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aymanfamily · 4 months ago

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Evacuation of my Neurological Patient Brother 🥹🙏

Dear Friends and Supporters,

I’m reaching out to you today, on behalf of my husband, with an urgent request for assistance. My family is currently facing an unimaginable situation as I desperately seek to evacuate them from the ongoing crisis in Gaza including my brother-in-law, who is a neurological patient, and my mother-in-law who is 70 years old, and she is not only grapples with the challenges of aging but also shoulders the burden of chronic illnesses, including high blood pressure and diabetes. My brother-in-law's condition requires specialized medical care, as he suffers from a benign tumor in the cerebellum. He underwent two major surgeries to remove the tumor, and an internal valve was installed to drain the cerebrospinal fluid.

This operation led to a permanent disability in movement and stiffness in the muscles of the legs, especially the left side. He needs constant follow-up and permanent rehabilitation treatment, as he was receiving two physical therapy sessions weekly to relieve muscle stiffness, but since the beginning of the aggression on the Gaza Strip (more than 4 months ago), he has not received this service, and in the same context, he needs daily medication which is simply not available now in Gaza, as the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip has been severely impacted by the ongoing conflict, with limited resources and a shortage of medical supplies. It is crucial that we act quickly to evacuate him to a safer location where he can receive the necessary medical attention and support, in addition to the evacuation of 6 other members of my family.

As many of you may be aware, Gaza has been experiencing a devastating humanitarian crisis for years. The recent Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has worsened the situation, leaving innocent civilians trapped and in desperate need of help. Knowing that we live in Gaza City, but the Israeli occupation army forced us to evacuate our homes and move to the center or south of the Gaza Strip. We left our home on 13th Oct. 2023 and moved to the center of the Gaza Strip, which was supposed to be a safe area, but then the Israeli soldiers began military operations in the central region. Therefore, we were forced to move to Rafah, living in a house including 20 members. Currently the Israeli Occupation Forces are threatening to invade Rafah, where 1.4 million people are taking refuge in an area of 55 km2. If Rafah is invaded, more massacres will be committed in addition to the massacres that were and are currently being committed in all areas of the Gaza Strip. Note that our house was directly hit by a missile, and currently the Israeli army does not allow us to return to Gaza city and to our homes, in addition to the fact that Gaza currently does not have the minimum necessities of life, such as electricity or clean water, in addition to the scarcity of resources. So, in an attempt to save our lives, we are planning to evacuate to Egypt, but the cost of evacuation is exorbitant, far beyond what our family can afford, therefore I'm setting up a GoFundMe campaign to raise USD $59,000. Here is the breakdown of the funds: • A total of USD $49,000 is estimated to cover the expenses associated with obtaining permits to leave Gaza, as well as crossing fees at Rafah, at the Egypt-Gaza border. This amount breaks down to USD$ 5,000 - $7,000 per person (7 people). • It is estimated that USD $10000 will be sufficient to cover the basic needs of my family in Egypt, including their accommodation, food, and other essential. Every donation, no matter how big or small, will make a difference. Even the smallest contribution can help us an inch closer to our goal of saving our life. Knowing that times are tough, and the invasion of Rafah could happen at any time, noting that the crossing with Egypt is in the city of Rafah, and it is possible that the crossing will be closed at any time due to the invasion, so I hope you help as soon as possible. Many thanks in advance for your contribution to save our lives.

My gofundme link:

Thanks for your trust and support ❤️🙏

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nirmeenayman · 6 months ago

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STOP AND READ ( HELP FATHER OF JANA FROM GAZA FIGHT AFTER LOSING EVERYTHING )

Even if it's something simple, it has value to us.

Hello, my name is Ayman Elwhidei, I am a father of 5 daughters and 2 sons, my elder son is married and has a little daughter and we live together in the same house. We live in the “Tal-elhwa” area of Gaza City, one of the first areas targeted by aerial bombing and fire belts at the start of the October 7th war. I was forced to evacuate my home in the first week of the war under bombardment, we took al Quds Hospital as a shelter, leaving behind my memories and all my possessions.

Our house is destroyed at the beginning of the ongoing slaughter we lost everything and we barely survived being killed by the bombs and indiscriminate artillery shells on the area, we have trapped on the hospital for more than a month with shortages of water and food, and we forced under bombardment to leave and evacuate the hospital to the south, we lived in KhanYounis a while until it became the most dangerous place in gaza after they start invading the city, we faced death multiple times while they bombing the houses around us. And again we forced to evacuate to Rafah and lived in a tent without any life supplies, we suffered from thirst and hunger, my youngest daughter Jana got sick and weak she couldn’t cope with what we are going through, lately Rafah got invaded and bombed every where and we miraculously survived when an airstrike hits near us, and again we forced to evacuate to another place in Dir Elbalah to another tint where there is no any suitable life supplies.

#free gaza #gofundme #i stand with palestine #free palestine

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drst · 1 month ago

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Stock up time, Americans

OK this is not fear mongering, folks, this is for real. If you live in the US, you need to start stocking up on supplies right now, especially anything that is imported from China.

There is a major drop in freight shipping from China happening right now (late April 2025). Even if someone with two brain cells got into a room with Trump today and convinced him to back down on the tariffs against China, it's too late. There are going to be shortages and empty shelves. It's a question of how long they will last now.

It will take a few more weeks to be felt across the US, but as cargo ceases to arrive on the west coast, you have around 3-4 weeks for the effects to fully reach the east coast depending on the items. People are already reporting price hikes just on orders from China due to the tariffs, but this is going to be a void where things we normally expect to be able to buy will no longer be available.

