#Revit Prices

[revittx]

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[gabrielcrossleyart]

Learning Emmrich's face! Did a little sketch page to try and get a feel for things!

[bluecookiesabi]

Who needs sleep when you can bitch to your friends and brother and about the STUPID ASS decisions your city government has made

[charliemwrites]

Mafia au with Price perspective

Content: Implied Violence

John, for the life of him, can’t believe he ever ran SpecGru without you.

It’s a hit to his pride to admit it, certainly. That an outsider has discovered a small conspiracy within his own organization less than three months into employment. That, apart from even that, he’s never been less scattered, having someone right by his side remembering details, appointments, bits of information.

Morning smells like Earl Grey and your perfume now. Steam mixing with whatever you’ve spritzed for the day, his own little aroma therapy. Revitalizing after however late the previous night dragged him out.

In general, you’re like a breath of fresh air. A smiley little charm of color and delicacy in his world of saturated shadows, blood and brutality.

Clean-cut dresses with patterned tights, soft-knit scarves. Lace accents and modest stilettos. Thin, sparkly jewelry and smart makeup. The scent of you drowns out the lingering burn of gunpowder; or maybe just transforms it into something heady.

John lingers on your hair. Smooth ponytails, tight coifs, intricate braids. Likes when it’s loose enough to brush you shoulders and neck, a little bounce to it as you toddle in and out of his office.

You’re gorgeous, he knows it like a gun in his hand or the stench of fear in the air. Has encountered (and indulged) in more than his share of stunning women. Women with beautiful smiles, and bright laughter, and sweet voices. Cunning women, too. Women who could outfox all but his best on any given day.

You have all of that in spades, though you’re not the first.

The difference, he thinks, is your sincerity. You’re never anything but honest with him. Even when you maybe shouldn’t be. Not that you share your opinion every time you have one, but if he asks for it, you’ll answer without pulling punches.

Respectful, always. Polite. But scalpels are elegant tools as dangerous as any dagger. You’re not cold by any means, but you’re made of steel. Precise and implacable in some ways. Have never hesitated too look him in the eye and cheerfully explain why he’s wrong.

That, he knows, is a rare commodity.

“I understand this is time sensitive Mister Graves, but raising your voice is not going to open Mister Price’s schedule.”

Your voice goes silky when you get like this. A finely draped, overly pleasant “no” in each word. A wall is still a wall no matter how finely it’s painted.

You’ve just gotten your nails done again, glossy wine red tap-tap-tapping over your customized keyboard. Whatever Philip is saying on the other end does not seem to be impressing you. Soap and Gaz are trying not to snicker. You shoot them an amused look.

“Well, he’s booked every morning for the next two weeks,” you continue.

John is not, in fact, booked every morning for the next two weeks. There are two mornings with two hours open and you’re serenely looking at them on your computer screen. He doesn’t correct you, interested to see how this plays out. You know he hates Philip and are gleefully taking advantage of that fact.

“Well, Mister Graves, a lot of people have time sensitive issues to bring to Mister Price,” you explain, a touch condescending now. “I’m afraid I can’t reschedule them just because you have… a trip to Glasgow, is it?”

You don’t sound impressed. Neither is John. You clear your throat, arch your eyebrows at him. Put up three fingers. He nods.

“I can schedule you in on the 3rd in the evening. Your assistant said you’ll be back by then.”

You blink, an almost smug curve to your lips at whatever is said. A pleasant shiver runs down John’s spine. Philip will just have gotten in then - a full day of travel after whatever business he’s been up to will put him at a disadvantage.

“Well, I’m afraid Mister Price’s next availability won’t be until the… 8th. So shall we schedule something for the 3rd? I can always call if he has a cancellation.”

A pause. Your eyes narrow into a mean little smile at nothing in particular. Practically glowing with satisfaction. Without your attention on him, he shifts a bit.

“Of course, Mister Graves,” you hum. “I can forward your people the details. Have a lovely day now.”

Soap and Gaz start laughing the moment you hand up. You huff at them in amusement, shaking your head, then turn to John.

“Was there anything you needed, sir?” You ask, syrupy sweet.

John snorts and finally approaches your desk, leaning his hip against the edge as he crosses his arms. You tilt your head to give him your full attention, a stray curl falling against your jaw.

“Since you seem to be on rampage,” he says, “I need you to get a reservation for Friday at Muse.”

You blink at him. “Muse? Sir, that’s… don’t they book that place out months in advance?”

He smirks. “Just use my name, luv. I’m sure you’ll have the rest under control.”

You don’t look convinced, but you slide your sticky pad over - light purple clouds, now. With a pink glitter pen.

“How many and what time, sir?”

“Six for eight o’clock.”

You hum as you scrawl it down, pretty round letters that shimmer under the office lights.

“Before you go,” you say as you set the sticky pad aside. “I have those inventory logs from the docks - as well as the incident report from security that evening.”

You pluck up a neat stack of papers, held together by a star-shaped paperclip. Already he can see pink highlighter on the first page, a little memo-note summarizing information for quick review at the top. Somewhere within, you’ve attached a pink tab to something.

“I’ve highlighted anything in the original shipment that wasn’t found in the inventory log,” you explain, tapping at one of them.

