Posts Tagged ‘fashion’

Setting Goals and Obtaining Results

GOALS SHOULD BE QUANTIFIABLE: It should be possible to analyze every goal in terms of specific quantifiable objectives. Naturally, for certain tasks, measurement of objectives will be more difficult to attain; the key is to make every effort to reduce each goal to its most quantifiable form. For example, a customer service department might have the following general goals: 1. To increase output on customer acknowledgments. 2. To boost the number of customer telephone inquiries that are handled. 3. To distribute mail in a timely manner. As described, the above goals are completely immeasurable. It is almost certain that the manager’s expectations will not be met. The solution: Quantify these goals in a realistic, feasible fashion that will also insure departmental productivity: 1. To type 10 customer acknowledgment letters per hour. 2. Handle a minimum of 15 telephone customer inquiries per each two hour shift. 3. Open, sort, and distribute all mail for the third floor before 10 a.m. each working day.

GOALS MUST BE SET IN A PROPER CLIMATE: A conducive climate (where the employees do not feel threatened and are encouraged to ask for clarification) provides the possibility of two-way feedback. Such a setting insures that a transmitted goal or objective will leave no room for doubt as to what is required. Consider this example: the department head of inventory-control specialists who approaches all the specialists at once. She presents a department goal and in front of all the specialists, identifies how each will participate in the goal. Unless this is followed up with individual meetings with each specialist to discuss his or her role, it is likely that none of the specialists will approach the department head for any sort of discussion and, consequently, the goal will never reach fruition.

AVOID THE VAGUE AND AMBIGUOUS: Objective: “To increase the output of sales training programs for international personnel.” To almost any listener, some or all of the following questions may come to mind in response to this goal. “What does output mean?” If there is no room for measurement, how will we know when the goal is met? What is the time period involved? In addition, there is the vagueness of the term “international personnel.” Does it mean all personnel now based overseas, or could it include home office people based in the United States who are responsible for overseas operations? Ambiguous wording leads to such confusion, jeopardizing the success of what might be an otherwise reasonable, attainable goal.

Copyright AE Schwartz & Associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ReadySetPresent and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: TrainingConsortium

CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.

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The Marc Jacobs Handbag is a Reflection of Style and Sophistication

The Marc Jacobs handbag is a reflection of style and sophistication. Marc Jacobs has become one of the most popular and influential handbag designers in the fashion world. Marc’s ability to create an exceptional designer handbag has launched him into fashion’s fast lane making Marc Jacobs handbags a hot commodity.

Marc Jacobs seems to have the ability to know what type of handbag people will want before they know they want it. Thanks to this gift he possesses, Marc has become one of the world’s hottest and hippest handbag designers. You will become a part of the fashion haute couture when you sport your famous Marc Jacobs designer handbag, and all eyes will be on you! Isn’t this what every woman wants?!!

There are so many cutting edge designs in the Marc Jacobs designer handbag collection, so it may be difficult for you to settle on just one Marc handbag. But who says you have to settle on just one?! You can never have too many handbags in your closet! The different seasons also bring out new handbag styles, so you should always check in to see Marc Jacob’s latest creations. Having a few purses to rotate through each season is a good idea, but having a purse to match each outfit is an even better idea!!!

Being the owner of a Marc Jacobs bag you get the feeling of prestige and notoriety. Best of all though, is you get to sport one of the most fashionable designer handbags in the world!

Chris Rodriguez is the author/publisher for http://www.a-designer-handbag.com

Visit her sight to discover a wealth of information on your favorite brand name designer handbags such as Gucci, Coach, Prada, Chanel, and many more

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Email Etiquette IV

Further to my previous issues this subject continues – part IV. This month I’ll share on Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) field and the use of backgrounds for your emails. The use of Bad language in emails will also be mentioned.

