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Sunday, May 22, 2011

May 23rd - Wicomico County Republican Club Meeting

May 23 , 2011

Refreshments 6:30 pm

Meeting Starts 7:00 pm

Location: Salisbury Chamber of Commerce
144 East Main Street, Salisbury, MD

Speaker: Anthony Gutierrez, Wicomico County Elections Director

Topic: Voter Registrations

Please attend this important meeting!!

Big Fish in a Little Pond

Why do Republicans consistently lose elections in Maryland? The obvious answer is that they are outnumbered by Democrats. While this is true, there are deeper reasons behind consistent Republican losses throughout the once Free State. At the root of these reasons is the simple fact that those who run the Maryland Republican Party, and the majority of its county committees, seem far more concerned about being big fish in a little pond than in actually winning elections.

Last week Michael Swartz penned a post decrying the Montgomery County Republican Party’s attitude towards recent steps taken to decrease MoCo’s influence within the MDGOP. I happen to agree that MoCo’s influence was undeserving, but for far different reasons than Swartz.

Swartz, and those that think like him, believe that smaller counties should get a disproportionate say in party affairs. Their reasoning is that “we elect Republicans”. In the case of Swartz’s (and my) Wicomico County, this is truly laughable. The Wicomico County Republican Party does not elect Republicans. Republicans are elected in Wicomico County for several reasons, none of which have anything to do with the strength (or lack thereof) of the county’s Republican party.

WICOMICO COUNTY AS MICROCOSM

2010 is a great example. Wicomico County saw Republican candidates win four of the six (4 / 6) delegate seats which represent the county. Michael James, the GOP candidate for the District 38 Senate seat, won Wicomico by 2%, despite losing the district overall by a slim margin.

Six out of seven (6 / 7) county council seats went to Republican candidates. Three of those candidates did not even face Democrat challenge in the general election.

Matt Maciarello, a Republican, was elected State’s Attorney. GOP House candidate Andy Harris lost the county to incumbent Frank Kratovil by 19 votes (vs. almost 6,000 votes in 2008).

While the Wicomico Republican Committee may be patting itself on the back, these results had far more to do with timing (it was a Republican year across the country), demographics (Wicomico is a Republican leaning county despite higher Democrat registration numbers), and the hard work of candidates and supporters, than any effort by the local GOP.

The first two reasons are self-evident. The third may take some explaining. Local conservative activists worked hard for one or more candidates. While we have had our differences, I am the first to admit that local activist, and former candidate, Julie Brewington put out more effort on behalf of multiple candidates in last year’s election than did all but two members of the Wicomico GOP – COMBINED. This can also be said of several other local conservative / libertarian activists who prefer not to be named.

County Councilman Bob Caldwell won his District 4 seat by two (2) votes. Once known as “Superman” to his friends, “Landslide Bob” won in a heavily Democrat district because he was a good candidate, had a strong platform, and had a reliable cadre of people who were willing to work hard to see him elected. None of those helping Caldwell were active in the local GOP. Curiously, neither Caldwell nor any other successful council candidate (with one possible exception) were even recruited to run by the local GOP.

Why were these people so successful when the local GOP is not? It’s simple; they care about winning elections. Too many members of the local GOP put that far down the list of their political priorities.

WHY MDGOP LOSES

I should start off by noting that not all counties, not even all Eastern Shore counties, are as unsuccessful as Wicomico. Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Frederick, Harford, Washington, Carroll, and Queen Anne’s all have excellent local parties. There are others as well. While Swartz may loathe to admit it, Montgomery County has a grassroots organization that Wicomico should envy. However, there were elections that were lost in 2010 which could have been won IF the local parties had been better organized and worked harder.

