Persistence

© Mike Luckovich - 2021 Creators Syndicate

News blues…

Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccination program grinds to a halt in virtually all of western Europe, as France, Spain, Germany, Italy and more than a dozen other countries pause rollout of that vaccine. This, they say, is a precautionary measure following concerns that the vaccine could be linked to blood clots; decisions that go against the advice of global health agencies. A few countries have stood by the vaccine - including the United Kingdom, where more than 11 million doses have already been administered, and where real-world data has shown vaccines are reducing infections and hospitalizations. 

***

More on fake vaccines around the world, including SA  (5:28 mins)

***

Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide  Authorities in 219 countries and territories have reported about 120.7 million Covid 19 cases and 2.7 million deaths since China reported its first cases to the World Health Organization (WHO) in December 2019.

***

The Lincoln Project: Zero-Sum Game  (0:55 mins)

Healthy futures, anyone?

Satellite images show air pollution returning to pre-pandemic levels as restrictions loosen.
These images, taken by the ESA using data from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite, show the monthly average nitrogen dioxide concentrations over China in February 2019, February 2020 and February 2021.
Between February 2019 and February 2020, Beijing's nitrogen dioxide concentrations dropped 35%, the ESA said. In Chongqing, the drop was by 45%. As of February 2021, though, Beijing has returned to similar levels, while Chongqing has almost doubled its pre-Covid-19 numbers.

"We expected air pollution to rebound as lockdowns are lifted across the globe," said Claus Zehner, ESA's Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission manager, in a statement. "Nitrogen dioxide concentrations in our atmosphere do not depend on human activity alone. Weather conditions such as wind speed and cloud cover also affect those levels, however a large quantity of these reductions are due to restrictions being eased. In the coming weeks and months, we expect increases of nitrogen dioxide concentrations also over Europe." 
A similar trend is possible in the US.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Bliss-inducing rain tempers local high temperatures. Will rain affect today’s visit from a potential buyer? Eskom’s load shedding affected her visit yesterday: lack of electricity disabled her ability to make/receive phone calls; the visit was cancelled.
The auctioneer’s truck comes this morning to pick up another batch of goods to auction. After several weeks, time permitting, of clearing the garage, the batch of goods nicely grouped – box of assorted nails, collections of assorted plumbing supplies, wall channel, doors, roofing, etc. – packaged, listed, and photographed will go. More news indicating possible forward momentum:
I received an email from my mother’s accountant that he’d sent SARS (revenue service) the package of documents – including a photograph of her holding her ID book – and that SARS might release her tax refund into her bank account. This, after 6 months of wrangling. The accountant reports it “can take up to 21 days to verify, but often takes less.” Hmmm. Over the past 355 days living in KZN I’ve developed a suspicious and skeptical mind when it comes to “official business.”
Several months ago, in an effort to surrender my mother’s elderly weapons, I’d carried three to a local gun shop. The gun shop couldn’t accept them for surrender but advised speaking to a certain warrant officer at the local SAPS (SA Police Service). The warrant officer advised me to download and have my mother sign the required documents that allow the turn in her (elderly) weapons for which she held licenses: a shotgun and a Beretta hand pistol, along with a bag of bullets.
I took his advice - thank the gods as my mother is currently unable to sign her name – but hesitated to carry a bagful of weapons in public and stand in line outside the police station with potential Covid spreaders. Instead, I asked my brother to finish that chore. He forgot. For months, the weapons and forms remained on the floor of my bedroom. After I cracked my small toe on the pile, I again requested my brother’s help. This time, he and his stepson complied. As of yesterday, elderly weapons and bullets are in the custody of local police ready for destruction. Sigh of relief.
Persistence has its advantages....

***

Remember Eskom and its ongoing program of load shedding? Now, courtesy of Eskom, a double whammy: South Africans must pay 15 percent more for the luxury of no electricity.  Now that’s shoving a scam down the throats of people unable to resist.

