Community College counselor sexually harassed by student
Hi all. Not sure if this is the best place for this but I’m in need of guidance and wanted to see if anyone else has been in a similar situation. Apologies in advance for rambling
I am a community college counselor in CA .I specifically work with formerly incarcerated/justice impacted students. Sometimes my students are coming straight from being incarcerated to school. They are dealing with a myriad of issues including addiction, recidivism, homelessness,trouble finding employment ,mental health issues.. the list goes on.
As a young female counselor, I have from time have my students make flirty comments or ask for my number or social media. I find these instances fairly easy to shut down by saying that I am not allowed to share my private contact info with students or any kind of social media. I make sure to emphasize that it would be inappropriate. I had one incident in November that escalated somewhat but nothing compared to what happened a few weeks ago.
I had an appointment with a young man, about 20- this was my first time meeting with him. His energy seemed slightly off( I assumed he may have been high) but I proceeded with the appt. The first red flag was the he pulled up a chair to sit right next to me. My desk is pushed up against the wall and there are chairs to my left side and one behind me. I have a double monitor set up- Usually students sit to my left , and I turn the one monitor towards them so I can show them relevant info/work on their ed plan. That day my second monitor wasn’t displaying so I thought maybe that’s why the student got so close. Throughout the appt he was very fidgety and kept brushing up against my leg and turning my office chair( the spiny kind) towards him. The movement was just slight enough that I stupidly gave him the benefit of the doubt. I also felt “frozen” in the momen. Anyway we wrap up the appt and I ask him if he had any questions or if there was anything else I could help him with. In that moment, he grabs my face with both hands and kisses me. I immediately tell him to get the fuck out of my office and run over to my supervisor.
That day I filed a report with the campus title IX office. Just this week I got a letter of how things will proceed: interview me,him witnesses, a hearing and then a resolution n.
If you’ve made it this far I guess I’m hoping to receive any type of advice from professors, counselors, advisors, administrators etc who have been sexually harassed by students . What did you do? If you also went through title ix, what was the outcome. Did you press charges through the police??
Thanks in advance for any advice. Maybe I’m being dramatic but this has been tough for many reasons

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.

This is a reupload. I decided to delete the original post after discovering some old notes.
Reading all psalms, the method. Method used by Christians and Jews from all over the world. A great and powerful meditation with psalms.
Small story
The time when I discovered this method I did not know anything about prayer rules and had just completed a few cover to cover bible readings. This method laid the much needed foundation for hesychasm which I started practicing later on.
At first I was experimenting with the psalms by reading the same ones over and over again, sometimes read half of the psalms or the entire thing. What surprised me a lot was the amazing spiritual state that I got after reading the whole book. I compared the effects of reading random psalms with the full reading and the full reading far exceeded all other methods. Much higher spiritual effects, special states of mind, greater connection with divine. I added the whole psalm reading to my daily schedule and every morning completed a round, this took about 3 hours. The spiritual effects began to increase and the readings gave me stronger overall effects.
The effects got stronger and multiplied over and over again during some 100-300 readings. I figured that there has to be more to it and sometimes read the whole book twice, every morning and every evening. The readings now took about 2 hours. The more you read the faster you become but don't try to be too fast, you have to pay attention to the words! Now this new "prayer rule" felt incredibly hot, and quite overwhelming. The spiritual effects multiplied and reached a point where I felt like I could not continue, simply too much per day. I decided to do additional rounds every now and then. Sometimes read them through multiple times.
Reading all psalms
You need a bible of your choice, with a decent font size. A quiet place to read them. Start from the first and end with the last. After reading praise the Lord, show some gratitude and state your requests.
The more consecutive days this is done, the better the effects. Your connection to divine will start to increase in a rapid way.
The effects are very hot, it feels like blazing fire goes through you, heating up everything that stands in its path.
The reading is used by monastics and Jewish people, to increase spirituality and to have prayers and petitions answered. This method is very good.
What happens? The psalms raise and bring in a massive quantity of energy, you might not feel it so well right away but give it some time, eventually you will develop these senses. It may take a hundred readings, maybe more. Consistency, dedication and devotion are very important. You should do something daily.
If the reading is too much and spiritually you cannot handle it so well yet, then start by reading one of the psalm books per day, psalm book is divided into 5 "books". Book 1 (Psalms 1–41) Book 2 (Psalms 42–72) Book 3 (Psalms 73–89) Book 4 (Psalms 90–106) Book 5 (Psalms 107–150). Read one per day, either every morning or every evening.
There may be side effects such as feeling overloaded, slightly aggressive, irritated and there can be headaches. This is because you process an enormous amount of grace of god, energy. You have to find your own pace, know the limits, know yourself, gradually increase the numbers.
Now I stated earlier that it built a great foundation for hesychasm. How did my experience with the psalms help me? The whole bible is hot but certain parts of it have stronger effects, Torah, psalms, gospels and the letters. I've noticed that the psalms and gospels give the best effects. By working a lot with something as hot as the psalms you get more used to the grace of god thus moving on to hesychasm is much easier. Still, hesychasm is a much different topic and I will discuss it in a different post. I've already written a small guide.
Additional information
You can add your prayer requests after doing the reading, pray for what you want and need. Many people choose not to ask for anything as the Lord already knows what we need and want. You may however add your requests. The psalm method is very powerful for getting answers to prayers.
You can pray for yourself and for others. The formula is simple, use the Orthodox baptislam name or full name of the person. Jewish people use the name and also the name of mother.
It is best to do the reading without breaking it, so everything in a single go. Opinions differ, some think it is very important to read all at once and others consider taking a break in between to be fine. You can even split it and read half of them in the morning and the rest later. You may split it into 3 4 or even 5 sessions.
Psalm reading is often used to pray for finding work, friends, partner, health, children, wealth, spiritual reasons and much more.

