Saturday, December 31, 2016

Happy new year from Dezeen

happy-new-year-dezeen-sq-1704

Happy new year from the Dezeen team and best wishes for 2017! This image of fireworks is one of our favourites from the Christmas cards we received over the holidays, featuring a shot by photographer John Lewis Marshall.



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SOM unveils trio of towers for Downtown Los Angeles

Olympia Los Angeles by SOM

Architecture firm Skidmore Owings and Merrill has designed three residential skyscrapers that will add to the growing Los Angeles skyline. Read more



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Studio Bazi's tiny self-designed home features a wooden "sleeping box"

micro-apartment-in-moscow-by-studio-bazi-_dezeen_2364_sq1

To make the most of space in this micro apartment in Moscow, Studio Bazi added a raised wooden volume that contains the sleeping quarters, but also creates disguised storage space. Read more



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10 of the best bar interiors from Dezeen's Pinterest boards

punch-neri-hu-dezeen-pinterest-bars-col

As it's New Year's Eve, we've found 10 of the best bar interiors from Dezeen's Pinterest boards, including a Shanghai punch bar with bamboo-lined booths and a Tokyo venue covered in colourful electrical cables. Read more



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Sustainable see-through speaker by People People alerts user when parts need replacing

Small Transparent Speaker by People People

This transparent speaker has built-in sensors that detect when parts need to be replaced, repaired or updated, and notifies users via their smartphones. Read more



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Dezeen's 10 buildings to look forward to in 2017

moca-thomas-heatheriwck-cape-town-dezeen-sq

An art museum in a hollowed-out grain silo, South Korea's answer to the High Line and a high-rise inspired by Chinese landscape paintings are among the best buildings set to complete in 2017, selected by Dezeen editor Amy Frearson. Read more



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David Adjaye receives knighthood in New Year's Honours 2017

david-adjaye-portrait-dezeen-sq

British architect David Adjaye is to become Sir David Adjaye after receiving a knighthood for services to architecture in the New Year's Honours 2017. Read more



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Fala Atelier uses new curving wall to reorganise Lisbon flat

Graça apartment in Lisbon by Fala Atelier

Porto architecture studio Fala Atelier has overhauled a fragmented 19th-century Lisbon flat, creating a long narrow living area framed by a subtly curved wall. Read more



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Old Copenhagen iron factory transformed into independent brewery by To Øl

brus-brewery-by-to-ol_dezeen_sq

A disused iron factory in Copenhagen's Nørrebro neighbourhood provides the new home for the Brus Brewery, which features a bar, shop and restaurant, all dominated by oak. Read more



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Self-built Austin home by Sean Guess is clad in hide-like cement panels

Elephant House by Faye and Walker Architecture

Cement-fibre panels that appear to have the same texture as an elephant's skin clad the exterior of this home that architect Sean Guess built for himself in Austin, Texas. Read more



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Friday, December 30, 2016

3 Steps To a Financially Fit You!

3 Steps to a Financially Fit You in 2017!Well you have likely noticed that it is time for resolutions according to the plethora of fitness equipment and organizational plastic bins on sale in every flyer you open.   It seems fitting that we...

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3 Steps To a Financially Fit You!

3 Steps to a Financially Fit You in 2017!Well you have likely noticed that it is time for resolutions according to the plethora of fitness equipment and organizational plastic bins on sale in every flyer you open.   It seems fitting that we...

from - Blog - Dominion Lending Centres Regional Mortgage Group http://ift.tt/2hAaVk7

The Bookalicious Babe's Top Ten Reads of 2016

Wow!  It's the last week of 2016, and time to reflect on what I've read and pick  the books that impacted me the most this year.  I always like to look at my reading choices and try to see a pattern over the year.  What I noticed the most this year is my lack of historical fiction.  It's my favorite genre, and I'm quite surprised to see I didn't read much at all.  I did, however, read a lot of nonfiction, which is a switch from previous years.  Mainly this was due to listening to audio books on my daily commute to work, and reading nonfiction books to present at my hospital book talks.  I also didn't read much science fiction, which is another of my favorite genres.  This was all a surprise to me.  I also was a bit disappointed in my inability to get more reading accomplished.  Just so darn much going on this year it was hard to carve out dedicated reading time.  

