Ponderings

News blues

Delta variant now has been found in up to 98 countries and it’s spread hobbles global efforts to lift COVID-19 restrictions. Vaccines that reduce hospitalizations and deaths are tempering economic concerns — but not in poorer, less-inoculated countries. 

***

Health service buckling as third coronavirus wave fueled by Delta variant sweeps across South Africa. 
In Iran, Covid-19 has killed more than 84,000 people out of over 3.2 million infections. These figures, according to authorities, do not account for all cases.

Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, has expressed fears that Iran will be hit by a new wave of Covid-19 due to an outbreak of the Delta variant in the Middle East’s hardest-hit country.
“It is feared that we are on the way to a fifth wave throughout the country,” Rouhani told a meeting of Iran’s anti-virus taskforce, warning the public to be careful as the Delta variant had entered the country from the south and south-east.

Read more >> 

***

A month ago, even as President Biden laid out a goal to vaccinate 70% of American adults by today, Independence Day,  he conceded the U.S. would need to overcome “doubters” and laziness to do it. “This is your choice … It’s life and death.”
That goal has yet materialize – among humans, that is.
Zoo animals, however, are a different story.

Tigers Ginger and Molly were the first two animals at the Oakland Zoo to get the vaccine this week, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday. The doses were donated and developed by veterinary pharmaceutical company Zoetis in New Jersey.

Healthy planet, anyone?

ExxonMobil, cont’d…

0ver the past decade, Exxon Mobil Corp. ― once the chief funder of think tanks that sowed lies about how burning fossil fuels affects the planet’s temperature  ― abandoned its denial of climate change and embraced economists’ favored solution: putting a tax on carbon emissions.
But on Wednesday, a veteran lobbyist at the nation’s largest oil producer was secretly recorded on video seemingly confirming what many environmentalists had long suspected ― that Exxon Mobil believes a carbon tax is politically impossible, and thus has supported it as a ploy to prevent lawmakers from enacting more popular climate policies.

***

New oilfield in African wilderness threatens lives of 130,000 elephants 

***

Yellowstone’s most famous geyser could shut down, with huge ramifications If temperatures rise 10F by the century’s end as projected, Old Faithful could stop erupting, and the snowpack that feeds rivers throughout the west may disappear.

Read more in The Guardian >>  

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Yesterday was the first day, since I returned to California last month, that wispy clouds overhead softened relentless heat. A perfect day on the Delta. Friends visited to celebrate Independence Day – one day early to avoid crowded waterways – with traditional BBQ/”braai” and untraditional cuisine: roasted veggies and corn/”mealies”, lamb, couscous … and, naturally, dairy-free ice-cream. Plus, swimming. And friendship. Perfect.
Keeping alive the tradition of non-traditional on this boat, today I intend to apply my new battery-operated hand saw to the half-sheet of plywood recently purchased from the Eco-Center (specializing in good-value-for-money recycled materials) and create a rolling storage shelf. And swim.

An observation about my “internal process”: I grew up in what family psychologists would call “a non-nurturing environment.”
Unconsciously – I was nothing if not unconscious – holding that that non-nurturing environment would not sully my chosen life path of discovery, I elbowed my way with bravado through situations where caution might have been wiser. 

Wiser with age and burdened by guilt, these days I’m more cautious. 

Perhaps over-cautious? Yesterday, my anxiety peaked. First, I’d forgotten how to light gas cookers; experimenting with potentially explosive gas is anxiety-provoking. Then I abandoned my intention of installing onto the transom of the Sea Eagle inflatable, the electrical trolling motor and battery. I’d purchased both before the pandemic – 2 years ago – and never used them. Yesterday, fear of dropping either or both into the river predominated. Perhaps smart to wait, it’s also disappointing. Back in the day, heedless youth barging through barriers ignored any anxiety and caution so heedful senior years acknowledging both is a sign of developing a healthier psyche. It is also disorienting… which creates further anxiety.
The human. A bundle of contradictions.
I ponder, therefore I seek balance?
The good news? Collective action with friends helping to figure out the gas cookers succeeded in producing a delicious meal… while enjoying a beautiful river, amazing bird life, and the luxury of friendship.
Life is good – if one allows it….

Resurgent

News blues

How dangerous is the Delta variant, and will it cause a COVID surge in the U.S.? First identified in India, the Delta variant, more transmissible form of the novel coronavirus, has spread to at least 77 countries and regions and now makes up more than 20 percent of all U.S. cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified it as a “variant of concern.” If vaccination rates fail to keep pace with its spread, experts say, the variant could lead to new COVID surges in parts of the country where a substantial proportion of the population remains. 

