Saturday, October 2, 2021
Meet the Woman Turning a New Page in Wilmington's Book Scene | Delaware News | US News - U.S. News & World Report
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October 02, 2021 at 08:01PM
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A sign of the economic times: Ships lined up at Savannah port - PostBulletin.com
The queue of 22 ships waiting to unload Sept. 27 signaled strong demand for goods and the scramble by retailers to stock up as the holiday season approaches.
But the nautical backlog — virtually non-existent a few months ago — alson was a warning that consumers could see shortages and higher prices, according to supply chain experts.
A few months ago, the port was busy enough, but there were often no ships waiting, said Griff Lynch, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority. “In the spring, it was nothing like this.”
In August, the Port of Savannah had its second-busiest month on record, handling 485,595 containers. That was 10% higher than the same month a year ago, which was then a record for August.
About 65% of containers passing the port are imports bound for American companies and consumers. Much of the demand now is pegged to the approaching holidays.
But moving all of that cargo isn’t easy. Many other U.S. ports also are backed up. At the giant West Coast ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, more than 60 ships have been lined up at times this month, part of an unprecedented global bottleneck in moving goods.
When ships and trucks and people have to wait, the whole system becomes less efficient and more costly.
“The backlogs and delays in ports are very worrisome,” said Pinar Keskinocak, a professor in Georgia Tech’s Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering.
With the overall economy growing, incomes up for most people, and discretionary travel still subpar, there is a lot of money for holiday buying, economists say.
Despite a still-uncontrolled coronavirus, many retailers are betting on a robust holiday season — and that means trying to stock up in advance. But those efforts are complicated since the world’s supply chain is still struggling to rebalance itself after repeated disruptions more than 18 months into a pandemic.
One of the casualties is “just in time” inventories — the pre-pandemic practice in which businesses kept little stock on hand to keep costs down and were able to quickly replenish that stock as needed.
“We used to have an efficient system where everything on the supply chain was synchronized,” said Nikolay Osadchiy, an associate professor who teaches supply chain management at Emory University. “Right now, it’s not predictable at all.”
The rush to stock up has its own danger, Osadchiy said.
What if retailers buy the wrong goods? What if each of their efforts adds up to too much buying? That could mean dropping prices, layoffs and more disruption in the supply chain.
The past few months, the highest-profile shortage has been in production of vehicles, which cannot get enough of the silicon chips used in the on-board computers. That scarcity has meant shutdowns in auto assembly plants, including the massive Kia plant in West Point.
This holiday’s shortages are least likely in products made in the United States, said Osadchiy. Among foreign-made goods, the most likely shortages are in goods that depend on silicon chips.
“With the more complex toys and electronics, we may have shortages,” he said.
Yet if ever in the year retailers want to minimize disruption, this is it, said Aleksandar Tomic, associate dean for strategy, innovation and technology at Boston College.
“Holidays kind of have a ‘hard deadline’ in the sense that a holiday gift delivered late simply will not do,” he said. “So retailers are building safety stock. That gives them one less issue to manage come the shopping season.”
But much is out of their control.
Factories in some parts of Asia are still being shut down to stifle the virus. Some Americans are still stay-at-home employees, which changes their purchases. Meanwhile, front-line workers have been hard to find, making it harder and more costly to handle goods in warehouses or move them by truck.
While Savannah isn’t the only port being overwhelmed with shipments, it is one of the few with room to expand. The port is already developing 145 acres to handle containers, and officials announced Tuesday that it is investing $34 million to add 230 acres more.
But the expansion will take months, and, moreover, the imbalances in the supply chain are global.
In the meantime, consumers will likely see the effects of the continued ebb and flow in trade, said Nada Sanders, professor of supply chain management at Northeastern University.
“We are going to see rolling bottlenecks for a long time,” she said. “We are going to see shortages. We are going to see higher prices. And we are going to see less choice in product variety.”
©2021 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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October 02, 2021 at 08:33PM
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A sign of the economic times: Ships lined up at Savannah port - PostBulletin.com
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Column: The San Diego music scene will not be the same without Louis Procaccino - The San Diego Union-Tribune
You didn’t have to know Louis Procaccino to owe him.
