I think that everyone from Salisbury that visits my blog probably has an idea of the condition of Jared's blog.
I would like to hold a vote... right here in the comments of this post. Here's the question:
If Jared does not post again in the next week, does he deserve to stay in our lists of links?
We shall see...
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
It was a long week...
Monday morning rehearsal, 10-2. Tuesday rehearsal 10-4... then concert 7-9. Wednesday rehearsal 10-2. Thursday... rehearsal and concert.. Friday rehearsal and concert... Saturday rehearsal and concert.
Now, those of you (like Krissy) who have participated in rock 'n roll revival know how much work it is to put on the same concert several nights in a row. Those four concerts in five days were all different with no overlapping material.
But, now I have from Sunday through Thursday off... and a VIBRAPHONE! I get to borrow it until further notice... at least a couple of months.
"The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It is similar in appearance to the xylophone, although the vibraphone uses metal bars instead of the wooden bars on the xylophone. The vibraphone is commonly played with cord or yarn mallets.Below each bar is a resonator, a resonant metal tube, with a metal disc of a slightly smaller diameter located at the top. The discs in each tube are connected via a rod which can be made to rotate with an electric motor. When the motor is on and a note is struck, the notes acquire a tremolo sound as the resonators are covered and uncovered by the rotating discs. The player can vary the speed of the tremolo. At slower speeds, the effect sounds more like a "wah-wah-wah." At faster speeds, the tremolo is more pronounced. With the motor switched off the vibraphone has a mellow, bell-like sound.
While the instrument's name comes from "vibrato", this is actually a misnomer, since the effect is actually tremolo, not vibrato (vibrato being a modulation in pitch, not amplitude). In any case, the tremolo sound is now perceived as dated, and many modern vibraphonists eschew the effect altogether.
The vibraphone also has a sustain pedal similar to that used on a piano. When the pedal is up, the bars are all damped and the sound of each bar is quite short; with the pedal down, they will sound for several seconds, so frequent rapid pedalling is common when playing a vibraphone.
The vibraphone was invented in the United States in 1921. It has a long history as a jazz instrument. However, the vibraphone has since been used in many other musical idioms, including popular music."
Thank you wikipedia...
Monday morning rehearsal, 10-2. Tuesday rehearsal 10-4... then concert 7-9. Wednesday rehearsal 10-2. Thursday... rehearsal and concert.. Friday rehearsal and concert... Saturday rehearsal and concert.
Now, those of you (like Krissy) who have participated in rock 'n roll revival know how much work it is to put on the same concert several nights in a row. Those four concerts in five days were all different with no overlapping material.
But, now I have from Sunday through Thursday off... and a VIBRAPHONE! I get to borrow it until further notice... at least a couple of months.
"The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It is similar in appearance to the xylophone, although the vibraphone uses metal bars instead of the wooden bars on the xylophone. The vibraphone is commonly played with cord or yarn mallets.Below each bar is a resonator, a resonant metal tube, with a metal disc of a slightly smaller diameter located at the top. The discs in each tube are connected via a rod which can be made to rotate with an electric motor. When the motor is on and a note is struck, the notes acquire a tremolo sound as the resonators are covered and uncovered by the rotating discs. The player can vary the speed of the tremolo. At slower speeds, the effect sounds more like a "wah-wah-wah." At faster speeds, the tremolo is more pronounced. With the motor switched off the vibraphone has a mellow, bell-like sound.
While the instrument's name comes from "vibrato", this is actually a misnomer, since the effect is actually tremolo, not vibrato (vibrato being a modulation in pitch, not amplitude). In any case, the tremolo sound is now perceived as dated, and many modern vibraphonists eschew the effect altogether.
The vibraphone also has a sustain pedal similar to that used on a piano. When the pedal is up, the bars are all damped and the sound of each bar is quite short; with the pedal down, they will sound for several seconds, so frequent rapid pedalling is common when playing a vibraphone.
The vibraphone was invented in the United States in 1921. It has a long history as a jazz instrument. However, the vibraphone has since been used in many other musical idioms, including popular music."
Thank you wikipedia...
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Wow!
