WINSTON SUFFERING FROM ALZHEIMERS?

We really dont need to say a thing....... Winston’s Figures Wrong Tuesday, 3 August 2010, 3:31 pm Press Release: Aged Care Association

Winston’s Figures Wrong

Today Winston Peters gave a speech at a Returned Services Association meeting in Rangiora on the aged residential care sector. His speech included completely false information as follows:

Winston says “75% of rest homes are run by overseas companies”.

The truth is about 4,000 out of 34,500 beds are operated by foreign owned companies.

Winston says, “Last year the Overseas Investment Office approved sales of aged rest care facilities worth $1.5 billion”.

The truth is over the last year only one retirement village company, which included 335 aged care beds, was sold for $135 million to Australians. However, in the last year off setting this sale saw the fourth largest aged care provider, Radius, return to full New Zealand ownership. As such foreign ownership of New Zealand’s aged care sector has increased in the last year.

Winston says “They are here solely for profits - big profits”.

The returns made by the aged residential care sector are low. How low will be confirmed in a joint DHB and provider sponsored report to be released in early September.

“Winston is following Sue Kedley’s lead and getting onto the ‘outrage’ band wagon on the back of anti foreigner and anti business mantras. The reality is their facts are wrong and we look forward to providing all politicians with accurate information if that is what they want”, said Martin Taylor, CEO of the NZ Aged Care Association.

ON THE SCRAP HEAP IN FIJI

This is almost comical - Frankie Boy has decided that all civil servants will retire at 55. Yip 55. Now we are staring the big 50 in the face. Five years and in Fiji terms we would be an old trout.
( BB's son is convinced she already is)
Funny thing is, this edict does not extend to the Military. What a bloody silly arsewipe.

DORIS'S BIG DAY OUT

We are on the 1 o'clock train from Wellington to Masterton. While there are a few glide time public servants on it - it largely full of old age pensioners. Thanks to Winston's swansong - the elderly can go backwards and forwards between Wellington and the Wairarapa for free - off peak. So the one o'clock train has become the Tena express.
Its great to see but I wonder if restaurateurs etc are capitilising on this phenomena on both sides of the Rimutakas.
I think there are some who are just going for the ride - Surely someone can see the opportunity and can come up with some packages to keep them entertained.

WHALE DOESNT KNOW EVERYTHING

Whale oil thinks he has the goss on Winston Peters and the fact that he doesn't seem to be keen to return his Ford Territory govt supplied vehicle.

We have it on good authority that he is going to employ it to do some charity work. He is going to use it to deliver meals on wheels to all the senior citizens who voted for him. Isn't that lovely! It is so nice to know that he is finally going to give something back to all those old people who voted for him.

Please pass this message on to all the old folks you know who voted for him.

GOOD BIRTHDAY PRESENT FOR OLD BUGGERS

Dads birthday falls on Boxing day - this year sis and I decided to give him an introductory helicopter flight with his instructor grandson who works for Helipro.
We left Rangitumau and headed over the hills to Paraparaumu. We decided to take the hairaising but stunningly scenic Akatarawa route. Don't ever attempt it if you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome.

Anyway Dad, 73, was up and away within minutes of us getting to the Paraparaumu airport. They flew over Kapiti Island and watched a school of tuna. Dad flew the helicopter by himself.

He has flown in helicopters hundreds of times but never with his grandson and he has never had the opportunity to fly himself. We took the more sedate Heywoods Road back across the divide and Dad grinned the whole way home. It was one of those days that will be indelibly stamped on the family's collective memory.

YOUR'E MAD IF YOU DONT LAUGH

We have had a few nasty emails about our lack of respect for our elders after our last post suggested that senior citizens should get permission from their kids before they vote or invest money.
Now some of the emails were a wee bit virtriolic - and their writers apparently missed what we thought was a big dollup of humour.

However, we still wonder how many of the Hanover Finance pensioner investors voted NZ First compared to the pensioners who weren't investors. That would be a good test of senility.
And our humour is really born out of a genuine concern for hard working people who have been hoodwinked by the last of the cowboy industries. Anyway just when we thought maybe we had been a little harsh on the fossils we find this in the Australian.

It appears you can work out if someone suffers from dementia by testing to see if they recognise sarcasm. Now we are really worried for the sanity of the grumpy curmudgeons who were not happy with our insinuations about their lack of abilty to make sane financial and voting decisions once they got to 65.


Here is the important bit
John Hodges, the senior author of the paper published in Brain says:

''(Frontal Temporal Dementia ) patients present changes in personality and behaviour. They find it difficult to interact with people, they don't pick up on social cues, they lack empathy, they make bad judgements,'' he said.

"People with FTD become very gullible and they often part with large amounts of money," he said, adding that one in 4000 people around the world are afflicted with the condition.

Researchers began studying the role of sarcasm in detecting FTD because it requires a patient to spot discrepancies between a person's words and the tone of their voice, Mr Hodges said.

"One of the things about FTD patients is that they don't detect humour - they are very bad at double meaning and a lot of humour (other than sarcasm) is based on double meaning," he said.

