Eyewitness testimony

News blues

The following obviously is not Covid news. It’s a change from Covid news yet, while it addresses eyewitness testimony on UFOs, it can be taken in a wider context that is applicable to Covid, particularly Covid kitchen table vaccine “testimony”.
The quote comes from the e-book, “Letters from an Astrophysicist”, by Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Think about it.
Sobering.

… eyewitness testimony is, by far, the weakest form of evidence that a person can present in support of a claim. In spite of its high value in the court of law, in the “court” of science, eyewitness testimony is essentially useless. Psychologists have known for quite some time how ineffective the human senses are as data taking devices. Note that the pedigree of the observer is irrelevant here—as long as he or she is human, the fallibility of observation is manifest. Note further that claims of a “cover-up” or “conspiracy” is the battle cry of people who want to believe, in the face of insufficient data to fully support their claims. Another well-known shortcoming of the human mind is what psychologists and philosophers call “argument from ignorance.” The NASA cases … come closest to category (4) above, since we have video of strange phenomena—video that we take to be generally reliable, reminding us again of what the “U” in UFO stands for. Once you confess to not knowing what you are looking at, no logical line of reasoning allows you to then declare that you know what you are looking at. And that includes assertions that the flying shapes “must be” intelligent, technologically advanced aliens from distant planets secretly observing the behavior of Earthlings. You simply bear insufficient evidence to make that jump, however tempting it may be. A similar argument from ignorance comes from the Big Bang. When I am asked what was around before the Big Bang, I say, “We do not yet know.”

***

On war… and the culture war
With Opinions like the following what politician needs publicity? 

A scathing opinion on UK’s current PM by John Crace: “Half-witted, reckless Librium Liz may be even worse than May and Johnson”  >> 
Curios if Crace had ever opined on Donald J Trump, former (current but ‘cheated’?) president, I consult Dr Google and discover:
Trump's stream of subconsciousness becomes a torrent in car-crash interview >> 

and
Yes, it's me, President Trump, visiting some third-world hellhole >> 
Ah, yes. Classic Crace. He does not disappoint.

***

The Lincoln Project:
Regret  (1:00 mins)
Ginnie Smile (0:19 mins)
D J Trump – Wilmington remix (0:45 mins)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Zapiro.com

Why, with Eskom just one of South Africa's myriad catastrophic failures looking for solutions would anyone want to take on “running” South Africa, other than continue the deadly “running into the ground”?
Well, there is a not nice but honest answer.
Money. Lots of money, directly into a politician’s pocket.
Here’s Pew Research ’s view in 2016 >> 
And, today
“Biggest Voting Block in South Africa’s ANC Backs Ex-Health Minister to Lead Party” (Mkhize faces disqualification if charged [of corruption] before conference >>  

Then Health Minister Mkize, you may recall, was "put on special leave… after allegations his department irregularly awarded COVID-19-related contracts to a communications company controlled by his former associates.” 
In other words, the ANC proposes a way-more-intelligent-than-Zuma but also corrupt official as the next president of SA.
Corruption, all the way down. 

Way to go, ANC!

***

Circling back to Eskom, above pic from my iPhone shows one of many similar examples of what South Africans are served up by Eskom’s app, EskomSepush, each day these days.
Darkness, literal and metaphoric, all the way down.

***

SF Bay Area:
Sunrise: 7:04am
Sunset: 6:53pm

KZN, South Africa:
Sunrise: 5:39am
Sunset: 6:00pm

Booster downer

Worldwide (Map) 
September 29, 2022 - 616,767,290 confirmed infections; 6,542,430 deaths
September 30, 2021 - 233,414,450 infections; 4,776,885 deaths
October 1, 2020 – 33,881,275 confirmed infections: 1,012,980 deaths

US (Map) 
September 29, 2022 - 96,252,475 confirmed infections; 1,058,525 deaths
September 30, 2021 - 43,361,700 infections; 7.808,100 deaths
October 1, 2020 – 7,233,199 confirmed infections: 206,940 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal) 
September 29, 2022 - 4,018,102 confirmed infections; 102,169 deaths
September 30, 2021 - 2,898,900 infections; 87,420 deaths
October 1. 2020 – 674,340 confirmed infections: 16,735 deaths

Post from:
September 30, 2021, “Tested” 
October 1, 2020, “Going woolly” 

News blues

Do the new bivalent COVID boosters come with more side effects?
Chicago's top doctor answered that question during a Facebook Live Tuesday - and her answer was no. [In fact, she suggests, it may even be the opposite.]
"We're generally hearing fewer side effects because people who are getting bivalent boosters are people who have had prior vaccines," she said. "Of course, some people have even had COVID."
She said the reasoning behind that is because vaccines are intended to teach an immune response so the more doses of the vaccine you get, especially combined with infection, the quicker your body can respond.

Read more >> 

Hmmm, I respectfully disagree with Chicago’s top doc. Five shots on, and for the first time, I had noticeable side effects beyond sensitivity at the injection site. Indeed, my side effects – about 36 hours’ worth - more closely resembled flu than “the opposite” of no side effects. All five of my shots have been from the same manufacturer, Pfizer.
My point here? No one can, nor should, predict how someone else might react to anything, including vaccinations. And get your booster anyway. From what I glean from those struck with Covid and from ever-present Dr Google, a dose of Covid could be a lot worse than a booster against Covid… plus one runs the risk and rigors associated with Long Covid. Who needs that? 

