5-5;20pm: Introductions, site familiarity, syllabus.
-Tell us a little about yourself, and your relationship with reading, writing.
-What did you do today? What stories are there?
5:20-5:40: Who are you, beyond what you’ve already told us? What do you want? How will YOU get it??
NOTE FOR YOUR NOTES: Everything that you want is attainable. If you don’t believe so, you’ve sold yourself on such. RETURN YOUR PURCHASE.
5:40-6pm: Why wrote at all? Why not. Why not do or at least try EVERYTHING?
Everything can be written. Try it…
6-6:20pm: Be more human than scholastic or academic.
What does that mean to you?
NOTE FOR YOUR NOTES: Thinking is Human, NOT academic in origin, nor intention.
6:20-6:30: Close…. what’s in your notes for tonight??
I’ll ask this every meeting, so be prepared to share what you have in your notes.
ASSIGNMENT: Write two pages about anything and email to me before next class. And get the friggin books!!!!!!! We’ll start with Ms. Irby. Also, start writing in your journal, and feel free to email me pictures of scribbled pages for some additional credit.
#professormikey 
Growing up in the Netherlands, we get taught 5 different languages in school. To me, reading and writing has been fundamental in my attempts to master these languages, even though not always successful. It is so much fun to find similarities in writing and spoken language and tracing the origin of a word. That’s why I like to read a lot and in different languages.
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Thats cool! What are the 5 languages?
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German, English, Latin, French, Dutch and optional Spanish! 🙂
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I haven’t done much today just been doing online classes all day.
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Love the dedication Tiffany!!
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My relation with reading is purely professional. In free time, i hardly read at all, it tends to just bore me and make me fall asleep. I guess what I want to gain from this class is to improve my abilities as a writer, other than that im not to sure yet.
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You will.
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I want successes, I suppose.
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Such as….?
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for a while I was waking up at 5-4M to obtain it.
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succus in the stock market, successes in brad marking. To lean more then what’s in a class room.
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in the Netherlands, we get taught 5 different languages in high school. To me, in the attempts to master these languages, it became clear to me that reading and writing are fundamental parts of understanding these different languages. I like to read to find similarities and higher understanding of a language and to trace the origin of words and ideas.
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oops, I thought my previous comment glitched and got cancelled.
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All good! Takes some getting used to..
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What I want from this semester… honestly…. EVERYTHING. More stories, more learning, more writing, more new approaches. YOU??
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I want to sharpen my mind…this last year of covid and solitude has left me feeling the need to continue my education. I have also taken up letter writing again and know this will help that process.
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To be honest, I don’t think I’m ready to answer that question, I don’t really know what I want in the long run. I tend to just live in the moment and leave the future for the future me to deal with. The only thing I really want is to be successful and have fun in life as long as I can have these two things I’m a happy man.
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i want to get knowledge as well as pass this class to be able to transfer and keep going more with my education!
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You’re going to pass the class. I won’t let you do anything other …. As long as you’re here, I’m here to help!!
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I’m Nina Mencarini, I’m 17 in high school and doing dual enrollment here at the JC, this is my second semester with Mike, he’s a great teacher and really wants everyone to succeed and just love what they’re writing. His teaching style is so different than any teacher I’ve had but its really so much fun and I enjoy writing much more now than I did before taking his class. I hope to continue to do so in this semester!
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HI Nina! This is great to hear. I havent taken an English class in a long time so the positive feedback on Mike is very encouraging.
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It’s not so much encouragement but reality. This is ALL yours. Enjoy…
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Absolutely! It really isn’t like other English courses so I think you’ll do great!
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Cheers Nina… I don’t deserve these kind words, but appreciate them. So thankful for you and your family. Have a great semester!!!
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I am a civil engineering student. I do 3D design and drafting for a local engineering firm in Santa Rosa. One of the first things that comes to mind when I think of what I want is to move forward with my career and life. I want to get established in what I do. To do that, I just have to continue my education and keep working on my connections and work.