He hums, skims the summary, then starts rifling through the papers. Will never admit how much he appreciates the thoroughness, even if he’s comb through every detail himself just to be sure nothing has been missed.

“Oh, also,” you add, spinning the glitter pen between clever fingers, “I think we should maybe set up a camera near that back entrance to the warehouse.”

He pauses. The back entrance where they do the more gruesome aspects of “business.” Odd that you would suggest that.

“Why’s that?”

You hum. “Well, I’m no narc, but I heard from someone who works over there that one of the shipping guys smokes weed with his cousin in that area. Maybe someone saw them and realized that’s a good way in.”

You shrug, leaning back in your seat again. The computer dings, calling your attention. John shoots Soap a glance, who nods and quietly steps out. You don’t seem to notice, clicking your tongue at whatever you see.

“Nicely done, luv,” he says, voice warm in his chest. You beam at him, pleased as always when he recognizes your hard work. “I’ll call if I need anything else.”

“Yes, sir,” you reply.

Twenty minutes later, you tap lightly at the open door to his office.

“Got the reservation!” You announce, a funny little smile on your face. “They were so nice about it too. What are you, some kind of mafia boss?”

He chuckles at your joke, shaking his head.

How did he ever manage all this without you?

First | Previous | Next

Masterlist

[3amfanfiction]

Now I’m thinking about you and ghost, together for a year, when he introduces you to his captain.

Ghost is obsessed with you—you’re perfect and can do no wrong and at first he’s over the moon when his captain shows interest in you. Two of his favorite people getting along? Win.

But Price isn’t nice, he’s always managed to crush anything he gets within his grasp, fingers squeezing too tight, no regard for the damage his toys receive.

So he starts to squeeze, and it hurts, and you turn to Simon for help. At first he tries to mitigate things, she’s not feeling up to hanging out tonight cap, come sit by me love, you should be nicer to her. But as all things do, it only escalated from there.

And Simon has to watch his captain, the man who makes sure he and his team come out of things alive, the man who always sees a straight path forward, the man who has Simon’s back . . . consume the person who makes Simon feel like he has a home to come back to, who tells him it’s okay to cry, who revitalizes him with food, love and care.

And Simon knows it’s not malicious on Price’s part, his grasp has always been the fingers he can claw into his prize, the desire to own in an uncertain world.

But how can he explain that in a way this sweet thing will understand?

So he has to stand back and watch as his captain leaves you bleeding and bruised, your eyes coming to him for help and he has to decide if he lets his captain continue playing with the person healing his soul . . . or step in and lose his team.

[slugghee]

"I am Firas Muhaisen from Gaza. My sister and I went to Egypt before the war to study medicine. We had a source of income to be able to cover university fees, but with the war, my father lost his only source of income, which was a construction factory... My family is now living on what is left of their money and they are unable to meet their needs due to the high prices in northern Gaza. On our first vacation, we were supposed to visit my family in Gaza, but with the war, we could not. We hope for help to complete our education, move our families out, and strive for a life in which there is little security and human rights."

Hello everyone! Firas (@firasmuhaisenn) and Nisreen are first-year medical students currently completing their education in Egypt. They are separated from their family (which includes three adults and three children), who are trapped in Gaza and Israel’s ongoing genocide. Their family has lost all income, so Firas and Nisreen are responsible for sending them money to keep them alive. They not only need money to support and evacuate their family, but to pay their university fees. Their campaign has been going extremely slowly, despite several supportive posts about them. Firas has been trying to raise money since April, but as of 9/7/24, he has only received $8,364 out of his goal of $82,000 CAD. (1 CAD ≈ 0.74 USD and 0.66 Euros)

DONAT1ONS HAVE ALL BUT STAGNATED!!!! Firas has only received ONE DONATI0N IN THE PAST FIVE DAYS!!!!!

Firas's campaign is verified by @/90-ghost here. I've also been chatting with Firas, and others here on tumblr know him.

Please help Firas out, he is losing hope! You all responded well to my post about Youssef, helping to revitalize his campaign. We can do the same for Firas! Let's do what we can to take some of the burden off of his shoulders! Don@te if you can, reblog regardless if you can or can't, and spread the word to your friends and family outside of this app. Everything you can give is valuable, no matter how small.

[blogport]

EPOXYSHİNE - DRAGON+ (3)

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Epoxy Floor Coating

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Furthermore, the installation process for epoxy floor coating is relatively quick, often completed within a few days. However, it’s essential to hire professionals who have the expertise and equipment to ensure a flawless application. The right team will properly prepare the surface, allowing for optimal adhesion and longevity of the coating.

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When searching for floor polishing near me, it's essential to find a service that not only meets your expectations but also understands the unique needs of your flooring. Professional floor polishing can revitalize old surfaces, restoring their shine and luster while protecting them from future wear and tear.

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Commercial flooring solutions are essential for businesses seeking to enhance their aesthetic appeal while also ensuring durability and functionality. The choice of flooring can greatly influence the overall atmosphere of a commercial space, leading to improved employee morale and customer satisfaction.

