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July 28, 2011

Exterior Shutters For Security And Lighting Purposes

When you want to add style to your house, one way of doing this and adding security at the same time, is by having window shutters fixed to the exterior of your house. Exterior window shutters add a traditional, Mediterranean look to a property. These days, most houses have glass windows, but before that, people used shutters to regulate the light levels, prevent insects and the cold from entering and for protection.

Exterior window shutters are available in many different shapes and made from various materials, although the most common ones are wooden and oblong. The quality of the materials used will influence how long your shutters will last, because, as with all exterior goods, they will be exposed to all forms of extreme weather conditions.

Plastic, vinyl, metal and wooden shutters are available at many home improvement centres. Although they look fantastic, shutters also have practical uses. They can prevent glaring noon sunlight from over heating your home as well as offering protection.

Cedar wood is a good choice, as are most other hard woods. Hardwoods are more resistant to rain and sunlight and, so long as they are painted, varnished or oiled regularly – at least once a year – then your shutters will give you ten or more years of effective service.

Most varieties of hardwood are very resistant to attack from insects too. This is because a lot of them contain oils that are repugnant or even toxic to insects. However, if you are unsure about the quality of the timber that your shutters are made from, you can paint them.

Painting, staining or oiling is far simpler if you carry it out before you hang the shutters. If you want to use oil to take care of your new wooden shutters, first stain them to the colour that you want them to be with a stain without varnish. When you have accomplished the desired shade and it has dried, pour oil linseed oil onto a cloth and rub it into the wood in circular motions. The more coats you give it the better, but it may not take more that two or three coats.

If you want to varnish your shutters, either stain them to the colour you require as above and then seal them with clear yacht varnish or use a stained yacht varnish without the stain. Whichever way you go, thin the first coat of varnish down until it is almost watery. Paint it on and leave to dry. Rub it down with medium coarse sandpaper and then coat it again with neat varnish. Wait for it to dry and sand it down again, but with fine sandpaper. Add at least one more coat, but it is a matter of the more the better.

If you want to paint them, apply a primer or some thinned down undercoat. Wait for it to dry and sand it lightly with fine sandpaper. Next, put on a coat of undercoat that is appropriate for the finishing colour. For example, grey is good for black, brown and even green or red. Sand it down when it is dry with fine paper. Finally, gloss your shutters with the final colour.

In conclusion, hang the shutters on appropriate hinges using brass screws. Next time, you paint or varnish your shutters paint over the screw heads, although brass never looks out of place anyway.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on several subjects, but is at present involved with researching wrought iron floor lamps. If you would like to know more or check out great offers, please go to our website at Wrought Iron Light

July 20, 2011

How To Use Lighting To Create Atmosphere And Save Money

There is no doubt that lighting has the biggest influence on atmosphere and. Subtle lighting in a bedroom or at an cozy dinner creates a romantic ambiance; bright, purposeful lighting in the office or kitchen shows that you mean business; dimmed lighting in the living room creates a calming atmosphere in which to watch a film or read a book.

Understated, back lighting behind flowers or a waterfall leads to a magical atmosphere, whereas severe floodlights turned on by a motion sensor would freeze most intruders in their tracks.

Getting the lighting wrong can have a seriously unfavourable effect on any room or occasion. Imagine a romantic dinner for two by candlelight and then imagine it by a naked 100 watt bulb hanging from the ceiling or a fluorescent tube.

It is said that the average household can save at least twenty-five percent on its electricity bills by using lighting more effectively and therefore more efficiently. More importantly, you could save more than sixty percent, if you swap from the normal incandescent light bulbs to high-output compact fluorescent lights. Sixty percent is a massive saving for you, your country and your planet.

Here are some of the ways that you can achieve savings on the energy you currently expend on lighting.

Make the addition of dimmers wherever you use lighting. You can put a touch lamp dimmer into the wiring of any lamp, so that when you touch it, it changes from low, to medium, to high, to off. You will be surprised how often you will lower the light once you are able to, particularly in the case of desk or table lamps and standard floor lamps.

In a similar vein is the touch switch that you can utilize to control lighting that traditionally hangs from the ceiling. You will be able to turn down the lights in any room and on the patio or deck too.

