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125-595: In 2022, Brookfield Property Partners turned the building over to their lender, MetLife Investment Management , due to numerous retail vacancies following the closing of Macy's , the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic , and increasing crime along the Magnificent Mile . Originally planned in the late 1960s by the Mafco Company (the former shopping center development division of Marshall Field & Co. ),

250-411: A historically black institution , where she studied communication . However, she did not deliver her final paper and receive her degree until 1987, by which time she was a successful television personality. Winfrey's career in media would not have surprised her grandmother, who once said that ever since Winfrey could talk, she was on stage. As a child, she played games interviewing her corncob doll and

375-818: A "tycoon" regarding her investments which as of 2022, are estimated to total approximately $ 127 million. As her talk show was beginning, Oprah first purchased a condominium in Chicago's Water Tower Place in 1985, before purchasing the condos adjoining and directly below it in 1992, 1993, and 1994, respectively. In 1988, she purchased an 164-acre property including main and guest residences, orchard, and stables in Rolling Prairie, Indiana as her weekend refuge. In 1992, she purchased an 80-acre compound in Telluride, Colorado , which she would go on to sell in approximately late 2000. In 1994, she also purchased an apartment at

500-849: A (then) 42-acre (17 ha) estate with ocean and mountain views in Montecito, California . Additionally that year, she also purchased homes in both Elmwood Park, Illinois and Merrillville, Indiana for other family members and friends. Similarly, in 2002, she purchased her father's home in Franklin, Tennessee and a lakefront condo in Milwaukee , Wisconsin . In 2003 she listed her compound in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, and sold it in 2004. From 2003 to 2005, Oprah acquired several properties totaling 163 acres in Kula and Hana , Hawaii as well as

625-508: A 24-hour simulation of the experience of slavery, which included being tied up and blindfolded and left alone in the woods. Despite major advertising, including two episodes of her talk show dedicated solely to the film, and moderate to good critical reviews, Beloved opened to poor box-office results, losing approximately $ 30 million. While promoting the movie, co-star Thandie Newton described Winfrey as "a very strong technical actress and it's because she's so smart. She's acute. She's got

750-527: A bad perm), Winfrey turned to reporter Lloyd Kramer for comfort. "Lloyd was just the best," Winfrey would later recall. "That man loved me even when I was bald! He was wonderful. He stuck with me through the whole demoralizing experience. That man was the most fun romance I ever had." According to Mair, when Kramer moved to NBC in New York, Winfrey had a love affair with a married man who had no intention of leaving his wife. Winfrey would later recall: "I'd had

875-455: A barber in Nashville, Tennessee , and landed a job in radio while still in high school. By 19, she was a co-anchor for the local evening news. Winfrey's often emotional, extemporaneous delivery eventually led to her transfer to the daytime talk show arena, and after boosting a third-rated local Chicago talk show to first place, she launched her own production company. Credited with creating

1000-563: A benefactor to others. Winfrey also emerged as a political force in the 2008 presidential race, with her endorsement of Barack Obama estimated to have been worth about one million votes during the 2008 Democratic primaries . In the same year, she formed her own network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). In 2013, Winfrey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama . In 1994, she

1125-420: A chain, the owners of Water Tower Place contracted Four Seasons Hotels to manage the hotel in 1977. It was not part of the global Ritz-Carlton chain, despite its name and use of the lion logo. In 1985 the number of guest rooms was reduced to 435. On August 1, 2015, The Ritz Carlton Chicago ceased being a Four Seasons property and converted management and operation to Sage Hospitality of Denver , operated as

1250-734: A competing Nashville station . In 1976, she moved to Baltimore 's WJZ-TV to co-anchor the six o'clock news. In 1977, she was removed as co-anchor and worked in lower profile positions at the station. She was then recruited to join Richard Sher as co-host of WJZ's local talk show People Are Talking , which premiered on August 14, 1978. She also hosted the local version of Dialing for Dollars . In 1984, Winfrey relocated to Chicago to host WLS-TV 's low-rated half-hour morning talk show, AM Chicago , after being hired by that station's general manager, Dennis Swanson . The first episode aired on January 2, 1984. Within months after Winfrey took over,

1375-410: A deep love. A love I will never forget." In the 1970s, Winfrey had a romantic relationship with John Tesh . Biographer Kitty Kelley claims that Tesh split with Winfrey over the pressures of an interracial relationship. When WJZ-TV management criticized Winfrey for crying on air while reporting tragedies and were unhappy with her physical appearance (especially when her hair fell out as a result of

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1500-569: A disabling illness or accident . The company also maintains an absence management product which allows employers to track and manage both planned and unplanned employee absences. The product, which MetLife calls MetLife Total Absence Management, is structured for businesses with 1,000 or more employees. MetLife is among the largest providers of annuities in the world, recording $ 22.4 billion in sales during 2009. MetLife offers annuities which consist of fixed annuities, variable annuities, deferred annuities and immediate annuities. In 1921, MetLife

1625-495: A field dominated by white males, she is a black female of ample bulk. As interviewers go, she is no match for, say, Phil Donahue ... What she lacks in journalistic toughness, she makes up for in plainspoken curiosity, robust humor and, above all empathy. Guests with sad stories to tell are apt to rouse a tear in Oprah's eye ... They, in turn, often find themselves revealing things they would not imagine telling anyone, much less

1750-528: A full member of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC, and participating in and marketed with the rest of The Ritz-Carlton properties. In 2018, U.S. News & World Report ranked the hotel as the sixth-best hotel in Illinois. When the mall opened, its anchor stores were Marshall Field's and Lord & Taylor . Marshall Field's was converted to Macy's in 2006. Lord & Taylor closed in 2007. Macy's closed in 2021. The eight-level mall has nearly 100 shops,

1875-539: A joint venture with Schulz's heirs (as Charles Schulz himself died in 2000), buying out E. W. Scripps Co. and United Features Syndicate for $ 175 million. MetLife was reported to pay $ 12 million per year to Iconix for licensing rights. Prior to the Iconix deal, MetLife had licensed the characters from other rights-holders. Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey ( / ˈ oʊ p r ə / ; born Orpah Gail Winfrey ; January 29, 1954), known mononymously as Oprah ,

