josh kornbluth’s benjamin franklin: unplugged · josh kornbluth’s benjamin franklin: unplugged...

The Guide

JOSH KORNBLUTH’S BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: UNPLUGGED

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The GuideA theatergoer’s resource edited by Milo Petruziello for the Education and Outreach department at Portland Center Stage

BEN FRANKLIN: UNPLUGGEDWritten & Performed by Josh Korn-bluthIn collaboration with Director David Dower

PCS’s 2009/10 Education Outreach Programs are generously supported by:

Regional Arts & Culture Council and Work for ArtHoover Family FoundationAndrew W. Mellon FoundationJames F. & Marion L. Miller Founda-tionwith additional funding from:BWF FoundationSue Horn-Caskey and Rick Caskeyand theH.W. & D.C.H. Irwin Foundation

Education and Outreach staff :

Kelsey Tyler – Education DirectorTim DuRoche – Community Pro-grams ManagerMaggie Ruble – Resource Guide Researcher


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Contents

Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Josh Kornbluth: A Biography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Joshtoberfest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

Benjamin Franklin:Franklin the Communist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9Franklin’s Concerns about the constitution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10The Celebrity of Ben Franklin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12

Supplemental Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13


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Gazing into the bathroom mirror one morning while shaving, Josh Kornbluth realizes that he looks remarkably like the guy on the $100 bill. Like any good Jewish son, he immediately calls his mother. When his Aunt Birdie recom-mends that he writes a piece for himself to perform as Ben Franklin he dives deep into Ben’s life, hoping to score a gig at MSNBC. From there he be-comes obsessed with what it means to be a founding father, especially when

your own father/son relationship (Ben had an illegitimate son named William who was a British loy-alist during the Revolutionary War) is more than a bit strained. His obsession brings him in contact with multiple unusual characters from the crazy Franklin-phile at the bookstore to the

elusive Franklin Scholar in Connecticut. Before long, Josh Finds himself strutting his stuff around Manhattan dressed up like old Ben and buried under primary source documents at Yale’s Franklin archives. Part “History Detectives” and part embarrassingly hilarious autobiography, Kornbluth’s resulting investigation of the man behind the famous spectacles will take you from the hallowed halls of academia to Kornbluth’s richly comic interactions with his mother Bunny and Aunt Birdie, sharing along the way his discoveries about America’s history, family foibles, and the surprises beneath the surface of even our most familiar American tall tales.

SYNOPSIS


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Josh Kornbluth was raised by Communists in New York City, then worked as a copy editor at a series of alternative newspapers before mov-ing to San Francisco on May 11, 1987. While supporting himself as a temp (at his peak he typed better than 80 words per minute, with very few errors), he performed at open mikes around the Bay Area and was completely mis-erable. Then, in 1989, he opened his first au-tobiographical monologue, "Josh Kornbluth's Daily World," at Enrico Banducci's hungry id in North Beach. Since then he has created and performed several more solo shows, includ-ing "Haiku Tunnel," "The Mathematics of Change," "Red Diaper Baby," "Ben Franklin: Unplugged," and "Love & Taxes." He has also appeared in several films: the back of his head was seen briefly in "Searching for Bobby Fischer"; the front of his head (and little else) was seen for a minute or two in Francis Ford Coppola's "Jack," in which he played the pivotal character of "Cigarette Pack Man"; in addition, he had slightly more extensive parts in Lynn Hershman Leeson's "Teknolust" (he was seduced by Tilda Swinton) and Jonathan Parker's "Bartleby" (no seductions whatso-ever). In 2001 a feature-film version of "Haiku Tunnel," starring Josh and co-directed by Josh and his brother Jacob, was selected for the Sundance Film Festival and then released nationally by Sony Pictures Classics; it is now available on video and DVD, and is priced to move. In 2002 Josh collaborated with the San Francisco Mime Troupe on their summer show, "Mr. Smith Goes to Obscuristan." A concert film of "Red Diaper Baby," directed by Doug Pray, debuted on the Sundance Channel in 2004. Josh can also be seen in the feature films: "Strange Culture," "Faith," and "The Darwin Awards." A book titled "Red Diaper Baby," collecting three of Josh's early monologues, has just come out in a second edition. Josh hosted an interview program on KQED-TV, cleverly titled "The Josh Kornbluth Show” from 2005 to 2007. He lives in Berkeley with his wife and son.

