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CigarJUNE 19, 2018 n VOL.Insider 23, NO. 12 n FROM THE PUBLISHER OF CIGAR AFICIONADO MAGAZINE

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE IN THIS ISSUE: FEATURED CIGAR TASTING REPORT: H. UPMANN PREVIEWS FROM THE AUGUST 2018 SIR WINSTON ISSUE OF CIGAR AFICIONADO: CUBA n PRICE: £32.91 n BODY: MEDIUM POINTS94 n H. Upmann Sir Winston [page 2] For a full tasting, see page two. n The Wise Man Maduro Robusto [page 2] n Vegas Cubanas Generosos [page 2] n Alec Bradley Black Market Estelí Churchill [page 2] BEST CIGARS THIS ISSUE n Ashton Aged Maduro No. 60 [page 3] n Diplomaticos No. 2 [page 3] H. Upmann Sir Winston Cuba 94 n Juan Lopez Selección No. 2 [page 3] E.P. Carrillo Encore Majestic Dom. Rep. 93 n Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series “A” [page 3] The Wise Man Maduro Robusto Nicaragua 93 VERTICAL BRAND TASTING: Vegas Cubanas Generosos Nicaragua 93 n E.P. Carrillo Encore [page 4] Alec Bradley Black Market Estelí Churchill Nicaragua 92 CURRENT RELEASES: 60 92 n Alec Bradley Nica Puro Diamond Ashton Aged Maduro No. Dom. Rep. Rough Cut [page 4] Diplomaticos No. 2 Cuba 92 n H. Upmann Ingot Rosé Churchill [page 4] Juan Lopez Selección No. 2 Cuba 92 Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series “A” Nicaragua 92 CIGAR NEWS n Labor Strikes End in Nicaragua, Country Remains in Turmoil [page 5]

n Nat Sherman Restructures Premium Cigar Portfolio [page 6] McCONAUGHEY’S THE MAN n Cano Ozgener, 81, Dies [page 7] ACTOR MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY n Davidoff Diademas Finas Returns for Limited Run [page 7] LOVES CIGARS. From comedy to drama to action, he’s willing to take on any type of role, but n Cigar Industry Appeals Court to Delay New always makes time for a smoke. Also, read about the FDA Warning Labels [page 8] dramatic, 50-year history of Joya de Nicaragua. It’s all n Big Smoke Schedule [page 8] in the August issue of Cigar Aficionado.

POLITICAL UNREST PLAGUES NICARAGUA ROADBLOCKS. RIOTS. LABOR STRIKES. VIOLENCE. Right, now Nicaragua is experiencing all of the above, and while the labor strike ended on Friday, the political turmoil continues—and it’s affected the cigar industry. Last week’s nationwide labor strike put a IMAGES

temporary halt to cigar production, and the roadblocks along Nicaragua’s Pan-American Highway have delayed outgoing cigar shipments. The anti-government protests started in April when President Daniel Ortega proposed an overhaul to the country’s social security system. This ultimately meant an increase in taxes. Since then, the country has been in chaos ULLOA/AFP/GETTY as protesters demand Ortega’s resignation. For more on this developing story, see page five. DIANA

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TASTING REPORT: EXCLUSIVE AUGUST 2018 CIGAR AFICIONADO PREVIEWS 94

RING GAUGE: 47 H. UPMANN SIR WINSTON CUBA LENGTH: 7" A sweet and nutty smoke exhibiting the luxurious qualities of fine FILLER: Cuba chocolate, marzipan and gingersnaps, all brought together by a BINDER: Cuba slightly floral, graham cracker finish. Complex and delicious. WRAPPER: Cuba Box Date: June 2017 Price: £32.91 (U.K.) Strength: Medium

RING GAUGE: 50 THE WISE MAN MADURO ROBUSTO NICARAGUA LENGTH: 5 1/2" A rich, cocoa-like earthiness sets the tone for this sweet-and-salty FILLER: Nicaragua cigar, which offers notes of graham cracker and vanilla fortified by BINDER: Nicaragua a meaty, beef stock finish. WRAPPER: Mexico Price: $10.50 Strength: Medium-Full

