Rabu, 28 Disember 2011

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports


Striker Carroll in spotlight against Newcastle

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 03:53 PM PST

LONDON, Dec 29 — Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has backed Andy Carroll to put his lean spell behind him as the Anfield club prepare for tomorrow's Premier League match against the mis-firing striker's former side Newcastle United.

The clash between sixth-placed Liverpool and Newcastle, a place below them, kicks off a six-day, 19-match Premier League holiday extravaganza.

League leaders Manchester City are in action on Sunday when they visit Sunderland, enjoying a revival under new manager Martin O'Neill, and then host Liverpool next Tuesday.

Second-placed Manchester United face bottom club Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford on Saturday and then travel to Newcastle on January 4, while third-placed Tottenham Hotspur visit Swansea City on Saturday before playing West Brom at home on January 3.

Carroll has scored five goals in 28 appearances for Liverpool since his £35 million (RM173.1 million) move to Anfield last January and netted just twice this season but Dalglish told a news conference yesterday the 22-year-old had worked hard and caused the club no problems.

"I think you yourselves have a bigger problem with Andy Carroll than anyone else," Dalglish told reporters.

"Every week there are questions; this time it is understandable I suppose because he's playing against Newcastle United if he was to start, but I don't understand it.

"It is unfortunate he attracts some attention to himself from yourselves, but for us since he has come here, he has gone about his work very well on and off the pitch and he is adjusting to life at a new club with a new philosophy and a new way of playing.

"There is nobody at our place who couldn't be doing better, so he is in the same bracket as everyone else," he said.

Suarez banned

While Carroll is expected to start for Liverpool against Newcastle, Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez will be absent after being banned for one match and fined £20,000 by the FA for making an offensive gesture to Fulham fans during the defeat at Craven Cottage earlier this month.

That ban is separate from the eight-match suspension the FA imposed on the Uruguayan last week after he was found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra.

However, Dalglish could recall club captain Steven Gerrard to the starting lineup after the midfielder returned to action from a 10-match injury layoff as a second-half substitute against Blackburn.

Manchester United have the chance to go clear at the top of the table for the first time since the beginning of October when they face Blackburn on Saturday, with City not playing at Sunderland until Sunday.

United beat Wigan Athletic 5-0 on Monday to pull level on 45 points with City, who could only draw 0-0 at West Bromwich Albion.

While City remain the bookies favourites for the title, goalkeeper Joe Hart said they were beginning to feel the pressure.

"Of course we feel the pressure," he told reporters. "You have to earn the title and it's hard work.

"We're the team to beat and we're enjoying that but it's not always going to be as easy as we've sometimes made it look in the past." — Reuters

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Corretja holds out hope for Nadal in Davis Cup

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 07:24 AM PST

Nadal has said his priority for 2012 is the London Olympics. — Reuters file pic

MADRID, Dec 28 — Spain's new Davis Cup team captain Alex Corretja said he had not given up hope of being able to count on Rafa Nadal and David Ferrer for the 2012 campaign.

Corretja has been brought in on a two-year contract to replace Albert Costa, who stepped aside after captaining Spain to Davis Cup victory for the second time in three years earlier this month.

After beating Argentina in Seville, world number two Nadal and world number five Ferrer said they would not be available as they turned their focus on next year's London Olympics.

"No one has told me they are not going to play," Corretja told reporters at his presentation today.

"It's another thing what they have said in the press. I want to hear everyone's opinions and their motives, and if there are players that feel they need to rest I will respect that and try to select the best team for each round.

"The team has to be above the individual. If I didn't think we had options without them I wouldn't be here."

Spain set out in search of their sixth Davis Cup title when Kazakhstan visit for their world group first round tie at home on February 10-12.

"My first objective is to have the best players available for February because if we don't get through that tie we don't make it to November," added Corretja, who said he would speak to the players and their coaches at the Australian Open. — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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Want a pet cat? Think again, researchers say

Posted: 27 Dec 2011 10:03 PM PST

A judge holds a Maine Coon cat during a judging round at the Animalia pet fair in Lausanne October 18, 2009. — Reuters pic

NEW YORK, Dec 28 — Tempted by the playful antics of that adorable kitten in the pet shop? If you've never had a cat before you may want to think again, especially if you have other allergies, researchers warn.

And if you do acquire a feline, keep it out of your bedroom.

While having a cat as a child may protect against future allergies, getting one in adulthood nearly doubles the chances of developing an immune reaction to it — the first step towards wheezing, sneezing and itchy eyes, a European study found.

The same study, which covered thousands of adults and was published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, found that people with other allergies were at extra high risk of reacting to a new feline in the house.