I also worked hard on posting what I was going to read each month so I could have some discipline and structure in my reading choices.  I've got so many books stacked at home, sometimes it's hard to make a choice and stick with it.  I'm not sure if it helped me or stressed me out!  I certainly don't want to disappoint my followers and not review a book I've said I would review.  As it is, I'm still two short for the month of December.  I'll confess:  I start out with good intentions, but easily get distracted by other books coming into my view.  I can't help it!  

So 2017...I don't know what it will bring, reading wise.  I'll try again to chip away at the stacks and boxes of unread books I've got at home.  I'll definitely try to read more historical fiction, science fiction, and teen books.  I'll even throw in some young reader novels, too.  And I will stick with my policy of not finishing books if they don't grab me in the first 100 pages.  I'm happy to say I've checked out more library books in the past year than I have since I was a kid.  It's certainly been a money saver for me and a chance to support the local library system.  

Without further ado, here are my top ten reads of 2016.  Some were published this year; others have been out for a few years and remain popular book club choices and bestsellers.  It was hard to whittle it down to ten.  

10.  


I listened to these letters on audio, and was thrilled to hear about Laura's life with Almanzo in Missouri in their later years.  Bought the book to keep permanently on my bookcase.  

9.  
This was one of the few historical novels I read this year, and I rediscovered my love of the Revolutionary Era of America.  Thomas Jefferson and his daughter Patsy had a fascinating relationship against the backdrop of a young country struggling through growing pains.  

8.  
This was a heart-tugger about a man's adventures to discover just who his recently deceased wife really was before they met and married.  Did he keep her from being her true self?  A sweet novel.
7.
I resisted reading this for awhile due to the huge buzz, but a friend recommended it at our book group and handed it to me, so I dug in and was glad I did!  A plane crash leaves a young boy and one man as the lone survivors; what happened on that short flight?  We get the story from each of the people on the plane in the days leading up to the crash; the ending was a heart-tugger.  The novel also talks about the glare of media and the harm speculative journalism can do to people.  

6.  

The Family Plot was a creepy read about a haunted house and the very angry spirit that wants vengeance.  Cherie Priest does an amazing job setting an uncomfortable atmosphere.  I don't scare easily, but it certainly made me uneasy.

5.

This historical novel about a family's struggle to start a successful apple orchard in frontier Ohio is a study in familial dysfunction.  I loved learning about orchards, apples, and the redwood forests of California. 

4.

Listened to this on audio, and was immediately sucked into the lives of four women: two Yankees and two Confederates. Women who disguised themselves, used their charm, thought on their feet, and did whatever they had to in order to help their side win the Civil War.  Fascinating women! 

3.

This book had been on my TBR list for years and I finally read it for a book talk at my hospital.  Wow!  I had no idea James Garfield was such an amazing man. That his life was cut short by the inept medical decisions of an egotistical doctor is a disgrace.  Oh, what he could have done as president.  Highly recommend this book.  

2.  
I think this was the only teen novel I read all year, and it was fantastic.  Lady Jane Grey's true tale of political intrigue and execution is radically changed into a clever alternate story that will have you cheering.  Not just for teens!

1.
This was a charming novel featuring my favorite character of the whole year.  Young Frank is a nine year old who dresses like a star from old Hollywood, quotes classic films, and doesn't fit in with his fourth grade classmates.  It's up to Alice to take care of him while is mother writes her comeback novel.  I laughed out loud throughout this novel about motherly love, comebacks, and the struggle to find your own niche in the world.  An excellent book club recommendation. 

