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The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom

Miguel Ruiz

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom Miguel Ruiz Amazon Price: $12.89
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 674 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Ok 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

While I agree with the four agreements - the ideas are good - I don't like how it is presented. It is based on the presumption that life is a dream of Hell. If you don't agree with that the rest doesn't really follow. If that was left out then I would give this a better rating. I do agree though that these agreements are basic common sense but some people still need to read them.

Editorial Review:

In The Four Agreements, don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting agreements that rob people of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform anyone’s life to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love. These agreements are deceptively simple: Be impeccable with your word (speak with integrity; say only what you mean); Don’t take anything personally (nothing others do is because of you); Don’t make assumptions (find the courage to ask questions and express what you really want); Always do your best (and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret). Peter Coyote’s resonant reading emphasizes the power in these remarkable tenets.

You Can Heal Your Life

Louise Hay

You Can Heal Your Life Louise Hay Amazon Price: $16.29
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By: Hay House
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 291 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

great book, lousy kindle edition 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

bought the kindle after reading this wonderful book. very disappointed in the kindle version: bad layout and punctuation, actually interfering with reading. needs a real editor.

You Can Heal Your Life 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is a wonderful tool to learn self love and self acceptance. I read and reread it. There is always more to learn and ponder with every rereading.

Offensive and deluded little book for the bourgeoisie, compacent and worshipers of the self 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 3 people found this review helpful.

What can I say but that the thought process (seasoned with narcissism and treacled with worship of the self) which underpins this little book goes against all that I hold dear. I should add that this was given to me as a present!

Further, it is downright bizarre and borders on the offensive at times. I will quote from it liberally below to support what I have said. Pseudo-religion for the bourgeoise, complacent and self satisfied. I quote from it below (using the page numbers in the UK edition)

"We are each responsible for all our experiences" (page xiii)

This is plainly wrong. We possess a human nature which is subject to the vagaries of the external world - famine, disease, earthquakes. These are simply beyond our control and you bet they affect our experiences. Further this ignores the fact that we are surrounded on all sounds by other persons, who themselves are free agents. They impact on us and thus impact on our experience of life. This statement only can make any sense if it is intended to mean: it is up to us to determine how we respond to internal and external stimuli. But I am not sure she means this limited sense.

"We create every so called illness in our body" (page xiii: Deeply offensive

"Each one of us decides to incarnate upon this planet at a particular point in time and space. " (page 4) "I agree with the theory that we choose our parents (page 30).

Bizaarely we chose our parents as well. Note how in her narcissistic world, she chooses her parents which implies her parents own free will has been impaired in some way - why would they agree to this? Where did she get this from?

"No matter what the problem is, our experiences are just outer effects of inner thoughts" (page 5)

This thinking is dualistic - when our bodies are in pain, we are in pain, our whole being is in pain - we experience pain. Again, she ignores impact of nature and other free agents impacting on us. This echoes Gnostic thought.

"Whenever we are ill, we need to search our hearts to see who it is we need to forgive" (page 8)

I agree that non-forgiveness can cause huge problems for the psyche but if she is suggesting that diseases are caused by non-forgiveness always and everywhere, then it is offensive.

"Self approval and self acceptance in the now are the main keys to positive changes in every area of our lives" (page 9)

I think this statement is one of the keys to her little narcissistic philosophy. There is no imperfection in us - its just all about acceptance of ourselves. Is this Lady oblivious of the 20th century drenched in the blood of the innocent, killed by villains and murderous thugs. All these actions were committed by human beings!

"In the infinity of life where I am, all is perfect, whole and complete" (page 9)

What planet is this lady on? We are all broken creatures struggling to make our way through life.

"They (babies) already are perfect and they act as they know it. They know they are the centre of the Universe" (page 19)

Babies are lovely alright but they are not perfect. They howl like mad in the middle of the night when hungry!

"I love you and accept you exactly as you are" (page 19)

A complete loss of the wisdom of the ancients is evident here. The writings of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are replete with talk of virtue and educating and training oneself to be a virtuous man or woman. The point is: when we look at ourselves, if we are anyway self aware, we must know that things need to be changed.

Not sure I quite follow her because later on she talks about being willing to change - why would we change anything we wholeheartedly and unreservedly approve? A perfect being does not need to change!

