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Editorial/Columns
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Another Year, Another Virus
refuse to give in to the hysteria. They had me pretty concerned back in
2014 with the Ebola out- break.
Two years later, they had me afraid of being bitten by a mosquito because of Zika. Now here they go again at- tempting to freak me out with a new deadly strain of the infamous Coronavirus, a biological intruder that re- portedly causes severe illness and organ failure....
As disturbing as that sounds, this time around, I've decided that I'm not going to let the thought of contracting this latest conta- gion consume me.
Even though this current virulent menace has already killed 17 people in China, is spreading like a wildfire over Far East Asia and has been discovered inside of the United States, I would liter- ally have to watch someone
in my immediate vicinity keel over, foam at the mouth and die before I hit the panic button. That is how tired I am of curing up to fear.
Until I wake up one day and see on the news that the situation has gotten so bad that the CDC is issuing out Hazmat suits to those not in- fected, I'm simply going to chill. Outside of washing my hands regularly, avoiding the sick and praying for the best, I won't bother taking any extra precautions.
I mean, at this point, what else can we do? Every few years it seems as though we're facing a new disease capable of wiping us out.
West Nile, SARS, MERS, the Bird Flu, we've been threatened by them all. And, if this is the one that's going to ultimately get the job done, it may be the inevitable ending that we've somehow managed to duck for the last
100,000 years.
As the saying goes,
though, "what shall be, shall be." And, since we can't stop or dictate what could poten- tially take place, to me, it doesn't make a lot of sense to stress out over something that's out of our control.
This isn't to say that we shouldn't try to survive what- ever danger may be coming in our direction, if it exists. But worrying ourselves to death before it has a chance to harm us doesn't seem like a healthy strategy either.
Until we find out how se- rious this situation actually is, rather than staying glued to the television trying to fig- ure out where this thing will pop up next, I suggest we all go about our daily lives and continue to handle the con- cerns that affect us more di- rectly. If we don't, and this turns out to be another false alarm like the other, so- called, life-ending pan- demics that came before it, we may create an even bigger problem for ourselves than the one we avoided.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
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C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
Farewell, K. B.
f God played professional basketball, his name
would have been Kobe Bryant. The only man to out- air Air Jordan with a final tally of eighty points, and having been the envy of LeBron James. Kobe Bryant and his thirteen-year-old daughter died in a fiery heli- copter crash just the other day. The world—friends and foes, was speechless.
Whether you were into basketball or not, you could- n’t help being into Kobe Bryant. Rapper-producer- dreamer, he gleamed in whatever room he stood and on whatever court he played. More than a basketball, what most made him famous and will follow him into the halls of history is the smile he left on the face of every person who knew his name.
Kobe’s legacy includes millions he has helped raise for other charities and community work, through two family foundations that support Make-A-Wish Foun- dation, fighting cancer and numerous programs that serve youth in after-school athletic programs in the United States and China.
But, forty years old is too young to die. Arrogantly, we ask God if he made a mistake. We know better. But we can’t help ourselves. Farewell, Mamba.
State
Governor Proclaims Jan. 26-Feb. 1 ‘Florida School Choice Week’
TALLAHASSEE --- A proclamation issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis offi- cially recognizes Jan. 26- Feb. 1 as Florida School Choice Week. Gov. De- Santis joins more than a dozen other governors and hundreds of city and county leaders nationwide in issu- ing similar proclamations.
Parents, schools, and other organizers have planned 4,992 events and activities across the Sun- shine State, including ral- lies, roundtable discussions, festivals, school fairs, and more. The events aim to spark conversations about the educational opportuni-
ties parents have, or want to have, for their children.
Florida’s events make up some of the 51,300 events independently planned for the week nationwide, rais- ing awareness about oppor- tunity in education.
“We’re inspired that so many Florida families are joining in the celebration this week, and we’re grate- ful for Gov. DeSantis’ support,” said Andrew Campanella, President of National School Choice Week. “Florida has been at the forefront of the school choice movement in Amer- ica, and we hope this week encourages Florida parents
to celebrate their options and find the educational setting that works best for their kids.”
As a nonpartisan, non- political public awareness effort, National School Choice Week shines a posi- tive spotlight on effective education options for stu- dents, families, and com- munities around the country. From January 26 through February 1, 2020, more than 50,000 inde- pendently-planned events will be held in celebration of the Week.
For more information, visit www.schoolchoice- week.com/florida.
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TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5