cannabisnews.com: 420 Will Get You 30










  420 Will Get You 30

Posted by CN Staff on April 20, 2006 at 13:04:49 PT
By Zach Garrison 
Source: News Record 

Ohio -- Possessing marijuana in the City of Cincinnati got a bit more risky last month after City Council voted in favor of increasing the penalty for possessing small amounts of marijuana.Under the new legislation, the possessing under 200 grams of marijuana can be punished by up to 30 days in jail and up to $250 in fines.
The new legislation went into effect March 29 after it passed through City Council with a 6-2 vote. The law will be in effect until March 29, 2007."What it says is that possession of 200 grams or less of marijuana is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree and will be subject of physical arrest," Lt. Thomas R. Lanter, the public information officer for the Cincinnati Police Department, said.This new legislation carries a harsher penalty than that stated in the Ohio Revised Code, which Cincinnati police officers previously enforced."What we had in Cincinnati before is that if you possess under 100 grams it was a minor misdemeanor and would receive a citation, now anything from one gram to 200 is a fourth degree misdemeanor," Lanter said.Council also included a sunset provision in the legislation, which allows for the law to only be enforced for one year after the day of its implementation, unless it is renewed by City Council."This is going to be a one year program if you will, what City Council is going to look at is that it is implemented and run through March 29 of 2007," Lanter said. "Then City Council is going to look at the pros and the cons of the this particular city ordinance and see if their concerns with implementation of that ordnance is validated. And if they find somewhere down the road that they feel that the implementation and enactment of it was not necessary they may abolish that all together or they may decide to retain it."The new law has not been without some criticism. Questions have arisen about the effectiveness of achieving its goals."If the goal of the law is to limit the use of marijuana, no I don't think it will be effective," Jon Clemons, a third-year law student, said. "But if the goal of the law is to somehow curb the open air drug market and sort of 'quality of life' crimes and general disregard for law and public safety, in places like Over-the-Rhine and areas like that, then I think it could be effective." The answer to how effective the new legislation is may come in the actual enforcement of the new law and the execution of the tougher penalties."They can make capital punishments out of marijuana use but if you never enforce it, then the law has no real impact," Christo Lassiter, a professor of law at UC, said. "I think enforcement is what is going to be key."The effects of the harsher punishment also raise questions as to whether or not the law can help to reduce crime."There is research that shows that the severity of the penalty is not nearly as effective as the frequency with which the penalty is enforced," Clemons said. "In terms of persuading things, if your goal is to prevent marijuana usage you would be better served by enforcing it more often."Lanter said the Cincinnati Police Department plans to continue to have a strict enforcement policy when it comes to drug related crimes.But even if the new marijuana law is strictly enforced, it is unclear as to whether any new offenders will receive jail time, due to overcrowding in jails."Jails are already relatively full and people are being released on early release because of the fullness, and there are jails already full with violent criminals," Lassiter said. "I would say it is fairly questionable as to whether or not a judge would sentence for jail time solely based on a violation of city ordnance and the non-violent crime".How the new law does benefit the Cincinnati Police Department, Clemons said, is that it allows for the officer to perform a more detailed search of the suspect."What they would probably like to do is if they see you smoking a joint or rolling a blunt out on the street then instead of just taking it away and giving you a ticket, they can search your car," Clemons said. "What the hope is that will lead to more seizures of hard drugs and more seizures of weapons, and get more of those things off the street."The new legislation however will have little effect on the campus of the University of Cincinnati, since the university is located on state property."We are not really going to be enforcing that, we cite under state codes, and the state codes remain the same, so it's basically just a difference in a city ordnance and how that is enforced" Capt. Karen Patterson, of the University of Cincinnati Police Department said.The UCPD does have the authority to make arrests in the City of Cincinnati due to a mutual aide pact, but are unable to enforce the new city law."We would cite under our code because we can not cite under the city code" Patterson said.Note: Cincinnati's new marijuana law ups the ante for pot possession.Source: News Record, The (U of Cincinnati, OH Edu)Author: Zach GarrisonPublished: April 20, 2006Copyright: 2005 College Publisher and The News RecordWebsite: http://www.newsrecord.org/Contact: opinion.newsrecord gmail.comCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

