Turning tables

Worldwide (Map) 
July 29, 2021 – 196,414,175 confirmed infections; 4,194,100 deaths
September 17, 2020 – 29,902,200 confirmed infections; 941,400 deaths)

US (Map)

July 29, 2021 – 34,724,000 confirmed infections; 612,050 deaths 

September 17, 2020 – 6,630,100 confirmed infections; 196,831 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal) 
July 29, 2021 – 2,422,155 confirmed infections; 71,431 deaths
September 17, 2020 – 653,445 confirmed infections; 15,705 deaths

News blues

There’s a new trend beginning: no more BS about “freedom” and “rights” to not get a vaccination… As idiotic Republican congress people continue to whine about masks  it looks like commonsense is resurging. Let’s hope so, anyway….

***

The US is giving 5.66 million Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines to South Africa, the US embassy in Pretoria has announced. Half of them will arrive by plane on Sunday and the other half on Tuesday.
The acting US ambassador to SA, Todd Haskell, explained this was part of President Joe Biden’s promise to give 500 million vaccines to the world by the end of 2022.
The vaccines will be channelled to South Africa through Covax, the international aid initiative to try to ensure that low- and middle-income countries are not left behind in the global effort to vaccinate against Covid-19.
Haskell said the 5.66 million vaccines for South Africa would be the largest donation of Covid-19 vaccines to a single country by the US. The second-largest would be four million to Nigeria.

Read >> 

***

The Lincoln Project Heroes  (0:57 mins)
LP chief breaks down at cruelty… 
Rematch  (0:58 mins>

Healthy planet, anyone?

Photos: the week in wildlife >> 

***

Three Americans create enough carbon emissions to kill one person, study finds 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

More heat. It’s been unrelenting heat since I returned to my houseboat in California. Sure, I take time to hunker down in friends’ air con homes, but no air con on my boat. My small fan doesn’t cut it as an effective cooler. And, no, I do not intend to buy a portable air con system. The reality for millions of us, in California and beyond, is that climate change is here to stay (at least for the remainder of my lifetime). Temperatures unhealthy-for-humans are now part of life.
I’ve been waiting out the heat – getting up early to work on the boat, siesta-ing during maximum heat, finding enjoyment as the day wanes and cooler temps prevail. But productive years of my life are flitting away. Can’t go on this way….

***

So, Prez Biden suggests $100 to each vax-hesitator who overcomes his/her hesitation and accepts a jab. 

We shall see. 
California offered $50 to anyone getting the jab after April or May.
I had intended to be vaccinated asap after re-entry to US. The day after I returned, I did exactly that. At the local grocery store. Vaccinations are available almost everywhere.
Soon after my second dose and quarantine ended, I was sent a congratulatory text with a one time code that, supposedly, would allow me to claim my $50 within 65 days. I’ve tried several times and – no go. The online site will not accept my code. I followed directions and contacted the help line. I was shuffled from one human filter to the next, each passing me to someone who was promised to help. No dice. The final person – fourth person and 55 minutes later – said someone else would call me “within 3 days.” I’m still waiting. So, my advice to the $100 bribe-for-vax folks? Don’t hold your breath.
The irony? I didn’t get vaxed to get $50, but now I’m determined – well, sort of – to harass the system until it does what it promised.
Fifty more days to go.

Time out

News blues

President Ramaphosa addresses South Africa on coronavirus and the recent violent looting.  (32:55 mins). Level 3. Alcohol available again.

***

The Lincoln Project Wayne Berman  (1:18 mins).

Healthy planet, anyone?

For climate campaigners, 26 May seemed like the start of a long-awaited reckoning for oil and gas companies.
Over a single 24-hour period, a Dutch court ordered Shell to dramatically cut emissions, shareholders voted to force Chevron to reduce emissions from the products it sells, and a tiny activist investment firm secured three positions on ExxonMobil’s 12-member board for candidates committed to climate action.