J o s h Kornbluth: A B i og r a p h y


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JoshKornbluthhuffsintothegreenroomoftheSwed-ishAmericanHall,carryingtwoplasticbagsstuffedwithsecondhandvideos.Peekingthroughthecarryhandlesontoparesome"StarTrek"titles.Forhisson,hehastilyexplains.He'salreadynerdyenough,forcryingoutloud."You'vebeensobusy!"ex-claimsauthorJoyceMay-nard,givingKornbluth'sshouldersasqueeze."Oh,that'sright--yougetmye-mails,"hesays,blushingabitbeneathhisroundspecta-cles."Yeah,thingsarealittlecrazyrightnow.Butbusyisgood.Verygood."Thecomicmonologist-actor-authorisatthebeginningofawhirlwindstintofBayAreaappearances--onbothstageandscreen--butheseemsrelativelyunhurried.Tonight,heisontaptotellasix-min-utestoryatthePorchLightmonthlyseries,alongwithnineotherauthors.Wouldhelikeadrink,heisaskedbyanorganizer."Well,Idon'tdrink.Butyes,

IthinkIwill."Beer,wine?"Idon'tknow--whateveryouthink,"hesmilescheerfully.Onstagelater,Kornbluthsalutesthecheeringaudi-enceattheSwed-ishAmericanHall."Thankyou,Swed-ishAmericans!IloveyourBergman,yourABBA!"

Kornbluthisonereasonthehallissoldout;anotherreason,DaveEggers,arriveswhileKornbluthisonstageandstandsquietlyinthebackofthehall,takinginKornbluth'shilariousdiatribeaboutPresidentBush:"Hiseyesaresoclosetogethertheyshouldkiss!"Eggerslooksabitpsychedout."Heissofunny!"hewhispers."Ihavenothingnearthisfunnyinmystory."Butcomparisonsareuseless;fewpeopledo.WhenKornbluthisfinishedwithhisstory,hesticksaroundfortheentireevening.Injustafewnights,hisnewfilm,"RedDiaperBaby,"alive-concerttapingofhiscomicmonologue,willpremiereattheMillValleyFilmFestival,andthefollowingweek,onFriday,

itopensattheRoxieinSanFranciscoandtheRafaelinSanRafael.Kornbluthalsobegananewrunofhisstagemonologue"BenFranklin:Unplugged"attheMagicon

Tuesday.It'senoughtomakeanartistweep--withbothexhaustionandjoyathisblossominggoodfortune."I'mcallingitJoshtober-fest,"hegrins."I'mhopingIsurvive.""RedDiaperBaby"wasdi-rectedbydoc-makerDougPray("Scratch"and"Hype"),andproducedfortheSun-danceChannelbyBrianBenson,whoalsoworkedonKornbluth'sfilm,"HaikuTunnel,"anindiecharmerthatmanagedtohaveade-centtheaterrundespiteitsaccursedpremieredate:Sept.11,2001."RedDiaperBaby"isaconcertfilmreminiscentofSpaldingGray's"SwimmingtoCambodia,"withaclose-upimmediacythatmakesamovietheateraudiencewanttoapplaudrightalongwiththeoneinthefilm.Ofcourse,beingaKornbluthproduction,ithasanar-rayofeccentriccharacters,picaresqueadventuresandrandombitsofsereneabsur-dity:Jewishhootenannies,

Busy jokester Kornbluth marks 'Joshtoberfest' onstage, screenBy Jane GanahlSan Francisco Chronicle, Wednesday, October 20, 2004