Get the shot - of vaccine, not ivermectin, nor hydroxychloroquine, nor breastmilk of newt, nor any other kitchen table “cure”…

***

On war… and escaping war
Russian men flee Russia and war >>  (2:50 mins)
Putin trying to salvage his “special operation” … by conscription of Russian men >>  (26:00 mins)

[Note: this blog is read by a handful of Russians in Russia... hence I share these news broadcasts for interested Russians to access news unlikely to be shown in Russia.]
 

***

The Lincoln Project:
Making America Fascist  (0:38 mins)
Kevin’s plan  (0:59 mins)
Tide  (0:58 mins)
Blake Masters  (0:58 mins)
Tucker calls Putin  (0:58 mins)
Last week in the Republican Party - September 27, 2022  (2:18 mins) -->

Healthy planet, anyone?

Lions, and tigers, and bears – making a comeback?

... By the first half of the 20th century, many of Europe’s mammals had been reduced to just a fraction of their historical levels. Millennia of hunting, exploitation, and habitat loss had forced them into decline. Many had been wiped out completely.
But many mammal populations have seen a dramatic increase over the last 50 years.
A coalition of conservation organizations – including the Zoological Society of London; Birdlife International; and Rewilding Europe – periodically publish reports on how animal populations across Europe are changing. In their latest report they looked at the change in populations of 24 mammal species, and one reptile species – the Loggerhead turtle. The results are shown in the chart.
Eurasian badger populations achieved an average increase of 100% – a doubling. Eurasian otters tripled, on average. For red deer this was an increase of 331%.
The Eurasian beaver has made the most remarkable recovery. It’s estimated to have increased 167-fold, on average. There were likely only a few thousand beavers left in Europe in first half of the 20th century. Today there are more than 1.2 million.
The European bison has achieved a similar level of comeback.
In the 2013 mammal comeback report, one species – the Iberian lynx – had shrinking populations. But, there is good news: after decades of decline, it has been making a remarkable recovery. So much so that the IUCN moved it from Critically Endangered to Endangered on the Red List in 2015. Its average population sizes are now bigger than they were in 1987.
There are more than 250 European mammal species, so the ones that we covered here represent just 10% of the continent’s mammals.

Read more >>  

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

This time next week, Mary will be offering up her arm for another dose of chemotherapy. In the meantime, we enjoy our daily walks together.
During yesterday’s walk, I photographed some of my favorite things: rocks and stones…

Textures provided by late afternoon low tide.
iPhone photo: (c) Susan Galleymore

Some kind of conglomerate with serpentine.
This rock, one of many acting as rip rap demarkating tidal from pedestian zones,
were trucked onto the beach some decades ago when the area was landfilled. 
iPhone photo: (c) Susan Galleymore

Close up.
iPhone photo: (c) Susan Galleymore

And birds… this Great Blue Heron frequently avails him- or herself of snacks generously provided by the condo fishpond.

 

***

SF Bay Area:
Sunrise: 7:03am
Sunset: 6:54pm

KZN, South Africa:
Sunrise: 5:38am
Sunset: 5:59pm

The Big C

News blues

Data from the [UK] National Health Service showed that after falling for nearly two months, the seven-day average of new [Covid] cases in England and Wales rose 13% for the week ending September 17 over the week before. The seven-day average of hospitalizations was up 17% in the week ending September 19 compared with the week prior.
The data aligns with what models have predicted would happen in both the UK and the US.
“They predicted that we’d get a June to July peak and then there’d be a month where nothing happened in August and then it would flatten in in August and September and then start again in October. So it’s exactly matching what the modelers have been predicting,” Spector said.
In the US, some models have predicted that Covid-19 cases will begin to rise again in October and continue to increase into the winter. Experts are hopeful that because most of the population now has some underlying immunity to the coronavirus, this wave would be less deadly than we’ve seen in previous winters.

Read more >> 

More data (to mess with your mind?). Zoe Health provides and gathers data in UK and US.

Take a look >> 

***

The "Big C" - Cancer … and the “war” on cancer
Focus on cancer since Prez Biden announced his Cancer Moonshot. .. and since my bestie Mary was found to have been contaminated with asbestos and now suffers from mesothelioma.

Dr Sanja Gupta presents “good” news – cancer survival rates increase >>  (2:32 mins). No word, however, on the overall increases in cancer and the sorts of cancers survivors are surviving. My focus? Cancers causes by exposure to environmental toxins. Mesothelioma never goes away but keeps recurring. It's a matter of time and new location. 

More on this in future posts.

Healthy planet, anyone?

