LocSec Lowdown

July 2017

Hello, fellow Peaksters! Here we are, mid-summer, with the Mensa AG right around the corner. I’m not going this year and I think only a couple of Plains & Peaks members will be there to represent us. We normally have a pretty good turnout at the AGs, but for some reason, this year, not so much! Maybe the location (Hollywood, Florida)? The dates (5-9 July) are close to the 4th of July and maybe we just didn’t want to be in Florida during the hottest time of year (although the hotel rates are excellent!). Speaking of hot times, there are news stories coming out of the southwest where the temps are topping 110° and higher! Yikes! For those going to the AG, please stop by Region 7’s Meet & Greet (which is Friday, July 7th, at noon) and offer “Congrats” to our new RVC7 Rich Olcott! Rich is a member of Denver Mensa, so we may get to see him occasionally at one of our events! Rich – if you’re reading this – when you have the time, take a short trip down to Colorado Springs to attend an event! One of our favorite annual events occurs in July – Mountain Munchies! For those who have missed this event in the past – please join us for an afternoon of fun – watching the humming-birds fight, checking out Connie’s garden, enjoy-ing the cool, mountain air and views, tackling RC’s Trivia Contest, and visiting with each other – all the while knocking back a few beers or sodas and overeating on dogs, chili, and pot-luck dishes! For those who want to camp, RC has space for that, too! Please let him know in ad-vance (his number is in the calendar announce-ment). Thanks again to RC and Connie for hosting us at their place outside of Florissant. And, as a Special Event just before Mountain Munchies, RC will be taking some of us on a

short tour of the Hayman Burn area. It’s been 15 years since the burn and it will be interesting to see how much has recovered and what the re-covery looks like today. RC took some of us up there years ago and I’m anxious to see what’s come back so far. Wildflowers? Aspens? Scrub? Grasses? Let’s check it out! For those unfamiliar with the Hayman Fire, this year is its 15th anniversary. It was (and still is) the largest (in area) wildfire in Colorado history. It started on June 8th, 2002, when a Forest Service “technician” named Terry Barton burned a letter (either from her estranged husband or by her own hand – the story is still in dispute) in a campfire ring during a total burn ban. Some believe she set the fire on purpose so she could stay home and fight fires and not be sent to Arizona or another state. Others believe that she started the fire deliberately so she could put it out and be a heroine. Regardless, the fire spread quickly and burned over 138,000 acres (compared to 18,247 acres for Waldo and 14,280 acres for Black Forest). See Page 4 For a map of the burn area. The burn area is northwest of Woodland Park and extends from Lake George past Deckers to the north. Terry Barton did time in prison for arson and was under court order for restitution for some $14 million (which was only a portion of the over $40 million cost and was eventually overturned). She ended up doing about 6 years in Federal prison, with 15 years’ probation and 1000 hours community service. She currently resides in Colorado Springs and is silent on the details of the event. And, what an event that was … and is some ways, still is. Hey! Have you heard about Pickleball? It’s the newest sport that’s all the rage across the coun-try! It’s a bit like ping-pong, but played on ¼ of a

http://www.plainsandpeaks.us.mensa.org/

The Newsletter of Plains and Peaks Mensa, Southern Colorado

In This Issue

What’s Up in Our Region…………….2

Plains and Peaks Officers…….........2

Plains & Peaks Patter....................3

Cryptogram………………….…………….3

Trivia………………………………...….…...3

Birthdays……….….……….............…..4

Trivia/Cryptogram Answers…….....4

Mensa-versaries............................4

A Total Eclipse of the Sun..............5

Welcome & Farewell…………………..5

July Events……...…....……............6/7

July Calendar………..….........….......7

tennis court with a tennis-like racket and is suita-ble for all ages and all skill levels. The Pikes Peak Pickleball Association offers free lessons one Saturday a month and one of our own Plains & Peaks members, Steve T, can help us out, too! Interested? Let me know so we can set up an introductory lesson either the end of July or in August! Well, that’s about all I can think of for now … hope to see you soon at a Plains & Peaks Mensa event!