Read in Scientific American >> 

And…

The gap between the most vaccinated and least vaccinated places in the U.S. has exploded in the past three months, and continues to widen despite efforts to convince more Americans to get a Covid shot.
On a national level, the news appears good. About 300,000 new people are getting a Covid vaccine every day in the U.S., and 54% of the full U.S population has at least one dose. The country’s vaccine campaign is among the most successful in the world, states have lifted restrictions on business and socializing, and hospitalizations have plunged.
Newly available county-level data show how those national figures hide very different local vaccine realities.

Read “Growing Gaps in U.S. Vaccination Rates Show Regions at Risk” >> 

***

In South Africa, the previous Covid-19 resurgence, which peaked in January 2021, was dominated by the Beta variant.

The current resurgence in South Africa differs by province, and even within a particular province. Gauteng, the country’s economic hub and one of nine provinces, is probably two to three weeks ahead of what will likely be experienced particularly in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and Kwazulu Natal provinces.
In Gauteng the data show that the daily rate of Covid-19 infections in the current wave is two-and-a-half times higher than at the peak of the first or second wave. Unfortunately, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement on Sunday of stricter lockdown measures is unlikely to stop the trend.

Read “The Delta variant and vaccine failures push South Africa back into lockdown” >> 

***

The Lincoln Project: Last week in the Republican Party  (1.24 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

After a century of wielding extraordinary economic and political power, America’s petroleum giants face a reckoning for driving the greatest existential threat of our lifetimes.
An unprecedented wave of lawsuits, filed by cities and states across the US, aim to hold the oil and gas industry to account for the environmental devastation caused by fossil fuels – and covering up what they knew along the way.

Read “Big oil and gas kept a dirty secret for decades. Now they may pay the price” >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Hot, hot, hot! While the “heat dome” moved north – this week, Oregon and Washington, and Canada suffer the worst of it  - temperatures in the Delta remain in the upper 90s and low 100s. Too hot to trot!
After struggling to re-lay the deck (success, after days and many rounds of sanding and scraping to refit) I’m reluctant to begin the next rounds of fixes, from patching the roof, accessing damage to the main iron girder and rotting 2x4 planking under the boat, to repainting and rehanging a set of recycled window blinds.
Living on a small houseboat in a backwater marina, it feels as if Covid 19, the Delta variant, and the recently mentioned Gamma variant, are far away. Nevertheless, I am in the marina fulltime – no earning a living - as I’m still – “officially” – in the post-vax isolation time. I sweat, swim, work, and worry and watch my savings dwindle.
One worry: with dozens of heat-related health issues, should I re-evaluate my live-aboard decision? Is a “lifestyle” weaved around living on and near water and wildlife feasible these days? Yes, it is soothing, beautiful, and peaceful, but it’s also hot, exposed to full sun all day. Not to mention it is amid quirky (moody, unpredictable) people. Not only do I not reach out to fellow mariners, I avoid my immediate starboard-side slip neighbor – with whom I once had a superficially friendly acquaintance. His doses of unsolicited, un-needed, un-welcome advice likely relate to the clouds of MaryJane he generates but tiptoeing around my small living space so as not to invite interactions is dismally unsustainable.
July 4th weekend upcoming. Friends will celebrate onboard on Saturday: good food, BBQ, fishing, boating.

Going bats

News blues

Scientists fear land-use changes as human settlements creep ever closer to wildlife habitat – particularly replacing swaths of forests with development and farmland - could spur the evolution of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19.

Areas that have seen dramatic transformations and are home to large bat populations, some scientists believe, could prove to be the starting point of the next coronavirus pandemic. A group of researchers recently set out to identify where future outbreaks might occur, creating a map of potential hot spots—areas with ingredients potentially favorable to SARS-related coronavirus spillovers. They searched for locations that have a high concentration of Asian horseshoe bats, which host the greatest diversity of coronaviruses, and high levels of both human and livestock settlement and forest fragmentation.