2000-678: A live theatre and several restaurants, arranged around a chrome-and-glass atrium with glass elevators. It was one of the first vertical malls in the world, although along North Michigan Avenue it has been joined by The Shops at North Bridge and the Avenue Atrium (better known as 900 North Michigan ), both of which contain higher end retail mixes. Remaining stores include Akira, American Girl , Bath and Body Works , Chico's , Eileen Fisher, Express , Finish Line, Inc. , Forever 21 , Hollister Co. , J. Jill , Lacoste , Lego , Sunglasses Hut and White House Black Market . In October 2023, it

2125-410: A media columnist for The Washington Post , stated: "Oprah doesn't do follow-up questions unless you're an author who's embarrassed her by fabricating portions of a supposed memoir she's plugged for her book club", referring to the controversy around James Frey 's A Million Little Pieces . In 2021, she conducted an interview with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex , and her husband Prince Harry , which

2250-482: A mind like a razor blade." Harpo Productions released a film adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston 's 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God in 2005. The made-for-television film was based upon a teleplay by Suzan-Lori Parks and starred Halle Berry in the lead female role. In late 2008, Winfrey's company Harpo Films signed an exclusive output pact to develop and produce scripted series, documentaries, and movies exclusively for HBO . In 2013, Winfrey starred in

2375-502: A more intimate, confessional form of media communication, Winfrey popularized and revolutionized the tabloid talk show genre pioneered by Phil Donahue . By the mid-1990s, Winfrey had reinvented her show with a focus on literature, self-improvement, mindfulness, and spirituality. Though she has been criticized for unleashing a confession culture, promoting controversial self-help ideas, and having an emotion-centered approach, she has also been praised for overcoming adversity to become

2500-592: A mother because she had not been mothered well. At 13, after suffering what she described as years of abuse, Winfrey ran away from home. When she was 14, she became pregnant, but her son was born prematurely and died shortly after birth. Winfrey later stated she felt betrayed by the family member who had sold the story of her son to the National Enquirer in 1990. Winfrey attended Lincoln Middle and High School in Milwaukee , but after early success in

2625-463: A national TV audience. It is the talk show as a group therapy session. TV columnist Howard Rosenberg said: "She's a roundhouse, a full course meal, big, brassy, loud, aggressive, hyper, laughable, lovable, soulful, tender, low-down, earthy, and hungry. And she may know the way to Phil Donahue's jugular." Newsday ' s Les Payne observed, "Oprah Winfrey is sharper than Donahue, wittier, more genuine, and far better attuned to her audience, if not

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2750-578: A new channel called OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network . It was scheduled to launch in 2009 but was delayed, and actually launched on January 1, 2011. The series finale of The Oprah Winfrey Show aired on May 25, 2011. In January 2017, CBS announced that Winfrey would join 60 Minutes as a special contributor on the Sunday evening news magazine program starting in September 2017. The National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2018 opened

2875-399: A new studio at Winfrey's Chicago headquarters. The channel broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week on XM Radio Channel 156. Winfrey's contract requires her to be on the air 30 minutes a week, 39 weeks a year. Oprah's extensive and continuously evolving real-estate portfolio has garnered heightened attention throughout her life and career, with many prominent industry outlets branding her

3000-858: A penthouse apartment in Atlanta , Georgia . In 2005, she purchased a home in Douglasville, Georgia which was gifted in 2011 to a family member. In 2006, Oprah purchased a co-op apartment along Lake Shore Drive in downtown Chicago, reportedly with plans to permanently move there from her prior adjoined-condo unit in Water Tower Place for the duration of her show but for reasons unknown, the property sat entirely unused until she sold it in 2012. In 2008, she sold her penthouse apartment in Atlanta. That year, she also listed Gayle King's estate and purchased her (through her second LLC Sophie's Penthouse)

3125-411: A penthouse apartment in midtown Manhattan , New York City which would later be sold in 2012. In early 2014, she listed her combined-unit Chicago duplex on the market. Later that year, Oprah came back to Telluride, Colorado to purchase a 60-acre lot with plans to build on the property. A lawsuit filed against her that year by a retired nuclear physicist living in the area regarding trail access rights

3250-530: A poorly vetted drug as a cure. In addition to her talk show, Winfrey also produced and co-starred in the drama miniseries The Women of Brewster Place (1989) and its short-lived spin-off, Brewster Place . As well as hosting and appearing on television shows, Winfrey co-founded the women's cable television network Oxygen which was the initial network for her Oprah After the Show program from 2002 to 2006 before moving to Oprah.com when Winfrey sold her stake in

3375-508: A presidential candidate. Winfrey added that Palin would make a fantastic guest and that she would love to have her on the show after the election, which she did on November 18, 2009. In 2009, Winfrey was criticized for allowing actress Suzanne Somers to appear on her show to discuss hormone treatments that are not accepted by mainstream medicine. Critics have also suggested that Winfrey is not tough enough when questioning celebrity guests or politicians whom she appears to like. Lisa de Moraes,

3500-573: A rare prime-time interview called, Michael Jackson Talks ... to Oprah with Michael Jackson , which became the fourth most-watched event in American television history as well as the most watched interview ever, with an audience of 36.5 million. On December 1, 2005, Winfrey appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman for the first time in 16 years, to promote the new Broadway musical, The Color Purple , which she produced. The episode

3625-563: A relationship with a man for four years. I wasn't living with him. I'd never lived with anyone—and I thought I was worthless without him. The more he rejected me, the more I wanted him. I felt depleted, powerless. At the end, I was down on the floor on my knees groveling and pleading with him". Winfrey became so depressed that on September 8, 1981, she wrote a suicide note to best friend Gayle King instructing King to water her plants. "That suicide note had been much overplayed" Winfrey told Ms. magazine. "I couldn't kill myself. I would be afraid

