A country dance was being held in a garden I felt a bump and heard an "Oh, beg your pardon" Suddenly I saw polka dots and moonbeams All around a pug-nosed dream There were questions in the eyes of other dancers As we floated over the floor There were questions but my heart knew all the answers And perhaps a few things more (from Polka Dots and Moonbeams, music by Jimmy Van Heusen, lyrics by Johnny Burke, 1940) Happy December, everyone! We're looking forward to discussing James McBride's "The Christmas Dance" from his new collection Five-Carat Soul. Come this Wednesday for a night of discussion, socializing and perhaps even a dance or two as we listen to the sounds of Christmas Eve at Minton's with the Count Basie Band! Details and suggested discussion questions below. Reading optional. This short story touches on many issues we've encountered previously this year through reading...and life... Drop a note and let us know if we can hope to see you! Discussion Questions: 1. Did you like this story? 2. This story take place approx 1974. How does that setting affect the reading of the story? 3. What do you make of the format -- disjointed or does it work? 4. What motivates Herb's choice of thesis topic, the 92nd division? 5. How does the Army's report compare to Carlos's story? 6. What happened to Carlos's wife, and why is his son now estranged from him? 7. How did Carlos and the Judge's actions in the war foreshadow their future careers? Did you have a significant or traumatic experience that influenced your career/work choice? 8. Herb spends significant time noting how beloved the Judge is by those around him in Harlem. Why? Where do you feel especially beloved? Where do you feel like an outsider? 9. What would you wear to dance at Minton's? A few points for historical reference (thank you, Wikipedia): 1. What really happened at Sommocolonia? Battle took place on 12/26, not 12/25 Names: John Fox is the Lieutenant who ordered his own troops to fire on him 2. Timeline for honoring John Fox: 1944, he orders his own troops to fire on him, presumably giving American troops time to fall back and organize a counterattack...and retake the village a few days later 1979, memorial resurrected in a piazza in Sommocolonia for his service 1982, US awards John Fox the Distinguished Service Cross 1997, US awards John Fox the Medal of Honor (an upgrade from the Distinguished Service Cross) 2. What happened to the little town? According to NY Times article, as of July 16, 2000, it is a dying town of less than 50 people, in Tuscany 3. Who were the Buffalo Soldiers? A name given to black servicemen in the 1860s, originally given to the Negro cavalry by Native American tribes during American Indian Wars. (See link.) 4. Do other sources mention Puerto Ricans? Why does the author add Carlos' character? "More than 65,000 Puerto Ricans service members served in WWII....They were often subject to the racial discrimination that was widespread in the United States at the time." (See link.) 5. What was the Battle of the Bulge that took place at the same time? 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945: This was a surprise attack and last major German offensive on the Western Front in WWII. (See link.) 6. When did Count Basie play at Mintons? It's not clear that he did! Minton's opened in 1938 and was the birthplace of Bebop, home to many jazz greats from the 1940s-1960s, closing in 1974 after a fire in the Cecil Hotel where it was housed. The Christmas dance is a nice idea though, and Count Basie's band did place in the Christmas show at the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan after 1937. However, it was whites-only. Follow-up: Good morning, I had such a nice time last night, and I hope you did too. How to decide what to read next? If you're my six-year-old daughter you grab anything off the shelf -- Into the Wild, Fenway 1912: The Birth of A Ballpark, Frommer's Hawaii 2008, and World War II (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker). As a result, questionable books like Stuff White People Like and A Celebration of Sex are now in the Goodwill donation box in my basement. In the midst of a dark season, perhaps it would be nice to have a Monsieur Perdu, who could "prescribe novels for the hardships of life". Join us in January, date TBD, for discussion of The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George, first published in Germany. Cheers and happy holidays!
