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Universal Healing.

Universal Healing.
Universal Healing. Course created by the teacher Ana M.G.C. To enroll in this course please Escueladesaludlittleamma@gmail.com and to enter into the web click in the image. Thank you very much.

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Fast, fast, thinkers. Do breathe to the human race. Give Hope, give Ideal. Do it well.
Victor Hugo.

viernes, 29 de abril de 2016

Happy Mother´s Day 2016!!

You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban.


                                     

                                               Josh Groban. You Raise Me Up.


               

                                      You raise me up - Josh Groban, with lyrics.

If you want read this lyrics in English and also for watching the oficial video by this singer click here: http://cancionesqdicenalgo.blogspot.com.es/2016/04/by-josh-groban.html

And... if you want to learn better how to pronunciation this lyric here are the perfect masters. I found them on internet and I believe that it is a marvelous version of this beautiful song and, at the same time, an extraordinary and different interpretation.
http://cancionesqdicenalgo.blogspot.com.es/2016/04/an-astonishing-version.html

martes, 26 de abril de 2016

I carry your heart...




I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart).
I´m never without it (anywhere I go you go, my dear;
and whatever is done by me only me is your doing, my darling).

I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)
I want no world (for, beautiful, you are my world, my true).
And it´s you are whatever a moon has always meant, 
and whatever a sun will always sing is you.
Here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky and the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
And this is the wonder that´s keeping the starts apart.
I carry your heart (carry it in my heart).

E. E. Cumming.
1.958.
(Edward Estling Cumming: poet, painter, essayist and northamerican playwright)


If you want read the translation of this poem in "Spanish", clik here:

lunes, 25 de abril de 2016

Beautiful memories...




















When I was a child I liked a lot to skip rope.

In the right way.

The astonishing serendipity.


Such is the simplicity of man to hearken after the flesh...


The day started. The first coincidence was that that day was de "Day´s Book" and that the day before I was in the big shop of my city for reading "El Quijote", another great book for to commemorate the fourth centenary to another master of the universal literature: Cervantes. Coincidence?http://desdelaventanademicorazon.blogspot.com.es/2016/04/iv-centenario-de-cervantes.html



The book choosed by our English teacher of that day was "The Winter´s tale" by Shakespeare. 
How perfect!! How fantastic!!



Firstly, he narrated us the story and the commun sense of it and of some characters from this book.


But... one the most usefull thing for me nowadays was that, at the begining of our meeting, the teacher explained us the basic pronunciation English rules for the words an for the regular verbs in their past form. Great!! Because... after... all the people there will read the text correctly. 
(More or less, ha, ha!!) 

Anew, another astonishing serendipity:
I found admidst the text one beatiful and deep setence, with sense, that I have known since long time but I not know the autor of it and the autor of this sentence  is... Shakespeare. Who else? Who better than this great writer? I celebrated this discovering with the other partners and the teacher. 
This is the marvellous life!!

When we have finished the commemorative and cultural celebration we are very satisfied with the result.
And with the incomparable setting of the beautiful landscape of the Doramas park that sunny morning´s Saturday.

   To finish the beatitul journey, the teacher invited us to drink tea of five o´clok and to eat an English pudding that he have cooked for all of us.


Two astonishing  celebrations coinciding in the time and in the space into my life that...
they make I even more grateful.

Another coincidence or the wonderful life?
The owesome life I believe and a fantastic present from the Masters of Literature to me, a humble writer and an simple student of English language.

Thanks to my life for this gift and for all the persons and this that made it possible.






But... that is not all.
I received some gift more: a separator of books with a phrase from "The tempest" and a beautiful booklet  of recipes for English cakes and, also, with photos of the precious traditionalists paintings.


                         Really, the "Book Day" 2016 it was to me a very memorable day!!


                                                                                  Ana M. Gª. Contreras. (Anna)
                                                                                   "Book Day" 2016. L.P.G.C.



And... I couldn´t forget tell you that the picnic was fantastic too.
I would like to make a toast to your healt  and, specially, for the all the people that very helps me to improve in my learning English and in my live!!
Cheers!! 

viernes, 22 de abril de 2016

"Mumming."