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I like to think of myself as pretty grounded. I like to see the best in myself and the people I choose to surround myself with. A major goal of mine is to stay honest and true to myself regardless of what others may feel about it. I am doing this by focusing more on things that make me happy, like continuing my education, reading, moving to a new city. Doing things that I know benefit my own growth short and long term.
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Love these thoughts… these could be the first steps toward the final essay.. FYI
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I love reading and writing…last book I read was Inviting Silence by Gunilla Morris….currently reading four books now
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Hello everyone my name is Chloe. Recently the only books I have been reading are childrens books courtesy of the little girl I nanny. Besides that however, I did just start reading an aming book called Barbarian Days which is about the old school days of surfing and life off the grid.
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I want to be successful with my career, I want to be able to take care of my parents, and I shall get there by my determination and some might say stubbornness to finish what I started which is school. So there is no turning back!
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No turning back, indeed Patricia!! Well said!!
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In terms of who I am past my initial post, I’m an avid gamer with a love for helping others. I’m 26 and married, with a cat that I’ve raised since she was a feral kitten some years ago named Boo! What I want is to become a college history professor. While it will take some time to get there, I will first become a high school history teacher before getting the necessary requirements to teach on the college level. I finally have my path in life figured out to some extent, and I’m all in on getting to that goal. Taking things step by step is key for me, as I battle chronic anxiety, something I was diagnosed with back in 2013. This has helped shape my life and how I approach things, and I now look to take advantage of my anxiety instead of allowing it to drag me down.
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Glad you’re here!!! What are you going to do, this semester?
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I’m taking three classes, Biology, this English 5, as well as History 8.2. My goal is to get straight A’s, something that has eluded me for some time now. I’m going to stay on top of each and every class and make sure that my education is my absolute priority over trivial things that would previously get in the way.
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Cheers…. let’s collaborate, and know I’m always here to help!!
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I am 18 and I am trying to transfer to UC Davis to double major in nursing and public health. My ultimate goal is to go into hospital management. I’m hoping to transfer after 2-3 years and try to volunteer at a hospital before that.
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My current goals are to get a wild mustang stud from Nevada by the end of February and train it myself, finish my time at the JC, get a lot of scholarships to I can go to graduate school here, get my masters in neuroforensic psychology and corporate psychology and live my best life.
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I like to view myself as a very optimistic person but also someone who has a open mind, I like to see both sides of the stories before I give my own opinion. I’m a honest person and say things as I see them
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This will serve you well, especially when writing about these books.
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HOW, will you get what you want? Tell us about your vision and intentions…
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I will get what I want by dedicating myself to education, my continued pursuit of creativity, and self care of myself. I’m not shy about my passions and love to share about them. I think talking about them, thinking about them, and imagining what it will feel like when my dreams are realized is a great tool to manifest what I want in life.
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Love this attitude!!!
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I am Sebastian Ruvalcaba. I want to build a high vocabulary and be able to use it in my writing and my speech. I will achieve hieve this by reading more on my own outside of class, and using more vocabulary in my writing assignments.
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Welcome!!
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This semester I want to learn more, pass all my classes, and have a steady schedule. In the future, I want to be on set and work all day being creative and doing what I love.
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Then decide just that.
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We get what we want by less thought, more production, more self-sight, and more lawlessness in our creative intentions and motion.
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I am a very patient and optimistic person who has anxiety yet takes life day by day and in life I just want the simple things- good sleep, good days, good company, and good food. I will achieve this by being easy and kind with myself and others while practicing my daily self care routine. I do this for my own peace of mind but to also hopefully help anyone else feel less alone with their own gloomy days.
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Hi!!! My names Jessica Haro, but most people call me Jess! Not too sure if I should be posting just yet, but I am in the 5:30pm English 5 class lol! Growing up I used to read A LOT… But as I got out of high school, I kind of lost that, and couldn’t find books that sparked my interests as easily as before. I was also considered a pretty solid writer by my teachers, but was never fully confident in what I wrote. I’m hoping to build up that confidence some more.
Today, I actually had to go to the doctors to get some skin cut off my toe (TMI haha sorry!) and besides that, it’s been pretty uneventful. Some new toys came in for my dogs from barkbox which was pretty cool.
