Every time police Sergeant Joseph Hubbard stops a speeder or serves a search warrant, he says he worries suspects assume they can open fire -- without breaking the law.
Hubbard, a 17-year veteran of the police department in Jeffersonville, Indiana, says his apprehension stems from a state law approved this year that allows residents to use deadly force in response to the “unlawful intrusion” by a “public servant” to protect themselves and others, or their property.
“If I pull over a car and I walk up to it and the guy shoots me, he’s going to say, ‘Well, he was trying to illegally enter my property,’” said Hubbard, 40, who is president of Jeffersonville Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 100. “Somebody is going get away with killing a cop because of this law.”
Indiana is the first U.S. state to specifically allow force against officers, according to the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys in Washington, which represents and supports prosecutors. The National Rifle Association pushed for the law, saying an unfavorable court decision made the need clear and that it would allow homeowners to defend themselves during a violent, unjustified attack. Police lobbied against it.
The NRA, a membership group that says it’s widely recognized as a “major political force” and as the country’s “foremost defender” of Second Amendment rights, has worked to spread permissive gun laws around the country. Among them is the Stand Your Ground self-defense measure in Florida, which generated nationwide controversy after the Feb. 26 shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Florida teenager.
Amended Law
Asked about the Indiana law, Andrew Arulanandam, a spokesman for the Fairfax, Virginia-based association, said he would look into the matter. He didn’t return subsequent calls.
The measure was approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Republican Governor Mitch Daniels in March. It amended a 2006 so-called Castle Doctrine bill that allows deadly force to stop illegal entry into a home or car.
The law describes the ability to use force to “protect the person or a third person from what the person reasonably believes to be the imminent use of unlawful force.”
Republican state Senator R. Michael Young, the bill’s author, said there haven’t been any cases in which suspects have used the law to justify shooting police.
‘Public Servant’
He said “public servant” was added to clarify the law after a state Supreme Court ruling last year that “there is no right to reasonably resist unlawful entry by police officers.” The case was based on a man charged with assaulting an officer during a domestic-violence call.
Young cited a hypothetical situation of a homeowner returning to see an officer raping his daughter or wife. Under the court’s ruling, the homeowner could not touch the officer and only file a lawsuit later, he said. Young said he devised the idea for the law after the court ruling.
“There are bad legislators,” Young said. “There are bad clergy, bad doctors, bad teachers, and it’s these officers that we’re concerned about that when they act outside their scope and duty that the individual ought to have a right to protect themselves.”
Bill supporters tried to accommodate police by adding specific requirements that might justify force, and by replacing “law enforcement officer” in the original version with “public servant,” said Republican state Representative Jud McMillin, the House sponsor.
Preventing Injury
The measure requires those using force to “reasonably believe” a law-enforcement officer is acting illegally and that it’s needed to prevent “serious bodily injury,” Daniels said in a statement when he signed the law.
“In the real world, there will almost never be a situation in which these extremely narrow conditions are met,” Daniels said. “This law is not an invitation to use violence or force against law enforcement officers.”
Jane Jankowski, a spokeswoman for Daniels, referred questions about the measure to that statement.
Opponents see a potential for mistakes and abuse.
It’s not clear under the law whether an officer acting in good faith could be legally shot for mistakenly kicking down the wrong door to serve a warrant, said state Senator Tim Lanane, the assistant Democratic leader and an attorney.
“It’s a risky proposition that we set up here,” Lanane said.
Intoxicated Suspects
Those who are intoxicated or emotional can’t decide whether police are acting legally, and suspects may assume they have the right to attack officers, said Tim Downs, president of the Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police. The law didn’t need to be changed because there isn’t an epidemic of rogue police in Indiana, he said.
“It’s just a recipe for disaster,” said Downs, chief of the Lake County police in northwest Indiana. “It just puts a bounty on our heads.”
Downs said he canceled his NRA membership after the organization pressed for the Indiana legislation.
The NRA helped get the measure through the Legislature and encouraged its members to contact lawmakers and Daniels.
The organization’s Indiana lobbyist attended all the Legislative committee hearings, said State Representative Linda Lawson, the Democratic floor leader and a former police officer.
Political Support
Lawmakers respond to the NRA because the group brings political support, Lawson said.
