Livingston Reporting - page 268

No Time For Home Maintenance – Hire A Handyman

Posted on by Creative Programs and Systems

Winter takes a beating on homeowners in the north and northeast. From rain, to snow to ice we have experienced it all with temperatures that have broke records. Freezing temperatures can wreak havoc on your home. It is crucial that homeowners take the time to prepare their homes for the beating winter can have on them.

Whether your home is in need of general maintenance of major repairs here are some particulars to look into. You want to avoid the expensive repairs, like a new roof, so maintenance is key. If you aren’t up to the challenge as a homeowner, regular maintenance can be taken care of by a local professional handyman.Handyman services can be found locally and for reasonably.

One of the first major challenges in homeownership is to keep your gutters and downspouts clean and clear of debris. This is especially challenging in the north where trees and pines are losing leaves and needles. When your gutters and downspouts are clogged they will not work properly. This is a disaster for homeowners no matter the season. The reason it is so crucial to enter the winter season with clean gutters and downspouts is due to ice damage. If water is allowed to build up and freeze in your gutters damage is going to occur. Damage will not only occur to your gutters and downspouts but most likely your homes shingle roofing as well. A handyman will come out and clear your gutters and downspouts at an affordable rate. If you are looking to install gutter guard to prevent leaf build up, a handyman will surely install this as well for a small fee.

Concrete is another major piece of your home that is usually forgotten when it comes to maintenance. This is a large area of concern and leaving it until a crack is too large to ignore is too late. Concrete patios, driveways and walkways will move and settle. When this occurs any damage needs to be filled in with concrete filler to prevent further growth and damage to the structural integrity. All cracks in the concrete should be filled and sealed appropriately before winter sets in. If this does not occur you may find yourself with cracks that have widened a great deal in the spring.

The roof is a major component of your home. To ensure that the structure of your home maintains its integrity it is important that the roof is inspected and maintained. Twice yearly maintenance and repairs should be done on a roof that shows signs of wear. A leaky or damaged roof can be a disaster to any homeowner. Hire a professional handyman to inspect your homes roof. They are schooled in the signs that your roof needs repairs or that it is headed towards the end of its life expectancy. They also can save you from having to climb up on the roof and meander around.

When it comes to your home maintenance is the key element that will keep you away from repairs that spell disaster to most homeowner’s budgets. Hiring a local handyman once a year is beneficial and can save you thousands of dollars in expensive repairs. Maintenance is always preferred over complete renovations.

The Home Doctor, based in Livingston County including Brighton and Howell Michigan, offers a variety of home renovations to clients ranging from bathroom remodeling to age in place home modifications. Contact http://glenmillerthehomedoctor.com/ today all of your home renovating needs.

Glen Miller The Home Doctor

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Understanding The 5Cs In When Buying Gemstone Jewelry Online

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The 5Cs, commonly known for selecting the perfect diamond are also the key to choosing gemstones.  In order to find a gemstone piece that is perfect it is important that you learn about the 5Cs: color, cut, clarity, carat weight and cost.  When you understand how each plays into the purchase of a stone you will more likely to choose something exquisite.

Let’s begin with the color of a stone.   A tone that is vibrant and vivid is the most sought after gemstone.  For instance, when we look at the red in rubies a bright blood red ruby will likely be more expensive and sought after than those which are saturated and deeper red in color.  Of course the color of the stone is not the only parameter that plays a role in choosing a stone.  It is however, the first characteristic that is seen therefore tops the list of priorities for selecting a piece.

Next, think about the cut of the stone. The cut of the stone is essential to allow for the reflection of light through the gemstone.  A stone that is able to reflect a lot of light and the brilliance of the stone is able to shine through will be more sought after then cuts that don’t allow for a lot of light to penetrate.  There are a variety of cuts to choose from: round solitaire, marquise, oval, pear, emerald, princess, cushion, square, heart, triangle, and more.

