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Links and Notes 12/10/2013

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Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.


#TimePOY ; The Battle that the General's supporters Did not understand

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The fake Time Cover
And Time magazine announced its short-list for the its world famous Time's person of the year 2013 and not so surprisingly General Abdel Fatah El Sisi was not among the names in the list. Many hearts and minds in Egypt are angry and broken over the news. After all the Pro-Sisi supporters thought that our so-much popular minister of defense and commander of armed forces will land on the Time magazine's cover next December 11, 2013 after winning the battle against the Turkish Sultan Erdogan in the Face-off and the readers' poll.
Of course the Time itself had to explain how Egyptian media was lobbying for the General's win.
The Pro-Sisi supporters do not want to understand that there is a difference between the Time's person of the Year chosen by the editor of the famous Magazine and the recent Online readers' poll . The Online readers' poll is a new thing added to the Time in cooperation with Twitter.com
The Pro-Sisi supporters do not want to understand that being the Time's person of the Year does not mean you are the greatestand you are being recognized by the world as Mr. Universe. The Time's person of the year is about the Most controversial people of the year that created news and changed the world in their own way. Hitler , Mussolini and Khomini were the Time person of the Year for God's Sake.

  Anyone reads how the magazine described the general , you will know that he will not make it to the short-list easily and if he did , it would be in a negative way. " The Egyptian defence minister (and top army general) spearheaded the controversial removal of democratically-elected President Mohamed Morsi in July this year." Oh yes this is what is being said and as you see they say "democratically elected president" !!
"Ironically last year the Pro-Morsi supporters were on fire too because the ousted president behind bars was in the list tooand actually he was a runner up !!
Newspapers and News Websites like Dostor.com and Al Watan continue to lie and say that El Sisi was excluded deliberately the general despite his victory in the people's vote !! Al Watan today said that General's supporters are going to boycott the international magazine as if they buy it in the first place.
Former BBC correspondent and Mrs. Abdel Latif Al Manawy's wife aka TV host Rola Kharsa is claiming that Time Magazine is controlled by MB on TV.
BY Nadine Marroushi
Anyhow I am not surprised that those TV hosts, newspapers and news websites continue lies , they won't dare to admit that they lied and even fabricated fake Time magazine covers.
For God's sake , even the Chocolatier specialized in General El Sisi's chocolates aka Cocoa made special chocolates with the general's Time Cover that never was !!!!!
Now we got the infamous Pro-El Sisi group claiming to be an Anonymous related group threatening to bring down the Time magazine because of the editors' action to remove the general from the Shortlist when he won.  
The Pro-El Sisi groups urging him to run for the presidency are claiming that the Time editors are forced by the US administration and the mighty International organization of the MB to opt the true winner. They do not want to admit that the General lost that battle , lost fairly and honorably if You ask me after all he won the readers' poll against Erdogan and the Queen of Twerking Miley Cyrus who lobbied for votes through her twitter accounts. "Her followers are more than the twitter users in Egypt for God sake !!"
These are just examples of El-Sisi cult mania , God knows what will happen if this man decided to run forpresidency. We had a fake battle to send the world a message it did not to hear or receive.
 There is a whole process of deception and misinformation in Egypt. Take the Time Person of the Year as an exampleand I will not lie to see that it is the role example of how mainstream as well social media act. Of course things are much worse in the social media where the Pro- El Sisi as well Pro- MB Facebook groups and Pages besides the twitter account spread lies.
This is why I am urging Time magazine to publish in Arabic a statement explaining Time's Person of the Year exactly and the difference between the readers' poll and editors' poll which is the main poll. This statement is important considering the amount of information spread shamelessly in the Egyptian media. Not all the Egyptians on social media know English and understand the true meaning of its poll I am afraid.
Anyhow let's leave the groupies and the general because in Foreign Policy we got three Egyptians in its annual Global Thinkers list. We got Bassem Youssef  , Hossam Bahget and Heba Morayef 
The Time Magazine Person of the Year , I believe it should Edward Snowdon. Look how many political crises and social media crises he caused with his NSA revelation. 

