US Secretary of State Blinken & UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, will travel to Kyiv to inform Ukraine that restrictions on use of long-range missiles against Russian territory will be lifted.

Initially, this will mean that American-supplied ATACMS (Advanced Tactical Missile System) along with British-supplied “StormShadow” missiles, and French-supplied “SCALP” missiles, can now be used to attack deep inside pre-war Russia.

HAL TURNER ANALYSIS

How much longer can any reasonable person expect Russia, to sit back and allow itself to be attacked with American, British, French, and German weaponry, fired by Ukraine?

In the real world, if persons “A” and “b”  give a weapon to person “C,” and person “C” goes out and uses that weapon to commit an act of violence . . .  and gets arrested . . . . they then ask Person “C” “Where did you get this weapon?”  When person “C” tells them, the very NEXT people to get arrested are persons “A” and “B.”

There __is__ liability and culpability for what the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and NATO member countries, are doing.  They are accessories before the fact.

If it weren’t for the fact that the US and NATO breached the promise made by President George H.W. Bush (the father) . . .  who promised Mikhail Gorbachev that “NATO will not move one inch eastward” if the then-Soviet Union approved of the reunification of East and West Germany, none of this trouble would be happening.

WE PROMISED the Soviets we would not expand NATO.  Bill Clinton got into the US Presidency, and the Presidential promise to the Soviets went out the window.

We not only expanded NATO more than one inch eastward, we expanded it right up to Russia’s BORDER!

When the US/EU and NATO tried to get Ukraine to join NATO, back in 2013 and 2014, Ukraine’s Democratically-elected President, Viktor Yanukovich said “Thanks, but no thanks.”   So the US — under Barack Obama — the EU, and NATO fomented, financed, and facilitated the forcible, violent overthrow of Yanukovich.

It was THEN . . . . right then . . . . that Russia realized the expansion of NATO was going to put American missiles on Ukrainian soil – and do it by overthrowing Ukraine’s President! ! ! !.  Those missiles would have a five minute flight time to Moscow.

Russia also pointed out that even if, as the Americans claimed, the missiles were “conventional” and “defensive”  that they could also be re-fitted with OFFENSIVE and NUCLEAR warheads.  The refit could be done while the missiles were in their launcher, and no one would know the missiles had been swapped-out.

Russia could then find itself on the wrong end of nuclear bombs with a five minute flight time to Moscow, and a slightly longer 7-10 minute flight time to Russia’s strategic nuclear missile silos.

Russia pointed out that no nation on earth can defend itself against a missile with a five minute flight time from launch to impact.

Russia pointed out that it was US President John F. Kennedy, who set the precedent for this, when he imposed a naval blockade of Cuba because the then-Soviets, had place nuclear missiles in Cuba with a five minute flight time to Washington DC. (Cuban Missile Crisis.)

Had the Soviets not agreed to remove those missiles, President Kennedy was already massing troops in Florida to invade Cuba.

Russia tried, at least TWICE, to negotiate “iron-clad, legally enforceable security guarantees” via Diplomatic efforts in December 2021 and January 2022 to protect their national security from NATO expansion and more missiles.  The collective West laughed and told Russia “No.”  So the second attempt, Russia told everyone “If we cannot obtain iron-clad, legally enforceable security guarantees via Diplomatic means, we will obtain them by military or military-technical means.”   They told everyone — in writing — they would use military force.

The collective West waited about two weeks and then laughed at the Russians again, and told them “no.”

Russia made clear this issue is a “Red Line” and they would not allow Ukraine to Join NATO.

In its final effort to keep the peace, Russia called Ukraine and told them “You have five hours to agree not to join NATO.”  Ukraine called the US and UK, both of whom told them “ignore the Russian ultimatum.”

Russia waited.  When the five hours were up, Russia waited two additional hours and, having heard nothing but Ukraine earlier say “We are a Sovereign country, we will do what we want, Russia said “Oh yea?  Here. Meet the Russian Army.

In went the Russian troops.

The West then turns around and screeches like girl-men “This is an unprovoked aggression by Russia.”  No it isn’t.  It was provoked.  Provoked by the expansion of NATO. Provoked by the forcible overthrow of Ukraine’s President Yanukovich.  Provoked by the Ukraine Army shelling and mortaring Russian-speaking civilians in Luhansk and Donetsk.

