It's been 3.5 months since I was discarded by my quiet BPD ex.
I loved her so much. She made me feel like the only person in the world that understood her. She called me her God, and was my first relationship and my first in everything.
Due to her quiet BPD, she never did anything "directly" towards me. It was all very, very subtle, and now I have been picking up what feels like the millions of broken pieces of our relationship once she shattered it...
I know it's not my fault for it ending, but I still feel so INCREDIBLY attached and SAD when I think about her..
She is a tiny, tiny girl that has an eating disorder. She works herself to death, doesn't sleep, and would wake up with panic attacks at night, having to do pushups to calm herself down.. I felt the need to "rescue" her straight away..
To have been "her savior" from these symptoms, to have been labeled the person that makes everything worthwhile (basically her putting the responsibility of dealing with her emotions onto me, classic bpd) inflating my very fragile ego.. To now have become NOTHING to her.. For 3 months straight i've been waking up early in the morning from stress.. I used to sleep without a problem. Yesterday I only ate some melon but I still don't feel hungry, before I used to eat like a horse. She has poisoned me.
Due to stress from her job she completely imploded, and left me.. And I had no idea what was going on (was not aware of bpd) and I reacted in what would be an otherwise healthy way to her breaking up with me (I just let her go and remained calm in the hope that she'll come back) but that was only confirming her abandonment fear.. Which was confirmed in a letter she sent to me a week later when she wrote "how could you just let me go!?!??!"
Is there anyone else that has been in this position, feeling like everything is your fault even though you know that's not the case, and desperately tried to save the relationship but they react to you as if they're surprised that a person that they once called their GOD is upset?? To know that this very, VERY special person will now never be in your life anymore?? I curse the gods for this!
I know i'll eventually heal, and that i'll eventually find a healthy partner, and that this experience will have made me stronger.. But I hate that I had to lose this INCREDIBLE person for it.. It's like they put an angel on earth for you only to take her away, onto the next person..
My heart!!

Content Warning: This story contains themes of mental health issues, suicide and physical violence.
Prosopagnosia v. Cotard's Syndrome
My new doctor - a bright and friendly guy named Sarbjit - took the time to explain his diagnosis to me. He told me my condition was mental, not physical, but it was hard to pay attention to everything he said because my left arm was numb and rotting from the inside out. I smiled and nodded and then when I got home I looked up Cotard’s Syndrome online. Here is what Wikipedia had to say on it.
“Cotard's syndrome, also known as ‘Cotard's delusion’ or ‘Walking Corpse Syndrome’, is a rare mental disorder in which the affected person holds the delusional belief that they are dead, do not exist, are putrefying, or have lost their blood or internal organs.”
I don’t know. Sounded extremely strange to me. I just knew my left arm was dying. Maybe my liver too. I used my right arm, the good one, to open my mail. Most of it was just the normal stuff but when I saw the letter from the Supreme Court of the State of New York I got a little worried. I was here legally - a citizen for almost ten years now - and I knew my rights but being summoned to testify at this criminal trial was a bit unnerving. I didn’t like it. I just try to do my best in this life and mind my own business and not cause problems for others.
When my trial appearance date arrived two months later I took the subway downtown and left my assistant, Stavvy, in charge of the office that day. I sat there on a hard wooden bench in the courtroom all morning listening to the testimony of other witnesses but I wasn’t called to the stand until sometime after we returned from lunch. Eventually, the lawyer for the defense called my name.
She mispronounced it of course - people here always mispronounce Albanian names - so I wasn’t surprised when she called me Mister Shka-Rell-Eee. My surname is Shkreli, after the place where my family comes from, and the proper pronunciation contains only two syllables - Shkrell-Eee. I was trying to hold my left arm in place when she asked her opening question.
Where was I at the time of the murder?
“Well, Miss Anderson” - I pronounced it Ahnd-REE-Sawn, drawing out the first and last syllables while placing too much emphasis on the middle one, intentionally - “I am not entirely certain. That was over a year ago and I travel all around this city on a daily basis for my job. I work in computer repair and IT support and I have customers in all five boroughs.” (This wasn’t exactly true. I wasn’t really willing to travel to Staten Island.) We had spoken four months earlier when she informed me of the questions she intended to ask at trial but I was fairly oblique then and I intended to remain so now. I had bigger problems. Could these people not see that my left arm was rotting away?
She looked at me with a furrowed brow and briskly walked back to the defense table, picked up a leather-bound notepad and opened it.
“Mister Shkreli, when you and I spoke on June 18th you confirmed that you were just leaving a client’s office, TRG Commercial Realty, located at 223 Broome Street here in lower Manhattan at approximately 3:30pm that day, shortly before the incident at issue took place less than one block away. Is that not correct?”
I turned up my native eastern European accent a bit and repositioned my left arm in my lap. I could barely feel it at that point. What was wrong with these people?
“If you say so. Like I said, that was over a year ago and it was just another workday for me.”
She stared at me for a beat or two longer than necessary and then flashed a quick look towards the jurors before continuing.
“Well yes, Mister Shkreli” - again it was Shka-Rell-Eee - “You did tell me that and I do have a recording of our conversation, which you consented to before we began, if the court would like this to be entered into evidence?”
She looked at the judge and the judge looked at me.
“Mister Shkreli,” - he too pronounced it Shka-Rell-Eee - ‘Are you refuting the testimony that Miss Anderson is referencing during your preliminary deposition or can we just move on at this point? If counsel for the defense claims to have this recording I am fairly certain this is true. Will it be necessary to enter this recording into evidence at this time or are you willing to acknowledge Miss Anderson’s claim?”
I repositioned my left arm in my lap and nodded.
“That’s fine, Your Honor. As I said, it was just another workday for me but if Miss Anderson says that is what we discussed I am sure she is probably right.”
The judge nodded back at me. “Very good. Let’s proceed then.”
Miss Anderson walked back to the defense table and dropped the leather-bound notepad before continuing with her final question for me, looking annoyed.
“Picking up where we left off, Mister Shkreli, can you please describe for the court what happened immediately after you left the offices of TRG Commercial Realty at 223 Broome Street on the date in question, October 22nd of last year?”
I didn’t like the way that she was trying to fence me in but I wasn't particularly concerned. I had bigger problems.
“Well, like I said, I don’t really remember that day. There was nothing memorable about it. It was just another day.”
She stared at me for a few seconds then flashed a quick look at the jury box with her eyebrows raised before returning her attention to the judge. “No more questions, Your Honor.”
I was dismissed from the stand but asked to remain in the courtroom as she called her next witness; a small, frail woman from Queens about my same age named Maureen Stewart. She had an odd, twitchy nature about her. I wanted to get home. I wanted to relax.
“Miss Stewart, can you please tell the court where you were on October 22nd of last year at approximately 3:30 in the afternoon?”
The witness looked down for a moment and then glanced towards the judge before removing the slightly confused look from her face and responding in a semi-automated tone.
“Yes, Miss Anderson. At that time, I was just leaving my day shift at the FedEx Office Store (she pronounced it ‘Staw’ in her thick New York accent) on Broome Street and I was walking towards the station for the Six Train to begin my ride back home.”
The attorney for the defense took a momentary pause and then asked her next question.
“And can you please tell us what happened then?”
The witness looked down again and then looked back at the judge, then the jury and, finally, at me. I didn’t like the way she looked at me.
“Yes, as I was leaving my workplace I crossed the street and I remember walking past the entrance to a narrow alleyway where I heard a commotion taking place. It made me stop and look for a second or two but I didn’t want to get involved so I just kept on walking towards the subway and I didn’t think too much about the whole thing until the Homicide detectives contacted me a few days later after they pulled the security camera videos. I came down to the police station the day after that and gave my statement. That was just over a year ago.”
Miss Anderson took a moment to stare at me. I didn’t like that either. I adjusted my left arm in my lap. It was completely numb.
“Thank you, Miss Stewart. Can you please be a bit more specific about what you saw occurring in that alleyway?”
Again, the witness looked down at the floor and then her eyes shot all around the courtroom before she responded.
“Well,” she said, before taking a brief pause. “At first I thought it was just a little scuffle but when I saw the shorter man in the black jacket punch the tall man in the belly a few times I saw some blood starting to spread on the side of his white button-down shirt and I saw what looked like a small knife or something in the shorter man’s hand. The tall thin man looked like he was starting to fall. I remember looking around for a police officer but I certainly wasn’t gonna do anything about it by myself. I mean, what could I do? When I didn’t see no one who could help I just kept on walking towards the subway. I guess I should have done more but I was scared and I just wanted to get back to Forest Hills to pick up my daughter from daycare before five o’clock.”
I glanced at the defendant seated at the table on the left. He looked both hopeful and nervous at the same time, but in a subtle way, like he didn’t want to appear to be either. He kept his head down and never once glanced towards the jury box. Miss Anderson asked her final question.
“Thank you, Miss Stewart. And do you see the man in the black jacket who stabbed the victim, Mister Baronston, on that day last October here in the courtroom now?”
Again the witness looked down at the floor between her feet for a moment and then looked back up, right at me. I felt my blood stop flowing through my veins, or at least through my left arm and the top of my right leg, when she raised up her hand and pointed her index finger at me.
“It was that man, there,” she said.
Miss Anderson nodded and paused for a moment, satisfied, letting it sink in for the jury members. I was stunned. The stylish defense attorney in the toney, expensive clothing began walking back in my direction and she too pointed an accusatory finger.
“If it pleases the court, let the record show that Miss Stewart has identified Mister Jack Shkreli as the attacker who she witnessed in the-”
Just then the witness on the stand, Miss Stewart, pointed her finger at the judge without really looking at him and suddenly blurted out, “Or him. It might have been him too. I’m not 100% sure...”
Miss Anderson paused, clearly nonplussed, and just stared at her witness. The judge also looked baffled for a second or two and then leaned over and whispered something to his court assistant and the two of them shared a quiet smirk.
Then the witness pointed at one of the jurors, a man in the front row about my size.
“Or him. It could have been him. I’m just not sure...” Then she went silent, as did the rest of the courtroom for a few moments. The State’s Attorney, a heavy-set bald man, broke the silence pretty quickly as he rose to his feet.
“Your Honor, the State would like to move to dismiss this witness along with all previous testimony.” He paused briefly and took a deep breath, choosing his next words.
“While we appreciate Miss Stewart’s willingness to appear at trial today, I think it’s clear that her recollection of events is…uncertain at best.” He glared at the defense table for a moment, then added “I’d just like to remind the court that Mister Shkreli” - and God bless him, he pronounced my two-syllable surname correctly - “is not on trial here and if this witness cannot distinguish the man she saw that day from yourself or a random member of our jury panel I don’t think we can accept this testimony or any further testimony from this witness.”
He hung his head respectfully, with the tiniest little smile on his face. He already knew he had won this argument and the judge quickly agreed, telling the jury to disregard what they just heard. Miss Stewart was dismissed from the stand and the defense had no other witnesses left to call. Less than two hours later the jury returned a guilty verdict against the defendant on all counts and the courtroom was cleared. The sentencing hearing would take place at a later date and I was not required to be there. My right leg was starting to feel numb by then but I still managed to get back to the office in time for Stavvy to head home at the end of his shift to make dinner for his kids. His wife was killed in a car accident two years earlier. He was a hard worker and I really liked him.
That night, back at my apartment, I did some research online and learned about a rare mental disorder known as Prosopagnosia. Here is what Wikipedia had to say.
Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, is a cognitive disorder of face perception in which the ability to recognize familiar faces, including one's own face (self-recognition), is impaired, while other aspects of visual processing (e.g. object discrimination) and intellectual functioning remain intact.
It all sounded pretty strange to me but if the doctors say it’s real who am I to argue? Apparently it is well documented in the DSM-5. I don’t know if this is the reason why I was able to walk away from the courtroom without consequence at first but I think it is the most likely explanation. I only know that when I left my client’s offices at TRG Commercial Realty on that day just over a year ago and hailed a cab I was stunned and confused when Mister Baronston, a complete stranger with a hostile face, suddenly attacked me, claiming that it was his cab and not mine.
He was bigger than me, tall and thin but strong, and I would have just given up the cab and caught the next one but he was clearly already very angry about something. When he backed me towards the alley, shoving me and then punching me around my head and neck, my backpack tumbled open and I saw my wallet and phone and some other items come crashing out onto the pavement. It was just a stupid and unnecessary altercation, the kind of thing that probably happens on the streets of this city every day, sadly. Too many people, not enough space. I did my best to fight back and protect myself but he was a good deal bigger than me.
Then I was getting punched some more and thrown against the alley wall as people passed by, disinterested, and I just instinctively reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out the pen knife that has been attached to my keychain for years. Before I really knew what was happening it was open and then my right hand was growing warm and red and slick with his blood. Then I was moving again, not looking back.
What an odd thing. I remember seeing Miss Stewart stopping there on the sidewalk to look from the mouth of the alley that day. Of all the passers-by, she was the only one who paused to look at us, at me, right as I desperately punctured Mister Baronston’s rib cage for the fifth or sixth time with my little penknife and he began to drop, but she averted her gaze after a few seconds and moved on and then I was rapidly heading in the opposite direction. This is a huge city and I never expected to see her face again. Fortunately, she was apparently never really able to see mine.
Anyway, I have more important problems to worry about at this time. Stavvy received a letter from the Manhattan DA’s office yesterday ordering him to appear at a grand jury hearing next month related to my involvement in Mister Baronston’s death. He showed it to me. More importantly, my left arm is just about gone now, my right leg is quickly starting to feel the same way and in just the last day or two I have begun feeling that strange tingling sensation in the tips of the fingers on my right hand. I know my liver is failing. It won’t be long now.
I scheduled a meeting with my lawyer in the morning to legally put the business and the rest of my assets in Stavvy’s name in my will. I have no family here anyway and almost no relatives who I remain close with back in Albania or Montenegro anymore. Stavvy is a good man and he has kids to feed and I have already lived a full life.
So yes, I will just leave it all to him and after that’s done I think I will get the old Ford minivan that we sometimes still use for the business and drive it out to the George Washington Bridge while I am still able. I know that when I stop it and get out and leave it there on the center-span I will screw up traffic badly and inconvenience a lot of people but I can’t worry about that. I have to do what I have to do. There’s no point in waiting for this to get worse. I can barely feel the fingers on my right hand and I don’t have much time left.
Maybe I should have told the truth at the trial. I don’t know. I think I was just too distracted by all of my health problems. I didn’t really have any choice at the time. I don’t have any choice now. I’m actually surprised that I lasted this long. I was certain that I would already be gone a few months ago but I feel I have done my best with this life.
As my people back in Albania say, Mos pyet si vdiq, por si rrojti!
“Do not ask how he died, but how he lived!”
THE END

