The Ballad of Billy The Kidney

Great Figures in Transplant / Non-transplant History > Jerry Richardson

Today's instalment in this series introduces you to Jerry Richardson, owner and founder of the Carolina Panthers in the [US] National Football League.

I usually try to alternate these columns between a figure likely to be known to American audiences and a figure more likely to be known to Australian audiences.

This has been a wee bit out of sequence lately, including some figures that fit into neither category (such as my lovely wife).  So here we are back on track.

Usually this post is an abstract of the articles mentioned in this post.  But most of these articles are a wee bit bogged down in American football terms that are completely lost on me;  a humbling experience for an adult educator, and a salutary reminder of what a lot of my students experience when they arrive at TAFE College.

But Mr Richardson is mentioned here because of his recent heart transplant.

Articles I located on this gentleman include:

• Official biography on the Carolina Panthers website (and no mention of his transplant!)
• Wikipedia article
• Gary Myers, Classy Jerry Richardson in fight for his life, New York Daily News, 21st Decembner 2008 (written just before his transplant)
• Richardson recovering from transplant, ESPN, 2nd February 2009
• Addie Rising, Panthers Owner's Heart Transplant Surgery Successful, Addie's Charlotte Blog, About.com, 4th February 2009

The picture is from Addies' Charlotte Blog on About.com

World Transplant Games 2009 > Day 8 and Closing Ceremony

This post is subject to further update after initial publication.

Here is a general round-up of how the last day of competition in the World Transplant Games 2009 was reported in the world's media and blogosphere.

Impressions of the closing ceremony are also included.

As with my previous posts on the Games, I have sought to guide readers as to how to make your own choices in locating material in the WWW. This, after all, is the power of Web 2.0 !

For more information you might like to search as follows.

• For news items: world transplant games on Google News
• For blog posts: world transplant games on Technorati or Google Blog Search
• For tweets: world transplant games on Twitter
• For video: world transplant games on YouTube or Google Videos (latter is not really recommended, based on my experience over the last week)
• For phlogs (phone blogs): world transplant games or wtg on ipadio

To get a rough interpretation into (or out of) the English language, try Google Translate or Yahoo! BabelFish. The translations that follow are from Google Translate (so please allow for that). If you happen to be proficient in any of the non-English languages that follow, and would like to suggest a translation, you are most welcome to do so.

Before I move to this list, may I conclude this section of this post with a phone-blog from a commentator at the Games.  I think she best expressed the philosophy of these Games.

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Also folks, please bear in mind that what follows is not an exhaustive list.  Rummage around the WWW using some of these ideas, and see what you come up with!

World Transplant Games 2009 > Day 7

Today I thought we might see how the World Transplant Games are being reported on in the Twitter-sphere.

I'm taking a thematic approach to this topic because I realise that its hard to get a continuous update of results in the way that you would get, say, a continuous update from the Olympic Games in the mainstream media.

Rather, Web 2.0 gives you the chance to pick your own results or follow your own interests.  And it also gives you a result to add your own perspective based on your own preference / interest / bias /whatever.

Twitter is a particularly good medium for this type of reporting because you can in theory blog in from a mobile phone (and not even via the internet on a 3G phone - you can blog in via text messaging).  This means that those using it can be very close to the action, and with immediacy (without having to find a computer).

Now let's see how this translates into action!

World Transplant Games 2009 > Day 6

This post is subject to further update after publication

Here is a selection of World Transplant Games videos recently posted, mostly,  on YouTube.  (Google Video was no help at all.) I have tried to concentrate on action from the Gold Coast, but in some instances I have gone to the meta-story (the story behind the story).  And in some instances its because I cannot understand the Dutch language.

World Transplant Games 2009 > Day 5

As the World Transplant Games continue on the Gold Coast in the sunny State of Queensland, a quick surf of the WWW has revealed these highlights:

• John Paul O'Neill of Ireland has won a silver medal in the squash competition on Tuesday.
• In rowing, Bas van den Hoven of The Netherlands won a gold medal in the skiff competition, and Martijn Watervliet & Bas van den Hoven of The Netherlands won silver medals in the "double two".  (No I don't know what that means.) (Original Dutch language web page.)
• Damon Danieli of Team USA (the picture at the head of this post is from his blog) the 3rd highest time in his team for the 5 kilometre cycling time trial, but unfortunately did not qualify for a medal.

I have also uncovered some more Transplant Games blogs, and have added them to the list in yesterday's post.

A guide to the World Transplant Games on the WWW

This post is subject to updates after publication.

One of the advantages of Web 2.0 is that events that get overlooked by the mainstream media can be covered in a fairly broad way by ordinary folk on the ground - often armed with no more than a 3G mobile phone.

The World Transplant Games is one such event.  Its mostly being sidestepped by the mainstream media, apart from a number of local newspapers with stories about local residents off to the Games.

But there's plenty to still get your interest if you hunt the WWW a little bit.

World Transplant Games 2009 > Day 3

The World Transplant Games continue on the Gold Coast of Queensland today.

A guest of honour at the Opening Ceremony last Sunday was Mr Frank Vig.  At 93 years old and having responsibility for a transplanted kidney since 1974, he is Australia's oldest living donor recipient.

Also on Day 1 of competition, Irish competitor Tony Gartland kicked off his team's competition in a big way by picking up a silver medal in the 5km road race.

Unfortunately I am at this moment having trouble accessing the World Transplant Games website to access the medal standings.  You might like to try it for yourself.

More updates as I am able to access them!

• Image Credit: from the Opening Ceremony of the World Transplant Games.

Let the games begin!

Today sees the launch of the World Transplant Games on the Gold Coast, in the Australian State of Queensland.

The Games, held every 2 years since 1978, promote exercise and fitness as a means of managing organ transplantation.  A fit patient means a probable longer-lasting organ transplant.

Exercise is a key method of managing an organ transplant for the long haul.  Its not the only method, of cousre, but it is extremely important.

World and national Transplant Games represents an opportunity for transplantees to have a specific goal whilst managing their valuable and life-giving resource.

This blog is, alas, about 1,000 km away from the action of the World Transplant Games.  But we will try to keep our readers attuned as to what's happening up there on the sunny Gold Coast (especially with Team Ireland!).

The Games run to August 30.

This YouTube video of the 5 kilometre road race was uploaded by 15hoyukai

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• Image credit: The Alfred Transplant Family

Cead mile fealte!

The Ireland team arrives in Australia today for the World Transplant Games on the Gold Coast of Queensland!

Cead mile fealte, Éire!  (A hundred thousand welcomes to Ireland!)

The team even has its own very impressive website.

More on this event on Sunday (Opening Day of competition).

• Media release announcing team selection [Microsoft Word document]

• Image Credit: From the Transplant Team Ireland website.

The Senator and the bottle

I am not exactly sure what to make of Senator Steve Fielding's sudden switch to opposing the Australian Government's so-called "alcopops tax".

Certainly the experts seem to think that the increase in price in these drinks simply makes the consumers drink other things.

But in my humble artless way I was hoping that at least this was a start of some sort in getting binge drinking by some (not all) young people under control.

I get concerned when I hear my students casually talking about getting drunk on the weekend, and I recall several alcohol-affected renal patients I have met at dialysis centres.

But 'twas not to be.  For all his protestations about being a simple bloke supporting families, Senator Fielding is becoming as wheeley-dealey as the next politician.

Its a wee bit rich when he now decries alcohol advertising in sport to take him seriously, given his public-about-face on the alcopops issue.

• Background story from ABC [Australia] Lateline program of 18th March 2009

• The image of Senator Fielding arriving for work is from ABC [Australia] News