Read “The truth behind corporate climate pledges” >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Day at the beach was marvelous. Kehoe beach never disappoints. Yesterday’s weather was cool, some might say cold. I wore a short-sleeved t-shirt under a long-sleeved t-shirt, a hoodie and a windbreaker… and a cap with the hoodie pulled over it. Long pants. I’ve not worn that many layers of clothing all at once in… well, years! It was a treat.
Excerpt from and information about a different visit to Kehoe beach, in 2018:

My intrepid hiking partner and I braved weekend freeway traffic and headed to Kehoe Beach at Point Reyes. The weather was perfect: not too hot, not too foggy. We exited the freeway at Lucas Valley Road, and it was clear why California is called the Golden State.

On this map, draw an imaginary line through the middle length of Tomales Bay south (to the bottom right corner). That’s the approximate location of the California’s most famous fault, the San Andreas, and the current boundary where the Pacific Plate meets the North American Plate. Tectonics explain much about California’s geology and geomorphology and it’s quite visible at Kehoe Beach. (This map of faults in northern California  show how dizzyingly rocky life can be around here.)

Rocking near Elephant Mountain Lucas Valley Road presents many views of Elephant Mountain , also known as Black Mountain (after cattle rancher James Black who bought it back in 1851 for $2000). Despite never having hiked it (it’s private property) Elephant Mountain has worked its way into my visual memory ,and I look for it each time I visit. Maybe it’s its rocking history…. If it looks familiar it may be because the rock band Youngbloods used a similar photo for an album cover whose music was played near here, in 1969. RCA Records published the album, “Elephant Mountain.”

The area is replete with rock ‘n roll history. Grateful Dead played music around here. Elephant Mountain could be seen from the spread of late music impresario Bill Graham. (Sold, razed and rebuilt after Graham’s demise, the replacement $25 million home is Marin County's most expensive...so far.)
Star Wars’ George Lucas located Skywalker Ranch here, to the dismay of locals fighting the idea of more development and more traffic. So far, of the more than 4,700 acres (1,900 ha) of the secluded ranch, only 15 acres (6.1 ha) have been developed. (Lucas Valley Road is named after an early 20th century landowner not related to George Lucas.)
Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall dropped by Marin County and Pt Reyes Station in November 2005 as newlyweds. Of that visit winemaker Sean Thackrey of nearby Bolinas said, “Prince Charles is serious about organic agriculture, and Bolinas is serious about organic agriculture....He's kind of an oddball prince, in a good way. And, this is an oddball town. It somehow fits.”
Redwoods. Marin County is home to youthful redwoods, too. There’s nothing like a grove of redwoods to induce feelings of inner contentment and awareness that life is a precious gift. (Feelings were enough on this day. We didn’t stop to photograph redwoods but many others have. )  Exquisite Kehoe Beach caption: Google Earth view. 

Kehoe - birds eye view.
The first (man-made) thing a hiker sees (after the clean, well-supplied long drop toilet) on the trail to the beach is a well-intentioned sing warning of tsunamis.
The trail beckoned us into tsunami corridor...and we followed….
We’d just commented on the joy of hearing the loud buzzing of bees among the summer blooms, interspersed with the occasional call of birds--buzzards, harriers, and seagulls--when a fawn hiding near the trail broke cover. It was more curious about than frightened of us for it stopped and took a longer. We weren’t quick enough with the camera to photograph the osprey that pulled a large fish from the surf - first time I’d ever seen that - but we saw the resident blue heron in the nearby marsh.
Besides miles of beach and water, Kehoe Beach offers intimate views of the meeting places of granite, sandstone, and thoroughly unique. Look for Doris Sloan’s book,  “Rocking Out at Kehoe Beach: A Trip Through Time on the Pacific Plate".

Other trips to Pt Reyes: Limantour Beach 

***

Shocker: Nicasio reservoir, in environmentally conscious Marin County, is drying up. While I did not take photos of the drying devastation, the local newspapers reports this, as does local water board. The same thing is happening all over the west. In California: Lake Mead  … and Lake Shasta to name just two.
In Utah ….
Drought is here to stay >> 

***

Today, back to the marina where temps will rise into the triple digits for the next 3 days.
OMG!

