1. Berlin reported that 200,000 face masks requested by the city's police force were never delivered, with a German official accusing the U.S. government of using "Wild West methods" to cause the diversion.
The FFP-2 masks were reportedly already paid for by Berlin police and came from U.S. firm 3M shipping out of China, according to The Washington Post.
The masks only made it to Bangkok before the shipment was "confiscated," according to Andreas Geisel, senator for the interior in Berlin, Reuters reported.
"We consider this an act of modern piracy," Geisel said in a statement. "This is not how you deal with transatlantic partners. Even in times of global crisis, Wild West methods shouldn't rule."....
A Brazilian health official also reported missing equipment and abandoned orders from China after the U.S. government deployed 20 cargo planes to the country to purchase the same material goods....
Source: https://thehill.com/policy/internat...ses-us-of-wild-west-tactics-after-shipment-of
2. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has warned Donald Trump that his decision to stop a US manufacturing company from sending respirators to Canada could prompt retaliatory measures.
The Trump administration ordered 3M, a Minnesota-based manufacturer of protective healthcare equipment, to stop exporting protective masks to Canada and Latin America on Thursday....
Mr Trump said Wednesday that he used the Defence Production Act, a Korean War-era law, to compel 3M to sell its equipment to the US government.
“We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their Masks. ‘P Act’ all the way,” Mr Trump wrote on Twitter. “Big surprise to many in government as to what they were doing — will have a big price to pay!” he added....
3M said it had been asked by the White House to limit exports of protective equipment manufactured in the US to Canada and Latin America, which the company opposed on “humanitarian grounds.”....
Source: https://www.msn.com/en-sg/news/worl...-canadian-doctors/ar-BB128Nrw?ocid=spartandhp
3. It's "every man for himself", or rather, "every country for itself (and the devil takes the hindmost)" in Trump's "America First" policy especially at the moment of crisis. To Trump's America, there is no difference between foes and allies. Trump has invoked the Defence Production Act to block 3M mask exports and grab masks from 3M overseas customers even though they had already been paid for their orders. From its quiet, low-key, almost secretive way of purchasing 20 (or 22?) planeloads of medical equipment from China, it seems that the US is trying to buy up all medical supplies from abroad including China (Just forget about tariffs on Chinese medical equipment at the moment.)
The German official's accusation against the US of committing "an act of modern piracy" brings to mind my political satire on "Captain Shrimp Roe" from "The Old Man of the Mountain" series.
4. Narrator: After walking many miles along a coastal area, the priest found a middle-aged man lying on a sandy beach. He seemed to be unconscious and his clothes were heavily clogged with water. The priest squatted down and patted him gently on the shoulder. After a while, the man slowly opened his eyes.
Priest: Dude, why are you lying here?
Middle-aged man: I have been drifting in the sea, I suppose, for several days.
Priest: Please elaborate on how you end up lying here.
Middle-aged man: I came from a remote pirate stronghold which was besieged by government troops, I think, about a week ago. After a fierce battle, the pirate chief nicknamed Captain Shrimp Roe and 19 other pirates managed to escape from the island in a small boat. Before boarding the boat, Captain Shrimp Roe gave an order that nobody, except himself and two other pirate lords, was allowed to carry weapons onboard.
On the way to another island, a storm appeared out of nowhere and the boat was tossed about in the huge waves. Captain Shrimp Roe ordered the other two pirate lords to draw their swords, saying: "To put it simply, we are standing at the crossroads of immense promise and great peril. It is entirely up to us whether we lift ourselves to new heights above the waves or let ourselves suck into the maelstrom of disrepair. As the chief of the pirates, I will always put our gang first.
In order to survive the storm, we have to reduce the load on the boat. Both of you have to force the unarmed men to jump into the sea. You should know how to deal with them if they put up stubborn resistance.”
Priest: So you were one of the unarmed pirates thrown overboard to lighten the boat, but you are lucky enough to survive in the end.
Middle-aged man: No, I am not an ordinary pirate but a pirate lord. As I was third in the leadership lineup, I had to obey Captain Shrimp Roe's command. The other pirate lord and I had no choice but help him slay all those unarmed pirates who refused to jump overboard.
Priest: Please tell me how you end up drifting in the sea.
Middle-aged man: At first, I thought the bloodshed was over with only three men remained onboard. Captain Shrimp Roe, however, said: "It's not over because the storm is not over. As a human, I will always put myself first, just like you, as humans, will always, and should always, put yourselves first."
Priest: I suppose you and the other pirate lord had engaged in a life-and-death struggle with Captain Shrimp Roe before you ended up drifting in the sea.
Middle-aged man: In the final battle, three of us stood on the boat with our swords drawn. The other two were standing at each end of the boat, while I was the unfortunate one to stand between them. Captain Shrimp Roe told me: "My dearest best friend, I can't bear to kill you with my own hands. Among the three of us, you are the least-skilled in swordsmanship, but you are the best swimmer of the gang. Hence you have a better chance of survival if you choose to jump overboard than to die under my sword."
While I was hesitating whether to swim or fight, I did not notice that he was inching towards me. Suddenly he gave me a kick and I fell overboard. I let go of my sword, and swam as hard as I could to stay atop the huge waves. As I drifted further and further away from the boat, the last thing I heard was the noise of clashing swords, shouting and screaming.
Priest: Do you know who the final victor is?
Middle-aged man: God knows. I was fortunate enough to cling to a piece of driftwood in the choppy seas. I was in a semi-conscious state, losing all sense of time. When I felt my body hitting something hard, I found myself lying here. I suppose I have been washed up ashore after drifting for several days in the sea. I was so exhausted that I fell into a deep slumber until I felt your warm hand on my shoulder....