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No man is an island. Twenty years after the human race has been irreversibly damaged and nearly erased by the "Georgia flu", Emily St. John Mandel's characters try to find purpose as they construct a new life. (Because survival is insufficient. --Star Trek) What would you miss from the "old world"? Would you feel lucky to have made it through? As we find ourselves at the beginning of this season of darkness, join us as we discuss Station Eleven, a novel that begins in the dead of winter. Details, with discussion questions below. (Confession: I read most of the book while sitting on a cabana on a beach in Florida using hotel stationery to jot down discussion questions. I might have had time to get a little carried away.) Drop a line and let us know if we can hope to see you! Discussion questions: 1. What would you miss from the "old world"? 2. Would you feel lucky to have made it through? 3. Would you side with the Undersea (yearning for home) or with Dr. Eleven? 4. Why the number "eleven"? 5. Is there a character you identify with more than others? 6. What did/do you imagine missing/absent in a new world? 7. What do you make of her use of dreams? (Dieter's dream, Kirsten's dream, Captain Lonagan's death "like waking up from a dream" p330) And how do they compare to the idea Kirsten and August toss around of parallel universes? 8. Sawed-off shotguns? Really? Is this the wild west? (I had to look this up -- sawing off the shotgun makes it easier to conceal and makes the bullet travel faster, making it more lethal.) 9. "Jeevan was crushed by a sudden certainty that this was it, that this illness Hua was describing was going to be the divide between a before and an after, a line drawn through his life." (p20) -- Is there a line like that in your life? Is Toronto Arthur's line? 10. What do you make of the format? The dividing into nine sections? (1. The Theater / 2. A Midsummer Night's Dream / 3. I Prefer You With a Crown / 4. The Starship / 5. Toronto / 6. The Airplanes / 7. The Terminal / 8. The Prophet / 9. Station Eleven) 11. Arthur...Kirsten...Jeevan... Her main characters have no strong personal connections. Does that make the loss of the world easier or harder to mourn? 12. Have you read The Age of Miracles? How does it compare? I.e., slow decline vs. sudden; and what is mentioned as "the last" like grapes vs. the Internet. 13. Where are all the animals? Startlingly little description of nature -- plants and wild animals -- after so much focus on the snow. Then we are thrust into the heat of summer. How does nature respond to the Georgia flu? 14. Why board up unused convenience stores? Where do the boards and hammers and nails come from? 15. Which details do you believe? Which are inconceivable? What's missing? 16. Acting/playing music gives the participants a place in this new world. How else do people construct a new sense of place? 17. Why so much flashback/time on Arthur at both the beginning and end when we know he died? 18. What do you make of her writing style? 19. What do you make of the theme of islands? (Delano Island, Station Eleven, the characters pre- and post-flu, the settlements of people post-flu) 20. What do you make of her sense of time, interweaving past, present and hopeful future? 21. What depth is there to themes of Shakespeare (The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream, King Lear) and Star Trek? 22. What does Miranda mean when she says "I regret nothing"? Why does she need to explain herself at all? 23. What to make of themes of glass and storms and water? (Glass city of Toronto; glass paperweight; snow storm at start; water that separates and provides hope via shipping freighters) 24. What do we make of Arthur's childhood "friend" Victoria? Was she the one who got away or the first one he screwed over? 25. What about the theme of time itself as water that creates islands/separations? ("thinking about the terrible gulf of years between eighteen and fifty", p112) 26. How does the story of the Georgia flu parallel that of Station Eleven? (i.e. the flu came on an airplane, like the alien invasion of Station Eleven) 27. When did you suspect the prophet's identity? 28. How does the book's opening act set the tone? (1st sentence of the book talks about water: "a pool of blue light" on the stage; here is a king; afterward: a fallen kingdom) 29. What drives you to pick a career? (Jeevan bounces around; Arthur switches as does Miranda; Elizabeth wants history; Clark feels like a sleepwalker; yet, Kirsten always wanted to act. Seems like a childish theme that dances around characters finding purpose.) 30. What do you make of theme of hideaways/hideouts? (Arthur & V with their forts in the woods; Jeevan and Frank with their treehouse where they read comics; Kirsten using the woods to survive) 31. With all of the many plot lines, what holds this book together and provides continuity? 32. Why the extremes of winter snow and summer heat? What role does weather play? 33. What do you make of the juxtaposition of nature vs. city life? Darkness vs. light? 