From: Barry Wensel
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Date: 05-Jul-18 |
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I know quite a few hardcore whitetail hunters who "talk the talk, but don't walk the walk" as they say. Mike Mitten is NOT one of those guys. Many of you have seen his recent new DVD where he hunts Alaska alone and packs giant bull moose out on his back for many miles alone, etc. (if you haven't seen the DVD you need to).
This year Mike drew an Iowa N/R bow tag and will be hunting a farm about 50 miles from where I live. Last week he called and asked if I was available to help him look the place over since neither of us had ever stepped foot on it. Unfortunately I took a fall about ten days ago and boogered up my right leg where I have screws holding it together from a break back in the '80s.
This evening Mike called me while driving home. He came over himself (8 hours one way) and scouted the farm yesterday and today. He prepped and hung SIX treestands today HIMSELF. That alone is impressive but what's more impressive is it's been almost 100 degrees here the last two days with high humidity. You gotta be kidding me! Not bad for a guy who's almost 60 years old. And people wonder why he consistently kills big bucks??? BW
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From: StikBow
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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Harder than old people’s toenails. Age has not diminished the desire in his case
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From: Deno
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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Very impressive Barry. Sorry to hear about your fall. It takes a special kind of outdoorsman to achieve Mike's accomplishments. He walks the walk for sure.
Deno
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From: Keefers
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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Barry Mike is "One with the Wilderness" for sure and I have always loved to read his story's about his Whitetail deer he has taken and methods of doing so. He is doing his homework and no doubt he is one tough man . Something I admire from Mike is when my wife and I adopted our second girl while we traveled to another country our first daughter vomited on my One with the Wilderness book but lucky me I was able to clean it and save it lol. I sent Mike a pm about how that book was with me on that flight and two week stay while doing paper work finalizing that adoption and ever since then Mike has sent my three girls signed photo's of animals he has taken. Always signing with a God bless and that tells me the type of Man Mike is. I never met Mike but I had a Big brother who was the oldest of us and he sort of resembled Mike Mittin but just a few years older. My brother Mike was killed in an auto accident in 1974 and I miss him dearly and always looked up to him even though he tormented me with a shot in the butt with a pellet gun . When Mike killed Twister and Shakes I sent a pm to him asking if it was ok to print a picture of those two bucks and save them and He did something better then that . He sent me two 8x11 actual photos he had developed at walgreens and signed them to my daughters . Several other pictures came in the mail of his Moose on Primal Dreams and a book as well. Recently He did another Awesome thing for me and my girls and that will Never be forgotten. Mike is sort of like our Hero here and we follow his story's and share them with others and tell them What a great guy he is. If you see him tell him Keefer's says God Bless and my girls and I appreciate his kindness! <')))><
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From: S. North
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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Yep. More could learn from you guys. Hope your hip gets better. Had mine done last winter
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From: 4nolz@work
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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Neat stuff Keefers-thats walking the walk!
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From: Homey88
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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The man is a machine!
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From: bfisherman11
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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Barry as said before sorry to hear about your fall. I feel pretty lucky that I can count Mike as a friend too. All that has been said here is true. He is a remarkably skilled hunter but an even more remarkable man.
I am not sure what he was thinking when he started with the videos and writting but he is genuine and a guy who won't ever let us fans down.
We chatted a bit at Compton, I was one of Mike's friends from IL. Also Barry, I have been a fan of you and Gene for longer than I can say.
Thanks for the update and I hope you, Gene and Mike have great Iowa seasons!
Regards, Bill
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From: Jim
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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WOW!
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From: Knifeguy
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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I read Mike’s account of the moose hunt last night in the new TBM. His writing is superb and makes you feel like you’re right there with him. Loved the knee pad anecdote! Get well Mr Wensel! Lance
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From: Barry Wensel
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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I didn't intend to talk about my knee but thank you all anyway. I'll try to cut this short but you need a visual on my fall. I got up at 6:30 that morning. When I walked into the dining room there was a mouse just standing there on the hardwood floor. He was just standing and facing directly away from me. There was a dictionary laying on the table so I dropped it on him. He started flipping all over. I grabbed a fly swatter and whaled on him but the swatter had a wire handle where I couldn't get many foot pounds on him. He started to run for the kitchen. I was afraid he was going to crawl under the fridge or stove, die and stink up the house. As I rounded the corner I lost my footing as I was running and swinging at him the whole time. I went down hard on my right knee which is the leg I broke back in the '80s that has screws in it. Ultimately I landed on the mouse with my hip and the "foot pounds" were more than enough to kill him. I only wish I would have got it on video. It's been over a week now and it's still throbbing so I made an appointment at the clinic tomorrow morning. A fall like this wouldn't have bothered me for five minutes ten years ago. Golden years my as. bw
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From: 4nolz@work
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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killing a mouse with a fly swatter takes dedication I did it once in a farmhouse I lived in in college.
