Sign up competitions are two a penny – to stand out, organisers are increasingly forced to offer expensive prizes – and I wonder how often they really show a worthwhile ROI? For starters, people who sign up are doing so primarily to win …
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Incentivised database growth
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Some ACC programmes, including one targeted at preventing very elderly people suffering falls, were cut because they were not cost effective, ACC Minister Nick Smith says.
The decision to cut funding for the Otago Exercise Programme targeted at 80-year-olds and over was made earlier this month.
Under the programme, physiotherapists or trained nurses visited 80-year-olds and over (or 65-year-old and older if Maori or Polynesian) in their homes six times during a year, teaching leg strengthening and balance retraining exercises.
Otago Medical School’s Professor John Campbell at the time said the programme’s benefits were just beginning to be felt, but the number of ACC claims for falls in the area had already dropped.
The programme was targeted at those most likely to have a fall. Phone contact was maintained in between visits.
The programmes that were cut were those that were not cost efficient, he said. .
“Playing bowls, getting active, all those sorts of things.
“I think there are all sorts of things that older New Zealanders should be doing,” Dr Smith said. But I think it’s a long stretch for an organisation that’s in financial trouble to be funding some of those programmes, especially when their cost effectiveness is being questioned by the board.”
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) is still trying to contact 50 New Zealanders who may have been in Samoa during Wednesday morning’s massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
Five New Zealanders have been confirmed dead and there are grave fears for three others.MFAT said they had received inquiries about the 50 New Zealanders, some of whom may no longer be in Samoa.New Zealanders still in Samoa should contact friends and family in New Zealand to allay concerns.It urged anyone who had heard from loved ones to call 0800 432 111.Two-year-old Alphie Cunliffe, was missing and presumed dead after he was swept out to sea when the tsunami hit.South Auckland grandmother Tauaavaga Tupuola, 84, and Raglan woman Mary Anne White were two New Zealanders killed, along with another adult and two children.”Grave concerns” were held for Matamata sisters Petria and Rebecca Martin, who were staying at Taufua Lodge resort in Lalomanu, the worst-hit area.Their parents, who arrived in Apia yesterday, did not wish to see them because it was not the way they wanted to remember their daughters, the Herald on Sunday reported.The sisters’ bodies are believed to be lying in a Samoan morgue, but they have not been formally identified.A body thought to be 22-year-old Petria’s was found on Wednesday close to where they were staying and a body thought to be 24-year-old Rebecca’s was found on Friday.They instead planned to visit today the beach where the sisters were swept to their deaths.Ms Tupuola – the grandmother of Kiwis rugby league star Matt Utai – was swept to her death with her granddaughter, Bula Okei, 28, and three-year-old great-granddaughter Sima, The reported.Officials hoped to formally identify them today using dental records.At least 180 people have been killed in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga and the toll is expected to rise. .An Air Force Boeing 757 landed carrying medical and food supplies, police dog search teams, medical personnel and a surgical team, including Samoan-speaking doctors and nurses.Meanwhile, more New Zealand aid and specialist help arrived in Samoa today.HMNZS Canterbury is expected to sail from New Zealand on Tuesday with more aid and equipment.”The timing is at the request of the Samoan authorities, so that the team will relieve some of the Australian team, and also allow local staff to take a break to be with their own families,” Health Minister Tony Ryall said.
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As a flagbearer for a new era in cinema, Carl Fredricksen could hardly be more unlikely. He’s a 78-year-old curmudgeon who uses a walking frame, wears a tweedy old suit and eats dinner at 3.30pm. Not only is he a touchingly grizzled figure who, after the death of his beloved wife, finally takes the adventure he has craved since childhood, he is also coming to cinemas in 3D.
As the star of Up, the latest animated movie from Pixar – the studio with an unblemished record of hits from Toy Story to Wall-E – Fredricksen is a classic well-rounded character in two ways.
The goal is movies that seem more “real” by adding a third dimension – depth – to the viewing experience. . You can still watch the traditional 2D version of Up, but for a few dollars more – which includes a pair of disposable 3D glasses – there is an extra sense of being immersed in the action. If they can convincingly take audiences into imaginary worlds – make them feel like they’re “in there” rather than just watching – something fundamental will change in cinemas.
Up and James Cameron’s sci-fi epic Avatar are the biggest titles in a wave of 3D movies breaking this year.
Pixar’s 3D expert, Bob Whitehill, says it’s like going from a filmed version of a play to watching the action live on stage.
Hollywood’s most vocal spruiker of 3D, the DreamWorks Animation boss Jeffrey Katzenberg, believes we are seeing the third great shift in cinema history: from silent films to talkies, from black and white to colour and now from 2D to 3D. “It’s hard to quantify but there is definitely something palpable and something real about seeing it in 3D and feeling more connected to it and feeling more a part of that world.