~Sandy

Page 2

Plains and Peaks Mensa Officers

Sandy Halby (LocSec/President) 6066 Del Rey Dr. Colorado Springs, CO 80918 719-528-5483 mandshalby@comcast.net Chris Cooper (2nd Vice Pres. for Membership) 1105 Bowstring Rd. Monument, CO 80132-8595 (719-646-4456) Shedonist@Cooperplace.net George Cooper (treasurer) 1105 Bowstring Rd. Monument, CO 80132-8595

719-646-4456 Srikant Mantravadi (Gifted Youth Coordinator) 6433 Jules Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80923 (719) 352-5074 srikant_mantravadi@yahoo.com Betsy Ogan (PlainsPeaking Editor) 1061 Hummingbird Ct. Colorado Springs, CO 80921 719-481-1199 Bogan54@aol.com Windy Adoretti (Webmaster) 1465 Stella Dr. Colorado Springs, CO 80921 719-201-4743

windy@adoretti.com Al Ackerson (Past President) 5102 Galley Road, #430AW Colorado Springs, CO 80915 719-465-3747 Alackerson@msn.com

What’s Up In Our Region

Rich Olcott

Regional Vice Chair

Heartland Region 7

RVC7@us.mensa.org

720-390-7889

Hi, folks, The election results are in and you've made me the Heartland Re-gion's new RVC to follow Greg Kontz’ four-year stint. I appreciate the trust you've placed in me and I'll do my best to live up to that. I ran on the idea that American Mensa is a member-centered volun-teer organization. Mensa can only grow if Mensa members attract new members. That'll only happen if Mensan volunteers make Mensa things happen and enjoy doing that. Please respond to LaRae's survey at https://www.research.net/r/CFT792G The survey isn’t one of those generalized nose-counting things; it's an effort to find out where YOU as an individual would have fun and make things happen as a volun-teer, whether in a Local Group or at the national level. We want you to feel like a member, not just a customer. If you’re already a volun-teer, bless your heart and thank you. You’re part of what makes Men-sa Mensa. But take the survey anyway. Ok, you’re thinking, “What does this guy know about it?” Fair ques-tion. In the years I lived in Memphis, I served Memphis Mensa as Proctor, At-Large ExComm member, program wrangler, Assistant LocSec, LocSec, Editor, CultureQuest® participant, Bylaws Review Committee, and a few other things I forget. Now that grandkid mag-netism has pulled me to Denver I’m still Proctoring and Culture-Questing, and I’ve served on Denver Mensa’s ExComm and the budget committee. I’ve been enjoying the Annual Gatherings since 2008. Online, too – I’m a mod (and Tech Support) on a Mensa SIG message board, I’m active on several Mensa-related Facebook groups/pages, and I’ve read/written a LOT of messages on the email list servers that National supports for Mensa officer inter-communication. What I’m saying is, I’ve seen Mensa in operation, from a lot of differ-ent viewpoints. I’ve learned from things that worked well and from things that didn’t work well. So I think I can help make things better. But it won’t be me doing it, it’ll be me helping you do it. I’ll do the best I can, but please, respond to that survey and join the team. And let me know how I can help you as a fellow Mensa volunteer. Thanks.

- Rich Olcott

JUNE TRIVIAL PURSUITS! While Jim won Trivial Pursuits in June, we didn’t get a clean sweep due to two interlopers who won the Warmup and Lightening rounds! In spite of that, Jim handily won Overall – coming in at #125 nation-wide! Our location came in at #127 with the order of finish as follows: Jim, Al, Mark, George, Sandy, and Jonathan! Thanks for playing and we’re looking forward to next month! JUNE MINI-GOLF RESULTS: Five of us hit the mini-fairways for June’s Mini-Golf event! Mark (who we believe has been secretly practicing) took first place again - but by only one stroke! Jim came in second,

Louise and Sandy tied for third, and Charles brought up the rear. Of course, Charles thinks it had been at least 40 years since he mini-golfed, so we’re sure he’ll move up in the ranks after some more practice! Looking forward to the rematches in July!

