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Their winter olympic sports teams suck rear end.
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Jul 4, 2015 06:58
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Agag posted:You rent a truckload of gunboys before you do business in a place like the Congo. In Singapore the cops will wreck any untermensch who get in your face while you're on your way to buy noodles at the mall, so you don't need to do this. I agree that its a streamlined experience. i've never been to singapore all i know is that it has the cleanest whorehouses in asia according to my navy friend and its safe and clean hong kong is probably more interesting but singapore works the way it is the alternative is to be sucked up into Malaysia again, a true shithole
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Jul 4, 2015 07:06
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I saw this thread and thought "when I was a kid, I heard they caned someone for chewing gum" and figured that was a rumor or a comically outdated stereotype Looks like I was wrong!
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Jul 4, 2015 07:09
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you were warned posted:I saw this thread and thought "when I was a kid, I heard they caned someone for chewing gum" and figured that was a rumor or a comically outdated stereotype you were warned
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Jul 4, 2015 07:10
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Top City Homo posted:i've never been to singapore I've spent a lot of time in Hong Kong (rules) and I've passed through Kuala Lumpur (also seemed cool, but rougher). I've never been to Singapore either, but if a bunch of water cooler wimp coders think your lovely 70's dictator was cool, I decide he is uncool. I get what people who live there like about it. If you have money its a giant safe shopping mall and the police beat down the lower classes and keep them out of sight. I understand why a certain type of person likes this, but it is not my style.
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Jul 4, 2015 07:14
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singapore illustrates well how important rule of law and low corruption are. it's really pleasant for an authoritarian dictatorship. and the food seriously owns. so delicious, cheap and varied.
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Jul 4, 2015 08:30
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Jeffrey of YOSPOS posted:it'd be interesting to look at their relative prosperity with metrics (life satisfaction, infant mortality rate, poo poo like that) instead of just ranking by ideological purity - both places are obviously quite prosperous but I don't believe you have a good reason to believe that one is better in practice than the other besides that you want it to be true I respect Lee Kuan Yew and if his style of authoritarianism works for their culture then I can't complain, but fact is Scandinavian countries consistently rank highest on every important metric (except education, for obvious reasons) while Singapore is like a blip surrounded by destitution in comparison. It always seemed to me that Singapore is the new Chile that authoritarians can point to whenever they need their ideology validated, ignoring the relative brevity of the experiment and all the surrounding failures
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Jul 4, 2015 08:54
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Lucy Heartfilia posted:singapore illustrates well how important rule of law and low corruption are. it's really pleasant for an authoritarian dictatorship. and the food seriously owns. so delicious, cheap and varied. Jackie Chan once said, concerning China's harsh authoritarian government, that Chinese people are 'too free', and basically won't do the right thing if left to their own devices and so need the heavy hand of authority to keep them in line. As such, Singapore is a perfect example of a functioning government, without which the Chinese would run rampant, cutting corners and cheating everyone. e: Hm, then again, he also describes Taiwan as being exactly this sort of 'chaotic', when from everything goons say about Chinese countries, I've always had the impression that Taiwan is top-tier Chinese country.
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Jul 4, 2015 09:28
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singapore is about as good as authoritarian non-democracies can get though. lee kuan yew is dead. let's see if things begin to fall apart like they tend to do with this kind of government. Every generation change is a big gamble after all and things can go to poo poo fast.
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Jul 4, 2015 09:51
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It's fun being white as everyone assumes your stupid rich and gets out of your way. The humidity loving sucks rear end, though.
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Jul 4, 2015 10:36
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The Rabbi T. White posted:It's fun being white as everyone assumes your stupid rich and gets out of your way. People get out of your way?! Everyone just shoves in front of me on the buses and trains. I mean, occasionally people get out of my way because I'm white, but it's mostly because I'm loving huge (comparatively) and pushy. e: Heh, now that I think about it, I guess taking the bus would kinda preclude people from assuming I'm hella rich.
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Jul 4, 2015 10:51
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st1LL_51ngl3 posted:People get out of your way?! Everyone just shoves in front of me on the buses and trains. I mean, occasionally people get out of my way because I'm white, but it's mostly because I'm loving huge (comparatively) and pushy. I've never got on a bus any time I've been there. Taxis are so cheap and the SMRT rules, so catching a bus seemed silly. I can highly recommend the rock bar at the top of 4 Floors. Once you let the hookers know you're not interested, they have an amazing 80's/90's hair metal cover band.
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Jul 4, 2015 10:58
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The Rabbi T. White posted:Once you let the hookers know you're not interested Woah, hey, let's not get ahead of ourselves now.
