Rice options - white vs wild
Seeing lots of posts about storing white rice, which I totally understand and I have mylar packets stored in food, safe buckets however what about the more nutritious and fulfilling options like wild rice blends found this one at Costco. Does it keep as well in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers?
https://redd.it/1xt7wfj
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What happens if your septic feild is about your house and the power go out for 30 days?
We bought our house and hind sight 20/20 not the best house choice. Our house sits at the bottom of a 10ft high hill that has a lift pump woth septic fingers. My concern is what wouls we do if the power is out to prevent it from backing up? Is there anything that can be done without having a generator. Its unfortunate too because there is a small creek behind the house and we wouldnt be able to use the water due to the septic leeching into it.
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Reminder since so many new people have joined the prepping world the past few weeks-
Little tip from the culinary world for your preps thats cheap and easy-
If your storing dry beans store baking soda.
1/4-1 tsp per pound baking soda in the soak water and then again in the boil water to cook them will soften any that may have hard packed from long term storage.
If they arent hard packed it shortens the needed cook time by almost half and added bonus it also helps break down the enzymes that cause stomach upset in some people.
If you store dry beans store baking soda to cook with.
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How to get kids to eat emergency food?
Hello friends! I have a pretty solid pantry and am confident in an emergency we could live without leaving the house for at minimum 6 months. However my biggest fear is my son not eating the food. He will literally starve in purpose and I'm not exaggerating. He only eating fresh fruit, vegetables, boiled egg without the yolk, cheese and rice and they can't be touching each other or he's not having it. I don't know if it's an age thing or a food avoidance condition, because he's only six. I'm wondering if any of you with kids have experienced a long term black out and figured out how to feed them without stress and no cold food access? I'd love recipe ideas as well if you have them. Thanks in advance ❤️
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Here is the gasoline report for gas stored for 18-months with no stabilizer.
Backstory: In 2025 I tested 93 octane gas with 10% ethanol that was bought in 2024 and stored for 12 months with no stabilizer. It worked fine in a 2011 Subaru WRX that required 91 octane gas. I found there was no difference in the stored gas from fresh gas in performance. The gas was stored between -5F to 105F degree temperature in old school 2-1/2 gallon and 5-gallon plastic gas cans.
For the 18-month test I bought about 25 gallons of 93 octane gas with 10% ethanol on 4.19.2025. I did not use any stabilizer in the gas. The gas was stored in the same old school plastic gas cans and same temperature range as the prior 12-month test. On 10.18.2026 I finished up the last of the gas after running it for about 2 weeks. I found there was no difference with using the unstabilized 18-month old 93 octane gas than from fresh 91 octane gas.
But...this discovery was kinda disturbing.
In the first 12-month test it looked to me that some of the gas evaporated / overflowed. I didn't know how much gas was lost. In the 18-month test I decided to measure any loss. When I bought the gas, I marked the containers to the fill level. Near the end of the tests about 2 inches of gasoline had evaporated out of the 5-gal plastic gas cans. That is a huge amount of gasoline lost into thin air.
The gas cans also had more air than I did in the 12-month tests. Gas cans generally have a maximum fill level mark. In the 12-month test I used the fill level and the cans overflowed in the heat. I stayed well below the fill level mark for the 18-month test, so there was a lot of extra air in the cans. The air didn't affect the gasoline when it came down to using it in the car.
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Starting over prepping
Planning on going over my stuff again with my prepping friends this weekend and it had me wondering if you had to start over from scratch. What would you do differently? I know we all bought random crap through the years or gizmos. Personally I'm trying to go as simple as possible and go for bulk for long term blackout. Thinking candles,oil lamps, extra blankets and most importantly bulk simple food and planning on how to use significantly less options. The food has been my biggest problem to figure out trying to find recipes that require basic ingredients and don't get to complicated. Every prepper cookbook I found gives me such a insane list of ingredients that it forgets grocery stores might be empty.
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Short wave radio and stations for news
What is an optional cost/quality short wave radio to be used for listening (radio News) not transmitting?
Where do you find a list of radio stations to listen to?
Antenna? Do I need a special antenna?
Objective here: in case of Internet disruption, besides AM/FM to be able to listen to news (ideally internationally).
https://redd.it/1xrppyj
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Personal experiences running furnace and fridge off portable generator instead of an inverter?
Bought a portable generator (Champion 201223 trifuel). We are going to have a plumber come out and set up so it can run on natural gas which limited our inverter options quite a bit. All the tri fuel inverters were a bit out of the budget. But now I’m debating trying to figure out how to squeeze one in since I’m reading a lot about furnaces and refrigerators not running well on portable generators. Anyone with personal experience? The furnace and fridge are both newer bought within the last 5-7 years.