Super excited to start the semester! Will finally have something to spend my time doing!:)
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Welcome!!
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Some things about me I was born and raised in NYC my whole life until moving here a year ago. Still pretty unsure about what career path to follow since it feels like in college you have to make that decision fast and if you want to change then you have to go back and pay for another degree. I’ve loved reading my whole life especially books that do a great job of immersing the reader and building a great world, story, and characters.
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Currently i’m on my second semester at srjc, Im planning on doing one more year to then transfer to a UC school and major in architecture. I chose architecture since i love to design and draw ever since i was a kid!
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just curious where are suppose to write our notes
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In your journal, and you can always post at the bottom.
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Other things that are important to know about me I guess are that I am really into fashion! None of you will know me for my outfits because this is an online class but if this was in person classes you probably would. I don’t know quite how to describe how I dress because it varies a lot but it is my main form of self expression. Ultimately I think I want a life that excites me but I want some sense of stability at the same time. I really like adrenaline but I get anxious around risk so it is a bit contradictory. I don’t really know what I actually want but, if I’m content right now and always working on improving my life, that’s good enough for me.
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Beyond what I have said so far about myself, I am a quiet person who likes to play guitar and play a few video games with my friends when I get the chance. What I want is a nice life where I can be content and have a nice family to support me. Of course it would be nice to not have to worry about money but the most important thing to me is family. I will try and achieve this by working towards goals that will help me slowly become the person I want to be in the future.
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What goals?
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I would like to reach my goal of having a stable life financially and be content with myself. But my first goal would be to find out my thing, everybody has their “thing” they are good at in life. Id like to figure out what that is what I want to do with my life career wise, I still do not know.
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Writing… talk to me about. Talk to US, about it.
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what i want from this semester is to expand my reading. Honestly, reading has never been something that I did on my free time. Maybe because I have a hard time finding books I enjoy, but I want to work on that and explore all different types of books. Im excited to read the books that were are using for this class this semester!
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Even if you don’t “enjoy” the book, you can connect to it and respond to what you connect.
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I’m still trying to figure out most things. I’m planning on doing 2 years in SRJC then transferring to a UC school or a design school to major in interior design and minor in business. Hopefully, by June/July I will be in America learning how to drive and work. I’ve been taking design classes and general classes that are required for a UC school.
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How long have you had these goals?
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I haven’t had these goals for a long time. Once I graduated around April 2020 I started thinking about life more.
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5:20-5:40 Who am I? Aside from my age: 24, my job: concierge, my major: business administration. I am someone who as of the beginning of this year has decided to embark on what I like to call my “spiritual awakening journey”. This stems from everything I had to go through last year, which I am done overthinking about. I don’t want to beg to know the answers from someone else who might not even know what is really ideal as a matter of fact… I want to flow as well as be conscious of my actions, hold myself accountable at all times, make no excuses, because I have a vision and a purpose and all needs to be well and in congruence to get to that. Through self-discipline, as I am mindful of my minutes, tiny habits will change and lead me to my destinations.
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Beneficial thoughts and perspective here, Dais. Thanks for sharing. Have a great semester!!
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How do you write “better”?
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What I want most is to be more confident in my work!!
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Writing about something you care and know about makes it easier fill pages.
Which fits well with this class.
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I like writing when I have a lot of heavy things on my mind. Sometimes it’s nice to get the thoughts onto paper and out of my head. When I don’t have a lot on my mind, I like writing out fantastical stories. I like stories that make you feel like you’ve escaped from reality, and you get so lost in them that you completely forgotten about what’s around you.
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KEEP WRITING!! All thoughts…
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Yes! I tend to do the same, writing down my troubles help with dealing with it.
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so what are our notes suppose to look like? and so in our journal we write about anything we want or read (like the books we will read for this class as well)?
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Just expand upon ideas… I’ll explain more later…
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I was honesty wondering the same thing.
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WRITE EVERYWHERE!!! In journal, on blog, on laptop docs… EVERYWHERE.
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My goals as far as this class are to expand my view and knowledge of writing, reading and anything else we cover throughout the semester.
