About Me
- Satima Flavell
- Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- I am based in Perth, Western Australia. You might enjoy my books - The Dagger of Dresnia, the first book of the Talismans Trilogy, is available at all good online book shops as is Book two, The Cloak of Challiver. Book three, The Seer of Syland, is in preparation. I trained in piano and singing at the NSW Conservatorium of Music. I also trained in dance (Scully-Borovansky, WAAPA) and drama (NIDA). Since 1987 I have been writing reviews of performances in all genres for a variety of publications, including Music Maker, ArtsWest, Dance Australia, The Australian and others. Now semi-retired, I still write occasionally for the ArtsHub website.
The Dagger of Dresnia
The Cloak of Challiver, Book two of The Talismans
Available as an e-book on Amazon and other online booksellers.
Mythic Resonance
Mythic Resonance
Mythic Resonance is an excellent anthology that includes my short story 'La Belle Dame', together with great stories from Alan Baxter, Donna Maree Hanson, Sue Burstynski, Nike Sulway and nine more fantastic authors! Just $US3.99 from Amazon.
Got a Kindle? Check out Mythic Resonance. 
My Blog List
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How ‘Abracadabra’ Became a Magical Word in the Medieval World - Discover how the word "Abracadabra" evolved from ancient roots into a powerful magical term in the medieval world—used in healing, heresy, and hidden charms.7 hours ago
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Torn by Amanda Hocking book review… - Here’s my review of the second book in the Trylle Series by Amanda Hocking. Jill Smith’s Reviews > Torn Torn (Trylle, #2)by Amanda Hocking (Goodreads Autho...10 hours ago
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The Rule of Three and How it Helps Our Writing - *By Janice Hardy * *Three is a magic number in writing, and can help you craft stronger stories.* There was a joke in my house growing up, that things al...
14 hours ago -
The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava - This book had to work hard to win me over, and darn if it didn’t succeed. I find dishonesty to be deeply triggering. Yet even I was charmed by The Truth Ac...16 hours ago
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Writing update: Staerstone novel stuff - Despite things being hectic, with cyclone Alfred and all, I’ve been putting in a fair amount of time to writing! I wanted to write some short stories for u...18 hours ago
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Close To Home: Val’s Bakery - A little over a year ago, I heard of a bakery in Dayton called Val’s Bakery. All of the local foodie Instagram accounts I follow were raving about how good...1 day ago
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Personal Poetry for Novelists - April is National Poetry Month, and it inspired me to write this post. I call it “personal poetry for novelists” because I’m talking to writers who are a...1 day ago
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The Fake Gestapo Cell in London in WW2 - by Deborah Swift During WW2 the government did its best to suppress the British Union of Fascists (BUF), but MI5’s effort to prevent fascist activities was ...
1 day ago -
Andrew Welsh-Huggins - Andrew Welsh-Huggins, a son of the Finger Lakes and now longtime Ohio resident, is the Shamus, Derringer, and International Thriller Writers-award nominate...
