Features that attract people the most

You'd be surprised what the world of science has figured out when it comes to romance. One minute, science is launching Neil Armstrong across the void to walk on the moon. The next, it's telling you exactly how to land your fantasy date. Contrary to popular belief, love and attraction is less like a romance novel, and a whole lot more like a psychology journal. Here's what science says is working behind the scenes when Cupid's arrow strikes.

Your lips

Forget about flaunting your curves for a minute. Results from a study at Manchester University found that lips are a woman's most attractive physical attribute. When you think about how much ladies like Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johansson are lusted after, it's tough to argue against it. For extra credit, pink and red lipstick were found to hold a man's attention even longer. When in doubt, go red—it's a classic and it works.

Strong eye contact

Forget that saying about the eyes being the window to the soul, because they're also the door to keeping a lover's attention. Turns out your pupils dilate a little more when you're attracted to someone. The kicker? People are apparently super attracted to dilated pupils. Lesson learned: never miss an opportunity to fixate your eyes at your intended bae.


Pearly whites

Research suggests that straight, white teeth are more attractive, and it's safe to assume that most folks don't prefer yellow, rotting teeth. We shouldn't even have to tell you this, but brush, floss, and visit your dentist regularly. You'd be surprised how many people don't maintain dental hygiene. It's one of those subconscious signals of health and fertility that evolution so craftily tucked into our DNA to help us survive. Thanks, evolution — now pay for our Invisalign!


Smiling like an emoji

When we say smiling like an emoji, we're talking about the happy-face kind, not the inappropriate-but-well-timed eggplant. One study suggests that men are significantly more attracted to women who smile. It's not like you'll be reeling them in with a grimace.

A higher-pitched voice

High-pitched voices are apparently sexier. Researchers suggest it's because higher voices suggest a smaller body size, which our society deems more attractive. We all know the truth: helium fetish. While we're on the topic, keep in mind that cigarettes won't help your cause as they have a tendency to deepen your voice (and yellow your teeth. And, you know, cause cancer)

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This 12-Minute Total-Body Workout Will Make You Feel Really Powerful

Let's be honest: Burpees and mountain climbers are probably two of the most disliked exercises of all time. Of course some people like them, but many people I know begrudgingly do them because they know they're effective ways to work multiple muscles while getting in some cardio at the same time. So it's not surprising that these efficient and effective moves make a great addition to a short workout—like the 12-minute one below created by Michael Blauner, a NESTA-certified personal trainer based in Bergen County, New Jersey.

"Since it’s a short workout, you want to get most bang for your buck," Blauner says. Explosive moves like burpees and mountain climbers can help you do just that. Both moves work your core and arms—no weights required—while also raising your heart rate for some cardiovascular work. You can adjust how much cardio you're getting out of them by speeding them up or slowing them down.

In addition to these two moves, Blauner also included two medicine ball moves in this workout to give you some added resistance and challenge the body in a few more ways. "If you're looking to get a quick workout in and want to cover the major muscle groups, then this circuit is for you," he says.

To get the most out any short-but-sweet workout, Blauner says it's important to focus mostly on compound exercises (like the moves you see here) that work multiple muscle groups at once—sprinkling in a more targeted move here and there. He also suggests taking as few breaks as possible to keep your heart rate elevated throughout.

This workout involves some explosive moves that can be pretty challenging for beginners. If you are looking to start with something that's a little less intense (but still effective), try this beginner-friendly 12-minute workout first. As you build strength and start to feel more comfortable with exercise, try progressing to these more power-driven moves.

Here's how to do this workout:

• Burpees or Squat Thrusts — 1 minute
• Mountain Climbers — 1 minute
• Medicine Ball Slams — 1 minute
• Russian Twists With Medicine Ball — 1 minute
• Repeat the circuit three times, resting as little as possible between circuits.

Here's how to do each move:

1

Squat Thrusts — 1 minute

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms by your sides.
• Bend your knees and reach forward to place your hands on the floor.
• Kick your legs back into a plank position.
• Immediately jump your legs forward back to start and stand back up.
• Continue for one minute.