I believe that is important to know the festivities of the several places where people speak the languages that I study and, of course, some customs and habits of the locals  who inhabit in it. For variuos reasons. For example, for respecting for cultural diversity and differences which is linked to the desire to know, to love and to understand the differents universes about learning already at deeper levels of the language.

In this sense and given that we are in the spring I thought it right to bring up in this article for the magazine of our school something called "Mumming."

Mumming is an ancient tradition that makes reference to the representations , more or less manners -traditionalists- of popular oral knowledge -lore-, transmitted from generation to generation.
Establishing a paralelism we could say that these different representations to which are referred are likeness, perhaps, with our Minstrels of the Middle Ages, or saving distances, with circuses.








https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kalyada_KR_2012_425.JPG#/media/File:Kalyada_KR_2012_425.JPG

A mumming is a type of folk play, known in many areas of Europe but particulary common in England, Scotland and Ireland, that combines music, dance and sword fighting in episodes involving the ancien legends and histories.

This name derives from a French word meaning masked.
The sword dances, in turn, may derive from the folk festivals of agricultural communities.

Mummers plays were formerly performed troughout most of English-speaking Ireland, Europe and Great Britain, as well as in other English-speaking parts of the world including Newfoundland and Saint Kitts and Nevis.















https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bud%C4%93%C4%BCi.JPG#/media/File:Bud%C4%93%C4%BCi.JPG

When these practices happens during the winter solstice or Haloween or Candlemas in February can provide a powerful means of catharsis like happens with many popular traditions. There are also practices mummings that show around the time of Carnival, in early spring  and again at Mai Day, especially in Britain.  These processions brings good luck, prosperity and fertility to the people and the earth. Also, nowadays, they can be a fun way to create a sense of tradition and cohesiveness in the comunity.

In fact, we can say that the Mummers play are seasonal Brithis flok plays, performed by troups of amateur actors know as mummers or guisers or by local names.

Originally from the British Isles, the practice has spread to a number of former British colonies.

Etymologically speaking, the word mummer is sometimes explained to derived from Middle English or Greek but is more likelly  to be associated with Early new High German nummer (attested in Johann Fischart and others.)


The mummers or entertainers masked, dressed in costumes adorned  with tapes, rags and masks, in times of straw. They parade through the neighboring streets singing songs and carrying  branches. Sometimes, its aspect is considered something gloomy but it must be because it is adequate for the particular colorful traditions of the region where it originated in which inhabited Celts and Normands.

We can say that their aesthetics is nothing unusual when compared with other folk traditions  at world level in such a way that we can catalog it as unique in its kind, highlighting on other folklórica themed as we say.

The stories represented by these traditional characters ranging for the representation of battles between the good and the bad and reflection on the same until some representations of legends such us those of Saint George and the dragon, passing by the evocation including the art of comedy. 

On their performances we can learn many lesson of history and the history of everyday life, old customs, regular habits and the ways of life of the ancient Bretons, Jutos or Saxons villages 




The Celts were the dominant people in europe shortly before their displacement by Romans and Germanic. They practiced a religion who generally know only a few but inspires us much. In fact, your world of magicians, druids and heroes has inspired legends later, as Myths Artúricos.
To speak of the Celtics myths would be exciting but perhaps too extensive for the space that I have here what... I refer you to my readers, for more to be information about this theme, to classical works such us Julio Caesar. Lucano or Posidonio, among others.

In effect, the mummers appear in the Celtic tradition as interpreters of classic stories and legends that were take place in the oral tradition of the people who where living in the region of Great Britain and Ireland.

Perhaps for this reason these celebrations would not only take place in the present in Great Bretain, also in many English-speaking countries and in some other place more. I could cite as an example, nowadays, the current Mummers parade in Philadelphia, single event, where you can see a gateway of extravagant costumes, in adittion to a lot of music and entertainment.
This is the oldest folk festival of the United States since 1800 when was used to celebrate the arrival of the new year, when the customes were very elaborated but there were no choreographies as a spectacle as at the present.


