A Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of the Southern Appalachians

Customer Reviews:

Not a usefuel tool for the unknowledgable.......2007-07-04

As a city boy just relocating to the country I was looking for a user friendly book to identify the native plants on our land. This book is written by and for much more knowledgable people. While there is a long and detailed introduction I don't have the knack or patients to work thorough it.

The illustrations are pen and ink black and white drawings, and are barely helpful.

Book Description

Whether you travel for business, pleasure, or a combination of the two, the ever-popular "Culture Shock!" series belongs in your backpack or briefcase. Get the nuts-and-bolts information you need to survive and thrive wherever you go. "Culture Shock!" country guides are easy-to-read, accurate, and entertaining crash courses in local customs and etiquette. "Culture Shock!" practical guides offer the inside information you need whether you're a student, a parent, a globetrotter, or a working traveler. "Culture Shock!" at your Door guides equip you for daily life in some of the world's most cosmopolitan cities. And "Culture Shock!" Success Secrets guides offer relevant, practical information with the real-life insights and cultural know-how that can make the difference between business success and failure.

Each "Culture Shock!" title is written by someone who's lived and worked in the country, and each book is packed with practical, accurate, and enjoyable information to help you find your way and feel at home.

Average customer rating:

Good effort but not much there...

Easy to read, but not very enlightening.

Helpful hints for Brits trying to move to Spain

A marginal guide to Spain

The only book of Spain you will ever need!!!

Culture Shock Spain Edition (Culture Shock)
Marie Louise Graff
Manufacturer: Graphic Arts Center Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
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Culture Shock!: Italy (Culture Shock Series)

Spain - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette (Culture Smart!)

Living Abroad in Spain

Spain Is Different (Interact Series)

The Cambridge Companion to Modern Spanish Culture

ASIN: 1558686304

Book Description

Whether you're conducting business, traveling for pleasure, or even relocating abroad, one mistake with customs or etiquette can leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth. International travelers, now more than ever, are not just individuals from the United States, but ambassadors and impression makers for the country as a whole. Newly updated, redesigned, and resized for maximum shelf appeal for travelers of all ages, Culture Shock! country and city guides make up the most complete reference series for customs and etiquette you can find. These are not just travel guides; these are guides for a way of life.

Customer Reviews:

Good effort but not much there..........2003-08-19

After reading some of the other books in the Culture Shock series, I was quite disappointed by this installment. The author obviously has great reverence for Spain, but some of the things in the book were quite upsetting to me. For instance (and as also pointed out by another reviewer), the author has some obvious prejudice against gypsies:

"They are avoided, and most Spaniards are reluctant to get involved with them." (18)

"Traditionally a nomadic people, [gypsies] do not hold regular jobs and many of them turn to begging or petty thievery." (19)

"A few years ago, mugging and bag-snatching were unusual but nowadays one hears of daring snatches in broad daylight, particularly in areas where gypsies abound." (69)

Also, there were quite a few mistakes in her list of "useful words and phrases" (48-50). There were some errors involving spelling, accents, and capitalization. I was surprised that mistakes that could probably be caught by a student of Spanish 1 would not only be made by somebody who had retired to Spain but also go unnoticed by the editor.

Finally, the author keeps stressing that Spaniards are a very proud and private people and stresses that foreigners will never be totally accepted by Spaniards. While this may be true to some point, her wording kind of bothered me, especially since she seems to generalize a LOT. Granted, the whole point of the Culture Shock series is to generalize as much as possible in order to give the foreigner a taste of the country, but I would take everything that the author says with a grain of salt. I get the feeling that her own endeavors to fully integrate herself into Spanish society have proved not as successful as she had hoped, which explains for much of what she says. She takes much of what has personally happened to her (and very often sprinkles these anecdotes into her writing) and uses it as a general representation for all of Spain.

Easy to read, but not very enlightening........2001-09-28

If you know absolutely nothing about Spain, this could be a nice book to very lightly acquaint you with the Spainish culture. It definitely does not live up to it's description. It touches on (one paragraph) many different topics, many of which I would have liked to know more about but just read about what I already know. It's not horrible, just basic. It most definetly does not prepare one for a trip to Spain or if you plan to move there(as I am doing). For example, it tells you there are comprehensive bus and train systems...I need to know their names and how to use them.(of course they have them, anyone would assume that) For me this was a waste of time and money.

