Thursday, January 19, 2012

Mount Rainier snowshoer burned money for warmth

In a photo provided by Mount Rainier National Park, Yong Chun Kim, 66, of Tacoma, smiles after he was rescued Monday, Jan. 16, 2012 on Mount Rainier after being missing since Saturday. He was reported missing on Saturday after he fell down a slope and became separated from a group he was leading in the Paradise area, a popular high-elevation destination on the mountain's southwest flank, about a 100-mile drive south from Seattle. A rescue team reached Yong Chun Kim on Monday afternoon but it took nine hours to bring him from the rugged terrain covered in deep snow to a road, spokeswoman Lee Taylor said late Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Mount Rainier National Park)

In a photo provided by Mount Rainier National Park, Yong Chun Kim, 66, of Tacoma, smiles after he was rescued Monday, Jan. 16, 2012 on Mount Rainier after being missing since Saturday. He was reported missing on Saturday after he fell down a slope and became separated from a group he was leading in the Paradise area, a popular high-elevation destination on the mountain's southwest flank, about a 100-mile drive south from Seattle. A rescue team reached Yong Chun Kim on Monday afternoon but it took nine hours to bring him from the rugged terrain covered in deep snow to a road, spokeswoman Lee Taylor said late Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Mount Rainier National Park)

(AP) ? A snowshoer who was lost in a blizzard for two days on Washington state's Mount Rainier said he stayed alive by digging out a snow tunnel and burning the dollar bills for warmth.

Yong Chun Kim, 66, of Tacoma, said he carried a lighter and other emergency supplies and burned personal items: extra socks, Band-Aid, toothbrush, packaging, and lastly $1 and $5 bills from his wallet.

Kim, who served in the South Korean military in the Vietnam War, told KOMO-TV in Seattle that skills he learned as a soldier helped him survive. He said he wasn't scared. He kept waiting for the sounds of the helicopter ? though severe weather conditions prevented park officials from using one to search for Kim.

"I'm a lucky man, a really lucky man," he said in an interview Tuesday afternoon from his home.

With temperatures in the teens and winds whipping on the mountain, Kim said he kept walking and moving to stay warm. He took cover in several tree wells ? depressions in snow that forms around a tree ? and slept standing for 5 to 10 minutes at a time.

He initially made a shelter near a big rock and tried to stay warm. He tried to keep walking, but at times "the snow was so deep, I couldn't breathe."

Kim dreamed of his wife and a nice hot sauna. He talked to himself. He took pictures. He prayed to God. He worried his family and friends would worry about him. He made a fire, drank hot water and ate rice, some Korean food and a chocolate bar.

And even as he burned his personal items to say warm, the last $6 going up in flames Sunday night, he said: "I worried because it's a national park. You're not supposed to have a fire. ... I'm worried about that but I want to (stay) alive."

Money made for the best fire, he said, laughing. Nylon socks and packaging, not so great.

"He could have died," said Kim's stepson, Malcolm An. "He was walking around, struggling to find a place, literally not knowing where to go."

Kim, a U.S. citizen for 30 years, was leading 16 members of a hiking and climbing club from Tacoma on Saturday ? a trip he takes nearly every week ? when he slid down a slope and became separated. He radioed his group twice to tell them he was OK and would meet them farther down the trail, but became disoriented and went the wrong way.

His hiking partners last heard from him on the radio at 2:30 Saturday. When he didn't show up at the parking lot, park officials launched a search. Kim said Tuesday he lost his walkie-talkie as well as his glove and ski pole when he tumbled a second time.

Dozens of park rangers, rescue dogs, volunteers and searchers from several rescue organizations scoured snowy mountain terrain for three days searching for Kim.

"The rangers are nice. The volunteers from all over are nice," said Kim, who retired six years ago after running his own telecommunications company. He said he was so thankful for the rangers and volunteers who helped look for him.

"He's so lucky. It's a blessing and a miracle. That team was amazing," An said. "They had a plan, they were ready to go."

Kim was about a mile from where he was last seen when he was found Monday by a ranger and two Crystal Mount Ski Patrol members.

Kim was in such good shape that when he was found, he did not have to go to a hospital and instead went home with his family.

After rescuers reached Kim it took nine hours to bring him from the rugged terrain covered in deep snow to the Paradise visitors' center, a popular destination at 5,400-feet elevation on the mountain's southwest flank, about a 100-mile drive south from Seattle.

"He was determined," An said. "He kept saying, he is not going to die unless God thinks he should. All he did was try to survive."

Kim said he goes to the mountains for the fresh air and because it's good medicine for recovering from cancer. "When I get out there, it's a nice view. Everytime, same location, different feeling though."

