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Forget consumer goods. In Sprigg's world, gays would be chief U.S. export
2008-03-21 00:00:00 We've written about the Family Research Council's Peter Sprigg on more than one occasion. Recently, we addressed the shortsighted portrait of marriage that he painted for the Maryland legislature. Last month we talked about the way he was passing the...
By: Good As You
QAD Named ?Top ERP Provider For Customer Experience? In Consumer Goods Tech
2008-02-12 07:55:00 QAD, Inc a leading provider of enterprise software and services for global manufacturers, today announced that Consumer Goods Technology magazine has selected QAD as the top provider for customer experience in the Enterprise Resource Planning section of the magazine?s annual Readers' Choice Awards, published in the January 2008 issue. The annual Readers' Choice Awards honor winners across twelve different categories focused on service and solutions for consumer goods companies.Consumer products manufacturers worldwide rely on QAD as a trusted partner to analyze, plan and manage every aspect of their enterprise at every stage in the manufacturing process. QAD develops and delivers enterprise solutions designed to solve the immediate challenges consumer products manufacturers face today while laying the groundwork for future success and lasting bottom-line results.?We are pleased to be included in this year?s Readers' Choice Awards,? said Phil Friedman, vice president, consumer pro...
Compensation & Benefit Assistant Manager
2008-02-08 19:14:00 Currently we are looking for qualified candidates for our Client, a consumer goods, located in Jakarta ; for the position of COMPENSATION & BENEFIT ASSISTANT MANAGER Requirements : - Male / Female, max 35 years old - Bachelor degree in Accounting/Statistics/Mathemati-cs/ Management with min. GPA 2,75 - Min. 4 (four) years experience in Compensation & Benefit system and procedure - Good ...
Crocs - New Majority Shareholder
2007-12-21 21:15:00 Zach of ZachStocks.com has a bright outlook on Crocs due to their Global Expansion, New Product Line, and new contracts. International sales outpaced domestic sales to the tune of 51%. Specifically, strength was seen in Europe and Japan as the release cited $58.1m in sales from Europe and 53.9m from Asia (of which Japan is the majority). Brazil and China are expected to be the upcoming highlights as expansion into these countries has just begun. With all the expansion overseas, Crocs is benefiting from the relative weakness in the dolla
Gift Ideas for Stock Market Junkies
2007-12-20 20:09:00 If you're really into the stock market or know someone who is, then you know how hard it is to find good stock market gifts during the holidays. So hopefully I can give you some ideas with some products I really enjoy myself.
Limited Brands Looks Good
2007-12-07 02:38:00 Limited might be looking pretty good, at least that is what CNBC's Fast Money, Karen Finerman thinks. She chose Limited Brands, Inc. (LTD) as her final trade. Kevin Stecyk of SpeciousArgument.com has also been bullish on the stock after reading an article in Barron's that pointed out that Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Wexner was the biggest purchaser, buying 280,000 shares for $5.1 million, or an average of $18.31 a share between Friday and Tuesday. Wexner now owns 51,642,179 shares, or 14.3% of Limited stock outstanding, hi
VeriFone to Restate Past Results
2007-12-05 16:55:00 VeriFone, maker of credit card readers and point-of-sale systems used by retailers, took a huge hit today (down 45%), and rightfully so, as they said they will have to restate results for its fiscal first, second and third quarters, due to errors in accounting related to in-transit inventory. And these weren't little errors, we are talking about reducing the pretax income by $8.9 million in the first quarter, $7 million in the second quarter and $13.8 million in the third quarter. The only thing bright for this company is if they don't
Cyber Monday Online Sales Jump 21 Pct
2007-12-04 16:31:00 Well, the analysts were right and wrong (see my post earlier this week) about Cyber Monday, the first big sales surge after Thanksgiving for etailers. ComScore Inc. reported on Tuesday that consumers spent $733 million online on Monday, a 21% gain from the same day a year ago. ComScore also reported that the number of online buyers rose 38% from a year ago. And finally, comScore said that more than $10.7 billion has been spent online from Nov. 1 through Nov. 26, marking a 17% gain from the corresponding days last year. But, where were
Lululemon Tanks Despite Forecast
2007-12-03 18:48:00 What a crazy day today for Lululemon Athletica. The stock has dropped more than 11% today. Why? This comes after they just raised guidance and announced that their third-quarter profit more than tripled. They reported a third-quarter profit of $7.6 million, compared with $1.7 million in the prior-year quarter!!! Analysts even upgraded the stock and their price targets. RBC Capital Markets analyst Howard Tubin raised his 2007 earnings estimate to 44 cents per share from 40 cents per share, and his price target to $47 from $41. "We conti
Staples Barely Beats Estimates
2007-12-03 16:57:00 It is astounding, Staples' third-quarter profit declined 5.3% on a litigation charge and a weak retail environment in North America and the company still anticipates flat to slightly negative same-store sales in North American retail, yet the stock soared 11%, to $22. Why? Because they beat analysts estimates by $0.02.Excluding a $24 million charge from the settlement of a class-action lawsuit, earnings per share rose 17% to 42 cents. Analysts, on average, expected earnings of 40 cents a share on this basis, according to Thomson Financial.
