Suki's News and Comment Area: 22 August 2010

28 August 2010

Avatar Special Edition 3D Review SPOILER ALERT

Avatar SE3D Review of Added Scenes (Updated 29 August 2010)

The journey to this review was more of an annoyance than an adventure. I arrived at the AMC theater in Georgetown, Washington, DC about one hour before the 12:20 PM show time. By 12:20 all of eight people were in attendance.

At 12:45 the general manager informed us that there were technical difficulties, and they could not show the movie. The most frequent question from the crowd, in pure DC form, was for the theater to pay the $7.00 parking fee in addition to refunding their tickets, something the manager had no control of, but he politely answered the same question about ten times for five different people.

We were refunded our ticket purchase price and given free passes for another visit. The staff was very nice through the whole process.

I departed from Georgetown, on foot, to the next showing at the Gallery Place Regal Theater, with the Google Maps iPhone application as my guide. It didn't take too long to hike to the Farragut North METRO station and arrive at Gallery Place just in time for the 1:55 PM showing.

If you haven't seen Avatar before, please see the reviews and comments by Suki and me from earlier in the year. By-the-way only 'pedestrian' 3D is available in the DC area, no IMAX screens are showing it around here.

Tom Butler, of IGN UK, has an excellent list of new footage/scene descriptions, so I will stick with those here.

New creatures in several different scenes: They resemble our classic terrestrial dinosaurs of the "thunder lizard" variety. The first added scene is when Dr. Augustine's scientific crew is flying out on their first expedition with Jake (scene 7, First Sortie on original BlueRay disk). The creatures are seen later during a hunting expedition for new warrior training, and Jake kills one from the air with an arrow. Neytiri exclaims "hell yea" at his kill.

Back to the timeline, there is an added scene at Dr. Augustine's abandoned school that helps fill in the cause of the rift between the Na'vi and the humans. The shack was shot up.

A few seconds were added to scene 16, "Banshee Rookery". When Tsu'tey is leading the young warriors to the Hallelujah Mountains, Neytiri does a flyby on her Banshee and cheers to the expedition.

The "sex" scene, 19 "A Son of Omaticaya", a few seconds were added of the couple's pupils dilating as they link ponytails. ~~I need to review my BluRay copy~~ since Tom Butler seems to recall that scene being much shorter than in the original.
Update after video review: The couple is in the same position as the original, kneeling with Neytiri in the "superior" position. All that was added was closeups of their faces as their ponytails join. Slightly sexier in Special Edition.

The "burning bulldozers" scene is all new. My impression is this is the first time the humans realize the Na'vi can organize such an effective attack. It looked to me like it was two of the giant mining dozers from one angle, rather than just one dozer.

Tsu'tey's famous death scene is much different than speculation from various script versions. Tsu'tey asks Jake to finish him off, like a warrior, Jake resists then is talked into it. Tsu'tey calls Jake "Last Shadow" in English, just before Jake casts a shadow over Tsu'tey and stabs him.

I still recommend this movie and like it a bit more now than before.

No real Suki series tie-in. I wrote and published the first series before knowing about Avatar. When I started the new series I had seen Avatar a couple of times, so did my character developer. In the draft of Suki With A Twist: Suki's Street, I mention John and Jackie watching an Avatar sequel in her apartment on a vintage 3D screen.

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27 August 2010

+100 Funny! Many Hackers Accidentally Send Their Code To Microsoft

I wish Slashdot would let us use moderator points on the story itself ;)

Slashdot | Many Hackers Accidentally Send Their Code To Microsoft:

"'When hackers crash Windows in the course of developing malware, they'll often accidentally agree to send the virus code straight to Microsoft, according to senior security architect Rocky Heckman. 'It's amazing how much stuff we get.' Heckman also said Microsoft was a common target for people testing their attacks. 'The first thing [script kiddies] do is fire off all these attacks at Microsoft.com. On average we get attacked between 7000 and 9000 times per second.''"

John has a hack or two from the 2030's in different books of the series.

