Diapositiva 1

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The Black Cloud
by 2 D and 2 E
Prof. Lina Lovison
ENTER
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Why did we choose this science fiction
novel? Among the variety of novels about problems
of the environment, The Black Cloud might seem
entirely obsolete as the events take place in
1964-65. Science advances very quickly in 10
years now, imagine in 40! Luckily our theme was
Climate Changes, so we could focus our choice
of reading to the causes of such problems
instead of the consequences, we were invited to
raise our eyes from the ground and take a look
at the sky.
FoREWoRD
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We learned a lot about the stars and the methods
to investigate the relation between changes in
the sky and changes on the Earth. And the author,
Fred Hoyle was a first-class English astronomer
who died only 6 years ago, in 2001. Quarrelsome
and creative as he was, you expect his fiction
to be controversial and competent, bitter and
clever. In one word, thrilling. Absolutely
correct. Many thanks to Mrs Gabriella Zipoli,
Science teacher in our school, for the many
suggestions she gave to us. We read the book in
Italian, then translated all our tasks into
English. It was not easy as we are 2nd-year
students and not doing sciences of the earth
in class yet.
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We took advantage of the Net and other books,
of the help of our parents, of the correction
work of our teacher of English, Mrs Lina
Lovison, to report, calculate, analyse and edit
our works. If you like this work, you should
read also the real thing, the book. The end is
challenging but hopeful for the human kind. We
are giving all our names below, for our school
and our parents to treasure our work. It is
dedicated to them and to the Swedish and Dutch
partner schools in this project Brave New
World. The students of 2D and 2E year 06-07
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Andreoni Davide Bonetti Valentina Colombo
Matteo Cordini Simona Costa Mattia Di Pilato
Riccardo Di Terlizzi Alessandra Fogli
Matteo Galli Luca Isgrò Riccardo La Torre
Andrea Lirici Gessica Lobascio Mattia Ottoboni
Giorgio Ottoboni Valentina Pagani Laura Paisi
Sabrina Pasat Ana Pasquale Francesca Reolon
Daniela Simone Federica
Alfano Alessandro Ayroldi Massimiliano Barbarisi
Nicolas Bellisario Erica Bragalini
Stefano Braghiroli Matteo Capella
Francesca Gironi Andrea Guglielmi
Gabriele Maltempi Luca Migliorini Luca Mondani
Veronica Moretti Silvia Naldini Matteo M. Pasini
Francesca Perego Davide Salerno Luca Vincenzetti
Alessandro Zoppolat Giulia
2 D
2 E
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Fred Hoyle
Fred Hoyle (1915-2001) was a Yorkshire truant
who became the voice of British astronomy. For
over 50 years, from 1945 to his death, he spoke
out for astronomy in the newspapers, on
government committees, at scientific meetings,
in popular books and on the radio.He imagined a
never-ending history of the Universe, and worked
out how the elements were made. He founded a
prestigious Institute for theoretical astronomy
and built a giant telescope, and if it rained on
his summer holiday, he sat in his caravan and
wrote science fiction novels for his many fans
around the world.
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Fred Hoyle also claimed that diseases fall from
the sky, that the Big Bang never happened, and
that the Astronomer Royal should be abolished.
When the outspoken Fred Hoyle spoke out for
astronomy, some Astronomers really wished he had
kept his mouth shut. The novel The Black Cloud
fictionalises the behind-the-scenes true story
of Hoyles controversial role in the ideas,
the organisation, the triumphs and jealousies
of astronomy in post-war Britain.
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The character of Kingsley is very much Hoyles
own portrait
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THE STORY OF THE BLACK CLOUD
The Black Cloud is a science fiction novel
published in 1957by Fred Hoyle. The book deals
with the arrival of an enormous interstellar
cloud of gas that enters the solar system and
threatens to destroy all life on Earth by
blocking the Suns radiation. In an act of
desperation, a group of astronomers try to
communicate with the cloud, which proves to
be intelligent and leads the story to surprising
results. Though the presence of an
intelligent cloud of gas may seem absurd, the
basis of this story is grounded in science.
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The investigation about the cloud is
described using physics equations, all of which
are included in the book. Hoyle was, after
all, Director of the Institute of Astronomy at
Cambridge, a fellow of the Royal Society, and
responsible for, among other things, the term
Big Bang ironically, Hoyle himself did not
