| Celebrating Canada’s 150th Anniversary of Confederation |
| Celebrating Canada’s 150th Anniversary of Confederation,
Landscape Ontario and Canada Blooms Present:
March 7th through March 8th, 2017
“The Beauty of Nature and the Nature of Beauty”
A Solo exhibition by Canadian artist TM GLASS
WHAT: A Private Media and Industry Preview of “The Beauty of Nature
and the Nature of Beauty” exhibit by Canada Blooms and Landscape Ontario is
an incomparable technology-driven photographic journey into the horticulture of
the last 150 years of Canadian flowers – with a special tie to the nation’s birthday.
Created by renowned Canadian artist, TM Glass, known for an exceptional mix of
photography, digital painting and still life imagery reveals, in this series of limited
edition archival prints, the rising Canadian passion for gardening and love of floral
beauty that began in early pioneer days. Portraits of flowers from this garden
appear in vases that were photographed with special permission at the Royal
Ontario Museum, Gardiner Ceramic Museum and Vancouver Art Gallery.
As interesting is the history of Canada’s robust floral industry. From the native
anemone to the parrot tulip, white clematis, rose and more, this first of its kind
exhibit chronicles for you how flowers came to Canada (It’s a great story involving
merchant cargo ships, sea captains, rare bulbs and even a Canadian hybridized
winter-hardy rose named Emily Carr by its nursery grower). Also in this private
preview, will be a display - of historic seed catalogues from 1867 to 1950 showing
the kinds of flowers grown in early-days Canadian gardens.
WHO: Artist TM Glass &
Additional associates for the exhibit could be available: i.e. ROM - Dr.
Sascha Priewe, MD – Culture Centres, Gardiner Ceramic Museum and Land Ontario
Executives
WHERE: 55 Sudbury – listed, Canadian Heritage Building – Liberty Village
WHEN: MARCH 7TH THROUGH 8TH 10 AM TO 5 PM DAILY
For media inquiries, please contact:
Ruth Milikin,
ruth@pennantmediagroup.com
(416) 596-2978
Alex Latter,
alex@pennantmediagroup.com
(905) 510-4029
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| More.. | Posted: Mar 06, 2017 |
 | |
| Grassy Narrows Chief: Trudeau Is Letting My People Down |
| Grassy Narrows Chief: Trudeau is letting my people down.
Grassy Narrows – Chief Fobister of Grassy Narrows is responding to day to
comments made yesterday by Prime Minister Trudeau.
“Trudeau is letting my people down by failing to lead on solving our mercury crisis,”
said Chief Simon Fobister of Grassy Narrows. “How can Trudeau say that he is
reconciling with First Nations while passing the buck on cleaning up an ongoing toxic
leak that has plagued our health and undermined our culture for fifty years?
Trudeau must firmly commit to do everything in his power to clean up the mercury in
our river and to ensure that mercury survivors receive proper support and state of
the art care.”
In January Trudeau’s office said that he would “deal with [the mercury] issue once
and for all."
But yesterday, following news that there is likely an ongoing source of mercury
leaking from the site of the old chemical plant in Dryden, Trudeau appeared to
backtrack. At a news conference in Calgary Trudeau said that "the Grassy Narrows
issue is very much a provincial issue."
The Chief, and his predecessor, wrote to Trudeau three times in the past year
inviting him to partner with them on cleaning up the mercury contamination of
the English-Wabigoon River so that they can safely fish for walleye – a central part
of their Indigenous diet, livelihood, and culture.
CONTACT: Chief Simon Fobister: 807-407-0170
BACKGROUND
Under section 91 of the Constitution Act, 1867 the Federal Government has
exclusive jurisdiction over inland fisheries. The federal Fisheries Act prohibits
the deposit of deleterious substances into water frequented by fish, including
species that support indigenous fisheries (s. 91(12)).
"Mercury and its compounds" have been designated as "toxic" under Schedule 1 of
the federal Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (s. 91(27)). Moreover,
the federal government has used CEPA to pass regulations in relation to pulp/paper
mill effluent, including releases of chlor-alkali mercury (see SOR/90-130).
