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<channel>
	<title>the Carrboro Commons</title>
	<link>http://carrborocommons.org</link>
	<description>Where Carrboro Gets Together</description>
	<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:34:05 +0000</pubDate>
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	<language>en</language>
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		<copyright>&#xA9;the Carrboro Commons 2003-2006</copyright>
		<managingEditor>jock@email.unc.edu (the Carrboro Commons)</managingEditor>
		<webMaster>jock@email.unc.edu</webMaster>
		<category></category>
		<ttl>1440</ttl>
		<itunes:keywords>carrboro, commons, community, journalism</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Where Carrboro gets together.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>The Community Journalism class at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill covers the city of Carrboro in a bi-weekly internet publication.

Relentlessly local.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>the Carrboro Commons</itunes:author>
		<itunes:category text="News &amp; Politics"/>
<itunes:category text="Education">
  <itunes:category text="Higher Education"/>
</itunes:category>
<itunes:category text="Arts"/>
		<itunes:owner>
			<itunes:name>the Carrboro Commons</itunes:name>
			<itunes:email>jock@email.unc.edu</itunes:email>
		</itunes:owner>
		<itunes:block>No</itunes:block>
		<itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:image href="http://dev.carrborocommons.org/images/CC-logo-podc.jpg" />
		<image>
			<url>http://dev.carrborocommons.org/images/CC-littlelogo-podc.jpg</url>
			<title>the Carrboro Commons</title>
			<link>http://carrborocommons.org</link>
			<width>144</width>
			<height>144</height>
		</image>
		<item>
		<title>Greater than good: The State Port Pilot</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/06/27/greater-than-good-the-state-port-pilot/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/06/27/greater-than-good-the-state-port-pilot/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:30:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2008/06/27/greater-than-good-the-state-port-pilot/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[During this summer while the Carrboro Commons staff members have either graduated or completed J-459 (Community Journalism), this space will follow the statewide ramblings of Carrboro Commons advisor Jock Lauterer who, for the last eight summers, has led community journalism workshops at small papers &#8220;from Murphy to Manteo.&#8221; So far this summer he has visited [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[During this summer while the Carrboro Commons staff members have either graduated or completed J-459 (Community Journalism), this space will follow the statewide ramblings of Carrboro Commons advisor Jock Lauterer who, for the last eight summers, has led community journalism workshops at small papers &#8220;from Murphy to Manteo.&#8221; So far this summer he has visited with the folks at the Shelby Star, the Gaston Gazette, the News of Orange County and the Lake Norman Times.  Herewith is his latest blog from the road.

By Jock Lauterer



State Port Pilot staffers assemble for a group portrait in their skylighted entrance atrium: clockwise, from front and lower step, Colin Campbell, writing intern from UNC-CH; Lisa Stites, staff writer; Jonathan Spiers, staff writer; Lee Hinnant, news editor; Ben Brown, staff writer; Suzi Drake, features editor; Ed Harper, editor and Hilary Snow, staff writer. Not pictured, Bret McCormick, sports editor, Jim Harper, photographer and Terry Pope, associate editor.
Jock Lauterer photo



Director, the Carolina Community Media Project
June 24, 2008
In a day and age when we hear so much doom and gloom about the newspaper industry, its a pure pleasure for this old newsie to hit the road each summer to lead workshops at quality, thriving community newspapers.
Maybe youve been reading about the buyouts, layoffs and shrinking news hole at McClatchy-owned papers and could use a dose of optimism. 
To do that, you might want to take to the blue highways, where all-local community papers, including small dailies but especially independently owned weeklies, are holding their own, and then some.
For starters, I wish I could pack the whole glum bunch of professional media funeral mourners into my car and take them to the State Port Pilot of Southport.
The gold standard.
Thats what I call The State Port Pilot. This profitable, innovative, growing, family-owned broadsheet weekly consistently wins annual state press awards for news and advertising by the boatloads. 
Its no accident. The Pilot is a zesty, vital, all-local, visually striking example of what a community newspaper can and should be. 
A GOOD NEWSPAPER IN A GOOD COMMUNITY
Their understated motto, A good newspaper in a good community, could be more accurate with a couple of greats substituted for those goods. 
I give long-time editor Ed Harper much of the credit for crafting this paper into a legendary winner, though Ed will tell you he simply stewards the work of his parents, the late James M. Harper Jr. and the redoubtable Margaret Harper, 91. After years of 70-80 hour work weeks and a heart attack, Ed has wisely begun taking more time for his personal life, yet he still pilots the ship with a sure hand.
 (more&#8230;)
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The challenge of covering McCity</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/06/07/the-challenge-of-covering-mccity/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/06/07/the-challenge-of-covering-mccity/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Jun 2008 19:41:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2008/06/07/the-challenge-of-covering-mccity/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Jock Lauterer
Director, the Carolina Community Media Project
If you want to know how much Mooresville, N.C.,  has changed in a mere decade, just ask Bill Kiser, editor of the Lake Norman Times.



