So Tokyo has started vaccinating volunteers and officials in preparation for the Olympic Games. That means they are serious about holding it, but will it be on the condition of Covid or no Covid? I am sure participating countries are just as eager for the competitions, but, at the same time, also as wary about the possibility of Mr. COVID in action by the time the games roll around. What a killjoy, indeed, this virus is! But now that a vaccine has been produced for it, in fact, several types of them, will they be assurances of protection, both for officials, athletes, as well as spectators?
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I have never yet attended – in person, that is – an Olympic competition, except on TV, but how exciting it must be to be right on the stands, watching and cheering your team to victory. So far, however, there doesn’t seem to be any confirmation yet that the games will push through, and what a disappointment it must be for Japan, if it is cancelled this year. Can they postpone it? But there could be the seasonal problems, they surely cannot hold them during the winter months. That is one advantage we have in our country, we may have rain, but not snow, sleet or even ice.
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At first I thought it was only speculation that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be ousted, as I hadn’t heard what complaints had been filed against him, but, indeed, his post was taken over that very same day by NatielBennet who had apparently been just waiting in the wings. I actually thought that Netanyahu was that powerful and could not be budged from his post, but when a hint came out about his ouster, it actually took place the day after. How fragile are the positions of politicians and even rulers nowadays!
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But Brazil is going ahead with its own version of an Olympics, but what they call COPA. The name, I believe is in Spanish, and sportswriters do not bother to give translations, so we might assume it is their localized version. At least their people will enjoy sports entertainment, but how strict are the rules for watchers? Will they have to present vaccination records and be checked everyday, and will social distancing be strictly required at the stands? How sad. You won’t have anyone near enough to pinch or grab when the game gets exciting. That’s no way to watch a nail-biter type of competition!
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Remember Ang Soon Suu Kyi? Wasn’t she a martyr figure during the height of her popularity as a persecuted woman icon? Now she seems to be in hot water in Myanmar, being charged with such grave crimes as breaking pandemic protocols, corruption and bribery! My, someone in power must be making sure she does not get popular enough to get the support of their people. I noted she had disappeared from the news for some time, and she is back, but apparently some people are determined to undermine her, lest she become too popular and powerful. Maybe her country is not yet ready for women rule. Someone should tell them.
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Someone should tell them about our two women presidents. They didn’t do so badly, didn’t they? Truth to tell, they did better than some of the men, at least they were not notorious for graft and corruption. They managed the country well, and maybe they applied their housewifely experience in getting things done, and well. Can we see any other female wannabe for president? President Duterte has warned his daughter never to let herself be convince to run for the office. “You won’t get anything there,” he reportedly said. Not even headaches, or notoriety?
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Why are senior citizens still afraid or avoiding vaccination? Reports from various parts of the country tell us that a lot of seniors are fleeing or hiding from vaccinators or refuse to submit to it. Why? Is it not that even when they were in school vaccinations were already being administered to students? How come they are afraid of it now? As one who willingly offered to be vaccinated, I can say that I did not feel any after-effects or pain at all, and only a certain confidence and assurance that Mr. COVID cannot catch me anymore.
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It is different in Tokyo, it seems. Workers and volunteers for the Olympics are voluntarily submitting themselves to vaccination. And I bet all the players and their team officials have made sure they, too, are immunized. All I can tell my friends as well as readers, is that you will not feel so safe and protected whenever you go out or happen to be near people whose physical condition you do not know, if you have gotten your shot.*
