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Small Talk: The Prayer Closet


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This is a reminder that the Politics Policy is still in effect.

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Political discussion is not allowed in this forum- this includes Small Talk topics. Please stay in the spirit of the policy- I have noticed a tendency for some to follow the letter but not the spirit.

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While we understand the frustration (change is never easy), please keep in mind that not everyone feels the same way and that for those members who don't, the ongoing conversation about other forums and chat options can equally be a cause of frustration.

Out of respect for your fellow posters, we kindly ask that you continue any discussion about alternatives via PM or the Technically Speaking: Bugs, Questions, & Suggestions area.

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3 hours ago, Jeeves said:

I said over in the Vuolos topic that I'd post this over here. It's about the wonderful (actually not so wonderful) world of social media "influencers." 

The story is here if you want the deets. It happened in the UK recently.

Short version: A couple who are professional wedding photographers, their company is called Betrothed & Co, recently got an email from someone claiming to "represent" an unnamed social media "influencer" who plans to get married in April 2021.

The "influencer" offered them this (not) great deal: the photogs would do two years' worth of FREE services in re the wedding (1,000 photos and two videos). BTW, that's about £2,000 to £2,500 (US$2,500 - $3,000) worth of services! In return? The "influencer" would "promote" the photogs' services to her followers, which was claimed to be a "combined" 50,000 on FB and IG. Oh, and that "promotion" would include the photogs giving a 20% discount to all the influencer's followers who used their services.

I followed the link in the story and read the exchange of emails between the "influencer's" "representative" and the photographers. Needless to say, the photogs didn't bite, and pointed out in detail why. The "influencer's" "rep" got snippy. It's hilarious. 

Just for comparison? Jinger Vuolo has 1.1 million Instagram followers; Jeremy has 603,000. Jill Duggar Dillard has 1.6 million, and Derick has 750,000. Jana, who's new to IG, has just north of half a million followers already. Anna has 864,000. Jessa has 2.1 million, Ben has 826,000. The joint Joy & Austin account has 860,000. The Si-and-Lauren show has 660,000. And who in hell has even really *heard* of Si and Lauren? 

We've discussed social media marketing, followers, etc., in some of the topics around here including the Vuolos. Knowing that the Duggar kidults have 6 to 7 figure follower numbers, I was lol'ing at the self-important "influencer" with her claimed 50K "combined" followers, trying to work that photography deal. 

Oh, wow, that "influencer" has some nerve! A while back there was this viral post that a hotel owner wrote about an influencer asking for a free stay in exchange for free advertising. The hotel owner didn't say who the influencer was but she outed herself and made a few videos about the whole thing and how rude and unfairly she was treated. The whole thing was hilarious. 

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4 hours ago, Jeeves said:

I said over in the Vuolos topic that I'd post this over here. It's about the wonderful (actually not so wonderful) world of social media "influencers." 

The story is here if you want the deets. It happened in the UK recently.

Short version: A couple who are professional wedding photographers, their company is called Betrothed & Co, recently got an email from someone claiming to "represent" an unnamed social media "influencer" who plans to get married in April 2021.

The "influencer" offered them this (not) great deal: the photogs would do two years' worth of FREE services in re the wedding (1,000 photos and two videos). BTW, that's about £2,000 to £2,500 (US$2,500 - $3,000) worth of services! In return? The "influencer" would "promote" the photogs' services to her followers, which was claimed to be a "combined" 50,000 on FB and IG. Oh, and that "promotion" would include the photogs giving a 20% discount to all the influencer's followers who used their services.

I followed the link in the story and read the exchange of emails between the "influencer's" "representative" and the photographers. Needless to say, the photogs didn't bite, and pointed out in detail why. The "influencer's" "rep" got snippy. It's hilarious. 

Just for comparison? Jinger Vuolo has 1.1 million Instagram followers; Jeremy has 603,000. Jill Duggar Dillard has 1.6 million, and Derick has 750,000. Jana, who's new to IG, has just north of half a million followers already. Anna has 864,000. Jessa has 2.1 million, Ben has 826,000. The joint Joy & Austin account has 860,000. The Si-and-Lauren show has 660,000. And who in hell has even really *heard* of Si and Lauren? 

We've discussed social media marketing, followers, etc., in some of the topics around here including the Vuolos. Knowing that the Duggar kidults have 6 to 7 figure follower numbers, I was lol'ing at the self-important "influencer" with her claimed 50K "combined" followers, trying to work that photography deal. 

