Week 50
Day 350 Thursday, March 11 - Load shedding, reprise
Eskom – Electricity Supply Commission – is “maintaining” power stations, again. This means 2-to-2.5-hour stints of no electrical power across the country. Eskom mentioned the current schedule yesterday, about one hour before the first stint of load shedding began. Eskom’s operating mantra: Planning? Nah, who needs it? Over-rated.
Power in my neighborhood went off at 6:00am, just as I began working on today’s post. Internet and wireless – and clarity of phone calls (already patchy) will be non-existent for at least the next 2 hours.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc across our shrinking planet:
Worldwide (Map)
March 11, 2021 – 117, 645,000 confirmed infections; 2,612,000 deaths
February 11, 2021 – 107,324,00 confirmed infections; 2,354,000 deaths
January 6 – 87,157,000 confirmed infections; 1,882,100 deaths
December 3 – 64,469,710 confirmed infections; 1,492,100 deaths
 |
| View BBC’s interactive map and chart of data in detail Source: Johns Hopkins University, national public health agencies Figures last updated 8 March 2021, 10:39 GMT |
US (Map)
March 11, 2021 - 29,222,420 confirmed infections; 529,884 deaths
February 11, 2021 – 27,285,150 confirmed infections; 471,450 deaths
January 6 – 21,294,100 confirmed infections; 361,100 deaths
March 11, 2021 - 29,222,420 confirmed infections; 529,884 deaths
February 11, 2021 – 27,285,150 confirmed infections; 471,450 deaths
January 6 – 21,294,100 confirmed infections; 361,100 deaths
December 3 – 13,920,000 confirmed infections; 273,370 deaths
SA (Coronavirus portal)
March 11, 2021 – 1.522,700 confirmed infections; 50,910 deaths
February 11, 2021 – 1,482,412 confirmed infections; 47,145 deaths
January 6 – 1,150,000 confirmed infections; 30,525 deaths
 |
| View the interactive map |
SA (Coronavirus portal)
March 11, 2021 – 1.522,700 confirmed infections; 50,910 deaths
February 11, 2021 – 1,482,412 confirmed infections; 47,145 deaths
January 6 – 1,150,000 confirmed infections; 30,525 deaths
December 3 – 796,475 confirmed infections; 21,710 deaths
Besides logistics – how to equip employees with technologies for working at home, smart employers also had to address challenges posed by the pandemic’s mental and emotional toll.
Cisco’s executive vice president and chief people, policy and purpose officer Fran Katsoudas said,
***
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide News blues…
Today, a year ago, the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. Within days, companies across the globe began shutting offices - many with little time to prepare employees for working entirely outside the office.Besides logistics – how to equip employees with technologies for working at home, smart employers also had to address challenges posed by the pandemic’s mental and emotional toll.
Cisco’s executive vice president and chief people, policy and purpose officer Fran Katsoudas said,
"our employees were coming to us for guidance for everything: the pandemic, how they lived, wanting to know what was safe and what wasn't safe. … It became very natural for us to have meetings where we had medical and mental health practitioners and discussions about business strategy, all in the same meeting."This has radically changed the post-pandemic workforce in many countries. Remote work is no longer be considered a special perk. What other changes do employers and employees face in the future?
To help employees cope with the changes and uncertainties of the pandemic, some companies enhanced their benefits, offering things like free counseling, stipends for childcare and office set-ups and increased days off.
Read >> “The pandemic forced a massive remote-work experiment. Now comes the hard part”
Paradoxically (since Australia has some retro ideas about coal power) Queensland passed laws banning 'killer' single-use plastics. Environmentalists hail ‘fantastic news’ for the state’s turtles, whales and seabirds
There’s not much I can do against mosquitos during the day, but at night I erect a barrier – mosquito net – and crawl under it to thwart the ever-voracious pests.
Alas, my mosquito net is old and a bit tatty. I use it solely in South Africa and have done so for the past 15 years. It’s showing its age for, now and again, an enterprising mosquito finds its way through one of the small holes that have developed with age in the net. Last night, two enterprising mosquitos buzzed around me inside the net.
I can’t help but wish Eskom could harness such persistence to run that state-owned enterprise.
At last I have complained enough that I’m getting help to try to loosen my mother’s tax refund from SARS. I’ve the forms, instructions on how to prove to SARS that my mom is, indeed, the woman who has paid taxes on time for the past 60 years and the woman whose bank account number is the same she’s used since 1988.
I took these forms to the Care Center today in an attempt to have my mother sign and two witnesses view her signing the documents.
Alas, my mother was too exhausted today. There was no way that she had the energy to do any of what SARS requires.
But tomorrow is another day.
I’ll keep trying.
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 9: sunrise 5:55am; sunset 6:21pm.
March 10: sunrise 5:55am; sunset 6:22pm.
March 11: sunrise 5:56am; sunset 6:19pm.
Perhaps it’s the lack of one shared and collective term, but we humans show a remarkable inability to deal with our waste, from biological (poop, pee, blood, body parts….) to throw away packaging and toxic waste from generating energy.
Did you know:
A potential house purchaser who’d dropped out last week is back this week – now with money in his pocket. We shall see.
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 9: sunrise 5:55am; sunset 6:21pm.
March 10: sunrise 5:55am; sunset 6:22pm.
I'd polled many facilities in the region before taking her there to evaluate the place as one that might meet her needs. Her biggest need: ability to keep her dog, Jessica.
Healthy futures, anyone?
Good news / bad news…Paradoxically (since Australia has some retro ideas about coal power) Queensland passed laws banning 'killer' single-use plastics. Environmentalists hail ‘fantastic news’ for the state’s turtles, whales and seabirds
Queensland has become the second Australian state to pass laws banning single-use plastics including straws and cutlery that are blighting the state’s waterways and beaches and endangering wildlife.Not so good news:
Environmental groups congratulated the Queensland government after it passed legislation on Wednesday night that will ban single-use plastic items, including polystyrene food containers and cups, from 1 September. The state’s environment minister, Meaghan Scanlon, said the state had seen benefits from its 2018 ban on single-use plastic bags, which had dropped 70% in litter surveys.
Plastic bags and flexible packaging are the deadliest plastic items in the ocean, killing wildlife including whales, dolphins, turtles and seabirds around the globe, according to a review of hundreds of scientific articles.…and Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Nestlé are accused of “zero progress” on reducing plastic waste for the third year in a row - with Coca-Cola ranked No 1 for most littered products.
Discarded fishing line and nets as well as latex gloves and balloons were also found to be disproportionately lethal when compared with other ocean debris that animals mistakenly eat.
The review, by the Australian government’s science agency, CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, found ingesting plastic was responsible for killing animals across 80 different species.
Whales, dolphins and turtles were especially at risk from eating plastic film, with seabird deaths linked more with ingestion of hard plastic pieces and balloons.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
When stress starts to erode one’s confidence in one’s ability to remember names, dates, and other details, it’s advised to focus on “the little things.” Mosquitos fit that description: small but highly flexible and very annoying.There’s not much I can do against mosquitos during the day, but at night I erect a barrier – mosquito net – and crawl under it to thwart the ever-voracious pests.
Alas, my mosquito net is old and a bit tatty. I use it solely in South Africa and have done so for the past 15 years. It’s showing its age for, now and again, an enterprising mosquito finds its way through one of the small holes that have developed with age in the net. Last night, two enterprising mosquitos buzzed around me inside the net.
I can’t help but wish Eskom could harness such persistence to run that state-owned enterprise.
***
Best laid plans. At last I have complained enough that I’m getting help to try to loosen my mother’s tax refund from SARS. I’ve the forms, instructions on how to prove to SARS that my mom is, indeed, the woman who has paid taxes on time for the past 60 years and the woman whose bank account number is the same she’s used since 1988.
I took these forms to the Care Center today in an attempt to have my mother sign and two witnesses view her signing the documents.
Alas, my mother was too exhausted today. There was no way that she had the energy to do any of what SARS requires.
But tomorrow is another day.
I’ll keep trying.
***
South African days getting shorter while nightfall happens earlier:Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 9: sunrise 5:55am; sunset 6:21pm.
March 10: sunrise 5:55am; sunset 6:22pm.
March 11: sunrise 5:56am; sunset 6:19pm.
Day 349 Wednesday, March 10 - Sigh. Trying times.
News blues…
More crazy ‘Mericans… (2:10 mins)***
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide Healthy futures, anyone?
Human inability to deal with our garbage/rubbish/waste/trash.Perhaps it’s the lack of one shared and collective term, but we humans show a remarkable inability to deal with our waste, from biological (poop, pee, blood, body parts….) to throw away packaging and toxic waste from generating energy.
Did you know:
- 12 human visitors to the moon left behind “96 bags of poo, urine, and vomit” and other trash
- Encounters with and trips to the moon make it a junkyard of more than 200 tonnes/tons of debris, from space hardware to golfballs….
- Our oceans are flooded with chemicals – from use and over use of fertilizers on farms with chemical runoff into waterways that ultimately flow into the ocean – and trash from human activities… .
- The continent of Antarctica, too, is a human litter zone. “Half-operational and deserted stations are scattered around the continent, some still inhabitable, others lost to extreme conditions, and a number left standing to solidify geopolitical claims to land, fishing rights, and minerals. These abandoned … “ghost” stations are a physical manifestation of the passion for this harsh land—a drive to both understand and dominate it—that has ultimately begun to destroy it.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Gearing up for sweltering 32C temperatures today with more of the same running around associated with trying to make life plans for my mother – and myself.A potential house purchaser who’d dropped out last week is back this week – now with money in his pocket. We shall see.
***
Days getting shorter, nightfall happening earlier:Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 9: sunrise 5:55am; sunset 6:21pm.
March 10: sunrise 5:55am; sunset 6:22pm.
Day 348 Tuesday, March 9 - Riding the waves
News blues…
Third wave South Africa:Over the past year, SA has been ravaged by Covid-19. To date, more than 1.5 million cases and more than 50,000 deaths have been confirmed. The true number of cases is likely to be more than 10 million, and we know that unexplained deaths, most of which are due to Covid-19, sit well above 100,000. With ongoing community transmission and subsequent error-prone viral replication, new variants of SARS-CoV-2 will probably emerge and may favour further transmission.Third wave United States:
None of us knows when the third wave will hit, but most of us in public health and science believe our Covid-19 vaccination roll-out will not be quick enough to prevent this, nor subsequent waves.
Read more >>
The next two months could determine whether the US will experience another surge in coronavirus cases, according to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
After months of devastation, steep decreases have been reported in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations. More people are getting vaccinated, and the government on Monday released guidance on safe activities for fully vaccinated people.
But now infection numbers have plateaued at very high levels -- with the US averaging 60,000 new cases daily in the past week. Multiple governors have eased safety measures despite health officials' warnings. Spring break events are kicking off across the country, threatening the potential for further spread of the virus.
Read more >>
***
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
The Care Center in which my mother currently resides caters to a large population and, by default, must engage what I’d call “institutional care” rather than “intimate care.”I'd polled many facilities in the region before taking her there to evaluate the place as one that might meet her needs. Her biggest need: ability to keep her dog, Jessica.
In addition to meeting that need, my mother agreed it was “a nice place” and that, yes, she’d move in.
Now that she no longer has the dog (it is back at her house, with me), I’m considering placing her in a smaller, more intimate facility.
I’m polling various medical and geriatric experts and friends and acquaintances to gather info on the feasibility of moving her, 87 years old and recently traumatized by surgery and anesthetic.
I’m also evaluating the feasibility of bringing her back to her home.
If the house does not sell soon (on the market almost 6 months) I’d consider hiring home-based care. This is actually not as expensive as her current care. In fact, on paper, this solution may be more financially feasible than keeping her in the Care Center. And offers far greater advantages to her spirit and her psychological and emotional health.
I’m now polling experts on this possibility, too. After all, when she “passes” (aka “dies”) she’d pass far happier in her own bed, her own house, and surrounded by her own, faithful dogs.
I know, I know: sounds crazy.
But the overall situation is crazy.
If I receive a serious offer to purchase the house - not a suspensive sale offer, I’d sell in a heartbeat. Moving her to a more intimate environment, after that, is still an option.
Tomorrow, March 10, was my arbitrary D-Day, the date I planned to make a “final” decision on future direction if no acceptable purchase offer had been made.
To date, no acceptable purchase offer has been made.
An “interested party” – husband and wife – viewed the place yesterday and, according to the realtor, “are very interested.”
Alas, even as I write this, the realtor is undergoing unexpected surgery. She’ll take the next several days to recover from the immediate effects of surgery then two weeks away from the office to regain her strength – although she plans, in the interim, to “work from home.”
So, despite best intentions, even if the interested party makes a feasible offer, fate will slip my arbitrary D-Day date.
Murphy’s Law: “What can go wrong, will go wrong….”
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 9: sunrise 5:55am; sunset 6:21pm.
With new infections decline – 862, and 31 deaths – in the past 24 hours, are we on an upswing? Or is this the ebb before the next wave?
Play it safe: masks, social distance, vigilance, and stay home.
Never were truer words uttered by “flip flopper” Senator Lindsey Graham who expresses a desire to “harness the [Trump] magic. There's a dark side and there's some magic there. To me, Donald Trump is sort of a cross between Jesse Helms [religious bigot], Ronald Reagan [conservatives’ golden idol] and P.T. Barnum [circus impresario].” https://www.rawstory.com/lindsey-graham-harness-donald-trump/
This is the same Lindsey Graham who said of Trump in 2015, “He’s a race baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot…”
These days, Graham is Trump’s bestie BFF and golf partner. “"Donald Trump was my friend before the riot…and nd I'm trying to keep a relationship with him after the riot. Uh, I still consider him a friend. “
As ‘they’ say, “politics makes strange bedfellows”… and these guys are strange.
First meeting with matron of Care Center to review my mother’s situation. My original thinking, before she agreed to move into that facility was, number 1: they are the only place in town that accepted her with a dog. Plus, the location is gorgeous with wandering wild zebra, warthog, impala, blesbok, etc., passing right outside her bedroom window.
I’m also meeting with the manager of a smaller, more intimate care center to understand what it might offer my mother – all the while holding the reality that my 87-year-old mother is very frail and would be further disoriented by another move.
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 6: sunrise 5:53am; sunset 6:25pm.
March 7: sunrise 5:54am; sunset 6:24pm.
March 8: sunrise 5:54am; sunset 6:22pm.
A Tweet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC - finds that state-issued mask requirements are associated with the slowing of COVID-19 cases and deaths. “Wearing a well-fitting mask consistently and correctly is one of the best ways we can protect ourselves and each other. “
On the heels of Texas and Mississippi lifting their statewide mask mandates and ditching other coronavirus safety measures, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report suggesting states should be doing the complete opposite to Texas and Mississippi.
The study closely examined COVID-19 cases, as well as hospitalization and death rates across the country, and – surprise! - found that mask mandates were associated with reductions in those figures, while on-site dining was associated with increases.
Some will. Some will not.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is listening. He signed an executive order once again extending the requirement that most people in Colorado “wear a medical or non-medical face covering” … for another 30 days.
The following US states and territories have mask mandates:
Alabama | American Samoa | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | District of Columbia | Guam | Hawaii | Illinois | Indiana | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | Ohio |Oregon | Pennsylvania | Puerto Rico | Rhode Island | Texas | U.S. Virgin Islands | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming The following US states and territories do not have mask mandates:
Alaska | Arizona | Florida | Georgia | Idaho | Iowa | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | North Dakota | Northern Mariana Islands | Oklahoma | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee
Details on each state’s mandate >>
After more than a year living here, I’ve learned a thing or two about this country.
For one thing, I despair of what I call the country’s “reverse development” mentality: very little effort put toward educating workers about the benefits of high-quality work product. Planning is an alien concept as it what defines quality and/or a job well done. This means people work without a plan, or supervision, or quality controls, and or consequences for failing to perform adequately.
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 6: sunrise 5:53am; sunset 6:25pm.
March 7: sunrise 5:54am; sunset 6:24pm.
Goings on during a global pandemic display a host of humanities worst “shadow” characteristics - more than enough to give some human hearts heart burn:
The next challenge is finding humane ways to share vaccines across borders, continents, and hemispheres.
From a recent policy paper published in The Lancet:
Now that she no longer has the dog (it is back at her house, with me), I’m considering placing her in a smaller, more intimate facility.
I’m polling various medical and geriatric experts and friends and acquaintances to gather info on the feasibility of moving her, 87 years old and recently traumatized by surgery and anesthetic.
I’m also evaluating the feasibility of bringing her back to her home.
If the house does not sell soon (on the market almost 6 months) I’d consider hiring home-based care. This is actually not as expensive as her current care. In fact, on paper, this solution may be more financially feasible than keeping her in the Care Center. And offers far greater advantages to her spirit and her psychological and emotional health.
I’m now polling experts on this possibility, too. After all, when she “passes” (aka “dies”) she’d pass far happier in her own bed, her own house, and surrounded by her own, faithful dogs.
I know, I know: sounds crazy.
But the overall situation is crazy.
If I receive a serious offer to purchase the house - not a suspensive sale offer, I’d sell in a heartbeat. Moving her to a more intimate environment, after that, is still an option.
Tomorrow, March 10, was my arbitrary D-Day, the date I planned to make a “final” decision on future direction if no acceptable purchase offer had been made.
To date, no acceptable purchase offer has been made.
An “interested party” – husband and wife – viewed the place yesterday and, according to the realtor, “are very interested.”
Alas, even as I write this, the realtor is undergoing unexpected surgery. She’ll take the next several days to recover from the immediate effects of surgery then two weeks away from the office to regain her strength – although she plans, in the interim, to “work from home.”
So, despite best intentions, even if the interested party makes a feasible offer, fate will slip my arbitrary D-Day date.
Murphy’s Law: “What can go wrong, will go wrong….”
***
Days getting shorter, nightfall happening earlier:Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 9: sunrise 5:55am; sunset 6:21pm.
Day 347 Monday, March 8 - Pithy
News blues…
Numbers of active Covid infections in South Africa appear to be dropping. For the first time since June last year, SA's active Covid-19 infections are just below 30,000.With new infections decline – 862, and 31 deaths – in the past 24 hours, are we on an upswing? Or is this the ebb before the next wave?
Play it safe: masks, social distance, vigilance, and stay home.
***
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide ***
Weird-isms for the timesNever were truer words uttered by “flip flopper” Senator Lindsey Graham who expresses a desire to “harness the [Trump] magic. There's a dark side and there's some magic there. To me, Donald Trump is sort of a cross between Jesse Helms [religious bigot], Ronald Reagan [conservatives’ golden idol] and P.T. Barnum [circus impresario].” https://www.rawstory.com/lindsey-graham-harness-donald-trump/
This is the same Lindsey Graham who said of Trump in 2015, “He’s a race baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot…”
These days, Graham is Trump’s bestie BFF and golf partner. “"Donald Trump was my friend before the riot…and nd I'm trying to keep a relationship with him after the riot. Uh, I still consider him a friend. “
As ‘they’ say, “politics makes strange bedfellows”… and these guys are strange.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Short and sweet posting today as I’m off and running early.First meeting with matron of Care Center to review my mother’s situation. My original thinking, before she agreed to move into that facility was, number 1: they are the only place in town that accepted her with a dog. Plus, the location is gorgeous with wandering wild zebra, warthog, impala, blesbok, etc., passing right outside her bedroom window.
I’m also meeting with the manager of a smaller, more intimate care center to understand what it might offer my mother – all the while holding the reality that my 87-year-old mother is very frail and would be further disoriented by another move.
***
Days getting shorter, nightfall earlier:Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 6: sunrise 5:53am; sunset 6:25pm.
March 7: sunrise 5:54am; sunset 6:24pm.
March 8: sunrise 5:54am; sunset 6:22pm.
Day 346 Sunday, March 7 - Business as usual, cont'd...
News blues…
A Tweet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC - finds that state-issued mask requirements are associated with the slowing of COVID-19 cases and deaths. “Wearing a well-fitting mask consistently and correctly is one of the best ways we can protect ourselves and each other. “
On the heels of Texas and Mississippi lifting their statewide mask mandates and ditching other coronavirus safety measures, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report suggesting states should be doing the complete opposite to Texas and Mississippi.
The study closely examined COVID-19 cases, as well as hospitalization and death rates across the country, and – surprise! - found that mask mandates were associated with reductions in those figures, while on-site dining was associated with increases.
From March 1 to Dec. 31 of last year public mask mandates were associated with a 0.5 percentage point decrease in the daily growth rate of cases up to 20 days after the rule was put into place, the study found. Those reductions increased over time, shooting up to 1.8 percentage points 100 days after implementing the mask mandate.
Rules allowing for restaurant dining, meanwhile, were associated with a 0.9 percentage point increase after 60 days of greenlighting that activity. That figure jumped to 1.2 percentage points after 80 days. The study, however, did not differentiate between indoor or outdoor dining, the latter of which infectious disease experts say is much safer than the former.
- CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a recent press briefing, “I am really worried about reports that more states are rolling back the exact public health measures we have recommended to protect people from COVID-19.”
- Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said that it is a mistake to relax coronavirus restrictions when more contagious and possibly more dangerous virus variants are circulating in the US. He warned, “We're walking into the mouth of the monster.“
- Dr. Anthony Fauci said the US shouldn't ease restrictions in place to prevent Covid-19 before the number of new coronavirus cases falls below 10,000 daily, "and maybe even considerably less than that…." He added that the country should pull restrictions gradually, after a substantial portion of Americans are vaccinated.
The last time the US saw fewer than 10,000 new daily cases was almost a year ago, on March 22, 2020. The number hasn't fallen below 50,000 daily cases since mid-October, and the seven-day average on Wednesday was more than 64,000.
Some will. Some will not.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is listening. He signed an executive order once again extending the requirement that most people in Colorado “wear a medical or non-medical face covering” … for another 30 days.
The following US states and territories have mask mandates:
Alabama | American Samoa | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | District of Columbia | Guam | Hawaii | Illinois | Indiana | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | Ohio |Oregon | Pennsylvania | Puerto Rico | Rhode Island | Texas | U.S. Virgin Islands | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming The following US states and territories do not have mask mandates:
Alaska | Arizona | Florida | Georgia | Idaho | Iowa | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | North Dakota | Northern Mariana Islands | Oklahoma | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee
Details on each state’s mandate >>
Choose your summer vacation spot with care and an eye toward health.
Floodlight’s debut story investigates how the gas industry is fighting to weaken the climate ambitions of two Texas cities: Austin and San Antonio.
Cyclone Winston devastated vital coral colonies off Fiji, but four years on, the reefs are alive again, teeming with fish and colour
I’m concerned about her swollen and painful right hand. She’d complained last week that her hand was sore and, as I massaged tight tendons in her palm near both pinky fingers, I’d encouraged her to flex her hands frequently. That hasn’t helped.
No red spots on her hand indicate insect bites or infection and she has no discernable bruising; puzzling.
Yesterday, I showed them around the property. I discerned references to yet another suspensive sale. This relies on the seller assuming the loan while the buyer pays it off over an agreed period.
I’d refused a suspensive sale last week (the buyer tried a classic bait and switch) and informed real estate agents, “no more offers for suspensive sales – I’m not interested.”
Turns out this is likely the neighbor’s tack, too. I’ll refuse his offer, too - albeit with reluctance.
***
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide Healthy planet, anyone?
To address and inform the public about how corporate and ideological interests spread disinformation across the US, and use their influence to try to stop climate action, the Guardian is partnering with Floodlight , a nonprofit environmental news collaborative partnering with local journalists.Floodlight’s debut story investigates how the gas industry is fighting to weaken the climate ambitions of two Texas cities: Austin and San Antonio.
***
Cyclone Winston devastated vital coral colonies off Fiji, but four years on, the reefs are alive again, teeming with fish and colour
***
Photo essay: the week in wildlife Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Yesterday’s cooler weather allowed me to wheel my mother on a long-awaited trip outside the Care Center. We didn’t go far and, hunched as she is now, I’m not sure how much of the local flora she saw, but it made a welcome change for her. I’ll do it again today, but this time I’ll pad her with cushions to prop her up and prevent her slumping in the wheelchair.I’m concerned about her swollen and painful right hand. She’d complained last week that her hand was sore and, as I massaged tight tendons in her palm near both pinky fingers, I’d encouraged her to flex her hands frequently. That hasn’t helped.
No red spots on her hand indicate insect bites or infection and she has no discernable bruising; puzzling.
***
House sale, ongoing: neighbors who have lived on this street for 30 years, indicated interest in viewing the house after the end of the sole mandate period. They prefer to make an offer free of an agent’s commission. Yesterday, I showed them around the property. I discerned references to yet another suspensive sale. This relies on the seller assuming the loan while the buyer pays it off over an agreed period.
I’d refused a suspensive sale last week (the buyer tried a classic bait and switch) and informed real estate agents, “no more offers for suspensive sales – I’m not interested.”
Turns out this is likely the neighbor’s tack, too. I’ll refuse his offer, too - albeit with reluctance.
After more than a year living here, I’ve learned a thing or two about this country.
For one thing, I despair of what I call the country’s “reverse development” mentality: very little effort put toward educating workers about the benefits of high-quality work product. Planning is an alien concept as it what defines quality and/or a job well done. This means people work without a plan, or supervision, or quality controls, and or consequences for failing to perform adequately.
***
Days getting shorter, nightfall happening earlier:Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 6: sunrise 5:53am; sunset 6:25pm.
March 7: sunrise 5:54am; sunset 6:24pm.
Day 345 Saturday, March 6 - 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.
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.
***
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide ***
Remember The Lincoln Project? Here's another obituary... (5:27 mins)
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’.
Yesterday I:
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.
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 6: sunrise 5:53am; sunset 6:25pm.
Dr Fauci’s warning on governors deciding to ease coronavirus restrictions, even completely lifting mask mandates, amid the pandemic. (3:35 mins)
South Africa’s year of Covid in pictures
I never eat pork. (A favorite childhood activity was watching – “helping” – staff clean then butcher and segment pigs grown and slaughtered on “the farm.” I was fascinated by the view of pigs’ interiors but eat them? No way..)
I seldom eat beef and, when I do, it’s usually while in South Africa.
Seldom eating meat presents an opportunity to notice the impact meat has on digestive system and my wellbeing when I do eat it.
I do not suffer digestive maladies. I notice a meat-based meal staves off hunger longer than a plant/cereal-based meal.
For me, an occasional meat-based meal likely is positive for my overall health. (Feel free to disagree. Healthy disagreement fosters enlightenment.)
With that disclaimer out of the way, Our World in Data presents fascinating information on the impacts, real and potential, of how adopting a plant-based diet could reduce global agricultural land use – from 4 billion to 1 billion hectares (a size comparable to the entire United States and Brazil).
If you are a regular meat eater, how would you feel about adopting a predominantly plant/cereal-based diet?
It is worrisome, particularly as my mother’s care expenses have escalated alarmingly over the last weeks: health insurance increased by more than R1,500/ month; Care Center rate increased by more than R3,500/ month. Running two households on one fixed income is no longer feasible.
I continue to seek advice from an assortment of professionals: other care providers, realtors, lawyers, and, today, I meet with my mother’s financial advisor.
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
Feb 27: sunrise 5:48am; sunset 6:32pm.
Feb 28: sunrise 5:49am; sunset 6:31pm.
March 1: data missing due to failed battery on my iPhone 6SE. (Curse you, Apple! LOL!) March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 3: sunrise 5:51am; sunset 6:28pm.
March 4: sunrise 5:52am; sunset 6:26pm.
Week 49
Tomorrow is the beginning of a new week on some level of Lockdown – and Week 50. In two more weeks, South Africans will have endured a year of Lockdown.
Vasbyt, mense!
The numbers of confirmed infection and death continues to rise:
Worldwide (Map)
March 4 – 115,175,000 confirmed infections; 2,600,000 deaths
February 4 – 104,367,000 confirmed infections; 2,268,000 deaths
December 31 – 82,656000 confirmed infections; 1,8040100 deaths
US (Map)
March 4 – 28,770,000 confirmed infections; 518,400 deaths
February 4 – 26,555,000 confirmed infections; 450,680 deaths
December 31 – 19,737,200 confirmed infections; 342,260 deaths
SA (Tracker)
March 4 – 1,516,265 confirmed infections; 50,366 deaths
February 4 – 1,463,016 confirmed infections; 45,344 deaths
December 31 – 1,039,165 confirmed infections; 28,035 deaths
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide
World’s highest Covid death rates are in countries with majority-overweight populations.
Yesterday morning I was excited to see a backhoe arrive and the prospect of cleared debris from two culverts. I imagined the culverts magically appearing and one long, happy tributary flowing unimpeded into the Umngeni River.
Alas, not so fast! That dream is dashed.
Behold! The results of March 3, 2021 culvert clearing… (compare to photos through the last 3 years...)
I imagine history will repeat and, in 5 more years, more maintenance will be required.
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
Feb 27: sunrise 5:48am; sunset 6:32pm.
Feb 28: sunrise 5:49am; sunset 6:31pm.
March 1: data missing due to failed battery on iPhone 6SE. (Curse you, Apple! LOL!) March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 3: sunrise 5:51am; sunset 6:28pm
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….)
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.
***
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.
Day 344 Friday, March 5 - One year of Covid
 |
| © Mike Lukovich |
News blues…
What’s up with them crazy ‘Mericans, anyway?
According to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Kansas... the 24 counties with mandatory mask mandates saw an overall decrease in COVID-19 cases, while the 81 counties that opted out of the mask mandate continued to see increases in cases.Today, despite warnings from experts across the nation, the trend is for “red states” (predominantly Republican-dominated states), always resistant to mask-wearing, push against continuing mask mandates.
Dr Fauci’s warning on governors deciding to ease coronavirus restrictions, even completely lifting mask mandates, amid the pandemic. (3:35 mins)
***
In South Africa, after a year of Covid, some sobering and not-so-sombre facts on the pandemic:
More facts on this topic.
- The first Covid-19 case was recorded on March 5 2020. The patient was a 38-year-old male who had travelled to Italy with his wife as part of a group of 10 people who had arrived in the country four days earlier.
- On March 28, the health ministry announced the first Covid-related death. On January 13 2021 the country recorded its highest death toll in a single day - clocking in 806 new Covid-19 related deaths in 24 hours.
South Africa’s year of Covid in pictures
***
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide Healthy planet, anyone?
 |
| (c) Our World in Data |
Disclaimer:
I spent my adolescence, teenage years, and early adulthood, first, as a fruitarian then as a vegetarian. Oddly, when in South Africa, I occasionally eat chicken and, about once every two months or more infrequently, lamb chops. This year, under lockdown, I’ve eaten more lamb chops – about 8 - than I’ve ever eaten in my life. I never eat pork. (A favorite childhood activity was watching – “helping” – staff clean then butcher and segment pigs grown and slaughtered on “the farm.” I was fascinated by the view of pigs’ interiors but eat them? No way..)
I seldom eat beef and, when I do, it’s usually while in South Africa.
Seldom eating meat presents an opportunity to notice the impact meat has on digestive system and my wellbeing when I do eat it.
I do not suffer digestive maladies. I notice a meat-based meal staves off hunger longer than a plant/cereal-based meal.
For me, an occasional meat-based meal likely is positive for my overall health. (Feel free to disagree. Healthy disagreement fosters enlightenment.)
With that disclaimer out of the way, Our World in Data presents fascinating information on the impacts, real and potential, of how adopting a plant-based diet could reduce global agricultural land use – from 4 billion to 1 billion hectares (a size comparable to the entire United States and Brazil).
If you are a regular meat eater, how would you feel about adopting a predominantly plant/cereal-based diet?
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
As of today, all, even the wishy-washy, property deals concerning the sale of my mother’s house are off the table. I’m back at square one.It is worrisome, particularly as my mother’s care expenses have escalated alarmingly over the last weeks: health insurance increased by more than R1,500/ month; Care Center rate increased by more than R3,500/ month. Running two households on one fixed income is no longer feasible.
I continue to seek advice from an assortment of professionals: other care providers, realtors, lawyers, and, today, I meet with my mother’s financial advisor.
***
A good day to obsess about the sun’s trajectory as autumn/”fall” approaches: Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
Feb 27: sunrise 5:48am; sunset 6:32pm.
Feb 28: sunrise 5:49am; sunset 6:31pm.
March 1: data missing due to failed battery on my iPhone 6SE. (Curse you, Apple! LOL!) March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 3: sunrise 5:51am; sunset 6:28pm.
March 4: sunrise 5:52am; sunset 6:26pm.
Week 49
Day 343 Thursday, March 4 - On the cusp of Week 50
Tomorrow is the beginning of a new week on some level of Lockdown – and Week 50. In two more weeks, South Africans will have endured a year of Lockdown. Vasbyt, mense!
The numbers of confirmed infection and death continues to rise:
Worldwide (Map)
March 4 – 115,175,000 confirmed infections; 2,600,000 deaths
February 4 – 104,367,000 confirmed infections; 2,268,000 deaths
December 31 – 82,656000 confirmed infections; 1,8040100 deaths
US (Map)
March 4 – 28,770,000 confirmed infections; 518,400 deaths
February 4 – 26,555,000 confirmed infections; 450,680 deaths
December 31 – 19,737,200 confirmed infections; 342,260 deaths
SA (Tracker)
March 4 – 1,516,265 confirmed infections; 50,366 deaths
February 4 – 1,463,016 confirmed infections; 45,344 deaths
December 31 – 1,039,165 confirmed infections; 28,035 deaths
 |
| Graphic: Pieter van der Merwe – Source: Dept of Health |
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide
News blues…
A landmark report from the World Obesity Federation prompts calls for governments to urgently tackle obesity, and prioritize overweight people for vaccinations. The report reveals countries with high levels of overweight people, such as the UK and the US, have the highest death rates from Covid-19.World’s highest Covid death rates are in countries with majority-overweight populations.
***
Prof Tulio de Oliveira of the KwaZulu-Natal Research Informatics and Sequencing Programme (KRISP) revealed, during a virtual media briefing on the latest scientific results on the Covid-19 variant, that those infected with 501Y.V2 (discovered in December) may have immunity against reinfection. “… One thing that we see from these new results is that the plasma collected from people infected with the variant have good neutralising activity against itself as well as the first wave virus, but actually other variants of concern.
“What it means is that people infected may have immunity against the variant and other lineages but it also means that we know that immunity can decrease over time … in no way are we saying that these people should not vaccinate…”
***
Police in China and South Africa have seized thousands of fake doses of Covid-19 jabs, global police organisation Interpol said on Wednesday, warning this represented only the “tip of the iceberg” in vaccine-related crime, AFP reports. The Lyon-based Interpol said 400 vials - equivalent to around 2,400 doses - containing the fake vaccine were found at a warehouse in Germiston outside Johannesburg in South Africa, where officers also recovered fake masks and arrested three Chinese and a Zambian national.
In China, police successfully identified a network selling counterfeit Covid-19 vaccines in an investigation supported by Interpol which has 194 member countries, it said.
They raided the manufacturing premises, resulting in the arrest of some 80 suspects and seized more than 3,000 fake vaccines on the scene.
***
Healthy planet, anyone?
Use lockdown to entertain and educate about our amazing planet. A quick browse of what Netflix offers for “your edification and your delight”:- Our Planet
- A Life on Our Planet
- Absurd planet
- Night on Earth Tiny Creatures
- Dancing of the Birds
- Our Planet series (Frozen Worlds, Coastal Seas, High Seas, Jungles, Fresh Water, From Deserts to Grasslands, etc.)
- The Story of Earth and Life
- The Whole History of Earth and Life
- The Earth in 2050
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
The culvert curse cont’d:Yesterday morning I was excited to see a backhoe arrive and the prospect of cleared debris from two culverts. I imagined the culverts magically appearing and one long, happy tributary flowing unimpeded into the Umngeni River.
Alas, not so fast! That dream is dashed.
Behold! The results of March 3, 2021 culvert clearing… (compare to photos through the last 3 years...)
 |
| House side of stream with water receding due to partially cleared culvert 1 |
 |
| Environmental damage as byproduct.... |
 |
| Culvert 1 still 80 percent blocked but at least water can flow through 20 percent now cleared. Culvert 2 (circled in red) should be visible to the right of culvert 1. It has, however, been completely blocked with debris. No one would ever know that debris hides a culvert. Archaeologists in 1000 years MIGHT find it again but it’s lost to your “average” South African! |
 |
| Backhoe residue. |
I imagine history will repeat and, in 5 more years, more maintenance will be required.
What to say?
This is the result of NO PLAN and an ad hoc just in time response.
NO supervision.
N0 post-work review.
NO consequences for shoddy work.
I’m sorely disappointed - and demoralized.
Moreover, I pay “rates” (“property taxes”) for such slovenly results.
The silver lining?
I’ve been worried for 3 months about when I get my first “rates” bill for my new home. I’ve heard it can “take months” and that, eventually, I’d likely have to approach the over-crowded Municipality (and run the risk of Covid infection). Waiting for the bill, however, could mean months of ever-increasing debt – plus interest and penalties – culminating with a suddenly-due bill of accumulated debt. By the time the bill arrived I’d be over my head in debt.
Moreover, in what form would the rates bill arrive? In the post? But SA post office is moribund if not totally dead. (I've not seen my mother's water bill for 4 months; I pay an amount each month that may, or may not, have a basis in reality. Who knows what the actual debit - or credit - is?)
Seeking my rates bill, I’ve been regularly dropping by my post box in the Body Corporate (“HOA”) office.
Yesterday: No rates bill. Indeed, no post at all.
I’m sorely disappointed - and demoralized.
Moreover, I pay “rates” (“property taxes”) for such slovenly results.
The silver lining?
I’ve been worried for 3 months about when I get my first “rates” bill for my new home. I’ve heard it can “take months” and that, eventually, I’d likely have to approach the over-crowded Municipality (and run the risk of Covid infection). Waiting for the bill, however, could mean months of ever-increasing debt – plus interest and penalties – culminating with a suddenly-due bill of accumulated debt. By the time the bill arrived I’d be over my head in debt.
Moreover, in what form would the rates bill arrive? In the post? But SA post office is moribund if not totally dead. (I've not seen my mother's water bill for 4 months; I pay an amount each month that may, or may not, have a basis in reality. Who knows what the actual debit - or credit - is?)
Seeking my rates bill, I’ve been regularly dropping by my post box in the Body Corporate (“HOA”) office.
Yesterday: No rates bill. Indeed, no post at all.
Then, returned to my mother’s house, I checked my email and – astonishingly - two rates bills resided in my email in-box.
One was for my mother. One was for me: was my rates bill. Some enterprising official had reviewed the transfer documents and found my email address. Then, s/he and actually emailed my rates bill.
I was shocked! Wonderfully, happily, shocked.
What’s even more shocking? How excited I am about getting a bill!
I was shocked! Wonderfully, happily, shocked.
What’s even more shocking? How excited I am about getting a bill!
I'm learning: in South Africa, everyday life is a game of "win some/lose some"....
***
Meantime, summer is passing - and I'm tracking the sun’s rising and setting schedule: Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
Feb 27: sunrise 5:48am; sunset 6:32pm.
Feb 28: sunrise 5:49am; sunset 6:31pm.
March 1: data missing due to failed battery on iPhone 6SE. (Curse you, Apple! LOL!) March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 3: sunrise 5:51am; sunset 6:28pm
March 3: sunrise 5:51am; sunset 6:27pm
“All of these changes require us to act with even greater responsibility. Covid-19 is still with us and we cannot rule out the possibility of a third wave. The responsibility rests with all of us — the Western Cape government, residents and businesses — to ensure we save lives and engage in safe economic activity which saves livelihoods."