You can go home again &#8212; and get fries with that! Lake Norman Times Editor Bill Kiser, left, is joined by, left to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Jock Lauterer
Director, the Carolina Community Media Project
If you want to know how much Mooresville, N.C.,  has changed in a mere decade, just ask Bill Kiser, editor of the Lake Norman Times.



You can go home again &#8212; and get fries with that! Lake Norman Times Editor Bill Kiser, left, is joined by, left to right, LNT staffer Dru Willis, News of Orange Editor Steve Stiner and LNT staff Lacey Hampton outside &#8220;Indigo Joe&#8217;s,&#8221; a sports bar located exactly where Bill&#8217;s childhood home once stood in Mooresville.
Jock Lauterer photo



We are having lunch at Indigo Joes, a hip new sports bar with enough wall-mounted TV sets to keep any sports junkie glassy-eyed.
My parents house was sitting right here, Bill says matter-of-factly. My bedroom wasabout right over there, he says, turning and motioning towards an adjoining room.
Surrounding our lunch spot, (AKA, Bills old homeplace) sprawls Mooresville, revered by NASCAR fans as Race City, USA. We are surrounded by malls, fast-food places, shopping centers, apartments, condos, gated communities with generic names, office parks and the sameness of the predictable franchises you see lining four-lanes of Anywhere, USA.
And what is so striking about all this growth, is how NEW it all appears.
It is new, Bill agrees, pointing out the window. That used to be woods. That used to be pasture. None of this was here 10 years ago.
A native of this burgeoning southern Iredell County region, Bill says his parents watched the economic building boom happening and waited until they got an offer they couldnt refuse. Then his mom and dad, like many others, moved somewhere else more rural. The way southern Iredell used to be. Before the lake and before the interstate changed everything forever. Its hard to find a real native (of Mooresville). Theyre selling and moving to Rowan County, he says.
ITS A LAKE THING
The engine as it were, that drove and continues to drive the regional building boom is Lake Norman, built only in 1961 when the dam was built on the Catawba River, forming an immense body of water that straddles the borders of Catawba, Mecklenburg, Lincoln and Iredell counties, and located equidistant between Hickory to the northwest, Statesville to the north, Salisbury to the east and Charlotte due south.
 (more&#8230;)
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A visit to a very cool Web-savvy newspaper</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/05/18/a-visit-to-a-very-cool-web-savvy-newspaper/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/05/18/a-visit-to-a-very-cool-web-savvy-newspaper/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 May 2008 18:33:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2008/05/18/a-visit-to-a-very-cool-web-savvy-newspaper/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[


Shelby Star staffers, left to right, Publisher Skip Foster, Editor Jon Jimison, Photo Editor Jeff Melton and Design Editor Emily Killian show off the &#8220;Star Car,&#8221; the coolest high-tech newsroom-on-wheels we&#8217;ve ever seen.
Jock Lauterer photo



by Jock Lauterer
Director, the Carolina Community Media Project
Cool.
That word kept cropping up during my Roadshow visit to the Shelby Star earlier [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[


Shelby Star staffers, left to right, Publisher Skip Foster, Editor Jon Jimison, Photo Editor Jeff Melton and Design Editor Emily Killian show off the &#8220;Star Car,&#8221; the coolest high-tech newsroom-on-wheels we&#8217;ve ever seen.
Jock Lauterer photo



by Jock Lauterer
Director, the Carolina Community Media Project
Cool.
That word kept cropping up during my Roadshow visit to the Shelby Star earlier this week. 
And while cool may not be a word most folks associate with newspapers, but it sure applies to the Star. 
For the Star is no ordinary community paper. In fact, it may be one of a kind, and an industry leader too.
Since 2006, the 15,000-circulation Freedom-owned daily in the foothills west of Charlotte has fused the print edition with the papers Web version, shelbystar.com in every way conceivable.
And frankly, when I visited last earlier this week, the newsroom had more of the feel, energy and go-go-get-this-up-now of a 24/7 broadcast station.
The Shelby Star was blown up its newsroom " figuratively, explains a release from the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association. The papers newsroom no longer operates like a traditional newsroom and the newspaper doesnt read like a traditional newspaper. Its more local. Easier to read. Easier to digest (no jumps!) More interactive. And it fuses with the papers Web site.
Reporters now consistently work to find every opportunity to enhance a story with online content (usually video). Staff photographers and reporters carry video cameras (usually the inexpensive and simple to use Flip) on assignments. Editors encourage the community to submit comments, photos and video. The newsroom has added an Web master and a Web-savvy managing editor  (Joy Scott, the Stars award-winning former investigative writer) and Web content increasing has fused with the print product.
For instance, the day I was at the Star, a downtown fender-bender netted Chief Photographer Jeff Melton an easy news photo since it occurred just down the block from our lunch spot. But upon getting back to the newsroom, we learned that there had been two other local wrecks around the same time. 
In a manner of minutes Jeff had posted on shelbystar.com a brief story accompanied by his photo and a locator map spotlighting the three wrecks. No waiting for tomorrow mornings newspaper around here!
And it gets cooler.



