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,”
“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. 

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.
“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."

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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 >> 

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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....