Alerts and advisories

News blues

South Africa’s President Ramaphosa addressed that nation and upped that country' Covid Alert Level, from 2 to 3. As of today, “action will be taken” against those not complying with restrictions that include:
   Curfew from 10 pm to 4am
   Restaurants and “non-essential business” must close by 9pm to allow travel home.
   Funerals and cremations max 50 people or, for small venues, 50% of space capacity
   Max 50 indoors, 100 outdoors
   Alcohol retail sales from 10am to 6pm, Monday through Thursday; no consumption in public or on public holidays
   Officials are closely monitoring data and expertise to save lives. Going forward:
   Masks must cover nose and mouth (criminal offense not to do so
   Social distancing must be practiced.
   People must take action to protect themselves and others.
   Vax program: shortages, hindrances, supplies reduced, but 500 sites currently operating. Aim for 250,000 vaccinations per day
President ended with:  “We’ll not be deterred. We will succeed. We are people made of sterner stuff: succeed we will and succeed we must.”
Listen and watch (24:10 mind)

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South Africa’s Covid Dashboard (Updated 11:30, 14 June 2021):
Confirmed Cases: 1 747 082
Confirmed Deaths: 57 765
Confirmed Recoveries: 1 606 581
Vaccines Administered: 1 773 417

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Delta, a scary new variant of the coronavirus, is spreading both stateside and abroad. The good news: In the matchup between vaccines and variants, the vaccines remain ahead for now.
To help you better understand what Delta means for you, and for the global fight against the coronavirus, review the answers to six quick questions. 

***

COVID infections drop where people are vaccinated, rise where they’re not As recently as June 4, US states with higher vaccination rates did not have significantly lower case rates than states where few people were vaccinated. 

Read more >> 

***

The Lincoln Project: Celebrate  (0:43 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

Carbon Dioxide in Atmosphere Hits Record High Despite Pandemic Dip

***

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Since last week, the National Weather Service has issued heat advisories that include warnings about “excessive heat” with temps varying from 104F to 111F/ 40C to 44C – hot in any measurement.
The 104F temperature I endured soon after I returned to my boat knocked me out. I’ve no reason to expect several days of further excessive heat will be easier so I plan to skedaddle to more temperate climes. Weather in the “inner Bay” – Alameda, Oakland, San Francisco is predicted to run 25 to 30 degrees (F) cooler. 

***

After 14 days of alternatives, I adopted the “nuclear option” for plugging the plumbing problem under the boat: a putty and tape combo replete with warnings of toxicity, mandatory use of gloves, etc. I consider applying toxic materials, particularly near river water, a last resort. But it worked: after 14 days with no running water into the boat and many attempts to plug the pipe – one attempt included fish biting me on the butt, twice! – I succeeded in plugging the pipe.
I’ve have running water for more than 24 hours. Luxury!
I inspected the area today and it looks solid.
Over the past 14 days, I frequently thought of fellow South Africans who must carry empty utensils, buckets, etc., to fill at a communal “tap” (faucet) then schlepp that heavy load home. Onerous. A crying shame in a country whose leaders, 26 years ago, promised people decent homes, running water, etc. Instead, corruption reigns.
More corruption: Over the past two weeks, Eskom, the national power supply commission, subjected the nation’s people to more load shedding … and increased the cost of the minimal electricity they did supply.
Eskom’s bill for my mother’s house doubled. This, for only two people drawing electricity – lights only, no electric hot water heaters, no electric stoves, sitting around a fireplace at night.

***

What is remarkable in the marina: no Covid cases and very little mask compliance. Perhaps its the outdoor lifestyle? 

What price success?

News blues

Southern Africa is in its third wave of Covid-19 thought to be partly associated with the emergence of more transmissible variants.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least a dozen countries have so far confirmed the presence of the variant now named the Delta variant - first detected in India late last year. These countries include Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
This third wave is further straining an overwhelmed health system and further complicating the painfully slow progress being made with vaccinations. 