The most glaring local example is Michael James’ run for the District 38 senate seat. James lost that seat by 640 votes. More than possible, it is probable that James would have won the seat if the local parties exerted half as much energy in trying to win votes for James as they do in worrying about how many votes they get at the semi-annual GOP convention. The Worcester County party all but abandoned James on election day after committing to having poll watchers throughout the county. This may not sound like much, but there were irregularities in Worcester that have yet to be answered by a Board of Elections who insists on denying the public reasonable access to things like absentee ballots. IF the Wicomico party had worked on behalf of James, his margin in that county would certainly have been higher. Wanting to be fair, I can’t really comment on Somerset’s efforts.

If anyone doubts the affect of knocking on doors and making phone calls – yes, I know these are “old fashioned” concepts – they need only look at Caldwell’s landslide county council win. Yet, far too many Maryland GOP committees seem far more concerned with “sitting at the cool kids’ table” than in doing the hard work involved in getting people elected to office.

WHAT’S THE SOLUTION?

The MDGOP has a great chairman in Alex Mooney. It has a great Vice Chairman in Diana Waterman. It has some great local county committees. Unfortunately, the state party is organized around a failed paradigm.

Look around the country. Almost all successful state Republican parties are organized around precincts or counties (and / or cities). Maryland would argue that they are organized around counties (and Baltimore City), and they would be correct. However, they neglect the most important factor in common with successful Republican parties; the Maryland GOP does not encourage grass roots participation.

Successful organizations invite all comers at the base level (county or precinct). That is not the case in Maryland. The MDGOP recently looked at changing its rules. They shouted down any proposal which would have broadened their active membership base because too many local committee members felt that they would lose imagined power or prestige.

If you examine Swartz’s post you will see that he is advocating for a scheme which rewards small counties at the expense of larger counties under the MDGOP’s current dysfunctional system. This is very similar to the Democrat party’s scheme of rewarding various special interest groups. I would advocate for a “relative voting strength” scheme which is based on the number of votes cast in a given county for governor or president. Despite being fair, that (or any other formula) is only meaningful with strong grass roots participation. 10,000 persons showing up for a state GOP convention in Virginia is only meaningful because most of those 10,000 people go home to work for Republican candidates.

The new MDGOP scheme wouldn’t be so bad, except that it does not address the issues of broadening the party’s base of activists. Look at states like Texas, South Carolina, and Virginia. They have successful state parties. They elect Republicans. They also encourage grass roots participation. Maryland does not. Nor will it ever as long as the people who sit on local Republican committees, and run the state party, are more concerned with wearing a little badge and being a big fish in a little pond.

G. A. Harrison is a frequent contributor to SbyNEWS. “Delmarva Dealings” appears each Wednesday and Sunday at Noon on SbyNEWS.

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States Shorten Duration For Unemployment Benefits

Some of the states that have drained their unemployment insurance funds are cutting the number of weeks that a laid-off worker can count on those benefits. Legislators are trying to limit tax increases for businesses to replenish the pool and are hoping the federal government keeps stepping in when the economy slumps.

Michigan, Missouri and Arkansas recently reduced the maximum number of weeks that the jobless can get state unemployment benefits. Florida is on the verge of doing so. Unemployment in those states ranges from 7.8 percent in Arkansas to 11.1 percent in Florida.

The benefit cuts come as legislatures deal with the damage that the recession inflicted on state unemployment insurance programs. The sharp increase in the number of people who lost their jobs drained the reservoir of money dedicated to paying out benefits.

About 30 states borrowed more than $44 billion from the federal government to continue payments to laid-off workers. Many states hastened the insolvency of their funds by keeping balances at historically low levels going into the downturn.

The burden of replenishing the funds and paying off the loans will fall primarily on businesses through higher taxes, but the benefit cuts are an effort to limit the tax increases.

States usually provide up to 26 weeks of benefits to laid-off workers. Michigan and Missouri have cut that to a maximum 20 weeks. Arkansas went to 25.

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Baltimore Doctor Helps The Ill Commit Suicide

Dr. Lawrence Egbert has been dubbed "The New Doctor Death"


 

From a cluttered Baltimore apartment office, Dr. Lawrence Egbert says he has helped direct the deaths of nearly 300 people across the country.