Finding the perfect job can feel like climbing a mountain, especially for Australians with disabilities. https://emmsworld1.wordpress.com/2024/06/06/resume-and-cover-letter-tips-for-people-with-disabilities-in-australia/

We have a 11 yr old colli and live on a farm , he is a rescue and has so issues with other dogs, loves people. Amazon delivery driver claims “chips” bit him on the leg First we got a visit from the police to our property, but I was a work with my dog then a letter to all the neighbours and us about the alleged incident (I’m raging) We tried via email and phone to contact police who had contacted us but no response Then a recoded delivery letter that next door signed for addressed to the occupier It was the start of a claim apparently we didn’t respond 6 months later Iv just refused another recorded letter I am so annoyed I’m 100 percent that my dog didn’t do this And the claimant is a 18 yr old part time Amazon worker Any advice

“Your girlfriend’s here” my brother and roommate called from across the house in an obnoxious tone. I didn’t feel like getting up see what he was talking about. I didn’t have a girlfriend, my social anxiety wouldn’t allow it.
With an exasperated sigh I got off the couch. “What are you talking about? Who’s at the…”
My brain froze, she was standing there. Her, Rachel. The girl. She had barely changed, she still had those big brown eyes that had pulled me in a decade ago. She was as beautiful as the last time I had seen her.
Oh God. No.
The memories came rushing back, the memories I had spent years repressing. I had all but convinced myself that night never happened.
I had been a freshman in college, away from everyone I knew for the first time. Making friends wasn’t easy but I was far from a loner.
Rachel and I had some class together, I don’t remember what it was for. We were bored and swapped each other others Snapchat IDs.
We talked occasionally over the next few weeks, commenting on each other’s stories and stuff. Then kind of out of the blue she asked if I wanted come over her place. Her and some friends were having a movie night.
“Heck yeah” I replied with a smiley emoji. “Awesome! We plan on watching the entire LOTR trilogy, pull an all nighter but you know how that’s probably gonna go lol”.
At the time I would have barely considered us friends, but if she wanted to explore things past that I was totally cool with the idea. She was fun, kind and really pretty.
The night came and sure enough the living room floor in the house her and her friends were renting was covered in mattresses.
She greeted me with a hug, it was nice. I think that was the first time we had had any sort of physical contact. After some introductions to the people already there we settled down to watch the movie.
It's funny what your brain locks onto. Shit went to hell right after the troll is killed. Three guys and a girl abruptly stood and starting walking backwards until they were each against opposing walls. Their eyes were blank, almost clouded over.
Rachel was standing in the hallway, the Whiteclaw she was holding fell to the floor but she didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes were wide, she glanced at me for just a moment.
A few people kind of chuckled nervously, the room had a weird tension to it. Like we all knew something wasn’t right but we didn’t know what to do about it.
Each of the four took off their shirts, they threw them to the side never blinking those awful eyes.
Energy was surging through me, I needed to go. I needed out. The girl next to me screamed, I turned to see the chest of the guy standing nearest her bulging. His skin split up the center revealing writhing mass inside him!
Others began to scream and stand, all of the four who stood glassy eyed now had gapping chest cavities. With a wet squelch tentacle like appendages burst out from them!
My heart skipped a beat leaving me gasping painfully for breath. The girl next to me was lifted from where she sat and pulled towards the nearest tentacle monster.
I didn’t help her, I didn’t help anyone. Others tried running but were snatched up and entangled in those wet dark green arms!
Unlike the others I didn’t run for the door. I scrambled up the stairs, pulling myself up with my hands as my feet tried to keep pace. I lost my fingernails but I didn’t care, I needed out!
Rachel didn’t move, she didn’t so much as glance my way.
I didn’t have time to think about that. I reached the top of the stairs just as one of the creatures started up after me. I ran into the nearest bedroom and closed the door behind me.
Running on pure adrenaline I ripped open the window and climbed onto the roof. I stopped myself from jumping down, I was directly over the front door. I could see light spilling across the front yard, the door was open.
Grabbing the gutter and praying it would hold I pulled myself up above the window. I had just cleared the window when I heard the bedroom door shatter. I ran across the roof at a reckless speed.
I didn’t think, I just jumped. The house was on a hill, that fact might have been what saved me. I fell what was probably thirty feet but landed on my ass on an incline.
Rather than shattering my legs I slid down the hill. Until my foot caught something and sent me tumbling head first through the ferns and brambles.
Once I caught my footing again I ran to the bottom of the hill. I found a road and followed it. At some point I cried myself to sleep under a tree.
I never went back. I didn’t even pack my things. Somehow my car ended up back at my dorm. After searching it I climbed in and drove two states back to my parents house.
I told them I flunked out and couldn’t afford my dorm. They were pissed but I didn’t care. I should have gone to therapy but I felt like that would have been like admitting it was real. I just couldn’t do it. I buried the memories by self medicating. I lived by leeching off others for years before I started getting my life back together.
Before convincing myself that night had never happened.
“Dude, that was ridiculous”. My brother’s voice pulled me from my memories, my dream? I was back on the couch. Rachel was nowhere to be seen.
“Seriously man, she’s cute and all but passing out because a girl talked to you? That’s next level bro”. I sat up looking around “where is she?” I demanded.
“Chill man, you probably freaked her out when you went all limp. Don’t worry, not only did I catch you and drag your heavy ass to the couch I got a note from her”.
I ripped the paper from his hand. “She took off pretty quick, she looked spooked. Anyways I have to get going, someone needs to pay the bills around here”.
I ignored him, my entire focus was riveted to the hand written note.
“I’m sorry to barge into your life like this but we need to talk. It’s urgent”.
She left an address and said to be there Saturday at noon.
I don’t know what to do. My memories of that night have to be false, there was no police reports, no missing people. It had to have been in my head. Maybe Rachel can clear things up for me, give me the closure I need.

