Marvel Comics Chairman ‘Regrets’ Recommending Shulkin

The chairman of Marvel Comics (ie Marvel Entertainment) feels betrayed by Secretary David Shulkin after putting his name out there for selection by President Trump in January 2017.

Marvel Entertainment chairman Ike Perlmutter reportedly suggested President Trump hire Shulkin last year likely during one of their golf outings at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. The Marvel mogul now “feels betrayed by Shulkin and regrets ever putting his name in front of the president.”

Over the weekend, reports surfaced that Trump is again thinking of removing Shulkin from the agency. At least one of those reports indicate Trump was playing golf with Perlmutter over the weekend, and that Perlmutter made at least one recommendation for a replacement. So, it comes as no surprise that ousting Shulkin was topic de jure.

At least 20 news publications reported one the rumored termination yesterday.

Lead Up To Reports

Aside from the abysmal IG report over a month ago, Shulkin’s presentation to Congress for budget approval likely undercut his support across the aisle. This was compounded by three legislative failures to secure inclusion of funding to expand Veterans Choice and support for the Caregiver Program.

Shulkin should be embarrassed by the performance of some of his staff including Jamie Manker, the CFO of Veterans Benefits Administration. Shulkin himself was unable to squarely address privatization concerns involving programs off-the-radar that appear to be slipping into the abyss including veterans compensation exams and other services.

This abysmal showing likely undercuts support from Senate Democrats who previously held water for Shulkin believing his budget did not include the incredible expansion of privatization it actually includes, Veterans Choice expansion notwithstanding.

Follow that with the report Friday that Shulkin was in on hiring a crony to run Washington DC VA Medical Center after it totally fell apart under Shulkin’s lead as chief of Veterans Health Administration.

Shulkin vs McDonald?

Disneyization of Veterans Affairs

In hindsight, maybe Trump should have kept Bob McDonald at the helm to weather the storm against agency reforms?

While McDonald was not perfect, we seem to keep getting repeat problems of corporate cronyism under Shulkin coupled with his previous failures to reign in corruption in Veterans Health Administration after two years of leading it.

With all the cronyism and corruption, who would possibly be able to lead the agency out of the mess? And if you name another retired general… well… you know.

Maybe a bigger question is, why is President Trump taking advice from the CEO of a comic book and movie empire?

Maybe it has to do with the Disneyization of VA that started under McDonald where the agency seemed to develop an unnerving degree of Disney worship related to customer service and population management.

Disney owns Marvel Comics meaning Disney pays Perlmutter’s salary. It also explains why we’ve seen a rash of sucky Marvel-based TV shows cropping up lately.

Is it too far of a stretch to think Disney may have a role in agency decisionmaking at this stage?

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49 Comments

  1. @SeymoreKlearly, I am curious as to what post Selnick will be going. Dr. S. has been at odds with so many people, so often, I sometimes forget the why’s.

  2. Shulkin critic leaves White House to return to VA

    By LORRAINE WOELLERT
    03/26/2018 05:50 PM EDT

    “Darin Selnick, a White House adviser and a top critic of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, has left the Domestic Policy Council and will return to a post at the VA.

    Selnick announced the news on Friday in an email obtained by POLITICO. He will be replaced by Drew Trojanowski, a legislative aide to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

    His departure was cordial, planned and “has nothing to do with Shulkin,” a White House official said.

    President Donald Trump is reported to be unhappy with Shulkin’s leadership at the VA and is considering his firing.

    Selnick was pushed out of the agency last year after butting heads with Shulkin over privatization of veterans health services. At the White House, he began holding policy meetings without informing the VA secretary. Shulkin later told a confidant that moving Selnick out of the VA was his “biggest mistake” because he did even more damage from the White House.”

    Full article at: “https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/26/shulkin-va-white-house-486776”

    Also from article “White House spokesman Raj Shah on Monday declined to respond to questions about Shulkin’s future in the administration.”

    1. Oh and here’s one for Shulkin as he does his bit on the Trump version of the reality show Dancing with the Stars.

      “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im9XuJJXylw”

  3. I don’t believe that nobody cares about Veterans. Someone out there with some clout, and knows enough about golf to lose a round or two must step forward. Oh, and it would be nice if he/she is a billionaire. Should be easy to find.