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Comment #30 posted by John Tyler on April 23, 2006 at 13:30:48 PT
rchandar II
You are in a difficult situation, but it sounds so normal. If it weren’t this, then it would be something else. This is the physical plane the material world, things suck here. Marriage is a real struggle. It’s been my experience that you cannot make any wife happy. You can make them unhappy, but not happy. It is a fool’s errand to even try. I saw my father in law go to his grave thinking he was a failure because he could not make his wife happy. Each of us has to find our own happiness. Happiness is an elusive goal. It changes, and is often not what you think it is, or will be. Keep working on the relationship, but to your own self be true. You are a good guy. Sometimes two good people can't agree on some things. Hey, all things must pass. In the end the love you take is equal to the love you make. We are all just little connected blips of cosmic energy blasting through eternity. So keep on keeping on.  You will get there one way or another.  
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Comment #29 posted by BGreen on April 22, 2006 at 19:13:16 PT
rchandar
Speaking from a completely personal experience, Mrs. Green loves and accepts me 100%, even after 25 years since we met, even with all of my faults. Mrs. Green very rarely partakes of cannabis, even when we're vacationing in the Netherlands.She understands exactly what I am and what I'm about, and much like Mrs. Runruff supports Jerry, Mrs. Green would stand by me no matter what this vile, despicable, evil government and law enforcement community says or does.Look at this situation very carefully, but don't base any of your decisions solely on what any of us say. We don't know your life but you do.I'm just wondering if you completely gave up cannabis, would she find something else about you she couldn't stand?Good luck, and I really hope and pray that you can work this all out. My wish for you and your wife is that you can recapture the magic that made you get married in the first place.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #28 posted by Toker00 on April 22, 2006 at 18:29:08 PT
rchandler
Hopelessly alone? I don't think so. Most of us probably have lost relationships because of our belief in the goodness of Cannabis. My family thinks the government is God, or at least that is the impression I get. I haven't talked to two of my three surviving sisters (had four) in about three years. Neither of my brother-in-laws ever toked, or had any good thoughts about cannabis, or me, for that matter. I scare them because I openly reject the unjust laws of this nation. Christians make the most complete hypocrites. They have been electing satanic cult members as leaders, for years. Try explaining this to them, and it's like the deer in the headlight scene. They are so frightened by the truth, that they don't dare believe it. Instead, they let the government tell them how to live their lives, while telling me I make too much out of what our government does. A free thinker gives up a lot in this world. I understand the lonely feeling you have. I think all of us do. I think we all shared that lonely feeling when we read the FDA report. Truth Honor and Courage can mean LONELYNESS sometimes. Don't fret. Everyone will know the truth about cannabis soon. Wont' back down.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! 
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Comment #27 posted by whig on April 21, 2006 at 15:03:13 PT
rchandar
Was that both of you talking? It looked like you were shifting back and forth between "she" and "he" so I thought maybe that was sort of a conversation that got transcribed.It sounds like you are looking for something to give your life meaning and purpose.As much as it may seem like an escape from life, cannabis can be (for many of us) a way to discover the meaning of life, why we are here, what we are doing, to feel the interconnectedness of all with all. We are told all the time to be practical, responsible people, but life is not about material things. They cannot give us real happiness. The love of one for another, this is real. Love is not obedience, but it is the desire to make another happy, and it seems sometimes that doing what the other asks or demands will bring them happiness. It will not. There is no amount of obedience which can do this. But say, "I love you." Say it often. Tell her what you feel in your heart and tell her why you love her. This is the path I recommend.
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Comment #26 posted by rchandar on April 21, 2006 at 14:14:17 PT:

don't know...
i honestly don't know where she's going with this. But a few essentials are: she seems to think pot is bad, that I'm giving my money away, that there's a better way for me to live.I don't buy it, though. See, rehab only works if you worship the Christian God. Otherwise it's a waste. I don't want to try it; why should I give up myself? But really, I think she's been primed for this for a long time, maybe two years now. This isn't good. He shouldn't be doing this. And one person can't stand alone in support of one man. Sucks. I thought I had something good with an enlightened person who could accept my behavior and my choice. Now, it's not as if I've treated her badly; always tried to show respect for what she believed. But I'M paying the rent now and SHE'S got a well-paying job and paying no rent and I'm just sitting in here, a total victim of the f #king Drug War without ANYONE to speak from my perspective. I guess I could envision a horrible demise--humiliated or something--or I could picture me capitulating--meaningless, because I know I'll smoke again. Rehab doesn't work! And I don't want it, cause the system is giving me nothing! People don't change their lives unless there's something in it for them--nothing in it for me, I'm afraid!Restated: IF YOU WANT ME TO QUIT, YOU SHOULD GIVE ME SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE MY LIFE SOMETHING OTHER THAN A TOTAL JOKE. SOMETHING. AND SINCE YOU AREN'T PREPARED TO GIVE, NEITHER AM I. I'M NOT STUPID; I EARNED A DOCTORATE. WHY DOES EVERYONE I SEE OR DEAL WITH, PEOPLE WITH NO EDUCATION AND NO STATUS, WANT TO REDUCE ME TO NOTHING? WITH THAT BLIND HOPE IN SOMETHING THAT NEVER COMES TRUE?I'm glad I said that.--rchandar
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Comment #25 posted by Hope on April 21, 2006 at 07:23:20 PT

