A hellish Big Apple train ride

"I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say; I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger."
--Harriet Tubman

By Alex P. Vidal

SINCE it has affected so many cities and provinces in the Visayas, particularly in Western Visayas, the dengue outbreak is definitely part of the "state of our nation".
President Duterte apparently wasn't properly briefed by his health officials and his advisers on the extent of damage wrought by the dreaded disease from a mosquito bite to hundreds of children.
Although Health Secretary Franciso Duque III has expressed alarm and has been telling parents and health workers to be "proactive" in their attitude toward the epidemic, his power in as far as helping contain the spread of the disease is only limited.
Since it was Duque himself who admitted that "the worst is yet to come," the problem now demands an immediate intervention from the highest official of the land.
Dengue is not the only concern of the Department of Health (DoH), although it is the main priority in the list of urgent matters that the department must resolve.
If the President is the one who spearheads the no non-sense campaign against dengue, all the woes and confusion over the lack of hospital beds and facilities, shortage of medicine and equipment, among other problems, will be minimized and addressed properly.
Budget won't be a problem if the President is "on top of the situation."

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I was one of the hundreds of passengers affected by the breakdowns that caused the recent nights of hellish commute in New York City.
Traveling from Manhattan to Brooklyn July 24 night, the Q train stopped at Manhattan Bridge before 7 o'clock in the evening. After nearly 30 minutes, it resumed running but stopped again in the tunnel near the DeKalb Avenue.
I can bear the train getting stranded in an open area like the spacious Manhattan Bridge, but not in the dark and creepy tunnel. It lasted for 10 horrifying minutes.
From the tunnel of the DeKalb Avenue, the train proceeded to the Atlantic Avenue/Barclay Center station. Some horrified passengers disembarked to transfer to the "faster" B train.
I patiently stayed inside the Q train, which resumed after another delay in the Atlantic Avenue/Barclay Center station. But when it reached the Prospect Avenue station, it halted again.

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The delays had scooped off my time travel for more than an hour and I was terribly late for my work, thus I decided to jump out and transferred to the "express" right lane.
When I reached my destination (I had to spend additional 15 to 20 minutes for a bus ride), I was 15 minutes late. In America, it's already a hell if you have somebody waiting-- an appointment or an employer/client.
Delays and service changes were reported on at least 12 subway lines since Tuesday morning (July 23) as the system was plagued by signal problems, train breakdowns and repairs to track infrastructure, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
The main culprit of the transit nightmare that started Monday (July 22), a broken switch at the Franklin Avenue stop in Brooklyn, wasn't reportedly fully repaired until after 7:30 a.m. After the repairs were done, 2, 3, 4 and 5 train service resumed with delays, but the transit authority was warning passengers to "expect long waits" as trains resume a normal schedule. The switch malfunction at Franklin Avenue was first reported around 1 p.m. Monday.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

'Promdi' power in bar exams

"The power of the lawyer is in the uncertainty of the law."
--Jeremy Bentham

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- The results of the 2016 bar exams showed that law schools outside Imperial Manila are getting better and can no longer be taken granted.
For the first time in history, perennial topnotchers University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, San Beda College, University of Sto. Tomas, Far Eastern University, University of the East, and De La Salle University have failed to dominate the top 10.
The big guns have been overshadowed by the "promdi" or "from the province" law schools led by the University of San Carlos (Cebu), Silliman University (Negros Oriental), University of San Carlos, Andres Bonifacio College (Zamboanga del Norte), University of San Agustin (Iloilo City), Ateneo de Davao University (Davao City), and Northwestern University (Ilocos Norte).
Since the passing rate of 59.06 percent was considered as one of the highest in history, it is believed that most of the 3,747 new lawyers (out of 6,344 examinees) to be sworn in on May 22, 2017 also come from the "promdi" law schools.
When "promdi" parents send their sons and daughters to study law in the future, they will remember the 2016 bar examinations.
They will think that it isn't actually necessary anymore for those aspiring to become lawyers to spend much by enrolling in faraway law schools and renting in expensive apartments because some of the best law schools in the Philippines are outside Metro Manila.

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Because of unprecedented level of humidity in the Philippines this summer, Filipinos have been warned to be careful when they spend an extended period of time outside their residences while exposed in the searing heat.
Many deaths have recently been attributed to heat stroke.
Who are prone to heat stroke? According to health experts those who have chronic illnesses like heart disease, obesity, alcoholism, old age, Parkinson’s disease, uncontrolled diabetes, those who use certain medications such as diuretics and antihistamines, and those who use some psychoactive drugs as alcohol and cocaine are prone to heat stroke.
Also known as sunstroke, thermic fever or siriasis, heat stroke occurs when our body’s mechanisms for controlling temperature fail, according to C.Health.
In other words, it’s a life-threatening emergency needing immediate treatment.
“While many people feel sick and faint during heat waves,” it explains, “most of these people are suffering from heat exhaustion, a related condition usually less serious than heat stroke.”

CAUSES

C.Health stresses that the causes of heat stroke is working or exercising in hot conditions or weather without drinking enough fluids.
“You can get heat stroke by not replacing lost fluids over days or weeks, or you can bring it on in a few hours by exercising strenuously on a hot day without drinking plenty of liquids first,” warns C.Health.
Why we need more liquids in the body, especially this summer?
C.Health says liquids help to cool us down by allowing the body to produce sweat.
“However,” it stresses, “liquids are also necessary for bodily functions, such as keeping up blood pressure. You can lose large amounts of body fluid in the form of sweat without noticing any effects, but at a certain point the body will reserve the remaining fluid for vital functions and stop sweating.
“The body’s core temperature then shoots up, and cells start dying. Sweat evaporates more rapidly in dry weather, cooling the body more efficiently than in humid weather.
“When working in humid conditions, the core temperature rises more rapidly. This is why forecasts add a humidity factor or heat index to represent how you will actually feels outdoors.”

HEAVY

Health experts also warn that heavy clothing and some skin conditions can also contribute to the occurrence of heat stroke.
The symptoms of heat stroke are quite different from those of heat exhaustion, C.Health warns further.
A person suffering from heat exhaustion will usually be sweating profusely in an attempt to get rid of excess heat, it explains.
“Someone with heat stroke has stopped sweating, due to a failure in his or her heat control system. High core temperatures damage the internal organs, especially the brain. The fluid loss can also produce dangerously low blood pressure,” C.Health points out.“Most people who are killed by heat stroke die when their heart stops pumping effectively (circulatory failure). Even people who survive are likely to have permanent brain damage if their core temperature has been over 40.6C (105F) for more than an hour or two.”