If you can stand the heat, come to Löyly 2018

Löyly 2018 event introduces the enthusiasm of the international students to the reality of the Oulu working life. The event organizers Asta Salomaa and Jenna Suorsa tell us why this spring the employment market get as hot as sauna stoves.

TEKSTI Marko Heikkinen

KUVAT Marko Heikkinen

In Finnish.

 

It’s the traditional Finnish way to scare international newcomers by telling them to take off their clothes and taking them to the sauna. Sometimes it might come off the wrong way but the Finnish people mean well. Only drenched in relentless sweat we can really think about bonding and integration.

The statistics tell how the ”sauna-mentality” effects the Finnish working life as well.

”High amount of the local companies would want to recruit an international student as a full-time worker or as an intern,” says Asta Salomaa, the OYY’s event producer and community specialist.

”And according to ISB 2010, 70 percent of international students have considered Finland as their study destination because they would want to be employed locally.”

Löyly 2018 event will be held at the Linnanmaa campus on 6th of April to help bringing the local employers and international students come together. The objective of the event is to assist students to find a workplace in Oulu and motivate them to stay.

”One leaving student means 50 000 euro loss for the education system,” says Salomaa. It’s easy to believe the numbers since this term only one current international student pays for the tuition without scholarship.

 

Why is the Finnish work culture so different?

The organizers wish that both the students of the University of Oulu and the Oulu University of Applied Sciences would take part in Löyly. The event will feature local companies and other employers, keynote speakers and international student alumni who have already made it to the working life. Workshops will give students tools to navigate the tides of the Finnish working life.

The speaking programme takes place in the the new Agora hall located in the Oulu School of Architecture near the 2T entrance. Workshops and Career Fair will be held in Business Kitchen and Café Tellus at Linnanmaa campus. 

The programme will be multidisciplinary to cater the diverse international student pool.

OYY’s Vice Chair of the Board Jenna Suorsa says that it’s important to prepare for Löyly: ”Students need to keep an open mind and they must want to learn and network. Workshops will be filled in the order of registration.”

Students should also bring business cards, their resumes and a portfolio if they have one. At the event’s photography stand there will be a chance to update the resume photo to the standards of 2018. And students will be offered other hints on how to make their resumes appeal to their future employers.

 

The dark reality of an international student

Salomaa believes the international students have a high value and emphasizes their knowledge of different cultures. Additionally international students need their own event because of the ruthless time limit.

”Students will get a residence permit after the graduation maximum for a year if they’re looking for a job”, Salomaa says.

”And if the student doesn’t have funds for it, the deadline might be less than a year. The pressure to get work is high”. It’s very hard to get a job from the field a student has majored in, so any workplace will have to do.

Starting a career should not be so difficult since the employers could attract the international students more easily. ”Companies could relax on the Finnish language qualifications and make job advertisements also in English,” Salomaa says.

”We opened the Vulcanalia internship application for students who didn’t have proficiency in Finnish. The result was three times more applications and some of them even from the outside of Oulu area.”

 

Will this be the ”Slush of Oulu”?

There are no events like Löyly 2018 in the Oulu area and the organizers are out to build a tradition. Salomaa and Suorsa want to put all of their expertise and contacts on the line to have a high impact on the lives of the international students. Salomaa tells that she started planning the event last year and Suorsa has business experience from the Oulu Entrepreneurship Society.

Löyly will benefit students that are close to graduation and those that have just started their studies. Networking is the most usual way of finding a job for an international student. ”Even first year students should actively build contacts,” Suorsa says.

”You don’t want to be that student who at the end of the studies knows only his closest classroom buddies from Oulu.”

It’s safe to say that everyone knows at least one person like that from campus. You can only hope that it’s not the same one that looks back from the mirror.

 

Löyly 2018 will be held in Oulu on 6th of April. Workshops will be held in Business Kitchen and Career Fair in Café Tellus. Both are located at Tellus Innovation Arena in Linnanmaa campus. The speaking programme takes place in the the new Agora hall located in the Oulu School of Architecture near the 2T entrance.  The day event will be held from 9 am to 4pm. The event will continue to downtown Oulu in After Löyly event from 6pm to 9pm. The event is organized by OYY with support from the BusinessOulu, Business Kitchen, University of Oulu, and Oulu Entrepreneurship Society.