Russia is DEFENDING its own national security by forcibly halting this expansion of NATO; done by the forcible overthrow of Ukraine’s government by the US and EU.  Russia is defending itself from American missiles being on Ukrainian soil.

Russia is defending the Russian-speaking populations of Luhansk, Donetsk Kherson, and Zaporozyhe – many of whom were already being attacked by Ukraine artillery and mortars.   In fact, Luhansk and Donetsk, had already lost about 13,000 people to Ukrainian attacks, before Russia stepped-in to help them fight off the Ukrainians in 2013 and 2014.

Russia is right in what it’s doing.

If Russia gives-in, NATO will simply continue to expand until all of Russia is surrounded.  Then, one day, NATO calls and says something like, you have five minutes to surrender or we will wipe your country from the face of the earth and take all its riches.  At that point, it would be too late for Russia.

Russia had to take a stand, now.  They had no choice.

We in the West are the aggressors here.  It is we in the West who moved our NATO bases right up to Russia’s border.  It is we in the West aiming more and more missiles at Russia from all those bases.  And it is we in the West who have been using Ukraine, as a Proxy army, to attack Russia for OUR (NATO) benefit.

If Russia decides they have had enough of us, it is WE (here in America) that may be hit by their missiles.   All because NATO wants to expand.

I say, No thanks, NATO.  You don’t need to expand anymore.

…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British foreign Secretary David Lammy arrived in Kiev for meetings with Ukrainian officials at a critical juncture in Ukraine’s war with Russia.

Based on reports out yesterday, both men will tell Kiev they may now utilize weapons supplied by the US and UK to attack pre-war, interior Russia.

That claim was further confirmed by U.S. House of Representatives, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, who has now publicly said said “I talked to Blinken two days ago, and he is traveling with his counterpart from the UK, to Kiev, to basically tell them that they will allow them [to hit Russia with ATACMS.]”

Russia has ardently warned over the past ten days, that if the West allows Ukraine to begin attacking deep inside Russia with Western-supplied weapons, “it will affect both sides of the Atlantic.”

Chrysta Bell performs ‘Sycamore Trees’ from David Lynch’s Twin Peaks

Virulent: Journey to Okron

Submitted into Contest #247 in response to: Set your story on a spaceship exploring the far reaches of space when something goes wrong.… view prompt

Ellie Northrop

This story contains themes or mentions of physical violence, gore, or abuse.

Journal Entry 7: September 21st, 2132It has taken two years, but my team finally reached the dwarf planet Okron. Just as the Company had described: the air was breathable, water drinkable, and the land appeared habitable. Now, it is up to my team to create a colony to prepare for future generations.We landed our ship, the Virulent, in a large valley surrounded by mountain ridges. The valley provides plenty of protection from unknown predators lurking about. Also, it supplies acres of land perfect for agriculture. There isn’t any water issue, as we are within walking distance of a large lake formed by a waterfall.This place is a dream come true. Humanity might be able to thrive on Okron.Earth is on the verge of dying. The air is becoming difficult to breathe, our water is drying out, and the plants are dying. If we can make a home out of Okron, humanity is no longer at risk of dying.Journal Entry 8: September 30th, 2132The first week has been productive as my team worked to create small housing structures. With the help of several construction droids, we made small huts to live in. We do not have proper plumbing, but it is all about taking baby steps.On the third day, we successfully planted crops. It took hours to dig up the dirt and remove any rocks. Unlike the ground on Earth, Okron’s soil is red and stains the skin. Thankfully, the team was able to plant the seeds before sunset.We were concerned that the seeds wouldn’t be compatible with the alien soil, but imagine our amazement when we saw sprouts already peaking out of the ground the next day!Our agricultural technician examined the soil and was amazed that its properties are nothing like those of Earth’s soil. While it takes weeks for plants to grow naturally on Earth, our technician discovered that it could take days to grow plants on Okron. This discovery means we don’t have to worry about preparing food ahead of time.Carrots, tomatoes, potatoes!We will have enough to splurge without worrying about rationing. We hope this will continue year-round.Journal Entry 9: October 1st, 2132 

I was woken up by a loud guttural howl, almost resembling a wolf. The sound was so petrifying that it roused me instantly. The howl is a thing of nightmares, chilling me down to the bone.

