Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
March 8, 2000


Digest Home | 2000 | March, 2000

 

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Vatican to switch recognition from Taipei to Beijing soon
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 08:45:11 -0500

Vatican To Switch Recognition From Taipei To Beijing Soon

TAIPEI, Mar 7, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) The Vatican was expected
to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China "very soon" as Beijing
stepped up efforts to squeeze the Nationalist island's international space, a
report here said Tuesday.

Taiwanese ambassador to the Roman Catholic Church Raymond Tai was
quoted by the United Daily News as saying the Vatican and China have
established an official communication channel and "very soon both sides
would establish diplomatic relations."

Rumors about improved relations between the Vatican and China "were not
groundless or baseless," Tai was quoted as saying.

"There is little we can do regarding the attempt at normalizing Vatican-
Beijing ties. The Vatican has made its decision that it wants the ties."

But Taiwan's Vice Foreign Minister David Lee said he spoke to Tai by
telephone Tuesday morning and the ambassador denied the report.

He said Tai had been misquoted, without elaborating on what the envoy had
told the newspaper.

But Lee conceded the diplomatic tussle had become so vigorous that Taiwan
has "to step up efforts to cement ties with the Holy See."

"It is still not clear who is going to win the diplomatic battle," Lee said.

"Religious freedom and the Holy See's right to ordain Catholic bishops in the
mainland remained major barriers ... and these problems are not expected to
be resolved easily."

Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano confirmed last month
that an unofficial channel of communication had been opened up.

The new arrangement would allow the Vatican and Beijing "to seek out ways
to clarify our respective positions," he said.

Beijing has said the Vatican must sever its diplomatic relations with Taiwan,
and stop interfering in what it said was China's internal affairs through
religious activities if the links are to be normalized.

Two Catholic churches co-exist in China. The official one, which pledges
allegiance to the Communist Party, has between four and five million
members, according to Beijing, and does not recognize the Pope's authority.
 

The other, clandestine, Church is loyal to the Pope and counts about the
same number of adherents.

The Holy See was one of 29 governments recognizing Taipei instead of
Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a breakaway province and insists it has no
rights to conduct official links with foreign nations. ((c) 2000 Agence France
Presse)

http://www.insidechina.com/news.php3?id=140708&text

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Germans 'post' unwanted babies
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2000 09:31:27 -0500

-----Original Message-----

From: editor@worthynews.com [mailto:editor@worthynews.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 08, 2000 3:22 AM
Subject: Worthy News Brief - March 8, 2000

For the complete stories go to http://www.worthynews.com

Germans 'post' unwanted babies - London Telegraph
ISSUE 1747 Wednesday 8 March 2000

Germans 'post' unwanted babies By Toby Helm in Berlin

Hamburger Morgenpost [German online newspaper]

A BABY-BANK where mothers can safely abandon unwanted infants
by pushing them through a hatch into the care of social workers
is to be opened later this month in Germany. The scheme, which
may soon be imitated in other German towns and cities, aims to
prevent young, depressed mothers leaving their offspring in the
street or on doorsteps where they could die. The city
authorities in Hamburg, notorious for drugs and prostitution, is
putting =A318,000 into the project. It will open in a fortnight.

Under Operation Foundling, the distressed mother will be able
to place her baby through a hatch where it will immediately be
put into a warm cot. She can walk away unfilmed and
unidentified. Social workers will look after the babies for up
to three months in the hope that the mother may want to be
reunited with her child.

If that is not the case, the child will be made available for
adoption or fostering. Uli Gierse, one of the project leaders,
said: "We want mothers to have somewhere where they can put the
child safely, other than throwing them in a dustbin or a panic
killing." In recent months several babies have died after being
abandoned. At least 30 deaths were reported last year, while
about 100 were saved after being found in time.

The idea of baby drop-off centres was pioneered in Hungary. In
Budapest, health officials placed an incubator inside the door
of a hospital as a "symbolic plea" to mothers not to abandon
their babies. But the scheme at the Schopf-Merei women's
hospital had unexpected consequences after young mothers started
placing their unwanted infants in the incubator. Afterwards,
official collection points were set up across the country.
Organisers claimed there was an urgent need for the scheme in
Hungary after the collapse of communism.

Infanticide rose to record levels after the withdrawal of state
support and disillusionment with the new pro-Western government
when it failed to improve living standards. Between 1998 and
1999 about 200 Hungarian babies were estimated to have been
killed by their mothers. Unofficially it is suggested that the
real figure could be 2,000.

