USA

The Best One liners From Warren Buffett…

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Sure, the competition isn’t all that tough right now, but Warren Buffett this week looked like the most popular man in Washington.

The Oracle of Omaha was in DC speaking to the 400 attendees at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit. He charmed the crowd by playing his ukulele Tuesday night, earning a standing ovation from the likes of Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg and IBM’s Ginni Rometty.During his one-on-one interview Wednesday with Fortune’s Carol Loomis, he laid out a straightforward, optimistic look at the economy, his life and women in business.

Still, he wasn’t afraid to take on the dysfunction in Washington and said it was “so stupid” to even think that the U.S. could default on its debt. Highlights from Buffett’s time on stage:

On the fight over the debt limit:

  • “We have spent 237 years since 1776 building a reputation as the most wonderful country on earth, and one that’s entrusted with having the reserve currency of the world. … That is being put in jeopardy now and it could be destroyed in a little while. A great reputation is like virginity. It can preserved, but it can’t be restored.”
  • “The whole idea of a debt limit is a terrible, terrible mistake. If you’re going to spend more than you take in, what are you going to do except raise the debt limit? So it becomes this political weapon of mass destruction. It really is like a nuclear bomb. It’s something that maybe you talk about but never dream of using.”

On the economy:

  • “The country’s coming back. You can’t stop the United States. We get through everything.”
  • “I’ve filed a tax return every year since I was 13. The last decade has been about the lowest tax rate. It was tougher when I was selling shirts at Penney’s.”

On women:

  • “People in power don’t give it up easily. And to some extent, it just doesn’t surface much. Look at how far the country came using half of its talent. Think of what we can do using all of it.”
  • “I went to public school and I had nothing but women teachers and they were terrific. But the idea of setting limits as to what talented people can do is crazy.”

On Berkshire Hathaway:

  • “I started out feeling like I wanted to be private. I like looking in the mirror and making decisions and not getting any negative votes. Over time, I’ve found it more fun to run a public company. It’s a podium. I can play out ideas and explain why I do things. It’s a teaching mechanism, even.”
  • “I’m running Berkshire for the people who want to stay in and not the ones who want to get out. I don’t care what the company earns this quarter; I care about where we’ll be in five years.”

On his outlook on life:

  • “I’m 83 and I’m having more fun in my life than ever before. The main thing is to be involved in something you love.”
  • “The secret sauce in America is that you’re trying to make your lives better tomorrow.”

This piece is a part of LinkedIn’s live coverage around Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit. For more, go here.

Photo: Stuart Isett/Fortune Most Powerful Women/Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.  

source::::Jacky Carter in Linked in  site

natarajan

Fly Thro ‘ A Crater on Mars!!!…A Stunning View Of Mars!!!

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Mountains

Wow. Wired’s Adam Mann directed us toward this stunning overhead view of a crater rim on Mars, posted by NASA. The image is actually a screen shot from a simulated movie about the Mojave Crater called “Soaring over Mars,” which you can watch below.

The terrain models in the movie were generated from images taken by a camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a satellite that has been orbiting Mars since 2006.

Mojave Crater is 37 miles in diameter and 1.6 miles deep. It’s estimated to be around 10 million years old, which is quite young for a crater of this size, NASA scientists say. It was created when a meteor or something else from space crashed into the planet.

 

 

source:::::businessinsider australia

natarajan

Malala at Oval Office With President Obama & First Lady …

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President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughter Malia meet Malala Yousafzai in the Oval Office. PHOTO: AFP

 

Pakistani global icon Malala Yousafzai told US President Barack Obama to call off the highly controversial drone campaign in the tribal regions as these are fuelling resentment among the people.

The teenage activist met with President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in the Oval Office on the same day the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

“I thanked President Obama for the US work in supporting education in Pakistan and Afghanistan and for Syrian refugees. I also expressed my concerns that drone attacks are fuelling terrorism. Innocent victims are killed in these acts, and they lead to resentment among the Pakistani people. If we refocus efforts on education, it will make a big impact,” Malala, an advocate for girls’ education and the target of a Taliban assassination attempt, said in a statement after the meeting.

