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  • Cyclospora Outbreak: Why the White House Went Silent | Episode 182

    Cyclospora Outbreak: Why the White House Went Silent | Episode 182
    2026/09/01

    🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.

    👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.


    Nearly 21,000 Americans are confirmed sick with Cyclospora, and three different government sources can't agree on the actual number. When the administration finally addressed it, the best they offered was a joke. In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, Matt and Francine break down what accountability was supposed to look like, and the eight concrete fixes still sitting on someone's desk.


    They walk through the math behind the conflicting case counts, why the government's own numbers may be undercounting sick Americans by a factor of 10 or more, and the specific policy changes that could stop the next outbreak from disappearing into a spreadsheet.


    Spoiler alert: the real number of people sick could be well over a million, and nobody in Washington wants to say so.


    In this episode:


    💩 00:00:00 Bill Marler's Article: Govt’s Response to Cyclospora

    💩 00:06:09 CDC's Three Conflicting Case Counts

    💩 00:08:32 The Government’s Flawed Food Safety Advice

    💩 00:09:48 The White House's Silence So Far

    💩 00:11:15 Extrapolating The Cyclospora Case Count

    💩 00:13:42 Eight Recommended Fixes For The FDA

    💩 00:19:51 Reviving The Microbiological Data Program

    💩 00:24:48 FSMA 204 And The Water Rule

    💩 00:29:06 The Economic Cost Of Outbreaks


    Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.


    Resources from this episode

    Use the code POOP for 25% off the Food Safety Consortium Conference: https://www.eventleaf.com/e/FoodSafetyConsortium

    Check out the article we’re discussing in this episode:

    • Food Safety News: The Fifty-State Cyclospora Count Is 20,927 This Morning. The President Has Said One Thing About It. The Secretary Says It Is Under Control. Here Is What They Should Have Said Instead.


    Noteworthy quotes from this episode

    “ I do believe the states should be able to make their own laws, but I do think that the federal government should also have laws pertaining to food safety, and those laws should be statistics.” – Matt Regusci


    “Food safety's not political. We're talking about people's well-being.” – Francine L Shaw


    We hope you enjoy this episode!

    Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!


    Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.


    We'd love to hear from you!


    📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!


    📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?


    🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!


    Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected.


    _______

    Produced by Ideablossoms

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    33 分
  • Taylor Farms Cyclospora Outbreak: Epidemiology and the Cost of Getting It Wrong | Episode 181

    Taylor Farms Cyclospora Outbreak: Epidemiology and the Cost of Getting It Wrong | Episode 181
    2026/08/25
    🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.Over 20,000 people sick, five different versions of the same denial, and a produce giant that helped write the very traceability rules it's now dodging. In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop! Matt and Francine dig into the Cyclospora outbreak tied to Taylor Farms lettuce and the Taco Bell connection everyone's talking about.They break down how Bill Marler builds a case against a company, why epidemiology (not a lab test) is what actually proves where an outbreak came from, and why Taco Bell's fast, transparent response is saving its reputation while Taylor Farms' spin is making things worse.In this episode:💩 00:00:00 Lettuce Ordering Mishaps💩 00:05:05 Bill Marler's IAFP Article and Cyclospora Update💩 00:10:32 How Epidemiology Proves an Outbreak's Source💩 00:13:31 Taco Bell vs. Taylor Farms' Response on Cyclospora💩 00:17:12 The Jensen Farms Cantaloupe Case💩 00:21:02 Lettuce Sales Drop 20%💩 00:22:35 Taylor Farms' Shifting Statements💩 00:26:38 Taylor Farms Helped Write the Traceability Rules It's Now Sidestepping💩 00:30:52 Why Taylor Farms Will Be Remembered in This OutbreakDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeUse the code POOP for a 25% discount for the Food Safety Consortium Conference: https://www.eventleaf.com/e/FoodSafetyConsortium Take a look at the Bill Marler articles mentioned in this episode:At IAFP I Was Told It Was American Sewage, Not Mexican Lettuce. That Gets the Parasite Half Right and the Continent Entirely Wrong. Here Is Everything Taco Bell Has Said About Cyclospora. The Company Was Already Pulling Lettuce When It Told Reporters Nothing Had Been Confirmed. Taylor Farms Has Now Written Five Different Versions of the Same Statement. The Newest One Says It Ran Two Thousand Samples and Found Nothing. Ohio Just Added 1,437 Cyclospora Cases in a Week and the Fifty-State Count Crossed Twenty Thousand.Noteworthy quotes from this episode“If you needed a positive test for a product to confirm that product really was sold and consumed and got that person sick, consumers would rarely get compensated for anything. And you don't. In food safety law, epidemiology works.” – Matt Regusci“I'm astounded at the arguments that people are coming up with about why it's not and why it can't be Taylor Farms when there's so much evidence pointing to the fact that it is.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms_______
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    38 分
  • Closing the Food Safety Culture Gap: Data, Training & AI with Azure Edwards of Pacific Blue Horizon Group | Episode 180

    Closing the Food Safety Culture Gap: Data, Training & AI with Azure Edwards of Pacific Blue Horizon Group | Episode 180
    2026/08/18

    🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.

    👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.


    Food safety culture has been the industry's favorite buzzword for years, but what does it actually look like once you're standing on the production floor?


    Food safety writer and consultant Azure Edwards joins Francine and Matt to talk about the real gap between the policies companies write down and the decisions people make when the pressure is on to get product out the door. This episode covers training, data feedback loops, and where AI genuinely helps versus where it falls short.


    Spoiler alert: the industry's problem was never a lack of data. It's turning that data into something the floor and the C-suite can actually act on.


    In this episode:


    💩 00:00:00 Introducing Food Safety Consultant Azure Edwards

    💩 00:05:07 The Gap Between Training Requirements and Production Floor

    💩 00:06:31 Food Safety as a Business Structure

    💩 00:09:07 Building Actionable Modules for Food Safety Culture

    💩 00:10:44 Food Safety Data Feedback Loops

    💩 00:15:29 Why Floor-Level Reality Gets Diluted Before It Reaches Leadership

    💩 00:21:16 Getting Food Safety Into Decisions Earlier

    💩 00:28:15 Azure’s Career Across Produce, Beef, Seafood, and Lab Testing

    💩 00:35:18 Where AI Actually Helps in Food Safety


    Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.


    Resources from this episode

    Connect with Azure Edwards on LinkedIn and on her website (Pacific Blue Horizon Group).


    Azure’s Food Safety Tech Articles: https://foodsafetytech.com/?s=Azure+Edwards


    Azure’s Food Safety News Articles:

    • The food industry’s training problem is the system it keeps paying for
    • Food safety and the Campbell Soup Company


    Episode discussing Azure’s article: The Failures of the Food Industry's Pizza and Stick Approach to Food Safety | Episode 154


    Noteworthy quotes from this episode

    “ When people are in a situation where they have to make a decision, it's gonna be the one that's gonna give them the result that they need, and oftentimes that's just getting it out the door and keeping their job.” – Azure Edwards


    We hope you enjoy this episode!

    Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!


    Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.


    We'd love to hear from you!


    📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!


    📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?


    🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!


    Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected.


    _______

    Produced by Ideablossoms

    _______
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    45 分
  • FDA's New Director of Produce Safety: Can Dr. Donna Garren Make a Change? | Episode 179

    FDA's New Director of Produce Safety: Can Dr. Donna Garren Make a Change? | Episode 179
    2026/08/11

    🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.

    👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.


    The FDA's top produce safety post sat empty for over a year, and when it comes to leafy greens, berries, and bagged salads, that's not a small gap. Now Dr. Donna Garren has the job, arriving with a three-decade resume that reads like a tour of nearly every food trade association in the country.


    In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, Matt and Francine ask the question nobody else seems to be asking: does the person in the seat actually change outcomes?


    This episode is a deep dive into Garren's career, what the Office of Produce Safety actually does, and whether decades of political skill can move an agency stuck in reactionary mode.


    Spoiler alert: She's not bringing a magic wand. She's bringing decades of relationship capital, and that might be exactly what this role needs.


    In this episode:


    00:00:00 Meet Dr. Donna Garren, FDA's New Director of Produce Safety

    00:04:25 Garren's Food Science Roots

    00:07:24 Two Decades of Lobbying

    00:17:55 What the Office of Produce Safety Actually Does

    00:22:57 Garren vs. Her Predecessor: Political Skill vs. Scientific Pedigree

    00:28:33 Stakeholder Engagement and Training ( Industry Outreach and Consensus-Building)

    00:34:47 Translating Science for Farmers


    Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.


    Noteworthy quotes from this episode

    “I think the FDA has been in reactionary mode as opposed to preventative mode.” – Matt Regusci


    “You can't keep doing what we've been doing. You've gotta do something different.” – Francine L Shaw


    We hope you enjoy this episode!

    Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!


    Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.


    We'd love to hear from you!


    📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!


    📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?


    🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!


    Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected.


    _______

    Produced by Ideablossoms

    _______
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    40 分
  • Would You Eat It? Food Safety Risks Ranked | Episode 178

    Would You Eat It? Food Safety Risks Ranked | Episode 178
    2026/08/04

    🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.

    👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.


    Fountain soda ice that turns pink overnight. Gas station sushi. A charcuterie board that's been sitting out since noon.


