Saturday, June 23, 2018
The Street Art of Eduardo Kobra
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Eduardo Kobra (born January 1, 1976) is a Brazilian street artist. He is notable for painting murals, usually depicting portraits with a technique of repeating squares and triangles. Kobra utilises bright colours and bold lines while staying true to a kaleidoscope theme throughout his art.
Using brushes, airbrush, and spray cans, he depicts notable people from the past in a realistic, kind and sensitive way, achieving almost photorealism but in an abstract, a keleidoscopic format. At the same time, he sometimes also creates black and white works, departing from famous figures, with a common theme in his work being the fight against pollution, global warming, destruction of forests and war.
Starting as a tagger, he evolved into an artist with a unique mural style. His project Walls of Memory in Sao Paulo, depicting contrasting scenes from the past, has led to further local and overseas works.
Walls of Memory images
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Gallery . . .
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Portrait of Oscar Niemeyer, on a building in São Paulo.
Detail
Showing scale and difficulty
Kiss, a mural copied from an iconic photograph of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square at the announcement of the end of World War 2.
Below Kiss was a mural featuring scenes from New York in 1945, most prominently a trolley with the destination “Times Square” along with automobiles and dapper pedestrians. You may notice that I have used the past tense “was”. That is because the building owner has painted over both murals . . .
As it looks now. Sad.
An example of before and after, the reverse of the before and after of The Kiss.
Mt Rushmore mural, Los Angeles
Painting Mt Rushmore
Yoda, Miami
The largest mural created by a single person which coincided with the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The mural measures an area of almost 3,000 square metres, is 190 metres long and 15.5 metres high and now holds a Guinness World Records Title. Probably largest mural in the world, "We are all One" is located in Rio de Janeiro. The mural illustrates indigenous people from the five continents, the concept being based on the five Olympic Rings.
Detail
Albert Einstein, Los Angeles
Afghan Girl, from a National Geographic cover, painted in solidarity with refugees.
Cubatão, Brazil
The Beatles, Sao Paolo, Brazil
Peace, Rome. The work depicts a portrait of Malala Yousafzai, known for her activism for rights to education and women rights.
Friday, June 22, 2018
Funny Friday
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Something different for today’s Funny Friday . . . a couple
of longer items, the first being a short story that I recall I posted some
years ago and that I came across again yesterday.
One of the items has risqué language so proceed at yown
risk.
Now get this. I was sitting at my desk, when I remembered a
phone call I had to make. I found the number and dialled it. A man answered nicely
saying, "Hello?" I politely said, "This is Patrick Hanifin and could
I please speak to Robin Carter?" Suddenly the phone was slammed down on
me!
I couldn't believe that anyone could be that rude. I tracked
down Robin's correct number and called her. She had transposed the last two
digits. After I hung up with Robin, I spotted the wrong number
still lying there on my desk. I decided to call it again.
When the same person once more answered, I yelled "You're a jerk!"
and hung up. Next to his phone number I wrote the word "Jerk," and
put it in
my desk drawer.
Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills, or had a
really bad day, I'd call him up. He'd answer, and then I'd yell, 'You're a jerk!"
It would always cheer me up.
Later in the year the phone company introduced caller ID.
This was a real disappointment for me, I would have to stop calling the jerk. Then
one day I had an idea. I dialled his number, then heard his
voice, "Hello." I made up a name. "Hi. This
is Herman with the telephone company and I'm just calling to see if you're
familiar with our caller ID program?" He went, "No!" and slammed
the phone down. I quickly called him back and said, "That's because you're
a jerk!"
And the reason I took the time to tell you this story, is to
show you how if there's ever anything really bothering you, you can do something
about it. Just dial 722-4822.
The old lady at the mall really took her time pulling out of
the parking space. I didn't think she was ever going to leave. Finally her car
began to move and she started to very slowly back out of the
stall. I backed up a little more to give her plenty of room
to pull out. Great, I thought, she's finally leaving.
All of a sudden this black Camaro come flying up the parking
isle in the wrong direction and pulls into her space. I started honking my horn
and yelling, "You can't just do that, Buddy. I was here first!" The
guy climbed out of his Camaro, completely ignoring me. He walked toward the
mall as if he didn't even hear me. I thought to myself, this guy's a jerk,
there's sure a lot of jerks in this world. I noticed he had a For Sale sign in
the back window of his car. I wrote down the number. Then I hunted for another
place to park.
