Our landlord, BLACKSTONE, can't handle Stuy Town and Peter Cooper Village. There is a lack of enforcement of certain "rules," and no amount of notice to this alleviates the problems. We are continually being told half-truths and fabrications. And we have no viable Tenants organization, despite our TA asking for dues all the time. So far, the politicians have proven to be basically useless. A typical New York story.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Why "Something is Always Happening in Stuy Town" Doesn't Have To Always Be
60 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I miss the days when the Oval was a place to go to just stroll around, sit and read a book or have a chat with neighbors, enjoy the flowers and trees and general sense of peace and tranquility. Now it has become a fairground, it's a place to avoid!
Sadly, the very place that we used to go to as a refuge from the noise and bustle of the city has, itself, become part of what we used to get away from. If you catch my drift!
In order to enjoy the tranquility of the Oval these days, you have to get there fairly early in the morning. Right now there's banging and sawing coming from the Ice Rink. Even on the weekends. And there's probably some "event" happening tomorrow.
Also, what the Powers That Be always fail to understand is that residents of ALL AGES enjoy the Oval AS IS, without the intrusion of events. On peaceful sunny days, everyone is out, taking in the park-like setting.
Do they have a separate operating budget for the grounds that does not come out of the rent roll? They obviously spend a fortune on all these stupid "attractions," as well as totally waste money on buying plants and trees that they either don't plant or plant then dig up. Meantime, the buildings are filthy, the laundry rooms are beyond description when it comes to filthy and unsanitary conditions. I think we should demand that management open its books and show us what comes in and what goes out and where it goes out to. Is there any way we can make this happen? Dan???
STR after going outside today I was planning on posting your exact post as a comment. Today is a perfect day in Stuy Town. The weather is A+, the playgrounds are open, people are out and enjoying the day...but the most important part of a day like today is that there is NOTHING GOING ON IN THE OVAL! Today is a PERFECT day in Stuy Town.
Maybe I am "old school" too but I surely miss the days when the Oval was a place of peace and tranquility where one could indeed seek refuge from the noise and bustle of the city. Alas, management has reduced this lovely expanse to one step above a honky-tonk fairground. Leave the Oval alone. Instead of Oval Amenities, how about OVAL AS IS?
Something has to always be happening to entice prospective buyers into believing there is easy money to be made turning every last blade of ST-PCV grass into a commercial venture.
Poorly conceived, implemented and managed businesses and events are mere sales gimmicks. Foolish bidders will look at them "knowing" they can do better squeezing profit out of a rock.
Who can forget idiot son's brilliant installation of a putting green at the Oval transforming ST-PCV into a golfer's paradise?
I wonder how Rob Speyer would earn buck if he wasn't the son of a billionaire? I doubt he could even be a bike messenger (no disrespect to bike messengers). His daddy got him a job as a "reporter" at the NYDN (go figure) and he totally sucked at that. SMH.
Rumor has it that Fortress - the famously predatory parent company of CW Capital - will be looking to buy STPCV. Everyone here has to understand that this place will go to the highest bidder. The Tenants Association, Councilman Dan Garodnick and Brookfield can run and whine to the bond holders that CW Capital won't engage with us, but there is no reason in the world that the bond holders will care. All they will care about is getting the most money they can for this place.
“The ability of bondholders to directly impact special servicer behavior is limited”
“Litigation resolution, either through continued litigation or settlement, is a prerequisite to optimal capital recovery,” according to the servicer commentary, which said that a resolution is unlikely before 2014.
The reporter, Oshrat Carmiel (ocarmiel1@bloomberg.net), has reported on the mess here at PCVST for several years now and I believe that she is unbiased. She also loves to hear from tenants that have unique perspectives. Read the article and reach out to her if you like.
Make no mistake about it. This is the demo that CW Capital loves and promotes this now sh**hole dorm to. Also against NYC housing law(more than 3 unrelated people living in an apartment) but, WTF, residential use only zoning laws are never enforced either.
Pardon the interruption, please. I was away last week and missed the electronic recycling program on the 14th street loop. Anyone know when they are due again? Thanks.
Talk about coincidences, but I know someone at Fortress who knows someone at Brookfield who knows someone at CW who says that the Tenant led Brookfield bid will be the only one entertained so long as the bond holders are made whole.