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) has identified the chemical substances listed below as known human carcinogens in the NTP's 15th Report on Carcinogens. Simply because a substance has been designated as a carcinogen, however, does not mean that the substance will necessarily cause cancer. Many factors influence whether a person exposed to a carcinogen will develop cancer, including the amount and duration of the exposure and the individual’s genetic background.
Learn more about Environmental Carcinogens and Cancer Risk. 
One long list of cancer-causing substances - not the definitive list by any means (the list actually grows day by day) - but it's a start and one must start somewhere, no?
• Aflatoxins
• Aristolochic Acids
• Arsenic
• Asbestos
• Benzene
• Benzidine
• Beryllium
• 1,3-Butadiene
• Cadmium
• Coal Tar and Coal-Tar Pitch
• Coke-Oven Emissions
• Crystalline Silica (respirable size)
• Erionite
• Ethylene Oxide
• Formaldehyde
• Hexavalent Chromium Compounds
• Indoor Emissions from the Household Combustion of Coal
• Mineral Oils: Untreated and Mildly Treated
• Nickel Compounds
• Radon
• Secondhand Tobacco Smoke (Environmental Tobacco Smoke)
• Soot
• Strong Inorganic Acid Mists Containing Sulfuric Acid
• Thorium
• Trichloroethylene
• Vinyl Chloride
• Wood Dust

Want to know more about any of the above toxins, link to Learn more about Environmental Carcinogens and Cancer Risk >>

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Yesterday morning, Mary and I took the latest booster. In terms of side effects, Mary is doing better than I am. By late yesterday afternoon, I'd noticed a pain in my right jaw and neck. By bedtime, pain had moved down the right side of my neck and neck movement to the right was constrained. 

By this morning, muscle pain and stiffness has continued and become “tighter” – that is, muscles are both and sore. Pain in the left upper arm muscles - site of the shot - accompany these side effects, as do aching eye sockets, and “general malaise” although no fever. 

These are the worst side effects I’ve experience through five vaccinations.

 No Covid, though – that counts for something … doesn’t it?

***

Weather has changed, cooler now
SF Bay Area:
Sunrise: 7:02am
Sunset: 6:58pm

KZN, South Africa:
Sunrise: 5:42am
Sunset: 5:58pm

To bee and butterfly...

News blues

When is the pandemic “over”? In the early days of 2020, we envisioned it ending with the novel coronavirus going away entirely. When this became impossible, we hoped instead for elimination: If enough people got vaccinated, herd immunity might largely stop the virus from spreading. When this too became impossible, we accepted that the virus would still circulate but imagined that it could become, optimistically, like one of the four coronaviruses that cause common colds or, pessimistically, like something more severe, akin to the flu.
Instead, COVID has settled into something far worse than the flu.

Read more >> 

***

On war and the culture war
Let’s hear it for critical thinking and more with astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson  (16:46 mins)

***

The Lincoln Project:
With age come wisdom (1:40 mins)
Was it worth it, JD? (0:23 mins)
Flip flop Lindsey  (0:17 mins)
Last week in the Republican Party - September 20, 2022  (2:08 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

Small and successful start to support butterflies and bees in UK and Europe. (Now to convince the US….)

Butterflies and bees are getting their own transport network as “bee bus stops” start to pop up around UK cities and across Europe. Humble bus shelter roofs are being turned into riots of colour, with the number of miniature gardens – full of pollinator-friendly flora such as wild strawberries, poppies and pansies – set to increase by 50% in the UK by the end of this year.

Read more >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Mary gets stronger each day since her first chemo session. Moreover, she’s expressing her need to take time alone to sit on and enjoy sunset on the beach. The sunsets this time of year are glorious. I know she chants the vajra guru mantra while out there. (I chant it when I’m out there, too.)

***

SF Bay Area:
Sunrise: 6:59am
Sunset: 7:02pm

KZN, South Africa:
Sunrise: 5:46am
Sunset: 5:56pm

Equinox 2022

Worldwide (Map) 
September 22, 2022 – 613,793,710 confirmed infections; 6,532,674 deaths
September 22, 2021 – 229,708,120 confirmed infections; 4,712,053 deaths 

September 24, 2020 – 31,780,000 confirmed infections; 975,100 deaths

US (Map) 
September 22, 2022 - 95,909,800 confirmed infections; 1,055,451 deaths
September 22, 2021 – 42, 425,400 confirmed infections; 678.815 deaths
September 24, 2020 – 6,935,000 confirmed infections; 201,880 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal) 
September 22, 2022 - 4,016,157 confirmed infections; 102,146 deaths
September 22, 2021 – 2,886,335 confirmed infections; 86,376 deaths
September 24, 2020 – 665,190 confirmed infections; 16,206 deaths

Post from:
September 22, 2021 “Falling behind” 
September 24, 2020 “Sundowners” 

News blues

And… the Covid confusion continues: “Biden Revisits His Interview Answer Declaring 'The Pandemic Is Over'  >> 

***

On war and the culture war
Russians fleeing Russia  as security forces detain more than 1,300 people at protests denouncing mobilization  across 38 Russian cities after Putin orders Russia’s first military draft since the second world war. >> 

***

The Lincoln Project:
Ohio Emergency Alert (0:23 mins)
How a democracy falls  (1:23 mins)
A new Dark Age  (1:17 mins)
Salutes at Doug Mastriano's Rally  (0:37 mins)
Elections matter  (1:24 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

© Gary Larsen, The far side 

Marshall Islands Prime Minister Kausea Natano is racing to save his tiny island nation from drowning by raising it 13 to 16 feet (4 to 5 meters) above sea level through land reclamation.

