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I'm almost 30 and have one child who is 5 years old. I'm an OFW and coming home this month because my contract has ended. My child's father is a foreigner whom I met abroad. I came home to the Philippines when I got pregnant 5 years ago, and since then, I haven't seen my ex, but sometimes we communicate and he sends money. A lot happened while I was pregnant: I found out he already had a family and children, his business failed, he had many loans at the bank, and the pandemic made it impossible for him to return to the Philippines when I gave birth. I eventually accepted the reality that he deceived me. My Facebook account is locked, and my name is in Japanese to prevent him from finding me on social media.
Now, we are in communication again, and he sends money every month for our child. He said he tried to find me but couldn't. He claims he's financially stable now and wants to make it up to me and our child, and he mentioned that we could get married. His plan is to take us abroad where he works. He has already filed for leave in July because he is serious about coming home to see our child, and he has booked a plane ticket and hotel in advance.
My problem is that I am in a relationship. I had a boyfriend when I left the Philippines, and he has been waiting for me. Our relationship isn't perfect, and we often argue, but not because of other men or women. My boyfriend doesn't know that I have been communicating with my ex because he once said he would leave me if I did. (I know this is cheating, but don't judge.)
My dilemma is that I don't know whom to choose or what the right decision is. I don't want to deprive my child of the chance to know his real father, especially since he has started asking about him. Financially, I need his help because I'm not very good at earning money, and my ex doesn't know that I have a boyfriend. He doesn't care as long as we can be a family.
On the other hand, my boyfriend is almost 7 years younger than me. I never expected him to wait this long. He plans to return to school, and I'm afraid we might not be endgame. He has a tendency to say hurtful things. I remember once when I jokingly suggested he should support my child's education, he said, "How dare you? Someone else had the fun, and I get the responsibility!" He was angry when I teased him, but it hurt. He doesn’t cheat, but he says hurtful things, and I worry he might one day resent everything he has done for me and my child. I tell myself it’s because he’s young, but I can’t help but overthink that I might be making the wrong bet. I'm also scared because I read open letters about people on Facebook and TikTok, and I know of children who were neglected because their parents remarried. I fear my child might end up feeling the same way or not being accepted by my future husband’s family.
My child has met my boyfriend and thinks he is his father. But I'm waiting and hoping that my boyfriend will sometimes remember my child and check on him. During Christmas, he didn't think of giving or sending gifts for my child, but he did for his godchildren, saying he had no money. However, there was one time he bought school supplies when we were fighting, trying to prove he loved my child. I know it’s impossible for him to love my child as his own based on his personality, but I still hope. I don’t want to hurt him because he waited so long, or maybe I just don’t want to be blamed and called a cheater. He has said many hurtful things to me when he's angry, but I let them slide because I'm afraid of being left again. Maybe now it’s different because I have somewhere to go, and that’s my ex. I still don’t know what to do. All I know is that being a parent is hard. I don’t love my ex anymore, but I can sacrifice for the complete family that my child deserves.

I'm almost 30, may anak na isa and he is 5 years old. Ofw ako and coming home this month, tapos na kase ang kontrata ko. My child father is a foreigner, I met him abroad, umuwi ako sa Pilipinas nung mabuntis 5 years ago at simula noon hindi pa kami nagkikita ng ex ko but sometimes we communicate, sometimes he sends money. Ang daming nangyari while I was pregnant, nalaman kong may pamilya na pala siya dati pa at may mga anak, nalugi sa negosyo at maraming loans sa bangko at sinubok pa ng pandemic kaya hindi siya nakauwi sa Pilipinas nung nanganak ako. Naging okay rin naman ako at tinanggap ang katotohanan na ginago niya lang ako, naka lock ang Facebook account ko at Japanese language ang pangalan dahilan para hindi rin niya ako mahanap sa kahit anong social media account. Now, we have communication again at nagpapadala siya ng pera every month para sa anak ko, hinanap daw ako pero hindi niya ako mahanap. Okay na daw siya, financially stable na ulit at gustong bumawi sa akin at sa anak namin, at pwede na rin magpakasal. Ang plano niya ay kunin kami ng anak ko at manirahan abroad dahil dun ang trabaho niya. Nakapag file na siya ng leave sa company niya in July dahil seryoso siyang uuwi para makita personally ang anak namin, nakapag advance book na rin ng plane ticket at hotel. Now my problem is I'm in a relationship, may boyfriend ako nun umalis ako ng Pilipinas at naghihintay siya sakin, hindi perfect ang relasyon namin, madalas kaming mag-away, pero hindi dahil sa ibang babae o ibang lalake. Hindi alam ng boyfriend ko na nakakausap kona ulit ang ex ko dahil sinabi na niya dati na maghihiwalay kami kapag nakipag-usap ulit ako sa ex ko. (I know this is cheating) But don't judge. Ang problema ko is I don't know whom to choose, ano yon tamang desisyon. Ayokong ipagkait sa anak ko yon chance na makilala niya yon totoong tatay niya since he started asking about him, and of course financially I need his help kase hindi ako magaling to earn money, hindi rin niya alam na may boyfriend ako and he doesn't care actually basta ang gusto niya maging buo kami as Family. Sa boyfriend ko naman, he's younger than me ng almost 7 years hindi ko nga ini-expect na maghihintay siya ng ganito katagal. He's young, may balak pa rin bumalik sa pag-aaral and I'm afraid na hindi rin kami ang end game. May ugali rin siya na masakit mag salita, I remember one time na nag joke ako na siya nalang magpa-aral sa anak ko at sabi niya “Ang kapal naman ng mukha mo, iba ang nagpasarap tas sakin mapapasa responsibilidad!” Galit siya nun kase inaasar ko siya but it hits different, I was just kidding that time. Hindi siya nagloloko pero sa mga salita iba siyang mag bitiw ng salita, nag aalala ako na baka isang araw isumbat niya sakin lahat ng gagawin niya para sakin at sa anak ko kase ugali niyang manumbat, iniisip ko nalang na siguro dahil bata pa siya pero hindi ko mapigilan mag over think na baka mali ako ma matayaan. Natatakot rin ako dahil mahilig akong magbasa ng mga open letters about senders sa facebook and tiktok, may mga nakikita at kilala rin akong napabayaan bata dahil nag-asawa na ng iba ang mga magulang nila, natatakot ako na baka isang araw matulad sa kanila ang anak ko o maramdaman niyang hindi siya tanggap sa pamilya ng magiging asawa ko. Na meet na niya ang boyfriend ko at akala niya yon ang papa niya, but I'm been waiting and keep waiting na minsan maalala siya ng boyfriend ko, kumustahin siya, Christmas hindi niya naalalang bigyan o padalhan ng gifts pero sa mga inaanak niya meron, wala na daw siyang pera kase. Pero one time naman binilhan niya ng school supplies noon time na magkaaway kami at gusto niyang patunayan na mahal niya daw ang anak ko. Alam kong imposibleng mahalin niya ang anak ko na parang kanya base sa ugali niya pero hoping pa rin ako at tumagal nga hanggang ngayon. I don't know, ayoko siyang masaktan dahil naghintay siya ng matagal o siguro ayoko lang masisi at matawag na cheater. Maraming mga masasakit na salita na nasabi niya sakin tuwing galit siya pero pinalagpas ko dahil takot akong maiwan ulit, ngayon lang hindi dahil siguro meron na ulit akong mapupuntahan and that's my ex. I still don't know what to do, basta ang alam ko ang hirap maging magulang, hindi kona mahal ang ex ko pero kaya kong mag sakripisyo para sa kompletong pamilya na deserve ng anak ko.

Sobrang kupal. Two weeks ago sa birthday ko nagchat sya ng sorry, nagbago na siya, he read my letters again, miss nako ng mga pamangkin niya, miss niya na mga aso ko, etc. Sobrang mabubulaklak na pananalita. Pinaka-outstanding doon ay gusto nya ko ifollow ulit sa instagram. Sabi ko baka weird sa bago niya. Sabi niya WALA SIYANG BAGO.
Nung isang gabi emotionally fragile ako due to the death of my dog. Nagreach out ako sakanya. Guess sinong sumagot sakin? Girlfriend niya daw. Akala ko nga prank lang e kaso nagsend pa ng pic nila sa photobooth. Tapos ngayong mother’s day nagpost din kasama na family niya.
Sabi ng girlfriend, using his account, bakit daw kailangan boyfriend nya kausapin ko. E hindi ko naman alam, sabi ko lang “kakasabi lang ng boyfriend mo na wala siyang bago.” Tinanong niya kung kailan, di ko sinagot - sabi ko lang “oops deleted ba convo namin?” Tapos ayun blinock na ako ng ex ko.
I feel pathetic na ginago nanaman ako ng lalaking to for the nth time. Since then hindi pa ako nakakain, oo tangina tatlong araw nako walang kain at tulog sa sobrang depressed ko. Nag self harm ako lalo na binugbog din ako ng tatay ko dahil OA OA ko nanaman daw.
Isa pang nakakatawa ay andaming sinet na standard ng ex ko noon sa babae. Ayaw niya sa pa-famous, pa-sexy sa socmed, pinagppyestahan ng lalaki sa comment section, pang subtle clown traits ang feed, dalawa facebook account na naka in a relationship pa sa sarili, nagppost ng naka panty lang sa kwarto, naka eyelash at nail extensions - pero look. Yan pinatulan niya, tumpak lahat. Sabi nya proud sya sakin dahil taga UP ako, pero pinatulan niya taga- no name school na tinawag pa nyang tapunan ng isang elite private school dito samin. Kahit yung kaibigan kong taga school na yon inamin na tapunan lang nga sila ng mga bagsak sa elite school na yun. Samantalang dati proud na proud siya sakin taga-UP ako, pinagmamalaki niya sa lahat.
Sana naman pumatol siya sa ka-level ko man lang. Kahit yung demure man lang o ako. Kaso tangina. Sorry talaga. Oo personal bias to. Pasensya na.
Di ko kung ano ang gagawin o iisipin man lang to feel better or makaka move past dito with a smile. Bitter na bitter ako.
third post ko na to about this person. you can read without context but it’s in my post history.