The research, conducted in 2006-07, put 26 sufferers of FTD and 19 Alzheimer's patients through a test in which actors acted out different scenarios using exactly the same words.

While in one scenario, the actors would deliver the lines sincerely, in others they would introduce a thick layer of sarcasm. Patients were then asked if they got the joke, Hodges said.

For example, if a couple were discussing a weekend away and the wife suggested bringing her mother, the husband might say: "Well, that's great, you know how much I like your mother, that will really make it a great weekend."

When the same words were delivered sarcastically and then in a neutral tone, the joke was lost on FTD patients, while the Alzheimer's patients got it

"The patients with FTD are very literal and they take what is being said as genuine and sincere," Mr Hodges said.

So we are now really happy - ma and pa both get sarcasm and are pretty good at dispensing it. They love humour and laugh a hell of a lot, in fact the more ribald and un PC the yarn - the better. And now when we see them at Xmas and they start laughing at our bad jokes we might just shed a wee tear.

MA AND PA NEED ROOLS

Cactus kate and I are of the same mind. She reckons that the oldies need supervision when it comes to investments - I reckoned a while back that they also require supervison when it came to voting. So I agree with Cactus - come 65 and the aged P should be required to get permission before making any big decisions - voting and money at the top of the list.
We love our parents but a bit like women facing menopause, they make some dumb decisions so they need assistance. Its not like Cactus and me need their money - we have made our own - we just don't want to see our parent's hard earned dolleros swallowed by sharks.
My Ma and Pa played it safe and poked all their spare spondies in bloody bonus bonds and have been rewarded, they still have their money, and a bit , and have the thrill of going to the letter box and to check if they have a plain envelope that says they got a bit more . So that takes care of the lotto fixation. And at anytime they know their original investment is safe. I wont even try to talk about rates of return, NPV etc. Sadly I'm still working through the fact that my old man reckons that deep down Winston is still a good bastard.

ANDERTON ELBOWS WINSTON OUT OF WAY TO SECURE ELDERLY VOTE

Anderton is a wily old fox and as he sees Winston on his way down he is happy to step on him to ensure he picks up a few more votes from Grey Power.

His attack on Winston is blatant - We say go for it Jim. Better you than the Creep.

Audrey Young from the Herald has the story.

HIJACK

This story about up and coming golfer Danny Lee and his brush with airport security reminded me of a holiday I took a couple of years back with the parents.

We were all good -but I lectured the old boy on airport security and to take everything out of his pockets. He started yapping away to the security men and they were all joshing and having a bit of fun shooting the breeze.

He walks through the security arch and the buzzer goes off - and then he puts his hands in the air and says "so I suppose this is not a good time to say hijack" The silence was long and extremely loud.

I stepped forward grabbed his arm looked the security guy in the eye and said -" You will have to excuse my father he has Alzheimer's ," Dad looked like he was going to kill me and I pinched him really hard and I pushed him in front of me. Mum looked at the security guard and nodded.

The guards looked at each other with sickly smiles and said that's okay we understand...

We had a bloody brilliant holiday in OZ but the story gets an airing from time to time.

BOOKLET A GREY POWER BRIBE FROM LABOUR

Hooton has been running hot with this all day and Duncan Garner on TV3 has picked up the story and led with it at 6.pm

It is lamb dressed up as mutton - not supposed to look too appetising and it takes legal electioneering to the edge of the law - but morally it stinks worse that a cracked kina in the noon day sun.

Well done Matthew for shedding light on a nasty piece of cynical politics.

And we will be putting the spotlight on some more Labour nanny state policy crap later this evening.

IS WINSTON LOSING HIS MARBLES?

We have been trying to have a Winston free zone for a few days but this is deeply disturbing .

Winston's interview on RNZ is a grave cause for concern, it isn't coherent. One of the prawns used to work in a rest home and reckons that his ramblings are akin to stage 1 dementia.

Maybe he would like to submit to a medical test to verify if indeed he is compos mentis

Or at least a breathalyser.

CLARK IS REALLY GOING HARD AFTER THE SENIOR VOTE

Hooton uncovers yet another Labour rort - and you the taxpayer are paying for it - we here at the prawn reckon Winston will be pissed off he never thought of this one. We are also deeply disturbed to hear that some journos had this info but didn't think it was a story - we beg to differ....

Read it and weep (again)

OTHERS RECOGNISE DEPOSIT SCHEME A CLUSTER FUCK

Fears rise of deposit plan 'mess' Public fears over the safety of their savings may have been assuaged but the Government's hastily drafted deposit guarantee scheme has stoked fears of a "horrendous mess" in the finance company sector and other investment markets.

The scheme announced on Sunday sees the Goverment guaranteed the deposits of banks, building societies, credit unions, finance companies and other deposit-taking institutions.

By late yesterday all the major banks along with two finance companies had opted into the scheme which is free for companies with less than $5 billion in deposits.

The controversial decision to extend the scheme's coverage to finance companies is widely believed to be intended to prevent a flight of capital from finance companies into government guaranteed bank deposits.