"Our data support that acquiring a cat in adulthood nearly doubles the risk of developing cat sensitisation," wrote Mario Olivieri, from the University Hospital of Verona in Italy.

"Hence, cat avoidance should be considered in adults, especially in those sensitised to other allergens and reporting a history of allergic diseases."

For the study, researchers surveyed more than 6,000 adult Europeans twice over nine years, taking blood samples. None of the participants had antibodies to cats in their blood to start with, meaning they were not sensitised to the animal's dander.

Sensitisation can be measured in a skin prick test. It does not necessarily lead to symptoms, but in many cases it is the harbinger of full-blown allergies.

About 3 per cent of people who did not have a cat at either time of the survey became sensitised over the course of the study, compared with 5 per cent of those who acquired a cat during those nine years.

Four in 10 of the newly sensitised also said they experienced allergy symptoms around animals, four times the rate seen among people without antibodies against cats.

It also turned out that only people who let their pet into the bedroom became sensitised.

"If you are an adult with asthma and/or allergies, you should think twice about getting a cat and particularly, if you do so, letting it into your bedroom," said Andy Nish of the Allergy and Asthma Care Centre in Gainesville, Georgia, who wasn't involved in the study.

The researchers did find, however, that people who had had a cat in childhood had a much smaller risk against becoming sensitised to it than those who were new cat owners.

"We thought that having a cat in early childhood may be protective against the development of cat allergy in childhood, but this study seems to indicate that protection extends into adulthood," Nish told Reuters Health in an email.

Noting that he always recommends keeping cats out of the bedroom, he added: "It is remarkable that none who did not allow the cat in the bedroom became sensitised."

For people who have a cat and have become allergic, he recommended finding a new home for the pet, followed by keeping the cat outdoors at all times.

"If it comes in even occasionally, its dander will remain in the house for months. If the cat needs to be indoors, at least keep it out of your bedroom, consider a HEPA filter for your bedroom, and consider washing the cat at least once a week," he added. — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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Chimp from 1930s US ‘Tarzan’ films dead at 80

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 05:20 AM PST

WASHINGTON, Dec 28 — Cheetah, the chimpanzee that starred in the "Tarzan" films of the 1930s, has passed away at the age of 80, according to the Florida sanctuary where he had lived for more than 50 years.

"It is with great sadness that the community has lost a dear friend and family member on December 24, 2011," the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbour, Florida announced on its website.

Cheetah had performed in "Tarzan the Ape Man" (1932) and "Tarzan and His Mate" (1934), classic films about a man reared in the jungle starring Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan (picture).

The chimpanzee — who arrived at the sanctuary in 1960 — loved finger-painting and watching football, and was soothed by Christian music, the sanctuary's outreach director Debbie Cobb told the Tampa Tribune.

"He could tell if I was having a good day or a bad day. He was always trying to get me to laugh if he thought I was having a bad day. He was very in tune to human feelings," Cobb was quoted as saying.

Ron Priest, a sanctuary volunteer, told the Tribune that Cheetah stood out because he could walk upright with a straight back like a human, and that he was distinguished by other talents.

"When he didn't like somebody or something that was going on, he would pick up some poop and throw it at them. He could get you at 30 feet with bars in between," Priest said. — Reuters

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A Minute With: Jeremy Renner on his ‘Mission: Impossible’

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 02:09 AM PST

LOS ANGELES, Dec 28 — Actor Jeremy Renner scuffed around Hollywood for a decade before his career took off in 2009 when he was nominated for an Oscar in his starring role in the bomb-disposal war drama "The Hurt Locker."

Renner didn't win the award, although the film earned the best movie Oscar. He followed "Hurt Locker" with another Oscar-nominated role in "The Town" and did a cameo in this year's blockbuster "Thor."

Rumour has it Renner may take over the "MI" franchise when Tom Cruise tires of it. — Reuters file pic

Now he's starring opposite Tom Cruise in "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol," the "MI" franchise's fourth film that is No. 1 at box offices over the holidays.

Renner, 40, spoke to Reuters about how he landed the role, working with Cruise, and rumours he may take over the franchise when Cruise, nine years his senior, tires of it.

Q: Is it true you went in to discuss a possible role in "Super 8" when you were offered "MI4" instead?

A: "It's true. I was discussing 'Super 8' with J.J. Abrams, who directed that and produced ("MI4"), and that was a very secretive project too, and within a few hours I'd met Tom Cruise and ("MI4" director) Brad Bird. I went in for one movie and came out with another!"

Q: Does that happen a lot?