As someone currently in the gig economy (and trying to get out) this stuff infuriates me. You got a bunch of IG followers? Cool story bro, I'm not giving out my services for "exposure". People deserve to be adequately compensated for their time, money, and training. I know people who have spent more money on their yoga training than I did for my bachelor's degree to get where they are in the industry. People still barter with them for free classes in exchange for "exposure".

Not to say this practice wasn't prevalent before social media but it has definitely made it worse.

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9 hours ago, PikaScrewChu said:

As someone currently in the gig economy (and trying to get out) this stuff infuriates me. You got a bunch of IG followers? Cool story bro, I'm not giving out my services for "exposure". People deserve to be adequately compensated for their time, money, and training. I know people who have spent more money on their yoga training than I did for my bachelor's degree to get where they are in the industry. People still barter with them for free classes in exchange for "exposure".

Not to say this practice wasn't prevalent before social media but it has definitely made it worse.

Social media has created a whole host of people who feel they are famous and entitled simply because they have followers online.  Andy Warhol was purported to have said, "In the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes".  Even if he didn't say it, the future is now.

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20 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

Social media has created a whole host of people who feel they are famous and entitled simply because they have followers online.  Andy Warhol was purported to have said, "In the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes".  Even if he didn't say it, the future is now.

What's interesting is I used to go to a dance studio where the owner would do the same thing before social media. People really fell for it and didn't get anything from it. But because she was the best in the business everyone thought they would. 

I stopped patronizing yoga studios that offer the YT-200 teacher training and had karma, pay what you can classes a few years ago. Why? A lot of those studios are using people who are trying to get a foot into an oversaturated market as free labor. It was promise of "exposure" and if clients really liked their classes, then they could eventually get paid jobs at the studio! Some actually may not be exploiting their graduates but just not taking the chance since no one tells you these things until after you leave a studio. 

I'm actually glad the conversation about influencers and the like is coming up now. Sure it's more framed as "ha ha look at these people with 50K followers trying to get free stuff" right now. I'm hoping people start to peel back the layers and realize it is a problem throughout a lot of society and has been for a while. It's just magnified now because anyone can create a social media account and with smart #hashtagging gain a loyal following. It was a bit harder when you had to have some thing more than social media presence. 

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(edited)
13 hours ago, PikaScrewChu said:

As someone currently in the gig economy (and trying to get out) this stuff infuriates me. You got a bunch of IG followers? Cool story bro, I'm not giving out my services for "exposure". People deserve to be adequately compensated for their time, money, and training. I know people who have spent more money on their yoga training than I did for my bachelor's degree to get where they are in the industry. People still barter with them for free classes in exchange for "exposure".

Not to say this practice wasn't prevalent before social media but it has definitely made it worse.

2 hours ago, PikaScrewChu said:

I'm actually glad the conversation about influencers and the like is coming up now. Sure it's more framed as "ha ha look at these people with 50K followers trying to get free stuff" right now. I'm hoping people start to peel back the layers and realize it is a problem throughout a lot of society and has been for a while. It's just magnified now because anyone can create a social media account and with smart #hashtagging gain a loyal following. It was a bit harder when you had to have some thing more than social media presence. 

I agree, this "gimme free stuff in return for exposure" racket is infuriating. I was amused in the case I posted about, mostly by the puny size of "clout" that the "influencer" was claiming and also by the poise and wit that the photographers displayed in dealing with that sh*tty offer. I'm also able to laugh because the photogs have reaped so much good publicity from the whole situation. I only hope some of it pays off in future bookings! Paid bookings, of course. 

I'm a serious amateur photographer, and have several friends who are pros, so I've seen this nonsense happening in that particular sector, and I hate it. I retired from practicing law before this social media influencer thing really hit, and I'm glad. I'm sure it plays out in that profession too. Like, people can pay the rent and the grocery bill with all that "exposure" they are offered for their professional/expert services. Grr . . . 

Exposurebucks.jpg

Edited by Jeeves
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I just remembered that Star Jones did the same thing. She essentially grifted her entire first wedding for "exposure" on the View. People were not happy about it.

Alas, we need to get that outrage again. I need to remember when I eventually re-activate my IG account to unfollow all the meme accounts that get paid to advertise the silliest things.

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16 hours ago, Panopticon said:

I’m so sorry. Chunks of my hair fell out a few years ago and while I did have long hair to comb over the patches, I was forever wearing hats and worried about losing more. You have a stranger’s sympathy for the suckiness of the situation. 

