Are you making decisions based on media reports? On emotional triggers embedded into all the communications that bombard you 24/7?  Are you swayed by all the pretty graphics and the ominous numbers/statistics that seem to be so authoritative?

We’re in a highly competitive commercialized society where we can’t escape persuasion and sales tactics. It seems that no matter where we turn someone is selling us something - whether it be what food we should eat, which politician we vote for, what we do with our lives. No matter what we do, someone is right there telling us what we should or should not do, what’s good for us and what we’re good for.

Way too many people repeat, like so many parrots, whatever the latest newspaper, or radio host said today or yesterday as if quoting from the bible, without understanding. And, I’m watching them make significant changes in their lives based on what someone else’s criteria.

But I’m also seeing a very healthy trend toward people asking some of the harder questions and delaying their decisions just long enough to get past the emotional claptrap. Recyclers are opting to trade items rather then discard and they’re finding ways to extend the useful life of items that once were considered past their built-in obsolescence. More people are willing to risk being just a little bit different. It’s not as important to dress in gray flannel as it once was in order to be acceptable. And, yes, people are learning to do without. Latest and greatest isn’t necessarily a great calling card for marketers any more.

Even while torn by emotional messages, like fear, people are learning to ask hard questions. It’s true that human nature is such that we do re-act when someone plays on our emotions - our fears, our desires to impress others or be a better parent. And, it is true that we buy what we want before we buy what we need. The marketers have that right. But the formulas don’t seem to be working quite as well as they once did.

It’s true, we bought into the belief that "everyone is a salesperson". And, as salespeople (regardless of what we’re selling), we’ve learned that the best way to sell anything is to play on emotions first, then present statistics with lots of graphics and pretty pictures and testimonials. That may work in a purely commercial setting. But, now there are just too many mixed messages, conflicting sets of statistics and testimonials attributed by people we have no reason to believe.  It’s possible that the golden goose is on it’s last legs.

What’s happening? People are beginning to re-discover how to think critically based on their own best interests.  More important, they’re going back to a very old philosophy my grandfather taught me:

Before making any decision, he’d say, ask some very simple questions:

Why is this important?
Why now?
Why is this person telling me this? What is his/her vested interest in my decision?
So what? Why should I care?

What do these simple questions tell us? Invariably, they uncover a telling underlying question: Where’s the money?  They allow us to understand the full story (beyond the sound bytes and pretty stories); they give us time to step beyond knee-jerk emotional reactions; they clarify the vested interest the individual(s) behind the information we’re being given; and, they clarify the inherent priority of that information in our own lives.

With this background information in hand, we can make a valid - unemotional - decisions based on our own self interests. 

Here’s to living your own life!

©2008 creativeoptions.com. All Rights Reserved.

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Did you know….

According to the report, "Matures 62+ On the Internet: An Overlooked Audience," over a third of the Mature population (aged 62+) are connected and collectively spend almost three-quarters of a billion minutes a day on the Internet.

You can see the entire report here: http://www.focalyst.com/Sites/focalyst/  Or check out:

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/new-report-reveals-online-ads-are-effective-in-reaching-mature-adults,374025.shtml

A friend also sent me a link to an organization that is looking to hire an "ageing consultant".  Imagine!

I find these latest reports particularly interesting in light of the common misconception that older folk just aren’t technologically savvy enough to be considered viable employees in today’s market.

My gosh, can it be? Someone is actually recognizing that mature people - those of us who have "snow on the roof" - are actually out here mixing it up with the rest of society?  We’re actually being discovered?!

Marketers, trying to figure out how to tap into this lush new market, are actually trying to reach us and find out what makes us tick.

Guess they haven’t figured out yet, that as long as we live we have pretty much the same interests and needs as everyone else. We may like to sit on the front porch in our rockers reading a novel on a hot summer afternoon on occasion. But that’s certainly not the limit of our interests and capabilities. We garden and create and surf the net right along with the best of them. We enjoy good food and travel and being financially independent and productive. We are intensely concerned about the price of gas, food shortages and the ecology. And we do know how to play.

