Coldplay gave NPR interview on Oct 22, 2011

Coldplay – Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall

Published on Jun 28, 2011 by 

The new single, taken from Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall EP (featuring two more new tracks). Download it fromhttp://cldp.ly/itunescp

Music video by Coldplay performing Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall. (P) 2011 The copyright in this audiovisual recording is owned by EMI Records Ltd

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I love Coldplay which you can tell from my past posts.

Audio for this story from Weekend Edition Saturday will be available at approx. 12:00 p.m. ET

Coldplay's fifth album, Mylo Xyloto, comes out Oct. 25.

EnlargeSarah LeeColdplay’s fifth album, Mylo Xyloto, comes out Oct. 25.
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October 22, 2011

In 2002, when the British rock band Coldplay was on tour with its second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, frontman Chris Martin said, “I just want to make the best music of all time with my best friends.” Since that time, Coldplay, with Jonny Buckland on guitar, Guy Berryman on bass and Will Champion on drums, has become one of the biggest acts in rock.

NPR’s Scott Simon spoke with Martin and Champion on the occasion of their fifth album, Mylo Xyloto, due out this week. Martin says that, at the very least, the part about friends is still true.

“A band’s only unique thing is its chemistry, especially if none of you are prodigious players or particularly handsome,” Martin says. “The one thing you have is your uniqueness, so we hold on to that.”

Champion says he certainly wasn’t a prodigious player when he joined the group — in fact, he hadn’t intended to join at all before a happy accident convinced the other members he was the man for the job.

“My three friends were starting a band, and they needed a drummer,” Champion says. “My flatmate at the time had some drums in our house, and he was a very gifted drummer. They came over to record the drums on some early demos, and when the time came to record them, my flatmate disappeared and went to the pub. So I volunteered my services to play on one song.

“It was the most lazy and technically inept fill-in that I could have possibly managed,” he adds, laughing. “But, like Chris says … it’s just about the chemistry.”

Martin and Champion say the title Mylo Xyloto (pronounced MY-low ZY-low-toe) doesn’t have any special, secret meaning. Instead, it’s the band’s way of kicking off a new chapter in its career.

“What it is, is an attempt to have a completely fresh start, from our history and from anyone else’s recording history, by coming up with two new words,” Martin says. “Which of course, for a while, will seem a little pretentious or ridiculous. We were thinking about things like ‘Google’ and ‘Pepsi’ — those were also words that made no sense for a while. And, although it’s silly, it’s what it had to be. We now have to sort of apologize for it for a couple of months, but eventually it’ll settle into being the name of that particular group of songs.”

Though the band’s success has only increased in its 15 years together, Coldplay’s members are no strangers to negative feedback. But Martin and Champion both agree that, from time to time, even the harshest critic can make a good point.

“Sometimes we have criticism that is very constructive,” Martin says. “Although it’s painful at the time, most of the things that people have said about us negatively — some of them are true and you can work on them, and the ones that you don’t agree with, you don’t work on.”

“I think it polarizes you,” Champion says. “It makes you examine your insecurities and sometimes unearth something that you secretly feel yourself. Or it makes you totally resolved to disagree with that opinion, and it reinforces your self-belief. I think it’s inevitable, and in some ways can be useful.”

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Related posts:

Will Coldplay’s 2011 album continue on spiritual themes found in 2008 Viva La Vida? (Series on Coldplay’s spiritual search, Part 2)

Views:2 By waymedia Coldplay Coldplay – Life In Technicolor ii Back in 2008 I wrote a paper on the spiritual themes of Coldplay’s album Viva La Vida and I predicted this spiritual search would continue in the future. Below is the second part of the paper, “Coldplay’s latest musical lyrics indicate a Spiritual Search for the […]

Will Coldplay’s 2011 album continue on spiritual themes found in 2008 Viva La Vida? (Series on Coldplay’s spiritual search, Part 1)

Coldplay performing “Glass of Water.” Back in 2008 I wrote a paper on the spiritual themes of Coldplay’s album Viva La Vida and I predicted this spiritual search would continue in the future. Below is the first part of the paper, “Coldplay’s latest musical lyrics indicate a Spiritual Search for the Afterlife.” Coldplay’s latest musical […]

The wait is over, Coldplay single “Every Teardrop is a waterfall”

Coldplay – Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall (Official) The new single – download it now from iTunes at http://cldp.ly/itunescp (except in the UK, where it will be released to download stores at 12.01am on Sunday June 5th). Written by Berryman / Buckland / Champion / Martin / Allen / Anderson. Produced by Markus Dravs, Dan […]

Solomon, Woody Allen, Coldplay and Kansas (Coldplay’s spiritual search Part 6)

Here is an article I wrote a couple of years ago: Solomon, Woody Allen, Coldplay and Kansas What does King Solomon, the movie director Woody Allen and the modern rock bands Coldplay and Kansas have in common? All four took on the issues surrounding death, the meaning of life and a possible afterlife, although they all came up with their own conclusions on […]

Three things that do not bring lasting Satisfaction, (Coldplay’s spiritual search Part 5)

Coldplay – 42 Live Coldplay perform on the french television channel W9. I wrote this article a couple of years ago: The Spiritual Search for the Afterlife Russ Breimeier rightly noted that it seems that Coldplay is “on the verge of identifying a great Truth” and their latest CD is very provocative. Many songs mention […]

Are Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin looking for Spiritual Answers? (Coldplay’s spiritual search Part 4)

  I wrote this article a couple of years ago. Are Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin looking for Spiritual Answers? Just like King Solomon’s predicament in the Book of Ecclesiastes, both of these individuals are very wealthy, famous, and successful, but they still are seeking satisfying answers to life’s greatest questions even though it seems […]

Insight into what Coldplay meant by “St. Peter won’t call my name” (Series on Coldplay’s spiritual search, Part 3)