There could also be major ripple effects from this as the trucking industry gets hit with either layoffs or firings. A lot of people could be thrown out of work, on top of the cuts to federal and government-adjacent jobs. This will push the instability in the economy even harder. And who knows what catastrophes could come up next.

So what can you do now, at the end of April 2025? All of this advice should be considered based on your financial situation. Don't put yourself in debt to do any of these things, but maybe look at your budget and your savings and see what you can afford to do right now.

Stock up on medications. As we know from 2020, a lot of components of our medicines are made in China. Buy extra supplies of anything over the counter you rely on. See if you can get bulk refills on prescriptions. I know it's tough with insurance companies but check with the pharmacy and see if you can fill early, or see what the out of pocket cost is for a refill and if you can afford it.

Personal care and hygiene products too - buy extra soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. Feminine care products (diapers if you've got little ones).

Electronics. Almost everything we use is made in China or relies on components made in China. If you've been thinking of getting a new phone or your laptop is failing, now is the time before the prices go even higher.

Same deal with cars, although that's a major expense to replace and interest rates on loans are high right now. We assemble cars here in the US but every car manufacturer makes parts overseas. Take your car to a mechanic ASAP, get it checked out, make sure it's in good working order. Replace anything that needs replacing.

Paper products like toilet paper are not imported from China. As I understand it, the shortages in 2020 were due to other factors, buuuuut, let's be real. People are going to see bare shelves and panic. They're going to start hoarding and since we all remember the TP shortages 5 years ago, it would be a good idea to stock up now so you're not fighting the panic buyers.

Tools - weirdly a large percentage of scissors sold in the US are imported from China. Make sure you have a basic set of household tools. This is a list of 15 basics for handling a house. There's also the ready.gov list of what you need for an emergency kit. Also a basic sewing kit is a very good idea to have available.

Food-wise, again, while direct imports from China may not make a huge impact, if people begin to panic, you want to be prepared to deal with other people hoarding. If you have space and your electric bill can handle it, this is a good time to pick up a chest freezer. You can get a small one for under $200. You can buy the value sized bags of frozen stuff you like to eat (particularly important if you have food issues or if you've got kids who love their chicken nuggets). Grab extras of shelf-stable things like cereal, pasta, rice, and canned goods. If this feels paranoid, you don't have to go crazy, but buy at least some extras.

Get cash from your bank just in case. This is good practice in any circumstances, but don't assume your cards or your Apple Pay are going to work in an emergency. Hit the ATM, squirrel at least $100 away at home. Try to get small bills if you can, it's easier to carry some with you and leave the rest at home.

Lastly think through things you use daily, check where they come from, resupply or replace anything coming from China ASAP. Some folks already did this at the end of last year (durable goods purchases were up over 10% above average in December because people were worried about the tariff shit back then), but if you can afford it, get replacements or new supplies right now.

I sincerely hope 6 months from now this looks like panic and overreaction, but a lot of people smarter than me are giving this advice. It feels very much like February of 2020 again, where people watching the news closely could see something really bad on the horizon, but the majority had no idea. Better to be prepared.

#us politics #disaster preparedness #tariffs #may I not be hit by the dodgeball of prophecy

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severus-snaps · 4 months ago

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A greasy-haired teenager sat alone in a dark bedroom, pointing his wand at the ceiling, shooting down flies...

never given this line much thought before but it fits with what Bellatrix says about Spinner's End being a "Muggle dunghill" and the dirty river etc, on top of the infamous collection of information in Two Up, Two Down post I love so much.

what follows is another moment for me of realising just how hard snape had it and the likely conditions he grew up in

he didn't have any older siblings (that we know about) to borrow clothes from, which was why he was in his parents' clothing; the fact that he wasn't loaned any clothes that fit marginally better or were even for boys from the neighbours suggests that the Snapes weren't particularly close to the other families, and i expect a large number of flies in the house (enough to be shooting down, enough to spot when harry only saw the memory fleetingly) suggests poor sanitation in the home

It's not just a case of Bellatrix being judgy about a Muggle neighbourhood, currently falling apart with houses on the cobbled streets boarded up and with broken windows, and a dirty, smelly river; Snape's home growing up was considered "a poor recommendation" even when he was a child. Two up, two down houses were, in that period (and even before) often falling apart, known for being unsanitary and unsafe, as well as damp and cramped together. they were never intended to be nice; they were thrown up so that workers could be near the factories, and that was about the only concern at the time

There's some really vivid descriptions of living in these sorts of houses around, but I've just found this one from facebook (with images I've added from flashbak.com):

The house had no electric supply and relied solely on gas for everything.

One wall in each room had one gas mantle fitted to it for light and when the mantle became faulty it would smell and the light would become less bright and eventually cease to do the job and need replacing.

There was a coal fire grate in each room but only the living room fire was kept lit to keep the costs down because although people worked long hours wages were low and money was in short supply.

In the kitchen the heat from the stove when cooking provided some warm that also made its way upstairs into the bedrooms.

During the winter months when the house was particularly cold overcoats were placed over the blankets on the beds for extra warmth for the children in the front bedroom. While the parents slept in the smaller back bedroom.

There was only one water tap in the house situated in the kitchen and the kettle or pans had to be filled when hot water was required. They were heated on the stove and because there was no bathroom the young children were washed in the large sink or a tin bath while others went to the public baths situated nearby, local to the area.

The toilet was in the back yard and was also unlit, leaving the gas light from the kitchen to light up the yard through the window.

Toilet paper was old newspapers that had been cut up into squares and made ready for use.

All flooring in the house was covered with lino with the exception of the living room that had a rug in the centre for comfort and to help prevent wear and tear. Since the end of the world war II there had been shortages and many households struggled to get basic food stuff and clothing.

