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Today's updates

Hackers listen as FBI talks to Scotland Yard

At FBI headquarters in Washington, officials brushed off the hacking incident.

NEW - 9:27 PM

Local Digest

Around the Northwest

Police have made three arrests, and say more are likely, in a series of cases in which phones or other electronic gear were snatched out...

UPDATE - 09:24 PM

Prosecutors won't charge cyclist Lance Armstrong

The case against Lance Armstrong is closed. His legacy as a seven-time Tour de France champion endures.

NEW - 9:12 PM

Feds drop investigation of Lance Armstrong

Federal prosecutors dropped their investigation of Lance Armstrong on Friday, ending a nearly two-year effort aimed at determining whether the world's most famous cyclist and his teammates joined in a doping program during his greatest years.

NEW - 9:22 PM

Army doctor at Madigan suspended over PTSD comments

Two physicians on a Madigan Army Medical Center psychiatric team have been removed from clinical duties, as the Army opens an investigation into whether PTSD screenings for soldiers were mishandled.

Memorial service for Deputy Chapin

A memorial service to honor King County Sheriff Deputy Stan Chapin will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday at St. Brendan Catholic Church, 10100 N.E. 192nd St., Bothell.

Charges dropped against soldier in Afghan deaths

The Army has dropped all charges against the fifth soldier it had accused of murdering Afghan civilians for sport during a 2010 deployment.

Reichert decides not to run for Senate

Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert won't challenge Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell.

NEW - 9:15 PM

Friday's girls bowling results

State championship results from Narrows Plaza Bowl, University Place.

NEW - 9:12 PM

Jury gives $975K to woman who gave birth alone on floor in jail cell

A federal court jury has awarded nearly $1 million to a severely mentally ill homeless woman who gave birth alone in a King County Jail cell 14 years ago.

NEW - 9:10 PM

Man who posed as officer to get sex gets 14-year term

A 26-year-old felon was sentenced Friday to 14-1/2 years in prison for impersonating a police officer to extort sex from a woman and two 15-year-old girls after responding to their online ads for prostitution and escort services.

NEW - 8:44 PM

Super Bowl has makings of a thriller

This Super Bowl certainly has all the makings of another thriller, the perfect finish to a season that began in turmoil and wound up the most successful in league history.

UPDATE - 09:05 PM

Hackers intercept FBI, Scotland Yard call

Trading jokes and swapping leads, investigators from the FBI and Scotland Yard spent the conference call strategizing about how to bring down the hacking collective known as Anonymous, responsible for a string of embarrassing attacks across the Internet.

NEW - 9:05 PM

Details about the services offered by Planned Parenthood

Most of Planned Parenthood's services — 71 percent — are for birth control, and testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.

UPDATE - 09:04 PM

Army orders court-martial in WikiLeaks case

An Army officer ordered a court-martial Friday for a low-ranking intelligence analyst charged in the biggest leak of classified information in U.S. history.

NEW - 9:04 PM

Here's the scoop on Duke, feline delinquent who got owner fined

A cat's relentless pooping leads to a $109 fine, one of hundreds of complaints each year in a city where pets outnumber kids 3-to-1.

'Tornado tourism' stirs anger in Joplin

Eight months after a tornado laid waste to much of this city, Joplin is wrestling with an emotional question: Should the community market...

Coming soon, events across the region

A roundup of coming events all over Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia.

UPDATE - 8:54 PM

UConn coach Jim Calhoun takes indefinite medical leave | College basketball

Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun, 69, is taking an indefinite medical leave of absence. He has been suffering for the last few months from spinal stenosis, a condition that causes him severe pain and hampers mobility.

NEW - 7:34 PM

Killer gets 27-1/2 years for slaying clerk during 2009 robbery

A 19-year-old man was sentenced Friday to 27-1/2 years in prison for killing Ballard convenience-store clerk Manish Melwani during an armed robbery in July 2009.

NEW - 8:46 PM

Puget Sound residents bask in year's warmest day so far

Temperatures reached 62 degrees in Seattle on Friday.

Missing Everett woman is sought

Everett police are asking for the public's help in finding a missing 33-year-old Everett woman, who was last seen Monday at her home.

