lives. There were no deaths last year.

The Southern Hemisphere Influenza and Vaccine Effectiveness Research and Surveillance (Shivers) study has been tracking patients admitted to Auckland District Health Board and Counties Manukau District Health Board hospitals with severe acute respiratory illness and those who went to their GP with flu symptoms.

Principal investigator Sue Huang said there were 109 patients admitted to the hospitals' intensive care units with influenza and respiratory illness this year, compared with 52 last year.

The study's co-lead investigator, Associate Professor Nikki Turner from Auckland University, said there wasn't any particular reason for the dramatic jump in numbers this year.

“Last year was a relatively quiet flu year. It's not that we're doing anything differently, but some years you have more community immunity.” Babies (under 1 year old) were hardest hit with the highest influenza hospitalisation rate – almost five times higher than children aged 1-4 years, the second-hardest hit age group, the study found. Last year, patients aged 5-19 years had the highest rate. The other group with high illness rates were those living in crowded and draughty housing conditions.

Dr Huang said the influenza vaccine was the main weapon to fight the virus. The predominant strain of flu to hit the population this year was the H1N1 strain, which the vaccine protected against. Vaccination doses had reached one million since 2009, but even more needed to take up the jab in order for hospital admission figures to decrease, she said. The vaccine was free for anyone aged over 65, anyone who suffered from specific medical conditions, and pregnant women.

Having the vaccine free for all would be “lovely”, but there were factors to consider such as the cost, she said. People in high-risk groups needed to think about vaccination for next year.