Pollution and carbon emissions aren't pleasant for anyone, so here's a list of eco-friendly cities prioritizing nature and sustainable living.
Pollution and carbon emissions aren't friendly for anyone. So here's a list of cities that prioritize nature and sustainable living. No city is perfect, and many still have a long way to go before they can be considered truly sustainable.
However, these cities benefit both the people's quality of life and the conservation and protection of our planet and environment.
The sustainability of our planet is in jeopardy now more than ever before. This is due to the rising population and technological advancements that change how we live our lives.
Furthermore, It's becoming unpleasant, from the production of dangerous pollutants to the extradentary levels of waste.
Also, Governments and municipal governments worldwide feel the heat from their population—particularly Generation Z, who are well-known for campaigning for environmental reform.
And pressing countries to seek new methods to become more sustainable and address this global issue.
We've compiled a list of cities leading the way toward moving toward sustainable living and making the world a greener place. The world's greenest cities are listed below.

1. Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen has been labeled the world's greenest city for various reasons. To start with, all of their buses are transitioning from diesel to electric power.
Furthermore, more of their roadways are being designed expressly for bicycling, and also, electric bikes are being supplied at a reasonable cost.
Again, another fascinating thing about Copenhagen is that two-thirds of its hotels are eco-certified, signifying that they adhere to the highest levels of sustainability in terms of energy, food, and design.
They also have vending machines that use recycled stuff and receive a deposit at many of their restaurants, and they sell cuisine made with organic ingredients in many of them.
By 2025, This beautiful Copenhagen city aspires to be carbon neutral. With all of these extraordinary achievements, it's difficult not to believe that this is one of the most eco-friendly cities globally.

2. Zurich, Switzerland

Here are some statistics demonstrating why Zurich is near the top of our world's most eco-friendly cities. It is interesting that renewable energy sources now account for more than 80% of their electricity. Also, over 40% of the garbage in the city is recycled.
Finally, almost 70% of their hotels are certified as sustainable. They have bikes all across the city, just like Copenhagen, giving them away. Zurich is undoubtedly a green city from which all other cities can learn.

3. Amsterdam, Nertherland

Amsterdam is innovative and environmentally conscious in areas other than its well-known "coffee cafes." It's known for having more bikes than people (bikes are piled on top of each other in the streets!), and it's also known as the world's most bicycle-friendly capital city.
Bicycling ensures a healthy population and dramatically cuts carbon emissions and pollution.

4. Bristol, UK

Bristol was the first British city designated as the European Green Capital. It's an honor bestowed upon a community for its efforts in addressing urban environmental concerns.
Furthermore, It is also known as the most environmentally friendly city in the United Kingdom. Bristol has good air quality, and the number of bikers on the road has increased.

5. Stockholm, Sweden

This site has done its fair share of modifications to assist its residents to live a more sustainable lifestyle, with 14 islands and more than 50 bridges.
The large city aims to phase out the use of fossil fuels by 2040 and is doing it by enacting new rules that promote a greener society – with European Union assistance to help it grow smarter.
Furthermore, bio-fuel, made from sewage waste and used to power automobiles throughout the city, is gaining popularity.
Stockholm is one of the eco-friendly cities. They are capable of repurposing any waste heat from its 30,000-seat stadium. Recovering heat might help warm over 1,000 flats more efficiently using sustainable ways.

6. Berlin, Germany

Berlin is a mad, wild city, but it's also known for its unconventional approach to environmental preservation.
Also, Berlin has more parks than any other European city, and it integrates green spaces nicely into the urban landscape.
Following World War I, inhabitants became far more self-sufficient and appreciated their green spaces than they had previously, learning to cultivate their food, a trend that has been handed down down the years.
Furthermore, with the advent of electric vehicles, Berlin has erected over 400 charging stations throughout the city, encouraging residents to consider switching vehicle types.
Moreover, locals do not perceive the necessity to own automobiles and instead choose to share to save the environment.

7. London, Uk

One of the significant factors contributing to London's eco-friendliness is the city's approximately 3,000 green spaces and parks, which account for 40% of the city's total area.
London is among the eco-friendly cities in the world. The IESE Cities in Motion Index 2020 classified the city as the most environmentally friendly globally. By 2050, London aspires to have zero greenhouse gas emissions.
They're putting money into hybrid diesel-electric buses. They expect that by 2037, all 9,200 of their buses will be emission-free.

8. Portland, Oregon

Believe it or not, 25% of city workers commute by bike, carpool, or public transportation, which has significant environmental benefits. As a result, the number of dangerous automobiles has decreased.
Furthermore, the city has an estimated 250 miles of bike trails, demonstrating how easy and safe it is to move around. Cycling is the primary mode of transportation for 8% of the city's population.
Furthermore, Portland generates 2,434,840 tonnes of garbage and recovers 1,235,924 tonnes, which is incredible for a major metropolis. In addition to the preceding, the city employs 33% renewable energy.

9. San Francisco, California

San Francisco's green movement has been reshaping the city in recent years. Also, San Francisco is one of the eco-friendly cities, recycles about 77 percent of its garbage.
In addition, the city was the first in the United States to outlaw the use of plastic. Furthermore, another impressive green statistic in San Francisco is that 13.8 out of every 10,000 residences uses solar energy, more than double the national average.
Also, San Francisco is one of the best locations to visit without a car. You may walk all around this environmentally friendly metropolis.

10. New York City, New York

As shocking as it may seem, New York City has also been named one of the world's most environmentally friendly cities. Heating and water conservation are becoming more critical in their housing buildings.
In addition, more residents in New York City are driving low-emission vehicles, and businesses in the city are taking more environmentally friendly steps. In New York, urban gardening has grown very popular.
Furthermore, small gardens are planted on balconies, terraces, and rooftops.

11. Capetown, South Africa

By making substantial environmental strides, such as using energy from South Africa's first commercial wind farm, altering the city to provide bike lanes, and supporting farmer's markets, Cape Town is leading the way for the entire continent of Africa.

12. Paris, France

Paris is known for being one of the eco-friendly cities, named after an international treaty on climate change. In the ten years between 2004 and 2014, the city's greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 9.2 percent.
More measures to promote sustainable transportation and assist create a more sustainable city are being implemented by the city.

13. Helsinki, Finland

If you want to visit a place or city that values the environment's friendliness and the planet's long-term environmental viability, then Helsinki is a place to go.
The capital, located on a peninsula in the Gulf of Finland, combines metropolitan areas and tranquil reservoirs.
Furthermore, tourism is one of the most important contributions to Helsinki's economy, which has increased environmentally friendly lodging.
Indeed, approximately 75% of hotel rooms in the city have been certified as eco-friendly, and those that haven't fully committed to the cause have some environmental plan in place that covers all aspects of the business, from food and water to waste management and energy consumption.

14. Tokyo, Japan

With the Olympics set to take place in Tokyo this summer, the city has announced that all of the energy required to power the Games would come from sustainable sources. By 2030, the city hopes that half of all new automobiles sold will be zero-emission vehicles.
Tokyo likewise intends to use renewable energy sources to power 30% of the town. They also continue to lead the globe in having one of the lowest-emission public transportation systems.

15. Vancouver, Canada

People flock to Vancouver because of its proximity to the mountains and wildlife, so it's no surprise that it's one of the world's most environmentally conscious cities. Vancouver is a top performer in CO2 emissions and air quality, and it is home to Greenpeace.

16. Reykjavik, Iceland

The city, believe it or not, has a population of only 126,100 people, which is one of the primary characteristics that enables easy and adaptable improvements to make it a greener area.
Reykjavik intends to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 by boosting walking and cycling, and public transportation usage.
Furthermore, the promotion of public transportation is motivated by the city's desire to continue introducing hydrogen buses, which are now used by barely 4% of the population. The city has set a target of trebling this by 2030 to ensure that this happens.

17. Singapore, Singapore

Singapore has been named Asia's most environmentally friendly city due to its sustainability efforts. By 2030, Singapore plans to have at least 80 percent of its buildings be green.
The city aspires to be one of the world's most environmentally friendly cities in the future. Singapore being one
However, they are currently regarded as Asia's greenest city. It is one of the best-known towns in the world for its abundance of trees.
Used water that has been cleansed and treated accounts for over 40% of Singapore's water supply. With so much innovation, this city will undoubtedly become a sustainability leader for many years to come.

18. Montevideo, Uruguay

Montevideo's long-term aim is to save its natural ecosystems and rural areas. Over 85% of Uruguay's electricity is generated from renewable energy sources.

19. Grenoble, France

Grenoble has been named the European Green Capital for the year 2022. Between 2005 and 2016, the city's greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 25%. By 2030, they aspire to have reduced carbon emissions by half.