Some of his patients, as he calls them, are racked with cancer, paralyzed or staring down Alzheimer's. Others simply want to slip away on their own terms. Sometimes family members gather around the bedside to say goodbye; in other cases, their appointed "exit guides" lock the door behind them and make arrangements for someone to stumble across the body.

A decade after Jack Kevorkian went to prison for helping a man with Lou Gehrig's disease commit suicide, Egbert, 83, has been dubbed "The New Doctor Death" by Newsweek after being criminally charged in two states for his role as medical director for the Final Exit Network. An Arizona jury acquitted him last month following a three-week trial in the death of a Phoenix woman. He has also been charged in Georgia.

The cases have revived the debate over assisted suicide and placed Egbert, a retired anesthesiologist, at the forefront of the debate over Americans' right to take their own lives. The Final Exit Network is the only known group performing such work, and members say their assistance is compassionate and progressive. Prosecutors call them "killers." Even other right-to-die advocates, including Kevorkian himself, disagree with their methods.

Amid the controversy, Egbert has been dismissed from his role teaching classes at the Johns Hopkins University and has had a falling-out with his church. After snapping his pelvis in a bicycle accident, he even contemplated taking his own life. But should he prevail in his pending case in Georgia, Egbert said, he'll resume his work with the Final Exit Network.

"I never thought of myself as having done anything that I should feel guilty of," said the Hampden resident. "I don't feel any conflict about helping someone stop suffering."

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Ex-Arundel Officer Ordered Jailed In Sexual Assault

Rookie had been stripped of his badge for earlier sex-related offense

A former Anne Arundel County police rookie who was stripped of his badge four years ago after he admitted he had photographed himself fondling a teenager's breasts during a traffic stop pleaded guilty Friday to assaulting another woman.

Joseph Francis Mosmiller, 27, was sentenced to 30 days in jail by Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Paul A. Hackner, who told him to consider the incarceration for second-degree assault a "kick in the pants" incentive to change his ways.
The rest of a three-year sentence was suspended in favor of three years on probation. The probation must include evaluations for Mosmiller's alcohol problem, a condition mentioned by Assistant State's Attorney Anastasia Prigge, as well as for potential sex offender issues and treatment as needed.

Hackner recommended that Mosmiller be considered for work release. He works as a landscaper for his father's company.
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15 Year Old Under Arrest For Shooting Cop

WASHINGTON - A 15-year-old is under arrest and a D.C. police officer is recovering after a firefight early Saturday morning in Northeast.

Police say officers was called to the 700 block of Crittenden Street, NE for a report of a male with a gun, around 5 a.m.

Several officers approached the back of the house, and entered through the back yard when a 15-year-old suspect opened fire.

"The suspect had mounted a second floor awning roof, and ambushed the officers," says D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier.

"There was an exchange of gunfire, the suspect we believe fired at least five rounds, striking the officer at least three times," adds Lanier.

One of the bullets was stopped by the officer's bullet-proof vest.

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MARYLAND STATE TROOPER KILLED IN CRASH IS IDENTIFIED

(LAUREL, MD) – Maryland State Police Superintendent Colonel Terrence B. Sheridan has identified the state trooper killed in the line of duty early this morning in a traffic crash on Interstate 95 in Howard County.

The trooper is identified as Trooper First Class Shaft S. Hunter, 39, an 11-year veteran of the Maryland State Police. TFC Hunter was assigned to road patrol duties at the Waterloo Barrack. He was on-duty, working a night patrol shift on I-95, when the crash occurred.

“TFC Hunter was an outstanding trooper who was known for his dedication to duty,” Colonel Sheridan said. “He died while working to keep our highways safe. He will be greatly missed by his family and his fellow troopers at the Waterloo Barrack and throughout the Maryland State Police. He is the 43rd state trooper to make the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of the people of Maryland. His death comes at the end of National Police Week, when we honor the more than 19,000 police officers nationwide who have given their lives in the line of duty. TFC Hunter has now joined the ranks of these American heroes.”