Many people do not understand the function of the BCC field in their email programs. When you set up a new message, if you cannot view the BCC field after TO: and CC: then click on View to see if you can add it to your current view, or check your Help file for the program you use for assistance.BCC is an old typing term – ‘Blind Carbon Copy’. It means a copy of a letter or document that is being sent to someone not showing on the original addressee or distribution list. To use BCC in email means that recipients only see their address on received email and not the list of people that you’ve sent the email to.I often receive emails from people in business who put every single recipient address in the TO: or CC: fields, when in fact they should be placed in the BCC: field. Your distribution list should be kept private so you are not exposing firstly, who your clients are, and secondly, their email addresses, should a spammer or someone unscrupulous come across the email. If you’re sending out a newsletter, or a merged letter by post you wouldn’t have your full address list or database included with that mail for all to see – so why do it with your email?

Backgrounds

There is a great supply of backgrounds now available for use in various email programs – which help make your emails look more attractive and less boring. However, some backgrounds would be better used as wallpaper on your computer desktop and make it difficult to read the email message you are sending. If you want to use them, keep them for family and friends, but stick with fairly plain backgrounds for business email. I like to use those that have a simple corner frame, or a side border with a pale background but never a background that has a print across the whole of the email that makes it difficult to read the text. And if you are replying to an email that uses a background give some consideration as to whether it should continue to be there or whether the background should be deleted before sending the email response.

Bad Language

On occasion over the past few months I’ve noticed some messages with bad language posted to online discussion groups that are usually maintained for business purposes, i.e. those groups that are designed to assist people with their line of business. Whilst I appreciate that we all get annoyed with some things I really do not feel that bad language has a place in a public forum that is used for business. Perhaps this might be an old fashioned value but I doubt that people would write a business letter using bad language so I cannot understand them doing the same when posting a message to a business group. Think carefully when writing your email – is the language you are using something that might offend another person? Could the message get in front of someone you’d like to do business with? How would you like them to think of you? It only takes a moment to think about what you’re written and to read it again before sending it on.

I hope you have found these tips for Email Etiquette interesting and thought-provoking.For any assistance relating to the use of email please feel free to contact our team.

About The Author

Article reprinted by permission Kathie M. Thomas, Founder “A Clayton’s Secretary”. Kathie is a multiple award winner in her industry as a Secretary and Virtual Business Operator, and has 30 years’ experience in the secretarial/ administrative field. www.asecretary.com.au

kathie@asecretary.com.au

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History of Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry

Back to the era of the Hawaiian monarchy, the origin of Hawaiian heirloom jewelry can be found. The Hawaiian kingdom had long enjoyed a favorable relationship with England.

In February 1862, Prince Albert, husband to England’s Queen Victoria, was dead. During the queen’s time of grief, only mourning clothes and black-accented jewelry were acceptable apparel at the royal court. Meanwhile, jewelry accented with black jet or enamel and carved with floral, vine or scroll designs became the fashion trend in England. These pieces came in the forms of rings, broaches, pendants and bracelets.

Reacting to Prince Albert’s death, a 23-year-old Hawaiian princess named Liliu Loloku Walania Kamakaeha (Hawaii’s last Queen Liliuokalani) ordered two gold that precisely followed the style and detail of the black-enameled English mourning jewelry.

In 1887, Hawaii’s Queen Kapiolani and Princess Liliu were invited to Queen Victoria’s Jubilee. At the Jubilee, Queen Victoria bestowed them precious gold bracelets with each name of theirs imprinted in Old English Lettering filled with black enamel (here’s an example of hawaiian jewelry). They adored the gift so that they had similar bracelets made for Hawaiian Royal members upon their return to Hawaii. Hawaiian Royal had adopted this sophisticated and hand-carved technique and developed it into its unique design inspired by Hawaiian nature. This Hawaiian royal heritage has been succeeded and lived on as Today’s Hawaiian Jewelry.

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Hair Transplant Surgery ? Do You Need It, Do You Want It?

Hair transplant surgery is very common these days. As hair loss is such a big problem for so many people, and as hair transplant surgery becomes more and more effective, it is more in demand.

