Sigh. Trying times.

News blues…

More crazy ‘Mericans… (2:10 mins)

***

Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 

Healthy futures, anyone?

Human inability to deal with our garbage/rubbish/waste/trash.
Perhaps it’s the lack of one shared and collective term, but we humans show a remarkable inability to deal with our waste, from biological (poop, pee, blood, body parts….) to throw away packaging and toxic waste from generating energy.
Did you know:

• 12 human visitors to the moon left behind “96 bags of poo, urine, and vomit” and other trash
• Encounters with and trips to the moon make it a junkyard of more than 200 tonnes/tons of debris, from space hardware to golfballs….
• Our oceans are flooded with chemicals – from use and over use of fertilizers on farms with chemical runoff into waterways that ultimately flow into the ocean – and trash from human activities… .
• The continent of Antarctica, too, is a human litter zone. “Half-operational and deserted stations are scattered around the continent, some still inhabitable, others lost to extreme conditions, and a number left standing to solidify geopolitical claims to land, fishing rights, and minerals. These abandoned … “ghost” stations are a physical manifestation of the passion for this harsh land—a drive to both understand and dominate it—that has ultimately begun to destroy it.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Gearing up for sweltering 32C temperatures today with more of the same running around associated with trying to make life plans for my mother – and myself.
A potential house purchaser who’d dropped out last week is back this week – now with money in his pocket. We shall see.

***

Days getting shorter, nightfall happening 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 10: sunrise 5:55am; sunset 6:22pm.

Riding the waves

News blues…

Third wave South Africa:

Over the past year, SA has been ravaged by Covid-19. To date, more than 1.5 million cases and more than 50,000 deaths have been confirmed. The true number of cases is likely to be more than 10 million, and we know that unexplained deaths, most of which are due to Covid-19, sit well above 100,000. With ongoing community transmission and subsequent error-prone viral replication, new variants of SARS-CoV-2 will probably emerge and may favour further transmission.
None of us knows when the third wave will hit, but most of us in public health and science believe our Covid-19 vaccination roll-out will not be quick enough to prevent this, nor subsequent waves.
Read more >>

Third wave United States:

The next two months could determine whether the US will experience another surge in coronavirus cases, according to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
After months of devastation, steep decreases have been reported in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations. More people are getting vaccinated, and the government on Monday released guidance on safe activities for fully vaccinated people.
But now infection numbers have plateaued at very high levels -- with the US averaging 60,000 new cases daily in the past week. Multiple governors have eased safety measures despite health officials' warnings. Spring break events are kicking off across the country, threatening the potential for further spread of the virus.
Read more >>

***

Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

The Care Center in which my mother currently resides caters to a large population and, by default, must engage what I’d call “institutional care” rather than “intimate care.”
I'd polled many facilities in the region before taking her there to evaluate the place as one that might meet her needs. Her biggest need: ability to keep her dog, Jessica. 

In addition to meeting that need, my mother agreed it was “a nice place” and that, yes, she’d move in.
Now that she no longer has the dog (it is back at her house, with me), I’m considering placing her in a smaller, more intimate facility.
I’m polling various medical and geriatric experts and friends and acquaintances to gather info on the feasibility of moving her, 87 years old and recently traumatized by surgery and anesthetic.
I’m also evaluating the feasibility of bringing her back to her home.
If the house does not sell soon (on the market almost 6 months) I’d consider hiring home-based care. This is actually not as expensive as her current care. In fact, on paper, this solution may be more financially feasible than keeping her in the Care Center. And offers far greater advantages to her spirit and her psychological and emotional health.
I’m now polling experts on this possibility, too. After all, when she “passes” (aka “dies”) she’d pass far happier in her own bed, her own house, and surrounded by her own, faithful dogs.
I know, I know: sounds crazy.
But the overall situation is crazy.
If I receive a serious offer to purchase the house - not a suspensive sale offer, I’d sell in a heartbeat. Moving her to a more intimate environment, after that, is still an option.
Tomorrow, March 10, was my arbitrary D-Day, the date I planned to make a “final” decision on future direction if no acceptable purchase offer had been made.
To date, no acceptable purchase offer has been made.
An “interested party” – husband and wife – viewed the place yesterday and, according to the realtor, “are very interested.”
Alas, even as I write this, the realtor is undergoing unexpected surgery. She’ll take the next several days to recover from the immediate effects of surgery then two weeks away from the office to regain her strength – although she plans, in the interim, to “work from home.”
So, despite best intentions, even if the interested party makes a feasible offer, fate will slip my arbitrary D-Day date.
Murphy’s Law: “What can go wrong, will go wrong….”

***

Days getting shorter, nightfall happening 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.

Pithy

News blues…

Numbers of active Covid infections in South Africa appear to be dropping. For the first time since June last year, SA's active Covid-19 infections are just below 30,000.
With new infections decline – 862, and 31 deaths – in the past 24 hours, are we on an upswing? Or is this the ebb before the next wave?
Play it safe: masks, social distance, vigilance, and stay home.

***

Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 

***

Weird-isms for the times
Never were truer words uttered by “flip flopper” Senator Lindsey Graham who expresses a desire to “harness the [Trump] magic. There's a dark side and there's some magic there. To me, Donald Trump is sort of a cross between Jesse Helms [religious bigot], Ronald Reagan [conservatives’ golden idol] and P.T. Barnum [circus impresario].” https://www.rawstory.com/lindsey-graham-harness-donald-trump/
This is the same Lindsey Graham who said of Trump in 2015, “He’s a race baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot…” 
These days, Graham is Trump’s bestie BFF and golf partner. “"Donald Trump was my friend before the riot…and nd I'm trying to keep a relationship with him after the riot. Uh, I still consider him a friend. “
As ‘they’ say, “politics makes strange bedfellows”… and these guys are strange.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Short and sweet posting today as I’m off and running early.
First meeting with matron of Care Center to review my mother’s situation. My original thinking, before she agreed to move into that facility was, number 1: they are the only place in town that accepted her with a dog. Plus, the location is gorgeous with wandering wild zebra, warthog, impala, blesbok, etc., passing right outside her bedroom window.
I’m also meeting with the manager of a smaller, more intimate care center to understand what it might offer my mother – all the while holding the reality that my 87-year-old mother is very frail and would be further disoriented by another move.

