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| Underfoot. 1:00 PM. Photo: Jeffrey Hirsch. |
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| Wednesday, February 12, 2014. Yesterday was cold, sunny and dry in New York. Icy, and at night the kind that hurts the tip of your nose and your ears (if you’re not wearing a cap – almost everyone is). Tonight they are forecasting a big snowstorm (well, 3 to 10 inches) through Thursday. Whatever, it’ll be a good time to be inside. I began the evening down at Michael’s (where coincidentally I began the afternoon at lunch. The occasion was the 3rd annual dinner of The Dream Team of the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, a benefit evening honoring “Long-standing Dream Team members” Nancy Jarecki and Ashley McDermott, and MSK retired Director of Social Work, Jane Bowling. The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is a volunteer organization within Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital that is dedicated to promoting the well-being of patients, supporting cancer research and providing public education on the early prevention detection, and treatment of cancer. |
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| Memorial Sloan Kettering itself is the world’s largest and oldest private cancer center. It bears the distinction as one of the premier cancer centers in the world. The Society volunteers also, from what I’ve observed, bear the distinction of being seriously involved in its projects, whatever they may be. It is one of those organizations that promotes optimal service and its members are almost religious in their devotion and participation. The Dream Team was founded with the mission of fulfilling deeply held wishes of adult patients at MSK. Working with the Department of Social Work, they have fulfilled more than 1600 “dreams” since its inception in 1988. |
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| Mrs. Jarecki has been on the Dream Team for twenty years, having joined at the suggestion of Peter and Jamee Gregory who knew of her lifelong interest in charitable causes. She is also one of those women who is entrepreneurial and enterprising. That began in her life with participating in the creation of what is now E! Entertainment Television in Los Angeles. In 1990, she moved to New York. She is also the creator of bettybeauty, inc. – a specialty beauty products company. She is also now engaged in writing a memoir about her recent recovery from a subarchnoid hemorrhage. Married, with three children, she also serves on the boards of Project ALS, New Yorkers for Children, and Robin Hood’s Leadership Board. I don’t know her personally, but you can see the modus vivendi of this very energetic woman who last night in her chic black bowler hat and blonde hair looks like a very young Elaine Stritch. I couldn’t get the image out of my head, so I had to say it. |
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| Ashley Brittingham McDermott is also an LA-raised young woman, mother of four teenagers. She moved to New York in 1992 with her husband Jeff McDermott, and joined the Dream Team in 1998 ate the suggestion of the late great Tom Guinzburg, a quintessential New York gentleman, a scion of the publishing business (Viking) and also an active man in charitable causes. She too has been on the boards of New Yorkers for Children, Project ALS and also Joyful Heart Foundation. She has also just completed her first novel. Dr. Jane Bowling retired last December after 16 years as Director of the Department of Social Work at MSK, directing a staff of thirty-five, providing a range of psychosocial counseling services to patients and families. |
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| In the last several years Dr. Bowling developed a “Building Resilience through the Arts Program” which provided lunch and a respite for the MSK staff. The Programs included performances by students of Alvin Ailey, Jazz at Lincoln Center, as well as piano recitals and presentations from museums in the area. She also encouraged her staffs to develop other hospital wide programs such as the Bereavement Program, the Caring Canine Program and the Kids express program. Each of the three women spoke briefly about their work and enthusiasm for the Dream Team which does not advertise itself publicly (as I’m doing now). Jarecki told a story about getting a “dream” for a young man who had cancer. His “dream” was to meet the Heavy Metal group Metallica. She was able to arrange his attendance at a Metallica concert at Madison Square Garden, and it turned out to be a (very long) night of rock dreams come true, although it extended into the next day (just like all rock dreams) of partying with the band and their friends. And you got from her lively account that a very good time was had by all, just like the guy's dream, maybe even better. |
