The Style Files
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Sparkle and StoneThis month, my inspiration continues to come from people in unexpected ways. I recently had the fortune of speaking to a young man with a shimmering black gemstone ring. (I'd been having a conversation days earlier about jewelry in the Middle East so was even more excited to come across an example.) After commenting on the subtle sparkle, he went on to say it looked like the night sky. Of course it does! And of course that's an appropriate reference after learning about Saudi Arabian marvel of AlUla and its otherworldly stargazing. I've been on the hunt for black, glistening gemstones ever since including the likely specular hematite.
Elsewhere in dreamland, I've been feeling grateful for gems of an entirely different variety. Leave it to me to master the art of oblivion in the realm of personal and professional relationships. In a nutshell, I'm pleasantly surprised by returning clients or good friends who have stay the course like lines on a highway. Maybe increased conscious awareness will mean recognizing these stellar relationships sooner rather than later though for now, I'll take delayed gratification. My final installment for September's monthly inspiration came from a chance encounter with a person named shooting star. (Did you know names could be so beautiful? It was translated into English, obviously! I could write an entire column on my favorite foreign names.) I couldn't believe it and asked a friend for confirmation. Only a day later, I came upon a local address including 'Shooting Star Road' and shared it with the guy himself. This string of coincidences is setting me up for a stirring month already. I wish you all the same!
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Photo credit: www.pexels.com Just don't. Here's the thing: the job hunt is enough to make me cringe on the regular. It's not that looking for work is a foreign concept or especially thrilling under normal circumstances. In the world of marketing, there's a lot more to wince at than normal. You'd think that crowd would be particularly sensitive since they're in the BUSINESS of making a good impression, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Writing is therapeutic so I thought I'd air my grievances once and for all. Below are some particularly annoying pet peeves of mine rampant on job boards everywhere. Here's to hoping corporations, employers and strategists take the hint or hit me up for questions. 1. Crafting Compelling Content This phrase crops up ALL the time on job boards and in the writing world in general. I hate it with a vengeance. If you're actually a content writer or copywriter or even vaguely aware of what advertising is all about, you'd know how counterintuitive it is to have poor, boring word choice. Yes, I know that alliteration is a tool of the trade particularly in ad copy and there's no getting away from the fact that content starts with c. Deferring to the same exact combinations is still inexcusable. While not as common, 'clear and concise content' is almost as obnoxious. Could you not? Yes, it may be accurate and no, it's not the worst literary offense ever but we've still all heard it one too many times. Use the writing skills you claim to have in spades and come up with a fresh alternative. 2. Double Hyphen Yet another thorn in my side, the double hyphen is barely acceptable in common use. People who don't live and breathe reading, writing and mass communication can be begrudgingly forgiven though the rest of you ought to know better. It's time for all of you marketing people to get your grammar straight anyway so do yourself a favor and start with this. For crying out loud, it's your JOB! More on that later. 3. Excessively Long Posts My guess is most people applying to copywriting and content writing jobs don't read every word carefully. I'm not sure how much that varies by profession but when you're paid per word, time is of the essence. Why companies decide to post novellas of job descriptions is beyond me. Roles of particular responsibility or technical expertise are certainly given some leeway, but many of these are ordinary openings. Most copywriters or content writers know the tricks of the trade from prior experience and/or a solid foundation in writing, so please don't waste our time with a lot of extraneous text. Btw, your lack of SEO know-how is showing. 4. The Use of Wordsmith I'm incredibly grateful that this one doesn't rear its ugly head often. Maybe it's because the rest of us have come across it enough times to avoid it in our own writing but the why hardly matters. To all the stuffed suits writing these dopey descriptions, hear me loud and clear: make mention of this word again and I'm giving it a hard pass. I didn't study language for years to scrape the bottom of the barrel and am not about to accept your sloppy seconds. 5. Skills Tests Like I said before, good content writing, copywriting or other writing meant for public consumption is mainly a matter of practice and ability. If an applicant spent years honing their craft, please don't inundate them with a barrage of prefabricated tests. A writing sample is evidence enough of our skill and style so leave the exams on campus. 6. Remote* Work Is it remote or is it not? As someone shopping remote jobs alone, I'm not into this borderline business. Either offer remote work with no strings attached or remove the qualifier because there's an enormous difference between being temporarily remote and forever apart. Words matter so choose yours wisely. 