Archive for February, 2008
SURABAYA (Antara): Fourteen foreign teams have confirmed their participation in the 2008 Tour de East Java cycling race in April, a race official said Wednesday.
Race organizer Harijanto Tjondrokusumo said the 14participating teams came from Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Netherlands and Qatar.
Among the participating teams are Mes Kerman of Iran,Marcopolo of China, Seoul City of South Korea and Skil Shimano of Netherlands.
“A Japanese team has even sent the names of their cyclists and their flight schedule,” he said.
He said the race organizer had turned away some foreign teams seeking to take part in the race, but did not elaborate. (***)
Source: The Jakarta Post
February 28th, 2008
SURABAYA - Sudah lama pasar tanaman hias dikuasai tumbuhan semacam anthurium, adenium, aglonema, atau sansivera. Kini hati penikmat tanaman hias terpikat kehadiran pakis monyet, sebentuk tanaman berbulu berwarna kecokelatan. Tanaman itu memang lucu dan unik. Namun, tak banyak yang tahu bahwa penjualan pakis monyet dinaungi isu penipuan dan perusakan alam.
“Saya sebenarnya tahu adanya larangan pengambilan pakis monyet di hutan. Tapi, kami kan cuma kulak dari seseorang. Jadi, jangan kami yang disalahkan,” kata Rizal Bajrie, pemilik stan tanaman yang kini sedang berpameran di pelataran Balai Pemuda.
Dalam pameran tersebut, pakis monyet memang mencuri perhatian. Betapa tidak, bentuknya aneh. Hanya serupa bonggol berbulu cokelat keemasan seperti monyet. Tak heran, tanaman bernama latin Cibotium barometz itu disebut pakis monyet. Ada juga yang menyebut sebagai ayam emas, pakis emas, bahkan pakis Sun Go Kong. Karena laris, harganya cukup mahal. Yaitu, Rp 100 ribu-Rp 200 ribu untuk tanaman berdiameter sekitar 20 sentimeter. Beberapa tanaman pun didandani cukup cantik dengan disisir dan diberi hiasan mata.
Sebenarnya, beberapa pembeli pakis monyet sempat mengeluh. Meski dirawat secara baik, tanaman tersebut hanya bertahan sekitar satu bulan. “Setelah itu, bulunya rontok dan tiba-tiba mati,” kata Fani, warga Waru, Sidoarjo, yang kepincut membeli pakis monyet sekitar dua bulan lalu.
Beberapa sumber menuliskan bahwa bagian berbulu yang elok itu sebenarnya adalah tunas tanaman pakis yang tumbuh di hutan. Tunas tersebut tumbuh bersama induknya. Ketika masih berbentuk tunas, pakis diselimuti bulu cokelat. Saat itu, tunas tersebut direnggut dan diperjualbelikan. Akhirnya, tunas tersebut berumur pendek. Batang induknya pun membusuk dan mati.
Karena itu, kini kian banyak kampanye yang melarang jual beli bonggol berbulu tersebut. Tetapi, pedagang tetap bergeming. “Kami cuma kulak,” tegas Rizal. Dia mengaku tak pernah dikomplain pembeli. Selain itu, dia mengaku punya tanaman berusia 5 bulan yang masih baik-baik saja. Di stan itu, Rizal mengaku mengambil stok 15 tanaman. “Kini sudah tujuh yang laku,” ujarnya.
Selain pakis monyet, di pameran tersebut hadir pula simbar. Bentuk dan warna tanaman hias itu menyerupai pakis monyet. Keduanya berbulu cokelat. Tapi, batang daun simbar saling melengkung ke dalam hingga lebih menyerupai gumpalan. Tidak seperti pakis monyet, tanaman asal Sulawesi tersebut memiliki daun di sela-sela gundukan lengkungannya. Karena mirip, harganya pun tidak jauh berbeda. “Satunya Rp 150.000, tidak mahal,” ujar Ananda Gideon Saputra, pedagang simbar, di stan Montana miliknya. (ken/dos)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
February 27th, 2008
BARONGSAI dan liang-liong sungguh tidak bisa dipisahkan dari pria berkacamata yang satu ini. Chandra Wuriyanto, kepala Yayasan Senopati, KSHK, Lima Naga, dan Dharma Mulya, adalah seorang pencinta kesenian Tiongkok sejati. Hingga kini, di rumahnya terdapat 20 barongsai dari berbagai negara.