His experience won't stop him from heading to Mount Rainier again. "Oh yeah, of course, every Saturday." But he added: "If it's a bad day, don't hike again."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-17-Missing%20Snowshoer/id-eaf23b635e7b4504bd2bc961855de8bb

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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Gingrich defends remarks on the poor, food stamps

Republican presidential candidates, from left to right: Texas Gov. Rick Perry; former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum; former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; arrive on stage at the start of the South Carolina Republican presidential candidate debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidates, from left to right: Texas Gov. Rick Perry; former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum; former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; arrive on stage at the start of the South Carolina Republican presidential candidate debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

(AP) ? Newt Gingrich is refusing to back down from comments he made about the poor.

In a debate Monday night in South Carolina, Gingrich was asked whether his previous remarks about food stamps and allowing children to work janitor jobs to instill a work ethic were "insulting," particularly to African Americans.

Gingrich replied that "only the elites despise earning money." The former House speaker said he won't stop raising the issues simply because liberals become uncomfortable.

Gingrich said he believes "every American of every background has been endowed by their creator with the right to pursue happiness."

And he said that he will "continue to find ways to help poor people "learn how to get a job, learn how to get a better job and learn someday to own the job."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-16-GOP%20Debate-Gingrich-Food%20Stamps/id-0422e96b1ced45d39b2eee78e6002550

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Tanker moored off Nome, gearing up fuel delivery

This image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows the Coast Guard Ice Breaker Healy breaking ice near the city of Nome Alaska Jan. 14, 2012. The Healy is breaking ice near Nome to assist the Russian tanker Renda move into final position for offloading nearly 1.3 million gallons of petroleum products to the city. Russian tanker carrying much-needed fuel to Nome moored less than a half mile from the town's iced-in harbor Saturday evening, Jan. 14, 2012starting final preparations for delivering the diesel fuel and gasoline, the Coast Guard said. (AP Photo/US Coast Guard, Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow)

This image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows the Coast Guard Ice Breaker Healy breaking ice near the city of Nome Alaska Jan. 14, 2012. The Healy is breaking ice near Nome to assist the Russian tanker Renda move into final position for offloading nearly 1.3 million gallons of petroleum products to the city. Russian tanker carrying much-needed fuel to Nome moored less than a half mile from the town's iced-in harbor Saturday evening, Jan. 14, 2012starting final preparations for delivering the diesel fuel and gasoline, the Coast Guard said. (AP Photo/US Coast Guard, Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow)

RECROPPED VERSION OF NY115 - In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard the Coast Guard Ice Breaker Healy guides the Russian tanker Renda closer to the fuel transfer mooring point Saturday Jan. 14, 2012. Russian tanker carrying much-needed fuel to Nome moored less than a half mile from the town's iced-in harbor Saturday evening, starting final preparations for delivering the diesel fuel and gasoline, the Coast Guard said. (AP Photo/US Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Charly Hengen)

In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard the Coast Guard Ice Breaker Healy guides the Russian tanker Renda closer to the fuel transfer mooring point Saturday Jan. 14, 2012. Russian tanker carrying much-needed fuel to Nome moored less than a half mile from the town's iced-in harbor Saturday evening, starting final preparations for delivering the diesel fuel and gasoline, the Coast Guard said. (AP Photo/US Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Charly Hengen)

In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard The Coast Guard Ice Breaker Healy breaks ice in the Nome Harbor Jan. 13, 2012. The Healy has been escorting and breaking ice for the Russian tanker Renda since Jan. 3, 2012, on its way to Nome to deliver 1.3 million gallons of fuel. Now comes the tricky part: getting more than a million gallons of diesel and gasoline to shore through a mile-long hose without a spill. (AP Photo/US Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Charly Hengen)

In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard The Kigluaik Mountains can be viewed as the Russian tanker Renda transits toward the Port of Nome Jan. 13, 2012. The Renda has been assisted by the Coast Guard Ice Breaker Healy since the vessels left Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Now comes the tricky part: getting more than a million gallons of diesel and gasoline to shore through a mile-long hose without a spill. (AP Photo/US Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Charly Hengen)

(AP) ? A Russian tanker with a cargo of much-needed fuel for Nome was moored less than a half mile from the Alaska town's iced-in harbor Sunday morning, holding for disturbed ice to refreeze before crews can finish work to deliver the fuel, the Coast Guard said.

The U.S Coast Guard Cutter Healy, which cleared a path through hundreds of miles of Bering Sea ice for the tanker, was nearby.