CW is milking its "custodianship" of the property for all it is worth. There's something that smells of nepotism or, maybe, incest in their appointing CompassRock, their out-of-town rube offspring, to do the job of managing the property. Fortress/CW/TS/MetLife ... the whole filthy bunch are as corrupt as sin itself! They make Bernie Madoff look like a choirboy!
Anyone have any more information on the scaffolding thats going to be going up in stuy town? many buildings are going to be affected by this and im wondering what the time frame is and which buildings are affected.
"One thing I just don't get. Why does litigation HAVE to take another year or more? Why is it okay to have court dates and then have nothing happen? " I think this is called "laches" and every crooked lawyer loves it.
"Anyone have any more information on the scaffolding thats going to be going up in stuy town? many buildings are going to be affected by this and im wondering what the time frame is and which buildings are affected."
Will you CALL THE MANAGEMENT office already is this is so important to you? What a novel idea!
The scaffolding will further make Stuy Town look like the dump it already has become. Theoretically all exteriors of buildings have to be inspected every six years. I have been here a lot longer than six years and I never remember scaffolding before. It is NOT a requirement for the inspection. This has been comfirmed by the Department of Buildings. It is simply another effort to make life as difficult and unlivable for tenants ( rent-stabilized in particular ). We are one step removed from the projects. Mark my words. You'll see.
The only time I remember scaffolding was when they were doing pointing (or something) infer the Benmoshe regime. They left it up for much longer than necessarY and it was hazardous and ugly.
Re: scaffolding. This was mentioned in the newsletter that we all got under our doors. The facades of 33 buildings are going to be inspected in accordance with the regulations of the NYC Dept. of Buildings. Buildings with more than 6 stories have to be inspected every 5 years.
Some commenters may recall that all such buildings had to be inspected at the same time, and Dan introduced a bill to stagger the inspections so that scaffolding would be available when it was needed.
Someone posted on the TA's Facebook page today that another court appearance has been scheduled in the Roberts case for Wednesday, November 7th at 10am.
Was reading the TA Facebook and see that some folks are having problems with their doors being painted by the new nonunionized, amateur Crazy Gang painters who don't know which end of the paintbrush gets dipped in the paint. Good going, CompassMuck. Amateurism seems to be your schtick. (Probably using unlicensed as well as undocumented "immigrants" as they are the cheapest labor going).
Could someone please explain to me the wisdom of fencing in the property so that they could commence horticultural endeavors, only to remove said fences so that dogs could once again defecate and urinate on those plantings, thereby killing them? Do they think that dog owners will, once they see the beautiful plantings, refrain from walking their dogs on the grass? Why not just leave the dirt patches and concentrate on cleaning up the interior of the buildings?
6:20 a.m. Really? Are you kidding? This is for the money one of the nicest places to live in Manhattan. There is no better place at these prices, the apartments are so much roomier, the grounds are gorgeous, it is convenient to so many neighborhoods, I can't believe you would even ask such a question. I am grateful every day to live here and if I were a religious person, I would be dropping to my knees to thank God I had the good fortune to live here.
Noooo, sorry STR I wasn't being clear. CW had stated somewhere when the fences were going up that they were temporary and for the sole purpose of letting new plantings start to grow. As I see more and more of the property with fencing, it just tells me that they're doing more and more plantings and I just don't get why they would do that only to have them all trampled and pissed and crapped on again. Why bother?
In PCV a lot of grass is being replaced by ground cover, which should be easier to maintain and is less inviting to walk on. The fencing is due to stay up for two years so that the new plantings can get established. I was told this by the contractor doing the plantings. Near my building an area regularly violated by the self-entitled dog owners had them stymied the other day when they had to cudgel their brains to remember what a fire hydrant looks like and where to find one.
In response to whether any of us is enjoying his/her building: NOT ME! Now we have a dog that barks for as much as half an hour, children having soccer games in the hallway, younger children who are allowed to play and eat in hallways (not always wearing diapers), people who obstruct the halls with bicycles, umbrellas, cartons, carriages--sometimes for days. And that's on top of the eternally filthy laundry rooms, etc.
There are dead plants all over the property. Fenced off & waiting to be planted, they just died waiting to get into the ground.