Dozens of babies have been helped through the Hungarian scheme,
but the problem of infanticide remains serious. Last week alone
three unwanted babies were found dead. Such schemes are
controversial with some children's groups claiming they
encourage mothers to leave their infants when they feel the
burdens of motherhood becoming too arduous.

For the complete stories go to http://www.worthynews.com

Be sure to check out Worthy Links - http://www.worthylinks.com

**** Added to Total News is Religion News updated every hour ****

><> From the Editor at Worthy News ><>

You can vote one time each day. Help others find Worthy News by
voting for WN by simply clicking the link below.
http://awesome.crossdaily.com/vote.php3?sid3D6832

Forward this email to a friend, keep them informed on the news.

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - TOURBUS - 07 Mar 2000 - Finding Answers
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2000 09:33:56 -0500

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Rankin [mailto:bobrankin@ULSTER.NET]
Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2000 11:16 PM
To: TOURBUS@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
Subject: TOURBUS - 07 Mar 2000 - Finding Answers

----------------------------------------------------------------------
             TOURBUS Volume 5, Number 73 -- 07 March 2000
----------------------------------------------------------------------

[ Tip: Use a monospace font like Courier when reading this message ]

  
           TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPIC: Finding Answers

One of the "benefits" of being a very visible person in the online
world is that some people assume I know everything about everything.
People send me all kinds of questions... How do I edit my Windows 95
system registry? Can I plug a coffee maker into a Macintosh? Will you
send me the names and phone numbers of all medical school admissions
departments in North America?

Even if I did know all the answers, I don't have time to respond to
all the questions. In today's TOURBUS, I'll point you to some
excellent resources that may help you find the answers on your own.
But first, a few words from our most excellent sponsors!

----------------
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----------------

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  <A href="http://www.britannica.com">
  http://www.britannica.com </A>

----------------------------
 DICTIONARIES & TRANSLATION
----------------------------

Need to look up a word in the dictionary or thesaurus? Having Webster
online is a good thing for me, since my girls are always hiding the
paper versions in odd corners of the house. You can find the Merriam-
Webster Online site at this unlikely address:

   <A href="http://www.m-w.com">
   http://www.m-w.com </A>

Travlang's Translating Dictionaries site provides multilingual on-line
dictionaries including German, French, Spanish, English, Portuguese,
Dutch, Italian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and more. Use this site
to translate a single word from one language to another.

   <A href="http://dictionaries.travlang.com">
   http://dictionaries.travlang.com </A>

If you need to translate entire sentences, AltaVista's Babelfish is a
robotic translater that produces reasonable results in many cases, but
it doesn't support as many languages as Travlang. You can have a lot
of fun translating phrases from one language to another, and back
again!

   <A href="http://babelfish.altavista.com">
   http://babelfish.altavista.com </A>

----------------
 ACRONYM FINDER
----------------

Ever wonder what SNAFU or TANSTAAFL means? How about ROTFL, ADSL, or
RTFM? AcronymFinder is a searchable database of over 100,000 acronyms,
abbreviations and their meanings. There is coverage of many subjects,
with a focus on computers, technology, telecommunications, and the
military.

   <A href="http://www.AcronymFinder.com">
   http://www.AcronymFinder.com </A>

---------
 REFDESK
---------

In a library, if you don't know where to look for a reference book,
you go to the Reference Librarian. On the Internet, if you don't know
where to look for answers, you go to Refdesk.com. At first glance,
the sheer amount of useful links on the Refdesk home page can be
overwhelming. But it's really quite well organized and useful. Bob
Drudge, creator of Refdesk, gives a few pointers on how to use the
site:

"Refdesk.com's database in on three levels: quick, studied and deep.
For thumbnail snapshots: FastFacts 1999, Quick Reference / Research,
and My Facts Page. For a more studied approach: My Virtual Newspaper,
My Search Engines, Internet Help, and Writing Web Documents. For an
in-depth exploration: My Virtual Encyclopedia with fifty volumes of
indexed subjects."

