Zx-777
Members
85
April 2003
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Sep. 13 2003, 3:57 pm |
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What do YOU think about it?  Debate about it here!  Surgeon General's Warning for There
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This game is highly addictive. But it's a good thing to be addicted to. We're addicted to it as well. Lose yourself in There.
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Vikio
Members
627
June 2003
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Sep. 13 2003, 4:17 pm |
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AArgh! There's that argument again! Grr  ... I know many kids under 14. They are all fun, wonderful, and lots of other good things. Young does NOT equal EVIL. It just doesnt. Stupid, often equals EVIL. Sometimes Bored = EVIL. But not Young.
P.S. ~ I'm 18, so thats why I don't like this kind of thinking at all. I'm young too!  See? Troz and me are nice, right? Who else here is young? Can't we all just get along?  Never Knows Best...
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Lynn Minmei
Members
384
Mar. 2003
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I voted No. True Vikio, young does not = evil, but people need to look at the flipside too... people that are in There cannot tell that they may be chatting up a pre-teen and may end up doing some unfavorable things.
Maybe we need a option that says "Yes, with parental supervision" "Life is only what we choose to make it, let's just take it, let us be free...
We can find the glory we all dream of... and with our love... we can win"
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Fury
Members
169
July 2003
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I actually know a 14 year old in the game and he's one of the coolest people I've met so far. He chats with myself and a lot of other older people and he's not in the slightest bit immature. I think in a way, thats discriminating to say that younger people arent allowed. Not all younger people are immature. http://www.darkfury.net/fff.html
Fury
One half of the Evil Video Producer Team
Caldera Sun Times
http://www.calderasuntimes.com
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Duchess
Members
645
Aug. 2003
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I started online when I was around 13. I was lucky tho.. very lucky. I was mature for my age (and acted it LOL).
I'm no much concerned with the "kids" causing problems.. Heck, we have adults who do anyway! 
I'm concerned with the fact that we have zero way of knowing who is a kid and who is an adult. The kids have no "roped off" area for them where parents could feel safe for them to be. A lot of the outfits are sexy and provocative..
I would like to see a special island for the "younger adults". And perhaps their nametags in a slightly different color (when they are given access outside of the kids area by their parents or something). And.. yes, parental controls for the IMs/etc.
Keep the kids safe.
And, heck yeah, keep us "safe".. we don't wanna be flirting with a kid by accident. LOL! A naive girl can be infatuated with a knight,
but only a woman can love the man inside the armor.
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The_White_Light
Members
1111
Mar. 2003
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Well I'm 18 as well (19 in a couple days) and according to her profile, Zx-777, creator of the topic is 11. There's plenty of good young people out there, but they can also be some of the worst. There Catalog
Art
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Zx-777
Members
85
April 2003
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| Quote (Vikio @ Sep. 13 2003, 3:17 pm) | AArgh! There's that argument again! Grr ... I know many kids under 14. They are all fun, wonderful, and lots of other good things. Young does NOT equal EVIL. It just doesnt. Stupid, often equals EVIL. Sometimes Bored = EVIL. But not Young.
P.S. ~ I'm 18, so thats why I don't like this kind of thinking at all. I'm young too! See? Troz and me are nice, right? Who else here is young? Can't we all just get along? |
YES! I'm not dissing anybody underage... Besides,The_White_Light is right! I'm only eleven! There! I admit it! See? I'm more mature than my own FATHER! See? We aren't all bad! But...I still say that the COPPA is screwed.  Surgeon General's Warning for There
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This game is highly addictive. But it's a good thing to be addicted to. We're addicted to it as well. Lose yourself in There.
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Cr3at1ve
Members
91
July 2003
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Im also just 18 years old. I wont be 19 until March.
Im aware that im among some of the youngest people in There. However, my knowledge, and english has yet to be surpassed by some of the adults ive met in There.
When grammar and knowledge isint relevant, its maturity that takes the cake.. and thats where this whole thread comes down to. What is maturity?
