I have joined a group that is doing simple things each day for the month of September. These daily goals will take 5-20 min. Feel free to join along with me if you want. I'm excited for this challenge and to see what else I can learn in being prepared(there is still plenty for me to learn).
The first goal is to create three lists. Once completed you will want to keep these where you can add to them and cross off as you complete things on the list.
List 1: To Do
This is things you can do to help reach your preparedness goals. What do you want to get done to be better prepared?
* Organizing Documents
* Take down an Inventory of the food you have.
List 2: To Learn
Things you want to learn. Include both skills and knowledge that would help you and your family.
* Cook with food storage
* Use a sun Oven
List 3: To Buy
What items do you want/need to buy in order to feel that your family is well prepared?
* Food Storage
* Wheat Grinder
* Water Barrel
*Siphon for your water barrel
My Preparedness Page
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Sunday, April 14, 2013
GARLAND 4th WARD PREPARE NOW NEWSLETTER
Issue 5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“With revelation and prophecy
as our guide, I think….we have hardly enough time to prepare! We teach
self-reliance as a principle of life, that we ought to provide for ourselves,
and take care of our own needs. And so we encourage our people to plan ahead,
keep food on hand, and to establish a savings account, if possible, against a
rainy day.”
President Gordon B.
Hinckely: Ensign, November 1996, pg 50
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seven Major Mistakes in Food
Storage
By Vicki Tate There are seven serious problems that may occur trying
to live on the basics: 1. Variety - Most people don't have enough
variety in their storage. 95% of people have only stored the four: wheat, milk,
honey, and salt. Statistics show most of us won't survive on such a diet for
several reasons. a. Many people are allergic to wheat and may not be
aware of it until they are eating it meal after meal. b. Wheat is too
harsh for young children. They can tolerate it in small amounts but not as a
main staple. c. We get tired of eating the same foods over & over
& we prefer to not eat, than to sample that particular food again. This is
appetite fatigue. Store less wheat than is suggested & put the difference
into a variety of other grains, like ones your family likes to eat. Store a
variety of beans. This adds color, texture & flavor. Variety is key to a
successful storage program. Store flavorings such as tomato, bouillon, cheese,
& onion. Include a supply of spices you like to cook with. These flavorings
& spices allow you to do many creative things with your grains and beans.
Without them you are severely limited.
2. Extended Staples - Few people get beyond storing the four basic items
but it's extremely important that you do so. Never put "all your eggs in
one basket." Store dehydrated and/or freeze dried foods as well as home
canned & "store bought" canned goods. Be sure to add cooking oil,
shortening, baking powder, soda, yeast & powdered eggs. You can't cook even
the most basic recipes w/out these. Items that should be included in a well-balanced
storage program are included in the "The New Cookin With Home
Storage" cookbook.
3. Vitamins - Vitamins are important, especially if you have
children, since children don’t store body reserves of nutrients as adults do. A
good quality multi-vitamin & vitamin C most vital. Others might be added as
your budget permits. 4. Quick and Easy and "Psychological Foods"
- Quick & easy foods help you through times when you are physically/
psychologically unable to prepare your basic storage items. "No cook"
foods such as freeze-dried are wonderful since they require little preparation.
MRE's (Meal Ready to Eat), like many preparedness outlets carry, canned goods,
etc. are also very good. "Psychological Foods" are the 'goodies' like
Jello, pudding, candy, etc. you should add to your storage. These may sound
frivolous, but through the years many people who have lived entirely on their
storage for extended periods of time say these were the most helpful items in
their storage to "normalize" their situations and make it more bearable.
|
several items, rather than
large quantities of one item. You’ll fare much
better having one month supply
of a variety of items than a year's supply
of two or three items.
6. Containers: Always store bulk foods in food storage containers.
Tons
and tons of food has been
thrown away because they were left in sacks,
where they are highly
susceptible to moisture, insects, and rodents. If you
are using plastic buckets make
sure they are lined with a food grade plastic
liner available from companies that carry packaging
supplies. Never use
trash can liners. These are
treated w/pesticides. Don't stack too high. In an
earthquake they may topple,
lids pop open, or crack. A better container is
the #10 tin.
7. Use Your Storage - One of the biggest problems is people storing
food & not knowing what to
do w/it. It's vital that you & your family
become familiar with the things
you are storing. You need to know how
to prepare these foods. You
don’t want to have to learn this under stress.
Your family needs to be used to
eating these foods. A stressful period is
not a good time to totally
change your diet. Get a good food storage
cookbook and learn to use these
foods! It's easy to solve the food storage
problems
once you know what they are.
