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Andy Thornley

@apthornley.bsky.social
817 followers 2.5K following 202 posts

velocitizen / bullfighter 📍the streets of San Francisco #OperationalizeEverydayBicycling #QuestionAutomobileEssentialism

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Reposted by Andy Thornley
Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 19h
Sliwa getting a flu shot: This could be very embarrassing. I’m supposed to be a tough guy, right? Mamdani: I can hold your hand. Sliwa: What happens if I faint? Mamdani: I got you. Doctor: You’re in great hands, literally. New Yorkers can find free flu shots and locations at nyc.gov/healthmap
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Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 19h
"I'm supposed to be a tough guy," Curtis confided. "I can hold your hand," the mayor offered "What happens if I faint?" Sliwa asked. "I've got you," Mamdani assured him, grabbing his hand as Sliwa received his flu shot. abc7ny.com/post/nyc-may...
abc7ny.com
Mayor Mamdani holds hands with one-time rival Curtis Sliwa to get flu shot
An apparent bromance has continued to blossom for the one-time political rivals.
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Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
A little bit of whimsy along a curbside bike lane in London. I love these tulips!
green plastic bike lane post with purple plastic tulip on top.Row of bike lane posts with red and pink and orange plastic tulips on top.Cyclist in curbside bike lane on city street.
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Robert Prinz @prinzrob.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
My last #Slowkland Lake Merritt loop bike ride of the year is coming up tomorrow (Tues 9/29/2026), starting 5:30pm from Lake Merritt BART. We will check out the latest bikeway construction activity & learn about what's coming next. All are welcome, info here: bikeeastbay.org/lake-merritt...
bikeeastbay.org
Lake Merritt Loop Campaign Update September 2026 - Bike East Bay
Lake Merritt group bike rides and cycletrack construction updates on Grand Ave and Lakeshore Ave.
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Reposted by Andy Thornley
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 26/09/2026
Being a leftist means taking big shots. And making them.
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How-Sen Chong @how-sen.com · 26/09/2026
And a reminder that this is what this stretch of road used to look like. With one lane of through-traffic on each side, and one lane of parking. Cars essentially have the same amount of road space, including a parking lane. The main thing that’s changed is that cyclists now have a protected lane.
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Andy Thornley @apthornley.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
a simple geometry demonstration in Toronto
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Cool Bike Art @coolbikeart1.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
"Another beautiful day in LA, decided to take a bike ride across the Universal Studios lot." -actor Michael Douglas on his Facebook page, January 2014 #BicycleBirthday September 25, 1944
Photo of Michael Douglas resting astride a Pedego cruiser e-bike in the middle of a street. Behind him is a street sign that says, "Gregory Peck Dr." The bike has an enormous front basket.
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Jane Natoli 🥑🚲🍍 @wafoli.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Joking aside, it's always important for decisionmakers to know people actually support more homes! At Grow the Richmond, we support over 500 new homes and a new Safeway. Sign the petition, get involved to support more homes in the Richmond! actionnetwork.org/petitions/su...
actionnetwork.org
Support new homes and an expanded grocery store at 850 La Playa!
A home builder has recently put forward a proposal to bring 526 new rental homes and a new grocery store to 850 La Playa (currently the Outer Richmond Safeway). This is a massive opportunity to brin...
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Hackney Cyclist @hackneycyclist.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Ginnekenmarkt, Breda in 1978 and today
In 1978 the street is packed with cars, parked and queuing nose to tail. A lorry and a couple of cyclists are stuck among them in the distance. Today the street is now paved in brick with no cars in sight. A woman rides an e-bike towards the camera down the middle of the street.
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Andy Thornley @apthornley.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
You’ve got to admire how thoroughly Bret stays in character with his clue-impaired bad-takes schtick, but maybe you should move him to your Self-Parody page, @nytimes.com
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Reposted by Andy Thornley
elia ayoub @ayoub.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Friend shared this video of a man unveiling the library he hid when he fled Damascus in 2011. It’s incredible
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Andy Thornley @apthornley.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Not the first bike-centered wedding I've seen on JFK Drive/Promenade but certainly the most full-blown, spectacularly sweet (and how about that perfect weather?) www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf/arti...
sfchronicle.com
They wanted an all-bike S.F. wedding. But what about 95-year-old Grandma Meryl?
Debs Schrimmer and Matt Redmond had an unusual wedding request: They wanted every guest to ride to the reception on a bicycle through Golden Gate Park. Here’s how it went.