A: "Not to me. It's very strange. I called people and said, 'You won't believe what just happened.' It was crazy and I was shocked to suddenly be in 'MI4.' But it was so easy, sitting down with Tom and Brad. It's this fantastic fun franchise ... And there was no script then. They just pitched me the whole story, where my character was at, and it all made sense. It was very easy to say, 'Yes.'"

Q: You play the uptight analyst. Is there much of you in him?

A: "I can get very nervous about stuff, and I have to do something to relieve that nervousness — it's not something disgusting or pornographic — and Tom thought it was pretty funny and he put it in the movie. My character is complicated, and I really liked that. He starts off as this very buttoned-up desk-jockey type, and then things happen and there's more than meets the eye to him, which is always interesting."

Q: Any surprises working with Cruise?

A: "Just how dedicated he is. I think he has 48 hours in a day, compared to our 24. He gets so much done and is so focused. He has this childlike outlook, where he's constantly learning and growing all the time. He has this immense amount of energy because he's so excited about what he's doing. He loves what he does, and that's awesome to be around. It's infectious."

Q: There's a rumour that you may take over the franchise.

A: "I heard that. I hear lots of rumours — that I'm sleeping with half of Hollywood — and I'm like, 'who has the time?' No, it's not true about 'Mission: Impossible.' There's no taking over. It's not happening.

Q: Next year you do take over the "Bourne" franchise, though.

A: "Yeah, but I'm not playing Jason Bourne and taking over from Matt Damon. It's called "Bourne Legacy," and it's a sort of continuation of the story, but not based on a book like the others. I'm loving doing it, though it's very different from Mission. It feels very small and contained by comparison. It's action-heavy but not stunt-heavy with big spectacle stunts. It's more hands-on and gritty."

Q: Your career is red hot. Ever been down and out?

A: "Of course! Most of my career's been down, not up."

Q: What was your lowest point?

A: "There's loads of those. I had stretches where I couldn't afford the electric bill, but I was still alive and kicking — and still smiling. That's the most important thing. Even in my darkest hour, I was still happy doing what I do. I never considered ever giving up. Not once."

Q: What do you do when you're not working on movies?

A: "I'm very active. I love skiing, building houses, and music's still a big part of my life. I used to have a garage band, and now I love writing songs. It's a great outlet as it only needs me. I don't need scripts or a whole film crew. It can happen instantaneously." — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

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Aziz Bari dilamar PAS

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 01:14 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR, 28 Dis — Prof Dr Aziz Bari dipelawa Dewan Pemuda PAS Pusat Malaysia (DPMM) untuk menyertai parti berkenaan bagi meneruskan perjuangannya sebagai Pakar Perlembagaan dan Undang-undang negara selepas menamatkan kerjayanya sebagai pensyarah di Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) baru-baru ini.

Naib Ketua DPMM, Raja Ahmad Al-Hiss dalam kenyataannya kepada The Malaysian Insider hari ini berkata, pihaknya mengharapkan agar bekas pensyarah UIA itu dapat menyertai parti komponen Pakatan Rakyat itu supaya dapat terus berjuang mengembalikan sistem negara kepada landasan yang betul dan tepat.

"Kami mengalu-alukan penyertaan beliau ke dalam parti sebagai ahli politik bagi membetulkan sistem negara kerana parti amat memerlukan pengalaman dan ilmunya yang luas dalam bidang perundangan.

"PAS yakin penyertaan Aziz (gambar) akan dapat memberikan manfaat yang baik kerana ilmu yang telah di ajarnya selama ini akan diterjemahkan di dalam membentuk sebuah negara mengikut lunas undang-undang yang sebenar," katanya.

Menurut Raja Ahmad, perjuangan Aziz dalam memelihara Perlembagaan negara akan akan terus berkembang di bawah PAS.

"Kami yakin dengan displin ilmu yang selama ini diamalkannya akan terus terpelihara kerana Aziz bukan sahaja mengajar malah turut menggubal perundangan itu sendiri," tambahnya.

Jelasnya lagi, PAS yakin penyertaan Aziz akan memantapkan lagi cita-cita mereka untuk melaksanakan Islam di negara ini.

"Kami masih menunggu keputusan beliau, malah kami tetap menghormati Aziz sebagai seorang yang berpegang teguh dengan pendiriannya," katanya lagi.

Bekas pensyarah Fakulti Undang-undang UIA ini dalam laporan awal The Malaysian Insider sebelum ini tidak menafikan beliau akan meninggalkan universiti berkenaan ekoran siri tekanan termasuk siasatan terhadap kenyataan beliau menyentuh titah Sultan Selangor dalam kes Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Jais) dan gereja.