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Slashdot | Viruses Tapped To Create Spray-On Batteries

I am sure John can think of a way this relates to the Suki series, line in conjunction with electrochromic polymers? Maybe it doesn't, but it is still interesting. Finally have a story that matches this cute picture too!

Slashdot | Viruses Tapped To Create Spray-On Batteries:

"'Two different viruses have been used to create the cathode and anode for a lithium-ion battery. If research pans out, the parts could be grown in and harvested from tobacco plants and then woven into or sprayed onto clothing to power a wide range of electronic devices.'"

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Black Conservatives Question Criticism of Beck Rally

via my Facebook Friend Deneen Borelli

Black Conservatives Question Criticism of Beck Rally:

"Black Conservatives Question Criticism of Beck Rally

Knee-Jerk Criticism From Civil Rights Lobby Hurts Race Relations

Washington, DC – Members of the Project 21 black leadership network question the sincerity behind the complaints of establishment civil rights leaders' opposition to the talk show host Glenn Beck's 'Restoring Honor' rally at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28.

That date is the 47th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech at the Lincoln Memorial.

'If this place and time is so sacred, why"

More Tech from Suki's World coming true

Mapping Emotions to Video

EmoRate is an application that demonstrates the power of Affective Computing, a technology that allows computers to detect and react to human emotions and will change drastically the way we interact with them in our daily lives. The last barrier that has held Affective Computing back, an affordable consumer grade EEG headset, has been broken with the introduction of the 14-electrode EPOC headset, created by Emotiv systems, Inc. Watch the video below to see a demonstration of the EmoRate Emotion Recording system. Then read the FAQ below to find out how I trained the system and what you can expect from this brave new field of computing in the near future. If you want to be updated about my progress with EmoRate, or get the latest news concerning the fascinating fields of Affective Computing and Brain Control Interfaces, sign up for the EmoRate newsletter using the box on the left. There’s also a Resources section below with helpful links to find more information . . .

In the environment for the Suki Series, I wanted the interface between people and their devices to have an intuitive look and feel. Without going into how everything would work, since these are novels not technical manuals, I left out much of the gritty detail.

Once they cook, morph and develop for about 20 years, interfaces like the one above, that maps a user's emotion to video, could add functionality to face recognition systems in the voyeur cams that saturate the industrialized world of the 2030s.

Other devices are voice controlled, like household devices. In homes, blinds, lights and audio systems are adjusted through voice commands. Some items, especially lighting, come on to an initial setting as people enter a room (and can be assumed to go to another setting when they leave). This technology is available today, just not as well developed or in as wide use as what it in the novels.

The technology below is key to the gog interface. Typing in air on virtual keyboards displayed to the user through their contacts or glasses. What I was thinking about for the future is the device interpret hand gestures accurately with little or no user programming or mapping.

Tired of marking up that touchscreen display with fingerprints? That may soon come to end if device manufactures adopt a new Touchless Gesture User Interface technology developed by Elliptic Labs in their products.

Elliptic plans to showcase their “Mimesign” technology at IFA in Berlin from the 3rd to 8th of September 2010. Mimesign will bring intuitive ways for people to interact with devices. The possibilities range from tablets, remote controls or in-car media controls. The interface is based on ultrasound technology and allows the user to remain in an unchanged state. Meaning, you can pimp slap your way through a photo album.

It’s really as simple as it sounds. A set of gestures are programmed in to the interface allowing the user to navigate with free, unrestricted hand movements. It’s a great invention and has many practical uses, for instance waving your hand to change radio stations in the car is much safer than leaning over to find the button. But waving your hand across the air to change photos on your media player is a bit of extra work for me, I would rather tap the edge of the screen to flip pictures than to wave my hand across two feet of air. Perhaps the movements in the video are more dramatic than they need to be?

26 August 2010

Amazon.com: John and Suki: Vacation Fun (fan fiction) eBook: Sarah, John Tagliaferro, Suki: Kindle Store

Amazon.com: John and Suki: Vacation Fun (fan fiction) eBook: by Sarah in the Kindle Store
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #52,283 (as of this posting)

A fan fiction work by Sarah, based on a scene from Suki IV: Finally a Vacation and inspired by the Jerusalem Post news story I Wed Iranian Girls before Execution.

