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Archive through June 17, 2008Django30 06-17-08  6:28 pm
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Yooper
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Username: Yooper

Post Number: 173
Registered: 12-2006
Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 2:12 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I still don't get it.
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Detroitrise
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Username: Detroitrise

Post Number: 2468
Registered: 09-2007
Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 2:13 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Poor Yooper, just stop and rest your brain. :-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C ommodores
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Dds
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Username: Dds

Post Number: 682
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 2:14 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

There's a lot of that going around lately.
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Spacemonkey
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Username: Spacemonkey

Post Number: 698
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 2:19 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Commode Doors? That's an odd name for a band. Named after Jim Morrison's toilet?
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Detroitrise
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Username: Detroitrise

Post Number: 2473
Registered: 09-2007
Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 2:21 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

No, you guys wouldn't know real talent if it kicked you in your rear end. :-)
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Rsa
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Username: Rsa

Post Number: 1502
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 2:54 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

http://www.merriam-webster.com /dictionary/metaphor
http://www.merriam-webster.com /dictionary/sarcasm
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Detroitrise
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Username: Detroitrise

Post Number: 2478
Registered: 09-2007
Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 3:00 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Well Rsa, your form of humor is terrible.
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Pcasey
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Username: Pcasey

Post Number: 69
Registered: 06-2008
Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 3:02 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

maybe you should have cited this one:

quote:

1 aoften capitalized : the earth's natural satellite that shines by the sun's reflected light, revolves about the earth from west to east in about 291⁄2 days with reference to the sun or about 271⁄3 days with reference to the stars, and has a diameter of 2160 miles (3475 kilometers), a mean distance from the earth of about 238,900 miles (384,400 kilometers), and a mass about one eightieth that of the earth —usually used with the b: one complete moon cycle consisting of four phases c: satellite 2; specifically : a natural satellite of a planet



Rather than the moon, which is a satellite, might I suggest replacing it with Mars? Your metaphor would make more sense, and the addition of Mars would add a bit of red planet whimsy to the whole folderol.
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D_mcc
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Username: D_mcc

Post Number: 753
Registered: 12-2007
Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 3:24 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

RSA is smoking THE pot? Or smoking pot...grammatically there is a huge difference...like so:

"She had a crack baby"

or

"She had a crack, baby!"

See???
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Jb3
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Username: Jb3

Post Number: 379
Registered: 06-2007
Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 10:21 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Apparently this thread has become the brainless posting depot. I'm actually kinda proud of that!

quote:

That was an interesting thread.

A survey is in order i think, please state whether or not you live in the city, your age, and your general perception of the city (i.e. positive vs. negative).

First i was amazed at all of the negativity that oozed to the surface from my original negativity. Correct me if i'm wrong, but it seems that most of the negativity towards the city seems to have come from those that don't actually live in the city. I know it's naive of me, but i honestly believe that my generation of the suburban lost doesn't really carry the years of defeatism that someone mentioned has been ongoing for three generations.

Second, i was further amazed by those that were able to unconditionally accept the negativity as simple standard operating procedure towards the city. I would venture to say that most of those that can shrug off the barrage of constant abuse are actually residents of the city regardless of age.

Third, i expected more of the 'who needs ya ayway' mentality. I can't say i would blame anyone on this forum though for simply shrugging off another disenfranchised Detroiter, considering the bombastic rhetoric we see here daily.

So thanks everyone for your remarks! Django, loved the picture! Very cool.

Finally, let me apologize to everyone for dissing the city publicly. If you have ever read any of my posts, you would know that i am a staunch Detroit supporter and that i'm not going anywhere unless it's in handcuffs. There is no excuse for my claims of Detroit being destined to become an Urban wasteland. There are simply too many good people in this city working on the right things. My frustration stems from both up on high as well as being compounded by the constant negativity and lack of vision that so many in this country are guilty of (it's not just Detroit, just magnified on this forum).

So anyway, this thread was me being a whiny little bitch. But i think i learned something here and would very much appreciate anyone that would care to partake in the simple survey.

So peace out Detroit and forgive my bad day.
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Bragaboutme
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Username: Bragaboutme

Post Number: 291
Registered: 02-2008
Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 - 7:33 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I'll take the survey.

