Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

Wednesday, 5 April 2006, 12:40 am
Article: Alastair Thompson

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS:
Race Relations: Cullen Not Happy with UN Maori Report
SCOOP IS IN THE HOUSE:
Comedy Festival: Programme Launched with Lollies for Laughs Bribe
Dance: Botox Becomes The Stuff Of Art -
Police: Change At Top Of Thin Blue Line -
Kiwi Pride: Capital's Depression Looking Good -
Crime: Crime rate drops slightly
The Numbers Game: Forest Destruction
Australia: PM Howard Has Spoof Website Closed Down
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

SCOOP COLUMNS:
Daily Telegraph Reports Secret Iran Attack Meetings
Will Pitt On The Fall Of "The Hammer" Tom Delay
When Killing The Innocent Is No Longer Newsworthy
911Truth Reports On A Breakthrough Week
Bonus Joules Considers The Departure Of David Parker
MORE SCOOP COMMENT & OPINION:
Katya Rivas's Passion: Serialised For Lent (Part 23)

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics):
Electricity: Fitzsimons Encourages NZ to Relinquish Power
Politics: Cullen And Key Set To Spar Over Finance For A While Yet
Tertiary Education: Low-Value High-Volume Courses Targeted By Cullen -
Governors-General: Satyanand Shelves Retirement For Queen -
MORE POLITICAL HEADLINES:
POLITICAL COLUMNS

Race Relations: Cullen Not Happy with UN Maori Report

[1] Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen has described the final report of the UN Special Rapporteur for indigenous issues as disappointing, unbalanced and narrow. "It's hardly surprising that Mr Stavenhagen has come to selective conclusions when he only spent about eight working days consulting in the country all up. "As a result he has failed to grasp the importance of the special mechanisms we have in place to deal with Maori grievances and the progress successive governments have made," said Dr Cullen. See... Response to UN Special Rapporteur report [2] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00062.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00062.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0604/S00033.htm
[4] - http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/0604/srnzmarch06.pdf
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00058.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00061.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00065.htm

SCOOP IS IN THE HOUSE:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00071.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00063.htm

Comedy Festival: Programme Launched with Lollies for Laughs Bribe

- The Wellington programme for the 2006 New Zealand International Comedy Festival was lauched today. The festival runs from May 15 to June 3. In Cuba Mall Wellington comedians Steve Wrigley and Greg Ellis (aka"Helmut" and "Heinrich") helped lauch the programme with their "Laughing Yoga" exercises. Their work involved offering sweeties to passers-by - but in a "non-sleazy" way. See... Scoop Images: Comedy Festival Programme Launch [1] MORE HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00042.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00064.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0604/S00008.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0604/S00013.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0604/S00026.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0604/S00004.htm

Dance: Botox Becomes The Stuff Of Art -

Makeovers get a makeover in a funny, insightful and questioning new dance work created by Raewyn Hill - one of New Zealand's most innovative contemporary dance choreographers - and performed by Footnote Dance in the inaugural Footnote Forte Season, opening in Christchurch this Thursday. A parade of cosmetic surgery procedures, eating disorders, body waxing and Botox shots all get prodded and explored in Hill's new dance commission. See... Makeovers Get A Makeover In New Dance Work [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0604/S00032.htm

Police: Change At Top Of Thin Blue Line -

Prime Minister Helen Clark and Police Minister Annette King today announced the appointments of Howard Broad as Commissioner of Police and Rob Pope as Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations). Both appointments are for terms of five years, and the Government has also decided to re-appoint Lyn Provost for a further five-year term as Deputy Commissioner of Police (Resource Management). See... Commissioner of Police & Deputies Appointed [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00039.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00044.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0604/S00029.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0604/S00034.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00045.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0604/S00028.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0604/S00033.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0604/S00041.htm

Kiwi Pride: Capital's Depression Looking Good -

Part of Wellington's business district was quarantined on Sunday and transformed into a rain-slicked city avenue straight out of the 1930s, decked out with gleaming classic cars, chaps with natty spats and Errol Flynn moustaches, and girls resplendent in Louise Brooks curls and fox-fur coats. See... 'Wellywood Goes 1930s For The Day' [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00039.htm

Crime: Crime rate drops slightly

- The total volume of recorded crime in the last calendar year remained at a similar level to 2004, rising 0.3% in the total number of offences. This equates to a 0.6% reduction per head of population, the Acting Commissioner of Police, Steve Long, said today. The total number of offences in 2005 was 407,496, compared with 406,232 in 2004 and 442, 489 in 2003. This drops New Zealand's recorded crime rate below the 1,000 offences per 10,000 population mark to 994.2, compared with 1,000.5 in 2004 and 1,103.7 in 2003. See... Recorded Crime Remains Steady [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0604/S00014.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0604/S00020.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00016.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00025.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00055.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00029.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00030.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00066.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0604/S00026.htm

The Numbers Game: Forest Destruction

- Imagine a football pitch as you've seen it many times. It's a bit less than one hectare in area. Now imagine that same football pitch packed end-to-end with a pile of wood around twice the height of Mt. Everest. That's the amount of forest that is imported into China every year, and the pile is getting higher. The developed industrial economies of North America, Europe, Japan and South Korea are timber gluttons and consume more timber than the planet can sustainably provide. That's the bad news. The worse news is that… See... The Numbers Game: Forest Destruction [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0604/S00049.htm

Australia: PM Howard Has Spoof Website Closed Down

- Reporters Without Borders voiced shock today at the methods used by the office of Australian Prime Minister John Howard to censor parody website johnhowardpm.org, on which political commentator Richard Neville posted a spoof speech by Howard about the presence of Australian troops in Iraq. The prime minister's office had the website closed down on March 14 by going to Melbourne IT, the company that administers its domain name. "All the world's leaders are subject to parody and the Australian prime minister should learn to live with it rather than banning it," Reporters Without Borders said. See... Australia: PM Howard Has Spoof Website Closed Down [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0604/S00056.htm

MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0604/S00058.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0604/S00061.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0604/S00054.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0604/S00050.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0604/S00047.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0604/S00046.htm

Daily Telegraph Reports Secret Iran Attack Meetings

- The [UK] Government is to hold secret talks with defence chiefs tomorrow to discuss possible military strikes against Iran. A high-level meeting will take place in the Ministry of Defence at which senior defence chiefs and government officials will consider the consequences of an attack on Iran. See... UK Govt. In Secret Talks About Strike Against Iran [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00065.htm

Will Pitt On The Fall Of "The Hammer" Tom Delay

- Stone the crows. Tom DeLay is checking out. "I'm going to announce tomorrow that I'm not running for reelection and that I'm going to leave Congress," said DeLay on Monday. "I'm very much at peace with it." This is the man who once said, in a debate about the minimum wage, "Emotional appeals about working families trying to get by on $4.25 an hour are hard to resist. Fortunately, such families do not exist." See... William Rivers Pitt: He's Gone [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00057.htm

When Killing The Innocent Is No Longer Newsworthy

- US soldiers killing innocent civilians in Iraq is not news. Just as it was not news that US soldiers slaughtered countless innocent civilians in Vietnam. However, when some rare reportage of this non news from Iraq does seep through the cracks of the corporate media, albeit briefly, the American public seems shocked. Private and public statements of denial and dismissal immediately start to fill the air. We hear, "American soldiers would never do such a thing," or "Who would make such a ridiculous claim?" See... Dahr Jamail: How Massacres Become the Norm [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00051.htm

911Truth Reports On A Breakthrough Week

- We always knew that one good news event exposing the official deception of 9/11 could be the catalyst to unravel the Big Lie. We didn't know there would be several news events in one week! Now we see what it looks like when the truth breaks loose. See... The Week The USA Went Down The 911 Rabbit Hole [1] MORE:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00047.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00049.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00048.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00031.htm

Bonus Joules Considers The Departure Of David Parker

- New Zealand – land of the long white cloud. Or should that read land of the long dark shroud. Our Parliament is cloaked in ignorance, confusion, obscuration and pure nastiness and the statistics of our carbon emissions form a pall over the nation. The sacking of the Minister for Transport, Energy and Climate Affairs deepens the murk. See... Bonus Joules: Suffocating Images [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00041.htm

MORE SCOOP COMMENT & OPINION:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00063.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00037.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00028.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00040.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00036.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00058.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00061.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00059.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00035.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00064.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00062.htm
[12] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00056.htm
[13] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00055.htm
[14] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00054.htm
[15] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00053.htm
[16] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00052.htm
[17] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00050.htm
[18] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00034.htm
[19] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00033.htm
[20] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00032.htm

Katya Rivas's Passion: Serialised For Lent (Part 23)

- Holy Friday was followed by the glorious dawn of the Sunday of the Resurrection. If I have decided not to destroy the world, it means that I want to renew it and rejuvenate it. The old trees need to lose their leaves and be pruned so that they can give new sprouts. And the old branches, the dry leaves, are to be burned. See... Katya Rivas: The Resurrection of Jesus [1] SEE ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00046.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00030.htm

Electricity: Fitzsimons Encourages NZ to Relinquish Power

- With winter just around the corner now is a good time to remind ourselves to use electricity carefully, Government Spokesperson on Energy Efficiency Jeanette Fitzsimons says. "Hydro lake levels have been falling steadily since early February and are now below average for this time of year." See... Now is the time to save energy for a rainy day [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00048.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0604/S00083.htm

Politics: Cullen And Key Set To Spar Over Finance For A While Yet

- Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen today clarified his political future at the end of a press conference dealing with changes to New Zealand's tertiary education funding. The Prime Minister's failure to guarantee Dr Cullen's position as Minister of Finance in perpetuity in an interview had led to media and opposition speculation of Dr Cullen's imminent demise. See... Chirpy Cullen Quashes Career Speculation [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00038.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00027.htm

Tertiary Education: Low-Value High-Volume Courses Targeted By Cullen -

It is vital the tertiary education sector does better in producing the quality graduates we need to drive economic transformation, Tertiary Education Minister Michael Cullen said today. Dr Cullen today outlined the objectives for the next stage of reforms that the government began in 2000. "Now is the time to take the next steps to ensure the sector produces more of the kinds of skilled graduates we need to help drive the transformation of New Zealand into a high wage, knowledge-based economy. See... Future directions for funding tertiary orgs. [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00046.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00043.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00047.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00050.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00066.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0604/S00010.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0604/S00012.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0604/S00011.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0604/S00013.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0604/S00014.htm

Governors-General: Satyanand Shelves Retirement For Queen -

Prime Minister Helen Clark today welcomed the announcement that the Queen has approved the appointment of Judge Anand Satyanand to succeed Dame Silvia Cartwright as Governor-General of New Zealand. “Judge Satyanand will bring many personal strengths to the role of Governor-General, including a broad knowledge of the workings of government and the law, as well as a deep appreciation of the different groups and communities which make up contemporary New Zealand. See... Anand Satyanand the next Governor-General [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00035.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00031.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00032.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0604/S00035.htm

MORE POLITICAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00052.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00057.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00056.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00053.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00064.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00038.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00060.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00059.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00044.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00067.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00041.htm
[12] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00036.htm

POLITICAL COLUMNS

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00042.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0604/S00012.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0603/S00599.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00043.htm

ENDS

© 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.

Contact Alastair Thompson

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