WSP Make It Right in NOLA

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A personal note from Widespread Panic's John Bell:

Hi Folks,

As many of you may already know, Mr. Brad Pitt is spearheading the "Make It Right" (MIR) program – the rebuilding of New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward. The initial goal is to construct 150 Earth friendly, extremely flood safe homes for families that have remained, and are returning to the area. The Widespread Panic Family is lending our support by way of direct donations, as well as hoping to spark your awareness of this worthy cause. Through the LiveWidespreadPanic.com, the band is offering a downloadable studio version of our co-incidentally titled "Walk On the Flood" for a MIR donation of ten dollars.

Every person and place should be lucky enough to benefit from attention and assistance after a devastating event such as Hurricane Katrina. The rejuvenation of the Ninth Ward and surrounding neighborhoods is an important part of restoring and maintaining the Spirit of this wonderful, crazy city – as well as helping set the tone for how similar events may be handled in the future.

Widespread Panic is extremely honored to jump on this particular bandwagon; New Orleans has been more than special to the band over the years. She even gave us JoJo!

In the spirit of charity, we kindly ask that those who participate in this offer experience or share the song in such a way as not to diminish its fundraising potential. For a more comprehensive look at this project, you can visit makeitrightnola.org.

Thank you all.

Sincerely, John Bell

P.S. "You are Everybody." -Driveshaft

http://www.makeitrightnola.org/

[Published on: 1/16/08]
 

Comments

foadser starstarstarstarstar Wed 1/16/2008 02:56PM
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This is excellent. Now where is the Panic New Year's write up?

kb4404 Wed 1/16/2008 02:59PM
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NOLA appreciates the support!! However,it would be nice to have an actual WSP show in New Orleans!! We haven't had one of those in years!?

Chaloupka starstarstarstarstar Wed 1/16/2008 03:23PM
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Chaloupka

Go Panic!

VERNIXX starstarstarstarstar Wed 1/16/2008 04:29PM
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VERNIXX

Hence, my comments on the Tipitina article!

Good one, Home Team!

Wild Turkey starstarstarstarstar Wed 1/16/2008 05:29PM
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What a great way to donate, thank you guys. Who doesn't want to see Panic back in the big easy, but get down there regardless and support the local ecomomy. Its JAZZFEST, I am there!!!! That being said how about say a sat night show and a sunday fairground set?

"Four train days, Get me back to New Orleans, Drink more fishwater

there,Than any whale's mama ever seen"

wilson021 Wed 1/16/2008 06:51PM
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Movewest Wed 1/16/2008 07:15PM
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Panic back in NOLA this year was my impression.

stoops Wed 1/16/2008 08:35PM
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FREAKYTRIXIE starstarstarstarstar Wed 1/16/2008 10:03PM
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I learned a few weeks ago that Panic has already funded one entire house in this project. I couldn't be more proud to be a fan of this band. It is sad that folks like "Stoop" have to continue to be so negative. I'm a Jazz Fest regular and the 1st fest after Katrina changed my life. I have never seen so much positivity from a community that had faced such devastation. It was truly inspiring to be amongst New Orleanians who were so driven to save their wonderful city. If "Stoop" was informed about that project he would know that these homes are being built above flood levels. $10 for a song and the wonderful feeling that you have CONTRIBUTED something to people in need and the wonderful city of New Orleans? Sounds like a flippin' bargain to me!!!

beadiamondsomday starstarstarstarstar Wed 1/16/2008 10:23PM
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beadiamondsomday

i do understand what jb is talking about but those who want to donate will. like people arent going to let there friends here it? i doubt many people are paying ten bucks for the track, it is cool that some are and the boys know that they will and are putting there huge fanbase to a good cause.

stoops Wed 1/16/2008 11:15PM
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stoops

five thumbs down in a couple of hours; the shiney happy jambasers are out in full force. look, i'm not being negative; i'm being realistic. freakytrix, tell us how you know that these homes will be preserved. i would fucking hope any new house anywhere would be built above "flood levels"; if not wouldn't that put them underwater. here's a novel idea: dispute a statement i made, respond to a question i asked, or state clearly why i'm not "informed".

otherwise throw your 10 bucks at the 80 billion dollar problem like people have been doing for 2 and a half years now. that way you can feel wonderful that you "contributed". maybe all of the donors and the ward 9 residents will have rebuilt from all of the damage before another hurricane comes through and wipes it out again. let me share some more uninformed stats: luckily when katrina made landfall in new orleans it was a category 3 hurricane. the levees currently being rebuilt are intended to withstand a category 2 strength hurricane.

