Salon.com > Media http://www.salon.com Fri, 03 May 2013 03:47:40 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Chris Broussard doesn’t matter http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/chris_broussard_does_not_matter_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/chris_broussard_does_not_matter_partner/#comments Thu, 02 May 2013 16:55:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13287717 The ClassicalEarlier today, Jim Cavan made the case that Chris Broussard's (very unpopular) opinion on Jason Collins' decision to come out as gay does, in fact, matter. This is a mostly ad hominem (towards Broussard, not Cavan) counterpoint to that.

Brendan Flynn: Everyone's all mad at Chris Broussard. Evidently unwilling to Embrace Debate.

David Roth: And Tim Brando! No one wants to hear his truth because he's white and old and successful, and that's not worth a damn thing these days. I've always thought the big issue with regard to how gay athletes was how it made random television guys feel. Are they proud? Are they angry? We need to know about this, it's the most important thing.

Brendan: Really interesting to hear Broussard's thoughts on adultery and children out of wedlock as it relates to gays. Really looking forward to his #TruthToPower moment on all the other sinners he's covered.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/chris_broussard_does_not_matter_partner/feed/ 4 Tsarnaev texted friends “LOL” after bombing http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/tsarnaev_texted_friends_lol_after_bombing/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/tsarnaev_texted_friends_lol_after_bombing/#comments Thu, 02 May 2013 16:24:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13287756 Details have emerged about the actions of three friends of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, all of whom were charged Wednesday with covering up evidence to obstruct the investigation. Two Kazakh students -- Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov -- and a U.S. citizen, Robel Phillipos, all 19, are alleged to have removed Tsarnaev's laptop and a backpack containing fireworks from his dorm room, placing the incriminating items into a dumpster. Via the Guardian:

According to the criminal complaint against Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov, the pair recognised Tsarnaev from pictures released by the authorities four days after the attack. Kadyrbayev is said to have told FBI agents that then he sent text messages to Tsarnaev, who replied "Lol", "You better not text me", and "Come to my room and take whatever you want."

The complaint alleges the Kazakh pair then went with Phillipos to Tsarnaev's dorm room at Pine Dale Hall. They were let in by Tsarnaev's unnamed roommate, who told them Tsarnaev had left some hours earlier.

The FBI says the accused men described how, while watching a movie in the room, they noticed a backpack containing seven red tubes of fireworks, emptied of their explosive powder. Kadyrbayev, by now sure of Tsarnaev's involvement in the bombings, admitted to agents that he decided to remove the backpack "in order to help his friend Tsarnaev avoid trouble".

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/tsarnaev_texted_friends_lol_after_bombing/feed/ 22 Alex Jones: Conspiracy Inc. http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/alex_jones_conspiracy_inc/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/alex_jones_conspiracy_inc/#comments Thu, 02 May 2013 11:45:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13287148 It’s good to be Alex Jones. Matt Drudge, the conservative Web entrepreneur and news aggregator, proved prophetic when he predicted that 2013 would be “the year of Alex Jones.” The longtime conspiracy broadcaster is finally breaking into the mainstream consciousness after a buzzy interview with Piers Morgan and his Boston bombing conspiracy, and traffic to his websites has never been higher. The conspiracy business is booming.

And make no mistake, it is a business. That’s not to say that Jones isn’t a believer -- there are easier ways to make money -- but Jones has built a multi-platform new media empire in his Austin, Texas, Free Speech Systems LLC that reaches millions of believers and promises advertisers that it will “direct lucrative buyers to you from our daily audience of active enthusiasts.” And all told, Jones is very likely raking in millions.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/alex_jones_conspiracy_inc/feed/ 130 Diane Sawyer to host first televised interview with Malala Yousafzai http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/diane_sawyer_to_host_first_televised_interview_with_malala_yousafzai/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/diane_sawyer_to_host_first_televised_interview_with_malala_yousafzai/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 19:52:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13286898 Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old Pakistani girl who became an international icon for women's rights after surviving an assassination attempt by the Taliban, will speak to "ABC World News" anchor Diane Sawyer in her first televised interview.

