Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

Trump should be leading, not lying.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Rupert, come get your orange boy, you petrified old dinosaur turd.

If you thought you’d already seen people saying the stupidest things possible on the internet, prepare yourselves.

Anne Laurie is a fucking hero in so many ways. ~ Betty Cracker

Hell hath no fury like a farmer bankrupted.

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / Open Thread: President Biden on Efforts to Address Supply Chain Bottlenecks (LIVE)

Open Thread: President Biden on Efforts to Address Supply Chain Bottlenecks (LIVE)

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President Biden meets with senior officials and stakeholders today to discuss collective efforts to address global transportation supply chain bottlenecks.  After he meets with them, the President will talk about these efforts.  Live.

I know this isn’t the most earth-shattering thing that is going on, but talking about evil Republicans is so wearing, so maybe it’s not a bad thing to talk about good government in action.

 

 

Reader Interactions

113Comments

  2. 2.

    zhena gogolia

    thank you. I too have to go now, but this is great.
    I was just thinking this morning, “I bet Joe is working on those supply chains.”

  3. 3.

    Joe Falco

    Good government in action is always a good thing to discuss and is one method to counteract Republican efforts to dismantle this country for fun and profit.

  5. 5.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I know this isn’t the most earth-shattering thing that is going on, but talking about evil Republicans is so wearing, so maybe it’s not a bad thing to talk about good government in action.

    maybe not earth-shattering, but damned important. “It’s the economy, stupid” only speaks to a part of the overall political picture, but it’s a big part. And Biden out talking about this, being seen as addressing a problem that’s affecting people in their real lives cuts through in a way the twitter/cable TV take industry doesn’t.
    Also:

    John Harwood @JohnJHarwood · 2h
    new CNN poll on how Americans view Biden’s performance in office:
    50% approve
    49% disapprove
    largely unchanged from August and September polls

  7. 7.

    Burnspbesq

    This is a big deal. This country is full of stupid people who don’t understand supply chains, and who will view Joe as the Grinch Who Stole Christmas if he doesn’t Do Something. They have no clue as to what he can do (not much, I expect), but he’s the Preznit, and by God it’s his job to Fix It!

    Sigh.

  8. 8.

    Kent

    Listening to NPR this morning (yes…I know, was driving to work).   They mentioned that the Ports of Long Beach and LA were finally getting organized to start working 24 hours/day.  Up until now they were shutting down at night despite having backlogs of dozens upon dozens of ships backlogged for weeks at a time.

    That just fucking astonishes me.  That it too until now until someone kicks them in the butt hard enough to get the ports operating 24/7.   Yes, I know there are other bottlenecks like having enough truck drivers and such.  But still.  That seems like low hanging fruit.

  9. 9.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @zhena gogolia:

    Every time I begin to toy with the notion that Dana Milbank isn’t quite the fucking imbecile I’ve long believed him to be, he writes a stoopid column like this and reconfirms my earliest impressions.

  10. 10.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Kent:

    hey mentioned that the Ports of Long Beach and LA were finally getting organized to start working 24 hours/day.  Up until now they were shutting down at night despite having backlogs of dozens upon dozens of ships backlogged for weeks at a time.

    That just fucking astonishes me.  That it too until now until someone kicks them in the butt hard enough to get the ports operating 24/7

    another way to put that:

    Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias 5h
    White House brokers deal for expanded operations at the Port of LA

  11. 11.

    What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

    Honestly, we have a super well funded military that we keep spending ever more of the national treasure on, and they’re not currently involved in any wars, and are also supposedly supply chain logistical geniuses of the highest order. They have ships, planes, and transport vehicles galore. Why not use that resource to straighten things out pronto? It would probably only take a couple of weeks for them to make a major impact and we might as well get something that has a major impact on everyone’s everyday lives for once, for all that money we’re spending.

  14. 14.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Kent: That is strange considering this has been going on for a year at lest. This isn’t some local zoning noise abatement law thing?

  15. 15.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    the thing is, you know Walker didn’t design this, probably didn’t even find it on line, the kind of people he (and trump, et al) surround themselves with found it, and brought it to him, and he said, “Oh yeah, let’s get that out there!”. And then somebody else he hired put out this statement. They didn’t even think to blame an intern!