I was lucky, though. It turned out to be a random allergic reaction to a non-active ingredient in a birth control pill; I’d just been switched onto a generic and when I stopped taking it the hair grew back. The dermatologist (male) insisted that it was a coincidence. The intern he was training (female) whispered to me behind his back that she was sure I was right and I should get my gyn to write a no-generics prescription. Which I did. 

HMMMMMMM. Remember back in February when I got on that generic birth control pill and had migraines for a few weeks? That's around the time my hair thinned for the second time. Wow, I had never considered that! 

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(edited)
On 7/6/2019 at 3:22 PM, MargeGunderson said:

This thread has caused the song Baby Got Back to lodge in my head. 

Also, I kinda want to watch the Rockford Files for James Garner’s butt too. 

   This is the only one I found of him where it looks like he might be a little thick in his hind-quarter. (I always liked him, btw)

Ican't believe I'm looking for pics of James Garners butt.. I have no life.😂

  I also thought it was interesting that

his real name was James S. Bumgarner.

Also, this:

"In his 2011 memoir, The Garner Files, he wrote:

Army chow was bearable as long as I could keep the onions and garlic out of it. I cannot stand onions and I'm very sensitive to garlic. I can taste tiny amounts of it, like when they've cooked another dish with garlic before and don't wash the pan. If I get even a hint of it, I might throw up in my plate. This violent aversion may have saved my life: like our South Korean allies, the Chinese and North Korean troops lived on a diet of fish heads, rice, and garlic.

One night while on guard on the line, I caught a faint whiff of it coming from the direction of the enemy positions. I couldn't see anything, but I knew there was someone out there and they were coming closer. Once I sniffed them I could hear them, too. It turned out to be a patrol heading straight for our position. They were just the other side of a rise when I passed the word down the line. We were ready for them and stopped them in their tracks." 😲

rps20190713_193754.jpg

Edited by ChiCricket
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30 minutes ago, ChiCricket said:

   This is the only one I found of him where it looks like he might be a little thick in his hind-quarter. (I always liked him, btw)

Ican't believe I'm looking for pics of James Garners butt.. I have no life.😂

  I also thought it was interesting that

his real name was James S. Bumgarner.

Also, this:

"In his 2011 memoir, The Garner Files, he wrote:

Army chow was bearable as long as I could keep the onions and garlic out of it. I cannot stand onions and I'm very sensitive to garlic. I can taste tiny amounts of it, like when they've cooked another dish with garlic before and don't wash the pan. If I get even a hint of it, I might throw up in my plate. This violent aversion may have saved my life: like our South Korean allies, the Chinese and North Korean troops lived on a diet of fish heads, rice, and garlic.

One night while on guard on the line, I caught a faint whiff of it coming from the direction of the enemy positions. I couldn't see anything, but I knew there was someone out there and they were coming closer. Once I sniffed them I could hear them, too. It turned out to be a patrol heading straight for our position. They were just the other side of a rise when I passed the word down the line. We were ready for them and stopped them in their tracks." 😲

rps20190713_193754.jpg

I've also continued my own investigations into Buttgate. 😉

Based on a few glimpses of Garner's butt unobstructed by a sports coat, my conclusion is he definitely has a noticeable one, but it seems proportional to his size, especially given that he's a big, muscular guy.

And yes because I have no life, I've totally spent the last week comparing the asses of all the men on each episode to try to establish a baseline. 😄

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26 minutes ago, awaken said:

On the general topic of baby names, I thought you’d all appreciate knowing that I had a baby Norbert at work today as well as a baby Gertrude! Brand newborns. 

My husband, who was born in Germany in 1950, is named Norbert!!!  I have never met another Norbert, except for the dragon in Harry Potter.

He will never let me give him a nickname; he especially hates Norbie.

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37 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

So during last night live show Nick mentions he has a girlfriend. You guys his fan chat exploded with...

all these girls saying but when we meet he will fall in love with me. 

Are women that delusional? I love the guy especially his big butt, but I know that no way he would date me. Like never going to happen.

There has always been a segment of female fans who do believe that somehow if their chosen celebrity could just meet them, then they would fall madly in love and live happily ever after.   They have been around since Rudolph Valentino,  just more noticable now with the Internet.  This is more than just a teen crush, but not so far gone to be a mental illness.   I stumbled upon a Tumblr page dedicated to proving that Benedict Cumberbatch was still single and his wife is just some sort of beard and their kids are not his.  

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2 minutes ago, Zella said:

Damn. I've seen the Cumberbatch crazies claiming his wife is an evil shrew who somehow tricked him into marrying her, but that's even more unhinged!