However hair transplant surgery is usually the last in the list of things that you need to consider if you are suffering from hair loss.

For those who are suffering from some degree of hair loss there are some steps you need to take before you consider hair transplant surgery. Hair loss is not necessarily permanent, and the very first thing that you need to do is to consult your doctor and find out a specific cause.

Hair loss can be temporary. For example there are various medical conditions and medical treatments which can cause hair loss and once these conditions have been treated or the treatments stopped the hair recovers. No need for hair transplant surgery there.

And where you have a diagnosed hair loss condition that may well be permanent, such as male pattern baldness, or permanent hereditary hair loss, there can still be some other options to consider.

The first option is to do nothing. Don’t laugh. Hair replacement treatments, and particularly hair transplant surgery, can be exceedingly expensive. They can have some side effects and can be unpleasant. Sometimes they don’t work, or are unsuitable for your particular condition. Doing nothing about it is a very viable option and one that any proficient professional should counsel you about.

Baldness is becoming fashionable. Perhaps it started with Yul Brinner, who knows, but there are some who deliberately shave their heads as a fashion statement. You don’t need to go that far, although you could also consider that, but you certainly could consider living with it.

Work out how much effort and money you are prepared to expend on doing something about it. Hair transplant surgery is very expensive and hair loss is not really considered a disease so government or private medical funds may not cover the cost. Check that out.

Next find out about the pharmaceutical hair replacement products. There are several which do work, although not for everybody. Check them out. Find out more. They also have their drawbacks, but you should educate yourself about all options.

But for many this process still leads them to hair transplant surgery. There is no doubt that if you have hair transplant surgery done by a reputable hair transplant centre it can be very effective.

There are positives and negatives to hair transplant surgery. As previously stated, it can be expensive. It is a long process, over many months, requiring repeated visits, and it is surgery, with the normal, though low, risks attached to any surgery. And it doesn’t suit everybody, depending on the nature of your problem.

On the other hand hair transplant surgery, once it is over, is very effective in most cases. You end up growing your own hair and the result is permanent. The final effect, which takes around 12 months, can be extremely effective.

There are various types of hair transplant surgery available at various hair transplant centres. If you have spent some time thinking about your options and have finally come to the conclusion that hair transplant surgery is for you then take the next step.

Visit a reputable hair transplant centre or find one on the internet and find out more about hair transplant surgery. The results can be life transforming.

For a website totally devoted to hair loss and hair replacement visit Peter’s Website The Hair Replacement Guide, and find out about Hair Transplant Surgery as well as Female Hair Loss and more, including Male Hair Loss and Hair Loss Treatments

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Winter Skin Savers

Do you have the winter skin blues? Is the itching and flaking driving you crazy? Don’t worry; you can take steps to protect and soothe your body’s largest organ. With proper care, healthy, glowing skin is achievable during winter. Whatever your age, follow these helpful guidelines throughout the season.

No matter how dark your skin, you still need to protect it from the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays. Choose a sunscreen with SPF of 15 or more. Sunscreens containing Titanium Dioxide tend to leave darker skin tones looking “ashy”. A sunscreen gel is preferable and it absorbs invisibly into your skin.

I know it’s tempting, but taking long, hot showers drain essential moisture from your skin, leaving it dry and lacking in water content. Limit your showers to about 5-10 minutes. (Tip: Use a leave-in conditioner, so you don’t have to spend as much time washing your hair, but still be able to keep it conditioned.)

Wash your hands and face using lukewarm, not hot, water.

This winter, opt for a non-foaming cleanser which cleanses but does not strip away your skin’s natural moisture barrier. You don’t want that squeaky clean feeling you get with cleansing gels, which can leave your skin feeling dry and taut.

Invest in a great hand cream: it will help to keep your hands soft and smooth. If possible, avoid washing your hands frequently. Apply hand cream to your hands immediately after washing them to seal in moisture.

