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  • jjstraka34jjstraka34 Member Posts: 9,850
    edited October 2018

    The "abolish ICE" thing is a wildly overzealous approach to the problem. It's the same simplistic idea as the "abolish the IRS" or "abolish the EPA" thing on the right. ICE has numerous roles and legitimate functions in our government, and the solution to some scattered abuses of power is not to shut down the entire thing. There are also abuses of power by individual police officers, but that doesn't mean we abolish law enforcement. The solution is simply to punish those individual abuses of power.

    I'd venture to guess 90% of people had never heard the ICE acronym until Trump started touting them as his personal enforcement arm at every opportunity. Thus, they have now become synonymous with the kidnapping and jailing of children. Again, these are the consequences of Trump demagoguing nearly EVERY issue.

    I have discussed this story before of ICE storming a NY farm without a warrant:

    https://articles.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2018/04/upstate_ny_farmer_says_ice_officers_stormed_his_farm_without_a_warrant_cuffed_hi.amp

    Like all law enforcement, they follow the rules when it is convenient. When it isn't, they ignore them and suffer zero consequences.
  • joluvjoluv Member Posts: 2,137
    I have been to protests, and I have a job. Does that make me a paid protestor?
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694

    Health Care Vote Hounds Martha McSally in Tight Arizona Senate Race

    https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/mcsally-continues-to-face-criticism-for-health-care-vote?fbclid=IwAR1doXn4AMcgV16PzUK_w-_6Pz2Va4SLZRUF4dz26SEmcbMvOfIT565cif0
    McSally voted to repeal much of the Affordable Care Act.
    “I have fought for pre-existing conditions. I voted to protect pre-existing conditions. This is personal,” the Arizona Republican told reporters after touring the Universal Technical Institute.

    All the ways Republicans are trying to destroy pre-existing conditions coverage

    https://theweek.com/articles/803889/all-ways-republicans-are-trying-destroy-preexisting-conditions-coverage?fbclid=IwAR2f5z04kIujQ8dxqIqsxrhZSXgeIiUlrsW-kEDFKW676T_zrmFyH_0HVJU

    Why Ugliness Is Vital in the Age of Social Media

    ALOK talks with writer and disability justice organizer Mia Mingus about beauty, body positivity, and ableism.
    https://www.them.us/story/ugliness-disability-mia-mingus?fbclid=IwAR0qgMiodfDEUjZfEQN64GmeY82jG1BU64fo3QwfFLLSj1nvQ6LwII9qDvM

    Older People Are Worse Than Young People at Telling Fact From Opinion

    https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/10/older-people-are-worse-than-young-people-at-telling-fact-from-opinion/573739/?utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_content=5bd3fee54b73850001fe2c5f_ta&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1vOaGVkDLbycP8AAMEHcQ_32bjMmAPy7Br4NBAECesEBruCZIzDiFqcac
  • jjstraka34jjstraka34 Member Posts: 9,850
    edited October 2018
    The so-called migrant caravan, as we speak, is just barely northwest of Guatemala. Massive swaths of land they have to travel, on foot, still stand between them and the United States. There is absolutely no way to possibly predict how many will actually get here SOMEDAY weeks or even a month from now. But the narrative the right is using specifically to gin up piss-your-pants fear in their base that some kind of foreign invasion force is about to overflow into the country is reprehensible.

    If they move an average of 10 miles a day, they won't get here til February. This entire thing is a goddamn joke. Or would be if it wasn't getting people killed. Are we really going to keep acting like these people are some kind of existential threat for the next 3 months??
    Post edited by jjstraka34 on
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,367
    joluv said:

    I have been to protests, and I have a job. Does that make me a paid protestor?

    Depends on who you work for... ;)
  • smeagolheartsmeagolheart Member Posts: 7,963
    edited October 2018

    The "abolish ICE" thing is a wildly overzealous approach to the problem. It's the same simplistic idea as the "abolish the IRS" or "abolish the EPA" thing on the right. ICE has numerous roles and legitimate functions in our government, and the solution to some scattered abuses of power is not to shut down the entire thing. There are also abuses of power by individual police officers, but that doesn't mean we abolish law enforcement. The solution is simply to punish those individual abuses of power.