HELP WANTED! Do you have a Media or Publicity background? May-be that’s something you’d like to try? If so, consider helping Plains & Peaks Mensa with Admissions Testing publicity! We’re looking to in-crease our testing numbers and really need a hand with the publicity – ideas, contacts, someone to take this particular bull by the horns and wrestle around with it! And, bonus – this would look good on your resume or annual job appraisal! If you’d be interested in volun-teering to be our Publicity person, contact Sandy at mandshal-by@comcast.net! JOIN PLAINS & PEAKS MENSA ON FACEBOOK! See photos of recent activities and meetings and get to know some of your fellow Mensans via this popular social site! It’s a “closed” group so you have to ask to join. Search FB for “Plains & Peaks Mensa.” BLOGS AND WEBSITES: If you have a blog or website that you think might interest other Mensans, send the link to Betsy at bogan54@aol.com so she can put it here. E-MAIL AND ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER: If you’re receiving this via “snail mail,” please consider changing your preferences to electronic newsletter and correspondence. It’s easy and you’ll get this news-letter in color and with hyperlinks! Either go to the American Mensa web-site or contact American Mensa to change your preferences! GET PUBLISHED! If you’d like to contribute to the PlainsPeaking newsletter, submit your article, poem, photo, puzzle, whatever to Betsy at bogan54@aol.com . If you have an announcement or news item, please forward it to

PlainsPeaking Editor Betsy Ogan (bogan54@aol.com) for inclusion in

PlainsPeaking! And, don’t forget, you can advertise your business in PlainsPeaking. The current rates are: business card size $6, quarter page $10, half page $25 and full page $50.

July 2017 Page 3

Plains & Peaks Patter

Trivia by RC Timm More Potpourri

1. What is the mascot of the Notre Dame Football Team?

2. Where is the highest legal speed limit in the U.S.?

3. The U.S. bought the U.S. Virgin Islands for $25 million in 1917

from what country?

4. What is the only X-rated film to win the Academy Award for

Best Picture?

5. When was Windows 1.0 introduced to the computer world?

6. What corporate headquarters are located at 1 Strawberry Lane?

7. What was the first name for the Cape of Good Hope?

8. Who is James George Janos ?

9. Major General Benedict Arnold was in contact with what officer

to surrender Fort Clinton (now West Point)?

10. July 29th is National (what food) Day?

Bonus :A recent study has found that women who carry a little extra weight live longer than men who mention it.

Cryptogram

“HUAJR SUA RYQRIH HA KRCQ

HUR BMRJJPWZJ AO OKRRFAV,

VEJH, MPGR VRW, EWFRKZA HUR

OCHPZER AO JEQQAKHPWZ PH.”

~HUAVCJ QCPWR

Page 4

Trivia 1. A Leprechaun

2. Texas, a 40 mile stretch of a toll road between Austin and

San Antonio, 85 mph.

3. Denmark

4. Midnight Cowboy, 1969, its rating was changed to R in

1971.

5. November 20, 1985

6. The J. M. Smucker Company; Orrville, Ohio

7. Cape of Storms

8. Former Minnesota Governor, Jesse "The Body" Ventura

9. British Major John André, he was captured and hanged

as a spy.

10. Lasagna or Chicken Wing

Cryptogram

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like

men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”

~Thomas Paine

Answers to Trivia/Cryptogram

Mensa-versaries Windy Adoretti Michael D Colgate Kenneth Connolley Stephen D Copp Arthur R Evans Wetzel B Howard Srinivasan Kudinoor Srikant Mantravadi Tony O’Brien Boyd Rodman Charles Simmons Damon Smithwick Janelle Watkins Robert P Weaver Lotus Young

Ryan P Mielke July 2 David T Hightower July 4 Arthur Evans July 5 Julia Ann Hargrove July 7 Srikant Mantravadi July 11 John Roberts July 14 Gregory Culbreth July 14 Roberta Cordova July 16 David Niedringhaus July 17 Theodore J Thompson July 17 Sean Biddle July 18 Gregory Bloss July 20 Loree Czarnecki July 20 John Ridge July 30 William C Bricking July 31 NOTE: If your birthday isn’t here, it’s probably because that information is marked “non-releasable” on our rosters. To check your personal information release status, please contact American Mensa (1-800-66-MENSA) or www.us.mensa.org and under Member Resources, select the PDQ section.

