New issue of 'Balance'

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SacredHeart said:
🙂 Different strokes as they say. I love facebook for a lot of things. I've lived in a whole bunch of places, and it helps me keep in touch with people I would struggle to otherwise, time wise, financially, etc. I guess I'm not your average user in a lot of ways though. I don't add people unless I really WANT to be in touch with them. I don't play a lot of the games. I only support causes that I actually care about and might be able to get involved with.

I also think it's a good way of organising events and what have you. Plus we have FB groups for shows that work is doing, and we use it for networking.

On the flip side though, I do get annoyed with a lot of groups, idiocy and poor grammar/spelling (although that annoys me everywhere, not just on FB!) 🙄

I guess it's like any other form of techology, and it's all well and good as long as you use it in a way that is beneficial to you! 🙂
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You're the same age as my niece and she loves it too, as do a lot of my friends in their 30's. People are very disappointed when they are accepted as my 'friends' when they get to see my page as I'm only really a member to keep up with my nieces and one or two others. Consequently, I haven't invested much time in setting it up or keeping pace with the changes. But if it's useful to you, then great!

What happened to MySpace and Friends Reunited? Actually, I'm on FR but it's useless - I added my Uni (Sheffield), now it tries to tell me about everyone who went there when I was there as if I might know them - probably a pool of at least 30,000 people out of which I know about 50!

There are some interesting tweeters though - Stephen Fry, Rob Brydon and David Mitchell are good and often funny, and I find it interesting to see what their day to day lives are like. I wouldn't use it as a primary means of communicating with friends though.

Oops! Am I ranting/grumbling agian?:D
 
Agree with you all about this month's "Balance" in the main - I DID like the Black Sheep article though (reminded me of Northie sometimes when he's being Grumpie !).

I saw the poem and thought it MUST be one of "His" but, no, someone else has been picked again for the Poem of the Month.........not fair !

Can't comment on Facebook, Twitter and the like - I'm too old, too technophobic. This is the nearest I get to "chatting" at arm's length - I like my conversations face to face, feels a bit more human to me but, as you say, each to their own.
 
I know this started about balance but i dont get either mags just wanted to say my opinion of facebook o/h has it and goes on most days if not every day he uses it for the apps mainly and it is of some use to him he found some old classmates from school he had not seen in years and some of his workmates chat with him, i think if a site like facey has a place in your home/work then use it , personally i agree with einstein tbh, o/h is forever trying to get me to go on facebook but im happy with msn.

maybe you could split the thread Northe?
 
It's so depressing

Anyone with only the most rudimentatary knowledge of the forseeable consequences of diabetes is aware of the medical facts that appear on pages 38-40. Do we really need reminding about them? No matter what the editor's intentions (and it couldn't have as its background the aspiration of evoking more donations from readers, could it?), all it serves to do is to reinforce the conviction that we diabetics are in trouble!

The more charitable part of me tells me that the editor is probably wanting us to have the statistics at our fingertips.

But instead of finding these enlightening, all the figures do for me is reinforce the conviction that Balance would treat us as a big anonymous mass, with a one-size-fits-all application of means to alleviate the diabetic condition. (Something that Andrew Fenner complains about a few pages further on.)

No matter how much you study the magazine's articles, the message is almost invariably that all Type 2s have no future beyond medication plus eating a balaced diet - which leads to increased medication whilst eating the balanced diet - ad infinitum. Oh for that word of optimism and hope that I have read on this website so often: controlled diabetes is the cause of absolutely nothing!

I'm tempted to say that my life membership with DUK has been money down the drain - but for one fact - and in the light of this all else pales into insignifance: in a moment of real depression I turned to it for help - and its response was to put me on to this website. Without the kind and freely-given advice I've received here, I really would have been in a mess.

Thank you, one and all.
 
On my soap box.

Ooooh do you know Ive really enjoyed reading this thread! I love a good debate! N and E you have raised some interesting points...

I havent received my copy of Balance yet, I have however, picked up the latest copy of Sweet which I am working through. Im not a 100% convert, but I find Sweet more direct, empowering and less patronising. When I read Balance, I feel very 'diabetic' and reasonably depressed about the doom and gloom of it all. Considering what a diverse population of people we are with our varying experiences, I think they decide to address the reader with a blanket response. One that treats us like we are a bit on the simple side.

I was so disapointed with the "Confessions of a pump user"! Did anyone keep up to speed with it? Dull, dull, dull. Anything about the make, usability, why pumping is great, why is is not in other aspects and nothing about any of the functions that make it a huge step from MDI.....for some people, this is the only pumping information or experience they will read. Such a shame. Written by a journalist.........please??? :confused: Our very own "The Pumpers Thread" has how many thousands of hits on it and (despite our waffle) gives a wealth of information and real-life exeriences of pumping. Perhaps they should print the thread, the whole damn thing....