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A dictionary dance around Hag - A dictionary dance around Hag As usual, I’ll begin with a comment on the letters I have received. I never wrote that too few queries about words...3 days ago
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Top 7 Tips To Help Your Indie Book Sell (Even Without Viral Marketing!) - The Silent Bestseller Why do some indie books thrive, even without viral marketing? We all hear stories of self-published books skyrocketing to bestselle...3 days ago
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A To Z 2025. Theme Release - I’ve been doing A to Z for several years now and have forgotten some of the ones I’ve posted. And some of the books and authors I am going to mention ha...4 days ago
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Publication update-Amber Rose - Oh the excitement! Amber Rose is all laid out and off for a proof read. It’s a milestone and I’m pleased with it. A bit more admin to do before I can put p...5 days ago
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Publication update-Amber Rose - Oh the excitement! Amber Rose is all laid out and off for a proof read. It’s a milestone and I’m pleased with it. A bit more admin to do before I can put p...5 days ago
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Old King Coal still has a job to do in Australia (sort-of) - So here’s the idea right up front: Retro-fit Old Power Stations as INERTIA-WHEEL Rapid-Response Grid-Stabilisation (and Storage). Huzzah! We are finally sh...1 week ago
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The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 41: The Shepherd’s Crown - Sir Terry Pratchett passed away on March 12, 2015. An advocate of Assisted Dying, he nevertheless succumbed to the conditions of his Alzheimer’s Disease an...2 weeks ago
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RECALL is out now! - Hi friends! I’m excited to share with you that RECALL is out now! Originally published as three novellas – Manifest Recall, Recall Night and Ghost Recall...4 weeks ago
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The history of ‘indecent advertisements’ in public toilets - PhD student Jessica Gregory examines illicit advertising in the early 20th century. The post The history of ‘indecent advertisements’ in public toilets ...4 weeks ago
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Teaching Schedule in 2025 - Please click the Travel and Teaching Page for Bhante Rahul's teaching schedule in 20251 month ago
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This feed has moved and will be deleted soon. Please update your subscription now. - The publisher is using a new address for their RSS feed. Please update your feed reader to use this new URL: *https://problogger.com/feed/*2 months ago
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A Little Piece of Alternative History - Elizabeth, Duchess of Norfolk, is a good height for a woman, but not tall – only her headdress make her seem so. As a recent widow, she is clad entir...2 months ago
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Breaking the Silence - Over the past many months, I have watched the stories circulating the internet about me with horror and dismay. I’ve stayed quiet until now, both out of ...2 months ago
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Books Read 2024 - *A Spindle Splintered *by Alix E. Harrow (novella) *All the Light We Cannot See *by Anthony Doerr *A Special Providence *by Richard Yates *The Slap *by ...
2 months ago -
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Photo Parade 2024 - I’ve decided to participate in the annual Photo Parade (Fotoparade) on Michael’s blog Erkunde die Welt (Discover the World) again. My post from last year’s...
2 months ago -
Happy Public Domain Day 2025, the end of copyright for 1929 works - This is my annual reminder that January 1st is Public Domain Day, and this year copyright has ended for books, movies, and music first published in the U.S...2 months ago
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Titles - This is a bit of a technical post, provoked by reading a certain novel. In England, pre-Tudors, there was only ever one Prince. The Prince of Wales, when...3 months ago
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About Holly - There is no way to soften the blow of this and Mom never liked euphemisms, so I’m just going to speak plainly. Mom died due to complications from cancer on...4 months ago
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WRAP UP OF HORRORFEST POST, OCTOBER. - Hi all! Thank you so much for posting to WEP's Horrorfest in October. I'm sure everyone enjoyed reading the entries. So good to see so many of the 'oldi...
4 months ago -
Introducing Maneyacts Media - At Maneyacts Media, we specialize in professional video recording for events, seminars, and competitions. With a diverse selection of standard and PTZ (pan...5 months ago
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PhD Milestone 3 at Curtin University - Yesterday I had the pleasure of doing my Milestone 3 presentation for my PhD at Curtin, which is in its final stages before it goes off to be examined. App...6 months ago
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A personal thought on the passing of publishing legend Tom McCormack - The passing of publishing giant Tom McCormack makes me recall the interaction he had with my father, Leonard Shatzkin, from the very beginning of Tom’s p...9 months ago
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Henry of Lancaster and His Children - The close bonds which Edward II's cousin Henry of Lancaster, earl of Lancaster and Leicester, forged with his children have fascinated me for a long time...11 months ago
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Questions from year 9 students - Recently – actually, not very recently but I somehow forgot to write this sooner – I did what has become an annual online Q&A with the Year 9 girls at Bedf...1 year ago
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Flogometer 1180 for Christian—will you be moved to turn the page? - Submissions sought. Get fresh eyes on your opening page. Submission directions below. The Flogometer challenge: can you craft a first page that compels me ...1 year ago
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Storny Weather - I've just been out fixing up the damage from last night's storm. This is pretty much the first time I've been able to spend much time outside and do any...1 year ago
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another review for the Christmas Maze - *The Christmas Maze by Danny Fahey – a Review by David Collis* Why do we seek to be good, to make the world a better place? Why do we seek to be ethi...2 years ago
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Publishing Contracts 101: Beware Internal Contradications - It should probably go without saying that you don't want your publishing contract to include clauses that contradict one another. Beyond any potential l...