TV producer Stephen J. Cannell has been trying to get an "A-Team" movie off the ground for a little while now, and here comes word that he wants Bruce Willis to play the leader of the team...
From EmpireOnline.com: "Although the identity of the new writer and details of the plot are unconfirmed, Cannell, who will be producing the film, has made no secret of the fact the 80s cult show will be updated for the new millennium. "I want to create it as taking place today. So the Gulf War could be a great angle. In the original, the A-Team were on the run after robbing a bank under orders just as the war ended. In this, maybe the four would raid Saddam Hussein’s bank or whatever."But how will it better the chemistry of the original quartet of George Peppard (Hannibal), Mr. T (BA Baracus), Dwight Schultz (Murdock) and Dirk Benedict (Faceman)? "I would like the original cast to play a part - to have their input into the movie and to star in cameo roles. As for who will play the new roles, I think Bruce Willis would make a good Hannibal!"
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
First Day of School
Mom has a September 1st post so I thought it would be good to have one as well. Dasha's Dad broke his foot on August 24th (Ukrainian Independence Day) so he wasn't able to take the kids to school.
Here is Slavik... the face in the crowd. (Photo courtesy of Dasha) He is a fourth grader... it is his first time at a real school.
Here is Anton going in to first grade. I don't think he knows how many years he'll be spending in school... but he looks like he's getting the hang of it already.
And here are the first graders outside (Anton is with the green balloon) for their little ceremony. The older kids behind them are kids graduating this year.. it is a tradition for the graduating class to walk the first graders into the ceremony. Behind them, you can see how many parents were there to see it.
Here is Slavik... the face in the crowd. (Photo courtesy of Dasha) He is a fourth grader... it is his first time at a real school.
Here is Anton going in to first grade. I don't think he knows how many years he'll be spending in school... but he looks like he's getting the hang of it already.
And here are the first graders outside (Anton is with the green balloon) for their little ceremony. The older kids behind them are kids graduating this year.. it is a tradition for the graduating class to walk the first graders into the ceremony. Behind them, you can see how many parents were there to see it.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Motley Crew
Well... the total count is up to five. Dasha's parents just got two more kids in their home. On the left is Masha and Slavik - the two newest members - and then veterans Sonya, Yan, and Anton.
The Trip...
Well... It took us a little more than two days to make the 1,800 mile journey from Kendal, United Kingdom to Kyiv, Ukraine. We started around eight o'clock on Thursday morning and were at Operation Mobilization's Manna House by three or four in the afternoon where we met Anna.
In London we did some sightseeing (as you can see in the pictures below), had dinner at a Mexican place downtown and restarted our journey at around 11:30 P.M. We made it to our ferry across the English channel by around 1:00 A.M. and departed from Dover, UK to Calais, France at 2:10. The trip is a little under two hours and as soon as we boarded Dasha and I found a couple of couches to sleep on.
We woke up in France ready to start the longest leg of our journey. On Friday we went through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and finally stopped at a rest area for a few hours sleep (in the car) in Poland at around 1:00 on Saturday morning.
We woke up quite early (by 7 o'clock at the latest) as the sun was just coming up. We made it to the Poland/Ukraine border by mid-afternoon and waiting several hours in line. It was quite hot outside and we were sitting in the car with the a/c running. We turned the car off when we finally got to the front and when we turning it off it BARELY had enough juice in the battery to get us going again. Very thankfully we made our we through the border gates and were finally on our way through Ukraine. That thankfulness was cut off pretty quickly when we were pulled over within 300 feet of the border by police officers wanting to check our documents... AGAIN! This time the car didn't start and one of the officers got behind the wheel and two were in the back pushing it to get it started again.
We were stopped twice more on our way home for disobeying the IMPOSSIBLE Ukrainian traffic laws but both times we were stopped by officers who had no intention of running everything through the justice system. I talked to them in English saying PROTOCOL (they have the same word in Russian) which basically means to them that I'm only giving money to the Ukrainian government through the official system... no 'fee on the spot' for me.
We finally made it home on Saturday morning at around 1:30 A.M. Quite a trip... But we made it.
I'll post a list of the cities we travelled through later.
