Are you suffering from arthritis? How about arthritus? Arthuritis?
When Arthritis Care, a charity, piloted an online fundraising campaign it wanted to register for pay-per-click advertising, Professional Fundraising (May) reports. Unable to afford to sponsor the 200 different types of arthritis, it decided to hedge its bets on a hunch that most people wouldn't be able to spell the name of the condition properly. The gamble paid off - the misspelling “arthritus” was registered at a cheaper rate and attracted more clicks than rheumatoid or osteoarthritis.
Charities are usually justified in penny-pinching, but medical students are feeling so poor that they have taken to sleeping in tents, says Student BMA News (May). Oh put down the violins - they're simply protesting at the fact that accommodation for junior doctors is no longer free. Hospitals are due to start charging doctors for rooms from August. Matthew Forbes, a final year-student at Sheffield, branded the news that he would have to pay £600 a month to live on site “disgraceful”.
Living under canvas isn't the most luxurious, but spare a thought for children at a PFI school in Exeter plagued by over-heating problems. Devon County Council and its private partner Carillion have tried to cool down the classrooms - without success, Public Private Finance (May) reports. A study looking into the problem has been commissioned and school governors are waiting for a further consultation with the local council. Meanwhile, is it really too much for students to hope that their classrooms will be cool come winter?
Hot or not, it might be in students' interests to put up with classroom conditions - if they want to understand football, that is. Getting to grips with the rules of the beautiful game requires graduate-level skills, while cricket requires “a mere GCSE”, Times Higher Education (May 15) reports. David Beckham, not just a pretty face? Public Agenda remains unconvinced.
It doesn't take an academic degree to work out the meaning of “zero”. Except, perhaps, in the case of zero-carbon homes, where zero may not mean zero after all, Regeneration & Renewal (May 16) reports. Developers say that a new, more “flexible” definition is required if the Government is to meet its ambitious house building target for all new homes to be zero-carbon by 2016, a report from the UK Green Building Council says. “This is not about dumbing down or abandoning the concept of zero carbon,” says Paul King, chief executive, of the UK Green Building Council.
Transport tales of the week
Being stuck in a car for hours may be part of the job for many police officers. But they should beware of alleviating boredom by taking their hands off the wheel - or putting their fingers up their noses. Particularly, it might be improper to release the steering wheel to make a thumbs-up gesture to a speed camera while on an emergency call. Sadly this information didn't reach David Mayes, an officer in South Yorkshire. He's been given an undisclosed fine for the offence, reports The Times (May 16).
And nose-picking is strictly off limits for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, reports Police Review (May 16). “If you're sitting in a car with your finger up your nose, staring off into the distance with your mind in neutral, you are going to miss something and you are not going to be prepared,” says Richard Thompson, the force's chief.
But perhaps long hours in traffic are increasingly likely, given the drubbing that congestion charging took in recent elections. Local Transport Today (May 16) says that a proposed scheme in Manchester hangs in the balance after an anti-congestion charge party unseated its key champion. London's new Mayor, Boris Johnson, also vowed to scrap plans for emissions-based charging.
Foreign Ways
Schoolchildren in Sydney have been threatened with a “yellow card”, meaning a week's suspension, if they don't stop petitioning to get their favourite teacher back, The Daily Telegraph (May 17) in Australia reports. The pint-sized activists at Narraweena Primary School joined their parents to protest for the reinstatement of a popular teacher, Lynne Tziolas, who was suspended by the NSW Department of Education after nude photos of her and husband were published in a magazine section under the title: “Buck naked couples talk about their sex lives.”
Hero ...
When you think of a born leader, does it conjure up images of a tall, handsome and charismatic figure? Well, think again. When it comes to leadership, height isn't everything. Take Napoleon Bonaparte: many historians recount that the great military leader stood just 5ft 2in. And the reality, according to Stephen Taylor, chief executive of the Leadership Centre for Local Government, is that “good leaders are often short, fat people with zero charisma and perhaps even a hygiene problem”, Local Government Chronicle (May 15) reports. We wonder whether the so-called short man syndrome is just a tall story.
... and Villain
James Bond films may not appear to have much impact on everyday life at town halls, but councils are struggling to come to terms with parkour, the free-running craze popularised by Casino Royale. Children & Young People Now (May 14) reports that local authorities want to set up parkour sessions, but youth workers lack qualifications and guidance on leaping over walls or railings. They are also concerned about insurance and that not every street-smart kid wants councils involved. “The whole point is that parkour is slightly anarchic,” says Harry Fowler, joint acting head of youth service at Birmingham City Council.
Other views
“We have now in England an enormous, oppressive and contradictory edifice for school accountability which stifles initiative and creativity in schools.” Christine Blower, acting general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, gives her views on national testing, in Public Finance (May 16)
“We have got more people counting than we have got doing.” The police service is wasting money on bureaucracy and target culture, says Jan Berry, retiring chairman of the Police Federation, in Police Review (May 16)
“If I were a policewoman or a nurse I wouldn't be expected to put up with this treatment.” Teachers draw the short straw when it comes to bullying from service users, says Jennifer Drew, a humanities teacher, in TES Magazine (May 16)
“There is no option of a quick fix.” Alan Johnson MP, the Health Secretary, admits a £6 billion “black hole” in funding for adult social care, reports Community Care (May 15)
“It is clear [that] the Government has bowed to political pressure and chosen a criminal justice rather than a health-focused path.” The reclassification of cannabis will not stop people from taking it, argues Paul Corry, director of public affairs at the mental health charity Rethink, in Community Care (May 15)
“Only fools predict events with certainty.” Barry Quirk, chief executive of the London Borough of Lewisham, says foresight is a science, in The MJ (May 15)
When Arthritis Care, a charity, piloted an online fundraising campaign it wanted to register for pay-per-click advertising, Professional Fundraising (May) reports. Unable to afford to sponsor the 200 different types of arthritis, it decided to hedge its bets on a hunch that most people wouldn't be able to spell the name of the condition properly. The gamble paid off - the misspelling “arthritus” was registered at a cheaper rate and attracted more clicks than rheumatoid or osteoarthritis.
