| | |  | Gabrielle Union News & Gossip
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| | Gabrielle Union wrote an op-ed about Nate Parker, rape, consent & education | | Added 8 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Over the course of a month, the Nate Parker story blew up. Literally nothing he said could make the situation more palatable. Parker was charged and put on trial for rape in 1999. The details of the case were always public record, but following the Sundance premiere of Parker?s film, The Birth of a Nation, the studio hoped to put Parker front and center of an Oscar campaign. And that meant putting Parker front and center for press availability ahead of official release of the film. Every interview Parker has given in the past month has made the situation worse. In fact, I would argue that with each interview, Parker has gotten progressively worse. The last interview was the one he did with Ebony more than a week ago. It was profoundly disturbing.
Throughout the past month, some wondered if the cast of The Birth of a Nation would say anything about Parker publicly. Some even name-checked Gabrielle Union, who plays a small but significant role in the film – her character?s rape is used as a the catalyst for Nat Turner?s Rebellion, even though many historians take issue with that idea entirely. Union has spoken publicly before about how she was raped when she was a teenager, and it made me uncomfortable to think that people were like ?Gabby needs to speak about this.? She might not have even known, and even if she did, let?s keep our eye on the ball: Parker is the bad guy here, not the actors in the cast. We shouldn’t re-victimize a rape survivor just because of her proximity to an accused rapist.
In any case, Union has finally spoken out. She wrote an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, which you can read in its entirety here. She writes about her own rape, how ?rape is a wound that throbs long after it heals.? How she has been ?in a state of stomach-churning confusion? since she learned more about Parker?s past. How black women in particular are voiceless in discussions about sexual assault, consent and more. Then she counters with what is basically an argument for what she is doing personally, and how she will approach the conversations around this film:
As important and ground-breaking as this film is, I cannot take these allegations lightly. On that night, 17-odd years ago, did Nate have his date?s consent? It?s very possible he thought he did. Yet by his own admission he did not have verbal affirmation; and even if she never said ?no,? silence certainly does not equal ?yes.? Although it?s often difficult to read and understand body language, the fact that some individuals interpret the absence of a ?no? as a ?yes? is problematic at least, criminal at worst. That?s why education on this issue is so vital.
As a black woman raising brilliant, handsome, talented young black men, I am cognizant of my responsibility to them and their future. My husband and I stress the importance of their having to walk an even straighter line than their white counterparts. A lesson that is heartbreaking and infuriating, but mandatory in the world we live in. We have spent countless hours focused on manners, education, the perils of drugs. We teach them about stranger-danger and making good choices. But recently I?ve become aware that we must speak to our children about boundaries between the sexes. And what it means to not be a danger to someone else. To that end, we are making an effort to teach our sons about affirmative consent. We explain that the onus is on them to explicitly ask if their partner consents. And we tell them that a shrug or a smile or a sigh won?t suffice. They have to hear ?yes.?
Regardless of what I think may have happened that night 17 years ago, after reading all 700 pages of the trial transcript, I still don?t actually know. Nor does anyone who was not in that room. But I believe that the film is an opportunity to inform and educate so that these situations cease to occur on college campuses, in dorm rooms, in fraternities, in apartments or anywhere else young people get together to socialize.
I took this part in this film to talk about sexual violence. To talk about this stain that lives on in our psyches. I know these conversations are uncomfortable and difficult and painful. But they are necessary. Addressing misogyny, toxic masculinity, and rape culture is necessary. Addressing what should and should not be deemed consent is necessary. Think of all the victims who, like my character, are silent. The girls sitting in their dorm rooms, scared to speak up. The wife who is abused by her husband. The woman attacked in an alley. The child molested. Countless souls broken from trans-violence attacks. It is for you that I am speaking. This is real. We are real. Sexual violence happens more often than anyone can imagine. And if the stories around this film do not prove and emphasize this, then I don?t know what does.
It is my hope that we can use this as an opportunity to look within. To open up the conversation. To reach out to organizations which are working hard to prevent these kinds of crimes. And to support its victims. To donate time or money. To play an active role in creating a ripple that will change the ingrained misogyny that permeates our culture. And to eventually wipe the stain clean.
[From LAT]
I think Union is walking a fine line here, mostly because she?s proud of her work in the film and she genuinely wants to be part of a larger dialogue about sexual violence and rape. She?s very clearly giving Parker the benefit of the doubt, regardless of his own admissions and problematic statements. Would it be satisfying to see Union break professional ties with Parker publicly? Sure. But were people really expecting her to? She?s not acting as an apologist for him or for rapists in general, she?s just using this moment to draw attention to the larger conversation. The problem is that it won?t work. Because as soon as Parker opens his mouth again, that will be the story.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.