if noone wants to discuss reality, i can take a hint.

milesgone starstarstarstarstar Thu 1/17/2008 04:35AM
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milesgone

I do not see anything to argue about here. Charity is charity. arguing will not help anything in this forum at all. lets be friends or be quiet :)

cocheese starstarstarstarstar Thu 1/17/2008 06:49AM
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cocheese

if you don't want to donate, don't. quit your bitching.

matthiasf Thu 1/17/2008 07:21AM
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How did New Orleans give Panic JoJo exactly? I thought it was New York > Oxford > Panic....where does NOLA fit in? I know JoJo is highly influenced by NOLA artists (Professor Longhair, Dr. John), is that what JB meant?

jazzfester starstarstarstarstar Thu 1/17/2008 07:33AM
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Thank you to all artists who have dedicated material, time, and money to our recovering and beautiful town. The donations through WSP are another example of how important New Orleans is to the music we all enjoy. To WSP, please join us at JazzFest to allow us to thank you in person.

stoops Thu 1/17/2008 09:09AM
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tranceful_delite starstarstar Thu 1/17/2008 09:19AM
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tranceful_delite

I can't stand the music of Widespread but this is a pretty cool thing and I do have some good news for you NOLA fold wondering when they are coming back. I was yesterday from a very credible source and insider from your' city that they are going to be play down there during Jazz Fest. I don't know if this has been going around because i don't follow them at all but this should be some good news for u fans out there because this is definately going to happen.

kmcgill starstarstarstarstar Thu 1/17/2008 09:39AM
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Hell yeah Driveshaft! I think JB should sit in for Charlie on the reunion tour...You all everybody! Thank you very much!

blower starstarstarstarstar Thu 1/17/2008 11:58AM
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Yeah your being so productive Stoops. There is a word for claiming that others are bitching when it is in fact you being the prick. Its called projection!! I'm sure your rightousness helps countless individuals in need. Anybody that complains about somebody elses charity is seriously below contempt. Yeah lets just flush the city and its inhabitants into ocean so we can feel rightious about not helping them. Sounds good to me!

denverguy starstarstarstarstar Thu 1/17/2008 02:16PM
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Yeah, Panic AND Driveshaft kick ass!

Hey stoops, you're kinda a dick. I've never heard anyone bitch about katrina victims receving aid. wow. You obviously don't want to help, but some of us have family and friends in the area, or just want to try to help people in need, again obviously not you. And by the way, if enough people throw 10 bucks at an 80 billion dollar problem, maybe it can be solved, or it least made better. If you think its a waste of time/money, don't donate, simple as that. dick.

henahan Thu 1/17/2008 02:30PM
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Stoops....First of all, let me say Thank You!! Why, you ask? Because of your perceived ignorance, I actually did a little bit of research on Mr. Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation and I am certainly a better man for it. What an incredibly ambitious undertaking this is going to be. Sure, we all know about the pain and suffering that has fallen upon New Orleans. We've all seen the heartache and some of us that know the city have felt it, too. And, yes, two and a half years later very few of us are really all that surprised by the lack of change going on there. Maybe some of that has to do with narrow-minded beliefs like your own. Maybe we shouldn't believe that we can make it any better. There's just going to be another hurricane in the future and then another and then another. Right? Your"informed" opinion is just that - your opinion. Maybe you've just had a long day? Or, maybe you're really just typing faster than you're thinking? Or perhaps you are really just ignorant? That happens, too. Or maybe you've never even been there? If you haven't, that might explain your attitude. I kind of remember it as the most beautiful sleaze-pit in America - like Vegas, but with a soul. I never knew what was going to be around the next corner, but I always wanted to see it. Full of culture. Full of life. Just waiting to burst at the seams. Maybe all you know about is the canal that burst. Let me give you some unsolicited advice - check out www.makeitrightnola.com. Go on and give it a fair shake. I kind of like the part about the international consortium of architects, environmental design experts, civil engineers, community developers, artists, politicians and good old regular folks like the rest of us. They all believe that they can rebuld one of the greatest cities in the world. They believe it's worth it. They believe. That's just their "informed" opinion! If you're still reading, I also think you should check out the actual artist's renderings of the designs of the houses. The first caveat of the rebuilding process was SAFETY. Did you really think that they didn't think of that? I think that answered some of the points you claimed nobody was addressing. Oh wait, did I say some. That's right, you were really worried about the insurance. No, you're probably right. Mr. Brad Pitt probably won't be paying the homeowner's insurance for this new community. No, that will be left to the same people who have been persevering for the last two years and they will gladly do it. Do you remember Hugo, Ivan, Andrew, and countless other hurricanes over the years? They wiped out many of the coastline communites that were unlucky enough to fall in their path. But guess what happened? They rebuilt and they did it better. They rebuilt with flooding in mind and what do you think the giant insurers did when they saw this? They fell all over themselves to reinsure these devastated communities. At a cost? Sure, but it's obviously worth it to the millions of people who live in floodprone areas - in hurricane alley. They are willing to sacrifice to get a little piece back of what was taken from them - blood, sweat, and tears. Hurricanes come and hurricanes go, but communities live on. People persevere. Walk On The Flood! Like I said, thank you Stoops! Your perceived ignorance shed a little light on this ambitious project and that's exactly what it needed. Peace.