Malala’s statement came two days after Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s chief Hakimullah Mehsud came out of hiding to offer a quid pro quo in a BBC interview: Stop US drone strikes and Taliban would cease fire.

Interestingly, a gunman from the same infamous group had shot and critically injured Malala in October 2012 while she was returning home from school in Swat. She was flown to a hospital in Britain, where she now lives.

Malala said she was honoured to meet with the president, who is a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. She called for greater cooperation between the governments of the United States and Pakistan.

The White House said in a statement that in the meeting President Obama signed a proclamation to mark Friday as the International Day of the Girl.

“Across the globe there are girls who will one day lead nations, if only we afford them the chance to choose their own destinies.  And on every continent, there are girls who will go on to change the world in ways we can only imagine, if only we allow them the freedom to dream,” says the proclamation.

The White House said that the president and the first lady ‘welcomed’ Malala and thanked her for her “inspiring and passionate work on behalf of girls education in Pakistan”.

“The United States joins with the Pakistani people and so many around the world to celebrate Malala’s courage and her determination to promote the right of all girls to attend school and realize their dreams,” it said. “We salute Malala’s efforts to help make these dreams come true,” it added.

As the first lady has said, “Investing in girls’ education is the very best thing we can do, not just for our daughters and granddaughters, but for their families, their communities, and their countries”.

She has won a raft of international honours. She thrilled participants at a World Bank function on Friday and she was scheduled to speak at a book event at the Sidwell Friends School, which Obama’s daughters attend.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13th, 2013. 

natarajan

Laughter ….The Best Medicine !!!…. No “Obamacare ” Cover Needed !!!

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 AMA & Obamacare

The American Medical Association has weighed in on Obama’s new health care package.

The Allergists were in favor of scratching it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves.

The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve.

Meanwhile, Obstetricians felt certain everyone was laboring under a misconception, while the Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted.

Pathologists yelled, “Over my dead body!” while the Pediatricians said, “Oh, grow up!”

The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the Radiologists could see right through it.

Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing, and the Internists claimed it would indeed be a bitter pill to swallow.

The Plastic Surgeons opined that this proposal would “put a whole new face on the matter”.

The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists were pissed off at the whole idea.

Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and those lofty Cardiologists didn’t have the heart to say no.

In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up to the assholes in Washington.

source:::::input from a friend of mine

natarajan

A Thought Provoking Painting ” Beijing 2008″…!!!

Natarajan1 Comment

 

Amazing thought-provoking painting “Beijing 2008” by Chinese-Canadian artist Liu Yi.

The woman with the tattoos on her back is China. On the left, focused intensely on the game, is Japan. The one with the shirt and head cocked to the side is America. Lying provocatively on the floor is Russia. And the little girl standing to the side is Taiwan.

This painting, named “Beijing 2008”, has been the subject of much discussion in the west as well as on the internet. What’s interesting is that this painting is called “Beijing 2008”, yet it depicts four women playing mahjong, and conceals a wealth of meaning within…

China’s visible set of tiles “East Wind” has a dual meaning. First, it signifies China’s revival as a world power. Second, it signifies the military might and weaponry that China possesses has already been placed on the table. On one hand, China appears to be in a good position, but we cannot see the rest of her hand. Additionally, she is also handling some hidden tiles below the table.

America looks confident, but is glancing at Taiwan, trying to read something off of Taiwan’s expression, and at the same time seems to be hinting something at Taiwan.

Russia appears to be disinterested in the game, but this is far from the truth. One foot hooks coyly at America, while her hand passes a hidden tile to China, both countries can be said to be exchanging benefits in secret. Japan is all seriousness while staring at her own set of tiles, and is oblivious to the actions of the others in her self-focused state.

Taiwan wears a traditional red slip, symbolizing that she is the true heir of Chinese culture and civilization. In one hand she has a bowl of fruit, and in the other, a paring knife. Her expression as she stares at China is full of anger, sadness, and hatred, but to no avail; unless she enters the game, no matter who ends up as the victor, she is doomed to a fate of serving fruit.