A while back in Kolkata, I took an Uber home one night. Before I got to my destination, I asked the driver to drop me on the main road so I could buy some things.
And that’s when it happened. I was in the back seat and I opened my door from the left side. At that same moment a scooty with a couple and their child came and it got knocked over.
I went into shock mode and I remember my entire body tensing up, I had palpitations and I remember profusely apologising.
The man riding the scooty got up and started hurling abuses and yelling at me. At one point he raised his helmet and was about to hit me. He then started yelling at the uber driver for apparently stopping at that location (Kolkata traffic is bad as it is but we stopped right before a pedestrian crossing area)
After a minute or 2, I came back to my senses and helped the lady and the child up. I asked if the 3 of them were hurt; the child was apparently fine, the lady had apparently sprained her foot and arm and the man has some scratches and cuts on his fingers and arm.
Luckily there was a pharmacy nearby. I got some volini spray that I used on the lady and covered her arm and foot with a crepe bandage. I also asked her to use an ice pack when she got home. For the man, I just used an antiseptic to clean his wound then applied bandaids. I checked on the child and he seemed okay. Gave them a packet of ORS each and continued to apologised.
Luckily by this time, the man had also calm down. Then after a bit, they left. Before he left the man said, “you were lucky that no one died otherwise you’d be in jail by now.”
I was so shaken after that, I called my friend up and he told me the scooty was also in the wrong for coming from the left side. But I also understood my mistake too. I should’ve looked back before opening the door. Also, side note idk how he wasn’t stopped by the traffic police cus only he had a helmet on. His wife and child didn’t.
But anyway, I guess I was lucky in a way that it wasn’t such a big accident! Also I’ve been more careful ever since.

It's difficult to find someone who doesn't have strong opinions about which of the different types of cake flavors is the best. Each of us has a favorite type and flavor.
It may be a mile-high, rich and sweet layer cake with lots of frosting for some. Others prefer a lighter cake with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh berries, such as angel food cake.
Some people will only eat homemade cakes when it comes to birthday cakes, but a few of us enjoy a good old-fashioned grocery store cake or even a cookie cake with a letter scribbled in tube icing.
Whatever your preferences, knowing the facts about different types of cake flavors is beneficial. Cakes are ideal for sweets, gatherings, celebrations, and pretty much everything else.
There are many distinct cake flavors, and You can combine them in many ways, such as red velvet and vanilla cakes.
Nowadays, you can make cakes in almost any flavor and shape. There is a great cake flavor out there for whatever occasion or craving.
However, not all flavors complement one other. Some flavor combinations are simply superior to others. Cakes are a delectable and traditional part of any celebration, and it is your responsibility as a baker and host to provide the best options available.
Without much ado, let's discuss some of th different types of cake flavors available.

1. Yellow Butter Cake

A sheet cake variation of this delicacy, covered with billows of chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles, is served at many kids' birthday parties.
Also, c the butter and sugar together (with an electric mixer in modern times) is a standard method for making yellow butter cakes, then adding dry and wet ingredients.
There are also "dump" variations, in which all of the ingredients are simply combined in a bowl.

2. Red Velvet Cake

A chemical reaction between cocoa powder and acidic buttermilk turns red velvet cake scarlet, but a drop of red food coloring makes the bright cake shine.
The delectable cream cheese frosting is an absolute must. This is a true Southern classic and a great favorite. The color of red velvet cake derives from the reaction of buttermilk and cocoa powder when made with either butter or oil.
Also, modern variations often use red food coloring, or in the instance of the raspberry velvet cake shown here, pink food coloring.

3. Pound Cake

This cake doesn't rise much when baking and has a dense texture. It's named after the fact that it's made using a pound of each of the key ingredients (flour, butter, and sugar).
Matcha and cocoa powder is used in our version, although vanilla essence is used in traditional recipes. Bake one of these in a loaf pan or a Bundt pan. This is one of the different types of cake flavors.

4. Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is a shorter cake leavened with baking soda and baking powder and utilizes oil instead of butter as its primary fat.
Also, The inclusion of grated carrots adds moisture to the cake. Warm spices flavor the carrot cake, topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting. Walnuts or pecans are optional!.
Furthermore, Carrot cake recipes vary in the quantity and amount of spices used and the addition of nuts and fruit.
Still, tender chunks of sweet carrot, an ideal dosage of cinnamon, and a fantastic frosting are what make a perfect carrot cake. Try our Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe.

5. Sponge Cake

This foam-style cake has no artificial leaveners (baking powder or baking soda). It is entirely made up of whipped eggs, either whole or just whites.
This cake can be soaked in flavored syrups (try lemon syrup with a dab of lemon curd) or stacked with whipped cream and smashed berries.
Sponge cake can be rolled with fillings when baked thin in a sheet pan, like Buche de Noel's Christmas classic.

6. Genoise Cake

In Italy and France, a sponge cake is known as Genoise. Egg yolks, egg whites, and sugar are mixed together until mousse-like in this dessert. The flour, oil, or butter is then folded in. This cake is moister and more delicate than its sponge cake counterpart.

7. Chiffon Cake

A chiffon cake is a sponge cake and an oil cake hybrid. It has the richness of a shorter cake thanks to the addition of oil, and it's light and airy thanks to whipped egg whites and baking powder.

8. Angel Food Cake

Angel food cake is the lightest of the light, created with only beaten egg whites for leavening and no extra fat. It's traditionally made in an angel food cake pan and then cooled upside down in the pan to keep the light texture. Its high sugar content in an angel food cake gives it a chewy, sponge-like feel.

