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16 Things About 2013 That Are Really Going To Stink
Zero Hedge ^ | 12/29/2012 | Tyler Durden

Posted on 12/28/2012 5:12:24 PM PST by SeekAndFind

Originally posted at The Coming Depression blog,

The beginning of the year has traditionally been a time of optimism when we all look forward to the exciting things that are going to happen over the next 12 months. Unfortunately, there are a whole bunch of things about 2013 that we already know are going to stink. Taxes are going to go up, good paying jobs will continue to leave the country, small businesses will continue to be destroyed, the number of Americans living in poverty will continue to soar, our infrastructure will continue to decay, global food supplies will likely continue to dwindle and the U.S. national debt will continue to explode.

Our politicians continue to pursue the same policies that got us into this mess, and yet they continue to expect things to magically turn around. But that is not the way that things work in the real world. Bad decisions lead to bad outcomes. Instead of realizing that what we are doing is not working, our “leaders” continue to give us more of the same. As a result, there are going to be a lot of things about 2013 that will not be great. Sticking our heads in the sand and pretending that everything will be “okay” somehow is not going to help anyone. We’ve got to make people understand exactly what is happening and why it is happening if we ever hope to see real changes.

The following are 16 things about 2013 that are really going to stink...

#1 Taxes Are Going To Go Up

Even if a fiscal cliff deal is reached, some taxes will still go up next year. And if no deal is reached, there will be a whole bunch of different tax increases in 2013.

According to CBS News, these tax increases would be very painful for the middle class…

If lawmakers fail to work out any sort of deal, there will be severe long-term consequences for the economy: According to the Tax Policy Center, going off the “cliff” would affect 88 percent of U.S. taxpayers, with their taxes rising by an average of $3,500 a year; taxes would jump $2,400 on average for families with incomes of $50,000 to $75,000. Because consumers would get less of their paychecks to spend, businesses and jobs would suffer.

#2 The Middle Class Is About To Be Scorched By The Alternative Minimum Tax

Of more immediate concern for the middle class is the Alternative Minimum Tax. Many Americans have never heard of the AMT, but it is truly one of the worst things about our tax code.
If Congress does not act, and right now it does not look promising, millions of middle class households will see a massive increase in their tax bills for 2012.

According to one analysis, households that are forced to pay the AMT will end up paying an extra $3,700 in taxes…

Unless Congress acts by the end of the year, more than 26 million households will for the first time face the AMT, which threatens to tack $3,700, on average, onto taxpayers’ bills for the current tax year. Because those people have never paid the AMT, they have no idea they are in its crosshairs — put there by a broader stalemate over tax policy that has kept Congress from limiting the AMT’s reach.
Do you have an extra $3,700 sitting around to send to Uncle Sam?
If not, you had better contact your representatives in Congress and scream like crazy about passing a fix for the AMT. They have always gotten it done before, but this year there is so much animosity between the Republicans and the Democrats that nothing may end up getting done.

#3 The Economy Will Continue To Get Worse

Despite all of the talk in the mainstream media and from our politicians that our economy is getting better, the truth is that the U.S. economy continued to decline in 2012. If you doubt this, just read the 75 statisticsin this article.

And there are a whole host of signs that the economy is starting to slow down even more as we enter 2013. For example, consumer confidence in the United States has experienced its largest two-month drop in over a year, and retail sales during the holiday season turned out to bequite disappointing.

#4 Good Paying Jobs Will Continue To Be Shipped Out Of The United States

Thanks to decades of “free trade agreements”, workers in the United States must directly compete for jobs with hundreds of millions of workers on the other side of the globe that live in countries where it is legal to pay slave labor wages.

We continue to see millions of jobs being shipped out of the country and our politicians stand by and do nothing.
Most Americans have no idea how this emerging one world economic system works. The beautiful product that you buy at the big retail store may have been made by someone working in some of the most horrific conditions imaginable.