Coldplay seeks to corner the market on earnest and expressive rock music that currently appeals to wide audiences Here is an article I wrote a couple of years ago about Chris Martin’s view of hell. He says he does not believe in it but for some reason he writes a song that teaches that it […]

“Music Monday”:Coldplay’s best songs of all time (Part 6)

  “Music Monday”:Coldplay’s best songs of all time (Part 6) This is “Music Monday” and I always look at a band with some of their best music. I am currently looking at Coldplay’s best songs. Here are a few followed by another person’s preference: My son Hunter Hatcher’s 15th favorite song is “trouble.” Even though […]

“Music Monday”:Coldplay’s best songs of all time (Part 5)

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“Music Monday”:Coldplay’s best songs of all time (Part 4)

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Documentary on Coldplay (Part 2)

The best band in the world. Below I have linked some articles I have earlier about the search for meaning in life the band seems to involved in. Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion formed Coldplay in 1996 while going to University in London. The young band quickly established themselves in the […]

Review of New Coldplay song with video clip

I am presently involved in the counting down of the best Coldplay songs of all time, but I am also in a series here reviewing the upcoming songs on Coldplay’s new cd that will be released soon. Here is a review from Rolling Stone: Coldplay Debut new song ‘Charlie Brown’ June 6, 2011 Coldplay debuted […]

October 22, 2011 – 8:25 am Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

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Switchfoot is a Christian Band with a great message (Part 2)

969 Switchfoot Interview #1 [[CC]]

Uploaded by on Aug 20, 2007

Interview with Tim Foreman and Chad Butler airing February 26th, 2007.
Discuss: cowbell, Christianity, fan connection

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Switchfoot is a Christian Band with a great message (Part 2)

One of my favorite bands is Switchfoot. Tim Foreman is the front man and this band has always been very vocal about their Christian faith. I am really enjoying this series on their band.

SwitchfootSwitchfootCourtesy of: EMI

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Switchfoot Band Members:

  • Jon Foreman – lead vocals and guitar – Birthday– Hometown – San Bernardino, CA (married)
  • Tim Foreman – bass – Birthday– Hometown – Lake Arrowhead, CA (married)
  • Chad Butler – drums – Birthday– Hometown – Amsterdam, Netherlands (married with children)
  • Jerome Fontamillas – keys and backup guitar – Birthday– Hometown – Philippines (married)
  • Andrew Shirley – guitar – Birthday (married with a daughter)

Switchfoot Bio:

Switchfoot is an alternative rock band from San Diego, CA, that was formed in 1996 by brothers Jon and Tim Foreman and their surfing buddy, Chad Butler. Though they competed in national surf championships on weekends and were good enough to earn product endorsements from equipment companies, their real passion was music. The guys formed a band (originally known as Chin Up) and they released three albums before making their major label debut in 2003.In 2001, Jerome Fontimillas joined the band playing keys, guitar, and singing background vocals.
Drew Shirley started touring with the band as a guitarist in 2003. He officially joined Switchfoot in 2005.

Switchfoot Releases:

Albums

DVDs

Switchfoot News & Notes:

Switchfoot Trivia:

  • Jon Foreman attended UC San Diego, and was on the surf team.
  • Tim Foreman has been playing bass since the fifth grade.
  • Chad Butler has a degree in History of Science, from the University of California at San Diego.
  • Jerome Fontamillas attended the Cornerstone festival thirteen times.
  • Andrew Shirley was baptized by his dad at the beach in Puerto Rico.
  • Switchfoot Lyrics Challenge

Switchfoot Awards:

October 22, 2011 – 6:54 am Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

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Occupy Wall St. wants the 99% to scare the 1%, but the Tea Party has real solutions

Occupy Wall St. wants the 99% to scare the 1%, but the Tea Party has real solutions

Dan Mitchell is right about the “Occupy Wall St crowd”

The Arkansas Times Blog reported:

Occupy Little Rock occupies Clinton Library parking lot

Occupy Little Rock at the Clinton Presidential Park image

  • Gabe Gentry

Members of the Occupy Little Rock group have set up camp outside the Clinton Library, video contributor Gabe Gentry reports. Around 65 are gathered currently with chimineas and grills and pizzas. Thirty plan to camp and remain indefinitely, Gentry said, though a police cruiser had just arrived on the scene to idle 30 yards from the protesters around 8:15 p.m.

I’m going to go take a look as soon as I’m able. More when I’ve got it.

UPDATE: It looks like the police aren’t going to try to disperse the crowd. The protesters have a chiminea going now that they lit only after first getting permission from one of the police officers on the scene.

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(The blog Blue Arkansas also reported on Occupy Arkansas and the Clinton Library.) 

Some people have tried to praise Occupy Wall St, but they do have any good solutions. The most simple explanation I have seen was by a reader who commented on the story above saying maybe the 99% COULD SCARE THE 1%.

Tea Party vs. Occupy Wall Street

Posted by Zachary Graves

Cato’s Tom Palmer discusses the Occupy Wall Street movement and the Tea Party in a debatewith The Nation‘s Peter Rothberg at PolicyMic:

The Tea Party has a coherent message: Stop the bailouts, stop the cronyism, and stop swindling today’s voters with empty promises and sinking future generations under mountains of debt…

What caused the crisis, the indebtedness, the unemployment, the stagnation? The culprits are state agencies and enterprises, including our Federal Reserve…

The Occupiers have the wrong address. The subprime crisis was designed in Washington, not New York…

Government debts and printing-press money will harm future generations. It’s unfair. It’s immoral. And it’s going to be solved not by occupying Phoenix, or Wall Street, or Atlanta, but by demanding that spendthrift politicians stop the bailouts and the cronyism, put the brakes on spending, and pay attention to a truly radical concept: arithmetic. Those are sound Tea Party values.

Read the full article: “Who Should Americans Support: the Tea Party or Occupy Wall Street?”