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Robert Prinz @prinzrob.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Heads up that there is a bug with the BikeLink app today which prevents people from logging in, even if they already have a bike stowed in a locker. I have confirmed that simply deleting and reinstalling the app fixes the issue. Please share!
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
"What are they hiding?" is always a stupid line, but it's rich coming from the guy who got caught taking a $50,000 bribe in a Cava bag.
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Dr. Genevieve Eastabrook, MD FRCSC (she/her) @placentadoc.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Findings of new study – released as fuel prices for motor vehicles soar internationally – include fatality rates dropping, per 10 million trips, by 88% in Paris, 82% in London and 62% in New York City Meanwhile in Ontario…Doug Ford is demanding that bike lanes are removed! 😱
newsroom.taylorandfrancisgroup.com
Post-pandemic cycling boom in major cities, as cyclist safety improved thanks to more and better cycling infrastructure - Taylor & Francis Newsroom
Cycling in some of the world’s largest cities has continued to increase since the pandemic, thanks to safer and improved infrastructure which is also leading to a drop in fatality rates. Tracking data...
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Robert Prinz @prinzrob.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Who wants a sticker? Come find me at Bike East Bay’s annual Biketopia event in Oakland this upcoming Wednesday: BikeEastBay.org/Biketopia
Photo of stickers reading “Bike East Bay - purveyor of only the finest DEI bike lanes since 1972”
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Andy Thornley @apthornley.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
"The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. This is not a marketing stunt." www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
sfchronicle.com
How could AI ‘kill all humans’ or ‘cause human extinction’? Here’s what experts say
An AI researcher’s viral online warning that AI could kill off humanity this decade prompted widespread panic of a tech-led apocalypse. Here’s what that apocalypse might look like.
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Eric Columbus @ericcolumbus.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Happy 72nd Birthday to Ruby Bridges, who at the age of 6 desegregated the New Orleans public schools. She’s younger than 30 senators and our last two presidents—and only 7 years older than Barack Obama. The past isn’t past.
Ruby Bridges, age 6Ruby Bridges flanked by three U.S. Marshals on the steps of her schoolNorman Rockwell’s painting depicting the event, “The Problem We All Live With,” originally published as a centerfold in the January 14, 1964 issue of Look magazine. Ruby Bridges talking with President Obama as they look at Rockwell’s painting while it was temporarily displayed at the White House in 2011.
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Andy Thornley @apthornley.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Ivan Illich would have turned 100 last Friday had he lived this long (he passed in 2002), this would be a good time to re-read (or just read) his classic 𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐸𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑦, mind the critical threshold bit.ly/2mvuwDC
photo of Mrs. Louis Fitzgerald riding a bicycle on Ocean Ave during a San Francisco streetcar strike in 1946, courtesy of the @SFPublicLibrary SF Historical Photograph Collection
http://sflib1.sfpl.org:82/record=b1030326
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Daniel Moser @dmoser.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Pollution levels in London after 10 years of advancing sustainable transport.
Map showing Lower Pollution levels in London after 10 years of advancing sustainable transport.
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Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I feel like I’m living In a dystopian novel written in 1993 that was rejected by dozens of publishers because it was incredibly stupid.
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Andy Thornley @apthornley.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
"We believe that there is something wrong, dare I say goofy, about the concept of having folks on scooters and bicycles commingling and intersecting daily with multiton vehicles in an 11-foot-wide lane." – Rich Schoenberger, attorney for Yebin Kim's family www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s...
sfchronicle.com
South Korean woman came to San Francisco to pursue her dreams. Then a truck killed her on Market Street
Yebin Kim, who died when she was struck while riding her scooter in San Francisco, is remembered as an ambitious and caring daughter. “I miss everything about her,” Kim’s mother said.
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Canadian History Ehx @cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Before Europeans arrived, these were some of the names for The Great Lakes: Superior: gichi-gami (great sea) Erie: erielhonan (long tail) Michigan: michigami (long body of water) Ontario: Ontarí'io\kanadario (great lake\beautiful water) Huron: karegnondi (fresh water sea)
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Stacey Burns @wentrogue.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Jennifer Nelson’s entry to this year’s Minnesota State Fair crop art
A localized version of Guernica with a loon at the center and a person holding an ICE OUT sign 