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One of the significant advantages of a metallic epoxy floor is its durability. This flooring solution is resistant to stains, chemicals, and impacts, making it ideal for high-traffic areas. Additionally, it is easy to clean and maintain, which means that business owners and homeowners can save time and resources. The seamless nature of epoxy flooring also contributes to a hygienic environment, especially in spaces like hospitals or laboratories.

Installing a metallic epoxy floor can be a customized process, allowing property owners to choose their preferred colors and patterns. Whether you’re looking for a sleek, industrial look or a vibrant, artistic finish, this flooring solution can be tailored to meet your unique vision. By consulting with professionals, you can ensure that your metallic epoxy floor is installed correctly and maximizes its longevity and beauty.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Joan McCarter at Daily Kos:

President Joe Biden isn’t accepting the idea that he’s a lame duck president. He continues to build on his already impressive record with actions and ideas to help the American people. He’s also setting up Kamala Harris for potential presidential success, which could end up being the most profound part of his legacy. The most recent incredible success from Biden and his team is securing the release of two Americans detained in Russia, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan. Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist working for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Washington Post opinions contributor, are also being released as part of the deal. Gershkovich and Whelan had been convicted of bogus espionage charges by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s regime. Bringing them home was a promise Biden made in his Oval Office speech explaining his decision to end his reelection campaign.

[...]

At home, Biden is committed to seeing through his student loan debt relief plans. The administration sent out emails to borrowers Wednesday, letting them know that some—or in some cases, all—of their debt will be canceled this fall when his executive order is fully implemented, and explaining how they can benefit. That’s relief for about 30 million borrowers, according to the White House. “Despite attempts led by Republican elected officials to block our efforts, we won’t stop fighting to provide relief to student loan borrowers, fix the broken student loan system, and help borrowers get out from under the burden of student debt,” Biden said. 

Biden also developed a sweeping plan for combatting housing costs and out-of-control rent inflation. It’s an ambitious proposal, giving corporate landlords a choice: “either cap rent increases on existing units at 5% or risk losing current valuable federal tax breaks.” That last part would take Congress’s help. The action he can, and is, taking on his own is ordering agencies to inventory federal lands that can be repurposed “to build tens of thousands of affordable homes.”  Biden’s Department of Housing and Urban Development just announced $325 million in Choice Neighborhoods grants, which will be used to “build over 6,500 units of new housing, support small businesses, build childcare centers and new parks, and will be used to leverage more than $2.65 billion in additional public and private investments in these neighborhoods.” Choice Neighborhoods is a HUD initiative to revitalize struggling neighborhoods into mixed-income housing.  In another family-friendly action, Biden is fighting to keep airlines from price-gouging families. He’s proposing a ban on the extra fees airlines charge parents to sit with their children.

[...] Biden is also looking to future-proof against the potential dangers of AI technology with an order directing every federal agency and department that could be affected to create standards and regulations overseeing AI—that’s everything from health care to housing to national security. [...] The Biden administration is also galvanized to step up the fight against fentanyl, with Biden on Wednesday directing all related federal agencies to coordinate actions to stop the flow of the drug.

President Joe Biden is still fighting for Americans, even after he passed the torch to Kamala Harris. #JoeBiden

[fatehbaz]

They’ve built a “Great Wheel” on the Seattle waterfront [...].

The small timber village became a military outpost in the Puget Sound War [...], [and] soon evolved into a trade gateway, with timber tailings and other industrial trash from Henry Yesler’s mill used to fill in the marshlands [...], atop which migrant laborers raised tents and shanties [...] now working to feed raw materials into the furnaces of the Second Industrial Revolution burning in the East. [...] The first nationwide strike ripped across the country’s railways in 1877, but in Seattle the unrest took on a grim character, as thousands of unemployed white workers rioted against their Chinese counterparts [...]. Meanwhile, [...] local elites rebuilt [...] downtown [...] from scratch, hosting the tallest building on the West Coast alongside other new constructs [fueled] with money gleaned from the supply chains linking eastern capital to Alaskan gold. [...] Today the city - again rebuilt [...] - is seen as one of the primary beneficiaries of the “Fifth” Industrial Revolution in information technology, outshone only by California’s Silicon Valley. [...] The digital was increasingly thought of as somehow "immaterial," sustained by intellectual labor more than physical toil [...].

Silicon Valley myths of [...] "immaterial" labor disguise a more gruesome dynamic in which growing segments of the global labor force are being deprived even of the basic brutality of the wage, instead forced out into growing rings of slums, prisons, and global wastelands. [...]

---

Perched alongside a downtown business corridor [...], Seattle's Great Wheel seems to peer out over [...] [the] prophesied “cooperative commons,” an infotech metropolis abutting the beauty of an evergreen arcadia. But travel below Seattle’s cluster of infotech industries and the image appears much the same as that of a hundred years prior - a trade gateway, squeezing value from supply chains by selling transport and logistical support. The southern stretch of the metropolis bears little resemblance to the revitalized urban core of the city proper. Instead of the “cognitive labor” of Microsoft, it is defined instead by the cold calculation of companies like UPS, founded in Seattle when the city was one link in a colonial supply chain built first for timber, then Alaskan gold, then World War. [...]