  4. Veterans are doomed no matter what happens at the VA. Choice isn’t going to work because VA is already short changing it by not paying on time or not paying at all for some private care. It looks like shulkin is on the way out to make room for the Koch funded CVA to get their boy in at the VA helm. Then we’re looking at privatization of the VA which isn’t going to work, because if Choice ain’t going to work on the behalf of veterans then how can someone say privatizing the VA is going to do veterans any good! If they don’t privatize it we’re still stuck with the same old corrupt system that’s been screwing us over. No one gives a shit about veterans.

  5. @Ben, most of Trump’s ideas are picked up on the golf course. He changes his mind at least three times a day on everything. After reading, “Fire and Fury “, I have no clue as to how this Whitehouse functions. I don’t think any one person can fix the Veterans Hospitals. It’s obvious, no accountability, no law. Our Congress, bought and paid for, has let Americans down. Our Senators have done the same. Put in Putin if he wants. It’s just not going to matter.

  6. Could it be that Disney has a hand in VA policy? Good question. Let me compare the two.

    I went to Disneyland as a kid. I stood in enormous lines for hours to receive the benefits that the entrance fee promised. Once I got there folks in costumes with permanent smiles pointed me towards services in sort of a slap happy random way that seemed more to benefit Disneyland than me. All questions were answered with laughter, merriment, and total nonsense and made everyone just feel good and magical.

    Then I got what I came for after a long wait. After I got off the ride I barfed, then was directed to the next enormous line for the next benefit I was promised. After it was all over I was sick, bewildered, and felt like kicking Mickey in the nuts.

    Hmmmm……I think Disney has indeed influenced the VA culture …

    1. @Dennis: “[…Hmmmm……I think Disney has indeed influenced the VA culture …]” -Explains ‘Goofy’. But that raises the question of old, “Which came first, chicken or the egg?”, or with the VA’s case and ‘Goofy’, perhaps ‘Goofy’ influenced the VA? Either way, both chicken and egg are uncooked.

  7. I have noticed a very common denominator and not just with senior positions at the VA. Positions at DOD, the intel agencies, and many other government agencies such as Dept of Interior.

    Common denominator: O grade officers, West Point or Annapolis, and former special forces. All of which have a need for power, uncontrolled or regimented , as well as greed in numerous capacities.

    I bet if Trump replaced ALL of his senior positions with E grade quality, honor, and professionalism, the VA for example would be running “NOT STATUS as usual”.

    Hegseth, as a replacement for Shulkin would be nothing more than a womb rejected freak seeking power, greed, and a boost to ego under the guides of veteran status and who is a deviant to constitutional values. Of course, when a Navy Seal murders a Green Beret, it is time to evaluate the honor SF would bring to any office. Again, a power stroke normally runs out of power when lack of responsibility, honor, respect, and moral and ethical guides are no longer part of the family and patriotic value system.

    Trump, as great as I think he is doing as a NON politician, needs to pull his head out of his buttock, needs to look at military veterans to include the spouses, as a fix to corruption, greed, displacement of responsibility, and most importantly returning honor to government. Not

    Zinke, Mattis, Shulkin, Hegseth???

    Really??

    1. Agreed. West Pointers are just about themselves and lining up a civilian career to further their ambition and greed.

      Quite frankly all officers are “Yes” people – at the expense of whomever they have to step on to reach their goal. From top of bottom/worst to eh…are: West Pointers/Citadel types, ROTC, OCS…

    2. Good suggestion Talon. We would be better off with just civilians than these ass holes. The first thing they do is get themselves 100% rated so they don’t have to pay taxes on their military pensions. The Es you are suggesting are the VSO ass holes that knuckle to the O ass holes. You know them. They were the comsha artists in the service, the petty vindictive ones.