Outside the riverbank is darkened by storm clouds, suggesting the high tension between the two nations is dangerously explosive. The painting hanging on the wall is also very meaningful; Mao’s face, but with Chiang Kai Shek’s bald head, and Sun Yat-Sen’s mustache.

The four women’s state of UnCloth represent the situation in each country. China is Unclad on top, clothed with a skirt and underwear on the bottom. America wears a bra and a light jacket, but is Unclad on the bottom. Russia has only her underwear left. Japan has nothing left.

At first glance, America appears to be most composed and seems to be the best position, as all the others are in various states of unclothedness. However, while America may look radiant, her vulnerability has already been exposed. China and Russia may look Unclad, yet their key private parts remain hidden.

If the stakes of this game is that the loser strips off a piece of clothing, then if China loses, she will be in the same state as Russia (similar to when the USSR dissolved). If America loses, she also ends up in the same state as Russia. If Russia loses, she loses all. Japan has already lost everything.

Russia seems to be a mere “filler” player, but in fact is exchanging tiles with China. The real “filler” player is Japan, for Japan has nothing more to lose, and if she loses just once more she is immediately out of the game.

America may look like she is in the best position, but in fact is in a lot of danger, if she loses this round, she will give up her position as a world power. Russia is the most sinister, playing along with both sides, much like when China was de-occupied, she leaned towards the USSR and then towards America; as she did not have the ability to survive on her own, she had to weave between both sides in order to survive and develop.

There are too many of China’s tiles that we cannot see. Perhaps suggesting that China has several hidden aces? Additionally China is also exchanging tiles with Russia, while America can only guess from Taiwan’s expression of what actions have transpired between Russia and China. Japan on the other hand is completely oblivious, still focused solely on her own set of tiles.

Taiwan stares coldly at the game from aside. She sees everything that the players at the table are doing, she understands everything that is going on. But she doesn’t have the means or permission to join the game, she isn’t even given the right to speak. Even if she has a dearth of complaints, she cannot voice it to anyone, all she can do is to be a good page girl, and bring fresh fruit to the victor.

The final victor lies between China and America, this much is apparent. But look closely; while America is capable, they are playing Chinese Mahjong, not Western Poker. Playing by the rules of China, how much chance at victory does America really have?

 

source::::nairaland forum site

natarajan

படித்ததில் பிடித்தது …நிலவில் கால் வைத்த முதல் மனிதர் யார் !!!