Decisions, decisions

News blues

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the delta variant, first detected in India, now represents more than 83 percent of cases circulating in the United States. People infected with the variant appear to carry a viral load that is more than 1,000 times that of those infected with earlier forms of the virus, allowing the virus to spread rapidly among unvaccinated people, scientists have found. Read more >> 

***

On the one hand, in South Africa,

…might be heading towards a merry Christmas, getting closer to herd immunity in December, thanks to South Africans aged 35 to 49 who broke records queueing to get vaccinated. Read their stories >> 

Then, there’s the United States,

… where the variant is estimated to be causing more than 4 out of 5 new infections, largely among the unvaccinated, the outbreaks in places like Arkansas and Missouri have once again placed health systems under stress. They’ve also led to more questions about whether delta even poses a threat to people who are vaccinated and complicated the discussion about what precautions schools need to reopen fully in the fall.
Read more >> 

The Texas city of Austin’s return to Stage 3 risk-based guidelines marks the first time a major Texas city has reversed direction in the trend toward normalcy. The city announced stricter coronavirus protocols for unvaccinated residents as cases increase. But it can’t legally enforce those restrictions. Other cities also report surges in cases >> 

***

The Lincoln Project Brady  (1:08 mins).

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Another week under the “heat dome” coming up…
Temps will rise above 100F/38C mid-week. I’d like to escape to my friend’s home where air con reigns supreme. Alas, since blossoms drop off my sun gold tomatoes when the temps rise, I’ll stick out the hellish heat on the river in an effort to cajole the blossoms into also sticking it out. Can I persuade them that life, as nutritious, tasty, and beautiful sungold-ness, is worth a little heat? I cajole them by explaining that sun golds are the best tasting cherry tomatoes in California – if not the world – and not to deny us paltry humans their delicious presence.
We’ll see if that works, eh?

***

I’m getting closer to starting and, please the gods, driving my inflatable with the 15 HP outboard motor. My hesitation to date? I’ve no idea how to do that. As an elderly 1983 model, the paintwork on the tiller that indicates gears/controls has worn off.
Then, after a fellow marina resident suggested 15 HP was too much power for the inflatable – and for me - I lost my nerve.
Couple of days later and I’m regaining my confidence….

***

Big day tomorrow: I will have a TB test to ensure I’m fit for the workplace. (Yes, after 2 years out of the workplace, 2 years without a steady income, I’m re-entering. More on that later.)
After the test, I will join friends for a trip to lovely Point Reyes, my first trip to the California coast in four-plus years. Weather on the coast is far cooler than inland. (I trust the sun golds understand it’s just a day trip before the real heat sets in mid-week.
I notice by the packaging waste in the marina’s recycling bins that marina residents are installing portable air con units in their boats. I have a portable fan and, so far, little interest in air con in my boat. Isn’t paying for a unit then paying to cool (or heat) a boat with inefficient insulation counter intuitive? Isn’t it, essentially, paying to cool (or heat) the great outdoors? Perhaps their boats are better insulated than mine. Open windows, sun-blocking curtains, and a fan do the trick “well-enough” for me. 

At least, so far.

Babes in the woods?

The following Covid numbers compare today with the numbers 7 weeks ago, Week 61, Day 427, on the eve of my departure from South Africa - after an unplanned stay of 1.5 years. Still grim.

Worldwide (Map)  

July 22, 2021: 191,945,000 confirmed infections; 4,126,300 deaths
May 27, 2021: 168,418,000 confirmed infections; 3,499,000 deaths
Tracker for worldwide vaccination rate >> 

US (Map) 
July 22, 2021: 34,226,300 confirmed infections; 609,900 deaths
May 27, 2021: 33,190,300 confirmed infections; 592,000,000 deaths

SA (Tracker) 
July 22, 2021: 2,327,475 confirmed infections; 68,200 deaths
May 27, 2021: xx ,645,600 confirmed infections; 56,100 deaths

News blues

New study presents most comprehensive picture yet of true toll of pandemic in India, finding the true COVID death toll is likely in the millions .
Read in The Guardian >> 

***

An unbelievably large segment of Americans refuse to accept a free, life- and community-saving vaccine. Meanwhile, millions of people around the world would love, love, love as easy access to a vaccine that so many Americans eschew.
Again, Americans display to the world their myopic, self-centered and self-absorbed, navel-gazing worldview.
Science, medicine, and, yes, growing experience show that Covid-19 breakthrough infections do happen, are preventable, but that it's going to take a big effort to stop them. 

