R.I.P. Young Cage

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gmerker
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R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by gmerker »

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of frequent FHF contributor Young Cage after his long battle with cancer. I have known Young for the past quarter of a century and have shared many adventures with him and his family. I will never forget some of the wonderful places we visited with each other and the times he made me laugh so hard, that my sides hurt. Young was a great person who always was fun to be around. He had great positive energy. Young's fantastic imagery and great story telling will truly be missed on this site. My condolences go out to his wife, Cheryl, and his children. R.I.P. my friend, G. Merker
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reptilist
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by reptilist »

His online presence was stellar, I wish I had gotten to know him personally!
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gbin
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by gbin »

My sympathies on the loss of your friend, Gerold. I'm glad you have so many happy memories with him to treasure.

Gerry
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M.J.FRANETOVICH
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by M.J.FRANETOVICH »

I have spoken to Mr. Cage on several occasions I have also conversased with Cheryl (Youngs wife) on Facebook I'm am truly saddened by this... I have enjoyed Mr.Cage's photography and several of his articles, one in-particular was titled 'Sonoran Herpetologist' written for the Tucson Herp society'.... My condolences go out to His wife Cheryl and family!!



Mel
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Mulebrother
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Mulebrother »

Thats a sad deal. I never met him other than on here...but I always associated him with some awesome photography. A great loss to this family, as well as his own. Rest in peace.
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Joe Farah
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Joe Farah »

I'm very sad to hear this. My best wishes go out to Matt and the rest of the Cage family.
dickbartlett
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by dickbartlett »

Young was a good friend who will be truly missed by all. He brightened several of our trips to Peru, was a friend to every traveler he encountered and was always ready to suggest and assist in all aspects in an always positive way. Condolences to the Cage family from Patti and me.
hellihooks
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by hellihooks »

Sad to hear it..My Condolences to the his family and his many friends. jim
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BillMcGighan
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by BillMcGighan »

This is very sad.
The spectacular photos he contributed set a benchmark that put them in a class of their own.


e.g.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7555
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7637
mikemike
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by mikemike »

I heard a couple days ago. This is a big loss. I've never met him personally but I have talked with him on a couple occasions about both herping and photography. My condolences go out to his family and friends. He's always shown nothing but respect toward me and toward everybody else it seems.
chad ks
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by chad ks »

I had the pleasure to herp with Young a few times, and speak with him over the years about herping. As a herper he was nothing but an accumulation of wisdom and experience. Not unlike you Mr. Merker. Anyway, we seriously lost a great man. So sorry to Matt.

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Fieldnotes
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Fieldnotes »

Amazing photogrpaher/herper he will be missed.
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Scott Waters
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Scott Waters »

Young is being honored on the home page of www.HerpNation.com

Rest in peace, amigo!

scott
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ahockenberry
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by ahockenberry »

Thank you GMerker for initiating this thread ont his forum

Young Cage was an outstanding person and I knew him personally - condolences to his family and son Matt, who is also a member of the forum here.

He was an excellent photographer and his shots can be found here:

http://www.cagephotos.com/


This was the tribute I gave to his wife


What I learned from Young:

Live life one day at a time
Immerse yourself in nature and enjoy God's creation
Stay grounded
Experiment a little bit
People matter more than things
Be kind to others
A little knowledge goes a long way
It is okay to make a mistake
Try to learn what you can from others

Wow, he really taught me a lot

Regards
Ashley Hockenberry
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DaveR
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by DaveR »

RIP Young.
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DaneConley
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by DaneConley »

Although I did not personally know him, it saddens me that a great man of the outdoors has passed away and I wish the best for his family and friends. Its a shame that a person with so much understanding in herpetology is gone.
RobK

Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by RobK »

