The Wednesday Wire with Paul Deady 05/08/09

1220 - Dead Dogs, Dead Kids? Dr Denise Barnfather

Sometime around 1220 we'll hear fromm (above) from the Auckland Regional Public Health Service. She'll fill us in on the details of their warning to stay away from Hauraki Gulf beaches. Two dogs are dead, several more have become seriously ill, and birds and fish have been washing up dead on beaches all over Auckland's east coast. So the warning's not only against taking dogs to the beach, but CHILDREN too. Until MAF can figure out what exactly it is killing animals, they've said to steer clear of the beach, stay out of the water, and don't eat the kaimoana! So listen in for the latest at 1220.

1240 - Night Class cuts - Maryke Fordyce, President of Community Learning Association Through Schools.

At 1240 I'll play an interview I did earlier today with (above). This morning Maryke, along with a number of other concerned players in the Adult Community Education scene, met with Education Minister Anne Tolley to lay their cards on the table, and urge her to reconsider the government's proposed slashing of $54million for adult education and night classes. The government says they're not interested in hobby courses, and instead want to focus on improving literacy, numeracy, and employment skills. So how useful was the meeting? And is it game over for those concerned with the budget cuts? Find out at 1240.

1300 - Melbourne Terror Raids - Greg Barton, director of Monash University’s Centre for Islam and the Modern World

At one I'll be talking to (above) about yesterday's raids in Melbourne that foiled a terror attack on Australian military bases in Sydney. What does this demonstrate about the nature of extremism both WITHIN and outside Australia's borders, why is Islamic militancy still an attractive option for some dispossessed young men, and are there any answers?

1320 - Counterclockwise

Mr Lyndon Hood joins us from Scoop HQ in Wellington for counterclockwise today. A week of minor scandal in our corridors of power - MPs rorting the allowances system (a bit), protests and an arrest on the steps of the government grounds, and a disgraced former MP facing time behind bars. Juicy!

1340 - Book She Read

And Sally's back today with a long-awaited installment of Book She Read. Today, she'll be taking a look at last week's Montana Award winners, and flicking through the latest unauthorised bio of former Prime Minister Helen Clark. Did someone say black-booted sex bomb? Only the media looking for a meaty angle. Is the rest of the book equally salacious?

ENDS

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