The black market had been active for some years and those that had the money would get what they needed, while for those that had little depended on the rationing system introduced by the government to make sure that everyone got at least basic food stuff.

The I.D. card had been introduced because of the war and was proof of who you were and was used for the benefit of rationing. There were often queues at the butchers and many families got the scrag ends and scraps that were left over.

When it came to clothing, families would put aside what was worn by one child until the next child had grown enough to wear them and every item including shoes were cleaned and repaired if possible and put away and saved for later use.

In those days children at play preferred to play outside and regularly would play along the canal and the neighbourhood streets and alleyways. There were very few cars around and despite the unclean air from the surrounding factories they would play all day outside until they were called in.

In those days there were very little restrictions on pollution and it was normal to wake up in the mornings to smog that sometimes lasted all week. A real pea souper as they say

but like... imagine snape growing up there, like that, with no sense of community and parents who couldn't afford to or weren't able to care for him properly. this is so far beyond 'weasley poor' with their warm, cosy home and plenty to eat; this is gaunt poor, improper housing, and conditions that regularly made people ill

perhaps the Snapes had to rely on the black market to even eat enough, if they could afford it; I'm picturing chest infections and frost on the insides of the windows over the winters, and flies crawling in the house in the summers - and apparently limited use of magic at the time snape was growing up to rectify any of it, else the descriptions wouldn't be so consistently negative (and evocative) with a potential swarm of flies in his bedroom

(wonder if he was underage here, and using his wand since his mother would've had one, or whether it's a snippet of post-hogwarts snape; the next memory is of snape on a broomstick, so presumably that's at hogwarts, and he was underage in the fly memory, trapped/hiding/sulking in his room)

then he gets to hogwarts with the likes of the malfoys, who have a whole mansion and peacocks and house elves and can afford anything they want, and they look down on the weasleys and their comfortable one-'moderate'-income supporting a seven-child home as if they were cockroaches. what on earth would they have thought of snape, if they knew? he had factual knowledge of the magical world, but i doubt he had that "raised in the magical world" vibe they so desperately want to protect

#severus snape #pro snape #snape #snape fandom #professor snape #pro severus snape #young snape #spinner's end #need to stop thinking about snape when i have things to do

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would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend · 6 months ago

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Would teddiursa be a good pet? I know ursaring isn’t but what if I just never evolve the dude.

Love this guy I got a plush of him for Christmas I named Honey Bun

Finally, after a streak of mixed bags, we have a resounding yes! A teddiursa would make a great, if sticky, pet, so long as you are aware of their needs.

These little critters are the perfect size to be a house pet, and their care is pretty straightforward. They don’t seem to have particular habitation needs, so with the right diet and enrichment activities they will be happy and healthy. It’s important to note that these pokémon are natural food hoarders; in the wild, teddiursas create large food stores in their multiple hiding places to prepare for the scarcity of winter (Silver). Don’t be concerned if your pet does this, even if you don’t (hopefully) anticipate there being a shortage of food for them in the winter. Despite their bear-like autumnal food hoarding, there isn’t any indication that this species hibernates in the winter.

Wild teddiursas’ diets are made up almost entirely of honey. They acquire this honey by two means. The first is by scavenging it from combee hives (Scarlet). More often, however, teddiursas actually make their own honey using various types of fruit and pollen collected by beedrills (Ruby/Sapphire, Emerald). not only is honey a pretty easy food to come by at a store to feed your teddiursa, this honey-crafting behavior presents an excellent enrichment activity for your new furry friend. While keeping beedrills may be a bit more of a handful to keep (a serious understatement, if you read the beedrill post linked at the bottom of this post), their pollen can be bought from beedrill keepers or, most likely, in pokémon pet supply stores, so it would be pretty straightforward to provide your teddiursa with the supplies they need to make their own honey. Who knows, they may even want to share it with you!

The only major drawback that I can find when it comes to teddiursas is their sticky paws. These pokémon use their paws to scoop up honey, making them curiously sweet (Crystal), and almost certainly sticky as all get out. You will have to get used to either cleaning your teddiursa’s paws or your furniture on a pretty constant basis. It is important not to prevent your teddiursa from licking their paws, as this behavior isn’t just for eating normally, it’s a self-soothing behavior (Violet).

You may be able to tell from looking at them, but teddiursas aren’t all that dangerous. The only move that concerns me is Lick, which has a chance of causing paralysis. As long as you train your buddy to keep their tongue to themself, scratches from their little claws are all you have to worry about. The detriment of Lick is offset in teddirusa’s score by the lovely move Rest, which allows them to fully restore their health with a nap. That will seriously cut down on vet bills, as any injuries or illnesses can be sorted out with some simple snoozing.

As long as you don’t mind sticky paws, teddiursas would make great pets. These soft and cuddly friends just wanna make and eat honey: fulfill that need, and you’ve got a friend for life. Just… uh… use an everstone, okay? See the link for the ursaring post below.

