OT ~ Welcome to Saturday!

Sit-a-while
on swinging porch
where tin-dippers and
sweet water
in cool touches
meet lips
from hand dug wells.

Instead of clinging to the sardonic funeral towers of metropolitan finance, ours [is] to march out to newly plowed fields, to create fresh patterns of political action, to alter for human purposes the perverse mechanisms of our economic regime, to conceive and to germinate fresh forms of human culture. ~ Lewis Mumford

Good morning good people,

The following is an intro and link to an article of interest to me as it represents a place similar to an old vision--desire of mine from adolescence to live in harmony with the earth near a cultural center--and the following entrepreneurs plan such a place with tiny homes mixed with larger ones, growing food, farming vertically, collecting rain water, power and naturally reusing waste; nearly self sustaining.

As you read, this planned community is expensive, not San Fran costly, but high dollar in normal terms, but they hope their project becomes a template for future use in populated countries lacking resources.

The world’s first “high-tech eco village” will reinvent suburbs

ReGen village, in the Netherlands, will collect and store its own water and energy, grow its own food, and process much of its own waste. Also: no cars.

A half-hour commute from Amsterdam, a piece of farmland is slated to become a new kind of neighborhood. Vertical farms, along with traditional fields and orchards surrounding homes, will supply food to people living there. Food waste will turn into fish feed for on-site aquaculture. Houses will filter rainwater, but won’t have driveways. A “village OS” tech platform will use AI to simultaneously manage systems for renewable energy, food production, water supply, and waste.
[...]
There’s also a need to rethink infrastructure so it works more efficiently, with a lower environmental footprint. The new development considers everything–from electricity to sewage–as an interconnected system, and software links the pieces together. Electric cars, for example, which will be parked on the perimeter of the neighborhood to keep streets walkable, can store some of the extra power from the neighborhood’s solar panels and other renewable energy. more: https://www.fastcompany.com/90207375/the-worlds-first-high-tech-eco-vill...

"If we are to create balanced human beings, capable of entering into world-wide co-operation with all other men of good will—and that is the supreme task of our generation, and the foundation of all its other potential achievements—we must give as much weight to the arousal of the emotions and to the expression of moral and esthetic values as we now give to science, to invention, to practical organization. One without the other is impotent. And values do not come ready-made: they are achieved by a resolute attempt to square the facts of one’s own experience with the historic patterns formed in the past by those who devoted their whole lives to achieving and expressing values. If we are to express the love in our own hearts, we must also understand what love meant to Socrates and Saint Francis, to Dante and Shakespeare, to Emily Dickinson and Christina Rossetti, to the explorer Shackleton and to the intrepid physicians who deliberately exposed themselves to yellow fever. These historic manifestations of love are not recorded in the day’s newspaper or the current radio program: they are hidden to people who possess only fashionable minds." ~ Mumford

Art today: Verisimilitude ~ David Gerhartz

Have a great day and weekend, everyone; not sure at this writing i'll be around; no matter, the porch is yours.

...

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detroitmechworks's picture

Looks like today is the day I actually have to be an adult and... CLEAN MY ROOM. The horror. (To be fair, I spend almost zero time in there other than sleeping... Funny, I almost never leave my apartment, and almost never leave the main room. Go figure...)

Logos Series continues today, with the final piece of the 1st act, Calliope. Tomorrow we start with the Heroes, Act II. Amazingly, I always write these before checking the OT's and I'm amazed how often I find an echo of what I was just writing in them. Smile

While the Eco-village concept is nice, I would rather lose the computer overseer and build around a communal space. But then, keep in mind I'm a paranoid who trusts computers the same distance I can comfortably throw the programmer.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHa1zTLrXO8]

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

@detroitmechworks you're paranoid, doesn't mean someone Isn't out to get you.

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Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .

Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .

If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march

smiley7's picture

@Tall Bald and Ugly
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, looking over their shoulders. Hey for years i never had to turn on lights as they came on magically as i moved around in the streets, stores, everywhere; journalist's revenge, i named those peeps. Thanks for the morning laugh, cheers!

