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Title: In many COVID hot spots, a pattern: High concentrations of white evangelicals
Source: religionnews.com
URL Source: https://religionnews.com/2021/07/15 ... rations-of-white-evangelicals/
Published: Jul 15, 2021
Author: Jack Jenkins
Post Date: 2021-07-22 02:52:11 by Gatlin
Keywords: None
Views: 3811
Comments: 34

In many COVID hot spots, a pattern:
High concentrations of white evangelicals

By Jack Jenkins

‘It’s clear that the pattern is more white evangelical Protestants equals lower vaccination rates,’ said Natalie Jackson, research director at the Public Religion Research Institute.

As COVID-19 cases surge again, two things are true about many counties considered hot spots: Vaccination rates are low and white evangelical Protestant populations are high, according to a new data analysis.

Concern about vaccine hesitancy or outright anti-vaccine sentiment among white evangelicals has persisted since at least March, when, according to a poll from Pew Research Center, those who said they were Christian and born-again were far more likely than any other religious group to say they definitely or probably would not get a vaccine.

A full 45% of white evangelicals fit this description. The next-closest religious classification (Americans who list their religious affiliation as “nothing in particular”) was a full 9 points lower at 36%, which was also the national average.

A separate poll, conducted in April by the Public Religion Research Institute and Interfaith Youth Core, reported that white evangelicals also have the highest rate of vaccine “refusers” (26%) — people who firmly state they will not get vaccinated — compared with other religious groups.

An association between low vaccination rates and evangelical faith was further confirmed this week by researchers at PRRI. In data provided to RNS, analysts pulled from the group’s “2020 Census of American Religion,” overlaying county-level data about faith on top of vaccination rates compiled by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In May, the White House cautioned against any attempt to “typecast” faith groups, but federal officials such as Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, have repeatedly named faith leaders as potential vaccine ambassadors.

Speaking during an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation” over the weekend, Fauci said the White House is encouraging nongovernment “trusted messengers” to champion the vaccine — including local clergy.

National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins, himself an evangelical Christian, pleaded with his fellow faithful last month to get vaccinated. Overwhelming evidence, he said, indicates COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. not only dramatically reduce the likelihood of contracting the disease, but lessen the chance of hospitalization and death.

“We need everybody to line up behind this goal, recognizing this isn’t about pleasing Joe Biden, because a lot of evangelicals are not that interested in pleasing Joe Biden,” he said. “This is about saving lives.”

Some evangelical leaders have also launched efforts to combat vaccine skepticism in their congregations. Russell Moore, a former Southern Baptist Convention official, told Religion News Service: “Evangelical Christians should be leading the way in thanking God for the cure we spent a year praying for. The least we can do is get our shots so that we can carry on our mission in our communities, without fear of getting anyone sick. Our gospel witness should be contagious; we shouldn’t be.”

Despite efforts to promote the vaccine, new data suggests white evangelicals make up a higher share of the population in counties where vaccination rates are low. This is particularly true in portions of the Southeast and rural Midwest such as Missouri, where scientists have detected surges in COVID-19 cases linked to the more transmissible delta variant of the virus.

The congregation of James River Church in Joplin, Mo., participates in a praise hymn. Photo by Joshua Sorenson/Unsplash/Creative Commons In this 2018 photo, the congregation of James River Church in Joplin, Missouri, participates in a praise hymn. Photo by Joshua Sorenson/Unsplash/Creative Commons

PRRI’s researchers found the population of white evangelicals to be especially high in Missouri counties where COVID-19 vaccination rates for people age 12 or older were 20% or lower. There, members of the faith group make up 49% of the population on average. In counties with vaccination rates between 20% and 40%, white evangelicals constitute 42% of the populace.

In counties where vaccination rates ranged from 40% to 60%, white evangelicals’ share of the population plummeted to 30%.

“It’s clear that the pattern is more white evangelical Protestants equals lower vaccination rates,” said Natalie Jackson, PRRI’s research director.

