# Worst job ever?



## expatgirl (Apr 25, 2007)

What's the worst job (paid or unpaid) that you ever had to work at?  You don't have to give a reason unless you want to.  Later, I want to start a thread as to what was your best job but that's for a later date.  

My worst job was babysitting for a neighbor (not a friend) whose house was so revoltingly filthy that I sat on the couch and didn't move all night. I kept the two children next to me and covered them with a blanket on the couch--their beds were not to be fit to put a dog in.  The neighbor didn't say a word when she came back and  found them on the couch but I refused any more jobs there. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the children.  That was 40 years ago.


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## CharlieD (Apr 25, 2007)

I had to clean couple hundred kilograms of fish ones. It was some 30 years ago, I can still smell the fish, when I think about it. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr


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## CharlieD (Apr 25, 2007)

Hey are you still in Russia? How are you?


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## Caine (Apr 25, 2007)

I had a job on a farm one summer when I was in high schol, and one of my tasks was to hoe the weeds out from in between the tomato plants. *ACRES* of tomato plants!


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## RMS (Apr 25, 2007)

My worst job ever was when I worked at K-Mart.  The store was fine.  My manager was not.


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## Katie H (Apr 25, 2007)

About 16 years ago I worked for a computer company that developed computer products/programs that were distributed all over the world.  I worked directly for the owner/president of the company who turned out to be the biggest male chauvinist piggy I've ever seen.  Under "male chauvinist" in the dictionary I'm certain his picture was there, in color, with a neon arrow pointing to him.

If I hadn't need the job/money as badly as I did at that time I would've quit in a heartbeat.  However, I spent the better part of 2 years with the nut job.  He continually demeaned all of the women who worked for him and constantly made the point that men were clearly better in any shape/form/fashion than women.

I got a loud "lecture" in front of everyone one snowy day when Buck drove me to work because he didn't want me to drive on the dangerous roads.  Buck's actions were viewed as evidence of my female weakness and cowardice.  That was just a mild example of his crude, thoughtless pontifications on the "weaker" sex.  You don't even want to know how he treated his wife and two daughters.

One of the happiest days of my life was the day I put my office key and my letter of resignation on his desk while he was out for lunch.  That was the last he saw of me.


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## SizzlininIN (Apr 25, 2007)

At a dry cleaning company, in the middle of a summer heat wave.  Needless to say I only stayed the one day......it was through a temporary agency.


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## Mirandgl (Apr 25, 2007)

I have had a lot of jobs that have had moments to remember which were usually on the negative side.
 
I worked for a company that sold frozen poultry.  One winter it was so cold on the loading dock that I went into the -10F freezer to warm up.
 
My overall worst job had to be as manager of a family style restaurant.  There were too many corporate chiefs each with their own agenda.  The security chief insisted that the manager had to remain with the delivery truck and check all items delivered until the product was safely put away, usually about 2 hours.  This was in total conflict with the management chief who demanded that the manager had to be in the dining room every ten minutes without exception.
 
The worst was the corporate moron who barged in to the place and complained that the drive thru was backed up and taking longer than company policy allowed per customer.  She insisted that burgers cooked only on one side for less than 30 second should be served immediately because it was night time and the customers were in their automobiles and would not notice the raw meat.


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## expatgirl (Apr 25, 2007)

CharlieD said:
			
		

> Hey are you still in Russia? How are you?


Hi, Charlie!
Da---only I'm  still in Russia's  "former"  satellite----Kazakhstan.  I return the week after next--had some medical stuff to take care of here in Houston and all went well.  Thanks for remembering.   I haven't forgotten your request for a good borscht and think that I have found one that both my hubby and I like.  I'll PM you when I get back.


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## Buck (Apr 25, 2007)

When I was in high school I worked summers for my father who owned a weaving mill.  My job was stock clerk.  This meant slinging around 400 pound crates of yarn in 120 degree heat with forty ear-splitting looms cranking out fabric in rolls and lots and lots of lint into the air.  The lint would accumulate on my sweaty body all day long until I looked like a bear in a tee shirt.  

Every evening on the way home my Dad would ask me how my day went.  The conversation was always the same:

"So how'd it go today?"

"Terrible!  Hot, noisy, sweaty.  I'm pooped!"

"Good.  Remember that when school starts again in the fall.  If you don't study hard, you'll spend the rest of your life feeling the same way."

If you measure jobs by lessons learned, maybe that job was a pretty good one after all.


