33 minute read
Guest Columns
GUEST COLUMN Lou Glazer Need for a new economic strategy is clear
At Michigan Future Inc. — the nonpartisan think tank I lead — we believe the once-in-a-generation American Rescue Plan funding should be used to pivot to a new economic development strategy. One with a mission of rising income for all.
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The need for a new economic strategy is clear. In 2019, with a robust economy described by many as the best ever, nearly 4 in 10 Michigan households could not pay for basic necessities. And nearly 6 in 10 Michigan payroll jobs paid less than what a family of three needs to be middle class.
Michigan has a two-tier economy and a two-tier labor market. Our two-tier economy and labor market are prevalent across all of Michigan and across all races and ethnicities. And our two-tier economy and labor market are structural: existing when the Michigan economy is expanding as well as when it is contracting; when unemployment is low as well as when it is high; and when the stock market is booming as well as when it is collapsing.
The prime economic challenge of our time is having an economy that provides family-sustaining jobs — not just any job — so that all working Michigan households can raise a family and pass on a better opportunity to their children.
It is imperative that we fi gure out how you get a capitalism that as it grows benefi ts all. Now is the time for a transformative redesign of our approach to the economy. We need one that starts with changing the defi nition of economic success from a low unemployment rate and a growing economy to one that is based on rising income for all.
Achieving rising income for all requires both raising income of low-wage workers and growing high-wage jobs.
A preponderance of low-wage jobs is structural. Lots of businesses that employ lots of people have business models based on lowwage workers. Neither a strong economy nor a high-prosperity state change the reality that there will be lots of low-wage jobs.
Along with increasing lowwage workers’ income, the state needs to grow high-wage jobs. Every Michigan region needs more high-wage jobs. This is an economy where talent attracts capital. Preparing, retaining and attracting talent must become the centerpiece of Michigan’s economic development strategy.
American Rescue Plan funding o ers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lay the foundation for a transformative redesign of economic policy. Specifi cally, we recommend using American Rescue Plan funds to:
Greatly expand the Earned In-
come Tax Credit. The EITC is pro work and an incentive to go back to work. The pandemic made clear that most of those struggling economically — in good times and bad — are hard-working Michiganders who like us get up every day and work hard to earn a living. What these hard-working, lower-wage workers need most is income, not programs. As an example of doing something substantial, $1 billion annually would expand the average state EITC benefi t to $1,500 from a current average of $150.
Provide an annual government payment, above and beyond current education funding, for each child 0-21 growing up in a non-
affl uent household. We strongly believe Michigan underinvests in its children, particularly its nona uent children. We believe that under investment starts at birth and continues through college. So, we propose Michigan substantially increase its investment in the education of every child growing up in a household struggling to pay for basic necessities each year from birth through college. These payments would be both pro-growth and pro-shared prosperity.
We recommend providing an annual state payment directly to nona uent households for each child from 0-21. Think of this as something that operates like a health savings account where
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MI VIEW WEST Garth Kriewall Michigan journalist, kriewall@hotmail.com
Let’s eat here. They have employees.
GUEST COLUMN
Jennifer Kok Creative solutions for attracting great employees
When was the last time you could say that your business was fully sta ed with the right employees?
For most of you, I bet your answer is, “It’s been so long that I can’t remember.” And you’re not alone. Finding and keeping great employees has been an issue for small business owners for years. And now, as we climb back from the pandemic, it feels like a real crisis.
To attract the right employees requires some creative solutions, such as:
Before you hire, defi ne your
business culture. Employees want to feel like they’re part of a team and culture is listed as one of the top attraction points for employees, so if you want to fi nd great people, you need to defi ne yours. Culture is the personality of your business, the foundation of what matters to you and what you represent. It includes your beliefs, values, behaviors — it’s the infl uence between company and employee and company and customer. Knowing your culture and sharing it transparently in the hiring process is important because it will help you attract higher-quality candidates, become fully sta ed and improve service to your customers.