***

Experts say that understanding how the virus first leapt from animals to humans is essential to preventing future pandemics. Even as we still don’t know the origins of the coronavirus, explore four possible origin scenarios >> 

***

The Lincoln Project: The Real Antifa  (1:05 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

‘We’re causing our own misery’: oceanographer Sylvia Earle on the need for sea conservation 

The world has the opportunity in the next 10 years to restore our oceans to health after decades of steep decline – but to achieve that, people must wake up to the problem, join in efforts to protect marine areas… oh, to stop eating tuna….

***

In the business-as-usual scenario emissions from food production alone could use up all of our 1.5°C or 2°C carbon budget. We have a range of opportunities to avoid this. But will we?

One-quarter to one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions come from our food systems and from various sources: deforestation and land use change; emissions from fertilizers and manure; methane from cattle; methane from rice production; energy use on the farm; supply chain emissions from food processing, refrigeration; and transport. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Is today the day for shore water running through the houseboat’s faucets? Will yesterday’s foray under the boat to patch a redundant pipe succeed where half a dozen earlier forays failed?
Almost afraid to test the holding power of my latest effort, I’m contemplating yet another trip down there, this time to adhere another layer of material around the fix – just in case yesterday’s fix didn’t fix. It’s been 11 days of DIY. If this attempt fails, I’ll capitulate and hire someone to fix it.

***

This floating island of invasives is, so far this year, the largest to drift back and forth on river tides. 

I think of these floating entities as organic distribution centers for alien invasives into the Delta.
The crews whose job it is to discourage invasive plants unfortunately wait until late summer and then, instead of capturing the floating islands, indiscriminately spray all river plants – therefore birds, animals, and fish - with toxic pesticides.  By the end of summer, river banks and islands are brown, curled, and uniformly dead.
The good news? Concerned anglers discovered and photographed scores of dead fish and wildlife in many parts of the Delta, including Sandmound Slough in Bethel Island, Rock Slough near Knightsen (where my boat is moored and where I swim) and Horseshoe Bend in Brentwood.

…it wasn't just what [anglers] saw, it's what they say they smelled on the Delta too.
"It smells almost like an over-chlorinated swimming pool,’’ said a long-time competitive bass fisherman. Chlorine was so strong it made fishermen’s eyes water and their throats burn.
The indiscriminate die-off problem became so acute that thousands of people, including fishermen, boaters, swimmers and those who live along the Delta, banded together to form and support the Norcal Delta Angler's Coalition. The group shares information about the die-offs and keeps tabs on the California State Parks Department of Boating and Waterways to monitor pesticide use on the Delta.
Learn more and get involved  >>

Ironically, yesterday I met a couple seeking a spot easily to harvest and carry home invasive hyacinth for their backyard fishpond. Hyacinths are pretty. Indeed, in South Africa, I too have transplanted water hyacinth from waterways into a small fishpond in my mother’s garden. I was, however, careful to isolate them in a pond far from the stream to ensure the plants couldn’t “escape” and replicate willy nilly.
Native to the northern neotropics of South America, water hyacinth has successfully colonized North and South America, eastern and southern Africa, and Asia.

Renewings

Worldwide (Map) 
June 10, 2021 – 174,500,000 confirmed infections; 3,759,200 deaths
March 11, 2021 – 117, 645,000 confirmed infections; 2,612,000 deaths

US (Map) 
June 10, 2021 – 33,415,000 confirmed infections; 598,400 deaths
March 11, 2021 - 29,222,420 confirmed infections; 529,884 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal) 
June 10, 2021 – 1,713,000 confirmed infections; 57,320 deaths
March 11, 2021 – 1.522,700 confirmed infections; 50,910 deaths

Countries of Covid Concern 
June 10, 2021

India: 29,183,000 confirmed infections; 356,000 deaths
Brazil: 17,123,000 confirmed infections; 480,000 deaths
Peru: Why has Peru been hit so badly? 

Posted June 10, 2020: Embers, ashes, and flames 

News blues

Delta Variant On The Rise In U.S., Prompting New Warnings To Get COVID-19 Vaccination 

***

How the ‘Alpha’ Coronavirus Variant Became So Powerful:  A new study suggests how the variant first identified in Britain hides from the human immune system. Its stealth may be part of its success.

***

‘Sniper attack’: Inside the Western Cape trial of a potentially variant-proof vaccine

An experimental Covid-19 vaccine currently in Phase I trials run by the University of Cape Town has a unique design that might offer better protection against current and future variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. An update on the trial  and unpacking the science behind this vaccine candidate.

