Friday, November 3, 2017

Towards end-of-year: listings round-up

Largely irrelevant, vaguely seasonal illustration
(rebel robin, does one-bird food riots).
See also "Autumn Listings continued" 
and "More about 1917" 

Announcement from Past Tense:

The 2018 London Rebel History Calendar is now available! Out a bit late, but finally printed.

Rebellious, subversive and campaigning anniversaries from London's radical history...for every day of next year.

It can be bought online at:
http://past-tense.org.uk/past-tense-publications.html

Yours for only £6 plus £3 postage and packing.

It will also soon be hitting the usual radical and independent bookshops around London, (email us if you would like a list) 
and will be buyable from Ak Distribution - https://www.akuk.com
and Active Distribution - http://www.activedistributionshop.org/shop/

UPDATE from Past Tense:

"Rebellious, subversive and campaigning anniversaries from London's radical history...for every day of next year. It can be bought online at: http://past-tense.org.uk/past-tense-publications.html

Yours for only £6 plus £3 postage and packing.
It is also on sale in around 30 radical and independent bookshops and other spaces around London, (email us if you would like a list)

and will be buyable from Ak Distribution - https://www.akuk.com
and Active Distribution - http://www.activedistributionshop.org/shop/

Why not help distribute the Calendar? If you would like a bundle to sell to friends, stroppy grandparents, fellow churchgoers and workmates, we would happy to supply some at a discount, to make if worth your while... just get in touch with us..." <pasttense@riseup.net>


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Inaugural Liberty Lecture with Ali Smith.
[From LibertyOn Tuesday 6 November award-winning author Ali Smith will deliver the first annual Liberty Lecture – with all proceeds supporting work to defend human rights in the UK.
Ali was recently shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017, and has long been a supporter of Liberty. She backed our campaigns against extending pre-charge detention, helped stop Westminster Council criminalising giving free food to homeless people, and contributed a beautiful piece to celebrate our 80th birthday.
On 6 November, after offering her eloquent insight on the latest challenges to our rights and freedoms, Ali will answer questions in a Q&A session chaired by Creative Writing lecturer Dr Nikita Lalwani. Tickets: 
  • £10 Standard rate, £5 Concessions rate (students / unwaged / retired) 
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News from Nowhere Club Meeting
Saturday 11th November 2017
Community-Led Regeneration
Speaker: Simon Myers, CEO of the Gasworks Dock Partnership
"Simon’s talk will include slides, sharing some of his experiences from the grassroots regeneration of Cody Dock in East London. ‘Topics to be covered: the back story to how and why the charity GDP was formed; what was achieved by volunteers and the community; our long term mission and master plan for Cody Dock; what we have learnt and would like to share with others.’"
At the Epicentre, West St E11
7.30pm vegetarian buffet  8pm talk
Please arrive after 7.30pm
Enquiries 0208 555 5248
Free entry
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THE NEWS FROM NOWHERE CLUB
 INVITES YOU TO OUR NEXT MEETING
                     Saturday 9th December 2017
Felting: Adapting a Prehistoric Skill for Modern Art
                    Speaker: Nicola Hughes
  ‘Felting, the ancient process of converting fleece to felted wool, is now a popular hobby and living for many crafts people and artists, such as myself. Whereas the everyday use of wool has decreased considerably with the advent of modern materials, the recent expansion of felting skills is leading to new and exciting uses for wool. This in turn has begun to improve the outlook for sheep farmers and led to an improvement in the fortunes of those rare breeds with specialist wools. This talk will include some practical participation in a small seasonal bit of felt making!’ Please bring a towel and a cup.
 BUFFET (vegetarian) 7.30pm              
TALK 8pm
Free entry                         
Enquiries 0208 555 5248

Venue: Epicentre, West Street E11 4LJ
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Manchester and Salford Anarchist Bookfair 
2 December 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
(The Mary Quaile Club will be running our stall again at  the Manchester and Salford Anarchist Bookfair  which will take place on Saturday 2 December, 11am to 6pm.)

It  is in a new venue, Partisan, 19 Cheetham Hill Road, M4 4FY, which is just 5 minutes walk from Victoria Station. Partisan is a space for independent, community led, DIY and cultural based projects in Manchester. More information http://partisancollective.net/
There will a wide variety of stalls as well as talks.

