Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics (Xmas Edition)

Tuesday, 23 December 2003, 4:51 pm
Article: Alastair Thompson

Please note: This is the final edition of Top Scoops & Just Politics for 2003. Full normal service will resume on January 12th.

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS
LEAD STORY:
Unbundling Local Loop Recommended To Enhance Broadband
Report Released: State Of The Nation’s Health
NZ NEWS HEADLINES:
English Tabloid Reports Saddam Really Captured By Kurds
INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

SCOOP COLUMNS:
Guest Comment: The Gospel According To St Marketing
Scoop Images: A Virtual Stopover In Bahrain
Hard News Is There!
Martin LeFevre: Time
Bev Harris: Time To Disinfect The US Voting System
A Judge From the Philippines Writes About Human Trafficking
Saddam Capture: Greg Palast Interview On Between The Lines
Saddam Capture: What Price Saddam?
Saddam Capture Cartoon: Rumsfeld's Dream Time
Daily Katya Rivas

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics)
Parliament's "Worst Behaved MP" Delivers A Broadside
ACT's Letter – Christmas Edition
Views On Trade With Thailand Sought By Minister
Anti-GE Campaigners Keep Up The Fight Against Onions
Phil Goff On 'Clean Slate' Law Proposals
Nats Seek Inquiry Into Export Education Problems
Keith Locke's Christmas Wishes
DoC & PM's Mountain Guide Talking Sense - Franks
If Santa Crashes His Sleigh
Transport Plans Falling Apart Already – Dr Brash

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...TODAY'S PHOTO STORY...

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00196.htm
Scoop Photo-Essay: Under A Bahrain Sky

LEAD STORY:
Unbundling Local Loop Recommended To Enhance Broadband

- The Communications Minister Paul Swain has released the Commerce Commission’s final report on unbundling the Local Loop Network and the Fixed Public Data Network. See... Commerce Commission report on unbundling released [1] and Commission recommends unbundling for broadband [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0312/S00543.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/SC0312/S00068.htm

Report Released: State Of The Nation’s Health

- The health system's annual report card is out. The Director General of Health's assessment of the state of public health finds the health and disability support workforce in New Zealand is busier than it has ever been. See... Health Ministry Details The State Of Public Health [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/GE0312/S00103.htm

NZ NEWS HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/CU0312/S00125.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0312/S00536.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/SC0312/S00065.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0312/S00286.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/ED0312/S00084.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/CU0312/S00123.htm

English Tabloid Reports Saddam Really Captured By Kurds

- A series of stories have been published today , so far in Europe, Australia and Asia, casting the capture of Saddam Hussein in an entirely new light. If the stories are confirmed true it would appear that the spider-hole story is another piece of pure United States Military psy-ops propaganda. See... Links: Widespread Claims Kurds Got Saddam First [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00184.htm

INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0312/S00150.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0312/S00156.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0312/S00149.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0312/S00147.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0312/S00145.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0312/S00144.htm

SCOOP COLUMNS:
Guest Comment: The Gospel According To St Marketing

- Christmas and Marketing… two traditions that are inseparably entwined with one another. You may have heard of the baby Jesus and the three Wise Men, but the role of Christmas consultants Kuffman, Goldstein & Blum is less understood. See... Guest Opinion: The History of Christmas [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00197.htm

Scoop Images: A Virtual Stopover In Bahrain

- Scoop Reporters Abroad... Bahrain, December 2003... See... Photo-Essay 1: From Under A Bahrain Sky [1] - (Part 2) [2] & (Part 3) [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00196.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00195.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00194.htm

Hard News Is There!

- Of the things that warmed my heart this past weekend, none was toastier than the sight of Daniel Vettori making his maiden test century in front of a home crowd in Hamilton. He still displays the odd goony-bird flourish, but the shots he played ... See... Public Address 23/12/03 – Summer [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00193.htm

Martin LeFevre: Time

- We humans have a problem with time. Existentially and philosophically, time is both a trap and a mystery. See... Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00192.htm

Bev Harris: Time To Disinfect The US Voting System

- An embezzler who specialized in sophisticated alteration of records of computerized systems was programming our voting system, and also had access to the printing of the ballots, and ties to the private company that sorts King County absentee ballots. See... Bev Harris: Embezzler Programmed Voting System [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00191.htm

A Judge From the Philippines Writes About Human Trafficking

- A girl child in the Philippines is discriminated upon early in life due to culture-based and family reinforced gender biases. See... Guest Opinion: Trafficking Of Women And Children [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00190.htm

Saddam Capture: Greg Palast Interview On Between The Lines

- Interview with Greg Palast, BBC-TV investigative reporter, conducted by Scott Harris See... Greg Palast: Saddam Capture & Iraqi Insurgence [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00189.htm

Saddam Capture: What Price Saddam?