3750-430: A special exhibit on Winfrey's cultural influence through television. Winfrey left 60 Minutes by the end of 2018. In June 2018, Apple announced a multi-year content partnership with Winfrey, in which it was agreed that Winfrey would create new original programs exclusively for Apple's streaming service, Apple TV+ . The first show under the deal, Oprah's Book Club , premiered on November 1, 2019. Oprah's Book Club

3875-699: A strategic alliance and for it to take a 30% share in MetLife India. The state owned bank would in return sell MetLife insurance products in its branches As of 2015, Julio Garcia-Villalon leads the Middle East & Africa regional business, which is headquartered in the Dubai International Financial Centre and has operated in the region since the 1950s. MetLife has been operating in Bangladesh since 1952. It

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4000-511: A teenager was working at a local grocery store. At the age of 17, Winfrey won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant. She also attracted the attention of the local black radio station, WVOL , which hired her to do the news part-time. She worked there during her senior year of high school and in her first two years of college. She had won an oratory contest, which secured her a full scholarship to Tennessee State University ,

4125-460: Is a group of planners which serve families and individuals with special needs. In 2014, MetLife launched MetLife Defender, a digital identity theft protection product. As of 2010, MetLife was "organized into five segments: Insurance Products, Retirement Products," the US Business (including Auto & Home and Corporate Benefit Funding), and International. The Insurance Products division

4250-410: Is an American talk show host , television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor . She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show , broadcast from Chicago , which ran in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011. Dubbed the "Queen of All Media", she was the richest African-American of the 20th century and was once the world's only black billionaire. By 2007, she

4375-409: Is based on the segment of the same name from The Oprah Winfrey Show . The second show under the deal, Oprah Talks COVID-19 , debuted on March 21, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic . A third show, The Oprah Conversation debuted on July 30, 2020, with Winfrey "[continuing] to explore impactful and relevant topics with fascinating thought leaders from all over the world". In 1993, Winfrey hosted

4500-596: Is currently the leading life insurer and has been since 1997. MetLife Bangladesh is headquartered at the Motijheel Commercial Area , the main CBD of Dhaka . MetLife Foundation is MetLife's independent charitable and grant-awarding foundation . It was founded in 1976 and had provided over $ 650 million in grants by January 2015. The foundation has partnered with and donated to a variety of organizations, including Habitat for Humanity since 2010 and

4625-608: Is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is leased to Metlife and Tishman (which owns the buildings) and operated by Marriott International as a Westin hotel. Outside of the United States, MetLife operates in Latin America, Europe, Asia's Pacific region, and the Middle East, with leading market positions in Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Bangladesh and Chile. On March 8, 2010, MetLife announced its intent to purchase

4750-583: Is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company ( MLIC ), better known as MetLife , and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance , annuities , and employee benefit programs, with around 90 million customers in over 60 countries. The firm was founded on March 24, 1868. MetLife ranked No. 43 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. On January 6, 1915, MetLife completed

4875-409: Is the twelfth tallest building in Chicago and the twenty-sixth tallest in the United States. When built, it was the tallest reinforced concrete building in the world. It contains a Ritz-Carlton hotel, condominiums and office space, and sits atop a block-long base containing an atrium-style retail mall that fronts on the Magnificent Mile . Water Tower Place's opening changed the economic dynamics of

5000-567: The Drudge Report reported that Winfrey refused to have Sarah Palin on her show, allegedly because of Winfrey's support for Barack Obama. Winfrey denied the report, maintaining that there never was a discussion regarding Palin's appearing on her show. She said that after she made public her support for Obama, she decided that she would not let her show be used as a platform for any of the candidates. Although Obama appeared twice on her show, those appearances were prior to his declaration as

5125-730: The American Dental Association (ADA) and the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). MetLife provides disability products for individuals as well as employee and association groups who receive them through their employer. For individuals, the company's individual disability income insurance can replace a portion of lost income if an individual is unable to work due to sickness or injury. MetLife offers several individual disability income policies, including MetLife Income Guard, OMNI Advantage, OMNI Essential, Business Overhead Expense, and Buy-Sell. The policy options provided by

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5250-706: The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award ), a Tony Award , a Peabody Award , and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award awarded by the Academy Awards , in addition to two competitive Academy Award nominations. Winfrey was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021. Orpah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954; her first name was spelled Orpah on her birth certificate after

5375-616: The Four Seasons Hotel Chicago . Between 1996 and 2000 she purchased a total of five condos in different development areas of Fisher Island, Florida . In 2000, through her Chicago-based LLC Overground Railroad, Oprah purchased her friend Gayle King an estate in Greenwich, Connecticut . In 2001, Oprah sold all five of her Fisher Island condos and purchased what would become her "main home base" she has also called "The Promised Land" (where she currently lives as of 2022),

5500-656: The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation since 2008. In 2013, the MetLife Foundation announced a new focus on financial inclusion , including educational programs on basic financial planning for disadvantaged children and financial services aimed at low-income communities. According to the OECD , MetLife Foundation’s financing for 2019 development increased by 20% to US$ 14 million. MetLife's use of comic strip characters since

5625-467: The Oprah.com website to provide resources and interactive content related to her shows, magazines, book club, and public charity. Oprah.com averages more than 70 million page views and more than six million users per month, and receives approximately 20,000 e-mails each week. Winfrey initiated "Oprah's Child Predator Watch List", through her show and website, to help track down accused child molesters. Within

5750-646: The Pan Am Building from a group that included Pan American World Airways for the price of $ 400 million. The building was subsequently renamed and the prominently displayed Pan Am logo was replaced with the MetLife logo. In 2000, MetLife converted from a mutual insurance company operated for the benefit of its policyholders to a for-profit public company. The de-mutualization process allowed MetLife to enter unrelated insurance businesses and increase executive compensation. Policyholders received some stock in

5875-592: The US Department of Justice asking that their challenge be dismissed. On August 7, 2012, it was announced that MetLife will pay $ 3.2 million in fines after the Federal Reserve charged it used unsafe and unsound practices in handling its mortgage servicing and foreclosure operations. In 2014, MetLife paid $ 23 million to settle multiple lawsuits over junk fax operations used to generate leads for life insurance sales. MetLife Bank took advantage of