***

The Lincoln Project: The Line  (0:55 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

The Western Drought Is Bad. Here’s What You Should Know About It   >>

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Quarantine. So far, so good. Mandatory stay-at-home means no guilt about not looking for short work contracts, instead working on the houseboat. Yesterday I cleaned and painted the metalwork on the stern. I also tried to pump out water collected near the outboard motor (I’m unfamiliar with the boaty technical terms for boat parts). And I was frustrated yet again in efforts to seal the 18-inch redundant semi-rigid plastic hosepipe that will allow shore water to run through my faucets.
Eleven days of scooping water from the river to wash dishes, clean the boat, etc. I’ve lagged on exploring the ultimate fix due to cooler temperatures – immersion in colder deep water under the boat - waiting for low tides, general ineptitude about how to plug the hose, and an abundance of scoopable water. Next time I will succeed.

***

Best boat news? Renewed communication with the two women from whom I purchased the boat results in renewed offer from them to teach me how to pilot the darn thing. They’re moved on to a larger, fancier pontoon houseboat yet have offered to help me get a handle on that aspect. Looking forward.

Launching

News blues

Third wave sweeps across Africa as Covid vaccine imports dry upWHO says continent urgently needs more jabs as eight countries report rise of 30% in cases in a week 

***

The Lincoln Project, Trump's North Carolina Speech In 70 Seconds  (1:02 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

…is a land of stunning open spaces fed by five major rivers. A maze of creeks and sloughs spreads finger-like through some of California’s most important habitat, especially for Chinook salmon and Greater Sandhill Cranes. It also contains over 500,000 acres of prime farmland devoted to diversified agriculture. The Delta is home to a $5.2 billion agricultural economy and to a fishing, boating, and recreation economy worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually. The Delta’s cultural diversity and rich historical legacy add vibrancy to regional tourism.
Fisheries, agriculture, and people within the region and throughout the state are dependent on the Delta’s fresh water supply. Although other factors affect Delta water quality, water management policies that help to maintain flows of fresh water into and through the Delta are of great environmental and economic importance to all Californians.

But…

“The San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary is on the brink of environmental disaster. The fish, wildlife, drinking water, and the many other uses it provides are all declining due to massive water exports. Currently, the State allows more than half the water needed for the delta’s ecological health to be diverted away for unsustainable Big Agriculture on the west and south San Joaquin Valley.” – Restore the Delta 

Learn more about the Delta >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Quarantine has its upsides. Combined with jetlag, cultural reentry, and the houseboat “lifestyle”, quarantine is a godsend. Without quarantine, I’d likely be working a short-term office gig to generate income lost over the past two years. Instead, I’ve decided not to pay exorbitant professional fees to haul out and clean the pontoons. They’re in decent-enough shape – for now – so I’ll clean off algae, patch what I can, and regularly maintain them. I’ll also slowly repaint the boat’s exterior. Most of all, though, I’ll realistically evaluate the likelihood I can competently pilot this houseboat. It’s big and unwieldy. I’m small and inexperienced. The nature of the San Joaquin River and the Sacramento Delta are to be respected rather than trivialized by my potentially unrealistic ‘can-do’ attitude.

In the shade provided by the houseboat’s bow deck, I unfolded the used/recycled Sea Eagle inflatable I’d purchased two years ago. 

Worried that storage may have damaged it, I followed assembly directions provided on YouTube, I semi-inflated it (using a foot pump), installed the rigid flooring, and fully inflated it. After that, I attempted to launch, solo, the bulky, heavy, unwieldy craft over the bow. Eventually, panting, grumpy, with aching muscles, I prevailed. No perceptible damage from long storage, the inflatable shelters in the space provided by pontoons under the houseboat. Egged on by determination and a stubborn attitude - “by god, I can do this” - I accomplished something almost impossible. Another reason for enjoying the houseboat “lifestyle”: surprised by my heretofore unexplored potential. (Maybe I should run for president?)

***

In KwaZulu Natal:
Sunrise: 6:49am, sunset 5:07pm;
daytime high 64 F, nighttime low 41 F

 

In California:
Sunrise 5:43am, sunset 8:28pm;
windy and chilly with daytime high 74 F and nighttime low 51 F.