A 42-year-old woman named Julie Keith recently found this letterinside a box of Halloween decorations that had been made in China…

“If you occasionally buy this product, please kindly resend this letter to the World Human Right Organization. Thousands people here who are under the persecution of the Chinese Communist Party Government will thank and remember you forever.

People who work here have to work 15 hours a day without Saturday, Sunday break and any holidays. Otherwise, they will suffer torturement, beat and rude remark. Nearly no payment (10 yuan/1 month).

People who work here, suffer punishment 1-3 years averagely, but without Court Sentence (unlaw punishment). Many of them are Falun Gong practitioners, who are totally innocent people only because they have different believe to CCPG. They often suffer more punishment than others.”

But both political parties continue to tell us how wonderful it is that we are trading with communist China. They see no problem with the fact that good paying jobs that used to be performed in America are now being performed by slave laborers on the other side of the planet. And most Americans continue to support this system by filling their shopping carts with lots of stuff that has “made in China” stamped on it.

#5 Small Businesses Will Continue To Be Destroyed

At the same time, small businesses all over America are being strangled to death by taxes and regulations. Just consider the following numbers from a previous article…

We are told that the economy is supposed to be “recovering”, but the number of “startup jobs” at new businesses has fallen for five years in a row. According to an analysis of U.S. Department of Labor data performed by economist Tim Kane, there were almost 12 startup jobs per 1000 Americans back in the year 2006. By 2011, that figure had fallen to less than 8 startup jobs per 1000 Americans.
How is our economy ever going to thrive if we keep killing off our small businesses?

#6 Hunger And Poverty Will Continue To Explode To Unprecedented Levels

As the U.S. economy bleeds jobs and loses small businesses, the number of Americans living in poverty continues to explode.
Here are some numbers to show to people who still don’t understand how desperate the situation is…
-Families that have a head of household under the age of 30 have a poverty rate of 37 percent.

-According to U.S. Census data, 57 percent of all American children live in a home that is either considered to be “poor” or “low income”.

-For the first time ever, more than a million public school students in the United States are homeless. That number has risen by 57 percentsince the 2006-2007 school year.

#7 The Number Of Americans On Food Stamps Will Continue To Increase

If the economy is recovering, then why does the number of Americans on food stamps continue to soar?

As I wrote about yesterday, about 17 million Americans were on food stamps back in the year 2000.

Today, more than 47 million Americans are on food stamps.
Does anyone want to explain to me how that is a sign that things are getting better?

Back in the 1970s, about one out of every 50 Americans was on food stamps. Today, about one out of every 6.5 Americans is on food stamps.

How much worse do things have to get before people realize that what we are doing is not working?

#8 Millions Of Americans Are About To Lose Their Unemployment Benefits

During this economic crisis, an unprecedented number of American families have been relying on unemployment benefits in order to stay afloat.

Well, if no agreement is reached in Washington D.C., millions of Americans will shortly lose those benefits…
Three million Americans may become unwitting casualties of the political war in Washington over the fiscal cliff.
Since 2008, the federal government has funded extensions of the unemployment insurance offered by states, more than tripling the amount of aid available to the unemployed in some areas. But the program is expensive, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating it would cost $30 billion to extend it through 2013. President Barack Obama wants to extend the benefits for another year, but Congress has already pared back the program, and Republicans insist it represents the kind of largesse Washington can no longer afford.

#9 Our Infrastructure Will Continue To Rot And Decay

The United States once had the most beautiful infrastructure in the entire world. Our highways, bridges, airports, railroads, sewer systems and electrical grids were the envy of the entire planet.
Well, now we don’t even have enough money to repair what we already have, so our infrastructure will continue to rot and decay in 2013…
Highways and bridges will need $2.5 trillion in upgrades if they are to survive for another 50 years — a must-do to keep commerce thriving. And that figure doesn’t even take into account the airports, railroads, subways, sewage-treatment plants, waterworks, levees, electric grids, pipelines, and all of those other expensive systems that people ignore until they break down.