Links and Notes 12/11/2013

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Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Links and Notes 12/12/2013

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Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

And It snowed in Egypt

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And it snowed in Egypt for the first time since 122 years and here we are not speaking about hail or snow in Sinai or Saint Catherine Mount. No we are speaking about snow in Cairo outskirts.

It is freezing right now. Almost raining from time to time. Alexa is not fooling around. It is extremely cold. The storms in Alexandria led the authorities to close the ports. It is extremely cold and one can imagine how the poor in shanty towns and street children. Sports centers and mosques as well churches should be opened for those but whom shall we address !??

Pharaoh's Dreams and Visions

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Four scenes from Ancient Egypt to 21st century Egypt

Ancient Egypt – Middle Age

Arthur Reginald's Jospehinterpeting the pharoah's dream
The Pharaoh “Whom we do not know who he was” bring prisoner Joseph from prison , he was renowned to have a special gift : To interpret dreams. The pharaoh brought him from prison to interpret two dreams : He dreamt of seven lean cows which rose out of the river and devoured seven fat cows; and, of seven withered ears of grain which devoured seven fat ears. Prophet Joseph interpreted them as foretelling that seven years of abundance would be followed by seven years of famine, and advised Pharaoh to store surplus grain during the years of abundance.
The dreams came trueand the pharaoh followed Joseph’s advice saving Egypt from hunger. It paid offand Joseph was released after years in an Egyptian jail unfairly.He became the vizier of Egypt and the rest you know in Torah, Bible and Quran very well. 

Middle ages Syria

A young slave in Damascus told famous Sheikh El Ezz Ibn Abdel Salam that he saw prophet Mohamed “PBUH” himself in a vision telling him that he would head to Egypt and would rule it. The Young slave was not an ordinary Slave boy  in the Middle ages as legends and middle age historians also say that he was the unfortunate heir of Shah Muhammed II of Khwarezm captured by the Mongols and sold in Damascus.
The young slave was then sold to Prince Ezz El Din Aybak , the famous Mamluk prince where he became a Prince and his first aide in Egypt. Sooner the dream came true and the slave boy whose name was then Seif El Din Qutuz , the Mamluk Prince became the third Mamluk Sultan of  Egypt.
Qutuz did rule Egypt and conquered the Mongul armies in an epic battle that would inspire generations and generations. He only ruled Egypt for one year before he was killed by other Mamluks above them Baibars who would rule Egypt for 30 years.

Egypt- In the first half of the 20th century

Jehan El Sadat reveals that after marrying Mohamed Anwar El Sadat shortly a fortune teller or rather a palmist told her while walking by the Nile in one of the evening with her husband that she would be the Queen of Egypt. Both Jehan and Anwar laughed then but in 1971 the palmist seemed be telling the truth. Jehan El Sadat was the first lady off Egypt , she was the uncrowned Queen of Egypt.
Still in 1981 President Sadat was assassinated by Islamists with ambitions to rule. Mrs. El Sadat mentioned this in her memories I do not know where she first mentioned though.

