Wednesday, May 05, 2010

BP Seals First Oil Leak in Gulf of Mexico

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Satellite image (click to enlarge)

View from surveillance helicopter

Volunteers try to help oil slicked marine birds and animals

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The dreaded brown stripes

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana ) - Today (Wednesday) BP capped one of three leaks hemorraging crude into the Gulf of Mexico, as emergency crews rushed to protect fragile shorelines and islands at risk from the spreading oil slick. Days of work off the coast of Louisiana with underwater submarines nearly a mile below the surface finally bore fruit as a valve was secured over the smallest of the three leaks and the flow shut off. The feat does not alter the overall amount of crude spilling into the sea and threatening the fragile US Gulf coast, but is significant nonetheless as the focus can now narrow on just two remaining leaks.
"Working with two leaks is going to be a lot easier than working with three leaks. Progress is being made," US Coast Guard Petty Officer Brandon Blackwell told AFP.

More than two weeks after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, the full impact of the disaster is being realized as a massive slick looms off the US Gulf coast, imperilling the livelihoods of shoreline communities. If estimates are correct, some 2.5 million gallons of crude have entered the sea since the BP-leased platform spectacularly sank on April 22, still ablaze more than two days after the initial blast that killed 11 workers.

The riser pipe that had connected the rig to the well-head now lies fractured on the seabed a mile below spewing out oil at a rate at some 5,000 barrels, or 210,000 gallons, a day.
The spill has sparked fears of an environmental catastrophe as the region boasts 40 percent of US wetlands -- prime spawning waters for fish, shrimp and crabs and a major stop for migratory birds. But BP spokesman John Curry said teams hoped to turn the tide in the battle against the slick with the deployment of a five-story "dome" that could contain the main leak and funnel the oil up to a massive ship on the surface.

"The collection system is on the boat," Curry told AFP. "It will be going out today. We hope to have that deployed by the end of the week. That system will contain the greater source of flow."
With oil still rushing unabated from the ruptured offshore well, volunteers and others descended on the region to help stave off a looming environmental crisis from the huge oil patch.
Pentagon officials authorized the use of additional National Guard troops to assist. As many as 6,000 in Louisiana can be mobilized, with 3,000 in Alabama, 2,500 in Florida and 6,000 in Mississippi. Government officials said an estimated 7,500 people were mobilizing to protect the shoreline and wildlife, as fears grew about the impact of the catastrophe.

A sea turtle was spotted swimming through a massive oil slick about 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of Louisiana by officials from the National Wildlife Foundation. The group hired a boat from the port town of Venice and went out into the Gulf of Mexico through an outlet in the Mississippi River.
Nobody on board was trained in animal rescue and they were forced to leave the obviously distressed turtle in the slick and simply report the coordinates to a hotline.
"It was very upsetting," said Karla Raettig of Coastal Louisiana Restoration at the Federation.
More than 600 animal species are threatened by the expanding oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico, officials say.

Twelve shrimp trawlers and 10 official response boats frantically laid protective booms around some of the Chandeleur Islands -- a group of uninhabited prime marsh and wildlife area -- but initially failed to confirm any land impacts.
In Florida, authorities were preparing for the impact of the oil slick if loop currents bring the pollution to the state's shores. Coast Guard officials said the mobilization was occurring as far away as Key West.
"Although it is still too soon to predict if or how the Florida Keys may be impacted by the Deepwater Horizon spill, we are focused on preparing for whatever those impacts may be," said Captain Pat DeQuattro, sector commander at Coast Guard Sector Key West.

On the coastal areas of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, forecasters suggested that the bulk of the slick won't make landfall before the end of the week, officials said. AFP journalists on an overflight Tuesday of the Chandeleur Islands saw reddish brown streaks of oil and said light sheen appeared to be lapping the shore in certain places.
The environmental impact has not been fully experienced yet. It will be far reaching and will last for a long time. There must be a way to prevent oil spills. Shouldn't we be working on that???

78 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:34:00 PM

    Hi PIC...How's things?
    Brian behaving huh? Nana still her little old sweet cranky self.
    [giggles]

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  2. Same old, same old. How did the meeting go?? Pretty exciting, eh??

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  3. Anonymous9:39:00 PM

    This post really hits home and you did a great job.
    The spill is moving pretty fast toward the east, it may hit Florida earlier then expected.
    The fishmen is going to have a hard time making ends meet.