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| | Gabrielle Union: 'The penance for being a career woman is barrenness' | | Added 9 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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I always go back and forth on this? Gabrielle Union: shady or fine? Like, I think she?s shady for everything that went down with Dwyane Wade, from the end of his first marriage to their half-assed ?breakup? where he fathered a child with a ?friend,? to the way she seems to relish being an NBA WAG. But on the other side, I still sort of like her because I?ve always liked her. She?s beautiful, she?s a better actress than people realize, and she should have been a much bigger star.
Anyway, the October issue of Redbook has three covers for some reason. Gabrielle has one, then Erin Andrews on another, then Maria Menounos on another. All women were asked about, and spoke freely on, work-life balance, family planning and whether they even want to become mothers. Gabrielle made some of the most interesting comments:
The 10-year age difference between Gabrielle and Dwyane Wade: ?His teammates, were conceived when I was, like, a senior in high school. I was in high school at the same time as their parents! Sometimes he?ll be like, ?Oh, my God, he?s so old!? about someone who?s 35. But, Dwyane?s an old 33, and I?m a young 42, so it balances out.?
Starting a family with Wade: ?So far, it has not happened for us. A lot of my friends deal with this. There?s a certain amount of shame that is placed on women who have perhaps chosen a career over starting a family younger. The penance for being a career woman is barrenness. You feel like you?re wearing a scarlet letter.?
On IVF & the pressure of starting a family: ?The reality is that women are discriminated against in the workplace for being mothers. As much as there are strides being made ? you get pregnant, your career takes a hit. You can?t have a bad day. Don?t you dare cry at work. Don?t raise your voice. Especially if you?re a black woman in corporate America ? now you?re ?the angry black woman.’?
[From Redbook]
Just to clarify, Wade is already a father ? he and his ex-wife have two sons together, and he has a third son with a ?friend,? the woman he slept with when he was supposed to be ?on a break? with Union. So, Union is a stepmother to his kids, but she?s talking about having biological kids with Wade. If that?s what she wants, then God bless, but it does sound like she has sort of mixed feelings about it. And yes, it does feel like the message from society and the media is ?The penance for being a career woman is barrenness.? Just like the penance for choosing to be child-free is that you?re treated like an oddity, a social outcast.
Photos/covers courtesy of Alexei Hay/Redbook.
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| | Gabrielle Union on all of the NFL scandals: 'Roger Goodell has failed miserably' | | Added 10 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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I used to really like Gabrielle Union, and then all of the Dwyane Wade stuff happened, and I?m not such a fan anymore. To be clear, I think Wade is the shady one, but I think Gabrielle stayed with him and married him ? even though he cheated on her and fathered a child with another woman while he was with Union ? because she liked the lifestyle, and the cachet of being ?Dwyane Wade?s official.? After they married, Gabrielle even tried to play it like she doesn?t need his money and she was the one asking for a pre-nup to protect HER assets (he?s worth hundreds of millions of dollars). So, anyway, Gabby has a new interview with Yahoo, and long story short? I kind of liked her here. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:
Playing a journalist on her TV show: ?In my real life, I watch a lot of CNN. It?s on right now. It?s kind of one of those things that?s always on in the background in general. Most days I read three newspapers. I read the Miami Herald, the Los Angeles Times, and the New York Times. I?ve always been very interested in the news. It?s about wanting to be informed, and wanting to hear different perspectives on thing. A lot of people think about the same thing a lot of different ways.?
America?s race relations: ?There?s a bit of a gap between what I really want to say and what I know is responsible to say. The general lack of compassion for your fellow man is really frustrating. I think what the protesters are saying, or at least some of them, is it?s not just about police brutality. It?s about a widespread systematic crippling of some people in this country by birthright, and no one?s acknowledging it. There may be a power shakeup if you?re really going to do something about it. A lot of people aren?t interested in that. They say, ?It?s not that bad. We have Barack Obama. We?re good.? Or, ?You?re not getting lynched.? They?re not acknowledging the institutional racism that impacts daily lives.
Makeup choices for all skin colors: ?It has gotten better. There are so many more lines that create shades for a wide range of hues and understand our green money works as well. And that we count. We want to look pretty, too.?
Why it?s important for her to protect her assets: ?For women in Hollywood, when they?re coupling, everything is about the brand. Everything is about latching on to a rising star, so you can kick your heels up. That?s never been my story, ever. I make sure to let people know all of the hard work that?s gone into my career. I want people to know the work that it took to get through UCLA, that I had student loans and worked. I was eating Top Ramen and lived well below my means. Now that it?s time to get married to a man who happens to play basketball and has done well for himself, I want to make it clear that I have in no way hitched my wagon to his star. I have my own wagon and star.