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Jul 4, 2015 11:23
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Singapore is freakishly safe with the harsh approach to crime. People left their phones and handbags chilling on tables unattended in crowded food courts/hawkers markets to reserve them. Once saw two police chasing a guy, though they were all kinda jogging because it's way too hot/humid and let's be honest it's an island. Not going anywhere. If you're worried about stepping out of line and breaking a law then stop being paranoid. Don't take drugs with you or bother with them whilst in sing, do other stuff and just save it til your elsewhere. If you can't wait that long then I suppose don't go to sing. I remember a big sign with: "There has been ONE bike theft in this area in the last week, please report any suspicious activity." We have a much higher bike turnover back in the uk. Some of the bigger shopping areas are connected with mazelike underground tunnels because gently caress going outside. Pretty sure the entire of Orchard Road will sink into the ground one day. There are clubs, bars a few "irish" pubs. One pub nearby was the self declared home of liverpool fc, I remember going there when they had a game on and seeing it packed with expats and singapore natives with poor choices in football teams. Alcohol is so loving expensive though. Very pretty in places, head up bukit timah or the ridge I forget the name of. Also Sungei Boloh reserve is great for some wildlife and birds. You'll see big waterlizards lazing in the sun, one step down from komodo dragons. Some huge salt water crocs at sungei, occasionally falling asleep on paths. They've got a particular species of spider, a kind of orb weaver whuch is a contender for largest spider in the world and can gently caress right off. Botanical gardens are pretty great. Ton of birds around singapore if you know where to look/care. Stork billed kingfisher is the snazziest bird.   Marina bay sands is an insane monument to wealth and gambling and is filled with every kind of shop no one will ever actually buy anything in. Singapore Grand Prix is a great shout, pricey but just get the tickets that allow you access to zones but not the stands, then just sit/stand right next to super loving expensive seats for a fraction of the cost. Gardens by the bay is also in the area and is decent, except the exhibit where the gutted a buncha caves in indonesia so they could get some stalactites.  Eat absolutely everything. They've got food from all over the shop. Laksa, kway teow, mee goreng, prata. All the malay, indonesian, indian, chinese, Japanese food. If you're wondering what an overpowering but unique stench is in a market, it's durian. If someone has been in an area in the last few days with a durian it will still reek. Banned on the subway. Tastes better than it smells. Smells even stronger when you breathe back out through your nose after you've taken a bite, like being smacked from inside your own face. Sugar cane juice is addictive.  Every morning a huge number of malysians commute into singapore, work insane hours for minimal pay, then are kicked back out. Leave Singapore by the bridge in the morning and watch the queue stretch out for infinity. Driving in Malaysia is depressing as poo poo though, you can drive for a day and see nothing but palm plantations. Singapore also has conscription, a couple of years in the army. This is non optional. You do the two years either in the army, or in jail (+ a bonus year and large fine just because). Study abroad? It's happening. Avoiding it til your 40 and therefore too old and you'll land yourself in jail. To drive a car you have to buy a ten year license for the car. This gets more and more expensive and is pretty much 90% of the cost of a car in singapore. It's attached to the car though, so you can buy a car with a few years left for (relatively) cheaper. And it's a super clean city. Amazing how much difference banning gum seems to make.
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Jul 4, 2015 12:17
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Jeffrey of YOSPOS posted:nah happiness in aggregate matters more, if you could torture one guy indefinitely and somehow it solves world hunger and prevents malaria worldwide, you should do it Gonna have to disagree with you there. I could never live comfortably with the knowledge of that one person being tortured for my benefit. I am sure many others would feel the same. I would rather just catch malaria and die or whatever.