The legislation reversed an “activist court decision,” and “restores self-defense laws to what they were,” the NRA said on its legislative website.
In Clay County, Indiana, outside Terre Haute, the Sheriff’s Department changed its procedures because of the law. Detectives in plain clothes and unmarked cars now must be accompanied by a uniformed officer on calls to homes, Sheriff Michael Heaton said.
“I’m not worried about the law-abiding citizens,” said Heaton, who also is president of the Indiana Sheriff’s Association. “It’s the ones that really don’t understand the law and they just think, ‘Cop shows up at my door, I can do whatever I want to him.’”
Hubbard, the officer in Jeffersonville, in southeastern Indiana, said the law causes him to second-guess himself. He serves on the department’s patrol division and is a member of its special weapons and tactics unit. The department serves “thousand” of warrants a year, he said.
“It puts doubt in your mind,” said Hubbard, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining the department. “And hesitation in our job can mean somebody gets hurt or killed.”
Hubbard said he hasn’t changed his approach to his job or noticed a difference in how civilians he encounters are behaving.
The law has changed Hubbard’s view of the NRA.
He said he has been “a proud member of the NRA for years,” and while he’s still a member and NRA firearms instructor, “the day I found out the NRA was pushing behind this bill was the day I became a not-so-happy NRA member.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Niquette in Columbus, Ohio, at mniquette@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Merelman at smerelman@bloomberg.net
Source: www.bloomberg.com
Surrey 124, Sussex 81-2 | County Championship day one report - The Guardian
If you are stopped in Horsham town centre over the next few days it will not be a Big Issue seller but Mark Ramprakash or Murray Goodwin attempting to buy a run.
This is a sorry state of affairs for two middle‑order county batsmen who have, perhaps, been the most difficult to dismiss this century. Between them, they have scored the best part of 60,000 first-class runs, with Ramprakash averaging 53 and Goodwin 47. They have, for different reasons, played less Test cricket than might be expected, and they have made county bowlers pay for that.
Here, however, Goodwin, in his 40th year, was dropped for the first time by the county he joined in 2001. He was such a prominent figure in that first championship winning season of 2003, but runs have been tight of late.
Ramprakash, meanwhile, in his 43rd year, was dropped by Surrey recently. Recalled to play his first championship match in three weeks, he opened the batting but made just eight before he was caught behind, pushing forward with a diffidence he would have disowned in his pomp.
This, however, is no ground for old batsmen. On Wednesday it was damp and blustery and the day belonged to the bowlers. It usually swings at Horsham, a fact confirmed by the boundary-strolling Jason Lewry, surely one of the best left-arm swing bowlers never to have played for his country.
And on Wednesday, despite the conditions, it swung once more. There was also some seam movement and James Anyon and Steve Magoffin took four wickets apiece as Surrey were bundled out for 124 in just 40.2 overs.
In reply Sussex were 81 for two before the rain fell, terminally this time. Sussex were anxious to get the game as advanced as possible, because the weather forecast for Thursday is even more dire. Apart from the conditions, Sussex bowled and caught well, and there some disappointing strokes from the Surrey batsmen. Of their specialists, Tom Maynard top-scored with 17.
Jason Roy drove to mid-on, a poor shot, and after the dismissal of Ramprakash three men fell with the score on 32, Zander de Bruyn, caught at slip, Rory Hamilton-Brown, the former Sussex player who was caught down the leg side off the first ball he faced, and Steven Davies, who was well taken by the diving Luke Wells at third slip.
However, Horsham is also a ground that has rewarded the player prepared to put bat to ball and that is exactly what Gareth Batty and Jonathan Lewis did, to almost double the score, before Murali Kartik hit an unbeaten 23.
When Sussex batted, Ed Joyce nicked a wide one from Lewis to Davies before Chris Nash and Wells ensured the truncated day belonged to them. Davies, at least, was happy with the early finish. He travelled to Birmingham on Wednesday night as wicketkeeping cover for England's Matt Prior.
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Law firms need to be more diverse - The Boston Globe
Law firms in Greater Boston are struggling with an ongoing dilemma: how to foster diverse talent that reflects their clients and most importantly, society in general. The lack of diversity in Boston’s legal community has shed a light on the reality that to remain competitive in today’s changing demographics, our legal industry must recruit and train a workforce that mirrors the mosaic of America.
