Global Supply Chain Crisis 2021: Megathread - A cozy thread for watching the supply chain fall apart just in time for the holidays

[contradiction of terns]

i’m curious as to what the “food issues” are of 23% of americans. is it not having access to food they need (keyword: need) or is it that the store only had the family sized potato chips and not the party sized?

I see a lot of confusion surrounding what food insecurity is and who uses food pantries/EBT in the thread, so please do not take this as me calling you out personally. You responded directly to my post and asked for more information, so it seemed like the best choice of things to respond to with an explanation.

The answer to your question is that 'it depends.' Some large majority of the people who experience food instability are elderly people on fixed incomes that do not keep up with the rate of inflation. I'm listing this group first because I genuinely hope the people stereotyping all recipients of food pantry charity as fat slobs and moochers see that they're largely insulting cripples and grandparents and feel at least mildly ashamed.

However, these stereotypes do exist for a reason, so I'll address that by answering the question someone asked about why we don't see massive inner city riots when the food pantries run out of food.

Food pantries are direct charity that the government generally has no role in outside of giving them the bog standard tax deduction that most churches and community outreach programs enjoy. For the most part people who make use of food pantries are poor rural whites, or people from rural communities where there's an in-group bias against 'being on the dole.' These people genuinely need assistance and don't want to siphon your tax dollars to feed their children. Even if they did riot (which they are generally too well heeled to do) you wouldn't hear about it, because no one covers 'riots' in the wilderness of Idaho.

The stereotype of the fat person getting food assistance comes from low income minorities and illegals who get government assistance. These communities tend to have no in-group bias against government issued welfare because 'gibs me dat.' These are the hispanic women you see who weigh 400 lbs because they fill their carts with as much cheap garbage as their EBT card will allow them to purchase. If you want to call them roaches be my guest; I have yet to see anyone from this group better themselves using all the handouts they are given.

Just, please, don't conflate the three groups, as they are very different demographics (with minor occasional overlap) and I can tell you from having known people who needed to use a food pantry (as well as from speaking with food pantry volunteers) that it isn't something they enjoy or are proud of.

Here is a National Institute of Health article about how food insecurity is assessed.
Here is a website that lists the survey questions people are asked when measuring food insecurity in the general population.
Here is a breakdown of the statistics for food insecurity by age, household type, and ethnicity.

Keep in mind there are multiple categories of 'food insecurity' from 'I cannot afford nutritious food' to 'I have to skip meals because I'm poor.' It's a complex issue and that's why I hate seeing it reduced to 'Hur hur hur, fat lady with EBT card says she can't afford to eat.'

I'll pack up my soapbox and shut up now. Sorry.

Everything that's ruining my weekend is ruining America:

I'm sorry to hear about your truck and hope that you are able to get it somewhere secure and make it home safe. I had thought that you owned an older model truck without a DEF sensor due to some of what you said earlier in the thread, but I was apparently mistaken and now I just feel really terrible that your truck broke down.

 

[Sped Xing]

I'm sorry to hear about your truck and hope that you are able to get it somewhere secure and make it home safe. I had thought that you owned an older model truck without a DEF sensor due to some of what you said earlier in the thread, but I was apparently mistaken and now I just feel really terrible that your truck broke down.

No worries, I finally made it home in a new lease. I doubt I'll see that truck again. I'm not an owner operator. You may have been thinking of someone else on the older model, or I may have mentioned the old freightshaker I had previously. Thanks for the well wishes.

the Air Force uses the B-52 despite it being almost 50 years old

I just want to say, as an elder respecter, that the B-52 is 69 years old, not "almost 50."

The band, "The B-52s" is 45.

 

[Jump]

Ironically, some government agencies don't buy into this nonsense and are still using ancient-ass computers and programs running on ancient-ass code because it works. Probably the same reason the Air Force uses the B-52 despite it being almost 50 years old and plans to use it for another 30 years or more.

They use the old stuff like B52's and 1960's IBM mainframes because the US military industrial complex cant build big things anymore. To much corruption. Big government contracts just turn in to massive boondoggles that run decades over timefame and billions over budget. No one in involved wants the projecte to actually end because that would stop grift so shit just drags on forever. And if the projected does actually finish the end result is always total shit.

 

[Michael Janke]

Those ancient computers are a liability in their own way because there is just zero replacement parts for when they fail.

i always thought the point of those computers is that they are impossible to hack, since they dont connect to the internet or have any wireless connectability at all
maybe when they fail, they'll be replaced with lates 80's commodore computers?

 

[Ancient Pioneer]

i always thought the point of those computers is that they are impossible to hack, since they dont connect to the internet or have any wireless connectability at all
maybe when they fail, they'll be replaced with lates 80's commodore computers?

