Going mobile

New week. New life! 

The Who says it for me – Going mobile 

News blues

I’m off! Johannesburg, Paris, San Francisco  houseboat in Californy!
…where, ironically, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state will offer $116 million in prize money for coronavirus vaccinations.  Maybe I’ll get lucky!

The state’s reopening is pegged for June 15, and on that day a drawing will be held to award 10 vaccinated people the top prize.
Another 30 people will win $50,000 each, with those drawings starting June 4. Anyone 12 and older who has received at least one shot will be eligible. And the next 2 million people who get vaccinated will get $50 gift cards.
Ohio this week announced the first $1 million winner of its “Vax-a-Million” contest, as well as the first child to win a full college scholarship. Colorado and Oregon also offered $1 million prizes.
New York is raffling 50 full scholarships to children 12 to 17 to public universities and colleges in the state, selecting 10 winners each of the next five Wednesdays.

So, we live in a world, now, where, if you can’t trust people to “do the right thing” – vaccinate against a pandemic – you pay ‘em. 

Capitalism wins! 

Meanwhile… tracking Covid-19:

• Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 
• South African experts to follow for up-to-date and accurate Covid information… 

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The Lincoln Project: You look  (0:45 mins)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Getting darker here…
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 16: sunrise 5:59am; sunset 6:13pm.
March 29: sunrise 6:07am; sunset 5:58pm.
April 1: sunrise 6:09am; sunset 5:54pm.
April 15: sunrise 6:18am; sunset 5:39pm.
April 25: sunrise 6:23am; sunset 5:30pm.
May 1: sunrise 6:27am; sunset 5:24pm.
May 15: sunrise 6:35am; sunset 5:15pm.
May 28: sunrise 6:44am; sunset 5:08pm.

Privilege

Worldwide (Map) 
May 27, 168,418,000 confirmed infections; 3,499,000 deaths
April 22, 2021 – 143,503,705 confirmed infections; 3,056,000 deaths
Tracker for worldwide vaccination rate >> 

US (Map) 
May 27, 33,190,300 confirmed infections; 592,000,000 deaths
April 22, 2021 – 31,862,100 confirmed infections; 569,500 deaths

SA (Tracker) 
May 27, x1,645,600 confirmed infections; 56,100 deaths
April 22, 2021 – 1,568,500 confirmed infections; 53,900 deaths

Down memory lane with a post from one year ago - April 23, 2020: “Try it; what have you got to lose?” 

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Tracking Covid-19:

• Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 
• South African experts to follow for up-to-date and accurate Covid information… 

News blues

Half of U.S. adults now fully vaccinated against COVID-19…and more than 60% have received at least one dose, the CDC reported. 

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Experts suggest limiting gatherings as SA's Covid-19 positivity rate breaches 10%. It was the first time since mid-November that the positivity rate breached 10% on an upward trajectory 

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Locally, the vaccination programs continue. Lines are long – up to 4 hours in some areas. I’m amazed at how many South Africans display diehard skepticism about taking the vaccination. On the other hand, South Africans experience “the government” as being particularly inept if not downright dangerous. I’m happy that I’m privileged enough to avoid having to make the decision here and have the option to be vaccinated in California.

***

The Lincoln Project: Conspiracy  (0:55 mins)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Broke the news of my pending departure to my mother… and introduced her to my son-in-law. I explained he’d visit her while I’m gone and take care of the dogs and the house.
She looked him over, then asked about the tattoos on his knuckles: the words “give” and “take.” He explained it was his way of ensuring he’d never be hired for a “mainstream job”. Then he added, “Well, these days, tattoos are mainstream so I’m not sure that reason is valid anymore.” My mother was fascinated. Right in front of her, talking to her, visiting her in the future, was a person with tattoos! Imagine!
She proceeded to explain that tattoos are alright on men, crinkled her nose in disapproval, and added, “but not on women.” Clearly, women should never be tattooed. We nodded to her implied assessment: not ladylike!

***

I’m a pre-travel bundle of nerves. I’m certain that something will go wrong to ensure my travel plans, er, crash and burn, that I’ll be forced to remain in SA, that taking care of my own life and responsibilities in the States can’t succeed, that my houseboat will sink before I can stop it….
These are tough thoughts for a control freak.

***

Had my pre-flight Covid test: elongated super Q-tip tickled my throat and each nostril. Voila. Done. Results by tomorrow. Then, whoosh! Off to Californy!

***

Only two more days of early darkness – then, whoosh, back to California – and spring on the river!
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 16: sunrise 5:59am; sunset 6:13pm.
March 29: sunrise 6:07am; sunset 5:58pm.
April 1: sunrise 6:09am; sunset 5:54pm.
April 15: sunrise 6:18am; sunset 5:39pm.
April 25: sunrise 6:23am; sunset 5:30pm.
May 1: sunrise 6:27am; sunset 5:24pm.
May 15: sunrise 6:35am; sunset 5:15pm.
May 27: sunrise 6:43am; sunset 5:09pm.

