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Jefferys Track Side Diner for April, 2022

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Posted by gmpullman on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 6:16 AM

I've heard of coffee-table layouts but this one has class...

 Paul_Jones-Blended by Edmund, on Flickr

Top of the page! Yummee!

How about I open a FRESH can of tastee hamburgers from Swift Premium Dinner

 Canned_burgers by Edmund, on Flickr

Party Style!

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by Water Level Route on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 6:19 AM

Good morning everyone.  Chloe, coffee and a cheese danish please.

BroadwayLion
Be careful, I got Harry Potter with me!

Funny you should mention that.  I'm wearing the Harry Potter shirt today that I picked up on vacation.  However, if you didn't realize it, or didn't pay close enough attention to it, you would never realize it is a Harry Potter shirt.

Charlie, we just bought our first bag of seed for the year.  My wife keeps a feeder in the yard, but isn't always on top of keeping it filled.  Still, it draws birds in (and squirrels) and we like that.

Kevin, that looks tasty!Dinner

drgwcs, not only is that list of scents, um, amazing, what's more so in my mind is the fact that someone thought it was a great idea!

Ed, what a serene photo of your depot.  Looks like a wonderful place to be on a cool night.

Dave, that's a new one!  I've not heard of a taste TV before, but I have heard of them working on a smell TV before.  That was back when 3D TV's were having a moment.  Everybody thought scent would be the next big thing.

NorthBrit
The different smells when you close your eyes and know where you are.

Or where you were.  Smells trigger very strong memories and there is science behind that.  There are four very specific scents that, while rare to me, instantly take me back to my grandparents house.  A certain linen smell (my grandma sewed), a very unique paint smell (probably lead based Laugh, latex paint never smells like it) that I associate with of all things the closets in their house (they were all cedar lined that for some reason got painted), the smell of fresh lumber in the garage (my grandpa's hobby was woodworking), and the smell of Half and Half pipe tobacco that my grandpa smoked.

My youngest had her first varsity soccer game last night.  It was frustrating to watch.  The team was outplayed and deserved to lose, but the officiating was clearly skewed to the home team (we were visiting).  My daughter scored what would have been her teams only goal, but the ref waved it off for reasons unknown as no penalty was called.  Her shot hit the crossbar, ricocheted down to the ground, crossing the goal line in the process.  It had a back spin on it at this point and the backspin made it bounce back out.  Maybe somehow the ref didn't see it hit the ground and bounce up and back out????   Even the other teams goal keeper acted surprised when he didn't call it a goal.  Later, the other team had a corner kick that went through our keepers hands and one of our defenders was there and kicked it away from our net.  They called it a goal, but my daughter was right there next to the action and said it clearly never crossed.  There were a lot of ticky-tac penalties called on our team and very obvious penalties they were committing (tripping, shove in the back, etc) that weren't being called.  My nephew played at the same place during his season in the fall, and my sister-in-law said it was the same thing when they were there.  Disappointing.  

Mike

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Posted by Track fiddler on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 8:42 AM

Good morning 

That burning coal aroma is awfully good.  An even more preferable favorite of mine was a freshly treated creosote bridge.

Mixed with the smell of the Chocolate Factory from my childhood across the tracks was even betterStick out tongue

 

hon30critter

A couple of those scents like 'Cedar Wood' or 'Pine Forest' would actually be quite acceptable in our house. 'Leather' might be interesting too.

Sounds exactly like my cologne of choice all these years.  It's made from pine needles, cedar chips, leather and tobacco.
 
 

gmpullman

I've heard of coffee-table layouts but this one has class...

 Paul_Jones-Blended by Edmund, on Flickr

 

 Canned_burgers by Edmund, on Flickr

I've often thought of building a Z scale coffee table.  Just a simple compressed figure 8 with a bridge, rock cliffs, pine trees and a half inch piece of glass on top would be cool.

 

I've never heard of or seen canned hamburger patties beforeHuh?

Now my life is completeLaugh

 

 

https://youtu.be/nZoyE1B7HHA

Audio of Sam's second Beef commercial from the 70's.