A Few Ways to Invest in Pepsi
2007-12-02 22:48:00 I just found an interesting article over on StockerBlog.com. He wrote an article earlier about seven different Coca Cola stocks and has followed up with 3 different Pepsi Cola stocks, all of which pay a dividend. There is Pepsico, Inc. (PEP), Pepsi Bottling Group Inc. (PBG), and PepsiAmericas Inc. (PAS). They have a dividend yield of 2%, 1.4%, and 1.6%, respectively.
Cyber Monday proves to be weakest since 2002
2007-11-27 17:01:00 With the online holiday shopping season officially kicking off Monday, online retailers will have to work harder this year for their share of the holiday gift list. This holiday season is expected to be the weakest since 2002, due to the number of new online customers leveling off, more Web retailers have been pushing special offers and promotions to draw consumers. The online holiday shopping season officially kicks off Monday as many of the US shoppers return to work. And it is perfect timing as the number of retailers hosting online d
How to buy TV (consumer goods) in India?
2007-11-26 16:59:00 In this series, today, we will see buying a TV in India. India is very very different in the consumer market. You will find it cheaper on store, than in web, which will be reverse in many countries. Still LCD & Plasma TVs are a luxury items for a common man in India. Where CRT TV prices are reducing drastically day by day, like wise Flat panels too. When we tell TV, immediately you will get recommendations from your relatives and friends as SONY. There are other players, who can perform better than SONY for the same price. We will see how to choose between them and what are the key parameters to be looked up on in buying a TV. 1.) First of all, you should decide up on what will be your source material - either it will be your cable TV or DTH like tata sky / Dish TV / DD DTH. This is very important because, these DTH platforms call in for a SET-TOP Box modules, which will make the TV Tuners useless / redundant one. There you can save some money. I have seen sale...
Dress Barn cuts 2008 Outlook, Shares Drop
2007-11-24 02:45:00 Dress Barn's first-quarter earnings fell below analysts' expectations due to unseasonably warm weather during September and October, and lowered its fiscal 2008 earnings outlook. The shares fell more than 7.5% after the news was released. For the first quarter, the company sees earnings of 30 cents to 32 cents a share due to comparable store sales decline in the low single digits. Analysts were expecting earnings of 35 cents a share, before items, according to Reuters Estimates. The weaker-than-anticipated comparable store sales and
Kraft Shedding Post Cereals Business
2007-11-24 02:41:00 I am really impressed with Kraft. This is a story more about Private-Label Cereal Maker Ralcorp but what I see is a great job by Kraft's CEO Irene Rosenfeld. She has done what many big conglomerates fail to do, focus on their core competency. Irene Rosenfeld has launched a massive turnaround effort aimed at revitalizing sales of the company's brands and is shedding slow-growing divisions to better focus the portfolio of the world's second-largest food company. Kraft said if the deal is conducted through a spin off, it expects shares
Chrysler looking to return to profitability by 2009
2007-11-24 02:40:00 Chrysler is looking to return to profitability by 2009 and is considering massive branding changes that would further simplify its product portfolio while helping cut as many as 1,000 dealers. A plan now being discussed calls for Chrysler dealers to sell all of the auto maker's passenger cars under the Chrysler name. Dodge dealers would exclusively offer pickup and commercial trucks, while Jeep dealers would sell Jeep and sport-utility vehicles, according to three dealers familiar with the discussions. Such a scenario would allow Chrysl
Teeny-Bopper Retailer, Tween Brands, Takes a Dive
