A War Against Glass

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If you turn the volume down, it appears as if people simply don't like windows.

Shattered dreams.  Those could have been my windows.

A hail storm.  "All hail our beliefs!"

Smash.

NoNamesLeftToUse  Shed Some Light On That.png

The World

It's so fragile.

Not even our automobile paint jobs are safe.

Speaking of which.  WD-40 removes spraypaint quite well, according to memes.  I haven't actually tried it though.  These days we don't need to try things.  Simply pass on the message and you'll be a hero.

I've been observing some more media.  Not consuming.  Observing.

I noticed a lot of people will report on the reports.

Much like passing on a message, by the time the thoughts and words reach the end of the line, after being processed by several individual minds, the end result is often an entirely new message.

News inspired by news.

On Youtube earlier today I found myself enjoying a few entertaining and informational videos.  I wasn't searching for anything about the riots or the protests.  Noticed early on though — it didn't take much time at all — the suggestions and auto-play feature was already tempting me with content about what the world wants me to think the world is.

Chaos and confusion.

I'm Canadian.  I can't say an imaginary line in the sand makes me much different than someone living south of that border.  I won't suggest I'm above all this, even though according to maps, I am.

I knew it would only be a matter of time before our media outlets here in Canada begin covering these civil unrest stories nonstop.  The people doing their duty — being good servants to their thought providers — were already sharing the stories, videos, and memes.

I knew it would only be a matter of time and the people here would somehow find a way to join in, and they did.

So one of our main news outlets aired a short speech from Trump.  Before I even say what that is, I already know many people reading this have made up their minds, certain they either don't like what he said or like what he said, before I even say what he said.

I'm an outsider.  The president of the U.S.A. is only a man wearing a suit in my eyes.  Even in my own country, the divisive politics mean nothing to me.  Being part of those teams doesn't interest me, at all.

I found it quite interesting how the man in the suit said something like, "Protesting is your right and I support it but I do not support rioting, so I'm calling in the troops to take care of the rioting."

Seconds later, once the man in the suit was finished talking, I saw a woman sitting behind a desk.  I guess she's a news reporter.  Instantaneously, what the man in the suit said was spun into a new story about how this man in a suit is calling in the troops to put a stop to the protest.

That's not even close to what he said and the news station already had someone standing inside of a square box, ready to share her views with the woman sitting behind a desk who's now inside of another box on my screen.  I could tell their talking points were rehearsed somehow.

The target audience might not have even noticed the spin, since what the two women were talking about is most likely what the target audience would want to hear anyway.

It seemed so odd to witness two people twist words intentionally.  It was so obvious yet neither of these women attempted to correct one another.  They just went on with what looked and sounded like a script.  It's eerie but since I'm aware the media panders to specific groups in the society they play a pivotal role in creating, I just assume they were of the bunch who's opposed to the man in the suit.

Some news outlets depend on the fact their consumers will dismiss everything a political figure says.  They know their consumers will roll their eyes at the leader while accepting the reporter's views without question.  Some news outlets also have it setup so their consumers automatically dismiss what other news outlets say, and depend on that fact to help establish their views.  If you're a consumer of news, regardless of where it's coming from, there's a strong chance you've been groomed.

Moving on.

It's spreading.

Later I found myself sucked in to an independent news outlet's report about a reporter being forced out of a protest by protesters here in Canada.  Yes, it already made its way through customs and across the border.

The reporter was simply there to report, according to himself, and some people surrounded him aggressively, taunting him; one even called him a nazi.  He labelled those people leftists in his report and at that very moment I realized he's also pandering to a targeted audience that would enjoy seeing people acting crazy and being called leftists.

The report was accurate and included video evidence but it became easy to see how that report — and probably many more in the future coming from both sides — will be contributing to turning people against each other, for no other reason than feeling troubled after consuming media.

From there, after observing at least two teams being created by two opposing news outlets, I've concluded since Canadians don't share the same history as those in the U.S.A., the media here still needs to find a way to draw lines in the sand and establish the great divide, then maybe society will be brainwashed into dragging this out, so the media outlets can get their precious views reporting on the new market created, milking it for every penny they can.