Ready to roll: Photo Editor Jeff Melton says the high-tech WiFi gear in the Star Car has transformed the way he and his staff cover local news.
Jock Lauterer photo



Meet the Star Car: what looks like souped-up SUV turns out to a reporters version of the Batmobile " a rolling mini-newsroom equipped with dash-mounted video camera and wireless laptop all connected to the Star Cars Wi-Fi antennae that allows reporters and photographers to transmit stories, photos, audio and video live from the field.
How cool is that?
Very cool. In fact, according to Publisher Skip Foster, cool has become something of a marketing factor for the Star. 
People see that were not a sleepy little paper, he says. The Star Car has become a real brand identification factor. I couldnt put a dollar figure on its worth.
The mobile newsroom has been a real boon for covering breaking news. Since its debut last fall, the Star Car has revolutionized how staff covers hard news. Jeff cited a car-train collision, a murder-suicide, and earlier that week, tornado-chasing in the upper end of the county. 
(The best tornado photo actually came from a reader who submitted a cell phone cam shot, proving that local readers appear to love their relentlessly local shelbystar.com)
When we started posting information to shelbystar.com, customers came calling in numbers we never dreamed of, former Publisher Jennie Lambert told SNPA. Lambert, who has since become publisher of the larger Freedom-owned Gaston Gazette, is quoted by SNPA as recalling a memorable incident two years ago right after the Star had converted to the new dual platform: A surveillance film from an armed robbery in uptown Shelby generated 7,000 downloads within the first 36 hours. We see this response repeatedly. People are telling us that they want a combination of raw data and journalist-produced reports with more photos, audio and video clips. 



Back at the ranch: City Editor Graham Cawthon and Education reporter Cherish Wilson discuss the story budget. Earlier this week they were out in the Star Car chasing a tornado.
Jock Lauterer photo



The Star Car even changes how they cover local high school football. Now they can transmit video from their game of week, edit back at the newsroom and put it up later that same night. 
Not only that, but the new Web presence allows the Star to get more local content out to customers. For instance, the print edition of the Star might print two photos from a Friday night football game, on the Web Jeff says he might post as many as 30 photos from the same game.
Another example: While the paper would print only the photo of the winning homecoming queen, on shelbystar.com customers can find pictures of all 12 candidates AND their escorts.
For the shelbystar.com to work, there has to be staff buy-in. And this was a major theme I witnessed. The Stars newsroom is comprised of about 18 staffers who are a mix of locals  (like chief photog Jeff Melton, a native of Shelby) and bright new kids from other places. But all are Web-savvy and video-friendly. This 20-something generation has grown up using video and digital cameras practically as toys, so its not much of a stretch to get them into our multimedia world, observes Editor Jon Jimison.
I saw this in action when I was in town. Reporter Kirsten Thomas   had covered the Gardner-Webb University commencement the night before. There on todays front page of the newspaper was her six-inch (no jump) story. 
BUT, she had also shot video, which SHE had edited that same night and posted before midnight. Instead of viewing this as a burden, Kirsten, an L.A. native with a masters in journalism, told me, With the Internet youve got to take advantage of all the mediums.
And its a brave new world that requires risk-taking.
Editor Jon Jimison recalls it was kind of scary when the Star put up a drug bust story completely without editing. But Jon thinks this is just a new dynamic newsfolk may have to get used to. Theres not always going to be an editor around, he says.
Staffers also blog on a regular basis: For instance, today the site features blogs by the editor Jimison harping about the vagaries of local driving, Copy Editor Adam Fenwick (a self-avowed avid fan of NASCAR) posts his photos from a recent race, night-shift copy editor High Koontz blogs about a fine day of trout fishing, photog Melton posts photos live from a local wreck and assistant sports editor Gabe Whisnant blogs live, inning by inning, from the local high schools baseball playoffs.



Ouch! The Star&#8217;s video camera turns on the ol&#8217; perfesser. My workshop to the Star was headlined &#8220;Community News Pioneer Visits.&#8221; So I&#8217;m a &#8220;pioneer&#8221; now!
Jock Lauterer photo



Doubters have only to check out the shelbystar.com Web site to see the variety of breaking local news that the Star covers. Skip Fosters enthusiastic staff includes an editor, a managing editor, a city editor and a design editor, and the staff is comprised of (depending on how you do the counting) about five reporters, two sports guys (an editor and assistant editor), two photographers, three copy editors, and a Webmaster. 
As to measuring up to Charles Kuralts relentlessly local standard, the print edition Im looking at today is about 80 percent local, while the Web version of the Star appears to be chocka-block 100 percent local. 
From a business side, the experiment is still a work-in-progress. While the Web page views are through the roof, compared to pre-2005 figures, print circulation has remained flat, according to the publisher. Foster notes, While print revenue is tough, we continue to make headway with online advertising. The silver lining is that the Stars online revenue is up 76 percent over last year.
So what are the downsides to fusing the Web and print news operations?
 It takes a lot of time in the newsroom to shepherd all those reader-submitted photos and videos, explains editor Jimison. 
Also, Publisher Foster says, We used to talk about feeding the beast, but now in this 365 " 24/7 operation, its worse " and its better. The beast has to be fed many many times a day. Foster wonders that perhaps the sort of time-consuming, in-depth investigative reporting that the Star was once famous for, has been sacrificed at the expense of the Stars new this-just-in imperative.
Maybe so, but whatever the Star is doing, they sure seem to be doing community journalism right in this new age. I left Skip Fosters shop wishing I were 20-something again, fresh out of college and full of spit and vinegar.
Next time I visit Shelby, Im gonna beg a ride-along with Jeff in the Star Car. Whaddaya say? Lets go tornado-chasing!
On second thought
The transformation of the Star was the brainchild of Jon Segal, president of Freedoms Community Newspaper Division, according to a SNPA release about the Innovation Project, in which Segal picked the Star to be the companys incubator for new ideas at the community daily level. The Star Car is a joint project between Freedom Communications, the international newspaper trade association known as IFRA, and the University of South Carolinas Newsplex at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Columbia.
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		<item>
		<title>Carrboro CROP walks for hunger</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/28/carrboro-crop-walks-for-hunger/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/28/carrboro-crop-walks-for-hunger/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:31:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>campbellc</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Features]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyles]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/28/carrboro-crop-walks-for-hunger/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ 

Photos By Eve Greene
Carrboro Commons Photo Editor
Story By Morgan Siem
Carrboro Commons Writer
Scroll down for a slideshow of the photos.
About 550 walkers came with their dogs, friends and families to the Carrboro Town Commons, the start and finish line of the 22nd annual Chapel Hill-Carrboro CROP Hunger Walk on Sunday, April 13.  CROP stands [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[ 

Photos By Eve Greene
Carrboro Commons Photo Editor
Story By Morgan Siem
Carrboro Commons Writer
Scroll down for a slideshow of the photos.
About 550 walkers came with their dogs, friends and families to the Carrboro Town Commons, the start and finish line of the 22nd annual Chapel Hill-Carrboro CROP Hunger Walk on Sunday, April 13.  CROP stands for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty.  The CROP Walk supports the Church World Service, which works in about 80 countries to feed the hungry.  The Church World Service receives 75 percent of the money raised, while the community keeps 25 percent to help with local efforts to fight hunger.  This year, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro CROP Walks goal is to raise $53,000, which will mean that the walk will have raised a total of $1 million over the course of 22 years.  The Chapel Hill-Carrboro CROP Walk is organized by and supports the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service (IFC) on 110 W. Main St., Chapel Hill.  Charles Williams, the administrative assistant at the IFC, took on the role of 2008 CROP Hunger Walk coordinator.  So far the IFC has received $35,000 this year and expects more, since it takes about a month for the money to come in, he said.  We are on track, so were really excited about it.
 (more&#8230;)
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		<item>
		<title>As gas prices rise, Carrboro looks for alternatives</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/as-gas-prices-rise-carrboro-looks-for-alternatives/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/as-gas-prices-rise-carrboro-looks-for-alternatives/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:06:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jamiew1023</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Carrboro Connections]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Bikes]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[carrboro]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Cars]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Gas]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Scooters]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/as-gas-prices-rise-carrboro-looks-for-alternatives/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Allison McNeill
Carrboro Commons Writer
  Cyclists can travel to the heart of Carrboro by the easily accessible bike route. The bike route helps individuals avoid traffic and stop lights, and even better, a bicycle is gasoline-free.
Staff photo by Allison McNeill

With prices soaring to $3.49 for a gallon of regular gas, Carrboro residents and business [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Allison McNeill
Carrboro Commons Writer
  Cyclists can travel to the heart of Carrboro by the easily accessible bike route. The bike route helps individuals avoid traffic and stop lights, and even better, a bicycle is gasoline-free.
Staff photo by Allison McNeill

With prices soaring to $3.49 for a gallon of regular gas, Carrboro residents and business owners are feeling the pinch in their wallets. The high gas prices have people thinking about their driving habits and considering alternate forms of transportation.
Ben Johnson, who has lived in Carrboro since August, said, When I have to drive home to the mountains I try to carpool more than ever before. Im even going to change my voter registration to Orange County so that I dont have to drive home for that. It&#8217;s made me conscious about when and where I&#8217;m driving.
Local business owners are also feeling the effects. David Parker, manager of Amante Gourmet Pizza, has had to deal with gas price related cost increases.
We now have surcharges on deliveries that come to us, he said, a sign that other businesses, as well, are trying to find ways to cope.
Although the number of pizzas they deliver has not changed, Parker does foresee some problems occurring if the prices stay at this rate.
Some drivers dont want to drive as much, he said. When a driver spends $15 to $20 on gas and only makes $15 to $20 on the night, it just isnt worth it.
 (more&#8230;)
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		<item>
		<title>Spiritual group empowers Carrboro youth</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/spiritual-group-empowers-carrboro-youth/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/spiritual-group-empowers-carrboro-youth/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:04:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mlnewton</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Features]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyles]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/spiritual-group-empowers-carrboro-youth/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Alexandra Mansbach
Carrboro Commons Writer
  Mookho Paw, Mark Perry, Varqa Kalantar, Omid Akhavan, Azadeh Perry, Elizabeth Tun, and Alejandro Sanchez sit down to dinner on Saturday.  Each week, the group does an activity based on the theme of the day.  Saturdays story was about a family sitting down to dinner together, so [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Alexandra Mansbach
Carrboro Commons Writer
  Mookho Paw, Mark Perry, Varqa Kalantar, Omid Akhavan, Azadeh Perry, Elizabeth Tun, and Alejandro Sanchez sit down to dinner on Saturday.  Each week, the group does an activity based on the theme of the day.  Saturdays story was about a family sitting down to dinner together, so the group planned and cooked a meal to enjoy together.
Staff photo by Alexandra Mansbach

The Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program aims to create champions of justice and builders of unity.
In Carrboro, they are doing just that.
One of the main goals is to help [youths] understand that their community extends past their ethnicity, said Mark Perry, a drama professor at UNC-Chapel Hill and founder of The Drama Circle, a Bahai-inspired theater group. Another main goal is to enable the children with a sense of their own spiritual potential.
Perry is also a group leader, or animator, of a Junior Youth group in Carrboro. He and his wife, Azadeh, work with neighborhood kids on personal growth and empowerment.
The group meets regularly to promote spiritual development and self-expression.
That really needs to be encouraged because the forces of materialism are so strong, Perry said. And by materialism I mean anything that dampens the light of the human spirit.
During weekly gatherings, the group participates in games, sports, reading, prayer, and artistic activities such as singing and playing instruments.
 (more&#8230;)
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		<title>Voters to decide on land transfer tax May 6</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/voters-to-decide-on-land-transfer-tax-may-6/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/voters-to-decide-on-land-transfer-tax-may-6/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:57:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Town government]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/voters-to-decide-on-land-transfer-tax-may-6/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Ann Ansley
Carrboro Commons Writer
Dorothy had it right.  There really is no place like home.
Especially if youre required to pay a significant tax if you ever decide to sell your home.
  Bronwyn Merritt, a broker with Community Realty, finishes up some work on her laptop before meeting with clients.  Merritt opposes the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Ann Ansley
Carrboro Commons Writer
Dorothy had it right.  There really is no place like home.
Especially if youre required to pay a significant tax if you ever decide to sell your home.
  Bronwyn Merritt, a broker with Community Realty, finishes up some work on her laptop before meeting with clients.  Merritt opposes the land transfer tax, which will be on the May 6 ballot in Orange County, because she believes it is bad timing to increase taxes for those selling their homes, given the poor state of the real estate market.
Staff photo by Ann Ansley

On the May 6 ballot, Orange County residents will vote in a referendum on whether or not to approve a land transfer tax of 0.4 percent.  If passed, residents selling their homes will be required to pay 0.4 percent of the total sale price of their home to the county.
The Orange County Board of Commissions voted Feb. 19 to put the transfer tax on a referendum for the May 6 ballot.  The General Assembly voted in 2007 to transfer the burden of acquiring revenue sources from the state level to the county level, so that the counties will now be more responsible for coming up with their own spending money for use within the county, according to the boards Feb. 19 agenda abstract.
As a result, county boards are required to hold a referendum within their county to see if the public wishes to raise taxes through an increase in the sales tax or an increase in the land transfer tax.
Carrboro residents are hardly at a consensus on the issue.
I do oppose it, the main reason being that now is the worst sales market and a lot of people are close to foreclosure, said Bronwyn Merritt, a real estate broker with Community Realty, who lives on Creekview Circle.  Just because you have a nice house doesnt mean you can afford this tax.
Merritt says that if people arent forced to pay property taxes, they can find better uses for the money they save.
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		<title>Carrboro &#8216;hooping&#8217; conference draws enthusiasts</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/carrboro-hooping-conference-draws-enthusiasts/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/carrboro-hooping-conference-draws-enthusiasts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:51:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>rldecker</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyles]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/carrboro-hooping-conference-draws-enthusiasts/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Lindsay Ash
Carrboro Commons Writer
The equipment may look the same, but this is not your childhood Hula Hoop. A new trend of movement and dance, called hooping, is reaching communities around the nation.
  At the last workshop of the Hoop Convergence, held in Carrboro and Efland, hoopers combined movement and dance to act out [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Lindsay Ash
Carrboro Commons Writer
The equipment may look the same, but this is not your childhood Hula Hoop. A new trend of movement and dance, called hooping, is reaching communities around the nation.
  At the last workshop of the Hoop Convergence, held in Carrboro and Efland, hoopers combined movement and dance to act out different emotions or objects. Led by Kari Revolva Jones, these hoopers are dancing out bubbles.
Staff photo by Lindsay Ash

