Even the mayor, who stands to gain the most from a week of national focus on his city, says he might call off the Republican National Convention himself if a direct hurricane hit seems likely.
“Absolutely we’re prepared to call it off,” Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn told CNN this morning. “I mean, human safety and human life trumps politics. I think the RNC recognizes that.”
You have to wonder if the GOP might be better off. For starters, and thanks to their rape-gaffe Missouri Senate candidate, the party can expect extra attention on their planned platform stance against abortion in all cases, including rape. That essentially echoes troubled Rep. Todd Akin’s argument for a blanket ban against abortion in all cases, no exceptions.
The television networks have dramatically scaled back coverage of conventions this year. Even Mitt’s wife, Ann Romney, will not be on broadcast TV when she speaks. This leaves the conventions with nothing but their own partisans to reach on cable channels where few persuadable independents pay attention.
If Isaac steals the show next week consider it a wash for Republicans. So much of what they will say and do, while firing up the base, will likely frighten independents more than a hurricane.
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86 Responses to Isaac Jitters Grip Tampa
Now on The Trail
Woo Hoo…. A Missouri Senator compares not to the continued fruit of a VP. Plus the RNC handled it correctly.
Mo is building and maybe could play well.
One thing for sure we cannot afford to continue the Obama Nation
I think the GOP will be hurt if their convention is cancelled. They need to “rally the base” with several nights of passionate speakers who are, lets face it, much more inspiring than Romney.
meanwhile, back on mitt’s taxes
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/20/mitt-romney-foreign-tax-credit_n_1812507.html
IRS Concerns About Foreign Tax Credit Abuses Raise Questions About Mitt Romney Foreign Tax Credits And How Those Tax Credits Were Determined
Oh, yes, Ping.
http://tinyurl.com/8atxeok
http://tinyurl.com/8uh27ct
Isn’t conventional wisdom that the VP can’t deliver the country but should deliver his home state? Oh well. And mother nature delivers the rain.
just saw a comment on TPM that had me laughin’ my ass off…
the GOP… slowly turning America into Dumbfuckistan…
Unlike Missouri Republican Todd Akin, Minnesota’s Duluth area Democrat House of Representatives Kerry Gauthier finally got some common sense and will be off the ballot.
Minn. Lawmaker Involved in Sex Scandal Says He Won’t Seek Re-Election
By: Leslie Rolander, KSTP-TV, August 23, 2012 7:11 PM
Bill Clinton Stars in Obama Ad
dumbfuckistan. LMAO
RR
One far right site that I have to visit for friendship reasons regularly has quotes from the denizens when confronted with facts along the lines of “Don’t you hate these elites who think they are smarter than everyone else”.
When did ignorance become a right wing virtue? Dumbfuckistan indeed!!!
The #1 issue in political debate today ought to be the systematic, and successful, effort by the GOP at voter suppression. Apparently, Democratic politicians have already forgotten how Governor Jeb Bush, with the help of the U.S. Supreme Court, stole the election for his brother in Florida in 2000. Now the GOP is getting ready to do it on a far more massive scale, in multiple “swing” states.
The MSNBC evening political shows have addressed the voter suppression issue again and again, in increasingly alarming tones, but (no drama) Obama and most Democratic politicians hardly ever mention it, preferring to let Justice Department lawyers deal with it quietly through the legal system. The problem is that conservative judges in different jurisdictions are supporting the voter suppression efforts.
If Obama doesn’t speak out against this more forcefully now, when there is still time to do something, he is going to lose the election. It doesn’t really matter how many mistakes Romney makes on the “issues,” if the GOP can keep 5 million Democrats from voting. At the moment, it looks like that’s exactly what is going to happen.
Roman Hruska is smiling
Why was the coverage scaled back? I think the Republicans should be grateful the less they appear in public the better off they are
I heard a statistic unfortunately I don’t remember the source — some survey of black voters and 94% support Obamarama and 0% for the Republicans
That of course explains the various republicans voter suppression measures
Once again proving when they can’t honestly win elections they cheat and that is a fact
Really take a good, close look at Republicans. What has that party produced. Their favorite pol was/is Raygun, They have provided no leadership or early support for a single civil rights issue. They use their alleged Christian faith to suppress the rights of others but disavow the Christian tenents they don’t care about.
