7/6/2022: No More Virtual; In-Person Everything
Discover more from Morning Martini
7/6/2022: No More Virtual; In-Person Everything
PLUS: No More Hangover Pill, “Stranger Things” spinoff, and Kim Gets Dethroned
Today is Wednesday, July 6, 2022.
It is the 187th day of the year.
178 days remain.
TRENDING
Macy Gray was trending Tuesday after sitting down to chat about transgenderism with Piers Morgan. More on the interview in Showbiz.
Basketball player TJ Warren landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends after news broke that the Brooklyn Nets signed him to a one-year deal.
#AWiseManOnceSaid was trending yesterday. Tweets included, “You should think for yourself sometimes, not just search the internet,” “we should stop and ask directions,” “never tell me the odds - Han Solo,” and “be positive even when you don’t want to.”
#ThorLoveAndThunder was trending Tuesday after the newest poster for the upcoming flick was released. The flick is set to premiere this weekend.
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HIT LIST
A seventh shooting victim has died after Monday’s Highland Park parade attack.
On Tuesday evening, Lake County, Illinois prosecutors announced formal charges that include seven counts of first degree murder, with more to follow.
The main suspect’s former high school coach has told Fox News that he was a quiet kid who didn’t cause trouble, but there were obvious problems at home. The coach noted that the suspect’s parents often had to be called to be reminded to pick him up from after-school activities.
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It might be a bit before JEFF BEZOS can enjoy his brand new, $500 million, custom yacht.
It’s so big that an entire bridge would need to be dismantled in order to get it out of port and onto the sea.
ZeroHedge reports that the Koningshaven Bridge only rises to 130 feet, which doesn’t come close to leaving enough room for the megayacht’s three masts.
It had always been the shipbuilder’s plan to temporarily disassemble the bridge, but they were rebuffed by public outcry. Protestors have said if the tear-down eventually does happen, they would throw rotten eggs at it.
WORTH ASKING: How do you say “Jeff Bezos can suck it?” in Dutch? (Something like “Bol of, Jeff Bezos” would do the trick.)
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A Chinese company called BYD has surpassed Tesla to produce the most electric vehicles during the first half of the year.
BYD sold 640,000 units to Tesla’s 564,000. Daily Mail reports BYD is on track to sell 1.5 million by the end of the year.
BUT WAIT: Tesla produced more cars in June than any previous month.
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The Russian brand that bought out McDonald’s restaurants is reportedly serving up moldy hamburger buns.
The Daily Mail has highlighted several social media users posting photos of buns with green spots – some that only appear to have been discovered after someone took a bite.
WORTH NOTING: McDonald’s has the right to buy back its stake in Russia after 15 years. It had been operating in Russia since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
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“Going virtual” for everything helped a lot of people survive the pandemic. Americans are ready to go back to in-person-everything as much as possible.
An Associated Press poll shows that “close to half or more of U.S. adults say they are not likely to attend virtual activities, receive virtual health care, have groceries delivered or use curbside pickup after the coronavirus pandemic is over,” according to their study. Another 30% say they’re very likely to take advantage of these online offerings.
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Over the weekend, a small experimental satellite called Capstone broke free of Earth’s gravity to begin a slow, four-month journey to the Moon.
Now, NASA says they’ve already lost communication with it – but engineers feel confident they can restore the connection.
Looks like they just had their glitch for this mission…
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A group of environmental kooks glued their hands to the frame of a display of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” at the Royal Academy of Art in London on Tuesday.
The painting isn’t the original, but is believed to be a recreation done by pupils of da Vinci’s.
The protestors are demanding that the United Kingdom end all future oil and gas extraction licenses.
WATCH:
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An opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal highlights a disturbing reality of Pfizer’s covid vaccines for toddlers: those who got vaccinated in the trials were more likely to get severely ill with covid than the placebo group.
WORTH ASKING: Why is this buried deep in an obscure editorial and not a trumpeted warning to parents considering covid vaccinations for their young children?
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The United Kingdom has authorized commercial sale of a hangover prevention pill.
The innovation comes from a Swedish manufacturer, and breaks down alcohol before it reaches the liver. Users are told to take two pills before starting to drink.