34. What about these ships off of Malaysia? Are they supernatural as Miranda wonders ("it still seemed to her...that there was something otherworldly in the sight" p218)? Will they survive and make their way around the world as Clark hopes and imagines? 35. What drives this book? 36. Why call it Station Eleven? 37. Are we all part of a plan? Or is Elizabeth Colton's character a cop out for a contrived book? 38. What to make of Arthur? As enigmatic as Propero in the Tempest...or as broken and old as Lear dividing his kingdom? Clark says he's kind but I don't like him at all! 39. What do you make of the pace of the book? 40. What plague stories come to mind when reading this book? 41. What does this book say about social media as a news source? ("the Georgia flu had seemed quite distant, especially if one happened not to be on social media" p233.) 42. Which character's response to the flu describes you? 43. How did you imagine the ending? 44. Thinking of the lack of government...lawlessness...what happened to everyone in prisons? 45. Kirsten talks about how she stopped trying to remember that first year on the road (p295 and elsewhere). Do we have that much control over memory? Isn't it the awful stuff that sticks anyway? 46. Who was the conductor??? (I really wanted it to be Miranda...but of course that would make no sense!) 47. What would you put in the Museum of Civilization? Follow-up: Hello all, Thank you so much for coming out to discuss Station Eleven, a book that prompted "many musings" (thanks again for the rec, Abby!) and many questions (yes, that would be me!). Corinne asked me which question I was most interested in discussing. I guess I am still burning to know the conductor's story. But my strongest musing throughout the book is this: I found it hopeful and beautiful that what draws us into the book is the personal lives of the characters. Clark preserves the New York Times in the Museum of Civilization, largely to preserve the obituary of his friend Arthur and let his memory live on. Clark mourns those lost whose stories we will never know. Yes, some characters perform Shakespeare and carry over ideas from the "old world", but they are interested also in writing their own stories. And we as readers are left wanting them to do so. In the spirit of that desire for personal connection, we are assigning light (shorter) reading for December. Join us as we discuss James McBride's short story "The Christmas Dance" from his new collection called Five-Carat Soul, which also continues our theme of exploring racism. The discussion will be at my house, so really this is all a cover for a social night. Please come hang out with us even if you don't get a chance to read, especially if we haven't seen you in awhile. You don't have to say you love me just be close at hand You don't have to stay forever I will understand What could be worse than unrequited love? Perhaps love that never had the chance to bloom in the first place... What the world needs now is love, sweet love It's the only thing that there's just too little of Hey Mamas, Come hang out with us on Wednesday as we dive into a discussion of Sherman Alexie's You Don't Have to Say You Love Me. Yes, as you have pointed out, he has "mommy issues." (Was she a bad mother? Who does your heart ache for in this story?) And yet, there is so much more to discuss from the point of view of this urban Native American writer. Fitting that I finished the book on Indigenous Peoples' Day, only to overhear a man at the Cambridge Common playground complain over the phone to a friend that his son didn't have daycare because of the <insert sarcastic tone> holiday. Check out this Wikipedia timeline (scroll to bottom). The states of Minnesota and Vermont observe the holiday in place of Columbus Day. Other than that, it is a smattering of cities, a movement that began in Berkeley in 1992. Cambridge, MA joined the bandwagon in 2016. Drop a line and let us know if we can hope to see you! Discussion questions: 1. What do you make of the cover art and picture? 2. Patchwork quilt of memories -- does the repetitive format work? 3. What do you make of the intersection of his rez and urban identities? 4. What do you make of his "prose poetry" style? What works/doesn't? 5. On p. 339, he says, "I am the author of one of the most banned and challenged books in American history, and that makes me giddy with joy." -- which one?? 6. Was she such a bad mother? 7. Why are we harsher on our mothers than our fathers? 8. He declares himself an atheist but then continues to return to religion -- is religion just a necessary trope when discussing relationships and death? Or is he actually struggling with belief? 9. What's true? Does it matter? 10. When was this written? So much recent history and revisions from his friends/readers and yet he just had brain surgery a year before publication! 11. Why a memoir now? Because his mom died? Or because he had brain surgery and feels his mortality? 12. Had you heard of Sherman Alexie before reading this book? 13. Parts of this were published in other places. How did he decide on the order of events/poems? He reintroduces characters/events -- intentionally? Like the rape story with different endings. Or unintentionally? Like "my friend Shelly Boyd" p. 398 who we already met 10 pages earlier? 