As many of you may have read, there is a case of two missing adopted kids in North Carolina, where remains have been found. The news has reported that their adoptive “mother” is Avantae Deven.
I’m a curious person and started digging up information on Avantae Deven when I first read the story in my news feed and could not believe what I was reading. It seemed like whomever this woman is must have be using an alias; Avantae Deven is not a name like Kim Jones or Mackenzie Smith.
The more I dug, the weirder it seemed to get. I found a property deed to a place in Sedona, Arizona, and figured out that whomever this Avantae person is, she at one point in time had owned a home together with someone named Nicole Adams. So I dug into who Nicole Adams was, and learned that she was the widow of a spiritual leader named Robert Adams. It appeared to me that there would be no way to identify who Avantae really was, unless I could also identify the true identity of Robert Adams.
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I've done investigative work for many years, including skip tracing. I can conclusively state that there was absolutely no person actually named Robert Adams born in New York State on January 21, 1928. This is demonstrated by the New York Birth Index. I have combed the census records for 1930, 1940, and 1950, and cross-checked them against multiple databases, and am confident that nobody with the birth name of Robert Adams was born anywhere in the United States on January 21, 1928.
Moreover, there was absolutely no person with the true name of Robert Adams who died anywhere at all in the United States, let alone Sedona, Arizona, on March 2, 1997. This is demonstrated by the Social Security Death Index.
I began this research largely by performing exhaustive searches on the known addresses that are associated with Robert, his wife Leonie (who used to use the alias Nicole), and Avantae Deven (who turns out to be their daughter Michelle who began using the alias Avantae in the mid-1990’s or so). Most of the addresses are PO boxes. Those that are PO boxes are all *private* PO boxes, not PO boxes that one can rent from the United States Postal Service. To me, that spoke volumes. The family were clearly using aliases.
As I explain further below, I eventually determined that “Robert Adams” was Robert Spiegel, born 21 January 1932 in New York. “Nicole Adams” was actually Aileen Beverly Leonie Maxwell, born February 2, 1929, in Jamaica. “Avantae Deven” is actually their daughter, Michelle K. Spiegel, born on October 1, 1960, in California.
One of Robert’s many false stories about Robert’s life that my research has refuted is Robert’s claim that his mother was Jewish and his father was Catholic. That was a lie. Both of his parents were Jewish. It’s also interesting that he claimed that he was “raised Catholic.” There is absolutely nothing to suggest that. His mother always, in New York, lived in Jewish neighborhoods. Moreover, as will be discussed below, his parents had a Jewish wedding. It’s also downright absurd that he would tell people that he was “half Jewish.” If your mother’s Jewish, you are Jewish, pure and simple. Even if Robert’s father had truly been Catholic (which he wasn’t; his name was Samuel Spiegel and he immigrated to America in 1907, lived with his Jewish, Yiddish-speaking cousins, and spoke Yiddish himself), Robert would have been Jewish because the status of being a Jew comes from the mother. Robert’s mother’s name was Fannie (nee Fleisfeder) Spiegel. Fannie’s parents were Itzik Fleisfeder and Esther Libke (nee Rifkin) Fleisfeder. Esther’s parents were Mendel Rifkin and Sarah whose maiden name is lost to time and the disappearance of the shtetls. Robert’s claim to having had a Catholic father was utterly false, but is part and parcel of his ongoing compulsive daily lying about anything and everything.
Here is the story.
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Kolomyia, formerly known as Kolomea, is a city currently located in the Western Ukraine.
On January 21, 1892 (the same year that Kolomea tallis¹ workers went on strike for better pay and working conditions), Kolomea resident Rachel Katz, wife of Abraham Spiegel, gave birth to a son, who was given the name Schmuel.
On the date that Schmuel Spiegel entered the world, Kolomea was ruled by the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, and almost half of the city’s residents were Jewish.
In June of 1907, fifteen-year-old Schmuel² boarded the Zeeland, which sailed from Antwerp, Belgium, arriving at New York Harbor on June 18, 1907. The ship’s manifest states that Schmuel’s father had paid for his transport, and that Schmuel intended to reside with his father, Abe, in Brooklyn. Schmuel was granted entrance, and took up residence with his cousin Charles Fetner, who resided at 353 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn, in Apartment A with his wife Jennie and their baby daughter Ettie. The sparse record that exists suggests that although Schmuel’s father was, indeed, named Abraham, Abraham lived and died in Europe, without immigrating to America.
The 1910 census describes Samuel’s cousin Charles as a carpenter, who had been married to housewife Jennie for six years, and a father of three children-- Ettie age four, Nathan age two, and baby Jacob, who was not even a year old. Eighteen-year-old Samuel was identified by profession as a “Foreman Sailmaker” in an industry described as “pocket-books.”
Three and a half years after being granted admission, on a bitterly cold winter day, January 4, 1911, Schmuel (now employed as a pocket-book maker, and having Anglicized his name to Samuel) signed and submitted his declaration to become a United States citizen. He stated, in that declaration, that he was born on January 21, 1892.
By 1915, Samuel had left his cousin’s abode and was residing as a lodger in the home of a widow named Rose Hammer, who lived with her two adolescent sons, Meyer and Louis, at 531 E. 5^th Avenue; Samuel was now working as a “driver.”
Two years after the 1915 state census was taken, Samuel had moved back to Myrtle Avenue, but this time at building no. 849. On June 15, 2017, Samuel registered for the draft, and described himself as being a pocketbook maker, working for “A. Shoenfeld,” at 101 Crosby Street, New York. He was single. He stated, in his draft registration, that he was born on January 21, 1892.
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A woman named Fruma Fleisfeder was born in Beltz, Bessarabia, sometime between July 1, 1893, and 1901, to Itzik Fleisfeder and Esther Lieba Rifkin. Fruma (not living up to her pious given name) provided different dates and years of birth to different authorities on different occasions, making it impossible at this point in time to know her true position in the birth order of her family. Regardless, Fruma, who began using the name Fanny upon her entrance to the United States, did have three brothers and a sister who also came to America-- Louis Fleisfeder who was born April 10, 1890, Max Irving Fleisfeder who used October 10, 1892 as his birthdate, Hersch (later known as Harry), whose official birthdate was December 15, 1901, and Sylvia who was born in approximately 1906.
On December 1, 1919, Fruma arrived in New York Harbor on the ship La Touraine, declaring her intention, at entry, to become a United States Citizen. The ship’s manifest describes her as five feet five inches tall, with fair hair, blue eyes, and a fair complexion. The ship’s manifest states that she was, at that time, age 24. If that were correct, she would have been born in 1895.
Fruma (then going by Fanny) took up residence with her cousin Ethel (nee Ruchlin) and Ethel’s husband Samuel Steinberg, on 15^th Street, Brooklyn. Soon thereafter, Ethel gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Theresa. The 1920 census states that Fanny was Russian, didn’t speak English but, rather, spoke Hebrew, and worked as a milliner in a millinery store. The 1920 census also states that Fanny was age 25, which lines up with her being age 24 in the prior year’s ship manifest.
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Sam and Fanny married in Manhattan on January 24, 1925. Their marriage certificate (signed by each of them) identifies Sam as being age 32 (contradicting, by one year, his immigration records which would have placed him at age 33), and identifies Fanny as age 24, the same age that she had claimed to be six years prior, and also contradicting an immigration petition that she would file two decades in the future, which generally placed her birth year at the mid-point of 1893.
If Fanny’s immigration records (which included a petition with her signature on it) were correct, Fanny would also have been age 32 as of her marriage to Samuel, not age 24.
So did Fanny lie in her marriage certificate? Or did she lie in her immigration petition?
The marriage certificate identifies Sam as having been born in Kolomea, Austria, and his father being Abraham, and his mother being Rachel Katz. It identifies Fanny as having been born in Beltz, Russia, to a father named Isaac, and to a mother named Esther Rifkin.
The marriage certificate does not identify Fanny as having any profession, but identifies Sam as being a pocketbook maker.
Sam and Fannie were married at 125 E. 4^th Street, Manhattan, a six-story apartment building with retail units on the ground floor that is now an expensive co-op, with three-bedroom units selling for over $900,000. Present-day real estate advertisements alternatively state that the building was built in 1894, 1903, and 1905.
The first name of the rabbi who officiated was Harry. His surname starts with Reid, but the remaining letters of his signature are illegible. Rabbi Harry identified his residence as 232 Broome Street, which, at the time, was a four-story mixed use building that, among other things, housed Chevrah Ahavath Zedek Anshei Jaskinover.
Witnesses to the marriage were Mayer Budmon and Samuel Steinberg.
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Sam and Fanny’s existence was documented next in the 1925 New York State census by census. They were living at 205 S. 2^nd Street. Samuel was still working as a “pocketbook maker.” Fanny was identified as a “housewife.”
Fanny was identified as age 25. This was in accordance with her age as stated on her marriage certificate, but not in accordance with her immigration documents or the 1920 census.
Sam was identified as being age 28, which conflicted with all prior records.
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In 1930, the couple were again enumerated, this time in the Federal census. The enumerator, whose signature appears to be “Max Krahn” (or something like that) stated that he obtained the information on April 16, 1930.
Sam was identified as a “framer” of pocketbooks. He was identified as being 36 years of age, which conflicts by two years with the age that he provided to immigration authorities. Perhaps the enumerator was simply sloppy; Samuel was also incorrectly identified in the 1930 census as having been born in “Poland,” with parents who were both also born in “Poland,” notwithstanding other governmental records having identified him as being Austrian. The language he spoke? “Jewish,” according to the enumerator. Was that to mean Hebrew? Yiddish? Both?
Fannie was identified as age 30 (directly in conflict with the information she supplied in her immigration petition, which bears her signature) and as being “Russian,” with parents born in “Russia.” The 1930 census enumerator incorrectly wrote that her year of immigration was 1921. Fannie, too, was identified by the enumerator as speaking the “Jewish” language.
Although later records reflected that Sam and Fannie had a son named Irving who was born in 1926, Irving was not recorded in the 1930 census. Was he missed by the enumerator? Or was he a later-adopted son?
The couple also had a boarder, identified by the 1930 enumerator as one Esther “Larson,” age 40, born in Russia, and similarly a speaker of the “Jewish” language.
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The New York Birth Index identifies a baby boy, Robert Spiegel, as one of many babies having been born in the city on January 21, 1932.
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On May 21, 1936, Samuel committed suicide by hanging in the family residence, a tenement apartment located at 1168 Union Avenue, in the Bronx. Although, based upon the date of birth that Samuel used for official governmental purposes he was age 44, the death certificate stated that he was age 43.
Fannie engaged the Gordon Funeral Home to prepare him for burial.
Strangely, although Samuel’s headstone accurately identified him in Hebrew as Schmuel Spiegel, son of Avraham, it inexplicably incorrectly stated that he died at age 40.
Fannie of course knew her husband’s real age; both of them signed the marriage certificate that had Samuel’s correct age listed. Furthermore, Samuel had petitioned for citizenship in 1911, and stated that his date of birth was January 18, 1892.
Why would Fannie commission a headstone with a false age? Perhaps she, like her son, was a compulsive liar. Maybe that’s where Robert got it from.
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The 1940 census has Fannie (identified as age 38), Robert (identified as age 8), and Fannie’s son/Robert’s brother, Irving Spiegel, age 13, as living with Fannie’s 72-year-old mother, Esther Fleisfeder, at 1537 Fulton Avenue, in the Bronx. Fannie and Esther were identified as widows. Esther was identified as “U” (unable to work), while Fannie was identified as engaged in housework. No source of income for the family was identified.
No explanation is obvious regarding where Irving was living in the census taken a decade previously. Was he adopted?
There is no “Irving Spiegel” listed in the New York Birth Index for either 1926 or 1927. There is an “Irving Spiegal” listed, who was born April 29, 1926. But he is not Irving Spiegel.
I initially thought that perhaps Irving might be one of the unnamed Baby Boy Spiegels born in New York in 1926 or 1927, and that he left the hospital unnamed because his parents were waiting for his bris before naming him. However, Robert left the hospital with the name Robert. Why wait until the bris to name one child, but not the other?
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Slightly less than two years after she was enumerated in the 1940 census, Fannie’s mother Esther died, at home, at 1537 Fulton Avenue. The causes of death were “Coronary Thrombosis, Pulmonary Oedema Nephritis, Hypertension, Arteriosclerosis.” Esther left this world on February 6, 1942, the same day that the W. L. Steed was torpedoed, shelled and sunk less than a hundred nautical miles east of the mouth of Delaware River by a German submarine.
She was buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Fairview, New Jersey, the same cemetery where her son-in-law Samuel was interred.
