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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Jul 23, 2020 14:45:31 GMT
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Post by nucleusofswarm on Aug 1, 2020 9:07:20 GMT
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Post by nucleusofswarm on Aug 10, 2020 15:21:36 GMT
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Aug 12, 2020 18:19:17 GMT
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Post by tuigirl on Aug 12, 2020 18:37:04 GMT
Indeed we have not. A badly conceived vaccine can do more harm than good, just look at the scandal with the Lyme Disease vaccination- and that was such a mess, although tens of thousands of people worldwide suffer from Lyme, no company in their right mind will touch the issue again. And by now they know what went wrong.
Plus, if this goes wrong, they only play the ball into the hands of the anti- vaccination crowd which has been named by WHO as one of the biggest risks to global health before COVID.
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Post by barnabaslives on Aug 14, 2020 11:42:16 GMT
Indeed we have not. A badly conceived vaccine can do more harm than good, just look at the scandal with the Lyme Disease vaccination- and that was such a mess, although tens of thousands of people worldwide suffer from Lyme, no company in their right mind will touch the issue again. And by now they know what went wrong.
Plus, if this goes wrong, they only play the ball into the hands of the anti- vaccination crowd which has been named by WHO as one of the biggest risks to global health before COVID.
Perhaps it would be best to meet the antis halfway? I hate to be one of those people, and I hope you know just how much respect I have for you as a scientist and professional, tuigirl, but personally I'm frightened of the things myself even if I'm more frightened of people going without them. We need only look around to see the good that vaccinations have done civilization, but I think that also makes it hugely important to make sure they're not a worse business than they need to be. I don't know if Lyme vaccinations should be expected to help Lyme victims after they've contracted it. I think a lot has been said about how the cause of Lyme may take up intracellular residence and perhaps it's become more of a problem of cellular response than of pathogen recognition? My own concerns are something along the lines of some of us having pre-existing infections in potentially sensitive places that may be stimulated by inflammation, and patients with a shared diagnosis may already be so full of inflammation that the adjuvancy used with vaccinations may be bad or even dangerous for us. Pre-existing infections at least hypothetically may also interfere with proper clearance of heavy metals, and that may include the mercury and aluminum compounds used as adjuvants in immunizations, and pathogens may also be able to sequester minerals and metals as a defense against antibiotics. Even if these toxic metals aren't responsible for autism, they may give aid and assistance to pathogens that might be (there are nominations in medical literature), but the idea has been championed by people I do have respect for. Somewhat ironically, I recently posted a really terrible biology paper on a very strange dermatological/neurological condition wherein I get to try to explain why there are microscopic images of hairs growing from submerged follicles from patient specimens that have aluminum oxide crystals growing in the middle of them, or hairs that are calcinated down their length with microscopic nodules. The researchers who have shed so much light on the subject may not have shown much awareness so far of the phenomenon of microbial biomineralization although they are quite alert to the possible role of infections. Sadly, when the CDC looked into this, they seemed to be haphazard and dismissive, leaving patients to be frequently dismissed as having a mental disorder in spite of evidence that's been gathered and examined over the course of numerous studies, which does seem to paint a coherent picture of a physical disorder. There are also associations with mercury dental fillings and please don't get me started on that. I swallowed a lot of mercury because I had lapses in dental coverage and no one wanted to acknowledge that they'd been left in too long by taking them out after they'd been left in too long. I heard a lot about how they couldn't dissolve rather than about how they might be dissolved by acids and I suppose the CDC also approved all of that too. I struggle to believe it's that hard to sort out whether there are people who should not receive vaccinations or conventional forms of vaccinations because of such considerations, but I have yet to witness any effort actually being made, and what scares me more is not what I've heard, but what I haven't heard. One of the troubling things is how often I see adjuvants referred to as "preservatives" rather than being described as "immunogenic", even when the CDC seems to make no bones about this. www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/adjuvants.