believe the Big Bang theory. At one point the
astronomers ask the Cloud what its origin is and
the Cloud replies that it has always existed.
One of the astronomers says something like
Well! Wait till the Big Bang boys hear about
this! It seems that Hoyle could have been
imagining a deus ex machina to question the Big
Bang theory.
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The story chapter 1st and 2nd
The story chapter 1st and 2nd
Group n 1 Andreoni Davide, Bonetti
valentina, Colombo Matteo, Cordini simona, Costa
Mattia
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1st Chapter California (USA) 2nd Chapter London (UK)
The observation of strange phenomena, but at first not so important The observation of strange phenomena, but at first not so important
The oscillating stars of the Jensen slabs Saturn and Jupiter are out of position
The problem passes in the hands of experts The problem passes in the hands of experts
Marlowe and Barnett with 5 persons among whom theres Weichart Kingsley and Astronomer Royal
These suggest a hypothesis of work These suggest a hypothesis of work
A cloud of gas or dust advances near the Earth There is a foreign body in the solar system
And they make checks And they make checks
Weichart makes a drawing where he represents the Earth and the distance of the cloud and at last he makes assumptions. Weicharts calculations are fairly correct. Kingsleys calculation
At last they collect all data with the help of others scientists At last they collect all data with the help of others scientists
Ferguson, Kingsley and Astronomer Royal Marlowe
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Date Episode
07/01/1964 Jensen makes the photographs
12/01/1964 Conference of Mr Green in London
14/01/1964 Jensen discovers the cloud
15/01/1964 Doctor Herrick goes to Washington
17/01/1964 Kingsley sends the telegram. He and the Astronomer Royal catch a flight for Los Angeles.
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Comment The author successfully mixed the
natural trend of the scientific facts mixing
them with some suspense. The coming of the cloud
is source of tension and anguish for science
men and political men. Strong dialogues help the
reader to reflect on the possible social
consequences of the arrival of the cloud. The
author tells the most hurting arguments of the
story with precision and not much emotion,
because Hoyle isnt a writer, but a true
scientist. With this story the author does not
frighten the reader he causes interest and
curiosity for some facts that are known to be
far from the reality but seem to be
scientifically existing.
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FACTS IN SCIENCE The origin and the future of
universe Today the Big Bang theory is the most
reliable according to scientists studying the
origins of universe, but it isnt the only
possible one. Discoveries, made with the Hubble
space telescope, allow the researchers to see
shots going back to 20 billion years ago. In
fact, light looks like an instant for us, but by
watching stars that are 20 billion light-years
far and other cosmic material, we can actually
see what was happening in that era. Scientists
say that the universe as we know it could have
existed for 15 billion of years. But what
happened in the early years after the birth of
this universe?
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Before the beginnings of this century the laws
of classic mechanics studied by Isaac Newton
stated that time passes regularly and in the
same way in every place of the universe, that is
always expanding, aiming to the infinite. So
researchers didnt have to think about a start
and an end of this cosmic system. Then Einstein
wrote the well-known relativity theory. He
though that universe is contracting but, as also
in Einsteins years the design of universe was
the static Newtons one, the German scientist
added in the theory an opposite force that kept
the universe static, neither contracting or
expanding. Since 1929 new discovers have been
made.
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First of all the expanding-universe theory was
demonstrated, denying Einsteins suppositions.
Many scientists thought that if the universe
was getting bigger, the beginning must have
been in a condensed atomic particles point from
which the Big Bang exploded. Today researchers
are finding those waves, called cosmic
microwave background radiations, that have been
generated from the Big Bang and are still
existing, proving the existence of this
explosion, that must have been very fast. With
years, also the theory of parallel universes is
rising. This theory supposes that there isnt
only our universe, but others too, born from
other Big Bangs and maybe ruled by very
different laws of physical science.
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However, mixing the theories, we can affirm that