RING GAUGE: 50 VEGAS CUBANAS GENEROSOS NICARAGUA LENGTH: 6" Sweet, rich notes of chocolate-covered raisins lead to a salty, nutty FILLER: Nicaragua finish. A balanced, tasty smoke with a dark wrapper and flat head. BINDER: Nicaragua Price: $7.18 Strength: Medium WRAPPER: Nicaragua

RING GAUGE: 50 ALEC BRADLEY BLACK MARKET LENGTH: 7" ESTELÍ CHURCHILL NICARAGUA FILLER: Nicaragua This cigar is draped in a dark, alluring wrapper. Each puff unfolds BINDER: Nicaragua, Honduras sweet notes of chocolate around a hearty core of coffee bean. WRAPPER: Nicaragua The finish hints of rum cake and minerals. Price: $8.75 Strength: Medium-Full

95-100: Classic n 90-94: Outstanding n 80-89: Very good to excellent n 70-79: Average to good commercial quality Below 70: Don’t waste your money n N/A: Not Available Note: Prices are manufacturers’ suggested retail, before taxes.

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TASTING REPORT: EXCLUSIVE AUGUST 2018 CIGAR AFICIONADO PREVIEWS

RING GAUGE: 52 ASHTON AGED MADURO NO. 60 DOM. REP. LENGTH: 7 1/2" An inky, dark smoke whose every puff is sweet and dense with FILLER: Dom. Rep. cocoa powder, molasses, nougat and a caramel finish. BINDER: Dom. Rep. Price: $12.40 Strength: Medium WRAPPER: U.S.A./Conn. Broadleaf

RING GAUGE: 52 DIPLOMATICOS NO. 2 CUBA LENGTH: 6 1/8" First puffs of this pirámide are floral and woody, but the cigar becomes FILLER: Cuba rich and sweet with notes of chocolate-covered almonds and honey. BINDER: Cuba Box Date: September 2017 WRAPPER: Cuba Price: £21.58 (U.K.) Strength: Medium-Full

RING GAUGE: 50 JUAN LOPEZ SELECCIÓN NO. 2 CUBA LENGTH: 4 7/8" Rich notes of leather, nuts and chocolate play beautifully off of this FILLER: Cuba cigar’s spicy, cedary core for a well-balanced and delicious smoke. BINDER: Cuba Box Date: November 2017 WRAPPER: Cuba Price: £19.13 (U.K.) Strength: Medium-Full

RING GAUGE: 50 PADRÓN 1964 ANNIVERSARY SERIES “A” DOM. REP. LENGTH: 8 1/4" A long cigar with a very flat head. Initial puffs are light and herbal, but FILLER: Nicaragua this cigar intensifies to show sweet, rich notes of chocolate and vanilla, BINDER: Nicaragua maraschino cherry, and a toasty, nutty finish redolent of hazelnuts. WRAPPER: Nicaragua Price: $34.10 Strength: Medium-Full