There it is!  My top ten reads of 2016.   May you all have a safe and happy New Year full of good friends, great books, and lots of reading time.  




from Bookalicious Babe Book Reviews http://ift.tt/2iewFm9

The Bookalicious Babe's Top Ten Reads of 2016

Wow!  It's the last week of 2016, and time to reflect on what I've read and pick  the books that impacted me the most this year.  I always like to look at my reading choices and try to see a pattern over the year.  What I noticed the most this year is my lack of historical fiction.  It's my favorite genre, and I'm quite surprised to see I didn't read much at all.  I did, however, read a lot of nonfiction, which is a switch from previous years.  Mainly this was due to listening to audio books on my daily commute to work, and reading nonfiction books to present at my hospital book talks.  I also didn't read much science fiction, which is another of my favorite genres.  This was all a surprise to me.  I also was a bit disappointed in my inability to get more reading accomplished.  Just so darn much going on this year it was hard to carve out dedicated reading time.  

I also worked hard on posting what I was going to read each month so I could have some discipline and structure in my reading choices.  I've got so many books stacked at home, sometimes it's hard to make a choice and stick with it.  I'm not sure if it helped me or stressed me out!  I certainly don't want to disappoint my followers and not review a book I've said I would review.  As it is, I'm still two short for the month of December.  I'll confess:  I start out with good intentions, but easily get distracted by other books coming into my view.  I can't help it!  

So 2017...I don't know what it will bring, reading wise.  I'll try again to chip away at the stacks and boxes of unread books I've got at home.  I'll definitely try to read more historical fiction, science fiction, and teen books.  I'll even throw in some young reader novels, too.  And I will stick with my policy of not finishing books if they don't grab me in the first 100 pages.  I'm happy to say I've checked out more library books in the past year than I have since I was a kid.  It's certainly been a money saver for me and a chance to support the local library system.  

Without further ado, here are my top ten reads of 2016.  Some were published this year; others have been out for a few years and remain popular book club choices and bestsellers.  It was hard to whittle it down to ten.  

10.  


I listened to these letters on audio, and was thrilled to hear about Laura's life with Almanzo in Missouri in their later years.  Bought the book to keep permanently on my bookcase.  

9.  
This was one of the few historical novels I read this year, and I rediscovered my love of the Revolutionary Era of America.  Thomas Jefferson and his daughter Patsy had a fascinating relationship against the backdrop of a young country struggling through growing pains.  

8.  
This was a heart-tugger about a man's adventures to discover just who his recently deceased wife really was before they met and married.  Did he keep her from being her true self?  A sweet novel.
7.
I resisted reading this for awhile due to the huge buzz, but a friend recommended it at our book group and handed it to me, so I dug in and was glad I did!  A plane crash leaves a young boy and one man as the lone survivors; what happened on that short flight?  We get the story from each of the people on the plane in the days leading up to the crash; the ending was a heart-tugger.  The novel also talks about the glare of media and the harm speculative journalism can do to people.  

6.  

The Family Plot was a creepy read about a haunted house and the very angry spirit that wants vengeance.  Cherie Priest does an amazing job setting an uncomfortable atmosphere.  I don't scare easily, but it certainly made me uneasy.

5.

This historical novel about a family's struggle to start a successful apple orchard in frontier Ohio is a study in familial dysfunction.  I loved learning about orchards, apples, and the redwood forests of California. 

4.

Listened to this on audio, and was immediately sucked into the lives of four women: two Yankees and two Confederates. Women who disguised themselves, used their charm, thought on their feet, and did whatever they had to in order to help their side win the Civil War.  Fascinating women! 

3.

This book had been on my TBR list for years and I finally read it for a book talk at my hospital.  Wow!  I had no idea James Garfield was such an amazing man. That his life was cut short by the inept medical decisions of an egotistical doctor is a disgrace.  Oh, what he could have done as president.  Highly recommend this book.  

2.  
I think this was the only teen novel I read all year, and it was fantastic.  Lady Jane Grey's true tale of political intrigue and execution is radically changed into a clever alternate story that will have you cheering.  Not just for teens!

1.
This was a charming novel featuring my favorite character of the whole year.  Young Frank is a nine year old who dresses like a star from old Hollywood, quotes classic films, and doesn't fit in with his fourth grade classmates.  It's up to Alice to take care of him while is mother writes her comeback novel.  I laughed out loud throughout this novel about motherly love, comebacks, and the struggle to find your own niche in the world.  An excellent book club recommendation. 