Natarajan1 Comment
இந்தக் கேள்விக்கு யாராயிருந்தாலும்
உடனே பதில் சொல்லிவிடுவீர்க
ள்.நீல்ஆம்ஸ்ட்ராங் என்று. நிலவில் முதன்
முதலில் கால் வைத்திருக்க வேண்டியவர்
யார் தெரியுமா? பல
பேருக்கு தெரியாது அவர் எட்வின்
சி ஆல்ட்ரின்.
அவர்தான் நிலவுக்கு சென்ற
அப்பல்லோ விண்கலத்தின் பைலட்
அதாவது விமானி. ஆல்ட்ரின்
அமெரிக்காவின் விமானப் படையில்
பணிபுரிந்தவர். மேலும் விண்
நடை அனுபவம் உள்ளவர். அதனால் அவர்
விமானியாக நியமிக்கப்பட்டார்.
…
நீல் ஆம்ஸ்ட்ராங்க் அமெரிக்காவின் கப்பல்
படையில் வேலை பார்த்தவர். மிகுந்த
தைரியசாலி என்பதால்தான் இந்த
பயணத்திற்கு தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்டார்.
அவர் கோ-பைலட் அதாவது இணை விமானி.
இவர்கள் சென்ற அப்பல்லோ விண்கலம்
நிலவை அடைந்ததும்
நாசாவிலிருந்து பைலட் பர்ஸ்ட்
என்று கட்டளை பிறப்பிக்கப்பட்டது.
ஆனால் ஆல்ட்ரினுக்கோ மனதில் சின்ன
தயக்கம்.
இடது காலை எடுத்து வைப்பதா?
வலது காலை எடுத்து வைப்பதா? என்றல்ல.
‘நிலவில் முதன் முதலில் கால்
எடுத்து வைக்கிறோம்.
புவியீர்ப்பு விசையற்ற இடத்தில்
இருக்கிறோம்.
கால் வைக்கும் இடம் எப்படி இருக்கும்
என்று தெரியாது. புதை மணலாக
இருந்து உள்ளே இழுத்துவிட்டால்
எரி மணலாக
இருந்து காலை சுட்டுவிட்டால்
தயக்கத்தில் மணிக்கணக்காக
தாமதிக்கவில்லை. சில நொடிகள்தான்
தாமதித்திருப்பார்.
அதற்குள் நாசாவில்
இருந்து இரண்டாவது கட்டளை பிறப்பிக்க
டது. கோ பைலட் நெக்ஸ்ட்.
நீல் ஆம்ஸ்ட்ராங் கட்டளை வந்த அடுத்த
நொடி காலடி எடுத்து வைத்தார்.
உலக வரலாறு ஒரு நொடி தயக்கத்தில்
மாற்றி எழுதப்பட்டது. திறமையும்
தகுதியும் இருந்தும் கூட தயக்கத்தின்
காரணமாக தாமதித்ததால்
இன்று ஆல்ட்ரினை யாருக்கும்
தெரியவில்லை.
முதலாவது வருபவரைத்தான் இந்த உலகம்
நினைவில் வைத்திருக்கும்
என்பது மட்டுமல்ல, தயக்கம், பயம்
இவை எந்த அளவுக்கு நம்
வெற்றியை பாதிக்கும்
என்பதற்கு இதுவே உதாரணம்.
இனி நிலவை பார்க்கும் போதெல்லாம்
இந்தச் சம்பவத்தை நினைவில் வைத்துக்
கொள்ளுங்கள்.
ஒரு நிமிடத் தயக்கம் நம்முடைய மிகப்
பெரிய வெற்றிகளைத்
தடுத்து விடுகிறது. நாம்
எல்லோருமே மிகப்பெரும்
சாதனைகளை படைக்கிற
வல்லமை உடையவர்கள்தான். நம்முடைய
தயக்கம். பயம், கூச்சம் இவைதான் நம் முதல்
எதிரி.
source::::: input from face book
natarajan

” Catch Me If You Can ” !!!

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A NINE-YEAR-OLD boy has conned his way through an airport and onto a plane without a ticket.

In a story reminiscent of the Leonardo Di Caprio film Catch Me If You Can, the boy made it through three levels of security before boarding a Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis to Las Vegas in the US.

Airline crew only became suspicious of the boy once the plane was midair, the Daily Mail reports. They contacted Las Vegas police who met the runaway once the plane landed and handed him over to child protection services.

The unidentified minor also managed to score a free meal at the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport. He took a bag from a carousel that didn’t belong to him and sat down to have lunch at an airport restaurant. He told the waiter he had to use the bathroom, then left the bag at the table and never returned.

At one point, the boy reportedly blended in with another travelling family to avoid suspicion.

Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesman Patrick Hogan said: “At this point, this is a Delta and [Transport Security Administration] issue. This is a rare incident.

“The fact that the child’s actions weren’t detected until he was in flight is concerning.”

Delta officials told Minneapolis TV station KARE-11 they were investigating the incident.

Air travel expert Terry Trippler, from theplanerules.com, said the boy had to pass three levels of airport security.

“You have the TSA, the gate agents, and the flight crew and a child comes through without even a seat assignment.”

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police spokesman Bill Cassell told ABC News the boy was “more worldly than most nine-year-old kids”.

“He was able to get onto an airline where he didn’t have a ticket and made it five states across the US,” Mr Cassell said. “If it hadn’t been for alert airline employees on our end, he probably never would have been discovered.”

