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Cuba's wannabe YouTube stars walk 3km to upload their videos

“We don’t seek to be known as Cuban YouTubers just because it’s complicated for us or because we live in a communist island.”

FRANK CAMALLERYS PACES Havana’s Malecon esplanade with a telephone at the end of a pole, seducing thousands of internet users with images of Cuba despite the communist island’s limited web access.

Like other local stars of YouTube, and nearly the entire population of the island, the 19-year-old communications student has no internet at home.

Camallerys Vlogs / YouTube

So posting a video means a trek across Havana to a plaza where he can get access to wifi for a dollar an hour. It takes more than half an hour to upload his latest production to YouTube, which generally begins with his cheerful greeting: “Hello everyone, this is a new adventure in Cuba.”

Camallerys is among about 50 young Cubans who have become internet celebrities.

His Camallerys Vlogs, launched a year ago, now have more than 7,000 followers.

“Create a video, walk two or three kilometres (up to two miles) to put it online, then wait 40 minutes while it uploads: that shows very well how much I like this,” Camallerys says.

The public faces similar obstacles, unlike in much of the world where social media are easily accessed through mobile phones or home wifi.

In Cuba, internet content is disseminated through what’s known as “the Package:” a USB loaded with digital content which passes from hand to hand.

The distributors get the content from the regular internet and then offer it to homes for the equivalent of one dollar to people who can then download novels, the latest FC Barcelona soccer match, or American NBA basketball.

A dollar a day is roughly the average monthly wage for a government worker, but those in private enterprises can make far more.

The Package menu is updated weekly.

Emma Lopez, 18, knows well the benefits of the USB.

“The first time, my video was viewed by three people, until the Package began circulating and it helped me progress so that I eventually went countrywide,” she says.

Package and Backpack 

EmmaStyle / YouTube

Her channel, Emma Style, gives makeup tips to young Cubans, but adapted to a reality in which they might not have access to all the products.

Cuba’s economy remains under a United States trade embargo and state firms still account for 85% of the economy.

“If you don’t have a brush, use your fingers” to apply eyeshadow, Lopez advises in her show.

These mini-stars of the internet find audiences well beyond the Caribbean island.

“Normally when a YouTuber starts out, he hopes to have support of the population. But among my followers, a small percentage live in Cuba,” says Pedro Veitia, 24, of the Pedrito el Paketero channel.

“There are perhaps 50 of us in Havana,” he says of the small Cuban YouTuber community.

According to figures cited by the government of President Raul Castro, 4.5 million people on the island have internet access.

Unofficial estimates show the Package has nine million users in a Cuban population of 11 million residents, says Max Barbosa, a professor of communication at the University of Havana.

Officials have the right to control people’s access to content but they tolerate the Package and have even tried to compete with it by launching “the Backpack”, which is similar but with cultural content.

“Even if they don’t have internet to be connected all the time or to generate content, merely saying ‘I want to be a YouTuber,’ even by alternative means like the USB, is praiseworthy,” Barbosa says.

Their challenge now “is to start to create experiences more linked to the Cuban reality, to strike up a direct dialogue with the Cuban followers,” he adds.

That’s a goal Lopez aspires to.

“We don’t seek to be known as Cuban YouTubers just because it’s complicated for us or because we live in a communist island. We want to be recognized for our content,” she says.

- © AFP, 2018

Read: As Cuba emerges from economic hibernation, opportunity knocks for Irish firms>

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    Mute Mrs M
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:40 AM

    I’m most interested in Georgia , fingers crossed for Stacey Abrams hope she’s the next governor there .

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    Mute Garry Coll
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    Nov 6th 2018, 11:16 AM
    38
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    Mute Francis Mc Carthy
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    Nov 6th 2018, 11:41 AM

    @Garry Coll: “her militia” ? When did she found it ?

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Nov 6th 2018, 3:20 PM

    @Garry Coll: militia? Would you call white people that are breaking no laws whilr carrying an election ooster the same name? Funny thing is Abrams wants more gun control and they know it. They might as well grab a sec9nd sogn that says ‘This should be illegal, but its not’

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Nov 6th 2018, 3:31 PM

    @Dave O Keeffe: new phine, apologies for being stupid.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Nov 6th 2018, 3:31 PM

    @Dave O Keeffe: phone obviously

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    Mute Dáithí O Raghailaigh
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:38 AM

    Oh yeah! want to see the orange baby get a kick in his jingle bells

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    Mute Lad
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    Nov 6th 2018, 10:38 AM

    @Dáithí O Raghailaigh: “Yes to a certain extent” so that’s a no then..