In south Seattle, this logistics empire takes the form of faceless warehouses, food processing facilities, container trucks, rail yards, and industrial parks concentrated between two seaports, an international airport, three major interstates, and railroads traveling in all directions. Meanwhile, the poor have been priced out of the old inner city, moving southward [...]. [T]hey can be found staffing the airport and the rail yards, hauling cargo in and out of two the major seaports, loading boxes in warehouses [...]. And, beyond them, the shadow stretches out to Washington’s rural hinterlands where migrant laborers staff a new boom in agriculture and raw materials [...] - and further still into America’s long-depressed interior, where the Great Wheel meets its opposite: Memphis, the FedEx logistics city, watched over by a great black pyramid [the infamous Bass Pro Shop pyramid]. [...]

Every Seattle is capable of creating an eco-friendly, “cooperative commonwealth” tended by apps and algorithms only insofar as there is a Memphis that can provide human workers to sort the packages, a Shanghai to build the containers that carry them, and a Shenzhen to solder together the circuits of the machines that govern it all.

---

All text above by: Phil A. Neel. "The Great Wheel". Brooklyn Rail. April 2015. Published online at: brooklynrail.org/2015/04/field-notes/the-great-wheel. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Text within brackets added by me for clarity. Presented here for commentary, teaching, personal use, criticism purposes.]

[deadmotelsusa]

Been following for a while (even bought the pins; love ‘em!) and just wanted share a dead motel that I’d stumbled across recently. It appears to have closed sometime during the pandemic. Doubt that it gets resurrected, given the price of real estate in the area.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/e59tzRhc2LBGSKcW9?g_st=ic

The Stratford Motor Lodge of Falls Church, Virginia closed in 2021. There have been multiple proposed development plans, including a senior living center or Wawa convenience store, but they all fell through. In September 2023, another application was filed with plans to revitalize a portion of the building into a restaurant.

[reasonsforhope]

"During the global coronavirus pandemic, China built dozens of makeshift hospitals and state quarantine centers, some out of steel container boxes. They became closely associated with the anxiety of mass testing and the fear of sudden lockdowns.

Now, cities are turning the huge centers into affordable housing units for young workers in an attempt to revive the country's economy post-COVID...

Just over a year ago, these apartments were used very differently: for medical triage and quarantine facilities. Beijing alone built 23 of these makeshift facilities, designed to hold up to 23,000 people at a time.

"It was not very cold yet but they told me to pack my belongings," remembers Hudson Li, a Beijing resident who was quarantined in one of these facilities, called fangcang in Chinese, in October 2022...

Less than two months after Li was quarantined, Beijing lifted most of its COVID restrictions. Li says he still associates the fangcang with a feeling of helplessness and fear: "It has been over a year already, but I definitely have PTSD from the pandemic, from the fear of scarcity and having to stock up on a lot of medicine and food."

Attracting young tenants with low rents

Now the fangcang across the country are undergoing a minor transformation and turned into apartment units for young graduates like Li. The changes are an effort from local authorities, who have been tasked with restarting economic growth and supporting small businesses after nearly three years of ruinous lockdowns.

Populous cities like Beijing are also trying to bridge the housing affordability gap between high real estate prices and low salaries, on average, for young workers. In the northeast corner of the capital city, near its airport, one fangcang with more than 4,900 units has been rebranded the "Jinzhan Colorful Community" — a reference to the bright hues of paint — and now offers amenities like a canteen where residents can grab a cheap meal before or after work.

Another fangcang facility, in the northeastern city of Jinan, has been turned into 650 units for skilled workers inside an industrial park.

"Given that the current overall [COVID] epidemic situation in the country has entered a low level, revitalizing the fangcang for other housing purposes is worth learning and thinking about all over the country," Yan Yuejin, a housing analyst, told Chinese media.

The fangcang, once a symbol of containment, are now supposed to represent dynamism and growth.

"I have complex feelings about this. The facilities were built using public funds and not rented out transparently," Li says. "But I do have to say you will not get anything more affordable than these apartments. They are very price competitive."

A list of rental prices for a Beijing fangcang converted into apartments shows most rooms are Rmb1200 (USD $170) a month, low for Beijing."

-via NPR, December 9, 2023

[aptericia]

I commissioned @sazuka57 for these WONDERFUL pixel sprites of Shang Bu-Huan and Lin Xue-Ya from Thunderbolt Fantasy in the style of the Octopath Traveler series!

A while back, I had created information for them as if they were NPCs in OT2 (season 3 of tbf introduces interdimensional travel, after all!), and I was considering posting them when I decided I really wanted some visuals too. Sazuka did a spectacular job with them (their poses?? all the details on their incredibly complicated outfits?? aaaaah) and was super friendly and easy to work with!

