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Facts About Marijuana And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Richard Faulk
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Facts About Marijuana And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Google cannabis and chronic fatigue syndrome and you’ll get lots of speculation and questionable info,  but little scientific research. That’s because chronic fatigue—sometimes known as CFT/ME (the “ME” stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis, which might be a more medical-sounding synonym for CFT or might be its own ailment)—arouses nearly as much controversy in the medical world as cannabis does.

A disease seemingly with no cause but a laundry list of symptoms that includes fatigue, loss of memory or concentration, swollen lymph nodes, and sore throat, muscles, and joints, CFT entered the popular consciousness in the 1980s, when it was nicknamed “the yuppie flu.” That gives you an idea of how not seriously it was taken by everybody—except those who languished from it.

This skepticism has tapered (slightly) over the decades. However, in 2015 a densely-sourced report, in which the Institute of Medicine finally weighed in, giving its imprimatur to CFM/ME, to which it proposes yet another name-change: “systemic exertion intolerance disease,” or SEID. The official line is now that the disease formerly known as chronic fatigue is indeed a bona fide disorder; we just don’t know what causes it.

RELATED: Little-Known Health Effects Of Medical Marijuana

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Conjectured culprits have included the Epstein-Barr virus, herpes virus 6, mouse leukemia (all likely wrong), a yet-to-be identified autoimmune disorder or the lingering effects of viral infection (both vague enough to be safe), or even some atavistic emergence of hibernation in our non-hibernating species. (That last one is totally insane on its face, but is actually not that batty).

There’s no reason, beyond wishful thinking, to conclude that cannabis — that well-known relaxant and addler of short-term-memory — could be the cure for an ailment whose hallmark is fatigue and poor concentration. Nevertheless, wherever there is a mysterious and intractable disease, there are desperate people who’ll give anything a shot. In the case of CFS, “anything” includes Feldenkrais posture exercises, oils of fish or flax, electrical nerve stimulation, probiotics, antioxidants, oxygen therapy, compression socks, water (yes, plain old water), and cannabis.

RELATED: Why Won’t My Doctor Prescribe Medical Marijuana For Me?

Until CFS/ME-SEID research gets a little less murky, there obviously can’t be any reliable tests to see what cannabis can do to fix it. So anything you see on the subject today is anecdotal (which may well be true, but cannot be relied on) or outright snake oil.

Let the user beware.

Does Turkey Really Make You Sleepy?

Maria Loreto
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Does Turkey Really Make You Sleepy?

More than any other food, turkey has a reputation of making people feel sleepy and comatose. Maybe it’s the fact that the bird is consumed in inordinate amounts during the Holidays (29 percent of turkeys consumed in the US are eaten during this time period) and that you also pair it off with various sides and alcohol. Then there’s also tryptophan, an amino acid located in proteins that impacts your serotonin levels and is associated with drowsiness.

In reality, tryptophan is not responsible for your holiday themed food comas. Popular Science reports that there’s the same amount of tryptophan in turkey than there is in chicken, lamb, and beef. The real reason why Thanksgiving and other holidays tend to lead to food comas is due to a large combination of factors, like the feeling that you’re on a vacation, long conversations with family members, and consuming large amounts of carbs and alcohol.

“Holidays mean calorie and carbohydrate-dense (starchy) foods that make the food coma almost inevitable. Food comas can be caused by both eating too much and by eating too many carbohydrate-rich foods—including potatoes, rice dishes, pastas, breads and desserts,” says dietician Isabel Smith.

Then there’s also the fact that you have to digest all that food, consuming massive amounts of energy.

According to different experts there are several things you can do in order to prevent overeating. For starters, don’t go to holiday parties starving; this may seem like a wise decision at first but it’ll only lead to overeating. Try to prioritize foods, selecting your holiday favorites without eating big portions of every side you can get your hands on.

Another good way of preventing feeling sick is filling over half of your plate with veggies, which are much easier to digest. Or you can just say to hell with it and go for that food coma. You’ll feel awful afterwards but what’s a holiday without one?

3 CBD Pens To Get You Through Black Friday Madness

Mary Schumacher
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3 CBD Pens To Get You Through Black Friday Madness

Black Friday is practically a national holiday, so in that vein here are 3 different CBD pens that should be ordered or picked up before the Thanksgiving festivities. Try and get some THC in on the eating holiday, but when it comes to Black Friday you’re going to have to stay on your toes, catch the best deals and see into the imminent gift giving future as to what Auntie May or Uncle Stew might like.