    In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine play a rapid-fire game of "Would You Eat It?" testing real-world food safety risks like bacteria growth, mold contamination, and foodborne illness exposure against their own personal judgment calls.


    From the five-second rule to bulging cans of chicken broth (a classic botulism red flag), the hosts debate food expiration dates, cross-contamination, safe food handling, and where their personal risk tolerance lines actually sit.


    Spoiler alert: even two food safety experts have their guilty-pleasure blind spots when it comes to food poisoning prevention (raw cookie dough, anyone?).


    In this episode:


    00:00:00 Would You Eat It? The Five Second Rule

    00:04:06 Gas Station Sushi, Rare Burgers and Childhood Habits

    00:06:54 Bacteria Contamination in Self-service Ice Machines and Soda Fountains

    00:09:21 How Long Is Too Long in the Temperature Danger Zone?

    00:10:59 Sell-by Dates, Expiration Dates and Real Life

    00:12:54 Cross Contaminaiton Prevention and Salmonella Risk

    00:17:03 Moldy Bread and Wild Mushroom Foraging Risks

    00:17:56 Sharing Food and Drinks: Saliva Transfer Risk

    00:20:09 Bulging Canned Goods and Botulism


    Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.


    Noteworthy quotes from this episode

    “Anything that's been in the car overnight, no. Disgusting. Yuck. There's no redeeming value.” – Matt Regusci


    “They can kill you quickly. You grab the wrong mushroom, you'd be dead very quickly.” – Francine L Shaw


    We hope you enjoy this episode!

    Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!


    Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.


    We'd love to hear from you!


    📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!


    📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?


    🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!


    Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected.


    _______

    Produced by Ideablossoms

    _______
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    25 分
  • Cyclospora Outbreak: 7,000 Sick and the Surveillance System That Went Dark | Episode 177

    Cyclospora Outbreak: 7,000 Sick and the Surveillance System That Went Dark | Episode 177
    2026/07/28
    🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.Nearly 7,000 people are sick, the CDC's own case count can't keep up with what individual states are finding on their own, and six months ago the agency quietly stopped requiring labs to track Cyclospora at all. In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine break down how an outbreak this size is unfolding in near-total darkness. This episode covers what Cyclospora actually does to the body, where the current outbreak started, and the funding cuts that gutted the surveillance system meant to catch it. When you stop counting the sick, the numbers go down, but the problem doesn't.In this episode:00:00:00 The Educated Food Safety Guess That Turned Out to Be True00:04:46 A Food Safety Project Three Years in the Making00:08:04 Tracking the Cyclospora Outbreak00:12:27 What Is Cyclospora? Symptoms, Transmission, and Sources00:17:53 1,645 Confirmed Cyclospora Cases and Nearly 7,000 Suspected00:19:03 Suspected Sources and the Taco Bell Connection00:23:49 CDC Funding Cuts and the FoodNet Tracking Rollback00:28:28 How a Systemic Contamination Event Actually Happens00:35:29 The Supplier is Confirmed — It's Taylor Farms00:47:02 Taco Bell's Statement and IFPA's Pushback on the Produce LinkDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeHave a look at the articles mentioned in this episode:Two Friends Warn About Cyclospora. In the Morning I’ll Carry the Same Message to Puerto Vallarta: We Stopped Counting the Sick and Holding those to AccountCyclospora by State: Three Different Counts — the CDC’s, the State’s, and the Media’sCDC, FDA link Taco Bell lettuce supplier to multistate cyclosporiasis outbreakThe Cyclospora Outbreak Now Has Two Names on It — Taylor Farms and Taco Bell. Both Have Been Here Before and So Have IParasitic Outbreak Linked to Taylor Farms Lettuce Supplied to Taco BellNoteworthy quotes from this episode“When you have 7,000 potential cases, it is a systemic problem.” – Matt Regusci“Of course the numbers are gonna decline. They're not counting them.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms_______
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    52 分
  • Food Safety Consortium 2026: Allergens, Traceability & a Story That Silenced a Room with Rick Biros from Food Safety Tech | Episode 176

