OMG!! I really love this website which gets revenge on those awful TV Adverts :-)

This is such a cool site!. For years I have sat before my TV set being tortured by absolutely awful,patronising and totally rubbish adverts.
Now, thanks to this wonderful site I will be able to voice my opinions about the diabolical rubbish that some advertisers expect us to A) Believe, and B) take any notice of!.

Anyway, take a look at this site and see if you agree with some of the hilarious comments that the great British public have made about this drivel that assults us all each day :-)

Click HERE to have a gander.

This story proves just how unfair life can be for some..........

Whilst surfing the net the other day i found myself on a CLL blog that was written by a lady named Donna Gregory. She had been keeping a blog about her husbands fight with Chronic Leukaemia and it told of his diagnosis,treatment and (at the time) remission from the illness.

what made this story so moving was that this blog was written by a lady who had died, along with her husband and athe pilot of the light aircraft they had been travelling in when it crashed in August 2008. he final entry was by another author who had the sad task of telling her readers what had occured.

This is a exerpt from the article in the Boston Globe.

"EASTON -- A cancer patient, his wife, and their pilot were killed this morning when a single-engine airplane operated by Angel Flight New England crashed in a parking lot on its way from a Long Island, N.Y. airport to Logan International Airport in Boston.




The crash at 10:25 a.m. killed Robert and Donna Gregory of Riverhead, N.Y., and pilot Joe E. Baker of Brookfield, Conn., authorities said.

“Sadly, we learned the Angel Flight patient and his wife and the pilot were lost,” said Amy Camerlin, a spokeswoman for Angel Flight, an organization of volunteer pilots that helps needy patients get medical care. “They were traveling to Boston for medical treatment. Our deepest sympathy goes out to the patient’s and pilot’s families.”

Robert Gregory was headed to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for treatment. He suffered from chronic lymphocytic leukemia, according to a blog written by his wife that chronicled his struggle with the disease.

To read Donna's blog click HERE.
To read the complete article about the accident click HERE to go to the Boston.com Website.

What a tradgedy that such a thing would  happen to such brave people already fighting a battle, and then having their lives ended in such a cruel way.

Angel Flight are a great and noble organisation, lets hope that such a loss will not stop them from doing such remarkable and noteworthy work for others in need.

Doctor Who star Matt Smith in appeal for bone marrow donors

Matt Smith, soon to take over from current Time Lord David Tennant, is seeking a bone marrow match for 15-year-old Matt Herbert, who is suffering from leukaemia.

The 27-year-old actor grew up in the same road as Herbert, a keen rugby player and pupil at Northampton School for Boys.


Matt Herbert  (15) was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in December 2008. He underwent treatment but found out the illness had returned in September.

He has since been told by doctors that he will only survive if he manages to have the transplant.

To read the full story, click HERE to go to the Telegraph Website.

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New Dr Who star supports leukaemia boy's campaign

A Northampton teenager has enlisted celebrity support in his campaign to find a bone marrow donor.


Matt Herbert, 15, suffers from leukaemia and urgently needs a bone marrow transplant.A campaign has been started to find the boy a donor and has got the support of top sporting stars as well as the new Doctor Who Matt Smith.

"Matts Match" which is being run in conjunction with the Anthony Nolan Trust, involves a series of clinics to find a match, with the next due to take place tomorrow.The previous clinic, held at Northampton Town Football Club, saw 103 people recruited to the donor register and was one of the first to use saliva samples rather than blood samples.

Keen rugby player Matt has already gained the support of his sporting heroes, as well as childhood friend Doctor Who star Matt Smith, also from Northampton.

Writing on the Matt's Match website, the actor said: "Matthew and I grew up in the same street in Northampton just three houses apart"."Although he is younger, we both played ball games in that same street but his was a rugby ball and mine a football.

"We both went to the same junior school and secondary school and we even share the same name.

"Matthew is such a kind, intelligent and fun-loving young man and so it is extremely important to me, personally, that he has all the support and help he deserves with his current illness."

(Thanks to the Asian Leader for this story ).

Matt's Webpage can be found by clicking HERE.

Nice job Matt :-)

British scientists have 'created a new drug that 'kills' leukaemia

British scientists have 'created a new drug that 'kills' leukaemia - even in worst affected adults', reported the Daily Mail.