The Beedrill post: https://www.tumblr.com/would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend/729625466905018368/would-a-beedrill-be-a-good-pet?source=share

The Ursaring post: https://www.tumblr.com/would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend/735608723612090368/would-an-ursaring-be-a-good-pet?source=share

#pokémon #pokemon #teddiursa #pkmn irl #pr-a

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mysticlovepizza · 7 months ago

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My name is Ahmed Bakr, a Palestinian. I live in the Gaza Strip. My least wish is to save my wife and children (Neven, Khaled, Joan, Aida, and Musk) from certain death. I write these words and ask for your help. I do not know whether we will be able to survive. This is my last message to you as a human being and the story of my life and my family since the beginning of the war. My son (Khaled) is his age. (8) years old and suffers from enlarged liver diseases, infections, and anemia from contaminated food and water. We are unable to treat him, buy medicine for him, hold a baby no more than two months old, and I am unable to provide her with milk, pampers, or even supplies for small children. My children need food and treatment. We are deprived of the food we love. Our mental health is deteriorating and very destructive, and we need hygiene supplies in the tents. I was displaced from my home from the north to the south, to Khan Yunis, then to Rafah, and then to Nuseirat. I was injured by an occupation sniper while searching for a living for my children. I endured carrying water, searching for wood to light the fire, and bringing food for my children because there was no gas for long distances. Long, all day long, surrounded by devastation, bloody missiles and shattering shrapnel. We endured constant fear day and night for a whole year without any peace or comfort. I do not know where to take my children. Our lives are very painful and difficult, and every time we miraculously escape death, I want to help everyone who can help us, those with compassionate hearts. We live in the heat of tents and under the blazing sun. My house was completely demolished after years of effort and fatigue and building our house. Then, one night and one day, everything disappeared and my children’s room was completely burned and demolished. Even our car was not spared from the bombing, as we had all the wonderful means and tools. For the sake of a decent life, we started roasting our food over the fire despite the fatigue and heat. We are still standing despite the bombing, hunger, and severe shortages. We need your help. At this Save My Children event, we invite you to share our story with your friends and families with clarity and support. Your sensible words and prayers provide strength to endure these difficult circumstances... (Your donation) can make enough difference in our lives. We depend on your support and your standing by our side through this traditional ordeal, boxing, to restore hope and safety to Hayat and her family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for considering my application. Your support and donation are very important to me and my family

Show your support for this GoFundMehttps://gofund.me/1d3a37c4

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alexaloraetheris · 7 months ago

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As people who have had the misfortune to find my blog probably know, I have ADHD. I am also on meds for it, which is fun is many varied and different ways.

I first got put on 18mg Concerta and experienced my brain firing at more than 25% without a hyperfixation for the first time in my life. It was awesome.

Then there was the pandemic. There was a supply shortage, and my psychiatrist basically patted my head and wrote me a reccomendation to get a perscription of off-brand meds, the cost of which is at least partially covered my my insurance. They were supposedly the same thing, but something in the filler is different enough that I can't digest it all, so the effect isn't as good. It was shitty, but it was better than nothing.

It also gave me really fucking weird dreams for a while, but at least my Discord group had fun with that.

I've been upped to 36mg since starting grad school, but my doctor, who actually writes my perscription refused to give me non-insurance-approved meds, so I'm still on the shitty version, just with a bit more punch and a lot less cost. And the weird dreams are back.

Last night I dreamed I lived in my home village again, and every night I had to go into the woods and into this big hole that's basically a really deep cave and talk to the people who died there. That was my job, to keep them company and make sure they don't go out and harrass the living. One day they convinced me to take some of their bones and bury them in the proper graveyard. I took the C1 vertebrae from each of them (the Atlas, it basically lets your turn your head around) and buried them not in the graveyard, but in the little plot of land behind my house that's basically an unused garden.

And sure enough, it let them come out as ghosts during the night, and they weren't happy that they weren't in a graveyard where they could see other people but they were still stuck with me. I told them I knew that cave was the place where every woman in the village knew to dump their abusive husband's body when they've had enough, I knew they just wanted to find their ex-wives graves and get revenge. If they didn't get some goddamn therapy and realize there was a very valid reason they got dumped in the cave, they don't get to go to the graveyard.

They were super mad and turned my home into a haunted house, but they couldn't do much to me because I'm alive. So they mostly threw stuff around, but I have cats, I'm used to it. Finally they agreed to see a threapist. I kidnapped one and locked him in the attic. I'm pretty sure I at least fed him? I remember cooking something.

The therapist tried to explain to me that these were exploited farmer folk, their rage was misplaced but understandable, but I insisted they either learn to respect women or I'm throwing their bones back in the cave. The therapist tried to kill me too. I broke his head with the tenderizer and buried his Atlas in my backyard. Therapy sessions continued. My cats were ecstatic. I was sweeping a lot of broken dishes, but I somehow never ran out of plates.

I buried the cats too (no idea how they died) and now I had ghost cats in the house too. The ghosts loved them. I went out and never returned and these guys all lived together in my house with the cats. No idea if they ever became better people but it was better than the cave.

I think it was going in some weird gay direction but I woke up and forgot the rest.

Moral of the story: get my psychiatrist to write me perscriptions from now on.

#dreams #unreality

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2346khith · 6 months ago

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Show your support for this GoFundMehttps://gofund.me/1d3a37c4

For those who see this please, visit their blog and reblog their blog’s posts so they get more attention and if you have the money to spare please donate.

Also I apologize, but I do not have the ability to donate to you. Trust me if I had the ability I would but I don't and I can't. I have no bank account or credit card to transfer money to and no job to gain any money. Every time I ask my parents to help they shut me down so this is the only way to help you. Please forgive me.

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mostlysignssomeportents · 7 months ago

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The housing crisis considered as an income crisis

I'll be in TUCSON, AZ from November 8-10: I'm the GUEST OF HONOR at the TUSCON SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION.

A paradox: in 1970, everyday Americans found it relatively easy to afford a house, and the average American house cost 5.9x the average American income. In 2024, Americans find it nearly impossible to afford a house, and the average American house costs…5.9x the average American income.

