the metro minute // vol. 2 issue 1

Volume 2Issue 1

MetroThe

M i n u t e

The Metro Division of CNH Circle K presents...

Legendary”“Where Service is...

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Message from the Editor....................................................................3Message from your LTG.........................................................................4Meet Your Divisional Leadership Team!................................5-6Blast from the Past.................................................................................7Club Event Recap...................................................................................8-9 CSUN Traditional Biannual Hike CSULB Relay for Life Santa Monica Kiwanis Takeover Johnnie Cochran Science Center Field Trip Compton InitiativeDivision Events Past...............................................................................10 LA Food Bank End of the Year BanquetFuFuture Division Events..........................................................................11District News................................................................................................12What’s Going On With International.........................................13

Table of Contents

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Hello Metro!

My name is Johnny Cao-Nguyen and I will be serving as your Division Communications Coordinator this year! As such, I will be creating and releasing recap videos every month as well as publishing a quarterly newsletter so that you all can keep up with the Division no matter how busy you get.

SoSo a little bit about me - I am an incoming 4th year at CSULB and I just recently got back from a two week trip to Europe with my family! It was a really exciting experience and a much needed vaca-tion to visit my grandma and the rest of my extended family. A pretty amazing thing during the trip was that while I was traveling through Belgium, I found a Kiwanis logo on one of the buildings indi-cating that was their meeting location! Cool, right?! I don’t know about you, but sometimes I forget that there are people just like us in foreign countries doing the exact same thing that we do.

But alas, I am glad to be back home where I can go anywhere and not be given weird glares just because I “look American.” But mostly, I’m glad that I’m back where I can have a good time with my friends because it’s summer! It’s time to enjoy ourselves even if some of us have to study for summer school or work our butts off at summer jobs. Regardless of any of that, we should make the most of our summer and reserve some time for community service as well!as well!

For those of you unable to attend DCMs or other Division related events, I hope that this newsletter and the soon-to-be-released videos will keep you updated throughout the year and that you will find them useful and informative! It is, however, my first time putting together anything like this, so please bear with me as I learn and grow from this opportunity! Although some of you have already met me and know who I am, to those of you who haven’t, don’t be afraid toto come up to me and say hi! I will do my best to remember each and every one of you, even though I have the worst memory when it comes to people…

I am excited to work with the rest of the Divisional Leadership Team to ensure that your experience in Metro is one of the greatest!

Johnny Cao-Nguyen2015-2016 Metro Communications Coordinator

Hello Metro!







Hello Metro!







Message From the Editor!

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Message from your LTG!Hello My Lovely Division!

Wow! Can you believe that it’s already been three months since the beginning Wow! Can you believe that it’s already been three months since the beginning of the term? Metro has definitely seen a lot of action during the spring. We’ve witnessed successful service projects and socials, the establishment of a strong Metro Buddies System, and even big changes for the Division. I know that if we keep this momentum going, Metro will be stronger and better than ever before.

Now, summer is upon us, but that does not mean that Circle K suddenly takes Now, summer is upon us, but that does not mean that Circle K suddenly takes a break. There are plenty of opportunities to remain active within our organiza-tion over summer, and I encourage you to take part in those. Also, don’t forget to take care of yourself during this time. We all understand the difficulty of being a student. For many of us, there was a lot going on throughout the school year, and oftentimes we forgot to look after our needs. Now, summer is here, and I encourage you to take this time to relax, to rejuvenate, and maybe to even go on new adventures. I mean, after all, we have the privilege of living around the dynamic city of Los Angeles where adventure is around every corner.

With that being said, I just wanted to remind each and every one of you that I am here for all of you. Whatever you need, I’m just literally all of you. Whatever you need, I’m just literally a phone call, text, or Facebook message away! If you need help with anything or just want to hang out with your FAVORITE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, you know where to find me!!

Keep Roaring with Service My Metro Monsters!

Josef Madrigal2015-2016 Metro Lieutenant Governor2015-2016 Metro Lieutenant Governor

Hello My Lovely Division!






Hello My Lovely Division!






