shriners secret handshake

In this august company is a painting of Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, the president of George Washington University. Morgan, a disillusioned Mason in Batavia, N.Y., announced that he planned to publish the secret rituals of some of the controversial higher degrees. It is getting old. A handshake is defined as the act of grasping and shaking a persons hand (as to acknowledge an introduction or to agree on a contract). 4) Similarly, the Pass Grip of a Master Mason, also called The Lions Paw, is made by pressing the top of the thumb hard on a fellow Mansons second knuckle. It didn't work. "I don't fully understand it," he says, "but I have an intuitive understanding of what it means. I ask. I decided to check out Freemasonry while it was still around. . Masonry utilizes a lot of symbols that offer insights into the human condition.". But nearly half of American Masons opt to obtain higher degrees. Ironically, the jokers turned out to be Masons. Legend has it that Florence was inspired while attending an Arabian-themed party in Marseilles, France, during a time when the mystique of the near East was fashionable worldwide. Bored, I leave my seat and wander around the hall. ", Historian Arthur Schlesinger Sr. agreed. WebI like to surprise people when shaking hands by sticking my middle or ring finger against their palm and mine and wiggling it a bit. Which is precisely the problem for American Freemasonry today. Secret handshake? The place is as hushed as a cathedral, as silent as a sarcophagus. Hall went on to found an African lodge, which later evolved into a parallel Black Masonic organization called the Prince Hall Masons, which still exists today. Under 50? Those who learn it are taught to subscribe to the three basic tenets of Freemasonry, which are Friendship, Morality, and Brother Love. They can also involve touching feet, elbows or even a friendly kiss. They try to lace their little finger inside my little finger (or possibly little finger and ring finger He is a Royal Arch Mason and a Cryptic Mason and a Knight Templar. At 67, he's got a gloriously craggy face. Therefore, a man must become a Master Mason before he becomes a Shriner. It's hardly surprising. Meanwhile, on October 13, 1792, a group of Masons from Georgetown laid the cornerstone for the White House. I figure I should lighten up a little, so I ask him what he thinks about wearing Freemasonry's famous funny hats. Forgot Account? In 1922, fueled by their desire to make a difference in the world, Shriners founded their own philanthropy, Shriners Hospitals for Children, now commonly known as Shriners Children's. It sits on 16th Street NW near Dupont Circle, looking like the Embassy of Atlantis or the Supreme Court of Mars. Peter Carlson is a writer for The Post's Style section. "There's the picture of him in his dress," Morris says. Well, gee, right here in my own country, there's a fraternal organization that incorporates much of that thinking. Gradually, the stonemasons invited other men to join their brotherhood and it slowly evolved from a labor union into a fraternity. It's built on a mountain of stone steps, and more steps rise in a ziggurat on the rooftop. WebSecret handshakes are shared only with select and elect peoples. I'm very curious. He passes a chart across the table. It is a shot of Hoover as a baby, dressed in a long baptismal gown. "For me," he says, "my curiosity started when I was 12 or 13 years old.". Start Your Journey. Define Your Path. In a nation awash in grandiose rituals, goofy garb and pompous titles, it was inevitable that some jokers would create a parody. Morris is 51, a balding, gray-haired man in a gray suit. Most are probably shriners. The Secret of the Masonic Handshake. "I thought this might help you," he says. He looked at me and said, You probably shouldnt have seenthat.. It is, I suppose, an impressive display of Masonic internationalism, but it is also deadly dull. On this stage are five throne-like chairs. democratic -- a secret society that held its own rules higher than the nation's laws. The Masonic Handshake is an important symbol used to represent members of the society of Freemasons. You can almost see the gears churning inside his bald head. (And Benedict Arnold, although Masons don't mention him quite as often.). . He walks down the Hall of Honor, which is lined with oil paintings of famous Masons -- Harry Truman, Gene Autry, Norman Vincent Peale. Like this: "having my left breast torn open, my heart and vitals taken thence and with my body given as prey to the vultures of the air." Our Connection with Freemasonry. WebImperial Potentate's Secret Handshake Challenge | A couple members of the Membership Team got together to take on Shriners International "Secret Handshake Challenge!" But America has become a land of informality, utilitarian architecture, first names, casual clothes, casual Fridays. WebSecret handshakes are shared only with select and