To make this move more intense, turn it into a full burpee:

• After you kick out into plank position, lower your entire body down to the ground into a push-up, bending at the elbows.
• Use your arms to quickly push your body back up and hop your legs back under your body.
• Jump straight up into the air, reaching your arms overhead.
• End with your knees slightly bent, and go directly into the next rep.
• Continue for one minute.

 2

Mountain Climbers — 1 minute

• Start in a high plank with your wrists directly under your shoulders, core and butt tight and tailbone tucked.
• Quickly pull your right knee into your chest, and then extend it back out as you draw your left leg into your chest.
• The quicker you move, the better the cardio workout—just don't sacrifice form for speed.
• Keep your butt as stable as possible and avoid sagging into your shoulders.
• Continue for one minute.

 3

Medicine Ball Slams — 1 minute

• Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
• Push your hips back and lower down into a squat to pick up a medicine ball, keeping your chest lifted and back flat.
• Push through your heels to stand up as you lift the ball overhead with both hands.
• Slam the ball onto the floor in between your legs. As you slam the ball, lower back down into a squat.
• Don't be afraid to really slam it down—get that aggression out!
• Grab onto the ball and stand up again.
• Continue this movement for one minute.

4

Russian Twists With Medicine Ball — 1 minute

• Sit up with your legs out in front of you, knees bent and your heels on the floor, your back at a 45-degree angle to the floor. To make this move more difficult, you can raise your heels slightly so they aren't touching the floor.
• Hold a medicine ball or medium-weight dumbbell with both hands by your stomach.
• Keep your back straight and medicine ball in close to your torso as you twist to the right and left.
• Continue this for one minute.

Model Zahra Thomas is wearing Athleta Mesh Shine Salutation 7/8 Tights ($89, athleta.gap.com), Athleta Transcendence Bra ($49, athleta.gap.com), and Athletic Propulsion Labs TechLoom Phantom sneakers ($165, zappos.com).

from: self

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12 Unusual Ways Celebrities Hydrate Their Skin

Keeping your skin hydrated in the winter is tough. No matter how moisturized our skin typically is, the cold weather, harsh wind, and dry air seem to suck out every ounce of moisture we try so desperately to lock in.

And while there are tons of magical skin care products to combat the chilly months ahead, sometimes we get sick of the store-bought stuff and want to try something crazy. Apparently, celebrities in Hollywood are on the same wavelength judging from the unusual DIY skin care solutions they’ve concocted to stay moisturized for the bone-chilling days to come.

But before you click through for unconventional skin care tips from gurus like Kim Kardashian West, Cindy Crawford and Victoria Beckham, we have to warn you: These skin care solutions aren’t for the faint of heart. From cat litter to bird poop to seaweed, these products are for the extreme skin care activist who needs a little something extra to stay glowing all year long.

Take a peek at 12 celebrity-approved unconventional skin care products ahead.

Originally posted on StyleCaster. 

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5 Tips for Perfecting Your Squat

PERFECT YOUR SQUAT

From tight feet to weak thighs, how to fix 5 problems that plague even the fittest athletes.

BY AMY ROBERTS   

MOVEMENT / WORKOUTS

July 24th, 2017

Squats are one of the best exercises for the lower body (and really the whole body, when you consider the core work involved). But, as with any multi-joint exercise, there are plenty of places things can go awry, says Leandra Haynes, Tier 2 trainer at Equinox Flatiron. “Surprising limitations could start from as low as the feet,” she says. “Tight muscles and lack of joint mobility are prime causes of squat downfall.” Here’s what could be limiting your squat, and how to fix it.

• ROLL YOUR FEET AND CALVES

  If it feels like your arches cave in when you squat, the issue could be in your feet or in your ankles. “It can be calf tightness causing the lack of ankle mobility to have a proper dorsiflexion range of motion when lifting,” Haynes says.
  
  The fix: Do some pre-workout foam rolling. “You will be surprised to see the improvement from rolling the balls of your feet and all the way up the calves with a lacrosse ball or golf ball,” she says.

• MOVE IN ALL PLANES OF MOTION

  You’ve probably heard it’s important to keep the knees from caving in, but it’s likely weak abductor (outer thigh and glute) muscles that aren’t pulling their weight.
  