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smiley7's picture

@detroitmechworks
for sharing your good works and if you contact Ashland, explain the staging concept you mentioned a few weeks ago; they have always been into play development even way back n my years and from the grapevine, i think in a larger way today. What a great community, wish i could teleport there for retirement. Smile

Cleaning the room, oh hell, i manage a few feet at the time when so inclined; being a pack rat doen't help in this tiny space.

Yo think "Al" could screw up...hum? Yep! Smile

As you see, i'm back; event rained out, no biggie, i'm tired today anyway.

Thanks for reading, i'll get over to read Calliope a little later; have a great one!

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detroitmechworks's picture

@smiley7 before I start shopping it around. (At least a solid first draft.) I've talked a big game many times before in the past and failed to deliver, so I want to make sure I'm not making any promises I can't keep.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

smiley7's picture

@detroitmechworks
here have praised it as well; you will know, feel, when it's taken the shape you desire.

Keep on trucking and forgive my long-distant excitement about a new play in development; it never goes away this love, lure of the boards. Smile

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Lookout's picture

We can live in harmony, but it is a swim upstream. The Dutch seem to have a good grasp on sanity. They have over 10,000 intentional communities in their small country.
http://www.lvcw.nl/teksten/Cohousing%20in%20the%20Netherlands%20-%20as%2...

Thanks for the thought provoking OT. I'm home early this AM from Trade Day. It is the weekend of the big yard sale and it is crazy in our normally quiet and calm community. So I'm home hiding from the busy scene. More in tomorrow's WW.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

smiley7's picture

@Lookout @Lookout
appropriate, i'm lifting a few paras; you know this is morning music to this old hippie's ears.

Let's look a little bit of the history of cohousing in The Netherlands
A new generation of communities started in The Netherlands in the sixties. Many, mostly
younger, people developed new perspectives on society and on personal relationships. This
included:

Relationships developing within the community became as important, or even more
important, than family relationships.

People were feeling the need for more democracy and less hierarchy, in their politics,
work and in personal situations.

Feelings and emotions became just as important as logic in decision-making.

Women began claiming fair and equal rights.

Men began to express their ‘feminine’ qualities.

Adults became more aware of their ‘childlike’ playful sides.

Increasingly people believed
that the nuclear family, with its relatively few intimate
contacts, provided a poor environment for raising children. (Perhaps you know the
African saying,
“It takes a village to raise a child”
)

There was arowing concern about western consumerism.

Greater awareness about nature and the environment.

And for many, the unequal distribution of wealth became a big concern.
The wish to do something concrete with these issues led to the creation of the first communal
living groups (
woongroepen
) in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. The idea of co-housing (centraal wonen
) first appeared in the early seventies and the MW2 projects ( Environmentally and
People Friendly Living and Working -
Mens- en Milieuvriendelijk Wonen en Werken) came a
few years later. In the 80s, communities for seniors were developed and, around 1990, came
the idea of building an eco-village.
It's unlikely that ‘communes’, where you share everything, still do exist in The Netherlands,
but all the other forms of intentional communities still exist and their number is gradually
increasing. We estimate that the total number of intentional communities is over 10,000.

When university events clog the streets, i stay in or head to the wilderness, know the feeling, Lookout; glad you found something to ponder, Mumford wrote and thought in lofty climes, imo; so much so when i think of community, culture or cities, i think of him.

The opening quote of Mumford's today succinctly describes the thinking of the early days of c99 as i recall the many expressions for creating this space and community: "ours [is] to march out to newly plowed fields, to create fresh patterns of political action, to alter for human purposes the perverse mechanisms of our economic regime, to conceive and to germinate fresh forms of human culture."

An as you allude, it's a long way to Tipperary from here in the US of A; but possible.

Recently, i've grown concerned about "irrational exuberance" driving social media
into sustaining and forwarding poorly sourced, tweet-sourced or trumped-up memes designed to breach, to tarnish, to separate we, the people. I fear this new phenomenon.