“I spend so much of my time watching our material in 3D that when I watch it in 2D it’s almost as though you feel the sound is turned down or the screen isn’t as big,” he says.”
Anyone who remembers Jaws 3D or another trashy stereoscopic movie in the 1970s and ’80s will know that Hollywood filmmakers have gone down this road before and reached a dead-end.”
Anyone who remembers Jaws 3D or another trashy stereoscopic movie in the 1970s and ’80s will know that Hollywood filmmakers have gone down this road before and reached a dead-end. The movie fightback included widescreen Cinemascope, wrap-around Cinerama, lively Technicolour, a system called Percepto, which jolted viewers with a mild electric shock, even Illusion-O, which allowed viewers wearing glasses to see extra apparitions in 13 Ghosts.
In the 1950s, with the arrival of television, the horror movie House of Wax titillated ticket buyers with the promise “you’ve never been scared ’til you’ve been scared in 3D”.
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A woman charged with brutally assaulting her son after he wet the bed told her husband she had been “naughty, very naughty” when he asked her what she’d done to their child, a jury has heard.
Itupa Julie Mikaio, 40, pleaded guilty in the AucklandHigh Courtthis morning to one charge of injuring with intent to injure her son, Benjamin Mikaio, on June 27, 2008.
But she is defending two further charges – one of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and another of failing to provide the necessities of life for a child – which relate to matters that allegedly happened on June 30, three days after the assault.
Mikaio’s husband, Haini Mikaio, told the court that his wife had told him she had hit their three-year-old son with her shoe because he had been jumping up and down and had scribbled on the walls of the house.
A jury of six men and six women has been selected to hear the case before Justice Forrest Miller.”
In her opening address, crown prosecutor Deborah Marshall said the case was “about a mother who was angry at her three-year-old son because he wet the bed”.
“She said she was naughty, very naughty.
She said Mikaio had taken her anger out on Benjamin with such violence that he had been sent to Starship Hospital.
The court heard how, on the weekend before the assault, Benjamin had spent a normal weekend with his family going shopping, attending church and watching television.
A year on from the incident, Benjamin was still recovering from his severe injuries, Ms Marshall said.”
Ms Marshall said Benjamin was brought to Starship Hospital deeply unconscious, suffering from severe head trauma and extensive bruising to his buttocks, pelvis and chest.
“However, by the afternoon of Monday, June 30, he was in a very bad way.
“If he had not received medical attention it was likely he would have died.
He had two fractures to his pelvis, two fractures to his right hand, a fractured left hand and a fractured foot.”
Ms Marshall said Mikaio had caused all of these injuries.”
Ms Marshall said Mikaio had caused all of these injuries.
She then put him in the blanket and left him on the couch until early in the afternoon. .
The massage therapist took one look at Benjamin and told Mikaio to call 111, the court heard.
Ms Marshall said that, when Mikaio did seek help, she took him to a “Samoan massage therapist who lived in Glen Innes”.
Mr Faleauto said his client had tried to help her son.
Mikaio’s lawyer, Ted Faleauto, said his client disputed she had caused her son’s head injury.
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Two youths, one 16, the other 17, were arrested and charged this afternoon with the rape and sexual assault of an Asian tourist in Opotiki on Monday night.
Police said an interview with one of the teenagers led to his alleged co-offender.
When police disclosed the rape yesterday they described it as “brazen, serious and alarming”.
Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Standen of Eastern Bay of Plenty crime services unit, said today the victim was currently in the care of Victim Support.
They said two men entered an Opotiki house shortly before 10pm Monday, forced their way into the victim’s bedroom and violated her.
“Her recall of events has been of significant assistance to our investigation.
He praised her courage and strength during the investigation.”
Mr Standen did not specify the woman’s home country or how long she had been in New Zealand.
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A registered GP working at an Auckland men’s health clinic has described giving steroids to gym-goers and believes members of top New Zealand sports teams are using performance-enhancing drugs, and a dealer in illegal steroids has claimed his clients include police officers, who he said take the drugs to make it easier for them to deal with burly criminals.
The claims were made to Sunday Star-Times reporter Tony Wall while he worked undercover for the top-rating TV2 crime show, Illegal NZ.
During the undercover sting, which screened on Thursday night, Wall used a fake name, said he wanted to “bulk up”, was struggling at the gym and wanted quick results.
Wall was also offered an injection of an anabolic steroid by a GP at a men’s health clinic, without adequate tests to establish if he had a legitimate medical need for the drug, such as low testosterone levels.
The episode also revealed how easily steroids can be bought over the internet without a prescription, and exposed a West Auckland man who was selling steroids from his home. He was offered an injection on the spot.
The West Auckland man said he was smuggling the steroids in to the country from Thailand, and his customers included police officers.
It is illegal to sell steroids in New Zealand without a prescription, but Medsafe, the government agency which enforces breaches of the Medicines Act, declined to say whether it would take action. It said the name of the doctor should be provided “in the interests of public health and safety”.
