Gender: Female
Status: Divorced
Age: 22
Sign: Leo
City: Brisbane
State: QLD
Country: AU
Signup Date:
10/05/06
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Saturday, March 17, 2007
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Vegan, Cruelty Free Chocolate Fudge Recipe
Okay so I'm pretty much worshipping the alter of Jennifer Mc Cann and her ridiculously fabulous Vegan Recipes. Thought Id treat you all to one more, her recipe for Vegan Fudge. Seriously, I urge everybody to give these recipes ago, whether you are a vegetarian, vegan or just a plain ol carnivore. Youll be able to see how easy it is to find alternatives to cruelty-free (animal products) and how great they taste.
With Thanks to www.Veganlunchbox.com.au, Excerpt of recipe taken from www.Veganlunchbox.com.au
Vegan Fudge
this fudge is creamy, rich, smooth and sweet. Basically, it's everything you ever dreamed chocolate fudge could be. And no one will believe that there's no dairy, butter, or evaporated milk in here.
It can be a bit soft, though, especially if you add the optional marshmallow fluff, so keep it well refrigerated.
makes one 9-inch x 9-inch pan
4 cups powdered sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
½ cup nondairy milk
2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated margarine
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
½ cup vegan chocolate chips
1 cup cut up vegan marshmallows or ½ cup Ricemellow Creme (optional but sooo good)
½ cup chopped nuts
Spray a 9-inch x 9-inch baking pan well with nonstick spray and set aside. (For holiday gift giving I used seven well-sprayed foil baking cups.)
Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together into a large mixing bowl, add the chocolate chips, and set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat the nondairy milk and margarine to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning. When the milk is at a steady, strong boil, pour it over the powdered sugar mixture and stir well with a wooden spoon until everything is well combined and the heat has melted the chocolate chips.
Stir in the vanilla, then fold in the marshmallows or Ricemellow Creme and the nuts.
Spread the fudge out into the prepared pan(s) and refrigerate for a day or more to solidify.
Variations: One inspired cook used soy nog for the nondairy milk with great results.
8:45 PM
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Vegan, Cruelty-Free Cupcake Recipe
I know finding cruelty-free (Animal free) products is a bit daunting to begin with, but check out www.Veganlunchbox.com, a truly fantastic site which promotes the cook book, "Vegan lunch box". Featured on the site is a whole host of great recipes with everything from Tofu Fishsticks to Vegan cupcakes and fudge. The vegan lunch box site is all about destroying the stigma that vegan cooking needs to be bland, boring and tasteless. If you like the recipes you can purchase the complete book also on the site.
The author, Jennifer Mc Cann also has her own blog at: http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/
With Thanks from www.Veganlunchbox.com for the following recipe for
Vegan Cupcakes
These are perfection: fantastic, light, fluffy cupcakes. They are just right for birthdays, classroom parties, or other special occasions. You can even add some sprinkles to the batter for a colorful confetti cupcake.
makes 22 cupcakes
1 TB apple cider vinegar
1 ½ scant cups plain soymilk
2 1/8 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 1/8 cups sugar
½ cup oil
1 ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. coconut extract
Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray 22 muffin cups with nonstick spray or line with paper cupcake liners (I like to spray the inside of the muffin papers with nonstick spray to help the cupcakes release). Set aside.
Place the apple cider vinegar in the bottom of a liquid measuring cup and fill the cup with soymilk to equal 1 ½ cups. Stir well and set aside (the mixture will curdle).
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another mixing bowl whisk together the soymilk mixture, canola oil, vanilla, and coconut extract. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth using a hand-held mixer, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Fill each muffin cup with ¼ cup of batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.
Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes from the pan and place on a wire rack. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
8:36 PM
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Monday, February 12, 2007
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Kudos To Pamela Anderson
I may still be in Greece at the moment, but thought I just had to mention my enormous respect for Pamela Anderson who recently started a vandetta against the US Postmaster General against the possibility of releasing a postage stamp of KFC's, Colonel Sanders. Anderson quite rightly makes the point that someone who has made a multi-million dollar company by completely disregarding animal welfare, with the animals used in KFC production being killed through having a number of bones broken before being immersed in scalding hot water (Often regarded as the, "De-feathering tanks) - does not deserve to have their legacy perserved with the honor of being on a postage stamp.
7:01 AM
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Thursday, December 21, 2006
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Blood on the hands of Ebay China
As a self confessed Ebay addict, I was completely disgusted to find that Ebay China*, part of the world's largest online marketplace, is allowing the sale of live animals including cats, dogs and items lined with dog fur (Prohibited in the US, AUS), these animals once sold will become mere items to be inhumanely produced and distributed in the diabolical fur trade.
Pictures posted of the animals for sale depict the horrific conditions they are expected to survive in: cramped conditions, little or no sustenance, wire bottomed cages and animals being chained on the street in extreme weather conditions. These practices are outlawed in a number of countries (including the US and Australia) as they completely disregard the welfare of animals yet Ebay Officials are still permitting such auctions to be advertised on Ebay.
For nearly half a decade, international animal rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has attempted communications with Ebay urging them to prohibit the auction of live animals in China. Many people may not be aware that whilst an abundance of countries in the global community hold host to to animal rights/welfare legislation, China holds no such legislation and graphic footage has being released showing these live animals sold on ebay being concsiously skinned alive or hacked apart piece by piece. China has held a notoriously chequered past with regard to animal rights.
It was only this year that an unfavourable spotlight was placed upon China where it was shown that dogs in certain areas of the country were massacred on sight, with the death count of these lives estimated at close to 50,000. Although Ebay has it roots in the U.S.A, which condemns the production of cat and dog fur and the horrific conditions imposed on these animals involved in the live auctions, they are still yet to take steps to ban such sales.
If you remain a skeptic to the suffering these animals face as a part of the fur trade, I encourage you to watch one of the "Fur Trade" videos on my page, there you will see how these animals in full consciousness are massacred so that a small number of grotesque, morally-disabled people can wear the remnants of these murdered animals in the name of fashion. What is irrelevant is the disparity in brain mass between humans and animals as a justification for such treatment, the focus should instead be upon the question whether these animals are able to suffer and feel the full effects of the pain inflicted upon them.
If you would like to support Peta's campaign to stop Ebay China from allowing the auction of live animals then please go to the following link and you will be able to take action and send Ebay officals a letter outlining why this practice should be banned (The basic letter is set up and individuals are free to add whatever they wish to the email)
Head to the Peta link if you are interested in finding more about this issue or any other animal rights issues: http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/ebay_cats_dogs_china
10:30 PM
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Wednesday, November 29, 2006
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Anas Two Cents on Animal Rights
Whilst most people I know can acknowledge the fact that animal rights issues such as experimentation/testing and fur factory are issues worthy of concern - the majority of the people I know are under the belief that other animal rights issues such as meat production and in particular the use of cows to obtain dairy are completely humane practices.
The main threads of ideas I hear go along the lines of : people need meet to survive, cows have to give milk out anyway etc. The truth is people are so quick to say that they need meat, dairy, eggs and etc to survive, yet they are yet to actually try exchanging these, "Cruelty" items for proper vegan alternatives. These days it is easy to find meat, dairy, cheese and even egg alternatives which you can consume knowing that a living being hasnt had to suffer or be tortured for the products you are consuming.
Onto the second common thread, "But Cows have to give milk", well there is no doubt there it is possible for milk to be taken from a cow in humane means, however the last few decades have witnessed large corporations aiming to cash in on the, "Capitalist" venture, which has seen millions of animals forced into living quarters that are completely inadequate for their needs. Most of these animals will never have enough room to be able turn around, and by the time their journey ends, they will barely be able to limp to the slaughter house.
