August 23 - 30, 2021 Vol. 29 No. 33
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Arts & (Home) Entertainment
We are replacing our usual calendar with virtual events and recommendations from StreetWise vendors, readers and staff to keep you entertained at home!
SportsWise
The SportsWise team discusses the White Sox and Cubs.
Cover Story: 29 & still Fine!
StreetWise celebrates its 29th anniversary by asking our vendors how they have become wiser over the past year.
The Playground THIS PAGE: StreetWise Vendor Lester Cherry stands on an empty State Street during the pandemic (Kathleen Hinkel photo).
Dave Hamilton, Creative Director/Publisher
dhamilton@streetwise.org
StreetWiseChicago @StreetWise_CHI
Suzanne Hanney, Editor-In-Chief
suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com
Amanda Jones, Director of programs
ajones@streetwise.org
Julie Youngquist, Executive director
jyoungquist@streetwise.org
Ph: 773-334-6600 Office: 2009 S. State St., Chicago, IL, 60616
LEARN MORE AT streetwise.org
DONATE
To make a donation to StreetWise, visit our website at www.streetwise.org/donate/ or cut out this form and mail it with your donation to StreetWise, Inc., 2009 S. State St., Chicago, IL 60616. We appreciate your support!
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ARTS & (HOME) ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Since being stuck inside, which shows have you been watching? Which movies? Have you read any good books lately? Any new music releases have you dancing in your living room? StreetWise vendors, readers and staff are sharing what is occupying their attention during this unprecedented time. To be featured in a future edition, send your recommendations of what to do at home and why you love them to Creative Director / Publisher Dave Hamilton at dhamilton@streetwise.org
Tasty!
Taste of Greektown The Greektown Chamber of Commerce brings back this popular street festival to Halsted Street between Adams and Van Buren. In this 31st annual event on August 27 - 29, guests will have ample opportunity to visit with local vendors and artists, listen to live music, and most importantly, eat delicious food! Taste of Greektown celebrates local flavors from neighborhood restaurants including 9 Muses Bar & Grill, Artopolis Bakery, Cafe and Agora, Athena Restaurant, Mr. Greek Gyros, and Spectrum Bar & Grill. Admission to the festival is free, with a recommended $5 donation. Because event hours vary each day, visit greektownchicago.org for more information and to plan your visit!
Accessible Opera!
(HOME) ENTERTAINMENT
Sunday in the Park with Lyric’s Rising Stars This Sunday, enjoy a summer evening outdoors with live music performed by artists from the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center and members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra. Conducted by Lyric’s new music conductor, Enrique Mazzola, this musical celebration is part of the larger Chicago in Tune citywide music festival spanning multiple weeks and many stages. The performance will begin at 6 p.m. on Sunday, August 29, at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.) so bring a blanket and snacks to the Great Lawn and enjoy the concert for free with family and friends! More information about this performance is available at lyricopera.org/shows. To see information and a schedule for Chicago in Tune, visit the Department of Cultural Affairs and Social Events page at chicago.gov.
Art Fest!
Edgewater Arts Festival Sponsored by the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce, Edgewater Artists in Motion presents this annual street festival to celebrate the rich local arts scene. From 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. on August 28 and 29, guests can enjoy music, food, and beverages while visiting 80 local artists’ booths. The festival also includes a kid-friendly area, making this event perfect for the whole family! Edgewater Artists in Motion is always looking for volunteers to help run this community-conscious festival. To sign up to help, or to just learn more about the event and the organization that makes it happen, go to edgewaterartists.com/arts-festival.
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Free Dance Show!
A Deeply Rooted Evening for Chicago’s Healing: 'Goshen' (preview) "Goshen" is the story of the Exodus — it brings together gospel music, dramatic narrative, and dance, in a joyous celebration that is both musical and spiritual. This particular performance is a collaboration between many renowned artists and organizations, including Grammy Award-winning producer, composer, and gospel artist Donald Lawrence, gospel singer Le’Andria Johnson, The Tri-City Singers, Zeke Locke & The NuXperience, and Deeply Rooted Dance Theater. The preview will be performed at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St. General admission seating on the Great Lawn is free! August 25, 7:30 - 9 p.m. For more information about the show and ticketing options, visit deeplyrooteddancetheater.org/performances/healing-goshen.