When I peered out of the window of my hut, I heard another howl. It was a few kilometers away, closer than the first one.

Since arriving in Okron, the team has encountered a few mammals. The mammals resembled rabbits, squirrels, and medium-sized deer. Whatever is making that howling noise has to be the apex predator that hunts those animals.

Hopefully, it’ll stay away.

 

 

Journal Entry 10: October 2nd, 2132

 

Our agricultural engineer, Manuel Escobar, has gone missing. Every morning, he goes out early to check on the crops. Usually, he returns by noon, but he didn’t. We set out a search party when it reached four o’clock but were unsuccessful. By the time the sun went down, we had no choice but to surrender for the night and try again tomorrow.

As I write this, I hear the same howling from the night before. The howls are coming from the mountain ridges that surround us. If Manuel is somewhere out there, he might not have a chance.

 

 

Journal Entry 11: October 3rd, 2132

 

We found Manuel.

The man’s body was placed right outside the complex. Manuel’s body had been torn limb from limb and put in a pile with the man’s head on top. A permanent look of fear was on the man’s face.

Our resident doctor, Eliza Randall, told us that Manuel was still alive when the dismembering took place. Also, animals were the ones to do the deed.

Val Lewis, our xeno-biologist, observed the injuries and surmised that the animal had three-inch claws with five-inch fangs. Whatever predator killed Manuel was able to cut through his flesh like butter. The worst part was Val and Eliza saw that Manuel’s heart had been ripped out while he was still alive.

Dex Reginald, our security specialist, put us all on lockdown. No one could go outside without another team member. Everyone has to be armed.

My command was no longer worth anything as Dex took charge.

 

 

Journal Entry 14: October 5th, 2132

 

The animals killed Dex last night.

The scariest part was that security sensors and motion-detected weapons surrounded him in his hut. Somehow, the animals snuck onto the compound and killed Dex. The former marine was slaughtered just like Manuel.

Dex was torn into pieces and left on his bed.

I was the one to find him. I don’t know how I didn’t vomit.

 

 

Journal Entry 15: October 8th, 2132

 

After reviewing the security footage, we were horrified by what we discovered. These animals aren’t animals. They’re some kind of organized clan of anthropomorphic creatures. They are covered in coarse fur and resemble werewolves but with prehensile tails.

Val is enthralled by the aspect of these animals that we deem Okronites, the indigenous people of Okron. The woman believes if we show that we mean no harm, we can develop a truce with the Okronites. Maybe start the first interspecies relationship with another alien species.

I didn’t want to risk our lives, but it was the only idea we had. So, the next day, we attempted to make contact.

We’ve tried communicating with the Okronites, but they can only speak in growls and chuffs, much like dogs. Val used her brief knowledge to try to show that there was no danger, but it failed.

The Okronites see us as trespassers and want us gone.

 

 

Journal Entry 17: October 11th, 2132

 

Our exploration team of ten has gone down to three. It’s just me, Val, and Eliza. We had to hole ourselves in the Virulent as the Okronites destroyed our makeshift home. Initially, we planned to fly out of here but discovered that the Okronites managed to ruin our fuel cells.

We’re dead in the water on this hostile planet.

Thankfully, we were able to send out a distress signal. Hopefully, we’ll be able to survive out here long enough to help to arrive.

We can hear the Okronites outside. The hostile natives make frighteningly human growling noises and calls. Sometimes, they mimic the voices of our friends. They are trying to trick us into coming outside.

Val keeps trying to convince us to try and find a way to make peace with the creature. She believes they are worth studying and wants to know more about them. (Eliza and I harshly decided to use extreme measures if Val tries to risk our lives.)

 

 

Journal Entry 18, October 12th, 2132

 

Val and Eliza are gone. I wasn’t there to witness the attack, but I saw on the security feed that Val had opened the doors for them. She attempted to talk to them but was killed instantly.

