The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
General Category => Totally Off-Topic Discussions, Rants, Tire & Oil Threads, Etc. => Topic started by: Bob_Roller on April 25, 2009, 07:06:02 PM
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Don't know if you have been following the outbreak of a swine flu virus in Mexico, and now confirmed to be in the US.
In my daily work routine at Southwest Airlines with talking to other employees in our main office in Dallas, Texas,, I learned of the official government response, to possibility shutting down the commercial aviation industry in the US, in the not to distant future, if this virus 'explodes' in the general population, as it's feared to do.
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Rotten swine...
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Well, maybe if they end up closing the border crossings in/out of Mexico for a couple weeks due to the flu we'll see if there is also any beneficial reduction in drug traffic and reduction in drug cartel violence.
Just trying to find a silver lining..
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The time frame that is being 'tossed' about for shutting down the aviation industry, is a lot longer than a few weeks, rumor is 6 months.
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Interesting. Mike, unfortunately most of the shady stuff happens away from "legal" border crossings...
I remember the last swine flu scare when I was in the Army during the mid 70s. Seems they made us take some sort of brand-new vaccine for it and then the vaccine killed a bunch of people.
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Airport passengers being watched, Soccer games canceled, crowd less concerts. This reads like a Twilight Zone episode.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/world/americas/26mexico.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
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Too little too late the cats out of the bag grab your tammy flu now
Lou
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The news just said there were three confirmed cases in Dallas... I had no idea this was going to be THAT big of a deal!
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The information that I received yesterday, was that the 'Crisis Control Board' at Southwest was called together today, the only time this has ever happened before, is with dealing with an aircraft 'incident', they have only been called two times before, when we had two incidents involving an aircraft over running the runway, and going through airport boundary fences .
So I knew that they had more 'inside' information on this situation, than was being released to the public, at the time.
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Oh sh#t!
No pay for six months...yikes! I guess that kills the summer riding season.
<sigh>
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I just don't see how an entire industry could be shut down for that length of time... Maybe restrictions as to where flights go to and come from...
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O damm.........I already bought our flight tickets for our planned visit to the US in August about a month ago. The flight schedule includes landings in Amsterdam and Detroit.
If Holland, Canada, or the US do shut down all passenger traffic from abroad, hopefully I will be able to get my money back........
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I'm with Justin. I don't see how the airline industry could possibly be shut down for any period of time much longer than a week. They did it after 9-11 for a week or so, but even then there were certain VIP flights in the air. Not to make light of a potentially serious situation, but it seems like the government always has to do the politically correct thing and over-react on the side of caution. They don't really know what they have so the rumour mill is going into overdrive.
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I'm listening to the news, right now, and it seems that health department folks are hanging out at the bus station and other bus stops as bus loads of people from Mexico are descending upon us trying to get away from "all the sick people"...
I read a snip on foxnews.com indicating that the CDC has admitted it's probably already too late to prevent wisespread outbreaks of the bug. After watching the news and seeing people swarming off buses I think they are most likely correct. The majority interviewed didn't seem to realize the seriousness of the issue they just wanted to "get the F*** out of Dodge" and as far away from the bug as possible.
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Well Oz has just made a new rule....on any flights from the 'Americas' (I assume this means North, Central an South), pilots have to ask passengers if they have any flu-like symptoms prior to landing.
Not quite sure what happens if someone says 'yes'.... - it's not as if they are going to be turned around and told to go home again.
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Aussie,
The aircraft and all of its passengers and crew, can be held in quarantine, as long as health officials deem necessary !!
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The "swine" map now includes New Zealand... :P
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The WHO (World Health Organization) just raised the flu threat to a phase 4 warning.
Localized human to human transmission of the virus.
Phase 5/6 pandemic event, widespread human infection.
I think I'm going to go camping in a remote desert area, until this is over !!!
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I think I'm going to go camping in a remote desert area, until this is over !!!
Bob, I spent four years working in Yemen and that's a fairly remote desert area. When I finished that duty I probably had every antibody known to man in my bloodstream, so you just can't get away from it. On the other hand, I haven't been sick a day since I returned. One of my sisters is a Nurse Practioner and she tells me her clinic is being deluged with calls, mostly from folks who are fearful. There isn't much one can do other than use common sense hygiene.
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Yes Justin - news just in from NZ - three members of a school trip just returned from Mexico have been confirmed as having it....
People interviewed on arriving in Aust state that some have the authorities come aboard the plane; some have been asked if they have any flu like symptoms to let cabin crew know; some say nothing has occurred; some have been quarantined....
