Shadowing Practice: This Is What Happens When You Reply to Spam Email | James Veitch | TED - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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A few years ago, I got one of those spam emails.
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And it managed to get through my spam filter,
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I'm not quite sure how,
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but it's turned up in my inbox,
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and it was from a guy called Solomon Odonka.
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I know.
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It went like this.
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It said, Hello, James Veitch.
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I have an interesting business proposal I want to share with you, Solomon.
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Now, my hand was kind of hovering on the delete button.
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As you are, I was looking at my phone,
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I thought, I could just delete this,
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or I could do what I think we've all always wanted to do.
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And I said, Solomon, your email intrigues me.
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And the game was afoot.
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He said, dear James Veach,
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we shall be shipping gold to you.
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You will earn 10% of any gold you distribute.
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So I knew I was dealing with a professional.
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I said, how much is it worth?
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He said, we will start with a smaller quantity.
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I was like, aww.
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And then he said, of 25 kilograms,
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the worst should be about 2.5 million.
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I said, Solomon, if we're going to do it, let's go big.
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I can handle it.
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I can handle it.
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How much gold do you have?
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He said, it's not a matter of how much gold I have,
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but this is your capable of handling.
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What, we could start with 50 kilograms as a trial shipment.
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I said, 50 kilograms?
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There's no point doing this at all,
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no such as shipping at least a metric ton.
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So what do you do for a living?
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I said, I'm a hedge fund executive bank manager.
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This isn't the first time I've shipped bullion, my friend.
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No, no, no. Then I started to panic.
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I was like, look, where are you based?
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I don't know about you,
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but I think we're going via the postal service.
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It ought to be signed for.
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That's a lot of gold.
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He said, it will not be easy to convince my company to do a larger quantity shipment.
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I said, Solomon, I'm completely with you on this one.
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I'm putting together a visual for you to take him to the board meeting, hold tight.
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This is what I sent Solomon.
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I don't know if we have any statisticians in the house,
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but there's definitely something going on.
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I said, Solomon, attach this email,
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you'll find a helpful chart.
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I've had one of my assistants run the numbers.
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We need to be shipping as much gold as possible.
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There's always a moment where they try to tug your heartstrings,
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and this was it for Solomon.
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He said, I will be so much happier if the deal goes well,
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because I'm going to get a very good commission as well.
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And I said, that's amazing,
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what are you going to spend your cut on?
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And he said, on real estate, what about you?
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I thought about it for a long time.
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And I said one word.
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Hummus.
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It's going, please.
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I was in Sainsbury's the other day,
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and there were like 30 different varieties.
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Also, you can cut up carrots,
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and you can dip them.
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Have you ever done that?
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Solomon!
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He said, I have to go to bed now.
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Till tomorrow, have sweet dreams.
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I didn't know what to say.
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I said, bonsoir, my golden nugget.
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Bonsoir.
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Guys, you have to understand,
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this has been going for like weeks,
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albeit hitherto the greatest weeks of my life,
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but I had to knock it on the head.
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It was getting a bit out of hand.
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James, do you want to come out for a drink?
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I was like, I can't,
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mate, I'm expecting an email about some gold.
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So I figured I had to knock it on the head,
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I had to take it to a ridiculous conclusion.
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So I thought I concocted a plan.
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I said, look, Solomon, Solomon, I'm concerned about security.
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When we email each other,
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we need to use a code. And he agreed.
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And I said, Solomon, I spent all night coming up with this code.
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We need to use it in all further correspondence.
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Lawyer!
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Gummy bear.
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Bank, cream egg.
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Legal, fizzy-Cola bottle, claim peanut lemon ends,
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documents, jelly beans, Western Union.
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Guys, a giant gummy lizard.
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I knew these were all words they used, right?
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I said, please call me KitKat and all further correspondence.
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I didn't hear back.
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I thought, I've gone too far.
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I've gone too far.
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So I had to backpedal a I said,
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look, Solomon, is the deal still on?
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Kit-Kat.
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Because you have to be consistent.
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Then I did get any more back from him.
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He said, the business is on, I'm trying .. blah, blah, blah.
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I said, dude, you have to use the code.
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What follow is the greatest email I've ever received?
