“…too small for walls”

While art objects are out of the usual parameters of this blog (the pandemic, the era, and the effects on our collective home), this expression - one of many - is pertinent: Fragment of the Berlin Wall - the End of Division of Germany and Europe 1990, on site at the Muzeon Park of Arts in Moscow, Russia.  

News blues…

Totally Under Control — how the United States (and South Africa) screwed up the coronavirus response

South Africa needed a lockdown to save lives. We did not, however, need the lockdown we got. We required something gentler, more progressive, more human. The cruelty was underscored by the staggering corruption of the PPE procurement process, which resulted in at least 10% of the R50-billion disbursement being squandered by connected cadres. Rightly or wrongly, South Africans will remember Covid-19 for the orgy of thieving and greed that has studded Johannesburg and Cape Town with high-end vehicles and proud new mansion owners.
Worse, like so many countries, we’ve learnt something essential about ourselves. The postmodern capitalist technocratic state is a chimera. In its endless dedication to fake parsimony, it is always broke, and has no scope to deal with emergencies.

Read on…  

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Need a pick-me-up? Here it is: Jerusalema by All Africana Kids Best Dance Challenge  (9:25 mins)

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The Lincoln Project:
Names  (0:55 mins)  
Chyna  (1:00 min)

Healthy planet, anyone?

Half Of Corals On The Great Barrier Reef Have Died Since 1990s. 

Dr. Terry Hughes, a professor at the ARC Centre and a co-author of a recent paper, has long said climate change remains the single greatest threat to the future of the Great Barrier as we know it.
“The word ‘threat’ is funny,” he said. “If you threatened to punch me on the nose, it’s something you might do. We’ve been measuring the impacts on the Great Barrier Reef for 22 years … it’s certainly not a future threat. It’s been part of the ongoing saga for a long time.”

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

The newly purchased double bed with drawers purchased specifically for my mother’s small room at the Care Center didn’t work out for her: The Dog refused to sleep on it. Yesterday, I arranged for a mover to exchange it for a lighter-weight twin bed without drawers. The Dog is happy. The Mother? Happy-ish.
On Friday, I propose driving a former neighbor to the Care Center to visit my mother. Always uplifting to have neighbors visit.
The realtor informed me that the sale of the house could take “at least six months.” I’m not prepared to stay here beyond January 2021, so I need a plan to ensure the house is occupied although not rented. How to do that? I’ve a few months to figure it out.

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Chard and parsley are ready to eat from the veggie garden. Zucchini and snap pea plants are flowering. And, for the first time since I planted it three years ago, I’ll be here to enjoy the sweet smell of the jasmine. A benefit of the pandemic?
Glorious spring is in full swing here.