 

Edited March 27th of 2018: the location of the speaking programme is moved to Agora hall.

Marko Heikkinen

Äärimmäisen vakava kirjallisuuden pääaineopiskelija, joka kutsuu itseään "muoti & lifestyle" -toimittajaksi.

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Hi, 5 reasons February in Oulu is awesome

As we reach the end of February, we can take a moment to reflect about all the things this month had to offer to all of us Oulu dwellers. February is the smallest sibling of all other months, having only 28 days. This does not stop February from being one of the most awesome months. If you think this month is totally lame, these 5 awesome things that happen only in February will surely change your mind.

TEKSTI Marcelo Goldmann

KUVAT Antti Törmä

Polar Bear Pitching

Oulu is home of one of the most creative pitching events in the world. During Polar Bear Pitching, entrepreneurs from around the world gather in Oulu to pitch their business ideas to potential investors. There is no time limit for the pitching. There is a catch, though: they have to enter a hole in the frozen Baltic Sea and pitch from there. The time limit is the time they can stand being in the chilly water. Attendees are able to not only listen to the pitches, but also partake in workshops and listen to inspiring talks. (Source: Polar Bear Pitching)

 

Laskiainen

Shrovetide (Laskiainen) was originally a religious pre-Easter celebration preceding the beginning of Lent. In Finland, Laskiainen is celebrated with winter recreational activities such as skating, skiing, and sledding. The traditional food of this time is pea soup and pancakes, as well as sweet Laskiainen buns (laskiaispulla).

In Oulu, the guild of Mechanical Engineering organizes an event in Laskiainen Tuesday, starting with a charity event where the proceeds are donated. After that, a sledding event in Raksila, at Reikunmäki hill takes place. During the first part of the event, teams compete in a sledding race. After that, the demonstrative class follows, in which customized sleds compete in terms of creativity and speed. After all the races and demonstrations, the hill is open for anyone to enjoy some sledding. The event culminates in an afterski party downtown. Did you miss this year’s sledding event? Check out our gallery! (Sources: Laskiainen Event Page, Nordic Recipe Archive)

 

Valentine’s day

Historically, not much is known about the real origin of Valentine’s day. It might have religious origins, which explains the “Saint” in St. Valentine. The most popular story is that Roman Emperor Claudius II believed single men made better soldiers and thus forbid them to marry. A priest named Valentine started performing marriages in secret, which led to his execution.

In Finland, Valentine’s Day is known as Friendship Day (ystävänpäivä). This day does not usually have the romantic overtones it has in other parts of the world. Instead, it is the perfect day to show your friends how much they mean to you by giving them small gifts or sending them postcards.

Nevertheless, that does not mean you cannot do great romantic gestures for your special someone or significant other. Love knows no bounds. (Sources: History, Big in Finland)

 

Kalevalan päivä

A little less known gem from February is the The Day of Finnish Culture or Kalevala Day, which is celebrated on the 28th of February. This day is special, as it is the day when Elias Lönnrot, author of the Kalevala, wrote the foreword of this epic poetry compilation in 1835. This day is also a flag-raising day for Finland.

The Kalevala day is an important day not only for Oulu, but also for Finland, as the book itself represents Finnish identity, language and culture. Even though there is not a fixed happening every year, you should keep your eyes open, as there may be cultural events organized by the City of Oulu or the Library of Oulu. Why not organize your own cultural event to show your Finnish pride, even if you’re not a Finn! (Sources: Embassy of Finland Bucharest, Kirjastot.fi)

 

February 29th

The time Earth takes 365 days and 6 hours to make its revolution around the Sun. Instead of having a very short day at the end of the year, we wait for every fourth year and add an additional day to February.

As with most things, there are various beliefs and customs surrounding this date. For example, a person born in this day – a leaper – would be believed to be favoured by fortune or be innately talented.

One of the most common belief is that this is the only day when ladies can propose to their gentlemen. Should the gentleman refuse the proposal, he would be obliged to compensate the lady with money and garments.