Some areas are brown and neglected. Others are overplanted and provide comfy homes for the rats. The whole thing seems completely disorganized. I don't think there is a plan for the greenery any more. Back to business as usual around here.
The excessive noise level during the day has now become an everyday affair. Some of the main culprits are the incessant use of leaf blowers, maintenance workers flinging glass recyclables into a box truck while yelling at each other three separate times a day, nonstop whirring of construction vehicles and backup chime beeping coming from the ice rink, and now, directly below my window, they have two guys in head-to-toe spacesuits using some kind of extremely loud rotating auger to till the soil for MORE new plants. This combined with the NYU students across the hall who seemingly have a party every single night that doesn't end until 4 am. When are enough people going to become fed up with the constant din and band together to ban the leaf blowers and other unnecessary horticulturally related noisemakers? I can hear (and feel) it inside my apartment with the windows closed and the AC on Fan Only - full power.
1. I have never seen anyone walking their dog in a fenced in planting area.
2. According to the maps posted in the lobbies, MOST lawns and many other areas are dog permissible areas as long as you pick up after them. The Oval lawn and fountain areas are exceptions, along with fenced areas...but not much else.
I'd like to hear more about what's happening with the Robert's Case. Seems to be stalled indefinitely...and is anyone still getting the DHCR adjustment? I'm not...
"In response to whether any of us is enjoying his/her building: NOT ME! Now we have a dog that barks for as much as half an hour, children having soccer games in the hallway, younger children who are allowed to play and eat in hallways (not always wearing diapers), people who obstruct the halls with bicycles, umbrellas, cartons, carriages--sometimes for days. And that's on top of the eternally filthy laundry rooms, etc."
CALL PUBLIC SAFETY! The hallways and common areas of the building are not public storage or playgrounds. But don't voice this opinion on the TA Page or Goodie Ramos might write another self-serving letter!
"6:20 a.m. Really? Are you kidding? This is for the money one of the nicest places to live in Manhattan"
You're talking about real RS rents I assume? If so , perhaps you are right. I am still, however, going to sell post conversion as soon as resale restrictions are lifted to get out of what in my opinion has become a dump. Even though they will be able to address many of the qol declines here, the dogs are here to stay and so is the excrement and barking at all hours. I'm cool with it now, it was hard in the beginning but not now. The hovels will be easier to sell because they allow dogs and we'll be able to buy something else with the equity we will get. One just has to accept that the place we thought we would stay for the rest of our lives is done/over.
I'm losing my mind over the lound heavy stomping and dropping of random crap by my upstairs neighbor. I don't want security to come into my apartment at 6am or anytime they're banging so what can I do?
I have the same experience, but it's three frat boys in the downstairs apartment. Total nightmare. Banging, stomping, slamming bathroom and closet doors and shouting until 3:00 AM. If you figure out what can be done, let me know.
"Banging, stomping, slamming bathroom and closet doors and shouting until 3:00 AM. If you figure out what can be done, let me know."
I have a downstairs neighbor who STARTS her banging, stomping, hammering, slamming doors and drunken catfights with some other female at 4 am. She calls herself a "fashion designer," but she is obviously a total failure at whatever she does because she doesn't know how to behave as a civilized human being.
60 comments:
I miss the days when the Oval was a place to go to just stroll around, sit and read a book or have a chat with neighbors, enjoy the flowers and trees and general sense of peace and tranquility. Now it has become a fairground, it's a place to avoid!
What? No TV football on the Oval? Peace at last! At least for this morning.
Sadly, the very place that we used to go to as a refuge from the noise and bustle of the city has, itself, become part of what we used to get away from. If you catch my drift!
In order to enjoy the tranquility of the Oval these days, you have to get there fairly early in the morning. Right now there's banging and sawing coming from the Ice Rink. Even on the weekends. And there's probably some "event" happening tomorrow.
Also, what the Powers That Be always fail to understand is that residents of ALL AGES enjoy the Oval AS IS, without the intrusion of events. On peaceful sunny days, everyone is out, taking in the park-like setting.
Do they have a separate operating budget for the grounds that does not come out of the rent roll? They obviously spend a fortune on all these stupid "attractions," as well as totally waste money on buying plants and trees that they either don't plant or plant then dig up. Meantime, the buildings are filthy, the laundry rooms are beyond description when it comes to filthy and unsanitary conditions. I think we should demand that management open its books and show us what comes in and what goes out and where it goes out to. Is there any way we can make this happen? Dan???
