Fact? Or Fake?

Breaking news: Mexico declares it WILL pay for the wall. 

Canada wants a wall, too. 

(That’s a joke! These days, hard to tell fact from fake.)

News blues…

US president MIA as more than 4,000 Americans dead in one day from Covid-19. Additionally, my Covid-alert app reported, early this morning, a 24-hour increase in infections of more than 22,000 South Africans. 

We’re in the thick of things, folks. Wear your mask, wash your hands, and stay home….

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Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican, arch-Trump supporter, Trump golf companion,  and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee faced furious Trumpies at a DC airport Surrounded by a cadre of security guards, Trumpies followed Graham down the hallway, calling out “traitor” and “you know it was rigged!”  (0:58 mins)

***

More fact? Or more fake?

Reports of a highly contagious new variant in the United States ... are based on speculative statements made by Dr. Deborah Birx and are inaccurate, according to several government officials. 
The erroneous report originated at a recent meeting where Dr. Birx, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, presented graphs of the escalating cases in the country. She suggested to other members of the task force that a new, more transmissible variant originating in the U.S. might explain the surge, as another variant did in Britain.
Her hypothesis made it into a weekly report sent to state governors. “This fall/winter surge has been at nearly twice the rate of rise of cases as the spring and summer surges. This acceleration suggests there may be a USA variant that has evolved here, in addition to the UK variant that is already spreading in our communities and may be 50% more transmissible,” the report read. “Aggressive mitigation must be used to match a more aggressive virus.”
Dismayed, officials at the C.D.C. tried to have the speculative statements removed, but were unsuccessful, according to three people familiar with the events.
C.D.C. officials did not agree with her assessment and asked to remove it but were told no, according to one frustrated C.D.C. official, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
Dr. Birx could not immediately be reached for comment.

Yesterday, I was forwarded a long, highly inaccurate text from “Robert F. Kennedy, Jr,” that began, “To all my patients…” The screed combined many of the usual conspiracy theories – Fauci and Gates responsible for experimental vaccine technology to “take away ‘our’ freedoms,” vaccine interferes with human DNA, “genetic manipulation” that cannot be “undone,” etc….
I responded with, “Ag nee, man… please do not forward this to potentially gullible people ….”
The person who had forwarded it to me responded, “I thought it might be wrong, but….”
It’s the “but” that intrigues. In this day and age, why forward anything you preface with a “but”? 

***

Understatement of the moment? This reporter finds it “troubling” that the US president has been sidelined by his cabinet who “flatly refuses to follow [his] orders”… Also “troubling,” Nancy Pelosi has been “assured” that Donald Trump “does not have access to the nuclear codes”  (4:28 mins) 

***

Now This | Tensions Rise in the House During Post-Riot Debate  (6:02 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

Currently, “healthy planet” is an oxymoron. Back tomorrow?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

After much rain in the past weeks, the stream in the lower garden is overflowing. I donned my gumboots to explore and noticed water level at the top of culverts designed to drain water. 

One culvert on the other, public side of the road is completely blocked, the other almost completely block with mud and debris. 

This is yet another, ongoing maintenance issue. 
On 10 April, 2019 I’d approached the local provincial authority and presented the following letter, with photographs:

Dear NPA Representative,
A small stream runs along the edge of my property. The stream enters two culverts under the public road (soon after the tar road becomes a sand). These culverts are blocked with silt and debris and are filling in fast. I suspect that this year’s coming rainy season may completely block the culverts and cause flooding.
I respectfully request that these two culverts are cleared of silt and debris as soon as possible to prevent flooding and property damage to all properties along the stream. I’ve enclosed two photos taken in January 2019 that show the degree of silt and debris buildup. Thank you for seeing to this potential nuisance. 

Within days, a grader arrived to scoop out debris. The driver of the grader soon explained that the grader scoop couldn’t reach the debris therefore there was little he could do to alleviate the blockage. Instead, he dumped more mud and debris into the stream. Then he and his grader departed. 

On 7 January, 2021, I hand delivered another letter to same local provincial administration office, indeed the same provincial administration officer:

Dear NPA Representative,
Back in April 2019 I alerted your office that the culverts near [our property] was blocked.
A driver on a bulldozer was sent to clear the blockage. Unfortunately, the bulldozer actually further blocked the culvert with debris.
Today, January 7, 2021, our garden is flooding as the culvert can no longer cope with the amount of water coming down the stream.
Our side of the culvert is free of debris. The public side of the culvert is almost completely block. I know as I looked at it yesterday. I believe a crew of workers must work by hand to clear the culvert. It cannot be cleared by bulldozer but it must be cleared SOON.
Compare the photos below tot those I took in 2019 and you’ll see how much the situation has deteriorated.
Thanks for your prompt attention to this potential nuisance and your help in getting at least ONE OF THE CULVERTS CLEARED.

Since pictures are worth 1,000 words, I presented the following:

2 culverts on 10 April 2019.

2 culverts on 7 January 2021.

Backed up water cannot flow through culverts, 7 January 2021.

Stream overflow, 7 January 2021. 

The flooded area made worse since Eskom chopped down trees and failed to remove the debris. (For background, read, “Meanwhile, back at the ranch” post of 18 August 2020.)  

The NPA officer I talked to 7 January explained that their work crews were “still on holiday” and won’t return until at least 16 January (I hope he meant 2021, and not 2022 or 2023.) 

Mosquitos are ecstatic with excess water as it offers further opportunities to breed. (Perhaps parent mosquitos hand out maps to direct blood-thirsty young to an endless supply of American blood.)