I holed myself up in the commanding deck. I have suffered a nasty bite on my thigh, and I’m bleeding badly. It won’t be long before I die of blood loss.

Those things are outside, trying to claw their way in. I am not letting them get to me. I am setting the ship to self-destruct.

This is Captain Edna Warren, and this is my last entry.

There are many strange phenomena but they are often denied or explained in some way after a while, what happened on December 11, 2002 in Surrey, England, however, escapes all rationality after more than 20 years

That day the police had their switchboards jammed with dozens of people who said they had witnessed, either seeing or hearing, a terrible accident on the A3, just ten meters from the Burpham, Guildford junction.

The officers who intervened found no recent signs of accidents until they came to explore the sides of the road.

About twenty meters away from the point where the evidence of an accident had been heard and seen, an old crimson Vauxhall Astra was found fallen into a deep ditch nose first and practically invisible from the road.

The vehicle was visibly damaged, peeling and rusty, inside the car was the now decomposed and unrecognizable corpse of a 21-year-old boy named Christopher Brian Chandler, wanted for robbery since July 16 of that year and dead at that point for five months.

It is still unclear how it was possible that the motorists that day witnessed and reported an accident that had happened months before and had gone unnoticed until that moment.

Today’s MM AI efforts

Men and making coffee. One of my favorite themes.

Because Bacchus is in the dialog, we get some occasional strange images…

Some are really off-the-wall.

When I added a window to the mix, the results were under-whelming.

Like I said, strange at times…

And that Bacchus always with the cavorting and kissing.

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken strips
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced (about 1 cup )
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (such as Frank’s)
• 1/4 cup blue cheese dressing

Instructions

1. Cook the rice in the water as directed on the package.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Cook the chicken and celery in the oil for about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Remove from the heat.
5. Add the stewed tomatoes and the wing sauce to the chicken.
6. Spray an 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
7. Spoon the rice into the dish to cover the bottom.
8. Place the chicken mixture on top. Do not stir.
9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
10. Drizzle the dressing over the top of the cooked casserole.

What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

Once upon a time, my parents hired a company to redo their kitchen. They were basically supposed to change the marble countertops.

The company was formed by husband, wife and three employees.

They set up the countertops and soon realized a minor part of the marble did not fit exactly. They had to take the small bit that didn’t fit back to their headquarters to redo the work.

At that point, my parents had already paid 90% of the price.

One week later they came back without prior notice and gained access to their apartment through the maid, who opened the door to let them finish the job.

My parents were out on an errand.

After the contractors finished their job, the owner called my father on his mobile and told him the job was completed.

Since there had been problems with the execution before, my father told the man that he would come back home in about an hour, check the quality of the final touches and promptly pay the remaining 10% of the price.

The man went ape and told my father that payment was due on the spot.

My parents interrupted what they were doing and hurried back home.

But at this point the contractor was already mad at them and took out every single bit of marble he had put in place and put it all in his van. Never mind the fact that, as I said, 90% was already paid for.

Upon arriving home, my father noticed that all the stuff he paid for was in the van and being taken away.

He is a man of action, and promptly put himself in front of the van to impede its exit.

The contractor did not back down and just ran over my father, who was 65 at the time.

His bruises were not grave, but he filed criminal suit against the man.

The problem is that he hired a company, so he didn’t know the contractor’s name. And to file suit against someone, you must indicate his name, of course.

The police weren’t very eager to determine the identity of the perpetrator. And that’s when my parents called me.

I dived into the matter and found out not only his name and address, but several lawsuits against this guy and his wife. They took several loans and had not repaid them, they sold real estate and did not deliver, they crossed many people in business deals. In short, they owed a lot of people and banks in consequence of morally doubtful behaviour.

And they had empty apartments in Copacabana, a very prized area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

I gave the Police the name of the guy and, on the side, purchased some of the credits against them owned by financial institutions.

I represented my parents in the criminal lawsuit against these people and got them sentenced to jail (the husband) and reparation (the wife).

But I also pursued the exaction of the debts I bought and, six years later, I got one of their apartments as repayment of one of the debts.

Now I am still waiting for judicial decision on the second apartment. It seems I will also take this one.