They only care about the appearance of things as since the leadership of Nudie their primary occupation as legislators in obstruction. They haven’t got one initiative they can claim. Well unless they want to take responsibility for the destruction of public education and the ridiculous No child left behind which was merely a plot to line the pockets of the likes of Bill Bennett and Michael Milken
I would run a ad — just showing all the criminal elements of the gop and then all the ones who have made tons of money off govt contracts and then say do you want them running this country again? And end with a big old picture of George Bush — they succeeded with banning the Bushes from the convention
How many years of tax returns did Shrub release?
If there isn’t a convention, how will the nomination work? I am sure the pugs are happy because they will not have to see Ron Paul.
Romney hasn’t been nominated and we are already prepared for a President Ryan.
Pong…your post is straight out of Faux News. Great Americans need only apply.
Nash, I keep asking where the JD is on suits against the states that are covered as those with historical discriminatory practices under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (they have filed some suits in those states and counties covered, although of states Obama might carry, only Virginia is a covered state under section 5 (with a little of New Hampshire, Florida and California) and those that aren’t under Section 2 & the underlying constitutional protections on which that Act and subsequent federal court actions were based and get no answer worth listening to.
From Wiki:
“Section 2 contains a general prohibition on voting discrimination, enforced through federal district court litigation. Congress amended this section in 1982, prohibiting any voting practice or procedure that has a discriminatory result. The 1982 amendment provided that proof of intentional discrimination is not required. The provision focused instead on whether the electoral processes are equally accessible to minority voters.[12] This section is permanent and does not require renewal. ”
There is almost no question that minorities are disproportionately affected by the voter suppression efforts in the states that the repugns have passed them in. This isn’t that hard… file suit, seek an injunction pending decision.
Hello, is this thing working???
maybe they can hold the convention in Mittens garage in Southern Cal…I think it’s big enough
Remember Diebold and voting machine irregularities? At that time, Diebold was also a member of the Mormon Mafia. Another shining example of corporate corruption at the helm of a Mormon CEO.
The Koch bros are pumped-up from the success of Wisconsin where they dumped a wad of cash. They will buy this election, suppress voters, fix the machines so they show a republican landslide. Our only hope is the solar flares…may wipe-out the entire grid so we have to go back to paper ballots!
Mittens better watch his back…the Koch bros have a hit on him!
Breaking News…Rick Scott will let Republicans decide if they are going to have the convention.
Typical republicans, they are fools as this will be a woman’s decision — Mother Nature, not the old white man’s party.
Will Brownie be in charge of the evacuation of goopers?
This is like our neighbor’s kid who graduated last year from a private college, cost $100K, and has only been able to nail down a job as a sales clerk making $12 an hour. But I guess in this economy any job is better than no job.
http://on.mktw.net/MOL57j
RNC attempts to make Ron Paul ineligible for Republican nomination
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/23/sean-spicer-hurricane-isaac-republican-convention_n_1824752.html
Stop Cantor!!
http://www.powellforva.com/
Ron Paul’s presence to be felt in Tampa
Hello! Have been crazy with chocolates -- leaving politics alone as much as possible. Here is a review about my father’s art show.
http://www.timesunion.com/entertainment/article/On-exhibit-Ed-Cowley-at-Albany-Center-Gallery-3807263.php
patd says:
08/23/2012 at 12:03 PM
RNC attempts to make Ron Paul ineligible for Republican nomination
more evidence that goopers have no regard for elections or the sanctity of the ballot box exclusion, suppression, highjacking, overturning --the republicans are ballot box terrorists
pat, really, the RNC thinks Ron has a snowball’s chance of getting the nomination? So they not only can’t understand science, they can’t understand arithmetic too? This may be their only voter suppression effort aimed at repugns. good lord.
MO
The private sector is growing if a bit slow still. Shame Republicans keep destroying all those “unnecessary” public service jobs or the kids might be able to go to work.
BTW, poobah, I REALLY love this line: “If Isaac steals the show next week consider it a wash for Republicans.”
sea -- OMG, your dad’s has created fabulous pieces!
blonde -- You might be on to something there. It’s a Ryan presidency in the making & he ain’t waitin’ until ’016. When he said that a Romney presidency would allow for exceptions, he seemed quite unmoved for someone who so staunchly believes what he believes.
crackers -- Roman Hruska; you’re really kickin’ it old-school today. Made me smile.