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## expatgirl (Apr 25, 2007)

Buck,

Those parents---you'd think that they thought their major jobs were  to teach us a lesson or something!


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## Buck (Apr 25, 2007)

Yeah, expat, and I thought their job was to torment their young.  That's why Dad always said. "I wish I was your age and knew what I know now."


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## college_cook (Apr 25, 2007)

I drove a refrigerated truck for an ice company, making deliveries all over the area to gas stations, supermarkets, etc.  The job was really good actually, until one day...

The mechanic who kept the trucks in "working" order was sort of a lazy bum, and one day I was going along the back roads at about 60 mph, not even speeding, when the traffic light about 300 yards in front of me changed.  I layed off the gas, but I had sold most of my ice that day, so there wasn't all that weight to slow me down.  So i started to put on the breaks, and whaddya know?  They dont work all of the sudden!  So now i lay on my e-brake and whaddya know?  That didn't work either!!  So i turned on my hazards and laid on my horn because I was going through that red light whether the cross-traffic liked it or not.  I almost t-boned this guy and his baby girl at about 50 mph in their little station wagon.  I pumped my brakes from another 100 yards or so after that and they came back and I pulled over into an abandoned grocery store parking lot to throw up.

Then I called HQ and told them to get a tower because I wasn't about to drive that death trap another 40 miles back.

I quit driving for them right then and there, and worked in the warehouse instead, for the remainder of the summer.

Scariest  day of my life and worst day on the job ever both in the same day!


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## sattie (Apr 25, 2007)

My dad use to drag me out of bed at 2 am Sunday morning (I was 16 mind you and I had a life!)  to throw the local news paper..... and back then they did not use bags so when those rubber bands snapped in 30 degree weather..... &@$%%*#

The other job I had was an outdoor flea market working in different concession stands all weekend long... boy did that ruin your weekend!!!

But I have had jobs ever since I was 14... so I am thankful that I am not scared of manual labor or learning something new!!!


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## CherryRed (Apr 25, 2007)

I had a job at Carvel back in my first year of high school. Or maybe it was the second; I can't remember. Anyway, the job itself was fine. Making ice cream sundaes, smoothies, and other treats all day was something I could've done forever. Plus my customers tipped pretty well. It was my boss and his supersnob daughter that made me quit. 

My boss was really cheap. He had strict restrictions on things as small as the amount of sprinkles that could be on each ice cream cone. If he thought there was one sprinkle too many, he'd charge double the topping amount (something like 39 cents). We had these little topping ladels and he told us to only fill them up about halfway. That wasn't specified in the Carvel training guide, by the way. Just one of Moe's cute little quirks. Ha. Ha. We might have been able to get away with that for toppings like toasted coconut, but the ones with bigger pieces didn't fly. Who honestly thinks 5 M&Ms on top of a huge sundae is the right amount?! I just used a full scoop of each topping when he wasn't looking over my shoulder, but if he was around I couldn't. Customers would then take issue with me and he'd hide in the background, making me explain that I'd have to charge for the right amount of toppings. Crazy.

It wasn't long before his daughter Stephanie, who he hired and I think paid more for fewer hours of work, decided she should be my boss as well. The girl was younger than me! But when it came to closing every night, she would lounge around and read magazines as I mopped, cleaned tables, washed serving utensils, and so on. Her dad would be right there watching it all and he never really got on her case about it.

I quit after 3 months. It was just a summer job anyway, but it would've been nice if I actually liked doing it. Haha. But now I'm a lifeguard and I might apply for a position at a gourmet supermarket that's opening up soon! The ironic part is that it'll be built in the space where the Carvel used to be. . . Gotta love it. :P


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## AllenOK (Apr 26, 2007)

Many, many, years ago, I used to work Maintenance at JCPenny's.  It was a fairly nice gig, going in early, vaccuming floors, collecting trash, etc.  After about a year of that, the store manager started having the maintenance crew pull all-night shifts to do some deep cleaning.  Even that didn't bother me, that much, as I was young, still living with my parents, etc.  I just got fed up working for that manager, and one of the department managers, as they were total donkey's rears.


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## Flourgirl (Apr 26, 2007)

Wow! I thought I had some bad jobs, but they're not so bad compared to some of you guys! 

