Real feel

Netnet Camomot . 

BY sunrise on Saturday morning, it was 22 degrees Celsius in Cagayan de Oro (CDO) with an AccuWeather RealFeel temperature of 20 degrees. Sweater weather. Brrr.

My fats somehow help me survive through cold weather, thus, once I’m wearing a sweater, that could mean those fats are not enough to insulate myself from the cold.

That same morning, it was 12 degrees in Baguio. More brrr. A friend was there last month when it was 10 degrees, and his colds got worse. This prompted me to morph into MD—Murag Doctor—mode, advising him to follow my daily dose of vitamins, supplements and antihistamines. He said he would clear that first with his doctor. Good decision—never ever follow the Murag Doctor’s prescription.

The Pinoy who wants to experience snow should travel to midwestern USA where the polar vortex “inspired” Illinois’ McLean Police Department to post this on Facebook last Tuesday: “Due to the EXTREME COLD weather, all criminal activity and acts of stupidity and foolishness has been cancelled. Even Elsa has been placed under arrest with NO BOND until further notice. Thank you for your attention and understanding to this matter.” This was accompanied by two photos of “Frozen’s” Elsa being arrested by cops.

Facebook users, who have been there, done that with fake news, soon noticed that the photos were actually taken in 2015 as a publicity stunt of an events firm in Hanahan, South Carolina. A New York Post piece further revealed that Lindsay Page, the owner of events company Glass Slipper Productions, “said the stunt was inspired by police in Harlan, Kentucky, who issued an arrest warrant for Elsa during a cold streak in February 2015.”

Here’s Harlan Police Department’s Facebook post that time: “Suspect is a blonde female last seen wearing a long blue dress and is known to burst into song ‘Let it Go!’ As you can see by the weather she is very dangerous. Do not attempt to apprehend her alone.”

The weather in Kentucky then was as low as 30 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.

For last week, the US Midwest had videos and photos of frozen clothes, frozen rivers, frozen lakes, frozen hair, eyebrows and eyelashes, and the “Boiling Water Challenge”—throw boiled water in the air and see it morph into snow.

The AccuWeather website reported that the “low of 38 below zero recorded at Mt. Carroll, Illinois, is being reviewed by a state climate extremes committee to determine if the Illinois state record low was broken on Thursday morning. The current record is 36 below zero that was set near Congerville on Jan. 5, 1999.”

Two weekends ago, on Jan. 26, CDO was having its own weather condition which the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) explained as the Tail-End of a Cold Front. That meant clouds, rain and strong winds.

Pagasa and other weather agencies use terms that could sound too scientific—tail-end of what? That’s why they add more details to make weather forecasts clearer to the madlang pehpohl.

Despite warnings to stay indoors, the polar vortex still resulted to a death toll of 21 due to inadequate clothing for the weather, and icy roads that resulted to vehicular accidents.

The polar vortex may have also added more ice to the possibility of a US-Mexico border wall now that the US government shutdown has temporarily ended till Feb. 15.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has proven to be the epitome of grace under pressure. In describing the Democrats’ fortitude, she said, “Our values unify us. I’m sure it’s the same in the Senate. And the fact is that our diversity is our strength, the differences in so many different ways, including differences of opinion—that’s our strength. But our unity is our power and that is what maybe the president underestimated.”

For the US, it’s Democrats versus Republicans. And there are Filipino-Americans who are Republicans and didn’t vote for Barack Obama.

Here in Pinas, it’s Dilawan versus Dutertards. Election 2019 is so near, the Pinoy can almost feel the P1,500 bribe pressed into his palm. Happy days are here again. Yay.

But what can be more exciting to the Pinoy is the fact that the medical marijuana bill has been approved by the House of Representatives, with House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo even saying she uses cannabis medical patches for her cervical spine chronic pains when she’s in a country or state where it’s legal. Oh, now we know why she doesn’t need a neck brace and wheelchair anymore. Good for her.

The Pinoy should be warned that once the bill has been enacted into law, its operative word is “medical.” He will still be jailed if caught using marijuana for non-medical purposes. For the Pinoy to learn about the bill’s details could be like watching a video on Facebook, only to read this warning on the video’s bottom-left: “Ad starting soon. Video will continue after ad.”

Now, can marijuana warm you up in this cccccold weather? Hmmm. That’s the question. While waiting for the answer, have some coffee, hot choco and tequila. Cheers!