Darkoshi

Boom.

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 13:44:25 GMT

8:35am: 3 strong BOOMs, each about 10 seconds apart.
Not at all like the magnitude 3 earthquake rumble we had a few days ago.
Much stronger than the booms a few days before, which were likely training exercises at Fort Jackson.
And I have to wonder, is it a bomb strike somewhere, retaliatory...?

When I checked on the earthquake the other day, the seismographs were about 5 minutes behind.. well it has been 5 minutes now, so ... Nothing showing up yet. No sirens either; no alarms.

I wonder what it would feel like here if a nuclear bomb hit several states away.

Gah. I haven't even gone to bed yet. This was a night were I didn't feel sleepy.

Update, 8:57am:
Nothing showed up on the seismographs. But people all over town felt the booms, based on Nextdoor and Facebook comments. I'm not the only one wondering if it could have been bombs. Or explosions of some kind.
Ahh... sonic booms from aircraft, maybe? I don't recall feeling them so strong before.

Update, 13:22:
Two hours sleep later, I'm *nice and refreshed*.

With sonic booms, I usually hear a roaring sound approaching before the boom, which prompts me to run outside or to the window where I can sometimes see jets flying overhead. These booms didn't have a roaring sound first.

Before bed, I found a comment on Nextdoor stating "Fort Jackson Range Control confirmed they were detonating old explosives," but no corroborating information anywhere else.

Fort Jackson finally posted an explanation on Facebook 4 hours later:
Notice regarding reported explosive sounds: Fort Jackson conducted three controlled detonations on a training range as part of necessary maintenance at 8:35 a.m. on Sunday, March 1. Additional demolition training being conducted by a tenant unit may result in other explosive sounds outside hat time frame.

So, apparently detonating old explosives == necessary maintenance?

This Reddit thread is an example of the comments people were leaving on social media about the unknown BOOMs. The explosions were felt 15 to 30 miles or more away from Fort Jackson, depending where on the grounds of the fort they took place.

comments

a good movie, "Hero" (2024), filmed here in Columbia SC

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 07:06:03 GMT

From the trailer, I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this movie. But I did enjoy it. It has well-matched blues music, references to Star Wars and Romeo & Juliet, and D&D-playing characters.

Video title: HERO (Official Trailer)
Posted by: Local Cinema Studios
Date posted: 2023/03/15

Hero, the movie, is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, starting at 99 cents.

Newspaper article: New movie filmed with local cast & crew a ‘love letter to Columbia’ and Black fatherhood

Official movie site

IMDB page

comments

2024 SC Constitutional Amendment Question

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 09:49:25 GMT

Reading this proposed amendment confused me at first, as the qualifications it lists match the current ones as far as I'm aware:

2024 SC Constitutional Amendment Question

Proposed Constitutional Amendment Question:
Must Section 4, Article II of the Constitution of this State, relating to voter qualifications, be amended so as to provide that only a citizen of the United States and of this State of the age of eighteen and upwards who is properly registered is entitled to vote as provided by law?

Indeed, the current constitution seems to say the same thing:
Current South Carolina Constitution

ARTICLE II
RIGHT OF SUFFRAGE
...
SECTION 4. Voter qualifications.
Every citizen of the United States and of this State of the age of eighteen and upwards who is properly registered is entitled to vote as provided by law.

I found this page which explains the proposed change:
Panel decides citizenship question on SC ballots needs no explanation

The Legislature voted earlier this year to put the question on the ballot. It asks if the state constitution’s guaranteed right to vote should change from “every” to “only a” citizen who’s at least 18 and properly registered.

Proponents said it will prevent any future court ruling that would allow non-citizens to vote in local elections in South Carolina. Democrats called it completely unnecessary, though most voted for it anyway.

Upon reflection, the "Every citizen" wording feels empowering to me. It seems to guarantee a right. The "Only a citizen" working feels restrictive; it seems to restrict a right.

(That seems typical of Republicans to me; wanting to take away people's existing rights.)

The existing constitution doesn't however guarantee the right to all citizens mentioned in Section 4. Sections 6 and 7 already provide for some restrictions:

SECTION 6. General Assembly may require demonstration of literacy.
The General Assembly may require each person to demonstrate a reasonable ability, except for physical disability, to read and write the English language as a condition to becoming entitled to vote.