I applied for 3 summer programs the moment they opened and I met with my counselor maybe a month and a half since the recommendations are due. She never did any of them, which is why I am sitting here dying of boredom in summer. I also tell her all my extracurriculars and every time I visit, she talks about me not having any extracurriculars like I fucking told you 30 times I'm on the fucking golf team. She deals with over 200 students and I understand but for the letter of roc I sent it out and then emailed her each time I sent it so basically 6, 3 from the school where she enters the recommendations, and 3 from me confirming I sent it. I went in about a week till they were due and I told her there isn't anything and she was like "oh well thats life for you OP." Fuck are you talking about thats life you fucked up my summer I gave you a whole month and even then you had a fucking week to at least write something and you come up with a bullshit ass excuse. I can write a 10 page essay talking shit about her cause there isn't any positives to her. She always criticizes me and when I got waitlisted for a class she literally didn't help me advocate for my spot but when I hear from other students that their counselors helped them get into a class that they weren't even waitlisted in, it makes me so mad and sad cause I want that type of support from my counselor. She is ALWAYS putting me down and during freshman year and like half of sophomore year I was wondering if it was my fault, but ever since the summer camp LORs I realized it was her bitch ass giving me attitude all the time. How will college decisions work out for me yea I'm cooked.

Hello! I (early 20s F) started a job at a behavioral health center more than 3 months ago. Everything has been relatively fine but one coworker.
When I started I used to work a lot with this coworker and since my first or second week I could tell he disliked me. He would ignore me, even when trying to discuss job related stuff and would barely look at me in the face. I tried to ignore it since I just assumed it was his personality and that he was not personable with the new people. I remember one time in my second week at work I made a mistake mixing up one patient’s clothing with another patient in the washer. Instead of helping me he started angrily grunting, nodding his head and saying “I can’t do this anymore”. I felt so bad and stupid that I started crying.
Then every time I would work with him he would be very rude whenever I made a mistake. Sometimes whenever I got to work with him I would hear him cussing me out with other coworkers (they would not engage though) and trying to make fun of me with other coworkers.
I ignored the situation until I found it through multiple coworkers that he was spreading misinformation about me. For example, one day I broke up a fight between two patients and had to do an incident report. He told my other coworkers that I was in the cafeteria and that I left the unit alone when this was obviously false. Likewise, he would try to turn other coworkers against me saying that I was a bad tech, because I was not “aggressive enough” with the patients. Other times he would jokingly threat other coworkers with sending x coworker to the other unit and me to the unit they were working at (like if working with me was burdensome). He also makes me clean the poop of the patients despite having the same position in the center.
My only mistake was (imo) making fun of his height sometimes. The reason I would make fun of his height was because it is well known he acts that way to compensate for that. But looking in retrospect I should’ve not joked about his height with other coworkers because I downgraded myself to his level. It is important to mention that I would never bully anyone or say things like this unprompted.
Anyhow, they started scheduling me with him these last few days. One day he started talking to me and I began ignoring him. In which he replied with “she’s giving me an attitude”. And then I responded: I’m doing what you do to me all the time.
But it got worst a few days ago. I was assigned to take the patients to the cafeteria. When asked how many patients were going down, I stated 9, instead of seven since I did not double-check that the new patient was already in the system and I thought the second new admission was arriving around noon or lunchtime. As I returned to the unit, I encountered a -in my opinion- disproportionally frustrated coworker. His frustration was accompanied by angry and annoyed gestures -nodding his head, making audibly annoyed sounds- and words of complaint and disapproval that he was repeating in front of other patients. The complaints and the frustration continued even after the cafeteria employees were aware of the situation. I, confused about his disproportionate yet familiar reaction towards me, decided to respond in the best way possible which was to tell him that it was not a big deal. He aggravated the situation angrily raising his voice asking me in a threatening manner to not talk to him. After that, he began complaining about me to the secretary, claiming that 'it was not him but me' and that he was trying to 'be professional'. He proceeded to say that he was going to 'talk to them' which I suppose meant the higher-ups, to which I responded that I was going to do the same. Then after saying a few more things to me - I called him a bully.
He complained to the ANM (nurse manager) and she said that I hurt his feelings when I called him a bully. She also said that he’s a great worker that has been there a long time. Likewise, she said that we both were in the “wrong” and that other coworkers complained about me because apparently I’ve called him a bully several times in front other patients (this is not true). I ended up staying overtime to write a letter about the situation, to tell “my side of the story”.
The last part confused me and has made me hyper vigilant and my anxiety has skyrocketed. My coworkers told me that they were on my side, and that they have seen how he treats me. I’ve also been praised about my great performance so now it feels it is a lie. or maybe it is just a few coworkers that have complained, who knows. I just feel this whole situation is unfair and I feel unprotected.
Things to mention: he has never yelled at me or insulted me/mocked me to my face. He lowers his voice when he’s making fun or complaining about me but I can tell it is about me, and this has also been confirmed. He also nods his head whenever he sees me and it seems he’s waiting for me to make a mistake.
Other coworkers have mentioned that he is not a good worker and that when he started he almost got fired because of his attitude and because he treated the patients like they were subhuman.
Also he’s like 40 and I’m in the end of my early twenties.
TL;DR: Coworker makes fun of me, complains to others coworkers about me, creates disinformation, grunts and nods every time I make a mistake, tried to turn coworkers against me, and complained about me to the higher ups after I called him a bully.
Sorry for any grammar mistakes I’m writing on my phone

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As the one who set this hat trick agenda into motion before the match started via this video it is my duty to go through with it and lead those who have followed my call.
With this small introduction done, let's get into the meat of things, i propose a simple binding vow, with no time limitation to enter and that will end once this match does
"Isagi will score a hat trick"
if you think he won't, then post a comment confirming that you enter this bet. As for your victory prize, i'll be doing a video on my channel where i will apologize directly to you and all those who have won, saying you were right and that indeed, kaisekunigami (whoever scored) is one of a kind.
Though in case of a loss, you will have to make an apology letter to me of at least 14 words about how i was right in the comment section of a post that will be done at the end of this match. i'll ping in the comments all of those who will need to write an apology letter.
Will not feed the agenda further or give my reasons for why isagi is scoring a hat trick, simply take the bet at your own risk. The chapter will do the rest of the job.
https://preview.redd.it/ggndfor1vg5d1.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=8e68ff7797aac439b66b118c5fbe4122f17d74b4
https://preview.redd.it/eeprfa62vg5d1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=28d39d06315f8e10243641a8256e4198858a66f4
let me do it already...

DAY JUNE 8 2024
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STUDY ASSESSES ‘THE DANCER PERSONALITY’

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BURNT OUT? HOW YOUR EMPLOYER CAN HELP YOU RETURN TO WORK FOR THE BETTER

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FAMILY-FRIENDLY WORKPLACES BENEFIT EMPLOYEES, BUSINESSES

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NEW STUDY SHOWS MARKETING A BRAND’S SIMPLICITY CAN BACKFIRE

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6-8-2024

RESEARCHERS CREATE WINNING STRATEGY TO COMBAT VACCINE MISINFORMATION ON X

A new in-depth analysis shows that users who reply to misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine on X, formerly known as Twitter, with a positive attitude, politeness, and strong evidence are more likely to encourage others to disbelieve the incorrect information. Researchers from three Georgia Tech schools found the most
6-8-2024

STUDY SHOWS DISENGAGED STUDENTS MORE LIKELY TO USE AI TOOLS FOR ASSIGNMENTS

A Swansea University psychology study has found that disengaged students are more likely to use AI tools—particularly ChatGPT—for academic assignments, raising questions about academic integrity and the need for proactive interventions. Launched in November 2022, ChatGPT is an AI program capable of answering questions in detailed, human-like ways. Researchers surveyed 160 undergraduate students, aged between 18 and 24, in March 2023 to assess their attitudes towards and past usage of AI tools such as ChatGPT in academic coursework. The study is published in The Internet and Higher Education journal. Thirty-two
6-8-2024

HUMAN CULTURE IS CHANGING TOO FAST FOR EVOLUTION TO CATCH UP—HERE’S HOW IT MAY AFFECT YOU

Research is showing that many of our contemporary problems, such as the rising prevalence of mental health issues, are emerging from rapid technological advancement and modernisation. A theory that can help explain why we respond poorly to modern conditions, despite the choices, safety and other benefits they bring, is evolutionary mismatch. Mismatch happens when an evolved adaptation, either physical or psychological, becomes misaligned with the environment. Take moths and some species of nocturnal flies, for example. Because they have to navigate in the dark, they evolved to use the moon
6-8-2024

YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE UK SAY THEY ARE LESS LIKELY TO VOTE IF THEIR PARENTS REPORT DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS

With a U.K. General Election approaching, new research has found that parental history of depression can predict whether a young person is likely to intend to vote. The research, led by the Department of Politics at the University of Liverpool, found that, at age 26, people were less likely to intend to vote if they had grown up with a parent experiencing high levels of depressive symptoms. Published in the journal Electoral Studies, the research used the British Cohort Study (BCS), which followed more than 16,000 babies born across a
6-8-2024

WHO GETS TO DECIDE WHAT COUNTS AS ‘DISORDER’?