The federal government also has responsibilities for First Nations under the Treaties
and the constitution, and a concurrent jurisdiction over public health.
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| More.. | Posted: Mar 03, 2017 |
| |
| lFake news |
| Fake news
March 3, 2017
Fake news is an inaccurate, sometimes sensationalistic report that is created to gain
attention, mislead, deceive or damage a reputation. Unlike misinformation, which is
inaccurate because a reporter has confused facts, fake news is created with
the intent to manipulate someone or something. Fake news can spread quickly
when it provides disinformation that is aligned with the audience's point of view
because such content is not likely to be questioned or discounted.
In recent years, the internet has provided a low-cost distribution channel for fake
news. Posting fake news in discussion forums, website comment fields, blogs
and social media websites requires little, if any, technical know-how. Social media
websites in particular have proved to be an easy venue for distributing fake news.
Bogus stories can be tweeted or posted from a mobile smartphone and quickly
distributed to a large audience through retweets and sharing.
Although some creators and distributors of fake news have political or social
agendas, others are more entrepreneurial, using fake news that appeals to
recipients on an emotional level to make money from digital advertising placed
around the content. When fake news is used to spread propaganda, it can be
dangerous. In addition to shaping public opinion and behavior, it can also cause
mistrust, encourage dissent and deflect attention from real news.
In response to criticism about failing to curb the distribution of fake news during
the 2016 presidential election in the United States, Facebook and Google have
taken steps to crack down on disinformation. They have formed a coalition called
First Draft and are working with major media outlets to educate Internet users
about how to spot fake news. They are also working with third parties to create
independent fact-checking websites and are exploring ways to identify and label
news stories that can not be verified, much like the way Wikipedia editors label
entries they feel should be questioned.
On the internet, news that is created with the intent to deceive often has poor
grammar and misspelled words; it may use racial language or have an excessive
number of capital letters and exclamation points. To verify the accuracy of a news
story, it can be useful to query a search engine in order to confirm that legitimate,
traditional news sources are also covering the story; fake news stories often have
only one source. Another strategy for identifying fake news is to check the host
site's domain name and URL. Often, fake news will appear to have
a legitimate-sounding domain name, but will have a URL that ends in .com.co
or another unusual suffix.
Unlike other areas where machine learning algorithms have been used successful,
such as image recognition or natural language processing, there are fewer patterns
to rely on with fake news. AI tool developed will need to have a component of
judgment, something today's AI isn't quite capable of achieving. |
| More.. | Posted: Mar 03, 2017 |
| |
| Petition for Marlee Avenue Traffic Controls |
| July 24, 2014
Dear Neighbours,
In response to speeding and traffic safety concerns raised by residents, I have
requested three separate Traffic Study to be completed along Marlee Avenue.
Upon completion of each study, it was found that traffic signals were not
warranted at Marlee and Wenderly Drive, Glengrove Avenue, Glen Park Avenue,
Hillmount Avenue and/or Stayner Avenue.
Due to these results, I am circulating a petition to the community to demonstrate
the urgent need for traffic calming measures along Marlee Avenue. If you are in
support of traffic control signals along Marlee Avenue, please sign the petition at
http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/marleetrafficlights
Please contact my office at 416-392-4027 or Councillor_Colle@toronto.ca if you
have any questions.
Sincerely,
Josh Colle
Councillor Josh Colle (councillor_colle@toronto.ca)
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| More.. | Posted: Jul 25, 2014 |
| |
| Homophobia Still Tolerated by Governments around the World |
| AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE
16 May 2014
Amnesty International: Homophobia Still Tolerated by Governments around the
World
Governments around the world are failing to live up to their obligations to protect
the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people,
Amnesty International said on the eve of the International Day against
Homophobia and Transphobia.
“Ahead of a season of Pride events, governments across the globe need to step
up and fulfil their responsibility to allow people to express themselves, protected
from homophobic violence,” said Michael Bochenek, Amnesty International’s
Senior Director for Law and Policy.