SECTION 7. Disqualifications by reason of mental incompetence or conviction of crime.
The General Assembly shall establish disqualifications for voting by reason of mental incompetence or conviction of serious crime, and may provide for the removal of such disqualifications. Persons who are confined in any penal institution under the judgment of a court shall not be entitled to vote.

So it doesn't seem like the wording change would really change anything. But considering that many people in power in that State House would probably gladly take away my vote to right, I'd rather not give them any extra means to do so. I will vote NO on that question.

Ah, I now see an extra detail in the above explanation (emphasis added):
...that would allow non-citizens to vote in LOCAL elections...

The question "needs no explanation", they say. Hah.

comments

Whew, it is warm out there

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 06:04:51 GMT

2am in Columbia, SC, and it is 82 degrees with 72% humidity outside ("feels like 88").

But what bugs me when I step outside now is the faint sensation of things touching my skin. Was that a bug? A grass stalk that I don't see when I look down? A flying insect? And the wasp buzzing near the door so that I have to find a good moment to open the door and dash inside without it following me in.

Looking at some weather maps, I see Baltimore has us potentially beat in this time zone, with 85, "feels like 90", albeit only 59% humidity.

Phoenix, AZ, where it is 11:10pm now, is at 100 degrees, "feels like 103" and 28% humidity.

It would be interesting to be able to step from one room to another and another, to compare the difference between those temps & humidity levels.

comments

South Carolina legislature

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 10:26:55 GMT

The SC House of Representatives today passed a horrible bill, #4624, banning gender affirming care for minors and requiring teachers to "out" trans children to their parents. It still has to pass the Senate.

Per Ballotpedia:
South Carolina has a Republican trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.
The House has a Republican majority of 88-36 (71% Rep, 29% Dem).
The Senate has a Republican majority of 30-16 (65% Rep, 35% Dem).

Also according to Ballotpedia, those majorities increased in both 2020 and 2022.
In 2020, the House had a Republican majority of 78-45 (63.4% vs 36.6%),
and the Senate had a Republican majority of 27-19 (58.7% vs 41.3%).
I wonder if those increases were due to redistricting.

In the 2020 Presidential election, Trump got 55.11% of the SC vote compared to 43.43% for Biden.
In the 2022 SC gubernatorial election, the Republican candidate got 58% compared to 41% for the Democratic candidate.

So the ratio of Republicans to Democrats in the legislature is much more skewed than in the overall population, without even taking into account how people who haven't voted in the elections are more likely to skew Democrat.

comments

Magistrate Court jury duty

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 08:15:54 GMT

The courthouse my recent Jury Duty was at doesn't allow people to bring any bags or purses inside. When I got in line to enter the building, someone else told me they weren't going to let me inside with that, pointing to the purse. I was almost incredulous; that's something they should let people know in advance! I then saw a sign indicating the same thing. So I grudgingly walked back to my car to swap things around. It wasn't that bad for me, but I could imagine it being very inconvenient for anyone else who may have worn something without pockets, and who might have needed to bring tampons and feminine napkins, etc. Luckily my pants have pockets and I already normally carry my keys on my belt. I didn't want to have to carry my book in my hand, so I left it in the car. I also left both pairs of glasses in the car (which I'd brought just in case) as I didn't have a cord for carrying them around my neck.

We had to show up at the courthouse from Monday through Thursday at 9am. There were two trials that week, both traffic related. I was not chosen for the juries. We were dismissed between 10:30am and noon each day.

There was a different judge each day. When one of them was asking jurors who met various criteria to stand, I heard her address a couple of them as "the young lady". I figured those jurors must look fairly young. Then she got to the part where she asked anyone 65 years or older to stand up. She addressed those two women as "the young lady" too, and I realized that she was calling everyone either a "young lady" or a "gentleman". Thinking about it, maybe she felt addressing people as only "the lady" would sound rude.

The court room had speakers out of which occasionally static noise would play. I realized it was to help cover up potentially private conversations the judges were having with jurors who had come up to speak to them. The static noise didn't turn on very consistently though.

There was a bookshelf in the jury assembly room, with books and magazines. It still had a sign on it saying not touch the items on the bookshelf due to COVID restrictions. I'm pretty sure the sign still being there was an oversight, but I didn't feel like pointing it out to the people in charge. Nor did I want to disobey the sign, so I didn't touch any of the books.