We already have an electrician on deck to set up the interlock.
https://redd.it/1xq7n1q
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Holiday gifts for the prepper and non-prepper
The season is upon us, whatever you celebrate. And, let’s be honest - the preppers have everything they ever wanted except for the expensive stuff that I’m not getting for them, and the non-preppers have, well, useless stuff.
Things I am gifting this year
Solar powered flashlight - just lay it on the windowsill, and it’s always ready for a power outage.
Crochet hooks or knitting needles and a couple of skeins of yarn. Maybe with a free printable pattern for socks or scarves or sweaters.
Bean soup mixes. Just add water! Homemade and delicious. Looks pretty with each ingredient layered in a reusable jar.
Gourmet baskets made of rare-ish preserved foods and regular foods - fancy beans, less-fancy beans, jars of fancy fruit like fig or date, and less fancy jam like grape or strawberry; fancy nut butter or peanut butter or Nutella, dried fruit, roasted nuts, boxes of pilaf or cous cous or just a bag of some rarer grain like sumac or a bag of wild rice; jar of bullion cubes or powder; jerky or preserved meat sticks… you get my drift. It’s a gift bag of delicious, shelf stable, less common food mixed with more common foods, a few cans of juice or with a bow on top, and your sister in law/colleague/friend now has a few days of sustenance
You can gift these things and not give away your secret, possibly paranoid identity, while helping your loved ones be ready for Tuesday.
https://redd.it/1xrdpze
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Above Ground Water Well Jet Pump Running
Hello everyone. Hope everyone is well. I have an above ground well pump and motor. I was wondering if anyone has ever pulled the motor off of the top of a jet pump and used an impact or drill to spin the pump shaft to pump water during an extended power outage. In theory i think a 1/2 Milwaukee would have enough power to pump it. I am having an adapter for the impact made to fit the pump input shaft to try it. Anyone ever tried it? Thank you
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with zero sun, it runs for 63 hours. With even a fractional 3A of overcast winter daylight from the 400W panels, the system hits a net-positive surplus—running the fridge and using the XYS-3580 module to top up the portable lighting packs indefinitely.
What do you think of this setup overall? Would love to hear your thoughts, critiques, or how you would handle a standby system like this.
https://redd.it/1xr812j
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Prepper Fiction
I've read some prepper fiction over the years and enjoyed reading it. When I look for new reading material many of the books are a series of 9-12 books. Any suggestions for a singular book or a series of 3 or less? Thanks
(Physical copies only)
https://redd.it/1xr7lma
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Fallout in stand home.
Let’s run a scenario.
You are far enough away from any potential targets that the blast radius isn’t a concern. But the wind will bring the fallout. In a standard wood frame house with no basement. How would you secure your home as fallout is approaching?
What you would do now/ have done
And if you get the alert and have 30 minutes for a final prep. Obviously you have more than 30 minutes post impact but let’s run through the final prep moments.
(Edit I’m an idiot and meant to say standard not stand)
https://redd.it/1xqnn5e
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Heat source
Hi all. Thinking about increasing my preparedness. I live in a northern state. What would be the better heat source… buying a tent stove and rigging it up inside venting out a window or generator and stock piling gas to run varying electric heat source. Limited funds so kind of an either or and not both at the moment. Thank you in advance.
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Ammo and BOB dual notes
Had 2 notes/recommendations. I know there’s always talks about civil unrest during political events and such, no matter what the outcomes are. However, there are a lot of talks from some of my old NG friends that they’re getting ready for this kind of thing in a few states.
Note #1: The Blackhawk S.T.O.M.P II tactical aid bag doubles as a great BOB. It’s built like a standard ruck bag, with 2 accessory bags, an adjustable kidney strap, and optional Molle layer. Outer zipper pocket is big enough to carry standard TMT medical supplies, while the inner layer is big enough to carry a good amount of bug out supplies.
Note #2: It’s a good time to stock up on ammunition. A lot of big box outdoorsy stores (at least near me in the Ozarks) are selling 5.56 NATO as low as 32¢ per round. I got a box of Winchester white box for range day at about 28¢ per round. .223 is going for as low as 35¢-37¢ per round and, fun fact, can be used in the same platform as 5.56. In a dire scenario either of these are viable hunting rounds and in extreme cases, for self defense.
9mm is also pretty decent right now, with Remington green box going for around 26¢ per round.