"We are here to recognise our own magnificence and divinity" (page 31)

We are not divine - we are creatures albeit creatures endowed with wonderful gifts.

"Whatever we believe becomes true for us" (page 33)

This is plain nonsense. If in her philosophy we are all divine, and one divinity exercises his free will to impact on another divinity, does that not have any effect. Complete and utter individualism.

"My personal nutritional approach is simple, If it grows, eat is. If it does not grow, don't eat it. (page 45)

I wish her all the best eating the lovely wild mushrooms in the neighbourhood!

"I think its is our natural birthright to go from success to success all our life" (page 109)

Oh dear - the mantra of success. This lady is oblivious to the suffering of the multitude - this book is definitely for the bourgeoisie and those who want to continue remain blissfully ignorant of the cries of the poor, the moans of those starving and dying of malaria, typhoid and other conditions.

"I believe we create every so-called illness in our body": Deeply offensive!

"I find that most BLADDER problems come from being "Pissed off", usually at a partner" (page 132)

Well, what can one say to this piece of wisdom!

"Cancer is a dis-ease caused by deep resentment held for a long time until it literally eats away the body" (page 138)

Tell that to the million dying of this nasty disease including young kids and even babies!

"Even if constipated people are not actually stingy, they usually do not trust that there will ever be enough! (page 135)

Well, what can one say to this piece of wisdom!

"Everything I need is revealed to me. Everything I need comes to me" (page 242: Oh dear, very sad really.

Editorial Review:

Louise L. Hay, best selling author, is an internationally known leader, her key message is: "If we are willing to do the mental work, almost anything can be healed." The author has a great deal of experience and first hand information to share about healing, including how she cured herself after having been diagnosed as being terminally ill with cancer.

By listening to this four CD set and doing the exercises and repeating the affirmations and beneficial thought patterns, YOU CAN CREATE THE LIFE YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED.

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

A. J. Jacobs

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible A. J. Jacobs Amazon Price: $21.27
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 404 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The bestselling author of The Know-It-All takes on history's most influential book.

Raised in a secular family but increasingly interested in the relevance of faith in our modern world, A.J. Jacobs decides to dive in headfirst and attempt to obey the Bible as literally as possible for one full year. He vows to follow the Ten Commandments. To be fruitful and multiply. To love his neighbor. But also, to obey the hundreds of less-publicized rules: to avoid wearing clothes made of mixed fibers. To grow his beard. To stone adulterers.

The resulting spiritual journey is at once funny and profound, reverent and irreverent, personal and universal. Jacobs also embeds himself in a cross-section of communities that take the Bible literally, including the Amish and the Hasidim. He discovers ancient Biblical wisdom of startling relevance. And he wrestles with seemingly archaic rules that baffle the 21st-century brain.

Jacobs's extraordinary undertaking yields unexpected epiphanies and challenges. Sure to charm listeners both secular and religious, The Year of Living Biblically is part Cliffs-Notes to the Bible, part memoir, and part look into worlds unimaginable. Thou shalt not be able to stop listening.

Home to Holly Springs (Father Tim, Book 1)

Jan Karon

Home to Holly Springs (Father Tim, Book 1) Jan Karon Amazon Price: $26.37
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 139 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Home To Holly Springs 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Another well written story from Jan Karon. I am always caught up in Fr. Tim's life when I read Ms. Karon's stories. As I friend of mine said after reading "The Mitford Series", "I'm dreaming in sentences". The characters of Holly Springs have life in the words of this book. The insights into our emotions and make-up are right on. The conclusions are life changing.

Homecoming Surprise For Father Tim 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

After waiting 38 years to return to his hometown of Holly Springs our beloved Father Tim finally makes it back home. You'll never guess the twists & surprises in store for him & for you the reader as you go along for the ride with Father Tim & Barnabas in the red Mustang convertible. You'll feel the wind in your hair, the Mississippi heat, & hear the pounding of Father Tim's heart as he hears the truth about his family & finds more people to love. I won't spoil the surprise; just read it for yourself, you won't be disappointed!

Disappointing 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I loved the first four Mitford series books. However, I have to believe that this book is written by a different author. The writing style is amateur and difficult to follow. I found this book to be extremely aggravating. I was constantly trying to figure out who was speaking in the dialog and who was who. For example, there are TWO Peggys. Couldn't the author have simplified things by creating a different name? Flashbacks are poorly delineated leaving the reader to sort out orientation in time. Finally, the constant attempt at writing dialog in a dialect is tiring and poorly executed. I was so irritated by the book, that I was compelled to write this review; and I never take the time to write a review. I'd be very surprised if this is truly Jan Karon's work. Usually her writing is clear and inviting. This one missed by a long shot.