Ask yourself. Does maturity come with age? Obviousally not. I am not one to brag, but i usually find myself very kind to others. I treat people the way I want to be treated. Maturity most certinely does not discriminate by age. I do feel, however, you are plauged with immaturity in younger years. Its not everyday you find a kind, honest 11 year old such as Zx-777. I have nothing but kind words for her. There is no certain age maturity is "gained," but is usually found somewhere in your mid to late teenage years. Although not fully mature, you begin to sence your maturity, and begin treating others the way you feel you should be treated.
I hope this point has spread some light on the subject. However, I have not answered the question at hand.
Should There allow "youngins" in?
If they are willing to pay, yes. If they have the funding, I believe they really want to interact, and gain friends in There. There is, indeed, the free trial to be offered. This is going to and easily loophole for griefers to enter. But, use the ignore feature, and within a matter of days, they will get sick and not pay for the game when it comes time.
Just my 2 cents. I type too damn much.
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BOINCer
Members
592
Aug. 2003
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I've seen things on There that are not appropriate for someone under 18. But, many young people have been exposed to movies that are as bad, or even worse. That's a parental issue.
My real concern is for the ones who don't tell you how old they really are. Being an adult I could get into a legal bind saying something to a 14 year old that I've said many times to other adults. Is that fair to us? I played a game of Truth of Dare a few weeks back and the lady organizing the fun asked for our ages. She wanted to make sure we were at least 18 to play the game. As the game progressed I learned why! 'blush
Maybe the Avies for youth should be different. Should they be allowed to dress in sexy outfits without some way of others knowing who they are dealing with? BOINCer, but you may call me Bo
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fs454
Members
150
April 2003
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^^that could be dumb.....first a new kid who wants to try There has to pay about $200 to get all the good features, then is limited to certain things like only certain clothes are available to him/her, and he/she cant get into certain events(well....some can be restricted for them i guess)...but they should be allowed to just blend in like a normal person. I dont mind them as long as they dont act immature and annoying, like some 12 year old kid screaming swears into his mic and greifing people in PB3.
I would think 14+ would be good, since 12 and 13 year olds can SOMETIMES get annoyingly immature.... but then we are leaving out the ones who dont want to be stupid......
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Elijah
Members
304
Aug. 2003
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I think it should be open to anyone and free of censorship...There isn't anything in There thats so "over the edge" that a kid is gonna be tarnished. Theres no sexual acts and no violence, so wheres the problem? There worst thing a "young" person could be exposed to are, the ocassional F#@K, or some virtual cleveage. Start Censoring=Start Ruining.  History is a joke played by the victors on the vanquished in front of an audience that dares not laugh.
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BamaBabydoll
Members
1697
June 2003
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*long sigh*
Ok here goes.... I am a 31 year old mother of 3 beautiful children. My oldest is 10 years old, and in my opinion, not mature enough for a game like this. I must say Zx, your very mature for an 11 yr old.
I voted yes, children under 14 should be allowed to play, but I also think it is at the discretion of the parent. I am the adult here. I determined my son is not mature enough for this game, yet if he were, I would monitor him. I think monitor may not be the best word.
As we had this discussion before, Akia had the best situation as to yet. She "shared" with her daughter the experience, and when it became too heated, she TALKED to her daughter about it. I think there should be more parents out there like that and hats off to you Akia. Hindering a childs growth by setting boundaries TOO strict can be more harming than good, yet allowing them too much freedom can to.
As for my son, until I seehe has matured to a level that he can participate in online activities without portraying the "griefer" role, then he wont be playing it. That isnt to say that there are 11-14 yr olds out there that cannot seek out others online on their maturity level.
