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This I Believe...

6/2/2014

17 Comments

 
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Write a well thought out response on one of your fundamental beliefs. It must be poignant and meaningful (do not blow this off and make it a joke). Just as Thoreau did, leave a lasting piece on what you believe is an important philosophy you are passionate about and why. At least 20 sentences. This will be worth 50 blog points.



17 Comments
Matthew Gramesty
6/4/2014 09:17:28 am

One of my major beliefs in life is that you practice the way that you play. You should always give 100 percent at everything that you do. This is how i go about everything. The main thing that i go by this for though is sports. In sports my dad has always drilled this into my head that if you practice half as then you will play half as. So now i have gone to every practice with a plan to show the coach or whoever that i am the best player that I could be at all times. That way I show my skills all the time and the coach never can say that I don't try all the time in practice. This is also a goo thing to have not just in sports but in school as well. This is because it shows the teachers and your parents that you really do care about school. It can help because if you try all the time and you are just bad, it just shows you need more help and that fine. This little thing can help you in all aspects of life not just school and sports but also when you have a job. I am not at the point of my life yet but when I get there I will always be trying my hardest to show my boss how good I am at my job. My dad says to me that is the first thing that he tell his chefs when they come in for their first day. He says that if you are not going to try your hardest and show that you want to work here then I am not the boss you want. He says that he wants all his workers to work 100 percent all the tim till lunch or your shift is over that when you relax. He says the same thing to me in school and when i play sports.

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Jason Cadilek
6/4/2014 12:39:45 pm

A fundamental belief that I feel passionate about is to treat others the way you want to be treated. I feel passionate about this because if everyone followed this rule there would be no problems with bullying. This is a fact because nobody can say that they enjoy being bullied. Also if there was no bullying there would be less crime. When teens are bullied they are twice as likely to end up in prison as someone who was never bullied. This is because bullying messes with your emotions and mentality. When someone is depressed (from bullying) they will often turn to drugs because they don't wanna feel anything anymore. After that happens it is all down hill from there, they will need money to support their drug addiction. Sense they are on drugs they most likely won't be able to get a job. Therefor causing them to turn to crime. This means bullying is a direct cause of crime. Also when following my proposed rule it is easier to make friends. This is because you are being pleasant to other people, like how you'd want them to be to you. Also treating others the way you want to be treated can help when it comes to achieving good grades. Generally when you are stuck on a lesson, you want someone to clarify it for you, so if someone else is following this rule they will help you out. If there was a class where everyone followed this rule, the class average grade would most likely be at least ten points higher than another class that is normal. Therefor my rule is good for improving academics. Also I everyone believed in this rule there would be no war and possibly world peace. Nobody would have a reason to fight because they'd always be thinking about how their actions affect others such as stealing land. In conclusion, I am very passionate about treating others the way you want to be treated.

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Gianna DeAngelis
6/4/2014 01:36:03 pm

A fundamental belief of mine, is that all humans are equals and should treat each other as so- by this I mean that men and women should stand on the same playing field and have the same opportunities. Women's equality is certainly something that gets me deeply provoked in thought. The United States history has tried to cover over our rights with a 'bandage', also known as Amendment 19- or Women's Suffrage. In some areas such as the Middle East and Asia, however, traditional beliefs are encouraged and men are and always will be the dominant sex. However, the following writing will be to talk about women's rights in relation to the United States work force. As Elizabeth Cady Stanton once said "We hold these truths to be self- evident: that all men and women are created equal." During her time, women fought tirelessly for equality to vote and be treated as equals in the United States, but although the addition of amendment 19 was quite a plus for women, It is only the starting point. Look at a few statistics, do men and women in the US get paid equally, work is work, the answer to that is a repulsive 'no'. Take this statistic for an example, 2 chief executives work the same amount of time. One is a woman, and one is a man there are 250,000 females, and their male counterparts make up a number of 745,000, the female makes an average of a whopping $658 less than men per week (courtesy of the Huffington Post). It is a large and unfair gap in pay. As well as this, employers are more likely to hire males over equally qualified females using excuses such as: child issues, attitude, and oddly enough, good looking men are more likely to be hired over a fair female, due to studies in Israel which prove this strange but true statement to be a fact. Due to studies, women are also more likely to be fired than men. This is not the equality America advertises. Why would a woman work the same, but have to push themselves twice as hard to get close to the same place as a male? This is where my opinion comes in. I fundamentally believe women should receive equal pay and opportunity, due to the fact that I am a woman and that we aren't paying attention to how our male cohorts are generating more money, and filling more jobs due to an impartiality of employers. The government shouldn't be allowing this, regulation is necessary, we are not being treated as the same human- rather as half of one, and our natural born rights as equal US citizens are being taken away right underneath our noses, stealthily but surely.

