Happy Friday, and enjoy your holiday, everyone! I’d like to share a few good reasons to smile (in no particular order):
* Please listen to Weird Al Yankovich singing “I LOVE MY PANCREAS” on YouTube. To my mind, this is just about the funniest thing related to diabetes anyone ever said or did. I’ve already played it about 6 times since yesterday afternoon — and getting ready to download it to my new electric-green iPod Nano (yes, I’ve joined the digital music age at last! Happy Hanukkah to me…)
* Check out the annual Medical Weblog Awards over at Medgadget. This year, they’ve added a category for the “best patient blog,” and from the diabetes community, myself and Kerri have both been nominated! Neat! Some folks are starting to post endorsements as well. Thank you, Ms. Difficult Patient.
* The UN Resolution on Diabetes has passed!! The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Unite for Diabetes campaign has been successful in promoting this landmark resolution recognizing the global threat of the diabetes epidemic: “For the first time, governments have acknowledged that a non-infectious disease poses as serious a threat to world health as infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.” In practical terms, this means “the struggle will now focus on helping and encouraging governments worldwide to develop national policies to improve diabetes care and prevention.” Hopefully, this gives struggling PWDs in Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East and elsewhere a reason to smile this holiday season as well.
I must object to the use of the term “diabetic EPIDEMIC.” An epidemic implies contagion. Diabetes may be a lot of things but one thing it ISN’T is contagious. You do not catch diabetes from anybody, ever. So I wish the media – and I guess that includes you, Amy – would stop using that term. Please – find another word instead!
Epidemic has two definitions, according to Answers.com. One means “highly contagious” and the other means “widely prevalent.” While Amy’s use of the term is correct in this case, it could be somewhat offensive to many people.
In any case, have a Merry Christmas!
-Matt
http://diabetes-diet-information.blogspot.com/
Hey folks, as usual, I’m not making this stuff up. The NY Times, Wash Post, and the United Nations are all using the term “epidemic” for diabetes. You want we should mount a protest? I think they’ve chosen the term to reflect just how widespread and damaging this condition is becoming.
Meanwhile, Happy Holidays!
I must have a differently abled sense of humor. That song was ok but certainly not anything I would laugh out loud at. I think epidemic is more commonly used these days to indicate “widely spread” instead of contagious – like the Obesity Epidemic.
A Great Big Thank You (and several hearty snorts) for directing me to the Weird Al video. What a complete hoot. Something so welcome to The Diabetic Who Doesn’t Take Herself Seriously. (That would be me. Diabetes I take seriously. But not myself….)
All the best in ’07. Thanks for your blog.
Whoa! I did a double take on that first photo until I figured out it was a pancreas. Funny!
Steve, you naughty boy, you! I’m sure Weird Al would be thrilled