Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

Tuesday, 8 April 2003, 4:57 pm
Article: Alastair Thompson

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TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS
Starry Sky Tapestry Brings Feelings Of Peace
The Real Deal About Enron
Xtra Has A Couple Of Dumb Days
Hard News Is There
Babylon Express: McDonalds 13th Hour Peace Plan
South Coast Waves Big, But Not Really BIG!!!
FERC Delivers Wall St A Get Out Of Jail Free Card
Scoop Letters To The Editor: War Images Photo-Essays
Dennis Haliday On The Pentagon As Aid Agency
David Miller: Why Are The Kurds Fighting?
Stateside: Rosalea's War Diary - Monday

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics)
Govt Cracks Down On Child Sex Offenders
Kiwis Arrested In Aussie Military Action
Nats Allege Hawkins Mislead Parliament
Jim Sutton On Biosecurity
Cullen To Fill Beneficiaries Payback Hole
NZ Honours: Day Four
Nats Keep Clark Gore-Comment-Issue Rolling
Hodgson Details Govt Position On Energy
Govt Expands Positives Within UN Child Report
World Healthcare Day Timely: Robson

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...TODAY'S PHOTO STORY...

Aratere Battles 10m White Horses

http://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0304/554d4adeb6033e43b255.jpeg

Starry Sky Tapestry Brings Feelings Of Peace

- "I could not give my name to aid the slaughter in this war, fought on both sides for grossly material ends, which did not justify the sacrifice of a single mother's son. Clearly I must continue to oppose it, and expose it, to all whom I could reach with voice or pen." so said Sylvia Panckurst writing in The Home Front. Maree Howard writes. See... Promises Of Peace From a Starry Sky Tapestry [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0304/S00064.htm

The Real Deal About Enron

- "If my years working on the clean up of BCCI and the S&L crisis taught me one thing that I would communicate today to the shareholders, retirees and employees who have been harmed, it is this: people like those on the board of Enron absolutely make money from insider trading, bid rigging and fraud, and they do so with help from the highest levels." – Catherine Austin Fitts. See... The Real Deal About Enron (Part 3) – Interview [1] EARLIER:- (Part 1) - Introduction [2] - (Part 2) - Interview Begins [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0304/S00063.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0304/S00031.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0304/S00035.htm

Xtra Has A Couple Of Dumb Days

- A day's filming can now be fired back to the USA over a high-speed internet connection in just an hour or two. What could possibly go wrong? The answer is "a hell of a lot" if the movie companies have chosen to use Xtra as their ISP; and it's all thanks to a little clause in the Telecom subsidiary's new Service Terms. See... Aardvark: Xtra's Dumbest Ever Move [1] . Since publication of this report Xtra has ammended its terms of service. To see Aardvark's update see… Has Xtra Goofed Again? and for a word of warning about those terms of service agreements you very rarely read see... Look Before You Click

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0304/S00062.htm

Hard News Is There

- "Jesus!" exclaimed Peter Arnett as the dull whoomp of an explosion sounded. Then, whoomp , again. Arnett was in a media centre in central Baghdad, waiting to deliver a report by satellite to someone called Eric. I know, because he was near a live webcam … Hard News: Humming 'Que Sera Sera'

Babylon Express: McDonalds 13th Hour Peace Plan

- At 3:42am GMT fast-food chain McDonalds announced a scheme aimed at breaking the US-Iraq standoff, after a multimillion dollar consultancy with pundit Thomas Friedman, originator of the specious Golden Arches theory, which holds that America will not bomb any nation which has unquestioningly opened itself to exploitation by American companies, and accepts its economic and political subservience to the empire. See... Scoop Satire: McDonalds Launches Iraq Peace Plan [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0304/S00072.htm

South Coast Waves Big, But Not Really BIG!!!

- Images of the South Coast taken this morning at high tide. The waves were big, but nowhere near as big as the huge waves of Waitangi Day last year [1] which crashed up and over the Wellington South Coast Road and which led to the stranding of the Jody F. Millennium log carrier which attempted to leave the Gisborne port that day. See... Scoop Images: 10m White Horses On The South Coast [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0202/S00018.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0304/S00071.htm

FERC Delivers Wall St A Get Out Of Jail Free Card

- Two weeks ago, after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a staff report to Congress that said California’s electricity and natural gas markets were the victim of widespread manipulation by more than a dozen energy companies, the chairman of FERC and one of the agency’s commissioners took the unusual step of holding a private conference call with Wall Street analysts to calm jittery investors who feared the report would send energy company stocks plummeting. See... FERC Conversation With Wall St May Violate Fed Law [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0304/S00076.htm

