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"You live and you learn" — can't really argue with that one. And while the older we get, the more knowledge we acquire, some lessons just manage to get past us for way too long. But there's no shame in learning anything at any age! (Well, maybe a little).
One Reddit user wanted to know what people learned just recently that they should've already known years ago. The answers varied from silly to serious, with some people dipping deep into self-discovery, which could've saved them a lot of tears and confusion in the past. From Froot Loops all being the same flavor to mourning relationships with your friends, folks were eager to share their newfound knowledge with others.
Bored Panda selected the most interesting answers for this list, so scroll down, and maybe you'll also learn something new today. After all, we're not aware that we don't know something, until we learn of its existence. Don't forget to upvote your favorites, and if there's anything you learned 'too late' in life that you think others might not know about yet, be sure to share it in the comments!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
« Everything worth doing is worth doing half-a*s ». You can do a part of something it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You can clean a room and not the whole house. You can eat a salad with your burger. We have a tendency to be « everything has to be done 110% » or it’s not worth it. I think about people who laugh at people taking a diet soda with a burger: well why the hell not? You don’t have to be all in 100% and that makes the pressure more bearable sometimes!
RELATED:
#2
Friend breakups can hurt just as much, if not more, than romantic ones.
#3
Quality matters more than quantity when it comes to friends.
I started to notice that most of my friends weren’t really my friends, only drinking buddies, and it hindered my process of getting sober for awhile. i didn’t want to lose them. but then i realized that if they couldn’t be with me in my sobriety journey, they couldn’t be in my life at all.
I’m 67 days into cutting back, and twelve days into not touching alcohol at all. my life is better without those people. i only have three friends now but it’s worth it. the support and encouragement i get from them outweighs the sadness of losing everyone else.
Minnie Not Mouse 2 years ago
I send hugs! I have alot of friends, but few very close ones. I am glad you cut the negative people out of your life!
#4
It's better to be alone than in an unfulfilling/abusive relationship.
Don't continue dating someone if you constantly think "give it time, things might get better". That puts you in a never ending loop that becomes more difficult to get out of as time goes on.
General Anaesthesia 2 years ago
Contrary to what you may hope, generally people don't change. So get out before the going gets really bad.
#5
I didn’t learn it recently but I learned it earlier in life, don’t share stuff with your coworkers. Just mind your own business.
#6
That it's ok to take a day for me.
#7
Other women know how to clasp their bra behind their back. As a teen I learned to clasp it in front of me then twist it around awkwardly... and then never stopped doing that
Minnie Not Mouse 2 years ago
I can somewhat do it from the back, but I put it on front, then shift it around and put on the straps! Easy-Peasy!
#8
Doves are literally just white pigeons.
Not similar, or related to, the exact same bird.
Pigeons with white privilege
C. Wade 2 years ago (edited)
This is a language thing. Nobody would make the mistake to think they're different animals in Romanian, for example, because we just call them "white pigeons".
Ace 2 years ago
There are actually many species of doves and pigeons, some with more or less specific names in English and other languages, so no, it's not true to say that they're "exactly the same bird".
CGZ 2 years ago
In NYC we have pigeons of course. We also have mourning doves. Right off the bat these two birds are not the same thing. They're both of the same family of creatures, but that's a very broad category. and you have genus and species yet to examine. The bigger members of the Columbidae family are called pigeons, while the smaller ones are called doves.
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Kenneth Massengale 2 years ago
This is 100% wrong. They are not the same bird, they are in the same family
Anonymouse 2 years ago
The birds sold as doves for "dove releases" at weddings are simply white rock pigeons.
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DuchessDegu 2 years ago
They're the same family of birds, not "the exact same" (as in just a different colour). There are 200+ different species of columbidae worldwide. All cats are felidae, but your home moggie is not the exact same as a tiger.
foofoofloofy 2 years ago
Also, both doves and pigeons come in many different colors.