  The fix: If you notice your knees often fall on an inward trajectory, integrating more lateral work (like side lunges and mini-band walks) into your weekly routine may help.

• LOOSEN YOUR HIPS AND ANKLES

  One common reason for a shallow squat is tightness around the hip and ankle joints.
  
  The fix: Traditional stretches can help to lengthen the hip flexors (like low lunges) and calves (like heel drops). But also: “Remember the ankles and hips are supposed to allow for 360 degrees range of motion and not just the flexion and extension motions of walking in the sagittal plane,” Haynes says. She suggests adding ankle and hip circles to your warm-up routine.

• CONSIDER A LOW-BAR SQUAT

  Your height, or really, your leg length, can impact your squat. Having longer “levers” (in this case, your femurs) can make it more challenging to both move more weight and get as deep a range of motion. “Very simply put, the shorter the femur, the less distance needs to be traveled during a squat to hit depth,” Haynes says.
  
  The fix: One way to improve matters is to change how you load. Consider trying a low-bar back squat, with the bar resting on your shoulder blades (just a couple of inches below where it would be on your scapula for a high-bar squat).

• TRY VARIATIONS

  “Some fear falling backward when squatting and lean too far forward,” Haynes says.
  
  The fix: To train your brain for better squats, she recommends starting with box squats (in which you squat back toward a box or bench), then progress to goblet squats—”holding a weight in front of you can counter the feeling of falling backward”—before you back-load. The progression may take a few weeks for the good-form habits to develop (and your brain to get over the bad ones), but it’ll be worth it.
• from:furthermore.equinox

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Crazy true facts about Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage definitely isn't the actor you cast as the boring old "everyman" character, but that's exactly why his fan base loves him. While so many people hide their eccentricities from the world, Cage applies his quirky style to every job he takes. He brings the same intensity to every performance, whether he's playing a depressed screenwriter (and his identical twin brother) in an Academy Award-winning film, or screaming about how much he hates bees ("Not the bees! Aggghhh!") in a B-grade horror remake. Say what you will about Nicolas Cage, but that guy never phones it in. Ever.


Even in the real world, Cage is quite a character. Despite being in the public eye for most of his life, Cage has never shown any qualms about discussing his weirder interests, experiences, and lifestyle choices, and for that, he deserves credit. It takes effort to be weird, but not many people are bold enough to be so publicly weird. We won't claim he's a vampire, like some have, but he's definitely one unique dude.

He bought a real dinosaur skull

This sounds like a prank, an exaggeration, a threat someone makes on April Fools' Day. But Nicolas Cage did lay down the winning bid of over $270,000 on the gargantuan, prehistoric skull of a Tyrannosaurus bataar, according to Vanity Fair. Why did he want a dinosaur skull? Who knows, maybe he was hoping to turn it into a crazy-cool bed frame, a la the Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok. Cage wasn't the only rich guy bidding on the skull either. One of his top competitors was apparently fellow actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Anyway, dropping cash on bizarre items is kind of Cage's thing, as we'll see. Unfortunately for him, the dinosaur skull purchase didn't turn out so well. Six years later, Cage got the depressing news that his prized skull wasn't really his: The seller, a guy named Eric Prokopi, had stolen the skull from the Gobi desert in Mongolia, according to the New York Times. Obviously, the theft wasn't Cage's fault, but the actor amiably agreed to give the skull back to the original owners. All in all, this whole scam just goes to show why you should never trust an independent dinosaur skull retailer, no matter how trustworthy their website looks.


His cat ate his shrooms, so he ate some to keep the cat company

House cats are neurotic enough without adding hallucinogens to the mix. What do you do if you accidentally leave your magic mushrooms lying around and your feline friend licks them right up?

This sounds like a big "oops," but if you love animals as much as Nicolas Cage, you might be inclined to join them in the experience. According to The Guardian, Cage explained to David Letterman in 2010 that when his cat, Lewis, gobbled up the actor's mushrooms as if they were catnip, Cage decided the only moral thing to do was take mushrooms with him, to provide companionship. Cage told Letterman, "I remember lying in my bed for hours, and Lewis was on the desk across from the bed for hours, staring at each other … not moving. But he would stare at me." Evidently, Cage and Lewis bonded over this shared experience, with Cage saying that after going through it, "I had no doubt that he was my brother." No word on whether they've tried it again since.


