I'm from the UK, I've booked flights to visit Miami for 5th-9th September. However, I'm wondering where's the best place to stay for a first-timer in Miami.
South Beach or Brickell? I'm on a very tight budget and I've found a place in each location where I wouldn't mind staying in. I'd just like to know which is better? Ideally it's just a nice place to sleep so I'm not too fussed with amazing 5* service.
I'm going more for a relaxed holiday with some sightseeing and maybe a few excursions, such as jet skiing, for as long as they are affordable. (Some suggestions on what to do would be great also)

Most people who scale DS characters either low ball them too much and underestimate the characters or wank them to the heavens so I'm gonna start doing my scaling and share my opinion on this. - I'll be very strict and low-ball a little because I hate wanking characters - we'll be starting with the upper moon 6 our second favorite pair of siblings gyutaro and daki and make our way up to muzan. - I started with them because they're the most characters that are chaotic in scaling some people put them at low as building level ahem vsbw and some lunatic put them at outer since gyutaro said he could kill Buddha. - let's start with gyutaro : he's the elder sibling and the stronger of the two he's also the true holder of the rank upper 6 so he's the more relevant of the two

• powers and abilities : Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Acrobatics, Self-Sustenance (Type 3), Extrasensory Perception, Enhanced Senses, Telepathy, Genius Intelligence, Weapon Mastery (Of his sickles), Immortality (Type 1, 2, 3 and 8; Is one with Daki, and they must be defeated simultaneously in order for them to die, allowing him to regenerate from even decapitation as long as she's alive as well), Regeneration (High-Mid; Can quickly regenerate from decapitation, his head being crushed, and losing limbs), Absorption & Statistics Amplification (Can grow stronger by eating humans), Reactive Evolution (Kokushibo states that both humans and demons alike can grow and surpass their limits through battle), Body Control, Biological Manipulation (Can turn people into demons with his blood), Aura & Fear Manipulation (Has a vastly superior aura to the Lower Kizuki Demons, which can cause shuddering and a feeling of lacking air. Even Daki could inflict fear upon Tanjiro, which Gyutaro should scale to. His scent made Tanjiro feel as if his throat was going numb and his presence inflicted fear upon him), Blood Manipulation, Poison Manipulation (Can inject deadly poison into people with his sickles), Forcefield Creation (Can form a dome with his slashes), Homing Attack & Explosion Manipulation (Can manipulate his sickles to target his foes until it explodes), Resistance to: Regeneration Negation (High-Mid; As long as Daki's alive, he can regenerate from nichirin blades, which normally negate demons' regeneration by decapitating them), Disease Manipulation (Demons are unable to get sick), Pain Manipulation (Demons are shown to be capable of handling intense pain, as they can shrug off their limbs and heads being sliced off or crushed), Poison Manipulation (Can quickly recover from the poisonous effects of wisteria flowers, which can paralyse demons for half a day), Paralysis Inducement, Fear Manipulation (Should easily resist the Lower Kizuki Demons' aura), biokenises ( fused with and healed his sister gave her his eye and can manipulate his cells on a stronger level that the normal demons who can split themselves and control thier hair and mutate to gain extra abilities like the hand demon and the mantis demon)
  
• DESTRUCTIVE CAPACITY : obliterated most if not all of the red light district with this attack and it's implyed that he did destroy it since the red light district did infact was destroyed almost completely in a great earthquake in the taicho period (the same time of the show and the show is based on the real Japan so it's like the demon slayers made it look as a natural disasters after the fight) he literally turned this to this so what is the red light district? And how do we scale this feat? Well the red light district was a large city named yoshiwara in that period had more than 90k people living in it before 1940 and by the definition of Japan a city is a statement that has more than 50k people living in it here's the requirements for city in japan and yoshiwara fullfil all the requirements and after WW2 the city was made into smaller districts and then some merged with Tokyo and some with Fuji
  
• then is it a city level feat? Not so fat he preformed this feat in his last attack that can be argued that it's a self distruction and also the buildings are old style and are easier to destroy if would need much more force to destroy modern cities and he destroyed most of the district not all of it all of this combined make me scale him a tier lower
  
• drum roll please.... GYUTARO IS : TOWN LEVEL TO LARGE TOWN LEVEL (I won't be putting him at city level since he didn't destroy all of it he destroyed most of it also this calc from the anime calculated him at town+ but I believe he is large town level tho since he at least obliterated 90% of the city )
  
• his attack potency could be higher with the use of poison and explosive attacks
  
• now stamina : infinite (demons don't have a consept of fatigue and can go at full power forever)
  
• speed : massively hypersonic+ (much faster than tengen) casually blitzed tengen who blitzed daki without effort and low diffed her who is much faster than tanjiro and can move faster than he can react and he moved a dozen meters climbing the gates before his head connected and before he even moved from his position in the air and early tanjiro himself is able to easily evade attacks that are as fast as sound and no mark tanjiro can casually dodge lightning while pushing genya out of the way
  
• lifting strength : unknown, presumedly greater than class k (much stronger physically than tanjiro who can push a giant Boulder and kyojuro who lifted a whole 8 cart train with just a dash)
  
• durability : a demon durability isn't consistent with thier DC and ap and can be harmed by characters weaker than them multi-city block level and
  
• thier necks are thier toughest spot and are consistent with thier AP and DC : large town level (it took tanjirou a 100x strength boost to kill him)
  
  • daki
• DC & AP : multi-cityblock+ to small town- level chopped up a large part of the district with one casually attack took the effort of tanjirou and zenitsu and inoske to defeat her but got one shot by tengen
  
• speed : hight hypersonic+ to barely massively hypersonic (scales a much lower than gyutaro) and is faster than tanjiro
  
• stamina : infinite
  
• durability : city block level in her body (could parry attacks from dance of the fire god tanjiro easily) Multi-city block level at her neck (very difficult to kill when it's soft and it took all the strength of inoske and zenitsu to kill her)
  

(not ranked; each piece of advice is just as important)

• Get your class requirements done NOW so you can do the fun classes later. I did two elections back in freshman year and now I have to do Spanish class as a senior with a bunch of freshmen, and sophomores. Not fun. Most of my friends are now in "advanced Photography" where you can basically just chill and have time to do other classes' homework. Check your school's or district's requirements to graduate and get those required classes done ASAP.
• DO NOT disregard your freshman year as it is your most IMPORTANT year. A lot of people say junior or senior year is your most important year. That's bullshit. Freshman year is. It's when you're in your most immature and neglectful self. If your freshman self is not careful, it WILL fuck up your GPA, unless you have straight A's the rest of your high school years. Please, just do your homework, stay off your phone, and talk to your teacher. That's all you have to do.
• Make friends NOW. It really isn't hard. I'm sure you have enough classes to make enough friends. Find a group. Trust me. It may even help your GPA.
• Be a FRIEND to your teacher. Either be a friend or don't be an enemy. Being an enemy of your teacher is not worth it. If you don't like them, keep your status as a normal student to them. Otherwise, be their friend as it will help your grade. Listen to them and respect their rules. They deal with shitheads every day, make their day easier.
• Do ALL of your homework. No missing assignments. If there are, do the missing assignments first, or make it one of your first priorities. This is so important as doing literally all of your homework (with effort) will guarantee you a passing grade. If you struggle, talk to your teacher ASAP.
• Choose the classes that INTEREST you. In earlier years of high school, I understand you will have limited options but if there are more options, research the class and choose whichever most interests you. If I had a choice between biology and chemistry, I'd personally choose chemistry because I like Breaking Bad lol. Finding something you're already interested in and finding a subject that's related to it is a good way to choose your class. PLEASE CHECK if it fills your graduation requirements. Do not take a class that you will waste your time in. Also, don't mistake this advice for electives like taking a "piano" class in your freshman year. If your school does require some sort of "Fine Arts" elective, save it for your senior year. Take the boring classes now.
• Cheat if you HAVE to but don't do it in certain circumstances. This piece of advice may get hate but let's be honest, most kids today have access to technology and Google, so don't say "I've barely cheated" or "how are you gonna tell kids to cheat?". There are certain situations where cheating is valid and it isn't. IMPORTANT: Exams or tests where you can't cheat (lockdown browser or you're sitting in front of the class), then don't cheat on your homework because you NEED to learn about it. Tests when you can cheat (google forms, carefree teacher), go ahead and cheat on your homework if you absolutely DON'T have time for homework (examples: sports practice, doctor's appointment, etc.) Again, I'm not exactly suggesting cheating but only do so when you need to. Don't waste your time doing work that can easily be done in a matter of minutes.
• DO NOT be afraid/embarrassed to get help. My high ego cost me some of my GPA. Message your teacher, talk to your parents, or maybe even post to Reddit. Get a tutor if you need to. Having constant stress or a consistent F at the beginning of the semester are both big signs you need help.
• Staying on your phone on TikTok/YouTube/Instagram for more than 30 minutes at home/school is a TOTAL time-waster. This can also lead to procrastination. Your time is better spent getting homework done, studying, or practicing hobbies/sports. I like to use my YouTube time when eating dinner. I sound like a parent but it's true. Your phone time is better spent worry-free from homework.
  • Getting on social media/video games first thing in the morning is the absolute WORST thing you could do to yourself. Please don't do it.
• If your school has community service required, knock them out ASAP. Get them all done your freshman year or sophomore year or whatever just get them done NOW. Get your friends to do some with you or whatever it takes to motivate you to get them done. You most likely won't have time to do them in your junior or senior year as more difficult classes, sports, and your job will take up your time.
  • If you have the opportunity or the specific community service interests you, do as many hours as possible for a possible Volunteer award. Which helps your transcript/resume.
• CHOOSE a sport by gut and practice it ALOT. Do not search for "best sports" or "most attractive sports". Choose one that most interests you by watching the sport's icons (Messi, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, etc.) or just by playing it. Maybe your favorite video game is related to it. Sure, no one is gonna care that you won the MVP award back in high school but you're going to be glad that you had memories there. It'll also help your transcript/resume. Joining a team is an opportunity to make friends as well.
  • You CAN do sports and have a job at the same time. Prioritize your schedule. Have an 8-hour or 6-hour shift only on Saturdays. Wait until the end of the season to extend your hours. It's possible.
• ALWAYS take the Honors version of the class. IMO, it is not worth it to take the regular version of a class as the Honors are just as difficult but a little more work. If you think the Honors class was easy and got you interested in the subject, take the AP version. If you weren't really interested in the subject, that's fine as you got more credit for basically the same work. Next year, do a different Honors subject.
• You don't HAVE to do AP classes. Please don't force yourself to do an AP class because your friends are doing it or you think it's a subject you're interested in or you have to raise your GPA. Do it because you did the Honors class (or the class that gets you prepared) beforehand or if you are REALLY interested in the subject or if it seems easier for you than the regular class. I took AP Lang because I was more interested in writing than reading, which was the regular 12th-grade English course.
• Begin to research colleges and your educational future at the end of your SOPHOMORE year. Meaning see which colleges interest you. What careers interest you. This is so you will know what future classes to take and as well as which requirements to fill. Niche has a checklist of the things you should do to prepare for college.
• Prepare and take the SAT in your junior AND senior year. This increases your chances of getting into better colleges. It doesn't matter what your goals are as it will significantly help your transcript/resume. Fit 'Khan Academy SAT Practice' into your schedule but don't make it stressful.
• APPLY to a lot of scholarships. As many as you can, and as early as you can. This is usually during the end of junior year or the beginning of senior year.
• APPLY for FAFSA asap. Find out when it's available for you during your juniosenior year. Free money. Don't waste it.
• Depending on your goals, get a part-time job ASAP. As soon as you turn 14-16, find a part-time job near you that most interests you and has minimum wage or above minimum wage. If you can't find a job around 3 months after your birthday, you, unfortunately, have to work at McDonald's or something similar. Although, this 'part-time job' advice may be void if you already have career goals that require professional athletic training or AP classes. Get money while you're young and have no taxes/bills to pay.
  • It is said that education is more important than money at this age but this is more true for students that are on a higher level of education. The more they focus on education, the more likely they are to get into a college that has a high employment rate for high-salary jobs. If you're a student that has done mostly regular classes, get a job. But if your classes' difficulty takes almost all of your time all week, don't get a job.
• If you do get a job, save literally ALL of your money. Maybe put aside $50 each paycheck for clothing or fast food here and there but your future self is going to want to invest it, buy a car soon, or save for college/business.
• If you do get money, please stay FRUGAL. Join the subreddit. Do whatever it takes so you don't waste your money on stupid shit that you don't need or won't last you long. Eat at home as much as possible.
• Please get SLEEP. Most students don't. Be one of the few that does and get the benefit of better focus, mood, and productivity. This is so important, do NOT neglect your sleep for phone time or homework. This is why you should get your homework done earlier.
  • Poor sleep has done so many bad things to me that you couldn't imagine. I can't stress this enough, make it a priority.
• Video games are WORTHLESS to invest your time in now. Please for the love of god do not have a "Rocket League 2-hour practice routine" or "Valorant Aim training practice" in your daily routine. It is a complete waste of time and is rather best put into homework, studying, sports, or useful hobbies. I'm not saying to completely stop playing video games, I'm saying to not make it a priority. Do play video games with your close friends as these may be your last few years with them. Again, this may be void if you somehow make money out of this, but that is rare.
• Whatever your current hobbies are (that aren't video games or TikTok), learn and practice them NOW. Guitar, cooking, painting, reading, learning a new language, skating, or whatever; make it one of your priorities aside from homework because trust me, you wish you would've started sooner.
• A girlfriend/boyfriend is NOT worth the time unless they don't show any red flags AT ALL. This means no signs of toxicity, treats you and your family like family, and you did not force yourself to like this person just because you wanted a partner. It all has to be natural, otherwise, do not get one now. Even if it is natural and you eventually break up, it's a valuable life lesson.
• If you like someone naturally, talk to them NOW. This is when friends come in. Get your most close friend or the friend that talks to girls and talk to them about what you should say. You really can't mess up (unless you say something aggressive like anti-Semitic or racist) because if they like you then they won't care if you're nervous or didn't say the "right thing". If you get rejected, you are only a stronger being now. Do NOT blame yourself for getting rejected. I met my first girlfriend with no 'rizz' and we bonded for a year.
  • Yes, you will see ugly guys have pretty women in their contacts and you may think it's their rizz but it's just the girls' type. Your future girlfriend's type will be you and your type will be her.
• They rejected you or broke up with you? DO NOT CONTACT THEM FIRST EVER AGAIN. Not worth your time. The 'person who REJECTED you' advice may be void if they end up being good friends in which you could talk to friends of friends and maybe find another person to talk to. Again, who REJECTED, not BROKE UP. If you are still deeply in love with the person who rejected you, you can't be friends. Sorry.
• DON'T feel pressured to go to a party/function. Go if your friends are going or if you're extraverted. Almost all parties I've been to are just for getting high and drunk. If you choose that route, make it occasional, and don't make it a habit. Having vaping or juuling as a habit is NOT worth it, especially now while your lungs are healthy. If there's music, it's Mike Sherm, not Pitbull like you see in the movies.
• Having a conflict with another person now is CORNY. Who gives a fuck if they cheated on you or if they called you a bitch or they don't "fuck" with you. It's HIGH SCHOOL. Learn, make friends, and have fun. If you're already part of a conflict, it's not worth it. Be a "man" or "woman" and not give a fuck. You are not a bitch if they call you one for not standing up for yourself. You're a bitch by giving a fuck for something not worth your time.
  • Obviously, fight back if they physically hurt you. Learn a 'bitch' move (poke the eye, hit in the balls, punch in the gut) and leave. Jiu-jitsu or wrestling is also fun to learn if you have the time.
• Start off with the BASICS and find your style. Basics mean plain shirts, regular-fit jeans, white sneakers, etc. Then find your style from there with celebrity inspirations or Pinterest albums. Wear what you like but please do not get caught wearing a skirt with fishnets, a shawl-collar cardigan, or a peacoat. People will tell you "dress however you want" but not here dude, not here. Wear appropriate things you'd wear to a sports game or the grocery store.
• If you have the chance to become fit, start NOW. Chubby? Lose weight. Skinny? Gain muscle. There are subreddits for these. If your parents cook at home most of the time, ask for more whole meals that suit your diet and HELP cook them. Start slow when you're changing your diet. Do not go from fast food to straight-up whole meals. You will most likely get de-motivated within a few days. Again, you wish would've started sooner. Start now if you have access to weights and a balanced diet. My school had a weights training class with barbells, so I started there and eventually changed my diet.
  • PLEASE DO NOT LIFT WITHOUT A GOOD DIET. Fitness is 80% diet, 20% exercise. Please do not be that person that lifts, then goes to eat a 40-count nugget at McDonald's. Exercising without a good diet is a TOTAL waste of time.
• CLEAN your room. Messy room, messy mind. This is also in case you ever have someone unexpected over.
• (BONUS) Learn chess and become at least an intermediate player. Depending on your school, there may be a chess tournament that includes a prize. Most likely money. This is also a nice hobby to improve memory, problem-solving, reading skills, and concentration.