Load More Replies... CGZ 2 years ago
So many people are so eager to shout out whatever first comes to their mind, and too lazy to do the simplest search. Try "doves vs white pigeons". It'll cost you about 20 seconds of effort, and you can stop spouting nonsense.
Marlowe Fitzpatrik 2 years ago
... and if you invest a little bit more time, you'll find out that there is no biologically sound distinction between the two words used for different birds. For example, rock dove and common pigeon are the same species (with the common pigeon being the domesticated version) Columba liva (domestica). SAME bird - different name because English. Among the family "columba", the word 'dove' and 'pigeon' are used indiscriminately https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columba_(bird)
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Kathy Richardson 2 years ago
Pigeons and doves belong to the same family of birds (Columbidae), which consists of more than 300 species of birds. They share similar features like thick and round bodies, short necks and thin peaks, but doves are generally of a smaller stature while pigeons are often larger and stubbier.
Marlowe Fitzpatrik 2 years ago
But English is the only language (or one of the only ones) that uses two words for the members of the Columbidae-family. In German for example, all Columbidae-species are called "Tauben".
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g90814 2 years ago (edited)
Incorrect. It all depends on the subject matter, and of course the language involved. "White dove release" at a wedding/event are normally just White Homing Pigeons. They fly home and the owner can rent them out again for the next event. What many call 'pigeons' are all bred from the Rock Dove (Columba livia). Unfortunately some people actually purchase white Ringneck doves (Streptopelia risoria, a common pet dove you'll see in pet stores) that have no homing instinct and are basically doomed to death if they are released into the wild.
The other-other David Wong 2 years ago
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbidae This is not the case. There are several separate species. White pigeons can be called doves but African Ring Neck Doves are not pigeons.
CGZ 2 years ago
Yes David. I could go to any country in the world right now and talk with someone all day about red maples - and we'd never understand each other. But if we're both plant guys, we understand when we discus Acer rubrum. The common name is often convenient, but to be precise, the Latin tells the story. They're all maples - Acer - but this one is Acer rubrum, that one is Acer japonicum - Acer saccharinum - Acer platanoides...
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Heather Vandegrift 2 years ago
I don't know why pigeons get such a bad rap. They are prettier than doves and have adapted to living in urban environments, where other birds haven't and have thus felt the effect of habitat destruction more as cities become bigger! Pigeons are survivors! Yeah, they poop on stuff. They are BIRDS! Far less annoying and aggressive than seagulls!
CGZ 2 years ago
I'm with you Heather, but the mourning doves are softer and more delicate in appearance. They're quiet and they try to be invisible. I like them. But on the pigeon side, they'll provide us with something delicious to live on in the urban environment after the zombies come.
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CGZ 2 years ago
Just because you say "so this is true" doesn't mean it's true. My housecat and a leopard belong to the same family as well. Slow yourself down, listen and think.
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Claire 2 years ago
But this is just not true. Yes, people often use white home pigeons for wedding/funeral releases and magic shows because they are less squirmy than doves and actually do have a homing instinct but that does not mean that doves and pigeons are the same. Even totally ignoring all the non-white wild dove species, even in captivity a lot of domestic doves come in many other colors than white. So, not the exact same bird but they are related and similar.
The Other Guest 2 years ago
My mom & I once got in an argument about the birds in the backyard. I said they were pigeons, she said they were doves, so we looked it up. Turns out we were both right, as the birds in question are known by both "rock dove" and "rock pigeon."
Cassi Lyris 2 years ago
I've tried to explain this to a few people and they've tried to argue with me.
jade s 2 years ago
It depends in your geographical location and upbringing. Yes they are very closely related and in the same family of birds but there are differences. A turtle dove is not the same as a rock dove which is not the same as a wood pigeon. It's the same as how a barn owl is not the same as a snowy owl and a magpie is not the same as a raven.