I remember seeing something on that page where the "evidence" was based on the lack of paparazzi photos of the couple before they got married, so therefore the first kid couldn't be his.  They would not believe it to be a love match because he was not singing her praises to everyone on Twitter.  

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(edited)
9 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

Anyone remember twilight craze over Robert and Kristen? I do. Both pretended to date for franchise sake.

I was a freshman at a community college when Twilight fever was at its peak. I had a psych class with a woman who was probably in her 30s/40s. Divorced with a young daughter and returning to school. She had the thickest Arkansas drawl imaginable and was a walking stereotype of the Ozarks. You could tell she was kind of crazy, but she was always really nice to me. She was visibly struggling with returning to school, and I felt sorry for her, so I would sometimes help her out a bit before class by explaining stuff to her she didn't get. We didn't become friends, really, but I could tell she appreciated the help, so I guess we became class buddies. 

Anyway, right before our final, she was super excited to show me her project for a speech class, the assignment being to put together a Powerpoint presentation about your family. She was so proud of hers that I hated to tell her no, even though I really wanted to look over my notes for the final, so we start going through the Powerpoint together. 

First couple of pictures of her with her cute daughter. 

Next picture is her, the cute little girl, and an adorable dog.

The next several pictures (basically, the entire rest of the Powerpoint) were pictures of Robert Pattinson as Edward. And all she kept saying was, "That's my ideal man!" 

I had no words. 

Anyway, I think she would have fought Kristen for him. And she totally woulda won! LOL

Edited by Zella
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The imprinting was the authors way to keep Jacob around forever. And to appease fans. But yeah it was Creepy.  And the last book sucked. No big battle no major characters dying. Cowards way to end the series.

Thats my opinion. 

Now Harry Potter had an amazing last book! Go JK Rowling!!! I used to think if I had a son I’d name him Harry James. Lol

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25 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

Eric from True Blood? What a handsome man Alexander is.

You know, I never actually watched True Blood! (Minus one episode I saw with no context because a friend didn't want to miss the latest episode when we were on vacation. Based on the date of our trip, it must have been during season 5.) 

I'm a big Western fan, so I guess that's why I enjoyed Near Dark so much. Just as much of a Western as it is a vampire movie. 

I'm also a big fan of the original Dracula movie, even though it is so cheesy. I love Bela Lugosi and own an embarrassing number of his films. 😂

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6 hours ago, Zella said:

See, even though I was never a fan of the series, this is was my default position.  But the imprinting stuff with him was so creepy. Ugh.

I just can't with the sparkling vampires. I like my vampires mean. Like Severen in Near Dark. Lol

The series wasn’t my thing either, but I was most creeped out by hundred-year-old Edward obsessing over teenage Bella to the point of sneaking into her bedroom at night while she slept. Maybe this kind of age gap is common in vampire stories, though? I haven’t read many.

Then of course there was Bella begging Edward to kill her already because as long as she was human she’d keep aging and she didn’t want to look older than her husband. If that’s your main concern maybe you’re not quite mature enough to be married? 

I can’t judge, though, because I’m an adult who went to visit a friend in Europe last spring and stopped in London specifically to see the Harry Potter stuff...

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11 hours ago, louannems said:

My husband, who was born in Germany in 1950, is named Norbert!!!  I have never met another Norbert, except for the dragon in Harry Potter.

He will never let me give him a nickname; he especially hates Norbie.

We have a family friend whose name is Norbert. He went by Norby for half his life and then found out his stepfather wasn’t his bio father so changed it to Bert biodad name. We loved him and I seriously considered naming first son Norbert since we were going with an “N” name. Settled on Nathan after my grandpa. Took heat for that name too but he is grown and loves his name and doesn’t want a nickname. And I loved my grandpa. He was never teased about being named Nathan. 

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(edited)

My mother had a cousin named Gertrude so it was a name I heard frequently & didn't think much of while growing up in the 60 & 70's. My mother also had a friend named Emily which I thought was just awful & felt so sorry for this lady having to go through life with that name. Don't know why I thought this & I like it now. Little did I know Emily would have a great resurgence. 

Edited by Barb23
6 hours ago, Panopticon said:

I can’t judge, though, because I’m an adult who went to visit a friend in Europe last spring and stopped in London specifically to see the Harry Potter stuff...

I am lucky enough to have a dear friend who lives in London.  Remember back when you were a kid and could send 50 cents to the pen pal club?  That's how we met almost 50 years ago.  Not so much letters as emails and facebook messages these days.

Anyway, I might or might or might not have gotten off the tube at King's Cross more than once just to see Platform 9 3/4.