2007-11-24 02:40:00 Shares of Tween Brands plummeted on Monday after the retailer released its third-quarter earnings report. "While our early November sales are encouraging, we believe it is prudent to moderate our earnings expectations for the holiday season based on what appears to be a challenging retail environment, " said Mike Rayden, the company's chief executive. "The competition for customer attention is already resulting in an increased level of promotion, exerting more pressure on operating margins." Tween Brands reduced its forecast fo
ArvinMeritor Narrows Loss
2007-11-21 19:33:00 ArvinMeritor, which makes axles, brakes, emissions systems, and door and roof systems for cars and heavy trucks, managed to narrow its quarterly loss to $62 million, or 86 cents a share, compared with a net loss of $274 million, or $3.89 a share, in the year-earlier period. ArvinMeritor is in the middle of a restructuring plan that affects 13 plants and 2,800 employees in North America and Europe and is expected to cost $325 million through 2012. The company expects to save $150 million in 2009 from the changes. "We are encouraged by ou
Cooper Tire misses forecasts - shares fall
2007-11-15 18:44:00 Cooper Tire fell 21% at one time today as they reported income from continuing operations 2 cents below analysts forecasts. However, things weren't all doom and gloom for the company. Sales in North America rose 10 percent as they raised prices on tires and increased sales volumes of tires for SUVs and other vehicles. Internationally, sales rose 22 percent. Where Cooper had some problems is in the raw materials. Costs have continued to remain at high levels and are trending upward. Raw materials such as natural and synthetic rubber, car
The Best Kept Secret in Retail
2007-11-14 06:26:00 The best kept secret retail stock American Apparel is breaking out to new highs on light volume---nobody eve knows about it because they've become publicly traded through a blank check acquisition.
Blockbuster Missed Low Expectations
2007-11-13 23:11:00 Blockbuster (BBI) managed to do it, under-perform dismal expectations. Revenues of $1.24 billion (down 2% from Q2, down 5.7% y/y) and a $.20 per share loss..
Crocs Could be the next Deckers
2007-11-12 22:09:00 Faisal Laljee of StocksandBlogs.com thinks that Crocs is a hold. If you had it before the meltdown, continue to hold, as it is too late to sell. If you didn't own, maybe wait for the dust to settle. I sure hope he is right. The stock was down 35% after earnings, 2% the following day and another 13% today. Whether the stock needed correction or not, this is over-reaction. Faisal likens Crocs to Deckers (DECK), maker of Ugg brand shoes. "That stock fell out of favor between Dec 2004 and Nov 2005, when it fell from $48 to $17 after a hug
Under Armour Boosts Guidance
2007-11-05 17:04:00 The athletic apparel and footwear company, Under Armour, raised its 2007 revenue outlook. In early morning trading the shares were down as much as 8% as the company said its inventory doubled at the end of the third quarter and it plans to boost marketing spending in 2008 to 12% to 13% of revenue. The shares quickly rose, however, to $60.98 in afternoon trading. Under Armour now expects revenue between $590 million and $600 million, compared with an earlier expectation for between $580 million and $590 million and income from operations be
Amazons Profit and Sales Surge, But Plummets in After Hours
2007-10-31 16:19:00 Despite worries about consumer spending, Amazon.com Inc. reported its quarterly profit more than quadrupled and sales jumped 41%, helped by the release of the final Harry Potter novel. Revenue in the company's core media business -- books, music CDs and DVDs -- climbed 36% to $2.09 billion in the quarter. Sales of the electronics and other merchandise rose 54% to $1.08 billion. However, operating expenses rose 26% to $639 million. This is what caused some concern for the investors as Amazon forecast sales between $5.1 billion and $5.45
The Valuation of Walgreens
2007-10-30 16:37:00 Walgreen Company (WAG) traded around $48 on September 28, 2007 before it missed Q4 earnings estimates reporting 40c versus consensus of 47c. WAG shares fell nearly 17% to $40/share in response to the rare disappointment, and subsequently declined below $38..