“Kalau untuk koleksi barongsai, saya rela berkeliling dunia,” ungkapnya.
Masalah harga pun tidak menjadi pertimbangan bagi salah seorang tokoh kesenian Tionghoa Surabaya itu. Mulai barongsai senilai Rp 2 juta hingga puluhan juta ada dalam jajaran koleksi kesayangannya.
Meski semua kesayangan, ada satu barongsai yang paling difavoritkan pria yang pernah menjadi pemain barongsai saat muda itu. Barongsai seberat 1,8 kg adalah favoritnya. “Itu adalah barongsai teringan di dunia. Saya membelinya ketika ada kejuaraan dunia barongsai di RRT,” ujarnya bangga.
Selain barongsai, Chandra punya kegemaran lain. Yakni, mengarungi kolam renang. Itu dia lakukan tiap hari. Sebagai pengusaha dan pengurus yayasan, kesibukan Chandra seakan tidak ada habisnya. Tapi, dia selalu menyediakan waktu satu setengah jam setiap hari untuk memenuhi hobi tersebut. Dia juga sanggup menempuh 1.000 meter tanpa henti.
Agar tidak lupa, dia pun selalu menyediakan kostum renang di mobilnya. “Saya punya empat setel baju renang, jadi selalu siap kapan saja,” ujarnya lantas tersenyum. (ken/dos)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
February 26th, 2008
SURABAYA - Hujan deras yang mengguyur Surabaya tadi malam, tak menyurutkan semangat peserta parade 1. 000 lampion. Acara yang digelar dalam rangkan merayakan Cap Go Meh itu diselenggarakan Paguyuban Masyarakat Tionghoa Indonesia (PMTI) Surabaya dan didukung JTV.
Sekitar 1.300 orang dengan masing-masing satu lampion di tangan, tampak bersemangat menyusuri rute yang telah ditentukan. Diberangkatkan oleh Preskom JTV Imawan Mashuri dan Kapolwiltabes Surabaya Kombes Pol Anang Iskandar dari Jalan Kembang Jepun, peserta menyusuri Jalan Veteran, Gemblongan, Jalan Tunjungan, Jalan Gubernur Suryo, dan berakhir di Taman Surya.
Karena hujan cukup lebat, penonton yang sudah banyak berdiri di pinggir jalan, sempat semburat dan mencari tempat berteduh. Nyala lampion pun banyak yang mati karena basah dan korslet. Meski demikian, hal itu tak menyurutkan semangat peserta untuk menuntaskan perjalanan hingga garis finish.
Bukan hanya parade lampion, atraksi sepuluh barongsai, tiga liang-liong, dan tiga reog Ponorogo ikut memeriahkan acara tersebut. Pesertanya juga bukan hanya anak muda, tapi orang tua, anak-anak, bahkan ibu-ibu rumah tangga.
Liem Ou Yen, Ketua Koordinator Paguyuban Masyarakat Tionghoa Surabaya (PMTS) menyatakan rasa salutnya terhadap peserta parade tersebut. Menurut dia, semangat itu membuat peserta tak menghiraukan halangan cuaca. “Sebenarnya, sejak kumpul di Kya-Kya sudah gerimis. Tapi, saya lihat peserta masih semangat,” kata Ou Yen.
Semangat itu pula yang menurut Ou Yen membuat peserta terus berjalan hingga finis. “Tidak ada yang berhenti di tengah jalan. Semua sampai selesai,” katanya.
Ou Yen mengatakan, hujan di bulan Cia Gwee, bulan pertama penanggalan Tiongkok, memang wajar. Sebagian orang menghubungkan hujan saat masa tahun baru Imlek sebagai kelimpahan rezeki. “Memang ada yang percaya bahwa hujan yang turun berarti turunnya berkah,” kata pria baby face itu.(ken/dee/ita
Source: Jawa Pos Online
February 25th, 2008
Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya
Classical music encourages good health and exercises the brain. It is also relatively easy to learn and offers career opportunities with salaries as high as a politician’s — or so says Solomon Tong, 68, the conductor of the Surabaya Symphony Orchestra.
