Vast, mysterious structure discovered at the heart of our galaxy
source: http://io9.com/5685847/vast-mysterious-structure-discovered-at-the-heart-of-our-galaxy
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- pjacobs51
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These bubbles, which stretch an astonishing 25,000 light years above and below the galactic plane, are invisible to the naked eye. But astronomers working with data from the Fermi space telescope, which detects gamma rays, were able to see the structures. Though our galaxy is bathed in a light haze of gamma rays, these structures stood out sharply - gamma rays were zooming out of them at a tremendous rate, and the bubbles also appeared to have sharply defined edges.
Doug Finkbeiner, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, was the first researcher to see the bubbles. He told NASA:
What we see are two gamma-ray-emitting bubbles that extend 25,000 light-years north and south of the galactic center. We don't fully understand their nature or origin.
He speculates that the structures could be millions of years old.
So what caused them? According to NASA:
One possibility includes a particle jet from the supermassive black hole at the galactic center. In many other galaxies, astronomers see fast particle jets powered by matter falling toward a central black hole. While there is no evidence the Milky Way's black hole has such a jet today, it may have in the past. The bubbles also may have formed as a result of gas outflows from a burst of star formation, perhaps the one that produced many massive star clusters in the Milky Way's center several million years ago.
"In other galaxies, we see that starbursts can drive enormous gas outflows," said David Spergel, a scientist at Princeton University in New Jersey. "Whatever the energy source behind these huge bubbles may be, it is connected to many deep questions in astrophysics."
http://io9.com/5685847/vast-mysterious-structure-discovered-at-the-heart-of-our-...
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- tags:
- Awesome, Amazing, WOW Amazing, Wow, 6 more
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- recommended by:
- Vierotchka
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olddogdaddy
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the more we think we know; the less we understand........
- 1 year ago
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olddogdaddy
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KSirys
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It's just an illusion... like scientist like to say, "use the simplest solution"
- 1 year ago
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KSirys
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sanzen3
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This is just more proof that there is a supermassive black hole in the middle of our galaxy (an already popular theory). Not like an "oh my god I can't believe this new mysterious structure" type of discovery. This is what black holes do. It has been known for a long time that black holes emit gamma rays...
- 1 year ago
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sanzen3
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remanns
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"neham" I think, is prone to "wow" tags.
and, ...WOW ! ( this is a weird universe we live in,.....and BIG. )
- 1 year ago
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remanns
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EmperorThan
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http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1011/bubble_fermi_big.jpg
The real picture of the newly discovered structure.
- 1 year ago
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EmperorThan
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EmperorThan
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKBhvDjuy0
Cool old vid if you want to know just how small you are compared to the Milky Way.
The only real big discrepancies is that it portrays the Milky Way as a spiral galaxy which is now known to be a barred spiral instead. And that the man's DNA is not wrapped around histones which were unknown at the time the vid was made.
- 1 year ago
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EmperorThan
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Einsam_Data_Old [removed]
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EmperorThan: This comment was removed as a violation of community guidelines.
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Einsam_Data_Old [removed]
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ras_menelik
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And the NRA thinks their guns protect humans and have power ? LOL.
Like it can stop a gamma ray burst that will kill us all from even a distance of 8,000 light years.
- 1 year ago
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ras_menelik
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ras_menelik
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I got a bad/good feeling about this, our Galaxy will soon have a Gamma-ray bursts...
the bad news we will all miss it - 1 year ago
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ras_menelik
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sdgfghgf [removed]
- This comment was removed as a violation of community guidelines.
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sdgfghgf [removed]
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Incredulous
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sdgfghgf:
you suck current, why don't you just let the users remove the spam....we would actually get the job done.
- 1 year ago
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Incredulous
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LibertynJusticeforAll
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Incredulous:
Agreed Fuck Current Hard for sucking so bad. I've watch them give the site over to this scum for the past 3 years. I tried to help them flag these trolls and spammers but they made it clear they liked the traffic they stirred up. Now the real users are leaving in droves. I don't even know how the staff can stomach bringing themselves to work for this piece of shit each day!