“Recent Pride marches have been blighted by bans and violent attacks – this
cannot continue. Discrimination and restrictions on the rights to freedom of
assembly and expression plague the lives of LGBTI people all over the world.”
In a number of countries there is a marked lack of will to tackle homophobia and
transphobia. The authorities in some countries even go so far as to encourage it
by introducing and implementing legislation and regulations that undermine the
rights of LGBTI people to freely express themselves - in contravention of states’
international obligations.
LGBTI people are frequently targeted with violence during Pride events as well as
in their everyday lives. Far too often attacks are not investigated thoroughly or
promptly by the police.
“It’s outrageous that in 2014 authorities around the world are failing to legislate
against or investigate homophobic and transphobic hate crimes. Even more
grating is the fact that in many countries LGBTI people are themselves the target
of criminal charges and state violence,” said Michael Bochenek.
“Everyone should be able to enjoy all their human rights without discrimination,
including on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.”
This year Amnesty International is focusing attention on a number of countries
where change is urgently needed.
Cameroon: Violence, arbitrary arrest and detention because of real or perceived
sexual orientation are commonplace. Cameroon’s penal code criminalizes
same-sex sexual acts and the offence is punishable by up to five years’
imprisonment.
Haiti: Attitudes to LGBTI people have become increasingly hostile since the
12 January 2010 earthquake, when a number of religious groups providing aid to
Haiti claimed homosexuality had led to the natural disaster. In November 2013
men armed with machetes and handguns beat up two members of an LGBTI
rights group at their office in Port-au-Prince.
Russia: A 2013 act has outlawed public LGBTI events. Several peaceful assemblies
have been disrupted by the authorities on the basis of this homophobic law. Police
routinely fail to protect LGBTI individuals from violent attacks.
Serbia: A Pride event planned for 31 May is at risk of a last minute ban. Since
2011 public authorities have banned Pride marches on the basis of threats from
homophobic groups. A march in 2010 was overshadowed by 6,500 angry
counter-demonstrators.
Uganda: On 23 February the President signed into law an Anti-Homosexuality bill
which stipulates a life sentence for same-sex relations, and allows for the
extradition of Ugandans having same-sex relations abroad. Violent attacks,
arbitrary arrests and torture and other ill-treatment of LGBTI people continues
with alarming frequency.
Ukraine: After being banned from the city centre, the first Kyiv Pride was held last
year in an isolated location. Counter-demonstrators still tried to disrupt it,
throwing firecrackers and tearing down banners. Organisers of the 2014 Pride on
5-7 July have received threats of violence, while the government refuses to
legislate against discriminating towards LGBTI people.
Since the 1970s, Pride marches have been crucial for LGBTI people to mobilize
against homophobia and transphobia, to stand against discrimination, to build
bridges with mainstream society and to send a clear message to the authorities
that they have a responsibility to ensure the rights of all people.
“All too often authorities try to wriggle out from their responsibility to ensure the
right of LGBTI people to hold events, to be visible, to be integrated into
mainstream society. As Pride marches are being organized across the globe, now
is the time for governments to stand firm and guarantee these basic rights,” said
Michael Bochenek.
Public Document
****************************************
For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London,
UK, on
+44 20 7413 5566
email: press@amnesty.org
twitter: @amnestypress
International Secretariat, Amnesty International
You are receiving this message from Max Tucker, max.tucker@amnesty.org
at Amnesty International via Agility.
|
| More.. | Posted: May 18, 2014 |
| |
| Toronto Ice Storm Update |
| As Toronto Hydro crews continue to work around the clock to restore power to
our community, I wanted to provide some important updates for those of you
who I have not seen in your neighbourhood or who have not been following my
updates on www.joshcolle.ca and social media.
First and foremost, I want to again thank you for your patience during this trying
time and everyone's efforts to help out neighbours in need during this massive
restoration undertaking.
If you, or someone you know, still do not have power, I would encourage you to
contact my office with the street or address details so that we can ensure that
Toronto Hydro is working on rectifying the problem.