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family history. According to the company, the tobacco in Encore TASTING REPORT was aged in tercios (bales wrapped in palm bark) for two years before the cigars were made. The Majestic size showed impressive balance and complexity, scoring an outstanding 93 points. E.P. CARRILLO ENCORE Average Rating: 90.0 points NEW RELEASE—VERTICAL BRAND TASTING Country: Dominican Republic Maker: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. ALEC BRADLEY NICA PURO Distributor: EPC Cigar Co. CURRENT RELEASE Filler: Nicaragua Country: Nicaragua Binder: Nicaragua Maker: Plasencia Cigars S.A. Wrapper: Nicaragua Distributor: Alec Bradley Cigar Co. Release Date: March 2018 Filler: Nicaragua MAJESTIC Binder: Nicaragua 93 POINTS n 5 3/8" x 52 n $11.50 n Humidor Selection Wrapper: Nicaragua Elegant impressions of English breakfast tea, orange Purchase Date: May 2018 peel and sweet caramel are balanced by a hearty, woody backbone of oak. DIAMOND ROUGH CUT Body: Medium 91 POINTS n 6 1/4" x 54 n $9.13 n Humidor Selection A box-pressed cigar with an unusual diamond shape. EL PRIMERO Every puff is leathery and earthy, buttressed by touches 90 POINTS n 6 7/8" x 54 n $12.50 of baking spices, minerals and white pepper. This box-pressed Churchill has a lush draw and wavy Body: Medium to Full burn. It delivers sweet notes of brown sugar and oak with zesty touches of citrus and spice. Body: Medium to Full H. UPMANN INGOT ROSÉ VALIENTES CURRENT RELEASE 90 POINTS n 6 1/8" x 52 n $12.25 The toasty smoke of this box-pressed torpedo shows Country: Dominican Republic pleasing notes of graham cracker, almond and a touch Maker: Tabacalera de Garcia S.A.S. of sweet herbs. The finish is nutty. Distributor: Altadis U.S.A. Inc. Medium to Full Body: Filler: Dom. Rep., Nicaragua, Peru CELESTIAL Binder: Nicaragua 87 POINTS n 6 1/8" x 50 n $11.75 Wrapper: Cameroon There are some soft spots to this box-pressed cigar. Release Date: July 2017 Notes of charry oak wood are intertwined with touches of nuts, clove and cinnamon. The finish is a bit dry. CHURCHILL Body: Medium 88 POINTS n 6 3/4" x 48 n $12.00 Draped in a coarse, rustic cover leaf, this Churchill has BRAND SUMMARY: Encore is the second release in EPC Cigar a tight draw that imparts elements of cedar and earth. Co.’s “Perez-Carrillo Series” after La Historia, released in 2014. Hints of citrus and nougat also come through. Like its predecessor, the brand is a tribute to the Perez-Carrillo Body: Medium

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said. “We are so proud of our people that they are committed to making great cigars despite the situation.” CIGAR NEWS The 24-hour strike began last Thursday and ended on Friday morning, prompting peace talks between the government and opposition officials. Mediated by the Catholic LABOR STRIKES END IN Church, the dialogue resulted in a cease-fire agreement. NICARAGUA, COUNTRY REMAINS The government has also agreed to allow an independent investigation commission into the country, but one thing was IN TURMOIL made clear—President Daniel Ortega intends to finish his BY GREGORY MOTTOLA presidential term, which ends in 2021. Despite the cease-fire, the peace deteriorated shortly after. ost of Nicaragua went on a 24-hour labor strike last According to a report by BBC News, the truce was violated Mweek in protest of the current regime, and that the next day, as six more people were reported killed in a fire included the premium cigar industry’s entire workforce. during an arson attack on Saturday morning. Cigar factories were closed, tobacco fields were empty and To further complicate things, the Pan-American Highway, protesters took to the streets as the cigar industry continues Nicaragua’s main road for commerce and logistics, remains to wait out this time of political turmoil and unrest. besieged by roadblocks and barricades, preventing trucks On Friday, most of the cigar factories and tobacco processing from delivering cigar shipments to the airport or to the ports facilities went back to work, but the country is far from stable. of Honduras in a timely fashion. The blockades have delayed The Pan-American Highway is still besieged with blockades— some 6,000 trucks, according to some news reports. creating logistical problems for cigar shipments—and a “Nicaragua is in turmoil,” said Rocky Patel, owner of cease-fire agreement has already been violated. Rocky Patel Premium cigars. “We had eight people shot and “It’s a very tough situation,” said A.J. Fernandez, owner killed on the road in front of our factory. They were protesters of A.J. Fernandez Cigars. “But we just want the best for the on the road.” country, our people and everything to return to normal.” Patel is referring to his TaviCusa factory, located in Estelí. Fernandez owns two cigar factories in Nicaragua as well Patel added, “It’s been very difficult to staff the factory as many tobacco plantations. when half the employees are showing up.” In the colonial city of Granada, about 28 miles southeast from the capital, Mombacho Cigars did not resume operation until yesterday. Mombacho is one of Nicaragua’s few cigar factories located outside of Estelí. “Granada is a phantom town,” said Claudio Sgroi, president of Mombacho Cigars. “Not one tourist. We were closed Thursday and Friday.” His cigars are sitting in the factory, unboxed and unshipped. “I can’t get the boxes from IMAGES Estelí so I can’t pack or ship them. Things are getting worse.” The U.S. Department of State maintains its Level 3 travel advisory for Nicaragua (Level 4 is OCON/AFP/GETTY the highest), which it issued in April, discouraging INTI travel to Nicaragua and urging U.S. citizens to “Our people were back to work Friday,” said John Oliva vacate the country. Jr. of Oliva Tobacco Co., a tobacco growing and brokerage The political unrest began in April when President Ortega operation. Along with his father and other family members, announced an overhaul to the country’s social security Oliva owns a tobacco processing facility in Nicaragua called system. He quickly rescinded the proposed tax increase Procenicsa, which supplies much of the premium industry once the country erupted into violence, but the situation with raw leaf. has only escalated since. “Our operations are in Estelí,” he added, “And we have Some reports have the death toll as high as 170. not experienced any violence.” “There have been some adverse effects in regards to Companies including J.C. Newman, A.J. Fernandez, the transportation situation in the country due to road Joya de Nicaragua and Plasencia Cigars have all stated that blocks,” Oliva Jr. said. “Though things are tenuous in cigar production has resumed. the country right now we’re obviously hopeful for a “Everybody went back to work,” Nestor Andrés Plasencia peaceful resolution.” n