***

Days getting shorter, nightfall earlier:
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 6: sunrise 5:53am; sunset 6:25pm.
March 7: sunrise 5:54am; sunset 6:24pm.
March 8: sunrise 5:54am; sunset 6:22pm.

Business as usual, cont'd...

News blues…

A Tweet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC - finds that state-issued mask requirements are associated with the slowing of COVID-19 cases and deaths. “Wearing a well-fitting mask consistently and correctly is one of the best ways we can protect ourselves and each other. “
On the heels of Texas and Mississippi lifting their statewide mask mandates and ditching other coronavirus safety measures, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report suggesting states should be doing the complete opposite to Texas and Mississippi.
The study closely examined COVID-19 cases, as well as hospitalization and death rates across the country, and – surprise! - found that mask mandates were associated with reductions in those figures, while on-site dining was associated with increases.

From March 1 to Dec. 31 of last year public mask mandates were associated with a 0.5 percentage point decrease in the daily growth rate of cases up to 20 days after the rule was put into place, the study found. Those reductions increased over time, shooting up to 1.8 percentage points 100 days after implementing the mask mandate.
Rules allowing for restaurant dining, meanwhile, were associated with a 0.9 percentage point increase after 60 days of greenlighting that activity. That figure jumped to 1.2 percentage points after 80 days. The study, however, did not differentiate between indoor or outdoor dining, the latter of which infectious disease experts say is much safer than the former.

• CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a recent press briefing, “I am really worried about reports that more states are rolling back the exact public health measures we have recommended to protect people from COVID-19.” 
• Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said that it is a mistake to relax coronavirus restrictions when more contagious and possibly more dangerous virus variants are circulating in the US. He warned, “We're walking into the mouth of the monster.“  
• Dr. Anthony Fauci said the US shouldn't ease restrictions in place to prevent Covid-19 before the number of new coronavirus cases falls below 10,000 daily, "and maybe even considerably less than that…." He added that the country should pull restrictions gradually, after a substantial portion of Americans are vaccinated.
  The last time the US saw fewer than 10,000 new daily cases was almost a year ago, on March 22, 2020. The number hasn't fallen below 50,000 daily cases since mid-October, and the seven-day average on Wednesday was more than 64,000. 

Will Americans listen?
Some will. Some will not.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is listening. He signed an executive order once again extending the requirement that most people in Colorado “wear a medical or non-medical face covering” … for another 30 days. 

The following US states and territories have mask mandates:
Alabama | American Samoa | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | District of Columbia | Guam | Hawaii | Illinois | Indiana | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | Ohio |Oregon | Pennsylvania | Puerto Rico | Rhode Island | Texas | U.S. Virgin Islands | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming The following US states and territories do not have mask mandates:
Alaska | Arizona | Florida | Georgia | Idaho | Iowa | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | North Dakota | Northern Mariana Islands | Oklahoma | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee
Details on each state’s mandate >>

Choose your summer vacation spot with care and an eye toward health.

***

Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 

Healthy planet, anyone?

To address and inform the public about how corporate and ideological interests spread disinformation across the US, and use their influence to try to stop climate action, the Guardian is partnering with Floodlight , a nonprofit environmental news collaborative partnering with local journalists.
Floodlight’s debut story  investigates how the gas industry is fighting to weaken the climate ambitions of two Texas cities: Austin and San Antonio.

***

Cyclone Winston devastated vital coral colonies off Fiji, but four years on, the reefs are alive again, teeming with fish and colour 

***

Photo essay: the week in wildlife 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Yesterday’s cooler weather allowed me to wheel my mother on a long-awaited trip outside the Care Center. We didn’t go far and, hunched as she is now, I’m not sure how much of the local flora she saw, but it made a welcome change for her. I’ll do it again today, but this time I’ll pad her with cushions to prop her up and prevent her slumping in the wheelchair.
I’m concerned about her swollen and painful right hand. She’d complained last week that her hand was sore and, as I massaged tight tendons in her palm near both pinky fingers, I’d encouraged her to flex her hands frequently. That hasn’t helped.
No red spots on her hand indicate insect bites or infection and she has no discernable bruising; puzzling.

***

House sale, ongoing: neighbors who have lived on this street for 30 years, indicated interest in viewing the house after the end of the sole mandate period. They prefer to make an offer free of an agent’s commission.
Yesterday, I showed them around the property. I discerned references to yet another suspensive sale. This relies on the seller assuming the loan while the buyer pays it off over an agreed period.
I’d refused a suspensive sale last week (the buyer tried a classic bait and switch) and informed real estate agents, “no more offers for suspensive sales – I’m not interested.”
Turns out this is likely the neighbor’s tack, too. I’ll refuse his offer, too - albeit with reluctance.

 
After more than a year living here, I’ve learned a thing or two about this country.
For one thing, I despair of what I call the country’s “reverse development” mentality: very little effort put toward educating workers about the benefits of high-quality work product. Planning is an alien concept as it what defines quality and/or a job well done. This means people work without a plan, or supervision, or quality controls, and or consequences for failing to perform adequately.

***

Days getting shorter, nightfall happening earlier:
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 6: sunrise 5:53am; sunset 6:25pm.
March 7: sunrise 5:54am; sunset 6:24pm.