    Brandon Friedman @BFriedmanDC
    Spokeswoman for Trump-endorsed Senate candidate Herschel Walker: This is not a swastika. “This is clearly an anti-mandatory vaccination graphic.”

  17. 17.

    Burnspbesq

    @Kent:

    Thank you for illustrating my point.

    The ports of LA and Long Beach are heavily unionized, with a long history of combative (to say the least) labor-management relations. It’s highly likely that the things you think should have happened instantaneously had to be bargained.

    There is also the matter of the Alameda Corridor, the rail link between the ports and the big intermodal yards east of Downtown. That’s a bottleneck at the best of times, and these are not the best of times.

  18. 18.

    Jeffro

    The Repubs are going to be soooooooo disappointed when this gets fixed and Christmas is saved…by a Democrat.  LOL

  21. 21.

    Another Scott

    Yet another take, from RollCall:

    The White House announced ahead of Wednesday’s meeting that the Port of Los Angeles would begin operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week to get the ships into port and unloaded. Nearby Port Long Beach already expanded to 24/7 operations in September, according to a White House official.

    Those two ports are the point of entry for 40 percent of the containers to the U.S. and have seen demand surge this year. The Port of Los Angeles saw 30 percent more container traffic through August of this year than in the same months of 2020. The Port of Long Beach saw a 28 percent increase through August from last year. Both ports saw a decline in traffic in 2020.

    Wal-Mart, FedEx and UPS also would move toward 24/7 operations, according to a White House senior official, while Samsung, Home Depot and Target would ramp up off-peak work hours to alleviate the backlog of freight.

    “By taking these steps, they’re saying to the rest of the supply chain, ‘You need to move, too. Let’s step it up,’” said a White House senior official.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  23. 23.

    trollhattan

    @Kent:

    Something I read just today: average containers/ship increase since 2019 is up at all major ports, with Long Beach being the ginormous outlier at 73%. Second highest increase was at Singapore: 27%.

    Explains a lot.

  24. 24.

    Betty Cracker

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Georgia will be the ultimate state Republican Party stress test in the face of Trump’s brainless meddling and petty spite. I don’t care what the party bosses say in public; they’ve got to be screaming into their pillows in private, watching that loose cannon roll around and flatten everything in his path.

  25. 25.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    @What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?: because these are businesses many with union employees and bringing in military people to work for a company in place of hired workers is a bad idea. Maybe be the companies should hire more people. Long haul truckers for instance have some crappy working conditions.

  26. 26.

    Baud

    True confessions: I have unreasonably romantic feelings toward all things involving the ocean, including shipping.  Cargo ships are fascinating.

  27. 27.

    taumaturgo

    Are you paying attention, Pelosi Schummer, Manchin, and Sinema: “We can’t pit child care against pre-K. We can’t pit pre-K against climate change. We can’t pit housing against immigration.” Japayal

  29. 29.

    Eolirin

    @taumaturgo: Of course Pelosi and Schumer are paying attention. They know what the fuck they’re doing. But none of it matters if Sinema and Manchin keep saying no.

  30. 30.

    What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

    @EmbraceYourInnerCrone: I’m not saying do it on a permanent basis, just for a few weeks to get the backlog sorted out. Yes I’m aware that working conditions and pay for long haul truck drivers leaves a lot to be desired. In the interim all the union guys can keep working too.

  31. 31.

    catfishncod

    I can’t watch the feed, but I am so very relieved that Team Biden is not only addressing this head-on but making a big deal out of it.

    This is much more than “oh no Biden’s cancelling Christmas”. Supply chain issues are causing cascading inefficiencies all over the economy, and are driving inflation as well. The economy will rot out from under us no matter how much the gubmint spends if stuff doesn’t get from A to B. This is a much bigger threat to the Administration’s success — and therefore the Republic’s survival — than momentary BS from Republicans, or even Manchinema.

  32. 32.

    The Dangerman

    Biden talking about JIT, Biden talking about the jab. I feel a limerick coming on.

    ETA: Just I’n Time

  34. 34.

    zhena gogolia

    @Baud: You can bet your last money it’s all gonna be a stone gas, honey. So as always in parting we wish you love . . . peace . . . and SOUL!