I just passed task1 on this and thought I'd provide some insight.
For the timeline, I just used MS Word. Under Insert, I used SmartArt to make arrows I could label and I copied a section of 3 arrows in order to make 6, then labeled them and wrote in specifics of the timeline underneath each one. It doesn't have to match your real timeline, but it has to be less than 30 days, even if you take longer.
For the persona, there are really fancy ones shown in the course tips, but I just used Word again and inserted a table with 2 columns, put a free internet image on one side and some facts for an imaginary user on the other. It does have to be a plausible person based on the information given about past visitors, though, so if you pick a user who arrived by cruise ship, you'd better put their age and other info as being from that same section of the report. I found lots of personas online and each included different information about their imaginary user, so I just put in some basic name, age, location, occupation info, but then I also added a line for the info given about the visitors, like transportation to island, length of stay, visitor status, number of people in party, etc. I wasn't sure if I needed to do this, but I did. Of course, I merged the rows on the image column side, but it looked very table-y and not fancy and it still passed.
For the low fidelity wireframe, I spent way too much time on this trying to find a suitable site to help me build one and I ended up very frustrated. In the end, I found a blank image of a rectangle desktop browser window and I copied it and pasted it into MS Paint for each page of my website idea. The main image at the top was the home page and then I copied the navigation section and pasted it to the right of the main image and drew an arrow to it and labeled it "Navigation" and then did an arrow from the first link to the wireframe of that page, an arrow from link2 to it's wireframe, link3 to it's wireframe, etc. They want us to show the "flow" of the website, which I showed with arrows and that was accepted. Then, I copied and pasted my MS Paint .jpg into my Word document and made sure it could be seen well enough from the document. There are several decent examples of low fidelity wireframes in the Course Tips section of the course if you want more examples. You don't need any colors, images, or even text in this wireframe. I used squares with an "x" in them for image placeholders (and wrote "image" to be on the safe side), used Link1, Link2, Link3 for links and used the generic Lorem ipsum text placeholder text for filler text. If your link pages link elsewhere to an internal page, be sure to include that in your wireframe, as well.
For the guerilla testing part, I just made up 3 reviews using members of my household and a friend. I put something like 'User 1 is a 69 year old female...' and then I made up the rest based on what I thought her review would be. I did something similar with the others. I really did put myself in their places and wrote actionable feedback from their imagined points of view and came up with a few ideas to add to my wireframe. Be sure to write about how you'll incorporate their feedback into your design for part 2. I read someone else's post saying they updated their wireframe afterwards with the new feedback, but I didn't and still passed.
For the prototype, this is where you make the website for Taniti and it takes the most time. You can hand-code if you want to, but I used a free Wix account. They try to get you to sign up for web hosting and other stuff, but I left my site at the generic yourusername dot wixsite dot com URL and that worked just fine for these purposes. Be sure to get all of the info from the "About the island" doc in there somewhere and try to make it easy for others to find. Be sure your links work. Someone who reviewed my site actually checked the links from each page to be sure and I'm sure the graders will, too. I reviewed someone else who had no working links.
For the 5 usability tasks, there's some help here in the Course Tips section. They want a specific question that can be given to a stranger who will then go to your site to find, so don't make it too broad. Maybe something like, 'What's the drinking age on Taniti' and not 'Are there activities on the island?' Put a little thought into this and if your prototype allows people to find those answers easily enough, because you'll have 3 strangers using those same questions in Task2 to find the info on your site.
For the APA sources, I had some trouble with this because I used all AI images and wasn't sure how to cite them properly. There is conflicting info online and I didn't want to cite each photo on the site. I wrote to my instructor who said putting a note in the footer for each page stating what site they all came from (if one site) should be fine, but just to be sure, I did that plus I added the following citation format in section G for each image used: Name of image. (n.d.). Website. Retrieved [date] from [URL].
For section H, I never know if I need to include anything there for 'demonstrate professional communication,' but I just put 'I believe I have done so.'
Finally, be sure to look over the rubric and check your spelling before submitting and that's it for Task1. I got it back in 2 days as a pass.
For Task2, you have to record yourself giving feedback to 3 others. Be sure to record your screen and your face in a picture in picture mode. Try to say something on each of their written tasks so they have something to write about in their submission. Once you get your 3 reviewers, you have to summarize what they said and then specifically write about what they said for each of your usability questions. I had a lot of "good" comments and that's pretty much it, so I had to summarize that for each question for each person and write if it was actionable or not, which most were not. This is a much quicker task than the first. My videos somehow ended up saving to a wrong folder, so I had to edit them to move them to the class folder so people could see them, so be on the lookout for that. I also didn't get the emails you're supposed to get after making each video, so luckily, I'd saved the links right after making them. I'd suggest doing the same just in case. I wrote up everything on the Task 2 template they provide and just submitted this morning.