There was a side room accessible via a door. The room had a sink and a vending machine with only a few items in it, none of which looked vegan except possibly the apple turnovers. There must have been more machines with more options in the past: On the 3rd day, the clerk brought water bottles into the assembly room to hand out. She apologized to the group of us, saying she hadn't realized the vending machines had been removed from that room!

comments

Performances, local

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 05:28:23 GMT

Our local Koger Center for the Arts has several performances coming up which look good.

They've even got Hamilton coming next year. I wasn't particularly interested in that musical to begin with, but with all the hype about it (it's been 8 years already, wow), I've gotten somewhat curious. Wait, there's a movie of it that I could watch instead? But it's still only available on Disney+ even though it was released 3 years ago? Hmmph.

October 14: Free outdoor concert, noon to 7pm. House Music Dance Festival

October 17-19: Come From Away.
This New York Times Critics' Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them.

Come from Away is a musical ... based on the events in the Newfoundland town of Gander during the week following the September 11 attacks, when 38 planes, carrying approximately 7,000 passengers, were ordered to land unexpectedly at Gander International Airport.

I don't really want to go watch a long musical about this (I'd watch it on TV maybe), but it sounds so fascinating... Operation Yellow Ribbon

October 27 & 28: South Carolina Ballet's Dracula: Ballet with a Bite (Columbia City Ballet).
This eerie and sensual ballet, based on Bram Stoker's classic novel, promises to captivate and thrill both dance enthusiasts and newcomers. With original rock/jazz music by Thomas Semanski and choreography by Artistic Director William Starrett, you'll be immersed in a world of enchantment and mystery. Don't miss this unforgettable performance celebrating its 32nd year

I haven't been interested in going to see this in prior years, as neither ballet nor Dracula appeals to me. But the red flowing gauzy outfit of the dancer in the photo on that page looks nice. And with rock/jazz music, maybe it's fun.

October 29: SC Philharmonic • Halloween at Hogwarts.
OUR POPULAR HALLOWEEN CONCERT EVENT IS BACK!
Join us for a family-friendly Halloween celebration as we transform the Koger Center into that famous school of witchcraft and wizardry. Enjoy a spooktacular program of hair-raising Hollywood favorites and plenty of John Williams' works from the Harry Potter films. Join us for tunes, tricks and treats! Costumes are encouraged!

comments

the murder of Cyrus Carmack-Belton

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 09:12:37 GMT

https://www.wistv.com/2023/05/30/columbia-convenience-store-owner-charged-with-murder-shooting-death-14-year-old-boy/

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/01/1179367061/a-south-carolina-store-owner-accused-of-fatally-shooting-a-boy-is-charged-with-m

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/14-year-old-fatally-shot-back-sc-store-owner-sheriff-says-rcna86855

This happened here Sunday evening. A gas station owner chased a 14 year old Black boy out of his store and shot him in the back, killing him. From what is reported, the man chased and killed him because he mistakenly thought he stole a few bottles of water. It is horrible and makes no sense.

I don't know if it has been in the national news much? On Tuesday afternoon, Qiao texted me a link to a news article about it, which was the first I'd heard of it. Later I turned on the local 11pm news a few minutes late and heard a report, not about the killing but about the reprisal looting and vandalism at the gas station afterwards. I haven't managed to catch the news on TV since then, but have read several news articles and they all provide mostly the same limited information.

The NBC article says it happened around 8pm on Sunday night. By chance, I drove right by that gas station around 9:40pm the same night! Around 1:40am, I drove by it again in the other direction. Neither time did I notice anything out of the ordinary.

One article said a witness to the shooting called 911. So I would think the police and ambulance had been there already before I drove by the first time. It makes me wonder how far away from the gas station the boy was chased.

...
News video links:

Sheriff: Cyrus Carmack-Belton shot and killed by gas station owner: full news conference
2023/05/29 (via News 19 WLTX)

Deputies: Hundreds of service calls made in last 5 years to gas station owned by man charged in teen
2023/05/31 (News 19 WLTX)

South Carolina store owner charged in teen's murder has history of shooting at customers
2023/06/01 (NBC News)

Principal, teachers remember teen killed
2023/06/01 (News 19 WLTX)

Cyrus Carmack-Belton remembered as 'intelligent, well-liked' by school
2023/06/01 (News 19 WLTX)

comments

Richland County SC glass recycling notes

Sat, 06 May 2023 10:13:52 GMT

This is an old recycling guide, dated 12/2020. It indicated glass was still accepted for curbside recycling.