  8. Okay folks, one of the biggest problems I see with the VA, is a comprehension problem.

    They are incapable of comprehending the word ACCOUNTABILITY! Incapable of comprehending, CORRUPTION FREE, COMPETENT MEDICAL CARE, TIMELY RESOLUTIONS OF VETERANS CLAIMS, RESPECTFUL TREATMENT OF VETERANS. AGENT ORANGE, BURN PITS, AND GULF WAR SYNDROME, ARE REAL, AND CARRY WITH THEM SERIOUS SERVICE CONNECTED HEALTH ISSUES!!! THAT UNION MEMBERS WILL ALWAYS HOLD THE UNIONS BEST INTEREST, ABOVE VETERANS INTEREST, AT ALL TIMES!!
    I could go on and on, but what’s the point? We are dealing with an agency that doesn’t even know the difference between select, and choose. I’ll give them a hint, select is when you pick something, and choose, is what Puerto Rican’s wear on their feet………. lighten up, you know that was funny!!!

    1. I disagree. It’s not a comprehension problem at all. They fully comprehend how pissed off and fed up some/most of us are because they have the internet same as we do. They know exactly what their doing. The problem would be more accurately described as “We have power to fuck you over for money, so we’re going to fuck you over for money and there isn’t a damned thing you can do about it because at the end of the day we’re the fucking federal government” syndrome.

      1. WC, correct, but your version is not funny. Unless, you invent a new Marvel VA Super Hero, wait, I know…… with all the shit we are forced to deal with, how about….. CRAPMAN, and his faithful sidekick, Dr. Pillbody?

        I know you’re being serious WC, and I am not poking fun at you either, I have said over and over, the same things you have until I was blue in the face. Yet here we are, year after year, and not a damn thing has changed. I haven’t given up, I am just waiting for the rest to get pissed off enough, to actually get off their asses and give a shit.

        You and I would look pretty idiotic marching on DC, with the other 20 that gave a shit. Untill we band together, and Veterans now outnumber all other groups, including the group “private citizen” then nothing is ever going to change. Nobody is going to give us anything, we have to take it!

        Battery is low, need to go. Later Gators, – !ii!-

      2. @CJ no offense taken. I just wasn’t aware I was supposed to bring the funny. I’mma go smoke another bowl or two and tank up on the funny then I’ll be back.

  9. Politico is reporting that Trump “has confidence in Shulkin at this point in time”.

    I find it interesting that leftist news sites like Politico and Talking Points Memo report on whether Shulkin might survive, but none of them give a shit when vets don’t survive the VA.

    1. 91Veteran,
      I just watched a video on channel 9, wftv Orlando FL where a reporter asked President Trump if he “…still had confidence in Shulkin…?”
      President Trump gave absolutely no response! He just looked upset (my opinion and my wife’s opinion)!

    2. The VA is considered an occupational hazard of being a Veteran like rape in the military.

  10. Shulkin will be gone once a replacement is lined up. I only hope Trump is NOT listening to the swamp rats on the House and Senate Vets Affairs committees. Or Disney for that matter.
    Trump should have kept McDonald? Surely you jest Ben since it was under McDonald that corruption was blatant for anyone to see, and he did little to stop it.

    A retired General? Hell no. Unless he has some skin in the game, why would we expect any retired officer to be any different than previous officers?
    I have seen a list of people reported that Trump supposedly has on a list of possible replacements. Only time will tell if any of them are appointed. Only time will tell whether they make a difference.

    Time that many vets don’t have.

    1. It’s like saying John Kelly should take over at the VA because he’s a retired General…What we need is somebody who understands what competence means.

      1. I dunno. I think Kelly might be a good VA secretary. He’s been in the military for many years so he should understand troops. His son was KIA so he understands what families go through, and he doesn’t appear to suffer much bullshit.

      2. Hoorah! Well said and totally agree. I would add who also read the laws and regulations to know what they are allowed to do and not do; enforces and holds people accountable. Most need training as well and oversight. There are rogue programs intentionally committing fraud, waste, abuse, gross mismanagement, wrongdoing, breaking multiple laws, etc. You cannot get VA officials to listen and it takes months or a year to see your congressman for any support or assistance.

        It cannot be fixed no matter how many programs or money or Secretary because no one is holding people accountable, not educating and hiring qualified people and not enforcing. Fixed that then maybe there’s a chance but I don’t see that happening.

  11. My biggest question is what makes Ike Perlmutter think he’s qualified to recommend anything to do with veterans? Especially in light of his recent boondoggle with Shulkin. Now this guy is making another “recommendation”

    I’d like to make a recommendation to Mr. Ike fucking Perlmutter. KEEP YOUR FUCKING NOSE OUT OF VETERAN BUSINESS. Sincerely, A veteran.

