March 09, 2025
Gun Thread: Second March Edition!
Did you spring ahead?
Did you spring ahead?
Posted by: Weasel at 07:00 PM | Comments (341) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Food Thread: A Parisian Sojourn
amazing sometimes impressive often edible efforts in his kitchen? Because my current kitchen in the 8th arrondissement has two pans, a couple of knives, a cheese grater, and that's about it! Lots of plates and glasses though! Okay, I may be exaggerating a bit, but it is spartan, has an induction cook top (I am looking forward to playing with that!), an adorable and tiny oven, and a tiny sink that seems designed to splash water everywhere!
I have been here for just a few days, and trying to orient myself with respect to food shopping and cooking gear is a challenge. Mostly fun, but the neighborhood is upscale, so buying a simple roast chicken for €17/Kg ($8.11/lb in a civilized currency and weight) has me highly motivated to cook!
And everything is different. The United States is a wonderful place, and one of the things that makes it so great is American Exceptionalism, which in this case drives us to make the best stuff. Stoves and refrigerators and cook tops and sinks and faucets and showers and washers and dryers and air conditioners and all of the wonderful conveniences that we take for granted. It's just...better in America!
So I will have to find some accommodation with the small cook top and the smaller freezer (No clear ice for me!) and all of the stuff that makes cooking easy.
But... there is an "On the other hand" coming!
Stay tuned for next week!
Posted by: CBD at 04:00 PM | Comments (310) | Trackbacks (Suck)
First World Problems...
Posted by: CBD at 02:00 PM | Comments (280) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Is Virulent Jew-Hate The Only Free Speech Allowed At Columbia University?
Let's play a little game... pretend that a group of "White Supremacists" (yeah, I know, they mostly don't exist) decided to parade across the Columbia University quad in KKK garb, then set up a "camp" where they built little gallows for mock lynchings. Oh, add in some signs about how the Emancipation Proclamation was an existential evil, and integration is genocide. And if we really want to add some spice to this, let's have the participants harass and sometimes attack every black person they see, and trash some buildings for good measure.
Sounds like fun, doesn't it! How long do you think these protesters would last before a few hundred NYPD riot police busted their heads, fighting for the privilege with thousands of counter-protesters from all over the country? How many robe-clad-racists would survive unscathed to make it to jail? And imagine the very public trials for dozens of insane and imagined charges cooked up by foaming-at-the-mouth prosecutors salivating at the thought of throwing some 20-year-old dipshit into jail for 10 years! We can have a robust discussion about whether this is constitutionally protected free speech (obviously not including physical violence), and that is an important discussion to be had in America. But the obvious difference between our imaginary protest and the very real and violent protests on the campus of Columbia University is that the administration of the university did nothing to protect the Jewish students from real danger, and did almost nothing to the protesters in spite of their clear and obvious violations of dozens of university rules, and state and federal law. Where were the U.S. Marshalls escorting Jewish students to class? Where was the 101st Airborne protecting the campus? They were nowhere to be found, because the administration of one of the oldest and most prestigious (hah!) universities in the world decided that violent Jew-hate is an acceptable expression of free speech. It is as simple as that. And in a simpler world that would be incredibly distasteful but legal (again, not including violence). After all, free speech that is anodyne is trivial. True free speech is offensive and challenging. But the second Columbia University accepted one penny of public money, they were bound by the strictures of the various federal and state laws governing discrimination, namely Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Columbia failed to protect its Jewish students from discrimination based on their religion. If Columbia University is institutionally anti-Semitic, anti-Zionist, and anti-Israel, and I believe they are, then they have a straightforward way of being allowed to express those opinions. Stop taking government money. Easy-Peasy! But they won't because they can't! They suckle at the government teat to the tune of $5 billion! So they are stuck! And it is glorious! Trump cuts more than $400 million in grants to Columbia over antisemitism concerns, potentially more to come
The Trump administration announced on Friday that it will rescind more than $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, citing concerns over rising antisemitism on campus and the school's failure to address it. Earlier this week, the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Education (DoED) and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced the initiation of a "comprehensive review" of more than $5 billion in federal grant money that goes to Columbia, "in light of ongoing investigations for potential violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act" related to antisemitism on campus.I hope this hurts them. And I hope that every wealthy Jewish alum will stop giving. And I hope that no Jewish students apply to Columbia. And I hope that the massive corporate money flow to Columbia will slow to a trickle, because all of a sudden, it is appropriate for corporations to examine their funding of overtly racist programs (DEI anyone?). And yes, I am aware that some of this is a pipe-dream, but there will be incremental decreases, and that is entirely a good thing. All of this is a result of the 2024 election of President Donald Trump. You know, the unrepentant racist/Nazi who is literally Hitler! His hand-picked senior officials are busily tearing down the insane post-modern edifice that the Biden/Obama junta built. No more race-based funding and policies and set-asides. No more overt and covert funding of anti-Semitic organizations and anti-American organizations. Just a renewed focus on freedom for all. Sounds great! Of course they won't get everything. The rot is too deep in our government. But they are off to a rollicking good start, and if that means that Columbia University has to dig deep into their $15 billion endowment, well, you have to break some eggs to make an omelet!