Egypt – In the second half of the 20th century

From 35 years ago an officer in the Egyptian army called Abdel Fatah El Sisi had a very interesting series of dreams or rather visions where he was raising a sword, on which was written “No God but God” in red then  in another one he was wearing an OMEGA watch with a Green Star and When he was asked by the people about why he would have this watch,he answered that that watch was named for him “ it’s an Omega, and I’m Abdel Fattah” !!!!
General El Sisi ( Armed forces spox FB)
Of course things get darker in other dreams which he considered visions. In one vision he was told someone “he did not mention” that he  was told I would be given what nobody else had been given !!
In the final vision he revealed that He was with Sadat, and the late President assassinated by Islamists told him he  knew that he would be the president and allegedly El Sisi told him “I also know that I’m going to be the president”….!!!!
That was mentioned in another alleged audio leak from General Abdel Fatah El Sisi’s interview with Yasser Rizk of Al Masry Al Youm. Those leaks do not want to finish and up till now there was no confirmation or denial about its authenticity either.  So far it is regarded to be authentic and it is making rounds now in social media as well foreign media. I saw the last leak about the general’s  featured in none other than Times of Israel.
Of course for those people who still use their minds in the right way in Egypt are extremely alarmed that the commander of the Egyptian army “He used to head military intelligence” believes in dreams and so on not to mention that he rules Egypt now regardless of the ambitions about become Egypt’s president. “He mentioned it in his dreams”
Those who read and studied Sigmund Freud’s work  are saying that the General had long time ambition to rule Egypt. Those who read and believe in the work of Ibn Sirin are trying to interpret the dreams of Egypt’s true ruler now. Of course there were no OMEGA watches in time of Ibn Sirin !!
Some people who do not read Freud or have got the Ibn Sirin’s ultimate guide to interpret dreams believe the visions of the generals are not good , after we got a President assassinated by Islamists and a sword with the words of Tawheed in red just like blood.
We had enough of rulers who God speaks to them not to mention that we were the first nation the world to have a ruler that descends from the Gods themselves. It is more than alarming and scary when it comes to think about the future of both the Egyptian army and the future of Egypt. Many people hope it is fake including revolutionary activists I know.
El Sisi cultists and supporters who are no different than the Muslim Brotherhood supporters and members from their blind faith in their icons that reaches to dangerous cultist devotion say that that was divine sign that that was the man to rule Egypt for eternity.
The Pro-Military supporters including those claiming to be officers online are claiming that that alleged dream is associated with Sufism and its symbolisms..etc. Already I can not forget they were marketing the man as a Sufi last year.
My humble knowledge about Sufism , the true Sufis do not seek any worldly materialistic position for real , they do not want their heart full of the love of God to be full of the greed of the world and politics. This is what I know about Sufism.
Of course for traditional Salafists not Jihadist Salafists  , the man has to be obeyed either way according to their doctrines as the land and men are following his orders by the will of God. For God sake the traditional Salafists and their Sheikhs like Yasser El Borhamy are the best friends for regimes especially police regimes. The Sword with the words that No God but God in red could be sign for them.
Ironically those guys used to mock on how the Pro-MB Islamists used to claim that they saw visions and dreams of Prophet Mohamed,Omar and archangel Gabriel used allegedly support Mohamed Morsi !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is easy to govern and control people who believe in dreams , visions , omens I am afraid !!
                                                   ----------------------------------------
I have a dream
Martin Luther King JR.
August 28, 1964
Lincoln Memorial , Washington D. C
Well I have my dream too , it is a vision not for me as sort savior queen but rather a vision of my Egypt.  I dream of Egypt that has got a true Constitution that builds a true strong civilian secular nation that does not differentiate between its citizens regardless of their color , race , religion or gender. I dream of a constitution that gives people rights and regard them as humans.
I dream of a ministry of interior that is restructured to serve the people for real , that protects the people for real and respects their rights as well the law for real. I dream of a true parliament that represents the people of Egypt real. I dream of true hearing sessions in the parliament.
I dream that ministers from defense to transportation worry from the hearing sessions in the parliament. I dream of officials that worry from accountability , I dream of official that are truly dedicated to their work and want to be remembered in some positive way.
I dream that no civilian stand a military trial nor there is a difference between civilian or military in the first place when it comes to respect and recognition in the country.
I dream of a proper modern education in public schools and public universities. I dream of true scientific research in Egypt. I dream of true eco-industrial and agriculture booming in Egypt. I dream of clean streets and beaches.
I dream that we expand in solar energy especially in rural areas so villages have electricity. I dream of true urban development. I dream of true decentralization in the governorates. I dream of true local councils where the people themselves govern and monitor the government’s action.
I dream of a foreign ministry that truly got a vision for Egypt as true leading independent developing country in Africa and Arab world.
Dream Dream Dream all what I do is dream !! I have too many dreams as you can see. I  know dreams are free. They are one of the ways to escape bitter realities.
I dream and I know that realistically my dream will not come true any time sooner , may be before I will be in my 60s when I see or may I do not and even die before happens. All what I sure that this land was ruled with generals and priests for thousands of years will see the general’s dream come true as it always has done with men like him regardless of the consequences.