Hire for soft skills, not just
hard skills. Hard skills are the specifi c knowledge and abilities required for success in a job, such as technology, web development and software-specifi c skills. Soft skills are nontechnical skills that impact your performance in the workplace such as being a team player, communication skills and adaptability. Even though we tend to overlook them, they are the key to attracting the right employees. As you look to attract the right employee, combine which soft skills fi t your culture along with which hard skills are required to perform well in your company. For instance, if nurturing represents your culture, then soft skills would be a person’s willingness to train others or volunteer. You might look for volunteer positions on their resume such as coaching. Of the hard skills you need for the position, which ones are non-negotiable and which skills are you willing to teach? You might have to o er this as a solution to fi nd candidates; being willing to teach new skills just might be a great attraction tool.
Create a modern job post. Oldstyle job postings were a list of hard skills and just stated what the employer wants from their employees. In today’s world, if you want to attract great employees, you need to write a job post that caters to the applicant. To do that, you need to be more creative and create a job post that says what the applicant wants to hear. Paint a story that will attract the right candidate for your business by sharing the culture, the experience or a day in the life that speaks to the soft skills and interests of the applicant, not just the list of qualifi cations you need.
Where to search for em-
ployees. There are many online job-search websites. I suggest googling them and learning their key audience and the industry they cater to. In addition, I recommend you get more personal and creative and fi nd other places to share your openings, like with
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friends and family and on social media. Almost 80% are using social media to fi nd jobs, so it pays to think about the platforms your ideal candidates are hanging out on and share the information there. For example, if you are hiring high school or college-age help, have you thought of creating a TikTok “day in the life of the job?” Utilize avenues such as Facebook Groups, networking groups, chambers of commerce, etc. For example, if you own a restaurant, get active on foodie groups. If you own a dog business, how about local dog-walking groups? Go where your clients hang out; you will fi nd your employees do, too. Utilize your personal social media. I know this can get tricky attracting friends and family that you might not want to employ, but you also just might attract the right person.
I know that fi nding employees can feel daunting in today’s post-pandemic climate and you may feel like you have tried everything. These creative solutions
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Women-owned tattoo parlor aims for safe, inclusive environment
Balm Tattooing specializes in working with survivors of physical and emotional trauma.
Ehren Wynder
ewynder@grbj.com
Three women tattoo artists are branching out from the exclusionary nature of tattoo parlors to create a more welcoming environment for people wanting to decorate their bodies with meaningful work.
Balm Tattooing opened earlier this month at a 1,100-square-foot former barbershop at 1054 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Co-owners Sarah Sun, Tiffany Elmergreen and Emily Kukawka are experienced tattoo artists who met working at a separate shop in town but wanted to branch out and achieve more privacy for themselves and their clients.
“We wanted a place that vibed more with who we are and what our clients are looking for,” Sun said. “We wanted a place that was women-owned … we wanted the vibe of a shop that didn’t feel all super aggressive. We’re not anti-man, but it feels a lot of tattoo shops are very white male-dominated.”
Sun is a former social services worker of almost 20 years — she has been tattooing for five — who has experience working with survivors of physical and emotional trauma. For this reason, she gives priority to customers who have experienced trauma and want a tattoo to commemorate their survival or cover up scarring, although she said she is happy to work with anyone.
“For me, it’s helping folks reconnect with or reclaim parts of their body that were taken from them at some point,” Sun said. “I‘d been getting tattoos since I was 17. I had parents with tattoos, so it wasn’t a big deal. The first time I got a tattoo it felt like, oh man — I had my own problems with trauma — this is my body, so I only get a say in how it’s treated, but I didn’t love my experiences in shops.”
Sun said she is deliberate in creating a welcoming environment, particularly for those who have had negative experiences with tattooists. The company website features photos of the artists and the studio, so customers know where they’re going and who will be working on them. Consent is key, and clients are asked if they have any sensitivity to touch, if there’s a type of music they prefer and other questions before beginning a session.
“I had a client who wanted a burn covered up, and she went into a tattoo shop and the guy said, ‘That is so gross! What did you do?’” Sun said. “She came to me, and I said, ‘No problem, we can’t mask that, but we can change the look.’ She said, ‘I want to feel like I’m a growing garden,’ so I decided to give her flowers. After that, she said, ‘I’m with co-workers, and I feel like I don’t have to cover that part of myself anymore.’”
