General Debate 27 November 2010

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kaya

Greetings on a fine, beautiful NZ morning.
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November 27, 2010 8:13am
berend

I want to draw people’s attention to an enormous power grabbing bill first introduced by Labour, but now on the cusp of being passed by National: the Education Amendment Bill No 2. The changes are particularly about private schools, and the effect will be to outlaw them.

A quote from the Association of Independent Schools of New Zealand.

We draw the Minister’s attention to the possible unintended impact of three clauses in the Education Amendment Bill (No 2) 169-2 (2010) which appear to accord significant, undue and potentially harmful powers to officials.

…

35F (2) In assessing the standard of tuition, the mode of curriculum delivery and the regularity of instruction be considered adds a new criterion: “the mode of curriculum delivery” which grossly intrudes upon the present freedoms of private schools to use methods of teaching that differ from the state, providing that the outcomes of that teaching are at least to the standard of an equivalent state school.

There are many more. If you love private schools, please wake up. You won’t have private schools much longer as the Ministry of Education will get extreme powers to regulate them.
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November 27, 2010 8:15am
RobbieBlack

kaya (1,106) Says:

November 27th, 2010 at 8:13 am
Greetings on a fine, beautiful NZ morning.

Fuck you, I am in Munich and it is snowing.

Fortunately, I am drinking German beer, which is gouda!
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November 27, 2010 8:18am
RobbieBlack

Here’s an idea, kill all the NZ politicians and do a population swap with Australia.

Oh no, hang on that will be bad for Aussies.

Hey, let’s all have a good meaningless whinge, run by TVNZ1 and the All Blacks.
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November 27, 2010 8:22am
kaya

Good luck to the people of Ireland later today, time to stop this theft of sovereignty.

http://tinyurl.com/2clqj6d
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November 27, 2010 8:24am
RobbieBlack

Why don’t we ask a reasonable question like why did Paul Henry resign?

Can one of you sheep answer this?

I will decipher “Bahhhhhhaaaas.”
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November 27, 2010 8:26am
side show bob

Interesting column in latest Straight Furrow by Robin Grieve. TV 3’s environmental reporter Samantha Hayes, a passionate public vegan has been seen in very hot hot pants, leather no less. The Vegan society website states their principle is to “live free from animal products for the benefit of people, animals and the environment”. Vegan society and environmentalists don’t really think things out to well, I’m sure Samantha just loves her veges and would never dream of eating or consume something coming out of an animal. What poor Samantha fails to realise is that animals usually need their skins to frolic in the sun. Samantha is far from being alone, there would be very, very, few of these fruitcakes that can live a life totally divorced for using animal products in some way. What a strange fantasy world they live in.
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November 27, 2010 8:26am
RobbieBlack

I dated a vegan once…she took my small meat willingly.
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November 27, 2010 8:29am
RobbieBlack

I want to talk about Paul Henry.

So?
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November 27, 2010 8:30am
kaya

That link to the protest in Ireland later today should have been:

http://tinyurl.com/2ur7o36
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November 27, 2010 8:30am
kaya

SSB – All extremists are fruitloops , proven by the fact that they hold such extreme views!! Like some Robbie Deans supporters I know…….. 🙂
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November 27, 2010 8:32am
RobbieBlack

Fucking Ireland?

Oh, let’s ask anyone with an ounce of intelligence whether the EU was a gouda idea.

DPF have a go.

OK we got the dumb stupid, greedy countries mixed in with the hard working responsible countries. Bound to work like 3K and 3T.

Germany are successful, Ireland are not. Sharing the same money.

Um, OK dumb idea.

Correct me if I am wrong.
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November 27, 2010 8:37am
RobbieBlack

Please one of you sheep answer my question.