Health experts warn that it’s not for boozehounds who want to get loaded and avoid being a lump the next day, especially because the pill inhibits the effects of intoxication.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The Dow lost 129 points (.42%) on Tuesday to close at 30,967. The S&P picked up just 6 points (.16%) to close at 3,381 and the Nasdaq picked up 194.39 points (1.75%) to close at 11,322.
🛢West Texas Intermediate imploded to close under $100 a barrel. Brent Crude was hovering around the $100 mark.
WORTH NOTING: Oil prices today are largely based on future speculation. They’re not a real-time indicator of the current, actual costs of production. The sudden slide reflects fears over future demand plummeting as economic recession formally sets in across the country.
⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $4.80 a gallon on Tuesday, representing three straight weeks of decreases from record highs.
₿ Bitcoin rallied after an afternoon slump, adding $347 to close at $20,560.
🛩 There were 2,900 flight delays for routes within, into, or out of the United States, and 457 such cancellations.
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CHARTS
Top 5 Fiction & Nonfiction Books Currently on the New York Times Best Sellers List:
FICTION:
“Where The Crawdads Sing,” Delia Owens
“It Ends With Us,” Colleen Hoover
“Verity,” Colleen Hoover
“The Hotel Nantucket,” Elin Hilderbrand
“Ugly Love,” Colleen Hoover
NONFICTION:
“Battle For The American Mind,” Pete Hegseth with David Goodwin
“An Immense World,” Ed Yong
“The Body Keeps The Score,” Bessel van der Kolk
“Happy-Go-Lucky,” David Sedaris
“Killing the Killers,” Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard
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DEATHS
CLIFFORD ALEXANDER JR. has died.
He passed away Sunday at his home in New York City of heart failure, his daughter told the New York Times.
Alexander Jr. was the first African American named Secretary of the United States Army. He was appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977.
He was 88.
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BABY NEWS
Filmmaker QUENTIN TARANTINO and his wife, DANIELLA PICK, welcomed their second child on Saturday.
A rep confirmed the news, telling PEOPLE Magazine that Daniella gave birth to a baby girl. No further details were shared.
The couple are already parents to son, Leo, 2.
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Actress SARAH LEVY welcomed her first child with husband, actor-producer GRAHAM OUTERBRIDGE.
The arrival of the little boy, named James Eugene Outerbridge, was announced by Levy on Instagram Tuesday.
It is assumed his middle name, “Eugene,” is inspired by Levy’s dad, EUGENE LEVY.
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NICKY HILTON and her husband JAMES ROTHSCHILD have welcomed their third child.
Hilton announced the arrival of their son on Instagram Tuesday. The baby’s date of birth and name have not been revealed.
The newborn joins big sisters Theodora “Teddy” Marilyn, 4, and Lily-Grace Victoria, 5.
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THE SWAMP
A brutal CNN report takes the Biden White House to task for incompetent management and a complete inability to adapt to changes in the political landscape. Some highlights:
Actress DEBRA MESSING reportedly yelled at White House aides who hosted a call to talk with celebrities furious over the Dobbs ruling; Messing told them there didn’t even seem to be a point to voting or supporting Democrats. She even credited herself with getting Biden elected.
White House aides are shocked that no one got fired over the severe baby formula shortage.
President JOE BIDEN tends to “berate advisers when he’s displeased with how a situation is being handled or when events go off poorly…leaving several mid-level aides feeling blamed for failings despite lacking any real ability to influence the building’s decision making.” That’s rich stuff coming from the guy who promised to be accountable for his actions. Maybe if Biden had the strength, he’d throw plates of food against the wall, just like Trump.
Biden’s recent call on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax came after “months of deliberation,” and it ultimately failed to survive a single news cycle anyway.
Biden is notoriously indecisive: “Few are trying, and even fewer succeeding, in pushing back against Biden’s infamous inability to settle on decisions, on everything from whether to lift tariffs on Chinese imports or cancel student loan debt.”
Here’s Bill Paxton in “U-571” on what makes an effective leader, especially in matters of life and death.