“My piece was inspired by Picasso's Guernica, a work that was his response to the Nazi's bombing of the Basque town. I thought there was a fitting parallel between these incidents about the high price paid by ordinary people when aggressive regimes try out new tactics of war, as well as a fitting juxtaposition of the darkness of living such an experience and the light we shone through it in our own resistance and care for one another. The patterns near Renee Good and Alex Pretti’s mouths are actually their last words in Morse code: ‘I’m not mad at you,’ and ‘Are you okay?’” 

Jennifer Nelson
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Anjali Dayal @anjalikdayal.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
"My piece was inspired by Picasso's Guernica...The patterns near Renee Good and Alex Pretti’s mouths are actually their last words in Morse code: ‘I’m not mad at you,’ and ‘Are you okay?’” -Jennifer Nelson (quoted in the linked booklet, alongside other extraordinary pieces)
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 26/08/2026
a post from President Trump: "I don't think the GOP fully grasp how badly they are fucking up right now"
cap of a Trump reports on Truth Social of Matt Van Swol dragging Republicans
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Cate Blanchett left the National Theatre in London after her performance in Electra/Persona on a Brompton Electric C Line. 😍
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Jake Gotta @jakegotta.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Happy to say this story I’ve been working on for like, months is finally out! Watch Evening Edition tonight on KPBS for more! www.kpbs.org/news/local/2...
kpbs.org
Yes, e-bikes can be dangerous. But experts say San Diego County streets need to be safer
Several cities in San Diego have passed ordinances aimed at improving safety for e-bikers, but many lack the level of bike infrastructure that would do more to protect riders.
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Nick @nicksattele.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Bus lanes coming along! Should be done tonight in time for Monday rush hour!!
Selfie with bus laneBus plushie in bus laneCrews painting bus lane
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The War on Cars @thewaroncars.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
"It’s amazing how I’m able to ride around on a bike. People kind of see it’s me but since I’m on a bike, they think, ‘No, it’s not her.’ And by the time they realize it’s me, I’m already gone. It’s great to do something normal every day. It keeps me grounded.” - Beyoncé
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Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
As you can tell from this short thread, Korte is a pro, and some national MSM outlet ought to pick her up and get her back in print, pronto. You'd get a lot of great stories, and you'd drive Hegseth bananas.
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Lara Korte • @lara_korte • 5h Today, I was informed that the Department of Defense is firing me for insubordination after I told a CBS reporter that I work for Stars and Stripes not the Pentagon, not any administration, and not any policy maker. © 1.4K Lara Korte 4 @lara korte • 5h I consider it a great privilege to live alongside members of the military and share their stories. It's a shame for the institution and service members, who swore to defend the Constitution and deserve the right to a free and independent press. - 42 Lara Korte @lara korte I'm proud of the work my colleagues and I do at Stars and Stripes, especially the last six months covering the protracted conflict in Iran. Military families and service members have trusted us to share their experience with the world and I don't take that lightly. 3:29 PM • Aug 21, 2026 • 116K Views 24