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunologic_adjuvantMy understanding is that their actual role is supposed to stimulate the immune system into a more robust antibody production response, which may translate as causing inflammation as far as I can tell. It strikes me that there is most likely "immunogenic" material available without involving toxic metals. Some of our popular "immune boosters" for cold and flu season like echinacea and perhaps also "goji berries" may also be immunogenic. For all I know, I'm already so "immunogenic" I'm starting to raise antibodies against myself, "auto-immune" comes up almost constantly in researching some of my conditions. I've gotten to the point where I have to avoid these "immune boosters" because while taking them used to be helpful, it later began to cause terrible consequences, including potentially very dangerous flare-ups of pre-existing infections. My understanding is that these may play some adjuvant role by raising inflammatory factors like TNF-a, whereas people with my condition are by now so infamously full of excess TNF-a that we're considered prime candidates for the anti-TFN-a antibody adalimumab which has inadvertently managed to served as one more great distraction from the fact that we consistently show predictable patterns of infection on those extremely rare occasions when someone bothers to check. The manufacturer's advice for adalimumab has been modified but for a long time it was " do not use Humira if you have a pre-existing infection" which is exactly what the bacteriological work shows again and again that all of us with the diagnosis can be expected to have. For whatever that's worth then and probably not much, since the subject seems to come up often these days, there is a rare glimpse into the mind of someone frightened of vaccinations. I may very well have no idea what I'm talking about, but that's what often happens when I'm left to think for myself about these weighty things. Maybe it will help promote mutual understanding? I'd much rather be part of the solution than part of the problem here. Please assure me in a well informed manner that a vaccination isn't going to make me sicker than I already am all the time - my supporter worker got sicker than a dog from a pneumonia vaccination this spring which didn't help with my worries - or have some other unexpected consequence that are going to go unaddressed, and maybe I wouldn't be quite so anti? Again, I would hope that pains are taken to try to spot in advance people who might face consequences from immunizations. If any of my concerns turn out to be realistic, it probably can't be that difficult to spot some red flags?
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Post by tuigirl on Aug 14, 2020 18:27:18 GMT
Indeed we have not. A badly conceived vaccine can do more harm than good, just look at the scandal with the Lyme Disease vaccination- and that was such a mess, although tens of thousands of people worldwide suffer from Lyme, no company in their right mind will touch the issue again. And by now they know what went wrong.
Plus, if this goes wrong, they only play the ball into the hands of the anti- vaccination crowd which has been named by WHO as one of the biggest risks to global health before COVID.
Perhaps it would be best to meet the antis halfway? I hate to be one of those people, and I hope you know just how much respect I have for you as a scientist and professional, tuigirl, but personally I'm frightened of the things myself even if I'm more frightened of people going without them. We need only look around to see the good that vaccinations have done civilization, but I think that also makes it hugely important to make sure they're not a worse business than they need to be. I don't know if Lyme vaccinations should be expected to help Lyme victims after they've contracted it. I think a lot has been said about how the cause of Lyme may take up intracellular residence and perhaps it's become more of a problem of cellular response than of pathogen recognition? My own concerns are something along the lines of some of us having pre-existing infections in potentially sensitive places that may be stimulated by inflammation, and patients with a shared diagnosis may already be so full of inflammation that the adjuvancy used with vaccinations may be bad or even dangerous for us. Pre-existing infections at least hypothetically may also interfere with proper clearance of heavy metals, and that may include the mercury and aluminum compounds used as adjuvants in immunizations, and pathogens may also be able to sequester minerals and metals as a defense against antibiotics. Even if these toxic metals aren't responsible for autism, they may give aid and assistance to pathogens that might be (there are nominations in medical literature), but the idea has been championed by people I do have respect for. Somewhat ironically, I recently posted a really terrible biology paper on a very strange