Slavery was a ‘blessing in disguise’ – Really!!!

Something’s people say are insensitive and sometimes outrageous. Often times within these statements you will find truth! For example, a GOP State Representative from Arkansas has released a book that he is calling his own personal memoir, which means he is revealing his soul. Most of the Good Ol’ Boys routinely blow what we have come to know as the typical conservative dog whistles. No, No, No, not this guy –he screams his racism loud and clear.

I know this post may help his book sales but I thought it was more important to call-out this guy for the bigot that he is. Arkansas State Representative Jon Hubbard writes in this newly released memoir titled "Letters to the Editor: Confessions of a Frustrated Conservative" a host of complaints and grievances commonly spoken by conservatives. However, he exercises his freedom of speech to extremely take his work one step further.

As reported by Michael Cook's post on talkbusiness.net:
 

Hubbard argues that slavery was actually a "blessing in disguise" and that African-Americans have benefited from it in the long run. From reading Hubbard’s writings, it is clear he believes that African-Americans are lazy, ignorant, lack discipline and that they should be thankful they were once enslaved. Let’s start looking at the extreme words Hubbard put to paper:

First, Hubbard believes that slavery was, in the end, a good thing for African-Americans:
“… the institution of slavery that the black race has long believed to be an abomination upon its people may actually have been a blessing in disguise. The blacks who could endure those conditions and circumstances would someday be rewarded with citizenship in the greatest nation ever established upon the face of the Earth.” (Pages 183-89)

Here is what Hubbard is really saying: Hey black folks, yeah, I know, we kept you in chains for hundreds of years, beat you, raped your women, lynched innocent teenagers, destroyed your families, but isn’t that really a good thing?

Hubbard believes integrating schools is harmful to white students because, in his opinion, blacks are lazy, have no discipline and are causing a decline in education:
“… one of the stated purposes of school integration was to bring black students up to a level close to that of white students. But, to the great disappointment of everyone, the results of this theory worked exactly in reverse of its intended purpose, and instead of black students rising to the educational levels previously attained by white students, the white students dropped to the level of black students. To make matters worse the lack of discipline and ambition of black students soon became shared by their white classmates, and our educational system has been in a steady decline ever since.”  (Page 27)

Hubbard believes blacks are too ignorant to know the value of a good education:
“Wouldn’t life for blacks in America today be more enjoyable and successful if they would only learn to appreciate the value of a good education?”  (Page 184)

Hubbard believes black folks were lucky they were once enslaved because living in Africa is bad:

African Americans must “understand that even while in the throes of slavery, their lives as Americans are likely much better than they ever would have enjoyed living in sub-Saharan Africa.”

“Knowing what we know today about life on the African continent, would an existence spent in slavery have been any crueler than a life spent in sub-Saharan Africa?” (Pages 93 and 189)

Here is where Hubbard basically says black folks are lazy and don’t do anything worthwhile:
“… will it ever become possible for black people in the United States of America to firmly establish themselves as inclusive and contributing members of society within this country?”  (Page 187)

Although I should not have been surprised because this is what’s considered mainstream for the Republican base and maybe the new “Citizens Counsel” we know as the Tea Party. In this political environment, which is not all that much different under the surface than it was in the days and times where the conservatives want to take America back too. You know the mantra, “we want to take back our country”!

I did a little research and have not found a single word from any so called conservative who has condemn this intolerance and ignorant attitude. While the mainstream Republicans party might not be as clear as Hubbard, the underlining core of their bigotry shines through. Silence  speak volumes!

Let me just add that the faith of this year’s presidential candidate did not allow Black people to participate or become members until 1968. And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective…

 “Just a Season”

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Does History Repeats Itself?

This is a powerful video that you must see!!! It explains how history repeats itself and what happens when power corrupts, and in the case of the last administration, was corrupt absolutely.

 In a stunning indictment of sweeping policy changes during the Bush years, best-selling author Naomi Wolf (The Beauty Myth) makes a chilling case that American democracy is under threat. We must vote and not go back to the past.

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http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/the_end_of_america

A Necessary Voice

We all know, and I for one appreciate, the flamboyant activist of the National Action Network; the Reverend, Brother, Pastor Al Sharpton who has been on the front lines fighting for equality and justice within our communities for a long time. For what I think is an outstanding commitment, I want to say thank you to the Good Reverend for his dedication and socially conscience efforts to seek justice for the voices that would otherwise go unheard.