Alas, this media, as most things depends upon how one makes use, i suppose, can't filter without becoming censorship on one hand, but best not to deny it's insidious presence, either; necessary to allocate more powder to a fight when powder is needed on the main front in analogy.

Anyways, i'm rambling; thanks for reading and enjoy the fruits of that good mountain!

edit for spelling

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Citizen Of Earth's picture

She was a guest on Bill Maher last night. I know, I know, Maher yuck. But she was very convincing about her analysis of what the Koch Brothers are up to -- and it is scary shit.

Koch's hand picked judge for SCOTUS (Kavanaugh) is close to being seated on the court.
Kavanaugh will enable the Koch's "Constitutional Revolution" to gut/revise the US Constitution in their favor.
Koch's Plan: End Social Security and Medicare, Add voter-id requirement to the Constitution (aka make voting harder), revoke the 17th amendment which allows voters elect US senators rather than being appointed by state governments (because state governments are so easily bribed).

Duration: 4:49

She had a lot more great insights beyond this 4 min clip.
Her book is 'Democracy in Chains' details the Koch Brothers strategy. (which I have not read)

And, Good morning all.

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Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.

smiley7's picture

@Citizen Of Earth
Took them on in the press for years here in NC; making a little progress about 18 years ago outing state legislators in the koch pocketbooks, but they won, especially in 2010. Today, legislators not directly under their thumb are hard to come by.

You may enjoy this clip by Velshi of MSNBC, Jane and the Kochs, Meet Jane:

Thanks for reading; hoping you've a great day!

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Raggedy Ann's picture

I’m working hard to heal my body. A friend once told me to be the water, which I’m clinging to.

Be the water.
flow downstream.
Rush around the obstacles,
stay calm over the waterfalls.

Be the water,
take life as it comes.
There will always be challenges
as we journey down our path.

Have a beautiful Saturday, everyone! Pleasantry

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

@Raggedy Ann the noodles, the egg, or coffee to the water?
A noodle goes soft,
An egg goes hard,
but the coffee Transforms the water.
Paraphrased to hell and gone-close enough.

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Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .

Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .

If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march

Raggedy Ann's picture

@Tall Bald and Ugly
I must be the coffee! Pleasantry

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

smiley7's picture

@Raggedy Ann @Raggedy Ann
Glad you are on the mend, does take the patience of waiting for the rain to come or end doesn't it?

In reading your poem, my thoughts went to an old scene planted in my brain long ago, the scene of an old man and young boy siting by the river and the old man answering the child's questions, guiding the little one in knowledge, spirit of the life-giving river; was that Hermann Hesse, can't recall?

Do take care and cheers for the poem!
Sending a little music...

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Raggedy Ann's picture

@smiley7
You have kind words for this old soul. The music is lovely, too. Drinks

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

enhydra lutris's picture

market here today. Not quite an intentional community, but a bit of community and a step up from the chain stores. Thanks for the info on the Dutch village, I wish them great success. Something that I would've been very interested in for most of my life, but somewhat less so now that I'm in my seventies.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

smiley7's picture

@enhydra lutris
a huge blue catfish in Lake James where the water is as clean as anywhere being fed from the largest wilderness this side of the Mississippi. Been fishing all over this country, catching different varieties of catfish, but this boy was my first blue one and damn if it doesn't taste more like trout than catfish, very delicate flavor. I had known they were prized, now i know why. Froze enough for four more hefty meals.

Had a morning event. It was rained out, low valleys have been flooding this week, lucky i'm not in the wilderness today.

Struggling with health today, too; comes and goes these episodes of feeling energy-less; oh well, taking the bad with the good and staying positive.

Me, too, the eco village allures, maybe the next life, heh...

Thank you for reading in hopes you've a marvelous day!

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magiamma's picture

Thx for the ot and the music
Time big.jpg

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Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

smiley7's picture

@magiamma
creation. You have a gift!

Thank you for reading and sharing in hopes you've a wonderful weekend.