This is a newer recycling guide, dated 02/2021. It does not mention glass.

This recycling guide dated 03/2021 does not include glass under the section for items accepted curbside (a noticeable difference compared to the 12/2020 version).

This SC DHEC page indicates glass bottles and jars are "ONLY accepted at the Clemson Rd Recycling Site", and not accepted curbside.

The Clemson Rd site is open:
> Tuesday, Thursday, Friday - Sunday, 9AM - 6PM
> CLOSED Monday & Wednesday

The Richland County Recycling Wizard also indicates glass isn't taken curbside but can be dropped off at the Clemson Road Recycling Site.

https://www.richlandcountysc.gov/Government/Departments/Public-Works/Solid-Waste-Recycling/Curbside-Pick-up/Recycling
Wax or plastic coated cardboard is NOT accepted.
Chipboard boxes such as cereal boxes must be clean and dry and only have stored dry, non-refrigerated foods.

I don't understand why clean boxes from frozen foods aren't acceptable, when they don't seem to have any plastic on them. If I can tear them as easily as cereal boxes, doesn't that mean they aren't coated with plastic? That's the test I use but maybe I'm being wishful and doing it wrong. Maybe there is plastic-coated cardboard that can be torn easily which is used for frozen food boxes.

comments

Spring, artworks, hieroglyphs, flying cars

Sat, 25 Feb 2023 10:14:09 GMT

Yay, it's the weekend, and I finished my work for work before midnight today!

It's been very much Spring here the last couple weeks.
Daffodils are yellow.
Pink magnolia blossoms bloomed but they're already gone and replaced by small light green leaves.
Yellow jessamine is yellow.
Bradford pear blossoms are pungent.
Little fig tree leaves are light green and fuzzy.
I wore knee-shorts today and sat outside working for a while. Can do that for now still as the mosquitos aren't out in force yet.

..

Catchy headline: Busted Plug Towed Away

I didn't know the giant fire hydrant art installation was called "Busted Plug". I'm saddened to hear it's been moved away... but hopefully it will be put up somewhere else in a good spot.

It had been here since 2001: Busted Plug Plaza, in the same parking lot as the iconic Tunnelvision mural and the haybales mural. I enjoyed seeing it whenever I drove downtown.

Here's a short video showing it from multiple angles: Roadside Buzz - Busted Plug, Columbia, SC
.

This "Ra Obelisk" is an artwork here in town I'd not heard of nor visited before. About the hieroglyphs painted on the sides, the article states:
Some of the symbols translate to the titles of Beatles songs “Here Comes the Sun” and “All You Need is Love.” The artist would not give the meaning to the message on the right side, only saying it was an ancient concept and invited others to try to translate it.

That prompted me to try deciphering the right side. The best I could come up with is this:
Peace | The angels are real | They love you

I am not certain that is the message the artist intended; I didn't find a decipherment of the message posted anywhere on the web. I did find that the artist, Richard Lane, died in 1998. That is mentioned in this booklet: Sarah Leverette : South Carolina lawyer, teacher, mentor, ground breaker.

.

Another catchy headline: “Flying car” company to enter US market in partnership with Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE)

comments

some good local news

Sat, 07 Jan 2023 06:22:47 GMT

SC’s 6-week abortion ban is unconstitutional, state Supreme Court rules
The South Carolina Supreme Court on Thursday struck down the state’s six-week abortion ban, ruling 3-2 that it violated the state’s constitutional right to privacy.
...
The abortion ban, signed into law in 2021, had been temporarily suspended as the S.C. Supreme Court mulled its constitutionality. It means the state’s previous ban at about 20 weeks stays in place for now.

South Carolina Supreme Court rules abortion protected under state constitution

Federal Court Rules South Carolina's Congressional Map Is Gerrymandered
A federal court today ordered South Carolina to redraw its 2021 enacted congressional map, ruling that a district anchored in Charleston County is a racial gerrymander.

comments

Holiday Lights

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 03:46:52 GMT

Fireflies Holiday Lights at Segra Stadium (the Fireflies are a local baseball team) - another pretty photo at the link:

A couple of well-lit houses:

comments

number of jury cases

Sat, 23 Jul 2022 19:27:01 GMT

In my county, it seems about 100 potential jurors are called in every week for jury duty at the county court house. About that many people show up, anyway. Of those, only a few juries are selected to serve on trials. Juries are about 14 people, maybe less. Most of the 100 people don't end up on a jury.