elect peoples. He decided to take some time off, read some philosophy, do some reflecting. He is a Perfect Elu, a Grand Pontiff, a Knight of the Brazen Serpent and a Master of the Royal Secret. Needless to say, it didnt start with Psi Upsilon or my old man andbrother. Masons love formality, ornate architecture, grandiose titles, fancy clothes. Fletcher is the head of the Masonic Service Association, which means he's the official PR man for Freemasonry. He says that is why he isn't more articulate. It was, as journalist W.S. Masonry, said former president John Quincy Adams, "winds itself around every object of its aversion like a boa constrictor around its victim.". He admits that he doesn't have the foggiest idea. 17) In the NBAs ongoing ongoing effort to promote active parenting, its urged dads to learn secret handshakes with their kids. In New York, nine out of 10 folded. Is there really a secret Freemason handshake? He's a mathematician who wrote his doctoral dissertation on the science of card shuffling. Some Masons rise to the top in both rites. After that, his printer's shop was torched. The Improved Order of Red Men. "People wear funny hats all the time, whether they have a hat on or not," he says, looking very serious. After the 16th formal toast -- "May peace, liberty and order extend from pole to pole" -- the Masons stumbled off into the night, having forgotten to record exactly where they'd laid the ceremonial cornerstone. "Sure," I say. Several thousand strong, they've gathered to celebrate the 200th birthday of the Scottish Rite, which was founded, not in Scotland, as a non-Mason might assume, but in Charleston. In the center, there's an altar topped, as always, with a Bible and the Masonic square and compass. I think, Gee, that wasn't too bad. "They need to be where the action is," he says, "and it's not in a closed hall doing -- I hate to call it mumbo-jumbo but it is mumbo-jumbo. They are, for the most part, the same reasons cited by Harvard professor Robert Putnam in Bowling Alone, his famous study of the decline in membership in many organizations: Americans work longer hours. There are Christian Masons, Jewish Masons, Muslim Masons, Buddhist Masons. I approached the huge metal doors and spotted words carved in the marble below my feet: The Temple of the Supreme Council of the Thirty-Third and Last Degree, Of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, For The Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, Erected to God and Dedicated to the Service of Humanity. Then one day, I wandered over to take a closer look. find a chapter. Learn more. What is Masonry. Over the centuries, exuberant Masons have traced the origins of their brotherhood back to the Crusades, back to Pythagoras and Euclid, back to the builders of King Solomon's temple and the pyramids of Eqypt, sometimes back to Adam himself. Secret handshakes mean different things to different people and groups, but all are comprised of signature, sometimes complex movements. Usually a secret handshake has underlying meanings that differ from person to person. Taylor steps forward and slips a necklace over Toossi's head. Case in point: BuzzFeed suggests 11 Secret Handshakes You and Your Bestie ShouldLearn., 13) Another modern interpretation: [A secret handshake is] when your partner will not give it up so you wait for them to fall asleep and then use their hand to crankoff., 14) Dapping, the cooler cousin of the secret handshake, involves a series of knocking fists together as a sign of respect. Unlike nearly all lodge rituals, this ceremony has been opened to outsiders and a couple dozen friends and relatives of lodge members have come to watch. A few minutes later, a man walked up to me and introduced himself as Richards's Masonic "mentor." "If there is," he says, "they're keeping it from me.". Experience the Brotherhood. The Scottish Rite is the group with the otherworldly headquarters on 16th Street. You agree to avoid private piques and quarrels and guard against intemperance and excess . "I love to do that to people," he says. It really is fun to do with strangers cause their faces show their confusion. That's the secret handshake to get in most swingers parties. A handshake between a master from an apprentice, for example, included a series of knuckle compressions. So Toossi attended a social and met some Masons and liked them. "Consciousness makes a person better," he corrects me. And they don't party quite as hearty as they once did, perhaps because most members are now over 60, perhaps because times have changed. "The degrees are actually morality plays. "I saw him talking to men I respected and I realized there was a bond there, a camaraderie. A limo is waiting outside to take him to his massage appointment. WebShriners International is a social organization with a strong focus on family, and our Shrine Centers host events that include spouses, children, grandchildren and community members. To become a Mason, a