This frenzy calls for clear head and early wake up. To keep your feet from falling off or to keep your social jitters at bay, simply use one of these disposable pen cartridges between stops and remember to breathe normally and eat some things throughout the day. Even Santa Claus stops for milk and cookies amid his journey around the world…

CBDistillery

 

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From lavender-vanilla to strawberry lemonade, The CBDistillery carries vape pens that are well known to the cannabis world and are a very popular choice. The flavors pop and the vapor has merely a sweet smell. According to their website, “The CBDistillery was founded by a group of Colorado natives with a strong belief that people have a right to the highest quality, fairly priced hemp derived CBD.” The company also prides itself on using full spectrum CBD, which has an entourage effect that boosts its usefulness.

Pure Spectrum

 

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For those looking for a higher strength dosage of CBD, but still in the mid-range, the 250 mg vape cartridges from Pure Spectrum are your go-tos. Each of their cartridges is made from organically grown, nutraceutical-grade CBD isolate and is then flavored with naturally extracted terpenes from popular cannabis strains. If you don’t want have even a hint of flavor in your vapor, however, the natural cart is for you and your shopping spree.

Hemp Bombs

 

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The 300 mg carts from Hemp Bombs are anxiety and inflammation slayers. And it helps that they also come in an array of flavors to choose from. Arctic Peppermint Blast, Whipped Marshmallow Dream and Exotic Watermelon Kush are just three delectable examples of tastes that are sure to brighten up the long day ahead. If you’re a serious CBD/hemp oil user and want the relief to match, though, Hemp Bombs also make a 1000 mg version of the carts that are bound to do the trick, even for daily CBD imbibers.

Apple Cuts Production Orders For All New iPhone Models

Maria Loreto
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Apple Cuts Production Orders For All New iPhone Models

In an unexpected move, Apple has cut down production orders of their three iPhone models due to lower than expected sales. The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple’s decision to release three devices is an influencing factor, making it harder for the company to predict sales accurately and to order the necessary parts to put together the smartphones.

When Apple presented its Q4 earnings, investors were surprised to see the low demand numbers. The device that seems to be worst off is the iPhone XR, the cheapest 2018 model, whose production has been cut down twice since it was first introduced in September.

While this news don’t mean much on its own, Variety reports that Apple will no longer disclose their unit sales, and that two of their biggest suppliers have been experiencing difficulties due to an “unnamed large company” cutting back on orders.

Apple’s business model is changing, with the company’s CFO Luca Maestri claiming that unit sales are less relevant to them than they were in the past. Experts and analysts also believe that it’s too early to make predictions regarding Apple’s sales and future.

“It is too early to assume that the new iPhones aren’t selling well, especially since the supply chain-based sources said the exact same thing last year about the iPhone X, and were proven incredibly wrong when Apple released sales numbers,” says Avi Greengart, consumers director at GlobalData.

Maybe Apple is more concerned with maintaining their client base and keeping customers happy with products that satisfy expectations. Since investors won’t have unit sales at their disposal, they might just have to take a leap of faith.

‘Star Wars’ Rumor: Luke Skywalker Might Not Be Dead

Brendan Bures
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‘Star Wars’ Rumor: Luke Skywalker Might Not Be Dead

When Disney announced that Mark Hamill would join the cast for Star Wars Episode 9, it raised eyebrows across the fanboy and nerdy corners of the internet. For those that don’t remember Hamill’s curtain call as Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, a quick refresher: Luke uses the force to project himself onto another planet to battle Kylo Ren, giving the Resistance enough time to escape. Following the battle, his physical body vanishes, indicating to viewers Luke had departed the land of the living.

So how could Luke return in Episode 9? The most obvious answer is as a Force ghost of sorts, similar to Yoda and Obi Wan Kenobi in previous movies. Or maybe Hamill would provide voice over to a creature of sorts. Or we see him in a flashback.

A new leak reported by Express indicates that none of these could be true. Here’s the leaked scene:

Luke Skywalker in front of Rey on a jungle world. In the background are ancient stone steps that lead to some rooms which appear to be a Jedi Temple of some kind. Luke appears to be in his physical form as if he is not dead, but he may be a Force ghost and more solid this time. No blue hue is described in the sequence. Luke holds his iconic green lightsaber hilt in his hand but not ignited as Rey examines it. This could be one of Luke’s lessons to Rey, teaching her how to develop a lightsaber like his own. Luke’s face has no beard and shorter hair—shorter than his hair on Crait. He wears a brown robe with white sleeves.

Again, we should be cautious in accepting these kind of leaks as fact. But maybe Luke, in his isolated studies, has evolved past death through his force power. After all, this dude projected himself onto another freakin’ planet, and we didn’t know any Jedi or Sith could do that either.