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I'm not joking.
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This is what turned up in my inbox.
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This was a good day.
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The business is on.
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And I'm trying to raise the balance for the gummy bear.
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So he can submit all the needed fizzy-cola-bottled jelly beans to the cream egg for the peanut M&M's process to start.
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Send 1,500 pounds via a giant Scammy lizard.
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And that was so much fun, right?
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That it got me thinking,
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what would happen if I just spent as much time as I could replying to as many scam emails as I could?
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And that's what I've been doing for three years on your behalf.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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Let me tell you, crazy stuff happens when you start replying to scam e-mails.
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It's really difficult, and I highly recommend we do it.
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I don't think what I'm doing is mean, right?
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You know, there are a lot of people out there who do mean things to scammers.
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I don't think what I'm doing ...
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All I'm doing is wasting their time.
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And I think any time they're spending with me is time they're not spending scamming vulnerable adults out of their savings.
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Right?
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And if you're going to do this,
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and I highly recommend you do,
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get yourself a pseudonymous email address.
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Don't use your own email address,
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because that's exactly what I was doing at the start,
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and it was a nightmare.
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about penis enlargements, you know.
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Only one of which was a legitimate ...
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.. response to a medical question.
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I'll tell you what, though, guys.
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I'll tell you what.
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Any day is a good day.
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Any day is a good day if you receive an email that begins like this.
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I am Winnie Mandela, the second wife of Nelson Mandela,
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the former South African president.
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I was like, oh, that Winnie Mandela!
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I know so many.
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I need to transfer 45 million dollars out of the country because of my husband Nelson's health condition.
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Let that sink in.
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She sent me this, which is hysterical. And this.
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And this looks fairly legitimate,
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this is a letter of authorization,
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but to be honest, if there's nothing written on it,
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it's just a shape.
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I say, Winnie, I'm really sorry to hear of this,
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I'm really sorry to hear of this.
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Given that Nelson died three months ago,
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I describe his health condition as ...
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That's the worst health condition you can have, not being alive.
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She said, Kindly comply with my banker's instructions, one love.
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I said, of course, a woman with no cry.
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She said, my banker will need transfer of $3,000.
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One love.
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I said, no problemo.
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I shall share it.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Context & Background
In the engaging TED talk by James Veitch, the speaker recounts an amusing interaction with a spam email he received from an individual named Solomon Odonka. This email, which initially was intended to solicit a dubious business proposal involving gold shipments, transformed into a humorous exchange filled with intrigue and clever banter. Veitch's decision to respond rather than delete the email reflects a common curiosity many people share when faced with unsolicited communications. This narrative not only entertains but also provides an excellent opportunity for English learners to enhance their language skills through humor and creative dialogue.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "I have an interesting business proposal I want to share with you." – A formal way to introduce a topic or idea.
- "Your email intrigues me." – A polite expression to show interest.
- "How much is it worth?" – A direct way to inquire about value, applicable in various contexts.
- "Let’s go big." – A casual phrase to encourage larger commitments or ideas.
- "I can handle it." – A confident assertion indicating capability.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
Engaging with this unique dialogue can be an excellent method to practice and improve your English skills. Here’s how to effectively use the shadowing technique with this TED talk:
- Step 1: Listen Actively - Play the video and focus on James Veitch's intonation and pronunciation. Try to grasp the general context and tone of the conversation.
- Step 2: Repeat and Imitate - Pause the video after each sentence or phrase. Replicate what you hear, paying attention to the rhythm and emotional expression. This can enhance your improve English pronunciation skills through effective mimicry.
- Step 3: Analyze Sentence Structure - Note how Veitch constructs his sentences. Understanding these structures will help you apply them in your communication.
- Step 4: Practice with Variations - Try to modify the phrases to fit different contexts. For instance, changing “business proposal” to “project idea” can help you expand your vocabulary.
- Step 5: Engage in Real Conversations - Use the phrases you’ve learned in your daily interactions or conversations. This practical application is essential for mastering the shadow speech technique.
By utilizing this shadowing site approach, you can effectively build your confidence and fluency in English. Remember, consistent practice leads to improvements, so take every opportunity to engage with the language!
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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