6000-582: The Upward Bound program, was transferred to the affluent suburban Nicolet High School . Upon transferring, she said she was continually reminded of her poverty as she rode the bus to school with fellow African-Americans, some of whom were servants of her classmates' families. She began to rebel and steal money from her mother in an effort to keep up with her free-spending peers. As a result, her mother once again sent her to live with Vernon in Nashville , although this time she did not take her back. Vernon

6125-570: The biblical figure in the Book of Ruth , but people mispronounced it regularly and "Oprah" stuck. She was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi , to a teenaged mother, Vernita Lee, and father Vernon Winfrey. Winfrey's parents never married. Vernita Lee (1935–2018) was a housemaid. Vernon Winfrey (1933–2022) was a coal miner turned barber turned city councilman who was in the Armed Forces when she

6250-589: The board of directors of MetLife included: MetLife subsidiaries and affiliates have included MetLife Investors, MetLife Bank, MetLife Securities, Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company and its subsidiaries, General American, MetLife Legal Plans, MetLife Resources, New England Financial, Walnut Street Securities, Inc., Safeguard Health Enterprises, Inc., and Tower Square Securities, Inc., Cigna. The subsidiary MetLife Insurance Company USA, as of 2015, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina ,

6375-414: The mutualization process, changing from a stock life insurance company owned by individuals to a mutual company operating without external shareholders and for the benefit of policyholders. After 85 years as a mutual company, MetLife demutualized into a publicly traded company with an initial public offering in 2000. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, MetLife holds leading market positions in

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6500-446: The national recession . In 2011, CEO Robert Henrikson was replaced by Steven A. Kandarian , who had overseen the company's " US$ 450,000,000,000 investment portfolio" as chief investment officer . Henrikson remained the company's chairman to the end of 2011, at which point he reached the company's mandatory retirement age . In 2015, MetLife was ranked as number one on Fortune magazine's list of World's Most Admired Companies in

6625-524: The FHA insurance program by knowingly turning a blind eye to mortgage loans that did not meet basic underwriting requirements, and stuck the FHA and taxpayers with the bill when those mortgages defaulted. U.S. Attorney John Walsh In 2015, MetLife Home Loans LLC paid $ 123.5 million to the United States Department of Justice to resolve allegations it knowingly made mortgages insured by

6750-576: The Federal Reserve's (the Fed's) Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review stress test, intended to predict the potential failure of the company in a recession. The Fed stated that the minimum total risk-based capital ratio should be 8% and it estimated MetLife's ratio at 6%. The company had requested approval for a US$ 2,000,000,000 share repurchase to prop up the stock price, along with an increased dividend. Because MetLife owned MetLife Bank, it

6875-656: The Frog and in 2010, narrated the US version of the BBC nature program Life for Discovery. In 2018, Winfrey starred as Mrs. Which in the film adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle 's novel A Wrinkle in Time . She also lent her voice to an animated virtual-reality short film written and directed by Eric Darnell , starring John Legend , titled Crow: The Legend , telling a Native American origin tale. Winfrey has co-authored five books. At

7000-649: The Insurance: Life and Health category. In the summer of 2017, MetLife plans to add a third office building of 255,000 square feet at its Cary, North Carolina Global Technology Campus, giving the company a total of 655,000 square feet at a location which has over 1,000 employees in such areas as engineering, software and technology. This plan was the result of North Carolina awarding the company $ 94 million in incentives in 2013 for creating over 2,600 jobs, half in Cary and half in Charlotte . In 2012, MetLife failed

7125-598: The Madroneagle compound on Orcas Island , Washington and sold her last home property in the Chicago area from Elmwood Park. In late 2019, Oprah yet again expanded her Montecito home-base compound, this time to 70 contiguous acres, with the purchase of a four-acre complex from actor Jeff Bridges . In 2021, she sold her Orcas Island compound as she said she was too busy to use it and purchased another compound in Montecito further away from her home-base compound, flipping

7250-487: The Magnificent Mile by bringing middle-class shops to what had been a street dominated by luxury retailers, tony hotels, and expensive apartments. It shifted downtown Chicago's retail center of gravity north from State Street to North Michigan Avenue. The 360 condo units in the tower were designed in 1974. Richard A. Meyers Realty, Inc., was the contracted sales and marketing consultant. In a recessionary market,

7375-643: The SafeGuard DHMO (available for both individuals and employees in CA, FL, TX, NJ and NY.). As of May 2010, MetLife's dental PPO network included over 135,000 participating dentist locations nationwide while the dental HMO network included more than 13,000 participating dentist locations in California, Florida and Texas . MetLife also administers dental continuing education program for dentists and allied health care professionals, which are recognized by

7500-570: The United States and Canada. During the 1930s, it also began to diversify its portfolio by reducing the percentage of individual mortgages in favor of public utility bonds, investments in government securities, and loans for commercial real estate. The company financed the Empire State Building 's construction in 1929 as well as provided capital for Rockefeller Center 's construction in 1931. During World War II , MetLife placed more than 51 percent of its total assets in war bonds and

7625-592: The United States government that didn't meet federal underwriting requirements. As of 2010 , MetLife had a "diverse product mix" which included insurance ( home , car and life ), variable life annuities and structured settlements , commercial mortgages and securities backed by commercial mortgages , and sovereign debt . MetLife's individual life insurance products and services comprise term life insurance and several types of permanent life insurance , including whole life, universal life, and final expense whole life insurance. These services vary in regards to

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7750-502: The United States, 8 million customers outside the United States, and a net income in 2003 of $ 2.2 billion. That year, Barron's reported that 13 million American households owned at least one product from MetLife. MetLife named Robert H. Benmosche as chairman and CEO in July 1999. Benmosche occupied the position until 2006, when he was replaced by C. Robert Henrikson . The company's sales grew 11.5% between 2008 and 2009, despite