Posted by: CBD at 12:00 PM | Comments (245) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Sunday Morning Book Thread - 3-9-2025 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]
Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:00 AM | Comments (309) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Daily Tech News 9 March 2025
Top Story
- AMD may finally be breaking the 16 core ceiling with the Zen 6, offering as many as 24 and even, well, 24 cores. (Hot Hardware)
The next generation is expected next year, and will offer 12 Zen 6 or 16 low-power Zen 16c cores on each CPU chiplet, with the standard two chiplets on desktop chips.
So 24 Zen 6 cores, or 32 Zen 6c cores which will run at about 75% the performance, which works out to... Exactly the same.
Zen 6 is expected to arrive on the AM5 platform, the same motherboards used for Zen 4 and Zen 5, so it should be a pretty healthy upgrade.
- Intel meanwhile is rumoured to be preparing a 52 core desktop chip. (TweakTown)
That's 16 full-size cores, 32 low-power cores, and 4 really low-power cores.
Intel's low-power cores are a separate design and run at about half the speed of the full ones, and Intel no longer supports hyperthreading on its consumer CPUs, but with that many cores it's hard to go wrong.
Except perhaps in power consumption, and even there Intel has reduced power draw of recent parts for horrifying to merely bad.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at 05:02 AM | Comments (233) | Trackbacks (Suck)
March 08, 2025
Saturday Overnight Open Thread (3/8/25)
*****
Good evening boys and girls and everything in between. The 3 Amigos or whatever their stage names are have this evening off. You get me. Suck it up Buttercups.
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The Saturday Night Joke
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Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 09:31 PM | Comments (576) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Saturday Evening Movie Thread [moviegique]: Presence
Tiger MILF?
Steven Soderbergh. While best known for his breakout film Sex, Lies and Videotape, his award winning films like Erin Brockovich and Traffic, his Ocean's Number-of-people-on-the-Team films, and his flirtation with communist thugs (Che), he's actually made a lot of trash you've never even heard of. Or if you've heard of it, you didn't know he directed it. Or you knew he directed it but forgot it right after you heard about some controversy.
Like, did you know he directed the Magic Mike movies? Did you remember the controversy where he hired an actual porn star to star in his movie Girlriend Experience about a hooker? He directed Gina Carano's disappointing feature debut, Haywire. Perhaps most relevant to today's film, he also directed Contagion, which was a serious look at what would happen if Gwyneth Paltrow infected everyone with a deadly disease. It fit comfortably into the zombie genre (though there are no zombies) and felt kind of like a grown up entry into a hyper-sensationalized field. This strength, the low-key realism, was also its weakness. It felt competent without being lurid, but a little more luridness might also have been more fun to watch.Tiger MILF?Posted by: Open Blogger at 07:30 PM | Comments (332) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Hobby Thread - March 8, 2025 [TRex]
[Photo: Checkerboard Mesa, Route 9, East Entrance, Zion National Park, Utah]
Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread.
