| Farewell to The West Wing
There have been - and are - a lot of bloody good shows on the telly. But few as adventurous, as challenging, as influential or quite as good as The West Wing, which concludes - forever - on the ABC this week. At the most obvious level, it lets us think about politics in a different, more hopeful way. More so in regard to politics in the US, of course, but Australian politics isn't exempt from the struggle between ideology and pragmatism, force and diplomacy, the personal and the public. Nor from issues such as how to provide a decent education or health system, or manage political donations, or balance environmental and economic issues. And one of the most gripping and mind-bending episodes was the one that opened season six, in which half a dozen key characters argued passionately about the Middle East, not presenting "both" sides, but an extraordinarily diverse and nuanced range of perspectives.
Students honored for art
One is an intricate, colorful example of pointillism, the style of art that uses tiny dots to create an image - in this case, an array of marbles. The other is an unsettling, manipulated photo in which a little girl's face appears to be rusting. .
Eye cancer begins fight for life
Rory Frink, of Livermore, prays with John Shevenell after a church service at the East Bay Fellowship on Feb. 11, 2007, in Danville, Calif. Shevnell began using a wheelchair after chemotherapy treatments blistered the skin on his feet. (Jane Tyska/Media News) .
Saving preemies' sight
The hospital, located at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, owns one of 400 RetCam imaging systems in the world and one of only nine in Illinois. "This is a tremendous asset to the community," said Dr. Steve Lichtenstein of Illinois Eye Center. RetCam, sold by California-based Clarity Medical Systems, Inc., is the latest technology to help detect retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). The first of three RetCam models was sold starting in 1997. The RetCam II model has been used in Peoria since January, a month after Children's Hospital spent about $90,000 for the computerized system and accompanying hand-held camera. The fiber-optic camera provides real-time images and still photos. Lichtenstein, former chairman of the American Academy of Pediatricians Section on Ophthalmology, estimates about 15 percent of newborn babies will require laser surgery or more complicated eye surgery.
After opening own firm, alum seeks spot on bench
Roca, a local lawyer, is running for a seat in Philadelphia's Court of Common Pleas, which consists of 93 judges who are assigned to the following three divisions: trial court, family court and orphans' court.
"I work hard, I'm honest. I've strived to do the best I can for the past 12 years and I would continue to do that on the bench," Roca said.
Roca is the only Latina candidate of 21 attorneys on the ballot who are vying in the May 15 primary for four vacant seats. She wants to be on the bench for the family court division, and she said her bilingual
skills would be an asset to her courtroom.
Roca was born and raised in Philadelphia.
She lived in several neighborhoods, including Spring Garden, Olney and Hunting
Park. After graduating high school, she attended the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico for a year before taking classes at Temple.
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