There are several tipologies of Mumming. You can read about this in the book, wrote by Herbert Halpert, named "Christmas mumming in Newfoundland." He tells us these practices I can to categorize it  in the various way wich can be carried out: the informal visit, the house-visit, the visit with the formal performance with dances (Sword dance, Morris dance), the folk plays, like Sword dance play, Plough or Wooing Play, Hero-combat play, etc.

The Mumming includes an assortment of characters like the crazy which also appears, in one way or another, in various cultural manifestations of  other people with other languages; thus, we will be able to find it since in The Dance Morris until the representations of puppets from the ancient Greece and Turkey and even in the moralists works from the Middle Ages.

Also, this autor tells us about the formal outdoor behavior in these traditions: formal processions like parades or pageants or groups moving to give performances at fiexd points, etc.
There are sometimes performed in the street,  but more usually as hopuse-to-house visits and in local pub.

















https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antrobus_Soul_Cakers.jpg#/media/File:Antrobus_Soul_Cakers.jpg

It is clear that it is an very ancient custom dating from the pre-Christian times but...
the previous surveys on the ritual dance and drama have produced little evidence before 1800.  
But not for having what some consider few mesurable data we can say -as some do it- that are most recents habits in the temporal line of the human history.


That this is clearly there is some conection between the recent customs and the other ones. And yet again there are testiomonies like paintings, from the abbots since about s. XVII or, for example, how the early Christian writers tells about the processions. There are surveys that says the mumming may have precedents in German and French Carnival customs, as well as in late medieval English folk practices.


























https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Albans_Mummers_production_of_St_George_and_the_Dragon,_Boxing_Day_2015-7.jpg#/media/File:St_Albans_Mummers_production_of_St_George_and_the_Dragon,_Boxing_Day_2015-7.jpg

There are a few surviving traditional teams of mummers in England and Ireland, but there have been 
many revivals of mumming, nowadays often asociated with sword dance groups and Morris.
                                                                                            
Although usually broadly comic performances, the plays seem to me based on underlying thems of duality and resurrection and in general involved a battle between two or more characters, perhaps representing good against evil. 
Usually they feature a doctor who has a magic potion which is able to resuscitatea slain character.

In fact, there are autors and researchers who tendet to view these plays as debased of a pre-Christian fertility ritual.

Becuase... primarily, the Mumming is related with the changes of stations in general and more specifically with the spring in particular, with the blessed natural and wonderful fertility that this station entails. 

But what it´s clear is that there are traditions that persist, even with other forms -or that are very related- as for example in Italy, in the old craft workshops of puppets and representations that can be done with them, which continue to delight children and old people. 

Along the west coast of Ireland, Loreena Mckennitt tells us, people held an unusual version of Halloween, on the Island of Inishmore. The characters enter in the local pub, drink pints, dance at times, but whitout saying anything, next to the murmur of the Ocean.
     
There are beautiful and melodious traditional mumming songs with lyrics rich in references to natures, to the spring. You can see an example of this in the song that had inspired me to deal with this subject in this writing. Its autor includes one of them, from Abingdon -in Oxfordshire-.

There are also ancient narrations of theater mumming groups -so to denominate them- that they addressed to the vessels become bogged  down in the bays of the coasts of United Kingdom, Ireland, etc, for entertain the sailors, for example, of New Year´s Eve.


We can go also to the work of James Frazer -"The golden branch"- to research about this fact. The author tells us that the popular custom of Mumming has its roots in the arboreal veneration of some people that inhabited the region of the Europe of yesterday covered by extensive and lush forests that disappeared a long time ago.

Simply point out that the ancient priests druids devoted to his cult several elements of nature, especially caves, springs of pure water, ancient trees and even lush forests and villages. One of the most excellent frameworks for the interrelationship of the divine with the human.

There are many events, rites and celebrations that are hopelessly united with the passage of time, to honor even to the own time in its various manifestations. For example, in Padstow, people celebrate the feast of first of May starting it the night before. It would not be surprising to find a celebration of these featuresin one of the places more Celt  of England. 

Begins with a ritual song, sung a capella, rich in references to Saint George and the spring. When the morning comes, the participants sing another version or rendering of this song, complementing it with the addition of accordions and drums that will accompany a procession to whose head are the "obby oss" that are, nothing more and nothing less, than the figure of a "horse", dressed in a tunic with hood and a mask that almost seems African.

