Robert Lawrence
@roblawrencium.bsky.social
đ¤ 1658
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Science Editor/Writer in the Hudson Valley | Academia | DataViz | ASD Dad | NY transplant from UT/AZ
pinned post!
My latest story for
@scenichudson.bsky.social
about the decline of butterfly populations, with some focus on NY.
www.scenichudson.org/viewfinder/w...
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What's Really Happening to Butterfly Populations?
The metamorphosis of a butterfly has forever been a useful metaphor for change and growth. But in recent years, butterflies have been linked with change in less poetic ways. The [âŚ]
https://www.scenichudson.org/viewfinder/whats-really-happening-to-butterfly-populations/?utm_source=Scenic+Hudson+Subscribers&utm_campaign=9d6db86ff8-Viewfinder-Newsletter-September-2025&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_428918b3ef-b653db434d-331445450&mc_cid=9d6db86ff8&mc_eid=15a2858a01
about 2 months ago
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Worth noting: A film called Photograph 51 is in the works starring Natalie Portman, who will be playing Rosalind Franklin.
deadline.com/2025/05/nata...
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Natalie Portman To Play Pioneering DNA Scientist Rosalind Franklin In âPhotograph 51â For Director Tom Hooper & FilmNation â Cannes Market Hot Project
Oscar winner Natalie Portman is set to star in Photograph 51 for The King's Speech director Tom Hooper.
https://deadline.com/2025/05/natalie-portman-rosalind-franklin-photograph-51-tom-hooper-1236388301/
about 2 hours ago
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Only 25 when he published the DNA structure with Crick in 1953, so he got see the impact of it over his long life. But sadly, he also lived long enough to say plenty of crazy things along the way.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
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James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/science/james-watson-dead.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
about 3 hours ago
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Robert Lawrence
Stephanie
about 10 hours ago
"There's something wrong with me and I don't want to make it right." đ
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The history of significant U.S. government shutdowns, updated as of today. There are other sources out there, but I based it primarily on Wikipedia data:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governm...
1 day ago
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Robert Lawrence
Philip Bump
2 days ago
Over his two terms, the government has been shut down for about 1 out of every 24 days Trump has been president. The runner up is Bill Clinton, whose presidency saw the government shutdown for 1 out of every 108 days.
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My latest story for
@scenichudson.bsky.social
is about terrariums. This also happens to be one of my nerdy hobbies.
www.scenichudson.org/viewfinder/w...
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Why Terrariums Are Hot Again
Hudson Valley Viewfinder is a collaborative digital magazine celebrating the inspirational beauty of Hudson Valley communities and nature.
https://www.scenichudson.org/viewfinder/why-terrariums-are-hot-again/
2 days ago
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Post-election timeline cleanse: I like to start my day by watching my rocket killifish (Epiplatys annulatus) enjoy their breakfast of baby brine shrimp, so maybe you should too!
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2 days ago
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Robert Lawrence
Bryan Schott
3 days ago
Every single county in Virginia shifted toward the Democrats tonight. Thatâs quite remarkable.
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Robert Lawrence
The Daily Show
3 days ago
"A little party never killed nobody?" Clearly Trump never made it to the end of "The Great Gatsby"
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Living in an old house in a semi-rural area, we catch mice inside from time to time. But this time I caught something different - I'm guessing a short tailed shrew. Fun fact: these are venomous.
3 days ago
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While doing a deep dive on medical research history, I came across the story of John R. Brinkley, who touted the transplantation of goat testicles as a cure for impotence in the early 20th century, and later ran for gov. A reminder of history's cyclical nature.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
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John R. Brinkley: A Quintessential American Quack
The early 20th century was a time of rapid technological innovation and of demanding greater responsiveness of government and society to the needs of the common man. These impulses carried into the field of medicine, where quacks promised to ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9529641/
7 days ago
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If you aren't tuning into KEXP's Halloween mix today while performing your mundane work tasks, what are you even doing??
kexp.org
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KEXP - Where the Music Matters
KEXP is a nonprofit arts organization serving music lovers through in-person, broadcast and online programming.
https://kexp.org/
7 days ago
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Robert Lawrence
Owen Winter
10 days ago
Donald Trump's approval rating in our tracker has fallen to -18, the lowest it has ever been (lower than any point in his first term)
www.economist.com/interactive/...