The best part is that I paid only 25 thousand reais to buy the credit and the apartments are worth, together, a little under 1 million reais.

This guy should not have run over my dear father… I bet this is one decision he regrets every day.

What’s the dumbest thing you’ve heard a defendant say in the courtroom?

I had a client about 25 years ago who was charged with Attempt Murder. He was a short, middle aged Italian man who had a tall, much younger Irish girlfriend. They got into an argument, and she called him a little dick daego. He pulled out a pocketknife. They struggled, and he tore off all her clothes. Then he got behind her and held the knife to her throat. She was still struggling when he inadvertently cut her resulting in a very small cut. She broke away, ran out of the apartment naked and onto the street screaming. He chased her with the pocketknife still in his hand. There was a police car right there and the cops pounced on him.

I was hired as his attorney. He made bail. He came to my office every week. I advised him not to testify. He stubbornly said he wanted to tell his side of the story. So, I began preparing him to testify and be crossed examined. He said he was prepared, but I was skeptical. I kept on trying to dissuade him from testifying. He didn’t listen. So, I had him sign a waiver stating that he insisted on testifying although I advised him not to.

He did testify at trial and was doing well. Then he was cross examined by the prosecutor. During cross, the prosecutor asked him how mad he was. My client said, “I was so mad I could have killed her.” He said this while on trial for Attempt Murder, the idiot. Many people make this statement out of frustration. However, I’ve never heard anyone else state it while on trial for Attempt Murder. It was a bench, non-jury, trial. The judge found him guilty of Attempt Murder. As the judge explained his verdict,* he said he would have found him guilty of Aggravated Battery, a lesser charge, except for the statement he made. That statement convinced the judge he had the intent to kill his girlfriend.**

My client was taken into custody and 30 days later he was sentenced to six years in prison. He was offered 3 years probation during plea bargaining if he plead guilty to Aggravated Battery. He insisted on telling his story. Well, he told his story, and he fucked himself.*** All because he just had to tell his side of the story when I advised him not to.

*The law in Illinois requires the judge to explain his verdict in a bench trial. Juries don’t have to explain their verdict.

** Intent is an essential element to prove in a Murder case, or Attempt Murder case.

*** What lesson is there in this story? The lesson is listen to your lawyer’s advice.

What was the most impressive demonstration of skill or genius you have seen in the military?

When I was a young man serving on a cruiser in the Navy I was up on the main deck one fine sunny morning, just to get some fresh air and sunshine (I worked in the engine room). There was a gang of BMs (Bosun’s Mates) doing maintenance near me – scraping, painting, polishing brass, etc. Understand that nukes didn’t have much respect for the BM rate. If you get low scores on your ASVAB and can’t handle advanced technical rates you get dropped into the BM rate. Painting, scraping, and polishing are what you’re gonna do for at least 2 years. Nukes – we spent 2 years getting advanced training to get where we were – operating nuclear reactors at sea.

So this day, I’m just having a smoke on deck, yakking it up with a buddy while these BMs are being given their assignments by the their 1st Class PO. I wasn’t really paying attention but I guess one of those tasks required buckets of water. Out of the corner of my eye I notice a bucket tossed over the side. I turn my head and see that the bucket has a rope tied to the bail. The other end of that rope is … tied to the wrist of a young seaman!

The ship was steaming along at a decent bell – probably 2/3s at least. Lots of frothy water at the waterline. I probably don’t need to tell you how stupid this idea was – to gather water like this. Even if the ship was anchored it wasn’t a good idea. Well, that BM1 saw the bucket too. To this day I’ve never seen anyone react as fast as that BM1. In the blink of an eye, he yanked the knife from his belt sheath, whipped it open, and cut that rope in a single swipe before the bucket hit the water. That knife had to be razor sharp. I’m guessing he honed that blade every night.

That man saved that young idiot’s arm and possibly his life.

There was another idiot on deck that morning. It was me. I never again looked down at another rate nor on any other job. Every job has value, especially when you strive to excel at whatever it is that you do.

Do people go back to ”start all over again” in their later life? What could be the cause? What should be the society’s attitude to these people?

I’ve seen people do this.