GARLAND
4th PREPARE NOW NEWSLETTER
Issue 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The blessings of temporal self-reliance become especially
obvious in times of crises such as natural disasters, unemployment, or
financial turmoil. But spiritual
self-reliance is equally crucial in such times.
The more self-reliant we are – both spiritually and temporally – the
greater our ability to be an agent for good.
Living the principles of Self Reliance, Ensign, March 2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ten Principles of Preparedness
By
Kellene Bishop, The Preparedness Pro; http://preparednesspro.com/ten-principles-of-preparedness-2/
Italics indicate what church
leaders have touched on.
Church members are responsible for
their own spiritual and temporal well-being.
Blessed with the gift of agency, they have the privilege of setting
their own course, solving their own problems, and striving to become
self-reliant. Self-reliance is the
ability, commitment, and effort to provide the necessities of life for self
and family. As members become
self-reliant, they are also better able to serve and care for others. There are ten vital
areas of preparedness to being prepared for an emergency whether it be a
natural disaster, act of war, financial collapse, or just everyday situations
in which you might need items from your preparedness pantry.
#1: Spiritual:
This has everything to do with your
belief system. It’s where you draw on peace even in the midst of chaos.
It’s also where you draw on knowledge and understanding of that which is
to come. Your spiritual preparedness needs to be fed on a regular
basis. If your spiritual preparedness is lacking, not
much else you focus on will be of benefit to you. Spirituality is essential to a person’s temporal and eternal
well-being. Church members should exercise faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus
Christ, obey God’s commandments, pray daily, study the scriptures and teachings
of the latter-day prophets, attend Church meetings, and serve in Church
callings and assignments.
#2: Mental: This
deals with your knowledge level, skills, & mental rehearsals for chaotic
scenarios and life. This area
requires constant nourishment, education, and deliberate thought.
The mental preparation is what prepares you in spite of the crazy looks and
comments you get from friends and loved ones.
Expose yourself to as much learning experiences as you are able.
It will serve you well in a time of crisis as well as long-term survival. Education provides understanding and
skills that can help people develop self-reliance. Church members should study
the scriptures and other good books. They should improve in their ability to
read, write, and do basic mathematics. They should obtain as much education as
they can, including formal or technical schooling where possible. This will
help them develop their talents, find suitable employment, and make a valuable
contribution to their families, the Church, and the community. Education can enrich, ennoble, and provide understanding
that leads to a happier life.
#3: Physical: Physical preparedness
has to do with your physical strength and ability to maximize your physical
strength, such as the use of wagons/wheel barrels, your ability to protect
yourself & your family, as well as planning for any travel needs.
Keep in mind that your physical strength will be your primary asset when it
comes to travel. Strengthen your physical preparedness by adjusting your
diet now to avoid foods that impede your performance or you won’t have access
to later. Exercise is critical for your physical preparedness as
well. You will inevitably be called upon to be more physical in your
survival efforts in an emergency. Perhaps you will need to trek 30 miles,
do some heavy lifting to create a suitable shelter, or function w/out air
conditioning/heat like you’re accustomed to. Take precautions now so that
you are better physically prepared later.
The Lord has commanded members to
take care of their minds and bodies. They should obey the Word of Wisdom, eat
nutritious food, exercise regularly, control their weight, and get adequate
sleep. They should shun substances or practices that abuse their bodies or
minds and that could lead to addiction. They should practice good sanitation
and hygiene and obtain adequate medical and dental care. They should also
strive to cultivate good relationships with family members and others.
#4: Medical: This includes having
what you need for first-aid, existing medical needs, as well as sanitation.
First-aid needs include bandages, a field surgical kit, pain relievers, herbs/essential
oils, as well as the knowledge to use such items. Your existing medical
needs will be a challenge since most individuals can’t get a year’s supply of
prescription medicines. Study up on alternative options available, such
as herbal nutrition, essential oils, homeopathic care, etc. If you can,
set a goal to eliminate most, if not all of your prescription drugs. As far as sanitation is concerned, you have
to be sure you’ve thought this one through. Digging
a hole out in your back yard will not do. You’ve
got to have the chemicals on hand to break down the waste, and holes have to be
dug deep. Plan on using some type of a disposal breakdown chemical
regularly. Disposing of waste, keeping it covered, and minimizing its
location and effect on everything else around you will be critical in a time of
emergency. Understand that this aspect of preparation will not be simple.