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NAT SHERMAN RESTRUCTURES include the cigar store Indians flanking a clock, the long- time symbol of the Nat Sherman Townhouse located on PREMIUM CIGAR PORTFOLIO 42nd Street in Manhattan. The clock remains but now BY ANDREW NAGY looks like a modern watch face. Behind the clock are gold pillars that resemble the New York City skyline. at Sherman International, which was acquired last year The Timeless brand, which has made Cigar Aficionado’s N by tobacco giant Altria Group Inc., has announced that Top 25 best cigars of the year list four times, has been it is restructuring its portfolio of premium cigar brands. overhauled with new names and new packaging. Gone The New Jersey-based company, though, stressed that are the names Timeless Dominican and Timeless Nicaragua. the actual cigar blends will remain the same. The new Timeless lineup will now be called Timeless Prestige Instead, Nat Sherman, known for premium cigar (previously known as Timeless Dominican), Timeless brands such as Nat Sherman Timeless, Nat Sherman Supreme (previously Timeless Nicaraguan), Timeless Sterling Metropolitan, Nat Sherman Panamericana and Epoca, and Timeless Panamericana. has renamed some of its brands and will be debuting The packaging for each Timeless brand has also under- new modern packaging for all of them at the upcoming gone a major redesign. Each brand’s box is painted in a IPCPR trade show. single color: Timeless Prestige’s color scheme is red, Timeless Supreme is black, Timeless Sterling remains silver and Timeless Panamericana is gold. On each box, the word “Timeless” is written on the front in a lively font in a circular pattern reminiscent of a clock. Another notable design change is the bands adorning each Timeless cigar. The band includes the same font treatment seen on the box, with the sub-brand name just below. A secondary band reads “Exclusively for Nat Sherman Intl.” The secondary bands also appear on the new-look Metropolitan and Epoca. Panamericana is sold exclusively through retail members of the Tobacconists’ Association of America, and Herklots said that the brand restructure will not affect this partnership. Epoca, a long discontinued brand that Nat Sherman revived in 2014, will be the third core brand. For now, it will not include any sub-brands, but Herklots did say that is likely to change. “Currently, there is one blend offered under the Epoca THE NEW DESIGN OF NAT SHERMAN TIMELESS BANDS AND BOXES. brand, but we look forward to growing this brand in the future,” said Herklots. “This new branding approach ensures our products are The new Epoca box has moved the brand’s “old positioned for continued growth in both the immediate and school” lithograph design onto the inner lid. The outside long-term future,” said Michael Herklots, vice president of of the box is mainly white, save for a red band with the retail and brand development. Epoca name spanning the center with a floral treatment The new Nat Sherman premium cigar portfolio will above it. be consolidated into three core brands: Metropolitan, According to Herklots, all of the design work was Timeless and Epoca. Each brand will include a number done in-house by creative director Steven Silvestri. of sub-brands. (When asked if Nat Sherman 1930 is part “We spent a tremendous amount of time making sure of the brand realignment, the company said the brand we maintained familiarity, preserved authenticity but also would continue to be available as is.) elevated the packaging across the board,” Herklots said. n Metropolitan, which was created in the ’90s, will include five sub-brands: Metropolitan Connecticut, Metropolitan Maduro, Metropolitan Habano, as well as the company’s Have a comment about Cigar Insider? top-selling Metropolitan Host and Metropolitan Host Maduro blends. We’d like to know what you think. The packaging for each Metropolitan sub-brand has Email us at [email protected]. been touched up a little. The front of the boxes no longer