Naturally, in today’s more civilized society, anyone can propose to anyone, and some couples might use that specific day not only to propose, but also to get married. The next leap year will be on 2020. So ladies and gents, get those rings ready by then. (Sources: Telegraph, Snopes, TimeAndDate)

Marcelo Goldmann

A Doctor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Oulu. "Life is like a rubber duckie, you gotta keep it afloat to see its splendor." Instagram: @marcelogman

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Language can bring community together or break it apart

Our language policies and choices matter. At best, they build a sense of community; at worst, they break it apart, says Henna Määttä.

In Finnish.

When I was sixteen, I told my friends and relatives that I would be spending a year in Brazil as an exchange student. They thought I was being completely reckless.

The destination and the language seemed foreign to many. To me, they were the very reasons to head to Brazil. I wanted to learn and experience an entirely new language and culture, and place myself in a position I had never experienced before.

Now, I can only look back in awe at my youthful courage. My year in Brazil was amazing, eventful and educational. At the same time, it was challenging and difficult for me because in order to get by in Brazil I had to master a whole new language in a short period of time.

For the first time, people were staring at me in the streets. I could understand at first hand what it felt like to be labeled based solely on my background.

Along my journey to learn a new language and culture, it felt like a relief whenever someone met me halfway by speaking English to me.

Similarly therapeutic were the moments when I could discuss my experiences and challenges with other exchange students.

Even though my Brazilian host families were supportive of my adjustment, there were times when only a fellow exchange student could understand what I was going through.


I have no doubt that the time abroad
has helped me grow as an individual and changed the way I perceive society and the whole world.

I believe that I can now understand a little better what international students and employees are going through when they arrive in our country and city. I honestly believe that anyone is capable of placing themselves in the other person’s shoes, should they only wish to do so.

The University of Oulu defines itself as an international science university. To me, this denotes not only internationally acclaimed education and research, but also an organizational culture which promotes internationality and within which every member of the university feels welcome.

We can assist in the psychological and social integration process for example by conducting our communications bilingually, ensuring equal opportunities for taking part in decision-making, and increasing general awareness regarding our diverce and multicultural community.

While advancements have recently been made regarding language policies in our university, there is still a lot of work to be done. One comes across a lot variation in policies between different faculties and units. Quite often, communications in English is simply reduced to a short summary, if even that.

If bilingual communications remains minimal or indeed, do not exist at all, international employees and students will not have the same access to guidance and support as their Finnish colleagues. This may lead to serious consequences regarding their work and studies in the long run.

Poor bilingual communications might result in research or project funding being left unapplied, employees missing useful trainings, or students lagging behind in their studies.

 

In our university, in addition to bilingual communications, a closer look should be taken at the opportunities our international students and employees have in decision-making processes.

According to the Universities Act, the official language of operations in our university is Finnish. Nonetheless, it has not prevented the education council from holding meetings primarily in English, for instance.

It is discouraging to realize how few opportunities our international employees and students have when it comes to the university’s official decision-making. Last autumn I felt devastated when we had to discard students’ applications for administrative positions solely on grounds of language policies.

Of course, a bilingual university requires additional resources. It also calls for courage. When it comes to speaking English, us Finns tend to set the bar too high for ourselves. Seeing as how we are a bit shy, we easily underestimate our competence. In the end, perfect grammar skills make very little difference in day-to-day language use – getting your message through is the key.

The Student Union has also made conscious efforts to advance equality. We strive for bilingual communications by default. Furthemore, in recent years, international students have acted as members of the Student Council, for example.

However, in 2018, promoting equality should not be seen as an example of exceptional visionary forward-thinking but rather as the norm upon which all operations base.

 

Our language policies and choices matter. At best, they build a sense of community; at worst, they break it apart.

Fragmented and unequal communications makes integration to the university harder.

We need to acknowledge that not everyone has an equal chance to take part in decision-making in the university. We need to come up with concrete solutions to address this issue. One solution would be changing the language of meetings; another could be hiring an interpreter.

Furthermore, we need to recognize that the university’s Communications Services is not the sole authority in advancing a constructive and bilingual organizational culture. We are all responsible for developing language policies and building an inclusive community within our university.

 

Translation: Tiia Kokko.