But, when people have gone down as many different roads as we elders have to get where we are today, we tend to be a very diverse group. Anyone who wants to understand what makes us tick is going to have to understand that we aren’t statistics. We have set our priorities based on lessons learned along the way. We make our own choices based on what our individual interests are - not on hype or emotional hot buttons. We’ve learned to think for ourselves, thank you very much.

Gosh, I sure will be happy when the statisticians and marketers finally learn that classifying people and cramming us into neat packages just doesn’t work. And I’ll be happier still, when, finally the older set is once again welcomed into the workplace so they can - if they choose - buy some of those luxuries the marketers want to sell them.

©2008 creativeoptions.com. All Rights Reserved.

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Do you get the sinking feeling that the world is going to Hell in a hand basket of late? Well, you’re not alone, those of us who have watched history repeat itself over and over again in our life times, are indeed more than a little disturbed by events since the turn of the century. We had great visions of a grand new world where peace would reign and we’d finally enjoy an era of worldwide prosperity.

Instead, the first decade of the 21st century seems to have brought us a general melt-down on all sides…global as well as local. We’ve seen enough war and destruction to fill a library of books rivaling War and Peace in sheer volume. And it doesn’t stop with global issues. Even our families and neighborhoods are at odds with each other. Control and dominance is pervasive everywhere.

In the midst of all the negatives, memories of Sr. Mary’s history classes keep haunting me. She was one stern history teacher. Few of my high school teachers were as demanding as she. Oh, how we hated memorizing all those dates! And, her exams were something else! It wasn’t enough to know the dates…we knew we’d be expected to deliver written essays on the pros and cons, whys and wherefores of wars and famines in bygone eras…stuff that "nobody cares about today". But she stood firm. "History repeats itself," she’d tell us. "You must understand the past if you expect to build a better future." 

I know, for a fact, she wouldn’t much approve of "sound bytes" that we get for news today. Heck, if we’d tried to slap together anything like the news reports we get in today’s media we would have been assured an "F".

So, even though I’m not a particularly political type person, I’m truly glad that we have the internet and well-stocked libraries. It does take some digging to get past the media hype and claptrap, but we can drill down to get to the story behind the story if we really want to. And, in doing so, we can bring perspective to our present human condition. Because, Sr. Mary was right… history does repeat itself…the more things change…the more they remain the same. 

The great orator Cicero (106-143 B.C.) had much the same concerns we have today. He’s said to have complained, "Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book…."

Just look how far we’ve come from there. ’spose we can finally achieve the kind of change that will make a difference this time? Hope springs eternal.

©2008 creativeoptions.com. All Rights Reserved.

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Talk of the economy is everywhere. It’s a major focus of the elections. It’s at the top of everyone’s head - especially those who have lost jobs - or are afraid they might lose their jobs. It’s a major concern for those who have lost homes and are very much concerned about how they’re going to get their children through college. And, it’s a sore spot for seniors who are desperately trying to survive.

The common thread that runs through too much of the talk is, "Someone’s got to do something!!!"

Well, that’s true. But, who, I ask, can do that "something" better than you and me? There’s so much work out there that we will never get it all done - not if we want to rectify all the troubles that beset us.

Why isn’t it getting done? What’s it going to take for us to get past all the negativity, pointing fingers and "can’t" thinking? Every single person has the potential to make a difference. It doesn’t matter if they’re yellow, orange or purple. It doesn’ t matter if they can only walk on their hands or peel onions. It doesn’t matter if they smile pretty and have perfect teeth. And it doesn’t matter if they know how to work on a PC  rather than a MAC. This old world needs every one of us.

it’s time to start thinking creatively. For those who don’t understand what creative solutions are, I share the following link: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~zeigleem/potatoes.htm I couldn’t have come up with a better example.

We have some serious challenges facing us right now (I think we can all agree on that). It’s true, right now, many are feeling impotent. But, for every challenge there is at least one solution. Usually there are many solutions, each when added up can make a significant difference. We can find those solutions when we start thinking creatively. The solutions may not be obvious and they may not be what we expect. That doesn’t matter.  What does matter is: Can we finally start thinking creatively and allowing everyone to contribute?

©2008 creativeoptions.com. All Rights Reserved.