Nike to buy Umbro for $582M
2007-10-29 16:07:00 Umbro PLC, a British supplier of soccer apparel and equipment, has agreed to be taken over by Nike Inc., in a £285 million ($582 million) deal. Nike plans to operate Umbro as an independent, U.K.-based subsidiary, like its Converse brand. Umbro designs, sources and markets soccer-related apparel, footwear and equipment sold in more than 90 countries. Nike, based in Beaverton, Oregon, has been expanding aggressively outside the United States. In the first quarter, it reported revenue growing by 22 percent in the Asia-Pacific region an
Search Engine Marketing: Indespensable tool for Consumer goods Businesses
2007-10-23 20:46:00 Internet is now an indispensable for all Businesses globally. If you do not rank in top 10 (or for that matter top 3-4) positions for your product or keyword, in most cases your business will be left behind. No doubt SEO (Search Engine Optimization) companies are cropping up like never before.
Heelys is Ready For a Bounce
2007-10-22 23:39:00 Eric Rulmont is long Heelys stock because of the deep discount it is trading to its high of $40 after the IPO. The stock took such a beating because they ran into some inventory issues which resulted in lowered earnings estimates. He points to the fact that Heelys market cap is currently equal to about one year of sales, and it has no long term debt. And with the current stock price of about $8 per share it is trading for about 6 times earnings. Eric feels that it is poised to really take off after the holiday season. Eric, what he may or
Molson Coors, SABMiller Combine U.S. Ops
2007-10-17 18:15:00 The makers of Coors and Miller Lite plan to combine their U.S. brewing operations in an effort to compete better against industry leader Anheuser-Busch. The joint venture announced Tuesday will be known as MillerCoors and will have responsibility for selling brands including Miller Lite, Miller Genuine Draft, Coors, Coors Light and Molson Canadian in the U.S. SABMiller PLC will have a 58 percent economic interest in the venture and MolsonCoors Brewing Co. will own 42 percent of the new company. They will have equal voting interests, howe
Aeropostale Shares Fall on Downgrade
2007-10-12 00:14:00 This is another example of how investors react to information. Aeropostale was down over 7.50% as they were downgraded to "Average" from "Above Average" by Caris & Co. analyst Scott Birkby. "While we believe third-quarter guidance is not at risk, we believe fourth-quarter consensus earnings per share and full year 2008 consensus earnings per share are too aggressive," he wrote. "Therefore, we believe there is downside risk to shares due to downward revisions to earnings per share estimates." While I am not saying that what the a
Prada Going Public?
2007-10-03 17:32:00 Felix Salmon of Portfolio.com has a different outlook than the market does on Prada's Underperformance. According to Bloomberg, Prada is going public, but at about half of what they were valued at when they were first looking to go public in 2001. "The company's potential value has halved from the time it first mulled an IPO in 2001. Analysts then estimated the company was worth as much as 8 billion euros, before the slump in the luxury industry and world stock markets that followed the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks..." However,
Jamba is Juicing Up Its Expansion
2007-10-03 16:30:00 Jamba Juice was founded in 1990 by Kirk Perron, a cycling enthusiast in San Luis Obispo, Calif., who craved healthy smoothies after a hard day of cycling. They were hard to find on the road, so he started Juice Club, a franchise of juice joints that later became Jamba Juice. Perron left the company a few years ago after turning over management to Paul Clayton, a former president of Burger King North America, in 2000. Services Acquisition Corp. International, a "blank check" company run by former CEO of Blockbuster, Steve Berrard, acqui
Dean Foods downgraded by Bear Stearns
2007-10-01 18:23:00 The high dairy prices have put a damper on man food producing companies. Dean Foods is down almost 8% in the last 5 days. A Bear Stearns analyst on Tuesday cut his rating on the food producing sector, saying some stocks are overpriced while food production costs are rising, and macroeconomic trends are not favorable. Terry Bivens slashed his ratings on shares of Dean Foods Co. and Kellogg Co. to "Peer Perform" from "Outperform." The analyst said still-high costs for regular milk and low prices for organic milk will weigh on 2007 a
GM-UAW reach deal to end strike