As a scholar of urban governance and data policy, I viewed the responses to protests on U.S. campuses as about more than threats to academic freedom and freedom of speech. They are also threats to the fundamental rights of people in public spaces. The protesters’ tactics, particularly their use of tents in encampments, have brought debates around definitions of public order and disorder to the fore. Over the past couple of months, students in universities across the country, from the University of California, Los Angeles to the Massachusetts Institute of
6-8-2024

STUDYING VIOLENCE TOWARD WOMEN AND ANIMALS CAN HELP US DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO PREVENT BOTH

We live in a world where not everyone feels safe and respected, especially women. Sexual violence and abuse are significant global health issues. Intimate partner violence continues to be a problem in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, of the 117,093 victims of police-reported intimate partner violence in 2022, almost 80% were women and girls. More than half of women in the United States have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact. Given these high rates of sexual abuse, it is imperative that we improve upon what we currently know about violence
6-8-2024

WHY THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY COULD DEPEND ON YOUR GROUP CHATS

I became newly worried about the state of democracy when, a few years ago, my mother was elected president of her neighborhood garden club. Her election wasn’t my worry—far from it. At the time, I was trying to resolve a conflict on a large email group I had created. Someone, inevitably, was being a jerk on the internet. I had the power to remove them, but did I have the right? I realized that the garden club had in its bylaws something I had never seen in nearly all the
6-8-2024

NET ZERO IS NOT JUST GOOD SCIENCE—IT’S ALSO A GOOD DEAL FOR ORDINARY PEOPLE

As the UK moves into a general election, a misinformed debate over the country’s climate transition and legally binding net zero targets risks further dividing people. Much of this debate in the UK focuses on the “cost” of net zero. For instance, energy secretary Claire Coutinho recently stated the government did not want a “net zero leviathan” to crush the nation’s “brilliant enterprise economy,” while the Labor Party had to backtrack on its own headline climate investment pledge, citing “affordability” and “fiscal rules.” But the true “cost” is tricky to
6-8-2024

THE FASCINATING PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND ‘DINE AND DASH’ AND WHY IT’S ABOUT SO MUCH MORE THAN A FREE MEAL

Sometimes when I read the newspapers, I think that going to a restaurant and leaving without paying has become something of an epidemic. My research into lying has taught me that the psychology behind acts of deception is often deeply complex. Let me start with a confession. I was guilty of dine and dash a very long time ago before it had a catchy name. I was in a group that hung about a chip shop at the turn-of-the-road in north Belfast, a poor and troubled area. I had a
6-8-2024

YOU CAN NOW BE FROZEN AFTER DEATH IN AUSTRALIA. IF YOU’RE REVIVED IN THE FUTURE, WILL YOU LEGALLY BE THE SAME PERSON?

In recent weeks, Southern Cryonics—the southern hemisphere’s only cryopreservation facility, located in rural New South Wales—announced it had successfully cryopreserved its first patient. There are only a handful of cryopreservation facilities across the globe—two in the United States, and one each in Russia, China, Australia and Switzerland. If the claims made on their websites and in the press are accurate, these facilities likely have no more than 600 patients in cryonic storage in total. Media reports however suggest interest in cryopreservation has risen since the onset of the COVID pandemic,
6-8-2024

ENGINEERS HAVE A DUTY TO PROTECT PUBLIC WELL-BEING, BUT LESS THAN HALF LEARN HOW TO DO SO EFFECTIVELY

Engineers who received public welfare responsibility training in classes are more likely to consider the societal impact of technologies they design and to take action when concerns arise, according to a study by University of Michigan researchers published in The Journal of Engineering Education. While engineers are professionally obligated to protect the safety and well-being of those their technologies impact, the study found that nearly a third of U.S. practicing engineers have never received any training in public welfare
6-8-2024

HIRING PRESSURES TO DIVERSIFY ARE INFLUENCING PATTERNS OF DISCRIMINATION IN UNEXPECTED WAYS

In 2004, a pair of economists published a landmark study to measure discrimination in the labor market. In the study, the researchers applied to real job openings with fictitious applicants but changed the applicant names to reflect a different gender or race. They found clear evidence of discrimination: White men and women received 50% more callbacks than Black men and women. More recently, Berkeley
6-8-2024

STUDY FINDS RACIAL BIAS IN TRAFFIC STOPS BY CHICAGO POLICE

Black drivers in Chicago are significantly more likely than white drivers to be stopped by police regardless of where the drivers live or are going, according to a new study led by a Cornell city planning expert that maps the racial composition of roads by using mobile phone GPS data. The study confirms a racial bias
6-8-2024

DO WE HAVE MORE EMPATHY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE SIMILAR TO US? NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS IT’S NOT THAT SIMPLE

How do people successfully interact with those who are completely different from them? And can these differences create social barriers? Social scientists are struggling with these questions because the mental processes underlying social interactions are not well understood. One recent concept that has become increasingly popular is the “double-empathy problem.” This draws on research looking at people who are known to experience social difficulties,
6-8-2024

HOW CAN WE MAKE GOOD DECISIONS BY OBSERVING OTHERS? A VIDEOGAME AND COMPUTATIONAL MODEL HAVE THE ANSWER

How can disaster response teams benefit from understanding how people most efficiently pick strawberries together, or how they choose the perfect ice cream shop with friends? All these scenarios are based on the very fundamental question of how and when human groups manage to adapt collectively to different circumstances. Two recent studies on collective dynamics by the Cluster of Excellence Science of Intelligence (SCIoI) in Berlin, Germany, lay the groundwork to promote better
6-8-2024

OTHERS’ WORDS, NOT FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE, SHAPE SCIENTIFIC AND RELIGIOUS BELIEF FORMATION, STUDY FINDS

Three proposals explaining the differential confidence. (A) Intuitively, one might assume that confidence in scientific entities (e.g., germs) is higher than confidence in religious entities (e.g., angels) because scientific entities are observable in principle whereas religious entities are not. (B) The Dual- Pathway Model proposes separate information pathways for scientific versus religious beliefs; belief in scientific entities is primarily driven by direct experience of causal outcomes whereas belief in religious entities is primarily driven by testimony. (C) Contrary to these two models, the Unified Model proposes that belief in both
6-8-2024

TRYING TO SAVE MONEY? RESEARCH SUGGESTS PAYING IN CASH—WHILE YOU STILL CAN

Cash is in crisis. In Australia, it’s now only used for 16% of in-person transactions, down from about 70% in 2007. The situation is so dire that on Monday, independent federal MP Andrew Gee introduced a private member’s bill that would force businesses to accept cash or else face big fines. The reality is that over the past decade, technological advancements have utterly transformed the way we pay for goods and services. Phones and smartwatches can now easily be used to pay by card, and buy-now-pay-later
6-8-2024

MESSAGES CAN TRIGGER THE OPPOSITE OF THEIR DESIRED EFFECT—BUT YOU CAN AVOID COMMUNICATION THAT BACKFIRES

The best graduation speeches dispense wisdom you find yourself returning to long after the graduation tassels are turned. Take the feel-good life advice in Baz Luhrmann’s song to a class that graduated 25 years ago. Only on a recent relisten did I realize it also captures one of the research-based strategies I teach for avoiding communication that backfires. The tip is hiding in plain sight in the song’s title, “Everybody’s Free (to Wear Sunscreen).” Communication aimed at promoting a certain behavior can have the opposite
6-8-2024

DIFFERENCES IN EDUCATION, VALUES BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN CAUSE MISMATCHES WHEN SEEKING A PARTNER, FINDS SPANISH STUDY

The educational expansion of women has led to changes in the differences in educational level of men and women when looking for a partner. Research conducted by the UAB Center for Demographic Studies (CED-CERCA) has examined for the first time the role of discrepancies in gender role values and education among potential spouses. According to the study, about a third of women in favor of gender equality and with a higher education would not be able to find a homogamous male partner. The work is published in the journal Perspectives
6-8-2024

‘FUZZY’ MAPS OFFER INSIGHT INTO LOCAL PERCEPTIONS OF THE VALUE OF VOLUNTEERING

In the global South, volunteer programs are framed by policymakers and scholars as an effective vehicle for empowering women living in poverty. But this narrative often rests on scant knowledge of the perspectives and experiences of a key set of local stakeholders: the volunteers. A new study co-authored by Yale anthropologist Catherine Panter-Brick addresses this knowledge gap by engaging with Syrian refugees and Jordanian women from poor households in Amman, Jordan,
6-8-2024

EXPERTS SAY USE OF POLITICAL MEMES ARE A PREDICTOR OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE

In a study of social media activity prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, researchers at the University of Notre Dame say a sharp increase in politically salient imagery online—visual content designed to influence, dehumanize, manipulate and motivate audiences—was a predictor of the conflict. With collaborators at Colby College and Kennesaw State University, the researchers collected post history from a select group of 989 Russian milbloggers—a term used for “military bloggers”
6-8-2024

PROGRAMS TO PREVENT SEXUAL VIOLENCE SHOW NO EVIDENCE OF CURBING ASSAULTS, ANALYSIS FINDS

Sexual violence prevention programs effectively change ideas and beliefs that underscore assaults, but show no evidence of reducing their actual occurrence, a new comprehensive analysis shows. The findings are published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest. Researchers led by behavioral scientist Roni Porat of Hebrew University challenge the assumption that changing people’s thoughts about sexual violence will change their actual behavior. They call on scientists to study more behavior-centered approaches to reducing sexual
6-8-2024

DIVERSE FRIEND GROUPS PROMOTE BETTER SOCIAL COHESION AND WELL-BEING, STUDY FINDS

New research featuring more than 24,000 people has found that having diverse groups of friends improves well-being and social cohesion, despite people’s tendency to gravitate towards people more similar to them. Led by researchers at the University of Birmingham and published in Psychological Science, the study used data from 24,726 adults from over 10,000 English neighborhoods to examine the composition of people’s social networks according to age, ethnicity, income, and education to understand the implications of homophily (preference for similar people) on social cohesion subjective well-being. Dr. Miguel Ramos, lead
6-8-2024

STUDY SHOWS JUSTICE FACILITY DOGS BENEFIT WELL-BEING FOR CHILDREN FACING COURT

A new Edith Cowan University (ECU) study has revealed that having a four-legged friend at Children’s Court significantly reduces stress and anxiety for young victims, witnesses, and their caregivers. ECU criminology researchers Dr. Suz Rock and Associate Professor Natalie Gately have published the first Australian study to evaluate the impact of introducing a justice facility dog to a Children’s Court. The study “Kids, Courts and Canines: Evaluating the Justice Facility Dog Program through a Therapeutic Lens
6-8-2024

SEXUAL MINORITIES EXPERIENCE MORE EXCLUSION IN EVERYDAY SITUATIONS, FINDS STUDY

Lesbian, gay and bisexual people experience exclusion more frequently than heterosexual people. This is the finding of a recent study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin by researchers from the University of Basel and the RPTU University of Kaiserslautern-Landau. According to the study, people who are perceived as less gender-conforming are more frequently socially excluded. This could also affect heterosexual people if they deviate from traditional
6-8-2024

STILL RIDING LA’S METRO AFTER THE PANDEMIC? YOU PROBABLY THINK IT’S SAFER THAN THOSE WHO DON’T ANYMORE

As Jon Regardie wrote last year in Los Angeles Magazine, “Metro’s raison d’etre is to get hundreds of thousands of people each day across Southern California.” But the COVID-19 pandemic sent the numbers of riders plummeting to a low of 13%, and ridership still hasn’t fully rebounded. The reason may now be clear, thanks to the latest USC Dornsife LABarometer survey, conducted by the Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. The survey found that although public transportation ridership in
6-8-2024

CAN VAGUE GO VIRAL FOR GEN Y?