   <A href="http://www.refdesk.com">
   http://www.refdesk.com </A>

That's all for now, see you next time! --Bob Rankin

=====================[ Tourbus Rider Information ]====================
   The Internet Tourbus - U.S. Library of Congress ISSN #1094-2238
     Copyright 1995-2000, Rankin & Crispen - All rights reserved

 Like Tourbus? Recommend It! You could Win $10K or a Sony DVD Player
 <a href="http://www.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=194773"> CLICK HERE </a>

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 Tourbus Home: Archives, Free Stuff and More - http://www.TOURBUS.com
======================================================================

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - "700 Club" to interview correspondent on the plight of "God's Army"
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("")
Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2000 09:43:15 -0500

WND's LoBaido on CBN tomorrow Interview on child soldiers led
by 12-year-old twins

© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com

WorldNetDaily international correspondent Anthony LoBaido will
be interviewed live by telephone on CBN's "700 Club" tomorrow on
the plight of "God's Army" -- a Christian, armed guerilla
movement in Burma led by 12-year-old twins.

LoBaido reported last month on Johnny and Luther Htoo, believed
by their followers to have mystical powers, and the armed
resistance force, including many children, that they lead.

"They tell their subordinates when to eat and when to fight,"
said LoBaido. "The twins also have adult aides and bodyguards.
The boys have black tongues, considered by the Karen to be a
sign of divinity."

The Karen are an anti-communist faction that oppose the ruling
military junta in strife-torn Burma.

Reporting from Southeast Asia, LoBaido has interviewed
followers of the Htoo brothers, who insist the twins are
"unbeaten in battle, immune to gunfire and can disarm landmines
with their thoughts."

Full story:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_exnews/20000308_xex_wnds_lobaido.
shtml

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Infobeat News items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 18:31:19 -0500

*** Israel: Arabs can buy Jewish land

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's Arab citizens must be permitted to buy land
in Jewish communities in Israel, the Supreme Court said Wednesday in
a landmark ruling overturning a 52-year-old state policy of
restricting land sales to Arabs. Human rights activists, who had
petitioned the court on behalf of an Arab couple turned away from the
Jewish community of Katzir in northern Israel, hailed the ruling as a
breakthrough in the battle of Israeli Arabs for equality. Critics
said the decision could undermine Israeli security, and lawmakers
threatened to challenge the ruling with legislation. Israeli Arabs
comprise about 20% of the country's population of just over 6
million. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564822673-d79

*** Lebanon offers conditional security

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Lebanon is prepared to guarantee security
along its southern border after Israeli troops withdraw - but only as
part of an overall Middle East settlement, President Emile Lahoud
said Wednesday. In a statement, Lahoud also warned that radical
Palestinian guerrilla groups opposed to Yasser Arafat's peace accords
with Israel might attack northern Israel from Lebanon if the issue of
Palestinian refugees was not settled. It was Lahoud's first public
comment since the Israeli Cabinet voted unanimously Sunday to
withdraw troops from south Lebanon by July. Israel has said it will
end its 18-year military presence there with or without a peace
agreement. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564823760-e0e

*** Saddam's son to run for seat

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - President Saddam Hussein's eldest son is running
for a seat in parliament in this month's elections, state-run
newspapers reported Wednesday. Odai Hussein's name was among the list
of 135 candidates allowed to run for about 60 seats representing
Baghdad in the March 27 poll for the 250-member National Assembly.
The election lists were published in all newspapers with no
information on the candidates' background or platforms. Campaigning
is minimal as rallies, television debates and media advertising are
banned in this nation of 22 million. But candidates can directly
canvass voters and distribute leaflets. Odai owns Iraq's most
influential daily newspaper and several weeklies and his Youth
Television has a wide audience. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564824045-8b8

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Death ruling quashed for Bible quotes
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 18:32:02 -0500

Death ruling quashed for Bible quotes

High court overturns death penalty in Clayton case, citing prosecutor's
religious appeal to jury.

Jingle Davis - Staff
Tuesday =95 March 7

The Georgia Supreme Court overturned a death sentence Monday in a
Clayton County murder case because an assistant district attorney urged
trial jurors to follow biblical mandates.

The justices affirmed the conviction of Anthony Carruthers for the 1995
murder of Jeanette Williams, but said a new jury should decide whether he
lives or dies. Carruthers was convicted in March 1998 of attacking William= s
during a visit to her home on Dec. 12, 1995. Evidence showed he choked
her, cut
her throat and almost severed her head, and stabbed her repeatedl= y.

Her 11-year-old autistic son found Williams' body the following morning an= d
flagged a neighbor for help, said Carruthers' attorney, John A. Beall IV. = Both
Carruthers and Williams were in their late 20s at the time, Beall said.