Scoop Letters To The Editor: War Images Photo-Essays

- Having been a citizen of both countries (Iraq and Britain), and knowing how both peoples share the same values of decency, justice, respect for others, and most importantly, the preciousness of human life, it makes this horrific slaughter all the more devastating ... See... Feedback 1 - Tell Us: How Can This Be Liberation? [1] MORE: Feedback 2 - Tell Us: How Can This Be Liberation? [2] And MORE: Feedback 3 - Tell Us: How Can This Be Liberation? [3] See also Scoop War Images Feature Page [4] (Warning Graphic Content)

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0304/S00070.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0304/S00069.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0304/S00068.htm
[4] - http://scoop.co.nz/mason/features/?s=warimages

Dennis Haliday On The Pentagon As Aid Agency

- Iraqi People Facing Humanitarian Crisis as Pentagon Controls Aid Distribution, Excluding Relief Agencies - Interview with Denis Halliday, former United Nations Under-Secretary General and coordinator of Iraq's Oil for Food Program conducted by Scott Harris See... Pentagon Controls Aid Distribution in Iraqi Crisis [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0304/S00073.htm

David Miller: Why Are The Kurds Fighting?

- As the war in Iraq draws to a conclusion it is succeeding in presenting more questions than it is providing solutions. There is now a growing debate as to the fate of Saddam Hussein and the United States is already making plans for the reconstruction of Iraq’s economy and political structure once the fighting ends. See... What is in this war for the Kurds? [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0304/S00065.htm

Stateside: Rosalea's War Diary - Monday

- When I arrived in the Bay Area in December 1999, my unaccompanied luggage didn't so I had to take a bus trip to the San Francisco airport to try and track it down. This weekend I happened to take the same bus trip and was struck by a couple of differences ... See... That and that were then and then; this is now [1] EARLIER ROSALEA:- Sunday -Cherry tree, Washington [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0304/S00066.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0304/S00053.htm

- The government is considering new measures to improve the monitoring of convicted child sex offenders once they are released from prison, Justice Minister Phil Goff said today. See... Govt to expand monitoring of child sex offenders [1] MORE: - Dunedin scheme for managing child sex offenders [2] - Keeping the community safe from sex offenders [3] - ACT - Coddington Welcomes Goff's Support on Registry [4]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0304/S00137.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0304/S00140.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0304/S00139.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0304/S00149.htm

Kiwis Arrested In Aussie Military Action

- Sydney/Auckland, Tuesday, April 8, 2003: Greenpeace activists, including three New Zealanders, this morning blocked an Australian naval vessel, HMAS Sydney, departing for Iraq. See... Activists Block Australian Military Ship [1] ALSO: Two Kiwi Activists Arrested [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0304/S00057.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0304/S00056.htm

Nats Allege Hawkins Mislead Parliament

- National is laying a Privilege complaint over George Hawkins comments in Parliament over the rotting homes crisis, with the Speaker of the House. See... Minister mislead Parliament - National [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0304/S00146.htm

Jim Sutton On Biosecurity

- Chairman Murray Taggart, Ladies and Gentlemen: thank you for the invitation to speak with you today. See... Jim Sutton Speech to Federated Farmers [1] ALSO:- Greens - See... Sutton wrong to deny 100 per cent inspection [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0304/S00143.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0304/S00151.htm

Cullen To Fill Beneficiaries Payback Hole

- The government will legislate to address a problem which can require low income families to pay back some of their Family Assistance in years which have an extra payday, Revenue Minister Cullen announced today. See... Govt to remove Family Assistance problem [1] ALSO:- Greens - Greens question Maharey crackdown on beneficiaries [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0304/S00142.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0304/S00144.htm

NZ Honours: Day Four

- Please be advised of an Investiture ceremony for recipients of the New Zealand New Year Honours 2003. See... Tab Baldwin to receive honour [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0304/S00152.htm

Nats Keep Clark Gore-Comment-Issue Rolling

- Helen Clark's political gaffe - the suggestion that war in Iraq would not have happened under an Al Gore presidency - was not only extremely inappropriate but was also ill-informed, ACT New Zealand Deputy Leader Ken Shirley said today. See... Helen Clark Wrong About Al Gore [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0304/S00148.htm

Hodgson Details Govt Position On Energy

- Hodgson Address to joint breakfast meeting of the Wellington branches of the Institute of Electrical Engineers, the Institute of Professional Engineers and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers: James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor, Wellington.] See... Pete Hodgson Speech: The electricity market [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0304/S00136.htm

Govt Expands Positives Within UN Child Report

- Maharey Says New Zealand on the ‘right track’ according to latest research on programmes for at-risk children See... New Zealand on the ‘right track’ [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0304/S00135.htm

World Healthcare Day Timely: Robson

- Today, on World Health Day, we can celebrate the recent roll out of 22 new Public Health Organisations around the country providing cheaper health care for school aged children, but we need a further step, says Matt Robson, Deputy Leader of the Progressives. See... Free health care for ALL school children needed [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0304/S00141.htm

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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