5Natalie Mann CSU Long Beach

Hi Metro! I’m Natalie and I currently serve as CSULB Circle K’s President for the 2015-2016 term. I just finished my first year of college and I am so lucky to be a part of this organization and this year’s Division Leadership Team! I hope to see the clubs of Metro grow as a more spirited, tight-knit family over the course of this year. Aside from unifying the di-vision, I also hope that each of our clubs will connect more with the CNH District and with the various branches of the Ki-wanis family. On a personal note, besides serving the community, I love the Backstreet Boys and making people smile with my face-palm worthy jokes and puns. Being a part of the Kiwanis family these past 4 years has been such an incredible experience. I am super excited to be able to continue my journey in this organization with Metro! Our 2015-2016 CSULB Circle K Board aspires to help our home club and home division to improve and to reach new heights. We can’t wait to go the distance for service with all of you!

Hi Metro! I’m Natalie and I currently serve as CSULB Circle K’s President for the 2015-2016 term. I just finished my first year of college and I am so lucky to be a part of this organization and this year’s Division Leadership Team! I hope to see the clubs of Metro grow as a more spirited, tight-knit family over the course of this year. Aside from unifying the di-vision, I also hope that each of our clubs will connect more with the CNH District and with the various branches of the Ki-wanis family. On a personal note, besides serving the community, I love the Backstreet Boys and making people smile with my face-palm worthy jokes and puns. Being a part of the Kiwanis family these past 4 years has been such an incredible experience. I am super excited to be able to continue my journey in this organization with Metro! Our 2015-2016 CSULB Circle K Board aspires to help our home club and home division to improve and to reach new heights. We can’t wait to go the distance for service with all of you!

Meet Your Divisional Leadership Team

Well hello there! I am Belen Lujano, Cal State Dominguez Hills Circle K President for the year 2015 – 2016. So I am excited to be working with all of you this upcoming year and making our division stronger than ever! This is our year! I hope to make our division united and hope that being buddies will strengthen us and have us be more united. I believe in our amazing division and hope to accomplish so many things as individual and united clubs. Yeah!! Let’s do this!!!

Well hello there! I am Belen Lujano, Cal State Dominguez Hills Circle K President for the year 2015 – 2016. So I am excited to be working with all of you this upcoming year and making our division stronger than ever! This is our year! I hope to make our division united and hope that being buddies will strengthen us and have us be more united. I believe in our amazing division and hope to accomplish so many things as individual and united clubs. Yeah!! Let’s do this!!!

Belen Lujano CSU Dominguez Hills

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Lisa Chong UC Los Angeles

Hello hello our lovely Metro Division! My name is Lisa Chong and I am serving as the President for UCLA Circle K this year. For short introductions, I am a third year Biochemistry major with pre-pharm aspirations!I hope to see our division grow much closer this year and will try my best to connect UCLA to I hope to see our division grow much closer this year and will try my best to connect UCLA to the division with help from all our members and all of you! We had a lot of fun at the LA Fd Bank so we’re hoping to hang out with you all a lot more! I'm lking forward to joint service projects, socials, and more! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, events, or even want to just talk~

Hello hello our lovely Metro Division! My name is Lisa Chong and I am serving as the President for UCLA Circle K this year. For short introductions, I am a third year Biochemistry major with pre-pharm aspirations!I hope to see our division grow much closer this year and will try my best to connect UCLA to I hope to see our division grow much closer this year and will try my best to connect UCLA to the division with help from all our members and all of you! We had a lot of fun at the LA Fd Bank so we’re hoping to hang out with you all a lot more! I'm lking forward to joint service projects, socials, and more! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, events, or even want to just talk~

Clare Smith CSU Northridge

My name is Clare Smith, and I am going to be a Junior at California State University, Northridge. I have a major in Speech-Language Pathology and a minor in Creative Writing. I have past experiences with volunteering for the Williams Syndrome Association because of my brother with this syndrome, which has inspired me to help others. It even inspired me to take on the SLP major. Ever since first volunteering I became passionate about helping others. I was drawn to Key Club and Circle K because I felt the same enthusiam shared by everyone else in these clubs. My favourite tennant of Circle K, is of course Service because volunteering with friends gives me great joy like nothing else. I hope to see more bonding within because volunteering with friends gives me great joy like nothing else. I hope to see more bonding within the division, and more interactive service projects. I hope to be able to meet more of you in Metro and participate in lots of serive projects with you all.