    ICE was formed March 1, 2003 it can be abolished just fine. The borders would be fine. It's an extra thing that is mainly there to abuse immigrants, it would seem.
  • WarChiefZekeWarChiefZeke Member Posts: 2,653
    edited October 2018
    deltago said:

    So I took the time and found the Clinton comment myself:

    "My dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders, some time in the future with energy that is as green and sustainable as we can get it, powering growth and opportunity for every person in the hemisphere."

    At the debate, Clinton replied that her sentence from the speech related to energy.

    "I was talking about energy. You know, we trade more energy with our neighbors than we trade with the rest of the world combined," she said. "And I do want us to have an electric grid, an energy system that crosses borders. I think that will be great benefit to us."

    So what she is asking for is common market (trade) with all of North and South America. Open borders in this context is being able to hire people from other countries without road blocks of getting them here. It’s immigration, but proper immigration, not border security that the right screams about.

    ~
    Living in a multicultural city, I can tell you first hand that “the entirety of China” or any other state does not just get dropped into a commmunity and over night, those values take over the way everyone lives.

    It is actually the exact opposite that happens. It takes three generations. The first generation comes west to provide a better life for their children. They still cling to the cultural norms from their home country because that is what they are use to. They may find like minded people in their community. This usually creates niche markets (such as Chinatowns or little Italies) expanding the cultural influence of said communities, but actual laws and strong cultural holds are not effected.

    The second generation is more accustomed to western culture through socializing at school. Unlike their parents, they will have been exposed to many people of different faiths, cultures and backgrounds becoming more accepted of people and thier differences. They will struggle against traditional norms vs new found freedoms but will be more willing to embrace new things. Their favourite sport maybe Hockey /American Football/ Basketball instead of Soccer for example. They will have other role models to immolate than just their parents.

    With the second generation being more accustomed and open to the freedoms the west has provided, their kids will be even more so. The few bits of culture their parents have clinged to will make them unique, but western culture will have taken over. The opportunities they have will be far greater than anything thier grandparents would have received. For example a second generation Muslim woman would probably still wear a Hijab. Her daughter may choose not to with less pressure coming from the mother about wearing one.

    Now there are exceptions to this, but the exceptions are extremely minor even though media would focus on those. An honour killing in Canada is more news worthy than 1000 of families living happily for example, but it’s those news stories and talking heads that exploit them that spreads the fear of immigration to the masses.

    "Proper" immigration is opinion. That she was talking immigration when she meant open borders is fact. Combine that with her policy on illegals and you have a full blown open border across the continent.

    "Magic dirt" theory where moving to another country wil magically change your values is a myth, although I do grant that over generations the argument holds more water, but I object to it even in it's best form for reasons i'll get to later And "living in a multicultural city" is a meaningless statement. So do I. And many multicultural cities have crime rates that mostly reflect foriegn ethnicities and not domestic, a clear failure of magic dirt. French prisons are, what, 70% muslim?

    A full quarter of british muslims want sharia law and over half want a homosexuality ban and not allowing them jobs as teachers and the like. This isn't a tiny minority not worth mentioning. People bring their values where they go and teach them to their kids, as a rule.

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/apr/11/british-muslims-strong-sense-of-belonging-poll-homosexuality-sharia-law

    Nearly 60% of Swedish rapists are foriegn born. Europe almost as a whole is a case study in immigration done wrong.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45269764

    Yeah, maybe if we are lucky, three generations in the magic dirt will fix everything, but why you would subject your citizens to at least two generations of needless chaos and suffering is beyond me. What price is too high for the "benefits" of multiculturalism?

    Is the NPC meme considered offensive? I feel like an NPC meme fits here. "Diversity is our strength", although nobody said it here and is only somewhat on topic, is one of those completely empty and eye rolling political slogans both parties parrot.

  • smeagolheartsmeagolheart Member Posts: 7,963
    edited October 2018
    multiculturalism. Diversity is strength.

