Pop Goes the Culture - AprillBrandon's Blog - Victoria Advocate http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon Shoulder pads, slap bracelets, Sinead O'Connor, streakers, sideburns, Sex and the City, string art, sea monkeys, SUVs, the Slinky. The best part about trends and passing fads (besides blackmailing your friend with the picture you have of her in that 1986 poodle perm) is the insight it can give us about our world. Sure, at the time a rat tail and listening to New Kids on the Block may have just seemed like harmless fun, but trends are more than just being able to say "Yes, I too tried the Adkins diet." And so this blog is devoted to finding all the latest trends and passing fads our culture can come up with and trying to figure out what they say about us other than at one point, we too thought the Emo look was cool. Shoulder pads, slap bracelets, Sinead O'Connor, streakers, sideburns, Sex and the City, string art, sea monkeys, SUVs, the Slinky. The best part about trends and passing fads (besides blackmailing your friend with the picture you have of her in that 1986 poodle perm) is the insight it can give us about our world. Sure, at the time a rat tail and listening to New Kids on the Block may have just seemed like harmless fun, but trends are more than just being able to say "Yes, I too tried the Adkins diet." And so this blog is devoted to finding all the latest trends and passing fads our culture can come up with and trying to figure out what they say about us other than at one point, we too thought the Emo look was cool. en-us Free Katie Holmes! Free Katie Holmes! http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/9166 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/9166 <p>Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, folks. It seems a group calling themselves Anonymous is launching a campaign to expose what they call the human rights abuses of the Church of Scientology and they are doing it by trying to free Katie Holmes. </p> <p>This Thursday, Anonymous will protest the Broadway opening of &quot;All My Sons&quot; in which, yep, you guessed it, the better half of TomKat is starring in. According to an Anonymous news release, they are not protesting&nbsp;Ms. Holmes&nbsp;or the belief system of Scientology, but as part of a much larger worldwide campaign to expose the abuses of the church. </p> <p>Additionally the group will be holding its 9th annual global protest against the church on Oct. 18 outside of every Scientology organization at 11 a.m. in every major city. </p> <p>Now that's what I call a kickin' good lunch break. </p> <p>Abuses they claim the church has made? Well, for starters, stalking and harassment of critics, forced separations of families, child labor and abuse, coerced abortions and the ritual eating of three-legged puppies. </p> <p>Okay I made that last one up. But Anonymous probably wouldn't mind. As they said in the news release, they make prolific use of satire and humor to get their point across that the church censors news accounts of all their wrongdoing. </p> <p>So is the church evil as this group suggests? I couldn't tell you but I do think it rates pretty high up there in the &quot;Twilight Zone&quot; weirdness scale. </p> <p>And so I say, go for it Anonymous. Free Katie Holmes. Tom Cruise has turned her into a robot and I want my Joey back. </p> <p>Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go hide in a bunker before John Travolta and Tom Cruise can hunt me down and make me eat a three legged puppy for speaking out against the chuch. </p> <p>See you in a decade or two.</p> <p>For more information on Anonymous, go to <a href="http://www.WhyWeProtest.net">www.WhyWeProtest.net</a> </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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Free_Katie_Holmes_by_red5[1].jpg So, like, you want that done now? http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/9127 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/9127 <p>Well Generation Y, the big, bad media is at it again, telling us we are sub par compared to other generations. And this time it's our work ethic they are going after. </p> <p>According <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/managing/blogs/first_jobs/archives/2008/10/millennials_wor.html">to a study by Jobfox</a>, Gen Y (or Millennials, whatever us crazy kids are being called these days) was the lowest scorer when recruiters were asked about their employees performance based on generation. </p> <p>To be more specific (from BusinessWeek):</p> <p>&quot;Only 20% of the recruiters classified the Millennials as &quot;generally great performers,&quot; while a full 63% of Baby Boomers (43 to 62 years old) and 58% of Gen Xers (29 to 42) were given this distinction. </p> <p>The only demographic that rivaled the Gen Yers for unexceptional performance was their book-end generation, the Traditionalists (63 and older), who were only considered &quot;generally great performers&quot; by only 25% of the recruiters surveyed.</p> <p>Furthermore, 30% of recruiters went so far as to say the Millennials were generally poor performers.