The data matches local surveys conducted by the Missouri Hospital Association. When the group released data in April, the only faith group it singled out was white evangelicals, indicating 38% were vaccine hesitant. Experts believe the sentiment can have dire consequences: According to a recent analysis from The Washington Post, hospitalizations due to COVID-19 — as well as case rates overall — are strongly correlated with low vaccination rates.

Missouri hospitals have been overrun with a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, with hospitals requesting extra ventilators and bringing in traveling nurses to handle the caseload. As ICU units swell, Steve Edwards, CEO of Missouri-based hospital system CoxHealth, has pleaded with locals to get vaccinated.

“Begging people to take the vaccine while there is still time,” he tweeted Friday (July 9). “If you could see the exhaustion in the eyes of our nurses who keep zipping up body bags, we beg you.”

Similarly, Moore told RNS he has spoken with evangelical doctors “discouraged to the point of exhaustion by the low rates of vaccination among sectors of our fellow Christians,” despite pleading for people to get vaccinated.

The explosion of cases has already bled into nearby Arkansas, where low vaccination rates also track with high average white evangelical populations. In the one county with a vaccination rate under 20%, white evangelicals make up 47% of the population. For counties in the 20% to 40% range, white evangelicals average 46%, but that dips to 35% in counties with vaccination rates between 40% and 60%.

The pattern may be set to repeat in Tennessee, one of several states that have seen a sharp uptick in cases over the last week. In counties with vaccination rates at 20% or lower, PRRI’s analysis found that white evangelicals make up 50% of the population on average. Roughly the same was true for counties in the 20% to 40% vaccination range, where evangelicals make up 51% of the population. But in counties with 40% to 60% vaccination rates, the number shrinks to just 43%.

In Florida — which has seen the greatest percentage increase in COVID-19 cases over the past week, according to The Washington Post — vaccination rates overall have been higher than in other parts of the Southeast, with none below 20%. But white evangelicals remain best represented in the lowest tier: In counties with 20% to 40% of eligible people vaccinated, white evangelicals make up 36% of the population on average.

In the 40% to 60% range, white evangelicals make up 20% of the counties’ populations. In the 60% or above range, they constitute just 13% of the population on average.

The pattern is less pronounced in northern states. Take Maine, where white evangelicals are less represented and COVID-19 vaccination rates are high; none of its counties report vaccination rates under 40%. Of those counties in the 40% to 60% range for vaccination rates, white evangelicals make up 22% of the population on average. Of those above 60%, evangelicals constitute around 19%.

White evangelicals are hardly the only holdouts against COVID-19 vaccination. Other faith groups such as Black Protestants, Hispanic Protestants and white mainline Protestants have also expressed various degrees of vaccine hesitancy or anti-vaccine sentiment when polled. In addition, White House officials are targeting new vaccination efforts at younger Americans, who exhibit lower vaccination rates compared with their elders.

There may also be overlapping issues: In Missouri, counties with spiking COVID-19 cases skew rural, where health care access is often more limited.

But for many, religion’s role is undeniable. CoxHealth released a video last month of a hospitalized COVID-19 patient named Russell Taylor. Speaking to an offscreen interviewer, Taylor explains he did not get vaccinated because he was “skeptical,” adding that his stance on contracting COVID-19 amounted to “Well, if God allows it, it must be.”

Taylor, wearing a hospital gown and speaking between labored breaths, goes on to outline how he contracted the virus that attacked his lungs and left him bedridden for weeks. He insists he now supports vaccination for himself and his entire family — a position that he, again, roots in his faith.

“My stance on that is: God made medicine too,” he says.

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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 8.

#1. To: Gatlin (#0)

COVID hot spots, a pattern: High concentrations of white evangelicals

More propaganda from CDC shill Gatlin.

More Carol Baker style attacks on whites and Christians.

Fake "Christian" leaders are joining in...

Russell Moore, a former Southern Baptist Convention official, told Religion News Service: “Evangelical Christians should be leading the way in thanking God for the cure we spent a year praying for. The least we can do is get our shots

A genuine Christian does not advise others to take unknown and untested substances. Russell is probably a crypto-freemason. The Southern Baptist Convention is absolutely rotten with these demons.