Although the Daily Mail s headline may suggest that this drug has been tested in humans, this was not the case. As explained much further down the article, this research is at a very early stage. In laboratory experiments, the chemical showed some potential as it killed cancer cells that were resistant to existing drug treatments.

However, much more research would be needed to identify how safe and effective this drug is in animals before it could be tested in humans. Many drugs that show promise in the lab are proven unsafe or ineffective in later animal testing.
This is early research and any potential treatment using this chemical is a long way off.

Where did the story come from?

The research was carried out by Dr Anthony M McElligott and colleagues at Trinity College Dublin and other centres in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Italy. It was published in the peer-reviewed journal Cancer Research. The research was funded by Enterprise Ireland, Cancer Research Ireland and the Higher Education Authority of Ireland.

The newspapers correctly reported that the development of this drug is at an early stage and that it may be years before it can be used. However, the Daily Mail s headline that the drug ' kills leukaemia even in worst affected adults' may lead people to believe that this drug has been tested in patients, which is not the case. Headlines in other news sources, such as BBC News and The Daily Telegraph, are more accurate and simply state that the drug has been shown to kill leukaemia cells.

What kind of research was this?

This laboratory study looked at the effects of a chemical called PBOX-15 (pyrrolo-1,5-benzoxazepine-15) on leukaemia cells extracted from people with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). The authors say that new treatments are needed for CLL, particularly for patients who do not respond well to existing therapies.

There are many stages in developing and testing potential new drugs. Laboratory studies such as this one are used to identify the effects of the drug on affected cells and tissues. This is important for directing further study but cannot reliably predict what other effects a drug such as PBOX-15 might have in a living body. This study will need to be followed up with research in animals to assess how safe and effective the drug might be in humans.

What did the research involve?

The researchers took blood samples from 55 patiens with CLL who had not yet begun treatment for their condition. From these samples, white blood cells affected by leukaemia were isolated in the laboratory and exposed to PBOX-15 to see whether they died.

The tests say I have Leukaemia... hang on a mo, that can’t be right (Boris Johnson)

How does it feel to be told that you have blood cancer? Well it's not good I can tell you (sadly from experience!).
Boris johnson (Mayor of London) has experienced this ..erm...experience!, and has written about it in the Daily Telegraph online.

To see the complete story, click HERE to go to the Telegraph website.

Wonder if my diagnosis was a mistake?......dream on ! :-)
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Road Rage? Name and Shame the culprits on this brill site :-)

I just love this webpage, it allows you to report those jokers that we all have to put up with on the roads these days, you know, bad overtakers,non indicators,erratic drivers and the likes who make the road a more dangerous place to be.

We all get steamed up about our run in's with these individuals,and I myself have suffered a cracked windscreen due to a nutter in a Transit a few months ago who nearly ran me off the road whilst trying a ridiculous overtake on the A17 so here is your chance to get even without having to go through the long winded and pointless process of going to the cops if you feel so inclined to do so.
You don't need to give your name or divulge any details just tell others when,were and how you got annoyed with someones driving, then (if you have managed to get it!) let others know the registration number of the car involved....it's that easy :-).

Go on...dare you to type in your own registration number and see if you have been caught for any naughty behaviour whilst out and about in your motor......go on, you know you want too ! :-)

Click HERE to go to the website.
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Husband and wife are now both fighting Cancer.

PREMIER League referee Mark Halsey and his wife Michelle are fighting back after a nightmare year when BOTH were diagnosed with cancer.


Michelle was told last New Year's Eve that she had leukaemia - then in August Mark learned he had a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, cancer of the lymph glands.
Mark, 48, says: "It was devastating when we heard about Michelle. Then when I was told I had cancer, I was just numb. Your life flashes before your eyes. But you have to stay strong, really strong. Now, not one part of me thinks I will die.

"I have been told I have a 95 per cent chance of survival. At first I concentrated on that five per cent. But not now."

To read the whole story click HERE to go to the Sun Newspapers website.

To see a video on the Bolton News Website click HERE

Best wishes to them both in their fight with their illness's.

'Our son had undiagnosed leukaemia for six weeks before he died. We were told to relax'

A HEARTBROKEN couple last night claimed Ireland's healthcare system failed them after their three-month-old son died from acute leukaemia after being treated for colic and constipation for six weeks.

This is another tragic story telling of the heartbreaking loss of a child through undiagnosed Leukaemia.


To read this story in full click HERE to go to the Independant.ie website.