    Tacos, Santa Claus, St. Patricks day. Yep it's all good.

    What's wrong with it? America is only America because it's been the melting pot.

    Do you object to only some groups? Which ones are the bad ones?
  • jjstraka34jjstraka34 Member Posts: 9,850
    edited October 2018
    The "liberal" media headline department strikes again:


    Are we seriously suggesting that a synagogue not having it's doors locked on a SATURDAY, of all days of the week, is part of the issue here?? Has our gun fetish gotten so out of control that no one should have any reasonable expectation of safety on this country unless they spend 100% of their time in an armored tank?? The issue of "unlocked doors" could apply to literally ANY business in America.
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903


    A full quarter of british muslims want sharia law and over half want a homosexuality ban and not allowing them jobs as teachers and the like. This isn't a tiny minority not worth mentioning. People bring their values where they go and teach them to their kids, as a rule.

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/apr/11/british-muslims-strong-sense-of-belonging-poll-homosexuality-sharia-law

    They do. But this poll doesn't differentiate between generations--it doesn't show if younger British Muslims share the attitudes of the older ones.

    I don't know how things progress in historically homogeneous countries like the U.K., but the U.S. has been a multi-racial and multi-cultural country since before the nation was founded. We've been assimilating people. A pre-multicultural United States never existed--we've literally always been like this.

    We're a nation of mongrels. We're a Chaotic Good version of the Borg Collective. It's our past and our present, so yes--it's also going to be our future. I don't see why 250 years of history suddenly has to stop now.

    I've seen the assimilation process firsthand. It didn't take 4 years for my friend Puru to start losing his accent and adopting American speech patterns. In terms of culture and values, virtually every second-generation immigrant that I've known has been nearly indistinguishable from all the other Americans I know.

    As for third-generation immigrants... If I've ever met one, I haven't noticed. That's how indistinguishable they are from other Americans; I can't name a single one I've ever met.

    If you want an example of a successfully assimilated nth-generation immigrant, look in the mirror. You are one. Where else do you think you came from? You grew up in the same society as a second-generation immigrant, and the same household as a third-generation immigrant.

    And again... we're still at a 20-year low in immigration. How can immigration possibly be such a huge threat if it's at a 20-year low?
  • QuickbladeQuickblade Member Posts: 957

    multiculturalism. Diversity is strength.

    Tacos, Santa Claus, St. Patricks day. Yep it's all good.

    What's wrong with it? America is only America because it's been the melting pot.

    Do you object to only some groups? Which ones are the bad ones?

    I was first going to say "There's more to Mexicans than tacos".
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    edited October 2018
    @jjstraka34 President Trump expressed the idea, that if only they'd had guns, the Jews would still be alive. This is the same man who shot four policemen. Two cops and two Members of S.W.A.T. If they weren't safe, with their weapons, what makes you think the jews in the temple would be?

    What do they want? For Jews to keep RPGs and tanks in the Shul? That seems to be the answer the Republicans/Conservatives keep pushing these days. More guns. Bigger guns. At what point is enough enough? When every American keeps RPGS, Tanks, and Grenade Launchers in their house? It's ridiculous. How many kids are we going to let shoot other kids? Because when you keep guns in the house, generally, kids get into them.

    TIMELINE: Children accidentally shooting themselves with guns in their homes
    https://abc13.com/timeline-children-accidentally-shooting-themselves-with-guns-in-their-homes/3745890/

    Gun Violence: Facts and Statistics
    There are more than 393 million guns in circulation in the United States — approximately 120.5 guns for every 100 people.
    1.7 million children live with unlocked, loaded guns - 1 out of 3 homes with kids have guns.
    In 2015, 2,824 children (age 0 to 19 years) died by gunshot and an additional 13,723 were injured.
    An emergency department visit for non-fatal assault injury places a youth at 40 percent higher risk for subsequent firearm injury.
    https://injury.research.chop.edu/violence-prevention-initiative/types-violence-involving-youth/gun-violence/gun-violence-facts-and#.W9Ycaq2ZOT8

    One toddler. One loaded gun. Boy’s shooting death keeps SC among the deadliest for kids
    https://www.postandcourier.com/news/one-toddler-one-loaded-gun-boy-s-shooting-death-keeps/article_3b0947e8-a169-11e8-b945-231b96ed7ec8.html
    Post edited by LadyRhian on
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694

    Is the NPC meme considered offensive? I feel like an NPC meme fits here. "Diversity is our strength", although nobody said it here and is only somewhat on topic, is one of those completely empty and eye rolling political slogans both parties parrot.