The gardener’s explanation included the reality that two culverts are blocked, one so utterly blocked that it’s disguised by healthy trees, vegetation and weeds. He also pointed out where, last year, their helpful grader and driver had deposited further debris into both sides of the culvert.
The “two ladies” told the gardener they’d “be back on the morning.”
Skeptic that I’ve learned to be, I asked, “do the “two ladies” plan to be back to look further or do they plan to bring a work crew with him?”
The gardener, experienced in the ways of South Africa, shrugged his shoulders.
The good news? A backhoe, driver, and two workers arrived. They’re been clearing the streambed for more than an hour now (so far, no tea breaks).
I received the March invoice for my mother’s board and lodging at the Care Center. With no heads up, no indication at all, her monthly rate increased by more than R3,500 plus R1,777 VAT (tax). This does not include her miscellaneous expenses – hair salon (I wasn’t aware she was going to the hair salon, but okay…) and medical supplies, etc.)
I emailed the Matron asking if it was normal practice to increase the rate without any warning, especially in light of “us” having to give 30 days notice in event of departing the residence. Does it not work both ways? I fear not. We shall see. Naturally, I’ll pay the increase. After all, my mother is a captive audience.
Am I just getting old? Or is lockdown getting to me and making me lose my marbles?
Last week, I’d introduced myself to Winnie and asked if her company might be interested in hiring our gardener (after we sell the house). She was interested enough to remember my address and, today, turned up to talk further about hiring him.
Since my Zulu is as elementary as Winnie’s English, I’ve asked a friend who is fluent in Zulu to ensure communication is clear.
I’d recently acquired the name and phone number of the man in charge of the project and I called him. Mr. Biyela was pleasant on the phone and agreed to send “someone” to clear the culverts “today.”
Oh, joy!
I put aside the writing – I can come back to it, if needed.
An hour later, someone from Mr. Biyela office left a “missed call” on my phone. I called back. That person, a woman, no name given, said she was “too busy” to talk to me. I called back later. She was “in a meeting” and would call later.
I’m still waiting for her call.
Several back hoes and grader passed the house during the day. None stopped at the culverts.
Today, I texted Mr. Biyela to let me know when to expect the culverts cleared.
So far, no response.
Back to the writing desk?
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
Feb 27: sunrise 5:48am; sunset 6:32pm.
Feb 28: sunrise 5:49am; sunset 6:31pm.
March 1: data missing due to failed battery on iPhone 6SE. (Curse you, Apple! LOL!)
President Ramaphosa announced last night that South Africa had seen new Covid infections reduced enough that the country will move from lockdown alert level 3 to lockdown alert level 1 regulations. (3:45 mins)
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
Feb 27: sunrise 5:48am; sunset 6:32pm.
Feb 28: sunrise 5:49am; sunset 6:31pm.
March 1: data missing due to failed battery on iPhone 6SE. (Curse you, Apple!)
And, in California
I’ll also don my waders and begin – again – to remove overgrown exotic lilies in the pond.
I hope you enjoy your day of rest as much as I expect to enjoy mine.
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
Feb 27: sunrise 5:48am; sunset 6:32pm.
Feb 28: sunrise 5:49am; sunset 6:31pm.
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide
The Global Ocean Science Report is updated and published every five years. Another report due next year. Meanwhile, catch up on the current status of ocean science around the world
Explore ocean-focused organizations:
SARS – SA Revenue Service. For the first time ever, my mother is due a hefty tax refund. Around about October 2020, I began receiving emails from SARS to expect those funds to be deposited into her account “in ten days.” Four months - and 8 emails - later and still no deposit.
Culverts. With more rain and culverts still blocked, the stream, therefore the lower lawn – is flooded. I called the local councilperson – again – and heard – again – his sigh of disbelief? Frustration? – and his promise – again - to call his contact – again.
House sale. I met with the “business man” interested in purchasing my mother’s house. It was my first direct encounter with a genuine South African “bait and switch” artist.
Prior to our meeting, his proposal included a deposit of a bit less than one third of the asking price – plus my mother carrying the rest of the loan that he’d pay off at interest (not stipulated) each month for four years. None of this in writing.
During yesterday's face-to-face, he proposed ZERO deposit - plus my mother carrying the loan that he’d pay off with 7% interest each month for five years.
I cancelled that offer – and let him know my thoughts on his tactics.
The other offer came from a young guy and his soon-to-be wife – both of whom run their own businesses (a dog trainer and a baker) – and “do their own accounts.” On paper they look quasi “realistic” but in reality? They will never get a bond/mortgage with their skimpy finances.
Am I still California dreaming? Nah. I’m back to the drawing board regarding how to sell this house. I’m going nowhere, not to California, nor Texas, nor my houseboat.
Day 342 Wednesday, March 3 - Ho, ho, the backhoe
News blues…
Post-Ramaphosa’s easing pandemic restrictions to lockdown alert level 1:Co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says, “All district municipalities must, after consultation with its local municipalities in its area, alert communities within that district of the increasing number of infections that could lead to that district being declared a hotspot,”SA's Western Cape premier Alan Winde also urged residents on Monday not to be complacent under level 1 lockdown as this could lead to a third wave of Covid-19 infections, adding that the provincial government would still be on high alert and will continue to monitor the pandemic and track areas of concern.
“Industries, businesses and entities, both private and in the public sector, must operate within the alert level 1 regulations as gazetted. All people attending gatherings should endeavour to limit exposure to Covid-19 by adhering to all protocols and regulations.”
Dlamini-Zuma called on citizens to observe all the necessary Covid-19 health protocols and remaining restrictions to avert a possible resurgence.
“All of these changes require us to act with even greater responsibility. Covid-19 is still with us and we cannot rule out the possibility of a third wave. The responsibility rests with all of us — the Western Cape government, residents and businesses — to ensure we save lives and engage in safe economic activity which saves livelihoods."
***
Vaccine Refusal: It’s not just one problem — and we’re going to need a portfolio of approaches to solve it.
One-third of American adults said this month that they don’t want the vaccine or are undecided about whether they’ll get one. That figure has declined in some polls. But it remains disconcertingly high among Republicans, young people, and certain minority populations. In pockets of vaccine hesitancy, the coronavirus could continue to spread, kill, mutate, and escape. That puts all of us at risk. Last week, I called several doctors and researchers to ask how we could reverse vaccine hesitancy among the groups in which it was highest. They all told me that my initial question was too simplistic. “Vaccine hesitancy” isn’t one thing, they said. It is a constellation of motivations, insecurities, reasonable fears, and less reasonable conspiracy theories.
Read more >>
***
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide Healthy planet, anyone?
Our amazing world:Bioluminescence – the production of visible light through a chemical reaction by living organisms – is a widespread phenomenon among marine life but this is the first time it has been documented and analysed in the kitefin shark, the blackbelly lanternshark, and the southern lanternshark.
Read >> “Deep-sea sharks glow in the dark”
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
The culvert curse cont’d: “Two ladies” came to the house yesterday, to understand the scope of what I’ve dubbed the culvert curse. Since I would be gone part of the day, I’d asked the Zulu gardener to explain the problem, in Zulu, to whomever showed up.The gardener’s explanation included the reality that two culverts are blocked, one so utterly blocked that it’s disguised by healthy trees, vegetation and weeds. He also pointed out where, last year, their helpful grader and driver had deposited further debris into both sides of the culvert.
The “two ladies” told the gardener they’d “be back on the morning.”
Skeptic that I’ve learned to be, I asked, “do the “two ladies” plan to be back to look further or do they plan to bring a work crew with him?”
The gardener, experienced in the ways of South Africa, shrugged his shoulders.
The good news? A backhoe, driver, and two workers arrived. They’re been clearing the streambed for more than an hour now (so far, no tea breaks).
Say no more? A thousand words in a few pictures.
 |
| One backhoe arrives... |
 |
| A second backhoe arrives - very promising.... |
 |
| One backhoe departs, one backhoe remains - and ... begins clearing the stream bed. |
Tomorrow, photos of the results....
Day 341 Tuesday, March 2 - More of the same
News blues…
US CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky warns the latest COVID-19 data could spell trouble: “At this level of cases with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard-earned ground we have gained….”***
There are around two million traditional healers in Sub-Saharan Africa of which more than 200,000 live and work in SA.
Traditional healers are frequently exposed to bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis B and HIV. In particular, they are exposed through the widespread practice of traditional “injections” by incision. This is when the healer makes small cuts in a patient’s skin using a razor blade to rub herbs directly into the bloodied tissue with their bare hands. They are also exposed to airborne pathogens such as Covid-19 and tuberculosis (TB) when treating patients.
… research in a rural South African town found that traditional healers are open to using gloves and masks, and many regularly do so. But they do not have access to formal training in putting on, taking off, and disposing of personal protective equipment. They also don’t have regular access to government-funded gloves or masks. Leaving aside any question about the efficacy of traditional methods for diagnosis and treatment, traditional healers should be made as safe as possible.
***
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide Healthy planet, anyone?
There is a marked divide in the state of the world’s forests. In most rich countries, across Europe, North America and East Asia, forest cover is increasing, whilst many low-to-middle income countries it’s decreasing.
But, it would be wrong to think that the only impact rich countries have on global forests is through changes in their domestic forests. They also contribute to global deforestation through the foods they import from poorer countries.
Today, most deforestation occurs in the tropics. 71% of this is driven by demand in domestic markets, and the remaining 29% for the production of products that are traded. 40% of traded deforestation ends up in high-income countries, meaning they are responsible for 12% of deforestation.
How much do people in rich countries contribute to deforestation overseas?
***
In appreciation of our world and its amazing creatures: Cyclotron physicist outdone by persistent squirrel. (11:31 mins)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Another example of the vast gulf between my understanding of good business practices and South African business practices:I received the March invoice for my mother’s board and lodging at the Care Center. With no heads up, no indication at all, her monthly rate increased by more than R3,500 plus R1,777 VAT (tax). This does not include her miscellaneous expenses – hair salon (I wasn’t aware she was going to the hair salon, but okay…) and medical supplies, etc.)
I emailed the Matron asking if it was normal practice to increase the rate without any warning, especially in light of “us” having to give 30 days notice in event of departing the residence. Does it not work both ways? I fear not. We shall see. Naturally, I’ll pay the increase. After all, my mother is a captive audience.
***
The jokes on me: yesterday’s post highlighted my emotional and psychological dependence on my cell phone and by association, on my battery charger. The irony? When I drove to my other home to pick up the battery charger I’d inadvertently left there, I left behind my laptop. This meant making a second trip back.Am I just getting old? Or is lockdown getting to me and making me lose my marbles?
***
While picking up my phone charger, Winnie - a supervisor with the landscaping company that services the community – knocked on my door. Last week, I’d introduced myself to Winnie and asked if her company might be interested in hiring our gardener (after we sell the house). She was interested enough to remember my address and, today, turned up to talk further about hiring him.
Since my Zulu is as elementary as Winnie’s English, I’ve asked a friend who is fluent in Zulu to ensure communication is clear.
***
The curse of the culverts, cont’d: Intense irritation about the continuing delay – after years! - in clearing two blocked culverts had me writing both another letter with photographs to Public Works and and an article for the local print newspaper. (Background – updated this week and last month) I’d recently acquired the name and phone number of the man in charge of the project and I called him. Mr. Biyela was pleasant on the phone and agreed to send “someone” to clear the culverts “today.”
Oh, joy!
I put aside the writing – I can come back to it, if needed.
An hour later, someone from Mr. Biyela office left a “missed call” on my phone. I called back. That person, a woman, no name given, said she was “too busy” to talk to me. I called back later. She was “in a meeting” and would call later.
I’m still waiting for her call.
Several back hoes and grader passed the house during the day. None stopped at the culverts.
Today, I texted Mr. Biyela to let me know when to expect the culverts cleared.
So far, no response.
Back to the writing desk?
***
Obsession: Tracking the sun’s rising and setting schedule: Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
Feb 27: sunrise 5:48am; sunset 6:32pm.
Feb 28: sunrise 5:49am; sunset 6:31pm.
March 1: data missing due to failed battery on iPhone 6SE. (Curse you, Apple! LOL!)
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
Day 340 Monday, March 1 - New days dawn
A new week, a new month, and a new lockdown level…News blues…
South Africans skip lockdown level 2 and, from level 3, go directly to level 1.President Ramaphosa announced last night that South Africa had seen new Covid infections reduced enough that the country will move from lockdown alert level 3 to lockdown alert level 1 regulations. (3:45 mins)
Lockdown alert level 1 restrictions:
Background: The former owner had been an unscrupulous DIY guy who owed a lot of money around town. He’d kludged together a DIY electrical system based on guesswork and, maybe, dabs of super glue… in the same way he’d DIY’d other “fixes” around the house. This, to make the house appear sales worthy enough to a naïve, too trusting 80-year-old woman, (also too stubborn to heed advice).
- Curfew from midnight to 4am
- Restrictions on social political and religious gatherings are lifted subject to the size of gathering – 100 people maximum indoors and 250 outdoors or 50percent of capacity of small venues
- night gatherings after funerals still not permitted;
- ongoing social distancing, health protocols (ventilation, hand sanitizing)….
- night clubs remain closed;
- sale of alcohol permitted according to normal license provision but no alcohol sold during curfew hours;
- Mandatory wearing of masks in public places; failure to do so “remains a criminal offense.”
- Border posts that have been closed (30 of them) remain closed; border posts that have been open (20 of them) remain open.
- Five airports open for international travel with “standard infection control measures remain in place.”
***
Extreme Covid measures – how the other half lives (2:38 mins)***
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide ***
Their former law professor calls out (US Senators) Cruz and Hawley behavior (5:53 mins)
***
Republican angst: "There are a lot of people in the party ready to move beyond Donald Trump. In fact, most of us realize he is much better at golfing than governing which is really saying a lot if you know anything about Donald Trump's golf game," before adding, "Donald Trump lost, not because more Democrats came out. Donald Trump lost because his own voters defected from him." Watch a Republican point of view of how to “move beyond Donald Trump” – from “crazy to rational”…. (5:58 mins)Hmmm. We’ll see….
Healthy planet, anyone?
Photo essay: the week in wildlifeMeanwhile, back at the ranch…
Months ago, about the time my mother’s house went on the market, I talked to an electrician about surveying the electrical system to ensure it passes the mandatory inspection.Background: The former owner had been an unscrupulous DIY guy who owed a lot of money around town. He’d kludged together a DIY electrical system based on guesswork and, maybe, dabs of super glue… in the same way he’d DIY’d other “fixes” around the house. This, to make the house appear sales worthy enough to a naïve, too trusting 80-year-old woman, (also too stubborn to heed advice).
My mother paid his asking price for a house that required many fixes after she’d moved in.
Fast forward to 2020-2021. We’re selling the house “as is” – “voetstoots” in SA realtor lingo – but that does not mean illegal. Unlike my mother’s seller, we will sell the house with a functional electrical system, as per law. (My mother’s seller simply paid off the friend /inspector responsible for signing off on the electrical system.)
The electrician I hired showed up yesterday (after a 5 month wait) and began inspecting, then fixing, the malfunction system in the garage/workshop and upper apartment.
This included locating the second “DB” – sub distribution board - in the ceiling of the garage (a surprise: I had not known there was a second sub board).
Apparently, the wires in the ceiling were a rat’s nest resulting in the power failure - something to do with improper connection of live and neutral wires….
He also began replacing the remaining power-hungry incandescent and florescent bulbs with LEDs. (I replaced a handful last year as the incandescent bulbs burned out.)
My discoveries about South African building law continue: electrical outlets/wall sockets are not permitted in bathrooms. This explains why the bathroom in my new home has zero electrical outlets – other than two overhead halogen bulbs. It also explains why the bathroom light switch is located in a different room. This law makes it highly impractical for a residents to plug a hair dryer, electric shaver, electric toothbrush, etc., in another room but….
I’d thought the lack of outlet was a building error specific to my new home. Apparently, no such outlets are permitted in South Africa. (This explains, too, why there are not outlets for hair dryers in the public dressing room at the swimming pool – or the bathrooms at my mother’s house.)
Inevitably, electricians have a (legal) workaround… I’ll hire the electrician to install the workaround in my new bathroom.
With the battery failing fast in my iPhone 6SE (and Apple’s ongoing refusal to address their “slowdown” of this device series) I carry my slowed-down phone and battery and charger cable everywhere. (Yes, I’m addicted to my phone … therefore it’s accessories.) Unfortunately, yesterday, I didn’t notice until after nightfall that I’d left my battery charger at my new home. My first reaction was panic: how would I handle my routine hours of wakefulness at midnight and 2pm and 4pm? Usually, I read my latest library e-book on my iPhone’s Kindle app.
Fast forward to 2020-2021. We’re selling the house “as is” – “voetstoots” in SA realtor lingo – but that does not mean illegal. Unlike my mother’s seller, we will sell the house with a functional electrical system, as per law. (My mother’s seller simply paid off the friend /inspector responsible for signing off on the electrical system.)
The electrician I hired showed up yesterday (after a 5 month wait) and began inspecting, then fixing, the malfunction system in the garage/workshop and upper apartment.
This included locating the second “DB” – sub distribution board - in the ceiling of the garage (a surprise: I had not known there was a second sub board).
Apparently, the wires in the ceiling were a rat’s nest resulting in the power failure - something to do with improper connection of live and neutral wires….
He also began replacing the remaining power-hungry incandescent and florescent bulbs with LEDs. (I replaced a handful last year as the incandescent bulbs burned out.)
My discoveries about South African building law continue: electrical outlets/wall sockets are not permitted in bathrooms. This explains why the bathroom in my new home has zero electrical outlets – other than two overhead halogen bulbs. It also explains why the bathroom light switch is located in a different room. This law makes it highly impractical for a residents to plug a hair dryer, electric shaver, electric toothbrush, etc., in another room but….
I’d thought the lack of outlet was a building error specific to my new home. Apparently, no such outlets are permitted in South Africa. (This explains, too, why there are not outlets for hair dryers in the public dressing room at the swimming pool – or the bathrooms at my mother’s house.)
Inevitably, electricians have a (legal) workaround… I’ll hire the electrician to install the workaround in my new bathroom.
***
Living semi-moved into two living spaces has drawbacks, the biggest of which is forgetting one's cell phone battery charger.With the battery failing fast in my iPhone 6SE (and Apple’s ongoing refusal to address their “slowdown” of this device series) I carry my slowed-down phone and battery and charger cable everywhere. (Yes, I’m addicted to my phone … therefore it’s accessories.) Unfortunately, yesterday, I didn’t notice until after nightfall that I’d left my battery charger at my new home. My first reaction was panic: how would I handle my routine hours of wakefulness at midnight and 2pm and 4pm? Usually, I read my latest library e-book on my iPhone’s Kindle app.
Could I survive hours of no iPhone?
How would/could I handle withdrawal?
It helped that the battery charger was not missing, that I knew where I’d left it. I wasn’t able to fetch it until morning, but the crisis was survivable.
True, I’ll also miss my daily routine early morning phone call with my friend in (his late night) California. My laptop, however, functions so I can email him and let him know. Then I plan to race over to my new home and retrieve the lifesaving devices.
I called to alert the neighbor and he arrived promptly to fetch it – one of his “youngsters,” he said, newly introduced to training.
He reported he’d lost several pigeons that day to hawks attacking mid-flight.
Training racing pigeons to return home happens by 10 kilometer increments: first trip away from home is 10kms distant, then 20kms, then 30kms… until the birds can find their way home from as far away as 800kms.
Now there’s an inbuilt homing device.
How would/could I handle withdrawal?
It helped that the battery charger was not missing, that I knew where I’d left it. I wasn’t able to fetch it until morning, but the crisis was survivable.
True, I’ll also miss my daily routine early morning phone call with my friend in (his late night) California. My laptop, however, functions so I can email him and let him know. Then I plan to race over to my new home and retrieve the lifesaving devices.
***
Big social occasion: I had lunch with two friends in a café yesterday - first time in more than a year. What a treat!
***
Our neighbor races pigeons and, yesterday, while training, one of his pigeons landed near our garage and limped under cover of a plant box.I called to alert the neighbor and he arrived promptly to fetch it – one of his “youngsters,” he said, newly introduced to training.
He reported he’d lost several pigeons that day to hawks attacking mid-flight.
Training racing pigeons to return home happens by 10 kilometer increments: first trip away from home is 10kms distant, then 20kms, then 30kms… until the birds can find their way home from as far away as 800kms.
Now there’s an inbuilt homing device.
***
Obsession: Tracking the sun’s rising and setting schedule: Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
Feb 27: sunrise 5:48am; sunset 6:32pm.
Feb 28: sunrise 5:49am; sunset 6:31pm.
March 1: data missing due to failed battery on iPhone 6SE. (Curse you, Apple!)
Day 339 Sunday, February 28 - Apropos of nothing
 |
| “Oh, Misty always hates me showing this slide. ... It’s halftime at the ’88 Detroit-Chicago game when we first met.” © Gary Larsen, The Far Side |
News blues…
South African efforts to vaccinate are ”going spectacularly “:By Friday, 63,648 health-care workers had received vaccinations against Covid-19 and the sleep-deprived teams providing them had exceeded targets, said professor Glenda Gray, a co-principal investigator of the Johnson & Johnson implementation study.“
We are ahead of the schedule of 80,000 in 14 days. It is going spectacularly and the demand has been overwhelming,” she said. “We will be ready for the next batch after the weekend.”
***
Meanwhile… a news report out of Florida (USA) has two women – one in her 30s, the other in her 40s – disguising themselves as “grannies” in order to qualify for their second vaccination. This means their granny disguises succeeded for their first dose… And, in California
Access codes meant to give Californians of color priority access to Covid-19 vaccine slots have been getting passed around among other residents in the state, allowing some to cut the line and get appointments meant for underserved Black and Latino residents.
***
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide Healthy planet, anyone?
First, the bad newsBrazil’s Cerrado encompass some of the country’s most beautiful national parks. The region’s rich habitat features 11,000 species of plants and more than 200 varieties of mammals, including jaguars, anteaters, armadillos and tapirs.Then, (marginally) better news as scientists discover wild animals thriving in Chernobyl exclusion zone (9:57 mins)
“It … covers more than 20% of the country, is also an important motor in Brazil’s economy, producing over half of Brazil’s beef, 49% of its soybeans, 47% of its sugar cane and almost all its cotton, according to the government agricultural research institute Embrapa.
To raise those crops, the region’s native forests and vegetation are being systematically replaced by farms and ranches. Under Brazilian law, the Cerrado enjoys much less protection than the iconic Amazon rainforest to its north. Half of its land has already been cleared, including some 2,800 square miles last year alone. (That compares to about 20% of the Brazilian Amazon gone.)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
On this day of rest and the last day of February, I will walk from my apartment to the Care Center to visit my mother, swim at least 12 laps, then walk back to my apartment. After that, I will check in with the electrician who is investigating, then fixing, the electrical fault that has shut down power to the upper part of my mother’s house – including an apartment and the double garage.I’ll also don my waders and begin – again – to remove overgrown exotic lilies in the pond.
I hope you enjoy your day of rest as much as I expect to enjoy mine.
***
Obsession continues: Tracking the sun’s rising and setting schedule: Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
Feb 27: sunrise 5:48am; sunset 6:32pm.
Feb 28: sunrise 5:49am; sunset 6:31pm.
Day 338 Saturday, February 27 - Fishy
 |
| Courtesy of street artist Jeremy Novy whose stencils his signature koi fish across the city of San Francisco. Since the pandemic, he’s doing commissions, too. |
News blues…
The medical team from People's Hospital [India] … “running the [Covid vaccination] trial, may have failed to adequately explain that they were part of a trial and that only some of the participants would receive a vaccine. … [and] appear to violate India's clinical trial rules that require informed consent from all participants.”Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide
***
The Lincoln Project: an interesting point of view on what went wrong (5:26 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
How fare the fish?The Global Ocean Science Report is updated and published every five years. Another report due next year. Meanwhile, catch up on the current status of ocean science around the world
Explore ocean-focused organizations:
- Mission Blue
- Pacific Marine Mammal Center I’ve observed seals healed by PMMC released back into the Pacific. It’s an unforgettably wonderful experience.
- Oceanic Society
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
A day for reality checks:SARS – SA Revenue Service. For the first time ever, my mother is due a hefty tax refund. Around about October 2020, I began receiving emails from SARS to expect those funds to be deposited into her account “in ten days.” Four months - and 8 emails - later and still no deposit.
Now, SARS says I need this form and that form and this signature and that signature before the service will release her funds. Her attorney suggests a signed General Power of Attorney will do it. (That’s not going to happen.) Her accountant suggests we take my mother to the SARS office.(She’s physically incapable of drinking out of a cup never mind endure an hours long wait at SARS so that’s not going to happen either.) The accountant refuses to go to SARS himself due to Covid-19 – and I don’t blame him. So. Her interest free refund remains at SARS (or, knowing South Africans’ reputation for corruption, it’s already paying for some fleeing SA official’s poolside sundowner cocktails in Dubai!)
Culverts. With more rain and culverts still blocked, the stream, therefore the lower lawn – is flooded. I called the local councilperson – again – and heard – again – his sigh of disbelief? Frustration? – and his promise – again - to call his contact – again.
Outcome so far? Culverts are still blocked.
I did, however, notice a bulldozer with a backhoe heading up the road yesterday. Unfortunately, the driver did not stop anywhere near the culverts but continued heading away from them.
I did, however, notice a bulldozer with a backhoe heading up the road yesterday. Unfortunately, the driver did not stop anywhere near the culverts but continued heading away from them.
Is this an omen? Is the public works department at least getting closer to the culvers?
If its taken 2.5 years to get them this close, how much longer before they actually find the culverts? Then how much longer before they unblock them?
Enquiring minds wanna know.
Enquiring minds wanna know.
House sale. I met with the “business man” interested in purchasing my mother’s house. It was my first direct encounter with a genuine South African “bait and switch” artist.
Prior to our meeting, his proposal included a deposit of a bit less than one third of the asking price – plus my mother carrying the rest of the loan that he’d pay off at interest (not stipulated) each month for four years. None of this in writing.
During yesterday's face-to-face, he proposed ZERO deposit - plus my mother carrying the loan that he’d pay off with 7% interest each month for five years.
I cancelled that offer – and let him know my thoughts on his tactics.
The other offer came from a young guy and his soon-to-be wife – both of whom run their own businesses (a dog trainer and a baker) – and “do their own accounts.” On paper they look quasi “realistic” but in reality? They will never get a bond/mortgage with their skimpy finances.
Am I still California dreaming? Nah. I’m back to the drawing board regarding how to sell this house. I’m going nowhere, not to California, nor Texas, nor my houseboat.
Sigh.
I’m stuck here for many more months.
***
At least my obsessions distract. Tracking the sun’s rising and setting schedule continues apace:
Week 48
Courtesy of street artists everywhere, enjoy the view of street art around the world.
What can you do to maintain healthy brain and heart during lockdown? Some folks keep chickens or organize chutney tastings, or draw one another. These 56 small, affordable suggestions won’t end lockdown misery, but they might help.
Below, Atlantic Monthly writers and editors offer their best suggestions for maintaining sanity during lockdown
Alexis C. Madrigal, staff writer, takes a neighborhood plant walk.
I have taken up night walks, wandering the empty streets of Oakland and Berkeley after my kids go to bed. Every once in a while, I find a succulent from a neighbor and snip just a tiny piece. Then, I take it home, stick it in water, and wait for its roots to sprout and grow down. Eventually I plant it in the tiny garden that I've built.
Shan Wang, senior editor, suggests building on your indoor garden.
Grow it; don’t throw it: Plant some kitchen scraps (lemon seeds, lentils, celery stalks, avocado pits) and watch new life happen in days, no extra soil or pots required.
Call someone, says Rebecca J. Rosen, senior editor.
Pick up your phone and call—actually call; don’t text—a friend just to catch up. Any time I have talked to a friend during this pandemic, I have found the conversation restorative, grounding, and gratifying. Plus, you never know when the person on the other end of the line really needs a friend, too.
Emma Green, staff writer, makes pierogies.
One weekend, perhaps seized by the spirit of some ancient Polish ancestor, I found myself irresistibly drawn to the idea of making pierogies. The little dumplings require an astonishing amount of time and patience, at least by my standards, but the process is meditative, and at the end, you have something delicious for the freezer.
Do like Marina Koren, staff writer , and take a fake commute.
If you're working remotely, create a daily commute and take a walk around the block in the morning. Quarantine has blurred so many work-life boundaries that even a pretend journey can feel refreshing.
Learn about cicadas, says A.C. Valdez, senior podcast producer.
Maybe you or your kids are fascinated by bugs. If so (and if an overabundance of insects isn’t too biblical-plague-esque for you), now’s a perfect time to study up on them before your spring hikes: The Brood X cicadas are emerging for the first time in 17 years. (Did you know that there are also 13-year broods?)
Kate Cray, assistant editor, and friends host a standing Zoom get-together.
A group of my friends organized a standing nightly Zoom meeting for the month of February as part of a plan to revive a college tradition. This structure has (perhaps ironically) recreated both the consistency and the spontaneity that I’ve been missing socially. The meetings are planned, but it’s always a surprise who will show up. They help to fight against the instinct toward self-isolation by removing any barriers to seeing friends: Someone will be on the call each night.
“Change up your hair (but don't give yourself bangs)” – from Karen Ostergren, deputy copy chief
Every day is the same. Every day is overwhelming. You scroll through Instagram, bored, procrastinating, and see the same ad as always, for brightly colored hair dye, until one time you hit Purchase. Why not? It turns the floor of your shower purple; now you’ve got Saturday-night plans. And the next time you see yourself in a mirror, you smile—for once, not everything is the same.
Take on a home-improvement project, as did Amanda Mull, staff writer.
The most satisfying things that I’ve done for myself in the past year have been a series of small home-improvement projects, such as swapping out my kitchen faucet for a model with a higher neck and spray nozzle. DIY projects work on several levels—they give you something new to learn, they require you to put down your phone and focus on the task in front of you, and they provide the satisfaction of solving a problem whose solution you can see and appreciate every day.
And… buy new socks.
This is sad, says Paul Bisceglio, Health, Science, and Technology editor, but even the smallest novelties help. I ordered two pairs the other week just to have something to feel excited about.
Caroline Mimbs Nyce, senior associate editor: Set micro-goals, and track your habits.
I know, I know. This seems like the kind of toothless advice that the worst person you know would offer on LinkedIn. But it works: My habit calendar guided me through a turbulent January, forcing me to take five-minute stretch breaks and get outside once aper day. Crossing my daily tasks off also helped me visualize the passing of time.
- Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
- Feb 27: sunrise 5:48am; sunset 6:32pm.
Week 48
Day 337 Friday, February 26 - Shot in the arm
 |
| Pandemic street art in Copenhagen |
News blues…
Covid-19 vaccination programs:- South Africa As of this week, the start of South Africa’s program, SA is using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, administered as a single dose.
The country has received 80,000 doses of this vaccine, which has been shown to be effective against the variant first identified in South Africa.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the country has secured nine million doses in total, and more doses are expected. Read more about SA’s vaccination program >> - USA CDC’s key things to know about COVID-19 vaccines and the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Recommendations
- Europe Vaccination schedules for individual European countries and specific age groups
- Africa Vaccination programs in Africa
Vaccine question: Once I get the vaccine, what precautions do I still need to take?
Sarah Zhang, Atlantic Monthly staff writer responds:
Soon-to-be US Attorney General elect Merrick Garland is the guy Senator Mitch McConnel refused to allow a hearing to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.
Was that yet another sign that 49 weeks of lockdown causes brain burps?
Sarah Zhang, Atlantic Monthly staff writer responds:
If you and a small group of friends are all fully vaccinated, congrats. You can relax precautions among one another. If you’re with unvaccinated people, though, remember that your risks are smaller, but not zero. Your chance of getting sick is significantly reduced (by about 95 percent), and your risk of infecting others is likely also much lower. (That exact statistic is still unknown, but is probably less than 95 percent.) Your tolerance for these risks might depend on whether the unvaccinated people you’re with are at risk for COVID-19 because of other reasons.Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide
I think there’s another reason to keep wearing masks in public, at least for now. The strangers around you in a grocery store have no way of knowing whether you’re vaccinated. Wearing a mask is also a signal that you take the virus seriously and believe that we’re in this together—because we are. We can all get back to our normal lives when enough people have been vaccinated that the coronavirus no longer poses much of a threat in schools, workplaces, or even a big, crowded party.
***
Good news for the US: Merrik Garland at his confirmation hearing US Attorney General. Take a a moment and watch a really decent human being – intelligent, humble, public minded, and cognizant of history – explain what motivates him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mICmR9luUeE Soon-to-be US Attorney General elect Merrick Garland is the guy Senator Mitch McConnel refused to allow a hearing to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.
Healthy planet, anyone?
I didn’t realize until day’s end yesterday, that I’d not completed posting to this blog. I’d posted one third of the usual then – likely distracted by the intense wind and thunderstorm – I’d forgotten to complete the posting.Was that yet another sign that 49 weeks of lockdown causes brain burps?
What can you do to maintain healthy brain and heart during lockdown? Some folks keep chickens or organize chutney tastings, or draw one another. These 56 small, affordable suggestions won’t end lockdown misery, but they might help.
Below, Atlantic Monthly writers and editors offer their best suggestions for maintaining sanity during lockdown
Alexis C. Madrigal, staff writer, takes a neighborhood plant walk.
I have taken up night walks, wandering the empty streets of Oakland and Berkeley after my kids go to bed. Every once in a while, I find a succulent from a neighbor and snip just a tiny piece. Then, I take it home, stick it in water, and wait for its roots to sprout and grow down. Eventually I plant it in the tiny garden that I've built.
Shan Wang, senior editor, suggests building on your indoor garden.
Grow it; don’t throw it: Plant some kitchen scraps (lemon seeds, lentils, celery stalks, avocado pits) and watch new life happen in days, no extra soil or pots required.
Call someone, says Rebecca J. Rosen, senior editor.
Pick up your phone and call—actually call; don’t text—a friend just to catch up. Any time I have talked to a friend during this pandemic, I have found the conversation restorative, grounding, and gratifying. Plus, you never know when the person on the other end of the line really needs a friend, too.
Emma Green, staff writer, makes pierogies.
One weekend, perhaps seized by the spirit of some ancient Polish ancestor, I found myself irresistibly drawn to the idea of making pierogies. The little dumplings require an astonishing amount of time and patience, at least by my standards, but the process is meditative, and at the end, you have something delicious for the freezer.
Do like Marina Koren, staff writer , and take a fake commute.
If you're working remotely, create a daily commute and take a walk around the block in the morning. Quarantine has blurred so many work-life boundaries that even a pretend journey can feel refreshing.
Learn about cicadas, says A.C. Valdez, senior podcast producer.
Maybe you or your kids are fascinated by bugs. If so (and if an overabundance of insects isn’t too biblical-plague-esque for you), now’s a perfect time to study up on them before your spring hikes: The Brood X cicadas are emerging for the first time in 17 years. (Did you know that there are also 13-year broods?)
Kate Cray, assistant editor, and friends host a standing Zoom get-together.
A group of my friends organized a standing nightly Zoom meeting for the month of February as part of a plan to revive a college tradition. This structure has (perhaps ironically) recreated both the consistency and the spontaneity that I’ve been missing socially. The meetings are planned, but it’s always a surprise who will show up. They help to fight against the instinct toward self-isolation by removing any barriers to seeing friends: Someone will be on the call each night.
“Change up your hair (but don't give yourself bangs)” – from Karen Ostergren, deputy copy chief
Every day is the same. Every day is overwhelming. You scroll through Instagram, bored, procrastinating, and see the same ad as always, for brightly colored hair dye, until one time you hit Purchase. Why not? It turns the floor of your shower purple; now you’ve got Saturday-night plans. And the next time you see yourself in a mirror, you smile—for once, not everything is the same.
Take on a home-improvement project, as did Amanda Mull, staff writer.
The most satisfying things that I’ve done for myself in the past year have been a series of small home-improvement projects, such as swapping out my kitchen faucet for a model with a higher neck and spray nozzle. DIY projects work on several levels—they give you something new to learn, they require you to put down your phone and focus on the task in front of you, and they provide the satisfaction of solving a problem whose solution you can see and appreciate every day.
And… buy new socks.
This is sad, says Paul Bisceglio, Health, Science, and Technology editor, but even the smallest novelties help. I ordered two pairs the other week just to have something to feel excited about.
Caroline Mimbs Nyce, senior associate editor: Set micro-goals, and track your habits.
I know, I know. This seems like the kind of toothless advice that the worst person you know would offer on LinkedIn. But it works: My habit calendar guided me through a turbulent January, forcing me to take five-minute stretch breaks and get outside once aper day. Crossing my daily tasks off also helped me visualize the passing of time.
Nora Kelly Lee, senior editor, Politics: Do a clothing-and-other-items-that-can-be-donated purge.
The pandemic is nothing if not clarifying, and one thing it’s helped me realize is that I have too much stuff. Twice this past year, I’ve gone through my belongings—clothing, books, kitchenware, decor—and separated out items for donation. Hopefully, my neighbors will find them as useful or educational or beautiful as I once did.
Volunteer, suggests Katie Martin, associate art director.
Many organizations offer creative ways to serve the community while staying safe. You can organize a contactless food drive, tutor a student over Zoom, or answer a domestic abuse hotline. I consistently find a deep sense of purpose and connection in meeting and helping my neighbors.
The pandemic is nothing if not clarifying, and one thing it’s helped me realize is that I have too much stuff. Twice this past year, I’ve gone through my belongings—clothing, books, kitchenware, decor—and separated out items for donation. Hopefully, my neighbors will find them as useful or educational or beautiful as I once did.
Volunteer, suggests Katie Martin, associate art director.
Many organizations offer creative ways to serve the community while staying safe. You can organize a contactless food drive, tutor a student over Zoom, or answer a domestic abuse hotline. I consistently find a deep sense of purpose and connection in meeting and helping my neighbors.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Raining again - still. And heavy rainfall, too. If I was a narcissist I’d see it as a direct challenge on my ability not to have my 2.5 year old request to local public works department acknowledged. The blocked culverts I’ve tried to address for almost 1,000 days are still blocked. (Prior to my getting on board, my brother tried for at least a year, too. They ignored him. Now they’re ignoring me.)Nor is the local city councilor is responding to my calls anymore.
Think about it. We pay high “rates” (property tax) each month and the street pot holes only get bigger, deeper and more numerous. Add to that, neighborhood roads and street Stop signs generally not maintained. Culverts are not as common as street signs but blocked culverts create stagnant water that breed mosquitos and other pathogens as well as endanger properties along the flooding stream. Meanwhile, residents’ rates and utilities bills only increase.
Americans get a lot of flack around the world for their litigious instincts. There really is something to be said for residents’ ability to sue…
Whaddya say South Africans? Shall we get onto the litigious band wagon?
Americans get a lot of flack around the world for their litigious instincts. There really is something to be said for residents’ ability to sue…
Whaddya say South Africans? Shall we get onto the litigious band wagon?
***
Resuming an obsession. It’s been months since I’ve felt the need to track the sun’s rising and setting schedule. Alas, dawn is later and later each day down here on the semi-tip of Africa. Time to begin tracking again: Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33 pm.
Week 48
December 17 – 73,557,500 confirmed infections; 1,637,100 deaths
US (Map)
February 25 - 28,335,000 confirmed infections; 505,850 deaths
Magpies
Amazing animals
Amazing sea creatures, snakes, and insects
I was paid off – a measly rate but what can a gal do? - I returned home.