The crash occurred about 2:40 a.m. today on southbound I-95 at the Laurel rest area, south of Rt. 32. TFC Hunter was pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing. The preliminary investigation indicates TFC Hunter was southbound on I-95 when he struck a tractor trailer that was parked on the shoulder of the interstate, just before the entrance ramp to the rest area. He was wearing his seat belt when the crash occurred.

A witness told investigators he was passed by a motorcycle that was traveling at a high rate of speed just before being passed by a marked State Police car. Moments later, the witness said the patrol car struck the rear of the tractor trailer.

Based on witness information, TFC Hunter was possibly in pursuit of this speeding motorcycle. He had not radioed in to the barrack about this before the crash occurred, but that is not unusual when a trooper is in the initial moments of an attempted traffic stop.
The patrol car struck the rear of the tractor trailer and then traveled down the side of the trailer, coming to rest near the front of the trailer. The tractor trailer driver was not injured in the crash.

The tractor trailer driver is identified as Albert Sandino, 46, of Covina, California. He was driving a 2009 International truck tractor pulling a box trailer loaded with household bleach. The truck was headed from Aberdeen, Maryland to Virginia. The driver told investigators he had pulled to the side of the interstate briefly to check for directions to his destination.

The crash scene required the closure of southbound I-95 until about 8:30 a.m. today. State Highway Administration personnel responded and set up detours around the area.

TFC Hunter was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He held a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from St. Augustine College in Raleigh, North Carolina.

After college, he joined the United States Marine Corps, where he served from 1994 to 2000. He was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps with the rank of captain.

The Maryland State Police recruited TFC Hunter out of the Marine Corps. He entered the State Police Academy on January 3rd, 2000. He was elected president of the 114th Trooper Candidate Class. He gave an address at his academy class graduation in June of 2000.

TFC Hunter’s first assignment was at the Waterloo Barrack. He later worked at the Glen Burnie and Westminster barracks, before returning to the Waterloo Barrack in October of 2010.

TFC Hunter leaves behind six children, ages 4-19. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time.

MDGOP Statement On April Unemployment Numbers

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Maryland Republican Party Chairman Alex X. Mooney issued the following statement today in response to Maryland’s latest job numbers:
“While today’s job numbers are encouraging, celebration would be premature. A large number of Marylanders still remain unemployed and with Northrop Grumman and Super Fresh recently announcing massive Maryland layoffs, we clearly have a rough road ahead. Maryland’s job creation has dismally settled to the bottom of all states over the past year and while one month of growth is encouraging, O’Malley’s predisposition to job-killing taxes and fees do not bode will for future job creation.”
Despite what Governor O’Malley claims, Maryland is not better off than most states:
Maryland ranked 44th in the nation for percent change in job growth from March 2010 through March 2011; last among neighboring states. Pennsylvania (1.37%), Delaware (1.37%), Virginia, (1.02%), Washington D.C. (0.76%), West Virginia (0.71%), Maryland (0.22%). (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,http://link.sc.states.gop.com/?65-1619-3155-125-13051, Accessed 4/25/11)
Maryland ranked 38th in the nation for annual employment gains through the end of the first quarter. (G. Scott Thomas, “Maryland adds 5,400 jobs in the past year,” Baltimore Business Journal, 4/25/11)
Maryland ranked 38th in the nation for jobs created from March 2010 through March 2011, second to last among neighboring states. Jobs created: Pennsylvania (76,500), Virginia (37,000), Delaware (5,600), Washington D.C. (5,400), Maryland (5,400), West Virginia (5,300). (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,http://link.sc.states.gop.com/?65-1619-3155-125-13051, Accessed 4/25/11)
With more job losses coming soon:
The parent company of Superfresh grocery stores warned the state on Monday it could cut nearly 1,500 jobs in Maryland if it closes 22 stores instead of selling them. (Ryan Sharrow, “Superfresh could cut nearly 1,500 Maryland Jobs, Baltimore Business Journal, 5/16/11)
Defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. expects to lay off about 200 employees at the end of the month, most of them in the Baltimore area. (Jamie Smith Hopkins, “Northrop Grumman to lay off 200, mostly in Baltimore area,” Baltimore Sun, 5/13/11)
Acme Markets announced Thursday that it is laying off about 900 of the 14,000 employees at its 117 stores in and around Philadelphia, South Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.  (Maria Panaritis, “Acme to lay off about 900 part-time workers,” Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/28/11)