 

 

TF

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Posted by Tin Can II on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 8:56 AM

Greetings from Chicago.  Been here since Saturday for a conference.  Taking Amtrak back to Dodge City this afternoon.  Been a fun trip; will elaborate more when I get back.

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Posted by BroadwayLion on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 10:23 AM

MisterBeasley
We had moved to a Long Island, New York, suburb called East Meadow.

And I used to live in Merrick! I went to the North School. We coulda been neighbors almost!

Your mother would have had a cow if she knew that you lived next to a tiger!

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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Posted by York1 on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 10:41 AM

Good morning, diners.

I have a busy day scheduled all the way to 9:00 p.m. tonight, so no layout work today.  Since retirement, I don't like days like this.

 

drgwcs
Back in the 80s there was a company called Mikros that produced a series of scents for the layout called olfactory airs. Yes they did a stockyard........  for some reason the company did not last long. 

 

Out here in flyover country, you don't have to buy scents like that.  When the wind blows from the northwest, you can open your windows and get the 'authentic' stockyard smell for free!

Like I said a while back, out here it's called 'The Smell of Money'.

I'll be back later today to read through all the posts in the diner.  Thanks, everyone.

 

How about Union Pacific McKeen motor car M-29 pulling two stock cars northwest of Grand Island, Nebraska:

 

 

York1 John       

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Posted by DigitalGriffin on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 10:52 AM

York: Love the doodlebug

Morning all.  Day 2 of work and all day meetings.  Keep the coffee coming.

Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions

Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!

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Posted by MisterBeasley on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 11:31 AM

BroadwayLion
 

And I used to live in Merrick! I went to the North School. We coulda been neighbors almost!

Closer than you think.  My family moved to Rockville Centre when I was 9, so only a couple of towns apart.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

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Posted by maxman on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 12:38 PM

Water Level Route
I've not heard of a taste TV before, but I have heard of them working on a smell TV before.  That was back when 3D TV's were having a moment.  Everybody thought scent would be the next big thing

I think they pretty well have smell TV perfected.

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Posted by Attuvian1 on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 12:49 PM

maxman

 

 

Bow Laugh Laugh

All this reminds me of the "feelies" in Huxley's "Brave New World".  Theaters where the armrests interfaced with the customers to provide a full range of sensations.

John

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Posted by BATMAN on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 4:17 PM

Good afternoon from the gorgeous West Coast. It has been T-shirt weather for two weeks now.

Just chatting with the kid, he is in Hawaii, they went to celebrate buying their condo. They will be moving in when they get back. He is 23, buys a condo, and goes to Hawaii to celebrate. He's doing okay.Laugh

Here we have a very pregnant Golden Retriever. She will start her bombing run in seven days.Laugh She has stopped eating very much as there is no more room left in there. I have been giving her lots of back massages which she loves. She is a highly trained dog and her pups are going to homes of owners that will do obedience trials. You will likely see a couple of them in the movies down the road. 

 

Had a mega workout yesterday and the wife gave me the once over afterward. My body fat is at 12%. BP was 104/60 and my resting heart rate was 36. My VO2max has me in the mid-40s in physical age. Not bad for 65.

The Ukrainian refugees are starting to show up in Vancouver, not sure if we will get a call as we are kind of far away from services. Jobs are plentiful in and around Vancouver so sending them out to stay here is not top of list. But you never know, we have lots of room. They were showing some refugees already hard at work as extras in the movie industry.

I was watching a show yesterday on evacuation from urban centres in times of emergency and the masses of people scrambling to get out of different places throughout history. It sure makes me appreciate having food and water just outside the front door if needed. Evacuation for us is going upstairs to bed.

Good to see Kevin and Bear have returned.

York1
My mind just automatically thought Fahrenheit.  Are we the only country still using it?

John the change has been interesting to witness. My parents were kind of 50/50 on adapting. My generation had/has no problems flipping back and forth between the two and can convert easily in their head. My kid's generation are full-on metric and chuckle at us when we revert to imperial. 

Countries not using the metric system.

 

Back when my kids were in elementary school they announced they would not be teaching longhand anymore and it was replaced with learning computer coding and in grade three all the students were given laptops and got new ones every two years. My kids were the last group to learn longhand and already they find themselves having to help those younger than they are read some things in the workplace that are written in longhand. It is kind of similar to when we switched to metric, things transition slowly.