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From: Rick Barbee
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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I'll soon be 61, and can say I have definitely lost a lot of the desire to walk the walk.
I still can if I have to, and still do when the desire overcomes me, but yeah I've slowed way down for the most part.
Kudos to those who still can & do, and my sympathies to those who still have the strong desire but can't.
Rick
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From: Sawtooth (Original)
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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Grit. We call it grit down here. Tough as woodpecker lips. Mike sounds like a fine person.
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From: Sawtooth (Original)
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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Grit. We call it grit down here. Tough as woodpecker lips. Mike sounds like a fine person.
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From: George D. Stout
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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I'm going on 73 so I will second what Rick says. The desire is the key and I 'aint got it anymore. I have a lot of respect for Mike Mitten, mostly to his dedication to cancer research...you have to want to help people to do that. That is walking the talk right there.
And Barry....didn't you use that knee excuse some time back? ;)) Hope you're getting around and will be ready for fall.
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From: Keefers
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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Barry are you sure you weren't standing on a chair "Screaming " like a girl cause you may be afraid of Mice and the chair broke? I'm getting that sort of "Visual" LOL ! See all those story's you have told us here we are starting to get a sort of different visual..
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From: Barry Wensel
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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Yeah, I'm always getting in trouble. I fell off a cliff in 2011 and rolled downhill bouncing off trees for 30 yds. or so. Just chipped a tooth but limped for a couple weeks after. I had over 180 inches of black & blue marks though (I measured them). Also got charged by two different feral hogs in one day and had to shoot my way out. The second one got me and I broke my "bad arm" (12 screws and 2 plates already in it) during that fight. But when the dust settled I was standing over his dead carcass. Also got my leather belt hung up behind me while hanging a stand about five years ago. I couldn't go up or down. Ended up tearing all the soft tissue around my right femoral head. That one still bothers me. Actually ALL those would have made for great video footage. Ha. bw
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From: Babysaph
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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I still have th desire too at 62. Being retired I’m going to come out there Barry and hunt my new farm I just bought in your great state. .
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From: Iowacedarshooter
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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an old iowan begins to think about these things around the first of july!
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From: vthunter
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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Barry, it sounds like you better move back to Vermont where you were "safer." LOL.
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From: Keefers
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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Barry it's time for you to invest in one them Go Pro camera's so we all can get the "REAL VISUAL" of "this actual happened to me" like Outdoor life used to have years ago. Now I'm starting to think all those warning labels you see stuck on machinery with the words Warning or Danger had a "Visual" of you in mind lol... Still trying to visual the orb light glowing around you that you wrote about years ago in your book. Heck I just went to see if I had that book and I do in my night stand. Now I got to go read those story's again just for laughs.
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From: Ranger193
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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I am sitting here laughing my butt of reading your story of how you got hurt. Sorry. My daughter asked what I was laughing at. I think the "foot pounds" analogy is what got me going. Thanks for yet another laugh. But good lands you guys are tougher than woodpecker lips.
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From: scndwfstlhntng
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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Was there any recognizable part of the mouse left, or did he become one with the floor?
Sorry to hear you have had yet another injury. They do start to overlap after awhile.
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From: StikBow
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Date: 06-Jul-18 |
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Buying your hard luck at discount prices goes out of style in your 40’s. I gues s being 70 makes me move slower and think twice. I would have liked to see those adventures on film. When you think about it, you have stories to tell, scars to prove them, while many of the people in this country have adventures vicariously. Good on ya, and keep going!
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From: Labackwoodsman
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Date: 07-Jul-18 |
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Kinda relates to the old saying that we sometimes make our own luck. His hard work is definitely why he is so successful.