I live in the city, 30, positive.
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Yooper
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Username: Yooper

Post Number: 182
Registered: 12-2006
Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 - 8:23 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I don't live in the city (bit I will one day!), 21, POSITIVE
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Sean_of_detroit
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Username: Sean_of_detroit

Post Number: 818
Registered: 03-2008
Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 - 9:46 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Here's an exerpt from a past thread. I think it is usefull here. It was my response to one of those "good old days" posts.

"Markopolo, I really liked that post. I'm just trying to give a different perspective by posting the following.

My grandparents never moved out of Detroit. I was born in Dearborn and spent some of my childhood in Westland. When I was five we moved to Livonia, as my parents determined that the neighborhood in Westland was going "downhill". My parents did ok I guess and seemed happy. I remember being taken to Livonia Mall around every Thanksgiving after the parade down Middlebelt. All the local business' and high schools would make big floats and balloons, and the kids could all go see Santa and get free hot chocolate.

The Cable Company (then independently owned/franchised Metrovision) would also set up a little studio in their office building, and the kids would get to be on T.V. with Santa. I also remember going to Bill Knapp’s every birthday for free rich and moist chocolate cake. Going to eat in the new food court at Wonderland Mall was nice to. Back then we didn't have to have a security guard unlock the dressing rooms for us, and the metal detectors by the door were turnstiles instead (to count customers?). Oh, and how could I forget the old animatronic cowboy game in Chi Chi's Restaurant on Middlebelt and Jeffries?

Every one of those places is closed or radically changed, the parade has dissolved, and Metrovision turned into the corporate owned Time Warner, and now Comcast or Brighthouse. We never locked our doors or windows in the summer either, something that west suburbanites rarely do today. It's a trend that seems to be continuing. When I went and visited my Mom for Easter I passed at least three boarded up homes (she doesn't live far of the freeway, so that was kind of bad).

I think a big part of nostalgia isn't real. In reality my parents weren’t well off, they fought to the point of screaming at each other until they eventually got divorced (from what my siblings say). Chi Chi's closed because they kept giving out bad service and food poisoning (No, I don't want a free dinner, I just spent the night in the E.R. from your chicken chimi). But for some reason, I can't clearly remember that stuff, weird.

I decided a while ago, that the answer to this problem must be somewhere in the source, and the source (for our region) was Detroit. It just seems to me that all those people running, are running from a ghost that is tied to a stick, and that stick is tied to the back of their jackets. It's funny and sad at the same time, because those parents who wallow in nostalgia could have saved it, but instead let history repeat.

My grandpa never moved out of Detroit. He was one of those people who tried to tell everyone that you can't run from these sorts of problems. And that’s just it. You have to keep fighting, because you can't outrun this one. If you don't handle it, someone else has to, maybe not your kids, but maybe your kids future best friend, wife, or husband. And you can leave the state, but be sure that a new problem to run from will arise. Our local government is somewhat corrupt, but it is changing. It was designed to be slow for a reason. I know it's like a big bolder, that you just get tired of pushing. But you must keep pushing... or not. You can always give up and leave it where it stands. Just know that it does have its place, and unlike the pretty new stuff we got for the super bowl, it doesn't always show itself. Things are coming together though, as long as we keep at it. Kwame wasn't the reason I joined this fight, it was the dedicated people who have been working at this stuff for decades. I know there are at least some people out there like me who feel the same way (we got Quicken!).

Some of you guys really don't know how much of a difference you are making. Inspiration can be a key to the freedom of others.

Wow, this really is a weird post.