US law firms are the training grounds for the nation’s next generation of legal talent. Many lawyers who begin their careers at these firms will leave to become the nation’s next generation of chief executive officers, general counsels, judges, politicians, and academics. As the demographics of America become more diverse and the basis of our economy becomes more global, law firms must be creative in finding ways to foster talent. Producing attorneys with the necessary legal skills, and capturing the benefits of their unique life experiences and perspectives, helps law firms increase the quality of their client services. This, in turn, also raises the value of products and services that clients can provide to their end users, the consumer.
This month’s issue of The Boston Globe’s “Diversity Boston” supplement underscored this point that institutions in virtually every industry are facing today. As co-chair the diversity committee at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP (WilmerHale), I’ve seen first-hand ongoing trends of minority attorneys — including women, LGBT, African Americans, Asians, and Latinos, among others — entering and leaving today’s law firms.
The latest findings by the National Association of Legal Career Professional found that minorities account for only 3.21 percent of all partners in Boston. Asian attorneys make up only 2.36 percent of those partners. The National Association of Women Lawyers’ annual survey has found that women account for barely 15 percent of equity partners nationally — a number that has remained constant for the last 20 years.
After years of slow progress diversifying law firm ranks, prevailing economic conditions and cutbacks have had a disproportionate impact on the representation of minorities at firms. The Boston Globe reported in 2010, “A Step Back for Diversity,” noting that the region’s top 10 law firms cut roughly 5 percent of their total lawyers during 2009, but the number of minority lawyers dropped by 9.9 percent. Nationally, the percentage of black, Asian, and Hispanic lawyers at the top 200 US firms fell from 13.9 percent to 13.4 percent. In Massachusetts, the proportion of lawyers from nonwhite backgrounds fell from 13.6 percent to 12.9 percent. These losses represent a lack of investment in the future and a reduction in the ability of these firms to service the needs of their clients. Finding solutions to these problems have been a part of WilmerHale’s initiatives for decades.
Fortunately, most law firms, including WilmerHale, have created diversity committees and hired in-house diversity professionals to help address the issues facing diverse attorneys. Creating an environment focused on both the professional and personal development of diverse attorneys increases the retention, productivity and job satisfaction of such attorneys. Having individuals dedicated to helping diverse attorneys manage their careers while at the firms, and even after they leave to join clients, creates an opportunity for ongoing partnerships between law firms and their clients to train and retain the best legal talent.
These moves are small steps in the right direction. In a dense technology and biotech based economy such as Boston, success is dependent upon law firms and the business community joining together to find creative and lasting ways to recruit and retain diverse attorneys. Both groups share a mutual responsibility to provide these attorneys with a platform to develop their careers. Only by working together will laws firm and businesses achieve their long-term goal of remaining competitive and successful in this rapidly changing global economy. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy for achieving lasting success in diversity, however it is the responsibility of the legal sector to be a leader in this battle.
Wendell Taylor is co-chair of WilmerHale’s Diversity Committee.
Try BostonGlobe.com today and get two weeks FREE.Source: www.bostonglobe.com
Battling Bopara steadies Essex - ECB
Ravi Bopara's unbeaten half-century allowed Essex to recover from a shaky start on a rain-affected first day of their LV= County Championship Division Two clash at Northamptonshire.
Essex were reduced to 57 for four just before lunch but England batsman Bopara's 65 not out off 129 balls, including 12 fours, helped the visitors to move on to 138 without further loss before rain brought about an early close at Wantage Road.
Northants paceman David Willey returned 2-23 as the hosts' attack dominated early on, with former Sri Lanka seamer Chaminda Vaas also claiming a wicket.
Essex won the toss and chose to bat but they lost Tom Westley for 12 in the fourth over when he edged Vaas to James Middlebrook, who took a simple catch at second slip.

Ravi Bopara came to Essex's rescue as his unbeaten 65 saw them recover from the loss of four cheap wickets against Northants
Ex-England batsman Owais Shah then faced just one ball before he was run out by a direct hit from Ben Howgego at point after he tried to run a quick single off Vaas.