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I am a bit of a media and marketing nut. As a writer, with a good deal of experience working with the media, marketing and real estate for a number of years, I have a tendency to read behind the scenes and I’ve learned to follow the money trail. My experiences has made me pretty much a contrarian.

I won’t go into great length here, it would take a book. But I can say, in my experience, the world starts to look a lot different when you look at it from who, what, where, when, why, how and so-what point of view. When we get past the sound bytes and the hype, a very different picture emerges. When we start asking who stands to gain by what’s going on, we begin to see another side of the story emerge.

We’re living in precarious times. That much is true. But for all the pain and suffering, wars and famine, you and I are experiencing right now, there’s a LOT of money being made. It’s not an accident. Inflation, foreclosures, job layoffs and the rest all happen for a reason. Those who ask the right questions and see what’s going on are making adjustments and will come out of this mess ok. Because, you see, everything is perception.

What’s the answer? Start asking questions and thinking for yourself.

When we start thinking like marketers, we can often begin to see solutions emerge. We start looking at what’s the psychological motivation, what are the hot buttons, who are the competition, who stands to gain, where’s the money, and what can we learn from those who have been this way before?

Real estate is a prime example. The market has been in a tailspin. Countless homeowners have lost their homes, countless more will follow. But wait!!! This is exactly the kind of market that fortunes are built on! Investors long for this kind of market because they can amass great wealth with very little investment. Right now, they can pretty much walk in and taken anything on the market for pennies on the dollar. And, they have lots to choose from at the moment. Are they worried about the state of the economy? Not much.

So, were does this leave us? Well, first off, we want to hold on tight. When everyone else is selling… buy. And, when everyone else is buying… sell!! That’s the wisdom of the ages, we forget when we’re busy listening to how bad the economy is. Those of us who act out of desperation will stand to lose the most. Those who get creative will weather the storm and those who make somewhat contrarian decisions will come out winners.

Many think they don’t have what it takes to buy right now, and that may be true. But with a little creative thinking even they can weather the storm. Market adjustments like we’re going through right now don’t last forever. The Great Depression did come to an end and this market will too. Good old fashioned creative financing might help. Looking for the win/win opportunities - where both buyer and seller will come out ahead - will solve many problems. Buyers and sellers, working together, can help stabilize this market and allow everyone to come back stronger than ever. it’s a good time to revisit concepts like sweat equity, owner financing, barter, and other methods that aren’t controlled by the money market, Wall Street and government. It’s a little bit more challenging to find solutions, today. But it can be done.

Forget the sound bytes. This is a GREAT market. You can profit from it too …

Buy, baby buy!!

©2008 creativeoptions.com. All Rights Reserved.

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What now? Do we run out and start attacking the market, demanding that we be recognized, demanding our share of the jobs and the profits? Not by a long shot.

It’s true, for many the drama of the hunt - running out and stalking the prey, knocking on doors and begging for work  - may  be just the thing. And for many others, in the midst of desperation, having lost their jobs, dealing with foreclosure, and crushed by inflation, it may seem the only alternative. But, it’s not the only way for us to get where we’re going. There’s another tactic that can be highly effective…and a whole lot less stressful.

We don’t hear much about this tactic. But, if we just hide and watch, we see it employed effectively everywhere.

Gardeners and farmers are masters at this tactic…and outstanding role models for us, especially now that planting season is in full force throughout the northern hemisphere.  They’re out there, cleaning up the fields and flower beds, planting seeds and getting ready….

Do they expect to see harvests tomorrow? Of course, not. They do the preparation and then they go about their business…waiting and watching…and being available ….

Eventually the seeds do what seeds do naturally…and a harvest results.

On a more elementary level, we see the same behavior in the Venus Fly Trap and in the lowly spider. They gussy themselves and their surroundings up… and they go about their day-to-day lives… And they wait….

Eventually a fly is lured into the Fly Trap’s clutches and another is lured into the sticky web of the spider …and … dinner is served.

How do we apply this principle to our lives as we take back our lives? Simple. We define what we’re looking for and where we hope to find it…We put out feelers…. and, then, we get busy.  We write our memoirs, remodel our homes, get involved in a craft or a hobby we’ve put off for years. We learn a new language or build a website. In short, we get involved in things that interest us.