Zachary Graves • October 21, 2011 @ 5:05 pm             Related posts:

Steve Jobs to the President: “You’re headed for a one-term presidency,”

I have posted a lot about Steve Jobs and I have the links below after this fine aricle: Steve Jobs to Obama in 2010: ‘You’re Headed for a One-Term Presidency’ Lachlan Markay October 21, 2011 at 12:04 pm   Steve Jobs, the late Apple founder and digital pioneer, told President Obama in a 2010 meeting […]

Brawner: Occupy Wall St. crowd brings no solutions

Steve Brawner made the comment: For now, the Occupy movement doesn’t seem to be offering a lot of concrete solutions for the nation’s problems, and until it does, it won’t accomplish much. Captain America is  a loyal reader of Brawner and he pointed to a great article on the subject and here it is: Confusing […]

Republican debate Oct 18, 2011 (last part) with video clips and transcript

Republican debate Oct 18, 2011 (last part) with video clips and transcript Below are video clips and the transcript. pt 5 pt 6 pt 7 COOPER: We’re going to move on to an issue very important here in the state of Nevada and throughout the West. We have a question from the hall. QUESTION: Yeah, […]

India’s government officials smart as Steve Jobs?

I have written a lot about Steve Jobs recently and I wanted to link those posts below. Here is an interesting article for those who think that government officials are smart as those like Steve Jobs who are able to survive in the private market place and thrive. Indian Bureaucrats Are No Steve Jobs by […]

Pictures and video of Occupy Arkansas March of 10-15-11

Dan Mitchell is right about the “Occupy Wall St crowd” Here is some video and pictures of the Occupy Arkansas March of October 15, 2011 followed by an excellent article by Jason Tolbert. Steve Brawner has rightly said: For now, the Occupy movement doesn’t seem to be offering a lot of concrete solutions for the […]

Steve Jobs left conservative Lutheran upbringing behind

Steve Jobs was raised as a conservative Lutheran but he chose to leave those beliefs behind. Below is a very good article on his life. COVER STORY ARTICLE | Issue: “Steve Jobs 1955-2011″ October 22, 2011 A god of our age Who was Steve Jobs? A revered technology pioneer and a relentless innovator, the Apple […]

Crowd at Occupy Arkansas pales in comparison to annual pro-life march

Demonstrators march through the streets of Little Rock on Saturday in a protest organized by Occupy Little Rock. (John Lyon photo) Occupy Arkansas got cranked up today in Little Rock with their first march and several hundred showed up. It was unlike the pro-life marches that I have been a part of that have had […]

Occupy Wall Street vs. Steve Jobs

COUNTER-DEMONSTRATION: At Kappa Sigma house in Fayetteville. The Drew Wilson photo above went viral last night — at least in Arkansas e-mail and social media users — after the Fayetteville Flyer posted it in coverage of an Occupy Northwest Arkansas demonstration in Fayetteville. The 1 percent banner was unfurled briefly on the Kappa Sigma frat […]

Big Bad Wall St Corporations

I found this article interesting from the Wall Street Journal: OCTOBER 10, 2011 The Corporate Exec: Hollywood Demon Nazis are getting old, moviemakers don’t want to offend foreign audiences, so corporate types top the list of evil stereotypes By EDWARD JAY EPSTEIN It is not surprising that pop-culture protesters are now intent on occupying Wall […]

Herman Cain tells Wall St marchers where to march

The Arkansas Times Blog reported today: Around 100 were on hand for tonight’s Occupy Little Rock planning meeting, the second since the group formed in Little Rock earlier this month. Organizers and attendees struggled with a somewhat complicated voting-by-hand-signals process, but the assembly did get some key points ironed out, including the start time and […]

These pictures are from liberal Blue Arkansas website:

Marching on in front of B o A….

From Katherine Purcell:

From Scott White: Chanting “This is no recession; this is a robbery” on march to Capitol. #occupylittlerock #ows

October 22, 2011 – 6:20 am Categories: Cato Institute, Current Events | Post a comment

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“Soccer Saturday” Lionel Messi’s history with video clips

This is Wilson Hatcher and some of the history of Messi that I got from wikipedia:

Lionel Andrés “Leo” Messi[3] (born 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina) is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team as a striker or winger. Considered one of the best football players of his generation,[4][5][6] Messi received several Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009[7][8][9][10] and 2010.[11] His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi as his “successor”.[12][13]

Messi began playing football at a young age and his potential was quickly identified by Barcelona. He left Rosario-based Newell’s Old Boys‘s youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004–05 season, he broke his team record for the youngest footballer to score a league goal. Major honours soon followed as Barcelona won La Liga in Messi’s debut season, and won a double of the league and Champions League in 2006. His breakthrough season was in the 2006–07 season; he became a first team regular, scoring a hat-trick in El Clásico and finishing with 14 goals in 26 league games. Messi then had the most successful season of his playing career, the 2008–09 season, in which he scored 38 goals to play an integral part in a treble-winning campaign. This record-breaking season was then eclipsed in the following 2009–10 campaign, where Messi scored 47 goals in all competitions, equalling Ronaldo‘s record total for Barcelona. He surpassed this record again in the 2010–11 season with 53 goals in all competitions.

Messi has won five La Liga titles, three Champions League titles, scoring in two of those finals, against Manchester United in both 2009 and 2011. He was not on the pitch as Barcelona defeated Arsenal in 2006, but received a winners’ medal from the tournament. After scoring 12 goals in the 2010–11 Champions League, Messi became only the third player (after Gerd Müller and Jean-Pierre Papin) to top-score in three successive European Champion Clubs’ Cup campaigns. However, Messi is the first one to win the Champions League top scorer titles for three consecutive years after Champions League changed its format in 1992.[14]

Messi was the top scorer of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship with six goals, including two in the final game. Shortly thereafter, he became an established member of Argentina’s senior international team. In 2006, he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup and he won a runners-up medal at the Copa América tournament the following year. In 2008, in Beijing, he won his first international honour, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentina Olympic football team. At international level Messi has scored 17 goals in 61 games.