John and Suki are kidnapped from an exotic dance club by John's friend Mike and his girlfriend, Honey. The couple is held captive and forced to reveal how they helped the Allies in the war with Iran. They do not break easily, but the techniques used are fast and effective.

Mike and Honey have other uses for the couple too. Suki's natural anger toward any women who approach John is exploited for other uses and profit. So is the natural beauty and sexual experience of the couple, but the important thing they have is their minds that need to be harnessed for their captor's customers, Iran and Russia.

Buy the series and the fan fiction in paperback at: http://sukiproject.blogspot.com/p/order-suki-series-paperbacks.html John and Suki: Vacation Fun is the first story in the Suki: Fan Fiction paperback edition.

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A Home Run at Reason: The Boring Truth About Those Julian Assange Smears

Hit the link to read the whole thing. The article is hyperlinked well to additional information.

The Boring Truth About Those Julian Assange Smears - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

. . . for the wild-eyed, spittle-flecked conspiracists bloggers—and Assange himself—the charges reeked of a U.S. government plot. And sure, one only need to read the Church Commission report to realize that such dirty tricks have a long pedigree in American intelligence circles. But even a cursory look at the case would suggest that while it appears that Assange’s name is being dragged through the mud, it isn’t by the CIA.

. . . Assuming that Assange knew the identity of his accusers when contacted by prosecutors, he nevertheless told any reporter within earshot that “we have been warned that the Pentagon, for example, is thinking of deploying dirty tricks to ruin us. And I have also been warned about sex traps.” After expressing skepticism that it was an American intelligence job, Harpers magazine nevertheless warned that “as this incident makes clear, the war on WikiLeaks will be fought with unconventional tools and those following the story are advised to accept nothing at face value.”

Amazingly, the bumbling fools in American intelligence managed to flip Anna Ardin, the left-wing feminist (often described in the Swedish blogosphere as a “radical feminist”) spokeswoman for Broderskapsrörelsen, the liberation theology-like Christian organization affiliated with Sweden’s Social Democratic Party (she is not, as I have seen written, a “Christian Democrat”). If any of these subliterate bloggers knew anything about the kristen vänster (but why should you know anything at all, when a simple, ideology-validating conspiracy is so much more satisfying?), they would probably have guessed that Assange's accuser was, as is common in Sweden, operating off of a very broad definition of rape and “sexual molestation.”

. . . Expressen is not a tabloid-style newspaper, but an actual tabloid. Nor is it, as Assange claimed, "right wing." So who would have leaked this information to Expressen? A bit of legwork here too would have revealed that Ardin interned for the editorial page of GT, the Gothenburg edition of Expressen. While there is no evidence to suggest that Ardin herself leaked the material to her former employer, it is certainly more plausible than fingering the Pentagon. But again, why bother doing any research when the sinister conspiracy is more ideologically satisfying?

If you, like many of the conspiracists, are confused as to how the Swedish authorities could issue and then, in less than 24 hours, withdraw a warrant for Assange’s arrest, then you don’t know the Swedish authorities. Just ask the families of Anna Lindh and Olaf Palme for details. Indeed, when one prosecutor overruled the conclusions of another, more junior, prosecutor, she explained to Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter that “My decision doesn’t mean that her decision was wrong.” And to Aftonbladet, she dug in her heels: “That I changed the decision doesn’t mean that her decision was wrong.” Translation? Amateur hour at the prosecutors office.

Moynihan concludes with a well-advised caution about using Google Translate when passing on reports from foreign language news sources.
Sorry, conspiracy gang, it is not a Pentagon setup. It is a disagreement between individuals on the fringe.

If you want to see some serious tinfoil-hat action, peek at #WikiLeaks or #Assange on Twitter.Com.

I can't think of a single thing this ties into in any current Suki series story line and I don't plan anything like this either.

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Another Isolated Incident: Anti-Muslim Stabbing in New York?