Clean it Up!
Adopt-a-Beach Clean-up with Alliance for the Great Lakes This September Adopt-a-Beach program is turning 30 years old and there’s no better way to celebrate than by giving back to the community and the environment. On Saturday, September 18, thousands of volunteers around Chicago will be banding together to help clean up litter and plastic pollution along Lake Michigan, and it doesn’t end there. They are just some of the millions of volunteers cleaning up shorelines worldwide in the International Coastal Cleanup. Visit adopt.greatlakes.org to find a clean-up team near you! If there’s nothing that works for you, the website also has options to help you establish your own clean-up team and location.
Iconic Vehicles!
RADwood Chicago RADwood Chicago is the Midwest installation of this showcase of the automotive lifestyle of the '80s and '90s. The whole event is '80s- and '90s-themed, so throw on your favorite clothes from either decade and then come on down to see cars, trucks, and bikes that capture the essence of the era. Attendees are also encouraged to bring along rollerblades or BMX bikes of their own and take part in the action! General admission is $15 for kids and $20 for adults, with varied rates if you wish to register a vintage car yourself. Tickets are available on the RADwood Chicago eventbrite page. The festivities will be 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. on August 28, at the Waldron Parking Deck, 458 E. 18th Drive.
One-Two Step!
SummerDance in the Parks The Chicago SummerDance in the Parks performance series is presented by the Chicago Park District. On select dates throughout the rest of the summer, local parks will be hosting pop-up dance events where dancers of all ages and skill levels can participate in interactive activities and lessons with professional instructors followed by live performances. August 25's event will teach the Steppin' style of dance in Ogden Park, 6500 S. Racine Ave., with music from DJ Mellow Khris and dance instruction by Majestic Gents. Activities begin at 4:30 p.m., dance instruction begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by dancing and live music, so come on out, get active, and engage with your local community! Learn more on the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events page at chicago.gov.
Street Art, Literally!
Chalk Howard Street On Fridays through October 1, this vibrant and colorful street festival is coming to Howard Street at Jarvis Square (between Ridge and Sheridan). Come see 3D chalk art by professional artist Nate Baranowski, and while you’re there, stay for music, shopping, and international cuisine! Participating businesses include Charmers Food & Floral Cafe, Anto, Good to Go Jamaican Cuisine, I’m Soul Hungry, Howard Street Brewing, The Recyclery, Legacy Barber College, and the Factory Theater. Admission to the festival is free, so bring your family and friends to this outdoor celebration of art and community presented by Howard Street Chicago. Learn more at howardstreetchicago.com/chalk-howard-street.
Gallery Visit!
Waterbodies The end of this immersive art gallery experience is soon approaching. Before it closes on August 31, be sure to make an appointment to view Amanda Lilleston and Lisa Matthias’s relief print series, which merges art and biology. Presented by Spudnik Press Cooperative, Lilleston’s work layers depictions of human biology with botanical images, while Matthias’s prints are slightly more abstract, based on microscopic images of algae and other aquatic life. Both aim to explore the interconnectedness between humanity and the natural environment that surrounds it. The gallery at 1821 W. Hubbard St. #302 is open 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is free, but guests must call ahead. Email info@spudnikpress.org to make a reservation. To read more about the gallery and the artists, visit spudnikpress.org -Compiled by Audrey Champelli
www.streetwise.org
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Vendors Russ Adams, John Hagan and Donald Morris chat with Executive Assistant Patrick Edwards.
Russ: Let’s talk baseball; specifically, the White Sox and Cubs. A lot has happened this year that is worth discussing. Donald: Shoot, the Cubs firesale, the White Sox beating the mess out of everybody… What’s really going on! John: I mean, the sale wasn’t shocking in the sense that keeping all those players wouldn’t mean playoffs by any means. The Cubs were in the hunt early, but crashed hard.