7. Sucky Grammar Galore Technically speaking, this already came up once before in the double hyphen item. I've said it before and I'll say it again: many, many people in marketing have terrible writing skills. I stand by it, too! In fact, the lack of basic aptitude leaves me speechless on a regular basis. I'm talking mismatched capitalization, obvious spelling mistakes, absent punctuation and everything in between. To their limited credit, people who study marketing, advertising, HR or similar fields also learn things I didn't and don't intend to. They're versed in all kinds of website tracking techniques and analysis of our digital existence. I still firmly believe that communication in written form depends most centrally on the ability to write and write well. Things like skipped proofreading, glaring typos or other writing blunders can cost your business big time. Here's a perfect example of an embarrassing mistake I came across earlier today. Check out the string of random words towards the bottom of the first paragraph: www.ilumaagency.com/about/franchise-digital-marketing-blog/ See it? Do you? Let me point it out. "What Information Should You IncludeConsider your sales strategy." Yes, someone wrote that outside of their diary. It's a real thing that exists somewhere along the space time continuum. Whether intentional or not, this miscellaneous word train was published on a prominent website that represents brands many Americans cannot afford. Someone's livable salary is being paid while many other employees lost their fast food wages only to be evicted during a pandemic. Do you understand my frustration? Because if you can read and especially if you get paid to write, you should. In brief, I'd like to remind you that if you write for a living, LEARN TO WRITE. You wouldn't expect a pilot to stare questionably out the window or a cleaner to hold a mop upside down. All of the other writers out there making my newfound profession look bad have none of my sympathy. Go read like the rest of us. Be inspired by authors, genres, prose and etymology. Brush up on grammar and syntax and idioms and synonyms as often as the next guy. I'm not here to hold space for mediocrity. Final Thoughts What began as a tirade against job boards has since digressed into me turning against the marketing community as a whole. Oh, well. Aren't they all the same? This whole camp of people trying as little as they possibly can needs to change their ways. Here's to less cringey job board posts, more attentive content and setting a higher bar overall. Let's rise to the occasion. The Myth of Scientific MaterialismLast week, I spoke to an English student who mentioned his background in engineering. He explained it by casually saying anyone could study language but that you have to be smart as an engineer. While I don’t disagree that engineering is difficult, his dismissive attitude towards language is one I’ve heard before. What I cannot understand is how someone belittles something he knows so little about. It’s one thing to dislike reading and another to categorically dump on an enormous and varied group of people. Later in the week, I was enjoying the last few pages of “A Tale for the Time Being” by Ruth Ozeki. (It’s phenomenal and the subject of a previous entry!) Here's one of the passages that caught my eye: “But she had something she wanted to tell us. I think she’d been waiting. She raised her arms and struggled to sit up. I tried to help her, but her body was just bones in a skin bag, and I was afraid to hurt her.” (p. 361) To someone outside of the story, this passage alone means relatively little. Ozeki’s writing is a work of art in its own right as other literary enthusiasts might tell you. To me, the text mainly reminded of similar wording from somewhere else entirely. My friend and her husband took an extended trip years ago involving a couple months of walking and hiking. As the story goes, her husband bought some shoes for their vacay based on branding rather than comfort for feet that felt like “a bag of bones.” That right there is the missing piece: not bags or bones but a fleeting link. The engineer I spoke to might think of words as a means to an end without appreciating their depth or character. How can a few short letters transport me from a contemporary piece of Japanese (or Japanese/American/Canadian) fiction to an anecdote of everyday disappointment? Language connects us to place, time, emotion and nuance. It may be difficult to qualify the value of overlap and connectivity so numbers don’t tell the full story. Ironically, I think this moment is part of a larger discussion. Medicine and physics are both butting heads with anything outside the realm of strict logic or material science. It wasn’t until recently that doctors began to genuinely recognize the mind-body connection or recognize social factors on a person’s health. Physics operates in much the same way: metaphysical theories are gaining traction as our understanding of consciousness is called into question. Will the engineering dude change his mind? Probably not. Still, these examples of colliding perspectives and potential common ground leave me feeling cautiously inspired. For the Love of NigellaAs much as I'd like to pretend otherwise, some areas of my life are utterly predictable. One such source of timeless inspiration is none other than Nigella Lawson. Really though, how could you not? There's so much to her persona we already know and love like her background in journalism and famous English family. (Truth be told, I'm not super interested in her prior fame but it's apparently a big deal to a lot of people!) Of course, she's also a stunning beauty known for her cuisine and allure. Then there's the unfortunate loss and sadness in her life and her ability to bounce back from death, family tension and domestic violence. We can all agree she's all of those things and more to each and every one of us. Be that as is may, Nigella has earned her crowning glory as this month's inspiration based on her credulous approach. Obviously