#10 Many Of Our Major Cities Will Continue To Be Transformed Into Festering Hellholes

A lot of our major cities are also rapidly degenerating. Detroit is one of my favorite examples, but the same kinds of things could be said about dozens of other major cities all over the country. The following is a brief excerpt from one of my recent articles…
If you can believe it, more than 50 percent of all children in Detroit are living in poverty, and close to 50 percent of all adults living in the city are functionally illiterate. The high school graduation rate in Detroit is down to about 25 percent, and the city has become a breeding ground for gangs and violence. The number of murders in Detroit is already higher than last year, and recently groups of young men toting AK-47s have been running around robbing gas stations. How much worse can things possibly get for Detroit?

#11 State And Local Governments Will Find Ways To Squeeze Even More Money Out Of Us

In case you haven’t noticed, state and local governments all over the country are bleeding cash and are desperate for money. In 2013 you can expect them to continue to find more ways to squeeze even more money out of all of us. Here is one example…
Over the course of 2013, the District government will add 134 traffic cameras to its network, more than doubling the size of a system that generated $85 million in revenues for the city in its last fiscal year.

Police spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump told The Washington Examiner that the city will intensify its camera-based efforts to cite motorists for speeding and stoplight violations while also adding cameras to detect other moving violations.

#12 Drug Cartels Will Continue To Easily Cross Our Borders And Terrorize Our Citizens

The federal government continues to refuse to protect our borders, and that means that drug runners and gang members will continue to pour into the United States.

Down in the Southwest, many ranchers are being absolutely terrorized by these criminals. The following is from a recent NBC News article…
Just before nightfall, 73-year-old rancher Jim Chilton hikes quickly up and down the hills on his rugged cattle-grazing land south of Tucson, escorting two U.S. Border Patrol agents.

He wants to show them the disturbing discovery he made earlier in the day: a drug-smugglers’ camp on his private property. Stacked together under a stand of trees are blankets, jackets, food, water, binoculars and bales of marijuana from Mexico wrapped in burlap. The smugglers, themselves, are nowhere in sight and are believed to have fled the area, which is about 10 miles north of the Mexican border.
Chilton has had his house burglarized a couple of times and his family regularly encounters groups of armed drug smugglers coming across from Mexico…

Their cattle fences are frequently cut and paths heading north from Mexico cross their property. Beckham says a smuggler even fired shots at him while he walked his land with a U.S. Border Patrol agent. Several illegal border crossers have also approached his house at night–one even reaching his hand into their bathroom window.
“Several years ago, one of my children was taking a shower and had a gentleman reach into the shower while he was in there, and he came out screaming, absolutely refusing to take a shower for the next couple months.”

But even if you don’t live along the border, all of this still affects you. According to government figures, Mexican drug cartels are actively operating in more than 1,200 U.S. cities right now. They are probably hard at work in the community where you live.
So what is the Obama administration doing to fix the problem?
Not much.

In fact, the Obama administration is actually encouraging people to come to the U.S. and become dependent on the system. If you can believe it, there is actually a website run by the Department of Homeland Security that teaches immigrants how to apply for welfare benefits once they get into the United States.

#13 Social Decay Will Continue To Accelerate

All over America we are seeing signs of social breakdown. Here is yetanother example…
A woman sleeping on a street bench outside a drug store was doused with an accelerant and set on fire early Thursday morning in Van Nuys.

Witnesses told police that a man poured liquid — possibly a beverage containing alcohol — on the sleeping woman at about 1 a.m. outside a Walgreens store near Van Nuys Boulevard and Sherman Way. He lit a match and ran from the location, witnesses told police.
Who would just run up and set a woman on fire?

Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. For many more examples like this, please see this article: “20 Shocking Examples Of How Sadistic And Cruel People Have Become“.

We need to admit that we have a major problem on our hands. Violent crime in the United States increased by 18 percent in 2011, and another huge increase is expected when the numbers for 2012 come out.
America is changing, and not for the better.

#14 Global Food Supplies Will Continue To Dwindle

Did you know that for six of the last eleven years the world has consumed more food than it has produced?
As a result, global food reserves have reached their lowest level in almost 40 years.

