By Alex P. Vidal
“Writing is reporting what we saw after the vision has left us. It is catching the fish which the tide has left far up on our shores in the low and depressed places.”— John Burroughs
I CAN never be a TV news anchor because I am terribly “weak” and can’t control my emotion when delivering depressing news like the recent earthquake in Syria and Turkey where the death toll has risen to 8,000+ as of this writing.
We have been supposedly trained to be strong not only mentally, but most importantly emotionally, so as not to be carried away when we report the shocking news.
It’s not the earthquake per se that melts my heart. Earthquakes happen from time to time in different countries in different magnitude and different number of casualties. It’s really news.
What broke my heart on Tuesday (February 7) morning was when I learned from the cable TV news that many of those killed in Adana, Antakya and Istanbul in Turkey were children; in fact, cute innocent tots.
The graphic images of wounded children trapped under the rubbles instantly brought tears to my eyes early morning before I started my work for the day.
It’s good I’m a print journalist, not a radio or TV reporter doing “live” interviews and reporting. I can still “hide” my feelings while I write sad stories.
Rescue workers fanned across Turkey and Syria in a second day of racing to find survivors from the massive earthquake and multiple aftershocks that leveled thousands of buildings across the region, and reportedly sent the confirmed death toll soaring past 7,700 people.
Adding insult to the situation in Turkey was the freezing winter temperatures and dozens of aftershocks from Monday morning’s magnitude 7.8 earthquake that reportedly hampered the work to sift through the rubble of buildings and find survivors who were at risk of suffering from hypothermia as temperatures dipped below 27 degrees Fahrenheit.
We’re hoping rescuers would be able to save more people trapped underneath the building apartments leveled to the ground.
Sadly, it was suspected that the casualties could increase to 10,000 and even higher after all the bodies have been dug up. God, please help them, especially the children, women, and elderly.
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Some of the most important information about LeBron James’ recent headline-grabbing conquest in the NBA nearly escaped us as we were focusing on President Joe Biden’s State-Of-The-Union address February 9 night when the “breaking” news about James arrived.
Thanks to The New York Times’ Sophan Deb for supplying the missing link for my story.
The Lakers forward became the leading scorer in NBA history after breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career record of 38,387 points, a feat that once had seemed impossible for anyone—but James has become known for making the improbable part of his routine.
According to Deb, James broke the record on a fadeaway 2-point shot with seconds remaining in the third quarter of Tuesday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He extended his arms out like he was flying as he jogged back toward the other basket, then raised his arms up as he looked up into the stands at the thousands of people who had come to see him make history, narrated Deb.
“He paused for a second, bent over and rested his hands on his knees and smiled as his family and friends jumped out of their seats in celebration and joined him on the court. He had tears in his eyes,” recalled Deb.
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The record had seemed to be set in stone, untouched for decades even by greats like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
But the 38-year-old James, in his 20th season, was still pouring in points as one of the best players in the NBA.
Since the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him No. 1 overall in 2003, Deb said James has made thousands of dunks, fadeaways, free throws, 3-pointers, hook shots and everything in between.
And now, with his latest act of defying the odds of his age, James will bolster his supporters’ claims that he, and not Jordan, is the best player ever.
Deb said James came into Tuesday night’s game ready to make history. He dressed more formally than he normally does for games, wearing a shining black suit on his way into the arena. TNT, which was broadcasting the game, had fixed a microphone to his jersey to capture what he said.
“The fans were ready, too,” Deb continued. “When James caught the ball, they buzzed. When he missed, they groaned. When he scored, they roared. Abdul-Jabbar, sitting courtside, smiled and clapped as he watched his record fall.”
Abdul-Jabbar set the record with the Lakers on April 5, 1984, dethroning Wilt Chamberlain, who had retired a decade earlier with 31,419 points.
Abdul-Jabbar added nearly 7,000 points over the next five years before retiring after the 1988-89 season. Jordan and Bryant ended their careers thousands of points behind him.
By the time the longtime Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone had played his last game in 2004, he was second behind Abdul-Jabbar — and about 1,500 points short.
That was the end of James’s rookie year. James had begun his own journey.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)