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workshopsforterriblewrit-ers,crochetedoboecases,RussianswhocravechewinggumandLevismorethanrevolution,Beaniethehump-ingdogand"theGertrudeSteinconundrumoforalsex."Kornbluthdeliversitallwithendearinginnocence--andatlightningspeed.Buttonightheisnotinarush,contenttoenjoytheworkofhiscolleagues.Hetakesthetimetotalktoyoungauthor-producerKirkReadabouthisstellarturnonstagethateveningandhowheshouldconsideraone-manshowhimself.Andhechatswiththeotherauthorsinthegreenroom.Whenthenightisover,Korn-bluthsetsoutonfoot,forget-tinghisbagsfullofvideos.Thenhereturns,whennooneisleftbutthecleanupcrew,toretrievethem."Igot

allthewaytoBARTbeforeIremembered,"hepants."Ididn'twanttotellmysonIforgotthem."Hedeparts,huffingashehadarrived.Afewdayslater,heison-stageagain--thistimewithnocompetitionfromotherwriters--andthrowingamock-divafit."Ican'tworkthisway,"hesputtersasatallladdergoesrollingthroughthecenterofthestageattheMagicTheatre,causinghimtostepoutoftheway."Ican'tworkthisway!"Kornbluthcracksupathisownsilliness.Thisisanewmountingof"BenFranklin:Unplugged,"withafancynewsetapproxi-matingthespartanapartmentKornbluthlivedinwhenhefirststartedimaginingthisone-manshow,whichwasdubbedbytheWashingtonPost"adetectivestory,are-vengestory,ashow-bizsaga,

andapoignantandhilariousfather-sonstory."KornbluthwasdrawntoFranklin'sstorynotjustbe-cause"Iwaslook-inginthemirrorwhenIwasshavingonedayandreal-izedIlookedhim,"butbecausehisrelationshipwithhisowneccentricfather(aNewYorkCommunistwhoisthemainfocusof"RedDiaperBaby")hadledtosharpdivisionsanddisap-

pointments."Franklinhadanillegitimatesonthathewasterriblyfondof,"explainsKornbluth,onarehearsalbreak."Infacthisautobiographywasaddressedtohim.ButduringtheRevo-lution,hissonremainedaLoyalist,andeventually,thereferencestohissonwentfrom'you'to'he.'Theybe-cameenemies."Hepauses."Also,Iwasraisedtoleadarevolution,andBenFranklinactuallydid."Kornbluthispleasedthattheshowhasgottenagreatre-ceptioninitstouraroundthecountry--bothbycriticsandbythosewhoknewFranklinbest:scholarsandFranklin'sfamily."Theytoldme,'Youreallygotwhohewas,'"hesaysproudly.Ayoungmanwalksintothetheaterspaceunrollingahugemovieposterfor"RedDiaperBaby,"whichfeaturesKornbluth'smoon-shapedfaceinanexpressivemomentthat'shardtodefine."Youlook...terrified?"offersDavidDower,artisticdirectorofZSpaceStudioanddirec-torof"BenFranklin.""Terrifiedismynaturalemo-tion,"saysKornbluth,study-ingtheposter,whichis,ofcourse,allred.Thenhegrinsbroadly,real-izingheisfondlingtheposterofhisnewmoviewhileonstageforhisnewtheatergig."Look!Myotherthingisencroachingonthisthing."


