mardi 31 juillet 2018
French Montana is victim of a home invasion as rapper's Calabasas home is targeted by armed robbers
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Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson surprises longtime stunt double and cousin Tanoai Reed with a custom truck
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Why Packaging Labels Should Be Clear
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How to reverse sear – the best way to cook a big steak
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Kylie Jenner makes another $1m as she takes to Instagram
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Lens: Recovering Lost Photos of Life Before the Chernobyl Disaster
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Artificial Intelligence Is a Must, Not a Need
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A Way Out Available for Real and Automated Decisions: Artificial Intelligence
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The Bachelorette: Colton Underwood gets insulted over virginity as Becca Kufrin returns for Tell All
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lundi 30 juillet 2018
Demi Lovato still in hospital for 'extreme nausea and high fever' following opiate overdose
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Nikki Bella 'has told friends her split from John Cena is REAL'
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Gina Rodriguez hints she's engaged to beau Joe LoCicero
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Demi Moore, 55, makes jaws drop with Harvey Weinstein sex joke at Bruce Willis Comedy Central roast
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The Week Ahead: Apple Reports Earnings, and July’s Job Numbers Come Out
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Demi Moore roasts ex-husband Bruce Willis during surprise appearance on Comedy Central show
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dimanche 29 juillet 2018
What We’re Accomplishing Through The Hope Effect
In a few short months, we’ll celebrate the three-year anniversary of The Hope Effect—the nonprofit organization we launched in November 2015 with the help of the Becoming Minimalist community.
The Hope Effect’s mission is to change how the world cares for orphans.
My wife Kim and I, along with a few other individuals, founded this organization because we’re passionate about orphan care. As a newborn, my wife was left by her birth mother at a hospital in South Dakota. She was immediately adopted by a young couple and experienced firsthand the importance of being raised in a loving, supportive family.
Here is more of her story:
Unfortunately, not all orphaned children around the world are raised in a loving family. In fact, less than 1% of orphans are ever adopted. Something needs to be done—The Hope Effect is making a difference.
The Hope Effect is improving orphan care solutions in developing countries around the world. Traditional, institutional orphan care often has damaging effects on children, such as stunted development and delayed learning abilities. Many orphanages simply aren’t aware of the negative impact institutional care has on kids. But there is a better way.
The Hope Effect is changing how the world cares for orphans by providing family-based solutions that offer opportunities for children to flourish and thrive.
Instead of placing children in institutional group homes (orphanages), we build smaller homes, each made up of two parents and 6-8 children. Children get more individual care and attention, along with stability and security, setting them up for future success.
Because this community has been so supportive of our cause, we’d like to update you on what we’ve accomplished and what we’re working on now. Since our founding in 2015, we’ve raised more than $550,000 for orphan care. We built a family-style home in Siguatepeque, Honduras, and recently formed a new partnership in Santa Rosa, Honduras—we look forward to bringing our innovative orphan care solutions to a new city.
For much of the last year, we’ve been working in San Luis Río Colorado, Mexico, located on the U.S.-Mexico border. The Hope Effect opened its first international office in San Luis last summer, and we are the first organization to seek government approval for family-based care in the State of Sonora, Mexico.
During the long approval process, we’ve been building strategic relationships with organizations and individuals in the city of San Luis. We’ve worked closely with the San Luis DIF (Mexico’s version of Child Protective Services) and have been showing love to the children currently in government care.
Last December, The Hope Effect hosted a Christmas party for the children in the DIF facility.
Thanks to your generosity, more than 89 kids received gifts of new shoes, socks, underwear, and other essential items. A few months later, we built beds for the children after finding out many of them were sleeping on the cold floors. We’ve continued to visit and interact with those children since then, showing care and meeting needs as they arise.
Once we receive approval from the Mexican government, we will immediately begin the process of constructing homes for family-based care in San Luis. Once this project is initiated, we can begin looking forward to additional locations, continuing to influence the orphan care community with this sustainable model.
I am incredibly grateful that the Becoming Minimalist community has embraced this important work. If you’d like to make a difference in the lives of orphaned children around the world, you can so do with a one-time gift or a recurring monthly donation—each gift has such a tremendous impact.
One thing that is unique about The Hope Effect is that 100% of donations received are used directly for orphan care work around the world.
The Hope Effect is a 501(c)(3) organization, so your donation is tax-deductible within the U.S. And if you have additional questions about the organization, send us an email. We’re happy to answer them for you.
Together, we are changing how the world cares for orphans.