In London we did some sightseeing (as you can see in the pictures below), had dinner at a Mexican place downtown and restarted our journey at around 11:30 P.M. We made it to our ferry across the English channel by around 1:00 A.M. and departed from Dover, UK to Calais, France at 2:10. The trip is a little under two hours and as soon as we boarded Dasha and I found a couple of couches to sleep on.
We woke up in France ready to start the longest leg of our journey. On Friday we went through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and finally stopped at a rest area for a few hours sleep (in the car) in Poland at around 1:00 on Saturday morning.
We woke up quite early (by 7 o'clock at the latest) as the sun was just coming up. We made it to the Poland/Ukraine border by mid-afternoon and waiting several hours in line. It was quite hot outside and we were sitting in the car with the a/c running. We turned the car off when we finally got to the front and when we turning it off it BARELY had enough juice in the battery to get us going again. Very thankfully we made our we through the border gates and were finally on our way through Ukraine. That thankfulness was cut off pretty quickly when we were pulled over within 300 feet of the border by police officers wanting to check our documents... AGAIN! This time the car didn't start and one of the officers got behind the wheel and two were in the back pushing it to get it started again.
We were stopped twice more on our way home for disobeying the IMPOSSIBLE Ukrainian traffic laws but both times we were stopped by officers who had no intention of running everything through the justice system. I talked to them in English saying PROTOCOL (they have the same word in Russian) which basically means to them that I'm only giving money to the Ukrainian government through the official system... no 'fee on the spot' for me.
We finally made it home on Saturday morning at around 1:30 A.M. Quite a trip... But we made it.
I'll post a list of the cities we travelled through later.
There is a Ukrainian police story... but I'll get to it in a minute. It's not nearly as interesting as Steve "Crocodile Hunter" Irwin being killed by a stingray. I guess he kind of had it coming...
A DOCTOR and witnesses have told of the desperate efforts to save Australian icon Steve Irwin after the Crocodile Hunter was struck in the chest by a stingray barb today.
Irwin, 44, died this morning after being fatally injured while filming a nature documentary off Queensland.
The news has shocked the nation and prompted a rush of tributes from politicians and the public alike.
Irwin's wife Terri was in Tasmania at the time of the tragedy and had to be contacted by police with the terrible news.
The couple's daughter Bindi, 8, was with her father in north Queensland, Irwin's manager John Stainton said from Cairns.
Choking back tears, Mr Stainton said Irwin had gone “over the top of a stingray and a stingray's barb went up and went into his chest and put a hole into his heart”.
"He possibly died instantly when the barb hit him, and I don't think that he ... felt any pain.”
Professional diver Pete West was on board a nearby boat and was asked by Irwin's team to call in the emergency.
Asked on Channel 7 if Irwin was alive when they got him on his own boat, Mr West said: “I believe so.”
"He was doing what he did best and unfortunately today he wasn't quick enough."
Dr Ed O'Loughlin was aboard the Emergency Management Queensland Helicopter which was called from Cairns at 11.21am (AEST).
Irwin was being given CPR at Low Isles, off Port Douglas, as the helicopter arrived less than one hour after the incident, but Dr O'Loughlin said nothing could be done to save him.
"It became clear fairly soon that he had non-survivable injuries," Dr O'Loughlin said.
"He had a penetrating injury to the left front of his chest. He had lost his pulse and wasn't breathing."
Mr Stainton admitted he had always feared Irwin might meet his death while working with wildlife, but added that Irwin himself was never scared. "We've been in some pretty close shaves. (But) nothing would ever scare Steve or would worry him. He didn't have a fear of death at all.”
Tragedy
Father-of-two Irwin was swimming at Batt Reef, off the Low Isles, when the tragedy occurred.
Tasmania Police this afternoon confirmed his wife Terri was travelling in the state at the time of the tragedy.
A spokeswoman said police had made contact with Mrs Irwin and "passed on a message relating to the death of her husband".
The Irwins have two children - Bindi and a three-year-old son, Robert (Bob) Clarence Irwin.
John Weigel, of the Australian Reptile Park on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, said Irwin's death would be "devastating to a lot of people".