David 2 years ago
Pigeons (and I assume also doves) can recognize human faces. When I lived in a downtown apartment I used to feed the pigeons. If I was feeding outside they would come land on me and be all around me. I used to think they just saw the food I had. My feeding caused some problems so I quit feeding them. For many weeks afterwards, any time I walked out on the street the pigeons would fly down and start landing on me even though i didn't have food. Busy street, ignoring other people. So it was very clear they knew it was me. The "loyalty" was just desire for free food of course but I was still surprised they remembered me.
3 Trash Pandas in a Trenchcoat 2 years ago
Not entirely https://www.nparks.gov.sg/nparksbuzz/issue-45-vol-2-2020/lifestyle/people-and-places/dove-vs-pigeon-what%E2%80%99s-the-difference
Luna Crow 2 years ago
That's cool, I didn't know there was also a variety that's brightly colored!
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Lara Verne 2 years ago
They are not the same birds. Very similar ones, but not the same. And I don't get what kind of privilege doves have?
Fernando Álvarez 2 years ago
Yeah, this is one of those weird things when you learn English. Why are there two different words for paloma? Doves always were just palomas blancas for me! 😁
Gabriela Cink 2 years ago
In our country these are 2 different species from the same family (also in latin) but thats is how we translate it in english. And all birds are protected by law except gray pigeon which is considered as vermin.
ProcrastinationStation 2 years ago
funny how your installed software creates your reality, isn't it?
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Dawnieangel76 2 years ago
Pigeons and doves belong to the same family of birds (Columbidae), which consists of more than 300 species of birds. They share similar features like thick and round bodies, short necks and thin peaks, but doves are generally of a smaller stature while pigeons are often larger and stubbier.
Bubbles and sparks 2 years ago
This is funny, in Dutch there is only the one word for them, duif.... no difference in name or color 😉
Shawn Choate (Choatimis) 2 years ago
Pigeons are free and Doves are put in cages, raise and sold. Doves 🕊 are
Christof Irran 2 years ago
Then there are wood doves, and they are NOT latte colored pigeons. There are three pairs that live in the woods behind my house, and their behavior is not even remotely that of pigeons. I have never seen a shyer animal than these wood doves.
Devil'sAdvocate 2 years ago
omfg. i DID NOT KNOW THIS. why r they called doves if they're pigeons? my life is a lie.
Kevin Felton 2 years ago
I don't know how much privilege they get since nobody shoots at pigeons.
CGZ 2 years ago
Oh people certainly do eat pigeon! The French (or the Brits?) have a name for them when they're on your dinner plate I think. I can't remember. They're what I'll be eating here in the city after the zombies come. Seriously, I had a high school classmate who was a hunter with his dad. He told me they ate these mourning doves a couple times (not pigeons). Only a tiny bit of meat, but he says they're delicious.
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Brittany Jewell 2 years ago
Doves have a lot of symbolism. Especially in Christian mythology. Meanwhile thier blue and grey family are called rats with wings 😂
Claire 2 years ago
Unlearn it because it isn't true. Pigeons and doves are different species
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Michael Barnes 2 years ago
but each does have a different number of chromosomes so if they mated any offspring would be infertile. Doves Based on African collared dove -78, pigeons 80.
Fantastic Mr Fox 2 years ago
I noticed that’s the case with a lot of animals. Frogs vs toads. Birds vs fowls. Hounds vs dogs. That’s in English. In French you even have couette vs hibou. Owl without and with small ear tuffs. And I’m like why would these small feathers even be important? Folk lore has the ones with eartuffs are males the others females The whole thing is entertaining but without any base in reality.
g90814 2 years ago
All toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads (i.e. toads are in the frog family).
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Luna Crow 2 years ago
It's more an argument of semantics. They're all in the same family, but there are multiple species of both, and they're not all "the exact same bird," any more than a crow and a raven are "the exact same bird"
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Julio Red Cloud (Julio) 2 years ago
Yes, the privilege of trying to feed themselves each day, like everyone else.
CGZ 2 years ago
LOL a pigeon with white privilege. Funny thing is she thinks she's defending somebody! ROFL
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Randolph Croft 2 years ago
Another name for the invasive species we call pigeons is 'rock dove.'