We gave the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies(TM) a spin. Turns out, the Wheel has a case of wanderlust. It said ROAD TRIPS and SCENIC DRIVES. Let's go for a ride!Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:30 PM | Comments (218) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Ace of Spades Pet Thread, March 8
Daylight Savings Time could be an "issue" for them (or an excuse).* * *
Good afternoon and welcome to the almost world famous Ace of Spades Pet Thread. Thanks for stopping by. Kick back and enjoy the world of animals.
Would you like a treat?
Let's relax a little with the animals and leave the world of politics and current events outside today.
Daylight Savings Time could be an "issue" for them (or an excuse).
Posted by: K.T. at 03:16 PM | Comments (87) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Gardening, Puttering and Community Thread, March 8
*
Why, look! What do we have here?
The first clivia I planted last year made it through the winter and has already decided to start spring blooming. The second was almost killed by the snails, but has survived in a reduced state. Hope it will revive fully and will also flower.The flowers above are gorgeous. Then again, Clivia is one of my favorites. Hope you can successfully combat the snails attacking your new plant. Anybody else have flowers blooming now, just as Daylight Savings Time starts here in the USA for most of us? Are you ready? I haven't thought about it yet.
Posted by: K.T. at 01:12 PM | Comments (31) | Trackbacks (Suck)
New perspectives from California - even Gavin Newsom
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Anyway, my interest in current events has been quite superficial recently, but as Ace noted earlier, Gavin Newsom seems to have mostly lost interest in being governor of California since he can't run again in 2026. He has turned his attention to being President. Who would have expected him to address the unfairness of transgender-identifying male athletes in female sports with Charlie Kirk????
I think it’s an issue of fairness, I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness — it’s deeply unfair,” the California Democrat said in the first episode of his new podcast. “I am not wrestling with the fairness issue. I totally agree with you.I think it’s an issue of fairness, I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness — it’s deeply unfair,” the California Democrat said in the first episode of his new podcast. “I am not wrestling with the fairness issue. I totally agree with you.Mark Hemingway:
Newsom can say this stuff all he wants. Until he actually does something about it as governor, no one cares. Pass a law in California that gets boys out of girls' sports and get back to me.
Posted by: K.T. at 11:01 AM | Comments (213) | Trackbacks (Suck)
The Classical Saturday Morning Coffee Break & Prayer Revival
Dear Father, Thank you for sparing Donald J. Trump's life in Butler, PA. Thank you for a President who loves his country and is trying to do everything he can to improve our citizens lives. We often come to you with our troubles and not to you as often as we should when we should be thankful. We pray through Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen
Dear Father, Thank you for sparing Donald J. Trump's life in Butler, PA. Thank you for a President who loves his country and is trying to do everything he can to improve our citizens lives. We often come to you with our troubles and not to you as often as we should when we should be thankful. We pray through Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen
Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 08:26 AM | Comments (343) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Daily Tech News 8 March 2025
Top Story
- The EU has denied that it deliberately targets US companies under its Digital Markets Act to impose massive fines and loot the treasuries of foreign companies, which is obviously what it does. (Yahoo)
"It applies to all companies which fulfil the clearly defined criteria for being designated as a gatekeeper in the European Union irrespective of where they are headquartered," they said.
Don't worry, we won't.
"By preventing gatekeepers from engaging in unfair practices vis-à-vis smaller companies, the DMA keeps the door open to the next wave of innovation in vital digital markets," they said.
"Of course, there is no innovation, and there are no smaller companies, because we kill them with our other regulations. Don't quote that."
Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM | Comments (192) | Trackbacks (Suck)
March 07, 2025
Overnight Open Thread - 03/07/2025
[Roger Ball]
[Roger Ball]
Posted by: Open Blogger at 10:00 PM | Comments (341) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Slip Slidin' Cafe
A Roman water wheel in Syria
A Roman water wheel in Syria
Posted by: Ace at 07:40 PM | Comments (197) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Surprise! Voice of America Has a Literal Jihadist Propagandist on Its Staff, Used Him to Attack Trump Over So-Called "Muslim Travel Ban"
An European nonprofit? Where do you come down on this? I think the rule is that you use "an" before a vowel sound. And "Europe" begins with a y-vowel sound. Y is a vowel in some cases but not others. I think in this case it's a consonant sound. Anyway: Read the whole thing. Bonus:
In 2017, the Voice of America attacked President Trump's travel ban on Muslim terrorist countries. What the VOA did not tell viewers was that its 'reporter' was a former Jihadist. In the 1980s, Masood Farivar, an Afghan Muslim, now a senior analyst at the government's Voice of America media organization, had joined Jihadist groups in Afghanistan whose members included Taliban leaders and which had worked with Al Qaeda. Farivar's Jihadi comrades included Awal Gul: the Taliban commander locked up in Gitmo after being paid $100,000 by Bin Laden to help him escape. Farivar has since mourned Awal Gul wondering "how many other Awalguls languish in Gitmo." But over the last eight years, Farivar had a new enemy, cranking out dozens of articles for the VOA with titles like, "Can Trump Be Indicted for Obstruction of Justice?", "Has Trump Done Enough to Fence Off His Business Interests?" and "Hush Money Troubles for Trump?" The only thing more troubling than the VOA, which operates under the U.S. government, waging a sustained campaign against the president was the man whose name appeared on its articles. In his memoir, 'Confessions of a Mullah Warrior', Farivar described being inspired by Yunus Khalis, Osama bin Laden's mentor, known as the Al Qaeda leader's 'Father Sheikh', who welcomed him to Afghanistan, and whose Hezb-i Islami Khalis would fight alongside Al Qaeda against American forces in Afghanistan after the Muslim terrorist attacks of September 11. The Voice of America senior analyst described the Al Qaeda ally as "deeply pious" with a "wry sense of humor" to whom "Jihad was a means to liberate Afghanistan" whose "message while simple and straightforward reasoned with me deeply." Before long, Farivar was fighting for the Jihadist group in Afghanistan alongside "Arab volunteers" shouting "Allahu Akbar". How did a former Jihadist go from the battlefields of Afghanistan to Washington D.C. and a bedroom community in Fairfax County filled with mosques and government employees, and from admiring Osama bin Laden's mentor to working for a government media agency? The answer lies in an old USAID-funded program that was supposed to train Jihadis in Afghanistan to become reporters. Instead it embedded the Jihadis into the media. Masood Farivar was one of a number of ex-Jihadis who went to work for the global media. Farivar's presence at VOA is part of the larger story of another USAID project backfiring badly. Rather than propagandizing in Afghanistan, Jihadi reporters spread propaganda in America. When a Muslim terrorist drove a truck into a French crowd on Bastille Day, killing 86 and wounding over 400, Farivar responded with an article titled, 'Learn to Live With Terrorism' Strikes Some as Good Advice". When Front Page Magazine covered the Hamas Oct 7 attacks, he wrote an article smearing us as an "anti-Muslim" hate group for telling the truth about Jihad. In VOA articles, he contended that demographic replacement by Muslims was a "right-wing conspiracy theory" and that racists were responsible for most domestic terrorism. A VOA segment credited to Farivar included the claim that, "the level of involvement in violent extremism by Muslims in the United States is still quite low. ... ... Salam Watandar, the Afghan radio network Farivar ran, operated under the umbrella of the Internews Network, an European nonprofit media group funded by everyone from Bill Gates to USAID. From there, Farivar moved to the Voice of America where he transitioned from covering Afghanistan to covering the FBI and the Justice Department.
Posted by: Ace at 06:50 PM | Comments (189) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Confirmed: Yes, Biden's Controllers Did In Fact Scrap a Rescue Mission to Bring Down the Stranded Astronauts Because They Were Weaponizing the Government Against Elon Musk
All because Biden's Handlers did not want to allow Elon Musk to do anything that showed himself in a good light. Which would make Trump, the man Musk was supporting, look good.