I read a column today written by one Dana Milbank where he said, “The Rev. Al Sharpton is lord of all he surveys.” I found that comment very interesting because that does not appear, to me, to be the Rev’s persona! Now, some may call him a leader or our leader – I beg to differ. I call him an advocate for right who is very necessary in this climate where racism still exist and bigotry has raised its ugly head in ways not seen in generations.

With regard to the article; I continued to read it while I enjoyed my first cup of coffee wondering if this writer or many people, particularly African American, understood the context of a term used in the piece – “power player”. I could have appreciated what may have been intended as a compliment, if he had said it in a different way or from a different perspective – like “speaks to power”. This would imply that the Rev challenges the wrongs of society.

For example, the Trayvon Martin assassination for instance. The main stream media paid no attention to this hideous crime for weeks. It was black media, and Reverend Al in particular, that caused the story to be brought to light for the nation then the world to see. Other than the NRA, any person with children should have felt compassion and want justice because next time it could be your child or you.

Nonetheless, this guy, who I enjoy, reading his work, went on to say that “everybody wants to be on Sharpton’s good side these days. Adding that …No fewer than five Cabinet officers and a senior White House official went to this year’s convention to kiss his ring.” I this think this is a bit cynical.

The article went on to say, “Sharpton has pulled off one of the rarest second acts in American public life: from pariah to power player.” I suppose he was referring to the Rev’s effective use of the media in the Martin case to rally so many people for justice – which was needed.

I will agree with the Good Reverend as he put it regarding justice for Trayvon:

“It was a huge moment, because it was the coming together of everything,” Sharpton said, with his trademark vainglory. “We had the attorney general here and one of the biggest civil rights cases of the 21st century, and having to do TV and radio shows at the same time, it was all combined for everybody to see.”

Mr. Milbank closed his piece by saying; “And this reborn pariah feels good.” I will close by saying; “the the Good Reverend puts his life on the line for the voiceless and stands up for the powerless.” Yes, that is a good thing and necessary!

Let us remember Trayvon, not just for the moment, nor forget the many others in situations where justice has been deferred –keep up the fight for right. And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective.

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Look in the Mirror

 I want to ask, you who are reading my words to look into the mirror and ask yourself: “Who am I?” This is important because you might, if honest, see a person that is the representative of your life. Let me explain, you say that you love a God who you have never seen; yet you do not love the man or woman who you can see.

You know you have prejudices that you were either taught or came to know though your experiences. White people in most cases are prejudice against blacks. Blacks are prejudice against whites, and blacks. Moreover, every nation on the face of the earth had a prejudice against someone mainly because they are different in some form. I might religion is often time a reason.

The Bible says, “The will be wars and rumors of wars”. This is very interesting because this speaks to the interest of those who have a vested interest in this brutality. I am going to be more specific and relate this to Pharaoh in the sense he was the entity that was in control of man; then came Mosses to set his people free with the promise of leading them to the promise land.

If you think about this and understand that your enemies have invested in your soul that old tried and true principle of divide and conquer. I say this specifically to address the issues that exist between the African American male and female. God created us (man and woman) to join in a union to live and to recreate in order to continue the species. Now, how is it that we have lost this simple teaching. The war against us is against all of us, both black men and women.

Our hope rests within us – not in what is inserted into us by an enemy. So black women, you’ve been had, hoodwinked, when you distance yourself for the black man. There is a biblical passage that says “you will reap what you sow”. You have a convent with the black man by virtue of your birth - your children need him and so do you.

Black men, you too must be that man you were created to be. The children you create - need you; that woman needs you. Being black, you know that we mean nothing to those of the other hue – I say it time to mean something to each other. I will not judge either, just saying, while I will remind you that scripture says, “Judge not lest you be in danger of being judged”. The ghosts of the greats who sacrificed their lives for you are watching!

It is time for you/me/us to think differently and make a change – and the time is now! And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective on this day of resurrection…

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"We Shall Over Come"

This post dedicated to the life and memory of the “THE KING”!

Today marks the forty-forth year since that day that will live in infamy – the cruel and wanton act that killed Dr. Martin Luther King - the victim of an assassination.  I deplored it then and still do! Men of good will, noble purpose and pacific impulses enjoy no immunity from violence – I understand that and know that there is a special place on the other side of hell for all of those involved. It is possible to kill men like Martin Luther King, but the ideas for which they stand are never indestructible.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”



“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”

“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land.”