9. Funfetti Cake

Funfetti is a joyful and fun dessert that has received a lot of love from its fans, earning it the eighth slot on this list. Also, Funfetti is a delightful birthday cake with colorful sprinkles both inside and out. This is one of the different types of cake flavors.

10. Vanilla Cake

Vanilla is, believe it or not, the third most popular and well-liked cake flavor. It's flexible and goes well with various flavors, including chocolate, lemon, and strawberry.

11. Coffee Cake

They're tasty and come in various coffee flavors, including Irish and Mocha. Also, this cake is ideal for coffee enthusiasts as a treat.

12. Banana Cake

The banana cake is the cake flavor that makes you go bananas. It has a juicy texture and an overpowering flavor. This is one of the different types of cake flavors.

13. Pineapple Cake

The pineapple, like the cake, is a beautiful element for desserts. The cake has a refreshing flavor and a stunning appearance.

Hi. I was issued a letter by a couple of officers at my doorstep a few days ago to make my way to the police station very soon. There was a cheating case that had my identification involved but of course I personally had no involvement in it.
More details: On January I fell victim to a job scam. Went looking for a side job and found the ad on a pretty reputable telegram job group. Contacted them and gave them all my details. This is definitely my error. I wasn’t cautious enough to stop myself from giving away access to my Singpass when asked. After I gave that away I got very suspicious that the person did not reply me after they said they’d get back to me soon. After multiple failed calls, I dug a little deeper and found out that the contact was part of a scam and I only realised it after everything was done. I did all I could to retract all of my documents from the contact and lodged a police report. I called all the banks available to shut down any accounts that were made in my name. Even followed up with the officers until they called to inform me that no further action needed on my end. Fortunately I did not lose any money to the scam but I strongly believe that they were after my identification more so than my money.
Fast forward and now I’m being called to the police station. I’ve no experience in this at all and have a clean record. No criminal past. Would like to know if I should be aware of certain things or what I will need to prepare for. Have already prepared all the evidence I could get my hands on regarding the scam. Thanks for the help.

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

Position Overview
We are seeking an exceptional Chief of Staff (Virtual Assistant) to support the founder in building and scaling two companies: a Digital Marketing agency and a Podcast Production company. This role requires a highly skilled, strategic, and proactive individual capable of managing multiple virtual assistants and ensuring smooth business operations. The Chief of Staff will act as the founder’s right-hand, facilitating efficient workflows, and allowing the founder to focus on strategic initiatives. One of the main aims is to generate more clients and revenue for both businesses. This is a full-time position, and we are not looking for anyone who is currently studying or cannot commit to full-time work from Monday to Friday.
Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Planning and Execution:

• Assist the founder in developing and executing business strategies.
• Monitor progress and ensure alignment with business goals.
• Focus on generating more clients and increasing revenue for both the Digital Marketing agency and the Podcast Production company.

1. Team Management:

• Oversee and manage a team of at least three virtual assistants.
• Delegate tasks effectively and ensure timely completion.
• Conduct regular check-ins and performance reviews.

1. Operational Management:

• Manage daily operations and administrative tasks.
• Implement systems and processes to enhance productivity and efficiency.
• Handle project management and ensure all projects are on track.

1. Communication:

• Act as the primary point of contact between the founder and the team.
• Conduct a 15-minute daily briefing with the founder to update on key activities and priorities.
• Maintain clear and effective communication channels.
• Write emails in the founder’s voice and manage outreach to guests for podcast interviews.
• Schedule podcast recording sessions and manage the founder’s diary.
• Use WhatsApp, Slack, and Telegram for communication with team members.

1. Problem-Solving:

• Identify and address operational challenges.
• Provide solutions and implement corrective actions as needed.

1. Documentation and Reporting:

• Maintain comprehensive records of all activities and decisions.
• Prepare regular reports for the founder on business performance and team productivity.
Required Attributes and Skills
• Leadership: Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and manage a remote team.
• Organisational Skills: Exceptional organisational and time management skills.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication abilities.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to think strategically and manage complex tasks.
• Problem-Solving: Proactive problem solver with a solution-oriented mindset.
• Tech-Savvy: Proficient with project management tools (e.g., Asana, Trello), communication tools (e.g., Slack, WhatsApp, Telegram), and other relevant software. Must be able to learn new tools quickly and instruct others on their use. Ideally capable of creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) and recording Loom videos as tutorials.
• Flexibility: Adaptable and able to manage changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Trustworthiness: High level of integrity and discretion in handling confidential information.
Non-Negotiable Skills and Experience
• WordPress Expertise: Highly skilled in designing, building, and managing WordPress websites.
• Marketing Proficiency: Extensive experience in all aspects of digital marketing, including:
• SEO: Strong knowledge of search engine optimisation techniques and best practices, with familiarity in keyword clustering and content strategies such as hub and spoke.
• Google Ads and Social Media Marketing: Proficient in managing campaigns on Google, Instagram, and Facebook.
• Cold Email Campaigns: Ability to run effective cold email outreach campaigns and nurture leads through the sales funnel.
• Lead Generation and Nurturing: Skilled in scraping and enriching leads via platforms like LinkedIn, and nurturing them through targeted email sequences.
• Content Creation: Ability to create and edit videos and content for platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
• SEO Writing: Proficient in using a variety of tools for conducting keyword research and AI tools to generate content. Able to edit content from others, implement internal linking strategies, and reach out for backlinks to enhance the site’s SEO performance.
• AI Proficiency: Skilled in working with ChatGPT and other AI tools.
• GoHighLevel Proficiency: Competent in implementing and optimising GoHighLevel internally and for other clients going forward.
• VPN Usage: Able to use a VPN to log into sites from the UK.
• Tool Proficiency: Proficient in Slack, Airtable, and Google Suite, including Google Analytics (GA4) and Search Console.
• Automation Skills: Experienced in automating tasks using Make.com, Airtable, Apify, and ChatGPT.
Personal Interests
• Pop Culture Enthusiast: Must be a fan of HBO’s “The Wire” and have a strong interest in pop culture, film, TV, and music.
Compensation
• Starting Salary: $500 per month, paid weekly via Wise or PayPal.
• Performance-Based Increases: Monthly salary increases by $100 with satisfactory performance, up to $800 per month.
• Salary Review: Opportunity for a formal salary review and potential increase at $800 per month.
Working Hours and Location
• Availability: Must be online between 9 AM to 5 PM UK time, Monday to Friday.
• Remote Work: Can work from anywhere in the world.
• Team Coordination: Experience working with teams based in different countries, including the Philippines, India, and Ukraine.
Application Process
Interested candidates should submit their CV along with a cover letter outlining their experience and why they are suitable for this role. Highlight relevant skills, experience, and personal interests that align with this position. Interviews will be conducted virtually, and the successful candidate should be available to start on Monday, 17th June.