A couple of days later, I'm at home sitting at my desk. I
had just gotten off the phone after calling 722-4822 and yelling, "You're
a jerk!" (It's really easy to call him now since I have his number on
speed dial). I noticed the phone number of the guy with the
black Camaro lying on my desk and thought I'd better call this guy, too.
After a couple rings someone answered the phone and said,
"Hello." I said, "Is this the man with the black Camaro for
sale?" "Yes it is." "Can you tell me where I can see
it?" "Yes, I live at 1802 West 34th Street. It's a yellow house and
the car's parked right out front. I said, "What's your name?"
"My name is Don Hansen." "When's a good time to catch you,
Don?" "I'm home in the evenings." "Listen Don, can I tell
you something?" "Yes." "Don, you're a jerk!" And I
slammed the
phone down. After I hung up I added Don Hansen's number to
my speed dialler.
For a while things seemed to be going better for me. Now
when I had a problem I had two jerks to call. Then after several months of
calling the jerks and hanging up on them, the whole thing started to seem like
an obligation. It just wasn't as enjoyable as it used to be.
I gave the problem some serious thought and came up with a
solution. First, I had my phone dial Jerk #1. A man answered nicely, saying "Hello."
I yelled "You're a jerk!" But I didn't hang up. The jerk said,
"Are you still there?" I said, "Yeah." He said, "Stop
calling me." I said, "No." He said, "What's your name,
Pal?" I said, "Don Hansen." "Where do you live?"
"1802 West 34th Street. It's a yellow house and my black Camaro's parked
out front." "I'm coming over right now, Don. You'd better start
saying your prayers." "Yeah, like I'm really scared, jerk!" and
I hung up.
Then I called Jerk #2. He answered, "Hello." I
said, "Hello, jerk!" He said,
"If I ever find out who you are..." "You'll what?"
"I'll kick your butt." "Well, here's your chance. I'm coming
over right now , jerk!" And I hung up.
Then I picked up the phone and called the police. I told
them a big gang fight was going down at 1802 West 34th Street. After that I climbed
into my car and headed over to 34th Street to watch the whole thing.
I turned onto 34th Street and parked my car under the shade
of a tree half a block from Jerk #2's house. There were two guys fighting out front.
Suddenly there were about 12 police cars and a helicopter.
The police wrestled the two men to the ground and took them away.
A couple of months go by and I get a call for jury duty. I
was picked o be on a trial of two guys charged with disorderly conduct. As luck
would have it, it happened to be the same two guys. I might have influenced the
jury, because when they announced the verdict, they said, "We the jury
find the defendants to be guilty, and a couple of jerks!"
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In the jungle, a group of explorers hear distant drumming.
Their native bearers suddenly seem very afraid. The expedition's leader asks
them, "What's going on?" A
native bearer replies, "Very bad when drumming stops." So the leader asks, "Why, what happens
then?" The bearer explains,
"Bass solo starts."
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The Lone Ranger and his mate Tonto were being chased by
Indians when they just managed to get in to the Alamo. Custer came out of his office and shouted to
the Lone Ranger " How many Indians are there?” "I don't know, I wasn't counting,"
he replies.
"Tonto, how many Indians were there, mate?” Tonto puts his ear to the ground and says
"100, kemosabe.” “There's a hundred,"
shouts the Lone Ranger to Custer.
"Are they all on horseback?" replies Custer. Fuck me, thinks the Lone Ranger to himself. "Tonto, mate" say's the Lone Ranger... "Are they
all on horseback?” Tonto rolls his eyes
but gets his ear to the ground again and says "There's 70 on horseback and
rest are on foot kemosabe." "There's
70 on horseback and the rest are on foot" shouts the Lone Ranger to
Custer.
"Have they all got guns?" say's Custer. Jesus fucking wept, curses the Lone Ranger
under his breath, "Tonto... Have they all got guns, pal?” Tonto is pissed off by this time but once
again places an ear to the ground and replies “There's sixty with guns and the
rest have bows and arrows." The Lone Ranger shouts over to Custer "There's sixty
with guns, the rest have bows and arrows."
