G a m e C h a n g e rs

Jhudiela G. Alcano

of time and climbing mountains while having little food to eat, or worse, having empty stomach but they also have the heart strong enough to surmount whatever obstacles come their way…heart and eyes on the future, bright future.

It’s their story to tell. Their passion and positive mindset are on the works. On the other side of the country, the number of working students increases. Faced without many choices, they grab the opportunity to aid their families by working while pursuing their academic goals.

a representation or a mirror of what they see, what they listen to and what they think. Growing up in a damaged and violent familial setting affects youngsters from within, which others do not see. Consequently, it has an impact on their vision of the future or, worse, their way of life. Some people just give up, but to them, it does not spell their demise. The struggles they go through help them succeed. And despite these challenges, they learn to stand for themselves and later, to stand for others.

For the past nine months, Oliver Baylon had felt nothing but fatigue as his classes began. Remote learning surely wasn’t as easy as he hoped it would be – if anything, he was left more tired than he was when he had to travel to school and get back home afterwards. His sleep schedule’s gotten wonky, and he’s pretty sure animals could already create burrows on his face with how deep his eye bags had gotten.

Walking on over his table, Oliver put aside his blankets and left his bed. There, he booted his PC, the light of the screen blinding his eyes so early in the morning. As soon as he entered the meeting, he heard his teacher’s voice. Science had always been his favorite subject, and it was a joy to have it as his first class – it helped him stay awake. Turning on his camera with the rest of his classmates, he began to listen to his filled with determination to secure a good future and to live good lives. Those who live in the countryside suffer the most yet willing to do whatever it takes. Imagine walking for extended periods teacher’s discussion. Though “listening” was a bit of a stretch.

He had opened another tab on his PC, switching on over to Discord as he began to chat with some of his friends. How else was he supposed to interact with them when they were so far apart? It’s part of a student’s nature to have little chats whilst. Listening to their teacher’s discussion – online classes wouldn’t stop them.

“Oliver, I’m wondering what you think of this,” a voice rang from his headphones.

Moving with lightning-fast speed, he switched tabs and immediately turned on his microphone. “I’m sorry, Sir, I’m lagging. Could you repeat the question?”

It was a classic tactic that most students had adapted during their online classes, and surely, the

The incapacity of their parents to provide for their education serves as a catalyst for these youngsters to mature fast. According to the Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS), 9% of Filipinos aged 6 to 24 are out of school. Those who do not wish to belong to this, decide to go to school and work at the same time. Despite the burden of being working students, they keep on learning with a smile on their faces. However cumbersome the situation may seem; it becomes instrumental in gaining of experiences which they can bank on in the future. It also becomes a means in building their character as well as relationships with others who do not belong to their age level.

Filipino youngsters are unmistakably teachers had either grown too accustomed to it to even bother, or they had gotten better at hiding their annoyance. Thankfully, Sir was one of the patient ones, and Oliver didn’t receive an earful from him.

It was hard to talk to his teachers – even harder to stay focused on what they were saying. It’s not that they were boring but being at home just provided far too many distractions for him. He could easily play Valorant as his class went on in the background, and the teacher wouldn’t have a clue. There were far too many temptations, and as each day passed, it was getting harder to subdue them.

Hours passed and today’s classes had come and gone. All that was left now was to finish his homework. That was the agonizing part. Scrolling through his classroom’s page, he realized he had at least seven assignments due that week – two of them involved him having to record himself. He sighed before checking which one was the easiest and deciding to do that first. https://www.ciit.edu.ph/k-to-12-tracks-and-strands/

How admirable Filipino youngsters are, despite their flaws and the criticisms they receive. They take their shortcomings as lessons and learning from them. How amazing it is that they develop patience, resourcefulness, and confidence in their abilities!

In a nutshell, they are the game changers.

Tough.

Chico

instead of making things harder for each other? He heaved a deep breath; it seemed he’d be cramming a lot of outputs that day.

How much longer wouldn't last? He didn’t want to find himself

Eventshave turned as the world recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic which first started in March 2020, including the escalation of digital products and innovations and more. Although now the world faces new issues, it seems like most of the world is ready to move on and be in a safer and healthier future.

The symptoms that this new disease appear to be similar to a threat that has been claiming human lives for a long while. It’s named smallpox. During that time the term vaccination was already known, and a lot of people were encouraged to be vaccinated for their safety. Coincidentally, the first vaccination although these are not as alarming as the case in 2003. https://www.contagionlive.com/view/treating-suspected-monkeypox-patients-what-clinicians-need-to-know

Monkeypox cases didn’t resurface during the onset of Covid-19 still, many cases were also reported and documented. But in May 2022, when there are already 12 countries that have been documented with cases. These are Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States. Fortunately, there have been no documented cases of death.