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  4. I did a post on the new asteroid mission put forward by Obama. And I got a comment from Rusty Schweickart who is one of NASA's bosses and is heading up the mission. I clicked his name and backtracked to his website to check and the guy is the genuine article.I'm thrilled. I'm a big fan of Rusty.

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  5. Anonymous9:41:00 PM

    I was signed in, I guess I have to redo be right back

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  6. Rusty's title is Co-chairman,NASA Task Force on Planetary Defense.

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  7. Anonymous9:44:00 PM

    I read his comment and I was thrilled, we are getting notice.
    Boy I'm glad Nan told me she couldn't comment and I fixed it, if not we would have missed him.
    I check every day now.

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  8. Anonymous9:45:00 PM

    annoymous is me,I had to sign in.
    I checked him out also.

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  9. Anonymous9:48:00 PM

    You think keeping a check on his website we can get more information quicker. I bet they will gladly give it to us.

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  10. I read everything on that website. And there were a lot of things I haven't read anywhere else and I am a space nerd, so I should know.

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  11. Rusty writes a lot and lectures.Boy what I would give to Have everything he has in his head put in my head.

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  12. Anonymous9:57:00 PM

    They started the meeting this morning there was a lot of arguing and cussing in italian and aunt Mae can roll with the best of them.
    I can understand a little bit but asked Shirley to tell me what they was saying. Shirley told me dad said if they didn't come to an agreement by tomorrow he was going to shoot all of them in the ass. Shirley said dad was very dangerous and he don't make idle threats and neither do her mama.I don't have my little man in there with me, I might have to move fast.

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  13. That sounds very exciting. Dad is a mover and a shaker is he not??They sound like they are all scared of him.

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  14. Anonymous10:03:00 PM

    I bet they won't mind us borrowing some...you have peaked my interest about space also.
    I must be getting better, I haven't brought a rag mag in a long time, I started googling like you say, I got MJ off the web and I have one in drafts and I liad into That Rachel bimbo that was Tiger's # 1 "HO."

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  15. It takes ages to get a family to come to any agreement. In this case,with so much at stake you can understand their hesitancy.

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  16. Obviously some of them are not used to thinking for themselves.

    Was this a surprise move by Dad or has he been discussing it for a while with Gil?

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  17. Anonymous10:07:00 PM

    Shirley said dad always called the shots and they are scared the business will go downhill if he leave and aunt Mae( Shirley's Mama)will always follow Dad lead.

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  18. Way to go girl reporter. You can find anything on the web, just name it.

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  19. Anonymous10:11:00 PM

    Remember when I told you Gil and dad left for Reno in a hurry, well they got the one in Reno and dad will be paid in full in 5 years,and then Nan and 6 of her people went to Reno to find out was happening to the money.
    Dad said he wanted out when we move from the Lake.

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  20. Seems like Dad just wants to wash his hands of the whole business. Too bad he is still tied in with the Reno Hotel.

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  21. The Tiger HO post sounds interesting. She wants some of his dinaro or anyone who will pay her for a story.

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  22. Anonymous10:18:00 PM

    I told dad he was to damn old to be worried, when the guy fell from the 3rd floor in the casino and died, the ones that was hearasked dad did they need them to come down and dad said hell yes or wake up with a snake in your bed.Dad's 82 years old, he's in good health for his age and he just need to hand out with Gilly, and since you been giving him recipes, he likes going to the market.

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  23. It seems obvious that when dad isn't policing the businesses they let them go to pot.If they are going to bankrupt the businesses he is better off out of them.

    I'm watching the weather. We have big storms coming in.And it is going to go back to freezing on the weekend.

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  24. Shit!!! I knew it was too good to last.
    Mother's day will suck the big one.
    I would like to ask Dr Rusty if a multiple asteroid strike is possible.How would they stop more than one??

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  25. Anonymous10:23:00 PM

    Oh no sweetie, it's not Tiger she was f**king...it"s David Boeranaz , I want you to edit it and post for me please.

    Shirley is at the Reno Hotel / Casino, I think thats where the smart ones are. Dad hads one brother there and tow brothers here , the whole damn thing is run by family, they have a few outsiders in management.

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  26. How can some women spread 'em for anyone who asks?? I could never hold myself so cheap.

    Well let her enjoy her five minutes of fame.That is if she wants to be remembered as a whore.

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  27. Anonymous10:28:00 PM

    We are having storms coming in also for the weekend.

    Is there a place you can comment,ask questions, if so I know there's someone monitoring them and you are an admirer.

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  28. Anonymous10:29:00 PM

    I am excited you know someone that you may be able to pick their brain.

