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MEADOWDALE HIGH SCHOOL April 2017

Volume 3, Issue 8

IM NOT LION
...LET ME BE HONEST!
EDITORS

School uniforms: to wear or not to wear Mariah Benson

By Andrew Caldwell JR Andrew Caldwell JR

Anduryn Gallimore
In the 1980s, public schools weren't close to Catholic schools in many ways.
Since Catholic schools were doing so well with uniforms, some thought that Cheyanne Hardy
maybe that's what public schools needed. Savannah Harraway

Even President Clinton spoke on the subject at the 1996 State of Union address
when he said, If it means teenagers will stop killing each other over designer
jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear
school uniforms. Journalists
Mahogany Bankston
School uniforms have been underrated, according to some parents, but many, if
not all students of any grade level, would say that they hate uniforms. They see Precious Brown
it as a lock on being creative and having independence, but school administra-
Katelyn Conley
tion see not wearing them as yet another means for students to get into mis-
chief as it detracts from learning. When you were a child, did you ever wear a Kaylah Crutcher
uniform and hated it?
Krichonna DeVance

Some schools and parents believe there are actually pros to having a uniform. Erick Dominguez
First, it helps you identify your kid because each school has a certain uniform
and you can tell if it's your kid so they won't get lost or taken by anybody. It pre- Javon Ferguson
vents competition between students because when kids wear what they want, it Noelle Freeman
becomes a fashion show instead of a school. They start judging each other and
teasing because they have better gear, more money, or have a better style. With Katelyn Givhan
uniforms, that competition is eliminated and everyone would feel equal. Unique Mattison

It could help you land a job. Uniforms may not be required at all jobs, but places Dawon Smith
in the food services, medical departments, or store clerks have uniforms and if
one plans to work there, then one might want to get used to uniforms because
it could be to ones benefit. It increases work quality because one is not worried
about what they are wearing and is more focused on their work.

Now for the cons of school uniforms. Depending which school you attend, uni-
forms are expensive. It gives the parents another issue to worry about besides
paying for their child's education and they have to buy multiple uniforms that
are exactly the same for five days of the week. Nowadays kids are getting smart-
er and they are exposed to more things at a young age. Some schools may have
a rule like girls have to wear skirts, which could give boys an outlet to be per-
verts and even sexist. By kids wearing their own clothes, this whole controversy
could be lessened or avoided.

Uniforms hold back kids creativity and freedom. They wouldn't be able to fully
express themselves besides out of school, but how rarely do kids at school see
each other? The #1 fact is kids don't like them. (Continued on pg. 2)
School uniforms (continued)
Students would love to have their own uniforms and it would make them want to actually come to school and
school would be a lot more fun to them. And last, but not least, they're ugly. Schools sometimes represent their
colors in their uniforms, but the comfort factor can be terrible because nobody wears uniforms as regular
attire.

Are you for uniforms or against uni-


forms?

Star athlete
By Kaylah Crutcher

Dawon Smith, 17-year-old Meadowdale High School student, won something many athletes strive for.

Smith is a honor roll student and junior at Meadowdale High School and he usually stays on task. Not only is he
good with his academics, he is also a great athlete. Smith plays football, wrestles, and runs track for his school.
His involvement with his school shows great sportsmanship and he exemplifies great character.

Smith seemed to stand out to his football coach in the school, who nominated Smith for the Subway Athlete of
the Month Contest. Because of Smiths great accomplishment of being a great student and athlete, he won the
contest. Smith, winning the contest, was announced on the radio, and he continues to get congratulations
statements from his peers. He strives to keep up the good behav-
ior by being a role model to his younger peers.

He plans to attend North Carolina Agriculture and Technology in


the fall of 2018, where he will study mechanical engineering and
possibly play sports for the university.
Ship that sank

By Mahogany Bankston
There were a total of 2,208 people
The British ship, RMS Titanic, sank in on the ship and a total of 1,503 peo-
the North Atlantic Ocean in the early ple died.
morning hours of April 15, 1912.
The next morning, 300 bodies were
The ships construction started on pulled out of the sea. It took re-
March 31, 1909, in Belfast, England. searchers about 100 years to find
the ships wreckage. It has been
It collided with an iceberg during the rusting at the bottom of the sea.
maiden voyage. It began its voyage
on April 10, 1912. At 2:02 a.m., on
April 15, 1912, the ship literally
broke apart, with over a thousand
people still aboard.

