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Lotta

@gemmy.bsky.social
295 followers 271 following 1.3K posts

Swede in D.C. Hockey, ceramics, nature, kayaking, Taiwan. Tolkien nerd, brassica fan. www.lottaworld.com Pottery pics: www.instagram.com/lottainvirginia/

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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 5h
This, by @emilyzfeng.bsky.social, explains what happened with that Treaty of San Fransisco thing during the Xi visit. Potential Taiwan tension sparked 'last minute' change in Trump-Xi National Archives visit www.npr.org/2026/09/29/n...
npr.org
Potential Taiwan tension sparked 'last minute' change in Trump-Xi National Archives visit
The sudden change was precipitated because of Chinese displeasure over one document that the U.S. had planned to show.
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Ooh, this is good. Examining that article arguing that the US should cut and run in Asia, pulling back to the second island chain and leaving Taiwan and all our other allies in the region to fend for themselves. asiatimes.com/2026/09/exam...
asiatimes.com
Examining think tank proposal that US cut and run in Asia-Pacific - Asia Times
A recent report put out by a relatively obscure Washington think tank, Defense Priorities, is getting an unusual amount of attention. In simple terms, the
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Taipei Times - the largest English language news source in Taiwan - has been down for the last few hours with "Forbidden 403" error for every article. What's the over/under on a huge Chinese cyberattack vs. poor web-server maintenance and the IT department sleeping?
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Not sure the denial is all all that reassuring. The back and forth about Taiwan arms sales and potentially selling U.S. weapons to China (WTF!?) is not a good signal to our other allies in the region... www.twincities.com/2026/09/28/t...
twincities.com
Trump disputes his ambassador’s account that he asked China’s president if he wanted to buy US arms
The U.S. is bound by its own laws to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Love how many bridges we have! Oh, and one goes into another at right angles! Sweet! 🙄
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Hahahah. This made me laugh. Either someone is incredibly clueless, or they were being super pointed by planning for Xi to tour the Treaty of San Francisco! lololo www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/...
taipeitimes.com
Trump-Xi meeting: Xi’s visit to archives cut short, sources say - Taipei Times
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) reportedly cut short his visit to the National Archives in Washington after the Chinese delegation objected to plans to view the Treaty of San Francisco, sources in ...
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Reposted by Lotta
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Rumors about “rigged elections" are now a fixture of U.S. elections, leading to diminished trust in election results & democracy (broadly). These rumors can sometimes be hard to debunk, esp. in their early stages. Our UW team has identified the 6 common ways that election integrity rumors mislead:
Infographic titled "Six Ways 'Rigged Election' Rumors Mislead." A two-column table pairs six labeled categories with descriptions. The first three categories are:

No Evidence: The rumor is entirely unsubstantiated. There's no evidence to support the rumor.

Fake/False Evidence: The rumor is based on fake or synthetic evidence (e.g. AI-generated content), manipulated evidence, or false witness testimony.

Misinterpreted Evidence: This rumor is based upon real evidence that has been misinterpreted or intentionally mischaracterized to create a false impression.

A black banner then introduces the final three categories: "Real Evidence, Real Voting Issue, False Narrative."

Exaggerated Impact: The rumor centers on a real issue with voting but falsely insinuates or exaggerates impact on election results.

Ignored Remedies: The rumor centers on a real issue with voting but ignores and/or obscures the remedies that would address this problem

False Blame: The rumor centers on a real issue with voting but either falsely attributes intent for an accidental issue or places blame on an innocent party.