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On November 12, 1943, Fannie, now residing at 1985 Bathgate Avenue, in the Bronx, petitioned for citizenship. She claimed, in that document bearing her signature, to be fifty years of age, meaning that if she was telling the truth, she would have been born in approximately 1893.
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On January 19, 1948, Robert (having assumed a false date of birth, that being January 18, 1931), enlisted in the New York National Guard. On paper, he had turned age 17 the day before his enlistment. In reality, he would be turning age 16 two days after his enlistment.
On December 9, 1949, Robert was discharged from the national guard, apparently for having been AWOL.
The discharge document identifies his address as being 1985 Bathgate Avenue, New York City.
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The 1950 census places Robert again at 1985 Bathgate Avenue, New York City. It correctly identifies him as age 18, and states that he worked as a shipping clerk for a newspaper company.
According to the 1950 census, Robert resided at the Bathgate Avenue address with his mother Fannie, who was purportedly still age 50 (seven years after she had previously claimed to immigration authorities to be age 50), and Robert’s brother Irving, age 24.
Irving was listed as unemployed and moreover, according to the census record, had not worked for the prior year. Fannie was employed full-time as a milliner in a hat factory.
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Military records reflect that Irving J. Spiegel, born in 1926 and a resident of 1985 Bathgate Avenue, who had completed two years of high school education, had flown bomber planes over Germany during the war. In his military documents, Irving described himself as single, with two dependents.
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On February 2, 1929, a baby girl given the name Aileen Beverly Leone Maxwell was born in Lucea, Hanover, Jamaica, to William Maxwell and Daisy (nee Tibbits) Maxwell. Her birth was registered by her parents.
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In 1954, Robert Spiegel and Aileen Maxwell were married in New York City. Their marriage license was given License No. 10284.
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The following year, the Kingston, Jamaica, Gleaner reported on June 6, 1955:
Miss Leonie Maxwell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Maxwell, was married recently in New York City to Mr. Robert Spiegel of the U.S.A. Both the bride and groom are students at the New York Institute of Dietetics. The bride left the island nearly two years ago for New York. Her wedding gown was chantilly lace and nylon tulle. The bodice was fashioned with a wide, scalloped neckline and elbow-length sleeves. Her three tier skirt of chantilly lace was over pleated nylon tulle. Her fingertip-length veil was adorned with pearls.
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If the claim regarding the couple studying at the New York Institute of Dietetics was even true, their studies at this institution didn’t last long. In May of 1956, a number of advertisements bearing Robert’s photograph appeared in the Kingston, Jamaica Gleaner. The advertisements described Robert as a psychologist, author, lecturer, and “practitioner in auto suggestion,” and identified him as “Dr. J. Robert Spiegel.” Readers were invited to come meet Robert on May 21, 1956, at Record Plaza, where he would be autographing his “latest” “world-wide” 33 and 1/3 RPM record, “How to Stop Smoking in 7 days by Auto-Suggestion.”
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On May 1, 1959, three residents of 1985 Bathgate Avenue, Bronx, New York, came through customs, having returned from a trip to Jamaica. They identified themselves as “Robert D. Spiegel” born in New York (in addition to giving himself a false middle initial, Robert neglected to complete the I-94-A fully, specifically by leaving his birthdate blank), “Leonie A. Spiegel” born in Jamaica on February 2, 1929, and their minor daughter, and “Sharon S. Spiegel,” born in New York. Someone also neglected to fully complete Sharon’s I-94-A, specifically by leaving her birthdate blank.
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Leonie had taken Sharon to Jamaica two years earlier. There are no publicly available records pertaining to their outbound transport from the United States to Jamaica. There is, however, a record pertaining to their return to the United States. That publicly available record does not provide their address, but Sharon is identified as weighing 1 stone 5 pounds (a total of 19 pounds), and Leonie is identified as weighing six stone 5 pounds (89 pounds). Interestingly, Leonie used the name “Aileen Spiegel,” and the records assert that Aileen has no middle initial. Aileen was / is her true legal first name, but it is a lie to say that she has no middle initial.
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Almost two years later, on January 5, 1958, the Kingston, Jamaica Gleaner reported:
Staying at the Tamarind Hotel are Mr. and Mrs. Bob Spiegel and daughter Sharon of Miami, Florida. Mrs. Spiegel is the former Leonie Maxwell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Maxwell of Lucea and has been in the United States for several years. A welcome party in their honour was given last Saturday night by Messers. Horrace, Ray, and Dennis Maxwell, brothers of Mrs. Spiegel. It was a very enjoyable affair.
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In 1963, roughly five years after their 1958 visit to Jamaica, Leonie petitioned for naturalization, in Louisiana. Although I am in possession of the index showing that she petitioned in 1963, I do not possess the petition itself. However, the fact that she petitioned for naturalization in Louisiana demonstrates that that at least she was residing in Louisiana at the time. Since she stated that she didn’t leave Robert’s side for over 40 years, presumably Robert, young Sharon, and also baby Michelle were living in Louisiana at that time.
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People who knew Robert personally relate that he stated that Leonie was a Cayman Island heiress. She wasn’t. Not only was she not born in the Cayman Islands, Leonie’s father’s estate was litigated (with the judge ruling against her) long before Robert started telling people that his wife was a Cayman Islands heiress.
Leonie’s father did leave an estate, but not to her. On November 9, 1967, the Gleaner reported that the Supreme Court had upheld the will of the late William Josiah Maxwell, the father of Horrace, Ray, Dennis, and Leonie, and the husband of Daisy Maxwell, who had contended that William’s signature was a forgery and that the person to whom his estate had been bequeathed had exercised undue influence. The court disagreed. The article reported:
The estate, which one of the executors described as “a sizeable one,” included 112 acres of land at Paradise and three houses at Lucea, Hanover.
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Robert apparently wasn’t banking on Leonie’s inheritance in any event. In May of 1966, advertisements appeared in the Houston Chronicle with Robert’s photo on them, selling a record that would purportedly assist people in stopping smoking in seven days. He identified himself as “Dr. J. Robert Spiegel.”
*******
On page 55 of the November 15, 1969, San Antonio, Texas Express and News, was an advertisement stating:
SCIENCE OF THE MIND
Dr. J. Robert Spiegel of Houston, director and founder of the Science of the Mind Foundation there, is conducting Sunday evening meetings at 7:30 p.m. in the Sheraton Inn, 1400 Austin Hwy.
*******
On page 4 of the July 10, 1970 edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram was a photograph of Robert, with a brief local news blurb:
GUEST – Dr. J Robert Spiegel of Houston, Science of Mind Foundation director, will speak at the 10:45 a.m. service tomorrow in First Church of Religious Science, 2001 6^th Ave. His subject is “What Religious Science Teaches.”
*******
On page 8 of the June 18, 1970 edition of the Houston Daily Cougar was this advertisement:
HOME OF UNIVERSAL LIFE
“Teaching Aquarian Meditation For The New Age
Meets Every Sunday, 11:00 A.M. At The World Trade Center Auditorium
Houston, Texas
DR. J. ROBERT SPIEGEL (BRAHMADANDA) DIRECTOR - FOUNDER
Aquarian Meditation Initiation for the first time offered through correspondence. For those sincere students wishing to bypass evolution and enter the 5th Kingdom. Initiation includes meditation technique, Mantra, how to "live” 24 hours a day, and much more. Write for application today:
P.O. Box 53328 Houston, Texas 052
*******
From the Galveston Daily News, May 02, 1971, Pg. 31:
AQUARIAN MEDITATION SOCIETY PRESENTS DR. J. ROBERT SPIEGEL AN AUTHOR, LECTURER, TEACHER OF YOGA & SELF DEVELOPMENT WILL SPEAK ON MAN, MIND & THE UNIVERSE WEDNESDAY, MAY 5th AT 7:30 P.M. IN THE RECREATION CENTER HARRIS COUNTY PARK, NASA RD. # 1 ALL WELCOME — DONATION $1.50
*******
The 1972 Spiritual Community Guide lists Robert twice, in the San Diego area. First, on page 117, using his alias “J. Robert Spiegel”:
THE TEMPLE OF METAPHYSICAL ABUNDANCE. J. Robert Spiegel, 1118 Torrey Pines Rd., 92037. Teaches yoga, nutrition, ESP, metaphysics, psychology, mind control
Second, on page 124, in which he, as one might have predicted, was masquerading as some sort of medical man or scholar:
"AQUARIAN MEDITATION SOCIETY, U. S. Grant Hotel, Attn: Dr. Robert Spiegel, 453-7588"
*******
Also in 1972, Volume 25 of San Diego Magazine published in November advertised gift certificates for the “Astrology Research Center.” “Give your loved one the gift of love. Only $50” said the advertisement. Where was this entity located? At 1118 Torrey Pines Road, the same address as Robert’s Temple of Metaphysical Abundance. The advertisement purported that person identified as “Lil Canaan” was the director. The telephone number was 459-6400.
In 2013, the San Diego Union Tribune published the obituary for Lillian Mulonas, who founded the La Jolla “Astrology Research Center.” At this point in time, unless Robert Adams’ only surviving daughter, Michelle/ Prentiss/ Avantae knows the answer and talks, we will not know what relationship, if any, existed between Robert’s Temple of Metaphysical Abundance and Lilian’s Astrology Research Center, both of which were located at 1118 Torrey Pines Road in 1972.
*******
From the July 12, 1973, San Diego Reader:
BRAHMADANDA FOUNDATION
“Teachings of the Cosmic Way” meets Sundays, 11:00 a.m., U.S. Grant Hotel, Crystal Room. Free admission, refreshments served. Call 453-7588 for more information.
*******
On page 51 of the June 29, 1974 edition of Phoenix’s Arizona Republic was the following advertisement:
Speaker from San Diego
Dr. J. Robert Spiegel from San Diego, a traveler and lecturer, will speak at 8 p.m., Friday in Universal Series Center, 4340 N. Seventh Ave., on the topic “Science of Being.”
He is the founder of the “Aquarian Meditation Society” in Jamaica and is founder and publisher of “Equinox,” a philosophical newspaper.
*******
The family (Adams or Spiegel, however one might want to refer to them) have resided in (that I know of) New York, Miami, Jamaica, Louisiana, La Jolla, Los Angeles, Houston, New Mexico, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Scottsdale, Sedona, and a number of cities in North Carolina.
*******
In at least the 1990’s, before he left for Sedona, Robert Adams used the address PO Box 7210, Jordan Avenue, D-30, Canoga Park, CA. He used that address on correspondence he wrote, and on at least one published document. Who else used that address? The data aggregators show that this address was also used by a Michelle K. Spiegel, and a person going by the name Leonie Maxwell. Michelle and Leonie also used other addresses associated with Robert, those being 1815 Willis Avenue Panorama City, and 21551 Burbank Boulevard, Woodland Hills.
*******
The California Birth Index shows that Michelle K. Spiegel was born on October 1, 1960, in Los Angeles County, to a mother with the maiden name Maxwell.
*******
In later life, Michelle used the addresses above that are associated with Robert and Leonie, as well as an address of 12004 Vanowen Street #14, North Hollywood. This is the same address at which Denniston Keith Maxwell, one of Leonie’s younger brothers, resided at, after his immigration to the United States. Denniston was one of Michelle’s uncles.
In a recent Facebook posting, Michelle/Avantae stated: “Never knew anything personal about said uncles, etc. Never asked, never cared.” Really? She shared an address with an uncle? Her uncle lived within a few minutes’ drive from her parents, and Michelle/Avantae never knew anything about him?
As an aside, Michelle/Avantae alleged (or admitted) that she “never cared” about anything personal regarding her uncles. If that is true, what does that tell us about Michelle/Avantae’s fundamental character? Antisocial? Psychopathic? Narcissistic in the extreme?
*******
On August 2, 1996, Michelle, going by the name Avantae E. Deven, married Tyson Ruben Alvarez in Las Vegas. The two had addresses in common in Arizona, Nevada, and Montana.
*******
Robert “Adams” died on or about March 2, 1997, in Sedona, Arizona.
Shortly after that, in the spring of 1997, “Nicole Adams” and “Avantae Deven” (both aliases; the correct legal names are Aileen Beverly Leonie Spiegel and Michelle K. Spiegel) purchased a home together in Sedona, on Navahopi Road. Shortly after the purchase, “Nicole” quit-claimed her portion to “Avantae.”
On July 17, 2001, Tyson, still married to “Avantae,” quit-claimed any interest in the Navahopi property to “Avantae,” and had the county recorder send the deed to “Avantae” in care of the Infinity Institute, at that time located at 9101 W. Sahara Ave. Suite 105 C29 (in other words, a private post box), in Las Vegas.
Avantae divorced Tyson in 2006. She had, by then, moved to North Carolina. She “served” Tyson via publication summons, claiming that she was unable to find him, despite his information being on multiple data aggregators.
You can go to various Facebook groups, and other sources, to pull up the documents that people have uncovered showing who is associated with the "Infinity Institute," and in what fashion, and also the addresses that they have used over the years.
In any event, this is the information regarding Robert that I think that people need to be aware of.
Why turn to a known liar and con man for spiritual guidance?
1A tallis is a prayer shawl.
2The ship’s manifest states that he was age 14, which conflicts by one year with what Samuel identified as his date of birth. These errors are not uncommon; his fare could have been purchased when he was age 14 and the records not updated.