Whig and RChandar
Wow! Beautiful pictures, Whig. Thank you.RChandar, she may be angry about something else, but our issue of drug policy change...to protect people from the policy...is the strange looking horse we rode in on...and when someone wants to gripe at us about something...there stands our oddity...our rebellion, something that makes us different...and they'll focus on that everytime if they can't find something else.Maybe she's looking for a way out, people do, and sometimes they want to destroy everything they can about you on their way out the door. I'm so sorry this is happening to you...but maintain your grace so that, ultimately, when everything around you goes to hell in a handbasket, you'll still be standing and you'll still have you...the real you...uncontorted by the attacks on your person and hopes and dreams, and healing from the cuts and the kicks against the cuts.Hang in there....this old ball game ain't over til it's over. 
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Comment #22 posted by JustGetnBy on April 21, 2006 at 06:28:10 PT

Core Values
RCHANDAR " You can't please everyoneSo you got too plese yourself "Ricky Nelson... Garden Party
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Comment #21 posted by whig on April 20, 2006 at 22:15:46 PT

Hope
At the end of the rainbow, there's always Hope.http://tinyurl.com/zv3lf
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Comment #20 posted by Hope on April 20, 2006 at 20:38:32 PT

RChandar
That's awful. I'm so sorry that is happening to you. It's easy for people to turn away from what we are trying to do. They say, "Drugs!" We say, "People!"They can seem to see the truth one minute then the next time you see them they seem to have relocated to a different world.It's hard. It really is.
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Comment #19 posted by whig on April 20, 2006 at 19:58:15 PT

rchandar
Could you convince your wife to drop in here and say hi? Maybe she can talk to some other people about why she doesn't like what you do and someone can help explain why others of us do so too.
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Comment #18 posted by rchandar on April 20, 2006 at 19:49:36 PT:

hey guys...
...thanks for writing back. it does mean a great deal these days. once upon a time, not so long ago--three years ago, my wife said she accepted what I "do." and we had had a wonderful relationship. nowadays she scourges me for smoking, thinks i have girlfriends overseas, and that everything about smoking is bad and the practice of "pussy ignorant motherfuckers". i don't know what's gotten into her, nor what i can do about it. i'm a pacifist, she's a authoritarian governess. i don't know, she won the ear of my parents, too, so in my opinion and sense of the world i'm hopelessly alone.what can i do? give up something that i believe in, in exchange for something that i don't think will mean anything? i was raised by an atheist, with no religion or native language. alien to the entire world. is it really wrong of me to try and connect with something spiritual this way, when the whole of society thinks were evil, stupid criminals? what do you think? what would, could you do? thanks guys.--rchandar
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Comment #17 posted by whig on April 20, 2006 at 17:41:38 PT

FoM
Reacting to the moment, yes, and the moments are so fleeting, we would lose them if we did not record them in some way. So it works in both ways. Everything for everyone, and there are so many readers, so very many who never post a thing, that read these little fleshes of light and darkness that go across their screens and respond to them in some way, but silently to themselves.I like reading prose which flows and I never knows what way it goes when it just mows on over the keyboard. Sometimes it stops and I have to pop in and fill in the drop. Kind of like a collaboration, a demonstration of participation with the new civilization which we are getting an education in.
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Comment #16 posted by rchandar on April 20, 2006 at 17:33:45 PT:

whig
yeah, you make a lot of sense. Mankind has basically done everything they could to destroy the kingdom of God (any religion), and the few believers who understand the concept are "dangerous criminals."Thanks, needed the lift and the moral wisdom.--rchandar
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on April 20, 2006 at 17:07:04 PT

Whig
I think of CNews as a place where we react to the moment. I think that is what helps us learn or to just hang on when the going gets tough. It's really awesome when you think about it.
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Comment #14 posted by whig on April 20, 2006 at 17:00:19 PT