Feels like a puzzler, right? Can it really be true that the average American house is as affordable to the average American earner as it was in 1970? It is true, as you can see from Blair Fix's latest open access research report, "The American Housing Crisis: A Theft, Not a Shortage":

https://economicsfromthetopdown.com/2024/10/23/the-american-housing-crisis-a-theft-not-a-shortage/

Fix also points out that is even more true of rents than it is of house prices. The ratio of rent to average income has actually fallen slightly since 1970. Rents are also, in some mathematical sense, "affordable."

Now, those of you who are well-versed in statistical card-palming will likely have a pretty good idea of the statistical artifact at the root of this paradox: the word "average." If you remember your seventh grade math, you'll recall that "average" has more than one meaning. Sure, there's the most common one: add several values together, then divide the total by the number of values you added. For example, a nonzero number of people have one or zero arms, so the average human has slightly fewer than two arms.

That average is called the "mean." The mean US wage is pretty robust: $73,242/year:

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/A792RC0Q052SBEA/1000

But the majority of Americans are not earning anything like $73k/year. Since the Reagan years, the number of Americans living in poverty and extreme poverty has climbed and climbed. And while their declining income sure drags down that average, it's dragged way, way, way up by another group of Americans – the ultra-rich.

You see, as Fix writes, back in the Reagan years, America initiated an experiment in redistribution. Reagan enacted policies that moved most of the nation's wealth from the great majority of working people to a tiny minority of people who ended up owning pretty much everything. Throw their income into the mix, and the average American's income is sufficient to finance the average American home, with plenty to spare.

In other words, this isn't an "average human has fewer than two arms" situation, it's more like a "Spiders Georg" situation. Spiders Georg is a Tumblr meme about a guy who eats 10,000 spiders every day and is thus single-handedly responsible for the (false) statistic that the average human eats two spiders a week:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiders_Georg

The American rich – Reagan's progeny – are the Spiders Georg of house prices. By hoarding the great mass of American national wealth, they create a statistical mirage of affordable housing.

Now, that's interesting, but where Fix goes next with this is even more fascinating. If the average price of housing (relative to average income) has stayed fixed since 1970, then it follows that the price of housing isn't being driven up by a problem with supply. Rather, these numbers suggest that America has enough housing, it's just that (most) Americans don't have enough money.

If that's true – and I have a couple of quibbles, which I'll get to in a sec – then the most common prescription for solving American housing (building more of it) is somewhat beside the point. For Fix, using public funds to subsidize cheaper housing is like using public funds to pay for food stamps for working people whose wages are too low to keep them from starving. Sure, we should do that: no one should be without a home and no one should be hungry. But if working people can't afford shelter and food, then we have a wage problem, not a supply problem.

Fix – as ever – has a well-thought through, painstakingly documented "sources and methods" page to back up his conclusions:

https://economicsfromthetopdown.com/2024/10/23/the-american-housing-crisis-a-theft-not-a-shortage/#sources-and-methods

And while Fix acknowledges that reversing the mass transfer of wealth from working people to their bosses (and their bosses' idle offspring) is a big lift, he rightly wants to keep the question of wages (rather than housing supply) front and center in our debate about why so many of us are finding it hard to keep a a roof over our heads. We need progressive taxation, higher minimum wages, protection from medical and education debt, and hell, why not a job guarantee?

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/25/canada-reads/#tcherneva

I love Fix's work, and this report is no exception. He does it all in his spare time. Some nice progressive think tank should give him a grant so he can do (a lot) more of it.

That all said, I do have a quibble with his conclusion about the adequacy of the American housing supply. In California, we have a shortage of 3-4 million homes, a number arrived at through the relatively robust method of adding up the number of California families that would like to have their own homes and subtracting the number of homes available near those families:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_housing_shortage

How to explain the discrepancy? One possibility is that the price of housing is artificially low, because more than 181,000 people are homeless here. Hundreds of thousands of more people are living in overcrowded housing, with multiple families inhabiting spaces intended for just one (or even a single person). If all of those people were competing for housing, the price might rise even higher.

Think of the people who have given up looking for work – because they're not in the workforce, wages go up. If they were competing in the labor market, wages would fall. Maybe all those people would prefer to have a job, but they're missing from the statistics.

That's one theory. Another is that we're getting tripped up on averages again here. California does have some towns with many vacancies, extra supply that is pushing down prices; it's also got many places with far more people who want to live there than there are homes for. It's possible that there's enough supply on average across the states, but – as we've seen – averages are deceptive.

Ultimately, I think both things can be true: we have a wage problem and we have (many, localized) supply problems. Both of these problems deserve our attention, and neither is acceptable in a civilized society.

Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/10/24/i-dream-of-gini/#mean-ole-mr-median

#pluralistic #reaganomics #trickle down #voodoo economics #housing #the rents too damned high #inequality #wage stagnation #blair fix

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lillaydee · 6 months ago

Text

One Heart Part 8

Sheriff Joel Miller / Reader

Trying and failing miserably to recover from an inconceivable loss, you accepted your best friend's invite to spend time with her and her family for a summer, hoping for a chance at a new beginning. Little did you know that the new beginning you were stepping into was a little too close to home.

WARNING:

Protective Joel (The Last of Us), Good Parent Joel (The Last of Us), Grief/Mourning, Joel is Bad at Feelings (The Last of Us), Joel Needs a Hug (The Last of Us), Ellie is mentioned, Sheriff Joel, Sarah plays matchmaker, No age gap, Joel is in his 30s, Joel is Trying His Best (The Last of Us), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Cordyceps Outbreak (The Last of Us), Fluff and Angst.