13 5K 17 329

20K C 3.7K

Ill 1.5M Ill 148K

t? 326

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Andy Thornley @apthornley.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
I got a fundraising email from John Giles, hoping to be Arizona's first lieutenant governor as Katie Hobbs' running mate, turns out AZ Lieutenant Governor is a "future political office", you don't hear that phrase used much en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieuten...
en.wikipedia.org
Lieutenant Governor of Arizona - Wikipedia
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Will Bunch @willbunch.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Stars and Stripes is literally in my DNA My maternal grandfather, Tom Blender, worked for them in World War II before a career that ended up at the Milwaukee Journal as a news editor I and now my son are carrying on that proud tradition Trump is out to destroy it www.nytimes.com/2026/08/21/u...
nytimes.com
Pentagon Fires Editor and Publisher of Independent Military Publication
The firings at Stars and Stripes also claimed a Middle East correspondent. They are the latest effort by the Pentagon to diminish the news outlet’s editorial independence.
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Scott Nover @scottnover.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Scoop with @liamjscott.bsky.social: The Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes's publisher, editor-in-chief, and a reporter today following criticism of DOD interference. The EIC and reporter were fired for "insubordination" for doing a CBS interview. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
washingtonpost.com
Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes leaders who criticized DOD’s interference
The Defense Department earlier this year railed against the publication, which has long enjoyed editorial independence, as “woke.”
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Andy Thornley @apthornley.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Good news, no surprise, it's been quite effective everywhere it's been deployed (still just a pilot in CA, we're late adopters when it comes to taming motordom) www.sfchronicle.com/eastbay/arti...
sfchronicle.com
Oakland installed new automated speed cameras. Drivers’ behavior changed dramatically
Cameras installed to reduce dangerous driving have worked in Oakland, according to a city report. “We’re seeing that this is a high return-on-investment for safety on our streets.”
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Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
The U.S. war with Iran is effectively over. Trump has surrendered. The NYT reports the facts, but is too meek to state the obvious conclusion. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/20/w...
nytimes.com
The Message Behind Trump’s Threats of ‘Economic Warfare’ Against Iran
President Trump’s threats of an “economic D-Day” carry a clear signal to Iran that he does not want to go back to war.
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Bikepedantic @pedantic.bike · 20/08/2026
Cut through the click-baity conclusion here, as well as the recent e-scooter/e-bike panic -- this article has a very good discussion of some of the inherently unsafe vehicle dynamics of the e-scooter.
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Andy Thornley @apthornley.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I'm not especially interested in the US military but I started following @starsandstripes.bsky.social a couple years ago after reading a couple of good posts, I've been impressed by their smart honest editorial direction, I guess we won't see so much of that now www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/...
aljazeera.com
Publisher of US military newspaper resigns over differences with government
Retirement of longtime Stars and Stripes publisher comes amid the Trump administration's push for editorial control.
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Andy Thornley @apthornley.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Ahoy, SF open streets peeps, who can tell me when the first Sunday Streets on Valencia Street took place? I'll guess 2011 or 2012 . . . Bonus points for anyone who can tell me how many times Valencia has been part of a Sunday Streets "route"
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Melissa & Chris Bruntlett @modacitylife.com · 29/07/2026
After discovering @bicycledutch.bsky.social, a Tsinghua University professor advocated for the fietsstraat: where cyclists are the main users and cars are guests. Today, that idea has spread across Beijing: Hundreds of kilometres of bike-priority streets now form the backbone of the city’s network.
Photos of a fietsstraat, or bicycle-priority streets where cyclists are the main users and cars are guests, along a quieter side road in Beijing.
Photos of a fietsstraat, or bicycle-priority streets where cyclists are the main users and cars are guests, along a quieter side road in Beijing.
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bikebike @bikebikeyyc.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Cody, drops a truth bomb - "The cyclist’s sin is not that they slowed you down. Their sin is that they demonstrated the trip could be made without the two-ton machine, in front of witnesses." #yycbike medium.com/@cody.little...
medium.com
We Don’t Have a Culture of Convenience in North America. We Have a CULT of Convenience.
And you can tell the difference by what happens when you question it.
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kenofseattle @kenofseattle.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
We can verify the daily physical status of a specific Seattle raccoon but apparently we're completely unable to determine whether a United States Senator is alive or dead.
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
This is framed as a feel-good story, but it should scare the wits out of anybody on the road. Tesla's deceptive marketing is convincing seniors that the cars drive themselves. In reality, a human must always be ready to intervene. If someone lacks the ability to do that, they shouldn't be driving!
detroitnews.com
Forget rideshare. How seniors are using Teslas for transportation
As Waymo and Tesla robotaxi services promise more rides for more cities, seniors are taking matters into their own hands and self-driving Teslas.
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Streetsblog Chicago @chi.streetsblog.org · 28/07/2026
@lakecountynews-sun.bsky.social, we agree that high-speed electric motorcycles, involved in 3 recent tragic deadly crashes in the suburbs, need more regulation. But please *don't* call them "e-bikes." They're not pedaled, and shouldn't be confused with, say, 20 mph e-@divvybikes.bsky.social. Thanks!
chicagotribune.com
Column: For Lake County pedestrians, e-bikes becoming pests
Slapping an electric motor on a bicycle or scooter seemed like a good idea.
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Clarence Eckerson Jr./Streetfilms @streetfilms.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
So here is what Donald Appleyard researched and was able to determine about how much better neighborhoods are without fast, constant & noisy traffic! @openplans.org @nyc.streetsblog.org www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc6t...
youtube.com
Donald Appleyard's Research Explains the Strong Community Bonds on 34th Ave Open Street (segment)
YouTube video by Streetfilms®
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Clarence Eckerson Jr./Streetfilms @streetfilms.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Here's a schematic of the work of Donald Appleyard that ALL serious transportation experts & urbanists should know but I'd wager 90% DO NOT - including many of my best friends working in the field. Want to know what he did? Rather than me explain just view the video in the attached post below!
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Melissa & Chris Bruntlett @modacitylife.com · 26/07/2026
10,000 fewer on-street car parking spaces. That's the pledge from Amsterdam's new coalition government over the next four years. While many cities still argue whether change is possible, Amsterdam is reclaiming its public realm one tree, bench, bike rack, terrace, playground, and garden at a time.
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Mock Op-Ed Text:

Here's Why It Would Never a Mistake To Do Anything That Inconveniences Rich Assholes

by Some Rich Asshole
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Rep. Jim McGovern @repmcgovern.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
WE WILL STOP FASCISM. 🇺🇸
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