“My husband was a man who hoped to be a Baptist preacher to a large, Southern, urban congregation. Instead, by the time he died in 1968, he had led millions of people into shattering forever the Southern system of segregation of the races.” ~ Coretta Scott King (1927-2006)

“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”

“I submit that an individual who breaks the law that conscience tells him is unjust and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for law.”

“It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important.”

“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

“From every mountainside, let freedom ring. When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But… the good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”

“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.”

“I submit to you that if a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”

“That old law about ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.”

“If physical death is the price that I must pay to free my white brothers and sisters from a permanent death of the spirit, then nothing can be more redemptive.”

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Game Changed

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to watch the HBO movie “Game Change”. To be honest, I am not a big fan of Caribou Barbie but it made you feel sorry for Sarah Palin? More to the point, watching it was absolutely smashing and, in fact, terrifying to think how close we were to utter insanity or to America's ruin.

The movie has been scalloped out of the book by the same name and focuses on Palin, rather than on the entire 2008 presidential campaign. The decision to do so was absolutely correct. With her selection as John McCain’s running mate, American politics lost its way — and maybe its mind as well.

I want to be fair and give credit to Washington Post Opinion Writer Richard Cohen. This was a very good piece to which I will quote from it because it was perfect:

“The movie portrays Palin as an ignoramus. She did not know that Queen Elizabeth II does not run the British government, and she did not know that North and South Korea are different countries. She seemed not to have heard of the Federal Reserve. She called Joe Biden “O’Biden” and she thought America went to war in Iraq because Saddam Hussein, not al-Qaeda, had attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. Not only did she know little, but she was determinately incurious and supremely smug in her ignorance.”

How can someone aspire to being a heartbeat away from the Oval Office without a firm grasp of basic history and current events? Of course John McCain defended his choice of Palin as running mate in the 2008 presidential campaign. In the movie she was portrayed as a liar. In fact, she was called exactly that by McCain’s campaign chief, Steve Schmidt, who came to realize, a bit late in the game, that one of Palin’s great talents was to deny the truth. When confronted, she simply shuts down — petulant, child-like — and then sulks off.

The thing that struck me was the movie has been endorsed by most of Palin’s top campaign aides to put its veracity in doubt. Some of them had come to revile the Alaska governor — enough to leak some awful facts but not quite enough to go public. Had the election been really close, I wonder if they would have run out into the street yelling that Palin — a heartbeat away from the possible presidency — was a monster.

It seems to be the norm in today’s political environment where we see a deluge of dysfunctional presidential candidates. For example, we saw Herman Cain for a while was a front-runner. He had a nonsensical tax plan, zero knowledge of foreign affairs and had never held elective office. Yet, for a brief but terrifying moment, many Republicans were saying he should be the next president of the United States.

Michele Bachmann told a touching fib about vaccinations and slick Rick Perry did not know squat about who governs Turkey, a NATO ally and a vitally important Middle East power. He got wrong the number of justices on the Supreme Court — he said eight — and could not remember a Cabinet department he had vowed to eliminate.

Let’s not forget Rick Santorum who pretends to know his stuff, but his stuff includes a wild denunciation of John F. Kennedy’s famous speech about the proper role of religion in public life and a characterization of President Obama as a snob for extolling the value of college. Newt Gingrich has the wattage to be president, but so does Hannibal Lecter, if you get my drift. As for Ron Paul, he appears to be running for president of some theme park.

I have excluded Mitt, you know the guy the Republicans call “Him”, from the list of fools and knaves because he has too many other issues. But there once was a time when “Him” would not have stood out as the only candidate who knew something about the issues that confront a president. Since Palin, though, ignorance has become more than bliss. It’s now an attribute, an entire platform: Vote for me, I know nothing and hate the same things you do.

I want to repeat as Mr. Cohen said:

Palin is no longer an anomaly. McCain didn’t choose her for her intellectual or experiential qualities, nor because he was geographically or ideologically balancing the ticket. She was an antiabortion woman with a pulse: Enough! She, like the out-of-nowhere Obama, had the stuff of celebrity — the snap, the dazzle, the self-assurance, the sex appeal. She didn’t need to dance with a star. God told her she already was one… The movie had it right. Sarah Palin changed the game.

And in my opinion for the worst!

Former Alaska governor, who abandoned the post, is increasingly irrelevant political figure who continues to make some interesting remarks about President Barack Obama. Like the comment made during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) where she said, she thinks President Obama is trying to take America back to the days before the Civil War. She went on to say that she believes that all of us are “created equal,” and that President Obama is seeking to divide the nation.