Her thoughts on the NFL & Roger Goodell: ?The biggest thing is that the NFL is a business. It?s professional sports, and there are 55 guys on a team. If there?s one guy out of 55 who?s done something horrible, you can?t taint the other 54 with the same brush. But in the sense that a guy committing domestic violence received a less harsh penalty than players did for smoking weed, in that regard [NFL commissioner] Roger Goodell has failed miserably in bringing the NFL to a more enlightened time. If he?d talked to his customers, they?d much rather have Cheech and Chong on the field than the villain in a Tyler Perry movie. The NFL is a microcosm of all industries. Domestic violence affects Wall Street, teachers, and policemen. We have a lot of work to do as a league, but we also have a lot of work to do as a society.
Comparing her show, Being Mary Jane, to Scandal: ?What bugs me is that they?re making the comparison because they?re both shows that star black women. It?s such apples and oranges. It?s like comparing True Detective and Law & Order ? you would never do that. What it says is we need so much more diversity in TV. We need shows starring women of color or women of a certain age or women who aren?t a size 2. If that happens, the world isn?t going to end.?
[From Yahoo]
She also talked about Chris Rock?s THR interview where he name-checked her (she starred with Rock in Top Five) as one of the African-American actresses who should be offered more work. And she talked about the stupid controversy where the Star Wars geeks were freaking out about a black stormtrooper in the trailer. While I like what Gabrielle had to say about race and Hollywood and race and sports, I?m reminded of what Mindy Kaling always says: it?s wrong when minority women have to spend the entire interview talking about race and misogyny while all of the white guys in Hollywood get to talk about their art. It?s not that Gabrielle shouldn?t be asked about this stuff, but reporters need to ask Bradley Cooper and JK Simmons and Eddie Redmayne about institutional racism and misogyny too.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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| | Gabrielle Union: Fuschia Fabulous for 2015 People's Choice Awards | | Added 10 years ago | Source: Celebrity Gossip |
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Kicking off the year with a high-profile outing, Gabrielle Union was in great spirits as she made her big arrival at the 2015 People's Choice Awards tonight (January 7) in Los Angeles.
Never one to miss out on a swanky affair, Dwayne Wade's better half got all gussied up and smiled up a storm for the fans and shutterbugs gathered outside the Nokia Theatre LA Live ahead of the festivities.
This year, there are plenty of worthy contenders in each respective category and it?s up to the fans to choose who will go home with some hardware. The Favorite Movie hopefuls include ?22 Jump Street,? ?Captain America: The Winter Soldier,? ?Guardians of the Galaxy,? ?Maleficent? and ?X-Men: Days of Future Past,? while the Favorite Movie Actor contenders are Brad Pitt, Channing Tatum, Hugh Jackman, Mark Wahlberg and Robert Downey Jr.
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| | Gabrielle Union & Dwyane Wade got married at a moated castle in Miami | | Added 10 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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I wanted to like Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade. I wanted to think that they were really in love and that nothing shady every happened between them. Not so much. Dwyane and his ex-wife had major drama and most people believe that Gabrielle was the ?homewrecker? in that situation. While his divorce was drawn out over the course of several years, he and Gabrielle were slightly on-and-off, and he ended up fathering a kid with a female friend. Gabrielle then took him back (if they were even apart) and they got engaged last year. And now they?re married.
From Being Mary Jane to being married! Actress Gabrielle Union, 41, star of the hit BET drama about a woman unlucky in love, found her own happy ending Saturday, marrying long-time boyfriend Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade, 32.
The pair wed in Miami in front of an intimate crowd of family and friends. Wade’s two children from a previous marriage and a nephew he’s raising helped Wade propose back in December.
John Legend performed at the ceremony, and the bride wore a romantic Dennis Basso gown. Wade wore customized Dsquared2, his personally designed Wedding Collection bowtie from The Tie Bar and a boutonnire by Floral Fix. This is the second marriage for both Wade and Union.
The couple set up a 1930s era juke joint for party guests, serving Vanilla Puddin’ Chardonnay as the official white wine for the wedding. Cheers to the newlyweds!
