126 Comments

I'm melanin rich, but pheomelanin deficient.

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PSA! Smokehouse is now open. I repeat. Smokehouse is now open. Not sure if it's a new owners or what. Last time I drove by it was boarded up so I was shocked when I saw it open today

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This man won the internet today

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJZXf2tHwgu/

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Fuck Doris man.

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I'm pretty good with a Scottish accent, but I never would have understood that without the subtitles.

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A video on how skin looks via a UV camera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9BqrSAHbTc

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Vermont 2190 square foot house built in 1878 is a 4 bed + 2 bath, if you don't count the 6+6 downstairs. Only $149,000.

https://www.lisahamptonrealestate.com/listing/4836702/43-courthouse-drive-guildhall-vt-05906/

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I am continually amazed at the comically low priced real estate across most of the country...

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Sure the jail could use a bit of a makeover, but overall, nice house. But what was up with that cockeyed window in the 1st bedroom?

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It's got that Forrest-Gump-whilst-fishing lean to it

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As I first looked at this, I thought that the water damage in the downstairs ceilings and the extension cords everywhere were a bit of a red flag... and then I got to the jail. 😬

I've been through the nearest "big town" - Lancaster NH - and it could reasonably be described as modestly sized.

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Well I guess I am moving to Vermont.

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Good luck with those winters....makes Mt. Laguna in Dec. look like the Bahamas

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We got some decent snow with this last storm.

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The chap in the lead picture appears to be quite content with his autumn-esq circumstances. Fits in really well aesthetically.

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He has a good apron/necktie

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Sixteen months ago, the girlfriend of the Nashville terrorist warned the police (during a visit to the house) that he was building a bomb in the RV. They look at the RV through a fence, but did nothing else.

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2020/12/29/nashville-explosion-woman-warned-mnpd-warner-building-bomb-2019/4082253001/

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Eh, can't blame them for missing this based on the information they had.

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sure I can

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The most shocking part of this news to me is how that guy had a girlfriend. I also thought the 5G conspiracy was newer than 16 months ago.

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It was a plan in search of a motive

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plenty of ladies with low standards out there

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(there would have to be)

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Yemen's unofficial response to Saudi Arabia as they try to install a puppet government

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/blast-gunfire-yemen-after-plane-carrying-new-government-lands-5-n1252526

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WW84

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I liked the first movie. This was a disappointment. I'm also kind of stunned that it actually betrays the whole ethos of the original, which was about feminine empowerment and all that good stuff. In this movie Wonder Woman spends a lot of time sitting around and letting stuff happen to her accidentally. The character has been stripped of a lot of agency.

Not sure what happened, since the original director is back on board and would presumably have even more power over the script after the first movie was a hit. It's puzzling.

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It was possibly the worst thing to happen in 2020

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WHAT?!?!?!?!?

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Seriously, it was that bad. And I'm being facetious, but not much...

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Agreed. It was so bad. Wishing was the big bad guy?! You defeat the big bad guys by rescinding your wish?! People said that Marvel has a villain problem, the “villains” in WW84 were comical. That movie was terrible.

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it's a mess. I don't watch a lot of superhero films so I don't know if WW84 is closer to the norm than not, but I am not an exacting film watcher and was still surprised at how little they were worried about time and space and linearity.

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Really disappointing, because I've always really liked the WW theme and storylines, and most of the material, dating to the early comics and classic tv. Proves my point though that there is no storyline or character that can't be wasted by poor production/management.

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I really enjoyed the first Wonder Woman movie & have rewatched it. Not sure I'd bother rewatching this one except perhaps to marvel at the period-appropriate metro train

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Really: writing is the key element, acting, production and direction can't save a poorly written movie. Or anything, really.

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True; but poor acting, production, and direction can still destroy even the best written script.

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Uh, theoretically maybe, but can't think of a single brilliant movie script that was ruined this way. Maybe less than ideal casting... cheap production isn't really someing that "ruins" movies...

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Also, the reality in filmmaking is that the writing is frequently changed during film shoots, with the director and actors often having input into those changes. So it's not always easy to assign blame for poor writing.

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It isn’t close to the norm for Marvel. It is closer to the norm for DC movies but even so it was still really bad for a DC movie.

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Agreed. Marvel movies are fairly consistent about their world-building, even if they do involve crazy things like mystical stones and talking trees from space. The DC universe has been totally willy-nilly.

Which is actually pretty consistent with how the respective comic universes were created, if you think about it.

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Twitter says it sucks so of course I’m going to watch it

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I don’t tweet but it did suck. Which is too bad because I really liked the first WW.