Subject whorty of more focused and serious anthropological study since, for example, in the Sufi tradition, there is a ritual also associated with Saint George, which incorporates a horse-rocking chair, as we can trace in the work of Sufis´stories by Idries Shah. Curious, not?

There are people which related this ancient folk  tradition with the still current and current celebration of Halloween, which is becoming ever more extensible to countries even non English, speaking, such as our own. 

Even with the Christmas and the New Year celebration as we commented to talk about  the case of Philadelphia. For example, there are scholars of this topic that date this ancient Celtic celebration -also called Dark Day- between 26 December and first January. Anyway we already said nearly at the begining of this review that the Mumming is associated with the changing seasons in general and with other dates in addition to the spring.

Thus, the mummers parade through the main streets and avenues of the city as if a procession of masks are treated and act and pay lip the service to the so-called Mummers Plays, that are parts that have never  been written, continuing with the essence  of the purest oral tradition.



In this sense, It is also often  associated with the Carnival celebrations, as currently presents in many parts of the world.

Really it is a fascinating subject to investigate but, at the same time, also long extensive as to reduce it to only a few lines in an article, but at least with this, I have sought to establish a closer relationship with one of the tradition of the foreign language which, as I said, currently I study in this school and also with the ancestors whose worldview is behind it.

Then I want to show you a verse of the song of Loreeena Mckennitt which it let me to have this item in my inkwell today and that has a special meaning for me. Precious, indeed.

"And so they linked their hands and danced
round in circles and in rows
and so the journey of the night descends
when all the sades are gone".


"When all the sades are gone"...

To finish, happily imbued the purest charitable and Celtic spirit healer, after this humble immersion in a so  fantastic world, give to all that I have read... ¡¡an old blessing!!


                                                                                                   Ana M. Gª Contreras (Anna)
                                                                                                   Mayo 2016. E.O.I. L.P.G.C.
                                                                                                   GOOD LOOK FOREVER.



               (Photos found on internet in the bank of immages´Google and in Wikipedia)


If you want to know more about this topic you can visit my blog of the Spanish languague -Castilian language, to be exact-: http://aprendocastellanoconanna.blogspot.com.es/


And... if you want to know more about the song that inspired me to documentated about the same and to write this article, visit my English blog. Thanks!! 

Step by step.


I can (by me).




A few days ago we did a writing exam in class. Had to choose among several topics. The others topics I found most usual, more teatries and... though perhaps I could get a higher mark with these topics...
              I chose "the languages". 
                                                        What can you do for learning better foreign languages?
As a writer and as a lover of languages and the good communication could not bet otherwise, ha, ha!! Here is the result.
I hope you enjoy it and it will serve as useful to someone. And...
as always, if any person has any suggestion, correction, etc, to contribute to the improvement of what I write here that she or he write, please, to my email and will be welcome, of course!!

This writing is entitled "I can", also for to give me encouragement to myself and to pass the next final exams.


I love learning foreign languages because I think that "words" are one of the best ways of communication.

There are different methods to learn foreign languages, specially nowadays, because we can help us with the new tecnologies.
We can visit English websites or listen to a lot of audio books free on internet on in the libraries, etc.

Also, we can practice our favourite hobbies in English or meet other people to talk to.
Although that isn´t easy because each person is different and have a different learning level but...
with persistence, at the end, we can find the right person to practice with.

We can write to a pendfriend too or enjoy watching films with subtitles.

I can buy and read newspapers in other languages nearby my home and speak with tourists  in my own town.

Perhaps, I´ll set up English language on my phone tomorrow and I´ll use one of the apps to learn foreign vocabulary.

Moreover, I would like to earn a lot of money so that I could travel to several English-speaking countries to really improve my Spoken English. I think that it´s a great idea!!

People often give advices how to learn languages better and quickly and... easily!! 
One of my favourite top-tips is: "have to find an English-spoken boyfriend", ha, ha!!, but...
                 within an enormous world of possibilities I go back to the true reality.
                                                                               There are to return to the earth!!