Plus, if Luke wasn’t really dead it would satisfy a whole lot of fanboys, still outraged from the “controversial” ending of The Last Jedi. Never underestimate JJ Abrams and his ability to please fans.

10 Easy Ways To Organize Your Stuff

Maria Loreto
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10 Easy Ways To Organize Your Stuff

Pinterest, Instagram, and other websites are responsible for making us feel like we live like slobs, with all of our belongings thrown around in one big mess. It’s hard to organize your home and to buy the right items you need; we’ve all had to throw out an unused container or two because we made a wrong purchase that didn’t serve a purpose.

Having a beautiful house that looks like it belongs to a home decor catalog is not an easy feat, there are simple and cheap ways of making your house look better and more organized. Check out 10 purchases that will make your home look and feel neater:

Cable management sleeves

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No one wants to see all the cables that connect your TV to your cable, your Alexa, your PlayStation, and internet modem. Cables are messy, dusty, knotty and dirty. The easiest way to prevent cable clutter is to buy a cable sleeve, which will hide the ugly parts and make your life easier when you’re trying to figure out which cable belongs to which device.

Cute notepads

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Yellow notepads are practical but they’re not the best looking pads out there. Luckily, there are hundreds of notepads with all sorts of messages and purposes that’ll encourage you to write more and be more organized.

A toolbox

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Toolboxes are necessary, keeping your tools tidy and helping you find what you need in a short amount of time. Amazon sells several options that range in prices and utility.

Jewelry organizer

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Jewelry needs to be organized and kept separate from each other. Keeping your different pieces in separate sections will make your jewelry look better, last longer, and it’ll also help you see everything you own much more easily.

Dividers for cutlery

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Cutlery should also be divided in boxes or sections, making it much easier when you’re having people over and are looking for that missing fork.

Boxes for toiletries

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Bathroom toiletries can easily get out of hand, especially when you live with several people. Buying transparent or good looking boxes helps everyone keep their toiletries to themselves, or helps you separate your shampoos from your blow dryer and hairbrushes.

Spice cabinet

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Spices are always hard to locate, especially since people tend to have large amounts of them and forget they even have them. Spice cabinets and containers are a must, easily solving a lot of your kitchen and pantry clutter.

Hanging shoe organizer

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Hanging shoe organizers save up a lot of closet and floor space, something everyone desperately wants more of. They’re also awesome because they allow you to pick your shoes while standing up.

Storage bench

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Storage chairs and benches are great, hiding stuff in plain view and serving as surfaces and chairs where people can sit down. Amazon sells different sets and options that fit well with most types of homes.

Umbrella stands

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While umbrella stands might seem like unnecessary additions, they are great for rainy seasons  and for practical purposes. Umbrellas are always laying around in awkward places; stands keep them together, clean, and ready for every occasion.

Zach Braff Says ABC Canceled ‘Scrubs’ Medical Marijuana Episode

Brendan Bures
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Zach Braff Says ABC Canceled ‘Scrubs’ Medical Marijuana Episode

All these years later who would’ve suspected that we missed a potential marijuana-themed episode of Scrubs. Now critics and popular culture haven’t remembered Scrubs as fondly as its fans—it’s my favorite sitcom ever—but a recent reunion panel for the show at Vulture Fest Los Angeles revealed Scrubs experienced a rough transition when it changed networks from NBC to ABC.

According to star Zach Braff, pushback from Disney-owned ABC ensued when Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence wrote a plotline including a cancer patient who uses medical marijuana to deal with her treatments.

“We only shot one thing ever that Bill had to throw out, ” Braff said. “That many years ago, they were like, ‘Medicinal marijuana? Get the hell out of here!'”

To see just where ABC would and wouldn’t draw the lines, Lawrence conceived of another plot involving the cancer patient and male prostitutes. When he pitched it their way, he received the greenlight.

“We had this story about getting medicinal marijuana for somebody who was having trouble with chemo and cancer,” Lawrence said. “So to make a point, I said, ‘What if the patient was a virgin and decided they want to have sex for the first time and Carla and Elliot wanted to go looking for a male prostitute for him?’ They said, ‘Oh, that’s fine.’ We could get a prostitute, just not medicinal marijuana.”

Medical cannabis plotlines weren’t the only difficulty the Scrubs team found at ABC. A recurring gag on the show involves actor Robert Maschio, a.k.a. the overtly sexual Dr. Todd, and his obsession with banana hammocks. Well, ABC wasn’t down with the banana hammock.

“When we moved from NBC to ABC we were no longer allowed to show Rob in his banana hammock. We had to frame above his penis,” Braff said.