man must ask to be admitted -- Freemasons don't recruit, Fletcher says. The computer whirred and chugged and revealed what it found: "8,700 matches.". Americans began to wonder what this furtive brotherhood was doing behind the closed doors of its lodges. "Brethren of Temple Noyes Cathedral Lodge No. The Spanish honcho marches in, escorted by a cadet from the famous military school the Citadel, who holds a Spanish flag. Is there really a secret Freemason handshake? The Ancient Order of the Knights of the Mystic Chain. Learn more. It's a tough job, maybe an impossible job. "This is the Burl Ives Room," he says. Web1) By definition, secret handshakes involve placing fingers, thumbs and/or palms in a particular position to convey membership to a club fraternal orders, fraternities, secret societies, athletic teams, friends, families, etc. One by one, the honchos from every other country make the same grand entrance -- Venezuela, Portugal, Mexico, Russia, England, Finland, South Africa, the Philippines, the Ivory Coast, and many more -- all of them marching, pivoting, shaking hands. Forgot Account? The Masonic Handshake is an important symbol used to represent members of the society of Freemasons. "Okay, I think we'll get the show started now," says Keene Taylor Jr., a local real estate agent and past master of the lodge, who is presiding over the ceremony. Maybe one or two. It is fading away. Secret handshakes involve a precise, sometimes complex series of movements and contact between two individuals or even a group. The Chief Executive of the Freemasons has admitted that there is a secret handshake, but anyone caught doing it outside the society would face disciplinary action. For example, Shriners wear distinctive red fezzes as their official headgear. The Sovereign Grand Commander marches into the Charleston Convention Center on a carpet of royal purple, accompanied by the Grand Sword Bearer, who is bearing a grand sword, and by the Grand Standard Bearer, who is bearing the flag of the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. For decades, American comedies from "Amos 'n' Andy" to "The Honeymooners," from "The Flintstones" to "The Simpsons" have mocked the absurdities of men's lodges. Today he's wearing a white shirt, black suspenders and a colorful tartan tie topped with a Masonic tie clasp. "I've made good money at it but they won't act on it. "I've been sort of impressed by the spiritual side of Masonry," he says. The effect on Freemasonry was devastating. Web870 views, 35 likes, 9 loves, 6 comments, 7 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from El Riad Shrine: Have you seen the new, not-so-secret, Shriners secret handshake? He thinks he knows the reasons. "I wanted to know why. They huff and puff as they climb the convention center's steep stairways and some of them look like they might not make it. But giving tours is just a sideline. Many members and their families say that they have formed lifelong friendships through their involvement in the fraternity. They are Challenging Potentate David | By Mohammed Shriners | Facebook. "I see it as a useful tool to understand the nature of symbols. C. Brian Smith writes hard-hitting gonzo features for MEL, whether it be training with a masturbation coach, receiving psycho corporal treatment from a spank therapist, or embarking on a week-long pleasure cruise with 75 Santa Clauses following their busy season. "It's a work that's done when one is endeavoring to understand" -- he pauses, searching for the right word -- "life. He's also a Masonic historian and the Scottish Rite's director of membership development. It regained its membership within a couple decades, but it had lost the status it held in the days when Washington anointed the cornerstone of the Capitol. Two: You agree to conform to the laws of the country in which you reside. "They are a collection of nature's noblemen," he says when I reach him, "some of the sweetest people I've ever met.". Then he drank wine from the skull, symbolizing "the bitter cup of death, of which we must all, sooner or later, drink.". Shriners International helps good men become better leaders, husbands, fathers, friends and community contributors. But the decline of Masonry, Davis says, is exacerbated by another factor: Americans no longer enjoy rituals. "How you get that consciousness is a personal endeavor. The fraternity established Shriners Hospitals for Children as its official philanthropy in 1922, and continues to support it today, while striving to make the world a happier, better place. The secrets of Freemasonry are the various modes of recognition grips (handshakes), passwords and signs (hand gestures) that indicate one is a Freemason. I look around for anyone who appears to be under 40. "Only 33rd-degree Masons would know where that piercing occurs.". How did you like the initiation ceremony and those gruesome oaths? The bond of brotherhood connects nobles as they navigate through