If you enjoyed live shows at San Diego’s nightclubs and concert halls in the crazy late 1970s and beyond, your good times probably depended on the guy everyone knew as, “Louie.” No last name necessary.
Procaccino died on Sept. 9, after years of declining health following an on-the-job injury seven or eight years ago. He was 68. The longtime concert producer, sound-tech, electrician and stage hand leaves behind many grieving friends and family members, along with a vast collection of concert memories that wouldn’t exist without him.
“He was involved with everything, it seems,” said Jerry Raney of the Farmers, who dedicated the band’s recent concert at the Grand Ole BBQ in El Cajon to Procaccino. “Anyplace there was a concert, he was there.”
That 1982 Missing Persons concert at Golden Hall? It might not have happened if Louie hadn’t found someone to give lead singer, Dale Bozzio, a pre-show massage.
The 1990 Halloween Amnesty International benefit bash at the El Cortez Hotel? The fire marshal would have shut it down if Louie hadn’t procured a pair of bolt cutters and opened a padlocked door in the nick of time.
That mid-80s concert series at the Kona Kai Club on Shelter Island? Your view of the stage may have been improved by Louie, who allegedly took a chainsaw to some inconveniently placed ficus trees.
Whether he was providing Sports Arena headliners with their pre- and post-concert accoutrements (legal or otherwise), or letting young scenesters into the Pink Panther bar despite their questionable I.D.s (In his defense, he didn’t realize he needed glasses.), Procaccino was the “MacGyver"-esque insider who kept San Diego’s music and nightlife scenes hopping. For the stars. For his friends. For everybody.
“Louie made it possible for shows to happen,” said veteran San Diego journalist Thomas K. Arnold, who met Procaccino in the late ‘70s, when Arnold was running Kicks: San Diego’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Magazine and Procaccino was the production manager for concert promoter Marc Berman.
“Somebody else would book them and promote them, but Louie would produce them. He was the chef. He didn’t design the restaurant. He didn’t come up with the name or design the menu, but he cooked the food and he made sure it was delivered.”
Procaccino’s fun-loving, sociable personality made him a big man on the Oceanside High School campus, where he wrestled and played football. A 1968 story from the Escondido Times-Advocate credits Procaccino with one of the touchdowns that helped Oceanside’s junior varsity team win a key Avocado League game.
The good times continued at San Diego State University, where Procaccino studied journalism and telecommunications and film from 1971 to 1978. As the chairman of SDSU’s 1974 Homecoming festivities, he also happily presided over the school’s first “Homecoming Person” contest, which gave male and female students an equal chance at the crown.
“This way, women can’t complain that we’re exploiting women,” he told the San Diego Union. “And if a male enters, it is intentional and not done as a joke.”
Procaccino got into the concert business while he was still a student, and he never left.
As Berman’s production manager, Procaccino made sure that concerts at such venues as the Sports Arena, SDSU’s Open Air Theatre and Golden Hall downtown went off as scheduled. He had a hand in starting the first Humphreys Concerts by the Bay series. He worked on the KGB Sky Show. He was the longtime sound tech for Makeda Dread’s Bob Marley Day Festival concerts.
“Louie could do anything. But he never wanted to be the master sound engineer or the master lighting engineer. He just wanted to make sure the mic was working for Henry Rollins at some club with 30 people in the audience,” said concert promoter Scott C. Pedersen of JazzConcerts.com and Scottland Concerts of La Jolla.
“He was ubiquitous. You could be in an elevator at Madison Square Garden, and a stage hand would say, ‘Where are you from?,’ and when you said, ‘San Diego,’ they would say, ‘Do you know Louie?’”
As a free agent and then as a member of the stagehands union (IATSE, Local 122), Procaccino spent his many decades in the business working shows for everyone from David Bowie and Bob Dylan to the Clash, the Ramones and Fleetwood Mac. And while he was dealing with the big names, Procaccino was also looking out for the people who made the big names look good.
“He was always good to us. He always said ‘Hi’ to the crew, and he made sure we were taken care of,” said Carlos Cota, who joined the local union in the late ‘80s and is now an international representative for IATSE. “And when he got older and he wasn’t as strong as he used to be, we took him under our wing and looked out for him. It was good to be able to pay him back.”