October 22, 2011 – 12:22 am Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

With Govt Spending at 41% of GDP should President Obama try to raise taxes?

Cato Institute: Government spending is 41% of GDP

I love the Cato Institute because they give us the facts that liberals just can’t refute. Instead of trying to raise our taxes, President Obama should be cutting spending.

American Government Spending: 41% of GDP

Posted by Chris Edwards

My good friend Kathy Ruffing at CBPP takes me to task for testifying that government spending in the United States is 41 percent of GDP, which in my view is a very high and harmful level.

Kathy says that recent U.S. spending data is “exaggerated” because of the recession, and indeed, spending has soared not only here, but in most major countries because of the unfortunate popularity of Keynesian pump-priming theories. My point was that the American smaller-government advantage eroded both during the Bush growth years and during the Obama recession years, as seen in Figure 2 of my testimony.  

Kathy noted that the OECD data I used are different than U.S. national income accounts data published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Well, that’s right. Every country has quirks in the way they do their national income data. The advantage of using OECD data is that the economists at the OECD adjust for these quirks and create spending data that is comparable across countries. If Kathy has more accurate international comparisons, I’d love to see them.

Finally, Kathy says that just because American government spending divided by GDP is about 40 percent, that “doesn’t mean that government controls about 40 percent of the U.S.economy.” I don’t agree. She means that government does not produce 40 percent of gross domestic product, which is true. The broader figure of 40 or 41 percent includes not just government production but government transfers. And transfers do entail government control over resources because both the taxing and spending activities involved in transfer programs distort private sector behavior. Thus, the government misallocates resources both when it “produces” useless solar power activities in its own labs and when it subsidizes failed private solar companies.   

Anyway, thanks to Kathy for raising the important issue of the overall size of government because it is something that the policy community should focus more attention on. For data geeks, the OECD has all kinds of cross-country comparison data here. Government spending is Table 25.

Federal Spending per Household Is Skyrocketing

Everyone wants to know more about the budget and here is some key information with a chart from the Heritage Foundation and a video from the Cato Institute.

The federal government is spending more per household than ever before. Since 1965, spending per household has grown by nearly 162 percent, from $11,431 in 1965 to $29,401 in 2010. From 2010 to 2021, it is projected to rise to $35,773, a 22 percent increase.

INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS (2010)

Download

Federal Spending per Household Is Skyrocketing

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, White House Office of Management and Budget, and Congressional Budget Office.

Chart 1 of 42

In Depth

  • Policy Papers for Researchers

  • Technical Notes

    The charts in this book are based primarily on data available as of March 2011 from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The charts using OMB data display the historical growth of the federal government to 2010 while the charts using CBO data display both historical and projected growth from as early as 1940 to 2084. Projections based on OMB data are taken from the White House Fiscal Year 2012 budget. The charts provide data on an annual basis except… Read More

  • Authors

    Emily GoffResearch Assistant
    Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy StudiesKathryn NixPolicy Analyst
    Center for Health Policy StudiesJohn FlemingSenior Data Graphics Editor

October 21, 2011 – 3:07 pm Categories: Cato Institute, President Obama, spending out of control, Taxes | Post a comment

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Aaron Douglas played for Vols and Bama before dying because of drugs jh39

Aaron Douglas played for Vols and Bama before dying because of drugs jh39

Aaron Douglas was a lineman for Alabama and I have already written about another Bama lineman by the name of Barrett Jones who was a teammate of Aaron’s. Here are the two links below:

Barrett Jones of Alabama Crimson Tide (Part 1 of series “Christians in Athletics”) September 24, 2011 – 8:21 am

This Saturday is the famous “Third Saturday in October” series between Tennessee and Alabama but Aaron Douglas will not be there. Here is a story that ran in the paper yesterday.

World of hurt: Aaron Douglas’ death still pains parents, Alabama

Published: Thursday, October 20, 2011, 9:14 AM     Updated: Thursday, October 20, 2011, 9:15 AM

karla-douglas-aaron-douglas (1).jpgView full sizeKarla Douglas hugs her son, Aaron Douglas, during his high school senior night.