Each artist has her own unique style, as well. Sun works only in black ink and tattoos in bold, loose lines.
Elmergreen has 10 years of experience tattooing and specializes in American traditional style. Kukawka has been tattooing for six years and utilizes her own unique style with plant and animal motifs.
“Emily has her own cool imaginative style,” Sun said. “She builds up these beautiful lines after lines. She’s just a beast. She creates these entire environments around people’s bodies.”
Balm Tattooing is open by appointment only. At press time, the books are currently closed, but Sun encouraged those wanting to book an appointment to stay connected via the company website, balm tattooing.com, or to follow the company on Instagram @balmtattooing.
“We stay busy, but we post on our Instagram. We open our books and tell people to keep an eye on that,” Sun said. “We don’t want to be mean but we’re all individuals, and we all know what it’s like to work ourselves to death, and nobody wants to do that.”
From left, Sarah Sun, Emily Kukawka and Tiffany Elmergreen opened Balm Tattooing to offer a welcoming environment, especially to those who have had negative experiences at other tattoo parlors. Courtesy Balm Tattooing
A new economic strategy
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24
parents and students have the resources to make their own education spending decisions. Include the option of utilizing those funds for extracurriculars and out-ofschool programming.
As an example of doing something substantial, assuming 1 million children in nonaffluent households, $1 billion a year would provide a $1,000 payment per child.
Provide a state match for regional American Rescue Plan spending on retaining and at-
tracting talent. Our economic development priority should be high-wage job growth. Labor markets are regional, and talent now is what attracts capital. The way to achieve high-wage job growth is by creating regions where high-skill, working-age adults choose to live, play and work.
We propose the state offer matching funds to provide local governments a substantial incentive to use their American Rescue Plan funds, and other new revenue, to develop and implement regional strategies to retain and attract talent. Funding can be used for all modes of transportation; water and sewer; broadband; housing; parks and outdoor recreation; and arts and culture.
Lou Glazer is president of Michigan Future Inc.
Housing-first model improves overall well-being
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
helping consumers understand that they’re the experts in their lives, and we’re here to walk alongside them, for many consumers, this is the first time that they’ve ever had this opportunity and are very excited to be able to start finding housing on their own,” she said. “We offer case management supports to help them with navigating the housing market, with discussing what are your needs and preferences with housing? Where do you want to live? Is there a certain place you want to stay away from? (Helping them with) understanding that we have federal program funds so units must be under fair market rents, and what does that affordability look like for them? And that’s just the beginning piece of that case management service.”
She said the PSH model takes a strengths-based approach that honors consumers and gives them agency, and she believes this report proves it also is successful. If the head of household continues to meet the income and disability thresholds that prevent them from maintaining housing on their own, they can continue in the PSH program indefinitely.
Community Rebuilders has shared the report with Spectrum Health Healthier Communities, as well as with its email subscribers, and Diaz said she hopes the study brings the PSH model to the forefront of people’s minds so that they see there are solutions that have the potential to end homelessness permanently in Kent County.
In the most recently published Point in Time count (2020), Kent County reported 185 chronically homeless people, of which 44 were unsheltered and 141 were sheltered. Thirty of those were chronically homeless sheltered people in households with a minor child, 111 were chronically homeless sheltered people in a household without children and 43 were chronically homeless unsheltered people without children.
“We believe that this can be done, and we believe that having programs designed such as what you see here in this report can help end homelessness in Kent County altogether,” Diaz said.
“We think that this is a recipe for success, but we can’t do it alone. Being able to share data and share the information with the whole community only brings more attention to this critical need of homelessness. Any way that we can have this as a conversation starter or help with additional funding to the cause is critical.”
More information about Community Rebuilders is at community rebuilders.org. The full report can be accessed at bit.ly/PSHreport, and a summary is available at bit.ly/ PSHreportsummary.
Offshore wind could provide double electricity
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17
no perfect answer. It’s sort of balancing the tradeoffs that you see,” Scripps said.