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From Medact:

Musicians for Peace & Disarmament - Winter Concert for Peace

Dedicated to the memory of Nona Liddell MBE & conducted by Jane Glover CBE

Date: Friday 24th November | Time: 7.30pm - 9.30pm
Venue: St. James’s Church, 197 Piccadilly, London W1 9LL
For full details of the programme and to book tickets see the website or email info.mpdconcerts@gmail.com

NO SAFE HANDS FOR UNSAFE WEAPONS

An ICAN UK [International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weaponsdemonstration to mark Nobel Peace Prize win

Date: Saturday 9th December | Time: 11.00am - noon
Venue: Ministry of Defence, Whitehall, Westminster, London SW1A 2HB
More details to follow but please keep the date free!
And in Manchester (from WCML) - 
Nobel Peace Prize partyThe International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has won the Nobel Prize for Peace 2017.
 CND is a member of ICAN and so Greater Manchester CND are planning to celebrate in style with a party to celebrate the peace movement at the Friends Meeting House6 Mount Street, Manchester, M2 5NS on Saturday 2 December from 2 to 4pm.  There’ll be music from Claire Mooney and RISE!, a visit from Julie Hesmondhalgh, and readings from Hazel Roy.
 Admission free; please bring food to share.
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NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS, Manchester & Salford Branch

FILM SCREENING - Belonging: The Truth Behind The Headlines 

SATURDAY, 25th November 2pm
Three Minute Theatre, Afflecks Arcade, 


This month we will are showing  Belonging: The Truth Behind The Headlines, directed and produced by Morag Livingstone, a BECTU member and also a member of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom's National Council.  More details about the film are here http://www.belonging4us.com/
EVERYONE WELCOME - the film is open to non NUJ members
Belonging: The Truth Behind the Headlines is an investigative feature documentary film about where power lies in the UK.  Re-looking at events around 3 industrial disputes, 3 governments and over 3 decades it shows the impact of government and corporate power on democracy and human rights in the UK.   
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PRESS RELEASE
FROM Letterbox Library a not-for-profit social enterprise -
A Shake Up of Judges for the Little Rebels Award
for Radical Children’s Fiction

The prize for the children’s book which best celebrates social justice is back for its 6th year-with a shake up of the judging panel! Three new judges will be joining the Little Rebels Children’s Book Award: Patrice Lawrence, Emily Drabble and Darren Chetty. This year, the award will be administered by two radical booksellers, Housmans Bookshop and Letterbox Library, on behalf of the Alliance of Radical Booksellers (ARB). Submissions are now open.

Speaking about her appointment, prize-winning YA author, Patrice Lawrence, said, “I am looking forward to being a Little Rebels judge because a story can tilt my world. A picture can open a trove of new ideas for me. I can’t wait to be challenged and provoked by the books coming my way.” Emily Drabble, Head of Children’s Book Promotions/Prizes at BookTrust (formerly co-editor of the Guardian children’s book site) said, “I’m totally passionate about children getting their hands on the best books, books that make them think, and books that will make a difference to the world - and that’s exactly what this award is all about.” Darren Chetty, Teaching Fellow at UCL and contributor to The Good Immigrant and A Change is Gonna Come added, “I’m delighted to be a Little Rebels judge…I know as a reader and a teacher how stories can open up all manner of possibilities, and how they provide solace, escapism and new connections with the world.”

The new judges will be joining award-winning author and scriptwriter, Catherine Johnson, now in her 3rd year of judging, and B.J.Epstein, Senior Lecturer at the University of East Anglia and author of Are the Kids All Right? The Representation of LGBTQ Characters and Young Adults’ Literature.   

Publishers are now being invited to submit children’s fiction for readers aged 0-12 which promote social justice and which were first published in 2017. Full submission guidelines can be found at www.littlerebelsaward.wordpress.com. The closing date for nominations is January 15th 2018.

The Little Rebels Children’s Book Award is a sister award to the Bread & Roses Award for adult non-fiction. Both are the inspiration of the Alliance of Radical Booksellers, a network of radical booksellers in the UK. Prizes will be presented at the 6th London Radical Bookfair on Saturday June 2nd 2018. 

ContactFen Coles info@letterboxlibrary.com
Letterbox Library
Unit 151 Stratford Workshops
Burford Road
Stratford E15 2SP
Tel: 020 8534 7502

Further Information
About the Little Rebels Children’s Book Award
The Little Rebels Award is given by the ARB and was established in conjunction with Letterbox Library. Full details of the award, including the shortlist and prize giving ceremony for previous years, can be found at:  www.littlerebelsaward.wordpress.com.

About Letterbox Library
Letterbox Library is a 34-year-old, not-for-profit, children’s booksellers and social enterprise. They specialise in children’s books which celebrate diversity, equality & inclusion as well as books which promote social justice.  www.letterboxlibrary.com.

