Things you wish you could say

[ShrekDawg]

That would be for a Beagle Mix. @tlcmurphy, get a tshirt with a pic of your dog on it. What breed? An Everything Beagle.

 

[sourland]

Everything Beagle?

That's my plan, and perhaps gradually phasing them out. Any pup I got today might outlive the Princess and I.

 

[SourRoses]

I wish I could describe it... the feeling of an ending to something that was beautiful, but now twisted and harsh. The faith I once had that felt shared with many, is now left gasping for breath all alone... while they counsel each other to have ever harder hearts.

__________
Holding Vigil
By Alison Luterman

My cousin asks if I can describe this moment,
the heaviness of it, like sitting outside
the operating room while someone you love
is in surgery and you’re on those awful plastic chairs
eating flaming Doritos from the vending machine
which is the only thing that seems appealing to you, dinner-wise,
waiting for the moment when the doctor will come out
in her scrubs and face-mask, which she’ll pull down
to tell you whether your beloved will live or not. That’s how it feels
as the hours tick by, and everyone I care about
is texting me with the same cold lump of dread in their throat
asking if I’m okay, telling me how scared they are.
I suppose in that way this is a moment of unity,
the fact that we are all waiting in the same
hospital corridor, for the same patient, who is on life support,
and we’re asking each other, Will he wake up?
Will she be herself? And we’re taking turns holding vigil,
as families do, and bringing each other coffee
from the cafeteria, and some of us think she’s gonna make it
while others are already planning what they’ll wear to the funeral,
which is also what happens at times like these,
and I tell my cousin I don’t think I can describe this moment,
heavier than plutonium, but on the other hand,
in the grand scheme of things, I mean the whole sweep
of human history, a soap bubble, because empires
are always rising and falling, and whole civilizations
die, they do, they get wiped out, this happens
all the time, it’s just a shock when it happens to your civilization,
your country, when it’s someone from your family on the respirator,
and I don’t ask her how she’s sleeping, or what she thinks about
when she wakes at three in the morning,
cause she’s got two daughters, and that’s the thing,
it’s not just us older people, forget about us, we had our day
and we burned right through it, gasoline, fast food,
cheap clothing, but right now I’m talking about the babies,
and not just the human ones, but also the turtles and owls
and white tigers, the Redwoods, the ozone layer,
the icebergs for the love of God—every single
blessed being on the face of this earth
is holding its breath in this moment,
and if you’re asking, can I describe that, Cousin,
then I’ve gotta say no, no one could describe it
we all just have to live through it,
holding each other’s hands.

 

[SourRoses]

 

[Nabiki]

View attachment 3984700

I've been explaining how the consumer pays the tariff, not the country it's imposed on for months now...

 

[SourRoses]

I've been explaining how the consumer pays the tariff, not the country it's imposed on for months now...

It's really sad that people can be so easily confused.
A ton of companies are announcing price hikes on consumer goods across the board, starting soon to "offset future costs".

It's the very last thing my family needs. Our budget is already tight. This is going to mean going without some stuff.

 

[The Moonshiner]

It's really sad that people can be so easily confused.
A ton of companies are announcing price hikes on consumer goods across the board, starting soon to "offset future costs".

It's the very last thing my family needs. Our budget is already tight. This is going to mean going without some stuff.

Isn't it just gonna be on stuff coming from China? I'm easily confused.

 

[tlcmurphy]

Isn't it just gonna be on stuff coming from China? I'm easily confused.

Anything made in a country besides USA.

 

[SourRoses]

Isn't it just gonna be on stuff coming from China? I'm easily confused.

Under the proposals, a universal 10%-20% tariff would be imposed on imports from all foreign countries and an additional 60%-100% tariff would be imposed on imports specifically from China.

These tariffs would put a significant burden on shoppers, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF) CEO Matthew Shay.
“The adoption of across-the-board tariffs on consumer goods and other non-strategic imports amounts to a tax on American families,” Shay told Fox Business. “It will drive inflation and price increases and will result in job losses.”

American consumers could lose between $46 billion and $78 billion in spending power each year if the president-elect’s proposals are implemented, a study this week from the NRF shows.

“A growing body of economic research concludes tariffs would have a net negative impact on the United States, with results ranging up to $7,600 in additional costs annually per household,” the study reads.

In a statement, NRF Vice President of Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold explained: “A tariff is a tax paid by the U.S. importer, not a foreign country or the exporter. This tax ultimately comes out of consumers’ pockets through higher prices.”

The study by NRF, which calls itself the world’s largest retail trade association, estimated the costs of apparel after the tariffs, with an $100 coat rising to between $112 and $121. A $26 board game would cost between $34 and $39, and a $40 toaster would cost between $48 and $52, according to the association.


https://www.investopedia.com/news/what-are-tariffs-and-how-do-they-affect-you/

 

[tlcmurphy]

I wish I could say politics have not infiltrated yet another aspect of my life so that I can no longer talk to friends, family and coworkers, watch TV or read the news, or log onto a website I’ve grown to enjoy over the last four years.

Please, let’s do better.