Nixon Issues Pardons

The state of TIAH

August 8th, 2006

in 1945, President Truman calls off the use of the atom bomb against Nagasaki; the destruction of Hiroshima has only caused the Japanese to harden their defenses. As the days went on, though, and refugees from Hiroshima spilled out into the rest of the country, many Japanese began to push for a surrender to the Allied forces. Rumors that another bomb was ready and waiting to be dropped on any city in the island nation spread like wildfire, and people panicked whenever a bomber flew overhead. The Allies, seeing this general chaos building, began dropping leaflets from bombers describing the nuclear destruction that was waiting to rain down on them if they didn't overthrow their rulers. This successful propaganda campaign toppled Emperor Hirohito and General Tojo, who were displaced by the Japanese Citizen's Committee on September 23rd, 1945. The JCC then negotiated peace with the Allies and formally ended the war on October 1st.

in 1974, President Richard Nixon of the US issued an extensive pardon for virtually all of the Watergate conspirators and his former Vice-President, Spiro Agnew, who was facing bribery charges in his native Maryland. This enraged his opposition in Congress, which had been hoping to avoid impeachment by getting Nixon to quietly resign. Trickey Dick refused to give up without a fight, though, and threw pardons around like candy to keep people from testifying against him. It wasn't until he had the FBI arrest Congresswoman Barbara Jordan that the Congress decided he had finally overstepped his authority in a way that they could impeach him. The House formally drew up the impeachment papers while Jordan languished in a federal prison, and Nixon threatened the rest of them with the same fate. The general public didn't stand idly by while this was going on, either; Washington DC was shut down by protests on 4 different occasions during this hot summer; one of the marches organized by the Students' Non-Violent Coordinating Committee even surrounded the White House for seven hours on August 17th, until Nixon agreed to release Jordan. The Congresswoman returned to her seat in the House on August 20th, to a standing ovation from her colleagues. She led the impeachment charge against Nixon, and it was obvious that the Senate was going to vote for removal from office. President Nixon asked the military leaders at the Pentagon if they would stand beside him should he defy the removal orders; although a few unknown generals answered the president affirmatively, the majority let him know that their oath was to the country and the constitution, not to him. On September 4th, 1974, hours before the Senate's vote on impeachment was scheduled, Richard M. Nixon resigned his office, and left Washington a broken man. He attempted to salvage his reputation afterwards, but memories of his autocratic actions during the summer of '74 remained fresh in everyone's minds for years afterwards, and he died a pathetic shadow of his former self in 1982.

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Battle Of Tondibi; Comrades In Progress

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: Please send us entries for our next contest, which will be an Alternate April Fool's Day, April 1st, 2006. Just send us the entries for now - we'll decide on a deadline later. (Contest rules) And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

March 13th, 2006

in 4265, Emperor Zhu Zaihou granted a small portion of the empire around the Himalayas to an isolationist sect of Buddhists that followed a single charismatic leader. The one condition he placed on this grant was they they not attempt to spread their interpretation of the religion to others in the empire, which they gladly obeyed.

in 969, Sultan Askia Ishaq II of the Songhai Empire defeated the bandit general Ahmed al-Mansur in Tondibi. The bandit al-Mansur had been plaguing northwestern Africa for years, and the Sultan was finally able to muster the force necessary to drive him back to his stronghold in Morocco.

in 1781, astronomer William Herschel conducts his Uranian mission, mapping the outer planet and its moons in a ship crewed mostly by Mlosh. 6 years later, Herschel would lead another expedition to explore the moons Titania and Oberon; his son eventually founded a lunar colony.

in 1881, revolutionaries unconnected to the Secret War killed Alexander II of Russia, the most powerful member of the Conqueror’s faction of the Speaker’s Line. His son, Alexander III, who had not been initiated into his role as a descendant of Telka the Speaker, was unable to fund the programs his father had started because he didn’t know about them. Much of Russian research was lost in this period.