***

South African days getting shorter while nightfall happens earlier:
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 9: sunrise 5:55am; sunset 6:21pm.
March 17: sunrise 6:00am; sunset 6:12pm.

Human hearts?

News blues…

One might despair of the lack of … humanity … humans display - and the seeming abundance of corruption lurking in the human head/heart.
Goings on during a global pandemic display a host of humanities worst “shadow” characteristics - more than enough to give some human hearts heart burn:

• Amid many other cases of corruption – SA health minister Mkhize and close associates have allegedly benefited from COVID-19 tenders that the Department of Health had issued at more than R82-million. 
• Despite recommendations from the US CDC for a combination of evidence-based strategies to reduce transmission of COVID-19, US politicians recommend the opposite 
• Significant amounts of fake vaccine have been uncovered in at least two countries – South Africa and China  – 
• Investigation uncovers countries “either less than transparent or in denial about the scale of the [Covid-19] problem” hide pandemic data. 

Take heart though. Some countries are doing well with vaccinations.

The next challenge is finding humane ways to share vaccines across borders, continents, and hemispheres.
From a recent policy paper published in The Lancet:

The COVID-19 pandemic is unlikely to end until there is global roll-out of vaccines that protect against severe disease and preferably drive herd immunity. Regulators in numerous countries have authorised or approved COVID-19 vaccines for human use, with more expected to be licensed in 2021. Yet having licensed vaccines is not enough to achieve global control of COVID-19: they also need to be produced at scale, priced affordably, allocated globally so that they are available where needed, and widely deployed in local communities. In this Health Policy paper, we review potential challenges to success in each of these dimensions and discuss policy implications.

***

Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 

***

Remember The Lincoln Project? Here's another obituary...  (5:27 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

As countries locked down to control the rapid spread of Covid-19 and consequently reduced human mobility (‘anthropause’) — a unique opportunity emerged to gather far reaching insights into human–wildlife interactions in the twenty-first century.
Anecdotal observations indicate that many animal species are enjoying the newly afforded peace and quiet, while others, surprisingly, seem to have come under increased pressure.
Nature ecology and evolution’s addresses findings: “COVID-19 lockdown allows researchers to quantify the effects of human activity on wildlife” to review this ‘anthropause’. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

I continue to run around in a tizzy - like a chicken without a head, or feathers, or chicken feet. (Cultural humor: bagsful of chicken feet are a popular food item in the refrigerator section of most South African grocery stores. Where do so many feet they come from? I assume from people like me running around in a tizzy….)
Yesterday I:

• went to the dentist. (South Africans complain about the “exorbitant expense” of dentistry. Yet, American dentistry is far more expensive. In the US, one x-ray, or a cleaning, costs far more than what I paid for two fillings.)
• met with my mother’s financial adviser and was provided further perspectives on possible directions to protect my mother and her future.
• met with a real estate management company to gather information on the potential for renting my mother’s house – since no sale is imminent.
• talked on the phone with the matron of two other care centers to gauge the feasibility of moving my mother away from the current center. (The latest eye-opening action? Someone decided to cut my mother’s hair. I know my mother would not have consented as her long, thick hair is her most prized vanity. Now, she’s lost not only her dog (the primary reason I’d placed her in that facility was because they agreed to take her dog), she’s also deprived of self-agency and her dignity.)
• met with the real estate agent that I trust more than any other and, to stimulate a purchase, lowered the house’s asking price, and phoned our neighbor who, during the house’s sole mandate period, showed interest in viewing/purchasing the house. He will view the house today. (A businessman, he intimated he’d pay cash although would not involve a real estate agent (to avoid the 6% commission). Yes, that requires extra vigilance, but I have a plan….)

It’s a busy time.
The best news? My California-based daughter’s recent vaccination against Covid allows her to consider visiting me. Yes, I worry about international travel and the potential for further exposure to the virus, but oh, she’d be so welcome.

***

With daylight savings time approaching in the US, my season-watch obsession continues:
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 6: sunrise 5:53am; sunset 6:25pm.