Death Row Inmate Who Killed Man For $1 Has One Final Request

A death row inmate scheduled to be put to death next month has filed a lawsuit against the prison, demanding that a pastor be allowed to ‘lay hands’ on him during his execution.

John Henry Ramirez, 37, is on death row for the brutal murder of 45-year-old convenience store worker Pablo Castro in 2004.

Ramirez stabbed Castro 29 times during a botched robbery that ended in him and his two co-defendants making off with just $1.25.

He is set to be executed on 8 September, but has filed a suit requesting that a judge allow Pastor Dana Moor to be present in the death chamber with him and lay his hands on Ramirez as he dies by lethal injection, the Daily Mail reports.

Credit: BBC
Credit: BBC

The laying of the hands is a symbolic act, in which a religious leader places their hands on a dying person to pass over a spiritual blessing.

The lawsuit claims that denying Ramirez, who is a Protestant, this last request is a violation of his first amendment rights.

Ramirez has been on death row since 2009 – in a 2018 interview with the BBC he said he and his co-defendants had been drinking vodka and taking cocaine and prescription drugs prior to the robbery.

Talking about the murder, he told the BBC: “I had stabbed him in the neck.

“There was like real aggressive gurgling sound. That’s what kind of snapped me out of it, and I saw how hurt he was and he was bleeding everywhere. I was just like, ‘Oh man. I went too far.'”

Ramirez is a former Marine and he told the BBC his training took over during the incident.

“They teach you to kill a person in the fastest way possible. They teach you to kill shot. That’s what we call it, which is a lot of places I ended up hitting Pablo,” he said.

Victim Pablo Castro. Credit: Family handout
Victim Pablo Castro. Credit: Family handout

“I hit him in the heart. I hit him in the neck. I hit him in the groin. I hit him in the lung.”

Following the murder, Ramirez fled to Mexico and remained on the run for four years until he was eventually arrested.

He has previously been granted two stays of execution – one in 2017 so he could find a new lawyer and another in September 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Original Article: https://www.ladbible.com/news/news-death-row-inmate-who-killed-man-for-1-gives-final-request-20210831

Rose McGowan Slams Oprah Winfrey for being ‘as Fake as They Come’

Rose McGowan slammed Oprah Winfrey in a new tweet claiming the talk show queen is “as fake as they come.”

The “Charmed” alum penned how she’s happy people are “seeing the ugly truth” about the billionaire media personality regarding her former friendship with convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein.

McGowan also referenced how Winfrey was linked to record executive/producer Russell Simmons who is fighting multiple allegations of rape and sexual misconduct. 

“She is about supporting a sick power structure for personal gain, she is as fake as they come,” the activist wrote. 

Back in early 2020, Winfrey stepped down as executive producer from Simmons’ #MeToo documentary because she felt “there is more work to be done on the film to illuminate the full scope of what the victims endured, and it has become clear that the filmmakers and I are not aligned in that creative vision.”

Winfrey said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter at the time, “I want it to be known that I unequivocally believe and support the women. Their stories deserve to be told and heard.”

McGowan and Winfrey also clash over the Time’s Up movement. While the Emmy-winning host is a supporter of the organization and reportedly donated $500,000 to fight back against sexual harassment in the workplace, McGowan often voices her belief that it’s founded on lies.

In early August, McGowan spoke out against Time’s Up CEO and President Tina Tchen after it was reported she provided guidance to former New York governor Andrew Cuomo amid his sexual harassment investigation.

In New York Attorney General Letitia James’ report, it said Tchen allegedly consulted on the drafting of a letter Cuomo advisers released that denied the legitimacy of allegations made by his first accuser and former aide Lindsey Boylan.

Tchen denied her involvement but later resigned from Time’s Up and Cuomo stepped down as governor. 

“Remember when Hollywood actresses & paid off activists wore stupid black dresses at the Oscars? That was sponsored by Times Up who were meant to help abuse victims I told the world they are a lie 3+ years ago,” McGowan’s statement begins.

“I was mocked & harassed by so many who want to believe the illusion. Wake up. Hard truths are inconvenient & uncomfortable. So what, suck it up,” she said.

McGowan also slammed Cuomo in a video she posted to Twitter, calling him a “prick” and asking for him to “go home.” She also has publicly backed Biden accuser Tara Reade.