What's the use of natural beauty if you can't defile it?
STR after going outside today I was planning on posting your exact post as a comment. Today is a perfect day in Stuy Town. The weather is A+, the playgrounds are open, people are out and enjoying the day...but the most important part of a day like today is that there is NOTHING GOING ON IN THE OVAL! Today is a PERFECT day in Stuy Town.
Someone should check if they have a Saturday/Sunday wotk permit. All of the permits should be posted on site.
What happened to the 5K walk/run?
Maybe I am "old school" too but I surely miss the days when the Oval was a place of peace and tranquility where one could indeed seek refuge from the noise and bustle of the city. Alas, management has reduced this lovely expanse to one step above a honky-tonk fairground. Leave the Oval alone. Instead of Oval Amenities, how about OVAL AS IS?
5k was big success! They send 5,000 resident up and down stairs of all buildings closing fire door that do not shut properly!
Mister Woody was glowing with pride at finish line!
Something has to always be happening to entice prospective buyers into believing there is easy money to be made turning every last blade of ST-PCV grass into a commercial venture.
Poorly conceived, implemented and managed businesses and events are mere sales gimmicks. Foolish bidders will look at them "knowing" they can do better squeezing profit out of a rock.
Who can forget idiot son's brilliant installation of a putting green at the Oval transforming ST-PCV into a golfer's paradise?
Yeah. The putting green.
LOL!!!!!!!!
I wonder how Rob Speyer would earn buck if he wasn't the son of a billionaire? I doubt he could even be a bike messenger (no disrespect to bike messengers). His daddy got him a job as a "reporter" at the NYDN (go figure) and he totally sucked at that. SMH.
The TV is an insult to the park. It's so beautiful and they crap it up their cruise ship aesthetic. Lady Maya is one big fail.
Rumor has it that Fortress - the famously predatory parent company of CW Capital - will be looking to buy STPCV. Everyone here has to understand that this place will go to the highest bidder. The Tenants Association, Councilman Dan Garodnick and Brookfield can run and whine to the bond holders that CW Capital won't engage with us, but there is no reason in the world that the bond holders will care. All they will care about is getting the most money they can for this place.
"Rumor has it that Fortress - the famously predatory parent company of CW Capital - will be looking to buy STPCV. "
That damn "Fortress is going to buy stuyvesant town" rumor again!
Cool rumor. Got 1 scintilla of fact to back that statement up?
not sure if this matters,but Compassrock is now management at Riverton Square. Wells Fargo aquired the property through a no cash bid.
“The ability of bondholders to directly impact special servicer behavior is limited”
“Litigation resolution, either through continued litigation or settlement, is a prerequisite to optimal capital recovery,” according to the servicer commentary, which said that a resolution is unlikely before 2014.
Read the Businessweek article:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-16/stuyvesant-town-tenants-to-appeal-to-bondholders-for-sale
The reporter, Oshrat Carmiel (ocarmiel1@bloomberg.net), has reported on the mess here at PCVST for several years now and I believe that she is unbiased. She also loves to hear from tenants that have unique perspectives. Read the article and reach out to her if you like.
Yeah. I know someone who works for Fortress and that person said that they wouldn't be at all surprised if this is how it plays out.
Make no mistake about it. This is the demo that CW Capital loves and promotes this now sh**hole dorm to. Also against NYC housing law(more than 3 unrelated people living in an apartment) but, WTF, residential use only zoning laws are never enforced either.
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/roo/3357016584.html
Pardon the interruption, please. I was away last week and missed the electronic recycling program on the 14th street loop. Anyone know when they are due again? Thanks.
That's funny, I know someone at Fortress who thinks that CW might be heading into litigation if they keep stonewalling the debt holders.
Talk about coincidences, but I know someone at Fortress who knows someone at Brookfield who knows someone at CW who says that the Tenant led Brookfield bid will be the only one entertained so long as the bond holders are made whole.
"That's funny, I know someone at Fortress who thinks that CW might be heading into litigation if they keep stonewalling the debt holders."
Well, let's hope that you're person is right and my person is wrong. Time will tell.