My worst wasn't a job, it was a catered party that I worked at for a large catering company a few years ago. I was by myself, feeding 60 people a whole roast pig. The caterer knew I never roasted a pig before and this thing weighed more than I did! After, realizing that the rental company forgot the spit to put the pig on and then having it fall off the spit once it finally arrived, and burning the skin right off and.... oh did I mention it was an outdoor party on the beach with no shade whatsoever and it was about 100 degrees that day? Anyway, you get the picture. 

I quit working for that company as soon as I drove the 30 miles back to the kitchen with the gas needle stuck on empty and the "check engine" light on their truck the whole way back. 

I stay home with my kids now.


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## evenstranger (Apr 26, 2007)

I used to work collections for a Rent-to-Own company. Besides the exorbitant markups ($50 per month for 18 months for a 20" tv, $100 per month/18 months for a washer and dryer), when customers couldn't pay their bills, we had to go collect. I spent many an early morning on the first of the month with an envelope full of cash following the mail truck through the projects, so that when my customers got their Federal support checks, I could cash them, take my cut and give them the rest. If they couldn't pay, we had to pick up the merchandise. Reposessing a tv on Saturday morning while the kids are watching cartoons. And many times, it wasn't worth it... a sofa rented by one customer had become a home for the mice in her house. A microwave became a home for thousands of roaches. We actually had to go to one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in town at 2am to reposess a TV out of the customer's window because he wouldn't give it up. It's amazing we didn't all get shot. Every night I came home feeling dirty, tired and sick with myself. A month after I got married, I was laid off, and I have never been so happy to lose a job, even if it did mean six months of unemployment afterwards.


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## bethzaring (Apr 26, 2007)

this is not necessairly my WORST job, just my most memorable and slightly undesirable job.

night (midnight) shift in a state operated mental hospital on the maximum security ward.  whoaaa, what a job!  These facilities were all closed down in the 1970's.  People tended to work that position either 16 months or for life.  I left after 16 months.


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## Flourgirl (Apr 26, 2007)

evenstranger said:
			
		

> I used to work collections for a Rent-to-Own company. Besides the exorbitant markups ($50 per month for 18 months for a 20" tv, $100 per month/18 months for a washer and dryer), when customers couldn't pay their bills, we had to go collect. I spent many an early morning on the first of the month with an envelope full of cash following the mail truck through the projects, so that when my customers got their Federal support checks, I could cash them, take my cut and give them the rest. If they couldn't pay, we had to pick up the merchandise. Reposessing a tv on Saturday morning while the kids are watching cartoons. And many times, it wasn't worth it... a sofa rented by one customer had become a home for the mice in her house. A microwave became a home for thousands of roaches. We actually had to go to one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in town at 2am to reposess a TV out of the customer's window because he wouldn't give it up. It's amazing we didn't all get shot. Every night I came home feeling dirty, tired and sick with myself. A month after I got married, I was laid off, and I have never been so happy to lose a job, even if it did mean six months of unemployment afterwards.


 
That must be the worst! I'd never be able to do it, I have no backbone, they would have fired me the first day!


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## JoAnn L. (Apr 26, 2007)

When I was a teenager I worked at a laundry. It was a very hot summer that year and it was *VERY* hot in the room were I was working. They had me working a large pressing iron, with the hot steam blowing in my face. Needless to say I didn't last too long on the job. I fainted from the heat. I should have known better, I don't have sweat glands. So the heat is very hard on me.


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## carolelaine (Apr 26, 2007)

In one of my earliest accounting positions I worked for a lunatic who could never make up his mind about the wording on his government audits which meant that they all had to be redone day after day for months.  It was so silly and such a waste of time.  I couldn't wait to get out of there.  There was also an older guy who rented a space from them that thought I was his personal slave and he followed me around yelling about the condition his mail arrived in all day.  That was one place I'll never ever miss.


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## Renee Attili (Apr 26, 2007)

my worst was when i cleaned 34 stalls a day for $5.00 an hour. there is a ton of poop in an hour! And then I got critized for doing too good of a job. What kind of boss would want you to do less than your best? How do you aim for less?


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## expatgirl (Apr 27, 2007)

Another job that I hated was a summer job  for slave wages salary at the Sizzler Steak (aka as Slave) House.  My boyfriend who later became DH would pick me up at 10pm and I'd literally collapse into the car reeking of lettuce, bleu cheese dressing, smoke, etc.  The people that I worked with were very nice but some of the customers were over the top. And there were some doozies. One lady began to  harass me as to why my pants were so long and making fun of me-----(I think that she had had a wee bit to drink because her husband tried to shush her)---after crying a few tears in the back, Jorge, our cook went out there and told her that my pants were long so that I could vacuum their carpets  as I served tea and coffee. He said that her expression was priceless.  I swear to goodness the man was my hero!!  He was so funny!! I never saw that lady again the rest of the time that I worked there.