Well, before you are all asleep, I'll move to where my guitars are stored and play for a couple of hours and then it is the Vancouver Canucks vs Las Vegas. The wife is out for dinner tonight but has left me a 12oz rib steak to throw on the barbecue.

Kind of like last week's, only bigger.Laugh

All the best to all.

 

 

 

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

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Posted by York1 on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 5:23 PM

BATMAN
Back when my kids were in elementary school they announced they would not be teaching longhand anymore and it was replaced with learning computer coding and in grade three all the students were given laptops and got new ones every two years. My kids were the last group to learn longhand and already they find themselves having to help those younger than they are read some things in the workplace that are written in longhand.

 

Being in education, this was a hot topic for me.

Research has shown that learning to write in cursive (longhand) uses a different section of the brain than printing or keyboarding.

Research also shows that children who learn to write in cursive have better developed memory and encoding skills.  There are other learning processes that are also enhanced when children learn to write.  These processes aren't developed when children use keyboards.

We also switched over to all children taking laptops home, but while I was there, we also learned cursive handwriting.

York1 John       

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Posted by BATMAN on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 8:41 PM

York1

 

 
BATMAN
Back when my kids were in elementary school they announced they would not be teaching longhand anymore and it was replaced with learning computer coding and in grade three all the students were given laptops and got new ones every two years. My kids were the last group to learn longhand and already they find themselves having to help those younger than they are read some things in the workplace that are written in longhand.

 

 

Being in education, this was a hot topic for me.

Research has shown that learning to write in cursive (longhand) uses a different section of the brain than printing or keyboarding.

Research also shows that children who learn to write in cursive have better developed memory and encoding skills.  There are other learning processes that are also enhanced when children learn to write.  These processes aren't developed when children use keyboards.

We also switched over to all children taking laptops home, but while I was there, we also learned cursive handwriting.

 

Both my kids have beautiful cursive writing and mine is not too shabby either. I actually love writing in cursive. My wife on the other hand, well, no one can read what she writes, must be the Doctor coming out in her.Laugh

I wonder if the fact that when you look at your hand while writing and you don't look at the keyboard when typing has anything to do with how the brain is affected.

My son just sent a pic of himself by the pool in Hawaii, he is all scraped up from an electric scooter wipe out. One of his buddies from the movie industry added a pic of the kid having a major wipeout on the set of a movie when he was doing a little stunt work. He told him he should give up the stunt work and hire his own stunt double. He had two Pinacolodas going to ease the pain.ParadiseDrinksLaugh

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

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Posted by BroadwayLion on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 9:40 PM

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Thursday, April 7, 2022 3:01 AM

I am sitting here listening to a 15 year old song called "Shall We Dance" by Oreskaband. It is a really cute upbeat song.

I took my youngest daughter to see this group when she was 11 or 12 years old. It was a great day, and she even got to meet the band after the show.

I really wish I could go back in time and do all that stuff over again. Back when a couple of tickets to a good concert could make them so happy.

Oh well, time marches on.

The World Is A Beautiful Place

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

See you all tomorrow.

-Kevin

 

 

Living the dream.

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Posted by NorthBrit on Thursday, April 7, 2022 4:40 AM

Good morning Diners.  A bowl of porridge please, Zoe.  A shot of whisky to go with it as well.

Going to see groups,  bands and solo singers.

Back in the day Dawn and I saw many artists.   Status Quo and Rod Stewart  being the biggest names we saw.   A Canadian artist named Gordie West came over to the U.K. a few times  and visited us at our house  before or after a show he was at.

Cursive Writing.

Both Dawn and I were good at cursive writing.  Now not so good as age rolls on.   Dawn has awful writing now (she will admit it.)   Her time as a Senior Lecturer  signing off reports and examination papers at home;  often into the early hours.

On the other hand, my daughter writes ever so beautifully.  A pleasure to read whatever she does.   Her cartoons are a delight as well.

 

Possibly will be back later.

