And the numbers of Covid-19 sufferers continue to climb….
Worldwide (Map)
January 28, 2021 – 100,920,100 confirmed infections; 2,175,500 deaths
December 31 – 82,656000 confirmed infections; 1,8040100 deaths
November 26 – 60,334,000 confirmed infections; 1,420,500 deaths
US (Map)
January 28, 2021 – 25,600,000 confirmed infections; 429,160 deaths
December 31 – 19,737,200 confirmed infections; 342,260 deaths
November 26 – 12,771,000 confirmed infections; 262,145 deaths
SA (Tracker)
January 28, 2021 – 1,430,650 confirmed infections; 42,550 deaths
December 31 – 1,039,165 confirmed infections; 28,035 deaths
November 26 – 775,510 confirmed infections; 21,2010 deaths
News blues…
Coronavirus can infect people so rapidly that it has continued to spread despite shutdown orders aimed at slowing the growth of new cases and flattening the line below.
So far, 1 out of every 12 people in the state [California] has tested positive. The number statewide is now on pace to double every 96.2 days, a number used to measure how quickly the virus is spreading.
***
A Respiratory Therapist Explains the Effects COVID-19 Has on the Lungs and Heart (3:06 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
 |
| © Cicada: ‘When they are this abundant, they fly, land and crawl everywhere, including occasionally landing on humans,' said Gary Parsons of Michigan State University. Photo: Jim Lane/Alamy |
A remarkable phenomenon’ as billions of cicadas set to emerge across eastern US.
And locals hated the creatures with a passion! They found them the emergence of this astonishing bug an imposition on their lives and thoroughly annoying.
KZN has cicadas, too. We call them Christmas beetles as they appear and sing around that time of year.
Fewer cicadas/Christmas beetles appear these days. But when they do, I recall how, as a teenager, I responded to the sound that I loved.
I had a motorcycle – a “scrambler” 80cc bike – that I’d ride to Kloof, a village about 15 or 20 miles from home. Kloof had a long street lined both sides with sycamores? Plane trees? Not sure, but large, leafy trees that shaded the street and provided perfect conditions for Christmas beetles to sing, find mates, and procreated.
I’d name my motorcycle Maybell - after a red-light district worker I’d met in a movie. Maybell and I would ride up and down this street. I enjoyed the overwhelming screeching of cicadas so much I couldn’t help but join in. Up and down, up and down, Maybell carried me as I screeched along.
C’est magnifique!
I’ve carried letters to the entity responsible for this kind of work. To no avail.
Predictably, the lower garden is flooded.
Billions of cicadas that have spent 17 years underground are set to emerge across large areas of the eastern USThere’s a 13-year species of Magicicada, too. I saw the emergence of this 13 year variety in Nashville Tennessee. It was amazing: cicadas flying in dense clouds across roads, settling in trees, crawling on the ground.
…The cicadas emerge in a 17-year cycle, meaning they will appear this year once temperatures are warm enough, expected to be mid-May.
“They may amass in millions in parks, woods, neighbourhoods, and can seemingly be everywhere,” said Gary Parsons, an entomologist at Michigan State University.”
Parsons said that while cicadas will not harm people, pets that gorge on them may become ill. It is thought that long underground development helps cicadas survive predators, as their huge and synchronized arrival provides protection in numbers. The noise made by the enormous swarms will be noticeable, however, with males emitting mating calls that can reach 100 decibels, the same sound as standing next to a motorcycle revving its engine. The males produce these mating “songs” by vibrating their tymbals, two rigid, drum-like membranes on the underside of the abdomen.
And locals hated the creatures with a passion! They found them the emergence of this astonishing bug an imposition on their lives and thoroughly annoying.
KZN has cicadas, too. We call them Christmas beetles as they appear and sing around that time of year.
Fewer cicadas/Christmas beetles appear these days. But when they do, I recall how, as a teenager, I responded to the sound that I loved.
I had a motorcycle – a “scrambler” 80cc bike – that I’d ride to Kloof, a village about 15 or 20 miles from home. Kloof had a long street lined both sides with sycamores? Plane trees? Not sure, but large, leafy trees that shaded the street and provided perfect conditions for Christmas beetles to sing, find mates, and procreated.
I’d name my motorcycle Maybell - after a red-light district worker I’d met in a movie. Maybell and I would ride up and down this street. I enjoyed the overwhelming screeching of cicadas so much I couldn’t help but join in. Up and down, up and down, Maybell carried me as I screeched along.
C’est magnifique!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Rained for 15 hours straight. First thing I did on waking today: check the water level in the lower garden. The stream has been on the cusp of flooding for weeks, since the culvert has almost completely blocked.I’ve carried letters to the entity responsible for this kind of work. To no avail.
Predictably, the lower garden is flooded.
The culvert is now completely covered by water backing up ... no place to go but to flood the garden.
This is my foot in a gumboot showing the water level above my ankle.
Tomorrow, I will carry – yet again – a letter with photographs to the responsible entity.
And wait… and wait.
Meanwhile, more rain is predicted.
***
A very stressful time. My mother is hanging on…. Today, I took one of her small dogs up to visit. My mother appreciated having the dog on her lap as she sat in the Laziboy. Alas, she’s too weak to pet the dog.
***
And news from the US Embassy in SA:
Health Alert: U.S. Citizens are Still Able to Return to the United States Despite a Presidential Proclamation Suspending Entry for Immigrant and Non-Immigrants in South Africa
Location: The Republic of South Africa
Event: President Biden announced that effective at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 30, 2021, immigrant and non-immigrant entry into the United States will be suspended for individuals who were physically present within the Republic of South Africa during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States. Please note that this proclamation does not apply to U.S. citizens and contains multiple exceptions including for lawful permanent residents of the United States and some non-citizen family members. All travelers to the United States, including U.S. citizens, must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test to airlines prior to departure.
Actions to Take:
- For more information about this Presidential Proclamations and exceptions to the proclamation, please visit https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/25/proclamation-on-the-suspension-of-entry-as-immigrants-and-non-immigrants-of-certain-additional-persons-who-pose-a-risk-of-transmitting-coronavirus-disease/
- Visit the CDC’s webpage for details on COVID testing entry requirements for air travelers to the United States: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html
- Visit the Embassy’s COVID information page, https://za.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information-2/, for additional information on COVID in South Africa.
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