The clarity of the gemstone is crucial as well.  A stone free of blemishes and visible imperfections will be pricier than one with obvious imperfections.   Depending on the size and number of inclusions will significantly increase or decrease the value of a gemstone.  Most inclusions are not visible to the naked eye.  To determine the clarity of a stone it is important to have your stone analyzed by your jeweler.

Carat weight is another measurement in which to judge a gemstone on.  Larger gemstones will go for more than smaller stones.  The price will increase or decrease taking into consideration the other 5Cs as well.  A small stone free of all imperfections will fetch more than a large carat weight stone with multiple imperfections, bad color and an odd shape.

The cost is important to consider as well. Depending on your budget and which of the 5Cs you hold as the most important will help you chose a gemstone that is perfect.  Tell the jeweler your budget and what you see as important and they will find a range of different pieces that fall within it.  You can find pieces that are small and perfect, pieces that are medium sized and a bit more imperfect and then larger stones with flaws.  You will choose based on what is important to you the size of the stone or the perfection of the stone.

DaRoche Jewelers is on online jewelry company with a local feel.  You will find a variety of options in jewelry, including custom diamond solitaire engagement rings, online at http://www.darochejewelers.com/.

DaRoche Jewelers

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Should You Repair Your Computer At Home

Posted on by Creative Programs and Systems

When it comes to repairing computers is it safe to make computer repairs on your own?  There are many resources available to assist computer novices with computer services.  It is important to understand when you can tackle a computer challenge on yourself or when a computer repair should be left to the experts.   It is like understanding when you should hire a mechanic or when you can fix the clink the engine is making on your own.  Or when your furnace is in need of maintenance, do you call a repair technician or can you handle fixing the filters on your own?  It is all about knowing when computer repairs are within your abilities verse when you are only going to make a bigger issue trying to repair it on your own.

One of the biggest differences between computers and cars or furnaces is that when you buy parts you are guaranteed to get something that works.  With computers there are programs out there that are set in motion to purely sabotage your efforts and cause havoc to your hard drive.  You want to be sure that you are using the proper tool for the job you are hoping to accomplish.  If you are looking for a program to help clean your computer registry it is important to research online which tools work correctly.

One thing that happens with computer registry clean ups is that you run them and they detect settings that you actually use but mistake them as settings that are no longer important.  Registry cleaners are only as accurate as the technician behind them.  Always verify that you no longer need the entry before you choose to delete it.  You want to delete the entries safely.

Another thing that can be attempted in computer repair is virus removal.  This is a trickier application then most to figure out if you are using a program that is useful or one that is in fact actually downloading more viruses and spyware to your computer.  Again you will want to be sure that you research what programs are the best in virus removal.  Once the process has been completed you will want to install antivirus protection.

There are many things that you will be able to do on your own to repair your computer.  When you think that you have reached a point where you feel like you are in over your head it is important that you know to stop and handed it over to the experts.

Computers Plus Service, in Brighton Michigan, provides a wide range of valuable services for residential computer repair as well as a variety of commercial computer services to the entire Livingston County area including Howell, Brighton and the surrounding areas.  You can find out more about the services offered by CPS at http://www.cpsmi.com.

Creative Programs and Systems

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Tips To Help Pay Down Your Mortgage

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Purchasing a home is one of the most expensive investments you can make in your lifetime.  Not only does it take up a huge amount of the money you are currently earning but also a chunk of the money you have in savings.  The larger the down payment the smaller the monthly payment however you never want to leave yourself without a comfortable cushion.   Having a mortgage takes up a large percentage of your monthly take home pay and therefore many homeowners try to pay their mortgage down as fast as possible.  With that in mind we have compiled a list of ways to make it easier to pay your mortgage down quickly.

The first way to pay your mortgage down faster is quite obvious; put more money down on your mortgage each month.  The larger the payment, the faster you will pay down your mortgage and the closer you will be to paying it off.  One way to do this is to make payments bi-weekly instead of monthly.  This will allow you to make 26 smaller, more manageable payments rather than 12 larger payments.  Using this technique will allow you to make one extra payment a year as well.