I'd like to see our authorities get their act together.
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Aussie, I hear ya. It boggles my mind (and irritates me to no end) when I see busloads of people arriving HERE in an attempt to get away from it when there is a high likelihood they are bringing it with them!!
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A few of you were wondering about the government shutting down commercial aviation, well I got a 30 second "Readers Digest ' version from a person with a little knowledge on the subject.
After the 9/11 'event', and the SARS outbreak in Asia 4-5 years ago, apparently the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation / Federal Aviation Administration, devised a plan to orderly shutdown the commercial aviation system in the US.
This is how it's supposed to work at Southwest, when the order is given by the government, all airborne aircraft will be allowed to continue on to their destination.
Upon arrival all passengers will deplane the aircraft, regardless if it is their final destination ( what happens to the passengers after that I don't know).
All 'overnighting' flight crew members will be called, and told to report to the airport immediately, the aircraft will fly to the closest city which has a flight crew / aircraft maintenance station ( Southwest has 8 throughout the country).
Flight crews will then board aircraft back to their 'home domicile' base .
Depending on availability of flight crews, 120 aircraft will be flown to each of our 4 largest heavy maintenance bases in Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Phoenix, and the remainder of the aircraft left at other cities with flight crew bases and 'line maintenance' stations, Baltimore, Las Vegas, Oakland and Orlando.
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Bob, it's interesting to see what the procedure would be. My point is, though, I don't see how they could/would shut down domestic aviation for 6 months. I remember the short time period after 9/11 as the building I was working in at the time was a couple of miles from DFW and right on the glide-path for a S-N landing. Standing outside was pretty freaky after a couple of hours as it was dead silent and not a plane in the sky...
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I suspect there is a similar plan here in Atlanta for Airtran.
Keeping my fingers crossed and sending prayers to God that this does not happen! :-?
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I guess there are other plans as well , to shutdown the interstate highway system, in the event of some national emergency.
I know of one for the Phoenix metro area.
About 52 miles west of me is the Palo Verde nuclear power plant, largest nuclear power plant in the world.
In the event of a radioactive release, all four interstate highways in the state would be shut down to inbound traffic.
Pretty easy to isolate Arizona, with the Colorado River on the west, and rugged mountainous area in the east, with very few roads crossing the border into New Mecico and Utah.
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Too bad the southern border is like a piece of "chicken-wire"... :P
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I've been to the US/Mexico border in the remote regions of Arizona, it's a joke, most of it is a broken down barbed wire fence, that couldn't keep cattle out.
Every once in a while you'll see a sign facing Mexico, it states that 'illegal entry into the United States is a punishable crime' .
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..and with Arlin Spector "officially" switching parties, all the pieces are in place for the Obama administration to take advantage of this "crisis".
After all as R. Emanuel and Hillary Clinton have both said...."Never waste a good crisis"
I wonder what comes next?? :o
I suggest going out and riding! I have ridden this morning -- Have you? I was running an errand on my 1969 BSA Firebird. It, with its new carbs, electronic ignition, Reynolds final drive chain and Barnett clutch was running flawlessly this morning. It was converting fuel into noise at an extremely efficient rate while transporting me to my meeting.
I count my blessings every day I get to ride!!
:)
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This will be the perfect "crisis" to ram through socialized healthcare which includes coverage for illegals... I would really hate to have to look for a new place to live, I've got too much crap to move... >:(
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More people are killed by smoking than from swine flu.
More people are killed driving to and from airports than from aircraft accidents.
More people are and will be killed by using coal fired powerplants than from nuclear powerplants.
Nevertheless people keep smoking, driving and using coal based power without fear :question :question :question
greetings from a sunny, not foggy nor damp, north with very good driving conditions
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Touche Trolle! What you say is true.
BTW - But I have noticed that the news out of Mexico no longer is counting the dead excepting the small child that died yesterday/this morning in Texas. I had to dig a bit but found this article with a new piece of paranoia built in on the end...
http://www.haber27.com/news_detail.php?id=29365
Where is this from?
Somebody else is doing some back pedalling this morning...
http://www.smh.com.au/world/only-7-swine-flu-deaths-not-152-says-who-20090429-aml1.html
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Yeah, that's a bit of a stretch...
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There's no cure for swine flu, but if you rub some oinkment ........
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People spend far too much time worring about stuff they have no control over and run round like headless chickens at the drop of a hat .A prime example was airforce one in New York ....there was a bit of a clue it was being followed by a F18 anything untoward would have been blown away before it got there.
Lou
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Two cases of suspected Swine flew has today been reported in South Africa - both individuals recently visited Mexico as well.
I just wondered whether the usual travel medical insurance for visitors to other counties will cover claims during major outbreaks like this?
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The WHO just raised the flu alert level to phase 5 global pandemic is imminent !!!
Run for the hills !!!!
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Quoting a wise, old sage...
The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
- Chicken Little
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I'm wondering, if this had happened 15 years ago, would it even have been a newsworthy story !!!
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People spend far too much time worring about stuff they have no control over and run round like headless chickens at the drop of a hat .A prime example was airforce one in New York ....there was a bit of a clue it was being followed by a F18 anything untoward would have been blown away before it got there.
Lou
C'mon, everyone knows that the AF-1 replica that recently flew over NYC was actually spraying the populous with the flu virus and the F18 was flying protection for it. Wheres my tinfoil hat? ;D
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Well - I live in San Carlos, Sonora (near Guaymas) (4 hrs south of border) and have for the past 9 years. My sister asked if I was worried about the flu - told her I was afraid of going outside because of the bullets flying around.
Man - the media in the USA is killing (no pun intended) us.
Life goes on here as normal although I did see one mask today. However, out movie night is cancelled and the yacht club dinner Friday is cancelled.
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Our worst enemy is the media-induced fear that many are caught up in.
Fortunately, our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness, is that we forget stuff fairly quickly. So, in another few months we'll barely remember something about a barnyard disease, but we'll all continue to
do business as usual. Anyone remember something about pirates a while ago?
The news cycles are getting so predictably short now anything that doesn't fit nicely into a week-long build-up/conclusion plot line gets "trimmed" soon afterward.
Gotta go find my tin foil hat again, I think that I left it with all my stock market certificates from AIG...
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I still remember the last swine flu "scare" in the 70s. I remember being lined up outside the dispensary and being forced to receive a vaccination that might kill or paralyze you!
This is nothing more than a lazy news media latching onto a non-issue so they don't have to waste their time on gathering "real" news. Oh, Ft. Worth, TX, has closed all schools starting today and I don't think we even have any confirmed cases!!! This is absolutely absurd...
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With all of the "pork" that the Obamunists are bringing is it any wonder that we now have swine flu? Justin, I'm with you. I saw the FWISD school closings on the news this morning and have to say that's really an overreaction.
Did you see the story about the Eagle Scout that was lost in the mountains of Vermont or Maine and used hand sanitizer to start a fire to keep warm? Remind me to keep a bottle in my camping kit when this blows over.
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Cool use for the sanitizer! Cleburne closed schools yesterday because of a couple "suspected" cases. I believe they were also urging day-cares to close as well.
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That Eagle Scout was actually lost here in New Hampshire, about 70 miles due north of our house in the what is called the Presidential Range of mountains - as they all are named after presidents, of course.
The snow is gone from our yards and roads, but up in those mountains there is still many feet of snow still, which has been rapidly melting with the warmer than normal weather. Apparently he wasn't so much "lost" as just "cut off" from getting to where he needed to be by flash flooding of mountain streams. He was almost to the weather station at the top of Mt Washington (highest recorded wind speed on this planet) where there would be plenty of people to help him on the 3rd day.
To show that we've still got snow there, here are some pics from 6 days ago which some friends of mine took when they hiked up the same mtn for some day skiing in "the bowl" .a.k.a Tuckerman's Ravine on Mt Washington. It is somewhat risky and not for the out of shape. They do have avalanches there from time to time, also.
(https://bmwr65.org/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi159.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Ft138%2Fnhmaf%2Ftuckermans09001.jpg&hash=744bcabfab1d8bb24709c8f80cf6c7adeac9ce67)
(https://bmwr65.org/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi159.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Ft138%2Fnhmaf%2Ftuckermans09003.jpg&hash=df3b8444b92e964947ea0d623297561e6d7db9c8)
(https://bmwr65.org/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi159.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Ft138%2Fnhmaf%2Ftuckermans09004.jpg&hash=aa9f78df3c40937725a11444b69454aa78fbcbe0)
If you like extreme skiing, this is one of the "meccas" during the springtime
(https://bmwr65.org/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi159.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Ft138%2Fnhmaf%2Ftuckermans09007.jpg&hash=3586c09b9f6929f0c0e2be6a4156cefe41951013)
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Was he trying to out-run the swine flu?
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You can run but you can't hide, Justin. Great New Hampshire photos, but Lordy, that looks cold! He was a pretty cool head using the survival skills he had learned. It's almost 90F here today and with the rain we had this morning, pretty muggy too.