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| Big turnout for cocktails and dinner, including Jeremy and Friederike Biggs, Courtney Arnot, Melisssa and Chappie Morris,Barbara and Kevin McLaughlin, Moffie Potter Aston,, Jennifer Creel, Mary and Marvin Davidson (Mrs. Davidson introduced the honorees), Dennis Basso and Michael Cominotto, Alexia Hamm Ryan, Peter and Jamee Gregory, Caroline Dean, Danielle Ganek, Martha Glass (who is the current president of the SMSKCC), Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, George Farias, Lisa Fine, Ann Coley, Beth and Ron Dozoretz, Tom and Alice Tisch, Christine Schwarzman, Victoria Anstead, Thomas and Ingrid Edelman, Mark Gilbertson, Bettina Zilkha, Kamie and Richared Lightburn, Lisa McCarthy, Holly Peterson, Fernanda Kellogg and Kirk Henckele, Wendy Goldberg, Anki Leeds, Amanda Taylor, Kevin and Hampton Luzak, Kalliope Karella, a tableful of Jareckis – Andrew, Henry, Gloria, Donna, Tom; Anne Keating, Sue Chalom ... to name only a few! A good night for a good cause as well as a sense of pure fellowship and camaraderie in the room. The Michael’s menu:Winter Risotto, mushrooms and chard; followed by Michael’s Cheddar Burger with Arugula, Tomato, Pickles and mounts of very slender fries or, Organic Salmon, bacon braised red cabbage and pommery, mustard sauce, followed by Chocolate Layer Cake, Berry Compote,Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. |
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| I didn’t get to the Cake as I wanted to stop by the Four Seasons Restaurant where Nicole Hanley Mellon was hosting a birthday party of her husband Matthew (whose actual birthday was January 28th). The party was called for 9:30 (to midnight), cocktails desserts and dancing. I got there about ten-fifteen, thinking I was almost an hour late, but it was just beginning to gather. You can see from the pictures how the room was lighted, although the arriving crowd was still in the darker part of the room. |
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| However, an hour into it, guests were still streaming in. There must have been at least a couple hundred guests. A late party in New York is nothing new but lately it’s almost only downtown. I don’t get downtown very much (at all), so it was interesting to be reminded of that New York nightlife with the crowd of active New Yorkers who want to get out, be seen, have fun and just enjoy the evening for being there. That’s New York too. That’s what was going on at Matthew Mellon’s birthday bash at the Four Seasons. |
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| Meanwhile, down in our nation's capital, President and Mrs. Obama held a State Dinner at the White House for President Hollande of the French Republic. Our Washington Social Diarist Carol Joynt thoughtfully provided a guest list for your perusal. Back in the days of JFK, the State Dinners guest lists were always provided the following day in the New York Times. You can't help looking to see if you know anyone on the list. Do you? |
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HIS EXCELLENCY FRANÇOIS HOLLANDE, PRESIDENT OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC Mr. J.J. Abrams, Pacific Palisades, CA Ms. Katie McGrath The Honorable Stacey Abrams, United States Representative (Georgia) Mr. Ben Jealous Ms. Jill Abramson, The New York Times, New York, NY Mr. William Woodson Mr. Charles Adams, Jr., Washington, DC General Keith Alexander, Director of NSA and Cybercom Mrs. Debbie Alexander Mr. Peter G. Angelos, Baltimore, MD Mrs. Georgia Angelos Mr. Kader Arif, Minister Delegate for Veterans Affairs, French Republic The Honorable Caroline Atkinson, Deputy Assistant to the President & Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Mr. Geoffrey Boyd Lamb Ms. Jennifer Bado-Aleman, Gaithersburg, MD Mr. Frank Skinner Mr. Caleb Ballew, Huntsville, AL Mrs. Kourtney Ballew, Huntsville, AL Mr. Dan Barber, New York, NY Mr. David Barber The Honorable Karen Bass, United States Representative (California) Ms. Barbara Jordan Mr. Terrence Bean, Portland, OR Mr. Robert Iwasaki Mr. Joel Benenson, New York, NY Mrs. Lisa Benenson, New York, NY The Honorable Michael