That being said, I fear them being taken advantage of....As an adult, I am well aware that there are adults capable of manipulating even the most mature adolescents. You cannot say that you are above this, even the smartest adult can be manipulated. That is where the parents should step in and make sure that the child is protected while playing in any online enviroment. I know there are a lot of ppl in There who have been on the internet for years, dating back to their childhood, and it has made them more alert and "computer savvy". Now I do allow my son on the internet, doing such activities that are fitting to him (nick.com etc). This is just my personal opinion, and as a woman, it is subject to change at least 50 times a day   All hail Queen Mackie!
Subliminal message: The Lair calls, come to Bama...
(passing popcorn  )
Basking in my ignorance, now I am blissfully unaware. It is the best way to lead a drama free life 
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Elijah
Members
304
Aug. 2003
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HAHAHA, Lotta good points Bama, and I agree with you...
| Quote | | as a woman, it is subject to change at least 50 times a day |
<--- Thats a good one, but shouldn't it be, Wemon? History is a joke played by the victors on the vanquished in front of an audience that dares not laugh.
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spyderbytez
Members
221
June 2003
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This game is For Everyone!. . I know someone who is 9 years old.. and has lots of buddies she talks too.. and she seems to blend right in perfectly 
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animalcrossing52
Members
333
Mar. 2003
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i'm gonna get this out of the way: i'm 13.
and i happen to know a 14 year old who isn't immature (except for some rare times).
but, seriously, i know how to build a working computer if i had the right components, and some organization says i shouldn't be allowed on there? geez... You are an Intrepid-class Scout, Starfleet's frontline sentry. You're a bit of an enigma. Your grace and intelligence may go unnoticed, but people rely on you for your insight and ability.
Avatar name in There: Henry_Wu
C program run. C program crash. C programmer quit.
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Droopy
Members
60
June 2003
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I did not vote as I feel there is a biase nature in the voting selections. However, here is my take on it... since so many of you want to know...lol
First off, let me say I am 30, male, married and without childern, as of yet...
There are two issues I see with this particular topic - maturity and safety.
Maturity is not defined by age, I myself as a 30 year old, even matured a bit more as my time has gone on in There. Realatization that there are real people and real emotions at the other end of the avies you see and encounter, is key. Greifers chose to ignore that fact, or worse, just don't care. Greifers could be any age. Chances are, however, because of life experiences, adults are less likey to loose sight of that fact. I say less likely, as we all know that greifers come in all ages. They either lack the maturity of which I speak, or worse lack respect for others.
Saftey, however, is the big concern that I hold. I am not suggesting that the safety of the "teens and under" is the responsibily of those youth. The responsibility lies with There inc and with the parents of those members.
We cannot ignore the fact that adult "predators" exist and that the saftey of the "minors" in There, is the true issue. A minor reading this may feel that they don't have to concern themselves with this, as they are smart enough to protect themselves and would avoid such situations. But, that does not take into account their peers that may not have that knowledge, partental supervision, or maturity to avoid such situations.
I provide no answers to these problems, I just state that they exist. As members of the online community called There, we have to take these facts into consideration and try to address them.
-droopy
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Krysss
Members
61
May 2003
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Put a small line under the name in the tag. That way anyone could see a child in world.
People can pretend to be minors themselves, so the problem is never solved.
Parental supervision is top of the list. The payment option rules out those parents willing to let their little darlings get up to anything unsupervised, and in world a child soon shows up in any conversation.
On a positive note, perhaps kids would LIKE to be able to see other kids, and not bother with us dusty old crumblies? I would love to be able to put an indicator of age on my tag (34) so it was not buried in my profile. Perhaps a beard, walking stick, propensity to have black and white baby photos, miserable dislike of pop music, wheelchair, but I already have a coffin hoverboard!
I have a kid in There, and keep an eye on things more than they know.  Krysss in There, not bothering to post here anymore as all threads seem to get completely off topic within the first page or two....