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Seen on a brisk walk somewhere between Lake Minnewaska and Lake Awosting at a state park in NY.
#hudsonvalley
12 days ago
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Simultaneously sad that it has to come to this and thrilled that there is the will and capacity for this to happen from with the pillars still standing. Kudos to NJEM and CIDRAP.
www.statnews.com/2025/10/21/c...
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NEJM and public health group are launching rival to CDCâs MMWR publication
Two institutions are coming together to create an alternative to the CDCâs vaunted Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
https://www.statnews.com/2025/10/21/cdc-mmwr-alternative-new-report-announced-by-nejm-cidrap/?fbclid=IwY2xjawNnx3lleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFNTVY2RUppYzF6QmtsaFBBAR5kUMA1BMEdtWht-3SKLAAX9WIcUd_PJSvmYC9L1NoJlCq37ojJkWHzRxzs0A_aem_JTsoS9WjTe3nsTP1N-80HA
15 days ago
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Nothing can prepare you for the end of this Rochester local news clip promoting acts at an avant garde festival. Skip to around 4 minutes.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG-S...
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Industry Standard performs on ARC Rochester ahead of Avant Garde a Clue 2
YouTube video by 13WHAM ABC News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG-SVv0fDPU&t=403s
15 days ago
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Gathering info for a deep dive on the landscape pre-WW2 scientific research and the role of universities, and found this recent piece by
@willbunch.bsky.social
for Brown U. Really well-written of course, and informative - worth a read.
www.brownalumnimagazine.com/articles/202...
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A Brief History of U.S. Research Funding
Before World War II, the federal government didnât fund research. But after scientists with the Manhattan Project helped win the war, the U.S. was convinced that university research was a great nation...
https://www.brownalumnimagazine.com/articles/2025-09-21/a-brief-history-of-us-research-funding-university-grants
17 days ago
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Robert Lawrence
Jeff Lazarus
17 days ago
Constitution, Article II, Section 1, Clause 7: "The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation...and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them."
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Robert Lawrence
Mark Copelovitch
17 days ago
Once again, EVERY R1 research university depends on federal funding for ~15-25% of its budget. You simply can't unplug the largest or 2nd-largest source of $$ of every R1 university & expect it not to have devastating consequences for graduate education, which will spill over to undergrad education.
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Robert Lawrence
The Conversation U.S.
18 days ago
The Erie Canal, completed 200 years ago, transformed America's economy, explains a historian. Although the canal idea was widely criticized as impractical and against âGodâs willâ, within a few years, shipping rates from Lake Erie to New York City fell by over 90%.
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The Erie Canal: How a âbig ditchâ transformed Americaâs economy, culture and even religion
Two hundred years ago, the Erie Canal was often derided as a âfolly.â Yet the waterway went on to transform the American frontier.
https://buff.ly/qszv0b7
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A tiny change in Iceland's temperature now appears to be enough for mosquitoes to survive there.
www.ruv.is/english/2025...
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Mosquitoes arrive in Iceland - RĂV.is
Three mosquitoes were found in KjĂłs in recent days. This has been confirmed by the Icelandic Institute of Natural History. It is the first time that mosquitoes have been discovered on Icelandic soil.
https://www.ruv.is/english/2025-10-20-mosquitoes-arrive-in-iceland-456614
18 days ago
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Academia hivemind: I'm trying to map out the NIH review process to the best of my knowledge (having never served on an study section myself). Does this look about right to you? Any feedback is appreciated!
18 days ago
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Innisfree Garden near Millbrook, NY. Beautiful weekend to get out and step on crunchy leaves.
19 days ago
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Say what you want about UVA's founder Thomas Jefferson, I'm sure he's cheering on this rejection from his grave.
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21 days ago
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reposted by
Robert Lawrence
AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes
22 days ago
Time is up. I gave Speaker Mike Johnson two days to swear in Adelita Grijalva. Arizona's 7th congressional district 813,000 Arizonans are now being taxed without representation. I have lawyers downstairs right now drafting litigation.
youtu.be/9OBdjsGntQI?...
