Day 147, Thursday, August 20 - Riled up
It ain't getting better yet.Worldwide (map of global cases ):
August 20 – 22,425,000 confirmed infections; 788,000 deaths
August 13 – 20,621,000 confirmed infections; 749,400 deaths
August 6 – 18,753,000 confirmed infections; 706,800 deaths
United States (map of infections and rates) :
August 20 - 5,530,000 confirmed infections; 173,177 deaths
August 13 - 5,198,000 confirmed infections; 166,050 deaths
August 6 – 4,824,000 confirmed infections; 158,250 deaths
South Africa (Covid Information Portal) :
August 20 – 596,060 confirmed infections 12,423 deaths
August 13 – 569,000 confirmed infections 11,010 deaths
August 6 – 529,900 confirmed infections; 9,298 deaths
August 20 – 22,425,000 confirmed infections; 788,000 deaths
August 13 – 20,621,000 confirmed infections; 749,400 deaths
August 6 – 18,753,000 confirmed infections; 706,800 deaths
United States (map of infections and rates) :
August 20 - 5,530,000 confirmed infections; 173,177 deaths
August 13 - 5,198,000 confirmed infections; 166,050 deaths
August 6 – 4,824,000 confirmed infections; 158,250 deaths
South Africa (Covid Information Portal) :
August 20 – 596,060 confirmed infections 12,423 deaths
August 13 – 569,000 confirmed infections 11,010 deaths
August 6 – 529,900 confirmed infections; 9,298 deaths
Big question: Is anyone safe from Covid-19?
If the system isn’t yet broken, it’s close to breaking point.
Then, along comes a polarizing figure like The Donald, intellectually ill-equipped to function in his role as president, and psychologically ill-equipped to squeeze out positive feelings for other humans, never mind feel anything as sophisticated as compassion.
Suddenly, far more than usual Americans are rearing up and intimating, “hell no, we’re not gonna take it anymore!”
Following the goings-on from 14,000-plus miles away, I’m enjoying the spectacle of Americans trumping Trump.
Ironic that, with notoriously low voter turnout, Americans would get riled up about Trump imperiling mail-in voting.
To answer this, we need to look at how our immune system eliminates the virus. In itself, that reveals a hugely important positive concept: unlike some viruses that turn us into lifelong carriers (remember herpes, or HIV?), we can actually eliminate this coronavirus. For most of us it takes about two weeks. You have heard that immunology is complicated; here’s what we know so far.
Our bodies contain different types of defences, some evolved for speed, others for accuracy. Speedy defences deployed minutes after infection are part of the body’s innate immune system, and are powerful enough to control many pathogens. In researching Covid-19, scientists worried that if these were sufficient to control coronavirus, we would risk having no protection from reinfection. This is because rapid defences do not refine themselves to be more potent after the first infection, and they would be expected to mobilise in the same way when we become exposed to the same virus after recovery, suffering the same symptoms in the process. (Read the full article: “Is anyone safe…”}
News blues…
Decades living in California and frequently puzzled by Americans’ lack of expressed anger about, say, unaffordable health care, increasingly subpar education of children and youth, laissez faire attitudes to inequitable housing, income, taxes, racial inequality, an over-reliance on military might instead of heart-felt diplomacy, and increasing numbers of homeless and vulnerable people.If the system isn’t yet broken, it’s close to breaking point.
Then, along comes a polarizing figure like The Donald, intellectually ill-equipped to function in his role as president, and psychologically ill-equipped to squeeze out positive feelings for other humans, never mind feel anything as sophisticated as compassion.
Suddenly, far more than usual Americans are rearing up and intimating, “hell no, we’re not gonna take it anymore!”
Following the goings-on from 14,000-plus miles away, I’m enjoying the spectacle of Americans trumping Trump.
Ironic that, with notoriously low voter turnout, Americans would get riled up about Trump imperiling mail-in voting.
In the age of email, texting, Goole, Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok...
Who’d a thunk?
Trump’s poking the post office is not the only thing bugging Americans. Disputes about wearing/ not wearing masks, social distancing or not, staying home or going to the beach, pale in comparison to plain old embarrassment.
Hasta La Vista:
English version (1:17 mins)
Spanish version (1:25 mins)
Care (0.56 mins)
Meidas Touch: Trump’s Course: Driving Us in the Wrong Direction (0.25 mins)
The good news is that spring is on the way! Temperatures will still fluctuate, but sunrise and sunset times indicate spring is on the way:
Aug 6 : sunrise: 6:37am; sunset: 5:29 pm
Aug 20 : sunrise: 6:24am; sunset: 5:37 pm
The sooner I get started, the sooner I can high-tail it back to houseboat-living….
As Donald Trump’s presidency flails, and Republicans flee his sinking ship, those of us who’ve watched askance, may feel the blossoming of hope.
Who’d a thunk?
