Tag Archives: Chinese

Apple to pay Chinese authors $118,000 for violating copyrights

As reported by China Daily, a Beijing court has ordered Apple to pay three Chinese authors US$118,000 in damages for selling their books without prior consent through apps available on its App Store.

The lawsuit was filed against Apple by the Writers' Right Protection Union (also known as the Writers' Rights Alliance), an organization that protects the copyrights of authors whose works are published online.

According to China Daily, Judge Feng Gang, who was presiding over the case, said Apple "has the duty of checking whether books uploaded by third parties are in line with current laws."

The ruling follows a long line of complaints and lawsuits against Apple by Chinese authors who claim their works have been uploaded through apps to Apple's App Store without their permission.

[Via Engadget]

Apple to pay Chinese authors $118,000 for violating copyrights originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple updates Chinese homepage with earthquake donations and support offers

Apple has updated its Chinese homepage in recognition of the earthquake that struck parts of the country over the weekend. A translation by Engadget reads:

Our deepest condolences to those who were taken away by the Sichuan Yaan earthquake, and respect to all the rescuers. May those who have passed away rest in peace, and may the survivors stay strong.

Apple has also released a statement pledging cash donations and donations of new Apple devices to help schools that have been hit by the quake:

In this difficult time our hearts are with the Sichuan earthquake victims. In addition to cash donations to help the victims ride out the storm, we will also commit to donating brand new Apple equipment to some of the schools in the affected region, and the local Apple staff will be on standby to provide support.

Apple has reportedly offered US$8 million in aid in total.

Apple updates Chinese homepage with earthquake donations and support offers originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple opens Chinese support forums, asks devs to localize apps

In another move to capture consumers in the world's largest market, Apple has opened a Chinese language version of its Apple Support Community forums. First noticed by AppleInsider, the forum's Chinese speakers help each other in their own native language. AppleInsider notes that the forum posts are sparse as of now, but that's to be expected when a forum is only a few days old.

Apple also sent letters to developers this week, asking them to localize their apps in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, Turkish and Arabic. Apple told developers that greater localization could have a positive influence on sales. Apple also asked developers to advertise the fact that their apps are localized.

Apple opens Chinese support forums, asks devs to localize apps originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple suppliers had a very tough February

February is usually not a great month for the companies that supply Apple with its iOS and Mac device parts (Chinese New Year usually falls right in that month, and production in China always take a big downturn as people celebrate there). But this particular past February was especially bad, according to reports: Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White says that the suppliers for Apple that he tracks saw their sales data fall 31 percent over the past month, as compared to the usual 8 percent drop in past years. That makes for the worst February on record for Apple's suppliers, which may or may not soon have an impact on Apple.

Now, with Apple's suppliers showing low sales data, that could mean more opportunity for Apple to step in with its big pile of cash and make sure that it has more components than ever to build new devices with, so it's not entirely clear that this will be a bad thing for the company from Cupertino. But of course Apple depends on these suppliers, and if they suffer increased economic pressure for any reason, Apple could experience consequences for its own business.

Apple suppliers had a very tough February originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 11 Mar 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s Chinese online Apple store adds credit option

Apple's Chinese online store has added the ability for customers to buy products on credit. The interest-free monthly payments allow customers to purchase items between 300 yuan (US$48 as of this writing) and 30,000 yuan ($4,800), provided they have a China Merchants Bank credit card. The move is seen as a way for Apple to lure customers from buying cheap Android handsets, according to TechCrunch. The price of the entry-level iPhone is 5,288 yuan ($850) -- which is about six week's worth of pay for the average Chinese worker.

TechCrunch notes that the interest-free deal might be a limited New Year promotion, however. The Google translation of the wording on Apple's Chinese website reads: "Apple Store online store to purchase any of the products to more than 300 yuan, you can apply for installment service. From now until January 23, 2013, three to 12 can enjoy interest-free service." Apple currently offers 18- and 24-month payment options with interest up to 8.5 percent.

Adding more options that let more Chinese consumers easily buy Apple products only makes sense for the company. As Tim Cook said last week: "China is currently our second-largest market. I believe it will become our first. I believe strongly that it will. We are growing very fast. We are continuing to invest in retail stores here and will open many more over the next several years. We have some great sites selected, our manufacturing base is here, and we have incredible partners here. So it's a very, very important country to us."

Apple's Chinese online Apple store adds credit option originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 16 Jan 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iOS 6: Talking to Siri – International Edition II

Last year, Steve Sande and I put together a "What can you say to Siri" post while working on "Talking to Siri: Learning the Language of Apple's Intelligent Assistant". This year, we followed up that post with an iOS 6 version of "What can you say to Siri" and then an International version covering German, Japanese and French.