2 years ago -
Tara Sharp is back and in audio book - SHARP IS BACK! Marianne Delacourt and Twelfth Planet Press are delighted to announce the fifth Tara Sharp story, a novella entitled RAZOR SHARP, will be ...2 years ago
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Non-Binary Authors To Read: July 2021 - Non-Binary Authors To Read is a regular column from A.C. Wise highlighting non-binary authors of speculative fiction and recommending a starting place fo...3 years ago
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ATTENTION: YOU CAN’T LOG IN HERE - Hey YOU! This isn’t the forum. You’re trying to login to the Web site. THE FORUMS ARE HERE: CLICK THIS The post ATTENTION: YOU CAN’T LOG IN HERE a...3 years ago
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Grants for Writers Masterclass Online - Grants For Writers Masterclass Online Winner of 6 grants, author Karen Tyrrell shares her secrets to Grant Writing for Australian writers and authors. ...5 years ago
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UPDATE ON WORK IN PROGRESS... - *THE FUGITIVE QUEEN * *(title may change!)* The initial draft of this novel has been finished at slightly under 150,000 words, so not quite as long as the...5 years ago
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Productivity - If you're looking for a post on how to be more productive in your writing, this is not it. However, if you're looking for a discussion of how we conceptual...
5 years ago -
HOW TO UPGRADE YOUR LIFE - Stories end. New stories begin. It's fascinating -- the great and small adventures of every day. Honor the place where you're rooted. What stories are f...
5 years ago -
Geoffrey Chaucer - [image: Geoffrey Chaucer] Geoffrey Chaucer *Geoffrey Chaucer* turned into born in 1343, the son of John and Agnes (de Copton) Chaucer. Chaucer was descen...
5 years ago -
#332 - Question: I wrote LOST IN LA as a retelling of Pretty Woman with “modern” social issues, but I don’t know whether to focus on the characters, the fake rel...5 years ago
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Travelin' Man: a new Song & Music-Video from me - There's also a bit of my tongue-in-cheek, philosophy for living in the lyrics - *life should be about the journey, never about arriving. * It's also on Y...5 years ago
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Day 1: Harlequin Presentation - Sue Brockton – Publishing director Jo Mackay – head of local fiction, HQ, Mira, Escape Kita Kemp – Publisher Mills and Boon (ANZ) Nicola Caws – Editor...5 years ago
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#Mayflower400: They that in Ships unto the Sea down go - *Music for the Mayflower* *A guest post by Tamsin Lewis * I direct the early music group Passamezzo [www.passamezzo.co.uk], an established ensemble kno...
5 years ago -
Book review: The Heat, by Sean O’Leary - Jake works nights as a security guard / receptionist at a budget Darwin motel. The job suits him: he has an aptitude for smelling out potential trouble, an...5 years ago
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Portrait of a first generation freed African American family - Sanford Huggins (c.1844–1889) and Mary Ellen Pryor (c.1851–1889), his wife, passed the early years of their lives in Woodford County, Kentucky, and later...5 years ago
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Review of Bell's Much Ado about Nothing - Bell Shakespeare's *Much Ado About Nothing* 2019-07-07 reviewed by Frances, our president. A group from the Shakespeare Club went last week to see the B...5 years ago
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The Girl from the Sea launches: 31 July 2019 - Some of you will already know that my new novella, The Girl from the Sea, is launching on July 31. This book is the prequel to Children of the Shaman an...