Henna Määttä

Oppimista ja seikkailuja rakastava projektikoordinaattori, joka suhtautuu intohimoisesti laadukkaaseen koulutukseen. Twitter: @HennaMaa

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Hi, 5 winter sports to try in Oulu

It is winter. It’s cold and miserable in Oulu. The city is snowy and icy, and your body yearns for some action. This means that the time has come to get your heart pumping and your blood rushing. Winter is no excuse to stop doing sports. On the contrary, all the more reason for doing them. Winter gives us sport opportunities that we don’t usually get during the other seasons. So, if you’re not yet a seasoned winter sportsman or sportswoman, here are some activities that you might want to try out.

Ice-skating

Ice might be daunting and slippery when wearing shoes, but you can turn it into your very own field of fun by wearing skates. You can often find used skates in the second-hand stores or the student sales groups on Facebook, such as Oulu Sale Point. Worst case scenario, you can get a new pair for about 40 euros at the cheapest. There are several places in Oulu where you can go skating, such as the Linnanmaa Ice Hall, the Oulu Ice Hall, or one of the many outdoor sports fields around Oulu. Some people even go skating on the ice road to Hailuoto! (Source: City of Oulu)

Skiing

Skiing is one of the most traditional Finnish sports. In English, we call it cross-country skiing. In Finnish, it’s simply hiihto. You grab a pair of skis and sticks and start swinging those legs from side to side. It can be tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll fall in love with this activity, or so I’ve been led to believe. If you don’t want to buy your own skis, you can borrow them from a friend or rent them for example in Nallikari Holiday Village (Source: Nallikari).

Downhill skiing

This other form of skiing, known in Finnish as laskettelu, is a more traditional form of skiing outside the Nordic countries. However, it is no less fun. You can hit those slopes with your skis or snowboard and enjoy the rush of adrenaline as you slide down. There are several places to downhill ski in the vicinity of Oulu. There is Iso-Syöte, which is about two hours or 140 km away; and Ruka, about three hours or 240 km away. If you prefer something closer to home, there is Ruskotunturi, which is located in Oulu, just a few kilometres from the city centre (Source: Ruskotunturi).

Ice hockey

So you got your skates and you are now a pro ice-skater. However, you still want some more. How about some ice hockey? It is not only a Nordic favourite, but also something you can do with friends. As usual, your best sources for equipment, such as the hockey stick, will be the second-hand shops and student sale groups. If you want to get creative, you can try a variation of hockey called Potato Ice Hockey. You just have to slice off the round edges of a potato, let the puck-shaped potato freeze overnight, et voilà, you can now play potato ice hockey (Source: Bee In Finland).

Snow football

If you want a sport that is both fun and challenging, you can try snow football. The good news is that you only need a football and a place with deep-ish snow. Snow football is played just like regular football, with the caveat that the deep snow makes it harder to run and hit the ball, as well as hitting your mark. If it’s your first time, do take it easy and don’t get hurt.

Marcelo Goldmann

A Doctor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Oulu. "Life is like a rubber duckie, you gotta keep it afloat to see its splendor." Instagram: @marcelogman

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Hi, 5 ways to survive the holidays while living abroad

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, or any other fancy happening, you will have some free time during the December holidays. Some people are fortunate enough to return home and visit their families, but others will be staying in Oulu, in some cases for the first time. If you are one of those who won't be able to go home for the holidays, here are five ways to keep your spirits up during the festive season.

  1. Keep a routine

One way to keep your mind off the downer of not going home for the holidays is to keep your schedule as regular as possible. We humans are creatures of routine, and we tend to feel the most comfortable when sticking to our routines. Do what you normally do and go on about your day as usual. Take showers, have lunch, meet some friends for coffee, go shopping.

 

  1. Treat yourself a bit

And on the matter of shopping: nothing raises your spirits quite like getting something you like. Maybe you crave a new pair of shoes, or that game you have been meaning to play all year, perhaps some sports gear, or even just a nice dinner outside. Treating yourself will not only make you feel good, but will also provide you with a mini-adventure. The whole process of going somewhere to get something you want will motivate you and the payoff of finally obtaining it will be very satisfying. If you are like me and prefer online shopping, you can still have fun window-shopping as you try to find what you want.