I get alot of messages from people who have watched the videos on my site expressing the shock, distress and horror they felt when realising how animals are really treated in our production industries. I think this is the main reason why there aren't more vegeterians/vegans in the world is because the real truth at what goes on behind the closed doors of the slaughter houses/Fur factories/Battery houses remains just that...Closed. And so for the majority of the population remains oblivious to what the big fuss is, and why are all of these crazy animal activists so fired up?
Its easy to continue purchasing and consuming animal products if you remain oblivious about their true nature. However animal rights groups such as WSPA and PETA (My favourite) are starting to fight back, they have gone undercover in these industries and come out with shocking evidence that these corporations dont want their consumers to see.
I know alot of vegeterians/Vegans like to judge and automatically attack animal consumers because they support such a cruel industry, however I dont think this ever solves anything. I am not here to tell you all to give up turkey on Xmas and invest in a Tofurkey and some chic peas, What I am here to say is that you have the opportunity here to find out the real truth about the food you are eating, about the milk and dairy products you are consuming.
People need to be educated, if after watching these videos, and I urge every single person who has ever consumed any animal product to watch just one of these videos, you owe it to the animals who gave their life for you, and if after watching these videos, after seeing how they are cruelly slaughtered, slowly mutiliated till their death, if you are okay with that truth, then I respect the fact that you have taken time out to watch these videos and even if you are continuing to eat meat, you know the truth about how it reaches you.
Or, if you are like so many who have emailed me in horror in reaction to watching these videos, because you can see the likeness in animals to humans in their ability to suffer just as we do, you'll think twice before you purchase an animal product, you may be one person and think your actions do not make a difference, but each year a vegeterian saves 66 animal lives just by avoiding animal products. Fur Factories and inhumane slaughter practices only continue because we support them, each person that takes a stand against these companies, ensures us to become one step closer to protecting animal rights. In conclusion, what I am really trying to say is, become informed about the decisons you make regarding the consumption of animal products and be proud of the choice you make.
If you are interested in converting to veganism/Vegeterianism head to www.Peta.com and they will be able to send you a free, "Getting Started Kit".
9:59 PM
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Sunday, October 08, 2006
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Reasons to be Vegan - www.Meatrix.com
www.Meatrix.com
Head to the Meatrix for a great eye opener that tales the journey from, "Farm yard" production to our modern, "Sustainable Farming for Max Profits". The words certainly might not have much of an impact here, but the Meatrix certainly paints a very different picture from the traditional, "Country Farm" for which we still imagine to be the humane and loving environment where animals are bred for production.
If your a brisbanite like myself, check out
http://www.tonglen.oceandrop.org/Protect_Animals.htm
This site provides an enormous number of links to all facets of the animal rights community. Be warned that there are a number of graphic images and videos. Know the truth about the Food your eating? Find out here: www.MeatisMurder.com
4:58 AM
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Friday, October 06, 2006
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Frequently Asked Animal Right's Questions
Current mood: Procrastinating through my homework....meh
Category: Procrastinating through my homework....meh Pets and Animals
Thanks to PETA, who provided a great list of FAQ regarding animal rights and welfare... I hope this provides some answers to questions for anyone who has ever wondered about the justification that motivates the endless and somewhat elusive struggle for animal rights.
People who support animal rights believe that animals are not ours to use for food, clothing, entertainment, experimentation, or any other purpose and that animals deserve consideration of their best interests regardless of whether they are cute, useful to humans, or endangered and regardless of whether any human cares about them at all (just as a mentally challenged human has rights even if he or she is not cute or useful and even if everyone dislikes him or her).
..What is the difference between ..animal rights.. and ..animal welfare..?..
Animal welfare theories accept that animals have interests but allow those interests to be traded away as long as the human benefits are thought to justify the sacrifice, while animal rights theories say that animals, like humans, have interests that cannot be sacrificed or traded away to benefit others. However, the animal rights movement does not hold that rights are absolute..an animal..s rights, just like those of humans, must be limited and can certainly conflict.