I'm 50 years old and have now had jury duty 4 times. I've only been on an actual jury once.

During this last jury duty, I think there were only 2 or 3 trials during the week. Let's suppose there may be between 2 and 6 jury trials every week of the year. That would be between 104 and 312 jury trials for the year, including both civil and criminal cases. It doesn't include traffic court or grand jury cases, which have separate jury pools - but I've never yet been called for jury duty for them.

The county's population is about 420,000. I imagine there are way more than 312 indictments here each year.

Waiting in the jury assembly room, I thought about how much trouble is gone through to gather all these people in one room, all to pick a few people for a couple of trials. I thought of how many cases must get plea-bargained, or otherwise never make it to a trial.

.

Ah, wait.

The city proper has its own Municipal Court with its own jury trials.

That may have been where I attended my first jury duty, when I was living at my prior address within city limits.

Yes, an old checkbook register of mine shows an entry from December 2002: $10 pay for 2 days of jury duty.

But both courthouses are downtown. I don't think that jurors for the county cases are restricted to people living outside the city limits. So I am not certain which of them hosted my first jury duty.

comments

Bans Off Our Bodies / Abortion Rights rally

Sun, 15 May 2022 07:24:30 GMT

I woke up earlier than planned today, so I made myself a sign for the rally after all.

I made it a sandwich-board style sign, with 2 pieces of cardboard (cut from a box) linked on their top corners with a cord. I printed* my simple message, "Keep Abortion Legal" on 2 pieces of paper and taped them to the front and back cardboard pieces. This sandwich style sign was comfortable and conveniently left my hands free. (One minor issue was that I didn't link the sign bottoms with cords, so when the wind blew, a couple of times the back sign twisted around a bit.)

[*I manually printed the letter outlines with a pencil to get the words spaced well across the sheet. Then I filled in the letters with a black marker. But the the letters still weren't as dark as I wanted. So I scanned the page onto my computer and edited the image to make the letters solid black (using IrfanView's "Replace Color" feature). Then I printed that image out twice, onto 2 pieces of paper. ]

There were quite a lot of people at the rally. I'd estimate several hundred. Many people in cars driving past waved and honked their horns in support. I didn't notice any counter-protesters.

Wearing my signs really helped me feel a part of the event. Without the signs I would have felt awkward, but with them I felt like I fit right in with everyone else. I didn't see anyone else with sandwich-style signs like mine; most people were holding signs up in their hands. I did see one person with a single large sign hanging from a cord around her neck.

Wearing my face mask, which conceals my mouth, I didn't even feel very self-conscious that I wasn't joining in on most of the chanting. Many other people on the side I was on weren't doing the chants either. We were mostly waving back at people in the passing cars; whenever a car honked, many people would yell back "WOOOOOOO!!"

The rally went on for about an hour and a half after I arrived. Towards the end, the crowd moved back from the street and towards the steps of the capitol as some speeches were given.

comments

a bad week

Sat, 14 May 2022 07:06:45 GMT

My sweet Zorro-puppy died on Monday, at 12 years of age. May she rest in peace. We had to put her to sleep. I was in tears for three days but have started feeling more normal again. I wrote a lot of thoughts down to help process my emotions, and will put some of them into a longer post.

.

Early Monday morning, after midnight (when Zorro still seemed fine!), we had a 3.3 earthquake nearby, while I was still up and awake to notice it. I was looking at the TV, and it shook or bounced or something, and there was a big rumbling sound. But nothing fell down. At the time, I wondered if it could have been a bomb or an explosion in the distance.

.