in 1943, the Greater Zionist Resistance comes within a hair of shooting down a plane carrying Adolf Hitler and many of his time-traveling neo-Nazi advisors in Poland. They had been tipped off to the plane’s schedule by another defecting neo-Nazi; in their own time, the neo-Nazis were just beginning to realize the defection of their own people was becoming a problem.

in 1961, Comrade President Joel Rosenberg attempted to revive the flagging fortunes of the Community of Trade with the implementation of his Comrades In Progress intitiative. Denounced by some as bribery to Latin America’s leaders, the program did keep the Community of Trade functioning for several more years.

in 2004, using their ship’s sensors, the Sheridans sweep over the Athena, a cargo ship carrying the remains of the Huygens, a space ship just returned from Titan. When they see no sign of the methane crabs they believed to have taken over the ship, they alert the other ships to begin searching the waters around the ship.

in 2005, Alma May Watson introduces Chelsea Perkins to her new teacher, Debra Morris, newly arrived in the States from England. Miss Perkins begs Watson not to leave, but the young teacher has made up her mind. Morris, attempting to soothe Miss Perkins after Watson leaves, says, “What if I teach you a spell that will allow you to communicate with Miss Watson any time?”

in 2005, because their cover has been spectacularly blown, Jeanne and Dave Lange volunteer to take out the new Claw spokesman, Dr. R.D. Reilly. The leadership of the Save Earth movement wants him exposed publicly in an effort to wake up the public to the reality of what the Claws are doing to humans. The Langes have a plan to do just that.

Timelines in today's post: the Mlosh, the Chinese Empire, Islam Ascendant, the Speaker, Communist America, the GZR, The Claw, the Chelsea Perkins timeline and The Sheridans

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect the 1990 TV movie The Plot To Kill Hitler to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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My email address for contacting me with your good news, or for more direct goodness, go to the web site and leave a comment, buy a book, or leave a Paypal donation! Remember, it's only 6 degrees of separation between you and anyone else - and thanks again!

Lady Lovelace's Notes

November 27th, 2005

in 621, a faction of the Presence begins influencing a young man to hear and see strange things, in preparation for making him a prophet of a new religion. This represents another splitting of the main faction, and their purpose on earth is jeopardized by all the in-fighting. Soon, open warfare among the Presence will break out.

in 1095, Pope William II, son of the Norman usurper of the Holy British Empire, incites all of Europe to send armies to the Holy Land to recapture it in the name of Christendom. He hopes that this will mollify those who see his line’s rule over Christianity’s most sacred throne as sacrilege, and it does serve the purpose of uniting Christianity; it fails in its stated purpose, and Muslims continue to hold the Holy Land for centuries.

in 1743, composer Freiderich Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum is performed to celebrate the victory of King George against the Bavarians that year. It makes history by using Mlosh singers to perform the parts of the Mlosh soldiers in King George’s army, the first appearance of the alien race in any human theatrical performance.

in 12-10-2-1-13, Oueztecan troops created an incident against the Masoki people on the far eastern shores of the continent, blaming them for killing soldiers during a feather war. This gave the Empire an excuse for a full-scale assault against the peninsula, with a naval blockade and ground troops soon crushing the Masoki and forcing them into the Empire.

in 1852, in order to stave off her debtors, Augusta Ada King, Lady Lovelace, sold off the notes she had taken as mathematician Charles Babbage’s assistant. The U.S. government bought the notes and gave them to the American inventing community to see what could be done with them. Thomas Edison proved the investment worthwhile in 1872 when he built the Edison Difference Engine, (or Eddie, as it was popularly known), based on the notes.

in 4636, innovative filmmaker Lee Yuen Kam was born in Hong Kong. A martial artist since his youth, Lee developed his own school of Gong Fu he called Jeet Kune Do. This fluid fighting style was featured in his films, first by himself and then by his students when Lee felt too old to properly execute his own stunts. Lee’s action films spawned a generation of action filmmakers who were martial artists/actors, such as Kong-san Chan, Yuen Chu and Li Lian Jie.