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Kanye West's dad Ray has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and is undergoing treatment in LA
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Demi Lovato 'getting better' with the daily 'hours' of support from ex-boyfriend Wilmer Valderrama
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samedi 28 juillet 2018
Denise Richards is 'confirmed' to join season nine cast of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
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Destiny's Child's Michelle Williams thanks fans for 'awesome' support
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Hailey Baldwin bares her legs in cut offs with Justin Bieber
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vendredi 27 juillet 2018
Tamra Judge and Shannon Beador 'sued for over $1M by estranged husband of Alexis Bellino'
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Wilmer Valderrama pictured visiting ex Demi Lovato for a second time after singer's overdose
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Kathie Lee Gifford, 64, makes rare appearance with mini-me daughter Cassidy, 24
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The E.P.A.’s New Chief Reverses a Dirty-Truck Loophole Left by Scott Pruitt
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Top Trump Officials Clash Over Plan to Let Cars Pollute More
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Wheels: The Ordinary License Plate’s Days May Be Numbered
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Frugal Traveler: Berkeley on a Budget
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Carole Radziwill finds peace on bikini retreat in Aspen after war with Bethenny Frankel
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David Arquette's sister Rosanna says the entire family has PTSD
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The Future of the New Wave in the IT Industry: Data Science a Fad or an Everlasting Field?
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Friday Finds: 7.27.18
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jeudi 26 juillet 2018
Priyanka Chopra, 36, and Nick Jonas, 25, 'are engaged' after whirlwind two month romance
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Cardi B pulls out of Bruno Mars tour admitting she 'underestimated this whole mommy thing'
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I Am Paul Walker heartbreaking trailer shows late Fast and Furious star as a handsome carefree teen
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7 Helpful Ideas to Declutter on a Busy Schedule
For every minute spent minimizing possessions, an hour is earned.
People live busy lives—sometimes by choice, sometimes by circumstance. Nevertheless, it is a reality of the world we live in.
As a result, there are many who wish to minimize their possessions, but can’t find the margin to do so. If that’s you, this blog post is for you. First, to provide encouragement. Second, to issue a challenge. And third, to offer practical ideas on some ways to find time for decluttering your stuff and enjoying more of the benefits of owning less.
First, some encouragement:
As you declutter, you will almost magically find more time in your schedule. Our possessions are more of a distraction and drain on our time and lives than most people realize. As you move through lived-in spaces, removing items you no longer need, you’ll be surprised how quickly time seems to come back to you.
Your effort is an investment. Accomplish a minute of work, receive an hour of freedom on the other side. Minimalism always woks that way.
Time spent removing possessions is never wasted. (tweet that)
But there is an important reality I need to issue here as a challenge:
Each person needs to make minimalism a priority in their own lives. Possessions won’t remove themselves. We need to find the time to push through the initial investment that is required to accomplish this in our homes and lives.
There is an oft-cited proverb that goes like this, “A person being too busy is a myth. People will always make time for the things that are really important to them.” There is truth in that statement. Any busy person who wants to declutter their home, must be willing to make it a priority.
How then, can we find the time to experience these benefits?
Here are 7 Ways to Declutter on a Busy Schedule:
Find one or two that work for you.
1. Wake up early / Stay up late.
When I first started minimizing, there was a two-week stretch when I woke up every morning at 5am, accomplishing 45 minutes of decluttering before my day even started. I didn’t necessarily like getting up early. But I knew, for a short period of time, I could do it—especially for such an important cause. If you are more of a night-person, choosing to stay up later for a period of time is also an option.
2. Turn off the television / Internet browsing.
The statistics concerning our screen time are really quite unbelievable: nearly 10 hours/day. Reclaim control over your life and home by choosing to set aside your electronic device for just 45 minutes/day. Again, this doesn’t need to be a permanent change (though you may like it more than you think). But for a period of time, it can provide the extra time needed to declutter your home on a busy schedule.
3. Make it “family-time.”
One reason finding time to minimize our possessions can be difficult is because we value the time we spend with family—after being away all-day, spending time with our loved ones is important to us and them. Rather than seeing the minimizing of a room as isolating yourself, bring them along and do it together. I realize, of course, this may be easier said than done. But don’t you think these are important skills you want to pass on to your children (and maybe spouse)?
4. Postpone one hobby.
Hobbies are important. They energize us, educate us, and provide a valuable distraction that allows us to re-engage our responsibilities with a fresh mind and body. Make minimalism your hobby. This does not mean you have to give up painting, reading, gardening, mountain-biking, golfing, quilting, baking, or woodworking forever. It simply means you are postponing that hobby briefly… to craft a new life where you can enjoy them more in the future.
5. Take a staycation.
Rather than leaving town for your next week (or long-weekend) vacation, decide you are going to stay home and minimize instead. You’ll save money—in more ways than one. You’ll be able to almost entirely reinvent your life. You can still enjoy fun and unique outings in your own hometown. And most importantly, it may be the most life-changing vacation you ever take.