Custer takes a moment’s reflection, then shouts down to the
Lone Ranger “He's a clever fucker, your mate, ain't he?” "Fuck off you dopey twat," replies
The Lone Ranger.... "He's looking
under the gate."
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You Know It's Going to Be A Bad Day When:
1. You wake up face down on the pavement.
2. You put your bra on backwards and it fits better.
3. You call Suicide Prevention and they put you on hold.
4. You see a "60 Minutes News Team" waiting in
your office.
5. Your birthday cake collapses from the weight of the candles.
6 Your son tells you he wishes Anita Bryant would mind her own
business.
7. You turn on the news and they're displaying emergency routes
out of your city.
8. Your twin sister forgets your birthday.
9. You woke up to discover that your waterbed broke and then
you realise that you don’t have a waterbed.
10. Your horn goes off accidentally and remains stuck as you
follow a group of Hells Angels on the freeway.
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Corn Corner:
My Dad said you should always be up front with everyone.
Great bloke, shit goalkeeper!
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The wise old Mother Superior from county Tipperary was
dying. The nuns gathered around her bed trying to make her comfortable. They
gave her some warm milk to drink, but she refused it. Then one nun took the
glass back to the kitchen. Remembering a bottle of Irish whiskey received as a
gift the previous Christmas, she opened and poured a generous amount into the
warm milk.
Back at Mother Superior's bed, she held the glass to her
lips. Mother Superior drank a little, then a little more. Before they knew it,
she had drunk the whole glass down to the last drop.
"Mother", the nuns pleaded, "Please give us
some wisdom before you die". She raised herself up in bed with a pious
look on her face and said, "Don't sell that cow".
________________
So I’m at the Wailing Wall, standing there, like a moron,
with my harpoon.
________________
I have kleptomania. But when it gets bad, I take something
for it.
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A fellow from Barnsley suffering from piles goes to the local
chemist and says " 'ere lad, does tha sell arse cream?"
The chemist says "Aye lad, Magnum or Cornetto?"
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Quote for the Day
William Shatner from a Just for Laughs appearance in a parody of the popular Molson "I Am Canadian" commercials (21 July 2007):
I'm not a Starfleet commander, or T. J. Hooker. I don't live on Starship NCC-170, or own a phaser. I don't know anybody named Bones, Sulu, or Spock , and no, I've never had green alien sex, but I'm sure it'd be quite an evening. I speak English and French, not Klingon! I drink Labatt's, not Romulan Ale! And when someone says to me 'Live long and prosper', I seriously mean it when I say, 'Get a life'. My doctor's name is not McCoy, it's Ginsberg. And tribbles were puppets, not real animals. PUPPETS! And when I speak, I never, ever talk like Every. Word. Is. Its. Own. Sentence. I live in California, but I was raised in Montreal. And I believe in Priceline.com, where you never have to pay full price for airline tickets, hotels, and car rentals! I've appeared on stage at Stratford, at Carnegie Hall, Albert Hall, and the Monkland Theatre in NDG. And, yes, I've gone where no man has gone before, but... I was in Mexico and her father gave me permission! My name is William Shatner, and I am Canadian!
Two iterms
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Words that have different meanings to men and women:
Communication -- n.
Female: The open sharing of thoughts and feelings with one's partner.
Male: Leaving a note before taking off on a fishing trip with the boys.
Vulnerable -- adj.
Female: Fully opening one's self emotionally to another person.
Male: Playing football without adequate protection.
Commitment -- n.
Female: A desire to marry and raise a family.
Male: Not hitting on other women while out with this one.
Entertainment -- n.
Female: A good movie, concert, play or book.
Male: Anything that can be done while drinking beer.
Thingy -- n.
Female: Any part under a car's hood.
Male: The strap fastener on a woman's bra.
Remote control -- n.
Female: A device for changing one TV channel to another.
Male: A device for scanning through all 375 channels every five minutes.
Flatulence -- n.
Female: An embarrassing byproduct of indigestion.
Male: A source of entertainment, self-expression and male bonding.
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From John P:
TEXT MESSAGE TO NEIGHBOUR:
Hi, Fred, this is Richard, next door. I’ve got a confession to make.