WORTH ASKING: If the current state of affairs has resulted from a weak Commander in Chief asleep at the wheel, what would things be like if he actually had the energy to drive a progressive agenda?
CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE: Per this reporting, Biden isn’t using executive authority with abandon to advance a progressive agenda, certainly to a lesser extent than his former boss BARACK OBAMA. But this certainly doesn’t absolve him from the objectively destructive policies he’s pursued, like straitjacketing the nation’s energy industry and empowering untold millions of illegal immigrants to enter the country.
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Politico reports that Gen Z and younger millennial Democrats won’t show up to support the party in November, because their people in power aren’t fighting hard enough for abortion rights.
Per their report, “Some Democrats stress that the Biden administration and Congress need to do more to show their rage — and willingness to take significant action — to mirror the passion seen among young people.”
BUT WAIT: Wasn’t their gripe with former President DONALD TRUMP that he was obliterating “norms” by constantly fighting his political opponents and expressing the same frustrations as his base voters? Was their opposition to Trump actually about how he comported himself, or was that a smokescreen because they didn’t like what he was saying?
WORTH NOTING: The same people worried about authoritarianism are awfully concerned every time Republicans or the Supreme Court de-fang big federal government programs and agencies that wield inescapable authoritarian power.
SPEAKING OF BIG GOVERNMENT: A Monmouth poll shows that Americans increasingly feel like the federal government is making their lives worse.
Per their study: “A majority of 57% say that the actions of the federal government over the past six months have hurt their family when it comes to their most important concern. Just 8% say Washington has helped them and 34% say federal actions have had no real impact on their top concern.”
Another 88% say the country is on the wrong track.
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A proof-of-citizenship law in Arizona is set to go into effect in January.
So, naturally, the federal Department of Justice is suing to stop it.
The Hill reports that there are roughly 11,600 Arizona voters who have only voted in federal elections (meaning not for municipal or state office) and have not yet provided proof of citizenship.
Trump lost Arizona by fewer than 11,000 votes.
WORTH NOTING: Hmm.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Monday night’s Powerball drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $35 million jackpot or a $20.3 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
While chatting with PIERS MORGAN about transgenderism, singer MACY GRAY made some viewers upset by saying that being a woman requires being born with “boobs” and a “vagina.”
“Just because you go change your parts doesn’t make you a woman,” she told Morgan on his TalkTV show.
Gray explained that she supports transgender rights, but does not think biological men should be allowed to compete against biological women in athletic competitions.
“Being female requires more than medical procedures” she concluded.
WORTH ASKING: Is she wrong?
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Newly surfaced emails show that BRITNEY SPEARS’ former business manager was involved in talks leading up to the singer’s controversial conservatorship.
Court documents, containing said emails, contradict LOU TAYLOR’s previous claim of having “no role whatsoever in the creation” of the conservatorship.
Not only was Taylor in communication with Brit’s dad, JAMIE SPEARS, about the conservatorship, she also worked with his then-attorneys to concoct a statement to the press “on behalf of Jamie.”
Taylor also was listed as co-conservator in many emails between herself and Jamie and the attorneys at the time.
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JOE ROGAN revealed has turned down multiple offers to interview DONALD TRUMP on his Spotify podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
When asked why he refused, Rogan explained that he is not a Trump supporter and refuses to give the former president a platform on his show.
WORTH NOTING: Rogan has had several guests in the past that he didn’t agree with politically or otherwise, so why not Trump?
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BRAD PITT admitted in a recent interview that he has prosopagnosia, a rare disorder that causes him not to recognize faces.
The actor told GQ that he has a hard time recognizing people and worries that his “face blindness” has led others to think he is “aloof, inaccessible, self-absorbed.”
According to the NHS, prosopagnosia is usually present at birth and affects those who have it their whole lives.
It is unknown if Pitt has been officially diagnosed with it.
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All things related to WENDY WILLIAMS’ talk show appear to have been scrubbed from the internet.
The series’ YouTube channel and the official websites for Wendy Williams Productions and the program are no longer accessible.
Searches for the show yield no results on YouTube and other search engines.
“The Wendy Williams Show” aired the final episode of its 13-season run two weeks ago.
