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Editorial/Column
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e humans are very
trusting and un- derstandably so if we are to have a reasonable degree of satisfaction in our fragile ex- istence. In spite of all the pre- cautions we take, every day we literally put our lives in
each other’s hands.
Without any thought, we
get in our cars and drive at a high rate of speed because we trust auto makers, believe that our cars will function properly and stop safely when we want them to, even though they sometimes don’t; and we trust other drivers to maintain their cars and obey the rules of the road even though they sometimes don’t.
We tacitly say, ‘I trust you, Mr. or Ms. Conductor, as we ride the rails on a high speed train. We trust you, Mr. or Ms. Airline Pilot, as we fly the friendly skies on a jet plane. We trust you, Mr. or Ms. Cruise Ship Captain, as we cruise the high seas to exotic places. We trust you, Mr. or Ms. Bus, Taxi or Uber driver, to deliver us safely to our local destinations. We Trust
you, Mr. or Ms. Bridge builder, to get us to the other side of a large body of water and we trust you, Mr. or Ms. Carnival Worker, to keep us safe while on a roller coaster, Ferris wheel or other exciting rides.’
As pedestrians, we put our trust in drivers to be mindful of our presence and cause us no harm, even though they sometimes do. Without giving it a second thought, we put our trust in a robotic elevator to carry us to the top floor of some of the tallest buildings. We trust doctors, using whatever chemicals, to put us to sleep and perform intricate proce- dures on our frail bodies. The ultimate demonstration of our trust is to place a remote order for a carry out meal and have some stranger deliver it to our homes in an unsealed pizza box or bag and a drink in a cup with an unsealed plastic lid.
For over a year now, our lives have been severely dis- rupted as we cope with the COVID-19 virus that wreaks havoc on our health and is
Several vaccines have been developed and for now, they are our best hope for de- feating the virus and getting back to life as usual. My wife and I, who are both seniors, were offered a vaccine and we jumped at the opportunity. We have each had two doses and without complications to either of us. But this is where too many Americans have drawn a line in the sand; they oppose the vaccine. Some polls say that one third of all Americans won’t take it. “Why?” You ask. Because they don’t trust it!
Taking the vaccine is at the same time a selfish and an unselfish act. It is so be- cause it protects you from others while simultaneously protecting others from you.
So my fellow Americans, if you trust any of the previ- ously mentioned things, then trust and take the vaccine. Do it for your families, do it for our children and please, do it as soon as possible so that we can all get our lives back.
Just another view.
killing us at a rate rapidly ap- proaching 600,000 Ameri- can deaths; and because of this deadly pandemic, some of what is dear to us has ei- ther been canceled or altered.
It has changed the way our children are educated and some will never experi- ence a senior prom or a nor- mal high school graduation ceremony. Even how we worship or something as sa- cred as a funeral or a wedding has been negatively im- pacted.
My Life Is In Your Hands
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C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
Imagine A World...
magine a world without elephants, giraffes, frogs,
coral reefs, bees, babies, or flowers. Then, imagine the formation of a new island made of plastic trash more than twice the size of Texas in the middle of the Pacific Ocean near the Midway Atoll. We dump at least 8 million tons of plastic trash into the oceans annually.
Indeed, scientists have already called attention to the alarming decrease in world human, plant, and animal populations, unless we gain control of global warming and plastic disposal, these populations will experience a drastic decline.
Ecological studies show that birds and fish are ingest- ing plastic shards and bottle caps that kill them. Conse- quently, the birds feed the small shards to their young which causes malnutrition and death.
Unless we take drastic measures, scientists predict “there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by weight.’ Because the food chain involves plastic ingest- ing fish being eaten by larger predators which causes re- productive system problems, a greater concentration of plastic among larger animals began to affect the human food chains.
Most alarming is a study that showed perch fish may prefer eating colorful plastic to food. This trend tends to stunt growth and reduce the number of hatchlings.
The loss of permafrost in Alaska releases enormous amounts of carbon, methane and other gases that con- tribute to global warming and coastal erosion.
Representing nearly 25 percent of the Northern Hemisphere, and 33 percent of Earth’s total coastline, loss of permafrost threatens humans living near or on permafrost with the need to relocate to other areas, los- ing their homes.
Permafrost melting already taking place releases 300-600 million tons of carbon, causing faster global warming and a greater sense of urgency among scien- tists.
As a community, here in the Bay area, we are faced with an impending loss of beach homes and businesses to the rising sea levels caused by global warming.
Time is running out. Demand that the American gov- ernment place a higher priority on reducing global warming.
FYI
Johnson & Johnson COVID Vaccine Pause Expected To Last Only ‘Matter Of Days’: Federal Health Officials
The Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine pause will likely re- main in effect for only a “matter of days” as authorities investigate a handful of blood clotting cases that may be linked to the shot, the country’s top health officials said Tuesday.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock said an expert panel will quickly review data to determine whether the one-shot J&J vaccine can safely resume.
These events appear to be extremely rare but we take all re- ports of adverse events very seriously,” Woodcock said about the clotting cases.
The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is- in
ministering the J&J shots, after news broke of six women who to investigate reports of potentially dan-
were diagnosed with “stroke-like illnesses” after taking the vac- cine.
The women range in age from 18 to 48 years old. One died and a second was hospitalized in critical condition.
Medical experts stressed that they recommended the J&J pause merely as a precautionary meas- ure, and to fulfill their promise to be as transparent as possible about any health risks associated with COVID vaccines.
sued a joint statement earlier Tuesday urging states to stop ad- Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine
The U.S. is recommending a “pause”
administration of the single-dose
gerous blood clots. (Mary Altaffer/AP)
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