I will miss the cruises through his neighborhood, always a guarantee for interesting conversation and animals. Cruising on a busy two lane road one night, Young stopped the vehicle for a mom quail and her babies crossing the road. The local police pulled up next to him and also stopped. A few of the babies couldn't make it up the curbing, so with a line of cars forming behind him, Young got out of the vehicle and helped the remaining chicks up over the curb. Cool guy, true naturalist.
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Stohlgren
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Stohlgren »

I only had the pleasure of meeting him once, but he was a great guy. I have him to thank for introducing me to my first sidewinders and lyre snake. Herping with him was an experience I wont forget.
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umop apisdn
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by umop apisdn »

I had the pleasure of meeting Young while I was working, found him stopped on a well-known road, photographing a beautiful corn snake off to the side. I had seen the posts made to Facebook, but no one had mentioned his passing. Glad I got a chance to meet him and I wish his family the best.
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Don
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Don »

I did not have the pleasure of meeting the gentleman, but his field exploits are well documented here and elsewhere and most impressive. His name brought a flood of memories to my mind of marvelous photographs that I admired and enjoyed. His was certainly a life well-lived, and I feel that he enjoyed his time among herps as much as I enjoyed tagging along vicariously. My condolences to everyone who loved him. RIP, Young Cage. You will not be replaced, but you will certainly be remembered. Thanks for the contributions to our avocation!
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Andy Avram
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Andy Avram »

I didn't personally know Young, but I knew people who herped with him and they had nothing but great things to say about him. I am sorry I never got to meet him.

My condolences to his family.

Andy
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keown
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by keown »

So sad to hear this. I've always had a great respect for his knowledge of herpetology and natural history in general and for his sincere interest in his fellow man. Rest in peace Young. Our condolences to his wife and son.

Gerold, thanks for posting this and bringing it to our attention.

-Gerald Keown
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JakeScott
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by JakeScott »

A great man with so much knowledge and the ability to share it. The world lost a special individual.

-Jake Scott
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

I couldn't believe it when I heard about his passing...I did not know him in person, but just the other day my son and I revisited one of his 2011 posts that I labeled "the best post of the year so far". How old was he?

Our thoughts are with his family.
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Mark Brown
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Mark Brown »

I'm very saddened to hear of this......Godspeed, Mr Cage.
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moloch
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by moloch »

I am so sad to read of Young's passing. Young was such a superb photographer and enthusiastic naturalist. I had the privilege of hosting Young and his son, Matt, here in Australia a few years ago and later travelled with them to Peru. The guys were such great company. Young was so interested in everything and also so willing to share his in-depth knowledge about photographic techniques. I don't think that anyone took better photos of Collared Lizards than Young. His shots of "Buddy" will always be some of my favourites. Condolences to the Matt and family from Angie and I.
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Berkeley Boone
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Berkeley Boone »

I was lucky enough to be able to herp with Young for a few days last spring, and I have great memories of conversations with him during that trip.
As David mentioned, Young's photos and story of Buddy the collared lizard have been one of my favorite reads on this forum.
I wish his family strength and wellness during this time. Young will be missed greatly.

--Berkeley
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Schell
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Schell »

I had the privilege of herping with Young once. My wife and I were on our first trip to Tucson, and all it took was a single phone call from a mutual friend and Young agreed to take my wife and I - two complete strangers - to a place that Young considered hallowed ground. It was on that trip that I saw my first ever Collared Lizard, and I have been hooked ever since.

Even though I did not know Young as well as some, I considered him a friend for his hospitality, knowledge, wisdom and reverence towards the natural world.

This is a shot that I took that day I was out with Young - still one of my favorites two years later. It will always remind me of him and the creatures he loved.

Image
Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) by Rob Schell Photography, on Flickr
ErikNM
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by ErikNM »

I had the great privilege of meeting and herping with Young. I met him one time in the Chiricahuas, then met up with him in Florida, and then again back in AZ. Truly a great person who talked herps and photography with me, great company and hospitality. I was very saddened by the news. My deepest condolences to the Cages.
TimCO
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by TimCO »

I don't have the words to express the respect and admiration that I'll keep for Young, both as a herper and as a person. The wisdom he shared went far beyond herpetology.