The Medical Council said in a statement that it was “concerned about alleged inappropriate prescribing of steroids as shown on Illegal NZ” but could not investigate without a complaint. The producers of the show are taking legal advice about what information can be supplied. The office of the Health and Disability Commissioner also said it needed a complaint and the name of the GP before launching an inquiry.
“He was really persistent, he pulled out all his tricks,” the doctor said.
The doctor concerned told the Star-Times he had felt “entrapped and hassled” by Wall. It’s not what we normally do it’s out of the ordinary. . It’s the imported stuff that can be dirty, infected. To tell you the truth, very little harm comes from the medical use of this stuff [steroids].
Asked if he had many athletes coming in, the doctor said: “It’s illegal for me to do it on an Olympian level.”
In footage not screened on the programme, the doctor said the clinic had other clients taking steroids. Just about every [sport withheld] is doing it though I don’t do any of those guys but I hear a lot of [team withheld] and [team withheld] are doing them. Not too many they’re all doing it very secretly somewhere..”
Wall: “How do they get past testing?”
Doctor: “It’s all about timing, but actually human growth hormone is what they’re all doing. it’s impossible to detect; the problem with it is it’s very expensive. it’s impossible to detect; the problem with it is it’s very expensive.”
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Fonterra is stumping up $15 million for interest free loans to dairy farmers struggling with lower payouts and high debt.
The dairy co-operative said today it was lending up to $15 million to its 50 percent owned subsidiary RD1 Ltd to enable the rural lender to offer interest free terms for farmers buying essential dairy supplies. .20 payout for the 2008-09 season.55 per kilogram of milk solids for the 2009-10 dairy season, down from the expected $5.90 per kilogram payout. Fonterra initially predicting a $7 per kilogram payout for the 2008-09 year, on the back of the previous year’s record $7. But this has been whittled away as recession continues to grip the world, softening demand. Some60 percent of this was held by dairy farmers whose income wasboosted by strong payouts.
Federated Farmers estimates that in the two years to April farm debt rose by about 30 per cent to $45 billion.
Fonterra’s director for milk supply, Barry Harris, said the loan would be repaid to Fonterra by April 30 next year. Government ministers recently spoke to major rural lenders about rural debt levels.
“it’s a tough time for our farmers and we have been examining at every avenue we can to help them, particularly in finding ways to cut costs and manage cash flows while continuing to keep their farms productive,” said Harris.
Harris said Fonterra’s loan was part of a package of targeted initiatives to help farmers under pressure due to the lower payout environment.
RD1, whose other 50 percent owner is Australian firm Landmark Rural Holdings Ltd whose ultimate parent is the Australian Wheat Board, will fund the interest costs of the loan.
RD1, whose other 50 percent owner is Australian firm Landmark Rural Holdings Ltd whose ultimate parent is the Australian Wheat Board, will fund the interest costs of the loan.
. It would also continue offering practical advice about managing farm input costs
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The swine flu death toll has officially reached six with a seventh likely.
A Northern Regional Health Co-ordination Centre spokeswoman said two people died at Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital yesterday.
A woman was confirmed as having had the swine flu A (H1N1) virus.
The second was a suspected case and staff were awaiting lab results. .
The number of confirmed cases of swine flu was 1431, up from 1272 yesterday.
The spokeswoman was unable to say if the second person suffered from any other medical conditions.
Ministry of Health spokesperson Sandy Dawson said the most recent deaths showed how quickly complications could arise.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has announced the eligibility for a free seasonal influenza vaccine has been extended to all New Zealanders, not just those with underlying health problems.
Anyone with existing medical problems who developed flu-like symptoms should be monitored closely, he said.
“The free vaccine is expected to increase community uptake of the influenza vaccine, which is already showing increased uptake on previous years,” the ministry said in a statement.
The free vaccine is available from general practices from now until the end of September.
“The vaccine protects against the strains of influenza expected to prevail this winter.
“While the vaccine will not protect individuals from pandemic (swine) influenza, it is expected to ease the numbers of people who will be seeking treatment for seasonal ills this year as well as reducing the numbers of hospital admissions.”
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Double-murderer John Barlow has been denied parole.
Barlow, who is serving a 14-year jail term for the 1994 murders of father and son businessmen Eugene and Gene Thomas in their central Wellington office, was convicted in a rare third trial.
The November hearing was adjourned to allow for further psychological testing, which the board said indicated he would still pose a risk to the community.
He appeared before the Parole Board on March 31, after first appearing for consideration last November.
However, the board said it did support reintegrative leave for Barlow, saying he was clearly in the reintegrative phase of his sentence.
”We are not prepared to take the risk of releasing him at this time,” the board’s decision read.”
Meanwhile, Barlow is waiting to hear the decision of the Privy Council in London after he lodged an appeal against his conviction in February.
”Release to work and graduated home leaves will be appropriate in a safe planned way at this time.
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