SPORTSWISE
Patrick: All that friggin’ talent. Man, we had a dynasty brewing. We should have— or, at the very least, could have—won multiple championships since winning in 2016. I get you, though, with the whole they-weren’t-going-to-win-this-year sentiment whether we kept those players or not, but it is still shocking when you name the names. Donald: Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, and… Patrick: …my dude Kris Bryant, who never quite reached the summit I thought he would, but I always thought he would get a hit. Always. John: Rizzo was mine. I think I liked that he always smiled while out there.
Russ: He was loose out there. He kinda reminded me—and still does —of Babe Ruth. Patrick: I, easily, can see him barhopping around Wrigleyville, celebrating with the fans, win or lose. Donald: I’ll miss those cats. But, in the meantime, I’m rolling with the White Sox. These boys are blasting through the league! I mean, they’re a legitimate championship contender and, in my opinion, the team to beat. I’m so looking forward to the playoffs. John: Agreed. We could be parading somewhere in Chicago in October. Patrick: Hopefully, we’ll be better with COVID-19 and could have a real parade and not a virtual one…even though we’d still have to make some personal decisions with our attendance.
Russ: True that. I believe we got this one as well. Right now, we’re 20-plus games over .500 and looking as if we’ll double that by the end of the season. Shoot, I might start getting my Sox gear ready to go!
Sox until the AL finals, because—and this is just between us, all right?—I am, admittedly, a Yankees fan as well. I can’t help it. Russ: Man, you ain’t right.
Patrick: So, who do y’all think could get us over in the American League?
Donald: The sad thing is, I hope we don’t get them too early, because the Yankees are winners. Now, don’t get me wrong, my money is still on our Sox, but I’d be a bit worried.
John: The Tampa Bay Rays are looking real good. The Red Sox and, of course, the Yankees are never not a factor.
John: Another team I’m worried about is the Houston Astros. They’ve been consistent in recent years and aren’t accustomed to losing.
Donald: True. If the Yankees make it, we all know what they can do once in there.
Patrick: I think we got this, fellas. Chicago is where it’s at this year.
Russ: You’re right. They just win. Shoot, it’s what they do.
Any comments or suggestions? Email pedwards@streetwise.org
Donald: Mine is already laid out across the bed.
Patrick: Well, I hope they don’t go up against the White
COVERSTORY
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On August 24, 1992, the first edition of StreetWise, the newspaper, hit the streets of Chicago. Because of your support for StreetWise and our vendors, more than 14,000 Chicagoans have gone from being beggars to being microentrepreneurs through the sale of StreetWise Magazine. Since 1992, vendors have sold more than 19 million copies of StreetWise, putting more than $15 million in the hands of those with the most need. Selling StreetWise Magazine is a hard job that requires consistency, dedication, and investment on the part of vendors. When you purchase the magazine and take the magazine, you are giving a hand up to someone committed to changing their path. This rings true now more than ever as we are slowly emerging from the grips of the pandemic. The sudden job loss when StreetWise had to halt street sales could have been devastating. The sudden loss, sudden change, and sudden shift to a new normal, is well, normal for many of our vendors. They are resilient, resourceful, and innovative in how they manage the systemic and situational barriers to their success. But the entrepreneurial spirit remains strong. And because of you, WE ARE STILL HERE! Your support for the magazine vendors means that:
125 StreetWise vendors were able to maintain their businesses once street sales returned. Sales of StreetWise Magazine returned to pre-COVID sales levels in June. Don (pictured) was able to come back to sell StreetWise while he was looking for a new job after losing his just before the holidays. StreetWise has been a trailblazer in providing low-barrier, entrylevel income-earning opportunities for some of the most economically marginalized. With each magazine purchase, you have an impact on the lives of each vendor at StreetWise.