No, they use them because it works and has a high degree of reliability. Its become quite a problem because these ancient systems have literally no replacement parts so when a circuit board goes down when rebooted it requires the military to send people rooting through literal trash piles at E-recycle places and browsing Ebay or Craigslist for the off chance someone is selling a 1979 Xtrovac Plus Plus Model B. The notion that "the old stuff never fails" is misguided at best, if you run modern gear you have the ability to just pull a replacement unit from the warehouse. I think there is also a fair bit of caution going on with these systems as well, they're all manufactured in China or Taiwan and you don't want them pulling off a Stuxnet level event with prebaked malicious firmware. This is a direct consequence of outsourcing almost all chip production, the government cannot trust the computers they use for sensitive material.

 

[Zbk3VmLfujjzjxBd43tL]

i always thought the point of those computers is that they are impossible to hack, since they dont connect to the internet or have any wireless connectability at all
maybe when they fail, they'll be replaced with lates 80's commodore computers?

If that ever was the reason, it isn't anymore. Remember the oil pipeline ransomware from earlier this year? I'm amazed they haven't replaced those old computers already to connect them to the internet because some model somewhere shows it will increase efficiency by 2% which will create 1000 new jobs and grow our GDP by 0.01% and there's "essentially no risk" of hacking or ransomware because the government installed Norton on it.

 

[Michael Janke]

No, they use them because it works and has a high degree of reliability. Its become quite a problem because these ancient systems have literally no replacement parts so when a circuit board goes down when rebooted it requires the military to send people rooting through literal trash piles at E-recycle places and browsing Ebay or Craigslist for the off chance someone is selling a 1979 Xtrovac Plus Plus Model B. The notion that "the old stuff never fails" is misguided at best, if you run modern gear you have the ability to just pull a replacement unit from the warehouse. I think there is also a fair bit of caution going on with these systems as well, they're all manufactured in China or Taiwan and you don't want them pulling off a Stuxnet level event with prebaked malicious firmware. This is a direct consequence of outsourcing almost all chip production, the government cannot trust the computers they use for sensitive material.

i wonder if the government is looking into either creating computer parts here in the U.S.
or replacing them with commodores. i think a lot of those were made in the U.S.
their were also just way more of those made to find spare parts.

 

[Sped Xing]

Commodores won't do any work. Get some responsible Petty Officers.

 

[DavidS877]

The older stuff being still used is as I understand it one problem they're having with automotive parts. It takes years to certify safety critical systems and by the time you do it's, well, years old. So you need older parts. This is usually not a problem as there's enough capacity to keep making the old crap. But as has been discussed here, if you're facing a capacity crunch in your manufacturing, due to supplies or whatever what you do have is going to be going towards the best profit margins, and the largest sellers, not the old crap that some automaker keeps whining about but only needs a handful of(compared to say the mobile phone market).

 

[Diana Moon Glampers]

The inflation issue is real and it won't take long before the "here's why 20% inflation per year is actually a good thing" articles start.

In the end, I think conservatives needed to understand the horrifying danger of student debt + mortgage debt culture, and that eventually they will, but it will be too late.

Here's why. Inflation can, depending on how you squint, be a "good thing" if you're in debt. Your debt is worth less, so you can pay it off more easily. The more money you have, though, the less it's worth, so rich people get hurt worse. This is why you see CEOs sound the alarm bell early, it hits them hardest of all. They look like they're getting richer on paper while they're getting poorer in reality.

A lot of the middle class Democratic rank and file has tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Housing values are out of control and people who came into the market too late are mortgaged within an inch of their lives.

Traditionally, the middle class has been a bulwark of policies targeted against inflation. For the old middle class in America, the norm was that you had more assets than debts, and that even your house mortgage would eventually be paid off in full while you enjoyed the fruits of your defined-benefits pension in retirement and left a nice chunk of change to your heirs. The last thing you needed was inflation eating up the little nest egg you'd built up one work week at a time. The middle class could be counted on to firmly oppose politicians who let inflation get too bad.

Now, that situation has been flipped on its head. If you're mortgaged beyond what you ought to be, and you have some significant student debt, you may be a doctor or pharmacist or lawyer or corporate middle manager...but you're now vulnerable to messaging that inflation's not that bad and you should just let it happen: erode your debt obligations and watch your salary numbers rise faster than ever before!

Conservatives need to think a couple moves ahead. Their failure to understand this dynamic will prevent any critical bloc of American voters from firmly opposing inflationary policies. There's not enough CEOs and bankers to move the needle on actual votes, and propaganda efforts to oppose inflation by the CEO class won't go far. People will be reluctant to believe that billionaires have anyone's financial best interest at heart but billionaires'.

 

[George Lucas]

How is that any different from cooking a stew over a stove or in an oven?

I mean, aside from the crock pot being more convenient and energy-efficient?

3 hours vs. 8+ hours (assuming the common leave it cooking while at work scenario) . Stove/oven cooks faster than a crockpot.*

Generally you shouldn’t allow meat to simmer longer than about 5 hours, as that’s when it starts to really break down and the flavor of the meat will start to become exhausted, that is, the liquid has all the flavor and the meat begins losing flavor. If you were to cook it long enough (probably days), it will eventually turn into a big pile of mush.

Crockpot stuff is edible. I’ve had it before, but the flavor and texture you can get from oven-stewing is superior.