Links and Notes 12/13/2013

Open The Mosques and Churches ASAP

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Egypt is facing one hell of a winter indeed , the coldest since decades thanks to Alexa storm and as a nation with no rain drainages anymore and no real social services to look after the people in these extreme weather circumstances.

News circulating that at least two homeless people were killed in the past 48 hours in Cairo and no one can stop thinking about the homeless in these times or the people in shanty times.

There have been suggestions and pleas to the government online to open the mosques and churches especially mosques that are closed after Al Isha prayer to provide a warm shelter to homeless people. Same thing to the Youth centers closed with no activities now.

I really hope the government for once thinks in a human way and opens the mosques and churches as a shelter to the homeless people especially the street children.

There have been also online campaigns and suggestions to encourage people to buy blankets from downtown Cairo in order to give them away to any homeless they meet in the street. It is great idea.

I believe these online campaigns encourage TV show to launch campaigns like Warm Cairo of Amr Adeeb’s show to donate in specific bank accounts in order to buy blankets for the poor.

As you can see it is the people who are acting now the government as usual. Of course I can not ignore the fact that our streets are drowning in rain water thanks to the fact that we do have not rain drainage anymore. My grandma used to tell me that there were rain drainages systems in major cities in Egypt till early 1960s !!

I think the government should think from now to include in its plan some drainage system in the streets. Whom I am kidding !! Of course the government does not think about this trivial matter !! May be if we had had true representative elected local councils , this matter would have been solved from long time !!

You know how it is a failed stated , by judging on  how it is dealing with circumstances like this and whether it could deal with them whether in the future or even the present.


Links and Notes 12/15/2013

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Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

#Hala’ib triangle in Photos : The City of Hala’ib

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Ok in this cold weather accompanied with a wave of depressing news from Egypt , one can find an escape as well in solace in photos from around the globe and from Egypt itself.
We are back to the Hala’ib triangle photo series. If you remember last month we stopped at the Camel market in Shalateen , well today we will head to the city of Hala’ib itself.
Here is a photo gallery showing the city of Hala’ib itself by Yasser El Rasoul

The city of Hala’ib is not as open as Shalateen , you have to get the permission of military intelligence to film and to photograph in the border disputed city. The city itself is extremely poor as you can see from the photosbut the people do not complain from the lack of modernity or lack of infrastructure. When Resala sent a relief expedition there , they thought that they would hear tons of demandsbut what they heard actually was a simple demand to have a mosque !!
Only today I read the ministry of religious endowment will build new 4 mosques in the city. Of course I believe hospitals and schools as well other infrastructure. I think the government with simple few houses operated with solar energy in this environment won’t cost it huge sum considering the billions spent every year. We are speaking very small population that need true help to feel that they are truly recognized by the state.
Fromcouple of weeks ago , I read a news that the government will start huge development and mining projects in the area. I hope that they are true and not just fake news to cheer up the public in Cairo

Remembering #OccupyCabinet Clashes

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And it is the second anniversary of the Occupy Cabinet clashes aka the Cabinet HQ clashes in 2011 and as usual there is no justice served at all when it comes to the victims. I do not know what to say except that this is one the milestones that exposed many people in Egypt.
Anyhow for the time being here is a storify report for the rally organized by revolutionary political powers in Egypt to commemorate the clashes and its victims.
The activists in the rally say that they did not take an authorization for the rally and so it can end badly.