Bennet, United States Senator (Colorado) Ms. Susan Daggett Mrs. Andrea Bernstein, New York, NY Mr. Tom Bernstein Mr. Peter Beshar, Rye, NY Mrs. Sarah Beshar The Honorable Steven Beshear, Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky Mrs. Jane Beshear The Honorable Joseph Biden, Jr., Vice President of the United States Dr. Jill Biden Mr. Robert Hunter Biden, Washington, DC Mrs. Kathleen Biden Ms. Mary J Blige, Saddle River, NJ Mr. Kendu Isaacs The Honorable Tony Blinken, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor The Honorable Evan Ryan, Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State Mr. Joseph Blount, Miami Beach, FL Ms. Katherine Blount Mrs. Nicole Bricq, Minister for Foreign Trade, French Republic The Honorable William Burns, Deputy Secretary of State Ms. Lisa Ann Carty The Honorable Sylvia Burwell, Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mr. Steve Burwell The Honorable Eric Cantor, United States Representative (Virginia) The Honorable Jay Carney, Assistant to the President and Press Secretary Ms. Claire Shipman Mr. Jim Chanos, New York, NY Ms. Crystal A Connors Mr. Brian Cladoosby, LaConner, WA Mrs. Nina Cladoosby The Honorable James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence Mrs. Susan Clapper The Honorable Max Cleland, Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission Mrs. Linda Dean Mr. Steve Clemons, The Atlantic, Washington, DC Mr. Andrew Oros The Honorable David L. Cohen, Philadelphia, PA Mrs. Rhonda Cohen The Honorable David Cohen, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, U.S. Department of the Treasury Mrs. Suzy Cohen Mr. Stephen Colbert, New York, NY Mrs. Evie Colbert Ms. Joanna Coles, Cosmopolitan Magazine, New York, NY Mr. Peter Godwin Mr. Jason Collins, Los Angeles, CA Mr. Brunson Green Mr. Jean-Marie Colombani, JMC Media, French Republic Mr. Marcello Conviti, Carmat, French Republic Mr. Bradley Cooper, New York, NY Ms. Suki Waterhouse Mr. James Crane, Houston, TX The Honorable Danielle Crutchfield, Assistant to the President and Director of Scheduling and Advance The Honorable Elijah Cummings, United States Representative (Maryland) Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings Mr. Philippe Dauman, New York, NY Mrs. Deborah Dauman His Excellency François Delattre, Ambassador of the Republic of France to the U.S. Mrs. Sophie L'Hélias Delattre General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mrs. Diane Dempsey Mr. Stéphane Distinguin, Cap Digital, French Republic Dr. Karen Donfried, Special Assistant to the President, Senior Director for European Affairs Mr. Alan Untereiner The Honorable Mike Donilon, Alexandria, VA Mrs. Trish Donilon Mr. Roland Du Luart, Senator from Sarthe, President of the Franco-American Friendship Committee, French Republic Mrs. Shefali Duggal, San Francisco, CA Mr. Rajat Duggal Mr. Ken Ehrlich, Westlake Village, CA Mrs. Harriet Ehrlich His Excellency Laurent Fabius, Minister for Foreign Affairs, French Republic Mr. Matthias Fekl, Representative of the National Assembly, French Republic Mrs. Genevière Fioraso, Minister for Higher Education and Research, French Republic Mr. Ken Fisher, Rockville, MD Mrs. Tammy Fisher The Honorable Anthony Foxx, Secretary of Transportation Mrs. Samara Foxx Mr. Ken Frazier, Whitehouse Station, NJ Mrs. Andrea Frazier The Honorable Michael Froman, Ambassador and U.S. Trade Representative Ms. Nancy Goodman The Honorable Jason Furman, Chairman, Council of Economic Advisors Ms. Eve A. Gerber, Washington, DC Mr. Mark Gallogly, New York, NY Ms. Elizabeth Strickler Mr. Pierre Gattaz, President of MEDEF, French Republic Ms. Thelma Golden, New York, NY Mr. Duro Olowu Mr. John Goldman, Atherton, CA Mrs. Marcia Goldman Ms. Julianna Goldman, Bloomberg News, New York, NY The Honorable Mike Gottlieb, Associate Counsel to the President The Honorable Philip H Gordon, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Mrs. Rachel Gordon The Honorable Danielle Gray, Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary Ms. Jaunique Sealey The Honorable Chuck Hagel, Secretary of Defense Ms. Allyn Hagel Ms. Laura G Haim, Canal Plus and I-Tele French TV, Washington, DC Mr. Ara Aprikian The Honorable William Haslam, Governor of the State of Tennessee Mrs. Crissy Haslam Mr. Samuel Heins, Wayzata, MN Ms. Stacey Mills Mr. Jean-Paul Herteman, Safran, French Republic The Honorable Heather Higginbottom, Deputy Secretary of State Ambassador Daniel Sepulveda, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy The Honorable Eric Holder, Jr., United