5 Things to Do This New Year to Benefit Your Child in Special Education!

Are you the parent of a child receiving special education services due to autism or a learning disability? Are you looking for a few things that you can do, this new year, to benefit your child’s education? This article is for you! I will be discussing 5 things that you as a parent can do to help your child’s education in this new year!

Item 1: Check all of your child’s past standardized testing, to see if they are on grade level. As an advocate I have helped children that have been several grade levels below their peers, and the parents did not realize this. Catching a child that is having academic difficulty early, and finding out what type of related and special education services they need, will help them keep up with their grade appropriate peers.

Item 2: If you have never looked at your child’s educational record contact your district office (call and make sure that this is where the records are kept), and tell them that you would like to see your child’s school records. IDEA 2004 and FERPA give parents the right to look at their child’s school record, though schools do have up to 45 days for this. FERPA defines a school record as anything that is personally identifiable to a certain child. For example; E mails, letters, testing protocols, discipline records, (could also apply to audio and video recording, but may differ from state to state) etc.

Why is this important? This is important because some very strange items can be kept in a child’s school record, and these items can in the future be used against a child. For example: A medical record that you had not seen, a discipline record etc. FERPA does not necessarily allow for copying the records, but state law may give parents the right to do this, so check with your States Department of Education.

Item 3: If you have not had a chance to observe your child at school in their current placement, tell your child’s teacher that you will be coming in to observe your child. Observe your child and the teacher’s relationship? Is your child in a corner by themselves, or are they sitting with other students? Is there a child that is acting in a disruptive manner, preventing the other children from learning? Also talk to your child’s teacher, about any difficulties your child is having, and any suggestions on how to improve the situation.

Item 4: Get involved with the federal core educational standards movement! Each state has in the past, had their own core educational standards. Some states have had high standards, and some states like my own, have had low standards. For some time, there has been a movement to develop federal core educational standards that apply to all states. Federal Core standards have been developed and can be seen at: http://www.corestandards.org. At the moment these standards are voluntary, but states that adopt the standards can try and get additional funding for their states educational system.

Why are federal core standards important? They are important because they are considered very high standards, and these standards are meant to apply to all children, including children with disabilities. Fight for these standards for your child, to make sure that they are learning grade appropriate tasks, to prepare them for their adult life.

Item 5: Become familiar with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and file a State complaint for violations of this law! The complaint is filed with your States Department of Education and can help enforce the law, though may not always be successful! It has been my contention for many years, that if parents of children receiving special education services, filed more complaints the situation for children would be better than it is now!

By taking the time to work on these 5 things you are showing a commitment to advocate for your child and improve their education. Good luck!

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Online Home Based Business – 4 Ways To Kick-Start Your Success

If you are starting an online home based business or are already involved but finding it hard to get things going, then you are definitely not alone, because it can be tough to get things going if you aren’t sure how or where to start. Because there is very little out there about starting an online home based business, I am going to give you four tips to ensure you get started the right way and get yourself on the fast-track to becoming successful.

Tip #1 – Do something you know very well

There is no faster way to get a lot of information out there about your business than when you know all about it. This is why it is ideal for you to do something you love, so you can create plenty of good stuff in relatively little time and without too many roadblocks.

Tip #2 – Be sure there is money to be made in your line of business

While there is almost always a way to make money in a niche, just be sure that you didn’t pick the one where people aren’t willing to pay you for what you can provide them. If your nice is competitive then you know there are a lot of people buying the products, otherwise it wouldn’t be as popular. On the other hand, if you cannot find products or services in a certain niche, you can probably safely assume that there is little money to be made.

Tip #3 – Stand out amongst your competitors

Take what your competitors are doing and do more. If your competitor is giving away 2 days of free services, give 4, if they are providing the potential customers with a 20 page free ebook, write a 30 page free ebook. It’s the little things you do that will ultimately help you make a name for your business and build long-term success, which is what you should be striving to achieve with your home-based business.

Tip #4 – Focus on the customers first, the money second

While the purpose of starting a business is obviously to make money, you have to realize that your source of income is the customer. Because of this, it makes sense that the main focus should be on the customers and the potential customers. Thus, for anyone who is in the market for your products or services, be sure to treat them with the utmost respect and give them plenty of attention, as these practices are what will ultimately help you build a thriving business.

