Archive for

2010



Recent Poll Shows More Americans Support Life without Parole

On Nov. 16, the Death Penalty Information Center released the results of one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted of Americans’ views on the death penalty.  Out of the 1,500 voters who were polled, a clear majority of voters (61%) would choose a punishment other than the death penalty for murder, including life with no possibility of parole and with restitution to the victim’s family (39%), life with no possibility of parole (13%), or life with the possibility of parole (9%).

And, in states that have the death penalty, a plurality of voters said that a politician’s support of repeal of the death penalty would make no difference in how they voted; and a majority (62%) said either it would make no difference (38%) or they would be more likely to vote for such a representative (24%).

This poll reflects the growing concern in this country about the administration of the death penalty, particularly the unfairness, the cost, and the real risk of executing the innocent. When given the option of life without parole, more Americans are deciding that this sentence is a viable alternative to the death penalty that can hold offenders accountable, keep society safe, save money, and remove the risk of wrongful executions.

When our elected officials understand that they can be for policies that are “smart on crime” and not just “tough on crime” without losing their seats, things will change.  Those of us who believe that there are better, smarter ways of preventing violent crime, supporting victims’ families, and holding offenders accountable than the death penalty must educate our lawmakers, giving them the room they need to learn about the issue and make the choice for repeal.  

Read more here.

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual appeal among men is the erectile malfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as soul trouble. Albeit the erectile dysfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile dysfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying soundness conditions that can be so dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile disfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.

International Human Rights Day

Today is International Human Rights day, celebrating the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, that set forth guiding principles regarding the value of human life and the way we live together.

The document affirmed the right to life for all people without qualification.  Though there was debate at the document’s creation, and even a proposed amendment creating an exception for those legally sentenced to death, Eleanor Roosevelt urged the committee to resist this amendment. She argued that the declaration should create a universal charter of human rights toward which societies could strive, leading to the day when no government would kill its own citizens for any reason. 

Today also makes the 6th anniversary of the founding of Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights (MVFHR). The founding group of MVFHR gathered at the UN Church Plaza in New York City, offered public testimony, and signed a document stating, “In the name of victims, we pledge to end the death penalty around the world.”

MVFHR’s first public statement shortly thereafter stated:

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document that sets forth the most basic principles regarding the value of human life and the way human beings ought to treat one another, was inspired by victims, demanded by victims. It grew out of the suffering of millions of civilians murdered under the brutal regimes of the Second World War, and its adoption on December 10, 1948 was a way to honor the loss of these lives, and an attempt to give meaning to the loss, by asserting that such violations are neither moral nor permissible under any nation or regime.

Now is the time to raise our voices again and insist that violations of human life in the form of the death penalty or other state killings are not permissible under any nation or regime. It is time to call for the abolition of the death penalty because the only way to uphold human rights is to uphold them in all cases, universally. 

We believe that survivors of homicide victims have a recognized stake in the debate over how societies respond to murder and have the moral authority to call for a consistent human rights ethic as part of that response. Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights is the answer to that call.

TADP is deeply grateful to all individuals, particularly those who are survivors of murder victims, who work on behalf of human rights around the world through the abolition of the death penalty. We, like Eleanor Roosevelt and those who created this Declaration in 1948, continue to work for the day when we live in a world without the death penalty.

Learn more about MVFHR.

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual complaint among men is the erectile dysfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile malfunction can be the symptom a strong soundness problem such as heart trouble. Albeit the erectile malfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile dysfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying heartiness conditions that can be very dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile dysfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.

Death Penalty Discussion on Nashville’s MorningLine Show

Today on Channel 5’s MorningLine Show in Nashville, the topic was Tennessee’s death penalty with TADP’s Executive Director, Stacy Rector, as the featured guest.

The discussion ranged from Tennessee’s much litigated lethal injection protocol to the needs of surviving family members of murder to the morality of the death penalty in general.  The phone lines lit up throughout the show with voices on both sides of the issue joining in the discussion.  

Overwhelmingly, callers raised emotional, philosophical, and moral arguments concerning the death penalty.  As I noted on the program, these arguments are important but do not get at the real problems with the  application and administration of the death penalty system in Tennessee.  The data show that the death penalty, in its current form, continues to be unfairly applied–disproportionately affecting the poor, racial minorities, and those with mental illness; is extremely expensive, costing more than life without parole to maintain; and risks the execution of an innocent person.  In fact, Tennessee has released 2 people from death row in the last few years who fought their wrongful convictions for over 20 years each before finally being freed.  And they were the ones we found out about in time. 

Regardless of our moral positions on the death penalty, as citizens, we need to take a hard look at the system to see if it is actually serving us in a smart, effective, and accurate way.  I don’t believe that it is.  Instead of wasting our resources on the death penalty, we could better use them to support surviving family members of murder and law enforcement, for drug treatment programs, mental health care, and education–all of which will do more to foster healing in victims families and to prevent more violence in the future than the death penalty ever could.     

You can view a clip of the show here. 

Photo provided by Kate O’Neill

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual complaint among men is the erectile malfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong heartiness problem such as heart trouble. Albeit the erectile dysfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile disfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying heartiness conditions that can be so dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile dysfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.