Changes in land use and livestock increase risk of coronavirus transmission from rhinolophid bats.
Human and agricultural expansion are steadily increasing the risk of animal-transmitted viruses, and some areas of the the world are more impacted than others. Scientists analyzed the range of rhinolophid bats that host SARS-related coronaviruses in Asia to determine which areas had the highest risk of transmission. With China's agricultural expansion, forests are being clear-cut for cropland, bringing humans and animals closer.
Soren Walljasper, NG Staff
Sources: Maria Cristina Rulli and David Hayman, Springer-Nature; IUCN

Read “Humans are creating hot spots where bats could transmit zoonotic diseases” >>

***

South Africa, particularly Gauteng province with increasing rates of Covid infection, is sagging under the weight of the third wave and the Delta variant.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation on Sunday.
Predictions about his proposed response include a ban on all gatherings, a request that everyone work from home if possible, and a two-week ban on alcohol sales.
See the latest figures >> 

***

Healthy planet, anyone?

Last week, Californians sweated under the “heat dome”. This week, residents of the Pacific Northwest will sweat:

This Sunday could be the hottest day on record in Portland, Oregon, as 13 million people across the Pacific Northwest brace for record heat.
“We’re taking this very seriously as a public health emergency because of the prolonged nature of it,” says Dan Douthit, the public information officer for the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management.
… Oregon’s largest city, along with Seattle (175 miles north) and Spokane (near the Washington-Idaho border) are all expected to feel historic heat in the coming days as a “heat dome” smothers the region. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/heat-dome-deadly-hot-weather-descends-on-pacific-northwest The heatwave gripping the US west is simultaneously breaking hundreds of temperature records, exacerbating a historic drought and priming the landscape for a summer and fall of extreme wildfire.
Among the 40 million Americans enduring the triple-digit temperatures are scientists who study droughts and the climate. They’d long forewarned of this crisis, and now they – an We the People - are living through it. 

***

In the Florida Keys city of Marathon, officials agreed to push ahead with a plan to elevate streets throughout the Keys to keep them from perpetual flooding, while admitting they do not have the money to do so.

The string of coral cay islands that unspool from the southern tip of Florida finds itself on the frontline of the climate crisis, forcing unenviable choices upon a place that styles itself as sunshine-drenched idyll. The lives of Keys residents – a mixture of wealthy, older white people, the one in four who are Hispanic or Latino, and those struggling in poverty – face being upended.
If the funding isn’t found, the Keys will become one of the first places in the US – and certainly not the last – to inform residents that certain areas will have to be surrendered to the oncoming tides.
“The water is coming and we can’t stop it,” said Michelle Coldiron, mayor of Monroe county, which encompasses the Keys. “Some homes will have to be elevated, some will have to be bought out. It’s very difficult to have these conversations with homeowners, because this is where they live. It can get very emotional.” 

Never fear, though. The humans have it under control. A bit out there, but hey, “we’re only human….”

Tom Green has a plan to tackle climate change. The British biologist and director of the charity Project Vesta wants to turn a trillion tonnes of CO2 into rock, and sink it to the bottom of the sea.
Green admits the idea is “audacious”. It would involve locking away atmospheric carbon by dropping pea-coloured sand into the ocean. The sand is made of ground olivine – an abundant volcanic rock, known to jewellers as peridot – and, if Green’s calculations are correct, depositing it offshore on 2% of the world’s coastlines would capture 100% of total global annual carbon emissions.
Read “Cloud spraying and hurricane slaying: how ocean geoengineering became the frontier of the climate crisis” 

Not to disparage potentially functional ideas to mitigate climate change – since we humans appear unwilling to make actual, real changes, say like agreeing to cut back on fossil fuels and intensifying efforts to use alternative energies, or BAN the use of plastics as of NOW, or address population explosion and planet Earth’s carrying capacity, or STOP forest massacres, etc., etc.
Instead, we have people in prominent positions suggesting outlandish ideas. Whackadoodle Texas Republican congressman Louie Gohmert, for example,

has asked a senior US government official if changing the moon’s orbit around the Earth, or the Earth’s orbit around the sun, might be a solution for climate change.