The interview will air in October 2013, marking the one-year anniversary of the Taliban's attempt on her life. BBC’s Mishal Husain will also interview Malala in partnership with ABC News. Per the press release, the broadcast of the interviews will be coordinated with the publication of Yousafzai's upcoming memoir, “I Am Malala."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/diane_sawyer_to_host_first_televised_interview_with_malala_yousafzai/feed/ 4 Wisconsin church bans NFL star over tweet supporting Jason Collins http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/wisconsin_church_bans_nfl_star_over_tweet_supporting_jason_collins/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/wisconsin_church_bans_nfl_star_over_tweet_supporting_jason_collins/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 16:58:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13286827 Former Green Bay Packer Leroy Butler is reporting that he had a speaking appearance at a Wisconsin church canceled over his tweet in support of openly gay NBA player Jason Collins.

The offending tweet? (Get ready to be scandalized): "Congrats to Jason Collins."

Butler says he was contacted by a member of the church and told that he was in violation of his contract's "moral clause," and was no longer welcome to speak at the church. But, Butler went on to say, the member told him he would be welcomed back to speak if he would delete his pro-Collins tweet and "ask God for forgiveness." An offer that Butler, thankfully, declined.

More here:

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h/t Raw Story

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/wisconsin_church_bans_nfl_star_over_tweet_supporting_jason_collins/feed/ 42 Chris Matthews to end “The Chris Matthews Show” http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/chris_matthews_to_end_the_chris_matthews_show/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/chris_matthews_to_end_the_chris_matthews_show/#comments Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:15:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13286156 Chris Matthews is leaving "The Chris Matthews Show," his nationally syndicated politics talk show on NBC, whose last episode will air July 21, reports TVNewser.

The departure is part of the host's new long-term contract with MSNBC, where he will continue to host "Hardball." Matthews says that with his extra time, he will work "on writing books like the one I’m committed to now on the relationship between Tip O’Neill and Ronald Reagan, that and producing documentaries on history and politics."

Matthews' full statement, below:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/chris_matthews_to_end_the_chris_matthews_show/feed/ 17 Mike Allen’s bizarre attack on Conan O’Brien http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/mike_allens_bizarre_attack_on_conan_obrien/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/mike_allens_bizarre_attack_on_conan_obrien/#comments Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:54:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13285693 Do not insult the Washington Hilton in the presence of Mike Allen, or Politico's star reporter will launch a multi-day crusade against you in his widely read morning tip sheet.

Conan O'Brien made this mistake while emceeing the White House Correspondents Dinner. "You know, I was worried with the sequester that we would be forced to hold this event at less prestigious hotel than the D.C. Hilton -- then I was told that's not possible," O'Brien said in a riff mocking the aging mid-century modern hotel in Washington's Dupont Circle.

Allen was not pleased. The scribe whose odd obsession with "influence" and Washington power inspired a legendary Mark Leibovich profile cried in Playbook Monday, "Conan O’Brien hurt his buzz" by making "four baseless, elitist cracks about the Hilton, acting as if it were a Motel 5." Allen returned to the subject in today's Playbook, adding that on top of Conan's "bizarre, elitist attack on his hosts at the Washington Hilton," the comedian also eschewed the free room provided by the hotel to instead stay at the Four Seasons.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/mike_allens_bizarre_attack_on_conan_obrien/feed/ 33 Breast cancer awareness is big business http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/the_business_of_breast_cancer_awareness_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/the_business_of_breast_cancer_awareness_partner/#comments Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:49:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13285720 FeministingEd. note: This is a guest post from Verónica Bayetti Flores. Verónica is the Assistant Director of the Civil Liberties and Public Policy program (CLPP) at Hampshire College. She has worked to increase access to contraception and abortion, fought for paid sick leave, demanded access to safe public space for queer youth of color, and helped to lead social justice efforts in Wisconsin, New York City, and Texas.