National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins, himself an evangelical Christian

Collins is a creepy gay milquetoast...nothing more to say.

hospitals have been overrun with a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, with hospitals requesting extra ventilators

Phony fake news. Ventilators are in landfills...

http://">www.local10.com/news/local/2021/04/19/why-are-new- ventilators- being-trashed-in-a-miami-dade-landfill/

Here's what this article really signifies:

And I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast, nor his image, nor had received his mark upon their foreheads or on their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Rev. 20:4

The globalists, along with white Christian hating Jews like CDC Carol Baker, and lucifer worshipping freemasons who have crept unawares into the Church (Franklin Graham, SBC leaders, ect) are laying the ground work for the justification of "getting rid" of Christians.

And so are you, Gatlin.

watchman  posted on  2021-07-22   14:17:54 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#7. To: watchman (#1)

More propaganda from CDC shill Gatlin.

More Carol Baker style attacks on whites and Christians.

Fake "Christian" leaders are joining in...

Gatlin has gone full-bore BLM with his "blame whitey and Christians" schtick. It's a wonder why Stone even tolerates this propaganda peddler.

Deckard  posted on  2021-07-23   6:28:03 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#8. To: Deckard (#7)

It's a wonder why Stone even tolerates this propaganda peddler.

I wonder about that too.

At least Stone would delete his posts from time to time.

With Stone on hiatus Gatlin will continue to flood this place with his bitterness and lies.

watchman  posted on  2021-07-23   9:22:17 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


Replies to Comment # 8.

#9. To: Deckard, watchman, abd Everyone (#8)

At least Stone would delete his posts from time to time.

You two are an utter amazement. In that if you don’t agree with something – or it’s not what you already believe – then it should be CENSORED, and never be allowed to be posted.

From the article below:

5. Just Shut Up

“Closed-minded people block others from speaking.”

The Difference Between Open-Minded and Closed-Minded People.

Why is it that some people seem to make constant progress in their professional and personal lives, while others appear to be doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over?

While the answer isn’t cut and dry, I’ve noticed an interesting mindset difference between these two groups: they approach obstacles and challenges very differently. It comes down to mindset.

Successful people tend to approach life with an open mindset — an eagerness to learn and a willingness to be wrong. The other group digs their heels in at the first sign of disagreement and would rather die than be wrong.

It turns out, the way each group approaches obstacles defines much of what separates them.

Which Group Are you In?

Before you smugly slap an open-minded sticker on your chest, consider this: closed-minded people would never consider that they could actually be closed-minded. In fact, their perceived open-mindedness is what’s so dangerous.

It’s a version of the Batesian Mimic Problem — are you the real thing or a copycat? Are you the real deal, or have you simply learned to talk the talk, to look the part?

These are tough questions to answer. Nobody wants to admit to themselves that they’re closed-minded. But the advantages of having that courage are massive. The ability to change your mind is a superpower.

The ability to change your mind is a superpower.

The rate at which you learn and progress in the world depends on how willing you are to weigh the merit of new ideas, even if you don’t instinctively like them. Perhaps especially if you don’t like them.

What’s more, placing your trust and effort in the right mentor can propel you forward, just as placing it in the wrong person can send you back to the starting point.

So how can you tell what camp you’re in? How do you make sure you’re being influenced by the right group of people?

In his book Principles, Ray Dalio, self-made billionaire and founder of the largest hedge fund in the world, lays out seven powerful ways you can tell the difference.

1. Challenging Ideas

Closed-minded people don’t want their ideas challenged. They are typically frustrated that they can’t get the other person to agree with them instead of curious as to why the other person disagrees.

Closed-minded people are more interested in proving themselves right than in getting the best outcome. They don’t ask questions. They want to show you where you’re wrong without understanding where you’re coming from. They get angry when you ask them to explain something. They think people who ask questions are slowing them down. And they think you’re an idiot if you don’t agree.

In short, they’re on the wrong side of right.

Open-minded people are more curious about why there is disagreement. … They understand that there is always the possibility that they might be wrong and that it’s worth the little bit of time it takes to consider the other person’s views….