Photosensitive devices turn whatever they regulate off or on when the sun comes up. This is useful if you have motion-activated anti-intruder lighting. There is absolutely no need for it in the daytime, but you do not want to have to remember to switch it off in the mornings and reactivate it every night either.

Another use could be to turn the fishpond fountain off when it gets dark. All of these photosensitive switches can have over-ride switches too. These photosensitive devices will virtually half the cost of running the systems to which they are attached.

It is very easy to make fairly substantial savings if you put your mind to it. Just rearranging your furniture to take maximum advantage of natural light can help a lot too. Sitting near a window or in the garden to read the newspaper is far better than having to switch the kitchen light on to read it in there.

In the evening it is better to turn off all the main lights in the living room if you are watching television or reading a book and place one standard floor lamp just to one side behind you. It is sufficient to read by or to save your eyes from the strain of watching TV in the dark.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on several topics, but is at present involved with researching wrought iron floor lamps. If you would like to know more or check out great offers, please go to our website at Wrought Iron Light

May 1, 2011

Why You Should Use Contemporary Fine Art In Your Hotel Decor

Businesses of all types have come to understand that contemporary fine art makes great, yet inexpensive decor and the lighting required to illuminate them is useful for lighting corridors too. Hospitals, hotels, airports, restaurants and bars are jumping on the band wagon too.

There are all types of paintings and objets d’art, so many in fact that you will always be able to find something to fit in with whatever style of decor that you have. You can use contemporary fine art to give bare walls an interest and to keep people interested while they are waiting for something to transpire.

For example, contemporary fine art displayed in a restaurant will stop diners from becoming bored while they are waiting for their meal. Contemporary fine art in a bar will give solitary travellers something to do while they are passing an hour or two in your business. Similarly for hospital patients, looking at contemporary fine art might help relieve nervousness and stress.

Hotels and Guest Houses.

When people come to check in, you want to offer a warm, yet stylish appearance to them. Many hotel guests travel alone and spend time sitting in the lobby to pass their evenings or weekends. An interesting display of contemporary fine art will keep them interested for hours.

Put your paintings or and objets d’art at regular intervals around the walls, but do not crowd a wall. You should pick a warm, yet neutral colour for the wall’s emulsion. Lighting is also very important. Up lighting, down lighting or back lighting are common methods of illuminating pieces of art work, but you can also use spotlights to highlight something out of the ordinary.

The lobby can also contain a few plants and a coffee table or two with an interesting wrought iron lamp on each. A matching lamp shade helps to generate a warm, co-ordinated effect.

You should also put some contemporary fine art in the guest rooms, because, once again, many travellers are alone and have to spend hours sitting in their rooms alone. If you are stuck for a theme, consider your location. Is it near the sea or is the town famous for something? Does it have a well-known historical connection? Once you have your theme, you will surely find pieces of contemporary fine art to decorate it with.

Try to put yourself in the shoes of the average person who comes to stay or eat at your establishment. Is he there for business or pleasure? If it’s pleasure do families come or is it mostly singles? Whatever the type of hotel, guest house, restaurant or pub, you will find a theme and the rest will follow because there is so much choice of contemporary fine art.

Consistency is a good thing when you are decorating a hotel or guest house. Try to keep everything ‘on topic’. The colours, the furniture, the plants, the contemporary fine art – the lighting should be subtle and the whole decor must be in the same theme, if it is to be wildly successful.

Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on several topics, but is at present involved with researching wrought iron floor lamps. If you would like to know more or check out great offers, please go to our website at Wrought Iron Light

April 27, 2011

Kitchen Design And Lighting Ideas

If you have just moved into a new, old house, one of the first things that you will probably want to do is refurbish or remodel the kitchen, especially if you like cooking or spending a lot of time in the kitchen. If you use a kitchen a great deal, you will probably already have a good idea of what you would like the kitchen to look like in the end.

One of the first choices to make is whether you are going to do it yourself or oversee it yourself. There is a lot of work in a kitchen refurb and I have seen amateurs spend years, literally years, doing what a builder could have completed in weeks. This always leads to family tensions. Once that I know of, it even led to divorce. It seems that everybody wants to brag that they are having refurbishments done, but no one actually wants to go through the hassle of having it actually done.

