| DeVos grilled by Democrats on public school cuts, private school discrimination Posted: 24 May 2017 12:39 PM PDT  Democratic legislators pressed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos in her first public testimony since a contentious confirmation process. DeVos was answering questions on the White House budget proposal in front of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. The budget proposal has been criticized by some for making deep cuts to public education to fund school choice voucher programs such as those that DeVos promoted in her home state of Michigan.
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| Landslide Buries Stretch of Famous Hwy. 1 at California’s Big Sur Posted: 24 May 2017 08:52 AM PDT  Part of California's Highway 1 remains buried under a mountain of rock and dirt that stretches a quarter-mile wide.
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| Manchester Attack: Father and Brothers of Suspected Bomber Arrested Posted: 24 May 2017 08:31 AM PDT  The father and a younger brother of the suspect Manchester suicide bomber were taken into custody by Libyan officials, as another brother was taken into custody in England.
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| In jest, Pope Francis asks Melania Trump if she feeds pastries to the president Posted: 24 May 2017 08:07 AM PDT  In a nod to the first lady's native country, the pope asked Melania Trump if she gives the president a food called potica.
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| Alabama death row inmate files flurry of last minute appeals Posted: 25 May 2017 04:20 PM PDT  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Convicted murderer Tommy Arthur — called the "Houdini" of death row by some after escaping seven prior execution dates — was scheduled to be put to death Thursday evening in Alabama, as his attorneys filed a flurry of last minute appeals.
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| Overturned tanker causes massive fire in California Posted: 23 May 2017 10:53 PM PDT  A tanker truck driver was killed when his truck ran off Highway 99, overturned and exploded into flames in Atwater, California, authorities said.
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| Woman jumps onto the hood of moving car to prevent carjacking at petrol station Posted: 25 May 2017 03:02 PM PDT  A Wisconsin woman has become a viral sensation after she jumped on the hood of her own moving car to prevent a carjacking. Melissa Smith, 27, was printing her receipt at a petrol station in Milwaukee when a stranger jumped into her car and began driving away. "I had my, 'Oh no this isn't happening to me today moment,'" Ms Smith told local news station WISN 12.
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| Sessions Failed to Disclose Russian Meetings Posted: 24 May 2017 11:06 AM PDT  Rachel Maddow reports the latest in a string of failures by Donald Trump staffers failing to disclose meetings with Russians, in this case Jeff Sessions leaving off his meetings from his security clearance form.
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| Pit Bull Formerly on Euthanasia List Now a Top K9 Agent With Police Department Posted: 25 May 2017 12:07 PM PDT  "All he needed was a chance," cops said.
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| British Authorities Are Searching for Manchester Bomber's Potential 'network' Posted: 23 May 2017 09:00 PM PDT  Salman Abedi returned from Libya just days before attack that killed 22 people at Manchester Arena.
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| Everest rescuers retrieve bodies of two Indian climbers Posted: 25 May 2017 04:15 AM PDT  Rescuers have retrieved the bodies of two Indian climbers who died on Mount Everest last year but whose remains could not be moved due to bad weather, an official said Thursday. A team of Nepali climbers retrieved the bodies of Goutam Ghosh and Paresh Nath from the balcony, an area just below the summit of the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) mountain. Ghosh's remains were only located this year by other climbers on the mountain.
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| UK police hunt Manchester bomber's network, angered by U.S. leaks Posted: 24 May 2017 07:13 PM PDT ![UK police hunt Manchester bomber's network, angered by U.S. leaks]( "UK police hunt Manchester bomber's network, angered by U.S. leaks") By Michael Holden and Andy Bruce MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Police scrambled to close down a network around the Manchester suicide bomber with arrests in Britain and Tripoli on Wednesday, as details about the investigation were leaked to U.S. media, infuriating authorities who fear a second attack is imminent. British-born Salman Abedi, 22, who was known to security services, killed 22 people at a concert venue packed with children on Monday. Manchester police arrested five men and one woman on Wednesday, bringing the total held for questioning to seven, and searched multiple addresses in northern and central England.