This was such a powerful commentary that I could not expound upon and wanted to share my sense of it. I will say this: I am so thankful that Caribou Barbie is on Fox and Fools and not in the White House, and to that I say God Bless America.

And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective…

"Just a Season"

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What’s So Super About Tuesday

For starters, it is a Tuesday and this Tuesday is one with the biggest payout of the Republican presidential primaries or for one of the contenders. This time Super Tuesday had been slimmed down to half its 2008 size but still doling out one-third of the delegates needed to win and frankly at the end of the day; it probably won't settle much.

It might nudge the two long shots - Newt Gingrich out of the race or Ron Paul into a position of more credibility. Nor, in my opinion, will it give either Romney or Santorum a decisive advantage, because delegates are handed out by share. A close second in a state can pay off almost as well as first place. Romney might cement the front-runner status that keeps slipping through his fingers. Santorum could prove he's the real thing. To which I doubt either will be the case.
___

Delegates for grabs Tuesday: 419.
Delegates already won: 353; Romney, 203; Santorum, 92; Gingrich, 33; Paul, 25.
Delegates needed for the nomination: 1,144.
___

Let’s consider the expense involved. The heavy advertising in all 10 states would cost a candidate about $5 million. That's a lot even for Romney's well-financed campaign, prompting him to make a plea for donations amid his Michigan victory speech. Gingrich is getting another multimillion-dollar boost from Las Vegas billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who donated the money to a special type of political action committee, known as a super PAC that will run advertising in key states.

But my friends Ohio is the race to watch. Why I don’t know – maybe it’s like the Mississippi of the north. Nonetheless political junkies get all misty-eyed over this Rust Belt swing state, and not just because of the 63 delegates. No Republican nominee has ever become president without winning the state. That makes it a powerful proving ground for the men trying to show they can take on President Barack Obama.

It could well be Newt's last stand or Gingrich rises again. Either way – what a frightening thought! But for sure you can call the Sand Man with his hook Newt loses in Georgia, the state he represented in the U.S. House for two decades. Lest not forget, his is not on the ballad in Virginia! Newt hopes to win decisively here and pick up enough other delegates to relaunch his up-and-down campaign, which has been mostly down-and-out. There is a bright side or dark cloud - Herman Cain, a fellow Georgian, endorsed him. Oh, and he's got a new pitch, claiming he can bring the cost of gas down to $2.50 per gallon.

Then there’s grandpa, Ron Paul, the anti-war, libertarian-leaning, unorthodox Republican who hasn't won a single state. Super Tuesday could change that meaning he might win ONE! Let’s say – Alaska! Even if he doesn't score a win, he's likely to pick up delegates to help power him into this summer's Republican convention with enough clout to promote his ideas.

There's little drama in the Northeastern races. Romney's virtually unopposed in his power base of Massachusetts, where he was governor just over five years ago. Delegates: 38. He's expected to win neighboring Vermont handily, too, although Santorum seeks to peel away some of its 17 delegates.

Next up:

Caucuses and primaries in Kansas, Wyoming, Alabama, Hawaii, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois and Louisiana fill out the busiest month of the nomination season. Three territories; American Samoa, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico also get their say in March.

Well folks, as exciting as that may sound it seem to me I’d rather be clipping my toenails or picking nose hairs because that will be much more fun. We’ve all been taught to say, God Bless America; with this cast of characters I think that’s an understatement and we should say God Help Us.

And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective…

"Just a Season"
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The Parent Company of Fox and Fools Crumbles

There is nothing more sacred in a free society or to the maintenance of democracy than a free unbiased press. It is imperative that viewers and readers have access to comprehensive, accurate and quality information. This is essential to a society characterized by a civically engaged, well-informed and socially invested populace. Thus, to the degree that access to quality information is willfully or unintentionally obstructed, democracy itself is degraded.

Unfortunately, we live in an era of 24-hour cable news networks and "reality" programming whereas the news-to-fluff ratio and overall veracity of information has declined precipitously. Take the fact that Americans now spend on average about 50 hours a week using various forms of media, while at the same time cultural literacy levels hover just above the gutter. Not only does mainstream media tolerate gross misrepresentations of fact and history by public figures – they legitimize it as truth.

I’ve noticed and been saying that the Fox News viewership seems to be marked by a sort of collective personality disorder whereby the viewer feels almost as though they've been let into a secret society (WINK). Something about their affiliation with the network makes them feel privileged and this affinity is likely what drives the viewers to defend the network so vehemently. That effect is also likely to make the propaganda more believable and potently powerful, because it goes mostly unquestioned.

