Baltimore Bridges and Diversity

[Jarhyn]

He's the guy that will suck up to any major corporation for a tax break at the drop of a hat.

Heh, tax break, political “contribution” (bribe) - if it spends, it’s all good. That 180° flip flop he did on TikTok would have tipped off any sentient follower he might have had. But apparently sentience isn’t an attribute that can be found among the MAGAts.

“The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood–idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.” Revelation 9:20-2

Wow, talk about noise

You mean like the Maersk employee who got fired for reporting safety violations to the Coast Guard getting swept under the rug?

The fuck does that mean? That doesn't relate AT ALL to my response, it's just more noise.

You said Idaho shouldn't be on the hook for anything, as if they aren't already on the dole.

Take your pick of 50 states then. I live in Missouri and I don't think I should pay taxes to support a Maersk fuck up either.

I don't know if there will actually be an investigation into why this boat ran into a bridge. Maybe not if Brandon is going to have the whole country paying for it. But if you do actually see an investigation and Maersk is giving secret testimony under closed doors, thats a good clue what is really happening.

Yes. There is a very serious investigation already underway, into this bridge collapse. I read that one big problem with the bridges that were built decades ago, is that ships are getting larger and larger, making it more difficult for them to safely pass under some of these older bridges. That ship lost all of its power, making it impossible to steer it away from the bridge. I'm sure that will be thoroughly investigated.

You're also not thinking about the fact that a huge amount of supplies depended on that bridge to transport them to places where they are sold, so many parts of the country need that bridge, not just Baltimore. The destruction of the bridge could increase inflation, due to the shortage of supplies that will result from the lack of a good route to get them where they are needed. Surely, you understand the basics of supply and demand! If not, I suggest you do some reading on basic economic principles. It's really not that hard.

Your views are very shortsighted. I don't think you understand how things like this work and how important bridges and other transportation routes are to the economy of the country.

Or it might just be a slight difference in ideology. That I would rather seek out the facts first before running instantly for never ending federal funds at all our expense that Biden will use to enhance his political campaign.

The funds are being spent on a PUBLIC bridge for use by the PUBLIC. What part of "get that bridge back up ASAP" do you not understand?

Of course a sitting president will use "I got that bridge back up" in a campaign because it's a fucking accomplishment. So fucking what? You what? Want Baltimore to be suffering without that bridge to own the Dems or something?

 

[jonatha]

He's the guy that will suck up to any major corporation for a tax break at the drop of a hat.

Heh, tax break, political “contribution” (bribe) - if it spends, it’s all good. That 180° flip flop he did on TikTok would have tipped off any sentient follower he might have had. But apparently sentience isn’t an attribute that can be found among the MAGAts.

You have lost me there. I was against allowing tik tok for national defense reasons and still am. I do not remember flipping my opinion.

"He" refers to Trump, who was agin TikTok until someone who makes a lot of money off it paid him a visit, at which point he became fer it...

 

[Elixir]

"He" refers to Trump, who was agin TikTok until someone who makes a lot of money off it paid him a visit, at which point he became fer it...

Thanks for bringing him up to speed.
I’m pretty sure facts like Trump spinning on a dime to pocket a dollar, don’t make it into the RW bubble.

 

[jonatha]

"He" refers to Trump, who was agin TikTok until someone who makes a lot of money off it paid him a visit, at which point he became fer it...

Thanks for bringing him up to speed.
I’m pretty sure facts like Trump spinning on a dime to pocket a dollar, don’t make it into the RW bubble.

He may not see it. I have somevreadon to think he has me on ignore

 

[Elixir]

"He" refers to Trump, who was agin TikTok until someone who makes a lot of money off it paid him a visit, at which point he became fer it...

Thanks for bringing him up to speed.
I’m pretty sure facts like Trump spinning on a dime to pocket a dollar, don’t make it into the RW bubble.

He may not see it. I have somevreadon to think he has me on ignore

Well, thanks for trying. But in truth, the number of facts from which trumpsuckers are insulated, are far too many to even make a dent in on a forum like this.