Yesterday the New York Times featured an article in its Sunday magazine about breast cancer awareness initiatives, and what the real effects these initiatives have had on the lives of women. It’s on the longer side, but one that’s framed around the personal narrative of the author – a breast cancer survivor herself – and well worth a read:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/the_business_of_breast_cancer_awareness_partner/feed/ 1 Jason Collins: Black — and gay — like me http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/jason_collins_black_and_gay_like_me/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/jason_collins_black_and_gay_like_me/#comments Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13285172 I’d never heard of Jason Collins when I saw a friend's Facebook status earlier today announcing the news that he was gay. (I prefer college basketball over the NBA.) As I googled his name to find out more, one thought kept running through my mind: "Please be black."

I wanted Jason Collins to be black, because I knew what it would mean to black gay youth in this country. I wanted him to be black because I’m hyper-aware that the list of influential LGBT celebrities like Rachel Maddow, Anderson Cooper and Neil Patrick Harris is very white. Most important, I wanted Jason Collins to be black because I know exactly what it's like to be a gay teenager with dark brown skin who comes out but cannot find anyone gay who looks like you on television. Or in magazines. Or on the news.  These days, when I lecture about LGBT issues on college campuses and various other events, people often tell me I’m the only black person they’ve ever seen speak out for gay rights. The pride I feel is mixed with uneasiness because I wish that weren't the case.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/jason_collins_black_and_gay_like_me/feed/ 45 ESPN sportswriter Chris Broussard: Jason Collins is “walking in open rebellion to God” http://www.salon.com/2013/04/29/espn_sportswriter_chris_broussard_jason_collins_is_walking_in_open_rebellion_to_god/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/29/espn_sportswriter_chris_broussard_jason_collins_is_walking_in_open_rebellion_to_god/#comments Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:37:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13284947 During a Monday segment on ESPN's "Outside the Lines," sportswriter Chris Broussard denounced Jason Collins, the first openly gay male athlete in the history of major team sports, for "living in unrepentant sin."

Broussard went on to accuse Collins of not being Christian and "walking in open rebellion to God":

Personally, I don’t believe that you can live an openly homosexual lifestyle or an openly, like premarital sex between heterosexuals. If you’re openly living that type of lifestyle, then the Bible says you know them by their fruits. It says that, you know, that’s a sin. If you’re openly living in unrepentant sin, whatever it may be, not just homosexuality, whatever it maybe, I believe that’s walking in open rebellion to God and to Jesus Christ. So I would not characterize that person as a Christian because I don’t think the bible would characterize them as a Christian.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/29/espn_sportswriter_chris_broussard_jason_collins_is_walking_in_open_rebellion_to_god/feed/ 109 NBA player Jason Collins comes out, Twitter reacts http://www.salon.com/2013/04/29/nba_player_jason_collins_comes_out_twitter_reacts/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/29/nba_player_jason_collins_comes_out_twitter_reacts/#comments Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:36:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13284735 NBA free agent Jason Collins is the first active male athlete to come out as gay in the history of professional sports. Many on Twitter viewed this very big news as, appropriately enough, very big news.

A sampling of the cheers for Collins and questions about what's next for gay athletes in professional sports:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/29/nba_player_jason_collins_comes_out_twitter_reacts/feed/ 34 Jason Collins becomes first openly gay male professional athlete http://www.salon.com/2013/04/29/jason_collins_becomes_first_openly_gay_male_professional_athlete/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/29/jason_collins_becomes_first_openly_gay_male_professional_athlete/#comments Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:45:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13284700 Jason Collins, NBA center and league free agent, came out as gay on the cover of the May 6 issue of Sports Illustrated. He is the first active male professional athlete to do so, making this pretty big news.