Getting there...

News blues

In today’s hyper-capitalist US, if common sense, backed up by stringent science, doesn’t work to convince people to get vaccinated against a too-often fatal malady, then pay ‘em to get vaccinated!

Health officials in Ohio have reported a surge in the amount of people getting their first COVID-19 vaccination shots, a week after Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced the $5 million "Vax-a-Million" lottery. 
Just days after DeWine said the state would award five vaccinated residents $1 million each in order to raise vaccination percentages, the Ohio Department of Health reported more than 113,000 people received their first dose of the vaccine.
Based on preliminary data, the department said the recent period showed a 53% week-to-week increase (May 13 to 18) compared to the time period before the announcement, where 74,000 people received their first dose (May 6 to 11).

On the other hand, if it works why knock it?

***

Tracking Covid-19:

• Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 
• South African experts to follow for up-to-date and accurate Covid information… 

***

The Lincoln Project:

Last Week in the Republican Party  (0:49 mins)
Their Party (0:35 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

A feel-good story from Australia as water returns rivers: After the deluge: Australia’s outback springs to life as mighty rivers flow again 

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Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

After weeks of questioning whether it’s a good idea to ask my son-in-law to caretake my mother’s house and all that that entails while I’m gone, he arrived last night. (He’s never traveled here before. Winter here won’t bother him: he’s from Alaska.)
I drove to the local airport to pick him up. Since I’d not driven alone before to this airport, I used Google maps to guide me…and still I got lost! It’s a left/right dyslexia thing. And, after warning him about not driving along unknown roads on a whim, I drove both of us along an unknown road – for miles. After we consulted Google maps, I righted the car and we arrived home only 2 hours late.
Today we begin his speedy acculturation into life in KZN and how to find his way around after I’ve departed.
That is, if I actually depart. I’m still having trouble with my tickets. This time, the airline claims I did not pay so they can’t issue a ticket. I did pay, last Friday, at about 10:00am (long before their noon deadline). This is the third time I paid for this return flight.
Anyway, after introducing mu son-in-law to Martha (domestic worker) I’m looking forward to introducing him to the local monkey troop, the stream and pond, the dogs, my mother, and whomever I can make his transition easier. He’s excited. I’m grateful.

***

Only four more days of early darkness – then, whoosh, I’ll head back to California – and spring on the river!
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 16: sunrise 5:59am; sunset 6:13pm.
March 29: sunrise 6:07am; sunset 5:58pm.
April 1: sunrise 6:09am; sunset 5:54pm.
April 15: sunrise 6:18am; sunset 5:39pm.
April 25: sunrise 6:23am; sunset 5:30pm.
May 1: sunrise 6:27am; sunset 5:24pm.
May 15: sunrise 6:35am; sunset 5:15pm.
May 26: sunrise 6:4xam; sunset 5:1xpm.

Prelude to flight

News blues

As cases, hospitalizations and deaths steadily dropped this week, pre-pandemic life in America has largely resumed. 

New coronavirus cases across the United States have tumbled to rates not seen in more than 11 months, sparking optimism that vaccination campaigns are stemming both severe COVID-19 cases and the spread of the virus….
As the seven-day average for new cases dropped below 30,000 per day this week, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pointed out cases have not been this low since June 18, 2020. The average number of deaths over the last seven days also dropped to 552 — a rate not seen since July last year. It’s a dramatic drop since the pandemic hit a devastating crescendo in January.

***

Tracking Covid-19:

• Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 
• South African experts to follow for up-to-date and accurate Covid information… 

Healthy planet, anyone?

Biden’s Climate Chops Face A Big Test On Old-Growth Forests.  Which is it going to be, Joe?

The Biden administration is pushing an aggressive environmental agenda, pledging to both slash greenhouse gas emissions at least in half and to conserve 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030. Those commitments include broad language about the need to “invest in forest protection and forest management” and to “fight climate change with the natural solutions that our forests, agricultural lands, and the ocean provide.”
But President Joe Biden and his team have said little, if anything, about old-growth forests — typically defined as those at least 150 years old and largely undisturbed by human activity. These forests sequester massive amounts of carbon in trees and soil, and scientists say protecting the few that remain intact will prove key to meeting climate and biodiversity targets. That includes the 2,000 acres its own Forest Service is primed to move forward on after issuing its final record of decision in January.
Retired forestry professors Jerry Franklin of the University of Washington and Norm Johnson of Oregon State University helped write the forestry plan that made this area available for potential harvest. Adopted in 1994, the plan sought to curb the decline of northern spotted owls due to clearcutting of old-growth forests while continuing to allow for commercial timber production.
More than two decades later, Franklin and Johnson are speaking out against this and other plans to cut down mature forests, citing the climate and extinction crises. Our scientific understanding of such ecosystems, including their ability to store huge amounts of planet-warming carbon pollution, has improved immensely since then, the two wrote in a recent opinion article. 