#5: Clothing/Shelter: Many folks really
overlook this area. While being able to survive in your own home is
ideal, it’s not necessarily possible for a myriad of different reasons.
Be sure that you’ve got SPARE clothing available for everyone & have it
readily accessible. Sturdy shoes will be
critical—especially if you have to walk long distances to get to safety.
Be mindful of your clothing & your shelter accommodating either warm or
cold weather. Even if you are able to survive in your home, be sure you
have tools on hand to reinforce it, such as hammers, nails, sheeting, duct
tape, and even some plywood. Be sure that you don’t have to rely on
electricity & batteries for the use of your tools as well in the event of a
solar flare or an EMP attack.
#6: Fuel: Your fuel should be
usable on as many tools as possible, & every responsible member of the
family should be familiar with its use. It’s critical that you know how
much fuel you need for your family. It’s also critical you know that the
lights you’re relying on can actually put out enough light.
#7: Water: A two week supply of
water is short-term. As overwhelming as it may sound, you need one gallon
of water/person/day. That’s 365 gallons per person. Yes, that’s
a lot of barrels. That’s just the MINIMUM. You’ll be using water
for drinking, cooking, cleaning, sanitation, and bathing. There are
different ways to conserve water, but you’ll want to employ those even if you
do have the 365 gallons per person. Water is the only thing that will
keep your organs functioning properly. You need water just as much in the
cold as you do in the heat. You use more energy to benefit from flavored
water than you do just straight water. You don’t need to treat your water
before storing it if using tap water. Treat it afterwards if necessary (8
drops of Clorox for 1 gallon of water).
|
#9: Financial: Financial preparation
isn’t just about having debt. Most of us will
have
a mortgage if nothing else. It’s critical that you have goods with which to trade
such
as wheat, sugar, and other stores that will be in high demand. If you don’t
already
have what you need, you will NOT be able to buy it amidst a mob of crazy
people
who are unprepared. To become financially self-reliant, members should pay
tithes and offerings, avoid unnecessary debt,
use a budget, and live within a plan.
They should gradually build a
financial reserve by regularly saving a portion of their
income. (See All Is Safely Gathered In: Family
Finances, 3.)
#10: Communication: In
order to be prepared for communication in an emergency,
you
should have a very specific plan of communication with your family and friends.
You
should have a specific point of gathering agreed upon for everyone to meet in
the
event of a disaster. Additionally, plan on other forms of communication
such as
a
HAM radio, accompanied by the license and skill to operate. Also plan on
old
fashioned
message delivery. Being able to coordinate with the outside world will
become
important during and after your initial crisis reaction. Look for opportunities
to
learn & strengthen your spiritual & mental preparedness first &
foremost. Everything else will appropriately follow.
#11
Employment
Work is the foundation upon which
self-reliance and temporal well-being rest.
Members should prepare for and carefully select a suitable occupation
or self-employment that will provide for their own and their families’
needs. They should become skilled at
their jobs, be diligent and trustworthy, and give honest work for the pay and
benefits they receive.
If you wish to receive this newsletter electronically or
have topics you want to see discussed, please send a note to
g4preparedness@gmail.com
GARLAND
4th PREPARE NOW NEWSLETTER
Issue 3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Be prepared, self-reliant, and independent. Times of plenty
are times to live providently and lay up in store. Times of scarcity are times
to live frugally and draw on
those stores. -- Bishop
Keith B. McMullin, (Ensign, Nov. 2002, p 96)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meal Planning
By Kimberley
Eggleston, About.com Guide
One downfall for many is simply that when it comes to
dinnertime, there is no plan for what to cook! The first step to avoiding this meal-time catastrophe is to take a
little time to do some meal planning at the beginning of the week so that you
are well-stocked and prepared for the dinnertime crunch.
1. Plan the Basics
As you plan a menu for the week, ask
three questions.
1.
What are the preferences of your family or guests? Try new flavors to broaden your
enjoyment of foods. However, as you are planning, you may want to take into
consideration any special needs of your family and guests. For example, will
you be serving somebody who practices vegetarianism? This will definitely alter
your meal choice.
2.
What will I have time for? Do plan in advance for busy nights. A
quick meal will be in order for a busy night.
3.
What is in the refrigerator that needs to be used? Perhaps you have a cut of fish waiting
to be used in the refrigerator. To avoid wasting it, you might want to plan a
meal that uses ingredients before they spoil.
Items to consider for February Purchases
*Extra grains, beans & rice to add to
your long term supply
*Bottled water and/or 1 or 5 gallon water
containers
*Set aside at least $5 cash every payday
in your house NOT the bank.