Supporters of the animal rights movement believe that animals are not ours to use for food, clothing, entertainment, or experimentation, while supporters of the animal welfare movement believe that animals can be used for those purposes as long as ..humane.. guidelines are followed.
..What rights should animals have?..
Animals should have the right to equal consideration of their interests. For instance, a dog most certainly has an interest in not having pain inflicted on him or her unnecessarily. We are, therefore, obliged to take that interest into consideration and to respect the dog..s right not to have pain unnecessarily inflicted upon him or her. However, animals don..t always have the same rights as humans because their interests are not always the same as ours, and some rights would be irrelevant to animals. For instance, a dog doesn..t have an interest in voting and, therefore, doesn..t have the right to vote because that right would be as meaningless to a dog as it is to a child.
..Where do you draw the line?..
The renowned humanitarian Albert Schweitzer, who accomplished so much for both humans and animals in his lifetime, would take time to stoop and move a worm from hot pavement to cool earth. Aware of the problems and responsibilities that an expanded ethic brings, he said, ..A man is really ethical only when he obeys the constraint laid on him to aid all life which he is able to help .. He does not ask how far this or that life deserves sympathy .. nor how far it is capable of feeling... We can..t stop all suffering, but that doesn..t mean that we shouldn..t stop any. In today..s world of virtually unlimited choices, there are plenty of kind, gentle ways for us to feed, clothe, entertain, and educate ourselves that do not involve killing animals.
..What about plants?..
There is currently no reason to believe that plants experience pain because they are devoid of central nervous systems, nerve endings, and brains. It is theorized that animals are able to feel pain so that they can use it for self-protection purposes. For example, if you touch something hot and feel pain, you will learn from the pain that you should not touch that item in the future. Since plants cannot move from place to place and do not need to learn to avoid certain things, this sensation would be superfluous. From a physiological standpoint, plants are completely different from mammals. Unlike animals.. body parts, many perennial plants, fruits, and vegetables can be harvested over and over again without dying.
If you are concerned about the impact of vegetable agriculture on the environment, you should know that a vegetarian diet is better for the environment than a meat-based one, since the vast majority of grains and legumes raised today are used as feed for cattle. Rather than eating animals, such as cows, who must consume 16 pounds of vegetation in order to convert them into 1 pound of flesh, you can save many more plants.. lives (and destroy less land) by eating vegetables directly.
..It..s fine for you to believe in animal rights, but why do you try to tell other people what to do?..
Everybody is entitled to his or her own opinion, but freedom of thought is not the same thing as freedom of action. You are free to believe whatever you want as long as you don..t hurt others. You may believe that animals should be killed, that black people should be enslaved, or that women should be beaten, but you don..t always have the right to put your beliefs into practice. The very nature of reform movements is to tell others what to do..don..t use humans as slaves, don..t sexually harass women, etc...and all movements initially encounter opposition from people who want to continue to take part in the criticized behavior.
..Animals don..t reason, don..t understand rights, and don..t always respect our rights, so why should we apply our ideas of morality to them?..
An animal..s inability to understand and adhere to our rules is as irrelevant as a child..s or as that of a person with a severe developmental disability. Animals are not always able to choose to change their behaviors, but adult human beings have the intelligence and ability to choose between behaviors that hurt others and behaviors that do not hurt others. When given the choice, it makes sense to choose compassion.
..Where does the animal rights movement stand on abortion?..
There are people on both sides of the abortion issue in the animal rights movement, just as there are people on both sides of animal rights issues in the pro-life movement. And just as the pro-life movement has no official position on animal rights, the animal rights movement has no official position on abortion.
..It..s almost impossible to avoid using all animal products; if you..re still causing animal suffering without realizing it, what's the point?..