she applies this to cooking first and foremost at least from our curated vantage point. I suspect part of the reason for her sustained adoration comes from her authenticity and likeability. She's nothing short of the real deal. You don't have to watch every episode to realize Nigella is equal parts sloppy and sophisticated without the hint of an apology. There's something to be said for celebrating the ordinary and learning as amateurs. Let's break it down: no one else inspired my entire generation to make real food! So what's that got to do with design? Well, not necessarily anything. Because my brain is nearly as scrambled in eclectic influence as the domestic goddess herself (or so I'd like to think), what that actually means is everything. Food is inherently like design: both are brimming with style, personal preference, color, texture and mood. Love it or hate it, at least make it something. And just because her medium is pasta and mine is interiors doesn't mean I can't revel in her being. At the end of the day, my point is that we need to drop the charade. We live in a world where titles used to mean everything and people put on airs. It's frankly unnecessary. If we could stop for a moment and remember that we're all a little bit basic on even our best days, maybe we'd be a little more pleasant. Perhaps we'd be kind. Recognize we're human. We could focus on enjoying the process rather than striving towards expertise. We could follow the one thing we know and let it drive us rather than getting bogged down in linear cages. Who's got time for that anyway? Let's all just remember to bring some curiosity and originality into the mix. With that in mind, the world according to Martha via Nigella means life on repeat needs a refresh. A Tale for the Time BeingSuffice it to say the cover is great but not something I have permission to use! Here's a close second. Photo credit: www.pexels.com If there's one thing I could convey to designers, it's that some words are definitely worth reading. Most visual people can't be bothered with books or content outside the confines of what's required to get by everyday. That's where magical realism comes in! Even ardent linguists have to admit that some books are a bore. Not so with magical realism: words on the page are as descriptive and alluring as tiles in a mosaic. Why is it still such a hard sell to design geeks?
June also happens to be the month of my birthday so I spent most of the actual day reading. I'm usually a Haruki Murakami fan but have been shopping around for other authors for a while. Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being is nothing short of raw and hilarious. It's like going on vacation to a last-minute place only to have everything work out in your favor. What a beautiful happenstance! Sometimes writing about writing is not nearly as good as the original. Nothing's ever as good as the original, anyway. With that in mind, here's a short excerpt from the book I'm reading with bated breath: "So, everything was great and we were just cruising along, except for the fact that we were living in a total dreamland called the Dot-Com Bubble, and when it burst, Dad's company went bankrupt, and he got sacked, and we lost our visas and had to come back to Japan, which totally sucked because not only did Dad not have a job, but he'd also taken a big percentage of his big fat salary in stock options so suddenly we didn't have any savings either, and Tokyo's not cheap. It was a complete bust. Dad was sulking around like a jilted lover, and Mom was grim and tight and righteous, but at least they identified as Japanese and still spoke the language fluently. I, on the other hand, was totally f$%^#(, because I identified as American, an even though we always spoke Japanese at home, my conversational skills were limited to basic, daily-life stuff like where's my allowance, and pass the jam, and Oh please please please don't make me leave Sunnyvale." Those of you unfamiliar with magical realism might be surprised by its casual style or colorful language. As a rule, it doesn't follow the same structural restrictions as really any other type of writing although it's usually not quite stream of consciousness, either. These stories are often told from the first person narrative and can be incredibly revelatory in nature. That's half the reason the genre is so unpredictable from one story to the next: you're literally bouncing around someone else's mind in a sort of surreal, unfiltered way. I haven't made it very far but do have to say that this book already ties in much larger, more timely themes in its convincing adolescent tone. Issues of self, cultural identity, mental fragility, religion, gender and translation have all made an appearance in the first 60 pages. The web of bubblegum speak is deceitfully sophisticated in its quips and quirks and all the richer for it. I could go on and frankly would love to! Anyway, you get the idea. In summary, this month's inspiration speaks to two timeless loves of my life: artful storytelling and visual overload. It's more like sensory excess in a way though the visual descriptions characteristic of this genre are unparalleled by any other. Do yourself a favor and hit the books! This should make the top of your list though others like Laura Esquivel's classic Like Water for Chocolate or anything by Haruki Murakami would easily pass muster. It's time to revel in your summer reading so you can report back to me later. Keep these business quagmires from driving you crazy! Photo credit: www.pexels.com Earlier today, I came across a marketing agency with enough holes in their content to put Swiss cheese to shame. Crappy writing never ceases to amaze me. As someone who takes language seriously, I DO NOT understand how an entire industry can thrive on the sale of garbage.