Namun demikian, mengulas berkenaan spekulasi yang beliau akan memasuki arena politik, Aziz memberitahu, "politik sebagaimana akademik adalah medan yang perlu untuk perubahan dalam masyarakat."

"Tetapi politik bukan bidang yang akan jadi profesyen saya sebagaimana akademik. Saya tetap akan berfungsi sebagaimana sebelumnya, khususnya memberi pandangan, menulis dan seumpamanya. Saya harap saya akan kembali ke dunia akademik meskipun tidak semestinya di UIA," katanya lagi.

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Hasan minta maaf kepada Mursyidul Am

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 12:23 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR, 28 Dis — Bekas Pesuruhjaya PAS, Datuk Dr Hasan Mohamed Ali telah berjumpa dengan Mursyidul Am PAS, Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat semalam untuk meminta maaf dan menarik balik kenyataan negatifnya terhadap parti yang sebelum ini.

Perkara itu disahkan sendiri oleh Nik Aziz, dan menurutnya, Hasan turut memohon maaf daripada pimpinan PAS mengenai perkara itu.

"Saya melahirkan kesyukuran di atas rasa rendah diri Datuk Hasan Ali (gambar) yang bersedia membuat permohonan maaf serta menarik balik kenyataan negatifnya terhadap parti sebelum ini.

"Bukan mudah orang nak mengaku salah selepas melakukannya, jadi tindakan beliau itu mengharukan saya.

"Saya juga berharap orang lain yang mempunyai masalah seperti ini berlapang dada seperti Hasan," kata Nik Aziz selepas melawat kesan hakisan ombak di Pantai Irama Bachok hari in.

Menurutnya, pertemuan itu berlangsung di JKR 10 semalam di mana Hasan dan Nasharuddin Mat Isa bertemu dengan tiga pemimpin tertinggi PAS yang lain di Kota Bharu.

Antara pemimpin yang ditemuinya adalah Presiden PAS, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang dan Timbalan Mursyidul Am, Datuk Haron Din.

Tambah Nik Aziz, pertemuan tersebut dianjurkan oleh PAS Pusat dan menurutnya, "sekiranya PAS Pusat tidak mengatur pertemuan itu sekalipun, saya akan panggil dia."

Sehubungan itu, menurut Nik Aziz, pihaknya sendiri akan mengadakan kenduri kesyukuran kecil-kecilan di JKR 10 hari ini sebagai tanda syukur terhadap penyelesaian kes berkenaan.

"Saya berharap PAS Pusat dapat menganjurkan kenduri besar-besaran untuk meraikannya dan ahli PAS boleh memberi sumbangan untuk menjayakan rancangan berkenaan," katanya lagi.

Beliau yakin, perkara itu tidak lagi akan dijadikan isu oleh Umno ekoran ruang mereka untuk tujuan itu sudah tertutup rapat.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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Hungry Berbatov’s time to shine

Posted: 27 Dec 2011 04:19 PM PST

DEC 28 — Silly me; when will I ever learn?

Three weeks ago, following their loss to Basel and consequent exit from the UEFA Champions' League, I was naive enough to suggest that Manchester United's season was "already over".

Since then, their Premier League results have been as follows: 4-1 (Wolves at home); 2-0 (QPR away); 5-0 (Fulham away) and 5-0 (Wigan at home).

That's a grand total of sixteen goals scored, just one conceded, and a maximum 12 points gained — and all without the services of the injured Nemanja Vidic, Darren Fletcher, Anderson, Fabio, Javier Hernandez, Michael Owen and Ashley Young.

How naive I was to even think that United would give up on their season before the campaign had even reached its halfway point! I had temporarily forgotten, it seems, that Manchester United — more than any other sporting team on the planet — never know when they are beaten and possess a remarkable ability to respond to adversity.

Much of the credit for that communal personality trait, of course, has to go to their manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who revels in an "us against the world" mentality and rubs his hands with determined glee whenever a silly pundit is unwise enough to write off his team's chances.

United are now level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, trailing their near neighbours only by virtue of goal difference, and poised to play a full part in a title race that has surely been reduced to just two horses.

A notable feature of Boxing Day's stroll in the park against Wigan was the hat-trick scored by enigmatic striker Dimitar Berbatov, who has endured mixed fortunes since his big money move from Tottenham a little over three years ago.

The Bulgarian's time at Old Trafford has hardly been a disaster. 20 goals made him the joint leading scorer in the Premier League as United won the title last season, and he has now surpassed the half-century mark for the club at a ratio of a little more than one in two games — always the mark of a first-class striker.

But he's never fully endeared himself to the United faithful, or his manager Ferguson, who seem to be suspicious of his physical endurance and his ability to perform at a consistently high level. Berbatov's talent cannot be doubted — just look at the magnificent first touch and immediate finish for his opening goal against Wigan two days ago — but you never quite know when it will appear.