Some important information as of December 27th at 12 noon:
• Toronto Hydro still has approximately 32,000 customers without power and they
continue to work to get power back on as quickly and safely as possible. Additional
aid has arrived from around the province.
• Customers concerned that Toronto Hydro is reporting that their neighbourhood
has been restored when their home is still without power, are advised to do the
following:
- Check to see if your neighbours have power, if they don't, it is likely that more
work is to be done on your street.
- If your home is the only house without electricity, check your electrical panel
inside the home to see if the breakers are in the "on" position.
- Check outside to see if the electrical equipment on your home is damaged or if
the service wire is "down". If the wire is down, please stay back and contact a
licensed ECRA/ESA electrical contractor.
- If you have completed the above and your power is still out, please report your
outage to 416-542-8000 or my office at 416-392-4027.
• There are currently 43 City Forestry crews out today and working closely with
Toronto Hydro. The Forestry crews work to clear downed trees and fallen branches
and facilitate access for hydro crews to work on power restoration. Additional
forestry crews from across the province are expected to respond and assist
Toronto's forestry staff with debris removal beginning tomorrow.
• City of Toronto reception Centres are still operating at Lawrence Heights
Community Centre, 5 Replin Road and Joseph P Piccininni Community Centre,1369
St Clair Ave. W.
• Residents are reminded that this week and next week, curb side collection on
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will move forward one day. This means that
Wednesday collection moves to Thursday, Thursday collection moves to Friday,
and Friday collection moves to Saturday. Changes are reflected in the residential
collection calendar. Due to downed trees and hydro wires, collection vehicles are
not able to reach some areas. There may also be delays. Residents should leave
their materials out until they are collected. If required, additional collection crews
will work on Monday (not a regularly scheduled collection day).
• Please put any spoiled food in your Green Bin. Overflow can be left in a clear bag
beside the bin.
• All TDSB Buildings, including day-cares, are closed until further notice for
necessary inspections due to the ice storm.
• Approximately 125-150 traffic signals in Toronto are still without power. Please
drive carefully and treat these intersections as all-way stops.
If you have any other questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact
my office at 416-392-4027.
Councillor Josh Colle
Ward 15 Eglinton-Lawrence
Tel: 416-392-4027
Fax: 416-392-4191
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| More.. | Posted: Dec 27, 2013 |
| |
| Minister Kenney Promotes Canada’s New Start-Up Visa in Silicon Valley |
| Minister Kenney Promotes Canada’s New Start-Up Visa in Silicon Valley
Recruiting the world’s best and brightest entrepreneurs to Canada
Ottawa, May 21, 2013 – Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister
Jason Kenney concluded a productive visit to Silicon Valley to promote Canada’s
new Start-Up Visa, the first of its kind in the world.
“The message was delivered loud and clear to the entrepreneur community in
Silicon Valley that Canada is open for business,” said Minister Kenney. “The new
Start-Up Visa will help Canada attract the world’s best and brightest entrepreneurs
to build businesses, create jobs, and fuel economic growth.”
During his time in Silicon Valley, Minister Kenney met with foreign entrepreneurs
and influential figures in the start-up and tech communities, including founders of
start-ups, accelerators, other business leaders, venture capitalists, angel investors
and immigration experts to promote the Start-Up Visa and explain why Canada is a
great place to start a business and invest.
Minister Kenney met Dave McClure, the founder of 500 Start-Ups, one of America’s
leading start-up accelerators which provides mentorship and seed fund investments
to help entrepreneurs become successful. He also met with members of C100, a
Silicon Valley-based organization that supports Canadian technology
entrepreneurship through mentorship, partnerships, and investment.
Minister Kenney also took time to visit Plug and Play Tech Centre which houses
business accelerator programs for entrepreneurs designed to strengthen the
growth of their ideas and start-ups.
Minister Kenney attended TiEcon 2013, the world’s largest conference for
entrepreneurs, where he spoke with many international entrepreneurs, angel
investors, and venture capitalists first-hand.