My uncle when he was 30, he had a fairly comfortable living in the UK. He one day said I don’t love you to his then wife, he gave her everything took a flight out to Hong Kong and started again. He got a middling job and did ok. I see him sometimes, he lost an enormous amount of money but he said it wasn’t worth being miserable all the time.

My dad thinks he’s crazy, my dad thinks money is important…

The other person is me. I was in my 30s. I was >< from settling in the UK and putting roots down. But around 2014 a racist comment made to me made me stop and wait. Brexit then happened which would ruin my business. I was attacked twice shortly after the vote and went home and sold everything I had and left the UK a few months later. I realised that I would have to find something else to do anyway and the up tick in racism simply made me stop and think. Do I want my kids to experience the bad things I experienced? Nope.

Starting all over was boring and empty. For months and months I had enough money to live in comfort and I didn’t even leave the local town for months. I eventually got a small job paying above average salary and also lucked out and bought a construction company.

Everybody said I was crazy in 2016. As being british was apparently winning the lottery, the UK declined in the time I was away and my decision appears increasingly vindicated.

Wife Thought Ex Would Be Miserable In Divorce, Now FURIOUS He’s Dating A Much Younger Woman!

How do you differentiate genuine criticism of China from anti-China propaganda?

This is incredibly easy. The people who criticise you just have to ask them one question:

How do you know?

This question is apparently far too difficult for many westerners to answer. But I can summarise them into several broad categories:

• They have personal experience
• They know vicariously from a second or third hand source.
• They know somebody who is from China.
• They’re outright racists.

They have personal experience

This is variable, in that a holiday isn’t a representative experience, working there for maybe a year or two might be representative if you don’t live in a bubble. I mean shit Hong Kong has a foreigner bubble.

You go to North Point or the Mid levels and it’s all white people. The funny thing is apparently us living in China know FAR less about China than those living outside, funny that isn’t it?

The other aspect of this is oh I lived in China X years ago. There are people like Arni Highfield who talks about 1980s Hong Kong as if it is relevant to today (he literally lived in a bubble so sees things very differently). This of course is not limited to non Chinese.

Consider Fei Fei Wang, she’s an American, she lived in Beijing until she was at least 20. She left China 20 years ago.

She owned a car in 1990s Beijing, which already propels her to the upper upper class and not an ordinary person. China also changes really fast I mean really fast. My friend who spent time out of China due to covid came back to Guangzhou and noticed numerous buildings that weren’t there when he left.

So not all experience is equal.

What are the most interesting facts about human behavior?

1. 70% of people like old songs because of the memories attached to them.
2. When a person dies, they have 7 minutes of brain activity left, it’s the mind playing back the person’s memories in a dream sequence.
3. Psychology says that playing video games makes you more creative.
4. Most people type faster when there’s someone they like.
5. You appear more attractive to a person when you make them laugh or smile.
6. 80% of women choose silence to express pain. You should know she is truly hurt when she chooses to ignore you.
7. People with sarcastic personalities are more honest with their friends.
8. Overthinking is a special form of fear. It gets even more dangerous when anticipation, memory, emotion and imagination are added together.
9. The average woman smiles 60 times a day. An average man smiles only 10 times a day.
10. When people refuse to tell you what’s wrong, you tend to think that it’s probably your fault.
11. Intelligent men and women are more easily annoyed by people in general.
12. Women and men experience the same kind of emotions but women are more honest with them.
13. Life becomes more meaningful when you understand the fact that you will not get the same moment twice in your life.
14. What we wear tends to affect how we behave.
15. Introverts tend to have more thinking capabilities than extroverts.
16. Eat bananas, because bananas contain a special chemical which can make a person happy.
17. Pretending not to care is the habit of those who care the most.
18. Pretending not to care is the habit of those who care the most.
19. When you become really close to someone, you can hear their voices in your head when you read their text.
20. Being sarcastic can add upto 3 years in your life.
21. Appreciating someone can boost their confidence and motivate them to do better things in life.
22. Following the above point if you appreciate this answer, it will boost my confiden

Women Retain The DNA Of Every Man They Have Sex With by Tana Amen BSN RN & Dr. Daniel Amen

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