States Attorney General Dr. Sharon Malone The Honorable John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Dr. Patricia Falcone, Associate Director for National Security and International Affairs Mrs. Laura Holgate, Senior Director for WMD Terrorism and Threat Reduction Dr. Rick Holgate Mr. Steve Holland, Reuters, Alexandria, VA Mrs. Lucie Holland Mr. Jean-Paul Huchon, Paris Region President, French Republic Mr. Irwin Jacobs, La Jolla, CA Mrs. Joan Jacobs Mr. Jean-Marc Janaillac, Transdev, French Republic The Honorable Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement Mr. Paul Jean-Ortiz, Diplomatic Advisor to the President, French Republic The Honorable Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Interior The Honorable Mike Connor, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner The Honorable Jeh Johnson, Secretary of Homeland Security Dr. Susan DiMarco The Honorable Kevin Johnson, Mayor of the City of Sacramento Ms. Michelle Rhee Mr. Hubert Joly, Richfield, MN Ms. Natalie Jones, Acting Chief of Protocol, U.S. Department of State Justice Elena Kagan, Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Ms. Mindy Kaling, Universal City, CA Ms. Jocelyn Leavitt Ms. Roberta Kaplan, New York, NY Ms. Rachel Lavine The Honorable Cody Keenan, Assistant to the President and Director of Speechwriting Ms. Kristen Bartoloni The Honorable Patrick F. Kennedy, Under Secretary for Management, U.S. Department of State Ms. M. Elizabeth Swope The Honorable John Kerry, Secretary of State The Honorable Leslie Kiernan, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel to the President Mr. Paul Kiernan The Honorable Ronald Klain, Chevy Chase, MD Ms. Monica Medina Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Mrs. Anne Lauvergeon, Chairwoman of "Innovation 2030" Committee, French Republic Mr. Jonathan Lavine, Weston, MA Ms. Emily Lavine Mr. Jean-Yves Le Gall, CNES, French Republic The Honorable Patrick Leahy, United States Senator (Vermont) Mrs. Marcelle Leahy Mr. Frédéric Lefebvre, Representative of the National Assembly, French Republic Ms. Corine Lesnes, Le Monde. Paris, France Mr. John Ruddy The Honorable Jack Lew, Secretary of the Treasury Dr. Ruth Schwartz Dr. Tara Leweling, Director for NATO & European Affairs Mr. Harun Dogo Ms. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Mt. Kisco, NY Mr. William Louis-Dreyfus Mr. Emmanuel Macron, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, French Republic Ms. Kathy Manning, Greensboro, NC Mr. Randall Kaplan The Honorable Alyssa Mastromonaco, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations The Honorable Denis McDonough, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff Mrs. Kari McDonough Mr. Cappy McGarr, Dallas, TX Mrs. Janie McGarr Mr. Raymond McGuire, New York, NY Ms. Crystal McCrary The Honorable Brian McKeon, Deputy Assistant to the President, Executive Secretary and Chief of Staff Ms. Lizabeth Tankersley Mr. Eliseo Medina, La Canada-Flintridge, CA Ms. Arcelia Rocio Saenz Ms. Constance Milstein, Washington, DC Mr. Jehan Christophe de la Haye St. Hilaire Ms. Nicola Miner, San Francisco, CA Mr. Robert Mailer Anderson The Honorable Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism and Deputy National Security Advisor Mr. Mark Monaco The Honorable Ernest Moniz, Secretary of Energy Mrs. Naomi Moniz Mr. Bobby Monks, Portland, ME Mr. Arnaud Montebourg, Minister for Industrial Renewal, French Republic Mr. Aquilino Morelle, Political Advisor to the President, French Republic Mr. Pierre Moscovici, Minister for Economy and Finance, French Republic Mr. Bruce Mosler, New York, NY Mr. Willard Freeman The Honorable Cecilia Muñoz, Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council Mr. Amit A. Pandya Mr. Elon Musk, Los Angeles, CA Mrs. Talulah Musk Mr. Pierre Nanterme, Accenture, French Republic Ms. Karen Narasaki, Washington, DC Mr. Vivek Malhotra The Honorable Victoria Nuland, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State Mr. Robert Kagan The Honorable Michael Nutter, Mayor of the City of Philadelphia Mrs. Lisa Nutter Mr. Kevin F. O'Malley, St. Louis, MO Mrs. Dena O'Malley Ms. Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington, DC Mr. Michael Ferenczy The Honorable Jennifer Palmieri, Assistant to the President and Communications Director Mr. James Lyons Mrs. Fleur Pellerin, Minister Delegate for SMEs, Innovation and the Digital Economy, French Republic The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, United States Representative (California) Mrs. Jacqueline Kenneally Mr. Fabien Penone, Deputy Diplomatic Advisor to the President, French Republic Mr. Guillaume Pepy, SNCF, French Republic The Honorable Tom Perez, Secretary of Labor Ms. Ann Marie Staudenmaier The Honorable Dan Pfeiffer, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor Mr. Richard Plepler, New York, NY Mrs. Lisa Plepler The Honorable John Podesta, Counselor to the President Mrs. Mary Podesta The Honorable Samantha Power, Permanent Representative of the U.S. to the United Nations Mr. Cass Sunstein The Honorable Penny Pritzker, Secretary of Commerce Mr. Nicholas Pritzker General Benoît Puga, Military Advisor to the President, French Republic Mr. Tangi Quéméner, Agence France-Presse, Bethesda, MD Ms. Anne Porquet Ms. Azita Raji, Tiburon, CA Mr. Gary Syman The Honorable Stephanie C Rawlings-Blake, Mayor of the City of Baltimore Mr. Kent Blake The Honorable Ben Rhodes, Assistant to the President, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications & Speechwriting Ms. Ann Norris The Honorable Steven Ricchetti, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the Vice President Mrs. Amy Ricchetti The Honorable Susan Rice, Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor Mr. Ian Cameron Mrs. Claudine Ripert-Landler, Press Advisor, French Republic Mr. Charles H Rivkin, Washington, DC Ms. Susan Tolson Mrs. Rachel Robinson, New York, NY Mr. Norman Siegel The Honorable Harold Rogers, United States Representative (Kentucky) Mrs. Cynthia Rogers Mr. James Roosevelt, Jr., Cambridge, MA Mrs. Ann Roosevel Mrs. Laura Ross, New York, NY Mr. James Ross Mr. Alain Rousset, Aquitaine Region President, French Republic The Honorable Edward Randall Royce, United States Representative (California) Mrs. Marie Royce, Washington, DC The Honorable Kathy Ruemmler, Assistant to the President and Counsel to the President, Washington, DC Ms. Margaret-Angèle Russell, New York, NY Mr. Robert Kaplan The Honorable Paul Ryan, United States Representative (Wisconsin) Mrs. Janna Ryan Mr. Lee Saunders, Washington, DC Mrs. Lynne Saunders Mrs. Barbara Schmidt, Boca Raton, FL Mr. Richard Schmidt The Honorable Charles Schumer, United States Senator (New York) Ms. Iris Weinshall Mr. Pete Selleck, Greenville, SC Mrs. Nancy Selleck The Honorable Thomas A. Shannon, Jr., Counselor to the Secretary of State Mrs. Maria Shannon Reverend Alfred Sharpton, New York, NY Ms. Aisha I. McShaw Mrs. Beth Shaw, New York, NY Ms. Rebecca Shaw The Honorable Wendy Sherman, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, U.S. Department of State Mr. Bruce Stokes The Honorable Liz Sherwood-Randall, White House Coordinator for Defense Policy Dr. Jeffrey Randall The Honorable Peter Shumlin, Governor of the State of Vermont Ms. Sarah Schmidt The Honorable David Simas, Assistant to the President and Deputy Senior Advisor for Communications and Strategy Ms. Shauna McCarty Ms. Liz Simons, Atherton, CA Mr. Mark Heising Mrs. Sarah Smiley, Bangor, ME Commander Dustin Smiley Mr. Chuck Smith, Jr., Winnetka, IL Mrs. Melissa Smith Mr. Keith Smith, Ashland, VA Mr. Burton Smith Mr. Michael Smith, Los Angeles, CA Ms. Natalie Massenet Ms. Kim Snow, Thorton, PA Mr. James Snow Mr. Kenneth Solomon, Pacific Palisades, CA Mrs. Melissa Solomon Mr. Arne Sorenson, Bethesda, MD Mrs. Ruth Sorenson The Honorable Gene Sperling, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council Mr. Rick Sperling Ms. Alexandra Stanton, New York, NY Ms. Domna Stanton Mr. Laurent Stefanini, Chief of Protocol, French Republic Mr. Randall Stephenson, Dallas, TX Mrs. Lenise Stephenson Mr. David Stern, New York, NY Mrs. Dianne Stern The Honorable Todd Stern, United States Special Envoy for Climate Change Ms. Jennifer Klein Mrs. Jane Stetson, Norwich, VT Mr. Bill Stetson III Mr. Mark Taplin, Charge d'Affaires, U.S. Department of State Ms. Kathy Kavalec The Honorable Tina Tchen, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady Mr. Benoit Thieulin, Digital National Committee President, French Republic Mr. Andrew Tobias, New York, NY Ms. Marie Brenner Ms. Cicely Tyson, New York, NY Mr. Reginald Austin Henry The Honorable David Wade, Chief of Staff to the Secretary of State Ms. Elizabeth Alexander The Honorable Debbie Wasserman Schultz, United States Representative (Florida) Mr. Steven Schultz Mr. Frank White, Jr., Washington, DC Mr. William Kirk Ms. Edith Windsor, New York, NY Ms. Julie Milligan Mr. Richard Winter, Auriga USA Mrs. Alexandra Winter Mr. Jeff Zucker, CNN, New York, NY Mrs. Caryn Zucker |
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