Julie Youngquist Executive Director
Kimberly Brown
I have worked for StreetWise and I come to work every day and I come on time. I also got a second job and I am enrolled in a job training program. I just got my certificate in janitorial and I am also going for my culinary certificate as a professional cook. I accepted Christ at an early age and I go to church every Sunday. I am very well educated. I went to college. I don’t drink or fornicate. I volunteer more at church (help serve food and with the clothing giveaways) in the last two years. I am a good mom. I have a daughter and take care of her, give her an allowance and helped her get a summer job. I have an email address and a resume.
Another Anothe
To celebrate StreetWise's we ask our vendors how t Compiled by Suzanne Hanney
Percy Smith
John Kidd
Each year that God allows me to live another year, my experience with life has taught me more and more wisdom. My ups and downs, how I handle situations, how I look at life. I don’t look at life like I used to look at it when I was 21 years old because I am almost 65. I look at life as, it is what it is. What I put into it is what I will get back out of it. I do try to do a good deed every day as far as treating people nicely, being kind to people. I just treat people like I would want them to treat me.
Last year was a strain on many people, especially myself. I had learned from selling StreetWise magazine how to maintain my financing. Things got very hard. I had to really dig deep inside myself to find out about food pantries, organizations where I could get help with just living situations, like the light bill, other things that I needed. I saw a new strength in people. If I didn’t have a mask, people would give me a mask; if I had a mask, I would give them a mask. People really started to come together more. The riot thing didn’t help, people tearing up Chicago. That was a kind of ignorance I already knew from living. The issue they were rioting about is old, goes back to the 60s, but it was great that they were thinking about it, though. People are feeling like they have to protect themselves from the people who are supposed to serve and protect them. George Floyd, [for example] what was that about? But the destruction was unnecessary. Seeing all these things. It’s definitely a new world. You can’t even recognize people with the masks.
r Year Older er Year Wiser
29th anniversary, they have grown over the past year
www.streetwise.org
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James Metzgar
The best thing that happened to me in the past year since I have gone back is for the first time, I got a $100 tip after being off three or four months. I never got that big a tip prior to that time. The main thing that made me wiser was, I learned how I was able to cope. I was a little more frugal as far as my money. Also, to relieve the boredom when I was at home, I did things I would often not find time to do before, [like] special cleaning of my apartment, to play solitaire with myself, to do more reading than in the past. Especially, too, when I thought I was going to be off, I wondered how I was going to cope. I got a check from the government. I also had gotten a check from having worked in the polls for the March primary. I didn’t opt for the general election [in November]. I decided to leave it to the younger people because that was before the vaccine was distributed. It was wiser as a senior citizen to have opted out. I hope I can go back to it.
Dean Smith
I try not to take anything for granted anymore. Even the little things I try not to take for granted anymore. It’s been crazy. A lot of people take a lot of things for granted. They want to complain and moan. Man, turn on the world news. There’s a lot of people suffering, even before this pandemic. People just turning their water on. I can go out and can go in, open my refrigerator. It’s easy to get complacent and take these things for granted until you have them taken away from you.
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Russell Adams
Robert Lee Pope Jr.
Thank you, everybody for supporting StreetWise. I have gotten wiser. Times like this I didn’t have money saved up, nothing to fall back on. I was just fortunate my customers came through for me, helped me out a lot. So I got wise on that. Save you some money, because you never know what you are going to go through in life. My girlfriend had breast cancer, she came through OK. She beat it. Six months. I haven’t been able to work too many hours like I want to, but I am doing OK. I am glad to get back, though I am not 100 percent, downtown is not busy yet, but I am still working my same location, because I will build it back up. I think positive; when I say I am going to do something, I do it. I have a master plan.
I learned it is wiser to have taken the virus shot than not to have taken it and to be more protected by taking the shot.
Tyrone Phillips
I have gotten wiser through StreetWise. It has landed me with a good-paying job and sort of keeping me in the right direction. By working hard and doing my best to please my customers, my donations, my contributions [have become] a good thing.