Trump’s poking the post office is not the only thing bugging Americans. Disputes about wearing/ not wearing masks, social distancing or not, staying home or going to the beach, pale in comparison to plain old embarrassment.
Nearly 7 in 10 Americans say the US response to the coronavirus outbreak makes them feel embarrassed, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS, as 62% of the public says President Donald Trump could be doing more to fight the outbreak.
The new poll finds disapproval of Trump's handling of the outbreak at a new high, 58%, as the share who say the worst of the pandemic is yet to come has risen to 55% after dropping through the spring. And as the virus has spread from the nation's cities throughout its countryside, the number who know someone who's been diagnosed with the virus has jumped dramatically to 67%, up from 40% in early June.
And Americans are angry. About 8 in 10 say they are at least somewhat angry about the way things are going in the country today, including an astonishing 51% who say they are very angry.
***
The Lincoln Project: America (0:55 mins)Hasta La Vista:
English version (1:17 mins)
Spanish version (1:25 mins)
Care (0.56 mins)
Meidas Touch: Trump’s Course: Driving Us in the Wrong Direction (0.25 mins)
***
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Tuesday night, temperatures dropped below zero and thick ice remained in the watering can at 10am. After opening the cold-frame, I noticed a pole bean seedling and a couple of zucchini seedlings looked … parched. Took a moment to understand they’d likely been damaged by low temperatures. Perhaps a cold draft flowed into the cold-frame?The good news is that spring is on the way! Temperatures will still fluctuate, but sunrise and sunset times indicate spring is on the way:
Aug 6 : sunrise: 6:37am; sunset: 5:29 pm
Aug 20 : sunrise: 6:24am; sunset: 5:37 pm
***
The US Embassy in Pretoria published a long list of upcoming repatriation flights. As of 21 August, and almost every day after that through August and into September, KLM, Turkish, Emirates, Ethiopia, and Qatar airlines will ferry Americans back to America.
Interested? Contact Johannesburgacsmessage@state.gov or book tickets directly with airlines, as follows:
• Ethiopian Airlines: SouthAfricaSalesTeam@ethiopianairlines.comI will remain here for the foreseeable future. Lots to do: move my elderly mother and one large dog to move into a local care center, other dogs to rehome, domestic workers to “retrench,” and a large house to spruce up for sale.
• Lufthansa: Jnbmarketing@dlh.de
• Emirates: Emirates Johannesburg office, eksa@emirates.com and completing a required booking form
• Turkish Airlines: cptmarketing@thy.com
• KLM by contacting:
o Website: You can book your ticket through KLM’s website www.klm.co.za by searching for a one-way trip and specific date. The calendar view will not display them. Please book only for the flights on these dates.
o Call centre: KLM sales and Service Centre can be contacted to book a flight, via phone: +27 (0)10 205 0100 or +27(0)10 205 0101, daily between 09:00 –16:00. Payment can only be made with credit card. If you have an existing booking with Air France or KLM you can use it to (partially) pay for this flight.
o Additional Information: During the booking process a link will be given to fill in a web form. You need to fill in the form for each passenger in your reservation. It is mandatory to fill in this web form. In case you missed the link in your booking process, you can find it here: https://www.klm.com/travel/za_en/customer_support/repatriation_flights.htm.
• Air France: the same KLM information above.
• Qatar Airways: for reservations visit www.qatarairways.com/WeWillGetYouHome and use promo code PR_CR981 or call +27 11 267 7700.
The sooner I get started, the sooner I can high-tail it back to houseboat-living….
Day 146 Wednesday, August 19 - What goes around...
I was tempted to title today’s post, “The arc of justice”, but the popular version of that quote is not the original version. The rhetorical version popularized by Martin Luther King then Barack Obama, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,” is elegant yet paraphrases the original …portion of a sermon delivered in 1853 by the abolitionist minister Theodore Parker. Born in Lexington, Massachusetts, in 1810, Parker studied at Harvard Divinity School and eventually became an influential transcendentalist and minister in the Unitarian church. In that sermon, Parker said: “I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.”A downhome version might be, “What goes around, comes around,” or “The chickens come home to roost.”
As Donald Trump’s presidency flails, and Republicans flee his sinking ship, those of us who’ve watched askance, may feel the blossoming of hope.
Finally! Finally, Trump’s criminality is catching up with him and his enablers.
South Africans viewing Trump through the lens of politics reiterated versions of “trust a businessman, not a politician, to fix politics….”
South Africans viewing Trump through the lens of Christianity have maintained, if not solidified, the view that Trump is heaven-sent, a welcome feature of the End Times… and that opposition to Trump and support of Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci is the devil’s work.
The pandemic and strict lockdown prevented face-to-face conversations to confirm whether this trend held. With Level 2, I hope to explore further.
Meanwhile, goings-on in the United States appear to trend towards accountability, aka “justice.”
Then again, there was zero accountability after the 2008 financial crash.
In other words, a metaphor for life….