"We were able to successfully navigate that last bit of ice," Coast Guard spokesman Kip Wadlow said. "We were able to get it pretty much right on the money, in the position that the industry representatives wanted to start the fuel transfer process."

The crew of the 370-foot tanker Renda was working to ensure the safe transfer of the 1.3-million gallons of fuel through a segmented hose that will be laid on top of the ice to the harbor, located about 2,100 feet from the ship, Wadlow said in a telephone interview from Nome Saturday night.

Wadlow said he doesn't know how long it will be before fuel flows as crews must wait 12 hours, or until about 5 a.m. (6 a.m. PST) Sunday, to ensure that the disturbed ice has refrozen.

At that point, crews must build some sort of road or pathway over the ice for the hose to rest on. Then the hose's segments will have to be bolted together and inspected before the fuel can begin to flow.

There has been a lot of anxious waiting since the ship left Russia in mid-December. It picked up diesel fuel in South Korea before traveling to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, where it took on unleaded gasoline. Late Thursday, the vessels stopped offshore and began planning the transfer.

A fall storm prevented Nome from getting a fuel delivery by barge in November. Without the tanker delivery, supplies of diesel fuel, gasoline and home heating fuel Nome are expected to run out in March and April, well before a barge delivery again in late May or June.

Earlier Saturday, Sitnasuak Native Corp. board chairman Jason Evans provided details of the transfer process.

Once the hose is laid down, he said personnel will walk its entire length every 30 minutes to check it for leaks. Each segment of hose will have its own spill containment area, and extra absorbent boom will be on hand in case of a spill.

Evans said he hopes the crew will begin unloading Sunday.

The state is requiring that the fuel transfer be initiated only in daylight hours, but it can continue in darkness, Betty Schorr, industry preparedness program manager for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, has said. Nome has just five hours of daylight this time of year.

The transfer could be finished within 36 hours if everything goes smoothly, but it could take as long as five days, Schorr said.

"It's kind of like a football game, we're on the five yard line and we just want to work into the goal line," said Evans, whose hometown is Nome.

Evans, however, cautioned that delivering the fuel is only half the mission.

"The ships need to transition back through 300 miles of ice," he said. "I say we're not done until the ships are safely back at their home ports (in Seattle and Russia)."

___

Online:

Coast Guard webcam, http://bit.ly/wEsemi

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-15-Nome%20Iced%20In/id-2f787e1c16cc4f4293dce98791572632

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Monday, January 16, 2012

The Most Awkward Knock-Knock Joke Ever


Kids. They say such absurd things.

Some more than others. In this case, a youngster turned an innocuous knock knock joke into a genuinely awkward moment, turning off a cute girl in the process.

Watch the exchange below:

The transcript as we best understand it:

Boy: Superman on what?
Girl: I have no possible idea... that's all I know of the joke.
Boy: Might be on a hotdog?! [smiles deviously]
Girl: Yeah ... [scoots away from future 40-Year-Old Virgin ASAP]

Well played, guy. Or poorly played, depending on your viewpoint.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/the-most-awkward-knock-knock-joke-ever/

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Sunday, January 15, 2012

Iran embargo gathers support in Asia and Europe (Reuters)

TEHRAN (Reuters) ? U.S. allies in Asia and Europe voiced support on Thursday for Washington's drive to cut Iran's oil exports, though fear of self-inflicted economic pain is curbing enthusiasm for an embargo that a defiant Iran says will not halt its nuclear program.

The Speaker of Iran's Parliament Ali Larijani said Iran's nuclear program is also too strong to be derailed by assassinations of nuclear scientists, a day after the fourth such killing.

As a newspaper close to the clerical establishment called for retaliatory assassinations of Israeli officials, a former U.N. inspector said a new, almost bomb-proof plant could provide Iran enough enriched uranium for an atom bomb in just a year.

Such timetables, while Iran denies all Western charges that it even wants nuclear weapons, have added to speculation that Israel and the United States could resort to a military attack on the Islamic Republic - something an aide to Russian leader Vladimir Putin said was growing more likely.

After a motorcycle hitman blew up the 32-year-old engineer during the Tehran rush hour, many Iranians directed anger over the violence, and over painful economic sanctions, at the Western powers, which have hoped to turn popular sentiment against an increasingly divided ruling elite.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that those behind Wednesday's mystery killing would be punished.

Hossein Shariatmadari, who he appointed editor-in-chief of the Kayhan newspaper, wrote: "These corrupted people are easily identifiable and readily within our reach... Assassinations of the Zionist regime's military men and officials are very easy."

