Today's Top Scoops - August 07, 2007
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LEAD STORY------------
Scoop News: Inability To 'Regurgitate' Setchell Convo Defended - Audio + Text: Scoop's Kevin List reports on the PM's Post Cabinet press conference: The Prime Minister for yet another week spent a good part of her post cabinet press conference defending the public service over the long running 'Setchell affair.' More >> [1]
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NZ POLITICS------------
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY: Questions For Oral Answer - Tuesday, 7 August 2007 [1]
Scoop News: Paul Buchanan To Challenge Auckland Uni Dismissal - UPDATED WITH FORMER STUDENT RESPONSES: Scoop co-editor Selwyn Manning reports that security and intelligence academic Paul Buchanan has been dismissed from
his senior lecturer role in the political studies department of Auckland University. Paul Buchanan is a regular
commentator for Scoop Media on intelligence and security matters and recently wrote the book: With Distance Comes
Perspective. Former graduate and post-graduate students have rallied to his defence, stating the University has lost a
gifted and honourable lecturer. More >> [1]
ALSO:Scoop News - Feedback : Students Respond to Paul Buchanan's Dismissal [2] Association of University Staff - Statement regarding dismissal of Dr Paul Buchanan [3] 95bfm - 95bFM: The Tuesday Wire with Kim Choe - 7/8/07 [4]
Legal Issues: Sex Abuse Book Case Re-Emerges - It may be no Harry Potter, but the sex abuse book-that-won't go away is back, following a New Zealand Court of Appeal
ruling - with certain conditions. The Court of Appeal's decision to lift the ban previously imposed on Foxton author
Anne Hunt's book which alleges sex abuse by a health professional who was cleared of charged against him. The book
claims that a therapist, named "A", abused a party, named "W", during therapy. More >> [1]
Laws: Report on Search and Surveillance Powers - "The Law on Search and surveillance in New Zealand is a mess", Sir Geoffrey Palmer, the President of the Law
Commission said today. He was releasing the Law Commission's report on this subject that was tabled in Parliament today.
Sir Geoffrey said "the rule of law in our society depends upon having certain and principled law enforcement powers. New
Zealand does not currently have that.". More >> [1]
ALSO:NZ Govt - Law Commission on "Search and Surveillance powers" [2]
Child Abuse: 3 Minute Silence Planned - This Wednesday... the Sensible Sentencing Trust, Family First NZ and For the Sake of Our Children Trust are asking
Kiwis to stop whatever they are doing... and make a symbolic 'stand' against child abuse for three minutes at 12:12pm. More >> [1]
ALSO:Sensible Sentencing Trust - Nia: Face of the past and future [2] Family First - Call for Nationwide 'Stand' Against Child Abuse [3] Nelson Cathedral - 'Three minutes silence' against child abuse [4] United Future - Dunne suggests new sentencing options for abusers [5] Sensible Sentencing Trust - Sparks Sure To Fly As Maori Leaders Front-Up [6] Muriel Newman - The Unspeakable Question [7] Direct Democracy - "Village" killed this child, says Direct Democracy [8] Scoop Full Coverage - Child Abuse NZ July 2007 [9]
Crime: Youth Justice Stats Deserve Careful Analysis - Dr Pita Sharples is calling today for careful analysis regarding the latest report on youth justice system and Maori
youth offending. "The last thing this country needs is 'more demonising of Maori'" More >> [1]
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BUSINESS SCIENCE & TECH------------
Astronomy: International Space Station to pass in front of NZ moon - Tomorrow morning Wednesday at 06:23 the International Space Station will be seen to pass in front of the moon for
some areas in the southeast of the North Island. The best sites to see this are likely to be Upper Hutt, Wainuiomata,
Eastbourne, Whiteman's Valley and Stokes Valley or the Southern Wairarapa. Some locations close to this area will see
the station as passing very close to the moon. More >> [1]
Economy: Strong Kiwi Dollar Drives Large Car Sales - Kiwis' love affair with large vehicles is back on track with demand for larger sized cars increasing by 13 per cent
in the second quarter of 2007, according to used car sales statistics released today by Turners Auctions. This increase
means the larger category of cars (3000cc and above) now accounts for 9.6 per cent of Turners' overall sales More>> [1]
Media: Wake Up And Enjoy A Slice Of Jam Toast With Pippa - Pippa Wetzell has been appointed as the new co-host of Breakfast, TVNZ's early morning news and current affairs
programme, joining host Paul Henry and ONE News anchor Peter Williams. TVNZ Head of News and Current Affairs, Anthony
Flannery said he was delighted to announce the appointment. Pippa has the rare combination of hard news experience and
on-screen magic More>> [1]
Building: Public Invited To Throw Stones At Green Houses Policy - A world-first proposal to require assessment of the overall carbon cost of producing, maintaining and using new
buildings is the centrepiece of a new discussion document released today by Building and Construction Minister Clayton
Cosgrove. The Minister has invited feedback on the discussion document which includes a proposal to require the
'embodied energy' of building components to be taken into account when designing buildings. More >> [1]
ALSO:Green Building Council - Building Code Discussion Document [2] Woodco - Wood Industry Congratulates on Building Code [3]
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WORLD------------