Links and Notes 12/16/2013

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Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

And this is how You mix religion with politics my dear

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It was a fact that Constitution 2012 edition was enforcing the engagement of Religion in the state.Another fact the Muslim Brotherhood and their allies from Islamists including Nour party then used religion to promote for that constitution just
Myth says that 30 June uprising/revolution/wave/protests was/were against the Muslim Brotherhood and against the use of religion in politics and here I say it is a myth because I see the current ruling regimeand its supporters shamelessly use religion in promoting for the Constitution 2013 edition.
Just yesterday Sheikh Ali Goma’a , our former Mufti said that those who would go to vote in the constitution referendum were supported by God !! He also added that we should all mobilize and say yes in order to astonish the world !!
New Old Nour Party's Constitution ad !!
He also added that the Constitution 2013 edition was against corruption and was against atheism !!!!!!! Yes against atheism so believers who want to fight that wave of atheism should vote for the constitution !!
Tell me what is the difference between Ali Goma’a and all the other MB sheikhs that said similar stuff about Constitution 2012 edition and the Constitution 1971 edition amendments referendum !? Of course this is not the first time Goma’a mix religion with politics , he has not stopped since July 26.
Even Nour Party is repeating the same old ads it used in 2012 claiming that Constitution 2013 in order to keep the Islamic identity and reference of the State. Its founder and famous Salafist preacher Yasser El Borhamy says that Constitution 2013 edition is better than Constitution 2012 edition !! 
Anyhow I hate to break the news to all of you , nobody for real knows what God thinks of this constitution or whether the Almighty is standing with this group or that group. Do not use the Lord in your useless endless disgusting earthly power fights.
And I remember Sheikh Emad Effet May Allah bless his soul and wonder why we are stuck in this world with sheikhs like El Borhmay , Goma’a and of course the MB’s religious band of Sheikhs !! The Lord only knows !! 
We hoped that after June 30 that mix of religion with politics to be stopped but we were naive as it seems. 

Links and Notes 12/17/2013

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Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Constitution 2013 Edition : Let’s get over this shit quickly ya People !!

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The controversies of the draft constitution do not want to end. The latest controversy is what Dr. Mohamed Abu El Ghar , the member of the Constitution committee and leader of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party said on TV last Monday about the last minute change in the constitution preamble without the approval of the committee.
Here is the video in Arabic .
In that interview with Rania Badawy on Al Tahrir TV channel , Abu El Ghar says that the text regarding the civility of the state was changed in the preamble with informing the committee after it finalized its work.
The committee voted on a final draft containing the word "civilian rule" in the preamble, while the version submitted by the committee to the interim president on 3 December replaced the phrase with "civilian government." Yes the original text till last minute was “Egypt’s civilian rule ” but it changed suddenly in the final session to “Egypt’s civilian government”.
In the interview Abu El Ghar accused the deep state of changing the text in order to please the Salafists and to ensure that they would vote in the referendum in the favor of the constitution. He also said only Amr Moussa and very few members in the committee knew about this deal and this last minute change in the preamble.
He also hinted out that the army played a role in this last minute change in the dinner they invited the members of the constitution committee to.
In end the leader of the SDP is telling the people that they wanted just to get over with that shit “regardless of being shit” so the Muslim Brotherhood would not gloat !!
Of course all the members of the Constitution committee are denying that there were pressures from any party or institution aka the army to alter anything. Amr Salah , the youth so-called representative in the committee posted on his Facebook page that Dr. Abu El Ghar was lying.
Poor Dr. Abu El Ghar now is saying that he was misunderstood.
And people like Abu El Ghar are considered liberal elite in Egypt !!!
A follow tweep told me today that the problem of Abu El Ghar and old politicians like him that they gambled with our future and our kids’ future . It is true but still we can do something about this future.
To be honest the Salafists are not the only group in town that are supporting that change in the preamble. The military join the Salafists in being the biggest winner when it comes to the “civilian government” if I understand correctly Ahram Online’s report about the whole matter.
Constitutional expert Rafaat Fouda, head of the public law department at Cairo University, believes there is a major difference between the two formulations.
Civilian rule, he said, would prohibit having a military man or man of religion as president, would prevent any kind of political activities with military or religious tones, and would outlaw applying military provisions to civilians -- including military trials for civilians, a measure permitted in the draft constitution. The term "civilian government" would make all of the above scenarios legally possible, according to Fouda.
"The term 'civilian government' is useless because the cabinet does not rule (alone)," Fouda told Ahram Online. The Arabic word for government is often used to refer to the cabinet.
Ruling power is divided between the president and the parliament... this term allows military men or clerics in the presidency or in parliament."