As the great Jonah Goldberg points out, this is probably an actual isolated incident. Read his post, he lays it out well. I have a question, for a much later post: Why is it that when these isolated incidents occur, the mainsrtream media and the energetic Left brace for and warn about widespread backlash that never happens?

This cab driver stabbing has much more to it than initial reports indicated. As usual, they hyper-Left was as wrong as wrong can be.

Anti-Muslim Stabbing in New York? - The Corner - National Review Online

This is almost certainly an isolated incident, in the sense that Michael Enright was almost surely acting alone. Indeed, if he was a lone psycho, that would mean that by any measure this is far more of an “isolated incident” than any of the recent Islamic terrorist attacks the Obama administration and the press insisted were isolated incidents. By the Left’s own logic, there is, if anything, far less reason to say this attack (if the early reports are accurate) reflects American “Islamophobia” than there was to say that the Ft. Hood shooter or the attempted Christmas and Times Square bombers represented the worldwide Muslim community.

Major al-Qaeda bombing plot unearthed in Canada; two arrested

Major al-Qaeda bombing plot unearthed in Canada; two arrested - World - DNA:

"The arrests were enforced by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) after carrying out searches of two residences on the Ottawa's west side and officers said they were executing more searches and would carry out more arrests.

The arrest of Misbahuddin and Ehsan Ahmed came after police had kept them under surveillance for over two years in a project codenamed 'Operation Samosa'.

Though the RCMP released no names or identities of the suspects, but sources confirmed their names as Misbahuddin and Ehsan.

They said Misbahuddin Ahmed, who was categorised as ringleader, is believed to have been trained in Pakistan and Afghanistan and investigations involved a 'bomb plot'.

'These guys were doing more than just talking about terrorism. They were planning it,' a police source was quoted as saying by the Vancouver Sun newspaper." . . .

This is the second major terror plot to be unearthed in Canada since 9/11. In June 2006, a group of young Muslim men dubbed as 'Toronto 18' were rounded up and prosecuted for planning to attack downtown targets and a military base.

Suki series tie-in: In the 2030's Iran is behind most of this and the world goes to war with them in Suki IV: Finally A Vacation.

More Mad Zoning: Permit Denied For Mosque In West Rogers Park (Chicago)

Permit Denied For Mosque In West Rogers Park - cbs2chicago.com:

"CHICAGO (CBS) ― A permit has been denied to open a mosque at this site in West Rogers Park, where a hot dog restaurant previously stood.

It is an empty restaurant in the West Rogers Park neighborhood. Some wanted to turn into a mosque. Business leaders and the city apparently don't agree. CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reports.

It sounds a bit like the controversy over the proposed mosque in New York near where the Twin Towers fell. Perhaps at first glance, but not when you scratch beneath the surface.

We're hearing from the local chamber of commerceand alderman's office that the city has denied a special use permit that would allow a mosque to replace a shut down hot dog grill.

It's based on the need to generate tax revenue on the former site of the original Fluky's and later U Lucky Dawg, at 6821 N. Western Ave."

Another problem with zoning. Different than New York where a the runaround for a Church to rebuild is nearing the decade mark. This time it is Chicago refusing to allow a mosque due to some zoning excuse.

In the future, zoning is on its way out.

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Conservative group banned from holding rally where Obama announced presidential run | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

Conservative group banned from holding rally where Obama announced presidential run | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment:

"A conservative group has been banned from holding a rally at Illinois’s Old State Capitol because the site prohibits political demonstrations — yet it’s the same place where President Obama announced his run for president and later, his choice of Joe Biden for vice president.

According to the State Journal-Reigster in Springfield, Ill., the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency denied a request by the group, Restore Our Constitution, to hold a rally both because of the site’s prohibition of political events and also because of a lack of resources due to budget cuts."

The Suki series does not address public property much. Most has been privatized.

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Assange: Swedish charge still unclear - CNN.com

Assange: Swedish charge still unclear - CNN.com:

"(CNN) -- The founder and editor of whistle-blower website WikiLeaks says Swedish authorities still haven't given him details of the crime he is alleged to have committed.
'The present investigation of issue (there are no charges), is one alleged non-sexual 'harassment,'' Julian Assange wrote Thursday in an e-mail to CNN. 'I have no idea what this is and no details have been provided to us.'

