ALF

The shipping crisis is getting worse. Here's what that means for holiday shopping The vast network of ports, container vessels and trucking companies that moves goods around the world is badly tangled, and the cost of shipping is skyrocketing. That's troubling news for retailers and holiday shoppers. More than 18 months into the pandemic, the disruption to global supply chains is getting worse, spurring shortages of consumer products and making it more expensive for companies to ship goods where they're needed. "The pressures on global supply chains have not eased, and we do not expect them to any time soon," said Bob Biesterfeld, the CEO of C.H. Robinson, one of the world's largest logistics firms. The latest obstacle is in China, where a terminal at the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port south of Shanghai has been shut since August 11 after a dock worker tested positive for Covid-19. Major international shipping lines, including Maersk (AMKBY), Hapag-Lloyd (HPGLY) and CMA CGM have adjusted schedules to avoid the port and are warning customers of delays. https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/23/business/global-supply-chains-christmas-shipping/index.html

Taliban: No extension to foreign troop deadline for evacuations The armed group warns of ‘consequences’ if the foreign troops delay their withdrawal over the ongoing evacuation of citizens and vulnerable Afghans . The Taliban will not agree to an extension of the evacuation mission from Afghanistan, a spokesman for the group told British news channel Sky News. The move would mean “extending occupation” and that is “a red line”, Suhail Shaheen, a member of the Taliban delegation in Doha, the capital of Qatar, said on Monday. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/23/afghan-guard-killed-in-armed-clash-at-kabul-airport-live-news

Hope he can stay here long term, Frank Reich II

Put all the tall players in the middle to block a FG

Massive veterans group uses intel, satellite images to direct Afghan interpreters around Taliban checkpoints "We’ve had intel analysts who have come and started doing satellite imagery analysis and actually putting together products for people where they’re mapping out Taliban checkpoints in real time using social media data" to provide safe routes to the airport, Zeller told Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/world/afghan-interpreters-veterans-roadmaps-satellite-imagery-taliban-checkpoints US intel agencies should have been doing this from the start

Fact-checking the battle for credit over Pfizer's vaccine announcement It's true that Pfizer, unlike some other pharmaceutical companies, did not accept federal money for research into a coronavirus vaccine. Pfizer, unlike these competitors, is not getting payments up front even before proving its effort has been successful. https://www.cbs58.com/news/fact-checking-the-battle-for-credit-over-pfizers-vaccine-announcement Unless you have a update for this story

Insurance companies battle their clients over the coronavirus The legal and legislative fight over how much insurance companies must pay for coronavirus-related losses is just starting, and it's likely to get uglier. Why it matters: COVID-19 is, as one insurance industry executive puts it, "the biggest insured loss event in history." For many companies, a successful insurance claim will make the difference between staying in business or going bust. In an April 21 op-ed in the WSJ, Chubb CEO Evan Greenberg said forcing insurers to pay out all pandemic-related claims would "would bankrupt the insurance industry to prop up other parts of the economy," like small business. Nationally, most of the insurance industry supports an alternative proposal that would shift responsibility for pandemic losses onto the federal government, much like the National Flood Insurance Program does. https://www.axios.com/insurance-companies-vs-business-coronavirus-946b8cd3-ac29-401f-b548-98ef7dcaa0c1.html

GOP Rep. Mo Brooks slammed by fellow lawmakers for statement about D.C. bomb threat suspect “Although this terrorist’s motivation is not yet publicly known, and generally speaking, I understand citizenry anger directed at dictatorial Socialism and its threat to liberty, freedom and the very fabric of American society,” Brooks tweeted. “The way to stop Socialism’s march is for patriotic Americans to fight back in the 2022 and 2024 election.” Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., responded to the statement in a tweet, calling it “evil.” https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/gop-rep-mo-brooks-slammed-fellow-lawmakers-statement-d-c-n1277212

That would cause a bloodbath of Americans and Afghans who have to leave. The only option is to bargain with the Taliban to stop checkpoints , let us return to Bagram air base and other airports to evacuate. Let US man gates to Kabul airport and the others. I gave up on Biden after this disaster.

Singapore sentences Briton to six weeks in prison for not wearing face mask https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/18/asia/singapore-briton-jailed-mask-intl-hnk/index.html

I bet China will go there and do the mining, control the lithium battery market .

The Taliban are sitting on $1 trillion worth of minerals the world desperately needs Supplies of minerals such as iron, copper and gold are scattered across the country. There are also rare earth minerals and, perhaps most importantly, what could be one of the world's biggest untapped deposits of lithium — an essential but scarce component in rechargeable batteries and other technologies vital to tackling the climate crisis. https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/18/business/afghanistan-lithium-rare-earths-mining/index.html

6'7" 249lbs 4.59 / 40 101/4 " hands https://www.nfl.com/prospects/tyree-jackson/32004a41-4361-1082-9c52-07385a4368c9

US lab stands on threshold of key nuclear fusion goal An experiment suggests the goal of "ignition", where the energy released by fusion exceeds that delivered by the laser, is now within touching distance. Harnessing fusion, the process that powers the Sun, could provide a limitless, clean energy source. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58252784 This and Hydrogen fuel cells have potential

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tests positive for Covid-19 Abbott, a Republican, is fully vaccinated against the virus, his office said in a statement, adding that he is tested daily and this is his first positive result. He is currently isolated in the governor's mansion and is receiving Regeneron's monoclonal antibody treatment, the statement said. Abbott is in good health and not currently experiencing any symptoms https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/17/politics/texas-governor-greg-abbott-covid-19/index.html

When college and High School let out for the summer they were not going to get unemployment benefits. Most states stopped the added benefit. When those benefits run out for the rest of the states then what is the excuse for a labor shortage ?

You claim to know the answer before you ask a question so enlighten us .

Texas requests five mortuary trailers during Covid-19 surge https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/17/us/texas-covid-surge-mortuary-trailers/index.html

Baby boomers retired . The Mexican workers at a local Wal Mart all left for higher paying jobs.

Neither Biden or Harris will get the nomination in 2024 . So far I like Joe Manchin a real moderate.

The supply chain is still a disaster , lack of workers and rising wages to attract scarce workers all thanks to covid.

House Democrats are in a "difficult position" over infrastructure because of a series of politically charged votes Senate Republicans forced last week on the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill, according to a new memo authored by Sen. Mitch McConnell's team. Among the measures Republicans listed as successes are GOP amendments to block federal funds from being used to promote the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT), another to prohibit the Biden administration from banning hydraulic fracturing and a third to ban taxpayer dollars for funding abortions. In one instance not mentioned in the memo, Democrats rejoiced at the chance to go on the record and support Sen. Tommy Tuberville's amendment against defunding the police. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said he wanted to give Tuberville a "hug" for putting to rest "scurrilous" accusations that Senate Democrats want to strip law enforcement of money. The final vote on that was unanimous approval – 99-0. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mcconnell-memo-infrastructure-house-democrats-difficult-position

So much for US intelligence and military planning, unless they wanted Biden to look really bad on purpose.

President Ghani leaves Afghanistan amid imminent Taliban takeover https://www.aljazeera.com/

Fields looked good for a rookie passing and running imo.