What are the lives of a few astronauts compared to the majesty of the Great Progressive Struggle?
Stranded NASA astronaut's daughter finally breaks silence as she lashes out: 'Negligence' The teen daughter of stranded NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore has spoken out about her dad for the first time, blaming 'negligence' for him being 'stuck in space.' In a heartbreaking video quietly uploaded to social media last month, Daryn, 19, said that her father had 'missed out on a lot' during his uncertain nine-month stay in space -- including Christmas and her parents' 30-year wedding anniversary. Wilmore's wife and his two daughters live in Houston, Texas, where they have been patiently awaiting his return since June of last year. 'It's been hard if we're completely honest', she said. Daryn said her frustration about her father's stay was 'less the fact that he's up there' and 'more the fact of why.' 'There's a lot of politics, there's a lot of things that I'm not at liberty to say, and that I don't know fully about,' she said. 'But there's been issues. There's been negligence. And that's the reason why this has just kept getting delayed. There's just been issue after issue after issue.' Daryn posted the video just weeks before SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk, whose company is tasked with bringing the Starliner crew back to Earth later this month, said the Biden administration left them in space for 'political reasons.' Wilmore and his crewmate, Sunita Williams, were set to return from the ISS eight days after arriving, but their return capsule was plagued by issues and NASA delayed the flight home. They are set to come back to Earth no earlier than March 19. ... Daryn shared the videos just weeks before Musk went on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast to double down on his statement that the astronauts were 'abandoned,' saying Biden rejected his offer because it would've made Donald Trump 'look good.'The astronaut himself has confirmed this.
Via David Strom who has more.
One of the NASA astronauts trapped on the International Space Station said he believes Elon Musk's claim that the Biden administration rejected the SpaceX CEO's offer to help bring the team home. Barry "Butch" Wilmore made the comment Tuesday during an in-orbit press conference with fellow castaway Sunita Williams nine months after their Boeing Starliner capsule malfunctioned and left the pair stuck on the ISS. One questioner asked about Musk's recent claim that former President Joe Biden had intentionally stalled their rescue for "political reasons." In an earlier question, Wilmore denied that politics had anything to do with the team's delayed departure, but he seemed to shift his stance when answering the later question. "I can only say that Mr. Musk, what he says, is absolutely factual ... I believe him," he said. SpaceX launched a Crew Dragon capsule to rescue the pair last September, but after it docked at the space station, NASA opted to stall its return. Musk, who donated $288 million to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, told Fox News' Sean Hannity that working with him to bring the astronauts back would have made Trump "look good" and that Biden "didn't want the publicity" so close to the presidential election.
Posted by: Ace at 05:53 PM | Comments (247) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Kristi Noem: We've Caught Two DHS Employees Leaking Classified Details of ICE Raids; They Are Being Referred for Prosecution to the DOJ
They face up to ten years in prison if convicted.
Bill Melugin
@BillMelugin_ BREAKING: DHS Secretary @Sec_Noem announces via video that they have identified two alleged leakers within DHS who have been "telling individuals about our operations", and DHS will seek to prosecute them. A DHS official tells FOX both people are being referred to DOJ for consideration of felony prosecutions. It will be up to DOJ to decide whether or not to pursue any prosecutions, and the individuals will also get due process. No details on who they are. DHS statement to @FoxNews: "We are preparing to refer these perpetrators to the DOJ for felony prosecutions. These individuals face up to 10 years in federal prison. We will find and root out all leakers. They will face prison time & we will get justice for the American people."
Posted by: Ace at 05:00 PM | Comments (230) | Trackbacks (Suck)
LOL: Sesame Street Will "Downsize Significantly"
This is standard leftwing "fact" checking. They begin from the conclusion that Republicans are lying because, you know, we Republicans just always lie, and then they search for arguments and tendentious readings of statements to find a pretext to claim it's false. Meanwhile, on the rare occasions they "fact" check egregious Democrat lies, they start with the opposite conclusion, that Democrats are telling the truth because Democrats are literally made of truth and holy righteousness, and seek out convoluted readings of Democrat lies that can be argued to be "true" from, as Obi-Wan said, "from a certain point of view."