life together, lending strength and compassion in hard times, and fun and fellowship through the years. They have a secret handshake. For over a decade, Masons have paid Davis for his advice, but they haven't acted on it. Experience the Brotherhood. It was, of course, not ancient nor Arabic nor mystic. What we do is private. "Certainly the music we'd offer would have to be different," he says. Mike Kelly, Ziyara ShrinerS (2021 Potentate) The sites included endless lists of famous Freemasons: George Washington, FDR, Gerald Ford and Warren G. Harding. For 25 years, he worked as a cryptographer for the National Security Agency. Helping the fraternity grow has given me such purpose, and seeing the work that our hospitals do will absolutely inspire you and make you want to do your part to make the world a better place.. That's in the book. Though some members deny it to the public, the Freemasons have at least one secret masonic handshake. 15) Nowhere is the secret handshake more ubiquitous than on TV. They stop on the purple carpet, pivot to their left, march a few more steps, stop again, pivot to their right, and march to the spot where the Spanish Sovereign Grand Commander can shake hands with the American Sovereign Grand Commander. He looks at his watch and hustles off. The music stops. I am speechless. Mozart was a Mason and he put Masonic imagery in his opera "The Magic Flute. Are you interested in becoming a Shriner? Once so important to American culture, Freemasonry now seems profoundly out of step. WebShriners international: The Shrine has often been called the playground of Freemasonry. Shriners wear red fezzes, ride little cars in parades, sponsor circuses, and do other wacky things to raise money for their 23 childrens hospitals in North America. After the ceremony, they marched back to Georgetown's Fountain Inn and began toasting and drinking. WebShriners International is a social organization with a strong focus on family, and our Shrine Centers host events that include spouses, children, grandchildren and community members. Curious, I frisked my brain for everything it contained about Freemasonry. He will be fielding questions and comments about this article at 1 p.m., Monday on www.washingtonpost.com/liveonline. They are Challenging Potentate David | By Mohammed Shriners | Facebook. The only sound is the crisp clicking of. It looks like a corporate flowchart of the occult, as designed by Rube Goldberg. My long, strange trip through the world of Freemasonry began, like so many odd adventures, with simple curiosity. Supposedly, there are even phrases a Freemason can utter when facing grave When two Masons meet in the street, it's like old home week! They have a secret handshake. They have a secret handshake. Two Master Masons, Walter M. Fleming, M.D., and William J. Like the Kramer character, I barge into things to see what they're like.". Secret handshakes mean different things to different people and groups, but all are comprised of signature, sometimes complex movements. The compass teaches us to limit our desires in every station . I climbed the steps and inspected the sphinxes. Billy Florence, a well-known actor, founded Shriners International in 1872. "Can you stop that for a minute?". After the Revolution, Freemasons became the quasi-official ceremonial arm of the new American government, providing colorful rituals for the laying of cornerstones for public buildings. Take the first step in joining our global community of brothers. But the main appeal, Harwood concluded, was ritual. Thousands of Masons donned the Shrine's red fez and gathered to drink, parade, drink some more and kiss any females who wandered within range. Richards is the actor who played Kramer, the bug-eyed nut job neighbor on "Seinfeld." Brotherhood is the cultural foundation that distinguishes our fraternity from other groups and associations. He doesn't look too happy about that either. But crafting a personal handshake for you and your kid is no easy task so you might want to take some pointers before you get started., 18) Thomas Bussey, a third-grade teacher at Centennial Academy in Atlanta, has secret handshakes with each of his 30 students. Usually a secret handshake has underlying meanings that differ from person to person. He says he's a lawyer but he won't reveal his name. Being a Shriner has 100% made me a better man. I learned that Freemasonry is dying out, at least in the United States. Immigrants used them to assimilate. Nobody answered. The problem, he says, is that they really love the mumbo-jumbo. "We're not a secret organization," says Richard Fletcher. Outraged, the public demanded justice. Many members and their families say that they have formed lifelong friendships through their involvement in the fraternity. What changes would appeal to Generation Xers? A moment later, he comes up with a suggestion of his own -- Masonic piercing. I am stunned. Their goal is self-improvement through fraternity. And some of the new rituals were very bizarre. I saw something there that I liked.". 