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — The clothes still embrace his scent. 
Journals preserve his handwriting, and the words reveal the creative flow of his mind.
Each time Karla Douglas and David Douglas begin packing away his room, vivid memories of their son open their emotions.
Karla seeks therapy. David goes hunting to think. Five months after Aaron Douglas died from a drug overdose at a house party in Florida, his parents still weep often for their son. 
Aaron was an offensive lineman at Alabama when he died May 12, his body discovered on a second-floor balcony after a random visit to a house party in Fernandina Beach, Florida, where he was vacationing. 
The thought of Aaron alone in his most vulnerable moment has been difficult for his parents to grasp.
Aaron was 21, but had always been “Momma’s boy,” Karla said. He once said in a song to his father, “Pops, you’re the man for always having my back.”
“He died all alone on that balcony,” Karla said, “and we were not there to help him.”
***
aaron-douglas-77-.jpgAaron Douglas, wearing 77, was a 6-foot-7, 275 pound offensive tackle at Alabama.
Aaron wanted to earn a college degree and play in the NFL. At 6-foot-7, 275 pounds, he was a physical phenomenon with enough talent to compete for the starting offensive left tackle spot at Alabama. After starting his career at Tennessee, he would have been at the center of attention during this rivalry week.
Aaron also challenged himself through music, penning rap lyrics he could pound out through his mouth. He hoped one day to own a recording studio.
Football and music were his passions, and he would cling to them living in the sparse desert landscape of Yuma, Arizona, one of the nation’s small border towns in the southwest corner of Arizona on the California border.
This was the place where he would wrestle back control of his world.
“His decision to go 1,989 miles away from home was a welcoming challenge,” Karla said. “He grew as a player and a person, and we saw a young man excited about life and football again.”
***
286237_10150268490528297_582948296_7571482_560304_o.jpgDavid Douglas (pictured), was an offensive lineman for Tennessee. Aaron Douglas, his son, followed in his footsteps and took No. 78 after he moved from tight end to offensive line.
The way Aaron’s collegiate career began was a dream for his parents. He attended Tennessee, where mom and dad had been athletes.
When Karla and David were married, Phillip Fulmer promised their yet-to-be-conceived son a football scholarship.
Aaron thrived in orange and white, making the transition from tight end to tackle. When he learned he was moving to the offensive line, he called David, then switched to jersey No. 78, the number his dad wore in college.
On the football field where linemen such as Anthony Munoz had been carved, Aaron proved worthy by earning freshman All-American honors in 2009.
But off the field, Aaron’s world had unraveled.
As a redshirt freshman, he began abusing prescription drugs, Karla said. She said Aaron was introduced to them by “several upperclassmen.”
“This had been going on, undetected, for months and after the third coaching change in less than two years, Aaron fell into severe depression,” Karla said. “We were so proud of him when he acknowledged his problem and asked for help.”
That’s how Aaron made the decision to leave Tennessee and regroup at Arizona Western, a junior college with a reputation of offering football players a place to resurrect their collegiate careers.
“Before he left for AWC, he spent many days and nights writing and recording ‘Lyrical Rehab,'” Karla said. “And out in Yuma with no car and not much to do, he also spent many hours writing and recording. We saw him grow from a tired, depressed, hurt boy into a smiling, happy, focused young man.”
***
Yuma.jpg
Not surprisingly, Aaron thrived in a place void of the many signs of life he was accustomed to in Tennessee. 
On the field, he earned All-American honors recruiting interest from some of the nation’s top programs. The process energized Aaron because he never truly experienced it coming out of high school. Most programs assumed he was a lock for Tennessee. 
Aaron ultimately signed with Alabama last winter and joined Matadors’ teammate Jesse Williams, who is a starting defensive end with the Crimson Tide.
“We were friends in junior college,” Williams said last month. “After transferring here, we kind of stuck together.”
***
Aaron was brought to Alabama to compete for the starting left tackle position vacated by two-year starter James Carpenter, now with the Seattle Seahawks. He competed throughout the spring with Alfred McCullough.
After three weeks, Alabama experimented with Barrett Jones, who made the move from right guard. Few could have anticipated the move would stick, especially due to circumstances out of their control.
“I still think about it when I see the locker,” Jones said. “It’s weird to see him gone.”
***
ashley-douglas-aaron-douglas.jpgAaron Douglas with his younger sister, Ashley.
“May 12 was like any other day,” Karla said. “Ashley (Aaron’s younger sister) off to school. Karla to work, and David working in his office. … Around 10 (a.m.), coach (Jeff) Stoutland called David to see if we had heard from Aaron. We both started calling and texting him over and over. Coach Stoutland called David again, and David heard concern and worry in his voice and asked what was going on.”
Word began to spread before Stoutland’s call through various websites.
Karla was on her way to a 12:30 p.m. appointment when her husband called. Stoutland had conveyed Internet reports that Aaron had been in a fatal car accident or died at a party.
“I pulled into the parking lot and called information for the police station,” Karla said. “I spoke with an officer and I recall him saying, ‘We have him. He is deceased, and we haven’t released anything to the media.'”
***
Social media left clues to the last hours of his life. Police later filled in some holes.
Aaron Douglas, 21, died May 12, according to a Florida medical examiner’s report due to a “multiple drug toxicity” of methadone, diazepam and carisoprodol. 
(Click here for the medical examiner’s report)
Karla and David both stressed Aaron had no issues with drugs at AWC or Alabama.
Rodney Young Odum, 50, was arrested in August and charged with manslaughter and sale/delivery of a controlled substance (Methadone). He has pleaded not guilty. Four others were charged with throwing an open house party.
Witnesses said Aaron was seen as late as 2 a.m. at a house party he attended while on vacation. Staying in Jacksonville, Aaron answered a call from two local women, then directed his taxi to drive him to the home where he later died.
His last words are like scattered bread crumbs. On his Facebook page his last entry was May 10: “Anyone who’s in Jacksonville, FL hit me up.”
On May 11, Douglas wrote on his Twitter account about meeting a person, who “accomplished 12 purple hearts” in Vietnam. He later sent a Tweet about the Miami Heat’s performance against the Boston Celtics. Then he wrote, “Bout to kick it with my new friends Emily!!”
His final message: “Who’s still up right now?!?”
Police responded to a call at 8:13 a.m. after a male resident and others discovered Aaron’s body on a second-floor balcony “apparently deceased.” 
Aaron was pronounced dead at the scene.
***
298265_2219189197385_1177309831_32105813_1514002825_n.jpgAlabama is wearing stickers on its helmets to recognize two tragedies. The houndstooth ribbon acknowledges the April 27 killer tornado outbreak across the state. The No. 77 recognizes the death of Aaron Douglas.
This week, Aaron’s parents will attend the Third Saturday in October wearing crimson and white. 
They anxiously anticipated the day they would watch their son face their alma mater for the first time playing for Alabama.
Aaron started for the Volunteers in 2009 when Alabama defeated Tennessee 12-10 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in a win preserved by a Terrence Cody blocked field goal in the final moments.
Those thoughts will be weighing on the minds of some.
“I wasn’t in the country when it happened. (Aaron’s death) kind of hit me by surprise,” Williams said. “I came back from working out in Australia and my dad told me. It was a bit of an emotional thing. I feel really bad for his family and everything they’ve had to go through. I try and go out there and represent not only myself, but Aaron as well when I’m playing. I just wish all the best for his family.”
Alabama coach Nick Saban, who has two children, said the loss has affected the entire program, and has made him come to terms with a unique approach.
Alabama is wearing black stickers on its helmets with Aaron’s No. 77, and the media guide has a portrait of Aaron on Page 3, the years of his life 1989-2011 below. 
The school also has left his locker vacant.
“I never had a player die before,” Saban said in July. “I have a tremendous amount of respect and a completely different feeling talking in front of our team now. Maybe you take it for granted that they’re all always going to be there. It’s probably the same thing with your children at home if you’ve ever lost one. These things all have a tremendous impact and change the perspective of things.”
***
Aaron’s Facebook account remains a living tribute to his memory. 
Dozens of people posted self-portraits holding candles, a virtual candlelight vigil on Sept. 19, which would have been his 22nd birthday. 
There are photos of Aaron through the years. A painted portrait of him at Tennessee with an embrace with his mother in the background.And a video rap tribute for Aaron and his younger sister, Ashley, who shared the same birth date.
Aaron’s father dreamed about his son every night for two months and still does on occasion. He now has a tattoo over his chest that reads, “RIP AD.”
What Karla and David remember about Aaron: He was tough. Aaron gave himself a cross tattoo when he was 15.
“He played most of his high school senior season with completely torn labrums in both shoulders and would not have surgery to not let his team down,” Karla said. “He had foot surgery the week after the A-Day game to remove a golf-ball-plus-sized bone. The doctor was amazed that he was walking, much less finished spring at Alabama.”
They said Aaron was kind and sensitive.
“He was always thinking of others,” Karla said. “He had a genuine smile that would go straight to your heart and he shared it.
“He stood up for people when they were being ridiculed or bullied. Every negative word that was said or written about him ripped his heart in two. When fans in Neyland booed the 2009 team, it hurt him to the core.”
Aaron could handle the criticism.
“When it got malicious and hateful,” Karla said, “he could just never understand why people had to be so cruel and hurtful.”
And he was their son.
“For the first few weeks after his death, I put his cologne on one of his favorite hoodies and slept with it,” Karla said. “I have two shirts in my closet to see and touch and I have listened to many of his songs, so I can hear his voice. 
One of the songs, ‘Keep Your Head High,’ played at his service, Aaron says, ‘Momma I love you and you have your son back.’ This brings comfort along with tears.”

