There's nothing like looking up at The Animal Kingdom and seeing a dinosaur smile.
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
The ESPN Wide World of Sport Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort will be expanding by early 2012, according to Walt Disney Co.
"The sports complex is adding four multi-purpose playing fields on the north side of the complex for football, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey. The new fields, which will increase the complex’s outdoor playing fields to more than 30, will be equipped with full lighting and scoreboards, plus digital video boards and audio systems. In addition, lighting will be added to five existing playing fields, increasing potential playing hours for many of the outdoor events that are among the 350 sports events that take place at the complex each year," the company said on its website.
"The demand and popularity of youth sports continues to grow even amid the current economy," Ken Potruck, senior vice president of Disney Sports and Enterprises and Downtown Disney said in a press release.
"The sports complex is adding four multi-purpose playing fields on the north side of the complex for football, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey. The new fields, which will increase the complex’s outdoor playing fields to more than 30, will be equipped with full lighting and scoreboards, plus digital video boards and audio systems. In addition, lighting will be added to five existing playing fields, increasing potential playing hours for many of the outdoor events that are among the 350 sports events that take place at the complex each year," the company said on its website.
"The demand and popularity of youth sports continues to grow even amid the current economy," Ken Potruck, senior vice president of Disney Sports and Enterprises and Downtown Disney said in a press release.
At one time Disney had plans to create standalone hotels, retail centers and parks throughout the country but they no longer have anything on the drawing board, according to an article in the Orlando Sentinel.
Last week the Walt Disney Company scuttled plans to build a 500-room, hotel at the National Harbor.
This decision comes after the Aug. 29 opening of the Aulani resort in Hawaii. The article goes on to discuss the issues involved in creating these hotels and that Disney is still considering building away from the Walt Disney Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
One of the highlights of Fantasmic! in Disneyland is the fire-breathing dragon, which resembles the dragon from "Sleeping Beauty."
When stretched to full height, the dragon stands 45 feet tall, but when waiting for its appearance below the stage it contracts to 22 feet. To get on stage during the finale it takes 35 seconds and the beast sits on a custom-built elevator.
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| ©Steven Liebman |
According to the Disney Parks public relations, the dragon is 32 feet wide and weighs about 18,000 pounds. It is controlled and monitored by four computer systems.
Tri-color LED lights put the gleam in the dragon's eyes and its has a wide range of motion that allows the eyes, ear, mouth, tongue, neck, wings and body to make the beast seem threatening.
To help inflict its terror, the dragon can ignite a 35 foot long plum of fire that lights up the Rivers of America for about 25 seconds.
Check out some more Disney Facts.
The new Disney ship setting sail in March will feature an interactive game on board featuring the Muppets, the Disney Cruise Line News website reports.The Disney Fantasy will debut an interactive game called "The Case of the Stolen Show" in which guests will assist Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo and more than 20 other Muppets find their props and instruments so the Muppets can put on a show.
The ship will also have numerous other technical innovations allowing guests to interact with characters including: animated characters who chat with guests, paintings springing to life and floors that come alive at moments.
Monday, 28 November 2011
A British firm says that it has found a short film of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in its archives. The film has not been seen since World War II, according to an article in The Telegraph of London.The five minute silent film, made in 1928, is called "The Hungry Hobos" and shows Oswald and his friend Peg Leg Pete on a train and hungry. Walt Disney made 26 films of Oswald before starting his own company. Oswald, as we all know, later morphed into Mickey Mouse. The film is going up for sale at an auction house in London.
Mr. Potato Head at the Toy Story Mania ride is one of the most advanced Audio-Animatronic figures created by the Walt Disney Imagineering, according to the Disneyland Public Relations.
Not only was more time spend programming Mr. Potato Head than any other Audio-Animatronic figured created by the imagineering department, it says more lines of dialogue than any other figure created by the department,
In addition, it is the first figure that can remove a body part and re-attatch it. This is done when Mr. Potato head removes his hear. It also has eyes that can look directly at a specific guest when speaking to the person. And when speaking, the mouth appears to form words and vowels as it moves, this is also the first Audio-Animatronic figure to do so.