 A rep for Winfrey didn’t immediately return Fox News’ request for comment. 

Original Article: https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/rose-mcgowan-slams-oprah-winfrey-being-fake

This Serial Killer is Now a Popular YouTuber!

He is one of Brazil’s most popular YouTubers, but before that, he was one of the nation’s most notorious serial killers.

His name is Pedrinho Matador. He was born Pedro Rodrigues Filho and nicknamed “Killer Petey,” and is considered the most prominent serial killer in Brazil, with over 100 victims — many of them when he was behind bars. Born in Minas Gerais in 1954, Pedrinho had a dysfunctional family, and he felt the rage of his father before he was born. While his mother was pregnant, his father would beat her so badly that Pedrinho was born with a deformed skull!

While growing up, Pedrinho was heavily abused by his father, and his mother’s life was not any easier — she was ultimately killed and dismembered with a machete. Pedrinho promised to avenge her death, and he would fulfill his promise when he was already in prison.

Pedrinho had the urge to kill from a young age. When he was just 13 years old, he pushed a cousin against a sugar cane press. “I pushed him thinking his whole body would go through, but just his arm went through,” he said, according to local paper the the Daily Star. While that attempt at taking a life proved unsuccessful, his first murder would happen scarcely one year later when he killed a deputy mayor using his grandfather’s gun. At 14 years old, he was seeking revenge after the politician fired his father. He also killed the security guard who he believed framed his father.

As he aged, Pedrinho’s body count mounted. By the age of 18, he had already killed dozens of people, most of the drug dealers. The serial killer also created his own moral code and only killed people who violated it. Therefore, international media started to call him “The Brazilian Dexter.” But Pedrinho has a tattoo on his arm that says, “I love to kill.” And during an extensive interview in the book “Serial Killers: Made in Brazil,” he said, “I kill for pleasure.” 

Pedrinho was arrested when he was a mere 19 years old and was sentenced to 127 years in prison, but his killing spree did not end there! Behind bars, he kept killing other inmates, and his sentence increased to 400 years. His father, who was responsible for killing Pedrinho’s mother, was among his victims. According to the Toronto Sun, Pedrinho stabbed his father 22 times and ate a piece of his heart. “I just chewed it. I cut the tip of his heart off and chewed it, and I threw it on top of his body,” he said.

Release and YouTube Career

However, despite the centuries-long sentence he was given, Brazil has a bizarre law that states no person can serve more than 30 years in prison for any one crime. And so, in 2007, Pedrinho Matador left prison after 42 years behind bars. Shortly after that, he decided to create a YouTube channel and comment on crimes. In a few months, Pedrinho had 23,000 subscribers, and now he has over 250,00 subscribers. On YouTube, he uses the name “Pedrinho EX Matador,” which means “Pedrinho ex-killer.”

Pedrinho uses YouTube to share his thoughts about crimes that have shocked the country. “These are crimes which outrage us, filled with lies, and put an end to the happiness of a person,” he says. The videos also feature a friend of Pedrinho, and they are planning a documentary about his life. Pedrinho, who is now 67 years old, says he doesn’t plan to kill again. “No. I would only kill again if someone came to take my life or the lives of people I love, who are my family,” he said.

94 Animals and 13-Year-Old Girl Recovered from Home – Owner Arrested

An animal complaint led to a 58-year-old woman getting arrested and more than 90 animals, as well as a 13-year-old girl, removed from her home.

According to Madison County Sheriff’s Office inmate records, Nancy Clemmer was arrested on charges of neglect of a dependent/child and neglect of an animal.

WXIN-TV, citing a probable cause affidavit, reports the Alexandria Police Department has responded to 15 animal complaints at Clemmer’s house since June 3. When officers searched Clemmer’s home, they reportedly found animals wandering around the property, including pigs running towards State Road 9. Clemmer allegedly did not attempt to rein them back in, the affidavit says.

The Herald Bulletin reports Detective Brian Holtzleiter wrote in the affidavit, “I observed two pigs running through the yard towards State Road 9. Nancy refused to help capture her loose pigs. The Alexandria Police Department spent the next two weeks chasing the pigs throughout a several mile area before they were finally apprehended on Aug. 12, 2021.”