 

  1. Start a project

Now that you will have some free time, you will have the chance to use that time in anything you like, and keeping your brain productive is a good way to keep your mood up. Start going to the gym, take up an instrument, build a model airplane, make a painting, catch up on all those series that you like. If you keep yourself occupied and more importantly, entertained, you will feel great and energized.

 

  1. Get together with others

Perhaps the best way to cheer up during the holidays is to find other individuals who are also not going home. You can get together and have your very own celebration and have a dinner where everyone brings something typical of their hometown. I find this method to be the most effective. Having not returned to my hometown for years, I can say that getting together with friends and having a nice dinner and laughter has always made me feel better about staying abroad for the holidays.

 

  1. Travel somewhere close

If all else fails, you can always travel somewhere closer (and cheaper) than your hometown and having a grand old time. At the very least you’ll not be confined to your apartment and you’ll get to know a new place or revisit a place that you already like. It doesn’t even have to be another country, you could travel inside Finland. Adventure could be waiting for you around the corner.

Marcelo Goldmann

A Doctor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Oulu. "Life is like a rubber duckie, you gotta keep it afloat to see its splendor." Instagram: @marcelogman

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All candidates from Kontinkangas electoral alliance elected to the council, the Alliance of Academic True Finns in Oulu join the council as a new political group

In Finnish. The results of the Student Council Elections have been announced on Tuesday, 7th of November. The Centre Party students managed to increase their tally by two seats, that is, from one seat to three seats in the student council. With one seat, a new electoral alliance, the Alliance of Academic True Finns in […]

TEKSTI Anni Hyypiö

KUVAT Anni Hyypiö

In Finnish.

The results of the Student Council Elections have been announced on Tuesday, 7th of November.

The Centre Party students managed to increase their tally by two seats, that is, from one seat to three seats in the student council. With one seat, a new electoral alliance, the Alliance of Academic True Finns in Oulu (Oulun Akateemiset Perussuomalaiset), were elected to the council.

TeTa (The Coalition of Technology and Business Students) heads the poll with a number of 1,051 votes. With this result, TeTa keeps its 13 seats in the student council.

HuKa (Humanities and Pedagogy Students’ Coalition) gains nine seats and thus loses one seat in the council.

All five candidates of the Kontinkangas electoral alliance make their way to the student council. The Alliance of Science Students (Tieteelliset) increases their tally by one seat, that is, from four seats to five. The Green list keeps their one seat at the council.

National Coalition Party Students (Kokoomusopiskelijat) as well as Green-left Alliance in Oulu (Oulun Vihreän Vasemmiston vaaliliitto) did not win any seats in the student council. Furthermore, Joonas-Veikko Härmä and Antero Metso, the two uncommitted candidates, were not elected.

27 members of the elected student council have not acted as members of the student council before.

Altogether 3,191 votes were cast during the elections. 15 blank votes were cast.

 

All Kontinkangas electoral alliance candidates elected to the student council

Eelis Palokangas of the Kontinkangas electoral alliance (Kontinkankaan vaaliliitto) received the greatest number of votes in the elections (230 votes), with Sonja Mehtälä of the electoral alliance of the Economic Sciences (Kyltereiden vaaliliitto) coming in second (98). Third most votes went to Sebastian Tynkkynen (75) from the Alliance of Academic True Finns in Oulu (Oulun Akateemisten Perussuomalaisten vaaliliitto).

The big winner of the elections, Eelis Palokangas, a third-year student of medicine, was visibly pleased with the results.

”All the candidates from our alliance got through. That was unarguably our biggest victory. One can not help but be pleased with the results.”

All Kontinkangas electoral alliance candidates will be first timers in the student council. According to Palokangas, their goal in the council will be to bring the Student Union (OYY) closer to Kontinkangas campus.

”We can provide a bit of an outside perspective to the decision making.”

Sebastian Tynkkynen, who also scored big in the elections, said he felt elated after the results came in. He also has a clear vision in mind.

”Naturally I am enormously happy now, we had such an increase of votes when compared to the last elections! Our goal now is to steer the student movement, which we have seen as representing  green left values, towards a politically more neutral direction, and force it to focus on looking after the interests of the students.”