Helpful hints for Brits trying to move to Spain.......2001-08-24

This is a book of advice for folks planning to settle in Spain, particularly in the foreign retirement enclaves along the Mediterranean coast. It is heavily oriented toward the British, as the Culture Shock books are a British series. For the rest of us, it has a lot of interesting and potentially useful information that you do not find in tourist guidebooks, written in a pleasant, chatty, though sort of repetitive English nanny style. It is fairly unorganized. But if you're even thinking of moving to Spain, it's good to read whatever good advice you can get your hands on, and this book has plenty of it. Somebody mentioned that Penelope Casas is better: Penelope Casas is a great read, but my impression is that she travels mostly with The Well To Do, which is definitely what I am not one of.

A marginal guide to Spain.......1999-04-12

Of all of the guidebooks to Spain I've read, this is the worst. It is a condescending anthropological study of Spaniards and the visitor to Spain.

Just listen to this example of the "advice" given:

"Nowadays there is a system of numbers at some of the supermarket counters, particularly the butcher's. You take a number from a roll fixed on the counter and wait for it to be called. If there are lots of numbers ahead of your own, this leaves you free to carry on with other shopping until your turn draws near. But make sure you are available when your number is called. Otherwise you will be made to draw a new number and made to wait over again."

If this is the type of advice you need, you may need more than just this guidebook to help you through Spain.

Besides being written for idiots, the book has another assumption which is purely annoying: Spaniards are good and all others are evil. For example when describing the recent increase in crime, the book implies that all crime is commited by either gypsies or foreigners.

The simplicity of this book is only necessary if you are a stereotypical tourist who needs help understanding anything basic about a country other than the US. If you are actually curious about Spanish culture, however, a better choice is "Discovering Spain, An Uncommon Guide" by Penelope Casas.

The only book of Spain you will ever need!!!.......1999-04-05

As a college student preparing to study abroad in Spain, I found this book...perfect. This guide in its unique series tells of all the customs and proper etiquette you never learned in school. If more American tourists read these culture shock books before traveling abroad, the American stereotype would be lessened.

Average customer rating:

Culture Shock Portugal (Culture Shock)

Manufacturer: Kuperard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1857333586

Culture Shock! Portugal: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette (Culture Shock! Guides)

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Culture Shock! Portugal: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette (Culture Shock! Guides)
Volker Poelzl
Manufacturer: Marshall Cavendish Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customs & Traditions | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0761425063

Culture Shock: Portugal (Culture Shock! Guides)

Average customer rating:

Great book, even for a Portuguese speaker

Culture Shock: Portugal (Culture Shock! Guides)
Volker Poelzl
Manufacturer: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1558687874

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Great book, even for a Portuguese speaker.......2005-04-07

Even though I am familiar with Portuguese, as a Brazilian expatriate in the USA, I found this book to be very useful. It highlights the cultural characteristics of the Portuguese people in a very concise and poignant way, and provides valuable insights into the culture, customs and mentality of the Portuguese people. This book is a great resource for anyone traveling, studying or even just traveling in Portugal, and should be on the reading list for anyone visiting Portugal.

Book Description

Affine differential geometry has undergone a period of revival and rapid progress in the past decade. This book is a self-contained and systematic account of affine differential geometry from a contemporary view. It covers not only the classical theory, but also introduces the modern developments of the past decade. The authors have concentrated on the significant features of the subject and their relationship and application to such areas as Riemannian, Euclidean, Lorentzian and projective differential geometry. In so doing, they also provide a modern introduction to the latter. Some of the important geometric surfaces considered are illustrated by computer graphics.

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HISTORICAL ROMANCES OF THE AUTHOR OF WAVERLEY VOL VI: KENILWORTH.

Manufacturer: Hurst Robinson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HHAOC0

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Kenilworth. A Romance. With Illustrations by Maillard, Poirson, Lematte, Riou, Scott.
Sir Walter Scott
Manufacturer: Ward Lock 1890. (The Selected Edition of the Waverley Novels)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000L5HDIG

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KENILWORTH; A Romance. In Three Volumes.
Walter.] 'By the Author of Waverley, Ivanhoe, &c.' [Scott
Manufacturer: Archibald Constable,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MZ8MG2

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Kenilworth;: A romance
Walter Scott
Manufacturer: etc.]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | Classics | Contemporary | General | Historical | Humor | Letters & Correspondence | Middle | Old | Poetry | Renaissance | Shakespeare | Short Stories
ASIN: B0006APUNG

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Kenilworth. A Romance.
Walter Scott
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPSW9M