today scientists talk about two future
possibilities --- Closed Universethe Universe
will come in a reverse of Big Bang, called The
Big Crunch --- Open Universethe other
possibility is that we live in an Eternal
Universe never coming to an end.
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This end of the Universe depends on how much
dark matter there is between the galaxies, which
is very hard to see. 1. If there is not much of
it the Universe will keep expanding forever, to
end with a Big Emptiness. 2.If there is a lot
of dark matter the Universe will eventually stop
expanding and start to shrink. Stephen Hawking
suggested that there never was a start and would
be no end, but just changes a constant
transition of one universe giving way to
another through glitches in space-time.
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Map of sky Cloud center
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The story chapter 3rd, 4th and 5th
Group n 2 Di Pilato Riccardo, Diterlizzi
Alessandra, Fogli Matteo, Galli Luca e Reolon
Daniela
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After a frantic consultation with his
responsible, Marlowe decides to prepare a report
to deliver to the USA President in
Washington. In London, in the meantime, the
amateur astronomer George Green says that he has
found some discrepancies of Jove and Saturn
with the nautical almanac. Kingsley, a
university professor of Cambridge, examines the
facts and immediately thinks that he should
consult Marlowe, in Pasadena. Therefore the
astronomers assemble in Palomar.
SUMMARY OF 3rd CHAPTER
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In some conjectures it is estimated that the
Black Cloud can catch up the sun within
eighteen months and it is supposed that the
cloud is composed of hydrogen gas and that can
cut the Earth off from the heat of the sun,
extinguishing every vegetable species and
decimating the animal species. The fear is that
the atmosphere of the planet may explode.
Kingsley talks to Marlowe about the clouds
temperature and he says that there is a team in
Cambridge who can gather this temperature. Some
scientists decide to face the terrible
threat. Kingsley leaves for England with the
Royal Astronomer in a hurry.
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Highlight Kingsley, talking with Marlowe, says
that the coming cloud might bring the death of
all humans the Globe for some week will be in
darkness and in those weeks it will freeze.
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The government of the United States now knows
that the Black Cloud is coming in the direction
of the Earth Herrick in fact has informed the
President of this and the two have had a long
discussion. The President asks the scientist to
hold the matter secret and wants to know which
other people know about the cloud. Kingsley in
the meantime goes to Cambridge and he tries to
send some letters to inform his acquaintances of
the matter, but the letters are stopped by the
government.
SUMMARY OF 4th CHAPTER
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Highlight After the plane that was carrying
Kinsley back from United States had left, he
said Thanks God. He said so because he
feared to be held in the United States, so that
the Cloud secret would not be exported to other
countries.
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Chris Kingsley and his scientific colleagues
arrive in Nortonstowe , a government centre for
agricultural research. There Helen and Joe
Stottard live. Helen is angry with her husband
because, in the last two weeks, many men hang
about around their house, destroy the old
buildings, build new ones and ruin the lovely
countryside. Helen, after some researches and
consultation with her rival Agnese Aslop, comes
to the conclusion that all those men are
building the death-ray! A few days after, the
police put up some barriers, and so no one can
either go in or go out from Nortonstowe
SUMMARY OF 5th CHAPTER
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Also the pianist Harry Hargreaves and his
soloists, the painter George Fisher, the doctor
John McNeil and the historian Bill Price, all
friends of Kingsley, are detained inside.
Kingsley gathers them and informs them of the
reason why they are being held there and
therefore of the existence of Black Cloud. Few
days after, also Geoff Marlowe, a dear friend of
Kingsley, arrives in Nortonstowe and, after a
long chat with him about what happened in
preceding days about the situation and the
organization there, and about the literary
mathematical forma mentis, decides to remain
in Nortonstowe. Finally, Kingsley informs
Marlowe of his plan to build in Notonstowe a
radio station of microwave capacity energy so
that during the period of crisis Nortonstowe
will become the global centre of communication.

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Highlight Parkinson, the secretary of the
English Prime Minister, proposes to Kingsley
that he can study the Cloud coming in
Nortonstowe with his friends but he must
communicate only with English government. Marlowe
, the American astronomer, arrives in
Nortonstowe because he has been personally
called by Kingsley.

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The story chapter 6th, 7th and 8th
Group n 3 Isgrò Riccardo, la Torre
Andrea,Lirici Gessica, lobascio Mattia, Ottoboni
Giorgio
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In the summer of 1964, a Black Cloud is detected
as approaching the Earth and the astronomers who
are studying it are very worried. In the autumn,
the news comes out on newspapers because in
Arabia some people have seen a black spot in the
sky. Between January and March of 1965, the
government orders to move out people from the
high mountain areas to save the population from
extreme heat. In spring, the Cloud is coming
nearer and the climate becomes prematurely warm
as the Cloud reflects the solar rays.In summer
at the Tropics the warmth and the excessive
humid climate decimates the population in
colder zones people survive. The astronomers
notice that the Cloud slows down. On 27th August
1965 the Cloud comes to a stop between the Earth
and the Sun in two weeks a quarter of the
population of the world dies.

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Kingsley, the brightest astronomer of the Black
Cloud task force, detains the Prime English
Minister in Nortonstowe not to be punished and
removed for incompetence and to manage the
radio observations without interference of
politicians. Meantime the Clouds shape settles
into a disk, therefore the gases between the
Earth and the Sun dissolve and light returns. At
the end of October, after the crisis, the
emitters of Nortonstowe become the centre of the
communication of the Earth, but the
communications are interrupted because of the
abnormally high ionization of upper atmosphere,
therefore Alexandrov assumes that the Cloud is
alive that is, that inside the Cloud there is
a bastard discharging electrical
disturbance. Kingsley advises the other
astronomers to keep the secret, but the
government is not in the position to do it.

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Therefore the news of the presence of Cloud is
disclosed and it arrives to the press. Then, at
the end of November the first articles and the
photos are published on newspapers. The
journalists make two mistakes at fist they try
to underestimate the news hoping that with time
it will become more important, then they publish
the news expanding it, and cutting therefore a
poor figure. Traditionally the people give more
importance to religion when there is a critical
moment like that, whenever they are worried
because a sudden phenomenon has covered the sun.
While the cloud is approaching, all the
religions have a strong impulse. However, when
the sun light returns, by 24 October, and men
feel a new strength a that leads them to adore
the sun.

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Highlight In the book there are strained
relations between politicians and scientists and
many of these regard Kingsley. One of these
crashes happens when Kingsley has a divergence
with the English Prime Minister and another is
when the same Kingsley detains him in Nortonstowe
.The most important crash happens when Kingsley
tells the politicians that the Cloud could
destroy the world at any moment. Moreover in this
book the importance of the information media is
underrated, in fact initially all the discoveries
about the Cloud are secret. Religions and the
economic and military forces are underrated too.
The scientists are amazed and cannot believe they
have provoked great ionization with their radio
transmissions of small energy.

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With small radio waves they were able to provoke
such a big ionization that they disturbed the
Cloud, which unintentionally could destroy the
earth, because it is really alive. An example of
a small energy that could stir up great effects
could be when something hot is touched by a
person, he/she removes involuntarily the hand,
or when a shout provokes an avalanche. In our
opinion the most dramatic situation of the book
is Kingsleys death, after he has been in
contact with the Cloud. Even in this situation
the author used a rather light tone, but he has
devoted more space to this circumstance than to
the other dramatic ones of the book.

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The story The conclusion
Group n 4 Ottoboni Valentina, Pagani
Laura,Paisi Sabrina, Pasat Ana, Pasquale
Francesca, Simone Federica

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Half December 1965 The scientists establish the
contact with the Cloud. In order to make
themselves understood, they use the following
system they send messages in radiating
propagation, using the alternating
current. January 1966 Kingsley quarrels with the
Americans. Half February 1966 Americans and
Russians launch H bombs against the Black Cloud
but the cloud is warned by the scientists of
Nortonstowe and it sends one to back to the
consignee. Many Russian and American cities are
destroyed. Spring 1966 The cloud communicates
its intention to leave. Weichart and Kingsley die
in the attempt to accumulate a wealth of
information to human logics which, however, the
human brain is not fit to store.

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Characters
of the black cloud

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KINGSLEY It is curious how great a degree in
human progress depends on the individual. Humans,
numbered in thousands of millions, seem organized
into an ant-like society. Yet this is not so. New
ideas, the impetus of all development, come from
individual people, not easily bruised by the
thread of the multitude, may yet be cherished by
the solitary wanderer. Among the vast host that
experienced the coming of the cloud, none except
Kingsley gave the reason for the visit of the
cloud to the solar system.ch. 9 Kingsley is
professor of astronomy at Cambridge and stands
out from the other scientists because of his
great intellect and intuition. He reflects in
many ways the author he is a great physicist and
astronomer and has strong opinions on the
surrounding world.The outcome of new scientific
discoveries can even be lethal for people of
great intellect and culture as Kingsley.