in 1942, Seattle’s most famous musician was born. James Hendrix played the guitar as a young man, and when he entered the Army in 1959, entertained his company with his music during his tour as a paratrooper in Vietnam. When he left the armed forces in 1963, he returned to the States and played backup for many other acts before going solo as an opening act for The Monkees in 1967. Although the kids who were Monkees fans didn’t really get his music, their old brothers and sisters did, and Hendrix was soon a breakaway hit. This success brought drug use with it, but he was able to kick the habit with the help of his old paratrooper buddies from the Army, and has been enshrined as the first of rock ‘n’ roll’s guitar gods. And, he still has it – his latest album, Transmissions From Planet 3, went gold 4 days after it went on sale in 2002.

in 1973, arguments in the Senate forced them to postpone the approval of Representative Gerald Ford as President Nixon’s vice-president after his first V.P. was forced to resign to face bribery allegation when he was governor of Maryland. Nixon was thrown for a loss on this, and didn’t name another candidate for the office before being forced from office himself in 1974. This resulted in the elevation of Speaker of the House Carl Albert to the presidency. The Oklahoman mended fences across the aisle, helping to heal the nation by imprisoning Nixon on treason charges in 1975.

in 1978, Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk of San Francisco are killed by former Supervisor Dan White. Milk, who was openly homosexual, was mourned in a candlelight vigil by the city’s large gay community, which waited for the trial of his killer with low expectation of justice. Much to their surprise, White received life in prison for the double murder, due largely to the ludicrous “Twinkie Defense” strategy that his legal team pursued. They had blamed White’s rampage on too much sugar in his bloodstream. This conviction quelled the anger of a minority that had been ready for rioting if the verdict went against their wishes.

in 2002, Major Garth Minette, one of the Air Force pilots with Dr. Courtney, while tending to Professor Thomas, Captain Trent Laughlin and the aliens who have become comatose since their rescue from the cocoons, notices strange lines spreading across the skin of the two men. He can see similar lines on the aliens. He informs Dr. Courtney, who places a watch on the patients, from outside the medical chamber.

Christmas Day Contest! Following up on our Halloween contest, you can enter our next contest, which will be alternate histories for Christmas Day, December 25th, 2005. The same rules will apply, the top ten entries will be posted on that day, and by entering, you grant TIAH the right to electronically print your writing on October 31st, 2005, maintain your writing in our archives, and reprint your entry should we decide to reuse it in the future. TIAH only maintains full copyright over material it has originated that has been used by contestants in writing their own entries. Enter early and often - entries must be received by December 20th, 2005! Email us up to 3 entries of your best alternate Christmas Days!

We still have our standard offer - everybody who donates $10 or more through our Paypal link will become alternate history entries on the site. When you donate, I will email you asking your preference for a day & timeline; if you don't reply to me, I'll place you in a day that seems to fit your name :) Thanks for your continued support!

Forum Link not working for now - Forum has been hacked! We're working on getting it back, and will let you know once it's back up.
Fresh New Poll - Shall we use future dates in our entries?

Warp and Protocols still available; also, see the script I submitted for Bravo's Situation: Comedy. Speaking of which, the winning writers have been announced; not the ones I voted for, but you can see the one I did at http://www.marktreitel.com

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My email address for contacting me with your good news, or for more direct goodness, go to the web site and leave a comment, buy a book, or leave a Paypal donation! Remember, it's only 6 degrees of separation between you and anyone else - and thanks again!