About Housmans Bookshop
Housmans Bookshop is one of London’s longest surviving and last remaining radical bookshops. Housmans is a founder member of the ARB. They were awarded the London Independent Bookshop of the Year Award in 2016. www.housmans.com.

About the Alliance of Radical Booksellers (ARB)
The ARB is a supportive community for the UK’s radical booksellers; www.radicalbooksellers.co.uk. The ARB also runs the (adult) Bread & Roses Award for Radical Publishing. www.bread-and-roses.co.uk.

About the London Radical Bookfair
Hosted by the ARB, this fair was run for the first time on May 11th 2013. www.londonradicalbookfair.com .

Significant dates
The closing date for nominations for the Little Rebels Award is Jan 15th 2018; the shortlist will be announced in May 2018; the winner will be announced at the ARB’s London Radical Bookfair on 2nd JUNE 2018.


A young reader, 2007
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From Sparrows' Nest:

Nefarious Notts: Radical Archiving: Stories of Social Protest

We have been asked by the brilliant Nottinghamshire Archives to showcase our collections next week. 
Free entry, booking advised:

Nefarious Notts: Radical Archiving: Stories of Social Protest
Friday, 1st December, 2.30pm at Notts Archives

Visit the Sparrows' Nest website. 
If you wish to contact the Sparrows' Nest please email: info@thesparrowsnest.org.uk


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And in London...
Curating Rebellious Histories

Professor Richard Gaunt (University of Nottingham)
Commentators: Alan Morrison and Peter Ride (University of Westminster)

"How do you bring the classroom and the museum collection together? How does the historian use museum artefacts in teaching or research? How do museums make use of academic expertise? Reflecting on his experiences as 'Curator of Rebellion' in Nottingham Castle, bringing to life the rich collections dealing with rebellious histories and movements from Robin Hood to Chartism, Professor Richard Gaunt (University of Nottingham) will address these issues at an event held under the Museums and Universities Partnership Initiative. Come and learn about interpreting and presenting through objects the protests of groups such as the Luddites or the parliamentary reformers of the 1830s and the challenge of making their causes come to life again. What promises to be a lively discussion will be followed by a drinks reception."

11 December 2017, 5.00pm, room UG04

University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London, W1W 2HW


For details of registration please go to the Eventbrite page: 
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FROM WCML
Working Class Movement Library
51 The Crescent
SalfordM5 4WX

North West Labour Film Festival North West Labour Film Festival 2017 runs from Saturday 4 to Thursday 9 November in Liverpool. It includes a shorts and feature length film contest.
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Invisible Histories

Series continues with a free talk on Wednesday 8 November at 2pm by Dr Andy Clark (Scottish Oral History Centre)The occupation of the factories - women's resistance to factory closure in Scotland, 1981-82. Andy will discuss his research into the wave of factory occupations launched by women in the early ‘80s. At three factories threatened with closure and relocation, the workers took control of the plant and machinery in an attempt to force the companies to change their plans, or to sell them as going concerns. Andy utilised materials held at the Working Class Movement Library as well as original oral history interviews to analyse these underexamined instances of militant resistance, and will discuss the importance of these in the wider historiography of deindustrialisation in central Scotland during this period.


Future Invisible Histories talks are:
22 Nov Cathy Hunt: Brave hearts and missionary zeal - the National Federation of Women Workers 1906-21. Cathy Hunt is a historian and honorary research fellow, Coventry University.
Endemic low pay, deductions and fines, intimidation and insecurity – some of the things women across Britain faced at work in the early 20th century. This talk shows how one union, the all-female National Federation of Women Workers, led by Mary Macarthur, sought not just to help but to encourage activism and fight back at the local level. 

6 Dec                     Neil Faulkner
A people’s history of the Russian Revolution


Full details at www.wcml.org.uk/events.

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Creative writing workshop and poetry book launch


There will be a creative writing workshop, followed by the launch of a new poetry anthology, in the Library annexe on Wednesday 15 November from 1pm to 4.30pm.
Building Bridges is an Arts Council England-funded project that has brought groups of writers from indigenous and migrant/refugee backgrounds together to write creatively about works of art in Greater Manchester, Middlesbrough and Finland. An anthology of work has been produced after a series of events in the various locations led by poets Bob Beagrie, Andy Willoughby, Tony Walsh, Kieren King, Kalle Niinikangas and Esa Hirvonen.
Beagrie and Willoughby will first lead a free creative writing workshop responding to the art of the working class in Salford and Manchester, linking to images from the collection of the Working Class Movement Library, between 1pm and 2.30pm. After that the launch will feature readings from the anthology and contributions from the afternoon workshop participants. Copies of the anthology will be on sale with a 20% discount for this very special event. Free refreshments will be provided by the book's publishers, Ek Zuban Press.
Free; all welcome. If you wish to attend email andy_ekzuban@hotmail.com to confirm a place at the workshop.