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“Mobile drug dealer” charged in death of Aaron Douglas (SEC Lineman) jh10

Aaron Douglas has first Alabama spring football practice Lane Kiffin praises RT Aaron Douglas In the last part of July, then I spent the next few days researching the “27 Club.” It was very sad to read about these famous musicians that all died at age 27 because of suicide or drugs. Just a few weeks ago I read about Aaron Douglas […]

Ron “Pigpen” McKernan of the Grateful Dead is a member of “27 Club” because of alcohol (Part 8)

cc ‘Janis Joplin’ 2/5 from True Hollywood Story (Janis was having affair with Pigpen) Jerry Garcia (guitar, vocals), Ron “Pigpen” McKernan (vocals, harmonica), Bob Weir (guitar, vocals), Phil Lesh (bass), Mickey Hart (drums), Bill Kreutzman (drums). Grateful Dead “Don’t Ease Me In” Live @ Canadian National Exhibition Hall Toronto, CA June 27th, 1970 Grateful Dead […]

Janis Joplin joins “27 Club” three weeks after Jimi Hendrix (Part 6)

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Jimi Hendrix one of first members of the “27 club” (Part 5)

JIMI HENDRIX : FINAL INTERVIEW . The other day when Amy Winehouse died she joined the “27 Club” which includes other famous rockers who died at age 27. Most of them died because of drugs. Unfortunately Jimi Hendrix joined the club for the same reason. Something special for all music and Beat Club-Lovers on YouTube: […]

Brian Jones’ futile search for satisfaction (Part 3 of series on 27 Club)

Brian’s Blues, Brian Jones on guitar in the early stones years. unreleased track Brian Jones died at age 27 just like Amy Winehouse did. I remember like yesterday when I first heard the song “I can’t get no satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones. I immediately thought about Solomon’s search for satisfaction in the Book of […]

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Amy Winehouse’s death was expected by her family

Amy Winehouse’s family speaks out Parents, Public Braced for Amy Winehouse’s Death Through Five-Year Fade Posted Sun Jul 24, 2011 12:13pm PDT by Chris Willman To Amy Winehouse’s family, the singer/songwriter’s death was not unexpected. It was “only a matter of time,” her mother, Janis Winehouse, was quoted as saying in the Sunday Mirror. She’d […]

Amy Winehouse’s song rehab tells the story of her life, how Christ can fill that void

  Drama: Members of the press and local residents watch as Winehouse’s body is taken to the van I read this article in Christianity Today about Amy Winehouse a couple of years ago and it rings more true today than ever. How to share your faith using Amy Winehouse‘s ‘Rehab’  by Jane Dratz, Guest ColumnistPosted: Monday, February […]

A Christian response to Papa Roach’s song “The Last Resort” (Part 2)

Papa Roach – Last Resort (Censored Version) This series of posts concerns the song “The Last Resort.” Amy Winehouse died today and it was a tragic loss. That really troubled me that she did not seek spiritual help instead of turning to drugs and alcohol. This post today will give hope to those we feel like […]

Heartbreaking story of Amy Winehouse

  I am in the middle of a series on the Papa Roach song “Last Resort” which deals with suicide and then today I hear this sad story about Amy Winehouse. Inside Amy Winehouse’s troubled life With the news that British R&B star and tabloid target Amy Winehouse has died from as yet undisclosed causes, […]

A Christian response to Papa Roach’s song “The Last Resort” (Part 1)

Papa Roach – Last Resort (Censored Version) Amy Winehouse died at the young age of 27 and she had lived a life filled with drug and alcohol addiction. This series on Papa Roach is meant to provide answers to those who feel trapped. Hopefully it will people to avoid  troubles like Amy Winehouse experienced.  Today I […]

 

 

October 21, 2011 – 12:46 pm Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

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Steve Jobs to the President: “You’re headed for a one-term presidency,”

I have posted a lot about Steve Jobs and I have the links below after this fine aricle:

Lachlan Markay

October 21, 2011 at 12:04 pm

 

Steve Jobs, the late Apple founder and digital pioneer, told President Obama in a 2010 meeting that his anti-business attitude and enthusiasm for federal regulations could spell doom for his re-election bid, according to an upcoming biography of the iconic entrepreneur.