As a variety of experts have revealed, playing or listening to classical music has been linked to effective brain development. Unsurprisingly, the news has pushed pregnant women around the world into a Mozart craze, often tending to their daily chores with walkmans attached.
But Solomon is not particularly concerned about the positive effects of this musical genre on the brain, although he is well aware of the widely publicized findings of psychologists.
“I simply love it,” said the conductor, who has 55 years of experience in classical music.
Solomon has been popularizing classical music actively in the country’s second largest city of Surabaya, East Java, since 1957.
With the end of Dutch rule in the 1940s, ownership of Surabaya’s Youth Center Building — which had served previously as a Dutch dance hall — was transferred to the city government. In 1957, the Surabaya Music Association (PMS) began using the center for its orchestral concerts.
Around 1958, when the PMS was headed by Suryo Sumarwoto — who replaced Slamet Abdul Sjukur, a Surabaya musician who studied art in France — the East Java capital became the hub for concerts staged by Jakarta’s classical musicians, which led to the increasing popularity of this refined music.
Despite the dissolution of the PMS in 1966, today, Surabaya has about 6,000 violin players, with thousands of classical music fans.
Though it might have no relation to kung-fu, the serene and elegant style of classical musicians can be likened to the supple movement of Tai Chi masters.
Playing or listening to classical pieces, according to Solomon, does not require any jumping around or hip shaking like rock music or dangdut. Musicians need only be conversant with musicality, tonality and other aspects of technique they have learned to stage their performances.
Notwithstanding their tranquil appearance, both the conductor and musicians must be capable of synchronizing their physicality and mental acumen.
As a conductor, Solomon guides musical rhythm, harmonizes tones, direct all players and is generally immersed in the compositions performed.
“So it really makes us healthy to be engaged in classical music,” he pointed out, adding that in order to enjoy a concert, the audience should remain quiet and dedicate a high level concentration to it.
Classical music audiences do not munch food or drink carbonated beverages when a concert is in progress.
At a recent Christmas concert, a young fan said the occasion was “right for losing weight and encouraging greater affection from my lover”.
Solomon stressed that it was not difficult to learn classical music. However, it requires patience and perseverance to achieve a good command of the music — he said it takes a maximum of 15 years to become a professional player.
“Persistent exercise with discipline is the key to success,” said Solomon.
Of the dozens of classical music schools that exist in cities across Indonesia, Surabaya alone has 30 schools, including the Surabaya Symphony Orchestra (SSO) school located on Jl. Gentengkali 15.
Founded in 1996, the SSO has 300 registered students, 60 percent of whom are studying the violin, with the rest studying the piano, woodwinds and vocals.
They may also pursue ranking through examinations organized by the Association Board of Royal Schools of Music in London.
“Music school fees range from Rp 300,000 to Rp 500,000 a month,” said Solomon.
As for instruments, a good violin may cost over Rp 10 million, but a standard violin is still cheaper than a PlayStation II or automobile modifications at about Rp 600,000.
A piano costs as much as a laptop, and prices range from Rp 5 million to Rp 20 million.
Diligent students keen on deepening their skills and knowledge of classical music have an opportunity to become music teachers or professional musicians — occupations that provide a considerable income, sometimes as high as the salary of a House of Representatives member.
According to Solomon’s tips, those interested in becoming a “Mozart of Indonesia” must have great discipline, determination and high zeal in musical studies. As instructors and parents, they must be able to provide sufficient support to encourage the interest of their students and children.
Source: The Jakarta Post
February 25th, 2008
JAKARTA, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) — A group of Indonesian mining experts and public figures have launched an attempt to stop the mudflow in the East Java town of Sidoarjo that has swallowed 11 villages and thousands of houses since it erupted in May 2006.
ﾃつﾃつﾃつﾃつThe group said it would use relief well technology to stop the mudflow, and conduct fund-raising activities to finance the project, local newspaper The Jakarta Post reported Friday.
ﾃつﾃつﾃつﾃつRudi Rubiandini, a drilling expert of the Bandung Institute of Technology, said that by drilling a relief well to get to the source of the mudflow, which lies at a depth of 2,000 to 3,000 meters, they would be able to plug the source.