dermatological/neurological condition wherein I get to try to explain why there are microscopic images of hairs growing from submerged follicles from patient specimens that have aluminum oxide crystals growing in the middle of them, or hairs that are calcinated down their length with microscopic nodules. The researchers who have shed so much light on the subject may not have shown much awareness so far of the phenomenon of microbial biomineralization although they are quite alert to the possible role of infections. Sadly, when the CDC looked into this, they seemed to be haphazard and dismissive, leaving patients to be frequently dismissed as having a mental disorder in spite of evidence that's been gathered and examined over the course of numerous studies, which does seem to paint a coherent picture of a physical disorder. There are also associations with mercury dental fillings and please don't get me started on that. I swallowed a lot of mercury because I had lapses in dental coverage and no one wanted to acknowledge that they'd been left in too long by taking them out after they'd been left in too long. I heard a lot about how they couldn't dissolve rather than about how they might be dissolved by acids and I suppose the CDC also approved all of that too. I struggle to believe it's that hard to sort out whether there are people who should not receive vaccinations or conventional forms of vaccinations because of such considerations, but I have yet to witness any effort actually being made, and what scares me more is not what I've heard, but what I haven't heard. One of the troubling things is how often I see adjuvants referred to as "preservatives" rather than being described as "immunogenic", even when the CDC seems to make no bones about this. www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/adjuvants.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunologic_adjuvantMy understanding is that their actual role is supposed to stimulate the immune system into a more robust antibody production response, which may translate as causing inflammation as far as I can tell. It strikes me that there is most likely "immunogenic" material available without involving toxic metals. Some of our popular "immune boosters" for cold and flu season like echinacea and perhaps also "goji berries" may also be immunogenic. For all I know, I'm already so "immunogenic" I'm starting to raise antibodies against myself, "auto-immune" comes up almost constantly in researching some of my conditions. I've gotten to the point where I have to avoid these "immune boosters" because while taking them used to be helpful, it later began to cause terrible consequences, including potentially very dangerous flare-ups of pre-existing infections. My understanding is that these may play some adjuvant role by raising inflammatory factors like TNF-a, whereas people with my condition are by now so infamously full of excess TNF-a that we're considered prime candidates for the anti-TFN-a antibody adalimumab which has inadvertently managed to served as one more great distraction from the fact that we consistently show predictable patterns of infection on those extremely rare occasions when someone bothers to check. The manufacturer's advice for adalimumab has been modified but for a long time it was " do not use Humira if you have a pre-existing infection" which is exactly what the bacteriological work shows again and again that all of us with the diagnosis can be expected to have. For whatever that's worth then and probably not much, since the subject seems to come up often these days, there is a rare glimpse into the mind of someone frightened of vaccinations. I may very well have no idea what I'm talking about, but that's what often happens when I'm left to think for myself about these weighty things. Maybe it will help promote mutual understanding? I'd much rather be part of the solution than part of the problem here. Please assure me in a well informed manner that a vaccination isn't going to make me sicker than I already am all the time - my supporter worker got sicker than a dog from a pneumonia vaccination this spring which didn't help with my worries - or have some other unexpected consequence that are going to go unaddressed, and maybe I wouldn't be quite so anti? Again, I would hope that pains are taken to try to spot in advance people who might face consequences from immunizations. If any of my concerns turn out to be realistic, it probably can't be that difficult to spot some red flags? Personal message sent. I get triggered into a rant on this topic and that is best kept of the forum.
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Post by nucleusofswarm on Aug 14, 2020 22:40:27 GMT
I haven't mentioned the Russian vaccine, or the Chinese and Indian vaccines in my spots segments for the above reason, plus they are highly unlikely to be available outside their originating country for a myriad of political and, if we're being more blunt, financial reasons.
Anyone here worried about being given it shouldn't be too concerned.