Swedish authorities arrested Assange 'in absentia' over the weekend on two charges -- rape and molestation, a non-sexual charge that is similar to harassment.

The chief prosecutor has since revoked the arrest warrant and dropped the rape charge, though Assange still faces the molestation allegation."

This story is less and less of a tie-in to the Suki series every day. John and Suki really don't like the courts that much.

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MSNBC Swears to Allah that Obama's Not A Muslim

MSNBC Swears to Allah that Obama's Not A Muslim - HUMAN EVENTS:

"What McConnell actually said in response to the Muslim question was: 'The president says he's a Christian. I take him at his word. I don't think that's in dispute.'

Over at MSNBC, that's Republican code for: 'He's a Muslim!'

North Korean TV's Ed Schultz hysterically babbled: 'McConnell gave cover. That's what he did. He gave cover to all those low information voters out there who still believe this garbage about President Obama being a Muslim. ... The Republican leadership just loves to feed the fire.'

Chris Matthews was so impressed with Schultz's nonsensical argument that he spent the entire hour on NKTV's 'Hardball' making the same one: McConnell had expressed insufficient fervor when he said he believed Obama was a Christian! (Perhaps if McConnell had added something about a thrill running up his leg ...)

The statement 'I take him at his word,' Matthews said, was a 'pitch-perfect dog whistle to the haters.' He continued: 'Yes, sure, whatever he says. Right. This is not about belief. It's an accusation that President Obama is not one of us. The right wing's attempt to de-Americanize the president.'"

25 August 2010

Aftonbladet: Assange Investigation Continues

Latest from Aftonbladenet. Page was opened using Google Chrome and selected translation from Swedish to English.

Aftonbladet:

"Prosecutor launches investigation against Wikileaksgrundaren Julian Assange a case of molestation.

The notification was to begin, however, rape is down.

- I am critical and disappointed that the investigation is closed in the case, says women's lawyer Claes Borgstrom to Aftonbladet."

Assange: The Pentagon Did It

Julian Assange has a story and he is sticking to it.

“I don’t know what is behind all this, but we have been warned that, for example Pentagon, would use dirty tricks to destroy things for us,” Assange told Aftonbladet. “And, I have also been warned about sex traps.”

WikiLeaks + Julian Assange and a Victim Quote = Crazy Twitters* Action

I won't assume this tweeter was drunk or something during this exchange:

(I sent this tweet) Quote from #WikiLeaks #molestation accuser "has problem with taking no for an answer" http://goo.gl/b/Opso #tcot #twisters #tlot #mil
A few hours later, I saw this response:

DeClack

@JohnTagliaferro Is you who gave the advice to fuck with assange?If not .Explain. Because the woman has a long picture story withe you ?

Took me a while to formulate a response to the whole thing. What does "Is it you who gave the advice to fuck with assange (sic)?" even mean? How do I "explain" "If not"? What does "the woman has a long picture story with you?" mean?

So many deep questions that only a COBOL programmer and a fifth of Tequila could formulate (sorry, had to start theorizing).

In the interest of all people who have the real name John Tagliaferro and all of us who use it as a pen name, and as a service to all of those who share the same names as the fictional characters in my book, I responded with a confession:

@DeClack yes, on my command Slate ran the story quoting her so my blog partner could post it. #lol #tlot #mil

Should have been Salon, my mistake. Hope this does not mess up your Global Conspiracy Theory.

There was an earlier responder, @rixstepnews who accused the woman making the molestation complaint of being a radical or militant feminist, apparently meaning Anna Ardin, one of the rape accusers who also generated the molestation complaint. The Guardian has more on that. I blocked that account, still looking forward to more from the drunk COBOL guy and will update right here if I do.

Assange is sticking by his "the Pentagon did it" story.

Pretty surprised, actually. We didn't get much traffic from Twitter on this particular story. Avatar is still beating it.

*Twitters: as pronounced by Barry Hussein Obama.

Official: 72 found dead in Mexico may be migrants

How does opening our side of the border prevent this?