I have signed up to attend a Planned Parenthood / Abortion Rights rally downtown tomorrow. I wonder how many people will attend; I don't really expect a large crowd. I don't have any sign to hold, and it is too late now to think of making one. I'm no good at chanting or yelling. I'm sure I will feel quite awkward there. I hope I will at least find the other participants in order to join with them. I hope it won't be like the other time I went downtown for a protest where I felt like I was just someone on the sidelines, not really a part of it. I am not good at joining in on things. But I feel like maybe just being an extra body there will make some kind of tiny tiny difference.

comments

SC COVID-19 vaccinations

Sun, 28 Mar 2021 02:22:48 GMT

All South Carolinians Aged 16 and Older to be Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine Beginning March 31, 2021

Qiao told me about it. I'd finally stopped checking the daily numbers and news releases in February.

Dang. I wasn't expecting it to be so soon. o_o

I'd been content to wait several months at least; getting vaccinated isn't going to have much if any affect on *my* usual activities. There will probably be a rush at first, so it will probably be a while till I can get an appointment anyway.

.

I've sort of started to like wearing a mask sometimes. I feel a bit exposed at first, when I go out for a walk without wearing one. That feeling adds to my slight general anxiety at going out in public where people can see me, which itself probably has increased over the last year because of me having been out less often.

comments

Pauli Murray

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 03:18:06 GMT

MY NAME IS PAULI MURRAY - Sundance Film Festival: Columbia

Overlooked by history, Pauli Murray was a legal trailblazer whose ideas influenced RBG's fight for gender equality and Thurgood Marshall's landmark civil rights arguments. Featuring never-before-seen footage and audio recordings, a portrait of Murray's impact as a non-binary Black luminary: lawyer, activist, poet, and priest who transformed our world.

The "non-binary" descriptor caught my attention. While we can only guess what currently-used descriptors someone in the past might have used for themself, and I'm not familiar with Pauli's own writings, the Wikipedia page on Pauli Murray describes them more as a trans-man than a non-binary person.

I'm curious to watch the movie, but it doesn't appear to be available yet through streaming, and I don't feel like going to the Sundance showing at the local theater. It sounds like that will be indoors, with social distancing and mask wearing.

.

Biden wastes no time shooting down Trump guidelines on LGBTQ rights

.

comments

it's a rainy new year's eve

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 20:04:45 GMT

Thought about what we'll be watching tonight on TV:
"Oh, that's right, there *won't* be crowds of people in Times Square.
And there won't be crowds of people downtown here either."

Locally, our city is hosting its Famously Hot New Year celebration virtually this year, including a performance by Arrested Development.
I suppose there must be many free virtual performances like that around the world this year.
I wonder if anyone has compiled a list of them so people could pick and choose what to tune into.

::Searches::
Ah, there are actually a lot of non-free ones too.

https://variety.com/2020/music/news/new-years-eve-concerts-virtual-1234876842/
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-12-31/new-years-eve-tiktok-matthew-mcconaughey-john-legend-snoop-dogg-cardi-b
https://www.eventbrite.com/c/virtual-new-years-eve-events-2020-cwychcy/

Around the world, some are already playing... oh, gosh you need to sign up for some? You need Zoom for some?
No time for that; I have other stuff I want to do today.

comments

downtown Columbia photos

Sat, 05 Dec 2020 08:09:19 GMT

Here are photos from my outing last week to the holiday market downtown.

Nice "HOPE" sculpture which I hadn't seen before.
In the background, the building lit from inside is the main library where I worked during college.
The trees along Main Street were all wrapped in festive yarns.

Bright oversized ornament that you could walk through.

The Christmas Tree at the state capitol.

Looking into the state house through its front door windows, another smaller Christmas tree.

SC State House, with Mars visible in the sky up by its dome.

comments

large non-native lizards

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 03:30:02 GMT

First sighting of black and white tegu lizard confirmed in Midlands (2020/08/21; since then several more have been sighted and some captured)

"The introduction of any non-native species can have serious negative impacts on native wildlife. Black and white tegus are no exception," said SCDNR herpetologist Andrew Grosse, "Tegus mature and reproduce quickly, though most concerning may be their preference for eggs and the potential impacts to our native ground-nesting birds like turkey and quail, as well as other species such as the state-endangered gopher tortoise."

SCDNR asks people to report any sightings of black and white tegus in the wild to Andrew Grosse, grossea@dnr.sc.gov. If possible, please submit a photo, location, and time and date the individual was seen.

comments

SC COVID-19 testing

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 06:06:30 GMT

I dare say SC is now encouraging almost everyone in the state to get tested once a month.