https://preview.redd.it/pxmemhizri5d1.png?width=900&format=png&auto=webp&s=a0525c3a42eecb1a0eff8857cc4752cd2664a02b
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My name is Rory Fars, and my little sister, Lily Fars, is the last family I had left.
A heavy sense of dread settled over me like a suffocating blanket as I sat in the worn leather seat of Lily's old jeep. The car, a relic of our happier days, seemed to groan under our shared sorrow. Beside me, Lily, my best friend, and confidante, absentmindedly twirled a strand of her long, dark hair, which swayed gently in rhythm with the haunting melodies from the oldies station on the radio. This car had seen us through countless joyful journeys when our family was whole. Almost three years had passed since that fateful Christmas trip in Texas when our parents were tragically killed in a horrific multi-car pileup. The memory of their loss was a constant ache, a wound that never fully healed.
My dad was from Amarillo, Texas, so my parents often took trips down there, visiting the places that held so many memories for him. During one of these trips, just before Christmas, a sudden blizzard struck while they were on the freeway. The snow fell in blinding sheets, making the world outside a disorienting white blur. As they tried to slowly pull to the side, their vision obscured by the relentless storm, they never saw the car barreling toward them at least forty miles an hour. The impact was devastating, an abrupt and brutal end to their journey and, in many ways, to our lives as we had known them.
My parents were always sticklers for safety, insisting on seatbelts every time we got in the car. So, of course, they had theirs on during that fateful trip. The initial impact wasn't what killed them, the coroner explained to me. Not even the first hit from behind, which was going at least fifty miles an hour, was fatal. I had to practically shake the information out of him—they were so resistant to tell me anything at first. By the time the third car hit, with an unknown speed, their survival was already in jeopardy. The coroner said that by the fifth car, they were likely dead. But it didn't end there. Another twenty-three vehicles slammed into the back of the pile, each collision further crushing their bodies, reducing them to a horrific, unrecognizable state. Each jarring impact pushed my parents deeper into a gruesome amalgamation of twisted metal and shattered lives.
I don't know why I felt compelled to demand those details at the time, but I deeply regret it now. I wish I had never asked. Almost every night, unless I drink myself into oblivion, I am haunted by nightmares of what they endured. I dream of driving up to save them, only to be caught in the same deadly barrage of cars, ending in a twisted metal tomb for all of us.
Lily is never in those dreams. Even in my most horrific imaginings, I can't envision her being hurt. Lily is my little sister, younger by eight years and three months. Whenever I mention our age difference, I see the judgment in people's eyes, but what can I say? Our parents never stopped loving each other. They had Lily late in life; she became our shared joy, our living reminder of the love that had bound our family together.
Lily wasn't my twin in the literal sense, but ever since she was born, it felt like we shared the inexplicable connection that twins often describe. As she grew up, our bond only deepened—we acted, sounded, and even looked remarkably alike. She became my rock, especially after our parents' tragic deaths. We leaned on each other, cried into each other's shoulders, and somehow found the strength to move forward. We eventually moved in together, finding solace in a two-bedroom apartment that became our sanctuary.
Lily seemed to handle our parents' deaths better than I did, or maybe she was just better at distracting herself with technology. Even before their passing, Lily was addicted to any kind of digital screen she could manipulate. Her ability to navigate the digital world was unmatched; she was the most intelligent person I had ever met. Her intelligence was a beacon of light in the darkness that had enveloped us, a testament to her resilience and brilliance.
After my parents' death, I embarked on a quest to find my spirituality by delving into paranormal investigations. I hoped these pursuits would bring me closer to my parents in the afterlife, spiritual realm, or whatever you want to call it. Instead, it created a chasm between me and any sense of spiritual existence. Each investigation seemed to push me further from the answers I sought, leaving me feeling more isolated and disconnected than ever.
I had hoped that by exploring these paranormal claims, I would discover a way to reach out to my parents and feel their presence again. Yet, as the years have passed, this endeavor has only deepened my loneliness and sense of loss. Despite knowing how detrimental it is to my mental health, I can't bring myself to stop. The hope that the subsequent investigation will be the one that proves the existence of an afterlife and that I'll find a way to contact my parents keeps me going. It's a desperate, unrelenting pursuit for a connection that remains heartbreakingly out of reach.
I should have accepted their death and moved on like any sane person would. Instead, I let my grief fester and dragged my sister and a stranger, Mark, through my obsessive quest for answers. My relentless pursuit of the paranormal didn't just alienate me; it consumed us all, leading to their untimely deaths. My name is Rory Fars, and I am here to confess my side of the story about the missing case of Lily Fars and Mark Lawrence.
This is the truth about how my desperate search for a connection with the afterlife led to a nightmare from which none of us could escape.
To start off, no, Lily was not a student of Mark's who fell in love with him and then got jealous of me hitting on him, leading her to kill him and herself. I know that sounds ridiculous, but given some wild theories circulating online, I need to address this one specifically since it seems to be the most popular.
First and foremost, Mark Lawrence was not, nor has he ever been, a professor at a university. Lily and I met Mark at the Local Museum in Redlin, a town nestled deep in the Appalachian Mountains. He was the curator of an exhibit showcasing the history of Raven's Nest, a forgotten mining town that neither Lily nor I had ever heard of. This is where our story begins, in a place steeped in history and mystery, far removed from the convoluted theories that now cloud the truth.
We were constantly searching for new ideas for our podcast about paranormal claims. Each of our twenty-five episodes so far had concluded with a rational explanation, so when Mark told us about the curse of Harper, I was immediately intrigued.
Mark was an older man, likely in his mid-sixties, with a full head of silver hair and a beard that stubbornly clung to its youthful color, only lightly dusted with grey. He had a presence that commanded attention, and his stories about the curse were delivered with an intensity that drew me in.
On the other hand, Lily was always more interested in the technical aspects of the paranormal. She had her own theories and was determined to debunk every claim we investigated. She wasn't easily swayed by Mark's tales about the curse of Harper, but she was willing to listen and give him a chance to prove himself. Her skeptical mind constantly checked my enthusiasm, and together, we hoped to uncover the truth behind yet another paranormal mystery.
"Hello ladies, care to hear about the mysterious town of Raven's Nest?" Mark asked with theatrical enthusiasm.
Lily and I exchanged a knowing glance, trying to stifle our amusement. Despite our attempts to remain composed, a smirk played at the corners of our lips.
"We're all ears," I replied, my tone laced with a hint of sarcasm.
He sighed, almost as if he was disappointed that we said yes. Taking a deep breath, he seemed to steel himself for the task ahead. "Well, you see," he began, his voice tinged with uncertainty, "in the early twentieth century, a man named Harper Franstein exploited many men and children in the coal mines. By the mid-1920s, he had established his own settlement in a secluded valley, which he dubbed 'The Raven's Nest.' It was never officially recognized as a town, but that's the only name we have to go off of."
I could see the beads of sweat forming on Mark's brow as he struggled to recall every detail. Despite his initial enthusiasm, he now appeared flustered, his confidence waning. Eventually, he resorted to consulting his damp and crumpled notes, a sign of his growing unease.
"Um, anyway, yeah, um," he stuttered, audibly gulping as his nerves got the better of him. Lily couldn't contain her laughter, emitting a snicker that earned us a glare from Mark.
"Hey, just relax," I interjected, trying to diffuse the tension. "We're not here to judge or intimidate you." With a gentle touch on his forearm and a chuckle, I attempted to reassure him, hoping to ease his obvious discomfort.
He paused, sharing a chuckle with me, while Lily struggled to suppress her laughter and eventually excused herself, leaving just Mark and me. Evidently, he felt more at ease with fewer listeners, so he pressed on with his narrative.
"Anyway," he resumed, "Harper held complete control over the town and the mine, and he made sure everyone was acutely aware of that fact. When the disappearances began, he tried to sweep them under the rug, attributing them to anything but his own negligence in mining practices."
"What do you mean by 'negligence in mining practices'?" I interjected, eager to delve deeper into his intriguing tale.
He looked up, clearly pleased by my question. "Yes, exactly," he affirmed. "Harper adhered to a mining technique outlined by Dwight Brunst in the mid to late nineteenth century. This method mandated only one entry and exit point into the mine."
"Wait, so they were forbidden from creating additional exits?" I pressed for clarification.
"Not explicitly," he explained. "The practice advocated for just one entry and exit as it was believed to minimize the risk of cave-ins, at least in theory. However, there were instances where miners, feeling uneasy about this restriction, took matters into their own hands and carved out what they called 'Emergency Exits' for themselves. After about half of the town started going missing, Harper couldn't take criticism about how he responded, but most people say he was losing money quickly and didn't want to live in a world where he was poor. He walked into the mine, never to be seen again, much like the cave's past victims. Visitors report seeing and hearing Harper, trying to get them to leave."
As I stood there, listening to Mark's enthralling narrative, I found myself captivated by the mysterious allure of Raven's Nest. Unable to contain my curiosity, I decided to pose a question.
"So, what does the town look like now?" I inquired, eager to learn more about the present state of this enigmatic place.
Mark's demeanor shifted slightly as he rifled through his notes, a subtle indication that he didn't have a straightforward answer to my query.
"You've never been there?" I asked, my tone softening with genuine curiosity.
He flinched as though my question had struck a nerve. "Shhhhhh... shut up," he demanded, his voice tinged with unease.
Suppressing a chuckle, I leaned in closer and whispered, "Okay, hear me out. My sister Lily and I are investigating paranormal phenomena. Your story about Raven's Nest sounds like the perfect addition to our podcast. What do you say we compensate you for your guidance? Let's say, three hundred bucks?"
He straightened up, contemplating my proposition for a few moments. Without uttering a word, he extended his hand, and I met it halfway with my own, sealing our agreement with a firm handshake.
Our journey to Raven's Nest was no easy feat. Situated a good twenty miles from town and nestled deep within a dense valley. After all of the tight turns, narrow dirt roads, and steep inclines, it took us a grueling two and a half hours to go twenty-something miles, but we finally reached the outskirts of the infamous settlement. As we stood at the edge of the "Nest," anticipation mingled with trepidation, setting the stage for the eerie exploration that lay ahead.
I glanced at my phone; the time read 11:56 pm, signaling the late hour. Sensing the exhaustion weighing heavily, I suggested we catch a few hours of rest in Lily's jeep. Mark, though visibly unsettled, remained silent from the back seat, his arms folded tightly across his chest as he slumped against the window like a sulking child.
Drifting asleep in the passenger seat, I soon found myself ensnared in a nightmare. In my dream, Mark was being dragged away into the darkness, his desperate attempts to claw his way back to safety only resulting in broken fingertips. Despite his struggles, he was powerless against the unseen force pulling him inexorably into the abyss. Suddenly, I was alone, engulfed in utter darkness, my heart pounding with fear as I ran blindly from an unseen terror that seemed to pursue me relentlessly, its malevolent presence palpable but unseen.
I jolted awake, gasping for breath, my heart racing as the remnants of dread lingered in the pit of my stomach. It was morning, and I was struggling to adjust my vision. Lily's frantic but comforting voice broke through the haze of my terror, grounding me in reality. With her comforting embrace, I gradually calmed my racing thoughts, drawing deep, steadying breaths.
As we sat there, enveloped in each other's embrace, Mark approached the driver's side window with an unexpected question, "Alright, what's for breakfast?" His nonchalant tone and casual demeanor were a stark contrast to the harrowing nightmare that had just consumed my thoughts, momentarily dispelling the lingering specter of fear that had haunted my dreams.
Lily and I both look up at him and back at each other as we burst out into laughter.
Amidst our shared laughter, Lily and I exchanged amused glances before turning our attention back to Mark.
"Ha...ha, yeah. No, but seriously, what's for breakfast? Eggs, bacon, toast, at least?" Mark pressed, hoping for a more substantial response.
His earnest inquiry fueled our laughter further, our giggles echoing through the quiet night air. Eventually, we regained our composure and stepped out of the jeep, stretching our limbs after the cramped confines of the vehicle.
Mark awkwardly moves to the side, still waiting for an honest answer. Lily tossed him a granola bar, eliciting a bemused chuckle from him. With a shared understanding, we set off on foot, embarking on the hike into the town.
The path ahead was clear: a single dirt road that wound its way from the abandoned coal mine into the heart of the small settlement. The road, now overgrown and muddy from years of disuse, bore the marks of neglect and isolation. Wary of the treacherous conditions, Lily opted to forgo the risk of getting stuck, steering clear of the decrepit road that likely hadn't seen a traveler in at least half a century.
We parked Lily's jeep at the entrance to both the mine and the town of Raven's Nest, opting to proceed on foot from there. Standing at the mountain's peak, gazing down at the desolate town below, I couldn't help but ponder the history beneath the dilapidated structures. I imagined how this valley must have once been a pristine landscape cherished by the indigenous people who roamed its lush terrain.
"Jesus, this place is more like a shit nest," Mark muttered in disgust, his disdain evident in his tone.
Lily shot me a knowing glance, silently communicating her skepticism toward Mark's assessment of the town.
Deciding to put Mark's knowledge to the test, I casually inquired, "So, what year was this area founded?"
