LA Times Crossword Answers 28 Jul 16, Thursday




LA Times Crossword Solution 28 Jul 16







Constructed by: C.C. Burnikel

Edited by: Rich Norris

Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers

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Theme: Inside Story

Today’s themed answers include hidden words shown with circled letters in the grid. Those INSIDE words are all synonyms of STORY:

  • 56A…Private details … or what’s found in this puzzle’s circles..INSIDE STORY
  • 17A…Host of a program also known as “The Factor”..BILL O’REILLY (“lore” inside)
  • 24A…Feature of some German nouns..MALE GENDER (“legend” inside)
  • 34A…’60s-’70s sitcom whose four original family members were married over the course of the series..MY THREE SONS (“myth” inside)
  • 47A…Virus symptom, perhaps..FATAL ERROR (“tale” inside”)

Bill’s time: 7m 23s

Bill’s errors: 0




Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

Across

1…Novelist celebrated on Bloomsday..JOYCE

Regular readers will know that I am unashamedly supportive of my native Irish culture, but I have to tell you that I can’t handle the works of James Joyce. I have spent many a fine day traipsing around Ireland learning about his life, but I have yet to appreciate one of his books. To me, his life is more absorbing than his writing. Having said that, “Ulysses” is an interesting novel in that it chronicles just one ordinary day in the life of a Dubliner named Leopold Bloom. There’s a huge celebration of “Ulysses” in Dublin every year on June 16th, called Bloomsday. The festivities vary from readings and performances of the storyline, to good old pub crawls. “Ulysses” was made into a film of the same name in 1967 starring Milo O’Shea.

11…Pampering place..SPA

The word “spa” migrated into English from Belgium, as Spa is the name of a municipality in the east of the country that is famous for its healing hot springs. The name “Spa” comes from the Walloon word “espa” meaning “spring, fountain”.

16…Granola grain..OAT

The name “Granola” (and “Granula”) were trademarked back in the late 1800s for whole-grain foods that were crumbled and baked until crisp. Granola was created in Dansville, New York in 1894.

17…Host of a program also known as “The Factor”..BILL O’REILLY (“lore” inside)

Bill O’Reilly is best known as the host of “The O’Reilly Factor” on the Fox News Channel. O’Reilly’s positions are very much on the right side of the political spectrum, with at least one notable exception, his opposition to the death penalty. He suggests that convicted murderers should be locked up without the possibility of parole, in a military prison with forced labor for eight hours a day.

20…Pampas weapon..BOLA

Bolas are heavy balls connected by cords that constitute a throwing weapon. Bolas are often used to capture animals by tripping them as they run. The weapon is usually associated with gauchos, the South American cowboys, although there is evidence that the Inca army used them in battle.

The Pampas are fertile lowlands covering a large part of Argentina, Uruguay and some of Brazil. “Pampa” is a Quechua word meaning “plain”.

21…Slanted text: Abbr…ITAL

Italic type leans to the right. The style is known as “italic” because the stylized calligraphic form of writing originated in Italy, probably in the Vatican.

22…”A” on many a cornerstone..ANNO

The Latin word for year is “annus”. We often see it used in Latin phrases, but usually with a different spelling. For example in “anno Domini”, the “anno” is the ablative case of “annus” as the phrase means “in the year of the Lord”. Another example is “per annum”, in which “annum” is the accusative case as the literal translation of the phrase is “during the year”.

23…He or I..ELEM

He (helium) and I (iodine) are chemical elements (elems.).

24…Feature of some German nouns..MALE GENDER (“legend” inside)

About one quarter of the world’s languages collect nouns into genders, of which there are usually two or three. The most common gender divisions are masculine, feminine and neuter. Modern English really does not have grammatical genders, although there are some hangovers from Old English such as “he, she and it”, “tiger and tigress” and “duke and duchess”.

27…Lee material..DENIM

Denim fabric originated in Nimes in France. The French phrase “de Nimes” (from Nimes) gives us the word “denim”. Also, the French phrase “bleu de Genes” (blue of Genoa) gives us our word “jeans”.

The Lee company famous for making jeans was formed in 1889, by one Henry David Lee in Salina, Kansas.