    1. I agree. Its like one of the Kardashians recommending who the next Surgeon General should be.

      1. Now you’ve done it: Kanye West randomly read the post and came-up with “Kardashian Komics”……all the pages will have various pop-ups of Kardashian Asses with stories printed between the long cracks and sq. footage of ass.

  12. Disney…..HA HA HA …Nothing more than a bunch of satanic pedophiles…….And NASA productions……LOL…LOL
    I guess you have to keep in the club

  13. From: “Military.com”
    Dated: 25 Mar. 2018
    Titled;

    “VA Secretary Shulkin Going ‘Very Soon’, Kelly Staying: Trump Insider”

    By: Richard Sisk

    Side Note:
    Now, according to this new video:
    From; “The Still Report”
    Dated: Mar. 25, 2018
    (14:02 minutes long)
    Titled;
    “Judge Jeanine Hint’s at Trump’s Trojan Horse, 2102”
    And:
    From: “World Broadcast”
    Dated: Mar. 26, 2018 (1:36 min long)
    Titled:
    “BOMBSHELL: Check Out How Trump Just Duped Dems & Funded The Wall”

    President Trump IS going to “Build the Wall!”
    How? He’s using the “Consolidated Appropriations Act of 1985!”
    I explained yesterday how this works. Being that this is a “Omnibus Spending Bill” and NOT a “Budget Bill” passed into law! The President has, in effect, taken Congress out of how he may use the monies! They no longer “…hold the purse strings!”
    That being said. In this “Omnibus Bill”, the Dems and Rino’s removed fundings for Choice and Caregivers Programs!
    In my opinion, two things here.
    1.) We have discussed, many times, our thoughts on how the Choice Program was being used as a “Slush Fund” for the SES’rs and others in upper managements at the VA.
    Question; Why would anyone want to continue funding it when it serves no purpose of helping disabled veterans. As a matter of fact, veterans are being financially and emotionally destroyed by this (NON)Choice Program!
    According to some on here over the weekend; The Caregivers Program needs to be revamped. I’m not familiar with this program, so I won’t speak of it!

    2.) The VA needs to be reformed in such a way, only by dismantling, and then restarting it, it can it be saved.
    I spoke on this earlier this morning. Read my previous comment on this issue!

    These are my thoughts and opinions on these issues!

  14. My belief all the Senators and Representatives including President Donald Trump working on the Opiates Crisis to me that is Stupid because Veterans and People know getting to much of medications and Doctors faults .

    1. @Concerned Veteran- Those Koch Brothers OWN most of the Big Pharma Industry, stock & barrel. Opiate Crisis or Engineered Addiction to suck $$$ from insurance providers….the same Koch Brothers that fund Concerned Vet’s of America? Opiate Crisis *only* a Dr.’s fault? PLEASE…responsibility and ownership goes both ways and addiction works when you have someone enabling you, in this case, the Big Pharma Drug Reps to the Dr.’s to Patients…while Concerned Koch Brothers rake-in the profit$….

      ….however, the Opiate Crisis is very real….but the heroin on the streets that’s MUCH CHEAPER than PILLS, is produced by…the Taliban…our current active war enemies, so…THAT makes it “Chemical Warfare”, and the Koch Brothers are culpable for ensuring the war machine and war profiteering keeps churning.

      *gurgle*

      1. namnibor do you Koch Brothers email address will appreciate it. …Semper Fi ?.

      2. O,e of the biggest causes of the opioid problem is deceptive marketing by Purdue Pharma, the maker of Oxycontin.

        3 executives plead guilty in 2007 and The company paid a $634.5 million dollar fine.

        14 states are currently suing them, after they previously settled a suit by 26 states.

        Purdue Pharma is based in Stamford, CT and is privately owned by the Sackler family.

        They have donated millions to politicians on both sides to keep the money flowing.

      3. heh didn’t know Purdue was in stamford. I guess CT likes it’s legal drug cartels…good to know there’s a wide range of options here for the pitchforks and torches crowd 😀 😀 😀

    2. Concerned Veteran,
      Physicians are only a part of the problem. Big Pharma sends out their representatives and gives them money for taking the samples to try on unsuspecting victims!
      It’s already been confirmed, “…over 85% of illegal drugs come over our southern border!”
      That being said, who would NOT want a border wall?