ﾃつﾃつﾃつﾃつHe said the source could be destroyed by injecting mud with higher specific gravity and channeling the hot salty water, which produces mud after mixing with clay, to the earth’s surface via the relief well.
ﾃつﾃつﾃつﾃつAnother possible solution is to explode layers around the source to close the crack from which the water flows, he added.
ﾃつﾃつﾃつﾃつ”Such a method requires six months of preparations, but will effectively destroy the mudflow source within three hours,” said Rudi, who is also the former head of the independent team investigating the mudflow.
ﾃつﾃつﾃつﾃつHe said the effort would cost between 50 million and 70 million U.S. dollars.
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english
February 22nd, 2008
SURABAYA - Cap Go Meh atau tanggal 15 pada bulan Cia Gwee dalam sistem penanggalan Tiongkok selalu diperingati secara meriah oleh warga Tionghoa. Kemeriahan Cap Go Meh itulah yang juga terasa di beberapa kelenteng di Surabaya.
Di Tempat Ibadah Tri Dharma (TITD) Hong San Ko Tee, misalnya. Sekitar 200 umat mengunjungi kelenteng di Jalan Cokroaminoto tersebut. Tepat pukul 12.00, suhu Jhonny Hu memimpin doa di tempat ibadah yang juga disebut Kelenteng Cokro itu.
Dalam doa tersebut, permohonan kebahagiaan dipanjatkan. “Kebahagiaan sehari-hari, rumah tangga, penghasilan, kesehatan, dan usia panjang,” ujar Jhonny dalam doanya.
Yang bersembahyang kemarin bukan hanya umat Kelenteng Cokro. “Siapa pun boleh datang,” kata Juliani, pemimpin kelenteng.
Setelah sembahyang, sekotak lontong Cap Go Meh disediakan untuk umat. “Kira-kira seperti Lebaran ketupat,” jelas Juliani.
Menurut dia, makan lontong bersama tersebut juga punya makna. “Tanda kesuburan dan kesenangan karena bisa berkumpul,” tegasnya.
Dalam dialek Tiongkok Selatan, Cap Go Meh diartikan sebagai malam kelima belas. Itu adalah hari terakhir rangkaian kemeriahan tahun baru Imlek. Salah satu ciri khas perayaan tersebut adalah adanya pertunjukan liang-liong dan barongsai. Di Kelenteng Cokro kemarin, liang-liong dimainkan oleh sepuluh wanita berbaju merah. Para ibu itu terlihat bersemangat memainkan naga raksasa tersebut.
Barongsai ditampilkan di Kelenteng Pak Kik Bio-Hian Thian Siang Tee, Jalan Jagalan. “Untuk menolak bala,” ujar Surya Ajie, ketua umum kelenteng.
Dia berharap bangsa Indonesia dibebaskan dari marabahaya. Bencana alam di Indonesia juga berkurang. “Gemah ripah loh jinawi,” ujarnya.
Surya juga mengharapkan umat tidak lagi mementingkan diri sendiri, tapi juga kepentingan seluruh umat. (dee/dos)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
February 22nd, 2008
Rip Curl GromSearch
Rip Curl GromSearch 2008 Lights Up Pacitan in East Javaﾃつﾃつﾃつ > Indonesian below
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 20 February, 2008 : - -ﾃつThe Search for Indonesiaﾃ｢竄ｬ邃｢s best grommet began on Sunday the 10th of November in the scenic coastal town of Pacitan in East Java, which just happens to be the birthplace the current president of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
On the Saturday before it was raining and cloud for much of the day, but on Sunday morning the sun poked through the clouds and lit up the white sand beach for a great day of surfing and fun for the 28 grommets and the local people who had never witnessed such an event before.
The kids started lining up at the Rip Curl tent before 7 am, amped and ready to put on their jerseys and paddle out in the 1-2 foot surf.ﾃつ With the semi-clear skies and small but glassy surf, it was perfect grom conditions.ﾃつ And for many of them it was their very first contest experience!
The contest got started around 7:30 am with the Under 14ﾃ｢竄ｬ邃｢s.ﾃつ Local ripper Sapri, sporting a fresh Mohawk hairdo, raced to the lead to declare his dominance over his home break.ﾃつ But at the end of the day he had to battle it out with Made Butut, who had made the 12-hour trip to Pacitan from Pangandaran on Thursday.