Bored Retsuko 2 years ago (edited)
Wasn't there a song by the Scorpions, "White Dove"? 🤔 Perfect example of a pleonasm then. Must be because the band is German. (See comments by C.Wade and Me)
CGZ 2 years ago
There was a fantastic song by a band called Poco released in 1989, "Call 'Em Doves". The chorus repeats the line "Tell me why they call 'em doves."
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#10
Don't compare yourself with someone else. You are not them and you do not have their abilities or weaknesses. Use your yardstick on you. Compare yourself in terms of how you have done in the past. It is more accurate. And be kind to yourself if you are making strides and mistakes.
#11
Not recently, but I learned that being your own friend is one of the best things you can do for yourself. The only time in my life I started making friends was when I started being my own friend first, taking care of my health, going to the gym, taking myself out, exploring on my own, and learning on my own. Not only did it help me make friends, but it also helped me feel less lonely, as I really started enjoying my own company! I became an interesting person to be
#12
my own worth.
#13
That the morning after pill has weight restrictions and if you are over a certain weight they will probably not work on you. Also, more women and children get killed in car accidents because the airbag is not meant for women, it is made for a man. Products made by men does not always work on women. Just saying.
Minnie Not Mouse 2 years ago
I read somewhere, I think on bored-panda, that they finally used a female crash test dummy, and got highly different results.
#14
That if I am unfulfilled as an individual my partner will never be able to fulfill me either. Similar to if you don’t love yourself you can’t unconditionally love others.
Anon Ymous 2 years ago
I never really vibed with the idea that you have to love yourself first to love others. To me it plants the idea that we are unworthy of love because of our own struggle. Allow yourself to love others and to receive their love in return while you are still working on loving yourself ❤️
#15
A consistent sleep schedule and plenty of sleep every night actually works. It won’t cure your depression/chronic illness/various maladies, but it makes it much easier to face them in the morning. And when I say morning, I mean it: even if you’re semi-nocturnal like me, it is so much easier to get important stuff done during the day.
This is the most annoying realisation I’ve had all year, but brains simply work better when they are rested and refreshed.
#16
Exercising does actually feel good and it’s not just pretentious claims made by fit af influencers!
#17
Tall, white, loud men get more respect than anyone, no matter how stupid they are.
#18
Replace your pillows every 1–2 years. Lots of mold and allergens get stuck in there. I finally stopped feeling sick when I changed them out.
#19
That cows only produce milk after they've had a baby. Farmers forcibly impregnate them and take their calves away so they can sell the milk to humans. I always thought they just made milk all the time, which seems stupid in retrospect.
Snorky The Pig 2 years ago
My grandparents run a small dairy farm, and they do not forcibly impregnate their cows or take the calves away. Unfortunately, the reason many other farms don't follow their method is capitalism and the fervent obsession with making money. There are humane ways to get milk, and it is very unfortunate that it is not the mainstream. We need to remember that cows (and all other animals) are also sentient beings who deserve as much love, respect and gentleness as we do.
#21
If you're going to take inappropriate selfies, disable the photo sync to your mom's icloud first.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
Or don't take "inappropriate" selfies. Never could understand that trend.
#22
I recently started dating someone about a week and a half ago and he seems so healthy. Everything he says is with intention and it seems so out of this world to me. I've had so many bad relationships and friendships and people just mistreating me that I almost don't know what to do with myself. I learned that it's okay to trust what someone is saying and forgiving people that hurt you in the past (WITHOUT giving them too much energy, aka. Having to look past them, etc.) Is so healing. I hope this relationship really is healthy and I'm hoping for a better future with him by my side. Yes I know this is super early but I finally understand the phrase. "When you know, you know" I'm 30 btw.
Judy Reynolds 2 years ago
Even if the relationship doesn't work out, these are valuable insights!!
#23
What getting tires rotated actually means.
Also that the line in Billy Joel's "We didn't start the fire" is "trouble in the Suez" not "trouble in the sewers."