Faceblocked

A reminder that that desperate-for-attention old guy, The Donald, is still desperate.

Ah, all that “Donald stuff” mercifully feels so far away.

These days, blue herons inhabit my life and imagination. Pic taken soon after sunrise.

News blues

More crazy, only-in-America bribes for vax. This time, get the vax, win a shotgun…. 

***

More than 225 000 senior citizens have so far received their Covid-19 vaccine shots in KwaZulu-Natal. (This includes my mother. ) 

Healthy planet, anyone?

The argument for a carbon price? We are paying a price for fossil fuels, but that price is not paid by those that burn the fossil fuels – we need to change that. 

It is a mistake to believe that we are not paying for emitting greenhouse gases. Even if we do not pay a monetary price for carbon emissions we do pay a very large price, the consequences of climate change.
Without a monetary carbon price it is those who have the smallest emissions that suffer the largest costs from climate change. A carbon price, in contrast, means that those who cause the emissions also pay for them.
A key reason why voters are not in favour of carbon pricing is that many believe it won’t actually reduce emissions, but empirical research and theory show that this is wrong: pricing carbon emissions – either via a carbon tax or a ‘cap and trade’-system – is effective. It shifts production and consumption from carbon-intensive goods and services to low-carbon alternatives and does reduce emissions.

***

Jane Goodall: If We Don’t Make Peace With Nature, Expect More Deadly Pandemics. The famed primatologist spent the quarantine broadcasting to the world about the threat of climate change, zoonotic disease and biodiversity loss. 

“…this pandemic has emphasized [the need to] develop a new relationship with the natural world and animals. If we don’t somehow get together and create a more sustainable greener economy and forget this nonsense that there can be unlimited economic development on a planet with finite resources, and that the GDP isn’t God’s answer to the future, then it’s going to be a very sad world that we leave to our great-great-grandchildren. Their children may have no planet left.”

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

I sit in my berth and enjoy the sounds – birds chirping as they flit thither and yon – and the gentle rays of sunlight stoking the water, and reeds, and river vegetation, and the blue heron on its lookout, shown above.
Despite the uncertainty about my houseboat’s current state of maintenance and evaluating how much to invest in this aging entity, I can’t think of anywhere Id rather be than aboard. Perfection: rocking gently in a boat on a river home to birds, otters, wildlife….
Not that things are, well, ship shape.
My current slip neighbor (before he was slip neighbor could have become a quasi-friend/acquaintance) plays high volume hip hop music… and reggae. Reggae? These days, the beat quickly becomes tedious. It’s contextualized, however, by the non-unpleasant wafts of pot/dagga emanating from his houseboat.
Hip hop? Not for me…to the extent that I may accept the harbor master’s invitation to move my houseboat to the “new dock”. The downside? That dock hosts The Trumpie family and their houseboat flies a Trump 2024 flag.
My Sophie’s choice? Hip hop lyrics or Trumpie conspiracy agit-prop.
More examples of not-ship-shape:
The lack of running water moved from mysterious to solve-able problem. It’s tedious and time consuming to solve although also appeals to my sense of rising to a challenging.
Backstory:
This boat hosts a water storage tank, but like the onboard wiring, it’s disconnected. Electricity and non-potable water are supplied directly from the dock. Usually, water transports via hosepipe onto the boat and through faucets in sinks in galley (kitchen) and head (toilet). After moving in last week, I’ve not had running water, instead drinking only bottled water and hauling buckets of non-potable water over the deck from the river.
Yesterday, Nate, recently met boat expert, advised I inspect the boat’s under-carriage for the root of the lack-of-water problem.
That 3-foot-high space under the boat formed by the shape of the two pontoons is my least favorite part of the boat. Naturally, that’s the location of the rusted metal stopper that had crumbled on a residual section of redundant underwater hose. Dockside hosepipe water flowed straight into river water.
The difficulty: the water under the boat is deep and requires constantly kicking to stay afloat.
Aside from my presence panicking cliff swallows as they nest under the boat, working alone under the boat is creepy. I imagine underwater monsters, or freshwater sharks, or hungry seals grabbing me…. I’d disappear, poof! But… best not to dwell….
Solving the water leakage problem requires swimming, climbing onto/off the boat, switching on/off the dockside faucet…and much kicking, kicking, kicking to stay afloat while attempting to plug the hose.
My onboard toolbox is limited. Luckily, during a recent trip to the hardware store, I’d picked up a metal screw-to-tighten gasket. That, carried in a small bag along with a perfectly proportioned cork from a bottle of wine, and a screwdriver, I kicked, kicked, kicked in the deep water. I inserted the cork into the redundant hosepipe and screwed down the gasket.
First try: water ran through the galley and head sink faucets – then abruptly stopped. Re-entering and kicking, kicking, kicking in deep water under the boat, I discovered the water pressure had blown out the cork from the hosepipe. Luckily corks float.
I hauled out, walked to the dock, turned off the water, then reviewed the toolbox for appropriate hardware. Finding nothing suitable, I cut the cork in half, and, re-immersed to kick, kick, kick under the boat, I inserted the half-cork and prepared to tighten the gasket with the screwdriver. Alas, I dropped the gasket. It’s down there, somewhere in deep water – perhaps entertaining underwater monsters, freshwater sharks, and hungry seals.
The upshot? Still no running water. Deep gouges on my index finger knuckle from the screwdriver banging the cork into the hosepipe. Tired legs from kicking, kicking, kicking…
As we say in ye olde country: tomorrow is another day.
Moreover, I’ve a sore throat and the sniffles. I must find a location offering free Covid tests.
The good news?
Nate found the outboard motor works better than it looks. Hooking up the new battery I’d purchased in August 2019 but never used, the motor started right up and Nate lubricated it with my newly purchased WD 40. He also advised on gasoline and additives required for the 2-stroke motor, and advised on constructing the Sea Eagle inflatable before I spend money on fixing the smaller outboard motor. Most importantly, he suggested the steel pontoons may not require immediate – and expensive – haul-out and maintenance at a boatyard. That’s a savings of around $2,000 /ZAR 27,000.
Most exciting, Nate will spend a couple of hours teaching me and my daughter to pilot the boat. Yay!