So what is going to happen if the world continues to eat more food than it makes?

Let us hope that there is not another major drought in 2013. If there is, we could be looking at a very serious food crunch.

#15 Wall Street Will Continue To Resemble A Giant Casino

Our financial system seems to have not learned any lessons from the financial crash of 2008.

Instead of admitting their mistakes, they just continue to engage in even more reckless behavior.

Today, there are four major U.S. banks that each have more than 40 trillion dollars of exposure to derivatives.
At some point that house of cards is going to collapse and we will be facing a derivatives crisis of unprecedented magnitude.
Will it be in 2013?

#16 The U.S. National Debt Will Cross The 17 Trillion Dollar Mark

In 2013, our national debt will blow past the 17 trillion dollar mark and start heading toward 18 trillion dollars.

How stupid can we possibly be?

During the first four years of the Obama administration, the U.S. national debt has grown by about as much as it did from the time that George Washington took office to the time that George W. Bush took office.

It really takes something to match more than 200 years of debt accumulation in less than four years.

But our politicians don’t seem to care about all of this debt. They will continue to steal more than 100 million dollars from our children and our grandchildren every single hour of every single day. That is beyond criminal, and yet the American people don’t seem to care.

What in the world has happened to this country?

 

Of course not everything about 2013 will be bad. Personally, I am looking forward to an exciting year. I have a new book that will be coming out, and my family is blessed and healthy. I would like to wish all of you a very blessed 2013. Things may be falling apart all around us, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t have a great year even in the midst of all the chaos.



TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; Society
KEYWORDS: 2013; economy
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To: humblegunner

I wonder how these local home owners associations are going to react. Ours is a nazi dictatorship, constantly writing us nasty notes forcing us to make improvements on our properties. Now that half the neighbors will be losing their jobs, not too many are going to have the funds to make these frivilous repairs.

Many folks are going to be have to learn that many of us will have to drastically change our priorities.


21 posted on 12/28/2012 6:22:57 PM PST by LibsRJerks
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To: Teacher317

You value highly the writings of a 5th grade retard?

Or maybe might you lend more credence to someone who is actually literate?


22 posted on 12/28/2012 6:26:07 PM PST by humblegunner
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To: AlexW
I did what people throughout history have done.
I left and sought greener pastures.
I am now quite happy and content.


Your position is a joke, for two reasons:

1) If you were at all an American worth a damn, you'd want to be one of the people fighting to save the Republic.

2) Wherever you are, Philippines or wherever, if the USA goes down, ALL NATIONS WILL SUFFER. You think that the place you're in now will not experience massive unrest if the USA crashes and burns? How silly are you? Not only are all of the major banks of the world interconnected in the sense that they've all lent each other money and sold and resold derivatives and credit default swaps to each other, but the USA has been the world policeman for 70 years. When we are no longer able to do this, it will be a FREE FOR ALL. And gringos/round-eyes/whitey will be prime targets once the policeman is dead.

So laugh at your countrymen all you want. I'd rather die fighting as an American than live as some soulless man who loves nothing enough to sacrifice himself for it.
23 posted on 12/28/2012 6:39:08 PM PST by fr_freak
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To: fr_freak

“So laugh at your countrymen all you want. I’d rather die fighting as an American than live as some soulless man who loves nothing enough to sacrifice himself for it.”
_________________________________________________

Yes, I am quite familiar with you “dog in a manger” types.
Would you make the same remarks to the founding fathers?
Did they not leave THEIR countries in search of a better life?
I did not leave America. America left me.

America is not under attack from foreign powers. It is under attack from within.
Are you prepared to start shooting Obots?


24 posted on 12/28/2012 6:46:32 PM PST by AlexW
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Comment #25 Removed by Moderator

To: AlexW
Yes, I am quite familiar with you “dog in a manger” types. Would you make the same remarks to the founding fathers? Did they not leave THEIR countries in search of a better life? I did not leave America. America left me.