5 years ago -
Six Things Writers Need To Stop Worrying About - Some things don't change. When I got my start in this biz, way back in 2002, writers had to get a lit agent to get a publisher, then they did what their pu...5 years ago
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Story Goal, Story Question, and the Protagonist’s Inner Need (Story Structure Part 1) - This is the first article in a series exploring the elements of story structure. Part 1 looks beyond the topics of three-act and mythic structure to a revi...5 years ago
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Assassin’s Apprentice Read Along - This month, in preparation for the October release of the Illustrated 25th Anniversary edition of Assassin’s Apprentice, with interior art by Magali Villan...5 years ago
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Want Booksellers to Stock Your Books? - Booksellers in your community will help you sell your books if you approach them with good sense and a professional approach.5 years ago
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The Scarred King by Rose Foreman - "From the moment he could walk, Bowmark has trained for a fight to the death. The Disc awaits him: a giant bronze platform suspended over a river of l...
5 years ago -
Gratitude, therefore God? - I recently saw a video where a prominent TV personality was interviewing another TV personality who is a self-proclaimed atheist. The interviewer explained...6 years ago
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It's the End of the (Fringe) World As We Know It... - I didn't get to the Fringe World Awards because I was volunteering at another venue at the time, which is also the reason I saw almost none of the shows th...6 years ago
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A Movie That No Writer Should See Alone - Really. REALLY. Trust me on this. particularly since this film, ‘Can you ever forgive me?’, is based on a ‘True story’ – and too many writers will see too...6 years ago
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Catching up on books I've read - Recently I've been looking at some of the books I've enjoyed over the past year or so – and in the process, it's made me realise just how many I've read! M...
6 years ago -
The November Tour Press Release - *Peter Grant is coming to a bookshop near you. * Meet Ben Aaronovitch on his epic tour of Great Britain to celebrate the publication of his upcoming, new ...6 years ago
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Review: Red Harvest - [image: Red Harvest] Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett My rating: 5 of 5 stars An absolute classic featuring the most literate and technically clever of the...6 years ago
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New story at Giganotosaurus - “The Wanderers” – the furry fantasy I wrote for my kids about a couple of fox people who go off in search of the end of the earth (and then have to find th...7 years ago
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First comes painting, Then comes sketching - While enjoying my new acrylics hobby, I started a painting and decided I wanted to include a dragon statue in one of them. There was, though, a hurdle I ha...
7 years ago -
More Cabinet of Oddities News - Back in 2015, I was lucky enough to be part of an amazing collaborative event put together by the talented Dr. Laura E. Goodin. The Cabinet of Oddities, a ...7 years ago
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The One and the Many – every Sunday - My first serious girlfriend came from good Roman Catholic stock. Having tried (and failed) to be raised as a Christian child and finding nothing but lifele...7 years ago
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A Shameless Plug Ian Likes: Bibliorati.com - A little-known fact is that I once had a gig reviewing books for five years. It was for a now-defunct website known as The Specusphere. It was awesome fun:...8 years ago
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10 New Youtube Videos for Medieval Lovers - Volume 2 - We found 10 more new videos on Youtube about the Middle Ages. *Rediscovered: Medieval Books at Birkbeck * This video introduces University of London - Birk...
8 years ago -
2016 Wildflower Calendar – Long List - This is the ‘long list’ for a potential 2017 Wildflower Calendar. They are pictures from suburban Perth, in conservation areas, parks and verge gardens. ...8 years ago
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And Father Dragon said "let there be a planet...." - *Lo and behold, Dragon made a planet!!* Oh, I'm so very proud of myself so forgive me if I brag a little bit - way too much. I'm in the process of learn...
8 years ago -
The Stars Askew - release imminent - Pre-order at Booktopia Just a short post to let you know that I am still alive and writing poetry over at the poetry blog. I also wanted to mention that...