  35. 35.

    SFBayAreaGal

    @Baud: Me too. I love that I am only 10 minutes away from my favorite beach and pier. A great place to watch the whales migrating and the container ships off in the distance going or coming into the Gate.

    Right now, where I live, the fog is heavy enough that I can feel the mist on my face.

    This is home. I can’t see myself living anywhere else.

  36. 36.

    Cermet

    The port going 24/7 is beyond pointless; currently too many containers are already being unloaded, stacked and just sitting there – worse, they are burying other containers creating a bottle neck for removal. The issue is of course trucks/trains to take these containers away but more than that, where will these trucks/trains unload? That is creating another bottle neck – primary collecting/store facilities are overflowing with containers as well. The entire chain is in trouble; ignore the issues on the Chinese side, lack of additional containers and local warehouse labor issues. A perfect storm that isn’t gonna be addressed by focusing on one area of the chain.

  38. 38.

    zhena gogolia

    OT, The Hobbit is pretty nonsensical but Armitage is brilliant. I guess I’m going to have to watch the whole damn thing. Good thing Adam explained it to me.

  40. 40.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Ugh…My cousin just posted that “some got vaccinated, some didn’t.  Respect your peers.”

    I think it might be time to finally unfriend/block her.  The main reason I’m even friends with her is because I was pretty close with her late Mom and promised to stay in touch with her kids when she was dying of cancer, though honestly her Mom was also an Independent, Libertarian Democrat-hating gun-nut and I suspect if she were still with us, I would be completely estranged from her by now for a whole host of reasons (she probably woulda embraced Trump).

  43. 43.

    rikyrah

    @catfishncod:

     

    I can’t watch the feed, but I am so very relieved that Team Biden is not only addressing this head-on but making a big deal out of it.

     

    I appreciate the competence of 46 and his Administration.

  44. 44.

    Fair Economist

    @Cermet: The trains and trucks can load and unload 24/7 too, so port storage won’t be a bottleneck either. There will still be other bottlenecks, but once the containers are past the port routine interventions like overtime and rehiring retired workers become possible, or even transferring cargo to vans.

  45. 45.

    NotMax

    Have seen some scattered reports of DELAY surcharges being tacked on to shipping as well, both for in short supply refrigerated shipping (some reports from earlier in the year have referenced an additional $1000 per container) and also for the fuel above anticipated consumption while treading water awaiting dockage.

    Business budget layouts squeezing bottom lines for Dolt 45’s onerous tariffs ain’t helping things either. Just In Time has become Maybe In Time.

    edited

  46. 46.

    NotMax

    @NotMax

    Left out an important word within first sentence.

    Have seen some scattered reports of delay surcharges being tacked on to shipping as well

  47. 47.

    trollhattan

    Least-probable career fair presenter at the kid’s college. “Hey, let’s kick some MAGA ass together!”

    United States Capitol Police Info Session

    DATE & TIME:

    Tuesday, October 19, 2021 – 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

    LOCATION:
    Online

    DESCRIPTION:

     

    The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is located in Washington, D.C. and is looking for motivated individuals to fill Police Officer positions. The USCP safeguards the Congress, its legislative process, Members of Congress, visitors and facilities that include the Unites States Capitol Building. The UCSP comprises over 2,300 sworn and civilian personnel from nearly all 50 states and territories. A career with UCSP provides an excellent salary, federal benefits, tuition reimbursement and extensive career advancement opportunities.

    As a prospective applicant, I’d want to know whether kicking or welcoming MAGA ass is the current overarching management philosophy.

  48. 48.

    What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

    What’s frustrating is that this is not a government caused problem, yet the government is supposedly going to have to sort it out. And the news coverage is always well, jeeze, there’s these supply chain issues and they suck…but they never point out that it’s the titans of private industry who are to blame for fucking up.

    That’s a real problem with our society. When private industry fucks up royally, the press blame the government for not fixing it, and when the government fucks up they also blame the government. It’s another iteration of “nobody saw the sub prime lending crisis coming” and it’s always that the private sector is hyper competent and hyper efficient until it isn’t, and then somehow even though they cause a big problem it’s never really their fault. It’s always an “unprecedented” event and, to break out an old saw from days of yore around here hoocoodanode?