 

Thoughts & Peace to All who Require

 

David

To the world you are someone.    To someone you are the world

I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought

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Posted by Water Level Route on Thursday, April 7, 2022 5:48 AM

Good Morning Diners.  Zoe, biscuits and gravy please.  Side of bacon, wheat toast, and a large orange juice.  I'm hungry this morning.

Thank goodness its Thursday.  Almost to the weekend. Yeah  It's been an incredibly long week already.  Finally sat down to "dinner" last night at almost 9:30.  A nice bowl of cold cereal. Sad  Second night in a row for eating late, and tonight looks to be more of the same.  Ugh.  Come on Friday!

Got a pair of LL Proto 2K FA's in the mail yesterday (FA2/FB2).  They look great.  Can't wait to see how they run.  I actually needed freight cars more than more locomotives, but I've always wanted a set, and couldn't pass them up.

The world is a beautiful place.

 Ocqueoc Falls by Michael, on Flickr

 

Mike

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Posted by MisterBeasley on Thursday, April 7, 2022 9:34 AM

Good morning!  Another rainy day.  Oh well.

I have never had good handwriting.  I cold never develop a smooth-flowing script.  For notes, I usually just printed.  The phone was my link to my family, never letters.  My daughter has very nice handwriting, even having taken a course in calligraphy when she was younger.  She's thirty now.

I realized that her generation will likely be the last in this country to use cursive writing, and deciphering it will become a lost art.  I don't have a collection of old letters, but those who do might begin to think about transcribing them for family members yet unborn.

Fortunately for me, my Mom had me take a typing course in high school.  Since I ended up as a software engineer, it proved to be a useful skill indeed.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

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Posted by York1 on Thursday, April 7, 2022 9:43 AM

Good morning, everyone.  Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, please.

It's another windy cold day, with some snow flurries possible tonight.  I don't think we'll get any.

It's another busy day here.  I don't like these days where things are scheduled.

 

A museum about fifty miles from me has this stock car from the Burlington & Missouri River RR:

 

Have a good day, everyone.

York1 John       

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Posted by gmpullman on Thursday, April 7, 2022 10:31 AM

The other white meat:

 Hog-Market by Edmund, on Flickr

I think this is the Denver stockyards.

All dressed up:

 Champion_Packing by Edmund, on Flickr

Have a good day, everyone!

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by CNCharlie on Thursday, April 7, 2022 11:07 AM

Good Morning,

A cold, blustery day here. Had a little wet snow last night that is frozen to the patio.

Writing was never my strong suit. I'm left handed so I can't see the letters as I write or I can write backhand which looks better but is a slow method. I had a secretary at work who could actually read my scrawl. Good thing as that was before computers and word processing. I had to write letters and documents as part of my job. I was in charge of all legal documents with our dealers. Most of my job was with commercial credit though. 

Another grocery run today. 

Things are very tense in our house as my wife's anxiety is through the roof now that the covid restrictions have been lifted and she has 2 medical appointments next week. I don't think she will be able to go to both or maybe none. 

A raccoon greeted me a couple of mornings ago when I put out the feeders. It was just daylight. It seemed to know our yard and I'm sure it is the same one that came last year. It went up a tree a few feet and stared at me. Sure are cute rascals. This is a big one, far larger than any cat. 

Time to check the bird feeders and have another coffee.

CN Charlie

 

 

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Posted by BroadwayLion on Thursday, April 7, 2022 11:22 AM

The LIONs are coming... The LIONs are coming.

I wam working on my photo database, going to TAME all of those photos and then I can move some to my web server. YEAH LION!

It is a nice day, my window is open, and I have stapled my curtains to the fram so that they will not blow around. My curtains lioiok nice, but it is all a fake. They are stapled tp the window frame, and they hold up the curtain rod rather than vice versa. (Some people like their vice versa!)

LION, oh yes, you need a LION....

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Thursday, April 7, 2022 11:24 AM

It is a beautiful day down here today.

It is a day off of work, but my wife and I both have dental appointments. That can bring any good day down. These are just cleanings and check-ups, so hopefully they will be uneventful.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by Water Level Route on Thursday, April 7, 2022 12:11 PM

Lion, I was checking out your website earlier.  I must say it is very nice.  Oh, and the layout(s) too!  I have to ask though, are some of the little lions missing from the Lions in Hiding photos?  Maybe they are just expert camouflage artists!