He invented his own acting style, 'Nouveau Shamanic'

If you've ever watched a Nicolas Cage film — and if you're here, you probably have — then you know how invested he gets in every role. According to the AV Club, he gets into the heads of his characters by using a self-created acting discipline he calls "Nouveau Shamanic," as a tribute to the shamans of ancient history. For example, when preparing himself for Ghost Rider, Cage's Nouveau Shamanic approach was to apply "Afro-Caribbean paint" and put on a costume composed of priceless Egyptian artifacts to evoke the feeling of being an extra-dimensional spirit. Cage knows his approach is weird, but says it's "all semantics."

Later, Cage clarified to LA Weekly that Nouveau Shamanic wasn't something he really invented: It was inspired by a book titled The Way of the Actor, which described how, thousands of years ago, "the medicine men or the tribal shamans were really actors. What they would do is they would act out whatever the issues were with the villagers at that time, they would act it out and try to find the answers or go into a trance or go into another dimension, which is really just the imagination, and try to pull back something that would reflect the concerns of the group." So basically, Cage's approach to acting is intended as a tribute to customs from a bygone era.

He's been stalked by both a mime and a naked fudgesicle eater

Most major celebrities get followed by creepy fans, but not surprisingly, Nicolas Cage has the weirdest stalker stories around. In an interview with Parade, Cage said when he was filming Bringing Out the Dead, he became unsettled by the random appearance of a silent performer in a mime costume. Evidently, the mime somehow got past security and kept doing strange antics on the set. Cage clearly got a bad vibe from the mime, saying, "I guess it would fall into the stalker category, more or less." Apparently, the producers were similarly weirded out, and ordered the mime removed. He never came back — as far as anyone knows, anyway.


This isn't the only invasive encounter Cage has experienced. According to Reuters, Cage said in 2011 he endured a home invasion and had been awoken at 2 a.m. by a naked man standing at the foot of his bed, wearing nothing but Cage's leather jacket and licking a fudgesicle. Cage stayed calm, talked the guy into leaving his house and didn't press charges. So even when Cage himself isn't being odd, odd things seem to happen to him.

He's owned some wild properties

Ever want to live in a castle? So did Cage, so he bought a real castle in the German state of Bavaria, according to People. Cage was interested in establishing a residence in Bavaria anyway, since his mother's ancestors originated from the region, and as soon as he saw the castle (which is named Schloss Neidstein), he fell in love, explaining, "I liked the architecture and the gigantic forest." You could just buy an old Victorian house in northern Maine, but hey.

Cage's astonishing real estate purchases don't end there. According to Variety, Cage also once owned a private, 45-acre island in the Bahamas, though he sold it in 2008. On top of that, Vanity Fair says he also once owned the LaLaurie Mansion in New Orleans, which previously housed 19th-century serial killer Delphine LaLaurie, the villain played by Kathy Bates on American Horror Story. Cage bought the residence, which he calls "the most haunted house in America," to write a horror novel. "I didn't get too far with the novel," he admitted.

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This is what Meghan Markle eats in a day

The world is abuzz with information about Meghan Markle, the American actor who will soon be Prince Harry's bride. Between her impressive career and work ethic, her effortlessly gorgeous aesthetic, and her wealth of knowledge on all things lifestyle, people are clamoring for more details on all aspects of her life.


Chief among those topics are her food preferences and eating habits — because, let's be honest, she's got #HealthGoals, #LifeGoals, and #SquadGoals all rolled into one. Luckily, she loves food, and loves talking about food just as much, so we were able to get an in-depth look at what she really eats in a day


No to caffeine and yes to green

While most people rely on a jolt of caffeine for energy when that mid-afternoon slump hits (the struggle is real!), Markle takes a different approach.

"Green juice is a food-as-medicine philosophy for me," she told Delish. She elaborated in an interview with Shape where she explained, "I think trying to go for coffee or things like that only end up hurting you in the end." Instead, Markle relies on things like green juice and kombucha to help keep her going during long hours on set. She calls them a "really good natural source of energy… that gets right into your system as a nice pick-me-up."