Still the “Civilian government” contradicts with the fact the minister of defense in the Draft Constitution should be a military.
The "civilian government" expression, Fouda argued, does not allow any military personnel or religious clerics in the cabinet. Paradoxically, another article in the constitution states that the defence minister has to be chosen from among the ranks of the military.
Back to Dr. Abu El Ghar’s revelation , well I hate to tell you that any lawyer can use this interview to nullify the referendum by claiming that there was last time unapproved change in the preamble.
This is just an example of the things I do not approve in the constitution. I am not angry or surprised but I am astonished at how much passive Dr. Abu El Ghar is. Nations’ constitutions are not drafted according to theory “Let’s get over this shit ya people” nor they are approved so the opposition parties and groups won’t gloat.
And here I remember Dr. ElBaradei’s words “This is not how nations are managed”
The Constitution referendum will be held next 14 and 15 January in Egypt. Egyptians abroad will vote in the referendum earlier on 8 January 2014. Up till now the  parliamentary electoral systems have been determined yet.It is left to the presidency to choose it.

Links and Notes 12/18/2013

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Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Links and Notes 12/19/2013

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Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

The Completely Forgotten #Rohingya Suffering

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Dear friend Jenan Moussa , the amazing Al Aan TV channel has traveled to Burma and filmed there the suffering of the Rohingya Muslim minority after it was almost forgotten in our Arabic media.
Jenan went there to the city of Sittwe to find out that there are 5000 Muslim Rohingya living in a ghetto not allowed to leave it surrounded by radical nationalists Burmese Buddhists. They do not work anymore living in one kilometer ghetto in fear. The people there demand the UN to help them.
5000 Muslim Rohingya stuck in one kilometer “Arabic”
She found out that  Rohinigya people are also banned from receiving any proper health care from any kind. They are not allowed to use the hospitals or clinics in Sittwe.
Muslims are not allowed to check in hospitals in Sittwe “Arabic”
In that Muslim ghetto , the people turned a coffee shop in to a very poor field clinic on Monday and Tuesday only.
They do not receive polio vaccination for a year nowand it began to spread among young children. I think the UNHCR and UNICEF should do their job and head to this ghetto ASAP.
The two days clinic in a cafe !!
Of course the Islamists in the Middle East whether in Egypt or Gulf or in Turkey have completely forgotten the Rohingya. I understand the reasons for our Islamists in Egyptbut I can not understand this silence in the Gulf or Turkey anymore.
Needless to sayI am not waiting any of the governments in the Arab world or the Islamic world to do anything in order to stop the agony of those people. There is no big difference already between the governments and regimes in the Middle East and that corrupted junta in Burma , they are all playing on the sectarian nationalist game in a way or another.
Even Aung San Suu Kyi is just as hypocrite as our political elite especially in Egypt now.

These Days we are living in #Egypt

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For Egyptians and those who understand Arabic this video because it is the best description for these days we are living .. for months now.

These days wer are living

This is from October and it is made by Mohamed Shawky. I am big admirer for his work on his channel El Balacano

And honestly I miss Bassem Youssef

Links and Notes 12/20/2013

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