I’ve been saying for years that those who listen to what they call “fair and balance” are imbalanced and certainly not fair with respect to their versions of news. Well, now it’s official! I came across a survey which finds that the American voters who follow the cult that is Fox News are significantly more misinformed than consumers of news from other sources. In other words, the survey proves that watching Fox is detrimental to your intelligence.

The renowned World Public Opinion, a project managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, conducted a survey of American voters finding that Fox News viewers are significantly more misinformed than consumers of news from other sources. Moreover, the study shows that the greater the exposure to Fox increases mental distortion. Frankly, this really isn’t anything new but what it does is validate or lend credence to support what most sane people already knew.

There is a vast body of evidence to support the reality that Fox is nothing more than a propaganda machine dedicated to deception. Those of us who have seen the so-called “Real Americans” before know this Klan is simply a tool for the “New Jim Crow” wing of the conservative movement, and it is growing. Therefore, the more you watch, the less you know which feeds the racism brazenly directed at our president and by extension us. Lest not forget that it is also a fact that racism and bigotry is linked to the lack of intelligence.

Let me make this a little more precise, the more their viewer’s think they know is actually false. It has been corroborated time and time again by other notable organizations. For example, a previous PIPA study that focused on the Iraq war produced similar results. Then, there was an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll that demonstrates the break with reality on the part of Fox viewers with regard to health care. Not to mention the cast of characters who appear on the screen with their skewed views and misrepresentations of truth. And, we can’t leave out the captain of the ship whose dealing with a huge scandal related to the ethic of the organization not to mention what I view as abuse of power.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely!

As we have seen in recent days, News International Limited, the British arm of the Murdoch empire, is a subsidiary of News Corp., a publicly traded American company which also owns the Wall Street Journal and Fox News, not to mention the Sunday Times of London, the Times of London, and the British tabloid the Sun. Because of this, experts say, News Corp. and all of its subsidiaries come under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a Watergate-era law which makes it a crime for U.S. companies to participate in bribery abroad. The Watergate part brings to mind what Nixon said, “I am not a crook”.

There have been about a dozen senior executive level managers who have been arrested, the FBI is now involved, and soon Congress. Let’s say the allegations are true and the empire was entirely honest in the company's internal books and enter the payment as a "bribe," you've just created an irrefutable piece of evidence that can be used against you and your company in a prosecution by the Justice Department for violating U.S. statutes against overseas bribery. If, as is more likely, you file an expense account which refers to the cash payment as taxicabs or office supplies, you stand a chance of being pursued by the Securities and Exchange Commission for keeping fake records. We know the bribery and wiretapping charges are surely illegal!

This is where News Corp. may be most vulnerable: under the "Books and Records" and "Internal Controls" provisions of the FCPA, according to lawyers who practice in this field. News Corp also depends on the government for its broadcast licenses. Fox Television Stations Inc. has 269 active licenses with the Federal Communications Commission, according to the agency's website. An agency spokesman would not comment on whether FCPA violations might put those licenses in jeopardy as well. This could very well bring down the “empire”.

Fox News, in my opinion, surely has a pretty high batting average for journalistic fraud. I believe they deliberately misinform its viewers and it does so for a reason. The Grand Ol’ Party benefits from the ignorance that Fox News proliferates. The results were apparent in the election last fall as voters based their decisions on demonstrably false information fed to them by Fox. Let me add that a fox is a sly creature. Just look at what the party of “No” is doing today with their tea party tenet.

The attacks they perpetrate and the disenfranchisement efforts use to be directed at African Americans or coloreds, as it were. But this cult, and dare I say from 2000-2008, uses this against anyone who is not rich. We need to be aware of their dangerous manipulation of weak and the venom being spewed by those professing to love America, mostly those of the other hue, with lies. What REAL AMERICANS need to do is take a stand and disseminate the truth as broadly as possible to empower people with reality.

The fact that Fox News is so blatantly dishonest and the effects of that dishonesty may very well be ingrained from the top - News Corp. Our democracy cannot function if voters are making choices based on lies for the sole purpose of removing the first black president. The facts are there and we have the evidence. Each of us most do our part to make certain that the corporate ownership do not get away with it.

I know this article is a little lengthy but I had to add my THOUGHT PROVOKING PERSPECTIVE. Therefore, I will end with a powerful statement once made by Marcus Garvey:

“Up! You mighty race; you can accomplish what you will.”

This article was inspired by an article by Mark Howard.

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