Scoop Today – Top Three

Tuesday, 27 July 1999, 9:06 am
Article: Alastair Thompson

Yesterday's Top Three Rating Stories and Political Press Releases

STORIES

It often happens that fame goes to the people or things which deserve it the least. Take Rene Descartes, for example. Now he was an interesting guy. His most useful contribution to human civilization was undoubtedly his work on geometry and algebra, in that it provided a foundation for much of modern mathematics. But that's not what he is most famous for; no, Descartes is most famous for something which doesn't really deserve to be so well-known at all. This thing is the philosophical axiom which he proposed in 1641: `cogito ergo sum', or in English, `I think, therefore I am'.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL9907/S00102.htm

TWO: PM Annoyed By Spending Allegations
Monday, 26 July 1999, 11:23 am
Article: Jonathan Hill

Prime Minister Jenny Shipley told National Radio she was “very annoyed” by the allegations of excessive expenditure from government departments this morning and that she was looking forward to an explanation later this week. Having just returned from a tour of Asia Mrs Shipley told Kim Hill that whoever was responsible for any excessive expenditure should be held to account. She said there was no justification for chartering aircraft unless there was an explanation that she had not yet heard. “It doesn’t look good on the surface, I have to say,” she said.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL9907/S00106.htm

THREE: NZ Story Has Mirror Image In Britain
Sunday, 25 July 1999, 5:28 pm
Article: Ian Llewellyn

An eagle eyed reader of the Scoop last Thursday saw amazing similarities between 'Tetraplegic Jailed For Medicinal Cannabis' and a story running along the same lines on the BBC website (bbc.co.uk). In New Zealand, tetraplegic Danuiel Clark came to the notice of the media after he complained about his treatment in prison. He had been sentenced to three weeks in prison after refusing to pay a fine or some sort of periodic detention following his conviction for cultivation of cannabis for personal supply. Mr Clark said he uses cannabis as a pain killer and to combat the negative side effects of his prescription drugs that he must take every day. In 1994, his application to grow small amounts of cannabis, under supervision, for medicinal purposes was rejected. Under the law such an application is possible, but no permit has ever been granted and the Ministry of Health has made it clear an application would only be seriously considered as part of a clinical trial.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL9907/S00104.htm

TOP THREE PRESS-RELEASES

ONE: The con deconstructed
Sunday, 25 July 1999, 2:34 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

"Bill English's acknowledgement today that his dollar for dollar pledge is unsustainable beyond the next Parliamentary term shows what a shallow piece of politics it is," Labour finance spokesperson Michael Cullen said today. The admission came on National Radio's Crosstalk programme this afternoon . "Mr English and his colleagues know about the cost pressures associated with the ageing population and know tax cuts now will be paid for in higher taxes by the generations following the large baby boom generation. The information is contained in Treasury tables at the back of this year's budget.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA9907/S00465.htm

TWO: SIS Bill - Govt To Shaft Us In Time For APEC
Monday, 26 July 1999, 10:48 am
Press Release:

SIS Bill: Government & Pals About To Do a “No. 2” On Us In Time For APEC
The victim of an illegal Security Intelligence Service breakin, whose legal case has sparked two amendments to the Security Intelligence Service Act is throughly unimpressed by the latest version of the SIS Amendment (no 2) Bill expected to be debated and passed in Parliament this week. “Having read the latest version of the bill, it’s clear the SIS has not been reined in by any of the recent legislative amendments. Quite the opposite - these law changes are designed to expand, not limit, the powers of the SIS. Try as she might to reassure people that critics of APEC will not be subject to SIS snooping, Jenny Shipley cannot hide the fact that both amendment bills have been rushed through explicitly in order to legitimate further SIS break-ins before September’s Leaders Summit. And it was the Prime Minister herself, and various National, Labour, and ACT MPs who first linked the perceived need to legalise SIS break-ins to APEC in parliamentary debates and in the media, not me, GATT Watchdog, the APEC Monitoring Group or our allies. When the APEC circus ends, the law will remain – with the SIS above the law,” said Aziz Choudry.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO9907/S00059.htm

THREE: PM called on to investigate department
Sunday, 25 July 1999, 4:15 pm
Press Release: Green Party

Green Party Co Leader Rod Donald is calling on Prime Minister Jenny Shipley to instigate a wide-ranging investigation into government department expenditure on team-building conferences, training workshops, corporate videos and advertising. Following controversy over lavish spending by Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ), three other government departments have recently cancelled conferences at exclusive North Island resorts. Mr Donald wants Mrs Shipley to have the State Services Commission look into spending on travel, venues, catering and all other associated spending on conferences and workshops by government departments.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA9907/S00466.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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