CW is milking its "custodianship" of the property for all it is worth. There's something that smells of nepotism or, maybe, incest in their appointing CompassRock, their out-of-town rube offspring, to do the job of managing the property. Fortress/CW/TS/MetLife ... the whole filthy bunch are as corrupt as sin itself! They make Bernie Madoff look like a choirboy!
Anyone have any more information on the scaffolding thats going to be going up in stuy town? many buildings are going to be affected by this and im wondering what the time frame is and which buildings are affected.
One thing I just don't get. Why does litigation HAVE to take another year or more? Why is it okay to have court dates and then have nothing happen?
It's like foot dragging and postponement are baked into the process and that's supposed to be OK.
"One thing I just don't get. Why does litigation HAVE to take another year or more? Why is it okay to have court dates and then have nothing happen?
"
I think this is called "laches" and every crooked lawyer loves it.
"Anyone have any more information on the scaffolding thats going to be going up in stuy town? many buildings are going to be affected by this and im wondering what the time frame is and which buildings are affected."
Will you CALL THE MANAGEMENT office already is this is so important to you? What a novel idea!
The scaffolding will further make Stuy Town look like the dump it already has become. Theoretically all exteriors of buildings have to be inspected every six years. I have been here a lot longer than six years and I never remember scaffolding before. It is NOT a requirement for the inspection. This has been comfirmed by the Department of Buildings. It is simply another effort to make life as difficult and unlivable for tenants ( rent-stabilized in particular ). We are one step removed from the projects. Mark my words. You'll see.
The only time I remember scaffolding was when they were doing pointing (or something) infer the Benmoshe regime. They left it up for much longer than necessarY and it was hazardous and ugly.
Re: scaffolding. This was mentioned in the newsletter that we all got under our doors. The facades of 33 buildings are going to be inspected in accordance with the regulations of the NYC Dept. of Buildings. Buildings with more than 6 stories have to be inspected every 5 years.
Some commenters may recall that all such buildings had to be inspected at the same time, and Dan introduced a bill to stagger the inspections so that scaffolding would be available when it was needed.
is there anyone here (honestly) who is enjoying their apartment? ie. are any buildings quiet and peaceful any more? :( not ours.
Someone posted on the TA's Facebook page today that another court appearance has been scheduled in the Roberts case for Wednesday, November 7th at 10am.
Was reading the TA Facebook and see that some folks are having problems with their doors being painted by the new nonunionized, amateur Crazy Gang painters who don't know which end of the paintbrush gets dipped in the paint. Good going, CompassMuck. Amateurism seems to be your schtick. (Probably using unlicensed as well as undocumented "immigrants" as they are the cheapest labor going).
Who is the best contact via email to reach out to regarding an issue in Stuytown? Does anyone have Sean Sullivan's email?
So...re the scaffolding...I'm assuming it be put up ON TOP OF the newly planted crap plants and bushes they're spreading around? No doubt, yes!
GENIUS!
Could someone please explain to me the wisdom of fencing in the property so that they could commence horticultural endeavors, only to remove said fences so that dogs could once again defecate and urinate on those plantings, thereby killing them? Do they think that dog owners will, once they see the beautiful plantings, refrain from walking their dogs on the grass? Why not just leave the dirt patches and concentrate on cleaning up the interior of the buildings?
Have they really started to remove the fencing? Could it be for the scaffolding to come?
6:20 a.m. Really? Are you kidding? This is for the money one of the nicest places to live in Manhattan. There is no better place at these prices, the apartments are so much roomier, the grounds are gorgeous, it is convenient to so many neighborhoods, I can't believe you would even ask such a question. I am grateful every day to live here and if I were a religious person, I would be dropping to my knees to thank God I had the good fortune to live here.
Management is SO clueless.
Noooo, sorry STR I wasn't being clear. CW had stated somewhere when the fences were going up that they were temporary and for the sole purpose of letting new plantings start to grow. As I see more and more of the property with fencing, it just tells me that they're doing more and more plantings and I just don't get why they would do that only to have them all trampled and pissed and crapped on again. Why bother?
In PCV a lot of grass is being replaced by ground cover, which should be easier to maintain and is less inviting to walk on. The fencing is due to stay up for two years so that the new plantings can get established. I was told this by the contractor doing the plantings. Near my building an area regularly violated by the self-entitled dog owners had them stymied the other day when they had to cudgel their brains to remember what a fire hydrant looks like and where to find one.