Your lips have no natural defense against the elements. Wearing a lip balm with SPF is essential even during winter months. Your lips tend to dry out faster during this time of the year, so make sure to re-apply as necessary. Licking your lips can cause them to dry out faster, too. As the saliva on your lips evaporates, so does your lips’ natural moisture.

In general, and especially during winter months, avoid skin care products containing Alcohol. Not only is Alcohol an irritant, but it is drying, too.

Instead of exfoliating with AHAs, (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) wear a good water-based moisturizer to hydrate your skin and keep it from flaking. AHAs can be a great way to de-flake the skin’s top layer, but they usually tend to dry out your skin. If you plan to use them anyway, don’t overuse them.

About The Author

Tara Sabeti is Vice-President of Marketing at http://www.BeautySteals.com an online retailer of cosmetics, skin care and fragrances. A graduate of Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, she has spent more than five years researching and working in the cosmetics and fashion industries.

Tara@BeautySteals.com

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Follow the Path of MOST Resistance! Why Weight Training Is The Fast Track To Sculpting Your Body

Resistance is NOT futile! When it comes to changing your body for the better quickly and permanently, nothing comes close to good old-fashioned weight training.

The shape of your body is determined by three things: muscle, bone and fat. While there’s really nothing you can do about changing your bone structure, there is a whole lot you can do about muscle and fat. This ratio of muscle to fat is commonly known as your body composition.

And what is the fastest way to change your body composition? Weight training. Why is it so effective? Because it builds muscle.

Muscle is the key to changing your body. While fat certainly gives your body shape, muscle is what gives you the shape you actually WANT!

One of the greatest things about muscle is that it burns calories all day long, even when you’re lying on the couch. What this means is that the more muscle you have, the more calories you’ll burn during the day and the more you’ll be able to eat without gaining weight. Sound interesting? There’s more.

Weight training stimulates your metabolism more than aerobic training such as cycling or walking. This means that you’ll continue to burn calories long AFTER you’ve completed your weight training session. The calorie-burning effect of aerobic training generally declines rapidly once you stop the exercise.

Beginning trainers, who are just starting with exercise, are often under the impression that they should stay away from weight training because they might gain weight before they start losing it.

I like to use a car as an analogy. Imagine your body is a car, your muscles are the cylinders in the engine, and your bodyfat is the gas.

With a four-cylinder car, you only burn a minimum amount of gas/fat. Weight training and building more muscle is the equivalent of putting more cylinders into your engine. As you can imagine, you’ll burn a whole lot more gas even while idling! And, just like a car with more cylinders, you’ll be a lot more powerful too!

The bottom line to you is this…with more muscle, you’ll get greater fat loss with less effort.

While it certainly is a possibility that you could gain weight before losing it, if you gauge your success solely by numbers on a scale then you’re not getting an accurate picture of yourself. Measure your progress by how you feel, how you look and how well your clothes are fitting, not by which direction the needle on a measuring device is moving.

At the end of the day, I’m not suggesting for a moment that you should eliminate cardiovascular training from your exercise routine, but, if you are struggling to lose fat and keep it off, weight training may be just the thing you need to lose that fat and keep it off for good!

For more information on resistance exercises you can do at home, go to: http://www.fitstep.com/Library/Begin/exercises.htm

For more information on weight training exercises you can do at the gym, including optimized exercise technique, tricks for improving the exercise and common errors, go to: http://www.fitstep.com/Library/Exercises/Exercises.htm

If you are interested in having a personal trainer set up a personalized weight training program for you based on your goals and designed around your life, go to: http://www.fitstep.com/Personal-training/Training/Training.htm

About The Author

Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness, and personal training company. Check out his latest eBook “The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of” at http://www.thebestexercises.com or visit http://www.fitstep.com. You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com.

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What Are Custom Golf Clubs

Custom golf clubs are anything from a single club to a full set of woods, irons and putter which have been custom specified and assembled just for you. They may work for somebody else and other people will probably love your custom built golf clubs, but they are yours.

