| MP slams decision to ditch asbestos drug
ROCHDALE MP Paul Rowen has slammed the ‘disgraceful' decision to withdraw a vital drug used by people fighting the deadly asbestos disease mesothelioma. He says the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) decision to withdraw the drug Alimta for NHS patients has been done for purely financial reasons. It will affect scores of people in Rochdale, which has an above-average number of mesothelioma sufferers because of the town's past links with the asbestos industry. The Turner Brothers complex at Spotland was once the largest asbestos factory in the world. Mr Rowen said: "I find the decision of Nice to be disgraceful. They have quite obviously put money before people's suffering and I am shocked. "Experts have told me the Nice appraisal cost around £1M, yet the cost of using this effective drug is estimated to be only £3M a year.
Economist helped poor buy homes
MANHASSET, N.Y. - Louis Winnick, an economist who helped guide the investments of the Ford Foundation and promoted low-income home ownership, has died. He was 85. Winnick died Saturday at a hospice in Manhasset, on Long Island. The cause of death was mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer that his daughter Pamela Winnick attributed to exposure to asbestos when he worked in the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II. Winnick worked for the New York City Planning Commission and the Housing and Redevelopment Board before joining the Ford Foundation in 1962. He served as deputy vice president in the national affairs division from 1968 to 1986. Winnick played a major role in the foundation's effort to channel resources into housing, community renewal and minority enterprise following the turbulence of the late 1960s.
Charity's a winner
March Air Cadets, staff and civilian committee members joined up to Race for Life at Cambridge and raised more than £700 for the charity. Despite sweltering conditions everyone completed the course in under 50 minutes.Two cadets were in the first three under 16s to complete the course. Male cadets and staff who had come along to support worked as volunteers at the finishing line handing out the medals, bags and drinks.The 1220 (March) Squadron is actively recruiting. Parade nights at the squadron's headquarters in Gas Road, March, are Tuesday and Fridays (7-9.30pm). If you are aged between 13 and 17 visit the website at www.1220atc.org.uk or call 01354 651788. .
City Voices, City Visions: This is Their World
Right now I'm at the ThinkBright Summer Digital Institute at WNED Television in Buffalo, NY, where I gave a keynote this morning about the role of Web 2.0 in education. (I'll upload a podcast and powerpoint of it later.) One of the highlights of the day was learning about an uber-cool project here in Buffalo called City Voices, City Visions (CVCV). The program teaches secondary school educators how to integrate video production into the curriculum. So far, dozens of educators have received training, and their students are producing videos on a wide range of subjects, from social studies to poetry. They've put together a video FAQ about the project, addressing questions that educators often have about the initiative. There are also several dozen student videos online at the CVCV website. My favorite, video, by far, was a project called In Our World Today.
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