Newsfront

GHOST HAUNTS OKATO PUB

Stuff, 3 Jul 2015

Living with a ghost hellbent on messing with neatly hung pictures has become a daily chore for the Stony River Hotel proprietors.

Every morning, Renate and Heimo Staudinger routinely walk through their Okato establishment in Taranaki restraightening frames they believe have been moved by their resident spirit – a 35-year-old woman who died more than a century ago. Even after the pictures were further fixed to the walls, they continued to be moved, Heimo said. “I went through and blu-tacked the frames to the wall, but still, they move.”

Displaced images were not the only indication the couple has an otherworldy flatmate, he said. The pair, who moved to New Zealand from Austria in 2009, frequently returned home to find lights switched on.

“I came home and saw the lights on from outside and said to Renate ‘why didn't you turn the lights off ' and when I was going upstairs and when I came in the room it was turned off. So I knew something was going on, something funny,” he said. Doors in the building were also known to open and close without explanation.

The Staudingers talked about the prospect a resident ghost was messing with their hotel when they first took over the building in 2013, but it was not until they had a visitor who claimed to be attuned to the spirit world that their suspicions were confirmed.

Heimo said they discussed the paranormal activity with their guest who investigated the situation. When she walked around the 140-year-old building she could sense a presence, he said.

“She had connected to a woman, to a ghost who lives in our hotel.”

She told the Staudinger it was a friendly 35-year-old woman who died more than a century ago and now dwells in the country hotel. A photo taken by Heimo captured an elongated glow with a green fringe floating in the restaurant's dinning room. Skeptics have suggested the light was an illumination from the nearby fridge. But Heimo said the appliance did not have a light and of the 10 photos he consecutively snapped only one exhibited the glow.

Being in the presence of a suspected ghost was a first for the Staudingers but they have taken to the situation with an open mind. And the couple agree “she” was more than welcome to stick around.

“We felt from the beginning very safe, it was a very different feeling to all of the other houses,” Renate said. “It was never scary, it was always a feeling of ‘we are not alone'. And I think she is happy she is not alone anymore.”

HUNTING FOR CLUES IN HAMILTON'S HAUNTED PLACES

Stuff, 25 Jul 2015

Hamilton man Josh Carroll is skeptical of haunted places.

It's strange because he is a paranormal investigator. He detests the term ‘ghost hunter': “It's appalling. It brings up connotations that we're seeking them out like they're some sort of prey that we're going to capture and deal with.”

Since he was a child he has always been “spirit sensitive.” It's what started him out in this work 25 years ago.

“I've always been able to sense things and see things other people weren't … It used to terrify me when I was a child, but as I've got older it just started really fascinating me … When I was a teenager I used to go to abandoned buildings by myself and check things out.”

He had been working solo up until last week, Carroll assembled a paranormal team. They are called Midnight Paranormal Hamilton and they research and investigate claims of paranormal activity in the Waikato. Carroll said he has had a lot of work in Frankton. But many in Waikato don't know the group exists.

“A lot of people, especially in the Waikato, have no idea that there are actually people around that they can contact, that will take them seriously and listen.”

His team work for free and all of the spirit detecting equipment Carroll owns he pays for out of his own pocket. He has a range of audio devices and basic digital cameras. “I also use EMF (electro magnetic field) detectors, which electricians use to check out electro magnetic fields that are coming off electrical equipment and appliances and wall plugs,” he said. He also uses land and building information to assist in ruling out causes.

“Every case we go into the house and we rule out natural causes for what they're experiencing. Whether it's electrical, plumbing, structural (house) and what the environment is like.” He says it's his thorough research that rules out the paranormal in most cases, with the remaining 25 percent of his cases termed unexplainable.

But he can't prove without doubt they are haunted.

“You can never say 100 percent because it's an unproven science. No one in the field can claim they have 100 percent proof,” Carroll says. “We can show the client what information we've gathered; whether it's audio, pictures or something else and discuss it with them.”

Midnight Paranormal Hamilton doesn't cleanse places of spirits. Carroll is skeptical of psychics and mediums; if clients want their home cleansed of what they might think are unwanted spirits he suggests going to see a church.

He also detests paranormal hunting shows on YouTube – they're too dramatic.

Vicki Hyde, spokesperson for NZ Skeptics said although these types of stories are entertaining they should be taken with a grain of salt.