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| Unusual mass attack injures 8 California guards, 7 inmates Posted: 25 May 2017 01:54 AM PDT  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — In a brawl that officials say was extreme even by the violent standard of California prisons, correctional officers had to open fire to stop a melee that sent eight guards and seven inmates to hospitals.
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| The Facts Behind DNC Staffer Seth Rich’s Death Posted: 24 May 2017 08:42 AM PDT  NBC Nightly News' Pete Williams explains the facts around the killing of DNC staffer Seth Rich.
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| Christian school bans 'immoral' pregnant teenager from attending her own graduation Posted: 25 May 2017 02:03 PM PDT  A pregnant teenager - an honour student with straights As - has been branded "immoral" by her school and told she cannot attend its graduation ceremony. Officials at Heritage Academy, a private Christian school in Maryland, said Maddi Runkles, 18, was not welcome at the event because she had to be held "accountable for her immorality". "Maddi is being disciplined, not because she's pregnant, but because she was immoral," David Hobbs, the school administrator, said in a statement.
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| THAAD Deployment Will Weaken Kim Jong Un's Leverage Posted: 25 May 2017 02:29 AM PDT  A top American military commander in Seoul said Thursday that a "very dangerous situation" is looming over the Korean peninsula.
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| SitRep: Trump in Brussels; NATO Joins ISIS Fight it’s Already Fighting; Navy Challenges China Posted: 25 May 2017 04:57 AM PDT  Russian Spies Bragged About Flynn Contacts; Manchester Updates
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| Good service dog makes it into school yearbook right next to his human Posted: 24 May 2017 03:13 PM PDT  Service dogs deserve recognition for the great deeds they perform daily. To them, they aren't even great deeds. They are just ... deeds. Andrew "AJ" Schalk, a 16-year-old junior at Stafford High School in Virginia, certainly wanted to give his service dog, Alpha, the respect that was deserved for someone who has saved his life several times. So he asked his school if they'd be willing to give his dog a spot in the yearbook, and the result is adorable. That's a GOOD dog if I've ever seen one. SEE ALSO: Inspirational golden retriever perfectly demonstrates how to get swole for the summer Just a boy and his (service) dog pic.twitter.com/uM5f9P9X3V — AJ (@t1dfighter_aj) May 18, 2017 Schalk was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2009. "The decision to get a service dog came about just to have greater control over my blood sugar and A1C, and Alpha has even saved my life on multiple occasions," Schalk said. As Schalk's service dog, Alpha's job is to alert Schalk if his blood sugar is getting too low or too high by sniffing his breath. If undetected, Schalk could be in danger. But with Alpha on the case, he has peace of mind. Andrew Schalk and his good boy, Alpha.Image: Andrew SchalkAlpha joined Schalk's family when he was four months old, and has now been with Schalk for three and a half years. Halfway through the previous school year, Schalk started bringing Alpha with him to school. "I started by bringing him once a week, then twice, and so on and so forth until he was fully acclimated," Schalk explained. Alpha is now a consistent presence at Stafford High, attending classes with Schalk every day. Image: andrew schalk"Alpha is not a distraction at all!" Schalk said. "He lays under my desk during class, and even though everyone knows he is there, everyone still pays attention to class and loves having him there." Who wouldn't love knowing that there is a dog nearby at all times? We sure wouldn't mind. Alpha is so beloved at the school, in fact, that when Schalk asked if he could be in the yearbook the request was happily granted. "I talked to a friend of mine in the yearbook club and asked of we could get Alpha into the yearbook," Schalk said. "She took it to the teacher in charge and all the teachers and administration were 100% supportive." Good boy Alpha also got himself an official student ID. Alpha clearly dressed up for picture day.Image: andrew schalk"All my classmates loved seeing Alpha in the yearbook," Schalk said. "And people that I didn't know loved the surprise of having a service dog in the yearbook." Schalk, a junior, has one more year of high school left, and that means Alpha gets to make another yearbook cameo. "I for sure plan on having him in the yearbook next year as well," Schalk confirmed. WATCH: These worms may solve the plastic waste problem
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| Richard Collins III: Father of black student murdered in suspected hate crime accepts his son’s degree Posted: 24 May 2017 06:22 AM PDT  In an emotional ceremony at Maryland's Bowie State University, Richard Collins Jr was cheered as he took the podium. "I really have not tried to process motive or intentions behind this yet," he told NBC News before the ceremony. Police have charged 22-year-old Sean Urbanski with his murder.