Editorial Review:

Sometimes a trip back home becomes a journey of the soul.

The Purpose-Driven Life

Rick Warren

The Purpose-Driven Life Rick Warren List Price: $29.99
By: Zondervan
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1099 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A MUST READ!!! VERY SPIRITUAL & MOTIVATING!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I must say that I was not a very spiritual person until now. I have gone to several churches over many of my 41 years and not one has delivered the message to me that this book has. This book has saved my relationship and given me a completely different perspective on life. I am so interested in learning more about God and have plans to read the entire Bible within the next year. I have already purchased this book for a close friend and my brother. I also plan on sending this book to my children. I urge you to visit the website asscociated with this book to view the wonderful things there [...]. I am in no way associated the author or publishing company for this book. I found this book approximately one week ago after hitting a very low point in my life and while looking for a book that might change my life I found this book the day after a car accident that left me stranded for two days in Texas until some family assistance arrived. Again, I highly encourage those of you who are not familiar with God to give this book an opportunity to make a change in your life.

Editorial Review:

Rick Warren helps readers to discover, develop, and fulfill God's purpose for their lives. Read by Rick Warren.

Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself

Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself List Price: $11.95
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 163 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Directly to you 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The author talks directly to you as you read and as a reader you are able to grasp so much helpful information. . I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for help with co-dependency and I also recommend for a perfect relationship I Love You. Now What?: Falling in Love is a Mystery, Keeping It Isn't

A life preserver. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is a sanity saver. There are some inspirational things to take away from reading it. Beattie injects her own life story into this self-help book. Coupled with her other books, it makes for reflective and well written advice.

Codependent No More 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I haven't finished reading it yet but just by reading introduction and couple of chapters, I knew that book was what I was searching for... It is just what I need to get through difficult time...

Eye Opener 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book was a huuge eye opener for me. If you believe you might be codependent or want to find out more on the subject- this book is for you. It contains many examples of real people; as well as a list of habits and traits a codependent generally possesses. It also offers helpful tips to break the cycle and possibly change your life. I recommend this for anyone who is, thinks they might be, or have a codependent in their life.

Editorial Review:

An expert guide for codependents on how to stop controlling others and start caring for themselves.

Boundaries

Henry Cloud, John Townsend

Boundaries Henry Cloud, John Townsend Amazon Price: $21.29
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 243 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

book is perfect for anyone with boundry issues and even not 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

for those like me who think God left it up to me to do his work and for others who just don't know how to keep someone out of their space, this book is perfect. it was a life changer for me. now i just remind myself "boundries" and know that God didn't leave me in charge down here, that he is in charge and working on al situations. it let me know that i am interfering with his work. i can now sleep at night knowing that he is in charge and that it's not up to me to fix up everyones lives

if you get past the beginning its really helpful!! 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

the beginning was kinda slow, but once you get passsed it, it had really helpful and pertinent information in a much easier format.

Boundaries 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Great explaination of the constant struggle to maintain a healty border in your life. Let the good in and the bad out. Detailed explaination and easy read. Like any other book, not a instant life "fixer" but does have application to a better you.

Editorial Review:

This audio version of the book presents a biblical treatment of boundaries, identifies how boundaries are developed, and how they become injured. It also shows Christian misconceptions of the function and purpose of boundaries and provides a program for developing and maintaining healthy limits. Read by Dick Fredricks.

10 CDs; running time 11 hours 40 minutes.

Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life

Tony Dungy, Nathan Whitaker

Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life Tony Dungy, Nathan Whitaker Amazon Price: $17.81
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 213 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A Different Type Of NFL Head Coach 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Whether it be at the high school, college, or professional levels of football, the common image of a football head coach is a big, tough, ruffian of a man who lives and dies by his team each week and forsakes such things as God and family in order to focus all his energies on his team's performance. Tony Dungy, current Head Coach of the Indianapolis Colts, is a living example to the contrary, proving that football coaches can be humble, sincere, and gracious and still put together a successful football team.