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January17willbethebi-centuryofthebirthofBenjaminFranklin.Paperseulo-gisticofhisgreatnessaretheorderoftheday.OneeditorsaysofFranklininaprefatorynote:“HeremainsmorethanWashingtonorPatrickHenry,orevenLincolnorGrant,thetypicalAmerican.”Consideringthestandardsofgreat-nessprevalent,thisishighpraise,indeed.Butitisworthytheman.Franklin,scientist,inventor,philosopherandstatesman,wasamanyandgreatmindedman.Hewasversatilewithoutbeingsuperficial;activewithoutbeingstrenu-ous;ageniuswithoutbeinganego-maniac.BornamidPuritanicalsurroundings,heper-sonifiedthemostliberalcultureoftheworldofhistime.KarlMarx,inoneofthoseluminousandprofoundfoot-notestoCapital(P.629),forwhichheisjustlyrenowned,namesFranklinasoneofthegreatmenwhooriginallystudiedpoliticaleconomy,incontrasttothe“reveredscribblers,”likeMalthus,whofollowedthem.SaysMarx:“Originally,politicaleconomywasstudiedbyphilosopherslikeHobbes,Locke,Hume;bybusinessmenandstatesmen,likeThomasMoore,Temple,Sully,DeWitt,North,Law,Vanderlint,Cantillon,Franklin;andespe-cially,andwiththegreatestsuccess,bymedicalmenlikePetty,Barbon,Mandeville,Quesnay.”Tohaveone’snamementionedamongsuchnamesbyamanlikeKarlMarx,isatributetogreatnessofthehighestorder. AndMarx,inanotherofhisadmirablefootnotes,onthediscussionofthenatureofvalue(P.19),penstheseverycomplimentarywords:“ThecelebratedFranklin,oneofthefirsteconomists,afterWm.Petty,whosawthroughthenatureofvalue,says:‘Tradeisgeneralbeingnothingelsebuttheexchangeoflabourforlabour,thevalueofallthingsis...mostlyjustlymeasuredbylabour.’(TheworksofB.Franklin,&c.,editedbySparks,Boston,1836.Vol.II..,P.267).”Thispenetratingcontri-butionoftheforemost“typicalAmerican”tothebasiceconomicdoctrinesofSocialismwill,perhaps,jarthosewhootherwiseveneratehim. ButitisnotaloneasaneconomistthatFranklinranksamongthegreat,andissorecognizedbythegreatestamongthem,—itisasasociologistaswell.LewisMorgan,thegreatAmericanethnologicalwriter,discussing

Franklin: the Com-m u n i s t By Daniel De Leon for “The Dai-

ly People”, Vol. 6, NO. 199, January 15, 1906

Transcribed and edited by Robert Bills for the offi-

cial Web site of the Socialist Labor Party of America


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thepropertycareerofcivilizednations(P.552,AncientSociety),declaresthat“Thetimewillcome,nevertheless,whenhumanintelligencewillrisetothemasteryoverproperty,anddefinetherelationsofthestatetothepropertyitprotects,aswellastheobligationsandthelimitsoftherightsofowners.Theinterestsofsocietyareparamounttoindividualinterests,andthetwomustbebroughtintojustandharmoniousrelations.Amerepropertycareerisnotthefinaldestinyofmankind,ifprogressistobethelawofthefutureasithasbeenofthepast.”FranklinanticipatedMorganbyacentury,whenhedeclared“PrivatePropertyisacreatureofsociety,andissubjecttothecallsofthatsocietywhenevernecessitiesshallrequireit,eventoitslastfarthing;itscontribu-tions,therefore,tothepublicexigenciesare...thereturnofanobligationpreviouslyreceived,orthepaymentofajustdebt.”Thisradicalcommunisticexaltationofthesocialwelfare—ofhumanlife—aboveproperty,willaddtothejarthereverentialworshippersofFranklinwillperhapsreceivefromhiscontributionstothebasiceconomicdoctrinesofSocialism. Whetheritdoesornot,theeconomicandsociologicalcontributionsofFranklintotheworld’sprogress,willaddtohisstatureandraisehimabovethebourgeoisiehesowellserved. AllhonortoBenjaminFranklin,geniusofhisage,and,likeallgenius,inadvanceofit!