She elaborated on this in an interview with TODAY, noting that green juice is definitely her preferred method of staying awake and alert. "If I blend some apple, kale, spinach, lemon and ginger in my Vitamix in the morning and bring it to work, I always find that sipping on that is a much better boost than a cup of espresso," she explained, noting that "at the end of the day, your body will thank you for nourishing it with so much fresh goodness."

Conditioned to like Cali food "from the womb"

Perhaps not surprisingly, growing up in Los Angeles led Markle to embrace fresh, whole foods as a way of life. As she explained to the lifestyle blog EyeSwoon, Californians "are so spoiled with our produce there, and my love of simple ingredients prepped well is completely linked to that." Because fresh ingredients are the foundation of California eating, Markle noted that "the diet tends to be healthier as well — acai bowls, green juices, chopped salads, perfect sushi, grilled fish tacos… those are all things that make me think of home."

When it comes to Baja-style foods, which she told TODAY she was "conditioned to like from the womb," Markle especially enjoys grilled fish tacos seasoned with lime. "If you ever find yourself in LA, go to Fresh Corn Grill and order salmon tacos," she said. While it may sound a bit odd to wax poetic about fish tacos, her love for them is legit. "I dream about those tacos," she said, "and they are not paying me to say that!"

Can't get enough of this trendy bowl for brekky

So, what does a foodie like Markle eat for breakfast? The owner of Revitasize, Markle's favorite Toronto-based fresh juice shop, told E! News that Markle "is incredibly health conscious and very aware of what type of food she's putting in her body," noting that she used to come in multiple times per week for acai bowls with a rotating blend of super foods added in.

The owner added that it was perfect for multiple times a week because Markle "could customize it by adding super food such as bananas, chia seeds or hemp hearts. She was always switching it up," he explained. Markle also provided her favorite acai bowl recipe to EyeSwoon, noting that it's an indispensable part of her morning routine  — so by all means, fire up that blender.


Her sworn method to avoid feeling sluggish

During her interview with Shape, Markle noted that in addition to trying "to avoid the things that I know are going to make me feel lethargic or sluggish," she's also a big fan of the Clean Cleanse.

The 21-day cleanse, which was designed by Dr. Alejandro Junger, advocates removing both processed foods and foods that commonly cause allergies or intolerances (such as sugar, gluten, and dairy), while also focusing on shakes and smoothies to minimize the work that the digestive tract has to do during the course of a day and eating mostly produce, lean protein, and whole, non-gluten grains.

Markle also told Canada's Best Health magazine that she's especially careful about her food habits when she's filming, noting that she tries to eat vegan during the week.

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The real reasons Beyonce can't stand Kim Kardashian

Newsflash: Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé allegedly are not friends. Even though they're seen together occasionally, the friendship is reportedly rather one-sided, with Kardashian allegedly bending over backward to get into Queen Bey's good graces…and failing miserably. Why aren't these superstars BFFs? Let's find out.


Kim's husband talks a lot of trash

Maybe Beyoncé keeps her distance from Kardashian because of Kardashian's husband, rapper Kanye West, who won't stop spreading rumors about Bey and her man.

E! News reported that at a stop on his since-cancelled Saint Pablo Tour in November 2016, West ranted from the stage, "Beyoncé, I was hurt 'cause I heard that you said you wouldn't perform unless you won video of the year over me and over 'Hotline Bling.'" He added, "Now, don't go trying to diss Beyoncé. She is great…We are all great people. We are all equal, but sometimes we be playing the politics too much and forgetting who we are just to win."

The expletive-laden tirade went on and on. West eventually set his sites on Bey's husband, Jay Z, saying, "Jay Z—call me, bruh. You still ain't called me. Jay Z, call me…Jay Z: I know you got killers. Please don't send them at my head. Just call me. Talk to me like a man."

Seriously? With friends like Kimye, who needs enemies?