Sunday, 27 November 2011
There are over 75 choices of eating establishments at Disneyland Resort. They range from the signature dining of Napa Rose to the corn dogs at the Stage Door Cafe.
Here's a quick look at some fun dining facts.
16,000: The number of bottles in the wine cellar at Napa Rose at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and Spa.
14,000: The number of bowls of Charred Nebraska Corn Chowder consumed annually at Storyteller’s Cafe at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.
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| Mickey-shaped beignets at the Mint Julip Bar in New Orleans Square. |
3,000: The number of celebration cakes for birthdays, anniversary and other occasions the Disneyland Resort Central Bakery produces in a year.
250: The number of wedding cakes the Disneyland Resort Central Bakery produces in a year.
200: The height in feet etched if all the popcorn popped in Disney California Adventure park every two days was stacked.
55: The percentage of kids entrees at table-service restaurants that are healthy-option choices.
1: Number of years it take for the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street, U.S.A., in Disneyland Park to sell enough ice cream to build a full-size replica of the park’s Matterhorn mountain.
1: The number of months it takes for the Blue Ribbon Bakery on Main Street, U.S.A., in Disneyland Park to sell enough coffee to to fill all the teacups in Fantasyland’s Mad Tea Party attraction.
Saturday, 26 November 2011
The popular Beatles tribute band The British Invasion finished its run at The United Kingdom pavilion at Epcot on April 30. The band was replaced by The British Revolution.
The term British Invasion was coined to described the number of rock and roll, bear, pop and rock performers from the U.K. who came to the U.S. from 1964 to 1966.
Did you you know that includes 37 different bands. Can you name them all?
Here's The British Invasion performing "Hard Days Night." The first part of the concert series is them playing "Help."
The term British Invasion was coined to described the number of rock and roll, bear, pop and rock performers from the U.K. who came to the U.S. from 1964 to 1966.
Did you you know that includes 37 different bands. Can you name them all?
Here's The British Invasion performing "Hard Days Night." The first part of the concert series is them playing "Help."
Friday, 25 November 2011
The British Invasion ended its run at Epcot in Walt Disney World after performing for 14 years. The band performed numerous covers of The Beatles in the gazebo behind the Great Britain Pavilion.
They covered classic Beatles songs as well as music from other British groups that were part of the Rock bands and performers from the United Kingdom who came to the U.S. from 1964 to 1966. Here is the band playing "Help." You can also watch them playing "Hard Days Night."
They covered classic Beatles songs as well as music from other British groups that were part of the Rock bands and performers from the United Kingdom who came to the U.S. from 1964 to 1966. Here is the band playing "Help." You can also watch them playing "Hard Days Night."
Thursday, 24 November 2011
For nearly 85 years large balloons have been walked down New York City streets as part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. For a brief period those large balloons were brought to the Disney-MGM Studios, when it was was called that.
In 1992, Kermit, the Frog, Betty Boop, Santa Goofy and Humpty Dumpty all hung out out along the old New York Street backlot. Eventually, the balloons and parade moved to Universal Studios.
All photos here were taken during the 1992 trip.
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
The Walt Disney World Resort has been turned into a winter wonderland this holiday season. Here is a look at what you'll find.
8.5 million lights strung throughout Walt Disney World Resort
300,000 yards ribbon and bows draping over Christmas trees across property
1,314 wreaths hung throughout the resort
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| The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Hollywood Studios |
1,300 decorated trees throughout property
800 performers participate each night during Candlelight Processional at Epcot
365 days of the year that guests can shop for holiday merchandise at the Disney’s Days of Christmas shop in Downtown Disney Marketplace
200 guest choirs participate during the entire run of Candlelight Processional
100 percent of the lighting used for holiday decor is LED
150 tractor-trailer truckloads of decorations for 24 resorts, 4 theme parks, Downtown Disney and other locations
25 foot wide Christmas tree in the Magic Kingdom
15 miles of garland strung throughout Disney World
11 countries dressed for Holidays Around the World at Epcot World Showcase
10 miles of twinkling rope lights in the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
6 life-sized creations cooked up by Walt Disney World pastry chefs
1 life-size gingerbread carousel at Disney’s Beach Club Resort featuring ponies made of chocolate and fondant, giant candy cane poles, handcrafted poinsettias and hand-painted portraits of famous Disney characters
Source: Walt Disney World News
Monday, 21 November 2011
This ambassadorship is not one that is appointed by the President to represent the United States in a far away land. This is post is probably one more people would desire - to be a Disney Ambassador.