During his visit, Minister Kenney was a featured guest speaker at Stanford
University where he spoke to scholars, researchers, and students who have a
high potential for becoming candidates for the Start-Up Visa. While at Stanford, he
also met with Dan Siciliano, a legal scholar and entrepreneur with expertise in
corporate governance, corporate finance, and immigration law, and Vivek Wadhwa,
Director of Research at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Research
Commercialization and author of The Immigrant Exodus, one of The Economist’s
Books of the Year for 2012.
He was also the featured guest speaker at an event hosted by the Silicon Valley
Business Journal, attended by many prominent entrepreneurs and investors.
Minister Kenney also officially unveiled the new Start-Up Visa billboard:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/photos/high-res/index.asp?p=105
“There is huge interest in Canada’s new Start-Up Visa and in Canada’s expanding
tech sector,” said Minister Kenney. “Canada’s strong economic growth, low taxes
and business costs, excellence in research and innovation, and top quality of life
all make Canada a top country for innovative entrepreneurs looking to build their
businesses. If you are a start-up entrepreneur and want to build a dynamic
company that can compete on a global scale, then Canada’s Start-Up Visa
Program is for you.”
The Start-Up Visa, which opened for applications on April 1, is an important part
of the Government of Canada’s plan to build a fast and flexible economic
immigration system. The Start-Up Visa Program is the first of its kind in the world
and provides Canadian private sector organizations with access to a broad range
of entrepreneurs – including the world’s best and brightest – in whose ideas they
can invest.
At the same time, the program provides immigrant entrepreneurs with valuable
assistance in navigating the Canadian business environment, which can be a
challenge for newcomers, and enables them to build innovative companies that
can create Canadian jobs and compete on a global scale.
Visit cic.gc.ca/startup for more information on the Start-Up Visa program.
Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CitImmCanada
Photos of Minister Kenney available at:
www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/photos/high-res/index.asp
and
www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/photos/2013/2013-05-17/photo.asp
Alexis Pavlich
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064
- Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
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| More.. | Posted: May 22, 2013 |
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| Supreme Master Ching Hai: Peace with North Korea Is Possible |
| May 13, 2013
Supreme Master Ching Hai: Peace with North Korea Is Possible
Los Angeles, California: “Continue praying for peace. But don’t worry; it (war)
won’t happen,” says Supreme Master Ching Hai, Gusi Peace Prize-winning
humanitarian and world-renowned spiritual teacher, at a teleconference held on
April 14 at the invitation of Supreme Master TV staff in Los Angeles, USA. -
www.SupremeMasterTV.com/peacefulplan (multi-language subtitles).
Her insights made during the discussion may shed light, for both world leaders and
citizens, on how peace can prevail on the Korean peninsula and the world.
“There is nothing to worry about because the North Korean leader and the North
Korean people are intelligent; they are human. They know it is suicide if they start
a war with anybody,” the peace advocate explains. “Having denuclearization is the
best thing to do because having a nuclear weapon is not an insurance for your
country’s safety at all. If you destroy others, they will destroy you. … So
nowadays, everybody understands the situation.”
To resolve the situation, Supreme Master Ching Hai encouraged sincere and fair
dialog among the countries involved, saying that the North Koreans, “just probably
want to be noticed, want to be talked to in a respectful or fair manner. Maybe
that’s what we should do – talk to each other, fairly, respectfully.”
In particular, through meditation Supreme Master Ching Hai was able to share a
deeper understanding about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. “He doesn’t have
violence in his being. He doesn’t want war at all,” she stated. “Even though he’s
young, he’s a smart person. He has been educated in Europe, and he is in love at
his age.”
Supreme Master Ching Hai said that with sincere plans and fair talks for
denuclearization, the Korean peninsula could soon be nuclear-free. She stated,
“They will find that Mr. Kim Jong-un is not that difficult to talk to. He is young; he is
open. He has been educated in the West. It's just that he is (new and) young and
(has) many advisors around him, and he has to cooperate with them also.”
She also offered insight on how North Korea could become a more successful
nation, both in benefiting its citizens as well as the world. “We all live here together
and we should get to know and appreciate each other and learn from each other,
to make friends with each other on the same planet, as a big family. The free world
people surely would like to make friends with the North Korean people.”
