Donations to Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservative Party fell by 45 percent last year to
their lowest level since 2003, the Electoral Commission said.

The Conservatives received 23.7 million pounds ($36.7
million), down from 43.1 million pounds in 2010, when party
coffers were boosted by donations for the general election
campaign.

The opposition Labour Party saw donations decline to 31.3
million pounds, while the Liberal Democrats, the junior partner
in the coalition government, attracted 6.2 million pounds, a
third less than in the previous year.

While Cameron does not face national elections until 2015,
support for the Conservatives has fallen sharply following an
unpopular budget in March and poor news on the economy.

A YouGov Plc poll completed on July 23 gave Labour 43
percent support, the Conservatives 33 percent and the Liberal
Democrats 9 percent.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Kitty Donaldson in London at

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
James Hertling at
jhertling@bloomberg.net

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By Katherine Harmon
(Click here for the original article)

In the U.S. it can be difficult to avoid getting an MRI, laboratory analysis or at least an X-ray in any given year. But in poor areas, medical technologies–from expensive screening machines to simple devices–are often as rare as specialists who know how to work them. So, in an effort to improve health the world over, many well-meaning organizations and governments donate new or used equipment or medicines to areas that lack them.

These contributions have surely saved lives and improved health in many places, but too often, that technology goes unused–or misused–because it is a poor match for the setting where it lands, according to a new report published online July 31 in The Lancet Commissions. Some of those donations can even “place a burden on recipients,” the authors led by Peter Howitt of the Institute for Global Health Innovation noted. Some 40 percent of all health care equipment in the developing world, for example, is not currently in use, whereas in developed countries, that sum is less than 1 percent, according to the report.

The vast majority of health technology is designed for–and sold to–developed countries and thus requires “high spending on health, a reliable energy supply and large numbers of trained health care professionals,” the authors noted. But when this technology is deployed without careful planning in middle and lower income nations it can cause more trouble than good.

Oxygen concentrators donated to a medical center in Gambia, for example, needed a different electrical voltage than was available there. The staff then had to try to find a way to make the machines work, to no avail, thus wasting valuable time and energy in the process. “Technology should therefore only be donated when the donor and recipient work together to identify beneficial technology” and figure out ahead of time how the technology is going to be used most effectively, the report authors noted.

The researchers concluded that an even better approach to spreading health technology would be to focus on locating and developing “frugal technologies that are specifically designed to meet the needs of low-income countries.” One simple example of this is the Jaipur prosthetic foot, which is now used in 22 countries. The basic rubber prosthesis does not have a patent and can be made locally, allowing for the low, $40 price. Unlike more advanced prosthetic feet, which can cost upward of $8,000, this one does not even require shoes for walking.

Another reason innovations often fail to be adopted is that the needed procedures are not in place to make them work. Vaccines, for example, often require large enough coverage to establish herd immunity and banish an infection. In remote locations, it can be difficult to spread public health messages and keep track of individuals in need of vaccination. One immunization officer in Bangladesh created a program that obtained due date, location and contact information from pregnant women in two districts. That way, vaccinators would know roughly when new children would be born and how to contact the mother to make sure that the kids received immunizations. Under his watch, immunization rates jumped from 67 to 85 percent and 60 to 79 percent in the two provinces in just one year. (He was awarded a Gates Vaccine Innovation Award for his work.)

Finally, innovations often fail in resource-poor areas because there are not enough trained professionals to implement them. One way to break down this barrier has been telemedicine, which can be implemented via the internet or even cell phone networks, which now cover 90 percent of the world’s population. The African Teledermatology Project, for example, has allowed hundreds of cases of dermatological disease in sub-Saharan Africa to be photographed and uploaded for review by experts in the U.S., Australia or Europe.

Of course the U.S. also has some catching up of its own to do. Roughly 60 percent of hospitals in India were using electronic health records to track surgeries as of a few years ago, whereas fewer than 20 percent of U.S. surgeries were being logged in EHRs. “Technology is making a substantial contribution to global health, yet it could do so much more,” Lord Ara Darzi, of Imperial College London, and a co-author on the new report, said in a prepared statement. That’s true, it seems, both abroad and at home.