Why did Paul Henry resign?
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November 27, 2010 8:41am
jcuknz

Roger Cohen in his Op-Ed today, NYT, makes the interesting point that you don’t need to blow up hundreds of people in an airplane when there are hundreds of people waiting to go through the security checks 🙂
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/26/opinion/26iht-edcohen.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=a212
He also suggests a punishment for Bin Laden when he is caught … eternal rotation through security checks.
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November 27, 2010 8:45am
tom hunter

SSB

I’ve been hearing some “interesting” stories about Environment Waikato recently and wondered whether you’ve been dealing with something similar down in Taranaki.

Basically, EW have decided that using travelling effluent spreaders on paddocks results in runoff to streams and such like in wet weather, so they are pushing all farmers to build in effluent ponds that can hold 30, 60, or even 90 days of the stuff.

When I say pushing I mean they actually fined the brother of one of my neighbours (in another district) with four charges of $15,000 each. They won one but once the lawyer’s costs were added the sum came to $30,000. The thing was that EW had given these guys 30 days notice to fix the “problem” (more on that in a second), which they had done – and then still gone after them in the Environment Court.!!! Needless to say they decided to retire – a decade earlier than they had planned – because there was no telling what would happen next.

I’m getting cost estimates now for building one but, having happily destroyed two such ponds a decade ago to replace with the travelling spreader, I’m not too happy about putting such an ugly structure back on the farm. God I hate those ponds.

The thing that really grates me is that I cannot find anybody (Fonterra, EW) who can show me scientific or engineering studies that demonstrate that runoff in that sort of weather is any worse than having the cows standing in the paddock doing what they do! One of the reasons I was so keen to put spreading system into place a decade ago was that it seemed so natural – simply doing what the cows did anyway. Now it’s supposedly an environmental problem?

Moreover, niether Fonterra nor EW can provide anything that demonstrates how they actually measure whether there is a problem! When I asked Fonterra their response was that “ponding” was the issue – but made the sarcastic remark to me that “ponding” could mean the shit splashes on the boots of the inspector.

In toher words It’s a total judgment call by a bureaucrat. What’s next? Will we have to phone some prick in Hamilton to ask permission to turn the pumps on? I don’t think it’s a reductio ad absurdum possibility.

Your thoughts?
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November 27, 2010 8:45am
Inventory2

@ RobbieBlack – do you enjoy talking to yourself?
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November 27, 2010 8:47am
jcuknz

What puzzles me with regard to bail-outs … assuming one lets the private banks go under … what would happen to the savings of the ‘ordinary man’ who had deposited there? Would it be any worse than all the savings lost in the failed investment firms which went bung in New Zealand over the last few years?
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November 27, 2010 8:48am
RobbieBlack

Not really – so answer my question.

Was it right that Paul Henry resigned?
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November 27, 2010 8:49am
jcuknz

Tom Hunter … the problem is not what you do with it but that the cows are doing it in the first place. It may be natural what they do but it is un-natural that we have so many of them doing what comes naturally. All in pursuit of more exports to buy trinkets from overseas.
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November 27, 2010 8:53am
Inventory2

Only Paul Henry will know that. I guess it depends on how many zeros the cheque had …
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November 27, 2010 8:54am
Pete George

He also suggests a punishment for Bin Laden when he is caught … eternal rotation through security checks.

That’s a good one.

It looks the US in particular is getting bogged down and worn down and beaten by over-reactions to security threats. I’m not sure what the authorities fear most, a successful attack, or being seen to not being tough when it comes to terrorism. It’s backfiring.

I wonder what security checks they would do if a loony (aka tryhard terrorist) injects explosive liquid under their fingernails. They could be having a competition – to see who can provoke the most invasive security checks. Swallowed drugs aren’t uncommon, maybe they will make everyone take laxatives before flying.
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November 27, 2010 8:55am
jcuknz

SSB … have ytou thought that plastic is very much like the naturaal product these days?
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November 27, 2010 8:56am
RightNow

Robby black, cold in Munich? Tough shit you sheep shagging weeny dick. The word on the street is that if your dick was half an inch shorter you’d technically be a girl, so I’d keep it tucked in your lederhosen unless you’re out trolling for boys.
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November 27, 2010 8:59am
Jimbob

Fran O’Sullivan has written an interesting piece in todays Herald on Pike River.
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November 27, 2010 9:01am
adze

Don’t feed the trolls…
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November 27, 2010 9:11am
kaya

jcuknz – people are getting sick of the “privatise the profit, socialise the risk” thing going on right no and are asking more questions about the banking system. What the moron said earlier re “Germany succesful, Ireland not” is crap of the highest order. What has brought Ireland down is the fact that the corrupt/idiotic Government decided to guarantee all bank deposits a few years ago. As with the rest of the financial crisis the banks are behind it.