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CASTING CALL
Viewers will watch as the new cast of “Big Brother” moves into a mid-century inspired “BB Motel” during tonight’s Season 24 premiere.
The 16 houseguests include, an attorney, a Vegas performer, a hypnotherapist, a private chef, a chemical processing engineer, and an interior designer.
JULIE CHEN MOONVES returns as host.
Full cast list:
Alyssa Snider, 24, Sarasota, Fla. Marketing rep
Ameerah Jones, 31, Westminster, Md. Content designer
Brittany Hoopes, 32, Austin, Texas. Hypnotherapist
Daniel Durston, 35, Las Vegas, Nev. Vegas performer
Indy Santos, 31, Los Angeles, Calif. Corporate flight attendant
Jasmine Davis, 29, Atlanta, Ga. Entrepreneur
Joe “Pooch” Pucciarelli, 24, Boca Raton, Fla. Assistant football coach
Kyle Capener, 29, Bountiful, Utah. Unemployed
Marvin Achi, 28, Houston, Texas. Chemical processing engineer
Matt “Turner” Turner, 23, New Bedford, Mass. Thrift store owner
Michael Bruner, 28, Rochester, Minn. Attorney
Monte Taylor, 27, Bear, Del. Personal trainer
Nicole Layog, 41, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Private chef
Paloma Aguilar, 22, San Marcos, Calif. Interior designer
Taylor Hale, 27, West Bloomfield, Mich. Personal stylist
Terrance Higgins, 47, Chicago, Ill. Bus operator
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JAMES CAMERON may “pass the baton” to another director to be in charge of the fourth and fifth “Avatar” films.
The films are “all-consuming,” Cameron told Empire in a recent interview. “I’ve got some other things I’m developing as well that are exciting,” he added.
The second film, “Avatar: The Way of Water,” is scheduled to hit theaters on December 16.
WORTH NOTING: Cameron already came out and told people he doesn’t want to hear any whining about the length of the sequel, which is reportedly 3-plus hours.
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MENA SUVARI and MICKEY ROURKE have joined the cast of the action-thriller, “Hunt Club.”
The flick centers on a group of male hunters who routinely lure women to their island with the chance to win $100K in a hunt, when in reality, they are being hunted.
Suvari and Rourke will star alongside CASPER VAN DIEN, MAYA STOJAN, WILL PELTZ and JESSICA BELKIN.
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“Stranger Things” creators MATT and ROSS DUFFER are developing a spinoff of the hit Netflix show that will not feature any of the characters from the series.
The spinoff will be “1000% different” than the series, the brothers said on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast.
As for the upcoming Season 5 of “Stranger Things,” the brothers said that fans can expect a “shorter” and “quicker-paced” season.
SPEAKING OF “ST”: Season 4 of the show is Netflix’s second title ever to rack up over one billion hours viewed.
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CHRIS EVANS is set to join EMILY BLUNT in Netflix’s “Pain Hustlers.”
The flick centers on Liza Drake (Blunt), a high-school dropout who dreams of a better life for herself and her young daughter. After landing a job at a failing pharmaceutical startup, her charm and wittiness drive the company into success. But that success comes at a cost, and Liza soon finds herself at the center of a criminal conspiracy.
No word on Evans’ role.
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CELEBRITY CELLBLOCK
R. KELLY is no longer on suicide watch, after filing a lawsuit against the prison he now calls home.
Warden Heriberto H. Tellez claims in court documents that he made the decision to remove the singer from sucide watch after a “clinical assessment.”
Details of that assessment were not shared in the court documents.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN has officially been dethroned as the youngest self-made billionaire in America, by RIHANNA.
The 34-year-old mogul took the crown after amassing a $1.4 billion net worth, according to Forbes. She is the only woman younger than 40 to make it on the annual list.
RiRi is also the richest female musician in the world and second richest female entertainer, behind OPRAH.
Kim first earned the title in 2021, when her net worth rose from $780 million to $1 billion. And she’s still doing okay, with an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
QUEEN ELIZABETH’s duties as head of state have been scaled back in light of her mobility issues.
According to the monarchy’s annual report, Her Majesty’s job has been “tweaked from 13 bullet points to a less specific description,” the Sunday Telegraph reports.