ICONFESSthatIdonotentirelyapproveofthisConstitutionatpresent;but,sir,IamnotsureIshallneverapproveofit,for,havinglivedlong,Ihaveexperiencedmanyinstancesofbeingobliged,bybetterinformationorfullerconsider-ation,tochangeopinionsevenonimportantsub-jects,whichIoncethoughtright,butfoundtobeotherwise.Itisthereforethat,theolderIgrow,themoreaptIamtodoubtmyownjudgmentofothers.Mostmen,indeed,aswellasmostsectsinreligion,thinkthemselvesinpossessionofalltruth,andthatwhereverothersdifferfromthem,itissofarerror.Steele,aProtestant,inadedica-tion,tellsthepopethattheonlydifferencebe-tweenourtwochurchesintheiropinionsofthecertaintyoftheirdoctrineis,theRomishChurchisinfallible,andtheChurchofEnglandisneverinthewrong.But,thomanyprivatepersonsthinkalmostashighlyoftheirowninfallibilityasofthatoftheirsect,fewexpressitsonaturallyasacertainFrenchlady,who,inalittledisputewithhersistersaid:"ButImeetwithnobodybut

Frank l in ’s Concerns A b o u t t h e C o n -s t i t u t i o nSpeaking before the Con-vention in Philadelphia, 1787


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myselfthatisalwaysintheright."Inthesesentiments,sir,IagreetothisConstitu-tionwithallitsfaults—iftheyaresuch—becauseIthinkageneralgovernmentnecessaryforus,andthereisnoformofgovernmentbutwhatmaybeablessingtothepeopleifwelladminis-tered;andIbelieve,further,thatthisislikelytobewelladministeredforacourseofyears,andcanonlyendindespotism,asotherformshavedonebeforeit,whenthepeopleshallbecomesocorruptedastoneeddespoticgovernment,be-ingincapableofanyother.Idoubt,too,whetheranyotherconventionwecanobtainmaybeabletomakeabetterConstitution;for,whenyouas-sembleanumberofmen,tohavetheadvantageoftheirjointwisdom,youinevitablyassemblewiththosemenalltheirprejudices,theirpas-sions,theirerrorsofopinion,theirlocalin-terests,andtheirselfishviews.Fromsuchanassemblycanaperfectproductionbeexpected?Itthereforeastonishesme,sir,tofindthissystemapproachingsoneartoperfectionasitdoes;andIthinkitwillastonishourenemies,whoarewaitingwithconfidencetohearthatourcounselsareconfoundedlikethoseofthebuildersofBabel,andthatourStatesareonthepointofseparation,onlytomeethereafterforthepurposeofcuttingoneanother'sthroats.ThusIconsent,sir,tothisConstitution,becauseIexpectnobetter,andbecauseIamnotsurethatitisnotthebest.

TheopinionsIhavehadofitserrorsIsacrificetothepublicgood.Ihaveneverwhisperedasyllableofthemabroad.Withinthesewallstheywereborn,andheretheyshalldie.Ifeveryoneofus,inreturningtoourconstituents,weretoreporttheobjectionshehashadtoit,andendeavortogainpartizansinsupportofthem,wemightpreventitsbeinggenerallyreceived,andtherebyloseallthesalutaryeffectsandgreatadvantagesresultingnaturallyinourfavoramongforeignnations,aswellasamongourselves,fromourrealorapparentunanim-ity.Muchofthestrengthandefficiencyofanygovernment,inprocuringandsecuringhappi-nesstothepeople,dependsonopinion,onthegeneralopinionofthegoodnessofthatgovern-ment,aswellasofthewisdomandintegrityofitsgovernors.Ihope,therefore,forourownsakes,asapartofthepeople,andforthesakeofourposterity,thatweshallactheartilyandunanimouslyinrecommendingthisConstitu-tionwhereverourinfluencemayextend,andturnourfuturethoughtsandendeavorstothemeansofhavingitwelladministered.Onthewhole,sir,Icannothelpexpressingawishthateverymemberoftheconventionwhomaystillhaveobjectionstoit,would,withme,onthisoccasion,doubtalittleofhisowninfalli-bility,and,tomakemanifestourunanimity,puthisnametothisinstrument.