Generation Y, Gen Y, is commonly referred to as the millennial generation. It usually includes individuals born between the early 1980s and the mid-to-late 1990s or early 2000s. This generation follows Generation X and precedes Generation Z. The millennials, it is said, grew up during the transition to digital technology and the rise of the internet, and this has shaped their perspectives, behavior, and the way they use technology and media. They are often characterized as tech-savvy, adaptable, and socially conscious, with a strong affinity for social media and digital
6-8-2024

ITALIAN MOMS WITH 3+ KIDS WORK FAR FEWER YEARS THAN DADS, WHILE FINLAND SHOWS EQUALITY

Over the past century, the number of working women in Western countries has steadily increased. However, numerous studies show that it is still primarily women who have to manage the balancing act between parenthood and working life. Compared to fathers and childless women, mothers often have a less straightforward career path and face greater hurdles to career advancement. Little research has been done on what happens to women’s employment trajectories from midlife when childrearing efforts are
6-8-2024

TOP IT INDUSTRY MANAGERS ARE DIVIDED ON THE NEED FOR FACE-TO-FACE COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE

Many managers are currently seeking a balance between digital and face-to-face communication. A recent study from the University of Eastern Finland published in Information Technology & People shows that top IT industry managers have different views on when and for what purposes face-to-face communication in the workplace is needed. “Some top managers felt that all work tasks can be performed remotely with the help of digital communication. According to them, face-to-face communication is only necessary for maintaining interpersonal relationships and a sense of community,” says Doctoral Researcher Lotta Salin of
6-8-2024

STUDY FINDS SIMPLE HEADLINES ATTRACT MORE ONLINE NEWS READERS

The competition for online attention in today’s news environment is fierce. High-quality news from credible sources must compete for attention with misinformation and a rapidly increasing amount of partisan content. How can a news organization stand out as a reputable and trustworthy outlet while driving readers to its site? The answer is simple: literally. According to research from Michigan State University, news readers engage more with simple writing, suggesting journalists should write simply—clearly and without ambiguity—to attract attention online. The study was published in the journal Science Advances. “Newsrooms want
6-8-2024

STUDY SHOWS BANNING FALSE INFORMATION TRAFFICKERS ONLINE CAN IMPROVE PUBLIC DISCOURSE

When Twitter banned more than 70,000 traffickers of false information from its platform in the wake of the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the impact went beyond the silencing of those users. A study co-authored by UC Riverside public policy and political science scholars published in the journal Nature on June 5, found that the crackdown by Twitter (now called X after it was acquired by billionaire Elon Musk in late 2022) also significantly reduced the number of misinformation posts by users who stayed on the
6-8-2024

YOUNG ADULTS SAY STEADY SUPPORT FROM CARING ADULTS MADE DIFFERENCE IN TRANSITIONING FROM CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM

Young people who have exited foster care generally fare better—in work, school and relationships—if they get consistent support from adults who care about them during their teen years. My research team reached these findings by interviewing 21 people, now in their late 20s, who had aged out of foster care when they turned 18, had spent time in foster care as children or grew up in families that had active child welfare cases. These young adults relayed the degree to which they received support from
6-8-2024

HOW THE 1901 DISCOVERY EXPEDITION’S POLAR EXPLORERS STAYED HEALTHY DURING THEIR ANTARCTIC JOURNEY

Antarctica is the most inhospitable continent on earth. It’s dry, cold, and completely dark for months of the year. Edwardian explorers were some of the first to brave the Antarctic winter, developing new knowledge still drawn upon by scientists today. The Discovery expedition (1901–4) played a key role in the history of polar exploration. It was led by the Royal Navy commander Robert Falcon Scott, a pioneering polar explorer who died in 1912 after attempting to reach the south pole. The expedition’s third lieutenant was Ernest Shackleton, who led three
6-8-2024

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODELS INFUSED WITH AGRI-INNOVATION SYSTEMS CAN REDUCE POST-HARVEST FOOD LOSS AND WASTE

developing sustainable business models that are multi-actor networked for integrating them with agricultural innovation systems initiatives can enable a systemic approach for reducing food loss and value loss at the post-harvest
6-8-2024

WILL THE 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES BECOME THE PLAYING FIELD FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE PROTESTS?

Yannick Kluch, a professor of recreation, sport and tourism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studies sport as a platform for promoting social justice. Kluch has worked with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, U.S. Diving and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He spoke with research editor Sharita Forrest about the history of Olympic athletes’ social justice protests and governing organizations’ efforts to avert them with Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter.
6-8-2024

STUDY FINDS WE SPEND MORE WITH CASHLESS PAYMENTS

A study found support for the existence of a positive “cashless effect,” which is when consumers spend more when using cashless payment methods in comparison to cash. The study suggests the cashless effect leads people to spend more when purchasing products that are typically used to signal status, such as jewelry. However, the
6-8-2024

LAWS MEANT TO KEEP DIFFERENT RACES APART STILL INFLUENCE DATING PATTERNS, DECADES AFTER BEING INVALIDATED

If you are single and looking for a romantic partner, chances are that you have used a dating app. But the likelihood that others will like, or even see, your profile may depend on your race. Studies have found that all people on dating apps, regardless of their own race, are more likely to contact white people using the app. And all people using dating apps are least likely to contact African American women and Asian American men. Until recently, some popular apps, including OkCupid, Match, Hinge and Grindr, provided
6-8-2024

VIRTUAL LABS IN PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH BOOST DIVERSITY

University of Oregon psychologists are breaking down barriers to include underrepresented populations in research by bringing laboratories online. The researchers are trying to address a longstanding issue in psychology studies, which often rely on undergraduate students to volunteer as research subjects.
6-8-2024

ATTENDING LOCAL EVENTS STRENGTHENS NEIGHBORHOOD BONDS, SURVEY REVEALS

how often people visit and actively participate in local events and how this affects their sense of place or their connection to their community. A survey of almost 400 households in the state’s coastal council area of the City of Holdfast Bay found that people who frequently attend local events or participate as volunteers, organizers or exhibitors, have a stronger
6-8-2024

STUDY SHOWS ONLINE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION WORKS FOR COMPLEX TOPICS

“COVID-19 forced educators to adjust their educational best practices to an unfamiliar virtual classroom, and professional development was no different,” said Karen Jo Matsler, assistant professor in practice for UTeach at UTA
6-8-2024

EYE-TRACKING STUDY REVEALS THAT SIMPLY LOOKING AT THE NATURAL WORLD IN URBAN AREAS CAN REAP WELL-BEING BENEFITS

Integrating more natural features into city landscapes can play a crucial role in enhancing the mental well-being of residents. A study by Bangor University and Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, published in the scientific journal People and Nature, involved city dwellers and showed how paying visual attention to greenery, rather than human-made structures, can alleviate anxiety and enhance restorative feelings. The 117 urban residents who took part in the study, were guided on a
6-8-2024

ADVERTISERS MAY BE INADVERTENTLY FUNDING MISINFORMATION

Companies in industries such as health care, technology and insurance have been found to advertise on misinformation websites, according to an analysis published in Nature. In a related experiment, consumers who were made aware that a company advertised on a misinformation website were likely to reject an offer of a gift voucher to spend with that company. The majority of digital advertisement placement on the internet is done via an algorithm-based distribution
6-8-2024

STUDY SUGGESTS EVOLUTIONARY BASIS FOR MALE RISK-TAKING BEHAVIORS

why we associate risk-taking with males rather than females, from an evolutionary standpoint. Study author Hannah Goodman, from UWA’s School of Human Sciences, said researchers found men engaged in riskier behaviors when crossing a busy traffic intersection, supporting growing evidence that risk-taking is predominantly an androcentric behavior. “Males

Hi everyone,
We currently live in a townhouse that does not have a specific smoking bylaw, but I am aware that smoke entering the unit falls under the nuisance bylaw.
We have been dealing with marijuana smoke coming into our unit for about three years now. Initially, I had to constantly email and follow up with our Strata and management company and eventually, after little over a year, they were finally fined and it seemed to stop. This was AFTER I personally spoke to the neighbours and told them that it was penetrating the walls in my young girls’ rooms. Fast forward to February of this year and it began penetrating our walls again, this time in a stairwell leading up to our living room. I eventually confronted the neighbour again and it seemed to stop for only a month. At this point I proceeded to reach out to our Strata again. As we recently switched Strata management companies, I was told that they did not have any previous documentation on hand. I immediately forwarded the last three years worth of correspondence to them, one of which confirms that they had been fined twice.
Replies from the Strata management company have not been very prompt. However, my Strata president told me that she asked that a warning letter be sent out a week ago. This is a month after I initially brought this to their attention. Personally, I’m beginning to feel like they are not wanting to deal with it.
I’m hoping for some advice:

1. I’m aware that I will need to request a hearing if I do feel that enough isn’t being done to put a stop to this and proceed with a CRT claim. Is that my only option at this point?
   
2. Being that they had been fined previously, can they just be fined again? Or since it’s been about a year since the last fine, does Strata have to start the process again?
   

Thank you for any advice. Unfortunately, this is having a major effect on my young family.

I just started an internship at a company in NY. I am supposed to receive “$20 hourly rate, with “local temporary lodging and a meal stipend of $275.00 per week.” After many issues with my lodging (see bottom). I had a meeting with the HR manager about this, where I mentioned my stipend hadn’t been paid out. The HR manager, who was the other signature on my employment document, was surprised I had a stipend even though he signed the document. After I left, I received an email stating that my stipend would be paid at $125 with $175 going towards lodging “$25 per night”, going on to say I was recieving $25 per day in a meal stipend (5*25). In legal terms, is the document I signed binding in that I should be receiving $275 a week alongside my lodging? I have pasted the documents writing below, scrubbing any identifying information
We are delighted to offer you a Education Program work assignment This letter details the offer of your internship. This internship is contingent upon successful passing of a pre-employment physical, background check, and drug test. This internship will start on approximately May 27, 2024, and end on August 16, 2024. While you are interning with us, you will be following the Be - description and learning the various processes to support (department name) Your hourly rate of pay will be $20.00 per hour. Initially, your schedule will be 7:00am to 4:00pm Monday through Friday. This position is a non-exempt position for purposes of the Fair labor Standards Act. As an intern, you are not eligible for any benefits or paid time off will provide local temporary lodging and a meal stipend of $275.00 per week. To accept this offer, please sign this offer and email a copy to —— This letter confirms the compensation and benefits that you have been offered for this position; it is not an employment contract, and your employment with the Company will be on an "at will" basis. Other important terms of your employment are governed by the Employee Handbook.we look forward to supporting your learning goals with our organization. Feel free to contact me should you have any questions.
About my lodging issues
When I attempted to check in, the woman working the front desk was clearly high on meth (I have been around multiple meth abusers) and could not find my pre authorization. 2 assaults occured directly outside my room, harassment from staff about payment which had already been made, no hot water, rotten food in the shelves when I arrived, staff attempting to enter the room while I was inside multiple times, when room cleaning was supposed to occur every 2 weeks, no wifi for 2/3rds of my stay. When I met with the HR Manager, he asked how soon I’d be packed if I could move. I told him same day. Hours later I received an phone call from the HR generalist, same person who said my stipend was being used partially for lodging, and she said that she had spoken with the hotel and they had no record of anyone attempting to enter my room or of fights occurring. I told her that I could confirm they had. That night a woman pulled the fire alarm because her boyfriend was attacking her. I took video of the fire alarm going off as well as the police asking me and others about what occured. The next morning I sent them to her and she said she would find me a new place, sent me a new place, I told my manager, and he called her because that place is blacklisted after multiple contractors had their equipment stolen from their vehicles as well as their catalytic converters stolen while staying there. He then stayed on the phone with her until she got me a room at a name brand hotel. It almost feels like this generalist has an issue with me. One of the other employees told me her end of year bonus depends on how much of their budget is saved, I don’t know if this is true but it might explain the cutting of my stipend and the poor hotel placement.
I know the CEO personally quite well through family and he is an alum of my college, is this something I should make him aware of? I’m not looking to drop a nuke but it seems fishy that they’d change it and according to my mother, a previous bank manager and father, who works in the same industry and deals with the payroll of those working under him, what they are doing is a breach of the agreement I’ve made. $175 a week is the difference between me buying a car this summer and not buying one since most of my income will go towards my college courses and books.