7875-748: The United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia's Pacific region, Europe, and the Middle East. MetLife serves 90 of the largest Fortune 500 companies. MetLife's head offices and boardroom are located at the MetLife Building at 200 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan and New York City which MetLife owned from 1981 to 2005; despite the sale, MetLife increased its leased footprint in the building beginning in 2015. In January 2016, MetLife announced that it would spin off its U.S. retail business, including individual life insurance and annuities for

8000-577: The Year" in 2023. MetLife Auto & Home is the brand name for MetLife's nine affiliate personal lines insurance companies. Collectively these companies offer personal lines property and casualty insurance policies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The flagship company in the MetLife Auto & Home group, Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company, was founded in 1972. It

8125-470: The age of eight, she was baptized in a Baptist church . Winfrey has stated she was molested by her cousin, uncle, and a family friend, starting when she was nine years old, something she first announced on a 1986 episode of her TV show regarding sexual abuse . A biographer alleged that when Winfrey discussed the alleged abuse with family members at age 24, they reportedly refused to believe her account. Winfrey once commented that she had chosen not to be

8250-429: The announcement of a weight-loss book in 2005, co-authored with her personal trainer Bob Greene, it was said that her undisclosed advance fee had broken the record for the world's highest book advance fee, previously held by the autobiography of former U.S. President Bill Clinton . In 2015, her memoir, The Life You Want , was announced following on her tour of the same name, and scheduled for publication in 2017, but

8375-462: The building. The condos were sold in 2015 and 2016 for slightly more than what she paid. On August 14, 2020, WGN-TV announced Macy's would be leaving, although they declined to give a comment. Then in September 2020, Macy's reopened their store and all operations will continue. On January 5, 2021, it was announced that Macy's would be closing as part of a plan to close 46 stores nationwide. The store officially closed its doors on March 21, 2021. This

8500-496: The changes included the addition of exterior glass walls and display areas for the department stores, some small specialty retail space in the renovated lobby area, and large exterior rounded, corner glass bay windows and lighted "fins" on the North Michigan Avenue and side street exterior walls of the mall. These last additions broke up the boxy nature of the original architecture and added some dimension and scale to

8625-612: The common and preferred stock were based on the closing price of MetLife's common stock on October 29. Upon completion of the purchase, MetLife became a leading competitor in Japan, the world's second-largest life insurance market, and moved into a top 5 market position in many high growth emerging markets in Central and Eastern Europe, such as Romania , the Middle East and Latin America. The deal added 20 million customers to MetLife's 70 million and according to Barron's more than doubled

8750-434: The company vary in terms of eligibility and the provided coverage. For groups, MetLife offers short term disability insurance and long term disability insurance. Short term disability insurance is structured to replace a portion of an individual's income during the initial weeks of a disabling illness or accident. Long term disability Insurance serves to replace a portion of an individual's income during an extended period of

8875-412: The company was given the challenge of demonstrating the product and obtaining hard contracts before construction began. This was a challenging assignment in the recessionary climate of 1974–1976. A detailed product research study was conducted by Gary S. Meyers, which included examining on a room-by-room basis over luxury 100 high-rise condominiums in the Chicago metropolitan area and a like number around

9000-434: The crows on the fence of her family's property. Winfrey later acknowledged her grandmother's influence, saying it was Hattie Mae who had encouraged her to speak in public and "gave me a positive sense of myself". Working in local media, Winfrey was both the youngest news anchor and the first black female news anchor at Nashville 's WLAC-TV (now WTVF-TV ), where she often covered the same stories as John Tesh , who worked at

9125-592: The duration and amount of coverage available and whether a medical exam is required for coverage. The company also offers group life insurance, provided through employers, which consists of term life, permanent life, and accidental death and dismemberment coverage. MetLife is the largest life insurer in the United States, based on life insurance in-force. MetLife offers group dental benefit plans for individuals, employees, retirees and their families and provides dental plan administration for over 20 million people. Plans include MetLife's Preferred Dentist Program (PPO) and

9250-615: The film The Butler directed by Lee Daniels . Though her performance garnered significant Oscar buzz, she was not nominated for the award. Oprah voiced Gussie the goose in Charlotte's Web (2006) and voiced Judge Bumbleton in Bee Movie (2007), co-starring the voices of Jerry Seinfeld and Renée Zellweger . In 2009, Winfrey provided the voice for the character of Eudora, the mother of Princess Tiana , in Disney's The Princess and

9375-569: The first 48 hours, two of the featured men were captured. On February 9, 2006, it was announced that Winfrey had signed a three-year, $ 55-million contract with XM Satellite Radio to establish a new radio channel. The channel, Oprah Radio , features popular contributors to The Oprah Winfrey Show and O, The Oprah Magazine including Nate Berkus , Dr. Mehmet Oz , Bob Greene, Dr. Robin Smith, and Marianne Williamson . Oprah & Friends began broadcasting at 11:00 am ET , September 25, 2006, from

9500-485: The international leader life-insurance business, American Life Insurance Company (Alico), from American International Group (AIG). MetLife, which completed the deal on November 1, 2010, paid approximately $ 7.2 billion in cash and $ 9.0 billion in MetLife equity and other securities. The securities portion of the deal consisted of 78.2 million shares of MetLife common stock, 6.9 million shares of contingent convertible preferred stock and 40 million equity units. The values of

9625-581: The latter in 2022 with split properties, one of which was sold to her property manager and longtime personal trainer Bob Greene, and the other to actress Jennifer Aniston . In 2023, Winfrey also purchased 870 acres of land in Maui for $ 6.6 million. Winfrey's high school sweetheart Anthony Otey recalled an innocent courtship that began in Winfrey's senior year of high school, from which he saved hundreds of love notes; Winfrey conducted herself with dignity and

9750-565: The life insurance business. A severe business depression that began with the Panic of 1873 forced the company to contract, until it reached its lowest point in the late 1870s. After observing the insurance industry in Great Britain in 1879, MetLife President Joseph F. Knapp brought “industrial” or “workingmen's” insurance programs to the United States – insurance issued in small amounts on which premiums were collected weekly or monthly at