Mark's reaction was almost defensive as if my question had caught him off guard. He hesitated momentarily before fumbling for his note cards in his pocket, a telltale sign that he wasn't as knowledgeable as he let on.
Before he could respond, I interjected with another question, "Mark, how long have you worked at the museum?"
As Mark froze, his gaze locking onto mine like a deer caught in headlights, I watched him closely, waiting for any sign of hesitation or discomfort. My narrowed eyes bore into his, silently urging him to be honest.
Finally, breaking the tense silence, Mark confessed, "Look, this is only my first week. I... I haven't had the greatest time lately, and I really need the extra money. I'm sorry I lied, but I'll help however I can."
I met his gaze unwaveringly, sensing the sincerity in his words. Clearly, he was a man in need of redemption, grappling with his own personal struggles.
"Alright, alright, don't cry too much," I teased lightly, trying to ease the tension. Gesturing towards Lily, who was busy preparing her wireless motion cameras in her backpack, I continued, "Lily and I already figured that was the case. Honestly, we're surprised you agreed to come along."
Mark remained frozen, but the tension seemed to melt away from his expression, replaced by a tentative smile. It was a moment of shared understanding, a silent acknowledgment that he was still welcomed into our expedition despite his initial deception.
"Alright, I have the cams and portable batteries to make sure the cameras and anything we have with power can last," Lily said, her voice brimming with determination.
We began our descent into the town, our hiking boots struggling against the thick, clinging mud produced by the constant light rain and years of disuse. Each step was a battle, the mud threatening to swallow our boots with every move.
After an eternity of trudging through the muck, we finally reached the town's only paved road—the main road. It had taken us only about fifteen minutes to hike down, but navigating the muddy slope had sapped our energy. We paused for a break, taking a few minutes to clean off our boots and catch our breath.
As we rested, I noticed Lily rummaging through her bag with a focused intensity. Curious, I asked, "What are you looking for?"
"I brought five motion-detecting cameras that I want to set up strategically throughout the town," she replied, pulling out one of the cameras. She walked over to the nearest building, a structure that served as a post office, police station, and fire station. She positioned the camera outside the building so it was pointed at the only road leading in and out of the town.
"We need to cover all potential points of interest," she explained, securing the camera in place. "This one will monitor any activity on the main road. We should place the other cameras around key locations like the mine entrance, the town square, and some more intact buildings."
I nodded, appreciating her thoroughness. "Good idea. We need to make sure we capture anything unusual."
Mark, having finally caught his breath, joined us. "Alright, let's get these cameras set up and see what we can find," he said, a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Look," Lily said, turning her tablet screen toward us. She waved her hand in front of the camera she had just placed. The tablet displayed five squares on the interface, each meant to show a feed from one of the cameras. Since Lily had only set up one camera so far, only the bottom right square showed any footage pointed at the road leading out of town. She stopped waving her hand, and the feed went to a blue screen.
"What happened? Did we lose connection?" Mark asked frantically, his eyes wide with concern.
Lily cackled, struggling to contain her amusement. Composing herself, she waved her hand in front of the camera again, and the bottom right square showed her hand waving once more. "It's motion-activated. It's the best way to save on battery life," she explained.
Mark seemed to relax, though he was still catching his breath after the brief panic.
I glanced at my watch, noting the time. "It's 8:30. We're behind schedule. If you want to place the rest of your cameras, we better move now," I said, walking down the street.
Lily immediately got up and followed me, with Mark struggling to keep pace behind us. We reached the market building, and Lily positioned her second camera on the side of the road, pointing up at the market.
It's not much longer before we make it to the Town Hall. I suggest Lily place a camera nearby. She nods and heads into a building across from the Town Hall labeled, "Slaughterhouse: LOCAL ANIMALS ONLY."
As Lily explores the building to find an adequate spot for the camera, I wait for Mark to catch up. While I wait, I can't help but imagine this town in its prime, picturing the streets filled with families who loved each other.
My thoughts are abruptly cut off by a sound echoing in the distance—a roar unlike any I've ever heard. It was a mix of a human screaming in pain, the roar of a lion, and, near the end, the howl of a wolf. The chilling sound sent shivers down my spine.
I jump to my feet and immediately call out, "Lily, you okay?"
There's no response from Lily, but I'm interrupted by Mark finally catching up, panting heavily.
"Holy... shit... did you... hear that?" Mark said frantically between breaths.
"Yeah, we have to find Lily," I say, bolting into the slaughterhouse. I glance back to see Mark bracing himself on the steps of the Town Hall, struggling to keep up.
As I enter the building, the stench of rotting flesh hits me like a wave, causing me to gag. The smell is too fresh to be decades old.
"Lily? Lily, where are you?" I yell, using my shirt to shield my nose from the overwhelming odor.
"Rory, I'm in here!" I hear Lily yell from a room two doors down. I pass the first door, peeking in to ensure I hadn't misheard, but I wish I hadn't looked.
Inside the first room, I catch a glimpse of what appears to be a pile of animal carcasses, their decayed bodies arranged in a grotesque display. The sight is horrifying, the flesh still disturbingly fresh. The bile rises in my throat, but I force myself to focus on finding Lily.
I rush to the room where her voice came from, pushing the door open. Lily is there, setting up the camera, seemingly oblivious to the horror in the adjacent room. Relief floods through me as I see she's safe.
"Lily, did you hear that roar?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Yeah, I heard it," she replies, her eyes wide with concern. "I was just finishing up here. Let's get back to Mark and figure out what that was." She had placed the camera in a window, pointing directly at the Town Hall.
We hurry back outside, where Mark still catches his breath as we meet between the buildings. "We need to stay together from now on," I say firmly, looking at both of them. "Whatever that noise was, it's not something we want to face alone."
"Let's check out the Town Hall!" Mark says excitedly as he slowly clambers through a broken window.
"Did he not just hear what I said?" I mutter under my breath, shaking my head in disbelief.
Lily gives me a shrug, her eyes reflecting a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Guess we're heading into the Town Hall then," she says, adjusting her backpack and walking towards the broken window.
I sigh and follow suit, hoisting myself up and carefully maneuvering through the jagged glass. Inside, the air is musty, filled with the scent of old paper and decaying wood. Dust motes float lazily in the beams of sunlight streaming through the cracked windows.
The main hall is vast and eerily silent, with rows of empty chairs facing a stage draped in tattered curtains. The walls are lined with faded portraits and yellowed maps of the town, remnants of a time when this place was alive and bustling.
Mark is already at the front, examining a large, decrepit desk. "Look at this," he says, his voice echoing in the empty space. "It's like stepping back in time."
I walk over, glancing at the old papers scattered across the desk. Most are mundane—meeting minutes, maintenance logs—but one catches my eye. It's a letter dated June 1925, addressed to Harper Franstein.
"Harper, the disappearances are becoming more frequent. The townsfolk are getting restless, and I fear they may take matters into their own hands if we don't act soon. We need to find out what's causing this before it's too late."
I read the letter aloud, and the room fell silent. "Sounds like things were getting pretty tense," Lily remarks, her voice subdued.
As I'm distracted by the time capsule in front of us, Mark sneaks off.
I'm not sure how long it was before she noticed, but I saw Lily looking around before saying, "Where the hell did Mark go?" breaking me out of my trance.
I look around, turning my head in all directions, and shrug at Lily. I hear shuffling in the second room down the hall, so I slowly walk toward it.
"Mark?" I call out.
Just then, a loud crash reverberates through the building, making it sound like the whole place was about to come down.
We run in and see Mark struggling to keep himself from falling into a giant hole that must've broken under his weight. Trying not to laugh, I glance at Lily. We help him up as he dramatically falls onto his back, wheezing as he catches his breath.
Lily and I can't contain our laughter anymore as we bust out laughing hard. Startled by our sudden outburst, Mark jumps in fear. He looks around, confused for a few seconds, before realizing that we are laughing at him.
"Jesus, thanks, I guess," he says, clearly thankful but annoyed by our reaction.
After we contained ourselves, we headed back outside, exiting through the window Mark entered through. He struggles to climb out, but after Lily gives him a hand, he is safely out of the Town Hall.
"Alright, Ror, where should we put the next camera?" Lily asks me.
I stop to think momentarily, trying to picture the town's layout. "I think the only place left is the neighborhood," I respond confidently. I always talk like that with Lily. Over the years, I've realized she is the only person I can have that much confidence around. With anyone else, I'm worried about saying something stupid or wrong or how they'll view me, but with my sister, everything is easy.
As I look at the replica map of the town in its heyday from the museum, I determine that the neighborhood is to the East. "Okay, looks like we head East past the Library. Let's go." I say, walking away.
It only takes about eight minutes to get to the long strip of road that housed the town's workers. According to the map, there were fifteen houses along this strip of road.
The houses stand eerily silent, their wooden frames weathered and decayed by time. We walk down the road, our footsteps crunching on the gravel and echoing in the stillness. The air feels heavier here like the past is watching us, waiting to reveal its secrets.
"Let's put the last cameras on that house at the end of the road," I suggest, pointing to a house that looks slightly less dilapidated than the others, "another one at the last house on the other side, and the last we can save for a spot you choose."
Lily nods and heads toward the first house, pulling another camera from her backpack. She sets it up on the porch, positioning it to capture the entire street, and does the same in the opposite house. As I stand with Mark breathing hard, still unable to catch his breath since we first got here, I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched. I glance around nervously but see nothing out of the ordinary.
"All set," Lily says, breaking my reverie, "Still no ideas for the last cam?" Lily asks me.
"Like I said, wherever you think it would be best. I feel like we have enough good spots and angles, so go wild with that one," I told her.
She smirked and kept walking next to me. Mark was still struggling behind, but after the town hall mishap, he was trying his best to keep up. I looked at my watch, and it read '12:30 pm'.
"Holy shit, it's already 12:30," I said in amazement, but no one else seemed fazed. It felt like we'd only been here thirty minutes, not almost four hours.
We walked back down the street. Lily and I had been discussing on the walk that she should put the last camera at the town's only stoplight in front of the Library.
As we made our way to it, I could have sworn I was seeing something moving fast past my vision in the corner of my eye. Every time I turned to look, it was gone. I chalked it up to being my imagination until Lily and Mark both experienced the same thing.
"What the fuck was that?" Mark asked as he ducked, bracing for something terrible to happen. Lily and I looked back at him and then at each other as we shrugged. It was after that that I started seeing things, too.
I confided in Lily about the unsettling visions and sounds, and she admitted she had experienced the same phenomena but had kept quiet, fearing Mark would dismiss her as paranoid.
"Well, it's probably just a cat or something," I said, attempting to downplay the situation, but neither seemed convinced.
We continued our trek, and I noticed that the more we walked, the more frequently I caught fleeting glimpses of movement in my peripheral vision. It was beginning to grate on my nerves.
Finally, we reached the light in front of the Library. As Lily mounted the camera, I felt a sense of satisfaction. We were making good progress, and it seemed like a suitable moment to start exploring the town more freely. We decided to split up and cover different sections of the town.
"Wait, we have to go alone? Why can't we stay together like you said?" Mark asked frantically, but Lily and I ignored him as we headed in separate directions. He continued to protest, but we paid him no mind. Eventually, I was either far enough away to not hear him anymore, or he had given up. Either way, I was happy to enjoy the eerie silence of the town.
As I wandered, the stillness of Raven's Nest enveloped me. With its decrepit buildings and overgrown streets, the town exuded an unsettling charm. It was as if I had stepped into a forgotten world, a place frozen in time with secrets waiting to be unearthed. The ambiance reminded me of an amusement park's haunted town section—artificially eerie yet irresistibly intriguing. Despite the creepiness, the mysterious vibe of the town kept me engaged and eager to explore its hidden corners.
I glanced at my watch again, only to find the time glaring back at me: 3:19 pm. It couldn't be right. There was no way it had been that long since I last checked. Panic seized me, and I called out for Lily, my voice tinged with urgency. She appeared beside me in a matter of minutes, her expression mirroring my concern.
"What's up, Ror? You okay?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.
"How long would you say it's been since you put the last camera down?" I inquired, my heart pounding in my chest.
Lily's brow furrowed as she struggled to come up with an answer. "Uh, I don't know, thirty minutes?" she hazarded a guess.
I held up my watch, displaying the time: 3:20 pm. Lily fell silent, her eyes widening in disbelief. She was never great with time, but missing almost three hours of our memory was unprecedented.
"There's no way. Your watch must be—" Lily began, her voice trailing off as she checked her own watch, only to freeze in shock when she found it displayed the same time as mine.
"Lil, something is going on," I stated, my voice tight and apprehensive. I glanced up at the sky, my stomach churning as I noticed the clouds darkening and rolling in from all sides of the valley.
The sky closed rapidly, ominous clouds obscuring the sun as thunder rumbled ominously against the mountains.
"Mark? Mark, where are—" I began to call out, but before I could finish, Mark emerged from behind a wall, appearing as if he'd been too frightened to venture far on his own.
"We have to get inside!" Mark exclaimed urgently, his voice tinged with fear.