Less than two hours later, the RMS


Carpathia arrived and brought
aboard about 705 survivors. The last
survivor of the famed vessel died on
May 31, 2009. Her name Elizabeth
Gladys Dean. She was with her par-
ents and was only 8 weeks old when
the ship sailed.

Loose juice
By Katelyn Givhan

It was recently questioned if grapefruit may be a fat burner.

When conducting research to solve this dilemma, it was discovered that grape-
fruit not only contributes to weight loss, it also contributes to cellulite reduction,
fighting cancer, boosting immunity, reducing stroke risk, improving skin health
and helping boost appearance. According to draxe.com, an enzyme called AMPK
is activated by grapefruits nootkatone, and in return boosts the metabolism.
Metabolism helps burn fat and encourages weight loss.

According to Harvard Medical School, grapefruit has a glycemic index of 25, mak-
ing it one of the lowest glycemic fruit options. A glycemic index is a number asso-
ciated with a particular type of food that indicates the food's effect on a person's
blood glucose level.

If one is on any medication or statins, one should be aware that grapefruit or


grapefruit juice does affect some statins. Do not drink grapefruit juice if you're
taking simvastatin. Grapefruit juice increases the level of simvastatin in your
blood and makes side effects more likely.

3
Bleached out
By Anduryn Gallimore

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) thats off the coast of Australia just faced its sec-
ond bleaching event in the past 12 months.

Both bleaching events have devastated the GBR. The first bleaching event killed around 67 percent of the coral
along a 500 mile stretch along the north side. This year its had around 400 miles of coral reef affected and it's
mostly been toward the center of the coral reef. The first and most devastating bleaching event so far was aided
by an El Nino. Scientists have predicted another El Nino coming by the end of 2017.

Coral bleaching isnt what one may think it is. Coral bleaching is the warming of water temperatures to where
algae leaves its home in coral. The coral then becomes weaker because it becomes more vulnerable to diseases
and they die. Coral reefs are home to thousands of species of fish and feed around 25 percent of the worlds pop-
ulation of fish, along with around 500 million people. But coral reefs dont just feed humans and fish alike. They
also make storms milder than they wouldve been before without coral reefs. In simpler terms, it means if a
storm where to roll in, coral reefs would calm it down so it doesnt devastate small towns on the coast.

Scientists are saying that we have to work now, and quickly, to save our coral reefs. Back in December of 2015,
195 nations came together to try and combat global warming by trying to keep the increase in global tempera-
tures to below 2 degrees Celsius.

But even then, without the help of every nation, global warming will just keep on going. Robert Richmond, the
director of the University of Hawaiis Kewalo Marine Laboratory, says, Whats good for corals is good for human-
ity. Most nations know that.

4
I Spy with my little eye

By Noelle Freeman

Around the world, there have been sightings of animals that we thought no longer existed.

The Megalodon is a giant shark that can grow up to 70 feet long. Back in 2009, the History Channel show,
Monsterquest, visited the Sea of Cortez, where massive sharks had been reported for years. The team failed
to find the monster, but many believe it is still there. Again, in 2012, on an episode of Shark Wranglers Mon-
ster of Bird Island, shark researchers interviewed a group of South African fisherman who claimed that there
was a shark as big as their boat.

The Woolly Mammoth is a species that lived during the Pleistocene Epoch and was one of the last in a line of
the species. In Alaska there have been alleged Woolly Mammoth sightings. The last to be heard of was in
1887 by Colonel Fowler. He and his team stumbled across the creature almost accidentally. What many
have all known as BigFoot is really an extinct species of apes called Gigantopithecus. This overgrown ape has
been sighted mostly in Michigan. There have been thousands of sightings all over the world.

The Javan Tiger is a type of species of big cats that inhabited the Indonesian Island of Java. One of the last
sightings was in 1976, but they have been sighted multiple times since 2010. Multiple island residents have
spotted them. The Eastern cougar was declared extinct in 2011 by the Fish and Wildlife Service. It is said to
be one among other extinct big cats.