&quot;</p> <p>Like, bummer, dude. </p> <p>However, I have a feeling that this may not be a characteristic of Gen Y specifically but more that the youngest&nbsp;people in the workplace&nbsp;are generally considered the worst workers. Fifteen years ago, this study probably would have found that Gen X was just a bunch of grungy, lazy workers. And back when the Boomers were the babies in the workplace, employers probably considered them a bunch of lazy hippies. </p> <p>And I'm not the only one who thinks this. In response to the study, Austin Lavin, CEO and Co-Founder of <a href="http://www.myfirstpaycheck.com/">myfirstpaycheck.com</a>, said this:</p> <p>&quot;People have been complaining about the lack of respect, motivation, ability, etc. of younger people forever, this has nothing to do Millennials. I think if anything, this survey shows that businesses need to engage in better training and recruitment of younger employees.&quot;</p> <p>Of course,&nbsp;we could be wrong. Perhaps Gen Y is just a generation of poor performers. And while I see examples of this all the time (for instance, the girl working the fast food drive thru that verbally sighs and rolls her eyes when you tell her &quot;Um, this is not what I ordered&quot;) I also see examples of my generation working their tails off. </p> <p>In the newsroom alone, we have a bunch of us 20-somethings and some bright young interns that when it comes down to it, are willing to work 14 hour days, weekends, nights, and punch out 5 stories a day if need be. </p> <p>I guess only time will tell if it's laziness or just a perception of laziness. </p>


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fast_food[1].jpg These kids today, I'll tell you... http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/9072 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/9072 <p>I may only be a 20-something but already I can feel myself getting the urge to compare my generation to that of today's teeny-boppers. For instance, I'll be out shopping when I run into a group of teenagers&nbsp;texting on their cells&nbsp;and all dressed up in their Gossip Girl fashions. </p> <p>And I'm ashamed to admit that my first thought is &quot;What's wrong with these kids today? Why, back in my day, we dressed respectable with our wide-leg jeans and flannel and didn't do any of that texting crap. We used instant messenger like ladies should.&quot;</p> <p>Whoever said hindsight was 20/20 never walked 30 miles to school uphill in the snow with only their Nirvana t-shirt to keep them warm. </p> <p>But it's only natural that as we get older, it gets harder and harder to understand the generations after us. And that's why you have things like the eighth annual <a href="http://www.whatteenswant.com/whatteens/index.jsp">What Teens Want conference</a> in L.A. to let us know. </p> <p>The conference was this weekend and according to the panel of speakers at the event, young'uns today are (to sum it up) optimistic stressed out spoiled kids who grew up during a time where everyone left the sporting tournament with a trophy (so, you know, no one got their feelings hurt). </p> <p>The Web site <a href="http://www.ypulse.com">www.ypulse.com</a> also has a nice little summary of the event, including:</p> <p>~ This generation is splitting big time in regards to moral behavior. On one hand you&nbsp;have the kids making pregnancy pacts and attending rainbow parties (which if you don't know what that is, trust me, I will not be the one to take that bullet and tell you), but at the same time, you also have a rise in purity rings, anti-cursing clubs and virginity pacts. </p> <p>~ Teens are overstressed (BIG surprise). Mainly due to being over-scheduled and over-medicated (come on, nervous Boomer parents, lighten up). Teens also worry a lot considering they grew up in an era in which they have to have their sneakers checked for bombs at the airport. </p> <p>~ After years of being rewarded just for being alive, teens today have become spoiled, expecting free stuff all the time and to continue to be rewarded just for breathing. (I would also like to throw in my two cents here and attribute it to the rise in reality TV in which idiots are rewarded with 15 minutes of fame for continuing to be idiots). </p> <p>~ Teens really truly believe they are going to become famous, thanks to (again) reality TV and You Tube stars. Why work hard at school or work when you can be the next Tila Tequila (*shudder*). </p> <p>~ And in perhaps a most interesting twist, teens today want to make a difference and change the world, while at the same time, they love to indulge in escapism to escape the world they are trying to change. Think of the popularity of Harry Potter, the Twilight Series and the Inheritance Cycle. </p> Why vote? I hear polar bears can swim http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/9050 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/9050 <p>&quot;Darfur? Who cares? That sounds like a T-shirt company to me.&quot;</p> <p>My favorite part of election season? Celebrity PSA's. A new one put together by Leonardo DiCaprio's non-partisan company Appian Way is perhaps my favorite. It's funny yet makes its point. </p> <p>Aimed mainly at young voters, I think it makes a great argument about why voting is more important than ever. This is one of the most historic election years we have ever seen. How can you not want to be a part of this? It's a unique time in U.S. history, rife with problems and crisis's but also with an element of hope that we can come through this stronger and better. The next few weeks determines the direction this country goes and you can have a hand in that.