    As for your comic, we learn from each other. That's why it's a good thing.
  • SorcererV1ct0rSorcererV1ct0r Member Posts: 2,176
    The media love to portrait Bolsonaro as a minority hater. One tiny minority on Brazil is Asians, is much more likely to see someone of pure german ancestry or pure amerindian ancestry than someone of pure Japanese ancestry. Less than 0,5% of the population have Japanese ancestry. Most Brazilians who live on JP have Japanese surnames and on Japan, Bolsonaro won not with 60 or 70% of votes, but with more than 90% of votes and almost 95% of valid votes.

    How an candidate who ""hates minorities"" can win between one of the tiniest minorities?


    Here is an translated article https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://ipc.digital/jair-bolsonaro-no-japao-conquista-90-dos-votos/

    Here is a Tweet of Luciano Takagi, an catholic conservative about the case(on portuguese)
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235

    multiculturalism. Diversity is strength.

    Tacos, Santa Claus, St. Patricks day. Yep it's all good.

    What's wrong with it? America is only America because it's been the melting pot.

    Do you object to only some groups? Which ones are the bad ones?

    I was first going to say "There's more to Mexicans than tacos".
    True, but tacos are REALLY REALLY good.
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455

    multiculturalism. Diversity is strength.

    Tacos, Santa Claus, St. Patricks day. Yep it's all good.

    What's wrong with it? America is only America because it's been the melting pot.

    Do you object to only some groups? Which ones are the bad ones?

    I was first going to say "There's more to Mexicans than tacos".
    That seems to imply there isn't more to the Irish than St Patrick
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235

    multiculturalism. Diversity is strength.

    Tacos, Santa Claus, St. Patricks day. Yep it's all good.

    What's wrong with it? America is only America because it's been the melting pot.

    Do you object to only some groups? Which ones are the bad ones?

    I was first going to say "There's more to Mexicans than tacos".
    That seems to imply there isn't more to the Irish than St Patrick
    Must. Resist. Stereotyping...
  • SorcererV1ct0rSorcererV1ct0r Member Posts: 2,176
    Bolsonaro despite all fake news against him, got mathematically elected. http://divulga.tse.jus.br/oficial/index.html

    Instead of a guy who praises Venezuela/Cuba dictatorship, who wanna more failed gun control, trow criminals out of jail, more affirmative action, etc we got this guy.

  • smeagolheartsmeagolheart Member Posts: 7,963
    edited October 2018


    ...Bolsonaro wins..

    Well we'll see if things improve down there or if you guys made a terrible mistake. All signs point to a terrible mistake. That might be your free last election. At best y'all probably just apparently voted to return to a dictatorship. At worst you'll be seeing death camps, executions, and the like. So us up north can probably expect migrant caravans of Brazillians in a couple years.

    Come back and tell us how great things are in a year. I kinda doubt things will be better.


  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,367

    multiculturalism. Diversity is strength.

    Tacos, Santa Claus, St. Patricks day. Yep it's all good.

    What's wrong with it? America is only America because it's been the melting pot.

    Do you object to only some groups? Which ones are the bad ones?

    I was first going to say "There's more to Mexicans than tacos".
    That seems to imply there isn't more to the Irish than St Patrick
    Of course there is. There's U2, The Cranberries, Van Morrison, corned beef, potatoes, Guinness and Irish whiskey!
  • SorcererV1ct0rSorcererV1ct0r Member Posts: 2,176
    edited October 2018


    ...Bolsonaro wins..

    Well we'll see if things improve down there or if you guys made a terrible mistake. All signs point to a terrible mistake. That might be your free last election. At best y'all probably just apparently voted to return to a dictatorship. At worst you'll be seeing death camps, executions, and the like. So us up north can probably expect migrant caravans of Brazillians in a couple years.