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White poppies - The Library has white poppies on sale to visitors until Friday 10 November.
The Peace Pledge Union has been distributing white poppies for peace since 1934. The white poppy remains a symbol of grief for everyone who has been harmed by war but also a symbol of determination to work to abolish war. Proceeds from sales of the poppies will go to the Peace Pledge Union
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Wikipedia edit-a-thon
Following on from last year’s very popular edit-a-thon we are again seeking your help to share knowledge of  significant moments in British history, and invite you to come and spend a day researching and editing Wikipedia.  The event, run jointly by the Library and the People's History Museum, is on Sunday 19 November, 10am to 4pmjust bring a laptop and a packed lunch, and we’ll provide the coffee…  It’s suitable for adults and young people, particularly for those with experience of editing Wikipedia or knowledge of British political history.
 The event is being run in conjunction with Manchester Girl Geeks, a not-for-profit group which organises networking events, talks and hands-on workshops for women and girls with an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and in partnership with Wikimedia UK.  It is is part of UK Parliament Week 2017.
The event, which is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of the Library/Museum’s joint Collecting Cultures project, is free but advance booking is required via Eventbrite at https://votingforchangeeditathon.eventbrite.co.uk, so that we can send you details of how to create a Wikipedia account for yourself in advance of the day.
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Celebrating the bicentenary of William Hone's trials
Join us on Thursday 16 November from 6.30pm to celebrate the bicentenary of a pivotal event in the history of British censorship - when, in December 1817, the radical satirist and publisher William Hone successfully defended himself in three high-profile prosecutions for blasphemous and seditious libel.  Fiona Milne (University of York) will introduce us to Hone’s trials and political satires, examining why the state tried so hard to suppress Hone’s pamphlets, and why Hone’s victory was important.
Katherine Inglis (University of Edinburgh) will explore the case of Henry Vizetelly, prosecuted and imprisoned for obscene libel, for publishing Emile Zola’s works in translation. She will use Vizetelly's case to look at how censorship targeted working-class readers.
The Library has a wealth of related materials in its collections, and there’ll be a chance to handle original documents, including political pamphlets and published editions of trials.
We hope to open up a discussion on these cases and the issues they raise, including censorship, working-class readers, political protest, “forbidden books”, and the changing legal face of censorship in Britain.
UPDATEThere are still a few places left (it's free to sign up) as we mark the bicentenary of a pivotal event in the history of British censorship (Thursday, 16 November from 6.30pm) - when radical satirist and publisher William Hone successfully defended himself in three high-profile prosecutions for blasphemous and seditious libel. 
There will be a chance to handle original documents, including political pamphlets and published editions of trials. And we'll be discussing broader issues around censorship, working class readers, political protest, “forbidden books”, and the changing legal face of censorship in Britain.
It's free - book a place here.
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Celebrate the centenary of the Bolshevik RevolutionThe Communist Party of Britain, North West District is hosting an event in the Library annexe on Saturday 18 November from 1.30 to 4pm, to commemorate and examine the events of 100 years ago.  Speakers will include Liz Payne, National Chair of the Communist Party of Britain, and Navid Shomali of the Tudeh Party of Iran.
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Manchester Martyrs' 150th anniversaryOn 23 November 1867, three Irishmen, Michael O'Brien, William Philip Allen and Michael Larkin, were hanged in public in Salford for the murder of a police sergeant during the rescue of two Fenian leaders.
Although the three were known to be involved with the Irish Republican Brotherhood, there was no evidence that they had been involved in the policeman's killing. All of them protested their innocence to the end, becoming known as the Manchester Martyrs.
The political and historical importance of this episode, and the various ways in which it has been commemorated over the past 150 years, is the focus of a Connolly Association public meeting to be held here in the Library annexe on Thursday 23 November at 6pm.  The talk will be given by Donal Fallon, a historian and writer based in Dublin. He is the biographer of 1916 revolutionary John McBride.
More information about the event here.   And you can head here to the Library blog to read the fascinating story of an unusual item in the Library collection, a maquette (model) of a proposed monument by the Liverpool sculptor, Arthur Dooley, commissioned by the Manchester branch of the Connolly Association. The subject of the piece is a memorial to the Manchester Martyrs.