In the piece, which begins "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay," Collins goes on to explain that he used downtime during the 2011 player lockout to "confront who I really am and what I really want." He reflected on his family, his teammates and what role he could play in advancing equality for others before finally making the decision to come out, he writes:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/29/jason_collins_becomes_first_openly_gay_male_professional_athlete/feed/ 22 The Boston backlash is rooted in America’s paranoid past http://www.salon.com/2013/04/27/the_boston_backlash_is_rooted_in_americas_paranoid_past/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/27/the_boston_backlash_is_rooted_in_americas_paranoid_past/#comments Sat, 27 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13283619 A terrorist attack, small in scale but brutal in effect, shocks the nation. The leading perpetrator is an American with foreign connections, apparently linked – at least in his own mind – to a worldwide movement of violent extremists. Furthermore, this young man in his late 20s with the unpronounceable name had attracted suspicion in the past and struck some observers as unstable, although even members of his own family did not suspect he was planning such a spectacular crime.

In the aftermath of the attack, some people assume it was the work of a sinister global conspiracy against America, despite little evidence. Others see an unemployed and alienated loner, unable to connect to the promise of the American dream, who turned to extremism out of personal despair or mental illness. Many political commentators call for a crackdown on immigration, the restriction of civil liberties and an aggressive military-style counterattack against anti-American radicalism, both at home and abroad. As the nation’s energetic young president puts it, counteracting this tide of violence is the most significant question facing the United States, and one that could even endanger the nation’s future.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/27/the_boston_backlash_is_rooted_in_americas_paranoid_past/feed/ 84 How to debunk George W. Bush’s attempts at revisionism http://www.salon.com/2013/04/27/bush_is_not_back_and_he_is_still_terrible/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/27/bush_is_not_back_and_he_is_still_terrible/#comments Sat, 27 Apr 2013 13:00:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13283325 Every dog goes to heaven and every former president should get a shot at repairing his legacy, especially when it's as tattered as George W. Bush's. With the opening of his presidential library and museum this week, observers from former Bush officials to mainstream outlets were taking a fresh, rosy look at the Bush legacy. Some offered dopey and facially ridiculous cheerleading, while others offered more compelling suggestions to return to the Bush era with an open mind. After all, other presidents left office in a cloud only to be redeemed by history years later.

So, is this week making you feel a bit nostalgic for the Bush era? Don't. It's been almost half a decade since the 43rd president left office, and he's looking as bad as ever. Of course, that won't stop a small circle of admirers (many of whom used to be on his payroll) from trying, so here's your guide to taking on the five biggest specious pro-Bush talking points put forward this week:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/27/bush_is_not_back_and_he_is_still_terrible/feed/ 248 George Clooney teaming up with “Argo” journalist for another film http://www.salon.com/2013/04/26/george_clooney_teaming_up_with_argo_journalist_for_another_film/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/26/george_clooney_teaming_up_with_argo_journalist_for_another_film/#comments Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:41:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13282900 George Clooney and Grant Heslov, the team behind 2012's best picture, "Argo" are in talks to develop another film, "Coronado High," based on a not-yet-published article by Joshuah Bearman, the journalist whose 2007 "Wired" story inspired the Oscar-winning film set in Iran.

The Wrap reports:

Bearman's article has not been published yet so details remain thin, but those familiar with the story say it involves a group of teenagers who are used to smuggle drugs in Coronado, which is an affluent resort city near San Diego, California.

Clooney and Heslov will produce with David Klawans, who executive produced "Argo." He's also producing an adaptation of Bearman's 2010 Wired magazine article "Art of the Steal."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/26/george_clooney_teaming_up_with_argo_journalist_for_another_film/feed/ 0 Kathie Lee Gifford drums up support for Matt Lauer with letter meant to run as ad http://www.salon.com/2013/04/26/kathie_lee_gifford_drums_up_support_for_matt_lauer_with_letter_meant_to_run_as_ad/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/26/kathie_lee_gifford_drums_up_support_for_matt_lauer_with_letter_meant_to_run_as_ad/#comments Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:48:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13282768 Kathie Lee Gifford has been drumming up support for skewered "Today" co-host Matt Lauer, who has been publicly criticized for months for his role in the controversial ousting of former "Today" host Ann Curry. According to the New York Daily News, Gifford championed a letter with hundreds of signatures from the "Today" show staff "to say something to Matt" without putting "him in a position that would make him uncomfortable." The letter spanned 7 pages with signature collected over the course of three weeks.