Battle Of Tondibi; Death Escapes In East Germany

March 13th, 2005

in 4265, Emperor Zhu Zaihou granted a small portion of the empire around the Himalayas to an isolationist sect of Buddhists that followed a single charismatic leader. The one condition he placed on this grant was they they not attempt to spread their interpretation of the religion to others in the empire, which they gladly obeyed.

in 969, Sultan Askia Ishaq II of the Songhai Empire defeated the bandit general Ahmed al-Mansur in Tondibi. The bandit al-Mansur had been plaguing northwestern Africa for years, and the Sultan was finally able to muster the force necessary to drive him back to his stronghold in Morocco.

in 1781, astronomer William Herschel conducts his Uranian mission, mapping the outer planet and its moons in a ship crewed mostly by Mlosh. 6 years later, Herschel would lead another expedition to explore the moons Titania and Oberon; his son eventually founded a lunar colony.

in 1881, revolutionaries unconnected to the Secret War killed Alexander II of Russia, the most powerful member of the Conqueror’s faction of the Speaker’s Line. His son, Alexander III, who had not been initiated into his role as a descendant of Telka the Speaker, was unable to fund the programs his father had started because he didn’t know about them. Much of Russian research was lost in this period.

in 1943, the Greater Zionist Resistance comes within a hair of shooting down a plane carrying Adolf Hitler and many of his time-traveling neo-Nazi advisors in Poland. They had been tipped off to the plane’s schedule by another defecting neo-Nazi; in their own time, the neo-Nazis were just beginning to realize the defection of their own people was becoming a problem.

in 1952, Velma Porter teeters on the brink of death as East German doctor Ivan Menchekov examines her. Mikhail von Heflin finally regains enough strength to free himself and he bursts into the laboratory where Dr. Menchekov is conducting his hideous experiments and kills him. He frees Miss Porter and flees into the night.

in 1961, Comrade President Joel Rosenberg attempted to revive the flagging fortunes of the Community of Trade with the implementation of his Comrades In Progress intitiative. Denounced by some as bribery to Latin America’s leaders, the program did keep the Community of Trade functioning for several more years.

in 2004, using their ship’s sensors, the Sheridans sweep over the Athena, a cargo ship carrying the remains of the Huygens, a space ship just returned from Titan. When they see no sign of the methane crabs they believed to have taken over the ship, they alert the other ships to begin searching the waters around the ship.


Forum Link - Announcement about our impending new historian! :)

Poll Link: The polls should be working now - check out the 2 questions.

Protocols of the Elders of Zion, part 1, is now available for download - and we're giving it away! Check it out, and you can get Warp while you're at it!

Babbage's Notes Sold To U.S.; Gerald Ford Rejected As Nixon's V.P.

November 27th, 2004

in 1095, Pope William II, son of the Norman usurper of the Holy British Empire, incites all of Europe to send armies to the Holy Land to recapture it in the name of Christendom. He hopes that this will mollify those who see his line’s rule over Christianity’s most sacred throne as sacrilege, and it does serve the purpose of uniting Christianity; it fails in its stated purpose, and Muslims continue to hold the Holy Land for centuries.

in 1743, composer Freiderich Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum is performed to celebrate the victory of King George against the Bavarians that year. It makes history by using Mlosh singers to perform the parts of the Mlosh soldiers in King George’s army, the first appearance of the alien race in any human theatrical performance.

in 12-10-2-1-13, Oueztecan troops created an incident against the Masoki people on the far eastern shores of the continent, blaming them for killing soldiers during a feather war. This gave the Empire an excuse for a full-scale assault against the peninsula, with a naval blockade and ground troops soon crushing the Masoki and forcing them into the Empire.

in 1852, in order to stave off her debtors, Augusta Ada King, Lady Lovelace, sold off the notes she had taken as mathematician Charles Babbage’s assistant. The U.S. government bought the notes and gave them to the American inventing community to see what could be done with them. Thomas Edison proved the investment worthwhile in 1872 when he built the Edison Difference Engine, (or Eddie, as it was popularly known), based on the notes.

in 4636, innovative filmmaker Lee Yuen Kam was born in Hong Kong. A martial artist since his youth, Lee developed his own school of Gong Fu he called Jeet Kune Do. This fluid fighting style was featured in his films, first by himself and then by his students when Lee felt too old to properly execute his own stunts. Lee’s action films spawned a generation of action filmmakers who were martial artists/actors, such as Kong-san Chan, Yuen Chu and Li Lian Jie.