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I feel like I could talk about anything for hours but I can’t get my writing to be as organized and streamlined as I wish.
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Doesn’t necessarily have to be organized or “streamlined” to others…
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writing is very important to our emotional, physical, and spiritual health. It isn’t healthy to only rely on storing things in mental files in our brain all the time. it is much more therapeutic and helpful to get it out of your mind and onto paper. being able to release all the good and bad thoughts from our pain allows us to reflect better and be able to create plans to feel better or to achieve goals.
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brain not pain ** oops haha
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lol
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What I want is to study hard and get accepted into the University of Southern California and If I want to get In I have to put in a lot of effort into school and homework. It’s a longshot, but anything is possible with hard work. I’m currently studying to become a business major, but I also want to be a photographer and videographer. I’ve created a Youtube channel this year to try and upload short motivational films and see where my creativity takes me and see what kind of stories I am able to create. I had finished one film, but my old computer wasn’t able to export the file so It was a setback, but luckily I invested in a new computer to work on my videos and photos.
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How can everything be written? Am I just flexing with that comment?
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When I find myself writing, it’s usually because I’m in some sort of transition or processing something I don’t feel comfortable talking about. I think it’s important to write about current events in society and in our personal lives so that we can remember them accurately. It’s easy to look back on something and remember it completely different than what actually happened. Why not do or at least try everything? Something I try to ask myself whenever I’m feeling hesitant for no apparent reason is, what do I have to lose? Usually, the answer is nothing! The idea of trying nothing is waaaay more terrifying to me than trying something that terrifies me.
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As long as your motion is believed and perpetual…
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I like writing, it gives me the chance to express my thoughts/feelings towards everything
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When was the last time you wrote for you?
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Lol, almost every time I write, I feel like it’s for me. Up on the hill at spring lake today, I captured the moment in words as best I can. This way I can return to that place in my mind, if I need to in the future.
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I feel that when we write we are able to convey things that we feel more than we can verbally. I also feel that writing along with reading gets us thinking about more than we regularly would. We think about things differently and start asking questions which I believe to be essential in our lives.
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YES!!
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Why should we write at all? I think writing can be art, well, it is an art. It’s used as a way for people to release inner tensions or feelings, without necessarily actually screaming at anyone or going off on someone. It can be used as a chance to write about experiences and how you grew from it. An amazing way to reflect. Why wouldn’t you want to try everything? It expands your views, experiences, and knowledge of whatever new thing you’ve experienced!
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This class sounds like it’s going to be perfect for me. At my young and dumb age of 19 years, I’ve noticed that a lot of things in my life require some rearrangement. I’ve started to focus on how I can weed out bad habits and start to develop much better, and more productive habits. One habit that I have recently adopted, is journaling. I’ve noticed that I have a natural inclination to just get my thoughts out on a blank page, and it helps me stay relaxed as well as stay more in tune with myself. I started this habit on my recent trip to Hawaii, in early December. Every time I went on an adventure I would take my journal and try to capture the beauty of every moment. I basically ended up starting a conversation with myself, a convo I don’t see ending in the near future. I plan to keep this habit up, and use this conversation with myself to better understand and improve more aspects of my existence. I wanna be somebody, and I it is very rewarding to take the steps that I feel are required to do so. Long story short, I write to forget, I write to understand, and I write to document. Humans only last so long but words can last forever. I feel like it is my duty to preserve my experiences and journey through life, as best I can – at least for myself, if not for future generations.
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Every moment IS beautiful… cheers.
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I would argue that it is very important to write. Writing can enhance our critical thinking and problem solving skills. It can also create many organizational strategies, and expand our decision making abilities. Writing can also be fun to a certain extent. Writing brings out your creative side to allow you to write in your own unique style.
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Writing can be WHATEVER you want it to be, but you have to WRITE.
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With writing, I guess I could say I write fairly well, however I wouldn’t say I enjoy it. To me writing is just like reading, in generally it tends to bore me and I usually space off. I guess if you count day dreaming as a form of relaxation then it helps quite well. However other than that writing is nothing special to me.
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