Hoop Convergence, called the first national hooping conference by its organizers, was held from April 11 to 16 in areas of Carrboro and at Chestnut Ridge Camp and Retreat Center in Efland.
Hoopers spiraled at venues all over Carrboro, including Weaver Street Market, the Town Commons, the Century Center, Chapel Hill-Carrboro Tae Kwon Do Center, Carrboro Yoga Company, Carolina Fitness and Balance Movement Studio.
Carrboro has become a hooping Mecca, said Ariana Shelton, who traveled from Massachusetts to attend Hoop Convergence.
Its a place on the map that hoopers all over the world recognize as a unique hooping scene.
In the past few years, there has been a re-emergence of Hula Hooping, which is now referred to as hooping to distinguish it from the childrens play activity. Hooping can be used for both exercise and expression.
Hooping is a form of creative movement and dance that uses a much bigger and heavier hoop that moves slower as it rotates around the body, said Julia Jewels Hartsell from Carrboro.
 (more&#8230;)
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		<title>Maple View Challenge runners race to end hunger</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/maple-view-challenge-runners-race-to-end-hunger/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/maple-view-challenge-runners-race-to-end-hunger/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:50:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ERafferty</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyles]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Sports]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/maple-view-challenge-runners-race-to-end-hunger/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Katie Spencer
Carrboro Commons Writer
Just prior to the torrential downpour Sunday, a storm of runners descended on Carrboro for a pint of Maple View ice cream.
I was among the 250 willing to fill up on dairy halfway through a five kilometer run, all for a good cause.
  Nick Hutchins and Matt Hamrick perform for [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Katie Spencer
Carrboro Commons Writer
Just prior to the torrential downpour Sunday, a storm of runners descended on Carrboro for a pint of Maple View ice cream.
I was among the 250 willing to fill up on dairy halfway through a five kilometer run, all for a good cause.
  Nick Hutchins and Matt Hamrick perform for the crowds applause.  The duo barely beat out the dancing cow to win best costume.
Staff photo by Katie Spencer

The event was called the Maple View Challenge, a local version of North Carolina State Universitys Krispy Kreme Challenge, where runners eat a dozen doughnuts in the middle of a four mile race.
We started at the Morehead Planetarium and went down Cameron Avenue to the Roberson bike path. At the end of the path we found a well organized ice cream eating station. Anyone competing had to finish off a pint of strawberry sorbet or vanilla, chocolate-chip or double-chocolate ice cream before heading back the same way, full of dairy.
I have never seen the bike path so crowded. The returning runners had one thing on their minds: keeping the ice cream down.
The idea came from UNC-Chapel Hill students David Campbell, a senior environmental studies major, and JoŁo Toste, a junior economics major, who were training for a triathlon at the time. The two stopped at Maple View Farm just north of Carrboro, where they joked about an event that combined physical exercise with eating ice cream.
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		<title>Carrboro High committee promotes academic honor</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/carrboro-high-committee-promotes-academic-honor/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/carrboro-high-committee-promotes-academic-honor/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:49:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>kwin</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[School news]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/carrboro-high-committee-promotes-academic-honor/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Stephanie Kane
Carrboro Commons Writer
Carrboro High School is in the initial stages of developing the Carrboro High School Academic Integrity Committee (AIC), which will be composed of faculty, students and parents who are concerned with promoting honor at Carrboro High.
  Marc Millard, a Carrboro High science teacher, is primarily responsible for the organization of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Stephanie Kane
Carrboro Commons Writer
Carrboro High School is in the initial stages of developing the Carrboro High School Academic Integrity Committee (AIC), which will be composed of faculty, students and parents who are concerned with promoting honor at Carrboro High.
  Marc Millard, a Carrboro High science teacher, is primarily responsible for the organization of the Academic Honor Committee.
Staff photo by Stephanie Kane

The creation of the committee comes in response to the discovery of an elaborate cheating scheme at Chapel Hill High School this February.
Carrboro High Principal Jeff Thomas said the incident at Chapel Hill High has put the microscope on our whole school district.  We have a high performing school district and high schools from which many students are accepted into Ivy Leagues, so the media attention has been heavy.  But I think some good can come of this, and we can learn and grow from a negative situation.
The Carrboro High AIC will be modeled after the East Chapel Hill High School AIC, which has been in operation for several years and is firmly established in the schools system.
Marc Millard, a Carrboro High chemistry teacher who previously taught at East Chapel Hill High, is organizing the committee and says the AIC will be up and running for the 2008-2009 school year.
Millard plans to have at least one faculty member from each department present at AIC meetings and is currently gathering teacher recommendations for students who embody personal integrity and honor.  These students will be extended an offer to join Student Academic Integrity and Leadership (SAIL) next year.
Millard also hopes to have parents in attendance who can voice valuable input and serve as a support unit for faculty, but they will have more limited involvement when confidentiality is at risk.
 (more&#8230;)
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		<title>Local boy band has sights set on recording contract</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/local-boy-band-has-sights-set-on-recording-contract/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/local-boy-band-has-sights-set-on-recording-contract/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:47:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>rmitch3</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[A&amp;E]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Features]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/local-boy-band-has-sights-set-on-recording-contract/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Kate Searcy
Carrboro Commons Writer
Move over, Jonas Brothers. Theres a new boy band in town " literally.
  Lord Destiny, far left, dances as members of Miah and the Girl Toyz treat the crowd to their vocal and guitar-playing talents. The group of brothers, including Christopher and Jeremiah, far right, hopes to make their band [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Kate Searcy
Carrboro Commons Writer
Move over, Jonas Brothers. Theres a new boy band in town " literally.
  Lord Destiny, far left, dances as members of Miah and the Girl Toyz treat the crowd to their vocal and guitar-playing talents. The group of brothers, including Christopher and Jeremiah, far right, hopes to make their band a household name in the music world with continued daily practice..
Staff photo by Kate Searcy