For example, we can improve our English but it depends on several factors, conscious and, sometimes, unconscious.
For me, to improve my learning English is mandatory be dedicated and focused and... In addition to that I need to have plenty of time to do so.

And... I cannot forget one additional thing very important: motivation.
In fact, motivation is the best ingredient that help me to carry on and not to give up.

Now, I´m sure I can be able to speak English pretty fluently because whole lot of people around the world undertand Spoken English.
I agree with Nelson Mandela who said: "If you speak to a man in a language that he understands it goes to his head but... if you speak to a man in his language, it goes to his heart."

            But...
                             for the moment...
                                                                   I´m learning English language as far as can be.

                                                           
                                                                                              Anna.
                                                                                          Abril 2016.

                                              

lunes, 18 de abril de 2016

About The Mummer's Dance.




January 1, 1985, Stratford: I have just read an account of a mumming troupe which boarded a Polish ship stranded in the harbour in St. Johns, Newfoundland, on New Years Eve, to entertain the sailors. According to James Frazer in his book The Golden Bough, mumming has its roots in the tree-worshipping of the peoples who inhabited great regions of a forested Europe now long gone.


Mumming usually involves a group of performers dressing up in masks (sometimes of straw) and clothes bedecked with ribbons or rags, and setting out on a procession to neighbouring homes singing songs and carrying branches of greenery. Its primarily associated with springtime and fertility, and it has a cast of stock characters, like the Fool, which recurs in some form or another from Morris dancing to the shadow puppet plays of Turkey and Greece and even the morality plays of the Middle Ages.


September 1995, Palermo, Sicily: Friends have brought me to see one of the last of a long line of puppet-makers by the name of Cuticchio. We were treated to a delightful private performance of the story of Charlemagne in a puppet theatre across the narrow street from the puppet-makers workshop.



October 31, 1996, Inishmore: A friend has told me of an unusual version of Halloween that takes place on the island of Inishmore, off the west coast of Ireland. As no one speaks at all, mum is definitely the word. Characters wander into the local pub, have a pint and sometimes a dance, but these everyday activites are made surreal by the power of their silence. Outside, the roar of the Atlantic provides a suitably dramatic backdrop.



December 4, 1996, Real World Studios, Wiltshire, England: Ive incorporated the chorus of a traditional mumming song into The Mummers Dance. The lines, rich with references to spring, come from a song traditionally sung in Abingdon in Oxfordshire.



May 1, 1997, Padstow, Cornwall: As with many time-honoured events, Padstows May Day festivities begin the night before. Its not surprising to find a celebration like this in one of the most historically Celtic corners of England; it begins with a ritual carol, sung a capella, rich with references to springtime and St. George. May Day mornings rendition of the song adds a full complement of accordions and drums which accompany a procession led by the obby oss, a horse figure costumed in a large hooped skirting and an almost African-looking mask.



May 15, 1997, London: Through a series of coincidences I refer back to Idries Shahs book The Sufis and am fascinated to read about a particular Sufi ritual associated with St. George which incorporates a hobby horse.

From:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwCEjIbRykY

The Mummer's Dance.


                                    

    

Loreena McKennitt-
The Mummer's Dance.
From The Alhambra (Spain).

You can liste to this song with subtitles in Spanish in: http://cancionesqdicenalgo.blogspot.com.es/2016/04/the-mummers-dance.html


viernes, 15 de abril de 2016

Auld lang syne.


                             AULD LANG SYNE ~ Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.
                       A view of the Scottish scenery taken from across Scotland.
                                 Accompanied by the music Auld Lang Syne by 
                                        The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.
                                              I hope you enjoy viewing.

Times gone by.

               "Auld Lang Syne" is a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song. It is well known in many countries, especially (but far from exclusively) in the English-speaking world; its traditional use being to celebrate the start of the New Year at the stroke of midnight.

              http://cancionesqdicenalgo.blogspot.com.es/2016/04/auld-lang-syne.html

             http://aprendocastellanoconanna.blogspot.com.es/2016/04/auld-lang-syne.html

Music.

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PLAYING LECUONA.

                                         

                   

PLAYING LECUONA. Trailer.

   



jueves, 14 de abril de 2016

Casa-Museo Antonio Padrón.