The FFP-2 masks were reportedly already paid for by Berlin police and came from U.S. firm 3M shipping out of China, according to The Washington Post.
The masks only made it to Bangkok before the shipment was "confiscated," according to Andreas Geisel, senator for the interior in Berlin, Reuters reported.
"We consider this an act of modern piracy," Geisel said in a statement. "This is not how you deal with transatlantic partners. Even in times of global crisis, Wild West methods shouldn't rule."....
A Brazilian health official also reported missing equipment and abandoned orders from China after the U.S. government deployed 20 cargo planes to the country to purchase the same material goods....
Source: https://thehill.com/policy/internat...ses-us-of-wild-west-tactics-after-shipment-of
2. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has warned Donald Trump that his decision to stop a US manufacturing company from sending respirators to Canada could prompt retaliatory measures.
The Trump administration ordered 3M, a Minnesota-based manufacturer of protective healthcare equipment, to stop exporting protective masks to Canada and Latin America on Thursday....
Mr Trump said Wednesday that he used the Defence Production Act, a Korean War-era law, to compel 3M to sell its equipment to the US government.
“We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their Masks. ‘P Act’ all the way,” Mr Trump wrote on Twitter. “Big surprise to many in government as to what they were doing — will have a big price to pay!” he added....
3M said it had been asked by the White House to limit exports of protective equipment manufactured in the US to Canada and Latin America, which the company opposed on “humanitarian grounds.”....
Source: https://www.msn.com/en-sg/news/worl...-canadian-doctors/ar-BB128Nrw?ocid=spartandhp
3. It's "every man for himself", or rather, "every country for itself (and the devil takes the hindmost)" in Trump's "America First" policy especially at the moment of crisis. To Trump's America, there is no difference between foes and allies. Trump has invoked the Defence Production Act to block 3M mask exports and grab masks from 3M overseas customers even though they had already been paid for their orders. From its quiet, low-key, almost secretive way of purchasing 20 (or 22?) planeloads of medical equipment from China, it seems that the US is trying to buy up all medical supplies from abroad including China (Just forget about tariffs on Chinese medical equipment at the moment.)
The German official's accusation against the US of committing "an act of modern piracy" brings to mind my political satire on "Captain Shrimp Roe" from "The Old Man of the Mountain" series.
4. Narrator: After walking many miles along a coastal area, the priest found a middle-aged man lying on a sandy beach. He seemed to be unconscious and his clothes were heavily clogged with water. The priest squatted down and patted him gently on the shoulder. After a while, the man slowly opened his eyes.
Priest: Dude, why are you lying here?
Middle-aged man: I have been drifting in the sea, I suppose, for several days.
Priest: Please elaborate on how you end up lying here.
Middle-aged man: I came from a remote pirate stronghold which was besieged by government troops, I think, about a week ago. After a fierce battle, the pirate chief nicknamed Captain Shrimp Roe and 19 other pirates managed to escape from the island in a small boat. Before boarding the boat, Captain Shrimp Roe gave an order that nobody, except himself and two other pirate lords, was allowed to carry weapons onboard.
On the way to another island, a storm appeared out of nowhere and the boat was tossed about in the huge waves. Captain Shrimp Roe ordered the other two pirate lords to draw their swords, saying: "To put it simply, we are standing at the crossroads of immense promise and great peril. It is entirely up to us whether we lift ourselves to new heights above the waves or let ourselves suck into the maelstrom of disrepair. As the chief of the pirates, I will always put our gang first.
In order to survive the storm, we have to reduce the load on the boat. Both of you have to force the unarmed men to jump into the sea. You should know how to deal with them if they put up stubborn resistance.”
Priest: So you were one of the unarmed pirates thrown overboard to lighten the boat, but you are lucky enough to survive in the end.
Middle-aged man: No, I am not an ordinary pirate but a pirate lord. As I was third in the leadership lineup, I had to obey Captain Shrimp Roe's command. The other pirate lord and I had no choice but help him slay all those unarmed pirates who refused to jump overboard.
Priest: Please tell me how you end up drifting in the sea.
Middle-aged man: At first, I thought the bloodshed was over with only three men remained onboard. Captain Shrimp Roe, however, said: "It's not over because the storm is not over. As a human, I will always put myself first, just like you, as humans, will always, and should always, put yourselves first."
Priest: I suppose you and the other pirate lord had engaged in a life-and-death struggle with Captain Shrimp Roe before you ended up drifting in the sea.
Middle-aged man: In the final battle, three of us stood on the boat with our swords drawn. The other two were standing at each end of the boat, while I was the unfortunate one to stand between them. Captain Shrimp Roe told me: "My dearest best friend, I can't bear to kill you with my own hands. Among the three of us, you are the least-skilled in swordsmanship, but you are the best swimmer of the gang. Hence you have a better chance of survival if you choose to jump overboard than to die under my sword."
While I was hesitating whether to swim or fight, I did not notice that he was inching towards me. Suddenly he gave me a kick and I fell overboard. I let go of my sword, and swam as hard as I could to stay atop the huge waves. As I drifted further and further away from the boat, the last thing I heard was the noise of clashing swords, shouting and screaming.
Priest: Do you know who the final victor is?
Middle-aged man: God knows. I was fortunate enough to cling to a piece of driftwood in the choppy seas. I was in a semi-conscious state, losing all sense of time. When I felt my body hitting something hard, I found myself lying here. I suppose I have been washed up ashore after drifting for several days in the sea. I was so exhausted that I fell into a deep slumber until I felt your warm hand on my shoulder....
