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.

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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.
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.

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.
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!

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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….
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.

Meanwhile, “Eskom implored South Africans to reduce their energy use…and implemented stage 2 load shedding following plant breakdowns. 

 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 may 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.

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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: “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 you 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 long queue (“the line”) - 20 people, socially distanced - dissuaded me.

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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. 

Alas, the trimming crew revealed itself as 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 trunk 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. 

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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.