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Jul 4, 2015 12:21
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Bleremiah posted:Singapore is freakishly safe with the harsh approach to crime. People left their phones and handbags chilling on tables unattended in crowded food courts/hawkers markets to reserve them. Once saw two police chasing a guy, though they were all kinda jogging because it's way too hot/humid and let's be honest it's an island. Not going anywhere. If you're worried about stepping out of line and breaking a law then stop being paranoid. Don't take drugs with you or bother with them whilst in sing, do other stuff and just save it til your elsewhere. If you can't wait that long then I suppose don't go to sing. Don't forget Sentosa Island, especially if you're a family type, or just like theme parks cause they've got some kickass beaches there and Universal studios. Not to mention the massive god drat merlion statue: 
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Jul 4, 2015 12:37
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s0m3 guy posted:its also fuckin boring and they all have a sense of humor next to torture This is the main problem. Singapore is the only place I've ever been close to emigrating to. Unlike most Brits who can't wait to ditch this miserable island for Aus/Spain/France/Canada I've never been that keen to leave. But when my ex lived there for a few years when she was young and always remembered it as a utopia. So when we had a daughter she thought maybe it'd be best if we moved there, so her dad was able to line up a job for me and we went there for a week to check it out. It was nice but pretty quickly I realised it reminded me of when you would go to your posh friend's house as a kid. It was big and quiet but you almost felt like you couldn't really relax. It is a cool place, safe and clean but I guess I'm the scum of society and if I lived there I'd miss the little things like sitting outside having smoke, getting blackout drunk now and then and being a oval office or even playing loud music. And part me kind of also wanted my kid to experience the part of being a teenager where you are an anti-social shithead with your friends now and then. So I convinced my ex that if we lived there it'd be too much of a financial strain and we/I would miss out friends and family. Maybe I didn't make the right choice since we separated a few years later and maybe I should have gave the place a try for a year at least but I don't know there was just something really bland about the whole place on the first impression. But if you like it then cool. It has a slight overbearing edge to it but when you look at it despite impressions it's probably less/equally totalitarian as the UK/USA is. That's my dull experience with Singapore.
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Jul 4, 2015 12:41
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RennZero posted:Gonna have to disagree with you there. I could never live comfortably with the knowledge of that one person being tortured for my benefit. I am sure many others would feel the same. I would rather just catch malaria and die or whatever. I guess you're going to sell all of your modern possessions then and go break rocks by hand in the Congo or work 16 hours a day on an assembly line in a sweatshop in Thailand. People there are being subjected to unsafe, unfair working conditions for hundredths of what you probably get paid an hour so that your luxury consumer goods can be sold at an affordable enough price for there to be an actual market for them. Your computer was paid for with food stolen off of their tables. But it's worth it because, even if the vast majority of the people who get to live the middle class+ life of ease in the developed world waste it by poopsocking world of warcraft or whatever, the fact that a few of us get the chance to engage in pursuits like art, astrophysics, advanced number theory, etc., is what makes our species different from every other one on earth and thus gives meaning to our collective existence.
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Jul 4, 2015 12:44
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one day some brilliant mathematician will formulate a proof for the goldbach conjecture if you were somehow able to work out the collective suffering his fellow human beings went through in order to afford him the opportunities necessary to do that and then express it in, I don't know, a number of africans that had to live short brutal lives in abject squalor on the equivalent of a single dollar a day or whatever, how many do you think it'd be? idk, a hundred thousand? a million? a billion? I can't think of a number where I can definitely say "nope, not worth it"
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Jul 4, 2015 12:48
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1) too hot & humid. you like stepping out of the shower & sweating immediately? 2) exorbitant prices for cars & housing 3) there isn't much of the "western culture" you'd find in cities like new york and london: musicals, plays, museums etc,. i mean they exist but they're generally mediocre 4) no drugs. not once, not ever unless you literally want to die 5) 80% of the population is stressed out and pissed off all the time if you're rich you can bulldoze all of these problems. truly the wealthy's paradise.
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Jul 4, 2015 12:56
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They have easily the worst and most annoying English dialect.
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Jul 4, 2015 12:57
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Groovelord Neato posted:They have easily the worst and most annoying English dialect. i think it's cute
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Jul 4, 2015 13:03
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TacticalUrbanHomo posted:one day some brilliant mathematician will formulate a proof for the goldbach conjecture It'd definitely be worth it if all the victims shared the highest coefficient of relationship with you
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Jul 4, 2015 13:22
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didnt read this thread but i will say singapore
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Jul 4, 2015 13:46
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baw posted:i don't think they even sell gum baw posted:i cant see the smiley you used, please describe it to me in precise detail XMNN posted:singapore seems like the sort of society i would build in tropico Before that there was an airline pilot strike and LKY dug into the leader's details and found out that he had just bought a house in Australia and next thing you know his work permit lapsed really fast. So in a nutshell, if you're going to unionise and strike, probably don't. Also another thing is that people who are underpaid, like the $20 per day Tamil worker they put on trial after the Little India events, that they're making more money than they would back home. $20 per day? That's nothing to you or me, but amongst his friends back in Tamil Naidu he is Mr Moneybags. And yeah, if you're eating at the hawker centres or your company is providing you accommodation then you can put most of that in the bank to remit home. Serjeant Snubbin fucked around with this message at 14:12 on Jul 4, 2015 |
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Jul 4, 2015 13:55
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SweetKarma posted:Nobody books a ticket for another country just for the food. Unless you're rich and feel like tasting food in another country makes you "cultured". When Heston Blumenthal said he would open Greasy Duck in Melbourne for 6 months the papers in Singapore ran articles about how it's now easier to get to the Greasy Duck and it's just a short plane flight away. True story.