  49. 49.

    Kent

    @Baud: Apropos of nothing.  But I spend the first 20 years of my working life as a marine fisheries biologist with NOAA, and much of the early years working at sea, and the later years with a window office looking out over the ocean (or at least Gastineau Channel in downtown Juneau).

    What I discovered is that when I’m working at sea I spent much of my time looking to the land, and when I’m working on land I spend much of my time looking to the sea.  Grass is always greener I guess.  There is probably a poem or fable or something in there if I was literate enough to find it.

  50. 50.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Jeffro: Already did.  But thinking about Unfriending too.  We aren’t close.  And honestly she adds nothing to my life.

  55. 55.

    narya

    @Kent: I love NOAA. They changed their radar thingy last year, and I haaaaaate the new version. I told them so, and actually got a response. Apparently I’m not the only one who hated it, and it has improved a bit. But I still love NOAA–the very first bookmark on any new browser/computer is my weather (longitude/latitude, so it’s as close to my actual home as possible). And I have pointed a zillion people to them for the weather.

  56. 56.

    What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

    @Shalimar:  I think you answered your own question. The Post Office is not currently equipped to do more than it’s doing.

    I’m surprised at how much pushback people on here are giving me for suggesting we use the military to resolve this crisis, given the gobs of money we throw at the military industrial complex year after year. Don’t you people want them to do something more useful than drop bombs somewhere? We give them SO MUCH money. Is having them help us out of this jam somehow a bad thing and I’m just not seeing it?

  58. 58.

    Mike in NC

    We’ve traveled a few times this year and discovered that everything is broken: airlines, car rental agencies, hotels, and restaurants. All are short of workers and overburdened. Along with supply chains, it will take time to fix.

  59. 59.

    Another Scott

    One for Kay and Adam – RollCall:

    Groups pushing for voting rights and elections legislation in the Senate are planning a sustained campaign over the coming weeks, aiming to put the issue top of mind for Democrats, even as other matters have dominated in the chamber.

    A broad coalition of liberal organizations will organize regular demonstrations outside the White House, other rallies and a multimodal relay from West Virginia to the U.S. Capitol. The effort is part of a push to keep the measures high on the agenda as negotiations over a reconciliation package, an infrastructure bill and raising the nation’s debt limit have taken center stage.

    “We’re going to keep up and escalate pressure throughout this month and throughout November,” said Jana Morgan, director of the Declaration for American Democracy Coalition, an umbrella group behind the advocacy push.

    The group has been pushing for passage of two bills. One is a scaled-back version of a House-passed measure to overhaul elections and campaign finance laws. Dubbed the Freedom to Vote Act, it was endorsed by West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III. The other is the Senate version of a House-passed bill to restore major sections of the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court scrapped in a 2013 decision, Shelby County v. Holder.

    A Senate Judiciary panel’s hearing on that bill, named for the late Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, was interrupted last week by votes and caucus meetings over the debt limit.

    […]

    https://dfadcoalition.org/ – they claim 230+ member organizations (including lots of well-known names).

    Good, good.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  61. 61.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Jeffro: Me too.  That’s usually my first step.  She’s one of those apolitical types, who generally hasn’t said shit about Covid aside from one whiny post about how vaccination is a “personal decision.”  She’s not very bright, has zero critical thinking and is totally selfish.  Sadly this is mostly the norm in my family.  Anyways, the fact that THIS is the thing that bothers her (people not being nice enough to plague rats) is really tempting me to sever all ties with her.

  62. 62.

    MomSense

    @zhena gogolia:

    I think there is a new Netflix series coming out in December.  It should be good.  I keep forgetting to download some of his audio books.  That voice is divine.

  63. 63.

    CaseyL

    @Mike in NC: I wonder if the amount if broken-ness depends on where one travels, and/or how long ago one made reservations.

    I flew to Maine, road-tripped there for 7 days (rental car, hotels, B&Bs, went to national and state parks) and had no trouble at all.

    But I made most of my reservations back in March… for a late Sept/early Oct trip.