The Mokele-Mobembe is a giant long necked reptile reportedly found in the Congo river basin of Central
Africa. Sightings of the creature have been reported for over 200 years. Another prehistoric animal is the
Plesiosaur, who is usually found in lakes and oceans.

There are several other sightings of other extinct animals around the world.
Staying on track
By Mariah Benson

Have you ever wanted to walk in the footsteps of dinosaurs? Well, on the beaches in the Kimberly region of
Western Australia, you can!

According to the BBC and newatlas.com, there are 15.5 miles of dinosaur tracks embedded into 127 to 140 mil-
lion-year-old rock formations, nicknamed Australias Jurassic Park. The sight was discovered and announced
by a team of paleontologists from the University of Queenslands School of Biological Sciences and James Cook
Universitys School of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Thousands of tracks were documented over five years
of investigating, though only 150 of the tracks were identified.

"There were five different types of predatory dinosaur tracks, at least six types of tracks from long-necked her-
bivorous Sauropods, four types of tracks from two-legged herbivorous Ornithopods, and six types of tracks from
armoured dinosaurs," says University of Queensland's Dr. Steve Salisbury, lead researcher of their paper.
"Among the tracks is the only confirmed evidence for stegosaurus in Australia. There are also some of the larg-
est dinosaur tracks ever recorded. Some of the Sauropod tracks are around 5.6 feet long."

Some tracks are over 1.5 meters in size, and many are only visible in the shallow water of the low tide. The
coastline is 25 kilometers long, and Salisbury nicknamed it Australias own Jurassic Park. His team spent over
400 hours detailing the prints between 2011 and 2016, and have made silicone peels to make casts and put
them into museums to be displayed for everyone to see. The prints are between 115 and 90 million years old.

Not everyone wanted to conserve this lands beauty though. In 2008, the land was planned to be turned into a
potential development of a liquid natural gas processing plant. The plans were officially called off in 2013 due to
the Goolarabooloo Communitys concern that the tracks be studied and protected. As of now, the area is com-
pletely safe.

6
Reactions to ISS
By Cheyanne Hardy

Meadowdale High School has started a new discipline skill theyve been using on students in grades 8
through 12. This new discipline is called ISS. ISS stands for In School Suspension.

In ISS one can stay there for a bell, a day, days, weeks, however long the teacher or principal tells the stu-
dent to stay there. One can be put in ISS for not following the rules, such as skipping class, being disre-
spectful to staff or students, fighting, and hall sweeps, basically anything thats not school permitted.

In an interview with some students that attend Meadowdale High School, they shared their thoughts regard-
ing ISS. Veronica Cox exclaimed, I think ISS is stupid! Id rather be suspended then spending my day in a
room all day! Miracle Pierce said, I dont like ISS. I go home every time I have to stay in there. I just cant
do it.

Meadowdale teachers and principals like the new discipline rule. They believe it keeps students on their Ps
and Qs.

Urban art or illegal vandalism

By Dawon Smith

Graffiti is an often overlooked art form, or conversely a way of illegal vandalism.

To legally do this, one would have to get a permit for the graffiti. With permission it is considered expressive
urban street art. Without permission is illegal vandalism. Street art is considered to be an urban form of art to
the public. Graffiti is called a way of tagging a wall or building.

Graffiti artists see this as way to express themselves without any type of judgement on how people see them
by their gender, race, age or beliefs. This is because no one can judge their views regarding politics or just
how they feel.

They keep their identity anonymous for these reasons. Some acts of the artist come from how they are feel-
ing about life or the government. They see this as a great way to send a message to the government or just to
the people about life.
Spirit animal
By Precious Brown

Whats your spirit animal, and does it define you?

Here are 12 zodiac spirit animals:

Aquarius: Otter (Jan 20 - Feb 18)


Just like Aquarius, otters are playful, creative, and intelligent. An otter is very quirky. In reality, this sign is known
for having a multitude of friends from many different realms.
Incredibly imaginative
Nurturing qualities
PICKY when it comes to love
Devoted to life
Recluse
Isolates themselves
Rebellious stage in early teenage years
In the right environment otters make perfect friends and companions

Pisces: Wolf (Feb 19 - Mar 20)


Pisces are known to be dreamers of the zodiac. Theyre graceful, generous.
And have deep feelings inside.
Passionate
Deeply emotional
Very independent
Spends much of their life alone
Obsessive over friends and family
Impractical
Vindictive
Nurturing
Gentle
Very affectionate
Their ultimate goals in life is to find love, but to nurture in a lifetime.

