Against all expectations, the insistence of John Cleese and his fellow conspirator Sacha Baron Cohen that Resilience Television should devote the entire day to cartoons has turned out to be a roaring success. It has turned out to be the perfect antidote to the media blitz (and saturation advertising) over the COVID-19 pandemic.
The television station has confined itself to warning viewers to: “Put on your masks; wash your hands; use only genuine sanitizers and observe social distance, full stop.”
Nothing beyond that.
Even the Holy Father, Pope Francis could not get a word in edgeways. Not even when the Pontiff pleaded: Vatican City (AP) — Pope Francis made a Christmas Day plea for authorities to make COVID-19 vaccines available to all, insisting that the first in line should be the most vulnerable and needy, regardless of who holds the patents for the shots.
“Vaccines for everybody, especially for the most vulnerable and needy,” who should be first in line, Francis said in off-the-cuff remarks from his prepared text, calling the development of such vaccines “light of hope” for the world.
“We can’t let closed nationalisms impede us from living as the true human family that we are,” the pope said.
He called on the leaders of nations, businesses and international organisations to “promote cooperation and not competition, and to search for a solution for all.”
Amid a surge of coronavirus infections this fall in Italy, Francis broke with tradition for Christmas. Instead of delivering his “Urbi et Orbi” speech — Latin for “to the city and to the world” — outdoors from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, he read it from inside a cavernous hall at the Apostolic Palace, flanked by two Christmas trees with blinking lights.
At this moment in history, marked by the ecological crisis and grave economic and social imbalances only worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, it is all the more important for us to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters
Normally, tens of thousands of people would have crowded into St. Peter’s Square to receive the pope’s Christmas blessing and listen to his speech. But Italian measures to try to rein in holiday infections allow people to leave their homes on Christmas for only urgent reasons like work, health, visits to nearby loved ones or exercise close to home.
The pandemic’s repercussions on life dominated Francis’ reflections on the past year.
“At this moment in history, marked by the ecological crisis and grave economic and social imbalances only worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, it is all the more important for us to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters,” Francis said.
Fraternity and compassion apply to people “even though they do not belong to my family, my ethnic group or my religion,” he said.
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Francis prayed that the birth of Jesus would inspire people to be “generous, supportive and helpful” to those in need, including those struggling with ”the economic effects of the pandemic and women who have suffered domestic violence during these months of lockdown.”
Noting that the “American continent” was particularly hard-hit by COVID-19, he said that the pandemic compounded suffering, “often aggravated by the consequences of corruption and drug trafficking.” In particular, he cited the suffering of the Venezuelan people.
On a day when Christians recall Jesus as a baby, Francis drew attention to the “too many children in all the world, especially in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, who still pay the high price of war.”
Among others he said sorely needed comfort at Christmas time were the Iraqi people, and “in particular the Yazidi, hard hit by the last years of war.” And, he said, “I cannot forget the Rohingya people,” adding that he hoped that Jesus, “born poor among the poor, will bring hope in their suffering.”
The rest of the day was devoted to glorious savouring of cartoons – some were utterly hilarious while others were rather unsettling as they brought back memories of the age of innocence and unbridled fun before COVID-19 pandemic descended upon us and ruined everything. We just can’t breathe.
From the grave (or gravine) late Maya Angelon (1928 to 2014) whispered: “We may encounter many defeats but
We must not be defeated.”
Added to this was Confucius (China, 551-478 BC)
“Regarding the importance of duty and filial piety, all human life takes place in a system of relationships, and it is our duty as people to treat each relationship with the proper respect. All relationships are hierarchical. In essence, you must always give preferential treatment to your elders.” As for bad news, it would not even wait until the following day, going by the front page of “Daily Trust” newspaper:
(i) Headline: “Kogi bizman killed by hired assasins” – Police
“The killers of Kogi-based businessman, Mr. Nicholas Ofodile, were assassins hired by an aggrieved associate, the state police command said.
The police’s position was also corroborated by the leader of the gang, one Vincent Omogor following his arrest by Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operatives in collaboration with vigilantes in the state.
Mr. Omogor and 27 others were paraded at the command’s headquarters in Lokoja yesterday. Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ede Ayuba, who briefed journalists over the development, said the suspect was arrested in Orehi, Kogi Local Government Area of the state.
The business tycoon met his death in the hands of his attackers on Abuja-Lokoja highway last month.
The CP noted that the suspect confessed and mentioned his other cohorts who are still at large. Fielding questions form journalists, the suspect said he was commissioned by someone who he referred to as “chairman” to assassinate the businessman.
He said the suspect was aggrieved by the failure of the deceased to fulfil certain financial obligations to him when he (suspect)’s father took ill.
He explained that “chairman” became infuriated when his father died of the ailment and set the process of revenge in motion.
“Chairman gave us full details about the man’s movement from Lokoja to Abuja.
We then waited for him and when we saw his car, we forced him to stop, dragged him out, killed him and put his body back inside the car.”
(ii) Headline: “Mother of five found dead in Kaduna”
“Housewife and mother of five children, Nafisa Ibrahim was found dead inside her room at Mahuta community of Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The 38-year-old victim’s lifeless body was discovered by one of her daughters inside the room, which she shared with her husband.
“Daily Trust gathered that the incident happened in the wee hours of Tuesday at the house where her husband, Nuhu, works as a security guard.
Our reporter who visited the community reported that the victim’s relations have arrived from Plateau State over the issue.
It was gathered that the husband and his late wife shared the same room in the uncompleted building, while the daughters stayed in a different room inside the compound.
It was not clear who killed her but her relatives suspected the husband because he has not been seen since the incident happened.
The victim’s guardian, Malam Mohammed Bashir said the husband was nowhere to be found and that all his personal belongings were removed from the room.
“We suspected him because they slept together in the room but when his wife’s body was found, he was nowhere to be found.
Her daughter discovered the mother’s lifeless body inside the one-apartment room where they were squatting with the husband.
She tried to wake the mother up thinking she was still asleep, but when she realised she was not moving she ran out of the room crying.
She arrived at my house and told me that her mother was dead. So, I went to the house and discovered that she was dead. We saw a rope tightened on her neck which made us believe that she was murdered,” he said.