July 2017 Page 5

As you saw in the last PlainsPeaking newsletter, there will be a total eclipse of the Sun on Monday, August 21st. The eclipse starts in Oregon and will travel eastward across the US. This is the first total solar eclipse to cross the US in 99 years! To learn more about eclipses and, in particular, this eclipse, Mensa member, Dr. Henry Gertzman, will be giving a special two-hour presentation as part of the Pillar Institute for Lifelong Learning. He will offer three identical classes: Saturday, July 22nd, from 9–11 am, and repeated the same day from noon-2 pm, and repeated on Tuesday, July 25th from 1-3 pm. All clas-ses will be held at the Colorado Technical University. There is a small charge and you must preregister and pay ahead of time. Here is a BONUS: The first 80 people to register for one of the three classes will receive a FREE PAIR OF ECLIPSE GLASSES to allow safe viewing of the eclipse. There will be a special class discount for students 7-18 years of age, so bring your children and grandchildren with you. You can register for this class on line at www.pillarinstitute.org or call Pillar at 633-4991.

A Total Eclipse of the Sun

FAREWELL: Jerry Pulley, who moved back east to Virginia! Good luck! WELCOME BACK: Anthony Gioia, Ty Hadley and Beth Reel, all re-joining Mensa and our group. Hello, again!

WELCOME: New Mensans: Lilla Orban and Jonathan Patience. Hello and welcome to Plains & Peaks!

Welcome

&

Farewell

Saturday, July 15th, 10am: Mensa Admissions Testing! We’re holding Mensa Admissions Testing today. The tests take about 2 hours and bonus – the cost in July is only $30! If you know of someone who might want to test for Mensa membership, please have them contact Sandy at 719-528-5483 or e-mail mandshalby@comcast.net. Sunday, July 16th, 2:30-ish until whenever: Hangin’ with the Lairds! It’s the height of Summer! Come on over after and hang with the Lairds! Enjoy snacks, cold drinks of all kinds, and relax on the deck or in the shade of the old apple tree. Check out the how the garden is doing and enjoy a very relaxing afternoon! Kids are welcome. The Lairds live at 2990 Rhapsody Dr., CoS, 80920 Near Union and Briargate Blvd. (not Briargate Parkway) and the phone is: (719) 928-7997. Tuesday, July 18th, 6:00pm: Trivial Pursuits. We’re playing Showdown, a 6-stage trivia contest featuring a wide variety of topics, at Buffalo Wild Wings,

2905 Geyser Drive (at I-25 and Lake, next to Outback Steaks and Tinseltown) – they claim to have 45 Buzztime boxes plus Wi-Fi so everybody should be able to play! We’re

drinking some adult beverages (if you want to) and noshing on wings and other Buffalo Wild Wings specialty foods like burgers and sandwiches! The actual game starts at 6:30pm, but if you want a game box you should get there earlier! Call or e-mail Al (719-465-3747, alackerson@msn.com) to let him know you’ll be there! Wednesday, July 19th, 6:30pm: Big Bang Theory Montage! You’ve watched the hit TV show “The Big Bang Theory” but have you really looked at the 109 images in the opening montage that zoom by in about 16 seconds? Join us for an evening’s presentation on those images – Sandy will tell us where each image came from and a little about each one! This is a “just for fun” presentation – so join in – and audience participation is encouraged! We’re meeting at Wayne and Jennie-Jo White’s house, 9908 Paonia Park Place, Colorado Springs, CO 80924 -1214 (near Powers and Union). Please bring snacks to share. Whites will have beer, wine, tea and coffee, but if you have specific preferences for a libation, please bring it along. RSVP if conven-ient tojenniejo81@hotmail.com or waynewhite@q.com or call 719-495-0433. Thursday, July 20th, 8pm: RSVP for Movie Night! Let Chris know you’re coming to the Coopers on Saturday by calling 719-646-4456 or shoot her an email at shedonist@cooperplace.net. Saturday, July 22nd, 6pm: Movie Night! As of this date, a movie has not been chosen, but be assured it will be one to either tickle your fancy or make you groan. And, just as some of us might remember from days past, we’ll have a short feature before the main movie (probably a cartoon and/or Benny Hill episode) along with movie food (popcorn, something else besides hot dogs, and candy). The Coopers are hosting this event and supplying the movie snacks, but you’ll need to bring what you want to drink. The movie will be rated PG and children are invited, too! Please RSVP by Thursday, July 20th, to shedonist@cooperplace.net or 719-646-4456. The Coopers live at 1105 Bow-string Road, Monument. Sunday, July 23rd, 9am: Austin Bluffs Open Space Hike! Join us for another easy, one to one and a half-hour hike this morning – we’re repeating the Austin Bluffs Open Space, which we did last July! This trail is a bit off the beaten (read popular and crowded) track – and is just around 2 miles long. According to the directions, we’ll see hoodoos, a pond, great views of Pulpit Rock and Pikes Peak and what Frank Lloyd Wright called “the most interesting house in Colorado Springs.” Curious? Then join us! We’ll access this open space from the east at University Park Boulevard (just off Academy Boulevard between Montebello and Vickers). There’s no trailhead parking, so you’ll have to park on University Park Boulevard near the rounda-