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Elsewhere in college

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Duke's Mayo Bowl: Wisconsin beats Wake Forest 42-28 after WF chucks 4 INTs in the second half. Wisconsin QB Mertz then fumbles the trophy and it gets smashed. And if you're wondering, Duke's Mayo is one of the few products that has supplanted my life-long brands (Best Foods).

https://twitter.com/ZachHeilprin/status/1344398086844669952

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Wake had only had 3 turnovers all season before today's Wisky pick-fest.

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That's a rather impressive statistic, especially for a 4-4 team....

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The 24 members of Army's football team that got caught cheating on a math test will NOT be suspended and are eligible to play in the Liberty Bowl tomorrow.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/12/30/west-point-cheating-scandal-football-players-athletes-liberty-bowl/4085075001/

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'Murica and freedumz

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It was pretty close throughout the first half (although I only watched the first half). The Colorado defense mostly looked good. But when things went poorly, they'd go poorly over several plays in a series, especially when Texas was pushing tempo.

Colorado's offense looked turrible. Noyer looked awful and I don't know why they didn't play Lewis more.

Also, way too many people in the stands with masks below their chins (including Ehlinger's mom right after they had a segment featuring her).

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I was not impressed w/the Buffs watching Utah hammer Colorado at Folsom Field on Thanxgiving....this looked like a route. Sucks because I still wish Texas ill....

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For those who didn't see much of Colorado, or wondered why all the accolades Buffs LB Nate Landman has received (or questioned whether he is really one of the best in the country, never mind the Pac), all you need to do is look at the numbers and results the Buffs had through the first half against Utah (Landman's season ending ankle injury happened right before the end of the 2nd qtr.), and contrast with the second half in Boulder against the Utes, and last night in San Antonio. I saw a stat line that opponents' offensive productivity about tripled after he went out.

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True - that injury was large. So much for next guy up...that D fell apart.

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Could you imagine what our defense would look like if Weaver got injured last season? Probably would have seen a similar drop off.

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Noyer was awful and Texas really beat Colorado down in the 2nd half. First half wasnt that close either with a mini Buff surge after Lewis came in keeping things respectable. Texas was missing most of their best players on D due to NFL opt outs and Ehlinger got hurt so only played a half...

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WITH BACKUP QBS.

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Lewis was pretty good both running and with a few deep balls. I imagine he will be a fixture in Boulder for the next several seasons.

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Cheez-Its Bowl: Oklahoma State holds off Miami 37-34 after taking a 21-0 first-quarter lead. D'Eric King hurts his knee. And the stat of the night is that Miami is now 1-10 in bowl games, starting with the Longshore/Best/Follett led Cal Bears beating them in the Emerald Bowl in 2008.

https://www.si.com/college/2020/12/30/miami-oklahoma-state-cheez-it-bowl

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Even counting that Emerald Bowl win, Cal is merely 3-3 in bowl games in that same period. I would take more bowl berths over mediocre bowl wins.

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Good point.

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Soul

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Ho-hum, another great Pixar movie.

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I'm glad that they didn't stick with the original ending idea. https://decider.com/2020/12/30/pixar-soul-original-ending/

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Today in Covid

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My aunt, uncle and their two kids that live at home got Covid. They are all trumpers so the only surprising thing is they didn’t get it sooner.

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Covid killed Mary Ann! Fuck you Covid and 2020!

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Trump's Operation Warp Speed is such a success that the US will be vaccinated within [checks notes] a decade

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/current-rate-it-ll-be-10-years-americans-adequately-vaccinated-n1252486

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this is just inexcusable. VA or DHA (Defense Health Agency) have entire offices filled with people who know how to manage the large scale acquisition and distribution of pharmaceuticals. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that elements of HHS or DHS could do the same. The federal government is completely capable of this, the administration is choosing not to do it. It's depraved.

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I expect that after Jan, the distribution and vaccination rates will get better.

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Anti-maskers storm LA grocery store. I mean, why not when ICUs are full and funeral homes are getting refrigerated containers because they've run out of space.

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/maskless-protesters-gather-outside-erewhon-market-in-fairfax/

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I would have beat them down.

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jfc. we are all gonna die.

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And now the funeral homes are turning people away because even the fridge trucks are full. It's grim down there. Stay safe, Cruzin.

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Hunkering down indefinitely

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Me too. Even stopped riding my bike through LA

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Unintended consequences of Covid: Aggressive squirrels

https://patch.com/new-york/foresthills/vicious-squirrel-attacks-rattle-rego-park-residents

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you missed the "Super gonorrhea" article

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I prefer to call it Thunderclap

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[Warning] Pictures with blood in link.