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Jonathan Dinan
6/5/2014 07:59:13 am

A fundamental belief that I think of as poignant and meaningful is that music is needed in someone’s life to influence, cheer up, and for the simple reason of enjoyment. Music has impacted me in several ways because when I was younger I lost interest in sports. I was never the best player and I couldn’t find another hobby to make life not boring. I always had the interest because my dad would play 99.1 plr in the truck which is a rock n’ roll station. I would be able to name off every song and artist when I first heard the tunes. Then my parents bought me a drum set so I can play and have an activity to do. On some days coming home from school I didn’t feel happy because of the harsh kids. The only thing that would make me feel better is putting on a good song to jam to. Even when I was feeling good I would love to just play the drums to make myself exuberant. There is no other way that would make me feel this way and it’s awesome. Now enough about me! When someone has lost hope or at a dead end they can just listen to a song that holds nostalgia to bring them back to the good times. Not only that but it brings people into moods that can put them on top. These feelings are important in life because if you can’t handle your pain and you’re always feeling horrible then how can you live a happy and healthy life. Music scientifically can change a person’s mood because of the tones, chords, or notes of an instrument/singer. Music’s main purpose is not for cheering people up but to give people enjoyment. Music has changed people in history and the way people think. Messages have been passed through to show the people that it’s not the instruments but the words that give a special meaning. Even bands leave subliminal messages to keep the audience wondering what the meaning is. Music is fun and it is needed in someone’s life to keep them influenced, happy, and enjoying it for the rest of their life.

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Jenna remaly
6/5/2014 08:00:08 am

One of my beliefs are you are only as strong as you think you are. This means i believe everyone needs confidence. Confidence makes a person feel more comfortable with anything they do, like taking a test, presenting, or even a game in a sport. Having confidence completely change the way you act, think or do something. If you have confidence while presenting for example you will most likely get a better grade because your teacher will think you know what you are talking about. Confidence can also get you far in life. It can help you get a job while having confidence during an interview. It can make you have higher self esteem, and people will want to be around you. People love to be friends with confident people because they are generally more outgoing and will be more open to give them advice. I believe in having confidence in everything you do. Many people don't have confidence, whether its with school, being social, or physical appearance. There's different things you can be confident for. For School to be confident you have to be comfortable with what you know, and to do this you must fully research your topic and study a lot until you are confident you will pass or do a good job. As long as you try your best you should be confident with yourself and how hard you tried. To have confidence with being social you have to treat people the way you wanna be treated, and also be confident they will like you for who you are. Lastly, having confidence with your appearance can be hard for some. Society tries to tell people what beautiful people should look like but the truth is society is ugly and everyone is beautiful in their own way and should be comfortable in there own skin. Having confidence is important in life and is one of beliefs that people should have.

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Jeff Sutay
6/5/2014 09:03:15 am

A fundamental belief that I have is that people need a family to be supported. Family should be there to help you with all of your problems. They help you get through rough patches in your life. You can tell your family anything and they will be there to help you. Most people that are homeless and live on the streets don't have a family. They end up in the street cause they have no place to go. If they had a family that cared about them they would take care of them and give them help. A family member wouldn't let another family member be homeless if they really care about them. They would be there for him or her and give them whatever kind of help they need. Family should be there for each other at all times. No family should let a family member be homeless. It is a wrong thing to do. It shows that you don't care about them.My fundamental belief is that people need a family to guide them through life.