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  29. I bet dad had connections when he first got started.He has probably seen some gritty and even violent things in his life. He knew John Gotti so maybe he knew a few others.

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  30. Anonymous10:32:00 PM

    I let her sorry ass have it good, sweetie I was in good form.
    His wife is name Jaime Bergman, she's blonde I bet you know her.

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  31. I enjoyed writing about the Gotti family. I tried to be as accurate as possible.I may write one about Junior Gotti but he did not have his father's old world ways or style.He's just violent.

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  32. I couldn't find a place to comment, but I haven't finished exploring the site.

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  33. Anonymous10:37:00 PM

    I bet dad still know some of the old ones, I bet he knows a lot of secerts, I believe that's why Gil's mama told him to keep her son"s hands clean.
    Dad says Gotti Jr' isn't half the man his daddy was, he's just a pup playing at being big dog, but he can't get respect because of the name.

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  34. David Boreanez is a fucking fool. He has a beautiful wife and a young son. How can he be so stupid?

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  35. Dad probably knows where a few bodies are buried but he will be silent as a tomb till he dies.You don't spill your guts about the mob,or they will spill them for you.

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  36. Anonymous10:46:00 PM

    Dad says you have to use your brains most of the time and brawn when you have too. He said all the vegas / Reno business had connections and you had to do whatever it took, but a rival's family was off limits, things have changed a lot.
    Dad says I would have made a good mob boss wife...not afraid to speak my mind and mix it up. Dad say Nan and I would have made great godfathers.[giggls] That old man is full of crap.

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  37. I think Dad cares a great deal about you and Nan.

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  38. Anonymous10:50:00 PM

    Dad can talk all day about how he got started and who he knew and still not say a damn thing.
    David and Jamie has two boys the baby is 8 months.
    I'm not going to spoil it, I want you to read what I said and if you can think of anything to add...do it...I like it when you put your 2 cents in that's whay I put some in drafts.

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  39. Anonymous10:52:00 PM

    He calls Nan his daughetr # 2 and says he has 3 grands...he started Sha a trust fund, they all love their poppa.

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  40. Two kids?the arse-hole.
    That was a sweet thing to do to provide for Sha.He respects you and Nan's hard work ethic and your honesty.

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  41. Anonymous10:59:00 PM

    I am so excited about Dr.Rusty , it's a small world after all.
    Wouldn't it be nice if he come to your area to speak and you would be able to go and hear him, what a thrill that will be.

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  42. Anonymous11:04:00 PM

    Nan and I was in the same jobs when they took over...but in all fairness i was scared of that man when he found out Gil was after me, I told my daddy if I come up missing he did it and daddy said don't worry NEE I can handle him, nobody bothers my baby, and Chris is next door.

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  43. Now I've got his website I will check in regularly. I check the NASA site frequently but Rusty's site had more inside information.

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  44. Anonymous11:10:00 PM

    Daddy and Dad got to be the best of friends, dad taught him how to fish / hunt and how to clean the fish.Oh yes and how to wear overalls and in the summer time cut the old ones legs off to make shorts.

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  45. Did Dad really make you nervous when you met him??They must have been a tough looking bunch.

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  46. Anonymous11:15:00 PM

    What is Brian doing, did he take his shower and prance around naked for you to get a little feel? haha

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  47. He actually did come in here and kiss me after his shower.He is being a good boy.But he doesn't have to be that good. He was a bad boy when I met him.

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  48. Anonymous11:20:00 PM

    They all are nice looking men but they all looked like the mob.
    He didn't make me nerous unilt I think it was Leon that told him Gil was after me and he said that girl is too young. Gil would come on whatever floor I was on pretending to look for something,and Dad started riding his scooter and just watch me. He asked me once did I like his son and I asked him what's it to you and walked away.

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  49. He got into all kinds of mischief when he was young .He was hung by his neck in a tree by a rival soccer gang in England when he was a kid. He almost asphyxiated before someone found him.

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  50. Anonymous11:22:00 PM

    He can't fool you, I think they know we like them bad.

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  51. You were quite a smart-ass little bitch weren't you. Dad probably liked your spirit and the fact that you were not afraid of him.

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  52. Anonymous11:25:00 PM

    I tried to write my story once about usand how we got together, I made a post about us. I'm writing it down again and if I can do a better job, do you think I should make another post. I writes it down and go back and re-read it to see if I got it right. What you think?

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  53. Barb just emailed me. They have to go to a wedding on Saturday. There goes my fish-fry.