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Post by barnabaslives on Aug 15, 2020 6:14:28 GMT
Personal message sent. I get triggered into a rant on this topic and that is best kept of the forum. I am very, very sorry if I upset anyone with my ignorance. I am really just asking questions and trying to understand. I must say though it's been terribly frustrating trying to deal with doctors and researchers about my condition because there seems to be MASSIVE cognitive disconnect about the simple fact that infections can cause inflammation.
My mother was a nurse, God rest her soul, and I am certain she would be fit to be tied over many of the things I have witnessed. That's probably one of them.
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Post by tuigirl on Aug 15, 2020 7:19:54 GMT
I haven't mentioned the Russian vaccine, or the Chinese and Indian vaccines in my spots segments for the above reason, plus they are highly unlikely to be available outside their originating country for a myriad of political and, if we're being more blunt, financial reasons. Anyone here worried about being given it shouldn't be too concerned. I totally agree. This is used much more for political and propaganda reasons than anything approaching a scientific method. There is no way to tell what harm could be caused. If in doubt, it is always better to wait for some more extensive studies.
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Post by tuigirl on Aug 15, 2020 7:26:58 GMT
Personal message sent. I get triggered into a rant on this topic and that is best kept of the forum. I am very, very sorry if I upset anyone with my ignorance. I am really just asking questions and trying to understand. I must say though it's been terribly frustrating trying to deal with doctors and researchers about my condition because there seems to be MASSIVE cognitive disconnect about the simple fact that infections can cause inflammation.
My mother was a nurse, God rest her soul, and I am certain she would be fit to be tied over many of the things I have witnessed. That's probably one of them. I am sorry for my overreaction. I had some bad experiences over the topic, lost friends and was insulted and accused badly. It has nothing to do with what you persieve as your ignorance. You are not. I am as much ignorant because the matter is so complicated, my training did not even scratch the surface. I sadly cannot give you much in the way of recommendation. Only, if there is a rushed Covid vaccination coming out in your country, please wait till more studies come out. Most of the time vaccinations are safe, and normal development takes at least 5-10 years. But in rare cases, they cause harm. You cannot discover these things with a rushed job testing 100 people.
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Post by tuigirl on Aug 20, 2020 17:39:44 GMT
Some good news from Germany- one of our leading virologists has seen the first signs of adaptation to host in the COVID virus in his ongoing study. One of the reasons the virus had such impact on the human population is that it had just jumped the species barrier. As with all parasites (and viruses are very tiny parasites) they must adapt to a host to help with survival and propagation. No use killing your host or making the host seriously sick, because that also limits your ability to survive and be passed on. Corona viruses are RNA viruses, meaning the can mutate rapidly. This is of advantage- it makes the pathogen adapt to new hosts (as SARS-CoV 2 has just done) and also to adapt to new challenges. Currently, a new strain of the virus is emerging and spreading worldwide, that is less lethal and less pathogenic. This new strain will have an evolutionary advantage against the old one and will in time out-compete it.
So, yes, Sars-CoV- 2 might show first signs of adaptation to it's new host- us humans. It certainly is here to stay. And might be around in flu seasons for decades to come.
I am a parasitologist by training and in the deepest part of my heart, so this was the best news for a long time.
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Post by elkawho on Aug 20, 2020 17:52:56 GMT
Some good news from Germany- one of our leading virologists has seen the first signs of adaptation to host in the COVID virus in his ongoing study. One of the reasons the virus had such impact on the human population is that it had just jumped the species barrier. As with all parasites (and viruses are very tiny parasites) they must adapt to a host to help with survival and propagation. No use killing your host or making the host seriously sick, because that also limits your ability to survive and be passed on. Corona viruses are RNA viruses, meaning the can mutate rapidly. This is of advantage- it makes the pathogen adapt to new hosts (as SARS-CoV 2 has just done) and also to adapt to new challenges. Currently, a new strain of the virus is emerging and spreading worldwide, that is less lethal and less pathogenic. This new strain will have an evolutionary advantage against the old one and will in time out-compete it. So, yes, Sars-CoV- 2 might show first signs of adaptation to it's new host- us humans. It certainly is here to stay. And might be around in flu seasons for decades to come. I am a parasitologist by training and in the deepest part of my heart, so this was the best news for a long time. That is such good news, and thank you for explaining it.