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## JoAnn L. (Apr 27, 2007)

Another bad job I had was at a place where they made gloves and mittens. They sat me down at the biggest sewing machine I had ever seen in my whole life. You made it work by pushing down on a big metal thing with both feet. Well, I only lasted a half a day. I walked out at noon and never went back.I told my mother that I had to quit because of my asthma, that the lint bothered me. I was only 16 at the time.


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## In the Kitchen (Apr 27, 2007)

*Tops*

I got hired at a nursing home.  So anxious to help in any way I could.  They told me to follow these two people as they gave the residents their bath.  The first lady they did would not say anything or smile.  I now know why.  As they started washing her the guy made remarks about being hot lady and not enough to do anything.  As we continued, it only got worse.  I assume the job wasn't exciting but this was sick.  At 11 we were supposed to go to lunch.  I walked in to Human Resources and q uit.  When she looked so shocked I  told her the conditions are horrible not only for the residents who had no choice but for people to want to work there was unacceptable.  I cannot get that job out of my mind thinking what if that lady were me?  I cried as soon as I got in the car.  Trying to forget that incident is always remembered when someone talks about elderly and nursing homes.  What would you do if it were one of your parents?  Don't people care?  I treat my dogs with more respect than they gave these people.  No wonder these people act indifferent who wouldn't?


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## Run_Out (Apr 27, 2007)

I had a job one summer when I was in high school working behind a cotton stripper. It threw cotton, rocks, sticks, snakes everthing at me. My job was to keep the cotton pushed to the back of the trailer. 

Needless to say it was a great motivator for higher education.

later


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## shpj4 (Apr 27, 2007)

The worst job I ever had was working in retail for large large ladies.  It was my first sales job after working in the entertainment industry for years.

We had to help the ladies try on clothes and after they had left we had to spray Lysol in the dressing rooms.

Many of our customers didn't shave under their arms and legs and I wish we had a large bathroom with a shower so they could shower before they tried on our clothes.

That was definitely the worst job that I ever had.


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## expatgirl (Apr 27, 2007)

Well, I see that we are all bona fide survivors of "yecchh" jobs. I guess it's true that "what doesn't kill us makes us strong".  Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences and I'm sure that there are plenty more out there. Keep sharing if you have time.  Have a great weekend!


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## mudbug (Apr 27, 2007)

Telemarketing.  I was a penniless student and really needed the pitiful amount they paid (we worked on "commission").

"Sales Associate" at Target.  I left after a month.


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## QSis (Apr 27, 2007)

In the Kitchen said:
			
		

> I got hired at a nursing home. So anxious to help in any way I could. They told me to follow these two people as they gave the residents their bath. The first lady they did would not say anything or smile. I now know why. As they started washing her the guy made remarks about being hot lady and not enough to do anything. As we continued, it only got worse. I assume the job wasn't exciting but this was sick. At 11 we were supposed to go to lunch. I walked in to Human Resources and q uit. When she looked so shocked I told her the conditions are horrible not only for the residents who had no choice but for people to want to work there was unacceptable. I cannot get that job out of my mind thinking what if that lady were me? I cried as soon as I got in the car. Trying to forget that incident is always remembered when someone talks about elderly and nursing homes. What would you do if it were one of your parents? Don't people care? I treat my dogs with more respect than they gave these people. No wonder these people act indifferent who wouldn't?


 
That was my worst job, too, but I worked it one entire summer in my college years.

I was hired as a "nurse's aide", now called CNA's.  I worked the 7 am -3 pm shift, I had 6 or 7 non-ambulatory patients that I had to wash, dress, change beds, give breakfast AND lunch to (most had to be hand-fed), and clean up.  That's not counting "shower days" and "enema days", both of which are .... well, not pleasant. I had to do charts on them, too, which left almost no time to talk with them, hold their hands, just BE KIND to them.

It was summer, hot (no air conditioning, since the patients were always cold), and I made $2.00 an hour.  

It was a horribly difficult but emotionally rewarding job. I learned a great deal from the experience.   Later, when I had five family octogenarians in nursing homes at one time, and I knew what to look out for.

Because of that, I've had Long Term Care Insurance for myself since I was 32.  