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Is a Home Based Business Right For You? 6 Pros and Cons to Consider

Given today’s frightening and faltering economy, more and more people are losing their jobs. In addition to this a lot of people are fearful that they might lose their job. Given these uncertain times, more people than ever are reportedly considering firing their boss and becoming their own. This is a very big decision, and one that most people simply cannot afford to take lightly. Especially given that most new businesses fail within their first five years. There seem to be as many obstacles as there are rewards, and it takes a tremendous amount of commitment if one is to make a go of owning their own business.Due to the costs of owning a traditional, brick and mortar business this article will only address some things to consider when looking at home-based business opportunities. With a home-based business, one doesn’t have the conventional start-up costs of purchasing, leasing or renting commercial space; no insurance; no inventory, etc. You can literally walk down the hall from your bedroom to your office and begin being productive.I believe that the essential elements of a truly viable home-based business are these: finding one that fits with your values; has a proven track record; has a top-tier product line with generous compensation; and has a top-rated, all-inclusive system in place that you can follow – hopefully with training, support and a community of other like-minded entrepreneurs with whom you can mastermind and network.Some key considerations include:Pros:· No Commute or Office Politics
· Time and Money Freedom; Autonomy and Independence
· Break Out of the Wage System and Into the Profit System
· Opportunities are Limited Only by You
· You Gain the Tax Advantages of Being an Owner vs. Employee
· Learning and Applying New Skills and Increasing Your Value to OthersCons:· Some Investment Capital or Start-up Costs are required
· There are Real Risks Involved
· The Responsibility Rests With You
· Greater Exposure and Need for Asset Protection
· You Must be Disciplined, Motivated and a Self-starter
· Can Be Isolating Without a CommunityIt is extremely important to do your due diligence when evaluating the various opportunities available to you. Unfortunately, I have heard the stories of several conscientious individuals who got involved with something that either wasn’t legitimate, or didn’t offer any real training or support. For most of us who entered into the home-based business arena as a “newbie,” having a personal mentor or being part of a supportive network was a very important component of our success.There are other, more personal pros and cons you’ll no doubt want to seriously think about when trying to determine whether or not some type of home-based business opportunity might be right for you. Is this the right time? Can we afford to do it? Can we afford not to do it? Hopefully, the list stated above will be helpful to you in your process, and may raise other important questions for you to explore.Owning a home-based business is not for everyone. Yet, for many it is ideal. I have heard people refer to the experience of having their own home-based business in these ways: “Finding this opportunity was an answer to prayer;” “The one thing in my life I’ve done right;” and “Even though it was scary and took longer than I thought it would to make money, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”Is a home-based business right for you? Only you can make that determination for yourself and your family. I do encourage you to consider the possibility. Who knows, it could be the best decision you’ll ever make.

Starting A Top Home Based Business

With current global conditions providing an ever increasing unemployment rate and economic hardship, there are millions of people today attempting to find alternative and successful methods of earning a living. From this pool of people, there are countless numbers that are turning to home based business ventures in order to earn a profit and keep their lives moving. As such, one requires a sound understanding of starting a top home based business in order to remain a viable and profitable member of the work force.When making the decision to start a home based business, one should take stock of skills and knowledge already acquired and see if they are able to be put to use. The internet provides an incredible array of opportunities for countless skill sets. Selecting the best one while still performing the work that one actually wants to do remains a key element in this mix of decision making.In the internet world of today, one of the most lucrative and fastest growing methods of home based business is internet marketing. This requires very minimal previous experience and more companies today are looking for solid marketing skills by using the internet to help in keeping their businesses going. Launching an internet marketing company is one of the fastest methods of earning a great living.With any business starting or venture, one should develop and follow a sound business plan. With internet marketing, the sky is limit in regard to profit yet one must truly follow very basic business principles and plans in order to get and stay successful. Within this plan, there should be built in and reachable short and long term goals to ensure the business is staying on track.It is often considered wise to join an established and successful internet marketing firm prior to starting on individually. This provides an incredible amount of industry knowledge and practice which proves vital for the success of any entrepreneur. This also could lead to some very valuable business contacts in the future.The use of current professional consulting is also crucial at some point. At any given point of any business, there will be obstacles that must be dealt with in order to remain successful that require the help of a professional. One must know when to seek outside help.Finally, once all the above steps mentioned are complete, one must work toward a solid and sustainable reputation and credibility. Any top home based business relies on this for remaining in business. Retaining customers and gaining new ones are vital to any growth which is what credibility and reputation often provides.