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Post by barnabaslives on Aug 24, 2020 16:46:09 GMT
I stumbled across this. Does this mean what I think it does? It sounds to me as if although the virus can mutate and form multiple strains, there's actually reason for optimism that it may not be expected to mutate its way around a vaccine, is that what they're saying overall? "The virus causing the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, presents at least six strains. Despite its mutations, the virus shows little variability, and this is good news for the researchers working on a viable vaccine."www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200803105246.htm
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Post by tuigirl on Aug 24, 2020 17:16:08 GMT
On a slightly more depressing note- in the German town where we had a real hot spot, less than half of the infected people has now antibodies in their blood. As a study shows that came out today. What this means for a possible future vaccination, is still unclear. So the formation of antibodies is not really triggered by this virus and our hope must lie with cell to cell mediated immunity.
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Post by tuigirl on Aug 24, 2020 17:18:20 GMT
I stumbled across this. Does this mean what I think it does? It sounds to me as if although the virus can mutate and form multiple strains, there's actually reason for optimism that it may not be expected to mutate its way around a vaccine, is that what they're saying overall? "The virus causing the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, presents at least six strains. Despite its mutations, the virus shows little variability, and this is good news for the researchers working on a viable vaccine."www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200803105246.htmAs I said above, I think our big hope has to be that the mutation that makes the virus more infectious but less lethal will become the dominant one and out-competes the other strains. Because I still find it doubtful we will develop a working safe vaccine fast. I hope the virus continues to adapt to it's new host and will in time just become another cold virus.
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Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Aug 24, 2020 23:03:34 GMT
My twin brother and I just participated in another testing project with TRA (Twins Registry Australia). We particpated in the 1st wave a few months ago. "TRA COVID-19 study: Wave 2 University of Melbourne’s Human Research Ethics approved: About the project This study will investigate the short, medium and long term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and wellbeing of Australians. We will ask about your knowledge, experience, reaction and resilience (regardless of whether or not you contract COVID-19) and how these change with time. Twins provide a special opportunity to give unique and timely insights into how people are coping, and this information could play an important role in how Australia deals with the epidemic. What is involved? Participation involves you filling out an online survey with questions related to COVID-19. We will also ask about your knowledge of COVID-19, your overall response to the many recent changes to our society and their consequences, and how you have been coping. We will also ask you about potential symptoms, tests and diagnosis of COVID-19. We plan to roll out quarterly surveys (every 3 months) where possible and encourage you to participate as much as you can. Each survey could take approximately 20-40 minutes to complete. You will also be asked to provide us with consent to use data collected in this study with data you have provided to TRA in the past. The data collection will be conducted under the University of Melbourne guidelines for privacy and confidentiality. You can ask questions or opt out at any time. The participation of both twins in each pair brings additional value to our research. Please consider reaching out to and encouraging your twin’s participation in this study, if that’s feasible for you. Identical (MZ) and fraternal (DZ) twin pairs are equally important to us. We appreciate the time and effort you are contributing to health research that benefits Australian families." It's run by a team of Medical Professor's and a couple Psychiatrists. We did the whole "physical testing" back a few months ago. Once they receive our online survey no doubt they will ask us to do the same again.. The survey had about 10 questions per page and there was 21 pages. They went deep with the questions... Really, really deep. They are really interested in how we are both Essential workers, and how work wise we are separated from our work mates etc.