6. Send the kids away for a short time.
Removing the day-to-day parenting responsibilities for a period of time will likely supply you with the needed hours to accomplish much toward minimalism. On a grand scale, see if the grandparents would be willing to host the grandkids. Or, coordinate summer camps. If neither of those options are possible, don’t discount the amount of work you can accomplish by sending the kids out for an evening alone with your husband/wife.
7. Pass off one responsibility.
This is not always possible in every situation or relationship, but it may be in yours. If you and your partner are in-sync about your need to own less and take back control of your lives, passing off one responsibility for a period of time is something to consider. Could your spouse commit for a few weeks to handle the meals, the laundry, the bedtime routine, the mowing, or cleaning up the kitchen in the evening? Just be sure to use your newfound time efficiently and wisely if he or she agrees :).
Minimalism is not an easy change to make. If you’ve been accumulating possessions in your home for the last several decades, it’s going to take more than one evening to remove them. But as you progress, you will find caring for your home becomes much easier and less time-consuming—resulting in more space in your schedule to minimize other places.
For tips on getting started, begin your journey with easy steps, focusing on the most lived-in rooms in your home. You’ll notice the results and experience the life-giving benefits quicker.
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Kristen Stewart set to star in cinematic reboot of Charlie's Angels with director Elizabeth Banks
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Michelle Williams reveals she secretly married musician Phil Elverum
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90 Day Fiance stars Paola and Russ Mayfield announce they're expecting a baby
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mercredi 25 juillet 2018
Dennis Quaid lists gorgeous Spanish-style estate with six bedrooms and nine baths for $6.495 million
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Troubles for Ford, G.M. and Fiat Chrysler Send Shares Diving
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Kim Kardashian's lips look much plumper in new Instagram portrait
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Mylar Applications
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Gwyneth Paltrow details 'abusive relationship' with Harvey Weinstein and her 'raw' divorce
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Tom Cruise is 'very happy' he moved near Scientology HQ in Florida
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Sergio Marchionne, Who Revived Fiat and Chrysler, Dies at 66
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mardi 24 juillet 2018
Demi Lovato 'rushed to hospital after heroin overdose'
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Kylie Jenner tops Instagram Rich List overtaking Kim Kardashian
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Fiat Chrysler Loses Sergio Marchionne With Bumpy Road Ahead
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Tesla, Pushing for Profit, Faces New Questions Over Finances
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lundi 23 juillet 2018
Ellen DeGeneres sells Montecito estate for $34 million... $11 million off original asking price
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Offset's lawyer suggests he was profiled because there was no field sobriety test before arrest
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Lisa Vanderpump granted emergency restraining order after threat
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Kim Kardashian 'rushed Kanye West to hospital for flu'
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An Old-School Thank You Is Still a Brilliant Move
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Becoming Minimalist: Should You Donate Or Sell Your Unneeded Possessions?
Almost everybody, at one point or another on their journey to become minimalist, ask themselves a difficult question: What should I do with all the excess possessions I am removing from my home and life?
Should I sell them or donate them?
While each person will ultimately make that decision for themselves, here is a general guideline I have followed and recommended:
If you don’t desperately need the money, you should always donate to a local charity whose mission you believe in. The only exceptions are valuable items or large items you are unable to transport yourself.
This is the solution that benefits the most amount of people: both you and the world around you.
Consider these three reasons why it is better to donate your unneeded possessions rather than sell them:
1. Trying to resell your old, unused items only adds time, effort, and stress to an already burdensome process.
Let’s face it, the process of becoming minimalist for most people is not a simple journey. If you’ve spent the first several decades of your life accumulating as much stuff as you can, getting rid of it is not going to be an overnight process. It’s going to take hard work and intentional focus.
Unfortunately, the process of reselling items you hope to remove from your home takes additional effort: snapping pictures, posting online, answering questions, bartering price, meeting buyers…
To make matters even worse, the amount of money we think we’re going to get for each item rarely materializes. Again, I think exceptions should be made for particularly expensive items, but for the most part, the effort is rarely worth the financial return.
2. Donating your unused possessions provides benefit to others.
Our excess can become a blessing to other people. The items in our closets, our drawers, our basement, or even in the back of our cupboard—almost anything that is still usable—can be used by somebody else. Even if you have no need for an item anymore, almost always somebody in your immediate community can be using it.
I am more convinced than ever that most people want to be generous. If you were to ask a roomful of people, “How many of you want to be known as generous?” 99.9% of hands go up. It’s a pretty small percentage of people who don’t want to be generous. This is something we all want to be true of us.