White House News: Remarks by President Bush and Afghan President Karzai - "There is still a fight going on, but I'm proud to report to the American people that the Afghan army is in the
fight. The government is in the fight and the army is in the fight. Afghan national security forces are increasing in
strength; there's about 110,000 Afghans now defending their nation," -- President George Bush. More >> [1]
War & Peace: Darfur Rebels Vow To Work Together Towards Peace - The representatives of the rebel movements agreed to present a common platform on the sharing of power and wealth,
security arrangements, land and humanitarian issues, and they also recommended that final talks towards a political
solution to the Darfur conflict be held in two or three months' time. More >> [1]
People Power: Iraqi Citizens Oust Terrorists from Mosque - Fed-up with violent and indiscriminate terror tactics, a group of more than 80 residents of the Adhamiyah district,
Baghdad, banded together yesterday to oust suspected terrorists from a local mosque, resulting in the arrest of 44
suspected terrorists and the capture of three weapons caches. More >> [1]
Pakistan News: UN Experts Welcome Reinstatement Of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry - Two United Nations experts today welcomed the reinstatement of Pakistani Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry by the
Supreme Court after being suspended this March by President Pervez Musharraf over unspecified allegations of "misuse of
office." More >> [1]
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COMMENT------------
Scoop Satire: Michael Collins - Congress Authorizes Wire Tapping President - In the latest stealth move by Congressional Democrats, a secret provision was inserted in the modified Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) cleared by the House and Senate this weekend just before the summer recess.
Conceived by the House Blue Dog Democrats and their Senate collaborators, the plan resulted... More >> [1]
US Elections: Paper Ballots For California! - In a dramatic late-night press conference, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen decertified, and then
recertified with conditions, all but one voting system used in the state. Her decisions, following her unprecedented,
independent "Top-to-Bottom... More >> [1]
ALSO: John Gideon - Daily Voting News For August 5, 2007 [2] Scoop Link - Is California GOP Trying to Steal the 08 Election [3] Scoop Link - 39 California Counties' Vote Systems in Question [4] BradBlog.com - CA Diebold Voting Machines Can Be Hacked With Virus [5]
Ramzy Baroud: Alberto Gonzales and the Coup Against Democracy -The name of Alberto Gonzales is rapidly becoming synonymous with all that has gone wrong under the Bush
administration. Repeated media discussions of the US Secretary of State in the most contentious tones have served to lay
the blame for all the ailments that infected American democracy under Bush squarely on one man's shoulders... More >> [1]
David Swanson: Senator Dodd Thinks You're Stupid - In a report on a recent discussion between Senator Chris Dodd, Democratic candidate for president, and a group of
bloggers, we learn that: 1. Even though 54% of Americans favor impeaching Cheney, and 40% oppose, Dodd opposes
impeachment because, he says, he bases his actions on what the average American thinks, and... More >> [1]
Uri Avnery: White Elephants - THE KING of Siam knew how to deal with domestic opponents: he would present them with a white elephant. White
elephants are rare in nature, and therefore sacred. Being sacred, they may not be put to work. But even a sacred
elephant does eat, and eat a lot. Enough to turn a rich man into a pauper... More >> [1]
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LIFESTYLE------------
Spareroom Video: Dramatic Sea Rescues - By Ana Samways: This video has been dubbed the 'Top Ten Rescue Videos of All-Time' by the US Coast Guard, who have
got down with the web-lingo, compiled their footage and uploaded it to YouTube themselves. The clips are rated both on
the significance of each particular case, as well as the dramatic footage of the rescues. More >> [1]
Coding: Kiwi team gears up for Geek Olympics - Kiwi team gears up for Geek Olympics On Saturday 18 August 2007, web teams from Australia and New Zealand will
compete in Sydney to build a fully-operational website for a non-profit organisation in 24 hours.The All Blacks have
held on to the Bledisloe Cup. Can our 'Code Blacks' match their success and come home winners? More >> [1]
ALSO:Science Headlines - Science Headlines - Countdown to the Olympics [2]
Scoop News: Show Biz: LonelyGirl15 Killed Off In Final Episode - Myspacers and Youtubers will be mourning the loss of Lonelygirl15... whose character Bree was killed off in the final
episode in the internet-sensation mock-reality woes of a young American teenager. Bree was played by ex-pat New
Zealander Jessica Lee Rose. More >> [1]
History: Turnbull Library Acquires Historic Aviation Photos - The Alexander Turnbull Library has recently acquired the photographs of White's Aviation Ltd. This collection,
consisting of nearly 90,000 negatives, and 50,000 prints, significantly strengthens the Library's coverage of
20th-century New Zealand. More >> [1]
Parenting: Toy libraries offer families huge savings - Today marks the beginning of Toy Library Awareness week which encourages parents of young children across New Zealand
to join up to their local toy library where they can borrow a wide range of toys for just a fraction of the cost of
buying them new. More >> [1]
And those were the Top Scoops on this day, August 07, 2007
:)
ENDS