I have yet to see it fail. There’s something about a busy person - a person who is actively pursuing something they are passionately interested in  - that is irresistible. More often than not, even before you can complete that special project, things start to happen…surprising, wonderful things.

Sure, we can panic, rush out  looking for prey (er, work), complain and raise cain because things just aren’t right. All that does is put others on the defensive and make us all the more desperate (and vulnerable).

Given a choice, I much prefer to play Hide and Watch.

©2008 creativeoptions.com. All Rights Reserved.

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Seniors - I’m talking to you!!

If you’re sick and tired of being ruled out — of being told "You can’t" — then it’s time to take your destiny back.

Since when do we allow others to determine what we’re capable of doing?? We didn’t allow that to happen in the 60s or the 70s, did we? We didn’t allow anyone to tell us "You can’t" when we chose our careers and set out to college or got married or raised our children, did we? What the heck happened?

Too many older employees are giving up / opting out of the rat race because, in interview after interview, they’ve been led to believe that they can’t compete. Hog wash!! Internet and computers were developed in OUR generation…We supported the growth of this economy and the technological age. We’ve spent the last 60-70 years making things happen!! Computers, remember, are just dumb machines. They don’t know what to do until WE tell them. They’re nothing more than tools we use to get our work done.

It’s true — we don’t have all the answers. We don’t know all the computer shortcuts for the latest and greatest computer program that’s come down the pike. What does that tell you? If you’re thinking, you’ll recognize that neither do the teens and 20-somethings. They’re learning right along with us. Can we learn? You bet we can! And frankly, if you want the inside scoop, at this point, there aren’t very many companies out there - short of the software developers - who do have the latest and greatest to work with. Besides…Do you think that you’re going to use all those bells and whistles when you’re writing a letter on Word or or any other software? You’d better not - unless you want to look like a complete klutz.

Think about it, just one minute. If Google had gone to IBM and MAC and all the other’s scrambling to make their marks in this economy, and said "I have this idea. I want your permission to index all your public information on the internet…" Would you be Googling for information today? I doubt it. Google would still be waiting to get past the gatekeepers, the lawyers and the powers that be.

What makes a great worker? The ability to think! The ability to communicate! The ability to see what needs to be done and find a way to do it.

If anyone tells you otherwise…

Just tell them "I CAN’T wait for you to get up to speed. I have work to do!!"

©2008 creativeoptions.com. All Rights Reserved.

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1. Do you believe everything you read? Media has a way of warping our perceptions. We’ve allowed ourselves to be lulled into believing that what we see and what we’re told is gospel. Poppycock! Yes, we’re experiencing a recession - have been for some time. But recessions can be a good thing. Look at it this way (the way the wealthy are)….it’s a Buyer’s Market! If you have any resources at all, focus them on the buying end of the equation, find the buyers and see how different the world looks. When everyone is selling, buy. And when they’re buying, sell.

2. Do you allow yourself to be boxed into a classification? Call it whatever you will "senior", "mature", "retirement age". It doesn’t matter. Statisticians love to put people in boxes. Doing this makes it easy for them - easy to run statistics, Marketers do it because they think it makes sales easier - after all, they can predict how a class might react, but it takes a lot of work to figure out how an individual will react. This is all nonsense. You are unique. Your needs are unique. And the skills and wisdom you bring to the table are unique.

3. Do you believe there are no jobs out there? Those of us who are out of work have hit a serious snag in the road. That much is true. There is no security out there for anyone - no matter what the age. Americans are running scared…too many years of red alerts, threats of terrorism, layoffs and such have taken their tole. Is it easy to get work? Not by a long shot! It’s every man for himself out there. Not many - even those who say they care - will lend a hand to lift you up. Those who have an "in" will get the work long before those who need - employment has nothing to do with need to work.

So, what’s the answer? Think for yourself.  Take another look at what’s really going on. Look for the hidden agendas. Each one of us will see something very different because we’re looking at the whole from very different perspectives. But, once we start reading between the lines and start looking for that bigger picture, we’ll have a much better chance of getting ourselves - and our Country - out of this quagmire.