The media simply can't function today (social media, mainstream media, alternative media; it's all the same) without those divisions.

If a story is written calling a spade a spade, blasting all sides and everyone in between, holding nothing back, that story will turn potential viewers away, since not many have been preconditioned to relate to it.  There's no money in that.

Once those divisions are created, the consumers seem to latch on to the side they are presented, since the source is already someone they trust.

These regular folks are required as they do all the heavy lifting, hearing what they want to hear, then passing it around on social media to their friends who agree.

Those who do not agree are already out of the picture; rage quit long ago and unfollowed/unfriended/blocked/muted after experiencing a political differences communication meltdown of sorts.  I'm sure most of us have seen those fights online.  This is how people sort themselves out like laundry piles and help establish the echo chambers needed for the media outlets to succeed.

The combination of social media, mainstream media, alternative media; it seems to do an excellent job of starting arguments, then maintaining them.

No problems in this world will ever be solved when the only solution people ever seem to come up with is pointing fingers at the other group and blaming them.  The media helps get people fired up and it seems like most people don't realize they're being manipulated.

Solidarity.

I believe the gatherings are spreading all over the world now, according to some reports.

As a sign of solidarity, people from many nations are also gathering to protest what happened, and some reports call it a solidarity movement.  That's fine with me, personally.  Once people gather though, history shows what happens.  One can give it a fancy name like solidarity but it's clear society isn't on the same page.  Just look closely at how people fight online.  The arguing, the hatred, lack of compassion and respect.  We've been conditioned to think something like, "That's just how people are online."  As if it's fake.

Look around.  The only difference between a flame war online and a flame war in life is it burns internally online and burns externally offline.  The flames are real everywhere, once the fire is started.

Ever since the internet, we've been in denial of how ugly humanity truly is.

Personally, I don't think this bout of civil unrest will change anything.  Not for the better, anyway.

All it takes now is one idiotic human from every nation to throw a rock and we'll have a worldwide war against glass on our hands.  Once everything is said and done, the only thing that'll get fixed are the windows.

I would love to be wrong.  Won't pretend like I know what the solution is.  Certainly won't be turning to the media (social media, mainstream media, alternative media; it's all the same) for answers either.

Have a nice day.

Credits:
All art and images seen here were produced digitally, by me.
NoNamesLeftToUse Outro.png

"Their reflections can be seen on the glass, moments before they smash themselves."

© 2020 @NoNamesLeftToUse.



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69 comments
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If you're a consumer of news, regardless of where it's coming from, there's a strong chance you've been groomed.

Groomed to be under the glass ceiling.

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Fancy words.

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You should see how I dress

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Like a tap dancer?

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Bringing axes to fight with the fragility behind a glass window, then fixing the glass and not the eyes that was hopefully looking through it.

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This is the ironyvof life.. the main thing is knowing your audience . The media knows their audience same with the media.
My lecturer used to say information gets to you euther deformed or distorted. The government does a great job at distorting information as well as the media.

Personally, i just think the act of protest is more than the death of George Floyd. People are letting out their frustrations.

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If they don't know their audience, the first step is to create it.

Even our best friends can't get their stories straight. Our own memories from our past — the very lives we've lived — even those aren't accurate.

As for frustrations. Society seems to have always had a fancy way of looking down upon anger and frustration, as if it's a sign of weakness. People bottle up it rather than getting to experience it so they can learn to manage it like they do with their happiness and sadness.

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This is so true... people just have to vent

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It's part of being human. I agree, vent. Otherwise anger becomes rage.

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The depth of your understanding always fascinates me. Any chance you were into advertising or marketing before?

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From day one Trump have never interest him and sometimes I wonder whether it is only me feeling that same

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Humanity does have this nasty dark side. Solidarity... With the purpose of achieving what?
Canada looks so amazing in pictures, you are lucky to enjoy such landscapes.I adore maple syrup. Probably me saying this for your post shows no solidarity with the theme of protests. I have chosen to show solidarity towards Canada's epic treat, za syrup.
If there would be a sweet syrup for people to start thinking and be better.... Oh my...