Dex, I totally agree on the desirability of ousting Cantor, but this guy seems totally uncommitted as a candidate. I’ll dump some money on him, but he has to show me some substance first.
Kathleen…
thanks for posting that link to your father’s work. His glass work is spectacular and his paintings are very powerful. I particularly like “Lincoln Avenue”.
Hope you’re making some money this summer. Someone’s gotta do it…
MO, Even when I was in school there were a slew of majors that wouldn’t get you a job as a BA holder that required that specific major or used skills (beyond reading and writing) that you acquired as a result of your college education -- Sociology is one that comes to mind. It, like my major (English) were considered pre-law or pre-grad school majors. From NC State for BA sociology grads:
Sample Title / Work setting
Policy Analyst (B.A.)/ Government Agency
Peace Corps Volunteer (B.A.)/ Peace Corps
Market Researcher (B.A.)/ Private Corporation
Guess the guy didn’t do a lot of research before he chose Soc as a major.
As for me, pre-grad school I worked delivering pizzas, repairing and selling bicycles and dragging hot things around in a steel mill. Not bad for an English major, dontchathink? And not one of those jobs was in the college catalog, either.
Sea, I really liked the art,too. The Castle is so interesting, and what drew your dad to capture the house at the end of Lincoln Ave? And he’s so handsome in his portrait!
sea, your da does good work. one can see the lights flashing, feel the track vibrations and hear that oncoming train in the “crossing”… all the pieces seem full of emotion.
Jobless claims 372,000 and climbing. No help in sight, and the only way the unemployment figure will be lower than 8.2% come November, will be by a very sudden drop of people (250,000 or more) dropping out of the job market altogether. Since you can’t count what is not there, this could benefit the President by providing the voters with the false illusion that unemployment has fallen below 8%.
Well at least no one including Tampa has to worry about me. My name (Janet) got retired in 1955 after a Cat 5 of that name took out a huge chunk of the Yucatan and bumped off almost 700 people.
MO
Jobless claims are not an accurate measure of job creation. I know the media likes to use that number, but economists go by hiring figures to measure job creation and those have been on a steady upswing throughout this administration.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/156401/job-creation-slips-july.aspx
OSH
I just love “Crossing”. The others are wonderful, but that one truly reaches out and grabs me. Your dad is a wonderful artist.
http://bit.ly/SsqdoI
Todd Akin’s remarks about rape were idiotic to say the least, and he needed to be taken to task for them, although 4 days seems a bit of over kill.
This article is long, and a bit old, but it brings to light how selective some are when the issue of rape is mentioned.
I never knew rape could be thought of as anything less than what it is, an unwanted, unprovoked, brutal physical sexual assault on females. Apparently there are those who have used their gifted comedic license in an attempt to trump this barbaric criminal act. I don’t get the humor.
:
Tony,
Just saw your comment about Cenk a couple of threads back. I don’t dislike him. In fact, he is one of the better people on the issues. I said he made me crazy. It’s a matter of not liking being screamed at and certainly not for a solid 15 minutes of introduction. The man needs to come down off his high horse at intervals to give my ears a break. As it is now, I leave after first five minutes to get the intro and come back when the panel goes on air.
An opinion can have even more power if it is whispered instead of bellowed.
Jamie,
Actually jobless, mean job less, not working. They include, wanting to/not to wanting/unable to work.
So to find an accurate number all one has to do is the following:
Find the number of working age adults. 21 to 65. Every year that number increases about 1 million. For argument sake lets say there are roughly 140 million who fall into this group.
Now subtract all full time working adults within this age group. That is an easy one to figure out.
You are left with the adults who are not working full time for whatever the reason, and there are plenty of reasons.
And today I would estimate that %, would be closer to 19% then it is to 14%. The 8.2% is stuff that fiction is made of.
moving, one would think that the private sector job growth coupled with the ongoing decrease of gov’t jobs would make conservatives happy with obamanomics.
funny how conservative republican promoted programs (like mandated healthcare for instance) become evil incarnate once enacted under a democratic administration.