Official: 72 found dead in Mexico may be migrants | Top AP Stories | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle:

"The newspaper Reforma, citing a police report, said that that the migrants were trying to reach the U.S. border and were killed when they refused to pay extortion fees demanded by the armed group. Reforma said the survivor was from Ecuador. The federal officials could not immediately confirm those details."

duhprogressive.com - Alzheimer ’s Disease Finally Giving Spiritual Mystic Great Reason to Search for Himself

duhprogressive.com - Alzheimer ’s Disease Finally Giving Spiritual Mystic Great Reason to Search for Himself excerpt:

"(TAKOMA PARK, MD) —The search for “self” can be a long journey for some. And for 72-year-old Donald Frankle , of Takoma Park, Maryland, it is apparently going to be a never-ending one.

Frankle , a self-described “ethereal spiritual traveler” and publisher of several self-discovery pamphlets in the 1980s, was unfortunately diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease last year, finally leaving the ceaseless inward-journeyer with the best, albeit morbid, excuse for seeking his ultimate self."

Quit cheapening the term "Racism"

Update 8/30/2010: Reason has discovered this story (although, not from here) while covering DCist. Turns out that the "big fat conservative racist", according to the MSM, is a big fat Democrat donor!

This is the big "controvercial" and 'racist' passage that the left-wing echo chamber is having a fit about. While you are looking at that, you might miss out on a gay/lesbian rumble in a Metro station!

Safety and Mores

DC's population includes refugees from every country, as the families of embassy staffs of third world countries tend to stay in DC whenever a revolution in their homeland means that anyone in their family would be in danger if they went back. Most taxi drivers and many waiters/waitresses (especially in local coffee shops like the Bread and Chocolate chain) are immigrants, frequently from east Africa or Arab countries. As a rule, African immigrants do not like for you to assume they are African Americans and especially do not like for you to guess they are from a neighboring country (e.g. Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia) with whom they may have political or military tensions. It's rare to meet anyone who gets really offended, but you can still be aware of the issue.

Many parts of DC are safe beyond the areas I will list here, but why chance it if you don't know where you are?

If you are on the subway stay on the Red line between Union Station and Shady Grove, Maryland. If you are on the Blue or Orange line do not go past Eastern Market (Capitol Hill) toward the Potomac Avenue stop and beyond; stay in NW DC and points in Virginia. Do not use the Green line or the Yellow line. These rules are even more important at night. There is of course nothing wrong with many other areas; but you don't know where you are, so you should not explore them.

If on foot or in a cab or bus, stay in Bethesda, Arlington (preferably north Arlington), Crystal City, Falls Church, Annandale, or Alexandria, or in DC only in northwest DC west (i.e. larger street numbers) of 14th or 16th streets, or if on Capitol Hill only in SE Capitol Hill (zip 20003) between 1st and 8th Streets, not farther out than 8th (e.g. 9th, 10th etc). (Or stay on the Mall and at the various monuments.) Again there are many other lovely places, from the Catholic University of America to Silver Spring, Maryland. But you don't know where you are so you cannot go, especially at night, unless you take me with you.

All good advice without racism! I travel to DC on a regular basis and stay aware of where I am. One thing with the Green Line. It is on the same tracks as the Yellow Line part of the time and that might be something the writer was trying to warn people about. Several times I got on at the Archives to go to Crystal City or Alexandria (King Street or Eisenhower Avenue) thinking I was on the Yellow line, but I was on the Green line and headed for Branch Avenue. Figured out what I did wrong by the Navy Yard, went back to L'Enfant Plaza and switched to Yellow.

Imagine someone who does not know anything about the area showing up in Anacostia or wandering around the Branch Avenue station? (Linked to a crime reports page).

Suki Series tie: In the first series, DC is a pretty rough town in the 2030's. Suki gets tickets for smoking in public and prostitution (trumped up!), but Virginia is safe. In the second series, Crystal City has its own rough neighborhood to avoid.

UPDATE: Since this is getting new traffic in 2012, here is Bill Maher and Progressive Codewords

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