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A quick comment about climate change............

Just been emailed about a community channel film called "The age of stupid". It apparently is set in the future and tells the story of an old guy who looks at video clips from 2008 and asks the question "Why did we not act on climate change?".
The film tries to gt across how "stupid" we all are whilst living our modern lives, and the impact it has on the climate of the planet. A very noble subject you would think.However the blurb then goes on to explain how the crew travelled the world to get footage for their project and in turn they also contribute to the effects of climate change.
They get around this by documenting their carbon footprint details....excluding those of course of their prospective audiences that are obviously not going to walk to the cinema's !.
I find this whole climate change thing rather confusing, and have recently heard eveidence that ALL of the planets in our system are warming up, it appears to be a routine quirk of nature.Who is right then? Is climate change such a big deal, or are we all being taken for a ride by the scremongers who use the subject to produce interesting films and documenteries..or maybe they work for the govermnet and just want to find another excuse to slam in a new "stealth tax" on motorists?
 This is their webpage which tells of how they produced over 150,000 kgs of carbon footprint during the production and promotion of this film........sounds like someones being a bit hypocritical to me !.

http://www.ageofstupid.net/carbon_footprint

Besides, according to Google, cows fart more CO2 than we produce with our engines, so why not stick bags on their bums, collect the gas, save the planet and utilise a natural resource? Naaaa that would not make such a shocking subject matter would it :-)...funny though :-)

Don't believe me?....check this out.....  http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/cow-emissions-more-damaging-to-planet-than-cosub2sub-from-cars-427843.html


Told you :-)
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Beefy Botham is off on new walk in aid of leukaemia research's 50th Anniversary

England cricket great Sir Ian Botham unveiled plans for his latest charity walk on Tuesday, saying he would not stop until childhood leukaemia had ceased totally to be a fatal condition.

Former all-rounder Botham's 13th charity walk will start in April next year and take him on a 10-town tour of England.

'Beefy's Great Forget Me Not Walk' will also mark the 25th anniversary of his first trek in aid of leukaemia research, and 2010 will also be the 50th year since the LRF was formed in 1960.
"My walk in 2010 will be extra special for me," Botham said on Tuesday.
"I never forget why I put myself through the pain and blisters. I won't stop until we beat childhood leukaemia. We're up to about 90 percent survival now and that's remarkable."

Click HERE to read the full story on the AFP Website..
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Basketball legend Abdul-Jabbar is battling Chronic leukaemia

Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has revealed that he is being treated for a rare form of leukaemia.


The 62-year-old, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia last December but insists his prognosis is positive.

To read the full story please click HERE to go to the BBC Sport Website.

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Ryan Cano's having a Christmas Party!...are you going ?

If you live within a reasonable distance of Mansfield Woodhouse (situated next to Mansfield,Notts, but far more exclusive!)then you may fancy kicking off your festive celebrations by attending Ryan Cano's Christmas Party.
The party is being held at the Working Mens Club on Slant Lane in Mansfiled Woodhouse on Friday the 20th November and kicks off at approx 7pm.
Entry is £1.00 for adults and £2.00 for the kids, although the kids will all get to see Santa and be given a pressie....damn,wish i was a kid again ! :-).

If you have read about Ryan's story in this blog on an earlier post you will know that this is being held for a good cause, and sounds like a great night out to me!.I haven't been in this club since i was about 13...and that was a long time ago :-)

Here is a link to Ryan's webpage. Click HERE to go...........there!

I wonder if i could lie about my age?..................... :-)

Spoke to Kamahl the other day.....what a nice guy :-)

Yesterday, at around 12:25 PM UK time I made a call to Kamahl in Australia.I had been trying to speak to him for some time, but due to the time difference, work commitments on both our parts etc it has taken quite a while for us both to be able to have a chat.

Now as international singing stars go, I don't have much experience of talking to them, and even less of trying to interview them, especially by phone!, but Kamahl, I am glad to say, is a most approachable fellow, and once he realised it was me on the line we spent 5 or 6 minutes discussing his recollections of his visit to Shirley and Anthony during the mid 1970's.

Of course me being me, I had not got very organised before the call (situation normal then!) so I simply asked him to describe the meeting he had that day when he and his wife dropped in to 8 high street Manston,Kent.

Kamahl did remember many details, but felt that he needed a little time to discuss the event with Sohondra so that they could give me a more detailed account. To that end he has asked me to give him a few days to recall in more clarity his visit, but also said that he had some pictures that he took during the visit which I would be welcome to see.