One of the most exciting aspects of a new GTA game is the potential for a new map. While there have been no official announcements about the GTA 6 map, there have been several rumors and speculations about what it could look like.
One popular theory is that the game will be set in Vice City, which was featured in GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories. If this is the case, the map would likely be based on Miami, Florida, and could feature iconic landmarks such as the South Beach Art Deco district, the Miami skyline, and the Everglades.
Another theory is that the game could feature multiple cities, similar to GTA San Andreas. This could mean that the game could be set in multiple locations, such as Vice City, Liberty City, and a fictional version of Rio de Janeiro.
It's also possible that the game could feature a brand new location that hasn't been seen in the series before. This could be an exciting prospect as it would give players a completely new environment to explore.
Regardless of what the map looks like, it's safe to say that it will be massive in size and filled with a variety of different environments, from sprawling cities to dense forests to sandy beaches.
GTA 5 Modder 👑 Buy gta 5 accounts http://Furymodz.com // Fortnite // GTA 5 Accounts, Mods 💎 Creator on Patreon: http://patreon.com/furymodz 🎪

Violence is on the rise in Chicago, and lawmakers are looking for ways to drive those numbers back down. One stat that has drawn attention in recent weeks is the city's number of carjackings. According to Chicago police, carjacking surged by 134 percent for 2020, bringing the total to 1,415. Rep. Marcus Evans Jr. (D), whose district covers Chicago's South Side, wants a sales ban to minors on violent video games like Grand Theft Auto. Evans is proposing an amendment to an existing 2012 law that prevents the sale of violent video games to minors. Illinois House Bill 3531 (HB3531) has been updated to add the following language:
Modifies the definition of "violent video game" to mean a video game that allows a user or player to control a character within the video game that is encouraged to perpetuate human-on-human violence in which the player kills or otherwise causes serious physical or psychological harm to another human or an animal...
Modifies the definition of "serious physical harm" to include psychological harm and child abuse, sexual abuse, animal abuse, domestic violence, violence against women, or motor vehicle theft with a driver or passenger present inside the vehicle when the theft begins.
The above-bolded text is pertinent to Grand Theft Auto, a widely popular game franchise that allows you to perform carjackings (among other violent and heinous acts). However, what's interesting is that games like Grand Theft Auto and its ilk have been around for decades; this is nothing new. A game like Grand Theft Auto alone couldn't possibly be responsible for the rise in the city's carjackings. Still, lawmakers and city officials are seemingly trying to tie the young ages of some of the carjacking suspects with the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic means that many children are at home, spending more time playing video games.
grand theft auto carjacking The youngest [recent] carjacking suspect was just 12 years old, and a 14-year-old was arrested in January for "taking part in multiple carjackings," according to Fox News.
"I feel like this game has become a huge issue in this spectrum," said Walker in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times. "When you compare the two, you see harsh similarities as it relates to these carjackings."
As a counterpoint to the rumblings in Chicago, a decade-long study concluded that this is no credible link between kids playing violent video games and, in-turn exhibiting violent behavior.

One of the most exciting aspects of a new GTA game is the potential for a new map. While there have been no official announcements about the GTA 6 map, there have been several rumors and speculations about what it could look like.
One popular theory is that the game will be set in Vice City, which was featured in GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories. If this is the case, the map would likely be based on Miami, Florida, and could feature iconic landmarks such as the South Beach Art Deco district, the Miami skyline, and the Everglades.
Another theory is that the game could feature multiple cities, similar to GTA San Andreas. This could mean that the game could be set in multiple locations, such as Vice City, Liberty City, and a fictional version of Rio de Janeiro.
It's also possible that the game could feature a brand new location that hasn't been seen in the series before. This could be an exciting prospect as it would give players a completely new environment to explore.
Regardless of what the map looks like, it's safe to say that it will be massive in size and filled with a variety of different environments, from sprawling cities to dense forests to sandy beaches.
GTA 5 Modder 👑 Buy gta 5 accounts http://Furymodz.com // Fortnite // GTA 5 Accounts, Mods 💎 Creator on Patreon: http://patreon.com/furymodz 🎪

When I was in high school, I went into the city to fundraise as a representative of the youth group I was in. The office we visited was in the financial district on Rector St.
Before the meeting, our advisor took me and the other kid who was chosen to speak to a Jewish deli/diner nearby.
I have dreamed of this place’s fried kreplach & onion rings. The onion rings use the same batter as the kreplach, which was doughy, closer to a hush puppy.
I know this is probably a long shot, but nothing ventured and all that. Thank you!

Disclaimer: I'm not claiming this to necessarily be correct or what Will intended for the album, it's just my own interpretation of what this absolute masterpiece of a song and album mean. Furthermore, I'll avoid using their real names as much as possible, as again, this is just my own interpretation of the song and probably doesn't reflect actual events which happened in Will's life.
I was thinking about what a wonderful song Beach Life-In-Death is and what it's lyrics meant in the context of the larger story of the album, and eventually I came to the conclusion that the song represnts Will being haunted by the past, present and future of his relationship with Cate, and kickstarts what happens during the rest of the album.
Let's start with the very beginning of the song, where our narrator reminisces about a happy memory of his partner after driving to Harper's Ferry, which sends him spiraling into a reflection of his relationship on the drive back.

Part I

This section of the song is before the relationship has started (the past), here the person our narrator is interested in already has a partner, which causes him immense pain, writing songs about not being able to be with them, and seemingly falling apart at the seams because of said inability. Already our narrator is in love with the impossible fantasy of a perfect relationship with this person, and suffering because it would never come true.
​

I wrote beach death when I thought you were taken I wrote beach funeral when I knew you were taken

​

It should be anti-depression As a friend of mine suggested Because it's not the sadness that hurts you It's the brain's reaction against it

​

It's not enough to love the unreal I am inseparable from the impossible I I want gravity to stop for me My soul yearns for a fugitive from the laws of nature

​
I wanna quickly point out the dog motif line, as it could cause a crack in the theory that this all takes place before the relationship. I take the line to not actually be talking about the album itself, here "Dog" represents Cate (known as Partydog at the time), and a motif being something that reappears repeatedly, so the dog motif actually represents Will talking to his friends about Cate often. This could even be seen as the narrator's friends playing a joke on him, as he had just drunkenly come out to them moments prior.

I pretended I was drunk when I came out to my friends I never came out to my friends We were all on Skype And I laughed and changed the subject She said "what's with this dog motif" I said Do you have something against dogs?

Part II

This section jumps in time, where the narrator and his (now) partner are already in some kind of relationship (the present). The narrator still shows an obsession with his partner, though he sees the cracks starting to form in this toxic union.
The relationship isn't official:

It's been a year since we first met I don't know if we're boyfriends yet

They're getting hypocritical, and they don't know what they want:

We said we hated humans We wanted to be humans

They feel the need to hide their relationship around loved ones:

And you can take him home to your mother And say, Ma, this is my brother

Overall, things slowly start to get repetitive, boring and tiring, as they were before they even dated:

Get more groceries, get eaten get more Groceries, get eaten, get more groceries get eaten

Despite all this (and more as we see in later tracks), our narrator desperately wants to continue what he has, as he has idealized this person and this relationship so more, that he'd hold on to it, regardless of how much it might hurt him:

Get eaten by the one you love When they put their lips around you You can feel their smile from the inside

​

Part III

This section takes place once their romance is over (the future). The two of them remained friends, but the other person no longer showed any interest in the narrator, and he desperately wished for it to come back:

Your ears perked up I perked up when your ears perked up You were all looking around And I hoped it was for me I hoped you were using your sonar systems for me

From here, the rest of the song essentially mourns what happened, and the narrator wishes he would've heard the warnings and never started a relationship in the first place.

The ancients saw it coming You can see that they tried to warn them In the tales that they told their children But they fell out of their heads in the morning
They said sex can be frightening But the children were not listening And the children cut out everything Except for the kissing and the singing

Finally, the ocean washes open the grave of the narrator's partner, meaning that the sadness that was felt during this reflection of what happened caused the narrator to keep going down the rabbit hole of his relationship, what could've been, and how bad things really were.

What does this mean for the rest of the album?

Following this thread, you could interpret the rest of the songs on the album up until Cute Thing, as a close-up look at how the narrator's relationship developed over time, with "Stop Smoking" representing self-destructive habits, "Sober To Death" dealing with anger issues and the perils of a long distance relationship, "Nervous Young Inhumans" being a further inspection of the narrator idealizing the relationship, "Bodys" about their complicated sexual relationship, and "Cute Thing" being a breaking point in the relationship, with our narrator desperately trying to hold the connection together, and distracting himself with whatever he can. "High To Death" is the break up song, with them no longer together, and the narrator sunk in an extreme state of depression. "Famous Prophets" sees the narrator dealing with the fact that the relationship is forever over, and finally breaking free from the fantsasy. Lastly, "Those Boys" is the nail in the coffin, with a fairly meta twist. Will has moved on from what happened, but it'll forever be immortalized in the themes and lyrics of Twin Fantasy.
As one last footnote (and something i just found interesting), in the vinyl edition’s lyric sheet this song is subtitled "a cursed song". I think this might be in reference not only to Will being haunted by his past, present and future (much alike to the story "A Christmas Carol"), but also the fact that this song is what begins his further reflection into the relationship.

TL;DR

BLID's three sections represent every step of the narrator's relationship with his partner (the before, during and after), with the very end of the song releasing every single thought he has about the relationship, and manifesting it in the form of the rest of the songs on the album, eventually ending with closure.

I was on my way home, run into some people, kinda friends. It is 3am, we went to the beach. Listened to music on bluetooth speaker. Talking. And one moment a guy and a girl went for a swim. Crazy random yolo swimming.
It made me sad because reminded me of my first date with my ex. It was raining heavily and I asked her if she want to come with me to the beach to play frisbe. She said if I wasn't joking she would say yes. I said I am not joking. We went.. and we ended up together. For a while.
So the alcohol: I feel like I haven't had such high(good) feelings since the breakup. Am I ever gonna have this again? Do I need to get high/ drunk for that? (I was sober on that date..). It feels really sad that I have to keep going with my daily life and not kmowing if these will ever happen again. Furthermore, my life currently is pubwork. Gym, swim. reading, meditating, working on my music projects. Sleep. Eat. Repeat..
What is the point.. I think it only makes sense if it leads to those elevated feelings liek I had with my ex. Otherwise why not just get drunk and go swimming with them, alcohol helps me avoid or forget these feeligns temporaliry, but at least temporaliry I feel those highs.
And I know.. I should feel super great and grateful.. I have a home (rent) next to the beach. I make enough money in the pub workign 40 days a week. I am healthy. I am good-looking. But unconfident. Unhappy. I look confident tho I think. As long as I care about appearence.. But I am not feeling great. I feel forever trapped in life and finding progress.