- 1 year ago
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LibertynJusticeforAll
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lnlb79 [removed]
- This comment was removed as a violation of community guidelines.
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lnlb79 [removed]
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Incredulous
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lnlb79:
you suck current, why don't you just let the users remove the spam....we would actually get the job done.
- 1 year ago
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Incredulous
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indecisiveh
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Incredulous:
because something like that would never backfire.....
- 1 year ago
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indecisiveh
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fghgj [removed]
- This comment was removed as a violation of community guidelines.
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fghgj [removed]
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Incredulous
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fghgj:
you suck current, why don't you just let the users remove the spam....we would actually get the job done.
- 1 year ago
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Incredulous
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UtopianSky
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I'm gonna say it before remanns does:
The galaxy has bOObies!
:) - 1 year ago
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UtopianSky
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bailey78
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UtopianSky:
B(o)(o)Bies :)
- 1 year ago
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bailey78
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idealist
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when someone says " structure" people thing "solid" gama rays arent solid. so there a good chance it's always been there and we just now found it.
- 1 year ago
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idealist
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NiceN
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Time paradox, noobs.
- 1 year ago
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NiceN
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Itsbatman_Durr
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between this and the latest info on dwarf planet eris it is an amazing time to be following what is happening
- 1 year ago
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Itsbatman_Durr
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EmperorThan
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Itsbatman_Durr:
Eris just got pwned by my boy Pluto!
- 1 year ago
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EmperorThan
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Itsbatman_Durr
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EmperorThan:
its so not the size its the girth!! umm i mean mass
- 1 year ago
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Itsbatman_Durr
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slippyt
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Itsbatman_Durr:
What latest info on Eris?
- 1 year ago
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slippyt
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EmperorThan
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slippyt:
Eris lost it's title as the largest dwarf planet to Pluto the other day
Pluto also has 3 moons now instead of 1, but that part's five year old news.:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=is-pluto-the-biggest-dwarf-pl...
- 1 year ago
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EmperorThan
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EmperorThan
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Maybe the core just swallowed up Sagittarius Dwarf galaxy....lol
- 1 year ago
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EmperorThan
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coolplanet
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EmperorThan:
I like the way you think!
Perhaps this phenomenon is only observable when our solar system is alligned with the galactic equator which happens every 26,000+- years (one full Precession of the Equinox).
Our solar system is rising into the "northern hemisphere" of the Milky Way for the first time in about 26,000 years.
This involves a change in magnetic polarity on a planetary, solar and galactic scale.
I am certainly feeling it. - 7 days ago
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coolplanet
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hunzedog
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somebody;s grow light
- 1 year ago
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hunzedog
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EdJoyProductions
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hunzedog:
God's bong. :)
- 1 year ago
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EdJoyProductions
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EmperorThan
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hunzedog:
LOL, God's.
- 1 year ago
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EmperorThan
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slippyt
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EdJoyProductions:
Haha.. or God's farts?
- 1 year ago
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slippyt
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EmperorThan
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slippyt:
Hahahahaha when God created light he was just lighting up a match to get rid of the smell it turns out.
Creates a whole Universe in the process.
- 1 year ago
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EmperorThan
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floydyboy
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EmperorThan:
No no no, you've gotta get your facts straight dude
- 1 year ago
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floydyboy
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EmperorThan
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floydyboy:
Hahaha I stand corrected.
- 1 year ago
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EmperorThan
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RojoGatto
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Aliens. Done nasa needs to hire me
- 1 year ago
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RojoGatto
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mitekillem
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RojoGatto:
This comment is disappoint.
- 1 year ago
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mitekillem
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Einsam_Data_Old [removed]
- This comment was removed as a violation of community guidelines.
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Einsam_Data_Old [removed]
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bailey78
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Einsam_Data_Old:
So many times those are somebodies last words just before an Alien eats them
- 1 year ago
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bailey78
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Mike_Johnston
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looks like an atom. the macroscopic universe reflecting the structure of basic particles? Gas plasma is electrically charged so the galaxy really does kind of resemble an atom in a lot of ways. Just random thoughts...