Many thanks then to Kamahl who thankfully turned out to be not just approachable and helpful in my research, but also a very pleasant and genuine person too :-)

Yesterday was very special but also very sad......but ultimately inspiring....

Because yesterday marked one year since Joel Picker-Spence passed away after his brave and inspiring fight with Leukaemia.
I guess that no one would know how it feels to lose a child as his mum Ann ,his dad Dan and his brother and sister Shaun and Eva did, and i have the upmost respect for the way that they have coped with this tradgedy over the last 12 months.
His mum Ann has been tirelessly working with the Anthony Nolan Trust organising bone marrow donor recruitment events throughout the East Midlands, and Dan Eva and Shaun have been there to support her in her valiant efforts to try and help others to be spared the heartache that this family have undoubtably endured over the last year, and in the 3+ years after Joels diagnosis when they tried as hard as any mortal being could to save his young life.
Don't look to the myriads of celebrities who clog up our TV,radio and newspapers for inspiration......look instead to the "normal" people like the Picker-Spence family if you want to seek an example of the strength of the human spirit when faced with extreme adversity.
It has been said before that "Negative situations can often result in surprisingly positive outcomes", and i am sure that with the work that Ann has been doing in recruiting many more to the Anthony Nolan register, many more children like Joel will have a "positive outcome", thanks to the dedication of Ann and her great family.

Brads Story.Please watch this video.

I cannot find a way of importing this video onto this blog, so i will just post a link to it instead.
This is a photo montage of a little guy named brad, and his ongoing battle with ALL (Acute Leukaemia).

To see the video (made by Carl Finn) please click HERE

Saving Shirley Nolan.My new blogpage for my research work.

From today any new info about my research into Shirley Nolan and her story will be posted on this blog http://www.savingshirleynolan.blogspot.com/ .
Hopefully this will allow me to stick to more Leukaemia relatedissues on this blog now :-)

I just found this story on the net.....connections....it's what life is all about.

This was recently posted on YouTube and I listened to it with the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end !.
It was amazing to hear other people have come to the same conclusion that I have when it comes to understanding what life is all about...connections, and the chance to do something amazing during your time on this earth.

Anyway, watch this and see what you think.....




I will be sorting out a copy of Kevin's Book shortly :-), looks like an excellent read.

Time for another "Matt attack" I think...........

My favourite music (re)producer Matt Pop has been a very busy geeza recently working his magic on a few tracks.This time the Sundays and the Black Eyed Peas get the Matt treatment.Take it away Matt :-)






Nice work mate...keep em coming !

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If someone hit your car in Newark on the 4th November, read this !

Just a quick note to the person who's car was hit by another on a roundabout in Newark Upon Trent at approx 7:55 on the 4th November.
I saw the accident and the other car involved, and also noted that the guy/gal that side swiped your motor decided not to stop after the collision !.
You were driving a '52 plate Gold Renault Clio, and the other person had a dark blue Peugeot.The car that hit you as you went around the roundabout had the registration number Y591 ANH.
I was behind this car until the next roundabout when it then pulled into the petrol station/service area.

Just in case the other driver was one of these that thinks they can get away with it, i decided to post this info.

If the collision was resolved later let me know and I will remove the post...if not, i will leave it live :-)

After suffering the same annoying experience myself on 2 occasions I hope that you get this sorted my friend !

Father in bone marrow donor plea

A father-of-five who has been diagnosed with leukaemia has appealed to his community to find a bone marrow donor.

Gordon Reynolds, 60, from Ludlow, Shropshire, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma leukaemia in July 2002.The Anthony Nolan Trust said he has had two operations but "his only hope of long-term survival is a bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor".

Can you help Gordon ? Please consider attending the event on the 8th November...you may just be the person who could save Gordon's life !.

To see the full story and to get details about the donor recruitment session click HERE to go to the BBC Website.

Good Luck Gordon.

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Farmers gives $1m to leukaemia charity...how good is that ?

Farmers' $1 million donation to the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation has a personal connection for the firms owners.

David and Anne Norman have both lost family members to leukaemia, "so they are very motivated in that regard", said Farmers managing director Rod McDermott.

To see the full story click HERE to go to the New Zealand Herald website.

I wonder if there are any generous UK companies who would like to make a similar gesture ?

