Eats shoots and leaves

News blues

The BA.2 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus has been on [US radars] for months — scientists conducting wastewater surveillance noticed it back in January. BA.2 first received widespread attention in early February as it appeared to drive a large wave of infections in the United Kingdom. And ever since, some health experts have been warning that this new iteration of the virus — even faster-spreading than the super-contagious original omicron variant — could create another wave in the pandemic.

Read more >> 

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The rise of the ivermectin cult is one of the most nonsensical storylines — in a sea of nonsensical storylines — to emerge during the pandemic. Even now, as Covid begins to become a less dominant force in our lives, the ivermectin bunkum continues.
There have been several recent large, well-done, clinical trials, including one published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, that definitively show, according to one of the study’s authors, “there’s really no sign of any benefit.”
…
In the pandemic’s early days there were laboratory studies — that is, research done in petri dishes and not involving actual humans — that suggested the drug, which is used to treat parasites in horses, had antiviral properties. (This kind of work rarely translates into clinical application.) There were also some observational studies that seemed promising.
But as soon as data from more rigorous and comprehensive studies started to come in, it became clear that ivermectin was not a magical cure. In July, for example, a systematic review by the highly respected and independent Cochrane Collaboration — an international academic organization that does evidence reviews to inform clinical practice — concluded that there was no good evidence to support the use of the drug to treat or prevent Covid.

Read “Why the Covid cult of ivermectin won't die" >> 

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The Lincoln Project:
Brian Schatz is Right  (1:17 mins)
Doctored (0:42 mins)
This man votes  (0:32 mins)
Truth Social vs Twitter  (0:30 mins)

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On war…

South Africa had abstained three times since March 2 from resolutions in the United Nations General Assembly on the Ukraine war, which were highly critical of Russia, because Pretoria believed that condemning Russia’s aggression would not advance the cause of peace – and could even provoke Russia to further “offences”.

Read more >> 

Healthy planet, anyone?

The [US] federal government has begun tallying the damage climate change could do to its economy and budget. Two trillion dollars a year is the future cost of climate inaction. Time is running out to avoid catastrophic global warming. 

Read more >> 

The week in wildlife – photo essay >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Yesterday, the lone backhoe and driver arrived – and departed 15 minutes later. Teeti – project overseer – phoned me to report drizzly rain meant wet terrain and weather too cold for young workers. 

Fair enough. 

Except… drizzly rain and cold weather predictions make me skeptical about the lone backhoe and driver and the young workers returning when the weather improves.
My ace in the hole?
I have Teeti’s phone number. And I'll use it....

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Apparently, before my late mother erected fencing along the stream edge, for security and to coral her many dogs, otter sightings were not uncommon. The stream edge supports reeds, trees, shrubs, and plenty of vegetative camouflage for the shy creatures. It’s likely a confluence of hunting, fencing, and water flow (think blocked culverts) that has resulted in no recent reports or sightings of otters.
To encourage otters moving back, I visited a local animal rehab center. While they don’t currently have otters for rehab, nor do they often, this property is now on their list as a prospective otter home.
I’ll modify the fence along the stream and pond area to make it inviting to otters (and other creatures) and safe from elderly dogs.
Water lilies and otters: eats shoot and leaves. 

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Ugh! Cold today! 52 F/11 C. Raining, too.
KZN, South Africa:
Sunrise: 6:14am
Sunset: 5:46pm

San Francisco Bay Area
Sunrise: 6:42am
Sunset: 7:39pm

Shanghai-d

News blues

China’s strict zero-Covid policy means all positive cases have to be hospitalised. But in the last few weeks, as case numbers have risen sharply and 26 million people entered a harsh lockdown, mainland China’s most important financial hub has come to a standstill. The number of new daily positive cases exceeded 10,000 for the first time on Monday. Although 38,000 health workers have been shipped in from around China to help, medical resources are overwhelmingly diverted to combat Covid, leaving it difficult for non-Covid patients ... to access them.