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Very dark. Many try to mask it as well. I've always called that the darkness disguised as light. Deceiving.

I'm not sure what will be achieved. Maybe learning to disagree instead of cancelling one another out might be a more productive option.

Every place looks good in pictures. People always look for the best shots.

I could go for some of that syrup right about now. I think I'll have waffles for breakfast and it's all your fault.

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huh, didn't know they had youtube in Canadia

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add to that the whole quarantine thing worldwide! it adds a little to bit to the whole "eruption"

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That's possible. Heard that one a few times now. Some people say they feel like prisoners, so I thought of prison. Actual prisoners riot from time to time but I'm not sure if it's the living conditions, the state of mind they took in there with them, or both. Not everyone is rioting or looting or angry though the situation bothered them, yet everyone was quarantined.

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i think it has multiple factors behind it. To analyse it a bit and sorry if this is gonna be a long reply :P we know as you said that everyone was quarantined. What we don't know and it's hard to know is what's the background of everyone is and under what circumstances did they spent the quarantine. I will get to it in a couple of seconds while note that many psychologists said they fear what the quarantine results may be and in many countries they had open telephone or skype/zoom whatever lines for people to just talk to psychologists

Now regarding the background that i mentioned. During the quarantine a bunch of people lost their jobs, others worked extra hard (courier,supermarkets,warehouses) while in some cases they couldn't go to a bar or cafe. A lot of them were facing family issues while others realized that their partner choices were not the ones because they did it based on factors like money,status,what others gonna say etc etc. Now all these people were "forced" to stay at home with these huge ass problems and imagine what this did to their patience minds etc etc. That's why we had a rise in domestic violence and divorces etc etc

Most of these people are now in a bad psychological situation, maybe furious or whatever and they just need a spark. That spark was that particular event. It's not necessarily means that they wanted to loot things, but to get out on streets and get that anger out with voices,marching,some police fighting and some of them even looting. At the same time i believe the majority of looters were simply stupid people that just found an excuse to do that!

Ofc there are exceptions to the rule Some people were good in quarantine, not much changed, others came closer with loved ones and their family, some had the time to find themselves and some didn't even noticed any difference for example gamers :P

I think that all of us bothered by this death except if you are a complete retard but a lot of us have the brain to understand that by randomly destroying and looting random properties and hitting random people will only result in more hate etc etc. Lastly, writing all these and adding the "little bit" i mentioned in my first comment it is somehow clear how the quarantine may affected some people more than others into these behaviors!

so sorry for the long comment it could be a post :P

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Long comments are fine.

In an odd way I guess it's a good sign only a small fraction of society snapped. Some learned good life lessons from this year so far. Like how a comfort zone is uncomfortable, and how much they actually depend on others to fulfill their needs. While a few snapped, maybe more will come out better. I think if it truly was hard on society as a whole, there would have been millions acting in antisocial ways on the streets. There are also those people who would have rioted and looted under quarantine or not. I assume there will be more rioters and looters though since some heard they could.

It's unfortunate for the protesters. Some parts of society can't see the difference between the message and the violence.

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i will sound again a little bit of pessimist... A lot of people snapped but didn't mean they become more antisocial or they will start too loot. Snapping sadly can take many forms...For example a "lighter" form of it is a thing most of people around my age did after the quarantine was over. "lets go out each day and get drunk". It is quite stupid given the fact that before the quarantine pretty much the same was happening :P but after 1 month if it suddenly this became their need instead of let's say go out and socializing in cafe or start exercising etc etc. The result for example was yesterday to formally read an announcement that the people driving drunk was up 60% in my country.

It's unfortunate for the protesters. Some parts of society can't see the difference between the message and the violence.

couldn't be more accurate!

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(Edited)

Nothing wrong with pessimism. I find a realistic approach to life includes embracing both pessimism and optimism. That man approaching me might have a knife; but I hope he doesn't. He looks mean; but he might be a nice guy. People take the world for granted while living in their happy bubbles. All it takes is one tiny glitch in the matrix to make that comfort zone very uncomfortable. But if you prepare your mind for the worst, even expecting the worst, when the negative shit goes down, you're ready. Then the problem is not so profound. Prepare yourself for the worst; if something good happens, the feeling of reward is multiplied since reward was not expected. If all one does is hope for the best and then gets the best, there is no feeling of reward. An always positive mentality leads to most things being taken for granted. A life without surprises.

