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Shutoffs at world's major trade routes evolving as Europe's busiest freight line remains closed & cargo still stuck in Egypt

cargo ship stop sign
© Getty Images / bagi1998
Europe's busiest freight train route connecting Genoa and Rotterdam won't be able to resume operations until April after a massive rock slide that choked tracks in the Rhine Gorge, a World Heritage Site in Germany.

"We are assuming that operations will be resumed in April," Volker Hentschel, board member for asset and maintenance management at DB Netz AG of Deutsche Bahn, said as quoted by FAZ, Frankfurt-based media.

One of the major European trade routes was closed on March 15 after a rock slide that left about 15,000 cubic meters of loose rock in the area.

Comment: See also:


Boat

Giant ship blocking Suez Canal partially refloated after huge effort to reopen trade route

ever given cargo ship
© Provided by NBC News
The giant container ship that has blocked traffic in the Suez Canal for the last week, bringing a key global trade route to a standstill and capturing the world's attention, was partially refloated early Monday.

It was unclear when the vessel would be fully set free but the progress raised hopes the crucial waterway could soon be reopened after days of intense global salvage efforts.

The Ever Given "has successfully floated after the ship responded to the pulling and towing maneuvers," Lt. Gen. Osama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, said in a statement.

Comment: See also:


USA

Michael Flynn's relatives sue CNN for $75 million over report alleging QAnon affiliation

flynn family
Brother and sister-in-law say CNN's "false attributions" exposed them to "public scorn, ridicule and contempt."

Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's brother and sister-in-law sued CNN in federal court for $75 million on Thursday, stating they were defamed by a report last month alleging they were members of the QAnon conspiracy group.

Jack and Leslie Flynn, who live in Rhode Island, alleged in U.S. District Court in New York City that the CNN report on Feb. 4 falsely portrayed them as members of QAnon by selectively airing video footage from a family outing last Fourth of July where they joined Michael Flynn in reciting the oath to the Constitution that members of Congress take.

Attention

The data shows lockdowns end more lives than they save

hospital emergency entrance
© Justin Lane/EPA
Now that the 2020 figures have been properly tallied, there is still no convincing evidence that strict lockdowns reduced the death toll from COVID-19. But one effect is clear: more deaths from other causes, especially among the young and middle-aged, minorities and the less affluent.

The best gauge of the pandemic's impact is what statisticians call excess mortality, which compares the overall number of deaths with the total in previous years. That measure rose among older Americans because of COVID-19, but it rose at an even sharper rate among people aged 15 to 54, and most of those excess deaths weren't attributed to the virus.

Some of those deaths could be undetected COVID-19 cases, and some could be unrelated to the pandemic or the lockdowns. But preliminary reports point to some obvious lockdown-related factors.

There was a sharp decline in visits to emergency rooms and an increase in fatal heart attacks because patients didn't receive prompt treatment. Many fewer people were screened for cancer. Social isolation contributed to excess deaths from dementia and Alzheimer's.

Comment: See also:


Light Sabers

Fury after CNN refers to Uber Eats driver's death during carjacking by black teen girls as 'accident'

washington carjacking
© Twitter / @CNN
Screencapture of the Uber Eats carjacking by two teenage girls
CNN has been blasted on Twitter for using the term "accident" while describing an attempted carjacking by two black teen girls that led to the death of the victim, an Uber Eats driver.

The crime in question happened on Tuesday in Washington, DC and was filmed by an eyewitness. The graphic video shows a scuffle at a car, which then speeds away with the driver clinging to open door. The vehicle is seen crashing at a nearby intersection, turning on its side. The driver can be seen lying motionless several meters away by a fence, while two carjackers climb out of the car and are apprehended.

Comment: Washington D.C.'s Mayor Bowser manages to step in it again:
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser has been accused of victim-blaming and playing politics by sharing a video on how to avoid auto theft after a carjacking that led to the death of Mohammad Anwar.

Bowser's tweet came only days after Uber Eats driver Mohammad Anwar died following a scuffle with 13- and 15-year-old girls who were trying to steal his car, which led to a crash and Anwar's death. The scene was caught on video and the two girls were taken into custody.

Mainstream media outlets have already been accused of downplaying Anwar's death, with a CNN tweet referring to the act as an "accident" provoking a backlash - the two girls are being charged with felony murder and armed carjacking. Critics accused the network of choosing the wording because the suspects are both black.

Bowser's tweet has also set off a wave of pushback, with many accusing her of victim-blaming and spinning the murder.


"Worst possible tweet the mayor could've sent this morning,"added Daily Caller's Logan Hall.


Bowser's tweet has also set off a wave of pushback, with many accusing her of victim-blaming and spinning the murder.

"Oh, so it's the fault of Mohammad Anwar's fault that he was murdered by two teens in a car violent carjacking (sorry, CNN calls it an accident), in which they assaulted and tazed him?" reporter Ian Miles Cheong tweeted in reaction.

"Worst possible tweet the mayor could've sent this morning,"added Daily Caller's Logan Hall.




Whistle

Extreme feminists using Sarah Everard's murder as bait for their warped cause

Clapham
© REUTERS / Hannah McKay
A sign is seen at a memorial site in Clapham Common Bandstand, following the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, in London, Britain March 13, 2021
The discussion around Sarah Everard's death and the vigil in her honor is being hijacked by disingenuous activists. They don't seem to care about Sarah, only their own self-promotion and feminist politics.

In an article recently published by The Independent, the initial first headline read, "I became the 'face' of the Sarah Everard vigil - and I'm demanding change". The so-called "face" is Patsy Stevenson, the protestor claiming she fronted the vigil of a murdered woman, Sarah Everard.