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Post by nucleusofswarm on Aug 25, 2020 0:32:07 GMT
Right, so I'll do my bright spots soon, but I figured I'd also address the news of the 'first confirmed' reinfection from Hong Kong. www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-reinfected-hong-kong-covid-19-study-a9685571.html Naturally, this will worry some people, but keep in mind a few key things: 1) This was several months after the guy's first infection. This is perfectly in line with a more recent study that suggested naturally generated antibodies faded after three months (which in and of itself is also normal - your immune system can't be on red alert all the time), so immediate reinfection is still not a thing. Covid is behaving like any other virus. 2) It's not specified just how bad his first infection got, but given he isn't reported to have signs from a more troubled recovery (fatigue, breathing difficulty, therapy), it's likely he had a mild-moderate first. This makes his asymptomatic second infection actually kind of a good sign - that even a moderate illness can defang a future infection from making you really sick again (maybe a cross-immunity effect at play from one strain to another. Obvious emphasis on 'maybe'). 3) It was a different strain of Covid, which supports what tui's been talking about, meaning this could be another sign of Covid changing into something more benign, and at rather a quick speed, given the virus is not even a year old in humans.
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Post by Timelord007 on Aug 25, 2020 7:38:00 GMT
My twin brother and I just participated in another testing project with TRA (Twins Registry Australia). We particpated in the 1st wave a few months ago. "TRA COVID-19 study: Wave 2 University of Melbourne’s Human Research Ethics approved: About the project This study will investigate the short, medium and long term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and wellbeing of Australians. We will ask about your knowledge, experience, reaction and resilience (regardless of whether or not you contract COVID-19) and how these change with time. Twins provide a special opportunity to give unique and timely insights into how people are coping, and this information could play an important role in how Australia deals with the epidemic. What is involved? Participation involves you filling out an online survey with questions related to COVID-19. We will also ask about your knowledge of COVID-19, your overall response to the many recent changes to our society and their consequences, and how you have been coping. We will also ask you about potential symptoms, tests and diagnosis of COVID-19. We plan to roll out quarterly surveys (every 3 months) where possible and encourage you to participate as much as you can. Each survey could take approximately 20-40 minutes to complete. You will also be asked to provide us with consent to use data collected in this study with data you have provided to TRA in the past. The data collection will be conducted under the University of Melbourne guidelines for privacy and confidentiality. You can ask questions or opt out at any time. The participation of both twins in each pair brings additional value to our research. Please consider reaching out to and encouraging your twin’s participation in this study, if that’s feasible for you. Identical (MZ) and fraternal (DZ) twin pairs are equally important to us. We appreciate the time and effort you are contributing to health research that benefits Australian families." It's run by a team of Medical Professor's and a couple Psychiatrists. We did the whole "physical testing" back a few months ago. Once they receive our online survey no doubt they will ask us to do the same again.. The survey had about 10 questions per page and there was 21 pages. They went deep with the questions... Really, really deep. They are really interested in how we are both Essential workers, and how work wise we are separated from our work mates etc. My first question would be to them "SHOW ME THE MONEY" My second question "You aye sticking that huge needle in me" Bet they were surpised find out Vin Diesel has a identical twin
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Post by tuigirl on Aug 25, 2020 18:28:04 GMT
Another big scare at work today. One of our lab technicians has tested positive. And was stupid enough to show up for work WITH SYMPTOMS. Although on each and every door of all 3 company buildings HUGE signs are posted to NOT come in with symptoms. The technician and all immediate colleagues are now in quarantine. For the rest of us- we have to have a test every 3 days. To see if anyone else is infected. With an incubation period of up to 14 days- joy. Also, the big boss now ordered that we all have to wear face masks all day even when sitting at one's own desk. Even more joy. So- best case scenario- we are inconvenienced for a couple of weeks and nothing else happens. Worst case scenario- the company is locked down, which would be a pretty awful disaster for the whole region because it is US DOING THE TESTS. I also hope all colleagues in quarantine come out of this well and with nothing more than a scare. Well, as this old Chinese curse goes- "May you live in interesting times" None of us can complain about being bored, that's for sure.
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