2007-09-30 14:53:00 Negotiators from the United Auto Workers union and General Motors reached a tentative agreement on a groundbreaking deal early Wednesday to end a two-day strike by 73,000 workers, according to the union and the company. Terms of the agreement were not immediately available, but the statement from the company said the deal includes the establishment of a union-controlled trust fund that will assume responsibility for future retiree health care costs from GM. Getting agreement for that shift of costs, estimated at more than $50 billion, wa
Whats Flying? Coach and Fortress Investment Group
2007-09-25 06:56:00 TraderMark of FundmyMutualFund.com has made an interesting observation that has occurred since the Fed decided to cut rates. The real winners in this rate cut are the Upper Middle Class. These potentially distressed consumers are back on track and now they don't have to worry about interest rates lowering the value of their home and they can start spending money again. So who has benefited from this? Coach (COH) was up over 3% since Fed lowered rates. And the quasi hedge fund/private equity firm Fortress Investment Group (FIG) is up
CarMax Hits the Skids as Auto Buyers Dry Up
2007-09-24 19:30:00 Investors kicked CarMax's tires until they fell off Wednesday after the used-car seller put the brakes on its full-year profit forecast. Shares skidded to close down 15%. The Richmond, Va.-based retailer, which runs 82 automobile dealerships, warned that slower-than-expected sales and weakening macroeconomic conditions would produce fiscal 2008 earnings of 92 cents to 98 cents a share, down from earlier guidance of $1.03 to $1.14 a share. Analysts had projected earnings of $1.06 a share for the 12 months ending in February, according to Th
Focusing My LENS on Concord Camera
2007-09-24 19:29:00 It looks like Concord Camera might be a classical Graham net/net stock. LENS is trading below 2/3 of its net asset value.
Sure-Footed Crocs is on a Roll
2007-09-21 20:46:00 Alex Markels gives a great little history on Crocs and how they came to be. The shoe had been created by a small Canadian plastics company for use in day spas, but "But Scotty thought they'd make great boat shoes." Scott Seamans initially pushed the spongy clogs on his friends George Boedecker and Lyndon Hanson. After a short boating trip, they decided to sell a modified version of the original clogs to boaters and beachgoers and name it Crocs because the shoe's side view resembles a crocodile's snout. Before they knew it, it
GM workers on the job as contract talks resume
2007-09-19 08:54:00 Negotiators for the United Auto Workers union and General Motors Corp were back at the bargaining table on Monday after a 16-hour bargaining session that is raising expectations that the union and the largest U.S. automaker were nearing an agreement. The UAW agreed to extend its contract with GM on an hour-to-hour basis late Friday, just as it was due to expire. The outcome of the contract talks is seen as crucial to efforts by the three Detroit-based automakers -- GM, Ford, and Chrysler -- to recover from combined losses of $15 billion
Lululemon Sets its Sights on 'Blue Oceans'
2007-09-19 08:53:00 While it may sound like a creative name for a new color of stretchy yoga pants, for Lululemon Athletica (LULU), "blue oceans" refers to untapped and uncontested markets. BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY is a strategy that provides a systematic approach to making the competition irrelevant. Investors have an opportunity to invest in such an early-stage "blue ocean" company via Lululemon, says Blackmont Capital analyst Barbara Gray, who considers it an emerging player in the global athletic apparel market. This has led to US$1,400 in sales per
Harley-Davidson Anticipates Lower Profit
2007-09-10 17:03:00 Harley-Davidson lowered earnings expectations for the year due to a "difficult time for the U.S. consumer," Chief Executive Jim Ziemer said Friday, sending shares downward. Unfortunately, the first thing to go in a bad economy are the toys. Harley Davidson isn't known for being the cheap motorcycles, so they will definitely feel a squeeze when consumers are pressured to make decisions on how and where to put their money. Personally, I think this is the right move for the brand. If they were to keep shipping bikes as normal, they woul
Altria to Spin Off International Unit
2007-09-02 20:18:00 Altria announced that it would begin taking steps to spinoff of its Philip Morris International tobacco arm, setting into motion the second phase of a corporate restructuring Altria had been contemplating for several years. On Wednesday, Altria said that the precise timing of the spin-off will be determined at a Jan. 30 board meeting. Since the move has been largely anticipated, however, the transaction could be completed by as soon as early next year. Separating the international and U.S. parts of Philip Morris makes sense because while
Defending Jim Cramer Jones Soda (JSDA) Record
