Hotspot!

News blues…

The lead article of a local weekly print newspaper this week, titled “Umngeni: Covid-19 Hotspot,” reports uMngeni District (in which I reside) “boasted the most Covid-19 cases” [in KZN province]. “The district has seen the highest number of deaths throughout KZN during this second wave.”
The front-page article enumerates how local funeral parlors and undertakers are feeling the strain and experiencing “an increase of more than 80% [funerals overall and] “some 30% more funerals during the week than before Covid.”
Moreover, “fetching a body takes a maximum of 20 minutes…but now they spend more than on hour on one body because of [Covid] protocol.”
The article ends, “We all see what is happening out there but being stubborn or stupid won’t help us. Let us all pray and make sure we protect ourselves and those who are close to us.”
Amen!

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The Donald reverts to type. With six bankruptcies in his past, The Donald is setting the stage to not pay his consigliere Rudy Giuliani. Surprised? Nope. It’s the Way of The Donald. Don’t say Rudy didn’t know… It couldn’t happen to a more deserving duo. 

Look on the bright side, Rudy: you're not special - the amount The Donald owes you pales in comparison to the amount he owes many others. Moreover, you must know you risked not getting paid by a guy who seldom pays anyone.

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The Lincoln Project: Defund the GOP  (0:59 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

Research suggests that at least one type of plant – the french bean – may be more sentient than we give it credit for: namely, it may possess intent. 
… Intrigued by the ability of climbing beans to sense structures such as garden canes and grow up them, [scientists] devised an experiment to investigate whether they deliberately aim for the cane, or simply bump into such structures as they grow, and then turn them to their advantage.
… they used time-lapse photography to document the behaviour of 20 potted bean plants, grown either in the vicinity of a support pole or without one, until the tip of the shoot made contact with the pole. Using this footage, they analysed the dynamics of the shoots’ growth, finding that their approach was more controlled and predictable when a pole was present. The difference was analogous to sending a blindfolded person into a room containing an obstacle, and either telling them about it or letting them stumble into it.

{I’m tempted to make a sarcastic joke about a French bean showing more logic than your average American human….)

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In general, not one for seeing omens, here's food for thought: 

One of the ravens at the Tower of London is feared to have died, in a potentially gloomy omen for Britain. It means that the tower is close to having fewer than six ravens, a level that would spell doom for the kingdom, according to legend. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Last week I admitted that I’d become more alarmed at the increasing rates of Covid infections in the area, and that I lacked medical insurance .
More than 6 weeks ago, I’d emailed a “medical plan” company requesting information on securing a medical plan, but I’d heard nothing back, beyond an acknowledgement of receipt of emails.
Today, however, a form letter from that company:

The number of COVID-19 infections have increased significantly in the second wave all over the country.
To limit the impact of infections on our members and staff, we have opted to close all [company name] walk-in centres from 15 January 2021. The walk-in centres will re-open on 1 February 2021.

While I am careful, always wear a mask in public, ensure the required social distance, and always sanitize, I also regularly enter grocery stores, both for groceries and to receive cash back to pay the gardener. (He lacks a bank account for electronic fund transfer.)
I awoke after midnight last night with a terribly sore throat.
Soon after that, I emailed the handy man who’d worked at my place yesterday morning and who intended to return today to complete other tasks. I informed him of my ailment and delayed completion of the remaining work.
Could I have contracted Covid somewhere, somehow? Examining my behavior and activities it seems unlikely but…
I’ll carefully monitor my health today.
I’d waited a month, since before Christmas, to have someone remove a section of fencing around my new apartment. I made peace with my decision to remove the fencing and, potentially, allow warthogs and impala enter the inner garden and eat garden plants. The work is finally done. I can now step from my small patio onto a set of flag stones I laid, then into the semi-private garden. Oh, joy!
Ironical if I contract Covid… and become a statistic. But which statistic? Another infection? Or another death? Enquiring minds wanna know….