"He walked into the room like someone had opened the window and let the light in.
"He seemed invincible and it's a great shock that it could happen."
Famed
Steve Irwin - known worldwide as the Crocodile Hunter - was famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchcry "Crikey!".
In an sad twist, it has been reported that his new documentary was aimed at demystifying the stingray. However Mr Stainton said Irwin was filming other footage for a program with Bindi at the time of the attack.
Irwin's Crocodile Hunter program was first broadcast in 1992 and has been shown around the world on cable network Discovery.
He has also starred in movies and has developed the Australia Zoo wildlife park, north of Brisbane, which was started by his parents Bob and Lyn Irwin.
Tributes quickly poured in for the larger-than-life character.Prime Minister John Howard said Irwin was a typical Australian larrikin who brought joy to millions of people around the world.
"I am quite shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death," he said.
"It's a huge loss to Australia."
A Tourism Queensland spokeswoman said the death was shocking and paid tribute to Irwin's "enormous contribution" to his adopted state.
"I don't think we could even estimate how much he brought us through his personality and his profile and his enthusiasm about Queensland," she said.
- with AAP
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20349888-2,00.html
A DOCTOR and witnesses have told of the desperate efforts to save Australian icon Steve Irwin after the Crocodile Hunter was struck in the chest by a stingray barb today.
Irwin, 44, died this morning after being fatally injured while filming a nature documentary off Queensland.
The news has shocked the nation and prompted a rush of tributes from politicians and the public alike.
Irwin's wife Terri was in Tasmania at the time of the tragedy and had to be contacted by police with the terrible news.
The couple's daughter Bindi, 8, was with her father in north Queensland, Irwin's manager John Stainton said from Cairns.
Choking back tears, Mr Stainton said Irwin had gone “over the top of a stingray and a stingray's barb went up and went into his chest and put a hole into his heart”.
"He possibly died instantly when the barb hit him, and I don't think that he ... felt any pain.”
Professional diver Pete West was on board a nearby boat and was asked by Irwin's team to call in the emergency.
Asked on Channel 7 if Irwin was alive when they got him on his own boat, Mr West said: “I believe so.”
"He was doing what he did best and unfortunately today he wasn't quick enough."
Dr Ed O'Loughlin was aboard the Emergency Management Queensland Helicopter which was called from Cairns at 11.21am (AEST).
Irwin was being given CPR at Low Isles, off Port Douglas, as the helicopter arrived less than one hour after the incident, but Dr O'Loughlin said nothing could be done to save him.
"It became clear fairly soon that he had non-survivable injuries," Dr O'Loughlin said.
"He had a penetrating injury to the left front of his chest. He had lost his pulse and wasn't breathing."
Mr Stainton admitted he had always feared Irwin might meet his death while working with wildlife, but added that Irwin himself was never scared. "We've been in some pretty close shaves. (But) nothing would ever scare Steve or would worry him. He didn't have a fear of death at all.”
Tragedy
Father-of-two Irwin was swimming at Batt Reef, off the Low Isles, when the tragedy occurred.
Tasmania Police this afternoon confirmed his wife Terri was travelling in the state at the time of the tragedy.
A spokeswoman said police had made contact with Mrs Irwin and "passed on a message relating to the death of her husband".
The Irwins have two children - Bindi and a three-year-old son, Robert (Bob) Clarence Irwin.
John Weigel, of the Australian Reptile Park on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, said Irwin's death would be "devastating to a lot of people".
"He walked into the room like someone had opened the window and let the light in.
"He seemed invincible and it's a great shock that it could happen."
Famed
Steve Irwin - known worldwide as the Crocodile Hunter - was famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchcry "Crikey!".
In an sad twist, it has been reported that his new documentary was aimed at demystifying the stingray. However Mr Stainton said Irwin was filming other footage for a program with Bindi at the time of the attack.
Irwin's Crocodile Hunter program was first broadcast in 1992 and has been shown around the world on cable network Discovery.
He has also starred in movies and has developed the Australia Zoo wildlife park, north of Brisbane, which was started by his parents Bob and Lyn Irwin.