Clemmer, who turned her garage into a second home, reportedly hoped to run an animal rescue on her property.

According to the affidavit cited by WXIN, Clemmer’s home was filled with trash and the floors were covered in animal feces. One officer reportedly could not enter the home past the front door because “odor and fumes emitting from the residence was overpowering.”

According to the Herald Bulletin, Holtzleiter wrote in the affidavit, “The odor from the eastern two bedrooms caused a representative from the Madison County Health Department to vomit.”

The teenage girl living in the back house with Clemmer reportedly had feces on her and was not clean. She was reportedly placed in foster care. According to the Herald Bulletin, she is Clemmer’s daughter.

During their search of the house, officers reportedly found dogs in bedrooms in the larger house on the property. WXIN, citing the court documents, reports feces were “spread across the floors like icing on a cake.”

According to WXIN, police seized 94 animals. This included one pig, 30 dogs, nine chickens, four turtles, 21 guinea pigs, six lizards, two parrots, 12 mice, three chinchillas, and more.

The Herald Bulletin reports investigators found other dead animals as well, including a raccoon, a guinea pig, and baby chickens.

After the police visit on July 29, the Madison County Health Department reportedly told Clemmer she had 14 days to clean her house and property after her house was condemned, the Herald Bulletin reports. Holtzleiter reportedly wrote the property had accumulated more trash instead of the other way around.

According to WXIN, on August 13, police went to Clemmer’s house to speak with her about the health of the animals. When she didn’t answer the door, they obtained a search warrant in order to take “dogs which have not been immunized and animals which have been neglected including but not limited to: birds, dogs, cats, gerbils, pigs, goats, and snakes.”

WXIN reports the animals were placed with different rescues.

Original Article: https://truecrimedaily.com/2021/08/30/94-animals-and-13-year-old-girl-recovered-from-indiana-home-nancy-clemmer-arrested/

‘It’s Wrong and Disrespectful‘: Will Smith’s Daughter Willow Under Fire

Willow Smith is being accused on TikTok of culturally appropriating aspects of Hinduism.

TikToker @.lourds pointed to a photoshoot Smith did in 2015 wherein she was dressed up as the Hindu goddess Kali. The video has been viewed over 83,000 times since being posted on Friday.

“Willow Smith has claimed she is spiritual and left it at that,” @.lourds says in the video. “So, that’s not an excuse to use Hinduism in your spirituality without fully being Hindu.”

@.lourds goes on to say that Smith’s actions are wrong and disrespectful.

Studio Atao, a think tank, defines cultural appropriation as “the adoption of elements of one culture by another, especially in cases where a dominant culture exploits aspects of a minority culture outside of its original cultural context and/or at the expense of the original culture for personal gain.”

@.lourds’s video is a followup to a more straightfoward TikTok she posted the same day that states that Smith “appropriated Hinduism.” That video similarly went viral, with over 1.3 million views.

In her video referencing the photoshoot of Smith dressed as Kali, @.lourds shows a Google image search result of a SuperSelect article about the shoot. “Givenchy Creative Director Riccardo Tisci recently posted this snap of Willow Smith alongside famed fashion editor Carine Roitfeld and fashion photographer Jean-Paul Goude,” reads the SuperSelect piece.

In @.lourds’s video, she seems to say that Roitfeld and Goude “taught [Smith] about her spirituality.” She then says she’s “pretty sure” Roitfeld (who she points to) is “not Hindu” and that Roitfeld picks and chooses “parts of religion to believe in.”

The TikToker doubles down on this statement in a comment on her own video: “This isn’t up for debate—she isn’t Hindu. This was extremely out of place to do. She also learned this from a white woman who also appropriates.”

In a 2005 interview with the Telegraph, Roitfeld said she is “not religious.” The fashion editor has, however, used aspects of Hinduism in some of her other work.

Smith spoke about her spirituality with the Fader in 2014, which she called her “journey of self.” She says nothing of being taught by Roitfeld and Goude.

Smith currently has “Bhakti,” a Hindu phrase that translates to attachment to God, in her Instagram bio. In July, she got a tattoo of the Hindu goddess Saraswati.

In another followup video, @.lourds counters a commenter who wrote that white people aren’t using Smith’s songs by showing white creators having used Smith’s “Meet Me At Our Spot” in their TikToks.

Original Article: https://www.dailydot.com/irl/willow-smith-hinduism-cultural-appropriation/

Barbershop Owner Shoots Masked Gunman Who Was Angry Over Haircut

A Melbourne, Florida barbershop owner allegedly shot and injured a masked gunman who turned out to be a disgruntled customer who was upset about his haircut.

On August 28, 24-year-old Palm Bay resident Marlon Mascoe entered New York Hair Barbershop while other customers were being serviced. Mascoe then allegedly pointed a firearm at several people, according to Melbourne Police. The owner of New York Hair Barbershop allegedly shot Mascoe in the hip and apprehended him until Melbourne Police arrived at the barbershop.

Mascoe has been charged with aggravated assault with a firearm.

Melbourne Police Lieutenant Ryan Schorer spoke to Florida Today regarding the shooting. Schorer stated Mascoe had no intentions of robbing the barbershop at all.

“The investigation revealed that it wasn’t related to a robbery,” Schorer said to Florida Today. “It was actually related to a prior haircut transaction he was unhappy with or an interaction inside the business.”

Additionally, Schorer told Florida Today that Mascoe is currently being treated at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne.

Across America, there have been numerous barbershop crimes involving patrons and owners.

On July 16, a Detroit woman took matters into her own hands after attacking and detaining a customer after he stole her car.

Over the course of three days, 32-year-old Bianca Chambers tracked her car through its GPS system after it was stolen in front of a local department store.

Chambers ended up finding her car at 7 Days West Barbershop and confronted the alleged thief by attacking and detaining him until police arrived.

“I slashed all the tires and I thought that he was gonna take off and I didn’t know how long it was going to take for the police to pull up,” Chambers told Fox 2. “I refused to let him pull off again.”

On May 31, an Illinois barber allegedly shot and killed a customer after he refused to pay for his haircut.

Deshon McAdory, 40, allegedly killed 31-year-old customer Christian McDougald at Studio 914 barbershop. McAdory’s attorney Anthony Burch told the Chicago Tribune that his client acted in self-defense.

“A person came into the store who’s clearly the aggressor. He got a haircut, argued about not wanting to pay. There was an argument that ensued outside. As [McAdory] is retreating into the store, he is approached by the aggressor and fired one shot,” Burch said to the outlet.

McAdory was held on a $250,000 bond and charged with first-degree murder.

Original Article: Florida Barbershop Owner Shoots Masked Gunman Who Was Angry Over Haircut: Police (msn.com)

Whoopi Goldberg to Quit ‘The View’ Over Controversial Replacement

Whoopi Goldberg’s 14-year tenure on The View could be nearing its end, according to a new tabloid report. As the popular morning talk show begins to look for Meghan McCain‘s replacement following her exit in early August, Life & Style reports that Goldberg has threatened to walk off The View amid reports that Candace Owen is set to join the discussion table.

Reports that Owen’s was poised to take the seat left vacant by McCain first surfaced in late July when a source told the Daily Mail the ABC talk show was scrambling to find a “Trump Republican” to “give the other women a run for their money.”

After the source claimed that Owens was among the top contenders, Life & Style, citing an inside source, claimed Goldberg “lost it when she found out ABC was considering bringing on Candace Owens.” While Goldberg notably clashed with McCain, the outlet’s source said hiring Owens would be like going from “bad to worse.”

Goldberg was said to be so against the idea of having Owens join The View that she “actually threatened to walk if they hired her.” Apparently, Goldberg wouldn’t be the only one, as “Joy Behar said she would follow suit and quit were Candace to join the panel. Needless to say, it’s complete chaos over at The View.”

At this time, Goldberg has not directly responded to the report, though Life & Style reversed its story, adding, “While a rep for the show denies Whoopi, 65, made such a power play.” She previously stated that she is “there until I don’t think I can do it anymore.”

She told Variety in April that that time hasn’t come just “yet,” and “as long as they allow me to do both [acting and hosting], I can do it.” However, “the minute they say, ‘No, you can’t,’ then I have to figure out what to do.” Goldberg first joined The View back in 2007, with her time on the show has earned her multiple Daytime Emmy Awards and even a win for Outstanding Talk Show Host.

Meanwhile, reports of Owens set to replace McCain also seem to have been debunked. Gossip Cop reported that while The View and ABC are looking for a Republican co-host, they are currently in no rush to select a replacement.

Instead, the network reportedly plans to test out several guest hosts to gauge chemistry before making a final selection, which will be announced at a later date. Currently, Owens has not “any correspondence about Candace being a replacement on The View,” a representative confirmed to Radar Online, adding that “she would be interested” if the network approached her with the opportunity.

Man Murders Grandma with Piggy Bank Then Beheads Her

A 47-year-old Temperance man was sentenced to life in prison for the 2020 death of his 79-year-old stepgrandmother, whom he beheaded after killing her.

According to WTOL-TV, in addition to the life sentence without the possibility of parole, Kenny McBride was also sentenced to 114 to 480 months for mutilation. He was convicted of first-degree murder and disinterment and mutilation of a dead body on June 10, 2021, offender records show.

The Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office wrote in a statement that the victim, Cecilia Gibson, lived with her son, who was also the defendant’s father. WTOL identified Gibson’s son as Kenneth Reece. McBride was reportedly staying with his father and Gibson at the time of her death.

When Reece came home from work at 3 a.m. on February 17, 2020, he reportedly “found a body and significant amounts of blood in his darkened living room.” McBride, who was home at the time, reportedly said he had “no knowledge of the struggle or the body.” According to the statement, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at the scene and found the “dismembered body of Cecilia Gibson and clear signs of a violent, bloody struggle.”

The Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office wrote McBride and Gibson got into an argument over McBride’s children, “all but one of whom McBride had ignored for years.” McBride reportedly had injuries on his hands and head that “reflected a physical struggle,” though he said he got them from working on his car.

According to WTOL, McBride reportedly beat Gibson with a piggy bank and a metal child gate, hitting her at least 19 times. After she died, he reportedly used three different knives to decapitate her and then threw her head in the yard. The head reportedly landed near where Reece parked his car, but Reece did not see it when he returned from work.

WTOL reports investigators found knives, bloody jeans, and torn photographs of McBride’s children, as well as DNA evidence that linked McBride to the crime.

Original Article: https://truecrimedaily.com/2021/08/25/michigan-man-gets-life-in-prison-for-murdering-and-beheading-grandmother/

Video of Armed Taliban Standing Behind News Presenter Goes Viral

A video of an Afghan TV host giving an address has gone viral online due to some alarming juxtaposition.

In the video, the host reads a statement from the Taliban assuring citizens that they should not be afraid of the new government. During the reading, the host is flanked by armed Taliban members, at least eight of which are visible in the shot.

The video was initially shared on Sunday by journalists and activists, including the BBC‘s Kian Sharifi.

“With armed Taliban fighters standing behind him, the presenter of Afghan TV’s Peace Studio political debate programme says the Islamic Emirate (Taliban’s preferred name) wants the public to “cooperate with it and should not be afraid,” Sharifi said in his initial tweet.Newsweek Newsletter sign-up >

With armed Taliban fighters standing behind him, the presenter of Afghan TV’s Peace Studio political debate programme says the Islamic Emirate (Taliban’s preferred name) wants the public to “cooperate with it and should not be afraid”.pic.twitter.com/rclw3P9E7M— Kian Sharifi (@KianSharifi) August 29, 2021

“This is surreal,” Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and activist, said in a tweet. “Taliban militants are posing behind this visibly petrified TV host with guns and making him to say that people of #Afghanistan shouldn’t be scared of the Islamic Emirate. Taliban itself is synonymous with fear in the minds of millions. This is just another proof.”

Sharifi also shared a longer version of the clip in which the host begins to interview a presumed-to-be high-ranking Taliban member.

As of Monday afternoon, Sharifi’s tweet had 1.2 million views, while Alinejad’s had nearly 500,000.Newsweek subscription offers >

Recently, German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle confirmed that a relative of one of its editors had been killed by the Taliban. The fighters had reportedly been trying to hunt down the journalist themselves, according to the Hindustan Times, signaling a hostile environment for the press in Afghanistan.

taliban video afghanistan

“The killing of a close relative of one of our editors by the Taliban yesterday is inconceivably tragic and testifies to the acute danger in which all our employees and their families in Afghanistan find themselves,” Peter Limbourg, director general at Deutsche Welle, said in a statement.