CBS reports that the boy’s parents told police they “hadn’t seen much of him today” when officers arrived his house after he was reported having run away.

 

source::::::: news.com.au

natarajan

Meet Susan Bennett ….Lady Behind the Voice of “Siri” in US !!!

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Susan Bennett, the woman behind the voice of Siri in the US Photo: CNN
 Susan Bennett
Hello Siri, who are you? The voice-activated “personal assistant” on Apple’s iPhone, a cultural phenomenon of the cyber era famous for her useful and not-so-useful responses to requests for information, continues to decline to answer that question to American callers.

But a voice-over actor from suburban Atlanta has now come forward to identify herself as the sound of Siri in the US.

With Apple introducing variations on the classic Siri and growing Internet speculation about her identity, Susan Bennett broke cover as the original voice of the ground-breaking technology after another actor was wrongly named.

“It seemed like everyone was clamouring to find out who the real voice behind Siri is, and so I thought, well, you know, what the heck? This is the time,” she told CNN.

Apple, which is renowned for its commercial secrecy, has not confirmed her name. But audio experts and industry professionals said that they were “100 per cent” certain that Siri is indeed Ms Bennett, who has also given voice to airline announcements and GPS directions and recorded countless commercials.

The phone application gives users personalised answers to questions about everything from history to restaurants as software draws information from many sources

For Miss Bennett, the painstaking process that began in 2005, long before anyone had heard of the iPhone, when she was approached by an automated voice technology company.

For spent four hours a day, every day, in her home recording booth reading and recording nonsensical phrases and sentences from which the experts separated out her vowels, consonants, syllables and diphthongs, and adapted her pitch and speed.

In a process called concatenation, these snippets were used to build the words and sentences with which Siri answers questions.

Miss Bennett also revealed why some of Siri’s responses sometimes seem to be delivered with a slightly exasperated or sardonic air.

“There are some people that just can read hour upon hour upon hour, and it’s not a problem, ” she said. “For me, I get extremely bored … So I just take breaks. That’s one of the reasons why Siri might sometimes sound like she has a bit of an attitude. Those sounds might have been recorded the last 15 minutes of those four hours.”

Ms Bennett did not know how the recordings would be used and took on a series of other commitments over the next six years. Then, after Apple released the iPhone 4S, the model with which Siri made her debut in 2011, a colleague called her and asked if it was her voice.

She did not have the new device but went online and listened to video clips. The voice was indisputably hers, she said.

The name Siri is Norwegian, meaning “beautiful woman who leads you to victory”, and comes from the intended name for the original developer’s first child

Ms Bennett made her start in her niche business 40 years ago as the voice in commercials of First National Bank’s “Tillie the All-Time Teller”, the first ATM machine.

“I began my career as a machine many years ago,” she noted. “I’m sure that you hear my voice at some point every day.”

And she told CNN that she thinks that one day, every one could be their own Siri.”I really see a time when you’ll probably be able to put your own voice on your phone and have your own voice talk back to you,” she said. “Which I’m used to, but maybe you aren’t.”

 

source::::: Philip Sherwell, New York  in The Telegraph UK

NATARAJAN

அமெரிக்காவை ஆட்டுவிக்கும் மாய சக்தி எது தெரியுமா ?

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புதிய நிதிநிலை அறிக்கையை இறுதிசெய்வதில் ஏற்பட்ட சிக்கல் காரணமாக, ஒரு பகுதி அரசுத் துறை நிறுவனங்களை மூடியிருக்கிறது அமெரிக்கா. மொத்தம் உள்ள 20 லட்சம் மத்திய அரசு ஊழியர்களில் சுமார் எட்டு லட்சம் ஊழியர்கள் சம்பளம் இல்லா விடுப்பில் செல்ல அரசு உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது. ராணுவம், சுகாதாரம் உள்ளிட்ட அதி முக்கியத் துறைகள் நீங்கலாக ஏனைய துறைகளின் செயல்பாடு முடங்கியிருக்கும். உலகெங்கும் பங்குச் சந்தைகளில் இதன் தாக்கம் எதிரொலிக்கும். இந்த முடக்கம் நீளும்போது, அமெரிக்கா பொருளாதார இழப்பை எதிர்கொள்ளும்.