My name is Clare Smith, and I am going to be a Junior at California State University, Northridge. I have a major in Speech-Language Pathology and a minor in Creative Writing. I have past experiences with volunteering for the Williams Syndrome Association because of my brother with this syndrome, which has inspired me to help others. It even inspired me to take on the SLP major. Ever since first volunteering I became passionate about helping others. I was drawn to Key Club and Circle K because I felt the same enthusiam shared by everyone else in these clubs. My favourite tennant of Circle K, is of course Service because volunteering with friends gives me great joy like nothing else. I hope to see more bonding within because volunteering with friends gives me great joy like nothing else. I hope to see more bonding within the division, and more interactive service projects. I hope to be able to meet more of you in Metro and participate in lots of serive projects with you all.

Meet Your Divisional Leadership Team

My name is Dande Wang, and I am currently a junior at University of Southern California. For the 2015-2016 term, I will be serving as USC CKI’s President. I’ve been involved in the Kiwanis Family since my high schl freshman year in Key Club. Something I find really unique in the Ki-wanis Family is the people. You are surrounded by a group of genuine and caring people. It’s hard to find that elsewhere, even at other organizations. After all, we’re a group that serves our community. Now, I’m glad to provide service to you. If you ever see me around, feel free to come up to me and say hi! I’m always lking forward to meeting new people and having a nice conversation. I lk forward to the year.nice conversation. I lk forward to the year.

My name is Dande Wang, and I am currently a junior at University of Southern California. For the 2015-2016 term, I will be serving as USC CKI’s President. I’ve been involved in the Kiwanis Family since my high schl freshman year in Key Club. Something I find really unique in the Ki-wanis Family is the people. You are surrounded by a group of genuine and caring people. It’s hard to find that elsewhere, even at other organizations. After all, we’re a group that serves our community. Now, I’m glad to provide service to you. If you ever see me around, feel free to come up to me and say hi! I’m always lking forward to meeting new people and having a nice conversation. I lk forward to the year.nice conversation. I lk forward to the year.

Dande Wang Univ. of Southern California

I am Dercy De La Cruz and I am a part of the swanky ECC CKI. I am a Women's studies major who loves Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes very much. I hope to meet and befriend many new people in Metro this year!! I will see you all, to quote Sherlock, "laters"

I am Dercy De La Cruz and I am a part of the swanky ECC CKI. I am a Women's studies major who loves Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes very much. I hope to meet and befriend many new people in Metro this year!! I will see you all, to quote Sherlock, "laters"

Dercy De La Cruz El Camino College

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Club Events&

Division Events

Club Event Recap

Relay for Life was definitely an event full of learning moments. Initially, it took many of us to bring to-gether various items to set up. A lot of other organizations had very organized, interesting booths. Many of us were not familiar with how to prepare for Relay for Life, but we tried to make the most of what we had. Axl came to the rescue by helping us get a table, chairs, and tent together at our station. We had our Circle K banner and made impromptu signs for our otter pops, bows, and bracelets. Even though not ev-erything went perfectly, we learned so much to help us better prepare for next year’s Relay for Life. ThThroughout the day, we were able to sell quite a few items to contribute to our donations to the Ameri-can Cancer Society Although many of us came and went throughout the day, a lot of us were able to walk the course to-gether or spend time at our booth. We were even joined by our Past Lt. Governor, Brandon Baello. We also had people walk by who were interested in potentially joining Circle K, which was super exciting for us! Relay for Life was a fun event for a great cause and it was definitely nice to participate in the event with other organizations that care about making a difference.