A Presidential Crimes Commission, aka a Trump Crimes Commission. (15:16 mins)
Congressman Swalwell calls for inquiry and, if required, prosecution of wrong-doing in Trump administration. Republican Glen Kirschner explains.
And, today’s update (7:35 mins)
The Lincoln Project – comprised of former Republicans – states:
Might this start a trend where the US becomes less polarized?
Might Americans speak out against the betrayal of American values, no matter their political affiliation?
Here’s hopin’
1306 days of Trump done, 78 days to the election…
Is it too much to ask that Eskom run their tree trimming crews through basic training on pruning? Or, are my standards simply too high?
Unlike Trump’s version of Covid-19, my stress will not “magically go away,” but Level 2 brings with it the possibility of action.
Today, finally - after a delay of four months – I plan to visit the person who manages the place that might offer a comfortable, caring environment for my elderly mother and one dog.
The DoD’s fiscal year 2020 budget is approximately $721.5 billion ($721,531,000,000) - approximately $712.6 billion discretionary and $8.9 billion in mandatory spending. But no. Can’t cut back on weapons, only on personnel costs.
The demise of the MV Wakashio leads to the demise of Maurtius’ Blue Bay Marine Park reserve, environmentally protected marine ecosystems, pristine waters, tourist beaches, and mangrove plantations.
News blues…
Mueller Prosecutor Calls Senate Intel’s Report On Russian Interference ‘A Remarkable Document’ (7:15 mins)“There clearly was Russian interference in the [2016] election … to help Donald Trump – and it was amply justified to undertake the investigation [despite] AG Barr arguing the opposite. Both Republicans and Democrats agree Paul Manafort was a grave, counterintelligence risk….Living in both South Africa and California over the last few years, I’ve been astonished at South Africans’ views of Trump as “a successful businessman,” a “Christian,” someone “we” can trust.
South Africans viewing Trump through the lens of politics reiterated versions of “trust a businessman, not a politician, to fix politics….”
South Africans viewing Trump through the lens of Christianity have maintained, if not solidified, the view that Trump is heaven-sent, a welcome feature of the End Times… and that opposition to Trump and support of Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci is the devil’s work.
The pandemic and strict lockdown prevented face-to-face conversations to confirm whether this trend held. With Level 2, I hope to explore further.
Meanwhile, goings-on in the United States appear to trend towards accountability, aka “justice.”
Then again, there was zero accountability after the 2008 financial crash.
Time will tell… won’t it?
Seedlings as metaphor for growth, new beginnings, implicit trust in life continuing….
I planted seeds before the last freeze in the recycled freezer as coldframe and they’re doing well. I plan to transplant them into monkey-proof plots disguised in garden plants over the next few days.
What I appreciate about this batch of seedlings:
Some grow vigorously (peas, pole beans)
Some are slow to germinate (cilantro, basil)
Some perhaps planted out of season (rockette, cucumbers)
One or two show signs of dis-ease (pole bean)
***
Republican Confessions (1:15 mins) “I think my party made a bad mistake, and I’m going to have to vote against that mistake on the 3rd of November.”
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Frost covered the lawns here early this morning, as temperature dropped below zero. Temperatures in California spiked: 130 F/ 54 C in Death Valley, 109 F/ 42 C at a friend’s place in Pleasant Hill, and 106 F/ 41 C at my houseboat. And fires…More than 30 wildfires are burning across California, including nearly a dozen that started in the last two days, according to officials with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and a Times analysis.
While the containment of some fires is increasing, other blazes are being sparked and are growing amid a combination of excessive heat and lightning from thunderstorms induced by a tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean.
Air quality was bad in many parts of the state due to the fires and weather. But the Bay Area and other parts of Northern California were hit particularly hard as winds carried smoke from multiple fires in places such as Marin, Sonoma, San Mateo and Monterey counties into communities. Experts say the air quality could be even worse on Wednesday.
***
 |
| Click to enlarge. |
I planted seeds before the last freeze in the recycled freezer as coldframe and they’re doing well. I plan to transplant them into monkey-proof plots disguised in garden plants over the next few days.
What I appreciate about this batch of seedlings:
Some grow vigorously (peas, pole beans)
Some are slow to germinate (cilantro, basil)
Some perhaps planted out of season (rockette, cucumbers)
One or two show signs of dis-ease (pole bean)
In other words, a metaphor for life….
Day 145 Tuesday, August 18 - Second wave?
Lockdown Alert Level 2 began at 1 minute after midnight. Smokers and imbibers of alcohol are back in business!News blues…
New Zealand, Italy, Spain, UK, the US – all experiencing second waves of Covid-19 infections. Can South Africa be far behind?The South African Medical Association says a second wave of COVID-19 should be expected… to take place within the next 8-12 weeks.
While the association has welcomed the easing of the lockdown, it is warning that the fight against the coronavirus is far from over.
