'Current' Events: Sinking, Shrinking, Stinking...

Stuck: 'Currently' as we speak here, the HUGE container ship "Ever Given" remains stuck at about a 45 degree angle in the Suez Canal, a man made shortcut (constructed over ten years from 1859-69) between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, which has caused a HUGE traffic jam: as the BBC reported, a long "queue" (the brits seem to love using this word when they know us yanks are listening) of ships, tankers has formed, which has stalled a worldwide supply line -- I sure hope the stuff I ordered through Amazon is not on that ship, at least not in the bottom most container aboard, as those construing ways to lighten the load are thinking of ways to get the hundreds of containers off...

Gonna need a bigger...drone (?!) As the collective efforts of tugboats, attempts to dislodge the hull and prop from the Suez sludge have failed, the focus has turned to airlifting, via cranes and aircraft (primarily helicopters--I guess the drones that have been increasingly engaged by online delivery services haven't evolved to such 'heavy lifting' capacity, but it's just a matter of time). In the meantime, the "Ever Given" (certainly to be renamed in the future as will smaller craft bearing the same name) remains stubbornly 'stuck in the mud'...can you relate, haven't you ever, even recently felt 'stuck in place', despite the coaxing of others? In the meantime, you might want to check your "tracking delivery" of those items you ordered to see what creative language will be used to keep you from losing hope (as in the "Cape of Good Hope", which is where many of those ocean going vessels may have to go around if the efforts to dislodge the "Evergreen" at high tide are not successful...otherwise, you better hope for a great rainfall).

Muddy Reputation, Hit-and-Run: So, this is not the first time this colossal craft has stirred up troubled waters: almost exactly two years ago the "Ever Given" severely damaged the ferry "Finkenwerder" which was minding its own business in Blankenese...sounds like a plot out of "Harry Potter". And as if without conscience, as if it assumed it would simply be 'for given', the "Ever Given" did not even stop, kept on going on its merry way -- OK, if it had been made to make an emergency stop this now beached behemoth would have clogged the waterways and thus, deemed not worth pausing for the local constable or exchange insurance information...   

Speaking of Supply Line: As I listened casually to the "World News" during my morning workout, I had to pay a bit closer attention so as to not lose track of the supply line disrupted by the Suez traffic jam and the continuing challenges of bringing sufficient vaccines to market (i.e., the other critical supply line of the day). The latter has, as I have cited in more than one post here, transitioned from articles of shock and awe regarding the herculean human efforts that eventuated in coming up with (more than one) vaccine in such a short period, to those lamenting the 'man made' obstacles interfering with various countries, regions, and groups getting as quick and abundant access (at least those that don't fall into the 'vaccine hesitancy' groups). 

Speaking of Canals: In the same news hour there was an article about an art museum now featuring the ability of the patrons to engage the olfactory sense along with the usual visual sensations they are accustomed to, when coming to the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague. Entitled "The Smell of Art", you can now have the more complete experience, including the smell of the canals depicted in some of the paintings (as one commentator reflected, "canals back then were famous for their stench"). I immediately thought of those clever 'scratch and sniff' stickers that were popular for a short while, as well as those weird flavors of "Jelly Bellies" kids will probably get in their Easter baskets in a few weeks...yep, all these thoughts during an active workout, anything to take my mind off discomfort at hand...

Speaking of Stench: If listening to the news on the radio this morning wasn't enough, I opened up the newsfeed on my computer to read an article about a local upscale restaurant now refusing service to anyone (no, not a mask story this time) giving off the strong, unmistakable scent of marijuana...as one patron complained, "If I wanted to smell skunk while I was dining, I'd go camping somewhere...". If only it still smelled more like incense, like when we were back on campus in the early 70's...

Trust you have enjoyed the clever connections and hope you get your jelly beans on time...