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    Mute Dot Com
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    Nov 6th 2018, 10:39 AM

    Don’t forget when Trump talks about foreigners coming to America to steal their jobs he means us, we’re foreigners too.

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    Mute Peter Kiernan
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    Nov 6th 2018, 11:11 AM

    @Dot Com: well we are.

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    Mute Fifty Shades of Sé
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    Nov 6th 2018, 11:12 AM

    @Dáithí O Raghailaigh: If Stormy Daniels is telling the truth, he won’t be able to feel much pain in that area…

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    Mute Rose Margaret
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    Nov 6th 2018, 11:43 AM

    @Dot Com: He seems to forget that, at some stage, his family were also foreigners as is his wife.

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    Mute Tommy Roche
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    Nov 6th 2018, 12:18 PM

    @Rose Margaret: Correct. They were foreigners. But they were foreigners migrated legally to the US .

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    Mute Rose Margaret
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    Nov 6th 2018, 12:38 PM

    @Tommy Roche: According to the Washington Post he dose not seem to see any difference on legal or illegal immigrants.
    How Trump is changing the face of legal immigration
    By Abigail Hauslohner, Andrew Ba Tran
    July 2, 2018 at 7:53 PM

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    Mute Damien Hawe
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    Nov 6th 2018, 1:49 PM

    @Tommy Roche: Like the migrants who legally apply for asylum by following the legal procedure?

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    Mute Francis Mc Carthy
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    Nov 6th 2018, 1:55 PM

    @Damien Hawe: Yup..and a few lucky people can become citizens by getting the ‘Einstein Visa’..hmmmm..is there anyone in Trumps family that has benefited by that visa.Or by the chain migration one..?

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Nov 6th 2018, 3:23 PM

    @Tommy Roche: you know that caravan he keeps banging on about? Not illegal. His rhetoric may change that though, if he continues to tell people that legal entry will be met woth military opposition then perhaps they’ll condmsider illegal entry on his advice

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    Mute Tommy Roche
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:45 PM

    @Rose Margaret: Ah, sure if the WP print something then it must be true. Ok.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Nov 6th 2018, 10:34 PM

    @Tommy Roche: Well meeting people attempting legal migration with the military would suggest that they’re right this time.

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    Mute Melanie Dillon McManus
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    Nov 7th 2018, 6:07 AM

    @Rose Margaret: ridiculous comment !!! If that’s the case, we’re screwed, housing crisis is gonna hit the already, blown roof !!!

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    Mute Trevor Hayden
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:44 AM

    No, nothing to do with us.
    America has made their choice, life goes on.
    Although it is good to see a shake up in electoral terms, it’s only a pity Ireland couldn’t follow suit.

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    Mute DaisyMay
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    Nov 6th 2018, 10:14 AM

    @Trevor Hayden: his policy flip flops are resonating across the world.

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    Mute Trevor Hayden
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    Nov 6th 2018, 10:17 AM

    @DaisyMay: And how will the Irish electorate be able to influence the mid terms?

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    Mute Dave Thomas
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    Nov 6th 2018, 10:19 AM

    @Trevor Hayden: they won’t..but it doesn’t mean we can’t pay a little attention to them.

    72
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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Nov 6th 2018, 3:24 PM

    @Dave Thomas: he knows, hes on every article. Hes just playing dumb, at least i think hes playing

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    Mute Trevor Hayden
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    Nov 6th 2018, 6:28 PM

    @Dave O Keeffe: How is it dumb to state “We have no control over the American electorate?”

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    Mute Diarmuid Hunt
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:48 PM

    @Trevor Hayden: Playing dumb and being dumb are two different things but maybe you are just playing dumb again? Keep at it and you might convince us of the other option.

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    Mute
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    Nov 6th 2018, 10:18 PM

    @Trevor Hayden: what shake up Center Right or more Center Right not much of a choice to be honest

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    Mute Jurgen Remak
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:49 AM

    Trump will claim it as his victory if the Republicans do well. Of course if they do badly it will be someone else’s fault.
    Take back the house!

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    Mute JJ O Riordan
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    Nov 6th 2018, 1:58 PM

    @Jurgen Remak: he’ll blame the caravan. Like Peter Casey.

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    Mute Justin Gillespie
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:37 AM

    Wouldn’t miss it for the world, popcorn & beer in stock & TV on Fox News all night.

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    Mute Dáithí O Raghailaigh
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:39 AM

    @Justin Gillespie: would you not rather watch in on a News station?

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    Mute Trevor Hayden
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:45 AM

    @Justin Gillespie: Nascar & WWE with the deliverance soundtrack in the background.