Despite his eccentricities — the cartoon-character giggle, the practical jokes, the catering-table goodies he would stuff into his pockets and squirrel away in his van — Procaccino was the guy you went to for any and all of your show-related needs. Whatever the job was, he got it done with a shrugging ease and a smile.
“I don’t think I ever saw him get mad in all those years. He was always in a good frame of mind and he always used humor and kindness to deal with situations,” said Casbah co-owner Tim Mays, who worked with Procaccino when Mays and Harlan Schiffman were putting on punk shows in the early ‘80s and hired him as the Pink Panther’s doorman in 1987.
On Nov. 2, the Casbah will be hosting a free concert in Louie Procaccino’s honor. The Farmers will be playing, along with The Downs Family, The Touchies, The Tighten Ups and Joey Harris and the Mentals. And because it’s a concert for Louie, a good time will be had by all.
“The last time I saw him was at the Casbah on May 28,” Mays said “He popped in around 1:30 a.m., told a few jokes and hit the road. He was larger than life and funnier than just about anyone you knew.”
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October 02, 2021 at 07:00PM
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Column: The San Diego music scene will not be the same without Louis Procaccino - The San Diego Union-Tribune
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Portugal's port wine country can be best explored by boat - USA Today 10Best
Douro Valley in Portugal — Photo courtesy of Marla Cimini
Exploring Portugal’s stunning Porto wine region is an exceptional experience. This part of the country is known for its dramatic scenery featuring a magnificent mountainous landscape that rises above the river. An expansive and beautiful area, the Douro Valley has been the epicenter of port winemaking for centuries, attracting visitors from across the globe.
For most travelers, a visit to the Douro Valley can be enhanced by sailing along the beautiful Douro River, which flows from northern Spain to the area surrounding the city of Porto. Viking Cruises, known for its upscale river and ocean cruises across the world, offers an incredible voyage along the Douro with an abundance of small-group food and wine experiences along the way.
Viking Helgrim — Photo courtesy of Marla Cimini
One of their new ships, the Viking Helgrim, began cruising this route in 2019, offering an itinerary called "Portugal's River of Gold," a cruise that ensures that passengers enjoy food, wine and cultural activities. And that's all while cruising past some of the most incredibly beautiful scenery in Europe – with glimpses of vineyards, wineries, orchards and historic sites (such as ancient castles) alongside modern structures.
In addition, this Viking cruise provides guests with an added treat – the trip begins in Lisbon (located in southern Portugal), allowing passengers to explore the city (and later, Porto) with optional activities before embarking on the cruise.
Viking ships have been a familiar sight along the Douro River since 2013, and the Viking Helgrim is the youngest in the Portugal fleet. Since the Douro River is notoriously difficult to navigate, the Viking ships on this river are strategically scaled-down versions of the larger Viking “longboats.” Their shorter length (262 feet) allows for easier navigation along the route, as well as through the many locks. Sailing on the Douro is also unique because nighttime cruising is not permitted, due to the treacherous waters.
Amenities onboard
The pool on the Viking Helgrim — Photo courtesy of Marla Cimini
Modern, streamlined and high-tech, the Helgrim offers an intimate, comfortable vacation, as it features 53 modern and well-appointed staterooms (accommodating 106 guests) and a staff of 35. The ship’s many amenities include a contemporary design with artwork throughout, free Wi-Fi, staterooms and suites with verandas (and plenty of storage space), several common areas, including a dining room, lounge, outdoor seating and a spacious top deck with a swimming pool.
The ship is an optimal way to soak in the feel of the Douro, but to truly experience the area, guests need to take advantage of personal experiences throughout the journey. Viking ensures that this happens daily, with a number of activities and small-group excursions that bring travelers to places they may not discover on their own. Special dinners, lunches and picnics in the valley are all part of enjoying the region.
Food and wine excursions
Grapes in the Douro Valley — Photo courtesy of Marla Cimini
Several of the memorable wine and food adventures offered to Viking guests are:
- Port wine tastings with cellar and winery visits: Guests choosing to learn about the rich, sweet port wine are in for a remarkable time. Visits to world-famous wineries, such as Sandeman and Ferreira offer facility tours – and tastings of their tawny, ruby and white ports. Another destination is Quinta da Avessada, a 100-year-old wine-growing estate in the heart of the Douro region that is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Other experiences feature family-run vineyards with much smaller operations. Most of these local businesses do not export their wines, so the visit is truly unique.