To make an analogy that most of you will be familiar with we will compare buying a new set of golf clubs to buying a new suit or dress, there are three ways you can go about this;

Option 1 – You go to a clothes shop and browse around until you see something fashionable and then buy it and hope it fits you OK and is comfortable. That is the normal way most people buy their golf clubs.

Option 2 – You can go to the same shops and try a few different designs, maybe even mix and match top and bottom of the outfit, and eventually you will get something that fits OK but you may need to have altered, within the leeway the existing clothing gives on sizes and lengths and quite a lot of people will get a reasonable fit. This is very similar to custom fitting your new golf clubs, you are still limited to the small number of shafts and flexes that that manufacturer provides and most will only extend or reduce by 1/2″ and at the most 2 degrees loft and lie. The shaft flexes will only be those stamped on the side of the shaft and are different for every shaft manufacturer, very rarely are these actually measured and you better match one of the five or six flexes available. For a lot of people that just isn’t enough, and this can still take many weeks.

Option 3 – If you wanted something that would last a long time and fitted really well from day one you would go to a bespoke outfitters, they would take all your measurements, find out exactly what you wanted the item for, how often it would be used, etc. This would cost a relative fortune but gives great results every time. This is the same as custom club building, but the good news is, unlike the clothing market this is normally less expensive, and rarely more expensive, than the first option. So how does that work?

Well, almost all golf club heads, with very few exceptions – if any – are made in the far east, mainly China. We believe that all heads are made there but several of the big manufacturers just will not give a straight answer, try them!

Shafts, the most important part of the club, are made by a very few companies, but normally China, Bangladesh, Japan, etc. None of the big names make their own shafts, the majority fitting True Temper shafts, sometimes branded with their own name but never manufactured by them.

Now when you pick up the magazines or discount shop offers are you looking for what suits you best or, more likely, the same clubs you thought Tiger or Vijay or Ernie or Annika were winning with last weekend?

This is a good time to dispel a widely held belief, the only similarity between the clubs you can buy and the clubs winning major pro tournaments is the branding. These pro golfers are paid anything up to seven figure sums of money to use these brands, they and their coaches specify every head, shaft and grip that makes up that set and somebody has to pay for that. So when you buy your set of Z43 Super Pingaway irons you are paying for the components, the plush headquarters and the massive advertising and endorsements that made you notice them in the first place.

A good custom club builder will use components made from at least as good raw materials as the big boys, often from the same factories to produce the heads, they offer the same shafts and grips AND take the same sort of time to analyse your game and physique as those top pros get, but because they don’t pay for the names on their components, that set of clubs, designed just for you, is an affordable possibility.

Again a good clubmaker, and there are bad ones as in any walk of life, will be more concerned about the results of your fitting than you spending money.

There are many ways of fitting but during the fitting ask your clubmaker what they think of your game, does it match with your and your friends impressions of your shot shape and distance or are they just telling you things to make you sepnd money. If it doesn’t meet expectations can they justify their statements without resorting to technobabble?

The best part about about custom building should be when you go back to your clubmaker and tell them “I’ve just shot my lowest ever score” or “I’ve just won my first ever competition” or “I’ve just hit my best ever shot” or, and my favourite, “That’s the most I’ve enjoyed a game of golf for years”.

About The Author

Trevor has worked with IT and golf for over 20 years, studying physics to Bsc level, and is a professional clubmaker based in Hinckley, Leicestershire.

Check http://www.1offgolf.co.uk/aboutus.html for more information

trevor@1off-golf.co.uk

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Riches Through Creative Thinking!

When solving problems after you have exhausted the normal means of coming up with the solution, think in terms of unorthodox methods. Vary your thinking and try to solve the problems by creating something completely new and irrelevant. Come into the problem through the “back door”.

Research and curiosity go hand in hand in solving the toughest problems. Quite often the answer is so simple, it is not obvious to us. Use an organized plan to work with and record the results logically so you will have a format to follow and a basis for review as you proceed to create something new or solve an “unsolvable” problem.