14. He describes Indians not being able to band together -- too many tribes. Whites also come from many "tribes". Why is it that whites are able to band together? What makes generic white culture so pervasive? Or is that an illusion? 15. Just curious, but do Native Americans tend to take a certain stance on immigration policy? Follow-up: Hi everyone, Thank you so much for last night's discussion of You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie. It was so nice to hear so many people's thoughts even with such a large group. For next month we will be reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. We also decided that we'd like to read a poem or short story for December. Send a note if you have any suggestions. Thank you all again and see you next month! This Wednesday we will discuss Waking up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving. Please refer to the text for discussion questions. Also, consider joining us for the following event led by Debby Irving herself! October Author-led Class When: Wednesday, October 4th, 7-9pm Where: Arlington High School What: Class led by Debby Irving called Waking up White (also check out Ms. Irving's website here) How: facilitated by Arlington Community Education Follow-up: Thank you to everyone who came out to discuss Waking up White by Debby Irving. Thank you for offering your perspectives and your personal experiences, even when it was painful to share. While there were valid critiques of the book, I think we all went home with the takeaway to humble ourselves and seek conversations with those who differ from us. I appreciate the point raised that Cambridge seems to have lost the blue collar class that Irving mentions, and that perhaps, like most of the country, we too are an example of the rich getting richer while the poor stay poor. Most of us on this list are Cambridge residents or from communities that pride themselves on their diversity. I think many of us walked away last night uncomfortably aware of how much work there is to be done. For those interested, I will send out notes following Irving's presentation at the Arlington High School next month. And now, let me introduce our next book pick. As part of our quest to explore other perspectives in addition to solid writing, we are going to read Sherman Alexie's memoir You Don't Have to Say You Love Me for our October book club. We hope you will join us. "I’m a Good Person! Isn’t that enough?" Debby Irving’s talk at Arlington High School, October 4, 2017 Short answer: No. Take away message: 3 calls to action and visit her website for resources, including a 21-day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge
She told her story -- grew up in Winchester, world was white, with Norman Rockwell images, whiteness is normalized; taboo topics included: race, sex, politics, religion; belief in the American dream was real -- people should work hard because culture suggests there’s a level playing field and anything is possible and for sure she knew immigrant families who could attest to this. She said if that’s not your story then accept this: that we’re all exposed to information that says some people are more valued than others in our culture. She reviewed much of the history she discusses in her book (including how her family benefitted from Red-lining and the GI bill and land grants that pushed indigenous people off; she described Manifest Destiny and Indian Boarding Schools) and notes she continues to learn. For example, since her book was published she (a woman who was a history major and has an MBA) learned about Black Wall Street in Tulsa, OK -- and how its bombing was the biggest act of domestic terrorism before 9/11. Why had she not learned this history before? She wondered. Now when she thinks about history she wonders whose perspective is she learning? At this point she asked the audience what they were feeling upon learning all of this history through a racial lens? Answers: disgust, horror, guilt, shame, sadness, anger, discouraged, overwhelmed, grief, uninformed, naive, devastated Debby then said that when her audience is more racially mixed, she hears “finally” and “relief”, as in “Finally, someone shared the painful truth. Someone told my story.” (Which I think only made her white audience last night feel worse, completely stupid and ill-equipped to know how to act.) One of her points: whites need to hear this history from whites. She admonishes: “For the people who want to “do something”, know that you aren’t starting a movement; you’re joining a movement.” She suggests that we are in a second Civil Rights Era, where the first one was about laws, this era is about lies...and now is the time for truth telling. Again, see above for Call to Action. Please join us in August as we discuss Signs for Lost Children by Sarah Moss. I am about halfway through and want to extend a special invitation to all of the psychologists and medical people on this email -- and to anyone who might have an interest in medical history or, in addition, Japanese culture. Would love to hear your thoughts about these subjects! Discussion questions: 1. What does the title mean? 2. What do you think of the vacillating perspectives? What works? What doesn't work? 3. Does Ally's or Tom's narrative grab you more? 4. What do you make of the pace of the novel and her use of time and choice to exclude scenes and omit others (like omitting Ally and Tom's initial reunion)? 