Natalie Mann, CSU Long Beach

CSULB Relay for Life

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On Wednesday, May 20th, several Circle K members and I went to the Santa Monica Kiwanis meetings with the catch being that we would have to lead this meeting. We were briefly prepped on what we were supposed to lead during that day. Before we started the meeting, we were able to help ourselves to some of the food that was offered and mingled around with the Kiwanians. From my perspective, it seemed that a few of them were interested in seeing what we were about to present and excited that they were able to not have to run their meeting for once. We began the meeting with an introduction of guests, a patriotic song, and the pledge of allegiance. Each of us there gave a small snippet of what we have been doing to make UCLA Circle K run the way it is; Nick presented Circle K history from our club, Lily pre-sented Service/Pillow Fight, Lindon and Benson presented Kiwanis Family/Fundraising, Jamie and Thien presented MDEER/Spirit-ship, Katherine and I presented Public Relations/Graphic Design and Technology, and Josef presented Division/District. After we were done presenting each of our sections, we began a game of Jeopardy with all the material presented. Due to meeting starting slightly late and our presentations being longer than expected, we were unable to get through parts of the meeting we would have liked to have gone through such as the auction we had planned. Even with that, with this event we were able to raise $59. Herman La, UC Los Angeles

Santa Monica Kiwanis Takeover

CSUN Traditional BiAnnual Hike My experience of the CSUN Circle K Biannual was amusing and tiring because we all got to spend the first day of summer together and enjoy the beautiful view and weather. I almost forgot how much it is fun it is, to go hiking in the mountains and hang out with a couple of friends. Plus we got to bring along Beans, our President Clare’s dog, who is one of the bravest and sweetest dogs. At first it was scary because we were trying not slip and fall, but it was good that that we all were watching out for each other and had each other’s backs. Then we turned down another trail, which made it even more tiring and fun. It was even more cool because we got to see a man riding a horse and the horse was huge from my point of view. Somehow we all ended up having a craving for Taco Bell. A fun part of the hike was a game that we played, where each person had a word to say that completed a phrase. The point of this game was for all of us to know where each of us was so that we would never get separated from the others. Overall, the Bi-Annual Hike was successful and fun. This event has been a traditional social event held every semester for CSUN CKI members since 2011. I am glad that I was part of this traditional event. I hope next year, more people will come to the event so that we can play our game with a bigger group and spend time with more good friends. Daisy Tran, CSU Northridge

Kristi Parada, CSU Long Beach

Compton InitiativeCompton Initiative is a 40 year commitment to restore the Compton community. They do so by painting murals, cleaning and painting schools and houses as well as building gardens. Before we began our task, we were given a delightful breakfast, the best breakfast given so far at any early service event. They had a vari-ety of bagels, muffins, yogurt, fruit such as bananas and oranges, coffee and orange juice. It was truly exqui-site. A speech was then given to commemorate the event and the volunteers who showed to help renovate Compton.Our task was to clean a backyard of a house that was filled with scraps of wood, metal, rocks and even dead animals. The biggest accomplishment was moving a large pile of said things to the garbage truck. It took countless routes and teamwork to do so. Many different kinds of people where at this event, from middle school children to other CKI families such as UCLA and ECC. Not only did we strengthen our CSULB CKI bond, but we strengthen our ties with our CKI families. It was an event I would never forget and I can’t wait to attend the next Compton Initiative event.

Karen Chu, UC Los Angeles

Johnnie Cochran Science Center Field TripOn May 9th, UCLA CKI had the opportunity to volunteer at the California Science Center, working with stu-dents from Johnnie Cochran Middle School. The idea of visiting the Science Center made me feel nostal-gic—it reminded me of how I also visited it for the first time in middle school, so I was super excited to be able to guide these students through their field trip.Nick, Lisa, and I worked with a group of ten kids. Everyone started out with an ice-breaker to get to know each other and become familiar with everyone’s names. From the very beginning, each student was already super enthusiastic! It was really refreshing to see how excited everyone was (especially CKI members)! Each group took different routes to help kids explore the area in a fun and efficient way. CKI members were definitely showing their leadership skills as they gave directions to their groups! The kids were quickly filling in passports with everything they’ve learned about the Endeavor, the World’s Ecosystems, Air and Space…Although we only had about two hours to go thAlthough we only had about two hours to go through four different stations, we made the most of it. Some of the most memorable moments for me were the Earthquake Simulator and the World of Life section. During the Earthquake Simulator, the atmosphere was filled with tension as the mock earthquakes came when you least expected it. It was very shocking indeed. I was also a tiny bit traumatized in the World of Life due to the demonstration of surgical procedures done on human bodies. It was very bloody. Overall, I had a blast with my group! Seeing the children’s eyes light up during the Endeavor portion was the best thing ever! EvEveryone was so engaged with each other as they were sharing their individual interests and dreams of be-coming scientists.