i received shocking news on mother's day- i won my disability case! on the first hearing! i remember coming to this sub searching for advice when i first applied. it seemed mostly just others asking the same questions i had or talking about being denied, so i figured i'd post about my rare case that got approved (in the US.) i can't give legal advice of course, just share my experience and hope it helps someone.
my migraines became chronic october 2020. i quit my job after being denied fmla leave. i had only worked on the record for 3 years at minimum wage jobs. the income was just enough so my husband (bf at the time) and i never really had to worry about bills. i first applied for ssdi in november 2022 (i wish i had applied sooner, i just was so stressed and didn't think i had a chance anyway.) got my first denial letter i think in april 2023. my MIL gave me the info of a few good local lawyers from her local MS facebook support group. i googled some of the names, checking reviews of some of them. called the first one on my list, was told they wouldn't represent me since i'm under 60 (or maybe 50? point being: 26 is a bit younger.) fair enough, so i called the next on my list. answered some basic screening questions and got a phone appointment set up.
i applied for migraines but also listed my mental health diagnoses. usually my mental health is manageable, but with the migraines it started to decline. i had the feeling this lawyer thought i was more likely to get ssdi for my mental health rather than migraines. but i maybe i was reading that wrong and he had to ask more about the mental health since it's a bit more complex to understand than migraines for some people idk. regardless i was honest and he agreed to represent me and was really upfront about how the process works. he told me i'd likely lose the first and maybe 2nd case, but he thought i had a shot. that gave me some hope since he had a lot of positive reviews and i'm sure wouldn't take me if he thought it was hopeless!
still, i stressed a lot because i struggled to find a doctor willing to make a disability statement. it was mostly an issue for me because i had just been forced to switch insurance (turned 27 yay) which made me have to find new providers that don't know me well. luckily my psychologist said he was willing and gave a letter of support! and so timeskip after some more denials, i'm set for a hearing over the phone. my lawyer called me the day before to go over everything; checking that i'm not exaggerating answers, pointing out possible things they could ask about, stuff like that. (not like coaching, moreso just checking that i can give clear answers and not panic lol.) he said he knew the judge and thought she was very fair.
i was super nervous but the hearing seemed to go well from what i could tell! it was so gratifying to hear the job expert say exactly what i've been saying; that i only have experience in low-med labor jobs and those jobs won't hire someone who must be absent multiple days a month. the judge mentioned possibly asking a doctor about applying a special rule they use for seizures to my migraines that would classify me as disabled. the judge was very nice and at the end gave me a "sorry you have to go through this" that felt very genuine tho idk if that's something all judges say. my lawyer called afterwards to say he thought it went really well, i answered things well, and the job expert seemed to agree with us. things seem like they could go either way, but my lawyer sounds more hopeful now too so i'm cautiously excited.
so then mother's day i get a call from my lawyer. i rush to pick up because my social security online account status updated to final review 2 days prior so i knew a decision was coming. and my lawyer tells me, "congratulations, you won" !!!! I contain a scream and say in disbelief, "oh my god, i didn't expect to win my 1st at all!" he explained that actually the judge had written to the doctor about my migraines and the doctor disagreed. my lawyer wrote to the judge that he disagreed with the doctor's descision as he was off about some facts in his report, and the judge agreed with my lawyer!!! so i won for the migraines! he told me about how much i can be expecting and that i'll have to switch my primary insurance to medicare soon.
so i think the moral is: roll a nat20 on lawyer and judge selection and you're good! jk. kinda. i know i'm incredibly lucky to have gotten approved and i know there's so many of you out there that absolutely deserve it but have to fight til the end of the legal system. i mean even my dad was told by his doctor to stop working after a heart attack, but he had to go to the final hearing (in which that judge apologized to him that he wasn't approved earlier.) but if you're considering applying or going thru it and are scared now, just know it's not impossible! i was an anxiety-ridden mess right before my trial and even had a mild migraine during the whole thing, but it went really well! and soon i'll be able to pay off my debts and once again contribute financially!!