There it is!  My top ten reads of 2016.   May you all have a safe and happy New Year full of good friends, great books, and lots of reading time.  




from Bookalicious Babe Book Reviews http://ift.tt/2iewFm9

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Affordable Waterproofing

Content originally published and Shared from http://perfectbath.com

 

You want to find a company that is experienced and trustworthy? Nice company to work with and one that you can count to the job right? Look no further –you have found them. At affordable waterproofing, we understand how stressful it can be for you to choose a bathroom contractor with the right skills to make your shower- room perfect and one that suits your bathing desires. However, our company has found out the solution to your concerns and we are now here to make your bath easy, healthy and enjoyable by providing affordable waterproofing services to all our clients. Bathroom Waterproofing

About Us

Affordable waterproofing LLC is a family owned company based in Delran, New Jersey, South jersey, Philadelphia and Delaware with cost-effective and superior waterproofing services for over 30 years. We pride ourselves on supplying the best bathroom waterproofing system installation, mold removal, and foundation and structural repairs around. Because of our commitment to our clients, we back all of our services with watertight guarantee and unparalleled customer service. Our friendly no-pressure approach to the business has earned us an A+ BBB rating and outstanding reviews from customers. We look forward to continuing to provide dry, confortable bathrooms for years to come.

Our Featured Products

There is no doubt that you are wondering why you should go for our products; the answer is simple, we carry quality bathroom fixtures that are not sold in big box stores. Our featured products section has been carefully created to bring you the ultimate home SPA experience. Steam showers, whirlpool tubs and far electromagnetic steam bath in this selection are the latest European design. These models will transform any bathroom into an ambient oasis for health, well-being and pure soul pleasure. We believe our products improve people's lives daily and contribute to vitality and vigor. We have included our best-selling units that offer an elite array of features to bring you the perfect bathroom makeover and make a dramatic statement. Check out what we have to offer and you will be pleased with what you find.

Why Us

Our affordable waterproofing company is trustworthy, efficient and cost-effective. Our customers will vouch that we can fix bathroom leakage problems both big and small, from a moldy crawl space to full-out bathroom flooding; leaving your bathroom super dry, healthy and confortable for daily stress less bath. We take customers satisfaction very seriously, so we provide free inspections. Competitive pricing, lifetime warranties and a guarantee of excellent customer service. Put simply, we will get your bathroom dry and keep it that way, and do so with smiles on our faces.

What Our Clients Are Saying

We got the last of our shower together and connected without so much as a micro problem. You have a great product and it is our delight and privileged to do business with such an honorable and honest business which is a rare thing these days. We will be recommending you and your products to all of our friends and associates and our contractor is also equally impressed and said he will be ordering your products for his future projects as well. (Debbie and John G. Halifax NS)

 

 

The post Affordable Waterproofing appeared first on Perfect Bath Canada.



from Perfect Bath Canada http://ift.tt/2hxyewo

Affordable Waterproofing

Content originally published and Shared from http://perfectbath.com

 

You want to find a company that is experienced and trustworthy? Nice company to work with and one that you can count to the job right? Look no further –you have found them. At affordable waterproofing, we understand how stressful it can be for you to choose a bathroom contractor with the right skills to make your shower- room perfect and one that suits your bathing desires. However, our company has found out the solution to your concerns and we are now here to make your bath easy, healthy and enjoyable by providing affordable waterproofing services to all our clients. Bathroom Waterproofing

About Us

Affordable waterproofing LLC is a family owned company based in Delran, New Jersey, South jersey, Philadelphia and Delaware with cost-effective and superior waterproofing services for over 30 years. We pride ourselves on supplying the best bathroom waterproofing system installation, mold removal, and foundation and structural repairs around. Because of our commitment to our clients, we back all of our services with watertight guarantee and unparalleled customer service. Our friendly no-pressure approach to the business has earned us an A+ BBB rating and outstanding reviews from customers. We look forward to continuing to provide dry, confortable bathrooms for years to come.