Club Event Recap cont.

Do you have an event you really enjoyed and want to share? Do you want to be featured in next quarter’s newsletter? Send your article and a few pictures over to [email protected]

and you could see your name here! 9

End of the Year Banquet

Johnny Cao-Nguyen, CSU Long Beach

Another year, another banquet celebrating all of our accomplishments. On June 13th, Metro concluded another amazing year at our End-of-the-Year Banquet. Members from all across the Division came together to eat, laugh, and reflect on this past year and how much all of us have grown. With the theme being “A Night at the Library,” decorations that were set up all over the room displayed books, stories, and everything else related to the library. It was a re-minder that no matter who you are, we all have our own stories to write and where we end up depends only on our own imagination. The night started with an amazing dinner of teriyaki chicken, teriyaki beef, and pad Thai—all of which were absolutely delicious and made me completely forget about the fact that I’m trying to lose weight. After everyone had eaten, the program continued to a recap of our accomplishments of the past year as well as awards given to clubs and officers for their contributions to the Division. With all of the festivities, I was really relieved that the term had finally concluded, but I was also really excited for the new term to start. The Metro EOTY Banquet was the last banquet of the bunch, which meant that it was truly the bridge between the past term and the future term. As the banquet was adjourned, the only thing I could think of was writing the story of my future in the Metro Division.

LA Fd Bank

Stephanie Tran, UC Los Angeles

Saturday, May 16th, was a morning to remember! Waking up bright and early, members of UCLA Circle K met up at the LA Food Bank, ready to make new friends and help feed the hungry. At the food bank, we saw many other Circle K members from the Metro Division! There were familiar faces from CSU Long Beach, CSUDH, CSUN, and even El Camino College! We mingled and mixed, introduced ourselves, and shared our love for service. When the event started, we were all divided into small groups and some members were even assigned special tasks. As soon as one of the event coordinators finished giving us a brief overview of our responsibilities, we dove right into separating the donated goods! From Fro-zen-themed fruit snacks and potato chips to Otter Pops and Gatorade bottles, each box con-tained a variety of food items! It was always a surprise to see what was hidden within each of the boxes. While sorting canned foods and dry items was an easy task, picking out edible fruits was a constant struggle. We had to ask for advice from the one and only fruit whisperer, Lisa Chong! According to her, the secret to determining whether a fruit is edible consists of two easy steps! First, you hold the fruit and pat it. Then, you proceed to quietly ask the fruit if it’s still good to eat! This method worked 100% of the time!! Shh… don’t tell your friends though. It’s supposed to be a secret! Checking bread for mold was also a struggle, but Circle K members pulled through, as always! After sorting for approximately 3 hours, we were finally done! All of the in-edible items weedible items were thrown away, while everything else was packaged into cute banana boxes! It was now time to head over to Bud Namu and eat some delicious Korean BBQ with our new friends! Yay! This event not only helped us bond with other members from our division, but it also remind-ed us about the importance of teamwork and cooperation! I’m so glad I was given the opportu-nity to attend this divisional service event! Thank you Josef for organizing it! L-O-V-E, I love my LTG (and mentor)!

Division Eventspast

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Division Eventsfuture

Introducingyour new...

DIVISIONALBUDDIES

CSULB and ECC CSUN and CSUDHUCLA and USCWork with your new Divisional Buddies and get to know them! There are plenty of new faces in this Division that are waiting to meet you. Plan service events, socials, fundraisers, anything! The more time you spend with them, the greater your Circle K experience will be!

Have an idea for the Metro Divisional t-shirt?

Try your hand at designing the 2015-2016 Metro Divisional T-Shirt!