Sam Sanders
With COVID, social distance, it seems like people have gotten more courteous since we reopened. People seem to respect or feel other people’s opinion, to have a lot of empathy for other people. So do I. Social distance, the mask is here to stay, whether the variant goes down or what have you in the psyche of people’s minds. I have a greater appreciation for the StreetWise customers and I love Venmo. That’s a wise decision on StreetWise’s part.
www.streetwise.org
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Danny Davis
It’s nothing bad about it but it’s nothing good too. I happen to be a diabetic. I’ve had one and a half of my toes amputated. I’m still healing. I never knew that a diabetic ulcer would be on the heel of your feet or at your toes. Now I know that a diabetic ulcer is what it is and it’s not a good thing to have when you have diabetes. You must take care of yourself. So that’s how I’ve gotten wiser, knowing how to take care of myself with diabetes because it’s nothing to play with and you must take care of your health. If I hadn’t gotten wiser with this, I might not be standing here talking to you because I would have lost one of my feet. So you guys have a nice day. Thanks for StreetWise. That’s why I’m here.
John Hagan
I don’t know about wiser, maybe, but in a different kind of way. I learned how to connect more with the people in the neighborhood. Learned how to know people personally. The best thing that has happened is [I am] more friendly with the pets in Lincoln Square. I learned how to talk with the pets and say hi to them. That helped me psychologically, made me happier, made me enjoy myself more while I’m out there if I don’t sell magazines. Even downtown, when they are coming back, they don’t want to talk to you. I liked the dogs and they connected me to the people.
A. Allen
I have learnt a lot from being a StreetWise vendor.
In the beginning, it was all about social skills and relating to the public. For example, being polite, kind and respectable, even when people say no to buying the magazine. Then I learned that people are the most important beings in the world. Developing a relationship with my customers is all so gratifying and satisfying. It’s all about people interacting with each other. I could go on and on about the things I’ve learned from StreetWise, but to sum it up, this year I’ve learned to be responsible and accountable for my actions. I’ve gotten so many traffic tickets in the mail and on my car. I decided to pay more attention to the law and to follow up in going to court and/or paying my tickets. It's been a blessed year through it all. I learned to appreciate it all.
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Bessie Salter
Another vendor was trying to outdo me and take over the spot I have had for years. Competition sometimes can be better for you because it gives you more of a drive, more of an incentive. Sometimes you don’t feel like going out, but because the competition is there, you’ll push your way and get more energy. I started buying more magazines and was able to get to my spot more often. They elevated me and I took back my location.
Oluwaseun Arije
I was able to understand what the customer wants and what they don’t want. How to attend to the customers’ needs. What they are into and what they are not into. What is a good time, when the mood is right, for some of the people to buy a magazine and when is not a good time for them to buy a magazine. Rain or shine, I’m able to just really let people in the neighborhood know what we are doing as far as StreetWise. I am able to put a smile on their faces and make 'em laugh, even if they’re not interested in a magazine. Sometimes, they’re in a negative mood and just need a little bit of cheering up.
Jacqueline Sanders
Not to trust the wrong person and to work the system in my favor. I learned how to make more money on the weekend selling StreetWise, when there’s more people. I sell all over.
www.streetwise.org
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Meet
Paula Green
Celebrating her 1-year anniversary at StreetWise Hi! My name is Paula Green and I have been at StreetWise for almost a year now. I sell magazines on Clark and Wilson, sometimes in Roscoe Village, and I really like my locations. I was homeless with my children, had no money, and nowhere to go. We were living with friends and relatives here and there. Once, I was jumped in the street and that’s when Lee Holmes, Keith Hardiman, and my brother Murry convinced me to come to StreetWise. I finally came reluctantly, but I really liked the people and the environment. When I started selling I was afraid people would ignore me, or not like me. It took me time until I decided I was going to be a ‘big girl’ and get out there. Since then, I have become more successful. I now love coming to StreetWise. I love seeing everyone here. They are like my family and help me do good things. I want my customers to know that I have come a long way. My business partner and I are trying to open a business; we have a new place to live and are working on doing a lot of things for ourselves. Thank you for helping me and please keep helping me strive to do bigger and better things.
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Streetwise 8/8/16 Crossword
Sudoku
To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.