[From People]
You can see part of Gabrielle?s Dennis Basso gown here ? it?s strapless and seems to have a ruched bodice or something. She looks beautiful, for sure, but the vibe I?m getting is cookie-cutter bridal. White strapless gown, pretty veil, cream roses. Etc. TMZ has some details about the locale ? apparently, they got married at a famous ?moated castle? in Miami. That?s why there are no pap photos from the wedding ? the property is very exclusive and heavily guarded. Plus, Gabby and Dwyane asked all of their guests to sign confidentiality agreements and agree not to post any wedding photos on social media. One official wedding portrait has already ended up in People Magazine though, so maybe they?re selling their wedding photos as an exclusive?
Photos courtesy of WENN, Gabrielle Union?s Instagram.
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| | Gabrielle Union insists she needs a pre-nup: 'I?ve got to protect my stuff' | | Added 11 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade got engaged in December, just two months after Wade?s divorce was finalized (the ?cause? of the divorce was widely believed to be Gabrielle). Then, just one week after Gabby was showing off her crazy ring, Wade announced that he had fathered a baby with another woman during a brief ?break up? with Gabby last year. The whole thing seemed super-shady, and further investigation by TMZ led me to believe that Dwyane cheated on Gabrielle in February 2013, then told Gabby about the baby in April, after which they broke up for about a month, then got back together. I also believe Dwyane has probably cheated on Gabby multiple times and that she just pretty much accepts it because, in the end, she got the ring.
But that hasn?t stopped Gabby from pulling out the Empowered & Financially Secure Woman Card. Gabby went on The Arsenio Hall Show earlier this week to discuss how she and Wade are going to have a prenup? at her request. Because she worries about HER assets.
Forget the starry-eyed romance. Gabrielle Union says she plans to marry NBA star Dwyane Wade with an open heart ? and an iron-clad prenup.
“I’ve got to protect my stuff,” the Being Mary Jane star matter-of-factly told the ageless Arsenio Hall on The Arsenio Hall Show Monday night. Union, 41, has made it clear she’s hoping to avoid repeating mistakes she made when her first marriage, to NFL star Chris Howard, ended in divorce in 2005.
“The biggest difference between this and the last marriage will be a prenup ? at my insistence,” she bluntly told Hall as the audience giggled. “The reality is, I’ve never seen Dwyane balance a checkbook.”
Wade, 32, proposed to Union in December after presenting her with an eye-popping engagement ring. Two months later, it appears wedding planning is in full-swing (she even cops to adhering to a porn diet to stay in shape), and Union vows it won’t be anything like her first nuptials.
“The last time, I just wrote checks,” she admitted. “I was working, I had a wedding planner, and I just showed up and was like, ‘Ooh, that’s nice. Who picked that out?’ ”
This time, she says, she’s determined the keep things small, which means no bridesmaids and a pared-down guest list.
“There’s a lot of people who think they’re coming,” she said, calling Wade the “executioner” who is not afraid to cross people off the list. “If you’re not about us and we don’t both have a relationship with you, you’re not going to make it.”
[From People]
So I take it Dwyane?s baby-mama is not going to be invited? And of course there won?t be any bridesmaids. Gabrielle doesn?t want any more whoopsie pregnancies. Not on her watch! Ugh, I could not live like that. Imagine that marriage ? not being able to trust your baller husband around any woman, not even being able to trust him around a joint checking account? Yikes.
Anyway, do you believe her that the pre-nup was her idea? I?m not so sure. I have no doubt that Gabby?s financial house is in order ? she works a lot and I?m sure she?s got a nice nest egg, probably somewhere in the $15-20 million range. But Dwyane Wade?s most recent contract with the Heat was $107.5 million for six years. Then he?s got all kinds of crazy endorsements too, plus profit-sharing in a Chinese sneaker company, and on and on. Yeah. I?m not saying Gabrielle is a golddigger, but I am saying that the pre-nup probably wasn?t her idea.
Here?s the video of the Arsenio interview.
Disturbingly, after I wrote this up, CB sent me this Radar story about Wade’s ex-wife Siovaughn. Siovaughn claims – in court documents – that Wade was abusive for years throughout their marriage, that he would hit her, slam her into walls, lock her in rooms, and other types of abuse. Siovaughn claims: ?I tried to leave Dwyane Wade, but when I did, he made sure I did not have access to my own home and he cut off all my bankcards and denied me access to any money. This exerting of power and control has continued to this day.? She also says he was cheating on her throughout the marriage and he gave her an STD. YIKES.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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| | Gabrielle Union to Dwyane Wade: 'I go three times a day & I leave the door open' | | Added 11 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Gabrielle Union, 41, is engaged to Dwyane Wade, 32, who plays for the Miami Heat and has a very questionable record of fidelity. They’ve been together about four years, with the start of their relationship likely overlapping with Wade’s last marriage. It recently came out that Wade fathered a child with another woman early last year, while “on a break” from Union. He explained it by saying that “celebrity relationships are hard” and that Union was away filming at the time. Weak.