</p> <p>Plus, if you don't vote, then can you really complain about the country's problems? Can you disagree with who gets elected if you couldn't even take the time to voice your opposition?&nbsp;</p> <p>So get off your duff and register to vote. As Sarah Silverman says in the PSA, you can literally register to vote while pooping...if you have a laptop. </p> <p>There are no more excuses. </p> <p>(Note: Deadline to register is Oct. 6)</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> Oh, those young cell phone loving Democrats http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/9017 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/9017 <p>Here's a question for you: Cell phones are to young Democrats as landlines are to...?</p> <p>Young Republicans?</p> <p>True story. According to the <a href="http://pewresearch.org/pubs/964/">Pew Research Center</a>, young people who use landlines are more conservative than those who use cell phones. After polling a bunch of under-30's by both landlines and cell phones, the report states:</p> <p>&quot;...cell-only young people are considerably less likely than young people reached by landline to identify with or lean to the Republican Party, and even less likely to say they support John McCain.&quot;</p> <p>While the researchers don't know why this is so yet, according to <a href="http://www.collisiondetection.net/mt/archives/2008/09/poll_young_peop.php">writer Clive Thompson's blog</a>, this discovery could begin to affect landline polls. As the Pew researchers put it:</p> <p>&quot;Traditional landline surveys are typically weighted to compensate for age and other demographic differences, but the process depends on the assumption that the people reached over landlines are similar politically to their cell-only counterparts.<em> </em>These surveys suggest that this assumption is increasingly questionable, particularly among younger people.&quot;</p> <p>So the question is now, is this discovery going to affect the outcome of polls in the upcoming months? Guess we'll just have to wait and see...</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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Telephone_ads_of_the_1940's__1[1].jpg Economic woes and the 20-something http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/8968 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/8968 <p>So with Wall Street in crisis and words like &quot;bailout,&quot; &quot;collapse&quot; and &quot;AHHHHHHH&quot; being tossed around lately in regards to America's economic future, the only real question anyone cares about is this:</p> <p>Forget the country, how does this affect ME? </p> <p>Okay, so maybe not everyone is that selfish but it is a question on&nbsp;most people's&nbsp;minds. But while those who invest and have enough money that they don't have to charge Ramen Noodles to their credit card are freaking out, should 20-somethings be worried?</p> <p>I mean, let's face it. Most of us are just living paycheck to paycheck anyway, more worried about how to pay rent then our non-existent stock portfolio. But still, it's looking like a pretty bleak economic future for us (considering by the time we retire, it looks like when we ask for our Social Security checks, we'll be laughed at all the empty-handed way home).</p> <p><a href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/160474/page/1">An interesting debate between two 20-something staffers at Newsweek</a> addresses this issue over whether or not we should be worried. Kind of like a Goofus and Gallant thing, only with bigger, more sophisticated words. </p> <p>As for me, am I worried? Well heck yeah. Are you nuts?&nbsp;</p> <p>My money is already stretched so tight it's about to snap like rubber band and whack me in the eye, causing me to not only be broke but blind as well (and I won't be able to afford the eye patch). With prices going up everywhere, my bank account is about to go from bad to downright pitiful. </p> <p>But then again, at the same time, there is also this feeling of &quot;Well, there's nothing I can do about it.&quot; Call it a quirk of my generation but I don't see a need to wig out over something that looks inevitable and I can't personally change. </p> <p>And the good news is that maybe this crisis will teach us credit card debt loving young'uns that we need to be more careful with our money, save more and for the love of all that is green, get out there and vote. We may not be able to change our future first-hand, but we can have a hand in it. </p> <p>Until then, see you in the Ramen Noodle aisle at H-E-B, friends (I'll be the one with the eye patch I bought on layaway). </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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money.jpg Is there nothing people won't do for their pets? http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/8949 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/8949 <p>Today, in &quot;People Who Have Too Much Time On Their Hands&quot; news, it seems someone has created an album of music just for dogs. </p> <p>I'll give you some time to absorb that last statement...