Hey Bangalore Tenants Community,
I wanted to share an experience that my sister and I had with a fraud landlord in Green Glenn Layout, Belandur, Bangalore. This is especially important for all newcomers and tenants who might find themselves in similar situations.
The Background: My sister rented a flat in Green Glenn Layout last year. A significant red flag was that a single owner owned all 15 apartments in the building, managed through an agent. Tenants had no direct contact with the owner, only a bank account number for rent deposits. The rental agreement was dropped off at the doorstep after being signed by the owner, and all communication went through the agent.
The Issue: From January, the entire apartment faced water problems, with water available only for 2 hours a day. My sister discovered this was a tactic to force tenants out so the flats could be rented at higher prices. On the day my sister gave her one-month notice to move out, the water problem was miraculously fixed, and the agent finalized a new tenant at a 30% higher rent. The real harassment began when my sister asked about the return of her deposit. The agent stated that it would start "processing" one week after returning the key, with no committed return date.
The Plan: Sensing trouble, my sister contacted the previous tenant, who revealed that the landlord was a habitual fraudster. The previous tenant was harassed for two months before getting back only 60% of her deposit, with 40% deducted for unknown reasons. Determined to avoid this fate, we took action.
Steps Taken:

1. Written Notice: We sent a letter to the owner (address found in the agreement), clearly stating the notice period and highlighting the clause that the deposit should be returned upon leaving the flat. We emphasized that withholding the money would be illegal and a breach of contract.
2. Legal Threat: We hinted to the agent that we were collecting evidence for the police or civil court, mentioning our prior experience with legal proceedings.
3. Tenant Alliance: We spoke with other tenants and discovered similar issues with the landlord. We formed a WhatsApp group to gather evidence and present a united front.
4. Securing the Flat: When moving out, we locked the flat with two big chains and attached a notice stating that any attempt to break the lock or trespass would result in criminal charges (IPC 441 and 447) until the deposit was returned. We made it clear the flat legally remained with my sister.

The Outcome: The next day, the agent called with a much softer tone, claiming they had never cheated any tenants. Eventually, the owner agreed to a joint visit to the flat, and my sister received her full deposit back.
Key Points to Remember:

1. Agreement Clause: Ensure your rental agreement states that the security deposit will be returned at the time of leaving the flat and handing over the key.
2. Gather Proof: Work together with other tenants and collect evidence.
3. Secure the Apartment: Don't hand over the key until the deposit is returned. Secure the flat to prevent unauthorized entry.
4. Legal Options: Consider legal action if necessary. Civil court costs include notice (₹5k), filing (₹20k), and per appearance (₹3k).

Lastly, use resources like ChatGPT to draft your notices and letters. Don’t be afraid to stand up for your rights; not every owner is politically connected, and not every police officer is biased against outsiders.
Stay vigilant and protect your rights!

Position Overview
We are seeking an exceptional Chief of Staff (Virtual Assistant) to support the founder in building and scaling two companies: a Digital Marketing agency and a Podcast Production company. This role requires a highly skilled, strategic, and proactive individual capable of managing multiple virtual assistants and ensuring smooth business operations. The Chief of Staff will act as the founder’s right-hand, facilitating efficient workflows, and allowing the founder to focus on strategic initiatives. One of the main aims is to generate more clients and revenue for both businesses. This is a full-time position, and we are not looking for anyone who is currently studying or cannot commit to full-time work from Monday to Friday.
Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Planning and Execution:

• Assist the founder in developing and executing business strategies.
• Monitor progress and ensure alignment with business goals.
• Focus on generating more clients and increasing revenue for both the Digital Marketing agency and the Podcast Production company.

1. Team Management:

• Oversee and manage a team of at least three virtual assistants.
• Delegate tasks effectively and ensure timely completion.
• Conduct regular check-ins and performance reviews.

1. Operational Management:

• Manage daily operations and administrative tasks.
• Implement systems and processes to enhance productivity and efficiency.
• Handle project management and ensure all projects are on track.

1. Communication:

• Act as the primary point of contact between the founder and the team.
• Conduct a 15-minute daily briefing with the founder to update on key activities and priorities.
• Maintain clear and effective communication channels.
• Write emails in the founder’s voice and manage outreach to guests for podcast interviews.
• Schedule podcast recording sessions and manage the founder’s diary.
• Use WhatsApp, Slack, and Telegram for communication with team members.

1. Problem-Solving:

• Identify and address operational challenges.
• Provide solutions and implement corrective actions as needed.