That’s background to the story that Union recently dropped a tidbit about her bathroom habits during an interview on Chelsea Handler. Union said that she told Wade that she goes three times a day, she leaves the door open, and she doesn’t light a match. Does she turn on the fan, though?
Handler: I think if you’re going to date someone you should get that [bathroom habits] out of the way
Union: From jump. There’s none of that ‘I don’t fart, I don’t poop.’ I have a high fiber diet. You’re gonna. This is happening. We’re doing this right from jump.
Handler: They need to see all the bad stuff, then otherwise when do you break it out?
Union: ‘Oh by the way, I go three times a day and I leave the door open! And I don’t light a match.’
[From E! Online via Fishwrapper]
I got this story through Fishwrapper, and they made it sound like Union was totally serious about this. She seemed like she was joking (you can see the clip here) so I’m hoping this isn’t exactly true. Maybe it is though and she was trying to make light of it.
I would like to address the “three times a day” issue. At my fittest I had a similar uh, schedule, and I remember one of my friends (a guy) bringing up the question and being surprised that someone went so frequently. Now I go about twice a day, but only when I exercise regularly. I won’t get into Dr. Oz/Cameron Diaz type details, but there’s a sense of accomplishment when you realize that everything is working well.
So in that respect I understand Union sharing the “three times a day” detail. That’s funny to me. It’s not funny that she expects her fiance to deal with her taking a dump with the door open every single time. (If that part is true.) Who does that? You close the door when you do your business, that’s common courtesy no matter how long you’ve been in a relationship. If you’re only doing number one that’s fine, you can leave the door open, but number two should always be private.
Photos are from 2013. Credit: WENN.com and FameFlynet
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| | Dwyane Wade Love Child Details Revealed | | Added 11 years ago | Source: Celebrity Gossip |
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Happily engaged to fiance Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade is comfortable revealing details about his new baby conceived while on a break with his leading lady.
It's been recently confirmed that Xavier Zechariah Wade was born on November 10, 2013 at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles.
Welcomed into the world just six weeks before the NBA star proposed, the proud papa explained the situation in a recent press conference.
Accepting responsibility, Dwyane shared, "I had a time, a part in our break, in our pain and our hurt, a blessing came out of it in my life, having a son that was born healthy. So I'm moving on."
Indeed, children have been an important part of his life as he's currently raising sons Zaire and Zion along with a nephew.
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| | Dwayne Wade & Gabrielle Union got engaged, her ring is 8.5 carats | | Added 11 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union are finally making it official. The couple got engaged over the weekend, and Gabby already posted a photo of her large, gorgeous diamond engagement ring. Apparently, it?s a 8.5 cushion cut (one of my favorite cuts!) by Jason of Beverly Hills. Gabby wrote on her Instagram: ?Sooooo this happened?#Yessss.?
Some backstory: Dwayne Wade was married to Siohvaughn Funches for years ? they have two sons together, and most of the urban blogs believe (and I believe it to) that in 2009, there was overlap between the end of his marriage to Funches and the beginning of his relationship with Gabby. Gabby was called a homewrecker pretty consistently, and back in 2012, she had a lot of stuff to say about it and she did not come across very well. She seemed defensive and full of herself, not quite as bonkers as LeAnn Rimes but still kind of shady.
One of the interesting parts of the situation was that it seemed like Dwayne Wade was really trying to make it seem like his estranged (and now ex-) wife was full-on crazy. Wade kept asking the judge in his divorce case to have Siohvaughn ?mentally evaluated? and the ?Siohvaughn is crazy? theme kept getting played out in the press too. When Wade and Funches? divorce was finally settled this past October, the judge basically said Funches doesn?t deserve to be ?mentally evaluated? by the court just because she was trying to screw over her ex-husband financially and otherwise.
So? good luck, Gabby. You fought hard for your man and you were a bit too smug about it. And now you know that if you step out of line or if he meets someone else, he?s going to call you crazy if you put up a fight.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Instagram.
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| | Here's Will Smith Rapping 'The Fresh Prince' Theme | | Added 12 years ago | Source: The Blemish |
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Will Smith showed up to Gabrielle Union’s 40th birthday party and got all jiggy with it. Whoa. Sorry. I had late 90?s flashback for a second. What I meant to say was Doug E. Fresh threw down a beat while Will Smith spat fresh rhymes. That’s how the cool kids say it, right? No? Whatever, man.*Flips hat sideways*
Of course Will sang part of theFresh Prince theme as well. He’s contractually obligated to sing that until the day he dies.
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