***
At last, the conversation begins in the US about deeply investigating – and charging, as necessary – abuses against the US Constitution by the current president and his enablers. A Presidential Crimes Commission, aka a Trump Crimes Commission. (15:16 mins)
Congressman Swalwell calls for inquiry and, if required, prosecution of wrong-doing in Trump administration. Republican Glen Kirschner explains.
And, today’s update (7:35 mins)
The Lincoln Project – comprised of former Republicans – states:
Tonight, at the Democratic National Convention, we'll witness a piece of history. A prominent voice crossing party lines to put country over party. [Republican] Governor John Kasich was the last man standing in the 2016 GOP primary. Now he's backing former Vice President Biden.I never imagined I’d promote Republican values. Indeed, I’m not promoting Republican values, rather I’m giving credit where credit is due. I’m amazed – even proud of - Republicans speaking out against what they perceive as a betrayal of their values by the Trumpies.
When we set out nine months ago to rally Republicans to the Constitution and against Donald Trump, we weren’t sure how big a movement we would find, or who would answer the call.
We have become a true force in this campaign.
What Governor Kasich is doing tonight is rare and historic. That’s because we’re at a historic crossroads, where we must choose: America or Trump?
Across America, there are millions of Republicans like Governor Kasich, patriotic voters choosing America over Trump. We’re proud to count many of them among our supporters.
Just last week, we launched an eight-state campaign to convince reluctant Trump voters that the cost of four more years would be too high.
Our goal? Persuade 3-5% of Republicans to switch their votes to Joe Biden — from the suburbs, to deep red rural counties — and make sure Joe Biden wins by such a wide margin, no one ever tries Trumpism again.
Might this start a trend where the US becomes less polarized?
Might Americans speak out against the betrayal of American values, no matter their political affiliation?
Here’s hopin’
1306 days of Trump done, 78 days to the election…
Insist on your right to vote via mail-in ballots, then go vote, Americans!
***
California’s extreme temperatures trigger power outages “as the state’s power grid became overwhelmed by energy demands.”A Stage 3 emergency alert was declared … by the California Independent System Operator, which runs the state’s power grid. The agency has not declared a statewide emergency of this kind since 2001. More than 300,000 customers in both Northern and Southern California were without power….Meanwhile, “Eskom implored South Africans to reduce their energy use…and implemented stage 2 load shedding following plant breakdowns.
Temperatures for some parts of the state are expected to reach [indeed, are already reaching] into the triple digits….
Across the country, some 150 million people are set to experience temperatures hotter than 90 degrees over the next week, and 50 million of those forecast to experience temperatures over 100 degrees.
More than 80 million people were under heat alerts Friday from the Central and Southern Plains as well as for nearly the entire West Coast. The myriad heat alerts covering the map included heat advisories, excessive heat watches and excessive heat warnings all issued by the National Weather Service.
Power outages. Load shedding. A rose by any other name….
US terminology for power outages/load shedding:
“Rolling blackout”: a defined period during which power or may not go off.
“Public safety shutdown”: a specific time during which power will go off to ensure power lines do not ignite wildfires.
Meet Mother (2:15 mins)
Divorce Trump (0:55 mins)
Trump the Internet: Trump Bible Study - The Prodigal Son (9:25 mins)
From Rosa to Kamala (1:55 mins)
Randy Rainbow and “Kamala” (3:40 mins)
Imagine life on this planet without its astonishing variety and diversity. Then, find a community of people with whom who can work to ensure the continuation of that astonishing variety and diversity. Get to work on healthy futures….
Alas, the trimming crew revealed it was more of a butchering crew. This photo (left) shows one formerly beautiful swamp cypress - branches and crown demolished.
What remains are heaps of shorn branches detached from trunks and left to the vagaries of August’s winds.
US terminology for power outages/load shedding:
“Rolling blackout”: a defined period during which power or may not go off.
“Public safety shutdown”: a specific time during which power will go off to ensure power lines do not ignite wildfires.
***
The Lincoln Project: Dad (2:25 mins) Meet Mother (2:15 mins)
Divorce Trump (0:55 mins)
Trump the Internet: Trump Bible Study - The Prodigal Son (9:25 mins)
From Rosa to Kamala (1:55 mins)
Randy Rainbow and “Kamala” (3:40 mins)
Healthy futures, anyone?
One of our planet’s amazing creatures: the Lyre Bird. (2:57 mins)Imagine life on this planet without its astonishing variety and diversity. Then, find a community of people with whom who can work to ensure the continuation of that astonishing variety and diversity. Get to work on healthy futures….
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
The opening of liquor stores has the alcohol imbibers of the country a-twitter. At 10:00am this morning, one hour after liquor stores reopened, my mother called the local store for a delivery of her favorite wine. The manager informed her, “We’re sold out!” I happened to be in a different shopping mall and thought to purchase a couple of bottles of her favorite wine. One look at the queue (“the line”) - 20 people, socially distanced - dissuaded me.***
Eskom (SA’s national electricity provider) sent a tree trimming crew to this neighborhood yesterday to buzz-cut growing trees. All day long, the neighborhood endured hours of high-pitched buzzing.  |
| Click to enlarge. |
What remains are heaps of shorn branches detached from trunks and left to the vagaries of August’s winds.