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BenFranklinwasAmerica'sfirstinterna-tionalcelebrity.Hisgroundbreakingdis-coveriesinthescienceofelectricityinthelate1740'sandearly1750'scatapultedhimfromobscurescientificamateurtostatusasthemostfamousAmericanintheworld.Franklin'sfamethrusthimontoaninterna-tionalstageandmadepossiblehispivotalroleintheAmericanRevolution.

EnglandawardedFranklintheprestigiousCopleyGoldMedalin1753—equivalenttotoday'sNobelPrize.AndwhenFranklinlatermovedtoLondonasanagentofthePennsylvaniaAssembly,hewasinvitedtojointheBritishRoyalSociety,awardedhonorarydegreesatOxford,Cambridge,andSt.AndrewsinScotlandandwelcomedasaguestatthehomesofsomeofEng-land'sleadingintellectuals.

However,itwasinFrancethatFranklinachievedhisgreatestcelebrity.WhenFranklinfirstarrivedinParisin1776asAmerica'sfirstMinistertotheFrenchcourt,hispresencewashailedbypeopleatalllevelsofsociety.The250-miletripfromtheportofNantesintoPariswaslikeatriumphalprocession.HewaswinedanddinedbyscientificandliterarynotablesonthewayandhisentryintoPariscausedasensation.Poemswerewritteninhishonor,souvenirsweresoldwithFranklin'simageonthem,andpicturesofhimwereeverywhere.FranklinscholarH.W.Brandsreportsthatonewriterfromtheperiodrecordedthateveryonehad"anengravingofM.Franklinoverthemantelpiece."

Inourownday,Franklinwouldhaveappearedontelevisiontalkshowsandmagazinecovers,butinanagebeforemassmedia,hiscelebritywasastonishing.JohnAdamswroteruefullyaboutFranklin,thesuperstar:"Hisreputationisgreaterthan

T h e C e l e b r i t y o f B e n F r a n k l i n


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thatofNewton,FredericktheGreatorVoltaire,hischaractermorereveredthanallofthem.There'sscarcelyacoachmanorafootmanorscullerymaidwhodoesnotconsiderhimafriendofallmankind."

Franklin'sfamewasduenotonlytohisscientificreputation,butalsototheFrenchrageforwhatphilosopherRousseaucalled"thenaturalman."H.W.Brandscommented,"TherewasavogueforthingsAmericaninFranceatthistime.ManyFrenchintellectualslookedtoAmericaasanewworld,asafreshworld,asaworldwherehumannaturewasclosertoitsnaturaloriginsthanthehumannaturethatonefoundintheconfinesofEurope."AndFranklin,ofcourse,wasmorethanpleasedtoobligetheFrenchexpectations.Whenhear-rivedinParis,hewaswearingalittlefurcaptokeephisbaldheadwarm.TotheFrench,thehatwastheembodimentoftheruggedAmericanfrontiersmanandproofthatFranklinwasatrue"natu-ralman."Infact,FranklinsentbacktoAmericaforalargesupplyofthecaps,whichheworeeverywherearoundParis.

EventoFranklin,allofthisattentionwassurprising,yethewasflatteredandwrotetohisdaughter,"Mypictureiseverywhere,onthelidsofsnuffboxes,onrings,busts.Thenumberssoldareincredible.Myportraitisabestseller,youhaveprints,andcopiesofprintsandcopiesofcopiesspreadeverywhere.Yourfather'sfaceisnowaswellknownasthemaninthemoon."


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Supplemental Links & Resources

Josh Kornbluth http://www.zspace.org/about_collaborators_kornbluth.htm

www.joshkornbluth.com

Socialist Labor Party of Americawww.slp.org

Benjamin Franklinhttp://www.lexrex.com/enlightened/writings/franklin_on_const.htm

www.pbs.org

josh kornbluth’s benjamin franklin: unplugged · josh kornbluth’s benjamin franklin: unplugged...

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