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1ST@ 11:59PMEmail submissions to [email protected]

Deadline for all submissionsGuidelines and requirements can be found at metr.cnhcirclek.org/files

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July Divisional Council MeetingSaturday, July 2512:00pm-5:00pm

Hosted by El Camino College

Join Metro as we all come together for our monthly Divisional Council Meeting. This month, we will be having a Running Man Race styled event as well as a few workshops to develop

your own personal skills!

District NewsDISTRICT SUMMERSERVICE SOCIAL

District Summer Service Social (DSSS) is an annual summertime event hosted by the District Service Committee. The Committee has prepared LOADS of service projects and activities for members to enjoy over the summer. This year, it will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Sacramento, CA between

August 13-15.August 13-15.

All files and forms can be found at

cnhcirclek.org/comittee/service/files

Registration forms all need to be received by Tuesday, July 14 with soft copies sent to

[email protected]

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The District CommitteesEvery year, District Committees are formed to assist in planning and executing various events and programs throughout the District. Metro is lucky to have EIGHT astounding members dedicate

themselves to serving on District Committees this year. Join me in congratulating them once again and if you see any of them in person, be sure to say hi!

District ConventionPaula Le, CSULBMichelle Don, UCLA

Membership Development & EducationAlbert Truong, UCLA

Kiwanis FamilyLindon Tran, UCLA

Public RelationsJuliana Deer, UCLA

ServiceLily Lequang, UCLA

Fall Training ConferenceLindon Tran, UCLAJong Choi, UCLA

International What’s Going On With

International Convention 2015, or CKIx 2015, is happening from June 24-27, celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Kiwanis International! Because of this, there is nowhere else to celebrate other than Indianapolis, Indiana, home of the Kiwanis

International Office.

AAt CKIx, Circle K members from all over the world will be electing the new International Board, voting on important amendments to International Bylaws, and, most importantly, celebrating the impact our

organization has made this year.

SaSafe travels to those who are attending this momentous occasion and best wishes to everyone

who applied for Awards!

Sub-Region B t-shirts are here! Order these marvelous shirts for only $8! That’s right! Only $8!

Contact Michael Zhou ([email protected]) for more information!

Order here: http://bit.ly/1CkFz1z

International Convention

Sub-Region BT-Shirts

Leadership Academy

Past Attendees of Leadership Academy2014: Baldwin Chang, Angelina Chanthanouvong, Brandon

Isaaks2013: Minhchau Chau, Gracie Francisco, Mamu Kimura, Ryan

Tom, Kayla Wong2012: Jonathan Cao-Nguyen, Ryan Pham, Justin Villasenor

2011: B2011: Brett Butler, Andrew Tom

What is Leadership Academy? CKI Leadership Academy is a six-day event focuses on leadership based on servant

leadership, a form of leadership that emphasizes the needs of others before your own. Open to any student from a Circle K club, the event takes place Sunday, July 26 through Friday,

July 31 in Morgantown, Indiana.

Leadership Academy is an extLeadership Academy is an extremely useful opportunity to prepare club leaders for the coming year and develop leaders

throughout the District.

To apply, visit:http://bit.ly/1JbEKAe

The last day to apply is Monday, July 6 and the registration fee is $195.

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Lieutenant GovernorJosef Madrigal

[email protected]

Communications CoordinatorJohnny Cao-Nguyen

[email protected]

CSU Dominguez HillsCSU Dominguez HillsBelen Lujano

[email protected]

CSU NorthridgeClare Smith

[email protected]

UC Los AngelesLisa ChongLisa Chong

[email protected]

Executive AssistantPaula Le

[email protected]

Spirit CoordinatorLindon Tran

[email protected]

CSU Long BeachCSU Long BeachNatalie Mann

[email protected]

El Camino CollegeDercy De La Cruz

[email protected]

University of Southern CaliforniaDande WangDande Wang

[email protected]


[email protected]


[email protected]


[email protected]


[email protected]


[email protected]


[email protected]


[email protected]


[email protected]


[email protected]


[email protected]


[email protected]


[email protected]


[email protected]


[email protected]


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[email protected]


[email protected]


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