11 Secret Handshakes You and Your Bestie ShouldLearn, [A secret handshake is] when your partner will not give it up so you wait for them to fall asleep and then use their hand to crankoff., the cooler cousin of the secret handshake, In the NBAs ongoing ongoing effort to promote active parenting, The NBA Guide to Creating the Perfect Handshake, writes Beachboy6294 in the Elitefitness.com forums, Tickle Me Kaczynski: How the Inventor of the Ultimate Elmo Toy Became a Unabomber Suspect, Real Italians Put Hot Dogs and French Fries on Their Pizza, The Other Drug War: Inside the World of Counterfeit Viagra, The $65 Million Art Heist That Put Oceans Eleven to Shame. If accepted, the man must pass through the three degrees of the Blue Lodge -- Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason -- each with its own secret ritual, handshake and password. I asked him for an interview and he agreed. 1. These dudes were party animals! Husbands used them to get away from the wife and kids. Richards wears a conservative blue blazer over a bright Hawaiian shirt and chomps on a gooey health food bar. WebShriners International is a social organization with a strong focus on family, and our Shrine Centers host events that include spouses, children, grandchildren and community members. It's classified. Secret Handshakes from History. There are two paths to those degrees -- the Scottish Rite and the York Rite. .". Then you know their not lying. (All kinds of sic necessary. Then he stops laughing and it gets quiet again, quiet as a crypt. 3) A thousand years later (give or take), craft masons who built Medieval cathedralsbetter known as freemasons since they were unbound to feudal lords and could work throughout Europeneeded a way to prove their bona fides. The Freemasons Are the Oldest Fraternal Organization in the World. Murder!". Whoops, thought you were your brother, hed say, retreating to the normal, boring, not-your-older-brothers handshake. . ", The computer whirred and chugged and revealed what it found: "35,500 matches. I'd driven past the House of the Temple countless times and wondered what it was. They spend more time commuting. "We really don't know," he says softly. He's also a Freemason. At the end of it is a carpenter's square, symbol of the Worshipful Master's office. (Not to be confused with the Kevin Sorbo/Amy Grant vehicle, The Secret Handshake, a rollicking family comedy of men and boys learning what it takes to be a man though adventure, laughter and maybe even shedding a tear ortwo.), 12) These days, secret handshakes are more commonly used in informal settings. A handshake is defined as the act of grasping and shaking a persons hand (as to acknowledge an introduction or to agree on a contract). As Morgan walked out of jail, a group of Masons forced him into a carriage and he disappeared, screaming, "Murder! "We could have piercings for each degree," he says. He says it makes the classroom feel more family-oriented. The tradition of fun and fellowship thrives today; as interests have changed through the years, Shriners' approach to fun has evolved as new members bring in fresh perspectives and creative ideas. Despite the Kramer factor, the TV generation just isn't there. He wasn't interested. WebI like to surprise people when shaking hands by sticking my middle or ring finger against their palm and mine and wiggling it a bit. Toossi, 48, is an Iranian immigrant, a graduate of Drexel University, the owner of a construction company in Gaithersburg. The place was shut tight. Toossi asked him a question that Masons hear all the time: Is that pyramid with the eye on top that decorates the dollar some kind of Masonic symbol? WebMar 21, 2018 - Secret Masonic handshakes, passwords, grips and signs of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft Fellow Craft and Mason Degrees of Blue Lodge Freemasonry Pinterest Today He is a 33rd-degree Mason, and there is no 34th degree. Mike Kelly, Ziyara ShrinerS (2021 Potentate) Two hundred years ago, it was a powerful movement that included many of our Founding Fathers. "And of course the 33rd-degree piercing would have to be a very private piercing," he says. I hit him with the big question: Is there a secret Masonic conspiracy to take over the world? "Skip, skip, skip to my Lou," Ives sings. They can also involve touching feet, elbows or even a friendly kiss. They explained all this to Trachtenberg and then, he says, "they invited me to join.". Inside, the lodge looks like hundreds of others across the world: a solitary room on the second floor of a building, with a stage at one end. The director's desk is there, along with his chair and his phone. "How about Dude and Major Dude and Heavy Dude?". Some prime examples: Boy Meets World, Scrubs, Community, The Simpsons and Fresh Prince ofBel-Air. Every temple has its own unique origin story. He says he has low blood sugar. In an age of