The visitors' morning then took another turn for the worse when Mark Pettini was judged to have edged Willey to Northants wicketkeeper David Murphy after making 32.
Willey struck again in the penultimate over of the morning when his delivery crashed into Ben Foakes' off stump to dismiss the youngster for a seven-ball duck.
Essex struggled to 62 for four at lunch, during which the heavens opened meaning the start of the afternoon session was delayed by an hour and a half and 16 overs were lost.
In the second over after play restarted, Essex captain James Foster was given a scare before he opened his account when he edged Jack Brooks, only for Kyle Coetzer to put down a difficult chance at third slip
Bopara, who took 67 balls just to reach double figures, went on to complete a half-century off 112 deliveries with a straight four off Lee Daggett.
But he was also given a second chance after being dropped on 60 by Murphy off the same bowler before rain forced the players off again.
Umpires Trevor Jesty and Tim Robinson came onto the field half an hour later for an inspection but the skies began to darken again and a heavy downpour meant play was officially called off at 5:20pm.
Bopara will be looking to complete his second century of the week when play resumes tomorrow, with Foster striving to add to his unbeaten 25 off 71 deliveries.
Source: www.ecb.co.uk
Loose bowling tops County order of Essex troubles - This is Gloucestershire
ALEX Gidman was left to rue a sluggish start with the ball as a Ravi Bopara-inspired Essex eased to an eight-wicket CB40 victory over Gloucestershire.
On his return to the Eagles line-up the England star stroked an imperious unbeaten 120 as the hosts powered through to win with 19 balls to spare.
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Kane Williamson hit 73 for Gloucestershire
Earlier a superb 73 from Kiwi star Kane Williamson and gutsy half-century from Ian Cockbain helped Gloucestershire post a competitive 224 for five.
But despite claiming the early wicket of Mark Pettini, thanks to a catch from skipper Gidman off Ian Saxelby the Eagles took control.
Bopara took control, combining in a partnership of 185 for the second wicket with Terry Westley (82) to punish some errant bowling as the hosts took firm control.
"We didn't bowl as well as we can at the start of the Essex innings. If you give class players easy scoring opportunities they will take them," Gidman said.
"The pitch stayed pretty consistent all through and if you bowled at the top of off stump it was hard to score. Essex did that better than us."
Gidman was happy with the way his side wrestled back their innings after a slow start in which the Essex bowling attack got on top.
Kiwi star Williamson, who will leave for New Zealand's tour of the West Indies at the end of the month, again looked in fine form.
There were also telling lower order contributions from Ian Cockbain, who hit an unbeaten half-century, and seasonal debutant Jack Taylor who blasted 22 off 12 balls.
"I felt momentum was with us at the end of our innings. We are a developing batting unit and have guys who can strike the ball well in the closing overs," Gidman said.
"It might have been a slightly below-par score, but if we had taken a few wickets early on it would have been competitive.
Dspite defeat Gidman remains confident that Gloucestershire can challenge for the top positions in their CB 40 group this term.
The Netherlands have raced away at the top of the table, but with plenty of home games to come, not least a triple header at the county's Cheltenham Festival fortress, Gidman is taking an optimistic outlook.
"It's a blow, but only the Netherlands are on a roll in our group, with the rest of the teams beating each other, so we are still well in it," he said.
Gloucestershire return to CB40 action on Sunday when they make the short trip to New Road to face Worcestershire.
The Friends Life t20 then kicks-off on Thursday with the visit of local rivals Somerset to Bristol for a game that star t20 signing Muttiah Muralitharan is set to play.
Source: www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk
'My mum-in-law seeing me in an Ann Summers Santa outfit makes it less sexual' - The Sun
Here TV sports presenter GABBY LOGAN explains her Paul Weller obsession, her Ann Summers outfit and what hubby Kenny keeps in his drawers.
YOU were a rather good gymnast in your day. Are you still bendy? Can you still do a handstand and wrap your legs around your neck? Or anyone’s neck, come to that?
I can do the splits three ways — left, right and middle — and maybe we should leave that one there.
How come your hubby Kenny used to call you Teletubby then?
He’s from a tough school. When I met him I wasn’t firing on all cylinders in the fitness department. I was a casual jogger but liked a pie too.