From the Facebook page “We Are Lititz”:
Today we sent a letter, with 115 of our names, to the Warwick School Board. You may read the letter in the link below, as well as check out the action steps you can take to help.
There is ZERO reason to fast track the hiring of the ILC, or any firm, for Title IX compliance. As community members, we are all here to hold the Board accountable to transparency and full, open, public debate and discussion. Interview multiple firms, let’s all be a part of ensuring all students have equal rights and access to the school programs and facilities.
Letter to Warwick School Board
https://shorturl.at/xzNT2
Action Steps you can take
https://shorturl.at/xXZ39

In 2021 I joined a fraternal organization…later that year another member and I went into business together eventually called me a year later and said he was out. Gave me control of everything. A month later he comes back and says you owe me my investment back and a buyout. I told him the business was worth nothing there’s nothing to buy you out in fact we owe money so if we go this route you maybe responsible for debts of the business but I’ll just let you walk like you said.
He then turns the whole fraternal org against me… even tries to get me kicked out, saying I “defrauded” him… even though he quit.
He also tried to sue me, I defended without a lawyer and he ultimately settled. The fraternal org dropped the kicking out stuff but their minds were poisoned.
A year goes by while while his suit is pending,once dropped then I start coming back reengaging with the fraternal org. They are all rude to me, angry, and treat me like im the one who did something wrong. They then start violating my membership rights etc. over something they had no business in, so I sued them, eventually theiru lawyer says “they want no contact and to be left alone” some months go by and then they send me something in the mail, then. Try and get me kicked out again for ignoring them, like they’re legal representation asked me to do.
Mind you when I filed, I started getting death threats and letters in the mail saying “we’re watching you” Facebook accounts harassing me continuously, dozens of phone calls at all hours of the night from spoofed numbers.
I’d say at this point it’s slandelibel and it’s really malicious especially since they had the email asking me to leave them be, I did what they asked and they’re gaslighting me over that too.
Am I the asshole for standing up for myself and my rights? It’s hard to tell when it’s you against a group of people, because you feel lonely and isolated but all you’re doing is right by yourself.
I think I might be the asshole because it’s them (6 people) (the org is much bigger than 6) against me, they all seem to hate me, but I truly am unsure of what I’ve done deserve this.