Home Based Business Success – Back to Basics

It would appear that one of the most prevalent problems that still exist in building a home based business, is achieving long term success. Oh sure, people get started in business opportunity and have some limited success for a few short months. However, what about 6, 12 or 36 months into the future? How will your business look at that time? Will you still even be with the same company? So why is it that there is a 95 percent failure rate in this home based business industry? There are five suggestions that I believe are important to understand to impact your business in a positive way.Given all the available how to books and information on the internet, one would believe that failure rates would be much lower in a home based business, yet they are not. Tough questions need to be asked and more importantly we need to find out why is success so elusive for the majority of people. The other day, I was talking with my friend Cameron about people that are involved in a home based business and how important it is to build for local, national and international events with their respective companies. I started thinking about all the people that I have brought into a business over the past 15 years. What I thought about was, did I bring them in the right way? In other words, were they set up for success from the beginning of their journey. My article is focused on what to do with new people that join you in your home based business.Once someone joins your organization, understand that the real work has just begun. As a mentor, here are some guidelines that you can incorporate to build team synergy and growth.First, as simple as this sounds, yet is often over looked, get to know the new person on the team and find out what some of their specific goals are with starting a home based business. For example, have they ever been involved in a home business or is this their first time up to bat? Are they looking for a part time income or are they motivated for replacing their full time income? Without a doubt, one of the critical underlying questions for long term success is to find out if their WHY. I cannot stress the importance of the answer to this question. This will be their internal driving force to endure the ups and downs as they build a home business.Second, something that I have personally witnessed numerous times, is to have a basic training for the companies back office. In other words, show them around and where to find information, how to sign up someone into their organization. It may sound too basic for some, but remember, many people have never been exposed to the home business industry and affiliate programs etc. They need to know the companies policies – period.Third, and very important is do 3 way calls with your new person and other leaders in your organization. I recalled in the past 3 companies that I have joined, one of the first things they did was introduce me to other leaders. It was very exciting because they would tell their story about how they got started and what they did to build a viable home based business. This may sound basic to many, but time and time again, I see too many so called leaders fail to do this tiny, but important step. New people want to feel included in the team and know that if you are not around to help them, that they can call someone else to answer their questions etc.Fourth, develop a business plan with your new person. You need to understand how much time they will invest in starting a home based business. One of the main reasons I have seen for such a high failure rate is the absence of a clearly defined plan on how they will work their new business on a week to week basis. It’s the equivalent of starting on the east coast and driving to the west coast without a road map or knowing where you are going.Fifth, ensure they are on the team email distribution list for upcoming weekly conference calls, team training events, local and national events etc. In other words, get them plugged into the system. We get so busy in our daily lives, we sometimes can overlook to remind our team about important upcoming events. These types of events create a further bond between the new person and team synergy. We like to call that building for team events.Sure the above suggestions are common sense to many, but they are still critical to your success and the new people that join you. The above are guide lines only and some people may do them in a different order, but the main point here is to get them involved, introduce them to other team members and show them how to make money. There is magic and power when people come together. Friendships are created, bonds become stronger and new people get to see the bigger picture of the overall company. After all, you want them to be part of your home based business team for the long term – right?Regards,Darrell LischkaMake it a great day

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Legitimate Home Based Business – How To Spot The Real Deal