Knoxville Columnist Questions New Lethal Injection Procedures

Columnist Pam Strickland voices her concern over Tennessee’s new lethal injection protocol in her most recent article for the Knoxville News Sentinel. The new procedures call for the warden to brush the eyelashes of the condemned inmate, while calling out the inmate’s name and shaking him or her in order to determine whether the inmate is conscious. In the article, Strickland notes the intimate nature of the proposed rule change along with the news coverage it received. Strickland writes, “The procedure was so unusual that it was reported on news sites across the country from the Los Angeles Times to The New York Times.”

Read more

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual complaint among men is the erectile dysfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile malfunction can be the symptom a strong heartiness problem such as heart trouble. Albeit the erectile disfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile dysfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying health conditions that can be very dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile dysfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.

Former Supreme Court Justice Continues To Speak Out Against Capital Punishment

Considering former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens voted  in 1976 to end the moratorium on the death penalty, it would seem highly unlikely that his retirement plans could include a career as an abolitionist. In spite of his early judicial record, Justice Stevens has proven to be an influential proponent of ending capital punishment. A recent article written by Justice Stevens and published in The New York Review of Books serves as yet another argument by Justice Stevens against “the pointless and needless extinction of life with only marginal contributions to any discernible social or public purposes.”

Read more 

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual complaint among men is the erectile dysfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong heartiness problem such as core trouble. Albeit the erectile dysfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile malfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying health conditions that can be very dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile disfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.

Governor and First Lady Host “A Season to Remember”

Governor Bredesen and First Lady Andrea Conte will host the 8th annual “Season to Remember” memorial event at the Capitol tomorrow, Thursday, December 2,  at 5:30 p.m. This event remembers murder victims in Tennessee and gives surviving  family members the opportunity to hang commemorative ornaments in memory of their loved ones.

The event originated in Davidson County.  Then Mayor and now Governor Bredesen moved the event from the Nashville Metro Court House to Centennial Park to accommodate the growing crowds. In November 2003, Governor Bredesen and First Lady Conte expanded the event statewide calling it “Tennessee Season to Remember,” and invited families from all over the state to take part.

We encourage all TADP supporters to attend this powerful event. Each year, members of  TADP staff attend, as well as participants in TADP’s Sharing Our Stories: Murder Victims’ Families Speak who also hang ornaments on the wreaths to remember their family members.

Regardless of how one feels about the death penalty, there can be no debate about the pain and suffering inflicted by murder and the life long journey towards healing that these surviving family members travel. As a society, we must never forget these individuals who lives were taken so tragically and must take the time to remember their lives, their hopes, and their dreams while supporting their families, particularly during this time of the year.

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual appeal among men is the erectile disfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as heart trouble. Albeit the erectile dysfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile disfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying health conditions that can be highly dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile disfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.

Tennessee Supreme Court Stops Four Executions

Yesterday the Tennessee Supreme Court halted the execution of Stephen West, who was scheduled to die tonight, as well as the scheduled executions of 3 other inmates: Billy Ray Irick, Edmund Zagorski, and E.J. Harbison. The court stopped the executions in order to further study the constitutionality of the new lethal injection protocol in Tennessee. 

Davidson County Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman recently ruled that Tennessee’s protocol “allows for death by suffocation while conscious.” In response to that ruling, the state added a procedure where the Warden brushes his hand over the inmate’s eyelashes and shakes him to ensure that he is unconscious before the second drug, a paralytic, is administered.

The Tennessee Supreme Court approved the new plan just prior to the Thanksgiving holiday without the state having to prove that this new procedure is constitutional.  “The  defendants (the state) waited until the eve of the Thanksgiving holidays to spring a new protocol on the court and Mr. West with nothing to demonstrate its constitutionality,” West’s attorneys said.

The Tennessee Supreme Court reconsidered its decision and is now allowing for the issue to be considered by a lower court.  The court is expected to hear arguments and  rule within 90 days. Until the issue is settled, the executions of Billy Ray Irick, Edmund Zagorski, and E.J. Harbison are also stayed.

This turn of events in the continuing saga of Tennessee’s death penalty demonstrates, yet again, that the system is broken and should be repealed. Now, the family and friends of Wands and Shelia Romines are subjected to more anguished waiting and legal wrangling. Had West received two life sentences as his co-defendant did, the state’s time, energy, and resources could have been focused on the Romines family and measures to prevent such violence from happening again, instead of its current focus–executing Stephen West.

When will we decide that enough is enough?

Read the full story.

Photo provided by TNJN

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual claim among men is the erectile dysfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile malfunction can be the symptom a strong soundness problem such as heart trouble. Albeit the erectile dysfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile dysfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying health conditions that can be highly dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile dysfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.