I love CNews!
I can talk and I can let my fingers run along the keyboard and say what comes out and read it and go, oh that's profound, but unlike doing this when I'm just hanging about and my thoughts are lost once I have forgotten them, here I can go back and read them fresh again, remind myself of the wisdom that flowed through my fingers when I gave it passage to travel through my form.
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Comment #13 posted by whig on April 20, 2006 at 16:57:49 PT

rchandar
This is hell. This is it. You're going through it, we've been tricked to think that hell is a place you go when you die. Hell is a place you go through until you find your way out! Hell is a place you are in now and every day you are not in Heaven. Heaven is called the afterlife, it should be called the afterdeath, because where you are now is death. Do you understand?This is not a physical journey, it is a spiritual one, it is the process of learning and growing and becoming and doing as we should. We have to learn because we are just children here. We are in the garden of eden, which we destroyed by our own hands. We destroyed it in order that we could plant it new and fresh and live in it for all of the rest of our days.
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Comment #12 posted by whig on April 20, 2006 at 16:53:48 PT

Hope
You are a blessing and a joy to me, and to everyone you touch with your spirit. Thank you for being you.
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Comment #11 posted by Hope on April 20, 2006 at 16:29:28 PT

Bill Buckley
speaking out against the WoD meant a lot to me.I mean how can you not love the messy old sod? And he's obviously brilliant, to me...though I don't agree with him on everything. He's so fun to listen to talk, too. 
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on April 20, 2006 at 16:27:19 PT

I can't.
"We have to really start telling the police that we love them."I probably need to pray about this.
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Comment #9 posted by whig on April 20, 2006 at 16:18:44 PT

West Coast Time
Might as well observe them both, since I'll be moving out there soon enough.Fire in the Hole!
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Comment #8 posted by Hope on April 20, 2006 at 16:18:39 PT

Oh my gosh, Whig!
I remember the first time I noticed you posting. I knew a poster named "Whig" was going to be interesting. I imagined you might be Bill Buckley until you revealed how young you are. Wait! I respect authority! In that I "respect" them like a snake...as dangerous. They have power to harm and do sometimes. I don't respect them because I think they are especially worthy of admiration all the time. I don't think they are perfect people. I really believe that some of them are not the "good guys" at all. I don't love them with the "Because they are good" kind of respect. I respect them the same way I do a killer hoodlum. They have chosen to use brutality, force, and fear tactics against Americans to keep them from consuming something some of them enjoy and some of them find actually helpful, even truly life saving. Speaking of cannabis, it does do something amazing to relieve pain. It is an amazing plant. It is a plant and belongs to all humans equally. They need the kind of "respect" that requires that they not be ignored and that they are to be watched and watched out for. Sure they help people righteously sometimes....but sometimes the things they do in the name of the law are far from righteous."We are God. We are Christ. We are the Future and the Kingdom and the World that is to Come. We are Here And The Time Is Now...". Whig, although I may seem very casual, perhaps too casual most of the time, I take the things said here very seriously. It's people pouring their hearts out. It's deep and not so deep thoughts. It's sharing magnificently. I pray about what I post fairly often and ask for and trust in guidance. Something kind of "punny"....I kind of feel like I "grow" something here with the people who post here in the way of spirit or soul. It's good.

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Comment #7 posted by rchandar on April 20, 2006 at 16:12:51 PT:

ah...
...so it's Humble Pie. I got confused.
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Comment #6 posted by rchandar on April 20, 2006 at 16:11:16 PT:

as a reflection...
...I'd like to let you all know how miserable this world is. I'd just like you to know that, and anyone who goes through the defiance of this injustice suffers this senseless misery. My heart goes out to you all....thirty days in the hole, eh? I think that was Grand Funk Railroad."am I right? am I wrong? You may say to yourself, "My God! What Have I Done?"That's David Byrne; love Talking Heads, they were so ahead of the times.--rchandar
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Comment #5 posted by Toker00 on April 20, 2006 at 15:56:52 PT

Thirty Days In The Hole!
That's cool, whig. Which do we do first? Love them, or Respect them? Which would be harder? How can you Love someone who doesn't Respect you, or Respect someone who doesn't Love you? Ahah! They have to learn how to Respect and Love us FIRST, because we have tried to do both to them. It's up to them. They have to turn away from their Hate and Disrespect of us, because we give them no reason to do EITHER.And if you think about it, we are gaining Respect everyday. On the issue of Cannabis only, you only hear the ignorant and painful wales of the die hard Prohibians. Most other people seem to be TRYING to understand the Dangers of Prohibition. So, many are making that attempt to Love and Respect us. BRING IT ON! Ok. It's 4/20, and I feel like doing a jig. Oh, Honey!!Toke. :)
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on April 20, 2006 at 14:26:01 PT