Creating new programs or products by association is another method of thinking. You first think of an object which is similar or adjacent to the subject item, then continue the “chain” of associated thoughts until new and useful programs or products emerge as ideas. Relate these ideas to the subject item by trial and error or by analysis of all the variables involved.

Plain old fashioned “daydreaming” is another method of creative thinking. Make up a fantastic story in your mind and try to visualize (dream) your way to a successful conclusion based on what results you are trying to achieve.

Consider all the alternatives to what you’re trying to come up with. Gather together and analyze all the data you can find about the subject. If you get into a rut, leave it lie. Go to some other aspect of the puzzle. come back to it later. Quite often as you progress it will suddenly appear, bright and clear. When it does, write it all down so you won’t lose it as your mind drifts to the next step.

Complete one step at a time. By breaking it down to size you can solve it in segments. Don’t try to override your mistakes. Recognize them and bury them so they will help, not hinder, your progress toward your creative goal.

Don’t further confuse the issue by doing so much study and research that there are too many roads to take. If you want to get tons of new ideas and get the right ideas, you can visit http://www.best-internet-businesses.com to grab a few brainstorming tools and softwares.

———————————————————
Julia Tang publishes Smart Online Business Tips, a fresh
and informative newsletter dedicated to supporting people
like you! To find out the best online business opportunities,
and to discover hundreds more proven and practical internet
marketing secrets, plus FREE internet marketing products
worth over $200, visit: http://www.best-internet-businesses.com
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Note: Feel free to publish it with the resource box and content unchanged

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Deck Decorating

On my blog, I once wrote about life on the Veranda – a favorite Southern, summer pastime.

Picture a Charleston side-porch house, facing the obligatory magnolia tree, refreshing gin and tonics or the standard mint julep.

But Veranda living is more than just a sense of “place”. What really makes it memorable is the company of friends and neighbors, sparkling conversation, or a languid repose with a loved one.

A deck may not technically be a Veranda, but it can, nevertheless, be the perfect gathering spot where memories are made.

The key, however, to great deck entertaining is to have a great deck. Many people don’t believe in decorating their decks but having good seating and some type of a theme can help make your deck the most beloved part of your home.

A favorite theme for a deck is “Outdoor Barbeque.” Though not really an official title, a version of “Outdoor Barbeque” encompasses a nice deck, with a classy set of chairs and a table and a grilling area where your husband and his friends can show their talent on the grill. Sharing hamburgers and margaritas with your friends while you wait for the homemade ice cream to finish running – now that is my idea of putting a deck to good use.

On the other hand, a fun theme is great if you have kids. For example, the Beach theme is ever popular for decks. Beach and lounge chairs cover the deck with a table and chairs in the center covered in bright blue and white striped fabric. You can even use ropes, sails, nets, and lifeguard floats to hang from the sides of your fun deck and post flags from different Caribbean or Mediterranean countries on the corners of the deck.

Keeping a chest inside of beach paraphernalia – floats, leis, sunglasses, and even a pirate’s eye patch will keep your children entertained as you try to prepare dinner.

You can also have a country theme on your deck. My great-aunt has this huge covered deck and on it she uses old barrels as side tables and chairs; for the chairs part of the barrel is cut for the back and the previous top of the barrel as nailed down as the seat. There’s kind of a country atmosphere there with the added touches of old Pepsi bottles, signs, and tools hanging on the wall as well as flowers hanging from every corner of the roof.

Whatever theme you decide to use on your deck, the essentials are a table and chairs with some extra seating and side tables. If your deck is too small for that, you can simply purchase a couple of Adirondack chairs and side tables to match. Your parties may be smaller, but you can always put a picnic table in the yard to seat more people. Choose your own theme; a deck is a place where you can put your favorite random items to good use. So from Coca-Cola to country to classic, create your own deck decorations and spend the rest of the summer enjoying your friends on your jazzy new deck.

And no one will care if it’s not an official Veranda.

Elizabeth Holly lives in the South and writes for women about fashion, fitness, frolic and focus. Visit her at http://www.newsletterjournal.com

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