Aries: Hawks (March 21 - April 19 )


An Aries has a fire sign, are passionate, independent, and very loyal. Your spirit animal is the hawk.
Natural born-leaders
The messenger
Amazing partner
Works better independently
Spontaneous; rather impulsive
Arrogant or egotistical, that's just because they exude so much confidence in every facet of their lives.
Fearless
Compassionate
Values their relationship
Hawks are also adaptable and open to new ideas. (Continued on page 9)

8
Spirit animal (Continued from page 8)
Taurus: Beaver (April 20 - May 20)
The Taurus are usually connected to the bull; known for their hard heads and have a stubborn personality. A
Taurus spirit animal is a beaver.
Patience
Extremely strategic
Resourceful
Very witty
Sharp and intelligent
They need to be cautious from turning people away with their way or no way attitude.
They need to learn how to be humble
Over demanding
Possessive
Cowardly inside
Compassionate
Loyal
Resourceful
Generous friends/lovers
Beavers are not afraid to let themselves Shine

Gemini: Deer (May 21 - June 20)


The gemini are known as being the twins of zodiac. It's fun to say that their spirit animal is a deer.
Incredibly energetic
Witty
Very intelligent
Not afraid of making a fool of themselves
Conversationalists
Rely on charisma and personality to attract people
Nurturing
Picky in love
Tendency to be impatient, moody, and even lazy
Deer live for the unknown.

Cancer: Woodpecker (June 21July 21)


A Cancers connects deeply to the woodpecker; cancer makes excellent parents or caregivers because they
have deep sense.
Amazing caretakers
Caring
Empathetic
Great listeners
Supportive
Very resourceful
Angry
Jealous
Possessive
Woodpeckers are all heart and little head. (Continued on page 10)
Spirit animal (continued from page 9)
Leo: Salmon (July 22 - Aug 21)
Leo are known to swim against the current, often creating their own path. Connected to Leo (lion).
Incredible leaders
Charismatic
Contagious energy
Draws people to them like a flame
Enthusiastic
Appears arrogant and egotistical
Incredibly insecure
Emotionally invested in relationship
Loyal
Stable
Giving
Vindictive; egotistical
Salmon have a large amount of pride.

Virgos: Bears (Aug 22 - Sept 21)


A virgos spirit animal is a bear. The bear is a powerful and territorial creature.
Powerful
Territorial
Works hard
More willing to manage their stability
Hides emotion
In control
Black bears are willing to manage their own stability.

Libra: Raven (Sept 22 - Oct 22)


Libra is the sign of the scales, theyre all about the equality and balance of life and love. The raven is known
for their incredible balance of beauty inside and outside.
Peace-loving creatures
Incredibly intelligent
Charming
Perfect mediators
Diplomatic
Great listeners/advice givers
Boundless energy
Easygoing
Romantic
Patient
Caring
Charming, brash, demanding, rude
Even vindictive
The raven is very nurturing and loves to give their time and hearts to anybody. (Continued on page 11)
Spirit animal (continued from page 10)
Scorpio: Snake (Oct 23 - Nov 22)
A scorpio is just like a snake. It is mysterious, secretive and appears darker than most signs. A snake is in-
credibly passionate in the matters of hearts and their career.
Intuitive
Very spiritual in nature
Drawn to the paranormal and unknown
Funny
Helpful
Violent
Disobedient
Multitude mood
Incredible beings
Snakes at there best are really loving beings that are loving to those around them.

Sagittarius: Owl (Nov 23 - Dec 21)


Sagittarius spirit animal is an owl. This sign can be seen as rather impulsive, controlled by their emotions.
Driven
Energetic
Passionate
Hard to nail down
Incredibly easy going
Values friendships above anything
Reckless
Insincere
Selfish
Sensitive
A sagittarius thrives in most areas of work, but excel being a teacher, artist or any occupation that's
hands on.

Capricorn: Goose (Dec 22 - Jan 19)


A capricorn is very much the loner. The goose has no problem being with a group of people, or off in their
own world.
Loner
Incredibly ambitious
Hardworking
Driven, this sign is not driven by those around them
Sets their own ideals
Sways from both worlds effortlessly
Passionate
Funny
Generous of time and talent
Careful
A Goose is a very unique creature.