A number of readers asked if we'd expand to other languages once we could put them together. So finally, for those patiently waiting, here are Spanish, Italian, Korean and Chinese round-ups.

Spanish (US)

PREGUNTAR ACERCA DE LOS CONTACTOS

Chinese Case Reveals iPad Mini Will Feature Back-Facing Camera


iPad MiniEverybody loves a good Apple rumor and there has been no shortage of those when it comes to the possibility of an iPad Mini. Photos and details regarding potential parts and accessories for the yet-non-existent device seem to be floating around out there and may just indicate that our hopes and dreams for a smaller iPad will come true.

And as much as we love trying to guess whether a particular product is going to be launched, we equally love trying to guess what features it might include and how they may look. Such is the case with new reports that a case for the iPad Mini has been spotted in China and that it includes a plastic clip on the rear over that likely accommodates a rear-facing camera (but likely without an LED flash).

Other details revealed by the supposed iPad Mini case include a thinner bezel than we are used to on the larger iPad, a familiar-placed volume control on the right side with the headphone jack and now-moved rotation/mute toggle switch over on the left. The other suggestion by the news source Giz-China.com is that the speaker for the new tablet would be found on the bottom of the tablet instead of on the back.

The case also supports the rumors that the new dock connectors are going to be smaller (perhaps eight pin and multi-directional).

Fun to think about and just as likely to be false as it could be true, we are going to have to wait and see what Apple has in store for us (pun wasn’t originally intended). Expectations continue to swirl around a September 12 event launching something (be it the iPhone 5, iPad Mini or something else entirely), while others like myself still think we may have two events (an October launch following the first in September) if there are truly two devices.

» Related posts: Apple iPad Mini to Feature Ultra-Thin Display? Chinese Surgeon Goes on Trial in iPad-for-Kidney Case New Japanese Case Transforms Your iPad 2 into a Mini Macbook Pro

Chinese Surgeon Goes on Trial in iPad-for-Kidney Case


iPad KidneyAlmost all of us have said at one time or another that we would ‘give our left arm’ for this or that. Last year, Wang Shangkun, a Chinese high school student took that figure of speech more than a little too far by arranging to selling one of his kidneys in order to buy an iPad 2.

He actually went through with it too, allowing the kidney to be removed after a broker contacted him over the Internet, offering 20,000 yuan (about USD $3,000) for the organ.

After the boy’s mother, Ou Linchun, noticed the iPad in his bedroom, she contacted the authorities knowing the tablets were only affordable for very wealthy Chinese citizens. In the end, five individuals were arrested in connection with the case including the surgeon who actually performed the surgery to remove the boy’s kidney. The charges they are currently standing trial over include intentional injury and illegal organ trading over the removal and sale of the organ and each of them face three to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Despite the way it looks, Wang’s mother asserts that her son did not sell his kidney specifically to purchase an iPad. She explains by saying that her son “was tempted by the illegal organ traders and might have been afraid of getting caught with such a large amount of money, so he bought a cell phone and a tablet PC.”

Regardless of the specific purchases he had in mind, clearly the idea was to make some much-needed money; but Wang is not alone. Reports indicate that Chinese police have recently arrested at least 137 people, including doctors and other individuals suspected of trafficking human organs in a nationwide crime ring kept running due to the huge demand for transplants.

The 18-year old Wang is currently in serious condition suffering from Renal Deficiency (decreased kidney function).

» Related posts: Five Chinese Arrested in Sale of Kidney to Buy iPad Apple to Rename iPad for the Chinese Market? Chinese Search Giant Baidu Shares Revenue to Land Apple

Apple sued over Siri in China

After settling a US$60 million lawsuit with Chinese company Proview, Apple now faces yet another costly lawsuit in China. This time the complaint focuses on Siri and is initiated by Zhizhen Network Technology, a Chinese company with its own voice assistant software. According to a report in M.I.C. gadget, Zhizhen claims that "Apple's Siri infringes on one of Zhizhen's patents so-called 'ZL200410053749.9', which is a patent for 'a type of instant messaging chat bot system' called Xiaoi Bot." The lawsuit currently is in pre-trial negotiations. You can read more about Zhizhen and the Xiaoi voice assistant on M.I.C. Gadget's website.

Apple sued over Siri in China originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPad Helps Prevent Price Gouging in China


iPad in ChinaThe popular coastal resort of Sanya in Southern China’s Hainan province has embraced the iPad, thanks to choices made by their local government.