sahagian starstarstar Thu 1/17/2008 03:17PM
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sahagian

henehan... Do you really think insurance companies will sacrifice profits because they “believe” in preserving N.O. culture? I think their shareholders would object to that! Trust me, someone is paying, whether it’s individual homeowners, taxpayers, or your $10 song… the profits will be had!

stoops Thu 1/17/2008 08:15PM
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stoops

blower- i'm a prick because i asked about what this money will fix long term? fa-q! it's called pragmaticality; maybe sheep like you should try it.

i'm not sure why you misinterpreted realistic questions as "righteousness" or "complaints" but you've made a mistake. we don't need to flush new orleans; mother nature does it whether we like it or not.

denverguy-not sure what i said that you misconstrued as bitching but perhaps, like blowhard, you should try thinking for yourself. maybe when you do, you'll start to understand that asking questions can be helpful. your inability to consider reality seems to make you assume that i "don't want to help" and that i don't have "friends/family' in the area. as for your assertion that lots of people might "solve the problem(make it better)" by giving $10 at a time, i agree, maybe it can...but maybe we can make it better if they instead apply a little common sense to their generosity. to conclude, in response to your ad hominem attacks, a big hearty fa-q2!

henahan-you're welcome; glad i could help. as for your assumptions about my ignorance, perhaps you should reread what i wrote and specifically note what was "ignorant" or "narrow minded" or what inspired you to so wrongfully suggest that i hadn't been to new orleans and or knew little of the city geographically. good work on the research; believe it or not, i was hoping to encourage at least one person to try and seek out some answers and intended or not, you seem to have taken the cue. although it seems your research began and ended with the website made by the folks wanting your money, it's at least a start. i was a bit surprised that you seemed so impressed by their agenda, and i sincerely hope they aren't misleading in an effort to solicit more money but that would be unheard of, right?. i would also hope that "they believe" in what i agree is an extremely "ambitious" undertaking, otherwise why do it? i appreciate the suggestion to read the website and i assure you i have along with a whole host of other resources concerning this charity, about a year ago! i also appreciate your half-assed attempt to respond to my questions. now allow me to retort. when the mir website tells you that they consider 'safety", maybe that's good enough for you. i tend to think the "architects, enviromental designers, civil engineers, community developers, artists, politicians, and regular folks" that previously built new orleans considered safety too. forgive my "ignorant" skepticism in requesting a bit more detail. i especially enjoyed reading about your confidence in the folks who will be buying their own insurance when they can't even afford to rebuild their homes. i can sure see how you would believe that being that they all have such a fine established track record of insuring their property against natural disaters previously. you continue to float off into fantasy land about how these never give up residents rebuilt after previous hurricanes and then you speculate about insurance companies lining up to do it all over and over and over some more. again forgive my skepticism but my bullshit meter is peggin the red. could you site a source please cause your version of events is not on the mir website?

i'm glad your proud of yourself for your hard work and i'm also glad that you want to know about helping people. don't short change yourself and think that you know what there is to know from one web site. again, your quite welcome.