Did you find your spirit animal? Does it accurately describe you?
Medieval times

By Javon Ferguson

The Medieval Times started in 476 A.D. The population of Europe increased significantly during the twelfth
and thirteenth centuries, and cities and towns expanded quickly.

The population of Paris grew about tenfold and London grew nearly the same. In the cities people had all
different kinds of jobs such as merchants, salesmen, carpenters, butchers, weavers, food sellers, architects,
painters, and jugglers. In the countryside jobs were very limited. Many peasants were free men and women
whom owned their own land.

There were widespread witch hunts as people were very paranoid about witches. In the Medieval days, they
traded very differently than we do now. Merchants and traders had to travel very long distances to sell and
trade their goods, usually traveling on horse carriages with their goods attached.

The law in Medieval England was very harsh. Even the smallest crime would result in a cruel punishment.
One had three ordeals to go through to prove innocence. The first was the Ordeal of Fire. A person convict-
ed of a crime would have to hold a red hot iron bar and walk three paces. They were bandaged and if the
burns were a little healed in the span of three days, they were deemed innocent, whereas if the burns didn't
get better, they were presumed guilty. The Ordeal of Water was if one was thrown in the water and they
would float, they were innocent. If they did not, they were guilty. Finally, the Ordeal of Combat was only
given to noble men who were accused. They would have to fight their accuser. Whoever was right would
win and the loser, who generally died, was presumed to be wrong.

But, things began to change in 1215 when the Pope decided that the ordeals would not work and replaced
them with trials and juries. In the twelfth and thirteenth century one didn't actually need a church to get
married, but would normally stand in front of a church yard. Although the church wasnt required, the priest
was required to perform the wedding.

Executions were normally done public in front of citizens and the executioner would have a very long axe or
a long sword. They would put the accused persons head on a stone and behead them. Another way to exe-
cute is using a guillotine.
Test anxiety
By Andrew Caldwell telligent the students are.

As you wind down from taking all Then tension grew because some
those tests, do you ever think that states were getting consequences
these tests are worthless or they are for other low-performing schools so
nerve racking? Everyone has had Obama gave them waivers so they
that time where you bite your nails, were exempted from the others on
stress builds up, or you have sleep- three conditions. First, they had pay
less nights. Lets go deeper into the attention to getting more resources
issue. on the five percent of low-
performing schools. Second, higher
Many critics say that these tests standards had to be given to the
build up too much pressure on the students because this also was their
kids or that they tend to make the fault as well since their education is
student worry that they need to on their hands. And lastly, schools
learn specifically whats going to be had to begin evaluating teachers
on the tests. This just takes the fun using the students test scores.
out of school for the students and
teachers. Some parents are even But educators were still in a lose
thinking about opting out of test situation. Some of the tests werent
taking for their children. Even celeb- met by the standards that were en-
rities are joining the cause, like Matt forced. As a result, teachers and
Damon, John Legend, and Eva Lon- schools would be given red flags and
goria. consequences when students dont
meet the expectations.
President George Bush signed the
No Child Left Behind Act into an ac- The average student in the U.S. will
tual law in 2002. This law required take 112 standardized tests from pre
states to test students in math and -K to high school graduation, which
reading every year from third to sums up at least eight exams per
eighth grade and once through the year and some may be repetitive for
last three years of high school, but over 20 hours. Many parents say no
this broke groups like English- to testing and its becoming more
language learners from students popular because 20 percent of stu-
with disabilities. Mainly, educators dents eligible to take the test opt
focused on three scores on these out like students in Colorado, New
tests, language arts, literacy, and Jersey, Mexico, Oregon, and Wash-
math. ington. This opting out is now begin-
ning to increase in Florida, Indiana,
Another idea came, called The Com- and Texas. In many opinions against
mon Core, which was to create a these tests, many say that the test
certain set of standards of intellect results have no value against any
that would prepare students for col- students education.
lege and their adulthood. This con-
cept soon became political when As a whole student community,
Obama signed the American Recov- what do you think about standard-
ery and Reinvestment Act to boost ized testing? Is it just an IQ test to
the economy by investing in im- label you or is it actually helping stu-
portant locations. This act would dents do better throughout their
provide more than $4 billion for education?
states to accept standards like facili-
tating schools and evaluating teach-
ers and principals based on how in-
13
Poetic geniuses
By Precious Brown

Hey, square on the wall, how did you get there?