9875-467: The mall, which suffers from significant vacancies, to only the first three floors of the podium structure. The Ritz-Carlton Chicago is a 435-room hotel at Water Tower Place. The builders of Water Tower Place acquired the rights to use the Ritz-Carlton name and logo when they opened a hotel in the tower in 1975. This was before the modern Ritz-Carlton chain was established in the mid-1980s, using

10000-481: The mid 1980s, according to chief marketing officer Esther Lee, was intended "to make our company more friendly and approachable during a time when insurance companies were seen as cold and distant." MetLife licensed Snoopy and other Peanuts characters for promotional purposes from the Iconix Brand Group , which owns the promotional rights to the works of Charles M. Schulz . In 2010, Iconix formed

10125-599: The minute I did it, something really good would happen and I'd miss it." According to Winfrey, her emotional turmoil gradually led to a weight problem: "The reason I gained so much weight in the first place and the reason I had such a sorry history of abusive relationships with men was I just needed approval so much. I needed everyone to like me, because I didn't like myself much. So I'd end up with these cruel self-absorbed guys who'd tell me how selfish I was, and I'd say 'Oh thank you, you're so right' and be grateful to them. Because I had no sense that I deserved anything else. Which

10250-533: The monolithic marble walls. The interior fountain between the escalators leading from the North Michigan Avenue lobby were also updated with a tiered "pop jet" fountain with cascading waterfalls and balls of water, controlled by computer-based choreography. The Rouse Company acquired the center in 2002 during the breakup of the then Dutch-owned Urban Shopping Centers . In 2008, a 3-story American Girl Store replaced Lord & Taylor , which closed in spring of 2007. Oprah Winfrey acquired four condominium units in

10375-402: The nation. The product analysis was then compared with sales velocities of other projects to determine buyer needs and wants and their respective acceptable price points. The net result was a mathematically designed housing product that allowed for specific space allocation for each room in each unit. The results were efficient units, where each room had a competitive advantage. After the product

10500-419: The network. She is also the president of Harpo Productions ( Oprah spelled backwards), a film and TV production company behind The Oprah Winfrey Show , Dr. Phil , Rachael Ray , The Dr. Oz Show and many others. She also moderated three ABC Afterschool Special s from 1992 to 1994. On January 15, 2008, Winfrey and Discovery Communications announced plans to change Discovery Health Channel into

10625-505: The new company in this process. MetLife was accused of breaching federal securities laws by misrepresenting and omitting information in materials given to policyholders during this process, resulting in years of litigation ending with a $ 50 million settlement in 2009. From 2004 to 2011, MetLife continued to hold its position as the largest life insurer in the United States. The company had $ 2.5 trillion in policies written, $ 350 billion in assets under management, over 12 million customers in

10750-611: The percentage of operating profits that MetLife gets abroad to 40%. In India MetLife has an affiliate company India Insurance Company Limited (MetLife) which has operated in India since 2001. This company has its headquarters in Bangalore and Gurgaon and was jointly owned by MetLife and a few local Indian financial companies. In 2012 an agreement was made with local Indian bank, the Punjab National Bank to establish

10875-640: The policyholder's home. By 1880, sales had exceeded a quarter million of such policies, resulting in nearly $ 1 million in revenue from premiums. In 1909, MetLife had become the nation's largest life insurer in the United States, as measured by life insurance in force (the total value of life insurance policies issued). In 1890, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Building was commissioned to serve as MetLife's home office on 23rd Street in Manhattan. The building

11000-788: The retail market, in a separate company called Brighthouse Financial , which launched in March 2017. The continuing MetLife company kept naming rights to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey . The predecessor company to MetLife began in 1863 when a group of New York City businessmen raised $ 100,000 to found the National Union Life and Limb Insurance Company . The company insured Civil War sailors and soldiers against disabilities due to wartime wounds, accidents, and sickness. On March 24, 1868, it became known as Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and shifted its focus to

11125-498: The same name and logo, which have been around since the early 20th century, in use at various hotels. Also under terms of the agreement, no other hotel was permitted to use the Ritz-Carlton name in the Chicago area while the agreement was still in effect, meaning that the modern Ritz-Carlton chain was never able to operate a hotel in Chicago, only a nearby condominium, which they built in 2012. So that their hotel would be part of

11250-434: The same period. In 2001, a program of refurbishments was begun, including enclosing the exterior arcade along Michigan and adding a loading dock in the middle of the block for additional retail space. Also included were updates to the escalators and fountains leading into the mall from North Michigan Avenue lobby, as well as enhancements to the sidewalk areas, the mall's exterior facades, and department store entrances. Some of

11375-762: The show faced accusations that Winfrey was promoting junk science . This has manifested as criticisms of Winfrey for promoting particular guests whose medical commentaries (both on her show and in the wider media) frequently lack supporting science. Common targets of this criticism include Dr. Oz 's promotion of various "miracle pills" (especially those aimed at weight loss), Dr. Phil , Jenny McCarthy 's unfounded assertions about vaccines, and Suzanne Somers 's promotion of bioidenticals. Multiple publications have called on Oprah to denounce medical statements made by her former proteges long after her show ended. For example, there were calls for her to denounce Dr. Oz in 2020 reaction to his comments about coronavirus and his promotion of

11500-460: The show went from last place in the ratings to overtaking Donahue as the highest-rated talk show in Chicago. The movie critic Roger Ebert persuaded her to sign a syndication deal with King World . Ebert predicted that she would generate 40 times as much revenue as his television show, At the Movies . It was then renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show and expanded to a full hour. The first episode

11625-483: The show with the rest of the cast. Winfrey responded by saying that she is opposed to rap lyrics that "marginalize women," but enjoys some artists, including Kanye West , who appeared on her show. She said she spoke with Ludacris backstage after his appearance to explain her position and said she understood that his music was for entertainment purposes, but that some of his listeners might take it literally. In September 2008, Winfrey received criticism after Matt Drudge of