30…Half a repartee..TAT

I think that the reference here is to the phrase “tit for tat”.

“Repartee” is conversation that includes witty remarks. “Repartee” comes from the French “repartie” meaning “answering thrust”, originally a fencing term.

33…Berliner’s direction..OST

“Ost” is German for “east”.

34…’60s-’70s sitcom whose four original family members were married over the course of the series..MY THREE SONS (“myth” inside)

“My Three Sons” is a sitcom that originally aired through the sixties and early seventies. The show starred Fred MacMurray as a widower raising his three sons with the help of the boys’ maternal grandfather, played by William Frawley (and later by William Demarest). In the mid-sixties, the actor playing the eldest son left the show and was written out of the story by marrying him off. The “three-sons” title was rescued by the scriptwriters when they arranged for the adoption of Ernie, an orphaned friend of the youngest son.

37…Wee amount..SOU

A sou is an old French coin. We use the term “sou” to mean “an almost worthless amount”.

39…”Glee” extra..TEEN

The TV show called “Glee” has proven to be very popular. The storyline focuses on a high school glee club in Lima, Ohio called New Directions.

41…Belgian diamond center..ANTWERP

The port city of Antwerp is the second most populous urban area in Belgium after the capital Brussels. To most of the French-speaking population of the country, Antwerp is known as Anvers. The city’s economy is driven by the volume of traffic through the port, as well as trade in diamonds.

43…Expressive tweet space-savers..EMOJI

An emoji is a character found on many cell phones now that is like an emoticon, but more elaborate.

47…Virus symptom, perhaps..FATAL ERROR (“tale” inside”)

That would be a fatal error message on say a computer.

A computer virus has characteristics very similar to a virus found in nature. It is a small computer program that can copy itself and can infect another host (computer).

52…Temptation garden..EDEN

In the Christian tradition, the “fall of man” took place in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation of eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, against the bidding of God. As a result, Adam and Eve were banished from Eden to prevent them becoming immortal by eating from the tree of life. The first humans had transitioned from a state of innocent obedience to a state of guilty disobedience.

53…”O, beware, my lord, of jealousy” speaker..IAGO

Iago says the following words about jealousy and envy to Othello in William Shakespeare’s play:

O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on; that cuckold lives in bliss
Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger;
But, O, what damned minutes tells he o’er
Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!

54…Banks on a runway..TYRA

Tyra Banks is a tremendously successful model and businesswoman. Banks created and hosts the hit show “America’s Next Top Model “, and also has her own talk show. She was also the first African American woman to make the cover of the “Sports Illustrated” swimsuit issue.

55…Place for a screwdriver..BAR

The cocktail called a screwdriver is a mix of fresh orange juice and vodka. Apparently the drink originated with a group of engineers in the late forties who used to spike small cans of orange juice with vodka, and then stir it in with their screwdrivers.

59…Before, to Byron..ERE

George Gordon Byron, known simply as “Lord Byron”, was an English poet active in the early 1800s. Byron was equally as famous for his poetry as he was for the wild excesses in his personal life. Byron lived much of that life outside of England, and fought for revolutionaries in both Italy and Greece. He died from a fever contracted while fighting for the Greeks against the Ottomans.

61…Toys in laps, briefly..PEKES

The pekingese breed originated in China, as one might suspect from the name. Breeding practices have resulted in the the dog having many health problems, including breathing issues related to the “desirable” flat face. Standards have been changed in recent years, demanding an “evident muzzle” in an attempt to breed healthier dogs.

62…Newsman Koppel..TED

The broadcast journalist Ted Koppel is most associated with his long run as anchor for the “Nightline” program on ABC. Koppel was actually born in England, to a Jewish family that had fled from Germany. He emigrated with his family to the US when he was 13 years old. Koppel is great friends with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger who was a frequent guest on his television show.

63…Pompeo of “Grey’s Anatomy”..ELLEN

The very successful hospital drama “Grey’s Anatomy” has been on television since 2005. The title is a reference to the show’s central character, Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo), as well as a reference to the classic human anatomy textbook commonly called “Gray’s Anatomy”.