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2 hours ago, Barb23 said:

My mother had a cousin named Gertrude so it was a name I heard frequently & didn't think much of while growing up in the 60 & 70's. My mother also had a friend named Emily which I thought was just awful & felt so sorry for this lady having to go through life with that name. Don't know why I thought this & I like it now. Little did I know Emily would have a great resurgence. 

My MIL's sister, born in Germany, is named Gertrude.  But it sounds lovely the way it's pronounced. Very soft and not harsh sounding like the American way.  They pronounce it Gare-trude.

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(edited)
3 hours ago, Barb23 said:

My mother had a cousin named Gertrude so it was a name I heard frequently & didn't think much of while growing up in the 60 & 70's. My mother also had a friend named Emily which I thought was just awful & felt so sorry for this lady having to go through life with that name. Don't know why I thought this & I like it now. Little did I know Emily would have a great resurgence. 

That's so funny! As a 90's kid, 25% of my classmates were named Emily!

32 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

No my show is tonight! I will let you know if I find it 🤣🤣🤣.

Oh wow! I heard about the blackout last night and was so shocked. How long were you stuck on the subway? Did they have emergency lights or anything, or was it pitch black? Eeeek!

Edited by Christina87
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34 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

I know someone who named her kids Emma and Jacob. Only realized later how popular those names are!

My oldet brother was born on January 1st and ended up with the most popular boys name of 1979.  I have the 2nd or 3rd most popular name of 1980 after Jennifer.  My friends group on college was all Amandas, Jennifer's, and Stephanies.  We had to use last names at all times to differentiate between us.

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On 7/13/2019 at 9:56 PM, louannems said:

My husband, who was born in Germany in 1950, is named Norbert!!!  I have never met another Norbert, except for the dragon in Harry Potter.

He will never let me give him a nickname; he especially hates Norbie.

Totally forgot about Norbert the dragon in HP!  😁

On 7/13/2019 at 10:50 PM, galaxychaser said:

Anyone remember twilight craze over Robert and Kristen? I do. Both pretended to date for franchise sake.

I thought that about Ryan seacrest when he was dating Julianne Hough. Didn’t believe it for a second. 

22 hours ago, galaxychaser said:

Guess who got stuck in nyc black out on the subway? Me! 

Oh no!  I read about that!  So many people affected!  

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I had the best evening tonight!!! Went to see Hello Dolly in Charlotte, and it was amazing. If it comes to your city, go see it! It's actually my favorite musical...besides, of course, my all time favorite, the sound of music...but it's my favorite musical that I discovered as an adult, for sure. I was lucky enough to see it on Broadway last summer, as it was the only thing that's been on Broadway lately that I've been dying to see, and that was almost exactly a year ago. I had just gotten my county supplement at work and spent a lot on those Broadway tickets, but this was the exact same show, and I got a good seat for $25!!! Just slightly more than a movie and popcorn! I'm really glad these shows travel, and that some of them seem economically priced. I wanted to see phantom when it came to Charlotte a few years ago, and the cheapest seats I could find were in the $200's range. You could literally see it cheaper on Broadway! Hamilton was even more than that. 

@galaxychaser, weren't you also going to a show tonight?

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(edited)

What an adventure I had last night! Left my house at 4:30 pm. Got to the show at 8:30! The bus ride was more than an hour long. Bus driver didn’t know where I needed to get off the bus. Thankful to the woman who did. F cell phone maps etc ask people! So running 5 blocks to the show in heat was fun!

Online it said 30 minutes bus ride. thankfully he had an opening act. So I didn’t miss anything Nick. 

Nick is definitely a big kid. Now I get why he is not married. Haha. 

Got home at 2 am. Never again will I go anywhere that far on a bus. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Edited by galaxychaser
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Message added by Scarlett45

This is a reminder that the Politics Policy is still in effect.

I understand with recent current events there may be a desire to discuss political social media posts of those in the Duggar realm- this is not the place for those discussions. If you believe someone has violated forum rules, report them, do not respond or engage.

Political discussion is not allowed in this forum- this includes Small Talk topics. Please stay in the spirit of the policy- I have noticed a tendency for some to follow the letter but not the spirit.

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While we understand the frustration (change is never easy), please keep in mind that not everyone feels the same way and that for those members who don't, the ongoing conversation about other forums and chat options can equally be a cause of frustration.

Out of respect for your fellow posters, we kindly ask that you continue any discussion about alternatives via PM or the Technically Speaking: Bugs, Questions, & Suggestions area.

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