Source: UW Center for an Informed Public, September 2026.
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
If you are anywhere in Alexandria, VA this weekend, come stop by the Art League pottery program's Ice Cream Bowl fundraising sale. Fun ceramics and ice cream! I'll be there Saturday afternoon 3-5pm, come say hi! www.eventbrite.com/e/ice-cream-...
eventbrite.com
Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser 2026
Join us for Ice Cream Bowl, a deliciously cool event that indulges your creative taste for pottery & ice cream—and supports The Art League
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
In my Rosslyn office building, tenants pay a portion of operating expenses for common areas based on square footage. That's normal. However, increasing the amount we pay/month by 3,443% over last year does NOT seem normal. Did your expenses increase by that much, really? Hmm...
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
One of the reasons I would move to Richmond in a heartbeat… James River rapids are wonderful and in the middle of town!
My legs sticking out into the James River. In the background are nice flat rocks and rapids under a late summer sky with loads of clouds!
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Betrayal at Krondor. I had played a lot of other games - pong on our ABC80 computer, Donkey Kong handheld, Infocom games, 7th Guest (with @kevincmurphy.com!) - but it was the first time that I spent every hour I could playing a video game until I finished it…
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Only problem with mobile Global Entry is that you walk straight through immigration, but then have to wait FOREVER for the luggage… Home again after a week away!
The luggage belt at Dulles.
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
It was great to speak at a GCTF workshop after reading about them for a decade+! The first time one has been held in Kosovo/the Western Balkans! Hope Taiwan MOFA and U.S. State Department can keep the dialogue going! www.roc-taiwan.org/hu_hu/post/4...
The panelists at the Kosovo U.S.-Taiwan GCTF dialogue, including me, standing in front of a banner reading “2026 GCTF Connecting Critical Supply Chains and Logistics Hubs: Advancing Prosperity with Strategic Partners”. Sadly didn’t get to see much of Kosovo as it was basically a two-day visit and I was working the whole time…
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Läser om valet i Sverige & att SD-ledamoten pratat om "mentalhandikappade småpartiröstare.” Hm. Undrar om föraktet för väljarna har något att göra med att dom verka tappa? Adjö Tidö skriver en del, medan andra säger att det är för nära ännu. Spännande! Bra att kunna hålla koll på nätet iaf.
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
This piece from @michaelturton.bsky.social is an interesting look at another type of pro-PRC narrative where Taiwan's own unique identity & culture gets subsumed under "Taiwan as the alternative China" framing... www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
taipeitimes.com
Notes from Central Taiwan: The ‘Wall Street Journal’s’ Taiwan blind spot - Taipei Times
The comical bit of parachute journalism by Simon Shuster in the Atlantic last week under the title “Will Taiwan Just Give Up?”, drew much attention for its numerous minor errors, largely forgivable, i...
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Brian Kerg has a good thread on this article over on X, pointing out some other flawed assumptions too. x.com/BrianKerg/st...
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Well said.
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
"The [US] would have the IP required to reconstruct the semiconductor supply chain outside of Taiwan...This would take some time but is a surmountable challenge." 🙄Who will foot the bill? How long? Yet another wagon on the "Let's abandon Taiwan!" train... www.defensepriorities.org/explainers/a...
defensepriorities.org
A second island chain strategy for Asia - Defense Priorities
Key points The United States has two core interests in Asia worth protecting with military power: defending the U.S. homeland […]
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Reposted by Lotta
Brian Hioe @brianhioe.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Here's me on that Simon Shuster piece in The Atlantic. The reason why I think it struck a nerve is his sympathies are quite transparent. He spends two paragraphs at the start fawning over the grandeur of CCP state ceremonies
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Hey, what do you know, here is another one! We’ll be seeing so many of these this month.
Screenshot of a Bluesky post from Foreign Policy saying “With China rising and the United States erratic, a number of countries in Southeast Asia are recalibrating their approach to Taiwan” linking to an article called “Southeast Asia's Subtle Shift on Taiwan.” The accompanying photo is of a China Coast Guard ship. It’s another one in the genre of that “Will Taiwan Fight?” article from the Atlantic from yesterday. Pro-PRC articles appearing in the lead up to the Trump/Xi meeting later this month, to push the Chinese POV. We’ll see so many of them before the meeting…
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Yup! Robyn at The Anthem was EPIC! I’m a sucker for audience sing-alongs!
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Been waiting for this night for a long time. Robyn at The Anthem! Last time (2019?) was epic, this shouldn’t disappoint!
View from Left side of tier B at The Anthem. DJ Lil C is entertaining a large crowd before the main event.