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Canadian preppers about GMRS
Is using BaoFeng UV-5R 8W Tri-Power 128 CH illegal in Canada since it's 8W? Which license can it require to use it?
https://redd.it/1xt3h70
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Any radio frequencies you recommend?
I have a old bk radio and programmed noaa weather but can't find anything online about global or local news frequencies. Does anyone have any they recommend. New to these types of radios
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Random Preps I am Utilizing
\-Huge jar of coconut oil: I buy this organic from Costco for about $14. Coconut oil can be used for a plethora of things but notable for cooking oil, as a massive amount of easily consumable calories, and as a sort of anti fungal/anti bacteria ointment. I pair it with the next item and make a sort of salve that is my cure all:
\-Apple cider vinegar: cheap and effective antimicrobial product. Can also be used in cooking to add some flavor, or for cleaning surfaces. The salve I make with this and coconut oil has cured skin related issues. It has worked for me for skin tags/warts, fungal infections, and most recently to cure a flee bite/rash infection on my cats chin. It can also lower your appetite and help boost your immune system and lower your blood sugar.
\-Foil: I have a feeling this will be the next item to quickly run out alongside paper products. You can use it for SO many things. One idea I had recently is to use it to cover plates and bowls I use to eat. If you buy it in bulk (again, thank you, Costco), you can use a small sheet over your plates and bowls to prevent the need for washing them and consuming precious water.
\-Sanitation/flushable wet wipes: Another item I will use to limit the amount of water I use for cleaning myself. Also works for using the bathroom. Works well in conjunction with toilet paper and can help extend the life of your supply.
\-Peanut butter: Obvious choice. Widely regarded, but worth an additional mention here. Full of calories, decent protein, stores well, can be eaten by itself and tastes great. Throw a couple extra jars in your pantry or under your bed if you don't have the space.
\-Small, unopened Lego's: Purely for moral. I buy them from time-to-time and put them away for a "rainy" day. You know, a cold, rainy, day with no power...
\-Propane: Great for cooking and even better for warmth. You can buy a Mr. Heater Buddy and use an adapter from Amazon to connect it to a 20lb propane tank for many hours of reliable heat.
Anyways, hope this helps someone! Happy prepping!
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Prepping social pressure/shame?
This doesn’t particularly worry me, but I’ve run across posts/some folks that are really trying to hide the fact that they’re prepping due to peer influence or pressure. That seems so odd to me.
Even if nothing wild ever happens, natural disasters, winter weather, etc. make it a good idea to be prepped up for a week or two at least.
Why do you think non-preppers think this is a crazy concept? Have you run into this?
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Lowe’s buckets
I see they’re on sale, 2 for $6. Might have to go pick a few up.
https://redd.it/1xs083j
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November 9, 2026 - What did you do this past week to prepare?
Please use this thread to discuss whatever preps you worked on this last week. Let us know what big or little projects you have been working on. Please don’t hesitate to comment. Others might get inspired to work on their preps by reading about yours.
https://redd.it/1xrtxk2
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Water Storage Question
Hi everyone! New to this sub and trying to prepare for emergencies/weather etc. I have these 3 5 gallon storage containers. I sanitized them with 1 tsp of bleach (non scented, normal bleach) and 4 cups of water. I washed them first with warm water with some soap, and then did the liquid solution to sanitize. It’s been a little over a week and there is a faint 4/10 smell of bleach. Is it normal after cleaning? I’d like to put water in them but thought I’d get a second opinion. Thanks in advance!
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3 year old firman Wh02942 never been used, stored in the garage. It's completely dead and won't start with propane. Brand new oil, charged the internal LP battery with the 12v wall charger and nothing. No lights, no turn over attempt with pull. What now?
I'm not handy enough to tear open a generator to try to diagnose / fix it aside from what the manual tries and it's very straight forward. The inner cable is connected and it has full oil.
Is this is a painful lesson for me?
What are my options aside from trashing it?
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Safe room prep
Hello! New here. Any recommendations on how to fix anything, add anything, anything you wanna point out could help.
I have a room that i wanna use as a safe room in case of something happening. The room is underground, you could call it a basement. It is not my house but i want to prepare it for an emergency. The room is around 20m². May get to host 10 people.
We have had some issues with humidity that have been fixed i have been told, there are 2 ventilation pipes that run with electircity, the one sucking air inside needs an air filter as i have notice. Main worry here is what to do for it to keep working if there is no electricity, since a motor would contaminate the air in the room.
We have some oil lamps, not too sure how they would work in case of no light, would they kill the oxigen?
Bedding situation, thinking of getting a couple of camping bedsz the ones that fold and are easy to keep in there. Thoughts?
