Amy Hemmeter
@AmyHemmeter
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Volunteer Lobbyist, Climate Person, Carbon Fee and Dividend Enthusiast, Transit Nerd and Car-free in the Motor City, Vegan, Data Scientist
Joined July 2012
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Pinned Tweet
Beginners taking the bus in Metro Detroit: first download
@tokentransit
- it works for both DDOT and SMART! Then download the
@transitapp
, which will give you detailed directions. Use your debit/credit in Token Transit - $2 covers 4 hours.
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Unpopular opinion: airports should not be in a walkable location, because usually that implies that the area is densely populated, and they're not good for public health due to the massive amounts of pollution. Don't poison locals for your own convenience.
are there any major airports that are pedestrian accessible?
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Man everyone's an environmentalist until you talk about flying.
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@carbdiem
When I was 25 I had very very little money and no prospects, retrained at 27. I'm 33 now and I'm ahead of the same peers who pitied me at 25. Your twenties just suck, tbh, they're a time of uncomfortable growth but you'll be thanking yourself for starting over.
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@SketchesbyBoze
So much beauty outside of Western architecture to be shared. Thai architecture is also gorgeous and so detailed it's almost overwhelming.
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The
@HSRail
Alliance made a poster of the "future of mobility" at Michigan Central Station with the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers
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@sam_d_1995
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it." - Upton Sinclair
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@crosstown_line
Yes, but I'd do it with the current Amtrak speeds too. 16-18 hours sounds like a lot but it isn't so bad on a train. I'm literally doing nearly 48 hours on a train starting this morning, from West Palm Beach to Detroit.
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This is why my vote for Biden in November is non-negotiable.
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@Broken_Devotion
@TwichellSydney
That's what happens with that kinda friend... You're so used to their bullshit and they convince you it isn't that big a deal and then later after you've cut ties you're like WHOA what the FUCK
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... and of course we should be funneling shitloads of money towards things that make that have less of an impact on the poor - excellent public transit, a dividend model a la carbon fee and dividend, etc.
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Michigan Central's renovation is absolutely gorgeous and would easily give us one of the most beautiful train stations in the Midwest
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Asked whether proposals for an expanded network would be likely to gain traction among the new Democratic majority in the Michigan Senate, Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, the majority whip, responded with an enthusiastic, “Hell yeah!” 🎉
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This plan would nearly DOUBLE the funding for transit in Michigan for the next ten years. It's a huge deal!!
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This 👏 is 👏 leadership👏 on 👏 climate 👏
All aboard! 🚂
High-Speed Rail isn’t just the future for us, it’s the present for billions of people. America is badly behind.
It’s a privilege to reintroduce the American
#HighSpeedRail
Act with
@RepDelBene
to kickstart our country’s rail revolution.
🧵1/
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Can we get a TRAIN??? This is climate arson!
Frontier Airlines launches $19 fares for new nonstop routes from Detroit, Grand Rapids
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I really hate when people pit cyclists against transit. Almost everyone who does one does the other too, especially if they don't have a car! Haven't you seen how many people use the bike racks on the front of buses?
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Growing up with liberal values in this country involves seeing travel of any kind as morally good - it makes you more worldly, empathetic even. I think that's why left-of-center people struggle so much with accepting the climate impact of flying. Huge cognitive dissonance.
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@NiranjanAjit
In a dog FB group, someone shared a "helpful" link to a company that flies your dog via private jet. When someone said hey, what about the CO2, they said "rich people fly in these all the time, I don't see why a normal person can't do it for their dog!" It cost $50k.
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And we need to be honest about the impact of flying. It may seem "small", but globally very few people fly. The individual impact of each flight is large, and hardly any lifestyle change justifies it.
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@saaaauuull
1000%, I have been boring everyone in my life about Minnesota's transportation policies for a year now - the VMT bill is my fave
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@theashleyray
This is how we got to the "fictional characters have to give consent" discourse
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Rude, entitled drivers are yelling about parking before the presentation has even really gotten going - sir, this entire damn neighborhood is a parking lot
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@bookishseawitch
I saw Alice Walker's "the most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any" as a WEIGHT LOSS MOTIVATION quote and I have rarely been so apoplectic.