5. What role does Mr. De Rivers play? 6. What is Ally's role in advancing women's rights? What of her attitude towards female writers of the time (like Gaskell and Austen)? 7. Does the style of the book stand? Could this have been published in Victorian England or would it have been ahead of its time? 8. What do you make of Ally's "madness"? 9. What do you make of Tom's affair? Is he human or devil? 10. What do you make of the final blend of cultures? Believable or contrived? Follow-up: Hello ladies, Thanks to everyone for coming out for a vibrant discussion of Signs for Lost Children by Sarah Moss. Those of you who hadn't finished were intrigued enough to say you would now finish the book (either that or you were being polite). All in all, a fine literary achievement, Ms. Moss, even if a lot of it was over our heads. For September we're going to shift gears and try our first non-fiction selection. Waking up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving looks to be a thought-provoking though perhaps faster read considering it's near essay-like format with discussion questions at the end of each short chapter. Please join us as we dip our toes (or perhaps jump wholeheartedly) into a discussion of race. See you there! Thanks to everyone who came out for our social night last month -- you all looked gorgeous are our "wear THAT dress" event! We will faithfully reconvene for book discussion of Faithful by Alice Hoffman this coming Wednesday to round out the school year (suggested discussion questions below) and then make plans for summer reading. Bring your ideas! We are planning on taking July off and will instead pick a date in early August for our next meeting. Discussion Questions: 1. What does the title mean? Faithful to whom? to what? 2. What is an orderly at a hospital? 3. How long can someone survive in a coma? 4. Who did you think was sending her the postcards? 5. What is the role of money? For example, if Shelby's parent had money, would there have been a lawsuit against the hospital? Would Shelby have become friends with Maravelle? 6. Shelby regrets never letting Ben know that she loved him (p157). Did she love him? 7. Themes: -Black/white (animals/snow/clothing) and blue/gold (his drawings/the stars) -- too trite? or do they work? -Secrets: What role do they serve? Should the "grownups" have told the kids about Marcus and the restraining order? What it have helped Teddy? 8. Format: -Is this a novel or a collection of stories? Tie in to "The Illustrated Man" by Ray Bradbury. -Does the format work? Does this read like a diary or is there an arc? 9. What is Shelby's story? James tells her that Helene is not her story. Is he right? Or do other people always have a different view of what is our story because they can't see inside us? 10. What is it about fourth grade? Did you have a traumatic elementary school event? 11. Do you have a doppelganger like Shelby's tattoo girl? Is there a significant decision in your past you return to to imagine your alternative life? Follow-up: Hey Mamas, Thanks to everyone for coming out last night to discuss Faithful by Alice Hoffman. While it may not have been our favorite read, Corinne's patio looked super festive with the strings of light illuminating multiple pitchers of (ahem, incredibly strong) margaritas. Please join us in August as we discuss Signs for Lost Children by Sarah Moss. See you there! If you like pina coladas...and getting caught in the rain... Seriously, I thought I should be sitting on a beach sipping an umbrella drink as I soaked in the sun and the fluffy, yet disturbingly seductive nature of Liane Moriarty's fiction. A few weeks ago I met a woman on a chairlift who said her book club selected books based on where they wanted to travel -- i.e. a Frank Lloyd Wright story led to a tour of his architecture in Chicago. With aspirations to do the same, if anyone wants to head to the land of Oz with me to see where Pirriwee Beach might exist, I am so there...especially if we could tour further north of Sydney to hit up Byron Bay. For now, we'll convene closer to home to discuss Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. Discussion questions: 1. What did you like / dislike? 2. Who did you think was dead? 3. Who did you think had an affair? 4. Madeline prizes her abilities to describe people (Blond Bobs) and know what's best for people (Abigail). Is it believable that she would never suspect Celeste and Perry's secret? 5. What do you think of Celeste's idea that Perry's violence is a mental illness? 6. What do you think about how Liane Moriarty pairs scenes of violence -- i.e. Celeste and Perry's fight with Jane and Ziggy in the bathtub. Are we meant to draw similarities? Or similarities through Jane's fears about Ziggy? 7. What do we make of Bonnie? Is she believable? 