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| US deaths from Alzheimer's soar 55 percent since 1999 Posted: 25 May 2017 10:08 AM PDT  Deaths from Alzheimer's in America have soared 55 percent since 1999, as the burden of this fatal form of dementia grows and the population ages, a federal health report said Thursday. The study in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report spanned 1999 to 2014. Experts say the data shows more caregivers are needed, along with more resources to help people suffering from Alzheimer's disease, the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.
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| Not a little list: EU draws up Brexit bill Posted: 25 May 2017 11:56 AM PDT  By Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will next month demand Britain agree to pay a fixed percentage of the EU's outstanding obligations on the day it leaves the bloc, in defiance of a British rejection of that logic as "preposterous". A draft EU negotiating paper, seen by Reuters, that will be put to London when Brexit talks begin following a national election in Britain on June 8 makes clear that suggestions from Prime Minister Theresa May's government that the Union might end up owing rather than getting money cut no ice in Brussels. The paper on principles of the financial settlement that the EU wants from London on departure in March 2019 sets no figure, and chief negotiator Michel Barnier has made clear it cannot be calculated until the end as it depends on the EU's spending.
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| Local Hero: Girl, 12, Rescues 4-Year-Old Neighbor From Alleged Abduction: Cops Posted: 24 May 2017 06:15 PM PDT  A 4-year-old girl was being led away by a man gripping her hand, according to a 12-year-old neighbor who pulled the child away and took her home.
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| House speaker calls Erdogan visit violence 'indefensible' Posted: 25 May 2017 10:58 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday that the violence against peaceful protesters by bodyguards for Turkey's president was "completely indefensible," as members of Congress pressed the Trump administration for a more forceful U.S. response.
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| What It Takes to Get Accepted Into the Ivy League Posted: 25 May 2017 05:00 AM PDT ![What It Takes to Get Accepted Into the Ivy League]( "What It Takes to Get Accepted Into the Ivy League") Many students dream of attending one of the colleges in the elite Ivy League for their undergraduate education.
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| UK hunts for bomber's network amid row over US leaks Posted: 25 May 2017 02:01 PM PDT  Britain hunted Thursday for a Libya-linked jihadist network thought to be behind the deadly Manchester bombing as US President Donald Trump threatened to prosecute anyone leaking details from the investigation to US media. London reacted furiously after sensitive details about the probe into Monday's suicide attack, which targeted young concert goers and killed 22 people, appeared in the US press. With the row over intelligence-sharing escalating, a shellshocked Britain held a minute's silence to remember the victims of the latest Islamic State-claimed atrocity to hit Europe.
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| BMW Concept 8-series: Eight Is Greater than Six Posted: 25 May 2017 10:20 AM PDT  This shapely coupe concept previews the replacement for the 6-series.
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| Tesla Model 3 leaked data suggests 0-60 time of 5.6 seconds Posted: 25 May 2017 06:00 AM PDT  More details on the Tesla Model 3 have emerged ahead of the car's July debut. Slides comparing the Model 3 with the Model S recently surfaced on a Tesla enthusiast site and are said to have been supplied by a company insider. The slides are allegedly part of a Tesla campaign to train salespeople to upsell customers a Model S over the production-constrained Model 3.
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| Driver indicted in deadly Times Square attack, crash Posted: 24 May 2017 12:53 PM PDT  A grand jury has indicted the driver charged with killing a young woman and injuring 22 people when he careened through three blocks in New York City's crowded Times Square, prosecutors said on Wednesday. Richard Rojas, 26, is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on July 13. Authorities say Rojas drove his Honda sedan down Seventh Avenue on May 18, made a U-turn and mowed down pedestrians on the packed sidewalk for three city blocks before crashing.