Yes.. Yess.. Alright there Daddy, I mean Danny. Yeah shut the fuck up.
Verse on Danny: Dear Tank I wrote you a letter. See my daddy wasnt there so now I crave attention. See I would do anything I can to ride your wave for mentions. Even pretended you dissed me just to create dissention. I dug through all you and Pop's songs just to find some ammunition, now im all out of lotion. So my dick burns and my hand is itching. I posted that Pop said some racist shit on Facebook, but changed the title cause I couldnt get your friends to listen. I cant do numbers and I need the advice. I paid my mom for her to advertise me, I need the hype. I hope you see this dog it eases me to sleep at night. Whats it like to actually be dope and have a buzz? I paid Gnat, but I still cant break 20 friends. I wear this crown but my throne is really full of malus. I cant picture me without the drugs.
Verse on John: Dear Tank, I kept tagging you 6 months ago you wouldn't respond. You owe me dog dont leave me here for long. While your out living life and doing things I wish I could, I spend all day on the internet trying to get some looks. I know I said I was straight but yet played victim hook, cause I aint killed nobody. Im not built like that I lived in hoods. Got too much hate up on my diss so I deleted it. I tryna bait me but I miss. So much for clicks and dislikes. I really hate that im a bitch. I cant do shit but diss right? I cant create a single hit. So I take hits from this pipe. Miss shells in the nozzle, got hit with the nasal spay. The Boogeyman of this Bu cocky shit. The only shots are on my face, Im prolly sick, its prolly jizz, I prolly need some molly shit to take this pain away. I just delay it shit. Eyes red, I feel my hood in your hoodie man. Im tryna weather days but im not Boogie Man. Critiqued you for your mental health cause I dont get complexities. Im a simple man with simple bars. I kill a man, Jarrott. it makes sense right? But when you kill a man get jarred hoe. Get sentenced for life. Im just a lonely man with no friends or bodies to show. And if I end it all tomorrow? Shit nobody would know.
Oh we just having fun now.. Let me show yall how to make a diss..
Verse on Gnat: Im waiting, im patient, you baited. You made a grenade on this paper, pull the pen ive been waiting. How you gonna claim wins from your moms basement, you aint got no Ems on your plate list. The crown you been claiming? It aint raining! 5 months Gnat still no reply. John asked about me when his own squad going poltergeist. Dont throw the fight. John started his rap rhyming rap shit 4 times. But you wanna claim im the one whoes lazy? Shit im bored of you poor rhymes. Gnat's masculine hardcore? When he the one clapping back with insults about Star Wars. Outrap me. Come on Gnat roll up. Its Ironic that im Emo. The fuck you killing yourself for? Zareem already murdered you, Stan aint nobody heard of you. Only time you fucks catching bodies in the morgue, you murdered who? Shit the first 48 hours. I know whoes missing. Pop already covered you, exposed you for your googling. Your bars dont connect, dont hide that phone when you spitting no? You need more practice. Unlike LLR this is real life. You claim I run but yet I still fight, outrapped you on your own rhyme scheme, Gnat just got killed twice.
Verse on all 3: Hold up change it up, something yall dont know how to do with that same old boring ass style. Lotta Danny, Got no time for your problems. The shit you spit is nonsense. Begged Ren to do a song with you then he robbed you. How many of us you paying money to gaslight you with fake praise and fake opinions. Gnat calls himself a king? Well thank the lord for me. Got a buzz off my name? now im claiming your royalties. John upset that it took me 1 month, dog it took you 5 months to clap back, you brag about that? 24 hours im back on the track. Get your fat ass back on the track and move quicker. Or maybe not cause your movements sus. And now your mad attacking me cause your raps all suck. Acting like these are lies? Bitch grow up. How about you switch that flow up. Coming with the same cadence dog? We be bored of your shit. You an obsessed little ex whoring for clicks. I feel bad man, Dont be mad stan. Heres a trash can.. For your diss. I stay living in your head without rent. Gnat, better learn your history.. Kings they get beheaded. "The the Boogeyman cause everybody scared of me". What a dope bar, your such a rarity. Talking like you next up. You been here since 2017 where's the check huh? Your best disses got my name in them, Im a Free copy right? Let me put my claim on it. Every time you tag me ill be monetizing you while you advertise me. And fantasize about my friends. Just know I got here without you. So keep on moving, you just a lame whoes pretending. Use my name for the ascension, but my reigns are too extensive. Stay in your lane, got no engine. You start clenching and your plugged in the rear, with no luck and no career. Whoes scared of this dude. Your times up..
Honestly I wasnt even gonna go after you. But theres certain lines you just dont cross. Tryna target my legitimacy? Going after my friends? Calling out anyone you can to diss me and paying them? Danny theres ways to move in this industry properly. You put your hand out and its gonna get slapped. Get back in your fucking lane.
Free's note: Tank is known for having a pen, hes known for his pen and his bars. Like if your gonna say that he doesnt have it cause it went over your fucking head.. You need to look in the mirror. John I did do a speech with you in 2022. That was before you became a big bitch. Bitch ass fuck with nothing better to do than diss. Go back to dissing your mom, cause thats your only good diss John.

Sorry for the formatting, this was done via mobile.
Context: we are in Florida and there have been no fights or disagreements between the bio son and remaining family members. Bio son is the only child by blood. My father-in-law was my husband‘s stepfather and he died five years ago. Before his death, he had prepaid for a burial plot with his wife (my husband‘s mom, who already passed). When he passed, his biological son signed papers for cremation. Everyone took what they wanted from my father-in-law‘s house, and we were told to sell the rest. Which we did. And we used that money to pay for his actual burial. Ever since then we have been trying to get in contact with the biological son to sign the papers necessary to actually bury his fathers creamains. We have made it very clear we’re not looking for money. Everything‘s been paid for. We have tried calling, texting, Facebook messaging, Facebook posts, actual letters through the mail, and trying to reach him through third parties like his wife and friends. All to no avail. He will not talk to us, and he will not sign the papers. So my father-in-law‘s cremains have been in my home for five years. Which is fine. But not what my father-in-law wanted. How do we get his son to sign the papers to follow through on his father‘s wishes? The funeral home is no help. They’re telling us without the signature, they absolutely will not bury him.

Sorry for the formatting, this was done via mobile.
Context: we are in Florida and there have been no fights or disagreements between the bio son and remaining family members. Bio son is the only child by blood. My father-in-law was my husband‘s stepfather and he died five years ago. Before his death, he had prepaid for a burial plot with his wife (my husband‘s mom, who already passed). When he passed, his biological son signed papers for cremation. Everyone took what they wanted from my father-in-law‘s house, and we were told to sell the rest. Which we did. And we used that money to pay for his actual burial. Ever since then we have been trying to get in contact with the biological son to sign the papers necessary to actually bury his fathers creamains. We have made it very clear we’re not looking for money. Everything‘s been paid for. We have tried calling, texting, Facebook messaging, Facebook posts, actual letters through the mail, and trying to reach him through third parties like his wife and friends. All to no avail. He will not talk to us, and he will not sign the papers. So my father-in-law‘s cremains have been in my home for five years. Which is fine. But not what my father-in-law wanted. How do we get his son to sign the papers to follow through on his father‘s wishes? The funeral home is no help. They’re telling us without the signature, they absolutely will not bury him.

Fill Me In is a podcast about crossword puzzles, though there's the other periodic nonsense you'd expect from two puzzle guys bantering for a while. New episodes of Fill Me In come out every Tuesday morning.
This week, Ryan and Brian review the days of the months, attempt to choreograph a song that doesn't exist, and learn a few letters of Morse code. Yikes, was that a woodpecker?
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Hi all. I would like to recommend the most interesting work by Ernst Axel Knauf. I will quote the most interesting quotes (from my point of view) here. But I still advise you to read the entire article, as it is written in a very accessible and understandable language.
author's profile at the academy: https://unibe-ch.academia.edu/ErnstAxelKnauf?swp=tc-au-28366493
read the article: https://archive.org/details/arabo-aramaic-and-arabiyya-from-ancient-arabic-to-early-standard-arabic-200-ce-600-ce
"Nabatean Arabic became some sort of standard Arabic as early as the second century bce, but it was a spoken, not a written language, and it was, in the beginning, of no interest to anyone outside the relatively small circle of Arabian international traders and shippers. It became a written language between the third and fourth century ce in post-Nabatean texts.96 500 years of Old Arabic–Ancient Arabic coexistence and/or diglossia can now be considered."
"The Nabatean script is a cursive script. It was developed for writing on “paper” or its ancient equivalents. It reflects the needs of a society of traders who had to keep accounts and set up contracts. Only secondarily, with the onset of conspicuous architectural consumption at the end of the first century bce, their utilitarian cursive script was put to lapidary, epigraphic use. Unfortunately for the perception of Nabatean society through modern eyes, it is their “luxury” (and basically non-essential) written record which dominates the data base, whereas the main output of Nabatean scribal activities, the papyri, have only survived in meager installations, like the Nabatean papyri from the Babatha archive.106"
"With the imperial crisis of the second half of the third century, Greek lost its splendor in the East: the Parthians' Sasanid successors wrote Middle Persian (and Aramaic, for that was the language of their economical powerhouse, the Iraq); Arabs ( if not Christianized) turned away from both Greek and Aramaic."
"Aramaic, no longer in use for written business transactions among the Arabs themselves, remained present in pre-Islamic Arabia from the fourth through the sixth/seventh centuries through the Jewish and Christian communities which felt no urge to translate their scriptures into Arabic; a fact which one day early in the seventh century ce would instigate a failed merchant from Mecca to give his fellow Arabs a “liturgy” or “recitation” (in Arabic: qurʾān) in plain Arabic, obviously being of the opinion that the other monotheistic religions had failed, or neglected, to do so."
"From time to time the assumption resurfaces that the Arabic script did not develop from Nabatean Aramaic but from Syriac. It can be traced back to early Muslim scholarship,128 but it has no other argument in its favor than the relationship of the written word to the line: while Nabatean is sublinear (the letters are hanging from the line), Syriac and Arabic are supralinear (the letters are standing on the line). This feature can be explained by the easier assumption that Nabatean writing (the origin of all individual letters) was influenced by a Syriac adstrate in Arabian scribal practice during the fourth and fifth centuries ce. (Hoyland, “Language and Identity,” 196, with n. 50.)"
"Cursive writing with diacritical points indicates that throughout the fourth through sixth centuries ce Arabian merchants continued to trade merchandise and to keep records of their business in the Early Standard Arabic which they had inherited from the Nabateans.144"
"The cultic origins of Poetic Old Arabic with its archaic and, in prose and everyday speech quite superfluous case-endings are, especially since the discovery of Avdat 1, no longer questionable. On the other hand, Luxenberg has reopened the question of how pagan (instead of non-standard Christian) pre-Islamic Arabic really was.151"...
I’ll stop at the most interesting point, the article is very informative, be sure to read the footnotes and bibliography. Good luck.