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Jul 4, 2015 13:59
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Vegetable posted:1) too hot & humid. you like stepping out of the shower & sweating immediately? Vegetable posted:2) exorbitant prices for cars & housing Vegetable posted:3) there isn't much of the "western culture" you'd find in cities like new york and london: musicals, plays, museums etc,. i mean they exist but they're generally mediocre Vegetable posted:4) no drugs. not once, not ever unless you literally want to die Vegetable posted:5) 80% of the population is stressed out and pissed off all the time if you're rich you can bulldoze all of these problems. truly the wealthy's paradise. Murray Mantoinette fucked around with this message at 14:08 on Jul 4, 2015 |
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Jul 4, 2015 14:06
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kimihia posted:That is correct. Wrigley's lobbied the US government and they talked to the Singapore and now your dentist can prescribe gum. But you can't buy it. Yeah, I run firefox and keep a separate tab with a smiley image and the forums' .css stylesheet loaded. Whenever things on the forums start looking weird i just reload those tabs, type in the captcha and then everything starts loading normally again for a while.
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Jul 4, 2015 14:07
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Lucy Heartfilia posted:i think it's cute It aint.
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Jul 4, 2015 14:07
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Groovelord Neato posted:It aint. Don' like dat, leh. Cute wat.
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Jul 4, 2015 14:09
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st1LL_51ngl3 posted:I changed clothes twice today. I also went outside twice. It's not a coincidence Harden the gently caress up, perhaps? Hey Singapore buddy, you going to Sundown tonight?
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Jul 4, 2015 14:15
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kimihia posted:I got acclimatised and didn't really notice. Some friends came over from the homeland and we went to a nice resort in Phuket ($40 on a plane return?) and I was walking around in jeans and somebody said, how do you walk around in jeans in this heat? I didn't even notice, and when Iooked around at my friends were in the shortest shorts and still collapsing in sweaty heaps under fans because they couldn't handle the heat. I'm a big humidity pussy. Lived here 7 years and I still can't loving stand it. I'd stab my grandma in the throat if it meant I got to sit in an air conditioned room. And no, no sundown. It's an easy night relaxing and pretending to enjoy drinking Tiger Beer for me.
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Jul 4, 2015 14:19
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7 years? WTF. Well done you. The Radler is pretty good but still eye wateringly expensive.
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Jul 4, 2015 14:22
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That's why I usually drink Duty Free Store vodka or those dirt cheap Chinese beers, but it's the Fourth so I'm celebrating.
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Jul 4, 2015 14:27
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Lived there when I was a kid. The government reads your emails, and will call you regarding the content of said emails. For instance, we were leaving to go to I think Shanghai or something for a week, my mom sent some emails to some people about it, and my mom got a call from the gov't offering her a mail-forwarding service for the week. Very spooky
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Jul 4, 2015 14:29
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El Golden Goose posted:Lived there when I was a kid. The government reads your emails, and will call you regarding the content of said emails. For instance, we were leaving to go to I think Shanghai or something for a week, my mom sent some emails to some people about it, and my mom got a call from the gov't offering her a mail-forwarding service for the week. Very spooky Most countries read your emails, but they don't offer you anything.
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Jul 4, 2015 14:31
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Duty Free, you are a true champion. I need to book another holiday. Kinabalu?El Golden Goose posted:... my mom got a call from the gov't offering her a mail-forwarding service for the week. ...
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Jul 4, 2015 14:31
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kimihia posted:Duty Free, you are a true champion. I need to book another holiday. Kinabalu? My wife travels a lot so we get duty free liquor pretty regularly. My next holiday will probably be Vietnam. Singapore owns for visiting Southeast Asian countries cuz they're all right next door. Also I had some woman (a mid-40s Chinese lady, surprise surprise) push in front of me at the bus stop and tell me "no queue!" when I looked at her funny.
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Jul 4, 2015 14:51
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Beef Turret posted:It'd definitely be worth it if all the victims shared the highest coefficient of relationship with you I would say this would be a perfect way for goons to gain value from our lives but obviously no one here is capable of an honest day's labour under any conditions
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Jul 4, 2015 15:07
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TacticalUrbanHomo posted:I would say this would be a perfect way for goons to gain value from our lives but obviously no one here is capable of an honest day's labour under any conditions Hey now, I once played WoW for like 15 hours straight and I didn't even ask for overtime. I'm a regular humanitarian, I am.
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Jul 4, 2015 15:14
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