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CANO OZGENER, 81, DIES lines, including the reincarnated Black and a 65th anniversary cigar made to honor Cano Ozgener’s 65th birthday. Pipes BY GREGORY MOTTOLA became a very small percentage of C.A.O., which focused ano Aret Ozgener, the founder of C.A.O. International mainly on premium cigars. CInc. and its C.A.O. cigar brands, passed away on June By 2007, C.A.O. was acquired by Henri Wintermans. 9 at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, of pancreatic cancer. At that point, Ozgener had retired. His son remained with Ozgener, who was 81, had also fought a long battle with the company and signed on as company president before non-Hodgkins lymphoma. leaving in 2010. Ozgener owned and operated C.A.O. with his son Tim C.A.O. cigars are sold and manufactured by General (Murat) and daughter Ayleen from their hometown of Cigar, which is owned by ST Group. Nashville before selling the brand to Henri Wintermans Ozgener is survived by his wife of 54 years, Esen; children (a division of Scandinavian Tobacco Group) in 2007. After Tim Ozgener and Aylin Ozgener; sister Esperanz Minassian; the sale, C.A.O. became part of General Cigar Co. and its and four grandchildren. parent STG, and was relocated to General’s U.S. headquarters A ceremony will be held at OZ Arts Nashville on Sunday, in Richmond, Virginia. June 24. “He was a great father, In lieu of flowers, Cano and his family have requested dona- businessman and philoso- tions be made to OZ Arts Nashville at ozartsnashville.org. n pher,” said Tim during a phone interview with Cigar Insider. “And he was a fighter. My father was first diag- DAVIDOFF DIADEMAS FINAS nosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2002. Thanks RETURNS FOR LIMITED RUN to modern medicine, I got BY DAVID CLOUGH nearly 20 more years with him. That’s how I look at avidoff is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its cigar it—like a gift.” brand and has resurrected a special cigar from the past

SCHATZ D Born on January 19, 1937, for the occasion. Earlier this year, the company debuted BOB Ozgener was raised in Istanbul, eye-catching 50th Anniversary bands for some of its most Turkey, by Armenian parents. He studied at a Jesuit French popular cigars, and now the company has brought back the grammar school before being accepted into the American- Davidoff Diademas Finas, a limited-edition figurado first run Roberts College in Istanbul, from which he received a released in 2006 to honor the birthday of company founder bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1960. As a Zino Davidoff. Though he passed away in 1994, the Diademas student in Turkey, Ozgener enjoyed smoking pipes, especially Finas commemorated what would have been Davidoff’s those made from meerschaum, a white, clay-like magnesium 100th birthday. The cigar returns to retail next month. silicate. But it wasn’t until he came to the U.S. to study Measuring 6 3/4 inches by 50 ring gauge, the double-tapered mechanical engineering in 1961 as a Columbia University Diademas Finas is enrobed in an Ecuadoran Habano cover leaf graduate student that he started smoking cigars. and contains a Dominican binder and a blend of Dominican Graduating from Columbia in 1964 with an engineering filler tobaccos. According to the company, the degree, Ozgener got a job with DuPont to work in the filler contains tobaccos that are 13 years old, company’s Kinston, North Carolina, plant. It was during from a banner crop in 2005. this time, at the age of 27, that he came across some flawed Diademas Finas wears a golden “50th Turkish meerschaum pipes and applied his engineering Anniversary band” and a secondary band abilities to improving them. that reads “1968–2018.” The cigars come He got into the pipe business full-time in 1977, and in 1993, in decorative porcelain jars, emblazoned he entered the cigar market, spending two years creating the with one of four different designs by French first C.A.O. brand with tobacco grower and cigarmaker artist Mariane Léger. Each jar contains 10 Nestor Plasencia and Carlos Toraño. The first C.A.O. cigar, cigars and a humidification device. They which was made in Honduras, was introduced in 1995. retail for $36 each, or $360 for the jar. Ozgener and C.A.O. would add many more cigars, and The cigars are rolled at the Cigars by 2004, the company made seven brands: Gold, Brazilia, Davidoff factory in the Dominican Criollo, Double Maduro (or MX2) and three versions of Republic. Only 8,000 jars will be L’Anniversaire: Maduro, Cameroon and eXtreme. The available worldwide and arrive on company also marketed flavored cigars and several specialty store shelves next month. n