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Matt, Young and Daniel Dye in N FL

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Every time I think of Young, I remember when one of these coppers shot under his leg while he was sitting down, and he sat there as cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce.

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Milks (and a racer) in Missouri

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Young loved collareds

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This collared actually charged us repeatedly in central Kansas. We laughed about it for hours.

Image

Image

Happy hunting amigo.
Ace
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Ace »

Young's friends in Tucson have been aware of his situation and have collectively been preparring for his passing with recent celebrations of his life with friends and family. That said, his passing still rocked the Tucson herp community (and those who knew him from all over) because of the man he was. I have several fond memories of outings together and those will live on.

I will always have the highest regards for Young Cage and what he stood for, and wish his family peace and strength.

Jeff S.
Brian Eagar
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Brian Eagar »

It's very sad we wont be seeing his great photo posts here any more.
They were definitely some of the very best ever posted.
My condolences to Matt and the rest of his family.
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Ross Padilla
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Ross Padilla »

This is a great loss. His posts were epic!
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John Martin
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by John Martin »

reptilist wrote:His online presence was stellar, I wish I had gotten to know him personally!
I've just read all of the tributes in this post, and the words above sum it up perfectly for me. I don't know what age Mr. Cage attained, but it was far too short a time on this earth. :( My condolences to his family and friends.
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Brian Hubbs
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Brian Hubbs »

I feel left out. I knew Young, but never got to go herping with him. This is kind of lame because we lived an hour apart. I guess we all get too busy sometimes and never cross paths in the field with some of those we admire. Rest in Peace, Young. Or keep herping in peace, or whatever they do on the other side... :(
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Denmeade
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Denmeade »

Young shall be missed, RIP and my hopes go out to his friends and family.
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pinesnake
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by pinesnake »

I had the pleasure to herp some days with Young in my vacations 2010 and 2011 -
and knew him as a nice, humorous person and good herpetologist and photographer.
Too his work for the THS is honorable.
Very poor that cancer won so early ...
Condulences to Sherilyn and Matt

Young, I will miss you!
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Daniel D Dye
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Daniel D Dye »

I had the pleasure to meet with Young twice. First when he and Tim Warfel visited the farm while herping Florida during the Spring of 2011. Matt Cage joined us later. I remember during his visit we were running late for dinner, so we drove to Publix where he purchase a couple of bottles of San Sebastian, Vintners Red wine as a peace offering to my wife, Yvonne. It was a great dinner. We consumed large quantities of Crab Enchilado, a Cuban dish Yvonne and my daughter-in-law slaved over a hot stove all day on. Yvonne accepted the wine and all was good. Young and Tim ate so much they had to crawl around for the rest of the night…I’m stretching the truth a little here.

Here’s a photo of Young, Tim and Matt.

Image
Young Cage, Tim Warfel, Matt Cage by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr

Here's the story that Tim spoke of earlier in this post. It takes place in Liberty County, Florida. Young is sitting crossed legged, Indian style along with Tim Warfel photographing a pair of Southern Copperheads. In a split second one of them darted out and right under Young! It was looking up at Young’s bottom…this was a very tense moment. Diamondback Dave was holding the AC up and I was to Young’s right. I slowly slipped a 1x6 between the snake and Young. When Young felt the time was right, he leaped straight up then flipped backwards just like a Ninja…awesome move. We all know photographing venomous snakes comes with its dangers, but it has its rewards too.

The guilty parties!

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Pair of Copperheads by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr

Then in May, 2011, I had the pleasure of herping the Four Corners area. On the last day before catching my flight back to Florida Tim and I met with Young, Matt and Julio Lemos. They introduced me to a Milk Snake, a Western Hognose and a Bull Snake. I also got the worst case of chiggers ever!

Image
Young Cage, Matt Cage, Tim Warfel by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr

I'll repeat the comments I made on Facebook...Young was a true gentlemen, an awesome conversationalist and one of the best photographers I've had the pleasure to meet...Goodbye friend.