Question is, how? 

As long as charlatans masquerade as news journalists on Fox and Republican politicians promote distrust about the vaccine, all people, Americans foremost, but all people across the world, are exposed to the high likelihood of more virulent variants in the future.
Read more >> 

America’s vaccination rates have fallen off a cliff, and nothing seems to help. 

***

The Lincoln Project Fox is killing us  (0:57 mins).

Healthy planet, anyone?

The heatwave in one of the world’s coldest regions has sparked forest fires and threatened the Siberian city of Yakutsk with an “airpocalypse” of thick toxic smoke, atmospheric monitoring services have reported.
High levels of particulate matter and possibly also chemicals including ozone, benzene and hydrogen cyanide are thought likely to make this one of the world’s worst ever air pollution events.
Local authorities have warned the 320,000 residents to stay indoors to avoid choking fumes from the blazes, which are on course to break last year’s record.

Read more >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

It’s not easy, in California, to take a page from Italy’s playbook and siesta during the hottest hours of the day. Here on the river, the hottest hours of the day are about noon to 6pm. That’s most of the day. I can't siesta for most of the day: too depressing.
Swimming cools things down. So does regularly wetting my t-shirt or tank top. In the end though, it’s a losing game: small boat, hot sun, drought, and, oh yes, runaway climate change with no constructive response by politicians and destructive response by corporate apparatchiks.

***

One thing for certain: help is hard to find. While I was still in South Africa and since I’ve returned, I’ve tried to find a carpenter-type handyman-type to fix the bathroom floor in my apartment that the last tenant destroyed. No dice. People advertise their availability, sometimes even makes appointment to evaluate the work, then simply never show. Turns out this is a feature, not a bug, of carpenter- and handyman-types all over the planet. Is that called a “lifestyle”?
Similar trend at the marina. Lots of talk, no follow through. I did, however, finally get someone stronger than me to lift the too-heavy-for-me small 15 hp outboard motor onto my Sea Eagle inflatable. Took me weeks to get to this point. Now I’m “girding my loins” to install the sun canopy and then start the thing – with a pull rope.
Sometimes I wonder what the *** I’m doing, trying to live a quiet life on an elderly houseboat. I’d say I’m a babe in the woods, but I’m not a babe. More like, senior citizen in the woods or bright-eyed senior citizen in a circus.

Get vaccinated, already!

News blues

Delta variant in ascendance.

As top health officials warn that COVID-19 has become a "pandemic of the unvaccinated," recent figures from states and cities throughout the United States reveal the extent to which the virus is impacting people who are not fully inoculated.
A stark case in point: During June, every person who died of COVID-19 in Maryland was unvaccinated, according to a spokesperson for the governor's office. There were 130 people who died of COVID-19 in Maryland in June, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read more >>

***

On the violence and attempted coup in South Africa:
Webinar: Daily Maverick on recent mayhem in South Africa, a live discussion ”The Age of Anarchy” with Marianne Thamm and guests. (57:00 mins)

 
President Ramaphosa addresses the nation on the violence. 
Hmmm, Cyril Ramaphosa, not the “cleanest guy” now serving in government, but he’s calm as he faces enormous pressure from the even dirtier guys in government. I’ve supported his efforts as president. A giant welcome change from Zuma. Ramaphosa’s response to the insurrection and attempted coup? Underwhelming. Milquetoast.

Healthy planet, anyone?

It is impossible, these days, not to use plastic. Try as we might, we cannot avoid it. It’s everywhere. Here’s one way to begin to address that reality: Plastic polluters should face similar consequences and penalties as those responsible for oil spills...

Lorren de Kock, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) SA project manager for the circular plastics economy, said plastic pollution had reached crisis levels and polluters should be held to account. She added that the pollution was not simply a consumer issue.
“The reality is that plastic pollution is a complex societal issue requiring interventions at each stage of the life cycle. These include the critical need for a reduction in production and consumption, substitution with alternative materials and delivery models such as reuse and refill, more investment and support for recycling and appropriate disposal at end of life.”