*Keep your vehicle gas tank ½ full &
fill up a 5 gallon gas can to store (add a product to prolong shelf life).
*When shopping for groceries buy extra
items to help build your EXTREMELY IMPORTANT 3 MONTH SUPPLY OF EVERY DAY
ITEMS.
*Big Item: Hygiene products
*72 Hr kit: Hygiene products: hand
towels, soap, shampoo, dental items, etc.
*Plus whatever else you feel inspired to
do for your family’s needs.
*Have you been to the temple this month?
2. Keep Meals
Balanced
Items to consider for February Purchases
*Extra grains, beans & rice to add to
your long term supply
*Bottled water and/or 1 or 5 gallon water
containers
*Set aside at least $5 cash every payday
in your house NOT the bank.
*Keep your vehicle gas tank ½ full &
fill up a 5 gallon gas can to store (add a product to prolong shelf life).
*When shopping for groceries buy extra
items to help build your EXTREMELY IMPORTANT 3 MONTH SUPPLY OF EVERY DAY
ITEMS.
*Big Item: Hygiene products
*72 Hr kit: Hygiene products: hand
towels, soap, shampoo, dental items, etc.
*Plus whatever else you feel inspired to
do for your family’s needs.
*Have you been to the temple this month?
|
Especially with low calorie cooking, you will want to make sure
your
meals are balanced. While many of us think that the main dish of
the
meal must consist of some type of meat or fish, today's balanced
meal
actually includes a much larger proportion of whole grains,
vegetables,
and fruits with a small
serving of meat "on the side" or mingled in with
the dish. A small serving
of meat means 2-3 ounces, or a portion about
the size of a deck of cards. By making the remainder of the meal
full of
grains and especially fruits and vegetables, you will
automatically boost
the nutritional content of your meal while keeping the calories
low. One
way to accomplish this may be to include a side dish of
vegetables and
fruits as well as a small salad.
3. Scour the Pantry for Ingredients You
Have on Hand
Your next step in planning will be to make your shopping list.
But, before
you make a comprehensive list of all the ingredients you will
need for the
week's meal choices, check to see what you might already have on
hand.
You may have ingredients that you have forgotten about, and you
don't
want to find yourself buying extra items that you may already
have stashed behind the peanut butter.
4. Make Your List and Shop the Ads
Once you have decided which ingredients
you will need to purchase at the grocery store, you are finally ready to make
your shopping list. While you are preparing your list, you may want to shop the
week's ads to find out where the best deals are on the items you need. There
may be great money-saving possibilities by finding deals and even clipping a
coupon or two along the way. And now you are ready to go to the grocery store,
and be prepared for a week's worth of healthy meals.
If you
wish to receive this newsletter electronically or have topics you want to see
discussed, please send a note to g4preparedness@gmail.com
GARLAND
4th PREPARE NOW NEWSLETTER
Issue 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We live in a most exciting and challenging
period in human history. As technology sweeps through every facet of our lives,
changes are occurring so rapidly that it can be difficult for us to keep our
lives in balance. To maintain some semblance of stability in our lives, it is
essential that we plan for our future. I believe it is time, and perhaps with some
urgency, to review the counsel we have received in dealing with our personal
and family preparedness. We want to be found with oil in our lamps sufficient
to endure to the end. - L. Tom Perry
(Ensign, Nov 1995, p 35)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10
Things I Wish I Had Known About Food Storage 10 Years Ago
By Kellene Bishop; Copyright
2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.
1. Yeast will last indefinitely if stored in your
freezer! Outside the freezer it only lasts a year, Inside the freezer
it lasts over 5 yrs.
3. Cooking with
a pressure cooker is a sanity saver. They are fast, nutritious, fuel
friendly and SO easy to use!
4.
Yes,
you can CAN MEATS! Simply stuff the RAW meat into a mason jar with a
bit of salt, put the clean lids on it, put the jars in your pressure canner for
the recommended period of time, and VOILA!
5. Cheese wax is a God-send! The cheese will keep for 25 years
using this method.
6.
Preserving eggs that I buy from the store is a snap!
Use a quarter cup of warmed mineral oil and coat the eggs that you buy from the
store. Store them pointed side down in a Styrofoam carton, in a cool/dry
place. You have REAL eggs for up to 9 months.
7.
