Well, we know that no one in America has died from the disease just yet. Let's just hope that NO ONE else DOES die from SARS in the days to come. I have an interesting tidbit of info, though. Apparently, the SARS situation has become somewhat of an "epidemic" in Toronto, Canada. I've heard, from the grapevine (ahem, don't take this news as WORD... as of now it's all hearsay...), that the root of the SARS problem in Toronto stems from a member of the BLD community. (BLD = Bukas Loob ng Dios, i think... another covenant community started in the Philippines much like Couples For Christ) If this is true, I'm assuming that the person HAS to be Filipino(a), and they must've been home - and had a stop-over in China or in Hong Kong where they could've been infected. Then they attended one of their BLD meetings, and even went to church, and now certain members of the community and church are being "quarantined." It's a sad thing.
For this thing to happen shows how REAL the problems of the world can be. NO one is assured safety from ANYthing... even those who serve the Lord wholeheartedly. This is why i find it SO important for people to be aware of the "real world." We need to know what's out there, and living in a bubble won't really help us along. So let's get proactive here and try to save ourselves, and each other, from things like violence and sickness, esp. SARS.
I pray for the BLD community in Toronto, who is probably suffering. I pray for ALL people who have been affected by SARS. Let's just pray that a resolution comes about REAL soon.
CALAMARI ROCKS!!! 3-Apr-2003
OK, so this is like the news of the day. FOR ME, at least... I was a little surprised and thought this was just a post-April-fools'-day joke. But it seems like it's forreal. But one question: why did it die? Like if they found it alive, why didn't they sustain it until they got to New Zealand? AND why the hell did they wanna bring it to New Zealand? Don't they have labs and stuff on Antarctica where they could've totally dissected it and observed it? What a waste.
On another note... wouldn't this CS totally make a LOT of calamari? I was thinking about that at my desk today. I thought, "how much calamari would that make?" And like you could also use it for sushi or some other nasty squid thing. Shoot. That's a LOT of freakin' calamari.
ANYWAY... So now my fears of the ocean are now HEIGHTENED. It's bad enough that I'm afraid of sharks and stuff. I hate sharks... I hate the ocean... Like when I went snorkeling, I was totally AFRAID. I was hyperventilating, and when I heard there was a barracuda in the waters, I totally got back on that boat. Then when I was jet-skiing, I was afraid that I was gonna topple over into the deep part and drown, or get eaten by something. Then when we were parasailing, I was afraid that a shark would jump up and grab my legs when they dipped us. Yeah, I'm a freak when it comes to that kind of stuff. Even so, I had a blast snorkeling, jet-skiing, and parasailing. LOL! OK, like what does this all have to do with the colossal squid? *EH*
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE LUCKY! 2-Apr-2003
To keep the good news rollin', let's talk about the figure skating princess - Miss Michelle Kwan...! OK - so the Olympic gold seems to be just a tad elusive to this ice-skating icon, BUT that hasn't stopped her from conquering the world for the 5th time!! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, at the recently concluded 2003 World Figure Skating Championships, which were held at the MCI Center here in Washington, DC, Michelle Kwan rose to the top once more. She took the title by storm assuring audiences and fans worldwide that she's still a definite force to reckon with. Unfortunately, Kwan's US-Figure Skating Team cohorts - Sasha Cohen and Sarah Hughes - didn't do as well. They finished 4th and 6th respectively. Still, though, not a bad showing at all for the American skaters. All I have to say is "kudos" to Michelle! She's SO the best skater!
Ahhh... such an array of news-worthy tidbits, wouldn't you say? Well, thank goodness for the good (Michelle Kwan), the bad (Corey Clark), and the extremely lucky (Jessica Lynch). Or shall I say blessed?!
OK - so... this isn't exactly the coolest thing ever. Not to me, anyway. But some New Zealanders found a "colossal squid" somewhere in the waters of Antarctica. (New Zealanders? Antarctica? EH...) SO yeah... oh, and mind you...this isn't the GIANT SQUID, the one that you see frozen or embalmed at your museum of natural history. Check it, the GIANT SQUID is supposedly extinct... OR if it DOES exist, it remains like in the bottom of the ocean... like the BOTTOM-BOTTOM... like Philippine Deep or the Marianas Trench deep. OK, so the COLOSSAL SQUID is supposedly a lot bigger than the GIANT SQUID, and a lot more scarier. Like it has those tentacles with like these "hooks" on them. And then it has eye-balls that are the size of plates. Goodness-gracious. Thing is, the colossal squid is supposedly also a "bottom dweller," but the thing is, these fisher/scientist people found the CS (colossal squid) like literally NEAR the surface! It was feeding on some kind of fish... NOW that is SO scary. It just adds to my whole fear of the ocean: octopus, sharks, barracuda, sharks, jellyfish, sharks, whales, sharks... did I say sharks? OH MY, now there's this fear of the COLOSSAL SQUID! Like what if I was on a boat, and it decided to like swing its tentacle onto the boat and pull me under!! OH CRAP!!
Looks like this season's production of American Idol will clock-in as the most controversial, albeit dramatic, ever! First you have someone whose photos were posted on a kiddie-porn website (i ain't mad at ya', Frenchie! cause yo' ass can SING!!). Another idol's rickety past was revealed as news of a previous "shoplifting" mishap surfaced. Lucky for her, those charges were expunged from her permanent record. Then you have the guy who got in a fight in a bar that resulted in the death of another man --- JUST WHEN THE FREAKIN' GUY FOUND OUT HE MADE THE TOP 32! And finally, we have Mr. Corey Clark... The poor guy was actually arrested last October for supposedly assaulting his 15-year-old sister (wth?!), and then assaulting four - count 'em...1-2-3-4! - police officers who came to stop the whle fiasco. Apparently, they scheduled his trial date for April 1st. But was he anywhere near his hometown, preparing for an ensuing courtbattle? NOPE! He was gallavanting in Los Angeles, trying hard to "suppress" that ish as he was living the life as an "American Idol." PLEASE, Corey. People like that make me ill. So what - you think that running away from the problem will solve shit? Uh-NO...! All I can say is that he should've came clean with that mess from the get-go. On the brighter side, there's always those retro-artist contests. He'd make a good "El Debarge" if you ask me... LOL.
On a lighter note... military woman, Jessica Lynch, is SAFE AND SOUND. Apparently, she was abducted along with other soldiers while on a mission in Iraq. The West Virginia native was missing for a little over a week. The 19-year-old aspiring teacher was thought to have been KIA. In an interview on Z104, her mother was quite elated. She was shopping at the area supermarket, picking-up groceries, when one of the cashiers actually called her over to break the news. Jessica's mother was so overcome with joy that she couldn't even continue with the shopping. After a vigil night and constant prayers, her daughter is now safe and sound.