</p> <p>... (checks watch) ...</p> <p>... (clears throat) ...</p> <p>No, seriously. The L.A.-based Laurel Canyon Animal Company has utilized the talents of (and here's my second favorite part) Intuitive Animal Communicator Dr. Kim Ogden to (and I quote) &quot;build a bridge between humans and animals through music.&quot;</p> <p>The CD is called <a href="http://www.petcds.com/">&quot;Songs to Make Dogs Happy&quot;</a> and their No. 1 hit, at least among dogs is called...give me a moment to compose myself...&nbsp;&quot;Squeaky Deaky.&quot; </p> <p>According to a news release, Dr. Ogden spent eight months putting together focus groups of dogs to test their responses to the music and lyrics for the CD. The result is a big waste of money...er...sorry...&quot;a CD that dogs love to listen to.&quot; </p> <p>While I realize these peoples' hearts are probably in the right place, I hate to tell them what a monumental waste of time this CD is. As an owner of two dogs myself, I must say that I don't think dogs know the difference between a specialized, thoroughly researched CD made especially for them and when you just leave the radio on. </p> <p>I mean, we're talking about creatures who sniff butts as a form of greeting (both animal and human). Creatures who, even though every time you have left them you have always come back home, think each time you leave you are never coming back. These are animals that don't even understand the difference between Mommy's VERY expensive shoes and their stupid 99 cent bones that are scattered all over the floor! (Or at least that's the case with my beloved Buffy...who was a very bad dog last night. VERY BAD!). </p> <p>Don't get me wrong. I love my two dogs. They are like family. I'd do anything for them (as long as they leave Mommy's SHOES ALONE!). But I draw the line at buying music suited to their taste. Until they get their own job and help pay the bills, we're listening to what I want to. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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boxer_with_headphones[1].jpg Stephenie Meyer has made me an addict http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/8918 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/8918 <p>Just another hit. That's all I wanted. I just didn't want the high to stop. I had spent all Sunday afternoon immersed in my happy little world and I only had about 20 pages left before the high stopped and I had to go back to the dismal (insert ominous music here) r<strong>eal world</strong>. </p> <p>I won't lie. I was freaking out, man. Although I had just read 500 pages, it wasn't enough. And of course, I hadn't bought the next book yet. What was I going to do? Just do nothing until I went to bed? Settle for watching TV? </p> <p>Nope. Not me. Like any true addict, I ran out to the bookstore in the sweats I had been wearing all day and sans makeup to buy my next fix: the next installment of <a href="http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/index.html">Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series</a>. </p> <p>I was on the third book, <a href="http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/eclipse.html">&quot;Eclipse.&quot;</a> First I went to Hastings. In the four book series, they had all but one. I'll give you three guesses&nbsp;as to&nbsp;which one they were out of. </p> <p>So I trotted over to the mall a whooping five minutes before they closed. And there on the shelf at Waldenbooks were all the Meyer books...save for one. </p> <p>A little more frantic now, I drove over to Target. They had a small book section. Naturally, they had 82 billion copies of the just recently released fourth book, but no dice on the third. </p> <p>Then it was on to H-E-B. Again, they had the stupid freaking fourth book, but not the third. How did all these stores expect me to read the FOURTH book when I hadn't read the THIRD book yet! HUH?!? It was just ludicrous. </p> <p>And I want to know just who is buying up these copies of &quot;Eclipse.&quot; Who, I ask you! Why in a city of Victoria's size are there no copies of this book? How is this even possible? Is it an elaborate joke? Am I in an episode of the &quot;Twilight Zone?&quot;</p> <p>But, I digress. I'm letting my addiction get the better of me. See what Meyer has done to me with her tales of love between a girl and a vampire? I mean, these books are what I like to call literary junk food for adults.&nbsp;&nbsp;You know you should be absorbing something healthier and more adult-like but yet it feels so good when you binge on these easy-to-read young adult books. </p> <p>And I am pheening for my next binge. </p> <p>Alas it seems I will have to wait. Perhaps try to fend off my yearning by reading another book for awhile. Or beat up a 7th grade girl for her copy of &quot;Eclipse.&quot;</p> <p>And in the meantime, I will silently curse Stephenie Meyer in my head repeatedly for the hold she has on me. I used to be respectable...well, respectable-er. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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Twilight-Teaser-Poster-twilight-series-1272753-1520-2250[1].jpg Goth...you just can't kill it http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/8890 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/8890 <p>In all the various fashion trends and subculture looks I've tried out over the years (hello Courtney Love smeared lipstick look) the one look I never got was Goth. Which is surprising to many considering my love of black eyeliner, dark nail polish and&nbsp;my brief love affair with deep purple lipstick (ah, tube of Vamp Vixen, how I miss thee). </p> <p>But what can I say? I love me some color in my pigment and am incapable of wearing all black without throwing in a colorful scarf or bright red high heels. </p> <p>But regardless of how I view it,&nbsp;Goth is one of the few subculture looks that has stuck around and doesn't seem to be going away any time soon, according to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/fashion/18GOTH.html?pagewanted=1&amp;_r=2&amp;ref=style">this interesting article by the New York Times</a>. </p> <p>The story gives an in-depth view of Goth and those who adhere to it, examining everything from white faced teens, to vampire lore, to even haute couture-Goth style. </p> <p>And it kind of gave me a new appreciation for&nbsp;Goth and the mindset behind it. I'm always for rebellion and rebellious looks. And I think too often I have oversimplified Goth as merely some whiny kids who dressed in all black and spent all their time perfecting that disenchanted look in their eye. </p> <p>Goth culture&nbsp;is much more interesting and storied than that. </p>


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man%20in%20black[1].jpg Hurricane Humor http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/8857 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/AprillBrandon/8857 <p>The one thing you have to love about our culture? We can find humor in anything.&nbsp;Our world&nbsp;may be crashing down around us, but we still likes us some good jokes. </p> <p>(And let's face it, with the recession and our economy in shambles, at least jokes are free...for now). </p> <p>And so, with Hurricane Ike's aftermath affecting people across the area, I thought I'd share with you some hurricane humor someone recently sent me. Since approximately 80 percent of people when faced with a hurricane (note: that number is totally made up) decide to deal with it by drinking away their sorrows, here are some cocktail recipes for the next storm in the Gulf. </p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black">MANDATORY EVACUATION <br /> 1 1/2 oz. Absolute Ruby Red vodka <br /> 1/2 oz. vermouth <br /> Clamato <br /> &nbsp;Prune juice <br /> Combine vodka and vermouth in cocktail glass. Fill<br /> remainder of glass with equal parts Clamato and prune juice.<br /> Stir. Drink. Ask next-door neighbor whose fichus tree blew<br /> over and crashed onto your roof - even though you'd<br /> warned him for months to uproot it - if you can use his<br /> bathroom. Repeat. </span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black">CONE OF PROBABILITY <br /> 1 oz. cinnamon schnapps <br /> 1 sugar cone <br /> Pour the schnapps into the sugar cone. Every time you hear<br /> a TV weatherman say, 'cone of probability,' bite<br /> off the end of the cone and down the shot. If you hear Jim<br /> Cantore say it, drink two shots consecutively. (Have you ever noticed that, despite all the cone of probability talk, if Cantore is parked in front of your house, you're&nbsp;toast?) <br /> <br /> </span></span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black">BEACH EROSION <br /> 1 1/2 oz. Goldschl&auml;ger <br /> 1 1/2 oz. apple brandy <br /> 1 pack Sugar in the Raw <br /> Combine Goldschl&auml;ger, apple brandy and sugar in cocktail<br /> glass. As you drink, seriously contemplate moving your<br /> Yankee&nbsp;behind back to New Jersey where it belongs. </span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black">FLOOD ZONE <br /> 2 oz. Kahl&uacute;a <br /> 2 oz. Baileys Irish cream <br /> 4 oz. rum <br /> Serve in a 6-ounce glass and laugh-cry deliriously as the<br /> mess spills all over the countertop. </span></span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black">&nbsp;LOOTERS WILL BE SHOT <br /> 1 oz. Jack Daniel's <br /> Splash of sarsaparilla <br /> Rock salt <br /> Load both barrels of a shotgun with rock salt. Climb to the<br /> roof of your house with gun, bottle of Jack Daniel's and can of<br /> sarsaparilla. Fill shot glass with Jack and splash of<br /> sarsaparilla. Watch for looters. When you spot one, blast<br /> him with rock salt. Drink shot. Repeat. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black">FEMA FIZZLE <br /> 1 oz. Southern Comfort <br /> 2 oz. sloe gin <br /> Tonic water <br /> One week after the storm has passed and your neighborhood<br /> is still in ruins with no sign of help on the way, combine<br /> Southern Comfort and gin in a cocktail glass. Fill remainder<br /> with tonic and add a dash of Angostura bitters. Serve with a<br /> nut brownie. Before drinking, raise the glass and say the<br /> toast, 'Doing a helluva job, Brownie.'<br /> <br /> </span></span></span></span>(Side note: Jokes are great but in all seriousness, there are still many evacuees that need help, many here in Victoria. Please remember to give what you can). <br /> </p>


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