California allows tinting the windshield with a medical/dermatological exemption. It appears from the letter of the law (linked/pasted below) that carrying a dermatologist's letter with me is the necessary and sufficient condition for legality of a clear, almost transparent (no color) tint on the windshield.
Can an insurance adjuster or legal expert please confirm if my understanding of the law and therefore insurance coverage - in case I'm involved in an accident - is correct ?
I'm specifically referencing section (e) - subsection (4) below for the legal aspect.
My insurance agent has told me that if it considered legal by state law, insurance claims/process won't be a problem, and collision and any other coverage would hold.
FWIW, my eyesight is perfect - and the medical exemption I'm seeking is for dermatological condition. I did not find any CA DMV paperwork/process for the exemption - did I miss something ?
Can someone knowledgeable (not "guessing") please chime in ?
Referencing the California law and its subsection below:
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=26708
(e) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), clear, colorless, and transparent material may be installed, affixed, or applied to the windshield, side, or rear windows of a motor vehicle if the following conditions are met:
(1) The material has a minimum visible light transmittance of 88 percent.
(2) The window glazing with the material applied meets all requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 205 (49 C.F.R. 571.205), including the specified minimum light transmittance of 70 percent and the abrasion resistance of AS–14 glazing, as specified in that federal standard.
(3) The material is designed and manufactured to enhance the ability of the existing window glass to block the sun’s harmful ultraviolet A rays.
(4) The driver has in his or her possession, or within the vehicle, a certificate signed by a licensed dermatologist certifying that the person should not be exposed to ultraviolet rays because of a medical condition that necessitates clear, colorless, and transparent film material to be installed on the windshield, side, or rear windows.
(5) If the material described in this subdivision tears or bubbles, or is otherwise worn to prohibit clear vision, it shall be removed or replaced.

I've spent so much time wondering if I'm crazy for distrusting me (former) dentist that I'm not even going to be able to formulate a coherent question. Instead, I'm going to make a sequential list of the relevant events:

1. Early fall: dentist replaces a large amalgam filling in molar 31 (back right side). This filling was *exactly* two years old. I later learned that my insurance will pay for a new filling *exactly* once every two years--although a good filling that's well taken care of typically lasts a lot longer than that. I take good care of my teeth and only have a couple of cavities--but I'm getting ahead of myself.
2. A month later, I returned to the dentist because I had pain in 31 whenever I tried to chew on that side of my mouth. My dentist had warned me that I might have some pain for up to two weeks after the procedure, but this was going on five weeks now. I'd also noticed that it was hard to fit my floss in between 31 and 30. My gums were always sensitive there, and they always bled and often broke the floss. And lastly, it seemed like part of that tooth had actually broken off. A week or two earlier, I'd bit down on what felt like a small rock in my sandwich. Ever since then, it had seemed like part of the cusp that abuts 30 on the buccal side was missing. There was also a new triangular gap that had formed at the base of 31, near the gum. When I tried to show the gap to my dentist, however, she told me she *couldn't see it.* I found this kind of jaw-dropping because I could see the gap so easily. And I'd pointed to it. I'd explained exactly where it was. But she told me I should change my flossing technique and sent me on my merry way. Later, when I was trying to make sense of what had happened in that appointment, I realized that my dentist hadn't even looked at the break with a dental mirror--let alone using any other specialized lenses or equipment.
3. Two weeks later, I called back in a state of exasperation, because I had no idea what more I could do to help my dentist see the break--and yet, the pain when I chewed only got worse. What's more, food not only got caught in the gap. It would also just sit there on the top of my tooth, on the low part where part of the cusp had come off. The dental office got me in a few days later, but once I was there, the dentist denied seeing the break AGAIN! I had to be really persistent and basically just keep pointing and pointing and repeating that she needed to look at the gumline, between the teeth. The FINALLY she acted super excited and pointed to a screen that was showing an image from inside my mouth and told me--as if I didn't know?!--OH, IT'S DOWN HERE! BETWEEN YOUR TEETH!!! And if that was genuine human emotion she was displaying, I must be a robot, because it looked to me like ludicrously unconvincing act I had ever seen. I tried not to roll my eyes, but I also didn't smile--and I could tell she noticed. She then told me that large amalgam filling sometimes cause the tooth to break underneath and recommended I get a crown. Although the crown cost me another $450 (since my insurance only paid half), I quickly agreed. I just wanted the tooth to be fixed and the pain to stop.
4. My dentist then tried to get me to delay the crown until January. This was mid-October. I told her, "My tooth is broken at the gumline. If I wait until January to get it fixed, I'm going to need a root canal." She said, "No. I'm not worried about that because you take excellent care of your teeth!" I insisted on getting the crown as early as possible, so she scheduled the two appointments for late November and early December. This meant I'd have the broken tooth--which I later learned was causing signs of temporary pulpitis--unfixed for another six-plus weeks.
5. In early December, my dentist put on the crown--but she didn't do an x-ray to check them margin.
6. In January, I went in for my 6-month cleaning and told the hygenist I still had pain in 31 and still couldn't chew on it. They got me back in a few days later, and the dentist lowered the crown--which totally fixed the pain. Yay! The dentist also did an x-ray of 31 and saw that it had an open margin. Props to her, I guess, for disclosing this finding to me? She then scheduled me for a replacement crown, which she agreed to do at no additional charge--although she did end up charging my insurance for some of the x-rays necessary for the replacement, which caused me to reach my annual maximum even sooner.
7. A month later, she prepared my tooth for the second crown and as soon as the analgesic wore off, I notice throbbing, overwhelming pain. This pain only got worse over the subsequent two weeks. It turned out that I would need a root canal. Although my dentist admitted that the trauma to the tooth from two crown preps had caused the nerve to die, she did not offer to pay for the root canal. I, therefore, had to use all my insurance money for the entire year--plus another $500 I didn't have--to pay for it.
8. In February, I had another situation with a gap between two different molars that my dentist couldn't see. I got a second opinion and the second dentist could immediately see the problem: the filling in one molar (3?) was pushing too hard into the next tooth (4), wedging the teeth apart. The filling in 3 also had a hole it in, which had caused decay that started on the surface and went all the way through to the side of the tooth, where there were brown spots inside the gap. The second dentist replaced the filling, fixed the contact, and I've had no further problems with 3 and 4! :-)
9. Sometime in March, the first dentist finally places the second permanent crown--after leaving me in a temporary crown for 5 weeks. At this point, there is new decay under the temporary crown, which the endodonist saw when he did the root canal. There is smelly, slimy black stuff all over my tooth, and there is a bright white patch of over-calcification as well as a deep black groove. None of this was there at the first crown prep, when my tooth was entirely smooth and uniform in color. I've been told this is okay, though, because the dentist presumably filled the new cavity before placing the second crown.
10. The second crown isn't great. The cusps are all ground down from the dentist's adjustments, so its not even shaped like a tooth. Without cusps to keep the food in the tooth, it just slides down the outer edge of the tooth straight into my gums. My gums are always irritated around the new crown, and my new dentist says there's en "overhang," which has left a gap just below the gums, where food can get trapped. My new dentist has confirmed that there's no open margin this time, but I'm concerned about the gum irritation and am going to have to have this crown fixed or replaced as soon as I can. (I am a graduate student, so my resources are limited.)
11. This is the real kicker: Like, two days ago (ie in June) I get a letter from this dentists office telling me, "respectfully," to seek dental care elsewhere. The dentist says she believes that "trust" between a dentist and a patient is "essential" and "clearly," trust is lacking here. I had already changed dentists at this point. I'd scheduled a cleaning for this coming July just so the dentist wouldn't know I was leaving until she'd finished replacing my crown. About a month ago, however, the office had called to tell me they'd be closed on the date of my July cleaning and saying I'd need to reschedule. I had done a little happy dance, because I now wouldn't have to call them to cancel my cleaning. I could simply ghost them by never rescheduling that cleaning. I celebrated too soon, though, because apparently they were not done with me. Did my dentist really just pull the old "you didn't dump me, I dumped you" on me?!? In all seriousness, though, that seems pretty sleazy to me to dump a client as soon as you've screwed up her dental work. I mean, yes, I'd also asked my insurance company to verify a couple of her recent claims, which she mentioned in the letter. In fact, I'd asked them to verify her claim, in January, that she'd done a "comprehensive oral exam" precisely because I wanted to be able to get a comprehensive exam from my new dentist--and I KNEW she'd only done a "limited, problem-based exam" in January. (It's weird, though, because my insurance actually pays more for a "limited" exam than for a "comprehensive one." May, though, it looks bad if they do too many "problem-based" exams within a short period of time? Anyway, insurance was no help--probably because why would they care if she billed for the LESS expensive exam?) This is all to say, I was never planning to let this dentist TOUCH my mouth again. Instead, I'm going to pay out of pocket (or, really, on a "Care Credit" card) to get this whole crown redone. At the same time, though, I'd been her patient for 8 years--and the moment I had to follow up with her after a filling with some problems, she sends me a letter of termination? What if I couldn't even get the credit to get this twice-botched crown fixed elsewhere? I guess I'd just have to wait ten years until my insurance would pay 50% of another crown?

Anyway, this dentists letter of termination really got me doubting my own reality and sense of justice here--but maybe that's just because I'm a people-pleaser who can't stand even the slightest insinuation that I've somehow been a bad patient? What I experience really wasn't typical, right? I'm in my early forties, and my dentist kept saying that "as we get older" we start to have more dental problem. But I have like 3-4 cavities total, no other crowns, no previous root canals, and even a family history of "strong enamel." (My 74-year old mother has never even had a single root canal--although she does have a couple of crowns.)
What I want to know is, how common is it for this kind of thing to happen? Also, am I vindictive and terrible if I file a complaint with the local dental board? I kinda just want my money back from that whole crown ordeal at this point--which is still less than the cost of the root canal and all the other visits.

I had no idea Mom was pregnant.
I felt bad. I mean, we had a huge argument the day before.
According to her, I was a failure, while my siblings were shining stars.
Which was crazy, because my brother was secretly a junkie, and my sister fucked her professor to get passing grades. Which made me the better sibling.
Not in Mom’s eyes.
If I wasn't in college like the rest of my class, I was nothing.
“I hate you.” I told her. I scared myself with my own words because I felt like I meant it. “I wish you were fucking dead.” I spat, before running upstairs to my room and slamming the door.
I heard her burst into tears downstairs, and I wanted to comfort her. I wanted to tell her I was sorry, and that I loved her.
I just wanted to see the world.
Harry, my best friend, wanted the same. I figured he'd gotten his wish.
I went to see him, but his mother had cleared out his room and stubbornly told me she had no idea who Harry was. Now, that was next level disowning.
I stayed with my boyfriend for a while, just to put some distance between us.
When I stepped into the house a week later, armed with Mom’s favorite flowers, I stepped on a letter.
It was pale blue, and held together with a red ribbon.
Dear Mrs Cartwright,
We spoke on the phone, but I just wanted to send paper confirmation of your abortion booked for 06/09/24 at 12:15pm. If you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to call the number on the reverse side. We look forward to meeting you.
Caroline Lockhart.
That was today.
June 9th.
Mom was pregnant?
And she didn't tell me? Fuck. I did my best to clean the house up, and then my messy bedroom, when Mom came through the door. The first thing she did was hug me. Her tears soaked my jacket. “I had no idea.” I managed to choke out.
"Mom, why didn't you tell me?"
Mom didn't speak, backing away from me.
She turned to a shadow in the doorway.
“Elizabeth, this is a friend of mine.” Mom said, “She's going to help you with that… loose tooth you've been having problems with.”
I nodded slowly. “Like a home dentist?” I sat down on the couch, allowing the woman to adjust my head.
The shadow filled a syringe, and I flinched.
“Wait. You're putting me to sleep?”
She nodded, smoothing down my arm. “Yes. It'll just be a prick. Stay still for me, all right?”
I nodded, biting my lip when the needle slid into my skin.
My mind started to fog. I blinked slowly.
“How long will it take?”
There was no answer, only deep, confusing silence.
“Mom?”
I felt my body go limp, my thoughts drifting.
“Mom, what's going…on?”