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I just got home from work, a rather "toasty" ride for midnight!
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Not sure what happened to my post - there it was - gone. I live in San Carlos, Sonora (9 years now). My sister was asking if I was worried about the swine flu. Told her I was too afraid to go outside because of the bullets flying around . . . . . . Thank you US media.
Life goes on here as normal. Yes - trouble with the gangs at the border and yes - some flu. But - there are how many thousand "normal" flu deaths in the US every year? The press just likes to beat up on Mexico (and our business)
T
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The media is scaring everybody to death here as well. Schools closed, high-school athletics canceled, etc. I sometimes think the news media should be exiled...
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The media will slow down on the reporting as soon as people start changing channels and ad revenue slips. Whatever happened to the great cynical media that used to ask pertinent questions and kept public figures feet to the fire.
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The WHO...
What's a flippin' singing group doing getting everyone wound up about?
Shoot! I thought this whole deal was Wine Flu. I just bought a half dozen cases to be on the safe side... for the weekend. [smiley=beer.gif]
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Unfortunately this Swine Flu outbreak has already proved the possible negative financial implications for travellers.
A local newspaper yesterday reported an incident where two South African businessmen have just visited the US. One of them has been put under quarantine for three days in Atlanta, due to suspected flu simtoms - which has been proved as negative after three days.
The unforseen changing of their flight schedule, as well as unplanned additional accomodation has cost them about ZAR 17 000.00 (USD 1980.00)
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My wife and I have a week's vacation next week. Today (Saturday) Denton (TX) ISD mass-telephoned all faculty and staff. We are shut down due to... I dunno. No pig flu in town but we'll just follow the lead of... well, I dunno who.
I think I'll play with the R65s. It'll be indoors if this rain keeps up.
Monte
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Wine flu! That's classic.
If the definition of mexico is south of the border looks like I'll be drinking some yarra valley in the next week to cope.
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Looks like the WHO is going to issue a level 6 'pandemic statement' later today.
The statement was made that the southern hemisphere is entering it's traditional flu season, and this new H1N1 virus, may do some unpredictable things during the flu season there.
It's been my general understanding, that viruses and the like are killed with alcohol, I think I'll stay 'properly medicated', until this is over. ;D
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The WHO...
What's a flippin' singing group doing getting everyone wound up about?
Shoot! I thought this whole deal was Wine Flu. I just bought a half dozen cases to be on the safe side... for the weekend. [smiley=beer.gif]
I tried ringing the NHS help line and all i got was crackling!!
Lou
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I see that someone has beaten me to the oinkment for the flu, I had made a concoction, but a bird flu away with it.
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Tuckermans !! nhmaf That brings back some memories. 50 degree slope and lovely chutes on the LH side. All done years ago. Way cool. Unbelivebale stuff being done by the college kids. The craziest one was the red sled from about half way up. Going veryfast until the wind got underneath the sled and he got airborne. He was slow getting up but got a standing ovation from the drunks at the bottom!
Thanks for the memories....
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Ok looks like panic over.... the news media in the Uk have a new story to take our minds off the flu its called "Expensive Feever" aparently only MP,s get it.. god help the inland revenue if we all catch it.
Lou
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A Phase 6 alert has been declared, the H1N1 virus is now a global pandemic problem .
RUN FOR THE HILLS !!!!!
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Don't get my hopes up.
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Somebody has apparently forgotten to inform the dominate news media...
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Somebody has apparently forgotten to inform the dominate news media...
:-?
Yahoo told me:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090612/ts_nm/us_flu_18
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The number of cases in the UK has just pasted 1500 with the sad news of the death of a Scottish woman 38 years old who died shortly after giving birth tragically her child died shorty afterwards......this is truly getting serious
Lou
rip
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Being the laid back type of people we are ... Australia's just given up.... When it first arrived, whole schools were sent home for 7 days if a student was infected. Then it was just the Year level. Then just the class. Now it's just the kid. Guess the various Govts found out that it was too expensive to send teachers home as well.... A sad state of affairs.
And Yes, we have had deaths as well.
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Unfortunately, our deaths from swine flu are now coming out of the HOSPITALS. That's why I stay away from those infectious places!
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I called the hot line and all I got was crackling...............
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Actually , it is bizarre but in a certain town in Java, they killed all the pigs ( 4 legged)
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RUN FOR THE HILLS...Go Dual Sporting!!!! 8-)
The Bridgestone Trailwing TW_302 4.60-18 should fit on the rear and the 4.10-18 should fit on the front. No excuses!!!
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?????? Is this to get away from the swine?
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Yesh! :D