:-)

Maths fan Vikki is roused from coma by her father's mental arithmetic questions

Vicki Alex's love of maths had helped her pass the time on many a long car journey. Little did she know it would one day save her life.

I know of this case well having spoken to Nick on Facebook and followed his blog for the last few weeks.

Good to see that Vicki is making such great progress. Strangely, maths questions have the opposite effect on me and I tend to find myself bored to sleep when i am faced with anything too taxing on the old grey matter involving numbers !. But hey, it did the trick for Vicki and thats all that counts.

To see the full story click HERE to go to the Daily Mail Online webpage.

To follow Nick's blog click HERE.

Nice story Nick :-)

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"Leukaemia". the ugliest word you can be told about your baby....

THE shattered parents of tiny Shanna McHugh last night told of their horror when doctors told them their precious baby had leukaemia.

Dad Ricky McHugh, 33, and mum Nicola Orr, 24, were shocked by the diagnosis when Shanna was just 11 weeks - after they feared she had a COLD.

To see the full story click HERE to go to the SUN Newspaper Website.

Best wishes to the McHugh Family in their journey with baby Shanna.

And now an example of how a converstion can be mis heard !

"Joey" our 9 (ish) year old Budgie sadly died yesterday. The kids of course are all very upset, although when my wife called to tell me of his dire condition a work colleague ,who was sat close by, overheard part of my conversation....

"So he's not looking good then? It will probably be only a matter of time until we lose him" i told her.
"I will really miss him if he dies" i continued, "do you want me to bring a cardboard box back from work and we can bury him in the back garden tonight?".......it was at around this point my mate realised that i was not talking about a human member of our family! :-)

Farewell Joey. You will be sadly missed.

New leukaemia fundraising campaign for pharmacy worker

Pharmacy job worker Allison White of Durham was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukaemia in July and has since helped organise an evening to aid research into the disease

While the 32-year-old was in hospital her family and friends held a fundraising event in aid of Leukaemia Research UK at Evenwood Workingmen's Club, the Northern Echo reported.

To view this story click HERE to go to the mediplacements website.

Best wishes to Allison and her family, and well done in raising the money,hope your cousins hair grows back quickly ! :-)

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Drug 'can kill leukaemia cells'

Scientists claim a new drug has been developed which kills leukaemia cells.

Researchers say the drug, PBOX-15, can destroy cancerous cells in adult patients with a poor prognosis who have shown resistance to other treatments.

For the Full report, click HERE to go to the BBC Health News Website.

A mystery surrounding this webpage...did she win this award ?

Found this on the net today but can't seem to quantify it's claim that Shirley won the Australian of the Year Award in 1979.
I have been to the official Awards website and they list other people for the award in 1979...strange !.

Click HERE to go to the National Library of Australia Website.

Can anyone explain this apparent mis information held in the clippings mentioned ?

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Hello to all those who visit the site from Leeds !

Last night whilst carrying out my weekly search of Google for any new Shirley Nolan info, i was surprised to find one from myself !. It appears that the message that I sent to the Yorkshire Evening Post was actually published as a letter!. Anyway, this was in the October 30th edition, and being a bit ignorant I don't actually know the frequency of the publication, although if it is the same as the Lincolnshire Echo it will be a daily edition.

Can I just say to anyone who has read the article/letter in the newspaper, please feel free to call me on my mobile number (below) if you have any info that you can share with me about Shirley or any aspect of the story told in her book. Thanks.Andy

Mobile: 07974935611

This is the letter that was printed in the newspaper: Click HERE to see it.

By the way...hello Simon...I got your message and will be calling you shortly...honest ! :-)

Bluetooth...why is it so bluedy rubbish ?

I have just spent an hour trying to get my Fujistu Amilo 3670 to accept a picture file from my Sony Ericsson W395. All I want to do is transfer a picture of Lauren's horse (almost!) from the phone to the Laptop...easy yes? NO!.

The phone will accept files from the laptop, the laptop can "see" the phone and the phone can "see" the laptop...but the phone cannot apparently send anything to the laptop because it can't see it to send it too....confused, yes, so am I...I mean...WTF is going on here ?

I have now given up with this VERY annoying process and decided that Bluetooth is a load of Bluelocks (think about it!) :-).

I will go and buy a card reader 2morro and end this fruitless pursuit before i waste anymore of my life doing it......Bluetooth...my ar.........