1. Documentation and Reporting:

• Maintain comprehensive records of all activities and decisions.
• Prepare regular reports for the founder on business performance and team productivity.
Required Attributes and Skills
• Leadership: Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and manage a remote team.
• Organisational Skills: Exceptional organisational and time management skills.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication abilities.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to think strategically and manage complex tasks.
• Problem-Solving: Proactive problem solver with a solution-oriented mindset.
• Tech-Savvy: Proficient with project management tools (e.g., Asana, Trello), communication tools (e.g., Slack, WhatsApp, Telegram), and other relevant software. Must be able to learn new tools quickly and instruct others on their use. Ideally capable of creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) and recording Loom videos as tutorials.
• Flexibility: Adaptable and able to manage changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Trustworthiness: High level of integrity and discretion in handling confidential information.
Non-Negotiable Skills and Experience
• WordPress Expertise: Highly skilled in designing, building, and managing WordPress websites.
• Marketing Proficiency: Extensive experience in all aspects of digital marketing, including:
• SEO: Strong knowledge of search engine optimisation techniques and best practices, with familiarity in keyword clustering and content strategies such as hub and spoke.
• Google Ads and Social Media Marketing: Proficient in managing campaigns on Google, Instagram, and Facebook.
• Cold Email Campaigns: Ability to run effective cold email outreach campaigns and nurture leads through the sales funnel.
• Lead Generation and Nurturing: Skilled in scraping and enriching leads via platforms like LinkedIn, and nurturing them through targeted email sequences.
• Content Creation: Ability to create and edit videos and content for platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
• SEO Writing: Proficient in using a variety of tools for conducting keyword research and AI tools to generate content. Able to edit content from others, implement internal linking strategies, and reach out for backlinks to enhance the site’s SEO performance.
• AI Proficiency: Skilled in working with ChatGPT and other AI tools.
• GoHighLevel Proficiency: Competent in implementing and optimising GoHighLevel internally and for other clients going forward.
• VPN Usage: Able to use a VPN to log into sites from the UK.
• Tool Proficiency: Proficient in Slack, Airtable, and Google Suite, including Google Analytics (GA4) and Search Console.
• Automation Skills: Experienced in automating tasks using Make.com, Airtable, Apify, and ChatGPT.
Personal Interests
• Pop Culture Enthusiast: Must be a fan of HBO’s “The Wire” and have a strong interest in pop culture, film, TV, and music.
Compensation
• Starting Salary: $500 per month, paid weekly via Wise or PayPal.
• Performance-Based Increases: Monthly salary increases by $100 with satisfactory performance, up to $800 per month.
• Salary Review: Opportunity for a formal salary review and potential increase at $800 per month.
Working Hours and Location
• Availability: Must be online between 9 AM to 5 PM UK time, Monday to Friday.
• Remote Work: Can work from anywhere in the world.
• Team Coordination: Experience working with teams based in different countries, including the Philippines, India, and Ukraine.
Application Process
Interested candidates should submit their CV along with a cover letter outlining their experience and why they are suitable for this role. Highlight relevant skills, experience, and personal interests that align with this position. Interviews will be conducted virtually, and the successful candidate should be available to start on Monday, 17th June.

Work and Health Programme (WHP) Quarterly Official Statistics released
The DWP has published the latest quarterly release of statistics on the WHP, which includes data up to February 2024.
The WHP was launched in England and Wales between November 2017 and April 2018 to help the following groups of people:

1. Disability group - voluntary for disabled people as defined in the Equality Act (2010). This is the main group that the WHP is aimed at.
   
2. Early Access group - voluntary and aimed at people who may need support to move into employment and are in one of a number of priority groups (for example homeless, ex-armed forces, care leavers, refugees).
   
3. Long-term Unemployed (LTU) group - mandatory for Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or Universal Credit (UC) claimants who have reached 24 months of unemployment. Note: referrals to the WHP LTU group were only available between April 2018 and October 2022.
   

The statistics show:

• between November 2017 and February 2024, 470,000 individuals have been referred to the programme with 320,000 having started on the programme
• of the number of participants who started on the programme between November 2017 and February 2022 (the most recent point by which participants would have had the full 24 months on the programme), 46% achieved first earnings from employment and 31% achieved a job outcome within 24 months (which means 69% did not)
• in the last three months, the performance levels of the programme (actual divided by expected number of job outcomes) were 116% (December 2023), 86% (January 2024) and 87% (February 2024). See expectations for more information on how these figures are calculated
• between September 2023 and February 2024, 9,000 individuals have been referred to WHP Pioneer*, with 5,600 starting on the programme

In September 2023, the Work and Health Programme was expanded to include a new element called WHP Pioneer. Pioneer is aimed at economically inactive customers who have a disability or who are in the Early Access group, in finding sustained work through a support model that has elements of a place and train type approach.
The DWP will include statistics on first earnings from employment and job outcomes from WHP Pioneer in their August 2024 release.
 