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Brittany Licursi
6/5/2014 09:07:17 am

One thing I'll always believe in is to do what makes you happy. Especially throughout my two years of high school, I've learned trying to please everyone is a difficult challenge to defeat. I've learned that to make yourself the best you can be, you have to do what you want for yourself. The best feeling for me is to laugh and be happy. I've always been the person who will continue to smile regardless of the situation. Smiling reassures that fact that I'm happy and when I'm happy I know I've made all of the right choices. Along with being true to myself, my parents have trusted me to make the right decisions that will help me to succeed and be who I want to be. I'm rarely influenced negatively by my peers choices because I know it might not be the best thing for me. I like to know that when I'm with others I won't get in trouble. One thing that will guarantee happiness and safety is playing tennis with my friends. It's something that keeps me active and helps to build stronger friendships. One time in volleyball tournament our team wasn't doing as well as we should. Most of the team was feeling down, but I knew in order to finish the rest of the games we had to be positive. I was in a bad mood and it's hard for me to play well when I'm not happy. The following game, I played the best I could with what I had, yet unfortunately we still lost. It taught me an important lesson in that even though we lost, I was doing something I loved. It put me in a better mood and gave me determination to play better in the next tournament. In order to be happy, I want to feel accomplished. To feel a sense of accomplishment I like being helpful and not useless. I do these things solely for the greater good of myself, but sometimes they are able to influence those around me. I'll always remember to look at the bright side and be happy.

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Jonathan Guilherme
6/5/2014 09:21:06 am

A fundamental belief that I believe in is family before friends. I have a strong belief in this because of something my cousins did a couple years ago. We were in Portugal and out late at night. Most of my family was in Portugal at the time, about forty of us in total. We were at a bar/club I guess you can call it. The first event that happened that night was when a friend of my cousin Christina, who was maybe 27 or 28, and few of this man's buddies were trying to hit on her, who at the time was 17. After she had said no a few times they still were getting the hint and kept pressing their luck. As she tried to walk away one of them grabbed her and tried to pull her back. As soon as that happened about ten or so of the older cousins that were in their 20's or so and some of the fathers, jumped in pushed them off of her. This showed me that my family is all about protecting and sticking up for each other even if it means that some friendship may be broken or scarred. Another event that happened to my family that night happened to my little brother who was about five or six maybe. He was out at the playground at the club we were at playing with some of the family there. Some kids, maybe 9 years old were playing kick the can and they smashed it and hit one of our younger cousins in the head with the can, so my brother grabbed the can and threw it out so those random kids wouldn't hurt anyone anymore. Those kids, however were furious. The came at my brother and one of the boys bit him on the arm. As he ran off, my cousin Nick and I walked over and had to settle some things with these kids. We dragged them over to there parents and made sure they were punished. The moral of these stories are that no matter what happens most friends will come and go but family will always be there for you and you should always be there for your family.

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Allie DiVincenzo
6/5/2014 09:42:31 am

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Buddha
I believe in happiness. I also believe that happiness is a gift to be shared with everyone from everyone. In order to live a good meaningful life you have to have happiness. There is a time to be serious and concentrate on work, school sports, family matters and whatever else life throws at you. All of these things are important to a good life but none of it matters if you don’t have a positive and happy mind set. You can the best grades, be the best athlete, make the most money, go on great vacations own the best of the best but at the end of the day it doesn't really mean anything. All of these things create a short term happiness that eventually gets old after a while. You can still enjoy all these things as long as you have a happiness that comes from the things that aren't really things. Nothing is more memorable and precious than the good vibes and feelings that come from the great moments with your friends or family. Those are the things that truly matter in life. It’s important to love everyone who loves you. You also cannot be unhappy with yourself without self-worth it makes it hard to love those people. You can’t hang around with people who bring you down and have a Negative Nelly in your life because then it affects you mental state and ruins your happiness. I also believe that it is extremely important that once you find your inner happiness let it radiate out of you and bring happiness to others and it will give you more joy to know you are making another person’s day. Obviously everyone has bad days and bad things are bound to happen but if you have a more positive outlook on life it helps makes those rough long days a little less long and helps make those awful moments a little quicker to overcome. Through sharing your happiness you’re helping them to be the same way and they will carry on and do the same to others. What you put out into the world is what you get out of it. With this happy positive and care free mindset it tears down all of the boundaries and walls put up over time setting you free to live your life and enjoy it.