NEW - 8:30 PM

Army drops all charges against fifth soldier in Afghan murder case

Joint Base Lewis-McChord said the charges against Army Spc. Michael Wagnon's role in the deaths of three Afghan civilians were dismissed "in the interest of justice."

NEW - 8:53 PM

Democrats' dispute on charter schools stalls state education bills

Two bills to reshape Washington's education system stalled in committee Friday creating something of a standoff between supporters and education committee chairwoman Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell.

Franklin Co. official jailed, accused of theft

Nine Franklin County employees have been put on administrative leave as part of an investigation into an alleged theft of public funds, including one who was arrested on suspicion of first-degree theft, money laundering and possession of a controlled substance charges.

Michael Foods widens egg recall

A Minnesota food company is widening its recall of hard-cooked eggs because of a potential for listeria contamination.

Wendy's has a beef with Northwest franchisee

Wendy's International has a beef with a franchisee that owns 11 fast-food restaurants in Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Spokane mayor: $100k OK for my salary

Spokane Mayor David Condon says he will hold his salary at $100,000 this year as promised.

"Teacher Grandpa" sentenced for rape

A former Spokane day care worker who was known as "Teacher Grandpa" has been sentenced to at least 10 years in prison for child rape.

NEW - 8:43 PM

Faith & Values

Timing is everything, and spring is on the way

Getting through the month of February is often challenging with its cold, rainy days. But the promise of spring is at hand.

Nicole Brodeur

Shame to politicize pink ribbon

They say that everything is bigger in Texas. But that rule must not apply to the brains, hearts or mission of Susan G. Komen for the Cure...

Local Digest

Around the Northwest

A 25-year-old woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center Thursday Night "with life-threatening injuries" after being shot in the head, according to Seattle Fire Department spokesman Kyle Moore.

NEW - 8:15 PM

Washington's Tony Wroten '50-50' for USC game

The freshman guard missed the final 8-1/2 minutes of Thursday's win over UCLA with a bruised thigh and shin, and it is unknown whether he will be ready for Saturday's game against the Trojans at Edmundson Pavilion.

NEW - 7:35 PM

Veterans Levesque, Scott carrying USL banner for Sounders FC

Roger Levesque and Zach Scott are Sounders FC's lone carry-overs from the USL days, and their leadership will be needed in 2012.

UPDATE - 7:47 PM

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer defends recruiting practices | College football

Urban Meyer, new Ohio State football coach, faced off with at least a couple of Big Ten Conference coaches who have been reported saying they question his poaching of recruits who had orally committed to other programs.

NEW - 9:00 PM

Sports on the air

Saturday NBA basketball TV Radio 7 p.m. Denver at Portland KONG College basketball 9 a.m. Men, Syracuse at St. John's ESPN 9 a.m. Men, Detroit at Butler...

Terrence Ross leads Huskies' comeback victory

Washington comes back from late 10-point deficit

Steve Kelley

As usual, Romar's Huskies are beginning to come to life

Thursday's game against UCLA looked like another inexplicable loss. Just when you thought Washington had figured things out, this was happening. But this is February, the time of the year when Lorenzo Romar's teams come to life, just when you think they might be dying.

Brock Motum scores 26 points as Cougars win handily

Quick start helps Brock Motum to big game

BYU beats Gonzaga, 83-73

Brigham Young had another tough night making outside shots, hitting 3 of 12 from three-point range Thursday against Gonzaga. The Cougars made up...

UW women fall in OT at UCLA, 79-73

Washington suffered its fourth defeat in the past five games and extended its 10-year road losing streak against the Bruins.

Murray St. now 22-0 | College basketball

Isaiah Canaan scored 24 of his 32 points in the second half and No. 10 Murray State remained unbeaten with an 81-73 win over Southeast Missouri...

Deep snow, clear weather promise to bring out ski crowds

Many events and opportunities for winter fun are scheduled in the coming weeks at Pacific Northwest ski areas.

Los Angeles dominates West All-Stars

Blake Griffin and Andrew Bynum were voted Thursday to the All-Star Game, joining Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul to give the city of Los Angeles four starters.