Looking on the bright side: one should be grateful that Gohmert, an archconservative, concedes that planet Earth’s climate is changing… Fresh thinking from a Texas Republican….
Read the article >>

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

One week after my second jab - officially not yet “immune” to Covid – I continue feeling no ill effects. I continue to wear my mask when away from the marina (no one in the marina wears a mask). Truth be told, I usually forget my mask in my vehicle must return for it before entering stores. And, life goes on.
Cooler temperatures – upper 80s and low 90s – allow me to inspect and work on my elderly houseboat. The good news: I found a still-usable can of blue paint – alas, oil based with cleanup messy on a boat – and repainted all the blue fencing around the boat. This was straight-forward on the sides but complex on the bow. A floating pontoon moves. So does an inflatable, particularly the inflatable I sat in to conduct the painting… I did it, though, so that’s done for three next couple of years. I also lifted nd repaired plywood decking (3/4 inch plywood is standard material for pontoon boat decking). I continue with this ongoing project, each day collecting greater awareness of decades’ wear and tear on my home.
The bad news? The main steel girder that frames the boat’s beam, particularly the spot where the plywood decking joins the cabin, is highly – dangerously? – rusted. Swimming around under the boat, I can, literally, knock on the girder and chunks of rust, from large to small pieces and much rust dust, falls. I need advice from an expert about how to address this in the short term. I thought I’d found an expert, but he’s not responding with alacrity. Alas. Perhaps his expertise is beyond the level of my need and he’s focusing his attentions with customers with deeper pockets?
I have best intentions and, far as possible, do as much work of the work as I’m able, but I’m far from skilled. Moreover, as a left/right dyslexic, it takes me ages to figure out how to align simple things. An example? Cutting a simple plywood shelf and inserting it under the kitchen cabinet as an extension to the countertop. I measured and remeasured, multiple times, then cut the wood using my newly purchased hand-held Dremel circular saw. Hmmm. Didn’t have plywood around to practice on prior to cutting….
Cuts were slightly off. Slightly, but enough to add hours onto what should have been a simple job. Thank the gods for shims.
The pull-out countertop extension works “well-enough.”
I’ve discovered areas of rotting plywood on the boat roof, too. I exposed one section of rotted roof, roughly gauged what will be required, and am pondering different scenarios on how to address it.
So far, all I’ve come up with? A tarp large enough to cover the entire roof, 36 X 13 feet, so an area close to 500 sq feet. Sure, it would be temporary (wouldn’t it?)
The “red-neck” solution.

Moon rising

Full moon rises over the river. Gorgeous. 

Things houseboat - and Covid - have kept me so busy that I lost track of the days. It’s already Thursday. Amazing.

A year ago, Week 13, Day 91, Thursday, June 25, I posted “Mindboggling numbers.” 

This week’s numbers of infections and death around the world are rising so precipitously it feels appropriate to examine them, understand them, do our best not to contribute to further rise – and begin a new week fresh and hopeful….
Little did I know, back then, that coronavirus Covid-19 would still be with us one year later. Indeed, that it’s worse in many countries, including South Africa in its third wave of infections.

On the cusp of Week 66’s numbers compared to Week 13, one year ago
Worldwide (Map) 
June 24, 2021: 179,530,600 confirmed infections; 3,890,200 deaths
June 25, 2020: 9,409,000 confirmed infections; 482,190 deaths

US (Map)
June 24, 2021: 33,578,000 confirmed infections; 603,000 deaths
June 25, 2020: 2,381,540 infections; 121,980 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal) 
June 24, 2021: 1,861,100 confirmed infections; 59,260 deaths
June 25, 2020: 111,800 confirmed infections; 2,205 deaths

News blues

Urgent action needed as third wave sweeps Africa 

Covid-19 cases in Africa rose by more than a fifth week-on-week, pushing the total to more than five million. The number of new cases reported in the week has exceeded half the second-wave peak of 224,000 in January, with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Namibia reporting the most weekly cases since the pandemic began. Meanwhile, seven African nations have used all the vaccine doses they received from Covax, the vaccine-sharing facility. Seven more have used more than 80% of theirs.

South Africa’s province of Gauteng is experiencing daily increase in Covid-19 infections that is 21% higher than the previous peak in January 2021.
‘An absolute catastrophe’: Covid-19 deals Gauteng a sucker punch as hospitals fill up 
On the other hand, South Africa has been chosen to host the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) first Covid-19 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine technology transfer hub to scale up production and access to vaccines.
This will be the first in a series of Covid mRNA vaccine technology transfer hubs that the WHO is launching around the world to boost Covid-19 vaccine supplies. Read more >> 

***

India's vaccinations hit record with free Covid shots 

India gave out a record five million vaccine doses on Monday under a federal campaign to inoculate all adults for free after weeks of criticism that a chaotic roll-out had worsened a second wave that killed hundreds of thousands. Over the past 30 days India has administered an average 2.7 million doses a day.