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kiana
Members
319
June 2003
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I voted no only because of my previous days on TSO. I know not all 14yr olds are little snots but I can tell you this. Most of the 14yr old boys I encountered were definitely too immature to handle a chatroom based game with adults. Either they became money beggers or they were trying to "grow up" too fast if ya get my drift. Then there were the 14yr old females that were playing dangerous games. They too were acting too grown up and trying to swoon older men. The interenet is a dangerous world and there is always some creep on the other side who is trying to take advantage of a younger unexperienced kid. Being a parent myself (although he is only 1) I would never let my child play such a game, not unless they had some kind of parent control to block profanities.
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Nick_Cordone
Members
82
June 2003
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I voted no as well. I'm 19 closing in on 20 and I guess I fall in the age that most people still don't consider an adult but don't really consider a teen either. In most cases maturity DOES come with age and I know that when I was under 14 my levels of maturity were far below what they are now. I also look at it in the sense not so much that I'm worried about kids getting into trouble, but more on the lines of adults getting in trouble. Although it's a virtual world unknowing adults could still find themselves in a legal mess with a minor. I know I've had been in some conversations with my friends in There that if someone under 14 was there...well they'd be getting a crash course education in the next 20 years of their life and I don't think their parents would appreciate it.
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Oz11
Members
444
Sep. 2003
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There are alot of wise things said on here, I'll try not to do a long statement because I feel much of what has been said is all that needs to be.
Its hard to even tell (from a company standpoint) who is over 18 and who is not, as it is now there are people who are under 18 in There all the time, as has been stated, some are mature, some are not. Even if There was to ask for a Credit Card a determined person under 18 could aquire thier parents Credit Card, or ask a irresponsible parent for the Credit Card and use it as they so see fit. Alot of this comes down to the parent side, I know there are alot of busy parents out there who can't watch thier child all the time, but accepting responsibility is part of being a parent. As There becomes more popular we will most likely see more and more people under 18 years of age, and there will be more of them who are there unsupervised. There is no easy way to solve the problem of immaturity (among adults and children), so far the best way is the Ignore feature. This however does not prevent unwitting children from being taken advantage of in dire situations. Many ideas could be imagined to solve issues, a mentor system, a voting of people to vote thier age for all to see, but none of them are without pitfalls and none will solve anything in the longterm. "Don't anticipate outcome," the man said. "Await the unfolding of events. Remain in the moment." - Konrad
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Techzen
Members
281
Feb. 2003
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Sorry but I voted "no" also. I don't think anyone under 18 should be allowed in unless their parents let them in. Why? Because I don't want There to get in trouble. There is based in the US, so US law applies and in the US no one under 18 can enter into a legal contract and be held accountable.
The other reason is because There Inc. told us that There was for 18+ and I believed them. I wouldn't have spent as much time or $ on this place if it was going to let minors in. I get to play and hang out with minors in all the other online games I play. Sometimes it's cool but sometimes I like to retreat to There where I don't have to worry about all the crap that comes with playing a game or being online with minors.
Don't get me wrong, if you are smart enough to get into There, I won't rat you out. Your secret is safe with me.
I have meet many mature, nice, cool and fun underage members in There. But I don't want my 12 y/o son in There. He is mature enough but that doesn't mean I want him exposed to some of the stuff that goes on in There. Yeah he will be exposed to some of this stuff in real life but that doesn't mean I want to expose him to more of it.
When There has some sort of parental controls in place my answer may change. But until that time, every underage member of There could end up taking There away from all of us. Just my 2 cents. 
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Charisma
Members
55
Sep. 2003
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I think all ages should be able to join.
Charisma I live in my own little world, but it's ok.... They know me There!
I hear voices.... and they don't like YOU!
I'm not a b@#$%, I'm just giftedly outspoken!
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Krysss
Members
61
May 2003
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Suggestion..
Adult only areas?
Go there, do ANYTHING you like. Might help keep the creepier ones from cruising in the rest of There. I might get less weird IM's, or flying visits from people who assume I am female because of my name.