 

[RVonse]

If you don't vote for people who will raise corporate taxes, you are not a supporter of higher corporate taxes.

Now who is naive and simplistic in their views? When there is only 2 parties and 1 candidate for each party it is impossible to vote on just 1 issue.

We vote for people besides presidents. Congress has as could have as much power as any president.

Fixed it for you. Congress does not have as much power as any president because they are too big of pussy's to actually yield what should be their power. They have farmed out all of the war making to the POTUS, if the POTUS wants a war the congress automatically stamps their approval. Easier for them but that does actually give the POTUS more powers than congress at this point.

 

[RVonse]

He's the guy that will suck up to any major corporation for a tax break at the drop of a hat.

Heh, tax break, political “contribution” (bribe) - if it spends, it’s all good. That 180° flip flop he did on TikTok would have tipped off any sentient follower he might have had. But apparently sentience isn’t an attribute that can be found among the MAGAts.

You have lost me there. I was against allowing tik tok for national defense reasons and still am. I do not remember flipping my opinion.

"He" refers to Trump, who was agin TikTok until someone who makes a lot of money off it paid him a visit, at which point he became fer it...

Ah. Thanks for sharing. Everyone thinks I worship Trump for some reason.

 

[RVonse]

"He" refers to Trump, who was agin TikTok until someone who makes a lot of money off it paid him a visit, at which point he became fer it...

Thanks for bringing him up to speed.
I’m pretty sure facts like Trump spinning on a dime to pocket a dollar, don’t make it into the RW bubble.

He may not see it. I have somevreadon to think he has me on ignore

Well, thanks for trying. But in truth, the number of facts from which trumpsuckers are insulated, are far too many to even make a dent in on a forum like this.

I don't have anyone on ignore. I would not even know how to do it. I'm interested in everyone's opinion.

 

[scombrid]

Missouri doesn’t have any federal infrastructure apparently.

 

[Jarhyn]

Missouri doesn’t have any federal infrastructure apparently.

I mean, it doesn't have much of anything. Drinking? Military training infrastructure? Half of a fairly nice city?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

A couple days worth of Blackwater Security’s Iraq budget would have put bumpers to guard the piers. Look at the bumpers that got installed after the Skyway Bridge got knocked down.

A bumper to stop a runaway cargo ship is pretty hard to build. There's simply so much energy involved.

The real issue is the lack of safety culture--a Republican problem, not a DEI problem.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Take your pick of 50 states then. I live in Missouri and I don't think I should pay taxes to support a Maersk fuck up either.

I don't know if there will actually be an investigation into why this boat ran into a bridge. Maybe not if Brandon is going to have the whole country paying for it. But if you do actually see an investigation and Maersk is giving secret testimony under closed doors, thats a good clue what is really happening.

The whole shipping industry is a Republican paradise--very lax regulations, "responsibility" put on people who aren't in a position to say "no". Effectively, we already know what happened--cutting corners combined with extreme bad luck.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

No, the people who benefit from having a bridge should pay for the bridge. Which is everyone. Because the bridge wasn't necessarily lost due to malfeasance, but due to the sorts of events that just happen from time to time.

How do I benefit from this bridge? I did not even know it existed until this happened.

An awful lot of stuff moves by ship. I would be very surprised if you have nothing that didn't come in under that bridge.

And yes I think there was malfeasance because there were employees fired for trying to report safety problems. I think there was plenty of corruption and lobbying as well.

That's how the whole industry works. The employees know that the schedule is more important than risking the ship. It's a whole web of small companies that don't give enough data for proper risk assessment so it's the insurance that eats it when something goes seriously wrong.

So yes, I think the state of Maryland should go after this shipping company to collect everything they can. If that means putting the company out of business than that should be done first before federal money is released to bailout the state.

It's going to be some small company, not the giant that supposedly owns it. We need to get serious about "independent" companies that actually dance to somebody else's tune.

 

[jonatha]

An awful lot of stuff moves by ship. I would be very surprised if you have nothing that didn't come in under that bridge

Keep an eye on the price of sugar and salt...