For starters:

1. Drop the name tag. Don’t allow yourself to be classified.  You’re not a statistic. You’re a person!
2. Look for the money. This is the story behind the story we’re given in the media. Massive fortunes are being accumulated right now - as a result of  the stories we’re asked to believe. Once we understand that, we can move forward.
3. Stop asking for work or training or whatever. The more years of experience and the more education (no I’m not saying schooling) you have, the better equipped you are to navigate through this mess. You have a LOT to offer. If you talk with an employer,  get shuttled aside and you believe it’s because of your age  - and that does happen  - chalk it up! It’s their loss, not yours.
4. When you’ve managed to re-think the situation, start looking for the holes in the market. There’s more work to be done today than we can ever hope to get done - even if every man, woman and child were gainfully employed 60-80 hours a week.

One word of caution: don’t settle for second best. You’ll soon learn that it’s easy to fall into this trap. You know it. The messages are vocalized many different ways: "You are too old… "Your skills aren’t up to par…" "You can’t…" "We found someone better…." "You’ll have to prove yourself…"  They all say. "You’re not good enough…" Muster up all the compassion you can for those who try to tell you this. Remember work isn’t a popularity contest or a beauty pageant. These are signs that they’re still looking for quick fixes and false promises. Their loss, not yours. Remember the holes that need to be filled and ….

Just keep on truckin’!

©2008 creativeoptions.com. All Rights Reserved.

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Dear Mr. President:

I watched with dismay your announcement for your tax relief plan. May I ask which planet you are living on?

It is very nice that you’ve decided to target 1% of our country’s GDP to correcting the economic mess we’re in. But frankly, I don’t see what this is going to do? 1% is miniscul when we stack it up against the waste brought on by our involvement in wars that are draining our country’s coffers and diverting funds that belong to the American people. Give us the facts, sir. Show us a pie chart that clearly shows what’s happening to the other 99% of our GDP. Maybe then we can put things in perspective.

First off, we have an economy  where vast numbers of small businesses are closing their doors for lack of business, thousands of people out of work (some for more than 2-3 years) and many more thousands being laid off with each passing week. Our unemployment is at 6% now and rising.

You want to stimulate spending. But, sir, what are we supposed to spend?  With next to no income, even with no taxes, we don’t have money to spend. Heck, we’re at - and below - poverty level now. And, let’s assume a couple hundred dollars actually wind up in the pockets of all those people who are out of work, trying to subsist on  SSI and welfare, and losing their homes to foreclosure. What do they do when that money’s gone? And while we’re at it, just exactly how long will it take this "immediately" program to take effect?

The American people don’t want fish. They want the boats and nets to do their own fishing. They want — no they desperately need — jobs. And, not just any jobs, but jobs that pay a living wage comparable to the skill levels they bring to the table. Too many highly skilled workers - the ones who are lucky - are trying to survive working at minimum wage jobs because our corporations chose to move those jobs out of the country. And let’s consider putting people reduced to part time jobs (in the interest of corporations eliminating insurance and other benefits) back into full time jobs so that they can look forward to something more than bare subsistence?

OK, so you are giving incentives to businesses to make major investments in their enterprises. Great. But what about making those companies accountable for hiring back all the people they laid off and creating new jobs? What about making it possible for the entrepreneurs and micro-businesses to sustain themselves and keep the jobs they’ve created for themselves…rather than forcing them to shut their doors and go to work for minimum wage for some corporation that is pocketing the vast bulk of the income? That’s right. Where’s the accountability to make sure that the funds go to the workers and unemployed? What about making corporations - and the government  - accountable for creating a viable structure that supports and encourages businesses to do business with local smaller businesses and entrepreneurs rather than creating another level of regulations and paperwork that ties the hands of those who want to provide goods and services that are so desperately needed? What about incentives to use real people to do work like answering phones - rather than using robots and recordings to do the work of real people? What about bringing back the jobs outsourced to other countries and giving American jobs to American workers?