The power to issue money needs to be taken from them.

Perhaps you might include the fact that the money created by the banks has no intrinsic value. The bank in effect is acting as an intermediary although the law has been written to give them the status of principals.

When money is borrowed, i.e. created by the bank, it is deposited into the account of the borrower and used to purchase something which the borrower does not own e.g. a house. The money loaned is loaned against the security, the mortgage, on the house. So, the bank lends money it does not have against the security of an asset that the borrower does not own.

The bank in every case is acting as a facilitator of the sale but in doing so acquires effective ownership of the security until the loan is repaid. It does this by creating money out of nothing. In this way the banking system as a whole is fully guaranteed by the taxpayer and authorised to remove ownership of all assets from the taxpaying public.
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November 27, 2010 9:13am
RightNow

yes sorry adze, I wanted to try out some new material
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November 27, 2010 9:14am
Pete George

Interesting from Fran but mainly conjecture, like everyone else she knows few facts.

The last thing the local mining industry needs is a face-saving inquiry that concludes this disaster was simply an act of God.”

That’s one thing it can’t conclude, they’ll deal with facts. But it’s quite feasible they will find it was unforseeable volumes of methane based on records to that stage. I find it hard to believe all detection failed, but it could have been inadequate.
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November 27, 2010 9:19am
tom hunter

It may be natural what they do but it is un-natural that we have so many of them doing what comes naturally.

You’ve started the next Facebook/Google revolution I take it? New mining methods? Hauling in billions of export dollars to replace dairy farming? I’m always looking for new investments.

All in pursuit of more exports to buy trinkets from overseas

Oh….. I see….. The whole idea of making money to buy stuff is repellent when it’s used to buy stuff that you and your lefty mates define as a “trinket”.

If only you could control society so that it does exactly what you want at both the production and consumption ends. There’s probably some philosophy and economic theory that will feed your need; Muldoonism perhaps.

Thank you for representing Deep Green Thought at its finest here on Kiwiblog. When I see a Green future I see a hemp sandal stamping on a human face forever.
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November 27, 2010 9:23am
RobbieBlack

I prefer girls. I cannot imagine sticking it in a male’s wrong hole, can you?

Anyway, I am far from a troll as DPf knows.

You on the other hand, are a useless homo.

What is your valuable job and how old is your wifie?

You know you have a person when you have the ability to defeat them with questions.

[DPF: Actually you are very much trolling. Stop it or I’ll boot you]
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November 27, 2010 9:43am
TripeWryter

Yes, I see The New Zealand Herald’s writers are performing their self-appointed roles of being ‘different’. In the case of O’Sullivan and Armstrong, I can’t disagree with them.

Roughan seems to suggest that the real reason the rescuers didn’t rush in was because they knew the miners were killed in the first explosion, but couldn’t bring themselves to say so.

On something completely different, I am pleased to read that the Russian Parliament has finally come clean and said publically that Stalin had ordered that the Katyn massacre of Polish officers in 1940.

For decades the Russians had maintained the fiction that the Germans were the culprits. Poles here in New Zealand were also outraged that the British and Americans had gone along with the fiction, even well into the Cold War.

I once broached the matter with the Soviet Embassy’s publicity flack, Buranov, in the 70s. Nyet, nyet, he said. Well, as an excellent speaker of English he really said no, no. It was another interesting example of someone looking you straight in the eye and lying like a flatfish.
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November 27, 2010 9:45am
Lucia Maria

Berend,

Is that clause specific to private schools, or will it affect homeschoolers as well?
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November 27, 2010 10:00am
wikiriwhis business

@Tom Hunter

Are you saying EW stretches right to Taranaki??