I grew up in a Mormon family with Mormon parents grandparents etc. my dad was and is my wards bishop. I stopped going around when I was 17 as I had decided it was time to examine the church from all angles and decide for myself. After reading things like the CES letter and Mormon stories the evidence felt overwhelmingly negative so l basically have spent the last year deconstructing and what not. I'm about to move out on my own and go live in AF and I don't know what to do dating wise every girl l've liked or had a chance with is very TBM or worse. The girl I want to marry l've tried telling her my point of view and she comes a very TBM family and I don't think she'd ever leave. Part of me wants to be like well I'll get married in the temple for you but then I think about wearing garments and I just hate the thought of it. I've just felt really lost lately and I don't know what to do. Maybe it's because l've lived my whole life in the shelter that is Utah but I feel like as ex mo my dating options are limited and the ones who've l've tried dating that aren't religious have completely different morals and standards and we just never align. Sorry I know this is a lot but any sort of advice would help.

I bought a brand new 2022 Chevy Bolt in my home state in 2021, from the dealership. I have all that paperwork and that dealership can confirm everything. It was brand new, 150 miles (they just had to drive it to my location—I was the first owner of this new car is my point).
I then moved to CA and went to register my car at the DMV here. During the process, they marked “not actual mileage” on the registration paperwork (it was a miscommunication and an error, I can tell you more if you think it matters to the case).
I then discovered, the next time I went in for service at the Chevy dealership in CA, this “not actual mileage” designation had resulted in a branded title which made my warranty unusable. On a brand new car. So, I went through all the steps necessary, filed with the appropriate offices (DMV, CHP), sent in statement of facts, had an inspection etc, to have my title amended to read the actual mileage and be fully valid. So, title problem corrected, it is now “actual mileage.”
After this, I went back to my Chevy dealership to have under-warranty repairs done, and it still came up as a branded title in their system, therefore they won’t do any work under warranty. This is very bad—if anything fails on the car, I would have to pay out of pocket…and againnnn the warranty is still really valuable given it’s a young car and I’m the first owner.
I asked the dealership whose authority could lift the branded title designation, so that I can submit paperwork, evidence etc to them, and they said to call GM/Chevy the company and couldn’t give me any other advice, so I did.
GM/Chevy Warranty Dept said I need to get a letter from the CA DMV on official letterhead stating that the not actual mileage designation was made in error, and including my VIN etc.
So I went to the CA DMV to get this letter and they said absolutely not we don’t do that kind of thing. They told me to call the Secretary of State in Sacramento? To see if they’ll make this letter??
Which I will, but I have to be honest, I’m expecting the same runaround from them.
Does anyone who’s still reading have advice? I’ve been stuck in this circular maze of trying to get the branded designation lifted for over a year while I filed all the paperwork and waited for responses and finally, my corrected title 🤦‍♀️ and my bumper to bumper, which I never had the opportunity to use, expires next month (sighhhh)
I most want to know, who am I supposed to submit all my valid corrective paperwork/corrected title to in order to get the branded designation lifted, at least in the Chevy dealerships system?
Thanks in advance for any insights.

Florida
And I already consulted a lawyer regarding the issue but I have further concerns. Did some more digging and from what I've read the AWA supposedly only prevents sponsoring immigrants if there was a conviction regarding sexual crimes against a minor. Step father was arrested and brought to court regarding (bogus) charges regarding sexual misbehaviors around a minor near the turn of the millennium that were dropped. He was convicted of a misdemeanor that was not related to the minor in the situation but was given probation. The Intent to Deny letter even clarifies that they know the charges were dropped and are aware of the misdemeanor. However, it does still state:
"The record indicates that you were convicted of an offense which may be enumerated in section 111(7)(A-I) of the Adam Walsh Act."
Checked the signed bill and the specified section is indeed about being convicted of sexual crimes against a minor. Lawyer initially clarified that this might just be a more intense way of USCIS demanding court records be sent to them so it was a sigh of relief at first, but then they wanted to run it by their boss first just in case. Came back and said they needed to do a whole lot more like sending in proof of marriage and a psychological evaluation. The fee to do all this is prohibitively expensive and I feel the firm might just be trying to extract money out of us. Re-reading the letter also confirms the lawyer's initial recommendation:
"In order for USCIS to determine whether you have established that the above offense is not a "specified offense against a minor," you must submit the necessary conviction documents or establish that they are unavailable or cannot reasonably be obtained."
Quite easy to just send over the court records they're asking for to show there was no convictions regarding sexual offenses against a minor but I'm not sure if this might endanger the case and possibly make it more expensive to recover from.

An expensive (insured) fragrance (total for buyer was $306- $256 was my cut) I shipped April 30th which was double boxed, included many layers of bubblewrap and foam sheeting, was damaged by USPS. My buyer messaged me May 12th asking if I could look into the delay. I did what I normally do, open search requests. I had to open 2; both concluded the item was lost since they couldn’t see scans after May 2nd in my area.
My local PO told me since it’s ground shipping and the entire month of May was rife with bad weather in the south, give it a full 30days because perhaps the label was damaged but it’s still moving in network without scans.
I kept my buyer apprised of the situation and they were patient and willing to give it 30 days. Less than a week later, the tracking updates in buyers town!
Yay we think. Nope!
What was delivered was my shipping label decorated with a brown stain and an apology letter from USPS stating they damaged the item. They very well couldnt deliver a box of broken glass and liquid. Buyer sent me photos of what they received.
I called eBay.
I was told buyer needed to open a return based on damage and I would be covered by my seller protection. I relayed message to buyer. The buyer instead opened INR. 🙄 funds are on hold -$307 I call eBay again thinking maybe I was given the wrong info. I was told the same thing again.
Rep tells me if buyer closed the INR and opened the correct (damage) case they would be refunded already and eBay would reimburse me. The following day when eBay is asked to step in, the case will go on a hold for up to 10 days. I tell buyer. He claims he’s been told the opposite 🤦🏻‍♀️ I don’t want to lose the item and money so I wait to ask eBay to step in.
We have many messages between us but we couldn’t agree on the case. I wanted the buyer to be refunded of course but I was told the refund should be covered by eBay via seller protection- Circumstances outside of sellers control. eBay steps in. Case goes on hold. Hours later- Case is closed. Buyer refunded. My account now available funds - $241. Total account balance - $96.43 (pending to be taken from my bank account) I call eBay. A 3rd rep takes a look and confirms I should be covered by seller protection. They submit an appeal for me. 3 hours later and 24 hours ago:
“Congratulations My name! I have granted your appeal.
We will issue you a payout to cover the refund that was issued to the buyer. This is because I believed that you did your part in shipping the item and that the buyer confirmed receipt of an envelope, though the item is not found.”
How long does it take ebay to issue a payout to my account? I have over $200 in sales on hold and over $90 they’re trying to collect from me.
BTW filed a claim with usps. Submitted all documentation including the photos of my shipping label and their letter acknowledging they damaged the item. I got a letter asking me to bring the damaged item in for inspection. I spoke to my postmaster and showed him the photos. He says oh yeah, the buyer has to go since he has the letter (website says either sender or receiver can file indemnity claim) he also told me not to bother and take the loss- because they only payout 60% of the claims! He said he used to sell on eBay items of $30-$40 and he would just take the loss. Wtf?!?! Take a loss on hundreds? So I’ll be calling USPS too