Pew Research -- The Lost Decade of the Middle Class
The immediate image on the chart is just how much the government actions of the GI Bill did for the generation they sired and how the actions of the elderly white “got mine” kids are destroying the future for their grandchildren.
MO
The one thing none of the politicians truly wants to confront is the actual elimination of jobs totally independent of any government actions. This may be starting to work in our favor again as jobs come back from China now that they are finding human beings too expensive. Thanks to robotics, many of those run away jobs can come back home as it is cheaper to hire a few people close to home than to hire a few people all the way over in far east unless actually marketing the product there.
It all comes down to service industry and direct labor jobs are all that is left for the uneducated (become a plumber if you don’t like landscaping). Even the educated can pretty well forget about anything too nebulous. It had better have a direct applicable use.
Globally we have about three billion completely unnecessary people. I’m sure they are very nice people, but they eat, drink, and make messes. They would all like to have a middle class life style as opposed to famine and war. Only the current wealth and power of the developed western (and near development middle east and eastern nations) currently protects them, but that is fading fast.
patd
By cutting the government jobs they are eliminating the only sector of service jobs that directly benefit the public, require only a moderate education, and have a reasonably decent salary to support a family. Those GS type workers at all levels of government make life more comfortable and convenient for all of us, but they need to be supported by tax payers and we all know how the 1% feels about paying taxes to make life better for the rest of us.
jamie, those lost gov’t jobs were the very ones that a new grad could go to fresh on the street and make a livable wage: entry level teacher, law enforcement, municipal worker, etc.
Scott Walker just called me. He told me to stay on the line to talk live with him and other voters. *Click!*
Tropical Storm ISAAC -- Models still moving west, may not be a direct hit. Tampa is on the wrong side of the storm so we will get very heavy rain and flooding along with maybe 50 to 65 MPH wind. Rain bands will be around for a number of days.
5-Day Forecast Cone for Storm Center 2:00 PM AST Aug 23
Hurricane Spaghetti Models 2:00 PM AST Aug 23
Tropical Storm JOYCE -- Not a Problem.
5-Day Forecast Cone for Storm Center 2:00 PM AST Aug 23
Hurricane Spaghetti Models 2:00 PM AST Aug 23
Martin Brazier just made an accidental (I think) funny. He called Mathews “the professor emeritus of this network”. Does this mean Chris is retiring?
And pray tell who would these 3 billion be? World population is approximately 7.035 billion. Here are the top 10:
1 China 1,347,350,000 December 31, 2011
2 India 1,210,193,422 March 1, 2011
3 United States 314,215,000 August 23, 2012
4 Indonesia 237,641,326 May 1, 2010
5 Brazil 192,376,496 July 1, 2011
6 Pakistan 180,464,000 August 23, 2012
7 Nigeria 166,629,000 July 1, 2012
8 Bangladesh 152,518,015 July 16, 2012
9 Russia 143,117,000 June 1, 2012
10 Japan 127,570,000 August 1, 2012
Fast count 4.072 billion. Guess we can say good-bye to Mexico, as they come in #11.
Uneducated? Not sure what you mean. Who is uneducated?
Purple,
Isn’t the convention center, where the RNC might be having their convention, built on a flood plain? If true, how was that allowed to happen? That is the building of the convention center.
MO
I was taking it as a whole, not naming those to be eliminated. The US, Canada and others with less population density and greater economic development suffer less, but you can ignore those condemned to disease and poverty if you like, I prefer to recognize their existence.
Now as far as the environment is concerned, the developed nations are doing the majority of the fouling of the only planet we have at present. It would be nice if we could at least get India and China off coal and on to gas. Not perfect by a long shot but at least a 30% drop in the filth.
Also, I’m probably just feeling crowded since US population when I was born was less than half of what it is today.
MO
High School graduate or less in terms of being able to perform jobs such as assembly line etc that were the backbone of the working class who have now either been eliminated or replaced by robotics and technological development. i.e. a few hundred telephone operators and line people per town replaced by that thing assembled in China that you now carry in your pocket.