Daniel
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Dan Krull
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Dan Krull »

I have really enjoyed reading all of your posts about Young. I had the pleasure of herping with him once in my home state of Kansas. Young, Matt, Chad, Courtney, and I headed out to a golf course to cruise around for eastern hogs. We had no luck, and on the way home we stopped at one of my top secret red milk spots. :) It was a little late in the season for flipping milks, and I didn't think we would find anything, but we gave it a shot anyway. We finished the hill with no success, but then Young began carefully taking apart a rock pile. (Something I would never have had the patience for.) At the bottom he uncovered a gorgeous gravid female red milk. Amazed, the whole group passed the snake around admiring it's color and pattern. We discussed it, and decided that she was likely planning to lay beneath that pile, and out of concern for disturbing the humidity etc. of her nest, I took the snake home. She promptly laid 5 eggs all of which hatched just under two months later. Every one was the spitting image of their lovely mother, and I released them along with their mother back on the hill where she was found. I wish that weren't the only time I herped with Young, but it was a good time.

Also, for those of you who might be reading this and have never seen one of his posts. His photography of herps was stellar, but he also had a real touch with birds. Please do your self a favor, and go look up some of his posts and check out the dramatic images he was able to capture of raptors and other flying herps that lived near him in Arizona.

Rest in peace brother,

Dan Krull


Young took this photo of the gang from the day we herped together:
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Matt Cage
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Matt Cage »

Wow, what a tribute. Many of you know that I have been dealing with issues related to my Dad since January. He was originally going to Peru with me in January, but he got sick on New Years Eve. I was under obligation to go on the trip, but he had to cancel. I missed him on the trip and worried about his health for much of the trip. I was in contact with him via text message occasionally while I was gone and I sent him some photos. He was in the hospital for most of the time I was gone.

My dad was sick through most of the spring and in and out of hospitals. When he was up to it, I took him out herping. He could not hike, but he could observe from the vehicle. It inspired him to do more. His friends also took him out to find and photograph some critters. I took him out and we photographed collard lizards 3 days before his death as he enjoyed it so much.

It was a flair up of a long term chronic health issue. He fought it long and hard before a separate re-occurance of cancer came back. The diseases finally won. My Dad died peacefully in his house in the presence of myself and my Mom.

He will be missed, I miss him so much already. I am just now catching up to reading all of this and my Emails. I am so glad that everybody posted. He really enjoyed his time with everybody.

I can't thank the Tucson herp community enough. They stood by him, gave him encouragement throughout this, took him out to herp, even when he could barely walk, and paid tribute to him numerous times, including a THS roast held 2 weeks prior to his death, which he attended. It was incredible and I can't thank you enough!

Gerold, you were a great friend to my Dad and you continue to be a great friend of mine. Thanks so much for starting this thread and I look forward to seeing you in the field in the future.

To everybody who shared memories and their thoughts, I really appreciate it. This was truly an incredible tribute to him.
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Eitan
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by Eitan »

My connection with Young stretches back 10 years. My first impressions were about the quality of his wonderful posts, his amazing photography, his excellent herping abilities. But my lasting impression is about the quality of the person. I miss him most of all as a kind, generous, fun-loving friend who cared deeply about other people and earned the admiration of everyone who knew him.

My heart goes out to Matt, Cheryl, and the whole family. Thanks for sharing Young with us, and his memory will always be for a blessing.

Eitan

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Young, Brandon, Matt
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walk-about
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Re: R.I.P. Young Cage

Post by walk-about »

Matt Cage and family,


I did not have the pleasure of knowing Mr. Young Cage personally, as many of the others did. He will be greatly missed. His posts were always composed of creativity and wit. He was a brother of natural history, a beautiful photographer, and a gentle man. God bless your family and always know you have an extended family here at FHF.


Dave Frymire
Kentucky
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