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From: George Tsoukalas
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Date: 07-Jul-18 |
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Yup. I just turned 70 y/o. I've been looking at a beautiful osage stave that Jim Davis gave me for about 2 weeks wondering if my back could take using the drawknife.
Please let us know how it goes at the clinic, Barry.
Jawge
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From: Barry Wensel
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Date: 07-Jul-18 |
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Three x-rays. No fractures. Their diagnosis was "traumatic synovitis". Soft tissue damage from my knee to my ankle. The screws in my leg from the fracture in '87 were not displaced. They said my spaces were great with minimal calcium infiltration for an old, fat guy. Rx- ice packs; ibuprofen; minimal weight-bearing for a while. No sweat. Thanks. bw
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From: Herdbull
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Date: 07-Jul-18 |
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Thanks guys for the kind words. The new property looks excellent with combination of hardwoods and cedar. Row crops are only close on the east side, but hay ground on property. I could not wait for the temps to come down, but got six stands in to start the season and then go from there. Barry, I hope you heal up before we go to Denton Hill , ETAR. Mike
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From: grizz
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Date: 07-Jul-18 |
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Loved the moose hunt in TBM Mike. Great story well told.
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From: George Tsoukalas
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Date: 07-Jul-18 |
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Glad you are keeping at it, Herdbull. Jawge
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From: Sam Dunham
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Date: 07-Jul-18 |
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Hey Barry! send your address and will send you some viagra! lol
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From: ground hunter
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Date: 08-Jul-18 |
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I am 68 and I still have a lot of burn in the belly.... Last year while recovering from heart surgery, I had my wife, bring me my book One with the Wilderness,,,,,,,, it got me thru a tough week,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The guy is an inspiration to me, and I can go like hell now,,, feel like I am 30.........
I am looking forward to getting his new dvd...... sorry about your fall,,,,,,,,,,,,,lets be careful out there
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From: bentstick
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Date: 08-Jul-18 |
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It a tremendous treat sitting back reading of the adventures of living legends, being told from afar yet somehow seem so much more personal as we sit around this "campfire" Here to wishing all well, may the tales continue........
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From: Herdbull
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Date: 11-Jul-18 |
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Ground Hunter- Good to hear you are doing well. Reminds me of a quote from my moose hunting film, "As I get older and mobility diminishes, what I fear the most is losing the will to be tested." Mike
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From: Sam Dunham
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Date: 11-Jul-18 |
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Test yourself hunting bad men and put them in prison. Go bowhunting like I have for 30 years to refresh.
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From: Wojo14
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Date: 11-Jul-18 |
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Mike, I just purchased your new DVD. I have your book and read it 2 times. I am not much of a reader, however your story kept me interested. How you hunt inspired me to be more independent and look for solitude in nature with my bow in hand. I went on my first solo trip this spring for turkey and it was amazing. It was only 3 days but the mental clarity was great. You are an inspiration to me as a trad hunter. I also have a desire to kill a moose. But doing it solo is one heck of an accomplishment. Thank you for inspiring.
~Wojo
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From: JusPassin
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Date: 11-Jul-18 |
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Don't read about hunting, don't watch videos about hunting, just hunt..
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From: Wojo14
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Date: 11-Jul-18 |
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“Don't read about hunting, don't watch videos about hunting, just hunt..“
Exactly.
~Wojo
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From: Sam Dunham
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Date: 12-Jul-18 |
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Yes, I am very much impressed by Mikes hunting and his adventures. They are inspiring and make us Bowhunters push ourselves to our own individual limits.
I am also in awe and respect and of all in the PBS who lead and preserve our Sport.
I wish Mile many more and Barry continued health and wellness. Gene and Barry have always kept it real and are the best reps of the PBS and Bowhunting.
I watched in awe as Barry made October Whitetails and still watch it.
I think Mike is the mold of and culmination of the twins mentoring and experiences hunting.
I look forward to more and enjoy it, Thank Mr, Mitton for your contribution to our great life sport of Bowhunting!
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From: Sam Dunham
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Date: 12-Jul-18 |
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https://youtu.be/QZqb5tSf744
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From: Sam Dunham
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Date: 12-Jul-18 |
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Bro, John is doing well.Kudo
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