If you are not completely sure what you want your kitchen to look like, it is a good suggestion to visit show kitchens at home improvement stores and even pick up brochures there to study at home. You could also buy a few magazines and surf the Internet for ideas.

Once you see a few examples that you like, be sure to cut out the pages and print off the image files after downloading them. This way you can build up a folder of the things that you would like to incorporate into your new kitchen..

Once you are pleased that you have all the components you like, you have to collate them. This does not have to be to scale or exact, but just as good as you can do with what you have. Take a large sheet of paper, say A3, and draw in your kitchen’s windows and doors.

Then cut out the pictures of the items you want from the magazines and brochures and stick them in place. If you think that this is not realistic, draw them in and label them unmistakably so that you can refer back to your picture file.

You need not stop at one drawing, you can play about with it. If you cut the pictures out, but do not glue them down, you can move them around until you are contented. You may also want to get the opinions of other members of the family and have a brain storming session

When you have finished, decide how you are going to illuminate the kitchen. Do you want a pendant light over the table? Do you want spots pointing at the cooker and the sink? Do you want hidden down-lighting to shine on the work surface? How are you going to see what you are doing? It is a very important question. Wall lights are good for ambient lighting.

In conclusion, you have to choose a colour scheme and you are almost ready to begin, unless you are using a contractor and then you will have to select one first, but that will make up the contents of another article.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on several topics, but is at present concerned with researching wrought iron floor lamps. If you would like to know more or check out great offers, please go to our website at Wrought Iron Light

March 4, 2011

Inexpensive Home Decorating Ideas

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , — Gary Beavers @ 6:24 pm

Home decorating is not something that requires a vast fortune in order to do. Nor is it something that must be accomplished all at once. The ideal manner to decorate a home is one step at a time, one room at a time. This makes the process much less stressful, more enjoyable, and imminently more affordable. Some great ideas are to start small then work your way up.

Paint is one of the least expensive things you can do to a room that will have the most immediate and profound impact on the overall look and feel of the room in question. By selecting the paint colors and painting the walls before anything else is done everything else can be done in order to match the colors you have placed on the walls. More importantly, paint is something that the average person is capable of doing on their own rather than being forced to hire experts in order to get it done. Any home improvement project that you can do yourself will save more money than you can imagine along the way.

Once you’ve managed changing your walls, you may wish to change your window treatments. Roman shades are an excellent choice as they are rather simple to make (which would leave you only the cost of the fabric and supplies) but they are not the only option. I would recommend some sort of curtains as a form of window treatment as they are much more personal than the typical mini blinds found in so many homes today. Curtains or Roman shades can be purchased to match the colors on your walls and should not be a terribly expensive investment.

Flooring has in the past often been out of reach of those seeking to casually improve the look of a room. New technology and materials have made new flooring a valid option even for those who are on seriously limited home decorating budgets. Laminates are a good option for those who love the look of hardwood but cannot afford the expense of materials and/or labor for these floors in their homes. Laminates can often be installed by even those with limited skills and make a very noticeable change in the look and feel of a room. Peel and stick tile is another option for those whose budgets will not accommodate laminate flooring. Check out the options and the prices at your local home improvement store. You just might be amazed at what you can afford.

Rather than purchasing new furniture to make an impressive impact on the look of your living area, try furniture covers. These can often be purchased in shades that will match your new dcor and are much less expensive than new furniture leaving money for the little touches that matter so much in the overall look of the room. Besides, when friends and family walk in and see the changes they will be shocked and amazed. They may even be convinced that you do in fact have new furniture.

Mirrors are excellent tools to use when decorating a home. More importantly, they are rather inexpensive for the most part. Mirrors also lend the appearance of a much more wide-open space than having no mirrors would accomplish. If you have a fire place, strategically located mirrors can spread the warmth and coziness (if not the heat) of a fire throughout the room making the room as a whole seem like a much more enjoyable place to escape the winter “blahs”.

Artwork, candles, vases, and floral arrangements can be purchased one piece at a time in order to give the room a more polished look. Once you’ve decorated one room in your home with these budget tips in mind you can move on to other rooms in your home and incorporate the same ideals as you go. Remember that decorating your home doesn’t have to cost a fortune but it will require some patience and planning on your part. With this in mind, there should be nothing to stop you from heading out today and getting to work on your new home decorating plans.