The problem is, for many people, they just can’t seem to find the margin to become generous. But at the same time, our homes are filled with things we don’t need, items we’ve collected, possessions we’ve accumulated that are unneeded by us. Those items can become the very margin we need to become more generous—and in very specific ways, they can bring help to people and causes in our community.
3. Generosity is not just the byproduct of minimalism, it is also the lifeblood of it.
As we minimize our possessions, we find margin for generosity—not just while we are removing possessions, but as our lives change in the future. Generosity is a byproduct of minimalism.
But I’ve discovered that generosity is not just the byproduct of minimalism, it can also become the very motivating factor that helps us declutter and minimize our possessions as well.
A woman shared her story with me several years ago. She began,
“Look, I’ve been trying to declutter for several months and I’ve actually done a pretty good job of it. I’ve been through many of the rooms in my home. But my closet and my wardrobe, was always going to be the toughest space for me. I love clothes. I love fashion. I knew even before I started I was going to have a hard time getting rid of clothes.
She continued,
Until now, I have not tackled it in any way. However, just last week, everything changed. I was driving downtown, and I happened to drive by our city’s battered women’s shelter. I don’t think I had ever noticed it before. But on that day, I began thinking about the building. I thought about the women living inside, many of whom escaped in the middle of the night from an abusive relationship, with nothing but the clothes on their back and their children in their arms. I saw them leaving, maybe even running, until they found this safe space.
As I thought of the women in the shelter, my mind raced back to my closet—full of beautiful clothes that I hardly ever wear. It occurred to me how much dignity, and how much beauty, and how much honor those clothes could bestow upon those women.
And that thought changed everything for me! I went home, grabbed a bag, and couldn’t fill it fast enough. I found another bag and filled it immediately. The next day, I took several bags of my finest clothes to this women’s shelter, knowing that they needed them more than me. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. They needed them more than I did.
If you have recently discovered the joy of owning less and are beginning the process of becoming minimalist, might I make a suggestion: If you don’t desperately need the money, donate the possessions you are discarding. Find a local charity that you believe in, and donate there.
You will benefit yourself, you will find motivation in the act, and you will bring a positive change to the world around you. What could be better than that?
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dimanche 22 juillet 2018
Teen Mom 2's David Eason calls out MTV for hiring Bristol Palin amid 'homophobic and racist remarks'
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Larsa and Scottie Pippen's daughter Sophia joining cast of Dancing With The Stars: Junior
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Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 2 beats out Cher in Mamma Mia 2 for top spot at box office
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Oprah Winfrey's greatest pleasure is sitting at $90m mansion
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samedi 21 juillet 2018
Cardi B's husband's lawyer says Offset 'targeted' by police due to race and wealth
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Fiat Chrysler Abruptly Replaces Marchionne as C.E.O.
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Jason Momoa and Amber Heard have chemistry in first official trailer for Aquaman
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Bristol Palin will be 'earning $250,000' for her first season of Teen Mom OG!
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Jennifer Connelly, 47, is in talks to star opposite Tom Cruise, 56, in Top Gun 2
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Taylor Swift models yellow plaid while leaving New Jersey concert... as tour becomes huge success
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Kim Kardashian checks out a $4K gold money bag purse... after making $5m in 5 minutes on perfume
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Nascar’s Future Depends on These 5-Year-Olds
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Album: Looking for America at the Riverhead Raceway
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vendredi 20 juillet 2018
Inspiring Simplicity. Weekend Reads.
Fill your life with stories to tell, not stuff to show.
The simplicity/minimalism movement is a beautiful community. And I enjoy any opportunity to promote writing that encourages people to live more by owning less.
So fix yourself a nice warm cup of coffee or tea. Find a quiet moment this weekend. And enjoy some encouraging words to inspire more simplicity in your life today.
9 Hard Truths About Clutter You Need to Hear | Erica Layne by Erica Layne. Clutter is keeping too many of us from living well. Let’s change that.
Minimalism Isn’t for Me, but Here’s How I’m Getting Rid of Clutter, One Shelf at a Time | The Lily by Monica Castillo. After years of constant moving, I’m finally organizing.
Rescue Me: The Problem With Relying on Our Purchases to Save Us | No Sidebar by Emily Rose Barr. Nothing we buy will ever change us, no matter how firmly we believe it will.
How to Make This the Summer of Missing Out | The New York Times by Hayley Phelan. What’s happening? Who cares. Meet JOMO, FOMO’s benevolent younger cousin.
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Simple Money Magazine. Simple Money Magazine is a new, quarterly publication designed to provide simple, practical financial advice for the modern family. I am excited to be involved with it. The first issue releases this October—you can sign up today to get notified as soon as it does.
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