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fter a less-than-favorable ruling last month, the cigar Aindustry has filed a motion asking a Washington D.C. LAS VEGAS court to stop the enforcement of the new FDA warning labels, or at the very least, delay their effective date. The motion, which is the latest in the cigar industry’s November 9 - 11 lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s LAS VEGAS • THE MIRAGE onerous Final Deeming Rule, was filed on June 8 in the Big Smoke evenings scheduled on Friday and United States District Court for the District of Columbia Saturday, as well as cigar and lifestyle educational by attorneys representing the three major cigar lobbying seminars on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. groups: The Cigar Association of America, International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association and the Cigar TICKETS ON SALE NOW Rights of America. Visit lasvegasbigsmoke.com In the filing, the cigar groups asked Judge Amit P. Mehta, who has overseen the suit since it was filed in July 2016, to “move for an injunction against the enforcement of the FDA’s cigar and pipe tobacco warnings requirements.” In the event that Mehta won’t do this, the motion asks that IN THE NEXT CIGAR INSIDER the judge delay the date the warning labels go into effect— August 10—by 60 days after the court rules on the motion. Breaking news from around the cigar world, along In his ruling on the cigar lawsuit filed last month, with our annual retailers survey and ratings on hot Mehta upheld much of the FDA’s stance against the U.S. new cigars. Read about it first inCigar Insider. premium cigar industry. However, Mehta did express his displeasure with the FDA’s warning plan, saying that it “smacks of basic unfairness.” “The cigar industry has expended millions of dollars in Your Next CIGAR INSIDER Arrives on Tuesday, July 10. designing and creating new, conforming packaging, a fact that the FDA does not contest,” Mehta wrote. “Why is the agency insisting that the premium cigar industry expend millions of dollars to conform to regulatory mandates that might be rescinded only months after their effective date? Editor and Publisher Marvin R. Shanken The FDA provides no satisfactory response to either question. Whatever the answers, one thing is certain: Requiring the Executive Editor David Savona premium cigar industry to incur substantial compliance Senior Contributing Editor Gordon Mott costs while the agency comprehensively reassesses the wisdom Senior Editor Gregory Mottola of regulation, before the warnings requirements go into Associate Editor/Manager, effect, smacks of basic unfairness. In the court’s view, the Cigar Aficionado Online Andrew Nagy prudent course would be for FDA to stay the warnings Assistant Editor/ requirement as to premium cigars.” Tasting Coordinator David Clough The motion was filed the day before the FDA announced that it was extending its public commenting period pertaining Assistant Editor Blake Droesch to re-examination of the regulation of premium cigars. Designer Todd Miller “We greatly appreciate that the FDA is taking a fresh look at the regulation of premium cigars,” said Drew © 2018 M. Shanken Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Newman, general counsel of J.C. Newman Cigar Co. Materials may not be reproduced without permission. “But, just as the FDA has delayed other parts of the Deeming Rule, the agency should also freeze the imple- mentation of the costly warning label requirements until Questions about your subscription? its review is completed.” n Email: [email protected].

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