ஆளும்கட்சிக்குச் சிக்கலான சூழல் ஏற்படும்போதெல்லாம் இப்படி ஒரு நடவடிக்கை எடுப்பது அமெரிக்க அரசுக்கு வழக்கம். 1977-லிருந்து இப்படி 17 முறை அரசுத் துறை நிறுவனங்களை வெள்ளை மாளிகை மூடியிருக்கிறது என்றாலும், 1995 இறுதியில் கிளின்டனின் ஆட்சியில் நடந்த வரலாற்றின் நீண்ட – 21 நாட்கள் முடக்கத்துக்குப் பின் இதுவே முதல் முறை.

ஆளும் ஜனநாயகக் கட்சிக்கும் குடியரசுக் கட்சிக்கும் இடையிலான அரசியல் சண்டையின் விளைவு இது.

தனியார் பிடியில் அமெரிக்க மருத்துவத் துறை சிக்கியிருக்கும் சூழலில், மருத்துவக் காப்பீடு இல்லாதவர்கள் அங்கு சமாளிப்பது கடினம். ஆனால், உலகை ஆளத் துடிக்கும் ‘வல்லர’சின் குடிமக்களில் பாதிக்கும் மேற்பட்டோர் இன்னமும் முழு மருத்துவக் காப்பீட்டு வசதி இல்லாத நிலையிலேயே இருக்கின்றனர். இத்தகைய சூழலில், அடுத்து வரும் தேர்தலில் ஜனநாயகக் கட்சியை முன்னகர்த்த ஒபாமா தேர்ந்தெடுத்த பகடைக்காய் மருத்துவக் காப்பீட்டுச் சீர்திருத்தத் திட்டம். நான்கு கோடி அமெரிக்கர்களை மருத்துவக் காப்பீட்டுக்குள் கொண்டுவர வழிவகுக்கும் திட்டம் இது.

பொருளாதார நெருக்கடிகளைச் சுட்டிக்காட்டி, ஏற்கெனவே அமெரிக்க அரசு செய்ய வேண்டிய செலவுகளில் சுமார் ரூ.4.81 லட்சம் கோடியை வெட்டும் திட்டத்தில் இருக்கும் எதிர்க்கட்சியான குடியரசுக் கட்சி, “இது அமெரிக்கர்கள் நலத் திட்டம் அல்ல; ஒபாமா நலத் திட்டம்” என்று திட்டத்தில் உள்ள சில குறைகளைக் கூறி முட்டுக்கட்டை போடுகிறது. நாடாளுமன்றத்தின் இரு சபைகளிலும் பெரும்பான்மை இல்லாத சூழலில், எதிர்க்கட்சியுடனான பேச்சுவார்த்தை தோற்றதால், நிதிநிலை அறிக்கையை இறுதிசெய்யாமல், அரசுத் துறைகளை முடக்கியிருக்கிறார் ஒபாமா. மக்களின் அனுதாபத்தைத் தான் பெற முடியும் என்று அவர் நம்புகிறார். ஒபாமா கணக்கே பலிக்கும் என்பது வெளிப்படை. எனினும், எப்படி இந்த அரசியலாட்டம் நடக்கிறது? பெருநிறுவனங்களின் லாபி.

இந்தியா எந்தக் கொள்கையை வாரிக்கொள்ளத் துடிக்கிறதோ, எல்லாத் துறைகளையும் யாரிடம் தாரைவார்க்கத் துடிக்கிறதோ அந்தத் தனியார்மயத்தின் கரங்களில்தான் உலகின் வல்லமை மிக்க தேசத்தை ஆட்டுவிக்கும் கயிறுகளின் முடிச்சுகள் இறுகியிருக்கின்றன!

source::::The Hindu….Tamil
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