I
never have to live without yummy chocolate again! I can buy all of
the candy bars/Hershey kisses/chocolate chips, stuff in a Mason jar, and w/a Food
Saver jar attachment, seal them for YEARS! This works for ANYTHING that
doesn’t require refrigeration.
8.
ONLY store
what you eat. If you don’t eat it, you won’t eat it, and
thus it’s a waste of money.
9.
You
can have meals already made, cooked, and stored in a Mason jar!
|
You
can bake bread, cake, cookies, casseroles, pudding, and more, in a Mason
jar, seal it, and they will last for SEVERAL
years! Do it in comfort now, so
you
can live in comfort even in the worst of disasters!
10. Solar ovens are the bomb–not just in
an emergency, but every single
day
the sun shines! I’ve essentially tripled the life of the fuel that I have
stored,
since
I won’t need to use any of it on cooking anymore except on cloudy or rainy
days.
Canning
Information:
Mylar Bag sealer
Sandy Guest (Garland 4th Ward)
Can Sealer – East Side of the Stake
Alicia
Wilson (Sachse Ward)
972-414-1375;
tomaliwilson@yahoo.com (Best contacted through email!)
Can Sealer – West side of the Stake
Alison
Thorsen (Dallas 4th Ward)
972-490-6542;
rsathorsen@sbcglobal.net
Carrollton Texas Home Storage Center:
Carrollton,
Texas; Office: 972-242-8595; Fax: 972-245-9095
Debra Bartlett,
Manager972-625-170; debra4720@hotmail.com
DRY-PACK CANNING:
Wednesdays: 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. [No appointment
required]
WARD DRY-PACK CANNING SESSIONS: by apt only. Thur. or Fri. 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. or
Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
If you wish to receive this newsletter electronically or
have topics you want to see discussed, please send a note to
g4preparedness@gmail.com
GARLAND
4th PREPARE NOW NEWSLETTER
Issue 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Our Heavenly Father created
this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His
purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has
lovingly commanded us to “prepare every needful thing” (see D&C 109:8) so
that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors and
support bishops as they care for others. We
encourage Church members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a
basic supply of food and water and some money in savings. We ask that you be
wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent,
for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With
careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a
financial reserve. We realize that some of you may not have
financial resources or space for such storage. Some of you may be prohibited by
law from storing large amounts of food. We encourage you to store as much as
circumstances allow. May the Lord bless
you in your home storage effort.
The First Presidency
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disaster
preparedness is actually simple and subtle.
True emergency readiness is all about the confidence you gain from being
more self-reliant. It’s not about fear,
it’s not about expensive equipment, and it’s not about changing your
lifestyle. It’s about learning to
recognize the solutions and assets that surround us on a daily basis. (Author unknown)
We must be prepared for any kind of disaster that may come
our way. Preparing for these disasters
includes researching those that are most likely to occur near our home. However, being prepared for an emergency does
not just mean securing our home against natural disasters. Our spiritual and physical health should also
be prepared for emergencies that may come, i.e. tornados, floods, ice storms,
etc.
How to Prepare a Family Identity Binder.
*Purchase a 1/2”-1” view binder.
*Copy enough Personal Identify Forms for each family
member and fill out a form for each family member.
*Take each family member’s fingerprints.
*Gather photos (close up & whole body) of each family
member, put in sheet protectors, & put in binder.
*Gather Family identity Binder Documents such as those on
the following list. Copy and/or scan each document. Keep hard copies in the
family identity binder and/or put scanned files on a thumb drive/c.d. Store in
a safe place such as the 72-hr kit, and/or with an out of area trusted family
member/friend. Update information annually, or as necessary.
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_______ Marriage Certificate(s)/Divorce Papers
_______ Adoption Papers
_______ Social Security Card
_______ Driver’s Licenses
_______ Passports
_______ Temple Recommends
_______ Patriarchal Blessing
_______ Immunization/Health Documentation
_______ Health Insurance Card
_______ Fingerprints
_______ Detailed Personal Descriptions & pictures
_______ Homeowner’s/Life/Car Insurance Policies
_______ Contracts
_______ Wills
_______ $100 cash, in small bills
_______ Emergency contact info
_______ Proof of Last Address
_______ Checks/Bank Account #s
_______ Inventory of Valuable Household goods (insurance
purposes)
_______ List of all credit card numbers and contact info
(800 numbers) for each
This list is a combination of a few lists.
You may find printouts at: http://houseoforder.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/04Family-Identity-Binder-formsfinal.pdf
If you wish to receive this newsletter electronically or
have topics you want to see discussed, please send a note to
g4preparedness@gmail.com
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