While experts issue warnings about the eventual uninhabitability of the Marshall Islands, President David Kabua must reconcile the inequity of a seawall built to protect one house that is now flooding another one next door.
That is the reality of climate change: Some people get to talk about it from afar, while others must live it every day.
Natano and Kabua tried to show that reality on Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Together they launched the Rising Nations Initiative, a global partnership aimed to preserve the sovereignty, heritage and rights of Pacific atoll island nations whose very existence have been threatened by climate change.
Natano described how rising sea levels have impacted everything from the soil that his people rely on to plant crops, to the homes, roads and power lines that get washed away. The cost of eking out a living, he said, eventually becomes too much to bear, causing families to leave and the nation itself to disappear.
“This is how a Pacific atoll dies,” Natano said. “This is how our islands will cease to exist.”

Read more >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

A friend came over to visit and, unbeknownst to me and Mary, cooked up jalapeños – super-duper hot and spicy Mexican chilies.

In a different room sat Mary, breathing through compromised lungs due to cancer, surgery, and chemo. 

She began coughing. 

I began coughing. 

I stepped out of the room to ascertain the direction of pungent air and, eyes watering, fell into fevered coughing. My friend appeared unaffected and nonplussed: why the fuss?
In no uncertain terms I made clear to him that he’d created an emergency for Mary then I placed a fan in her room, shut the door, and left him to clear the air.
I’ve never witnessed anyone as desensitized to chilis as this friend. He holds a bottle of Sriracha sauce in his hand when he eats and dollops at least half a teaspoonful of the incendiary liquid on each fork- or spoonful before swallowing.
Apparently, he’s been eating super-spicy sauces since he was a teenager. The only effect I discern? He commandeers the bathroom more than anyone else I’ve ever known, woman or man.

***

Mary video conferenced with her oncologist yesterday and described her reactions to her first chemo session. According to the oncologist, the symptoms she experienced – nausea and fatigued – and their duration, indicate what she can expect from future sessions. That cheered up Mary. Yes, those 4 to 5 days were tough, but after the conversation with the oncologist she stopped talking about her impending death and began talking about which meds would best alleviate symptoms.
Progress. (It’s difficult to hear your bestie insist on preferring to die than live with a future peppered with chemo and/or radiation and/or immunotherapy.)

***

Happy Fall/Autumn or Spring Equinox!
SF Bay Area:
Sunrise: 6:57am
Sunset: 7:05pm

KZN, South Africa:
Sunrise: 5:49am
Sunset: 5:55pm

Begone, single use plastics!

News blues

Yesterday, Prez Biden said, “The pandemic is over… We still have a problem with COVID. We're still doing a lot of work on it. But the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one's wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape, and so I think it's changing…”
Hmmm, shades of Donald Trump? 

Luckily, We the People have straight talking Dr Anthony Fauci to a reality check Biden’s wishful thinking:

It is unlikely the U.S. will eradicate the coronavirus and a “suspicious” new variant, BA 2.75.2, is on the horizon, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, said Monday during a fireside chat with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“We are not where we need to be if we are going to quote ‘live with the virus’ because we know we are not going to eradicate it,” Fauci said. “The next question we ask: ‘Are we going to be able to eliminate it from our country or from most of the world?’ and the answer is unlikely, because it is highly transmissible and the immunity that’s induced by vaccine or infection is also transient.”

Read more >> 

***

The Lincoln Project:
Rally of darkness  (1:02 mins)
Rick Reacts: Contract with America  (1:50 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

Add your name to shut down single use plastics, at least in the US

Earlier this year, Oceana  joined 180 other organizations in calling on the Biden administration's General Services Administration (GSA) — the agency responsible for the federal government's purchasing policies — to prohibit federal agencies from buying single-use plastics. And now, the Biden administration is moving forward to examine ways to reduce single-use plastics.
We have an opportunity to make a real difference on the amount of plastic the United States purchases and uses, and we need your voice!
Right now, the federal government is accepting public comment on the use of single-use plastic products in the U.S. government.
Stand with Oceana and countless others to tell the federal government it's time to stop purchasing and using single-use plastic.

Add your name >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Post-chemo day 5
Mary reports “feeling better, diminished nausea though continued fatigue and hints of tinnitus.” (According to Dr Internet, “the chemotherapy drug cisplatin may cause ringing or other sounds in the ears, [aka tinnitus]. It may improve gradually after treatment ends but sometimes it can be permanent.)
A growing concern is that fatigue and weakness prevent Mary’s twice daily walks along the beach – 2 to 3 miles per day on good days. Lack of exercise exacerbates Mary’s old spine and hip injuries, the x-rays of which led to uncovering the epithelioid pleural mesothelioma squatting comfortably in her left lung.

***

SF Bay Area:
Sunrise: 6:56am
Sunset: 7:08pm

KZN, South Africa:
Sunrise: 5:51am
Sunset: 5:54pm

It’s over, thank the gods (not!)

News blues

President Biden said in a 60 Minutes interview Sunday  that the COVID-19 pandemic is a thing of the past.
"The pandemic is over," he said. "We still have a problem with COVID. We're still doing a lot of work on it. But the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one's wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape, and so I think it's changing, and I think [the Detroit auto show resuming after three years] is a perfect example of it."
His remarks came as Biden's own administration seeks an additional $22.4 billion from Congress to keep funding the fight against COVID, and as the United States continues to see hundreds of related deaths every day.