8 years ago -
The Tame Animals of Saturn - It's done. It's in the world! Often, the journey to publication is itself worthy of a book - though it'd be a tiresome book indeed. Still, I'm happy. I co...
8 years ago -
Children learning English as a second language with dyslexia. Lese-rechtschreibeschwache Schüler/innen und Englisch in der Schule. - *"Legasthenie/LRS und Englisch als Fremdsprache* Lese-rechtschreibschwache Schülerinnen und Schüler bekommen in der Regel auch Schwierigkeiten in Englis...9 years ago
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Prompts, Anyone? - I'm a great fan of writing to triggers or prompts so when I was delighted came across something useful on poet Katy Evans-Bush's blog, *Baroque in Hackney....10 years ago
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Cherries In The Snow - This recipe is delicious and can also be made as a diet dessert by using fat and/or sugar free ingredients. It’s delicious and guests will think it took ...12 years ago
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Al Milgrom’s connection to “Iron Man” - Via the Ann Arbor online newspaper - I felt it was worth repeating as a great example of Marvel doing the right thing by a former employee and without the ...
14 years ago
Places I've lived: Manchester, UK
Places I've lived: Gippsland, Australia
Places I've lived: Geelong, Australia
Places I've lived: Tamworth, NSW
Places I've Lived - Sydney
Sydney Conservatorium - my old school
Places I've lived: Auckland, NZ
Places I've Lived: Mount Gambier
Blue Lake
Places I've lived: Adelaide, SA
Places I've Lived: Perth by Day
From Kings Park
Places I've lived: High View, WV
Places I've lived: Lynton, Devon, UK
Places I've lived: Braemar, Scotland
Places I've lived: Barre, MA, USA
Places I've Lived: Perth by Night
From Kings Park
Inner Peace Blog
Awarded by Joanna Fay. Click on the image to visit her lovely website!
Versatile Blogger Award
Awarded by Kim Falconer. Click on the pic to check out her Quantum Astrology blog!
Fabulous Blog Award
Awarded by Kathryn Warner. Click on the pic to check out her Edward II blog!
Wednesday, 18 November 2015
Complaints from a dilettante.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 | 
Posted by
Satima Flavell
I've just been looking, as I often do, at my list of Facebook friends - all 1,177 of them. By anyone's standards, that's a lot of friends.
Why do I have so many 'friends'? It's because I love too many things. I love ballet. I love belly dance. I love Yoga. I love fantasy. I love history. I love reading, writing, reviewing and editing. I love genealogy. I love music. I love poetry. I love Shakespeare. I love animals. I love environmental and political concerns. (On those and related issues, I'm an armchair activist!) I love hanging out with friends, solving the world's problems over coffee - and like the rest of Facebook, I love pictures of, and stories about, animals. I reckon there must be more pictures of cats than of humans in the Facebook world.
Some friends I have only 'met' online, and many I only see at conventions and conferences. Some are old friends from days of yore, many are my relatives. Some I see regularly in meetings, classes and workshops: others I have never met in the flesh and am never likely to do so.
I know that only a very small percentage of my friends will get to read my posts - Facebook only shows each post to a tiny selection of people on our friends lists. I guess they have to keep the octopus that Facebook has become caged somehow! But I can 'drop in'
on any of my 1,177 friends and leave a few 'likes' on their timelines. I
can do the same on pages devoted to the things I love. I can take side
trips to other sites such as Goodreads and that Great Big Firm that
sells books, and report back to Facebook if I find a good review or a
book I want to read.
Yes, I spend far too much time on Facebook, but why not? It has to be the best means ever devised for keeping people in touch.Whatever did we do before it was invented? Not that Facebook is our only choice: however, I'm sorry, Mr Google, but I've never really taken to Google+, and nor am I very interested in Pinterest and other social media sites. I set up my Facebook status to be tweeted for folks who can cope with thousands of messages an hour, but I seldom actually visit Twitter.
Many thanks to Mr Zuckerberg and his friends for their wonderful invention!
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