“But I also think that if we’re thoughtful and are willing to have conversations around what are the right spots and what are the wrong spots for ecological or other reasons in advance, we can build a strategy, whether that’s Michigan or across the Great Lakes, that identifies places that might be more suitable,” he said.
Having a plan in place will provide a clearer path forward that builds on supporters of offshore wind, Scripps said.
But those struggles don’t mean offshore wind farms in the region are impossible.
The report said the Icebreaker Wind project in Ohio, set to be completed in 2023, is the only offshore wind project in the Great Lakes region. That partnership between the Lake Erie Energy Development Corp. and Fred. Olsen Renewables will place a wind farm in Lake Erie 8 miles north of Cleveland, according to the corporation.
Dave Karpinski, the president of the Lake Erie Energy Development Corp., said the company won’t build more wind farms because its Icebreaker project is meant to pave the way for others.
“Our vision is that, if this first project can develop, then that will open the door to a competitive market to really come in and let the competitive forces drive down costs and come up with the best solution,” Karpinski said.
Report coauthor Read said, “We know that offshore wind in the Great Lakes is poised to take off, it’s just a matter of states making those commitments and being confident enough in the potential.”
Creative employee solutions
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24
can help you discover new ways to attract the right talent for your business so you can attract higher-quality candidates, become fully staffed and improve service to your customers.
Side gig
Have you thought about hiring the Side Gig Employee? Technology and social media have fueled the side gig phenomenon. What we learned from 2020 is that Americans want to diversify their income. Side hustles or side gigs account for up to 50% of working Americans. Side hustle is when an applicant takes a second job that is not their primary source of income. The average side-hustler earns $200-$1,000 a month. Filling an open position with a few side gig employees might offer a great solution for you to fill a job vacancy and offer flexibility for the employee.
Jennifer Kok runs Next Wave Business Coaching and focuses on helping small business owners. She can be reached at jen@next wavebusinesscoaching.com or by calling (616) 821-9623.
Teaching certification in the state fell 24% from 2013-2017 as inadequate salaries and demanding workloads took a toll. Courtesy iStock
Education students finding tougher road to classroom
Potential teachers balk at costly requirements to join the profession.
Chloe Trofatter
Capital News Service
LANSING — Are teacher preparation programs driving prospective educators away from the field?
Teacher certification in the state fell 24% between 2013-2017, according to a 2020 survey for the Michigan Education Association.
The study also found that more than one in 10 elementary and secondary educators plan to change careers in the next three years.
Lack of respect, inadequate salaries and overly demanding workloads were cited as a few of the top forces driving them out of the field.
Michigan State University students mirrored similar sentiments
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in a 2020 survey about the College of Education’s fifth-year internship program. Interns are placed in school districts to gain student teaching experience and earn their certification.
The need for the survey was sparked by a financial aid meeting for seniors enrolling in the program for the 2021-22 school year.
In it, Olivia Gundrum, a senior secondary education major, was told for the first time the cost of the program: a one-year, unpaid internship — familiarly known as student teaching — alongside a 24-credit course load.
“Suddenly, I realized how expensive the next year of my life is going to be,” Gundrum said.
“Right now, how the program is designed, for a year of your life you’re going to be a full-time student but you’re not going to get a degree, and you’re going to work full time but you’re not going to get paid,” she said.
She expressed disappointment in the cost of the program during the meeting, and administrators told her that they receive the same concerns every year, according to Gundrum.
“This told me that the faculty and administration is well aware that this program is inequitable.”
Michigan Education Association President Paula Herbart said, “One of the roadblocks that keep people from entering education is the high cost of going into education.” The MEA is the state’s largest union of teachers and other school personnel.
Following the meeting, Gundrum and Julia Alvarez, a fifthyear intern, surveyed MSU College of Education students on how they feel about the program and what they’d like to see from the college.
One student said, “This year has made me rethink my decision to become an educator. This is not worth the stress, financial struggle, mental health issues and exhaustion.”
Gundrum said, “What I am hoping is that, through our empowering Spartan educators, we have made it unavoidable to address.”