    3. Amen to that, and who’s holding them accountable? No one, so the solution is to take it away from everyone because we are the problem and not the doctors. Who’s the genius behind this decision? Our society has really converted itself into victim blaming everything. I got raped, it’s my fault; I became a opioid drug addict, it’s my faulty; it took 10 years to process my C&P, it’s my fault; I get bullied, it’s my fault, etc. Wow! Not only these issues but we are losing our rights to make decisions for ourselves. We are losing our rights to chose what we want or need. We are having our federal government slowly taking our rights away and telling us what is best for us and there’s nothing we can do about it. Sad!

      1. Very Sad, It’s so in your face, If only they had eyes to see and ears to hear, The whole fucking system is BROKEN
        Then again what would you expect from a bunch of Lawyers/Judges writing the Laws

  15. cj ¯¯̿̿¯̿̿’̿̿̿̿̿̿̿’̿̿’̿̿̿̿̿’̿̿̿)͇̿̿)̿̿̿̿ ‘̿̿̿̿̿̿\̵͇̿̿\=(•̪̀●́)=o/̵͇̿̿/’̿̿ ̿ ̿̿ says:

    Shithead Shill-kin is gone, HAPPY DANCE TIME:

    ░░┌──┐░░░░░░░░░░┌──┐░░
    ░╔╡▐▐╞╝░░┌──┐░░╔╡▐▐╞╝░
    ░░└╥╥┘░░╚╡▌▌╞╗░░└╥╥┘░░
    ░░░╚╚░░░░└╥╥┘░░░░╚╚░░░
    ░░░░░░░░░░╝╝░░░░░░░░░░

  16. cj ¯¯̿̿¯̿̿’̿̿̿̿̿̿̿’̿̿’̿̿̿̿̿’̿̿̿)͇̿̿)̿̿̿̿ ‘̿̿̿̿̿̿\̵͇̿̿\=(•̪̀●́)=o/̵͇̿̿/’̿̿ ̿ ̿̿ says:

    Old McDonald, had the VA, EIEIO, and at this VA there were no AO, EIEIO. with a quack quack here, and a quack quack there, here a quack, there a quack, everywhere a quack quack. Old McDonald had the VA, and it’s time to take it awayyyyyyyyyy.

    #Fuck the AFGE/SES and anyone who looks like them.

    #Fire any lazy asshole who thinks it’s okay to have a shitty attitude towards Veteran

    #No more quack quacks, get rid of the damn quacks.

    #New VBA RULE: Appeal decision within 90 days, or the benefit of the doubt goes to the Veteran, because it’s “as likely as not”, the VBA was wrong to begin with.

    #Get rid of illegal DBC’s and jail time for anyone on those DBC’s who prevented any Veteran from receiving health care.

  17. Always been a comic fan. Not so much the cinematic interpretations of same.

    Never been a fan of the shitty “Marvel Cinematic Universe”, and I have never loved Disney since they more or less killed-off Jim Henson, Muppets creator, via slavish demanding labor, while Disney **neglected** Jim Henson’s deteriorating health…Disney *ignored* the very obvious that Jim Henson was literally worked to death by Mickey & Minnie Mouse….all for profits….performance bonuses for all the VA’s “Minions” of “Dr. Stranges”. 😀

    McDonald ~~romancing~~? Really, Ben? McDonald is as laughable as the current VA Suck…

    Faces may change but the same shit stain is always overshadowed by…

    …One turd always leads to another. Maybe “Stormy Daniels” will be Disney & the VA’s next choice? Has a nice ring to it. 😀

    1. RAND Corp. would like to clarify that ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe’ and the character ‘Storm’ and current adult porn star, ‘Stormy Daniels’, have absolutely nothing in-common other than pulled from same Mad Hatter clusterfuck of funny hats and some of those funny hats were indeed condoms. 😀

    2. There is no fixing the VA. It’s too big, too entrenched with Beltway Trough-Feeders and union voting blocks. The DoD is perfectly happy to hide their war-maimed mutants and mental misfits from the sight of the larger medical community. You’ll never fucking fix it, so stop dreaming about it.

