Scoop Update #9

In This Edition: Good Tidings Of Great Joy – To The Barricades - Calling all Cultural Patriots (With The Ultimate LOTR Christmas Present!) – The Plan - And.... The Secret of Scoop’s Success

This is the 9th in a series of occasional newsletters to subscribers to the My Scoop community.

For NZ Volunteering Abroad...
FROM THE MAKERS OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED MOVIE EVER!

ONE OF A KIND....

...CLICK ON IMAGES TO GO TO AUCTION PAGE
PLACE YOUR BID NOW...
1.5 DAYS TO GO...
J.R.R. Tolkein's LORD OF THE RINGS
Autographed by Peter Jackson
Illustrated by Alan Lees
The Ultimate Christmas Present For The LOTR Fan!

Dear My Scoop Community member,

Good Tidings Of Great Joy

Merry Christmas and thanks everybody. Scoop has had a great year in retrospect, though it looked at times like it was going to be curtains for Scoop along with so many other web based businss.

And then the fire alarm went off, 911. And Scoop's supporters came through.

Thankyou especially to the readers, advertisers, subscribers and correspondents without whom Scoop would not be.

Thankyou extraespecially to the sustaining subscribers who came to Scoop’s assistance in its hour of need.

And thankyou trancendentally to the core Scoop crew, Andrew McNaughton (who is off to Scotland – job offers welcome!) whose code just runs and runs, and Deputy Editor Guy McGibbon whose assistance, dedication and cool head make editing Scoop such a pleasure. Also due trancendental thanks are the wider crew including who do all the other work that is needed to have a Scoop, designers, columnists and technical and sales helpers, and all their the family(s) members.

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To The Barricades

And so roll on 2002... Scoop will be there... for the election.

Tonight is the annual Press Gallery Christmas Party, which like so many Christmas parties to be held in tents this year, has not looking the better thanks to the weather. Hopefully they will move it back into the Grand Hall.

It is also Peter Jackson’s grand party night for the whole of Wellington in Courtenay Place, and a good time is set to be had by all (even if it is blowing a southerly gale). Roll On FOTR!!!!

Scoop's Guy McGibbon is planning on attending the festivities with the Scoop digicam so stay posted.

Meanwhile….

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Calling all Cultural Patriots, 36 Hours To D-Day

VSA is auctioning the Ultimate LOTR Christmas Present on EBAY and there is only 1.5 days (36 hours) to go...

See…
http://scoop.co.nz/mason/features/?s=onering

and

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1496572195

So far US bidders seem to have the prize in the bag for the cost of a handful of Weta FX collectibles - not that those aren't cool too - but this is a one of a kind item.

As the hype rises it is clear why the value at auction has been rising sharply

This is quite simply, an awesome piece of art - a Peter Jackson signed copy of the LOTR with an original sketch of Gandalf by Alan Lees – the artist responsible for the “look” of LOTR movie in the cover.

The price is now USD$820 – close to NZ $2000 - but there are no NZ bidders in the running it would appear.

I personally am particularly enthusiastic about this auction because it is for a very good cause. Volunteering, which in so many ways is also the spirit that makes Scoop run.

Several years ago I was lucky enough to visit a VSA programme in Takeo Cambodia at which I was dead impressed. Among the orders of kiwi angels working abroad, the VSA is a leading light. Rae Julian.. thanks!

Says VSA Jeremy Rose...

“VSA is a non-religious, non-government, not-for-profit international development agency that has been placing New Zealand volunteers in developing countries since 1962. The nearly 100 volunteers at present in the Pacific, Asia and Africa range from a doctor practising his profession in the shanty towns of Port Morseby to an architect working with the slum-dwellers of Cambodia to build appropriate low cost housing.”

And 2001 is International year of the volunteer too!

If ever there was a PR opportunity going begging… this is it. And all you need is a credit card! Keep this icon of Kiwi culture at home and support the angels in the process…

So common Spot, go get it….

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1496572195

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The Plan

Scoop will be moving into holiday mode from this Friday… till the 20th of January.

Columns as received will continue to flow. And highlights of other material will be posted on occasion however.

Those contributors who wish to maintain access to instantaneous distribution to the Scoop community over the coming three weeks should get in touch with editor@scoop.co.nz for instructions on self-publishing.

Professional subscribers will not be billed for the month of January.

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The Secret of Scoop’s Success

Scoop has many copies of How To Lose Friends And Infuriate People…

...and you too can know our secret.

Next year we will start drawing lots among the free subscriber base to reward our subscribers. All new commercial subscribers and sustaining subscribers will also receive a copy.

See…

MY SCOOP PROFESSIONAL SUBSCRIBER PAGE
http://www.scoop.co.nz/cgi-bin/newsagent/new_user.cgi?form=business
and…

SUSTAINING SUBSCRIPTION PAGE http://scoop.co.nz/mason/features/?s=thankyou

EXISTING MY SCOOP SUBSCRIBERS PLEASE NOTE: If you wish to convert your existing My Scoop Free account into a professional account for a trial you will need to send an email to sales@scoop.co.nz and we will change the settings on your account.

And finally,

May you all have good tidings and great joy this Christmas season.

Alastair Thompson
For the Scoop Team

© 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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• Email - alastair@scoop.co.nz