Jobs specifically cited a number of impediments to job creation and future economic growth, including onerous business regulations and stubborn teachers’ unions preventing reform of the country’s education system.

The Huffington Post, which obtained an advance copy of the book – titled “Steve Jobs” – said the man “seemed to have transformed from a liberal into a conservative.”

“You’re headed for a one-term presidency,” he told Obama at the start of their meeting, insisting that the administration needed to be more business-friendly. As an example, Jobs described the ease with which companies can build factories in China compared to the United States, where “regulations and unnecessary costs” make it difficult for them.

Jobs also criticized America’s education system, saying it was “crippled by union work rules,” noted Isaacson. “Until the teachers’ unions were broken, there was almost no hope for education reform.” Jobs proposed allowing principals to hire and fire teachers based on merit, that schools stay open until 6 p.m. and that they be open 11 months a year.

If Obama did not become more business friendly, Jobs warned, he would be “headed for a one-term presidency.”

Jobs’s legacy, wrote Heritage President Ed Feulner, is antithetical to the president’s approach to governing. The man “was a living refutation of all that liberals constantly tell us about our country,” Feulner wrote.

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Steve Jobs left conservative Lutheran upbringing behind

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Some say Steve Jobs was an atheist

According to published reports Steve Jobs was a Buddhist and he had a very interesting quote on death which I discussed in another post. Back in 1979 I saw the film series HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE? by Francis Schaeffer and I also read the book. Francis Schaeffer observes in How Should We Then Live: The Rise […]

Steve Jobs and Adoption

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address Uploaded by StanfordUniversity on Mar 7, 2008 It was a quite moving story to hear about Steve Jobs’ adoption. Ryan Scott Bomberger (www.toomanyaborted.com), co-founder of The Radiance Foundation, an adoptee and adoptive father: “As a creative professional, [Jobs’] visionary work has helped my own visions become reality. But his […]

What is the eternal impact of Steve Jobs’ life?

I have written several posts on Steve Jobs and they are listed below. Today I want to look at the eternal impact of Steve Jobs’ life. Below are the words of – R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.: “Christians cannot leave the matter where the secular world will […]

Steve Jobs versus President Obama: Who created more jobs?

I loved reading this article below. (Take a look at the link to other posts I have done on Steve Jobs.) David Boaz makes some great observations: How much value is the Post Office creating this year? Or Amtrak? Or Solyndra? And if you point out that the Post Office does create value for its […]

Steve Jobs’ view of death and what the Bible has to say about it

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address Uploaded by StanfordUniversity on Mar 7, 2008 Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks — including death […]

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Things you may not know about Steve Jobs: Steve Jobs leans against his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs (Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle/Corbis) For all of his years in the spotlight at the helm of Apple, Steve Jobs in many ways remains an inscrutable figure — even in his death. Fiercely private, Jobs concealed most specifics about […]

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  Did Steve Jobs help people even though he did not give away a lot of money? (I just finished a post concerning Steve’s religious beliefs and a post about 8 things you may not know about Steve Jobs) Uploaded by UM0kusha0kusha on Sep 16, 2010 clip from The First Round Up *1934* ~~enjoy!! ______________________________________________ In the short film […]

 

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October 21, 2011 – 12:23 pm Categories: Current Events, President Obama | Post a comment

Obama’s Budget Worsens Debt Problem, but The Heritage Plan Solves It

Obama’s Budget Worsens Debt Problem, but The Heritage Plan Solves It

Everyone wants to know more about the budget and here is some key information with a chart from the Heritage Foundation and a video from the Cato Institute.

Spending in the President’s budget proposal for 2012 would drive the debt to 87 percent of the economy by 2021. In contrast, Saving the American Dream: The Heritage Plan to Fix the Debt, Cut Spending, and Restore Prosperity solves the debt problem through strong budget reforms, lowering debt to 58 percent of GDP in just 10 years.

DEBT AS A PERCENTAGE OF GDP

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Obama's Budget Worsens Debt Problem, but The Heritage Plan Solves It

Source: President’s Budget: Congressional Budget Office and White House Office of Management and Budget; Heritage Plan: Calculations by the Center for Data Analysis based on current projections, data provided by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, and CDA policy models.

Chart 23 of 42

In Depth

October 21, 2011 – 11:30 am Categories: spending out of control | Post a comment

David Barton: In their words, did the Founding Fathers put their faith in Christ? (Part 3)

David Barton: In their words, did the Founding Fathers put their faith in Christ? (Part 3)

David Barton has put together a great collection of quotes from the founding fathers about their faith in Christ:

The Founders As Christians  

America’s Founding Fathers Deist or Christian? – DavidBarton 3/6

Robert Treat Paine
Signer of the Declaration of Independence

I desire to bless and praise the name of God most high for appointing me my birth in a land of Gospel Light where the glorious tidings of a Savior and of pardon and salvation through Him have been continually sounding in mine ears.

Robert Treat Paine, The Papers of Robert Treat Paine, Stephen Riley and Edward Hanson, editors (Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1992), Vol. I, p. 48, March/April, 1749.