During closing arguments in the penalty phase of the trial, D. Brandon
Hornsby, the assistant district attorney, cited passages from the books of
Romans, Genesis and Matthew, telling jurors "all they who take the sword
shall die by the sword." Hornsby argued that the Bible says society must
deter criminals by taking the lives of people who kill other people, the
justices noted in their ruling.

In explaining the Supreme Court's ruling, Presiding Justice Norman S.
Fletcher wrote that such references "inject the often irrelevant and
inflammatory issue of religion into the sentencing process and improperly
appeal to the religious beliefs of jurors in their decision on whether a
person should live or die."

Georgia law requires the Supreme Court to review death sentences to
determine whether they were imposed "under the influence of passion,
prejudice or any other arbitrary factor."

http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/epaper/editions/tuesday/local_ne
ws_1.html

via: bible_prophecy-news@onelist.com

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - March 9, 2000 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 18:40:54 -0500

9:00 PM

 DISC - EGYPT'S CITY OF THE DEAD - Archaeologists hurriedly
   research and document a 3rd-century B.C. necropolis unearthed
          by highway construction.(CC)(TVG)

10:00

 CBS - 48 HOURS - "Never Forget IV" - Tenacious
   detectives use modern technology to crack previously
          unsolvable murder cases.(CC)

 CNN - CNN NEWSSTAND - Life in Iran 20 years ago
          contrasts with life there today.(CC)

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz-7 News items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 18:46:33 -0500

COURT FORBIDS JEWISH-ONLY COMMUNITIES

The Supreme Court this morning issued a precedent-setting decision, which
Chief Justice Aharon Barak called "one of the hardest that I have ever
encountered." The Court ruled that a Jewish community association may not
refuse an Arab citizen permission to buy land on its property and live on
it. Justice Yaakov Kedmi, who wrote the minority opinion, felt that the
value of 'national security' overrides that of 'equality,' and that it is
therefore permitted for Arabs to be indirectly prevented from receiving
land in Jewish communities. The ruling also stipulates that the Jewish
Agency must change its regulations and charter before it can continue to
distribute lands.

The Court's ruling was given in the case of an Arab couple that wished to live
in the Jewish community of Katzir, between Hadera and Afula - a
community which is partially funded by the Jewish Agency. MK Zevulun
Orlev (National Religious Party) said that the Supreme Court is detached
from Israel's social and national problems, and does not understand the
significance of allowing mixed Jewish-Arab towns. MK Michael Kleiner
(Herut) said that the ruling is "another nail in the coffin of Zionism." A Likud
response: "This ruling could mark the end of the country as a Jewish State."
 The NRP plans to propose a bill allowing Jewish communities to determine
their composition and character.

Avraham Duvdevani, head of the Settlement Wing of the Jewish Agency,
spoke to Arutz-7 today about the significance of today's ruling: "This
decision is unprecedentedly severe, and has smashed one of the most
important remaining ideals of Zionism - claiming the Land for the Jewish
People. This ruling tells us clearly that the State of Israel has decided to
give up on every area - such as the Galilee, Negev, the Triangle [a section of
north-central Israel with several fair-sized Arab towns, such as Taibe and Um
el-Fahm] - that has a large Arab presence. In these areas, the Arabs can
now buy any property they want, even within Jewish communities, and thus
take over the entire area and turn it Arab - all without firing even one shot...
The ruling sets the borders of Israel as basically along the coast from
Ashdod to Haifa, where there remains a massive Jewish majority... The new
aspect of this ruling is that an Arab can go to a cooperative association such
as a moshav or kibbutz, and buy land. Until now he was always able to go
into a city and buy land, but now he may do so in these other communities
as well. The Arabs will now take the small towns of the Wadi Ara area
[between Hadera and Afula] - Mei Ami, Katzir, and a couple of others - and
neutralize them, thus forming an Arab territorial contiguity between the
Shomron and the Triangle. This is also a tremendous security risk, and the
Cabinet must immediately take action to stop this."