Unfortunately, that's not even the half of it. Why do these mistakes go hand in hand with businesses charging astronomical prices? The world of writing is filled with bottom feeders so you won't often hear me arguing against appropriate earnings. Still, there's no getting around the fact that some businesses will happily rob you blind for a terrible product. There's no excuse. I thought it only fair to spill the tea when it comes to shady businesses and their trademark practices. While you may not need to work in the industry to know these signs, they're certainly worth some attention. Let's get into it! 1. Missing pages How often have you come across businesses without a 'Careers' page? This one bothers me to no end because it's equal parts obvious and ubiquitous. Granted, smaller businesses don't always have a need for hired help; that's all fine and good. What's not cool is posing as a fully-fledged business without half of the moving parts. Do yourself a favor and steer clear of businesses with questionable gaps in all the wrong places. 2. Poor graphics Most of us aren't graphic designers so we're not expecting miracles. If you come across a website with graphics so pixelated you confuse it for Legos, it's time to hit the road. How hard is it to take a decent picture on your camera phone or use free images from sites like pexels or unsplash to cover your bases? Take this lack as a sign of bigger problems elsewhere and walk the other way. 3. Spelling mistakes Yes, this one's obvious but no, that doesn't make it any less common. There are spelling mistakes like confusing nearly identical words and then there are oversights caused by barely trying. Neither is great. Obviously, I'm more wound up about this than the average person because words are my life. I'd still venture to guess that a business too busy to spellcheck doesn't have your best interests at heart. 4. Grammar mistakes This one is particularly relevant to marketing companies. In essence, marketing is the act of making your product or service look better, not worse. Tons of marketing content is word-based such as copywriting and content writing. Notice that writing is the operative word which necessarily involves an understanding of correct grammar. Let's band together and tell marketing agencies our standards are higher because for crying out loud, the consumer prices are high enough. 5. Sloppiness in any form You might have already gathered that all of the previously listed red flags pertain to quality. Quality matters! We may live in a world obsessed with speed but there's no replacement for the real deal. If you spot anything from extra spaces to shoddy website presentation, note it in big. (Judge Rinder fans, anyone?) Poorly presented businesses aren't about to wow you out of nowhere so you're better off without them. 6. Lack of etiquette It goes without saying but business depends in part on the human experience. How friendly are the employees? How professional are their messages? In case you have any questions about a business, you're always welcome to ask. However, don't be surprised if an iffy business comes with all the attitude you can imagine. No thanks, lady! Final thoughts The bottom line is your time, money and attention are valuable. Be discerning in your business dealings before spending a dime to keep yourself in the clear. Here's to you and your hunt for honorable service providers! Timimoun
Lately, Algeria has been on my mind. I've had the pleasure of meeting lovely Arabic speakers who introduce me to their countries and cultures if only briefly. Sometimes all it takes is a sliver of information to open you up to something unexpected. As it turns out, Timimoun was that spark for me and a very real place I'd love to visit eventually. I should also add that the Arab world is a vastly underappreciated area in terms of architecture, in my humble opinion. Their mosques, ornate tiles and tucked-away courtyards are the stuff of design dreams. While all of that solidly entrenches Algeria in the Arab world, African desert architecture takes on a quality all its own. Buildings like the Great Mosque of Djenne in Timbuktu are not unlike Timimoun's between their earthen structures and spikey exteriors. Can we talk about color for a second? Even if buildings aren't your jam, the monochromatic style of this city is breathtaking in and of itself. It's a baked desert red not unlike the Grand Canyon that imbues every inch of the city like Harold and the Purple Crayon. Only in this case, it's more like Terki and the Ocre Crayon thanks to one lone architect on a mission to save the country's iconic architectural material and tradition. Did I mention she's female in an industry dominated by men? Way to inspire all of us, Yasmine! Back to the topic at hand. As I was saying, what's also notable about Timimoun is its natural state of decay. Some of the buildings have begun to crumble and instead of seeming incomplete, the collective mass looks like it's rising from the ground. The appearance of an ancient ruin adds to the lure of a city sprouting up out of nowhere: it's a wayward oasis of timeless