AIDS and Condom: What they have in common

AIDS…

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

This condition progressively reduces the effectiveness of the immune system and leaves individuals susceptible to opportunistic infections and tumors. HIV is transmitted through direct contact of a mucous membrane or the bloodstream with a bodily fluid containing HIV, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid, and breast milk.

This transmission can involve anal, vaginal or oral sex, blood transfusion, contaminated hypodermic needles, exchange between mother and baby during pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or other exposure to one of the above bodily fluids.

AIDS is now a pandemic. In 2007, it was estimated that 33.2 million people lived with the disease worldwide, and that AIDS killed an estimated 2.1 million people, including 330,000 children. Over three-quarters of these deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, retarding economic growth and destroying human capital.

CONDOMS…

A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the likelihood of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases (STDs—such as gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV). It is put on a man’s erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner. Because condoms are waterproof, elastic, and durable, they are also used in a variety of secondary applications. These include collection of semen for use in infertility treatment as well as non-sexual uses such as creating waterproof microphones and protecting rifle barrels from clogging.

WE KNOW AIDS AND WE KNOW CONDOMS. WHAT THE HELL KEEPS US FROM USING CONDOMS TO PROTECT OURSELVES AND OUR FAMILY FROM SUCH  HORRIFIC DEATHS FROM ACQUIRING AIDS.

GOSH!!! AIDS IS DECLINING IN MOST COUNTRIES AND HERE WE ARE IN A ROLL IN THE PHILIPPINES.

THE GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA NETWORKS SHOULD MAKE A MOVE BEFORE ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE.

THE CHURCH SHOULD MAKE A MOVE… OR WOULD THEY?…

Enduring Enrolment

 

I haven’t asked my former classmates in other schools, but I really think enrolment procedures in BSU goes beyond tasky. You either spend an entire day on long lines of fellow enrollees or if you’re unlucky, you can spend an entire week. Of course, that includes asking people to sign your clearance. Worse, you can’t grip a hold of them. They might be on vacation or on leave. Pooh! What a luck!

I’ve been going through the long process of enrolment for six semesters now. And nothing has changed. Still boring students to death. That’s why, when you enrol, make sure you’re with friends or bring along your mp4. Believe me, you can listen to all the tracks saved to your ipods and even repeat them several times.

To make it clear, I enrol on time. I’m one of those who enrol on the first day. But that did not exclude me from being affected by the enrolment scare. Yes, scare. I’ll give it that much for making students endure much heat and exert so much effort. Not that enrolment does not include effort, it’s just too much. Establishments were not properly ventilated. Aircons were existent, yes, but those were either not operative or set on 27 degrees– hardly a comfortable temperature.

I hope that Borbonians who pass this post can also share their sentiments. It will be very helpful to find out if others feel the same way.

Hope everything gets better. The university provides us with the best education, that’s a fact. I just hope that it can also provide us with the best services.

Kudos Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao’s victory was beyond commendable.
I’ve always known he would win the bout. His recently concluded fight with Cotto proved that he really deserved the title as the world’s pound for pound king.

Watching him throw punches at Cotto made me cheer in delight. It’s not that I’m a violent person. I just feel like I’ve learned to love Manny the way I love my own country.lol
Okay, that was exaggerated. But I felt like he was something more than just a boxing icon. He’s a symbol of unity, a messenger of peace.

Whenever he has a fight, every Filipino stops to watch him defeat the opponent. He was like a man working miracles all the time. He was one of the few persons who was able to bring unity among us. (Applause)

I’m not his no. 1 fan, by the way. Just someone who acknowledges his efforts in making the country proud and making all of us victors in his own way.

By Proudtobeme

Manny Must Win!

 

I adore Filipinos who take pride in bringing recognition to the country. There are lots of them. But the most remarkable of which, I believe is Manny Pacquiao. Being at the cover of both Reader’s Digest and Times magazine is a wonderful accomplishment.

So as I wait for tomorrow’s big event, I feel one with every Filipino who prays for his victory. Not only will it make him the greatest boxer of his time, it will also bring a much needed recognition to the country.

I must say he suck at being an actor, but excel a great deal in his craft, which is of course, boxing. He actually is Lebron James in basketball. Too impossible to be stopped.

Tomorrow, I will be sitting in the couch, watching him throw dynamic punches over Cotto’s face. Then he’ll be sorry for his arrogance (haha). And for us, hopefully, we’ll be cheering and celebrating another Pacquiao magic. Cheers!

By guy#16

A Fragile Media in the Midst of Hoaxes

The power of the media to disseminate information to mass audiences at any given time was certainly phenomenal. All of us are bare witnesses how potent it was. With this, I’m starting to believe that we are not just mere audiences of the media. Rather, we are devotees seriously taking in everything that it feeds through broadcast and print articles, corrupting our minds in the process.

There is no denying that the media has this overwhelming power to convince us to believe in everything it delivers. Many of the information it provides are like laws that dictate our actions. This power was best exemplified when a mother in Los Angeles reported that her six year old son had taken off in a hot air balloon. Everyone who heard the news was shocked and overly concerned with the boy. Who wouldn’t be? That was a serious case involving the life of an innocent boy. People would of course get worried and somehow show sympathy for the family. The incident was so dramatic that it was even heart breaking.

However, when the boy’s parents admitted to authorities that everything was a hoax, people certainly felt fooled. In an affidavit released by Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden, the mother of the boy said that the stunt was intended to make the family more marketable for future media interest, including television reality shows—very clever yet so mean. How could two people deceive everyone just to satisfy their personal interests?

With everything that transpired, no one could have felt more foolish than the media. They did not only fail to verify the truthfulness of the news, they also disseminated fraud information to the public that it supposedly serves. Their reliability was at stake and with what happened, they might have lost what little accountability was left after other hoaxes of this sort. They obviously tainted their supposedly flawless reputation. After all, it was indeed a crime not to check the facts before it reach the audience. On the other hand, the boy’s parents were also to blame for taking advantage of the media. Still, it paved the way for us to know what a fragile kind of media could distort the images of truth and manipulate the way we think.

Definitely, we do not like to stay under the confines of its power. Something should be done. We are humans, after all; not robots designed to follow even the minute details of an intricate instruction. This abuse of power should be halted; or it could go on for a lifetime.

Article III Section IV of the Philippine Constitution clearly gives weight to press freedom. But as end users of information, we should see to it that their responsibilities are never neglected while they exercise this freedom.