Our Featured Products

There is no doubt that you are wondering why you should go for our products; the answer is simple, we carry quality bathroom fixtures that are not sold in big box stores. Our featured products section has been carefully created to bring you the ultimate home SPA experience. Steam showers, whirlpool tubs and far electromagnetic steam bath in this selection are the latest European design. These models will transform any bathroom into an ambient oasis for health, well-being and pure soul pleasure. We believe our products improve people’s lives daily and contribute to vitality and vigor. We have included our best-selling units that offer an elite array of features to bring you the perfect bathroom makeover and make a dramatic statement. Check out what we have to offer and you will be pleased with what you find.

Why Us

Our affordable waterproofing company is trustworthy, efficient and cost-effective. Our customers will vouch that we can fix bathroom leakage problems both big and small, from a moldy crawl space to full-out bathroom flooding; leaving your bathroom super dry, healthy and confortable for daily stress less bath. We take customers satisfaction very seriously, so we provide free inspections. Competitive pricing, lifetime warranties and a guarantee of excellent customer service. Put simply, we will get your bathroom dry and keep it that way, and do so with smiles on our faces.

What Our Clients Are Saying

We got the last of our shower together and connected without so much as a micro problem. You have a great product and it is our delight and privileged to do business with such an honorable and honest business which is a rare thing these days. We will be recommending you and your products to all of our friends and associates and our contractor is also equally impressed and said he will be ordering your products for his future projects as well. (Debbie and John G. Halifax NS)

 

 

The post Affordable Waterproofing appeared first on Perfect Bath Canada.



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The Rules of Love and Grammar by Mary Simses

I read Mary Simses' first novel The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop and Cafe last year, and while I enjoyed it, wasn't wowed by it.  In her second novel, Mary Simses does a much better job keeping my interest, but I still have some issues with characters and plot.  

Grace Hammond is a 33 year old New Yorker who comes home to Dorset, Connecticut one summer to stay with her parents while the ceiling in her apartment is repaired after a water leak in the apartment above hers.  She's also just broken up with her boyfriend, and lost her job.  A whole lot of misfortune all at once.  Fleeing to her parent's house gives her time to lick her wounds and figure out what she's going to do when she returns to New York.  

That summer, director Peter Brooks is in Dorset filming a movie that is semi-autobiographical.  He's a son of Dorset, and people are very excited to have a famous director and his stars descend on the town.  Grace and Peter were friends as teens, and were thisclose to a romance when Grace's older sister Renny was killed in a car accident at 18 and Peter's family moved away to Arizona just a few weeks after that.  Grace's longing to recapture that happiness with Peter comes roaring back when her friend Cluny tells Grace he's back in town.  

Grace has time to burn, so she's helping her parents get the house and yard ready for her father's 65th birthday party.  She finds Renny's old Schwinn in the garage, and decides to have it restored as a way to honor her sister and help Grace lay down the guilt she feels over her sister's death.  Mitch, a ruggedly handsome man, helps his father at the bike shop during the summer months. Grace and Mitch have a bit of an antagonistic relationship, and her focus is all on Peter.  The star of the movie, Sean, has a run in with Grace and seems to be smitten with her.  Gee, three men!  How will Grace ever decide where her heart lies?

Underlying all of the summer romance possibilities is Grace's floundering over her career and life in general.  She's haunted by Renny's death, and coming back home seems to have brought it to the forefront of her mind.  She feels like her parents always preferred Renny, and doesn't believe she has any talent.  I have to say this part of the novel seemed wrong, somehow.  It's been 18 years since Renny has died; I am a bit puzzled that Grace is still struggling over how she thinks her parents really feel about her. They've been nothing but encouraging, but I feel like her behavior belongs to someone much younger.  I could see this being a stronger plot if Grace was in her mid-twenties, not her early thirties.  She seems to bounce from one potential romance to another without any kind of real focus, and when the big talk happens with her parents, I felt like it was long overdue and made the ending a bit rushed.  I do, however, like the ending, and that we are left with a satisfying conclusion, but not a neat ending tied up in a bow.  There's room for perhaps another story, and I'd be happy to read it.  