8. What do you make of the theme of beauty in this book? Compare the natural beauty of their surroundings with the women's physical beauty. Does beauty (like the playground and Celeste's looks) always cover up or distract from harsh realities? Follow-up: G'day! Wow, I'm glad it wasn't raining like this last night when we were all walking/biking/driving to Corinne's! It was so nice to see so many of you last night around Corinne's extended dining room table for a lively discussion of Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. We recommend checking it out if you haven't and then sampling the HBO series as you compare and contrast the stories. Try watching it with your husband if you dare! We will take a break in May for a social night and then reconvene on June 14th for a discussion of Faithful by Alice Hoffman. Hope to see you! Also, below is the recipe for the spinach balls. Hope you enjoy! Spinach Balls 4 eggs, beaten 1/2 t. each of garlic salt and MSG (I've never used MSG; you can increase the garlic salt instead if you like to 1 teaspoon) 1/2 t. each of thyme and pepper (could use Italian seasoning instead of thyme) 1 1/2 sticks melted butter 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 packages chopped spinach - cooked and drained well (squeeze out extra liquid by pressing spinach between paper towels) 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese 2 c. Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing (not the large cubed variety) Mix ingredients in order listed above. Refrigerate (just so mixture isn't quite as gooey). Shape in balls. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. May be frozen before baking. Makes about 72. Discussion Questions: 1. What did you like about this book? 2. Does the combination of poetry and prose work in this piece? 3. Why don't we learn Tess's name until page 200 something? 4. Does Tess really learn anything? 5. Is it important that we don't know anything about Tess personally or is this a technical flaw? 6. Is the NYC restaurant scene really like that? (i.e. are there really that many cockroaches and people on coke?) 7. What is it about people from Ohio? (compare to the introduction of Hillbilly Elegy) Follow-up: Good morning, Evan, who is manager at the O'Neill branch library and oversees the book club there, says that "discussion illuminates." I definitely felt that way last night after hearing your thoughts on Sweetbitter which broadened my understanding and in turn my appreciation of the book. So thank you for coming out! We decided we are still left with many questions (i.e. does Park Bar really exist?!) that we would love to ask Stephanie Danler. Fortunately for us, she is scheduled to appear at the Harvard Book Store on April 19th. The event is on Stephanie Danler's website but not yet on Harvard's. So stay tuned as we get the time for this event. This book club is going on a field trip to Harvard Square! In the meantime, we are reading Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty which is being made into an HBO mini-series. Join us on Wednesday, April 5th for book discussion and then sometime following that for a screening of the mini-series. See you then! So nice to see you last night to discuss William Trevor's short story "The Piano Tuner's Wives." I think we all agreed that his writing is incredibly engaging and many of you present last night will continue to read this large volume of short stories. On March 1st, please join us as we shift gears and enter the restaurant scene in New York City through Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler. The cover depicts an upright broken glass of red wine -- let that be a great start to a lively discussion and raucous time, i.e. please help me out so I don't drink all of the wine myself. See you there! So nice to see so many of you last night to discuss Dept. of Speculation! I totally meant to discuss her self-awareness as a writer -- how she tells her students to pay attention to point of view...and then as the story takes a twist itself, she changes the point of view, then changes it back at the end. I found her ongoing critique of her writing within the story to be fascinating. And speaking of point of view, I also heard that there are some critics out there who didn't attend because you didn't like the book! Please come next time! We would really love to hear the dissenting, critical side too! We're taking a break to soak in the chaos of the holidays and post-holiday crash, so please join us next on Wednesday, January 18th to discuss the first short story in the collection Selected Stories by William Trevor. And on a personal note, can I just say that lately when I wake up in the morning I wonder how I am going to make it through the day. Then I ask God for help. Then I thank him for all of you who spur me on to be the best version of myself. You all are 35 damn good reasons to step out of my introverted self and walk across the park to say hi. Happy Holidays! |
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The Tipsy Mamas' Book Club is co-hosted by Corinne Foster and myself, though the spirit of our discussions is flavored by many readers. Archives
November 2022
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