“If you notice, no one's wearing masks.” That ain’t right. People in my town, including me, wear masks. But, if the Prez says it’s over, then I guess it’s over. Covid is dead, long live Covid!
Read more >> 

***

The Lincoln Project:
Martha’s Vineyard attorney  (1:12 mins) (Background story >> ) 
Kari Lake mimics Trump  (0:11 mins)
Last week in the Republican Party - September 13, 2022  (2:08 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

Dave Whamond | © 2022 Cagle Cartoons

Déjà vu all over again? Quelle horreur! “…big oil admits ‘gaslighting’ public over green aims…”

Criticism in the US of the oil industry’s obfuscation over the climate crisis is intensifying after internal documents showed companies attempted to distance themselves from agreed climate goals, admitted “gaslighting” the public over purported efforts to go green, and even wished critical activists be infested by bedbugs.

Read more >> 

That ‘big oil’, ‘big pharma’, ‘big plastic’, Amazon, etc., obfuscate the truth in the name of profit and power should be a surprise to no one.
I wrote this article back in 2011 under the pseudonym Supa Strika  (explained in the piece) and I was a Janey-come-lately to the reality of ‘oil company gaslighting’.
Back then, one of my roles was to research and write a competitive analysis of the big oil companies – ExxonMobile, BP, Shell, Chevron – to learn (and better?) their greenwashing efforts. Naturally, we did not call it greenwashing.
Another cliché: the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Alas.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Day 3 after Mary’s first (of 4) chemo sessions. She did well on Friday but Saturday was not a good day: nausea throughout the day. This, despite the acupuncture session. We agree she’ll continue with acupuncture. I’m thinking a session or two of massage might be in order, too. She’s very tense in neck and shoulders, no doubt stress related.
Mary insisted on continuing with her exercise regimen as closely as possible and we walked along the beach and under the park’s trees. It was hard work for her. Nevertheless, she did it and I’m proud of her.

She reports feeling slightly better today, some nausea but feeling weak, especially in her legs. 

We'll try for a walk later, depending on her ability.  

***

Bay Area residents were warned for days about an impending rainstorm with “up to 1.5 inches of rain”… What did we get? Very little. Not enough rain to make mud of the dry holes dotting lawns and grass.
Yes, rain fell north and south of the Bay but nothing significant for us.
SF Bay Area:
Sunrise: 6:55am
Sunset: 7:10pm

KZN, South Africa:
Sunrise: 5:52am
Sunset: 5:54pm

Show on the road

Worldwide (Map) 
September 15, 2022 – 610,350,100 confirmed infections; 6.520,350 deaths
September 9, 2021 – 223,101,000 confirmed infections; 4,604,450 deaths
September 17, 2020 – 29,902,200 confirmed infections; 941,400 deaths

US (Map) 
September 15, 2022 – 95,490,500 confirmed infections; 1.052,300 deaths
September 9, 2021 – 40,601,000 confirmed infections; 654,,600 deaths
September 17, 2020 – 6,630,100 confirmed infections; 196,831 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal) 
September 15, 2022 – 4.014,725 confirmed infections; 102,150 deaths
September 9, 2021 – 2,843,100 confirmed infections; 84,327 deathsv
September 17, 2020 – 653,445 confirmed infections; 15,705 deaths

Post from:
September 9, 2021, “Category of critter” 
September 17, 2020, “Alas” 

News blues

Official Covid-19 response has been, let’s say, confusing. And that continues. Just as We the People learn Covid boosters will likely become an annual event, we also learn to titrate this news with reality.

As the promotional push to get people vaccinated with one of the updated, bivalent Covid vaccines heats up, federal health authorities are urging Americans to consider getting their Covid shot and their flu shot at the same time. And with concern about a fall wave of Covid paramount in this effort, the messaging is stressing the importance of doing this sooner rather than later.

But…
It’s still early to get a flu shot.

The protection generated by influenza vaccines erodes pretty quickly over the course of a flu season. A vaccine dose given in early September may offer limited protection if the flu season doesn’t peak until February or even March, as it did during the unusually late 2021-2022 season.

On the other hand, should we be talking about vaccines that offer "mucosal immunity"? A growing chorus of experts say it's a mistake not to focus on treatments that boost immunity through mucous membranes.
Read more >>

Brain fog, a misunderstood symptom of Covid 19 >> 

And, “the end is in sight.”

The World Health Organization head said the end of the COVID-19 pandemic “is in sight,” saying reported global deaths last week reached their lowest point since March 2020.
For the week starting on Sept. 5, the agency recorded over 11,000 deaths worldwide, a 22% decrease from the week before. Global case numbers also fell by 28% from the previous week.
As of Sept. 13, the U.S. had the world’s highest number of reported deaths in the previous seven days, and the second-highest number of reported cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projected that COVID deaths in the U.S. “will remain stable or have an uncertain trend” over the next four weeks.

Read more >> 

***

On war and the culture war
Escaped chimpanzee returns to Kharkiv zoo on keeper’s bicycle 

***

The Lincoln Project:
Rematch  (0:56 mins)
Rick Reacts: Trump’s Meltdown  (2:08 mins) (Warning: Use of “strong” language, aka American.)
DJ Trump  (1:00 mins>

Healthy planet, anyone?