  66. 66.

    zhena gogolia

    @MomSense: I haven’t gotten into the audio books yet. I fear that’s a slippery slope! I still have multiple episodes of Robin Hood, MI-5, and Berlin Station to watch, not to mention The Hobbit plus multiple rewatchings of North and South, Sparkhouse, and Vicar of Dibley! Plus Uncle Vanya.

  68. 68.

    MomSense

    @Baud:

    I love the ocean but I am also terrified of it. I only kayak in groups because it can be overwhelming even in relatively shallow ocean.

    A kayaker acquaintance of mine was in a terrible accident while rock gardening. He used to kayak with our group but we all felt he was too reckless and we didn’t feel safe.  He ended up kayaking with another group, did something incredibly reckless and fortunately one of the other paddlers was able to save him.  Most of the others just watched helplessly as he was bashed by waves into rocks.

    Anyway it’s going to be a looong time before he does anything.  Lots of big bones have to heal.

  71. 71.

    StringOnAStick

    @UncleEbeneezer: We ditched some long term friends recently over similar issues, issues that I think come down to empathy at some level.  These old friends were advocating for genocide of the homeless, referred to us as “libtards”, at which point we decided that they are now ex-friends.  I blocked them from any social media and I almost erased their phone numbers but didn’t so I’d knew who it was if they ever call again, which I don’t expect but I’d rather not be surprised.  It’s OK to remove toxic people from your life.

  74. 74.

    Gvg

    @What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?: We don’t give the actual military as much money as you think. We give contractors a lot, but even there I don’t think it approaches what we used to spend.

    The military is currently over worked and over committed. Getting out of Afghanistan is just the first thing we needed to do. Ever since Bush II we have been deploying them way to much. They need a period of rest and rebuild, especially the Navy. Recall the ship collisions in the news.

    our aircraft and navy are old and need replacing in stages. I don’t know enough, but from what I do hear from experts, our procurement process needs rebuilding, it’s wasteful and inefficient.

    using our military for supply chain problems could only be done short term. To actually fix the problem so it doesn’t come back as soon as the Administration turns to the next problem, we can’t wate time on stopgaps like our military. We have to actually fix the causes in the chain as it exists.

  75. 75.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @Barbara: I think it depends on what the troops could be asked to help with. Supply lines, transport, and logistics are things they skills in.

  77. 77.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @StringOnAStick: Oh yeah, I would TOTALLY ditch anyone like that.  I’m totally fine with cutting problematic people out of my life and have already done so with many.  I’m just bummed because with my Dad (who still won’t get vaccinated) that now only leaves my sister as the only remotely cool family member.

  82. 82.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Heads up, Nutmeggers! You need to seal your border with (checks notes) Brazil! Thousands of (checks notes again) rich Brazilians are trying to replace (checks notes again, shrugs) the owners of the McMansions of Fairfield County?

    The Recount @therecount
    Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) bizarrely claims 40,000 Brazilians heading for Connecticut “wearing designer clothes and Gucci bags” illegally crossed the border: “This is not economic migration anymore.”

    for twenty plus years, this man held the number two speed-dial position on the phones of the bookers of the blessed Sunday Shows

  85. 85.

    Another Scott

    Meanwhile, …

    In statement, [TFG] says Republicans won't vote in 2022 and 2024 unless the Republican Party makes the "Presidential Election Fraud of 2020" its top priority.

    — Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) October 13, 2021

    nycsouthpaw’s gif reply.

    TFG has incurable butthurt and, just like in the Georgia run-offs, he’s a boat anchor on the neck of the GQP.

    Good, good.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  88. 88.

    Quiltingfool

    @narya:  I love NOAA too! And I’m very glad to find out I’m not the only one who hates the radar change. I always read the forecast discussion; I took a meteorology class in college and I enjoyed it. In another life, I think I would have liked working for NWS or NOAA.

  89. 89.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us

    @Burnspbesq: The military moves everything from missiles and tanks to MREs and socks…seems likely they have the expertise and equipment to move just about anything.

  92. 92.

    Dan B

    @StringOnAStick: We ditched some immediate family a few years back.  They essentially told us us gay people had plenty of rights and those would never be overturned.  It’s an easy choice to drop people when they show you they don’t care about you and might not care if your survival is at stake.  They probably didn’t understand that Reagan shafted LGBTQ people during AIDS.