Manning's doctor clears him to play

Peyton Manning has received the OK from his surgeon to start taking hits again.

Oilers' Gagner has 4 goals, 4 assists

Sam Gagner had four goals and four assists in the NHL's first eight-point game in 23 years, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Chicago Blackhawks 8-4 on Thursday night.

Indians, Kotchman agree to deal

After exploring other options and coming up empty this winter, the Cleveland Indians may have finally found their new first baseman: Casey Kotchman.

NW Briefs

Prep standout Maddie Meyers signs with UW

Maddie Meyers, who has won 12 prep state championships in track and field and cross country for Northwest School, signed a letter of intent Wednesday to run for the University of Washington.

Ogwumike sisters power No. 4 Stanford past Arizona State

Nnemkadi Ogwumike had 22 points and 16 rebounds, her sister Chiney had 20 points and 16 rebounds, and No. 4 Stanford overpowered ASU in the second half for a 62-49 win Thursday.

Thursday's statewide prep basketball scores

Adna 52, Napavine 20 Anacortes 61, Squalicum 59 Arlington 64, Monroe 57 Ballard 67, Issaquah 65 Battle Ground 67, Heritage 59 Bellevue Christian...

UPDATE - 08:53 PM

Hiring surges in January; jobless rate at 8.3 pct.

In a long-awaited surge of hiring, companies added 243,000 jobs in January - across the economy, up and down the pay scale and far more than just about anyone expected. Unemployment fell to 8.3 percent, the lowest in three years.

Review: New Nokia Lumia 710 is quick, light

It's a modest device and easy-to-use. And one of the stronger points of the Lumia 710 is the Windows Phone 7 software. Compared with Android, Windows Phone 7 is generally a much more visually appealing and intuitive operating system.

Q&A

Patrick Marshall: Storing digital family history

Q: We are rebuilding a family cabin that is more than 100 years old. I want to put a time capsule into one rebuilt interior wall, including...

Smaller Macworld still offers up surprises

Macworld | iWorld is much smaller than the cavernous expos of old. Still, I found myself intrigued and often surprised by some of the products on display.

Bonuses to Boeing white-collar employees will total $236M

Boeing said Friday that 50,622 non-executive, white-collar employees in Washington State will receive an estimated total of $235.8 million in an incentive...

Weyerhaeuser 4Q results exceed expectations

The Federal Way lumber and real-estate company's profit beat analysts' estimates as earnings from home-and-lot sales rose.

EU probes new Google privacy policy

The European Union's data protection authorities have asked Google to delay the rollout of its new privacy policy until they have verified that it doesn't break the bloc's data protection laws.

Jobs report lifts Dow to highest mark since '08

A drop in the unemployment rate to its lowest level in three years propelled the Dow Jones industrial average Friday to its highest close since May 2008, before the financial meltdown later that year. The Nasdaq composite index hit an 11-year high.

CEO of chip maker Micron dies in plane crash

The head of memory chip maker Micron, long known for taking risks in stunt piloting, died Friday when a small experimental plane he was piloting steeply banked, stalled and crashed near an Idaho runway.

Japanese entrepreneurs aim for Silicon Valley

For an emerging generation of Japanese innovators, the dream isn't a job for life at a big company. They have new ambitions, and they're determined to go places. Especially Silicon Valley.

EU calls on Google to delay privacy policy

European governments are pressing Google to halt coming changes to its privacy policies amid a new drive to make privacy protection in Europe more coherent and efficient.

Motorola: Some refurbished tablets weren't wiped

Motorola Mobility says about 100 Xoom tablet computers that it refurbished for sale on Woot.com may not have been properly wiped of the previous owners' data.

Factory orders up 1.1 percent in December

Orders to U.S. factories rose in December, supported by a rebound in business investment in capital goods such as heavy machinery.

House ready to consider insider trading ban

With members of Congress convinced their political survival depends on their image, the House is wasting no time in considering a Senate-passed bill that would ban insider trading by lawmakers and thousands of executive branch officials. Stock trades would have to be posted online within 30 days.

Pew study: Facebook users get more than they give

The goody-two-shoes among us say it's better to give than to receive. That's not true for the average Facebook user, though.