- Port blending classes: Viking offers an immersive class at Quinta do Panascal, situated above the Távora River. After strolling through the vineyards, visitors participate in a workshop with a “port master” to learn about blending – and create their own bottle as well.
- Olive trees are also a familiar sight in this region, as there are a number of producers (both large and smaller establishments). One lovely, welcoming spot is D’Origem, featuring limited-production wines and olive oils – perched atop a hill with jaw-dropping views of the valley.
- A visit to a traditional bakery: Guests are brought to the charming town of Favaios to visit one of the oldest traditional bakeries in the valley. Here, bread is made in a wood oven heated with cut grapevines.
Onboard culinary offerings
Port wine glasses — Photo courtesy of Marla Cimini
For culinary adventures onboard, Viking does not disappoint. So even if passengers decide to remain on the ship and not venture out into the Douro Valley, the food experiences offered on the Helgrim are just as delectable. (Plus, you are treated to incredible scenery along the way.)
Chef Anthony Mauboussin is the Director of Culinary Development for Viking’s vessels and is passionate about developing menus and creating wine lists that feature a taste of the destination. This means, while cruising, guests have access to an abundance of regional offerings during the meals.
Created specifically to offer customers authentic recipes and flavors of Portugal (and the Iberian Peninsula), the menu on this voyage features a variety of specialties, such as cataplana (a Portuguese fish and seafood stew), grilled sardine toasts and picanha com esmagado de batata e espinafres (seared steak with crushed potatoes and spinach).
For dessert, the ship serves a variety of sweet homemade favorites, such as leite crème queimado (a sugar-coated custard cream), toucinho do céu (Portuguese almond pudding cake) and cassis bavarois (a light sponge cake with black currant mousse layers).
For food lovers who appreciate inspiring culinary experiences onboard and off, a river cruise through Portugal is an inspiring way to connect with the regional foods through personalized experiences.
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October 02, 2021 at 11:00AM
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Portugal's port wine country can be best explored by boat - USA Today 10Best
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Port earns award for Westport's Fresh Catch campaign - The Daily World
The Port of Grays Harbor was awarded the American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) Lighthouse Award for overall communications excellence at its 110th annual convention for the Port’s part in the Westport’s Fresh Catch promotional campaign.
A collaborative effort between the city of Westport’s tourism arm Experience Westport, Catch Invest: Catch Together, Capture.Share.Repeat and the Westport Marina, Westport’s Fresh Catch was launched to connect local residents and the thousands of visitors to the South Beach area to the abundance of fresh, local seafood that comes across Westport’s docks.
To date, the public outreach initiative has included new signage on the Westport Marina Esplanade, a new webpage on Experiencewestport.com, a Facebook page, and three videos, with two more to come. While the project is still in its infancy and growing, benefits are already being realized by local fishermen and businesses, as well as consumers who are easily able to find fresh, local seafood.
“Westport’s Fresh Catch has been a great asset for our residents, visitors, local fishermen, and businesses alike,” said Port Commissioner Tom Quigg. “We applaud our staff and the many partners that have worked so hard on this effort over the last year or so. It is certainly rewarding to see the community benefit from the effort and we are honored and proud to be recognized along with all of our partners for this effort.”
Westport Mayor Rob Bearden agreed.
“Westport’s Fresh Catch project has been a great addition to Westport’s communication and advertising campaign. It helps our local residents, fishing community, and visitors alike as it effectively communicates where to locate Westport’s top-notch, fresh seafood and teaches the world about what our community has to offer,” said Bearden. “We thank all of our partners for their hard work on this project, and we are excited to see where Westport’s Fresh Catch goes from here.”
The Port of Grays Harbor took home the top award in the Category 1 division. The Ports of Everett and Vancouver USA shared the honor for Category 2 ports, and the Georgia Ports Authority was the overall winner among Category 3 ports. The three categories are based on the size of the port’s public relations and marketing budget.