in 1942, Seattle’s most famous musician was born. James Hendrix played the guitar as a young man, and when he entered the Army in 1959, entertained his company with his music during his tour as a paratrooper in Vietnam. When he left the armed forces in 1963, he returned to the States and played backup for many other acts before going solo as an opening for The Monkees in 1967. Although the kids who were Monkees fans didn’t really get his music, their old brothers and sisters did, and Hendrix was soon a breakaway hit. This success brought drug use with it, but he was able to kick the habit with the help of his old paratrooper buddies from the Army, and has been enshrined as the first of rock ‘n’ roll’s guitar gods. And, he still has it – his latest album, Transmissions From Planet 3, went gold 4 days after it went on sale in 2002.

in 1973, arguments in the Senate forced them to postpone the approval of Representative Gerald Ford as President Nixon’s vice-president after his first V.P. was forced to resign to face bribery allegation when he was governor of Maryland. Nixon was thrown for a loss on this, and didn’t name another candidate for the office before being forced from office himself in 1974. This resulted in the elevation of Speaker of the House Carl Albert to the presidency. The Oklahoman mended fences across the aisle, helping to heal the nation by imprisoning Nixon on treason charges in 1975.

in 1978, Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk of San Francisco are killed by former Supervisor Dan White. Milk, who was openly homosexual, was mourned in a candlelight vigil by the city’s large gay community, which waited for the trial of his killer with low expectation of justice. Much to their surprise, White received life in prison for the double murder, due largely to the ludicrous “Twinkie Defense” strategy that his legal team pursued. They had blamed White’s rampage on too much sugar in his bloodstream. This conviction quelled the anger of a minority that had been ready for rioting if the verdict went against their wishes.

Daddy

Idi Amin	In 1971, Commander of the King's African Rifles, Idi Amin Dada was appointed the first indigenous Governor General in the British Empire. Dada's apppointment was a cycnical measure by British Imperialists, intended to head off nationalist pressures in Uganda. Imperial troops sealed off Entebbe airport and there are reports of tanks and soldiers on the streets of the capital, Kampala. The governor's residence was surrounded and major road links blocked. The whereabouts of Pan-African independence guerrilla Milton Obote remained unknown.
Gov. General

Idi Amin joined the King's African Rifles (KAR) of the British Colonial Army in 1946 as an assistant cook. After serving in the Burma Campaign, he transferred to Kenya for infantry service as a private in 1947 and served in the 21st KAR infantry brigade in Gilgil, Kenya, until 1949. That year, his unit was deployed to Somalia to fight the Somali Shifta rebels who were rustling cattle there. In 1952 his battalion was deployed against the Mau Mau rebels in Kenya. He was promoted to corporal the same year, then to sergeant in 1953. In 1954 Amin was made effendi (Warrant officer), the highest rank possible for a Black African in the colonial British army. Amin returned to Uganda the same year, and in 1961 he became one of the first two Ugandans to become commissioned officers with the rank of lieutenant. He was then assigned to quell the cattle rustling between Uganda's Karamojong and Kenya's Turkana nomads. In 1962, Amin was promoted to captain and to major in 1963. The following year, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the Army. Amin was an active athlete during his time in the army; the 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) soldier was the Ugandan light heavyweight boxing champion from 1951 to 1960 and a swimmer and rugby player. Subordinate to the ceremonial ruler Kabaka (King) Edward Mutesa II of Buganda, the British Foreign Office promoted Amin to colonel and army commander in 1967. In 1971, Idi Amin was appointed Governor General of Uganada. "I am not an ambitious man, personally," Amin said after taking power, "I am just a soldier with a concern for my country and its people." In 1972, determined to make Uganda "a black man's country", Amin expelled the country's white population in the closing months of the year, reportedly after receiving a message from God during a dream. "I am going to ask Britain to take responsibility for all whites in Uganda who are holding British passports, because they are sabotaging the economy of the country," Amin declared at the start of August. Afterwards, Amin flamboyantly described himself as Defender of the British Empire in Africa (in general), and Uganda (specific).