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  54. Anonymous11:31:00 PM

    I was nerous, but I wasn't going to let him know it.
    I went to the 3rd floor where al the offices were looking for Gil to tell him he needed to back off because of his dad...one of the ladies told me he didn't have an office there and he was out looking for some office space for himself, but she said she would tell him if he came by and I turned around to leave and he was coming in the door.

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  55. Anonymous11:32:00 PM

    Did Brian play soccer when he was young?

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  56. What did you say to him when he came in the door???????

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  57. Anonymous11:36:00 PM

    Maybe they can do it the following Saturday, hope so..you stil have the dinner Sunday and here's hoping the weather is nice.
    Do Barb /Dale have kids?

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  58. Anonymous11:36:00 PM

    How's Nana's mouth, can she eat better now?

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  59. Brian was a good soccer player.And a good tennis player.

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  60. Anonymous11:41:00 PM

    I told him we needed to talk , he said ok, we can go to his dad's suite, I said no way I told you nothing was happening and he said I know I want to make it happen and Baby you will like it, he's called me baby ever since, I didn't know he had been to daddy's and he and Dad was invited to the party, Sis just had the barn re-did and it was party time.

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  61. Anonymous11:43:00 PM

    Nope, I didn't go to the suite, and he didn't know where I lived, Nan was the one that told him whwere Sis lived and for him to come there he'll find me.

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  62. Dale and Barb have two kids, grown-up now. Ruth-Ann who was one of Jaye's best friends when they were little. And Jeff who was a really bad boy all his life and then a good woman turned him around. There are five grandkids.Ruthy had three girls.Jeff had a boy and a girl.

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  63. Nana's still on soft food for a while. I made her scrambled eggs tonight and soup.

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  64. Anonymous11:46:00 PM

    I played tennis once and I would run away from the ball...I was a great basketball / basebal player.

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  65. So it's all Nan's fault that you married Gil and had two kids.
    If she had kept her mouth shut you would still be single.

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  66. Anonymous11:51:00 PM

    Well at least she eating something and eggs are good for her and she can have all the soup she wants.

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  67. I bet you would have been good at volleyball too. Being tall helps.I spent most of my youth riding horses. I also liked archery and volleyball.I wish I had half that energy now.

    Boy you and Gil sure had a hot romance. Very exciting. It would make a good Harlequin Romance.

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  68. Anonymous11:57:00 PM

    Yes I would and babyless too. At that time he would make me so damn mad because he was always so sure of himself but now it don't bother me. I told you he kissed me in the elevator and I knew then I had to know what was to him.I carried him home with me and let him have a little choochie, boy I wanted that man.
    Nan Said what the hell, try his out.

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  69. Let's call it a night and I will go look at your post. Maxy won't look at me. He's still mad because I brushed him and tried to brush his teeth.What a spoiled dog.

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  70. I think it's funny those Italian guys made you nervous. It turned out they were pussy-cats. And they they both worship the ground you walk on.

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  71. So you tried Gil on for size and found out he fit quite well. But you still did not want marry him,right??

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  72. Anonymous12:03:00 AM

    I wish I could write, Nan says I just around to much, and the romance continues up to now, we still get hot and heavy for each other, if we are at sis and disappear, she says don't worry NEE has got him hemed up with his pants down.

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  73. I think it's so wonderful that you are still passionate about each other.
    Even when you get older the spark is still there.Even when Brian was very sick we still wanted to lie in each other's arms.

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  74. Anonymous12:10:00 AM

    I wanted to marry him but I was scared he was like my ex ... He was new in town and just wanted a woman,but I learned better.
    He told me he loved me before we made love and he was going to marry me...we was from different worlds.

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  75. Well Sweetie I'm logging off for a few hours but I'll see you in the moonlight when I come to life again.I'll be the one in the coffin with the long fangs.
    Have a good night and rest well ...luv...PIC

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  76. Anonymous12:12:00 AM

    Ok sweetie we will say goodnite and seen you when the moon come up.

    Fix anything and post it for me please, add something .

    GOODNITE...HUGS...LUV...PIC
    KISS THE ROCK...and you can get a little pinch[giggles].

    NITE....SWEETIE.

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  77. Gil was the genuine article. He was sincere. I think you got that but it was hard to trust again.You took the chance though, didn't you??

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  78. Anonymous12:18:00 AM

    Yes I did and I believe what you say about our love lasting, I treat it just like a job, I work at it to keep it running smoothly.

    NITE...PIC...LET MAXY OUT.

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Through this ever open gate
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Thanks for dropping in ... the PICs