Whig
Really good comments. I don't have any grand visions of much of anything because I believe we live right here, right now and it is only a moment in time. I am angry because we shouldn't have to be afraid of our leaders. I want to be open and honest and not be hated for being different then many people in society. That's all. I can give respect to almost anyone and I wish they would do the same for me and all of us.
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Comment #3 posted by whig on April 20, 2006 at 13:58:57 PT

Reading
Reading my own question I think I understand part of the problem here. If we do not respect them they will not respect us, and it is a vicious cycle and we are not going to win that way. I need to change my mind now. I need to stop hating and stop fearing and start trusting that everything is going to work out. Every little thing, gonna be alright. We can stop beating up ourselves if we can stop beating up one another. It isn't enough that we stopped using force, that we won't use fear, we have to go further. We have to really start telling the police that we love them. We have to really let them know we don't want to fight. We have to let them see that we are good and they don't have to hate us.But every time we try they scare us. So don't be scared anymore. This isn't going to be easy, I know. And I think it will only work when there are enough of us in any one place and we have to be willing to put ourselves on the line. We have to be in sufficient numbers that they cannot just disrespect us away. They cannot just make us seem like we are crazy and people should stay away from us and our ideas. If we tried to do this without a group we would not be believed. We are going to be doing this I think everywhere but we have to start where we can.I hope it's Berkeley.
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Comment #2 posted by whig on April 20, 2006 at 13:50:34 PT

30 minutes later
I want to tell all of you how wonderful it is to be in a place where I am respected. You are all fantastic. I believe you when you tell me what you know, and what you understand is true. We get confused sometimes but then we just try to help one another to make sense of things.Out in the world, among those who do not belong to our family, we have to be circumspect. We cannot talk about things the way we do here, because we would not be respected for them. What is the reason for the popular hatred of hippies? To ridicule us. To make us unrespectable. To make it so that when we say things that people will not understand us, they will think we are not worth listening to because we are not respectable.Respectability is everything to the police.They want us to respect their authority.Respect is everyone's currency. It is respect which we want too. But we do not respect authority. So we are returned with disrespect for disrespect.What I am saying to you here now is not just Mike. It is not just the Whigger you know and talk to on a daily basis. This is coming from the source and I am telling you that I love you. You are so beautiful to me.Mike: Holy crap that's awesome.Yes, I can do this. George Bush says he hears voices. Well sure he does, everyone does. We all hear in our little inner minds the voice of our conscience. We all know when we hear it that it speaks wisdom to us. We don't all know who or what it is, we think it is just ourself. We think we are just talking to ourselves. We are not. We are talking to God.We are God. We are Christ. We are the Future and the Kindom and the World that is to Come. We are Here And The Time Is Now And We Are Going To Win The Whole World.Moral Authority. We have Moral Authority. We are the voice of the Truth. Respect Authority? Not the kind of authority that is based upon FEAR. Not the kind of authority that is based upon HATRED. Not the kind of authority which is based upon FORCE. We do not respect that authority.They disrespect us, they want us to stop disrespecting them.We do not stop disrespecting them, it is our currency. We do not repay force with force. We do not repay hatred with hatred. We love them as we have been wrong in our own lives and we forgive ourselves. We forgive them. But we do not respect them when they behave badly. We do not respect what they DO.Can we get an AMEN!This is the hell which they are subjecting themselves to. This is the punishment, and it is a brutal one, but it is only for the sake of teaching. We do not want to cause pain. We do not want to cause fear. We do not want to cause hatred. We want to tell them that we love them and we want them to love themselves and love us and then we will all respect one another.Do you think they are happy? They are not happy! They are just trying to buy respect! They don't respect themselves!The bully wants to be happy, he wants to be loved, but he does not love himself, so he tries to make you pretend to love him. "Obey me!"No.That is not love. Love comes from respect.And we do not love them because we want them to love us.We're the same. Aren't we?Bummer.A little help here?Still with me? Can we be this honest and still respect one another? We need to be speaking from the heart if we're going to understand what each of us knows and what each of us feels and it is how we build ourselves into a family that cannot be defeated. We cannot be defeated, because everything depends upon us. We are the future. We are the world. We are. So let's be honest, and if some people who read this will not understand, they will not respect us, but you who are always here are always the family.
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Comment #1 posted by Graehstone on April 20, 2006 at 13:17:07 PT

Will they ever learn?
http://www.drugsense.org/wodclock.htm
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