64…Hobbit on a quest..FRODO

Frodo Baggins is a principal character in J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”. Frodo is a Hobbit, and is charged with the quest of destroying Sauron’s Ring in the fires of Mount Doom.

Down

2…Player with an orange-and-black logo..ORIOLE

The Baltimore Orioles are one of the eight charter teams of MLB’s American League, so the franchise dates back to 1901. Prior to 1901, the team has roots in the Minor League Milwaukee Brewers, and indeed entered the American League as the Brewers. In 1902 the Brewers moved to St. Louis and became the Browns. The team didn’t fare well in St. Louis, so when it finally relocated to Baltimore in the early fifties the team changed its name completely, to the Baltimore Orioles. The owners so badly wanted a fresh start that they traded 17 old Browns players with the New York Yankees. The trade didn’t help the team’s performance on the field in those early days, but it did help distance the new team from its past.

3…Federal Reserve chair after Bernanke..YELLEN

The economist Janet Yellen has been the Chair of the Federal Reserve since 2014, and is the first woman to hold the position.

Ben Bernanke was Chairman of the Federal Reserve for two terms after being appointed by President George W. Bush in 2006. While holding the post, Bernanke and his wife had a 30-year fixed rate mortgage with a rate of just over 5% and one car, a Ford Focus. Modest enough …

The Federal Reserve System is more usually known simply as “the Fed”, and is the central banking system of the US. It was introduced in 1913 in response to a number of financial panics at the beginning of the 20th century. The original role for the Fed was to act as a lender of last resort, in case there was a run on a bank. This can happen as most of the money that is deposited by customers in a bank is reinvested by that bank, so it has very little liquid cash available. If too many customers look for their money at one time, then the bank can be short of cash and this can start a “run”. The Fed’s responsibilities have broadened since those early days …

5…Anka’s “__ Beso”..ESO

“Eso Beso” is Spanish for “That Kiss”, and is the name of a hit song recorded by Canadian-born singer Paul Anka.

6…Michelangelo statue..PIETA

The Pietà is a representation of the Virgin Mary holding in her arms the dead body of her son Jesus. The most famous “Pietà” is probably the sculpted rendition by Michelangelo which is located in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. In some depictions, Mary and her son are surrounded by other figures from the New Testament, and these depictions are known as “Lamentations”.

7…Courier alternative..ARIAL

Courier and arial are fonts.

9…Immigrant’s subj…ESL

English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

12…”Dances With Wolves” natives..PAWNEES

“Dances with Wolves” is a Western movie released in 1999 that was produced by, directed by and starred Kevin Costner. The film is based on a novel of the same name by Michael Blake. Costner had been involved in the “Dances with Wolves” project when Blake only had the bare bones of a script, and it was Costner who suggested the script be turned into a novel. Costner then bought the rights to the book, and ended up investing three million dollars of his own money to finish shooting the film.

22…Short reply?..ANS

Answer (ans.)

26…Pooh’s gloomy pal..EEYORE

Eeyore is the donkey character in A. A. Milne’s “Winnie-the-Pooh”. Eeyore is very lovable, but has a gloomy and pessimistic outlook on life.

28…Monster High doll maker..MATTEL

Monster High is a line of fashion dolls from Mattel that are inspired by monster movies. I guess I just don’t understand …

32…C-SPAN fig…SEN

Senator (Sen.)

C-SPAN is a privately-funded, nonprofit cable channel that broadcasts continuous coverage of government proceedings.

44…Tribute song on John Lennon’s “Imagine”..OH YOKO!

“Oh Yoko!” is a song written and performed by John Lennon in 1971 that appears on his iconic album “Imagine”. The title refers to Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono.

48…More than see..RAISE

That would be in the card game poker.

49…Birth city of most of the Osmonds..OGDEN

Ogden was the first permanent settlement by people of European descent in what is now the state of Utah.

The Osmond Brothers were performing at Disneyland in the early sixties when they were spotted by Andy Williams’ father. He was so impressed by their performance that he told Andy to book them on his TV show, after which they became regulars from 1962-69.