The Internet has leveled the playing field for everyone who wishes to make money online, as there are a plethora of legitimate home based business ideas as well as an abundance of fly-by-night scams.So how do you distinguish between the legitimate home based business ideas and these scammers?Unfortunately, there are many self-styled “gurus” out there peddling products or turnkey systems that claim will make you into an overnight Internet sensation and have you earning tens of thousands of dollars every month with very little effort.You need to learn to steer clear of these and beware.If anyone is claiming that they hold the secrets to making quick and easy money, you need to avoid them like the plague.Any legitimate home based business opportunity will require hard work, effort, patience, discipline, and ambition. But of course the rewards, the fruits of your labor, have an unlimited potential, as compared to working at a regular job, where you can only make as much money as your employer has agreed to pay you.By definition, a “legitimate” home based business plan is one in which the business model is sound, realistic, achievable, unambiguous and practical. The results are commensurate to the amount of work that you put in. Furthermore, the opportunity must not overpromise and underdeliver. For example, if a product is being advertised as being able to earn you money on autopilot with very little up front time commitment and effort, then it is most probably a scam.If you have a doubt about whether a particular opportunity you are exploring is a legitimate home based business, then you just need to seek out and find whether there are other people following the same business model who have managed to be successful.Network marketing is a prominent example of a legitimate home based business that many people seem to have doubts about. This is because they require you to pay money to join their network and be able to start selling their products. Many network marketing companies rely on hype to convince people to join, only to have the prospective entrepreneur become disappointed, disillusioned, and to fail miserably.Does this mean that network marketing is not a legitimate home based business?No! It only means that those people who fail did not have realistic expectations about the amount of work required in order to achieve the desired financial rewards that they sought.So what is the moral of the story? Basically, before you venture out and start any business, you need to do a little bit of homework to verify that it is indeed a legitimate home based business. Secondly, you need to assess how much work is actually involved in order to achieve the financial results that you seek.Thirdly, you need to assess whether or not the financial investment in the business, if any, can realistically yield a profit, by studying its business plan.Some very good examples of legitimate home based business opportunities are the ones that require absolutely zero money to get started.  

The 5 Essential Steps To Make Quick Money In A MLM Home Based Business

The 5 essential steps to make quick money in a MLM home based business include selecting the right opportunity, matching your skills to the business opportunity, effectively targeting your potential customers, prospecting viable leads and closing the sale. All of these points must be done in order to successfully run your business.Earning significant cash from a MLM home based business is achievable. It’s an exclusive procedure that comes from boosting product. It’ll take little time to examine this type of marketplace as you will find various unique traits from the typical business model. It’s essential to adjust strategies to the numerous variation of the MLM model.Although any MLM home based business will take a lot of effort on your part, there are many things you can do to make the process easier. But keep in mind that there is no make quick money way of achieving success. It takes time and constant effort and over time you will see successful results.For you to recruit more individuals into your MLM home based business, you will need to find several advertising strategies. It’s extremely essential that you increase your promoting endeavours. The more people you’re able to get signed up, the larger your profit base and down line will be.One technique numerous MLM marketers use and is totally free of charge is online newsletter sign up. This will give visitors more information about the opportunity and your contact information if they choose to get involved. Producing great content articles concerning your MLM home based business could be a second technique for receiving targeted visitors to your website.Despite some other business models, a MLM home based business really does have a high earning potential. That’s an essential point that ought to be sent out whenever you’re creating the product sales pitch to prospects. It is important to talk with other MLM marketers on ways to improve your business. The more you learn, the more people you will add to your MLM.You will find numerous ways of operating a brand new MLM home based. There is a fantastic chance for people to earn cash from the comfort of their home. This type of enterprise permits a lot of freedom. It also permits added time to perform other task. Your time is your own when you work from home. But it’s essential to know that a legitimate MLM surely will not make exaggerated money claims.The 5 essential steps to make quick money in a MLM home based business include the basic elements mentioned above. There is no get rich quick way of achieving financial success. You must be patient with the program and consistent with your methods. You must be realistic with your expectations. But if you know the product and know how to sell it effectively, you will be rewarded financially. But it takes time to build up your leads and expand your MLM business. Most companies offer extensive training for their sales reps so take advantage of it and you will be successful in your MLM home based business.

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How a Property Manager Can Be Prepared When They Get Sued

Withholding of a tenant’s security deposit is probably the number one reason a property manager can end up on the other end of a lawsuit or even in court. There are many precautions and procedures which a prudent management company or manager can implement which will help prevent this situation from occurring. Moreover, a property management course or continuing education in the nuances of proper statutory procedures can go a long way in preventing a lawsuit and subsequent lost time, energy and even money. Finally, an owner is responsible for the acts of a property manager and could find themselves in court as well if the manager has violated the law, has not properly counseled the owner or properly handled the tenant’s security deposit.