Cheers!

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

for today's OT. Not only is the poetry and prose you present amazing, the artwork and music is also consistently gorgeous and delightful.

I was going to post a link and an excerpt to a piece about the No Labels/Problem Solvers Caucus, but, truthfully, it's just too much of a downer to post after enjoying your lovely OT. So, I'll put it aside for now, and post it with some of the 'hard news' at EB. Wink (Sorry, Joe!)

IIRC, I mentioned the general gist of the article last evening--the so-called Problem Solvers are organizing to 'break the gridlock'--read, cut entitlements. They plan to achieve this by recruiting lawmakers to "reach across the isle," and elect a corporatist neoliberal Speaker Of The House--regardless of which Party takes control next January. Whew! I'm soon going to start posting the following sarcastic byline in my sig line,

No Labels -- "Civility's our Name; Austerity's our Game."

Hey, I'm doing my best to watch what lawmakers are up to regarding the appropriation bills--especially, ever watchful of potential cuts to Medigap Insurance--one of Ryan's pet goals. Rest assured, you'll be among the first to hear if I learn of any mischief.

Got a little break in the heat earlier this week, but it's back with a vengeance today. Anyhoo, hope you're enjoying your weekend!

(Edit: Does anyone know the procedure for deleting one's DKos account/diary? I think several folks may have mentioned doing this in the past. Thanks!)

(Second Edit: Addendum archived.)

Mollie/Blue Onyx (Reverting to my original handle)

“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”~~Martin Luther King Jr.

"Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong."~~W. R. Purche

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

smiley7's picture

@Unabashed Liberal
posting again, we've missed you, welcome home.

Happy to join into a conversation about the congress critter tricks underway; your caution is well-placed. I fear a rush to 11th hour hidden chamber bills just before the election or the swaps made to keep the gov't. open.

Remember when Obama traded the fantastic Medicare plan f supplemental plans--changing in 2020 if recalled correctly? Sad

Stay cool and hydrated in the heat. Glad you enjoyed the music and warms this old soul to see you safe and home.

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

@smiley7

that I don't expect folks that I've known (as Mollie) for years, to switch midstream. The only reason that I brought it up, is because I'll be 'signing' my comments with 'Blue' soon, so as to be consistent when I begin Tweeting some of the comments under my old handle. In light of some recent life-changing events, guess I've sorta come full circle.

I must say, it's truly cool of you to be so accomodating! Wink Seriously, though, unless you prefer Blue, Mollie's still cool, as far as I'm concerned.

The concerto was absolutely beautiful. Boy, Buniatishvili is incredible, isn't she? Thanks for posting her work here.

It's always gives me comfort knowing that you're also very interested in the 'fate' of Medigap. Frankly, I will be very happy to see Ryan move on to his multi-million dollar lobbyist or think tank job--the sooner, the better!

(BTW, Mr M wanted me to put all of 'the B's' photos on a personal web page that I've created in his memory, so, I'll be deleting the photo that I posted earlier today, sometime next week.)

Hey, have a great rest of your weekend!

Mollie/Blue Onyx (Reverting to my original handle)

“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”~~Martin Luther King Jr.

"Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong."~~W. R. Purche

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smiley7's picture

@Unabashed Liberal
i'm still dog-sitting--someday maybe i'll describe all the babies--regards and best wishes to Mr M.

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

@smiley7

any time you feel like describing some of your 'dog sitting escapades.' I'm sure it would be great fun, since furbabies are all so unique.

It's probably a little premature, but we hoping that we'll be ready (emotionally, etc.) by the end of the year to adopt another little fella. I'll keep you posted.

Mollie/Blue Onyx (Reverting to my original handle)

"Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong."~~W. R. Purche

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smiley7's picture

@Unabashed Liberal
Not an expert here, but i think you have to open each diary by editing, then delete each diary one at a time and you should be able to change your profile.

All i know, good luck.

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

@smiley7

I'll take on that project [some day] when I have a lot of time on my hands. For now, guess I'll just change my avatar and handle.

