Hmmm. Looks like fun. How is pandemic jargon understood?
- Stop the Spread – Does not work on a peanut butter and jam sandwich.
- Super Spreader – Yummy! (See above.)
- Public Health Protocols – Rules to LIVE by.
- Frontliners – Responsible people who work better when those they serve desire to be safer.
- Stay Home – When adults worry about what to do indoors.
- Face Mask – Real heroes cover the nose, mouth and chin. Animated cartoon and film characters do not.
- Physical Distancing – Staying away from negative outlook and toxic behaviour.
- Wash Your Hands – Simply good manners and right conduct.
- Self-Isolation – Finding time and space to enjoy and pamper one’s self.
- Pandemic – Ewan! Sa Pan-de-Mongo pa rin ako.
- COVID-19 Testing – It’s over a year ago since and we are still at it. Get tested!
- Pop-up Testing – Sorry, guys, no microwave oven here. Anyways, enjoy the movie.
- Long Distance Relationship – Might work, but some pandemic conditions apply.
- Protest – Hang on to your loudspeakers. Thanks for liking the test.
- Vaccine – Whatever the brand, the injection and its results are free.
- Age Eligibility – The old and the vulnerable gets the shot first.
- Second Dose Three-Month Strategy – Prolonging the agony?
- Roll Out – Sure, let’s talk about the barrels.
- Depends Upon Vaccine Availability – Obviously!
- Roll Up Sleeves – Someone wants to see a tattoo of Popeye and Olive Oyl.
- Shot In The Arm – Clearly, no one wants a shot in the face.
- Herd Immunity – Another amazing description of line dancing.
- ICU – Hospital room where a patient, longing to be with a loved one, mentally asks “Will I?”
- Be patient – No, thanks.
- Stressed Health Care System – Hospitals have beds. Nurses and medics? Not enough.
- COVID-19 Variants – The worst difference between welcoming bad and letting worse into Canada.
- Close-Open – A child’s act the government wants small shops and restaurants to do at quick notice.
- Reduced Capacity – A modified rerun of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.”
- Virtual Learning – Education between Log On and Log Off, but only after the WiFi bill is paid.
- Lockdown – Believe me! It does not mean a month-long grim sneak peek into six feet under.
Now, will someone please tell me what mixed messaging is?
*****
GOD IS MY HELP.
This is the motto inscribed in the coat of arms of His Royal Highness Prince Philip (June 10, 1921 to April 9, 2021), the Duke of Edinburgh, and a member of the British royal family as the husband of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and several other Commonwealth realms.
The motto resonates in the Holy Bible’s Old and New Testaments, mostly in the Book of Psalms.
Psalm 54:4 (New International Version) states: Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.
Other references include Psalm 33:20, “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield;” Psalm 70:5, “You are my help and my deliverer, O Lord;” Hebrews 13:6, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me;” and Psalm 118:7, “The Lord is on my side as my helper.”
Sophie, Queen Elizabeth‘s daughter-in-law and the Countess of Wessex, said of Prince Philip’s passing: “It was so gentle. It was just like somebody took him by the hand and off he went. Very, very peaceful.”
May the soul of Prince Philip rest in peace and may eternal light shine upon him.
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Blessed are those who are called Eleazar, a Hebrew name that means “God is my helper.”
It is derived from the Hebrew words “el,” meaning “God” or “all powerful,” and “ezer,” which means “help.”
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Buckingham Palace announced that the funeral of His Royal Highness will take place in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on April 17 at 3 p.m., during which a national one-minute silence will be observed.
After the funeral service, Prince Philip will be interred in the Royal Vault beneath the Albert Memorial Chapel, adjoining St George’s Chapel.
His coffin will remain in the vault until Queen Elizabeth dies, when they will be buried together in the George VI Memorial Chapel, an annex to St. George’s Chapel, the Times of London reported.
All official flags in the country will be flown at half-mast until 8 a.m. of April 18.