Photo, below left, shows a different Eskom's team's tree trimming abilities from five years ago.
Lobsided, but the tree maintains its crown and continues growing.
Is it too much to ask that Eskom run their tree trimming crews through basic training on pruning? Or, are my standards simply too high?
 |
| Click to enlarge. |
***
I’ve been in near-hibernation mode due to one hundred forty-five days of Lockdown, more than ten weeks of winter, and gobs of socio-cultural stress. Unlike Trump’s version of Covid-19, my stress will not “magically go away,” but Level 2 brings with it the possibility of action.
Today, finally - after a delay of four months – I plan to visit the person who manages the place that might offer a comfortable, caring environment for my elderly mother and one dog.
Day 144 Monday, August 17 - Forward momentum?
Correction: Lockdown Level 2 begins 00:01 Tuesday, not Sunday or Monday. I’m not the only one confused. Newspapers also acknowledged and clarified the confusion. Tuesday seems an odd time to transition. The latest pandemic stats are worrisome, too.On Sunday, 3,692 new Covid-19 cases were reported. [South Africa] has now recorded 587,345 confirmed cases since the coronavirus hit South African shores in March.
Gauteng continues to be the epicentre of the virus, with 199,635 confirmed cases. KwaZulu-Natal has now the second highest number of positive cases at 105,383, followed by the Western Cape with 102,449 cases.
News blues…
Trumpian logic: slash medical care during a global pandemic even as the US leads the world in infection rates.Pentagon officials working on Defense Secretary Mark Esper's cost-cutting review of the department have proposed slashing military health care by $2.2 billion, a reduction that some defense officials say could effectively gut the Pentagon’s health care system during a nationwide pandemic…[and] imperil the health care of … roughly 9.5 million active-duty personnel, military retirees and their dependents …as the nation grapples with Covid-19.Hmmm, why not cut back on the manufacture, production, testing, and use of military equipment and toxic arms and armaments? The US spends by far more than any other country on earth on its military.
The DoD’s fiscal year 2020 budget is approximately $721.5 billion ($721,531,000,000) - approximately $712.6 billion discretionary and $8.9 billion in mandatory spending. But no. Can’t cut back on weapons, only on personnel costs.
***
Desperate men reach for desperate measures...or, more Trumpian logic:During an interview on Fox News, Trump said that if USPS does not receive the additional $25 billion funding request that Democrats included in the ongoing stimulus negotiations, then he believes the Post Office won't be able to handle the influx of mail-in ballots in the upcoming election.Americans rear up and push back against Trump and his cronies:
"They want three and a half billion dollars for something that'll turn out to be fraudulent, that's election money basically. They want three and a half billion dollars for the mail-in votes. Universal mail-in ballots. They want $25 billion, billion, for the Post Office. Now they need that money in order to make the Post Office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots.”
Protesters filled the streets outside the head of the U.S. Postal Service's home in Northwest Washington, D.C., on Saturday, some carrying signs that read "Don't mess with the USPS" and "Don't stamp out our democracy." The demonstrators blew airhorns and banged pots as a few of them walked to the front door of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's building and pinned fake ballots to his front door, as protesters accused him and the White House of working together to undermine main-in ballots and the election.
"Hey hey, Louis DeJoy, the Postal Service is not your toy!" the protesters chanted. It was not known if he was home.
… DeJoy, a Trump ally who has served as postmaster general since May, reshuffled much of the experienced senior leadership in USPS's organizational chart when he took control of the agency, and he has introduced a number of policy changes that appear to have slowed the delivery of mail. … DeJoy has also overseen the decommissioning of 671 of the agency's letter sorting machines, which can individually sort 35,000 pieces of mail per hour.
Healthy future’s anyone?
 |
| See all 18 photos |
It's unclear how much oil was removed before Saturday. Earlier this week, the operator, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, said about 1,180 metric tons of oil had leaked from fuel tanks - with about 460 tons manually recovered from the sea and coast. The ship was carrying about 3,800 tons of Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil and 200 tons of diesel oil…
The Panama-flagged tanker was carrying more than 4,000 tonnes of heavy oil, lubricants and diesel from China to Brazil. Between 800 and 1,200 tonnes was thought to have leaked into the sea, with the rest being pumped out by salvage experts.
“In view of the rough sea condition, the salvage company … has informed us that it cannot carry on with the pumping of the remaining oil,” the Mauritius National Crisis Committee said in a statement.
Scientists say the full impact of the spill is still unclear, but the oil has already reached exceptional zones of marine life…[as well as]… a unique coastal wetland recognised for the diversity of its coral and fish species, as well as for the endangered green turtle [causing] … “a massive poisonous shock to the system,” said Adam Moolna, an environmental scientist from Mauritius. “This oil will have cascading effects across the webs of life.”
