UN Sec Gen Says Temple MT was Jewish

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

On Friday morning newly elected UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres spoke on Israeli Radio. He wanted to make perfectly clear that it is clearly understood that the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem on top of the mountain which is today called the Temple Mount.

This is Guterres' quote: "completely clear that the Temple that the Romans destroyed in Jerusalem was a Jewish Temple."

Since that very moment Palestinian leadership and media have exploded in condemnation of the UN Secretary General. They are claiming that the Secretary General does not know history.

The entire debate is ridiculous. The Palestinians are trying to rewrite history and erase historical fact.
Historical facts are not open to debate. Those who dare to make up history should be put in their place.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Israel Happy About Trump's Wall

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

At least one company is very happy about President Trump's declaration to build a wall.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu posted a tweet that wall works and that building a wall is a good idea. He tweeted that it works in Israel and has kept Israel safe.

Magal Security Systems is the main company that built the smart wall in Israel and they are lobbying to help build the wall in America. Magal's American counterpart is called Senstar.

Senstar is scheduled to show off their FiberPatrol system in Alexandria, VA on January 31st at a conference on border security. Homeland Security and other agencies will be present at the conference.

The FiberPatrol system embeds fiber-optic sensors along fences. The system is already in place in airport perimeters across America.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Terrorists Hacking Police

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Terrorists have begun hacking the police who monitor them.

In a twist of convention - the hunted is now hunting the hunter. Australian anti-terror police have made public that they have discovered a list of their own security forces and details about them on the computers of terrorists.

In the past terrorists and hackers, especially hacktavists, have made public names and details of police and government leaders.

The interesting twist is that ISIS is not known for hacking. This is true despite their highly advanced use of media and encryption in communication. Media and encryption is fairly easy - just follow directions to post and stay safe.

Hacking is far more complex.
Hacking requires skills.

We now know that terrorists in Australia want to hack and are trying to hack - but we do not know how successful they were in actually gaining access and information.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Gaza Lacks Water & Electric

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:
Maybe you've heard of the Electricity Intifada. It is the conflict in Gaza being waged between the people and the leadership of Hamas. Youth in Gaza are up in arms that there is not enough electricity. It is the middle of the cold, wet, winter and there is not enough heat or even light for the people living in Gaza.

Many homes are lit with candles.

As if the lack of electricity was not enough, now we are seeing another dangerous crisis emerging.
There is not enough fresh water to drink in Gaza.

The aquifer that services Gaza has been contaminated by sewage and the water is not drinkable. Only two of the three desalination stations are functioning and they are not producing enough drinking water.

Contamination sewage needs to be filtered before it can be released into the water system and Gazans are still waiting for at least two large desalination facilities that are being built by the EU and the UN to be completed.

Life in Gaza was never good, now it's even worse.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Obama Jabs At Bibi Again

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

No doubt about it - Obama was giving a parting jab to Netanyahu.

On Friday morning, as everyone prepared for the inauguration of the 45th president, literally seconds before Donald Trump was sworn into office, Obama sent $221 million to the Palestinians.

Two Congressmen intervened and stopped the money, at least for now.

What possessed Barack Obama to do this at a time when almost every single person in DC would be occupied by the pomp circumstance of the inauguration? Did he think nobody would pay attention?

Thankfully two Congressmen, Ed Royce (D-CA) and Kay Granger (R-TX) were paying attention. And someone else, in the State Department, noticed it as well.

The Congressmen had no legal means with which to stop the payment - but tradition has permitted them the power to stop these payments. Obama's people have justified his action, the last minute move, the secrecy, saying that the money was already approved by Congress in 2015 and 2016.

Any way you look at it, this move was Obama's last minute attempt to hurt Israel and Netanyahu.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Leader of Protests Sympathizes w Terror

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Most of us have never heard of Linda Sarsour.

She was one of the chief organizers of the massive rallies that took place the day after the Presidential inauguration. Sarsour is, without a doubt, a supporter of terror. She has tweeted about both a friend and her brother who are serving long prison sentences in Israel for recruiting mass murderers/terrorists.
Sarsour tweeted "nothing is creepier than Zionism."