SERIES MASTERLIST

PART 7

---

When you got back from the market with bags of fruits (although Joel insisted on carrying them), Jenny, Tommy, Will and Benny were on her porch, cups of coffee in their hands. The carcass of your poor ratty helmet was gone, the four looking at you two with weird expressions on their faces.

“Hey, Lady!” Benny called out to you. He jumped off the porch, coming to you and Joel, hands in his pockets. “Condolences on the helmet, Lady, may it rest in peace… so, I called Frankie, asked him for a new helmet for you. But… uh… looks like you’re gonna have to rely on Joel here to get to work for a while… Frankie said there’s a… shortage… in helmet supply…”

Behind him, you could see Tommy and Will close their eyes, their hands massaging their temples. Jenny shook her head, and went inside, her face all screwed up for some reason.

Joel looked at Benny as if he was speaking gibberish.

“A helmet shortage?”

“Uhuh… you call him if you don’t believe me.”

“I’m gonna come pick you up in an hour. We’ll go to Frankie’s after lunch service, okay?” Joel said to you, moving towards your house, bags of fruits in his hands. He was staring at Benny like he might do something completely unpredictable.

When Joel walked away, Benny got his phone out, walked away and was animatedly speaking to someone on the other end. Will came over, took the phone from him and began speaking too.

The hell was that all about?

You told Joel he didn’t need to pick you up. Maria could do that, but Joel insisted. Maria lived at the other end of town; it would be easier if he did it. Of course, he didn’t tell you that he was secretly happy to have a reason to spend more time with you. You made sure to keep your excitement at the prospect of spending more time with him to yourself as well.

---

You went through lunch service as usual, and by the time it ended, Joel was waiting for you in the dining room to take you to Frankie’s.

You told him he didn’t have to do this. He must be busy. It’s just down the street, you could walk. But he insisted. He wanted to replace your helmet. We could walk together, he said. Shall we?

So you did, you walked side by side, talking about the mystery of the roadkill that was your helmet. When you got to the end of the shop row, he unthinkingly took your hand in his, and guided you across the road. When he realized what he had done, he let go, apologizing profusely for his inappropriateness. You brushed him off, not telling him that his touch sent tingles up your spine. He really did look good in his uniform. Damn, you really did have a thing for men in uniforms huh? Shit.

You got to Frankie’s, and when you walked in, you felt a bit disorientated. His walls, usually filled with rows upon rows of helmets hung on the racks, were bare. It looked like it had been robbed. Other products, funnily enough, were very much still on display.

Frankie, the owner of the store with his signature dark blue cap walked out of the back room.

“Hey, Joel,” he said, shaking his hand. “Hello, Lynn, right?” He recognized you – you had brought your bike in once to replace your chain. “How can I help you folks today?”

“Were you robbed off helmets or something?” Joel asked incredulously.

“Oh… no… you would’ve known if that were true, right, Sheriff Miller?” he punched Joel in the arm playfully, looking far too nervous for someone who was not robbed. “There’s a shortage in helmets these days…” he said, with a face that was a bit too serious, nodding slightly as he spoke, hands crossed defensively on his chest.

“Really?” Joel asked, arms crossed as well. “And when is this… shortage… supposed to end?”

“Er… I can’t confirm that right now, Joel. I’m gonna have to get back to you on that.”

“Hmm… we can drive to the next town? Maybe they’ll have some,” Joel looked at you.

“Uh… no… they won’t. Shortage is… statewide,” Frankie said, a bit too quickly, looking really nervous now.

“Maybe we can order one online?” you asked.

“Uh… actually, come to think of it, the online shops are not selling them for now… in solidarity…” Frankie closed his eyes, shaking his head a bit.

“That so?” Joel looked as if he was about to tie Frankie up and shine a light on his face.

“Uhuh. Come on, Joel, you think I would lie about some helmets?” Frankie asked, laughing nervously.

Joel eyed him up and down, before telling Frankie to give him a call the moment this shortage is over. He placed his hand on the small of your back and guided you out.

You wanted to laugh. It was the most ridiculous thing you had ever heard. When you got back across the street, you just burst into uncontrolled laughter. Whoever had even heard of such a phenomenon? Joel, who was looking annoyed and grumpy since he saw the state of the shop, started laughing with you.

“Well,” he said when you both had had a breather, “Since there are no helmets in sight at the only shop in town that sells them, looks like I’m gonna be your chauffeur for a while.”

“No, Joel… really, I can Uber, I can ask Maria to come get me…”

“Nope, you’re stuck with me, Lady. But this phenomenon is a weird one. I swear that shop had rows of helmets just last week.”

“I know! I was there not two weeks ago replacing my chain, and it was filled with helmets.”

He walked you back to the restaurant, asking you if you wanted to go home, he could drive you? You said no, you wanted to get started on the prep for this dessert you had planned. You thanked him, telling him you’ll see him after dinner service, giving him a kiss on his cheek. Joel stood there, watching you walk back in, his cheek heated from your small peck. He turned around and walked back to Frankie’s.

Just as he got near the end of the shop row, Frankie’s door opened, and Thomas, Benjamin and William Miller were conspicuously looking left and right before exiting the bike shop, going round the back. He stood there watching for a while before they came back with boxes in their hands. He waited for them to make a few more trips, before going back, and what do you know, Frankie was busy hanging helmets on the rack again.

“Wow, very short shortage there Frankie,” Joel said, making Frankie jump.

The door opened, and Tommy, Benny and Will entered, with more boxes in their hands.

“Oh fuck,” they all said in unison when they saw Joel.

Joel stood facing the four men, arms across his chest.

“Explain.”

---

The four grown men sat in a row in front of the Sheriff looking like little boys about to be chastised for being naughty.

“The fuck is going on? What’s with the helmet hiding?”