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I saw the news this morning, and immediately figured this would happen. Such complete and utter BS by Meta and Zuck. But at least we should get some good songs resulting from Matt being angry about it! www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...
sfchronicle.com
British rock band loses its longtime social media handle to Meta’s new AI tool
The British rock band Muse has lost its longtime Instagram handle to an unlikely rival: Meta’s new personal AI agent.
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Oh my god, it's the worst, most stupid UI decision ever. AND it works against most people using good, complex passwords. I get INCENSED every time it happens...
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
TSMC hit record market share among pure-play foundries at 72.5%. Just really impressive for this important Taiwan company. Visiting a TSMC fab at Hsinchu or in Arizona is definitely on my bucket list!! focustaiwan.tw/business/202...
focustaiwan.tw
TSMC's market share hits record 72.5% in Q2 - Focus Taiwan
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) further cemented its lead in the global pure-play wafer foundry business as its market share hit a record 72.5 percent in the second quarter of this year,...
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
If you are using a public no-cost dataset for your article/report, please acknowledge that as your source. No way you collected it yourself from 6+ years of press releases. You used data my friends already painstakingly put into a public spreadsheet. The least you can do is give them credit!!!
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Happy Labor Day weekend!
Leesylvania State Park kayaking. My Oru Kayak in the front, the railroad bridge in the back. It’s lovely late summer weather. View of the woods out my tent vestibule this morning. Prince William Forest, Oak Ridge campground. Flames from my campfire last night. Selfie from my short hike yesterday. The trail is narrow and leads through green woods.
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Huh. Gotta do something with your piles of money, I guess. Nvidia to buy AI platform Hugging Face for US$12.9 billion www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/arc...
taipeitimes.com
Nvidia to buy AI platform Hugging Face for US$12.9 billion - Taipei Times
Nvidia Corp announced yesterday that it would buy artificial intelligence (AI) platform Hugging Face for US$12.9 billion, as the chipmaking giant seeks to diversify its hold on the AI sector.Nvidia CE...
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
More than 2 years ago, I accidentally gave the wrong directions to someone, as the sports court they were looking for had moved within the park. Every time I walk past there - like this afternoon - I cringe at the memory and worry about if they ever found it. Such a weird brain behavior thing…
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I wrote to the Smithsonian and pointed this out, and they just confirmed their panoramas were hacked and they are "working with their developers" to fix it. I haven't seen anyone else talking about it, though.
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Fun! An iPhone 17 Pro dropped from 30,607 meters over northern Sweden without a parachute survived the fall in working condition, setting a Guinness World Record for the Taiwan case maker (RhinoShield) that staged the test. e.vnexpress.net/news/tech/te...
e.vnexpress.net
iPhone survives 30,000-meter fall from stratosphere with no parachute - VnExpress International
An iPhone 17 Pro dropped from 30,607 meters over northern Sweden without a parachute survived the fall in working condition, setting a Guinness World Record for the case maker that staged the test.
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Finished The Salt King by @natashapulley.bsky.social two days ago, but can’t stop worrying about and missing Avelyn and Jericho. It’s the mark of a good book, IMO! Go read it! www.goodreads.com/book/show/24...
goodreads.com
The Salt King
An apocalyptic novel about belief, religion, and the po…
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Hm. Looks like the Air and Space Museum is having some XXX issues with their panoramas on the website... Hacked via the krpano Panorama Viewer, or is it the UVA Law School that's an issue? I won't be clicking to find out!
A screenshot from Feedly, showing a XXX headline being fed from the Air and Space Museum website via a panorama of the Northrop Grumman Wildcat. There are three such links, all of them to the same panorama. All the other articles are about Taiwan. It's from an RSS feed for articles containing the word "Taiwan" in Google News.
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Good outdoorsy day of fishing and kayaking ending with som BBQ. Nice!!
Pohick creek - the area my friend and I call Shangri-La. In the foreground is my kayak and a fishing rod. In the back is a blue sky and the banks of the narrow creek. The sky and greenery is reflected in the water. My hand, holding a largemouth bass (hybrid?) through its gills. In the back is the water and greenery. My hand, holding a red breasted sunfish on my palm. In the back is the water and greenery and parts of my paddle.
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Lovely day at the ballpark. Been too long since I was at the Nats Park, back for the Taiwan Heritage Day!!
View from a suite at Nats Park
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Another good pottery pickup day! A few bisque pieces and some finished glaze pieces- one I donated to the Ice Cream bowl fundraiser, but the others turned out well! I looooove this shark jug! Will see if I leave it as is or add fossil shark’s teeth glued to the mouth…