    Food Safety Consortium 2026: Allergens, Traceability & a Story That Silenced a Room with Rick Biros from Food Safety Tech | Episode 176
    2026/07/21
    🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.A crowded elevator in St. Louis. A stranger's badge. A conversation that led food safety consortium founder Rick Biros to a mother named Dana and to Kayla, her daughter, who died of E. coli O111 in 2007. In this third installment of the 2026 Food Safety Consortium preview series on Don’t Eat Poop!, Matt, Francine, and Rick sit with a story that silenced a room of industry veterans, then turn to what's ahead at this year's conference.This episode blends raw human stakes with a practical look at what's coming to Food Safety Consortium, from AI adoption and allergen transparency to the traceability deadline barreling toward the whole industry.Spoiler alert: the best food safety conferences aren't built on data alone — they're built on stories that make the stakes impossible to ignore.In this episode:00:03:29 The Power of a Food Safety Story00:06:50 The Elevator Encounter: How Rick Met Dana and Heard Kayla's Story00:14:30 Food Safety: From a Job to a Career, to a Passion00:17:02 Business Outcomes From Investing in Food Safety00:20:59 Allergen Panel featuring Marriott, Universal, Aramark, and Red Lobster00:22:19 Risk-based Pest Control and the Search For a Produce "Kill Step"00:23:46 Alpha-gal: The Tick Bite That Can Mean No More Red Meat00:29:30 AI at the Food Safety ConsortiumDisclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.Resources from this episodeConnect with RickTake a look at Kayla’s story on Food Safety Tech: Food Safety FateUse code POOP for 25% off the 2026 Food Safety ConsortiumCheck out the rest of the series with Rick:Behind the Scenes of the Food Safety Consortium: Curation, Speakers & 15 Years of Evolution with Rick Biros from Food Safety Tech | Episode 170Food Safety as an Investment: Inside the 2026 Food Safety Consortium with Rick Biros | Episode 173Noteworthy quotes from this episode“There wasn't a dry eye in the audience. I read the story, and I just said, ‘Wow, folks, that's why you do what you do.’” – Rick Biros“These situations are 100% preventable. Somewhere along the way, somebody did something wrong. We are never gonna stop all of them. We're not gonna eradicate all of the foodborne illnesses. But we could certainly reduce them significantly.” – Francine L ShawWe hope you enjoy this episode!Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.We'd love to hear from you!📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected._______Produced by Ideablossoms
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    35 分
  • The Power of Storytelling in Food Safety with Dr. Darin Detwiler & Gennette Zimmer | Episode 175

    The Power of Storytelling in Food Safety with Dr. Darin Detwiler & Gennette Zimmer | Episode 175
    2026/07/14

    🍽️ Francine and Matt are building a global, fun, and inclusive Food Safety Family! From the C-suite to the kitchen, they’re making safe food the norm everywhere.

    👉 Follow Francine and Matt on LinkedIn for more food safety insights and updates.


    Every corporate food safety crisis seems to follow the same script: a somber press conference, a pledge to prioritize safety, a promise to retrain the people at the bottom. But what if the missing ingredient isn't more data or policy — it's story?


    In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, Dr. Darin Detwiler and Gennette Zimmer join Francine and Matt to make the case that food safety culture is built on the stories we tell, and the ones we're afraid to.


    They explore how storytelling shapes food safety culture, why credentials don't always equal true expertise, and why so many food safety conferences still don't reflect the people most affected by failures.


    In this episode:


    00:00:00 Storytelling as the "Mortar" of Food Safety Culture

    00:03:57 Darin's 30 Years of Teaching Comes to a Close

    00:12:39 Teaching Through Storytelling

    00:19:43 Peanut Corp, Baby Formula, Boar's Head: A Pattern of Ignored Warnings

    00:24:00 The Corporate Crisis Playbook

    00:26:48 The Families' Food Safety Forgets

    00:31:00 Storytelling Talk at the Food Safety Consortium

    00:40:46 How Storytelling Impacts Audiences

    00:44:15 Diversity and Representation in Food Safety

    00:49:34 The Three Dimensions of Storytelling


    Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.

    Resources from this episode

    Connect with Dr. Darin Detwiler on LinkedIn

    Connect with Gennette Zimmer on LinkedIn


    Confessions of a Food Safety A**hole podcast


    Take a look at our past episode with Darin and Gennette: What Happens When You Speak Up For Food Safety with Food Safety Icon Dr. Darin Detwiler and His Wife Gennette Zimmer


    Get 25% off the 2026 Food Safety Consortium with discount code POOP


    Noteworthy quotes from this episode

    “ When the people who are your intended audience do not see themselves reflected in the conversation, that's hard for buy-in.” – Dr. Darin Detwiler


    We hope you enjoy this episode!

    Remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Together, we can raise awareness and make a positive impact in the world of food safety!


    Share your thoughts and feedback on the show, and feel free to offer any topics you would like to hear discussed.


    We'd love to hear from you!


    📲 Connect with Francine, Matt, and the "Don't Eat Poop!" show on LinkedIn!


    📕 Check out Francine's book Who Watches the Kitchen?


    🎙️ BE A GUEST ON DON’T EAT POOP!


    Fill out this form to tell us more about yourself. We’ll reach out via email within 30 days with next steps if you’re selected.

    _______

    Produced by Ideablossoms

    _______
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    56 分