Beyond the Korean peninsula, Supreme Master Ching Hai further shared useful
advice for any two parties at odds with each other, “Anything for peace is worthy
to pay, and then it’d be done. (They) have to put down the pride, both sides, and
really concentrate on the welfare, development, peace and prosperity of their own
people, and just shake hands and sign and live next to each other in peace, like
good neighbors. Then it’s done. … Every peaceful plan will be done.”
Along with comforting words of hope for a more peaceful world, Supreme Master
Ching Hai shared a message for the world as follows: “(We) should concentrate on
doing good things. Pray and meditate whatever way you can to the highest
possible spiritual power. Eliminate evil tendencies in all corners of your life.
Remember God at all times. Be grateful for whatever you have and all the blessings
all over around you and in your life. Pray for the world’s wellness. Be vegan, make
peace. And be grateful for your beautiful life and enjoy your short but beautiful
existence.”
Contact: Pat Martine (Los Angeles, USA), +1-626-444-4385,
peace@SupremeMasterTV.com
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| More.. | Posted: May 13, 2013 |
| |
| Russians Set To Bombard America With MAT |
| April 25th, 2013
"Russians Set To Bombard America With MAT And
The English Language May Never Recover"
Attn: KWWR-FM
Is it possible that swearing can have healing power? That’s the argument made by
a Russian entrepreneur who wants to introduce MAT to the English speaking world
and in doing so upset all sense of decency.
MAT is the term used to describe Russian sacral swearwords and the plot is simple
yet ingenious. Introduce English speaking people to MAT and encourage them to
use these Russian words regularly. The ingenious part of the plot is that very few
of their friends and family will know that they are swearing and by using these
words individuals will be participating in one of the best stress relieving activities
around.
The leader of this plot to infiltrate the English language and scandalize Americans is
Sergey Yanchevskiy. According to Yanchevskiy there is pure healing magic in
properly shaped sacral swearwords, especially Russian language swear words.
Yanchevskiy and his team are planning to gather the most effective Russian swear
words into one book and then deliver these MAT guides to libraries throughout the
United States.
Their diabolical scheme is to introduce as many Americans as possible to the healing
power of MAT and they won’t rest until they can walk any street in the country
and hear these Russian swear words being expressed on a regular basis.
In essence, the goal of Yanchevskiy’s project is to undermine conventional norms
by making swearing more acceptable. Using Russian, a language few Americans
know is the perfect way to allow people to swear without obviously offending
anyone. It’s scandalous, it’s ingenious and it just might work.
Drawing on recent studies by some of the top researchers Yanchevskiy is testing
out the new theory that getting made and yelling out swear words is healthy and in
fact can have a healing effect. Researchers are now learning that getting angry
every now and then and relieving stress by shouting a few swear words can a
ctually help people cope with daily life in a more effective manner.
Of course there is always the problem of the social stigma of swearing but one can
only be offended if they are aware that a swear word has been uttered. That’s
where Russian MAT comes in. Like a covert operation, Yanchevskiy and his
colleagues will infiltrate the English language and offer people the chance to curse
to their hearts content with few people understanding what they are saying.
Yanchevskiy argues that Russian MAT is more effective at helping people cope with
stress because of the way the Russian words are structured and how they sound.
Forcefully pronouncing the Russian words correctly leads to the maximum stress
relieve for those who say them.
Yanchevskiy is currently in the early stages of developing his book and is offering
the average person the chance to take part in making the book a great success.
He has teamed with Indiegogo.com to fund this project. The partnership with
Indiegogo let’s Yanchevskiy enlist many different people in his subversive plot
to infiltrate the English language and bring Russian MAT to the masses.
To learn more:
• visit Sergey Yanchevskiy’s page at www.RusMat.com
• watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p6REyxUw6U
• send an email to s.yanchevskiy@gmail.com
Contact Sergey on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yanchevskiy
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| More.. | Posted: Apr 26, 2013 |
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|