While declining comment on allegations it carried out the bombing on Wednesday, Israel has a history of such actions and will be on the alert for possible attacks against it.

Kremlin Security Council head Nikolai Patrushev, close to Putin, was quoted blaming Israel, which says an Iranian bomb would threaten its existence, for pushing for war: "There is a likelihood of military escalation of the conflict, towards which Israel is pushing the Americans," he told Interfax.

Former U.N. nuclear inspection chief Olli Heinonen said this week's announced start of uranium enrichment at a bunker complex could provide Iran with the ability to have enough such material for one nuclear bomb early next year - though it was not clear it would yet have the ability to build one.

A high-level team from the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to visit Iran around January 28.

ASIAN IMPORTERS

Since President Barack Obama signed laws on New Year's Eve that, by denying buyers access to U.S. dollars, aim to cripple Iran's oil sales until it gives ground on the nuclear issue, major importers have been taking positions, torn between keeping in with Washington and quenching their thirst for Iranian oil.

Threats of disruption to the Gulf oil trade, from war or simply blockades, have kept crude prices firm. Benchmark Brent crude was up 1.5 percent at nearly $114 per barrel.

On Thursday, Japan, whose economy is already deep in the doldrums after cuts in its nuclear power supply following last year's tsunami, pledged to take concrete action to cut its oil imports from Iran in response to an appeal for support from visiting U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

However, Tokyo's support was not without reservations.

Finance Minister Jun Azumi said Japan buys 10 percent of its oil from Iran. "We would like to take action concretely to further reduce in a planned manner," he said. But he added: "It would cause immense damage if they were cut to zero."

Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura, the government's top spokesman, later tried to soften Azumi's pledge to reduce Iranian oil imports, saying it was just one of many options under consideration. And Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda voiced concern to Geithner about the potential impact of the U.S. sanctions on Japan and the world economy.

The U.S. Treasury chief welcomed Tokyo's cooperation, an encouraging sign for U.S. foreign policy after China rebuffed his arguments for sanctions earlier on his Asian tour.

One issue affecting Asian governments' willingness to follow the U.S. lead is the availability of alternatives to Iran, the second biggest exporter in OPEC after Saudi Arabia. While ready to help, it is not clear how far U.S. ally Riyadh can increase its own output and exports to make up for spurned Iranian crude.

Japan has already sought extra supplies from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. China's Premier Wen Jiabao will visit Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar in a trip beginning this weekend. The prime minister of South Korea, another major buyer of Iranian crude, is due to visit the UAE and Oman from Friday.

Korean minister Hong Suk-woo told Reuters "it was too early to say" if Seoul would reduce oil imports from Iran. "Our basic stance is to cooperate with the U.S.," Hong said.

China, the biggest buyer of Iranian crude, gave no hint on Wednesday of giving ground to U.S. demands to curb Tehran's oil revenues.

U.S. officials sounded more optimistic, saying they will focus more on China's actions than on its public statements.

However, China has reduced crude purchases from Iran for January and February in a dispute over contract pricing terms.

India faces pressure to cut crude purchases from Iran, but policymakers and industry officials have sent mixed messages on future plans with one unnamed cabinet minister on Thursday saying the country would continue to do business with Tehran.

EUROPEAN CONCERNS

The European Union is more sympathetic to U.S. pressure on Iran. EU foreign ministers are expected to agree on a ban on imports of Iranian crude oil on January 23.

However, even Europe, whose governments largely share the concern of Israel and Washington over Iran's nuclear ambitions, is looking for ways to limit the pain of an embargo.

"We expect a slow and gradual implementation of what will eventually become a full embargo," said Mike Wittner from Societe Generale. "Europe has the same concerns about its fragile economy and an oil price spike as the U.S., probably even more."

Firms in Iran's three biggest EU oil customers, Italy, Spain and Greece, all suffering acute economic discomfort, have lately extended existing purchase deals in the hope to at least delay the impact of any embargo for months, traders told Reuters.

EU diplomats said a consensus was emerging to grant a grace period before banning new deals with Iran - six months for crude oil purchases and three for petrochemicals. Moreover, companies would be able to go on accepting Iranian oil in payment for outstanding debts - something especially helpful to Italy.

Diplomats and traders say the grace period would give European companies time to find alternative sources of crude, but the process would be far from smooth.

"Some (EU members) are saying: 'help us find alternative suppliers and find a way to sustain the discounts we currently have'," one diplomatic source said.

The problem of replacement supplies to Europe could be partially solved with the help of Saudi Arabia. European diplomats have spoken to the kingdom's leadership who have signaled readiness to fill a supply gap, although concerns mount about the producer's spare capacity nearing its limit.