The ambassador program is a tradition that began at the Disneyland Resort in 1965 when Walt Disney realized the need for an official representative of Disneyland. Up until 1994 there was just one Disneyland Ambassador at time, but after that teams were appointed. And the program has expanded.
Currently, each of Disney's resort destinations around the world has an Ambassador, according to the Disney Parks blog, whose full-time duties include participating in more than 200 events each year.The events include cast member recognition ceremonies, grand openings, marketing events, special promotions and media interviews.
Jolie Hales and Rene Torrico are the current ambassadors. Scott Wolf has interviews with them and all the history of the ambassador program on his site.
The ambassador program is a tradition that began at the Disneyland Resort in 1965 when Walt Disney realized the need for an official representative of Disneyland. Up until 1994 there was just one Disneyland Ambassador at time, but after that teams were appointed. And the program has expanded.
Currently, each of Disney's resort destinations around the world has an Ambassador, according to the Disney Parks blog, whose full-time duties include participating in more than 200 events each year.The events include cast member recognition ceremonies, grand openings, marketing events, special promotions and media interviews.
Jolie Hales and Rene Torrico are the current ambassadors. Scott Wolf has interviews with them and all the history of the ambassador program on his site.
The holiday season transformation at the Walt Disney World Resort means more than 15 miles of garland draped with 300,000 yards of ribbon on more than 1,500 holiday trees.Now, those trees are, which are located not only in the parks but all the resorts, have more than 700,000 LED lights. According to Disney, if you were to string the bulbs end to end the strand would stretch for 96 miles.
An intricate, life-size gingerbread house cooked up by Walt Disney World pastry chefs is constructed at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. The shack is baked with 1,050 pounds of honey, 600 pounds of powdered sugar, 35 pounds of spices and more
A magnificent gingerbread carousel complete with chocolate and soft-candy ponies and oversized candy-cane poles takes center stage at Disney’s Beach Club Resort.
Sunday, 20 November 2011
For the first time the Disney Vacation Club annual mixer will be held inside a park at Walt Disney World.
According to DVC member website, the mixer will take place inside EPCOT at the World Showcase Pavilion between Canada and the United Kingdom pavilions. Usually, the mixers have been held outside of EPCOT at the International Gateway entrance.The events are taking place on Tuesday's Nov. 29, Dec. 6., Dec. 13 and Dec. 20 between 3 and 5 p.m. Dec. 20 is a blackout date for Florida Resident Seasons and weekday selected passes.
A little more than 20 years ago the SpectroMagic evening parade was unveiled at the Magic Kingdom in the Walt Disney World Resort. Similar to the Main Street Electrical Parade, the 20-minute parade, contained about 36 floats with over 100 miles of fiberoptic strands, 600,000 miniature lights, 204 speakers and 72,000 watts of speaker power.
The parade's first run was from Oct. 1, 1991 to May 21, 1999 and then from April 2, 2001 to June 5, 2010. The nighttime parade now at Magic Kingdom is the Main Street Electrical Parade.
Friday, 18 November 2011
As we celebrate Mickey Mouse's birthday today it's time to review the fond memories of the 83-year-old icon - and his wardrobe.
If you are in Walt Disney World or Disnelyand spend the day spotting Mickey and count how many different outfits you see him wearing. If you are at home, pull out your photos and again count the get-ups.