However details, including whether finance companies who have already breached their trust deeds would be eligible if they cleaned up their act, have yet to be released.

A Reserve Bank spokesman yesterday said the bank and Treasury were working on this and other aspects of the scheme but he could not say when further information would be released.

Victoria University professor of economics and finance Roger Bowden said there were a lot of unanswered questions about the scheme, but should it be extended widely to finance companies it would create "a horrendous mess".

With an explicit government guarantee, finance companies who generally make riskier loans and consequently pay higher interest rates "now need pay no more than the banks".

Meanwhile larger banks, including Kiwibank, which have more than $5 billion in deposits will have to pay a fee to participate in the scheme unlike their smaller and riskier finance company counterparts for whom it is free, effectively subsidising them.

"It's screwed the natural pricing to hell and back," said Bowden. "The banks are entitled to very annoyed.

"Of course, there's also going to be a huge backlash among the poor people who have lost money in finance companies in the past."

More here

CONFIRMATION - WINSTONS A NIGEL NO MATES

We posted on this last night - Peters old supporters have left him in droves and he cant even scrape together a crew to put up bill boards...


and it wont be helping that senior citizens are finding their gold cards are useless.

diddums

WINSTONS BIG GIFT TO OLDIES -A TOTAL LOSER

Well bugger me, just as we thought- Winstons SuperGold card for oldies( or is it Helens?) is a complete and utter waste of bloody time, according to a story from the deep south.

We heard the same story over in the Wairarapa. The travel benefits are pretty limited. Much grumbling among the seniors there and now this in from the Southland Times.

So here are ten good uses for the Super Gold Card

Car Window Scrapers - On that cold winter morning and your windshield is all frosted over.
Unlock doors - If you have the right kind of doors, credit cards are a great way to unlock your door if you’ve locked yourself out of your house. Slide the card in by the bolt and move it back and forth until the bolt is moved over far enough to pull the door open.

Wallet - A friend of mine who lives in New York city has been the victim of a pick pocket a few times. Now, he carries a fake wallet in his rear pocket and his real wallet in his jacket. He fills the fake wallet with expired or fake credit cards, a dollar or two, and other misc. stuff.

Test your shave - Not sure if you’re getting a good shave? Run the edge of a credit card over your beard. The noise will tell you how well you shaved.

Aquarium Glass cleaner - Have a saltwater aquarium? Credit Cards make excellent glass scrapers for removing Coraline algae, and other crustaceans that grow on your glass.
Straight edge - Not able to find your ruler, use a credit card instead. The edge is very smooth and straight.

Caulking - Ever wonder how those professional carpenters get that nice smooth look? Me too, but I’ve found a really great cheat. Run the rounded corner of your credit card across the caulk bead for that professional look.

Bookmarks - Although I prefer something a little longer and thinner, credit cards can make for great bookmarks

Shims - Ever need to level something or fill a small gap when nailing up molding? Credit cards stacked up make great shims.

Guitar Pick - Now this is one I would have never thought of, but the thickness is about right.

GO HELEN !

We are delighted to see that the Prime Minister is making use of every opportunity she has to get Grey Power votes.

I think that she should commandeer the Air Force 1 for the entire election so she can zoom round from senior meeting to senior meeting to secure their votes.

Well done Helen! Keep up the good work. Inspired leadership and and excellent use of the taxpayers money to ensure that Winston doesnt get back in.

Read more here at the Herald

MORE MEDIA BASHING FROM WINSTON

And a bit of conspiracy theory chucked in for good measure

Media Trivialise Crucial Elections - Peters

Rt Hon Winston Peters has accused a number of media outlets of trivialising
general election coverage to the point of mindless banality.
This follows a request from a Sunday newspaper for Mr Peters to discuss whether he owns an iPod and the type of music he likes to listen to on it.
Earlier Mr Peters had been asked about his pets and whether he would be interviewed cooking dinner for radio pensioner Paul Holmes.
“While the Western world lurches into economic meltdown, while tens of thousands of jobs are threatened, while a New Zealand company is embroiled in an international scandal, the media airheads wandering off into cuckoo-land.
“If anyone ever thought for one nanosecond that the newspaper industry was into thoughtful and serious analysis of the issues facing New Zealand, my suggestion is that they should think again.

“The newspapers are generally lightweight ‘infotainment’ and publicity
brochures for the National and Maori parties,” said Mr Peters.

The sad thing is as I was waiting for a bus an lovely old woman decided I must look friendly enough to have a yarn to .. Unprompted she launched into a tirade about how everyone was picking on Winnie.

I suggested that maybe winnie had been a bit naughty over some money and she agreed - and then said " but none of that matters he just has such a cheeky smile and he has done so much for us oldies. "

I hope Clark goes even harder after the Grey vote..

The fossils have gone feral

Greypower have distanced themselves from Winnie.


http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0809/S00007.htm




I could feel the winds of change when I was home in the south in recent weeks.. Lots of tisk tisking.... you always know the wrinklies are over someone when they start tisk tisking.