Now, seafood restaurants with 15 or more tables are required to use the tablets to handle their orders. Smaller establishments will be permitted to use Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) as they are less expensive and therefore more affordable.

These mobile devices (both iPad and PDA options) will run a specially designed program that connects directly to the point-of-sale systems in the restaurants. This software will sound an audible alarm if the price of the seafood ordered by the patrons exceeds the allowable ceiling put in place by the Chinese government.

This move should help to curb the price gouging that has grown out of control in Sanya as of late –something that has been the source of many complaints this year.

To procure the iPads with the requisite training and software, restaurants can expect to sped around 6,000 yuan ($950) each.. Fortunately, the local government has offered to offset these expenses with a grant of up to 9,000 yuan in subsidies to each restaurant.

The project begins on a trial basis beginning next month.

Sanya is known worldwide for their wonderful tropical climate year-round (often described as China’s best kept secret), despite having a long wet season due to monsoonal influences. Despite a sizable population (685,408 inhabitants as of the latest census prepared in 2010), Sanya earns a large percentage of their income from tourists –making this move toward iPads to protect the financial interests of those visiting a very wise one, even if only from a public relations standpoint.

Sanya put itself on the map recently by becoming a spot for the Volvo Ocean Race, an event heralded as the world’s toughest sailing event that spans eight months, four oceans and five continents.

» Related posts: Australian Parliament to Investigate Apple for Price Gouging iPad Trademark Still Under Dispute in China, Apple Facing $1.6B Lawsuit Rare Earths – A Good Reason Why iPad Needs to Be Built in China

Rare Earths – A Good Reason Why iPad Needs to Be Built in China


China Rare Earth

Most people assume that the primary reason for building the iPad in China is to take advantage of inexpensive labor. This may be true in part but another significant factor is the lack of strict environmental regulations (China currently ranks 116th out of 132 countries on Yale’s 2012 Environmental Performance Index rankings).

It turns out that your beautiful iPad is actually a mess of stuff and such that isn’t quite as beautiful when you break it down, including aluminum, glass, and a host of heavy metals and toxic chemicals. This doesn’t even take into account the fact that the manufacturing process for each iPad results in over 285 times its own weight (1.44 pounds) in greenhouse gas emissions.

It also doesn’t hurt that each iPad requires 17 difficult-to-mine rare earth elements (though it isn’t possible to name exactly which these are as it is a well kept secret inside the Apple vault –particularly the one used to create their signature impact-resistant glass). Best guesses say they use Asahi for the glass, lanthanum in their lithium ion polymer battery, and a special neodymium alloy in the magnets found along the side and cover of the tablet.

So when you consider that China owns between 95 and 97 percent of the world’s supply of rare earths (while also being reluctant to export them directly), Apple has little choice but to work and play well with the Asian country. United States President Obama isn’t as eager to do business in this way however, having recently lodged a complaint with the World Trade Organization against China and their current practices.

Some scientists have suggested that recycling electronics may help other countries, such as the United States, to reclaim some of these already mined and purchased materials, but only the Japanese are doing it with any real success. The problem stems from the fact that the minute concentrations found in each device mean the process to extract them has to be incredibly efficient to be feasible.

» Related posts: iPad Trademark Still Under Dispute in China, Apple Facing $1.6B Lawsuit iPad in China: Update China Can’t Get Enough Apple iLove

iPad in China: Update


Apple in ChinaAll Apple-interested eyes are on China these days with all sorts of action being noted for the technology giant in that area of the world. With news today that iPad 2 tablets have been pulled from online sale from Chinese resellers, people are wondering whether it has something to do with the ongoing dispute over the iPad name though Apple itself is denying the connection.

Amazon was included in this action and confirms that they removed the iPad 2 from their Chinese retail website because they were not authorized to sell it.

It just gets confusing from there. Apple had seemingly not done well in Chinese courts with regards to a trademark dispute with Proview, a company claiming to have the rights to the iPad name, though a statement from Apple indicates otherwise:

“We bought Proview’s worldwide rights to the iPad trademark in 10 different countries several years ago. Proview refuses to honor their agreement with Apple, and a Hong Kong court has sided with Apple in this matter.”

This makes sense when you read the findings from the court in a case heard last year indicating that “Proview, its subsidiaries and at least one other company had combined together ‘with the common intention of injuring Apple,’ by breaching the agreement over the iPad name. The court, calling the event a conspiracy, further said Proview had ‘attempted to exploit the situation as a business opportunity,’ by asking for money.”

Best I can tell, mainland China isn’t included because of some legal loophole.

In the meantime, Proview is trying to work with Chinese customs authorities to stop the import of iPads into China in an effort to halt their sales (despite rumors that Customs indicated the iPad is “too powerful to be banned”).