According to Disney, Mickey has more than 290 different costumes ranging from a scuba suit to a tuxedo to a safari outfit. Yes, Mickey is a clothes mouse. He always seeks to have the best ensemble around, even more so than Minnie Mouse. You see his steady girl's closet is only filled with a little more than 200 outfits - from evening wear to a cheerleader costume.
I would hate to have to carry his luggage.
If you are in Walt Disney World or Disnelyand spend the day spotting Mickey and count how many different outfits you see him wearing. If you are at home, pull out your photos and again count the get-ups.
According to Disney, Mickey has more than 290 different costumes ranging from a scuba suit to a tuxedo to a safari outfit. Yes, Mickey is a clothes mouse. He always seeks to have the best ensemble around, even more so than Minnie Mouse. You see his steady girl's closet is only filled with a little more than 200 outfits - from evening wear to a cheerleader costume.
I would hate to have to carry his luggage.
Thursday, 17 November 2011
For the past few years during the holidays Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World is adorned with 200,000 holiday lights. The LED lights are attached to more than 40,000 square feet of fisherman’s net dyed to match the colors of the castle. To bring the lights together 18 miles of electrical cable is used. And, according to the Disney Parks blog, it’s all run on the amount of power that it takes to run three clothes dryers.
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
After heading "home" to Disney World every year for almost 20 years, my wife and I decided it was time to make a pilgrimage to the "Happiest Place on Earth." So in October we made our first extended visit to the Disneyland Resort.
It's impossible not to compare the two, even though we know that's not fair, because there is a major size difference and 16 years between the opening of Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom. Below are some of the differences we noticed. Go here for the Ride Rundown.
1. The one fear we had was that there was not going to be enough to do to keep us busy for five days, but that was never a problem. We were endlessly entertained.
2. The queues in California are primarily outdoors, while in Florida they are primarily inside the buildings where the attractions are located. This even goes for rides like Space Mountain. Some of the newer rides such as Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin have more elaborate themed queue similar to those in Disney World. The reasons are obvious: the park is small; many of the attractions were built in the 1950s, before today's massive crowded; and the average rainfall is 11 inches in Aneheim versus 48 in Orlando (plus: no hurricanes in California).
3. There are fewer FastPass rides in California. Even some rides that consistently have 45- to 60-minute lines don't offer FastPass. This did become a bit annoying since getting a FastPass is almost always the easy way to get on a ride.
4. After seeing Cinderella's Castle all these years towering 189 feet above Main Street USA, Sleeping Beauty Castle looks more like the summer cottage at a mere 77 feet high. This is not a knock against the castle, but looking down Main Street and not seeing the dominant spires does make it seem a bit empty.
5. There is more attention to detail at Disneyland than in the Magic Kingdom. Yes, there are a lot of bells and whistles at MK and great-behind-the-scenes stuff, but there does not seem to be an inch of "dead" space in Disneyland. This also may be because the park is smaller, but there are gems throughout the park: the sounds of a piano student getting a music lesson in the cul de sac near the Main Street Cone Shop; dancing musical fountains near Pixie Hollow; or Snow White Grotto.
6. Hand stamps. You may have thought that was a quaint practice that went out of style with Disney, but you still need to get your hand stamped for re-entry in California.
7. Disneyland always seemed mobbed. This could be our imagination, but it seemed like there were people everywhere, and even when it was supposed to be a light week, it didn't feel that way.
8. There is no better-located hotel in all the Disney Universe than Disney's Grand Californian, situated just a short jaunt to Disneyland and actually inside the California Adventure park and Downtown Disney.
9. The shopping at Disney World is much better. Maybe that's just because it is much bigger, but the variety of stores and merchandise were disappointing in Disneyland.
10. Disney World has more fine dining, while Disneyland is a great noshing park (love those corn dogs).
11. California Adventure gives more of a Universal Studios vibe than anything else. If you haven't been to Universal's original Florida park, it's designed around a lagoon and is a little lacking in E-ticket rides, although Disney is clearly changing that with the addition of Cars land.
12. Disneyland is your neighborhood park rather than your vacation destination. The kids come out on Friday nights for dates, adults will take a day off to celebrate a birthday, parents take the toddlers for the day -- it is exactly as Walt intended.
It's impossible not to compare the two, even though we know that's not fair, because there is a major size difference and 16 years between the opening of Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom. Below are some of the differences we noticed. Go here for the Ride Rundown.
1. The one fear we had was that there was not going to be enough to do to keep us busy for five days, but that was never a problem. We were endlessly entertained.
2. The queues in California are primarily outdoors, while in Florida they are primarily inside the buildings where the attractions are located. This even goes for rides like Space Mountain. Some of the newer rides such as Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin have more elaborate themed queue similar to those in Disney World. The reasons are obvious: the park is small; many of the attractions were built in the 1950s, before today's massive crowded; and the average rainfall is 11 inches in Aneheim versus 48 in Orlando (plus: no hurricanes in California).
3. There are fewer FastPass rides in California. Even some rides that consistently have 45- to 60-minute lines don't offer FastPass. This did become a bit annoying since getting a FastPass is almost always the easy way to get on a ride.
4. After seeing Cinderella's Castle all these years towering 189 feet above Main Street USA, Sleeping Beauty Castle looks more like the summer cottage at a mere 77 feet high. This is not a knock against the castle, but looking down Main Street and not seeing the dominant spires does make it seem a bit empty.
5. There is more attention to detail at Disneyland than in the Magic Kingdom. Yes, there are a lot of bells and whistles at MK and great-behind-the-scenes stuff, but there does not seem to be an inch of "dead" space in Disneyland. This also may be because the park is smaller, but there are gems throughout the park: the sounds of a piano student getting a music lesson in the cul de sac near the Main Street Cone Shop; dancing musical fountains near Pixie Hollow; or Snow White Grotto.
6. Hand stamps. You may have thought that was a quaint practice that went out of style with Disney, but you still need to get your hand stamped for re-entry in California.
7. Disneyland always seemed mobbed. This could be our imagination, but it seemed like there were people everywhere, and even when it was supposed to be a light week, it didn't feel that way.
8. There is no better-located hotel in all the Disney Universe than Disney's Grand Californian, situated just a short jaunt to Disneyland and actually inside the California Adventure park and Downtown Disney.
9. The shopping at Disney World is much better. Maybe that's just because it is much bigger, but the variety of stores and merchandise were disappointing in Disneyland.
10. Disney World has more fine dining, while Disneyland is a great noshing park (love those corn dogs).
11. California Adventure gives more of a Universal Studios vibe than anything else. If you haven't been to Universal's original Florida park, it's designed around a lagoon and is a little lacking in E-ticket rides, although Disney is clearly changing that with the addition of Cars land.
12. Disneyland is your neighborhood park rather than your vacation destination. The kids come out on Friday nights for dates, adults will take a day off to celebrate a birthday, parents take the toddlers for the day -- it is exactly as Walt intended.
The eternal debate has always and will always take place as to which rides are better when comparing Disneyland and Disney World. There are some subtle differences between a few of the rides, some are no different, but the cues will make one appear better and some are extremely different, such as the extra time on the Pirates of the Caribbean.
Below a quick look at 17 rides that appear in both locations and a quick handicap. Note there are plenty of other rides that are in both locations and plenty of other opinions. Check out some links below to other people's thoughts. Here's a better look at Disneyland through the eyes of Walt Disney World fan for my full impression of Disneyland Walt Disney World.
- Touring Plans gives you and idea of the 10 rides that are better at Disneyland than Walt Disney World.
- Disneygeek gives a larger rundown of comparisons.
- Mouse Planet gives you its ride by ride comparison.
Monday, 7 November 2011
This Spud's for you.
He's larger-than-life in more ways than one. Mr. Potato Head welcomes, cajoles and distracts everyone in line at Toy Story Mania in Disney's Hollywood Studios and Toy Story Midway at California Adventure. The nearly 5-foot Audio Animatronic figure gives you his special "Boardwalk Barker" routine explaining how the attraction is "a ride. It's a game. It's a game. It's a ride."