I may be dissatisfied, but Im not ready to leave the cult of DUK just yet. It gives me food for thought. I may be a little sceptical but I know my own opinions a bit better on what is going on (or not?) in the word of diabetes when I read and conflict on it. Big sigh.

I still dispair though. Balance magazine? DUK winning website of the year? Who on earth are they researching in relation to their target audience?
 
Jean, good to hear the forum worked for you. It's good to know somewhere within DUK they know about the forum!

I agree with you 150% about the editor of Balance being a chump (you did say that didn't you? :D) he is one of the most insensitive people connected with diabetes I've encountered and seems to revel in his position and ability to offend.

Considering this is the public interface of the membership of DUK I think it's a very poor reflection on the organisation as a whole. I am unsure if charity really is a word or term applicable to DUK, but organisation certainly isn't applicable to balance.

Due to the single handed efforts of the editor of Balance I cancelled my membership and changed my will, removing any legacy from DUK.

I haven't yet settled my stomach and found my sunglasses to look at the terrible colours and design used through sections of this magazine. Perhaps the welding helmet of my MIG welder might be better 🙄

There are a great many people who live very healthy and active lives with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. I am sure there probably is no mention in this issue of the magazine about how important a positive outlook is to driving through some of the frustrations and limitations of the condition.

Of course I'd be staggered it anyone who wrote any of the articles had diabetes themselves - a short bio of the authors/journalist would be an interesting read, certainly explain who knows what and who lives with diabetes and for how long.
 
I'm with you on the Confessions of a pumper, SB - it had absolutely no substance to it. I think, above all what frustrates me is that they have the opportunity, and funds, to do a much better job. This isn't an amateur outfit, it's a huge organisation with 75 years of experience with diabetes. What they need is someone like Gerry Robinson to tell them where they are failing their subscribers.

Jean - good to hear that they put you on to us, at least ONE person there has heard of us!🙂
 
ive never subscribed to either prefer to come here with real people who can give personal veiws not something 'written' to please
x
 
Its a poor representation, of them, of us and also of our money.

My mum (recently widowed) write to them through the website contact for 'how you can help' offering to volunteer her time in the local area. Do you think she heard back from them? Not a whisper....

It hasnt however impinged on their ability to call my mother twice last year regarding her standing order to their charity putting pressure on her to increase it. How dare they? I think its disgusting.
 
Sugarbum said:
Its a poor representation, of them, of us and also of our money.

My mum (recently widowed) write to them through the website contact for 'how you can help' offering to volunteer her time in the local area. Do you think she heard back from them? Not a whisper....

It hasnt however impinged on their ability to call my mother twice last year regarding her standing order to their charity putting pressure on her to increase it. How dare they? I think its disgusting.
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I never heard back form the South East section about the supposedly revived Southampton support group...
 
Meaning of DUK???

Northerner said:
I never heard back form the South East section about the supposedly revived Southampton support group...
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And you're surprised?

In the deaf world the RNID is also known as Really Not Interested in the Deaf... suggestions for DUK?

Do yoU Know anything
Delivering Untold Kodswallop
Diabetes UnKnown here

Come on Northerner, sure you can line a few up?
 
Einstein said:
And you're surprised?

In the deaf world the RNID is also known as Really Not Interested in the Deaf... suggestions for DUK?

Do yoU Know anything
Delivering Untold Kodswallop
Diabetes UnKnown here

Come on Northerner, sure you can line a few up?
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again einstein you have made me giggle xx:D its called lip service
 
Messy, uncoherent, contradicting, hard to navigate and find information - sounds suspiciously like DUK.

Given the state of their website, is it any wonder that the paper based bi-monthly counterpart of DUK, aka 'Balance' is not any better.

DUK - Disgusting Useless Knowledgebase (although I prefer Steph's version)

NiVZ
 
NiVZ said:
Messy, uncoherent, contradicting, hard to navigate and find information - sounds suspiciously like DUK.

Given the state of their website, is it any wonder that the paper based bi-monthly counterpart of DUK, aka 'Balance' is not any better.

DUK - Disgusting Useless Knowledgebase (although I prefer Steph's version)

NiVZ
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Welcome to the anti-DUK supporters club :D

Now, why don't you pull up a chair and tell us exactly what you think? 🙄
 
Don't Underestimate Kafka? I read The Trial once and that was impenetrable, like DUK's website!😱

Do it Under your Kaftan?

Decomposing Under Knotweed?
 
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Northerner said:
Don't Underestimate Kafka? I read The Trial once and that was impenetrable, like DUK's website!😱

Do it Under your Kaftan?

Decomposing Under Knotweed?
Click to expand...

DUK = Quackers
 
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