Miah and the Girl Toyz, a high-energy quartet of young musicians from Carrboro, put on a lively show at McDougle Elementary School on April 20.
The group consists of Christopher, 15, who plays bass guitar; Jeremiah, 14, who sings lead vocals and plays lead guitar; Stori, 11, who plays the keyboards and sings backup vocals; and Vincent James, 10, the drummer.
The Miah in the bands name is a shortened form of Jeremiah, according to Jacob Jacobs, the groups manager and adopted father of the boys.
The performance was part of an entertainment series called Entertainment Adventures that is sponsored and coordinated by the town of Carrboro and the Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department. There is a different performance on the third Sunday of each month, said Robin Jones, the coordinator of the event. Jones is also a recreation specialist for the town of Carrboro.
Jones saw the group perform at the Carrboro Music Festival and asked them to join the series.
We dont usually have musical acts, Jones said. But I heard a few of their songs, and we decided they would be good for our program.
 (more&#8230;)
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		<title>Carrboro High School prepares for its first prom</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/carrboro-high-school-prepares-for-its-first-prom/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/carrboro-high-school-prepares-for-its-first-prom/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:41:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>kayre</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[School news]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[carrboro]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Carrboro High School]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Carrboro Police Department]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[carrboro-century-center]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Orange County Schools]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[prom]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/carrboro-high-school-prepares-for-its-first-prom/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Shannon David
Carrboro Commons Writer
Get pumped CHS juniors because the first ever Carrboro High School prom is here! Get ready to turn the lights down and turn the music up, read weekly announcements at Carrboro High School.
  Students at Carrboro High School lined up on April 21, 2008 to buy tickets to Carrboro High [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Shannon David
Carrboro Commons Writer
Get pumped CHS juniors because the first ever Carrboro High School prom is here! Get ready to turn the lights down and turn the music up, read weekly announcements at Carrboro High School.
  Students at Carrboro High School lined up on April 21, 2008 to buy tickets to Carrboro High Schools first prom.  The prom will be held at the Carrboro Century Center on May 10, 2008 from 8 p.m. to midnight.
Staff photo by Shannon David

On May 10, Carrboro High School will hold its first prom from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Carrboro Century Center.
The student body has been working hard all year to put on this event.  We have pretty much done everything, said Erin Harrington, student body co-president. We have been in charge of finding a DJ, finding a venue, picking out a theme.  We are doing most of the grunt work really.
According to Harrington, the theme for the prom is Glow in the Dark, and the catch phrase for event is, turn the lights down and turn the music up.
Harrington has worked closely with fellow student Andrew Morin in planning the prom, and Harrington and Morin believe that students overall are excited about the upcoming event.
We had problems promoting spirit at first, said Morin. Some kids said they would rather go to prom at Chapel Hill High.
And originally we were disappointed that we couldnt afford a nice venue like a hotel, continued Harrington, but we are really happy with how everything turned out.
 (more&#8230;)
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		<title>Century Center to host third Carrboro Film Festival</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/century-center-to-host-third-carrboro-film-festival/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/century-center-to-host-third-carrboro-film-festival/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:39:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>rburk</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[A&amp;E]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Carrboro Film Festival]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[carrboro-century-center]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Films]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Kay Kyser Awards]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/century-center-to-host-third-carrboro-film-festival/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Shera Everette
Carrboro Commons Writer
If the Carrboro Film Festival were a plant, in a few months it would be getting ready to sprout legs and leap.
Theres a plant metaphor for plant growth and development that says the first year, steep; the second year, creep; and the third year, leap, said Selena Lauterer, chair of the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Shera Everette
Carrboro Commons Writer
If the Carrboro Film Festival were a plant, in a few months it would be getting ready to sprout legs and leap.
Theres a plant metaphor for plant growth and development that says the first year, steep; the second year, creep; and the third year, leap, said Selena Lauterer, chair of the Carrboro Film Festival. For plants, their third year is when theyre most robust. In relationships and organizations, youll see that in the third year, things just magically grow.
  Committee members of the 2007 Carrboro Film Festival display the events fun spirit.
Photo courtesy of Carrboro Film Festival

