Ontario going into its third covid-19 total shutdown

 

Saturday night and the neighbourhood public school is bathed in darkness. Come Monday little will change. The sun will be shining but the school will remain dark as the premier of the province has announced the third province-wide covid-19 shutdown. All schools in Ontario are again closed and students will again be learning online.

In Ontario the number of covid-19 cases is climbing along with the associated deaths. Throughout the southern part of the province, hospital ICUs (intensive care units) are operating at near capacity. Elective surgeries and non-urgent hospital procedures are being ramped down.

People are showing signs of battle fatigue as the fight against the covid-19 virus is now in its second year. Canada, caught without any of its own facilities to produce vaccine, is at the mercy of other, vaccine-production-capable countries. And mercy is in short supply globally and vaccine is in short supply in Canada.

During covid-19 computers supply social interaction

These two girls are in the same "family bubble." But with covid-19, social interaction is limited. Getting too close and not wearing a mask are both verboten. Even going to school, where kids interact with other kids, is an iffy proposition despite social distancing of desks and constant mask wearing.

These two little girls are cooperating to overcome a small computer problem in order to log on to a program called Roblox. Roblox is where these two interact with others. Roblox is not a computer game but a platform— a platform where games, developed by others, are posted and played. The Roblox website boasts its users have published over 20 million games on the platform.

If you are still puzzled. Let me supply a link: Why is everyone talking about Roblox? (There's a good chance you didn't know they were.) While children of my era rode bikes, flew kites and played soccer together, a lof of kids today are playing with other children's avatars on an electronic playing field.

This is not to say kids today aren't out doing all the real stuff, it is just to say that this time is now being shared with virtual reality games.

A formal garden look

 Some folk put so much effort into the care of their front lawn that the result has the air of a formal garden. Sadly, this is not the look that I have achieved despite all my hard work.

Not a bank but a credit union

Libro looks like a bank. It acts somewhat like a bank. But it isn't a bank. It's a credit union. And what is a credit union? It is a member-owned, cooperative financial institution. Like a bank, a credit union accepts deposits, makes loans and provide a wide array of other financial services. Unlike a bank, a credit union is an not-for-profit organization that exists to serve its members -- or that's the theory. The reality can be a bit more complex.

What I find most interesting about credit unions is the cooperative angle. We tend to think of capitalism as the only game in town. But, it isn't. Globally, cooperatives leave a huge footprint on our world. Credit unions are but a small part of that footprint.

A bicyle adapted for two

If you not only cannot afford a carriage but a bicycle built for two also stretches the budget, how's this for an answer: a bicycle adapted for two. A pretty neat invention, yes?

With covid-19 pocket parks have increased appeal

Covid-19 has upended our world. The little pocket park in my neighbourhood, small with a minimum of playground equipment, has become quite the draw as of late. It's big appeal? It's close; it's open; it's safe; it's not home.

This family found a spot to spread a beach blanket off to the edge of the small park. One never saw a family enjoying the park in the past. Absolutely never. But today the park is a veritable magnet. Go to the park, stake out a spot and enjoy some time away from home. Some folk are even bringing a picnic basket with them to the park.

A year into the pandemic and even home is beginning to bring on feelings of claustrophobia. The vaccine roll-out cannot happened too quickly.

Some days art takes centre stage

Some of my favourite blogs are ones dedicated to posting photography as art. One blogger I follow posts minimalist art photos. Her images are absolutely incredible and so very imaginative. Today's posted image was taken as an obvious homage to that lady's fine work. 

If curious, the image shows plastic balls incorporated into a piece of neighbourhood playground equipment. Children are encouraged to spin the balls or move them along a bars not visible in my picture.