…Thousands of volunteers, many smeared from head to toe in black sludge, ignored official instructions to stay away and strung together miles of improvised floating barriers made of straw in a desperate attempt to hold back the oily tide.
“We have had to fully equip our front-line staff … Many persons have been wading into the oil spilled waters with only thongs and wearing shorts and it is extremely dangerous. A couple of hours exposed to fumes can cause headaches, nose and eye burns and even dizziness,” said Jean Hugues Gardenne, of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation.
…Tourism generated 63bn rupees ($1.6bn) for the Mauritian economy last year. The industry had already been badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mauritius shut its borders on 19 March and has had only 344 cases of Covid-19, of which 332 have recovered and 10 have died. The country is still closed to international air travel. In May, the central bank said that in the past two months alone, the nation had lost 12bn rupees in foreign exchange due to the fall in tourism.
***
The Lincoln Project: Complacent (0:55 mins)
Astonishing that, within 12 hours of publishing, Lincoln Project ads generate more than half a million views. Bad news for Trump; great news for We, the People.
Meidas Touch: Are You Better Off? | Airing Nationwide on Fox News (0:55 mins)
Action is possible.
I’m back on track to find a safe, welcoming – and acceptable to my mother – retirement community that provides caring oversight…and that permits her to keep at least one dog.
Prior to Lockdown – 144 days ago - I’d contacted representatives of an Ambers property. Then, alas, plans went on hold.
Covid-19 was the ostensible reason although my mother, after agreeing with the plan, changed her mind, nixed the new plan, came up with another, then nixed that one, too.
Since then, we’ve bobbed in the waters of uncertainty, indecision, and negativity.
But a new day dawns.
I’m hopeful that I can visit that Ambers property, and other similar properties, this week.
Forward momentum feels good!
Alert Level 2 protocols:
Astonishing that, within 12 hours of publishing, Lincoln Project ads generate more than half a million views. Bad news for Trump; great news for We, the People.
Meidas Touch: Are You Better Off? | Airing Nationwide on Fox News (0:55 mins)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
The weather is cold and dreary and predicted to drop below freezing the next two nights. Nevertheless, guarded optimism as the country drops to Alert Level 2.Action is possible.
I’m back on track to find a safe, welcoming – and acceptable to my mother – retirement community that provides caring oversight…and that permits her to keep at least one dog.
Prior to Lockdown – 144 days ago - I’d contacted representatives of an Ambers property. Then, alas, plans went on hold.
Covid-19 was the ostensible reason although my mother, after agreeing with the plan, changed her mind, nixed the new plan, came up with another, then nixed that one, too.
Since then, we’ve bobbed in the waters of uncertainty, indecision, and negativity.
But a new day dawns.
I’m hopeful that I can visit that Ambers property, and other similar properties, this week.
Forward momentum feels good!
Day 143 Sunday, August 16 - Reckoning
Level 2 as of midnight tonight!News blues…
President Ramaphosa updates South Africans (28:00 mins) and declares a “new phase” in response: Extend national state of disaster until Sept 15 but move to Level 2.Alert Level 2 protocols:
- Remove restrictions on the resumption of economic activity albeit with necessary and appropriate conditions
- Interprovincial travel ban lifted
- Hospitality reopens with approved protocols
- Restaurants, bars, taverns reopen with approved protocols
- Lift restrictions on the sale of cigarettes
- Alcohol use subject to conditions: up to 10 pm in public; for sale Mon – Thur 9 am to 5p for use at home
- Lift restrictions for family and friend – small gatherings
- Continue social distancing and protect the vulnerable continue
- International travel remains restricted
- No gatherings of more than 50 people, including funerals and religious
- Curfew from 10 pm to 4 am
- Stay at home, work at home if possible
- Wear masks
- Protect the elderly and those with underlying conditions
- Social distancing
- Proper ventilation
- Limit travel to necessary trips only
- Avoid social gatherings
- Wash and sanitize hands
- Behave responsibly – act as if you could infect others
On Sunday, New Zealand reported 13 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus for the last 24 hours, as the country’s first outbreak in months continued to grow.
All but one of the new cases were from community transmission and appeared to be linked to a cluster in Auckland where the most recent outbreak started, said Ashley Bloomfield, the New Zealand director general of health. The 13th was a traveller who returned from abroad and was in managed quarantine. It brings the number of active cases in New Zealand to 69. Since the start of the year the country had recorded 1,271 cases.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Despite international travel remaining restricted, this morning, for the first time in 144 days, I fantasized about la dolce vita aboard my houseboat. Many things to work out here before I can resume the liveaboard life, but it beckons, and I can see myself back in California.***
Alas, in California, news came of a favorite pet cat passing away peacefully. RIP, Tommy, Mr T, The Tomalizer, Catiwompuss. The 90-year-old mother of a friend passed away the same day, almost the same time. Perhaps they’re together in the place the succors good souls? ***
Local weather here has gone from hot 27 C (81 F) with gusting winds, accompanied by fire warnings, to 11 C (42 F) with predictions of 1 C and -1 C (31 - 30 F) overnight this week. Continued predictions for sorely needed rain that never comes.