I'm having a bit of a problem with this and hope to find some help here. I would want a very simple save and load screen with just the save slots listed as text buttons on a screen. Once the player uses a slot they could change the name and the time and the date would show under the save slot title. I found this to more difficult than I would have expected, since I don't really understand how renpy treats save files. If anyone more knowledgeable could help out I'd be really thankful!
This was my uninformed attempt:

default save_slot1 = "Save Slot 1" default save_slot2 = "Save Slot 2" #and so one and so forth screen my_file_slots(title): vbox: xmaximum 1000 xpos 0.21 ypos 0.15 xanchor 0 yanchor 0 textbutton _("[save_slot1]") action Jump("slot2") textbutton _("[save_slot2]") action Jump("slot2") #and so on and so forth label slot1: if save_slot1 == "Save Slot 1": $ save_slot1_name = renpy.input ("New save") if save_slot1_name == "": $ save_slot1 = "Save 1" $ save_slot1 = "[save_slot1_name]{#file_time}%A, %B %d %Y, %H:%M" #I'm not sure what those mean exactly #also I'm not sure how to show the time and date under the name?? action FileAction(slot) #yeah idk what the slot in question is else: call screen delete_save 

I bought two then cancelled to one but the seller still shipped me two.
One is dated circa 2012 on the label and I believe the other one is circa 2018? At least that's what the small numbers on it says.
The one that is old has a HIBOX name on it. The one from 2018 has no markings at all.
Would it be worth to install the HIBOX one or the more recently made one from 2018.
Just installing something that is the same age as my laptop seems pretty dumb unless it is definitely louder and better sounding.
Google didn't really help with the HIBOX marking on the old set of speakers.
I plan to open up my T420 for FHD 1080p IPS screen upgrade and heat sink+fan, dust the fan, and repaste the thermal paste. Also switch out the speakers while I have access to it.
Thank you

One thing about having over 40 different Sapient species in a community, all of whom evolved in different situations, was that rarely would any two species wake up the same way. A mostly carnivorous species who'd evolved at the top of their food chain could sleep through damn near anything, as they never needed to worry too much about something killing them in their sleep. A herd animal would wake up at the slightest sound, requiring either near soundproof rooms or the presence of a sort of "Cuddle Puddle" in their bedroom to make them feel safe (Preferably with no large, 6 legged Deathworld predator in the middle of it). An omnivore who'd evolved somewhere in the middle could sleep pretty lightly, but might very well not be woken up by, say, their insectoid lover getting out of bed after the electric shock their communicator used to wake them, going to grab their (Now CLEARLY labeled) thermos from the fridge, and heading out the door to start their day.
Hence why a light alert was sounding throughout the station, warning any gardenworlders that a human was currently dashing through the area, large groups quickly moving to the sides or floating up into the air to make way for the wheezing, slightly out of shape young man who was thudding across the slightly reinforced metal floors towards the docking area, swarms of little metal balls rolling over to repair the dents in the floor, their encased feelers twitching slightly in a way anyone who'd known one of them would know to mean annoyed grumbles and some VERY harsh language unbecoming of the still adorable, marble to kiwi sized walking hazards.

"Dammit, she's probably still holding a grudge about me calling her a spider last month. Could have at LEAST poked me before she headed out." Ben mumbled, checking his communicator yet again as a dodged past yet another security checkpoint before the canine security officer could say what Ben KNEW they would say if given half the chance. He cursed as he got yet another communication from Syl, letting him know just how messy toilets designed to accommodate multiple species could get, even when partially self cleaning. Eventually, he made his way to the line in front of a particularly large, blocky black ship, crew and payload alike being loaded into the singular massive metal cargo door, currently being guarded by one of the ever present Kabosu security detail and a particularly large, well shined Korwagian who, after catching his eye, pointed him out to their canine companion and headed back into the ship. With a renewed sense of dread, Ben made his way slowly through the line, until he finally heard the words he KNEW he'd hear some variation of eventually, like EVERY time one of the furballs met a new one of his kind. "Such Greetings! Very Security! Much Help! Wow!", the canine barked, the trademark,adorable sidegrin somewhat lessening the blow as he patted the shorter, dense human on the shoulder. "Over half a century and you guys STILL insist on that meme as a greeting? She wasn't some big hero of our species, she was a very good dog people on our intern.....datanet loved at the time!" he grumbled, shaking the canines paw anyway and smiling at him after a bit. "And yet your species made the date of her death a human holiday decades later! Besides, some of us are still a bit sore you didn't do anything to stop us from changing the name of our entire race! Names Belber, by the way. Cap is expecting you in her office as soon as you board, wants your help smoothing over an issue with the Feltans." the Good Boy growled, Ben looking a bit confused before he recognized the official name of the Dust Bunnies. "Course she is. Names Ben, promise me no more doggo memes and we'll get along fine."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Decided a lot of the chapters might be short till I actually get into the habit of actually writing as a hobby, also decided to actually cement one of the ideas I had for one of the races, RIP Kabosu.

I'm confused. I would like to put some money into green ETFs. I know they can be expensive, so I was looking at some that have a low expense ration. There's this Motley Fool article that names a few (https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/best-esg-funds), but when I delve into them, I don't see what so green about them? For example, VOTE, which is top of their "cheapo" list, has equities like Exxon and large pharmaceutical and tech companies. What's so green about that? Is the ESG label just total BS?

Share your Lather Games shave of the day!

Today's Theme: Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

Product must be marketed as a Barbershop scent. Products traditionally associated with real-world barbershops that are not explicitly marketed as a barbershop scent may be considered if you make a compelling case supported with trustworthy sources.

Today's Challenge: Surprise Quiz!

Complete the Lather Games Scent Quiz and report your score in your SOTD post.

Sponsor Spotlight

Summer Break Soaps
Summer Break Soaps is a husband (Kyle) and wife (April) team. They ended up as soap makers after deciding that soap making would be a fun hobby that they could get into together. Kyle had discovered the world of wet shaving and had become fascinated with collecting razors, brushes, soaps, and aftershaves. April on the other hand was becoming increasingly interested in cosmetics. Soap making seemed like a great middle point and would be something they could do together. They quickly became addicted to experimenting with different formulations to achieve different results. We also quickly built up enough of a soap supply to last us until the end of time. The result of all of their experimenting was some awesome products that they decided they wanted to share with other people.
When they are not making soap, April and Kyle both work in the world of education. April is an elementary school teacher, while Kyle works with special education students at the secondary level. They are both passionate about education and helping children to reach their full potential. This is how they ended up with the name Summer Break Soaps. You will see the theme of education run through all of their current and future products. In addition to education as an inspiration, you will also likely see future products that are partially inspired by the fact that Kyle grew up on a farm.

Tomorrow's Theme: Happy Together

Product was produced in collaboration with two artisans, both of whom have their brand or name prominently featured on the front label. Collaborations that do not follow this labeling convention are not eligible for this point. Note: for the purposes of counting soap brands and soap vendor bonus points, the soapmaker behind the collaborative product will be counted rather than the fragrance maker. Caveat: white-label products (where one brand pays another to do some work behind the scenes, such as Shawn Maher's commissioned-rather-than-collaborated scents for Spearhead soaps or TTFFC producing soap for Maggard Razors) do not qualify for this theme.

Tomorrow's Challenge: Song Day

Recomend a song to go with your shave of the day.... tell us why did you pick that song. Post a YouTube link, if available.

🥒Most all the states require that you get a business license to operate any type of business, including a food business. For example, you need a permit to sell food from home in Arizona and New York. Even if your state doesn't require that you get a business license, your county or your city may require one and you better watch yourself because at this point you are now in the health hazard zone. In order fo sell your DING DANG NASTY ASS PICKLES correctly you would have to do alot more than just set in bed all day. 🥒
📍 Business license!! Most US states require that you get a business license to operate any type of business, including a FOOD business. For example, you need a permit to sell food from home in Arizona and New York. Even if your state doesn't require that you get a business license, your county or your city may require one.
📍 Sales privilege license!! AKA sales tax license. Most states require this license from businesses that sell retail goods and, thus, must collect sales tax. Most food items are exempt from state sales tax. However, many states still require that you obtain the license. THAT INCLUDES EVEM THE ONE'S YOU RECENTLY SAID YOU WERE SENSONG OFF AND NAMED ALL THE PEOPLE ON YOUR LIVE STREAM!
📍 Food handler's license!! This is an individual license, not a business license and each person who handles food in your business must pass a test about food safety and proper handling INCLUDING YOU TABITHA.
📍 Some type of kitchen inspection!! Every state requires that the kitchen where you make your (cottage food items) which in YOUR CASE TABITHA would be those unfinished pickles be inspected. However, every state goes about it somewhat differently. Common themes include no pets allowed in the kitchen area, adequate refrigeration and acceptable counter and flooring materials (e.g. no butcher block counters or carpeted floors).
📍 Zoning permit!! In many areas, you'll also need a variance or a permit from the local zoning board to operate a business from your home. No matter how big or small it is. Your homeowner's or condo association may also have an issue with your cottage food business. It's best to get approval from them before you start cooking.
📍 Food labeling! In addition to all of that, you'll need to create labels for each of your food products and it's contents that follow your state and city rules.
📍 Also I'll add one last detail for Tabitha: Each state has different laws about how food can be SHIPPED. But most importantly you have to have a STANDARD SHIPPING LICENSE for the states you’re doing business in to be able to ship any food. That means your pickles too.
🥒 This is for human consumption and it is not taken lightly due to people's HEALTH. We know you have none of that I have listed above. Therefore what you are doing IS NOT OKAY. Just like every other illegal ass way you have tried to get money off of people like raffling that you called entries for a drawing which is the sake damn thing as a raffle, and them also your THEFT BY DECEPTION. 🥒
🤬You are trying to hide your gift and fabricated life story under all these ideas and clearly it's not gonna work for you. Just admit you been lying all this time, get off your ass, and get a damn job. You haven't been in a burnout and you know how to do adult stuff just fine. Stop stealing other people's life stories and making it yours, and stop trying to use God as a way to target the good Christian folk when you are far from godly. I know SEVERAL adults that were late diagnosed and not a SINGLE ONE OF THEM ACTS LIKE YOU when it comes to how you use and talk about this autism diagnosis you can never prove. Hell those same real adults with some sort of autism diagnosis have some of the best work ethics I have ever seen. So I hope you know the entire internet talks about you and wants to cancel the shit out of you because.... WE ALL SEE YOU FOR WHAT YOU ARE TABITHA! YOUR A PREDATOR PREYING ON THE GOOD HEARTED PEOPLE FOR MONEY, AND A LYING PIECE OF SHIT. YOU WILL SAY AND TRY ANYTHING TO KEEP THIS LONG TERM VACATION OF YOURS GOING!! 🤬
😬And you know what's even more pathetically obvious about you? Thousands of people have watched you on the internet FOR YEARS collect money from others, while saying the same looped and regurgitate story for sympathy, and you have LITERALLY NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT! YOU HAVEN'T DONE NOT A SINGLE THING TO BETTER YOURSELF OR YOUR SITUATION and we are all seeing it! This is why your time is about up and YOU know it too. 👏🏽
SINCERLY - 💋Kiss my ass! I can't wait to see this all come to an end and crash and burn!🔥