Linda Sarsour is the executive director of the Arab America Association of New York.
The mission statement of the organization states, "the heightened sense of fear and the acts of blatant discrimination aimed at [the Muslim] community."

On May 12, 2015 she tweeted her support for Islamic law: "You'll know when you're living under Sharia Law if suddenly all your loans & credit cards become interest free. Sound [sic] nice, doesn't it?"

Does nobody find it unusual that someone with such strong anti-
establishment feeling would be a central figure in a movement that professes to speak for mainstream America.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com

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Computer Virus Hits Saudi Oil

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Shamoon 2 has hit Saudi Arabia and its oil industry.

Shamoon 2 is a variant of the original Shamoon virus of 2012. The original virus shut down 35,000 Saudi computers within the Saudi oil industry, including Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia.

The virus literally brought Saudi oil production to a halt.
Speculation was that the virus was created and run out of Iran. That speculation makes sense.

And now again, from November 2016 thru December and into January of this year, an almost identical virus has been found in Saudi oil computers.

The virus strikes the host computer and quickly spreads throughout the entire network. Shamoon then relays all information and all documents back to the attacker and then destroys them on the host's own network.

Finally the virus overwrites the master boot record of the infected computer. Once the overwrite is completed, the infected computer cannot be turned on. The entire system is defunct and the files are no longer there.

This is a very powerful and very destructive virus. Anti-virus companies are all working overtime to isolate, counter and protect against this virus.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com

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Russia's Pivot in Syria

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Over the past month Russia has moved from being an actor in Syria, securing Assad's position and control, to being a mediator in Syria, trying to establish a ceasefire.

It's a hard shift, but it can be done. However - the Assad regime and the Iranians are not happy with this new role Russia has assumed. They want Russia to stay firmly on the side of Assad.

The rebels fighting Assad have no delusions that Russia is on their side. They also know that Russia has the power to influence Iran and Assad which means that a ceasefire could be in everyone's best interest.

Syria and Iran do not understand Russia. Russia is not turning its back on them, rather, the Russians are advancing their vision. In order to confront Russia, Iran and Syria need to first understand why Russia is interested in changing their established role and becoming, at the same time, a mediator and a bomber of ISIS and al Qaeda.

When they find that answer, they can try to confront Russia and influence their policy. But not before they have found the answer.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com

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Hamas Thinking

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Hamas member of Parliament Marwan Abu Ras gave a sermon in a mosque recently that illustrates just how radical Hamas beliefs are.

Abu Ras said that Jews recruited prostitutes into the army "in order to lure Arabs into their traps," and further added that Jewish leaders sent "AIDS-infected girls to fornicate with Muslim youths."

He said: "My brothers, have patience. Victory is coming soon, Allah willing". He continued: "Their state is about to disappear. We do not know exactly how this will happen, but we know what our Lord and our Prophet have told us. The time for miracles is almost upon us".

"My brothers, know that people, stones, and trees all hate [the Jews]. Everyone on Earth hates this filthy nation, a nation extrinsic to Mankind. This fact was elucidated by the Quran and the Sunna."

"Oh Allah, destroy the criminal Jews and those who help and support them, as well as those who engage in security coordination with them! Oh Allah, strike them with a resounding blow, for they are no match for You. Shake their entity and bring them down. Oh Allah, drive them out of our lands in submission and humiliation! Oh Allah, enable us to kill them!"

This is the true voice of Hamas. This is what Hamas is preaching to the masses.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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ISIS Using Social Media Headhunters

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

The head of Germany's domestic terror unit said that ISIS has been utilizing social media headhunters for recruiting purposes and that they have signed up children as young as 13 and 14 years old.

Social media recruiters use Facebook, Instagram and other new media. They use an algorithm to identify people who might be prime for ISIS. The next step is to send the potential recruits to ISIS recruiters to snap up the kids and send them off to join ISIS.

This is one of the most serious dangers of social media and the algorithm. Information in the wrong hands becomes a danger for all others.

Micah@MicahHalpern,com 

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Russia & Turkey Unite to Bomb ISIS

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Russia and Turkey coordinated air strikes against ISIS yesterday. Their attack was on the town of al Bab about 30 miles northeast of Aleppo.