Rating:  6/10 for a novel that was enjoyable and quick read.  The town of Dorset came alive, and sounds like a place I'd like to call home.  Grace seemed a bit immature for her age, and the main plot line would have worked better if she'd been in her twenties.  But overall,  a novel that would be a good choice for Moms, Grandmas, and those who like contemporary women's fiction.  

Available in hardcover, and e-book.

from Bookalicious Babe Book Reviews http://ift.tt/2hx7mg5

The Rules of Love and Grammar by Mary Simses

I read Mary Simses' first novel The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop and Cafe last year, and while I enjoyed it, wasn't wowed by it.  In her second novel, Mary Simses does a much better job keeping my interest, but I still have some issues with characters and plot.  

Grace Hammond is a 33 year old New Yorker who comes home to Dorset, Connecticut one summer to stay with her parents while the ceiling in her apartment is repaired after a water leak in the apartment above hers.  She's also just broken up with her boyfriend, and lost her job.  A whole lot of misfortune all at once.  Fleeing to her parent's house gives her time to lick her wounds and figure out what she's going to do when she returns to New York.  

That summer, director Peter Brooks is in Dorset filming a movie that is semi-autobiographical.  He's a son of Dorset, and people are very excited to have a famous director and his stars descend on the town.  Grace and Peter were friends as teens, and were thisclose to a romance when Grace's older sister Renny was killed in a car accident at 18 and Peter's family moved away to Arizona just a few weeks after that.  Grace's longing to recapture that happiness with Peter comes roaring back when her friend Cluny tells Grace he's back in town.  

Grace has time to burn, so she's helping her parents get the house and yard ready for her father's 65th birthday party.  She finds Renny's old Schwinn in the garage, and decides to have it restored as a way to honor her sister and help Grace lay down the guilt she feels over her sister's death.  Mitch, a ruggedly handsome man, helps his father at the bike shop during the summer months. Grace and Mitch have a bit of an antagonistic relationship, and her focus is all on Peter.  The star of the movie, Sean, has a run in with Grace and seems to be smitten with her.  Gee, three men!  How will Grace ever decide where her heart lies?

Underlying all of the summer romance possibilities is Grace's floundering over her career and life in general.  She's haunted by Renny's death, and coming back home seems to have brought it to the forefront of her mind.  She feels like her parents always preferred Renny, and doesn't believe she has any talent.  I have to say this part of the novel seemed wrong, somehow.  It's been 18 years since Renny has died; I am a bit puzzled that Grace is still struggling over how she thinks her parents really feel about her. They've been nothing but encouraging, but I feel like her behavior belongs to someone much younger.  I could see this being a stronger plot if Grace was in her mid-twenties, not her early thirties.  She seems to bounce from one potential romance to another without any kind of real focus, and when the big talk happens with her parents, I felt like it was long overdue and made the ending a bit rushed.  I do, however, like the ending, and that we are left with a satisfying conclusion, but not a neat ending tied up in a bow.  There's room for perhaps another story, and I'd be happy to read it.  

Rating:  6/10 for a novel that was enjoyable and quick read.  The town of Dorset came alive, and sounds like a place I'd like to call home.  Grace seemed a bit immature for her age, and the main plot line would have worked better if she'd been in her twenties.  But overall,  a novel that would be a good choice for Moms, Grandmas, and those who like contemporary women's fiction.  

Available in hardcover, and e-book.

from Bookalicious Babe Book Reviews http://ift.tt/2hx7mg5

Rust Architects divides Tel Aviv apartment into halves

apartment-in-tel-aviv-by-rust-architects_dezeen_2364_sq

Rust Architects has reorganised an apartment in Tel Aviv to allow light to flood into specific spaces at different times of the day. Read more



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Swirling brick circles form back garden for South London Gallery

south-london-gallery-garden-gabriel-orozco-design-outdoors-london_dezeen_2364_sq

Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco has worked with 6a Architects to create a sculptural garden paved in a pattern of interconnected circles for the South London Gallery. Read more



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