I just want people to know that the Sonoma County government is corrupt. They spent 186 million dollars on a "new courthouse" that is 163k square feet, which works out to $1,100 per square foot, which is over double the second most expensive building I could find was, and over four times the average price per square foot of palaces and museums. And it's just going to look like a giant portable. This is to house some of the most corrupt people in this County, who all make $200-350+k per year (I am including their benefits in that, but not their pension). The entire DA's Office has a vendetta against Civil Rights in general, and will literally knowingly commit criminal violations of laws for the purpose of covering up serious criminal misconduct on the part of Sonoma County employees.
Lynda Hopkins took money from the law enforcement unions, and turns a willfully blind eye to it.
The County Office of Legal Counsel is literally a crime syndicate.
In 2015, the Sheriff's Office had a veritable torture ring in the jail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izcHIv5Y4z8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYrGChrW5HM&list=TLPQMzAwMzIwMjMv0QAOPDy1Lw&index=2
This is just the tip of the iceberg. They lied about the existence of these videos, and "lost" the one where they gave one of the inmates internal bleeding, with a knee to their back.
There was a lawsuit about it. It was called the "Yard Counseling Case". There are news articles about it.
There was an official, written policy, called "Yard Counseling", later its name was changed to "Behavior Counseling" which dictated that for arbitrary punitive measures, Sheriff's Office personnel should extract inmates from their cells individually (which meant slamming their heads onto the door frames on the way out and other abuse), and isolate them, and putting them into "pain compliance" techniques (literally, by definition, torture) for extended periods of time while "counseling" them, which meant wearing no name tags, ski masks and riot gear, carrying a shotgun with them, and insulting them in explicit language for over 20 minutes.
This official written policy was acknowledged by Rob Giordano in a video, where he lies that no inmates where injured, uploaded to YouTube in 2018, when they finally addressed this official written policy, and the practice of torturing inmates without reasonable cause (leading exercise routines, for example).
In 2021, they saw one of the victims of this torture ring, who had sued them and had won, at a peaceful protest, and shot him with a grenade launcher while hiding on a rooftop in the face with a crowd control grenade, which exploded on impact and caused horrific injury that I don't care to describe.
In 2017, I was almost killed by application of a "carotid hold" / lateral vascular neck restraint, by a sheriff's deputy, for literally no reason. A knee was placed on my lower back while I was on the ground on my stomach as well, which caused a serious injury to my kidney, which was the worst injury of my life. I have also been diagnosed with an organic brain injury and cognitive impairment. I was tested for the same type of cognitive impairment before the incident and there is a marked difference, and I have about 30 pages describing the differences I've noticed / troubles I've had in my cognitive functioning. There was no probable cause to arrest me, and I was polite and compliant with all the instructions given to me, and this was confirmed by witnesses. I was punished for invoking my right to remain silent, then my arm was grabbed and yanked up behind me, and then a carotid hold was applied because my body pivoted after the deputy grabbed and yanked my arm.
This occurred UNDER A CAMERA and IN FRONT OF WITNESSES. I called the Sheriff's Office the next day said I want to "make an official complaint in writing". I was transferred to Captain of Internal Affairs, Captain Mark Essick. I repeated my request, verbatim. He responded, verbatim: "We don't do that. Why don't you tell me what happened." I did. I told him it happened right under a camera. He said "The camera can't record." I asked for confirmation. He said the cameras "Don't have recording technology installed."
I asked the County for a claim form. They ignored my request, and instructed me to report the incident to IOLERO. IOLERO requested I meet with Internal Affairs, and I said fine.
Sgt. Andy Cash called me and scheduled me for a meeting at the Sheriff's den. I was made to walk first and guided upstairs to a meeting room, and then patted down for weapons, and the interview was recorded. For 75 minutes I was deposed about happened. He asked me repeatedly about my mental state after the incident. I admitted that I was upset after the incident, and he acted like that justified the whole incident. He explicitly promised to interview the 4 deputies who witnessed the event in addition to the 2 deputies who participated, as well as the arresting officer (who I told him would confirm that I was polite and cooperative), which he agreed "would confirm [my] demeanor", and a bystander witness I told him about.
I complained to IOLERO director Jerry Threet. Mr. Threet agreed that that was inappropriate, then resigned without reviewing the investigation.
For about 4 years review of the investigation was put on hold because IOLERO staff quit, and when more staff was hired, they complained of being understaffed. They had a budget of over a million dollars but only had 2 employees. They only reviewed one case per four months. And they put off "backlogged" cases and focused on new cases. My complaint was finally reviewed by Interim Director Garrick Byers who clearly stated that the investigation was not conducted appropriately. I have the letter from him. That still has never been made public.
After the interview with Internal Affairs, I corresponded with Lynda Hopkins, and she refused to give her opinion on the matter. I specifically complained that the carotid hold was being used recklessly, and it is a dangerous technique. This was in 2018. She forwarded me to Janell Crane, who then had me meet with Kristi Schultz.
I contacted the DA's Office and spoke to Richard Celli (who made $346k in 2017, and has gunned down two unarmed people, and was convicted by a jury in one of the civil cases brought against him by one of the victim's family, but the sentence was overturned by a judge, while working for the SRPD). The first time I spoke to Mr. Celli, he told me that another law enforcement agency should take my case. After that first time, him and the rest of the DA's Office openly refused to comply with the Victims' Rights Laws (CA Con Art. 1 S. 28), and the "policies" (which are legally binding under CA Con Art 5 S. 13) of the Attorney General stating clearly that they are to take complaints from victims if it can't be resolved with the department.
After the first talk with Mr. Celli, I called Rohnert Park Police as I was instructed, and they 3-way called the Sheriff's office and then transferred me. I spent about 30 minutes reporting the incident to a deputy, and he asked me questions in a fair manner. I called RPPD back and talked to the arresting officer and he positively clearly confirmed that I was "polite, calm, compliant, and cooperative" (or something nearly verbatim, I can't remember exactly any more).
Andrew Cash called me the next day, at precisely 7:00 AM. He told me he was driving. He was extremely confrontational with me. He said "There were 6 deputies [referring to the two who used excessive force on me, and 4 witness deputies]. You were combative." This was false. He had only interviewed one of the 4 witness deputies, and the other 3 had provided written statements. They said that they had witnessed force being used, that they had not participated in the use of force to the best of their memory, and that I "did not appear to be resisting". But again, he had promised explicitly to interview the 4 deputy witnesses, and the arresting officer
Internal Affairs exonerated the officers. The letter was signed by Eddie Engram, captain of Internal Affairs. I called Mr. Engram, and had an hour long conversation with him, and he told me to contact Sgt. Cash after April 1st.
I filed a federal claim on the last day that it was due.
Mr. Cash referred me to Legal Counselor, Kara Abelson.
Ms. Abelson spent a year and a half refusing to comply with the Public Records Act, the Rules of Procedure, and the Rules of Professional Conduct. She refused to provide me documents that I was entitled to under law, including the incident report written by Deputies Jacquelin Fazzio and Virgil Smith, and the recorded interviews that he promised he would conduct, and stated pretty clearly that he had conducted.
Kara Abelson spent a year and a half trying to claim that my federal complaint was time barred by 1 day when it wasn't. The judge (Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers) entertained this and forced me to respond SEVEN TIMES, before she finally admitted that the "law wouldn't allow [her] to dismiss my complaint".
After a year and a half, Kara Abelson finally withdrew from the case after I started citing the Rules of Professional Conduct to her that require her to resign or withdraw from the case rather than defend a civil case where defense isn't warranted. Nobody had disputed any of the allegations I had made. In fact, Eddie Engram had confirmed that what I said happened was not disputed by the evidence.
At some point around this time, either before or after Ms. Abelson withdrew, the 2 incident reports written by the two deputies, the written statements by 3 of the 4 witness deputies, and the recorded interviews with me, the 2 deputies who assaulted me, and 1 of the eye witness deputies, were provided, along with various other records from the facility. In the recorded interview, and the incident report, the deputies admitted that Virgil Smith had applied the carotid hold.
I had also reported the incident to the State Attorney General Public Inquiry Unite (Lupe Zinzin). She had told me, over and over and over, that the local DA's are required to take complaints from civilians in these situations. She refused to call the DA's Office, though. The DA's Office (Richard Celli, Mark Azzouni, David Kahl) refused to take a complaint from me. They (including the receptionists) hung up on me every time I called after no more than 2 minutes, for no reason, transferred me to dead lines, never returned any voicemails I managed to leave, told me explicitly that if I send a complaint, they will throw it away, and didn't care, at all, what the laws were. The receptionists also refuse to provide their names. The Attorney General's Office told me to send them a complaint, so I did. The DA's Office acknowledged receiving the complaint. But later said that they did not have a record of it, meaning they threw it away.
The Attorney General's Office finally agreed to take a complaint from me. It sat on their desk for a year. I finally called them, concerned that evidence was being destroyed, and left a voicemail for Casey Hallinan requesting that they request copies of the physical evidence from the Sheriff's Office. Literally 2 days after that voicemail, a letter was sent to me signed by Sharon Loughner with Casey Hallinan CC'ed on the letter, stating that they would "take no action", and blamed the incident on me. I had not received the letter though, and called and spoke to Ms. Hallinan, who was extremely rude. After that, the Attorney General's Office hang up on me as soon as they find out it's me, for no reason. There has since been a bystander witness who saw the whole thing, and it has come to light that the cameras did record, that no upgrades were ever performed like Ms. Abelson alleged, the cameras do continuously record (as of 2019), and they just lied through their teeth about the camera for 4 straight years. The Attorney General's Office does not care. They violate the laws, and do not care what the laws are.
Sonoma County Office of Legal Counsel attorney Michael King took over after Ms. Abelson withdrew. Right off the bat, Mr. King told me that my motions were deficient - a contention he has repeated frequently, since then. I asked him how. He changed the subject, and to this day has NEVER given any explanation as to how any of my motions are deficient.
He continued to claim that my claim was time barred, filing frivolous motions, in blatant violation of the rules of professional conduct, after I cited the rules to him, constituting explicit legal misconduct.
As I said, the judge finally agreed to open Discovery after a year and a half of full time work trying to fight for my right to not be nearly murdered for no reason.
Lawyers do not take these cases unless there is undeniable proof of blatant guilt, along with undeniable proof of catastrophic injury. Multiple law firms have confirmed that it takes over a million dollars worth of legal work to get these cases to trial.
The judge also promised me a pro bono attorney "if you make it past summary judgment".
The judge scheduled us for Alternative Dispute Resolution hearing with a magistrate judge. Mr. King elicited an offer from me, which I spent about 2 weeks working on, trying to make it as agreeable as possible. But then for the hearing, his written offer was to waive charging me his attorneys fees. The judge confirmed that there was no legal basis for him to do that - it would be illegal. He had been ordered to participate in this hearing, and there was a legal obligation under the Rules of Procedure to try in good faith to settle the case. He violated the order and the rule of procedure (26 (f)).
All of my motions were completely ignored for no reason.
Mr. King / Defendant Virgil Smith lied about the cameras. They said "Denies the existence of cameras capable of recording in the vicinity", in writing, under oath. They never disputed that he put his knee on top of my back with all his weight on it.
Mr. King refused to comply with his Discovery obligations. I had to file about 4 different motions pertaining to their refusal to comply with the laws regarding disclosure of evidence.
Upon receiving an official Discovery request for records of camera equipment, I received a letter signed under by Mr. King (nearly 4 years after the incident) stating that the cameras CAN RECORD. But stating "tasks must be performed" to start the recording function, and stating that all records pertaining to the equipment that was installed at the time HAD BEEN DESTROYED (literally a federal and state crime, a civil tort violation, and a sanctionable act of legal misconduct).
Mr. King refused to schedule any of the witnesses for deposition, demanded MY deposition BEFORE he would even schedule the two deputies who assaulted me, even though I had been requesting depositions with other witnesses for over a month, and refused to schedule anyone else, he refused to answer interrogatories, he refused to provide copies of the policies from the time of the incident. He tried to pass off a weird spreadsheet with the word camera on it as proof that upgrades had been done to the cameras. He refused to provide complete training records for the deputies. He refused to provide details about the training. He refused to provide blueprints of the facility, refused to provide photos of the cameras at the location, refused to provide still images showing which direction the cameras were pointing, refused to provide photos of the deputies so I could schedule depositions efficiently.
The judge erroneously dismissed my Equal Protection claims, construing them as Due Process and Employment Discrimination claims, which are different types of claims than Equal Protection claims against a government actor. The government cannot arbitrarily treat anyone disparately. The Court also dismissed my "Monell" claim against the municipality for their "policies, customs, or practices", but left me leave to amend that claim. And she waited until Discovery opened over 1.5 years into litigation, to do this, forcing me to amend the complaint DURING DISCOVERY which was only open for a limited amount of time, instead of any point in the 1.5 years prior to that.
In the recorded interview with Andrew Cash and one of the witness deputies, she spontaneously states that Mr. Cash instructed her to review the written statements made by the two deputies who assaulted me prior to the interview. Another deputy witness confirmed that Mr. Cash had instructed her to review the written reports by the two deputies who assaulted me prior to her providing Mr. Cash with a written statement as well.
The judge finally retaliated against me, without rational basis, for filing motions, which I had filed because I was being illegally obstructed from preserving evidence, by withdrawing leave to amend regarding the "Monell" claim (I had stated a clear Monell claim to begin with, but the judge literally has an aversion to reading, and relies on guessing, and is biased against pro se litigants; I am summarizing well over 100 pages, if not well over double that, of motions, objections, and replies and the judge's responsive orders).
She did however, finally schedule a hearing with a Discovery referee magistrate. All my motions (and the months of work I was required to do dictated by the various rules) was completely disregarded, and both me and Mr. King were given 2 pages each (double spaced) to go over discovery issues, even though I had filed about 4 different motions about various issues, and he hadn't filed ANY, at that time.
During conference I was required to do in accordance with the Rules, Mr. King repeatedly tried to establish that I had committed crimes during the course of conferring which was my legal obligation, without having any rational basis to believe what he was trying to establish. He demanded evidence that would exist, and he kept repeating every lie he could come up with to the judge. The judge would either get annoyed at me if I addressed any of Mr. King's baseless accusations, or take his statements at face value for being 100% true.
Mr. King finally "compromised" and agreed to schedule depositions with me (as long as Mr. King wanted to) and the two deputies who had assaulted me (for 25 minutes each or something) all simultaneously, but refused to schedule anyone else, even though this was grossly advantageous to him. One of the eye witness deputies later confirmed that he had "consulted" her over 4 times prior to the trial. During this deposition, Mr. King asked me where a family member of mine works. He had spent about 30-40 minutes trying to convince me that I can tell him anything, that the entire record was designated confidential, that I had nothing to worry about - and at a deposition, you are obligated to answer the questions unless they are harassing. Mr. King also requested contact information for counselors from over 10 years ago, and that was the only question I didn't answer - I told him to provide the request in writing. At some point after that, I told Mr. King to not contact my family member at her workplace, and Mr. King responded "unless you fully and completely cooperate" with his request for contact information for counselors from 10 years+ ago.
At the hearing, the Discovery Magistrate (Donna M. Ryu) discussed matters only with Mr. King, without including me. He told her that the 4 eye witness deputies "saw nothing" and "weren't there" (verbatim) trying to get her to deny me my request to take their deposition. She asked him if he would get them to sign fresh "sworn declarations", "under oath" (Judge Ryu's words, verbatim) stating this. Mr. King said yes, absolutely, he would. Judge Ryu asked me "Would that be okay?" I said "No." She started laughing, and asked me why, and I explained that I had explicitly described various interactions with them that had taken place while the carotid hold was still being applied to me, and that they had stated in their written statements that they had witnessed force being used, and that was "not resisting". She confirmed that this was all true with Mr. King and that he already knew all of this, and ordered him to cooperate with scheduling them for deposition.
After that, they went back to discussing matters only with eachother, and I was excluded from discussion. This was an hour long hearing, and at about the 45 minute mark, Mr. King was again lying to the magistrate judge, and when he had finished, I interjected, "That's not true". Judge Ryu shouted "Stop! Stop stop stop stop stop!" And then very assertively explained to me the importance of not interrupting people for the convenience of the court reporter / transcriber. I was excluded from the rest of the hearing.
At some point at either this hearing or the next one, I cited the legal requirement for the parties to disclose contact information for witnesses. I cited the rule of procedure. Judge Ryu responded, "Mr. King is a lawyer!" as if that alone justified his refusal to provide me contact information for witnesses.
Mr. King refused to provide both written statements from the eye witness deputies, and to schedule them for deposition, and stated that if he provided written statements, they would be copied and pasted versions of the same statements previously provided, signed under oath (nowhere saying that they "saw nothing" or "weren't there").
Mr. King kept threatening to go to my family member's workplace unless I provided him contact information for counselors from 10+ years ago, DURING a DEPOSITION, without him providing any written request for the information.
He also interfered with scheduling the witnesses for deposition, with the Court reporter that I had hired, disregarded the schedule that I had set, and set them each for 30 minutes, which raised the cost of deposition from an estimated about $700 to about $4,000, and said this was my one and only chance.
The Federal Pro Bono Project / the Justice & Diversity Center is an organization that receives seven million dollars a year in public funding and is under contract with the Federal District Court to work with the Court to provide legal consultation to pro se litigants. I had about 19 appointments with them, about 18 with Abby Herzberg, and 1 with Rosemarie Maliekel. Ms. Herzberg was precisely 15 minutes late to every single appointment, repeatedly gave me horrible advice ("just wait", do nothing, "don't file this", despite admitting that the entire motion was valid, directly causing excessive delay and the spoliation of crucial evidence). She also yelled at me aggressively on two occasions because I had brought up state laws, which were being currently violated against me, because the Court had dismissed my "state claims" because Sonoma County refused to supply with a state tort claim form when I first asked, reasoning that was not relevant to the state laws being currently violated against me. After Ms. Herzberg yelled at me the second time, I requested an appointment with Ms. Maliekel. Ms. Maliekel spent the entire appointment ranting at me about irrelevant issues, and kept talking over me and interrupting me. I was polite but eventually asked "can I finish what I was saying?" She responded "No!" and kept ranting at me.
I had repeatedly asked about how to properly get medical evidence, and about expert witnesses. Ms. Herzberg ignored my questions and spent nearly the entirety of almost every single appointment reading through the rules, without letting me speak at all, even to summarize the relevant sections of the rules that I had read.
On a video on their webpage (on the Court's website, because they are a "partner project" with the Court), Abby Herzberg explicitly demonstrates a clear understanding of the fact that the Court provides funding for expert witnesses, despite ignoring my questions about and spending nearly the entirety of almost every single appointment either reading rules or pretending to.
Discovery was closed.
Mr. King rehashed the legally baseless and frivolous "time barred" claim in a Motion for Summary Judgment. I was required to respond to it twice. I was required to answer all his "undisputed material facts" under threat of terminating my entire case, but he refused to answer mine. He lied over and over to the judges. As I said, the judge ruled that the laws "wouldn't allow her to" dismiss my entire case and rejected his Motion for Summary Judgement.
The Court ordered the Federal Pro Bono Project (FPBP) to put me on a list for attorneys seeking clients. Ms. Herzberg told me that if I filed any motions, that the FPBP would not cooperate with the Court's order, until 1 month before my trial, instead of 6 months before. She also said that a law firm had reached out to them about my case over a month prior to that, and that the staff at the FPBP had not followed up. My filing privileges were then revoked by the Court.
An attorney, David Ratner, reached out to me, and scheduled an initial consultation, over Zoom, at which he stated he "hates cops", and gave a showing of being enthusiastic. I explicitly told him that I wanted to make sure we were on the same page as far as what to "aim for". I told him that I had been working for FIVE YEARS, that I had almost died, that I had suffered two different extremely serious injuries. I told him that what I asked for was consistent with the most similar case (the Esa Wroth case of 2013) that I knew of (an ask of three million dollars). This was coincidental. I was not aware of the Esa Wroth case when I came up with that number. I agonized over that, and spent a lot of time trying to come up with a fair amount, and described the methods I used to come up with that number in detail in court documents. Mr. Ratner explicitly agreed to aim for that.
Mr. Ratner, and his partner, Shelley Mollineaux, who was set to represent me at trial under Mr. Ratner's supervision, then both went dark for over a month. They ignored my emails, voicemails, and messages that I left with their receptionists. There was a hearing, and then Mr. Ratner emailed me demanding "all the documents" that I had. I had over 50 gb of files across thousands of files, and spent about a month working with his paralegals sending them batches of files, and providing all the information they asked me for. Mr. Ratner forwarded me an email from Mr. King where King accused me of violating a court order regarding providing medical providers and the physical addresses of my entire family and my friends, which was false -- the Court had ordered me to provide him CONTACT information, at a second hearing, which wasn't significant, and I had fully and completely complied in good faith with all the Court's orders. Mr. Ratner accused me of not sending him "anything", after I had spent at least several weeks with his paralegals sending them batches of files and information, and he simultaneously threatened to ask the judge for leave to withdraw.
There had been major delays with medical evaluation due in large part to Covid, as well as delayed discovery of brain injury, which is very common, and other factors.
With trial set, Mr. Ratner forwarded me an offer from Defendants for $5,000. Upon discussion (which was 100% in email because he refused to talk over the phone and Ms. Mollineaux completely ignored me), he accused me of not doing Discovery right. I pointed him to the video I referred to earlier, which I had found since Mr. Ratner took my case, but wasn't aware of when I was interacting with the FPBP, where the FPBP (Abby Herzberg), and various District Judges from the Court I was litigating in, state that it is general policy (and it is official policy under the Court's General Order 25) to REOPEN DISCOVERY when a pro bono attorney comes onto the case, and to FUND DEPOSITION AND EXPERT WITNESS FEES.
Mr. Ratner stated he "won't file any motions" and ultimately elected to withdraw from the case over fulfill his legal obligations under the Rules of Professional Conduct. The Court thanked him and granted him permission to withdraw. The FPBP refused to put me back on the list. I was forced into trial BY MYSELF, at 1-2 months prior to trial, after 2-3 months of my time being completely wasted by Mr. Ratner and his law firm.
I went through the appropriate legal process to submit an expert witness. The Court, as usual, completely ignored my motions, but allowed me to use him after I went through the entire legal process, and paid him thousands of dollars without knowing if I would be granted permission or not, and provided the Court a report stating that the carotid hold was ILLEGAL unless the subject exhibited "assaultive behavior" and that Defendants had never alleged any behavior of mine that constituted "assaultive behavior" (under POST Basic). The expert was a Master level instructor at a police academy and former SWAT.
Mr. King provided his pre-trial disclosures, and it contained a document from Rohnert Park police department which had been extensively redacted on the copy that they had provided to me. The new copy contained the contact information for the bystander witness. I called him, and he confirmed that he saw the entire thing, that I had never yelled at the deputies before the first deputy grabbed my arm, and that I was not resisting at any point in time. I told the judge this. She had me call him at a hearing, and both me and Mr. King were allowed a couple of minutes to ask him questions, where he refused to admit that I was even "wiggling" when Mr. King badgered him.
The judge then refused to allow him to appear over Zoom, and refused to summon him to the trial.
At the trial, the Judge accused me falsely of firing my attorney, and explicitly prohibited me from telling the jury that the Defendants had LIED about the camera's ability to record. She explicitly prohibited me from submitting scientific evidence about the carotid hold. She allowed Mr. King to make extremely defamatory false remarks about me and my past which had a huge impact on the jury's perception of things. At a pretrial hearing, we had gone over about 110 documents that I wanted to present at the trial. She vetted about 40 as admissible at the hearing, but at the trial she only let me submit about 5. Defendants were allowed to submit a SECOND expert witness, both of whom worked for the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. The first was Andrew Cash. The second was James Naugle who had been disclosed literally a week before trial, without a report, and without allowing me to take his deposition. She refused to allow me to ask Mr. Naugle about case laws, or about information pertaining to the carotid hold. The Court refused to summon any of my treating physicians, whom I had provided the names and contact information for in my disclosures at the end of Discovery and some in my initial disclosures, and I had complied with Mr. King's written requests for information or objected within the boundaries of the law, in good faith, and complied with the Court's orders, in good faith.
I had informed the Court that I was scheduled for medical evaluations for brain injury AFTER THE TRIAL. The Court completely ignored this.
So it was my word against theirs. 5 years, at the time of the mistrial, to get a mockery of a trial, and have the jurors' time completely wasted. The jury wrote me a letter thanking me or something, but awarded me nothing.
I was diagnosed with organic brain injury after the trial. I had a similar test prior to the incident and had absolutely no problems and answered every question with no trouble. I now score in the FOURTH PERCENTILE on those areas.
Despite its length, this has been a short summary of all the events over the past 6 years. Much has been summarized, and much has been left out. I tried my best to balance completeness with leaving out irrelevant details.
There is no record of any misconduct on the part of anyone involved in this that is available to any law enforcement agencies or to the public. Nobody has been disciplined. No investigation was ever conducted. I was almost killed and was seriously injured, under a camera, and in front of witnesses, and spent 6 years working with the government. The government has done precisely NOTHING.
The County now routinely retaliates against me whenever we interact, in blatant violation of various laws.