Scrap yards do good work (recycling metals) but one wonders how contaminated is the yard itself. And if the business pays health care costs for its workers. Hmmm.
Before dawn, gale force gusts and heavy rainfall hammered the house. I’m almost frightened to scan the lower garden for fear of flooding. The public / municipal department (that ought to be) responsible for public works continues their abysmal record of public no-works.
I’ll phone the local councilperson – third time - for an update. Alas, I predict he’ll say, “Haven’t they done it yet? I’ll call the person I know….”
I’m “California dreaming”: both buyers are open to negotiating an early move in. An early move in means I/we can move out – and I can return to the US.
Meanwhile, I explore potential liabilities associated with early move-in that could burden my mother.
Is that light I see at the end of the tunnel? Or is it the ominous glow of radioactivity ?
Week 48
Day 335 Thursday, February 25 - Light at the end of the tunnel
Worldwide (Map)
February 25 - 112,534,400 confirmed infections; 2,497,100 deaths
January 21 – 96,830,000 confirmed infections; 2,074,000 deathsDecember 17 – 73,557,500 confirmed infections; 1,637,100 deaths
US (Map)
February 25 - 28,335,000 confirmed infections; 505,850 deaths
January 21 – 24,450,000 confirmed infections; 406,100 deaths
December 17 – 16,724,775 confirmed infections; 303,900 deaths
SA (Coronavirus portal)
February 25 - 1,507,450 confirmed infections; 49,525 deaths
December 17 – 16,724,775 confirmed infections; 303,900 deaths
SA (Coronavirus portal)
February 25 - 1,507,450 confirmed infections; 49,525 deaths
January 21 – 1,370,000 confirmed infections’ 38,900 deaths
December 17 – 873,680 confirmed infections; 23,665 deaths
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide
December 17 – 873,680 confirmed infections; 23,665 deaths
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide
News blues…
Covid-19 can mess with your sleepIndia’s rate of infection and death dropping? Or…
***
The Lincoln Project (down but not out?) presents The “new” Republican Party (1:20 mins)Healthy planet, anyone?
Quirky and cool – creatures of our planetMagpies
Amazing animals
Amazing sea creatures, snakes, and insects
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Yesterday, the gardener and I loaded the “bakkie” with as much scrap metal as we could then I drove it to a local scrap metal yard. The yard I frequented last year went out of business this year and the “new” yard - more established, less “intimate.” The old yard weighed just the merchandise, the team weighed the entire vehicle – twice. I gathered the first load was iron and steel while the second was metal and “other” materials – plastic, wood, etc.I was paid off – a measly rate but what can a gal do? - I returned home.
Scrap yards do good work (recycling metals) but one wonders how contaminated is the yard itself. And if the business pays health care costs for its workers. Hmmm.
***
February in KZN is “usually” hotter and drier than the early part of summer. Not this year. Rainfall is more copious. This is not good news since, and after 2.5 years of trying to get “someone” to clear the culverts, they are still blocked. Before dawn, gale force gusts and heavy rainfall hammered the house. I’m almost frightened to scan the lower garden for fear of flooding. The public / municipal department (that ought to be) responsible for public works continues their abysmal record of public no-works.
I’ll phone the local councilperson – third time - for an update. Alas, I predict he’ll say, “Haven’t they done it yet? I’ll call the person I know….”
***
My mother has two offers to purchase her house. Neither is the desired cash only offer although each offers advantages. Next Tuesday I will review both offers with my mother’s lawyer and decide which is the more advantageous. I’m “California dreaming”: both buyers are open to negotiating an early move in. An early move in means I/we can move out – and I can return to the US.
Meanwhile, I explore potential liabilities associated with early move-in that could burden my mother.
Is that light I see at the end of the tunnel? Or is it the ominous glow of radioactivity ?
Day 335 Wednesday, February 24 - Be a flake
Remember Donald Trump's February 2020 claim about the coronavirus? That “there were only 15 cases of the coronavirus in the United States” and that those infections “within a couple of days are going to be down to close to zero”?
New York Daily News front cover page reminded him – and the world – of that this week - on the newspaper's front page.
Clearing out useful household goods is another thing entirely.
Many Americans, certainly San Francisco Bay Area residents, use Craigslist and garage sales to sell / recycle household items. Interested parties respond to Craigslist posts and then they show up to view/purchase/haul items away.
In South Africa? Not so much.
Far too many people respond to ads, offer to pay via EFT – before viewing items – and make firm appointments to pick up. THEN THEY NEVER SHOW UP. One simply never hears from them again. This behavior is routine and, apparently, accepted.
Is it just me or is this bizarre behavior?
It’s not just your average Joe Blow doing this. Business people do it too. Yesterday, for example, three different and disparate parties did this:
Realtor called – at least she did that although 2 hours after she’d been due – to say girlfriend “didn’t want to be late for work,” and that they’d come at 5:30pm. At 1pm, realtor called to say they wouldn’t come at all but would bring around “an offer tomorrow morning,” that the purchaser “didn’t want to lose the opportunity to buy.” Well, we’ll see, today, what happens on that.
Pool guy never showed up, never called. Naturally.
Excited TV purchaser never showed up, never called.
Everyone offers advice on how to circumvent dealing with these sorts of issues, but none of those solutions work either.
Now I have a perspective on why one can get nothing done in this country…. It is not just “incompetent” officials. It’s the culture itself. It’s perfectly acceptable, even expected, to be a flake.
Every day, for 334 days (and counting) I’ve posted something about macro and micro aspects of the pandemic that concern this human:
How much longer can this continue?
(Impressive, indomitable Dr Fauci suggests that “we” - those of us who actually wear masks - might still be wearing them in 2022.)
Famous pirate, Long John Silver, puts things in perspective: “shiver me timbers…”
Book your Mexican Getaway Now! (1:55 mins)
I’ve shared many bleak observations about South African tradespeople who make appointments then never show up, never warn that they’ll not show up, and never apologize for either.
Similar thing happens with home buyers. They make appointment to show up at an agreed upon time then, at the last minute, change their minds and make a different appointment time.
If I had nothing else to do but sit around sipping sundowner cocktails, perhaps I’d be more understanding.
Instead, last minute changes of mind based on apparent whim force me to reset my own appointments - and appear to disrespect someone else’s schedule.
It’s madding for someone with control freak tendencies who has lived for decades in the “time is money” US to appear as flaky as other South Africans.
It’s a live and learn world….
He suggests there’s more than a 50% chance of a new variant, in which case a third wave would be “substantial. … If we only see minor mutations without significant immune escape, then the third wave may not be as severe. Our levels of naturally induced immunity from the first and second waves will play a part in this.”
New York Daily News front cover page reminded him – and the world – of that this week - on the newspaper's front page.
News blues…
When is the pandemic declared “over”?The “end of the pandemic” means different things in different contexts. The World Health Organization first declared a “public health emergency of international concern” on January 30, 2020, holding off on labeling it a “pandemic” until March 11.
The imposition (and rescinding) of these labels is a judgment made by WHO leadership, and one that can reflect murky, tactical considerations. Regardless of what WHO decides (and when), national governments—and individual states within the U.S. — have to make their own determinations about when and how to reopen their schools and loosen their restrictions on businesses.
Read the Biden administration 200-page comprehensive national strategy for “beating COVID-19.”
Healthy planet, anyone?
Cutting down forests: what are the drivers of deforestation?Since the turn of the millennium, the world has been losing around 5 million hectares of forest every year. Nearly all of this occurs in the tropics; almost half of all deforestation takes place in Brazil and Indonesia.
Three-quarters is driven by agriculture. Beef production is responsible for 41% of deforestation; palm oil and soybeans account for another 18%; and logging for paper and wood across the tropics, another 13%. These industries are also dominant in a few key countries.
Effective solutions will be focused on these agricultural activities and those countries where most deforestation occurs.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Clearing out the garage of years of rubble, some useful, most not - is one thing and, slowly but surely, I’m getting that done. Today, I plan to visit the scrap yard and try to recoup (minimal) funds for recycling metal.Clearing out useful household goods is another thing entirely.
Many Americans, certainly San Francisco Bay Area residents, use Craigslist and garage sales to sell / recycle household items. Interested parties respond to Craigslist posts and then they show up to view/purchase/haul items away.
In South Africa? Not so much.
Far too many people respond to ads, offer to pay via EFT – before viewing items – and make firm appointments to pick up. THEN THEY NEVER SHOW UP. One simply never hears from them again. This behavior is routine and, apparently, accepted.
Is it just me or is this bizarre behavior?
It’s not just your average Joe Blow doing this. Business people do it too. Yesterday, for example, three different and disparate parties did this:
- Realtor said she’d bring current interested house buyer early in the morning – 8am – so his girlfriend could see the place.
- Online shopper phoned to say she’d come at 4pm to purchase a TV – offered at a very affordable price (so affordable that more than half a dozen people wanted it. (I opted for the first person who contacted me and make a plan to pick up. This means I still have the TV.)
- Swimming pool guy said he’d come by – “in the morning” – to check the pool filter.
Realtor called – at least she did that although 2 hours after she’d been due – to say girlfriend “didn’t want to be late for work,” and that they’d come at 5:30pm. At 1pm, realtor called to say they wouldn’t come at all but would bring around “an offer tomorrow morning,” that the purchaser “didn’t want to lose the opportunity to buy.” Well, we’ll see, today, what happens on that.
Pool guy never showed up, never called. Naturally.
Excited TV purchaser never showed up, never called.
Everyone offers advice on how to circumvent dealing with these sorts of issues, but none of those solutions work either.
Now I have a perspective on why one can get nothing done in this country…. It is not just “incompetent” officials. It’s the culture itself. It’s perfectly acceptable, even expected, to be a flake.
Day 334 Tuesday, February 23 - Lockdown disorientation
Ah, the joys of lockdown. Forty-eight, going on 49, weeks.
Somehow, amid the ongoing monotony of lockdown, I lost track of days and dates. Yesterday’s post assumed it was Sunday. But it was Monday… evidenced by the gardener’s appearance to garden. After all, why would he show up to work on Sunday?Every day, for 334 days (and counting) I’ve posted something about macro and micro aspects of the pandemic that concern this human:
- a beautiful and bountiful planet poorly managed by capitalist thinking (use it all up, suck out the wealth, ensure ROI - return on investment),
- a pandemic that, essentially, is the result of capitalist thinking shrinking and toxifying the wild places and stressing the world’s creatures,
- and the resultant zoonosis.
How much longer can this continue?
(Impressive, indomitable Dr Fauci suggests that “we” - those of us who actually wear masks - might still be wearing them in 2022.)
Famous pirate, Long John Silver, puts things in perspective: “shiver me timbers…”
News blues…
More than half a million Americans – confirmed - dead of coronavirus.The milestone [and magnitude] based on a tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html , came just over a month after the nation's death toll passed 400,000 and as public health officials train their sights on new, more contagious coronavirus strains that have been reported in almost every state and threaten to tax already stressed local health systems.
***
Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide ***
Let’s remember how We the People got to the current toll of half a million Covid-19 deaths: The big lie propagated by former President Donald Trump, involving the coronavirus pandemic systematically downplayed the severity of Covid-19 and the utility of face masks. It very likely resulted in the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans.
To understand the genesis of this lie, remember that the coronavirus arrived in an election year. Despite a rancorous initial three years punctuated with an impeachment, the former president's path to reelection was bolstered by one unimpeachable accomplishment: a robust economy. The coronavirus threatened that. The resulting interplay between politics and the pandemic created an irresolvable conflict that influenced the Trump administration's coronavirus response for the remainder of his term.
***
The Lincoln Project is back – at least temporarily. Let’s enjoy their humor while we still can: Book your Mexican Getaway Now! (1:55 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
A slight modification of Benjamin Franklin reported words, “A Republic, if We Can Keep It”: a bountiful planet, if we work at keeping it….Health means many things to many people. Often it means an absence of illness, but to the World Health Organization (WHO), health does not just mean freedom from illness, but a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. This concept of well-being became translated into the language of biodiversity in a significant way through the work of the Millennium Assessment.
***
Learn about GLEWS - Global Early Warning System - for health threats and emerging risks at the human–animal–ecosystems interface. The Joint FAO–OIE–WHO project to inform prevention and control measures, through the rapid detection and risk assessment of health threats and events of potential concern at the human-animal-ecosystems interface.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Trying to sell a house during a pandemic is bad. Trying to sell a house during a pandemic in South Africa is worse. Trying to sell a house during a pandemic to South Africans is a nightmare.I’ve shared many bleak observations about South African tradespeople who make appointments then never show up, never warn that they’ll not show up, and never apologize for either.
Similar thing happens with home buyers. They make appointment to show up at an agreed upon time then, at the last minute, change their minds and make a different appointment time.
If I had nothing else to do but sit around sipping sundowner cocktails, perhaps I’d be more understanding.
Instead, last minute changes of mind based on apparent whim force me to reset my own appointments - and appear to disrespect someone else’s schedule.
It’s madding for someone with control freak tendencies who has lived for decades in the “time is money” US to appear as flaky as other South Africans.
It’s a live and learn world….
Day 333 Monday, February 22 - Welcome, day of rest
 |
| © Matt Davies-Newsday and Andrews McMeel |
News blues…
Just a matter of time before third wave hits SA – so predicts Prof Salim Abdool Karim: “Based on what we have seen so far with the second wave in SA and third wave in about a dozen countries so far, it is very likely we’ll have a third wave here.”He suggests there’s more than a 50% chance of a new variant, in which case a third wave would be “substantial. … If we only see minor mutations without significant immune escape, then the third wave may not be as severe. Our levels of naturally induced immunity from the first and second waves will play a part in this.”
Healthy planet, anyone?
UK-centric and wonderful … see and listen to birds and bird soundsSouth African birds and their songs – challenge yourself….
Just the idea of pursuing this agency for information and to put my refund towards my next flight is exhausting. Nevertheless, after more than a year pursuing various KZN bureaucracies, I've developed tenacity....
Gone are my “salad days” – childhood and youth in South Africa - when I hardly noticed stinking hot 31C summer day as “inclement” weather.
These days, however, the weather forecast is one of my first daily go-to apps. My heart sinks when predictions indicate temperatures in the upper 20s and higher.
I tremble as I learn more about predictions in the future of global weather and climate.
We, the people, appear particularly unwilling (or unable?) to grapple with issues of climate, climate change, and other ecological changes. We ignore predictions and continue blithely to act as if “nothing” much will really change.
The planet
Prof Sir Robert Watson is one of the UK’s most eminent environmental scientists who led the UN’s scientific organisations for climate and biodiversity, is a former chief scientific adviser at the UK’s environment department, held senior positions at Nasa and the World Bank, and worked for then-president Bill Clinton.
Upon hearing that the British government will not block a new coalmine in Cumbria (“that’s absolutely ridiculous”) Watson said with great irony, “We’re going to lead Cop26 in Glasgow, we really care about climate change…but, by the way, we won’t override the council in Cumbria, and we’ll have a new coalmine.’” He added, “You get these wonderful statements by governments and then they have an action that goes completely against [their statements].”
Human health
Outbreaks of the H5N8 strain of bird flu has been detected for the first time among seven workers who were infected at a Russian poultry plant. In recent months, the strain has been reported in Russia, Europe, China, the Middle East and north Africa, but only in poultry.
My advice to fellow humans?
Educate yourself on how to prepare for a future our “elected leaders” are unprepared to acknowledge. And build resilience, in yourself, your children, and your loved ones. We’re gonna need it.
Now that I’ve dared entertain the notion of re-entering my own life, caring for my own life tasks and my own personal business, it’s as if a spell cast over me has broken.
For more than one year, I’ve lived in my mother’s house and dealt with issues raised by her life decisions/lack of decision. It’s been a wild ride. (Remember, for example, her “faithful” domestic worker’s son threatening to kill me, shoot me, rape me - this, after he’d served 5 years of a 7-year prison sentence for rape .)
Since I daring to imagine re-entering my own life, dealing with my own taxes (deadline to file taxes in US is April 15), living on and maintaining my houseboat again, even finding short-term income-generating work, the idea of returning to California holds steady in my imagination.
Yes, there are many things to complete before I purchase an airplane ticket, and many considerations - who can I line up to visit and/or communicate with my mother while I’m away? What if she dies while I’m away? - but do have the right and a responsibility to my own life….
Nevertheless, I tremble at how I’ll tell my mother that I’m leaving.
I’m “it” for her day-to-day visits, and her day-to-day life decisions. I’m confident that, once I’ve sold the “household stuff” and begun to implement whatever plan will deal with the house, I can accomplish remotely most of the day-to-day bill paying, etc. Rather, it is my mother’s day-to-day life that gives me pause.
Can I persuade my brother to visit twice a week? His health is such that he cannot drive anymore. He’ll need someone to drive him the 20 to 30-minute each way. I’ll pay for his petrol.
Can I persuade my nephew, my mother’s favorite person in the world, to phone her or leave WhatsApp audio message after I depart when he’s not done so in the last 10 weeks?
One of the less-alluring aspects of my mother’s personality that regularly regurgitates in my life? She selectively weeds out full disclosure and presents to others a picture of how I victimize her.
For example, yesterday, I returned a phone call my mother received from one of her acquaintances. I explained to him that she loves to hear from him but she’s unable – too weak - to respond. I asked, would he continue to call her and be prepared to talk to her yet not expect a response? He was agreeable. Then he asked me why she was still in “that place”?
Apparently, prior to her fall, she’d expressed to him how terrible the Care Center was and how much she hated it, that I’d forced her into it, fired her ultra-faithful domestic worker, taken away her dogs, abandoned her….
Sigh.
I offered an alternative view to her friend and filled in details she’d conveniently forgotten to share - himself living in a care center.
“That does sound like your mother,” he said.
Yes, elderly people feel disempowered by and resentful of their growing frailty. Ditto their dependence on others.
I sympathize. After all, “growing old is not for the squeamish….”
I’m also reconciled, after a lifetime of the same, to my mother undermining my efforts and diminishing who I am.
I’m disappointed. But the upside? I’m a functioning adult. I've learned to weather this kind of emotional betrayal and I can handle disappointment.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
I began what feels like a daunting task: contacting the travel agency with whom I traveled here. Their over-riding response to my email queries about applying my unused funds to my return trip?Thank you for contacting [us].Your business and feedback are very important to us. … expect a response regarding this matter within 48 hours. ! Due to the outbreak COVID-19 we are experiencing an unprecedented volume of calls and requests. This has significantly delayed our response time. Please bear with us as we work to help all of our customers during this global crisis. We thank you for your patience.My patience is thin. This is the same response I received when I contacted them in May, 2020 due to my Covid-19-cancelled flights … and in June… and in July … and in August…. It’s the exact same message I receive now, 10 months later.
Just the idea of pursuing this agency for information and to put my refund towards my next flight is exhausting. Nevertheless, after more than a year pursuing various KZN bureaucracies, I've developed tenacity....
Day 332 Sunday, February 21 - Weatherings
Yesterday was another stinking hot 31C summer day in KZN – and no rain to cool things down.Gone are my “salad days” – childhood and youth in South Africa - when I hardly noticed stinking hot 31C summer day as “inclement” weather.
These days, however, the weather forecast is one of my first daily go-to apps. My heart sinks when predictions indicate temperatures in the upper 20s and higher.
I tremble as I learn more about predictions in the future of global weather and climate.
We, the people, appear particularly unwilling (or unable?) to grapple with issues of climate, climate change, and other ecological changes. We ignore predictions and continue blithely to act as if “nothing” much will really change.
News blues…
Last summer California fought unprecedented fires. This winter, Texas faces unprecedented ice storms and deep freeze. What’s clear to anyone willing to pay attention: few are prepared for the chaos of coming climate crisis.An analysis of US Department of Energy data published in September found weather-related power outages are up by 67% since 2000. Climate change is expected to continue fueling hotter heatwaves, more bitter winter storms and more ferocious hurricanes in the coming decades. As both California and Texas have discovered in recent years, power plants, generators and electrical lines are not designed to withstand the catastrophes to come. And all the while, the fossil fuels that both states rely on to power these faulty systems are driving the climate crisis, and hastening infrastructural collapse.Related but not “officially” recognized by “elected leaders”:
“We’re already seeing the effects of climate change,” said Sascha von Meier, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. “There will be more of this and it will get worse.”
The planet
Prof Sir Robert Watson is one of the UK’s most eminent environmental scientists who led the UN’s scientific organisations for climate and biodiversity, is a former chief scientific adviser at the UK’s environment department, held senior positions at Nasa and the World Bank, and worked for then-president Bill Clinton.
Upon hearing that the British government will not block a new coalmine in Cumbria (“that’s absolutely ridiculous”) Watson said with great irony, “We’re going to lead Cop26 in Glasgow, we really care about climate change…but, by the way, we won’t override the council in Cumbria, and we’ll have a new coalmine.’” He added, “You get these wonderful statements by governments and then they have an action that goes completely against [their statements].”
Human health
Outbreaks of the H5N8 strain of bird flu has been detected for the first time among seven workers who were infected at a Russian poultry plant. In recent months, the strain has been reported in Russia, Europe, China, the Middle East and north Africa, but only in poultry.
My advice to fellow humans?
Educate yourself on how to prepare for a future our “elected leaders” are unprepared to acknowledge. And build resilience, in yourself, your children, and your loved ones. We’re gonna need it.
Healthy planet, anyone?
Photo essay: Lockdown in Brighton, UKMeanwhile, back at the ranch…
I’m dreaming of a … California summer….Now that I’ve dared entertain the notion of re-entering my own life, caring for my own life tasks and my own personal business, it’s as if a spell cast over me has broken.
For more than one year, I’ve lived in my mother’s house and dealt with issues raised by her life decisions/lack of decision. It’s been a wild ride. (Remember, for example, her “faithful” domestic worker’s son threatening to kill me, shoot me, rape me - this, after he’d served 5 years of a 7-year prison sentence for rape .)
Since I daring to imagine re-entering my own life, dealing with my own taxes (deadline to file taxes in US is April 15), living on and maintaining my houseboat again, even finding short-term income-generating work, the idea of returning to California holds steady in my imagination.
Yes, there are many things to complete before I purchase an airplane ticket, and many considerations - who can I line up to visit and/or communicate with my mother while I’m away? What if she dies while I’m away? - but do have the right and a responsibility to my own life….
***
I’m hosting potential buyers of “stuff” – water pump, welding kit, pillar drill, and lots and lots of nails, screws, electrical switches. This activity stimulates me to permit myself actually to buy a ticket, get on an airplane, and return to my own life!Nevertheless, I tremble at how I’ll tell my mother that I’m leaving.
I’m “it” for her day-to-day visits, and her day-to-day life decisions. I’m confident that, once I’ve sold the “household stuff” and begun to implement whatever plan will deal with the house, I can accomplish remotely most of the day-to-day bill paying, etc. Rather, it is my mother’s day-to-day life that gives me pause.
Can I persuade my brother to visit twice a week? His health is such that he cannot drive anymore. He’ll need someone to drive him the 20 to 30-minute each way. I’ll pay for his petrol.
Can I persuade my nephew, my mother’s favorite person in the world, to phone her or leave WhatsApp audio message after I depart when he’s not done so in the last 10 weeks?
One of the less-alluring aspects of my mother’s personality that regularly regurgitates in my life? She selectively weeds out full disclosure and presents to others a picture of how I victimize her.
For example, yesterday, I returned a phone call my mother received from one of her acquaintances. I explained to him that she loves to hear from him but she’s unable – too weak - to respond. I asked, would he continue to call her and be prepared to talk to her yet not expect a response? He was agreeable. Then he asked me why she was still in “that place”?
Apparently, prior to her fall, she’d expressed to him how terrible the Care Center was and how much she hated it, that I’d forced her into it, fired her ultra-faithful domestic worker, taken away her dogs, abandoned her….
Sigh.
I offered an alternative view to her friend and filled in details she’d conveniently forgotten to share - himself living in a care center.
“That does sound like your mother,” he said.
Yes, elderly people feel disempowered by and resentful of their growing frailty. Ditto their dependence on others.
I sympathize. After all, “growing old is not for the squeamish….”
I’m also reconciled, after a lifetime of the same, to my mother undermining my efforts and diminishing who I am.
I’m disappointed. But the upside? I’m a functioning adult. I've learned to weather this kind of emotional betrayal and I can handle disappointment.
She’s trained me well.
Thank you, mother.
In this part of KZN, we're facing a 31C day. Just the thought of it exhausts.
I’d like to be vaccinated but that’s not the reason I’m beginning to plan my return to California.
Thank you, mother.
Day 331 Friday, February 20 - A change in the weather
Family in Texas reports its still cold near Houston but things are looking up. They're cold, but not frozen.In this part of KZN, we're facing a 31C day. Just the thought of it exhausts.
News blues…
SA has recorded 1,500,677 cumulative cases of Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic in 2020.The US, meanwhile, approaches half a million dead. The US confirmed infection rate of more than 27 million in a population of 328+ million is almost more than two thirds greater than the next highest toll, India, population 1.36 billion.
Health minister Zweli Mkhize said in an update on Friday evening that the death toll in the country had climbed to 48,859.
There were 151 more Covid-19 related deaths reported in the past 24-hour cycle. The deaths according to province were: Eastern Cape (12), Free State (21), Gauteng (43), KwaZulu-Natal (40), Limpopo (one), Mpumalanga (eight), North West (zero), Northern Cape (zero) and Western Cape (26).
The US, meanwhile, approaches half a million dead. The US confirmed infection rate – more than 27 million in a population of 328 million , is almost more than two thirds greater than the next highest toll, India, population 1.3 billion.
***
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel nails Texas Senator Ted Cruz who fled the weather disaster in his state… (9:00 mins) Healthy planet, anyone?
“… in the US, recent research has revealed, that global heating harms Black and Latino children before they are even born, as well as in the first years of their lives.The analysis of dozens of medical studies found women of color, particularly Black women, and their babies are most likely to suffer low birth weights, pre-term births and stillbirths from climate-driven threats. Hot temperatures can cause strain upon women and their unborn children, while heat can also react with pollutants from cars and power plants to create ozone, a ground-level pollutant that can cause an array of health problems.
“This pollution cause placental inflammation and affects the baby,” said Pacheco. “This can cause impacts in childhood but also bad outcomes when they are adults, such as heart and kidney disease. Even what we would consider limited exposures can affect the development of the baby.”
The climate crisis is shaping the lives of Black children and children of color before they take their first breath, but it doesn’t stop there. Once a Black or Latino child is born, there is a good chance they will live in a neighborhood that gets even hotter than nearby, whiter suburbs. Researchers have found that in US cities including New York, Dallas and Miami, poorer areas with more residents of color can be get up to 20F hotter in summer than wealthier, whiter districts in the same city.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
More and more people I know in the US have been or are in the process of being vaccinated. Hooray!I’d like to be vaccinated but that’s not the reason I’m beginning to plan my return to California.
I must return – soon – to take care of many outstanding business and tax-related issues.
I’m considering travelling early April even as I grapple with how to ensure my mother’s continued well-being and how to manage the house and domestic workers if the house has not sold. And how to manage the sale from a distance when the house finally sells.
My mother was tracking well when I saw her yesterday. Both her eyes open and she continues to try to communicate.
The Care Center has ended the regime of spraying the facility against coronavirus. That’s good news for residents – and visitors – who had to escape the building for the duration.
A silly joke:
Time flies like the wind
Fruit flies like bananas….
New ideas and innovations in the fight against microplastics:
One of the pleasures of this time of year in KZN – late summer – is the blossoming coral shrub in the garden. The shrub variety sprawls so I trim back the thorny limbs and cut off the blossoms to display in my bedroom.
More than 100 species of Erythrina trees and shrubs – aka coral– aka lucky bean tree, gewone koraalboom (Afrikaans) umsinsi (Zulu) – grow around the world. A decorative tree, it is also an important ecosystem component, providing food and shelter for a variety of birds, animals and insects. Many birds and insects feed on the nectar. Vervet monkeys eat the flower buds. Kudu, klipspringer, black rhino and baboons graze on the leaves. Black rhinos, elephants and baboons eat the bark. Bush pigs eat the roots, and the brown-headed parrot eats and disperses the seed. Birds such as barbets and woodpeckers nest in the trunks of dead trees, and swarms of bees often inhabit hollow trunks.
Erythrina lysistemon is also widely used and enjoyed by mankind. They have been regarded as royal trees, and were planted on the graves of Zulu chiefs. They were planted as living fences around kraals, homesteads and waterholes.
As the photo shows, it produces stunning flowers. It also produces pea-like pods that twist into sculptural shapes to eject the black and red seeds.
I gather both pods and seeds and sprinkle them with scented oils to create aromatic mini sculptures.
Week 47
Worldwide (Map)
February 2021 - 109,885,600 confirmed infections; 2,430,000 deaths
January 14, 2021 – 92,314,000 confirmed infections; 1,977,900 deaths
US (Map)
February 2021 - 27,824,660 confirmed infections; 490,450 deaths
January 14, 2021 – 23,071,100 confirmed infections; 384,635 deaths
SA (Coronavirus portal)
February 18, 2021 – 1,496,440 confirmed infections; 48,480 deaths
January 14, 2021 – 1,278,305 confirmed infections; 35,140 deaths
The South African Medical Association (SAMA) says the vaccine will be administered at 17 sites.
Some healthcare workers should receive their jabs on Wednesday.
Meanwhile,
Texas politicians, from the governor down, pan renewable energy in favor of fossil fuel. Texas is rich in oil and natural gas – and that industry contributes massively to conservative and right-wing politicians. Together, oil and gas money and politicians have created an “independent energy supply” grid – disconnected from the nation-wide grid.
The Texas independent grid is failing, massively and publicly, during the freak snowstorms. Texas politicians, however, spin reality and constantly pump out lies that blame “windmills.”
The truth? Fossil and nuclear fuel industries failed when instrumentation froze and became inoperable.
Moreover, for more than 10 years Texas has ignored reports that predicted power grid emergency…. (2:44 mins)An oldie but goodie… “Can the world run on renewable energy” from 2015 offers information and data worth reading.
Too bad, eh?
The latter sets me off on another rant about apparently accepted South Africanisms: making appointments and not following through.
I took a phone call from the adult son of a friend’s landlord who is an independent contractor. He expressed interest in a welding kit and other tools for sale. We set a time for him to drop by and I texted/sms’d him the address. Keep in mind, despite families dropping with a view to purchase the house, cars parked willy nilly, dogs barking…I made an effort to ensure the independent contractor could easily access the garage where the tools are located and, at the appointed hour I waited. And waited.
He never showed.
I’d put off visiting my mother, delayed a trip to the grocery store, opened the upper security gate… and waited….
At 7:00pm that night, he texted/sms’d that he’d “forgotten”….
If there’s anything consistent in South Africa, it’s this behavior from so-called business people and South Africans in general
Do the people on the other end of the appointment – those waiting – simply ignore confirmed appointment and go about their business?
Why can’t I do that?
It would make my life a lot easier to follow suit but ….
As Texas (where my son and his family live) faces unprecedented snow and the rest of central and eastern United States freezes, another right-wing attack on renewable energy heats up. Chris Hayes expresses his incredulity as the next battle front opens in America’s Culture Wars (7:35 mins)
Hope springs eternal...
I’m reduced to wild imaginings and “what ifs”: what if this place never sells (at a reasonable price)? What if I can never return to California? What if I’m stuck living someone else’s life (my mother’s)?
On the plus side, a friend shared two WhatsApp local sales groups with me. A seller places photos and details of a sales item – one per WhatsApp message – on the message board and interested buyers make offers.
It might work.
I’ll give it a try.
Side effects from the second Covid-19 vaccine are just a sign that protection is kicking in as it should.
FYI: The Atlantic Monthly, usually subscription based, offers free coronavirus coverage to any and all readers. Catch up on solid investigation and writing >>
Another way of thinking about at it (and an opportunity to examine your own assumptions and actions): “History Will Judge the Complicit. Why have Republican leaders abandoned their principles in support of an immoral and dangerous president?”
Biz as usual can’t be true for people having to work or to find work.
The range of experiences in that category - “people having to work or find work” - however, is enormous.
I had a small view of that yesterday when I young man arrived at the security gate. He carried what South Africans call a “bush cutter” (Americans call it a “weed whacker”).
Our gardener has been too weak, post illness, to cull the over-human-height weeds outside the house. This, while we’re trying to sell my mother’s house, gives a bad first impression: no “curb appeal.”
I negotiated with the bush cutter-wielding man through the gate and we agreed upon a price and the extent of work.
I also asked if he had water to drink. He said he had nothing – to drink or to eat.
I asked our domestic worker to make him a serving of sandwiches and a drink.
She went a step further and offered him lunch, too. I’d assumed the cutting wouldn’t require him staying around until lunch time but … his choice.
After finishing the cutting and his lunch, he set off to seek further work.
I learned later that he’d travelled more than 15 kilometers, from a more upscale neighborhood to seek work here. How did he travel? Who knows? Taxi? Bus? Ride with a friend?
Life for most young South Africans is hard.
Imagine having to stalk various neighborhood carrying a bush cutter– and fuel to run it - and offer your services through well-defended security gates. “Hit or miss” trivializes a day-to-day reality and doesn’t begin to cover the stress of such a life.
Moreover, under “normal” conditions, that is, our gardener being healthy, I’d have rebuffed this young man’s offer of service.
It’s sobering to think of him trying his best, day after day after day, to make enough money to eat, seek work, and fuel his bush cutter.
As has been said before by people far wiser than I: Old age is not for the squeamish.
My mother was tracking well when I saw her yesterday. Both her eyes open and she continues to try to communicate.
The Care Center has ended the regime of spraying the facility against coronavirus. That’s good news for residents – and visitors – who had to escape the building for the duration.
Day 330 Thursday, February 19 - Another day under lockdown
The beginning of week 48. In 32 more days, South Africans will have spent one year under some form of lockdown.A silly joke:
Time flies like the wind
Fruit flies like bananas….
News blues…
 |
| (c) Covid-19 dashboard |
Microplastics have been found in rain, Arctic ice cores, inside the fish we eat, as well as in fruit and vegetables. New research suggests 136,000 tons of microplastics are ejected from the ocean each year, ending up in the air we breathe. They are in human placentas, our wastewater, and our drinking water. All plastic waste, regardless of size, is detrimental to the environment, but microplastics pose a special challenge given their minuscule size (some are 150 times smaller than a human hair) and ability to enter the food chain.Read, “Magnets, vacuums and tiny nets: the new fight against microplastics” >>
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
More than 100 species of Erythrina trees and shrubs – aka coral– aka lucky bean tree, gewone koraalboom (Afrikaans) umsinsi (Zulu) – grow around the world.
As the photo shows, it produces stunning flowers. It also produces pea-like pods that twist into sculptural shapes to eject the black and red seeds.
I gather both pods and seeds and sprinkle them with scented oils to create aromatic mini sculptures.
***
My mother, still weak, was nevertheless brighter yesterday during my visit. She follows what I’m saying – updates on the dogs and the (slow but steady) trickle of potential house buyers (no firm offers yet) – but still cannot clearly articulate her comments.Week 47
Day 329 Thursday, February 18 - Crazy daddio!
Worldwide (Map) February 2021 - 109,885,600 confirmed infections; 2,430,000 deaths
January 14, 2021 – 92,314,000 confirmed infections; 1,977,900 deaths
US (Map)
February 2021 - 27,824,660 confirmed infections; 490,450 deaths
January 14, 2021 – 23,071,100 confirmed infections; 384,635 deaths
SA (Coronavirus portal)
February 18, 2021 – 1,496,440 confirmed infections; 48,480 deaths
January 14, 2021 – 1,278,305 confirmed infections; 35,140 deaths
News blues…
The first batch of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines arrived in South Africa on Tuesday night.The South African Medical Association (SAMA) says the vaccine will be administered at 17 sites.
Some healthcare workers should receive their jabs on Wednesday.
Meanwhile,
As SA began the first phase of its Covid-19 vaccination programme, health authorities would have also been buoyed by another day where new infections and the positivity rate remained low.
Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize confirmed on Wednesday night that 2,320 new cases were recorded in 24 hours. These were from 35,413 tests, at a positivity rate of 6.55% — again well below the 10%-12% range that Mkhize has previously cited as being of concern.
***
Despite the state of Texas presenting enormous potential for renewable energy, renewables are pooh poohed. Texas politicians, from the governor down, pan renewable energy in favor of fossil fuel. Texas is rich in oil and natural gas – and that industry contributes massively to conservative and right-wing politicians. Together, oil and gas money and politicians have created an “independent energy supply” grid – disconnected from the nation-wide grid.
The Texas independent grid is failing, massively and publicly, during the freak snowstorms. Texas politicians, however, spin reality and constantly pump out lies that blame “windmills.”
The truth? Fossil and nuclear fuel industries failed when instrumentation froze and became inoperable.
Moreover, for more than 10 years Texas has ignored reports that predicted power grid emergency…. (2:44 mins)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Four years ago, I asked a Texas real estate agent - selling property upon which my family planned to build a house – about Texas’ installation of solar and renewable energy. Her response: “We don’t do that in this state.Too bad, eh?
***
Yesterday turned into a rout. I wasn’t able to visit my mother due to families coming around to view the house and my continued efforts to sell tools and machinery. The latter sets me off on another rant about apparently accepted South Africanisms: making appointments and not following through.
I took a phone call from the adult son of a friend’s landlord who is an independent contractor. He expressed interest in a welding kit and other tools for sale. We set a time for him to drop by and I texted/sms’d him the address.
He never showed.
I’d put off visiting my mother, delayed a trip to the grocery store, opened the upper security gate… and waited….
At 7:00pm that night, he texted/sms’d that he’d “forgotten”….
If there’s anything consistent in South Africa, it’s this behavior from so-called business people and South Africans in general
Do the people on the other end of the appointment – those waiting – simply ignore confirmed appointment and go about their business?
Why can’t I do that?
It would make my life a lot easier to follow suit but ….
Day 328 Wednesday, February 17 - Things that matter
News blues…
“Wearing masks, washing hands… those things matter,” says President Joe Biden. Hear! Hear! (Hear him during the first 3-plus minutes of this interview clip)***
In South Africa, a new Covid wrinkle: blood donations potentially spreading the virus.
A startling statistic emerged on Friday with the publication of a report led by the SA National Blood Service and the Western Cape Blood Service.:
Almost two-thirds of Eastern Cape residents may already have had Covid-19, with antibodies picked up in blood donations done in late January.
***
 |
The world has lost one-third of its forest, but an end of deforestation is possible |
In the above chart we see how the cover of the earth’s surface has changed over the past 10,000 years. This is shortly after the end of the last great ice age, through to the present day.Read “The world has lost one-third of its forest, but an end of deforestation is possible ” >>
Let’s start at the top. You see that of the 14.9 billion hectares of land on the planet, only 71% of it is habitable – the other 29% is either covered by ice and glaciers, or is barren land such as deserts, salt flats, or dunes. I have therefore excluded these categories so we can focus on how habitable land is used.
The bar chart just below shows the earth’s surface cover just after the end of the last ice age.2 10,000 years ago 57% of the world’s habitable land was covered by forest. That’s 6 billion hectares. Today, only 4 billion hectares are left. The world has lost one-third of its forest – an area twice the size of the United States.
Only 10% of this was lost in the first half of this period, until 5,000 years ago. The global population at this time was small and growing very slowly – there were fewer than 50 million people in the world. The amount of land per person that was needed to produce enough food was not small – in fact, it was much larger than today. But a small global population overall meant there was little pressure on forests to make space for land to grow food, and as wood for energy.
If we fast-forward to 1700 when the global population had increased more than ten-fold, to 603 million. The amount of land used for agriculture – land to grow crops as well as grazing land for livestock – was expanding. You will notice in the chart that this was not only expanding into previously forested land, but also other land uses such as wild grasslands and shrubbery. Still, more than half of the world’s habitable land was forested.
The turn of the 20th century is when global forest loss reached the halfway point: half of total forest loss occurred from 8,000BC to 1900; the other half occurred in the last century alone. This emphasises two important points:
- First, it reiterates that deforestation is not a new problem: relatively small populations of the past were capable of driving a large amount of forest loss. By 1900, there were 1.65 billion people in the world (five times fewer than we have today) but for most of the previous period, humans were deforesting the world with only tens or hundreds of millions. Even with the most basic of lifestyles compared to today’s standards, the per capita footprint of our ancestors would have been large. Low agricultural productivity and a reliance on wood for fuel meant that large amounts of land had to be cleared for basic provisions.
- Second, it makes clear how much deforestation accelerated over the last century. In just over 100 years the world lost as much forest as it had in the previous 9,000 years. An area the size of the United States. From the chart we see that this was driven by the continued expansion of land for agriculture. By 1950, there was almost as much agricultural land as forest – 43% of habitable land. By 2018, this had increased to 46% while forests shrank to 38%. When we think of the growing pressures on land from modern populations we often picture sprawling megacities. But urban land accounts for just 1% of global habitable land. Humanity’s biggest footprint is due to what we eat, not where we live.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
And… after yet another potential house buyer decided against buying, yet another potential buyer will visit today.Hope springs eternal...
I’m reduced to wild imaginings and “what ifs”: what if this place never sells (at a reasonable price)? What if I can never return to California? What if I’m stuck living someone else’s life (my mother’s)?
On the plus side, a friend shared two WhatsApp local sales groups with me. A seller places photos and details of a sales item – one per WhatsApp message – on the message board and interested buyers make offers.
It might work.
I’ll give it a try.
Day 327 Tuesday, February 16 - Short and (somewhat) sweet
News blues…
New infection rates slowly drop in many US states and the new administration’s doubling down on insisting Americans wear masks and practice social distancing is paying off.But with only 4% of the US population fully vaccinated, experts say Americans must continue safety precautions at full force to prevent highly contagious variants from undoing all the progress.Not only does the US have the highest rates of Covid infections and deaths in the world, its experiencing political turmoil and, now, devastating weather with an unprecedented cold front and snow.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
The potential buyer of my mother’s house – the one who’d signed the papers but asked for the weekend to think things over – dropped out. Despite his soon-to-wed son wanting the house, his dad – the money guy – said he “couldn’t see his kids running up and down the many steps.” There are “many steps” – the house is built on a slope and has three levels – and I can see his point. Disappointing, nevertheless. So, back to the “for sale” notice boards. |
| © Gary Larsen, the Far Side |
I continue sorting through items stored in the garage: thousands of assorted nails, screws, hooks, and who-knows-whats, dozens of assorted electrical switches and fitting, scores of tools from hammers, screwdrivers, rasps, drill bits, many light fittings, plus a heavy duty “pillar drill”, a welding kit replete with acetylene and oxygen tanks and 2-wheel pushcart.
Big question: how to sell these items?
A major drawback to selling is my lack of familiarity with how things are done here. I have few contacts, little experience, and I’m a woman in a misogynist society.
I could sell online with Gumtree (SA’s version of Craigslist), but based on my thwarted experience trying to purchase a ceramic kiln I hold little faith in this venue. Buyers enquire from some impractical far-flung regions - Cape Town, or Pretoria, or Oudtshoorn, or Mtubatuba….(One potential buyer of a patio heater enquired from Birmingham, UK.) Or interested local buyers will make an appointment to view items then never show up. (Alas, a common South Africanism.)
I consulted with a friend about hosting an American-style garage sale. Her advice? Hire a couple of security guards to ensure my overall physical safety and protect myself and others from Covid by providing and enforcing the use of hand sanitizers, masks, etc.
Physical safety goes beyond the day-long sales period. It include recognizing potential thieves targeting the house for further “investigation.” This house has CCTV-style cameras and laser beams, but determined house thieves easily bypass safety measures.
I accept my mathematical realities.
Attempts at improving my basic scientific knowledge always culminates in my profound admiration for scientists and science.
Science is not a panacea for all of life’s ills but it adds a compelling dimension.
Big question: how to sell these items?
A major drawback to selling is my lack of familiarity with how things are done here. I have few contacts, little experience, and I’m a woman in a misogynist society.
I could sell online with Gumtree (SA’s version of Craigslist), but based on my thwarted experience trying to purchase a ceramic kiln I hold little faith in this venue. Buyers enquire from some impractical far-flung regions - Cape Town, or Pretoria, or Oudtshoorn, or Mtubatuba….(One potential buyer of a patio heater enquired from Birmingham, UK.) Or interested local buyers will make an appointment to view items then never show up. (Alas, a common South Africanism.)
I consulted with a friend about hosting an American-style garage sale. Her advice? Hire a couple of security guards to ensure my overall physical safety and protect myself and others from Covid by providing and enforcing the use of hand sanitizers, masks, etc.
Physical safety goes beyond the day-long sales period. It include recognizing potential thieves targeting the house for further “investigation.” This house has CCTV-style cameras and laser beams, but determined house thieves easily bypass safety measures.
***
Yesterday’s visit with my mother was short. By the time her physical needs were taken care of, she was exhausted and fell to sleep.
Day 326 Monday, February 15 - Admiration abounds
I’m one of those artists sorely lacking in mathematical skills and somewhat lacking in ability to retain scientific facts.I accept my mathematical realities.
Attempts at improving my basic scientific knowledge always culminates in my profound admiration for scientists and science.
Science is not a panacea for all of life’s ills but it adds a compelling dimension.
News blues…
The virus is evolving, but the antibodies that fight it can change, too.To locate some of the world’s most superpowered cells, look no further than the human immune system. The mission of these hometown heroes is threefold: Memorize the features of dangerous microbes that breach the body’s barriers. Launch an attack to bring them to heel. Then squirrel away intel to quash future assaults.Read “The Body Is Far From Helpless Against Coronavirus Variants” >>
…The immune system is comprehensive, capable of dueling with just about every microbe it meets. It’s archival, ace at memorizing the details of its victories and defeats. It might be complicated, but it is also, simply put, cool as hell.
Side effects from the second Covid-19 vaccine are just a sign that protection is kicking in as it should.
When hit with the second injection, the immune system recognizes the onslaught, and starts to take it even more seriously. The body’s encore act, uncomfortable though it might be, is evidence that the immune system is solidifying its defenses against the virus.Read “The Second COVID-19 Shot Is a Rude Reawakening for Immune Cells”
“By the second vaccine, it’s already amped up and ready to go,” said Jasmine Marcelin, an infectious-disease physician at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Fortunately, side effects resolve quickly, whereas COVID-19 can bring on debilitating, months-long symptoms and has killed more than 2 million people.
FYI: The Atlantic Monthly, usually subscription based, offers free coronavirus coverage to any and all readers. Catch up on solid investigation and writing >>
***
WHO Wuhan mission finds possible signs of wider original outbreak in 2019. Investigators from the World Health Organization (WHO) looking into the origins of coronavirus in China have discovered signs the outbreak was much wider in Wuhan in December 2019 than previously thought, and are urgently seeking access to hundreds of thousands of blood samples from the city that China has not so far let them examine.
The lead investigator for the WHO mission, Peter Ben Embarek, told CNN in a wide-ranging interview that the mission had found several signs of the more wide-ranging 2019 spread, including establishing for the first time there were over a dozen strains of the virus in Wuhan already in December. The team also had a chance to speak to the first patient Chinese officials said had been infected, an office worker in his 40s, with no travel history of note, reported infected on December 8.
***
Profanity alert! Yes, Corey Ryan Forrester uses “hardcore” language to express his frustrated opinion but listen to him anyway. And, if, essentially, you agree with him, speak up and speak out in your state, town, and neighborhood (minus the profanity)….Another way of thinking about at it (and an opportunity to examine your own assumptions and actions): “History Will Judge the Complicit. Why have Republican leaders abandoned their principles in support of an immoral and dangerous president?”
Healthy planet, anyone?
Around the world, coastal waters are steadily growing darker. This darkening—a change in the water’s color and clarity—has the potential to cause huge problems for oceans and their inhabitants.Read “Coastal Darkening Is a Hidden Environmental Nuisance" >>
“It’s affecting the quality of the sea we know,” says Oliver Zielinski, who runs the Coastal Ocean Darkening project at the University of Oldenburg in Germany. These “changes in the physics will lead to biological changes,” he adds.
Some of the causes behind ocean darkening are well understood: Fertilizer might enter the water and cause an algal bloom, or boats might stir up light-blocking silt. But other causes are murkier. During heavy rains, for instance, organic matter—primarily from decaying plants and loose soil—can enter oceans as a brown, light-blocking slurry. This process is well documented in rivers and lakes, but has largely been overlooked in coastal areas.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
We’re heading towards one year of lockdown in South Africa. Initially, I’d planned to create a day-by-day record how South Africans in my small part of the country acted and reacted to the unfolding pandemic. I’d overlooked the reality: that I’d have to expose myself to contracting the virus to do that. Instead, I’ve focused on the obstacles I face daily in creating a safer environment for my 87-year-old mother under pandemic conditions. Today, at Lockdown Level 2, South Africans wear masks and sanitize on entering stores, but it appears much else is business as usual.Biz as usual can’t be true for people having to work or to find work.
The range of experiences in that category - “people having to work or find work” - however, is enormous.
I had a small view of that yesterday when I young man arrived at the security gate. He carried what South Africans call a “bush cutter” (Americans call it a “weed whacker”).
Our gardener has been too weak, post illness, to cull the over-human-height weeds outside the house. This, while we’re trying to sell my mother’s house, gives a bad first impression: no “curb appeal.”
I negotiated with the bush cutter-wielding man through the gate and we agreed upon a price and the extent of work.
I also asked if he had water to drink. He said he had nothing – to drink or to eat.
I asked our domestic worker to make him a serving of sandwiches and a drink.
She went a step further and offered him lunch, too. I’d assumed the cutting wouldn’t require him staying around until lunch time but … his choice.
After finishing the cutting and his lunch, he set off to seek further work.
I learned later that he’d travelled more than 15 kilometers, from a more upscale neighborhood to seek work here. How did he travel? Who knows? Taxi? Bus? Ride with a friend?
Life for most young South Africans is hard.
Imagine having to stalk various neighborhood carrying a bush cutter– and fuel to run it - and offer your services through well-defended security gates. “Hit or miss” trivializes a day-to-day reality and doesn’t begin to cover the stress of such a life.
Moreover, under “normal” conditions, that is, our gardener being healthy, I’d have rebuffed this young man’s offer of service.
It’s sobering to think of him trying his best, day after day after day, to make enough money to eat, seek work, and fuel his bush cutter.
***
Hoping to find her less tired, I visited my mother during the 3pm – 4pm visitor slot. Alas, she was just as tired, if not more so, during that time. I asked if she’d like me to bring photos of the good old days: Bobby the dog, Jacko the pet monkey, Teaser, Squibs, Gypsy, Robin, Janet the horses…. She nodded.As has been said before by people far wiser than I: Old age is not for the squeamish.
Day 325 Sunday, February 14 - Foregone conclusion
News blues…
As predicted, the second impeachment of Donald J Trump limped to its sordid conclusion with an overall win for Republican Party White Power and White Rule.Goodbye Great American Experiment in Democracy.
The potential buyer of the house signed the papers but asked that he have until Monday – tomorrow – to confirm the purchase. He’s 95 percent convinced it’s the right house for his soon-to-marry son. The configuration of upstairs bedrooms, however, gives him pause. I agree with that assessment. But, oh, how I pray he’ll go for the buy!
Visited my mom at the 10am visitors’ hour yesterday. She was asleep. Went for a quick swim and, when I returned, she was still asleep. Today, I’ll visit her at the 3pm visitors’ hour. Perhaps that’ll ensure time with her.
The US continues down the Kafkaesque rabbit role of impeachment. Isn’t it a foregone conclusion that Republicans will not vote to impeach? They will always come up with some twisting of reality to conclude whatever it takes to not acknowledge wrongdoing…. Sad.
President Ramaphosa said that an “unrelenting and comprehensive response” to overcome the coronavirus was fundamental to the nation’s recovery and that all provinces had rollout plans in place as the first vaccines come through.
The US federal government this week finalized the purchase of 100 million additional doses of vaccine each from Moderna and Pfizer, whose Covid-19 vaccines are the only ones so far authorized for U.S. use.
I thought more vaccine sooner would be a no-brainer: “just do it!”
Alas, it’s not that straight forward.
If only ethical and moral courage was contagious. Imagine a pandemic of that sort….
To present something of a decent first impression, I braved the oppressively 28C hot summer day and mowed one section of lawn.
I discovered one can mow a lawn with only three wheels on the lawn mower.
I’d discovered last year that the wheels tend to fall off the new lawn mower. Back then, I’d stopped the mower and reattached the wheel. That takes time I didn’t have yesterday, so I simply carried on mowing. I’m happy to report a three-wheel mower works fine.
Post-speech commentary: Tough times ahead….
Then, sign up for a webinar on President Ramaphosa’s speech: Unpack the SoNA.
According to Atlantic staff writer Katherine J. Wu,:
In California, my daughter visited my houseboat. To cap, I’d purchased an elderly houseboat 1.5 years ago, lived in it for 6 mos, returned to SA to take care of my mother for 3 mos, got locked down, and I’m still here.
I pay marina fees each month yet no one is taking care of my boat while I’m away. Friends who agreed regularly to check in on the houseboat have not done so. Nevertheless, according to my daughter, the boat “looks good; some leaf litter but no damage”.
Yay! Things are looking up….
Week 46
Worldwide (Map)
February 11, 2021 – 107,324,00 confirmed infections; 2,354,000 deaths
January 6 – 87,157,000 confirmed infections; 1,882,100 deaths
The state has identified two cases of the variant, Newsom said: one in Alameda County and one in Santa Clara County, both of which are part of the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
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| Senate Republicans – Profiles in Sycophancy © David Horsey, 2021 Tribune Content Agency |
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| © Joel Pett, 2021 Tribune Content Agency |
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| (c) Disney Co |
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
The potential buyer of the house signed the papers but asked that he have until Monday – tomorrow – to confirm the purchase. He’s 95 percent convinced it’s the right house for his soon-to-marry son. The configuration of upstairs bedrooms, however, gives him pause. I agree with that assessment. But, oh, how I pray he’ll go for the buy!Visited my mom at the 10am visitors’ hour yesterday. She was asleep. Went for a quick swim and, when I returned, she was still asleep. Today, I’ll visit her at the 3pm visitors’ hour. Perhaps that’ll ensure time with her.
Day 324 Saturday, February 13 - Contingencies
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| © Steve Breen Copyright 2021 Creators Syndicate |
The US continues down the Kafkaesque rabbit role of impeachment. Isn’t it a foregone conclusion that Republicans will not vote to impeach? They will always come up with some twisting of reality to conclude whatever it takes to not acknowledge wrongdoing…. Sad.
News blues…
The first batch of 80,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccination doses will arrive in South Africa next week. A further 500,000 J&J vaccines arriving in the next month. In total, SA has secured 9 million doses of the J&J vaccine. (Hmmm, the total population is 58.5 million….)President Ramaphosa said that an “unrelenting and comprehensive response” to overcome the coronavirus was fundamental to the nation’s recovery and that all provinces had rollout plans in place as the first vaccines come through.
“This year, we must do everything in our means to contain and overcome this pandemic. This means intensifying our prevention efforts and strengthening our health system. … It also means that we must undertake a huge vaccination programme to save lives and dramatically reduce infections across the population. ”
***
The devil is in the details. The US federal government this week finalized the purchase of 100 million additional doses of vaccine each from Moderna and Pfizer, whose Covid-19 vaccines are the only ones so far authorized for U.S. use.
I thought more vaccine sooner would be a no-brainer: “just do it!”
Alas, it’s not that straight forward.
Pfizer… pledged 300 million shots, discovered that its vials contained enough vaccine for six doses instead of the planned five, sought, and won, FDA authorization for health care providers to use those extra doses.“Ultra-efficient syringes”? Hmmm…
[But] Pfizer later reduced the number of vials it planned to deliver to the United States because of the FDA's ruling, contingent on the availability of the ultra-efficient syringes needed to extract a sixth dose.
***
The Lincoln Project: my favorite co-founder of The Lincoln Project and former Republican just resigned from the Project’s board.
Schmidt, a longtime Republican strategist, said he was “incandescently angry” about John Weaver [accused of sending sexually explicit messages via email or in phone calls to some 20 men, including to employees of The Lincoln Project.].Amid all the cynicism that Republican politicians have displayed over the last four Trump-addled years and continue to display during the farce of an impeachment, Steve Schmidt displays ethical and moral courage. Instead of the usual kowtowing to success and reaping benefits, he shows spine and the courage of his thought-through convictions.
…in a rambling, startling statement Schmidt posted on Twitter in which Schmidt revealed being the victim of molestation as a boy at camp. “I detest John Weaver in a way I can’t articulate,” he said when he first learned of Weaver’s behavior last month.
Regardless of his feelings about Weaver, Schmidt also said he was “enormously proud” of what The Lincoln Project has accomplished.
If only ethical and moral courage was contagious. Imagine a pandemic of that sort….
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
I’m eagerly anticipating a second visit from the first buyer who accepted my counteroffer on the house. He and his father – the money man – are due at 5pm today.To present something of a decent first impression, I braved the oppressively 28C hot summer day and mowed one section of lawn.
I discovered one can mow a lawn with only three wheels on the lawn mower.
I’d discovered last year that the wheels tend to fall off the new lawn mower. Back then, I’d stopped the mower and reattached the wheel. That takes time I didn’t have yesterday, so I simply carried on mowing. I’m happy to report a three-wheel mower works fine.
Day 323 Friday, February 12 - Steady as she goes
News blues…
President Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SoNA) . The first 10-plus minute are greetings; scroll to 10:35 mins to begin the speech.Post-speech commentary: Tough times ahead….
Then, sign up for a webinar on President Ramaphosa’s speech: Unpack the SoNA.
***
How dangerous is South Africa's coronavirus variant? Good overview of coronavirus variants and vaccines …. (15:18 mins)***
Why are vaccines given in the upper arm?According to Atlantic staff writer Katherine J. Wu,:
Targeting shots to the deltoid muscle hits a perfect sweet spot for vaccines, distributing their contents quickly, without diluting or destroying the important ingredients. Muscles are rife with blood vessels, which disperse the vaccine’s contents throughout the body and provide a conduit for immune cells to move back and forth from the injection site. They are also naturally chock full of “messenger” immune cells, which can quickly grab hold of the bits of the vaccine that resemble the coronavirus and carry them to the rest of the immune system. This baton pass kick-starts the production of antibodies and other disease-fighting molecules and cells.
Injecting a vaccine directly into the blood would water it down too quickly, depriving immune cells of the opportunity to learn from it. Spiking it into a fattier tissue, such as the buttocks, would slow the process down too much because fat isn’t laced with as many blood vessels, and is also lacking in many of those crucial messenger cells.
***
The Lincoln Project 31 January 2021: 417.12 ppm
This time last year: 414.50 ppm
10 years ago: 392.19 ppm
Pre-industrial base: 280
Safe level: 350
Atmospheric CO2 reading from Mauna Loa, Hawaii (part per million). Source: NOAA-ESRL
Scientists have warned for more than a decade that concentrations of more than 450ppm risk triggering extreme weather events and temperature rises as high as 2C, beyond which the effects of global heating are likely to become catastrophic and irreversible.
***
Biden's new conservation corps stirs hopes of nature-focused hiring spree:Nearly a century ago, the US faced unemployment at 25% and environmental woes such as flooding along major rivers and extensive deforestation. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt decided to tackle these emergencies simultaneously by creating the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) as part of his New Deal.
Through its nine-year existence, Roosevelt’s “Tree Army” put an impressive 3 million jobless Americans to work. All in all, CCC enrollees planted more than 3bn trees, paved 125,000 miles of roadways, erected 3,000 fire lookouts, and spent 6m workdays fighting forest fires. The artifacts from this ambitious effort – such as trails and structures dotting the Grand Canyon national park or the Pacific Coast Trail – are beloved today.
… Now, as the ongoing pandemic has wrought the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression, Roosevelt’s public jobs programs are back in the spotlight. As part his recent climate policy spree, Biden announced the establishment of a “Civilian Climate Corps Initiative” that could harness the energy of the very generation that must face – and solve – the climate crisis by putting them to work in well-paying conservation jobs.
After Biden’s omnibus executive order, the heads of the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture and other departments have 90 days to present their plan to “mobilize the next generation of conservation and resilience workers”, a step toward fulfilling Biden’s promise to get the US on track to conserve 30% of lands and oceans by 2030.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Still running around like a crazy lady… and one set of buyers dropped out without making an offer. But… the buyer who has made an offer, and received a counteroffer, will be back tomorrow afternoon … and bring the “money man” with him. There’s still hope of a sale.***
In Howick, my mother still getting stronger….In California, my daughter visited my houseboat. To cap, I’d purchased an elderly houseboat 1.5 years ago, lived in it for 6 mos, returned to SA to take care of my mother for 3 mos, got locked down, and I’m still here.
I pay marina fees each month yet no one is taking care of my boat while I’m away. Friends who agreed regularly to check in on the houseboat have not done so. Nevertheless, according to my daughter, the boat “looks good; some leaf litter but no damage”.
Yay! Things are looking up….
Week 46
Day 322 Thursday, February 11 - Looking ahead
Worldwide (Map) February 11, 2021 – 107,324,00 confirmed infections; 2,354,000 deaths
January 6 – 87,157,000 confirmed infections; 1,882,100 deaths
December 3 – 64,469,710 confirmed infections; 1,492,100 deaths
US (Map)
February 11, 2021 – 27,285,150 confirmed infections; 471,450 deaths
January 6 – 21,294,100 confirmed infections; 361,100 deaths
US (Map)
February 11, 2021 – 27,285,150 confirmed infections; 471,450 deaths
January 6 – 21,294,100 confirmed infections; 361,100 deaths
December 3 – 13,920,000 confirmed infections; 273,370 deaths
SA (Coronavirus portal)
February 11, 2021 – 1,482,412 confirmed infections; 47,145 deaths
January 6 – 1,150,000 confirmed infections; 30,525 deaths
SA (Coronavirus portal)
February 11, 2021 – 1,482,412 confirmed infections; 47,145 deaths
January 6 – 1,150,000 confirmed infections; 30,525 deaths
December 3 – 796,475 confirmed infections; 21,710 deaths
The more infectious variant of he coronavirus first identified in South Africa has surfaced in California for the first time, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday. News blues…
Is the pandemic in tenuous retreat? New COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths all dropped this week.The good news in COVID-19 data continued this week, as new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths all dropped. For the seven-day period running January 28 to February 3, weekly new cases were down more than 16 percent over the previous week, and dropped below 1 million for the first time since the week of November 5. This is still an astonishing number of new cases a week, but far better than the nearly 1.8 million cases reported the week of January 14. Tests also declined nationally, but by less than 3 percent, nowhere near enough to explain the steep drop in cases.
***
The state has identified two cases of the variant, Newsom said: one in Alameda County and one in Santa Clara County, both of which are part of the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
***
President Ramaphosa addresses the nation tonight at 7pm. Afterwards, Unpack the SoNA – a webinar
At 9:15am three more people in two more small trucks arrived to carry off two large chest freezers I’d sold.
After all visitors completed a series of vehicle moves to allow the trucks access to load the freezers, yet another visitor arrived. He’d dropped by unexpectedly after I’d texted him asking for advice on what to with what seems like miles of tangled electrical cable.
An electricity expert, the third visitor reminded me a key ingredient in electrical cable is copper, much sought after and sells well. (It is, after all, what thieves risk their lives for when they steal Eskom cabling from live overhead transmission lines.)
Note on Eskom: I received my first Eskom newsletter and it explains how “non payment” is a serious threat to the business and that “payment for services is a universal principle, and by ensuring that everyone pays for electricity, Eskom could ensure the future electricity tariffs are kept as low as possible.”
From 2017 to 2020, Eskom incurred costs to the value of as much as R188m related to theft, illegal connections, and vandalism of the electricity network. The cost over the last three years was R53m at March 2018, R64m at March last year and R71m as at the end of March. This excludes the loss of revenue.
No company can sustain this kind of financial damage. Nevertheless, it doesn’t help that the company’s communications via app regarding load shedding is so confusing. One minute a notice comes regarding an imminent 2.5 hour period without power, next minute the opposite information arrives: “load shedding suspended.”
The good news? My mother continues to improve although she’s still very weak.
Healthy planet, anyone?
The world’s most commonly used family of pesticides, developed in the 1990s as a “safer” alternative, may be harming mammals, too. Bees, essential for crop pollination, have been especially hard hit by neonics—and the EU has banned the outdoor use of three popular types. Exposure to neonics “reduces sperm production and increases abortions and skeletal abnormalities in rats; suppresses the immune response of mice and the sexual function of Italian male wall lizards; impairs mobility of tadpoles; increases miscarriage and premature birth in rabbits; and reduces survival of red-legged partridges, both adults and chicks,” Elizabeth Royte writes for Nat Geo.Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Yesterday morning, 8:30am, a trio of potential buyers and the realtor came by the house for a third visit with a view to purchase. They lined up their vehicles next to the carport.At 9:15am three more people in two more small trucks arrived to carry off two large chest freezers I’d sold.
After all visitors completed a series of vehicle moves to allow the trucks access to load the freezers, yet another visitor arrived. He’d dropped by unexpectedly after I’d texted him asking for advice on what to with what seems like miles of tangled electrical cable.
An electricity expert, the third visitor reminded me a key ingredient in electrical cable is copper, much sought after and sells well. (It is, after all, what thieves risk their lives for when they steal Eskom cabling from live overhead transmission lines.)
Note on Eskom: I received my first Eskom newsletter and it explains how “non payment” is a serious threat to the business and that “payment for services is a universal principle, and by ensuring that everyone pays for electricity, Eskom could ensure the future electricity tariffs are kept as low as possible.”
From 2017 to 2020, Eskom incurred costs to the value of as much as R188m related to theft, illegal connections, and vandalism of the electricity network. The cost over the last three years was R53m at March 2018, R64m at March last year and R71m as at the end of March. This excludes the loss of revenue.
No company can sustain this kind of financial damage. Nevertheless, it doesn’t help that the company’s communications via app regarding load shedding is so confusing. One minute a notice comes regarding an imminent 2.5 hour period without power, next minute the opposite information arrives: “load shedding suspended.”
***
Driving to visit my mother, driving back to ensure the house is secure, packing up stuff to sell, driving to the recycling center, charity shop, and scrap yard, and placing goods on the lawn for passersby to take (the best way to recycle), seeking and not finding the right fitting for the hose pipe to connect to the power washer to clean the large rug the dog pissed on…. and trying to fit in exercise (walking and swimming) to ensure I’m not injured by some small but necessary task…. I am exhausted. The good news? My mother continues to improve although she’s still very weak.
I'm optimistic. If - when? - a cash offer is made on the house, the future becomes clearer, a path forward becomes smoother, and it'll become easier to invest gobs for energy into what currently feel like overwhelmingly stupid but vital tasks (such as washing dog piss off a rug.)
Sell house, sell!
Lead House Manager Rep. Jamie Raskin presents graphic video timeline of Jan. 6 attack on U.S. Capitol (13:13 mins)
Conclusion of House Manager Raskin’s emotional appeal to Senate on Day 1 of impeachment trial (8:36 mins)
The Lincoln Project:
Sometimes, I’ve wondered if he has been, well, just a bit over the top: he refuses to enter grocery stores, instead ordering online, driving to the store where assistants deliver groceries directly into his vehicle’s trunk/boot and, back home, sanitizing all purchases. During his daily walk around the neighborhood, he berates other walkers who don’t wear masks….
This friend’s health care provider warned that they’d not dispense vaccinations until at least late summer, 2021. Then, a miracle! My friend heard via the online grapevine that the State of California has opened vaccination sites in Los Angeles, San Jose (“Silicon Valley”) and San Francisco. What’s more, one could make appointments for two-dose vaccinations.
He drove for more than an hour and reached San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center well before his 9:30am appointment. He was immediately attended to, and he processed out of the facility by 10:15am.
Yay! California! Yay, Biden administration! Yay, the resurgence of bureaucratic competence in the United States.
Now, to bring down the rate of infection and death.
Currently, the US is more than twice the rate of infection and death than its closest competition: 26+ million in US, 10+ in India (and India has twice the population).
Competence counts!
Things are looking up!
Convict (0:55 mins)
Now This: Trump's Impeachment Defense, Debunked (4:33 mins)
What to say?
Stubborn is as stubborn does!
He set about weeding … something badly needed and not too taxing.
The third person who saw the house on the first day it was advertised, made a reasonable-enough all-cash offer. (The first couple that saw it made an unreasonable offer. I refused it and they didn’t make a counteroffer.)
Another party inspected the house yesterday and appear interested. Ironically, if they purchased, they’d create a medical step-down facility. They’d offer elderly folks a place recuperate with their pets and the ability to garden. Nice idea. Perhaps I could check my mother in…
Now to work out the nitty-gritty details.
Seems the concept of “as is” doesn’t mean much here. There’s talk of me having to erect a fence around the only section of swimming pool that doesn’t have a fence…and other annoying fixes.
Time will tell.
Same news, different angle: The roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine to South Africa’s health workers has been temporarily halted following results showing low efficacy against the South African variant of the coronavirus.
Chicken (0:25 mins)
Don’t be distracted (0:25 mins)
What he’s recovering from is still a mystery. He insists he did not have Covid-19, that “the doctor said his lungs are clear” … yet he has suffered debilitating fatigue and body aches.
I’m usually only in South Africa for up to three months and my regular sleep pattern resumes when I return to California.
Covid pandemic, frail mother, etc., changed all that and I’ve suffered a sleep deficit for months. Last week, a friendly “organic” over the counter medication ended that regime. For the past few nights, I’ve slept from 7 to 8 hours each night.
Luxury thy name is sleep!
And, an oldy but goody: Sunday morning coming down (4:30 mins)
And, “The vaccines that could stop Covid-19”
After some weeks, I spread fresh compost in the garden, or continued to store the rest to use “next spring.”
That stored compost is beautiful: dark, organically aromatic, and chock-a-block with earthworms. I’m amazed at what nature wrought (along with a concrete mixer and a determined composter).
I’m now in the process of moving batches of the bagged compost to the small, manageable garden of my new home. The six original bags are way too heavy for me to move alone, so I divided each bag into 4 smaller bags. Two batches have been delivered and, today, I’ll deliver the last batch of 4 smaller bags to my new garden.
Hadedah ibis regularly visit that garden hunting for earthworms.
Day 321 Wednesday, February 10 - Congratulations, vaccinations!
 |
| Sign up for COVID-19 vaccine notifications |
Notice in California:
Get notified when it’s your turn to get the COVID-19 vaccine. If you’re near San Francisco, Los Angeles, or San Diego, you can also schedule your appointment.
Everyone in California will have an opportunity to get vaccinated against COVID-19. But our vaccine supply is limited right now. So we’re starting with the groups who are at highest risk, like people with a high chance of exposure and people 65 and older. Are you eligible?
News blues…
As Americans struggle to survive an out-of-control pandemic and clean up after Trump (the White House), and the Trumpies’ mess of the federal government, Trump’s second impeachment commences. Historical moments:Lead House Manager Rep. Jamie Raskin presents graphic video timeline of Jan. 6 attack on U.S. Capitol (13:13 mins)
Conclusion of House Manager Raskin’s emotional appeal to Senate on Day 1 of impeachment trial (8:36 mins)
***
Calendar it:- President Ramaphosa will address the nation tomorrow night, Thursday, at 7pm.
- Register for the Webinar: Unpacking the SoNA
The 2021 State of the Nation Address (SONA) to be delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 11 February 2021-
Theme Following up on our commitments: making your future work better will reflect the devastation the coronavirus pandemic has on almost every sector of the South African economy and on ordinary people’s lives.
***
The Lincoln Project:
The case against Donald J. Trump (0:50 mins)
Branded (0:55 mins)
Branded (0:55 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
Pollution from power plants, vehicles and other sources accounted for one in five of all deaths in 2018, with fossil fuels causing 8.7m deaths globally in 2018. |
| Guardian graphic. Source: Harvard University. Deaths attributable to exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) generated by fossil fuel combustion |
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
A good friend from California has been perseverating for months about Covid-19. He has some health vulnerabilities, so he’s extra cautious about protecting himself, his family, friends, and neighbors.Sometimes, I’ve wondered if he has been, well, just a bit over the top: he refuses to enter grocery stores, instead ordering online, driving to the store where assistants deliver groceries directly into his vehicle’s trunk/boot and, back home, sanitizing all purchases. During his daily walk around the neighborhood, he berates other walkers who don’t wear masks….
This friend’s health care provider warned that they’d not dispense vaccinations until at least late summer, 2021. Then, a miracle! My friend heard via the online grapevine that the State of California has opened vaccination sites in Los Angeles, San Jose (“Silicon Valley”) and San Francisco. What’s more, one could make appointments for two-dose vaccinations.
He drove for more than an hour and reached San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center well before his 9:30am appointment. He was immediately attended to, and he processed out of the facility by 10:15am.
Yay! California! Yay, Biden administration! Yay, the resurgence of bureaucratic competence in the United States.
Now, to bring down the rate of infection and death.
Currently, the US is more than twice the rate of infection and death than its closest competition: 26+ million in US, 10+ in India (and India has twice the population).
Competence counts!
***
Yesterday I visited TOPS, the alcohol off sales store. I purchased a bottle of grapefruit flavored rum – with my homemade mint syrup I look forward to an occasional mojito. I also purchased a bottle of (cheapish) tequila. Now I seek an easy to make but delicious margarita mix recipe.Things are looking up!
Day 320 Tuesday, February 9 - Forward momentum!
News blues…
New variants raise worry about COVID-19 as scientists discovered a new version of the virus in South Africa that’s more contagious and less susceptible to certain treatments.Evidence is mounting that having COVID-19 may not protect against getting infected again with some of the new variants. People also can get second infections with earlier versions of the coronavirus if they mounted a weak defense the first time, new research suggests.Let’s be careful out there, people. Wear your mask, keep your distance, ventilate your facility, sanitize your hands…
How long immunity lasts from natural infection is one of the big questions in the pandemic. Scientists still think reinfections are fairly rare and usually less serious than initial ones, but recent developments around the world have raised concerns.
In South Africa, a vaccine study found new infections with a variant in 2% of people who previously had an earlier version of the virus.
In Brazil, several similar cases were documented with a new variant there. Researchers are exploring whether reinfections help explain a recent surge in the city of Manaus, where three-fourths of residents were thought to have been previously infected.
In the United States, a study found that 10% of Marine recruits who had evidence of prior infection and repeatedly tested negative before starting basic training were later infected again. That work was done before the new variants began to spread, said one study leader, Dr. Stuart Sealfon of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
“Previous infection does not give you a free pass,” he said. “A substantial risk of reinfection remains.”
***
The Lincoln Project on the cusp of Trump’s second impeachment:Convict (0:55 mins)
Now This: Trump's Impeachment Defense, Debunked (4:33 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
Big Business squirms as Biden tightens climate regulations. Corporate America has made bold pledges to fight climate change, but it's resisting government efforts to hold it to them.Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
First the good/bad news: My mother is looking a lot more perky. She’s still very weak, can hardly speak, and, sitting in her Laziboy chair, can slowly move her hands and legs. Nevertheless, a Care Center staff person phone me yesterday afternoon to report that dear old stubborn mom had tried to climb out of her Laziboy and had fallen – again! This time, however, no bones broken and no discernible damage done.What to say?
Stubborn is as stubborn does!
***
Our gardener returned to work yesterday. He’s a mere shadow of his former “bonny” – that is, plump – self. In two weeks he lost at least 20 pounds/10kgs. Moreover, he claims he did not have Covid. Rather, the doctor suggests he may have an ulcer, or a similar stomach ailment. He set about weeding … something badly needed and not too taxing.
***
Looks like we have a buyer for the house! The third person who saw the house on the first day it was advertised, made a reasonable-enough all-cash offer. (The first couple that saw it made an unreasonable offer. I refused it and they didn’t make a counteroffer.)
Another party inspected the house yesterday and appear interested. Ironically, if they purchased, they’d create a medical step-down facility. They’d offer elderly folks a place recuperate with their pets and the ability to garden. Nice idea. Perhaps I could check my mother in…
Now to work out the nitty-gritty details.
Seems the concept of “as is” doesn’t mean much here. There’s talk of me having to erect a fence around the only section of swimming pool that doesn’t have a fence…and other annoying fixes.
Time will tell.
Day 319 Monday, February 8 - Normalcy?
News blues…
South Africa suspends AstraZeneca vaccine drive as “the AstraZeneca vaccine appeared effective against the original strain, but not against the variant…”Same news, different angle: The roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine to South Africa’s health workers has been temporarily halted following results showing low efficacy against the South African variant of the coronavirus.
South African health workers will now receive the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine or the Pfizer vaccine, after the Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, on Sunday 7 February announced a major shift in the country’s vaccine roll-out.
The shift was necessitated by the publication of what the lead investigator in the Oxford/AstraZeneca trial, Professor Shabir Madhi, said were “disappointing results” showing that the vaccine did not work well against the South African variant of the coronavirus.
***
Sleep more! The coronavirus can cause insomnia and long-term changes in our nervous systems. But sleep could also be a key to ending the pandemic.
…several mysteries of how COVID-19 works converge on the question of how the disease affects our sleep, and how our sleep affects the disease. The virus is capable of altering the delicate processes within our nervous system, in many cases in unpredictable ways, sometimes creating long-term symptoms. Better appreciating the ties between immunity and the nervous system could be central to understanding COVID-19—and to preventing it.Read >> The Mysterious Link Between COVID-19 and Sleep
***
COVID 19 is a name for a mystery doctors are unravelling (12:25 mins)(Particularly interesting information for medical technophiles.) ***
The Lincoln ProjectChicken (0:25 mins)
Don’t be distracted (0:25 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
An excellent idea from citizens and residents of planet earth to citizens and residents of planet earth….A Paris court has convicted the French state of failing to address the climate crisis and not keeping its promises to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.
In what has been hailed as a historic ruling, the court found the state guilty of “non-respect of its engagements” aimed at combating global warming.
Billed the “affair of the century”, the legal case was brought by four French environmental groups after a petition signed by 2.3 million people.
“This is an historic win for climate justice. The decision not only takes into consideration what scientists say and what people want from French public policies, but it should also inspire people all over the world to hold their governments accountable for climate change in their courts,” said Jean-François Julliard, the executive director of Greenpeace France, one of the plaintiffs.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Mother’s mounting a comeback! My mother was much improved yesterday! Both eyes were open, she had more muscle control of her head and neck – that is, she held up her head and looked around – and, while still weak and slow, she moved her legs around more than I’ve seen her do in several weeks. There’s life in the old girl yet!***
Our gardener makes a comeback today, too. During our phone conversation yesterday, we agreed he’d return to work and we’d both keep in mind that he’s recovering, and that he’d take it slow. What he’s recovering from is still a mystery. He insists he did not have Covid-19, that “the doctor said his lungs are clear” … yet he has suffered debilitating fatigue and body aches.
***
I’m happy to report that my deep sleep pattern is improving. Generally, I suffer “jet lag” while I’m in South Africa. I chalk it up to travel 14,000 miles, a change in hemisphere, seasons, water, and food. I’m usually only in South Africa for up to three months and my regular sleep pattern resumes when I return to California.
Covid pandemic, frail mother, etc., changed all that and I’ve suffered a sleep deficit for months. Last week, a friendly “organic” over the counter medication ended that regime. For the past few nights, I’ve slept from 7 to 8 hours each night.
Luxury thy name is sleep!
Day 318 Sunday, February 7 - Sunday morning coming down
 |
| © Joe Heller, hellertoons.com |
And, an oldy but goody: Sunday morning coming down (4:30 mins)
News blues…
To booster shot with second vaccine or not to booster shot with second vaccine? That is the question... particularly among experts in the now-notoriously vaccine skittish US of A.Initially it looked like the efficacy after that one dose ― and before the second ― was about 50%. But that figure included everybody who got sick during that three- or four-week interval, and most had gotten sick in the first few days. Most likely, they encountered the virus either right before or right after getting the vaccine, before it had time to take effect.Read >> “Delay Second Doses? A Guide To The Latest COVID-19 Vaccine Debate”
Within 10 to 12 days after vaccination, enough time for the immune system to respond to the vaccine, incidence of disease fell sharply. Extrapolating from that, researchers concluded that efficacy from one dose was a lot higher than 50% after a few weeks, once the immune system had time to react.
That got some experts wondering: Why don’t we just give first shots to as many people as possible now, and then circle back to the second shots at a later date, when the supply is more plentiful?
***
More on good news on Covid vaccine… (3:50 mins)And, “The vaccines that could stop Covid-19”
***
Meanwhile, in South Africa,
…the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines begins rolling out to provinces this week [along with] a massive security plan involving armed guards, unmarked police cars and satellite tracking ... kicked into gear to prevent the precious cargo falling into criminal hands.
SA's first vaccine could be administered as soon as Wednesday, according the health department. Bio-pharmaceutical company Biovac will this week start sending trucks across SA to deliver the cargo….
Healthy planet, anyone?
Way to age!When Jon Sanders left Australia on his latest circumnavigation, which was to raise awareness about microplastics, there was no coronavirusRead >> “Anything but ordinary: the 81-year-old who has sailed around the world 11 times”
Like many people, 81-year-old Jon Sanders gets up and makes himself a coffee each morning. Instant, two sugars, milk. It’s a conventional start for a man who lives anything but an ordinary life.
Sanders this week became the oldest person to sail single-handedly around the world – a voyage to raise awareness about plastic pollution and one plagued by coronavirus at every port.
On 31 January, nursing cracked ribs from a night strapped into his bunk after giant waves engulfed his boat off Tahiti, the octogenarian sailed his old 39-foot yacht, the Perie Banou II, into Western Australia’s Fremantle Harbour, notching up his 11th solo navigation around the globe.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Over months last year, starting in winter, I made six large 50kbg bags of compost. Having access to an elderly concrete mixer made all the difference to what is usually back-breaking work. From kitchen scraps to leaves, pond weed, saw dust, wood ash, anything organic, went through my four step composting process: kitchen waste collected in a bin near the kitchen went into an aerated bin near the compost pile for a couple of week, then mixed into the compost pile, then into bags, then titrated with other ingredients into the concrete mixer, then churned, then stored in large sacks.After some weeks, I spread fresh compost in the garden, or continued to store the rest to use “next spring.”
That stored compost is beautiful: dark, organically aromatic, and chock-a-block with earthworms. I’m amazed at what nature wrought (along with a concrete mixer and a determined composter).
I’m now in the process of moving batches of the bagged compost to the small, manageable garden of my new home. The six original bags are way too heavy for me to move alone, so I divided each bag into 4 smaller bags. Two batches have been delivered and, today, I’ll deliver the last batch of 4 smaller bags to my new garden.
Hadedah ibis regularly visit that garden hunting for earthworms.
***
Load shedding is back! Power was off for first two hours of this morning. That was an easy one to live with - I was asleep. The next phase, from 8:00 to 10:30 am, is less manageable. Grrrrr, Eskom….
… and a comment on conspiracy theories and theorists (4:03 mins)
I’m now having to charge my iPhone 6 SE every hour or two. Along with all the other burdens – very ill mother, dealing with realtors to sell her property and her household goods (including a mountain of elderly tools and an elderly vehicle) a gardener with Covid and an overgrown garden amid a hot and wet summer, moving my own property to a new home, etc., - not trusting my communication device to communicate is one burden too many.
Buying a new iPhone lite – “the cheaper" $300-or-so version in the US – costs about R12,000 here – that’s more than $800! Yes, I could turn to an Android phone – I have access to an Android right now – but I use the iPhone to communicate easily with friends and family in the US who prefer iPhone features over Android (FaceTime, etc.). Little did I realize, when I purchased my (recycled) iPhone 6 SE several years ago, that I “bought into” Apple and iPhone. True, I should have realized realized the choice was a rerun of the PC/Apple choice of the 1980s. I bought into MSDOS and I’m still a user of PC over Apple.
I’m of the old school: someone who believes – contrary to current reality – that devices and other items “should” be interchangeable and last longer than one season of use.
Day 317 Saturday, February 6 - Progress?
News blues…
Dr Fauci on virus variants, including South Africa’s variant (7:03 mins)… and a comment on conspiracy theories and theorists (4:03 mins)
***
How accurate are official Covid death tolls?
Of concern in South Africa: “not all hospitals and provinces provide the same level of accuracy, the data cannot be verified.”
The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) publishes the number of excess deaths in 2020 and 2021 regularly, but many people try to explain it away by saying it is due to the lockdown, and not unreported Covid-19 cases.
Analysis of excess death figures in South Africa indicates that far more people were infected and died from Covid-19 than the official figures suggest. Covid-19 mortality to the week of 17 January 2021 is most probably in the range of 111,227 to 133,128, rather than the reported 34,828, three to four times more than the official data.
Based on these revised Covid-19 mortality figures, Professor. Alex van den Heever, chair of social security systems administration and management studies at the Wits School of Governance, estimates that the true level of Covid-19 infections may range from around 6 to 9 million, which is significantly higher than the reported 1.3 million.
…
Two basic theories are used to explain the deviation:
Read >> “6 to 9 million is the ‘true level’ of SA Covid-19 infections – expert”
- that the deaths could be directly due to SARS-COV-2 infections and the resulting disease, Covid-19 or
- that they are collateral deaths that could be indirectly linked to Covid-19, due to reduced health service access caused by lockdowns and delayed treatment, because people are scared of infection or they are told by hospitals to stay away to make space for Covid-19 patients.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Back in December, Apple Inc. faced lawsuits of about $217 million in several European countries seeking over misleading claims about the battery life of older iPhones, particularly the iPhone 6 series.The lawsuits mirror U.S. cases over claims that the company misled consumers about iPhone battery power and software updates that slowed the performance of the devices. The Cupertino, Calif., company last month agreed to pay $113 million to settle a case with multiple U.S. regulators. Meanwhile, customers are seeking approval from a U.S. court for a class-action settlement that could be worth as much as $500 million.Generally not someone who endorses lawsuits as a means of redress, I am heartily on board with this one. (Not that it helps me in any practical sense.)
I’m now having to charge my iPhone 6 SE every hour or two. Along with all the other burdens – very ill mother, dealing with realtors to sell her property and her household goods (including a mountain of elderly tools and an elderly vehicle) a gardener with Covid and an overgrown garden amid a hot and wet summer, moving my own property to a new home, etc., - not trusting my communication device to communicate is one burden too many.
Buying a new iPhone lite – “the cheaper" $300-or-so version in the US – costs about R12,000 here – that’s more than $800! Yes, I could turn to an Android phone – I have access to an Android right now – but I use the iPhone to communicate easily with friends and family in the US who prefer iPhone features over Android (FaceTime, etc.). Little did I realize, when I purchased my (recycled) iPhone 6 SE several years ago, that I “bought into” Apple and iPhone. True, I should have realized realized the choice was a rerun of the PC/Apple choice of the 1980s. I bought into MSDOS and I’m still a user of PC over Apple.
I’m of the old school: someone who believes – contrary to current reality – that devices and other items “should” be interchangeable and last longer than one season of use.
Grrrr to out-of-control consumer culture (aka, littering culture)….
The first couple loved the place, particularly the large and varied gardens. They returned later in the afternoon with their son, a builder who could evaluate cost of further work, two adult daughters and two grandchildren. They’d purchase the property to live and garden.
The second potential buyers was, as we might say in the US, “all hat and no cattle,”: lots of talk, some of it far removed from buying the property, and lots of offers of potential “deals” – some, ditto, far from the subject at hand.
The third potential buyer, also very interested, seeks an income generating property. He and his father, both builder/developers, would create 3 separate living spaces to rent.
My preference would be the first family. They’d do the garden justice. I’d love to show them where I’d created the compost pile, recycled the freezer to create a mini-greenhouse, and how to discourage the invasive cats claw creeper.
Today, will be – I hope – a less frenetic day. I can visit my mother, report the latest happenings to her, and, perhaps, arrange a way for her two grandchildren to fly from Jo’burg to visit her. That would have to be cleared with the Care Center’s one visitor per day per resident Covid policy.
Week 45
Worldwide (Map)
February 4 – 104,367,000 confirmed infections; 2,268,000 deaths
December 31 – 82,656000 confirmed infections; 1,8040100 deaths
US (Map)
February 4 – 26,555,000 confirmed infections; 450,680 deaths
December 31 – 19,737,200 confirmed infections; 342,260 deaths
SA (Tracker)
February 4 – 1,463,016 confirmed infections; 45,344 deaths
December 31 – 1,039,165 confirmed infections; 28,035 deaths
Finally, after a year of Trump and Trumpie nonsense and total lack of a concerted effort to quell the pandemic, it feels like the Biden administration is getting a handle on things. (Remember Trumpisms such as “like a miracle it will disappear”, “hydroxychloroquine is a cure all”, “inject light into the body”, and “swallow disinfectant”?)
After 37 years on the road, Greyhound and Citiliner, South Africa, are going out of business, ostensibly because of Covid-19 restrictions:
The Squalid (2:45 mins) In which they introduce the Band of “Shitrumpets”…
Ouch! (0:30 mins)
A bonanza!
I brought in a fresh and more determined realtor, one feeling the financial pinch brought on by Covid.
Let’s pray at least one of these sets makes an offer.
***
My mother was slightly better during yesterday’s visit. She looked through both eyes, tracked what I way saying and responded with nods or shakes of her head, and fidgeted in her Laziboy to denote discomfort with her position. She’s too weak to move herself into a more comfortable position and I’m not strong enough to effectively move her. But I took it as a good sign that she seeks more physical comfort. Two staff members assisted in moving her. Progress?
Day 316 Friday, February 5 - Don't worry, be happy
 |
| © Gary Larsen, The Far Side |
News blues…
Covid news of the day:
-
"We have uncontrolled viral spread in much of the world," says Adam Lauring, an infectious disease physician and virologist at the University of Michigan. "So the virus has a lot of opportunity to evolve."
Read >> National Geographic’s “Why some coronavirus variants are more contagious — and how we can stop them, - Coronavirus Antibodies Last For 'At Least 6 Months' For Most People A new study shows 88% of people retain COVID-19 immunity for longer than previously thought.
- SA coronavirus vaccine rollout plan
Healthy planet, anyone?
Is recycling enough?***
I appreciate succulents, too, but… A woman strapped nearly 1,000 succulents and endangered cacti to her body in an attempt to smuggle them into New Zealand. And she’s done this at least twice. This time she was sentenced to 100 hours of community work, the country's biosecurity ministry said.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
We had 3 – count ‘em, 3! – potential buyers visit the house yesterday.The first couple loved the place, particularly the large and varied gardens. They returned later in the afternoon with their son, a builder who could evaluate cost of further work, two adult daughters and two grandchildren. They’d purchase the property to live and garden.
The second potential buyers was, as we might say in the US, “all hat and no cattle,”: lots of talk, some of it far removed from buying the property, and lots of offers of potential “deals” – some, ditto, far from the subject at hand.
The third potential buyer, also very interested, seeks an income generating property. He and his father, both builder/developers, would create 3 separate living spaces to rent.
My preference would be the first family. They’d do the garden justice. I’d love to show them where I’d created the compost pile, recycled the freezer to create a mini-greenhouse, and how to discourage the invasive cats claw creeper.
Today, will be – I hope – a less frenetic day. I can visit my mother, report the latest happenings to her, and, perhaps, arrange a way for her two grandchildren to fly from Jo’burg to visit her. That would have to be cleared with the Care Center’s one visitor per day per resident Covid policy.
Week 45
Day 315 Thursday, February 4 - "Mutant variants"
Worldwide (Map) February 4 – 104,367,000 confirmed infections; 2,268,000 deaths
December 31 – 82,656000 confirmed infections; 1,8040100 deaths
US (Map)
February 4 – 26,555,000 confirmed infections; 450,680 deaths
December 31 – 19,737,200 confirmed infections; 342,260 deaths
SA (Tracker)
February 4 – 1,463,016 confirmed infections; 45,344 deaths
December 31 – 1,039,165 confirmed infections; 28,035 deaths
News blues…
News from US on Covid variants and hybrids, aka “mutant variants” – scroll to minute 18:26 – of 37:50 mins. Dr. Celine Gounder says, “this is absolutely not the time to let down your guard. You need to double down on the masking, the social distancing, the sanitizing, the good ventilation, the sticking to your ‘household bubbles’…”Finally, after a year of Trump and Trumpie nonsense and total lack of a concerted effort to quell the pandemic, it feels like the Biden administration is getting a handle on things. (Remember Trumpisms such as “like a miracle it will disappear”, “hydroxychloroquine is a cure all”, “inject light into the body”, and “swallow disinfectant”?)
***
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| © 2021 Joe Heller - Hellertoon.com |
“Declining passenger numbers and poor regulatory compliance in the bus passenger industry has resulted in both our brands - Greyhound and Citiliner - incurring significant losses for several years,” said Unitrans Passenger in a statement on Wednesday evening.(In the US, Greyhound - some of us call it Groundhog - continues to ply the highways and bi-ways.)
“The impact of Covid-19 regulations limiting inter-provincial travel and coach occupancy levels, and the closure of the Zimbabwe and Mozambique borders have exacerbated the situation," it added.
***
With the launch of the electronic vaccine data system (EVDS), health minister Zweli Mkhize said on Wednesday his department would do its best to make the vaccines available.
During a public health webinar chaired by Mkhize on Covid-19 inoculation, he said about 34,000 health-care workers had already registered on the data system for the vaccine.
***
The Lincoln Project: The Squalid (2:45 mins) In which they introduce the Band of “Shitrumpets”…
Ouch! (0:30 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
A recent UN-backed report states the vicious circle of cheap but damaging food is biggest destroyer of nature:The global food system is the biggest driver of destruction of the natural world, and a shift to predominantly plant-based diets is crucial in halting the damage, according to report by the Chatham House.Read >> “Plant-based diets crucial to saving global wildlife”
Agriculture is the main threat to 86% of the 28,000 species known to be at risk of extinction. Without change, the loss of biodiversity will continue to accelerate and threaten the world’s ability to sustain humanity, the report states.
The root cause is a vicious circle of cheap food, where low costs drive bigger demand for food and more waste, with more competition then driving costs even lower through more clearing of natural land and use of polluting fertilisers and pesticides.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Big day coming up: today, one set of potential house buyers arrives at 10am, another set at 12 noon, and a third set at 4:30pm. We’ve gone from zero viewers in 3 months under the sole mandate scenario to 3 sets in one day with another 2 sets waiting in the wings.A bonanza!
I brought in a fresh and more determined realtor, one feeling the financial pinch brought on by Covid.
Let’s pray at least one of these sets makes an offer.
With all this going on, I'm not sure how I’ll fit in a brief visit to my mother today. The Care Center has been liberal with my daily visits – although I’ve stuck to their morning visiting hours and not expected special treatment.
Other good news: the swimming pool opened yesterday. I’ll take advantage ... tomorrow….
Sarah Cooper I’m a lawyer for the Trump campaign (1:07 mins)
Atlantic Monthly’s review and an excerpt from it:
Enquiring minds wanna know.
If you ever find yourself in a similar situation – a very weak and fragile parent who’d once been robust and in a care center visit - that parent as much as you can.
Other good news: the swimming pool opened yesterday. I’ll take advantage ... tomorrow….
Day 314 Wednesday, February 3 - Do it anyway!
News blues…
President Ramaphosa on lockdown with restrictions eased: Booze & beaches are back as first vaccines arrive (6:12 mins)***
I Volunteered To Administer COVID-19 Vaccines. Here’s What I Saw During My Shift." ***
Coronavirus Pandemic’s Deadliest Month In U.S. Ends With Signs Of Progress. As the calendar turned to February, the number of Americans in the hospital with COVID-19 fell below 100,000 for the first time in two months. ***
The Lincoln Project Just like always (0:55 mins)Sarah Cooper I’m a lawyer for the Trump campaign (1:07 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
Working from home during Covid-19 has brought noise pollution close to home, whether it’s your partner making calls within earshot or grinding coffee during your Zoom interview. Now research suggests the animal kingdom is also disturbed by the noise of humans and our gadgets. As humans proliferate, we have penetrated deeper into wildlife habitats, creating a pervasive rise in environmental sound that not only directly affects the ability of animals to hear but indeed communicate. Emerging research suggests noise pollution, caused, for instance, by traffic, interferes with animal behaviour, including cognition and mating.Read >> “Human noise affects animal behaviour, studies show”
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
For those who think about psychology and culture and the how/why “we the people” got into the political mess we’re in – (wars, creeping fascism, political corruption, money as god, etc.) here’s something to chew upon: Joseph Heinrich’s book, The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous.Atlantic Monthly’s review and an excerpt from it:
Given the nature of the project, it may be a surprise that Henrich aspires to preach humility, not pride. WEIRD people have a bad habit of universalizing from their own particularities. They think everyone thinks the way they do, and some of them (not all, of course) reinforce that assumption by studying themselves.Enough quotes from the review. Read the book. I download it, free, from my local online library. It is long but worth the effort. (I’ve an undergrad degree in intercultural communication and grad work in adult learning. My interest includes culture shock as “an adult learning experience.” Heinrich's theses make sense to me.)
[and]
Given the nature of the project, it may be a surprise that Henrich aspires to preach humility, not pride. WEIRD people have a bad habit of universalizing from their own particularities. They think everyone thinks the way they do, and some of them (not all, of course) reinforce that assumption by studying themselves.
[and]
Democracy, the rule of law, and human rights “didn’t start with fancy intellectuals, philosophers, or theologians,” Henrich writes. “Instead, the ideas formed slowly, piece by piece, as regular Joes with more individualistic psychologies—be they monks, merchants, or artisans—began to form competing voluntary associations” and learned how to govern them. Toppling the accomplishments of Western civilization off their great-man platforms, he erases their claim to be monuments to rationality: Everything we think of as a cause of culture is really an effect of culture, including us.
[and]
It should be said, though, that Henrich can make a person feel pretty helpless, with his talk of populations being swept along by cultural riptides that move “outside conscious awareness.” Cultural evolutionary determinism may turn out to be as disempowering as all the other determinisms; a WEIRD reader may feel trapped inside her own prejudices. But perhaps some comfort lies in Henrich’s dazzling if not consistently plausible supply of unintended consequences.
***
After my close call as a pedestrian earlier this week, I read the following news with glee:Five former employees of the uMngeni licensing office in Howick, near Pietermaritzburg, will have their fate determined by the court on Wednesday when they appear on graft and corruption-related charges.Could it be that the many drivers who were willing to run me over in the pedestrian crossing (I was following direction from the pedestrian lights) had purchased their licences?
[They] are set to appear in the Durban specialised commercial crimes court, where they will be sentenced for fraud cases after they assisted scores of motor vehicle learner’s licence applicants to pass their tests.
Enquiring minds wanna know.
***
I hope the following advice isn’t necessary for you in your life but…If you ever find yourself in a similar situation – a very weak and fragile parent who’d once been robust and in a care center visit - that parent as much as you can.
It’s hard. It’s scary. It’s heartbreaking. It’s certainly emotionally painful.
But do it anyway.
Covid put a damper on visiting hours at the Care Center and, as of six weeks ago they shut down to all visitors although they allowed visitors only under certain conditions (dying, for example).
Covid put a damper on visiting hours at the Care Center and, as of six weeks ago they shut down to all visitors although they allowed visitors only under certain conditions (dying, for example).
Since they eased up recently and allow in one visitor per resident per day, I stiffen my spine and go every day at 10am, to see my mother folded over in the Laziboy chair.
I sit next to her, talk to her and she knows I’m there, she hears me, she tries to respond. I offer sips of tea or water (through a syringe as she’s too weak to use a sippy cup). I catch her up on news of the dogs, the monkeys, the garden, the gardener, and on appropriate business dealings.
When I realized earlier this week that I couldn’t go on Tuesday (yesterday) I arranged for my brother to visit her. Yes, its a 25-minute drive for him, but he’s the love of her life and, surely, the effort is worth it?
When I realized earlier this week that I couldn’t go on Tuesday (yesterday) I arranged for my brother to visit her. Yes, its a 25-minute drive for him, but he’s the love of her life and, surely, the effort is worth it?
He agreed to go.
I called him yesterday afternoon to check in with him on the visit.
Turns out, he hadn’t visited. If I hadn’t called him, he wouldn’t have mentioned that salient fact. His excuse? Something about someone having to "go to Durban." (So? With 3 vehicles in his household, one wasn’t available? How many vehicles needed for a trip to Durban?)
He says he’ll visit today.
I know he’s reluctant to visit as it’s upsetting. But she’d prefer he visit than anyone else – aside from her grandson (who won’t even send her a WhatsApp audio message to say, “I love you. I’m thinking of you.”
My point? Yes, it’s difficult.
I called him yesterday afternoon to check in with him on the visit.
Turns out, he hadn’t visited. If I hadn’t called him, he wouldn’t have mentioned that salient fact. His excuse? Something about someone having to "go to Durban." (So? With 3 vehicles in his household, one wasn’t available? How many vehicles needed for a trip to Durban?)
He says he’ll visit today.
I know he’s reluctant to visit as it’s upsetting. But she’d prefer he visit than anyone else – aside from her grandson (who won’t even send her a WhatsApp audio message to say, “I love you. I’m thinking of you.”
My point? Yes, it’s difficult.
But do it anyway!
California’s number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 slipped below 14,850 statewide, a drop of more than 25% in two weeks, according to the state Department of Public Health.
Even some stalwart Republicans are trying to address this radical Republican direction: Anti-Trump Republican Group Spearheads Campaign Against Pushers Of The “Big Lie” (5:00 mins)
I pressed the button for the pedestrian signal and, when it changed to green, like a well-trained pedestrian, I stepped into the painted walkway.
I quickly discovered the pedestrian right-of-way part of driver training doesn’t exist in of South Africa.
Vehicles, small and large, drove right at me. I shouted, waved my arms, pointed at the light. Alas, I may have been invisible. Drivers acted as my temerity to step into the road was an insult to their busy schedules.
By the time I reached the center median, my heart was thumping; my rapid breathing working my mask like a bellows.
Never again.
I learned my lesson. I choose life: Pedestrian walks are anathema! I’ll avoid them like, well, I avoid coronavirus.
Here’s hopin’…
Having visited every day since they eased restrictions two weeks ago, I’m emotionally drained. I look forward to a day off. Naturally, this does not mean I plan to curtail future visits, only that I’m happy to step aside if someone else plans to visit her. I’m determined that she’ll have at least one outside visitor a day.
Day 313 Tuesday, February 2 - "Hallelujah"
Have the new jab (4:20 mins)News blues…
South Africa officially shows a decreasing rate of Covid infection: 2,548 cases in 24 hours, the lowest in two months.California’s number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 slipped below 14,850 statewide, a drop of more than 25% in two weeks, according to the state Department of Public Health.
***
Meanwhile, the (US) Republican Party just gets weirder and weirder. It’s not really a surprise that that Party is anti-democracy – they’ve been fiddling with elections for years via gerrymandering, limiting voting rights, etc. Now, however, they’re going for broke:
Radicalized by four years of Trump’s presidency, angry over his loss, and emboldened by their own success in fending off Democratic dreams of flipping even a single state legislative chamber last fall, the GOP is ready to subvert democracy in state capitals nationwide. If Pennsylvania is any indication, Republicans could use their majorities to take a jackhammer to voting rights while curtailing the power of Democratic governors and legislators. They may even attempt to overhaul courts in a way that bends the justice system to their liking.Imagine living under unfettered Republicanism! The horror, the horror.
The Republicans who hold total control of 29 state legislatures are making clear that the authoritarian tendencies of the 45th president were a symptom of something deeper within the GOP.
Even some stalwart Republicans are trying to address this radical Republican direction: Anti-Trump Republican Group Spearheads Campaign Against Pushers Of The “Big Lie” (5:00 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
Human activity is fundamentally altering the distances the world’s animals need to move to live, hunt and forage, according to a study that examined the impact on more than 160 species across six continents.
All activities changed the behaviour of animals, but the study found destructive activities such as urbanisation and logging affected the movement of animals less than sporadic endeavours such as using aircraft, hunting and recreation.
As well as having a profound impact on the animals – like reducing their ability to feed and breed – the changes “point to a global restructuring of animal movement” that could have profound knock-on effects, says the study published today in the Nature Ecology and Evolution.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
I made a mistake today that could have cost my life! I crossed the road when the pedestrian light signaled it was safe for pedestrians!I pressed the button for the pedestrian signal and, when it changed to green, like a well-trained pedestrian, I stepped into the painted walkway.
I quickly discovered the pedestrian right-of-way part of driver training doesn’t exist in of South Africa.
Vehicles, small and large, drove right at me. I shouted, waved my arms, pointed at the light. Alas, I may have been invisible. Drivers acted as my temerity to step into the road was an insult to their busy schedules.
By the time I reached the center median, my heart was thumping; my rapid breathing working my mask like a bellows.
Never again.
I learned my lesson. I choose life: Pedestrian walks are anathema! I’ll avoid them like, well, I avoid coronavirus.
***
Today also marks a new chapter in the property selling proposition. Since the sole mandate period is over, I met with a new realtor and showed her around the property. Tomorrow, I’ll do the same for another realtor.Here’s hopin’…
***
My brother visits our mother today. Since only one visitor per day is allowed due to the Care Center’s stringent Covid Lockdown Level 3 protocols, I’m off the hook. Having visited every day since they eased restrictions two weeks ago, I’m emotionally drained. I look forward to a day off. Naturally, this does not mean I plan to curtail future visits, only that I’m happy to step aside if someone else plans to visit her. I’m determined that she’ll have at least one outside visitor a day.
How awful if, after my mother passes, I’m faced with wishing I’d visited more during her last days.
Republican efforts to disenfranchise Americans
I look forward to visiting TOPS (liquor store) for a rum refresher but more so, I pray the swimming pool will re-open.
The Lincoln Project: Leaders of The Lincoln Project, a conservative political action committee that opposes Donald Trump, denounced [Project] co-founder John Weaver on Sunday after a New York Times report revealed unwanted, sexually provocative messages he sent to several young men, sometimes alongside offers of professional favors.
Life right now is day-by-day with large dollops of acceptance. My new reality requires a new way of “seeing” my mother, a new way of talking to my mother, indeed, and altogether new way of talking. I know she’s listening to my monologs as I interrupt regularly to ask a question or offer a sip of tea through the syringe. She nods or shakes her head in response. I talk about the dogs, the monkeys, the excess water trying to escape through the culverts, and how the hadedah ibis flock to the water-logged lawns to seek worms.
Sometimes I bring my phone and show her photos of dogs and family members.
It’s a new way of being in the world.
More on that with co-founder Steve Schmidt (8:29 mins)
I play CDs when I visit: Dean Martin, Nat King Cole… easy listening that will remind her of the good old days.My mom loved to dance, especially cha-cha. Cha cha music is too lively under the circumstances….
New research suggesting that several Covid-19 vaccines are less effective against a variant first found in South Africa has increased pressure on President Joe Biden’s administration to speed inoculations and enforce basic public health measures like wearing masks.
He did! Right at 4pm he pulled up at the gate and honked/hooted.
I handed him the letters and photos I’ve carried to the local roads department office, showed him the culverts on both sides of the road, and explained the history of lack of service.
One thing he mentioned that I’d be on board with: a rates/property tax boycott. If enough property owners stop paying monthly rates/property taxes if may get enough attention on the lack of service delivery (culverts, extravagant potholes in every local road, overgrown vegetation, etc.
On the other hand, it may not. This, after all, is South Africa: always expect the unexpected….
I brought in the neighbor’s gardener to mow. At least the grass will look less unkempt when realtors come over.
My mother was slumped in her wheelchair when I arrived. Other than slumping further, she barely moved. I dribbled tea into her mouth using a syringe.
After this “outing” she was wheeled back in to her room and laid out on her bed. To prevent pressure sores, aka bedsores, she was placed on her side and propped up with pillows.
My proud mother would HATE to be seen like this.
I hate to see her like this.
Day 312 Monday, February 1 - The Shadow
In Jungian psychology, the shadow is either an unconscious aspect of the personality that the conscious ego does not identify in itself; or the entirety of the unconscious, i.e., everything of which a person is not fully conscious. In short, the shadow is one’s unknown side. Or, for brevity:The times we’re living in – particularly in the United States are fraught with The Shadow. We the People of good intention appear loathe to accept what’s going on in the US Congress: a concerted effort to disenfranchise vast swathes of Americans, largely because they’re the “wrong” color, the “wrong” ethnicity, the “wrong” ideology….
The shadow’ is the side of your personality that contains all the parts of yourself that you don’t want to admit having.
News blues…
We Have A Real Life Fascist Movement in America (10:46 mins)Republican efforts to disenfranchise Americans
***
In South Africa, we evaluate the pandemic by access to alcohol. This week, the news is good as the ban on the sales and distribution of alcohol is expected to be lifted. The country is expected to move to a lower Covid-19 lockdown level this week as the cabinet is expected to ease Covid-19 restrictions. Looking forward to alert level 2...I look forward to visiting TOPS (liquor store) for a rum refresher but more so, I pray the swimming pool will re-open.
***
Dr Fauci explains… (but it’s complicated… ) (2:04 mins)
***
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| Thanks |
The Lincoln Project: Leaders of The Lincoln Project, a conservative political action committee that opposes Donald Trump, denounced [Project] co-founder John Weaver on Sunday after a New York Times report revealed unwanted, sexually provocative messages he sent to several young men, sometimes alongside offers of professional favors.
...Steve Schmidt, a fellow co-founder and public face of The Lincoln Project, said in an interview with the Times that the group was “outraged and horrified” to learn of Weaver’s behavior.More shadow showing?
In a statement Sunday, The Lincoln Project called Weaver “a predator, a liar, and an abuser” who targeted his accusers with “predatory and deplorable” behavior.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger on Sunday offered a glimpse of what it’s like being one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump: Friends and family turned against him, and he was told he’s “possessed by the devil.”
“Look it’s really difficult. I mean, all of a sudden imagine everybody that supported you, or so it seems that way, your friends, your family, has turned against you. They think you're selling out,” the Illinois congressman said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“I've gotten a letter, a certified letter, twice from the same people, disowning me and claiming I'm possessed by the devil.”
While they deal with that, let’s share a little humor… (2:40 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
Take a page from a panda playbook (0:51 mins) (Courtesy Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute)***
Can Prez Joe Biden pull off a more progressive – and planet-saving – direction in the next 100 days? President Joe Biden’s administration is … all establishment in the front-facing roles, with a progressive party happening in the back.Here’s hopin’ this strategy works…
Biden’s high-profile Cabinet picks tended to have experience, personal relationships and an ability to earn approval from across the ideological spectrum ― Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have all earned bipartisan stamps of approval in the Senate. But left-leaning Democrats are excitedly watching Biden fill agency and sub-Cabinet posts with younger thinkers who have developed big ideas designed to solve the economic, racial, health and climate crises the Biden administration hopes to address.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Today, my mother was bright-eyed when I arrived and found her in her Laziboy chair. (Yesterday, she was asleep and we had no interaction.)Life right now is day-by-day with large dollops of acceptance. My new reality requires a new way of “seeing” my mother, a new way of talking to my mother, indeed, and altogether new way of talking. I know she’s listening to my monologs as I interrupt regularly to ask a question or offer a sip of tea through the syringe. She nods or shakes her head in response. I talk about the dogs, the monkeys, the excess water trying to escape through the culverts, and how the hadedah ibis flock to the water-logged lawns to seek worms.
Sometimes I bring my phone and show her photos of dogs and family members.
It’s a new way of being in the world.
Day 311 Sunday, January 31 - Vigil
News blues…
A potentially more transmissible variant of Covid-19 first identified in South Africa has now been confirmed in Maryland, US. The case involves an adult residing in the "Baltimore metro region" who hadn't left the country, indicating that there is "likely" community transmission of the variant. Contact tracing is now ongoing, according to a press release from Governor Hogan’s office.***
Ivermectin. Antidote? Or the new hydroxychloroquine?
The black market in ivermectin has boomed after it was touted as a treatment for Covid-19, at the same time as being unregistered for human use in SA.
In a space of two weeks, six foreign nationals gave been arrested at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg for being in possession of suspected ivermectin tablets worth millions.
Police spokesperson Col Athlenda Mathe said the latest arrests were on Thursday when three people were found with ivermectin worth R5m.
The first suspect, a woman, had 178,200 tablets of the drug while the second suspect, also a woman, had 66,400 tablets. The man had 49,200 tablets.
***
The Lincoln Project is gearing up to sue Rudy Giuliani for defamation after he falsely linked the organization to the storming of the Capitol. More on that with co-founder Steve Schmidt (8:29 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
Enjoy photos of our friends from the far north.Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Today, I abbreviated my daily vigil at my mom’s bedside. Staff said she’d not eaten much breakfast, had enjoyed a stint in the Laziboy, and was very tired. I talked to her and petted her, but she didn’t stir.I play CDs when I visit: Dean Martin, Nat King Cole… easy listening that will remind her of the good old days.
Day 310 Saturday, January 30 - Vaccine uncertainties
News blues…
Contradictory information about vaccines:New research suggesting that several Covid-19 vaccines are less effective against a variant first found in South Africa has increased pressure on President Joe Biden’s administration to speed inoculations and enforce basic public health measures like wearing masks.
- Johnson and Johnson’s single-dose Covid-19 vaccine was 66 percent effective at preventing moderate and severe disease in a global study, the company said Friday.
The hotly anticipated findings are the first from a late-stage trial that enrolled 45,000 people across the world. While the shot was 72 percent effective in the U.S. arm of the trial, it fell to just 57 percent in South Africa, where a highly transmissible variant predominates. -
The coronavirus vaccine by Oxford/AstraZeneca is safe and effective enough to use in adults over the age of 18, the European Medicines Agency announced Friday.
The European Commission is expected later Friday to rubber-stamp the EMA’s recommendation to formally approve the vaccine in the EU with a conditional marketing authorization. A German scientific committee said Thursday there wasn’t enough data to know whether the jab is suitable for people 65 and over. The U.K. approved the vaccine at the end of December with a temporary emergency use authorization applicable in people over the age of 18. - Novavax announced Thursday its Covid-19 vaccine is more than 89 percent effective at protecting against the virus based on preliminary data from a large late-stage trial in the United Kingdom. But the vaccine was far less effective against a variant of the virus first discovered in South Africa, according to data from a small trial in that country, the company said.
Healthy planet, anyone?
Will Joe Biden come through on climate change?The vision laid out in the actions signed by Biden on Wednesday was transformative. A pathway for oil and gas drilling to be banned from public lands. A third of America’s land and ocean protected. The government ditching the combustion engine from its entire vehicle fleet, offering up a future where battery-powered trucks deliver America’s mail and electric tanks are operated by the US military.
... Biden’s administration will spur new climate-friendly policies for farmers while also devoting resources to the urban communities, typically low-income people of color, disproportionally blighted by pollution from nearby highways and power plants. In all, 21 federal agencies will be part of a new, overarching climate body. “This isn’t time for small measures,” Biden said. “We need to be bold.”
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
I called a local politician with the reputation of getting this done – an anomaly in this country. He said he’d come to the house at 4:00pm.He did! Right at 4pm he pulled up at the gate and honked/hooted.
I handed him the letters and photos I’ve carried to the local roads department office, showed him the culverts on both sides of the road, and explained the history of lack of service.
One thing he mentioned that I’d be on board with: a rates/property tax boycott. If enough property owners stop paying monthly rates/property taxes if may get enough attention on the lack of service delivery (culverts, extravagant potholes in every local road, overgrown vegetation, etc.
On the other hand, it may not. This, after all, is South Africa: always expect the unexpected….
***
Monday sees us free of the 3-month contract with one real estate agent to sell the property – the “sole mandate.” Suddenly, other agents are interested in seeing the property and bringing potential buyers. Too bad it’s also when the garden, lawns, stream and fishponds are flooded – and the gardener is ill with Covid.I brought in the neighbor’s gardener to mow. At least the grass will look less unkempt when realtors come over.
***
My daily visit with my mother was sad. The Care Center sprays the facility once or twice a week to prevent coronavirus. Residents enjoy morning tea on the lovely verandahs during this time. My mother was slumped in her wheelchair when I arrived. Other than slumping further, she barely moved. I dribbled tea into her mouth using a syringe.
After this “outing” she was wheeled back in to her room and laid out on her bed. To prevent pressure sores, aka bedsores, she was placed on her side and propped up with pillows.
My proud mother would HATE to be seen like this.
I hate to see her like this.
Day 309 Friday January 29 - “Coronavirus is over”?
News blues…
The first case of South Africa's Covid-19 variant has been discovered in the US.The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control explained that two cases of the B.1.351 South African variant have been detected. Dr Anthony Fauci has expressed his concerns about the UK and South African strains reaching American shores and becoming a complicating factor.
But, fear not: Clinical results from the Novavax vaccine trials in South Africa and the United Kingdom have shown the vaccine to be effective against the SA and UK variants of the coronavirus.
Except… a domestic worker reports “Zulu radio station” in KZN tells listeners “Corona is over”, that is, no more Covid-19, that the pandemic is “over.”
It’s not just Republicans. Democrats are also on the take from corporate donors. It is, after all, how the US system of so-called “democracy” works.
You suggest We the People do away with this All-American system of paying off politicians?
How? It’s locked in, now, and for the foreseeable future.
Financial contributions, aka money, have become the way of influence. Elections are quickly becoming obsolete – in the way. The problem has been exacerbated by the US Supreme Court decision on Citizens United in 2009/2010.
This year I’m suffering the effects of my mother’s impending death and the social effects of the infection and deaths of millions of people from Covid-19. Plus, lack of sleep due to stress. And a flooded garden because, after 2 years, the department that’s supposed to take care of roads and public property won’t do its job.
Today, I’m awaiting a call from a local politician with the reputation of getting this done. Perhaps he can shift this stuck process?
Monday sees the end of the 3-months-long sole mandate for the sale of the house. Not a single person was interested in seeing the house.
I’ve two realtors from two different real estate companies interested in the business.
Alas, the garden is a mess due to copious summer rainfall (70mm in 15 hours this week) and fecund grass and weeds tower. With our gardener sick with Covid and his recovery expected to be slow, I’ve hired the neighbor’s gardener to mow the lawns.
It’s not easy to focus on the house and garden when my mother is shrinking day-by-day.
I’m aware that I must settle on something creative to do that will change the channel in my head from my dying mother, selling her house, and the incompetence of public officials. I’m pondering how to buy clay to build/sculpt “something.” Choices are limited:
Call the person who offers (offered?) class twice a week. Perhaps the most practical solution as he has a fully equipped studio albeit the hours are limited. That is if he still offers classes amid the pandemic. (Problem? During a creative spell, a creator needs uninterrupted work time. A schedule of 3 hours twice a week kills inspiration. No one creates fulling according to an externally imposed timetable. When inspired, I rise at dawn and work through the day, taking short breaks as needed, but always returning to the work-in-progress until it is finished.) Find some clay and build something I hold no hopes/intention of firing. This will offer the joy of working clay/gestating a sculpture, but never seeing it come to fruition.
Build my own studio in my new home. I’ve not clay, no tools, no slips/glazes, no equipment. Besides turning my small living space into a clay-dusty studio, this choice would also require a trip to Durban – 50 kms away during a pandemic – spending lots of money … and continuing to spend lots of money in the future (clay, slips and glazes, kiln, firing, etc.). A few months ago, I explored the possibilities of experimenting with a substitute for clay. (Perhaps one that did not require firing, etc.?) It didn’t work. The joy of clay is inherent in the substance, the ability to knead, easily mold and manipulate, and clay’s feel and texture.
The search continues….
Week 44
Exactly one year in SA. I arrived a year ago today, scheduled to leave May 21, 2020. I’m still here. US Embassy clarified my return (see below) but who knows when I’ll actually depart.
And the numbers of Covid-19 sufferers continue to climb….
Worldwide (Map)
January 28, 2021 – 100,920,100 confirmed infections; 2,175,500 deaths
December 31 – 82,656000 confirmed infections; 1,8040100 deaths
November 26 – 60,334,000 confirmed infections; 1,420,500 deaths
US (Map)
January 28, 2021 – 25,600,000 confirmed infections; 429,160 deaths
December 31 – 19,737,200 confirmed infections; 342,260 deaths
November 26 – 12,771,000 confirmed infections; 262,145 deaths
SA (Tracker)
January 28, 2021 – 1,430,650 confirmed infections; 42,550 deaths
December 31 – 1,039,165 confirmed infections; 28,035 deaths
November 26 – 775,510 confirmed infections; 21,2010 deaths
***
Wondering why American style of uber-capitalist government is in such trouble? Well, it has become heavily dependent on financial donors to prop up amoral politicians. “Senators who backed Trump's election challenge may rethink their stance on impeachment after losing corporate funding, experts say” It’s not just Republicans. Democrats are also on the take from corporate donors. It is, after all, how the US system of so-called “democracy” works.
You suggest We the People do away with this All-American system of paying off politicians?
How? It’s locked in, now, and for the foreseeable future.
Financial contributions, aka money, have become the way of influence. Elections are quickly becoming obsolete – in the way. The problem has been exacerbated by the US Supreme Court decision on Citizens United in 2009/2010.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
This time last year I was suffering the effects of jet lag: interrupted schedule, lack of sleep, disorientation, and a big change in weather (from cold, wet, and dark winter in California to hot, humid, wet, and bright summer in KZN).But family and friends in California were well. Plans were agreed upon to safeguard my houseboat in the marina. I would return 21 May.This year I’m suffering the effects of my mother’s impending death and the social effects of the infection and deaths of millions of people from Covid-19. Plus, lack of sleep due to stress. And a flooded garden because, after 2 years, the department that’s supposed to take care of roads and public property won’t do its job.
Today, I’m awaiting a call from a local politician with the reputation of getting this done. Perhaps he can shift this stuck process?
Monday sees the end of the 3-months-long sole mandate for the sale of the house. Not a single person was interested in seeing the house.
I’ve two realtors from two different real estate companies interested in the business.
Alas, the garden is a mess due to copious summer rainfall (70mm in 15 hours this week) and fecund grass and weeds tower. With our gardener sick with Covid and his recovery expected to be slow, I’ve hired the neighbor’s gardener to mow the lawns.
It’s not easy to focus on the house and garden when my mother is shrinking day-by-day.
I’m aware that I must settle on something creative to do that will change the channel in my head from my dying mother, selling her house, and the incompetence of public officials. I’m pondering how to buy clay to build/sculpt “something.” Choices are limited:
Call the person who offers (offered?) class twice a week. Perhaps the most practical solution as he has a fully equipped studio albeit the hours are limited. That is if he still offers classes amid the pandemic. (Problem? During a creative spell, a creator needs uninterrupted work time. A schedule of 3 hours twice a week kills inspiration. No one creates fulling according to an externally imposed timetable. When inspired, I rise at dawn and work through the day, taking short breaks as needed, but always returning to the work-in-progress until it is finished.) Find some clay and build something I hold no hopes/intention of firing. This will offer the joy of working clay/gestating a sculpture, but never seeing it come to fruition.
Build my own studio in my new home. I’ve not clay, no tools, no slips/glazes, no equipment. Besides turning my small living space into a clay-dusty studio, this choice would also require a trip to Durban – 50 kms away during a pandemic – spending lots of money … and continuing to spend lots of money in the future (clay, slips and glazes, kiln, firing, etc.). A few months ago, I explored the possibilities of experimenting with a substitute for clay. (Perhaps one that did not require firing, etc.?) It didn’t work. The joy of clay is inherent in the substance, the ability to knead, easily mold and manipulate, and clay’s feel and texture.
The search continues….
Week 44
Day 308 Thursday, January 28 - Anniversary
Exactly one year in SA. I arrived a year ago today, scheduled to leave May 21, 2020. I’m still here. US Embassy clarified my return (see below) but who knows when I’ll actually depart.And the numbers of Covid-19 sufferers continue to climb….
Worldwide (Map)
January 28, 2021 – 100,920,100 confirmed infections; 2,175,500 deaths
December 31 – 82,656000 confirmed infections; 1,8040100 deaths
November 26 – 60,334,000 confirmed infections; 1,420,500 deaths
US (Map)
January 28, 2021 – 25,600,000 confirmed infections; 429,160 deaths
December 31 – 19,737,200 confirmed infections; 342,260 deaths
November 26 – 12,771,000 confirmed infections; 262,145 deaths
SA (Tracker)
January 28, 2021 – 1,430,650 confirmed infections; 42,550 deaths
December 31 – 1,039,165 confirmed infections; 28,035 deaths
November 26 – 775,510 confirmed infections; 21,2010 deaths
News blues…
Coronavirus can infect people so rapidly that it has continued to spread despite shutdown orders aimed at slowing the growth of new cases and flattening the line below.
So far, 1 out of every 12 people in the state [California] has tested positive. The number statewide is now on pace to double every 96.2 days, a number used to measure how quickly the virus is spreading.
***
A Respiratory Therapist Explains the Effects COVID-19 Has on the Lungs and Heart (3:06 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
 |
| © Cicada: ‘When they are this abundant, they fly, land and crawl everywhere, including occasionally landing on humans,' said Gary Parsons of Michigan State University. Photo: Jim Lane/Alamy |
A remarkable phenomenon’ as billions of cicadas set to emerge across eastern US.
And locals hated the creatures with a passion! They found them the emergence of this astonishing bug an imposition on their lives and thoroughly annoying.
KZN has cicadas, too. We call them Christmas beetles as they appear and sing around that time of year.
Fewer cicadas/Christmas beetles appear these days. But when they do, I recall how, as a teenager, I responded to the sound that I loved.
I had a motorcycle – a “scrambler” 80cc bike – that I’d ride to Kloof, a village about 15 or 20 miles from home. Kloof had a long street lined both sides with sycamores? Plane trees? Not sure, but large, leafy trees that shaded the street and provided perfect conditions for Christmas beetles to sing, find mates, and procreated.
I’d name my motorcycle Maybell - after a red-light district worker I’d met in a movie. Maybell and I would ride up and down this street. I enjoyed the overwhelming screeching of cicadas so much I couldn’t help but join in. Up and down, up and down, Maybell carried me as I screeched along.
C’est magnifique!
I’ve carried letters to the entity responsible for this kind of work. To no avail.
Predictably, the lower garden is flooded.
Billions of cicadas that have spent 17 years underground are set to emerge across large areas of the eastern USThere’s a 13-year species of Magicicada, too. I saw the emergence of this 13 year variety in Nashville Tennessee. It was amazing: cicadas flying in dense clouds across roads, settling in trees, crawling on the ground.
…The cicadas emerge in a 17-year cycle, meaning they will appear this year once temperatures are warm enough, expected to be mid-May.
“They may amass in millions in parks, woods, neighbourhoods, and can seemingly be everywhere,” said Gary Parsons, an entomologist at Michigan State University.”
Parsons said that while cicadas will not harm people, pets that gorge on them may become ill. It is thought that long underground development helps cicadas survive predators, as their huge and synchronized arrival provides protection in numbers. The noise made by the enormous swarms will be noticeable, however, with males emitting mating calls that can reach 100 decibels, the same sound as standing next to a motorcycle revving its engine. The males produce these mating “songs” by vibrating their tymbals, two rigid, drum-like membranes on the underside of the abdomen.
And locals hated the creatures with a passion! They found them the emergence of this astonishing bug an imposition on their lives and thoroughly annoying.
KZN has cicadas, too. We call them Christmas beetles as they appear and sing around that time of year.
Fewer cicadas/Christmas beetles appear these days. But when they do, I recall how, as a teenager, I responded to the sound that I loved.
I had a motorcycle – a “scrambler” 80cc bike – that I’d ride to Kloof, a village about 15 or 20 miles from home. Kloof had a long street lined both sides with sycamores? Plane trees? Not sure, but large, leafy trees that shaded the street and provided perfect conditions for Christmas beetles to sing, find mates, and procreated.
I’d name my motorcycle Maybell - after a red-light district worker I’d met in a movie. Maybell and I would ride up and down this street. I enjoyed the overwhelming screeching of cicadas so much I couldn’t help but join in. Up and down, up and down, Maybell carried me as I screeched along.
C’est magnifique!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Rained for 15 hours straight. First thing I did on waking today: check the water level in the lower garden. The stream has been on the cusp of flooding for weeks, since the culvert has almost completely blocked.I’ve carried letters to the entity responsible for this kind of work. To no avail.
Predictably, the lower garden is flooded.
The culvert is now completely covered by water backing up ... no place to go but to flood the garden.
This is my foot in a gumboot showing the water level above my ankle.
Tomorrow, I will carry – yet again – a letter with photographs to the responsible entity.
And wait… and wait.
Meanwhile, more rain is predicted.
How did we get here? “Evil decisions” were made, says Steve Schmidt of The Lincoln Project. (7:44 mins)
Trains: Arlo Guthrie – City of New Orleans, and, for South Africans… Hugh Masekela Stimela (9:50 mins)
‘planes: Arlo Guthrie – Coming into Los Angeles (3:06 mins)
For the last 60 years she’s made decisions about her business and, far as I’m concerned, her severe physical decline doesn’t mean she should be excluded from offering input on current decisions. I invited her to comment on various decisions I face on her behalf:
Watching a loved one die is a profoundly complex experience.
It’s not even midday and I am, as South Africans would say, “gatvol”! That means I’ve taken about as much as I can take and I need a break. I’ll post this then tune out for a while…
A Trump Presidential Library? Don’t Count On It.
Watching a loved one die is a profoundly complex experience.
This part of Midlands (KZN) is getting off lightly with steady rainfall, no thunder and lightning, no hail, and no wind.
South Africans should expect a third Covid-19 wave in 3 to 4 months – and the crisis hits world headlines (2:03 mins)
Biden responds to this news by preparing to impose a travel ban for non-U.S. citizens traveling from South Africa. (2:23 mins)
Theoretically, I could still depart SA although the UK is stopping flights from SA into that country.
Dubai is a stopover possibility. That country is a favorite destination for desperate South Africans.
Perhaps it’s the southern /northern hemisphere connections or being an immigrant (like me, he lives in the US), or simply that he’s smart and eloquent, but, here, he expresses ideas with which I’m on board … . (And, I’m a “no” on pineapple on pizza.)
Time to catch my breath and ponder….
Not good.
On the other hand, we see new ways of thinking among American youth. We the People need to listen to youthful voices speaking for a more equitable future for all.
She’s dying.
It is … well, expected, but outlandish…
How can my mother die?
Preposterous. But true.
***
A very stressful time. My mother is hanging on…. Today, I took one of her small dogs up to visit. My mother appreciated having the dog on her lap as she sat in the Laziboy. Alas, she’s too weak to pet the dog.
***
And news from the US Embassy in SA:
Health Alert: U.S. Citizens are Still Able to Return to the United States Despite a Presidential Proclamation Suspending Entry for Immigrant and Non-Immigrants in South Africa
Location: The Republic of South Africa
Event: President Biden announced that effective at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 30, 2021, immigrant and non-immigrant entry into the United States will be suspended for individuals who were physically present within the Republic of South Africa during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States. Please note that this proclamation does not apply to U.S. citizens and contains multiple exceptions including for lawful permanent residents of the United States and some non-citizen family members. All travelers to the United States, including U.S. citizens, must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test to airlines prior to departure.
Actions to Take:
- For more information about this Presidential Proclamations and exceptions to the proclamation, please visit https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/25/proclamation-on-the-suspension-of-entry-as-immigrants-and-non-immigrants-of-certain-additional-persons-who-pose-a-risk-of-transmitting-coronavirus-disease/
- Visit the CDC’s webpage for details on COVID testing entry requirements for air travelers to the United States: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html
- Visit the Embassy’s COVID information page, https://za.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information-2/, for additional information on COVID in South Africa.
Day 307 Wednesday, January 27 - Happy place: Trains, ‘planes, and automobiles
News blues…
More than 100 million humans confirmed infected with Covid-19. More than one quarter of those infected reside in the United States – and that’s more than half of the number of the next highest number of infected, and that’s India.How did we get here? “Evil decisions” were made, says Steve Schmidt of The Lincoln Project. (7:44 mins)
***
Survey on South Africans’ attitudes towards Covid-19 vaccines (3:00 mins)Healthy planet, anyone?
With countries closing borders to flights from South Africa due to "the new Covid variant", and lockdown continuing, I'm thinking about when, more importantly, how I can return to California and take care of my life there, my family and friends, my houseboat, etc. That set me on a look back to a golden age of music: Enjoy!Trains: Arlo Guthrie – City of New Orleans, and, for South Africans… Hugh Masekela Stimela (9:50 mins)
‘planes: Arlo Guthrie – Coming into Los Angeles (3:06 mins)
and automobiles: Bruce Springsteen - Pink Cadillac (3:36 mins)
Yes, it’s from “way back” – a golden age....
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
My mother was more communicative although I still cannot make out what she’s trying to say.For the last 60 years she’s made decisions about her business and, far as I’m concerned, her severe physical decline doesn’t mean she should be excluded from offering input on current decisions. I invited her to comment on various decisions I face on her behalf:
Impending tax refund: for the past 5 weeks, SARS has regularly emailed me that they would deposit her refund into her bank account “in ten days.” It’s close to 40 days - and 6 email notices - and not a penny has been deposited. My mother chuckled at the irony of SARS sending her first ever tax refund as she’s dying.
Selling her house: I mentioned I may have a buyer and explained the conditions under which he’d be interested. She knows the proposed buyer and she nodded her approval.
Doggie drugs: I asked her about the contents of a package of dog medications she’d given to her domestic worker. She appeared to recollect giving the medications, but I couldn’t understand her response. I said I’d ask the vet and that appeared to satisfy her.
What I learned from this interaction was not to ask questions. The implicit assumption is that she can answer. She can’t. If I must ask questions, I must phase it so she can nod agreement or shake her head in disagreement.
I stroked her head and told her she’d had a good life and it was okay to let go and move on to the next steps – that I was sure her friends and all her dogs were waiting to welcome her to that place.
I stroked her head and told her she’d had a good life and it was okay to let go and move on to the next steps – that I was sure her friends and all her dogs were waiting to welcome her to that place.
Watching a loved one die is a profoundly complex experience.
Day 306 Tuesday, January 26 - All too much
News blues…
California Has Its Own Coronavirus Variant, Researchers Reveal Scientists suspect the homegrown strain is likely linked to the case surge in Los Angeles County.Healthy planet, anyone?
A blight upon the planet?A Trump Presidential Library? Don’t Count On It.
Yet, a ‘Presidential Library’ for Donald Trump offers grim and funny possibilities
Under the ‘Grift’ shop, it could list ‘presidential pardons’ for sale and sell MAGA playing cards with tweets by the outgoing President. And at the café, visitors could buy ‘Corona Beer’
I addressed Trump's presidential library way back in March 2020 with a series of design ideas, deriving from popular neighborhoods Little Libraries.
For the last 40 years she’s made decisions about her business and, far as I’m concerned, her severe physical decline doesn’t mean she should be excluded from decisions now. I invited her to comment on various decisions I face on her behalf: Impending tax refund: for the past 5 weeks, SARS has regularly emailed me that they would deposit her refund into her bank account “in ten days.” It’s close to 40 days - and 6 email notices - and not a penny has been deposited. My mother chuckled at the irony of SARS sending her first ever tax refund as she’s dying.
I mentioned I may have a buyer for her house and explained the conditions under which he’d be interested. She knows the proposed buyer and she nodded her approval.
I’d persuaded the Care Center matron to allow my brother to visit tomorrow. (Alas, I’ve not been able to reach him by phone to invite him.)
I asked about the contents of a package of dog medications she’d given to her domestic worker. She appeared to recollect giving the medications, but I couldn’t understand her response. I said I’d ask the vet and that appeared to satisfy her.
I stroked her head and told her she’d had a good life and it was okay to let go and move on to the next steps – that I was sure her friends and all her dogs were waiting to welcome her to that place.
I addressed Trump's presidential library way back in March 2020 with a series of design ideas, deriving from popular neighborhoods Little Libraries.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
My mother was more communicative today although I still could not make out what she was trying to say.For the last 40 years she’s made decisions about her business and, far as I’m concerned, her severe physical decline doesn’t mean she should be excluded from decisions now. I invited her to comment on various decisions I face on her behalf: Impending tax refund: for the past 5 weeks, SARS has regularly emailed me that they would deposit her refund into her bank account “in ten days.” It’s close to 40 days - and 6 email notices - and not a penny has been deposited. My mother chuckled at the irony of SARS sending her first ever tax refund as she’s dying.
I mentioned I may have a buyer for her house and explained the conditions under which he’d be interested. She knows the proposed buyer and she nodded her approval.
I’d persuaded the Care Center matron to allow my brother to visit tomorrow. (Alas, I’ve not been able to reach him by phone to invite him.)
I asked about the contents of a package of dog medications she’d given to her domestic worker. She appeared to recollect giving the medications, but I couldn’t understand her response. I said I’d ask the vet and that appeared to satisfy her.
I stroked her head and told her she’d had a good life and it was okay to let go and move on to the next steps – that I was sure her friends and all her dogs were waiting to welcome her to that place.
Watching a loved one die is a profoundly complex experience.
Day 305 Monday, January 25 - Coping
News blues…
Category 2 tropical cyclone Eloise pummeled Madagascar and Mozambique and heads into Limpopo, Mpumalanga and northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) .This part of Midlands (KZN) is getting off lightly with steady rainfall, no thunder and lightning, no hail, and no wind.
***
KZN has moved into second place with its Covid-19 numbers of infected (293,050) only behind Gauteng (373,100), the most urban province in the country. South Africans should expect a third Covid-19 wave in 3 to 4 months – and the crisis hits world headlines (2:03 mins)
Biden responds to this news by preparing to impose a travel ban for non-U.S. citizens traveling from South Africa. (2:23 mins)
Theoretically, I could still depart SA although the UK is stopping flights from SA into that country.
Dubai is a stopover possibility. That country is a favorite destination for desperate South Africans.
***
Exactly one year after its first confirmed case of Covid-19, the US passes 25 million confirmed cases. ***
Boogieman of the conspiracy crowd, Dr Fauci, now President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, spills on working for Trump:
Fauci frequently contradicted Trump’s baseless claims about COVID-19. In his interview with The New York Times, he recalled Trump’s repeated claims that the virus would simply “go away.”Dr Birx unloads on Trump, too….
“It isn’t like I took any pleasure in contradicting the president of the United States,” Fauci said. “I have a great deal of respect for the office. But I made a decision that I just had to. Otherwise I would be compromising my own integrity, and be giving a false message to the world. If I didn’t speak up, it would be almost tacit approval that what he was saying was OK.”
“That’s when I started to get into some trouble,” he continued. “The people around him, his inner circle, were quite upset that I would dare publicly contradict the president.”
Asked if Trump ever confronted him for contradicting him about the pandemic, Fauci said the then-president would express “disappointment.”
“There were a couple of times where I would make a statement that was a pessimistic viewpoint about what direction we were going,” Fauci said, “and the president would call me up and say, ‘Hey, why aren’t you more positive? You’ve got to take a positive attitude. Why are you so negativistic? Be more positive.’”
“He would get on the phone and express disappointment in me that I was not being more positive,” Fauci added. He said Trump didn’t explain why he was upset that Fauci didn’t have a more upbeat attitude about the deadly pandemic.
…In his interview with the Times, Fauci said he’s received numerous death threats in the last year stemming from “right-wing craziness.”
“It was the harassment of my wife, and particularly my children, that upset me more than anything else… They knew where my kids work, where they live. The threats would come directly to my children’s phones, directly to my children’s homes. How the hell did whoever these assholes were get that information?”
In one alarming incident, Fauci said he opened a letter he had received and a “puff of powder” exploded onto his face and chest.
“That was very, very disturbing to me and my wife because it was in my office,” he said. “So I just looked at it all over me and said, ‘What do I do?’ The security detail was there, and they’re very experienced in that. They said, ‘Don’t move, stay in the room.’ And they got the hazmat people. So they came, they sprayed me down and all that.”
The powder was tested and the results showed it was “a benign nothing,” Fauci told the Times.
“But it was frightening,” he said. “My wife and my children were more disturbed than I was. I looked at it somewhat fatalistically. It had to be one of three things: A hoax. Or anthrax, which meant I’d have to go on Cipro for a month. Or if it was ricin, I was dead, so bye-bye.”
***
Pineapple on pizza? MSNBC news anchor (“presenter”) Ari Velschi was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and raised in Toronto, Ontario, son of Murad Velshi, the first Canadian of Indian origin elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and Mila, who grew up in South Africa. Perhaps it’s the southern /northern hemisphere connections or being an immigrant (like me, he lives in the US), or simply that he’s smart and eloquent, but, here, he expresses ideas with which I’m on board … . (And, I’m a “no” on pineapple on pizza.)
***
Steve Schmidt, co-founder The Lincoln Project, Republican Party Is An Organized Conspiracy (12:30 mins) Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Lots to cope with these days: Fast moving Covid, extended and unanticipated stay in SA, a typhoon, trying - so far, unsuccessfully - to maintain and sell my mother’s large property, find congenial homes for 3 mature dogs, find work for a longtime employee, a gardener ill with Covid, and a mother dying.Time to catch my breath and ponder….
Day 304 Sunday, January 24 - Uncharted territory
The death of shame (2:54 mins)News blues…
- Covid trends in South Africa (4:57 mins)
- Hundreds of National Guard members and 38 Capitol police officers test positive for COVID after protecting Capitol from threats
***
Right wing conspiracy theory and propaganda continues: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) attracted attention last week when he said in a floor speech that former President Donald Trump “bears responsibility” for the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. But since then, he has seemed to walk back his criticism.With this kind of claptrap emanating from Congress, what, you many wonder, is the long-term prognosis for the American Experiment in Democracy?
On Thursday, he told reporters that he didn’t actually believe Trump had “provoked” the mob of his supporters.
In an interview airing Sunday on Gray Television’s “Full Court Press With Greta Van Susteren,” McCarthy insisted he wasn’t changing his tune. “No, I have not changed in that,” he said.
He stood by his assertion that Trump does bear some responsibility for what happened. But, he added, so does every other person around the country. “I also think everybody across this country has some responsibility,” he said.
McCarthy then started pointing to Democrats who opposed Trump, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), people who are rude on social media and law enforcement authorities who didn’t prepare for the attack as some of the people who were somehow responsible.
Not good.
On the other hand, we see new ways of thinking among American youth. We the People need to listen to youthful voices speaking for a more equitable future for all.
***
An inevitable outcome of America’s gun-crazy culture? A Republican member of tries to carry a gun onto the House floor: (4:58 mins)
***
Steve Schmidt, co-founder The Lincoln Project, Congressman “Rand Paul has “soiled his oath” (5:30 mins) Healthy planet, anyone?
Clothes washing linked to ‘pervasive’ plastic pollution in the Arctic |
| © Red crabs on Christmas Island climb a bridge designed for their protection. Photograph: Chris Bray Photography/Swell Lodge |
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
My new posting schedule is awkward but necessary as I segue into my new life and new home with my new wireless connection – and visiting my mother each day.She’s dying.
It is … well, expected, but outlandish…
How can my mother die?
Preposterous. But true.
My mother’s dominance over my “family of origin” ensured the trickle down of her predominant ideology: “everything-is-fine”; don’t make waves – unless you’re angry, then make tsunamis; resistance to an action or idea means “you’re just jealous”; females, lesser beings than males, are inherently untrustworthy; positive reinforcement is unnecessary, indeed, “spoils” a child….
This meant touching, hugging, and expressing affection has not been part of my relationship with my mother although she and my brother always meet and depart with a kiss.
Given this history, I was apprehensive about visiting her in the Care Center each day.
Thinking she’d like Kipling’s classic, The Jungle Book I downloaded it onto my cell phone to read to her.
She’d nodded agreement about this plan, and I began. Five minutes later, she mumbled question about why I was reading about a wolf family: did I think she was a child?
I put the story aside.
I scanned through her CDs and found Nat King Cole. It wouldn’t play. I found Bing Crosby. That wouldn’t play either. Dean Martin’s 40 favorite hits played, and she indicated she enjoyed hearing it.
Huh. Maybe she and I could find common ground in simple enjoyments.
I showed her pictures of her grand- and great-grandchildren, told her my brother was “fine,” reported on the dogs and their wellbeing… Teatime rolled around and I urged sips of liquid through a syringe; antipathy to drinking water leads to her dehydration, but she can’t sit upright to drink from a cup. Her musculature is kaput.
My first try led her to choke and I had to shout to the staff for help.
On departing, I stroked my mother’s head, patted her hands and thigh, told her I’d be back tomorrow.
Arriving home, I messaged my brother and his kids: gran is in bad shape, please, please send photos and anecdotes I can share with her.
Today, I’ll lie next to her on her bed and share what they sent.
I’m in uncharted territory.
It’s heartbreaking.
He works for a neighboring friend on a Wednesday and she reported he wasn’t well that day.
He’s a family man with a wife and two young children and an all-round good guy. Send him your best vibes, prayers, and wishes….
This meant touching, hugging, and expressing affection has not been part of my relationship with my mother although she and my brother always meet and depart with a kiss.
Given this history, I was apprehensive about visiting her in the Care Center each day.
Thinking she’d like Kipling’s classic, The Jungle Book I downloaded it onto my cell phone to read to her.
She’d nodded agreement about this plan, and I began. Five minutes later, she mumbled question about why I was reading about a wolf family: did I think she was a child?
I put the story aside.
I scanned through her CDs and found Nat King Cole. It wouldn’t play. I found Bing Crosby. That wouldn’t play either. Dean Martin’s 40 favorite hits played, and she indicated she enjoyed hearing it.
Huh. Maybe she and I could find common ground in simple enjoyments.
I showed her pictures of her grand- and great-grandchildren, told her my brother was “fine,” reported on the dogs and their wellbeing… Teatime rolled around and I urged sips of liquid through a syringe; antipathy to drinking water leads to her dehydration, but she can’t sit upright to drink from a cup. Her musculature is kaput.
My first try led her to choke and I had to shout to the staff for help.
On departing, I stroked my mother’s head, patted her hands and thigh, told her I’d be back tomorrow.
Arriving home, I messaged my brother and his kids: gran is in bad shape, please, please send photos and anecdotes I can share with her.
Today, I’ll lie next to her on her bed and share what they sent.
I’m in uncharted territory.
It’s heartbreaking.
***
The gardener called me late yesterday to report he’d not be at work on Monday as he’s “very sick. I don’t know what’s wrong,” he said.He works for a neighboring friend on a Wednesday and she reported he wasn’t well that day.
He’s a family man with a wife and two young children and an all-round good guy. Send him your best vibes, prayers, and wishes….
Day 303 Saturday, January 23 - Payback
News blues…
Don’t worry, be happy?Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said on Friday night that there was “promising evidence” that the Covid-19 second wave was on the decline.For skeptical South Africans sick of the corruption and lies at the heart of the troubles in this country, I suggest a more apt phrase: “Show me the money!”
Mkhize said on Friday that 11,761 new cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours — but this was at a positivity rate of 19%, significantly lower than the positivity rate from the height of the second wave of infections over the past month.
***
In the US, the incoming administration usually begins to enact its “agenda” within the first 100 days, aka “the honeymoon period.” After that, the gloves come off and opposition begins in earnest. Joe Biden’s “honeymoon” period lasted less than 12 hours. So much for “unity”.
Corruption and lies show up in the US system, too. Republican efforts to coldcock the honeymoon period include:
Is the phrase “domestic violent extremism” the new term evolving to avoid the politics of “domestic terrorism” yet capitalize on cultural disdain for “domestic violence”?
Coalition quietly adds fossil fuel industry leaders to emissions reduction panel
Shark tourism and conservation off the coast of South Africa – a photo essay
Instead of my proud 87-year-old mother, an ancient, drooling gnome-like figure squirmed in a Lazi-boy armchair. Her head lolled on her chest as I tried to squirt tea into her mouth using a syringe. Nor could I understand the few mumbled words she uttered.
When I met her one open eye, however, I saw my mother inside that physical wreck. She appeared trapped in a useless body, unable to escape.
I’m not easily shocked, but….
I went to the matron for answers. It was, after all, the matron – not my mother’s doctor – who alerted me to something “off” about my mother’s condition. We talked. I sought names of doctors I could ask for second opinions, and then I set to work.
It’s not easy to find busy doctors who will agree to same-day appointments. One well-respected doctor had no open appointments until March 24. I emailed her “… MY MOTHER WILL BE DEAD BY MARCH 24….” Perhaps that phrase stimulated her admin to return my call? We agreed that doctor would work with the doctor I solicited for a second opinion to review my mother’s prescription drugs of the last several months. It’s my (non-medical) opinion that her regular doctor’s back-and-forth decisions on prescription precipitated her decline.
I met the new doctor before he examined my mother and spoke to him afterwards. He concurred that she’s in a deep depression. He plans to liaise with other doctors and come up with a regime that will suit my mother’s condition.
Meanwhile, I have permission to enter the Covid-conscious, locked down Care Center every day to visit my mother.
Thinking about how best to use that time: read to her (something easy and fun? Jungle book?). Sing to her? Tell her stories of earlier, happier days? I’ll carry photos there too.
If my mother doesn’t revive her interest in living, she will quickly die.
A lifetime in the School of Hard Knocks has toughened me up, but the next weeks will test everything I think I know about who I think I am.
Week 43
Make Americans Feel Great Again! (MAFGA?)
“Goodbye Donald Trump” (1:35 mins, more than 2.5 million views so far!)
Wow! True American Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet League – reads her wonderful poem at Biden/Harris inauguration. (5:50 mins) and interviews with CNN’s Anderson Cooper… (10:51 mins)
Amanda’s mantra that she recites to herself anytime she’s about to perform in public:
I’m the daughter to black writers
We’re descended from freedom fighters
Who broke their chains
And changed the world.
They call me.
And let’s remember the costs-to-date of reaching this still-far-off Promised Land (1:32 mins)
Reality check in US:
Corruption and lies show up in the US system, too. Republican efforts to coldcock the honeymoon period include:
- Thanks to Trumpian lack of goodwill, indeed, malice, Biden’s coronavirus team “don’t’ know what they don’t’ know” about Trump’s Covid plan.
- Just two weeks after the Capitol riot inspired by their own voter fraud lies Republicans are mad Joe Biden isn’t uniting the nation around the GOP agenda. “The new president’s policies are dividing the nation.”
- Then there’s Republican “kiss my ass” response to the Federal mask mandate
- And the “goofy”: delay in power sharing
- Donald Trump and his wrecking crew created the 1776 Commission to promote “patriotic education” and counter the New York Times’ controversial “1619 Project”. The former was, according to historians, “a hack job” reflecting a “clumsy partisan intent” Now, it is itself history – gone, disappeared, vamoosed. Thanks, Joe Biden.
- Trump’s legacy includes a Republican Party prepared to punish formerly respected Republicans for stepping out of line.
***
A rose by any other name?Is the phrase “domestic violent extremism” the new term evolving to avoid the politics of “domestic terrorism” yet capitalize on cultural disdain for “domestic violence”?
***
The Lincoln Project: You had it all, Josh (0:55 mins)Healthy planet, anyone?
A million young people urge governments to prioritize climate crisis. …Coalition quietly adds fossil fuel industry leaders to emissions reduction panel
Shark tourism and conservation off the coast of South Africa – a photo essay
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Yesterday, permitted into the Care Center for the first time since my mother’s fall and subsequent surgery, I was shocked at what I found.Instead of my proud 87-year-old mother, an ancient, drooling gnome-like figure squirmed in a Lazi-boy armchair. Her head lolled on her chest as I tried to squirt tea into her mouth using a syringe. Nor could I understand the few mumbled words she uttered.
When I met her one open eye, however, I saw my mother inside that physical wreck. She appeared trapped in a useless body, unable to escape.
I’m not easily shocked, but….
I went to the matron for answers. It was, after all, the matron – not my mother’s doctor – who alerted me to something “off” about my mother’s condition. We talked. I sought names of doctors I could ask for second opinions, and then I set to work.
It’s not easy to find busy doctors who will agree to same-day appointments. One well-respected doctor had no open appointments until March 24. I emailed her “… MY MOTHER WILL BE DEAD BY MARCH 24….” Perhaps that phrase stimulated her admin to return my call? We agreed that doctor would work with the doctor I solicited for a second opinion to review my mother’s prescription drugs of the last several months. It’s my (non-medical) opinion that her regular doctor’s back-and-forth decisions on prescription precipitated her decline.
I met the new doctor before he examined my mother and spoke to him afterwards. He concurred that she’s in a deep depression. He plans to liaise with other doctors and come up with a regime that will suit my mother’s condition.
Meanwhile, I have permission to enter the Covid-conscious, locked down Care Center every day to visit my mother.
Thinking about how best to use that time: read to her (something easy and fun? Jungle book?). Sing to her? Tell her stories of earlier, happier days? I’ll carry photos there too.
If my mother doesn’t revive her interest in living, she will quickly die.
A lifetime in the School of Hard Knocks has toughened me up, but the next weeks will test everything I think I know about who I think I am.
Week 43
Day 302 Friday, January 22 - New connections
Make Americans Feel Great Again! (MAFGA?)“Goodbye Donald Trump” (1:35 mins, more than 2.5 million views so far!)
Wow! True American Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet League – reads her wonderful poem at Biden/Harris inauguration. (5:50 mins) and interviews with CNN’s Anderson Cooper… (10:51 mins)
Amanda’s mantra that she recites to herself anytime she’s about to perform in public:
I’m the daughter to black writers
We’re descended from freedom fighters
Who broke their chains
And changed the world.
They call me.
And let’s remember the costs-to-date of reaching this still-far-off Promised Land (1:32 mins)
News blues…
 |
| Reality check in South Africa. (c) Zapiro |
Reality check in US:
Ah, unity schumity – who needs it anyway?
The good news? Chief Medical Adviser Anthony Fauci's in charge....
Moving day (1:09 mins)
Dawn (2:15 mins)
Morning in America (0:55 mins)
Trump’s Legacy (1:54 mins)
Meidas Touch: Goodbye, Donnie (1:04 mins)
Initially, the install was scheduled for 12:30pm. At 9:30am, the installer called to ask for an earlier install. I agreed; that freed up my afternoon.
My online connections become more complicated for the foreseeable future. I will finish up service from one (expensive) ISP and start service (way cheaper and 4 times as much data) in my new location. But I’ll be without wireless at my mother’s house – and that means without phone connection – for weeks. Can I resist buying more data from the expensive ISP? Enquiring minds wanna know….
I’m anxious about losing phone connection and easy access, but looking forward
A sole mandate is a contract to protect realtors’ interest: any commission deriving from a sale, whether or not the realtor showed the property, goes to the realtor.
No sole mandate means any realtor can show/sell the place and receive the commission. Or no realtor required to sell a property; seller/buyer can work directly with conveyancer/title company.
IMHO, the realtors serving this property have been the opposite of pro-active. In 3 months, not a single person has shown interest in even looking at the property.
True, the pandemic dampens enthusiasm and jobs and money are scarce.
Also true, I’m more familiar with California/San Francisco Bay Area real estate where, from the moment a reasonably priced property appears on the market, it garners requests to view. Bidding wars are the norm between competing buyers and properties frequently sell far above the asking price.
Throttling back expectations for the SA has been difficult.
The sooner I sell this property, the sooner my mother gets the money in her bank, the sooner I can return to California to see my family and friends… and my houseboat.
January 21 – 96,830,000 confirmed infections’ 2,074,000 deaths
December 17 – 73,557,500 confirmed infections; 1,637,100 deaths
November 19 – 56,188,000 confirmed infections; 1,348,600 deaths
US (Map)
January 21 – 24,450,000 confirmed infections’ 406,100 deaths
December 17 – 16,724,775 confirmed infections; 303,900 deaths
November 19 – 11,525,600 confirmed infections; 250,485 deaths
SA (Coronavirus portal)
January 21 – 1,370,000 confirmed infections’ 38,900 deaths
December 17 – 873,680 confirmed infections; 23,665 deaths
November 19 – 757,145 confirmed infections; 20,556 deaths
In total, he signed 17, more than half of which reversed a Trump-era policy.
Read the full list >>
Alas, conspiracy theorist, seditionists, and whackidoodles dazed and confused
In keeping with the light-heartedness around the world as the Trumpster takes his sordid place in history, note the message on vehicle:
A recipe to soothe sore throats – and reduces the fear that accompanies sore throat sufferers during a pandemic:
In one bowl, combine:
2 scoops of vanilla ice cream (faux ice cream works too)
2 tablespoons mint syrup (recipe below)
2 tablespoons grapefruit flavored rum (pink gin works too)
I comfortable spot to sit/lounge(armchair, air mattress, bed…)
Carry bowl and spoon to comfortable spot, settle, and dig in!
***
The Lincoln Project:Moving day (1:09 mins)
Dawn (2:15 mins)
Morning in America (0:55 mins)
Trump’s Legacy (1:54 mins)
Meidas Touch: Goodbye, Donnie (1:04 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
From Keystone XL to Paris Agreement, Joe Biden signals a shift away from fossil fuels:On his first day in the White House, Biden took a series of executive actions that put an exclamation point on his commitment to address climate change. Biden immediately moved to rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change, revoke a permit that former President Donald Trump granted to the controversial Keystone XL pipeline and place a temporary moratorium on oil and gas leasing in the Arctic.Well, let’s hope Bob McNally is correct. Actually “shifting” from fossil fuels to “decarbonization” won’t be easy. For one thing, change is hard for human. Moreover, what to do with all the toxics in your increasingly popular, considered “renewable” basic battery? Toxics include acid, lead, nickel, lithium, cadmium, alkaline, mercury and nickel metal hydride ... leaking and contaminating soil and water along with accumulating in wildlife and humans. Plus, the expense…
…"The era of supporting fossil fuels, even as a temporary bridge to a clean future, is over," said Bob McNally, president of consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group. "The United States has shifted from all-of-the-above to accelerated decarbonization."
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
My new Internet connection at my new place went into effect today.Initially, the install was scheduled for 12:30pm. At 9:30am, the installer called to ask for an earlier install. I agreed; that freed up my afternoon.
My online connections become more complicated for the foreseeable future. I will finish up service from one (expensive) ISP and start service (way cheaper and 4 times as much data) in my new location. But I’ll be without wireless at my mother’s house – and that means without phone connection – for weeks. Can I resist buying more data from the expensive ISP? Enquiring minds wanna know….
I’m anxious about losing phone connection and easy access, but looking forward
***
As January draws to a close, my optimism rises. Not only is Trump et al off the airwaves 24/7, I’m closer to the conclusion of the 3-month sole mandate on my mother’s property. A sole mandate is a contract to protect realtors’ interest: any commission deriving from a sale, whether or not the realtor showed the property, goes to the realtor.
No sole mandate means any realtor can show/sell the place and receive the commission. Or no realtor required to sell a property; seller/buyer can work directly with conveyancer/title company.
IMHO, the realtors serving this property have been the opposite of pro-active. In 3 months, not a single person has shown interest in even looking at the property.
True, the pandemic dampens enthusiasm and jobs and money are scarce.
Also true, I’m more familiar with California/San Francisco Bay Area real estate where, from the moment a reasonably priced property appears on the market, it garners requests to view. Bidding wars are the norm between competing buyers and properties frequently sell far above the asking price.
Throttling back expectations for the SA has been difficult.
The sooner I sell this property, the sooner my mother gets the money in her bank, the sooner I can return to California to see my family and friends… and my houseboat.
Day 301 Thursday, January 21 - The vulgarian has left the building
Exit the vulgar grifter. Welcome, an opportunity for We the People to get it together to fight – and beat – a pandemic showing little let up:Trump departed a city under militarized fortification meant to prevent a repeat of the riot he incited earlier this month.Worldwide (Map)
For his opponents, Trump's departure amounts to a blissful lifting of a four-year pall on American life and the end to a tortured stretch of misconduct and indignities. Even many of Trump's onetime supporters are sighing with relief that the White House, and the psychology of its occupant, may no longer rest at the center of the national conversation.
He leaves office with more than 400,000 Americans dead from a virus he chose to downplay or ignore.
January 21 – 96,830,000 confirmed infections’ 2,074,000 deaths
December 17 – 73,557,500 confirmed infections; 1,637,100 deaths
November 19 – 56,188,000 confirmed infections; 1,348,600 deaths
US (Map)
January 21 – 24,450,000 confirmed infections’ 406,100 deaths
December 17 – 16,724,775 confirmed infections; 303,900 deaths
November 19 – 11,525,600 confirmed infections; 250,485 deaths
SA (Coronavirus portal)
January 21 – 1,370,000 confirmed infections’ 38,900 deaths
December 17 – 873,680 confirmed infections; 23,665 deaths
November 19 – 757,145 confirmed infections; 20,556 deaths
News blues…
"This is more work than in my previous life," [Donald Trump} told Reuters 100 days into the job [four years ago]. "I thought it would be easier."I echo the sentiments of New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof who writes,
I thought about saying something more about Trump… about the final count from The Washington Post of 30,573 false or misleading statements as president (an average of 21 a day). About his financial challenges. About his legal risks. About his isolation, unable to get even his own vice president to Joint Base Andrews for his farewell.Amen, brother!
But Trump has messed with us enough. Yes, we need accountability, and we’ll get it with civil and criminal investigations, and with the Senate impeachment trial. But let’s focus on healing, which means no longer letting Trump set the agenda. He’s off Twitter, thank God, and I want some time not thinking of him and instead letting Biden wrestle with our national problems — including healing the country.
***
As he promised, President Joe Biden spent the first day of his term walking back Donald Trump’s legacy and establishing a new order through a flurry of executive actions. Close to top of the list: 100 day mask mandates in all Federal executive actions ... addressing climate change… cancelling the permit on Keystone XL pipeline … In total, he signed 17, more than half of which reversed a Trump-era policy.
Read the full list >>
Boring never looked so good!
Alas, conspiracy theorist, seditionists, and whackidoodles dazed and confused
***
The Lincoln Project: An email from my favorite former-Republican and co-founder of The Lincoln Project, Steve Schmidt:
The President’s success is America’s success."I am rooting hard for you."— George H.W. Bush to Bill ClintonIn a bygone era of American politics before coups and QAnon, we had a rich tradition of honoring democracy and the peaceful transfer of power with nonpartisan hope, optimism, and decorum.
Sitting presidents, regardless of party and of their own electoral result, passed the baton to their successor by rallying support, offering encouragement, and leaving a piece of advice or two.
It was obvious to men like Barack Obama, George Bush Jr. and Sr., Bill Clinton, and dozens before them that partisanship was ultimately performative, and the urgency and importance of strong leadership in the White House superseded ground-floor politicking.
For the country to be successful, the president must be successful, and vice versa.
How far we have fallen.
It was obvious from day one that the Trump presidency would lack convention or tradition.
It was clear Trump felt no fidelity to democracy—that he could not sense the gravity of his office, or of his power, or of his place in history.
Needless to say, those observations held steady.
Today, Trump left office mired in disgrace. He never once congratulated his successor, let alone acknowledge the result of the election.
The closest he came to conceding was reading a statement committing to a “peaceful” transfer of power long after the Capitol had been overrun by domestic terrorists.
Today, Trump leaves with the majority of the country against him—against his brashness and narcissism, antipathy and racism.
America is moving on from Trump.
Good riddance.
Today, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will set a new tone for our nation’s discourse.
They’ll reassert a standard to be expected of public servants in this country.
They’ll stand up for American ideas and ideals, and repudiate those who espouse hatred and ignorance.
We may not agree on every policy outcome or key decision point.
That’s OK.
Respectful disagreement is the very thread through which democracy is woven.
But Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have a reverence and deference to our Constitution and democratic norms, in absentia through the Trump presidency.
Mr. President and Madam Vice President, we’re rooting hard for you.
Your victories are our country’s victories.
Make us proud.
— Steve
PS: Donald Trump may have left Washington—but we [The Lincoln Project] aren't going anywhere. All those who sought to overturn our free and fair election in the Sedition Caucus, including Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, must pay a price for betraying our country and defying their oath. Stay tuned!
Healthy planet, anyone?
In keeping with the light-heartedness around the world as the Trumpster takes his sordid place in history, note the message on vehicle:
“Dried rhino poacher testicles cure AIDS – ACT NOW!”
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Sore throat update: still sore, but slightly less sore. Overnight discomfort present but manageable. I’m on the mend.A recipe to soothe sore throats – and reduces the fear that accompanies sore throat sufferers during a pandemic:
In one bowl, combine:
2 scoops of vanilla ice cream (faux ice cream works too)
2 tablespoons mint syrup (recipe below)
2 tablespoons grapefruit flavored rum (pink gin works too)
I comfortable spot to sit/lounge(armchair, air mattress, bed…)
Carry bowl and spoon to comfortable spot, settle, and dig in!
Mint syrup recipe (easy to make and excellent for mojitos)
Half cup of sugar
Half cup of water
Boil together until sugar is dissolved/
Add 2 large handfuls of fresh, washed mint leaves and simmer for 5 minutes.
Cool.
Drain mint leaves from syrup, pour liquid into jar/container, store in fridge until needed.
Experimenting with the ice cream remedy for sore throats means a dwindling supply of grapefruit-flavored rum.
Surprise! The local TOPS (liquor store) was shut – and had been for weeks.
I’d forgotten a Lockdown Level 3 mandate:
Half cup of sugar
Half cup of water
Boil together until sugar is dissolved/
Add 2 large handfuls of fresh, washed mint leaves and simmer for 5 minutes.
Cool.
Drain mint leaves from syrup, pour liquid into jar/container, store in fridge until needed.
Experimenting with the ice cream remedy for sore throats means a dwindling supply of grapefruit-flavored rum.
Surprise! The local TOPS (liquor store) was shut – and had been for weeks.
I’d forgotten a Lockdown Level 3 mandate:
Alcohol sales from retail outlets and onsite consumption are banned. The prohibition on the public consumption of alcohol remains.Ah, well… win some, lose some….
Gotta pace myself.
Hmmm, maybe pink gin will work almost as well....
Week 43
The odd thing about Trump? Despite perfecting the Art of Usury – including using people for his own ends - his pathological arrogant narcissism never understood that users beget users. A list of “allies” who’ve abandoned the Trumpster so far:
Hmmm, maybe pink gin will work almost as well....
Week 43
Day 300 Wednesday, January 20 - Pardon-athon?
 |
| We know who he'll pardon first. But who else is on his list? Enquiring minds wanna know.... |
News blues…
The Donald’s ship has sailed – and the rats, his so-called “allies”, can’t abandon him fast enough.The odd thing about Trump? Despite perfecting the Art of Usury – including using people for his own ends - his pathological arrogant narcissism never understood that users beget users. A list of “allies” who’ve abandoned the Trumpster so far:
- GOP Leaders Cordially Decline Trump's Going Away Party (3:55 mins)
- After 4 years of sycophancy, “Moscow Mitch” now says, “The mob was fed lies.”
- Pence, McConnell, and McCarthy are skipping Trump's departure ceremony
- Republican support for convicting Trump in Senate growing
- Ah, well, who needs ‘em? Trump’s arranging his own send-off at Joint Base Andrews at 8am on Wednesday. Naturally, Trump wants a military-style send-off with a band and a flyover.
- He and his family, from wife to kids and grandkids, no longer welcome in New York, are off to Florida.
With four hundred Americans dead from Covid-19 and a country in shambles, “Good luck, Florida!”
As per the US Embassy in SA:
Restored health on the horizon?
Amen!
The targeted “bad guys” at the center of many conspiracies circulating in South Africa?
Hey, Donald, haven’t you heard? “You’re fired!”
Traditionally, fishing has not been my choice of pastime. I have accompanied a friend into California’s Sierra foothills to fly fish trout. LINK He practices catch-and-release so I wasn’t faced with the dilemma of watching a pretty trout lose the struggle for breathe on a riverbank.
While he fished, I explored tide pools, scrambled over rocks, and admired rock formations.
The idea of sitting on the bank of Heron or other pond appeals. I’d probably not bait the hook (what if a bass bites?), but holding a fishing rod/pole would provide cover for sitting near and staring into water.
Or I could watch for fish eagles These amazing predators frequent these ponds. I watched two circle overhead and one dive to the pond surface.
***
The Lincoln Project:
In less than 24 hours, Joe Biden will be President. Kamala Harris will be Vice President.As glad as I am that the Trumps are going, the cynic in me wonders how long the current adoration of Biden as Savior will continue.
And Donald Trump will be a disgraced ex-President, failed businessman, and a Twitter-less private citizen.
We are in the final hours of the worst presidency of our lifetimes, and one of the most destructive in our country’s history.
For the first time in four years, the sitting president won’t be a national security landmine, a walking emoluments clause violation, or a nepotist pimp dealing spoils and favors to loyalists and the highest bidders.
We will soon have a president who listens to scientists instead of conspiracy theorists, experts instead of provocateurs, and trusted legal minds instead of pillow salesmen.
Our new president will consider the human toll of the raging pandemic before his political posturing.
Our new president will defend the values of liberal democracy, instead of abandoning our allies and cozying up to autocrats and oppressors.
Our new president will work for all Americans—not just himself and the privileged few.
Reaching this day was years in the making. November’s election did not occur in a vacuum.
It took every other patriot in this coalition to fight for democracy and deliver Joe Biden’s victory.
It took millions of Americans standing up for what is right versus what is so clearly wrong.
This is our time.
And this is our new president.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
My things-to-do before-I-can-depart-SA list just got one item more complicated. Before I can purchase a return ticket and depart, not only must I sell a house – my mother’s - and find homes for three dogs – ditto, my mother’s – figure out if I should rent my own new home, and set up a routine that tries to ensure my mother’s well-being in the Care Center, I must also follow Embassy-level directions before I can re-enter California.As per the US Embassy in SA:
Health Alert: Requirement for Proof of Negative COVID-19 Test or Recovery from COVID-19 for All Air Passengers Arriving in the United States
Location: The Republic of South Africa
Event: Starting January 26, 2021, all air travelers to the United States, including U.S citizens, are required to provide a negative COVID-19 test or proof of recovery to enter the United States.
On January 12, 2021, CDC issued an Order requiring all air passengers arriving to the US from a foreign country to get tested no more than 3 days before their flight departs and to provide proof of the negative result or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 to the airline before boarding the flight. This Order will go into effect on January 26, 2021. Actions to take:
Talking about Covid, my sore throat is still sore, but slightly less sore than this time (5:45am) yesterday. Pain and discomfort is worse overnight and, happily, last night’s discomfort was marginally less than the previous night’s.
- Visit the CDC’s webpage for more details on this requirement: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html
- Visit the Embassy’s COVID information page, https://za.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information-2/, for additional information on COVID in South Africa.
Restored health on the horizon?
Amen!
Day 299 Tuesday, January 19 - 5G. Golly gee!
KwaZulu Natal is many things… including a mishmash of misinformation and hysteria amongst those who believe that 5G towers are spreading coronavirus, that vaccines will “infect” their blood with “demons,” and that a combo of 5G, coronavirus, vaccines, electricity transmission lines, etc. herald the imminent apocalypse…The targeted “bad guys” at the center of many conspiracies circulating in South Africa?
Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci. George Soros, too, although he’s more demonized in the US than he is in South Africa.
Interestingly, few South Africans recognize Mark Zuckerberg, his name, his social media platforms, or his outsized role in social media. This, despite WhatsApp - and Facebook - being social media platforms of choice for “everyone” in SA with a mobile phone .
Conspiracy theories swirl more than ever as news circulates about users having to opt into WhatsApp’s updated privacy rules by 6 February
As increasingly bizarre conspiracy theories multiple exponentially, Telegram is promoted as the alterative social media platform. In the US, however, Telegram (along with Gab, CloutHub, and MeWe) are described (by “normal” people) as “a haven for MAGA extremists and far-right message boards such as 8kun (formerly 8chan)).
Positioned with one foot in California and one foot in KZN offers a fascinating peek into human complexities, conspiracy theories and all.
Interestingly, few South Africans recognize Mark Zuckerberg, his name, his social media platforms, or his outsized role in social media. This, despite WhatsApp - and Facebook - being social media platforms of choice for “everyone” in SA with a mobile phone .
Conspiracy theories swirl more than ever as news circulates about users having to opt into WhatsApp’s updated privacy rules by 6 February
As increasingly bizarre conspiracy theories multiple exponentially, Telegram is promoted as the alterative social media platform. In the US, however, Telegram (along with Gab, CloutHub, and MeWe) are described (by “normal” people) as “a haven for MAGA extremists and far-right message boards such as 8kun (formerly 8chan)).
Positioned with one foot in California and one foot in KZN offers a fascinating peek into human complexities, conspiracy theories and all.
News blues…
Eish! Hasn’t he left yet?
(Above) This week’s New Yorker magazine says it all.
Next week’s prescient New Yorker cover.
***
As Donald Trump prepares to scuttle out of Washington, DC, he’s said to be selling pardons, for up to $2 million each. Hey, Donald, haven’t you heard? “You’re fired!”
***
The Lincoln Project: The Liar's Guide to Mendacious Hypocrisy (2:06 mins)Healthy planet, anyone?
Will Neptune’s balls save us?
Humans tend to decide “someone else” is taking care of the planet's plastics problem and nothing more effort is required of them.
Friends, that’s far from true.
Much of the plastic dropped in recycling bins isn't being recycled.
Underwater seagrass in coastal areas appear to trap plastic pollution in natural bundles of fibre known as “Neptune balls”, researchers have found.My concern about miracle cures, whether Neptune’s balls or any other?
With no help from humans, the swaying plants – anchored to shallow seabeds – may collect nearly 900m plastic items in the Mediterranean alone every year, [according to a study] in the journal Scientific Reports.
Humans tend to decide “someone else” is taking care of the planet's plastics problem and nothing more effort is required of them.
Friends, that’s far from true.
Much of the plastic dropped in recycling bins isn't being recycled.
In 2014, 22 percent of PET plastic collected for recycling was exported out of the United States. Plastic production surged from 15 million tons in 1964 to 311 tons in 2014 — an increase of more than 2,000 percent.
According to the EPA, of the 267.8 million tons of municipal solid waste generated by Americans in 2017, only 94.2 million tons were recycled or composted. Sixty-six percent of discarded paper and cardboard was recycled, 27 percent of glass, and 8 percent of plastics were recycled.
Recycle, recycle, recycle and learn if plastic is recycled productively in your neighborhood.
Your efforts, small or large, are vital.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Heron Pond is one of four small lakes spaced, ladder-like, in a shallow valley near my section of my soon-to-be-new home. Over the weekend, while circumambulating Heron Pond, I learned anyone can fish for bass in any of the small lakes – Heron, Stork, Robin, and Duck.Traditionally, fishing has not been my choice of pastime. I have accompanied a friend into California’s Sierra foothills to fly fish trout. LINK He practices catch-and-release so I wasn’t faced with the dilemma of watching a pretty trout lose the struggle for breathe on a riverbank.
While he fished, I explored tide pools, scrambled over rocks, and admired rock formations.
The idea of sitting on the bank of Heron or other pond appeals. I’d probably not bait the hook (what if a bass bites?), but holding a fishing rod/pole would provide cover for sitting near and staring into water.
Or I could watch for fish eagles These amazing predators frequent these ponds. I watched two circle overhead and one dive to the pond surface.
Vegetation blocked my view of whether her/his dive was productive.
Next time, I’ll carry a camera
While I’m willing to go with medical advice, to date my flesh is unwilling to comply.
As of next Thursday, I’ll move to a connection one third the price for four times the data.
Next time, I’ll carry a camera
***
Sore throat update: My infected throat is neither noticeably better nor worse. I continue to steam and gargle salt water. I took advice from the doctor’s office to use a throat spray and to try a different over-the-counter lozenge or syrup.While I’m willing to go with medical advice, to date my flesh is unwilling to comply.
Day 298 Monday, January 18 - "Free again, free again...
I’ve been in South Africa for almost one year – 8 months beyond what I’d planned. One luxury I’ve granted myself during this time is an Internet connection. While I love the location of this house - semi-rural in a valley with wonderful vegetation and tall trees - I pay a premium for the Internet connection.As of next Thursday, I’ll move to a connection one third the price for four times the data.
It’ll be awkward and disruptive and my posting schedule will change, but I’m looking forward to no longer being exploited by an ISP that considers me a source of endless Yankee dollas.
I’ve managed, despite load shedding and ISP troubles, to post every day since the beginning of Covid and Lockdown and I intend to maintain that discipline.
Thank you for reading this blog and, after Thursday, please be patient as we segue to a modified schedule. Daily posts will continue albeit slightly later in the day.
The question of who breathes, and who suffocates, is a question of who deserves to live. It’s a question that will only become more urgent as the climate crisis develops.
Read, Trouble breathing: 'We all breathe the same air, but we don't breathe equally' >>
Load shedding – shutting down the country’s power grid to cope with diminished supply – is an ‘in your face’ display of shortcomings, but the devil, as they say, is in the details.
Once upon a time, Eskom offered industry and residents the cheapest electricity in the world.
I’ve managed, despite load shedding and ISP troubles, to post every day since the beginning of Covid and Lockdown and I intend to maintain that discipline.
Thank you for reading this blog and, after Thursday, please be patient as we segue to a modified schedule. Daily posts will continue albeit slightly later in the day.
News blues…
Since the recent attempted coup/insurrection/siege of the Capitol, will America and Americans have another round of soul searching around race and xenophobia?For African Americans, Wednesday’s siege of the U.S. Capitol by a mob bent on keeping President Donald Trump in office despite his election loss in November offered fresh evidence that the double standard and the racism … remain firmly in place.The Lincoln Project: Which side (0:55 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
 |
| A Black Lives Matter rally in Brisbane in June after the death of George Floyd in the US. 'In a just world, no one should have to fight for oxygen,’ writes author Jennifer Mills . Photo: James D Morgan/Getty Images |
Read, Trouble breathing: 'We all breathe the same air, but we don't breathe equally' >>
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Eskom, South Africa’s electrical supply commission parastatal, regularly displays its budgetary and executive/managerial shortcomings.Load shedding – shutting down the country’s power grid to cope with diminished supply – is an ‘in your face’ display of shortcomings, but the devil, as they say, is in the details.
Once upon a time, Eskom offered industry and residents the cheapest electricity in the world.
Yes, politically and socially those were the “bad old days” of apartheid: labor was abundant, cheap, and exploitative.
And yes, since electricity was so cheap, it was the power source of choice (for those who could afford installation). Natural gas was available, but more expensive therefore less desirable than electricity.
These days, for purposes of load shedding, Eskom’s supply grid is segmented into named and numbered neighborhoods that endure load shedding together. Our neighborhood, “same-village name_A-14”, is across the freeway from “same-village name_B-14”.
About a month ago“same-village name_A-14” – our neighborhood – endured several days without power due to theft of electrical cable from a transformer on our street.
These days, for purposes of load shedding, Eskom’s supply grid is segmented into named and numbered neighborhoods that endure load shedding together. Our neighborhood, “same-village name_A-14”, is across the freeway from “same-village name_B-14”.
About a month ago“same-village name_A-14” – our neighborhood – endured several days without power due to theft of electrical cable from a transformer on our street.
A week after that, we endured another day without power because a drunk driver crashed into and damaged the same transformer.
This weekend, a portion of “same-village name_A-14” endured 19 hours without electricity while our house, endured 2.5 hours of scheduled load shedding.
Nineteen hours is a long time without power, more so if you’re an elderly, alone, shut-in with ill health that includes diabetes. My neighbor and friend could not cook her solitary hot meal, could not bath, could only worry as she watched her stash of frozen food slowly thaw.
She and her dog ate processed meat and bread.
I dared not reach out to her since I suffered a sore throat, potentially a Covid indicator.
Naturally, social media was rife with rumor and conjecture about why power was off only in sections of the same grid.
Eskom was silent.
Hour 20, power returned – and a reason for the outage. Somehow, physical cable for “same-village name_A-14” and “same-village name_B-14” had been confused and mis-connected at a local transformer.
That is, residents endured 19 hours without power along with the regular load-shedding schedule due to a faulty transformer connection,.
Did I mention that Eskom now has among the most expensive electricity in Africa?
This weekend, a portion of “same-village name_A-14” endured 19 hours without electricity while our house, endured 2.5 hours of scheduled load shedding.
Nineteen hours is a long time without power, more so if you’re an elderly, alone, shut-in with ill health that includes diabetes. My neighbor and friend could not cook her solitary hot meal, could not bath, could only worry as she watched her stash of frozen food slowly thaw.
She and her dog ate processed meat and bread.
I dared not reach out to her since I suffered a sore throat, potentially a Covid indicator.
Naturally, social media was rife with rumor and conjecture about why power was off only in sections of the same grid.
Eskom was silent.
Hour 20, power returned – and a reason for the outage. Somehow, physical cable for “same-village name_A-14” and “same-village name_B-14” had been confused and mis-connected at a local transformer.
That is, residents endured 19 hours without power along with the regular load-shedding schedule due to a faulty transformer connection,.
Did I mention that Eskom now has among the most expensive electricity in Africa?
***
Sore throat update: I’ve now had a sore throat for longer than Eskom supplied continuous power: from Friday night to Monday morning. It’s worse overnight.
Still no other overt signs it’s evolving into a more dire illness.
Can business-as-usual grapple with climate change, income inequality, racial inequality, economic collapse, teetering democracy, recalcitrant Republicanism, developing fascism, and “domestic terrorism”?
Under a Biden presidency?
Enquiring minds wanna know.
Federal statutes provide a definition of domestic terrorism, but there is no a specific law that outlaws it .
I suspect We the People will watch months, if not years, of Congressional squabbling as House and Senate grapple with an agreed upon and just solution to address the recent insurrection.
Keep in mind …
Congress is panicked again. And pressure is building for Congress to refine “domestic terrorism” – or not. The Patriot Act was controversial at the time . Any tool can be abused.
One view of the pros and cons of The Patriot Act.
After I complained to a friend that I was developing ear ache, he recommended gargling with alcohol. Hmmm. Okay. Of a choice between gin and rum, I prefer rum, so I chose gargling with gin. “Gin might be too strong,” he advised.
As we chatted on the phone, I gargled a small swig of rum.
My friend had suggested I spit it out. Alas, the (grapefruit-flavored) rum gargle tasted great - so I swallowed it.
Delicious.
Next time you have a sore throat, gargle with grapefruit flavor rum.
Not sure it helped my sore throat, but it was a good start to the day.
Observations:
Symptoms lessen during the day.
Sense of smell is robust; no loss of energy nor increased fatigue; no fever; no head- or body aches; no cough.
Conclusion: perhaps a slow-developing cold?
Alas, my various remedies work only during daylight. Overnight my throat infection blossomed. I spent an uncomfortable night, despite several forays to the bathroom to gargle salt water.
This morning, after shining a flashlight/torch down my gullet, I see one tonsil is more inflamed than it was yesterday. I thank my lucky stars both tonsils are not inflamed.
Health Alert: South African Department of Home Affairs Announced the Temporary Suspension of Marriage Services in South Africa
Location: The Republic of South Africa
Event: The South African Department of Home Affairs announced January 12 that they are to combat COVID transmission. These include applications of Smart ID cards, applications for passports, and marriage services such as solemnisation and registration including those of foreign citizens.
Actions to Take:
Beware: Getting married or not, South African Department of Home Affairs is the last place anybody with a modicum of sense would visit during a pandemic.
Having spent literally years trying to get a passport and an ID card completed in South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs, I’d say one would be hard pressed, during a normal (non-pandemic) day, to tell whether Home Affairs has “temporarily suspending many services” or is operating. The pace is about the same for both operation and suspension of "many services."
After years visiting KZN Home Affairs head office, I finally stumbled upon how to complete paperwork: do it via the South African Embassy in Los Angeles, Ca.
Day 297 Sunday, January 17 - There goes the neighborhood
 |
| © Sheneman, the Star-Ledger |
News blues…
White, in-charge-of-the-system, America is slowing waking up to the reality that “white, right-wing extremism” can be synonymous with “domestic terrorism.”Can business-as-usual grapple with climate change, income inequality, racial inequality, economic collapse, teetering democracy, recalcitrant Republicanism, developing fascism, and “domestic terrorism”?
Under a Biden presidency?
Enquiring minds wanna know.
Federal statutes provide a definition of domestic terrorism, but there is no a specific law that outlaws it .
I suspect We the People will watch months, if not years, of Congressional squabbling as House and Senate grapple with an agreed upon and just solution to address the recent insurrection.
Keep in mind …
Just six weeks after the September 11 attacks, a panicked Congress passed the "USA/Patriot Act," an overnight revision of the nation's surveillance laws that vastly expanded the government's authority to spy on its own citizens, while simultaneously reducing checks and balances on those powers like judicial oversight, public accountability, and the ability to challenge government searches in court.“Panicked” is the key word.
Congress is panicked again. And pressure is building for Congress to refine “domestic terrorism” – or not. The Patriot Act was controversial at the time . Any tool can be abused.
One view of the pros and cons of The Patriot Act.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Update: My throat is less sore than the early hours of Saturday, but still sore. The care routine I’ve developed over the past 3 days: gargle salt water upon waking; drink orange juice then indulge in coffee; breathe in steam; suck a Strepsil lozenge (flubiporfen 8.75 mg) every 3 to 4 hours; continue to regularly gargle salt water.After I complained to a friend that I was developing ear ache, he recommended gargling with alcohol. Hmmm. Okay. Of a choice between gin and rum, I prefer rum, so I chose gargling with gin. “Gin might be too strong,” he advised.
As we chatted on the phone, I gargled a small swig of rum.
My friend had suggested I spit it out. Alas, the (grapefruit-flavored) rum gargle tasted great - so I swallowed it.
Delicious.
Next time you have a sore throat, gargle with grapefruit flavor rum.
Not sure it helped my sore throat, but it was a good start to the day.
Observations:
Symptoms lessen during the day.
Sense of smell is robust; no loss of energy nor increased fatigue; no fever; no head- or body aches; no cough.
Conclusion: perhaps a slow-developing cold?
Day 296 Saturday, January 16 - "Change is hard"
News blues…
Our planet is heading towards 100 million Covid infections – a quarter of those in the US – and more than 2 million deaths – 20 percent of those in the US. Yet The Donald is holed up watching TV in the White House, and a second impeachment looming. Nary a word about Covid-19’s toll on the nation.***
What are the roots of the attempted coup on US Capitol? “The Capitol riot has ended the notion that the president’s hardcore base was motivated by economic anxiety. It has always been about race.”
Donald Trump supporters who ransacked the U.S. Capitol last week weren’t short on cash or propelled by severe economic anxiety.Read “Trump Supporters’ Main Problem Was Never the Economy” >>
The insurrectionists came to Washington by plane. They stayed in Airbnbs and at the Embassy Suites. They wore costumes and carried weapons and iPhones. Some were cops. There were doctors, lawyers, a Chicago real estate broker, teachers ― even a school therapist. A CEO.
Sure, some of them could’ve been impoverished former coal miners, as so many pundits have described a certain sect of Trump voters. But these people weren’t raging over the decline of the carbon-based economy. This was a riot about race and power. If there was economic anxiety, it was spurred by the rioters’ false notion that their place in the world is under threat.
We can stop talking about how white Americans voted for Trump because of economic interest. His appeal was never about money. (And Trump is leaving office with the economy in tatters, by the way. On Thursday, 1.15 million more people filed for unemployment.)
The insurrection was the violent cry of a group of (mostly) white men, afraid of losing power ― not just of having their savior leave office but more broadly seeing their place at the top of the American caste system knocked down a peg.
…Overwhelmingly they’ve found that Americans who chose Trump were worried about losing their social status, their place in a country where white folks will soon be in the minority and where many women no longer seem to realize that men should be in charge.
***
The truth will out: “Bankrolling the Disenfranchisers,” a new analysis, calls out the corporate and trade association political action committees that poured millions in campaign contributions to the 147 Republicans who voted to object to President-elect Joe Biden's win over President Donald Trump. ***
Steve Schmidt, cofounder of The Lincoln Project: The 2nd Impeachment of Donald J Trump
Latest ad from The Lincoln Project:
Home remedies rife on social media advise eating piles of vitamin D, D3, C, magnesium, and/or zinc capsules, and this, that, and the next thing, consume mangos, pineapples, and avocados, not drink cold liquids, only hot, especially with lemon juice and ginger. I received advice to drink gallons of hot tea, as Chinese do “and look, their Covid infections are waning”. But, I reply, the English drink more tea than the Chinese “and look, their Covid infections are surging…”
My most effective home remedy to date? “Rum therapy”: swallow one Panado capsule (500 mg paracetamol) with a mojito: chopped mint, large squeeze of lime, ice cubes, soda water and a hint of white rum. Drink early afternoon. By sunset you’ll be smiling again.
Note: Dr Internet recommends acetaminophen for sore throats. Not much of a pill swallower, I have no acetaminophen meds in the house, only paracetamol. If you have a choice of meds, go with acetaminophen for sore throat. Better yet, trust your own doctor’s advice over Dr Internet’s.
How democracy dies (0:55 mins)Ted Cruz.Josh Hawley.Kevin McCarthy.These are the names of traitors to the United States of America—and officeholders in our nation’s Capitol.
They must resign, or be expelled.
The defense of our democracy and our Constitution from domestic enemies is our most critical job.
We’re airing ads across Missouri, Texas, California, and in D.C. to remind Americans of the most urgent threat to our Republic.
There is no denying what the stakes are. We’ve borne witness to what falling off the edge would look like.
Our democracy dangled off the point of no return last week, as we watched the President and his sycophants levy a violent attack on the Capitol—and on Congress doing the people’s work inside. We cannot look over that edge again.
We must take steps to back away, and that starts with accountability, first and foremost.
Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, and Kevin McCarthy must resign—or they must be expelled.
We, the People, demand it.
We hoped the fight for our Republic would take place at the ballot box.
Now, it’s in our shared halls of democracy. We must defend them.
Voters in every state and district represented by a seditionist must know the truth, and must take action.
It is our country’s only way forward.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
My sore throat continues. My various remedies include placing a towel over my head then handing my head over a sink full of boiling water and alternate breathing steam through mouth and nose. (Some recommend flavoring the water with eucalyptus oil.) I gargle with salt water, a easy home remedy recommended to fend off anything more deadly.Home remedies rife on social media advise eating piles of vitamin D, D3, C, magnesium, and/or zinc capsules, and this, that, and the next thing, consume mangos, pineapples, and avocados, not drink cold liquids, only hot, especially with lemon juice and ginger. I received advice to drink gallons of hot tea, as Chinese do “and look, their Covid infections are waning”. But, I reply, the English drink more tea than the Chinese “and look, their Covid infections are surging…”
My most effective home remedy to date? “Rum therapy”: swallow one Panado capsule (500 mg paracetamol) with a mojito: chopped mint, large squeeze of lime, ice cubes, soda water and a hint of white rum. Drink early afternoon. By sunset you’ll be smiling again.
Note: Dr Internet recommends acetaminophen for sore throats. Not much of a pill swallower, I have no acetaminophen meds in the house, only paracetamol. If you have a choice of meds, go with acetaminophen for sore throat. Better yet, trust your own doctor’s advice over Dr Internet’s.
Alas, my various remedies work only during daylight. Overnight my throat infection blossomed. I spent an uncomfortable night, despite several forays to the bathroom to gargle salt water.
This morning, after shining a flashlight/torch down my gullet, I see one tonsil is more inflamed than it was yesterday. I thank my lucky stars both tonsils are not inflamed.
***
News from the US Embassy in South Africa:Health Alert: South African Department of Home Affairs Announced the Temporary Suspension of Marriage Services in South Africa
Location: The Republic of South Africa
Event: The South African Department of Home Affairs announced January 12 that they are to combat COVID transmission. These include applications of Smart ID cards, applications for passports, and marriage services such as solemnisation and registration including those of foreign citizens.
Actions to Take:
- Visit the DHA’s webpage for more details on this announcement
- Visit the Embassy’s COVID information page for additional information on COVID in South Africa.
Beware: Getting married or not, South African Department of Home Affairs is the last place anybody with a modicum of sense would visit during a pandemic.
Having spent literally years trying to get a passport and an ID card completed in South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs, I’d say one would be hard pressed, during a normal (non-pandemic) day, to tell whether Home Affairs has “temporarily suspending many services” or is operating. The pace is about the same for both operation and suspension of "many services."
After years visiting KZN Home Affairs head office, I finally stumbled upon how to complete paperwork: do it via the South African Embassy in Los Angeles, Ca.
What had not been completed over 6 years of trying took 6 months in LA.
That is, I received a passport.
The ID card? Nope. I still do not have and ID card that can be applied for only in South Africa.
The rumor that I could obtain one via my bank turned out to be half true: only via banks in Gauteng Province.
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!
Day 295 Friday, January 15 - 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!
***
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.
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:
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….
Week 42
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.”
***
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.{I’m tempted to make a sarcastic joke about a French bean showing more logic than your average American human….)
… 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.
***
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.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.)
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.
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….
Week 42
Day 294 Thursday, January 14 - "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 ProjectA 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. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/beetroot-and-spinach-the-cure-for-aids-say-some-in-s-africa-1.1135185 .
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.
Day 293 Wednesday, January 13 - "Shoulda known better"
© Huffington Post/Huffpost
“…new polling showed that nearly two-thirds of likely U.S. voters believe the lame-duck incumbent [president] is directly to blame for the deadly violence.”
That leaves as many as 37 percent either believing he’s not to blame or, worse, having “no opinion.”
Here, diehard Trumpies impenetrable belief about Trump and the election. (4:43 mins)
News blues…
Further reason to be optimistic about the withdrawal of people of integrity from the drug of Republicanism:
Former Secretary of State, General Colin Powell said of Republicans, “they should have known better” (5:44 mins)
More Republicans – likely seeing the writing on the wall for their political careers – trend in the direction of supporting Trump’s impeachment.***The Lincoln ProjectThe President is a traitor and an ongoing threat to American democracy.
Republicans who disagree must be fundamentally dishonest, unserious, or anti-American.
Let’s state it in plain English: the President of the United States, after falsely declaring an election was stolen from him, sicced an armed, violent mob on the Capitol during a joint session with the Vice President present.
This was no Constitutional assembly. These terrorists were not petitioning for a redress of grievances.
This was an attempted coup d'état against the United States government, orchestrated by President Trump, and abetted by the Sedition Caucus.
We still have many more questions than answers about this assault on our democracy—who impeded the National Guard from entering the District, and why? What was Trump’s true intent? What were the ultimate goals of the insurrectionists seen with firearms, zip ties, and nooses?
It seems that the more we learn about January 6, 2021, the more shocking and appalling it becomes. We were just seconds, and just inches away, from a total decapitation of the Federal Government.
First, second, and third in the line of presidential succession—Vice President Pence, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and President pro tempore Chuck Grassley—were all present, and were all targets of the terrorists.
We will learn much more in the days to come. But first, it is paramount for our national security, and to reaffirm the peaceful transfer of power, that we depose President Trump as soon as possible.
Reporting on Mike Pence’s thinking indicates the 25th Amendment will not be used—so impeachment for inciting an insurrection is the next best route.
As calls for removing Trump quickly spread through Washington, many Republicans—themselves largely in the Sedition Caucus—have rejected the idea for the sake of “unity.”
To them, I ask, what better way to unify the country than a bipartisan impeachment and removal of a treasonous demagogue? Rather—what is unifying about allowing crimes against our very Constitution to continue to go unpunished?
We cannot set a precedent in this country that a failed coup attempt is excusable conduct for the President.
Congress must act on the House’s impeachment articles expeditiously. Every minute the President remains in office is a minute too long for our Republic.
It’s time to remove Trump from the seat of our government. And it’s time for the Sedition Caucus to pay for crimes against our country.Healthy planet, anyone?
A coalition of more than 50 countries has committed to protect almost a third of the planet by 2030 to halt the destruction of the natural world and slow extinctions of wildlife.
The High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People, which includes the UK and countries from six continents, made the pledge to protect at least 30% of the planet’s land and oceans before the One Planet summit in Paris….Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
The sun shines and it’s time to begin moving “stuff” to my new place.
I’ll not physically move there until this house is sold – at least another 60 days – but there’ll be less stuff cluttering the house when potential buyers view. At least that’s my thinking.
***I’m more concerned than ever about my mother’s state of physical and mental well-being under tight lockdown at the Care Center. I’ve not seen her since she fell and broke her leg, 28 December. Lockdown presents little chance of seeing her.
Today, I intend to deliver a cell phone that will allow her to receive and listen to WhatsApp audio recordings. Only issue? She’ll need to figure out how to activate the files. That’s a challenge she didn’t rise to before her move to the Care Center. I hope her isolation from family stimulates her to attempt it again – and succeed this time.
Day 292 Tuesday, January 12 - Topsy turvy
What becomes more obvious about our topsy turvy world is the intricate layers of ideology that weave around the reality of close to 91 million humans infected with, and close to 2 million deaths from Covid-19.There are the "no such thing as Covid" crowd, the anti-maskers, the "they're taking away our freedom" crowd, the Trump-ubes-alles crowd, the anti-vaxxers.... the list goes on.One of the my more disorienting but positive facets is optimism about a handful of Republicans who are breaking with the Republican Party line. .
The Lincoln Project , co-founded by former Republicans, quickly emerged as opting, not for business-as-usual Republican ideology, but for truth over lies, human decency over power-grabs, democracy over fascism, and integrity over Trumpism. The Project used a typically American way of making its points: humor and irony.News blues…
Muscleman, actor, fellow immigrant, and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently shared a heart-felt message following this week's attack on the US Capitol. More than 4.5 million viewers have watched this honest and revealing 7:36 minute clip.
What is Arnie referring to? This… (10:47 mins)***On the frontlines of Covid: How do you persuade 67% of South Africa to receive two doses of a non-compulsory Covid-19 vaccine – when almost half the country, according to a recent poll, says they won’t take it?
Ramaphosa tries to convince the skeptics ...
Healthy planet, anyone?
Birds’ eye view – these birds of a very colorful feather will blow your mind
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
The Rain, rain, and more rain.
The culvert is still blocked. The garden floods further. The mosquito population explodes.
Yesterday, the gardener and I explored the blocked culvert.
My goal was to convince him that he and a friend of his choosing could manually dig out the culvert. His goal? Avoid taking on the job.
Our first discovery: someone had dumped a large load of garden waste – bagsful of mowed grass clippings and dozens of pruned tree limbs – along the stream bank. Clumsily, we made our way over that illegal dump to one of the culverts (the other is so completely blocked that trees have taken root in the debris).
With the streambed almost completely submerged beneath debris, water in and around the culvert is stagnant.
Clearing even one culvert will be a far larger job than I’d thought during my recent exploration.
The NPA officers and service crews are due back at work next Monday.
I’ll be there with more letter and more photographs and more advice and more encouragement to urge officials to attend to the blocked culverts.I’ll also approach my neighbor with wetlands to add his voice to my request for service.
If only there was a mosquito abatement program in this area. Or even a department of health interested in addressing mosquito-borne diseases.Alas, Covid usurps attention from minor issues such as flooding and mosquitos.
Day 291 Monday, January 11 - Covid closing in...
News blues…
KZN now has the second highest rate of Covid infections in the country, surpassed only by densely population urbanized Gauteng province.
Meanwhile, the post-holiday surge is on in the US
***As the world watches the US fracture into further factions, an ABC News/Ipsos poll indicates how few Americans are coherent in their view of The Donald.The majority (56%) say Trump should be removed from office, while just 43% believe he should not be removed.“Just 43%”? That’s an amazingly high percentage of Americans believing the US can afford to keep him in office.
These numbers do not bode well for the next few weeks, never mind the future of democracy in that country.Healthy planet, anyone?
For nearly three months I lived in virtual confinement with the occasional visit to the corner shop being my only respite – my only chance to see people …Read “Amid the gloom of lockdown, I have taken solace in nature” >>
The only thing that pulled me out of my doldrums was nature: from my small terrace, watching the daily flights of various birds of prey, including black and griffon vultures, lifted me no end. As did a male spotless starling, whose home territory included a television aerial on a nearby rooftop. I watched him claim his coveted song post, singing his heart out, attracting several females, mating with one of them and eventually bringing his family back to the aerial where it all began. There was something very satisfying about seeing nature unfold in daily episodes.***It is "doubtful" that the Amazon forest could remain resilient into the future given the layers of threats facing it.A new report for Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development concluded that the Amazon rainforest will collapse and largely become a dry, shrubby plain by 2064. Development, deforestation and the climate crisis are to blame….Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Closing in: One upside of “being American/a visitor” to KZN?Not having a wide circle or acquaintances and friends offers a smaller probability of exposure to Covid.
I stay in touch with the acquaintances and friends I do have via phone and WhatsApp audio messaging. Many of them, embedded in communities, report surging infections among their acquaintances and friends.
One alarming story tells of residents of a retirement community leaving the facility to spend three days with family over the festive season. One person returned with Covid. Now the entire facility – up to 20 people, all elderly - are infected.
While total lockdown in the care center in which my mother resides means neither I nor any of her family may visit, at least my mother will not be exposed to Covid. Her current state of health, post-surgery after a fall, would never allow her to fight off the infection if exposed.
I continue to pursue ways in which we can contact my mother despite lockdown preventing face-to-face visits.
Last week’s first Zoom call was cancelled due to my mother’s ill health. We’ll try another video call on Wednesday.
After the failed Zoom call, I sent my mother an audio recording via a staff member’s cell phone. That worked well enough that I’ve decided to return the cell phone that I’d purchased for my mother and that she’d given up on, saying it was “too hard to use.”
I hope she’ll find hearing and/or seeing family on her own cell phone enticing enough to overcome her antipathy of cell phones.
Day 290 Sunday, January 10 - Catch our collective breath
Ten days before Donald Trump is out of the White House and the US has a chance to regain a semblance of balance. Given The Donald’s penchant for the unexpected, the outlandish, and for inciting violence, let’s catch our collective breath and focus on something more easily understood: Covid-19.
© M. Wuerker News blues…
California:
Health authorities reported Saturday a record one-day total of 695 coronavirus deaths as many hospitals strain under unprecedented caseloads.
California’s death toll since the start of the pandemic rose to 29,233, according to the state Department of Public Health’s website.
Meanwhile, hospitalizations are nearly 22,000, and state models project the number could reach 30,000 by Feb 1.
South Africa:
My Covid-alert app reported, early this morning, more than 21,000 infections over a 24-hour period in South Africa. On the positive side, Irish health officials believe three cases of another new variant found in South Africa had been contained after…confirming the first cases of the more infectious variant found in South Africa on Friday in people who had travelled to Ireland from South Africa over the Christmas holidays.
[Irish health] officials … said on Saturday they believe three cases of another new variant found in South Africa had been contained.***Now This | Trump Supporter Calls C-SPAN in Tears Over President's Lies (2:02 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
Despite a 7% fall in fossil fuel burning due to coronavirus lockdowns, heat-trapping carbon dioxide continued to build up in the atmosphere, also setting a new record. The average surface temperature across the planet in 2020 was 1.25C higher than in the pre-industrial period of 1850-1900, dangerously close to the 1.5C target set by the world’s nations to avoid the worst impacts.Read “Climate crisis: 2020 was joint hottest year ever recorded” >>***Photo essay – a reminder of who and what else depends on a health planetMeanwhile, back at the ranch…
Lifestyle of the potato: While I understand how to prepare potato “eyes” for planting, I’ve never planted potatoes. All potato plants that grow in this KZN garden are volunteers. (Also true of tomatoes, varieties of squash, onions, and strawberries in this garden. I’ve given up on harvesting tomatoes as they suffer from assorted blights, viruses, and bugs soon as the fruit appears.)
Last year's potato crop -
before monkeys....
This year, monkeys have been particularly destructive, pulling up plants and biting, once, into a fruit before discarding it and picking and biting into another.
Potatoes may appear prosaic and they’re cheap and abundant in grocery stores, but fresh, plump, garden-grown potatoes offer a certain .. je ne sais quoi.Alas, this year, the few I harvested were asymmetrical and knobby with a more-dense-than-usual texture, and full of “eyes.” (Eyes develop into more potato plants.)I cooked and ate them anyway.
I intend to grow potatoes in my new garden, along with basil, chard, parsley, onions, cilantro/coriander, and strawberries.
My new neighbors advise that monkeys do not frequent that neighborhood, but warthogs do. Warthogs offer the additional hassle of being diurnal, that is they forage both day and night.
Something to look forward to – at least until the novelty of warthogs in my garden wears off.***The garden pond’s runaway exotic lilies are blooming. They’re a lovely yellow (indigenous lilies are purple) and, as exotics, have few natural predators. By this time of year, they quickly overrun the pond and must be removed.
The gardener hates entering the pond – “inyoka” – snakes, he claims – so I don waders and gloves to extract lilies. I place piles of lily debris on the banks and the gardener strews them along a path. Theoretically, the layer of dry lilies discourages weeds and creates a walkway in the lower section of the garden.
As for snakes in the pond, in three years I’ve seen one, a Common Brown River snake. Scary, but non-venomous.
Day 289 Saturday, January 9 - 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….
***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.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….
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.
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,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.
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.
On 7 January, 2021, I hand delivered another letter to same local provincial administration office, indeed the same provincial administration officer:Dear NPA Representative,Since pictures are worth 1,000 words, I presented the following:
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.
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.)
Day 288 Friday, January 8 - Fallout!
Rioters clash with police
as they try to enter the Capitol on Jan. 6.
(c) Pacific Press via Getty Images.News blues…
In the face of a global pandemic that has killed close to 87 million people, Dr Fauci reviews the challenges to deliver vaccine in the US, the world's hardest hit nation. (8:00 mins).
The US is also in political turmoil.
Five are dead and at least 50 security officers confirmed injured in the attempted insurrection. Some Republicans continue their denial of root causes. Nevertheless, heads are beginning to roll.The egregious denialists:Republican Congressman Mo Brooks of Alabama falsely claimed that supporters of President Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday were actually left-wing protesters… ANTIFA fascists in backwards MAGA hats.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton promoted a tweet from far-right Investors Business Daily writer Paul Sperry, claiming that a "former FBI agent" has confirmed the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters was a "false flag" engineered by a "bus load of Antifa thugs."
- Yet more “false flag” blaming of Antifa and progressive groups. (20:00 mins)
- Meanwhile, Capitol police chief resigns
- Trump cabinet members and staff resign ... and the fallout continues with further resignations in the White House (7:20 mins)
- Manufacturers Call on Armed Thugs to Cease Violence at Capitol
- Some of America's top businesspeople are threatening to cut off funding to those who egged on the insurrection.
***After their post-election slump, a re-energized Lincoln Project:
Yesterday’s insurrection was horrifying—but not surprising.
Our seat of government—our shared halls of democracy—was invaded, occupied, and vandalized for the first time since the War of 1812.
For a moment, American democracy fell to an insurrection incited by the President of the United States.
Worst of all—this was predictable. What we witnessed yesterday was abhorrent, but it should have surprised nobody who has paid attention to the last few years, or months, or days.
This did not occur in a vacuum. Violent insurrections don’t appear out of thin air.
Every Trump Republican is culpable—but none more so than the seditionists (six in the Senate, over 100 in the House) who, even after the Capitol was invaded and then secured, continued to attempt to disenfranchise millions of Americans by opposing the counting of legitimate Electoral College votes.The Senate Sedition Caucus:Ted Cruz (TX)Josh Hawley (MO)Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS)John Kennedy (LA)Roger Marshall (KS)Tommy Tuberville (AL)We have sounded the alarms over the dangers of Trump’s demagoguery and populism for years.
We knew that every time one of his lies was parroted by a sycophantic enabler, the base of delusion and deceit grew.
Yesterday was the completely inevitable outcome of this demagoguery and deceit.
For some, yesterday was a wake-up call—that there is a price to pay for toying with, and undermining, the U.S. Constitution.
For us—it was an affirmation of everything we stand for.
Trump Republicans must pay a price.
Seditionists must pay a price.
Enemies of our country, foreign and domestic, must pay a price.
We won’t back down.***Now This | Sen. Elizabeth Warren: Trump is a 'Lying Coward' (4:40 mins)Healthy planet, anyone?
The impact of the coronavirus on natureMeanwhile, back at the ranch…
It’s tough trying to maintain someone else’s property and preparing it for sale. There have been no views of the property in 2.5 months – not too surprising. This is, after all, the “festive season” during which potential properties purchasers don’t buy. Moreover, the pandemic depresses the economy and potential buyers watch their budgets.
For a short while, I fancied myself “pool gal” – as it appeared I’d solved the ongoing issue of the swimming pool filter’s apparent malfunctions.
The filtering systems appeared to work well for several days. I collected fallen leaves and debris from the water as well as removed handfuls of frog eggs. I cleared the filter baskets and discharged dirty water. Nevertheless, alas, while the pump sounds like its doing it’s filtering, water is not circulating through the filter.
I’m stumped.
I will not request a consult from the “pool guy” – I hired. After all, it took 3 months for him to show up last time and, when he did, he was dismissive, rude, and overcharged. Yet, based on experiences to date, I quaver at having to find someone else to carry out the needed work.
There’s also the basic stupidity I display with some of these maintenance chores. For example, after the CCTV system stopped working (it coincided with Eskom’s visit to butcher tall trees in the garden) I hired a security system consultant to figure out why the system wasn’t working. He did. The electrical plug wasn’t correctly inserted into the outlet.
Such missteps convince me that my “lifestyle” choices are correct: dwell in a small, low maintenance home (in California I live – or lived – in a houseboat) and concentrate on living in the moment. For example, discover the lifestyles of bugs, birds, and birds. In other words, as far as possible, enjoy life’s free moments free of the burdens of maintenance.
Day 287 Thursday, January 7 - Over-the-top whackidoodle-itude!
Watch (mask-free) far-right Trumpies storm US Capital building and enter Congress! (4:50 mins)
© A pro-Trump mob breaks
into the U.S. Capitol.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
One unarmed woman, so far unidentified, was shot and killed, her alleged shooter “a senior U.S. Capitol Police officer.”
Meanwhile, Covid-19 marches on….December 3 – 64,469,710 confirmed infections; 1,492,100 deaths
November 5 – 48,136,225 confirmed infections; 1,225,915 deaths
US (Map)
January 6 – 21,294,100 confirmed infections; 361,100 deathsDecember 3 – 13,920,000 confirmed infections; 273,370 deaths
November 5 – 9,487,470 confirmed infections; 237,730 deaths
SA (Coronavirus portal)
January 6 – 1,150,000 confirmed infections; 1,30,525 deathsDecember 3 – 796,475 confirmed infections; 21,710 deaths
November 5 – 730,500 confirmed infections; 19,585 deaths
News blues…
KZN in Covid trouble (3:49 mins)***I ran into a caregiver in the grocery store and, as we caught up on news since our last meeting, she said she would not take any coronavirus vaccine offered in South Africa. This, because “it takes years to ensure vaccines are effective. This coronavirus vaccine has no history.”
She’s not alone in this point of view.Only 53% of South Africans would want to take a coronavirus vaccine if it was available, an Ipsos/World Economic Forum survey has found. Two causes of this low percentage are worries about potential side-effects, and people being against vaccines in general….Read the Ipsos/World Economic Forum report >>
…in December 2020, just 53% of South Africans said they totally agreed that if a vaccine was available, they would take it. By comparison, in October, 68% of South Africans surveyed said they would take the vaccine. In August, the number stood at 64%.
According to the survey, with multiple answers allowed, reasons for people not wanting to take a vaccine were worries about potential side effects (65%), not being sure it was effective (24%), there not being enough of a risk of contracting Covid-19 (17%), against vaccines in the first place (23%), don’t have time for it (5%), and other reasons (18%). Five hundred South Africans who were more urban, educated and/or more affluent than the general population were sampled for the survey.
In the US, the results of a survey of 2,730 consenting US adults, aged 18 years and older, with a response rate of 39% and a …… sample weighted to be demographically representative of the US population, [suggested that] overall, 61.4% (95% CI, 60.0%-63.0%) of respondents indicated they would likely get a COVID-19 vaccine. Republicans and Independents were, however, significantly less likely to get vaccinated than Democrats (Republicans, 44.3% [95% CI, 41.7%-46.8%]; Independents, 58.4% [95% CI, 55.5%-61.1%]; Democrats, 76.6% [95% CI, 74.7%-78.5%]), and Black respondents were significantly less likely than non-Black respondents to get vaccinated (43.6% [95% CI, 39.2%-48.2%] vs 63.7% [95% CI, 62.3%-65.2%]).Read “US Public Attitudes Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates" >>***After a very close race, two Democrats were elected in the US state of Georgia. This puts the US Congress and it’s ability to legislate in a different position to what it has been for the past four years – and where it was during the Obama presidency. With the US Senate now evenly distributed between Democrats and Republicans – 50/50 – Vice president-elect Kamala Harris becomes a tie-breaker, if needed. .
One hopes that all the bills “Moscow” Mitch McConnell has refused to bring to the floor will resurface.
One hopes better days are ahead.
The Lincoln Project celebrates the results of Georgia’s election:We did it, again.
Georgia once again rejected the politics of racism and bigotry.
Georgia said ‘no more’ to gross abuses of office and Trump loyalism.
Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff will soon be sworn in, bringing the U.S. Senate to a 50-50 partisan split—the slimmest of Democratic majorities, with Vice President Harris casting any tie-breaking votes.
50-50 is no blank check. Every individual Senator in the majority will have extraordinary power over what passes the upper chamber.
But reaching this point—McConnell out of power, and two of Trump’s most sycophantic enablers removed from office—is as critical for crushing Trumpism as it is for Joe Biden’s ability to lead and heal this nation.
It goes without saying—our work is far from over.
Today, we expect over 100 Republican House members and at least a dozen Republican Senators to back the latest and most shameless attempt to overturn the will of the American people.
By objecting to the certification of Electoral College members, Republican seditionists will assert that it is up to Congress, not We the People, to determine who the next President of the United States will be.
Every member of the Sedition Caucus will be named.
We will ensure that their remaining time in office is as politically painful as possible.
The votes they take today to subvert the Constitution and the will of the people will follow them around for the rest of their miserable lives.
We guarantee it.
People, revel in the joy and excitement of these two monumental wins.Healthy planet, anyone?
Every year, between October and December, 8–10 million straw-coloured fruit bats descend on the park to feast on an abundance of fruit. From west Africa, over the forests of the Congo basin and on to Zambia, the bats migrate thousands of kilometres over savanna and open land, dispersing seeds into deforested areas, and reforesting and regenerating landscapes on their journey. Scientists are still trying to fathom why these fruit bats, or “flying foxes”, gather at Kasanka in numbers not seen anywhere else. Each night they leave their evergreen swamp fig roosts to fly up to 55 miles (90km) in search of wild berries and fruit….Read “Why the world's biggest mammal migration is crucial for Africa – a photo essay” >>
[But]
…With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the bats have faced a new threat from humans seeking to attack them. “These bats are being persecuted because of ongoing publicity about their role as virus hosts. Their importance completely outweighs the potential threat,” says Dechmann, adding that their role in transmitting viruses such as Covid-19 directly to humans has not been scientifically proved.Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Eskom resumes load shedding. Our schedule is generous: electricity scheduled to go off between 22:00/10pm and 5:00/5am. I awoke at 12:50am and it was off. Awoke again at 3:50am and it was back on. Go figure.***Yesterday, I shared misgiving about the precarious health situation I face if Covid finds a path into my lungs/body. Consequently, I began paying more attention to recognizing symptoms. This video helps. It is short and to the point. (1:31 mins).
Day 286 Wednesday, January 6 - Reality checks
As second wave Covid shuts down countries (UK) and counties (San Francisco Bay Area) we the (smart) people hunker down.
Since going out and about could be fatal, it’s tempting simply to shut down, navel gaze, and become engrossed in one’s own small world.
Instead of feeding feelings of guilt, I searched online for other pandemic bloggers. See below - Healthy planet, anyone? - for bloggers working to ensure others’ health and safety during horrific times.News blues…
The big day has arrived for Georgia and the US. The outcome could not be more important to how president-elect Joe Biden is able to steer the US away from evolving Republican madness.If Georgians - traditionally a "red state", that is strongly Republican - elect the two corrupt Republican candidates to Congress, the US is – in my opinion – essentially stalled. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnel (“Moscow Mitch”) can, and will, thwart any essential forward momentum proposed by Democrats.
Trump, meanwhile, continues to whine about “election fraud” while “working tirelessly” to improve his golf swing while ignoring the reality of the pandemic.***The Lincoln Project Traitor (1:06 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
Pandemic-related blogs and vlogs:
- The fun, friendly, garden wildlife-focused Lockdown Diaries of a Wildlife Cameraman – Warwick Sloss (3 episodes so far).
- Médecins Sans Frontières/ Doctors Without Borders (MSF):
Staff blogs | Fighting an epidemic in a pandemic | Patient blogs***Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
With a deadly pandemic raging, I faced the reality of my precarious position as “sout pilitjie” (Afrikaans for “salt penis” refers to those straddling Africa and Europe so that the penis hangs in the ocean).
I’m set up not to survive medically in SA.To summarize: 1) I remain in SA, first, because of forced by the lockdown travel ban then because lockdown forced me to recognize my mother’s situation and its fallout was no longer tenable, 2) while here, I have no close, personal support system nor, more importantly, no medical support system, 3) I have no health insurance here (my CA insurance isn’t valid in SA and my travel insurance ran out months ago), 3) I have little practical knowledge about how to recognize if I – or anyone, including our domestic worker – contracts Covid. (The domestic worker has access to national health care plan, albeit iffy, under current pandemic conditions), and 4) I have no idea what to do or how to care for myself - or her - if needed.
Yesterday, I reached out to the medical professionals I’ve met while setting up a long-term plan for my mother’s care. They advised that, 1) “treating your symptoms should be your focus,” 2) if I contracted Covid and my health allowed it, I should “tell your doctor or pharmacist your symptoms and they will advise on appropriate medication and if a scrip is required”, 3) order pharmaceuticals and food online for delivery, 4) hire the care giver I’d hired for weekly visits to my mother; we know and like one another and she’s experienced at helping homebound Covid sufferers.
I also “consulted” the Internet and discovered “Practical strategies if you test positive for COVID-19 (or are in contact with someone who tests positive)” (38:00 mins) It’s long and more technical than I require, but it offers useful, current, information. (Many YouTube clips on selfcare for Covid, but are more than two months old while Covid morphs week-by-week.)***I’d not heard “all year” from my son and his family in the Harris/Galveston County area of Texas, south of Houston. Both he and his wife are health care providers so on the front lines. Finally, he texted that their area is “getting swamped.” The Moderna vaccine reached them, however, and both have been vaccinated.***After weeks staying at the house, our domestic worker will take today off. She will purchase fencing for her own home “in the village.”
This endeavor requires vigilance against exposure to Covid while 1) taking taxis to the store to purchase fencing, then from the store to the urban taxi rank, then at least one more taxi for the 30 to 40 minute drive to the village about 40 kms away. She’ll spend most of the day in village (some socializing expected as she’s not been home for nine months), then she’ll return here via two or three more taxis.
I know she’ll be vigilant. I pray she’s more vigilant than the new highly contagious strain of coronavirus.
Day 285 Tuesday, January 5 - Mayhem
Five days into the new year and chaos and mayhem reign.News blues…
The other pandemic: the surge in fake news:
- ANC ward councillor Sfiso Mngadi has admitted recording a voicenote in which he shared multiple Covid-19, vaccine and 5G conspiracy theories.
“As leaders of eThekwini [Durban] we need to take action against this disease. It is not Covid. We are getting this thing from 5G towers, [some] installed during this period in preparation of the second wave.
“Maybe we as councillors need to call a special council meeting, take a decision that all 5G towers must be disconnected in eThekwini.
[and…]
“White people were vaccinated about five months ago. There was a truck that distributed the vaccine in boxes and white people from all over the province, including places like Ixopo and Vryheid, went there to receive these boxes. It was given to white people only.”- Take note: SA government has no plans to take SA into a hard lockdown.
Rumours circulating on social media suggesting the national coronavirus command council (NCCC), in response to the rising numbers of Covid-19 infections, will meet to discuss a stricter lockdown have been dismissed by government.
“That is fake news,” said presidency spokesperson Nonceba Mhlauli.- Trump claims US rising coronavirus death toll as ‘fake news’ (1:48 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
Covid devastates SA’s wildlife tourism industry. KZN especially hard hit.
What kind of future
are we handing our children
and our children’s children?
© Pat Byrnes, PoliticalCartoons.com
The economy shed 2.2m jobs in the second quarter of 2020.Read “South African game reserves forced to cull animals as Covid halts tourism” Tourist lodges run out of cash to feed and care for the animals on their land and thousands of villagers lose their jobs.
The huge tourist industry – which employs around one in every 20 workers and provides just under 3% of GDP – has been devastated.
Once the December holiday season meant tens of thousands of foreign visitors spending hundreds, even thousands, of dollars every day. Now, with the rate of new infections in the country soaring as authorities struggle to check a second wave, no one expects the tourists to come back soon.***On a lighter note, comedy wildlife photography finalists of 2020Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
I’m one small step closer to making my new home a home. It feels satisfying.
I met with two vendors, each bringing me one step closer to making my new home a lived-in home. Moreover, I’d given both vendors a window of time in which I’d be available: between 12:30pm and 1:45pm.
Atypical-in-my-experience, both vendors arrived soon after 12:30pm, the second arriving as I bid goodbye to the first.
The fencing guy – Gary - will install a gate to allow easier access to my front garden. I’d like the gate installed in a way that, when I’m sitting on my patio enjoying a “sundowner” (colonial sunset cocktail), I view more garden and less gate.I’d have preferred no gate and no fence, but neighbors report that zebra, impala, Duiker, and warthog will step onto my patio to eat plants growing in the inner garden.
The second vendor – “Woofs” - tested my home for a wireless installation. Amazingly, the former renter never used the Internet. That’s atypical. A quick view of the list of secure connections indicates many neighbors access the Internet.
Next steps for my wireless connection: review the installation quote, sign the contract, pay, and “within a week” I’ll be listed as a secure connection, too.
Alas, both vendors stated they’d email me quotes “tonight” (last night), but so far nothing has arrived.
I’m not in a hurry as the earliest I’ll move is mid- to late February.
I plan to return to California “sometime in March” but who knows?
***Prognosis on my mother’s health is not good. Anesthetic from surgery still has the upper hand in her system and she’s sleeping a lot. After a meeting with the matron yesterday, I was granted permission to visit (despite tight lockdown in the facility).I’ve not seen my mother for more than a week. I didn’t see her yesterday either: she was asleep.
I plan to schedule a Zoom call with her Friday and encourage distant family members to participate.
Day 284 Monday, January 4 - "Call it Covid"
We begin the first work week of 2021 with not-good stats.News blues…
The number of Covid-19 cases in SA is now at 1,100,748, afte3r 11,859 new cases. The death toll sits at 29577, after 402 new fatalities.
This, as KZN;s daily rate of infection edges toward 6,000.
***These astonishing numbers as the lame duck US president continues to obsess about losing the election and becomes more whacky by the day as his whims are ignored.
MSNBC data. [Trump] attacked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for having a “ridiculous method” for counting the number of infections and deaths.Lordy, isn’t it time this lame duck flew off to a different swamp?
“When in doubt, call it Covid,’” Trump tweeted, appearing to suggest that was the CDC’s stance on recording pandemic-related statistics. “Fake News!”
But some public health experts say the number of COVID-19 cases is actually likely underreported since many people infected with the virus may be asymptomatic or show only mild symptoms and not seek treatment.
The lame duck is still more obsessed with overturning election results than he is with the infection devastating the U.S. Audio excerpts from a phone call during which he tries to bully Republicans to go along with his version of election fraud….Healthy planet, anyone?
Electricity in my neighborhood went off due to a drunk driver crashing into a transformer. Other parts of KZN, though, reported outages, too – many of which were “business as usual” Eskom outages not scheduled in the EskomSe Push app. From Howick West (pictured) through Hillcrest (Valley of 1,000 Hills, near Durban) outages were the norm.
New Year’s day protest in
Howick West against Eskom’s
spotty delivery of electricity.
Background on SA’s energy crisis:The South African Energy Crisis is an ongoing period when South Africa experiences widespread rolling blackouts as supply falls behind demand, threatening to destabilize the national grid. It began in the later months of 2007 and continues to this day. The government owned national power utility and primary power generator, Eskom, and various parliamentarians attributed these rolling-blackouts to insufficient generation capacity. With a reserve margin estimated at 8% or below, such "load shedding" is implemented whenever generating units are taken offline for maintenance, repairs or re-fueling (in the case of nuclear units). According to Eskom and government officials, the solution requires the construction of additional power stations and generators.FYI: World Bank data on electricity supply of countries around the world.
Read more >>***Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
I’m always interested in what’s happening in the world. So much so that, curious, I departed SA as a young woman to explore the world. (As required by then-SA's patriarchal gov’t, my father had to sign a waiver allowing me to leave the country as I was under 21 years old.)
Cultures and intra-and intercultural communication intrigues me (my BA is in intercultural communication.) Lots more to share about this, but for now, an interesting item of to go/take away food found in local grocery store: Pizza Tikka Chicken.
Who’da thunk Italian cuisine could meld with Indian cuisine?
The dough is not up to basic standards but the flavors works!
If pizzas can meld interculturally, so can people.No?
***Jessica The Dog has settled back into her home. Despite advancing age and arthritis, she’s game to chase monkeys (they taunt her by staying just out of reach) and roly-poly on the lawn.She appears to have decided I’m her vice-pack-leader since THE pack leader – my mother – is out of sight. This is a new role, not one I relish.
I avoid the responsibility pets impose on my life. My last pet, a decade ago, was a cat left with me by my daughter. Cats are more my speed: independent, self-absorbed, curious (like me?).
Dogs require regular doses of affirmations – “what a good, dog,” “who’s a fine girl?” etc., ad nauseum - and are underfoot (Jessica, glued to my hip, recently caused me to trip while pulling on my shoes).
What’s going to happen to Jessica – and Pixie and Ozzie – when this house is sold?
A friend is interested in adopting Jessica. She already has 3 dogs and lives in a small house with small garden. I’m concerned about elderly Jessica fitting into that scene.One the other hand, my mother’s desire is that I “put down” (euthanize) the dogs. After that, I’m expected to combine their cremains with hers- and her cremains collection - when she passes.Not a joke.
My mother stores 8 or 9 boxes of cremains – boxes made of fine wood with brass latches – in her small room at the Care Center. The boxes are set out like other old ladies set out photographs of family.
My job is to ensure all cremains are mixed together and deposited at the property where my mother spent ssix decades of her life.
One problem – other than the request’s macabre nature?
The property belongs to a corporation and, while the land is fallow – I’d be trespassing if I crept onto it to deposit a large bag of cremains.
Day 283 Sunday, January 3 - Resolute 2021
© Far side – Gary Larsen News blues…
Americans and their guns! New Year's Eve celebratory shootings result in victims, including the slaying of a 4-Year-old child.
***New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof reminds us of that we’d prefer to ignore. By suppling military equipment and bombs, the US supports the bombing of Yemen. By supporting Saudi Arabia’s attacks on Yemen, the US supports the starving of children.
Abdo Sayid at 4 years old
was only 14 pounds.
Photo: Giles Clarke/U.N. Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
This means, Americans, that our tax dollars are used to starve children like Abdo Sayid.Kristof writes:
That’s a photo of a 4-year-old boy, Abdo Sayid, who weighed 14 pounds when he was brought to a hospital in Aden, Yemen, to be treated for starvation. I wondered whether to run the photo with this newsletter, and with my column today.
There’s an argument that such photos are “poverty porn,” reducing humans to two-dimensional “victims.”
I decided to include the photo. Because I think it’s important for the world to see the consequences of indifference to the growing threat of starvation in poor countries around the world, as a pandemic of hunger follows the coronavirus pandemic. My new column cites a report indicating that an additional 10,000 children are starving to death each month because of the pandemic, and these are preventable. I’m a believer that photos galvanize us and awaken our consciences in ways that words sometimes don’t.
Abdo died soon after reaching the hospital, but his family and the doctors were eager to have the photographs circulated because they want the world to know of such suffering — in hopes that awareness will lead to more help to prevent other kids from dying unnecessarily.
So my column today explores the global, indirect consequences of the pandemic, including people dying of AIDS and tuberculosis because they can’t get medicines, or children going blind because vitamin A supplementation is disrupted, or 2 million additional girls enduring female genital mutilation because campaigns against the practice have slowed. People in poor countries aren’t so much dying of the virus itself, but they are suffering enormously because of the indirect consequences of the pandemic — and because rich countries and the World Bank aren’t doing enough to help. Please read the column.***Healthy planet, anyone?
Need ideas for New Year’s resolutions that go beyond “getting more exercise” and “losing weight”?
Do your part in shaping a healthier planet and brighter future for all.
Ways to protect our planet :
ClimateClimate change is perhaps the greatest challenge humanity as ever faced.Food security
It affects every corner of our planet – from the poles to the tropics, and from the mountains to the oceans. People and nature worldwide are already feeling the effects: water supplies are shrinking, extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity, forests are burning, and coral reefs are dying.The food system is the single biggest threat to nature today.Oceans
It uses most of our natural resources - 69% of all our water and 34% of our land. It has caused 75% of deforestation, 30% of topsoil erosion and contributes at least 24% of greenhouse gas emissions. And yet, we don't even eat all the food we produce - around one third of it is lost in the supply chain or thrown away.The ocean supplies half the oxygen we breathe, and provide food and livelihoods for more than a billion people.Freshwater
They are also home to a wondrous array of wild species, from tiny plankton to the biggest creature that’s ever existed – the blue whale. But the ocean is in crisis. Centuries of overuse and neglect threaten to leave us with a vast blue wasteland.Almost half the world's population will face severe water scarcity by 2030 without urgent actionForests
Water is our most precious resource. We can't live without it, there's no substitute for it, and there's only so much of it to go round. Of all the water on Earth, just 2.5% is fresh water, and most of that is locked up in ice or deep underground. We rely on freshwater for farming, industry, and for the sustenance of 7 billion human beings and all life on land.Human actions have already led to the loss of around 40% of the world’s forests.Wildlife
We all need healthy forests. They help keep our climate stable, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. They regulate our water supply and improve its quality. They provide a home to more than half of all species found on land, and we rely on them too! Over 1 billion people live in and around forests, depending on them for fuel, food, medicines and building materials.The population sizes of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles today have dropped an average of 68% since 1970.Read “Go from zero to planet hero this 2021" >>
Maintaining the complex balance of animal life on Earth ensures the health of the natural systems we depend on for water, food, clean air, fertile soils and a stable climate. We need to reverse this loss of nature and biodiversity to create a future where wildlife and people thrive again***Our lives depend on a healthy planet: Dr Maria Neira, WHO Director, Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of HealthEvery day we depend on biodiversity (the sheer variety of life found on Earth) to keep us alive and healthy. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the foods we eat and the medications we take are all by-products of a healthy planet.Read “Our lives depend on a healthy planet” >>***Healthy people, healthy planet: the search for a sustainable global diet
By 2050, an estimated 10 billion people will live on Earth. To provide them with a healthy diet, eating habits need to change.
Read “Healthy people, healthy planet: the search for a sustainable global diet” >>Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Despite best intentions, rain prevented me transplanting indigenous plants into my new garden at my new home. With a let up in rain today, I will dedicate myself to creating a wonderful garden. A New Year’s resolution!
Day 282 Saturday, January 2 - So this is 2021?
Hmmm, so far 2021 is not going well. A drunk driver drove into a neighborhood Eskom transformer. Knocked out electricity early afternoon, 1 January. Sixteen hours later the outage remains in effect.
Heavy rainfall since 31 December means garden and – as I discovered to my dismay – many battery operated items are water-logged.
I’d packed my car with gardening items to take to my new place and transplant while the soil is damp and easier to dig.
Alas, my car wouldn’t start; battery had some life but not enough to start the engine. (I’d pulled the car out from under the carport so that rain could cleanse it of excess dust. Perhaps that was the problem? Some necessary part got wet? That doesn’t make sense but who knows?)
I searched for the jumper cables that belong to this household. Alas, my brother, naturally, has commandeered them and they’re at his house, a 30-minute drive away. Moreover, he’s under quarantine and couldn’t return them anyway.
I transferred all items from my car to my mother’s car, that does start.
Alas, the electricity-powered security gate didn’t work. Usually, battery power kicks in when electricity is off and, after a pause, gate opens and closes with a signal from the remote. Today? No such luck. The security gate battery appears flat, too.
What else can a girl do but have a cup of tea – and a hunk or tow of dark fruit cake.
I pray my array of battery charged items – phones, laptop – last for the duration or the power outage.
***Two hours later electricity back on. Time to boogey….Week 41
Day 281 Friday, January 1 - Happy New Year!
Perhaps We the People should take heed of this Froggie couple and, as we wave a grateful farewell to 2020, pledge, for 2021, to “make love, not war”?
Froggie went a’courtin’ …
frogs mating in the
swimming pool to usher in
the new year (see below).News blues…
Dr Fauci will become chief Covid advisor to the Biden administration. This, after Fauci’s frustration and struggles with the Trump administration. Fifty-two years as a public servant: (20:00 mins)
***Covidiot is a peculiarly American phenomena whereby certain Americans apparently believe wearing masks, social distancing, and hand hygiene does not apply to them... and that coronavirus is a hoax. Moreover, since they are American and thus “free,” they can act “free.” Behold, an example of a Covidiot practicing covidiocy:
A store clerk was left amazed by a customer who had cut a hole in her Covid-19 face mask because it 'makes it easier to breathe'.
Joe Samaan was working his shift at an S J Food Mart outside Lexington, Kentucky, when a woman came in asking to pay for gas.
But unlike the hundreds of other customers Joe sees on a daily basis, the hole in this woman's protective facewear, which left her mouth and nose exposed, caught his eye. Here’s the incredible moment Kentucky Covidiot explains she has cut a hole in her face mask because it 'makes it easier to breathe'
Healthy planet, anyone?
Amid 2020’s gloom, there are reasons to be hopeful about the climate in 2021***Iceland - an example for the rest of us...Isolated and challenged by a harsh climate and battered by the financial crisis of 2008, Iceland has successfully moved away from fossil fuels and shifted to 100% electricity production from renewable sources.
The island nation has developed high-tech greenhouses to grow organic vegetables and embraced sustainable fish farming, ecotourism, breakthrough processes for carbon capture and disposal, and efforts to restore the forests that were lost in earlier centuries https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2020/dec/30/icelands-innovations-to-reach-net-zero-in-picturesMeanwhile, back at the ranch…
My mother has been released from hospital back to the Care Center where, I’m told, she’s “doing well,” eating (Jungle Oats), sleeping, and will begin her physiotherapy regime ASAP.
Jessica The Dog, back at the house, is settling in , too. She still acts depressed, but her tail curls over her back again, she roly-polies on the grass when I encourage her to walk in the garden, she’s eating like a trooper, and monkeys are scarce due to her vigilance. She enjoys barking.
***Word is getting around among the frog population that the garden pond is sufficiently crowded with mating “courting” frogs, that a couple desiring privacy might try the swimming pool. That, or courting frogs have discovered that I’ve become quite the Swimming Pool Gal with vastly improved pool maintenance skills.
Yesterday, after I cleaned and flushed the pool filter, sprinkled chlorine granules, and refreshed the chlorine-dispensing “floaters”, I discovered this amorous couple producing meters-/yards-long strings of eggs. (the videos aren’t perfect but they give the gist….)
I removed the strings of eggs -the long black stream shown in the video - then discovered another batch of eggs – at least a cupful - in one of the pool filter baskets. The small, round, black eggs, encased in a translucent, flexible, and strong string would be, under normal conditions of froggie mating, wound around reeds, lilies, and other pond vegetation.
Given how many hundreds of eggs one frog-mating couple produces, it’s clear the planet and it’s amphibians are in way worse shape than even I, a pessimist, imagined.Frogs mating - December 31, 2020.And, a couple more videos for your new year's viewing pleasure (no ads!)Masked weaver building a nestEgyptian Geese
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