Christopher Weyant | (c) 2022 Cagle Cartoons 

OMG: The city of Oakland plans to return five acres of Joaquin Miller Park to permanent Indigenous control, in what’s thought to be the first case of a city giving land back to Native people.

Under the proposed “cultural conservation easement,” Oakland would retain ownership of the designated area, but the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust would have nearly full control over the use of the land, for cultural, environmental, and educational uses, in perpetuity.

Read more >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

The intense heat of the past week has cooled. Now the 7+ million residents of the San Francisco Bay face smoke contaminated air  from the Mosquito Fire 

***

Blog wasn’t accessible for a few days due to lost password and Google’s 48-hour timeline to secure another. Grrrr.
On the other hand, Meso Mary and I had enough to do to prepare for her first chemo session today.
Yes, we fret about what’s to come but doing something, even chemo, helps to tackle what comes next.
Statistics show two percent of patients receiving cisplatin and pemetrexed chemo die from it. I have an image of Mary accepting the infusion then keeling out of her oncology clinic BarcaLounger. Horrible!
Last Friday, Mary did the first of a series of acupuncture sessions that, we hope, will help alleviate chemo-related nausea. She’ll do a second acupuncture session the Saturday following the chemo session. If all goes well, Mary will continue this acupuncture pattern – one session before, one after - for all four chemo sessions.
Last Saturday, Mary visited the dentist for her regular 6-month cleaning and checkup. This is also advised by the chemo team – to ensure no infections in the mouth or gums prior to chemo. One’s mouth is liable to infection during and after chemo and Mary has been directed on infection prevention.
Today, Mary and I baked up a storm: spanakopita filling (spinach, onion, garlic, parsley, feta cheese – I use plain yogurt too – eggs…) wrapped in hand-sized pastry crescents. Pretty tasty; next time less pastry and more filling.
Homemade lemon curd apple crisp. Yum!
For once, Mary was eating well. She said planned to force as much natural nutrition into her body before chemo as she may resort to picky eating habits after chemo. (After surgery, she lost her appetite for some weeks, dropped weight, and wants to avoid that scenario this time around.)
She and I participated in the monthly online mesothelioma support group, too. It was a good session, made more so by one member ending the session with a positive, upbeat, forward-looking summary of his experience with the disease. Very helpful to us as he has the same version of meso - pleural eptheliod - and is only 6 months ahead of us in similiar tretment: surgery, recovery, chemo, and some acupuncture. 

Mary's chemo treatment was streamline and the staff friendly, knowledgeable, and patient with their patient.
After the shot of vitamin B, and a dose of drugs, including Zyprexa, an anti-nausea agent that also makes recipient sleepy, the IV line was installed into a vein and saline  and pemetrexed (aka Altima) infused. Following that, almost of liter of cisplatin (nurse donned a protective gown and gloves) was infused, then the second liter of saline. Two liters of saline over 4 hours to wash out the strong cisplatin in an attempt to lessen it's impact on the body that can include side effects such as tinittus and kidney damage. 

Mary was sleepy when I drove home. Indeed, she napped for more than an hour, usual for her to nap during the day.
So far, so good.
May this continue.

***

Weather person promise of heavy rain coming our way in a couple of days. We'll see. Meanwhile days are noticeable cooler in the Bay Area with shorter daylights hours:
SF Bay Area:
Sunrise: 6:51am
Sunset: 7:16pm

KZN, South Africa:
Sunrise: 5:56am
Sunset: 5:52pm

Inexplicable

Worldwide (Map) 
September 8, 2022 - 606,874,650 confirmed infections; 6,507,900 deaths
September 9, 2021 – 223,101,000 confirmed infections; 4,604,450 deaths
September 10, 2020 – 27,766,325 confirmed infections; 902,470 deaths

US (Map) 
September 8, 2022 - 95.020.850 confirmed infections; 1,049,050 deaths
September 9, 2021 – 40,601,000 confirmed infections; 654,600 deaths
September 10, 2020 – 6,360,000 confirmed infections; 190,820 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal) 
September 8, 2022- 4,012,950 confirmed infections; 102,108 deaths
September 9, 2021 – 2,843,100 confirmed infections; 84,327 deaths
September 10, 2020 – 6,360,000 confirmed infections; 190,820 deaths

Posts from:
September 9, 2021, “Category of critter” 
September 10, 2020, “Cooperation” 

News blues

Annual Covid shot joins ranks of annual shots, such as the annual flu shot. 

Watch >>  (7:14 mins)

Dr Anthony Fauci recently said, "In the absence of a dramatically different variant, we likely are moving towards a path with a vaccination cadence similar to that of the annual influenza vaccine."
Read more >> 

(Mary and I have appointments for our soon-to-be-annual Covid boosters and flu shots on September 26, 10:00am at the conveniently located grocery store pharmacy.)

***

If she hadn’t assumed most of her symptoms were due to long Covid, Nic Petermann’s may have received proper treatment and a diagnosis for cancer much earlier. She says, “When I went to get my pain symptoms checked out, I didn’t mention the flu-like symptoms, because I just thought that was something that I would have to deal with.” 