The brand new student representative of the Humanities electoral alliance (Humanistinen vaaliliitto) Silja Lahdenperä said she is both happy and surprised to be elected.

Lahdenperä, a fourth-year student of information studies, told she decided to run in the elections because she wanted to increase the votes for the Humanities alliance.

So far, she has not set herself any large goals in the student council.

”Being a member of the council will no doubt require some learning. Very interesting things are about to happen, with Oulu University of Applied Sciences (Oamk) moving in for example.”

 

Turnout percentage drops slightly

The turnout percentage of the election remained a little lower in comparison to the 2015 student council elections.

This year, the turnout for the election was 28.46% whereas in 2015, the turnout was 29.3%.

Liisa Komminaho, the chair of the Central Election Committee, says she had hoped for an increase in the turnout percentage this year.

”I had hoped the turnout would be a bit higher to what it was in the previous elections. But after hearing the turnout percentage of the advance voting (ca. 21%), I’m happy.”

2017 saw the voting carried out for the first time electronically only. In the 2015 Student Council Elections, a traditional ballot box voting was an option alongside with electronic voting.

According to Komminaho, ”only slight problems were encountered” in the electronic voting this year.

”There were no attacks, or attempts to attack the electronic system. The electronic voting was cut off for a few minutes’ time on Tuesday. No other breakdowns occurred.”

 

In the Student Council Elections, students of the University of Oulu elect representatives to the student council consisting of 37 members. The representative council is the highest decision-making body of the Student Union of the University of Oulu (OYY). Among other tasks, the Student Council decides about the amount of annual subscription for university students. Furthermore, the council outlines how the Student Union’s funds are to be expended. 

 

Members of the new student council  

Kontinkankaan vaaliliitto (Kontinkangas electoral alliance)

Eelis Palokangas
Leo Jämsä
Pyry Pitkänen
Onni Kumpulainen
Heikki Eränen

 

Vihreä vaaliliitto (The Green list)

Mirja Mustapirtti

 

Tieteellisten vaaliliitto (The Alliance of Science Students)

Anri Kinisjärvi
Emmi-Kaisa Molkkari
Teemu Virtanen
Toni Sandvik
Jussi Vaara

 

Humanistien ja kasvatustieteilijöiden vaalirengas (Humanities and Pedagogy Students’ Coalition) :

Humanistinen vaaliliitto (The Humanities electoral alliance)

Emilia Käsmä
Kalle Parviainen
Lauri Moilanen
Silja Lahdenperä

 

Kansankynttilät vaaliliitto (The Educational sciences electoral alliance)

Bruno Gioia Sandler
Tino Nissinen
Reeta Mäki-Pollari
Mihaela Ivanova
Tuomas Soini

 

Tekniikan ja talouden vaalirengas (The Coalition of Technology and Business Student):

Kyltereiden vaaliliitto (Economics electoral alliance)

Sonja Mehtälä
Olli Joki
Oona Väärni
Lauri Piirainen

 

Prosessi-tuotannon vaaliliitto (Process and Industrial Engineering and Management electoral alliance)

Oula Virtanen
Sakari Huhtelin
Sallamari Tolonen

 

Sähkö-tiedon vaaliliitto (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering electoral alliance)

Zacharias Hellberg
Jori-Pekka Rautava

 

Ympäristö-kone-arkkitehtuurin vaaliliitto (Environmental and Mechanical Engineering and Architecture electoral alliance)

Santeri Siira
Valtteri Johansson
Erno Oikarinen
Elisabet Shnoro

 

Keskustaopiskelijoiden ja sitoutumattomien vaaliliitto (Centre Party Students and uncommitted candidates electoral alliance)

Miriam Putula
Marjut Lehtonen
Eveliina Leskelä

 

Oulun Akateemiset Perussuomalaiset vaaliliitto (The Alliance of Academic True Finns in Oulu)

Sebastian Tynkkynen

 

Read more about the results at the Student Union’s website.

 

Translation: Tiia Kokko.

Anni Hyypiö

Oulun ylioppilaslehden entinen päätoimittaja. Twitter: @AnniHyypio

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