“We are always going to have unexplained things, we live in a world we don't know 100 percent of what goes on. However it's a big jump to go from ‘I feel weird in this room' to ‘that must mean there is life after death and there are ghosts haunting this house',” she said.

If there was scientifically validated evidence of hauntings it would be worldwide news. That simply hadn't happened...“Take it with a pinch of salt.”

WITCH DOCTORS TARGETING VULNERABLE KIWIS

3 News, 26 Jul 2015

Indian witch doctors are arriving in New Zealand on tourist or temporary work visas and duping vulnerable Kiwis into forking out thousands of dollars. One Auckland man has lost almost $12,000, and after being alerted by 3 News, Immigration New Zealand says it's investigating.

Indian Community Leader Pratima Nand is on a crusade against what she calls “witch doctors”. She's gone undercover with 3 News and says they're using New Zealand as a test market.

“They are destroying families, they are sucking people in. A friend of mine has been sucked up to $1400 with no results. Somebody has to take action,” she says.

Witchcraft practitioners in South Auckland are not hard to find. In one newspaper alone there were three ads, all offering 100 percent lifelong protection from black magic, money problems and marriage problems.

Most witch doctors are here on tourist or temporary work visas and they advertise hourly on a local Indian TV channel, Apna.

3 News found one healer in South Auckland in a tiny room behind a legitimate clothing store in Otahuhu. Ms Nand told him a false story of wanting to reunite with her husband after 17 years. She's told 15 prayers will cost her $420.

Ms Nand says she was given a small container and told to take it to the bank and put the money in it. “He said all the black magic will get trapped into this and then I give back to him with the money.”

Six days later at her next visit, the healer told her the black magic had grown so strong she was told he must pray another nine times – but he will need more cash.

3 News paid a visit to the witch doctor to clarify some things. He wouldn't front, but his wife did.

“We are praying to God,” she says.

She says they do not accept any money from anyone and there is no guarantee they can solve any problems.

Nearby in Papatoetoe there is a different healer with the same story. A woman was also the only one to front when 3 News visited.

Immigration New Zealand says it has “identified several individuals who appear to be involved in this type of activity and we are currently investigating”.

“We are unable to make any substantive comment while that investigation is underway.”

It says anyone receiving payment for this type of activity would be in breach of his or her visa conditions, regardless of whether they're in New Zealand on a visitor or temporary work visa. For at least half a dozen Indian healers in Wellington and Auckland, officials say that now means deportation.

GIRL READS WHILE BLINDFOLDED

Stuff, 29 Jul 2015

A girl who claims to be able to read while blindfolded has given a demonstration in Rotorua – part of an effort to spread awareness of the benefits of having your ‘third eye' awakened.

The third eye, also known as the inner eye, is described as an invisible eye which believers claim provides perception beyond ordinary sight and is a gateway to higher consciousness. It is believed through the awakening of the third eye, a person can see while blindfolded, sense ‘diseased organs' in a body and read minds, among other superhuman powers.

The demonstration was hosted by the Rotorua Life Bliss Foundation group at Waiariki Institute of Technology yesterday, and was attended by about 30 people.

Ma Nithya Maheshwarananda, 12, from Dallas, USA, was blindfolded. Members of the audience gave her various reading material, including a business card, a flyer and a Rotorua Daily Post article – all of which she read aloud word-for-word.

At least two people, including a Rotorua Daily Post photographer, tested the blindfold and said they could not see through it in any direction. Ma Nithya Maheshwarananda said she had her third eye awakened about a year ago while attending a holistic school which taught vedic sciences alongside mainstream education.

Rotorua's Keith Garratt is a New Zealand Skeptics committee member. He said the society always tried to seek a rational explanation before believing such claims.

“I don't know what people saw or whether it seems to be miraculous or not but there have been many illusionists and magicians who appear to do things that are miraculous but don't claim that it's supernatural,” Mr Garratt said.

Life Bliss New Zealand member Barbara Hock said her response to skeptics was always the same. “If you don't believe it, just try a meditation first. If it feels good and you like it, try some more. Everyone has the ability to have their third eye awakened but those skeptics who are so adamant that it's a lie and need to prove themselves to be right may not be able to experience it.”

She said she had attended the three-week programme.

“I can read while blindfolded but if I am put on the spot or feel too much pressure, I can't do it, I need to practise more to be able to block out those insecurities and baggage.”

UNVACCINATED NURSES WHO REFUSED FLU JABS SENT HOME

NZ Herald, 1 Aug 2015

Three Waikato Hospital nurses have been suspended for defying a controversial new policy forcing non-vaccinated workers to either get flu jabs or wear face masks.