11750-512: The skyscraper was eventually built in 1975 by Urban Retail Properties, a company led by Philip Morris Klutznick and his son Thomas J. Klutznick . The project received a J.C. Nichols Prize from the Urban Land Institute in 1986. Modernist architect Edward D. Dart , of Loebl Schlossman Bennett and Dart , was the chief architect. The tower section is a 78-story, 859-foot (262 m) reinforced concrete slab, faced with gray marble, and

11875-606: The special regulations reserved for financial companies and organizations deemed "systemically important," or "too big to fail". MetLife announced in January 2015 that it would file a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to overturn the federal regulators' decision, thus becoming the first nonbank to challenge such a decision. Three other nonbank companies have been designated as "systemically important": AIG , General Electric and Prudential . MetLife continued to litigate this issue as of 2015 , with

12000-456: The tip of its spire and the slogan, "The Light That Never Fails") featured prominently in MetLife's advertising. In 1905, MetLife lost a legal case, Pavesich v. New England Life Insurance Company , where they attempted to use an image of another person for promotion but this was ruled a breach of privacy and libelous: this case became a standardly cited case on privacy in US law. By 1930, MetLife insured one of five men, women, and children in

12125-597: The world" and Martha Bayles of The Wall Street Journal wrote, "It's a relief to see a gab-monger with a fond but realistic assessment of her own cultural and religious roots." In the early years of The Oprah Winfrey Show , the program was classified as a tabloid talk show. In the mid-1990s, Winfrey began to host shows on broader topics such as heart disease, geopolitics , spirituality, and meditation. She interviewed celebrities on social issues they were directly involved with, such as cancer, charity work, or substance abuse, and hosted televised giveaways. The later years of

12250-514: Was "indefinitely postponed" in 2016. Winfrey publishes the magazine: O, The Oprah Magazine and from 2004 to 2008 also published a magazine called O At Home . In 2002, Fortune called O, the Oprah Magazine the most successful start-up ever in the industry. Although its circulation had declined by more than 10 percent 2.4 million from 2005 to 2008, the January 2009 issue was the best selling issue since 2006. The January 2009 issue

12375-462: Was Winfrey's "first intense, to-die-for love affair". Winfrey helped get Taylor a job at WVOL, and according to Mair, "did everything to keep him, including literally begging him on her knees to stay with her". Taylor, however, was unwilling to leave Nashville with Winfrey when she moved to Baltimore to work at WJZ-TV in June 1976. "We really did care for each other," Winfrey would later recall. "We shared

12500-411: Was a model student. The two spoke of getting married, but Otey claimed to have always secretly known that Winfrey was destined for a far greater life than he could ever provide. She broke up with him on Valentine's Day of her senior year. In 1971, several months after breaking up with Otey, Winfrey met William "Bubba" Taylor at Tennessee State University. According to CBS journalist George Mair, Taylor

12625-481: Was a part of the early 2021 downsizing by Macy's Inc. In 2022, Brookfield Property Partners turned the building over to their lender, MetLife Investment Management , due to numerous retail vacancies following the closing of Macy's , the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic , and increasing crime along the Magnificent Mile . In October 2023, it was reported that the top five floors of the shopping mall were for sale, for conversion to office space. MetLife plans to downsize

12750-636: Was born. A genetic test in 2006 determined that her matrilineal line originated among the Kpelle ethnic group, from the area that became Liberia . Her genetic makeup was determined to be 89% Sub-Saharan African, 8% " Native American " ( Indigenous peoples of the Americas ), and 3% East Asian. After Winfrey's birth, her mother traveled north, and Winfrey spent her first six years living in rural poverty with her maternal grandmother, Hattie Mae (Presley) Lee (April 15, 1900 – February 27, 1963). Her grandmother

12875-687: Was broadcast globally and received international media attention. In 2024, ABC announced an upcoming television special titled “AI and the Future of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special” . Scheduled to air on September 12, the one-hour show aims to delve into the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on daily life. Notably, it will feature interviews with prominent figures from the tech industry, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Bill Gates . Winfrey co-starred in Steven Spielberg 's The Color Purple (1985), as distraught housewife Sofia . She

13000-462: Was broadcast nationwide on September 8, 1986. Winfrey's syndicated show brought in double Donahue's national audience, displacing Donahue as the number-one daytime talk show in America. Their much-publicized contest was the subject of enormous scrutiny. According to Time magazine in August 1988: Few people would have bet on Oprah Winfrey's swift rise to host of the most popular talk show on TV. In

13125-507: Was completed in stages through 1905. A clock tower was commissioned adjacent to the home office in 1907, and when completed two years later, the building was the world's tallest until 1913. The home office complex, which came to include the later art deco Metropolitan Life North Building , remained the company's headquarters until 2005. For many years, an illustration of the Metropolitan Life Tower (with light emanating from

13250-485: Was designed, Richard A. Meyers Realty, Inc. and Urban Investment and Development took an entire floor in the Blair Building, 645 N. Michigan Avenue, and built several full-scale condominium units, several blocks away from the site. This combined marketing approach produced sales of over 100 units before the building was ready for occupancy, a pace that surpassed units ready for occupancy in competing buildings during

13375-657: Was dismissed later that year with the judge citing little case law to support his case, among other issues. The extent of the agreement between all the parties and jurisdictions regarding her subsequent development on the property remains undisclosed. In 2015, Oprah purchased another property in Telluride, and later that year, expanded her Montecito compound with another 23-acre estate and yet another 44-acre dedicated crop and equestrian preserve. That year she also sold both of her downtown Chicago homes. In 2018, Oprah obtained two adjoining parcels of land totaling 23 acres including

13500-472: Was filmed in New York City. In 2006, rappers Ludacris , 50 Cent , and Ice Cube criticized Winfrey for what they perceived as an anti- hip hop bias. In an interview with GQ magazine, Ludacris said that Winfrey gave him a "hard time" about his lyrics, and edited comments he made during an appearance on her show with the cast of the film Crash . He also said that he wasn't initially invited on

13625-551: Was formerly known as MetLife Insurance Company of Connecticut, and prior to this as Travelers Insurance Company . MetLife Bank was sold to GE Capital in 2013, and MetLife exited the banking business. Metlife in partnership with Tishman Realty & Construction co-owns the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida . The land on which the hotels are located on