What isn’t being disputed is that Proview owes a lot of money to a lot of people and could really use a few of Apple’s dollars to pay off those debts.

Related Posts iPad Trademark Still Under Dispute in China, Apple Facing $1.6B Lawsuit Apple iPad Exports from China Unlikely to be Blocked by Trademark Lawsuit Chinese Company Demands Ban on All iPad Imports and Exports

Siri may speak and understand Chinese, Japanese, and Russian by March

According to Chinese tech site DoNews (sketchy English translation here), Apple plans on bringing support for Mandarin Chinese to Siri as early as March of this year. Other dialects of Chinese, such as Cantonese, will remain unsupported for the time being. Support for Japanese and Russian is supposedly coming at the same time.

Although the source may sound somewhat suspicious -- a Chinese tech site that claims to have inside information from an Apple engineer working on Siri -- this information does align with Apple's own promise to increase Siri's linguistic acumen in 2012. Apple has also promised to bring support for Spanish, Italian, and Korean to Siri sometime this year.

Siri will supposedly also offer local business information and navigation options to Chinese users, which is something that's been US-only so far. With China being Apple's biggest emerging market, it's obvious why Apple might want to prioritize increased Siri functionality in that country. (As for me and the rest of the New Zealand iOS users, we can probably look forward to full business/navigation support in Siri sometime in 2022.)

These updates to Siri's linguistic capabilities are likely to launch alongside an iOS update, probably iOS 5.1. Like many others, Stephen Millward of Penn-Olson speculates the iOS 5.1 update will launch alongside new iPad hardware; there's obviously no way to know that for certain, but my gut tells me he's probably right.

Siri may speak and understand Chinese, Japanese, and Russian by March originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPad Trademark Still Under Dispute in China, Apple Facing $1.6B Lawsuit


iPad in ChinaChina loves Apple. This can be seen in the success of the App Store despite only having had one of their own for a little over a year. People were even being injured in the rush to get their iPads and iPhones before Apple stepped in to make the selling of devices a little safer.

But Shenzhen-based Proview Technology isn’t among those in love with the brand. With their having claimed the rights to the iPad name, it has been left up to the courts to decide whether there is an intellectual property rights violation. The hearing is set to take place in Pudong district court in Shanghai later this month which will cost Apple 240 million yuan ($38 million) if they lose.

Even beyond those reparations, Xie Xianghui, a lawyer representing Proview Technology Shenzhen, wants Apple to be banned from selling iPad devices in China (along with an apology). The court will be able to decide on the sales ban but it would be a real miracle if they manage to get Apple to actually apologize for something –the company is not well known for that kind of thing.

Apple did try to sue Proview Technology Shenzhen in 2011 in an effort to gain the right to the iPad name, which is a case that they lose in court.

Proview chairman Yang Rongshan issued a statement, indicating:

“It is arrogant of Apple to just ignore our rights and go ahead selling the iPad in this market, and we will oppose that,” Yang said. “Besides that, we are in big financial trouble and the trademarks are a valuable asset that could help us sort out part of that trouble.”

Apple is expected to lose this case, but they have made no mention of what they will do in that event. With a penalty that will mean a little over USD $1.6 billion dollars is it worthwhile to keep selling the iPad in China at all? How will Chinese citizens feel about not having access to the iPad if that is the end result? What kind of backlash will be felt by developers as a result of this case?

Related Posts Fake Apple Stores Facing Genuine Apple Lawsuit Apple Applies for a Stronger Trademark in China Apple to Rename iPad for the Chinese Market?

Chinese App Store customers can now pay with their own currency

Apple's iTunes Store in China received a major upgrade this week. The store now accepts payment in the local currency, the renminbi (RMB), and lets users replenish their iTunes account using bank cards from over a dozen Chinese banks.

Previously, the Chinese iTunes store only accepted US dollars which made it difficult for Chinese customers to make purchases. Most iOS owners set up their iTunes account and only downloaded free apps. Now Chinese customers can add money in 50, 100, 300 and 500 yuan increments.

Not only will this bring in additional revenue for Apple, it may also curb iOS app piracy which is booming thanks to apps that help iOS owners circumvent Apple's App Store restrictions. This change may also cut back on "black card" usage by Chinese iOS owners. These cards use compromised credit card accounts to add money to iTunes accounts.

In the past, China has been the source of illegal iTunes activity. In 2009, Chinese hackers broke the iTunes gift card algorithm and flooded the market with fraudulent cards.

[Via Penn Olson and AppleInsider]

Chinese App Store customers can now pay with their own currency originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First, fake Apple Stores. Now, fake Steve Jobs biography.