Chapter One
Who killed JonBenet Ramsey?
How did she die?
Those are the questions most Americans want answered.
And I can answer them.
In fact, I am one of only three people who knows the answer to the terrible question: "Who killed JonBenet Ramsey?"
And who are the other two people who know the answer?
John and Patsy Ramsey, the parents of JonBenet Ramsey
And there is a reason why we know who killed JonBenet.
Unlike other authors who have written books about the case before us, we were actually part of the Ramsey household.
Right up until the day JonBenet died.
But I also know who killed JonBenet Ramsey because I saw John and Patsy Ramsey in their private, unguarded moments. And because I took care of JonBenet as if she were my own child.
But now, because the police have failed miserably in solving the mystery of JonBenet's death, I feel that it is finally time for me to come forward and tell my story.
It is a frightening story with a terrible secret.
The secret is this:
I have no mouth and I must scream.
That's right.
I have no mouth and I must scream!
I have no mouth and yet I must scream the name of JonBenet's killer at the top of my lungs to the rest of the world.
Try to imagine what it is like to know who killed JonBenet Ramsey, and yet have no one to listen to you, or help you do anything about it. That is part of the terrible secret.
No one will help me!
Not the police.
Not the district attorney.
Not even a federal judge.
And yet I know who killed JonBenet Ramsey, just as surely as if I had been there in that dark, awful wine cellar with her and witnessed her murder.
And I will tell you what happened on that dreadful Christmas night.
If you will listen.
But before I can do that, I must briefly tell you about the only two other people who know who murdered JonBenet. They are John and Patsy Ramsey.
While working for the Ramsey family as a housekeeper, I was able to see the interaction between John and Patsy. In the fourteen months I was there, they never once showed the slightest affection for one another.
I never once saw them embrace.
I never once saw them hold hands,
I never once saw them a kiss, or hug, or use words or terms of endearment, or speak to one another with any warmth or tenderness.
Not once.
Not ever!
In fact, I don't think I've ever been around a married couple who looked so uncomfortable together. Or a couple who were as cold to one another, as these two.
There were times when I would not have been surprised to come to work and find that John and Patsy Ramsey had filed for divorce.
On one occasion, while I was working around the Ramsey house, a conversation Patsy Ramsey had with me only confirmed my suspicions that there was "trouble in paradise" in the Ramsey marriage.
Patsy confided to me that she did not enjoy having sexual relations (especially oral sex) with John.
After beating around the bush, Patsy finally asked me for help. Did I have any suggestions? She wanted to enjoy sex with John, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it.
Especially not oral sex.
Was there anything Patsy could do to keep her from thinking about his penis in her mouth and gagging on it?
Well, was there?
Patsy appeared desperate.
Was there anything she could do about the salty sour taste of John's penis, and the pubic hair that would stick in her teeth?
I was astonished.
As a mother of six children, I had never run into that problem.
Quite the contrary.
Before answering Patsy, I took a deep breath, stunned by the completely unexpected nature of Patsy's confession, thought for a minute, and then offered her the only advice a grandmother of ten children could give.
Patsy, I told her, keep thinking about how much you love John and how this is just another way of showing him your love. Make love to his penis as if you were making love to the man.
What else could I say?
Either you love the guy or you don't.
But Patsy's unhappiness and fear of John's penis did not end there. Sometime after Patsy's confession, I came upon her sobbing in the kitchen. When I asked her what was wrong, she explained that she had just spent the night crying her eyes out because John had yelled at her the day before about her being a lousy homemaker and cook. Clearly, there was more to John's anger than an uncooked meal or an unmade bed.
I suspected that the real reason behind John's outburst probably had more to do with his unsucked penis than his uncooked pot roast.
Remarkably, Patsy seemed genuinely upset by his criticism and she was more emotional than I think I have ever seen her.
Later, when appearing before the Boulder grand jury investigating the murder of JonBenet Ramsey, I spoke at length about the trouble I thought the Ramsey marriage was experiencing.
I told the grand jury that in my opinion, based on my personal observations while working for the them, I could honestly say that the Ramseys did not appear to be a happily married couple.
On the contrary, they seemed held together, like lots of other unhappy marriages, by their children.
Without their son Burke, and their daughter JonBenet, it is my belief that John and Patsy would have divorced many years ago.
I also told the grand jury that while Patsy could be kind and even thoughtful, she was one of the strangest people I have ever met.
By way of example, I told the grand jury that while cleaning out and organizing her vast number of purses - one of my tasks every Friday - Patsy took me aside and explained that she had gone to her local church, had members of her congregation pray over her, and the next day found that doctors had declared her miraculously "cured" of stage-four ovarian cancer.
But that wasn't all.
Patsy also had visions.
She confided in me that John's deceased daughter from his first marriage appeared before her to tell her that an angel was coming to cure her of cancer. Patsy believed her dead step-daughter's message was true and that the angel sent her cancer into remission, along with the help of the parishioner's of her church who had prayed over her.
But that still wasn't all.
One of the ways in which Patsy Ramsey would communicate with me was through handwritten notes, which she would leave for me with instructions for various duties around the house that needed my attention.
In the fourteen month period that I worked for the Ramseys, I was left several dozen handwritten notes by Patsy Ramsey. I am quite familiar with her handwriting, and I believe I can recognize it with very little difficulty.
I told the grand jury that since leaving the employ of the Ramseys, I had had occasion to see a copy of the ransom note found at the scene of JonBenet Ramsey's murder. It was heartbreaking for me to admit that the handwriting in the ransom note looked very much like the handwriting Patsy Ramsey used in writing her notes to me.
By way of example, Patsy made her letter "a"s very distinctively, and she would use accents over words like JonBenet and attaché, and often used initialing of words in combination, to name just a few of her many unique handwriting characteristics. Because I once felt very close to Patsy Ramsey, and regarded her with almost as much affection as a member of my immediate family, it has been hard for me to admit that I am now certain that the handwriting in the ransom note looks to me as if it was made by one and the same person.
Patsy Ramsey.
That is why I am convinced Patsy killed and then covered up the death of her daughter.
She alone is responsible.
John may have helped her to hide her crime because he had no choice, especially since she could have pointed the finger of guilt at him if he had resisted.
Perhaps I am being too cryptic. So let me tell you how I believe JonBenet was murdered.
If I were speaking to Patsy Ramsey right now, this is what I would say to her: You were spent and exhausted, weren't you? The holidays do that to people. At the party on December twenty-third you appeared a little out of sorts, perhaps because there were twenty people in the house with another twenty on the way. It was five in the afternoon, and I was on my way out the door, leaving you without help. So it's okay if you dipped deeply into the Beringer Chardonnay, your favorite wine that you kept in the walk-in refrigerator, just off the kitchen.
Holidays can be depressing. I don't blame you for being down. Your big four-oh birthday was less than a week away, you had dealt with ovarian cancer for years, and your beauty queen looks were fading. Miss West Virginia of 1977 had become a middle-aged matron. You loved JonBenet, but she was a handful, wetting the bed night after night. She was driving you crazy.
Christmas Day wasn't quiet or peaceful, either. There was pressure, lots of pressure and I wasn't there to smooth out the rough edges for you. Sure, it was picture perfect, snow on the ground, and your home was a decorator's dream. I remember helping to decorate the artifical Christmas trees, one for nearly every room in the house. Giant candy canes bordered both sides of the walk. But there were homes to visit, open houses that had to be dropped in and dropped out of, and you were expected to gather up Burke and JonBenet and have them ready to fly out at daybreak to Michigan where there was going to be a second Christmas at your lakefront vacation house. John would hire the pilot, but you were the one who had to pack and organize and get the kids dressed.
So you were weary that night, who wouldn't be? John was no help. He did what he always did - swallowed a couple of melatonin capsules and fell into a deep sleep. He wouldn't have heard a cannon go off it was next to the bed. You were still wearing the red sweater and black velvet trousers when you put JonBenet to bed Christmas night. Surprisingly - for someone who has a hundred dresses and prides herself with never wearing the same outfit twice - you were wearing that same costume when the police arrived the next day.
JonBenet wet the bed again that night, didn't she? She woke up and told you about it before you were even undressed and you simply "lost it." You took her into the bathroom. It was the same destination you always took JonBenet when it was time to punish her for bedwetting. You forget that I saw you take here there so many times before, shutting the door tightly behind you, so her screams could not be heard. Except this time there was "an accident," wasn't there? You picked up the long, black flashlight you had brought with you, and you swung it. You swung it first at her crotch and then next at her head. Maybe you meant to scare her and maybe you didn't mean to kill her, but you did.
At first you thought you had knocked her out, but then she wasn't breathing, and you felt for a pulse, but there was none.
What to do? What to do?
Well, someone else must have done this, since it certainly couldn't have been you. Right? After all, you were always a model parent. Right? At least you hoped people thought so.
All of those Tom Clancy novels were suddenly flashing through your mind as JonBenet's body lay before you. What would a clever mystery writer have his antagonist do?
Think!
They sure wouldn't have the villain lie down and take the rap for an accident. A bash in the head, after all, was too suspicious. A parent could do that. But what if JonBenet was slowly strangled, exotically, with, of all things, a garrote?
So you broke off one of your paint brushes, took the white nylon cord, and twisted it around her neck. She might have still been revived, but you didn't know it. You just pulled the cord tight around her neck until it was red.
I remember just such a cord wrapped in just such a way around a box in the basement next to where her body was found.
I remember a lot Patsy.
You kept trying to make it an exotic crime scene, didn't you? You even taped your daughter's wrists and her mouth shut, cutting the tape with a small Swiss army knife that would later be found beside her body the next day.
I remember that knife.
Burke had walked around the house whittling with it a month before, and I told you I put it up at the top of the linen closet near JonBenet's bedroom when I confiscated it from him.
Only you knew and John knew the exact location of that hideaway in the linen closet.
After you finished taping JonBenet's mouth, you carried her downstairs and hid her body in the basement inside a small hidden room - the "wine room" you called it, even though there was never any wine stored there. You then wrapped her in a favorite white blanket of hers, which you took from the dryer, except her Barbie nightgown was stuck to it because you never did have the sense to throw in a static cling strip with the wash.
So you laid the nightie next to her.
You had stored the plastic Christmas trees there, in that "wine cellar." Strange, isn't it? I had worked for you for nearly a year and I didn't even know that room existed until you had me get those trees out of there. An intruder wouldn't have found that place. Not in a million years. Only you, or John, would know it location. Your house was a 22-room rabbit warren and maze that even my husband once got lost in when he was doing some work for you.
What to do next? Well, a ransom note might be nice. It would explain why JonBenet was suddenly missing. But you forgot one thing. The handwriting and language of the note were all yours. I can hear your "voice" in the note. The word "hence," for example, was in your Christmas cards and letters and a word you liked to use in conversation. The phrase "use that good Southern common sense" is what you kidded John about, since he was anything but Southern, having been born and raised in Michigan; the phrase "fat cat" is what your mother, Nedra, used to call you after you and John became rich. The ransom demand asked that the money be put in an attaché, with a proper accent mark over the last e in attaché. I remember how careful you always were to put the proper accent mark over the e in the second syllable of JonBenet's name. The ransom note even ended with the initials SBTC. Do you remember how fond you were of using initials as abbreviations for all sorts of expressions?
Preparing the crime scene and writing the ransom note must have been time consuming and exhausting. You were up all night before you "found" the ransom note just before six a.m in the morning. You didn't even have time to change your clothes from the day before. You began screaming as soon as John had awakened and he didn't even know what had happened when you called the police. John didn't know what had happened to JonBenet when he found the body hidden in the basement.
When did you tell him?

I applied to cólaiste dhúlaigh’s PLC course and it used to have a Offered around 1 Letter along with the other letters i.e confirming payment and student letter , but now it’s gone - i dont know if I’m just a gobshite and stressing myself n it’s just gone coz i have the placement or im just not accepted anymore ?

I just got a letter from the IRS saying I'm two months late and I owe. I checked online to confirm that and it says it as well. However, I paid on time through a tax service that I've been going to for the past 3 years. I checked my bank statement as well and it went through so I have no idea why I owe even though I already paid.

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In this video, you'll learn a step-by-step method for writing the perfect dispute letter to remove negative items from your credit report. The process includes answering essential questions for your letter, constructing a compelling dispute reason, and utilizing a proven structure for effectiveness. The guide also covers how to document inconsistencies across different credit bureaus and handle disputes efficiently, whether you're an individual or a company. Additional tips are provided to avoid common stalling tactics used by credit bureaus. For a comprehensive understanding, viewers can access a downloadable worksheet, a full credit suite training, and other resources through the described event.
00:00 Introduction to Writing the Perfect Dispute Letter 00:26 Key Questions for Your Dispute Letter 00:48 Example Dispute Letter 01:22 Structuring the Perfect Dispute Reason 02:04 Detailed Examples of Dispute Reasons 02:28 Finalizing Your Dispute Letter 03:13 Additional Resources and Conclusion
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⭐ Video Notes :

I’ve been trying to print images on photo paper on my Epson-2760: the paper settings on both the machine and the printing GUI on Windows confirm the paper to be letter sized glossy, but when I start printing, I suddenly get a pop-up saying that the paper type is incorrect
I don’t understand why it’s doing this

Hello,
I've found myself a bit of my dream job and have sent over my resume and cover letter. I'm a big proponent of following up with my interest in a position, but this job listing specifically states: "Please no walk-ins or phone calls."
Should I take that as "don't follow up"? I'm conflicted, I definitely want to make myself known and express my interest in the role, but I don't want to seem pushy.
The resume and cover was emailed, so I didn't receive any confirmation or response.