13750-484: Was hailed by some as the "television event of the decade" and helped Letterman attract his largest audience in more than 11 years: 13.45 million viewers. Although a much-rumored feud was said to have been the cause of the rift, both Winfrey and Letterman balked at such talk. "I want you to know, it's really over, whatever you thought was happening," said Winfrey. On September 10, 2007, Letterman made his first appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show , as its season premiere

13875-485: Was in Nashville, Lee gave birth to a third daughter, who was put up for adoption in the hopes of easing the financial straits that had led to Lee's being on welfare , and was later also named Patricia. Winfrey did not know that she had a second half-sister until 2010. By the time Winfrey moved back with her mother, Lee had also given birth to Winfrey's half-brother Jeffrey, who died of AIDS -related causes in 1989. At

14000-745: Was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame . Then in October, she finished the Marine Corps Marathon in less than four and a half hours. She has received honorary doctorate degrees from multiple universities. Winfrey has won many awards throughout her career, including 19 Daytime Emmy Awards (including the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Chairman's Award), two Primetime Emmy Awards (including

14125-516: Was less supportive and encouraging than her grandmother had been, largely as a result of the long hours she worked as a maid. Around this time, Lee had given birth to another daughter, Winfrey's younger half-sister, Patricia, who died of causes related to cocaine addiction in February 2003 at age 43. By 1962, Lee was having difficulty raising both daughters, so Winfrey was temporarily sent to live with Vernon in Nashville, Tennessee . While Winfrey

14250-447: Was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. The Alice Walker novel later became a Broadway musical which opened in late 2005, with Winfrey credited as a producer. In October 1998, Winfrey produced and starred in the film Beloved , based on Toni Morrison 's Pulitzer Prize –winning novel of the same name . To prepare for her role as Sethe, the protagonist and former slave, Winfrey experienced

14375-553: Was not successful. In September 2014, the United States government observed the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law by proposing the application of an official label to MetLife as " systemically important " to the American economy. If implemented, MetLife would be subject to different sets of rules and regulations, with increased oversight from the Federal Reserve . The company appealed this proposal in November 2014. In December 2014, federal regulators decided that MetLife required

14500-431: Was often ranked as the most influential woman in the world. Winfrey was born into poverty in rural Mississippi to a single teenage mother and later raised in inner-city Milwaukee . She has stated that she was molested during her childhood and early teenage years and became pregnant at 14; her son was born prematurely and died in infancy. Winfrey was then sent to live with the man she calls her father, Vernon Winfrey,

14625-527: Was reported that the top five floors of the shopping mall were for sale, for conversion to office space. MetLife plans to downsize the mall to only the first three floors of the podium structure. Residents of Water Tower Place are zoned to schools in the Chicago Public Schools . CTA 41°53′52.5″N 87°37′20.5″W  /  41.897917°N 87.622361°W  / 41.897917; -87.622361 MetLife MetLife, Inc.

14750-460: Was so poor that Winfrey often wore dresses made of potato sacks, for which other children made fun of her. Her grandmother taught her to read before the age of three and took her to the local church, where she was nicknamed "The Preacher" for her ability to recite Bible verses. When Winfrey was a child, her grandmother was reportedly abusive . At age six, Winfrey moved to an inner-city neighborhood in Milwaukee , Wisconsin , with her mother, who

14875-452: Was strict but encouraging, and made her education a priority. Winfrey became an honors student, was voted Most Popular Girl, and joined her high school speech team at East Nashville High School , placing second in the nation in dramatic interpretation. In 1986, Winfrey said, "'When my father took me, it changed the course of my life. He saved me. He simply knew what he wanted and expected. He would take nothing less'". Winfrey's first job as

15000-436: Was subject to stricter financial regulation. To escape that level of regulation, MetLife announced the sale of its banking unit to GE Capital . On November 2, 2012, MetLife said it was selling its US$ 70,000,000,000 mortgage servicing business to JPMorgan Chase for an undisclosed amount. Both sales were part of its strategy to focus on the insurance side of its business. The attempt to escape " too big to fail " regulation

15125-514: Was the best selling issue since 2006. The audience for her magazine is considerably more upscale than for her TV show; the average reader earns well above the median for U.S. women. In July 2020, it was announced that O Magazine would end its regular print publications after the December 2020 issue. In the December 2020 issue, Winfrey thanked readers and acknowledged it was the magazine's "final monthly print edition". Winfrey's company created

15250-518: Was the first company to issue a group annuity contract. More recently in 2004, it was the first insurer to introduce a longevity insurance product. As of December 31, 2009, MetLife globally managed group annuity assets of $ 60 billion with $ 34 billion of transferred pension liabilities and provided benefit payments to over 600,000 annuitants per month. In 2019, MetLife acquired PetFirst Healthcare, renaming it to MetLife Pet Insurance Solutions. The Pet Innovation Award named it "Pet Insurance of

15375-595: Was the first national insurer in the United States to offer identity-theft resolution services at no extra premium and as of 2012 continues to do so today in most United States states. MetLife's products also include critical illness insurance . Financial services include fee-based financial planning, retirement planning, wealth management, 529 Plans, banking, and commercial and residential mortgages . The company also provides retirement plans and other financial services to healthcare, education, and not-for-profit organizations. The MetLife Center for Special Needs Planning

15500-520: Was the largest single private contributor to the Allied cause. During the post-war era, the company expanded its suburban presence, decentralized operations, and refocused its career agency system to serve all market segments. It also began to market group insurance products to employers and institutions. By 1979, operations were segmented into four primary businesses: group insurance, personal insurance, pensions, and investments. In 1981 MetLife purchased

15625-479: Was the largest unit, accounting for 53% of 2009 revenue. By 2015, a division referred to as "Americas" had emerged. As of May 2019, MetLife's chief executive officer was Michel A. Khalaf and its non-executive chairman of the board was Glenn Hubbard . MetLife has a compensation committee which establishes remuneration for the company's senior executives, and emphasizes variable performance-based compensation over fixed pay rates. As of December 2023,

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