A blue robot and a small character bud vase. Face of my green shark’s jug - bugged out eyes and blackened teeth and all!Side of my green shark jug where you can see the back fin and the approximation of gillsAll the pieces I picked up today, except the bad one I donated to the fundraiser.
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
When I was an archaeologist, the two most annoying questions from the public were: ”What y’all digging for? Dinosaur bones?!” and ”What y’all digging for? Gold?!” We even had a bingo board printed up for data recovery projects, wish I still had one!
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Professor Murray, did you realize in 2008 how much you would have to answer for, not the least of which is this AI atrocity?
realcleardefense.com
Why Standoff Fires Won’t Save Taiwan Without an Armed Underground
For those of us who spent decades inside the Special Forces operational community, studying the anatomy of conflict across rugged mountains, isolated valleys, and dense urban sprawl, one foundational
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Last pottery Open Studio for the summer - glaze only - today. I glazed many pieces, but at least two had not made it out of bisque yet… Also picked up a few finished pieces, happy with all! Not sure what to do now on Saturday’s for a month!!
Closeup of a bare clay rattle (Brown Bear clay with red iron oxide wash) shaped like a little barbapappa !Three rattles. All with a nice and satisfying rattle. Also Black Bear clay,  unglazed  but with iron oxide and copperA Brown Bear clay bowl with Panama Red glaze. A buff clay bowl with Oribe glaze. 
I always have a problem with the interior surface, but it worked out  this time!
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
This was my perspective on the TK with @districtofkatya.bsky.social last night. Was not a highlight for me somehow, so I had to record it from a replay via the NVIDIA overlay.... www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoF5...
youtube.com
Overwatch: Team Kill with Katya as Sierra
YouTube video by Gemmy's Videos
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Went to Ebisu Life Store in Seven Corners for the first time today. It was packed on a Friday night. All the fun Japanese toys, food, skincare, etc. stuff I’m used to seeing in night markets but in a well lit and well organized store (that used to be Joann Fabrics). Go visit!
The storefront of the Ebisu store in Seven Corners. It’s a well-lit and brightly colored store, with cool toys visible in the window. They have claw machines in the back, and toy dispensers!!
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Asked ChatGPT who took a specific photo (me, popular on Flickr) of the Capitol. Got a stock photog name. Me: "Are you sure?" It apologized & gave me another name. Took 8 times before it said "It's one of the most photographed buildings in D.C., I don't know for this specific one." Ace tech there! 🙄
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
EDITORIAL: AI cyberattack highlights risk www.taipeitimes.com/News/editori...
taipeitimes.com
EDITORIAL: AI cyberattack highlights risk - Taipei Times
In a hacking campaign last month believed to be linked to China, artificial intelligence (AI) agents launched 12 waves of attacks against the government in four days, which is believed to be the first...
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Complete this sentence. I own a ridiculous amount of: -Pottery I’ve made -Fossilized shark’s teeth -Pretty rocks -Books -Steam games -Band/concert T-shirts -Plants -Craft supplies -Homewoven curtains & tablecloths -Decorative animal bones and skulls -Tolkien-related ephemera
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
This makes me so happy. Loooooooong time coming, and represents so. much. work... focustaiwan.tw/politics/202...
focustaiwan.tw
First two F-16V fighter jets en route to Taiwan: Sources - Focus Taiwan
The first two of 66 F-16V Block 70 fighter jets Taiwan has purchased from the United States departed from the U.S. on Aug. 17 Eastern Time and are expected to arrive in Taiwan soon, according to sourc...
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Logging expenses for my trip to Taiwan and Sweden, out of the country for 5 weeks. Log in to my cell account to find…. nothing. Not a single charge - it’s in my new mobile plan apparently? Wow wow wow. Last year it was several hundreds…
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
I read so many articles about Taiwan in the course of a day. It's not every day that I come across something that makes me smile. My anthropology major/archeologist self found this very... interesting. www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/08/r...
labrujulaverde.com
Remains of a Denisovan "Giant" Found Over 60 Meters Beneath the Seafloor in Taiwan Challenge the Rules of Human Evolution
An international team of researchers has identified two leg bones found in the Penghu Channel, Taiwan, as belonging to Denisovans, an extinct group of hominids related to Neanderthals. The fossils, da...
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Lets try again. Arlington, Virginia.
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Glad I made it home from beach camping before the storm hit… now I can watch the display from my balcony. (Screenshot from a slowed down video that apparently won’t post correctly here?)
A brief of a lightning strike right as it hit the ground. Taken from my balcony in Arlington, Va
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Lotta @gemmy.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Traditional stop on the way home from the beach. Aaahhh AC and hot tea!
A vegetable plate at Cracker Barrel. Yummy even though I will only be able to eat 1/3 of it!
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