Oh, so, so tired of Donald Trump.
Former National Republican Convention chairperson Michael Steele says, “America, I’ve talked to you about being punked, if you’re gonna get punked on this [birtherism] again, then you deserve what you get. [Going for birtherism again] says a hellava lot more about you than it does about Donald Trump. Kill it now. Not another story about it….”
The Lincoln Project: Unprecedented (0:55 mins)
Meidas Touch: Bye Hannity (:55 mins)
Really American: Rescue Our Votes (1:40 mins)
Republican Voters Against Trump: Here's Some Unique Texas Profanities for Trump (2:30 mins)
The thought of contacting “the recipient by some other means (by phone, for example)”, finding a legible and working phone number, jumping through the various hoops to reach and talk to a knowledgeable human, to follow through on how to resolve the issue….
Perhaps my assumptions about service a la South Africa must be tempered with reality a la South Africa, but…
Day 142 Saturday, Aug 15 - It's baaack!
Birtherism is back. Trump’s lies about Barack Obama’s place of birth (“not in the US”) are being recycled for Democratic vice-presidential pick, Kamala Harris.Oh, so, so tired of Donald Trump.
Former National Republican Convention chairperson Michael Steele says, “America, I’ve talked to you about being punked, if you’re gonna get punked on this [birtherism] again, then you deserve what you get. [Going for birtherism again] says a hellava lot more about you than it does about Donald Trump. Kill it now. Not another story about it….”
News blues…
 |
| © Really American |
Meidas Touch: Bye Hannity (:55 mins)
Really American: Rescue Our Votes (1:40 mins)
Republican Voters Against Trump: Here's Some Unique Texas Profanities for Trump (2:30 mins)
Healthy futures anyone?
One of the pleasures of an “alternative lifestyle” – a houseboat on the San Joaquin River in the Sacramento Delta – is the seasonal wildlife.A favorite winter pleasure is sipping coffee as morning sunshine brightens the river and splashes through panorama windows into the cabin. Add the occasional sighting of sea lions and river otters gliding through the channel, and life doesn’t get much better…
Otter news improves day-by-day:
South Africa’s defunct post office service manages, occasionally, willy nilly, to squeeze a piece of mail into a residential post box.
Yesterday, after months of no postal delivery at all, my mother received in her post box two religious tracts, a seven-month-late bill from the power company, and an on-time bill from the municipal water company.
Since late January, 2020 I’ve tried, unsuccessfully, to receive my mother’s water bill via email. Emailing bills can be done, albeit apparently not by the municipal water company. I receive other municipal bills by email: property tax (“rates”), Eskom, natural gas, phone bill (before cancelling due to no phone service for three months)….
Otter news improves day-by-day:
River otters were hunted for their fur in California until 1961. Despite the end of hunting, otters all but disappeared from the San Francisco Bay Area and southward, and polluted waters were thought to share in the blame. However, in the last decade, river otters have made a celebrated rebound, particularly in the North Bay, and have been spotted everywhere from Napa to San Jose. That they returned of their own accord without any reintroduction is a likely sign that restoration efforts have improved the health of creeks and streams. The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is considered a hub for river otters.Welcome home, otters of all stripes…
Sea otters return to the bay’s estuaries, too.
… San Francisco Bay, California’s largest estuary, could support about 6,000 [sea] otters, more than double the current population. …Scientists also believe that sea otters could be conservation allies, with their potential to help restore other polluted estuaries in California. “…we may need them in estuaries but estuaries may also need sea otters.” …
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Feeling psychologically exhausted, worn down by bureaucrat-itis…South Africa’s defunct post office service manages, occasionally, willy nilly, to squeeze a piece of mail into a residential post box.
Yesterday, after months of no postal delivery at all, my mother received in her post box two religious tracts, a seven-month-late bill from the power company, and an on-time bill from the municipal water company.
Since late January, 2020 I’ve tried, unsuccessfully, to receive my mother’s water bill via email. Emailing bills can be done, albeit apparently not by the municipal water company. I receive other municipal bills by email: property tax (“rates”), Eskom, natural gas, phone bill (before cancelling due to no phone service for three months)….
Sure, it takes what feels like eons talking on the phone with services representatives, but it can be done and I've succeeded in doing it.
Alas, the elusive water bill.
Until yesterday’s unexpected arrival in the post box, I’ve not seen a water bill in six months.
During the interim, I’ve tried contacting the water department and I’ve paid an estimated amount via online eft each month.
One issue: the phone number on the bill is indecipherable as it is printed in white ink upon a black and white silhouette of a garden.
The more legible email address customercare@umdm.gov.za – also white ink on black and white background - provides no customer care.
