Is the COVID also affecting the media? Yesterday, it was very frustrating to keep moving from channel to channel with a lot of them showing only the words “Stop Service”. Could it be that operators of such media sources are also being affected by this heartless virus? One good thing I can cite about its “selectivity”, however, is that it spared our athletes who participated in the Olympics, and even brought home the blessings of three medals – gold, silver and bronze – that has never happened in previous Olympic competitions. For that we are thankful!
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And we are also very proud of our officials, and even private citizens, who cannot seem to do enough for our medalists. Not only have they been honored in words and actions, but also materially. Just imagine, gold winner Hidilyn Diaz has been receiving so many “gifts” from grateful Filipinos, who cannot seem to do enough to show their gratitude, appreciation and admiration for the girl who, they hope – and so do I – will be an inspiration to all future competitors in such international competitions!
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Although we are consoled by the accomplishments of our athletes, we still cannot avoid worrying about the effects of this international plague caused by a virus that first showed up in China, and took no time in spreading its viciousness around the world. But what puzzles me everytime I think of it, is why we seldom, or, virtually never, hear of the effects of the coronavirus in China, no statistics whatsoever, and what cure they have discovered for it. If the latter is a fact, why haven’t we heard of them sharing it with the entire world?
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But one item of good news we heard recently is that there is apparently a breakthrough in the approach to the COVID ailment. It has been noted that 99.99 percent of those who have been fully vaccinated have been effective and this should encourage the so-called “Doubting Thomases”, who have been refusing to undergo vaccination, to change their minds. By the way, I also heard a report saying that x-rays have shown that those who have been vaccinated for the COVID have, indeed, gotten some protection from this virus.
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One thing that CNN seems to have focused on in its coverage of the Olympics is the number of members of the so-called “third sex”, or LGBTQ, who had competed successfully in it. Well, I know that many people not only believe, but also accept the fact that these people usually have special gifts or abilities not found in so-called “normal” ones. What I do believe in is that each one of us has a special gift that we can harness to make this world a better place to live in.
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But it is still very disturbing to keep on hearing news about the continuing surge of the COVID, not only in our country, but also in so many other countries around the world. We hear or read about people in some countries finding a hard time getting into hospitals, which are mostly already virtually “overflowing” with patients. I even heard a report about a patient who could not be admitted into a hospital because there were neither rooms nor beds, and insisted on staying in his car that he parked within the hospital grounds! I guess the staff could not ignore him as he was already “within their grounds”.
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Sometimes it even occurs to me that this COVID can also affect non-humans. This is when, all of a sudden, the TV program you are watching blinks off and what comes on the screen are the words “STOP SERVICE”. So who stopped it? When this happens while an interesting sports competition is going on, one can’t help wondering if this virus is so powerful that it can affect, not only human beings, but even man-made items that bring information and entertainment to people. I guess it is just our misfortune to be around when these phenomena are happening.
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But COVID or no COVID, the political climate is also heating up in our country, and tandems are already being presented by non-politicians who probably believe that their views will be listened to. Oh, and do you know that the Philippine National Police is starting to adopt the “body-cams”, or body cameras, now so popular in several countries? I hope the practice will help reduce crime incidents, but who knows? The criminals, as ingenuous as many of them have proven to be, may also learn how to “immobilize” those “body-cams” so their identities will not be recorded. Anyway, let us wait and see how they work in this country of very enterprising law breakers.*