The survey inspired monthly virtual town halls to give students a chance to speak, said Gail Richmond, who became director of the MSU teacher preparation program last July.
“I appreciate the students for taking the initiative to communicate their concerns,” Richmond said. “Obviously, this is all new to me.”
Richmond said she has focused on relieving the financial strain of the program.
“Can we shorten the program without sacrificing quality? Can we offer more opportunities for advanced degrees?” she said.
Most student teaching internships across the state — like those at Central Michigan University, Hope College and Calvin University — are one semester long during their final undergraduate semester.
The University of Michigan’s program, similarly to Michigan State’s, lasts an additional year after graduation, but students also finish with a master’s degree.
Brittany Perreault, the pres-
Congratulations
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State wants to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Brandon Chew
Capital News Service
LANSING — Industries such as steel, cement, chemical and automotive are working to become more energy-efficient by implementing the use of renewable resources, experts say.
The Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy is cooperating with energy-intensive industries to help them become as energy-efficient as possible and reduce carbon emissions, said James Clift, the department’s deputy director.
The department is responsible for coordinating Michigan’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Carbon neutrality refers to net-zero carbon dioxide emissions.
That cooperation includes construction of electric automotive manufacturing plants.
Those industries don’t get enough attention from environmental groups when it comes to increasing sustainability, Clift said.
“A lot of the climate discussion you get comes from the West Coast and the East Coast where power and transportation seem to dominate the discussion,” Clift said. “But, you think about the industrial heartland of the middle of the country — that is a much trickier area of reduction.”
Automakers in Michigan are focused on incorporating renewable energy into their operations, said Glenn Stevens Jr., executive director of MICHAuto, a trade organization based in Detroit.
For example, General Motors is building an energy-efficient plant in Hamtramck, Stevens said.
“That is a very traditional, old assembly plant that is being converted to build all-electric vehicles,” he said. “So not only will it produce an electric vehicle, it’s being refurbished with sustainability at the top of the chart with respect to how the manufacturing process will occur.”
Manufacturers are exploring new technologies such as waterless paint in an effort to reduce the amount of water used in the manufacturing process, Stevens said.
Experts from other industries also said that continued development of technologies is needed to make them more eco-friendly.
Reducing carbon emissions might require generating larger amounts of electricity, said John Dulmes, executive director of the Michigan Chemistry Council based in Okemos.
“We cannot defy the laws of thermodynamics. Chemistry needs energy,” he said.
Dulmes added: “We do expect that companies will find more energy-efficient ways to generate steam and ultimately electrify their process to make steam. If you’re electrifying steam production at a chemical plant, that means you’re going to need a greater amount of electricity.”
However, while it may be difficult to reduce carbon emissions in the chemical industry nationally, most of the state’s chemical industry centers on producing silicones and plastics, products that Dulmes said don’t require as much energy to make as some others.
The chemical industry also is exploring alternatives to oil and natural gas for its operations, he said.
“With bio-based feedstocks, there is some opportunity to move away from the use of oil and gas as a raw material and to use things like wood, sugar plants, corn,” Dulmes said. “But that presents its own issues of land use and its environmental impact.”
Other industries face a greater challenge in increasing sustainability, as steel and concrete require carbon combustion in their operations.
“About 20% of the cost of making a ton of steel is related to energy costs, and those energy costs are direct natural gas consumption, direct electricity consumption and direct consumption of coal,” said Brett Smith, senior director of government relations for the American Iron and Steel Institute in Washington, D.C.
“Those three energy sources are the lifeblood of making steel, and that’s why we’re energy-intensive, much more so than other sectors,” he said. “You can’t make hardened steel without emitting carbon.”
The iron and steel industry is focusing on increased use of hydrogen, as well as carbon capture practices, but the industry likely will remain very energy-intensive without the development of new technologies, Smith said.
The cement industry faces less of a challenge in becoming more sustainable than the iron and steel industry, according to Dan DeGraaf, executive director of the Michigan Concrete Association based in Okemos.
One way the industry is reducing its carbon footprint is by incorporating limestone into the production process, he said.