Taupo? We pay EW rates for the lake in Hamilton.

The new CEO of EW spent an entire page in the Waikato Times saying nothing except he was no real valid leader.

He’s publicly laughing at every rate payer in the EW region.
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November 27, 2010 10:06am
RobbieBlack

OK DPF, I am having a little celebration for one here.

I am told now. And I know you understand. By the way, thanks for not running that defamatory article.

You know I respect you.

Keep up the good work.

By the way, if you are ever in Munich give me a call.

I mean it.
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November 27, 2010 10:07am
RobbieBlack

So we cool?

Just say, we cool, will do it.
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November 27, 2010 10:12am
tom hunter

Are you saying EW stretches right to Taranaki??

Heh. I would not put it past them but no. I assume there is Environment Taranaki or some such that SSB has to deal with.

I was just curious to see whether any other dairy farmers out there in Kiwiblog land (I assume there’s more than SSB) have run across this issue and whether any of them have seen any science papers demonstrating this specific runoff effect (rain + paddock effluent spreading) and demonstrating measurement methods and levels that can be used in place of “some crap splashed on my boots when I walked in the paddock” – which was the Fonterra suggestion to me as to what EW is using as a decision point.
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November 27, 2010 10:14am
RobbieBlack

Actually, to piss you off even more sorry, I wondered if you would make a comment about Paul Henry’s resignation.

I mean WTF?
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November 27, 2010 10:19am
pollywog

Roughan seems to suggest that the real reason the rescuers didn’t rush in was because they knew the miners were killed in the first explosion, but couldn’t bring themselves to say so.

Mike Mc Roberts must have thought the same thing in Greymouth, otherwise he woulda single handedly gone in there and carried them out one by one, like he did that little girl in Haiti when he was sent to cover their earthquake last year.

RobbieBlack…first rule of blog commenting – never post when drunk. second rule – never apologise when posting while drunk. third rule – never kiss the bloggers arse, especially while drunk.

as you were…
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November 27, 2010 10:26am
RobbieBlack

Hey, whatever, an emerging novelist and you.

Ever thought about running for politics?

I have the people equipped as I am sure you have too.

One day, I am sure.
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November 27, 2010 10:31am
RobbieBlack

I am not a blogger, sadly I am a writer.
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November 27, 2010 10:32am
AlphaKiwi

Private schools and colleges must get their act together is this is the shit that’s going on. I came across this thinking when I was teaching in China, that you should pass all the students no matter what. I didn’t go a long with it, but now I see this shit is happening in Auckland.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10690308
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November 27, 2010 10:46am
Fletch

Aussie cop gives rapper a bit of his own rhyming medicine…lol
Respect!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcudMeUfqD8&feature=player_embedded
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November 27, 2010 10:48am
Jimbob

I see the UK is in the grips of a lovely mild Winter, not. Ten inches of snow for the weekend. Where is that darn CO2 when you need it? It’s a pity really.
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November 27, 2010 11:12am
Rodders

It seems like TV3’s The Nation has finished for the year. I hope it will be back in 2011.
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November 27, 2010 11:21am
pollywog

Ever thought about running for politics?

yeah…but i’m very careful what i wish, for fear of becoming the very thing i’m fighting against.
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November 27, 2010 12:19pm
Akaroa

Bit late in the day for a brand new subject, but:

I reckon Justice Lowell Goddard has a very good chance of being our next Governer General.

(Or should that be Governess General?)

What say you DPF?

[DPF: That is possible, but I hear Alison Holst is a rumoured choice]
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November 27, 2010 1:51pm
Inventory2

Nice to see that Leigh Auton’s loyalty to Len Brown is being rewarded; not! This stinks …

http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/2010/11/auckland-you-voted-for-him.html
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November 27, 2010 4:01pm
redeye

No comment on the Victorian Election? Very close race being run over the ditch.
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November 27, 2010 5:41pm
Jack5

Any red wine sippers out there know what’s going on with the price of Australian reds in NZ supermarkets?