Hey, square on the wall, have no fear.
Hey, square on the wall, youre different inside, but not out
Hey, square on the wall, there are four triangles that are different colors.
Hey, square on the wall, youre very tall.
Hey, square on the wall, I guess youre very unique.
Hey, square on the wall, youre different from them all,
Even though youre not the only SQUARE ON THE WALL!

By Noelle Freeman

Walls-
The walls have ears,
They hear all the secrets we tell...
And keep to themselves.
They share their stories with one another,
The paint keeps them hidden like a cover-
But still I cant stop watching these
Walls.

By Savannah Harraway

It is clear and bright,


An escape for ones might,
Seeing others from the other side,
Envy crosses my mind,
Stuck within a prison to learn,
Sometimes its good to be stuck.

By Javon Ferguson

Computer, computer, oh computer,


Computer, computer, I like my scooters,
Scooters, Scooters, oh, someone muter her,
Mute her, muter her, oh I need a tutor.

By Mahogany Bankston

Blue spine
White letters
Green strip
Animals everywhere
P.S.
WORLD BOOK
Giraffe life
By Erick Dominguez 12 inches of hoofs. Giraffes can kick in any direction
in any manner of ways. Their kicks are so strong that
Many see giraffes and go, Hey, they have long necks they can not only kill a lion, but also decapitate
and they look like plain animals, but I'm here to tell them.
you all the things they do.
Giraffes haven't had luxurious lives. In the early
The giraffe is the tallest mammal. It uses its height 2,500 B.C. Egyptian rulers would capture giraffes and
and highly developed sight of vision to see any pred- would parade them in front of their subjects. They
ators in the distance and it also uses its skin as cam- would also give them away as gifts. One of the most
ouflage to hide from predators. You may not know famous to receive one was Julius Caesar, who would
this, but giraffes have horns, not like other animals name them cameleopard, because he thought they
where you can see them though. Their horns are resembled a cross between the two animals. He
hidden through their fur and are not as strong as would parade them all throughout Rome for many to
other animal horns. They usually have three, but admire. Sadly, he would also put them in a circus
some have five. arena to make them fend against a lion so he could
show off the strength of lions.
Many would think the giraffe may not be able to
defend itself against predators, but one would be Though they have had a rough journey through their
surprised to know that not many animals attack gi- history, they still strive to live in this world against
raffes. Even lions don't usually attack them unless many predators. They have evolved to defend them-
they are desperate. The reason for that is because selves from many different species and still survive to
giraffes have powerful and heavy legs that end with this day.

Syrian airstrikes
By Savannah Harraway

The Syrian airstrikes struck headlines this month and shaped the opinions of many.

After the malicious chemical attacks in Syria that killed 70 people, mainly children, America respond-
ed in a big way. Donald Trump ordered a retaliation, launching 59 tomahawk missiles into a Syrian
airstrip. Though the responsibility for the chemical attacks was placed on the Syrian government,
the Syrian government denied the use of any chemical weapons. The retaliation took place at 3:40
a.m., on April 7, 2017.

Since this retaliation, it has sparked outrage within Syrian alignments, Russia and North Korea. Rus-
sian president, Vladimir Putin, responded to the airstrikes, calling it: an aggression against a sover-
eign state in violation of international law. North Korea took this as an act of war and has shown
failed nuclear tests. North Korea has also detained their third U.S. citizen on April 23.

On April 17, Mike Pence and South Korean prime minister, Hwang Kyo-ahn, discussed North Koreas
tests during a press conference. Donald Trump warned the North Korean leader not to test U.S.
military power.

The United States also lead an airstrike in Afghanistan. They dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb,
weighing 21,600 pounds. The bomb detonated at 7:32 p.m., killing 36 ISIS militants in the process.
The Afghan ministry called it: Mother of All Bombs (MOAB).

President Obama warned Trump of how big of a threat North Korea is to the United States, will Don-
ald Trump come out of this tension unscathed?

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