If you want to you can also increase the amount of your mortgage payment.  If you are able to do this you will then be putting more money directly towards the principal of the mortgage.  Be sure to include the portion of the payment to be applied to the original mortgage payment and what you would like to be applied to the principal.

Another method to pay off your mortgage faster is to put increases in wages towards the payment.  This includes bonuses or incentives as well.  The more money that is applied directly to the principle of your mortgage the sooner you will find yourself paying your mortgage off.

If you come into a lump sum of money and already have stocked away a fund for emergency’s consider making a onetime lump sum payment to the principle of your mortgage.  The more that is paid directly to the principal the less you will pay in interest in the long run.  The less interest paid the more money available to go towards the principle of your mortgage.  It is one of those times that the catch twenty two works in your favor.

When you are looking at options in mortgages look for options that offer a fifteen year fixed mortgage payment over the thirty year.  If the payment at fifteen years is too large to handle try a twenty year mortgage.  The less amount of time you finance your mortgage for the less interest you will pay and the sooner your home will be yours clear and free of a mortgage payment.

Apply these tips to paying off your mortgage and you will see how quickly an extra yearly payment or two stacks up in the long run.

Cross Country Mortgage in Brighton, Michigan provide mortgage services for clients including new home loans, refinancing, reversed mortgages, new purchase home mortgages and home equity loans to the entire Livingston County area including Brighton, Howell and Livingston County. Cross Country Mortgage Brighton, MI at http://brightoncrosscountry.com/.

Brighton Cross Country Mortgage

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Choosing Cost Effective Labeling Within The Beverage Industry

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Beverage labeling is an important marketing tool that will provide a way to differentiate your product from others within the marketplace.   Technology within the labeling industry has made tremendous growth.  This is especially true when it comes to labeling beverages.  The label is no longer seen as just a display of the products name; it is now seen as part of the entire package.  The product, the package and the label all become a part of the complicated marketing mix.

Within the beverage industry there are four main types of labels to choose from: cut and stack labels, roll-fed labels, full wrap hot melt or spot glued film labels or shrink sleeves.  When you are considering the type of label you need to think about the application method, how established the brand is and the expected production volume of the product.

Take bottled water for instance; the product is produced in high volume.  You will want to select a label for the product with the lowest cost and most efficient application method.  The most cost effective method for labeling water is cut and stack labels.  They are inexpensive, easy to apply and can be produced in a high volume quickly.  Fancy labeling doesn’t make sense because bulk products, such as water aren’t purchased based on the bottles label.

Consider labeling beer, wine or liquor on the other hand.  They are produced in large quantities but are not often sold in bulk like water.  This makes the label a necessary entity within the marketing mix.  The extra cost to design, produce and apply the label can be hidden in the costs of the product.  The additional costs accrued with the label will easily be generated with new sales.

A popular look with beverage labels is the clear, no color look.  This look can be achieved using the same application process with traditional labeling equipment using pressure sensitive, roll fed and full cut wrap cut and stack labels.  Clear full wrap cut and stack labels are popular because they produce the clear, no color look using traditional labeling equipment that is already owned.

The category that the beverage falls under will depend a lot on what type of label is used in the process.  Another factor is the brand influence the product has.  Consider sports drinks.  The clear bottle and colored product is what draws people in to make a purchase.  They recognize the brand of their favorite product and buy based on that.  The label doesn’t play as much of a role once a product is established. Introducing a new line of drinks from a popular brand doesn’t require a new label design.  Whereas introducing a new product with a brand not yet established will need a label that speaks volumes over established brands in the same category.

At Anchor Printing, we take pride in offering our clients cut & stack labeling, pressure sensitive labels, roll-fed labeling, shrink sleeves as well as flexible packaging options. Contact us today at http://anchorprinting.com for all of your label design, printing and packaging needs.

Anchor Printing

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Is Your Homes Roof Ready For Winter

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The snow is here and the temperatures are blistering throughout the north which has left us ready for some sunshine.  In order to ensure your home is prepared for these events it is important to have your homes roof inspected twice a year.  Below we will go through a few helpful tips to ensure your home is safe and prepared for sun, snow, rain and ice.