I am not familiar with the "dog in a manger" expression, Care to elaborate?

The Founding Fathers, for the most part, did not leave their countries - they were all born here, as British subjects. If you have some notion that you are like the Founding Fathers, let me assure you that your attitude indicates that you are not, at all.

I don't blame you for leaving the US, especially if you left years ago when it was clear that the culture had been corrupted but the country was not yet ready for any radical change from that path. What I can't tolerate, is some guy, who is living in a foreign country getting on an American patriot website, reading about those who still live here steeling themselves for a battle for the soul of the country, giggling like a schoolgirl because he thinks he is so much smarter than everyone else for having left. This site is for Americans who want to save the Republic. Why are you here?
26 posted on 12/28/2012 7:03:04 PM PST by fr_freak
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Comment #27 Removed by Moderator

To: fr_freak

“I am not familiar with the “dog in a manger” expression, Care to elaborate?”
_____________________________________________

A dog in a manger is one that can not have, or does not want, what someone else has.
Your whining and calling me unAmerican means nothing to me.
You live your life, and I will live mine, however I like.
Just because I choose to live offshore, it does not mean that I am not a devoted American.
I have chosen to live in various countries, and I do not see where I should feel guilty for not living in an Obamination.
If I did not care for America, I would not have joined FR
some years before you.

My roots go back to Uncle Sam, my great great great uncle, War of 1812. Do not dare call me unAmerican.
I am not, however, prepared to be their and fight other Americans, no matter how perverted and sick they are.

While most of the founding fathers may have been born in America, their parents were not.
They saw their own countries falling into an intolerable state, as America is heading now.

As for myself, I can do nothing but vote, and you can not do one bit more then I can, other then suffer the indignity of a Communist president.


28 posted on 12/28/2012 7:32:27 PM PST by AlexW
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To: AlexW
Alex, you ask the following: “Are you prepared to start shooting Obots?” In a word, YES. Now before you go into hysterics, Obots have no redeeming qualities worth saving. If and when things get real ugly, my family will be protected against all enemies both foreign and domestic so help me God.
29 posted on 12/28/2012 7:39:26 PM PST by OHPatriot (It's time to party like it's 1096 AD.)
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To: SeekAndFind

...and the Vacationer in Chief will be inaugurated again on January 20, 2013.


30 posted on 12/28/2012 7:47:21 PM PST by madison10
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To: AlexW
Bah. Nice try. I called you out for your counter-productive posts here. You call that "whining". Tell yourself that if it helps you feel manly. By the way, I never called you "unAmerican". You may be very American, but you are an American who seems to lack the piss and vinegar of our forefathers, as most do nowadays. We are on this forum trying to figure out ways to keep this republic alive and intact, while you are on this board to gloat about how smart you are compared to us rubes who decided to stay here.

Let me tell you something: I, along with a great number of Freepers, no doubt, have been well aware of the decline of this country for a while. I have also known that leaving would be a better option for me, personally, for a number of reasons. So why haven't I gone? Because the United States of America is more than just a piece of land to me. It is more than just a designation on my passport. It is more than just my ethnicity. I always believed in the principles of this country as an example of the best of human endeavors, the best of human aspirations, and, regardless of where I have lived (and I have lived outside of the US) I was always proud that the USA existed at all and that I was part of it.

I won't move away because I could not stand to live in a world where the USA, as it was founded, does not still exist at least in part. If the USA were to disappear from the globe, I could not rest until I helped restart it. I would have no respect and no loyalty to a world where a country with the principles of the (original) USA did not exist. Mere creature comforts and physical pleasures would do nothing for me as long as this world were devoid of at least one shining example as the USA has been. Maybe you could be happy as a pig in shit if the USA died and you were basking on a philippine beach, but I couldn't.

By the way, your "dog in a manger" explanation still doesn't make any sense in the context of this discussion. Maybe you should seek out a different metaphor.
31 posted on 12/28/2012 7:54:07 PM PST by fr_freak
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To: fr_freak; AlexW

What these self-congratulating ex-pats don’t seem to understand is that if the US goes under, so does the US dollar. And when that happens, mama-san no love you long time anymore.


