by Colin Hyde

During the holidays an infomercial singling out drunk driving was run a number of times, and that was timely during a season when people who usually take one drink, take two, and people who usually take two, take four. Everyone should stomp on drunk driving. I see it being floated that the relevant ministries are contemplating skyandaling drivers that get ticketed for the crime. I heard the Police Commissioner plugging some massive penalties for people who drive impaired, and in some quarters I have heard calls for drunk drivers involved in fatal accidents to face a murder charge.

I was disappointed that talking-on-the-phone-while-driving, a new contributor to driving accidents, didn’t feature in any infomercial I heard. And I absolutely can’t believe that SPEEDING, the factor in almost ALL fatal accidents, didn’t get the glaring light. No air time was invested in a call to people behind the wheel who are frustrated, sick, unhappy, tired, or disrespectful, to SLOW DOWN. We can all get home safely if we SLOW DOWN.

 It is seriously disappointing, wrong, that the infomercials didn’t drop the hammer on SPEEDING, the real demon in traffic fatalities. Ah, like you I suspect I know the deal. Big people in the society are speeding, and no, they aren’t going to focus on, or pass a law that curtails their violation.

We need some serious, practical talk about alcohol. We won’t get that from the Police Commissioner all the time. His bias against drinking makes him drunk whenever there is talk of things in bottles. That brother is a big talent, but a bundle of contradictions. On one hand he supports the danimait festival. People in law enforcement should know that that danimait spree erodes discipline in the society. On the other hand, he wants to put the cramp on minor traffic infractions. Minor traffic infractions aren’t at the bottom of fatal accidents. True minor infractions cause fender benders. SPEEDING is the infraction that kills.

P.S. Motorbikes passing on the wrong side is a major infraction.

Another Love FM obligation

Vaughan Gill of Positive V said that an obligation of Love FM, which back in the 1990s got control of the bulk of our country’s radio assets for a very favorable price, is to ensure that their signal reaches every corner of the country, so that in times of national crises, for example hurricanes, the authorities can get their message out to everyone. Gill, from the belly of the PUP beast, ought to know.

Mr. Gill, Mr. Hilly Bennett too, will never tell us anything that is negative to their party’s interest. They will never tell us about another Love FM obligation. You know you should feel no shame in admitting that you need people like me, depend on people like me, for enlightenment on the devil intrigue. From me to you, another obligation of Love FM is to play the national anthem every morning at 6:00.

Now, Hector Silva has remarked on the many facets of George – jockey, cane cutter, liberator, dorey man, land reformer, George the gallant, George the food taster. Big credit to Don Hector:  he never said George could sing. It is Love FM that of its own insists on playing George’s rendition of our national song every morning.

George, a very talented poet, knew he couldn’t sing. That production that Love FM plays every morning, it is an on-the-spot expression that emanated from anger and dismay. George was prompted to that rendition after going to a school and getting lulled to sleep. A distraught, disgusted George, who wasn’t shy on scolding citizens verbally or by deed, an example of the latter being BMP’s anti-litter poster boy, after surviving the song of the unenergetic unpatriotic students, lamented that they sang the national anthem like it was a dirge, not a march. Never a man to shirk, he immediately proceeded to show ‘em the right way to honor our nation in song, as best he could with his limited octaves.

So many great national talents have given us cold seed when they sang our inspiring national anthem. Price’s song is not in the category. He made his point. Don’t embarrass him. The man can’t sing. Price wasn’t crazy. He doesn’t want to be remembered for that.

What a difference Price in poetry is, writing or performing. His recitation of the national prayer is a gem, up da man’s alley. Almighty and eternal God … the moment I hear the opening line I close my eyes and I don’t open them until the very end. That national anthem, what the hell! 

Pele stands alone

Who wins the championships isn’t subjective; it’s all there in the “metal” on the shelf. But when it comes to choosing the best player in team sports, with so many intangibles it’s a wide open discussion. When people want to argue about talents in the NFL they have to name the position the individual played. There are a number of positions on a football (American) field, and each calls for its own talents. There’s even a position for people who actually “kick” the ball in American football. Each position calls for a separate argument.

Getting to my story, in the world of true football there are four positions on the field, and all call for different skill sets. Premium forwards have special striking and anticipation skills; midfielders are runners who can juggle, tackle, and pass; defenders are vicious brutes who can tackle; and goalkeepers, well, the premium there is on their “basketball” skills.

In true football, goal scorers get the most ink in the media, and invariably they get the highest pay. There is this ongoing debate about the best footballer of all time, and I see these pundits lumping the places. In their scheme I see that the midfielder Maradona and the midfielder/striker Messi (both Argentinians), and the striker Ronaldo of Portugal have surpassed Pele in the discussion for the title. Maradona gets special points from the media for juggling exhibitions, but trivia shouldn’t count. There are many people who can juggle/dribble the hell out of a football or a basketball, but they ain’t worth much of a lick on the pitch or the court. 