Though Sapri ended up taking the runner up spot to Butut, he got the most cheers from the crowd for every wave he took.ﾃつ Butut, though smaller of stature, was on fire, gouging ﾃ｢竄ｬﾅ澱igﾃ｢竄ｬﾂ cutbacks and lofting floaters on his way to victory.
The Under 16ﾃ｢竄ｬ邃｢s saw the two top spots also going to two kids from Pangandaran, with Agustina clearly displaying both talent and experience.ﾃつ His wave selection and technique got him top points and the top spot on the podium.ﾃつ Taking second was Ahmad Taufik, chasing Agustina but just not able to get that one big maneuver that would put him ahead.
An exciting new addition to the usual two boys divisions was the unprecedented Girls Division.ﾃつ During the signup it was discovered that Pacitan is the hotbed of girls surfing in Indonesia, with four brave young girls really getting into the sport.ﾃつ Young Salina cleaned up, taking first place in her division as well as winning in the Expression Session for Best Wave Selection.
In addition to the surfing a Sand Art competition and at the end of the day a Trash Collection competition were held. The winners received all kinds of cool Rip Curl products for their efforts.
During a break for lunch, the crowd was treated to a tow-in session where they could see Rip Curl Team riders Pepen Hendrik, Made ﾃ｢竄ｬﾅ敵arutﾃ｢竄ｬﾂ Widiartha, and Yoga ﾃ｢竄ｬﾅ溺egaﾃ｢竄ｬﾂ Semadhi do some airs and big slashes.ﾃつ Afterwards many of the kids came up to the riders and got them to sign their surfboards and even their clothes.
It was the first time most of the kids had ever seen pro surfers other than in a magazine, so it was a real treat for them.ﾃつ In addition, they all got copies of SurfTime magazine, MagicWave surf newspaper, and a booklet from GUS about how to care for their environment.
Not only receiving goody bags full of cool Rip Curl products, the winners of the Under 14 and Under 16 received a free Trip to Bali to surf in the GromSearch National Finals at Kuta Beach in October.ﾃつ And the overall winner of the Indonesian GromSearch series in the Under 16 division will get a trip to Australia in 2009 to compete in the World GromSearch finals at Bells Beach.
Rip Curl would like to thank all the crew at Pacitan as well as sponsors All Seasons Hotel, Balin Wax, Dakine, Light Surfboards, GUS, ISC SurfTime, MagicWave, and Trax for their support of the Rip Curl GromSearch 2008. The next GromSearch event will be at Kuta on the island of Lombok on March 23rd, so all you groms get signed up now and weﾃ｢竄ｬ邃｢ll see you there!
Contest Results
Under 14
1. Made Butut (Pangandaran)
2. Supriﾃつ (Pacitan)
3. Agung (Pangandaran)
4. Ivan Putra (Pangandaran)
Under 16
1. Agustina (Pangandaran)
2. Ahmad Taufik (Pangandaran)
3. Hambali (Pacitan)
4. Suprianto (Pacitan)
Girls Division
1. Salina (Pacitan)
2. Anisa (Pacitan)
3. Lisa (Pacitan)
4. Wilda (Pacitan)
Expression Session
Best Trick:
Agus Gitar (Pacitan)
Best Wave Selection:
Salina (Pacitan)
www.ripcurl.com
Source: http://www.globalsurfnews.com/
February 21st, 2008
The politics of the mudflow have become even, well, muddier, recently. The latest news to bubble up from the dark depths of the containment dams is that a House of Representatives special team has suggested Sidoarjo, East Java, last seen sinking beneath several meters of ooze, be declared the site of a natural disaster.
The team, consisting of 29 legislators from various parties, somewhat surprisingly believes that the mudflow that has submerged hundreds of hectares of villages and rice fields in the area is in fact the work of nature and not the fault of PT Lapindo Brantas, from whose gas exploration well the original flow burst forth.
This belief goes against a widely held opinion that the mudflow is the result of careless drilling work by Lapindo Brantas, a company controlled by the political well-connected Bakrie family, the head of which is none other than Aburizal Bakrie, coordinating minister for the people’s welfare.