Mollie/Blue Onyx (Reverting to my original handle)

“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”~~Martin Luther King Jr.

"Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong."~~W. R. Purche

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

magiamma's picture

@Unabashed Liberal

good to see you, blue blue onyx. Smile

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Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

Unabashed Liberal's picture

@magiamma @magiamma

Pleasantry

Seriously, very much look forward to seeing you, SD, Janis, and all of the Photography OT Gang, again.

Blue Onyx Wink

“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”~~Martin Luther King Jr.

"Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong."~~W. R. Purche

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

mhagle's picture

Posting a bit late. I enjoyed the OT and the amiable conversation that followed.
watermelon.JPG
On a bright happy note, I picked this over 20 lb. watermelon from my garden last week. We were so delighted to discover it was absolutely delicious. First time ever to grow a great watermelon, and hope it won't be the last.

No rain for a month now and very hot. Watering to keep things alive and replanting. Froze 25 quarts of fresh peaches from our trees last week - never done that before.

Your fish sounds wonderful. Hmmm . . . yum.

I am glad someone is working on creating sustainable living spaces. Hopefully it will gain momentum and someday overtake places like Detroit.

And this paragraph touched me . . .

If we are to express the love in our own hearts, we must also understand what love meant to Socrates and Saint Francis, to Dante and Shakespeare, to Emily Dickinson and Christina Rossetti, to the explorer Shackleton and to the intrepid physicians who deliberately exposed themselves to yellow fever. These historic manifestations of love are not recorded in the day’s newspaper or the current radio program: they are hidden to people who possess only fashionable minds." ~ Mumford

To make our lives into manifestations of love. Been thinking about that quite a bit lately. To counter the darkness out there, it seems like we need to be bright bright light.

How can I be a bright light today, in words and deeds and presence?

Thanks Smiley!

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Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo

smiley7's picture

@mhagle
proud of; in northwest Georgia, his glory was serving a watermelon to family at xmas.

About the biggest man living at the time, successful in his immaculate three piece suits, hats cigars and pipes; mostly pipes, pipes of magic design everywhere, a hard working man, gentle underneath.

Grandmother, French, was five foot tall.

Please forgive my belated reply; i've been under the weather, not wanting to move, bed mostly since the weekend. Another whatever; feeling some better today. Anyways, thanks for reading and sharing in hopes of seeing you this weekend.

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mhagle's picture

Several people quote him/her here. I like the quotes.

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Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo

smiley7's picture

@mhagle @mhagle
often overlooked by time; a good man possessing a marvelous talent in deeply understanding community, technology, humans, the history of ideas and love with an eloquent writing style, challenging thinking, creativity and criticism; a voice of the 20th Century.

One of my favorite memories of him was his opposition to the Twin Towers in New York: he said "they were dinosaurs," before construction.

Wiki says this: "Lewis Mumford (October 19, 1895 – January 26, 1990) was an American historian, sociologist, philosopher of technology, and literary critic. Particularly noted for his study of cities and urban architecture, he had a broad career as a writer. Mumford was influenced by the work of Scottish theorist Sir Patrick Geddes and worked closely with his associate the British sociologist Victor Branford."

In his book The Condition of Man, published in 1944, Mumford characterized his orientation toward the study of humanity as "organic humanism". The term is an important one because it sets limits on human possibilities, limits that are aligned with the nature of the human body. Mumford never forgot the importance of air quality, of food availability, of the quality of water, or the comfort of spaces, because all these things had to be respected if people were to thrive. Technology and progress could never become a runaway train in his reasoning, so long as organic humanism was there to act as a brake."

Modern technology has its roots in the Middle Ages rather than in the Industrial Revolution. It is the moral, economic, and political choices we make, not the machines we use, Mumford argues, that have produced a capitalist industrialized machine-oriented economy, whose imperfect fruits serve the majority so imperfectly." Technics and Civilization, 1934

Happy in conversation and fruits; thank you again for being here.

edit for spelling!!!

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