In respect to striking force, there shouldn’t be a discussion about who is greatest in true football, because while the stats are comparable, the “metal” absolutely separates Pele from the field. Pele was on pace to lead Brazil to FOUR straight World Cup titles. They “took him out” in 1966, so he ONLY won THREE. Both Maradona and Messi have won ONE, and Ronaldo of Portugal has led his country to NONE. There you have it—game, set, and match for the one they called The Black Pearl.   

WHO on traffic fatalities on 13th December 2023

Approximately 1.19 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes;road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5–29 years; 92% of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have around 60% of the world’s vehicles; more than half of all road traffic deaths are among vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists; road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product.

Some worthy notes from College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University on drink and drink-and-drive

 Leading off from the Wikipedia: speaking on Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) in the US, the page said, “For drivers 21 years or older, driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher is illegal. For drivers under 21 years old, the legal limit is lower, with state limits ranging from 0.00 to 0.02. Lower BAC limits apply when operating boats, airplanes, or commercial vehicles.”

And now to the data from the colleges on BAC: 

.01 – .07 – You feel mildly relaxed, a little lightheaded. Your inhibitions are loosened and you feel less cautious. Judgment abilities are slightly impaired. No real feeling of depressant effects of alcohol seen yet. Your behavior may become exaggerated and your emotions intensified.

.08-.13 – Your motor skills start to become impaired and your sense of balance may be compromised. Your emotions become a bit exaggerated – perhaps loud, perhaps aggressive. It is dangerous (and illegal) for you to drive. Your judgment is impaired and you may have difficulty evaluating sexual situations. You believe you are functioning better than you actually are.

.14 – .19 – The “good feelings” of euphoria begin to give way to some negative feelings such as anxiety and restlessness. You may begin feeling tired because the depressant qualities of alcohol begin to take effect. (If you are a man, you will have difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection.) You will have trouble walking or standing and are at a greater risk of hurting yourself physically. You may get nauseous.

.20 – .24 – You feel confused and disoriented. At this point you may experience nausea. You have trouble standing. You may not realize that you hurt yourself because you might not feel pain. Blackouts become likely at this point.

.25 – .29 – Almost all aspects of your brain are severely impaired. You may have passed out by this point. Vomiting is likely and the chance of asphyxiation on your own vomit is greatly increased. If you haven’t passed out, the risk of personal injury is high because you have little to no physical control. You are emotionally numb.

.30 – .34 – If you are still conscious, you are in a stupor. You likely have no comprehension of where you are or what you are doing. There have been numerous cases of alcohol poisoning and death in this range of BAC. You are in need of medical help.

.35 & up – You have reached the level of surgical anesthesia. Coma is possible. The lungs and heart rate are slowing to the point of stopping. You need immediate medical help.

Your BAC is determined primarily by how much alcohol you drank, the rate of consumption, your weight and your gender. Other influences include: other drugs in system, hydration level, food in the stomach, type of drink.

Some Key Points About BAC

The weight of a person greatly affects the distribution of alcohol throughout the body. The smaller the person, the less room for alcohol to distribute itself.

Generally, men can handle more alcohol than women. This is because women are usually smaller, have more body fat and have lower total body water content than men. Also, a woman’s ability to metabolize alcohol can be affected by her menstrual cycle due to higher levels of estrogen. All of this contributes to higher concentrations of alcohol in a woman’s system even if she is drinking the same amount as a man.

Alcohol is a depressant. Any illegal, prescription or over the counter drug is likely to react with alcohol and may increase intoxication or negative effects.

Your stomach lining absorbs alcohol directly into your blood stream. Food slows down that absorption of alcohol.

Diluting alcohol with water or juices reduces the volume of alcohol in your bloodstream.       

Drinking straight alcohol or alcohol mixed with carbonated beverages speeds up absorption.

If a person drinks faster than one drink per hour, the alcohol simply stays in the body, waiting its turn to be metabolized. The result is increasing levels of intoxication.

A person’s BAC can continue to rise even while he or she is passed out. Even after a person stops drinking, alcohol in the stomach and intestine continues to enter the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body.

Rapid binge drinking is especially dangerous because the victim can ingest a fatal dose before becoming unconscious or exhibiting many of the other signs of alcohol poisoning.

Combining alcohol with energy drinks may give people the “sensation” of reduced alcohol effects but does not alter BAC (may not feel as drunk as you really are).

If you choose to drink and want a pleasurable and less risky experience, you need to drink less, drink slowly, and keep your BAC under a .06.

Only time can lower your BAC. Coffee, cold showers and runs around the block will just leave you alert, wet, and out of breath but still drunk.

Tolerance, a term meaning that after continued drinking, increasing amounts of alcohol are necessary to produce the same effect, does not have an effect on the actual BAC.