BlewW044 Thu 1/17/2008 09:59PM
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So noble, selling a song for ten dollars and giving it to charity. A bare minimum of people will do this, while if you put an archived show from New Orleans twenty times the people would buy it. I guess this is too much money that Panic can make instead of NEW ORLEANS. We'll donate a song that alone we will make nothing off of, but because of our donation we will get more unworthy praise. BULLSHIT. I would also like to see a few benefit concerts for New Orleans that weren't held in New York. New Orleans is not a deseased state and should stop being treated like one. We got our asses kicked, but we are still around to talk about it and the music is still here. So to all the bands afraid to step foot in Louisiana Fuck You you fucking pussies, we don't need your fucking charity.

milesgone starstarstarstarstar Fri 1/18/2008 03:37AM
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milesgone

jambase, the only place on earth, people come hear to read music news, and end up arguing about charity. I find this strange :)

canoftunapudding Fri 1/18/2008 07:16AM
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Who cares, let them dedicate a song to whoever they feel. Now enough about new orleans. When is Panic gonna come back to Myrtle Beach? House of Blues or the Speedway, take your pick.

canoftunapudding Fri 1/18/2008 07:19AM
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Blowhard,

Last time Panic had a benefit show (like 2 weeks ago)everybody bitched about the ticket price, like every year. My point is some people bitch about anything.

Smittea Fri 1/18/2008 08:00AM
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Smittea

Panic dude

Jostar Fri 1/18/2008 09:50AM
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Folks, wake up. If buying a $10 panic tune helps to reconcile feelings of privilege, guilt or whatever's on your mind, then go right ahead. But please know that shit ain't right down there. While Brad Pitt was making headlines last month, NOLA police and SWAT teams were locking out and then tasering and pepper-spraying residents who were protesting the demolition and displacement of 4,500 families? http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/20/louisiana.protest.ap/

Instead of just buying a song, getting off and blindly partying through the Jazzfest weekend, how about rolling up the sleeves and actually pitching in? Plenty of real, honest volunteer community rebuilding work to be done. A few of the many opportunities listed on the following link. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt. http://www.satchmo.com/nolavl/jazzboard.html

j-bizzle Fri 1/18/2008 10:51AM
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j-bizzle

stoops - wtf are you talking about? Keep your suburban ass in Md. I am sure the residents of the 9th ward would agree with you, and not accept help from sincere folks trying to rebuild humanity in NO. Please! Most of the ward doesn't have health insurance, much less hurricane insurance. I hope one day - your house is destroyed and nobody helps you because it "adds to the bigger problem"

LSUDOC starstarstar Fri 1/18/2008 04:26PM
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LSUDOC

absolutely proud of your contribution...now a show would be just stellar. its been too long since the halloween weekends and jazz fest shows...

stoops Fri 1/18/2008 11:18PM
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stoops

jizzle-i've been "talking about" issues in new orleans; how could someone with more than a third grade reading comprehension miss that? please keep my "ass" out of your strange desires and go back to fixating on andre dawson; i don't even know you. i know they don't have insurance. that's one thing this entire thread seems to agree on, so again i think you may need more practice reading. as for my house, if i lived below sea level, in a hurricane zone, with no insurance and my house got flooded, i wouldn't expect any help... and who are you quoting ("adds to the bigger problem")? fa-q; i'm out!

leperilloux Sat 1/19/2008 10:03AM
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BlewW044 does not speak on behalf of all residents of New Orleans. Insofar as criticism of WSP's effort, what have any of YOU done to improve living conditions in New Orleans?

tourmaniac starstarstarstarstar Sat 1/19/2008 11:22PM
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tourmaniac

I had no idea JB was a fan of Driveshaft.

funkjester Sun 1/20/2008 11:21AM
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Stoops, you're completely ignorant of the situation of the situation in New Orleans (AND an obvious prick to boot). You're running your mouth and saying a lot of words after showing you don't understand even the most primary things about Katrina as it relates to New Orleans.

First off, FACT: Katrina NEVER made landfall in New Orleans. Not even close. Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, which is where the most devastating destruction directly related to the storm occurred.

FACT: the hurricane itself NEVER hit New Orleans, where most of the damage was relatively moderate and caused from wind damage until the day AFTER the Katrina passed New Orleans by.

FACT: the destruction that happened in New Orleans happened because of the Katrina's storm surge, which caused the FAILURE OF THE FEDERAL LEVEE SYSTEM. This happened on Monday, the day AFTER Katrina passed New Orleans by. The inundataton of the city by water from Lake Ponchartrain and the fact that it stood in the streets for a long period of time is what caused the massive loss of property in both the city itself and St. Bernard Parish to the east (which suffered far greater damage than Orleans Parish itself. 95% of all homes were destroyed in St. Bernard Parish).