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KENNEBUNK — A fundraising website for 7-month-old Zoé Paul, who is in need of a liver transplant, has been set up through the Children’s Organ Transplant Association. The site can be accessed at cota.donorpages.com/PatientOnlineDonation/COTAforZoeP/.

Paul was born with biliary atresia, a condition of the liver that causes significant injury to the organ as the common bile duct between the liver and the small intestine is blocked or absent.

Doctors found that Paul was in need of a liver transplant after a surgery called the Kasai procedure, an attempt to restore bile flow from her liver to her small intestine, was unsuccessful.

The baby’s family is facing mounting medical bills, has already had a number of hospital stays, and is anticipating the costs of surgery. COTA supports families who are in need of a transplant but face financial need.

Choral festival to feature ’50 Voices’

CAPE PORPOISE — The 50 Voice Choral Festival celebrates the role of choral music in faith. The chorus will consist of some 50 voices from around New England producing a sound usually found in cathedrals.

The Festival will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5.

The guest conductor will be Dr. Ed Willmington, director of the Fred Block Institute of Music, Brehm Center for Worship, Theology and the Arts, at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif.

The guest organist will be Kenneth Grinnell, who has served the First Congregational Church of Manchester, N.H., as minister of music and organist since 1976.

The concert will take place at The Church on The Cape, 3 Langsford Road, Cape Porpoise. This performance is to be presented by the Keith McClelland Community Music Foundation, an outreach ministry of The Church on The Cape. A free-will offering will be accepted.

Brick Store Museum hosts shipbuilding tour

KENNEBUNK — From 1766 to 1867, there was a thriving shipbuilding industry in the Kennebunks. Ships built at local yards sailed to ports as diverse as London, Gottenburg, Macau, Rangoon, Singapore and the Caribbean, carrying passengers and cargo. Local yards built barks, ships, and schooners — some of impressive size. The Golden Eagle, built in 1856, was more than 188 feet long and 38 feet broad.

A program aimed at educating the public about the area’s shipbuilding past will include a special, narrated trolley excursion that will take participants to local sites associated with shipbuilding along the Kennebunk River in the 1800s. The program will begin at the museum with an illustrated overview of life in the shipyards and the vessels that sailed the globe from Kennebunk. After the trolley tour, visitors are invited to view related museum collections and enjoy refreshments.

Space is limited and reservations are required by Aug. 12. Tickets are $30 per person, $25 for museum members. Call 985-4802 to reserve tickets or for further information.

Kennebunk River Club to host art show

KENNEBUNK — The 57th annual Art Show at the Kennebunk River Club will take place Sunday, Aug. 12, and Monday, Aug. 13. The show is an opportunity for local artists throughout Maine to display their artistic talents.

The show is being hosted by the Kennebunk River Club in its historically significant Casino building and Boathouse at 115-116 Ocean Ave. in Kennebunkport. Both venues serve as beautiful backdrops to the fine works of more than 80 contributing artists working in a variety of mediums, including oils, acrylics, watercolor, sculpture and photography.

The Casino show is a juried exhibition, and prizes will be awarded for Patron’s Prize and Best In Show, along with Honorable Mention ribbons in several categories. This year’s distinguished judges are Mark Bessire, director at Portland Museum of Art; Anne Gable Allaire, pastel artist recently named a Master Pastelist by the Pastel Society of America; Paul Bonneau, watercolor and acrylic artist, juried member of the Art Guild of the Kennebunks and recipient of several awards for his paintings; and Berri Kramer, fiber artist and president of the Heartwood College of Art in Kennebunk.

The River Club Casino Art Show will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 13.

Additionally on Sunday, Aug. 13, from 1 to 5 p.m., a non-juried artist and crafters show will occur in the Kennebunk River Club Boathouse, across the street from the Casino building, including prints, paintings, photographs, sculpture, nautical art, jewelry, table decor and more.

Admission is $2 and includes entry to both shows on Sunday. All works are for sale.