57…Org. with 30 franchises..NHL

The National Hockey League (NHL) was formed in 1917 in Montreal, a successor to the defunct National Hockey Association (NHA) that had been founded in 1909. Today, the NHL comprises 30 teams: 23 in the US and 7 in Canada.

58…Hawaiian Tropic lotion letters..SPF

In theory, the sun protection factor (SPF) is a calibrated measure of the effectiveness of a sunscreen in protecting the skin from harmful UV rays. The idea is that if you wear a lotion with say SPF 20, then it takes 20 times as much UV radiation to cause the skin to burn than it would take without protection. I say, just stay out of the sun …

Hawaiian Tropic is a brand of suntan lotion that was introduced in 1969. The brand is known for sponsoring bikini competitions around the world.

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Complete List of Clues and Answers

Across

1…Novelist celebrated on Bloomsday..JOYCE

6…Leaves on a shelf?..PAGES

11…Pampering place..SPA

14…Spheres of study..AREAS

15…Like 1-Across..IRISH

16…Granola grain..OAT

17…Host of a program also known as “The Factor”..BILL O’REILLY (“lore” inside)

19…”What a cutie!”..AWW!

20…Pampas weapon..BOLA

21…Slanted text: Abbr…ITAL

22…”A” on many a cornerstone..ANNO

23…He or I..ELEM

24…Feature of some German nouns..MALE GENDER (“legend” inside)

27…Lee material..DENIM

29…Locks..TRESSES

30…Half a repartee..TAT

32…Stick around..STAY

33…Berliner’s direction..OST

34…’60s-’70s sitcom whose four original family members were married over the course of the series..MY THREE SONS (“myth” inside)

37…Wee amount..SOU

39…”Glee” extra..TEEN

40…Backing..PRO

41…Belgian diamond center..ANTWERP

43…Expressive tweet space-savers..EMOJI

47…Virus symptom, perhaps..FATAL ERROR (“tale” inside”)

51…Cries of clarity..AHAS

52…Temptation garden..EDEN

53…”O, beware, my lord, of jealousy” speaker..IAGO

54…Banks on a runway..TYRA

55…Place for a screwdriver..BAR

56…Private details … or what’s found in this puzzle’s circles..INSIDE STORY

59…Before, to Byron..ERE

60…Action movie climax..CHASE

61…Toys in laps, briefly..PEKES

62…Newsman Koppel..TED

63…Pompeo of “Grey’s Anatomy”..ELLEN

64…Hobbit on a quest..FRODO

Down

1…Elbowed..JABBED

2…Player with an orange-and-black logo..ORIOLE

3…Federal Reserve chair after Bernanke..YELLEN

4…Great misfortune..CALAMITY

5…Anka’s “__ Beso”..ESO

6…Michelangelo statue..PIETA

7…Courier alternative..ARIAL

8…Manufacturer of Venus razors..GILLETTE

9…Immigrant’s subj…ESL

10…Uncomfortable in singles bars..SHY

11…No-goodniks..SO-AND-SOS

12…”Dances With Wolves” natives..PAWNEES

13…If all goes wrong..AT WORST

18…Edge..RIM

22…Short reply?..ANS

25…Clutch..GRASP

26…Pooh’s gloomy pal..EEYORE

28…Monster High doll maker..MATTEL

31…”Done!”..THERE!

32…C-SPAN fig…SEN

34…Complained under one’s breath..MUTTERED

35…Retaliatory act..REPRISAL

36…”Oh, it’s fine”..NO MATTER

37…Low-risk wager..SAFE BET

38…How some foolish things are done..ON A DARE

42…Pallid..WAN

44…Tribute song on John Lennon’s “Imagine”..OH YOKO!

45…Rattled..JARRED

46…Mom’s argument-ending words..I SAY SO

48…More than see..RAISE

49…Birth city of most of the Osmonds..OGDEN

50…Seafood delicacy..ROE

56…Hotel amenity..ICE

57…Org. with 30 franchises..NHL

58…Hawaiian Tropic lotion letters..SPF




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10 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 28 Jul 16, Thursday”

  1. Really enjoyed this puzzle. I was able to navigate through a few things I didn’t know through crosses, but occasionally hilarity ensues when you do too much of that. I finished but with some amusing errors.