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The Franklin Project: Join the movement  (0.33 mins)
Visit The Franklin Project website >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Vervet monkeys. They’re considered anything from admirable to a pestilence in KNZ. The troop that co-occupies the landscape around here is both admirable and a pestilence, depending on what they get up to on any one day.
Overall though, even as I ensure the doors are locked against monkeys entering the house and causing havoc, I appreciate their presence. It is, after all, their land – and continent – as much as humans’.
Vervets range throughout much of Southern and East Africa - from Ethiopia, Somalia and extreme southern South Sudan, to South Africa.
Turns out, the US state of Florida, too.
For about 70 years, a colony of about 40 vervets has lived along Dania Beach in urban south Florida. Until recently, no one was quite sure where they came from.

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) say they have traced the colony’s origins to the Dania Chimpanzee Farm. The South Florida SunSentinel reported recently that there’d been a monkey escape from the farm in 1948. Most, but not all, the monkeys were recaptured. The rest disappeared into a mangrove swamp, where their descendants live today.
The FAU researchers traced the monkeys’ genetics and concluded they were brought to Florida from Africa. The monkeys were sold mainly for medical and military research.

Go, monkeys, go! >>  

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Big week coming up. Lots to do leading up to driving to small, local airport to take a 45-minute domestic flight to Oliver Tambo then to Paris then to San Francisco. 

After 1.5 unplanned, unexpected years here and a pandemic, this time next week - I “should” be back in California. And eagerly accepting the first of two Pfizer vaccinations the day after I arrive!

What a concept!

***

I'm escaping not a moment too soon. Nights are getting colder with longer hours of darkness here…
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 16: sunrise 5:59am; sunset 6:13pm.
April 1: sunrise 6:09am; sunset 5:54pm.
April 15: sunrise 6:18am; sunset 5:39pm.
May 1: sunrise 6:27am; sunset 5:24pm.
May 15: sunrise 6:35am; sunset 5:15pm.
May 23: sunrise 6:41am; sunset 5:10pm.

Arghhhhh…

After weeks of struggling to confirm flight details – then paying for my tickets – my fly-by-night agency cancelled the flights, communicated nothing useful to me about it, and now cannot be reached by phone or email!
This time, the agency’s usual warning message - “due to high volume of calls … call back later” – did not cut me off. Desperation kept me on the phone listening to repeated loops of nausea-inducing elevator “musak”. More than 21:42 minutes later the call abruptly ended. Costing me more than R75.00 in airtime, I had no resolution, no idea what was up with my flight, and no way of learning what I needed to know.
I circumvented the agency and emailed the airline directly. I learned the entire journey was cancelled – and no word about rescheduling.
Just like that, my delight at returning to California after more than 1.5 years of lockdown, evaporated. All my preparation – pre-flight Covid test, domestic flight connection to Oliver Tambo Airport, appointment for my post-flight vaxx – all come to naught.
Unless….
I gave up on the agency (FlyUs.com – avoid them, well, like you’ve learned to avoid Covid). I struck out on my own.
I now have a flight, different airline, same day, almost same time, via Paris to San Francisco. It costs me an arm and a leg and I must purchase a seat for more than ZAR500, but I am heading home.

***

It’s my day for “can you believe it” stories. As I finalized a funeral policy for my 88-year-old mother, I learned that the provincial crematorium "went up in smoke."

Actually, it went up in smoke twice!  

Provincial decision-makers decided not to rebuild after the second event. Luckily for my mother, when the time comes she’ll be hosted by the privately-owned crematorium that has been built less than one mile from where she spent six decades of her adult life. Turns out, you can go home again...

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VoteVets: Hate Crime Hawley (0:50 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

The world’s largest iceberg – nearly six times the size of New York City - just broke off
The long block of ice is roughly 1,668 square miles in size, spanning 89 nautical miles on its longest axis and 14 nautical miles on its widest axis. New York City’s land area is about 303 square miles.
What does this mean? Read the article >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Potholes are nothing new around here.
Erosion has sculpted this pothole
into a unique, and very fitting, shape.
It's a dick pic - about 15 feet/5 meters long.

Continues to get darker here... 

Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 16: sunrise 5:59am; sunset 6:13pm.
April 1: sunrise 6:09am; sunset 5:54pm.
April 15: sunrise 6:18am; sunset 5:39pm.
April 25: sunrise 6:23am; sunset 5:30pm.
May 1: sunrise 6:27am; sunset 5:24pm.
May 15: sunrise 6:35am; sunset 5:15pm.
May 21: sunrise 6:40am; sunset 5:11pm.

But, just think, this time next week I'll be on my way to California summer!