And btw, I never locked my apartment door for three years when I lived in Park Apartments downtown, and never had a problem. Maybe it was luck? Ignorance is bliss. "

Link: https://www.atdetroit.net/forum/mes sages/125438/131235.html
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Yooper
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Username: Yooper

Post Number: 186
Registered: 12-2006
Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 - 10:00 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Gnome?
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Benfield
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Username: Benfield

Post Number: 6
Registered: 06-2008
Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 - 2:56 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

That's not nice.
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Reddog289
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Username: Reddog289

Post Number: 374
Registered: 08-2007
Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 - 6:39 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

SoD, Don,t worry Detroit will never be a true wasteland.,there will be plenty of land to start farms. I had that idea awhile back.I can,t imagine a part of Westland going "down hill". On my trips around Detroit i,d be lost IF there were houses, stores, etc on the lots which long ago lost them.
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Lefty2
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Username: Lefty2

Post Number: 1431
Registered: 07-2007
Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 - 9:45 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Detroit is just Very slow right now in the capitalism process of rebuilding. There is just something, I don't know what, that scares investors.
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Bigglenlake
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Username: Bigglenlake

Post Number: 158
Registered: 05-2008
Posted on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 12:22 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

"Detroit is just Very slow right now in the capitalism process of rebuilding. There is just something, I don't know what, that scares investors."

Christ Almighty I hope that you are kidding.
Please stop the world, I want to get off.


fdgfd
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Sean_of_detroit
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Username: Sean_of_detroit

Post Number: 844
Registered: 03-2008
Posted on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 1:23 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

All aspects of this have been discussed in depth on these forums within the past month.

Retailers do not locate in Detroit for a slew of reasons. One is that they don't think what they sell will appeal to minorities. Another issue is security. Another issue is flawed demographic data (Windsor is a blank dead zone on the statistic maps). Still another is that those who own the franchise rights don't wish to do business with the city. The reasons are plenty.
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Reddog289
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Username: Reddog289

Post Number: 377
Registered: 08-2007
Posted on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 3:19 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

When i was a kid there were the chains left in Detroit, slowly they went away, I DO LOVE DETROIT, YET I ALSO HATE IT. Being only 39 yrs old i have seen even the suburbs around me go down. A city should be a city, yet Detroit is a city with a prarieland mixing with a ghetto, but hey its Detroit. Last time i was in Windsor, well that was a shock too. I guess everything moves on.
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Rid0617
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Username: Rid0617

Post Number: 191
Registered: 03-2008
Posted on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 3:55 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I'll participate. Don't live in the city or the state but feel positive about Detroit's future. 56 years old.
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Rid0617
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Username: Rid0617

Post Number: 192
Registered: 03-2008
Posted on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 3:56 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Love the eye ball. Had some nights when younger that my eyes looked like that early in the morning.
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Reddog289
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Username: Reddog289

Post Number: 379
Registered: 08-2007
Posted on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 4:31 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

RID, did you ever find a house in Detroit?
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Rid0617
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Username: Rid0617

Post Number: 193
Registered: 03-2008
Posted on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 6:15 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Still looking seriously. Wife is leaning towards BE because of the quality of homes and security patrol. There seems to be a determination of the neighborhood. Trying to figure which week we can take time off to go up there. Hoping within the next 3 weeks. Multiple people have told me I'm nuts but I think this will work since I don't need the city to support me. Receive disability from the VA, wife only waitresses part time and we'd be paying cash for what ever home we chose to restore. Was more concerned about the neighborhood and who would accept a couple white old farts with a teenage kid.

Google street level maps have given her a good idea what the neighborhood looks like and she fell in love.

(Message edited by rid0617 on June 21, 2008)
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Sean_of_detroit
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Username: Sean_of_detroit

Post Number: 874
Registered: 03-2008
Posted on Sunday, June 22, 2008 - 11:27 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Rid0617,

Have you thought about building your own house? There are tons of vacant lots around going to $100-$1,000. Century 21 has many on their site. Many more are out there too. You could buy a manufactured home, or house looking trailer (not all look bad). Another option may be to buy a totally horrible house. Maybe one with fire damage, or one that has been completely stripped. You could use the original house's layout and plans, as well as the frame and foundation. Not sure if that's a good idea, but it is an idea. I mean, if you could do a large amount of the work yourself, it might work.

If you need any help, you always have DetroitYES.

If you wanted to get really creative, you could buy another super cheap lost cause house, and use it for parts (whatever you could salvage. Look beforehand). Your neighbors near both properties would love you for it too. You'd be fixing up a house that may be blight in a neighborhood, and getting rid of a dangerous nuisance in the other.