Not being down with medical marijuana or banana hammocks isn’t much of a surprise coming from family-friendly Disney. Still it shows how far we’ve already come with marijuana’s place in culture, as now entire sitcoms revolve around medical cannabis, not just one banned episode.

Has ‘Stoner’ Become A ‘Dirty’ Word?

Mary Schumacher
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Has ‘Stoner’ Become A ‘Dirty’ Word?

For many a decade, every high school has had a “stoner” group. That’s what they were called and it carried a connotation that had the phrases “burn out” and “ne’er-do-well” attached to it, too. One might affectionately chide a friend with, “You’re such a stoner!” if they forgot to bring something over or had another kind of memory lapse, but again, it’s the underlying meaning that makes some cannabis imbibers cringe.

The answer to the original question is, yes, yes it has. Being called a stoner puts most marijuana users on the defense. It feels like the person using the offending word is part of the vestiges of prohibition, and that may just be the case. Even among friends, “stoner” can have ripples beneath the surface that feel judgy to the person being essentially called a name.

There are other ways to refer to someone who smokes, vapes, eats edibles or some combination thereof. But don’t go looking for synonyms, though, they’ll steer you even deeper into the unpolitically correct. Merriam-Webster lists its companion words as, “addict, dopehead, doper, druggie (also druggy), fiend, freak [slang], head, hophead [slang], hype [slang], junkie (also junky) and user.” Its only antonyms are “nonaddict” and “nonuser.”

While pot smoker works in some situations, you wouldn’t call someone who has a couple glasses of wine with dinner a drunkard or even a drinker. What you’d simply call them is by their name or, situationally, by their job title.

The truth of the matter, what we all know, is that people who use cannabis are just that—people. There are so many marijuana users both now and in the past that no derogatory word is appropriate for any kind of generalization. It’s been proven time and again that the lazy, befuddled stereotype simply isn’t true. And the investor and business types who’ve ran toward the Green Rush likely don’t want a moniker, either.

Even if you have dreads to your knees, have been smoking reefer since 14 and live in a hemp yurt, you may be stereotyped culturally, but it still doesn’t make you a stoner, a burnout, a junky or any other “name.” So how do we differentiate the users from the nonusers? Well, just like that, but if you want to keep it simple, ask their name if you don’t already know it.

Why Have Canadian Weed Companies Failed To Meet Expectations?

Mike Adams
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Why Have Canadian Weed Companies Failed To Meet Expectations?

While Canada’s recreational marijuana market was predicted to generate buckets of cash right out of the gate, some of the latest earnings reports show that legal weed in the northern nation is not quite reaching its potential. Revenue is weak and investors are taking it on the chin, mostly because the cannabis industry was nowhere near ready to service the public by the time the government said it could do so.

Officials were predicting billions in the first quarter, but some of the largest cannabis producers in the nation have collectively struggled to generate even $2 million since the market opened up in October. So is anyone really to blame for this bungle of the buds, and will things get better in the coming year?

It should come as no surprise that nobody is prepared to admit fault. Cannabis producer Canopy Growth, which is considered the most significant player in the global cannabis trade, has suggested that the individual provinces are mostly to blame. Most provinces opted to place test orders instead of going full throttle with supply. Others have attributed production delays to everything from an inability to apply excise stamps to expansion issues.

Meanwhile, cannabis shortages are prevalent across Canada. Within the first day of legal sales, weed was growing scarce in all parts of the country, and now some retail shops are only open part-time or even closed altogether. This drought is the result of pot stores receiving only about 40 percent of the marijuana they initially ordered, according to a recent report from Market Watch.

Other cannabis producers could have perhaps pulled Canada out of the pinch, but they were too focused on supplying other markets. Aurora Cannabis CEO Terry Booth told the new source that Canada’s “medical market and the European market fetch us more dough, full stop,” so it was not in a position to offer a rescue.

Still, Aurora is one of those companies dealing with production issues, and it’s looking at the big picture. The company recently went through two acquisitions, and it has its sights on running an operation that can churn out more than 1.5 million pounds of pot annually. It is presently doing around 220,000 pounds.

But one of the most logical reasons that the Canadian cannabis market is suffering lackluster results is the government did not give the market enough time to prepare.

Before cannabis was legalized for recreational use, all of the cannabis firms were set up to service the nation’s medical marijuana market. Most are still busy expanding facilities to take on the projected weight of the recreational trade, which has made it difficult to produce enough weed to meet the demand. Even with the Canadian government bringing on more licensed growers over the summer to help avoid this situation, it still wasn’t enough to prevent a disastrous roll-out.