But there is no reason why Riyadh would agree to supply crude at a discount to a buyer like Greece, traders said. Many in the oil market have already pulled the plug on supplies for fear that Athens might default on its debt.

Greek officials have said their country imports up to 40 percent of its oil from Iran and wants to continue the flow without disruption and on the same funding terms.

The EU is also planning new sanctions on Iran's financial sector but states have been divided over whether to include Iran's central bank in these sanctions. Diplomats said France and Britain backed this but Germany opposed the idea - though a German diplomat denied that was the case.

(Additional reporting by Robin Pomeroy, Ramin Mostafavi, Mitra Amiri and Zahra Hosseinian in Tehran, Stanley White and Tetsushi Kajimoto in Tokyo, Ralph Gowling in London, Fredrik Dahl in Vienna, Gleb Bryansky in Moscow, David Brunnstrom and Julien Toyer in Brussels, Tulay Karadeniz and Ibon Villelabeitia in Ankara; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120112/ts_nm/us_iran

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Investors exit stock funds for 8th month in a row (AP)

BOSTON ? The stock market ended up going nowhere in 2011 despite a bumpy ride, and investors continued to hit the exits. For the fifth year running, they withdrew more cash from stock mutual funds than they put in.

Bond funds continued to attract new cash. It reflects that investors are risk-averse after the Standard & Poor's 500 index produced an average annual loss of 1 percent in the last decade, including dividend income. Volatility remains a big fear, with the 2008 financial crisis still a fresh memory.

"People look at stock returns, and see they have been poor for the past decade, and they don't want to play the game anymore," says David Santschi, executive vice president with TrimTabs Investment Research.

In 2011, the S&P 500 index ended up almost exactly where it started the year, although it returned 2.1 percent factoring in dividends.

It was a market that investors continued to shun. They withdrew a net $85 billion from U.S. stock funds last year, industry consultant Strategic Insight said on Friday. The string of annual net withdrawals extends to 2007. Over that stretch, investors have removed a net total of $328 billion.

Bond funds have attracted about twice that much in new cash in just the past three years, including last year's net deposits of about $116 billion.

Before the financial crisis of 2008, it was common for stock funds to take in twice as much new cash as bond funds in any given month. That pattern briefly returned a year ago, when stock fund coffers grew for four consecutive months to start 2011.

But that streak ended in May, and worries about slower economic growth and the European debt crisis mounted over the summer and fall. Economic news turned more positive in December, but it wasn't enough get investors back into stock funds.

Strategic Insight said investors withdrew a net $24 billion from U.S. stock funds in December, the eighth consecutive month with more money flowing out than in. Bond funds attracted $13 billion in new cash in December.

Investors also retreated from funds investing in foreign stocks. Net withdrawals from those funds totaled $11 billion in December. Still, foreign stock funds ended the year with net deposits of $34 billion, reflecting expectations that China and other emerging markets such as India and Brazil continue to have good long-term prospects.

Americans' recent caution about money extends beyond their investment decisions. Over the first 11 months of last year, net deposits into checking and savings accounts were about eight times as big as the net total flowing into stock and bond mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, TrimTabs said on Friday.

"The economy isn't likely to get off to the races as long as investors are stuffing most of their money under the mattress," TrimTabs' Santschi said.

Since 2008, investors have been pulling money from stock funds even during periods when the market was recovering. Aversion to stocks has persisted despite low interest rates, which the Federal Reserve is maintaining as an economic stimulus. Those rates have encouraged borrowing, but make it nearly impossible to generate decent income from bank accounts and lower-risk segments of the bond market.

Still, not every investor is quite so anxious. Through it all, Justin Beal, of Clovis, Calif., has continued making regular contributions to an investment portfolio that's 100 percent in stocks. The 38-year-old municipal fire inspector sold his bonds about three years ago, sensing opportunity in the stock market.

"At my age, I've looked at the market as a long-term buying opportunity," Beal says.

After the market's flat 2011 performance, Beal has recently been buying shares of companies that are selling at roughly the same price, or less, than they were at the start of last year. One of his current favorites is waste disposal company Waste Management Inc., whose share fell nearly 8 percent last year.

Beal's parents, however, recently hit retirement age and are investing more cautiously, he said. That means cutting back on stocks, and shifting cash to bonds.

It's a common move for many these days, as the oldest baby boomers hit their mid-60s.

"The boomers are taking a defensive stand," Beal says, "because they just can't afford that volatility."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120113/ap_on_bi_ge/us_mutual_fund_flows

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