1Ru Whenua - The Shaking Earth A huge Civil Defence exercise has just been completed in Wellington to ascertain how Wellington would cope with a major earthquake, measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale and resulting in massive destruction and death.One of the lessons learned is that surviving a major disaster depends less on the amount of money poured in and more on the quality of people working for Civil Defencea nd similar organisations.

2Cheap at the Price It is hard to believe in the twentieth century, but the slave trade is still flourishing in the Sierra Madre, a remote area of the Philippines. Members of the local tribe can be bought for just a few dollars. They are paid only in rice to cut rattan for cheap furniture.

3A Good Kiwi Joker Profile of 36 year old comedian and impersonator Pamela Stephenson, known by many as the `sweet little girl from Takapuna'. She has taken on some of the world's biggest names, from royalty to Dynasty, lampooned tham and always got away with it.

4Ruatoria The Word . . . An update on a previous Close Up item. It is understood that eight Gisborne police officers may face charges following a major internal inquiry into police conduct during the Ruatoria arson investigation.