Increased use of slag cement that incorporates leftover metals from refined steel production also can increase sustainability, DeGraaf said.
The development of new technologies is needed to reduce carbon emissions in the cement industry, and there is cooperation between the industry and Massachusetts Institute of Technology to create such technologies, DeGraaf said.
For example, new developments include different mixes of cement that leave a smaller carbon footprint, such as those that incorporate limestone, he said.
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Biden administration said it would ease restrictions, but that has yet to happen.
Brandon Chew
Capital News Service
LANSING — During the 2020 campaign, presidential candidate Joe Biden said he would reverse Trump administration policies that limit trade between the U.S. and Cuba. However, the Biden administration has yet to make specific comments about increasing exports to Cuba.
Michigan farmers, especially dry bean farmers, could benefit from higher sales to Cuba, state agricultural organizations say.
The United States has imposed trade embargos on Cuba for most of the period after the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro that ousted President Fulgencio Batista, according to a recent Congressional Research Service report.
“As a result, U.S. shipments to Cuba have remained low, accounting for a fraction of 1% of U.S. agricultural exports in recent years. The United States imports no agricultural products from Cuba,” the nonpartisan agency said.
“Prior to 1960, Cuba was the ninth-largest export market for U.S. agricultural products,” it said.
A bill pending in Congress would lift the trade embargo and other economic provisions that restrict trade with and travel to Cuba. It’s pending in the Senate Finance Committee.
Gary McDowell, director of the state’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said, “Having more normalized trading relations with Cuba could open up a new market, with about 11 million people, for Michigan food and agriculture companies and producers.
“Michigan farmers and exporters see opportunities for products such as dry beans, apples, dairy products and poultry as they are main staples of the Cuban diet, but there could certainly be other products of interest as well if the market was to further open up,” McDowell said.
Poultry meat is the U.S.’s most common export to Cuba, representing 91% of export revenue in 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The second- and third-most common exports were soybeans and corn.
Dry bean farmers in Michigan could greatly benefit from increasing exports to Cuba, said Joe Cramer, executive director of the Michigan Bean Commission, based in Frankenmuth.
“We’re always optimistic that the day is drawing closer that we’re going to be able to do some business down there.” Cramer said. “It’s a big population, it’s a big spot for our product. Ninety miles off the coast of Florida isn’t that far away compared to some places that we ship product to.”
Most Michigan-farmed dry beans are sold either domestically or to consumers in Mexico or Central American countries, he said.
Michigan farmers, especially dry bean farmers, would be eager to tap into the Cuban market. Courtesy iStock
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Companies team up to support electric vehicle recycling
Batteries could be used for renewable power or energy sources.
Chioma Lewis
Capital News Service
LANSING — As electric vehicle demands grow, one focus of concern is how to make them more environmentally sustainable.
A new project by recycling company Battery Solutions and sustainability-focused group NextEnergy aims to make electric vehicle recycling opportunity recommendations to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy by February 2022.
The project is funded by a $50,000 grant from the state department as part of its NextCycle Michigan initiative.
A major part of the project is to build capacity in the state for repurposing and recycling electric vehicle batteries, said Jim Saber, president and CEO of Detroit-based NextEnergy.
The six-stage project will involve cataloging, evaluating and analyzing Michigan’s electric vehicle battery supply chain and infrastructure.
The project also will analyze gaps in electric vehicle battery secondary use and recycling opportunities.
“When you identify those areas within the actual chain that are sometimes a challenge, it provides opportunity for Michigan to enhance its foothold within sustainability,” said Danielle Spalding, director of marketing and communications at Battery Solutions in Wixom.
The downsides to not recycling those batteries are largely environmental, said Thomas Bjarnemark, president and CEO of Battery Solutions, who said people don’t want the stuff to be dumped in landfills or contaminate the environment.
Another downside is the reliance on natural resources extracted from the ground, said Matt Flechter, a recycling market development specialist at Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
Recycling and repurposing will be better for the environment and in how people best manage available natural resources, Saber said.
Bjarnemark said that during recycling, batteries are disassembled into components that can be used to manufacture
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