Bliss - sort of

Quarantine is not so bad. I spend my days floating on a houseboat on a calm river in gorgeous countryside, not engaging with people. (A houseboat-load of unbowed Trump supporters live nearby and fly a “Trump 2024” flag.) 

This is the life – well, other than, y’know, that darned inconvenient pandemic….

Worldwide (Map) 
June 3, 2021 – 171,746,400 confirmed infections; 3,693,300 deaths
   Vaccinated worldwide: 2,002,900,000 

February 25, 2021 -128,260,000 confirmed infections; 2,805,000 deaths
February 25, 2020 - 112,534,400 confirmed infections; 2,905,000 deaths

US (Map) 
June 3, 2021 – 33,308,000 confirmed infections; 596,000 deaths
February 25, 2021 - 30,394,000 confirmed infections; 551,000 deaths
February 25, 2020 - 28,335,000 confirmed infections; 505,850 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal) 
June 3, 2021 – 1,669,300 confirmed infections; 56,610 deaths
February 25, 2021 - 1,547,000 confirmed infections; 52,790 deaths
February 25, 2020 - 1,507,450 confirmed infections; 49,525 deaths

News blues

The made-for-America culturally appropriate bribe-for-vax effort continues. West Virginia gives “away guns, trucks, cash as COVID-19 vaccine lottery prizes; hunting licenses and scholarships will also be among the vaccine incentives offered in the state.” 
Ah, Americans, adept at giving away democracy and one’s fellow humans’ well-being for trinkets.

***

India and Indians have a lot on their plate right now.
India's government is promising to vaccinate the whole of the adult population by the end of 2021, although its biggest vaccine maker has been struggling to meet demand ... Problems, problems, problems plague the vaccination program  as a second wave of Covid-19 overwhelms the healthcare system. Hospitals struggle to cope and critical drugs and oxygen are in short supply.  Moreover,

Cyclone Tauktae has flooded hundreds of villages and cities on India's western coast. 
Strong winds and torrential rainfall destroyed homes and uprooted trees and electricity poles. At least 12 people have died.
Meanwhile, 90 people are missing after a barge sunk off the coast of Mumbai city in the wake of the cyclone. The Indian navy has rescued 177 people so far.
The storm weakened after making landfall late on Monday but authorities have advised caution as strong winds are still sweeping coastal areas in Gujarat state.