Tips To Ensure Your Homes Roof Is Ready For Winter

1)      When you own or rent a home it is crucial to look for signs of exterior and interior leaks and cracks.  These repairs can easily be repaired by homeowners or roofing contractors. Sealing the cracks helps to prevent them from expanding further.  The sealing of cracks also helps to keep the heat in and the cold air out during harsh winter months.

2)      Prepare your homes gutters and downspouts as they are a part of your roof and that is an important factor to remember.  If the gutters and downspouts are not clean and free of debris roof damage is likely to occur as the water sits, freezes, thaws and freezes again.  The extra weight of the frozen water can cause the gutters and downspouts to become unattached from the shingle roof or break all together.  This will cost you time and money that maintenance can prevent.

3)      Any damage that happens to the roof needs to be immediately repaired to prevent further damage or more severe damage.  If you have a shingled roof and you see that the shingles are damaged or becoming wore it is important to fix them right away.  The warmer the weather the better the time it is to fix it.  In cold weather you will need to use more precautions to prevent shingles from splitting.

4)      Make sure that your home attic has enough insulation and ventilation.  When your home does not have a proper amount of either icicles and/or ice dams will occur.  Both will cause damage to your roof that will need a roofing contractor to fix.

5)      It is important to know your limitations as a homeowner.  If any roofing repair is over your head, to complicated or just too dangerous call in a professional roofing contractor.  Roofing contractors are professionals and have been repair and installing new roofs longer than the average homeowner.  They know what they are doing and will help you get your roof in shape for the winter.

Repairing your roof or having a new roof installed keeps you from larger repairs down the road.  It also helps to keep money in your pocket with heating and air conditioning costs.  Keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer is that main goal and an intact roof that is in top shape will help you accomplish this.

Home Pro Roofing contractors offer a variety of roofing services throughout Brighton, East Lansing, Ann Arbor, Fenton and Commerce Township, including installation of shingle roofs, metal roofing and roof repairs.  You will find them at http://www.homeproroofingmi.com today.

Home Pro Roofing MI

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Caring For Your Kitchen Knives an Cutlery Blocks

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Making large purchases comes with certain performance expectations. This is something that was recently experienced when purchasing a set of knifes for the kitchen. I knew that spending a lot of money was not necessarily an indication that I would be guaranteed proper performing knives if I didn’t take care of them. Here are some tips on prolonging the lifetime of your kitchen knives. With some basic, straightforward tips to care for kitchen knives, cutlery blocks sets and individual chef knives.

Tips On Caring For Kitchen Knives, Cutlery and Block Sets

1) When it comes to cutting it is important that a knife is never used on a material that is not meant for cutting. Unsuitable surfaces for cutting can damage your knives and their cutting edge. Only proper cutting boards should be utilized when using kitchen knives. The best material to use for a cutting surface is a hard maple.

2) When you are finished with your kitchen knives it is crucial that you properly wash them. Never place your kitchen knives in the dish washer. When you are done using your kitchen knives you need to wash them in hot soapy water and dry them with a linen free cloth. Dishwasher soap is too abrasive for kitchen knives and will ruin the handles and the blade.

3) Never use abrasive powder or scouring pads when you are cleaning your cutlery. Anything that you are cutting can be cleaned with hot soapy water, liquid soap and a wash cloth.

4) Even if you purchase stainless steel knives understand that they will stain less than non stainless steel knives but will still stain. Knifes are never totally stain free. They will discolor and tarnish with time if not maintained and cleaned properly each and every time they are used.

5) Sharp knives are safer in the kitchen than dull knives. Learning to properly sharpen kitchen knives is an art form. Use tools specific to sharpen kitchen cutlery. Bench stones, whetstones, carbide sharpeners and electric knife sharpeners are all great tools to keep your cutlery sharp.