Unsurprisingly, the recommendation from the House team has resulted in some public outcry, particularly from the people whose homes, businesses and rice fields in Sidoarjo are now a few meters deep in volcanic mud.
They hit the streets in their thousands on Tuesday to protest against the announcement and demand that the government and Lapindo fulfill their commitment to pay compensation to them.
With such public pressure and massive media coverage, the House in its plenary session on Tuesday could do little but reject the team’s recommendation.
We are relieved by the House’s decisions, but we keep wondering how those 29 legislators arrived at the conclusion that the mudflow in Sidoarjo, which began in late May 2006, was the result of an earthquake in Yogyakarta — about 250 kilometers away — a few days earlier. And why bring this technical issue into a political arena?
Already, of course, there is talk that money might have been involved. It is not impossible that the legislators were acting not on their own consciences but on behalf of those with deep pockets.
The Corruption Eradication Commission is currently investigating a case involving the payment of millions of dollars by Bank Indonesia to some legislators, something which only strengthens suspicions that money might also be involved in this case.
But what would happen if the mudflow were declared a natural disaster, and who would benefit?
Declaring it a natural disaster would have significant consequences, especially for the government and the victims, as well as for Lapindo Brantas and the Bakrie family.
If the government were to accept the proposal, it would mean it would have to bear all the costs, including compensation owed to the thousands of victims.
A 2007 president regulation requires Lapindo Brantas to pay compensation to the victims, totaling around Rp 3.2 trillion (US$335 million), which the company has agreed to do, while the government itself will repair damaged infrastructure, to the tine of about Rp 3 trillion.
So far Lapindo has paid compensation to most of the victims, but only for 20 percent of their lost assets. It has promised to pay the remaining 80 percent in two years, although whether this will happen is anyone’s guess.
The House special team’s suggestion has only raised suspicious and confirmed people’s anxiety that Lapindo is trying to shift the burden of the remaining costs to the government.
We believe that the issue at stake here is more than just paying compensation to the victims. Justice must be upheld and the truth behind the mudflow needs to be revealed.
The government is right to not even entertain the team’s recommendation and instead wait for a permanent court resolution on the matter, which may take some time to complete.
However, if the government wanted to get things done quickly, it could just listen to the verdict of the Central Jakarta District Court last year in a civil case against Lapindo.
The court essentially declared the mudflow the result of negligence in drilling work being conducted by Lapindo Brantas.
But the government declined to use the verdict as a basis for its treatment of the mudflow, instead announcing it would wait for the verdict in the criminal case built against Lapindo by the East Java Police.
But this case appears to be as deeply stuck in the mud as the rest of Sidoarjo, and we haven’t heard much about it lately. It’s time for the government to remind the police of their duties and to get cracking on the case again.
It might be a chance to find out what really lies underneath the mud.
Source: The Jakarta Post
February 20th, 2008
SURABAYA - Tema Imlek dan Valentine mendominasi suasana fashion show yang dilangsungkan di Atrium Supermall Surabaya kemarin (18/2). Sepuluh model dari Jakarta dan Surabaya memeragakan busana karya tiga perancang Surabaya, Alben, Charles Sie, dan Clerian.
“Meski sudah berlalu, nuansa Imlek tetap ada,” ujar Nanik Prasetya, pemimpin Nikﾃ｢竄ｬ邃｢s Karamasu International Talent School, penyelenggara acara.
Nuansa Imlek itu terasa dari tata panggung yang didominasi merah dan kuning keemasan serta beberapa hiasan Tiongkok.
Top model Indonesia Karenina tampil cantik memeragakan buasana karya tiga perancang tersebut secara bergantian. Dia memeragakan busana rancangan Clerian berwarna putih tulang dan rancangan Alben warna keemasan.
Busana hasil rancangan Clerian membuat si pemakai terlihat lebih muda serta terkesan energik. Berbeda dari rancangan Alben yang terlihat lebih feminin. Kedua busana tersebut merupakan busana Valentine.
Suasana makin meriah karena para undangan mengenakan dress code putih. Ditambah, hiburan tari-tarian Tiongkok. Artis ibu kota Eddies Adelia tampil sebagai host. (dee/nw)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
February 19th, 2008
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