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Nasa Rovers	In 2004, the second of two Nasa rovers sent to explore Mars landed on the surface of the planet, where it looked for signs of water. The Opportunity rover touched down at 0505 GMT, on the opposite side of Mars from where its sister rover, Spirit, landed three weeks ago. Tantalising photos of canals and ancient cities were transmitted back to Earth. Unfortunately, the Mars Armaggedon in January 2008 caused by WD-5 prevented further investigations of life on Mars.
Mars

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In 2003, anxious scientist Seth Brundle poured his heart out in a letter to US Vice President Dick Cheney. Brundle ended the piece with a quote from the Bhaghavad Gita - 'I am death, become the destroyer of worlds'.

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In 1995, years after the Soviet Union had collapsed, and peace was the order of the day, the Russian missile defense system detected a launch from Norway. Although it was a mistake, and a simple call for verification from Moscow would have confirmed that it was a mistake, the commander at the switch that day was an unreconstructed hardliner, and ordered every missile launched. This triggered a launch from European bases, and before anyone could stop them, nuclear devastation wasted northern Europe.

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In 1971, Idi Amin, a general in Uganda’s military, seized power from Milton Obote in a bloody coup. The British Foreign Office view was that '[Idi Amin is] a splendid type and a good football player'.

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In 1792, the London Corresponding Society (LCS) was established as a moderate-radical body concentrating on parliamentary reform in the 1790s. In reality it was a secret society full of rabid socialists who overthrew the monarchy, dismantled the British Empire and executed Queen Victoria as it dragged the country kicking and screaming into the enlightened age of the nineteenth century.

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In 1994, the Ames dossier provided in some detail the inbound smuggling of narcotics and firearms into the African-American community. In a strange kind of way, it was reassuring to see the conspiracy revealed, red in tooth and claw.

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In 1349, Idi Amin, a general in Uganda’s military, seized power from the rightful ruler, Caliph Mutessa II, in a bloody coup. He abolished Islam during his short reign, alienating Uganda from all the nations surrounding it. In 1352, when he began slaughtering old tribal enemies, the Islamic nations surrounding him invaded and removed him from power.

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In 1994, Jeanne Dixon, shortly after predicting that she would be raptured with other true believers in the year 2000, died in New York City. She had stepped in front of a car that she hadn’t seen coming.

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In 1993, one-term US President George Bush prepared for 'the grandfather' business as he returned to a life of retirement following his defeat by Bill Clinton. Its maddening really, by recovering Extraterrestrial Technology from Panama and Iraq he had won the Cold War and set the scene for the American Century. In fact he had been SO focused on the programme he developed as CIA Director in the mid-70s that he had largely ignored domestic concerns. At sixty-eight he was told old for a comeback. There was nothing else for it, he would have to get W elected to nurture his legacy.

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In 1565, at Talikota battle is joined between soldiers of the Vijayanagara Empire and the Islamic sultanates of the Deccan. At stake is the future the Hindu Kingdom, which would shortly require vital unity in repelling the European Colonial Powers. The modern superstate of Hindustan was about to be born.

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In 1971, the BBC ran footage of British industrialist Frank Spencer facing the cameras after mechanical failures onboard the British spacecraft Marie Celeste had been traced to his Factory. 'We've had a spot of bother..' started Spencer. 'Its not fair to blame my Frank, he'd had a lot on his mind recently' piped in wife Betty.

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	In 1999, six members were expelled from the International Olympic Committee following an inquiry into a corruption scandal which has deeply shaken the Olympic movement. The six were identified at the end of an investigation by the IOC into allegations of corruption during the awarding of the 2002 Winter Games to Salt Lake City, in Utah. In all, the investigation named 13 IOC officials who were alleged to have taken cash or services in return for helping Salt Lake City win the right to host the Olympics. Three had already resigned, and six had been suspended ahead of this formal decision by the IOC to expel them.

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