But what are the symptoms of monkeypox? According to WHO, the incubation period is usually from 6-13 days, or around a week or two. It has two periods. First is the invasion period, with symptoms similar to flu such as fever, chills, headaches, major exhaustion, and muscle aches. The skin eruption period starts within one to three days and is commonly characterized by swelling of the lymph nodes, which can be mistaken as chickenpox. The majority of the rashes will be visible in the face, extremities or arms and feet, and in some, in cases, in eyes and mouth. The poxes that will appear will appear like pearls that contain pus, or the collection of the dead cells in our body as well as the eliminated viral load. Since the monkeypox is a self-limited disease, the disease will scab out and will go in about two to four weeks.

As long as humanity finds a way to produce medication, the means to fight these pathogens is always made available for consumption. But what if another virus with no specific treatment comes out on the fray and poses another threat to a recovering world?

Two outbreaks of a pox-like virus that appeared in monkey colonies that were being kept for research are found in 1958.

However, what makes monkeypox mysterious is the fact that scientists do not know how much trouble it can cause, and their suspicion about it remains. According to WHO in 2003, monkeypox outbreak was also reported in the United States with its animal hosts from Ghana. 70 people were affected. Individual reports have been officially received by the organization from 2018 to 2021,

Monkeypox has no specific treatment but the its possibility of becoming a pandemic is lower than Covid-19 While it came from animals, the similarities of monkeypox to the smallpox virus, which has been eliminated in 1980, is the huge deterrent in preventing it to be a major concern. Furthermore, the world has learned from the current pandemic. Measures are already taken specially in countries where there are already traces of cases. The Philippines remains to be safe.

How does the country keep itself safe and secured?

The answer is nothing difficult nor complicated. Following health protocols and continuing to prioritize proper hygiene and overall well-being, from physical and mental health to keeping a balanced diet and exercising on a regular basis. Repetitive and tiring as they seem, they remain to be a good reminder to be on toes when it comes to health.

Gingivitis: A Perilous Diseases of the Gums

“Better teeth, better health.” “Don’t rush when you brush.” These are catchy taglines in most commercials promoting oral hygiene and dental care products. Oral hygiene and dental health are not to be taken for granted. They matter that experts continue to provide valuable information and develop more products and technology to secure oral hygiene and dental health.

As response to the challenge of securing oral hygiene and dental health, Ateneo de Manila University – Institute for Philippine Culture (ADMU-IPC) during its “E-Turo Webinar Series”, along with the Department of Science & Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD), Department of Health (DOH) and visitors from American Academy of Periodontology conducted a webinar focusing on one issue – to prevent gingivitis.

Gingivitis is an infection of the gingivita, a part of the periodontal section in the oral cavity. Periodontal disease such as the aforementioned gingivitis affects the tissues supporting the teeth, commonly known as gums.

But what causes gingivitis is the neglect of cleaning the accumulated plaque, which clings onto the teeth. Plague is a combination of sugary and starchy food sticking between the teeth which turns into a hub for bacteria to proliferate. Having an exclusive breeding ground in the body, this plaque causes the yielding bacteria to directly enter the body via the oral region. In turn, it activates the body’s natural defenses to fight back. Fighting back is not a big deal to the human body, but excessive clotting is the opposite.

Clotting happens when the body gets rid of the bacteria by forming a “wall” of the platelets. When this happens, the bacteria cannot enter immediately but it can cause complications especially if the bacteria happen to be propagating in the oral regions or the innards of the digestive and cardiovascular systems.

“Bacteria (and other bugs) can enter the bloodstream through opens sores in the mouth. When this happens, a clot-forming protein is deposited. When platelets clump together, they can cause small blood clots, growths on the heart valves, and the inflammation of blood vessels that can block the blood supply to the heart and brain,” according to Prof. Howard Jenkinson of the University of Bristol.

In addition, the status of oral health is too alarming. Studies show that 97.1% of six year olds suffer from tooth decay. 78.4% of twelve year olds suffer from dental carts and 49.7% has dentin genic infections.

To solve this dilemma, brush, rinse, and floss the teeth. Give the dentist a regular visit.

Tiktok is one application that has taken the world by storm. It has been downloaded over 3 billion times and has had over 1 billion monthly users. Furthermore, it has a worldwide reach in over 150 countries. Tiktok has redefined the way people use social media. With the number of downloads and the number of users, it has become the most popular app in the world at present.

TikTok is one social media application that allows users to create, watch, and share 15-second to 10-minute videos done on mobile or webcams. With its personalized feeds of videos with music and sound effects, it is engaging and addicting.

Tiktok allows users to do wacky dancing and singing which catch the attention of others thus, make them trend. Given this short span of time and all the nice shenanigans, it is also a means to share information – to be specific, in the terms of Science and Technology.