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AG Mayes Demands Speaker Johnson Swear In Adelita Grijalva | The Lead with Jake Tapper CNN
YouTube video by Arizona Attorney General's Office
https://youtu.be/9OBdjsGntQI?si=mt2qNSCJf45ld-3v
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Huge honor today for one of my colleagues who was included in the 2025 STAT Wunderkinds list
@statnews.com
, recognizing some of the great work he's done investigating how viruses cross the placental barrier.
www.statnews.com/wunderkinds/...
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Rafael Michita
Investigating the mechanisms by which Zika and HIV affect pregnancies
https://www.statnews.com/wunderkinds/rafael-michita/
22 days ago
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Robert Lawrence
Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon)
23 days ago
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AI struggles to draw molecules correctly. May be surprising since there are discrete rules in chemistry for doing this that a machine (or O-Chem student) could learn, but that's not how AI operates. A good example of why it's problematic for many other things.
www.chemistryworld.com/news/the-che...
23 days ago
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This performance by Haley Williams recently on Fallon is worth watching, even if (especially if), like me, you've haven't been into her music in the past. A popular artist/musician who has something important to say about society is always refreshing. Just wow.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNNY...
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Hayley Williams: True Believer | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
YouTube video by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNNYei__joU&list=RDsNNYei__joU&start_radio=1
24 days ago
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Robert Lawrence
Sophie Sherry
28 days ago
During a military-style raid on a building in Chicagoâs South Shore, one resident heard a knock on his door. â¨â¨It wasnât the feds â it was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for help. He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
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Neighbor shielded 7-year-old during South Shore federal raid: âI didnât want them to take herâ
During the Sept. 30 raid one tenant protected a terrified girl and her mom. Remnants at the complex, including a detailed map of all the units, offer clues to what authorities may have known before th...
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2025/10/10/neighbor-shielded-7-year-old-during-south-shore-federal-raid-i-didnt-want-them-to-take-her
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Robert Lawrence
Leah Shaffer
29 days ago
Woke Pope Says Nope To DisInfo Slope
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Following on that story in the Atlantic this week, I looked up the prices of cocoa and made this graph. Annual averages adjusted for inflation. If your kids end up with nothing but bit-o-honey in their Halloween bags this year, you can blame the weather in Ghana and the cacao swollen shoot virus.
about 1 month ago
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Interesting data, kind of surprising given sports betting these days. I'm not nearly the sports fan I was at a younger age, just don't have the time anymore or the budget for ESPN, etc.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
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Robert Lawrence
Andy Craig
about 1 month ago
Julius Caesar was the first Roman to put his own living face on coins, weeks before his death. It is one of the deepest cultural signifiers of something autocracies do and republics do not. âRender unto Caesar.â A practice so notoriously arrogant Jesus himself dunked on it with snarky wordplay.
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Treasury Department Has Plans To Mint Dollar Coin Featuring Donald Trump's Likeness | Defector
The United States Department of the Treasury has developed, to the brink of production, a dollar coin that features the face and likeness of President Donald Trump, according to a source within the Tr...
https://defector.com/treasury-department-has-plans-to-mint-dollar-coin-featuring-donald-trumps-likeness
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My latest for
@scenichudson.bsky.social
is about the Erie Canal: how it changed the state of NY, its effect on modern ecology, and efforts to preserve it in the best way possible.
www.scenichudson.org/viewfinder/h...
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How the Erie Canal Changed the Hudson River Forever
Long before bagels or pizza, New York City was famous for its oysters. Best served fresh from the nearby bays and waterways, these oysters were mostly a local cuisine. But [âŚ]
https://www.scenichudson.org/viewfinder/how-the-erie-canal-changed-the-hudson-river-forever/
about 1 month ago
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Thinking about this quote from Pres. Nelson, a favorite because of how frank it was. Just wish it could have had more of an impact. Love and grief for those involved in the Michigan tragedy today.
www.fox13now.com/2018/02/23/l...