Peru and Peruvians have it bad, too, as the rate of Covid deaths more than double… making it the country with the world's highest death rate per capita….
The official death toll is now more than 180,000, up from 69,342, in a country of about 33 million people. 

Healthy planet, anyone?

Unwelcome guests and alien invaders:
South Africa: The hidden threat to food, water and wild places 
California has its share of aliens and invasives, too … 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

After owning my houseboat for two years – and due to lockdown, etc., inhabiting it only for six months - I know I must have the pontoons cleaned and maintained. But the cost of professional maintenance – piloting the boat to the boatyard for haul out and labor - is beyond my pocketbook. 

I must delve into the arena of creative maintenance. Until necessity drove me, I avoided swimming under the boat between pontoons (the space between water surface and boat is about 3 feet). It’s creepy. (I’m too much of a South African to not feel queasy in tight, watery spaces with long strands of freshwater weed brushing against my legs… reminds me of shark-fear while swimming off Durban beaches.) Yesterday I screwed up my courage and explored the pontoons and found, to my pleasure, that they’re not as algae infested as I’d expected. Alas, there are small rust patches on areas of the iron/steel/non-aluminum frames that hold the aluminum pontoons. There’s rust on the iron/steel/non-aluminum foundational structure of the boat, too. The latter will be time consuming and expensive to correct – scrape, seal, repaint – but it is something I can do. Scraping and cleaning the pontoons? Hmmm, not something I can do without guidance, direction, help – and funds for haul out.
The elderly 85 HP Evinrude outboard motor that ran well when I departed 18 months ago has not been started or run since then. I must find “someone” who can prep, lubricate it, check the engine before I can try restarting. But who?
For now, I must forgo my interior decorating ideas – installing a shower, revamping the impractical kitchen counter and sink, scraping and repainting the decks and overall structure….
Ah, the inescapable downside of owning an elderly boat.

Observations of a single woman in the traditionally male world, particularly in California's Sacramento Delta):
The people who seek and can afford the boating lifestyle tend toward the uber-male persuasion – and are not urban-dwellers (indeed, they’re skeptical of urban-dwellers).
Eighteen months ago, only one other single (older) woman lived on a boat in this marina. (Today, I’m quarantined and, back then, she liked privacy so I’ve not explored whether she still lives here.) The other women seen here back then were coupled with men who piloted the boats, maintained the boats, talked about boats while the "little ladies" supported male activities and cooked, cleaned, and rode shotgun in the male-piloted boat…
I stuck out like a sore thumb. I was someone men chuckled about behind my back: a woman who, clearly, knew nothing about boats (true); clearly, who’d expect favors from the superior male species (false). Moreover, since I’d purchased my elderly houseboat from a gay couple, two women who, likewise, “knew nothing” about boats (also false, they know a lot) … I was probably gay, too.
How to sum up my attitude to this male-heavy environment? Oppressive. Isolating. Constrictive. And, this makes me more determined to learn as much as I can, reach out to the reachable, and enjoy my chosen life on the river….

***

Temperatures dropped precipitously in KZN. Snow at higher elevations. Frost, too. Cold. Cold. Cold. Thank the gods I escaped in time. I worry about my son-in-law becoming dispirited. So far, he’s coping.
California and Californians head towards summer:
Memorial Day, May 31, sunrise 5:46am, sunset at 8:23 pm; temperature 104 F/40 C.
June 3: sunrise 5:44am, sunset at 8:25pm; temps heading into the upper 90s.

Jabbed

Sunrise - looking east

Sunrise - looking west

News blues

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Sunday that his country will return to stricter lockdown measures in the face of a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases that indicate the virus is “surging again” in Africa’s worst-affected nation. 
Positive cases in South Africa in the past seven days were 31% higher than the week before, and 66% higher than the week before that, Ramaphosa said in a live TV address. He said some parts of the country, including the commercial hub Johannesburg and the capital city Pretoria, were now in “a third wave.”
“We do not yet know how severe this wave will be or for how long it will last,” Ramaphosa said.