Other reactions:
* "This is a clear statement against the Jewish National Fund and the Jewish
Agency, that they are anachronistic and discriminatory, and should be
disbanded." - Arab MK Ahmed Tibi
* MK Yuval Shteinitz (Likud) said that the Court's ruling is "undemocratic," in
that it "is a blow to the freedom to form communities in accordance with the
residents' ideals."
* "This is one of the most important Supreme Court rulings in the past 50
years, and the most important regarding equal rights for Israeli-Arab
citizens." - Atty. Dan Yakir, who represented one of the petitioners, the
Association for Civil Rights.
* Dubi Sandrov, head of the Katzir Local Council: "We are a law-abiding
community, and we will accept the Supreme Court decision. But we have to
study the ruling. As you know, it is long and complex and it includes a
minority opinion as well."
* Jewish Agency chairman Salai Meridor warns that the Supreme Court
decision is liable to harm Jewish sovereignty in Israeli areas with high
concentrations of Arab populations, and called upon the government to hold
an urgent meeting on the matter.

BARAK AND ARAFAT "ON VERGE OF BREAKTHROUGH"

A meeting in Ramallah this afternoon between Prime Minister Ehud Barak
and Yasser Arafat - their second in less than 24 hours - has been underway
for at least four hours. Also participating are Foreign Minister David Levy, PA
official Abu Mazen, and American mediator Dennis Ross. Ross, taking a
mid-meeting break, told reporters that intensive talks between the sides will
resume ten days from now in Washington. Barak said earlier today, "We are
on the verge of a breakthrough in the negotiations with the Palestinians."
Barak and Arafat will meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm
a-Sheikh, in the Sinai, tomorrow.

Ross, who returned to the region yesterday after a failed trip last week,
brought a new proposal to the effect that the final-status principles will be
signed in two months' time, and the final-status agreement itself will be
signed in September. Barak and Arafat, meeting in central Israel last night,
reached agreement on some of the outstanding issues.

The Likud today said that Prime Minister Barak "is on the verge of carrying
out the most grave diplomatic move since being elected, with his intention to
give away more than the 1% of Yesha decided upon by the Netanyahu
government in the third Oslo withdrawal." Yesha residents demonstrated at
the Yosh Junction, south of Beit El - the non-Palestinian controlled site
closest to the Barak-Arafat rendezvous - carrying placards that read,
"Uprooting Settlements Tears The Nation Apart."

PUBLIC FUNDING FOR SHMITTAH

The government has allocated 15 million shekels for farms and moshavim
that plan to refrain from working the land in the upcoming Shmittah year. So
declared Yerachmiel Goldin, Shmittah-year coordinator in the Agriculture
Ministry, during a meeting with the Fruit Growers Association yesterday. The
Biblically-mandated Shmittah occurs once every seven years, as a
Sabbatical period during which the Land of Israel must lie fallow. HaTzofeh
reports that the aid will be reserved for farmers who are taking a Shmittah
"break," and to help operate non-profit sales of agricultural produce, in
accordance with Jewish Law.

Arutz Sheva News Service
   <http://www.ArutzSheva.org>
Wednesday, March 8, 2000 / Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet 5760

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Human ovarian tissue grown in rats
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 18:48:33 -0500

Wednesday, March 8, 2000

Human ovarian tissue grown in rats
AGENCIES in Tokyo

Japanese and US researchers have transplanted human ovarian tissue into
rats, saying it showed signs of being able to produce eggs.

It is the first time scientists have developed human ovaries in the bodies
of another species.

The experiment, conducted by the Asahikawa Medical College and the
University of Utah, could theoretically lead to cultivating human eggs for
in vitro fertilisation, said Akiyasu Mizukami, of the medical college in
Hokkaido, northern Japan.

"Although there are ethical issues involved, it is possible that the future will
see the practical application of human egg banks," he said yesterday.

"It could be a godsend for people suffering infertility."

The experiment, conducted at the US university, involved taking ovarian
tissue from three women. The tissue was cut into small pieces and injected
into the rats' abdomens.

The rats were then given a growth-promoting hormone. The ovarian tissue
began to grow, and was followed by the first stage of the development of egg
sacs.

"We stopped the experiment at that stage. We need to find out how we can
nurture eggs from that stage," Mr Mizukami said.

It would have taken about 90 days for the eggs to mature. "The basic idea
was to create an egg bank for patients suffering infantile cancer who
survive into adulthood and want to have children," Mr Mizukami said.

An applied biology professor at Shinshu University in central Japan, Akira
Hanada, said the method would pose no biological problems as it was
impossible for rodent cells to infiltrate a human ovum.

A Greek doctor in Japan last year claimed a breakthrough with rats and mice
that produced human sperm after being implanted with the human cells
responsible for producing sperm.

The South China Morning Post,
http://www.scmp.com/News/Front/Article/FullText_asp_ArticleID-
20000308021642799.asp

via: isml@onelist.com

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