6) Never use your cutlery to cut frozen food or bone with your kitchen knives. When cutting through bone use a meat clever and take the time to defrost your food prior to cutting it. Cutting frozen meat dulls knife blades and can possibly chip them as well. Once a knife is chipped it will not perform in the kitchen as it should

As with all knives, kitchen knives should be kept out of reach of children. Be sure to teach proper handling techniques before trusting your children to help in the kitchen using cutlery.

KnifeMule.com is an online retailer specializing in a variety of specialty knives including top brands such as Zero Tolerance, Boker Tree Knives, W.R. Case Knives and more. For more information or to purchase a variety of knives online find us at https://www.knifemule.com.

Knife Mule

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Aluminum Fencing Continues To Be A Popular Option In Metal Fencing

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There are several options in metal fencing.  The most popular option continues to be aluminum fence panels, a lightweight, rust free and low maintenance option which makes it a popular metal fencing option.  Aluminum fence is perfect for enclosing your entire yard or a section of your yard such as an in ground pool.  Whether you are looking for pool fencing or decorative fence aluminum is the perfect material for a variety of purposes.

Homeowners choose to install fencing for a variety of reasons.  The aluminum fence panel design that you choose will depend on the reason you are looking for fencing in the first place.   For instance, if you are choosing to install a fence around your yard to contain pets you will want to choose a panel that offers puppy pickets or extreme spacing.  Puppy pickets are an additional shorter picket to ensure that the animal is not able to squeeze through the fence.  Extreme spacing in aluminum fencing is an extra picket between the normal pickets that extends all the way to the top.

Aluminum fencing offers numerous benefits over competitive materials such as wood, vinyl, wrought iron or chain link.  Aluminum fences are covered with a powder coating that provides a maintenance free, smooth finish with an attractive appearance.  The powder coating also helps prevent corrosion and rust, making aluminum a maintenance free fencing option.  This also helps make it affordable.  The extra expense up front over other fence materials is easily recouped when you look at the money that is required to maintain them.

When looking for a fence that is customizable aluminum is the most appropriate option.  With aluminum you can choose from a number of styles of decorative and ornate aluminum fencing panels.  On top of choosing a style that fits your homes décor you can customize it with butterfly scrolls, historical finals, finials that are pressed and even spacing between the pickets.  You can customize aluminum fence panels to meet your need.

In order to get the most out of your aluminum fence it is important to plan ahead.  The winter season is the perfect time to start preparing for the installation of your aluminum fence in the spring.  Take the measurements of the space you are looking to install the fence and contact a fencing expert.  Consult with an aluminum fencing expert now to prepare your fence order.  This will ensure that your fencing is all set to be processed, the necessary materials are in stock and that the order is ready to ship when you are ready to install it in the spring.

iFence USA offers a variety of maintenance-free, no-rust aluminum fences and gates in the industry! Whether you are a pool contractor, a building contractor, an architect, a landscaping professional, or a “do-it-yourself” homeowner looking for value and installation advice, you’ll benefit by buying aluminum fences shipped factory-direct from http://www.iFenceUSA.com!

iFenceUSA

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Guide to Buying An Electrical Circuit Breaker

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A large safety concern in both residential and commercial buildings is overloading or causing a short circuit within the electrical circuit.  The component that is used to prevent this from occurring is an electrical circuit breaker.  A circuit breaker is used to protect the circuits within your home or business.  If a fault is detected within the circuit the system will cause a break in the electrical current flow causing the system to come to a halt.

The type of circuit breaker you choose to purchase will depend on a number of things.  In order to purchase the correct electrical circuit breaker you need to clearly understand your needs and the needs that will be placed on the system.  When purchasing a new or refurbished circuit breaker, your electrical supplier will discuss several factors with you to help you select the best breaker for your needs.

The first thing an electrical supply company will ask you about when purchasing a circuit breaker is the amount of electricity that will be flowing through the breaker.  The voltage load of the circuit breaker you choose will depend heavily on the equipment that will be used on the circuit as well as the overall load of electricity that will run through the circuit.