Daily Caller News Foundation:
You're not going to believe this, but CNN recently lied in a "fact" check. Wait, CNN lied? Brrrrcccrrrsssshhh. Mind exploding.
Sesame Workshop will "downsize significantly" announced president and CEO Sherrie Rollins Westin on Wednesday in a note to staff. The layoffs come about two months after Max said it would stop distributing Sesame Street episodes after 2025 and within a day after more than 200 of its employees asked for Sesame Workshop to recognize that they want to form a union. Cast -- like puppeteers -- crew and writers are already unionized, said a statement from OPEIU Local 153. "Amid the changing media and funding landscape, we have made the difficult decision to reduce the size of our organization," a Sesame Workshop spokesperson wrote in an email to NPR. Last December, Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns Max, announced that, after 10 years, it was not renewing its deal to fund new episodes of the iconic children's series. At the time, the corporation said its priorities had shifted and that Sesame Street was "not as core to our strategy."
This is standard leftwing "fact" checking. They begin from the conclusion that Republicans are lying because, you know, we Republicans just always lie, and then they search for arguments and tendentious readings of statements to find a pretext to claim it's false. Meanwhile, on the rare occasions they "fact" check egregious Democrat lies, they start with the opposite conclusion, that Democrats are telling the truth because Democrats are literally made of truth and holy righteousness, and seek out convoluted readings of Democrat lies that can be argued to be "true" from, as Obi-Wan said, "from a certain point of view."
Daily Caller News Foundation:
CNN issued a correction after the network inaccurately asserted that President Donald Trump "falsely claimed" the Biden administration spent $8 million to make mice transgender. During his joint address to Congress on Tuesday, Trump cited several examples of "appalling waste" he had cut, including $8.2 million in NIH-funded studies on "gender-affirming" hormone treatments mice. CNN's Deidre McPhillips initially tried to dispute the claim, arguing only about $500,000 had been allocated for similar research in monkeys -- she was later forced to issue a correction after the White House proved CNN's "fact check" inaccurate in a statement. "Last night, President Donald J. Trump highlighted many of the egregious examples of waste, fraud and abuse funded by the American taxpayers, including $8 million spent by the Biden Administration 'for making mice transgender,'" the White House statement reads. "The Fake News losers at CNN immediately tried to fact check it, but President Trump was right (as usual)." "Trump falsely claimed that the Department of Government Efficiency identified government spending of '$8 million for making mice transgender,'" CNN's original fact check read. The White House then released a statement listing six NIH grants for studies on hormone treatments in mice, a combined total of $8,290,053. The Biden-era grants included $455,000 to study "gender-affirming hormone therapy on HIV-vaccine induced immune responses, $2.5 million to study the reproductive consequences of hormone therapy, $299,940 to study testosterone therapy on breast cancer risk and treatment outcomes, $735,113 to study the effects of hormone therapy on mouse microbiomes, $1.2 million to study "androgen effects on the reproductive neuroendocrine axis" and $3.1 million to study hormones as mediators of sex influences in asthma. All listed studies involved hormonal replacement in mice. CNN's initial fact check Wednesday morning focused narrowly on three NIH studies. One focused on a $299,940 grant from the National Cancer Institute seeking "to compare breast cancer rates among female mice and those receiving testosterone therapy." Two others from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases totaling $455,120 focused on how "an HIV vaccine worked in mice that had received cross-sex hormone therapy." The outlet later updated its page, changing "Trump falsely claimed" to "This claim needs context." The outlet also explicitly acknowledged its earlier error, writing "An earlier version of this item incorrectly characterized as false Trump's claim about federal money being spent for 'making mice transgender.'" "The White House list made clear what Trump, in the speech, did not: The studies were meant to figure out how these treatments might affect the health of humans who take them, not for the purpose of making mice transgender," McPhillips wrote, adding "context" to the initially false article.
Posted by: Ace at 04:00 PM | Comments (381) | Trackbacks (Suck)
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