Water situation, i have space saved under the stairs to keep big water bottles stored, the idea is to buy them at the supermarket and keep an eye on them to use them before they get bad and substitute.
Food situation, same idea, store, keep an eye and substitute. I would need selves in there, currently its very empty. Advice on how big they should be? I was thinking floor to ceiling with a 50cm space on the bottom to store plastic boxes with diff items, the midle selves to store food, maybe 30cm in between? And then at the top to keep light things. Thinking of buying supermarket canned food, vut not sure it they would last long, investigating how to do it on my own but i dont have much time to do it. Pasta, rice, peanut butter, some suggars to keep, maybe canned and dried meat and fish? Fruits too?
How do you cook tho (heat up things)? A gas kitchen like the ones for hiking wouldnt make the air toxic?
Its a square but par of a wall is broken space by the stairs, so maybe the selves should be right in front? So there is nothing blocking the storage?
I know i need blankets, change of clothes, mostly underwear things. Toiletries to keep clean, first aid kit. Some entertainment thats reusable and long lasting. Plastic bags, and some kind of radio and walkies.
Lightning situation, thinking of using led lights all around the perimeter and then a couple in the middle, with two switches so we can choose the intensity of the light. Thoughts? Same thing with the air flow, what to do if there is no grid. Maybe the oil lamps i mentioned? Or too much work? Maybe just flashlight and candles?
Toilet situation, what do you usually do here? A foldable one and you just close the bag tightly?
Shower situation, thinking of just using wet wipes?
Also worried on how to get out of there if the buildung collapses, guess could ask for help with the radio but how to do on my own? There is a 4 floor building on top and there is a patio right next/on top of the room (thats where the air vents are)
What else am i not thinking about? Thank you foe any input
I need to buy a lot of things. Located in the EU. Any link, or advice helps.
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Water barrel freeze prevention
Hi All,
I have my water setup figured out for collection, storage, etc., but I haven't figured out a good way to prevent my water barrels from freezing during particularly long cold snaps. I know I can build an insulated container around them, but I'm not sure that will be 100% effective. Any fool proof ways that you care to share?
https://redd.it/1xr1lbb
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Modular 2-Stage Emergency Backup Microgrid (12V Lead-Acid + 400W Solar + Inverter Gen) — What do you think of this setup?
I live in the West of Ireland, where anything from severe winter gales to wider infrastructure, cyber, or fuel supply disruptions could knock out the local utility grid for days or even weeks at a time. Rather than spending thousands on a massive full-time lithium setup that sits idle for 11 months of the year, I engineered a budget-friendly, modular 2-stage emergency backup microgrid tailored specifically for extended standby survival.
It connects directly with a dedicated emergency AC circuit permanently wired into my house, completely isolated from the utility mains.
Here is how the system is built and how it operates depending on how bad an outage gets. I’d love to hear what you think of the overall design and how you might approach it differently!
🎯 Core Design Goals
95% Standby Profile. Sits untouched on a clean 13.54V maintenance float trickle inside a utility room for 11 months of the year, ready to deploy instantly.
Total Engineering Freedom. Built from discrete, off-the-shelf components rather than an all-in-one hybrid box. If anything fails mid-crisis, I can bypass or swap it out in 5 minutes with a screwdriver using generic local parts.
🛠️ Hardware Manifest
Primary Bank & Monitoring. 2x Yuasa YBX Active Leisure (L35-90) 12V flooded lead-acid batteries in parallel (180Ah total), tracked accurately via a Victron SmartShunt so I have exact State of Charge data under heavy loads. Central venting ports are piped via clear vinyl tubes straight through the block wall to the outside.
Solar Array (Always Connected). 400W Eco-Worthy panels wired in series (for higher voltage in overcast Irish winter light) feeding a 30A EPEVER MPPT controller. This stays connected 24/7 to trickle-charge or stack on top of generator runs.
Petrol Generator. Hyundai HY2250Si pure sine wave inverter generator (2,000W continuous) running strictly on Eco Mode, paired with a 35A SolaMr smart mains charger.
AC Inversion. 2,000W continuous / 4,000W peak Novopal pure sine wave inverter feeding the isolated house backup circuit.
Direct DC & Bench Lab. Hardwired 12V marine cigarette sockets for direct USB device charging, plus an adjustable XYS-3580 buck-boost module acting as a current-limited lab supply to charge portable 7Ah and 14Ah battery packs (which power 12V campervan roof lights around the house).
DC Backup Fridge. A mobile 12V DC Podofo compressor fridge/freezer (averages \~2A draw).