They seem to have hiked up a few bucks. Just why this should be in the middle of a grape glut in Australia and well as NZ puzzles me.

Or is it just in Christchurch? Canterbury supermarkets are still having distribution problems because regional distribution centres were knocked about in the quake.

If good old Aussie reds are going up in other parts of NZ, too, what’s going on? Could it be some plan to bolster the hard-hit NZ wine industry with its chardonnays for socialists and sauvignon blancs for females?

Or is the supermarket duopoly screwing red wine lovers in particular?

Re the Aussie glut:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/grape-glut-prompts-producer-to-swap-vines-for-pasture/story-e6frg8zx-1225961714506
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November 27, 2010 5:47pm
Johnboy

[DPF: That is possible, but I hear Alison Holst is a rumoured choice]

Should definitely do something to improve the standard of vice-regal cuisine. 🙂
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November 27, 2010 5:50pm
Bob

I feel that nothing Anne Tolley or the government did for teachers would be accepted. They don’t want fairness. Their sole aim is to get their preferred political party back in power. Their demand for a 4% pay rise makes no sense in the present economioc circumstances. Haven’t they seen the reduction in public sector pay in those struggling European countries? They are not facing reduced pay and have even been offered a small rise. They should be grateful.
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November 27, 2010 6:07pm
Hurf Durf

Deranged American leftists now resorting to conspiracy theories. Isn’t it a pity? Snort.
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November 27, 2010 7:15pm
Jack5

Pity Ireland as the economic crunch bites. Pity its horses more as these are abandoned by the hundreds

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-61959.html
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November 27, 2010 8:07pm
side show bob

Hi Tom Hunter, Sorry just got in. Just being helping the neighbour to cover his silage stack,the best part was drinking his piss. We all work together around here and are just a phone call and a bottle of beer away . His wife has just been to the hospital and had a lump cut out of her breast. I can’t understand life, she would be the hardest worker God put upon the Earth. Most around here work their arses off. I suspect that that one should not work everyday. As for environment Waikato, they seem to be turning into thugs. We are in Taranaki regional council area and have been under pressure for at least 10 years to clean our shit up. I have shit ponds large enough for natural evaporation, don’t worry the fuckheads check.I’m not against the rules the regional council sets down I’m against the other pus sucking parasites, Fonterra, and other arse butt fuckers that are only out to claim some pitiful place in the food chain.
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November 27, 2010 9:24pm
RobbieBlack

AlphaKiwi – yeah it is all about guanxi and corruption.

In one of the universities I taught at a senior woman professor refused to pass a kid and the kid’s parents went to the school to try and bribe their way through it. Anyway, she held strong, which is not the norm and failed him.

A few days later the kid turned up in her class with a bucket and mop. The bucket was full of petrol and he lit it and put it in her face. She survived.

True story, she is still teaching.

On the other hand you can take money from the students which I have to admit doing at one school.

And another benefit with their system is if you get assaulted by somone they actually pay you money, rather than just getting a conviction and having to go to court.

Money talks in China.

Uh, hungover.
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November 27, 2010 9:58pm
Hurf Durf

Victoria election? Swing towards Liberals, presumed Green rise non-existent. That’ll do.
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November 27, 2010 10:40pm
kowtow

jack5

Some Germans have romanticised Ireland for a long time.

That article and photo gallery are typical of much of the MSM.

Those stray horses were “owned ” by underclass types and were never properly looked after ,housed or kept like genuine horse owners would have kept them.

To include the photo of the statue of race horse at the Curragh at the end of the picture gallery compounds and reinforces the deception. The abandoned horses are not, were not and could never be in the same class as thorough bred horses from Kildare.

More MSM bullshit.

They should just get out there and shoot the bloody things. They’re akin to outsized rats and then they should shoot the abandoned horses.
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November 27, 2010 11:06pm

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