I'm not even sure if I know guy or not because they don't let us speak or any letter reach me. They just tell him bad things about sleaze to try to discourage an apology. My honesty while I was angry and upset will result in retaliation today. They want me shot in the leg today for the bribed hospital staff to do the brain half surgery that is said to remove memories so they do other nasty & mean things for unknown reasons.
Because it's absolutely so important to someone to make me dumb, make me do porn, be criminal illegal alien, some other accusations and especially make me be sleazy lady or lifelong hooker so they don't have to admit being wrong about me!!!! All of those reasons were given to justify taking $ away from me??!!! It's wrong to steal $ from criminals as well as any other people so excuses are invalid!!! Real police and FBI go to jail for stealing from criminals just like anyone else. If I made a mistake to falsely identify someone, I would have been honest. Technically I did that already if I ever did. I already apologized on Facebook in 2018 for repeating gossip I heard from family members!!
They chose the hardest solution instead of the easiest! Every day since Ms. A started making her deals to hurt me in exchange for $ based on a secret my brother told her. Family secret contained in briefcase that went missing in 1978 to keep me from knowing anything. Family secrets other people know, but won't tell me? But they call me crazy, so nobody considers that I could be right or be innocent of their accusations spread by gossip. I wasn't crazy. There's nothing actually wrong with me. I survived being bullied by dozens of people.

So I was looking through AO3 define a fanfiction cuz I was bored and something that just drives me insane so much is when authors side to use like fancy lettering that are really hard to read in their summaries cuz I'm dyslexic so I already have a hard time reading a lot of stuff but then when you use fonts that are like cursive or Don't know what it's called but this is literally a word directly from the one I saw that made me want to talk about this "𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕔𝕠" I don't know what this font is called but it drives me insane It is so hard to read please I am begging you if you are making a summary please put it in regular font

IDK WHAT TO SAY HONESTLY every time i mention im autistic or its brought up in conversation she keeps saying “you’re not, the doctor just said you show symptoms” like lady that same doctor sent me home a letter that literally reads “a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder has been confirmed”
Also she keeps saying “the doctor says you were just borderline autistic” (im quite sure she did not because genuinely what??)
she also doesn’t want to tell my family because of my close cousins would look at me differently and one of my aunts works with “severely” autistic children and would also look down on me (I’d like to hope she wouldn’t if she works with autistic kids??) She also keeps trying to tell me about how this was my decision when literally all I wanted to do when I got my diagnosis was talk mad shit about my past teachers that completely ignored so many of my autistic traits and the mad waiting list times
And if she ever admits that yes I am autistic she pulls the “but it’s only level one though so it’s very very little autism and doesn’t affect you” like im pretty sure a disability is going to alter my life in some shape or form and those levels are supposed to describe different support needs of autism and not one general diagnosis (correct me if I’m wrong of course)
Also throughout my 2 years of waiting for an assessment EVERY time it was mentioned I got hit with the “are you sure you want to ruin your life like that with a diagnosis?” Like the only people that are gonna know are me and my gp, my employers are not gonna go digging through my assessment looking for reasons not to hire me
she’s also completely unwilling to learn anything about autism which Is… really unhelpful but not surprising
I feel like the answer is kinda obvious at this point but what the actual fuck do I do is the real question now 😭 like I understand the whole people looking at me differently thing but I also could care less so maybe I should make a big fat Facebook post saying “fun fact - I’m autistic, and i was pretty good at hiding it all from you until I got bored!” And then just post a pic of the little “autism diagnosis has been confirmed” image
IDK it’s kind of funny but also really frustrating please help me Reddit you’ve never let me down before 🙏

Hello folks! I'm moving from Armenia to Belgrade for next 3 months and I'm having hard time with finding an apartment. I found lotta websites and couple of Facebook groups, but the problem is that only 1 out of 10 landlords reply me, I'm reaching out via WhatsApp and Viber, I tried to message in English and in Serbian, both w latin letters(ovako) and with Cyrillic letters(овако) Websites I use: 4zida.rs indomio.rs nekretnine.rs halooglasi.rs What can I do to get replies from landlords?

Hi, I just moved to Michigan from Virginia with my boyfriend. It’s been almost 5 months. I’m tired of being around his family and would like friends outside of it. lol We have nothing in common. And I can tell you all about it in a letter or email lol. About me -I like crochet & cross stitching - playing sims 2 atm -writing. Trying to get better at cursive - cooking -I live in a camper so we can talk about that if you want -like Coke Zero - and I enjoy a long email or letter
I’m sure I’m missing stuff but that’s kinda the point of the letters right?
I’m looking for female penpals because I’m surrounded by dudes, apparently his family cannot produce women which is great for them but not for me socially.

Over the last few months I've been in a very dire situation. My underage daughter was extorted/tricked out of some explicit pictures and an individual is selling these pictures online. I have his name, address, phone and ID number and yet local authorities aren't helping.
For context: This individual is an EU/RUS dual national residing in Dubai. He's getting paid for selling various such media and receiving payments via a US LLC he has set up in Delaware. It's obvious that hundreds of thousands of dollars pass through this shell company monthly. And before I get asked this: I've already sued this individual in his country of residence. However, the process to find justice can take many many years there, if ever. And ofc as always Dubai police is useless.
If I want faster results I'd need to target his companies. I have had multiple calls with Delaware police and even had a call with a police chief. They explicitly told me that if I want anything done I should try to get the attention of someone from the locale senate because the local police currently doesn't have neither the means in manpowefunding nor politically to act against the lax LLC scheme in Delaware in any way.
I went on to file a letter to the attorney general of Delaware, including a plethora of digital evidence presented to them in USB. They received the letter but never responded. When I called they told me off the record that they are not interested in such cases and I should instead be contacting the FBI.
Well, understandably after filing the FBI form and waiting several months, nothing has happened. It's more likely than not that the FBI has bigger fish to catch and won't even be interested in looking at a case whose only connection in the U.S. is an LLC.
I don't know what other means there would be to pursue this. This whole experience has been quite haunting for my daughter and me, especially after her peers discovered these media online, the abuse came to real life. I honestly thought US authorities would be more interested in taking down literal child porn, but no... What would be the proper way to escalate this? Perhaps I should hire a paralegal to write letters to google/cloudflare/facebook/tiktok/telegram and domain hosts etc where this abuse is promoted?