OC Cruzer Weekend

Traffic is pretty bad coming into town across the bridge. There is no parking at the Inlet Lot but visitors keep coming.
Town Management decided NOT to offer Park & Ride service this weekend as in past years so parking at that lot and using the $1 Shuttle is not an option. I guess you could consider parking on the West side and walking. Maybe that's what the Town Management intended.

Daniels Says No To White House Bid

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels says he will not seek the Republican presidential nomination.    In a middle-of-the-night message on Sunday, Daniels said he was taking the advice of his family and would skip a White House bid.

Bachmann’s Iowa Moment Arrives

Her increasingly forthright comments the last few days about leaning toward a presidential run have left no doubt that Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann smells blood in the campaign waters.

When ABC News first reported in January that Bachmann was seriously considering a White House bid, the news was generally treated as either a compelling media sideshow or a savvy fundraising head fake on Bachmann's part. After all, the idea that a third-term congresswoman with a light legislative record and a penchant for controversial statements could become a serious White House contender seemed unlikely at best.

Almost five months later -- and after would-be contenders like Mike Huckabee, Haley Barbour and John Thune decided to take a pass -- the notion of a serious Bachmann campaign doesn't seem so implausible anymore, especially in Iowa.

"Someone who excites the base is to be watched," Tim Albrecht, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad's communications director, said of Bachmann. "Someone who has a nationwide fundraising base is to be taken seriously. Someone who has both is a potent force who could be very successful."

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Former OC Businessman Faces 30 Years for Child Porn

Former Ocean City businessman Dennis Devlin will be sentenced in July on federal sex crime charges involving a 13-year-old boy.

Devlin, 58, faces up to 30 years behind bars when he is sentenced July 29 in Orlando, Fla. He pleaded no contest to sexual exploitation and other charges April 21.

FBI agents arrested Devlin in February after he paid a 13-year-old boy to pose for photographs and perform sexual acts that he recorded on an iPhone, which he concealed in the bathroom ceiling of his hotel suite at the Desert Inn in Daytona Beach.

As part of the plea agreement, Devlin relinquished any ownership he had in the Desert Inn. Michael Ehmen, Devlin’s 20-year-old employee and accomplice, also pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation earlier in April. According to court documents, Ehmen had recruited the 13-year-old and took him to Devlin, who paid Ehmen $100.

According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Ehmen had sexual relations with Devlin, who then asked the employee to bring new people to him. Ehmen recruited the 13-year-old, the article said, and Devlin paid the boy $60 for allowing him to take photos and an additional $80 for a videotaped spanking with a ping-pong paddle.

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Should You Show ID When Using A Credit Card?

When you pay by credit card and a merchant asks you for your ZIP code, phone number, driver's license or Social Security number, do you have to show it to complete the sale?

In most cases, the answer is no. In some instances, asking for personal information may violate store policy, credit card merchant agreements and even state law.

Consumer advocates advise just saying no when asked to give information beyond what is necessary for a transaction — an address for shipping purposes or a Social Security number if you're opening a line of credit, for instance.

"At best, you are exposing yourself to unwanted junk mail or solicitations," says Joe Ridout with Consumer Action in San Francisco. "At worst, say, you are giving your Social Security number, you could be placing yourself at higher risk for identity theft."