- Agence France Press reports that Saddam was, for purposes of revenge for a rape by his son, held prisoner by the Kurds then drugged and stashed, as a prisoner, in a "spider hole" he couldn't escape from. See... Did Bush Sell Out Iraqis as Part of Saddam Deal? [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00188.htm

Saddam Capture Cartoon: Rumsfeld's Dream Time

- Cartoon by John Chuckman See... Cartoon: Rumsfeld & The Ghosts Of Christmas [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00187.htm

Daily Katya Rivas

- Little children, I want to hear your FIAT; I want to change your lowly wills with My Supreme FIAT. See... Katya Rivas: Wait Attentively for My Return [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00186.htm

Parliament's "Worst Behaved MP" Delivers A Broadside

- Rt Hon Winston Peters has laughed off Peter Dunne’s worst–behaved MPs list, describing it as an attention seeking device from the most ineffective and boring politician in Parliament. See... Self Righteous, Self Serving, Peter Who? [1] and The worst-behaved MP’s of 2003 [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0312/S00541.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0312/S00536.htm

ACT's Letter – Christmas Edition

- LAND GRAB Over 12,000 owners will have some of their property confiscated by the government's foreshore policy. Buried in the package is the announcement that Labour will use the mean spring high water mark for measurement. See... Richard Prebble’s The Letter [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0312/S00529.htm

Views On Trade With Thailand Sought By Minister

- Trade Negotiations Minister Jim Sutton today released an information paper on the proposed Closer Economic Partnership between New Zealand and Thailand and invited business people and other interested parties to comment on the proposed agreement. See... Submissions on proposed Thai CEP called for [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0312/S00531.htm

Anti-GE Campaigners Keep Up The Fight Against Onions

- ERMA has failed on all counts with it’s approval of the GE Onion Trials, according to Charles Drace, author of ‘Everything You Need to Know About GE but the Government Won’t Tell You - a genetic engineering resources book.’ See... ERMA Fails On All Counts [1] MORE: - GE Free NZ - ERMA decision fails the test of good science [2] - GE Free NZ - GE onion Partner Blamed for Contaminating Tomatoes [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/SC0312/S00067.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/SC0312/S00066.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/SC0312/S00065.htm

Phil Goff On 'Clean Slate' Law Proposals

- 'Clean Slate' will help people get on with their lives Legislation due to be passed by Parliament early next year will allow thousands of New Zealanders with minor convictions to finally put past mistakes behind them. See... Clean Slate to help people get on with their lives [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0312/S00544.htm

Nats Seek Inquiry Into Export Education Problems

- The Government's attempt to blame private training establishments and international students for the problems in the export education sector will simply make those problems worse for everyone involved in the industry. See... MP wants inquiry into $1.7 billion industry [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0312/S00542.htm

Keith Locke's Christmas Wishes

- Green MP Keith Locke wants New Zealand to give two presents to asylum seekers this Christmas. See... Green Xmas wish welcome asylum seekers free Zaoui [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0312/S00539.htm

DoC & PM's Mountain Guide Talking Sense - Franks

- What a pleasure it is to hear the Conservation Department's Mt Cook manager agree with the Prime Minister's mountain guide, that DoC should not decide who should climb Mt Cook, ACT New Zealand Sport & Recreation Spokesman Stephen Franks said today. See... DoC Shows Sense, Firefighters Don't [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0312/S00538.htm

If Santa Crashes His Sleigh

- ACT New Zealand Health Spokesman Heather Roy today expressed hope that Santa did not fall out of his sleigh while in New Zealand, as his chances of receiving quality healthcare would mean that children throughout the world would miss out on their Christmas presents. See... Careful, Santa [1] MORE ON CHRISTMAS HEALTH: - National - Patients pay for summer surgery shutdowns [2] - ACT - Waiting Lists: Where Patients Go To Die [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0312/S00537.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0312/S00533.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0312/S00532.htm

Transport Plans Falling Apart Already – Dr Brash

- National Party Leader Don Brash says the Government's transport plan is already falling apart at the seams as predicted. See... Transport plan falling apart already [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0312/S00534.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.

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