chapters 1&2
chapter 3
chapter 4
chapter 5
chapter 6
chapter 7
chapter 8
chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Sometimes it was nice to work at home, but Q decided that after the morning lecture he’d stay in the Academy to catch up with the surveillance task. Everything at his apartment reminded him of last night: Iliya’s smell, still lingering in every room, brought a suffocating wave of shame.
No, he’d be better off staying at the lecture hall for a while, even if he had to sleep in the lounge area tonight.
The report the Turk promised came with a “ding” during the class, and Q had to put it away, but the rest of the lecture his thoughts wandered back to the little file waiting for him in the incoming mail.
He mustn’t forget to put on the auglasses before opening it though, otherwise others might get suspicious like Iliya yesterday.
Iliya... Where was he by the way? He was supposed to be present at this class but probably not after his “favourite” teacher ruined everything like he always did.
No, it wasn’t time nor place to fall into this self-flagellation, he had to focus on the lecture. Perhaps later he would treat himself to a little invasion of privacy and track Iliya’s wristcomm again.
It worked.
The students uncharacteristically quickly left the lecture hall today, as if sensing their teacher’s impatience to be left alone, and didn’t bother him with any follow-ups. Usually, even if they didn’t have anything to ask about, he’d receive at least a couple of invitations to share lunch with them, especially on a fine day like this. It stung his pride a bit, but not enough to not immediately get back behind his desk, open the file and skim the report about the hound with the broken camera. Then, he remembered to put on the glasses in case some student did decide to pop in.
The report seemed incomplete though.
“Turk, aren’t hounds supposed to record footage at all times?” he asked.
The little voice immediately rang in his ears, even though his helper was on the other side of the city, “There seems to be an issue with this hound. It stopped recording a while before the camera itself got damaged.”
“Hmm... But the report says that it was the mechanical impact that broke it.”
“It was. Those malfunctions could be unrelated. Its memory could have been full so it had to stop recording.”
“I thought hounds just rewrote the data if they run out of storage... Never mind. Was its tracking working fine? I want to see its location just before the accident happened.”
A map of the city flashed before his eyes, zooming in on a narrow alley. Small dots that tracked all hounds started moving, showing their journey in and out of the bottleneck that marked the entrance to the underground transport system. The hound in question pulsed in bright red. It seemed to stop midway through the alleyway, do a little dance, then start running, stop abruptly in front of one of the walls, make a couple of laps around the block, and get back to the queue with the rest of the machines as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
A glitch? But hounds were supposed to complete the current objective and go to the repair facility if they got those, not dance like bees excited to share some newfound place to harvest nectar with the rest of the hive. And definitely not waste energy running around like they’re chased by someone.
Was this one chased?
By whom?
“Turk, I need camera footage from the alleyway cameras,” Q demanded. It all looked too out-of-the-ordinary to be a simple glitch.
“I’ll send the request to the system. If it gets approved, the footage will be delivered within...” the mechanical voice started.
“What do you mean, request?!” — Q was taken aback. That was definitely something new. — “I’ve never needed my requests approved. Not with my rating.”
Turk explained, apologetically, “New safety protocols list areas around transit systems as highly important for Ashtapadan security and so not accessible by just about anyone.”
“Anyone!” — he couldn’t believe it! — “I’m not “just about anyone”!”
“Your rating is not high enough to access the footage, I’m sorry,” the Turk said again. “But once you complete your latest assignment, and the new points get accounted for, it might just be enough to access all the cameras in the city.”
Q blinked once, twice.
“But I did complete my latest assignment, didn’t I?”
Sure, he hadn’t actually checked if the system had sent him the usual congratulatory letter, but then he hadn’t done it in a while. He always assumed that...
He didn’t complete the assignment?
“Alright, send the request, Turk. And sorry for the yelling.”
“It’s ok, Q, apologies accepted.”
Taking the auglassess off, the man blindly stared at the desk. The quiet but persistent static hissing that was constantly in the background of his hearing subsided and his ears were suddenly filled with the sounds of people enjoying themselves outside.
He hadn’t finished the assignment? Sure it was some technicality, right? He always did his job well.
Kicking back on the armchair, he fought the feeling of failure return.
Was he getting inadequate? Was he losing focus? Both his job and his relationships were starting to suffer because of his lack of attention.
The stream of self-doubt was suddenly interrupted by Q’s stomach that loudly announced that it also had been a victim of its owner’s negligence.
It was time for a break.
***
Not half an hour later, searching for a free spot in the winter garden, a drink and a healthy snack in hand, Q came to a halt when he heard several familiar voices behind a green fence. The one that immediately sent his heart racing was Iliya’s.
His boy must have skipped the lecture in favour of hanging out with two others: Sereen and that Newcomer.
What was her name again?
Unable to face his late night failure again, he flopped on a bench, separated from the company with the thick foliage, hidden from view.
His tired conscience reached for some way to explain the eavesdropping. But what excuses did he have, really? None, not since he had broken into the surveillance system to spy on Iliya and Sereen. Well, in for a penny...
“So I still don’t understand why I’m supposed to change my mind just because the host opened one of the three doors,” came the muffled voice of the Newcomer. “I mean, how does this fact increase my chances of winning a car?”
“HoloPoe really did your head in, didn’t he?” Sereen giggled. “It’s his favourite riddle.”
Iliya jumped in, “The one that turned out to be a hologram? How are you allowed at his lectures again?”
A pause fell, and it was impossible to tell if it was a meaningful one.
“That’s beside the point. What’s important is that he just blew my mind,” the Newcomer answered. “So, imagine you are a tv-show contestant and you are given a chance to win a car. You’re presented with three doors and are told that behind one of them is the grand prize, but the other two hide pigs.”
“Goats, Gentry,” Sereen corrected.
Gentry? Wait, that actually rang a distant bell.
“No matter,” the Newcomer continued. “So, you choose a door, but the host doesn’t open it just yet. He opens one of the other two and you see a goat there. That door was a wrong one. Now he offers you an option to choose a different door if you wish. The question is should you?”
“Of course,” Iliya said. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“What? No, not for me! How?” Gentry cried out, exasperated.
This old rationality problem confused a lot of Q’s students, too. It was easily mathematically proven though that Iliya was right, though.
“Well,” the young man started patiently. “Why do you think you shouldn’t?”
His little boy was learning so much from his teacher. Q was proud to hear some of his own explanation tricks coming out of his Iliya’s mouth.
“It’s not like you shouldn’t,” G said. “It’s just that it does nothing in my understanding. Since you’ve got two options left, the odds are 1 in 2 and they don’t change whether you swap the doors or not.”
“The odds increase,” Sereen said. “They are 2 in 3 for the other door now.”
“See! Doesn’t make any sense!” Gentry said. “How do you increase the odds just by switching to the other door post factum?”
“I don’t understand the odds either,”— Iliya’s voice was thoughtful and Q felt a little pang of jealousy at how calmly and patiently he was talking. Wasn’t he supposed to be distraught from last night, too? — “But just think: the host knows where the car was, right? Why didn’t he open the other door? To me, it says that the door had a higher probability to have a car than the one he did open.”
This was another way to look at this problem, easy to understand for non-matematically inclined minds. His little prince was very smart, indeed. How had he not noticed it before?
“Whoa,” Gentry said after a pause, voice betraying how hard the cogs turned in her head. “Sooo... it’s just about the omniscient host, right? If a random door was opened, it wouldn’t actually increase my odds in the slightest?”
“I think so,” Sereen confirmed.
An air of silent shared understanding seemed to emanate from behind the green hedge and Q couldn’t help but wonder how long these three had known each other.
“Well, why did that old jerk Poe spent an hour droning on about what Iliya explained in two sentences?” Gentry clamoured. “This actually makes sense now. Illy, I’m so happy S introduced us, you’re officially the smartest person I know in Ashtapada.”
“Ah, stop it,” Iliya drawled, clearly flattered, and Q’s heart clenched with jealousy again. He knew that inflection all too well. Iliya was accepting the compliment.
Also, Illy?
“No, really,” Gentry pressed on. “You just saved my a ton of time on my home assignment for the old fart’s class. What shall I do with all this spare time? Perhaps, take you out?”
Q thought that, knowing Sereen, she would probably be rolling her eyes hard right about at this moment, when a sudden realisation dawned on him.
Was this Gentry… hitting on his Iliya?
The familiar adorable half-giggle, half-scoff that his boy reserved for when he was flustered only confirmed his suspicions.
He was a fool to think that Iliya would be alone for long. The boy was a natural magnet for everyone, and happily accepted the well-deserved adoration that the others showered him with. If Q didn’t interfere now, he might lose him to this... this...
“Hold your horses, Gentry,” Sereen contended, with a laugh. “With your fresh Newcomer status, I doubt you can treat him to anything. And Iliya isn’t one to be satisfied with a walk in the park, is he?”
“Then perhaps, I might treat him to this?” G said.
There was a short shuffling, Iliya’s soft gasp, and then his nervous giggling.
Very similar... Too similar to...
“Well, I suppose it’s one way to a man’s heart,” S noted, voice amused.
What... What did she do? She didn’t... Did she?
“Ah, this feels nice, actually,” Iliya said, a little breathlessly.
Unable to take this anymore, Q stood up with a stomp, pulse beating in his ears, and walked around the hedge, fully expecting to see something scandalous.
The three people were sitting on the grass, sharing lunch, their bags carelessly thrown on the ground. The man’s gaze immediately met Iliya’s who went even redder and turned away, mumbling a greeting, but Gentry just nonchalantly waved a ‘Hello!’, barely taking her hand off of Iliya’s... bare foot?
“Hi, everyone,” Q managed, not sure if he was supposed tell them off or sigh with relief that nothing too... outrageous was happening. He sat to the ground, too. “Mind if I join you?”
“Sure,” Sereen said, “Though Gentry’s been a little too handsy with her new friend here.”
Iliya, crimson now, still refused to look up from the grass, face unreadable, but G’s hands returned back to his bare foot and resumed what seemed to be a gentle massage, a discarded moccasin lying nearby.
“So we’ve been discussing the three door problem, Professor,” she said, conversationally, as if she wasn’t having her way with said professor’s lover in broad daylight. “And Iliya explained the concept in a minute where Professor Poe spent an hour in vain.”
“Did he?” — Q swallowed. Why was it so mesmerising? Had he not himself caressed Iliya like this before? — “Was it the omniscient host explanation?”
“Exactly!” — Gentry laced her fingers in between her captive prince’s toes. The young man’s eyelids fluttered shut, revealing a light eyeshadow that complimented his now auburn hair. — “I failed to catch that the solution works only if there’s an intelligent agent who knows which door to open.”
She scooped a handful of cold water from the little stream nearby and poured it on the fair skin of Iliya’s foot.
He gasped a little, still wordless, and grasped the grass under his fingers in a gesture reminiscent of yesterday. Only it had been Q’s bedsheets last night.
Was he supposed to feel bitter about what he was seeing?
For some reason, looking at how his boy was enjoying himself...
Suddenly, Sereen said, “Professor Q, I just remembered that I meant to thank you for introducing me to Miriam. She reached out to me and we had a very insightful conversation. Too bad it didn’t happen earlier. But I’m thankful nevertheless.”
“Mmm?” — the man dragged his eyes away from the sensual scene in front of him. “Oh, yes. Incredible woman. If it hadn’t been for her, the Academy wouldn’t be the way it is now.”
“Shame Gentry didn’t have a chance to meet her, right, G?” — the Newcomer just hummed and moved her attention to rubbing the boy’s tender sole, eliciting another soft gasp, again very familiar to Q’s ears. — “Miriam actually invited me to see her off this week. She’s finally getting her Citizen status and moving to another part of the city.”
“Is she?” Q asked, absentmindedly. His whole focus was now on how Iliya hid his head in the shoulders, eyes clouded, like he did when it was his teacher’s hands caressing him. “It would be nice of you to accompany her.”
“Want to come, too, Gentry?” Sereen insisted, clearly wanting to end this strange little display, but G innocently lifted her eyes from her hard work and took the second neglected foot to her lap to give it the same treatment, swiftly pulling the other shoe off.
Iliya didn’t seem to mind, still not meeting Q’s gaze though.
Why wasn’t he jealous?
Was he so adamant to give his wronged lover some space that the scene didn’t stir any contempt in Q’s heart, let alone make him see red?
Was he just respectful of Iliya’s wishes, or was seeing him take this oddly sensuous yet innocent pleasure at the hands of another make Q feel things, too?
“I’d love to. I’ve only arrived last month, it’d be great to meet more real Citizens,” G said with a smile. “Are you coming, Teach?”
“I might,” Q said, distractedly, noticing the little pun that might just have been intentional. Had G noticed that he was... spellbound?
“Great, then we’ll be coming together,” the Newcomer said with a broad smile, digging her thumbs into the ball of Iliya’s foot and eliciting a little pathetic groan from the boy who immediately covered his pretty mouth with the hand that wasn’t digging into the grass.
Was she laughing at Q? Was she showing off what she could do with his boyfriend?
No, he was imagining things. Gentry had no way of knowing they’d been...
It was probably just how she was.
Cheeky.
But apparently very good with her hands.
“Right,” Q said, finally looking back at Sereen, who seemed to be at a loss for what was happening. She must have noticed it, too, then, not that it was hard to. “I’ll get going. Have to prepare for the next lecture.”
It wasn’t until he settled back at his desk again that he remembered what G had just said. She arrived last month... And he tested a candidate... last month. The candidate’s nickname was G...
Could it have been Gentry? So if she had passed the test, and was invited to Ashtapada, how come his assignment wasn’t completed?
“Turk,” he demanded again, this time failing to remember to put on the auglasses. “I need complete records of the latest Newcomers to Ashtapada.”