CPAG recommends a three-step plan for improving Universal credit
A report published by Child Poverty Action Group proposes a comprehensive but not exhaustive list of changes to Universal Credit that they believe should be priorities for the incoming government following the general election.
The recommendations cover three areas that they put under the banners of Adequacy, Design and Function of UC, and UC’s Relationship to Work. The recommendations comprise changes to primary and secondary legislation, guidance, and operational or technical changes to the UC system.
What follows is CPAG’s summary of their own report which, again, is not a complete list of what they recommend:
Summary of recommendations on adequacy:

• Scrap the two-child limit
• Remove the benefit cap
• Increase the child element of UC by £20 a week
• Remove the lower rate of the standard allowance for under 25s.
• Reduce the monthly cap on deductions
• Launch an immediate review of benefit adequacy
• Legally enshrine that all benefits (and associated thresholds) rise as a minimum by the higher of inflation and earnings growth each year

Summary of recommendations on the design and function of UC

• Amend the UC digital claim form
• Use the information the DWP holds to calculate UC awards accurately
• Improve the appeals process in UC
• Pause/slow the roll out of managed migration
• Automatically transfer at-risk claimants
• Fill the gaps in the ‘enhanced support journey’
• Increase the capacity of advice services
• Improve the support for people without digital skills or access to manage claims

Summary of recommendations on UC’s relationship to work

• Conduct a review of conditionality in UC
• Automatically passport people who receive disability benefits into a non-stringent work conditionality group
• Make a work capability assessment mandatory for new claimants if the claimant queries their ability to work
• Substantially reduce the use of sanctions
• Provide voluntary tailored employment support to everyone on UC capable of work
• Introduce a second earner work allowance
• Cover 100 percent of childcare costs in UC
• Extend childcare to parents preparing for work or training
• Review monthly assessment periods

I urge everyone to read the report as I cannot adequately summarise it here.
CPAG three-step report (pdf)
CPAG three-step summary (cpag.org.uk)
 
PIP claimants over pension age may be entitled to higher mobility award
Pension-age claimants typically can't upgrade from standard to enhanced PIP mobility awards. However, due to poorly drafted laws, those who didn't request an increase but were found eligible during a review may qualify for the higher rate.
You might be eligible for a higher mobility award under PIP, even if you're no longer receiving it, if you meet the following criteria:

• Your PIP claim underwent review between April 8, 2013, and November 29, 2020.
• You were above the State Pension age.
• You received the standard rate of the mobility award.
• You didn't report any changes affecting your mobility needs.
• A health professional assessment recommended an enhanced mobility award.
• Despite the recommendation, you continued to receive the standard mobility award.
• Your decision letter stated that your mobility award couldn't be increased due to being over the State Pension age.

benefitsandwork article
View the eligibility criteria at gov.uk
 
Half a million left without Child Benefit payment
A batch processing issue at HMRC has resulted in around half a million people not receiving their Child Benefit payments on time. Approximately 30% of Monday’s scheduled payments were affected and will not be processed until Wednesday.
“Affected customers will now receive their payments on Wednesday morning. Anyone who has incurred a direct financial loss because of the delayed payment can apply for redress by completing our online complaints form.”
BBC.co.uk
 
UK Statistics Authority Chair publishes letter to party leaders
Sir Robert Chote, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, is urging party leaders to employ "appropriate and transparent use" of statistics during the general election. Furthermore, he insists that statements should be based solely on statistics available in the public domain, rather than those to which ministers have privileged access.
His letter was sent to all major party leaders.
Read Sir Robert Chote's full letter on UKSA
 
Lib Dems commit to £1.5bn reform of Carer's Allowance, debt amnesty
The reforms would include a £20 per week (£1,040 per year) increase, a £32 increase to the earnings limit to help carers earn more through part-time work, and writing off £250m of overpayment debt incurred by 100,000 carers.
The proposals follow the National Audit Office’s announcement in May of their intention to investigate the ongoing scandal over Carer’s Allowance.
Ed Davey is expected to announce the reforms on Monday.
The Guardian

Yall…i messed up. Okay so for context, I got another job and when I was talking about with my dad, I misunderstood him thinking that he wanted me to put in my 2 weeks to work full time over there(it’s a part time job but their part time hours go up to 8 hrs I believe so it’s a full time by kohls standards). I put my 2 weeks on Wednesday(May 29) and it should’ve ended June 11 but I got a terminated email on June 2z
Now for the problem. After I realized my dad wanted me to work both jobs, on June 4, I found the manager and told her the mix up and asked her if there was still a way to reverse it since my 2 weeks isn’t officially up.(Side note: Im VERY intimidated by her. Whenever she’s in the store, I avoid her of all costs because she makes me so nervous. I don’t even call her when she’s at the store helping around with bopus or fixing the fixtures. I call on the other supervisors and hope she doesn’t come in to help me. This information is very important)
She says that she can but she was hesitant to because she said she was in a meeting and heard that ever since I put in my 2 weeks, i’ve been disconnected like not helping around as much, not engaging, sitting down on the benches in the women’s fitting rooms and this threw me off so bad yall. I didn’t even know what to say because none of that was true because:
Not helping around: if it’s with coworkers, i’m helping out everytime because 9/10 im scheduled, im the only person on the floor who can back up registers and covers breaks(sometimes for Amazon too). If it’s for customers, not a lot of customers come to me for help. they would just ask me where the price checkers are, I tell them that we removed them, and check the price on the zebra or tell them where a certain area is(shoes, swimsuits, amazon)
Not engaging: Im assuming she meant not talking to coworkers and…yeah. I’m not a talkative person unless I know you or am comfortable. It’s to the out where my coworkers would even be shocked that i’m working because i don’t say anything unless i need help but i’m not rude. If you need help or make small talk, i’ll talk but i’ll be awkward about it(introvert gang).
Sitting down in the fitting room benches: ok now this i can give a pass because i understand how it could come off that way but when i would sit on the benches, I would organize the folded clothes on there by brand. Plus i find it easier that may since my hard is usually full of hanged clothes to be put back on the floor. So that I understand and i never thought it was an issue because the supervisors/LODs would walk past me and tell me to work on an area after im done or say hi because they’re doing bopus.
Now, as she said the reason why she was hesitant. I got really nervous because she gave me the strict manager and mom start so I was standing there 🧍🏾‍♀️😟💦 sweating bullets. So guess what I did :)
I agreed with :)
every :)) single :))) thing :)))) she :))))) said :))))))))))))))))))))))
I even made a little 😁fun😁 speech about why everything she said was correct
“Why did you do that?!” I don’t know. I honestly cannot tell you why I did that because my mind blanked when I realized I was in trouble with HER of all people. So, she told me to change my availability so match with my schedule at my others job and i’m just nodding at everything she’s saying at this point. So, i go to the back and do the availability sheet and as i’m sitting there, cooling down, i realized that i really f’ed up. I try to talk to her again, but she was busy helping sephora so I decided to talk to her later that day when i clock-in in the evening but i voicing talk to her because i was busy helping a customer on registers and decided to talk to her Thursday when I work.(This is all tuesday(June 4) btw)
Thursday(June 6): I walk in and im told that she already clocked out, i say that’s fine. I’ll talk to her Saturday but i went around asking the supervisors that were there if they were in that meeting and can tell me who said that. They said, they didn’t hear anything(one of them didn’t know i put my 2 weeks in) but hinted that it maybe the LP. I said okay. I talk to the LP and he said he didn’t report anything. I said okay but now im confused on WHO said that because I asked everyone except the assistant manager.
Saturday(June 8)comes and she’s not here today but she’s here tomorrow and now i stressed because i let this sit for 4 days( now 5 because it’s midnight) and I still don’t have a schedule for this week, my manager thinks i’m not a good worker, and for me to officially start my other job , I need to reference letters and everytime i ask my supervisors, they say i need the manager and assistant manager to do it. My assistant manager is on a 2 week vacation(i think he comes later this week) and my manager now has a negative perception of me😃 i don’t want to think about what she would write on there.
Please what do i do because it sounds so suspicious to say what i said tuesday and come back to her like “heyyy😙about tuesday, well umm i lied😗”(i wont say it like that but i bet it would come off like that to her). It practically looks like i was brewing a lie up.🧙🏿‍♀️and if your a manager, PLEASE put your input about how you would view so i can know whether i just give up and leave(but with my reference letters because girl i need that other job now) or try to rewrite my wrong doings.
Im sorry this was long