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    Mute Annie Citric
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    Nov 6th 2018, 4:29 PM

    @Dáithí O Raghailaigh: Omg. Thank you for that comment. It made my week.

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    Mute Melanie Dillon McManus
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    Nov 7th 2018, 6:04 AM

    @Justin Gillespie: Yaasssss

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    Mute A Sharks Tempo
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:36 AM

    Good Luck Hillary!

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    Mute Trevor Hayden
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    Nov 6th 2018, 10:03 AM

    @A Sharks Tempo: Ohh how boring.

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    Mute Nial D
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    Nov 6th 2018, 10:17 AM

    @A Sharks Tempo: what a cockswab

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    Mute The Quare Fella
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    Nov 6th 2018, 10:41 AM

    @A Sharks Tempo: Yeah , I bet the people of Libya are wishing her that. As are Wall Street, the group she assured that “I have one view for the public but a private position for you” , when it comes to Wall Street reform.

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    Mute Damien Hawe
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    Nov 6th 2018, 1:50 PM

    @The Quare Fella: Did Trump not give a lot of Goldman Sachs people positions?

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Nov 6th 2018, 3:26 PM

    @The Quare Fella: lol, you got that quote wrong by the way. It was about have a public face and a provate face, not view. Everybody has a public and private face. Especially politicians.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Nov 6th 2018, 3:30 PM

    @The Quare Fella: sorry, my bad, you just invented the quote based on a hint of something she once said. She said you need a public and private stance on issues. Which when you consider that politicians represent constituents rather than themselves makes perfect sense.

    4
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    Mute Damocles
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:57 AM

    Because of Trump we’re all supposed to show an interest.

    But I think that if he was going to bring about a nuclear war he would have done it by now.

    So US politics is back to being a sideshow.

    50
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    Mute Fred Coloe
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    Nov 6th 2018, 10:35 AM

    A win for Republicans could see Trump become even more “aggressive” in behavior right and act. But a loss might lead to greater petulance from Trump. Neither is good.

    29
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    Mute Baron Adams TD
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:42 AM

    Absolutely. Won’t change a thing and I’ll get angrier as the night goes on but why not!

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    Mute Johnny Mason
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:56 AM

    What could more exciting than following the Brexit ?

    16
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    Mute Brian Dunne
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:53 AM

    Will keep an eye on it. Hard to avoid really

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    Mute Pixie McMullen
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:42 AM

    Think i`d rather shite in my own hand and clap…

    53
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    Mute Dáithí O Raghailaigh
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:43 AM

    @Pixie McMullen: would you not like to do something Different Tonight?

    110
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    Mute Pixie McMullen
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:47 AM

    @Dáithí O Raghailaigh: Yeah, I`d like to shite into your hand and see you clap , you up for it?

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    Mute Joe Phillips
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    Nov 6th 2018, 10:06 AM

    I kinda wanna see this too

    34
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    Mute Dáithí O Raghailaigh
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    Nov 6th 2018, 10:22 AM

    @Pixie McMullen: No… but if you make an offer like that to Trump , you have a friend for life..

    25
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    Mute Pixie McMullen
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    Nov 6th 2018, 10:45 AM

    @Dáithí O Raghailaigh: No thanks, who wants you as a friend for life??

    11
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    Mute Stevie Doran
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    Nov 6th 2018, 1:12 PM

    I’ve had enough of Trump and want him impeached. Novelty Factor over.

    14
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    Mute Markonline
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    Nov 6th 2018, 9:52 AM

    Where does my vote go in these polls when I dont choose an option but still press the vote button to see the results?

    12
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    Mute Nigel Mcatamney
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    Nov 6th 2018, 2:56 PM

    @Markonline: the cost of curiosity….

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    Mute Michael Smith
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    Nov 6th 2018, 2:10 PM

    Looking forward to a blue wave.. #FakeNews. MAGA 2020.

    10
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    Mute Kieran Mccarthy
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    Nov 6th 2018, 4:42 PM

    My money is on the Democrats to win back both houses from the Russians!

    3
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    Mute Melanie Dillon McManus
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    Nov 7th 2018, 6:11 AM

    Don’t shoot me but ……. am I the only one who doesn’t hate him ?!?

    2
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    Mute Melanie Dillon McManus
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    Nov 7th 2018, 6:10 AM

    Don’t shoot me but …… am I the only one who doesn’t hate him ?!? X

    2
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    Mute Patrick McGarry
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    Nov 6th 2018, 1:12 PM

    Tester in Montana

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