Brazil passes half a million Covid-19 deaths 

Brazil's death toll from Covid-19 has surpassed 500,000 as experts warn that the world's second-deadliest outbreak may worsen due to delayed vaccinations and the government's refusal to back physical distancing measures. Only 11% of Brazilians have been fully vaccinated. Thousands of Brazilians protested against President Jair Bolsonaro's management of the pandemic in nationwide demonstrations on Saturday, blaming the administration for the high death toll.

***

Expect the Unexpected From the Delta Variant. There’s no way of knowing how bad things will get in the U.S. In a way, that’s a luxury.

This much is clear: The coronavirus is becoming more transmissible. Ever since the virus emerged in China, it has been gaining mutations that help it spread more easily among humans. The Alpha variant, first detected in the United Kingdom last year, is 50 percent more transmissible than the original version, and now the Delta variant, first detected in India, is at least 40 percent more transmissible than Alpha.

Read more >> 

***

In hunt for Covid’s origin, new studies point away from lab leak theory

***

The Lincoln Project: 

The Mission  (1:14 mins)
Juneteenth  (1:24 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

Oceana: Amazon (AMZN) plastic problem set to skyrocket with Prime Day booming sales.

Anne Schroeer, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Oceana, issued the following statement calling on the major online retailer to reduce single-use plastic packaging and give customers a plastic-free packaging choice. “As Prime Day and Amazon continue to grow, so too does the company’s devastating impact on the environment. In December 2020, Oceana exposed Amazon’s massive plastic footprint, which amounted to an estimated 465 million pounds of plastic packaging in 2019. Our research estimates that, in 2019 alone, up to 22.44 million pounds of Amazon’s plastic packaging waste polluted the world’s freshwater and marine ecosystems where it can wreak havoc on marine life – that’s the equivalent of dumping a delivery van payload of plastic into the ocean every 70 minutes.

Read more >> 
Learn more about Oceana.org >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

I’ve completed my 2-part Pfizer vax program and, while I didn’t win the million dollar prize, California’s vaccine incentive program  will deliver me some sort of runner-up reward, perhaps $50 or a trip to Disneyland, or some other place.
(The million-dollar lotteries is having trouble lining people up.)
I expected my second Pfizer jab to hit me harder than the first, but other than the site of the second jab requiring an ice pack for several hours, it was easy peasy. 

If you haven’t already, and your country is vaccinating, I recommend it.

***

I avoided the Delta and houseboat living for the duration of last week’s soaring temperatures (up to 111 degrees Fahrenheit last Thursday). Temps have been in the balmy upper 80s and low 90s since then. (They start to rise again this weekend, into the high 90s and low 100s.)
I mentioned to a friend that I’m beginning to recognize the reality of climate refugeeism. She thought I was joking. Not so. Decisions I’ve made in my life have me opting for simple: simple living, modest income, creativity, and independence. The upside downside: living in a houseboat suits me, living on the San Joaquin River is a gift. Alas, climate change in California means increasing drought, increasing heat, increasing heat waves. Lack of environmental protections means increasingly foul, even toxic water, air, and land.
That’s the future.
Am I sorry I’m pursuing this "lifestyle”?
Alarmed, perhaps. Sorry? No. 

The moon, after all, is full and bright tonight. Canada geese have been visiting the river the last few days. 

Life is good.

Delights

Numbers this week compared to numbers last week (Thursday, June 10):
Worldwide (Map) 
June 17, 2021 – 1.77,120,700 confirmed infections; 3,835,000 deaths
June 10, 2021 – 174,500,000 confirmed infections; 3,759,200 deaths

US (Map) 
June 17, 2021 – 33,500,000 confirmed infections; 600,700 deaths
June 10, 2021 – 33,415,000 confirmed infections; 598,400 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal) 
June 17, 2021 – 1.774,500 confirmed infections; 58,225 deaths
June 10, 2021 – 1,713,000 confirmed infections; 57,320 deaths
South Africa’s Covid-19 infections jumped by 13,246 on Wednesday, the highest daily total in five months, its government said.

Countries of Covid Concern – 2021
India: Update according to WHO >> 
June 17, 129,700,350 confirmed infections; 382,000 deaths
June 11: 29,183,000 confirmed infections; 356,000 deaths
Brazil:
June 17, 628,600 confirmed infections; 493,700 deaths
June 11, 2021: 17,123,000 confirmed infections; 480,000 deaths
Brazil has had 95,367 new cases of coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours and 2,997 deaths, the health ministry said on Wednesday.
According to Reuters, the South American country has now registered 17,628,588 cases since the pandemic began while the official death toll has risen to 493,693.