For more inexpensive home decorating ideas, find out about static cling window film and wall murals from Create my Scene.

February 7, 2011

The True History of Graphic Design

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , — Gary Beavers @ 4:25 pm

The actual terminology surrounding graphic designers has come into being in the twentieth century. However, there are many events that led up to graphic design that could be considered a part of the history of graphic design itself.

Graphic design has its roots in the same rich cultural history of all art. Art has been a part of cultures since before the written word. The history of graphic design stems from these ancient beginnings. The history of graphic design is, in a sense, the history of art and its applications and methods, as well as a history of graphic design reproduction techniques and technology.

Like all recreational and applied arts, graphic design got its real beginning with the invention of the printing press. Previously in the history of graphic design, art and other creative works had to be hand copied. The ability to print copies of art and other creative works was a huge step toward the graphic design that exists today.

Another large step in graphic design history was the development of photography, and later film making. These important steps at the end of the nineteenth century were the stepping stones to creating the graphic designs that we have today. This era also marks the beginning of the separation of creative art, or art for entertainment, from applied art, or art that was used for a purpose such as conveying a message, advertising, and other graphic design purposes.

The next largest step in graphic design history was the development of the computer, and more significantly, the technological wave that led to a personal computer in every home as we have today. Graphic design would not be as popular, nor would it be as effective, creative, and reproducible without the invention of computers. Therefore, the history of graphic design is closely tied with the history of computers, computer software, computer imaging software, computer scanners, computer printers, and digital photography. The internet and graphic design software are perhaps the most important of these technological advances that are a large role in the history of graphic design. Without all of these important technological advances, graphic design would not be what it is today.

There are many other important landmarks in graphic design history. In 1919 the first union of art and industry was put into place. In 1929 commercial artists, advertising designers, and illustrators became common place. In 1970 mega computers allowed for more advances in graphic design with companies like IBM. The development of the micro processor, allowing for personal office and home computers, came in 1980 and was marketed with Apple computers in 1984. Finally, the now common place technology of internet access in 1993 tops off the graphic design history that has lead to the graphic design industry we know and recognize today.

To learn more about the history of graphic design, you can search the internet or your local library. Many colleges and universities offer arts classes and history of graphic design courses. Community education programs also often offer summer classes or work shops on topics of interest such as the history of graphic design.

If you’re planning to become a graphic designer, be sure to perfect your graphic designer resume first!

February 6, 2011

How To Pick The Best Material For Your Sewing Project

Up until fifty years ago, the vast majority of women knew how to sew. All the women that I knew as a child sewed and knitted and manufactured some of the clothes for me and my four brothers. When I was eight or nine, I and each other child in my class was taught the fundamentals of knitting and before I went off to college, my mother taught me how to take up my jeans, sew on patches and repair my clothes.

Unfortunately, sewing, knitting and repairing clothes has largely died out in the United Kingdom. I now live in Thailand and I do not see much evidence of sewing or knitting here, so I assume that these arts are dying out all over the world among the masses, although I am certain that there are individuals everywhere who still knit and sew.

It is a real shame. If you are going to make your own clothes or furnishings like cushions, pillows or soft toys, it is quite essential that you choose the right fabric for the job. Using the wrong fabric will make your task harder and may even render your work worthless. So here are a few tips on choosing the correct cloth for the task in hand.

The first and most obvious thing to do is read the recommendations on the pattern you are using and if you are a novice take that advice until you know what you are doing. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not read the instructions anymore. I can not remember the number of times I have seen someone struggling to assemble something and found the instructions in the bin with the packaging.

Get to know textiles by examining the fabrics in the shop. Ask questions about fabrics and look at the cloth on the bolt or roll. If the fabric does not look correct on the bolt it probably will not look correct anywhere else either. When you unroll a couple of feet of the bolt, does it lie flat or does it roll up or crumple? Grab a handful and squeeze it. Does it crease easily? Does it feel correct?

Is the cloth fraying on the bolt? If so it will fray while you use it too. Look on the bolt for special cleaning or handling directions. Do they suit your requirements?