Read more >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Another day of grueling heat on the river although not as bad as it has been.
Life is peaceful on the river. One might even say, in comparison to recent months, verging on too peaceful. I rise early, walk along the river road for exercise and the views. After that, I enjoy coffee and birdsong as I review, first, the lineup of turtles on the floating logs and, second, my list of tasks for the day. Checking tasks as ‘done’ gives a sense of accomplishment. The task I’d most like to finish - finding someone to help me install the small outboard motors (one fuel, one battery) on the inflatable – is still outstanding. Yesterday, I was so assured that I’d accomplish that task, that I cleaned the small fuel tank and purchased fuel. Alas, the person I’d hoped to wrangle hasn’t appeared. Task still on “not done” side of the list.
One task no longer on the list has become, rather than a task, a morning ritual: circumnavigation the boat with feather duster in hand. Alas as much as I discourage spiders from continuing to spin webs on my boat, détente is the current status. To date, my ritual has not discouraged spiders. I feather dust them away, even toss some spiders into the river for fish, but others simply go on spinning. Perhaps a better strategy is printing hundreds of spider-size cards and placing each one into a web. The cards will suggest other places (other boats?) where spiders would meet a more friendly reception. The fine print could state that “this boat is dedicated to creating an (organic) spider-free environment. Nothing personal. Survival depends on relocation.”
One unexpected joy: barn swallow visits. The gorgeous birds sit on the bow fencing and sing. Occasionally, one flies through the hatch, circles the cabin, then departs. Perhaps the swallows nesting under the boat, between the pontoons, figure that if I can approach their nests as I work there, they can approach my nest. Works for me.
I need to figure out how to encourage barn swallows to include spiders in their daily menu.
Do I have too much time on my hands?

***

KZN is coming out of the immediate stress from the recent looting campaign. Only one week after my mom’s death and, miracle of miracle, we appear to have recorded that event with Home Affairs. (Note, I write “appear” – not yet confirmed with actual record in actual hand, but….)

Lambda

Will we, the people, travel through the Greek alphabet to name emerging coronavirus variants before we knuckle down and accept the vaccine already?
We’ve gone through alpha, beta, gamma, and we’re facing lambda – the 11th letter of the alphabet.
It’s unbelievable to learn of vaccine “refuseniks” who have family and friends dead of Covid and still doubting vax efficacy. Moreover, the concept of ‘doing it for your community’ is entirely absent. Go figure….

News blues

A coronavirus variant known as Lambda, which has largely slid under the radar for the past nine months, is now causing almost all new infections in Peru.
Lambda (also known as C.37) was first detected in Peru in August 2020 and has spread to 29 countries, many in Latin America. And, since January 20, 2021, 668 Lambda infections have been reported in the United States. In Peru, Lambda is now responsible for more than 90 percent of new COVID-19 cases, a steep rise from less than 0.5 percent in December. The country has already suffered the world’s worst mortality due to COVID-19; the disease has killed about 0.54 percent of the population.

Read more >> 

***

In South Africa, Prof Salim Abdool Karim, former chair of the ministerial advisory committee on Covid-19, stated that the country’s third wave was more than twice the peak of the first and second waves in the country. …

A further 413 Covid-19 related deaths were reported over the past 24-hour cycle, bringing the total fatalities to 66,385 to date.
“The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (38%), followed by Western Cape (19%). Limpopo accounted for 12%; Mpumalanga accounted for 9%; North West accounted for 8%; Eastern Cape accounted for 5%; KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 4%; Free State accounted for 3%; and the Northern Cape accounted for 2% of today’s new cases,” the NICD said in a statement.
Gauteng has shown a decline in Covid-19 cases and might be slowly getting over the peak of the third wave…

Read more >> 

Healthy planet, anyone?

Back at the beginning of the pandemic, I fell for the story of dolphins reappearing in Venice’s canals. That was “fake news” and wishful thinking. 

This time around, I’ll keep an eye on the latest news about large cruise ships currently being banned from sailing into the centre of Venice from August 1 amid fears they are causing irreparable damage to the lagoon city. 
Italy's government has (for now?) adopted the decree, saying it …

"… represents an important step for the protection of the Venetian lagoon system…"
Instead, they [cruise ships] will be diverted to the city's industrial port of Marghera, although this is viewed as only a temporary solution, with ministers calling for ideas on a new permanent terminal.
Campaigners have for years been calling for cruise ships to be banned from sailing past the iconic St Mark's Square, saying they cause large waves that undermine the city's foundations and harm the fragile ecosystem of its lagoon.