Post from one pandemic year ago: “He Speaks!” 

News blues

California lifts most COVID-19 restrictions 

“California has turned the page. Let us all celebrate this remarkable milestone,” an exuberant and mask-less Governor Newsom declared from an outdoor stage at Universal Studios Hollywood, where he hosted a game show-style selection of 10 residents to receive $1.5 million apiece, just for getting vaccinated. “Today is a day to reconnect with strangers, loved ones, family members. Give people hugs.”

Hmmm, I guess I didn’t win anything “just for getting vaccinated.” (I go for my second dose of Pfizer on Sunday June 20.)

***

Covid-19 cases have fallen far below the winter peak, but in the US the Delta variant has roughly doubled every two weeks 

The Delta variant is spreading at an uncertain time in the US. Covid-19 cases have fallen far below the winter peak, from an average of more than 250,000 new diagnoses a day in January to about 14,000 a day in June. Fewer cases have coincided with fewer hospitalizations and deaths.
This has led state after state to lift all social distancing guidelines, including in California, which gave the green light to large indoor gatherings such as sporting events. Now, social distancing and mask requirements are largely operating on the honor system.
But, even as pandemic guidelines recede, Delta has roughly doubled every two weeks in the US, a pattern once followed by Alpha, the variant first discovered in the UK, which eventually came to represent the vast majority of new US infections. The Delta variant has also delayed the UK’s planned reopening.

***

The Lincoln Project: How Trump gets back to the White House  (1:02 mins)
Doonesbury at 50! An interview with the cartoonist 

Healthy planet, anyone?

Roughly 50 million people across the Western U.S. are under some form of heat-related alert from the National Weather Service, which predicted record-setting heat this week just about everywhere west of the Rocky Mountains. 

Scientists who study drought and climate change say that people living in the American West can expect to see more of the same [sorts of heat waves] in the coming years.
“Heat waves are getting worse in the West because the soil is so dry” from the region's megadrought, said Park Williams, a climate and fire scientist who has calculated that soil in the western half of the nation is the driest it has been since 1895. “We could have two, three, four, five of these heat waves before the end of the summer.” 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

After 1.5 years of pandemic in South Africa, I’ve been in California for 19 days, most of which have been under quarantine and “isolated” on my houseboat in the Delta. I do not own a television. I have not owned a TV for 2 decades although Donald Trump’s run for president, shocking victory, and disastrous incumbency in the White House turned me into a TV news junkie. Back then, I could hardly wait to plop on a sofa and catch up with The Trumpster.
Pandemic in South Africa coupled with the lack of TV coverage of US news meant I watched news clips on YouTube. Fast forward to this heatwave and sheltering with air con and a large TV in a friend’s apartment. Since I’ve been here – two days – I’ve returned to his sofa to catch up on early evening TV new. Main takeaway: why on earth do Americans put up with so many commercials? Groups of commercials – 5 or 6, many advertising big pharma - run every 10 minutes or so. Cable news is about 40 percent commercials. Un-f**ing-believable. Nevertheless, it is good to watch the news again.

***

Until my 2020 departure for South Africa, I regularly accompanied my friend for a late afternoon walk in his neighborhood. Yesterday, despite the late afternoon swelter, we walked the usual route. Changes since I’d been gone: a new library under construction, taller trees spreading, oak saplings planted, the stream already dry, my fav fig tree not producing figs this year, tasty small plums from my fav wild plum tree already harvested.
I miss walking. The drawback to living on a houseboat in the Delta? No safe areas to walk. While the heatwave rages and I’m hunkered down with air con by day, I’ll do what I did this morning: arise and walk the neighborhood in the early morning – cool, delightful – and late afternoon – warm, delightful….

Alerts and advisories

News blues

South Africa’s President Ramaphosa addressed that nation and upped that country' Covid Alert Level, from 2 to 3. As of today, “action will be taken” against those not complying with restrictions that include:
   Curfew from 10 pm to 4am
   Restaurants and “non-essential business” must close by 9pm to allow travel home.
   Funerals and cremations max 50 people or, for small venues, 50% of space capacity
   Max 50 indoors, 100 outdoors
   Alcohol retail sales from 10am to 6pm, Monday through Thursday; no consumption in public or on public holidays
   Officials are closely monitoring data and expertise to save lives. Going forward:
   Masks must cover nose and mouth (criminal offense not to do so
   Social distancing must be practiced.
   People must take action to protect themselves and others.
   Vax program: shortages, hindrances, supplies reduced, but 500 sites currently operating. Aim for 250,000 vaccinations per day
President ended with:  “We’ll not be deterred. We will succeed. We are people made of sterner stuff: succeed we will and succeed we must.”
Listen and watch (24:10 mind)