Watch/listen to President Ramaphosa’s recent address on the upcoming third wave (28:13 mins) 

***

The Lincoln Project:
Memorial Day (1.:25 mins)
Their Party  (1:14 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

Yesterday, Memorial Day, after spending a day in a small houseboat fully exposed to 104 F/40 C weather, I doubted my ability to survive heatwaves in the future. Turns out, these days, more people are suffering and dying from heat-stroke.
“A new study blames climate change for 37% of global heat deaths.” I wasn’t a casualty yesterday, but…: Scientists say even more people die from other extreme weather amplified by global warming such as storms, flooding and drought. 

More than one-third of the world’s heat deaths each year are due directly to global warming, according to the latest study to calculate the human cost of climate change.
But scientists say that’s only a sliver of climate’s overall toll — even more people die from other extreme weather amplified by global warming such as storms, flooding and drought — and the heat death numbers will grow exponentially with rising temperatures.
Dozens of researchers who looked at heat deaths in 732 cities around the globe from 1991 to 2018 calculated that 37% were caused by higher temperatures from human-caused warming, according to a study Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change .
That amounts to about 9,700 people a year from just those cities, but it is much more worldwide….

Gulp!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Home! Gained a day! Vaccinated! Quarantining on my houseboat.
I arrived at the local Safeway pharmacy Sunday morning to receive the first of two Pfizer vaccinations. My appointment was at 9:30am and I was the only person in line. I filled out documentation, rolled up my sleeve, took the jab, waited for signs of adverse reactions, and, feeling none, departed.
That was it. Second jab June 20.
Documentation handouts included the information that the vaccine is “unapproved”. Odd that millions of humans around the world clamber to introduce an officially “unapproved” substance into our bodies. (Gosh, I miss the days of Donald Trump asserting a dose of “light introduced into the body” killed Covid, “like a miracle”. Ah, the good olde days! Not!

***

While nervous about driving on the “other” side of the road again, I collected my vehicle from a friend’s house. Then, within the first 50 feet behind the wheel, I did was not look both ways… and 4 cyclists coming from the left almost slammed into me! One of them yelled, “You f***ing idiot.” 

I concur. I made a f***ing idiot move, erroneously over-estimating my ability quickly to adjust to a series of long and arduous flights, re-gaining a day, and hopping into a vehicle without adequate preparation. The good news? I was superably careful on the road after that.

***

Alas. My houseboat: covered in spiders and spider webs, dust and debris, cliff swallows’ nests, algae, and the inside jammed with a deflated recycled Sea Eagle inflatable I’d purchased before departing a year and a half ago. Frankly, it was an eyesore.
And small. A tight space after my mother’s large house.
And no running water. “Management” had, during my absence and without informing me, moved the boat from a covered slip into an uncovered slip. The shore/slip-based hosepipe, transporter of water into the boat, wasn’t connected. No splitter hardware – until I purchased one from a local hardware store. Luckily, after I suffered a 3-day long bout of vomiting, etc., after drinking hosepipe water contaminated, I learning later, with agricultural and other waste, I’d stocked up on dozens of bottles of drinking water. (A moral conundrum: I “disapprove” of purchasing plastic water bottles, but I approved of drinking water and not vomiting so I’ve a “boatload” of plastic water bottles.)
Still have a long way to go for onboard livability but the spiders have been put on notice: vacate the premises. For now, I’m winning the battle of the boat reclamation – under extreme conditions.
I departed South Africa in early winter and emerged into California’s early summer, Memorial Day, May 31, sunrise 5:46am, sunset at 8:23 pm – and temperature 104 F/40 C.
The cliff swallows, incoming migrants from South America, start their twittering at about 4:30 am. Wonderful sounds of birds, insects, fish on water’s surface as Life beyond Human “does its thing.” A precious gift that I cherish.
The San Joaquin River refreshes, too.
And, the site of my jab – upper left arm – went through the usual: some tenderness and swelling – now gone.
Quarantining for 20 days has its benefits: a clean houseboat; swimming again, several times per day; blue herons and night herons, turtles, home rocking gently with the gentle tides….
It’s good to be here.

Blue heron (tall, left) and night heron.