- 1 year ago
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Mike_Johnston
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floydyboy
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Mike_Johnston:
Been sayin stuff like that about the universe for years now.
- 1 year ago
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floydyboy
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div
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Mike_Johnston:
One giant Hydrogen atom?
- 1 year ago
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div
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coolplanet
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This is OBVIOUSLY related to the 2012 phenomenon (the Mayan 13 Baktun cycles) which is all about what is happening at the center of our Milky Way. Interesting that this awesome event actually occurred over 25,000 light years ago, at the beginning of the Mayan Grand Cycle which ends on 12/21/12.
- 1 year ago
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coolplanet
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RojoGatto
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coolplanet:
it didnt happen 25,000 light years ago thats distance not time
- 1 year ago
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RojoGatto
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coolplanet
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RojoGatto:
The center of the Milky Way is approximately 25,000 light years away from Earth. A light year is the time it takes light to travel through space. So what we are currently witnessing at the center of the Milky Way actually occurred 25,000 years ago.
Perhaps this phenomenon is millions of years old. But what we are seeing today at the center of our galaxy is what was going on some 25,000 years ago. - 1 year ago
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coolplanet
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Mark701
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RojoGatto:
A light year is a function of both distance and time. It's the distance light will travel in one year, which is approximately 6 trillion miles. So 6,000,000,000,000 miles/yr x 25,000 years is the height (in miles) of one of the bubbles. Feel free to check my math but that's about 15 quadrillion miles.
- 1 year ago
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Mark701
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juicie
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Mark701:
close but off by 1 order of magnitude, 1.5 × 10^17 or 150 quadrillion miles
- 1 year ago
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juicie
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ozoneocean
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"And astronomers have no idea what caused them."
That's patently untrue, isn't it? The article itself says that it's likely the results of jets from a black hole and that's the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw the story, so the scientists concerned actually have a very good idea what probably caused them. ;) - 1 year ago
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ozoneocean
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ghkhyjk [removed]
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ghkhyjk [removed]
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MizPiz
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ghkhyjk:
FUCK OFF!
- 1 year ago
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MizPiz
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Einsam_Data_Old [removed]
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ghkhyjk: This comment was removed as a violation of community guidelines.
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Einsam_Data_Old [removed]
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boothanew
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Einsam_Data_Old:
Dear sir , where can i purchase such products of yours?
- 1 year ago
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boothanew
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Dmerza1989
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Einsam_Data_Old:
I think its safe to say we have a certain probrem
- 1 year ago
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Dmerza1989
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hunzedog
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Einsam_Data_Old:
you by now ...whats your credit card number ?
you know we got best plices - 1 year ago
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hunzedog
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coolplanet
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Einsam_Data_Old:
Why do you assume this spam is from China?
How do you know it isn't the Koch brothers? - 1 year ago
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coolplanet
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Einsam_Data_Old [removed]
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coolplanet: This comment was removed as a violation of community guidelines.
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Einsam_Data_Old [removed]
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EdJoyProductions
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Einsam_Data_Old:
They removed my post because I was in "violation of community guidelines". Go to the site that they are advertising from and hit contacts. E-mail them asking them to stop spamming current or just forward spam to them and put their names on spam lists.
- 1 year ago
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EdJoyProductions
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Incredulous
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coolplanet:
have you seen the USA USA USA, we are here to stay chant? It's China.
- 1 year ago
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Incredulous
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Elevator
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badass.
- 1 year ago
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Elevator
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CalPal
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>_>...
- 1 year ago
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CalPal
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cbsrf
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CalPal:
apparently the milky way has the biggest of them all.
- 1 year ago
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cbsrf
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kennymotown
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Incredible! Wow.
- 1 year ago
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kennymotown
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juicie
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if that dude who just posts "wow" posted here before me, I would have had to agree with him this time
- 1 year ago
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juicie
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pjacobs51
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juicie:
Lol . . . "wow"
- 1 year ago
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pjacobs51
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eden49
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juicie:
...wow...
- 1 year ago
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eden49
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bailey78
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juicie:
WoW !
- 1 year ago
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bailey78