***

South Africa’s Covid Dashboard (Updated 11:30, 14 June 2021):
Confirmed Cases: 1 747 082
Confirmed Deaths: 57 765
Confirmed Recoveries: 1 606 581
Vaccines Administered: 1 773 417

***

Delta, a scary new variant of the coronavirus, is spreading both stateside and abroad. The good news: In the matchup between vaccines and variants, the vaccines remain ahead for now.
To help you better understand what Delta means for you, and for the global fight against the coronavirus, review the answers to six quick questions. 

***

COVID infections drop where people are vaccinated, rise where they’re not As recently as June 4, US states with higher vaccination rates did not have significantly lower case rates than states where few people were vaccinated. 

Read more >> 

***

The Lincoln Project: Celebrate  (0:43 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

Carbon Dioxide in Atmosphere Hits Record High Despite Pandemic Dip

***

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Since last week, the National Weather Service has issued heat advisories that include warnings about “excessive heat” with temps varying from 104F to 111F/ 40C to 44C – hot in any measurement.
The 104F temperature I endured soon after I returned to my boat knocked me out. I’ve no reason to expect several days of further excessive heat will be easier so I plan to skedaddle to more temperate climes. Weather in the “inner Bay” – Alameda, Oakland, San Francisco is predicted to run 25 to 30 degrees (F) cooler. 

***

After 14 days of alternatives, I adopted the “nuclear option” for plugging the plumbing problem under the boat: a putty and tape combo replete with warnings of toxicity, mandatory use of gloves, etc. I consider applying toxic materials, particularly near river water, a last resort. But it worked: after 14 days with no running water into the boat and many attempts to plug the pipe – one attempt included fish biting me on the butt, twice! – I succeeded in plugging the pipe.
I’ve have running water for more than 24 hours. Luxury!
I inspected the area today and it looks solid.
Over the past 14 days, I frequently thought of fellow South Africans who must carry empty utensils, buckets, etc., to fill at a communal “tap” (faucet) then schlepp that heavy load home. Onerous. A crying shame in a country whose leaders, 26 years ago, promised people decent homes, running water, etc. Instead, corruption reigns.
More corruption: Over the past two weeks, Eskom, the national power supply commission, subjected the nation’s people to more load shedding … and increased the cost of the minimal electricity they did supply.
Eskom’s bill for my mother’s house doubled. This, for only two people drawing electricity – lights only, no electric hot water heaters, no electric stoves, sitting around a fireplace at night.

***

What is remarkable in the marina: no Covid cases and very little mask compliance. Perhaps its the outdoor lifestyle? 

What price success?

News blues

Southern Africa is in its third wave of Covid-19 thought to be partly associated with the emergence of more transmissible variants.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least a dozen countries have so far confirmed the presence of the variant now named the Delta variant - first detected in India late last year. These countries include Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
This third wave is further straining an overwhelmed health system and further complicating the painfully slow progress being made with vaccinations. 

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Experts say that understanding how the virus first leapt from animals to humans is essential to preventing future pandemics. Even as we still don’t know the origins of the coronavirus, explore four possible origin scenarios >> 

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The Lincoln Project: The Real Antifa  (1:05 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

‘We’re causing our own misery’: oceanographer Sylvia Earle on the need for sea conservation 

The world has the opportunity in the next 10 years to restore our oceans to health after decades of steep decline – but to achieve that, people must wake up to the problem, join in efforts to protect marine areas… oh, to stop eating tuna….

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In the business-as-usual scenario emissions from food production alone could use up all of our 1.5°C or 2°C carbon budget. We have a range of opportunities to avoid this. But will we?

One-quarter to one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions come from our food systems and from various sources: deforestation and land use change; emissions from fertilizers and manure; methane from cattle; methane from rice production; energy use on the farm; supply chain emissions from food processing, refrigeration; and transport. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Is today the day for shore water running through the houseboat’s faucets? Will yesterday’s foray under the boat to patch a redundant pipe succeed where half a dozen earlier forays failed?
Almost afraid to test the holding power of my latest effort, I’m contemplating yet another trip down there, this time to adhere another layer of material around the fix – just in case yesterday’s fix didn’t fix. It’s been 11 days of DIY. If this attempt fails, I’ll capitulate and hire someone to fix it.