🌪️ The 2-Stage Operational Protocol
⚡ Stage 1: The AC Comfort Routine (Grid Dead, Petrol Available)
What it runs. Oil-fired central heating (controls and circulation pumps), full-sized household AC fridge/freezer, some overhead AC house lights, and a pump shower (drawing hot water from the cylinder heated by the oil burner).
How it runs. My first port of call when the grid drops is flipping the manual changeover switch to the Novopal inverter. From there, I am currently testing the exact runtime balance for the Hyundai generator—see what gives the best charge-to-fuel ratio. During these runs, the 35A charger stacks with the solar array (\~60A max, hitting a safe 0.33C bulk charge ceiling, highly unlikely given irish weather). On Eco Mode, the generator sips \~0.45L/hr at base load while still having automatic throttle headroom to rev up instantly when the shower pump kicks in.
❄️ Stage 2: The "Zero-Petrol" Direct DC Survival Grid (Roads Blocked, Out of Petrol)
What it runs. 12V DC Podofo compressor fridge, portable 7Ah/14Ah campervan lighting packs, and direct 12V USB phone/radio charging.
How it runs. If supply lines are cut and my petrol cans run dry, I shut off the 2,000W inverter completely to kill its idle draw. I migrate critical food to the 12V Podofo fridge (2A average load) and unlock a 30% State of Charge limit (126Ah usable) since rare emergency cycling won't hurt long-term battery life. On dead storage alone
Academic survey on the appeals and functions of nuclear holocaust fiction
Why do some people choose to read or watch stories about nuclear war?
I'm conducting a survey with Aarhus University on the appeals and functions of nuclear holocaust fiction.
The survey asks about books and films that depict nuclear war, its aftermath, and the moments leading up to it. You will be asked which of these you have read or watched, when, and what you get out of them. Some of these stories contain disturbing themes, and the questions refer to them.
The survey takes 5-15 minutes to complete, depending on you answers. There are no right or wrong answers; please take your time and answer as honestly as you can.
Answers are anonymous. Please do not include names or other identifying information in text answers. Because the survey is anonymous, answers cannot be withdrawn after you submit.
The survey data will be used in a qualitative and quantitative manner, i.e. open-ended text answers as well as aggregated survey data will be processed as part of the study.
Link to survey: https://survey.au.dk/LinkCollector?key=PUYCDXEDSNC1
Project responsible: Mulle Birch Olsen (Aarhus University)
Email: au617973@post.au.dk
Supervisor: Mathias Clasen (Aarhus University)
https://redd.it/1xqw8t8
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Coffee
I use my keurig multiple times a day. Any coffee pot uses Massive energy to brew a cup/pot. In the winter when there's supposed to be a big storm/possible outage in just brew a big pot and put it in the fridge. It's easy to heat a cup on the propane and almost as fast as the microwave. But I'm thinking about longer term. I also drink tea, hot and cold, by the cup. I heat that water with my Keurig. A few minutes ago, as I watched my coffee stream into my cup, I thought about what a short time that water flowed over the grounds.
So my question is, what's the easy way to pour one cup of hot water over a small amount of coffee to get a drinkable cup? I thought about something like empty tea bags and steeping it like tea. Is there an apparatus for this kind of thing already? What would it be called? TIA!
ETA I just added a pour over to my Monday delivery! $10, no filters. I'll actually probably order a French press, too, at some point. THANK YOU ALL! This group is really on it!
https://redd.it/1xqkl9y
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Something Wholesome: Finally got a bug out location.
Took over a decade; and what started as a solo project eventually led to my immediate family being brought into the fold a few years back. Now its a reality.
Well water, a good number of acres, a gun safe, far away enough away from cities, its serves a double purpose as a vacation house and somewhere to go if the S does hit the fan.
Felt good; collecting firewood, helping my brother in law set up a play room for my niece and nephew, starting the family emergency stockpile with my mum, helping my mum and sisters with the deep cleaning, as well as exploring the property.
https://redd.it/1xq2tze
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who won’t hold a gun. And none of them aside from the 10 yr old are super reliable with a gun. I’m training them every day but if something happens to me. They all die in a full on shtf scenario. And they are my number one reason why I live this life.
Have a great social network with my neighbours within a few miles. Several of who are as prepped or more so than me. For sure could barter and trade with them to keep things going.
Anyone have any thoughts or recommendations of what I can add or do diff? Any major areas I’m missing ? Or any questions about what I’m doing and why to question myself. Just looking to learn and expand on what others are doing. I also understand this isn’t a typical prepper situation as my homestead lifestyle tends to offer me opportunities and prep scenarios that are not common for most people in this forum.
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