There’s more. With an oven you can choose your vessel. You can cook multiple things at the same time. You can take stuff out of the pot or throw stuff in, change the temperature, fire it on the stove to make a sauce, etc. Basically once you start doing anything advanced the restrictions of a crockpot outweigh any conveniences.

*This may actually be due to lower voltage in the US (see why electric kettles SUCK here), but I’m not sure. It’d be interesting to know if European crockpots cook faster.

 

[contradiction of terns]

No worries, I finally made it home in a new lease. I doubt I'll see that truck again. I'm not an owner operator. You may have been thinking of someone else on the older model, or I may have mentioned the old freightshaker I had previously. Thanks for the well wishes.


I just want to say, as an elder respecter, that the B-52 is 69 years old, not "almost 50."

The band, "The B-52s" is 45.

I think we replied to each other and I said something like 'If your truck is older than 2011 it won't have a DEF sensor', and you seemed unconcerned so I assumed it must be an older truck. Ought to teach me to assume things, if anything. I am glad to hear you are okay, tho!

On a totally unrelated note, American Airlines has cancelled 800 flights on Fri. and Sat. and expects to cancel another 400 Sun. due to all the staff shortages they claim they don't have.

 

[Zbk3VmLfujjzjxBd43tL]

Conservatives need to think a couple moves ahead. Their failure to understand this dynamic will prevent any critical bloc of American voters from firmly opposing inflationary policies. There's not enough CEOs and bankers to move the needle on actual votes, and propaganda efforts to oppose inflation by the CEO class won't go far. People will be reluctant to believe that billionaires have anyone's financial best interest at heart but billionaires'.

Nobody believes billionaires have anyone's financial best interest at heart, but the left, especially progressives and DSA types, is instead tricked into supporting policies that don't actually reduce the billionaires' ability to exploit people and instead screw over the middle-class. Case in point, anti-landlord policies mostly just fuck over Granny who rents an old house to some deadbeat college kids instead of the huge landlord corporations who are able to work around the laws.

It's actually surprising talking to leftists and seeing how they notice the same shit people do on Kiwifarms, the same structural problems yet come to totally different conclusions. Like many of them know the Fauciflu, lockdowns, and this situation are benefiting the super wealthy who have taken full advantage of the situation, but they believe they solution is a REAL lockdown (that has never been tried) and then after a few weeks of that everything will be back to normal if we all wear two masks, take the vaxx, and present vaccine passports everywhere we go.

 

[NJBear]

 

[Honka Honka Burning Love]

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That is only several thousands of dollars of equipment and merchandise, no big deal.

 

[Smoke Manmuscle]

i wonder if the government is looking into either creating computer parts here in the U.S.
or replacing them with commodores. i think a lot of those were made in the U.S.
their were also just way more of those made to find spare parts.

They are. There has been a massive push by Taiwanese and American companies to start up semiconductor factories here in the US. I know Texas Instruments is desperate for people, I got a headhunter call a few weeks ago.

 

[1Tonka_Truck]

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I see that LA learned a new trick from Chicago.

I don't know how many times I've watched that generator go in the drink.

 

[potato in mah painus]

i always thought the point of those computers is that they are impossible to hack, since they dont connect to the internet or have any wireless connectability at all
maybe when they fail, they'll be replaced with lates 80's commodore computers?

One of the primary reasons right there, the older systems were built before the surveillance era and are clean. Even if they weren't, the boards are simple enough that its possible to manually inspect every component for bugs. That simplicity also means you can reliably repair or replace just about any part on these boards with basic electronic repair skills:

No smds, no suicide chips, no fancy solders. Everything here is serviceable and replaceable.

 

[ChefKiss]

Interesting take:
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https://twitter.com/Tinkzorg/status/1454606704914620421

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https://twitter.com/Tinkzorg/status/1454345565668511744

It's a good take but China are already doing everything they can to destroy the american economy
and the elites are already blaming the peasants for every crisis, covid is because of 4 unvaxed guys in alaska, global fuel crisis is because you voted for brexit and supply crisis is because you'e buying too much stuff and you have too much stuff already, unlike the poor elites who had to eat bread once

 

[Jump]

not the old crap that some automaker keeps whining about but only needs a handful of(compared to say the mobile phone market).

GM used to make their own semiconductors.

The "big 3" all made their own ignition modules, computers, radios, etc. Today all that inhouse ability has been scrapped for cheaper outsourcing. And the people they outsourced to wanted even cheaper manufacturing so they shipped it off overseas. Now you cant even make a headlight switch with out reaching to CHYNA.

Everything here is serviceable and replaceable.

Let me know where you can buy some replacement SID or VIC chips for that machine? You can't. The MOS fab has been shuttered for decades now. The type of technology used (DIP vs SMD or what ever) doesn't really matter. The problem is when you outsource your manufacturing to others you are at the mercy of others.

Thats why I don't think there will ever be a hot war with CHYNA. They could cripple the USA in a month just by cutting off all exports.