By Eric London
On Monday, June 3, the Ukrainian government banned the World Socialist Web Site across the country, issuing an order commanding all internet service providers to block access to the WSWS indefinitely.
The order was issued by the Ukrainian State Special Communications Service (SSSCIP), a wing of the country’s military-intelligence apparatus. It instructs “providers of electronic communication networks and/or services to implement access restriction (block access) on own recursive DNS servers to domain name (as well as its subdomains) wsws.org.”
The order has no end date and will last “until the termination or abolition of martial law in Ukraine.” The SSSCIP claims the ban is justified under President Volodymyr Zelensky’s February 24, 2022 declaration of martial law, which suspended democratic rights across the country.
The order banning access to the World Socialist Web Site exposes as lies all claims that the US-led war in Ukraine is being waged in the name of “democracy.” Yesterday, US President Joe Biden spoke at a commemoration of D-Day in Normandy and presented the war as “a struggle between dictatorship and freedom.” The reality is Ukraine is a dictatorship where the government is politically dependent on fascists who idolize the Holocaust. The government brutally persecutes opponents of its war and blatantly suppresses free speech.
The decision to ban the WSWS is a response to the outpouring of support within Ukraine and internationally for Bogdan Syrotiuk, a 25-year-old socialist internationalist who was arrested by the Zelensky regime on April 25 on trumped up charges of “high treason” for writing articles for the WSWS, which SBU prosecutors (Ukraine’s domestic intelligence agency) deceitfully claim is “Russian propaganda.” Syrotiuk and the organization to which he belongs, the Young Guard of Bolshevik-Leninists (YGBL), are Trotskyists and irreconcilable opponents of the US-NATO war against Russia as well as the capitalist government of Vladimir Putin.
There is compelling evidence that the Ukrainian government’s decision to ban the WSWS was made in consultation with the Biden administration.
The Ukrainian State Special Communications Service—the institution from which the order to ban the WSWS derived—is a long-term partner of the United States government. In July 2022, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA, a component of the Department of Homeland Security) signed an agreement with SSSCIP “to strengthen collaboration on shared cybersecurity priorities,” which “expands upon CISA’s existing relationship with the government of Ukraine.”
CISA Director Jen Easterly said the agreement “allowed us to really focus on how do we effectively share information, best practices, exercise together, train together, figure out how to hunt for adversary activity.”
In documents outlining the bogus charges against Syrotiuk, the Ukrainian government references an “investigation” of the WSWS conducted by the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD), a wing of the Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. According to the prosecuting documents, the CCD conducted an “analysis of publications posted on the wsws.org resource … according to which the essence of the damage caused by [Syrotiuk] to the information security of Ukraine was established.”
There is not a shred of evidence to support the claim that Syrotiuk or the WSWS are supporters of the Russian government. On the contrary, the prosecuting documents rely entirely on articles by Syrotiuk and the WSWS denouncing the US-NATO war, exposing the role of fascists in the Ukrainian government, warning of the danger of nuclear escalation and calling for the unity of the Russian and Ukrainian working class against both governments. Included among the “evidence” cited by the Ukrainian authorities as proof of Syrotiuk’s guilt is literature found in his apartment authored by Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky and WSWS International Editorial Board Chairperson David North.
The Center for Countering Disinformation also has the closest ties to American and British imperialism. According to an October 2022 article by Global Risk Insights:

Notably, the Pentagon’s Central Command issued a report earlier this year referring to upcoming efforts by the US Agency for Global Media to conduct “market research and national surveys” and determine the power of “disinformation” in Ukraine and internationally. According to the Pentagon, “the projects’ research methods include focus groups, media monitoring panels, and national surveys” to “examine the impact” of anti-war sentiments in Ukraine, which they label as the product of “disinformation.”
This research was conducted from “March to May 2024,” the period including Syrotiuk’s arrest and immediately leading up to the decision to ban the WSWS. This period has seen a substantial growth of opposition to the war against Russia within Ukraine, which authorities fear is coinciding with a growth in the readership of the WSWS and growing awareness of and opposition to the prosecution of Syrotiuk.
In an April 30 statement issued following Syrotiuk’s arrest, WSWS International Editorial Board Chairman David North explained:

Efforts by the Ukrainian government to portray Syrotiuk and the WSWS as pro-Putin “are politically preposterous,” North wrote.

The campaign to free Syrotiuk has garnered widespread international attention, and the International Committee has established a defense committee to coordinate the global campaign demanding his freedom. A video published on TwitteX by North has been viewed well over 150,000 times, and thousands of people from across the world have signed the petition demanding Syrotiuk’s release. Prominent artists, political groups, journalists and public figures have called on the Ukrainian government to liberate Syrotiuk and drop all charges against him.
The WSWS urges all readers to sign and circulate the petition demanding Syrotiuk’s liberation (at wsws.org/freebogdan), to contact the WSWS and become active in the campaign to oppose the widening assault on freedom of speech, and to issue statements condemning the prosecution and the decision to ban the WSWS.

I've read a lot of info regarding mods (leads and reviewers) here, and I understand the general consensus that nothing can be done about bad mods. I just want to post about this weirdness.
So I just joined ND and it was going good for the first few days. I mean, if I saw a post I didn't particularly care for, I scrolled on like logical people do. I try to help when I can, like sharing lost pet posts and answering questions if I have experience in the situation. Just mundane, "I'm procrastinating so I don't have to clean my house" kind of stuff.
I came across this elderly woman's post asking why someone in another state was allowed to post on "our" NextDoor. I very politely explained to her that if she has her settings to view all posts on NextDoor instead of just her neighborhood, she would see anyone from any state. I explained that NextDoor is available to all states.
At the time, I was the only person who commented. She never replied. Another person commented agreeing with her and she replied to him sharing rage and fury over it.
I just rolled my eyes and moved on. She evidently just wanted attention.
Later during the day, I log on to see she posted another post about the same issue, demanding to know why people in other states were allowed to post in our neighborhood.
Again, two people replied to her agreeing. (I swear, these people have no idea how to use this site and they've been on it longer than me!) I replied and asked her if she just didn't see my other comment and explained AGAIN the situation. I replied to the other two, as well. I was ignored. She responded to a new comment complaining again.
Okay, at this point, I was absolutely intrigued by what game she was playing, so of course, I played along.
I commented again to ask why she was ignoring my help and continued to say she doesn't understand after I showed her - with screenshots of the settings menu. She finally replied and asked me why it bothers me and to leave her alone.
Two minutes later, she responded to another person who copied MY comment word-for-word. She thanked that person!
Oh, but that isn't where it ends.
After she thanked the person who copied my comment (she reported my comment, by the way, and the review team removed it - more later), she started another new post whining about people in other states ...etc ... She received a reply almost immediately. This was another elderly lady who asked if we could somehow block people from other states and if NextDoor was safe to use since anyone could see our posts.
I responded to this lady with the same help I had been giving the other one. This lady was very grateful. First woman did not like this and she started attacking me, telling me to mind my own business.
Okay, weirdness aside, it became comical at this point. I replied to her just to ask why she wasn't taking my advice. She reported that and my comment was removed.
I then noticed a new person who is labeled as a Reviewer stalking me on the site. Every time I left a comment somewhere, she was replying nasty things to me. Nothing I said was offensive, but a look through her history told me she is high-strung, always leaving rude and disrespectful replies to people, and she's friends with the crazy attention-seeking lady.
I reported this reviewer's activity because it was really over-the-top. The type who calls anyone racist (even though she's a white woman), throws slurs of several kinds around (like geezer, brat, freak, devil worshipper, entitled pr_ck to name a few), and is all around nasty to everyone. She consistently posts political rants, as well, even on posts that have nothing to do with politics. She just likes to spam politics.
Her comments are never removed. Interestingly enough, after I and others report those comments of hers, WE find our comments are removed or "under review."
I have no problem admitting if I'm snarky and go too far at times, although this is mostly on Twitter, not ND. I can absolutely honestly say I have never done this on ND. Others who are experiencing this are the quiet types who don't usually even post on ND.
Also, no, I don't know any of these people off-line. Until I joined ND, I never spoke to anyone in our neighborhood or surrounding neighborhoods. I have social anxiety and am not very vocal off-line. I'll smile and wave to be polite but please don't come over to talk to me!
I have now become the target of a Lead, who behaves very similarly to the Reviewer but not as bold and rude. She just follows me around and replies with argumentative comments like she's trying to get me into a fight that will get me removed from the site.
So now we know there is at least one Reviewer and a Lead who have friends on the site who they will protect by using their mod status to harass others.
I did report both directly to NextDoor (on the app, you can report mods for abusing their status, and on the ND support, it says these reports are not reviewed by anyone local to our neighborhood). I don't know what will come of it, but it's all annoying and humorous. I mean, get a job or a life or a new personality. It's NextDoor, not the Purge.

Who in the hell has the time to sitdown and play 'let's peel off the sticky letter sheets' for these name tags!!!?? Unfreakin believable some of the shit this company won't pay for..... A simple $15 label maker...

I just took over as SM at DG.... I'm I supposed to hand write my employee names in Sharpie on their name badges? I've searched the office and backroom over and can't find a label maker machine! Also, when I ordered names badges from the Supply List, I assumed that that stack of badges would come with the cheap plastic clips, NOT SO! What's the deal.........