In response to whether any of us is enjoying his/her building: NOT ME! Now we have a dog that barks for as much as half an hour, children having soccer games in the hallway, younger children who are allowed to play and eat in hallways (not always wearing diapers), people who obstruct the halls with bicycles, umbrellas, cartons, carriages--sometimes for days. And that's on top of the eternally filthy laundry rooms, etc.
There are dead plants all over the property. Fenced off & waiting to be planted, they just died waiting to get into the ground.
Some areas are brown and neglected. Others are overplanted and provide comfy homes for the rats. The whole thing seems completely disorganized. I don't think there is a plan for the greenery any more. Back to business as usual around here.
The excessive noise level during the day has now become an everyday affair. Some of the main culprits are the incessant use of leaf blowers, maintenance workers flinging glass recyclables into a box truck while yelling at each other three separate times a day, nonstop whirring of construction vehicles and backup chime beeping coming from the ice rink, and now, directly below my window, they have two guys in head-to-toe spacesuits using some kind of extremely loud rotating auger to till the soil for MORE new plants. This combined with the NYU students across the hall who seemingly have a party every single night that doesn't end until 4 am. When are enough people going to become fed up with the constant din and band together to ban the leaf blowers and other unnecessary horticulturally related noisemakers? I can hear (and feel) it inside my apartment with the windows closed and the AC on Fan Only - full power.
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1. I have never seen anyone walking their dog in a fenced in planting area.
2. According to the maps posted in the lobbies, MOST lawns and many other areas are dog permissible areas as long as you pick up after them. The Oval lawn and fountain areas are exceptions, along with fenced areas...but not much else.
I'd like to hear more about what's happening with the Robert's Case. Seems to be stalled indefinitely...and is anyone still getting the DHCR adjustment? I'm not...
@ 4:57
Another court appearance has been scheduled in the Roberts case for Wednesday, November 7th at 10am.
We'd all like to hear more about the Roberts case, but there is no public information about what's happening.
"In response to whether any of us is enjoying his/her building: NOT ME! Now we have a dog that barks for as much as half an hour, children having soccer games in the hallway, younger children who are allowed to play and eat in hallways (not always wearing diapers), people who obstruct the halls with bicycles, umbrellas, cartons, carriages--sometimes for days. And that's on top of the eternally filthy laundry rooms, etc."
CALL PUBLIC SAFETY! The hallways and common areas of the building are not public storage or playgrounds. But don't voice this opinion on the TA Page or Goodie Ramos might write another self-serving letter!
"6:20 a.m. Really? Are you kidding? This is for the money one of the nicest places to live in Manhattan"
You're talking about real RS rents I assume? If so , perhaps you are right. I am still, however, going to sell post conversion as soon as resale restrictions are lifted to get out of what in my opinion has become a dump. Even though they will be able to address many of the qol declines here, the dogs are here to stay and so is the excrement and barking at all hours. I'm cool with it now, it was hard in the beginning but not now. The hovels will be easier to sell because they allow dogs and we'll be able to buy something else with the equity we will get. One just has to accept that the place we thought we would stay for the rest of our lives is done/over.
8:29 am: For the money? what money? what do you pay? I pay A LOT and FTR we are not dropping to our knees. Seriously? ARe you kidding?
I'm losing my mind over the lound heavy stomping and dropping of random crap by my upstairs neighbor. I don't want security to come into my apartment at 6am or anytime they're banging so what can I do?
STR, you're very quiet lately. Are you OK? Hope you and yours are well.
Thanks. Everything is fine. Just very busy with work.
Anon 12:27 PM:
I have the same experience, but it's three frat boys in the downstairs apartment. Total nightmare. Banging, stomping, slamming bathroom and closet doors and shouting until 3:00 AM. If you figure out what can be done, let me know.
"Banging, stomping, slamming bathroom and closet doors and shouting until 3:00 AM. If you figure out what can be done, let me know."
I have a downstairs neighbor who STARTS her banging, stomping, hammering, slamming doors and drunken catfights with some other female at 4 am. She calls herself a "fashion designer," but she is obviously a total failure at whatever she does because she doesn't know how to behave as a civilized human being.
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