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Kenilworth: A romance
Walter Scott
Manufacturer: Cassell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0008CEV7I

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KENILWORTH: A ROMANCE, VOL. I, II, AND III

Manufacturer: Archibald Constable & Co,; andJohn Ballantyne, Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson, and Co. London
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I9RP9M

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Kenilworth; a romance. By the author of "Waverley," "Ivanhoe," &c. ... - [Complete in 2 volumes]
Walter, Sir (1771-1832) Scott
Manufacturer: Philadelphia; M. Carey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000R2LSMA

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Kenilworth; a romance: By the author of "Waverley," "Ivanhoe, " &c
Walter Scott
Manufacturer: Samuel H. Parker
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
ASIN: B000867OXM

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Laneham's letter describing the magnificent pageants presented before Queen Elizabeth, at Kenilworth castle in 1575,: Repeatedly referred to in the romance of Kenilworth;
Robert Laneham
Manufacturer: J.H. Burn
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006DCQRG

Amazon.com

Dani Shapiro was rescued by tragedy. At the age of 23 she is a wreck. A Sarah Lawrence college dropout, she is living as the mistress--one of many, she would later find out--of her best friend's stepfather, Lenny, a high-profile New York City lawyer. It is the height of the excessive '80s, and Lenny goes to extravagant lengths to keep his woman--putting her up in a large downtown apartment, draping her in furs and flashy gems, and spiriting her away by Concorde to Paris for weekend flings. When she isn't with Lenny, Shapiro leisurely courts an acting and modeling career and actively pursues her drug dealer, who delivers cocaine to her door. She is at an expensive spa in California--at a far remove from the middle-class, orthodox Jewish home in which she was raised--when, one snowy night, her parents' car careens into a highway median. When she returns to New Jersey, to her parents' hospital bedsides, she begins the journey to discover and mine her inner strength. She succeeds, and though the process is as arduous as it is painful, Shapiro finds within herself the power to nurse her mother through nearly 100 broken bones, to survive her father's death, and to reset the course of her life. Slow Motion ends where its subject's troubles began: with Shapiro, newly single, re-enrolling as an undergrad at Sarah Lawrence.

Shapiro, who is the author of three previous novels, writes sparely and lacks the excessive self-consciousness that plagues some memoirs. She develops her story carefully, drawing readers ever closer into her most intimate thoughts and fears. This honest, and sometimes brutal account of loss and recovery is an inspiration.

Book Description

Dani Shapiro, a young woman from a deeply religious home, became the girlfriend of a famous and flamboyant married attorney-her best friend's stepfather. The moment Lenny Klein entered her life, everything changed: she dropped out of college, began drinking, and neglected her friends and family. But then came a phone call-an accident on a snowy road had left her parents critically injured. Forced to reconsider her life, Shapiro learned to re-enter the world she had left. Telling of a life nearly ruined by the gift of beauty, and then saved through tragedy, Shapiro's memoir is a beautiful account of how a life gone terribly wrong can be rescued through tragedy.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic read.......2007-03-06

Dani Shapiro takes the reader on a roller coaster ride in her memoir of post-college years. After her parents are in a terrible car accident, Shapiro reflects on her life and what she has become. A privileged, beautiful 20-something, the reader wants to scream at her "Why are you doing this to yourself?" Her affair with a wealthy, powerful, well-known attorney is sexy, tumultuous, dirty and lucrative leaving the reader disgusted and infatuated at once. The book forces you to wonder if you'd have the will to walk away. You do not pity Shapiro but you want to save her all the same. Fantastic read.

Some disappontment after reading "Family History" - try her personal webpage instead.......2005-08-03

Family History, by the same author, was one of the best fiction I've read lately. So I decided to go for the autobiographical one Slow Motion, trying to grasp some information on how the author got her act together to be such a good writer. Fact is, no answer was found in this book. First, the real life character is shallow and so much less interesting than her fictional characters. Second, the book doesn't even touch the issue of fiction writing. You just get the facts: the author went to school, dropped out, went back and then went to graduate school. Lucky of her, at graduation she had a book soon to be published.

For me particularly, the question remains: what happened after graduation that made her so good to write Family History? Where are the insights, what are the relevant people that get her fiction going? Does she seat on a cafe and think about her writing before doing it? Does she get inspiration from her current husband? From having a child? These issues were utterly untouched, and made me research further, so I went to her personal homepage, where there is so much more information about her family and three marriages (one that occurred before she wrote the book and seems to have ended before she started going out with her married boyfriend - I thought it was astonishing that this marriage was not even mentioned in the book). Still, I could find no answers.

"Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year" and "Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life", both autobiographical books by the writer Anne Lamott, are much better at explaining how to get everything together and writing it down.

Squabbling relatives - oh my!.......2005-06-11

A disclaimer at the outset: I skipped over virtually ever scene involving Lenny as he seemed so creepy from the get-go.
So, who's to like here? Maybe the father, but he's largely a flashback character. The mother? She had potential early on as being frustrated in the Orthodox life she came to regret; by the end she's rich, bitter and well ... not much else. The older sister? Close, but she expresses enough bitterness herself to be out of the running. The rest were not really significant enough to have mattered much to me - and, yes, I did get confused between "Shirl" and "Shirley Sugarman". To keep the alliteration, the author should've gone for Sandy or Sadie for one of those two women.
The dust jacket makes mention of Hillside as an "Anti-Semitic" suburb. I kept waiting for examples; mention of vandalism is covered in one sentence near the end. That's pretty much it.
I gave it a second star because the author is actually a talented writer (except as noted above). Too bad she wasted it on the story of a shallow, self-centered, self-pitying, materialistic brat.

Poor (beautiful) me!.......2005-04-30

An interesting thing happens when people write memoirs of terrible things that happened to them: readers are afraid to say anything bad about the books themselves, because it looks like they're being unsympathetic towards the tragedies described. I felt for Dani Shapiro when her father died, but without that incident, this reads like the work of a self-obsessed rich b*tch who epitomizes solopsism: nothing in the world matters to her but her own experience and what people think of her. It is very important, by the way, that you think she is beautiful, as she reminds you constantly throughout the book. That, to me, is the quality of someone who hasn't quite worked out her own problems--someone who is sadly aware of how she acts and says and what you think of her as a result--and someone who is probably not completely honest with you, dear reader, because the ugly parts of her--the ones for which you won't feel sorry for her--are most likely omitted.

a heartfelt memoir that left an impression.......2004-11-23

I was impressed with this autobiography on one hand and a little disappointed on the other. However, the disappointment was due to the writer's skill in vividly portraying a time in her life that left this reader wanting more. Although I agree with another reviewer who felt there were holes in the recounting of her life, who could reveal every little nook and cranny of their life? especially; when it concerns the subject matter at hand. I believe subsequent books by this author deal with her life in even more detail (Family History). This book tells the story of a young woman who lost her way early in life. Her whole self image is caught up in her looks (through no fault of her own) and since there seems to be no consequences to any of the bad choices made once she enters college, her life spirals downward fast. She ends up having an adulterous affair with the stepfather of her closest friend, drinks heavily, and has a mega cocaine habit. As she withdraws into the four walls of the cage of her own making, Dani Shapiro's withdrawal from the real world shatters when she receives the phone call telling her that her parents have been in a terrible car accident. This part of her life is even more emotional as we view the family dynamics. We find out more about her life growing up and what her father and mother were like as parents and as people. Her whole story was fascinating and hard to put down. I think one thread of her life sums it all up: Dani and Jess (her best friend in college) become estranged when Jess finds out Dani has gone out with her stepfather. She found out because the stepfather told her. Dani apologizes and confesses that all they've done is kiss and she was repulsed by it. She promises she won't ever see him again and they become close friends once again. Then Jess invites Dani to her birthday party at her house. Dani refuses telling her that she doesn't want to run into her stepfather but when Jess assures her he will not be there, Dani agrees to go. The stepfather is waiting there to greet her and Jess avoids her for most of the party except to give her a look which she can't interpret. Of course Dani ends up having an affair with the stepfather and years later, after it has ended, Dani runs into Jess who calls her a "whore". They talk and Dani trys to mend fences but too much has happened. Dani asks a question that has haunted her - why did Jess invite her to the birthday party? Why was she set-up? Jess replies that it's too complicated and that Dani should consider herself lucky that she's gotten rid of the stepfather since Jess never can...... This was an emotional moment that never really answered any questions but instead, only raised new ones. Did the stepfather have some dark hold over Jess? Was Jess motivated purely by self-interest and because she got Dani to attend the party, she received an expensive sports car for a present? My mind raced through numerous possibilities and never knowing the answer made the story all the more real for this reader. Sharp and poignant writing made this story well worth reading. Dani Shapiro shares a very painful period in her life and even though she didn't give everything away on these pages (and who would?), she gave enough to make me pause and reflect on my own life. She was brutually honest about herself and those around her and I commend her for this magnificant effort!