  97. 97.

    trollhattan

    Monsters among us. NB, not the wolves.

    Conservation groups have expressed outrage after the US Department of Agriculture revealed it killed eight young wolves in an Idaho forest.

    The pups were part of the Timberline pack, a group of wild wolves tracked and studied since 2003 by students at the local high school in Boise.

    Federal officials have defended their actions as a “necessary” measure in reducing the predators’ population.

    But local wildlife groups say wolves are “under attack” in the region.

    Earlier this year, lobbied by the livestock ranching community, Republican-dominated legislatures in Idaho and Montana passed measures that made it easier to hunt and kill wolves.

    Idaho’s version of the law allows hunters to kill an unlimited number of wolves each year, up from a 15-wolf annual limit, and triples the budget for population control efforts.

    Under the terms of the legislation, wolves can be baited into snares, aerially gunned down via aircraft and even mowed over by hunters in ATVs or other motorised vehicles.

    Environmental groups have warned the aggressive tactics will whittle down Idaho’s wolf population by 90%, from roughly 1,500 to 150, which is the minimum limit enshrined by a 2002 conservation law.

    The Timberline wolf pack – unofficially “adopted” by students at Boise’s Timberline High School over the past 18 years – appears to have been among the targets. Their den, on public lands in Boise National Forest, was found empty this spring.

    An official from the Agriculture Department confirmed federal agents had killed the animals in order to force the adult wolves to relocate.

    Grey wolves were once nearly wiped out across the contiguous US.

    The Endangered Species Act of 1974 created federal protections that saved the species from extinction and led to sustained population recovery efforts.

    But the animals were delisted by the Trump administration last October and management of the species has since fallen to the states.

    Supporter of the Idaho wolf-culling law have said wolves pose a threat to wildlife, particularly cows, sheep and other livestock.

    Van Burtenshaw, the state senator and livestock dealer who introduced the bill, said reducing the wolf population would benefit “our cattlemen, our woolgrowers and outfitters”, as well as the big game hunters forced to compete with the wolves.
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58887928

    Cows are “wildlife.” Good to know. Bastards.

  99. 99.

    jonas

    @Kent: ​
      Almost certainly the shipping companies not wanting to pay for more longshoremen and overtime unless they were forced to. Those guys make like $200,000 a year.

  100. 100.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: No kidding!  If there’s even a grain of truth to the “40k people with fancy shoes” story, it’s because the Rs paid the people to go and bought them the fancy shoes.

  104. 104.

    Another Scott

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us: The DOD has things like SDDC for moving stuff all over the world, and that includes containers (apparently usually by commercial outfits), but operating a commercial container port is a different kettle of fish.

    The USA has 55.5M TEU throughput (TEU = 20 foot equivalent container units) – 6.8% of the world capacity.

    There’s a lot of complexity in figuring out how to move those boxes efficiently off a ship with minimal handling and stacking and get them where they need to go quickly.

    Port of Los Angeles has some stats and drone camera footage of the various facilities.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  105. 105.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Quiltingfool: Have you read the book Isaac’s Storm about the Galveston hurricane? Like most Larson novels, one of its side stories deals with the weather service and the snafus that led to the lack of warning. It’s a decent read.

  106. 106.

    wenchacha

    @SFBayAreaGal: I stayed at an airbnb on Guerrero at 26th for six weeks this summer. I loved watching the fog come in the evenings, sometimes staying around all day. I would love to live there.

  110. 110.

    J R in WV

    Regarding the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Adding hours to keep them operating 24/7 around the clock sound good. Now many hours of OT will the Longshoremen be not just willing but able to work without exhaustion causing fatal accidents from errors?

    Youtube has interesting video of terrible accidents at port facilities where ships and giant cranes interact in ways not contemplated by designers.

    Plus we see giant trains loaded with containers parked on sidings all over the south-west for weeks sometimes. So the freight backup isn’t just at the ports themselves… they’re everywhere cargo is handled from the actual coast all the way to the eventual destinations.

  113. 113.

    MoCaAce

    @narya: They changed their radar thingy last year, and I haaaaaate the new version.

    It’s painfully slow to load… even on the high speed fiber optic line at work.  But at least its more confusing!

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