It is impossible to live without causing some harm. We..ve all accidentally stepped on ants or breathed in gnats, but that doesn..t mean that we should intentionally cause unnecessary harm. You might accidentally hit someone with your car, but that is no reason to run someone over on purpose.
..What about all the customs, traditions, and jobs that depend on using animals?..
The invention of the automobile, the abolition of slavery, and the end of World War II also necessitated restructuring and job retraining. Making changes to customs, traditions, and jobs is part of social progress..not a reason to deter it.
..Don..t animal rights activists commit ..terrorist.. acts?..
The animal rights movement is nonviolent. One of the central beliefs shared by most animal rights activists is the belief that we should not harm any animal..human or otherwise. However, all large movements have factions that believe in the use of force.
..How can you justify the millions of dollars of property damage caused by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF)?..
Throughout history, some people have felt the need to break the law to fight injustice. The Underground Railroad and the French Resistance are examples of movements in which people broke the law in order to answer to a higher morality. The ALF, which is simply the name adopted by people who act illegally in behalf of animal rights, breaks inanimate objects such as stereotaxic devices and decapitators in order to save lives. ALF members burn empty buildings in which animals are tortured and killed. ALF ..raids.. have given us proof of horrific cruelty that would not have otherwise been discovered or believed and have resulted in criminal charges.. being filed against laboratories for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Often, ALF raids have been followed by widespread scientific condemnation of the practices occurring in the targeted labs, and some abusive laboratories have been permanently shut down as a result.
..How can you justify spending your time helping animals when there are so many people who need help?..
There are very serious problems in the world that deserve our attention, and cruelty to animals is one of them. We should try to alleviate suffering wherever we can. Helping animals is not any more or less important than helping human beings..they are both important. Animal suffering and human suffering are interconnected.
..Most animals used for food, fur, or experiments are bred for that purpose, so what's wrong with using them?..
Being bred for a certain purpose does not change an animal..s biological capacity to feel pain and fear.
..If using animals is unethical, why does the Bible say that we have dominion over animals?..
Dominion is not the same as tyranny. The Queen of England has ..dominion.. over her subjects, but that doesn..t mean that she can eat them, wear them, or experiment on them. If we have dominion over animals, surely it is to protect them, not to use them for our own ends. There is nothing in the Bible that would justify our modern-day practices, which desecrate the environment, destroy entire species of wildlife, and inflict torment and death on billions of animals every year. The Bible imparts a reverence for life, and a loving God could not help but be appalled by the way that animals are treated today.
..Wasn..t Hitler in favor of animal rights?..
Although the Nazis claimed to pass an anti-vivisection bill, they did not. In fact, they were required by law to perform experiments on animals before carrying them out on humans. Experiments on humans did not replace animal experiments; on the contrary, animal experiments made them possible. In The Dark Face of Science, John Vyvyan summed it up correctly, ..The experiments made on prisoners were many and diverse, but they had one thing in common: All were in continuation of, or complementary to experiments on animals. In every instance, this antecedent scientific literature is mentioned in the evidence; and at Buchenwald and Auschwitz concentration camps, human and animal experiments were carried out simultaneously as parts of a single programme...
However, even if this weren..t the case, the merits of an idea cannot be determined by the character of its proponents. If Hitler believed in evolution, would that mean that we should not believe in evolution? What if Gandhi also believed in evolution? How would we reconcile the two? An idea must be judged on its own merits.
For more information on this topic, we recommend the book Hitler: Neither Vegetarian nor Animal Lover by Rynn Berry, available here.
..Animals in cages on factory farms or in laboratories don..t suffer that much because they..ve never known anything else, right?..
Wrong! Animals on factory farms and in laboratories are prevented from acting on even the most basic instinctual behaviors, which causes tremendous suffering. Even animals who have been caged since birth feel the need to move around, groom themselves, stretch their limbs or wings, and exercise. Herd animals and flock animals become distressed when they are forced to live in isolation or when they are put in groups that are too large for them to be able to recognize other members. In addition, all confined animals suffer from intense boredom..some so severely that it can lead to self-mutilation or other self-destructive behavior.