While this book does give pretty much a season-by-season account of Dungy's career in college and the NFL (great for the history buffs), the content also focuses on how Dungy stayed true to his Godly principles in the rough-and-tumble environment of the NFL. In a culture that prides itself in violence and radical devotion to a single cause, Dungy preaches a different sort of NFL culture, one in which each player and coach can be a respectable individual (not a ruffian) and uphold the principles of the Lord. In essence, Dungy's message is that "even football players" can be witnesses to the Lord's almighty power.

After reading this book, I have the utmost respect for Dungy and the way he runs his teams. He works himself and his players hard, but at the same time professes a family-first environment, where when the day's work is done the other aspects of family life can be enjoyed (unlike, say, John Gruden, who often sleeps in his office for prolonged periods in preparation for the next week's game). Dungy figures that if he treats his players like human beings and not immature children, they will return the favor and work hard for him.

While reading this book, I was reminded of an example of Dungy's philosophy in my own hometown. Our high school football team used to have a coach who would eat, sleep, and breathe football. He was a former NFL castoff who, while respected for his toughness by his players, was not a pleasing man to be around, as his arrogance was stifling. His teams were always decent, but lacked that extra something that makes a team a champion. When he was replaced a few years ago, a new coach was brought in who (much like Tony Dungy, just at a high school level) preached accountability, respect, and good academics. Within a single season, this new coach turned the entire program around and is now playing for the Conference Championship with an undefeated record. More important than the wins, however, is the fact that this new team is one that the community can better rally around due to the integrity of its players and coaches.

To conclude, I highly recommend this book to football fans of all ages and philosophies, as it gives a stirring example of how a football team can succeed using Godly principles.

Editorial Review:

2008 Retailer's Choice Award winner!
Tony Dungy's words and example have intrigued millions of people, particularly following his victory in Super Bowl XLI, the first for an African American coach. How is it possible for a coach--especially a football coach--to win the respect of his players and lead them to the Super Bowl without the screaming histrionics, the profanities, the demand that the sport come before anything else? How is it possible for anyone to be successful without compromising faith and family? In this inspiring and reflective memoir, Coach Dungy tells the story of a life lived for God and family--and challenges us all to redefine our ideas of what it means to succeed. Includes a foreword by Denzel Washington and a 16-page color photo insert.

100 Ways to Simplify Your Life

Joyce Meyer

100 Ways to Simplify Your Life Joyce Meyer Amazon Price: $13.59
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Many want a simple life, but find it difficult to actually live that way. They fight a constant battle to balance work, family, friends, and other demands on schedules stretched too thin.
Joyce Meyer breaks it down to the simple principle of exercising faith rather than doubt and confidence rather than people-pleasing. She writes from her experience of struggling to balance work, family, friends, and all the other demands on limited time to show readers the simple answer to a simpler life.
Joyce gives these and other practical and easy to implement ideas for finding real joy:


  • Live to glorify God
  • Let go of what lies behind
  • Choose your battles
  • Don't be afraid of what people think
  • Trust God to change other people
  • Live with margin
  • Don't be so hard on yourself
  • Stop doing things you don't do well
  • Remember that God is for you.
Joyce reminds readers that the Bible is full of examples of God's provision and His instruction to focus on one day at a time. She encourages readers to set themselves free by realizing they don't have to do, fix, or manage everything. By embracing the fact that God is on their side they will be encouraged that He will help find a way to live a simple life.

Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile

Rob Bell, Don Golden

Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile Rob Bell, Don Golden Amazon Price: $14.59
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A spirited double challenge to radicals and status-quo-ists alike 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I would love to meet the new hires at Zondervan. First they publish Shane Claiborne's subversive first book, The Irresistible Revolution, in 2006. Then in 2007 they release the fantastic The Books of the Bible, with refreshingly provocative book intros and formatting (these things matter to some of us). And earlier this year they released Claiborne's downright incendiary Jesus for President, an Ellul-draped tour de force of counter-imperial theology and story.

Now, The Z has published the latest from Rob Bell and Don Golden (hereafter just `Bell', sorry Don) - Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifseto for the Church in Exile. Things seem far from business-as-usual at the Newscorp/Murdoch-owned business of usually conservative publications. And though some radicals are using their about-face to shame these authors for lining the coffers of the heartless heart of the Christian-Industrial Complex, it's at least as deserving an opportunity to thank God for using even the Mouth of the Beast to invoke the revolutionary Spirit of Jesus around the world.