“It is evident that the Taliban are already carrying out organized searches for journalists, both in Kabul and in the provinces. We are running out of time.”

Earlier this month, an anonymous journalist in Afghanistan described the grim situation the country was left in and the feeling that they were “betrayed” by the U.S.

“It’s the worst night of my life for me and thousands of others,” the person wrote. “We could never have imagined and believed that this would happen. We could never imagine we could be betrayed so badly by the U.S… If they abandon us, probably thousands of people would be killed. And you know no longer would the U.S. have the moral authority to go places to say, ‘We believe in human rights. We fight for human rights and democracy.'”

Original Article: Video of Afghan TV Host Reassuring Viewers While Flanked by Armed Taliban Viewed 1.2M Times (newsweek.com)

Husband Kills Wife’s Lover and Makes Her Cut Off His Head

A New Hampshire woman on Friday agreed to plead guilty to three felony criminal charges after prosecutors say her husband murdered her lover and then ordered her to saw the man’s head off and bury it in the woods.

Britany Barron, 32, filed a Notice of Intent to Enter a Plea of Guilty in Coos Superior Court to three counts of falsifying evidence in connection with the death of 25-year-old Jonathan Amerault. The falsifying evidence charge carries a minimum sentence of 3 ½ years, but under the terms of the plea agreement, she will get credit for the 11 months already served and two years of the sentence will be suspended, meaning she will serve an additional seven months behind bars.

The plea deal states that Britany Barron will be responsible to help pay for Amerault’s funeral costs as well as counseling fees incurred by his surviving family members as a result of his death. She will also be prohibited from profiting off of her role in Amerault’s death.

Barron’s husband, 31-year-old Armando Barron, was charged with capital murder for allegedly fatally shooting Amerault in Rindge on Sept. 19, 2020.

armando barron

Cheshire County House Of Corrections

In exchange for her guilty plea and cooperation in the case against her husband, prosecutors agreed to drop two counts of abusing a corpse Britany was also facing. Additionally, the deal states that the judge is not bound by the parameters of the agreement, but allows Britany to withdraw her guilty plea “if the judge exceeds the limits” of the negotiated sentence.

As previously reported by Law&Crime, Britany Barron told investigators that her husband searched through her cellphone and learned she had been having an affair with Amerault. After allegedly beating the mother of three—causing two black eyes and an injury to her nose—Britany said her husband forced a gun into her mouth and then attempted to strangle her in front of their 9-year-old daughter.

Prosecutors say that Armando used the wife’s phone to lure Amerault to Annett State Park sometime in the late evening of Sept. 19 where he attacked him. After beating Amerault, Armando allegedly gave Britany a handgun and ordered her to shoot him.

Britany told investigators that when she did not do as her husband demanded, he took the firearm from her. Armando then allegedly forced her to slit Amerault’s wrists before he shot him three times—twice in the chest and once in the head.

The Barrons then allegedly packed the body into their car and went to their home in Jaffrey—Armando drove the couple’s car while Britany drove Amerault’s vehicle. Once home, the couple allegedly gathered camping supplies and drove north to an unincorporated area in Coos County.

Armando then allegedly ordered his wife to cut off Amerault’s head in an attempt to prevent authorities from being able to identify his remains through dental records, Britany told investigators. The body and the head were buried apart. Additional evidence, including Amerault’s wallet and identification, was burned.

Prosecutors argued that Britany never made any attempt to get away from her husband, even after Amerault was shot and she was in possession of the firearm and a cellphone, according to a report from local news outlet The Sentinel Source.

Britany’s attorney, Richard Guerriero, argued that his client, like many victims of domestic violence, was acting under duress and feared her husband would turn his murderous ire back on her.

Guerriero did not immediately respond to an email from Law&Crime seeking comment on the plea agreement.

Britany’s plea hearing was scheduled for 11 a.m. on Monday.

Original Article: https://lawandcrime.com/crime/new-hampshire-woman-charged-in-beheading-of-slain-lover-agrees-to-cooperate-in-murder-case-against-her-husband-as-part-of-guilty-plea/

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