US service industry growth surges in January

U.S. service companies grew at the fastest pace in 11 months in January as companies started hiring to keep up with rising demand.

Multitasking is common while watching the Super Bowl

About 45 percent of Americans who own tablets and smartphones are like Beckerman, watching television while watching something else at the same time, according to a forthcoming study by Nielsen.

New chief is taking on a Sony that's shadow of former self

Once on top of the world of electronics, Sony hopes to bounce back from its fourth consecutive annual loss caused by a delay in introducing flat-screen TVs in recent years and disruption of supply lines last year with the earthquake in Japan and flooding in Thailand.

NEW - 8:00 PM

Nation's Housing

Debt aversion behind remodeling and cocooning by homeowners

According to federal estimates, owners of existing homes are spending more on renovations than people are spending on buying new homes.

NEW - 8:00 PM

To your health: Learning more about building materials' content

Two men are creating a data base about building materials so consumers can avoid ingredients that might be harmful.

NEW - 8:00 PM

Phoenix housing market starting to recover

House sales in Phoenix rose in November for the 12th straight month on a year-over-year basis, and distressed real estate accounted for the smallest share of purchases since 2008.

Kidnappers free 2 Americans, Egyptian guide

Bedouin tribesmen abducted two female American tourists and their Egyptian guide at gunpoint Friday but released them several hours later after negotiations with tribal leaders in the Sinai Peninsula, the region's security chief said.

2nd teacher from LA school arrested on sex claim

A second teacher at an inner-city elementary school where a teacher is accused of committing lewd acts on 23 children was arrested Friday on suspicion of fondling two girls in his classroom.

Iran reports launch of small satellite into orbit

Iran successfully launched a new small satellite into orbit early Friday, state media reported, the latest in the country's ambitious space program that has raised concerns in the West because of its possible military applications.

UPDATE - 08:53 PM

Syrian activists: 200 dead in government assault

In a barrage of mortar shells, Syrian forces killed 200 people and wounded hundreds in Homs in an offensive that appears to be the bloodiest episode in the nearly 11-month-old uprising, activists said Saturday.

Army orders a court-martial for soldier in WikiLeaks case

The referral of charges means Pfc. Bradley Manning will stand trial for allegedly giving more than 700,000 secret U.S. documents and classified combat video to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.

NEW - 7:55 PM

Contraception mandate outrages religious groups

Religious groups that oppose the new contraception mandate say it forces people of faith to choose between upholding church doctrine and serving the broader society.

Divers find no new clues in search for Maine tot

Divers who searched a river and nearby stream in the hometown of a missing toddler turned up no new clues Friday as the girl's disappearance approaches its seventh week.

EU prepares for potential gas crisis

The European Union is bracing for another potential energy crisis in the dead of winter as Russian gas supplies to some member states have suddenly dwindled by up to 30 percent.

Khmer Rouge chief jailer gets life in prison

A U.N.-backed tribunal's Supreme Court lengthened the sentence for the Khmer Rouge's chief jailer to life imprisonment on Friday because of his "shocking and heinous" crimes against the Cambodian people.

Man charged in socialite-wife's death in hospital

A German-born man charged with killing his much-older socialite wife missed a scheduled court appearance Friday because he's been hospitalized for an undisclosed medical problem.

Recall of hard-cooked eggs includes Washington state

Washington is among the states affected by a Minnesota company's recall of hard-cooked eggs.

Sudan bombs US-funded Bible school, US condemns

Sudan's military bombed a Bible school built by a U.S. Christian aid group, prompting students and teachers at the school to run for their lives in the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan state.

3 die in Egypt clashes over deadly soccer riot

A volunteer doctor says police and protesters angry over a deadly soccer riot have clashed for the second day in the Egyptian capital, and that one man died in the latest violence.

38 more dead in Ukraine cold spell

Ukrainian authorities have recorded 38 more deaths due to a severe cold spell, bringing the total over the past week to 101.

Document shows NYPD eyed Shiites based on religion

The New York Police Department recommended increasing surveillance of thousands of Shiite Muslims and their mosques, based solely on their religion, as a way to sweep the Northeast for signs of Iranian terrorists, according to interviews and a newly obtained secret police document.