Wednesday, July 5th, 6:30pm: ExComm Meeting & Dinner. Let’s check out T Byrd’s Tacos, which was recently named Best New Restaurant in Colorado Springs. T-Byrd’s Tacos is an award winning, local-family owned Urban, Street Style Taco Bar in Downtown Colorado Springs.” They specialize in tapa style street tacos and the best marga-ritas this side of the Rockies! T Byrd Tacos is at 26 East Kiowa. Please RSVP to Sandy at 719-528-5483 or e-mail mandshalby@comcast.net Friday, July 7th, Give In To Beer Pressure. Every year, American Mensa holds their Annual Gathering at about the same time we are trying to enjoy our monthly GITBP. Our answer? Co-locate! AG attendees have a choice. Your GITBP host will not be attending the AG this year, so you AG goers should discuss the pros and cons of each amongst yourselves. Let us know which you choose and how it goes! The resort that is hosting the AG has a “beer and wine garden” on-site, know at Portico. A perusal of their tap list causes come concern about selection for the more adventurous GITBPers. A little further away is a location with an excellent selection of dozens of craft bees. There is

sure to be a selection to please everyone. The Yard House is at 601 Silds Run, Hallendale Beach. The Yard House is 2.1 miles from the AG resort, part of the Gulfstream Park Horse Racing complex. For those staying in town, it has become tradition for the co-located GITBP to be held at 5pm at Brewers’ Republic. While they do not brew their own beer, they have dozens of taps at the ready with some of the

finest craft beer from all around the state. Brewers’ Republic is located at 112 N Nevada Avenue. Saturday, July 8th, 10am: Caffeine Conundrum! In July, we’re bringing Caffeine Conundrum back to town and visiting Pikes Perk Coffee and Tea House, one of Colorado Springs oldest coffee houses! It’s located at 5965 N. Academy Blvd Suite #203, just north of the Academy and Vickers intersection (on the east side of Academy). Pikes Perk has been under new ownership for about a year now, so they should have any kinks worked out! You can peruse their menu at www.pikesperkcoffeehouse.com. As always, if you hear of a new coffee place, let John know by phone (719) 571-0471or e-mail: jarofberts@gmail.com. Sunday, July 9th, 1pm: BurgerQuest: We’re revisiting one of our favorites and going to Bingo Burger at 132 North Tejon in July! Here’s a bit of local lore about Bingo Burger! It was started during the 2007 Pueblo Annual Chile & Frijole Festival. BB Owner Richard Warner set up a grill in front of his wife’s bakery and grilled burgers that capitalized on the unique flavor of the locally-grown and roasted Pueblo chile by mixing them right into the meat. BINGO!

The Bingo Burger was born. These burgers proved to be so popular that a brick and mortar shop opened its doors in 2010 in Pueblo’s Downtown District and then another store in Colorado Springs! For this event, reply “yes” as soon as you can to Guest Host Scott , but no later than 6pm July 8th, for Sunday’s BurgerQuest. E-mail: Guest Host Scott at rockymtniq@yahoo.com or call Sandy at 719-528-

5483 and she’ll relay your RSVP). so we can let them know how many to expect. Even if you don’t RSVP, come anyway, we’ll make room. Be sure to bring the cookie-crumblers, BurgerQuest is a kid-friendly event. Wednesday, July 12th, 6pm: Mensa Mini-golf! Let’s meet up at Adventure Mini Golf, 6550 Corporate Drive in Colorado Springs, just off Woodman and I-25. This is a family-friendly event, with a trophy that’s even MORE glamorous than last year’s. Cost for 18 challenging holes is $5 for adults, $4 for kids and seniors! Winner will be declared the Plains & Peaks Mini-golf Champion … and can keep that title until the next time we go mini-golfing!