“Okay, if we tell you, you need to promise to not get all ‘Joel’ about it okay?” Tommy reasoned.

Joel kept quiet. These men were military. But somehow, Joel’s face at that moment made them nervous.

“We can’t help it, okay? She begged us,” Tommy broke. Will smacked him in the back of the head.

“Who?”

“It’s not important. All we can tell you is, it’s of the utmost importance that Lynn doesn’t have a helmet for a while,” Tommy added, rubbing his head.

The other three, former Special Ops men, kept quiet. Benny looked nervous, Will looked formidable as ever, and Frankie looked like he was wondering how the fuck he got dragged into this situation.

“Why?”

Will cleared his throat, “So that you… would have to drive her around for a bit.” He rubbed his nose, eyes looking down.

“What? Why?”

“Really, Joel? I’ve known you since I was born, and this is the first time I’ve seen you interested in someone. Is it so wrong if we wanted to help her?”

“Who are you talking about? You’re telling me all of you big, scary, strong, military men got whipped by some chick into hiding bicycle helmets? Come on!”

“You don’t understand, Joel, she said ‘PWEEEEEEEASE!!!” Benny shouted.

The other three men looked at Benny disbelievingly. DUUUUUUDE…. What the fuuuuuuuck… They all yelled at him, looking frustrated as hell.

“Sarah? You’re telling me you fell for the pleas of my three-year-old?”

“Oh, please, Joel. You bought her a $200 Barbie Dreamhouse just because she looked at it for longer than two seconds at the toy store last Christmas. She didn’t even beg you for it. And she played with it for like two days and got bored. I’d like to see you be ‘Big Old Scary Sheriff’ with her now that she can talk… those puppy dog eyes… that cute little voice… damn man… we were helpless,” Will defended himself and his brothers.

Okay, maybe they do have a point.

A thought horrified him all of a sudden.

“She placed the helmet behind my wheels? My three-year-old went under my car and placed a helmet behind my wheels?” Joel was horrified at what could have happened.

“No… she just stole the helmet from Lynn’s. Jenny placed it there…” Tommy said, before clapping his hand over his mouth, realizing he had outed their mother’s involvement in this little scheme.

“So, Jenny helped mastermind this thing? This wasn’t Sarah’s doing?” Joel thought of the lie Jenny had told the two of you about the groceries – they were not in the trash after all. She just wanted an excuse for the two of you to spend more time together upon seeing you two had made up.

“No, Jenny didn’t ‘mastermind’ anything… she was just helping… like us… and no… of course Sarah didn’t plan this herself… duh… she’s three for God’s sake,” Benny said, before mumbling something Joel couldn’t hear.

“What?”

They were all quiet again, their heads down, looking ashamed of themselves.

Will finally spoke. “She said Jello made her do it.”

Joel threw his hands up in the air.

---

When Joel picked you up after dinner service that night, you had a box in your hands. A thank you, for driving you around, you told him. He opened it, a fluffy looking Lemon Meringue Pie was inside.

“You made this?”

“Uhuh. Hope you like Lemon Meringue.”

“I do. Thank you.” He reached to the back of his cruiser and presented a purple bicycle helmet with pink flowers on it, all tied up in a big red bow. “For you. It should fit, Frankie looked at the remains of your old one to figure out the size.”

“I thought there was a shortage?”

“It had magically resolved,” he said, winking at you.

You felt yourself blush. “Thank you, Joel.”

He walked you to your door, your helmet and box of Meringue Pie in his hands. It was still bright out, despite it being almost 930pm.

“Hey, you want to go to the pond with me? Help me eat this? We could watch the sunset,” he asked, hope in his voice.

You nodded, placing the helmet in your house, and picking up two forks.

The two of you walked to the farm, a comfortable silence between the two of you. When you sat down, he excitedly opened the box and took a bite. His eyes closed, his head thrown back and he moaned… sending shivers through your body.

“Oh my God this is so good!” he took another bite, before feeding you the third. “This might be the best Lemon Meringue Pie I’ve ever had. You should be a chef!” he said, before closing his eyes and covering his face with his hand.

You laughed out loud. “Oh my God that was such a Dad joke!”

He just shook his head, laughing, looking pleased with himself. The two of you sat quietly for a while, taking a few more bites.

“So, the helmet shortage magically resolved itself, huh?”

He nodded, mouth full of meringue. “There was a whole conspiracy behind it. Military Special Ops were involved. You wouldn’t believe who the mastermind was. All top secret.”

Your eyes widened comically, really? Wow… impressive…

“I take it you, as the Sheriff, had a direct hand in resolving this… conspiracy?”

He nodded, laughing to himself.

“Well, thank you for that. At least I don’t have to wake you at 2 this morning to go to the market.”

He went quiet for a while, licking his lips off some stray meringue, and asked, “Would it be bad if I said I would love nothing more than to wake up at 2 am to drive you to the market?”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Cause you’re leaving in six weeks, and I just… wanted to spend as much time as I can with you.”

“Joel… I would love that, but you have to work… I don’t want to disrupt your sleep like that.”

“Okay, I need to tell you something. I have been going to bed early just so that I can get up at 2 and stay up ‘til you get home.”

“What? Why?”

He kept quiet, but he looked at you with such meaningful eyes, you understood.

“I have something to tell you too. I have been secretly watching you watch me in the mornings as well.”

“You have?”

You nodded. “For someone in law enforcement, you weren’t quite so discreet. Who spies on people by moving their curtains aside?”

He laughed out loud. “You got me there.”

The two of you watched the sunset for a bit, before walking home. When he walked you to your door, you turned around and said okay.

“Okay what?”