    Come back and tell us how great things are in a year. I kinda doubt things will be better.
    I an not in favor of socialism but if the left manages to convince the population and the population democratically choose to starve to death is one thing. Sad, but is the will of the population. Armed left guerrillas and terrorist organizations are another thing. Same with right wing extremists, if you can peacefully change the society, violence is not right.

    During the military dictatorship, how many caravans did you received on north? I an not in favor of military dictatorship, Bolsonaro only said that considering the cold war period, it was a "necessary evil", but he never said anything against DEMOCRATIC left. His most violent discourse was against terrorists who commited many crimes and once got in the power, bribed via "mensalão" to pass things that the population don't wanna like ridiculous Mexican style gun control(who turned Mexico into a narco state), not mention the diplomatic crisis once they gave asylum to Cesare Battisti.

    USA ambassadorgot kidnapped by the radical left.
    https://adst.org/2013/01/four-days-in-september-kidnapping-of-ambassador-to-brazil/

    I hope that Cesare Battisti get deported to Italy and face justice for his crimes and the relationships between both countries become better.
  • deltagodeltago Member Posts: 7,811
    @WarChiefZeke. I never claimed magic dirt, and that is a fallacy. It can be said, that most immigrants come to the west to improve the lives of their families. I think that is more of a fact than anything else, because why else come?

    French prisons problem is compounded by to the wars in the Middle East, the displacement of millions of people, a cultural shock of a new region and desperation as families, who might have been better off in their home country struggle with poverty, as well unacceptance and racism in the country to take them in. Add in anger, and the feeling of being lost and unwelcome drives people (and once again, mostly young males) to crime. The French government failed by not setting up proper social programs for the influx of people they had coming in, however, they are hardly to blame for it.

    The Sharia law thing pops up here in Canada every once and again, but everytime it does, it gets shot down and dismissed as Sharia law isn’t Canadian law and if following some aspects of Sharia law breaks Canadian law, those people will be punished using our laws. And as I said, once the second and third generation get taught our laws, they will not be for Sharia law, espicially at its most draconic. Also everyone thinks Sharia law as the big boogey man, but when questioned point blank, most people can not even name one thing Sharia law promotes. This is mostly because it really isn’t a set of legal laws, but a way in which muslims should live. If you ever see Halal meat served at a restaurant, it is basically the restaurant following sharia law, the religious holiday Ramanan is also based off of sharia law.

    And yes, you can look at Europe and say “it was done wrong,” then look to Canada, who’s been doing this since the Pierre Trudeau government in the 70’s to see how it is done right. Granted, Canada does not have to worry as much about illegal immigration than other western countries due to us having one border with one other country and that country is as good off as we are. However, Canada is a testament on how Multiculturalism can work.
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694

    The Alt-Right is Killing People

    The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) counted over 100 people killed or injured by alleged perpetrators influenced by the so-called "alt-right" — a movement that continues to access the mainstream and reach young recruits.
    https://www.splcenter.org/20180205/alt-right-killing-people?fbclid=IwAR1pmwZX9ST8W7ZF3xBZPTjNQJWqrEPK3TLjgcfSEwREWzYsSUe6wovVLeo#.W9TJlgZ1ry1.facebook