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This floating island of invasives is, so far this year, the largest to drift back and forth on river tides. 

I think of these floating entities as organic distribution centers for alien invasives into the Delta.
The crews whose job it is to discourage invasive plants unfortunately wait until late summer and then, instead of capturing the floating islands, indiscriminately spray all river plants – therefore birds, animals, and fish - with toxic pesticides.  By the end of summer, river banks and islands are brown, curled, and uniformly dead.
The good news? Concerned anglers discovered and photographed scores of dead fish and wildlife in many parts of the Delta, including Sandmound Slough in Bethel Island, Rock Slough near Knightsen (where my boat is moored and where I swim) and Horseshoe Bend in Brentwood.

…it wasn't just what [anglers] saw, it's what they say they smelled on the Delta too.
"It smells almost like an over-chlorinated swimming pool,’’ said a long-time competitive bass fisherman. Chlorine was so strong it made fishermen’s eyes water and their throats burn.
The indiscriminate die-off problem became so acute that thousands of people, including fishermen, boaters, swimmers and those who live along the Delta, banded together to form and support the Norcal Delta Angler's Coalition. The group shares information about the die-offs and keeps tabs on the California State Parks Department of Boating and Waterways to monitor pesticide use on the Delta.
Learn more and get involved  >>

Ironically, yesterday I met a couple seeking a spot easily to harvest and carry home invasive hyacinth for their backyard fishpond. Hyacinths are pretty. Indeed, in South Africa, I too have transplanted water hyacinth from waterways into a small fishpond in my mother’s garden. I was, however, careful to isolate them in a pond far from the stream to ensure the plants couldn’t “escape” and replicate willy nilly.
Native to the northern neotropics of South America, water hyacinth has successfully colonized North and South America, eastern and southern Africa, and Asia.

Renewings

Worldwide (Map) 
June 10, 2021 – 174,500,000 confirmed infections; 3,759,200 deaths
March 11, 2021 – 117, 645,000 confirmed infections; 2,612,000 deaths

US (Map) 
June 10, 2021 – 33,415,000 confirmed infections; 598,400 deaths
March 11, 2021 - 29,222,420 confirmed infections; 529,884 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal) 
June 10, 2021 – 1,713,000 confirmed infections; 57,320 deaths
March 11, 2021 – 1.522,700 confirmed infections; 50,910 deaths

Countries of Covid Concern 
June 10, 2021

India: 29,183,000 confirmed infections; 356,000 deaths
Brazil: 17,123,000 confirmed infections; 480,000 deaths
Peru: Why has Peru been hit so badly? 

Posted June 10, 2020: Embers, ashes, and flames 

News blues

Delta Variant On The Rise In U.S., Prompting New Warnings To Get COVID-19 Vaccination 

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How the ‘Alpha’ Coronavirus Variant Became So Powerful:  A new study suggests how the variant first identified in Britain hides from the human immune system. Its stealth may be part of its success.

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‘Sniper attack’: Inside the Western Cape trial of a potentially variant-proof vaccine

An experimental Covid-19 vaccine currently in Phase I trials run by the University of Cape Town has a unique design that might offer better protection against current and future variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. An update on the trial  and unpacking the science behind this vaccine candidate.

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The Lincoln Project: The Line  (0:55 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

The Western Drought Is Bad. Here’s What You Should Know About It   >>

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Quarantine. So far, so good. Mandatory stay-at-home means no guilt about not looking for short work contracts, instead working on the houseboat. Yesterday I cleaned and painted the metalwork on the stern. I also tried to pump out water collected near the outboard motor (I’m unfamiliar with the boaty technical terms for boat parts). And I was frustrated yet again in efforts to seal the 18-inch redundant semi-rigid plastic hosepipe that will allow shore water to run through my faucets.
Eleven days of scooping water from the river to wash dishes, clean the boat, etc. I’ve lagged on exploring the ultimate fix due to cooler temperatures – immersion in colder deep water under the boat - waiting for low tides, general ineptitude about how to plug the hose, and an abundance of scoopable water. Next time I will succeed.

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Best boat news? Renewed communication with the two women from whom I purchased the boat results in renewed offer from them to teach me how to pilot the darn thing. They’re moved on to a larger, fancier pontoon houseboat yet have offered to help me get a handle on that aspect. Looking forward.