#25
How to budget my money.... I've cycled in and out of debt for years, could have been really ahead, never knew. Someone taught me and I'm blown away at how remarkably "easy" it is now that I know.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
I have a checking account and a savings account. I put $200 into my checking with every paycheck and the rest into savings. That $200 is all the money I allow myself to spend for two weeks apart from basic necessities like rent and bills. It's a very austere existence, but I need to make sure I have enough in savings for a rainy day.
#26
I didn’t know how much of an impact making my bed in the morning had on me.
Becky Samuel 2 years ago
No, no, no. Airing the bed by pulling the covers down gives all that night-time sweat a chance to evaporate and keeps your whole bed and mattress fresher for longer.
#27
Not to mess with my birth control, the hormone unbalance was a unpleasant experience.
#28
my blood type
Lynne Bear Hugs 2 years ago
I'm AB+, so in 3% of the population. It's so nice to be 'rare' and special in one way. Lol!
#29
I thought you could only put one thing in the oven at a time.
Snorky The Pig 2 years ago (edited)
That depends. You may not want to put a chocolate cake together with a dish that has garlic or something in it. (experience lol)
#30
Babies can’t drink water before 6months old
Adam Vonder Ahe-Cossey 2 years ago (edited)
Since they are on an all liquid diet, they won't dehydrate, and since their stomachs only hold anywhere from 2.7 to 5 ounces at 1 month old, they need every ounce of fluid to contain nutrients for growing, which they get from breast milk or formula. Giving babies only water also can cause hyponatremia - the body has too much water in it, which dilutes electrolyte concentrations in the blood and can cause a whole host of issues. It's the same thing that happens when athletes sweat and chug water instead of electrolyte formulas...
#32
Not super recently, but way too late in life: Don't rinse after brushing your teeth. Why is nobody going around telling people that? We had a whole toothbrushing course in primary school, and they never even mentioned it.
Gin. No tonic 2 years ago
Apparently, rinsing washes away the concentrated fluoride in the remaining toothpaste. If you need fluoride, don't rinse for 20 mins, but if don't need it, rinse away! (Some places have enough fluoride in the drinking water, so toothpaste fluoride is an excess and can have negative effects)
#33
I did not know that the need to pee all the time would start well before the third trimester. I was very unprepared and wondered why these things weren't more commonly discussed or at least why the women in my life hadn't warned me about them
Sonja 2 years ago
Because no one ever talks about the unpleasant things that happen during pregnancy. No one wants to talk about what being pregnant really means and does to you. They all want to pretend it's just a magical experience that will leave you glowing and happy and ecstatic as soon as the baby is there and you'll be back to normal in a few weeks tops. But I saw my sister and my SIL going through pregnancy 5 times together. And I definitely knew I didn't want to have kids even before that and it only made me even more sure of that although they really tried to sell it to me by taking me everywhere and trying to convince me that I too wanted kids. And they had easy pregnancies, no dire complications. But hell no. I'm not the motherly type, never wanted kids, never will.
#35
If your toilet tank is constantly draining and refilling don’t wait 4 months to fix it. Your water bill is going to be f*****g crazy
Robert T 2 years ago
Check what kind of toilet cistern you have. Some (like that described) overflow into the bowl. Others have a separate pipe to the outside world. If you have the separate pipe type, know where it comes out and check it periodically to see if it is dripping. It will likely only take a washer that costs pennies to fix it.
#36
Attachment styles. I'd rule out at least 5 guys that I dated and caused heartache a lot sooner if I had known about attachments styles, particularly Avoidant Attachment styles.
Like narcism, I can now avoid these types of people BUT it came at a great cost to my heart.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
Never heard of this before, but I found an NPR quiz. Not very scientific, but I got "secure".
#38
That “C-Suite” means CEO, CFO, COO. I’m in my 40s and have a corporate job and have worked with all of those positions frequently. I just never thought about what C-Suite actually meant.