It is quite difficult to work with satin because it slips easily. T-shirt knit is also difficult because it rolls up on itself. It is almost certainly best to avoid these materials until you gain some experience

Cotton is the best fabric for beginners because it is easy to work with and everyone is very familiar with cotton goods. We know how they should feel and we can tell good, thick heavy cotton from cheap, thin cotton. We also all know that cotton shrinks. Therefore before you cut you cloth. wash it and cut the shrunken cotton fabric. In effect, you have pre-shrunk it.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a number of topics, but is now concerned with decorative sofa pillows. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Modern Throw Pillows For Sale.

Ideas for Decorating A Home

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , — Gary Beavers @ 2:04 pm

When people think about making changes to their home, either one or two rooms or the entire space, most often they imagine color. Generally people choose colors they are fond of or those which correspond with pieces of furniture. When searching for ideas for decorating a home, one idea which is perhaps overlooked is decorating with the two basic colors – black and white.

Black and white, used in decorating, creates drama and pizazz. It is said that every room can benefit by using a touch of black. Black is a color which anchors and grounds a room. Adding sophistication, black is definitely a color that demands attention. Ideas for decorating a home using black may include accessories such as light fixtures, trim or furniture. Black serves to add definition to focal points of a room. Black is just one color that stands out or makes a statement.

Using black and white when decorating a home, provides a clean, fresh, elegant atmosphere. This combination can be added to any room in a home making it a sophisticated space. Black and white are often used in contemporary home decorating and often used to accent other colors in French Country design. It may be hard to visualize but there are many ideas for decorating a home using only these two basic colors.

The floor is a great place to start in decorating a space. Black and white vinyl tiles laid alternately makes a beautiful checkerboard pattern and looks clean and elegant. Black marble used on the floor, accented by wide white baseboards, another beautiful idea for decorating a home. White ceramic tiles with a black border or simply paint the floor black or white and use stencils of the opposite color for decoration. These are great ideas for decorating a home.

White walls, is there anything more perfect? Painting the walls white or even an off-white, would make a perfect background for accessories such as artwork framed in black. That you can imagine. Elegant black window treatments or black shutter against a clean, crisp white wall would definitely create an aura of sophistication. Perhaps a glass-top table with black iron trim and black chairs, these are terrific ideas for decorating a home using black and white.

A bedroom decorated using black and white would be lovely. An iron bed-frame in black or white, covered with a striped black and white comforter. For the pillow shames, you could use either all black or all white and could add throw cushions in the opposite color. A nice leather black or white chair in the corner would be certainly accent the room. Then the white walls with an elegant piece of artwork, framed in black hanging on it, this would surely add to the contemporary feel. Black furniture against the crisp white walls would look neat and tidy. Jazz up the room with accessories such as pewter or silver candlesticks, jugs or vases. If you think the room needs a little color to complete the look, perhaps a throw or cushion in a bold color like red or gold, for the chair in the corner of the room would be enough to accent the room. Ideas for decorating a home, they are numerous. Finding one that suits you and those that live in your home is important. It’s nice to do something radical and off-the-wall but remember you must be able to live with it for awhile.

For more free home decorating ideas, find out how static cling window film can transform a boring view into something spectacular!

February 4, 2011

Free Home Decorating Ideas

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , — Gary Beavers @ 4:57 pm

Everyone appreciates home decorating ideas when planning to make improvements to their home. You may have visions of your own about how your new home decor would look but it’s always nice to have an alternative plan. There’s definitely home decorating ideas that you haven’t discovered. There are constantly changes being made regarding trends in home decorating. Checking out new home decorating ideas may give birth to a new home decorating plan for your space.

Being able to find home decorating ideas is a treat but having access to free home decorating ideas is a real gift. Good news, there are free home decorating ideas available to you. Often when you pick up a magazine, perhaps while waiting at the doctor’s office, something in the home decorating section catches your eye. Relaying tips and techniques for home improvements, this magazine is offering you free home decorating ideas. Another great source of information regarding home decor and decorating is a catalog from major stores such as Sears, Zellers or Ikea. Advertising their products, they use illustrations of fully decorated rooms. Browsing catalogs such as these you’ll find many free home decorating ideas.