Open-minded people see disagreement as a thoughtful means to expand their knowledge. They don’t get angry or upset at questions; rather, they want to identify where the disagreement lies so they can correct their misperceptions. They realize that being right means changing their minds when someone else knows something they don’t.

2. Statements vs. Questions

Closed-minded people are more likely to make statements than ask questions.

These are the people who sit in meetings and are more than willing to offer their opinions, but never ask other people to expand on or explain their ideas. Closed-minded people are thinking of how they would refute the other person’s thoughts, rather than trying to understand what they might be missing.

Open-minded people genuinely believe they could be wrong; the questions that they ask are genuine.

Open-minded people know that while they may have an opinion on a subject, it could count for less than someone else’s. Maybe they’re outside their circle of competence or maybe they’re experts. Regardless, they’re always curious as to how people see things differently and they weigh their opinions accordingly.

3. Understanding

Closed-minded people focus much more on being understood than on understanding others.

People’s default behaviors offer a quick tell. When you disagree with someone, what’s their reaction? If they’re quick to rephrase what they just said or, even worse, repeat it, then they are assuming that you don’t understand them, rather than that you are disagreeing with them.

Open-minded people feel compelled to see things through others’ eyes.

When you disagree with an open-minded person, they are quick to assume that they might not understand something and to ask you to tell them where their understanding is incomplete.

4. I Might Be Wrong, But…

Dalio nails this one. I have nothing to add.

Closed-minded people say things like “I could be wrong … but here’s my opinion.” This is a classic cue I hear all the time. It’s often a perfunctory gesture that allows people to hold their own opinion while convincing themselves that they are being open-minded. If your statement starts with “I could be wrong”…, you should probably follow it with a question and not an assertion.

Open-minded people know when to make statements and when to ask questions.

5. Just Shut Up

“Closed-minded people block others from speaking.”

They don’t have time to rehash something already talked about. They don’t want to hear anyone’s voices but their own. (Dalio offers a “two- minute rule” to get around this: Everyone has the right to speak for two minutes without being interrupted.)

Open-minded people are always more interested in listening than in speaking.

More than that, they say things like, “Sam, I notice you’ve been quiet. Would you like to offer your thoughts to the group?”

6. Only One Sperm Gets In

Closed-minded people have trouble holding two thoughts simultaneously in their minds.

This reminds me of the memorable quote by Charlie Munger: “The human mind is a lot like the human egg, and the human egg has a shut-off device. When one sperm gets in, it shuts down so the next one can’t get in.” It’s our nature to close our minds around our favorite ideas, but this is not the ideal way to think and learn.

Open-minded people can take in the thoughts of others without losing their ability to think well—they can hold two or more conflicting concepts in their mind and go back and forth between them to assess their relative merits.

7. Humble Pie

Closed-minded people lack a deep sense of humility.

Where does one get humility? Usually from failure—a crash so terrible they don’t want to repeat it. I remember when a hedge fund I was on the board of made a terrible investment decision. We spent a lot of time rubbing our noses in it afterward in an attempt to make sure we wouldn’t repeat the same mistake. In the process, we learned a lot about what we didn’t know.

Open-minded people approach everything with a deep-seated fear that they may be wrong.

***

If you recognize closed-minded behavior patterns in yourself, you’re not alone. We’re all somewhere on the continuum between open- and closed- minded by default. Further complicating things, it varies by day and challenge.

Staying open-minded doesn’t happen by accident.

When you find yourself exhibiting these behaviors in the moment, acknowledge what’s happening and correct it. Don’t blame yourself. As soon as you can, find a quiet place and reflect on what’s going on at a deeper level. Try to do better next time. Remember that this stuff takes work.

Maybe you have your self-worth wrapped up in being right, or maybe you’re not the right person to make a given decision. Or maybe it’s something else. Either way, this is something worth exploring.

I have one more thing to add: Being open-minded does not mean that you spend an inordinate amount of time considering patently bad ideas just for the sake of open-mindedness.