This is the first time that there has been a coordinated air-force effort between these two nations.

It seems that the Russians have also provided air support for Assad's forces in Dir el Zor.

Russian fighter jets also bombed outside of Palmyra. The Russians were defending the Assad forces who were squaring off against ISIS. The fear was that ISIS will once again loot and blow up the remains of the ancient city.

Russia has trimmed its air fleet, so working together with Turkey bolsters the Russians air-force presence.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Pole Pres Put Stone from Warsaw on Jerusalem Grave

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

The president of Poland, Andrzej Duda, is visiting Israel. This is an important trip for both countries.

The Polish president asked to include a visit to Mt Herzl, Israel's national cemetery, on his official itinerary.

While at Mt. Herzl, Duda placed a stone on the grave of Yoni Netanyahu, the brother of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was killed in the famous July 4, 1976 operation saving Jews who were hijacked, kidnapped and brought to Uganda.

The Polish president knew of Yoni's story and brought a stone from the Warsaw ghetto to place on his gravesite. The symbolism is powerful - bravery and fighting against all odds.

The Warsaw ghetto uprising and the Uganda rescue are two of the most significant, elevating and mythic stories for Israelis - as a nation, as a people and as individual Jews and Israelis.

This was a very thoughtful and positive move on the part of President Duda and the people of Poland.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Russia Understands Israel

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Ever since Russia entered Syria in 2015 Israel and Russia, more specifically Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin, are in regular contact about Syria and other issues in the Middle East.

The essence of the dialogue is the shoring up of mutual interests. In this case that means that both sides stay away from each other and not fire upon each other.

Russia's allies in Syria include President Bashar Assad and his supporters Hezbollah and Iran. They are not happy that Russia not only understands but even supports Israel's actions and bombings in Syria.

Israel does not want Assad or Hezbollah or Iran or ISIS or al Qaeda in the Golan Heights. Russia respects Israel's need to protect itself.

Open lines of communication between Putin and Netanyahu are Russia's way of de-escalating potential conflict between Israel and Russia in the air or on the ground in Syria. That is very wise.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Iran & Its New Planes

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Passenger jets is the perfect symbol of Iran's move out of the doghouse and finding a place among the community of nations.

Both Airbus and Boeing have been competing for the huge prize of well over $130 billion in deals with Iran. Airbus represents one of the largest companies in France while Boeing symbolizes American corporations.

So far, the score is nearly even with Airbus just nosing out Boeing. Airbus now has a contract for 731 planes with Iran while Boeing has a deal for 668. This includes the 100 Airbus sold to Iran just after the sanctions were lifted.

These planes will open the doors for Iran. Tourism, trade, global interaction and much more will happen as these planes arrive in Iran and take their place in the new Iranian fleet.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Paris Conference

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

A conference on the future of peace in the Middle East is taking place in Paris today. It is said to be the only hope to save the two state solution.

The biggest problem with this conference is that the two major players - the Israelis and the Palestinians - are not there.

The sponsors of the conference want to develop a plan acceptable to both sides. This is the second meeting of the groups in the Paris Conference. The first meeting was earlier last year, this meeting was originally scheduled for December but was postponed because the Israelis and the Palestinians were not talking.

They're still not talking. So why now?

Because it is just days before Obama leaves the White House.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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US Sends Troops to Poland

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

The US sent troops into Poland. This is a direct check against Russia.

Soldiers and tanks crossed over into Poland from Germany. They crossed in the south western part of Poland and are now headquartered in the south western Polish city of Zagan.

Since the fall of communism in Poland in 1989 the Russians have been trying to influence and intimidate Poland. The Russians have never been happy about Poland's independence.

In addition, the Russians want to make certain that the US not become the main influencer in Poland.
The Russians went ballistic when the Poles permitted the US to set up anti-missile batteries in Poland.

Poland fears the influence of Russia. They do not want to be another Ukraine or Crimea.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Hamas & Israel Talk

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

An Arab Israeli newspaper has reported that Qatar is mediating between
Israel and Hamas in an effort to get back the bodies of two Israeli soldiers and the two Israelis (believed to still be alive) who were kidnapped after wandering over the border into Hamas controlled Gaza while walking on the beach.