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Alyssa Haigh
6/5/2014 09:55:52 am

A rule in life that I try to follow everyday is to look for the best in everyone and everything. For everything that I encounter, I look for the best. Weather it be a bruised apple or someone who I having a bad day. I believe it is important to look behind the flaws, an look for the best. I believe that every positive quality hides behind a negative quality, you just have to try and find the positive. Therefore, I always try and look for the positive. Not only in people should you look for the positive, but in life. You should look for the positive in every situation. The positive side of life is the better side of life. The negative is a drawback. You can't become a better person without learning to accept certain flaws. When searching for the positive you will encounter many flaws. It makes you a better person when you see through these flaws. It teaches you acceptance. It teaches you to be a better person. No body is perfect. But focusing on the positive rather than the negative can make a huge impact on your life. By practicing looking for the good you see a different light. You learn how to take things as they come. You learn I fall in love with the positive and not hate the negative. Looking for the good in everything is a great rule of thumb. I try to practice it everyday, trying to become a better person.

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Courtney Pagano
6/5/2014 10:09:57 am

Throughout my 15 years of life, i have come across various beliefs. I believe that us, as individuals fighting societies daily battles, are more capable then we make our selves out to be. I believe in self-pride, self-worth, and self- courage. Notice how the words pride, courage, and worth can be connected to the word self. How positivity, strength and power can be a factor of 'self'. I believe that we can't control the world we live in, but we can control the individual being thrown around in it. We can make our own decisions, go our own way, but mostly succeed without anyone but our self- dedication. If you want something, and you are wiling to do what ever it takes to get it then your outcome will most likely be positive. I believe that even if you don't get exactly what you wanted, you still got something, whether it was hope, or you learned something or just the satisfaction of trying. Whatever the results are in life, if you are putting in all effort, and using your full potential, you will find yourself with more then just what you wanted, but true wisdom. I believe that sometimes the things we want is not always what we need. I believe that you can always be doing something to get a step closer to whatever goal you have set for yourself, because time is more precious then anyone can ever even come close to appreciating. I also strongly believe that as a society we need to stop trying to finding what we "need" and make good out of what we have. The human mind is so often mis understood and scientist are still not fully aware of all its capabilities. It is almost mind-blowing how much we actually control. Our thoughts and emotions can make us go absolutely insane and create problems that do not even exist. But its when we dwell in those problems that dig us in a deep hole. Not only can the mind put you in an emotionally traumatizing situation but it can also spread positivity. So many people use there emotions in the wrong way. They channel all the negativity into a web until its so tight knit that its almost impossible to break from. Instead they could channel all that energy into resolving the issue. I believe that self-confidence comes with time, and is a constant struggle for most people in society. But once it is achieved and you know your worth and value as free human being living on this earth, you can accomplish anything. Paul Revere once said "Not the cry, but the flight of the wild duck leads the flock to fly and follow".