Info below the cut:

Traveling Swordsman (Shang Bu-Huan)

Strength: 10

Skills: Formless Rogue Sword (1-3 highly powerful sword attacks on all foes), Qi Punch (strong physical attack, chance to lower opponent’s physical defense), Qi Healing (restore a small amount of HP to a single ally and remove their status ailments), Attack (Sword)

Information:

Age: 46 Details: After making one too many enemies in his home country, he fled with the intent to rid himself of his burdens. Unfortunately for him, he has so far only managed to acquire even more burdens, such as the enigmatic young man who followed him to Solista. Information Gleaned: None

Items:

Formless Sword (Sword; Phys. Atk +1, Speed +45, Evasion +45) Umbrella (fetches a modest price if sold)

Summon (x4):

Business Partners: Lucky Break (Have a 1% chance to receive purchases for free) Dance Session: Gentle Rhythm (Restore a small amount of HP to the target)

Battle:

Weaknesses: Dagger, Bow, Ice, Wind Shields: 7 Item Drop: Fool's Leaf Learned Skills: Formless Rogue Sword (consume all your SP, then unleash a sword attack on all foes proportional to the amount of SP consumed)

Path actions:

Inquire: Lv. 40 Guide: Lv. 65 Challenge: Lv. 30 Befriend: Stone-Roasted Rice x15 Soothe: Herb of Serenity x1 Ambush: Lv. 60 Hire: $65,000 Coerce: 5 shields Bribe: $5,000

Mysterious Man (Lin Xue-Ya)

Strength: 10

Skills: Misty Veil (cause a single foe’s next 2 physical attacks to miss), Smoke Pipe (Confuse a single foe for 5-7 turns), Empoison, Panacea

Information:

Age: unknown Details: Pretends to be a humble traveler, or whatever other role suits the occasion, but in reality is a master thief known as the “Enigmatic Gale”. Switching from villain to hero at the drop of a hat, his true intentions are impossible to know. He came from a faraway land in pursuit of a certain swordsman he has taken an interest in. Information Gleaned: None

Items:

Bottle of Befuddling Dust Herb Elixir Revitalizing Jam Herb of Serenity

Summon (x3):

Business Partners: Silver Tongue (Receive 20% off purchases) Dance Session: Bewildering Ballad (Cause a curious effect to occur 1 time)

Battle:

Weaknesses: Staff, Dark Shields: 5 Item Drop: Refreshing Jam Learned Skills: Misty Veil (cause a single foe's next 1/2/3/4 physical attacks to miss) (20 SP)

Path actions:

Inquire: Lv. 20 Guide: Lv. 30 Challenge: Lv. 40 Befriend: Octopath Bowl x3 Soothe: Herb of Serenity x3 Ambush: Lv. 60 Hire: $30,000 Coerce: 6 shields Bribe: $3,000

[dostoyevsky-official]

On rates specifically, Trump could jawbone Jerome Powell like he did during his last administration. And there’s a good chance that he will replace him at some point. But even then this doesn’t automatically solve anything. If you take mainstream economic thinking seriously, and the Fed moves to aggressively lower interest rates to align itself with the administration, then this theoretically is inflationary, and then you just move the challenge elsewhere. A lot of the uncertainty hovering in the bond market is being priced into the term premium, roughly defined as the extra compensation investors demand to hold longer-term bonds. There’s a popular idea out there that the industrial policy of the Biden administration was a political failure. Efforts to reshore or revitalize domestic manufacturing didn’t change the Democrats’ fortunes among working class voters or deliver the Rust Belt states. On the other hand, it’s a little bit unclear how much this was the intent. A big part of the motivation for the IRA was climate-specific, and a lot new factories are in ‘red’ areas, in part to ensure GOP support for them after the changing of the administration. Furthermore, there’s a big China-hawk element among the Democrats’ ‘post-neoliberal’ base, which is in large part motivated by technological and industrial competition. [...] A bunch of stuff has been moving alongside Trump’s chances of winning (things like Bitcoin, DJT, and the dollar index), but one thing that’s kind of flown under the radar has been the move in perpetual preferreds issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, a.k.a the GSE ‘zombie’ stocks. The bet here is that Trump could release Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from conservatorship, which would mean they could theoretically pay out dividends to preferred investors once again. And finally, people love to talk about so-called “bond market vigilantes” but stock market vigilantes also exist. According to Gallup, 61% of American households own stocks. Stocks are how people fund retirements, college education, and so forth. You could argue that — with the gutting of defined benefit pension plans — a rising stock market is an implicit part of America’s social contract. And so when you think about policy adventurism — such as aggressive tariffs — it might be useful to think about how that would go down in equity world, and the effect that that would have on voting households.​

[callsignfate]

I need you to be okay

Day Fourteen of Writemas/Birthday posts!

If you want to see the scheduled posts go here If you want to see more posts like this go here

TW: Lecturing, mention of dangerous acts, mention of guns and military vehicles, mention and talk of military field work, If I've missed any let me know!

♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡ This is stuck in my head. It's been stuck in my head. So now you all must have to read it. Reader is mentioned to be shorter than everyone and Laswell (I think)

(Soap finds out your married to Laswell might make a part two that he tells everyone)

You had joined TF141 for a temporary, unknown amount of time, often going by your callsign rather than anything else. Because they didn't dare ask your age, and you were slightly immature at times, they all called you different nicknames that had stuck with you.

A mission that was supposed to take no more than a day or two turned into almost a week. Everyone was excited to be back at the base. You could tell by the jokes and more revitalized tones that they were more than ready to shower and rest finally. You were excited, although for different reasons. You wanted nothing more than to see your wife.

"Shower and rest, Laswell wants a debrief in a few hours," Price said, grumbling about it under his breath about how he wanted a longer break for all of you and himself.