People feel down. Feeling down is something many neglected to do or accept as natural. Alcohol can replace the illusion of constant comfort and joy, but much like a life filled with only comfort and joy, the comfort and joy becomes so commonplace there is no longer feelings of comfort and joy. People chase those feelings, drinking more and more, but never achieving that first time surprise feeling all over again, so it becomes a problem. A dependency to feel good, but never feeling good.

I think that made sense. Maybe it did. Maybe it didn't. I thank you for bringing out that chain of thoughts though.

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I noticed a lot of people will report on the reports.

This... This. I don't watch or listen to the news. My family tells me I'm crazy. Yet I always get the news that matter from talking to people. Hearing stuff on the news is hearing things last not first.

From there, after observing at least two teams being created by two opposing news outlets

In the western world, few people come to this conclusion, because it is well hidden. In Lebanon, where I live, politicians are bad at corruption. They're blinded by ego. The main TV channels are literally named after the political parties they represent. If you live where I live, you see there's no difference between supporting a political party or a football team. They are teams, as you described them, and you either are a fan or not.

Those who do not agree are already out of the picture; rage quit long ago and unfollowed/unfriended/blocked/muted after experiencing a political differences communication meltdown of sorts. I'm sure most of us have seen those fights online. This is how people sort themselves out like laundry piles and help establish the echo chambers needed for the media outlets to succeed.

Aren't we in the echo chamber of people who think that mainstream media is bullshit and therefore muted them?

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In the western world, few people come to this conclusion, because it is well hidden.

I'm not sure if it's well hidden. It seems more like cults form around ideas. It's right there out in the open but the people sucked in don't notice.

You mentioned here at the end we're in the cult of those who automatically dismiss the mainstream media. I observed the alternative media chanting those ideas, nonstop, for many years. I observed their followings then repeat it, for many years. As I wrote, I feel the social media, mainstream media, alternative media is all the same. It's all bullshit. Bullshit is an artform.

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Wanna play telephone?

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John called. Something about another fence job.
John called. Something about an elephant slob.

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According to the report I saw yesterday Donald Trump himself threw tear gas at innocent protesters. Sure didn't see him in the line of policemen but maybe he was there wearing a different kind of suit. It was said on TV so it has to be true.

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Sounds like a legit news story. Run with it. 1 million views easy.

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The process has already begun. The man in the suit is committing warcrimes against his constituents. His disciples want to crown him king.

He may be hunted down by the new world police force (probably the UN or WHO, Chinese puppets) empire like Sadam.

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That has too many of those dog whistle catch phrases. Might overstimulate the consumers. Maybe give this new police force its own name then the people can fight over who runs it.

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Thanks for bringing me back to reality.

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Reality has become what you want it to be. People watch the news which gives comfort, not information. We are in this world on our own.

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Solid investigative reporting is hard to come by these days. There's spin to suit everyone's needs, but seemingly nothing else.

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That was top-notch writing and impressive chains of thinking digested by my mind like burning-sweet chain sugars of mental energy into a common void - where we all have an eternal disadvantage.

Beautiful, true, enlightening, and disheartening in a very needed way. Change begins with honesty, and honesty is an ugly S.O.B.

Thanks for this great post,
Cheers!

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Honesty. It's hard to be honest when all society seems to do is pass on tiny tidbits of what they think is true.

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I posted something called "Are You The Operator... Or The Operated?" a few days ago. You should check it out if you get a chance. We drew up some similar ideas! :) Mine's a lot shorter and doesn't really touch directly on politics, but you might enjoy it. (Just if you're interested.)

Anyway,
Cheers!

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Context can be an entertaining thing. And also change meanings of things significantly like when I looked at the picture first and then looked at it again after reading the article.

Initially thought maybe it's a door opening to a dark room where the character is. Or maybe a spotlight and they're on stage. After reading the article it's now a movie projector (because that totally makes sense).