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I hope the
@MichiganDems
are taking notes about what makes Chicago, a city that attracts so many former Michiganders, appealing. Take that knowledge home with you and revisit serious transit funding and land use policies for walkability!
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@weischoice
Set aside a modest budget for spending money in businesses located in my neighborhood that I want to thrive
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@ParisPhl
I saw someone get covid and blame immigrants, despite no evidence that they actually interacted with one! And they had just gone to a concert, literally one of the highest risk activities.
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@PolarBarrett
Detroit has more parking than almost any other major city. Furthermore, surface parking spreads out buildings further away from each other, making it more expensive to build effective public transportation and walkability.
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@mr_leandroman
@AndrewSimms_uk
@FlightFreeUK
@flyingless
@StayGroundedNet
@HACAN1
@a_free_ride
@transenv
@AliceClimate
@FVReclame
@werbe_frei
@crisortunity
Avoiding flights is more impactful than being vegan. Everyone should be vegan, sure, but even you aren't; it's a hard sell for 7 billion people. Only 10% of people globally ever fly - an easier target. I encourage veganism, as a vegan, but relative impact matters tremendously.
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@cyclesixmile
Well if he can, good news.
Ebikes are so stupidly efficient that you could cross the USA on about $5 worth of electricity.
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I'm loving seeing all the Michigan politicians taking the train to the convention!
On my way to Chicago for the
#DNC2024
Convention and got a great seat mate on the Amtrak.
We standing tall
@LtGovGilchrist
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@LuxemEmpire
It can't be that way forever. Climate change will harm those people the most too.
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@amehta888
@flaminhaystacks
Teaching is the best way to reinforce the material for yourself!
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I work in artificial intelligence and I'm here to say - can we make this a bus lane instead?
14th Street will be America's first public charging road, and Michigan Avenue will be Detroit's first autonomous car lane running all the way to Ann Arbor.
GM Cruise and Waymo self-driving vehicles, made in Detroit, will fill the autonomous vehicle lane.
@DETSOTC23
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@lumbjackwharfie
Please see literally any other country and tell me how much their old guys hate cafes. How they definitely don't spend literally hours every day smoking and shooting the shit with their friends.
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Planning to go to Lansing tomorrow for the Sierra Club Lobby Day and I am once again reminded that a lack of public transportation options that get you there in the morning directly affects Detroiters' access to their own state's democracy.
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And we're off! Longest
@Amtrak
trip to date: Detroit to Martinez, CA. First leg is the trusty Wolverine to Chicago. New comfy sweater courtesy of
@DetroitTransit
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Looking back on my year, I'm so proud of the work I've done for
@citizensclimate
. There's truly no feeling like getting an email from your Congressperson letting you know they're cosponsoring a climate bill due to your volunteer lobbying efforts.
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@hickorywhat
@GroundThing
@KrangTNelson
That, and some of the jokes are a little dated because they were during the Bush era. I'm not sure younger audiences relate to jokes about Condoleeza Rice, for instance. That being said there's the 999 other jokes per episode.
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This would be VERY bad if it passed. They use "local control" but it means that if a farmer wants to put solar panels on their own land, a small group of people who may not even live nearby can block solar projects.
Residents in southeastern Michigan have started a group called Citizens for Local Choice with the goal to repeal the state-level siting law that the Michigan legislature enacted last year. They are trying to get a repeal on the 2024 ballot for voters to choose.
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It would be so nice to get kayak rentals in Detroit that don't require a tour and $50. Just give me a normal, $10/hr rental. Preferably on Belle Isle.
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This exchange is... eye-opening. "Taking cars off the road" is a very banal expression that obviously implies offering alternatives, and you would THINK a Dep't of Transportation would understand that implicitly? Instead of behaving like someone's rightwing uncle at Thanksgiving?
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@flyingless
If I have to listen to one more self-satisfied smug white liberal talk about their international vacation as if it was somehow a public service....
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@ryanpphotovideo
Maybe among Twitter people, I would fall out of my chair if I heard an American politician admit this
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Banning frequent flier miles is such an easy, obvious climate policy from an environmental and equity perspective. I wish we were talking about it more seriously.
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This fella is consistently forward-thinking with his takes on transportation and elected officials would do well to follow his lead.