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Films and conversation with Ken Loach and friendsAlso on Thursday 23 November, from 4pm till midnight at the Moston Miners' Community Arts Centre, there will be an evening of films and conversation with Ken Loach.  Ricky Tomlinson, Smug Roberts, Salford spoken word poet J.B. Barrington and others will also be contributing. Tickets price £20 plus booking fee should be purchased in advance here, and all proceeds are going to Salford Unemployed and Community Resource Centre.
Moston Miners' Community Arts Centre, 35 Teddington Road, Manchester M40 0DJ.
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Talk on John Boyle O'Reilly in Preston
On Wednesday 29 November at 6pm at the Harris Museum in Preston there will be a talk on John Boyle O’Reilly (1844-1890), radical Irish nationalist, author and campaigner who lived in Preston for a few years and retained an affection for the town and the time he spent there.

He later became involved in the militant revolutionary Irish nationalist movement, the Fenians, was imprisoned and transported to Australia from where he escaped, finally settling in Boston in the US. Here he became noted for his literary work and his campaigning for Irish independence and the rights of American workers.
This event will feature display boards highlighting O’Reilly’s adventurous and dramatic life, and will be accompanied by a talk from Dr Máirtín Ó Catháin, Senior Lecturer in Modern Irish History at the University of Central Lancashire.
Free tickets and more details here.
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Southern Voices WW1 exhibition returns
If you missed the exhibition by Southern VoicesOut of the shadows: World War I's hidden voices, when it was here at the Library recently, you have another chance to see it!  The exhibition, exploring the role and experiences of colonised peoples of the British West Indies, Nigeria, India and German and British East Africa during World War I,will be at Manchester Central Library (First Floor), St Peter’s Square, Manchester M2 5PD from 7 December until 24 February. Opening times 9am-8pm Mon-Thurs and 9am-5pm Fri-Sat.
There is also a free opening night event on Wednesday 6 December, including speakers Ahmed El-Hassan (Southern Voices) and Colette Williams (Mbari), plus live performance from Jaydev Mistry (music), Rani Moorthy (dramatised readings) and Kooj Chuhan (VJ projection).  First Floor exhibition from 5.30pm, then speakers and performance from 6.30pm on Ground Floor.  Advance booking is strongly advised:www.hiddenvoicesww1.eventbrite.co.uk.
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From IWCE
Independent Working Class Education Network is planning sessions/Day Schools for early 2018. 
Two ideas are  - 
  • Public Ownership (3 Feb, jointly with We Own It) London
  • "If Jeremy Corbyn become PM - What can we expect in the first 100 days?"
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From History & Policy -
A witness seminar on the NHS; and RHS Public History Prize

The introduction of the NHS Internal Market
5 December 2017 - 13:30 pm - 17:00 pm
The University of Liverpool in London, 33 Finsbury Square, EC2A 1AG

This witness seminar forms part of the Wellcome Trust funded 'Governance of Health' project at the University of Liverpool
The seminar will explore the introduction of the NHS internal market in 1991, which introduced managed competition in the NHS, self-governing hospitals and GP fundholding. The event will bring together leading representatives of the medical profession, civil service, health services management, health economics and government to discuss the origins of the reforms, their aims and their impact. As the NHS faces an uncertain future, what lessons can we learn from one of the most important moments in its recent history?

Confirmed participants include: Professor Nick Bosanquet. Andrew Burchell. Kenneth Clarke MP. Professor Alain Enthoven. Sir Graham Hart. Strachan Heppell. Professor Walter Holland. John James. Kenneth Jarrold. Professor Marshall Marinker. Professor Alan Maynard. Dr John Marks. Bob Nicholls. Dr Geoffrey Rivett. Dr Jonathan Shapiro. Dr Graham Winyard.
Chair: Nick Timmins, Author of The Five Giants

A number of audience places will be available. To apply or for more information please contact p.begley@liverpool.ac.uk

Public History Prize 2017
 Nominations close this week [ending 1st December] for the Royal Historical Society's Public History Prize, which recognises work that promotes public understanding of history and communicates a critical understanding of the past. The categories covered by the Prize include Museums & exhibitions; Film & TV; Radio & podcasts; Online resources; Public debate & policy. Two students prizes, one for undergraduates and one for post-graduates, are available."
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The Kennington Chartist Project

"Next year [2018] is the 170th anniversary of the Chartist rally on Kennington Common, now Kennington Park. A group of local residents, supported by the Friends of Kennington Park, are planning a project to raise awareness of this historical event and its impact, and to generate ideas for future events or memorials in the park. The aim is to represent a wide range of perspectives and to give as many people as possible the chance to contribute ideas. This survey is to see how much people already know about the history, and to ask which kind of activities people might be most interested in. Please share widely, many thanks," 
- The Kennington Chartist Project Steering Group. Please fill in the form here

Updates to listings will follow as they come in.

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