    Republicans frantic to cover record of attacking Obamacare

    https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/republicans-frantic-to-cover-record-of-attacking-obamacare-1351546947581?v=raila&cid=sm_npd_ms_tw_ma&fbclid=IwAR1YVc_dKz1eKdmmT3yqWB04G8iFZfoiSDLzDsA1jv-EFwC2eiOAAb1ioic
  • DrakeICNDrakeICN Member Posts: 623
    Polls comparing immigrants to natives are worthless for several reasons;
    1. In Sweden, it has been shown that a "class shift" generally takes 3 generations. Now, I am not going to get into specifics, because this stuff is inflammatory and REALLY complex, but basically, a culture of "studying is shit" shift to "studying is everything" takes 3 generations. To clarify: a genius born to "working class mentality" (which already make me cringe, working class, after all, is just a reflection of the salary you pull in) is less likely to "make it" (pull in a higher salary) than a doofus born to an academic class. What does that have to do with immigration you ask? Well, extrapolating - and only the Gods know if this extrapolation is valid or not - immigrants - sorry make that the average* immigrant - would need three generations to fully strip themselves of whatever (negative) cultural difference between natives and immigrant that does exist, or supposedly exist.
    2. 2:nd generation immigrants are technically natives... but it takes 3 generations to adopt a culture. So, comparing natives to immigrants, is... what!!? No really, you tell me...
    3. 2:nd and 3:rd generation immigrants commit more crime than 1:st generation immigrants, because 1:st generation immigrants (I might have been a physician in Syria and here I am a convenience store wage slave, but at least none is trying to kill me here) have a sense of gratitude not shared by 2:nd and 3:rd generation.
    4. If we believe Murka is the standard (which, on these forums, I believe is justified, BG being a Murikan game) what do you mean by immigrant? Canucks, Britbongs, Mexicans, Arabs, Africans**, Koreans!!?
    5. The generational shift in culture (1960 weed and sex is God incarnate, 1990 weed and sex is the devil incarnate) cannot possible overpower your country of origin, because, uhhhh... MAGA!!!
    6. Since most jobs are aquired through connections, and the rooted have more connections than the uprooted, and poverty is a bigger tell than ethnicity, but the ethnical majority have more connections and therefore more access to wealth, and uhhhhh... what was the question again?

    * The average Milky Way resident have 3.5 legs and own a hyena
    ** According to Murka lore, Africa is not a continent with a witchbrew of different cultures with different history and different ethnicity and different colonial masters and different paths to independence... of which some are democracies and some are dictatorships. It's all the same because slave boats, hurr durr and ebola!
  • smeagolheartsmeagolheart Member Posts: 7,963
    A couple days ago..

    Bolsonaro’s supporters in Brazil are threatening journalists and spreading fake news

    https://www.vox.com/2018/10/26/18022864/brazil-presidential-election-bolsonaro-haddad

    That sounds familiar.
  • jjstraka34jjstraka34 Member Posts: 9,850
    I'll give it 3 months before we have another Duterte on our hands.
  • SorcererV1ct0rSorcererV1ct0r Member Posts: 2,176
    edited October 2018

    A couple days ago..

    Bolsonaro’s supporters in Brazil are threatening journalists and spreading fake news

    https://www.vox.com/2018/10/26/18022864/brazil-presidential-election-bolsonaro-haddad

    That sounds familiar.

    """Fake news""""
    Like :
    - Accusing his vice of being a torturer in a time where his vice has only 16 years old(and the minimum age to be at army is 18)
    - Saying that lula was jailed without proof(pages of different delations, audio records, etc) but bolsonaro spreaded fake news and nobody even mention a fake news that he spreaeded or any proof
    - Trying guilt by association, aka only because Bolsonaro's grandfather was in Hitler's Army, they tried to say that he is nazi but ignores Dilma with his long criminal record on military dictatorship times
    - Here is the criminal record of Dilma, in Portuguese.

    - Edited speech, like the media saying that he said “I wouldn't rape you because you don't deserve it" instead of saying it as a reply to a accusation/insult in a discussion of if underage criminals should be severely punished.

    No, i don't think that he is perfect, i don't think that brazil will become a first world country. But is a small step towards the ideal scenario. Restoration of monarchy. Bolsonaro should be the prime minister and should't exist a president. Someone of Dom Pedro's family should be our king. Monarchy is clearly superior to democracy in every place. After the fell of monarchy on Germany, Germany had an leftist Weimar republic with hyperinflation who fueled the rise of the third Reich...

    Not mention, Kings know how to dress...

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidation_of_Pedro_II_of_Brazil
  • jjstraka34jjstraka34 Member Posts: 9,850
    edited October 2018
    If you want a de-facto dictatorship (which is what a monarchy is), you are likely going to get your wish, so, congratulations.....I guess.
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