What in the name of God

I wrote this a while ago on a web board called the Lodgeboards. It’s a friendly little place and there is a debate board there and I wrote this to share and get some talking going. I read Nick's post at Diabetes360 and I thought I would jump on with a little essay on religion too. Here Goes:

What in the name of God is Gods name? And for that matter what's he do?

I am not at all convinced we see the workings of God, we certainly don’t see them in real time but some times I think we see the acts of Providence after the fact. Providence, it seems to me is the sorting out the mess we make with our freedoms into the best that it can be. I think in retrospect there are some things that seem silly that turn out to have a lot of good after the fact.

Take Atkins for as a case in point, now I mean this as much as a joke as anything but I’ll use it as an example. A few years back the lovely Mrs. YDMV and I did the Atkins no carb thing. I lost 15 pounds over three months an put it right back on just like everyone else. I did learn to carb count. Funny, a year later that carb counting became a life safety skill for our first diabetic kid.

It was almost like there was this master plan out there saying, ‘You you gotta learn this skill, not for you but for what is coming.” Almost like it was providential.

So I am not so sure that God doesn’t have a hand out in every little aspect of life and I am just too dam stubborn and stupid to see it.

Someone on one of the diabetes parents boards (there is a board for everything out there) wrote: “I truly believe in God, Allah, Jehovah, Buddha, by what ever name your religion calls it, there is a Master force directing the universe.”

Wow I think there is a lot of wisdom in that. I particularly like the by “what ever name” part. Assuming there is a God, that God is going to reach out to people in the way that best lets those people understand Him (Her if you like.) OK who has kids? (On that board we all did it was a diabetes parents board right? LOL.)

Anyway as parents we try every conceivable way of explaining stuff to our kids we can, to get them to see a point. Seems like a good plan. I figure God would do it too. God’s a parent. I can’t see a parent getting all hung up on the name we call Him, as long as we call.

There’s even old testament biblical teachings about this. As far as I understand it to goes like this; Abram (Abraham’s name before God changes it) get called by God Jehovah. But Abram is a newbie and doesn’t know from Jehovah. He grew up with a house idol called Shaddai. So Jehovah says to Abram something along the lines of, ‘look you’re used to the name so call me Shaddai, we can sort it out later.’

Now that is an interesting historical and religious moment. Your big three religions all look back to this moment as significant.

Jews, Muslims and Christians all look back to this event as a critical part of their faith. God is saying, “Hey Kids. There is only one of me, God Jehovah, but hey call me what you will we can sort that out later, just get the one God idea down for now.”

So here is the Old Testament fire and brimstone, iniquity to a thousand generations, God saying, something like ‘Dude just call me the nick name for God you know for now.’

Ya think we could figure that out but (my apologies to Steve Martin) Nooooooo.

Look at all your major religions and there are striking similarities if you are willing to be open minded about it. The basic ideas of the Ten Commandments are there in all of ‘m.

So maybe that all powerful God is saying to the kids, ‘Dudes call me what works for you, live a good life, here some basic ideas on how to do that. I’ll translate the general ideas into the variety of different cultures you creative little twerps have come up with so each of you has some basic idea of Me. Start small. I can work with that. Be cool dudes.’ (Yes I think God uses the word Dudes, particularly if it helps get His ideas across, hey wait that's my whole point here….)

If God is infinite love and wisdom then we are not going to understand but a small, small, finite bit of Him. In fact by definition of finite and infinite we understand nothing in relation to everything, so ‘Call me what works for you to learn something of the love part’ seems real logical to me.

So if we are allowed to call the one God by a nick name that works for our limited cultural understanding aka Shaddai, I can’t quite see how we are with in that same spirit if we have trouble when others call that same God by the names of Allah, Jehovah, Jesus or what ever.

So when we (read humanity) do something in the name of God is it really in the name(s) of God or taking that name in vein. God's will or ours?

Virtual Cure

Once again there is exciting news on research to cure Type 1 - in mice - sort of.

Maybe it is just me, but are most stories about possible cures about curing mice? OK, sometimes the story is about how the mouse model isn’t always analogues to the human model - No Kidding!

Well, I have more exciting news for mouse cure fans! Science is looking to cut the mice out of the deal.

Don’t get too excited. It isn’t that there is a cure for actual people or mice. No, they are working on a virtual mouse!

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Entelos Inc. and American Diabetes Association (ADA) announced that ADA members and researchers will have free access to Entelos' Realab 'virtual mice' testing platform.

The simulation technology will enable researchers to conduct simulations on drugs, drug combinations, dose levels, dosing regimens, therapeutic targets, biological pathways and functions on the primary animal model used to study type 1 diabetes.

Science will be able to cure virtual mice soon. So a cure for virtual humans is just a few years down the road. I am sure this will be big news to all the type 1 avatars in Second Life.

No mice were harmed in the writing of this blog entry.

From the News Wire: Tolerx Phase III

WOW lots of news out today! Here another one, one of the JDRF IDDP companies.