resilience. Elsewhere in Algeria, engineers go about their day drilling for oil and living in heat. I'm told excess oil is burned as small fires that dot the landscape like little pockets of flames that eventually die down. Whether I see Algeria up close and personal remains to be seen; There's still no denying the magnetism of this desert city steeped in warmth and wear. Photo credit: www.pexels.com As any designer will tell you, one of the easiest ways to take your space to the next level is by adding texture. Tactile elements create both satisfying surfaces and visual interest in one fell swoop. Here are a few ways to get all the feels in your home using a single design strategy. Photo credit: www.pexels.com 1. Lamps Since when are lamps strictly utilitarian? Lighting itself can be very decorative and lamp shades are no exception. Whether you're in the mood for something traditional or modern, there's always a way to incor-porate texture into the equation. Photo credit: www.pexels.com 2. Rugs Galore Rugs, carpets or floor mats are all options when it comes to texture for your toes. The amount of texture varies by design or preference though rugs add character and charm to nearly any room. So while extra-long shag carpeting is bolder than most, no one's fighting the pug snuggles! Photo credit: www.unsplash.com 3. Plant Love People tend towards something warm and fuzzy when it comes to texture. Don't forget that visual variation is just as good! Add stunning visuals to your space using plant play. There's nothing quite like the balance of positive and negative space so let nature take the stage. Photo credit: www.unsplash.com 4. Blankets Blankets may seem a bit on the nose but nothing beats a classic. Go for fuzzy covers or wide-open weaves in this iteration of bedroom texture. Lean in on tactile goodness with chunky knits or cuddly throws for a plush spin on texture—your pets are sure to thank you! Photo credit: www.pexels.com 5. Wood Grain When was the last time you appreciated a wood grain? Its beauty is so subtle we sometimes take it for granted. The good news is understated textures like those found in nature lend themselves to nearly any background. Add wood to your interiors for sophisticated surfaces and texture on a micro scale. Photo credit: www.unsplash.com 6. Ceramics You might not associate ceramics with texture but they definitely fit the bill. Whether you're into natural terra cotta or an extra glossy finish, the material can be played up or down for your preferred vibe. Add some rustic neutrals or polished porcelain to texturize your interiors for the ultimate in timeless design. Final Thoughts As style elements go, there are a million and one ways to interpret texture. Let your imagination run wild with these ideas to find the perfect fit for your design project. Best of luck with your inspired interiors and remember to make it your own! Photo credit: www.unsplash.com
Home Design 101 Cleaning isn't always a barrel of laughs but Vigar convinces me otherwise. Think I'm kidding? Their product range is so adorable I have to stop myself from stocking up on cleaning supplies. Yes, they're that good. Trust me when I say you'll definitely want in on it.
The Spanish brand otherwise known as Casa Vigar has a worldwide following thanks to its iconic designs. If you're inspired by pop culture, cartoons or anything else childlike, you'll probably be just as smitten as I am. Yes, we're still talking about scrub brushes and no, this is not a paid promotion; I'm just a fan. To me, Vigar is a brand that demonstrates what good design is all about. To the extent that we live in a material world, isn't it okay to love our everyday objects? I'm not talking fancy cars or overpriced purses, either. Normal people have a right to beautiful things. Really, what's better than making something simple surprisingly uplifting? I must admit I thought Vigar was a passing trend. Its products started to spring up in my favorite stores and they got bought up so quickly I thought they'd disappeared. Not true. Turns out the company has been in business for 60 years so their master craftsmanship should come as no surprise. While you may know them for their kitchen gear like dish scrubbers and sponge caddies, their range includes everything from storage solutions to garden tools. That's half the reason they earned my seal of approval for April's style inspo. Maybe you think this month's edition is a little heavy-handed or maybe I've lost my marbles. Tough luck! That's still not going to cramp my style. If I can't gush about the optics of a scrub brush in my 30s, I don't know what to tell you. That is, other than to visit vigar.com/ for spring cleaning supplies. It's the best thing you'll do all day! One of the things you'll quickly learn in the world of freelance writing is the hierarchy of content agencies. There are more terrible content mills than you can shake a stick at and a handful of others with reasonably good expectations. Based on my personal experience as an applicant and accepted writer with ClearVoice, here's my take on the reputable agency's shortcomings.