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| Smooth waves bursting with color give inside view of surfer’s paradise Posted: 25 May 2017 08:32 AM PDT ![Smooth waves bursting with color give inside view of surfer's paradise]( "Smooth waves bursting with color give inside view of surfer's paradise") Ever wondered what Hawaii's famous waves look like from the inside? Photographer and non- commissioned officer in the United States Army, Marco Mitre shares the beauty of the shore on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.
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| Rouhani's election victory in Iran was dramatic, but how deep did it go? Posted: 24 May 2017 01:16 PM PDT ![Rouhani's election victory in Iran was dramatic, but how deep did it go?]( "Rouhani's election victory in Iran was dramatic, but how deep did it go?") Dancing in the streets to the powerful beats from car sound systems – on virtually the one day every four years that such spontaneous public parties are tolerated – Iranians joyously celebrated the reelection of their hero, President Hassan Rouhani. Mr. Rouhani has promised greater freedoms and vowed to reconnect Iran to the world, and as voters celebrated, they chanted for the release of opposition leaders. Recommended: How much do you know about Iran?
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| House approves bill seeking to upend EPA pesticide rule Posted: 24 May 2017 03:42 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Wednesday passed a Republican-backed measure reversing an Environmental Protection Agency requirement that those spraying pesticides on or near rivers and lakes file for a permit.
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| This Woman's Viral Post About Being a "Bad Mom" Is So Relatable Posted: 24 May 2017 09:53 AM PDT  And what Constance Hall learned from a therapist is something every mom should keep in mind.
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| Obama photographer Pete Souza trolls Donald Trump after Melania refuses to hold his hand Posted: 24 May 2017 08:29 AM PDT  With a simple two words and picture on Instagram, former White House Photographer Pete Souza did the trick. "Holding hands," Mr Souza wrote next to a photo of former President Barack Obama holding hands with his wife Michelle. Mr Souza has been on something of a roll when it comes to trolling President Donald Trump.
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| Safety calls increase between US, Russia militaries Posted: 24 May 2017 02:46 PM PDT  Russian and US military officials are increasingly communicating about operations in Syria -- and doing so at a higher level -- as both countries wage separate but overlapping campaigns, a US general said Wednesday. Lieutenant General Jeffrey Harrigian, who heads US Air Forces Central Command, said generals from both militaries are now using a special "deconfliction" hotline to avoid mishaps. The hotline, which had intially been staffed by lower-ranking officers, was established in late 2015 after Russia entered the Syrian war to prop up the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
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| El Salvador sentences gang members to 390 years over massacre Posted: 24 May 2017 04:50 PM PDT ![El Salvador sentences gang members to 390 years over massacre]( "El Salvador sentences gang members to 390 years over massacre") A court in El Salvador on Wednesday sentenced seven members of a notorious criminal gang to 390 years in prison each for their part in a March 2016 massacre that shocked the crime-ravaged Central American country. The men, part of the "Barrio 18 Revolutionaries" gang, received a 35-year prison sentence for each of the 11 victims killed in the massacre, plus five years for their affiliations with illegal gangs, the attorney general's office said on Twitter. Authorities have said the gang members early last year kidnapped and killed three day laborers and eight workers of an electric company in the quiet town of San Juan Opico, some 27 miles northeast of the capital San Salvador.
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| Billy Cosby Breaks His Silence as Final Juror Picked in His Sexual Assault Trial Posted: 25 May 2017 09:31 AM PDT  Opening arguments are set to begin June 5.
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| Deadly blast at Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England Posted: 25 May 2017 07:30 AM PDT ![Deadly blast at Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England]( "Deadly blast at Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England") Photos of the British response to the deadly bombing at a concert arena in Manchester, England, on Monday night.
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| Apple designer made a $12,000 hourglass that comes with an iPhone-worthy design story Posted: 24 May 2017 06:03 PM PDT 
Design stories can be pretty silly, and that's especially true for Samsung's annoying smartphone design stories — here's the most recent Galaxy S8 story. But Samsung designers aren't the only ones that have exaggerated tales about their creations, and we've got one more such example for you. This time around, it comes from an Apple designer, although it doesn't concern an Apple product.