And invoke revolution it does. Bell shatters our conventional flannelgraph treatments of the First Testament. More than a homiletical goldmine of manly stories to prooftext contemporary empire-building, to Bell the story of Israel is one written as a critique of empire from a "below-empire" perspective about God's anti-empire people who, despite exile, still only want empire. The story starts in Egypt, visits Sinai, settles in Jerusalem, and is carried away to Babylon; this is a storyframe Bell later uses to jam the church into. Obviously, there's a lot of missing gaps in Bell's Brueggeman-soaked abridging of the First Testament, but these gaps are filled in as the book progresses.

The trajectory of that story, Bell insists, is the prophetic cry for a New Exodus, a Way forward out of exile and into God's possibilities. He and Golden masterfully weave many strands of yearning, frustration, and hope from Israel and bring them to the only focal point one can expect: King Jesus. If you think you've seen this done before -- hasty references to scattered prophecies that Jesus fulfills -- then sit back and hold on. Jesus' fulfillment of Israel's story is rarely captured with such elegance, fresh insight, and poetic dance as Bell gives us.

Bell's New Exodus theology of the cross isn't new, but with Jesus Wants to Save Christians in particular it is a welcome and compassionate entry into today's roaring atonement battles. Before Bell and Golden is the raging sea of conservative evangelicals splashing about the personal, purity, and penal aspects of the cross. Behind them, the bustling army of emerging-church scholars and bloggers waving their "It's Social Too, Dammit" swords high. Their New Exodus way of telling the story creates a path through the waters that, to cut the army/sea metaphor off there, all parties can find themselves travelling on.

And that's where the revolution is launched. This robustly biblical New Exodus story reveals that God is always on the side of the oppressed, and through the cross of Jesus Christ is always working to exodus us out of those oppressions. Jesus is the new Moses, leading his children out of the ways of empire, of death, and of sin itself. We as the church are tasked with continuing to be God's counter-imperial people, being called out of the empire and into the kingdom. Jesus wants to save Christians... from empire.

Bell sharply points out that this means we'll all find ourselves alongside some pretty unlikely people in this Exodus Way. We're family now, going through these waters, and that means churches have got to overcome class, political, racial, and ideological differences as they go. Dumpster-diving anarchists and gun-toting Republicans are in it together now, this big strange family. Bell is convinced that it won't do for us to avoid each other. No, he seems to say: the Eucharistic vision is all about joining together in our sufferings and weaknesses. Jesus teaches us that the anarchist and the Republican needs one another, and that the world in particular needs them both. The world needs them not under those labels, though, but as the very Body of the Christ, broken and poured for the world.

This book's great contribution to the church is a two-fold challenge: a revolutionary revival-like summons to status-quo Christianity, and, I believe, a gentle ecumenical subpoena to the fringe/emergent/radical church.

Bell upsets status-quo Christianity by insisting that Jesus isn't done saving them yet: their imperial ways are colliding like nails with the cross of the Lord. Granted he dosen't say it quite that snottily, but he also doesn't beat about the Bush. Bell's is a heartfelt and inviting summons for the American church to repent and be saved from the Empire, ere they find themselves in exile once more.

If Bell and Golden's snazzy book only offered that, they'd only be reinventing the wheel in an ironic marketplace gnoshing glibly on all things radical. Particularly in their final chapters, they pair their subversive flair with a fine, subtle challenge to those of us already on the Exodus Way out of the empire: Christ's body so needs you, and you them. This New Exodus thing, to Bell, is too big to just let the ersatz Guevaras and fauxhemians through. The real revolutionary cries out to God for all of God's people to be saved from this sin, death, and empire. Grander and deeper than the enclave-spirituality of some radicals, Bell hearkens the new conspirators (neo-monastics, Jesus radicals, emergent, etc.) to a love and compassion that bleeds for Iraqi and American alike. It's a love that subverts the Empire's social filing system which would segregate us looneys from the rest of the herd. In the economy of God, the revolution to the revolutionaries still turns out again to be revolutionary against the empire.

Fancy that.

(originally written for JesusManifesto.com)

Editorial Review:

There is a church not too far from us that recently added a $25 million addition to their building.
Our local newspaper ran a front-page story not too long ago about a study revealing that one in five people in our city lives in poverty.
This is a book about those two numbers.

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