Tributes quickly poured in for the larger-than-life character.Prime Minister John Howard said Irwin was a typical Australian larrikin who brought joy to millions of people around the world.
"I am quite shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death," he said.
"It's a huge loss to Australia."
A Tourism Queensland spokeswoman said the death was shocking and paid tribute to Irwin's "enormous contribution" to his adopted state.
"I don't think we could even estimate how much he brought us through his personality and his profile and his enthusiasm about Queensland," she said.
- with AAP
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20349888-2,00.html
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Pictures don't want to load so I'm taking a break from Britain to talk about America...
Below is a quote from the Drudge Report. It amazes me how much propoganda you here about Fox News. They even sell Fox News Blockers to hook up to your TV so that as you are channel surfing, you will never land on Fox. I don't think I've ever heard of another channel being so hated as a whole. But the numbers speak differently. Even FNC's number (according to this list, Brit Hume) has TWICE as many viewers as Larry King, the god of cable news.
Oh well...
CABLE NEWS RACE MON., AUG. 14, 2006 VIEWERS
FOXNEWS O'REILLY 2,059,000
FNC BRIT HUME 1,614,000
FNC HANNITY/COLMES 1,496,000
FNC GRETA 1,485,000
FNC SHEP SMITH 1,179,000
CNN LARRY KING 805,000
CNN COOPER 798,000
CNN DOBBS 678,000
CNN ZAHN 669,000
MSNBC HARDBALL 456,000
MSNBC INVESTIGATES 451,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 363,000
CNNHN GLENN BECK 354,000
CNNHN NANCY GRACE 335,000
Below is a quote from the Drudge Report. It amazes me how much propoganda you here about Fox News. They even sell Fox News Blockers to hook up to your TV so that as you are channel surfing, you will never land on Fox. I don't think I've ever heard of another channel being so hated as a whole. But the numbers speak differently. Even FNC's number (according to this list, Brit Hume) has TWICE as many viewers as Larry King, the god of cable news.
Oh well...
CABLE NEWS RACE MON., AUG. 14, 2006 VIEWERS
FOXNEWS O'REILLY 2,059,000
FNC BRIT HUME 1,614,000
FNC HANNITY/COLMES 1,496,000
FNC GRETA 1,485,000
FNC SHEP SMITH 1,179,000
CNN LARRY KING 805,000
CNN COOPER 798,000
CNN DOBBS 678,000
CNN ZAHN 669,000
MSNBC HARDBALL 456,000
MSNBC INVESTIGATES 451,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 363,000
CNNHN GLENN BECK 354,000
CNNHN NANCY GRACE 335,000
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Liverpool
Monday we took a day trip to Liverpool... unfortunately the Beatle's museum was closed. Ugh...
Oh well... It's a nice city that reminded me a lot of Philadelphia in some parts....
Oh well... It's a nice city that reminded me a lot of Philadelphia in some parts....
Monday, August 07, 2006
Scotland
Well, it's been a while since we last posted. We had a few days rest after getting to England and Andrey (Dasha's brother) and Olessya (sister-in-law) had to work a few days before having Thursday and Friday off to enjoy a nice long weekend all together.
We had planned a day trip to Scotland... maybe to Edinburgh (home of John Knox) or to Glasgow to have a nice walk around and the chance to see another british culture. Andrey and Olessya didn't plan on a day trip... they planned on four day trip staying at a Bed and Breakfast right on the western coast of Scotland in historical Oban. WOW! What a treat!
We took around 150 pictures while we were there, but here is a choice sample.
The whole area is very 'islandy' (if you look at a map, it's easier to see) and these first two were taken while on a ferry to Mull Island from Oban.
This is just one of several castles we visited... they're all over the place!
A more broken down castle (broken down = FREE ENTRY!) on the top of a hill. Dasha is behind bars but I am not because I climbed a ROCK FACE to get up to the next window. I actually surprised myself with my agility getting up. But Dasha and I had Andrey and Olessya laughing discussing how to get me down...
There were supposed to be more but blogger didn't want to load them all immediately... oh well.
Enjoy!