Ironically, a few years ago, I landed a job as a Director of HR in a nursing home.  Learned a lot more THERE, until I was fired by the nutjob CEO for not being her "yes girl".

My nursing home experiences have made me save a lot of money for my old age!

Lee


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## Claire (Apr 27, 2007)

Mine was when I worked for a vet who was connected with the Church of Scientology. The church ran the office. It was downright scary at times.  I spent most of my professional life working for the military, and trust me, no General who has killed people can compare.


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## auntdot (Apr 28, 2007)

When I was a teenager I worked in a supermarket after school and during the summers.  It was a local chain and I did everything from the stinkiest job to doing the books when the manager was too drunk to see. My reward was a few beers after hours.

Every once in a while maggots would get onto the potatoes.  I know maggots are supposed to go for carrion, and maybe they were some other white squirming larvae, but they sure looked like maggots.

It was my job to clean the taters of the maggots and the slime they left behind, and then put those that looked sorta saleable into the bin.

Oh yeah, and they taught me how to steal from the customers.  I never did it.  The honesty ticked the manager off but he needed someone to do the books when he was indisposed, so I got a pass.

The bottom line was the checkers were stealing from the customers, big time (it was very simple to do in the days before the UPC scanners).

And the manager let them do it because their theftt from the customers was covering the goods he removed from the store on Sundays (when we were closed) to sell at his brother-in-law's store. 

How this all worked was fairly simple to understand, particularly if you did the books. But it would take a bit to explain.

For all of this I was making one dollar and five cents an hour. 

A meager sum, even for a kid.

But I enjoyed working there.  For all of its depravity I learned a great deal about life. 

And the people who worked there, for all their failings, were humans trying to stagger through this life.

And the lessons have served me well. 

I still believe in the fundamental goodness of my fellow man, for the most part.

But I check the bills very carefully and look at the taters with my spectacles on, twice.

Just my take on things, sorry you asked.


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## QSis (Apr 28, 2007)

Claire said:
			
		

> Mine was when I worked for a vet who was connected with the Church of Scientology. The church ran the office. It was downright scary at times. I spent most of my professional life working for the military, and trust me, no General who has killed people can compare.


 
I know I'll be sorry I asked, but did the vet HARM the animals, Claire???

Lee


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## In the Kitchen (Apr 28, 2007)

*Relate*



			
				QSis said:
			
		

> That was my worst job, too, but I worked it one entire summer in my college years.
> 
> I was hired as a "nurse's aide", now called CNA's.  I worked the 7 am -3 pm shift, I had 6 or 7 non-ambulatory patients that I had to wash, dress, change beds, give breakfast AND lunch to (most had to be hand-fed), and clean up.  That's not counting "shower days" and "enema days", both of which are .... well, not pleasant. I had to do charts on them, too, which left almost no time to talk with them, hold their hands, just BE KIND to them.
> 
> ...



I am sorry you can relate to this feeling.  It just comes and hangs over me for long time due to the fact we don't know what we will experience when our time comes.  Those poor people!  Going into them when my family has to stay there temporarily brings me way down.  Just the surroundings make me feel so bad that all these independant people have to be so dependant on others who resent you to begin with.  Some of the people there that seem most upbeat are ones in the office and working in therapy programs.  They have different attitude completely.  I started and stopped the same day.  Resented that I couldn't make difference.  Not enough guts I guess.


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## Claire (Apr 29, 2007)

Oh, no.  She was a great vet.  She could identify with the animals, and was simply great with them.  I wouldn't have lasted a day otherwise.  She just couldn't handle people.  She hated everyone taller than she was ... she was about 5' tall.  I'm 5'9.  One employee was a gentle giant.  She was 6' tall.  She got fired, for no reason.  We got a call from the state unemployment office.  The vet had a very, very, very high rate of firings and would we testify?  One of my friends was a Jehovah's Witness, and  heaven forbid, tall as well.  When she got fired, I said I'd go to bat for religious persecution.  My husband nearly pooped a brick when I went to a Scientology seminar with these people.  It was weird.  Once they fired a young girl who was working out of a school-work program.  She'd worked a 12-hour day doing the sh/t work that a vet has, and had not taken the rags and towels from the washer to the dryer.  This woman tried to bar her from graduating high school.  This was a kid who was 17 or 18, and had already worked a 12 hour day.  Her mother didn't care if she lived or died, and her employer obviously decided she was a loser.  

It was a horrid experience.


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