    I had “email” for Courier alternative. That made James Joyce “Amish” instead of IRISH (which was news to me..and him too), and I didn’t know what a “paeta” was anyway. Also had “soandses” which I just thought was a beatnik term or something I didn’t know. So close and yet so far on this one.

    The NHL now has a 31st franchise coming into the league in 2017 in Las Vegas. I can’t wait for that. ESO Beso rears its ugly head again.

    Nice to see 26 comments from yesterday’s grid. I think that’s a record.

    justjoel – I’m with you on the food in New Orleans, but as far as “trying to stay sober enough to enjoy it”….you’re on your own 🙂

    Vidwan – Thanks for the scoop on the etymology of ghost peppers. I will cite that bit of trivia shamelessly and take credit every time for your efforts…

    Dave – Thanks for the JASA info. That’s pretty impressive. I’ll try to keep you company over there at the NY Times blog as often as I can. Love those puzzles.

    Pookie- Did they ever take the iguana in for questioning? What a bizarre thing to walk into. I was once pulling out of a parking space and had an older woman come and start pounding on my window – which is disconcerting even when done by a harmless looking old woman. I lowered the window and she started screaming at me telling me to get out of her car. I looked around a bit and saw a duplicate of my car a few spaces over. I asked if perhaps that was her car. It was. No apology. She just turned and went to her car.

    Best –

  2. Nice grid, agree with Jeff. Just not much to comment on today, quite straightforward, and Bill usually solves any lingering questions.

  3. 11:56, no errors, iPad. I have never tried to read anything by Joyce … and perhaps that’s just as well … 🙂

  4. I had a challenging time with the puzzle until the answers appeared. Its just the problem with the clues – too arcane for my simple thinking – maybe, probably, certainly – its just me. I did have a good time though and enjoyed the puzzle, especially since it is a Thursday. Toys on laps did not confuse me this time.

    Jeff, I am glad you enjoyed the ghost pepper story. Despite my deep love for piquant, hot food I’ve never tried anything more hotter than Habaneros. I have read that ghost pepper-pickers in Assam, have to wear gloves and masks during the harvesting process – that says a lot in India, where workers don’t wear any protection while handling solid sodium hydroxide pellets ( dry lye) or pouring fuming (100%) nitric acid. I know that from personal industrial experience.

    Its nice to see 26 responses yesterday, but I wish they had been 26 individual separate items on unrelated subjects.

    Re; entering the wrong cars – about 3 months ago, I tried to enter my car, a black Lexus, which has keyless entry and starting ….. and the door would not open …. I thought my all important remote with starter, was out of battery charge …. until I realized, it was an identical car, sunroof, moonroof and all, …. but not mine. I was aghast …. and relieved that no one else noticed. Now I keep a yellow mini umbrella on the passengers seat ….. not that I ever use an umbrella ( even if it rains – ) …. but it is a quick identification of mine own car. It would have been horrible if the door HAD opened …. but the cars generally lock ( and unlock ) automatically – once you exit the car with the remote in your pocket. They will not lock ( even if you force it ) if the remote is left in the car, or even a copy of it, and they will start even if the remote is in the trunk.

    Last week, an old lady, ( older than me, that is – ) banged on my window, at a traffic light, and ordered me to open the side door, and then ensconced herself in the passengers seat, and ordered ( yes ?@#) me to take her to a church bingo game. !! She said her legs felt tired, and she couldn’t afford to spend her winnings on a taxi. I humbly complied. I tell you these senior citizens ( us, excluded – ) are taking over the whole world, by storm …… too many of them. as it is.

    Enough of the corny humor,
    Have a nice day, all.