Taking a trip to your local furniture store or department store is sure to provide free home decorating ideas. Many stores have displays which are regularly changes to share new and trendy home decor. The front window of a furniture store is a great place to catch a glimpse of beautifully arranged home decor. Again, window displays such as this can be considered free home decorating ideas.

One of the best sources of free home decorating ideas is the Internet. There are hundreds of sites on the Internet related to home decorating with thousands of free home decorating ideas. There are sites which explain in depth the various home decorating designs and offer ideas to help you achieve these styles in your own home. Some sites offer step-by-step instructions for do-it-yourself home decorating and renovating projects. These free home decorating ideas are your chance to create rooms and spaces similar to those decorated by professional interior decorators. With the aid of these free home decorating ideas, you’ll be equipped to transform your home into something you only dream off. You may be very surprised at what you can actually accomplish as an inexperienced interior decorator.

Decorating a home or space is a very exciting activity. It does require a whole lot of effort regarding planning and the actual decorating, but the results are definitely worth it. Being able to sit back after living through weeks or renovations and home decorating is a delight. Being able to look around your home at the beautiful changes and realize you are responsible, that feeling is overwhelming. To know that you were able to achieve these results by using free home decorating ideas may be astonishing. You may feel so great about your accomplishment that you’ll be eager to take on another room. When you are ready to begin another home decorating or renovating project, you’ll be able to plan it with added confidence realizing there are thousands of free home decorating ideas to help you out.

For more free home decorating ideas, find out how static cling window film can transform a boring view into something spectacular!

February 3, 2011

Home Decorating Magazines

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Gary Beavers @ 5:15 pm

You know your house needs improvements. You know you need to redecorate. You can’t seem to come up with ideas for decorating your home. You need inspiration. Where do you go for help? One great source of home decorating ideas and inspiration is home decorating magazines. These publications provide a look into the world of home decorating and offer suggestions and tips to help you decorate your home. Home decorating magazines provide pictures of homes and rooms that were remodeled which may inspire you to recreate that space in your very own home.

There are many home decorating magazines available. Most of these magazines not only provide pictures and ideas but also offers the customer an opportunity to buy directly from them items you like in their magazine. Many magazines are advertised on the Internet. With websites displaying their ideas and pictures, you can browse these sites in your search for a decorating style. These online magazines will likely offer you a chance to buy directly from them via the Internet.

Home decorating magazines are constantly in circulation. Some of the popular home decorating magazines are listed here.

* Traditional Home – This magazine has its main focus on traditional decor and historical homes. Articles are written that allow you to visit historic places, gathering ideas and tips for decorating a traditional home. This home decorating magazine offers information on furniture, window treatments and color schemes.

* Country Living – This is a magazine which is published monthly and offers ideas about country decor, crafts, and antiques. It also provides tips for traditional cooking. This home decorating magazine provides details regarding furniture, window treatments, fireplaces and historic colors.

* Elle Decor – This home decorating magazine is published semi-monthly. It is a magazine dedicated to focusing on modern design with a French influence. Focusing on luxury living, furniture style and planning your room, this magazine intends to offer the average homeowner ideas and tips to achieve this terrific style for their homes.

* Better Homes & Gardens – This popular magazine provides the reader with information about various subjects relating to the homeowner and their family. This information includes ideas for home decor as well as garden decorating. Better Homes & Gardens also publishes a seasonal magazine which focuses on decor with a lot of information regarding specific projects.

* Metropolitan Home – Published six times a year, this home decorating magazine provides details about renovating and designing modern urban homes. This magazine focuses on contemporary design and current trends. It offers the reader information regarding transforming a traditional home or space into a modern, contemporary environment.

These home decorating magazines are great sources or inspiration if you are having difficulty coming up with ideas and techniques for your home. Providing detailed information and vivid photos, these home decorating magazines offer you instructions and often step-by-step directions to achieve the desired look. Each of these magazines also offers you, the customer an opportunity to buy directly from them. This can make your job so much easier if you see a room or space in the magazine that you like. Buying directly from them, you have a chance to recreate that beautiful space in your home.

For more free home decorating ideas, learn how static cling film can transform an ordinary view into a fabulous view!

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