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Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, among the first of world leaders who expressed condolences to the Royal Family, said Prince Philip was a man of great purpose and conviction, motivated by a sense of duty to others.
Trudeau described Prince Philip as a dedicated leader in community engagement and philanthropy who “sought out the best in people and challenged them to strive for greater heights.”
Empowering the young to reach their full potential, the global Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is but one of Prince Philip’s contributions to the social fabric of Canada and the world, Trudeau said.
Prince Philip was also the patron of more than 40 Canadian organizations. During his 2013 visit to Canada, the Prince was honoured as the first Extraordinary Companion of the Order of Canada.
The Duke of Edinburgh had a special bond with the Canadian Armed Forces. He was Colonel in Chief of six Canadian units, honorary general of the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, and honorary admiral of the Royal Canadian Navy.
“Prince Philip will be fondly remembered as a constant in the life of our Queen — a lifelong companion who was always at her side offering unfailing support as she carried out her duties,” Trudeau said.
Chief Justice Richard Wagner, the Queen’s interim representative in Canada, wrote of Prince Philip: “He believed in wildlife conservation, volunteerism and supporting young people. A tireless world traveller, he showed that Canada held a special place in his heart by visiting this country more than any other.”
Wagner added: “He was our great friend and he will be dearly missed. On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my deepest condolences to the members of the Royal Family.”
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The past year saw COVID-19 related protests and demonstrations spark in about 86 countries.
Amid the pandemic and while facing other challenging uncertainties, international health agencies and governments have yet to claim success in halting the spread of and eliminating the Coronavirus and its variants.
The last few weeks were really daunting and trying times for many around the world.
Conflict, violence and death continue to grip nations and peoples.
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Just a week ago, on April 9, media reports said security forces killed at least 80 anti-military rule protesters in Bago town, near the industrial and commercial city of Yangon in Myanmar, Southeast Asia. On April 12, reports said security forces opened fire on protesters in Tamu town and police broke up a protest in Mandalay City.
An activist group’s tally said the Bago fatalities brought to some 700 the number of pro-democracy protesters, 46 of them children, killed by security forces in Myanmar since a military coup toppled the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.
Despite the violence, activists called for defiance as the population began celebrating Thingyan, a five-day traditional new year holiday in the largely Buddhist country, on April 13.
The year’s most important holiday is usually celebrated with prayers, ritual cleaning of Buddha images in temples, and high-spirited water-throwing on the streets.
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Natural calamities have added to the woe and suffering of nations and peoples in the globe.
Most recently, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake killed at least eight people and injured 23 others in the main island of Java in Indonesia on April 10, the second deadly natural calamity to hit Indonesia during the week.
On April 4, at least 174 people were either buried in mudslides or swept away by flash floods, an aftermath of severe rains spawned by Tropical Cyclone Seroja.
Some of the dead went under solidified lava from the November eruption of Indonesia’s most active volcano, Mount Merapi, which last major blast in 2010 killed 347 people.
In January, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 105 people and injured nearly 6,500 in Mamuju and Majene districts of the country’s West Sulawesi province.
The Caribbean island of St Vincent was enveloped in ash and smoke as thousands of people were evacuated after the volcano La Soufrière erupted on April 8 and 9.
The volcano had been dormant since 1979, but started spewing steam and smoke and sounded off rumbling noises since December, 2020. Its worst eruption, in 1902, killed more than 1,000 people.
Increased activity was also noted from Mount Pelee on Martinique Island, north of St Vincent.
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The pandemic, man-made conflicts and natural disasters have placed the world under extreme duress.
Being feeble and weak in times of distress and trouble is a fact humans have to understand and overcome while he lives. Being unable to manage what is happening around him is another reality that man must squarely face.
However difficult the conditions may be, man always has Someone to turn to — the One who is fully in control and perfectly able to help in moments of desperate need.
Thank you, Prince Philip, for the guidance the inscription in your coat of arms offered us.
God, indeed, is my (our) help. #####