Jamie,
Gas would be nice. You know why T-Boone Pickens got off the wind energy thing he was pushing 18 months ago don’t you? It was costing 3 times more to produce an equal amount of energy using wind instead of gas. Just not very efficient. Cleaner for sure, it’s wind, but at this point in time, very costly.
http://craigcrawford.com/2012/08/23/isaac-jitters-grip-tampa/#comment-295744
Jamie,
I think what helps me regarding Cenk is i only get e-mails of you-tube TYT in small 3 min segments..I dumped cable and i could stream him live but its so much better in small doses..
I like
Bill Clinton, Shadow Candidate in the 2012 Election
by Taylor Marsh
I may be totally wrong when I say this, but if I had to guess I would say a good number of assembly workers from the days of Henry Ford days through the 70′s didn’t graduate from HS. Back in those day if a company had a college graduate working the assembly line, he/she(?) didn’t stay there for very long as he/she was quickly move on up.
News Desk: Romney to Reporter, No Questions on Abortion or Todd Akin
by Taylor Marsh VIDEO
Moveon,
I think your probably correct about non graduates and assembly lines/GM,FORD,Chrysler before the 70′s..When i hired into GM at 18 it was a requirement you had to have graduated but my uncle in the 60,s quit school and went to work at GM, no problem
MO
Just so you don’t get the wrong idea, I’m not being a snob here. All labor has value and should be adequately compensated well enough to support themselves in at least moderate comfort since all wealth is derived from labor.
There are many reasons why people don’t go on to College and advanced degrees particularly now that an upper level education costs a fortune instead of being virtually free as it was when I was in school.
In Poll, Obama Is Given Trust Over Medicare
By MICHAEL COOPER and DALIA SUSSMAN
Romney made a huge blunder in choosing pretty boi Ryan! Seems people like me don’t take kindly to having their Medicare stolen from them before they even get it.. Umm, voucher’s, no thanks Mitt..
MO
Wind and solar mainly more expensive because of subsidies given to fossil fuels. T-Boone is right from a decrease in emissions standpoint if nothing else. If we were paying at the pump for the actual cost of the garbage, it would be $10 a gallon. As demand on the world market increases, this is going to be harder and harder to disguise. Certainly Romney’s idea of more deep water drilling and raping Alaska is a truly asinine idea.
Yes, I’m well aware that those assembly line jobs, telephone operators, mail carriers etc tended to be HS graduates or less, and they were able to support their families on the single income.
The trouble with the one two punch of excess population and technological advancement is that the law of supply and demand kicks in. Too few available jobs and too many people to fill them. It becomes a race to the bottom for the cheapest possible labor costs. Add that to the corporate demand for higher and higher next quarter profits and upper echelon salaries, and the distance between the lowest and highest incomes becomes catastrophic to the health of the nation.
Dana Bash CNN just reported that Todd Akin is in Tampa as part of meeting of social conservatives that is very secretive but according to reports- nothing can be confirmed because they are a secret political society (how Republican) -- Todd is gaining support. Can’t wait to see the social conservatives make Romney eat this one …..this is so amusing republicans turning cannibal
To Craig’s point, I think it is a wash for the GOP if the convention is blown away in the wind, considering the stories in the news that would co-join it….
and
Romney’s 13% Rate-How the Lie Works
First, we know he’s still lying because he won’t show the evidence he says he has to back up his claim.
Second 13% isn’t jack for someone making his kind of money, but he slips that in next to claims he paid zero to soften the blow.
But
here’s how the BIG LIE really works…Romney NEVER SAID he payed a
minimum of 13% FEDERAL Income Tax, he says he paid 13% of his income in
TAXES. I know well how this little shell game is played from listening
to the hate-radio hosts who back Romney. It’s a common practice in these
circles to speak of ‘taxes’ in the most universal sense. When Hannity
or Limbaugh refer to their tax rates they INCLUDE, State Taxes, Payroll
Taxes, Sales Taxes, Property Taxes and every penny for every toll road,
parking meter and hunting, fishing or marriage license they’ve ever
bought.
I bet $10,000 that is exactly what Romney is doing here.
He won’t show his returns because
they will prove he did indeed pay zero
taxes some years and that he NEVER paid even the paltry 13% he claims
in actual Federal Income Tax!
Sign Senator Boxer’s Petition for Romney Tax Returns-LINK
This is the link to sign Senator Boxer’s petition…
http://www.barbaraboxer.com/pe…
Tell Mitt Romney: Release your tax returns!