I’m married to a sofa surfer, whose only exercise is to brush the crumbs off his lap. I expect marriage to a sporting hero is more of an incentive to get fit.
I have always loved training so he reignited my passion for it. I train more than him now but he’s still in decent shape for a 40-year-old.
Does he have to nag you about it though, drag you out jogging in the rain?
No, I genuinely like exercise. I get a bit grumpy if I go a few days without doing it. I like feeling sore and tight after a good training session.
You must have got terribly fit doing Strictly Come Dancing with him. Have the pair of you kept it up at all?
Sadly, when you dance with a world-class dancer it’s tough to dance with anything less. So no, I don’t really dance with Kenny, although we do foxtrot round the kitchen to embarrass the kids. I used to do my jive when drunk.
The pair of you obviously enjoy dressing up... is it true that you have a Mrs Santa Claus outfit from Ann Summers?
I do... but the fact my mother-in-law saw me in it makes it less sexual, don’t you think?
I gather you’ve feng shui’d your house. Does that mean Kenny’s not allowed to leave stuff lying around in case it blocks the flow of energy? Do explain.
It’s very amateur feng shui. The other day I caught Kenny putting the toilet lid down because he said money would flow out of the house! So he’s obviously taken something on board.
I just make sure the beds face the right way and that the ceiling does not have any ceiling beams going down the middle of the marital bed, basic stuff.
Kenny’s got his own cupboard, which I must say is pretty generous of you. Mr Brisk is only allowed a couple of drawers. What does Kenny keep in his?
He has a fine range of tools and gadgets. He loves a new bit of kit. He has an industrial leaf blower, a strimmer, some welding equipment and lots of lights and batteries.
I hear Paul Weller is your secret fantasy. What is it about him?
Weller is cool and it is that which I think I am drawn by. He is naughty and slightly angry, not husband material but a good fantasy.
Mr Brisk’s idea of romance is to avert his eyes when I’m squeezing into my Spanx. Turns out that Kenny’s a bit of an old romantic. What sort of things does he do?
He is very thoughtful, he seems to know what I need or want before I do. I’m very lucky.
If football was suddenly banned altogether and you had to choose a new career, what would you go for, do you think?
I’d be a race horse trainer. I know nothing about it but I like the idea of 6am on the gallops and jockeys are always good fun.
UEFA Euro 2012 starts on Friday on BBC1 with Match Of The Day Live at 4.15pm.
Source: www.thesun.co.uk
West Sussex Invitation League round-up - wscountytimes.co.uk
Paul Osbourne’s half century was in vain as Southwater suffered a second successive defeat in Division 1 of the West Sussex Invitation Cricket League.
Southwater won the toss at Clymping and decided to bowl, and on a difficult wicket the hosts’ 204-8 was a decent total, Gareth Challen top scoring with 63 from 64 balls. For Southwater Danny Humphreys took 6-54 with the ball. In reply number five batsman Osbourne led the fight with a fine 88, but the next highest contribution came from skipper Alex Harding (28) as partners came and went. Harding said: “I couldn’t fault the bowling or fielding really, they had a few partnerships and although their score was good but one we could definitely chase. Paul was brilliant, he came in and gave us a real chance but the wicket is always tricky and a few of us gave our wickets away. It’s disappointing to lose two on the bounce but we’ve got a double header against Crawley Eagles this weekend so hopefully we can bounce back.”
Division 2
West Chiltington & Thakeham 251-6; Eastergate 78
An unbeaten century from Mick Armstrong helped West Chilt go clear at the top of Division 2 with a comfortable 173-run win at home against Eastergate.
The hosts were inserted and hit 250-6 in just 42 overs with Armstrong (103 not out), James Howgate (65) and James Chaloner (37) with the bulk of the runs. In reply, despite a few dropped catches Eastergate were bowled out for under 100 - overseas player Armstrong also taking 3-11 and Chaloner 6-50 again with all the answers. More than half the side were under 25 and all played their part in the field. Acting captain Howgate was clearly delighted. He said: “Although Armstrong and Chaloner will take the headlines again, the youngsters in the side are all keen to learn and we’re planning for the future here. Chilt are already 32 points clear of third placed St Andrews whom they visit this weekend.