There are a long list of reasons as to why the levee system failed in New Orleans. Much has to do with the negligence of the Army Corps of Engineers in building them in the first place, as well as the widespread corruption that happened over decades and generations that prevented the proper inspection, upkeep and repair of the levees. No amount of insurance can guard against that type of catastrophic event.

You're an idiot for even suggesting that the people are to blame for living in a "soup bowl," as you describe New Orleans. Yes, the city is below sea-level, but it's also existed for close to 300 years despite it's topographical handicap. It's not like the place is some quickly-built Shangri-La built for folly. Remember, it it the port city that controls the most important river in the country, and indeed is one of the most important ports in the world. It's not about to become abandoned anytime soon.

I seriously doubt from the tone of your comments that you've spent much time in the Crescent City, nor do you know much about it's rich culture and peoples, for if you had, you wouldn't be dismissing New Orleans with the callousness you exhibit. I was an 18-year resident of the city, and it's more "home" to me these days than the New York soil upon which I grew up.

You need to stop being a jag-off and trying to castigate people's efforts to help people rebuild and return to this great city. Kudos to Panic for putting forth some effort, and even more kudos to Brad Pitt, who could be off making millions in front of movie cameras, but has chosen (along with his wife and children) to make a new home for themselves in New Orleans, where he's become very active and visible in the rebuilding efforts. Through the sheer power of his celebrity and people's fascination with the cult of personality, he's drawn a lot of big-name Hollywood donors to help his cause, and that can only bode well for the low-income folks of New Orleans who lack the money to rebuild their homes, and also lack the support of the insurance industry, who by and large have screwed the people of Louisiana and Mississippi out of millions of dollars of funding by refusing to stand by their policies.

If you'd like to spit venom, please, direct it towards the federal government, who was responsible for designing, building and maintaining the levee system that was supposed to protect New Orleans from an event such as Katrina, and couldn't even withstand the STORM SURGE of a Category 3 hurricane, much less a direct hit from a Category 5.

And while you're at it, get a life. I dare you to go down to the corner of, say, N. Prieur St. and Jourdan Ave. in the Lower Nine and spew the foolishness you've been coughing up on this forum. I dare you. I've been there, and I've seen the devastation wrought on the neighborhood where the breach was in the Industrial Canal levee. I saw it months after the bodies were gone and the majority of the debris was cleared, and it was/is still APPALLING.

You go down there, and look around, and listen. What you see there will change your life (and the tone of your argument, too), forever. When you finish, and can come back to your senses, walk around a little bit more and go talk to some of the folks that have come back and are trying to rebuild. Spew a little bit of your venom to them, right there on terra firma in THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, and see how you make out with your theories.

Welcome to the Lower Nin't Ward, bruh. Yeah, you right.

sahagian starstarstar Sun 1/20/2008 01:54PM
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sahagian

I think some of you are a little too close to this subject to understand what stoops is saying. When you live there and love the city you fail to see the bigger picture… the place is naturally UNDERWATER! It wasn’t that way when the city was settled over 300 years ago, and as sea levels continue to rise, it’s only going to get worse. The truth of the matter is that Lake Ponchartrain, if left up to Mother Nature, would now be Ponchartrain Bay. I live in Florida, and hurricanes are a part of life here. Storm surges are natural, and when a hurricane is coming, if you want to stay alive, you head to higher ground. Sea level, let alone below sea level, is not a safe place to be.

To blame the Army Corps of Engineers is an ignorant and cowardly way out. If your city was located at the base of a volcano, and someone decided to build a wall uphill to block the lava that flowed down during an eruption, who would you blame when the inevitable happened? The volcano, whoever built the wall, or the people that decided to live at the base of a volcano?

Funkjester… you are right that Katrina didn’t hit N.O. and that it was only cat 3, but it looked like it was going to be a 5, and when it was in the middle of the Gulf, it looked like it was headed your way. You couldn’t have paid me to stay anywhere near sea level, let alone below it. So, if we’re playing the blame game… who’s to blame? It isn’t stoops, and it isn’t the Army Corps… maybe it Mother Nature, but what would Darwin say about that?

vollostcom Sun 1/20/2008 03:52PM
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