PRODUCER: Do you have the suicide note?
HEIDI CLIFFORD (As “Anonymous Classmate”): (Reading purported “suicide note” aloud): This is a copy of the suicide note.
“I attended a course called Executive Success Programs, aka Nexium (sic), based out of Anchorage, Alaska and Albany, New York. I was brainwashed and my emotional center of the brain was killed and turned off. I still have feeling in my external skin, but my internal organs are rotting. I’m sorry, life. I didn’t know I was already dead.”
“No need to search my body.”
Was this potential suicide letter in Kris’s car coerced?
Was it her willingly writing it?
You don’t know.
As we have discussed in previous posts, nothing about the Kristin Snyder missing person case makes any sense whatsoever, and the purported “suicide note” found in her vehicle is certainly no exception.
Before we start analyzing the “suicide note,” here are a few factors to keep in mind:
• We know through information from multiple sources that Kristin was a prolific journal writer and letter writer, so we have a plethora of writing samples to compare with this alleged “suicide note.”
• We refer to “the writer” in our discussion of the “suicide note” below. The reason for this phrasing is because the actual writer of this note is unknown. Did Kristin herself write it, either as a explanation for killing herself, or for the purpose of faking her own death? Did someone else write it to make her disappearance appear to be a suicide? Was part of the text written by Kristin and added to by another party? Was the entire note faked? Was the note written by Kristin, but under duress/coercion as Heidi pondered?
• See notes under each section below regarding clear discrepancies between Kristin’s baseline writing style based on the hundreds of writing samples we have obtained from multiple sources through varying times throughout her life.
Now, without further ado, let’s take an in-depth look at this “suicide note” – line by line.
“I attended a course called Executive Success Programs (aka Nexium) based out of Anchorage, AK + Albany, NY.”
• Who is the note intended for? There is no salutation. We have tons of samples of Kristin’s letters and there is always a salutation – AND a date. If this is really her “suicide note,” why wouldn’t she address it to her partner Heidi, friends, coworkers, and/or family – as she always had addressed people in her letters? Similarly, wouldn’t she document the date of the most significant letter of her life, as she did routinely with her letters? In fact, she often even included the specific time (for instance, 7:15 p.m.) that the letter or journal entry was written.
• In addition to a salutation and date on other writing samples, Kris also typically indented her paragraphs and she also usually wrote on each line of the paper in her letters and journal entries, unlike this “suicide note,” which does neither.
• Related to the numerous writing samples we have acquired though multiple sources, Kris also primarily wrote in cursive in both her letters and in her journal. This “suicide note” is an odd hybrid of cursive and print.
• Why would anyone start a suicide note with “I attended a course…”? Clearly, the writer of this note is directing the reader to correlate ESP with the disappearance, but it seems like a very odd place for anyone to start a suicide note. Also, Kris attended two courses, not “a course”; a fact that Kris would have clearly known.
• “aka Nexium” is another oddity. Kris did not take any NXIVM classes, not even one, despite the extensive recent propaganda linking her to NXIVM. Why? Because NXIVM did not even exist at the time of Kristin’s disappearance; it was still in the planning stages. The writer had obviously heard about these plans as evidenced by the phonetic spelling. Again, it is obvious the writer of the note is clearly directing the reader’s attention to ESP/NXIVM – but if Kris were distraught enough to write a suicide note (and as functionally incapacitated as reported by her partner), why/how would she focus on minutiae like this?
• Speaking of minutiae, it gets even more obvious in the next words: “based out of Anchorage, AK + Albany, NY.” First of all, WHO CARES where ESP was based? That is in no way pertinent to the reasoning, and apparently is another clear attempt by the writer to direct the reader toward ESP/NXIVM. Secondly, this information is actually wrong. ESP wasn’t “based out of Anchorage, AK” – they held classes in Anchorage in a rented hotel space. The home base was in NY. Furthermore, Kris knew very well that this information was wrong, having recently visited their NY headquarters herself weeks before her disappearance!
•The words “based out of” (city, state) are odd as well. None of Kristin’s other writing samples did this. Nowhere does she mention elsewhere that anything is “based out of” anywhere in any of her copious writing samples we have obtained.
• Furthermore, why would the note say “Anchorage, AK” anyway? Presumably, Alaska law enforcement would be able to deduce that Anchorage is in Alaska without this unnecessary clarification.
“I was brainwashed + my emotional center of the brain was killed/turned off. I still have feeling in my external skin but my internal organs are rotting.”
• If Kris was brainwashed, she wouldn’t know (at least at the time) that she had been brainwashed. Again, this seems to be yet another clear attempt by the writer to direct the reader to look at ESP.
• Furthermore, if Kris finally did realize that she had been brainwashed, why would she then kill herself?
• The writer switches “my” and “the” in a sentence – something Kris never did, even once, in the hundreds of pages of writing we have obtained. The sentence should read “the emotional center of my brain,” not “my emotional center of the brain.”
• Another oddity is in the redundancy of “external skin.” Again, this sort of mistake does not appear to be Kris’s style, based on other writing samples. She had a Master of Science (M.S.) in Biology and she worked as an environmental consultant to the National Guard. She was a precise, clear, scientific, and articulate writer.
• This passage clearly implies that Kris was suffering from Cotard’s syndrome; per WebMD: “People with Cotard’s syndrome (also called walking corpse syndrome or Cotard’s delusion) believe that parts of their body are missing, or that they are dying, dead, or don’t exist.” We have talked to multiple people who Kris had visited in her January 2003 trip immediately prior to her February 2003 disappearance, and nobody reported any observations of any mental health issues, suicidal ideation, depression, psychosis, nor delusions of any sort. All of the people who discussed Kris’s reported mental health decline stated that they had not personally witnessed any symptoms, but rather, they were told of a rapid decline following Kris’s disappearance.
• If Kris thought she was already dead, why would she kill herself?
“Please contact my parents Bob + Jonnie Snyder at (number redacted) in Dillon, SC if you find me or this note.”
• Why would she specify to contact her parents, who lived out-of-state? Why not her partner? Why, in fact, is Heidi, the love of her life and civil union partner not mentioned AT ALL in the entire note?
• The inclusion of Kris’s parents as the sole contacts listed in the note contradicts a specific story told at the time of the disappearance alleging that Kris had uncovered memories of abuse during the class and that these purported memories were the reason/a factor in her alleged suicide. But: if that story was true, why would she include her father in the note? It should be noted that there is no evidence whatsoever that Kris was abused. As with the alleged rapid mental health decline, people who reported that story were not told of the purported abuse by Kris themselves, but rather, they were told of the purported abuse allegations after her disappearance. In fact, we even have been given a copy of a text message exchange in which the person who spread this abuse claims refers to it as “the lie.” This is yet another example of the myriad of inconsistencies and contradictions that plague Kris’s case.
• Why mention “Dillon, SC”? There is already a phone number given, so the city/state is irrelevant, and also, it is not her typical style. Again, it seems like someone with a quirky tic to mention a city and state wrote this.
• “if you find me or this note” is similarly nonsensical. If someone found her but NOT the note, they wouldn’t see the note, would they? Again, this oddity of wording is inconsistent with Kris’s typically precise style.
“I am sorry, life, I didn’t know I was already dead. May we persist into the future. KRISTN (sic) SNYDER”
• Again, if she thought she was already dead, why would she need to kill herself?
• Why is she addressing “life”?
• “May we persist into the future” is interesting. “Persist into the future” is a phrase used in ecology, which could potentially mean a couple things: a). Kristin wrote this herself; b). Kristin wrote this phrase elsewhere and someone traced/copied it onto the “suicide note”; or c). the writer had seen a document that referred to this phrase and used it.
• WHO LEAVES A LETTER OUT OF THEIR OWN NAME???? The second “I” is missing in “KRISTN.” Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, Kris predominantly wrote in cursive and she typically signed her name in cursive as well. Why, in the most important document of her life, would she BLOCK PRINT her name, and even more bizarre, why would she leave a letter out of her own name? The writer appears to drop letters and cram letters together, but there is no evidence from other writings that Kris did these things.
“No need to search for my body”
• Why was this written on the BACK of the page on the “suicide note”? And why was the note left inside of a notebook to begin with?
• Kris was a member of the Anchorage Nordic Ski Patrol, and therefore, she was involved in search and rescue. Therefore, she would already know that THEY WOULD SEARCH FOR HER ANYWAY. Also, more importantly, why would she intentionally hide her own body and therefore put her colleagues/friends on the search and rescue team through the extensive trouble and potential dangers of conducting the search for her?
• Why write “my body” on the back of the page but write “me” on the front of the page of the note? That is yet another incongruity.
• Why the emphasis on not looking for a body? The writer clearly has a very specific reason to mention this; there is a reason the writer does not want the body found. It is very rare for a person to want to hide his/her own body, and even more rare to be able to successfully do so.

Edit: OTPs were sent to both mobile phone/SMS and email.

TL;DR: Money withdrawn illegally and unknowingly via connectIPS account. How did the hackes get the OTP codes sent to the mobile phone?
Okay someone I know just had a meltdown a couple hours back this evening. Lets call them Raj. He has a Windows 10 laptop and an uptodate Samsung Galaxy S22 ultra or something.
Raj downloaded a sketchy executable batch file kinda thing from somewhere, the link being sent by someone on facebook under the guise of "Data Entry Software". Raj was told to run that file, and that they'd send another software for the actual work. Raj was looking for a job on the side to help with family expenses, etc. He is a devout hard worker and a lovely soul, but he deserved much more than what his job currently offered financially.
This was 1 week back. Today, Raj's phone lights up with notifications for login attempts to their rarely used connectIPS account, as if someone were trying to go through the "forgot password" route. He had his Laxmi Bank account linked to his connectIPS one. And then he gets a lot of OTPs for transaction. Lo and behold, the money is all gone from his Laxmi Bank account!
He asks for my help. I login to his connectIPS. Doesnt seem to show main balance/loaded funds anywhere at first glance, the interface is as unintuitive as it can get. Anyhoo, I find the transactions history - there were 9 made during the past hour. One 1 lakh transfer to a bank account and the remaining 8 to 2 Khalti wallets in batches, 50k at a time, 2 lakh into each. Total - Rs 5,00,000.
We have the names and the numbers of the recipient accounts. But they might not be the real culprits, the hackes might be just bouncing off those acounts to muddle their tracks.
He says that he hadn't logged in to his bank or connectIPS account since he ran the shady trojan batch file. He also said that the connectIPS password wasn't saved in Chrome when he tried logging in to check what the hell was up. He also wonders if his connectIPS password was reset by the hackes, since he either didnt remember the password, or what he remembered no longer worked -- his last use of the platform was so long ago that he doesn't exactly know.
Now I can understand what all could be done if some hacker got such direct access to your Windows computer, but what puzzles me is how they got access to the OTPs sent to his mobile phone!
Could it be that the suspect windows batch file scanned the local WiFi for other devices and injected code into the android phone completely invisibly, without any user input? Or is the central OTP sending server or their crypto/hashing compromised, in that one could generate OTPs at his/her will (like keygens for pirated software)?
Also, I'm not sure, but does connectIPS also concurrently send OTPs to email ID? (which could have been compromised since the hackes had full access to Raj's laptop)
I'm sorta the tech savvy one in our circle, but this is perplexing to me quite a bit. I know its all technically possible to be hacked and defrauded this way -- anyone watching enough movies/tv shows would... but how exactly did they get the OTPs.
And what should Raj do in this case? He already asked Laxmi bank to block his mobile/internet banking. He called up connectIPS guys (interesting that even a sorta government affiliated agency would respond at such hours), one of them forwarded his issue around to many via email. And he has contacted Nepal Police cyber crime division, who have asked him to file a report/send letteemail and some evidence (ex. transaction history).