I just want people to know that the Sonoma County government is corrupt. They spent 186 million dollars on a "new courthouse" that is 163k square feet, which works out to $1,100 per square foot, which is over double the second most expensive building I could find was, and over four times the average price per square foot of palaces and museums. And it's just going to look like a giant portable. This is to house some of the most corrupt people in this County, who all make $200-350+k per year (I am including their benefits in that, but not their pension). The entire DA's Office has a vendetta against Civil Rights in general, and will literally knowingly commit criminal violations of laws for the purpose of covering up serious criminal misconduct on the part of Sonoma County employees.
Lynda Hopkins took money from the law enforcement unions, and turns a willfully blind eye to it.
The County Office of Legal Counsel is literally a crime syndicate.
In 2015, the Sheriff's Office had a veritable torture ring in the jail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izcHIv5Y4z8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYrGChrW5HM&list=TLPQMzAwMzIwMjMv0QAOPDy1Lw&index=2
This is just the tip of the iceberg. They lied about the existence of these videos, and "lost" the one where they gave one of the inmates internal bleeding, with a knee to their back.
There was a lawsuit about it. It was called the "Yard Counseling Case". There are news articles about it.
There was an official, written policy, called "Yard Counseling", later its name was changed to "Behavior Counseling" which dictated that for arbitrary punitive measures, Sheriff's Office personnel should extract inmates from their cells individually (which meant slamming their heads onto the door frames on the way out and other abuse), and isolate them, and putting them into "pain compliance" techniques (literally, by definition, torture) for extended periods of time while "counseling" them, which meant wearing no name tags, ski masks and riot gear, carrying a shotgun with them, and insulting them in explicit language for over 20 minutes.
This official written policy was acknowledged by Rob Giordano in a video, where he lies that no inmates where injured, uploaded to YouTube in 2018, when they finally addressed this official written policy, and the practice of torturing inmates without reasonable cause (leading exercise routines, for example).
In 2021, they saw one of the victims of this torture ring, who had sued them and had won, at a peaceful protest, and shot him with a grenade launcher while hiding on a rooftop in the face with a crowd control grenade, which exploded on impact and caused horrific injury that I don't care to describe.
In 2017, I was almost killed by application of a "carotid hold" / lateral vascular neck restraint, by a sheriff's deputy, for literally no reason. A knee was placed on my lower back while I was on the ground on my stomach as well, which caused a serious injury to my kidney, which was the worst injury of my life. I have also been diagnosed with an organic brain injury and cognitive impairment. I was tested for the same type of cognitive impairment before the incident and there is a marked difference, and I have about 30 pages describing the differences I've noticed / troubles I've had in my cognitive functioning. There was no probable cause to arrest me, and I was polite and compliant with all the instructions given to me, and this was confirmed by witnesses. I was punished for invoking my right to remain silent, then my arm was grabbed and yanked up behind me, and then a carotid hold was applied because my body pivoted after the deputy grabbed and yanked my arm.
This occurred UNDER A CAMERA and IN FRONT OF WITNESSES. I called the Sheriff's Office the next day said I want to "make an official complaint in writing". I was transferred to Captain of Internal Affairs, Captain Mark Essick. I repeated my request, verbatim. He responded, verbatim: "We don't do that. Why don't you tell me what happened." I did. I told him it happened right under a camera. He said "The camera can't record." I asked for confirmation. He said the cameras "Don't have recording technology installed."
I asked the County for a claim form. They ignored my request, and instructed me to report the incident to IOLERO. IOLERO requested I meet with Internal Affairs, and I said fine.
Sgt. Andy Cash called me and scheduled me for a meeting at the Sheriff's den. I was made to walk first and guided upstairs to a meeting room, and then patted down for weapons, and the interview was recorded. For 75 minutes I was deposed about happened. He asked me repeatedly about my mental state after the incident. I admitted that I was upset after the incident, and he acted like that justified the whole incident. He explicitly promised to interview the 4 deputies who witnessed the event in addition to the 2 deputies who participated, as well as the arresting officer (who I told him would confirm that I was polite and cooperative), which he agreed "would confirm [my] demeanor", and a bystander witness I told him about.
I complained to IOLERO director Jerry Threet. Mr. Threet agreed that that was inappropriate, then resigned without reviewing the investigation.
For about 4 years review of the investigation was put on hold because IOLERO staff quit, and when more staff was hired, they complained of being understaffed. They had a budget of over a million dollars but only had 2 employees. They only reviewed one case per four months. And they put off "backlogged" cases and focused on new cases. My complaint was finally reviewed by Interim Director Garrick Byers who clearly stated that the investigation was not conducted appropriately. I have the letter from him. That still has never been made public.
After the interview with Internal Affairs, I corresponded with Lynda Hopkins, and she refused to give her opinion on the matter. I specifically complained that the carotid hold was being used recklessly, and it is a dangerous technique. This was in 2018. She forwarded me to Janell Crane, who then had me meet with Kristi Schultz.
I contacted the DA's Office and spoke to Richard Celli (who made $346k in 2017, and has gunned down two unarmed people, and was convicted by a jury in one of the civil cases brought against him by one of the victim's family, but the sentence was overturned by a judge, while working for the SRPD). The first time I spoke to Mr. Celli, he told me that another law enforcement agency should take my case. After that first time, him and the rest of the DA's Office openly refused to comply with the Victims' Rights Laws (CA Con Art. 1 S. 28), and the "policies" (which are legally binding under CA Con Art 5 S. 13) of the Attorney General stating clearly that they are to take complaints from victims if it can't be resolved with the department.
After the first talk with Mr. Celli, I called Rohnert Park Police as I was instructed, and they 3-way called the Sheriff's office and then transferred me. I spent about 30 minutes reporting the incident to a deputy, and he asked me questions in a fair manner. I called RPPD back and talked to the arresting officer and he positively clearly confirmed that I was "polite, calm, compliant, and cooperative" (or something nearly verbatim, I can't remember exactly any more).
Andrew Cash called me the next day, at precisely 7:00 AM. He told me he was driving. He was extremely confrontational with me. He said "There were 6 deputies [referring to the two who used excessive force on me, and 4 witness deputies]. You were combative." This was false. He had only interviewed one of the 4 witness deputies, and the other 3 had provided written statements. They said that they had witnessed force being used, that they had not participated in the use of force to the best of their memory, and that I "did not appear to be resisting". But again, he had promised explicitly to interview the 4 deputy witnesses, and the arresting officer
Internal Affairs exonerated the officers. The letter was signed by Eddie Engram, captain of Internal Affairs. I called Mr. Engram, and had an hour long conversation with him, and he told me to contact Sgt. Cash after April 1st.
I filed a federal claim on the last day that it was due.
Mr. Cash referred me to Legal Counselor, Kara Abelson.
Ms. Abelson spent a year and a half refusing to comply with the Public Records Act, the Rules of Procedure, and the Rules of Professional Conduct. She refused to provide me documents that I was entitled to under law, including the incident report written by Deputies Jacquelin Fazzio and Virgil Smith, and the recorded interviews that he promised he would conduct, and stated pretty clearly that he had conducted.
Kara Abelson spent a year and a half trying to claim that my federal complaint was time barred by 1 day when it wasn't. The judge (Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers) entertained this and forced me to respond SEVEN TIMES, before she finally admitted that the "law wouldn't allow [her] to dismiss my complaint".
After a year and a half, Kara Abelson finally withdrew from the case after I started citing the Rules of Professional Conduct to her that require her to resign or withdraw from the case rather than defend a civil case where defense isn't warranted. Nobody had disputed any of the allegations I had made. In fact, Eddie Engram had confirmed that what I said happened was not disputed by the evidence.
At some point around this time, either before or after Ms. Abelson withdrew, the 2 incident reports written by the two deputies, the written statements by 3 of the 4 witness deputies, and the recorded interviews with me, the 2 deputies who assaulted me, and 1 of the eye witness deputies, were provided, along with various other records from the facility. In the recorded interview, and the incident report, the deputies admitted that Virgil Smith had applied the carotid hold.
I had also reported the incident to the State Attorney General Public Inquiry Unite (Lupe Zinzin). She had told me, over and over and over, that the local DA's are required to take complaints from civilians in these situations. She refused to call the DA's Office, though. The DA's Office (Richard Celli, Mark Azzouni, David Kahl) refused to take a complaint from me. They (including the receptionists) hung up on me every time I called after no more than 2 minutes, for no reason, transferred me to dead lines, never returned any voicemails I managed to leave, told me explicitly that if I send a complaint, they will throw it away, and didn't care, at all, what the laws were. The receptionists also refuse to provide their names. The Attorney General's Office told me to send them a complaint, so I did. The DA's Office acknowledged receiving the complaint. But later said that they did not have a record of it, meaning they threw it away.
The Attorney General's Office finally agreed to take a complaint from me. It sat on their desk for a year. I finally called them, concerned that evidence was being destroyed, and left a voicemail for Casey Hallinan requesting that they request copies of the physical evidence from the Sheriff's Office. Literally 2 days after that voicemail, a letter was sent to me signed by Sharon Loughner with Casey Hallinan CC'ed on the letter, stating that they would "take no action", and blamed the incident on me. I had not received the letter though, and called and spoke to Ms. Hallinan, who was extremely rude. After that, the Attorney General's Office hang up on me as soon as they find out it's me, for no reason. There has since been a bystander witness who saw the whole thing, and it has come to light that the cameras did record, that no upgrades were ever performed like Ms. Abelson alleged, the cameras do continuously record (as of 2019), and they just lied through their teeth about the camera for 4 straight years. The Attorney General's Office does not care. They violate the laws, and do not care what the laws are.
Sonoma County Office of Legal Counsel attorney Michael King took over after Ms. Abelson withdrew. Right off the bat, Mr. King told me that my motions were deficient - a contention he has repeated frequently, since then. I asked him how. He changed the subject, and to this day has NEVER given any explanation as to how any of my motions are deficient.
He continued to claim that my claim was time barred, filing frivolous motions, in blatant violation of the rules of professional conduct, after I cited the rules to him, constituting explicit legal misconduct.
As I said, the judge finally agreed to open Discovery after a year and a half of full time work trying to fight for my right to not be nearly murdered for no reason.
Lawyers do not take these cases unless there is undeniable proof of blatant guilt, along with undeniable proof of catastrophic injury. Multiple law firms have confirmed that it takes over a million dollars worth of legal work to get these cases to trial.
The judge also promised me a pro bono attorney "if you make it past summary judgment".
The judge scheduled us for Alternative Dispute Resolution hearing with a magistrate judge. Mr. King elicited an offer from me, which I spent about 2 weeks working on, trying to make it as agreeable as possible. But then for the hearing, his written offer was to waive charging me his attorneys fees. The judge confirmed that there was no legal basis for him to do that - it would be illegal. He had been ordered to participate in this hearing, and there was a legal obligation under the Rules of Procedure to try in good faith to settle the case. He violated the order and the rule of procedure (26 (f)).
All of my motions were completely ignored for no reason.
Mr. King / Defendant Virgil Smith lied about the cameras. They said "Denies the existence of cameras capable of recording in the vicinity", in writing, under oath. They never disputed that he put his knee on top of my back with all his weight on it.
Mr. King refused to comply with his Discovery obligations. I had to file about 4 different motions pertaining to their refusal to comply with the laws regarding disclosure of evidence.
Upon receiving an official Discovery request for records of camera equipment, I received a letter signed under by Mr. King (nearly 4 years after the incident) stating that the cameras CAN RECORD. But stating "tasks must be performed" to start the recording function, and stating that all records pertaining to the equipment that was installed at the time HAD BEEN DESTROYED (literally a federal and state crime, a civil tort violation, and a sanctionable act of legal misconduct).
Mr. King refused to schedule any of the witnesses for deposition, demanded MY deposition BEFORE he would even schedule the two deputies who assaulted me, even though I had been requesting depositions with other witnesses for over a month, and refused to schedule anyone else, he refused to answer interrogatories, he refused to provide copies of the policies from the time of the incident. He tried to pass off a weird spreadsheet with the word camera on it as proof that upgrades had been done to the cameras. He refused to provide complete training records for the deputies. He refused to provide details about the training. He refused to provide blueprints of the facility, refused to provide photos of the cameras at the location, refused to provide still images showing which direction the cameras were pointing, refused to provide photos of the deputies so I could schedule depositions efficiently.
The judge erroneously dismissed my Equal Protection claims, construing them as Due Process and Employment Discrimination claims, which are different types of claims than Equal Protection claims against a government actor. The government cannot arbitrarily treat anyone disparately. The Court also dismissed my "Monell" claim against the municipality for their "policies, customs, or practices", but left me leave to amend that claim. And she waited until Discovery opened over 1.5 years into litigation, to do this, forcing me to amend the complaint DURING DISCOVERY which was only open for a limited amount of time, instead of any point in the 1.5 years prior to that.