[W]hen I consider that this instrument contemplates my departure from this life and all earthly enjoyments and my entrance on another state of existence, I am constrained to express my adoration of the Supreme Being, the Author of my existence, in full belief of his providential goodness and his forgiving mercy revealed to the world through Jesus Christ, through whom I hope for never ending happiness in a future state, acknowledging with grateful remembrance the happiness I have enjoyed in my passage through a long life. . .

Will of Robert Treat Paine

Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
Signer of the Constitution

To the eternal, immutable, and only true God be all honor and glory, now and forever, Amen!. . .

Will of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney

Rufus Putnam
Revolutionary War General, First Surveyor General of the United States

[F]irst, I give my soul to a holy, sovereign God Who gave it in humble hope of a blessed immortality through the atonement and righteousness of Jesus Christ and the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit. My body I commit to the earth to be buried in a decent Christian manner. I fully believe that this body shall, by the mighty power of God, be raised to life at the last day; ‘for this corruptable (sic) must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality.’ [I Corinthians 15:53]

Will of Rufus Putnam

Benjamin Rush
Signer of the Declaration of Independence

My only hope of salvation is in the infinite, transcendent love of God manifested to the world by the death of His Son upon the cross. Nothing but His blood will wash away my sins. I rely exclusively upon it. Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!

Benjamin Rush, The Autobiography of Benjamin Rush, George Corner, editor (Princeton: Princeton University Press for the American Philosophical Society, 1948), p. 166, Travels Through Life, An Account of Sundry Incidents & Events in the Life of Benjamin Rush.

Roger Sherman
Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Signer of the Constitution

I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. . . . that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are a revelation from God. . . . that God did send His own Son to become man, die in the room and stead of sinners, and thus to lay a foundation for the offer of pardon and salvation to all mankind so as all may be saved who are willing to accept the Gospel offer.

Lewis Henry Boutell, The Life of Roger Sherman (Chicago: A. C. McClurg and Company, 1896), pp. 272-273.

Richard Stockton
Signer of the Declaration of Independence

I think it proper here not only to subscribe to the entire belief of the great and leading doctrines of the Christian religion, such as the Being of God, the universal defection and depravity of human nature, the divinity of the person and the completeness of the redemption purchased by the blessed Savior, the necessity of the operations of the Divine Spirit, of Divine Faith, accompanied with an habitual virtuous life, and the universality of the divine Providence, but also . . . that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; that the way of life held up in the Christian system is calculated for the most complete happiness that can be enjoyed in this mortal state; that all occasions of vice and immorality is injurious either immediately or consequentially, even in this life; that as Almighty God hath not been pleased in the Holy Scriptures to prescribe any precise mode in which He is to be publicly worshiped, all contention about it generally arises from want of knowledge or want of virtue.

Will of Richard Stockton

October 21, 2011 – 10:32 am Categories: David Barton, Founding Fathers | Post a comment

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Bill Clinton is funny, there is no doubt about that

Bill Clinton is funny, there is no doubt about that

I first met Bill Clinton in 1983 in a small meeting in Little Rock at the Excelsior Hotel where he later had the run in with Paula Jones in May of 1991. Clinton was late for our meeting with 30 small business owners and he was very funny when he got there. He said he had a crisis in government and he had a very important meeting. It was with Hillary!! Then he went through the room and called almost everyone by name. I was amazed at his memory and humor.

The Arkansas Times Blog had this up a few days ago and it is very funny.

Clinton Foundation Celebrity Brainstorm

Uploaded by on Oct 18, 2011

Bill Clinton and Funny or Die team up for this funny promo with Ben Stiller, Matt Damon, Kevin Spacey, Sean Penn, Kristen Wiig, Jack Black, Ted Danson,and Mary Steenburgen

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Bill Clinton
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Bill Clinton

The former president joins all-star cast that includes Ben Stiller, Ted Danson, Kevin Spacey, Matt Damon and Sean Penn to goof on his charitable foundation.

Funny or Die never seems to have trouble getting A-list stars to appear in their low-budget web projects. But it may have outdone itself with its latest video, which is packed with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, alongside a former U.S. president, no less.

The video premiered Saturday on two giant screens at the Hollywood Bowl during a concert benefiting the William Jefferson Clinton Foundation, and Funny or Die posted it online midnight Tuesday.

PHOTO: Best Presidents in Film and Television

The premise has Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Matt Damon, Sean Penn, Kristen Wiig, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen making up the Clinton Foundation’s Celebrity Division. Kevin Spacey may or may not be part of that team.

Christin Trogan, who produced the video, said each star dedicated about two hours to the project and that it was shot over five days last month. While it appears most of the actors are in the same room at the same time, that was only the case with Stiller, Danson and Steenburgen.

“It was long days for the crew, for sure, creating that continuity and that world where they’re together, right down to the littlest things, like where a bagel was placed,” Trogan said.

PHOTOS: Actors Who’ve Played Politicians

Clinton was shot at his Foundation office in New York, where he is shown reprimanding Spacey for commandeering his desk, though Spacey’s end of the conversation was shot in California. Black was also in California while the rest of the cast was in New York.

The five-minute video is called Clinton Foundation: Celebrity Brainstorm.

The sketch was written by Funny or Die staff writer Alex Fernie, though the actors ad-libbed here and there and others contributed ideas and dialogue. If there were any stars who declined the opportunity to appear in the video, Funny or Die isn’t saying.

PHOTOS: President George W. Bush on 9/11

“It was one of those things where, when we were going through the bits, we had certain people in mind, and we got really lucky that they were able to be part of it,” Trogan said.  “It was almost like some other force was blessing this video and enabling it to come together.”

Josh Greenbaum directed the short, which he co-wrote with Alex Fernie.

October 21, 2011 – 9:09 am Categories: Bill Clinton | Post a comment

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