As with Meso Mary who discovered mesothelioma in her left lung while being x-rayed for hip pain, Peterman’s symptoms, including those that seemed to be long Covid, were due to Stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma. 
The point of this story is not to scare readers. Rather, the point is both practical – don’t rationalize physical symptoms – and philosophical - life is often … inexplicable. 

Take precautions to ensure life doesn’t catch you by surprise.

***

On war and the culture war
Putin Says Russia Has Not ‘Lost Anything’ Over War In Ukraine' (1:35 mins) Russian, with English subtitles.

***

The Lincoln Project:
Michelle Obama on democracy (1:55 mins)
Biden v. Trump  (0:24 mins> 

Sucker  (0:58 mins)

Last week in the Republican Party - September 6 , 2022  (2:17 mins)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

My bestie, Mary, whom I’m accompanying through the ups and downs of her diagnosis and treatment of pleural epithelial mesothelioma, including pending chemotherapy, is a fighter. I’m so proud of her and her clear-eyed response of what she faces. 

Along with the many facets of life with such a diagnosis, she’s re-exploring music. Currently, she’s re-enamored of Gloria Gaynor’s “I will survive…”  (3:14 mins). Mary’s favorite lines:

“I should have changed that stupid lock
I should have made you leave your key
If I’d know for just one second
You’d be back to bother me…"

That line - "You’d be back to bother me" - refers to the high likelihood Mary's meso will recur. According to medical expereince, 

Mesothelioma recurs for all patients who undergo treatment, even after the most aggressive treatment options successfully put it into remission. This happens because it is nearly impossible to surgically remove or kill every mesothelioma cancer cell. The remaining cancer cells eventually form tumors again.

This is daunting information. Mary and I are absorbing it, albeit with jokes others might find "inappropriate" or "distasteful." (To that, we say, "Hey, whatever floats your houseboat!")
Among the many milestones of this illness, is the knowledge that somehow, sometime, somewhere Mary breathed in asbestos fibers. These fibers toiled away in her lung for decades. Sheer coincidence discovered them there. (Backstory, “Oh, the irony”.) As we diligently explore the past decades for the time a DIY woman might or might not have been exposed, Mary re-explores music, too. It’s fun to listen then chat about the assorted musical eras. We're re-exploring art, too. More on that in a following post. 

***

“Heat dome” is here. Temps in parts of urban California have reached into 3 digits, even beyond 113F (47C).
Our collective future during our summers? 

Breakdowns in electrical supply. Californians currently face “rolling blackouts.” South Africans face “load shedding.” (Meanwhile, Pakistanis face epic flooding with little help in sight.)
Nevertheless, climate change denialism and deniers continue. Know your deniers as …

… they are not all the same. They tend to fit into one of four different categories: the shill, the grifter, the egomaniac and the ideological fool.

Read more >> 
Buckle up, humans! We’re in for a hot (maybe cold), dry or wet (maybe icy) ride… and we are not prepared.

***

Daylight savings times is coming – well, coming on November 6 – so enjoy the last days of summer – and welcome to fall.
SF Bay Area:
Sunrise: 6:46am
Sunset: 7:27pm

KZN, South Africa:
Sunrise: 6:04am
Sunset: 5:48pm

***

Meet Fiona, aka Fifi. She lives in a local pond. (Those are grass trimmings from the lawn. Somehow gardeners never scoop trimming from ponds even though trimming decompose and upset the delicate balance of water. Fifi hates that!

Meet Finny and Fergy, same pond, same dread of grass trimmings decomposing in their liquid environment. 

A photographer friend recently informed me that he 
frequently uses his iPhone to create gallery-ready art.
This, due to assorted apps created for just this purpose.
I tried an app to "enhance" this photo of brown pelicans.
I'm too cheap to fork out money for apps so I get what I 
don't pay for. Nevertheleoss, a slight improvement though
I'm not gallery ready - yet!

Lemons to the rescue

On war and the culture war

Ah, me. This morning I woke up to a WhatsApp message, decorated by dozens of lemon emojis , sent by a South Africa acquaintance trying to be helpful. Before you read this message, be sure that I am NOT promoting anything said here. These are the same kinds of beliefs held by folks who believe ivermectin or similar prevents or cures Covid, etc. It does not and, to date, no tests show otherwise. WHO advises it "only be used in drug trials."  I share this message as an example of the arrogant and stupid assumptions people make in their desire to "help". It is BS. And, here’s that message – typos and all:

Please share in yr groups
Read x abou the *Lemon Peel* & it pains me to hear about these facts & proves that the drug companies would rather profit on our *Pains & Suffering* than educate us on *Alternative Medicines & Natural Remedies.* Feel sorry for those *Dead & Gone* that couldn't afford or get hold of the *Chemo* or whatever medicines they prescribe and didn't know about these facts, thank goodness for *Social Media*
AMAZING FROZEN LEMONS
Place the washed lemon in the freezer.
Once frozen, get your grater, & shred the whole lemon (no need to peel it) and sprinkle it on your foods!
On vegetables, salad, ice cream, soup, cereals, noodles, spaghetti sauce, rice, sushi, fish dishes, ... the list is endless.
All the foods will get an unexpected wonderful taste!
Most likely, you only think of lemon juice as vitamin C ??
Not anymore!
What's the major advantage of using the whole lemon other than preventing waste & adding new taste to your dishes?
Lemon peels contain as much as 5 to 10 times more vitamins than the lemon juice itself & that's what you've been wasting!
Lemon peels are health rejuvenators in eradicating toxic elements in the body.
The surprising benefits of lemon is the miraculous ability to kill cancer cells! It is 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy!!
Why do we not know about that?
Because there are laboratories interested in making a synthetic version that will bring them huge profits.
You can now help a friend in need by letting him/her know that lemon juice is beneficial in preventing the disease.
Its taste is pleasant and it does not produce the horrific effects of chemotherapy.