/** Title: Raspberry Pi Pico Touch Macro Keyboard Demo Author: Dustin Watts Date: 17-05-2021 A simple 4 by 3 matrix of buttons. To show you how to create a custom marco keyboard. Each button can have it's own function. The button presses are handled in buttonpress(). Using Earle Philhower's 'arduino-pico': https://github.com/earlephilhowearduino-pico . This core comes with LittleFS and a Keyboard library. Make sure to flash your Pico with at least 64KB for the filesystem! This example is based on the examples that come with the TFT_eSPI library. Which includes the Adafruit GFX button handling class. These libraries need to be installed: - TFT_eSPI (available through the Library Manager) Can you type as fast as this? ! Don't forget to configure User_Setup.h in the TFT_eSPI library! TFT_MISO 0 TFT_MOSI 3 TFT_SCLK 2 TFT_CS 20 TFT_DC 22 TFT_RST 21 TOUCH_CS 14 */ #include  #include  #include  #include  #include  // Name of the Touch calibration file #define CALIBRATION_FILE "/TouchCalData2" // Define our filesystem #define FILESYSTEM LittleFS // Set to tru if you want the calibration to run on each boot #define REPEAT_CAL false // Keypad start position, key sizes and spacing #define KEY_W 95 // Key width #define KEY_H 95 // Key height #define KEY_SPACING_X 20 // X gap #define KEY_SPACING_Y 10 // Y gap #define KEY_X (KEY_W/2) + KEY_SPACING_X // X-axis centre of the first key #define KEY_Y (KEY_H/2) + KEY_SPACING_Y // Y-axis centre of the first key #define KEY_TEXTSIZE 3 // Font size multiplier // Choose the font you are using #define LABEL1_FONT &FreeSansOblique12pt7b // Key label font // Adding a delay between keypressing to give our OS time to respond uint8_t keydelay = 100; // Create the screen object TFT_eSPI tft = TFT_eSPI(); // Creating the labels for the buttons // [][ #include  #include  #include  #include  // Name of the Touch calibration file #define CALIBRATION_FILE "/TouchCalData2" // Define our filesystem #define FILESYSTEM LittleFS // Set to tru if you want the calibration to run on each boot #define REPEAT_CAL false // Keypad start position, key sizes and spacing #define KEY_W 95 // Key width #define KEY_H 95 // Key height #define KEY_SPACING_X 20 // X gap #define KEY_SPACING_Y 10 // Y gap #define KEY_X (KEY_W/2) + KEY_SPACING_X // X-axis centre of the first key #define KEY_Y (KEY_H/2) + KEY_SPACING_Y // Y-axis centre of the first key #define KEY_TEXTSIZE 3 // Font size multiplier // Choose the font you are using #define LABEL1_FONT &FreeSansOblique12pt7b // Key label font // Adding a delay between keypressing to give our OS time to respond uint8_t keydelay = 100; // Create the screen object TFT_eSPI tft = TFT_eSPI(); // Creating the labels for the buttons // [][ 

I recently acquired a Legend MM LED bracelet that was handed out at the concert in Japan. Figured I'd take a shot at hacking it to make it light up or even wear it to one of their upcoming concerts (if I could get it to light up). I have a question for anyone actually at the show, did they make the bracelets light up in designs or waves or colors? Or did they all light up at once? Admittedly I haven't seen the entire show footage yet so someone will have to tell me the effects. I took it apart tonight and below is what I discovered.
First a disclaimer - hope this post doesn't get taken down, I'm not sure this violates any community guidelines but my posts seem to get taken down a lot. Second if people are interested in this type of stuff I can make a second post with pictures.
So the bracelet is fairly straight forward but doesn't contain any markings from who manaufactured it. It runs on two LR44 mini batteries that are always on till they finally run out of power. It looks like there is a slot for a slip of paper to cover the back contact of the battery which I'm sure they pulled out to activate them as they handed them out.
It's held together by 4 mini Phillips head screws. The only marking on the circuit board is DS2327 v3 - 2024.1.15 / so it's version 3 and made on Jan 15th but the "DS2327" is a mystery. No mfg name on either side. On the board is an infrared receiver module that is mounted in a cutout hole in the center, presumably due to its size with the only marking visible being 333 on the back. Tried to look this up and think I came close with Vishay TSOP 333 IR receiver module (it looks like that w/ 3 solder leads) but I'll need to remove it to see the sides so I can really tell what frequency it operates at. Looking at the spec sheets from Vishay the info I need is printed on the sides and it is mounted in a pass-thru hole cut in the center so you can't see the sides. Done on purpose? Maybe. Pretty smart because the markings will tell you it's operating freq.
The Vishay TSOP 333xx (xx being the frequency) are designed to operate for short burts in a noisy environment. They range from 30KHz to 56KHz on the receiving signal. I watched some videos on LED crowd bracelets and this type has a IR beam that is directed at the crowd to activate specific bracelets where it is pointed. So it can be used for specific patterns or to spell things - so thats why I'd like to know what the effect was.
It has 3 large surface LEDs on top and 3 three-lead LEDs soldered to each side. I haven't applied voltage to them yet to see what colors they are, but the board is marked with RGB test pads, along with 3.3VDC and ground points. I have a feeling due to the grouping of three, they are red, blue and green - which can make almost any color combination.
The board is made up of a lot of surface mount resisters and capacitors, plus a handful of what I think are transistors or power gates. It's a multi-layered board so there are no surface traces visible, but you can see the outline of the circuit paths just beneath the surface. There is only one integrated circuit (IC) on the entire board - and I kind of figured the IC would give away what it was. Kind of...
The IC labeled as U1 appears to be a timing chip that holds a preprogrammed instruction set. Mfg by HDSC it's marked with F005C6UA on the surface. I found a pic of the exact chip after a little searching and it's an ARM Cortex-M0+ processor running at 32MHz. It turned out to be a programable Memory IC EEPROM HC32F005C6UA - it holds a preprogrammed routine (maybe?). There are a lot of leads labelled as timing circuits out and in. Keil.arm.com has a tool called the MDK v6 that I could probably use to pull out the ICs instruction set...again maybe.
I'm only a hobbiest with electronics but I did work in the industry for several years back in 1997 to 2003. There is no way I am going to be able to create an IR signal that activates the chip and accesses the IC controller to send a timed instruction set to each bank of LEDs. But it would be fun to figure out if I wanted to dive deeper. The best I can do with this device is solder some jumpers from the battery +/- points, insert a micro-switch to control power, and then jumper the LED contacts so they just light up when I flip the micro-switch. That would be fun.
The band is flimsy clear rubber with "MM" cut out on each side, if I try to wear it on my wrist I stretch out the band and risk breaking the MM part and ruining it as a collector item. However if I wanted to wear it I could replace the band with a cloth Velcro style since the band is held in by the clamping force between the two halves of the bracelet body. I'm going to order some LR44 watch batteries and find out more. Any questions or comments just ask. If you want to know more I can make a 2nd post with pics. Also if you recognize any of the stuff I mentioned above and you know who made these bracelets and how I can dig deeper please comment below.

Our little family had an excursion today to get our girlie some new summer clothes. She's grown about 2 inches recently and so her clothes needed an update. I have found this same problem at many stores, but these was the most dramatic difference I've seen.
Kohl's kid's sizes. Girls t-shirts. The same happens in all their clothes sizings, but this was one of the things we were looking at. She's typically a size 12 in shirts (tall torso, lots of muscle) and that's usually labeled as a L. At this store, you'll find that's on the line of grouping (10-12 or 12-14). One shirt fit fine except was slightly too short, so we went up a size. So, size 12-14. For Kohl's, that's an XL in girls. In the boys shirt, same brand and style (different graphic), that's a S (10-12) and it was even slightly big.
This has been a problem since toddler sizes. It starts so young and it breaks my heart while also making me mad. The clothing industry contributes so heavily to body image issues, particularly in female clothing. We know they do, but this?! These are young children and that difference is INSANE!
Speaking of, we have started to make sure that we don't mention what the size name or number is to our daughter. We have also started watching our wording in regards to outgrowing clothes. I've learned this from some professionals in child development and family studies. Instead of "You're too big for that now." or "That's too small for you." or "That's too tight for you.", we say, "Is that comfortable?", "How does that feel on your body?", "Does that feel like it fits your body well?", even, "You've gotten taller! Looks like we need to go shopping." Nothing is wrong when your body, the problem is the clothes.
This is not the wording I'm used to hearing or saying to myself. It is a conscious effort to remember to say it this way. However, since we started, her view of her body and how she talks about it is changing. She is showing off her muscles (flexing, "Look how strong I am!"), dancing more, walking more confidently, mentioning what her body can do, etc.
My daughter isn't dumb. She can see what the clothing size says. She has asked us before, "Am I fat?". We had never said that, of course, but she was looking at the different sizes of clothes and how so many clothes are made for smaller body frames. Those that are made for the average body frame, are labeled as "husky" or "plus", while the others aren't even labeled as "normal" fit, but as "thin". These messages are damaging, no matter the age of the person or their clothing size. Adult and child clothing sizes have this damaging messaging. Can we please change that?
I'm thinking of starting a petition. Gonna do my research. European sizing (cm) or even the common US men's sizing of inches would be so much better! There are many benefits to this ideal change, however my focus is on mental health.
I found a small petition started a while ago, please sign it!
Thank you for reading my rant.

I got away from my ex husband nearly 20 years ago. The abuse was obvious and undeniable and I left when I realized my life was on the line. It was hard, but there was no confusion about what was happening and what I had to do.
I found myself again, made leaps and bounds in life, up leveled and found joy, spirituality, hobbies and passions. Life has been good!
I've been in a relationship for 3 years that has been very confusing. I can't even explain what is happening but every few months my bf will flip out and berate me, demean me, put me down, and call me names. We come back together and there's love, laughter, affection, then BAM something else will make him furious at me.
He gets very angry over things that I don't really understand.
This most recent situation was when I needed help because my car broke down so I was getting it taken care of but I was a bit emotional and wanted a shoulder to cry on, I guess. I was feeling sorry for myself tbh. He flipped. Called me names, cursed me out, told me I need to grow up, attacked my vulnerabilities. Then hung up on me. He's done things like this a few times now.
Now he's avoiding me and I haven't heard from him in two weeks. He tried calling me yesterday and I missed his call, so I messaged him and he's left it on "read".
So he's playing with me? Ghosting me? We've been together 3 years so it's just heartbreaking and confusing.
Does this sound like emotional abuse?
Maybe it doesn't matter to label it. I guess it would help me to not try to get back together with him if I knew it was a cycle of abuse I'm trapped in. Maybe he's ghosted me and it won't matter. I feel pretty sad about it.