The Qatari ambassador to the Palestinian Authority has been travelling back and forth to Gaza and is the conduit passing along messages.

The negotiations are slow to start. Hamas demanded the release of 60 prisoners who were released in the Gilad Shalit exchange - and then re-arrested on various terror charges.

Israel agreed - but only with the stipulation that the 60 to be expelled from Gaza or sent to Qatar.

Hamas rejected that condition.

According to the Arabic report, that is where the situation now languishes.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com

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Jordan Fires Imams

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Jordan's Ministry of Religious Affairs has fired fifteen Imams from their roles as leaders of mosques. Seven additional Imams are being disciplined.

The reason behind these disciplinary actions is the decision by these religious figures to refuse to pray for the recovery of the Jordanians and tourists who were wounded in terror attacks by ISIS on December 18th and 20th. In addition to those who were wounded, eleven Jordanian soldiers, two Jordanian civilians and a Canadian civilian were killed in the attacks.

The five ISIS terrorist perpetrators were also killed.

This incident illustrates just how fragile the situation is in Jordan. Jordanian leadership is fighting ISIS, but it seems that some of the rank and file - even Imam employees of the Ministry of Religion, side with the terrorist.

Jordan sees the threat of ISIS very clearly and senior leadership is working hard to buttress the country against terror and stymie the development of ISIS within Jordan.

But Jordan borders both Iraq and Syria and therein rests the problem.

Tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of refugees from both countries have fled to Jordan. Independent of that reality is the fact that there are many people in Jordan who lean toward religious extremism in the guise of ISIS or al Qaeda.

Despite it all, Jordanian leadership is stepping up their battle against terror. They must stop the trend of terror threatening to overrun their country and the region.

They know what needs to be done. We all hope they can do it.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com

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Uptick in Terror

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

There has been an uptick in terror of late.

Terror has risen in the USA and around the world. In Arab countries and in Western countries. Almost all recent acts of terror have been perpetrated by Muslim terrorists.

There have also been enormous strides in fighting terror.

In Israel this week a terrorist used a semi-tractor trailer truck to run over soldiers.
After the attack, ISIS called for more truck attacks.

Also last week Israel announced that they had intercepted hundreds upon hundreds
of terrorists en route to perpetrate attacks on Israelis.

Had even a few of these attacks been successful, dozens more Israelis would have died. Israel's defense establishment, along with their intel and clandestine services, is working overtime to discover and uncover terror cells before they act or to intercept the terrorists during their missions.

Kudos to Israel's defense establishment.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com

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No -Russia Isn't Pulling Out of Syria

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

News reports have been proclaiming that Russia is pulling out of Syria.

The headlines are exciting and entertaining - but not true. All that seems to be happening is that Russia is sending its only aircraft carrier back to port in Severomorsk. That is hardly a pullout.

The Admiral Kuznetzov only arrived in the region in mid October to the region where it dropped anchor just outside the port of Tartus. It was sent to accomplish a task.

They've finished their task and now the carrier is on its way, either to home or to its next mission. The Admiral Kuznetzov is Russia's only aircraft carrier.

Russia uses its carrier as an offensive weapon as opposed to the United States which uses their carriers as defensive weapons and to preserve peace.

The Russians have played the withdrawal card before. In March they also announced they were withdrawing. All that it really means is reorganization.

Over the past few years Russia has invested billions of dollars into their infrastructure within Syria.
They are not folding up. They are reorganizing.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Taiwan Pres to Pass Thru US and Meet

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

The president of Taiwan is on her way to four Central American countries. She will travel through the United States to get there and on her return to Taiwan.

The four counties are Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala.

The Chinese are already livid about last month's conversation between the Taiwanese president and US president-elect Trump. This trip only adds fuel to the fire.

Since 1979 there have been no official diplomatic relations between the US and Taiwan - ever since China gave the United States an ultimatum: us or them. That was when the US decided to shut down relations with little Taiwan.

Taiwanese presidents have in the past, however, met with US officials when they travel through the United States.

We assume this will be the case this trip, as well. The exact dates for those meetings is still unknown.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Israeli Investment

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Israel is the "start up nation." That means that Israel is the high tech and biotech Mecca of the world.
During the first 9 months of 2016 Israeli venture capital companies raised $4 billion of investment.