©2016 PuzzleJunction.com
55 Mangy mutt 56 Dollar rival 58 12th President of the United States 60 Dubai dignitary 62 In perfect condition 64 Nobility 65 Tokyo, once 66 Insurable item 67 Tempo 68 After expenses 69 Kind of alert 70 ___ and sciences
2 Daughter of 36 Not on the King Minos level 3 Old Chinese 38 Limerick money 39 Pelvic parts 4 Outfit 40 Pitch or tar, 5 Hallucinogen e.g. 6 Corrida cries 41 On a horse 7 Force 44 Dereliction 8 Poppy product 45 Brushes aside 9 ___ Baba 46 Travel options 10 Hypothetical 47 Confront continent 48 Courtyard 11 Energized open to the 15 Buenos ___ sky 18 Ripens 51 Cougars 20 Fold 53 Paperlike 22 Dusk to dawn cloth 26 Hodgepodge 57 “I’m ___ your 28 Kind of tricks!” Down monkey 59 Orbital period Copyright ©2016 PuzzleJunction.com 1 Student’s 30 Wrap 61 Go bad 32 Of an arm bone 63 Dress, maybe worry
Copyright ©2016 PuzzleJunction.com
©PuzzleJunction.com
lastSudoku week's Puzzle Answers Solution
Solution
Sudoku Solution
PuzzleJu
Crossword Across 1 Cried 5 Swain 9 In a fog 14 Super berry 15 Legal claim 16 Varnish resin 17 Medley 19 Yellowstone creature 20 Curling surface 21 Diminutive 22 Asian capital 24 Marks in Spanish class 26 Buffeting 29 Went nowhere 30 Pakistani material 31 Likewise 32 Barker 33 Jellied delicacy 34 Diner 62 Anatomical sac 36 Attentiveness 63 Exuberance 39 San ___, Tex. 64 Initial stake 42 Can you dig 65 “Peer Gynt” it? dramatist 43 Photos 66 Split apart 47 Cambodian 67 Despicable coin 48 Illuminated Down 50 Burgundy 1 Forest denizens grape 2 Conservation51 Portly ist’s concern 53 Religious 3 Kneecap mystic 4 Restaurant 54 Begins to heat calculation up 5 Music genre 55 Deli sandwich 6 Leprechaun’s 56 Accelerator land bit 7 ___ Lingus 57 Dagger mark 8 Concord 59 Fortune 9 Frenzied, out of predictor control
©2016 PuzzleJunction.com
10 11 12 13 18 23 25 26 27 28 30 33 35 37
38
For all to hear Water softener German river Pass on Overdue City south of Salem Look closely Withdraw Neighbor of Swed. Nation, in Hebrew Hula hoop? Self-interest Lukewarm Dalmatian coast almost extinct language Duchamp contemporary
39 Havana residue 40 Born 41 Rodents 44 Hoosier State 45 Companions 46 Straphanger 49 Perfume sampler 50 Short shot 52 Ballroom dance 53 Towhead 55 Fiber source 57 Sapporo sash 58 Insolent term of address for a boy or man 60 Black and tan ingredient 61 Subway alternative
Find your nearest StreetWise Vendor at www.streetwise.org
How StreetWise Works
Our Mission
Orientation Participants complete a monthlong orientation, focusing on customer service skills, financial literacy and time management to become a badged vendor.
Financial Literacy Vendors buy StreetWise for $0.90, and sell it for $2. The profit of $1.10 goes directly to the licensed vendor for them to earn a living.
Supportive Services StreetWise provides referrals, advocacy and other support to assist participants in meeting their basic needs and getting out of crisis.
S.T.E.P. Program StreetWise’s S.T.E.P. Program provides job readiness training and ongoing direct service support to ensure participants’ success in entering the traditional workforce.
THE PLAYGROUND
To empower the entrepreneurial spirit through the dignity of self-employment by providing Chicagoans facing homelessness with a combination of supportive social services, workforce development resources and immediate access to gainful employment.
Solution
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