Earn trolley rides for life in naming contest

KENNEBUNKPORT — The Kennebunkport Resort Collection recently launched the first evening trolley service to Kennebunkport, as a safe and convenient option to enjoy the coastal town’s vibrant nightlife.

Available to both locals and visitors, the Dinner Trolley will circulate between all six KRC properties and other well-known neighboring hotels and establishments.

Historically, local trolleys have been named, giving them a personality all their own. In the spirit of giving back to the community and generating some local buzz and excitement, the KRC is holding a Name the Dinner Trolley contest. For every submission, KRC will donate $1 to the local historic landmark, the Seashore Trolley Museum. Founded in 1939, the Seashore Trolley Museum is the largest electric railway museum in the world, with more than 250 transit vehicles on display. Visitors can explore three carbarns that show the progression of transit vehicles over time. They can also view restoration being done and enjoy the chance to ride a streetcar on a rebuilt portion of the Atlantic Short Line Railway.

Submissions for trolley names can be made on the trolley, which runs from 5 to 10 p.m. seven days a week through Sept. 3. The winner will be given a $100 gift card to the Kennebunkport Resort Collection and a lifetime of free trolley rides. The contest will run through Aug. 15 and a winner will be announced Aug. 16.

The trolley travels between downtown Kennebunkport and out to the Goose Rocks Beach area, stopping at Hidden Pond, The Tides Beach Club, Cross St. in Kennebunkport, the Nonantum Resort, The Colony Hotel, Old Fort Inn, Village Cove Inn and the Cottages at Cabot Cove on an hourly route. For guests of KRC properties, the cost of the trolley is included in their hotel fee. Locals and those getting on at other stops will be asked to pay $5 for a one-way ticket, in cash, to the trolley driver upon boarding, or tickets can be purchased at any participating hotels. To view the trolley’s route and schedule, visit www.destinationkennebunkport.com.

York County Fund grants awarded

KENNEBUNK — The Maine Community Foundation’s Community Building Grant Program recently awarded $37,095 in grants to nine York County nonprofits, including two in Kennebunk.

The Child Abuse Prevention Council of York County, in Kennebunk, received funding for The Nuturing Program, a 10-week parenting class to help families build strong, healthy relationships. Habitat for Humanity York County, also in Kennebunk, received funds for start-up capital to open a ReStore in York County.

A volunteer committee of York County residents and business leaders reviews grants and makes recommendations for funding through the York County Fund and York County Children’s Aid Society Fund. The majority of grants in York County are directed to programs that assist vulnerable youth.

The next deadline for applying to the York County Fund is Feb. 15, 2013. Applications and guidelines are available at www.mainecf.org.

Graduation ceremony to air on television

WELLS — The June 13 Wells High School Class of 2012 commencement ceremonies are being broadcast on Time Warner Channel 3 in Wells and Ogunquit.

In Wells, the graduation ceremony will air at 9 a.m. Monday-Friday until Aug. 13; on Thursdays and Fridays, it will also air at 8 p.m.

In Ogunquit, the graduation will air at 7 p.m. Fridays, Aug. 3 and Aug. 10.

Fire Rescue receives donation from EMS

KENNEBUNK — Kennebunkport EMS has made a generous donation of $2,500 to Kennebunk Fire Rescue for continued support and cooperation with their agency, their generosity in assisting with the loan of Rescue 4 during a mechanical issue, and the prompt and professional mutual aid KFR provides to KEMS.

Rescue 4 experienced minor mechanical issues after its return to KFR, which Chief Shawn Sullivan and the board of directors of KEMS wished to assist in paying for through the donation, said EMS Division Chief Andrew Palmeri. The remaining balance has been requested to assist in the purchase of equipment to outfit the new Fire/EMS command vehicle recently approved by the Kennebunk Board of Selectmen.

The new command vehicle, an F-150 4×4 pickup, is expected to be delivered the first week of September from Arundel Ford.

Kennebunk Fire Rescue hopes to use the donation to provide the new vehicle with state of the art storage and incident command capabilities.

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