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LDS Church President on Parkland shooting: âMen have passed laws that allow guns to go to people who shouldnât have themâ
LAS VEGAS â The President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints weighed-in on the national gun control debate last weekend during remarks to youth in Las Vegas. Video posted on YouTube sh...
https://www.fox13now.com/2018/02/23/lds-church-president-on-parkland-shooting-men-have-passed-laws-that-allow-guns-to-go-to-people-who-shouldnt-have-them
about 1 month ago
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Weekend visit to Utah, and the mountains are really putting on a show.
about 1 month ago
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For any old school Utah basketball fans out there, check out this chat with Andre Miller, telling funny stories about his time at the U and the culture shock. A close friend of mine played on the team with him so I met him a few times, just a funny down to earth dude.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQuu...
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Andre Miller's EPIC College Pickup Games with John Stockton & The Utah Jazz
YouTube video by ALL THE SMOKE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQuuDcC6q-g&t=13s
about 1 month ago
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Andrea Baccarelli released this statement yesterday about his study (Harvard/Mt. Sinai) on Tylenol-autism association to try and clear some things up. As RFK goes off the rails with this, it would be great if he started making some TV appearances too.
medicalresearch.com/tylenol-in-p...
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Tylenol in Pregnancy: Statement from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Dean
After assessing the evidence, my colleagues and I recommended a balanced approach based on the precautionary principle: Patients who need fever or pain reduction during pregnancy should take the lowes...
https://medicalresearch.com/tylenol-in-pregnancy-statement-from-harvard-t-h-chan-school-of-public-health-dean/
about 1 month ago
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Never been diagnosed. But I recall getting ready to go to my first high school dance, junior prom, and being excited about it. But I was equally excited that the pair of tokay gecko eggs in my terrarium had hatched that same day. (I kept that excitement to myself though)
about 2 months ago
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Robert Lawrence
Jeremy Berg
about 2 months ago
My quote of the day I have known a vast quantity of nonsense talked about bad men not looking you in the face. Don't trust that conventional idea. Dishonesty will stare honesty out of countenance any day in the week, if there is anything to be got by it. Charles Dickens
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St. George and Colorado City have something from the 19th century in common.
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about 2 months ago
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A thread of a few things that might be relevant to this autism-tylenol announcement expected today: 1. Statement from Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine dated 9/05/25 expressing no support for this theory.
www.smfm.org/news/smfm-st...
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SMFM Statement on Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Autism - Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
https://www.smfm.org/news/smfm-statement-on-acetaminophen-use-during-pregnancy-and-autism-?fbclid=IwY2xjawM-OfdleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF0WURRSjJjaGVQY21HM2hSAR4Rygkvk-vWXbE-H3m43ggUUBe80i0zBKMSQYgqcO2jCXCUcfuWk6xM2jxlxQ_aem_VvRAyiyLuHPwAZgBM6MAkA
about 2 months ago
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Portishead reunited to perform 'Roads' to benefit Palestinians, and I just though the world should know. Sounds as great as it did in 1994. This is more than a song, it's a hymn.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2Am...
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âRoadsâ 2025 â Together For Palestine
YouTube video by Portishead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2AmYPyXoUQ&list=RDg2AmYPyXoUQ&start_radio=1
about 2 months ago
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Robert Lawrence
Constance Grady
about 2 months ago
I delved into the history of Jimmy Kimmel's feud with Trump, and how the guy from The Man Show became the guy pissing off the president
www.vox.com/culture/4619...
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How Jimmy Kimmel became Trumpâs nemesis
The former Man Show host has gone from the least political voice in late night to a victim of the war on woke.
https://www.vox.com/culture/461948/jimmy-kimmel-pulled-trump-fcc-charlie-kirk
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We are now beyond satire.
about 2 months ago
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Robert Lawrence
Tim Onion
about 2 months ago
Thereâs a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people to build on the rubble of whatâs being destroyed before our eyes. Private corporations bending over to forcefeed everyone government-approved speech is evil and amoral, but more than anything this creates boring, inauthentic, unwatchable shit.
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My institution has invited its employees to post a "kudo" in recognition of colleagues doing excellent work. I had no idea "kudos" existed in singular form, but apparently it's a thing.
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/k...
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Definition of KUDO
award, honor; compliment, praise⌠See the full definition
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kudo
about 2 months ago
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One time I went to the theater to watch a whole movie about a guy in a boat. And it wasn't bad because that single cast member was Robert Redford. A life well lived, may he rest peacefully.
about 2 months ago
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