That is a 27% increase over 2015 numbers.
Others say that the increase in investment was closer to 50%.

These numbers are humbling and telling at the same time.

Israel continues to be the center stage of ideas in medicine and bio tech and tech. At the same time that Israel is the center of the world, Israel is being raked over the coals in the UN and elsewhere around the world.

Israel is on the cutting edge of music, literature, film, food and wine. There is almost nothing on the creative side of any field that is without Israeli influence.

Proof of all that is in the investments - the money to Israel keeps on flowing in.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Iran Gets $1 Billion Loan

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:
This news was just made public in a Reuters piece.

Vitol, the largest energy group in the world, signed a deal with Iran in exchange for oil. The deal is a loan of one billion euros which is about a billion dollars in exchange for oil, plus 8% of the oil.

This is a huge boon for Iran. It is a direct injection of money into their economy at an essential time and they are trading against their oil production - the only commodity of value they have.

Since the lifting of sanctions in March 2016 Iran has been clawing their way up to be a major force in the oil world.

This Vitol deal will help Iran emerge from their economic crisis.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Arab Countries Learn Hebrew

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:
An interesting conference was recently held in Jordan. Participants included Egyptians, Iraqis and Saudis.

The conference was about teaching Hebrew at universities in the Arabic world.

The study of Hebrew in the Arab world is summed up in the comments of the conference:
"Of course in times of war one must know the language of the enemy. Here at the conference the participants said "know thy neighbor?" Or, are they only learning Hebrew in an effort to collect intelligence, to "know thine enemy?"

The answer was given very eloquently at the workshop:

"(Hebrew) is very important to understand the 'other.' as it is only through language that we can understand the culture of the society and its way of thinking. The language can bring our nations closer."

Studying Hebrew has been part of university studies in Egypt and Iraq since the 60's. The Saudis began offering Hebrew courses in 1994. And in 2000 Jordanians began to learn Hebrew.
Learning language is a very important step in understanding culture.

The study of Arabic is not only a major staple of the Israeli educational system, it is also an official language in Israel.

This conference is a step in the right direction.

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Hamas Calls Israel Barbaric

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:
Imagine - Hamas calling Israel barbaric.

That is what did they did, explaining that Israel's policy of not returning terrorists bodies to Hamas for burial is "evidence of criminality and barbaric occupation."

This policy is clearly stated by the office of the Prime Minister in order to pressure Hamas into returning the remains of two Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza during the summer of 2014.

Their names are Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin.
Hamas is also believed to be holding two more Israelis who inadvertently wandered over the border.

Their names are Avraham Mengistu and Juma Ibraham Abu Anima. Mengistu, who is emotionally challenged, is of Ethiopian extraction.

This policy of the prime minister's office is the newest of several attempts to provide the Shaul and Goldin families a sense of closure. Israel has a policy of doing nearly everything to bring back the bodies of their soldiers.

Even in battle, Israel leaves no one - dead or alive - behind.

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Iran's Currency Falling Fast

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

The rial, Iranian currency, has hit an all time low against the dollar.

There are several reasons for this massive drop in value. The most obvious explanation is that, just like almost every other currency in the world, since November, the rial has dropped against the dollar.

Yes - the dollar has strengthened since the election of Donald Trump. This hurts Iran very seriously. The rial is now exchanging at nearly 43,000 to a dollar when, only a week ago, it was at 39,000 to the dollar.

This is the weakest the rial has been. In 2012 it hit its previous low of 40,000.

President Rouhani of Iran has pledged to strengthen the rial much in the same way that he brought down inflation. When he entered office Rouhani brought down Iran's inflation to single digits from over 40% inflation which is where it was before he took office.

Strengthening the rial will prove more difficult than controlling inflation. A weaker rial is going to make it harder for Iran to buy products from abroad and to import essential and luxury goods.

The Iranians have a plan. They are going to inject $5.8 billion into the Iranian economy to boost the rial and keep it all in Iran. This is a dangerous step but it may be enough to counter the downward spiral.

If the rial continues to fall, Iran will spin into hyper-inflation which will make it impossible to compete in the international market.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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