First fake Apple Stores, now China has fake Steve Jobs biographies. The fake biography's title roughly translates to Steve Jobs Gives 11 Advices To Teenager in English and its author is a man who goes by the name "John Cage." MicGadget says the fake bio first went on sale at Taiwanese bookseller KingStone in April and has already sold 4,000 copies earning US$39,000 in profit.

The official Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson launches on November 21st. There's no assertions that this is a stolen and translated copy of Isaacson's manuscript, rather its likely the content of the book is assembled from previously printed information about Jobs. TechCrunch also suggests that the title could imply that the material was translated from Steve Jobs' Stanford commencement speech.

Until the book is pulled by Apple legal it can be purchased for US$8.10 here.

First, fake Apple Stores. Now, fake Steve Jobs biography. originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chinese Military Circumvent App Store by Releasing App Requiring Jailbreak

Chinese Military AppIt isn’t a secret that the Chinese government likes to be in control, particularly when it comes to technology and how it is used by its citizens. Knowing this, it makes perfect sense that there would be a power struggle when it comes to the App Store.

So what do they do? The Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China releases PLA Daily, a news-reader style app designed for use by the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA) with the expectation that users will jailbreak their devices so that they can install the unofficial app.

This may seem a little unexpected on the heels of news reports indicating China is the second largest Apple app market second only to the U.S.

Some speculation says that the app was first submitted to the app store only to be rejected, which wasn’t a result they were willing to accept. Whether there is truth to this rumor or not remains to be seen.

Jailbreaking is a fairly common practice engaging one method or another to hack into your device in an effort to gain freedom from Apple’s well known and locked-down policies. With this said, jailbreaking will void your warranty, make you more vulnerable to security concerns and may just turn your device into a very expensive paperweight.

This isn’t the only problem Apple is having in China these days. Counterfeit Apple stores selling unauthorized merchandise were discovered in China last month, prompting the Chinese government to swoop in and shut them down.

Apple isn’t the only company who has had to contend with a strong-arming Chinese government. You may recall that Google has had their fair share of difficulty over the last long while trying to deal with censorship, hacking and spying.

Do you think this behavior is reasonable? Should Apple have any recourse for pursuing legal action against the Chinese government for this kind of blatant disregard of their policies?

[via 9to5Mac]

Build-An-iPad? Chinese Tinkerer Tries

iPad Tools

Saying the iPad took the world by storm is especially true in China, where demand and interest for the device has been unprecedented. We’ve all heard the story of the teenage boy that sold his kidney in order to be able to afford the purchase price. So with this knowledge it likely comes as no surprise that out of that gadget-crazed nation comes a motivated do-it-yourselfer who has attempted to craft his own device.

In a condensed 20-minute video, the gentleman demonstrates how he creates a tablet by cobbling together various parts, adding a touch screen and branding them with the Apple logo. He finishes by demonstrating that the device does in fact operate, albeit with Windows on the back-end.

The end result is a chunky functional tablet that resembles an iPad only in the vaguest sense, but all joking aside is an awfully good end-product to come out of thin air and is pretty impressive when you consider that.

[Video screenshot by Leslie Katz/CNET]

Easydy E88 – iPad 2 Look and Feel for under $100

While most tablets released since the launch of the first generation iPad include many features directly inspired by Apple’s tablet, we’ve never seen a device that similar to the original: Chinese manufacturer Easydy started selling an iPad 2 knock-off, that looks and feels almost like the real deal – minus the Apple logo and the apps.

The tablet has the same shape as the iPad 2, offers front and rear cameras, but is slightly thicker, and comes with a plastic shell.

The specs of the device are clearly lagging, as the clone comes with a 800

Chinese authors to petition Apple to halt book downloads

A group of Chinese authors is petitioning Apple to halt the distribution of their books through multiple apps in the App Store, according to the 21st Century Herald Tribune (as reported by Reuters). The authors are part of a group called the Writers Rights Alliance, and this isn't the first time the Alliance has gone after a technology company for offering its books for download without consent. The group previously petitioned China's largest search engine, Baidu, to cease the publication of its books in the Baidu Library (similar to Google Books).

However, a spokesperson for the Writers Rights Alliance said Apple's allowance of apps on the App Store is a graver situation. The Baidu Library offered Alliance books downloads for free, but some of the apps in the App Store make a profit through sales of the app or in-app purchases. From the Writers Rights Alliance's perspective, Apple is infringing on the Alliance's intellectual property by taking its 30 percent commission on sales of the authors' works. Apple has not yet publicly commented on the matter.

Chinese authors to petition Apple to halt book downloads originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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