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Totally is a projector of sorts. Could be all that other stuff as well, being projected.

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The world out there is a tinted glass.. u really don’t know what’s ok the other side. Sometimes it is just a illusion.. we get fooled by what we see in the reflection.

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That reflection can be a mysterious beast.

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Oh yes . You bet! There is a beast in all of us and it is only trough unplanned circumstances that we come face to face with it. Unpredictable & mysterious 🖤

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That was my by far the most brilliant piece of writing I've read in a long while, concluded with sheer poetry of logic:

All it takes now is one idiotic human from every nation to throw a rock and we'll have a worldwide war against glass on our hands. Once everything is said and done, the only thing that'll get fixed are the windows.

Beautiful.

I did allow myself to be sucked in to the degree that I thought I also might be able to point out the illogical at least, expecting my generally intelligent friends to get it. Failed miserably for the most part. Didn't lose any friends though so I guess that's a win. I have since decided to no longer give any of the sheer idiocy my attention. The sun has come out to support my choice, and I've built a lovely extension to my garden with my freed up time.

Anyhow, awesome stuff, will definitely be sharing this around, at least to those who need to know that there are other evolved beings in this world.

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I've been taking some time off as well from this "connected" life that often leads to being disconnected from actual life. Still lurking about on Hive though from time to time. I like some of the content here because it comes from actual individual minds and thinkers.

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P.S. love the Donald art 😁

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Hey you. Long time no talk. Looks like you are on a break now. Hope all is well in your rural (and therefore I'm assuming peaceful) part of the world. I agree with what you've written here. This year has been one big show, and in particular for Americans with an election looming, most of us are increasingly tried of watching it.

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Still here but yes, taking a bit of a break. Tuned out most of the online drama and media consumption since it seems 80% is somehow political now. Even on chain here there's a lot of local platform politics and Hive content so it's tough to simply enjoy some downtime while here, but I'm still checking in and attempting to curate when I'm not busy.

It's peaceful and I've also been working way out here to help make the most out of the day. I think I want to save up, by a van, and live in it. Thinking I'm done with trying to live the classic lifestyle, needing a drastic change, a way to make the next day unpredictable. I'm bored.

It's good to see you again. It has been awhile indeed.

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I didn't mean to be gone so long, and was curious to see how things were going in this place. I don't know that I've observed anything of note, but people I recognize are still here, so that must be a good sign.

There are a few people I know that have taken off in RVs for the longterm. It is actually "in style" among the homeschooling families. You don't strike me as someone that needs to grow a tap root, so I imagine that will be an excellent solution. Hit the beach when you want some sun, soak up some crispy leaves in the mountains come fall - sounds lovely.

Good to see you too. I thought of you while I was away.

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It's tough to bounce back after taking a break. Usually my extended breaks are extended further because of that.

There are still quite a few dedicated types around. I'm noticing many don't allow themselves to get to that dedicated point and leave after a short period though. I follow 600, my feed still drys up. It's too bad they don't just stick around to consume and earn that way. Too quiet around here for most people; folks sticking around to support the content would help in that department.

Not sure why I'm talking about that...

The RV would probably be the better way. No need to convert the van, or buy someones mistakes. The only problem I have with that is how the vehicle then looks like a camper. I'd rather be discreet, so I could park anywhere and look like part of the backdrop.

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Yes, it gets easier and easier to just let it go another day, and the days pile up.

And yes, a van would be better. These stylish homeschool folks in their RVs have to lug around a 4+ person household. It does sound like a fun concept though. I think I would need to find a way to lug around a garden with me for it to work though. Dang tap roots.

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If I was a betting man, I would bet you will be dropping a new post within a week, or earlier..

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my dear friend. I hope you're fine wherever you are.

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I'm curious about this cat too.
Seems many dropped after Hive novelty faded.

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Where are you? I miss your writing.. come back. please...

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Yo, when you gonna mint some NFT's of yo art?

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NFT's? Ninja Fucking Turtles?

Maybe when I have moment to learn about these things. My other life is being a time hog currently.

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