1. Speed of Activation It's no secret that ClearVoice takes longer than most to join. For one thing, the profile requires a substantial amount of work but it seems like a good idea upfront. Most of the time spent goes towards building a comprehensive portfolio which is potentially a worthy investment. However, what I can say is that I filled out my profile and waited for months for nothing to happen. It was only after sending two unanswered emails in the span of a month that I learned I'd made it. If you value your time, that's great; this agency doesn't so be prepared for some serious waiting. 2. Poor Communication One of the main takeaways from my time with ClearVoice was its poor communication overall. The website states that freelancers can expect to wait about a week to get a response. Time is valuable! Such a long wait time is a deterrent in and of itself but it's worse not to hear from the team. After sending to emails asking about the status of my application, the only response I got was an interview invite without further explanation. In the words of Michael from Arrested Development, "I guess that's a response." 3. Flair Something that sets ClearVoice apart from other content agencies is its requirement to post six published items to your profile for consideration. Other applications often require anywhere from one to three so six is fairly extensive. However, you know that going in so it seems fair enough. What I learned later is the six-item mark really doesn't meet their standards. My interviewer said my ability to get jobs depended heavily on the number of links I shared on my profile which essentially meant publishing more than advertised. Why share that with me once I've been accepted? No flair for me, thanks. 4. Unprofessional Interview Accepted applicants have a short onboarding process consisting of a 15-minute interview with a staff member. It's mainly meant to touch base with writers, confirm their identity as humans vs. bots and determine the volume and type of work they're after. Nothing unusual about that. What I will say is my interview started off on the wrong foot and never really recovered. I signed up using the link sent to me and chose a time slot available for the next day. Even though there was nothing advising me against it, my interviewer complained about it during our session after forgetting to send me an invite link the day of. If any one of these things had happened in isolation, I'd probably let it slide. Accepting a series of problems from an employer is harder to swallow particularly if you're shopping for serious work as a qualified writer. The bad attitude and interview overall were enough of a tipping point for me to change my mind about the company's potential. 5. Unfulfilled Actions I was told during the interview that the next step of the process would be to write an article on behalf of a client in my niche and that I'd be sent the file shortly. I didn't receive anything that day, the next day or even the following week. Again, major let down. I contacted ClearVoice to ask what happened but again heard nothing. It's hard to take a business seriously as someone doing all the follow-up. 6. Byline Only ClearVoice is often a platform that attracts more advanced writers in that it requires a higher number of publications. You can also list relevant writing experience, education or other credentials that work in your favor. What surprised me as a seasoned writer in a related industry is the lack of credit for non-bylined work. What that means is freelancers like ghostwriters, translators or other writers whose work doesn't mention them by name don't have a leg up even if they have the work to prove it. Details like that might not matter to newbies but considering they market themselves to established pros, they're selling their writers short. Final Thoughts Many freelancers I've read or heard have had positive reviews of ClearVoice and maybe it's okay once you actually make it to that stage. However, I wouldn't say that it strikes me as a professional company in many other ways that it will cost you in terms of time, patience or energy. That's why I'm giving this agency a hard pass. Do you have an entirely different experience of ClearVoice? Do you know any behind-the-scenes info about its intake process or work environment? Feel free to share. In the meantime, best of luck to my fellow writers near and far! I'm wishing you all luck in search of greener pastures and some green in time for tax season. |
AuthorHi, my name is Martha Oschwald and I'm a content writer focused on design. This page is meant to give you a taste of my writing style and latest musings. Archives
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