Yesterday:
https://scdhec.gov/news-releases/dhec-updates-guidance-testing-asymptomatic-persons-sars-cov-2-october-5-2020

It is also important to conduct screening of persons who are simply out and about in the community. If they have no symptoms or known close contact, they are less likely to be infected with the virus than persons with symptoms or known close contact but they still are at risk. This is why community screening is important.

DHEC recommends diagnostic testing as needed and screening testing at least monthly for most people in the community, particularly those who spend time around others. This should be a test that directly detects the virus through a sample of saliva or a swab of the nose or throat. Testing for antibodies in the blood is not recommended for this purpose.

Today:
https://scdhec.gov/news-releases/new-covid-testing-site-columbia

DHEC recommends everyone who is out in public be tested at least once a month and potentially more frequently if they are unable to follow preventive actions of mask wearing, social distancing, and avoiding crowded areas. Monthly testing is more important than ever the closer we get to the holidays.

Although...
Given that SC's population is 5 million, and the total number of viral tests done so far in the state ALL YEAR is 1.4 million, that's quite a goal.

comments

coronumbers

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 05:25:52 GMT

Some local news outlets reported a "drop" in new SC COVID-19 cases today; the first time in 2 weeks that the daily number was under 1000. Yet the numbers also show many fewer test results were received today. So of course the number of new positives is also down. For the tests done, the percent positive was still very high, 20.7%.

Per The State newspaper:

South Carolina health officials estimated that as many as 86% of South Carolinians who contract COVID-19 go undiagnosed or untested, meaning they are not included in the counts released each day. On Tuesday, they estimated a total of 337,243 people have likely contracted the virus since March.

Given that SC's population is 5 million, that would be 6.7%. Probably less than half those people would still be currently sick and/or contagious. So maybe 3% would be contagious.

comments

SC statewide primary and absentee voting

Sat, 23 May 2020 20:43:54 GMT

SC's 2020 primary for local elections is on June 9. Because of the pandemic, the state is allowing anyone to vote absentee (for the June primary only).

The Absentee Voting instructions tell you to download the application and mail it in. After receiving it, they'll mail you a ballot. Then you need to fill out the ballot and return it by mail again (or personally take it) to the county's voter registration office.

I'm not sure I would trust using an absentee ballot for the November election. But for the Democratic primary, there are only 2 seats for me to vote for, County Sheriff and Coroner. So if there's any snafu in the process, it won't bother me too much. If we end up being able to vote absentee in November too, at least I'll know how it works.

So I clicked the link to download the application. It presented me with a page requiring me to enter my details, and I thought, oh great, the application can be done online after all rather than needing to print and mail it in! But no, upon clicking Continue, it gave me a PDF file to print out. So you need to be sure to do that step early enough that there is time for 3 mailings back and forth as well as time for them to process the application, before the election date deadline.

I wonder if there are any cases of fraud where someone else enters your details for downloading the application (it requires your date of birth and last 4 digits of your SSN), but enters another address for the ballot to be mailed to. So that when it comes time to vote, the polling place doesn't let you cast a vote because you were supposedly mailed an absentee ballot which you never even knew about?

And what happens if you receive your ballot by mail ok, but for some reason you decide it would be better to vote in person - are you still allowed to do so, or not?

The above SC Absentee Voting informational page indicates at the very bottom (which I missed before) that when returning the ballot by mail, you need to have someone witness it. Power of Attorney is not required. It doesn't say if the witness needs to provide a signature.
This other page only says "Sign the return envelope in the presence of a witness".

So that's another consideration - don't apply for an absentee ballot if you won't have anyone around in order to witness it when you mail it back.

Update, 2020/05/25:
Federal judge cites COVID-19 in nixing SC witness requirement for absentee ballots

comments

oh what should the subject be? bullfrog howl.

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 07:05:50 GMT

I've started wiping some of the door knobs, fridge handle, etc. with Chlorox wipes once a day. I never did that before. Today it occurred to me that the container is several years old, even though it hadn't been opened previous, and the chloride in it may have decomposed. The wipes don't have a bleachy smell, only a lemony fragrance. Maybe I'd be better off using the Sporicidin wipes I bought 4.5 years ago for cleaning mold off the cabinets, if they haven't dried out yet.

.

I filled in my tax forms yesterday, though I still need to review them while clear-headed to make sure I didn't miss anything. I did it in a single session, which took me about 8 hours. Some of that time as usual, due to curiosity, was spent looking up things mentioned in the forms, like generation skipping taxes.