Nearly 250 of 362 saved from Papua New Guinea ship

A day after rescuing nearly 250 survivors of a ferry sinking off Papua New Guinea's east coast, crews searching Friday for more than 110 other people aboard found only one more. Many of the missing may still be in the vessel, now at the bottom of the sea.

Past claims raise further questions about teacher

A 10-year-old girl claimed her elementary school teacher tried to fondle her - 18 years ago. The allegation is gaining new attention with the arrest of teacher Mark Berndt, who's accused of photographing children for sexual thrills.

Syrian soldiers, rebels clash in the south; 1 dead

A Syrian activist group says fighting between regime troops and rebels in the south has killed one and wounded at least five soldiers.

In Nevada, Ron Paul's message of personal liberty resonates

Of the remaining candidates in the Republican presidential field, perhaps none has followers more loyal than Ron Paul's.

Israel's tough Iran words put U.S., Europe on edge

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned Thursday that time was running out for stopping Iran's nuclear advance.

Murdoch's Times of London is focus of computer-hacking probe

Police are investigating alleged email interception by Rupert Murdoch's Times of London, dragging Britain's oldest national newspaper into the broadening scandal over press wrongdoing.

National furor over Komen's cuts to Planned Parenthood

Komen's top leaders, in their first news conference since the controversy erupted, denied that the Planned Parenthood decision was driven by pressure from anti-abortion groups.

Senate approves insider-trading ban for members of Congress

Senators of both parties said the bill was needed to restore trust in Congress at a time its public-approval rating had sunk below 15 percent.

Supporters rally around Planned Parenthood

Supporters are rallying around Planned Parenthood after renowned breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure decided to cut breast screening grants to the reproductive health organization.

Washington's legislative education chairs stalled reforms to improve education

The failure of Democratic leaders in the state Legislature to move on charter schools and teacher evaluations is all the more disappointing because of the urgency for school reforms.

Take advantage of rising exports at the Port of Seattle

The number of containers leaving the Port of Seattle full is on the rise. This bodes well for the Port and suggests opportunities for investment.

Paul Krugman / Syndicated Columnist

The lives of ordinary Americans

Mitt Romney's comments about "the very poor" had the positive effect of focusing attention on the safety net in place to help them, writes Paul Krugman. It provides a lot of help to the poor, but not enough.

David Sirota / Syndicated columnist

Education technology: trust, but verify

Take the hoopla over iPads in the classroom with a grain of salt, writes David Sirota. There's no guarantee that a hyper-technologized education system is synonymous with genuine progress.

Handicapping a Mitt Romney campaign against Barack Obama

Republicans are still getting accustomed to Mitt Romney as their nominee, writes Michael Gerson. Now Republicans are left to ponder the Romney-Obama matchup.

Froma Harrop / Syndicated columnist

The intersection of 'Obamacare' and undocumented immigrants

The Democrats' Affordable Care Act of 2010 — aka 'Obamacare' — could hasten America's journey toward a more orderly immigration program, writes Froma Harrop.

Guest columnist

China and the United States: a discussion, not a lecture

There are many areas, including human rights, where China and the United States are grappling with common problems, writes Norm Page. In those common areas, we can build a common language that does not seek to assign blame to either side.

Restaurant review

Earth-friendly locavore mission greets guests at Terra Plata

Tamara Murphy's latest venture, Terra Plata on Capitol Hill, is a casual, convivial restaurant that presents its earth-conscious, locavore mission in every plate.

Book review

'The Mirage': Matt Ruff's novel of 9/11 role reversal

Seattle author Matt Ruff's new novel, "The Mirage," turns the tables on the 9/11 scenario — extremists from the U.S. are the attackers; Middle East Muslims are the victims. Ruff reads at several Seattle locations in February.

Concert review

Chamber-music fest opens on exciting note

The Seattle Chamber Music Society's 2012 Winter Festival began Thursday with an evening of focused, assured, and inspiring music making at Benaroya Hall. The festival continues through Feb. 5.

Dance review

Shen Wei evening shimmers with variety

Using light, shadows, HD video, paints and moving bodies, Shen Wei creates a hybrid of dance, visual art and sound in a performance at Seattle's Meany Hall.