Make no mistake, the only face we should be concerned about is Sarah's; not a jumped-up feminist whose agenda is clearly to raise her profile and divert as much attention to her and this nefarious feminist cause of blaming all men for the actions of a minority.

Comment: See also: 'Something Must Be Done' after shocking Sarah Everard killing will again lead to disproportionate reactions & make things WORSE


Fire

Massive explosion hits Balongan oil refinery in Indonesia

indonesia explosion
© Twitter: Tono Prasetya
The residents living in the vicinity of the explosion scene were reportedly evacuated and housed at several government facilities. There was no immediate information on casualties.

A massive explosion at the Balongan oil refinery owned by the Pertamina company, an Indonesian state-owned oil and natural gas corporation, occurred in Indonesia's Indramayu area in West Java province on early Monday.

Local media outlets, citing eyewitnesses, said the explosion was heard up to a radius of dozens of kilometers from the epicentre.

Comment: See also:


NPC

Writing music down like Mozart did is 'white hegemony', proposed reform of Oxford's curriculum reportedly claims

sheet music notation
© Martin Jung / Global Look Press
Original notation by opera composer Vincenzo Bellini.
Teaching music at Oxford may soon be less about writing notation and conducting orchestras, and more about which artists hated Donald Trump's use of their works without permission, proposed reform reportedly suggests.

One of the most prestigious universities in the UK plans to overhaul its music courses for undergraduates to steer them away from elements of 'colonialism' and 'white supremacy', the Telegraph reported, citing internal documents. The supposedly problematic parts of the curriculum include the study of musical notation, described as a "colonialist representational system."

Many ways of writing down music have been invented throughout history, but the system developed in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries laid the foundation for the most used form today. It's not set in stone, of course, and is constantly developed. Alternatives specific to certain instruments and genres exist as well.

Arrow Up

Tennessee education bill aims to prohibit textbooks, materials with LGBTQ+ content

teacher classroom children
© Wavebreakmedia/Getty Images
A bill currently in the Tennessee legislature seeks to prohibit the state from approving textbooks and other instructional materials containing LGBTQ+ content.

"The bill, H.B. 0800, was introduced by Representative Bruce Griffey (R - District 75) [pictured] and will be considered by the Education Instruction Subcommittee on March 30," KSDK reported Wednesday.

The bill says public schools need to focus on teaching subjects such as reading, science, and mathematics. It also adds LGBTQ+ content is inappropriate for the classroom and may offend a significant portion of school communities that hold Christian values.

Comment: Not all states have Tennessee's nerve:


Attention

Potentially toxic masks distributed in schools and daycares in Quebec

Toxic masks
© Radio-Canada
Toxic Masks
Grey and blue SNN200642 masks should no longer be used, warn Quebec and Ottawa!

One model of mask distributed to Quebec schools and daycares may be dangerous for the lungs as they could contain a potentially toxic material, according to a directive sent out by the provincial government on Friday.

Radio-Canada has obtained documents showing Health Canada warned of the potential for "early pulmonary toxicity" from the SNN200642 masks made by Métallifer, a Quebec-based manufacturer.
The provincial government, in the directive that was sent by three ministries: education, families and higher education, says:
"If you have this type of mask in stock, we ask that you stop distributing them and keep them in a safe place now."
Some daycare educators had been suspicious of these grey and blue masks for a while because they felt like they were swallowing cat hair while wearing them, Radio-Canada has learned.

Health Canada conducted a preliminary risk assessment which revealed a potential for early lung damage associated with inhalation of microscopic graphene particles. Graphene is a strong, very thin material that is used in fabrication, but it can be harmful to lungs when inhaled and can cause long-term health problems.

Comment: The mask is deadlier than the flu:
Since January, the province has distributed 116 million masks to the school network, 4.6 million of which were of the SNN200642 line. Metallifer sent a statement saying the company does not manufacture the masks, and that when it imported the products from China, they "were fully qualified at the time."

"Since the beginning of the pandemic, Metallifer has used its vast network of suppliers in China to offer its customers quality protective masks that meet current standards," said Metallifer president Michel Filion.

"Nanoform graphene" refers to the carbon coating on the masks. It's made of graphene, a form of carbon, in its nano form, meaning extremely miniscule particles in a single tight layer.

One Quebec kindergarten teacher said the recall, which school boards acted on Friday, was upsetting, especially after she'd noticed feeling unwell wearing masks lately.

Wearing masks everyday, "I find myself a bit more tired and have headaches more often, and I have heard this from numerous coworkers." She said she also noticed they smelled plasticky and would use her own medical masks as often as she could.

The danger was spotted in a preliminary risk assessment, Health Canada said, and there's an absence of "manufacturer's evidence" to prove the masks are safe.

Quebec authorities also said checks are underway with a government procurement office to "trace the establishments that could have received masks containing this particle."
This information was reported in 2014:
A team of biologists, engineers and material scientists at Brown University examined graphene's potential toxicity in human cells. They found that the jagged edges of graphene nanoparticles, super sharp and super strong, easily pierced through cell membranes in human lung, skin and immune cells, suggesting the potential to do serious damage in humans and other animals.

"These materials can be inhaled unintentionally, or they may be intentionally injected or implanted as components of new biomedical technologies. So we want to understand how they interact with cells once inside the body."
[...]
It's listed as a potential irritant of skin and eyes, and potentially hazardous to breathe in or ingest.
See also:
Belgian govt warns that masks it distributed in 2020 may contain TOXIC chemicals