Driving isn't always best. Congestion pricing
🚗 Takes cars off the road
🏭 Reduces pollution
👮 Lowers emergency response times
💨 Improves air quality
🚇 Boosts ridership & funds expansion of public transit.
@GovKathyHochul
's decision to halt its rollout in NYC is a mistake.
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I don't care whether the MI capitol is in Lansing or Detroit, I just want a train from that gets me there when lobby meeting prep starts instead of scrambling to find a carpool. Or better yet, start lobby prep on the rails with a nice cup of coffee from the cafe car.
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Car dependency sucks everywhere but with a median income of $35k and $200+/mo car insurance not to mention one of the highest asthma rates in the nation, I'm not sure why it's not one of the highest priorities of every single elected official in Detroit.
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Standing in excessive heat caused by climate change waiting for a bus, watching hundreds of ICE cars pass and thinking, man, wouldn't it be something to increase the budget of this insufficient transit system by $2B? Alas, our state chose the auto industry over our future. Again.
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We should have a threshold for AQI where employers are mandated to let people who can work from home, and those who work outdoors get paid leave. This is a public health crisis and we need to treat it like one.
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@focusfronting
Took me years to get them diagnosed also. I had one doctor tell me I was too skinny to have them. I had another one who said it was probably nothing, but if I had them it would be good to eat less fat and I would lose weight... Literally rooting for the disease.
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@Trawets_Asil
Ah, yes, "I don't want to do it so it must be something only wealthy people do." It's absurd for biking vs driving, but I've also heard it for veganism (beans...), not flying (!) and taking the bus (!!!) so many times. It's not based in reality - poor people do all of these.
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There is no world in which a large number of uncommitted votes in Michigan results in a different nominee. All it does is show Biden that voters - people who actually show up - care about Palestinians. I'll be voting uncommitted in the primary, Biden in November.
Voting "uncommitted" in Michigan helps trump. Pass it on.
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I'm about to get a big fat tax refund this year for installing solar panels, which have already saved me hundreds of dollars in energy bills, and upgrades that were fast-tracked in my neighborhood due to said solar panels saved us AND our neighbors from outages.
What has Joe Biden done for you?
Absolutely nothing
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Just really not into "my backyard garden will save the planet" environmentalism and I can't believe we're still having conversations like this in the Year of Our Lord 2024.
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Also let me be perfectly clear: this is the EQUIVALENT of 1.19 million cars but the majority of the pollution is from the planes, not the cars.
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Senator
@MalloryMcMorrow
is not only one of the best speakers tonight but she's also one of Michigan's best and most effective transit champions!
#DNC2024
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About to take my life in my hands crossing Michigan Ave to do public comment about proposed changes to Michigan Ave, wish me luck
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@CappelloJohn
@michellecyca
"No ethical consumption under capitalism" is starting to sound a lot to me like "I don't want to do the right thing", not just for veganism (but very often for veganism)
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@Respexy
"Sorry for using 'you guys', Amy, I can't believe I said that! Could you imagine if I was talking to a group of engineers and called them 'you girls'?" - a former coworker, to me, an engineer
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Walkable neighborhood grocery stores is exactly what we need!!!
Detroit revives program to increase fresh food access for residents
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@Amtrak
I love this! I would love a recurring update on HSR at Amtrak with Train Daddy. He's a great communicator with a huge fan club of nerds and I think lots of us would enjoy updates on the progress of Amtrak's HSR.
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Downtown Detroit has entirely too much parking
Curious to know how much of your downtown is taken up by parking?
Check out our Parking Lot Map:
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I say this with the sincerest affection for each and every person I've met in this space who have all been great, but rail advocacy groups really need to recruit more women.
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For the "or X" replies: I am vegan, don't drive, etc. The defensiveness to flying is unique and extreme. I saw it most recently in an anti-driving FB group, so not usually people who shy away from putting their money where their mouth is.
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The longer I live in Detroit the more I think the Detroit experience is running into someone, chatting, and then finding out they've started a hugely ambitious nonprofit and completely transformed the community.