Sometimes, Berbatov appears disinterested and disengaged — and that kind of attitude is never going to make you a regular starter for Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scotsman certainly isn't averse to maverick playmakers (prime example: Eric Cantona) but he expects them to always "put in a shift" as well.

However, we might witness an upturn in Berbatov's usually slovenly work rate in the coming weeks, because his current contract at Old Trafford is due to expire at the end of the season. The Bulgarian must be desperate to earn a new deal, knowing that when he leaves United, the prime of his career will be in the rearview mirrow.

He might get a decent move back to the Bundesliga, where he enjoyed plenty of success with Bayer Leverkusen earlier in his career, or get snapped up by one of the periphery teams of Spain's La Liga or Italy's Serie A. Perhaps he'll earn a fortune in Russia or the Gulf States, or even join Thierry Henry & co in the MLS.

But whenever Berbatov's time at Old Trafford comes to an end, it's very unlikely he'll attract the interest of a major player on the world stage — his next destination is far more likely to be Bari or Anzhi Makhachkala than Barcelona or AC Milan.

So Berbatov is currently, quite literally, playing for his future, and it would therefore not be surprising to see him find an extra gear to his game, and an extra pep in his stride, as he seeks a renewal of his contract at Manchester United over the remainder of the current campaign.

The phenomena of a sportsman "playing for a contract" is readily acknowledged, with many, many players performing out of their skins while they're on the brink of signing a new contract or joining a new club, and then sinking to a far inferior level of play once the ink has dried on their lucrative deals.

With so many injuries affecting their squad, the goals that are resulting from Berbatov's new-found, contract-driven, hunger and sharpness could be just the thing to keep United in the title race. Fortunate timing, or another Fergie masterstroke?

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

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On cow heads and easily-cowed Malaysians

Posted: 27 Dec 2011 04:08 PM PST

DEC 28 — One very Malaysian trait, besides bringing tupperware to government open houses, is passivity. It has served us well in one regard, though: racial and religious violence. Rather than participate in civil disobedience, the average Malaysian would prefer to sit at home and complain about poor Astro reception. With the newly-introduced free Astro packages, now everyone can complain.

You see, as a nation, we have become so cowed by our oppressive laws that the very idea of riots like the ones in London would make most Malaysians shudder. I am sure Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad would take that as the proof of the ISA's effectiveness and its important role in ensuring Malaysians are good, biddable citizens.

I'm sorry, Tun, but all you've really created is a nation of cows. Not that I dislike the animals (please do not call upon Lord Ganesha to visit his wrath upon me) but they are not creatures worth emulating.

Someone needs to tell that to the civil servants though. The last time I visited the Putrajaya immigration office, I felt as though I was visiting a pasture. Of the many counters on hand, only two were open. The other civil servants were in a corner, not manning the desks but sat around chatting to each other languidly despite the people waiting.

Visit the average public university lecture hall. Witness the docile nature of students who dutifully study the "notes" that their professors have prepared for them that also include a copy of the presentation slides for the entire semester. Their idea of preparing for a lecture is getting dressed. Why read the textbooks or take notes when the lecturers will happily provide everything from notes to anticipated exam questions? Be a good little university student, get extra marks for attendance and forget the outside world exists. Like cows, Malaysian university students aren't expected to do much but ruminate.

Speaking of cows, have we already forgotten the "cowhead incident" of August 28, 2009? I suppose those individuals thought to incite the fury of those who venerate the animals. Apart from the poor dead cow, no blood was shed. A certain minister did prove himself to be no better at independent thought than the average cow.

I am not expecting, nor am I asking, Malaysians to rise up and overthrow the government. Anarchy is profoundly annoying and would likely deprive me of my beloved Unifi and fast YouTube downloads. What I would like more Malaysians to see is that having a spine is not a bad thing.

We are not cows that need to be kept in a pasture for our own good.  We need to exercise more than our stomachs. As citizens, we have become far too placid and far too willing to let those who do not have our best interests at heart interfere in what should be private concerns.

It should not be a government's job to safeguard a religion. Religion, as it has proven over centuries, is perfectly capable of taking care of itself. It is a ludicrous proposition to try to bureaucratise what is, essentially, god's job. Let Him protect his faith and followers.

As the New Year approaches, I am hoping that as a country we become more discerning citizens. Let us care more for one another and our collective well-being because it is quite obvious that no one else will. Especially those nasty people who keep trying to make us eat grass when they're sipping Chardonnay (and decreeing it haram for the rest of us).

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

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