Charities are usually justified in penny-pinching, but medical students are feeling so poor that they have taken to sleeping in tents, says Student BMA News (May). Oh put down the violins - they're simply protesting at the fact that accommodation for junior doctors is no longer free. Hospitals are due to start charging doctors for rooms from August. Matthew Forbes, a final year-student at Sheffield, branded the news that he would have to pay £600 a month to live on site “disgraceful”.
Living under canvas isn't the most luxurious, but spare a thought for children at a PFI school in Exeter plagued by over-heating problems. Devon County Council and its private partner Carillion have tried to cool down the classrooms - without success, Public Private Finance (May) reports. A study looking into the problem has been commissioned and school governors are waiting for a further consultation with the local council. Meanwhile, is it really too much for students to hope that their classrooms will be cool come winter?
Hot or not, it might be in students' interests to put up with classroom conditions - if they want to understand football, that is. Getting to grips with the rules of the beautiful game requires graduate-level skills, while cricket requires “a mere GCSE”, Times Higher Education (May 15) reports. David Beckham, not just a pretty face? Public Agenda remains unconvinced.
It doesn't take an academic degree to work out the meaning of “zero”. Except, perhaps, in the case of zero-carbon homes, where zero may not mean zero after all, Regeneration & Renewal (May 16) reports. Developers say that a new, more “flexible” definition is required if the Government is to meet its ambitious house building target for all new homes to be zero-carbon by 2016, a report from the UK Green Building Council says. “This is not about dumbing down or abandoning the concept of zero carbon,” says Paul King, chief executive, of the UK Green Building Council.
Transport tales of the week
Being stuck in a car for hours may be part of the job for many police officers. But they should beware of alleviating boredom by taking their hands off the wheel - or putting their fingers up their noses. Particularly, it might be improper to release the steering wheel to make a thumbs-up gesture to a speed camera while on an emergency call. Sadly this information didn't reach David Mayes, an officer in South Yorkshire. He's been given an undisclosed fine for the offence, reports The Times (May 16).
And nose-picking is strictly off limits for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, reports Police Review (May 16). “If you're sitting in a car with your finger up your nose, staring off into the distance with your mind in neutral, you are going to miss something and you are not going to be prepared,” says Richard Thompson, the force's chief.
But perhaps long hours in traffic are increasingly likely, given the drubbing that congestion charging took in recent elections. Local Transport Today (May 16) says that a proposed scheme in Manchester hangs in the balance after an anti-congestion charge party unseated its key champion. London's new Mayor, Boris Johnson, also vowed to scrap plans for emissions-based charging.
Foreign Ways
Schoolchildren in Sydney have been threatened with a “yellow card”, meaning a week's suspension, if they don't stop petitioning to get their favourite teacher back, The Daily Telegraph (May 17) in Australia reports. The pint-sized activists at Narraweena Primary School joined their parents to protest for the reinstatement of a popular teacher, Lynne Tziolas, who was suspended by the NSW Department of Education after nude photos of her and husband were published in a magazine section under the title: “Buck naked couples talk about their sex lives.”
Hero ...
When you think of a born leader, does it conjure up images of a tall, handsome and charismatic figure? Well, think again. When it comes to leadership, height isn't everything. Take Napoleon Bonaparte: many historians recount that the great military leader stood just 5ft 2in. And the reality, according to Stephen Taylor, chief executive of the Leadership Centre for Local Government, is that “good leaders are often short, fat people with zero charisma and perhaps even a hygiene problem”, Local Government Chronicle (May 15) reports. We wonder whether the so-called short man syndrome is just a tall story.
... and Villain
James Bond films may not appear to have much impact on everyday life at town halls, but councils are struggling to come to terms with parkour, the free-running craze popularised by Casino Royale. Children & Young People Now (May 14) reports that local authorities want to set up parkour sessions, but youth workers lack qualifications and guidance on leaping over walls or railings. They are also concerned about insurance and that not every street-smart kid wants councils involved. “The whole point is that parkour is slightly anarchic,” says Harry Fowler, joint acting head of youth service at Birmingham City Council.
Other views
“We have now in England an enormous, oppressive and contradictory edifice for school accountability which stifles initiative and creativity in schools.” Christine Blower, acting general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, gives her views on national testing, in Public Finance (May 16)
“We have got more people counting than we have got doing.” The police service is wasting money on bureaucracy and target culture, says Jan Berry, retiring chairman of the Police Federation, in Police Review (May 16)
“If I were a policewoman or a nurse I wouldn't be expected to put up with this treatment.” Teachers draw the short straw when it comes to bullying from service users, says Jennifer Drew, a humanities teacher, in TES Magazine (May 16)
“There is no option of a quick fix.” Alan Johnson MP, the Health Secretary, admits a £6 billion “black hole” in funding for adult social care, reports Community Care (May 15)
“It is clear [that] the Government has bowed to political pressure and chosen a criminal justice rather than a health-focused path.” The reclassification of cannabis will not stop people from taking it, argues Paul Corry, director of public affairs at the mental health charity Rethink, in Community Care (May 15)
“Only fools predict events with certainty.” Barry Quirk, chief executive of the London Borough of Lewisham, says foresight is a science, in The MJ (May 15)
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