July Events

JULY

July 2017 Page 7

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 30 31

1

2

3

RSVP

For ExComm

Meeting/Dinner

4

5

6:30 PM

ExComm

Meeting/Dinner

@ T Byrd’s

6

7

5:00 PM

Give In To

Beer Pressure @

Yard House

8

10:00 AM

Caffeine

Conundrum @

Pikes Perk Coffee

9

1:00 PM

BurgerQuest

@

Bingo Burger

10 11

12

6:00 PM

Mini Golf @

Adventure

Mini Golf

13

14

15

10:00 AM

Mensa

Testing

16

2:30 PM

Hangin'’ with

The Lairds

17

18

6:00 PM

Trivial Pursuits

@

Buffalo Wild Wings

19

6:30 PM

Big Bang

Theory Montage

@ the Whites’

20

RSVP

For

Movie Night

21 22

6:00 PM

Movie Night

@

The Coopers’

23

9:00 AM

Austin Bluffs

Open Space Hike

24 25 26

RSVP

For

Hayman Burn

Tour

27 28 29

3:00 PM

Mountain

Munchies

@ RC’s

Events continued bout. We’ll meet at the roundabout and hit the trail promptly at 9am, so you might want to arrive a few minutes early to get parked, get your hat/water/etc ready and find the group! Be sure to wear your hiking shoes and bring sun block and water, too! After the hike, if we want, there are several places near-by to go for late breakfast/early lunch! Wednesday, July 26th, 8pm: RSVP for Hayman Burn Tour! Give RC a call 719-748-1413 or e-mail him at r_c_timm@hotmail.com to let him know you’ll be at his place at 1pm on Saturday, the 29th, for a tour of the Hayman Burn area. Saturday, July 29th, 3pm-ish: Mountain Munchies at RC’s! We’re going to RC and Connie’s house outside of Florissant for our annual BBQ, RC’s Food Fest picnic and hummingbird watching. Arrival time is 3 to 4pm (although early arrival is not discouraged) and we’ll start eating around 5pm. RC will have brats on the BBQ (or bring your own meat) and the world-famous chili will be on hand. Bring your favorite beverage and a side dish. The traditional trivia quiz is still alive and the winner will receive another insignificant prize. RC and Connie live at 122 Badger Trail, a few miles north of Floris-sant. All details subject to Ma Natures whim. RC’s number is: (719) 748-1413. Allergy alert – cats, bears, fox, raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels, deer, coyotes, birds, trees, flowers, grass. And an occasional human. Special Event – RC is willing to conduct a short tour of the Hayman burn area if anyone is interested. It will be less than two hours and will start at 1pm. Please RSVP for the tour by July 26th.

Advance Notice: Thursday, August 3rd, 6:30pm: ExComm Meeting and Din-ner. Let’s check out 503W, which is located at, you guessed it, 503 West Colorado! Their menu is eclectic, featuring street food, bowls and burgers! We’ll need reservations for this one, so let Sandy know by Tuesday, Aug 1st, that you’ll be there (mandshalby@comcast.net or call 719-528-5483). For new Mensans, the ExComm Meeting is our business meeting and takes about two minutes to conduct. All members and guests are welcome at this event! Advance Notice: Friday, August 4th, 5pm: Give In To Beer Pressure. Stay tuned for the location of August’s GITBP – selected by the high complex, secret algorithm developed exclusively by Sean!! Advance Notice: Saturday, August 5th, 10am: Caffeine Conundrum! In Au-gust, we’ll be visiting Story Coffee at 120 East Bijou! It’s small and quaint, with limited seating outside, but makes great coffee! Probably the reason for such great coffee is that the owners spent a full year traveling over 30,000 miles, visiting 45 states and over 200 coffee shops in order to ensure they would do it right when they set up their own coffee shop here in Colorado Springs! For more of their story, visit: www.storycoffeecompany.com! As always, if you hear of a new coffee place, let John know by phone (719) 571-0471or e-mail: jarofberts@gmail.com.

Mensa® is an international organization made up of people who have

scored in the top 2% on standardized IQ tests. Mensa is non-profit and

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