Tennessee Supreme Court Approves Lethal Injection Protocol, Clears Way For Execution

The Tennessee Supreme Court found the Department of Corrections’ newly-drafted lethal injection protocol constitutional Wednesday, clearing the way for the scheduled execution of Stephen West. Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman had ruled the previous procedures unconstitutional after medical professionals found that insufficient amounts of sodium thiopental caused inmates to suffocate. The new protocol requires the warden to shake the inmate after the first injection to ensure the inmate is unconscious. With the execution only a day away, Stephen West’s attorneys are now turning to the United States Supreme Court, where they plan to appeal the constitutionality of the new lethal injection protocol as well as improperly withheld information about West’s history of mental illness during his sentencing trial.

With the Department of Corrections placing Stephen West on death watch, TADP will hold vigils across the state to remember all those individuals whose lives have been lost to murder as well as the families who have been traumatized. And, as we remember, we also gather to resist the continued use of violence as a means to address these tragedies.

Because there is a new execution time, 10:00 p.m., plans have changed around the TADP vigil in Nashville. Because of the earlier time frame, Nashville TADP will hold only one event on the eve of the execution.  We will gather on Tuesday, November 30th, in the field just past the entrance to Riverbend at 7:30 p.m and will hold an interfaith Service of Remembrance and Resistance at 8:00 p.m. in this location. Following the service, we will wait together until 9:30 when we will begin our candlelight vigil until the execution occurs or a stay is granted. 

Read more

Photo provided by TNJN

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual complaint among men is the erectile dysfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong soundness problem such as heart trouble. Albeit the erectile dysfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile dysfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying health conditions that can be highly dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile disfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.

Judge Rules Tennessee Lethal Injection Protocol Unconstitutional

On Friday, Davidson County Judge Claudia Bonnyman ruled in favor of Stephen West’s challenge to the constitutionality of Tennessee’s current lethal injection protocol, stating it “allows for death by suffocation while conscious.” Her ruling was supported by the testimony of two medical experts, one an anesthesiologist, who determined that the levels of sodium thiopental were too low to render the inmates unconscious. In his closing argument, defense attorney Stephen Kissinger summarized the experts’ analysis. “The only drug that was at lethal levels was the pancurium bromide, the drug that paralyzes the inmates, so that they can’t breathe, so that they can’t cry out, and it suffocates them.”

The state will have the opportunity to appeal the ruling to the Tennessee Supreme Court. This appeal will likely occur immediately. The Tennessee Supreme Court has the option of affirming the lower court’s ruling, requiring the state to change the protocol to meet constitutional guidelines prior to West’s execution, or overturning the decision, thus clearing the way for West’s November 30th execution date.

Read more

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual complaint among men is the erectile dysfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as core trouble. Albeit the erectile disfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile dysfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying health conditions that can be very dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile dysfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.

Tennesee’s Lethal Injection Protocol Challenged Again

As recently reported by the Tennessean, executed inmates in Tennessee may not be properly anesthetized during their executions, meaning there is a risk that they are conscious and experience a death similar to being buried alive.

Stephen West’s execution was stayed pending the outcome of a hearing to determine whether or not the current lethal injection protocol risks violating an inmate’s 8th Amendment right not to be subjected to “cruel and unusual punishment.”  West’s execution is currently scheduled for November 30 at 10:00 p.m. 

At issue is the level of  the anesthetic agent, sodium thiopental, in the bodies of  Tennessee inmates who were executed under this protocol. Particularly, the autopsy results for Steve Henley, executed on February 4, 2009, showed that the level of sodium thiopental was not enough to ensure unconsciousness when he was executed.  Furthermore, Henley turned blue, followed by deeper shades of purple, indicating that he was suffocating.

Sadly, the family and friends of Wanda and Shelia Romines are now forced to endure more waiting and more painful testimony as this hearing proceeds. The reality of the death penalty is that instead of bringing “closure” to these already traumatized families, the protracted process only drags families through more pain and more hurt as they wait for executions to be carried out.  If Stephen West had received life without parole at his trial, the state would not have spent the millions of dollars in resources, energy, and time fighting over his sentence and now lethal injection. Stephen West’s name would not be in the news today, and the Romines’ family could have tried to  moved forward as best they could, without having to relive this nightmare over and over again. 

The other painful part of these hearings is that for the families of Robert Coe, Philip Workman, and Steve Henley, reading about the possibility of their loved ones suffering a horrific death by suffocation, retraumatizes them as well.  But, unlike the victims’ family members who are given permission–as well they should be–to voice their pain, the families of the executed suffer in silence and often alone as there is no outpouring from the community about what they have been through.

Some will say that these men deserved their deaths and worse, but their families did not.  And yet, it is their families who suffer now and not the perpetrators of these crimes.

I pray for a day in Tennessee when we no longer have to spend time and resources discussing how to kill people, if they suffer, how much they suffer, if some suffering  is okay, etc., and instead, we can focus our attention and energy where it should be focused–on the surviving families of the murder victims who need emotional, spiritual, and financial help in the wake of a murder as well as on the root causes of violence  and how to prevent more violence in the future.

Read more here.

Picture by hitthatswitch

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual appeal among men is the erectile malfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile malfunction can be the symptom a strong soundness problem such as soul trouble. Albeit the erectile disfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile dysfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying health conditions that can be very dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile dysfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.

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