In the recorded interview with Andrew Cash and one of the witness deputies, she spontaneously states that Mr. Cash instructed her to review the written statements made by the two deputies who assaulted me prior to the interview. Another deputy witness confirmed that Mr. Cash had instructed her to review the written reports by the two deputies who assaulted me prior to her providing Mr. Cash with a written statement as well.
The judge finally retaliated against me, without rational basis, for filing motions, which I had filed because I was being illegally obstructed from preserving evidence, by withdrawing leave to amend regarding the "Monell" claim (I had stated a clear Monell claim to begin with, but the judge literally has an aversion to reading, and relies on guessing, and is biased against pro se litigants; I am summarizing well over 100 pages, if not well over double that, of motions, objections, and replies and the judge's responsive orders).
She did however, finally schedule a hearing with a Discovery referee magistrate. All my motions (and the months of work I was required to do dictated by the various rules) was completely disregarded, and both me and Mr. King were given 2 pages each (double spaced) to go over discovery issues, even though I had filed about 4 different motions about various issues, and he hadn't filed ANY, at that time.
During conference I was required to do in accordance with the Rules, Mr. King repeatedly tried to establish that I had committed crimes during the course of conferring which was my legal obligation, without having any rational basis to believe what he was trying to establish. He demanded evidence that would exist, and he kept repeating every lie he could come up with to the judge. The judge would either get annoyed at me if I addressed any of Mr. King's baseless accusations, or take his statements at face value for being 100% true.
Mr. King finally "compromised" and agreed to schedule depositions with me (as long as Mr. King wanted to) and the two deputies who had assaulted me (for 25 minutes each or something) all simultaneously, but refused to schedule anyone else, even though this was grossly advantageous to him. One of the eye witness deputies later confirmed that he had "consulted" her over 4 times prior to the trial. During this deposition, Mr. King asked me where a family member of mine works. He had spent about 30-40 minutes trying to convince me that I can tell him anything, that the entire record was designated confidential, that I had nothing to worry about - and at a deposition, you are obligated to answer the questions unless they are harassing. Mr. King also requested contact information for counselors from over 10 years ago, and that was the only question I didn't answer - I told him to provide the request in writing. At some point after that, I told Mr. King to not contact my family member at her workplace, and Mr. King responded "unless you fully and completely cooperate" with his request for contact information for counselors from 10 years+ ago.
At the hearing, the Discovery Magistrate (Donna M. Ryu) discussed matters only with Mr. King, without including me. He told her that the 4 eye witness deputies "saw nothing" and "weren't there" (verbatim) trying to get her to deny me my request to take their deposition. She asked him if he would get them to sign fresh "sworn declarations", "under oath" (Judge Ryu's words, verbatim) stating this. Mr. King said yes, absolutely, he would. Judge Ryu asked me "Would that be okay?" I said "No." She started laughing, and asked me why, and I explained that I had explicitly described various interactions with them that had taken place while the carotid hold was still being applied to me, and that they had stated in their written statements that they had witnessed force being used, and that was "not resisting". She confirmed that this was all true with Mr. King and that he already knew all of this, and ordered him to cooperate with scheduling them for deposition.
After that, they went back to discussing matters only with eachother, and I was excluded from discussion. This was an hour long hearing, and at about the 45 minute mark, Mr. King was again lying to the magistrate judge, and when he had finished, I interjected, "That's not true". Judge Ryu shouted "Stop! Stop stop stop stop stop!" And then very assertively explained to me the importance of not interrupting people for the convenience of the court reporter / transcriber. I was excluded from the rest of the hearing.
At some point at either this hearing or the next one, I cited the legal requirement for the parties to disclose contact information for witnesses. I cited the rule of procedure. Judge Ryu responded, "Mr. King is a lawyer!" as if that alone justified his refusal to provide me contact information for witnesses.
Mr. King refused to provide both written statements from the eye witness deputies, and to schedule them for deposition, and stated that if he provided written statements, they would be copied and pasted versions of the same statements previously provided, signed under oath (nowhere saying that they "saw nothing" or "weren't there").
Mr. King kept threatening to go to my family member's workplace unless I provided him contact information for counselors from 10+ years ago, DURING a DEPOSITION, without him providing any written request for the information.
He also interfered with scheduling the witnesses for deposition, with the Court reporter that I had hired, disregarded the schedule that I had set, and set them each for 30 minutes, which raised the cost of deposition from an estimated about $700 to about $4,000, and said this was my one and only chance.
The Federal Pro Bono Project / the Justice & Diversity Center is an organization that receives seven million dollars a year in public funding and is under contract with the Federal District Court to work with the Court to provide legal consultation to pro se litigants. I had about 19 appointments with them, about 18 with Abby Herzberg, and 1 with Rosemarie Maliekel. Ms. Herzberg was precisely 15 minutes late to every single appointment, repeatedly gave me horrible advice ("just wait", do nothing, "don't file this", despite admitting that the entire motion was valid, directly causing excessive delay and the spoliation of crucial evidence). She also yelled at me aggressively on two occasions because I had brought up state laws, which were being currently violated against me, because the Court had dismissed my "state claims" because Sonoma County refused to supply with a state tort claim form when I first asked, reasoning that was not relevant to the state laws being currently violated against me. After Ms. Herzberg yelled at me the second time, I requested an appointment with Ms. Maliekel. Ms. Maliekel spent the entire appointment ranting at me about irrelevant issues, and kept talking over me and interrupting me. I was polite but eventually asked "can I finish what I was saying?" She responded "No!" and kept ranting at me.
I had repeatedly asked about how to properly get medical evidence, and about expert witnesses. Ms. Herzberg ignored my questions and spent nearly the entirety of almost every single appointment reading through the rules, without letting me speak at all, even to summarize the relevant sections of the rules that I had read.
On a video on their webpage (on the Court's website, because they are a "partner project" with the Court), Abby Herzberg explicitly demonstrates a clear understanding of the fact that the Court provides funding for expert witnesses, despite ignoring my questions about and spending nearly the entirety of almost every single appointment either reading rules or pretending to.
Discovery was closed.
Mr. King rehashed the legally baseless and frivolous "time barred" claim in a Motion for Summary Judgment. I was required to respond to it twice. I was required to answer all his "undisputed material facts" under threat of terminating my entire case, but he refused to answer mine. He lied over and over to the judges. As I said, the judge ruled that the laws "wouldn't allow her to" dismiss my entire case and rejected his Motion for Summary Judgement.
The Court ordered the Federal Pro Bono Project (FPBP) to put me on a list for attorneys seeking clients. Ms. Herzberg told me that if I filed any motions, that the FPBP would not cooperate with the Court's order, until 1 month before my trial, instead of 6 months before. She also said that a law firm had reached out to them about my case over a month prior to that, and that the staff at the FPBP had not followed up. My filing privileges were then revoked by the Court.
An attorney, David Ratner, reached out to me, and scheduled an initial consultation, over Zoom, at which he stated he "hates cops", and gave a showing of being enthusiastic. I explicitly told him that I wanted to make sure we were on the same page as far as what to "aim for". I told him that I had been working for FIVE YEARS, that I had almost died, that I had suffered two different extremely serious injuries. I told him that what I asked for was consistent with the most similar case (the Esa Wroth case of 2013) that I knew of (an ask of three million dollars). This was coincidental. I was not aware of the Esa Wroth case when I came up with that number. I agonized over that, and spent a lot of time trying to come up with a fair amount, and described the methods I used to come up with that number in detail in court documents. Mr. Ratner explicitly agreed to aim for that.
Mr. Ratner, and his partner, Shelley Mollineaux, who was set to represent me at trial under Mr. Ratner's supervision, then both went dark for over a month. They ignored my emails, voicemails, and messages that I left with their receptionists. There was a hearing, and then Mr. Ratner emailed me demanding "all the documents" that I had. I had over 50 gb of files across thousands of files, and spent about a month working with his paralegals sending them batches of files, and providing all the information they asked me for. Mr. Ratner forwarded me an email from Mr. King where King accused me of violating a court order regarding providing medical providers and the physical addresses of my entire family and my friends, which was false -- the Court had ordered me to provide him CONTACT information, at a second hearing, which wasn't significant, and I had fully and completely complied in good faith with all the Court's orders. Mr. Ratner accused me of not sending him "anything", after I had spent at least several weeks with his paralegals sending them batches of files and information, and he simultaneously threatened to ask the judge for leave to withdraw.
There had been major delays with medical evaluation due in large part to Covid, as well as delayed discovery of brain injury, which is very common, and other factors.
With trial set, Mr. Ratner forwarded me an offer from Defendants for $5,000. Upon discussion (which was 100% in email because he refused to talk over the phone and Ms. Mollineaux completely ignored me), he accused me of not doing Discovery right. I pointed him to the video I referred to earlier, which I had found since Mr. Ratner took my case, but wasn't aware of when I was interacting with the FPBP, where the FPBP (Abby Herzberg), and various District Judges from the Court I was litigating in, state that it is general policy (and it is official policy under the Court's General Order 25) to REOPEN DISCOVERY when a pro bono attorney comes onto the case, and to FUND DEPOSITION AND EXPERT WITNESS FEES.
Mr. Ratner stated he "won't file any motions" and ultimately elected to withdraw from the case over fulfill his legal obligations under the Rules of Professional Conduct. The Court thanked him and granted him permission to withdraw. The FPBP refused to put me back on the list. I was forced into trial BY MYSELF, at 1-2 months prior to trial, after 2-3 months of my time being completely wasted by Mr. Ratner and his law firm.
I went through the appropriate legal process to submit an expert witness. The Court, as usual, completely ignored my motions, but allowed me to use him after I went through the entire legal process, and paid him thousands of dollars without knowing if I would be granted permission or not, and provided the Court a report stating that the carotid hold was ILLEGAL unless the subject exhibited "assaultive behavior" and that Defendants had never alleged any behavior of mine that constituted "assaultive behavior" (under POST Basic). The expert was a Master level instructor at a police academy and former SWAT.
Mr. King provided his pre-trial disclosures, and it contained a document from Rohnert Park police department which had been extensively redacted on the copy that they had provided to me. The new copy contained the contact information for the bystander witness. I called him, and he confirmed that he saw the entire thing, that I had never yelled at the deputies before the first deputy grabbed my arm, and that I was not resisting at any point in time. I told the judge this. She had me call him at a hearing, and both me and Mr. King were allowed a couple of minutes to ask him questions, where he refused to admit that I was even "wiggling" when Mr. King badgered him.
The judge then refused to allow him to appear over Zoom, and refused to summon him to the trial.
At the trial, the Judge accused me falsely of firing my attorney, and explicitly prohibited me from telling the jury that the Defendants had LIED about the camera's ability to record. She explicitly prohibited me from submitting scientific evidence about the carotid hold. She allowed Mr. King to make extremely defamatory false remarks about me and my past which had a huge impact on the jury's perception of things. At a pretrial hearing, we had gone over about 110 documents that I wanted to present at the trial. She vetted about 40 as admissible at the hearing, but at the trial she only let me submit about 5. Defendants were allowed to submit a SECOND expert witness, both of whom worked for the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. The first was Andrew Cash. The second was James Naugle who had been disclosed literally a week before trial, without a report, and without allowing me to take his deposition. She refused to allow me to ask Mr. Naugle about case laws, or about information pertaining to the carotid hold. The Court refused to summon any of my treating physicians, whom I had provided the names and contact information for in my disclosures at the end of Discovery and some in my initial disclosures, and I had complied with Mr. King's written requests for information or objected within the boundaries of the law, in good faith, and complied with the Court's orders, in good faith.
I had informed the Court that I was scheduled for medical evaluations for brain injury AFTER THE TRIAL. The Court completely ignored this.
So it was my word against theirs. 5 years, at the time of the mistrial, to get a mockery of a trial, and have the jurors' time completely wasted. The jury wrote me a letter thanking me or something, but awarded me nothing.
I was diagnosed with organic brain injury after the trial. I had a similar test prior to the incident and had absolutely no problems and answered every question with no trouble. I now score in the FOURTH PERCENTILE on those areas.
Despite its length, this has been a short summary of all the events over the past 6 years. Much has been summarized, and much has been left out. I tried my best to balance completeness with leaving out irrelevant details.
There is no record of any misconduct on the part of anyone involved in this that is available to any law enforcement agencies or to the public. Nobody has been disciplined. No investigation was ever conducted. I was almost killed and was seriously injured, under a camera, and in front of witnesses, and spent 6 years working with the government. The government has done precisely NOTHING.
The County now routinely retaliates against me whenever we interact, in blatant violation of various laws.