2007-08-28 18:14:00 Aside from spending his weekends drinking cheap scotch and reading transcripts of conference calls on a linoleum floor as he likes to say on Mad Money, Jim Cramer would probably like to spend more time as a gentleman farmer, replacing thoughts of stocks with those of crops while at his Summit, NJ residence. So that's why when I heard Cramer defending himself from the critics of his Jones Soda (JSDA) calls in response to a Mad Mail emailer on August 16, I decided to set the record straight. Jim, get up off that linoleum floor! I propose to sav
Analysis of Altrias Dividends
2007-08-23 22:21:00 I have just stumbled across an amazing site. They have done their research on the companies they feature and have taken a value investor approach. They take a look from a few different angles on each company, at least Averae Joe does. He first takes a look at the Dividend Yield. Their current dividend yield is 4%. This is below the 5 year average low dividend yield of 4.26%. The 5 year average high dividend yield is 6.54%. In fact, the 10 year average high dividend yield is consistent at 6.72%. He damands the 10 year average high dividend
Top 15 Funniest Consumer Goods Lables
2007-08-21 20:29:00 I found this and thought I would share with my community. This is some GREAT Stuff! I fell out of my chair reading some of these because I have read them before on products I ACTUALLY Bought! LOL … Enjoy! — In case you needed further proof that the human race is doomed through stupidity, here are some actual label instructions on consumer goods. 1. On a Sears hairdryer — Do not use while sleeping. - (Damn, and that’s the only time I have to work on my hair). 2. On a bag of Fritos — You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside. (the shoplifter special)? 3. On a bar of Dial soap — “Directions: Use like regular soap.” (and that would be how???….) 4. On some Swanson frozen dinners — “Serving suggestion: Defrost.” (but, it’s “just” a suggestion). 5. On Tesco’s Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom) — “Do not turn upside down.” (well…duh, a bit l...
Top 15 Funniest Consumer Goods Lables
2007-08-21 20:29:00 I found this and thought I would share with my community. This is some GREAT Stuff! I fell out of my chair reading some of these because I have read them before on products I ACTUALLY Bought! LOL … Enjoy! — In case you needed further proof that the human race is doomed through ...
July Auto Sales Hit Nine-Year Low
2007-08-10 20:16:00 U.S. auto sales slowed across the board in July, hitting a Nine-Year low. General Motors suffered a 22% sales drop, Ford a 19% drop and the Chrysler an 8.4% slide. Toyota and Honda also posted 7% declines, though Toyota outsold Ford and Honda outsold Chrysler. The only auto segment to increase sales was Toyota's Lexus, with less than a 1% increase. There is concern that the auto market is losing stability as the housing downturn and the turbulent credit market weigh on the sector.
Buffett Takes a Stake in Kraft
2007-08-07 17:03:00 Kraft Foods, which has been targeted by activist-investors seeking faster change at the food giant, can add another big name to its shareholder list. The Wall Street Journal reports that Berkshire Hathaway, the investment vehicle of guru Warren Buffett, has acquired a stake of less than 5% in the company, citing a person familiar with the purchase. One thing is for certain, if Warren Buffett buys in, it is for the long term.
Tainted Consumer Goods: A Moral Tale [The Corpus Callosum]
2007-08-05 15:48:00 There is an article in the Christian Science Monitor about the history of tainted consumer goods. The author, Jane Whitaker, points out that the USA has a history of problems ever bit as bad as what we are seeing now from China, and makes the point that we should not be so quick to judge. That is a fair point, but there is another equally fair point to be made. America’s history of tainted consumer goods Critics of Chinese products shouldn’t be so quick to judge. By Jan Whitaker from the August 3, 2007 edition Northampton, Mass. - If future historians ask which developing economy was the bigger counterfeiter of consumer products – China or the United States – it won’t be easy to decide. Product adulteration is neither a foreign monopoly nor a new issue. Current scandals might lead people to believe that food and product safety regulations were the natural evolution of business and good government. But it took consumer outrage to bring neede...
Starbucks price hike could relieve margin pressure
2007-08-01 18:00:00 The increase in the cost of milk has forced Starbucks to raise the price per drink by about 9 cents. This is the second time in one year that Starbucks has increased their prices. Will it push customers away to other places such as McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts? |
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