32 posted on 12/28/2012 8:14:47 PM PST by sadponies
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To: SeekAndFind

Damn. I really need to pick up the pace on buying food, ammo, etc.. Even considering a second job. I could, but I don’t really want to spend that much time away from the family. I feel like I really have to be there to protect them.


33 posted on 12/28/2012 8:21:41 PM PST by Thorliveshere
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To: fr_freak

“We are on this forum trying to figure out ways to keep this republic alive and intact, while you are on this board to gloat about how smart you are compared to us rubes who decided to stay here.”
_________________________________________________

Where did I claim to be so smart?

Just because I choose to enjoy my senior years in other parts of the world has nothing to do with “smarts”, and it does not make me un-American.
When over half of the country becomes usurpers of the constitution, what do you think you can do?
Are you going to take up arms?

No, you are still a dog in a manger, as you resent that I am happy, and you are not.
I am enjoying my new life, wife, and child, living on a beach.
You are living in the Obamination, and have no clue how to save the once great USA.
I can vote, and you can vote...That is about all we can do.
I do not gloat about anything. If you are a “rube”, as you claim, I feel your pain.
I will enjoy life my way, no matter how much you resent it.
You live YOUR life as you wish. Just leave us freedom lovers alone. There are plenty of us on FR.
As I said, America has left us, and there is damn little that you can do to save it, as long as the takers outnumber the givers.


34 posted on 12/28/2012 8:22:43 PM PST by AlexW
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To: sadponies

“What these self-congratulating ex-pats don’t seem to understand is that if the US goes under, so does the US dollar. And when that happens, mama-san no love you long time anymore.”
__________________________________________________

That is something of an Oxymoron.
What will YOU do if the US and the dollar go under?
I think you might prefer living where the cost are a very small fraction of those in the USSA.

If the US goes under, you will go with it.
I will still be living on my beach.


35 posted on 12/28/2012 8:35:21 PM PST by AlexW
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Comment #36 Removed by Moderator

To: fr_freak
this guy has his little Phillipino girlfriends and servants and probably a ton of viagra, and he surely needs it....

but I always wonder.....do people that ditch the country of their birth have NO family or friend here ?....I mean, what kind of person would go live in a third world country and leave family and friends?....children?...parents?..brothers?...sisters?...Nada?....nothing and nobody must care about them....

37 posted on 12/28/2012 10:42:55 PM PST by cherry
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To: fr_freak

his life is so full and good over there in his third world country with his 13 yro girlfriends that he just has to come and post on an AMERICAN PATRIOT website....what a loser...


38 posted on 12/28/2012 10:45:35 PM PST by cherry
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To: AlexW

don’t tell me you VOTE?....what a crock.......


39 posted on 12/28/2012 10:47:02 PM PST by cherry
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To: AlexW
No, you are still a dog in a manger, as you resent that I am happy, and you are not.

This shows that you are just a windbag. You know nothing about me. Sure, I am unhappy about what is happening to my country, but any real American would be. Other than that, any claim on your part that I am some unhappy person is purely irrational projection on your part. And your "dog in a manger" metaphor STILL makes no sense. Are you sure you are American? 'Cause we don't use that expression here, that I know of.

I don't resent that you are happy. That is ridiculous. Go, be happy. I imagine that millions of people around the world are happy right now. They don't concern me any more than you do. The only ones that concern me are the ones leaving goofball messages on FreeRepublic about how happy they are while contributing nothing to our efforts here. If you are so happy, then enjoy your time and quit wasting ours with your nonsense. We, Americans, are busy figuring out what to do with our mess. You go ahead and lie down on a beach somewhere, and continue to congratulate yourself on your wonderful choices. But don't pretend to be helpful here. You made your choice, now kindly embrace it and leave this site to Americans.
40 posted on 12/28/2012 10:51:24 PM PST by fr_freak
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