religious hatreds, Freemasonry was among the world's first nondenominational organizations. The Knights of Columbus. WebShriners international: The Shrine has often been called the playground of Freemasonry. Shriners wear red fezzes, ride little cars in parades, sponsor circuses, and do other wacky things to raise money for their 23 childrens hospitals in North America. Every day, old Masons die and are no longer replaced by a younger generation. WebA secret Masonic hand clasp, handshake or handgrip is used between two Freemasons in order to recognize that they are Brothers of the same Order. Those who learn it are taught to subscribe to the three basic tenets of Freemasonry, which are Friendship, Morality, and Brother Love. "He laughed and said, 'It's the all-seeing eye of Freemasonry,' " Toossi recalls. Fezzes, Sphinxes and Secret Handshakes By Peter Carlson November 25, 2001 Down we go, deeper into the weird wonderland. Web870 views, 35 likes, 9 loves, 6 comments, 7 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from El Riad Shrine: Have you seen the new, not-so-secret, Shriners secret handshake? Davis is a Mason and a Maryland-based management consultant. Anti-Masons, some of them former Masons, denounced the fraternity as un-Christian and un-. WebJoin Shriners. They said the Masons murdered Mozart because he revealed their secrets in "The Magic Flute. He says he's been reading Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike, the 19th-century Masonic philosopher and former Sovereign Grand Commander who is buried in the House of the Temple. Instead, says Davis, "we have become a society of home-based people.". Start Your Journey. Did they plan to do it in go-carts? "When I became president 14 years ago," he says. (Please use your .edu address, if applicable.) "We have a picture of him in his dress," Morris says. (2) It's a secret society that conspiracy theorists believe is plotting world domination. "I've met some lovely people who do some very good works and I've learned some things I wouldn't have learned otherwise. Why, Harwood wondered, did so many men join? "It's called the Structure of Freemasonry.". 7) A digital secret handshake is a form of cryptography that enables the SSL or TLS client and server to establish secret keys with which to communicate. Web870 views, 35 likes, 9 loves, 6 comments, 7 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from El Riad Shrine: Have you seen the new, not-so-secret, Shriners secret handshake? A handshake is defined as the act of grasping and shaking a persons hand (as to acknowledge an introduction or to agree on a contract). Shriners International is a social organization with a strong focus on family, and our Shrine Centers host events that include spouses, children, grandchildren and community members. Here are seven things you may not know about Freemasons. Three: You promise not to be concerned in plots and conspiracies against government . He says he isn't feeling well. The secret to the Masonic handshake is not in how it is given, but what it represents. Talk about your head in the sand.". ", Those theories were obviously daffy. Past the huge stone sphinxes, past the squatting marble Egyptians, past the two-headed eagles whose chests hold a triangle emblazoned with the mystical Masonic number 33. Secret handshake? Learn more. How has it made you better? Your Impact. I might not have many Masonic friends after that, but my safety would not be in jeopardy.". They're acted out by people in costumes and makeup.". Its like getting a cool nickname and dancing all that same time. The elaborate morality plays of the Scottish Rite degrees contain, he says, some interesting philosophical ideas. "We exist primarily to raise the level of commitment and involvement with each other.". Your Impact. But Freemasonry was also a fraternity and Masons were renowned for their post-meeting forays into taverns, where they offered numerous elaborate toasts, each washed down with a generous belt of hooch. He joined, became a Master Mason, then went through the 29 degrees of the Scottish Rite. The Shrine's initiation ceremony was a bawdy burlesque of Masonry's solemn ritual. Seen as a sign of respect for the patriarch of his family, George W. Bush slipped his dad the Lions Paw when greeting him on9/11. The room is dark but when Morris steps into it, lights automatically pop on, revealing walls covered with the folk singer's pictures, and an Ives song begins to play. Becoming a Mason was part of that introspective process. And yet somehow the secrets got out anyway. That night, a stranger paid Morgan's bail. Even the type of grip they hold can identify which Masons are of the lower degrees and higher degrees by testing his handshake. The Secret of the Masonic Handshake. But then you have to deal subjectively with your spiritual constitution, the nature of your position in life, what God has in store for you.".

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