Wilco, on a roll, plays Paramount Tuesday

Wilco, the once alt-country band that expanded its palette to more experimental fare, performs at Seattle's Paramount Theatre Tuesday, Feb. 7. The band is on a roll, with its 2011 album "The Whole Love" making many top 10 lists and frontman Jeff Tweedy appearing in a new Popeye the Sailor Man cartoon — in which he wins Olive Oyl's heart. (Take that, Popeye!)

A 12-hour show from Seattle's Salt Horse

The performance troupe Salt Horse, with an expanded roster of dancers and musicians, offers a marathon "12 Hour Play" Feb. 4-5.

At 'Structured Impulse,' expect the unpredictable

Audience interaction will play a part in Pacific Musicworks' next concert (Feb. 3), which will feature Seattle jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, lutenist/early-music expert Stephen Stubbs and Seattle Symphony violist Mikhail Schmidt.

Movie review

In 'The Innkeepers,' the inn has the best part

In this review of "The Innkeepers," Seattle Times movie critic Moira Macdonald notes the film has some of the usual scary cues and tense moments, but also that the setting, the old Yankee Pedlar inn, emerges as a more interesting character than any of the people. "The Innkeepers" is playing at Seattle's Grand Illusion.

Dining Deal

Bang Bang Café: a bang-up breakfast, lunch option in Belltown

The Bang Bang Café gathers Belltown residents and workers in for breakfast and lunch.

Friday TV Picks: 'Who Do You Think You Are?' on NBC

TV Picks for Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, include "Who Do You Think You Are?" on NBC; "WHL Hockey," Everett Silvertips at Portland Winter Hawks on ROOT; and "Shark Tank" on ABC.

Secret Chiefs 3's crazy-quilt of cultures is, at bottom, just hard rock

Secret Chiefs 3, a band that combines Persian scales, heavy metal, surf rock and electronic music, has a lot of musical theory behind it, but at bottom, it's just hard rock with a twist. The band plays a double bill with Dengue Fever at Neumos, in Seattle, Wednesday, Feb. 8.

Art review

TAM's 10th Biennial captures art of our time, place

The Tacoma museum's annual group show features "interdisciplinary work" that explores identity and community in the Northwest.

2012 Sasquatch! festival announced

Beck, Bon Iver, Jack White, The Shins, Pretty Lights and Tenacious D are just a few of the headliners of this year's Sasquatch! festival, May 25-28 at the Gorge Amphitheatre. Festival passes go on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 11 at Sasquatchfestival.com.

Movie review

'Miss Minoes': The sweet scoop on cat/woman fairy tale

A movie review of "Miss Minoes," the tweaked title of a 2001 Dutch film by Vincent Bal. It's now being given an American theatrical run (dubbed into English), and it's a pleasantly quirky, family-friendly fable about a cat who turns into a human.

Movie review

'The Nine Muses': Strange take on migrants' icy reception

A review of the documentary "The Nine Muses," British director John Akomfrah's unclassifiable collage of archival footage, canonical literature and severe winter landscapes. The experimental work is a monument to the English immigrant experience in the decades after World War II.

Maine girl bouncing back after 6-organ transplant

A 9-year-old Maine girl is home from a Boston hospital healthy, active and with high hopes - and a new stomach, liver, spleen, small intestine, pancreas, and part of an esophagus to replace the ones that were being choked by a huge tumor.

New map pinpoints Lyme disease risk areas

Researchers who spent three years dragging sheets of fabric through the woods to snag ticks have created a detailed map they claim could improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.

A snip of the shears tames a cheesy onion soup

Good Appetite: To make french onion soup at home, skip those individual bowls, layer the croutons and cheese directly into the soup pot, and just broil the whole thing. Recipe: One-Pot French Onion Soup with Garlic-Gruyere Croutons

Gone with the whimsy: Smith Mansion has life of its own

An abandoned log house with an air of mystery, the Smith Mansion in Wyoming is the stuff of legend.

Stay calm around off-leash dogs

Talking Dogs: A pet-behavior expert offers safety tips on what to do when you are surprised by the presence of an unfamiliar and unrestrained dog.

 

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