Serendib 261-8 dec; Storrington 85
Storrington’s woes with the bat continued as they were skittled out for a sub 100 score in a heavy defeat at Serendib.
Robert Haggart, with 49, was far and away the visitor’s stand-out performer with the next highest score just five. The extras total added ten to Storrington’s score but it still only took them to 85 all out as they fell well short of their host’s 261-8 declared first innings score. Having been asked to bat, both Azam Riyard and Mudalige Sam Burke scored half centuries for the hosts, allowing them to trot off for tea early. James Peake and Alex Barritt both took three wickets apiece for the visitors, but it was with the willow that they really struggled, crashing to a huge 176-run defeat. Skipper Rob Norris, who missed Saturday’s defeat along with several other key players, said: “When you concede 260 runs there’s obviously a few issues in the field but at the moment the real problem is the batting. We’ve posted disappointing scores in our last two games and even when we beat Trinity we lost five wickets for 56, so we’ve probably scored around 230 runs this season for 25 wickets. We always knew we’d have availability issues this week so to fulfill two fixtures at the weekend is a plus but there’s not getting away from the fact that we are struggling. The one exception was Rob Haggart, who at 16 years old opened the batting and fell one short of his first half century. His keeping has also been pretty good but other than that our batsmen need to get their heads down and work harder.”
Horsham Trinity 170-8; St Andrews 171-2
Only captain Angus Cox really performed with the bat as Horsham Trinity went down at home to St Andrews.
Opening the bat Cox made 60, but from there only James Rogers (24) and Rob Bartlett (28) made it beyond 20 as the home innings ended on 170-8 from the 49 overs. In reply St Andrews opener Steve Kingcome hit 67, and the Trinity bowlers struggled to make any real headway as Nick Elkins was 61 not out and Owen Male 26 not out. The visitors reached their target with only two wickets down in the 32nd over, Jack Gold and Angus Cox with the two wickets. The result, Trinity’s second defeat of the season, leaves them in the bottom two of Division 2 in the early standings.
Division 3
Barns Green 188; Broadbridge Heath 190-4
Broadbridge Heath recovered from a below par start with the ball to record an umtimately comfortable win against Barns Green.
Martin Hennock made a swuft start for Barns Green with 51 off 67 balls, but once Fred Bridges (4-28) and Jay Patel (4-43) took the pace off the ball, their spin bowling soon ensured Barns Green were kept down to a managable total.
And with 250 a par score at barns Green, Heath were confident, as Craig Skilton (42) and Neil Charman (59 not out) helped them over the line.
Heath skipper Skilton said: “We recovered well.”
Division 6
West Chiltington & Thakeham II 143; Eastergate II 130
A low scoring game saw a tight affair between West Chilt II and Eastergate II which the visitors just edged.
Eastergate won the toss and asked Chilt to bat. The country boys were soon in trouble and collapsed to 143 all out - former captain Jonathan Denton top scoring with just 28. In reply Eastergate looked to be in total control until captain Stephen Hodgson grabbed the ball. He and Rob Rydon shared nine wickets for just 60 runs to bowl the hosts out 13 runs short. Hodgson, celebrating after his third successive five-wicket haul said: “A few players were missing today but the same result. We’re not getting carried away but I’m happy with our progress so far.” Chilt 2nd XI stay top but as they didn’t pick up maximum points the table remains tight at this early stage. They host Chichester Priory 3rd XI at the Recreation Ground this weekend.
Division 10
Horsham 4th XI 177-8; West Chilt & Thakeham 55
Chilt 3rd XI continue to struggle in Division 10 and remain firmly anchored to the foot of the table.
Despite a good performance with the ball, they collapsed against Horsham 4ths to just 55 all out. Vice captain Cliff Richman was down but not out afterwards. He said: “We knew this year would be a challenge and just getting a side out was our first objective. We’re a mix of the young and the old and many have never played together. We’re confident we’ll get it right soon.” Chilt face West Wittering 2nds at Amberley this weekend.
Chilt’s Sunday side beat Bognor Regis Rebels by one wicket at the Regis Oval in the first game between the sides for several years
Source: www.wscountytimes.co.uk


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