You must have what Garrett Hardin calls a “default status” on various issues in your head. If someone offers you the proverbial free lunch, it’s OK to default to skepticism. If someone offers to build you a perpetual motion machine, I suggest you ignore them, as they’re violating the laws of thermodynamics. If someone offers to help you defraud the government and suggests that “no one will know,” I suggest you walk away immediately. There is wisdom in closed-mindedness on certain issues.

But consider this: Do you know anyone who doesn’t have any blind spots? I strongly doubt it. Then why would you be any different? As Dalio makes clear, you must be active in the process of open-mindedness: It won’t happen by accident.

https://fs.blog/2017/09/open-closed-minded/

Gatlin  posted on  2021-07-23 13:55:37 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#12. To: watchman, Deckard, and Everyone (#8)

The Principles of Objectivity
Can Help You Think Smarter

How objective are you? How often are you over-reacting to situations, taking things personally, perceiving tone in e-mail or judging people unfairly? We all do this at some time or another.

The challenge for many of us is that when we are under a lot of pressure, we tend to be less objective. Under stress, most of us draw solely on our past experiences, old assumptions and biases, which cloud our ability to see things clearly and make sound judgments. Moreover, our desire to succeed is often so strong, that, under these intense circumstances, our insecurities and our limiting and unproductive mental models tend to get in our way, creating even more stress and causing us to react in ways that we may regret.

Our ability to be objective depends on our willingness to question our mental models, the lens through which we perceive, interpret and respond to our world. If our mental models are incorrect, then our understanding of what is going on and our response to it, are often incorrect. This is why we sometimes misjudge situations, over-react and take things personally.

The good news is that with the brains neuroplasticity and with practice, we can interrupt our automatic reactions, those often driven my limiting and unproductive mental models, and choose a different response. Each time we do this, we are re-wiring our neural network by creating new pathways based on new models: new ways of perceiving and responding to our world. We can actually learn to think smarter!

One of the most powerful mental model transformation catalysts is knowledge, new information or logic that defies old mental models and ways of thinking. As we have seen, mental models are deep-rooted beliefs, ideas, and notions that we tend to hold onto, no matter what. They define our sense of reality and drive our perception, interpretation, and response to everything we experience. Mental models predispose us to very specific ways of thinking and acting. They’ve usually been with us a while, so we tend to trust them, in some cases justifiably. For most of us, we have never been taught about mental models and how to evaluate them to determine if they are helpful or harmful.

To transform unproductive mental models, you must change your mind! I cannot tell you that your Perfectionist mental model does not serve you well. You have to decide, through your own logic and reason, whether your way of seeing the world is no longer valid for you. This requires that you be open to new knowledge, information, and reasoning. It is in the wake of this new knowledge that transformation takes place. Mark Jung-Beeman of Northwestern University’s Institute for Neuroscience and others call it a “moment of insight” and have used MRI and EEG technologies to study how they happen. The findings suggest that at a moment of insight, an adrenaline-like chemical is released and a complex set of new connections is created in the brain. It’s these new connections that have the potential to enhance our mental resources to help us transform limiting mental models.

To help facilitate a moment of insight, there are four Principles of Objectivity that have been very effective in transforming old mental models. These are insights that we all intuitively understand and that can be verified through our own personal experience, and yet we tend to take them for granted or discount altogether. The next few blogs will review each of the four Principles of Objectivity. The first one is:

We all know that what can go wrong, will go wrong. But often when things happen that we don’t expect or anticipate, we start the mini-movie titled, “Why me, this always happens to me.” We start playing back memories of all the things that have gone wrong lately. Some of us react by disowning the problem or, worse yet, engaging in wishful thinking, willing the problem to go away on its own. Of course, in most cases, it won’t.

In order to effectively handle day-to-day problems, the first step is to accept that they exist. Acceptance of “what is” is a precondition to right action. Non-acceptance is an ideal condition for an emotional, subjective reaction, and we have already learned how that can end. Furthermore, non-acceptance does not alter the fact that there is a problem. It just creates a chain of further emotional reactions that make the problem worse. If you are objective in your perception of a situation, you can then respond to it appropriately. The key is to accept a problem as it occurs and not take it personally.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-objective- leader/201604/the-principles-objectivity-can-help-you-think-smarter

Gatlin  posted on  2021-07-23 15:58:15 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#13. To: watchman, Deckard, abd Everyone (#8)

At least Stone would delete [Gatlin’s] posts …

So, since you cannot have a strong position to argue intelligently against an issue where I am presenting both sides for consideration in a post – then you are saying that the posts should be deleted.