Tolerx Advancing Novel Type 1 Diabetes Agent into Phase III Clinical Trial Program Following End of Phase II FDA Meeting

Phase III study will evaluate effects of otelixizumab, an investigational
anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, on preservation of endogenous insulin secretion

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 9, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Tolerx, Inc., a
biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of novel
therapies for immune-mediated diseases, today announced that it is proceeding
toward the initiation of a Phase III study of otelixizumab in new-onset type 1
diabetes. Tolerx is initiating this pivotal trial after reviewing the
results of the otelixizumab development program with the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) at an End of Phase II meeting.

From the News Wire: Thinking Like a Parasite Down Under

Manipulating the immune system like a parasite:

One day it may be possible to mimic the tactics used by parasites to trick the body into accepting transplanted tissues or organs.

That is the hope of Dr Shane Grey from the Garvan Institute for Medical Research and Professor John Dalton from the Institute for the Biotechnology of Infectious Diseases at the University of Technology (UTS). The pair has been awarded a $400,000 grant through the Australian Islet Transplantation Program, administered jointly by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing.

...

The Australian Islet Transplantation Program funds much innovative transplant therapy work in the hope of one day finding a way for recipients to tolerate islet (insulin producing cells in the pancreas) transplants without having to take highly toxic immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of their lives. Many people believe that effective islet transplantation offers the greatest hope for curing Type 1 diabetes, or insulin dependent diabetes.

And this:

Experimental Treatment for Type 1 Diabetes Patients Shows Promise

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/539604/

New research monitoring the effects of Islet cell transplantation resulted
in near-normal metabolic control and decreased hypoglycemia. This research will
be presented at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE)
17th Annual Meeting & Clinical Congress, on Friday, May 16th, at the Walt
Disney World Dolphin Resort in Orlando.

From the News Wire: Pfizer Warns of Lung Cancer Risk on Inhaled Insulin

Hmmm isn't this what everyone was asking about all along?

NEW YORK - Pfizer Inc. said on Wednesday clinical studies of its insulin
drug Exubera found increased cases of lung cancer, leading developer Nektar to
abandon the troubled product.

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080409/pfizer-nektar-exubera-insulin.htm

From the News Wire: Joslin Blood Stem Cell Gene

Joslin study identifies gene involved in blood stem cell replication, movement.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/jdc-jsi040408.php

BOSTON -- April 9, 2008 -- Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have
identified a gene that is responsible for the division and movement of
marrow-derived, blood-forming stem cells, a finding that could have major
implications for the future of bone marrow and blood cell transplantation.

Every year, some 45,000 patients undergo bone marrow or peripheral
blood progenitor cell transplantation for the treatment of a variety of
diseases, including leukemia, lymphoma, and immunodeficiency. Blood cell
transplantation may also one day help people with diabetes better tolerate islet
cell transplants without the need for prolonged use of powerful
immunosuppressive drugs. In addition, transplantation of blood-forming stem
cells, also called hematopoietic stem cells, may prove useful in halting the
autoimmune process that causes type 1 diabetes.

Sushi $18, Son’s comment, Priceless

Spicy Tuna Roll from the California Grill, Disney World.

I can’t describe this dish.

It was so good I had to order a second one.

Then I personally thanked the sushi chief Yoshi. This is art. She is a national treasure.

We gave her a ThankShoe pin for making a Magic Moment.

Even my “No Way I am Eating Raw Fish” son liked it.























The diabetic son, who loves Sushi said, with no disrespect or sacrilege, “If God were food this is what He would be.”

At that point, you don't even consider carbs.

Faustman Article

Here is an article on Faustman from the Harvard Crimson.

Who needs Insulin if you have Tea?

For the this is too stupid to even be considered files:

Diabeta Balance Tea is a gentle preparation of herbal tea that has evolved from the blending of Gymnema Sylvestre herb and Camellia Sinensis. In addition to managing blood sugar levels, the tea also lowers blood cholesterol levels, promotes weight loss and helps prevent liver disease, stomach ailments and constipation....

...For more than 2,000 years this plant has been used in traditional herbal medicines and, more recently, was found to be effective in reducing blood-sugar levels in type-1 and type-2 diabetes sufferers.

Sure.

Good to know that for 2,000 years type 1 was manageable with tea.

I'll have a side order of cinnamon too.

From the News Wire: The Wrong Side of the Tracks.

Two news articles out to day raise the question of the environment and type 1. One article talks about the growth in type 1 since WWII and changes in the environment.

http://www.endocrinetoday.com/view.aspx?rid=27353


The other makes note of pockets of higher incidence of type 1 and the income of New Zealand neighborhoods. Apparently the rich kids are getting T1 more. (It goes on to the hygiene theory of illness, which I think could go on to suggest we shouldn’t wash slimy stuff off our hands.)

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10501510


I didn’t know we were doing so well financially. I mean with two type 1 kids you think my family would be living on Boardwalk or at least the Trump Tower.


These stories fall into the category of more studies needed maybe not necessarily right nest to right next to cinnamon studies. I have a need to read news but these have me wondering, why isn’t Donald Trump mainlining insulin?