          





Today it was my first time in the "Casa-Museo Antonio Padrón" and it was amazing and amusing at the same time.
Amazing by the paintings which are there and amusing thanks to the several activities that our English teacher and her colleague had prepared for us .


           And... as we say in Spain, a picture is worth a thousand words...  Ha, ha!!

                                                                                          http://www.antoniopadron.com/


                                                           The arrival at the museum...
                                                                           like children...




           The painting that was not... there... 
           painted by Santiago Santana which had a versatile personality: he was a painter, a draftsman, a stage designer... In fact, he  contributed to the urban design of Las Palmas de G. C.

And, bellow, the photo that I was able to take, at least, when it appeared on a screen in the museum. That was better than nothing!!...






                                                                                     
                                                                      The tools for the future artits. Sorry... 
                                                                           the tools for one of the activities: 
                                                                     empty space and 
                                                                         coloured pencils, pens, wax crayons...

                                                                              
 Firstly, all the classes in the "Indigenous room".


At the end of this photo you can discern the famous work by Pepe Dámaso: "Seven atlantic heroes".














"The aguadoras". 
A realistic and vibrant painting by Oramas.












A painting by our well-known César Manrique.





                                      Listening to the teacher in the courtyard of the museum. 
                           And... we were lucky thanks to the very nice weather we had that day.

                                                                                                 



                          In the workshop of the artist.

We visited the workshop of the artist: a reaL luxury for me!! There, I could enjoy with his personal photos on the fireplace, old furniture, with his materials to paint and his paintings too, for example...




 


                       

    "The Piety", one of his most famous painting.



All students painted in the patio of the museum. There werw a couple of drawings by some of my classmates that I loved.
Nowadays you can see several of these drawings inside wall of our school.





A drawing by one of the classmate.
I loved it.



At a partiuclar time, my English teacher asked us to make a drawing inspired by the paintings at the museum.
We could choose some of them among several significant elements, up to seven.

                       











 and... start painting!


                                                                                    Here is the drawing that I made there...

In my improvised artistic work -ha, ha!!- I wanted to transfer the ocean, a boat, the special vegetation of this earth, as the tabaiba and, on the top on the drawing, I wanted to highlight the majestic presence of the Roque Nublo.

(All these repetitive elements were present in the different works of the Canarian Island painters we saw there).

I put in my painting the representation of two colours. The first one was the red colour that appeared in the dresses of "The aguadoras", paint that can be seen above.

For the second one I found inspiration in the work called "The dance of joy" (I am on the photograph with this paint at the begining of this writing) and hence I extracted the pink colour which I used to write the name of the boat with and my own signature too.

I enjoyed a lot with this activity and it helped me to improve, in fact, in a personal level too, apart from knowing more about these artists and their works.














In the room devoted to Antonio Padrón´s works of art, which gives the name to this house museum.





























A. Padrón painted Canarian women on their everyday life and work: the peasant woman, the ceramist woman ("The alfarera"), in the market, the shop, the cave, etc.

















At the side, it is one of Padron´s paintings that I really liked.
In fact, it is a painting I found awesome!















This is  another painting  I liked.
I realized that it is another constant element because this topic is also repetitive in his work.
Really, the water is highly appreciated in the Canary islands, specially by the workers of the primary sector.


































He also shows ordinary people feelings and their leisure activities...



     ... from both, adults and children:
                                                                         















The required signature in the "Guestbook" of the museum, especially when  the visit had been rewarding at least for me.





















Some significant words of the artist...(http://desdelaventanademicorazon.blogspot.com.es/2016/04/apadron-dijo.html)

And...  
some classmates, even, had enough time to go  shopping in the flea market, for example, these beautiful typical flowers called "antunos".
























Finally, all of us went to Las Palmas, to the language school and at home.


It was a nice day and a nice experience. I don´t know if we learned much English but...
in my opinion,we should repeat this experience or another similar next year.


















I would have liked this visit to be longer to have more time to enjoy and learn even more...
                 Perhaps next time...




             Anyway, thank you to my/our teacher for this and thank you to the school to offer us this... "cultural tour". 

                                                                                                Anna.

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