Today's Pandemic Song

West Africa Pirates and Kidnappers- March Ends With A Bang

Source, the excellent ICC International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre Live Piracy & Armed Robbery Report-
Incident 1:

27.03.2020: 1700 UTC: Posn: 02:45.6N – 006:54.9E, Around 97nm South of Bonny Island, Nigeria.
About ten pirates armed with AK-47 in a skiff doing 21 knots, chased and fired upon a container ship underway. Master raised the alarm, activated distress alert, increased speed and took evasive manoeuvres, resulting in the pirates aborting the attempted attack and moving away. The crew and ship are safe.

Report says it occurred about 97 miles south of Bonny Island

Incident 2:

25.03.2020: 1006 UTC: Posn: 03:07.7N – 005:35.8E, Around 75nm SSW of Bayelsa, Nigeria.
Seven armed pirates in a black speed boat approached and attempted to board a bulk carrier underway. Alarm raised and all non-essential crew mustered in the citadel. Master activated SSAS alert, increased speed and commenced evasive manoeuvres, resulting in the pirates aborting the approach. Vessel and crew safe.

Incident 3:

22.03.2020: 0557 UTC: Posn: 00:33.21N – 008:25.21E, Around 62nm WNW of Libreville, Gabon.
Pirates boarded a container ship underway. Most crew managed to retreat into the citadel. Regional Authorities notified and assistance was dispatched to the ship. When the crew emerged from the citadel seven crew were reported missing.

Disaster Relief from the Sea

Vietnam Veterans Day 2020

Saturday Is Old Radio Day - "Masque of the Red Death" CBS Mystery Theater (1975)

A version of the classic Poe story.



You can read the original here.

Probably an lesson in here somewhere.

Friday Film: Lessons for CV19 - "Joan Avoids a Cold" (1947)

Yes, it may be hard for some young people to think about this, but there were infectious diseases back in the dark ages - uh - 1940's. Even later than that, when our school teachers were out sick, the AV gang would roll in a projector and pull down a screen and we'd get to watch movies designed to make us better human beings. Some were pretty good extended commercials for GE or GM or DuPont, others were from Coronet films, which were created in consultation with educators and so were usually hokey as all get out (a little slang from the past). Here's one on keeping yourself healthy when all those around you are dropping like flies.

For the Quarantined "Three Reactions to Shelter Life" (1964)

Yes, it was for "that time" when the Cold War went hot and people entered their shelters to live. However, it it an interesting look at what confinement at close quarters might do to some people: