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Oil Drilling and the Election

So you think the politicians are pushing the Offshore Drilling idea because it is something that will make the price of gas go down? I guess you also believed that in the 2004 election, that this Administration was going to do something about Gay Marriage? The reality of what this Offshore drilling talk as ONLY about is a hot button issue to get people to vote a certain way. After they are in office do you think anyone is going to be so stupid as to drill for oil off the coasts of California or Florida? It is not going to happen!

You have to understand that the price of oil is all about the market. India, China, Thailand, Malaysia are coming on-line and using more and more petroleum everyday increasing market demand and decreasing available supplies. Drilling off-shore is not going to change that. Just for argument sake, let’s say we start drilling for domestic oil. OK, we get more oil. The price of oil is based on the global market pricing. Do you think that if we had a local surplus of oil, which by the way is never going to happen no matter how many holes we put in the ground, that the oil companies are not going to sell that surplus to the highest bidder no matter where that could be?! Of course they will They are a company in business to make money. Will it bring down the price of oil to do more drilling? Of course not. It just allows the oil companies to get more oil to sell and make more money. Now you have Florida and California beaches that have a nice film of escaped oil on them. So much for the tourism economies of these two states!

It is just not going to happen! These guys are just pushing people’s buttons to get them to do something that is actually against their better interests. It reminds me of when I was back in grade school. The class Smartelic would mess with the kids that were easily upset over petty little things that aren’t true or don’t’ really matter. We are supposed to be grown up now. Let’s act like it. Wouldn’t it be better if there was more talk about important issues like getting out of Iraq, taking care of Guantanamo, and getting a handle on the mortgage crisis?

What should we do with oil companies windfall profits and tax breaks? Since these companies have sweet heart deals with the U.S. Government to get their tax breaks, we need to renegotiate these deals so that if they want the tax breaks, they have to give back as well. Whenever they have windfall profits, they should be required to use that money to do research and development into alternative energy resources.

So when it comes time to vote, please remember what you read here and understand the truth of the matter. This is a “hot button” issue and that is all it is. Please vote for what is good for YOU. This issue has everything to do with Oil companies and their profits. Not your profit!

Addition comments on this subject can be found at the NY Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/opinion/19thu1.html

You are Invited and More than Welcome to also Please Post your Comments about this article originally posted at: http://i-shoptheworld.com/2008/05/31/save-gas-and-money-shop-online/

Michael S. DeVries is the Founder of I-ShopTheWorld.com (http://www.I-ShopTheWorld.com )

Investment Property Mortgages - Foreclosures ‘R’ Us

If you’ve been involved in real estate investing for any length of time, chances are you have tried to obtain 100% investment property mortgages. If you have made the effort recently, you know that these 100% loans are becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible to find. The reason is simple- these 100% investment property mortgages default at a much higher rate than most other types of mortgage, and the end result is often foreclosure.

This puts many investors in the unenviable position of ‘motivated seller’ and forces them to look for creative ways to unload their property, in many cases even phoning other investor’s ‘We Buy Houses’ hotlines. These circumstances give rise to a vicious circle of investors, feeding off one another, giving the entire industry a black eye in the process.

These scenarios are being played out in cities across America (and also Australia), and investment property mortgages, particularly 100% loans, are taking a bad hit. Lenders are eliminating these products from their portfolio of services in droves, and investors are scrambling to find alternate sources of funds.

One such source is Private Money. Another, the self-directed IRA, allows investors to use their own retirement funds for real estate investments. Investment property mortgages and creative loans from sources other than institutional lenders and mortgage brokers are increasing at a record pace.

But are these alternatives to investment property mortgages a good idea?

If used wisely, they can be, but there may be a wiser way of looking at the situation. First, we need to examine the question of why investors would need investment property mortgages for 100% of the appraised value of the property in the first place. The only real answer to that question is that too many investors have been overpaying for their properties.

The real estate bubble, and rapidly rising property values, caused a buying frenzy by investors in many areas of the country. This rush spilled over, even into areas where there was no true bubble. Now that the bubble has burst in most areas, investors are feeling the pinch. The old tactic of buying at market value and letting the fast-rising market build in your profit no longer works… in many cases it NEVER worked.

The ONLY way to guarantee profit, and avoid the meltdown that comes with over-paying, is to buy value. The investor must do his or her homework and buy for well under market value. Then he will have no need for 100% investment property mortgages. When you routinely buy your properties for 80% of market or less, obtaining investment property mortgages becomes much less problematic. You have a greater selection of loan products to choose from, and qualifying is much less stringent.

The moral of the story? Buy value, and do your homework.

This is Emil from investing-in-property.com coming to you with this article on property investment. If you’d like to find out more please visit my website.

How What I Know About Airedales Has Made a Difference

I’m not going to say I’m an expert on Airedale Terriers. I’m not a breeder. I’m not a trainer. And I’m not a dog show judge. But Airedales have been a part of my family since I was child, so what I know about them is what I’ve learned from living with them.

As an adult, my husband and I have had four Airedales — two of them have passed and we have two now — Amber and Krissy. Each one came to us in a different way - Bernie came from a backyard breeder, Max came from a shelter, Amber came from an AKC breeder and Krissy came from rescue. Yes, they all could be described with the typical Airedale traits - smart, playful and determined. But what made these Airedales so unforgettable is not how they were the same, but how they were different.

Max had the most unusual color — his coat was what is called black and grizzle and though that is not the AKC standard, he was beautiful. His furnishings were very thick and he never grew out of his puppy black ears. Max was also the most happy-go-lucky guy. It didn’t matter what happened in life; he was always able to get up each day and wag his tail. This was one of the most important lessons we learned from him and it was the inspiration for my book, Life to the Max: Maxims for a Great Life by a Dog named Max, which was recently published.

Bernie and Amber had and have the typical Airedale black and tan markings, but Bernie’s furnishings were always thin and scraggly, while Amber’s are beautiful and full. Bernie was sweet, patient and razor sharp. Out of the five Christmas stockings we would hang for the family, including the one for Max, she could pick out hers and she would lay under it all night until Christmas morning when her patience would be rewarded. Bernie was stocky, her tail was docked too short and one of her ears was higher than the other, yet she was graceful, gentle and loving. From Bernie, we learned the meaning of unconditional love and how to be good parents.

In contrast, Amber was our rebellious teenager. She really gave form to the depiction of the Airedale “Terror.” Though perfectly proportioned, she was a clumsy puppy — she ran into walls, she fell off steps and her impulsive exuberance got her into trouble more than once. Like the time when we were all gathered around the pool and Amber spotted my son on the other side. Convinced she could walk on water, she took off running toward him and plunged head first into the pool. Thank goodness, we were there to fish out the surprised little puppy.

Amber has also been the most pig-headed of our Airedales. To this day, she has not mastered “come.” Instead she sits down and looks at us like, “What’s your ulterior motive?” When she was about four, she began to calm down and now that Krissy has joined the fray, her patience is really emerging. (One of Krissy’s tricks is to grab one of Amber’s back legs in her mouth and Amber just stands there until she lets go.) Amber has taught us the value of loving, but firm discipline — something that’s been invaluable now that our son is a teenager.

Krissy is a spunky, very petite one-year-old Airedale — the smallest we’ve ever had. Like Bernie, her furnishings are very sparse and her ears are asymmetrical, but her straight, coarse fur is totally different than any of the Airedales who have owned us previously. She does not have the typical Airedale beard or furry muzzle, so her face and body look more sleek and pointy. At first when I introduced her to friends, I found myself almost apologizing for her looks, “Well, we’re not sure if she’s really an Airedale.” Afterwards, I found myself blanching at the thought that I had become a doggy bigot! Of course, it didn’t really matter - Krissy had already captured my heart with her soulful eyes, her funny, prancing little walk and her big guttural sighs that sound like a cow mooing.

Still with all this dissimilarity among our dogs, it made me wonder: were these dogs really Airedales?

My question led me to do some research on the Web and to discover Joyce Miller, a long-time Airedale enthusiast who runs a website (dearjubilee) that offers advice, articles and links on all things dog and Airedale. She is as full of insight, wisdom and energy as any of the Airedales she once bred. After sending her pictures of my dogs, I asked if these dogs were indeed all Airedales. “No doubt they are Airedales,” she replied, “I have seen these variations in the same litter.”

After long conversations with Joyce talking about genetic anomalies and reading more Airedale history, this is what I now know: just because you’ve had one Airedale, it doesn’t mean they’re all the same. Just like people, they are all individuals and enjoying their diversity instead of expecting exact conformity is a lesson we can apply to life. If we were all the same, imagine how boring that would be! That may be the one thing we’re supposed to learn from Krissy. All I know is that I’ve learned something special from every wonderful animal that has been part of my life. And it’s made all the difference.

Robin Reynolds is an award-winning writer who has more than 25 years of experience writing in a variety of formats. An Airedale Terrier lover since youth, Robin lives in Tempe, AZ with her husband, teenage son, and two Airedales. Visit Nice Creative and Life to Max.

Dog Training: Biting Furniture

A sometimes cute but other times quite infuriating habit that some dogs have it to constantly bite the corners of furniture. Sometimes this is something that helps them such as times when they are only puppies and don’t know any better. He could also be in pain from the changes his teeth are going through. That in a way is excusable but there are other times when he is already at an old enough age where biting the corners of expensive furniture just wont do. You worked hard to be able to purchase them and you don’t need them to go to waste because your pet has a very bad habit of destroying it.

There are a lot of people who try to correct this problem but not by the means in which they are supposed to but by hitting the animal. This isn’t acceptable because for one it puts you at risk or being attacked if he decided to and secondly it is just inhumane to beat an animal for your own mistakes.

What I mean by your own mistakes is that this bad behavior is partly if not mostly your fault. Animals especially dogs follow the pack mentality which simple says that they have a leader of their group and whatever he says goes. When you own a pet you need to be able to provide that kind of leadership otherwise he will take it upon himself to do so. The conflict is essentially caused by this struggle of leadership because he thinks he is the pack leader and you think that he should be doing what you say which in a way is also the pack leader mentality.

So in order for this bad behavior to stop you need to establish yourself in his mind as the pack leader. You already know that you are the pack leader and now it’s time that you convince him of the same. The way to do that is to simply take a walk. This has to be the simplest way to do it but it is also the best way to establish who the leader is and who the follower is. Don’t be fooled by how simple this sounds. It is nowhere near simple and will take a lot of work and a lot of patience.

When you go out to the walk you first need to make sure that he walks beside you and not in front of you. Secondly and certainly important is the act of correction. When he does something that you don’t approve of such as pulling you, you need to stop him and correct him to make sure he knows that he did something that the pack leader didn’t approve of. Doing this consistently is the best way to establish yourself as the leader and make him aware that the next time he decides to bite the furniture of the pack leader there will be severe consequences for him performing that action. You must make sure of that.

This author lives in Flemington, NJ with her husband and 5 month old daughter and is an expert contributing author for a luxury dog feeders boutique offering variety of dog beds and dog couches.

Dog Training: Pooping At Home

There have been many instances where people have told me that they have a problem with their dog going to the bathroom in their homes. This especially becomes bad if you have carpet and he has chosen a spot that he likes which also includes carpet. This is very difficult to clean up and even if you cleaned it the smell is something that goes everywhere. It stays in the carpet and is one of the hardest things to remove. This article is not about how to clean your carpet but more importantly it is about how to prevent this from happening in the very first place.

The bad thing is that most people that are faced with this problem often think that the animal is responsible for it and they haven’t done anything to cause this problem. They would essentially be very wrong. All behavior whether they be good or bad start with you even if you don’t realize you had anything to do with it. This is one of those times when you need to step back and think about what it is that you have been doing that could have caused this. If your pet is constantly pooping on your carpet its time you did something about it.

The best way to establish the pack leader follower mentality is to go out for a walk. Now you might be reading this and wondering what exactly a walk is going to do for you but let’s think about it for a minute and follow an example. When you go out you need to make sure that your pet doesn’t walk in front of you and drag you around. You need to remember that you are walking him and not the other way around. If he has a problem where he likes to pull make sure you hold the leash with two hands and always make sure you make him walk next to you. You also need to practice saying to yourself that you are the leader and he is not and that way even if you don’t notice it you will begin to exude a leader mentality that your pet will respond to.

He can sense things like this and he will start to cooperate more and more if you are persistent and always make sure you think that way. If your pet does something that is not appropriate or is something you don’t approve of such as trying to pull you, you need to make sure that you stop him and correct that behavior because if you don’t it will make him think that it is ok. Remember that a pack leader does not allow things that he doesn’t like. He will correct the problem by letting his pack know that he doesn’t like it.

That is what you also need to do in order to have your pet see you as the leader and not disobey you. By doing this you will notice that the pooping in your home will slowly start especially when it is corrected. Always let him know that you are the pack leader and he is not.

This author lives in Flemington, NJ with her husband and 5 month old daughter and is an expert contributing author for a luxury dog feeders boutique offering variety of dog beds and personalized dog beds.

Dog Training: Urinating At Home

If you are a dog owner and you have a problem with your friend urinating in your home, this article is definitely for you. This bad habit can be the worst because just the smell alone can be something so difficult to get out. You might be able to clean up the mess but if you have carpet the smell will be something that will always linger. There are a lot of people that will solve this problem by just buying a well made cleaner to take care of the smell and hope that he out grows this phase but this is the wrong way to go because it is only reinforcing this behavior to him. This is the first and foremost thing that people need to understand about their pets. They are a bread of animals that react to leaders and when a leader see’s a behavior that is unacceptable he corrects it and makes sure they understand this. He also enforces the notion that there are consequences to this behavior should it happen again.

This is where you come in. You need to be the leader that he looks to for guidance. You need to be the leader who corrects him and keeps him in place and in check. He looks to you for that and the problems arise when you cant provide that. The problem I am referring to is your pet taking the role as leader from you because you didn’t embrace it. This simple task is what causes all these problems because your pet thinks that he can do whatever he wants because in his head he is the leader and you don’t think that because in your head you think you are the leader. This conflict causes your pet to misbehave.

The best way to eliminate this problem is to take control of your pet. You need to embrace and resume the active role of pack leader because that is the only way that he will listen to your corrections and obey commands. This will also cause him to take your threat of consequences seriously. There have been many dogs that didn’t seem to take any of these seriously and just went about doing what they wanted to do. The best way to show your pet that you are the leader is to think it yourself. If you were to think that you are the leader and actually believe it yourself, you will unknowingly exude that kind of feeling. Animals and especially dogs can pick up on this feeling.

Another way is to simply take him out for a walk. During this walk you need to make sure that anything that he does is corrected and you need to make sure he knows this. You need to stop him and correct any behavior you don’t like. As you keep doing this it will translate to the home. You will see that he has stopped urinating everywhere because he knows that the pack leader would not allow such thing.

This author lives in Flemington, NJ with her husband and 5 month old daughter and is an expert contributing author for a luxury dog feeders boutique offering variety of dog beds and personalized dog beds.

Dog Training — How To Control Biting

It can be a scary thing to have a pet that never seems to be nice to anyone. It has to not only be scary for someone visiting you to be confronted by a vicious dog but also for yourself because you never know at any moment when that same pet that lives with you could turn around and attack you. This isn’t something that you need to leave alone and hope that it is just a phase that will pass as the dog gets older. Instead it’s something that needs to be dealt with as soon as it occurs because you can’t take the risk of him biting someone and then having them pressing charges against you or even worse have your dog put down.

It’s not something pleasant that you would like to imagine let alone have happen to you. Problems like this need to be dealt with head on and immediately. With that in mind this article is about how to train your dog into submission. I don’t want to say that this training will make your dog passive or quiet. It’s more of a training of you and not the dog. What this means is that a dog bases his behavior on what he senses and feels from them and mostly from you. You need to be his leader because that is what they understand the quickest and the best.

It is also what they did when they were in the mentality of the pack. It is their natural instinct to follow a leader which is how a pack is essentially run. You have a leader who makes all the rules and decides who they will attack and when they will eat and pretty much every aspect of the pack.

If your dog is always growling and attacking people then its time you took the position of the pack leader and use that power to make him understand that you lead him and make the rules and not the other way around. In order to accomplish this you need to first believe it yourself. Dogs feed on emotion and they can sense when you feel scared and when you don’t. What you want to do is give off a feeling of confidence and leadership. You need to make yourself believe that that’s what your role is in order for him to feel that from you. That is always step one. The next step is to take a walk and I mean this quite literally. I want you to take your leash and go out for a walk. This walk can be something that may seem like its something easy but quite honestly it will be the toughest thing you will need to accomplish with your dog because it requires constant attention and dedication. If you are not dedicated to this step than you might as well give your dog up because he will finally end up biting someone and it will force you. Next time I want to go into specifics of what you need to do on a walk.

This author lives in Flemington, NJ with her husband and 5 month old daughter and is an expert contributing author for a luxury dog feeders boutique offering variety of dog beds and personalized dog beds.

Dog Training — How To Control Growling

Last time we talked about a potentially dangerous situation involving your animal when it comes to other people. It is quite a dangerous and nerve racking situation when you go over to see someone only to be confronted by their vicious dog who has the intent on either biting you or worse. In a way you can’t really blame the animal because it is his instinct to act this way. It’s not something that he is doing wrong but mainly something that you are doing wrong. In order to have a healthy pet and a healthy relationship with your pet you need to play by the rules so to speak. Your dog responds to certain stimulus mainly you acting like his leader but not so much physically as much as emotionally and mentally.

The pack mentality is something that looks quite simple but it is more complicated than it seems. It mainly revolves around one leader who pretty much makes all the rules and tells everyone what they need to do and how they need to do it. He also corrects them when they do something that is not up to his standards. This same principal needs to apply to you when you train your pet and as the last article said the best way to do this is to take a walk.

When you take a walk you need to be vigilant about what your dog does. You need to pay attention to how he acts and you need to correct anything that doesn’t meet your standards. For example, when he pulls you or tries to jump ahead of you, you need to stop him and correct him by raising your voice slightly and telling him no. This is sure to get through to him if you do it enough times. The main thing you need to always do is be consistent because it won’t be as effective if you stop him one day and then don’t the next because you are in a rush or just plainly don’t feel like it. You can’t slack off when doing this because this is what will eventually work and you need to do this in order to save him. That itself should be your motivation.

When you walk always make sure that he is not in front of you. That to him means that he is leading you instead of the way it should be which is you leading him. As soon as this happens you need to correct him. You cannot allow him to feel or even think that he is leading because only pack leaders can lead and you need to make sure that he knows that you are the pack leader and not him. This is crucial when training him on the walk because this is the mentality that he needs to understand in order for him to be submissive. When you have achieved this submissive state you will notice that he doesn’t get out of line anymore but that doesn’t mean that you can relax now. It only means that you have achieved what you wanted and now you just need to maintain it.

This author lives in Flemington, NJ with her husband and 5 month old daughter and is an expert contributing author for a luxury dog feeders boutique offering variety of dog beds and personalized dog beds.

Why Dubai Property Market Is Booming

Dubai is currently one of the top of the list for fastest growing cities worldwide and has a real estate market others are highly envious of. As a result everyday new apartments, villas and luxury bungalows are entered onto the market. Dubai is a free tax haven, which has lead to many investors taking advantage of the huge capital gains to be made in property investments. An investor can expect to make around 30 percent returns on their investment. Dubai has a solid and stable real estate market.

The huge returns being made from Dubai property investments has pushed the prices up for locals and expatriates wishing to either buy commercial or private property worry about being able to afford to live in Dubai the mortgage repayments are often significantly higher than rental payments. Due to high demand and rapid growth particularly in apartment and seaside dwellings building costs have skyrocketed. Some market experts predict a slump or a correction to prices by a reverse trend sometime in the near future. To date however there appears to be no slowing down and demand way out exceeds supply. The fast profits being made have lead to a worldwide awareness and a rush to invest and as a result there have also been dubious realtors and scams being conducted.

If you are considering buying commercial properties in Dubai then it is prudent to do your research first. You cannot expect to just jump off a plane and find yourself a profitable short-term investment. Foreigners in particular need to be wary and get sound advice before even considering a purchase. As an investor you cannot apply other market results to expectations of returns. To avoid being scammed or sold over priced properties then you really need to spend some time having a trusted person look over any prospective deals and comparing them to others in different regions. Never buy a property unseen.

Dubai’s government opened up shop for those of any nationality in may of 2002 this lead to an overnight boom in the real estate market there is however no guarantee that this will remain the status quo. Dubai investment bank, Emirates Financial Services (EFS) has launched a $20.4 million (Dh75 million) real estate fund that will invest in profitable short-term opportunities in the UAE’s surging property sector. EFS, a unit of Emirates Bank International, said the UAE Real Estate Arbitrage and Trading Fund is managed by a unit of Investment Boutique, a partner of Better Homes, the largest estate agency in the UAE.

Dubai as mentioned earlier has a tax free law which means that no taxes are imposed on people who want to venture into Dubai real estate. There are currently many Dubai real estate and property projects which are coming up in various locations in the city like The Walk, Jumeriah beach residence, Business bay, The Executive Towers, The Villa, and Bay Avenue. Dubai sure is the ideal place to invest in real estate and you will find different types of apartments ranging from studio, to three bedroom apartments, villas and luxury homes being built and put up on sale.

Clifton Real Estate runs a site dedicated to providing advise and information for those wishing to learn or invest in the Dubai property or Dubai real estate markets.

How to Buy HOA Foreclosures

Oh sure, everyone knows that there are opportunities for investors to buy real estate at below market value if the property is facing foreclosure. But have you considered homeowner association foreclosures?

As you know, when a lender begins a conventional foreclosure the law requires them to publish a public notice. Oh boy, does that make it easy to find the name and address of a distressed homeowner.

The problem is that it also means you will have plenty of competition for that property. Every foreclosure investor in your area follows the legal notices of foreclosure.

Home Owner’s Associations

The trick is to do something others aren’t. One area of buying foreclosures that is not so well known is homeowner’s association (HOA) foreclosures.

In most cases, long before a home owner stops making mortgage payments, they stop paying their HOA assessment. That’s your signal that the homeowner has serious financial problems and may be interested in getting out from under both the HOA and mortgage payments.

That is a gigantic opportunity! Yes, it is opportunity to not only buy a property, but to help a homeowner out of a tight spot. .

It has not been front page news, but many HOAs are experiencing increases in past due assessments. In the Arizona counties that are the most populated it has been reported that 20% to 35% of HOA dues are delinquent. That’s a huge jump from previous years.

HOA Assessments

Normally past due assessments are collected by means of past-due notices, pre-lien letters or filing of HOA liens.

HOAs are facing an even larger problem now with lenders foreclosing at record rates and with some home owners filing bankruptcy to discharge debts. The HOA is faced with collecting through small claims court or judicial vs. non-judicial foreclosure.

Remember that fees are the HOAs’ only source of income to fund community upkeep. When assessments are not paid other homeowners in the development must make up the difference. That means their assessments are increased. Many of them are already teetering on the brink of financial collapse and an increase in HOA dues could be enough to push them over the edge.

HOA Regulation

It varies from state to state, but an HOA has the power to foreclose on the property if the late payments on HOA dues reach a certain level. That foreclosure power is governed by HOA bylaws and state law. As an example, here’s how it works in California:

Before an HOA can foreclose, either judicially or non-judicially, for delinquent assessments, one of two thresholds must be met

Number One - The HOA assessment debt must be $1,800 or more, exclusive of assessment charges; or

Number Two - The debt, no matter what amount, must be more than 12 months delinquent.

Pre Foreclosure Investing

This could be considered a pre foreclosure investment, because you will be watching published notices of default filed by home owner’s associations. Just remember that any published notice will attract from dozens to thousands of other bargain seekers.

Could you get late assessment payment information directly from the HOA before it is made public? Probably not, but it can’t hurt to ask.

Another tactic might be to offer to pay the late assessments to the HOA in return for the information. The average HOA fee probably ranges from $125 to $250 per month. A few months assessment might be a bargain price to pay for information you would get before anyone else.

In my opinion your best course of action may come through neighborhood marketing. You can target developments that have an HOA, and that’s about all of them that have been built in the last ten years.

Using door hangers or direct mail, offer to pay a home owner’s delinquent assessment. This can get you access to financially distressed home owners. Then it’s up to you to find a way to make a profitable purchase of the home.

You might offer a lease option, buy subject to the existing financing or workout an equity sharing deal. There are many ways to buy from those facing foreclosure that can benefit both you and the seller.

Foreclosure investors are falling over each other trying to profit through conventional methods. You can cut the competition to near zero by understanding the opportunity offered by home owners behind in HOA assessments.

Mark Walters is a third generation real estate investor offering a free guide to investing in Real Estate Property Tax Liens.

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