Read “This is inhumane” >> 

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Even as South Africa surpasses the milestone of 100,000 confirmed Covid deaths, the government – strict about restrictions until now - still plans to end lockdown "soon", despite scientists’ warnings that a fifth wave is imminent. Last week, April 5 – that’s today – was the day to end restrictions. As of now, no certainty nor update on this deadline.

Responding to questions posed in parliament, Deputy President David Mabuza said, “We think (forcing people to vaccinate) would be crossing the red line'. All we can do is encourage our people to go and vaccinate."
Despite a wide range of initiatives to encourage large-scale vaccination, there has a been a great reluctance to do so, spurred on by optimism after the government relaxed regulations that enforced mask-wearing in public, and opened up sports and entertainment facilities to increased spectator and audience numbers.
Mabuza said the easing of these regulations announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa last week was part of attempts to convince citizens to take the vaccine voluntarily, as they would be required to show this when attending events.
Mabuza also said plans announced by Ramaphosa for amended health regulations to replace the much harsher 'State of Disaster' laws that have been in place for over two years now were underway, despite warnings from experts about the risk of a fifth wave.
He confirmed the views of some scientists that this wave would be less severe than previous ones, because the population had reportedly developed a level of herd immunity.

Read more >> 

Healthy planet, anyone?

Off planet, an amazing opportunity to glimpse a giant planet evolve. It is still ‘in the womb’ yet nine times the mass of Jupiter.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Practicing the tactic “apply pressure through channels (culverts?) but let things evolve”, I contacted the ANC’s councilperson for this area to request attention to clear blocked culverts. After the ANC were voted out in favor of the DA, I contacted the new councilperson for this area. She stepped up and did what she could. Indeed, she managed to get a backhoe out here and the driver backhoed and scooped and pushed and pulled. But he did not touch the actual culverts; hard to do that with a backhoe. He implied he'd be back to finish the job.

That was two days before the national holiday, Human Rights Day. Since then? 

Nothing. 

Nada. 

Dead quiet on the eastern front. 

Lots of rain though, so flooding continues.
Finally, yesterday, after trying to “do the right thing” – for 6 years! – I phoned the regional big boss. He’d been informed the problem was resolved. I explained it had not – that the culverts have never been directly dealt with, only the area surrounding the culverts had been graded or backhoed.
He copied me on an email to the crew in charge of roads in this area:

Colleagues, Please urgently attend to the blocked culvert on D 292 at xx Road. Please make contact with [the resident cc'd here] to advise when it will be done.
I suggest you use a TLB and VRRM Labour in cleaning out the silted pipes.

His colleague in charge responded:
Good day
Note two weeks back MS Zondi was opened that drain at D292 with a TLB. Thanks

I responded:
Thank you for including me in this email... Here are yesterday's photos of the blocked culverts on "my" side of the road [photos posted yesterday] ... As you can see, the quality of the silt now flowing into the area when it rains shows the silt is also draining into the area from the district road.
Let me know if you want photos of flooded area taken over the last weeks AND the last four years that show the continuing evolution of this problem.

What happens now?
We wait.
Meanwhile, the flooded area of the garden continues….

The damp in the house continues.
Thank the gods for water as it allows me to soothe my simmering anger by clearing lilies and pond weed. As I work, I contemplate next steps: Now that I have email addresses, I continue direct pressure. I also write an article for the local paper. Then another article. I also visit the local animal rehab center, Free Me and, 1) explain the disappearance of fresh water otters in this wetland and how the blocked culverts may contribute to otters’ demise, 2) encourage them to apply pressure to the roads department to clear the culverts and encourage the return of otters, and, 3) explore whether they’d consider re-introducing otters into the waterway. Otters in the waterway would benefit my pond, too: they’d make short work of the runaway growth of the lilies by gobbling them up. Yum, tender lily root salad for otters.