How many people will die while this closely guarded secret is kept, so as not to jeopardize the multimillionaires large corporations?
This plant is a proven remedy against cancers of all types.
It is considered also as an anti microbial spectrum against bacterial infections and fungi, effective against internal parasites and worms, it regulates blood pressure & an antidepressant, combats stress & nervous disorders.
The source of this information is fascinating: it comes from one of the largest drug manufacturers in the world, says that after more than 20 laboratory tests since 1970,the extracts revealed that It destroys the malignant cells in 12 cancers, including colon, breast, prostate, lung & pancreas.
The compounds of this tree showed 10,000 times better effect than the product Adriamycin, a drug normally used chemotherapeutic in the world, slowing the growth of cancer cells.
And what is even more astonishing: this type of therapy with lemon extract only destroys malignant cancer cells and it does not affect healthy cells.
So, give those lemons a good wash, freeze them and grate them. Your whole body will love you for it!!
Request: Pls forward to lots of friends and to all your dear ones at homex and abroad.

Hmmm. I understand my acquaintance means well. Nevertheless, as someone close to someone else about to undergo brutal chemotherapy, this message is … unhelpful.

I responded - perhaps overly harshly - to the sender. I asked him to send my response to the Lemon Lady (origin on the pro-lemon screed) and, naturally, he did not. I gather it is okay to send BS to me but not okay for me to air my response.
The world – people and planet - is a complex place. There are no easy answers. The best We the People can do?
Train ourselves to think in complex layers, rather than single-layer “I got the truth” shortcuts.

Just in case you're thnking I agree with or am promoting this Lemon Theory, NO! No, I am not. It is BS pulled together by a well-meaning but dangerously stupid and gullible person. 

***

The Lincoln Project:
Cry more  (1:57 mins> 

President Biden on the MAGA Republican Party (0:58 mins)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

“Heat dome” is coming… Temps in parts of urban California will reach into 3 digits. Going outside? Pull on your hats and sunscreen….

SF Bay Area:
Sunrise: 6:42am
Sunset: 7:33pm

KZN, South Africa:
Sunrise: 6:10am
Sunset: 5:46pm

Month's beginning

Worldwide (Map) 
September 1, 2022 - 602,190,500 confirmed infections; 6.494,410 deaths
September 9, 2021 – 223,101,000 confirmed infections; 4,604,450 deaths
September 3, 2020 – 26,940,000 confirmed infections; 861,870 deaths

US (Map) 
September 1, 2022 - 94,535,300 confirmed infections; 1,046,267 deaths
September 9, 2021 – 40,601,000 confirmed infections; 654,600 deaths
September 3, 2020 – 6,114,000 confirmed infections; 185,710 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal) 
Sepember 1, 2022 - 4,011,660 confirmed infections; 102,085 deaths
September 9, 2021 – 2,843,100 confirmed infections; 84,327 deaths
September 3, 2020 – 630,596 confirmed infections; 14,390 deaths

Post from September 9, 2021 – “Category of critter” 
September 3, 2020 – “Killing ‘em softly” 

Healthy planet, anyone?

Victory for the planet – and for South Africa’s Wild Coast (see images of this area >> ) South African Judge Mbenenge, penning the ruling to stop Shell Oil’s current exploration for oil and gas off the coast, said:

“Stripped of verbiage, the principal question is whether the grant of an exploration right for oil and gas, which has culminated in the need to conduct a seismic survey along the South East coast of South Africa, is lawful.”
He noted that the Eastern Cape coast is used by those who enjoy watersports and it was “steeped in customary rituals” of communities who subsist by fishing. It is also a haven for marine and bird life.
The seismic survey, the judge said, involved the discharge of pressurised air from airguns to generate sound waves, directed down to the seabed.
He said it was common cause that Impact Africa and Shell had not secured environmental authorisation to undertake the survey in terms of the National Environmental Management Act.

I suspect this battle is not over. Shell will be back, or BP or other, similar company will try the same. (This rulings is not the first against Shell’s attempts, nor Shell's first pushback ) For now, though, the Wild Coast will continue as wild - or wild-ish. It is, after all, well trammeled ground. Not yet by an oil company, though.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

It’s a new month, with new possibilities (some – such as chemotherapy – scary). Mary reports feelings of healing in her chest and her left lung.
That’s great news.
Today, we plan to attend the chemo class offered by the hospital’s oncology department.
Good times!

***

Change of seasons afoot...
SF Bay Area:
Sunrise: 6:38am
Sunset: 7:38pm

KZN, South Africa:
Sunrise: 6:13am
Sunset: 5:44pm