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Anthony D'Amico
6/5/2014 12:06:59 pm

A fundamental belief I find poignant and meaningful is mind over matter. This means that a mans mind is far more superior than ones physical attributes. The human mind is considered to one of the most interesting things on the planet. Mind over matter essentially means that when one puts their mind to something, nothing can stop the mind in order to achieve ultimate success. Matter can mean anything from physical strengths or hard times in ones life. A example of mind over matter could be a cancer patient, if a person has cancer and has a bad attitude and has accepted the fact that death is going to happen, the mind uses this and gives up. But, by possessing a positive attitude during times of struggle, the human mind can will the body to believe in itself and keep pushing forward. I believe that Theorua would agree with my fundamental belief because he usually asks people what are limits and why they don't believe they can achieve certain things. For example, he was on a boat with a friend, and asked him to touch the bottom of the water, obviously, Theorua's friend couldn't reach the bottom of the water but Theorua responded "You may physically not be able to reach the bottom, but your mind can". This is an example of mind over, at all costs find a way to achieve your goals and strive for greatness. Not only does this apply for fundamental beliefs, it also can apply to sports. During training, athletes are pushed to their limits, many give up and try again tomorrow. But, the will to win and make yourself a better you pushes certain people through hard times or difficult tasks. This is why mind over matter is a fundamental belief, it applies and works in someones everyday life. Brains over bronze is where this saying most likely was originated from, this means the mind over powers the body because when depended upon mental attributes will out last physical attributes. If you think you can, then you can achieve anything. Therefore, this is why mind over matter is a fundamental belief I live by each and everyday.

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Alan Hinkson
6/5/2014 12:35:02 pm

There is a proposal in the government now that wants to end Net Neutrality. Ending Net Neutrality is giving up our rights to free speech. Basically, the FCC is trying to pass a law that would make internet sites pay for being in the "fast lane." Being in the fast lane means your website will load faster and be more accessible than the slow lane sites. This gives the rich companies the power to monopolize the internet. A small start up site, that couldn't pay to be in the fast lane, could never be competitive. It would be like waiting for your site to load like back in the dial-up days. Rich sites will load instantly. As it is right now, cable companies like Time Warner, Comcast, and Verizon are so dominant in the US that consumers are given practically no choice which internet service provider to have. If Net Neutrality is taken from us, there is absolutely no way that any start up internet service provider could compete with the giants out there. They already have a monopoly, eliminating Net Neutrality would give them total control and we would loose our right to unbiased internet access. The internet gives everyone the opportunity to have their thoughts heard. If you search to buy something on the internet now, you get a variety of different websites to choose from. If Net Neutrality is eliminated, there may only be one company that can be accessed quickly. So stores like Amazon get richer and the small start up store trying to build a business and get a client base doesn't even get clicked on. Everyone knows how fast websites can load and now expect everything to load quickly. No one is going to have the patience of waiting for a "slow lane" site to maybe load its content. Net Neutrality needs to stay. Giving in to the FCC's proposal of eliminating Net Neutrality would be giving up our right to freedom of the internet.

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Michael Braley
6/5/2014 12:38:30 pm

A fundamental belief I believe in is that practice makes perfect. If someone doesn't understand something he should learn the topic and then continue to do the topic the right way several times. The belief can be seen in sports and in school work. In music an instrumentalist will play an instrument over and over until they play the song right and hit every note. In sports baseball players will do the same routine over and over and over until they get it right. Its followed by determination. If you can determine to get the job done practice will make perfection. In football players will do the same drill, play, or study films until they get the idea of what to do and how to get it done. And done correctly not some way where they feel that's what they needed to do to get by. Practice makes perfect in school work, its mostly seen in math but in other subjects can be found. In math obviously the best way to be prepared is to do questions that puzzle you until you figure out the problem and are able to use the problem to help get better grades. In other classes studying is practice. You should practice studying to do good on a test or quiz or even a final. The more you practice (study) the better you'll stand a chance. You need to work smarter not harder. I mean my belief stands for exactly what it means. Practice makes perfect. Practice is the act of rehearsing a behavior over and over until improvement is made. Its the best way to improve rather than trying to "wing it". People who wing it are more likely to fail than others who practice. People who've done great things have used this belief and that's how they got there. Its simple just go practice.