Gift for Lady Phoenix
Song Description This is the story of a man who encounters a prostitute, realizes that she has a sincere heart, and helps her to find her missing daughter. There is good in many people, despite thier station in life.
Story Behind the Song This is based partially on a true story told to me at a bar.
Lyrics
She looked better on the street than in the car, Once pretty, facial lines that hid a scar, Alcohol, child abuse, likely her past, But I couldn?t say no, to her toothless smile, quite so fast.
She said ?Can you read this letter to me now, I think it?s from a daughter I once had, but lost somehow.? Illiterate, I thought, then read these words to her, ?Please come and find me mama, ?cause I?m your little girl.?
So here?s my gift to you sweet Lady Phoenix, A bit more cash just didn?t seem enough, Your heart?s so pure, I feel like a king tonight, Your daughter is the diamond of your life.
---
Baby-faced woman , and her man, Sit in front of me, She makes circles on his back, With nails of red and black, In her eyes is a smile from the heart.
I?m jealous of love, I?m jealous of love, I want someone to touch me that way, I?ve never felt fingertips like that.
Tiny fingers touch his face,
----
She thinks I?m sleeping. But out of the corner of my eye I see her reflection. She stands naked, brush in hand,
---
For the Credits
Lyrics
It?s the aftermath, Of your night-long lover?s debut. Did you have your fun, Crawling on your knees?
---
The Little Things We Do
Song Description A man just out of a short stint in jail reflects on how precious the little things are that he does with his wife/significant other.
Lyrics
Woke this morning, the devil knows, Thirty-six hours in orange clothes, Found out how fleeting, Freedom can be.
You stood by me, got me out, Said your piece, without a shout, You said, you learned your lesson, Get on with your life.
Subject Matter
Making Up, Marriage
----
Walking with my dog, On the bluffs in California, Pretty girl ahead, Pony tail and baseball cap, oh yeah.
---
Song Description Short film or TV clip that talks about breaking a bad habit. The habit is not specified.
Story Behind the Song Written in a very depressed mood.
Lyrics
Stop
How did my demons start to win, Why?s my life so far astray, Now my gut keeps churning on, Have my friends all gone away?
How did I drift into the position, Crossing my own internal boundaries, With dire consequences to me, Stop this habit now.
---
You're My Testosterone
Making love with you, Amplifies the best in me. No fantasy is unfulfilled,
---
Song Description A man meets a lady at a party who claims to have known him in past lives. Their lives evolve together, like pearls on two strings.
Our lives are, a necklace of pearls on two strings, We travel together through time, Each life a pearl, past, present, On this pearl as lovers we rhyme.?
Mother, son Father, daughter Brother, sister Best friends Finally lovers Found each other Now together Once again
---
Song Description "Letters Tell" is the story of a student returning to the first week of classes and wallking to his springtime lover's her new address. Her letters tell him she still loves him...but does she?
Story Behind the Song This song occured to me as I was on a business trip to the Dartmouth campus during the first week of classes.
Lyrics
Walking quickly to her new address, my heart is pounding, Will she care less?
It?s the first week of classes, As she comes down to the door, Will her look be excitement, or will this just be a chore?
---
Always Be Young (on Venice Beach)
Song Description Meditation on people and scenes in a colorful Venice California, a beach town. You never grow old in a place like this.
Story Behind the Song Sometimes I drop my wife off for an early flight at LAX. On the way home I stop by in Venice and enjoy the ambiance from the Washington Street pier north. Venice is a magic place.
Lyrics
Even in a wet suit her shape looks nice, Smiles from a surfboard with a touch of spice, This runaway girl rides the wave,
---
Story Behind the Song This setting took place on my first international trip where I "came of age" but the presence of this fictional woman would have made it perfect.
📷📷