Waikato District Health Board has defended its stance, saying any staff member who refused to comply could face the sack. Last month the board became the first in the country to make it compulsory for unvaccinated staff to wear masks, to protect employees and patients from the flu.

Last night it confirmed that four workers, understood to be nurses, had since been identified as being “noncompliant” with the new policy – a move unions have branded as heavy-handed and “bullying”.

Three of the workers were suspended and given an opportunity to “review the clinical evidence” and meet their supervisors about the issue, the DHB said. All had since returned to work. The fourth staffer was made subject to “restrictions”.

The DHB refused to say last night how long the workers were suspended or whether they agreed to vaccinations in order to return to work. While no staff have yet taken legal action over the policy, the DHB has been served with a claim by several unions challenging it.

A DHB spokesman reiterated that any staff who worked in clinical areas and were not prepared to be immunised or wear a mask would be removed from active clinical duty.

“If following further discussion a solution is not reached, then it is foreseeable that employment will be terminated.”

One staff member told the Weekend Herald that while she personally didn't have an issue with the policy, some staff had been “very vocal”, protesting it was bullying behaviour. The DHB, however, claimed the policy had had “widespread acceptance” and contributed to a big increase in staff getting vaccinated. More than 75 per cent had – an improvement on last year's 53 per cent.

“When considering that our employee numbers are in excess of 6,500, the reality is that almost all staff are getting on with doing their duties and they recognise that the intent of the policy is to provide a safer clinical environment for our patients and fellow employees,” the spokesman said.

But the Nurses Organisation sees the measure as a “punitive action” against staff, some of whom have turned to the union for support.

“Whether the DHB can legally suspend staff and discipline them is unknown,” said the union's industrial adviser Lesley Harry. “However, we believe the DHB has failed in its obligations to adequately consult with unions both in respect of the implementation of the policy and its impact on the workforce.”

Ms Harry said that while the Nurses Organisation supported education on vaccination, as well as making jabs readily available to staff, Waikato DHB had gone too far.

“We think forcing healthy nurses to wear masks when dealing with patients and their families regardless of circumstances is bullying behaviour,” she said. “It doesn't make sense to suspend a nurse, send her or him home and leave the work area short-staffed and unsafe for patients.”

The Public Service Association also condemned the policy, calling it the “latest from employers who do not listen to their staff and prefer using the stick over the carrot”. And the executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, Ian Powell, was concerned the policy could lead to “naming, shaming and blaming” of unvaccinated staff.

The office of Health Minister Jonathan Coleman said he could not comment on what was an operational matter for the DHB.

More than 1.2 million influenza vaccinations have been administered as the illness soars to epidemic levels, similar to the situation in 2010 and 2012, when some patients died. The last weekly influenza report from ESR shows 319 suspected cases were reported in the week to Sunday, up from 184 in the previous week.

WI-FI GADGETS LINKED TO CANCER RISK

NZ Herald, 2 Aug 2015

Mobile phones, laptops and wi-fi may increase your chance of cancer and other brain diseases, researchers warn.

Supporting claims that wireless devices carry a health risk, a study showed they may help cause a metabolic imbalance linked to brain tumours and other neurological disorders including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

But other experts insisted that while the science in the study was sound, the risk to human health was still tiny and cautioned against an alarmist reaction to the findings.

The research, published in the Electromagnetic Biology & Medicine Journal, was led by Dr Igor Yakymenko from Kiev.

It looked at the effect of low-intensity radiofrequency radiation (RFR) emitted by wireless devices, using studies from the US, Finland and Ukraine that mostly examined the effect of RFR on rats.

Prolonged exposure was found to cause the body to release harmful molecules known as free radicals which can damage DNA, causing tumours and other disorders, unless they are “cleaned up” by antioxidants – such as those commonly found in berries, tea and red wine.

Dr Yakymenko said there was evidence that four years of using a mobile phone for at least an hour a day increased the incidence of some rare brain tumours by three to five times. The amount of RFR we are routinely exposed to has increased 5,000 times in the past 20 years and although health risks are low, ailments can take up to 30 years to develop, he added.

The study suggested keeping mobile phone use to a minimum and always using headphones. But Sarah Williams, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “It's unlikely that using mobile phones causes brain tumours. Over the last two decades, mobile phone use has rocketed in the UK but we haven't seen any similar rise in the rates of brain tumours.”