You nodded in response as the rest of them sighed and agreed with some small snide comments. You knew your wife well enough that she wanted to do it sooner; hell, she'd be there the second you stepped off the helicopter wanting a debrief if she wasn't trying to be even slightly nicer.

The hot shower and fresh, clean clothes felt like heaven. You finally got rid of the cold feeling that seemed stuck in your bones as you put on your favorite hoodie that you stole from Kate and headed out towards the meeting room. You could see Soap walking that way as well up the hall, also wearing more leisurely clothes.

It had been a few weeks since you had seen Kate. You could already hear her lecturing Price as you pulled open the door and looked to see almost everyone was here but Gaz. Kate's frustrated eyes flashed to yours as she raised her eyebrows with a pissed-off mom look she always gave you before she lectured you.

"And you, what in God's name do you think you were doing? We won't even talk about the reckless mistakes you made with them. I put you with them for a few months, and you begin to share their brain cells?" Kate's hands were moving frantically around as she spoke. She didn't often talk with her hands unless she was upset, and she was.

"I made the best decisions I could with the information and situation provided." You noticed that Kate took a lot of attitude back from the 141. She had vented to you about just how reckless they were, but you saw firsthand how tight of situations they get put in where they, and now you, had to make tough, probably reckless decisions to save their ass or get the job done.

"Don't talk to me that formally—I hate it, and you know it," Kate hissed out. In response, you laughed and sat down next to Soap, who looked bored and tired, although still happy and friendly as always.

You and Soap, while listening to Kate lecture Price, ended up spinning your chairs from side to side, quietly matching each other's movements with a stifled laugh every once in a while.

Gaz finally walked in. He sat near Ghost, who was silently watching it all unfold. Kate immediately went from lecturing Price to everyone as a group, sounding like a mother whose child had chased a ball into the street.

"Every one of you has a death wish or something? I leave for a few weeks, and suddenly the entire team decides to throw themselves into the line of fire like it's a bloody carnival game. I swear, Soap, you better stop making bets with Ghost on who can come closer to getting shot. And you," she pointed at Gaz, "I saw the report. You tried to take on a bloody tank with just a pistol!"

Gaz leaned back in his chair, grinning. "Well, Kate, you always said 'work smarter, not harder.' So, I thought, why not try it the other way around for a change?"

Kate's eyes narrowed, and you could practically see the storm clouds gathering. "This isn't a joke, Gaz. One of these days, your 'work harder' approach is going to get you killed."

Soap chimed in, "But we got the job done, Kate. That's what matters, right?"

"Getting the job done without getting yourselves killed or causing an international incident also matters," Kate retorted, crossing her arms.

You couldn't help but chuckle, earning a glare from Kate. "What's so funny?"

"Just missed your charming lectures, Kate. Reminds me that I'm home," you replied with a teasing smile.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, spare me. Anyway, debrief is over. Go get some rest, everyone, before you all end up in the hospital. And You, you stay."

As the door closed behind the last member leaving the room, you and Kate were left alone in the quiet aftermath of her scolding. The atmosphere shifted, becoming less official and more intimate. Kate sighed, her stern facade melting away as she ran a hand through her hair, a sign of her exasperation.

"You know," she began, her tone softer now, "I worry about all of you. This job... it takes a toll, and sometimes I feel like I'm herding a bunch of stubborn cats."

You chuckled again, standing up and walking over to where she was sitting. "Well, we're your stubborn cats, and you're the only one who can handle us."

She shot you a playful glare but couldn't hide the hint of a smile. "And what about you? Any reckless stunts I should know about? Or are you the one responsible adult in this operation?"

You leaned against the desk, meeting her gaze. "Oh, you know me, Kate. I'm the epitome of responsibility."

She snorted, playfully rolling her eyes. "Right. The 'responsible' one who used to climb out of bedroom windows just to avoid being caught sneaking in past curfew."

You smirked, recalling those rebellious teenage days. "Ah, those were the days. But seriously, I'm fine. No reckless stunts, promise."

She studied you for a moment, her expression shifting to something more thoughtful. "Good. Because... I need you to be okay. More than you probably realize."

Your teasing demeanor softened. You reached out, gently cupping her cheek. "I'm not going anywhere, Kate. You're stuck with me."

She leaned into your touch, closing her eyes briefly. "Good. Because I'd hate to have to chase you down and drag you back."

You chuckled, giving her cheek a light, affectionate tap. "Wouldn't want you to break a sweat, now, would we?"

She swatted your hand away with a mock scowl. "Go get some rest. We've got work to do, and I can't have you falling asleep in the middle of a mission."

With a final teasing grin, you left the room, leaving Kate to her paperwork and thoughts. The banter might be constant, but the unspoken understanding between you two was clear—you were her anchor in the storm, and she was yours. As you walked out, you saw Soap standing near the wall with a slightly shocked but sly smile. He held your favorite cap, the one you wore often. Before you could react, he reached into it and pulled out your name tag that read 'Laswell.' Your face paled as you realized Soap had overheard your discussion with your wife and discovered the name tag you had hidden in your cap.