Boris Long-Johnson 2 years ago (edited)
I thought it meant c**t - the suite of c***s. Seems more appropriate in the companies I’ve worked for. For bored pandas censoring C you next Tuesday! Also the Scunthorpe problem!
What do you think ?
Sonja 2 years ago (edited)
That many educational institutions don't really test for knowledge, but their tests are made for those people who can best learn by heart. The questions they give you could often be answered in more than one way, and the answer you give could very well be correct and factually right, but because it's not in the syllabus or on the checking sheet, it's marked wrong. So people who understand the subject, think about their answers and give an adequate answer but have difficulties to remember the exact wording used in the book or materials, will get sorted out while people who don't really understand the topic but are epic in regurgitating the contents they've learned by heart get through swimmingly. And I'm not talking about using correct termini or technical terms, but using the right terms but answering the question in a way that's factually correct, but just not worded exactly as the teacher wanted it to be.
James Doe 2 years ago
This has wasted so much time and nerves in my life! In uni I almost failed an important examn. Worst possiböe grade without failing. I was able to get a verbal post-examn to improve the grade an aced it - including an invitation to do my thesis in their institute. Why? Because the subjust was too intersting to me to focus on the learning-for-the-test.
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Miss Frankfurter 2 years ago
That’s a reason I didn’t go to university to get my bachelor’s in nursing. I want to learn what makes me an even better nurse at the bedside. That’s what I do best. I stick with that. But I get told I should go because I’m so smart. Not in the way they want me to be. I looked at the syllabus and most of it was irrelevant to what I needed to know. Then there’s the part where all your essays etc were just spitting back what you’ve read in the many text books. String a line of quotes together and put your source in a footnote. What? I don’t go to memorize. I go to learn. Apparently I’m not aloud to have an original thought in my head, or put down a result of my processing of the info (as in I really thought it out) and write it in a way the professor sees I understand the material, not just spit it back. Never went. Perfectly happy I didn’t.
Janet Howe 2 years ago
I'm my own worst enemy. Took many years to figure out. AND, I can't do anything without procrastinating. At least I can admit that stuff now.
Sonja 2 years ago (edited)
That many educational institutions don't really test for knowledge, but their tests are made for those people who can best learn by heart. The questions they give you could often be answered in more than one way, and the answer you give could very well be correct and factually right, but because it's not in the syllabus or on the checking sheet, it's marked wrong. So people who understand the subject, think about their answers and give an adequate answer but have difficulties to remember the exact wording used in the book or materials, will get sorted out while people who don't really understand the topic but are epic in regurgitating the contents they've learned by heart get through swimmingly. And I'm not talking about using correct termini or technical terms, but using the right terms but answering the question in a way that's factually correct, but just not worded exactly as the teacher wanted it to be.
James Doe 2 years ago
This has wasted so much time and nerves in my life! In uni I almost failed an important examn. Worst possiböe grade without failing. I was able to get a verbal post-examn to improve the grade an aced it - including an invitation to do my thesis in their institute. Why? Because the subjust was too intersting to me to focus on the learning-for-the-test.
Load More Replies... Miss Frankfurter 2 years ago
That’s a reason I didn’t go to university to get my bachelor’s in nursing. I want to learn what makes me an even better nurse at the bedside. That’s what I do best. I stick with that. But I get told I should go because I’m so smart. Not in the way they want me to be. I looked at the syllabus and most of it was irrelevant to what I needed to know. Then there’s the part where all your essays etc were just spitting back what you’ve read in the many text books. String a line of quotes together and put your source in a footnote. What? I don’t go to memorize. I go to learn. Apparently I’m not aloud to have an original thought in my head, or put down a result of my processing of the info (as in I really thought it out) and write it in a way the professor sees I understand the material, not just spit it back. Never went. Perfectly happy I didn’t.
Janet Howe 2 years ago
I'm my own worst enemy. Took many years to figure out. AND, I can't do anything without procrastinating. At least I can admit that stuff now.
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