I emailed that address back on 15 March asking for a statement of the last 6 months’ payments.
Response?
Nada. Zero. Zilch.
Yesterday’s hardcopy bill threatened to “disconnect supply” if we don’t pay.
I paid half of the unusually high amount and emailed again, asking, again, for a statement of the last 6 months’ payments.
Last night that email bounced back, ironically from postmaster@umdm.gov.za (doesn’t that domain name, “@umdm.gov.za", imply the bounce back happened at the municipality level?). The message:
Alas, the elusive water bill.
Until yesterday’s unexpected arrival in the post box, I’ve not seen a water bill in six months.
During the interim, I’ve tried contacting the water department and I’ve paid an estimated amount via online eft each month.
One issue: the phone number on the bill is indecipherable as it is printed in white ink upon a black and white silhouette of a garden.
The more legible email address customercare@umdm.gov.za – also white ink on black and white background - provides no customer care.
I emailed that address back on 15 March asking for a statement of the last 6 months’ payments.
Response?
Nada. Zero. Zilch.
Yesterday’s hardcopy bill threatened to “disconnect supply” if we don’t pay.
I paid half of the unusually high amount and emailed again, asking, again, for a statement of the last 6 months’ payments.
Last night that email bounced back, ironically from postmaster@umdm.gov.za (doesn’t that domain name, “@umdm.gov.za", imply the bounce back happened at the municipality level?). The message:
Delivery has failed to these recipients or groups: customercare@umdm.gov.zaExhausting.
Your message wasn't delivered. Despite repeated attempts to deliver your message, the recipient's email system refused to accept a connection from your email system.
Contact the recipient by some other means (by phone, for example) and ask them to tell their email admin that it appears that their email system is refusing connections from your email server. Give them the error details shown below. It's likely that the recipient's email admin is the only one who can fix this problem.
For Email Admins
No connection could be made because the target computer actively refused it. This usually results from trying to connect to a service that is inactive on the remote host - that is, one with no server application running.
The thought of contacting “the recipient by some other means (by phone, for example)”, finding a legible and working phone number, jumping through the various hoops to reach and talk to a knowledgeable human, to follow through on how to resolve the issue….
Perhaps my assumptions about service a la South Africa must be tempered with reality a la South Africa, but…
Oh, how I long to be back in my houseboat, spying on birds … and otters….
Day 141 Friday, Aug 14 – Bedeviling details
7-day rolling averages, analyzed by the Washington Post state: “Yesterday 1,499 Americans died from the novel coronavirus, the highest number since mid-May… 1,000 Americans each day have succumbed to COVID-19 for the last 17 days.”
More than half a million Covid deaths worldwide, 22-plus-percent American,, thats 4 percent of the global population.
But oh, never mind that....
“It is,” our philosopher prez says, “what it is.”
Let’s focus on what’s immediately important: Trump’s “beautiful hair.”
News blues…
We "still have work to do but the situation is all under control".
Perhaps the oil will, “like a miracle, just disappear.”
Japanese-owned oil tanker MV Wakashio struck a coral reef on July 25 spilling an estimated 1,1300 metric tons of oil into the Indian Ocean off Mauritius.
…Oceanographer Vassen Kauppaymuthoo previously warned of the damage if the vessel was to break apart. ”The damage we are seeing now is nothing compared to what may happen when the Wakashio will break. The whole east coast, from Blue Bay to Grand Gaube, will be affected.”
Subsequently, "almost all" the fuel oil .. has been pumped out and...
…transferred to shore by helicopter and to another ship owned by the same Japanese firm, Nagashiki Shipping. …
France has sent a military aircraft with pollution-control equipment from its nearby island of Réunion, while Japan has sent a six-member team to assist the French efforts. The Mauritius coast guard and several police units are also at the site in the south-east of the island.Not to be cynical, but “the situation is all under control" – sounds Trumpian.
Perhaps the oil will, “like a miracle, just disappear.”
***
The Lincoln Project: Kamala (0:55 mins)
Meidas Touch: Prosecute Trump: Kamala Harris Makes the Case Against Trump (1:00)
Really American: Trump Kills USPS (:40 mins)
Today, the app states our neighborhood is at “Stage 2 – since 28 minutes ago.” Power remained on.
The same screen displayed: “Not load shedding right now!”
It’s hard to know which side is up.
One might think that, with bureaucratic bungling normalized, one would acclimate.
Alas, not so.
Meidas Touch: Prosecute Trump: Kamala Harris Makes the Case Against Trump (1:00)
Really American: Trump Kills USPS (:40 mins)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Load shedding is back. Power went off for 2.5 hours in the morning and 2.5 hours last night.Today, the app states our neighborhood is at “Stage 2 – since 28 minutes ago.” Power remained on.
The same screen displayed: “Not load shedding right now!”
It’s hard to know which side is up.
One might think that, with bureaucratic bungling normalized, one would acclimate.
Alas, not so.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment