Relief!

After a week without Internet, I’m back in business. What a relief!
What hasn’t changed is the trend for Covid-19 infections and deaths that continue to climb.
Worldwide (Map) 
August 27 – 24,206,820 confirmed infections; 826,59 deaths
August 20 – 22,174,000 confirmed infections; 782,000 deaths
August 13 – 20,621,000 confirmed infections; 749,400 deaths
US (Map)
August 27 – 5,824,200 confirmed infections; 179,756 deaths
August 20 - 5,500,000 confirmed infections; 171,850 deaths
August 13 - 5,198,000 confirmed infections; 166,050 deaths
SA (Coronavirus portal)

August 27 – 615,700 confirmed infections; 13,502 deaths
August 20 – 592,150 confirmed infections 12,265 deaths
August 13 – 569,000 confirmed infections 11,010 deaths

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What else is new on the Covid-19 front?

South Africa’s chief Covid-19 scientist, Professor Salim Abdool Karim has confirmed that Covid-19 reinfections can occur within months.  “There is now clear evidence of two separate viral infections [in a single person],” he said as the news emerged from Hong Kong on 25 August. In July 2020, news reports suggested a case of reinfection in South Africa, but this was not confirmed by research.
After travelling to Spain, the Hong Kong resident contracted a second viral strain 4.5 months after first being diagnosed with Covid-19. “Antibody responses can decline and reinfections can occur,” said Abdool Karim in a briefing with doctors on Monday night.

Be careful out there….

News blues…

Hurricane Laura passed by Houston, Texas but it’s on track to wreak storm surge damage 30 miles inland of Texas and Louisiana. Up to 10,000 people evacuated in east Texas. They can now return home.
What's more, my family on the Gulf Coast near Houston is safe, too.

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Friends in parts of California say smoke pollution has decreased from the records set earlier in the week. Fires, however, continue unabated.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, more than 1.1 million acres have been destroyed – with total acreage burned larger than the state of Rhode Island. California is also experiencing two of the three largest fires in its history. 

Cal Fires map 

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The Lincoln Project: 
Adultery  (1.00 mins)
Daughters  (1:00 mins)
VoteVets - A Real Commander-in-Chief  (1:17 mins)
Country First  (0:55 mins)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

In June I planted seeds with the goal of getting a head start on a veggie garden. All winter, I babied the seeds, nurtured them, talked to them as they sprouted.
They did so well that, over the weekend, I transplanted snap peas, pole beans, zucchini, and onions seedlings from the cold frame into what I’d hoped was a monkey-free section of the garden. That is, not in the area dedicated to veggies, but amid flowers, shrubs, and indigenous plants. This, to hide them from monkeys and prevent damage.
Alas, today, monkeys uncovered my attempts to disguise. They pulled out snap peas and pole beans seedlings. I’ve attempted to replant, but I fear the seedlings will not recover.

Additionally, a dog dug up succulents I’d nurtured in pots since autumn. Back then, they were mere leaves or stem cuttings that I hoped would germinate. They did. Until today.
Succulents are hardier than veggies; perhaps there’s hope. 

It’s also true that, as I’ve worked towards moving my mother – and one dog - into a retirement care center and taken steps to sell this house, my relationship with the garden has morphed.
I love gardening. Living on a houseboat presents limited opportunities to garden.
While in South Africa, I take full advantage of the garden.
This year, as I created a cold frame, used it to germinate seedlings, prepared the garden for winter, I’ve known I’d likely not benefit from my efforts. 

Since I’ve never sold property in South Africa, I’ve discussed how to do so with the lawyer. I seek a realtor referred by the lawyer to smooth the process.
Simultaneously, I’m in two minds about garden mishaps with monkeys and dogs. One part of me is frustrated at ongoing damage. Another part tries to shrug it off. After all, the new owners may not even appreciate vegetable gardens… goldfish in ponds, succulents…
Nevertheless, I’d like to hand over a healthy garden, one the new owners will enjoy for years to come.

Monkeys stymie that effort. 

Fiddling the data?

Typically, politicians deliver bad news to Americans late Friday. This, as politicians assume Americans will cool down over the weekend and Monday will bring a new start, fresh thinking, and a dose of amnesia.
Even while Trump’s White House tenure delivers outrageous news thick and fast all day, any day, and every day, the coming weekend promises no cooling down nor amnesia.
Perhaps just the opposite.
Two days ago, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, African-American George Floyd was killed by up to four police officers.
In February, African-American runner Ahmaud Arbery was shot to death in Satilla Shores, Georgia .
In March, African-American Breonna Taylor was shot eight times and killed during a police raid of her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky.
Unlike other similar deaths, these deaths burst into public awareness and stoked outrage.
They’re adding to the stress brought on by an apparently out-of-control pandemic, a controversial election, and what looks very much like the crumbling of a venerated democracy.
This weekend in the US looks be long, hot, and violent.
Instead of steady leadership, Trump, of course, resorted to blaming via Twitter:

“I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right.....”

Ironically, it was just two weeks ago that Trump threatened to “terminate” 40,000 National Guardsmen by June 24, one day before thousands would have qualified for key retirement and education benefits. (See post “Distracting the Distractor”)
After an outcry, Trump made a sharp U-turn. The federal government will now keep funding National Guard troops across the country.

“The National Guard remains committed to its service in support of the fight against Covid-19 and will remain in that fight as long as we are needed," a National Guard Bureau spokesperson told POLITICO. "Our nation is looking to the National Guard to help and we will not let them down.” 

News blues…

New week, new numbers
Worldwide: 5,810,335 confirmed cases; 360,335 deaths
US: 1,721,750 confirmed cases; 101,620 deaths
SA: 27,405 confirmed cases; 577 deaths

Several news outlets report federal and state officials across the nation altering or hiding public health data that tracks the spread of Covid-19, and

… hindering the ability to detect a surge of infections as President Donald Trump pushes the nation to reopen rapidly.
In at least a dozen states, health departments have inflated testing numbers or deflated death tallies by changing criteria for who counts as a coronavirus victim and what counts as a coronavirus test according to reports …and states' own admissions. Some states have shifted the metrics for a “safe” reopening; Arizona sought to clamp down on bad news at one point by simply shuttering its pandemic modeling. About a third of the states aren’t even reporting hospital admission data — a big red flag for the resurgence of the virus.
The spotty data flow is particularly worrisome to public health officials trying to help Americans make decisions about safely venturing out. The lack of accurate and consistent Covid-19 data, coupled with the fact that the White House no longer has regular briefings where officials reinforce the need for ongoing social distancing, makes that task even harder.

Nor is our planet out of the woods…or the atmosphere… where the load of carbon dioxide continues an upward trajectory:
23 May 2020: 416.97 ppm
23 May 2019: 414.72 ppm
May 2010: 393.46 ppm
Pre-industrial base: 280
Safe level: 350
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.

If that news leaves you blue, consider that Covid-19 at least benefits some animals. In Yosemite and Death Valley, critters appear that have not been seen, “in our lifetimes,” said Kati Schmidt, a spokesperson for the US National Parks Conservation Association.
Deer, bobcats, black bears, pronghorns, coyotes, even wolverines are taking advantage of human-free environments while they can.
According to the Center for Biological Diversity, “only 300 [wolverine] species [are] left in the contiguous US,” and a handful have been spotted in Washington State. One on a beach, another “walking down a road in Naselle, a town east of Long Beach Peninsula.”

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Use of plastic has soared during the pandemic. Restaurants trying to stay afloat rely on plastic utensils for takeout orders, grocery shoppers have reverted to disposable bags over sanitary concerns, and the CDC says disposable dishes, utensils, napkins and tablecloths should be the default.

"The idea that the CDC recommends that single-use disposable items should be preferred seems a little illogical to me," said Chris Slafter, interim coordinator of Clean Water Action's ReThink Disposable program… Someone still has to handle that item before it goes into a customer's hand."
Before the pandemic, California was leading the way on eliminating single-use plastics in various consumer sectors. While environmentalists have long criticized plastic products for polluting oceans and overwhelming landfills, state and local leaders also have sounded the alarm after China in recent years stopped accepting many U.S. plastics for recycling.
[T]he virus has thwarted efforts to toughen statewide recycling targets.

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Another Daily Maverick Live Webinar, “School Reopening: The Great Debate”
After weeks of uncertainty, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga confirmed last week that schools will reopen on 1 June – but only for Grades 7 and 12.
Hosted by Judith February, governance specialist, columnist and lawyer. With Dr Nic Spaull, education economist at Stellenbosch University and commentator on education policy in South Africa, and Dr Sara Black, former high school maths teacher who now trains teachers and works in critical education sociology, with a focus on equity and justice in education policy.

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Comedienne Sara Cooper’s Trump impressions have tickled more than 18 million viewers. MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell recently interviewed her on The Last Word  (5:31 minutes).
We’ve celebrated Sara – “The Trump Whisperer” – on this blog, too. (See post, “Humor might save us”.)
I’m in awe of how many wonderfully talented, funny people out there keep the rest of us sane during crazy times. Thank you!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Following the direction of Category 1b of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, I’m removing invasive cannas from the inside garden. As mentioned in yesterday’s post, cannas – originally from the Caribbean and tropical America - were introduced to South Africa as an ornamental where they have, well, blossomed.
Black jacks, khaki weed, cosmos, cat’s claw – ditto, from South America - have successfully settled into KZN’s fertile soil, too. They are among 775 identified invasive species – that’s about seven new species introduced each year. (List of invasive species in South Africa.)
I’ve written elsewhere about my small success eradicating cat’s claw creeper  and I intend eradicating canna. At least, from the inside garden. I’ve no ambitions to tackle the plant beyond the inside garden where it thrives along roads, in the wetlands, indeed, wherever its hardly seeds germinate.
Frost damages the leaves and stems but does little to discourage its tuber.
Getting rid of tubers requires persistence – and heavy digging.

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See photos  Spying on Garden Creatures 

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