Marc Newson created a special hourglass for Hodinkee that retails for $12,000. It's handcrafted, and it contains noisy nanoballs instead of boring sand. No, there's absolutely no reason to buy one, even if it's a Newson creation. The hourglass is 150mm tall and 125mm across at the widest point. It contains 1.3 million tiny copper balls that measure just 0.6mm in diameter, and measures precisely 10 minutes. But the way Newson and Hodinkee describe it makes it sound like something that's actually worth buying/watching/enjoying. It's not.  "Sometimes you see an object, and it just captivates you. You can't look away. You can't even really explain what you're looking at either," Hodinkee says. "Marc Newson's Hourglass is one such object. It takes the idea of one of the most basic time-measuring instruments ever devised, and pushes it to its limits." Alright. "It is perhaps one of the most fundamental objects in the world of timekeeping, and arguably one of the oldest, but I love the fact that it is so sort of deeply esoteric, and it has this strange and mesmeric quality," Newson says in the promo video at the end of this post. "On one hand, you're witnessing time. But on the other hand, it's completely sort of timeless, and it actually if anything focuses your attention on the opposite of time, if that makes any sense." It doesn't. And, look, the actual manufacturing of the hourglass is impressive itself. The glass object requires a certain precision, and it's hand made, which is remarkable. It's just Hodinkee and Newson's design stories that are annoying. "Watching the Hourglass is a multi-sensory experience that cannot be communicated in words," the blog post explains. "The combination of watching those first few nanoballs bounce around the bottom chamber, the flow begin to change surface patterns in the top chamber, and the unique sound of the nanoballs flying around, hitting the glass and one another as they settle at the bottom, is utterly mesmerizing. Invariably, the first time we show it to someone, there's a gasp, a big smile, and sometimes even a little giggle as they lean in and get ready to watch for the full 10 minutes." Mkay.
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| Chris Cornell Reportedly Seemed ‘High’ During His Final Concert Posted: 24 May 2017 11:54 AM PDT  Chris Cornell's tour manager and house engineer has come forward to say that the Soundgarden singer seemed "high" during the final concert he performed in before his death, echoing sentiments by his wife that his suicide may have been unintentional.
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| Secret Service budget asks for $25M to protect Trump Tower Posted: 24 May 2017 11:24 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is asking for more money to protect President Donald Trump's signature New York skyscraper, add hundreds of new Secret Service agents and strengthen security at the White House, according to new budget documents presented to Congress.
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| 'Star Wars' at 40: a Look Back at the Film by Those Who Made It Posted: 25 May 2017 02:29 AM PDT  In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the space blockbuster, John Dykstra, special effects coordinator, and Richard Chew, film editor, discuss what it was like to work on the original Star Wars film.
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| Venezuela military defends protests role, backs Maduro congress Posted: 25 May 2017 12:21 PM PDT  By Andrew Cawthorne CARACAS (Reuters) - Decried by protesters as "murderers" defending a dictator, Venezuela's military insisted on Thursday it was not taking sides in the national political turmoil, though it did back socialist President Nicolas Maduro's controversial plan for a new congress. The armed forces' National Guard unit has played a pivotal role in two months of unrest rocking Venezuela, often blocking marches and using teargas and water cannons to fight youths hurling stones and Molotov cocktails. At least 57 people have been killed, including one National Guard member and two policemen.
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| NASA's Juno probe forces 'rethink' on Jupiter Posted: 25 May 2017 12:26 PM PDT  An unmanned NASA spaceship circling Jupiter has spotted massive cyclones at the gas giant's poles, revealing stunning new details about our solar system's largest planet, researchers said Thursday. A NASA statement described the planet as "a complex, gigantic, turbulent world" that is far different than scientists previously thought. Two papers in the journal Science and 44 papers in Geophysical Research Letters describe a trove of discoveries made since Juno began orbiting Jupiter last year.
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| Former Mississippi prison chief sentenced to nearly 20 years Posted: 24 May 2017 04:25 PM PDT  JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Christopher Epps once called himself the "tallest hog at the trough," but he was cut down to size Wednesday when a judge sentenced Mississippi's former corrections commissioner to nearly 20 years in prison for crimes connected to more than $1.4 million in bribes.
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