..If animal exploitation were wrong, wouldn't it be illegal?..
Legality is no guarantee of morality. Who does and who doesn..t have legal rights is determined merely by the opinions of today..s legislators. The law changes as public opinion or political motivations change, but ethics are not as arbitrary. Child labor, human slavery, and the oppression of women were all legal in the U.S. at one time, but that does not mean that they were ever ethical.
..Have you ever been to a slaughterhouse or vivisection laboratory?..
No, but enough people have filmed and written about what goes on in these places to paint a very detailed picture. You do not need to experience the abuse of animals close up to be able to criticize it any more than you need to personally experience rape or child abuse to criticize those. No one will ever be witness to all the suffering in the world, but that doesn..t mean that we shouldn..t try to stop it.
Watch undercover video footage of animal laboratories in operation.
..Animals are not as intelligent or as advanced as humans, so why can't we use them?..
Possessing superior intelligence does not entitle one human to abuse another human, so why should it entitle humans to abuse nonhumans? There are animals who are unquestionably more intelligent, creative, aware, communicative, and able to use language than some humans, as is the case when a chimpanzee is compared to a human infant or a person with a severe developmental disability. Should the more intelligent animals have rights and the less intelligent humans be denied rights?
..What's wrong with factory farms or fur farms? Aren't animals worse off in the wild, where they die of starvation, disease, or predation? At least the animals on factory farms and fur farms are fed and protected...
A similar argument was used to support the claim that black people were better off as slaves on plantations than as free men and women. The same could also be said of people in prison, yet prison is considered to be one of society..s harshest punishments. Animals on factory farms suffer so much that it is inconceivable that they could be worse off in the wild. The wild isn..t ..wild.. to the animals who live there..it..s their home. There, they have their freedom and can engage in their natural activities. The fact that they might suffer in the wild is no reason to ensure that they suffer in captivity.
9:23 PM
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Thursday, October 05, 2006
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Meat Is Murder - The Truth about the food your eating
Category: Pets and Animals
Meat Is Murder
Okay, Okay, I know there is a pretty rigid stereotype that surrounds my kind of people (Vegans). That we are without a doubt left-wing orientated, live solely on a diet of Hemp and bevarages that should be consumed only after 5pm as well as supporting the latest hippy-potato-sack-tree-branch clothing attire. I happen to be none of these things. I am a 21 year old, who is currently studying a double degree of law and politics, I have lived a Vegan/Vegetarian "Cruelty-Free" lifestyle (As they say) For close to a decade. Now I know by now (if your still even reading my page that is), your probably all groaning, thinking why on should I give up meat/eggs/dairy etc to live on a tasteless diet of Tofu and bean curd.
Although I dont think it is necessary to eat meat or the like, what I want my page to emulate is NOT the idea that everyone should give up meat. What I instead want, is that people become informed and have knowledge about the history that surrounds the food that they eat. I think people should make decisons based on informed choices.
If then, after you know the history of your meat or etc, and still decide to continue your quest as a carnivore, then I completely respect that, because you know about the, "Real Deal", the somewhat more underground conveyor belt of torture which our meat is produced on and you haven't been fed the sugar coated fantasy that the production of animals for meat and their resources is huamne.
Considered one of the most eye-opening videos regarding animal rights is none other than: Meat Is Murder, I have linked its "Sister" Movie here, The actual main "Meat is Murder" can be found under videos on this page. I encourage everyone who has ever pondered the reality of animal production for human consumption to view the video and get a taste of the real-behind-the scenes action.
Just a warning: Its not sugar coated.
http://www.meatismurder.com
Check out my videos to see one of the most eyeopening animal rights videos ever created.
*I know there is alot of people who hold strong views opposing what I write here, I dont wish to offend anyone, I just want to portray a perspective that is quite often disregarded as a priority in society.
9:26 PM
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