I’ve been riddled with guilt for a few months and have been trying to get up the courage to tell you face-to-face.
At least I’m telling you in this text and I can’t live with myself a minute longer without you knowing about this.
The truth is that when you’re not around I’ve been sharing your wife, day and night. In fact, probably much more than you.
I haven’t been getting it at home recently and I know that that’s no excuse.
The temptation was just too great. I can’t live with the guilt and hope you’ll accept my sincere apology and forgive me.
Please suggest a fee for usage and I’ll pay you.
Regards,
Richard
NEIGHBOUR’S RESPONSE:
Fred, feeling so angered and betrayed, grabbed his gun and shot Richard, killing him. He went back home and poured himself a stiff drink and sat down on the sofa.
Fred then looked at his phone and discovered a second text message from Richard.
SECOND TEXT MESSAGE:
Hi, Fred. Richard here again. Sorry about the typo on my last text.
I expect you figured it out and noticed that the Auto-Correct had changed “wi-fi” to “wife.” Technology, huh?
It’ll be the death of us all.
Regards,
Richard
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Some news items you may have missed . . .
When the magic wears off #1. . .
Sue Goss divorced her billionaire husband Bill Goss in October last year after 21 years of marriage. As part of the divorce settlement hubby had to hand over the keys to the $20m former matrimonial home in Laguna Beach, California, but he was not a happy chappy. Last week Mrs Goss went to court seeking a restraining order against the ex, alleging that he had handed over the house in less than pristine condition. In particular she alleged that:
- her ex sprayed noxious scents around the house, saying she found 'fart' and 'puke' sprays in the garbage;
- the houseplants smelled foul and had to be replaced;
- the carpets were stained;
- a one of a kind art installation piece had been dismantled and removed;
- the remote controls for the televisions, drapes and other technology were all missing;
- there was water damage throughout the house;
- there were balls of human hair in the drawers;
- she found dead fish and dirt stuffed into the air vents.
She was granted her restraining order.
Source:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5857373/Bill-Gross-sprayed-fart-scent-dead-fish-vents-hair-balls-drawers-20M-home-says-ex.html
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When the magic wears off #2 . . .
The above news item reminds me of the following story, which snopes.com categorises as an urban legend, see:
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/seafood-revenge/
She spent the first day packing her belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases.
On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things.
On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candle light, put on some soft background music and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar and a bottle of Chardonnay.
When she had finished, she went into each and every room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimp shells dipped in caviar, into the hollow of the curtain rods. She then cleaned up the kitchen and left.
When the husband returned with his new girlfriend, all was bliss for the first few days. Then slowly, the house began to smell. They tried everything cleaning, mopping and airing the place out.
Vents were checked for dead rodents and carpets were steam cleaned.
Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which they had to move out for a few days, and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting.
Nothing worked. People stopped coming over to visit. Repairmen refused to work in the house. The maid quit.
Finally, they could not take the stench any longer and decided to move.
A month later, even though they had cut their price in half, they could not find a buyer for their stinky house. Word got out and eventually even the local realtors refused to return their calls.
Finally, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.
The ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going. He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house back.
Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was, he agreed on a price that was about 1/10th of what the house had been worth, but only if she were to sign the papers that very day.
She agreed and within the hour his lawyers delivered the paperwork.
A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home......including the curtain rods.
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Javier and the Road Trip:
As readers will be aware from yesterday’s post, there is a soccer comp on at the moment called the World Cup. Over in Mexico, after the 2014 World Cup finished, 5 mates came up with an idea usually seen as a movie plot: they decided they would make a road trip in 2018 to watch the World Cup being played in Russia. But 5 had to be reduced to 4 when one of the group, Javier, was prevented from going by his spouse. His mates didn’t forget him though, they took along a life size cardboard cutout of Javier, with his T shirt bearing the words “My wife didn’t let me go.” (Some readers have pointed out that the shirt reads “My old lady wouldn’t let me go” and that the lady in question is Javier’s girlfriend). It is going everywhere with them and is generously displayed.
