10.1.2024

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US Dockworkers Strike

At least 45,000 dockworkers across 36 East and Gulf Coast ports began striking after their contract expired early this morning, the first such strike in the US since 1977. The work stoppage could disrupt supply chains and cause delays; see what's at stake here.

The International Longshoremen's Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents the ports, failed to reach an agreement after negotiations stalled in June. The union seeks higher wages and less automation, while the alliance pushes for increased technology use to improve efficiency and reduce costs. The union is allegedly requesting a $5 an hour raise each year for six years, while the alliance has reportedly offered $2.50 annually. Union members with six or more years of experience currently earn up to $39 an hour.

East and Gulf Coast ports handle more than 68% of containerized exports and more than 56% of containerized imports (see map). Analysts estimate losses to the US economy could be up to $5B per day. President Joe Biden has said he is not planning to invoke a nearly 80-year-old act to order the strikers back to work.

MLB, NBA Legends Die

Seventeen-time MLB All-Star Pete Rose, who topped the league's all-time hit list with 4,256 over a 24-season career and was later banned for gambling, died yesterday at age 83. No cause of death was given.

Rose, who primarily played with the Cincinnati Reds and was a three-time World Series champion, holds the major league record for games played (3,562) and plate appearances (15,890) as well as the National League record for the longest hitting streak (44). Rose became ineligible in 1989 for gambling on the sport, including on Reds games, while he was the team's player and manager. He admitted to betting on baseball in 2004.

In related news, NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo died yesterday from brain cancer at age 58. The eight-time All-Star blocked 3,289 shots during his 18-season career—the second-most shots blocked in league history behind Hakeem Olajuwon.

Mutombo was named Defensive Player of the Year four times, averaging 4.5 blocks per game at the height of his career. The 7-foot-2 star was known for his signature finger wag (see montage), used to chastise players attempting to get shots past him. He was also the NBA’s first global ambassador, having worked with humanitarian organizations, including UNICEF and the Special Olympics. 

100 Years of Surrealism

Today officially marks 100 years of surrealism—the art and literary movement behind Salvador Dalí's iconic melting clocks and Frida Kahlo's self-portrait as a wounded deer (though Kahlo rejected the surrealist label for her art). First emerging in the late 1910s and early 1920s, surrealism revolutionized the art world by exploring the deeper layers of reality and imagination.

Surrealism formally began after French writer and poet André Breton published the "Surrealist Manifesto" in October 1924 (read it here). It was inspired by Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico, who founded the style of metaphysical painting (see overview). Since then, surrealist artists like Dalí, René Magritte, and Max Ernst have created art featuring striking visual contradictions, blending the familiar with the bizarre. Their artwork often included warped figures, unexpected objects in unusual settings, and dreamlike scenes that challenged conventional logic and reason.

Learn about the history of surrealism here. Browse famous surrealist paintings here.

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