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The Entity in the Black Cloud reveals new ways of
reasoning and new scientific notions that are far
beyond the grasp of contemporary human thinking
and belief. Therefore Kingsley, a scientist with
a sophisticated knowledge of the physics and
astronomic laws, ends up being so shocked by the
new information that he becomes a victim of it.
The human aspiration to knowledge, which seems
without limits in this character, pushes him to
overcome certain barriers which shouldnt be
passed. As a consequence of this, the new
information results in a drastic change in human
knowledge that a material brain cannot handle.
The story ends with a sad episode as it is
Kingsleys own search for learning that brings
him to his death. Instead one would think that
increased knowledge may lead to an improvement in
life itself. Kingsley is a peculiar scientist in
whom we can recognize the authors opinions.

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We can understand them through Kingsleys various
thoughts on politics as a choice of life made to
accomplish ones own desires and goals, ignoring
real problems and through the representation of
politicians as people who pretend to decide in
crucial situations without some minimal essential
competence about it. Notwithstanding, he sees
politics as a weapon which makes certain
undeserving people stand out of the average
ordinary people and take on important leadership
role. Instead, for him, science is a crucial
part of the human evolution. It is the basis for
almost all technological developments mainly
because it is not limited by a restricted amount
of people and has not yet been corrupted as the
politics in those days seemed to be.

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JENSEN Jensen is a typical university student
who is spending a term in California attending a
work camp. He got a generous fellowship which
allowed him to spend two years at Mount Palomar
observatory. As the author suggests, there was
nothing better for him. Astronomy is a gentle
science to novices. It entails a lot of work
which altogether brings home great results, yet
it doesnt need much experience. In fact during
his short stage Jensen discovers the existence of
the Black Cloud. He is an astronomer in training
who will make a break through discovery that will
have a great impact on Earth and mankind. He is
so nostalgic of his homeland, Norway, that the
view of Californias hills brings back to him the
snowy peaks of his country and gets him lost in
his memories of love and family.

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Marlowe Marlowe is a middle-age American
astrophysics expert. He is the second person who
sees the black cloud. He loves smoking pipe with
aniseed South African Tobacco and talking about
stars and astronomy. At the beginning of the
story Kingsley asks him for an opinion on the
black cloud and its motion. Then himself,
Kingsley and other scientists go living together
in Nortonstowe to study the cloud. Marlowe has a
very important role in the story because he gives
some essential ideas about surviving and
understanding the real nature of the cloud. He
becomes a friend of the narrator of the story
dr. John McNeil.

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Alexandrov Alexandrov is a Russian scientist.
Kingsley asks him for some ideas about the black
cloud and how dangerous it could be for human
life. He is a very silent man but he speaks in a
very stark way giving out his intuitions it is
very hard to understand him. However, with his
telegraphic sentences, he pushes others
scientists to think about the cloud and the
cautions to take. He is a secondary character but
eventually his blunt words Bastard in cloud
prove to be the correct intuition for the strange
behaviour of the cloud.

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Parkinson Parkinson is the secretary of the
English Prime Minister. At first he tries to
convince Kingsley not to tell anyone that a
strange cloud has appeared in the solar system.
Parkinson seems to be rather sceptical and
snobbish towards scientists, but when hemakes
friendswithf Chris Kingsley he changes his ideas
and behaviour he helps scientist to deal with
problems and to avoid a clash with the
government. Parkinson gets less and less
important until he disappears from the story.

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J. Blythe and the PROLOGUE J. Blythe is a
student at the Queens College in 2020. He is a
friend of John McNeil, a doctor and journalist
and one of the characters of the story. Blythe
receives a letter from John, old by now, in
which he speaks out his perplexities about the
official story of the Black Cloud. Attached to
the letter there is his manuscript and a roll of
paper, the code to communicate with the Cloud.
John with this letter asks his friend to cherish
the manuscript and to read with care the true
story of what had happened in 1964-65, including
some details of Blythes own family..in fact he
is the grandson of Ann Halsey and of Kingsley.

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The end
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