What about making the federal programs designed to help get people employed? How about speeding up their processes…making them accountable for delivering solutions to the people they serve rather than just accumulating names in databases that give the impression they’re doing something constructive when, in fact, the people in the databases sit idly by waiting for some hope that their number will come up soon.

Mr. President, incentives are great but they only put a bandage on a truly ugly wound. The American people at this point have nothing to look forward to. Too many have no jobs and too many are broken hearted about the oppressive debt this country is heaping on our young people. At the rate we’re going, they’re going to have debts so massive that they will never be able to dig out of the financial hole this country is digging for them. How many generations will it take to pay off the costs of this incentive, the costs of the wars you insist on keeping up, the costs incurred by laxity in terms of stewardship to our natural resources and the ecology?

We’re well aware that the powers that be who make more in one day than most of us are earning in a month. But, really, if there’s to be some relief and if we even hope to turn this country around, you’ve got to get past the corporate bottom line and realize that if the people are financially destitute, there will be no economy or bottom line to worry about. We can not spend what we don’t have. More than that,  there’s a whole lot more that needs to be done… We can not go out and "buy" and "spend" when we can’t afford bare necessities for ourselves and our families.

Let’s put it in perspective.  My father, an uneducated man who never finished 8th grade, was able to raise a family of 10. We weren’t wealthy but we had everything we needed. Today, people can hardly support one child. In fact, check out the homeless shelters and see just how many able bodied single people with no dependents you find.

Where have you been, Mr. President?  Now, you are proposing an "immediate" relief package?  I don’t lay the blame only on your head. You’re surrounded by people who stand to gain from the condition we find ourselves in. But the only people that you all have been fooling are yourselves.

We average Americans have known for at least 5-6 years that this country was on the verge of financial disaster.  We could see on the streets that we weren’t being told the truth. It will be generations before the American  people will be able to hold their heads high once again. It will take nothing short of a miracle — not a quick fix — to set things right.

Frankly, I can’t wait until your term is over. Whoever follows in your footsteps will have more than his fair share of work just trying to un-do the messes you’ve created. We can be very thankful indeed that you can’t have another term in office and can only hope that the next president sets the well-being of the American people as priority.

Respectfully,

©2008 creativeoptions.com. All Rights Reserved.

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Yup, the media and the government are finally figuring out - and admitting - that things aren’t quite as rosy as they’ve been telling us for the last couple years.  Well, duh! Any one of the countless seniors trying to get by on a fixed incomes could have told us that a long time ago. We’ve been there before. And, thank goodness, we have the skills to muddle through whie the pols figure out how to fix the messes they’ve made.

I’m hearing rumblings from businesses, that, finally, the sleeping giants are beginning to awaken. They’re beginning to get pretty concerned about what they’re going to do with all those desks the boomers will be leaving behind now that they’re going on SSI. They are looking around and wondering where all the talent has gone. They are starting to think that maybe there’s value in hiring older, more experienced workers. Even the Peace Corps plans to increase the numbers of senior volunteers for their programs. 

Seniors bring a unique balance to the workforce. But the transition back to productive employment for seniors is still not going to be as smooth as we’d hope.

We need to prove that we are able, and willing, to contribute to creating a better business climate. We need to prove that we’re teachable. We’ll may even have to work for minimum wage to prove our worth. There’s a lot of false perceptions out there about what it means to be a senior. But, heck, we can do that if we have to, right?

We need to be techno-savvy. That’s easy. Many of us are leading the way on the internet. Many of us do have computer skills that will match those of many younger workers. Check out  The Ageless Project for starters. Those of us who don’t yet have the skills are taking advantage of all the opportunities to learn both online and off. 

We need to prove that we are capable of using our considerable problem solving and life skills to contribute to the "bottom line’ without damaging the tender sensibilities of our younger supervisors.

We can do it.

Right now, it’s up to those of us 60s, 70s, 80s who’ve "been there/done that" to be the pioneers. We can’t wait for the babyboomers to do their thing.

Sure, times are tough…and it looks like they’re going to get a lot tougher. That’s ok. We know what it takes. All we need to do is believe that working together, we are a power to be reconned with.  So, let’s get going….lLet’s show the world we’re proud of our generation.

©2008 creativeoptions.com. All Rights Reserved.

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