From the New York Daily News:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/26/kathie_lee_gifford_drums_up_support_for_matt_lauer_with_letter_meant_to_run_as_ad/feed/ 2 George Bush: I won’t weigh in on gay marriage http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/george_bush_i_wont_weigh_in_on_gay_marriage/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/george_bush_i_wont_weigh_in_on_gay_marriage/#comments Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:12:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13281891 No, George W. Bush won't be joining the ranks of Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter by throwing his support behind marriage equality now that he is safely out of the White House. He is, as ever, his same-old, constitutional-amendment-against-same-sex-marriage-supporting self -- nude self-portraits and image rehab efforts be damned.

In an interview with Charlie Rose on CBS News, Bush said that he wouldn't comment on same-sex marriage (after happily commenting on national security and immigration reform, it is worth noting): “Yeah, well, I’m not, I’m not weighing in on these issues, as you know, because I’ve made the decision to get off the stage. And so I’m off the stage,” he told Rose.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/george_bush_i_wont_weigh_in_on_gay_marriage/feed/ 9 Is the press too big to fail? http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/is_the_press_too_big_to_fail_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/is_the_press_too_big_to_fail_partner/#comments Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:02:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13281628 Everyone knows this story, though fewer and fewer read it on paper.  There are barely enough pages left to wrap fish.  The second paper in town has shut down.  Sometimes the daily delivers only three days a week.  Advertising long ago started fleeing to Craigslist and Internet points south.  Subscriptions are dwindling.  Online versions don’t bring in much ad revenue.  Who can avoid the obvious, if little covered question: Is the press too big to fail?  Or was it failing long before it began to falter financially?

In the previous century, there was a brief Golden Age of American journalism, though what glittered like gold leaf sometimes turned out to be tinsel.  Then came regression to the mean.  Since 2000, we have seen the titans of the news presuming that Bush was the victor over Gore, hustling us into war with Iraq, obscuring climate change, and turning blind eyes to derivatives, mortgage-based securities, collateralized debt obligations, and the other flimsy creations with which a vast, showy, ramshackle international financial house of cards was built.  When you think about the crisis of journalism, including the loss of advertising and the shriveled newsrooms -- there were fewer newsroom employees in 2010 than in 1978, when records were first kept -- also think of anesthetized watchdogs snoring on Wall Street while the Arctic ice cap melts.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/is_the_press_too_big_to_fail_partner/feed/ 5 “American women novelists” segregated by Wikipedia http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/wikipedia_moves_women_to_american_women_novelists_category_leaves_men_in_american_novelists/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/wikipedia_moves_women_to_american_women_novelists_category_leaves_men_in_american_novelists/#comments Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:01:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13281605 Wikipedia editors have started quietly moving female authors out of the "American novelists" category and into a newly-created sub-category for "American women novelists," with the intention, it seems, of creating an"American novelists" page comprised entirely of men. There is currently no corollary sub-category for "American men novelists."

As American (woman) novelist Amanda Filipacchi explained in the New York Times on Wednesday, the process has so far affected women writers whose last names begin with A or B, but others have been moved as well:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/wikipedia_moves_women_to_american_women_novelists_category_leaves_men_in_american_novelists/feed/ 15 Is Saudi Arabia deporting men for being too handsome? http://www.salon.com/2013/04/24/is_saudi_arabia_deporting_men_for_being_too_handsome/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/24/is_saudi_arabia_deporting_men_for_being_too_handsome/#comments Wed, 24 Apr 2013 22:11:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13281298 According to a recent Time Magazine report, three men were deported from Saudi Arabia for being "too handsome."

Now The Telegraph is weighing in, explaining:

A statement in Arabic-language newspaper Elaph, translated by The Telegraph, added, "A festival official said the three Emiratis were taken out on the grounds they are too handsome and that the Commission [for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vices] members feared female visitors could fall for them.

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