WHY?

If your position is strong, then create a valid argument where there is no need for censorship and you must ignore validating context and inconvenient facts deserving of consideration.

To call for censorship, demonstrates your weakness of position for argument and a lack of ethics.

But then …

A fanatical religious person cannot intelligently argue from a position of strength – If they think they’re right, they’re always right.

Gatlin  posted on  2021-07-23 23:00:06 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#14. To: watchman, Deckard, and Everyone (#8)

To make someone who is disapprovingly sad that they cannot control the narrative feel better you need to look for special words to give them comfort or sympathy.

Forget the clichés or any packaged sayings; it's important to be genuine. Your goal should be to express compassion, not to cheer up someone who is bereaved over failure.

You may want to think about changing what you say – There are a few comforting words in this special situation.

Such as:

I am sorry to hear about what you are going through. I can imagine the situation for I feel the same way. If you need anything, call on me – I am always here for you.

Gatlin  posted on  2021-07-23 23:36:02 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#24. To: watchman, Deckard, and Everyone (#8) (Edited)

watchman:
More propaganda from CDC shill Gatlin.
More Carol Baker style attacks on whites and Christians.
Fake "Christian" leaders are joining in...
Deckard:
Gatlin has gone full-bore BLM with his "blame whitey and Christians" schtick. It's a wonder why Stone even tolerates this propaganda peddler.
watchman:
I wonder about that too.
At least Stone would delete his posts from time to time.
With Stone on hiatus Gatlin will continue to flood this place with his bitterness and lies.

It is definitely not propaganda or ies – and I have no bitterness. It is simply a discussion about ideologies and values by presenting both sides. It is imperative that we learn more about how liberals and conservatives differ in values on various political, economic, and social issues. To do that, we must read and consider both sides.

We know that liberals tend to value government regulation, whereas conservatives tend to value limited government, and it is because liberals and conservatives differ in this way that they often have opposing opinions on issues like minimum wage and long-term state-funded social welfare programs. But is that all we need to know and then close our minds to the many other things concerning liberals – while asking that articles be censored by deleting them? I say it is positively not.

As a conservative, I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing for me to converse with those who disagree with me politically. In fact, I believe it is a good thing. For I have had meaningful, challenging discussions about controversial topics like abortion and economic policy with them, which results not only in me strengthening my value system but also, more importantly, understanding the values of others and their reasons for holding such values. “Know Your Enemy” – So to speak.

One person I know is very liberal, and he disagrees with me nearly every time we have talk about any political issue from abortion to gun control. Yet, I have learned to appreciate why he believes what he believes while still being true to my own belief values. This is the reason why I value controversy so much, sometimes even seek it and often times prompt to promote controversy on this forum.

Don’t avoid controversy or hide it behind a deletion shield. Because it is controversy that allows us an opportunity to understand the “other side.” Since, in an era of polarized politics, religious and non- religious violence, and international conflict, understanding and discussing both sides will be a thousand times more important than I can even say in words.

It is indeed unfortunate there are those who with a closed mind who will not consider controversy and “give shit to anyone who does.” There will always be differences in opinion – that will never change. So, we might as well make the most of that diversity and try to understand it, instead of blindly pushing it away as if it were harmful to our own ideologies, as if attacking it and being mean would somehow solve anything. Diversity only truly matters if we understand and appreciate our differences.

Otherwise, our time and efforts are tragically wasted. I’m not saying everyone must agree on everything; two people don’t have to agree to understand each other. In fact, it has been my experience that when I disagree with someone I understand them the most because controversy always presents a clear opportunity to learn from others. Controversy is daunting and can be intimidating, but it can be good if approached with conscious conversation with a sincere intention to learn.

Think about it …

Gatlin  posted on  2021-07-25 21:45:01 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


End Trace Mode for Comment # 8.

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