Kim is BFFs with Bey's supposed arch nemesis

Designer Rachel Roy is close friends with Kardashian, but Roy is allegedly arch enemies with Beyoncé. Roy is often fingered as the woman who sparked the infamous 2014 elevator fight between Jay Z and Beyoncé's sister, Solange, after the Met Gala. Sources told the New York Daily News, "Rachel is a little too close to Jay Z. Solange doesn't like it, and Beyoncé doesn't like it." Insiders echoed that chatter to E! News, alleging Roy was very flirty with Jay and turned on the charm even more at the after-party.

Roy's presence is rumored to be a big reason the Carters skipped Kardashian and West's wedding (and perhaps the couple's engagement), but the bad blood doesn't end there. Roy was even rumored to be the infamous "Becky" from Beyoncé's hard-hitting "Sorry" track. Roy played into the rumors herself, launching an unprecedented stinging spree from the Beyhive.

Beyoncé is private, but Kim is hungry for fame

On her reality show, Kardashian has documented everything from a crumbling 72-day marriage to her engagement to West and the smell of her own private parts. Could you imagine Beyoncé doing anything remotely close to that? The world didn't even know when the singer's last two albums were coming out until they dropped; no one knew about Beyoncé and Jay Z's 2008 wedding until it was over; and hardly any published photos of the big day exist save for the footage included in a handful of videos. Kardashian and West, meanwhile, court the very publicity that Hov and Bey try to avoid.

A source told Page Six, "[Beyoncé] always gives Kanye a lot of grief whenever he does anything for the show [Keeping Up with the Kardashians]." An insider also told Page Six that Kardashian and West's obsession with fame irritates Bey and Jay. "[Jay Z] likes his own space and is private. They're very much not the same person. Jay's immediate circle is very insular, and Kanye is just a guy who always wants something in the spotlight."

Sources told the New York Daily News that before their first public sightings together, Kardashian was "trying to do whatever she can to get close to Beyoncé," yet some claim Bey's vitriol toward Kardashian even manifests in name-calling. "Bey does not like Kim at all. She's cool with Kanye, but can't stand Kim," an insider told Radar Online. "B calls Kim a 'scandalous social climbing wh*re' behind her back." Someone ring the alarm!

Their husbands' friendship has cooled

West reportedly lashed out at Jay Z during a concert in October 2016 for not hanging out with his family after Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint in Paris. "Don't call me after the robbery and say, 'How you feelin'?' You wanna know how I'm feelin'? Come by the house…Bring the kids by the house like we brothers," West fumed (via Page Six). "Our kids ain't never even played together."

/> A source told Page Six their friendship is more business than bros. "Jay can't stand him," the insider said. "He looks at him as this crazy, eccentric motherf**ker he can tolerate in small doses. Kanye is a nut job. Everyone knows that." The source added that the pair collaborated on Watch the Throne not for creativity or kicks, but for cold, hard cash. "[Jay Z] tolerated [West because] there was so much money to be made. Jay was like, 'I'm gonna knock this out. We're going to do a tour to bring in millions of dollars. I can tolerate that.'"

Kanye and Jay may have legit business beef

When Jay Z dropped his album 4:44 in June 2017, one of the things people immediately noticed was the massive amount of shade he threw at West on the track, "Kill Jay Z." In it, he raps "But you ain't a saint, this ain't kumbaye / But you got hurt because you did cool by 'Ye / You gave him 20 million without blinkin' / He gave you 20 minutes on stage, f**k was he thinkin'? / "F**k wrong with everybody?" is what you sayin' / But if everybody's crazy, you're the one that's insane" The lyrics seem to be a clear reference to West calling out Beyoncé and Jay during those aforementioned on-stage meltdowns.

Behind all this banter is a real fracturing of the business partnership between West and Jay Z's streaming service, Tidal. According to Billboard, both West and Jay Z each claim the other is in breach of contract. West claims he wasn't paid for subscriptions brought to the service with his The Life of Pablo album, and Tidal claims West "failed to deliver" music videos for which he was contracted. The two rappers seem to be at an impasse with negotiations, and sources even told Billboard that West will no longer honor Tidal's exclusivity rights due to "failure to honor its financial obligations." With these two battling it out in both the boardroom and on the mic, even if their wives were friends before this, things would definitely be awkward now.

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