  5. I forgot TYRA’s name and spelled it TARA.
    That gave me a very strange Lennon song called “OHAOKO” ^0^
    Thanks Bill, for the ELEM explanation. Couldn’t figure that one out.
    FATAL _____ Geez, what kind of virus has FATAL symptoms????
    Ohhh, computer.
    @ Jeff, I don’t know about the girl and the Iguana. ^0^
    As the police were questioning the two brothers, they said she was inside the store.
    I shortened the story yesterday to save you all the details.
    I didn’t call the police right away. I confronted the guy in my car and told him to get out.
    He still had something of mine in his hands and I told him to drop it.
    He said, “It’s mine”
    There was lot of yelling on my part, and then his brother appeared from I don’t know where. The brother was begging me not call the police.
    I had to stall him for awhile because my phone wasn’t on at the time.
    The whole thing was totally bizarre, and I know I should have called 911 right away.
    That’s why I said God is protecting me. And I’m entitled to my opinion.
    About three weeks ago the helicopters were going around my neighborhood.
    I was going out to my car, got in, and saw a guy hiding behind the shrubs in front of the house. I quickly rolled up the window and locked the doors.
    He was the one they were looking for. He ran in front of my car and over to the neighbor’s driveway. I followed him and kept honking over and over. There was a police car going down the cross street so I told them what happened and what he was wearing.
    Later the K-9 officer arrived and the dog bit the guy who was hiding next door. The newspaper article said he had a knife.
    So yes, Mad Anthony God is protecting me.
    Woody Allen is entitled to his opinion, but it’s not mine.

  6. Today’s LAT’s grid seemed pretty straight forward, except for elem which I got on down clues and had no idea what in the heck it meant until I came to Bill’s blog. Thanks, Bill!

    I found the WSJ grid much more difficult and ended up one blank letter (for which I don’t even intend to take a guess on) which means I DNF. D’oh!

    As far as crime and personal experience goes my wife and I were once robbed at gun point in our underground parking garage. Luckily no one was hurt (we had a very calm robber) who actually gave back my wife’s purse when I told him take the wallet but please leave the purse if all he was going to do was toss it. The purse was actually worth more than what was in the wallet. My wife, the purse collector!

    Have a good Thursday all.

  7. @Tony Michaels
    I marvel that you have your own underground parking garage, but as Pookie has wisely advised: Keep it locked!
    Old Henny Youngman line — “Somebody stole my credit card but I didn’t report it because the thief was spending less than my wife was.”

  8. Wow, since we’re on to crime, my cousin recently came home from a trip to the store, to find a homeless man living in her storage area underneath her condo. Apparently the man was very apologetic and walked off. Still. Last year, my neighbor was shopping at the local Safeway when the local PD swarmed the store looking for two people on the lam. She was horrified to find out that she had parked two spaces away from their car. And even more horrified when she saw one of these people draw a gun on the cops, putting a swift and bloody end to his life. She was not allowed to leave the parking lot for over 3 hours, and was taken down for give a deposition. So much for the ice cream.

    As the sergeant on Hill Street Blues used to say, “Let’s be careful out there.”

  9. Fun puzzle, although it took about :30 or :40. This despite not owning a TV and therefore never having seen “Glee” or “Grey’s Anatomy” or “Project Runway”, although I have heard of and know a little about them. Also, never saw “Dance’s With Wolves” or heard “the factor.” Give me geographic questions and I’ll shine.

    I’ve heard “Ulysses” is a very, very long and hard to read book.

    Re crime and keys I’ve was the victim of a motorcycle theft two years ago, which was really traumatic for me. It was a nice Harley but it was ten years old and so I didn’t keep the forks locked like I should have.

    Way back when I was in the service I owned a Kawasaki 500, three cylinder two stroke speedster, and I saw another 500 on base at the PX. On a whim I tried my key, and to my shock, it worked! I decided to sell my bike and get a Triumph Spitfire.

  10. Hi y’all!!
    Good puzzle today, and to me, maybe on the easy side, as Thursdays go. The theme helped: after a while I was able to pencil in TALE not knowing what it would lead to, and my guess was right.
    I feel sure that I read a James Joyce novel once, but I don’t even remember what it was! Shorter than Ulysses I’m sure. Must Google.
    So we learned a bit about our DIRK today! I like when that happens. A no-TV guy, a biker, and a veteran. ☺
    @POOKIE re. opinions: well stated, and glad you stated it.
    Some day I’ll tell y’all MY worst crime encounter.
    For now I’ll say here’s to a great weekend!
    Sweet dreams~~™✌?

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