Hey former home place.
I have family back home on Long Island and I'm visiting there soon, and I was concerned to hear that something is going on around school districts where their kids are at.
I focus on local news to my new home (because it's tough to keep a pulse on local beats) and I'm wondering what the actual **** is going on.
Apparently it's connected to Project Veritas - what's up with them now? What are these books people are freaking out about? The DEI curriculum even though DEI is a big part of Fortune 500 companies?
Like is this just a total tire fire situation? Because I'm trying to find a thread with all these stories and figure out the curriculum/books/situation - as in, actual documents that I can read that are in question - with all this.
Links I found (newsday edited):
https://www.liherald.com/eastmeadow/stories/east-meadow-administrator-is-reassigned-after-undercover-video,169254
https://theisland360.com/featured/residents-express-frustration-with-ewsd-board-after-video-surfaces-of-former-administrator-talking-about-covert-agenda/
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/connetquot-high-school-lgbtq-ejw9645i

Armenia and Greece sign military cooperation plan for 2023

The program for 2023 includes 21 activities, of which 15 will take place in Greece and 6 in Armenia:
• Joint training of Special Forces – Special Operations Forces.
• Co-training on Electronic Warfare.
• Participation in the Multinational Training Centre for Peace Support Operations.
• Exchange of experiences and lessons in Air Defence Systems.
• Staff exchange and visits to schools and multinational schools, as well as seminars.
• Staff meetings and talks on matters of mutual interest, with special emphasis on the field of Military Intelligence.
The signing of the Program confirms the strong military ties of the two countries and further strengthens the operational capabilities and the level of interoperability of their Armed Forces, contributing to the strengthening of the role played by Greece and Armenia in ensuring stability and security in the wider region.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/30/armenia-and-greece-sign-military-cooperation-plan-for-2023/

Cabinet approves military-technical cooperation agreement with Czech Republic

The Government of Armenia on March 30 approved the agreement on military-technical cooperation with Czech Republic which was signed in 2019.
The agreement envisages cooperation in military education, defense industry, military history and museology, as well as participation in peacekeeping missions abroad. It will be sent to the Constitutional Court to determine its compliance with the constitution, and in the event of receiving a positive response the agreement will be submitted to parliament for ratification.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107571

Border guards to take over the protection of road connecting Lachin Corridor to Armenia – PM

“But since the road connecting the Lachin Corridor to the Republic of Armenia was not completely ready, a temporary route was launched that entered the territory of the Republic of Armenia through the Kornidzor Bridge, then again into the territory of Azerbaijan, then again into the territory of the Republic of Armenia. According to the agreement reached, this route was supposed to operate until April 1, 2023,” the Prime Minister said.
He emphasized that the border guard troops will be stationed at the state border of the Republic of Armenia in the same positions where the units of the Ministry of Defense were stationed until now.
PM Pashinyan said the Azerbaijani side tried to present the situation as another “blockbuster.”
“This approach is at least not constructive. No change in the Armenian positions has occurred as a result of all this, with the difference that we intend to protect the area in question, unlike before, through Border Guard troops. In other words, the change that takes place is as follows: from the same positions along the state border of the Republic of Armenia, the units of the Ministry of Defense will withdraw according to the plan, and units of the Border Guard troops will be deployed in their place. We made the same proposal to Azerbaijan as well, so that the same would happen on Azerbaijan’s side. I hope that this process will take place without provocations,” Nikol Pashinyan stated.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/30/route-of-lachin-corridor-changes/

I have great hopes that the Azerbaijani forces will return to the designated places. Governor of Syunik

According to him, there is no panic in the border communities, but people are worried about the created situation.
Syunik Marz Governor Robert Ghukasyan has been in Tegh community for two days already. According to the report of the National Security Service, from April 1, the road connecting the territory of the Republic of Armenia to the Lachin Corridor will pass through the Kornidzor-Tegh route, only through the territory of the Republic of Armenia. According to the agreements reached yesterday between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the border guards of the two countries were to be deployed on both sides of the border along the above-mentioned section in the last days of March. According to the calculations of the Armenian side, the Azerbaijani side was located 100 to 300 meters ahead of the border at five points. "Radiolur" talked with Syunik Marz Governor Robert Ghukasyan.
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Against all challenges, we should not deviate from the development agenda of Armenia for a single moment. PM Pashinyan

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received the President of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, Laurent Wauquiez, and the delegation led by him, who were on a two-day visit to the Syunik Province, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.
"Of course, we are in a very difficult period, and our country and the region are experiencing very difficult times. In this sense, such visits are also very important in terms of conveying moral strength and support, including political. I would like to emphasize the importance of your visit to the starting point of the Lachin Corridor and the Syunik Province and, of course, your messages regarding the existing situation."
"I would also like to hear your impressions from the visit. I hope you have noticed that despite all the problems, we are making very serious investment projects in the republic, including in the Syunik Province. massive construction works are being carried out: roads, schools, kindergartens, other infrastructures, because our approach is that despite all the challenges, we should not deviate for a moment from the development agenda of Armenia. Recently, the European Union's investment and economic plan was launched in Syunik Province, which is extremely important. We also hope that the presence of the EU civilian mission along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border will become an additional factor contributing to stability and security. I welcome you once again."
The President of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France said,
"Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister.
This is the second time we are meeting, and I have the greatest respect for what you are doing for Armenia in this very difficult period. Last time I was very impressed with your strength and your will to move forward with very specific plans.
You are asking about my impressions from this visit. first of all, I want to say that it was very important for us to go to the Syunik Province and be the first French local authority to establish cooperation with the region, because we understand very well how important Syunik is for the territorial integrity of Armenia."
The parties emphasized the consistent efforts of the international community towards stability and peace in the region.
The interlocutors also discussed the prospects for the development of multi-sector partnership and the expansion of trade and economic ties. In this regard, the signing of the Cooperation Agreement between the Syunik Province and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region on March 29 was highlighted.
The Prime Minister noted that the Armenian Government consistently continues the policy of balanced territorial development, and in this regard, attached great importance to the strengthening of decentralized cooperation with France and the exchange of experience between regions. Nikol Pashinyan referred to the reform agenda of the Government of Armenia, measures being implemented to improve the investment environment. Laurent Wauquiez thanked for the information, noting that French companies are interested in doing business in Armenia.
The sides exchanged ideas on opportunities for implementing joint projects in the fields of agriculture, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and renewable energy.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107672.html

Whoever attacks Syunik will be attacking Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, says Laurent Wauquiez

“That’s why we decided to have a cooperation agreement between our region and Syunik province. The agreement was signed in a very meaningful place, in the Tatev Monastery. Cooperation will relate to healthcare, agriculture and education. I’ve said that whoever attacks Syunik will be attacking my region,” Wauquiez said, repeating his statement made at the signing ceremony earlier.
“This isn’t a dispute between two countries where borders aren’t clarified and it could last forever, this is a total disregard for human rights that are protected under all international conventions, this is a desire to destroy a nation, its culture and history, its memory. This is certainly Armenia’s struggle, Artsakh’s struggle, but this is also a bigger struggle, this is a struggle for all the values that we bear. This is a struggle for civilization and democracy. Protecting you means protecting all these values,” the French politician added.
He called for stronger reaction by the international community and international sanctions against Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
“It was decided not to buy Russian gas any more after the occupation of some parts of Ukraine, but is the Azerbaijani gas more acceptable? Why weren’t there any consequences for what happened, why are there no sanctions against the Aliyev regime? I share these questions with you and I am equally angered,” he said.
Wauquiez said that together with his 40-member delegation he visited Syunik province. “All members of my delegation can now say, I have been there, I have seen what’s happening, I know what’s happening. The Azerbaijani troops came and captured the parts from the sovereign territory of Armenia where we went just one day earlier.”
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107640.html

Nagorno Karabakh FM meets with Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes President Laurent Wauquiez in Yerevan

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107631.html

France’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region to attempt humanitarian convoy passage into blockaded Nagorno Karabakh

“In 2019, we met with representatives of Artsakh and signed a cooperation agreement between my region and Artsakh. We’d adopted a political position in my region to confirm Artsakh’s right to independence, which led to serious pressures by Pan-Turkist terrorist organizations against me and my family. Why am I here today? Because I am well aware that the entire international attention is on Ukraine and there is a serious danger for Armenia and Artsakh to be forgotten in all of this. I am here to say that we are not forgetting you, you are not alone, and we shouldn’t allow the violations of international law in Armenia, Artsakh and Lachin Corridor to go unnoticed in silence,” Wauquiez said.
The President of the Regional Council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes visited the entrance of the blockaded Lachin Corridor in Syunik to show to his countrymen the violations of international law, that 120,000 people on the other side are deprived of basic human rights.
“I was with the Governor of Syunik the moment he was notified that an advance had taken place the day before where we were located at that time [Tegh village]. I have witnessed and can testify about the violation of international law. I have also seen the Azerbaijani flags hoisted on the heights located in Armenian lands. And I had the chance to speak with displaced persons of Artsakh, whose words were deeply touching. As a politician, it is my duty to take action and be able to help you,” he said.
Wauquiez said that they want to organize a humanitarian convoy jointly with the organizations representing the Armenian community of France and try to deliver humanitarian aid to Artsakh.
“The convoy will be organized with our region’s support and will bear our region’s flag. It will approach the Lachin Corridor and we will demand passage to Artsakh. Either the convoy will pass and we will have a ray of hope, or the convoy will be barred and it will give us the opportunity to present this issue before international and European organizations, that once again the international law is being violated, and that actions must be taken,” Wauquiez added.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107638.html

Laurent Vauquier, President of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region of France, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial

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Azerbaijan has advanced troops 100 to 300 meters in five points, Armenia’s National Security Service says

After August 2022, a part of the road connecting the Lachin Corridor to Armenia was still passing through the Azerbaijani territory after the Kornidzor Bridge. That part of the road and its adjacent territory were controlled by the Russian peacekeeping forces.
According to the agreements reached yesterday between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the border guards of the two countries were to be deployed on both sides of the border along the above-mentioned section in the last days of March.
According to the NSS, there has been “misreading of maps” and in some places, the Azerbaijani side, without waiting for pre-arranged adjustments, started positioning and carrying out engineering works.
“According to the calculations of the Armenian side, there are five points, where the Azerbaijani side has advanced troops 100 to 300 meters further from the border. It has now been agreed that cartographers from both sides will correct the situation,” the National Security Service said.
“The Armenian side approaches the situation with the logic of not allowing escalation,” it added.
“The Armenian army did not have positions in the area in question, because positions are not located on the border line, but on the nearby strategic heights. And the protection of that part of the border should be transferred to the border guard troops, according to the agreement mentioned above,” SNS stated.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/30/azerbaijan-has-deployed-troops-100-to-300-meters-across-the-border-in-five-points-armenias-national-security-service-says/

Azerbaijani forces block Aghavno-Tegh section of Goris-Stepanakert highway – Police

According to the Ministry, the new Tegh-Kornidzor dirt road of Syunik marz bypassing the closed road, which connects to the new Kornidzor-Hin Shen road put into operation in August 2022 (Lachin Corridor), is already ready. Asphalting works of the Tegh-Kornidzor road are in progress.

Farmer in Artsakh comes under Azerbaijani fire

On March 30, the Martuni regional police department reported that at around 10:35 a.m. Hayk Zargaryan, a 29-year-old resident of Berdashen community of Martuni region was attacked by the Azerbaijani army while carrying out agricultural work with his “Belarus” tractor in the administrative area of the village.
No casualties were reported. Agricultural work was forced to stop. The information about the incident was passed on to the Russian peacekeepers.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/30/farmer-in-artsakh-comes-under-azerbaijani-fire/

Armenia, Malta keen to deepen bilateral relations

Ararat Mirzoyan briefed his counterpart on Armenia’s vision on the normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue as well as the efforts of the Armenian side to strengthen stability and peace in the South Caucasus.
Both sides emphasized the need to settle the existing issues exclusively through peaceful negotiations.
Minister Mirzoyan briefed the interlocutor on the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan. He stressed the importance of taking practical steps in accordance with the targeted statements and calls already made by international partners. The implementation of the decision of February 22 of the International Court of Justice as well as the imperative to send an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh was emphasized.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/30/armenia-malta-keen-to-deepen-bilateral-relations/

Armenia names Ambassador to Singapore

Armenian Ambassador to Indonesia Serob Bejanyan will from now on also cover Singapore.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107665.html

Iran appoints new Ambassador to Armenia

The Islamic Republic of Iran will appoint Mehdi Sobhani, the country’s Ambassador to Syria, as new envoy to Armenia, Iran’s Foreign Ministry informs.
Sobhani is described by the Ministry as an experienced diplomat.
Iran’s current Ambassador to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri was appointed in 2019 and assumed his mission in early 2020.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/30/iran-appoints-new-ambassador-to-armenia/

CSTO Secretary General warns of “risk of destabilization” due to situation in Nagorno Karabakh

“The tension in the Caucasus region persists as a result of the many years of disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Interfax news agency quoted the CSTO Secretary General as saying.
He warned of a serious risk of destabilization because of the risks relating to the situation in Nagorno Karabakh and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
“The situation in the Central Asian region is also tense, the threat of infiltration of extremist ideology and terrorist groups into the territory of CSTO allies is growing. The difficult threats coming from the territory of Afghanistan are especially concerning,” he said, adding that the organization is working to perfect its mechanisms of withstanding challenges and threats.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107647.html

CSTO “always ready” to send mission to Armenian-Azerbaijani border

“Regarding the Caucasian region, the organization is always ready to send a CSTO mission to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border pursuant to the interests of ensuring Armenia’s security, as well as to provide other assistance,” TASS news agency quoted CSTO Secretariat representative Yuri Shuvalov as saying after a joint meeting of the CSTO Secretariat and Joint Staff.
The assistance mechanisms are included in the CSTO Collective Security Council’s draft decision, which is pending, he added.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107650.html