Implement Minimal Procedures to be Prepared

A prudent property manager has been educated to take the necessary precautions and follow the statutory guidelines for tenant’s issues like the return of security deposits. The necessary property inspections, the data collection of the condition of the property, the amount of money a manager is allowed to deduct, the statutory procedure for deductions, and the proper method of communicating all of these steps to the vacating tenant is tantamount to a successful defense against tenant lawsuits. If a property manager has done all of these things with diligence there is a very good chance that they will have the ultimate preparation in the unfortunate occasion when they get sued.

Pre-Tenancy Property Inspections Help Prevent Post-Tenancy Problems

Prudent property managers walk-through the property with the new tenant while there is no furniture or obstacles in the unit. The property manager takes photos, logs inspection data about each and every room in the unit, details the exterior of the property including any issues that exist and gets the new tenant to sign off or agree to the condition report. This same report is used at the end of the tenancy to compare and contrast the pre and post condition status. With photos and a signed inspection report it is difficult for a tenant to claim that conditions that exist now weren’t there when the tenancy began. Moreover, in some states notice of a pre-inspection at the end of the tenancy is given to tenants such that they are allowed to take advantage of the pre-inspection to repair or clean the unit which would otherwise be a deduction against their security deposit. This procedure, if properly conducted, actually prevents a lot of post tenancy issues as the tenant is fully aware of any conditions which might result in a deposit deduction, and they are given ample time and opportunity to correct the issues.

Pre-Tenancy Property Inspections Help Prepare Property Managers for Court

In the unfortunate event that a tenant disputes a property manager’s security deposit deduction and actually files a lawsuit the manager who has taken the time to takes photos and log inspection data will be amply prepared for the litigation. The manager should prepare their file in chronological order, should print out each and every photograph and date and label each condition. Importantly, each person who witnessed any conditions at the property like the gardener, the painter, the cleaner should all be contacted and asked for a witness statement. It is easy to get a statement via a sworn affidavit and at the same time ask these people to make themselves available to be witnesses in court. To be clear each property manager should have the following in preparation of any hearing:

1) A complete property file in chronological order including photos, invoices, and paid receipts;

2) A complete history of the written communications with the tenants included in the property file;

3) A list of witnesses with contact information;

4) Sworn affidavits from each witness; and

5) A thorough review of the facts and circumstances surrounding the issues, facts and tenant complaints by the staff members who dealt with the tenant.

Preparation is Powerful and Usually Successful

Professional property managers who take the time, energy and effort to adequately keep records of their properties and tenants will find that this preparation is worth its weight in gold come litigation time. Once a tenant becomes familiar with an adequately prepared opponent they may think twice about their attempts to sue. The best defense for managers or management companies is educating themselves in the proper procedures and record-keeping that will help them prepare for this process. If the manager has followed the law, has followed a detailed record-keeping system, prepares and presents an immaculate file to the hearing judge or court then the likelihood of success of defending one of these lawsuits is much higher than if they had not.

An Owner May be Liable for the Acts of its Agent

Both statutory and common law principals state that a hirer or principal of an agent may be liable for the acts of the agent. Property management companies who fail to follow the statutory guidelines regarding landlord tenants laws may find themselves in court on occasion. If a manager has attempted to take advantage of a tenant (not uncommon) or has committed statutory violations that could lead to liabilities for the unsuspecting owner. Even though the owner would ultimately have a remedy against the property manager this would be a very unfortunate situation for the owner. The owner can file a cross-complaint against the manager, but in either case the owner gets dragged into a suit because the manager was negligent or careless. Needless to say an owner or property manager doesn’t want to be in this situation in the first place, thus, it is important that the manager follow statutory guidelines and proper inspection procedures.

A Real Estate Attorney on Staff is Ideal and Can Keep Owners Out of Trouble

Professional property management companies who have a real estate attorney on staff have an advantage in these circumstances. A real estate attorney has the training, expertise, and procedural knowledge to help prevent these situations before they get out of hand. Moreover, in the event that these cases escalate an attorney will be able to prepare and handle the situation much better than someone without those type skills.