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SLOW MOTION; A TRUE STORY.
Dani. Shapiro
Manufacturer: Random House,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0747541868

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Slow Motion: A True Story
Dani Shapiro
Manufacturer: Harvest/HBJ Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJDA9K

Book Description

As a sustained analysis of the connections between narrative structure and meaning in the History of the Peloponnesian War, Carolyn Dewald's study revolves around a curious aspect of Thucydides' work: the first ten years of the war's history are formed on principles quite different from those shaping the years that follow. Although aspects of this change in style have been recognized in previous scholarship, Dewald has rigorously analyzed how its various elements are structured, used, and related to each other. Her study argues that these changes in style and organization reflect how Thucydides' own understanding of the war changed over time. Throughout, however, the History's narrative structure bears witness to Thucydides' dialogic efforts to depict the complexities of rational choice and behavior on the part of the war's combatants, as well as his own authorial interest in accuracy of representation.
In her introduction and conclusion, Dewald explores some ways in which details of style and narrative structure are central to the larger theoretical issue of history's ability to meaningfully represent the past. She also surveys changes in historiography in the past quarter-century and considers how Thucydidean scholarship has reflected and responded to larger cultural trends.

Book Description

American values and institutions are under stress, from terrorist attacks by opposing worldviews abroad to widespread domestic skepticism that American traditions are more valuable than others. In this book, Donald Devine asks whether these values can survive or be defended in a West that questions all traditions.

Customer Reviews:

Shamelss theocratic propoganda.......2005-01-17

Fundamentalists of any kind are dangerous, and Donald J. Devine is one of them. His primary education seems to have come from the old testement of the bible--conveniently forgetting the entire new testament, from which his particular brand of christianity claims to derive it's name. Well, since this country was founded by people attempting to escape this very type of theocratic rule, it's funny how he claims that the rugged individuality of these very founders of our great country is what made this country great. The individuality of THOUGHT did, but not of deed. Support of the whole is imperative to the survival of a civillization. Rampant capitalism has shown to be equally as bad as rampant communism or socialism. Again, fundamentalism of any kind, especially the taliban-like expression of Donald J. Devine, is to be added to a very long list of cults to be watched.

In Defense Of Western Civilization.......2005-01-16

According to the author there are three enormous tests to our Western Civilization. The first test is that of declining population which is as low as 1.4 for each man and woman in Europe. The second test is that rule of law needs to serve the common good, not just special interests. The third test is that a democratic government has to be able to say "no" especially in terms of the entitlement programs.

Looking long term we have to face up to the three long term problems above - population, ethical standards and entitlement restraints. The government can not solve these problems. The solution has to come in terms of moral community standards such as that professed by most religions.

Book Description

Conservation International has been instrumental in raising awareness and concern about the most environmentally endangered regions and animals throughout the world with its publication of high-quality volumes that combine breathtaking photography with expert scientific analysis. Continuing in this distinguished tradition, Conservation International offers here a new, lushly illustrated volume that examines transboundary conservation areas—environmentally endangered regions that sprawl across international borders and contain multiple protected areas.

Recent studies estimate that there are now 188 transboundary conservation areas in 112 countries, making up about 17 percent of the designated protected areas around the world. This book specifically examines 28 of these areas, found across all continents, from Asia to Antarctica, and in several oceans. Eminent scientists and conservationists contribute detailed histories of the areas, from the birth of the initial conservation efforts to the latest research that reveals new regions and assesses the success of the programs to protect existing ones. Accompanying the analyses are Conservation International’s trademark vibrant full-color photographs that powerfully document these rapidly disappearing treasures.

Following in the footsteps of Hotspots, Wilderness, Wildlife Spectacles, and Hotspots Revisited, Transboundary Conservation is an essential resource for all those concerned about the future of our environment.

Customer Reviews:

A photographic treat .......2006-07-28

The environment defies political borders and any meaningful attempt at conservation must inherently transcend such demarcations. In this extraordinary series of photographic essays, Conservation International, provides us with a visual rationale for why countries must cooperate on conservation. While the book does not have much substantive text about the challenges in establishing such conservation zones, it is a worthy addition to any coffee table. A picture is indeed worth a thousand words with the general public and the book serves an important purpose by visually sensitizing us to the value of transboundary conservation.

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