The Carrboro Film Festival, which began showcasing local artists narratives and documentaries in November 2006, will have its third annual competition on Nov. 23, at the Carrboro Century Center.
Can you believe the growth that weve seen? asked Jackie Helvey, one of the festivals founders. Last year was a standing-room-only event and it was incredible. I cant wait to see what happens this year.
The deadline for submissions is Aug. 29, with late submissions being accepted until Sept. 22. Films can be no longer than 20 minutes, and the filmmaker has to have had a brush with Orange County at one time in life. They will be competing for one of the Kay Kyser Awards, which is named in honor of the 1940s Chapel Hill big band leader known as the ol professor of swing.
Lauterer said it is imperative to get the word out now, before students leave for summer vacations.
We want as many student filmmakers as possible to be participants, Lauterer said. Who knows, maybe you will see the next big director.
 (more&#8230;)
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		<title>Carrboro stores expect steady sales this summer</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/carrboro-stores-expect-steady-sales-this-summer/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/carrboro-stores-expect-steady-sales-this-summer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:37:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>njorgens</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Growth and development]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/carrboro-stores-expect-steady-sales-this-summer/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Allie Maupin
Carrboro Commons Writer
Come July, Chapel Hill may look like a ghost town, but just down the road in Carrboro local businesses say their sales remain relatively strong throughout the summer.
  Hillary Vandewart prefers summers in Carrboro to Chapel Hill due to Carrboro&#8217;s diverse mix of restaurants and shopping.
Staff photo by Allie Maupin

In [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Allie Maupin
Carrboro Commons Writer
Come July, Chapel Hill may look like a ghost town, but just down the road in Carrboro local businesses say their sales remain relatively strong throughout the summer.
  Hillary Vandewart prefers summers in Carrboro to Chapel Hill due to Carrboro&#8217;s diverse mix of restaurants and shopping.
Staff photo by Allie Maupin

In the summer months, the student population of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area shrinks from more than 27,000 to about 6,000.
While Chapel Hill businesses are significantly affected by the summer migration of students, local business in Carrboro remains mostly unaffected.
We expect summer to be a great time for us, said Kevin Murach, a Fleet Feet employee and UNC-CH student who plans on remaining in the area this summer. The lack of students around really should not be much of an issue for us.
Jenny McMillan, owner of Nested, a gift shop located on East Main Street, said her business comes in cycles but that summer is not particularly a slow period.
I dont have a huge student customer base, McMillan said. I think its probably like that for a lot of stores in Carrboro.
Many businesses cited Carrboros settled, family-focused residents as a reason sales do not dip.
I think more people permanently live around downtown Carrboro than in Chapel Hill, said Murach. Summer is not a down time because most our regular customers are still here.
McMillan also attributes the seasonal differences in the two towns to the types of business each one attracts.
Franklin Street is totally student-oriented, she said. There is not much to buy there besides cheap food and blue T-shirts.
Hillary Vandewart, a UNC-CH student who spent last summer in Carrboro, agreed that downtown Carrboro has more to offer in the summer.
 (more&#8230;)
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		<title>Group touts &#8216;Elements&#8217; art show</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/group-touts-elements-art-show/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/group-touts-elements-art-show/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:33:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mtomsic</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[A&amp;E]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[5000 flowers]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Andi Sobbe]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Bryant Holsenbeck]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[carrboro]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Carrboro Arts Committee]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Carrboro Town Hall]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Chapel Hill]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Chapel Hill Public Library]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Chapel Hill Town Hall]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Community Art Project]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Jack SPrat Cafe]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Jackie Helvy]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Lee Bishop]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Open Eye Cafe]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[PTA Thrift Shop]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Seymour Senior Center]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[the Arts Center]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[The Carrboro Century Center]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2008/04/25/group-touts-elements-art-show/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Kennedy Carruthers
Carrboro Commons Writer
A team of four Carrboro women initiated a community-wide art project in 2001 called 5,000 Flowers to commemorate the lives lost on Sept. 11.
The project was so successful that Carrboro and Chapel Hill residents created more than 50,000 paper flowers and placed them in venues throughout the towns.
  Committee members [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Kennedy Carruthers
Carrboro Commons Writer
A team of four Carrboro women initiated a community-wide art project in 2001 called 5,000 Flowers to commemorate the lives lost on Sept. 11.
The project was so successful that Carrboro and Chapel Hill residents created more than 50,000 paper flowers and placed them in venues throughout the towns.
  Committee members of the Community Art Project pose at Open Eye Caf during the opening reception. Front row (from left to right): Maggi Grace, Barbara Ziff, Janice Tyler. Back row: Jackie Helvey and Andi Sobbe (co-chairs this year), Barbara Jessie-Black, Ann Kendall and Laura Casey.
Staff photo by Kennedy Carruthers

Today, a similar art project continues. In its fifth year, the Community Art Project introduces a theme to Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents and urges them to submit a personal creation inspired by that theme.
Its such a great way for us all to be creative,&#8221; said Jackie Helvy, co-chair of the Community Art Project and a member of the original team of women who initiated &#8220;5,000 Flowers.&#8221; &#8220;The truth is, were all artists, we just have to find it within us.
This year, Elements was the theme. From photos of leaves doused in dew and ducks swimming into the sunset to a picture representation of the elements in the periodic table, the participants interpretations were limitless.
Andi Sobbe, co-chair of the Community Art Project with Helvey, said the project has matured every year. There were so many ways to interpret one simple theme, &#8221; Sobbe said. &#8220;Its the evidence of the degree of creativity in this community.
Former themes include Self Portrait, Dream, Lost and Found and Why.
On Thursday, April 17, these creations, in the form of mosaics, watercolor and oil paintings, collages, flower arrangements, pencil and crayon drawings and ceramics, were featured in a slide show at Open Eye Cafe as a commencement to the community-wide project.
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