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Bus fare is free on
@RideDDOT
Route 32 tomorrow, courtesy of
@Icewear_Vezzo
, who is celebrating his new album dropping. 🎤🚌
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I spoke to some Sierra Club people today who didn't know what the IRA is. HOW.
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Honestly stunned to see such a great rundown on the issues with walkability and car infrastructure from the governor of one of the reddest states in the US. Makes me hopeful for the future.
“We built cities all over America that are designed for automobiles and not designed for people... Our housing costs are high, in part because of the way that we've designed our cities."
-
@GovDougBurgum
North Dakota comments during the
@NatlGovsAssoc
winter meetings
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The people want transit!!!
@MichiganDems
“Amtrak is on track to set a new all-time ridership record in 2024, breaking a record set in 2019, when 32.3 million passengers used the service. May was Amtrak’s best month ever for revenue in its 53 years.” 🚆
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I lobbied for clean energy legislation at the state level and it was just signed by Governor Whitmer yesterday!
BRAG ABOUT SOMETHING YOU’RE PROUD OF ACCOMPLISHING IN 2023 ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
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@waitasequitur
@barrettbowlin
Owning books is something lots of people are super precious about but usually you read them once and public libraries are a thing. I only keep books I expect to reference again.
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Continuing to widen highways is a "climate time bomb", according to new report
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This is excellent, more Congresspeople should do this
🚂 Took the train down for votes in Washington, curious why it's a 7+ hour ride? My team and I are digging into what we can do to fix this.
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After nearly 2 years of negotiation, the SMART drivers' union finally came to an agreement on a contract! 🎉 SMART bus drivers will now start at $23/hr, which will hopefully help with their driver shortage.
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I am just SO excited that an American politician is talking about this. FINALLY. The answer is yes!!
Should we consider banning ultra-short flights where trains make more sense? 🤔🚅
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I've lived in 6 states and every single state thinks they have a monopoly on the "4 seasons in one week" phenomenon.
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.
@MichiganDems
I hope this air quality and climate change weigh heavily on your budget decisions tomorrow. Public transportation, clean energy and weatherization are of the UTMOST importance to prevent the new normal from getting worse.
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The anti-transit trolls are out in force. "No one wants to use the train" - please take any train near the weekend, they are CHOCK full. I'm sure they won't, because what they actually mean is "I'm scared of the train", but there's an obvious demand for trains in MI.
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Total transportation costs for 2023 for both me and Sean:
Gas: $57.56
Rentals: $1095.91
Transit: $149
Rideshare: $179.33
Bikeshare: $65.49
Average: $128/month. For context, our car insurance alone cost $165/month, to say nothing of gas, maintenance, repairs...
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Car brain is an epidemic in Michigan.
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@Nerd4Cities
Communication and advocacy are two related but separate skills imho. And the way he presents information really resonates with people who grew up in suburbs and have long thought "wow this sucks" without any of the language to articulate it. I'm an advocate, but I appreciate him.
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Please Google the Aral Sea and how it was used to irrigate cotton and you'll see why it's such a bad idea to pump water out of the Great Lakes
if you want great lakes water you should move to the great lakes watershed. we have a binational agreement that we can’t use it outside of this region. you shouldn’t get to siphon our local resources just bc you decided to grow alfalfa in the desert half a continent away
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Here's Detroit, for reference. Sadly we don't have nearly as many dark green spots, because car dependency is such a problem here. Walkable density and transit would help so much!
That's true! Check out this CO2 emissions per capita graph of NYC - the denser ares are the most environmentally friendly. This holds true for cities across the globe.
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@travis_robert
It was such a huge undertaking, I couldn't believe how tall those escalators were. We need this kind of ambition to fight climate change.
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We're starting our train adventure! The first part isn't glamorous, it's a thru bus to Toledo. No trains head East from Detroit so there's a 1 hr connecting bus. The bus driver had a list of names so we just told him our names, no ticket needed yet.
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@JabroniTV
Yup, it's a major environmental justice - and climate - issue. It's one of the reasons I avoid flying whenever possible. I'd rather take a long Amtrak. But most urbanists aren't ready for that discussion.
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@sam_d_1995
Thank you for calling attention to the environmental impacts of flights. It's a huge blind spot for many people, especially those left of center (myself formerly included), and it doesn't get nearly enough attention in the media.
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