Some pics:
Source:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5857097/Mexicans-cut-pal-World-Cup-wearing-T-shirt-saying-wife-didnt-let-go.html#comments
World Cup Trivia and Facts
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I received an email from Steve M yesterday:
You are busy I know, Otto, but the World Cup football finals are on in Russia. If you can find time, can you please do a bytes sometime in the next week or so?
Now personally the World Cup is of only passing interest to me, unlike for instance the Tour de France which starts on 7 July and keeps me up for the next 3 weeks, although I admit that part of that fascination is looking at the gorgeous countryside and the behaviour of the spectators.
Nonetheless I appreciate that for many, the World Cup is a high point every 4 years so here are some facts and trivia . . .
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The World Cup in 2018 marks the first time Russia has ever hosted this event.
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The 2018 World Cup will be Russia’s 11th World Cup appearance. Their highest ever finish was 4th place in 1966.
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3.2 billion people (almost half of the world’s population) tuned in to watch the 2014 World Cup.
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The World Cup has been played 20 times, Brazil holds the most titles with five.
Italy and Germany are close behind with four each.
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For the first time in the history of soccer, the 2002 World Cup was held in two different countries: South Korea and Japan.
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The oldest goal scorer in the World Cup was Roger Milla, who was 42 in 1994 when he scored a goal for Cameroon against Russia.
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It is rumoured that India withdrew from the 1950 tournament as they were not allowed to play barefoot. The Indian national team did play barefoot and FIFA did ask that shoes be worn to maintain the dignity of the World Cup but there may be an additional reason. According to India’s ‘Sports Illustrated’ magazine, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced that the team would not attend the World Cup, citing “disagreements over team selection, and insufficient practice time.”
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One of the venues for the 2018 World Cup, Fisht Stadium in Sochi, is the same stadium that hosted the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2014 Winter Games.
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The first World Cup was played in 1930. Uruguay was both the tournament host and winner that year.
I have to admit that I can't read or hear this country's name without thinking of Homer Simpson's misidentification:
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The World Cup trophy went missing for 7 days in 1966, when it was stolen just prior to the tournament.
Dave Corbett at the National Football Museum with the Jules Rimet Trophy, which his dog Pickles found behind a bush whilst out on a walk.
Dave Corbett with his family and Pickles in the 1960s
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The distance between the easternmost host city (Ekaterinburg) and the westernmost host city (Kaliningrad) at the 2018 World Cup is over 1500 miles. For comparison, that’s about the same distance as Moscow to London.
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The average attendance per game at the 2014 World Cup was over 53,000 fans.
Belgium vs Korea Republic - Group H - 2014 FIFA World Cup, Brazil.
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The highest scoring game in World Cup history was in 1954, when Austria defeated Switzerland 7-5.
24 June 1954 Austria Switzerland
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The Italians have had the most number of draws in World Cup history with 21.
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Of all countries that have appeared in the World Cup, Indonesia has played the least number of matches – just one in 1938.
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Mexico has the most World Cup losses (25), though they do also have 14 wins and 14 draws.
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While 32 teams will qualify for the 2018 tournament, the number will jump to 48 in 2026.
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The most goals ever scored by one player in a World Cup match is an impressive five, by Oleg Salenko of Russia.
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The World Cup winning country is rumoured to see a baby boom 9 months after the World Cup. In fact, Hyundai even created a commercial based on this fact.
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The winner of the World Cup takes home a $35 million dollars. FIFA awards the runner-up $25 million. Every team that participates takes home a multi-million dollar check. Just competing in group play secures your team $8 million dollars.
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In the 2002 World Cup, Turkey’s Hakan Sukur scored a goal in just 11 seconds. The goal helped the Turks defeat South Korea 3:2 and finish the tournament in 3rd place. At an unbelievable 11 seconds, Sukur holds the record for fastest goal scored in a World Cup match.
Hakan Sukur of Galatasaray celebrates with the trophy after beating Arsenal in the UEFA Cup Final
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Uruguayan defender Jose Batista holds the record of the fastest red card in World Cup History. He was sent off just 56 seconds into the 1986 match after he committed a high studded slide tackle to the back of the legs of Scottish midfielder Gordon Strachan. Even with over 89 minutes of playing a man down, Uruguay was able to hold on and tie the match at 0:0.
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So there you are, Steve.
Now for the Tour de France.
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