Mike

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Thursday, April 7, 2022 5:49 PM

Slow Thursday in the Diner.

I survived the dental cleaning and X-rays with a perfect check-up. No problems requiring any additional attention.

Six month for another cleaning.

I can relax for now.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by BroadwayLion on Thursday, April 7, 2022 9:31 PM

Water Level Route

Lion, I was checking out your website earlier.  I must say it is very nice.  Oh, and the layout(s) too!  I have to ask though, are some of the little lions missing from the Lions in Hiding photos?  Maybe they are just expert camouflage artists!

 

AFIK, the little LIONs are there, but they are only a few pixels each and are placed in kmoflaguged places.

 

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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Posted by Water Level Route on Friday, April 8, 2022 6:03 AM

Good Morning Diners, and happy Friday!

My youngest had another soccer game last night and gave us quite a scare.  She has had a lingering knee issue that she has been going to PT for that made it's displeasure known last night.  About 3/4 of the way through the first half (she had two assists at this point Big Smile), she was dribbling the ball, passed it, and dropped to her knees.  By the time the ref stopped play I could see she was crying off and on.  This child does not cry in front of teammates.  She has played on sprained ankles, sprained knees, and even broken toes during games and still played on them with nary a tear until I get her aside.  Turns out the tendon that is giving her issues suddenly "zinged" and scared her.  I think she saw her season flash before her eyes.  She sat out the rest of the game.  She is frustrated as she feels like she still has to prove to the world all of her hard work and traveling for soccer was worth it.  Before bed last night it was mostly back to where it had been in the morning, but not far enough for my liking.  Praying it doesn't get worse and cost her time this season.  Her team won 3-2, but sure could have used her in the second half.

After what has been a very long week for all of my family, I was looking forward to a weekend where we could get a few things done, but more than anything, relax and recover from this week.  I think every one of us need it.  Then this morning my wife says "I'm going to make a list of things to do for this weekend."  Oh good. Grumpy

Hoping the chef starts cooking something that smells amazing.  Maybe that will bring the crowd in to the diner.  It's been quiet.

Mike

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Posted by "JaBear" on Friday, April 8, 2022 6:05 AM
I’m not sure when livestock transport by rail was discontinued in NZ but suspect that it was the mid to late 60s, though I have seen one reference that it may have been the mid 70s.
But as a farm boy starting school in the early 60s, all our livestock, sheep and beef was transported to the Freezing Works, (Meat Packing or Processing Plants) by road.
 
The first three photos depict various J class double deck 4-wheel sheep wagons, which depending on the subclass held 60 or 80 sheep.…
 
Courtesy of Archives New Zealand.
J sheep wagon by Bear, on Flickr
 
Taken at the Weka Pass Railway, unfortunately I couldn’t get a better shot as it was over the fence.
Weka Pass J by Bear, on Flickr
 
Courtesy of the New Zealand Railways
J Sheep by Bear, on Flickr
 
Hamilton 9mm Modellers. Note: 4th from the left, one S class double deck, bogie sheep wagon; then three H class 4 wheel cattle wagons, and finally one T class bogie cattle wagon. (Not my best photo taken!)
Livestock by Bear, on Flickr
 

“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.”-Alexander the Great

Thoughts and best Wishes to All that need them. Kia Kaha.
Cheers, the Bear.Smile
 
EDIT: Grilled lamb chops with mint sauce for Mike. Hope your daughters knee comes right.
 L&M by Bear, on Flickr
Probably not rare enough for Br. Lion!!!

"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."

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Posted by gmpullman on Friday, April 8, 2022 6:51 AM

Nothing says Yummy like a plate of Spam and Waffles!

Dig in folks!

 Spam_Yum by Edmund, on Flickr



 CNW_Stockcars by Edmund, on Flickr

 

 

I hope everyone is doing well these days...

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by BroadwayLion on Friday, April 8, 2022 7:10 AM

Lamb is better than Spam.

Going to Bismarck for eye surgery. Doc said I need new ducks. (???)
Low pressure glaukoma it is called.

Did you know that owls do not have eyeballs.

Story Here.

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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