But the supply and demand will eventually catch up. It will get better. And the good news is there is no real shortage of marijuana in Canada—only a deficiency in the legally produced stuff. The black market is still booming and will likely continue to do so until the legal sector can get its act together.

‘Hurricane’ Meghan Markle Texts Employees At 5 AM; Jaden Smith Reaffirms His Boyfriend: ‘It’s True’

Naughty Gossip
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‘Hurricane’ Meghan Markle Texts Employees At 5 AM; Jaden Smith Reaffirms His Boyfriend: ‘It’s True’

Jaden Smith Reaffirms His Boyfriend: ‘It’s True’

“I recently said that Tyler, the Creator is my boyfriend, and that’s true. So, just so you know,” he said.

Jaden made headlines earlier this week, after appearing to share the relationship news at Camp Flog Gnaw on Sunday night. While praising the rapper on stage, Jaden got real about his feelings for Tyler.

“I just want to say Tyler, the Creator is the best friend in the world and I love him so f**king much,” Jaden said. “And I want to tell you guys something. I want to tell you. Tyler doesn’t want to say, but Tyler’s my mother f**king boyfriend, and he’s been my mother f**king boyfriend my whole f**king life. Tyler, the Creator is my f**king boyfriend. It’s true.”

A video of Jaden’s speech panned over to Tyler, who was seen shaking his head and seemingly denying Jaden’s comments.

Though he briefly mentioned Tyler on Friday, Jaden more openly discussed his past relationship with girlfriend Odessa Aldon.

“I did really f**k up in my relationship with Odessa, and this song is kind of like me being like, ‘Yo, I’m sorry,’ because I am sorry, and I’ve already said sorry to her a million times, but this is me saying sorry to her again,” he said of his song, “Fallen Part Two.” “That’s what this song is. It’s kind of sad, high key. I made this in Hawaii, and I was sad.”

“Hurricane” Meghan texts employees at 5 am!

The Queen is said to have expressed surprise that Meghan, a divorcee, wore quite such a white dress for her wedding – an elegant boat-necked creation from fashion house Givenchy. But then the future Duchess of Sussex was always going to do it (or more pertinently wear it) her own way. It’s a boldness that has led to unease among some courtiers. ‘Meghan is being told she needs to start dressing less like a Hollywood star and more like a Royal,’ a source from one of the fashion teams which has visited Kensington Palace told The Mail on Sunday.

Meghan wears black and the Queen is shook. Meghan has “a penchant for non-British designers or her fondness for wearing black – traditionally worn by Royals only to signify mourning. No-one gave that memo to Meghan, who in August not only wore a black tuxedo to a special performance of the musical Hamilton, but caused a further frisson by displaying bare legs a good few inches above the knee. It is said this rebellious spirit has resulted in raised eyebrows from the Queen, who is a stickler for the rules.

Hurricane Meghan failed to wear a hat! While the Queen and Meghan are understood to have a warm relationship, a degree of tension was reported between the pair during their trip to Runcorn, Cheshire, in June. Meghan declined to wear a hat after apparently failing to understand that when the Queen’s aides informed her the Queen would be wearing one, that meant Meghan should follow suit.

Meghan texts her aides, how shocking. Six or seven a day – that’s the number of texts the new Duchess of Sussex sends to palace aides with ideas and requests. She’s an early riser, up at 5am rain or shine, and it is said palace staff have never experienced anything remotely like Meghan’s formidable work ethic, matched only by the incessant stream of ideas about how to shape her role. Quite aside from her publicised engagements, Meghan has been conducting a series of ‘undercover’ missions to meet the British people, particularly those associated with good causes. Well-meaning as she is, her particular brand of ‘up and at ’em’ West Coast energy is an uncomfortable fit with the more formal ethos of some palace staff.

[From The Daily Mail]

‘Living Paycheck To Paycheck!’ Angelina Jolie Is ‘Cash-Strapped’

Cash-strapped Angelina Jolie Opens is living paycheck to paycheck, even though she’s a multi-millionaire!

A-lister is “desperate” for Maleficent 2 to wrap so she can collect the full installment of her $25 million fee, claimed a source.

Jolie’s decision to pause her acting career to focus on directing has said to have left a “gaping hole in her wallet.”

“Maleficent 2 is her first blockbuster role in years and she’s currently searching for another big movie to star in as a follow-up,” the informant dished exclusively to Radar. “Her days of taking a five-year break from acting at a time are over, simply because she won’t be able to continue to afford her family’s lifestyle if she does.”

The actress realized dreams can’t fund her ritzy way of life. “Directing is Angie’s passion but those projects have only made her a couple of million in total.”

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