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Automobile parts...which allegedly will not impact new car prices yet but then it will a little bit later...which means it's price-hike-never-come-back-down excuse time...very soon.

 

[Patooka]

Ah. Thanks for sharing. Everyone thinks I worship Trump for some reason.

Yes.

 

[lpetrich]

 Dolphin (structure) - not the small cetacean, but this:

A dolphin is a group of pilings arrayed together to serve variously as a protective hardpoint along a dock, in a waterway, or along a shore; as a means or point of stabilization of a dock, bridge, or similar structure; as a mooring point; and as a base for navigational aids.

EXPERT PITCH: WVU researcher says technology exists to minimize effects vessel collisions have on bridges | WVU Today | West Virginia University

“There are donut-shaped objects known as bridge pier bumpers that can minimize the shock when you have this kind of a hit. They’re not common in the United States, but they’re quite common in China, and my lab has helped designed a composite bumper, which has a better shock-absorbing capability.

“In February, there was a similar incident in China when a bridge collapsed near Guangzhou due to a barge hit. However, that bridge collapsed even though it had bumpers, because the barge hit the bridge above the level of the bumpers.

So the bumpers must have enough horizontal extent to keep that kind of accident from happening.

 

[lpetrich]

 Bridge protection systems

Protecting bridges against ship collisions got attention of architects and regulators in the last third of the 20th century due to a marked increase in the frequency of collision accidents: worldwide, 30 major bridges collapsed in the 1960-1998 timeframe after being rammed by ships or barges, 321 persons were killed. The rate of smaller accidents is much higher: there were 811 serious accidents that did not cause a collapse just in the United States between 1970 and 1974, with 14 persons killed. Minor collisions are routine: the US Coast Guard gets 35 reports per day.[2]

In the US, the turning point was the collapse of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in 1980.

 Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa FL

The new bridge was built with big pier bases for the central and plenty of aquatic bollards near the rest of the bridge. That seems to have worked.

 

[lpetrich]

 Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse - its piers had no protection.

That bridge's construction started in 1972 and that bridge opened in 1977. Long before recent right-wing culture warring.

Francis Scott Key Bridge Milestone: 1st container ship arrives at port - "MSC Passion II arrived through one of four temporary channels established since the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. It is carrying 1,000 containers."

First container ship arrives at Port of Baltimore since Key Bridge collapse: "Another milestone" - CBS Baltimore

This fourth channel will only be open for a few days, but at 35 feet deep and 300 feet wide it will allow several ships that are stuck in the Port of Baltimore to get out.

...
The opening of these channels follows the largest of four recent openings on Thursday, which restored 15% of the pre-collapse commercial activity at the Port of Baltimore. The adjustment will allow large commercial ships that were stuck to depart and others to enter, including those carrying containers, vehicles, and farm equipment.

...
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is leading the salvage effort. The branch said its priority is to clear the main channel through the river to reopen access to the Port of Baltimore.

Massive floating cranes are being used as wreckage and debris removal continues. Engineers have to break the mangled bridge into smaller pieces to lift them away, and Navy sonar images revealed wreckage in the deepest part of the channel.

...
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expects to reopen the main shipping channel - which is 700 feet wide and 50 feet deep - by the end of May.

35-foot-deep temporary channel closes at Key Bridge collapse site

The 35-foot-deep Fort McHenry Limited Access Channel has been closed, the Port of Baltimore announced in a tweet.

The U.S. Coast Guard closed the channel at 6 a.m. this morning after it had been open since April 25, according to the tweet.

The channel is not expected to be reopened again until approximately May 10, says the tweet. The focus is now on recovery, salvage and removal of the Dali ship from the main channel, according to the tweet.

Looks like that channel will be reopened when the stuck ship is moved out of the way.

The ship that brought down a Baltimore bridge to be removed from collapse site in the coming weeks | AP News - "At the site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, crews plan to refloat and remove the grounded Dali container ship within roughly the next 10 days, allowing more maritime traffic to resume through Baltimore’s port."