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October 01, 2021 at 03:30PM
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Port earns award for Westport's Fresh Catch campaign - The Daily World
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Friday, October 1, 2021
FCC Proposal Targets SIM Swapping, Port-Out Fraud – Krebs on Security - Krebs on Security
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is asking for feedback on new proposed rules to crack down on SIM swapping and number port-out fraud, increasingly prevalent scams in which identity thieves hijack a target’s mobile phone number and use that to wrest control over the victim’s online identity.
In a long-overdue notice issued Sept. 30, the FCC said it plans to move quickly on requiring the mobile companies to adopt more secure methods of authenticating customers before redirecting their phone number to a new device or carrier.
“We have received numerous complaints from consumers who have suffered significant distress, inconvenience, and financial harm as a result of SIM swapping and port-out fraud,” the FCC wrote. “Because of the serious harms associated with SIM swap fraud, we believe that a speedy implementation is appropriate.”
The FCC said the proposal was in response to a flood of complaints to the agency and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about fraudulent SIM swapping and number port-out fraud. SIM swapping happens when the fraudsters trick or bribe an employee at a mobile phone store into transferring control of a target’s phone number to a device they control.
From there, the attackers can reset the password for almost any online account tied to that mobile number, because most online services still allow people to reset their passwords simply by clicking a link sent via SMS to the phone number on file.
Scammers commit number port-out fraud by posing as the target and requesting that their number be transferred to a different mobile provider (and to a device the attackers control).
The FCC said the carriers have traditionally sought to address both forms of phone number fraud by requiring static data about the customer that is no longer secret and has been exposed in a variety of places already — such as date of birth and Social Security number. By way of example, the commission pointed to the recent breach at T-Mobile that exposed this data on 40 million current, past and prospective customers.
What’s more, victims of SIM swapping and number port-out fraud are often the last to know about their victimization. The FCC said it plans to prohibit wireless carriers from allowing a SIM swap unless the carrier uses a secure method of authenticating its customer. Specifically, the commission proposes that carriers be required to verify a “pre-established password” with customers before making any changes to their accounts.
According to the FCC, several examples of pre-established passwords include:
-a one-time passcode sent via text message to the account phone number or a pre-registered backup number
-a one-time passcode sent via email to the email address associated with the account
-a passcode sent using a voice call to the account phone number or pre-registered back-up telephone number.
The commission said it was also considering updating its rules to require wireless carriers to develop procedures for responding to failed authentication attempts and to notify customers immediately of any requests for SIM changes.
Additionally, the FCC said it may impose additional customer service, training, and transparency requirements for the carriers, noting that too many customer service personnel at the wireless carriers lack training on how to assist customers who’ve had their phone numbers stolen.
The FCC said some of the consumer complaints it has received “describe wireless carrier customer service representatives and store employees who do not know how to address instances of fraudulent SIM swaps or port-outs, resulting in customers spending many hours on the phone and at retail stores trying to get resolution. Other consumers complain that their wireless carriers have refused to provide them with documentation related to the fraudulent SIM swaps, making it difficult for them to pursue claims with their financial institutions or law enforcement.”
“Several consumer complaints filed with the Commission allege that the wireless carrier’s store employees are involved in the fraud, or that carriers completed SIM swaps despite the customer having previously set a PIN or password on the account,” the commission continued.
Allison Nixon, an expert on SIM swapping attacks chief research officer with New York City-based cyber intelligence firm Unit221B, said any new authentication requirements will have to balance the legitimate use cases for customers requesting a new SIM card when their device is lost or stolen. A SIM card is the small, removable smart card that associates a mobile device to its carrier and phone number.
“Ultimately, any sort of static defense is only going to work in the short term,” Nixon said. “The use of SMS as a 2nd factor in itself is a static defense. And the criminals adapted and made the problem actually worse than the original problem it was designed to solve. The long term solution is that the system needs to be responsive to novel fraud schemes and adapt to it faster than the speed of legislation.”
Eager to weigh in on the FCC’s proposal? They want to hear from you. The electronic comment filing system is here, and the docket number for this proceeding is WC Docket No. 21-341.
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October 02, 2021 at 09:26AM
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FCC Proposal Targets SIM Swapping, Port-Out Fraud – Krebs on Security - Krebs on Security
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