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Nicole
6/5/2014 12:42:09 pm

Fundamental beliefs, I could name hundreds of mine. The list would go on and on. The one belief that I truly practice and preach is living without regrets. I strongly believe in making peace with my past so it won’t screw up the present, which has happened before. I used to be so regretful of the things I have said, done, and didn't do. I have blamed myself countless times for things that weren't even my fault and it really put a burden on me. I had become introverted and scared to do anything because of the paranoia of the possible regrets. I had lost countless friends and missed out on amazing opportunities. My whole life seemed to be a regret at that point. These regrets made it hard to do anything. While at the restaurant I could hardly order my food due to the anxiety of regretting my order or the same with even getting groceries. After a long discussion with my close friend, it was clear to me that my life wouldn't be what it is today if I had not made the decisions in my past. I have since opened up and have become more fun to be around. I have learned to live my life to the fullest without regretting anything. Ever since this major change, I am constantly happy and boy can I tell you..it feels great to finally be happy. I still have one regret though. I regret not making this change sooner. So I preach to you, live your life without regrets and have fun. Now that doesn't mean be a hooligan and do stupid stuff. There are serious consequences to that, but don't sweat the small stuff or else eventually you will drown.

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Evan Dewar
6/5/2014 12:59:04 pm

"What is the purpose of living every day if you are not making the most of it, if you are not willing to die in for what you believe in then you dont deserve to live" -unknown
Thats kinda just an over view of the way I want to be living daily. More in depth, or a phrase that I would like to use would be "More Other Fresh" each word having its own meaning of how it can be applied to ones life.. and almost everyone can relate on some level to this. More means that you can always do more, there is always a chance to improve your current life to some degree. "when there is a gun pointed at you, you have 146 different options" -Harvey Spector
That philosophy is so true though.. there are always doors that are opened with every failure, there is always some way to improve physically or mentally.. no such thing as perfect, you can always be faster, smarter, and stronger. This is what every one should strive for to be the best that they can be as a person in ever aspect of their lives.
Other is a very vague and open ended topic.. but the idea that you always strive to be different, creative, and unique. All of us have the power to make our own choices, and why should those choices be influenced by the people around you.. this is easy to say from my own eyes.. because as an artistically minded young man.. I dont create my art or designs for the good of other people.. (focusing mainly on the clothing company side of designs).. talking to a small art store owner in colorado, he gave me the idea of do what makes you happy and what you like.. and people will see that and be drawn to it.. its all about having emotion and passion into what you are doing.. and when what you love is something that is unique to you as a person.. people will see that and respect it. So always be pushing to do something differently.. or try your own way of tackling a problem.. go out and learn for your self.. and dont live your life to please others. (sounds extremely selfish but is not intended to be) Be nice.. but also dont be a follower,, the world is an amazing place if you can see it through your own eyes and not that way that others tell you to.
The last word is Fresh.. and this is kinda cheesy but it is an important aspect of life.. is to have a sense of "swagger" just keep it mean keep it clean, gotta have confidence in what you are doing.. and that is shown in the way you carry yourself..
I would say that this phrase "More Other Fresh" is a great reminder of being you.. and how important that is.. and how lame it is to be robotic and conform to black and white.

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Jeff Lecza
6/5/2014 01:38:43 pm

A rule that I go by a lot is that give people respect when you want respect back. I go by this when I meet new people I try to strike up a conversation and be polite, while others would be shy and less talkative. Also I always try to be nice to people who don't give respect back to you. It shows that you are a caring, compassionate person who is always trying to be nice to people. For example, if I were to hold a door open for a person I have never met before it seems to brighten up their day. I may never see that person again but it has brightly impacting their day. It makes you feel better too. So caring about people and being polite impacts the person you are talking/impacting and it impacts yourself. It is always good to help people and not expect something back, sometimes this helps get me through a bad day. Just being nice to others, who you may not even know. Like Thorough, who relies on good deeds instead of bad deeds it really feels nice to be polite. Imagine if you were somebody who was having a bad day and someone did something nice to you. How would you feel? If that happened to me the rest of my day would be better. So even if there are no good reasons too, you should always try to be nice and give respect to others.

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