In fact, some people (hint, hint) might be so happy with your move, that they might help you rehab. You know, sort of a welcome to the neighborhood gift.
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Reddog289
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Username: Reddog289

Post Number: 391
Registered: 08-2007
Posted on Sunday, June 22, 2008 - 11:55 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Sean, Rid can,t build on vacant lots that leaves less land for farming.
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Rid0617
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Username: Rid0617

Post Number: 197
Registered: 03-2008
Posted on Monday, June 23, 2008 - 6:37 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Sean_of_detroit thank you. I do believe momma has her heart set on an old house from the teens, twenties or thirties. I do like your vacant lot idea but with my luck the entire block could be vacant and they'll tell me the areas not zoned for modular homes. Really some of them are luxury. We currently live in a 2200 sq ft modular and it's hard to believe what your sitting in. Keep the forum posted. They have been a great deal of help. They've honestly presented me with the negatives and the positives. That gives me resident opinion. Then google earth street view along with live earth gives a very accurate view of the neighborhood.
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Themax
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Username: Themax

Post Number: 888
Registered: 09-2005
Posted on Monday, June 23, 2008 - 7:16 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Recently I had to walk along 6 Mile, Grand RIver, and Fenkell between Southfield and Evergreen. Very depressing. Most of the few businesses open were liquor stores and fast food places. It's funny how people who don't have much money will still spend it on hamburgers instead of cooking at home. Anyway, I don't think the charter school I was passing out flyers for will get much business from that section of town.
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Mauser765
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Username: Mauser765

Post Number: 2875
Registered: 01-2004
Posted on Monday, June 23, 2008 - 7:42 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

"What happened when I wasnt looking is this now DetroitNO?"

Um...Funny you should say that, cause...

http://detroitno.com/
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Optima
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Username: Optima

Post Number: 14
Registered: 12-2006
Posted on Monday, June 23, 2008 - 10:26 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Although I am a former Detroiter now living in Westland, I have developed a different attitude about the fate of the city attributed in part to observation, this forum and several books that provide perspectives based not only on fact and figures but personal experience.

The current book I am reading is by author Richard Florida and is called “Who’s Your City” http://www.creativeclass.com/r ichard_florida/books/whos_your _city/ and although heavily stacked with statistical data it offers very insightful looks at specific areas and their attempts, successes and failures at attracting the “creative class” as he defines it. His previous book defines the Creative Class http://creativeclass.com/richa rd_florida/books/the_flight_of _the_creative_class/
in an inarguable manner that is proving true on a world-wide basis. This is no Detroit-bashing book but neither book holds the city in very high regard and the latest one even highlights the Detroit Zoo with other references from the city. Mr. Florida’s wife is from here so he has some personal experience with the area.

My own succinct take on this city and the state in general are that despite problems it shares with many other cities, (face it, the book Megatrends predicted the consolidation and the ugly repercussions of the auto companies JUST as we are now seeing back in the late 80’s) it has not had a forward looking administration in the forty plus years I’ve lived here. But for that reason and many others, people of means (especially younger people) may be raised here and even educated here but as soon as the opportunity avails itself, leave here. That trend is not one that anyone in the know is contesting…

In no way am I a shill for Mr. Florida but his views rival my own in that there is little here that rivals a progressive city that attracts talented folk: no mass transit, no “green” mentality, safety is not guaranteed or even implied, little singles activity and attitudes toward groups, whether sexually or ethnically oriented that seem out of sync with progressive areas. These are perceptions and not necessarily realities I am speaking in so please do not slam me too hard. Many of us know better yet these perceptions remain in place…

I commend the many, many people on these threads who are striving to improve the city through generous and self-sacrificing efforts and I continue to count myself among them. Yet as one of the innumerable people displaced and reluctantly re-careering in the midst of their “supposed” peak earning years, I can no longer keep living in a pure survival mode when other areas of the country and world offer opportunities that are not and likely will not be made available here again. The luxury of waiting it out and hoping this region rebounds economically is no longer an option I consider viable. All levels of industry are affected by the globalization that the auto companies signed up for back in the 90’s…

Believe me, I root for the city and share in the joys, triumphs and on-going farcical activities that are its local government but as for my own personal goals, I find that they will likely be fulfilled in another, more progressive region of the country.

Cm

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