      Medicare is the only common sense option available. Integrating our brethren into Medicare would be seamless. There is nothing the VA is doing that the private sector cannot. When is the last time we heard about “ground breaking medical procedures” being developed in the VA? Many of the VA’s best specialists are on loan from other institutions. Conforming Medicare copays with veteran copay status could be re-written by Google or Apple or Microsoft or my two kids in a weekend.

      It’s unfortunate that veterans as a group are unable to marshal enough bodies to rally, you know, like a bunch of teenagers just did. Whether or not your agree with their cause, you have to admire the fact that a million kids nationwide got off their butts. There’s 20 million of us, and about 16 million of “them”. Ya ya – George Soros and his pedophile gang did it…. gimme a break. Sure – the had help. But at the end, THEY attended. Half of Congress would jump at the chance to support Veterans for the switch. The might all be Democrats, but, it’s not like any of them are able or willing to unfuck the pig.

      Speaking of pig-fucking. I find it amazing that a porn queen seems to be able to garner more respect than our president. And seems more intelligently spoken. And, has more credibility. Ain’t that some shit?

      So, I printed up a recent and decent photo of myself, and wrapped it around a rolled up Harbor Freight catalog. I stalked the little missus and finally cornered her, dropped my trousers, and told I’d pay her to spank me with it. She’s been beating my about the head and shoulders for about two hours now. Last I saw, she was taping it up, which means I got more comin. It’s cold here in the garage.

  18. I don’t know about the rest of y’all. Only, I’ve got a sneaky suspicion we’re in either the “Twilight Zone” (Disney) or “The Outer Limits” (Marvel Comics)! Ain’t no in between!
    We’ve gone from very bad = McDonald!
    To egregious = Shulkin!

    The VA, both sides, needs shut down for at least 60 to 90 days and then restart. Meaning, Shut it down – get rid of the unions and VSO’s to begin with.
    Neither one benefits veterans, as they have in the past.
    Force the employees to prove they want to help disabled veterans. It can be done! There’s enough evidence out there to fire lots of ingrates. Start firing the bad ones, the good ones will come forward to tell on the ones not caught!
    We just need someone with balls to get the ball rolling!
    Lastly;
    #fucktheva
    #fucktheafge
    #fuckshulkin
    #fuckdisneyandmarvel

    1. I agree with you but it won’t keep it fixed unless you have someone who will enforce the laws and hold employees accountable. So, it doesn’t matter who is fired and hired until you have enforcement and accountability. I still vote to shut the doors as nothing has fixed it and it’s only gotten worse. It’s starts as a spark and if the leadership didn’t stomp it out, it becomes a forest fire. We have the forest fire. Also, the VA leadership need to learn to read the laws and regulations as most have never seen either.

    2. agree, shut it down and start over. veterans hired first. 2nd pass laws that will hold individual employees accountable, when they are found to be making fake wait list, closing veterans claims illegally, falsely accuse veterans of anything, such as being disruptive.

      Anything that effects veterans directly. Anyone retaliating against a whistle blower or against any veteran. Many other crimes, like hiring family to care for VA grounds. Like Diana Rubins and Graves, taking the VA for over 400 thousand dollars.

      I agree with you. Have a good day.

  19. Some months ago, Ben had a poll asking for suggested considerations to fill the SecVA opening when it is next vacated. Granted there have been dozens of other important issues covered, I just don’t remember a follow through on that point.

    It has been suggested many times, that a proven doer from the enlisted ranks be appointed to the position. This makes perfect sense, as the O’s learned how to move pieces while the E’s got the job done! Then again, common sense would have to prevail.

    I would hope that Secretary Mattis was at the least asked for a suggestion along the way.

    1. As I stated in my post here, I too made the point about differentiating between O and E grades for most senior positions within the fed to include the Intel, DoD, State department and many agencies of the fed…

      I have also noticed how “guest” speakers on news networks such as FOX become “notable” guests as they are driven into the spotlight for not knowing much, but like that freak Obama, speak really well…

      This country should respect the likes of Eisehhower, Patton, Puller, Murphy, to name only a handful of honor driven patriots and coincidentally, officers, and not evaluate a bunch of post-modern tunnel worshipping, kissing ass, O grades who are the ones ruining this country…..

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