“The beat goes on…”

Worldwide (Map) 
January 14, 2021 – 92,314,000 confirmed infections; 1,977,900 deaths
December 17 – 73,557,500 confirmed infections; 1,637,100 deaths
November 19 – 56,188,000 confirmed infections; 1,348,600 deaths
Five countries doing well against Covid: New Zealand, Senegal, Iceland, Denmark, and Saudi Arabia. 

 
US (Map)
January 14, 2021 – 23,071,100 confirmed infections; 384,635 deaths
December 17 – 16,724,775 confirmed infections; 303,900 deaths
November 19 – 11,525,600 confirmed infections; 250,485 deaths
“The death toll from Covid-19 has now passed 380,000 across the US, according to Johns Hopkins University – closing in fast on the number of Americans killed in the second world war, or about 407,000…” California is among the hardest-hit states. 

 
SA (Coronavirus portal)
January 14, 2021 – 1,278,305 confirmed infections; 35,140 deaths
December 17 – 873,680 confirmed infections; 23,665 deaths
November 19 – 757,145 confirmed infections; 20,556 deaths
“SA recorded 806 new Covid-19 related deaths in the past 24 hours, its highest ever single-day deaths so far.” 

News blues…

The Lincoln Project

A day of firsts:
The first President to be impeached twice.
The first time a party’s caucus has been unanimous in voting for impeachment (222-0).
This goes along with the most votes for impeachment from the President’s party (ten Republicans) in history.
Ten.
Ten Republicans upheld their oaths, put country first, and voted for impeachment—and 197 voted to protect a broken man who launched an insurrection to overturn an election he lost.
All eyes are now on the Senate, but Mitch McConnell—despite signaling his support for impeachment—seems unlikely to bring the chamber back in session before Inauguration Day.
Notably, Senators-elect Warnock and Ossoff (D-GA) will likely be sworn in, so Trump’s second impeachment trial will take place with a Democratic majority. Our coalition’s efforts to defeat Trumpism in Georgia could not have proven more consequential.
To be clear though, Trump’s second impeachment is no celebratory occasion.
Today is a sad day, in an impossibly sorrowful time, for our country.
A full week after siccing a violent mob on the Capitol, the President has been impeached for inciting an insurrection—yet he remains in office.
Our Republic still stands, but her foundation—democracy—has been battered and tarnished.
And the assailant, and his co-conspirators in the Sedition Caucus remain in power.
In the wake of the MAGA insurrection, accountability comes first and foremost.
It is undoubtedly a good thing that President Trump has been impeached for his role in orchestrating this heinous terrorist attack.
But the fact that 197 House Republicans voted to protect the man who just ambushed the very institution they are a member of is a stark reminder of the profound rot in today’s Republican Party.
In the days and weeks to come, we will continue to learn more about the attack on our Capitol. Who incited, who abetted, and who comforted the attackers will be known.
And we will be right here, ready to expose evildoers, traitors, and seditionists, and ready to fight for our Republic.

Healthy planet, anyone?

Political officials at EPA have overruled the agency’s career scientists to weaken a major health assessment for a toxic chemical contaminating the drinking water of an estimated 860,000 Americans, according to four sources with knowledge of the changes. 
The changes to the safety assessment for the chemical PFBS, part of a class of "forever chemicals" called PFAS, is the latest example of the Trump administration's tailoring of science to align with its political agenda, and another in a series of eleventh-hour steps the administration has taken to hamstring President-elect Joe Biden's ability to support aggressive environmental regulations.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

My mother’s physical rehabilitation continues to improve. Alas, Covid continues to spread in the care center. Last week they found one case within the population of elderly. This week, another case.

***

Back in the day, a mixture of beetroot, olive oil and spinach was touted by “some” SA government officials as a way to “strengthen” the immune systems of – even cure - AIDS sufferers. 
These days, it’s not beetroot, or olive oil, or spinach but bananas.
A quick search on You Tube will reveal a cornucopia of coronavirus-fighting foods and food supplements.
Good nutrition is essential to essential to health. True.
Fresh veggies and fruit are delicious, nutritious, and health preserving. True.
Will they prevent Covid-19. Hmmmm.
But why risk it?
I examined the bananas (full of potassium and other nutrients) at the grocery store and brought three home. Two remained, along with three white peaches, in the fruit bowl when I drove out the security gate. Jessica The Dog was in charge of our downstairs living area.
I returned two hours later to learn three monkeys had invaded the house - again. They’d ripped through the fruit, torn open a large bag of my mother’s favorite biscuits, even scratched through the container in which I collect food scraps for composting.
Where was Jessica the Monkey Discouraging Dog during this monkey enterprise? Sunbathing.