There are three main voltage categories when it comes to circuit breakers.  Low voltage circuit breakers are used in residential electrical circuits.  A low voltage electrical circuit breaker works best in households and can handle a max load of 1000 volts.  Medium electrical circuit breakers are suitable for buildings and office settings.  A medium breaker is good for use when voltage requirements are between 1000 and 72,000 volts.  Large electrical circuit breakers handle voltage loads upwards of 72,000.  Large breakers are typically used for high voltage power transmission lines.

The next consideration of various circuit breakers is the mounting style.  The two main components are fixed mounted circuit breakers and removable mounted circuit breakers.  A fixed mounted circuit breaker is mounted so that it cannot be removed without removing the main connections and mounting supports.  A removable mounted circuit breaker has two parts, the base and the actual breaker.  The base is bolted and hardwired to the frame where is the breaker is plugged into the base.  This system can be replaced without having to rewire.

Another consideration is the type of trip unit you would like the breaker to be on.  There are two main types of trip units, magnetic and thermal.  Also consider the operating temperature range when purchasing an electrical circuit breaker.  Different components work better than others at different temperature ranges.

The best place to purchase an electrical circuit breaker is with the help of an online new, used and refurbished electrical component supplier.  They will have the best inventory in stock and are familiar with a variety of circumstances.  Use their experience to help you choose the best circuit breaker for your commercial or residential use.

J&P Electrical is a full service electrical equipment company. At J&P, we supply contractors, end users and supply houses with new surplus, quality reconditioned and obsolete electrical equipment. Contact us today at https://jpelectricalcompany.com for all of your bus plug, circuit breaker, switchboard, fuses, disconnects and more.

J & P Electrical Company

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Suggestions In Small Kitchen Remodeling

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Kitchen remodeling is one of the few home renovations that can take your home from drab to fab.  To Smaller kitchens can be not only renovated to add a facelift to your space but to add efficiency as well.  Renovating a smaller space often requires more planning than larger kitchen remodels.  With a small kitchen it is important to find ways that the space can be used in more than one way.  Multi-purposing each and every space to provide a big kitchen feel to a small kitchen space.  Below you will find multiple tips on turning your small kitchen into something grand during the renovation process.

Multi-Purpose Wherever Possible

Utilizing every nook and cranny is so important in a small kitchen renovation.  When you renovate a small kitchen it is important to make space where there isn’t any.  Seem impossible?  This can be achieved in several ways.  Adding cupboards up to the ceiling leaves you room to utilize the space under them.  Consider an in wall stove instead of one that utilizes valuable floor space.  This one small renovation adds a lot of extra space that can be utilized for storage which is always a shortage of in small kitchen spaces.

Select Smaller Versions of Home Appliances

This one simple concept can save you a bundle of space.  Choosing a slimmer refrigerator and a compact dishwasher can save a tone of space.  Make it so that your cupboards all have sliding shelves so that you can use all of the space in them.  Another item that you can choose a smaller version of is the sink.  Choose sink that is smaller in length and width but deeper so that you are still able to adequately use the sink.  If you have dishes and appliances that are not used that often install a lazy susan on both the top and bottom shelves.  This takes valuable corner space that is usually wasted and utilizes it for storage.  Lazy susan’s can have multiple shelves and therefore can hold a lot of kitchen necessity’s out of the way.

Add Natural and Artificial Light

More light naturally brightens a space.  If there is a small window in the kitchen already consider making it larger.  If that is not possible use the existing space and add a bay window or a larger window sill.  Consider adding recessed lighting and lights under cabinetry.  For smaller kitchen areas it is important that the lighting does not invade the livable space.

It can be a bit more complex to remodel a smaller kitchen.  It is important that every detail is planned and accounted for.  Keep the space uncluttered and utilize even the smallest of spaces in big ways.

Jason Foldenauer Construction, out of Howell and Brighton Michigan, offers a variety of home renovations to clients ranging from kitchen and bathroom remodeling to home additions and storage sheds.  Contact http://www.jfcremodeling.com today for your entire home renovating needs.

Jason Foldenauer Construction

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