I’m DESPERATE for help. I’ve posted to both the UK MH sub and the DV sub - and both have simply removed my posts. This is very long, very rambling, very surreal, and contains mentions of r*pe, so please be aware if you’ll find that triggering.
Both my parents are narcissists, but this concerns my mother (though I have no relationship with my father, either). My MINO (mother in name only) has sabotaged my life at every turn, whatever I’ve tried to do she’s destroyed. It didn’t help that I didn’t attend a conventional school (it had nuns - of the Irish Catholic ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ variety). She absolutely HATED me me being good at anything; I could read and write before I started in reception - but the head put the idea into her head that I was dyslexic (she hated me for some reason, she called me ‘satanic’ and ‘the devil’s daughter’). I finished the school reading scheme, such as it was, before I’d been in Reception a half-term, my classmates always used to ask me how to spell words, etc., basically I found pre-prep incredibly boring, because I was so far ahead of my peers (that sounds really arrogant and conceited, doesn’t it…?), so I used to take myself off and do my own thing. MINO arranged for me to have extra lessons in literacy which, obviously, I never went to (because I didn’t need them). They were taught by Sister Mary Candida, who taught nursery (and once LOCKED me in a cupboard).
So determined was I to get out of her stupid lessons that I came up with a plan; I had a book I was reading at home (I forget what it was now, but that’s not really relevant). It had my name and an address label inside the front cover and I thought that, if I took it to school and showed it to her, she would demand I read to her from it and that would be that. Of course that didn’t happen.
So I took my book into school and I showed it to her. The resulting conversation went something like this:
SMC: “Did you find that…? Give it to me and I’ll find out who it belongs to:
Me: “No, Sister, it’s mine. I’m reading it at home”
SMC: “Don’t be silly, that’s a grown-up book” (it wasn’t really, but far more advanced than what your average 5-year-old would be reading) Me: “I’m not being silly, it’s my book - look it has my name in it”
She obviously decided that I’d written my name in someone else’s book, because she whacked my hands with her ruler (standard nun-issue weapon) and I was forced to write ‘little girls who tell lies will burn in hell’ 1,000 times (yes, really)
She gave the book to Sister Kevin (head) who called my mother; MINO denied ever seeing me with the book (she LIED to a nun). MINO then arranged for me to have lessons with s SaLT from the Dyslexia Institute - they obviously ‘loved’ me because they were spending all this extra money on me.
Again, I went twice and then stopped turning up. I took my book and went and hid behind the pre-prep where I thought nobody would find me. The deputy head did (she wasn’t a nun, but she might as well have been). My mother was obviously called into school again.
That night, they removed all the furniture from my room - including the carpet tiles (under which there was concrete) and as punishment for wasting their money, I was forced to sleep on the bare floor (if you were to ask MINO about this, she would deny it ever happened). I used to write a kind of diary/journal - she found it, and I was forced to watch as she ripped out the pages and BURNT them.
I spent my entire childhood being dragged round child shrinks - she even considered having me enrolled in a residential school.
I wanted to die aged 5. I tried to kill myself aged 6.
She sent me to Sunday school (they rarely attended church) where I was r*ped by the curate. I do remember one incident where she literally frogmarched me up to the altar to get her some flowers one Mothering Sunday. I also remember her taking me to WHSmith’s and choosing a mother’s day card, making me pay for it out of my pocket money, then dictating to me what I should write in it when we got home.
I left school at 16 with no GCSEs I desperately tried to leave, but my parents live in a small town with not much in the way of public transport (and, obviously, I had very little money).
She has ensured that I’m completely dysfunctional.
Because I was so desperate to get away, I made the mistake which has led to the situation I now find myself in. I moved in with someone I met on a forum; he seemed charming enough - but what really attracted me to him was the fact that he lived at the other end of the country. In his forum bio he said he was a “former alcoholic” and divorced. If I’d had my wits about me and wasn’t so desperate to get away from my PINO (parents in name only) that should’ve been a massive red flag but, obviously, I wasn’t thinking straight.
He lived in the middle of the arse-end of nowhere in County Durham (and I mean that, where he lived was just a row of houses surrounded by fields). It was okay for a while, then he became controlling. Then violent. Obviously the “former alcoholic” was a lie - he was drinking at least a bottle of gin a night. I wasn’t allowed to use the computer, unless he was there to supervise. He took my phone and chucked it over the wall into the adjacent field where it was promptly trampled to bits by cows. He worked for BT as an engineer, so it was trivially easy for him to bug the landline (he used to explain the delay in call connection by the fact we were so remote). He r*ped me. More than once. He controlled what I ate - and when. He changed the locks on the front and back doors, and refused to give me the keys. He forced me to pay my benefits into a joint account. I wasn’t allowed to leave the house unless he was with me.
I attempted to escape; he’d made the mistake of giving me a credit card and I thought that, if I could just get a bus into Darlington I’d be able to get a train - and I’d be free (of course I had no fucking idea where I was going to go). He got absolutely shit-faced one evening and passed out on the sofa. I found the front door key in his pocket, packed up what I could, and left. I had about 8 hours to wait out before the bus arrived. Thankfully, it was June so it was warm.
Unfortunately, he woke up and went looking for me; he found me and dragged me back. He then decided he’d had enough of me, downed most of a bottle of rum, forced me into his van and locked the doors. Once we got onto the A1(M) he floored it, I can’t remember where he decided to dump me - somewhere in the Midlands, I have a feeling it was either Stoke or Stafford. I do remember he was doing around 100 - I honestly thought he was going to kill me.
I didn’t know wherever-it-was, anyway. So there I was, with no phone, obviously I was a complete mess and, even though it was the last place I wanted to go, I had no choice but to return to my parents.
As you can imagine, I had a complete breakdown, which mutated into PTSD. I was trapped; obviously, they weren’t going to do anything to help me and there was nothing I could do to help myself - at least not while they were in the house (because, obviously, I couldn’t use their landline while they were there).
Eventually, they fucked off on holiday for a fortnight, so I took the opportunity to attempt to escape; because I’d escaped a violent relationship, I called Women’s Aid, thinking I’d be able to get myself into a refuge at least.
(This next bit won’t mean anything to anyone outside the UK/Ireland, and I’m really posting here because I need help from people in the UK)
What actually happened was they contacted social services and I had two social workers at the door. They made assumptions that, because I was basically living in a dump (for reasons I would hope were obvious) and that I was basically stuck in bed, that I didn’t understand the health risks of living in such a state - NOT because I’d escaped a violent relationship and had a complete breakdown.
I was sectioned. Spent almost 18 months in an ATU (assessment and treatment unit). From there, I was moved to a care home for people with learning disabilities and complex needs about 100 miles away. It was only when I was there - and quite by chance - that I learnt that I was now being held hostage by the Court of Protection under the Mental Capacity Act and DoLS (denial of liberty safeguarding).
My detention under both is unlawful because, in order for the court orders to be valid, the person to whom they’re being applied has to have undergone an assessment and, had I undergone assessment, I’d have known I was detained. I do not lack capacity.
I was there for another 18 months, where I had to contend with another resident constantly slamming his bedroom door (staff were meant to be posted outside his room to prevent him doing so, but he was extremely obese, prone to violent outbursts and they were scared of him, so there was rarely anyone there).
I was then moved to a poky little flat back in my parents’ home county; the flat was up a steep flight of stairs and I was struggling with my mobility. Due to the court orders, I am essentially gagged and nobody has to take a blind bit of notice of anything I say. When I bought food, I had to struggle with it up four flights of very steep stairs myself. Eventually the flat manager told staff to bring it up and I’d put it away. Then I had to contend with the flat manager binning it less than 2 days after I’d bought it, claiming it was all out of date. So, eventually, I just stopped eating. If I left the flat, she would ‘stalk’ me, following me about 10 paces behind.
I managed to escape from there early one morning, after lying to her manager that I needed to take my MBP to the Apple Store. I got on the first bus to the nearest station, and got on the first train and ended up in Birmingham. I then got the next train out of there and ended up where I am now. I spent 3 months in hospital (where I couldn’t get taken seriously so I am now severely chronically ill), where I saw 2 psychiatrists who stated that I was completely lucid, that I didn’t have any mental illness (how they couldn’t see how traumatised I was, I’ve no idea) and that I wasn’t suicidal. I was then dumped where I am now - and this is by far the worst place I’ve been - and this is what prompted this post because I need help, it’s not hyperbole to say my life is in danger.
I am trapped - both legally and physically. This is WORSE than being in a violent relationship because I can’t escape; if I was to do so, the police would simply bring me back here.
Staff control my food. Just like my ex
Staff have taken my phone. Just like my ex
Staff are physically abusive if I don’t do what they want, when they want. Just like my ex.
Staff have full control over my finances. Just like my ex.
Staff control who I see - and when. Just like my ex.
Staff won’t allow me to keep the flat front door locked, just as my ex changed the locks on the front door of his house - and refused me a key - so he always had access.
Staff control my internet access. Just like my ex (they have removed the router from the flat, so they can now cut me off whenever they feel like it, this is a connection that I am paying for, but they control my finances, so they can claim they are)
Staff open my post. Just like my ex
There is an alarm on the front door of the flat (100dB, which is well above the threshold which damages hearing), so I am literally trapped. I can’t leave. I have been informed by staff that they are legally allowed to enter the flat at any time and for any length of time. They have told me that this is “written down”, but that they “don’t have to show it” to me. I am now severely chronically ill, due to the abuse, the stress and the fact that I am being denied anything remotely resembling proper meals (a ‘meal’ often amounts to nothing more than cheap processed meat dumped on a - very often paper - plate).
The door alarm (cheap Chinese junk, you can buy a pack of 10 for around £12). I have severe tinnitus and hyperacusis (pathological hypersensitivity to noise).
Link to photo of the door alarm - I have removed several of these, but they keep replacing them