News blues
Covid-19: South Africa records 3 more deaths, but there may be mortality rate backlog.South Africa and Covid-19: what’s up with National State of Disaster? (5:34 mins)
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A new, hybrid variant on the horizon? ***
I get that we'd all rather talk about anything than Covid at this point, but it's still surprising how little coverage the spike in cases in Asia is getting at the moment. Read more >> On War:
Photos from Ukraine >>
Putin’s Puppet (1:00 mins)
The climate emergency is the biggest threat to civilisation we have ever faced. But there is good news: we already have every tool we need to beat it. The challenge is not identifying the solutions but rolling them out with great speed.
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Last Sunday, U.N. agencies warned that the escalation of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine, including attacks on health care facilities, could prolong the pandemic. “Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has already put health systems and health care workers under enormous strain, such attacks have the potential to be even more devastating for the civilian population,” reads a joint statement issued by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the United Nations Population Fund.Read more >>
The statement cited 31 attacks that destroyed or damaged health care facilities since the beginning of the Russian invasion, curtailing Ukrainians’ access to services, including vaccinations against COVID-19.
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The Lincoln Project: Brent Renaud (1:00 mins) Putin’s Puppet (1:00 mins)
Healthy planet, anyone?
Take a climate pledge.The climate emergency is the biggest threat to civilisation we have ever faced. But there is good news: we already have every tool we need to beat it. The challenge is not identifying the solutions but rolling them out with great speed.
Read some reasons to be hopeful >>
Read more >>
The best part of painting? Cleaning and putting away tools – brushes, rollers, paint trays, paint cloths – then inspecting the finished product. Sometimes inspecting the finished product, however, reveals yet another coat of paint is required. Grrr. In that case, finishing a third coat provides a form of bliss I’ve seldom encountered.
Heavy rainfall has nowhere to go and dams up behind the blocked culverts.
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Another bad idea whose time has come - and gone? Was cleaning the Great Pacific Garbage Patch a bad idea? Scientists worry that flashy efforts to clean plastic from the ocean do more harm than good.Read more >>
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Painting, painting, painting. I’ve painted a bedroom and I’m almost finished painting a large living room. I prefer walking and swimming as exercise, but several hours of painting each day is a decent workout.The best part of painting? Cleaning and putting away tools – brushes, rollers, paint trays, paint cloths – then inspecting the finished product. Sometimes inspecting the finished product, however, reveals yet another coat of paint is required. Grrr. In that case, finishing a third coat provides a form of bliss I’ve seldom encountered.
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The saga of the block culverts continues. This is what happens after 6 years of trying, unsuccessfully, to get the appropriate department to maintain their tax-supported responsibilities in the community.Heavy rainfall has nowhere to go and dams up behind the blocked culverts.
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| Blocked culverts mean water cannot drain ... |
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| Believe it or not: two culverts hidden within this overgrown, muddy, debris-filled zone... The problem now? Mid-right: Water borne silt pouring into the already over-silted area. That silt is now more than 1 meter/3 feet deep - and hardening by the day. One would assume this circumstance would bring out a team of workers to alleviate the problem. Here? Nope. Despite 10 years of paying property taxes ("rates") and six years of asking for assistance, this is the state of affairs. Distressing. |