The American people
deserve to know if Mitt Romney paid his fair share to help the country
that gave him so much — including the opportunity for enormous wealth.
There is only one way to know. Mitt Romney should release his tax returns.
Bill Clinton is great!
Hillary 2016!!!
Another look at the same picture.
CNN’s Electoral Map has some interesting things worth mentioning.
In 2008 President won the below listed states. However as of today 8 of those states that went Democrat are toss-up states(TU). 3 of the states
that went Democrat are now only leaning Democrat (LD), and 2 states that went Democrat are now leaning Republican (LR). No states that went Republican
are leaning Democrat, and only 2 states that went Republican are now only leaning Republican. The key to this election is FL, whoever wins FL wins the election.
Calif.
Conn.
Del.
D.C.
Hawaii
Ill.
Me.
Md.
Mass.
Mich. LD
N.J.
N.Y.
Ore.
R.I.
Vt.
Wash.
Colo. TU
Iowa
Minn.
Nev. TU
N.H. TU
N.M. LD
Pa. LD
Va. TU
Wis. TU
Fla. TU
Ind. LR
N.C. LR
Ohio TU
Dixie
Had to hunt for the Boxer Link.
MO
I like to keep an eye on Five Thirty Eight since it gives both November forecast and Nowcast positions (just click between the tabs) on Electoral, Chance of winning, and Popular Vote plus a lot of blogging detail.
MO,
Yes, the Tampa Bay Times Forum was built on a flood plain. In fact all of downtown Tampa is built on a flood plain. Welcome to Florida. The storm surge from a cat 5 hurricane would flood the third floor of City Hall.
Jamie…538 link was very interesting…
I wonder how Pat Robertson would explain a hurricane at the Republican convention…
Erin Burnett continues on her clueless path
today she announced catholics are the key to the election
She must have some sort of dementia --yesterday she reported that Catholics are not a monolithic group
Whin I listen to Erin Burnett, I get the feeling she is doing PR for a Wall Street firm…
I understand this is a terrible thing to say
when I listen to Erin Burnett I wonder who she is sleeping with to keep her job
She can be profoundly stupid
I mainly think of Erin from the Dubai and Iceland shilling trips. You can bet she is always hawking some government or industry so anyone with memory usually notices conflicts.
As to Catholics -- take your pick of which group Romney is going to lose: Hispanics who hate his immigration plans. Catholic women who are lying to their confessors. Nuns who actually practice Christianity.
Then there are the ones he will win: White male cardinals pimping for Ryan and the hysterically pro life from the era when it was okay to kill the mother to save the baby.
Every day the media (sic) has a new group that will be the one that makes the difference.
It is going to be about turn out and the saddest statistic is--Obamarama leads among people least likely to vote or have their vote suppressed.
Erin Burnett seems to see herself as the top of the heap of people who know all, see all, and understand life. I try to not watch her and especially dislike John Avlon. That idiot “interviewed” their tame mormon mackey somebody, and asked him re the misunderstanding people have re magic underwear. Oh. no. they don’t believe the underwear is magic. The wear the underwear as a testament to the strength of their belief. Surprise surprise …Avlon didn’t ask how one shows one dedication by wearing ANY underwear, magic or otherwise. Talk about puff questions.
Apparently Erin is engaged to some big wall streeter -- she used to be on cnbc.
Didn’t anybody appreciate my “calm overwrought masculine power plaayers”? I was rather in love with the phrase. It’s not sexist since they are all men, and I love men.
I have enjoyed the talk on tv today, but I still say these people who are giving hundreds of millions of dollars do not intend to lose. The will not let it happen.
Mitt Romney Campaign Forbids Reporter From Asking About Todd Akin, Abortion (UPDATE)
Sam Stein,Sabrina Suddiqui
Pompous ass Romney! Good for the reporter asking important questions anyways! Ha, i’m sure Romney will make his banned question list longer in future, no talk of gays allowed..
Ha, i agree they don’t intend to lose..I’m thinking about what Right wing TV/radio will sound like if President Obama gets a second term..Oh it might be worth taking a day off work with party favors just to listen in..
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/republican-democratic-conventions-spur-sex-trafficking-experts-article-1.1142992
Finally! A bipartisan jobs bill.
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