Soap, holding the name tag between his fingers, raised an eyebrow with a mischievous grin. "Laswell, huh? So, our fearless leader has a soft spot for you. Never would've guessed."

Your face heated up, a mix of embarrassment and frustration. "Soap, don't you have better things to do than pry into other people's business?"

He chuckled, tossing the name tag back to you. "Hey, just having a bit of fun. But seriously, you and the boss? That's interesting."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Price owes me twenty bucks. Said he never believed the boss would get involved with someone on the team. Guess we both lost that bet." You sighed, realizing that your personal life had become a source of entertainment for your teammates. "If everyone finds out we're married I will shave off your mohawk in your sleep."

Soap raised his hands in mock surrender, a playful glint in his eyes. "Alright, alright, I'll zip it. Your secret's safe with me. No need to resort to mohawk threats."

"Good," you replied, though the playful threat hung in the air. You headed to your quarters, thoughts swirling. It wasn't that you were ashamed of your relationship with Kate, but the nature of your work demanded a certain level of secrecy. The last thing you needed was the team treating every mission like some kind of love story drama.

After dealing with Soap, you decided to find Kate. She was now likely in her office, buried in paperwork. The familiar sound of helicopters and distant chatter filled the air as you navigated the base.

When you reached her office, Kate looked up from her desk, a rare smile gracing her lips. "Took you long enough."

"Debrief ran late," you joked, leaning against the doorframe.

She raised an eyebrow, glancing at what you were wearing finally. "Is that my hoodie?"

You smirked. "Maybe."

Kate chuckled, standing up and walking over to you. "You know, I missed you."

"I missed you too," you admitted, pulling her into a warm embrace.

♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

* * * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 13, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Sep 14, 2024

After bomb threats today, officials had to evacuate two elementary schools in Springfield, Ohio, and move the students to a different location. They had to close a middle school altogether. This is the second day bomb threats have closed schools and public buildings after MAGA Republicans have spread the lie that Haitian immigrants there have been eating white people's pets. Haitian immigrants, who were welcomed to Springfield by officials eager to revitalize the city and who are there legally, say they are afraid. 

Hunter Walker and Josh Kovensky of Talking Points Memo today explained where the lie had come from and how it had spread. More than two months ago, they wrote, Ohio senator J.D. Vance, who is Trump’s vice presidential running mate, began to speak about Springfield at a Senate Banking Committee hearing, trying to tie rising housing prices to immigrants. The next day, at the National Conservatism conference, Vance accused “illegals” of overwhelming the city. 

On August 10, about a dozen neo-Nazis of the “Blood Tribe” organization showed up in Springfield, where one of their leaders said the city had been taken over by “degenerate third worlders” and blamed the Jews for the influx of migrants. The neo-Nazis stayed and, on August 27, showed up at a meeting of the city council, where their leader threatened council members. On September 1, another white supremacist group, Patriot Front, held its own “protest to the mass influx of unassimilable Haitian migrants” in the city. Right-wing social media posters pushed the story, usually with “witnesses” to events in the city coming from elsewhere.

In late August, posting in a private Facebook group, a resident said they had heard that Haitian immigrants had butchered a neighbor’s cat for food. Vance reposted that rumor to attack Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, on whom he is trying to hang undocumented immigration although it was Trump who convinced Republicans to kill a strong bipartisan border bill this spring. Springfield police and the city manager told news outlets there was no truth to the rumors.  

Nonetheless, on September 10, Vance told his people to “keep the cat memes flowing,” even though—or perhaps because—the rumors were putting people in his own state in danger.

Trump repeated the lie at the presidential debate that night, claiming, “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.” Today, President Joe Biden demanded Trump stop his attacks on Haitian-Americans, but Trump doubled down, promising to deport the Haitian immigrants in Springfield if he is elected, although they are here legally. 

The widespread ridicule of Trump’s statement has obscured that this attack on Ohio’s immigrants is part of an attempt to regain control of the Senate. Convincing Ohio voters that the immigrants in their midst are subhuman could help Republicans defeat popular Democratic incumbent senator Sherrod Brown, who has held his seat since 2007. Brown and Montana’s Jon Tester, both Democrats in states that supported Trump in 2020, are key to controlling the Senate. 

Two Republican super PACs, one of which is linked to Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), have booked more than $82 million of ad space in Ohio between Labor Day and the election and are focusing on immigration. 

Taking control of the Senate would enable Republicans not only to block all popular Democratic legislation, as they did with gun reform after the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, but to continue to establish control of America’s judicial system. So long as their judges are in place to make law from the bench, what the majority of Americans want doesn’t matter.

In 1986, when it was clear that most Americans did not support the policies put in place by the Reagan Republicans, the Reagan appointees at the Justice Department broke tradition to ensure that candidates for judgeships shared their partisanship. Their goal, said the president’s attorney general, Ed Meese, was to “institutionalize the Reagan revolution so it can’t be set aside no matter what happens in future presidential elections.” 

That principle held going forward. Federal judgeships depend on Senate confirmation, and when McConnell became Senate minority leader in 2007, he worked to make sure Democrats could not put their own appointees onto the bench. He held up so many of President Barack Obama’s nominees for federal judgeships that in 2013 Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) prohibited filibusters on certain judicial nominees.