Mher Sahakyan approached me and hit me without saying anything. Vladimir Vardanyan about the incident in the parliament

"The session of the committee was proceeding normally, at one point the process of discussion was disturbed, the MPs started talking quite loudly and I tried to urge Artsvik Minasyan and the rest of the MPs to return to the substantial discussion. After that, in response to my legitimate demand, MP Mher Sahakyan said that I cannot raise my voice against them, and I said that I was conducting the session and continue to conduct it. He approached me (we were already standing) and attacked me without saying anything, hit me and ran away," said Vardanyan.
According to Mher Sahakyan, as a result of the blow, a rather significant cut occurred in the eyebrow area. Vardanyan does not rule out that the blow was made with some kind of tool.
"It was quite a hard blow. I haven't passed the forensic examination yet, I will probably do it tomorrow," concluded Vardanyan.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107687.html

MP Mher Sahakyan was arrested in connection with the incident in the National Assembly

After the incident, Sahakyan was arrested and taken to the Police Department of the RA Ministry of Internal Affairs on the basis of a reasonable suspicion that he had committed a criminal act.
NA deputy Vladimir Vardanyan was taken to the "Nairi" medical center in order to receive medical treatment. The latter was recognized as a victim within the proceedings, and a forensic medical examination was appointed. A number of people who witnessed the incident were interrogated, the necessary investigative actions are also being carried out against the arrested M. with Sahakyan.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1107678.html

Armenian Prime Minister participates in opening of Summit for Democracy 2023

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated on March 29 in the Plenary Day of the official opening of the Summit for Democracy 2023 held online.
The Summit for Democracy is held at the initiative of United States President Joe Biden.
On Wednesday, March 29, the Summit for Democracy’s five co-hosts — the United States, Costa Rica, Netherlands, Republic of Korea, and Zambia — officially kicked off the Summit, with each co-host leader hosting a live, fully virtual, thematic, Leader-level plenary session. Plenaries will be interspersed with “spotlight interventions” by leading activists and civil society figures.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also delivered remarks.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107478.html

Armenia remains committed to the peace process with Azerbaijan’ – PM Pashinyan at Summit for Democracy 2023

"Along with strengthening the democratic institutions in our country, in September, 2022, we had to encounter an aggression against the internationally recognized territory of the Republic of Armenia, which resulted in the occupation of part of our sovereign territory by Azerbaijan. It was back in September that we felt the union of democracies and the clear condemnation of aggression against Armenia. I want to take this opportunity and extend our gratitude to the United States and other partners that helped us stop the further incursion through diplomatic engagement."
"Armenia feels strongly about the human rights violations across the world and there is a lot that we need to do together to prevent genocides, ethnic cleansings and atrocities. Whatever is happening with Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh today, the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan and the humanitarian crisis resulted by it, is definitely an attempt of ethnic cleansing of Armenians in NK. And we cannot turn a blind eye on that. At the same time, I reiterate that Armenia remains committed to the peace process with Azerbaijan. We are convinced that there is no alternative to the peaceful development of the region and that sticking to democratic values will help us find a way to peace."
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107479.html

Speaker Alen Simonyan might need second surgery on arm

Simonyan fractured his right arm on March 20 while training. He underwent surgery for the injury and was seen wearing an arm brace during his March 28 visit to Germany.
“The Speaker of Parliament might undergo a second surgery,” Simonyan’s spokesperson Tsovinar Khachatryan told ARMENPRESS, adding that the Speaker is feeling well.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107626.html

I am ready to serve in Artsakh, regardless of any post or position. Artur Davtyan's interview

Read the full thing at the link vv
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1107709.html

Lithuanian officials have expressed their readiness to support Armenia in the security sector

The Secretary of the Security Council thanked the Lithuanian authorities for supporting the presence of the EU mission in Armenia.
Secretary Grigoryan presented to his Lithuanian colleagues the security environment created around Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, the concerns about the possible escalation of Azerbaijan, as well as details about the humanitarian crisis in Lachin, stressing the urgent need to send an international fact-finding team to Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor.
Lithuanian partners have expressed their readiness to support Armenia in security matters, especially in the field of cyber security.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1107690.html

The issue of Armenia's accession to the ICC will be resolved in an alliance way. Zakharova

The Russian Federation expects that the situation related to Yerevan's possible accession to the International Criminal Court (ICC) will be settled in an allied and mutually acceptable manner.
"This topic is a subject of discussion both in Moscow and during high-level contacts in Yerevan. I do not consider it necessary to publish the details of those contacts. Of course, we assume that this issue will be resolved in an allied and mutually acceptable way," Zakharova said in the briefing, answering the question of how Moscow views the fact that the Constitutional Court of Armenia has recognized the Rome Statute as compatible with the Armenian constitution.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1107602.html

Within the framework of the "Armenian Business Corner" project, 20 Armenian companies and 16 services were officially introduced to the American market

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1107651.html

More than 100 companies representing real estate and construction sectors under one roof. "Home-Expo" exhibition has started

RA Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan, highlighting the implementation of such measures, emphasized that last year in Armenia, a record 322 thousand square meters of building utilization rate was recorded, which is the highest rate in the history of independent Armenia.
The government and the Ministry of Economy cooperate in a special format with the "Armenian Association of Builders" and state and non-state organizations in the construction sector with the aim of making the sector more attractive and making investments more profitable," Kerobyan said.
The main sponsors of the exhibition are Red Invest Group, Defense Housing and ASEDL companies.
Marina Babakhanyan, marketing director of Defanse Housing, mentioned that at the "Home-Expo" exhibition, Defanse Housing is presenting the residential district in the adjacent part of the North-South highway, which is the largest development in the history of Armenia.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1107689.html

The NATO Secretary General intends to achieve Sweden's membership of the alliance by July

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1107648.html

Turkey approves Finland NATO membership bid

Any NATO expansion needs the support of all its members.
Finland will now be formally admitted into NATO at its next summit, taking place in July in Lithuania.
In a statement following the Turkish vote, the Finnish government said joining the alliance would strengthen the country's security, and improve stability and security in the region.
But his ongoing hostility to Sweden was clear - as he again accused the country of embracing Kurdish militants and allowing them to demonstrate on the streets of Stockholm.
Finland, a country with a 1,340km (832 mile) border with Russia and one of the most powerful arsenals of artillery pieces in Western Europe, is ditching its neutrality and joining the alliance in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow describes as a “special military operation.”
Russia's foreign ministry earlier condemned Finland's decision, saying it was ill-considered and based on Russophobic hysteria.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107633.html

14 medical patients were transferred from Artsakh to Armenia through the mediation of ICRC. 11 people returned

Planned surgeries continue to be suspended in the medical facilities operating under the Artsakh Ministry of Health.
5 children are in the neonatal and resuscitation department in "Arevik" medical unit.
At the "Republican Medical Center", 5 patients are in the intensive care unit, 1 of them is in critical condition.
Until today, a total of 229 patients have been transferred from Artsakh to Armenia with the mediation and accompaniment of the International Committee of the Red Cross
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1107373.html

Tightened blockade of Artsakh discussed at Security Council sitting

Issues related to the defense of the Artsakh Republic, ensuring the security and the life-activity of the population of the Artsakh Republic under the conditions of the tightening of the blockade and unceasing provocations by Azerbaijan were on the agenda. State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan and Defense Minister, Lieutenant-General Kamo Vardanyan delivered reports.
President Harutyunyan underscored the close and coordinated cooperation between the law enforcement agencies and civilian structures, public administration and local self-government bodies in the solution of urgent and long-term problems.
The President gave a number of instructions to the authorized bodies in the context of the discussed issues.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/31/tightened-blockade-of-artsakh-discussed-at-security-council-sitting/

Azerbaijan confirms participation European Weightlifting Championships 2023 in Yerevan

Azerbaijan will be represented by five athletes at the event.
The EWF European Weightlifting Championships 2023 is scheduled to take place 15-23 April in Yerevan, Armenia.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/31/azerbaijan-confirms-participation-european-weightlifting-championships-2023-in-yerevan/

Armenian PM, EU’s Michel discuss ongoing crisis caused by Azerbaijan’s illegal blocking of Lachin Corridor

The interlocutors discussed issues related to the ongoing crisis caused by Azerbaijan’s illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor. The sides exchanged thoughts on recent developments, Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiation process, peace agenda.
Nikol Pashinyan and Charles Michel emphasized consistent efforts to ensure stability and peace in the region.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/30/armenian-pm-eus-michel-discuss-ongoing-crisis-caused-by-azerbaijans-illegal-blocking-of-lachin-corrido

Donate to help our Soldiers and Heros

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Reminder to not give any of these posts reddit premium awards, Donate that money to our Soldiers and Heros who need that money the most

Another reminder to please jot spread any misinformation and to not cause panic for no reason, read everything and understand everything correctly, our enemies want us to panic and to be stressed which will cause internal problems

IN A WORLD UNDER THE SEA…
It was a Normal day for Thomas, He combed his afro, trimmed his beard, and took his family to the fair. It had just opened, and Thomas thought it’d be the perfect treat for his lovely wife Nichole and daughter Cecelia. “Watch Cecelia I’ll go get us some food “Nichole said as she walked towards the concessions stands. His beautiful daughter Cecelia although 2 years old was full of wonder and excitement, as he looked ahead, he thought of all the rides he could take Cecelia on. Cecelia saw a moth land on her arm “Baby stay close to me “Thomas said, wondering where His wife was. As the screams of the park grew louder Thomas heard them grow from Joy to Terror, up above a red mist had streaked the sky. Suddenly he heard Nichole scream. “Nichole! Nichole! “He yelled “Cecelia! Baby!” He looked to see her playing with the moth as it flew away, Cecelia noticed her dad chasing after her laughing with arms stretched “Papa! “She yelled giggling. “Cecelia!!!“Thomas screamed suddenly the ground start shaking, A thunderous roar was heard , Giant cracks in the Ground , A eruption which felt like an earthquake. Before his eyes A giant rose from the ground, He could not believe what he saw, Cecelia and the entire park was gone. Thomas’s heart sank as he fell to his knees near the crater of the fair. In the red mist he saw it, A giant Whale with a crimson horn rising above, A Big beast.
Chapter 1 Thomas
Thomas awoke from his dream, His violent jump knocking the bottles of the bed . Thomas, mouth still dripping with alcohol looked down at his bracelet. “ I got to get some more beer “ he said as he stretched , getting ready for his day . It had been 3 years from that day and now he lived in The west Pacific, a unknown and unpopulated sector of the sea . Thomas put on his overalls, combed back his hair and steered his ship towards a field of algae . Sheering them with his Crab leg scissors he bought at the market , Thinking about what amazing Salad he cook make with it . As a heard of fish swam by Thomas threw a net at them but they quickly avoided it , Thomas realized these weren’t the gold scaled fish he was used to . “ Oh great , Piranhas” Thomas put his bottle down and grabbed his lasso . “ Hey fang tooths “ He whistled at them tying the rope around his hand . The school of fish growled at him , Thomas smiled “ Come on “ Holding a piece of leftover fish . The piranhas charged at him as Thomas began swinging his lasso “ 1 “ The Piranhas angrily swimming towards him “ 2 “ 3 feet from his boat they were . “ 3 “ He shouted jumping up as his lasso wrapped around them , with a big tug he roped them down “ Hope none of yawl are poisonous “ . As the night sky hit and once again surrounded by nothing but darkness , Thomas drank “ You would’ve loved this sky baby girl“ He sighed before drinking again . Thomas sipped a hefty glass of Whiskey, He heard a noise in his bedroom . He ignored it thinking it was a stowaway crab , The cluttering grew louder . Thomas set down his drink, grabbing his shotgun . Thomas slowly crept forward, gun raised as he hearded to his bedroom . Thomas surveying the ground slow heard a voice “ Freeze “ He yelled . At that moment thomas saw a face he hadn’t seen in a long time , her Starshaped beach mark , Her smooth dark skin and Her elegant Hair “ Nichole ?! “
Chapter 2
Nichole
As Thomas stood there, he felt a warm fire in his heart, after being cold for so long. As he and Nichole rode on his boat “The Reef Slider “He wanted to say so many things. About how much he missed her warm smile and presence in his life, sadly he could only utter one Sentence “So what you are doing on my boat?” as he attempted to sip his bottle only to find it empty. Nichole chuckled “Our boat, besides, I thought you would be Neck deep in nectar by now “she said as she walked toward his room, Thomas felt shameful as he wiped the nectar dripping from his lips. “I needed to borrow some tools “Nichole shouted Scrummaging through his shed. She went down to grab the toolbox and saw a photo, holding it saying nothing but feeling the same pit she felt that day. It was a photo of Cecelia the day she was born, Nichole wanted to say something to Thomas, but the words would not come. “ Anyway it was nice catching up with you “ She said rushing off the boat . “ Wait “Thomas screamed; He could not let her leave again “At least let me fix your Boat “Nichole looked at him shocked “ No one knows you better than me Nic “ .
As they Drifted through the coral and reefs of the Pacific, Thomas and Nichole stood in silence. Nichole wanted to talk to him or find an excuse to leave but she could not find one, Thomas was happier than he had been in years. As they reached Her craft , Nichole looked at Thomas and remembered when they got married . “ We’re here “ Thomas said swimming off the deck . Nichole boat was a grey round ship with long claws and a jet on the rear. “This is some ship Nic, What were you doing out here “ He said examining the craft , Near the rear thomas noticed a large scratch “ Just traveling along “ Nichole replied . Suddenly Thomas was blinded from overhead , “ NICHOLE ! IS THAT YOU GIRL “ A voice said from above . Thomas look at Nichole Puzzled , Nichole not batting him an eye .