FC Posted September 17, 2021 Report Share Posted September 17, 2021 https://qz.com/2060418/why-are-so-many-container-ships-waiting-to-dock-in-california/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdm1962 Posted September 19, 2021 Report Share Posted September 19, 2021 My employer ships world wide. We've been having problems getting cargo containers for over a year. Some shipments are being for up to a month. We need food grade containers, clean and oder free. It's amazing how jacked up some of containers are, holes and rust. This situation is really bad. The weather delays make things worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted October 5, 2021 Report Share Posted October 5, 2021 A bit off subject. Shortly before the Berlin Wall came down. A friend was dealing with a West German mil-surp merchant. The German had connections to the East German and Russian black market. In short they were trading Playboy and Penthouse magazines, VCR’s and porno for Russian and E German mil-surp goods and making a small fortune at gun shows and Shotgun News ads. My friend had trouble clearing US Customs and I remember my friend getting really PO’d paying rent for the container and the storage space. I recall he had one container held up for almost 90 days. I imagine the cost back then was nothing compared to nowadays. He finally got Customs off his ass. Customs awaited the Dept of Defense to inspect the merchandise. My friend met with the DOD, some high rank military officers and a rep he suspected was CIA. The govt guys told Customs to clear it and to longer hold him up in the future. My friend said the govt guys had the attitude if you can steal from the Russians and E German military it was fine with them. He lined them up with his West German connection and they gave him a want list. Things went smoothly for awhile then strangely Customs put a hold on gas masks and AK-47 parts. Took several weeks to get what my friend said was a reluctant ok on the gas masks but he had to give up the AK parts. In short after whom I now name a former friend making money hand over fist. I worked a table at the Great South Western gun show with him. In a three day weekend he made big-big bucks, all cash. A good example, a unique Russian AK muzzle brake sold for $60.00 he paid less than a buck for. Unfortunately he sucked it all up his nose, went on a drug fueled gun buying frenzy, cheated his German connection and he eventually wound up with several years in prison. ATF went after him for some smuggled AK parts but he somehow skirted those charges. The Justice Dept put out a warrant or the German’s son. Not sure but I believe it was for AK parts to easily covert Chinese AK’s to full auto. My friend got hit up with some serious drug charges after local cops nailed him for a large amount of Cocaine. The drug charges carried an extra penalty as they were stored with his very large gun collection including legal Class 3 full autos and tens of thousands rounds of ammo. He tried connecting with me and my blind buddy he also cheated out of money but we ignored his calls. What’s almost pathetic about the guy shortly after he got out of prison he won big time with a lottery ticket. What I heard second hand originating from his X-wife. After the IRS deduction, state tax exempted he is getting around 50 G’s annually for 20 years. My apologies again guys wondering off subject. Guess it’s part of living alone, being bore stiff cruising the net, watching TV and nobody around to talk to except my German Shepard. Hopefully with some scheduled steroid joint injections I can get off my ass and get some range time. I’ll know in a few weeks if I have to do anymore Chemo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlunity Posted October 5, 2021 Report Share Posted October 5, 2021 When the gods like you they like you. Thus he did not get shot or life and won the lotto karl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlunity Posted October 5, 2021 Report Share Posted October 5, 2021 rdm 1962 From what I see sir. A lot of the younger folk are buying and making "tiny" homes and some not so "tiny "with containers . Beats paying rent. karl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted October 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2021 Quite a story, and you have an armload of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted October 7, 2021 Report Share Posted October 7, 2021 On 10/5/2021 at 8:52 AM, FC said: Quite a story, and you have an armload of them! He was a character and good fortune seemed to follow him. He had a good job with VA heading up a program working with west coast state unemployment offices to assist disabled veterans find jobs. Often by leaning on defense contractors. I met him through my blind friend that he help get a job with Sperry Rand. He left VA taking a job with the Justice Dept witness protection program. He carried a badge and claimed he had the same arrest authority as any fed LEO. Sometimes he’d joke saying “I’m just a glorified prison guard”. He was on a JD shooting team that competed against other fed agencies in Arizona. He got as he liked to say “drafted” to work guarding the Cuban prisoners after President Carter opened the door and Castro emptied his prisons and nut houses. Carter refused to let the military handle it and fed LEO’s from all branches were sent to Florida and Georgia until the Bureau of Prisons hired enough warm bodies to handle it. After a nearly two year stint it seemed like he went through a personality change when he returned. He gave that job up after he started making so much money with the surplus goods. I suspect his drug habit may have had something to do with it and he might have been fired. It was at that three day gun show I figured out he was an addict. Numerous lengthy trips to the rest room. He returned to our tables happy go lucky, sniffling and nearly exploding with nervous energy. I had previously dealt with a couple doing Meth with similar bathroom habits at the Post Office. As a union rep I was tasked with trying to save their jobs. One resigned before being fired the other went to rehab, got a last chance agreement and she remained clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted October 7, 2021 Report Share Posted October 7, 2021 Given his connections, work locations and import skills, and use, it is quite likely he wasn't just a "user." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted October 9, 2021 Report Share Posted October 9, 2021 On 10/7/2021 at 5:12 AM, Dr.Hess said: Given his connections, work locations and import skills, and use, it is quite likely he wasn't just a "user." I suspect it was likely although I never saw it. The last time I saw him at a warehouse space he rented. A few raunch looking bikers were leaving. The way he was foolishly spending money, guns especially like a kid in a candy store. Neither my blind bud or myself found out the details of the drug charges. We did hear from one of his former friends, a Phx cop. The stash of Cocaine was large enough for some kind of distribution charge. When cops entered his home, he was totally naked and had no idea where or who he was. He had accumulated so many guns and a large amount of ammo. Cops called in a haz mat team and used two paddy wagons to haul in all away. His then wife with a lawyer attempted to recover the guns but was unsuccessful. She did recover thousands of rounds of ammo which she promptly sold for a nickel per round. He lost a good attractive wife over it. It was a shame as he was a good friend until the drugs. We had a lot of fun, several of us gathered often and did long range shooting at metal dongs with various mil-surp rifles. Anything from old 45/70 rolling block to a Korean War vintage M-1 sniper rifle. Unfortunately I lost contact with all those mil-surp shooters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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