Also, the duties she “must fulfill” have been greatly reduced, a source told the outlet.
It is the first time in more than a decade that there have been formal changes made to the Queen’s job description.
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SPORTS
Former Broncos player DEMARIYUS THOMAS had CTE when he died last December at the age of 33.
The posthumous diagnosis was shared Tuesday by doctors at Boston University. CTE, which is short for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is a brain condition that is caused by forcible blows to the head.
As previously reported, Thomas was found dead in his home on December 9, 2021. Family members believe he suffered a seizure while showering.
The doctors noted that seizures are not typically linked to CTE.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Fried Chicken Day
International Kissing Day
Take Your Webmaster To Lunch Day
Umbrella Cover Day
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ON THIS DATE
1699 - Pirate Captain William Kidd is captured in Boston.
The captain allegedly sailed there after burying treasure off the Connecticut coast, thinking he would receive clemency for his piracy. He was wrong.
Kidd spent a year in prison before being sent back to England where he would be convicted of murdering his gunner and of piracy, despite his claims of innocence. Fifteen days later he would be hanged at Execution Dock, but the rope broke and he fell into the mud beneath the gallows.
He was then hanged again, his body dipped in tar, wrapped in chains and put in a steel cage where it hung for three years as a warning to other pirates.
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1775 – A day after issuing the Olive Branch Petition, the Continental Congress gets to business building the case for greater sovereignty for the American colonies.
They issue a Declaration on the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms. The document outlined reasons the colonies should be seen as equals across the ocean, rather than those who needed to be micromanaged and ruled over.
Much like the Olive Branch Petition, Congress used language critical of British policy, but not necessarily of the king. They hoped to remain a part of the British Empire, but to have more autonomy.
This argument grew into the Declaration of Independence one year later.
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1933 – Major League Baseball holds its first All-Star Game.
Comiskey Park in Chicago hosted the event. It was meant to be a one-off deal, billed as the "Game of the Century," but has become an annual tradition.
More than 47,000 fans attended the inaugural event to watch the American League win 4-2.
The only year it was not held was in 1945, in the face of travel restrictions due to World War II.
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1946 – The FBI arrests George "Bugs" Moran in Kentucky, along with two henchmen. Though Moran had a history of running huge crime rings, his career was diminished to pulling off small bank robberies at the time of his arrest.
He was huge competition to Al Capone at one point. That ended with the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929, when his crew was decimated per Capone's orders.
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1957 – Althea Gibson becomes the first African-American to win at Wimbledon.
At the time, tennis was a heavily segregated sport, but Gibson had many advocates and supporters among other female tennis players. Their encouragement and support helped her break racial barriers to competition.
She was named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press.
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1994 – "Forrest Gump" premieres.
The award-winning flick was based on a novel of the experiences of author Winston Groom.
The movie won 6 Oscars. Tom Hanks took home Best Actor in a Leading Role and Robert Zemeckis won for Best Director. It also won awards for cutting-edge CGI animation.
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2020 - Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes agrees to the largest contract for an athlete in sports history.
Mahomes signed a 10-year deal worth $503 million.
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BIRTHDAYS
Zion Williamson - basketball player - 22
Comethazine - rapper - 24
Milly Rosso - actress, “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” - 28
Manny Machado - baseball player - 30
Cody Fern - actor, “American Horror Story” - 34
A1 Bentley - rapper - 35
Eva Green - actress, “Kingdom of Heaven” & “Casino Royale” - 42
Kevin Hart - comedian & actor - 43
Tia Mowry - actress, “Sister, Sister” & “Twitches” - 44
Tamera Mowry - actress, “Sister, Sister” & “Twitches” - 44
50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) - rapper - 47
Larsa Pippen - reality star, “Real Housewives of Miami” - 48
Sylvester Stallone - actor, “Rocky” & “The Expendables” - 76
George W. Bush - 43rd POTUS - 76
Dalai Lama - religious leader - 87
Born On This Date
Nancy Reagan - former First Lady - 1921 (d. 2016)
Frida Kahlo - painter - 1907 (d. 1954)
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