I'm looking for the following games, most from Humble or Fanatical:
Knights of Honour II
EDF 5
Grindstone
En Garde
Streets of Rogue
Turok 3
Monster Hunter: Rise + Sunbreak
Fallout 4 GOTY
Star Wars Collection
Field of Glory 2 Medieval
Field of Glory Empires
Strategic Command: WW1
Resident Evil Village
Any Steam Deck verified games

I have:

Killing Floor 1
Killing Floor 2
Smoke and Sacrifice
Idle Champions Celeste's Starter Pack
Surgeon Simulator
Talisman: Digital Edition
Darkwood
Death Stranding: Director's Cut
Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey
Control
Small World
Maneater
Nebuchadnezzar
Evan's Remains
One Step From Eden
Cultist Simulator
Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide
Raji: An Ancient Epic
Metro Exodus
Supraland
Crying Suns
Popup Dungeon
Wandersong
Wargroove
Pathway
Rustler
Drawful 2
Amnesia: Rebirth
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
Kingdom Two Crowns
West of Dead
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Driftland: The Magic Revival
WARSAW
Pikuniku
Iron Danger
Fury Unleashed
Slinger VR
Pixplode
Neverout
Telefrag VR
Say No! More
NecroWorm
Hexologic
Lust from Beyond: M Edition
The Amazing American Circus
Roarr! Jurassic Edition
Corridor Z
Draw Slasher
The USB Stick Found in the Grass
Go Home Dinosaurs
Warhammer 40000: Gladius - Relics of War
Youtubers Life
Blood: Fresh Supply
We Are Alright
Going Under
Yoku's Island Express
Orbital Racer
Lust for Darkness
Broken Age
Counter Strike: Source
Axyos
Dino D-Day
Spacebase DF9
Hack n Slash
Don't Starve Together
Operation Tango
Windjammers 2
Builder Simulator
Behind the Frame
The Invisible Hand
Shotgun King
Kraken Academy
Ozymandias
Merchant of the Skies
Deceive Inc.
The Forgotten City
Patch Quest
Who pressed mute on Uncle Marcus
Autonauts vs Piratebots
Unpacking
SCP: Secret Files
Souldiers
Two Point Campus
Aragami 2
Roguebook
The Red Lantern
Hell Pie
Twin Mirror
Splendor
Love Letter
Amberial Dreams
Small World
Small World - A Spider's Web
Small World - Royal Bonus
Small World - Cursed!
Gloomhaven - Solo Scenarios: Mercenary Challenges
Innchanted
Terraforming Mars
A Game of Thrones: The Board Game
Blood Rage
Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace
LOTR: Adventure Card Game
Saints Row
Black Skylands
Soulstice
Afterimage
The Callisto Protocol
Fasion Police Squad
Terraformers
Symphony of War
The Excavation of Hob's Barrow
itch.io Account with : Ryza Roads, Pigsaw, Eroico and Rusty Lake Hotel
IGSrep: https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/13pmufo/viking21081s_igs_rep_page/

Location: Remote Type: Freelance/Full-Time
About Us: We’re launching a new dating website and need a creative graphic designer to produce engaging reels, TikToks, photos, and videos for our promoters.
Responsibilities:

• Create reels and TikToks for social media
• Design attractive photos and graphics
• Collaborate with the marketing team
• Deliver content to promoters

Requirements:

• Proven experience in graphic design and multimedia content creation
• Proficiency in design and video editing software (Adobe Creative Suite, etc.)
• Strong portfolio showcasing creativity
• Ability to meet deadlines and work independently
• Up-to-date with social media trends

Preferred:

• Experience with dating or social apps
• Basic knowledge of digital marketing

To Apply: Send your resume, portfolio, and a brief cover letter to [contact email]. Include examples of relevant multimedia content.