“Okay, you can drive me to the market later, if you still want to, that is.”

“Yeah? Okay.” This man’s smile is contagious. “Good night until then?”

“Good night, Joel.”

---

Neither of you knew how you managed to fall asleep that night. But you both did, smiles on your faces. He was at your door at 2 am sharp, looking a bit too spruced up to go to the market. You made sure to spritz some perfume on your pulse points, something that would be completely wasted at the market, but you couldn’t help yourself.

When you got to the market, a sleepy looking Maria was waiting at the parking lot, her mouth dropped open when she saw Joel’s cruiser drove in. Joel decided to wait in the car for you, chickening out of his original plan to go into the market with you at the thought of relentless teasing from Maria.

You had no such luck. Maria made sure to let all your usual vendors know a certain Sheriff was waiting for you in the parking lot. Best hurry up and settle the business boys, you don’t want to keep Sheriff Miller waiting! Joel’s reputation as a resolute but much sought after bachelor earned you eyebrow raises, the men impressed to hear this news, though you didn’t miss the once-overs some of the lady-vendors gave you, despite seeing you on the regular for the past month.

You got back to the cruiser, thinking you will find Joel asleep. But he was just scrolling through his phone, waiting for you, opening the passenger door for you once he noticed you were back. There were a lot of whooping and wolf-whistling and good man Millers gracing the two of you as he reversed. His ears grew noticeably redder as he shifted into Drive.

“Sorry about that,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “didn’t think they’d do that.”

“Apparently, you are quite the bachelor. Hearing you were driving a lady around made quite the stir!”

He barked a laugh. “Really? That’s news to me.”

“What do you mean? I was right there at the zoo; those women were practically throwing themselves at you.”

“They were just being friendly.”

It’s your turn to bark a laugh. God he really was clueless. You mumbled, “You have no idea how hot you are, do you?”

The words came out before you even realized what you were saying.

He suddenly looked to his left and then his watch, and asked, “Hey, are you in a hurry to get back?”

“No, why?” you were just relieved he didn’t hear what you said, to be honest.

“Can I take you somewhere?”

“Sure.”

He took a left turn and drove for a few minutes through some back roads before stopping at what looked like a picnic area. You got out of the car and took his offered hand. He guided you up a small incline, the torch from his phone guiding the way, before stopping at a small clearing. He guided you to climb on one of the picnic tables there, sitting on the table next to you himself.

“We planned to watch the sunrise the other day, but we fell asleep before we could… this is much better though. Just you wait,” he said.

It was barely a quarter past three, your time at the market usually took longer since you cycled. The sun was starting to rise, just peeking through the mountains ahead, signalling the beginning of another summer day.

Even at a peek, it was breathtaking.

So was he.

You couldn’t help yourself from studying his profile. He was a beautiful man. Despite trying your best to sulk and stay away from him all this time, you were still very much drawn to him.

His head turned a little bit, not fully towards you, but you looked away, mortified at the thought of being caught staring. You cleared your throat a bit.

“So, you bring a lot of ladies here, Miller?”

He huffed a laugh. “What ladies? I haven’t had the time for ladies.”

You gave him a sceptical look, barely visible in the low light.

“I’m serious! Sarah takes up all my time, and to be honest, I haven’t been interested in anyone.”

“You’re telling me no one has caught your attention?”

He took a deep breath.

“Well, there is someone. I met her about a month ago. Fucked it up royally with her, and she ended up not speaking to me for a bit. She’s forgiven me, now, but she’s leaving in a few weeks, so… I don’t know if I’ll do anything about it.”

You stilled. Was he talking about you? He turned around and looked at you, his eyes fixed onto yours. Your face felt hot all over. Your heart was beating so fast you were sure he could hear it.

If only you knew how fast his heart was beating.

“Joel…”

“Lynn…” he put his hand up to stop you. “I know you are leaving. I know this might be too much for you. I know, you might not feel the same way about me, I mean, I yelled at you, accused you of unthinkable things, and maybe, you are not ready to let another man into your heart but if you do feel anything for me at all, even a little bit…”

“I do.”

Shit. Did you say that out loud?

“You do?” There was so much hope in his eyes, your heart tripled in size.

You nodded.

“It’s just… like you said, I am leaving, and we have to think of Sarah. What if we couldn’t make it work?”

“We won’t know unless we try.”

There it was. The logical answer you knew to be true and could not deny.

A gust of wind blew, bringing a chill to the air. You shivered slightly, pulling your light jacket around you tighter. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around you. You pressed your forehead to his, your noses touching.

Slowly, tentatively, he slanted his face slightly, and brought his lips to yours.

It was the first kiss of all first kisses.

Tender, sweet, delicate, intoxicating.

Neither of you watched the sunrise that morning.

By the time you stopped kissing, the sun was up. You were both breathless, his shirt a crumpled mess from your grip. Your vision was spotty from how hard you had your eyes closed. Shit you were so into the kiss you were surprised you didn’t straddle him right there.

“We missed the sunrise, again,” you said, nuzzling your nose unto his.

He laughed, peppering your face with kisses. “Worth it,” before giving you a light, tender kiss on your nose. “We should go back.”

He helped you off the table, adjusting himself as discreetly as he could so the uncomfortable bulge he was sporting wasn’t too obvious – not that it worked. He didn’t let go of your hand this time, interlacing your fingers with his own.

Once you were buckled up, he got into the driver’s seat, started the engine, turned to you and said,

“So, you think I’m hot, huh?”

Oh… how you wished the seat could swallow you whole.

---

PART 9

#joel miller x reader #the last of us fanfiction #joel miller #tlou fanfiction #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x you

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