The SC form instructions this year are laid out in a single column per page, making them much easier to read on a computer screen. The federal instructions are still have a 2-column layout, which requires one to scroll down, then up, then down again, to read each page.

I haven't yet attached the forms together, as there's no stapler here, nor any paper clips in the obvious places (though I'm sure there are at least a few clips to be found somewhere). I considered scavenging staples from other papers to unbend and reuse them. Other ideas are to sew a few loops of thread through the paper with a needle, or bend some wire into a paperclip shape (or for that matter into staples), or cut a thin sheet of stiff plastic or cardboard such that it could act as a paperclip.

Then I have to decide whether I should actually mail them now or wait until closer to the extended July 15 deadline. I would normally take them to the mailboxes at the post office, but neither getting them sent nor getting a quick refund is essential to me. So maybe I shouldn't?

Yes, I know I could have avoided both issues by e-Filing.

.

I've seen multiple bullfrogs in the yard. There was a report of a coyote in the area; that it attacked a small dog while the dog was out for a walk with its person. I've heard a dog-like howling noise a few times at night, which I now suspect might be the coyote. I've heard other intriguing sounds coming from the lake-bed area at night. Once is a fluttery kind of sound; I wish I knew what it was that makes the various sounds. Although knowing might lessen the charm.

.

South Carolina now has 925 confirmed COVID-19 cases, and 18 deaths. The rate of increase appears to have slowed down since I started keeping track two weeks ago. The # of deaths is probably the most reliable number to be using in calculations, as the number of confirmed cases can vary depending on how much testing is done.

SC's population is about 5 million. Richland County's is about 400,000.
In Richland County, there are 135 confirmed cases. If one estimates 10 times as many people have actually caught it, that would be about 1350 people in the county... still less than half a percent.

.

The doorbell rang this evening. Door Dash. The delivery guy realized it was the wrong house before I could ask Qiao if he'd ordered anything. (We've never yet ordered food to the house, but it's not inconceivable.) It's a good thing the guy didn't just put the food down and leave.

comments

this week in SC and the nation...

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 05:11:21 GMT

Wow.
I was working too late the past few days to notice it, but today I saw the 3rd episode of this on TV:
Jimmy Fallon And His Family Put On "The Tonight Show" From Their Home, And It's Perfect

https://www.youtube.com/user/latenight/videos

Jimmy Fallon and his family are filming it themselves from home. No studio, no band, no audience.
Wow. These really are unprecedented times.

.

On Monday my company told all employees who don't need to come into the office to do critical work, to work from home instead. So I only beat them to it by 4 days.

As mentioned last, schools and colleges have closed, with some transitioning to online instruction.

Most church services and other gatherings have been cancelled. Including the annual St. Patricks' Day parade.

On Tuesday, the state governor suspended dining in at all restaurants and bars; only take-out and delivery is allowed.

On Wednesday, the city enacted a curfew from 11pm to 6am. I'm not quite sure what that is meant to accomplish beyond the other ordinances... people who otherwise might go shopping at late night grocery stores will need to do it during the day instead, making the stores more crowded. But I suppose it's such a small percentage of people and stores, it won't make much difference. The stores themselves have been shortening their open hours as well, to provide extra time for cleaning and restocking.

Today the news informed that the hospitals will no longer allow visitors, except a single one for certain cases (pediatrics, obstetrics, neo-natal, end-of-life).

My mom did get hired for the Census, and had her first 3 days of training this week downtown (which surprised me somewhat). But as of today, it sounds like that has been suspended.

SC workers who have been affected by the shut-downs can get 6 weeks of unemployment pay, although the employers have to apply for it first.

I'm relieved that the pandemic is being taken seriously here. Only a week ago, I wasn't sure it would be before it was too late and the hospitals were overwhelmed. Hopefully it won't still come to that. Although it sounds like it's going to be a long ordeal, whatever happens.

As of today's numbers, 81 positive tests in the state (yesterday 60, the day before 47), and still only one death reported.

I still have this tight feeling in my throat and upper chest. Maybe stress. Maybe it's always there and I don't normally pay attention to it. At least now I have a pulse oximeter to tell me that my blood is still 98 to 99% saturated with oxygen.

comments