As my late mother liked to say, “We’ll see….”
Money talks. Getting cruise ships “temporarily” to protect the Venetian lagoon system will be like getting US Senator Joe Manchin to give up donations from fossil fuel companies  and get on board with the desperately need infrastructure plan.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

I’ll head back up to the river today – where temps will be in upper 90s and into the low 100s. This is a far cry from temps in the inner bay where I visited over the weekend and where I almost needed a jacket.
Truth be told, I’m not so much looking forward to returning to the river – and the stifling heat. Then again, I can swim….

Masks required – again

News blues

Reprise! Another round of mask wearing recommended for residents of San Francisco Bay Area counties.

With cases of COVID-19 rising locally and increased circulation of the highly transmissible Delta variant, Bay Area counties… now recommend that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks indoors in public places.
Alameda County’s reported new cases are averaging 110 per day and the daily case rate is now 6.7 per 100,000 and rising.
Businesses are urged to adopt universal masking requirements for customers entering indoor areas of their businesses to provide better protection to their employees and customers. Workplaces must comply with Cal/OSHA requirements and fully vaccinated employees are encouraged to wear masks indoors if their employer has not confirmed the vaccination status of those around them.
Bay Area Health Officers will revisit this recommendation in the coming weeks as they continue to monitor transmission rates, hospitalizations, deaths, and increasing vaccination rates throughout the region.
Fully vaccinated people are well-protected from infections and serious illness due to COVID-19, and vaccinating as many people as possible, as soon as possible, continues to be our best defense against severe COVID-19 infection.

***

President Ramaphosa addresses the country post riots and looting  (30:00 mins) that coincides with an alarming rise of the Delta variant across the nation and the continent. 

Healthy planet, anyone?

With the Amazon rainforest now emitting more CO2 than it absorbs, cutting emissions is more urgent than ever, say scientists, with forest producing more than a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

The giant forest had previously been a carbon sink, absorbing the emissions driving the climate crisis, but is now causing its acceleration, researchers said.
Most of the emissions are caused by fires, many deliberately set to clear land for beef and soy production. But even without fires, hotter temperatures and droughts mean the south-eastern Amazon has become a source of CO2, rather than a sink.
Growing trees and plants have taken up about a quarter of all fossil fuel emissions since 1960, with the Amazon playing a major role as the largest tropical forest. Losing the Amazon’s power to capture CO2 is a stark warning that slashing emissions from fossil fuels is more urgent than ever….

Read more >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Another heat wave coming up although temperatures over northern California are predicted to be slightly lower. Temps over Canada and the Rockies predicted to break new records.
I remain without assistance to install the small outboard motor on my inflatable. I expected the person I hired to service the motor to help with installation, too. Alas, when it came to installation, his “back was out” and he bailed. I’ve tried to find help around the marina – I intend to pay that person, I’m not looking for a freebie – but, so far, to no avail.
With so much on my mind right now – coming to terms with my mother’s death, and life, and the superficial intersection we shared over many years – the trauma of my country of origin, the trauma (climate change related, political, social) of my adopted country – being able to slip into the inflatable, start up the motor and slowly cruise the river would be a wonderful luxury and a privilege. That I can’t – the motor simply is too heavy for me to manage alone, particularly since the inflatable is already in the water – is a wasted opportunity for peace.
The social and logistical aspects of marina life are … challenging. The environment, however, is a wonderful gift I want fully to appreciate.

***

Logistics of my mother’s passing are challenging, too, more so with the breakdown of South Africa’s business and governmental sectors. The funeral service will work to obtain her death certificate from the doctor. The death certificate – the document required to begin the process of wrapping up her estate – must, however, go to the Department of Home Affairs. Having struggled with Home Affairs for more than years to obtain a simple passport (final processed through the SA Embassy in Los Angeles and not in South Africa), I have no expectation that her death will be processed in a timely manner.
My takeaway? South Africans are a patient people with amazing resilience.