McConnell also made it clear that he would do everything he could to make sure that Democrats could not pass laws, weaponizing the filibuster so that nothing could become law without 60 votes in the Senate.

McConnell became Senate majority leader in 2015 when voters gave Republicans control of the Senate, and when Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016, McConnell refused even to hold hearings for President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland. McConnell’s justification for this unprecedented obstruction was that Obama’s March nomination was too close to an election, but the underlying reason for the 2016 delay was at least in part his recognition that hopes of pushing the Supreme Court to the right, especially on the issue of abortion, were likely to get evangelical voters to the polls.

Trump won in 2016, and Republicans got control of the Senate. In 2017, when Democrats tried to filibuster Trump’s nomination of Neil Gorsuch to fill Scalia’s long-empty seat, then–majority leader McConnell killed the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. The end of the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees meant that McConnell could push through Trump’s nominees Brett Kavanaugh, with just 50 votes, and Amy Coney Barrett, with just 52 (in late October 2020, with voting for the next president already underway). 

Throughout his tenure as Senate majority leader, McConnell made judicial confirmations a top priority, churning through nominations even when the coronavirus pandemic shut everything else down. Right-wing plaintiffs are now seeking out those judges, like Matthew Kacsmaryk of Texas, to decide in their favor. Kacsmaryk challenged the FDA’s approval of the drug mifepristone, which can be used in abortions, thus threatening to ban it nationwide.

Meanwhile, at the Supreme Court, Trump appointees are joining with right-wing justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito to overturn precedents established long ago, including the right to abortion. 

Controlling the country through the courts was the plan behind stacking the courts with Republican nominees and weaponizing the filibuster to stop Democrats from passing legislation. In March 2024, in Slate, legal analyst Mark Joseph Stern noted that McConnell “realized you don’t need to win elections to enact Republican policy. You don’t need to change hearts and minds. You don’t need to push ballot initiatives or win over the views of the people. All you have to do is stack the courts. You only need 51 votes in the Senate to stack the courts with far-right partisan activists…[a]nd they will enact Republican policies under the guise of judicial review, policies that could never pass through the democratic process. And those policies will be bulletproof, because they will be called ‘law.’”

When he took office, President Joe Biden went to work putting his own mark on the federal judiciary. Almost two thirds of his appointees are women, and 62% are people of color. He appointed the first Black female justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, to the Supreme Court. But now, Republicans are hoping to retake the Senate to make sure that those appointments will stop, along with any more legislation. Their right-wing appointees to the courts will take the business of lawmaking out of the hands of American majorities.

Republican leaders are throwing everything they’ve got at the Senate races in Montana and Ohio, where they hope they can pick up the seat they need to take control of the Senate.

Attacks on immigrants in Ohio might move that needle. 

In 1890, Republicans faced a similar problem. They had lost the popular vote in 1888, although they installed Republican president Benjamin Harrison in office through the Electoral College, and knew the Democrats would soon far outnumber their own voters. So they set out to guarantee that they could never lose the Senate, which should enable them to kill popular Democratic legislation. 

But they misjudged the electorate, and in the 1890 midterm election, voters gave control of the House to the Democrats by a margin of two to one, and control of the Senate came down to a single seat, that of a senator from South Dakota. In those days, state legislatures chose their state’s senators, and shortly after it became clear that control of the Senate was going to depend on that South Dakota seat, U.S. Army troops went to South Dakota to rally voters by putting down an “Indian uprising” in which no people had died and no property had been damaged. 

Fueled on false stories of “savages” who were attacking white settlers, the inexperienced soldiers were the ones who pulled the triggers to kill more than 250 Lakotas on December 29, but the Wounded Knee Massacre started in Washington, D.C.  

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[foxian-amicassador-tingyun]

My name is Tingyun, the Amicassador for the Luofu Sky-Faring Commission merchant guild!

Peace is the best for business. It's best to work with persuadable people. For those who are less persuadable, cooling them down with a fan works wonders.

Greetings, benefactor! It's lovely to see you around these parts. Have you been to the Luofu before? I'm sure there are so many neat things I can show you.

Aurum Alley is a neat collection of small businesses, and now with its revitalization, it's a perfect place to grab a snack or a souvenir! I'm sure you'll see a price you like, and if not, I'll help you bargain~

Be it debates or small favours, I'm very persuasive. Both parties will find a satisfactory side of their deal, guaranteed-- just, ah-- don't tell Madam Yukong I'm sharing trade secrets.

"You received the gift of Abundance, surely you can withstand the blessing of Destruction."

Notes from the moderator:

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Tags:

#abundant splendor 👛 : Art reblogs

#moments long lost 🥀 : Random thoughts and calm moments

#here to make a trade? 🪙 : Asks from anons and others

#many folds in a fan 🪭: Interactions with Honkai Star Rail blogs

#a land blessed by abundance🌻: Interactions with characters from the Xianzhou Luofu

#skyrocketing! 📈 : Interactions with other members of the Sky-Faring Commission

#our kind madam 🪁 : Interactions with / mentions of Madam Yukong

#the dragon lady 🫖 : Interactions with / mentions of Bailu

Masterlist post of Honkai Star Rail-official blogs linked here