Just a suggestion, but I really would not like to see There become strictly 18+ only, because the WHOLE thing would eventually become like the paragraph above once people realised what it was. Krysss in There, not bothering to post here anymore as all threads seem to get completely off topic within the first page or two....
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glissy
Members
628
Aug. 2003
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Again, this is one of those tough issues. Because the law has to play to the lowest common denominator, people like ME who are still 17, get the boot on a lot of things. I pay rent. I pay insurance. I pay my bills. The only thing I don't pay for is grocery shopping for my mother. Other than that, I'm on my own. My cats are just that - mine. I pay the fees. And, anytime I go somewhere and meet new people, they never guess my age. Most assume I'm 20, what with my ability to talk about "depthful" issues like politics or sex. My age is a very annoying hindrance most of the time. I was about to get the job I had been wanting for a long time: a data entry worker for a clinical pathologist at 12 bucks an hour. Perfect for getting the money up for college. But, as soon as we were signing the papers to put me on the payroll, they paused.
"Wait a second.... how old ARE you?"
"I'm 17, ma'am."
"OH NO! How could... ARGH. We can't hire under 18! We really need you, and you were the most qualified person we've interviewed!"
"Ah. That's my luck, then." :/
Also, a lot of my favorite clubs have recently upped the age limit to 18, so now I'm stuck from having a good time. So, not only does my age limit my progress, but it limits my happiness half the time. If only there was a way that the world could judge people by maturity levels... but sadly enough, it's just not feasible or even possible.
Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't protect children, but censoring things and putting an age cap on the game would be yet another letdown to several people. I'm sure through more discussion, someone will have an ingenius solution. -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
GO d--- s-:- a--- C++ u? P L+ e- W++ N+ o-- K- w++
o? M-- v? PS+++ PE- Y+ PGP-- t+ b? x-- R+ tv+ b++ DI+ D+
G e* h r++ x**
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
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Virtual_Vikki
Members
113
Aug. 2003
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I got a nice message from There a while ago talking about kids and it mentioned that There for kids (or a verison for kids) was in the works for sometime next year. I am very curious as to how that would work, but I bet it ties into the upcoming access/user controlled islands. I can't wait to see how it is implemented.
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BamaBabydoll
Members
1697
June 2003
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Wow Vikki, interesting...I am with you, cant wait to see how that works. Reckon my `10 yr old may get to play now? He wants an avie so bad, he loves watching me on my bike, but I have given him the resounding "No, I dont think your mature enough"..... All hail Queen Mackie!
Subliminal message: The Lair calls, come to Bama...
(passing popcorn )
Basking in my ignorance, now I am blissfully unaware. It is the best way to lead a drama free life
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pinkpanther
Members
118
Sep. 2003
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I think that they should have a time limit on them so they can injoy the fun yet after Particular hours the adults will have it to themselves with out the bother of having to watch out what we say or do ... just my thoughts.  Life is what you make of it, take chances, be honest, laugh at yourself, and enjoy every moment.
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Troz
Members
1270
July 2003
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Sep. 14 2003, 7:08 pm |
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| Quote (Vikio @ Sep. 13 2003, 3:17 pm) | AArgh! There's that argument again! Grr ... I know many kids under 14. They are all fun, wonderful, and lots of other good things. Young does NOT equal EVIL. It just doesnt. Stupid, often equals EVIL. Sometimes Bored = EVIL. But not Young.
P.S. ~ I'm 18, so thats why I don't like this kind of thinking at all. I'm young too! See? Troz and me are nice, right? Who else here is young? Can't we all just get along? |
WOW! I'm gone for three days and all these good new topics spring up! Vikio's right, young does not necessarily equal evil. We're both 18 and I think we're pretty well behaved (well, not when I'm around Bama  ). Little kids can be annoying, but remember, you were all once little annoying brats too!
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BamaBabydoll
Members
1697
June 2003
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| Quote (pinkpanther @ Sep. 14 2003, 6:07 pm) |
I think that they should have a time limit on them so they can injoy the fun yet after Particular |
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