Arizona Real Estate Law – Understanding Arizona’s Anti-Deficiency Statutes

In Arizona, absent some agreement, rule or statute to the contrary, a lender can generally seek a deficiency judgment after foreclosing on a property securing a loan, if the property does not sell for enough money to satisfy the debt in full. Fortunately for most typical Arizona homeowners, the Arizona legislature has adopted anti-deficiency statutes that preclude such recourse in many typical fact scenarios. In addition, the parties to a real estate contract may expressly agree that the lender’s only recourse is foreclosure on the property itself.

In the event of non-recourse loans, the non-recourse provision should be included in the mortgage or deed of trust. In most cases, the lender agreeing to a non-recourse loan will also want assurances in the loan documents that the borrower will not commit acts of waste.

In the absence of express agreement, Arizona law provides protection for borrowers against potential liability stemming from the sale of a property at less than market value in a foreclosure sale. The borrower, however, must act quickly to protect his or her rights. If the property sells for less than the amount owed to the lender, the borrower is entitled to ask a court to determine the property’s fair market value. In the event the court agrees that the far market value is higher than the sales price the buyer gets credit for the higher amount. This not only protects the borrower from an unfairly low price, but encourages lenders to make a credit bid for an amount near fair market value.

There is an even more favorable statute protecting borrowers against deficiency judgments involving single or dual-family dwellings on 2 1/2 acres or less where the loan is “purchase money,” meaning it was used to pay the purchase price of the property. Typically, loans used to refinance purchase money loans are also considered purchase money loans, although the use of some of the proceeds to pay other debts, obtain cash out, or for other uses may expose the borrower to recourse liability.

Significantly, even if the loan is not a purchase money loan, the lender’s election to utilize non-judicial foreclosure on the deed of trust renders it non-recourse by operation of law. The lender may, however, instead seek judicial foreclosure, which is more expensive and time-consuming, but preserves the ability of the lender to obtain a deficiency judgment. This anti-deficiency statute also allows a lender to seek a deficiency judgment against the borrower in the event of waste.

Because interpretation of the Arizona anti-deficiency statutes and related real estate laws can be very complicated, borrowers and lenders are advised to seek the assistance of an experienced real estate attorney with any questions or concerns they may have.

Kevin R. Harper is an Arizona real estate and business litigation attorney, representing individuals and small businesses throughout the state of Arizona from his Central Phoenix office located at 1 N. Central Ave., Suite 1130, in downtown Phoenix. His firm also has an office in Chandler, Arizona and represents individuals and businesses all over the state of Arizona.

How To Succeed At Online Product Creation The Easy Way

Product creation could be a frightening subject for a lot of Internet marketers to face. Some folks who get in the game with the intention of making a full time income are completely ignorant as to how an online business operates. One of the most profitable ways to create online cash is by creating a product that others are happy to pay for.

Product creation is legitimate method of generating money through internet marketing but many entrepreneurs get it wrong. They start by imitating their Internet marketing gurus by creating information products on Internet marketing in hopes of getting rich the way their heroes did. The problem is that they usually don’t know what they are doing and enter a highly competitive niche with very little marketing experience or connections.

Here are a few tips for effective product creation that may help you get on the right track:
Start by finding a profitable niche with low to moderate competition. If you conduct some rudimentary market research and keyword research, you’ll find many opportunities in areas that will surprise you. Amazon and eBay are two great places to brainstorm for product ideas.

Developing Your Product does not have to be a difficult project. You can find experts in the right field for your niche and pay them to write the material while an artist designs the packaging and website or blog. You can outsource the entire product creation part of the project after you conduct the research and testing to ensure profitability.

Sales and marketing strategies should be created while developing the product and learning about the market. Some experienced marketers use pay per click to drive traffic to their offer page; some folks outsource the entire marketing campaign to affiliates through ClickBank or other affiliate programs.

Product creation does not need to be hard, particularly when the merchandise is electronic. E-books, videos, audio and multi-media products sell very well. They are distributed immediately to customers electronically. Once you have a good feel for a niche market, try to service your customers with associated products and upgrades. If you want to earn money online through product creation, you must understand supply and demand. The majority of new online marketers fail miserably because they go after highly competitive markets or forget to research their chosen niche properly. You have to create your products according to the needs, wants and desires of the prospective customers.

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