Human hearts?

News blues…

One might despair of the lack of … humanity … humans display - and the seeming abundance of corruption lurking in the human head/heart.
Goings on during a global pandemic display a host of humanities worst “shadow” characteristics - more than enough to give some human hearts heart burn:

• Amid many other cases of corruption – SA health minister Mkhize and close associates have allegedly benefited from COVID-19 tenders that the Department of Health had issued at more than R82-million. 
• Despite recommendations from the US CDC for a combination of evidence-based strategies to reduce transmission of COVID-19, US politicians recommend the opposite 
• Significant amounts of fake vaccine have been uncovered in at least two countries – South Africa and China  – 
• Investigation uncovers countries “either less than transparent or in denial about the scale of the [Covid-19] problem” hide pandemic data. 

Take heart though. Some countries are doing well with vaccinations.

The next challenge is finding humane ways to share vaccines across borders, continents, and hemispheres.
From a recent policy paper published in The Lancet:

The COVID-19 pandemic is unlikely to end until there is global roll-out of vaccines that protect against severe disease and preferably drive herd immunity. Regulators in numerous countries have authorised or approved COVID-19 vaccines for human use, with more expected to be licensed in 2021. Yet having licensed vaccines is not enough to achieve global control of COVID-19: they also need to be produced at scale, priced affordably, allocated globally so that they are available where needed, and widely deployed in local communities. In this Health Policy paper, we review potential challenges to success in each of these dimensions and discuss policy implications.

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Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 

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Remember The Lincoln Project? Here's another obituary...  (5:27 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

As countries locked down to control the rapid spread of Covid-19 and consequently reduced human mobility (‘anthropause’) — a unique opportunity emerged to gather far reaching insights into human–wildlife interactions in the twenty-first century.
Anecdotal observations indicate that many animal species are enjoying the newly afforded peace and quiet, while others, surprisingly, seem to have come under increased pressure.
Nature ecology and evolution’s addresses findings: “COVID-19 lockdown allows researchers to quantify the effects of human activity on wildlife” to review this ‘anthropause’. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

I continue to run around in a tizzy - like a chicken without a head, or feathers, or chicken feet. (Cultural humor: bagsful of chicken feet are a popular food item in the refrigerator section of most South African grocery stores. Where do so many feet they come from? I assume from people like me running around in a tizzy….)
Yesterday I:

• went to the dentist. (South Africans complain about the “exorbitant expense” of dentistry. Yet, American dentistry is far more expensive. In the US, one x-ray, or a cleaning, costs far more than what I paid for two fillings.)
• met with my mother’s financial adviser and was provided further perspectives on possible directions to protect my mother and her future.
• met with a real estate management company to gather information on the potential for renting my mother’s house – since no sale is imminent.
• talked on the phone with the matron of two other care centers to gauge the feasibility of moving my mother away from the current center. (The latest eye-opening action? Someone decided to cut my mother’s hair. I know my mother would not have consented as her long, thick hair is her most prized vanity. Now, she’s lost not only her dog (the primary reason I’d placed her in that facility was because they agreed to take her dog), she’s also deprived of self-agency and her dignity.)
• met with the real estate agent that I trust more than any other and, to stimulate a purchase, lowered the house’s asking price, and phoned our neighbor who, during the house’s sole mandate period, showed interest in viewing/purchasing the house. He will view the house today. (A businessman, he intimated he’d pay cash although would not involve a real estate agent (to avoid the 6% commission). Yes, that requires extra vigilance, but I have a plan….)

It’s a busy time.
The best news? My California-based daughter’s recent vaccination against Covid allows her to consider visiting me. Yes, I worry about international travel and the potential for further exposure to the virus, but oh, she’d be so welcome.

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With daylight savings time approaching in the US, my season-watch obsession continues:
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 6: sunrise 5:53am; sunset 6:25pm.