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US Rep-elect Luke Letlow (R-LA) has died of Covid-19. He didn't wear masks and was a reopen-the-economy guy. He was 41 and leaves behind a wife and two young children.

https://twitter.com/LukeLetlow/status/1314247318372257792?s=19

https://apnews.com/article/health-monroe-louisiana-coronavirus-pandemic-shreveport-c76bcda2e5abd46a500763ed5a7e3440

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False logic. Florida is mostly a wide open state, yet their current death and hospitalization rates are much lower than California, where we're one month into a second lockdown. What about the sharp increase in suicides in California? What about undetected cancers and heart disease? It's important to "follow the science," but there's more than just Covid science to consider. BTW, I'm not a denier -- I wear a mask and take sensible precautions; it's just that in my Cal education, I learned to look at all sides of an issue.

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oops

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It should have been trump, McConnell, Cruz!!

He should have waited until he had that good congressional healthcare and Covid treatment before getting the disease.

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Hey what did I do!?!

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zero sympathy

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You reap what you sow.

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Orange

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you glad I didn't say banana again.

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My wife is now allergic to orange things.

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Orange is the New Black? You think the the wheels came off the wagon quickly for the 5-0 Pat Barners/Mariucci team???...try what happened to that show....

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Syracuse and Illinois weep

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"Orange is the colour of sunsets, budget airlines, traffic cones and protestants, but it can also be toxic…!" https://vimeo.com/245976353 By the way, I have found myself watching a number of full length art documentaries by James Fox this past year, the same guy who narrated this short video.

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OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY

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US Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) announces he will object to the count/certification of Electoral College votes. While it is symbolic and won't change the outcome, it may have the unintended consequences of having GOP Senators go on record of supporting sedition.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/30/politics/josh-hawley-force-votes-electoral-college-results/index.html

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Recent NPR/Ipsos poll shows that America has an alarming number of idiots

https://www.npr.org/2020/12/30/951095644/even-if-its-bonkers-poll-finds-many-believe-qanon-and-other-conspiracy-theories

Only 47% thought this was false: "A group of Satan-worshipping elites who run a child sex ring are trying to control our politics and media" (17% said true, 37% said not sure)

Only 51% think there is no evidence that vaccines cause autism (12% say false, 37% say not sure)

Only 72% think we landed on the moon (8% say false, 20% say not sure)

71% of Republicans think the DeEp StAtE is working to undermine Trump

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They report this like it is news. 'Merica is full of intentional idiots.

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Nitpicking but what really jumps out at me is rather how the right end of the main plot in that article is not aligned. It's obvious that they rounded up the various percentage and then plotted those numbers so some of the rows that add up to 101 came out longer.

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My main take-away from Covid is that my previous estimate for the number of dumb and crazy people out there was exponentially off. I was naive.

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Toxic individualism is destroying this country.

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Well, the Republicans are.

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not all anti-vaxxers and Queueueueueueu types are republicans though

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True, most anti-vaxxers would describe themselves and fall into the liberal/progressive libertarian category.

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This is true, but they're not trying to subvert the will of the people.

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This year was a valuable learning experience for recalibrating my assessment of the level of stubborn individualism, selfishness, and ignorance in the American populace.

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Top 2 album for me, along with REM Life's Rich Pageant.

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PRO

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Warriors fail to tank, beat Pistons 116-106

https://twitter.com/warriors/status/1344107046824599553

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Hoping for them to have 2 top 10 picks in '21 draft.....beating 0-3 teams on the road in game 4 of a season-opening road trip is not helping.

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CAL

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About which incoming Cal football freshman are you the most excited?

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In this order: Wilkins, Millner, Sturdivant, Hisatake, Oladejo, Terry, Anderson, Barth, Calhoun, Williams, Higgins, Swinney, Lange, Jemtegaard, Iosefa, Hearns, Latu.

Wilkins is a monster. Millner has what it takes to succeed Garbers, but he regressed slightly in his senior year because Higley didn't have a running threat.

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Sturdivant and Wilkins with maybe a dose of some Higgins

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Terry the TE

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hmmm, I actually am a bit skeptical on him. Monster body who obliterated HS because of his measurables but soo soo raw. I wonder if he'll blow up into a dlineman, he is big (and getting bigger apparently)

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I’m more looking at the position, as our solid-but-unspectacular TE’s make relatively few plays & Musgraves version of the O could use a weapon at the position. And dunno, Fire, Terry being a beast in HS doesn’t sound like the worst thing...it IS the P12, not the SEC;-)

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Go Bears!!!

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Not quite a "Go Bears!", but I wore a Cal cap and the guy working the checkout at the local liquor store asked whether I went to Cal. He went to UW and said that he always had an affinity to Cal due to playing us in the Pac-10. This is the South, so "affinity" could very well mean "burning white-hot hatred."

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Kinda like how Nathan Bedford Forrest had an affinity for the North....

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