He's larger-than-life in more ways than one. Mr. Potato Head welcomes, cajoles and distracts everyone in line at Toy Story Mania in Disney's Hollywood Studios and Toy Story Midway at California Adventure. The nearly 5-foot Audio Animatronic figure gives you his special "Boardwalk Barker" routine explaining how the attraction is "a ride. It's a game. It's a game. It's a ride."
Sunday, 6 November 2011
One of the great things about going to Disney World or Disneyland is that you never know what you're going to find down any given street (well, you can if you have the entertainment schedule handy), but once in a while you'll get to a place where there are not a lot of people and you get to enjoy things like this - Mickey and Minnie Mouse dancing.
Saturday, 5 November 2011
A the New Orleans Square railroad station in Disneyland is the Telegraph Cable Office. And every few minutes the tapping of the telegraph takes place. What some may not know is the taps in Morse code are part of Walt Disney's 1955 opening day speech.
But for years, it had been wrong until an amateur ham radio operator deciphered it and found the mistake. Finally it was changed.
Text of Walt Disney's Opening Day Speech:
“To all who come to this happy place. Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past. And here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America...with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world. Thank You.”
But for years, it had been wrong until an amateur ham radio operator deciphered it and found the mistake. Finally it was changed.
“To all who come to this happy place. Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past. And here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America...with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world. Thank You.”
When Walt Disney received an anonymous gift of marble figurines from Italy depicting Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs he knew that he wanted to display them at Disneyland, but there was a problem. All of them, from Snow White to Sleepy, to Doc and to Dopey, were the same size.
How could a royal princess be the same size as the dwarfs? Not going to happen.
According to the Disney Parks Blog, Disney designer John Hench was tasked to find the solution. It was a solution used throughout the park - forced perspective (a technique used to create an optical illusion to make objected appear farther away, closer, larger or smaller). So Snow White was placed on top of the Grotto looking down upon her co-stars and from the foot bridge she looks perfectly proportioned to the dwarfs.
Who sent the original statues? It is still unknown. Some believe it was a soap manufacturer giving thanks for the licensing rights, but at this point, nothing official has been documented.
Other quick facts: The song "I'm Wishing" is on a continuous loop every few minutes and echoes back from the Wishing Well. And the money coins tossed into the well goes to local charities.
How could a royal princess be the same size as the dwarfs? Not going to happen.
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| ©Steven Liebman |
According to the Disney Parks Blog, Disney designer John Hench was tasked to find the solution. It was a solution used throughout the park - forced perspective (a technique used to create an optical illusion to make objected appear farther away, closer, larger or smaller). So Snow White was placed on top of the Grotto looking down upon her co-stars and from the foot bridge she looks perfectly proportioned to the dwarfs.
Who sent the original statues? It is still unknown. Some believe it was a soap manufacturer giving thanks for the licensing rights, but at this point, nothing official has been documented.
Other quick facts: The song "I'm Wishing" is on a continuous loop every few minutes and echoes back from the Wishing Well. And the money coins tossed into the well goes to local charities.
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Mickey Mouse first met Minerva "Minnie" Mouse (no relation) in the 1928 short "Plane Crazy." The young flapper mouse was invited on Mickey's plane. During the flight he requests a kiss, but she doth protest. Eventually Mickey tricks her into a kiss. Her reaction is to do what any good natured mouse would do - parachute out of the plane.
While Minnie was a bit reluctant at first to accept any affection from Mickey, they have grown a lot closer during the past 83 years. The perpetual couple have never tied the knot - hey what's taking so long?
Here Mickey gives Minnie a little kiss after a dance on Main Street in Disnelyand.
While Minnie was a bit reluctant at first to accept any affection from Mickey, they have grown a lot closer during the past 83 years. The perpetual couple have never tied the knot - hey what's taking so long?
Here Mickey gives Minnie a little kiss after a dance on Main Street in Disnelyand.
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