We had planned a day trip to Scotland... maybe to Edinburgh (home of John Knox) or to Glasgow to have a nice walk around and the chance to see another british culture. Andrey and Olessya didn't plan on a day trip... they planned on four day trip staying at a Bed and Breakfast right on the western coast of Scotland in historical Oban. WOW! What a treat!
We took around 150 pictures while we were there, but here is a choice sample.
The whole area is very 'islandy' (if you look at a map, it's easier to see) and these first two were taken while on a ferry to Mull Island from Oban.
This is just one of several castles we visited... they're all over the place!
A more broken down castle (broken down = FREE ENTRY!) on the top of a hill. Dasha is behind bars but I am not because I climbed a ROCK FACE to get up to the next window. I actually surprised myself with my agility getting up. But Dasha and I had Andrey and Olessya laughing discussing how to get me down...
There were supposed to be more but blogger didn't want to load them all immediately... oh well.
Enjoy!
More Scotland...
There we are at the Oban distillery where we started one of our days with a tour and learned how they make whiskey... We also got a taste of the whiskey that is made there (at 10:00 a.m., hence the happy faces!)
It is a bit rainy in Britain from time to time... make sure Haley takes a windbreaker/raincoat with her. It wasn't cold out... just a bit wet. But not rainy... it was just kind of misty.
There we are at the Oban distillery where we started one of our days with a tour and learned how they make whiskey... We also got a taste of the whiskey that is made there (at 10:00 a.m., hence the happy faces!)
It is a bit rainy in Britain from time to time... make sure Haley takes a windbreaker/raincoat with her. It wasn't cold out... just a bit wet. But not rainy... it was just kind of misty.
Being right on the water, we couldn't resist eating seafood as much as possible. But it was nice to have Andrey as we had a few wee little problems with the scottish accent.
THIS... is 'haggis' (pronounced, huggies). Some sort of traditional scottish dealio. The real thing is supposed to be the meat (the middle layer... actually I don't think it's really meat... mostly innards) inside somebody's stomach.... sheep or cow, I think. On the top here it's 'nips' and the bottom is 'tatties'. Apparenly, that means parsnips and potatoes.
Mmm.... seafood.
THIS... is 'haggis' (pronounced, huggies). Some sort of traditional scottish dealio. The real thing is supposed to be the meat (the middle layer... actually I don't think it's really meat... mostly innards) inside somebody's stomach.... sheep or cow, I think. On the top here it's 'nips' and the bottom is 'tatties'. Apparenly, that means parsnips and potatoes.
Mmm.... seafood.
Monday, July 31, 2006
We made it...
Well... we're sorry about pictures... the one at the top is our only shot from the trip. It was five in the morning in London. We had frequent stops on the bus, but in rest areas with nothing interesting to take pictures of... and usually just enough time for the bathroom and back on the bus. It was an adventure that Dasha and I were glad to have, but also one that we're glad is over and don't plan on taking again.
But now we are here in Kendal (northern England), at Dasha's brother and sister-in-law's house... we're sitting here enjoying the view of the english countryside (the picture below is the the view out the front window). That's all for now, and we promise to take more pictures as we go and post them while we're here since we have access to much faster internet than in Kyiv....
Friday, July 28, 2006
The Beginning
The Mother that Be made a request for a pre-blog of the forthcoming trip.
So... It is 1:44 A.M. in Ukraine and Dasha and I are leaving on a bus to England at 10:00 A.M.
We've packed a suitcase for the two of us and enough food to feed whoever else might be on the bus. Once we get there (on Sunday morning... two days of bus) Dasha's brother and sister-in-law will meet us there.
Let the mayhem begin...
So... It is 1:44 A.M. in Ukraine and Dasha and I are leaving on a bus to England at 10:00 A.M.
We've packed a suitcase for the two of us and enough food to feed whoever else might be on the bus. Once we get there (on Sunday morning... two days of bus) Dasha's brother and sister-in-law will meet us there.
Let the mayhem begin...
Saturday, July 15, 2006
English Camp
Where have we been for so long? Studying English! Here is a glimpse into our week at camp. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.
P.S. I'm going with 'No Comment' for now as regards to the World Cup...
P.S. I'm going with 'No Comment' for now as regards to the World Cup...
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