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Betting on the Nook

John Malone, who made a fortune in cable television, is offering $1 billion for Barnes & Noble — trying to jump into a business so sick that its No. 2 competitor, Borders Group Inc., is on life support.

The difference is that Malone and his Liberty Media conglomerate aren't betting on the books-and-mortar past, analysts say, but the promise of the electronic future.

Barnes & Noble's Nook electronic reader now accounts for 28 percent of the market for those devices. And the Nook has the potential to go beyond books to deliver all types of digital products, including music, magazines, TV shows and movies. That makes it a competitor not just to Amazon.com's Kindle but also to Apple's iPad.

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Iceland’s Most Active Volcano Erupts

REYKJAVIK, Iceland -- Iceland's most active volcano has started erupting, scientists said Saturday -- just over a year after another eruption on the North Atlantic island shut down European air traffic for days.

Iceland's Meteorological Office confirmed that an eruption had begun at the Grimsvotn volcano, accompanied by a series of small earthquakes. Smoke could be seen rising from the volcano, which lies under the uninhabited Vatnajokull glacier in southeast Iceland.

A no fly zone has been designated for 120 nautical miles in all directions from the eruption. Isavia, the company that operates and develops all airport facilities and air navigation services in Iceland, described this as standard procedure around eruptions.

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Gary Carter Diagnosed with Brain Tumor

Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter said doctors discovered four "very small" brain tumors after he had an MRI on Friday in Florida.

The 57-year-old Carter said he expects to learn more about his diagnosis when he is examined again Thursday at Duke Medical Center.

"My wife, Sandy, and our children and family thank you for your thoughts and prayers," Carter said in a release issued Saturday by the New York Mets and baseball's Hall of Fame. "We ask that you please respect our privacy as we learn more about my medical condition."

The statement did not say whether the tumors are malignant or benign.

Friends and former teammates were stunned when they heard the news.

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Tea Party Snubbed in Search for “Donor Friendly” Republican Candidate

Some leading Republicans are trying to entice a more established candidate to jump into the presidential race, a courtship that's aggravating tensions between tea partyers and the GOP's traditional business wing, a deep-pocketed source of financial support in the campaign.

Influential GOP donors have sought to coax Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush or New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to run. The goal is to find a contender with a strong record as a fiscal conservative and the political stature to challenge President Barack Obama.

The behind-the-scenes efforts have been taken as a snub by some tea party organizers who favor the anti-establishment messages of Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, businessman Herman Cain and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who are in the race or are considering it. New contenders could undermine their chances for donors and for success.

"It's extremely upsetting to hear that the establishment is courting their own candidate when Michele Bachmann, the gold standard, has been in the fight, bucking the establishment that got us in this mess," said Katrina Pierson, a Dallas tea party leader and emerging national figure for the movement.

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Design A Safety Map In Case Disaster Strikes

There's a reason your office building probably has a fire evacuation map posted on a wall. When things get crazy, it's best to have a plan in place for how to react, and a map with a rendezvous point for friends and loved ones could prove invaluable during earthquakes, fires and floods — not to mention the apocalypse.

Safety Maps walks you through the process of creating a map of your own, providing templates that let you make print them for walls, refrigerators or desks.

If you have an emergency plan, what does it entail?

from Phil Villarreal @ The Consumerist

NATO Strikes Near Gadhafi’s Compound

NATO staged an airstrike near Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli late on Saturday, and an opposition website said Libyan government forces shelled residential areas outside the rebel-held city of Misrata.

Libyan officials said the alliance had attacked close to Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziyah complex, and Reuters Television pictures showed a column of smoke rising over the capital.

However, there was no immediate word on what the target of the attack was, and reporters escorted by Libyan officials were unable to get close to the site.

NATO says its campaign has crippled Tripoli's ability to attack rebels trying to overthrow Gadhafi and effectively forced the Libyan leader into hiding. Overall the conflict is deadlocked as rebel attempts to advance on Tripoli have stalled.

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